A New-yeers Gift FOR THE PARLIAMENT AND ARMIE SHEWING What the KINGLY Power is And that the CAUSE of those They call DIGGERS Is the life and marrow of that Cause the Parliament hath Declared for and the Army Fought for The perfecting of which Work will prove England to be the first of Nations or the tenth part of the city Babylon that fals off from the Beast first and that sets the Crown upon Christs head to govern the World in Righteousness By Jerrard Winstanley a lover of Englands freedom and Peace Die Pride and Envie Flesh take the poor's advice Covetousnesse be gon Come Truth and Love arise Patience take the Crown throw Anger out of dores Cast out Hypocrisie and Lust which follows whores Then England sit in rest Thy sorrows will have end Thy Sons will live in peace and each will be a friend London Printed for Giles Calvert 1650. A New yeers Gift SENT TO THE PARLIAMENT AND ARMIE GEntlemen of the Parliament and Armie you and the Common people have assisted each other to cast out the Head of oppression which was Kingly power seated in one mans hand and that work is now done and till that work was done you called upon the people to assist you to deliver this distressed bleeding dying nation out of bondage And the people came and failed you not counting neither purse nor blood too dear to part with to effect this work The Parliament after this have made an Act to cast out Kingly power and to make England a free Common-wealth These Acts the People are much rejoyced with as being words forerunning their freedome and they wait for their accomplishment that their joy may be full for as words without action are a cheat and kills the comfort of a righteous spirit so words performed in action does comfort and nourish the life thereof Now Sirs wheresoever we spie out Kingly power no man I hope shall be troubled to declare it nor afraid to cast it out having both Act of Parliament the Souldiers Oath and the common peoples consent on his side for Kingly power is like a great spread tree if you lop the head or top-bow and let the other Branches and root stand it will grow again and recover fresher strength If any ask me What Kingly power is I Answer there is a twofold Kingly power The one is The Kingly power of righteousnesse and this is the power of Almightie God ruling the whole creation in peace and keeping it together And this is the power of universall love leading people into all truth teaching every one to doe as he would be done unto Now once more striving with flesh and blood shaking down every thing that cannot stand and bringing every one into the Unitie of himself the one Spirit of love and righteousnesse and so will work a through restauration But this Kingly power is above all and will tread all covetousness pride envy and self-love and all other enemies whatsoever under his feet and take the kingdom and government of the Creation out of the hand of self-seeking and self-honouring Flesh and rule the alone King of Righteousness in the earth and this indeed is Christ himself who will cast out the curse But this is not that Kingly power intended by that Act of Parliament to be cast out but pretended to be set up though this Kingly power be much fought against both by Parliament Armie Clergie and people but when they are made to see him then they shall mourn because they have persecuted him But the other Kingly power is the power of untighteousness which indeed is the Devil And O that there were such a heart in Parliament and Army as to perform your own Act then People would never complain of you for breach of Covenant for your Covetousness Pride and too much Self-seeking that is in you And you on the other-side would never have cause to complain of the Peoples murmurings against you Truly this jarring that is between you and the People is The Kingly Power yea that very Kingly power which you have made an Act to cast out therefore see it be fulfilled on your part for the Kingly power of Righteousness expects it or else he will cast you out for Hypocrites and unsavory Salt for he looks upon all your Actions and truly there is abundance of Rust about your Actings which makes them that they do not shine bright This Kingly power is covetousness in his branches or the power of self-love ruling in one or in many men over others and enslaving those who in the Creation are their equals nay who are in the strictness of equity rather their Masters And this Kingly power is usually set in the Chair of Government under the name of Prerogative when he rules in one over other And under the name of State Priviledge of Parliament when he rules in many over others and this Kingly power is alwayes raised up and established by the Sword and therefore he is called the Murderer or the great red Dragon which fights against Michael for he enslaves the weakness of the People under him denying an equal freedom in the Earth to every one which the Law of Righteousness gave every man in his creation This I say is Kingly power under darkness and as he rules in men so he makes men jar one against another and is the cause of all Wars and Complainings he is known by his outward actions and his action at this very day fills all places for this power of darkness rules and would rule and is that only Enemy that fights against Creation and National Freedom And this Kingly power is he which you have made an Act of Parliament to cast out And now you Rulers of England play the men and be valiant for the Truth which is Christ for assure your selves God will not be mocked nor the Devil will not be mocked for First you say and profess you own the Scriptures of Prophets and Apostles and God looks that you should perform that Word in action Secondly you have Declared against the Devil and if you do not now go through with your work but slack your hand by hypocritical self-love and so suffer this dark Kingly power to rise higher and Rule you shall find he will maule both you and yours to purpose The life of this dark Kingly power which you have made an Act of Parliament and Oath to cast out if you search it to the bottom you shall see it lies within the iron chest of cursed Covetousness who gives the Earth to some part of mankind and denies it to another part of mankind and that part that hath the Earth hath no right frow the Law of creation to take it to himself and shut out others but he took it away violently by Theft and Murder in Conquest As when our Norman William came into England and conquered he turned the English out and gave the Land unto his Norman Souldiers every man his parcel to
