THE Law of Freedom IN A PLATFORM Or True Magistracy Restored Humbly presented to Oliver Cromwel General of the Common-wealths Army in England And to all English-men my brethren whether in Church-fellowship or not in Church-fellowship both sorts walking as they conceive according to the Order of the Gospel and from them to all the Nations in the World Wherein is Declared What is Kingly Government and what is Commonwealths Government By Jerrard Winstanley In thee O England is the Law arising up to shine If thou receive and practise it the crown it wil be thine If thou reject and stil remain a froward Son to be Another Land wil it receive and take the crown from thee Revel. 11. 15. Dan. 7. 27. LONDON Printed by J. M. for the Author and are to be sold by Giles Calvert at the black Spred-Eagle at the West end of Pauls 1652. To His Excellency OLIVER CROMWEL General of the Commonwealths Army in ENGLAND SIR GOD hath honored you with the highest Honor of any man since Moses time to be the Head of a People who have cast out an Oppressing Pharaoh For when the Norman Power had conquered our Forefathers he took the free use of our English Ground from them and made them his servants And God-hath made you a successful Instrument to cast out that Conqueror and to recover our Land and Liberties again by your Victories out of that Norman hand That which is yet wanting on your part to be done is this To see the Oppressors Power to be cast out with his person And to see that the free possession of the Land and Liberties be put into the hands of the oppressed Commoners of England For the Crown of Honor cannot be yours neither can those Victories be called Victories on your part till the Land and Freedoms won be possessed by them who adventured person and purse for them Now you know Sir that the Kingly Conqueror was not beaten by you onely as you are a single man nor by the Officers of the Army joyned to you but by the hand and assistance of the Commoners whereof some came in person and adventured their lives with you others stayd at home and planted the Earth and payd Taxes and Freequarter to maintain you that went to war So that whatsoever is recovered from the Conqueror is recovered by a joynt consent of the Commoners therefore it is all Equity That all the Commoners who assisted you should be set free from the Conquerors power with you As Davids Law was The spoyl shall be divided between them who went to War and them who stayd at home And now you have the Power of the Land in your hand you must do one of these two things First either set the Land free to the oppressed Commoners who assisted you and payd the Army their wages and then you will fulfil the Scriptures and your own Engagements and so take possession of your deserved Honor Or secondly you must onely remove the Conquerors Power out of the Kings hand into other mens maintaining the old Laws still And then your Wisdom and Honor is blasted for ever and you will either lose your self or lay the Foundation of greater Slavery to posterity then you ever knew You know that while the King was in the height of his oppressing Power the People onely whispered in private Chambers against him But afterwards it was preached upon the house tops That he was a Tyrant and a Traytor to Englands peace and he had his overturn The righteous Power in the Creation is the same still If you and those in power with you should be found walking in the Kings steps can you secure your selves or posterities from an overturn Surely No The Spirit of the whole Creation who is God is about the Reformation of the World and he will go forward in his work For if he would not spare Kings who have sat so long at his right hand governing the World neither will he regard you unless your ways be found more righteous then the Kings You have the eyes of the People all the Land over nay I think I may say all neighboring Nations over waiting to see what you will do And the eyes of your oppressed friends who lie yet under Kingly power are waiting to have the possession given them of that Freedom in the Land which was promised by you if in case you prevailed Lose not your Crown take it up and wear it But know that it is no Crown of Honor till Promises and Engagements made by you be performed to your friends He that continues to the end shall receive the Crown Now you do not see the end of your work unless the Kingly Law and Power be removed as well as his person Jonah's Gourd is a remembrancer to men in high places The worm in the Earth gnawed the root and the Gourd dyed and Jonah was offended Sir I pray bear with me my spirit is upon such a lock that I must speak plain to you lest it tell me another day If thou hadst spoke plain things might have been amended The Earth wherein your Gourd grows is the Commoners of England The Gourd is that Power which covers you which will be established to you by giving the People their true Freedoms and not otherwise The root of your Gourd