not our selves more zealous of his glory in the releefe of our Brethren in looking to me in my great sore sicknesse that you laboured not for some redresse for mee who haue suffered al that I haue done for the glorie of God and your good and welfare to free you from bloody tiranicall Lordly Prelates Oh therefore remember what the Angell of the Lord said Iudgs 5. Curse ye Meroze with a bitter curse because the inhabiants thereof came not out to the help of the Lord against the mighty And the spirit of God in Jeremiah 48. saith Cursed be he that doth the work of the Lord negligently carelesly Now you being the Lords people you are bound to do his worke and to second those that do it (d) â—â— they who haue brauely fought against the Bish had beene followed my minde giues me they had been dovvn ere this time I do not meane any fighting vvith carnall Weapons but professing openly and boldly the truth and suffering chearfully for it to the vtmost of your power But how you haue failed in doing this duty of loue to mee judg yee for I am now in Pauls condition when hee first answered before Nero had none to stand by him but all forsooke him Ah my Brethren if at the last there be any couraige in you for Christ and his truth or any bowels of mercie and compassion in you towards mee his faithfull and innocent servant that suffers for his truth I humblie beseech intreate you to looke with loue and a fauourable eye vpon my low estate and suffer me not to loose my life in a hole and corner and so perish in my deplorable condition Which if you do not looke the better to mee to make mee some speedy helpe otherwise I am like shortly to loose my life for I do protest in the presence of my God from my verie soule that I am dailie affraid that I shall privatelie be murdered (a) There be many that do think so too and haue an eye at thy condition Now if things fall not out wel we do not doubt but justice will yet take place amongst us if not the Lord will right the poore mans case by secret cruel practises from William Laud the great Prelate and traytour of Canterburie Iames Jugram the cruell tinannicall corrupt Machavillion warden of the Freete And therefore once more for our Christ his sake J earnestlie desire you that some of you would by all faire peaceable meanes labour for some redresse for mee by taking this my following petition to deliuer to the King (b) Oh that it vvould please his Majestie but to here once the case of his poor subjects and to take informatioÌ„ vvhat they suffer at the hands of the Prelates I am persvvaded vvere he rightly possessed of their doings hee vvould be so farre froÌ„ putting forth his little singer to estathem in Scotland as that he vvould soone vvith both hands cast them out of EnglaÌ„d or to the Lords and acquaint them if it bee possible trulie and throughly with my deplorable miserie and lamentable condition and to the shame of England all true hearted English men I am like for my innocencie to be murdered in my close cruell imprisonment hauing to my knowledge never broken any of my Soveraignes lawes or disobeied anie that are in lawfull autoritie which if it can be proued against mee I promise to submit to whatsoever they will desire of me I know they haue used much meanes that my petitions should not haue audience therefore I praie you be not repulsed at the first deniall but let your importunitie giue them no rest and I doubt not but to haue redresse to the confusion of my capicall enemies the Prelates which if you out of base fearfull cowardlines refuse (c) The covvardlines and fainthartednesse of our nation is that which hath made the Prelats to domineer so ouer us now what slaue would not take authority vpon him if his Mr. giue way to it to do it it is your great sin for saith the spirit of God Cursed is he that is affraid of the face of man and I know If I perish in this my forsaken condition my innocent bloud will lie heavie upon your heads who haue neglected your dutie towards mee In this particular all that I desire at the King (d) J hope if the King and counsell be made acquainted with it they will see to it as that the blood of this young man may not ly upon the Land Nobles hands is but the one of these 3. things which yet in England was never denied to anie traitour First Jf I be an offender and deserued death I refuse not to dy but desire that it may be inflicted upon mee in a legal way to the utmost without any mercy at all (a) Were a man a murderer a Trayter a Witch c. What could the magistrate doe more then proceed by law Now consider the cruelty of the Prelates vvho seek to haue the people oâ— God proceeded against in a more cruell vvay Secondly If not this then that my friends that would take compassion on me might be suffered with freedome to come at me to relieve mee (b) It is such a cruelty as vvas never heard of in the vvorld to be practised by any Tirants but the Prelates Namly to shut men up in noysome Dungeons forbid all people to bring theÌ„ any releefe It vvere unmercifull to shut up any bruit beast not giue it food for a man vvould rather kill it out of the vvay then tiranise ouer it in such a sort Thirdly if this neither then seeing I am at extraordinarie charges in regard of my sicknesse and weaknesse and my estate is spent my humble desire is that they would allow me a competent allowance to sustaine nature preserue life (c) No doubt if either the King or the Councill vnderstand what is here desired but they will grant it for vnlesse they be Bishops an English man is mercifull by nature Jt may be the answere to my petition may by the cunning of the suttle fox of Lambeth who hitherto hath stopped and intercepted all meanes that haue beene used for my redresse both to the King and Nobles Therefore I earnestly desire of you that so me of you would dailie come to my pittifull Purgatorie inquire how 't is with me whether I be devoured in the flames thereof or no for the Bishops tirannicall crueltie and inveterate hatred against me and my jaylors doggednesse and savagenesse is such that I do assure you upon the word of a true and faithfull souldier of Jesus Christ that I feare if you neglect me as you haue done and do not looke well after mee in hauing a daily vigilant eye to the fleete I shall shortly by one meanes or other haue my life taken from me in a corner therefore as you loue my Maister Christ haue brotherly care of me his
