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
inclose and hence rose up Propriety for this is the fruit of War from the beginning for it removes Propriety out of a weaker into a stronger hand but still upholds the curse of Bondage and hereby the Kingly power which you have made an Act and Sworn to cast out does remove himself from one chair to another and so long as the Sword rules over brethren mind what I say so long the Kingly power of darkness Rules and so large as yet is his Kingdom which spreds from Sea to Sea and fills the Earth but Christ is rising who will take the Dominion and Kingdom out of his hand and his power of Righteousness shall rise and spred from East to West from North to South and fill the Earth with himself and cast the other cursed power out when Coveteousness sheaths his Sword and ceases to rage in the field he first makes sharp Laws of Bondage That those that are conquered and that by him are appointed not to enjoy the Earth but are turned out shall be Servants Slaves and Vassals to the Conquerers party so those Laws that upholds Whips Prisons Gallows is but the same power of the Sword that raged and that was drunk with Blood in the field King Charles it is true was the Head of this Kingly power in England and he Reigned as he was a Successor of the last Norman Conquerer and whosoever you be that hath Propriety of Land hath your Titles and Evidences made to you in his or his Ancestors Name and from his and their Will and Kingly power I am sure he was not our Creator and therefore parcelled out the Earth to some and denied it to others therefore he must needs stand as a Conquerer and was the Head of this Kingly power that burdens and oppresses the People and that is the cause of all our Wars and Divisions for if this Kingly power of Covetousness which is the unrighteous Divider did not yet Rule both Parliament Army and rich People would cheerfully give consent that those we call Poor should Dig and freely Plant the Waste and Common Land for a livelihood seing there is Land enough and more by half then is made use of and not be suffered to perish for want And yet O ye Rulers of England you make a blazing profession That you know and that you own God Christ and the Scriptures but did Christ ever declare such hardness of heart did not he bid the rich man go and sell all that he hath and give to the Poor and does not the Scripture say If thou makest a Covenant keep it though it be to thy loss But truly it will not be to your loss to let your fellow Creatures your equals in the Creation nay those that have been faithful in your Cause and so your Friends I say it will not be to your loss to let them quietly improve the Waste and Common Land that they may live in peace freed from the heavie burdens of Poverty for hereby our own Land will be increased with all sorts of Commodities and the People will be knit together in love to keep out a forreign Enemy that endeavours and that will endeavour as yet to come like an Army of cursed Ratts and Mice to destroy our inheritance so that if this Freedom be quietly granted to us you grant it but to your selves to English-men to your own flesh and blood and you do but give us our own neither which Covetousness in the Kingly power hath and yet does hold from us for the Earth in the first Creation of it was freely given to whole mankind without respect of Persons therefore you Lords of Mannors and you Rulers of England if you own God Christ and Scripture now make Restitution and deliver us quiet possession of our Land which the Kingly power as yet holds from us While this Kingly power raigned in one man called Charls all sorts of people complained of oppression both Gentrie and Common people because their lands Inclosures and Copieholds were intangled and because their Trades were destroyed by Monopolizing Patentees and your troubles were that you could not live free from oppression in the earth Thereupon you that were the Gentrie when you were assembled in Parliament you called upon the poor Common-People to come and help you and cast out oppression and you that complained are helped and freed and that top-bow is lopped off the tree of Tyrannie and Kingly power in that one particular is cast out but alas oppression is a great tree still and keeps off the son of freedome from the poor Commons still he hath many branches and great roots which must be grub'd up before every one can sing Sions songs in peace As we spie out Kinglie power we must declare it and cast it out or else we shall deny the Parliament of England and their Acts and so prove Traitors to the Land by denying obedience thereunto Now there are Three Branches more of Kinglie power greater then the former that oppresses this Land wonderfully and these are the power of the Tithing Priests over the Tenths of our labours and the power of Lords of Mannors holding the free use of the Commons and wast Land from the poor and the intolerable oppression either of bad Laws or of bad Judges corrupting good Laws these are branches of the Norman conquest and Kingly power still and wants a Reformation For as for the first William the Couqueror promised That if the Clergie would preach him up so that the people might be bewitched so as to receive him to be Gods Anointed over them he would give them the Tenths of the Lands increase yeerly and they did it and he made good his Promise and do we not yet see That if the Clergie can get Tithes or Money they will turn as the Ruling power turns any way to Popery to Protestanisme for a King against a King for Monarchy for State-Government they cry who bids most wages they will be on the strongest side for an Earthly maintenance yea and when they are lifted up they would Rule too because they are called Spiritual men It is true indeed they are spiritual but it is of the spiritual power of Coveteousness and Pride for the spiritual power of Love and Righteousness they know not for if they knew it they would not persecute and raile against him as â—hey do The Clergie will serve on any side like our ancient Laws that will serve any Master They will serve the Papists they will serve the Protestants they will serve the King they will serve the States they are one and the same Tools for Lawyers to work with under any Government O you Parliament-men of England cast those whorish Laws out of doors that are so Common that pretend love to every one and is faithful to none for truly he that goes to Law as the Proverb is shall die a Beggar so that old Whores and old Laws picks mens pockets and undoes them If the fault lie
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