is the heart of the People groaning under Kingly Bondage and desiring a Commonwealths Freedom in their English Earth The worm in the Earth now gnawing at the root of your Gourd is Discontents because Engagements and Promises made to them by such as have power are not kept And this worm hath three heads The first is a spirit waiting opportunities till a blasting wind arise to cause your Gourd to wither and yet pretends fair to you c. Another spirit shelters under your Gourd for a livelyhood and will say as you say in all things and these are called honest yet no good friends to you nor the Commonwealth but to their own bellies There is a third spirit which is faithful indeed and plain dealing and many times for speaking truth plainly he is cashiered imprisoned and crushed And the Oppressions layd upon this spirit kindles the fire which the two former waits to warm themselves at Would you have your Gourd stand for ever Then cherish the root in the Earth that is the heart of your friends the oppressed Commoners of England by killing the Worm And nothing will kill this worm but performance of professions words and promises that they may be made free men from Tyranny It may be you will say to me What shall I do I answer You are in place and power to see all Burthens taken off from your friends the Commoners of England You will say What are those Burthens I will instance in some both which I know in my own experience and which I hear the people dayly complaining of and groaning under looking upon you and waiting for Deliverance Most people cry We have payd Taxes
wives and children within such a Lordship to his Lords of Manors 〈◊〉 do with them as they pleased And for this cause now doth an Army arise to keep out an Invasion of a Forraigner that by the defence of our Army who is part of our selves the rest of our brethren in the Commonwealth may plow sow and reap and enjoy the fruits of their labours and so live in peace in their own Land Or secondly If a Land be conquered and so enslaved as England was under the Kings and conquering Laws then an Army is to be raised with as much secrecy as may be to restore the Land again and set it free that the Earth may become a Common Treasury to all her children without respecting persons as it was before Kingly Bondage came in as you may read 1 Sam. 8. This latter is called Civil Wars and this is the Wars of the Commoners of England against King Charls now cast out for he and his Laws were the successive Power of that Norman Conquest over England And now the Commeners of England in this age of the World are rise up in an Army and have cast out that Invasion of the Duke of Normandy and have won their Land and Liberties again by the Sword if they do not suffer their Councels to 〈◊〉 into slavery again upon a new accompt Therefore you Army of Englands Commonwealth look to it the Enemy could not beat you in the field but they may be too hard for you by policy in 〈◊〉 if you do not stick close to see Common Freedom established For if so be that Kingly Authority be set up in your Laws again King Charls hath conquered you and your posterity by policy and won the field of you though you seemingly have cut off His Head For the strength of a King lies not in the visible appearance of his body but in his Will Laws and Authority which is called 〈◊〉 Government But if you remove Kingly Government and set up true and free Commonwealths Government then you gain your Crown and keep it and leave peace to your posterity otherwise not And thus doing makes a War either lawful or unlawful An Army may be Murtherers and unlawful If an Army be raised to cast out Kingly Oppression and if the Heads of that Army promise a Commonwealths Freedom to the oppressed people if in case they will assist with person and purse and if the people do assist and prevail over the Tyrant those Officers are bound by the Law of Justice who is God to make good their Engagements And if they do not set the Land free from the branches of the Kingly Oppression but reserve some part of the Kingly Power to advance their own particular Interest whereby some of their friends are left under as great slavery to them as they were under the Kings Those Officers are not faithful Commonwealths Souldiers they are worse Thieves and Tyrant then the Kings they cast out and that Honor they seemed to get by their Victories over the Commonwealths Oppressor they lose again by breaking Promise and Engagement to their oppressed friends who did assist them For what difference is there between a professed Tyrant that declares himself a Tyrant in words Laws and deeds as all Conquerors do and him who promises to free me from the Power of the Tyrant if I 'le assist him and when I have spent my estate and blood and the health of my body and expect my bargain by his Engagements to me he sits himself down in the Tyrants Chair and takes the possession of the Land to himself and calls it 〈◊〉 and none of mine and