Hearing  that  Lambert  was  advancing  northward,  Monk
sent  commissioners  to  treat  with  the  committee  of  safety ;
but  his  chief  aim  was  to  gain  time,  and  relax  the  prepara-
tions of  his  enemies.  In  the  mean  time,  the  nation  had
fallen  into  anarchy.  While  Lambert's  forces  were  assem-
bling at  Newcastle,  Hazelrig  and  Morley  took  possession
of  Portsmouth  for  the  parliament;  and  admiral  Lawson,
entering  the  river  Thames,  declared  on  the  same  side.
The  city  of  London  established  a  kind  of  separate  govern-
ment within  itself;  and  Fleetwood  was  unable  to  support
the  baseless  fabric,  which  was  every  where  falling  to  pieces.
Monk,  who  had  passed  the  Tweed,  though  informed  of
the  restoration  of  parliament,  continued  to  advance  at  the
head  of  about  six  thousand  men.  In  all  the  counties
through  which  he  passed,  the  gentry  flocked  to  him  with
addresses,  requesting  that  he  would  assist  in  restoring  the
nation  to  peace  and  tranquility ;  but  he  affected  not  to  fa-
vour them.
Monk  and  his  army  soon  reached  the  metropolis.
The  common-council  of  London  having  refused  to  i^rj
submit  to  an  assessment,  and  declared  that  till  a
free  parliament  imposed  taxes  they  would  make  no  pay-
ment, Monk  was  ordered  to  march  into  the  city,  and  seize
twelve  persons  the  most  obnoxious  to  the  parliament.