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
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
steal any mans proper goods as Sheep Geese Pigs as they say let such be made a spectacle to all the world For my part I own no such doing neither do I know any such thing by any of the Diggers Likewise they report that we Diggers hold women to be common and live in that bestialnesse For my part I declare against it I own this to be a truth That the earth ought to be a common Treasury to all but as for women Let every man have his own wife and every woman her own husband and I know none of the Diggers that act in such an unrationall excesse of female communitie If any should I professe to have nothing to do with such people but leave them to their own Master who will pay them with torment of minde and diseases in their bodies These and such-like tales we hear are brought to you to incense you against us but we desire you to mark them that bring them for we partly know who they be and we can tell them to their faces they were Cavaliers and had hands in the Kentish Rising and in stirring up that offensive Surrey Petition which was the occasion of bloodshed in Westminster-yard and they would rejoyce to see the Prince come in with an Armie to over-top you for we know they love you not but from the teeth outwards for their own ends And these are the proud Hamans that would incense you against the Mordecaies of the Land even your true-hearted friends the Diggers Well in the midst of our slanders we rejoyce in the uprightness of our hearts and we do commit our cause to him that judgeth righteously Upon these lying reports and importunitie to the General it seems the General granted the Lords of Mannor to have some souldiers to go along with the Sheriff to pull down the Diggers houses and so the souldiers did come but they were very moderate and rationall men and as they were sent to secure the Sheriff so they did but there was no cause for though the Gentlemen possess'd the General that they feared opposition from the Diggers yet the souldiers saw they lifted not up a finger in discontent but fought against those dragons the Lords of Manors with the spirit of love and patience for when the two Lords of Manor sat among the souldiers on hors-back and coach and commanded their fearfull tenants to pull down one of the Diggers houses before their faces and rejoyced with shouting at the fall yet some of the Diggers stood by and were very chearfull and preached the Gospel to those Turkish Bashaws which are words of life and in time will prove words of terrour to torment their awakened consciences And the poor tenants that pulled down the house durst do no other because their Land-lords and Lords looked on for fear they should be turned out of service or their livings as a a poor honest man because he looked with a cheerfull countenance upon the Diggers though he was affraid to come neer or affraid to speak openly lest his Landlords setting-dogs should smell the sound of his words and carry a pick-thank tale which his Lords ears are much open to a Baily was sent presently to him to warn him out of his house Can the Turkish Bashaws hold their slaves in more bondage than these Gospel-professing Lords of Manors do their poor tenants and is not this the Kingly power O you Rulers of England I pay see that your own acts be obeyed and let the oppressed go free And when the poor enforced slaves had pulled down the house then their Lords gave them ten shillings to drink and there they smiled one upon another being fearfull like a dog that is kept in awe when his Master gives him a bone and stands over him with a whip he will eat and look up and twinch his tail for they durst not laugh out left their Lords should hear they jeer'd them openly for in their hearts they are Diggers Therefore you Lords of Manors if you have none to stand for you but whom you force by threatning then leave off striving against the spirit and say you are fallen and come in and embrace righteousnesse that you may finde mercy betimes The next day after this there came two souldiers and three Country-men to another house which the Diggers had set up which the Sheriff the day before had let alone for as some say he was grieved to see what was done one of these souldiers was very civill and walked lovingly with the Diggers round their corn which they had planted and commended the work and would do no harm as divers others were of the same minde and when he went his way gave the Diggers 12 d. to drink but the other souldier was so rude that he forced those three Country-men to help him to pull down the house and railed bitterly the men were unwilling to pull it down but for fear of their Landlords and the threatning souldier they did put their hands to pull it down And seeing Parson Platt the Lord of that Manor will not suffer the Diggers to have a house wherein he forgets his Master Christ that is persecuted in naked hungry and houselesse members yet the Diggers were mighty cheerfull and their spirits resolve to wait upon God to see what he will do and they have built them some few little hutches like calf-cribs and there they lie anights and follow their work adayes still with wonderfull joy of heart taking the spoyling of their goods cheerfully counting it a great happinesse to be persecuted for righteousnesse sake by the Priests and Professors that are the successors of Judas and the bitter-spirited Pharisees that put the man Christ Jesus to death And they have planted divers Acres of Wheat and Rye which is come up and promises a very hopefull crop committing their cause to God and wait upon him saying O thou King of righteousnesse do thine own work O that you would search and try our wayes narrowly and see whether we deny God Christ Scriptures as the Priests slander us we do and you shall finde that the Scriptures warrant our action and God in Christ is the life of our souls and the support of our spirits in the midst of this our sharp persecution from the hands of unreasonable men who have not faith in Christ but uphold the Kingly power which you have Voted down Likewise you shall see that we live in the performance of that work which is the very life and marrow of the Parliaments Cause whereby we honour the Parliament and their Cause as you shall see by this following Declaration unfolding the foundation whereupon Englands Laws are or the Freedom of a Common-wealth ought to be built which is Equity and Reason IN the time of the Kings who came in as Conquerors and ruled by the power of the Sword not only the Common land but the Inclosures also were captivated under the will of those Kings till now of late that