tells me he cannot in Conscience let me enjoy the Freedom of the Earth with him because it is another mans 〈◊〉 And now my health and estate is decayed and I grow in age I must either beg or work for day wages which I was never brought up to for another when as the Earth is as freely my Inheritance and birthright as his whom I must work for and if I cannot live by my weak labors but take where I need as Christ sent and took the Asse coìt in his need there is no dispute but by the Kings and Laws he will hang me for a thief But hear O thou Righteous Spirit of the whole Creation and judg who is the thief Him who takes away the freedom of the common-earth from me which is my Creation rights and which I have helped to purchase out of the hands of the Kingly Oppressor by my purse and person and which he hath taken for wages of me Or I who takes the Common-earth to plant upon for my free livelyhood endeavouring to live as a free Commoner in a free Common-wealth in righteousness and peace Such a souldier as this engagement breaker is neither a friend to the Creation nor to a particular Common-wealth but a self lover and a hypocrite for he did not fight to set the Earth free from the bondage of the Oppressor as he pretended by his Engagements but to remove that power out of the others hand into his own And this is just like the beasts who fight for mastery and keeps it not releaving but still Lording and Kinging over the weak These are Monarchial souldiers not Common-Wealths souldiers and such a souldier is a murderer and his warfare is unlawful But souldiers of true noble spirits will help the weak and set the oppressed free and delight to see the Common-wealth flowrish in freedom as wel as their own gardens There is none of this true nobility in the Monarchial Army for they are all self lovers the best is as a briar and the most upright amongst them is as a thorne held speak you Prophers of old if this be not true A Monarchial Army lifts up mountains and makes vallies viz. Advances Tyrants and treads the oppressed in the barran lanes of poverty But a Commonwealths Army is like John Baptist who levels the Mountains to the Valleys pulls down the Tyrant and 〈◊〉 up the Oppressed and so makes way for the spirit of Peace and Freedom to come in to rule and 〈◊〉 the Earth And by this which hath been spoken an Army may see wherein they may do well and wherein they may do hurt CHAP. V. Education of mankinde in Schools and Trades MAnkinde in the days of his youth is like a young Colt wanton and foolish till he be broke by Education and correction and the neglect of this care or the want of wisdom in the performance of it hath been and is the cause of much division and trouble in the world Therefore the Law of a Common-wealth does require that not onely a father but that all Overseers and Officers should make it their work to educate children in good manners and to see them brought up in some trade or other and to suffer no children in any Parish to live in idleness and youthful pleasure all their days as many have been but that they be brought up
light and darkness strive in 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 to succeed each other or as it is said the strong man armed keeps the heart of man till a stronger then he came and cast him out And this written law proceeding either from reason or unreasonableness is called the letter whereby the creation of mankinde beasts and earth is governed according to the will of that power which rules And it is called by his opposite the letter that kils and by those of the same nature with it it is called the word of life As for example if the experienced wise and strong man bears rule then he writes down his minde to curb the unreasonable law of covetousnes and pride in unexperienced men to preserve peace in the Commonwealth And this is called the historical or traditional law because it is conveyed from one generation to another by writing as the laws of Israels Commonwealth were writ in a book by Moses and so conveyed to poposterity And this outward law is a bridle to unreasonableness or as Solomon writ it is a whip for the fools back for whom only it was added Secondly since Moses time the power of unreasonable coveteousness and pride hath sometimes rise up and corrupted that traditional law For since the power of the sword rise up in Nations to Conquer the written law hath not been to advance Common freedom and to beat down the unreasonable self-will in mankind but it hath been framed to uphold that self-will of the Conquerer right or wrong not respecting the freedome of the Commonwealth but the freedome of the Conquerer and his friends only By reason whereof much slavery hath been laid upon the backs of the plaine dealing man And men of publick spirits as Moses was have been crushed and their spirits damped thereby which hath bred first discontents and then more wars in the Nations And those who have been favorites about the