LON 
i?S 
manner, “Privileges of parliament!” And one of them 
threw into his majefty’s coach a paper, on which was 
written, “ To your tents, O Ifrael!” for which he was im¬ 
mediately apprehended, and committed to prifon. His 
majefty being arrived at Guildhall, where the court of 
common-council, by his order, was affembled, be add relied 
himfelf to them, faying he came to demand perl'ons al¬ 
ready acctifed of high treafon, and to defire their aflift- 
ance to bring them to a legal trial. He then made new 
profe-fftons of his zeal for the proteftant religion, and bis 
determination to profecute all fuch, either papilts or fepa- 
ratifts, who (hould oppofe the laws and (fatutes of the 
kingdom. Having finished his harangue, he left the hall, 
and, after dining with oneoftheflierifFs, returned to White¬ 
hall, without receiving that applauie which he expected, 
or gaining any fatisfaftion in his inquiries. On the con¬ 
trary, the members were Hill protected in the city, and, on 
the day.of the meeting of parliament, went to Weftmin- 
fter in .great (late,-guarded by forty long-boats armed with 
fmall pieces of ordnance, and were received on landing 
by the city trained-bands. When the committee and 
members were fafe arrived, the fiieriffs, and thofe who had 
conducted the boats, were called into the houfe, and were 
thanked for their fervices, and indemnified from future 
queltion for their conduct; after which, the houfe ordered 
that two companies of the trained-bands (hould attend 
the houfe daily ; and, for the fecurity of the ftores in the 
Tower, the Sheriffs were ordered to place a lufficient guard 
round it, both by land and water. 
In the midft of thefe tumults, the city could not help 
taking a great part in the diffenfions which at that time 
were tearing the kingdom into different parties. About 
this time an order was made for (hutting up all the (hops 
in London, that the (liopkeepers and apprentices might be 
at greater freedom to attend to the defence of the kingdom. 
And an ordinance was publiflied, for the encouragement 
cf apprentices to enlilt; in which they were promifed fe¬ 
curity againft the forfeiture of indentures, bonds, orfran- 
chifetnents; and that, when the public fervice was ended, 
their inafters (hould be compelled to receive them without 
punifhment or prejudice. The mafters were alfo promifed 
fatisfaftion for whatever Ioffes they might fultain by the 
abfence of fuch apprentices. 
The common-council, about this time, paffed an aft for 
the better defence of the city, by fortifying it with out¬ 
works at certain places. It was alfo enabled, that all the 
palfages and ways leading to the city (hould be (hut up, 
excepting thofe entering at Charing.-crofs, St. Giles’s-in- 
the-Fields, St. John’s-ftreet, Shoreditch, and Whitechapel; 
and that the exterior ends of the faid ftreets (hould he for¬ 
tified with brealt-works, muiket-proof; that all the (beds 
and buildings contiguous to London-wall without, be 
taken down ; and that the city-wall, with its bulwarks, be 
not only repaired and mounted with artillery, but like- 
wife that divers new works be added to the fame at places 
nioft expofed to danger. This work was immediately 
begun, and profecuted with fuch difpatch, that a rampart, 
or wall, with baltions, redoubts, See. was inti (hort time 
erebted round the cities of London and Weftminfter, and 
the borough of Southwark ; and, in order to defray the 
expenfe attending it, the common-council impoftd eight 
fifteenths on the (everal wards of the city, which was af¬ 
terwards confirmed by an ordinance of parliament. 
The king, finding at, lalt that the Londoners were more 
ftrongly attached to the parliament, and that his obtain¬ 
ing their frienriihip was imprafticable, iifued a proclama¬ 
tion, “ forbidding all commerce with London.” On 
which the common-council, the day following the date of 
the faid proclamation, made an aft for railing the (urn of 
fifty thouland pounds by way of loan, on the fecurity of 
the city-leal, to be employed in defence of the city ; and 
at the fame time paffed an order to move the parliament 
for an ordinance, to compel all moneyed men, within the 
bills of mortality, to advance money on this occafion, in 
proportion to their refpeftive abilities. 