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
which is that Kinglie power you have Oathed and Vowed against and yet uphold it in your hands Imagination begets Covetousnesse after pleasure honour and riches Covetousnesse begets Fear least others should crosse them in their Design or else begets a Fear of want and this makes a man to draw the creatures to him by hook or crook and to please the strongest side looking what others do not minding what himself doth Like some of your great Officers that told me That we Diggers took away other mens Propriety from them by Digging upon the Common yet they have taken mine and other mens proprietie of money got by honest labour in Taxes and free-quarter to advance themselves and not allow us that they promised us for it this beam in their own eies they cannot see This Fear begets hypocrisie subtlety envie and hardness of heart which makes a man to break all promises and engagements and to seek to save himself in others ruine and to suppresse and oppresse every one that does not say as he sayes and do as he does And this hardness of heart begets pride and security and this begets luxurie and lust of the flesh and this runs into all excesse with greedines and being in discontent against any that crosses his pleasure till his heart become fully like the heart of a Beast as it is apparent in some at this day And thus by the power of self-love being advanced by the covetous sword against universall love that power of darkness rises up to perfection in mankind and so he makes one branch to tear and devour another by divisions evill surmisings envious fightings and killing and by oppressing the meek in Spirit by unrighteous Laws or by his self will managing good Laws unrighteously as corrupt Judges know how to do it and think none sees them whereby part of mankind hath freedom and another part is cast out and thrown under bondage And all this falling out or quarrelling among mankind is about the earth who shall and who shall not enjoy it when indeed it is the portion of every one and ought not to be striven for nor bought nor sold whereby some are hedged in and others hedged out for better not to have had a body then to be debarred the fruit of the Earth to feed and cloth it and if every one did but quietly enjoy the earth for food and raiment there would be no wars prisons nor gallows and this action which man calls theft would be no sin for universall love never made it a sin but the power of covetousness made that a sin and made Laws to punish it though he himself live in that sin in a higher manner then he hangs or punisheth Those very men that punish others for theft do theeve and rob as Judges and Lawyers that take Bribes or that takes their Clients money and through neglect lose their cause Parliament and Army lives in Theft when as they take the Commoners money and free-quarter and tell them what they do is to make England a free Common-Wealth and yet all they doe is to make the Gentry free and leaves the Commoners under bondage still or else why do you send your Souldiers to beat a few naked Spademen off from digging the Commons for a livelihood why do you not let the oppressed go free have they not bought it of you by their monies and blood as well as the Gentrie and will not you make good your Contract Well he that made the earth for us as well as for you will set us free though you will not when will the Vail of darknes be drawn off your faces will you not be wise O yee Rulers Well this power of darknes is mans fall or the right time of mankind But Universall love hath declared that he will rise again and he himself who is the Seed will bruise that Serpents head and reconcile mankind to himself again and restore him to that Innocencie and Peace which he is fallen from When this Son arises in more strength and appears to be the Saviour indeed he will then make mankind to be all of one heart and one mind and make the Earth to be a common treasurie though for the present in outward view there is nothing but darkness and confusion upon the face of the earth mankind When self love began to arise in the earth then man began to fall this is Adam or the power of darkness that stops up the waters and wel springs of life or the clouds that hide the Son of righteousness from man This Adam or dark power was small at the first but he is risen to great strength and the whole Earth is now filled with him as Isaiah saith Darknes hath covered the Earth mankind For let any that hath eyes look either to them above or them below and they see darknes or the Devil rule and this curse destroys the Earth The Creation sits like Rachel sighing mourning and groaning under his oppressing power and will not be comforted because they see no saviour to appear for their deliverance Indeed there are many saviours in word but none in deed and these great false Christs and false Prophets does destroy the Creation under the colour of saving it and the people sees them not but looks upon them as saviours calling others false Christs and false Prophets that speak against them The first false christ that promises to save the Creation is covetous Kingly power resting in the hand of one man or in the hand of many but this power saves but part and holds another part of the creation in bondage and any government that rules by swordly power doth so throughout all lands therefore he is a false Christ and no true saviour The Preaching Clergie or universative power promises to save the Creation declaratively but he is a false Christ he saith and doth not Pharisee-like but will force people to maintain him from the Earth by their labours for his sayings by the Laws of the Kingly power he saith some are elected to salvation and others are reprobated he puts some into heaven thrusts others into hell never to come out and so he is not a universall Saviour that is no salvation to the creation mankind while any part groans for the true Saviour when he comes he will wipe away all teares he comes not to destroy any but to save all Then the power of the Lawyers he saith he will save the Creation and this false Christ proves the greatest devourer and tearer of the creation of any other for while he carries burthened men from one court to another promising to save them he at last saves himself and destroyes others and laughs at others losse and throwes men further from peace then he found them before he medled with them Well From the Bailiffe to the Judge these are the creations of this Egyptian Taskmaster and no burthen of cheating like to it for he promises Justice but behold nothing but oppression is