Conquerer have by hypocrisie and flattery pleased their king that they might get what they can of the earth into their possession and thereby have increased the bondage of the paineful laborer if they could but catch him to act contrary to the Conquerers will called law And now the City mournes and do we not see that the laws of Kings have been alwayes made against such actions as the Common-people were most inclinable to on purpose to 〈◊〉 them into their Sessions and Courts that the Lawyers and Clergy who were the Kings supporters might get money thereby and live in fulness by other mens labors But hereby the true nature of a wel-governed Commonwealth hath been ruined and the will of Kings set up for a law and the law of righteousness law of liberty trod under foot and killed This traditional law of Kings is that letter at this day which kils true freedom and it is the 〈◊〉 of wars and persecution This is the souldier who cut Christs garment into pieces which was to have remained uncut and without seame this law moves the people to fight one against another for those pieces viz. for the several inclosures of the earth who shall possess the earth and who shall be Ruler over others But the true ancient law of God is a Covenant of peace to whole mankinde this sets the earth free to all this unites both Jew and Gentile into one brotherhood and rejects none this makes Christs garment whole againe and makes the kingdomes of the world to become Common-wealths again It is the inward power of right understanding which is the true law that teaches people in action as well as in words to do as they would be done unto But thus much in general what law is hereafter followes what those particular laws may be whereby a Commonwealth may be governed in peace and all burdens removed which is a breaking forth of that law of liberty which will be the joy of all Nations when he arises up and is established in his brightness Short and pithy laws are best to govern a Commonwealth The laws of Israels Commonwealth were few short and pithy and the government thereof was established in peace so long as officers and people were obedient thereunto But those many laws in the dayes of the Kings of England which were made some in times of Popery and some in times of Protestantism and the proceedings of the law being in French and Latine hath produced two great evils in England First it hath occasioned much ignorance among the people and much contention and the people have mightily erred through want of knowledge and thereby they have run into great expence of money by suits of law or else many have been imprisoned whipped banished lost their estates and lives by that law which they were ignorant of till the scourge thereof was upon their backs this is a sore evil among the people Secondly the peoples ignorance of the laws hath bread many sons of contention for when any difference fals out between man and man they neither of them know which offends the other therefore both of them thinking their cause is good they delight to make use of the law and then they go and give a Lawyer mony to tell them which of them was the offender The Lawyer being glad to maintain their own trade sets them together by the ears till all their moneys be near spent and then bids them refer the business to their neighbors to make them friends which might have been done at the first So that the course of the Law and Lawyers hath been a 〈◊〉 snare to entrap the people and to pull their Estates from them by 〈◊〉 for the Lawyers do uphold the Conquerors Interest and the peoples Slavery so that the King seeing that did put all the affairs of Judicature into their hands And all this must be called Justice but it is a 〈◊〉 Evil But now if the Laws were few and short and often read it would prevent those Evils 〈◊〉 every one knowing when they did well and when ill would be very cautious of their words and actions and this would escape the Lawyers craft As Moses Laws in Israels Commonwealth The People did talk of them when they lay down and when they rose up and as they walked by the way and bound them as bracelets upon their hands so that they were an understanding people in the Laws wherein their peace did depend But it is a sign that England is a blinded and a snared generation their Leaders through pride and covetousness have caused them to err yea and perish too for want of the knowledg of the Laws which hath the power of Life and Death Freedom and Bondage in its hand But I hope better things hereafter What may be those particular Laws or such a method of Laws whereby a Commonwealth may be governed 1. The bare letter of the Law established by act of Parliament shall be the Rule for Officer and People and the chief Judg of all Actions 2. He or they who add or diminish