A rumour prevailing, at this time among the citizens, 
D 0 N. 
that the parliament was difpofsd to accommodate matters 
with the king, the lord-mayor fummoned a common-coun¬ 
cil, who prelented a petition to the houfe of commons, in 
the Itrongeft terms, againft a reconciliation. When his 
lordfliip prefented the above petition, he was attended by 
(uch a prodigious conccurfe of citizens, that many of the 
members withdrew from the houfe through fear; and 
thofe who continued, and received the petition, requelted 
his lordihip to prevent fuch riotous proceedings for the 
future. The petition was approved of; and the proport¬ 
ions of peace with the king were rejefted. Such weight 
had the city of London in the fcale of public affairs ; fuch 
influence had her example or advice upon the reft of the 
kingdom ! 
The rage for petitioning was fo great at this time, that, 
on the 9th of Auguft, 1643, fome thoufands of the meaner 
fort of women, with white ribbons in their hats, carried 
up a petition, which was entitled, “The humble Petition 
of many civilly-difpofed Women, inhabiting in the Cities 
of London and Weftminfter.” The purport of it was 
very reafonable; namely, “ That God’s glory, in the true 
reformed religion, might be preferved ; the juft preroga¬ 
tives of king and parliament maintained ; the true li¬ 
berties and properties of the fubjeft, according to the 
known laws of the land, reftored; and all honourable 
ways and means-for a fpeedy peace endeavoured.” The 
commons returned them for anfwer, That they were no 
enemies to peace; and that they hoped, in a (hort time, to 
anfwer the ends of their petition. But, this not fatisfy- 
ing them, they continued about the houfe, and, before 
noon, increaled to upwards of five thouland; among 
whom were feveral men dreffed in women’s clothes. They 
crowded about the houfe, calling out, “Peace! peace!” 
and demanding the traitors who were averfe to it ; parti¬ 
cularly, “ that dog, Pym.” At length, thefe civilly-dij~ 
pofed. women became fo outrageous, that it was found ne- 
ceffary to oppofe them by force. A party of the trained- 
bands were therefore fent for ; but, inftead of being inti¬ 
midated at their appearance, the mob affailed them with 
fuch fury, that they were forced to fire in their own de¬ 
fence ; when feveral being killed, and others wounded, 
the reft thought it prudent to withdraw. 
At the beginning of the year 1644, the city fent two 
regiments of auxiliaries, to join the parliament-army un¬ 
der fir William Waller, who gained a viftory over the 
royal forces (hortly after. In the battle, the troops be¬ 
longing to the city behaved with the greateft courage and 
intrepidity; and the viftory was coniidered of fuch im¬ 
portance, that a public thankfgiving was ordered to be 
obferved, on the 9th of April, throughout London and 
the hills of mortality. 
On the 16th of May, the lord-mayor, aldermen, and 
common-council, prefented an addrefs or petition to the 
parliament, thanking them for the great care they had 
taken for the prefervation of the public good, and ex¬ 
horting them to perfeverance. They particularly thanked 
them for their efpecial care of the Tower of London 
and the caltle of Windfor; but expreffed fome diffatif- 
faftion at the difcontinuance of the committee of parlia¬ 
ment, at the want cf execution upon delinquents, the 
not putting Tilbury Fort into fafe hands, and at the en¬ 
deavours of divers members of parliament to gain re-ad¬ 
mittance, after having betrayed their truft by bearing 
arms againft the parliament. The commons returned a 
full and fatisfaftory anfwer to all thefe points; and con¬ 
cluded with declaring, that they would, in a moll parti¬ 
cular manner, be mindful of the merit of the city, which, 
upon all occasions, they (hould acknowledge, and would 
endeavour to requite. The Londoners, however, kept up 
a good underftanding with the army, and became the me¬ 
diator between them and the parliament. The army re¬ 
quired that no forces (hould be raifed in the city ; to which 
the citizens agreed, and promifed to move the parliament 
for their better payment, that they might be removed to 
a greater diltance. 
The city was, at times, thought a fafe and fecure (hel- 
1 ter 