divided and part are call into bondage so that the best you can say of Kingly power that Rules by the Sword is this He is a murderer and a theif And by this power the Earth is thus divided The several Nations of the Earth where Kings rule are the several situation of such grand Theeves and Murderers that will rule over others by the Sword upholding a forced Propriety which is the Curse and persecuting the community of Love which is Christ the blessing And under them they have their cheif Favourits or neerest Souldiers in Office to himself and to these he allows the greatest portion of the Earth every one his part called a Lordship and next to them the inferior Officers or Souldiers are appointed out lesser parcels of the Earth called free-Holders paying no slavish Rent or Homage to any but only acknowledgment That the King is their General or Head still And these Lords of Mannors and Free holders having thus seated themselves in the Earth by taking other mens proper labours from them by the Sword are appointed by the Kiug as Watchmen That if any of the conquered slaves seek to Plant the Common waste Earth without their leave they may be known and beaten off So that the god from whom they claim Title to the Land as proper to them shutting out others was Covetousnesse the Murderer the swordly power that great red Dragon who is called The god of the World But the King of Righteousnesse who is universal Love who is the Lord God Almighty bidding every one do as they would be done by made the Earth for All without respect of person and shuts out none from enjoying a peaceable livelihood that hath a body therefore they that build upon the power of the Sword upholding covetous Propriety are enemies to the law of Righteousnesse which is Love your enemies do as you would be done by But one of your Officers told me What saith he If we grant to every one to have the Land of England in Common we do not only destroy Propriety but we do that which is not practised in any Nation in the world I Answered It was true Propriety came in you see by the Sword therefore the Curse for the murderer brought it in and upholds him by his power and it makes a division in the Creation casting many under bondage therefore it is not the blessing or the promised seed And what other Lands do England is not to take pattern for England as well as other Lands hath lyen under the power of that Beast Kingly propriety But now England is the first of Nations that is upon the point of Reforming and if England must be the tenth part of the City Babylon that fals off from the Beast first and would have that honour he must cheerfully and dally no longer cast out Kingly covetous Propriety and set the Crown upon Christs head who is the universal Love or Free community and so be the leader of that happy Restoration to all the Nations of the world And if England refuse some other Nation may be chosen before him and England then shall lose his Crown for if ever the Creation be Restored this is the way which lies in this Two fold power First Community of Mankind which is comprised in the unity of spirit of Love which is called Christ in you or the Law writen in the heart leading mankind into all truth and to be of one heart and one mind The Second is Community of the Earth for the quiet livelihood in food and raiment without using force or restraining one another These two Communities or rather one in two branches is that true Levelling which Christ will work at his more glorious appearance for Jesus Christ the Saviour of all men is the greatest first and truest Leveller that ever was spoke of in the world Therefore you Rulers of England be not ashamed nor afraid of Levellers hate them not Christ comes to you riding upon these clouds look not upon other Lands to be your pattern all Lands in the world he under darkness so doth England yet though the neerest to Light and Freedom of any other therefore let no other Land take your Crown You have set Christ upon his throne in England by your Promises Engagements Oathes and Two Acts of Parliament the One to cast out Kingly power the Other to make England a Free Common-wealth Put all these into sincere Action and you shall see the work is done and you with others shall sing Halelujah to him that sits upon the Throne and to the Lamb for evermore But if you do not the Lamb shall shew himself a Lion and tear you in pieces for your most abominable dissembling Hypocrisie and give your Land to a People who better deserves it I have varied a little therefore I will return to what I was speaking I told you That the Murdering and Theeving Sword hath found out a Platform of Tyrannical Government called Kingly Power First here is the King the Head of the murdering power or great red Dragon Then there are Lords of Mannors who have the greatest circuit of Land because the next in Power to the Head Then there are Free-holders that took the particular Inclosures which they found in a Land when they Conquered it and had turned out those that had bestowed labour upon it by force of the Sword in the sield or else by sequestring afterwards These several parcels of Land are called Free-hold-Land because the Enjoyers or their Ancestors were Souldiers and helped the King to conquer and if any of latter yeers came to buy these Free-holds with Money got by Trading it doth not alter the Title of the Conquest for Evidences are made in the Kings Name to remove the Free-holds so bought from one mans hand to another But now Copy-hold lands are parcels hedged in and taken out of the common waste land since the conquest acknowledging Homage Fines and Heriots to the Lord of that Mannor or circuit in which that Inclosure by his leave is made this Homage still confirmes the power of the conquests The Lords of Mannors acknowledged Homage to the King in that Court of Wards which you have taken away to ease your selves But the Copy-holders you will have to acknowledge Homage to Lords of Mannors still and is not this partiality O you Rulers make the poor as free to the Earth as your selves and honour Righteousnesse Now for the drawing in of the People to yeeld Obedience to this Platform of Kingly tyrannical power to which People are made subject through fear The Kingly power sets up a Preaching Clergy to draw the People by insinuating words to conform hereunto and for their pains Kingly power gives them the Tithes And when the Kingly power hath any Design to lift up himself higher then the Clergy is to Preach up that Design as of late in our Wars the Preachers most commonly in their Sermons medled with little but State matters and then if