say Having food and rayment therewith be content and grudg not to let thy brother have the same with thee Dost thou pray and fast for Freedom and give God thanks again for it Why know that God is not partial for if thou pray it must be for Freedom to all and if thou give thanks it must be because Freedom covers all people for this will prove a lasting Peace Every one is ready to say They fight for their Country and what they do they do it for the good of their Country Well let it appear now that thou hast fought and acted for thy Countries Freedom But if when thou hast power to settle Freedom in thy Country thou tukest the possession of the Earth into thy own particular hands and makest thy brother work for thee as the Kings did thou hast fought and acted for thy self not for thy Country and here thy inside 〈◊〉 is discovered But here take notice That common Freedom which is the Rule I would have practised and not talked on was thy pretence but particular Freedom to thy self was thy intent 〈◊〉 or else thou wilt be shamed when Knowledg doth spread to cover the Earth even as the waters cover the Seas And so Farewell J. W. THE Law of Freedom in a Platform OR True Magistracy Restored CHAP. I. THe great searching of heart in these days is to finde out where true Freedom lies that the Commonwealth of England might be established in Peace Some say It lies in the free use of Trading and to have all Pattents Licenses and Restraints removed But this is a Freedom under the Will of a Conqueror Others say It is true Freedom to have Ministers to preach and for people to hear whom they will without being restrained or compelled from or to any form of worship But this is an unsetled Freedom Others say It is true Freedom to have Community with all Women and to have liberty to satisfie their lusts and greedy appetites But this is the Freedom of wanton unreasonable Beasts and tends to Destruction Others say It is true Freedom that the elder Brother shall 〈◊〉 Landlord of the Earth and the younger Brother a Servant And this is but a half Freedom and 〈◊〉 murmurings wars and quarrels All these and such like are Freedoms but they lead to Bondage and are not the true Foundation-Freedom which settles a Commonwealth in Peace True Commonwealths Freedom lies in the free Enjoyment of the Earth True Freedom lies where a man receives his nourishment and preservation and that is in the use of the Earth For as Man is compounded of the four Materials of the Creation Fire Water Earth and Ayr so is he preserved by the compounded bodies of these four which are the fruits of the Earth and he cannot live without them for take away the free use of these and the body languishes the spirit is brought into bondage and 〈◊〉 length departs and ceaseth his motional action in the body All that a man labors for saith Solomon is this That he may enjoy the free use of the Earth with the fruits thereof Eccles. 2. 24. Do not the Ministers preach for maintenance in the Earth the Lawyers plead causes to get the possessions of the Earth Doth not the Soldier fight for the Earth And doth not the Landlord require Rent that he may live in the fulness of the Earth by the labor of his Tenants And so from the Thief upon the high way to the King who sits upon the Throne do not every one strive either by force of Arms or secret cheats to get the possessions of the Earth one from another because they see their Freedom 〈◊〉 in plenty and their bondage lies in poverty Surely then oppressing Lords of Manors exacting Landlords and Tythe-takers may as well say their brethren shall not breathe in the ayr nor enjoy warmth in their bodies nor have the moyst waters to fall upon them in showres unless they will pay them Rent for it As to say Their brethren shall not work upon Earth nor eat the fruits thereof unless they will hire that liberty of them for he that takes upon him to restrain his brother from the liberty of the one may upon the same ground restrain him from the liberty of all four viz. Fire Water Earth and Ayr A man had better to have had no body then to have no food for it therefore this restraining of the Earth from brethren by brethren is oppression and bondage but the free enjoyment thereof is true Freedom I speak now in relation between the Oppressor and the oppressed the inward bondages I meddle not with in this place though I am assured that if it be rightly searched into the inward bondages of the minde as 〈◊〉 pride hypocriste envy sorrow fears desperation and madness are all occasioned by the outward bondage that one sort of people lay upon another And thus far natural experience makes it good That true Freedom lies in the free enjoyment of the Earth If we look into the old Scriptures We finde That when Israel had conquered the Nations he took 〈◊〉 of the Enemies Land and divided it by lot among the Tribes counting the Enjoyment of the Earth their perfect Freedom In the beginning of their wars they first sent Spies to view the Land of Canaan Numb. 13. 23. to 33. for the enjoyment of that was the Freedom they aymed at for being so long in the barren wilderness and children multiplying upon them they wanted Land to live upon Deut. 1. 