all sitt and continue soe longe as the major parte of the
saide councell shall thinke fitte, and shall not be dissolved or adjourned
but by and accordinge to the order or consent of the major parte of the
same councell." It was further enacted that "in all times to come the lord
maior ... soe often and att such time as any tenn or more of the Common
Councell men doe by wryting under theire hands request or desire him
thereunto, shall summon, assemble and hold a Common Councell. And if at
any tyme beinge soe requested or desired hee shall faile therein, then the
tenn persons or more makeinge such request or desire shall have power, and
are hereby authorized, by wrytinge under theire hands, to summon or cause
to be summoned to the said councell the members belonginge thereunto in as
ample manner as the lord maior himself usually heretofore hath done."

(M478)

Pursuant to this enactment the mayor received a written request from
fifteen members of the council for a court to meet at three o'clock of the
afternoon of the 14th June, 1650. The court assembled, but neither mayor
nor any alderman appeared until a message was sent to the Court of
Aldermen then sitting requesting their attendance in the Common
Council.(935) After prayers(936) his lordship declared that he had not
summoned the court inasmuch as the members who came to him on the matter
had refused to acquaint him with the reasons for which it was to be
summoned, and he moved that the subscribers to the request for a court
should state why the court was summoned before any other business was
taken in hand. This proposal met with great opposition, and a debate arose
on the question whether the mayor's motion should take precedence of the
reading of the minutes of the last court or not, and lasted until nine
o'clock at night. At length the mayor's motion was negatived and the
minutes of the last court were read. It then became known that the reason
for the court being summoned was to hear a committee's report read. But
the mayor at this point declared himself tired with sitting so long and
rose to go, promising to call a court the next morning or any time most
convenient. Upon certain members insisting upon the report being read then
and there, his lordship and all the aldermen except one left the court.
Nevertheless the report was read, and the members themselves fixed a day
for another court for taking it into consideration unless the mayor
himself should summon one