in the Laws and much does burn all your old Law-Books in Cheapside set up a Government upon your own Foundation do not put new Wine into old Bottles but as your Government must be new so let the Laws be new or else you will run farther into the Mud where you stick already as though you were fast in an Irish Bogge for you are so far sunke that he must have good eyes that can see where you are but yet all are not blind there are eyes that sees you but if the fault lies in the Judges of the Law surely such men deserve no power in a Reforming Common-wealth that burdens all sorts of People And truly I le tell you plain your Two Acts of Parliament are excellent and Righteous The One to cast out Kingly power The Other to make England a Free Common-wealth build upon these Two it is a firm Foundation and your House will be the glory of the World and I am confident the righteous Spirit will love you do not stick in the Bogge of covetousness Let not self-love so be-muddy your brain that you should lose your selves in the thicket of bramble bush-words and set never a strong Oak of some stable Action for the Freedome of the poor Oppressed that helped you when you complained of Oppression Let not Pride blind your eyes that you should forget you are the Nations Servants and so prove Solomons words good in your selves That Servants ride on Horse-back and Coacheâ— when as Princes such as Chose you and set you there go on foot and many of them through their love to the Nation have so wasted themselves that now they can hardly get Bread but with great difficulty I tell you this is a sore Evil and this is truth therefore think upon it it is a poor mans Advice and you shall finde weight in it if you Do as well as Say Then Secondly for Lords of Mannors They were William the Conquerors Colonels and Favourites and he gave a large circuit of Land to every one called A Lord-ship that they might have a watchful eye that if any of the conquered English should begin to Plant themselves upon any Common or waste Land to live out of sight or out of slavery that then some Lord of Mannor or other might see and know of it and drive them off as these Lords of Mannors now a dayes endeavours to drive off the Diggers from Digging upon the Commons but we expect the Rulers of the Land will grant unto us their Friends the benefit of their own Acts against Kingly power and not suffer that Norman power to crush the poor Oppressed who helped them in their straits nor suffer that Norman power to bud fresher out so in time may come to over-top our deer bought Freedom more then ever Search all your Laws and I le adventure my life for I have little else to lose That all Lords of Mannors hold Title to the Commons by no stronger hold then the Kings Will whose Head is cut off and the King held Title as he was a Conqueror now if you cast off the King who was the Head of that power surely the power of Lords of Mannors is the same therefore performe your own Act of Parliament and cast out that part of the Kinglie power likewise that the People may see you understand what you Say and Do and that you are faithful For truly the Kinglie power reigns strongly in the Lords of Mannors over the Poor for my own particular I have in other Writings as well as in this Declared my Reasons That the common Land is the poor Peoples Proprietie and I have Digged upon the Commons and I hope in time to obtain the Freedom to get Food and Raiment therefrom by righteous labour which is all I desire and for so doing the supposed Lord of that Mannor hath Arrested me twice First in an Action of 20 l. Trespass for Plowing upon the Commons which I never did and because they would not suffer me to Plead my own Cause they made shift to pass a Sentence of Execution against some Cows I kept supposing they had been mine and took them away but the right Owner reprieved them fetched the Cowes back so greedy are these Theeves and Murderers after my life for speaking the truth and for maintaining the Life and Marrow of the Parliaments Cause in my Actions And now they have Arrested me again in an Action of 4. l. trespas for digging upon the Comons which I did own the work to be righteous no trespas to any This was the Attorney of Kingstone's Advice either to get Money on both sides for they love Mony as deerly as a poor mans dog do his breakfast in a cold morning but regard not justice or else That I should not remove it to a higher Court but that the cause might be tryed there and then they know how to please the Lords of Mannors that have resolved to spend hundreds of pounds but they will hinder the poor from enjoying the Commons for they will not suffer me to plead my own Cause but I must Fee an enemie or else be condemned and executed without mercy or Justice as I was before and â—o to put me in Prison till I pay their unrighteous Sentence for truly Attourneys are such neat workmen that they can turn a Cause which way those that have the biggest purse will have them and the Countrie knows very well That Kingstone court is so full of the Kinglie power that some will rather lose their Rights then have their causes tryed there one of the Officers of that court told a friend of mine That if the Diggers cause was good he would pick out such a Jurie as should overthrow him And upon my former Arrest they picked out such