28. And when the Spies returned and shewed them the fruits of the Land and had declared what a fruitful Land it was they were encouraged and restless till they were come thither and when they heard bad tydings of the Land their hearts fell and they were discouraged And when the spirit of wisdom courage and providence in them had subdued those Gyants and had given the house of Israel the Land of Canaan the Rulers and chief Officers of Israels Army did not divide the Land among themselves but being faithful spirited men they forthwith divided the Land by lot to every Tribe his portion without exception And when Israel intreated the King of Syhon to suffer him to pass through his land he would not suffer him but gathered all his people together and sought with Israel And the Lord gave Syhon into Israels hand And he took possession of his land So that we see by Scripture proof likewise the land is that which every one place their freedom in If we look into the practise of Kings and Conquerors Since the Scriptures of Moses were writ we finde they placed their freedom in the enjoyment of the free use of the earth When William Duke of Normandy had conquered England he took possession of the earth for his freedom and disposed of our English ground to his friends as he pleased and made the conquered English his servants to plant the earth for him and his friends And all Kings from his
Magistracy of a Commonwealth and they do not act righteously and because of this sorrows and tears poverty and bondages are known among Mankinde and now that City mourns And surely if it be carefully looked into the necessity of the people never chose such Officers but they were either voluntary Soldiers 〈◊〉 Officers chosen by them who ran before they were called and so by policy and force they sat down in the chair of Government strengthening one sort of people to take the free use of the Earth from another sort and these are sons of bondage and they act in darkness by reason whereof the Prophet Esay cries out Darkness hath covered the Earth and thick darkness the people for the Leaders of the people have caused them to err I fear so O England c. All Officers in a Commonwealth are to be chosen new ones every year When publique Officers remain long in place of Judicature they will degenerate from the bounds of humility honesty and tender care of brethren in regard the heart of man is so subject to be overspred with the clouds of covetousness pride and vain-glory for though at the first entrance into places of Rule they be of publique spirits seeking the Freedom of others as their own yet continuing long in such a place where honors and greatness is coming in they become selfish seeking themselves and not common Freedom as experience proves it true in these days according to this common Proverb Great Offices in a Land and Army have changed the disposition of many sweet spirited men And Nature tells us That if water stand long it corrupts whereas running water keeps sweet and is fit for common use Therefore as the necessity of common preservation moves the people to frame a Law and to chuse Officers to see the Law obeyed that they may live in peace So doth the same Necessity bid the People and cries aloud in the ears and eyes of England to chuse new Officers and to remove the old ones and to chuse State-Officers every year And that for these Reasons First To prevent their own evils for when pride and fulness take hold of an Officer his eyes are so blinded therewith that he forgets he is a servant to the Commonwealth and strives to lift up himself high above his Brethren and oftentimes his Fall proves very great witness the Fall of oppressing Kings Bishops and other State-Officers Secondly To prevent the creeping in of Oppression into the Commonwealth again for when Officers grow proud and full they will maintain their greatness though it be in the poverty ruine and hardship of their Brethren Witness the practice of Kings and their Laws that have 〈◊〉 the Commoners of England a long time And have we not experience in these days that some Officers of the Commonwealth are grown so mossy for want of removing that they will hardly speak to an old acquaintance if he be an inferior man though they were very familiar before these Wars began c. And what hath occasioned this distance among friends and brethren but long continuance in places of honour greatness and riches Thirdly Let Officers be chosen new every year in love to our posterity for if Burthens and Oppressions should grow up in our Laws and in our Officers for want of removing as Moss and Weeds grow in some Land for want of stirring surely it will be a foundatian of misery not easily to be removed by our posterity and then will they curse the time that ever we their fore-fathers had opportunities to set things to rights for their ease and would not do it Fourthly To remove Officers of State every year