t. The court thereupon gave orders for precepts
to be immediately issued to the deputies and common councilmen of the
several wards requiring them to return a list in writing under their hands
to the town clerk of all disaffected or dangerous persons found in their
wards. The returns were to be made before the end of the week.(1931) This
could have been no easy matter considering the number of particulars that
were to be set out in the return according to the terms of the precept.
The deputy and common councilmen of each ward were called upon to
distinguish (1) all Papists or reputed Papists, (2) all such as preached
in or frequented Jacobite meetings, (3) all non-jurors, _i.e._, such as
had refused to take the oaths appointed to be taken in place of the oaths
of supremacy and allegiance, (4) all such as were found guilty of casting
aspersions upon her majesty and the government, (5) all persons suspected
of holding correspondence with her majesty's enemies abroad, and lastly
(6) all spreaders of false and seditious reports. The christian names and
surnames of each and all of these, together with their place of abode,
were to be returned in less than a week in order that they might be
summoned and have the oath tendered to them.(1932)

(M960)

On the 1st April parliament was prorogued; a fortnight later it was
dissolved and writs for a new parliament were sent out on the 26th,
returnable on the following 8th July.(1933) Although the Whigs again
obtained a majority in the country, and although they succeeded before the
end of the year in ousting all Tories from the ministry, they were losing
ground in the city of London. In November last Withers, the lord mayor,
had obtained Clayton's seat (on the latter's decease) in the Tory interest
as already mentioned.(1934) He was again returned after a close contest
with Sir Samuel Stanier, and with him another Tory in the person of John
Ward, who subsequently became an alderman and sat in the first parliament
of George I. The other two seats were retained by the Whigs, Ashurst and
Heathcote.(1935)

(M961)

Before the elections were over news arrived of another victory gained by
Marlborough. The French had been utterly defeated at Oudenarde (30 June,
o.s.).(1936) The fact that the Common Council allowed some weeks to slip
by before voting a congratulatory address to the queen(1937) may possibly
be accounted for by the growing strength of the Tory party in the city,
with whom t