"Praise-God Barebone, Esquire," who gave a nick-name to the next parliament, was a leatherseller of London, and was summoned by Cromwell to sit as member for the city. "I, as commander-in-chief of the armies of the Commonwealth," wrote Cromwell to him, "summon you ... to appear at the council chamber, Whitehall, on 4th July, and take upon you the said trust for the city of London."(1073) The rest of the members of this Puritan parliament were for the most part also Cromwell’s nominees. It was destined to be short lived. It attacked the law and the Church and threatened the universities. To save the last mentioned institutions the city of London intervened and received the thanks of the university of Oxford.(1074) Afraid of their own acts, which they felt were displeasing to Cromwell, they agreed to dissolve parliament and to transfer their powers to the man from whom they had received them. This took place somewhat suddenly and unexpectedly on the 12th December. (M546) On the 16th Cromwell was solemnly installed as Lord Protector, the lord mayor, the aldermen and the Recorder being invited to be present, and in due course his new title was proclaimed in the city.(1075) The lord mayor, Thomas Vyner, happening to be a goldsmith, the Council of State commissioned him to supply two services of plate for the use of the "Lord Protector and his lady."(1076) (M547) Having recognised the new order of things and caused the Lord Protector to be proclaimed at the Old Exchange and other places in the city,(1077) the Common Council proceeded to ask him to a banquet to be given in his honour at Grocers’ Hall.(1078) The invitation was accepted, and the dinner took place on the 8th February, 1654. The entertainment was given in right royal style, the mayor and his brother aldermen riding out in state to meet his Highness, who exercised the privilege of his new position by knighting the chief magistrate of the city on his departure.(1079) (M548) In July (1654) when there was some talk of sending the city’s Recorder, William Steele, to Ireland on affairs of State, the Common Council addressed a petition to the Lord Protector praying him not to deprive the city of the services of so excellent an officer, and one who was likely to prove particularly useful both to the city and the whole Commonwealth in the forthcoming parliament,(1080) the first parliament under the Protectorate and one of the very few parliaments to which the city sent as many as six burgesses.(1081) (M549)