d against
aldermen who had not already served as sheriff resigning their gowns for
the purpose of avoiding service.(1051)

(M535)

Notwithstanding Leslie's defeat at Dunbar, there still remained a strong
royalist army in Scotland, which, in August of the following year, was
pushed on into England with the hope of raising an insurrection in favour
of Charles before Cromwell could overtake it. As soon as this sudden
movement became known Cromwell wrote (4 Aug.) to parliament to gather a
force together with all possible speed to hold the enemy in check until
his arrival.(1052)

(M536)

The House at once (11 Aug.) communicated with the Common Council, who
pledged themselves, with God's grace, to adventure their lives and
estates, and to use their best endeavours in the defence of parliament and
the Commonwealth against the king of Scotland and all who should invade
England on his behalf.(1053) The City's Records are again provokingly
meagre at this period, yielding us but scanty information on matters which
must have deeply affected the citizens in general. From other sources,
however, we learn that three regiments of volunteers were formed in London
and its suburbs for the special purpose of serving as a guard to
parliament. The powers of the Committee for the Militia of the City were
enlarged, and the number of members increased by fifteen individuals,
among whom was Lieutenant-Colonel John Fenton, who had been removed from
the Common Council by order of parliament. The militia throughout the
country was called out, and a month's pay ordered to be advanced by "each
person who finds horsemen or footmen," the same to be repaid by
assessments authorised by parliament. Anyone joining the Scottish army or
inducing others to join, anyone found with papers or declarations of the
Scottish king in his hands, or discovered inciting to a breach of the
peace, was declared to be a traitor, and as such would be executed. Within
the late lines of communication strict supervision was to be kept over all
houses. Lodgers' names were to be taken and registered; servants and
children were to be allowed out of doors only at certain hours. The
execution of these and similar orders was entrusted to the lord mayor and
the rest of the Committee for the Militia of the City in conjunction with
the Commissioners for the Militia of Westminster, the Hamlets and
Southwark, who were required to meet and sit daily for the purpose. A
troop of horse w