on
Within for having contravened the Act touching election of officers upon
the Treasonable Engagement.(1071) A deputation from the court was ordered
to wait upon the commissioners and to get some explanation of their
conduct and to report the result of their interview. The commissioners
assumed a very haughty tone. They were, they said, entrusted with full
powers to deal with such matters by parliament, but expressed their
intention to "be tender to passe severe sentence upon any well affected
citizen. For that they have power to doe it or not to doe it." This was
not at all to the mind of the Common Council, who thereupon resolved (4
March, 1653) to ask parliament to explain who were promoters and abettors
of the Treasonable Engagement, and whether the citizens were to be
considered as promoters and abettors for having obeyed the orders of the
militia authorised by parliament in manning forts and appearing in arms,
as they so often had done, in defence of parliament as well as of
themselves.(1072) Before any answer was given to this awkward question the
Long Parliament had ceased to exist, to be succeeded by another of a very
different character.

(M545)

"Praise-God Barebone, Esquire," who gave a nick-name to the next
parliament, was a leatherseller of London, and was summoned by Cromwell to
sit as member for the city. "I, as commander-in-chief of the armies of the
Commonwealth," wrote Cromwell to him, "summon you ... to appear at the
council chamber, Whitehall, on 4th July, and take upon you the said trust
for the city of London."(1073) The rest of the members of this Puritan
parliament were for the most part also Cromwell's nominees. It was
destined to be short lived. It attacked the law and the Church and
threatened the universities. To save the last mentioned institutions the
city of London intervened and received the thanks of the university of
Oxford.(1074) Afraid of their own acts, which they felt were displeasing
to Cromwell, they agreed to dissolve parliament and to transfer their
powers to the man from whom they had received them. This took place
somewhat suddenly and unexpectedly on the 12th December.

(M546)

On the 16th Cromwell was solemnly installed as Lord Protector, the lord
mayor, the aldermen and the Recorder being invited to be present, and in
due course his new title was proclaimed in the city.(1075) The lord mayor,
Thomas Vyner, happening to be a goldsmith, the Council of State
commissione