will make them truly faithful knowing that others are coming after who will look into their ways and if they do not do things justly they must be ashamed when the next Officers succeed And when Officers deal faithfully in the Government of the Commonwealth they will not be unwilling to remove The Peace of London is much preserved by removing their Officers yearly Fifthly It is good to remove Officers every year that whereas many have their portions to obey so many may have their turns to rule and this will encourage all men to advance Righteousness and good Manners in hopes of Honor but when money and riches bears all the sway in the Rulers hearts there is nothing but Tyranny in such ways Sixthly The Commonwealth hereby will be furnished with able and experienced men fit to govern which will mightily advance the Honor and Peace of our Land occasion the more watchful care in the Education of children and in time will make our Commonwealth of England the Lilly among the Nations of the Earth Who are fit to choose and fit to be chosen Officers in a Commonwealth All uncivil livers as drunkards quarrelers fearful ignorant men who dare not speak truth lest they anger other men likewise all who are wholly given to pleasure and sports or men who are full of talk all these are empty of substance and cannot be experienced men therefore not fit to be chosen Officers in a Commonwealth yet they may have a voyce in the choosing Secondly All those who are interessed in the Monarchial Power and Government ought neither to choose nor be chosen Officers to manage Commonwealths Affairs for these cannot be friends to common Freedom And these are of two sorts First Such as have either lent money to maintain the Kings Army or in that Army have been Souldiers to fight against the recovering of common Freedom these are neither to choose nor be chosen Officers in the Commonwealth as yet for they have lost their Freedom yet I do not say that they should be made servants as the conquered usually are made servants for they are our brethren and what they did no doubt they did in a conscionable zeal though in ignorance And seeing but few of the Parliaments friends understand their Common Freedoms though they own the name Commonwealth therefore the Parliaments party ought to bear with the ignorance of the Kings party because they are brethren and not make them servants though for the present they be suffered neither to choose nor be chosen Officers left that ignorant spirit of revenge break out in them to interrupt our common Peace Secondly All those who have been so hasty to buy and sell the Common-wealths Land and so to entangle it upon a new accompt ought neither to choose nor be chosen Officers for hereby they declare themselves either to be for Kingly Interest or else are ignorant of Commonwealths Freedom or both therefore unfit to make Laws to govern a free Commonwealth or to be Overseers to see those Laws executed What greater injury could be done to the Commoners of England then to sell away their Land so hastily before the people knew where they were or what Freedom they had got by such cost and bloodshed as they were at And what greater ignorance could be declared by Officers then to sell
away the purchased Land from the Purchasers or from part of them into the hands of particular men to uphold Monarchial Principles But though this be a fault let it be bore withall it was ignorance of brethren for England hath layn so long under Kingly slavery that few knew what Common Freedom was And let a restoration of this redeemed Land be speedily made by them who have the possession of it For there is neither Reason nor Equity that a few man should go away with that Land and Freedom which the whole Commoners have paid Taxes Free-quarter and wasted their Estates Healths and Blood to purchase out of Bondage and many of them are in want of a comfortable livelyhood Well these are the men that take away other mens Rights from them and they are Members of the covetous generation of Self-seekers therefore unfit to be chosen Officers or to choose Who then are fit to be chosen Commonwealths Officers Why truly choose such as have a long time given testimony by their actions to be Promoters of Common Freedom whether they be Members in Church fellowship or not in Church fellowship for all are one in Christ Choose such as are men of peaceable spirits and of a peaceable conversation Choose such as have suffered under Kingly Oppression for they will be fellow-feelers of others bondages Choose such as have adventured the loss of their Estates and Lives to redeem the Land from Bondage and who have remained constant Choose such as are understanding men and who are experienced in the Laws of peaceable and right ordered Government Choose men of courage who are not afraid to speak the Truth for this is the shame of many in England at this day they are drowned in the dunghill mud of slavish fear of men these are covetous