a Jurie as Sentenced me to pay 10. l. damages for plowing upon the commons which I did not do neither did any witness prove it before them So that from Kingstone Juries Lords of Mannors and Kinglie power Good Lord deliver us Do these men obey the Parliaments Acts to throw down Kinglie power O no The same unrighteous doing that was complained of in King Charles dayes the same doings is among them still Monies will buy and sell Justice still and is our 8 yeers Wars come round about to lay us down again in the kennel of injustice as much or more then before are we no farther learned yet O ye Rulers of England when must we turn over a new leaf will you alwayes hold us in one Lesson surely you will make Dunces of us then all the Boyes in other Lands will laugh at us come I pray let us take forth and go forward in our learning You blame us who are the Common people as though we would have no government truly Gentlemen We desire a righteous government with all our hearts but the government we have gives freedom and livelihood to the Gentrie to hae abundance and to lock up Treasures of
from us by former conquests whereof the Norman conquest was the last which is cast out by yours and our joynt Assistance therefore you cannot in Equity take it from us nor we cannot in Equity take it from you for it is our joynt purchased inheritance we paid you your wages to help us to recover it but not to take it to your selves and turn us out and buy and sell it among your selves for this is a cheat of the Kinglie swordlie power which you hold up and we profess to all the world in so doing you denie God Christ and the Scriptures whom ye professed you own for God Christ and Scriptures owne no such practice Likewise we profess to all the Creation That in so doing you rob us of our Rights you kill us by denying to give us our livelihood in our own inheritance freely which is the crown Land and Cōmon Land and waste Lands Bishops Deans which some of you begin to say you are not satisfied in your conscience to let us have I well spoke tender hearted Covetousness if you do so you will uphold the Kinglie power and so disobey both Acts of Parliament and break your Oath and you will live in the breach of those Two Commandements Thou shalt not kill Thou shalt not steal by denying us the Earth which is our Livelyhood and thereby killing us by a lingring death Well the end of all my Speech is to point out the Kingly power where I spie it out and you see it remains strongly in the hands of Lords of Mannors who have delt discourteously with some who are sincere in heart though there have some come among the Diggers that have caused scandall but we dis-own their wayes The Lords of Mannors have sent to beat us to pull down our houses spoil our labours yet we are patient and never offered any violence to them again this 40 weeks past but wait upon God with love till their hearts thereby be softned and all that we desire is but to live quietly in the land of our nativity by our righteous labour upon the common Land which is our own but as yet the Lords of the Mannor so formerly called will not suffer us but abuse us Is not that part of the Kingly power In that which follows I shall cleerly prove it is for it appears so cleer that the understanding of a child does say It is Tyranny it is the Kingly power of darkness therefore we expect that you will grant us the benefit of your Act of Parliament that we may say Truly England is a Common-wealth and a free people indeed Sirs Though your Tithing Priests and others tell you That we Diggers do deny God Christ and the Scripture to make us odious and themselves better thought of yet you will see in time when the King of Righteousness whom we serve does cleer our innnocencie That our actions and conversation is the very life of the Scripture and holds forth the true power of God and Christ For is not the end of all preaching praying and profession wrapped up in this action namely Love your enemies and doe to all men as you would they should do to you for this is the very Law and the Prophets This is the New Commandement that Christ left behind him Now if any seem to say this and does not do this but acts contrary for my part I owne not their wayes they are members that uphold the curse Bare talking of righteousnesse and not acting hath ruled and yet does rule king of darkness in the creation and it is the cause of all this immoderate confusion and ignorance that is in men But the actings of righteousnesse from the inward power of love shall rule King of righteousnesse in the creation now in these later dayes and cast the other Serpent and fiery Scorpion out for this is Christ the restoring power and as he rises up so multitude of words without action which is hypocrisie is to die his judgment hastens apace If any sort of people hold the earth to themselves by the dark Kingly power and shut out others from that freedom they deny God Christ and Scriptures and they overthrow all their preaching praying and profession for the Scriptures declare them to be Hypocrites Scribes and Pharisees that say and do not they have words and no deeds Like Parson Platt the Preacher at Horsley in Surrey a Lord of Mannor by marriage of the place where we digg who caused a poor old mans house that stood upon the Common to be pulled down in the evening of a cold day and turned the old man and his wife and daughter to lie in the open field because he was a Digger and he and other Lords of Mannors and Gentlemen sent their servants up and down the Town to bid their Tenants and neighbours neither to give the Diggers lodging nor victuals on pain of their displeasure Though this Parson Platt preach the Scriptures yet I 'll affirm he denyes God Christ and Scriptures and knowes nothing of them for covetousness pride and envie hath blinded his eyes A man knowes no more of righteousness than he hath power to act and surely this cruelty of preaching Platt is an unrighteous act If the Diggers were enemies oh you Lords of Mannors as they are not you ought to love them I am sure they love you and if you doubt it put them to the tryall you shall find them more faithfull than many of those