Charles I 'Letter to London (1640)'

The Kings letter w[hi]ch the Lords of the Great Counsell subscribed at Yorke to the Citty of London, is comen to them, it being brought to the Guildhall by my Lord Privy Seale, and my Lord Goring, The letter was publiquely read, and it was to this purpose, To require the Citty to prouide those two remayning Som[m]es of Money to be payd in to his Ma[jes]ties Officers by the dayes appointed in the former letter namely one hundred Thousand pounds the fifteenth day of November, and the other fifty thousand poundes the moneth after, And vnlesse the Citty did supply his Ma[jes]ty w[i]th those moneyes, hee should be forced for lacke of money to disband his Army, w[hi]ch would neyther be safe nor hono[ura]ble for the Kingdome to disband the Army soe long as [th]e Scotch Armye lye at Newcastle: This letter being read, my Lord Privy Seale vsed all gentle perswasions to procure the Citty to provide the money, but w[i]thall hee produced his private Instrucc[i]ons not to presse the Citty further then hee should find them ready to Comply, and w[i]thall to giue them 14. or 15. dayes longer tyme then was sett downe in the Lords first Letter to the Citty to prouide the money; They have nowe till the last of November to prouide the money: The Lords being retyred, and the Citizens being all together, my Lord Maior not fynding that forwardnes that hee desyred in the Commoners and w[i]thall being very vnwilling that there should bee any denyall proposeth to the Commoners, that since they had 15 dayes longer tyme giuen to prouide this Money, they should at this tyme forbeare to giue any Answer to this Letter, but seeing the Parliam[en]t was soe neere at hand, Hee desyred, they would suspend their Answers, till the Parliam[en]t had sitten 14. or 15./ dayes, and by that tyme they might better resolue vpon it, and soe that Assembly broke vp.//