e also members of their own body,
with Bradshaw as president. Cromwell, Fairfax and Skippon were members of
the council, as also were two aldermen of the city, viz., Pennington and
Wilson.(932) The post of Secretary for Foreign Languages was offered to a
kinsman of Bradshaw, and one of whom the city of London is justly proud,
to wit, John Milton.

(M475)

The revolution which was taking place in the government of the kingdom
found its counterpart in the municipal government of the City, where the
mayor, aldermen and commons bore close analogy to the king, lords and
commons of the realm. The City was but the kingdom in miniature, the
kingdom was but the City writ large. No sooner was the house of lords
abolished, and with it the right of the lords to veto the Acts of the
commons, than the Court of Aldermen was deprived of a similar right over
the proceedings of the Common Council.

(M476)

Until the year 1645 the right of the mayor and aldermen to veto an
ordinance made by the commons in Common Council assembled appears never to
have been disputed, but on the 24th January of that year, when fresh
by-laws were under the consideration of the court, and the mayor and
aldermen claimed this privilege as a matter of right, objection was
raised, and the question was referred to a committee.(933) No settlement
of the matter appears to have been arrived at until matters were brought
to a crisis by the action of the mayor and aldermen on the 13th January,
1649, when, as we saw at the close of the last chapter, they got up and
left the court.

(M477)

In view of similar action being taken by the mayor and aldermen in future,
it was enacted by parliament (28 Feb.),(934) that all things proposed in
Common Council should thenceforth be fairly debated and determined in and
by the same council as the major part of the members present should desire
or think fit; "and that in every vote which shall passe and in the other
proceedings of the said councell neither the lord maior nor aldermen,
joynte or separate, shall have any negative or distinctive voice or vote
otherwise than with and amonge and as parte of the rest of the members of
the said councell, and in the same manner as the other members have; and
that the absence or withdraweinge of the lord maior or aldermen from the
said councell shall not stopp or prejudice the proceedings of the said
councell; and that every Common Councell which shall be held in the city
of London sh