pick-thank slaves and belly-god servants to whom your ears are open when they bring tales full of envie to you against us We are told likewise That to make us who are called Diggers odious and to incense you against us there came to the Generall and Councell of State divers Justices and others and told you that we Diggers were Cavaliers and that we waited an opportunity and gathered together to stand up for the Prince But all that know us can prove that to be a false report to the dishonour of those Justices for we have been friends to the Parliaments cause and so do continue and will continue for this work of digging to make England a free Common-wealth is the life and marrow of the Parliaments cause And the two Acts of Parliament the One to cast out Kingly power the Other to make England a free Common-wealth declares it and we do obey those Acts and will obey them for they hold forth righteousnesse But for our rising in arms for the Prince or any other let any come and see our strength and work and they will say It is a meer envious slander cast upon us to incense you against us Besides You shall see by and by That our principles are wholly against Kingly power in every one as well as in one Likewise we hear that they told you that the Diggers do steal and rob from others This likewise is a slander we have things stollen from us but if any can prove that any of us do
our later Kings granted more freedom to the Gentry than they had presently after the Conquest yet under bondage still for what are prisons whips and gallows in the times of peace but the laws and power of the sword forcing and compelling obedience and so enslaving as if the sword raged in the open field England was in such a slavery under the Kingly power that both Gentry and Commonaltie groaned under bondage and to ease themselves they endeavoured to call a Parliament that by their counsels and decrees they might find some freedom But Charles the then King perceiving that the Freedom they strove for would derogate from his Prerogative-tyranny therupon he goes into the North to raise a War against the Parliament and took WILLIAM the Conqueror's Sword into his hand again thereby to keep under the former conquered English and to uphold his Kingly power of self-will and Prerogative which was the power got by former Conquests that is to rule over the lives and estates of all men at his will and so to make us pure slaves and vassals Well This Parliament that did consist of the chief Lords Lords of Manors and Gentry and they seeing that the King by raising an Army did thereby declare his intent to enslave all sorts to him by the sword and being in distresse and in a low ebb they call upon the common people to bring in their Plate Moneys Taxes Free-quarter Excise and to adventure their lives with them and they would endeavour to recover England from that Norman yoak and make us a free people and the common people assent hereunto and call this the Parliaments Cause and own it and adventure person and purse to preserve it and by the joynt assistance of Parliament and People the King was beaten in the field his head taken off and his Kingly power voted down and we the Commons thereby virtually have recovered our selves from the Norman Conquest we want nothing but possession of the spoyl which is a free use of the Land for our livelyhood And from hence we the common people or younger brothers plead our propriety in the Common land as truly our own by vertue of this victory over the King as our elder brothers can plead proprietie in their Inclosures and that for three reasons in Englands law First By a lawfull purchase or contract between the Parliament and us for they were our Landlords and Lords of Mannors that held the freedom of the Commons from us while the King was in his power for they held title thereunto from him he being the head and they branches of the Kingly power that enslaved the people by that ancient Conquerors Sword that was the ruling power For they said Come and help us against the King that enslaves us that we may be delivered from his Tyranny and we will make you a free People Now they cannot make us free unlesse they deliver us from the bondage which they themselves held us under and that is they held the freedom of the Earth from us for we in part with them have delivered our selves from the King now we claim freedom from that bondage you have and yet do hold us under by the bargain and contract between Parliament and us who I say did consist of Lords of Manors and Landlords whereof Mr. Drake who hath arrested me for digging upon the Common was one at that time Therefore by the law of Bargain and Sale we claim of them our freedom to live comfortably with them in this Land of our Nativity and this we cannot do so long as we lie under poverty and must not be suffered to plant the commons and waste land for our livelihood for take away the land from any people and those people are in a way of continuall death and misery and better not to have had a body than not to have food and rayment for it But I say they have sold us our freedom in the common and have been largely paid for it for by means of our bloods and money they sit in peace for if the King had prevailed they had lost all and been in slavery to the meanest Cavalier if the King would Therfore we the Commons say Give us our bargain if you deny us our bargain you deny God Christ and Scriptures and all your profession then is and hath been hypocrisie Secondly The Commons and Crown land is our propriety by equall conquest over the Kingly power for the Parl did never stir up the people by promises and covenant to assist them to cast out the King and to establish them in the Kings place and prerogative power No but all their Declarations were for the safety and peace of the whole Nation Therefore the common-people being part of the Nation and especially they that bore the greatest heat of the day in casting out the oppressor and the Nation cannot be in peace so long as the poor oppressed are in wants and the land is intangled and held from them by bondage But the Victory being obtained over the King the spoyl which is properly the