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Diary of Thomas Burton Esq: Volume 1, July 1653 - April 1657. Originally published by H Colburn, London, 1828.
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INTRODUCTION.
April 20, 1653. The Lord General, having interrupted the Parliament, by an act of military violence, frequently described and censured in the ensuing pages, (fn. 1) proceeded to disperse the Council of State, unmoved by the just rebuke of their President Bradshaw. (fn. 2) He next convened a council of officers, with whose professed concurrence he nominated a legislative assembly, (fn. 3) who might afford to his sovereignty in possession, at least, the semblance of a Parliamentary authority. The debates in that assembly, are probably lost irrecoverably, if they were ever reported. From the journals, I select a summary of the Parliamentary proceedings.