men not fearing God and their portion is to be cast without the City of Peace amongst the Dogs Choose Officers out of the number of those men that are above forty years of age for these are most likely to be experienced men and all these are likely to be men of courage dealing truly and hating Covetousness And if you choose men thus principled who are poor men as times go for the Conquerors Power hath made many a righteous man a poor man then allow them a yearly Maintenance from the Common Stock until such time as a Commonwealths Freedom is established for then there will be no need of such allowances What is the reason that most people are so ignorant of their Freedoms and so few fit to be chosen Commonwealths Officers Because the old Kingly Clergy that are seated in Parishes for lucre of Tythes are continually distilling their blind Principles into the people and do thereby nurse up Ignorance in them for they observe the bent of the peoples minds and make Sermons to please the sickly minds of ignorant people to preserve their own riches and esteem among a charmed befooled and befotted people CHAP. IV. What are the Officers Names in a free Commonwealth IN a private Family a Father or Master is an Officer In a Town City or Parish A Peace-maker A four-fold Office of Overseers A Souldier A Task-master An Executioner In a County or Shire A Judg. The Peace-makers of every Town within that Circuit The Overseers and Soldiers attending thereupon This is called either the Judges Court or the County Senate In a whole Land A Parliament A Commonwealths Ministry A Post-master An Army All these Offices are like links of a Chain they arise from one and the same root which is necessity of Common Peace and all their works tend to preserve Common Peace therefore they are to assist each other and all others are to assist them as need requires upon pain of punishment by the breach of the Laws And the Rule of right Government being thus observed may make a whole Land nay the whole Fabrick of the Earth to become one family of Mankind and one well governed Commonwealth as Israel was called one house of Israel though it consisted of many Tribes Nations and Family The Work of a Father or Master of a Family A Father is to cherish his children till they grow wise and strong and then as a Master he is to instruct them in reading in learning languages Arts and Sciences or to bring them up to labour or employ them in some Trade or other or cause them to be instructed therein according as is shewed hereafter in the Education of Mankind A Father is to have a care that as all his children do assist to plant the Earth or by other Trades provide necessaries so he shall see that every one have a comfortable livelyhood not respecting one before another He is to command them their work and see they do it and not suffer them to live idle he is either to reprove by words or whip those who offend for the Rod is prepared to bring the unreasonable ones to experience and moderation That so children may not quarrel like beasts but live in Peace like rational men experienced in yielding obedience to the Laws and Officers of the Commonwealth every one doing to another as he would have another do to him The Work of a Peace-maker In a Parish or Town may be chosen three four or six Peace-makers or more according to the bigness of the place and their work is twofold First In general to sit in Councel to order the Affairs of the Parish to prevent troubles and to preserve Common Peace and here they may be called Councellors Secondly If there arise any matters of offence between man and man by reason of any quarrels disturbance or foolish actings the offending parties shall be brought by the Souldiers before any one or more of these Peace-makers who shall hear the matter and shall endeavor to reconcile the parties and make peace and so put a stop to the rigor of the Law and go no further But if the Peace-maker cannot perswade or reconcile the parties then he shall command them to appear at the Judges Court at the time appointed to receive the Judgment of the Law If any matters of publike concernment fall out wherein the Peace of the City Town or Country in one County is concerned then the Peace-makers in every Town thereabouts shall meet and consult about it and from them or from any six of them if need require shall issue forth any Order to inferior Officers But if the matters concern only the limits of a Town or City then the Peace-makers of that Town shall from their Court send forth Orders to inferior Officers for the performing of any publike service within their limits Thirdly If any proof be given that any Officer neglects his duty a Peace-maker is to tell that Officer between them two of his neglect and if the Officer continue negligent after this reproof the Peace-maker shall acquaint either the County Senate or the National Parliament therewith that from them the offendor may receive condign punishment And