Land ought in equity to be divided now between the two Parties that is Parliament and Common-people The Parliament consisting of Lords of Manors and Gentry ought to have their inclosure Lands free to them without molestation as they are freed from the Court of Wards And the Common-people consisting of Souldiers and such as paid Taxes and Free-quarter ought to have the freedom of all waste and common land and Crown-land equally among them the Souldiery ought not in equity to have all nor the other people that paid them to have all but the spoyle ought to be divided between them that stay'd at home and them that went to Warr for the Victory is for the whole Nation And as the Parliament declared they did all for the Nation and not for themselves onely so we plead with the Armie they did not fight for themselves but for the freedom of the Nation and I say we have bought our Freedom of them likewise by Taxes and Free-quarter therefore we claim an equall Freedom with them in this Conquest over the King Thirdly We claim an equall portion in the Victory over the King by vertue of the two Acts of Parliament the One to make England a Free-Common-wealth the Other to take away Kingly power Now the Kingly power you have heard is a power that rules by the Sword in covetousnesse and self giving the earth to some and denying it to others and this Kingly power was not in the hand of the King alone but Lords and Lords of Manors and corrupt Judges and Lawyers especially held it up likewise for he was the head and they with the Tything-priests are the branches of that Tyrannical Kingly power and all the several limbs and members must be cast out before Kingly power can be pulled up root and branch Mistake me not I do not say Cast out the persons of men No I do not desire their fingers to ake
but I say Cast out their power whereby they hold the people in bondage as the King held them in bondage And I say it is our own Freedom we claim both by bargain and by equality in the Conquest as well as by the Law of righteous Creation which gives the Earth to all equally And the power of Lords of Mannors lies in this They deny the Common people the use and free benefit of the Earth unless they give them leave and pay them for it either in Rent in Fines in Homages or Heriots Surely the Earth was never made by God that the Younger brother should not live in the Earth unless he would work for and pay his Elder brother Rent for the Earth No this Slavery came in by Conquest and it is part of the Kingly power and England cannot be a Free Common-wealth till this Bondage be taken away You have taken away the King you have taken away the House of Lords Now step two steps further and take away the power of Lords of Mannors and of Tything Priests and the intolerable oppressions of Judges by whom Laws are corrupted and your work will be honourable Fourthly if this Freedom be denied the Common people To enjoy the Common Land then Parliament Army and Judges will deny Equity and Reason whereupon the Laws of a well-governed Common-wealth ought to be built And if this Equity be denied then there can be no Law but Club-Law among the people and if the Sword must raign then every Party will be striving to bear the Sword and then farewel Peace nay farewel Religion and Gospel unless it be made use of to intrap one another as we plainly see some Priests and others make it a Cloke for their Knavery If I adventure my life and fruit of my labour equal with you and obtain what we strive for it is both Equity and Reason that I should equally divide the Spoil with you and not you to have all and I none And if you deny us this you take away our Propriety from us our Moneys and Blood and give us nothing for it Therefore I say the Common Land is my own Land equal with my fellow-Commoners and our true Propriety by the Law of Creation it is every ones but not one single ones Yea the Commons are as truely ours by the last excellent two Acts of Parliament the Foundation of Englands new righteous Government aimed at as the Elder brothers can say the Inclosures are theirs for they adventured their Lives and covenanted with us to help them to preserve their Freedom And we adventured our lives and they covenanted with us to purchase and to give us our Freedom that hath been hundreds of yeers kept from us Daemona non Armis sed Morte subegit Iesus By patient Sufferings not by Death Christ did the Devil kill And by the same still to this day his Foes he conquers still True Religion and undefiled is this To make restitution of the Earth which hath been taken and held from the Common people by the power of Conquests formerly and so set the oppressed free Do not All strive to enjoy the Land The Gentry strive for Land the Clergie strive for Land the Common people strive for Land and Buying and Selling is an Art whereby people endeavour to cheat one another of the Land Now if any can prove from the Law of Righteousness that the Land was made peculiar to him and his successively shutting others out he shall enjoy it freely for my part But I affirm It was made for all and true Religion is To let every one enjoy it Therefore you Rulers of England make restitution of the Lands which the Kingly power holds from us Set the oppressed free and come in and honour Christ who is the Restoring Power and you shall finde rest The CURSE and BLESSING that is in MANKINDE IN the beginning of Time the Spirit of Universal Love appeared to be the father of all things The Creation of Fire Water Earth and Air came out of him and is his clothing Love is the Word The Creation is the House or Garden in which this one Spirit hath taken up his seat and in which he manifests himself For if ever Love be seen or known he appears either in the inward feeling within your hearts loving All with tender love or else appears towards you from outward objects as from other Men or other creatures There are two Earths in which the Spirit of Love declares himself First the Living Earth called Mankinde this is the Creation or the living soul And when this Spirit of universal Love rules King therein this Earth is then in peace and is grown up to the perfection of a man anointed