erse to the restoration
of the king, but such restoration must be effected on their own terms.
Again and again they called upon parliament to open a personal treaty with
Charles. On the 22nd June the Common Council directed a petition to both
Houses to be drafted, thanking them for setting the aldermen at liberty,
and praying them to allow the king to come to some house near parliament
where negotiations might be carried on.(874) The petition was submitted to
both Houses on the 27th June, and was well received.(875) The Commons, in
reply, declared that they were using their best endeavours in the interest
of peace, and they had already appointed a committee to consider what
further offers could be made to the king, as well as of "time, place and
other circumstances for convenience of address to be made to his
majesty."(876)

(M442)

A week later (5 July) the Common Council introduced to the House of Lords
another petition, in which the officers of the trained bands of the city
made a similar request for a personal treaty to be made with the king in
London, and not only repeated a former request made by the City itself
that the London regiments might be associated with those of the adjacent
counties, but asked that the force thus formed might be furnished with a
contingent of cavalry. To all these requests the Lords gave a ready
assent.(877) The Commons, however, to whom a similar petition was
presented the same day, whilst signifying their assent to the amalgamation
of the trained bands, left the other matters for further consideration,
and appointed a committee to confer with the Common Council and the
officers of the trained bands the following afternoon.(878)

(M443)

The question to be considered was the steps to be taken for the security
of the king's person in the event of his taking up his quarters in London
for the purpose of negotiating. The Common Council, for their part,
undertook in such an event to venture their lives and fortunes in
defending his majesty against all violence according to the covenant, and
appointed a committee to confer with the parliamentary committee and with
the military officers as to the best means of enabling them to carry out
this engagement.(879)

(M444)

By the 11th July the committee was in a position to report to the Common
Council the result of the conference so far as it had gone.(880) The
parliamentary committee had propounded seven questions bearing upon the
terms of