But when Self or Particular love rules which is called the sin Covetousness then this Earth is brought into Bondage and Sorrow fills all places This is the dark side of the Cloud in which there is no true peace Secondly in the great Body of Earth in which all creatures subsist the Spirit of Universal Love appears to preserve his Creation in peace for Universal Love unites not onely Mankinde into an oneness bnt unites all other creatures into a sweet harmony of willingness to preserve Mankinde And this Spirit of Love spread abroad is the same Spirit of Love that is supreme in Man and this is the Righteous man But when Covetousness or Particular love began to work then not onely Mankinde was divided amongst themselves but all creatures were divided and enmity rose up amongst them setting one against another and this power is the wicked man mark him where you see him which is the Murderer and must be cast out Wel In the begining universal love appeared to be the father of al things though self-love in our experience rules in man first and as he made mankinde to be the Lord of the Earth so he made the Earth to be a common Treasury of livelihood to whole mankind without respect of persons and for all other creatures likewise that were to proceed from the Earth Mankind is the chief creature and the Spirit of universal Love in his branches is the Lord of all the Earth and this Spirit in man unfolds himself in Light and Darkness his face is called the universal power of Love his back parts is called the selvish power or thus the one is called the Son of Bondage which causes shame the other is called the Son of Freedom which brings peace and honour these Two strive in the womb of the Earth which shal come forth first and which shall rule the fleshy man hath got the start but the other will prove the stronger and cast him out with honour While this Spirit of Lordship in the last day time of mankind was universal Love and Righteousness leading every single branch of mankind to do to another as he would be done unto then every thing was in peace and there was a sweet communion of Love in the creation and as
the Spirit was a common Treasurie of Unitie and Peace within so the Earth was a common Treasurie of delight for the preservation of their bodies without so that there was nothing but peace upon the face of the whole Earth This was mans estate before the fall or the day time of mankind for since the time that our Bibles speak of Adam to this day is about 6000 yeers and this time hath been the night time of mankind and Esays time was about midnight when in one of his words he cries Watchman What of the night Watchman What of the night the seventh thousand yeer which is now dawning will be the rising of the Son of universal Love again and of the dispersing of the night or darkness for as the night and day Sun and Moon hath their exchanges so hath these Two powers called Sons of God in mankind and in this age wherein we now live is the expiring of the selvish power and the rising up of the Blessing which hath been spoke of in al ages but now appearing like lightning from east to west casting out the Mysterie of Iniquitie or self power by the word of his mouth and by the brightness of his comming and so bringing peace So that as there is the power of Light which is universal Love called the Blessing which brings Peace so there is the power of Darkness which is particular or self love and this is called the Curse for it brings sorrow and while this rules King in the Earth as it doth at this day visibly through the whole Earth few are saved that is few enter into rest and peace for this power hath filled all places with his stinking self seeking Government and troubles every body As there is light and darkness day and night clouds and cleerness moving upon the face of the great Earth and as there is Earth and Waters in the great World which runs round so mankind is called sometimes Earth sometimes Waters and as the Sun in the skies moves upon the great Earth and makes that fruitful which seemed dead while the Sun is under the dark cloudy winter quarter Even so the Son of universal Love who is the Spirit and power of universal Freedom he moves upon the living waters mankind and makes him who all the dark time past was a Chaos of confusion lying under Types Shadows Ceremonies Forms Customes Ordinances and heaps of waste words under which the Spirit of Truth lay buried now to enlighten to worship in Spirit and Truth and to bring forth fruit of Righteousness in action In our present experience The darkness or self love goeth before and light or universal love follows after the flesh runs hasty and quick and loses himself in unrational excessive action the true Spirit comes slowly after and takes the Crown Darkness and Bondage doth oppress Liberty and Light and the power of universal Love appears most sweet and full of glory when the power of self Love or Covetousness hath tortured the Creation mankind with bitter Tyranny for this is the Dragon or Murderer that must be cast out before the Creation man can sing Haelelujah in peace So then you may see That the innocency light and purity of mankind is this when the Spirit of universal Love lives in him and he lives in Love enjoying the sweet Union and communion of Spirit each with other When they enjoy the sweet delight of the Unitie of one Spirit and the free content of the fruits and crops of this outward Earth upon which their bodies stand this was called The mans innocency or pleasure in the Garden before his fall or the day time of mankind and day is more glorious then night and greater honour to be a child of the day then of the night The fall of mankind or his darkness is this When that Son of universal Love which was the seed out of which the creation sprung forth did begin to go behind the cloud of flesh and to let self-seeking flesh which would needs be a God stand alone by his imaginary light as we see while the Sun is in the skies a man sees and knows his footsteps but when the Sun is set under the cloud of the dark night then he imagins his way and oft times stumbles and falls Even so when universal Love shines in his glory in mankind he stumbles not he walks in the light because the light is in him but when the light within with drawes and lets flesh stand alone Flesh that is The selvish power will not wait in peace and acknowledge himself in a loss and in darkness till the Sun rise again But will fain be a God and calls his weakness strength and though there appears nothing but deformity yet he would have it called beauty and because his inward power is not sutable to his outward profession he is tormented he is a Saint without but a Devil within but if thou wouldest have peace act as thou art shew thy self abroad in action what thou art secretly but when thou beginst to imagine a content and happiness to thy self by thy hypocritical self invention then thou art tormented or shalt be And by this imagination mankind tears himself in pieces as one of your Colonels of the Army said to me That the Diggers did work upon George Hill for no other end but to draw acompany of People into Arms and sayes our knavery is found out because it takes not that effect Truly thou Colonel I tell thee Thy knavish imagination is thereby discovered which hinders the effecting of that Freedom which by Oath and Covenant thou hast Engaged to maintain for my part and the rest we had no such thought we abhor fighting for Freedom it is acting of the Curse and lifting him up higher and do thou uphold it by the Sword we will not we will conquer by Love and Patience or else we count it no Freedom Freedom gotten by the Sword is an established Bondage to some part or other of the Creation and this we have Declared publickly enough therefore thy imagination told thee a lye and will deceive thee in a greater matter if Love doth not kill him Victory that is gotten by the Sword is a Victory that slaves gets one over another and hereby men of the basest Spirit saith Daniel are set to Rule but Victory obtained by Love is a Victory for a King But by this you may see what a liar imagination is and how he makes bate and tears the Creation in pieces for after that self Love hath subdued others under him then imagination studies how to keep himself up and keep others down This is your very inward Principle O ye present powers of England you do not study how to advance universal Love if you did it would appear in action but imagination and self-love mightily disquiets your mind and makes you call up all the powers of darknesse to come forth and help to set the Crown upon the head of Self
that goe for great Professors But now Profession thou art tryed to purpose all shall see And verbal talk it will appear a Devil for to be For actions pure holds forth the life of God and Christ most dear And false Dissembling now must die if Scriptures you will hear You preaching men if Truth you 'l own see Truth be acted to Or else to Christ you will appear to be his mortal foe Scribes Pharisees and the Theif that Judas was by name Great preachers were but for no deeds the Truth they much did stain No deeds you 'l say Yes that they had its true they had indeed But what deeds were they you can see no herb but stinking weed For Persecuion ever was the Work that came from them And deadly foes they ever were to Christ and righteous men And here I end having put my Arm as far as my strength will go to advance Righteousness I have Writ I have Acted I have Peace and now I must wait to see the Spirit do his own work in the hearts of others and whether England shall be the first Land or some other wherein Truth shall sit down in triumph But O England England would God thou didst know the things that belong to thy peace before they be hid from thine eyes The Spirit of Righteousness hath striven with thee and doth yet strive with thee and yet there is hope Come in thou England submit to Righteousness before the voice go out my Spirit shall strive no longer with Flesh and let not Coveteousnesse make thee oppresse the poor We have Declared our Reasons for our Digging plentifully enough and you Rulers of England will you alwayes be like deaf Adders c We have received many affronts from Lords of Mannors and their Servants divers times yet nothing makes us be at a stand Whether England shall be the first Land that shall fall off from the Beast and set Righteousnesse upon the Throne or no but the late Action of the head of the Souldiery in granting a party of Horse to come and weaken us Gentlemen of the Souldiery be not offended for you promised me in Whitehal Gallerie that you would not meddle with us but leave us to the Law of the Land and the Country Gentlemen to deal with us and so you did a long time and we hope in time that love and patience will conquer our furious enemies Yet we understand which a little troubles us yet content That the Generall gave his consent that the Souldiers should come to help to beat of the Diggers and to pull down their Houses it is true the Souldiers with the Gentlemen our enemies came and caused others to pull down our houses but the Souldiers did not meddle none but one but expressed sorrow to see the Passages But though they were modest and expressed tenderness â—et the Generals grant and the Soulders presence was a great crush to our business Gentlemen of the Army we have spoke to you we have appealed to the Parliament we have declared our cause with all humilitie to you all and we are Englishmen and your friends that stuck to you in your miseries and these Lords of Mannors that oppose us were wavering on both sides yet you have heard them and answered their request to beat us off and yet you would not afford us an Answer Yet love and patience shall lie down and suffer Let pride and covetousness stretch themselves upon their beds of ease and forget the afflictions of Joseph and persecute us for righteousness sake yet we will wait to see the issue the power of righteousness is our God the globe runs round the longest Sun-shine day ends in a dark night and therefore to thee O thou King of righteousness we doe commit our cause Judge thou between us and them that strive against us and those that deal treacherously with thee and us and doe thine own work and help weak flesh in whom the Spirit is willing FINIS