to devise notorious lyes for their excuse but the Lord who sees their wickednesse will bring them forth one day for it to their shame before men and Angels I dyed of long sicknes and weaknesse and so colour over their tyrany and crueltie for he dares not let his and the Bishops crueltie be knowne but seeks by all means to hide it from the Noble Lords (b) No doubt the noble Lords Peeres doe know a great deal of their treachery villany yet not halfe of it for it is one of their speciall imploymēts to keep from the King and state the knowledge of their base actions and hence it is that they striue soe much to suppresse al books that are writen in the discouery of their actions for they wel known should the land know what they doe it would spue them out Peeres of the Land whom I know haue more Humanity Nobilitie and mercie in their heroycall breast then for nothing without any just offence to take awaie a poore young mans life in a corner Now the very speaking of these things to some of my compassionate friends that came vp to my lodging to se me who would receiue no wrong of my Keeper hath struck him to the very heart and made him looke soe paile as if he would haue fallen down dead at my bed side it so affrighted him that now he will not let any come to me but hath refused to let many come at me that haue desired to cōmunicate to my necessities neither can I now scarce get himselfe to come vp to mee But saith hee that which you set your hand too before Sr. John Bankes hath vndone you well if it haue said I yet I am sure there is nothing in it either against the King or his lawes Its true I accused the Bishops of High Treason [c] So much hath beene from time to time offered to bee proued in the chiefest Courts of the Land yea if some parliament had stood they would haue been ere this time censured executed for Traytors this they know well enough insomuch as a Parliament to them is as Drake was to the Spaniard mentioned the Parliament lawes of the Land for proofe of it Also their publique renouncing of the King and State in the Censure of Noble Doctor Bastwick in the High Commission Court And J offered vpon my life to make it good and this I spake also before many Prisoners through the grates of my window desiring them beare wittnesse of this and much more which I then spake and now againe to you my Brethren vnderstanding well what I say and J will affirme it that all the Bishops in England that had a hand in the Censuring of Dr. Bastwick in the High Commission Court are Traytours to the King State as I will proue by severall Acts of Parliamet vpon paine of loosing my head if I may haue a legall proceeding against them Therefore make it knowne (a) Jt is made known to the whole nation and proved clearely in many Bookes as the Abreviate Syons Plea c. Besides the people generally take them no otherwise for hee that conceales Treason by the lawes of the Land is guilty of punishment as well as the Traitour himselfe therefore looke to it for J am able to proue what J say But as for my Petition J am out of all hopes of any releefe by it in regard it is not yet neither do I think it wil ever be delivered to the Lords by the Warden And also I do verily thinke it will be found that hee and the Bishops as J haue accused them before mauy witnesses even the same day fell sicke and as J haue formerly said they haue conspired together by tiranicall cruelty of set purpose to take awaie my life and blood which is almost spent alreadie that so I might not liue to make their Pagan like wickednes and barberous tirnanie knowne And therefore was I laid in Irones for a long time together even in my sicknesse in which I laid night and day with my hands and feet fast in the Fetters my Bootes stockens being on my legs for many nights together Without I verilie thinke the least order from the Honorable Lords they hoping by this meanes to put an end to my daies which they haue almost done For as I then tould my Doctor the coldnesse of my Irones they being verie straite vpon the wrists of my Armes which struck an ague soe to my heart that J thought I should haue dyed in a sudden fitt of paine when none was with mee and I verily thinke it had killed me ere this if I had not followed my Doctours advise in being at charges to get a wider made which sent for to the Smiths my Keeper delaying to do it for mee though I much desired it of him that so I might haue wrapped cloaths enough about it to keep awaie the peircing cold which proceeded from the coldnesse of the Irones (b) It is a thing which the Prelates doe much labour about namely to perswade the King and his Councill that the Puritants in writings against their cruelty do greatly disgrace the Government of the Land But if the thing were truly cōsidered that which hath made the English nation Contemptible in the eyes of the world is the inhumane practises of Bishoppes for where shall a man heare of so vile and bloody a practice as this O yee Heavens and earth that is to say you true Churches Christian Common wealths as you are called stand amazed and wonder at the barberous and savadge crueltie of bloody Bishops Iaylours exercised vpon mee a poore weake and young stripling without any just cause at al only because I love the Lord Iesus Christ am a faithfull subject to my Prince (a) Were thou not a faithfull subject to thy Prince the Prelates would never hate thee for what Priest or Iesuit haue they ever so hādled Country and wil not suffer as much as in me lies to be ruinated by Ambitious Treacheros popish Prelats For if my strēgth of bodie which is now exceeding weake would serue and a fit oppertunity I could write a large Lamentable complaint vnto you that one would hardly beleeue (b) Yes many would beleeve it For it is certain I here report it of knowledg that in all the Popish countries where I haue beene there is not that cruelty now exercised by Bis any where as there is in England The Prelates in Poland Spaine France are not halfe so vile Much lesse sinne as those doe against knowledge and conscience that ever such barberous crueltie should be in England vpon a poor weak and innocent young man Now this may make your spirits within you to faile in rememberance of your great sinne want of courage (c) It is iust vvith God that he should keepe these Canaanites amongst us as pricks in our side in regard wee shew
faithfull servant I shall not neede I hope in this my exceeding great weaknesse hauing gone alreadie beyond my present strength in a halfe blinde condition to write these lines my selfe without Inke unto you being aboue measure pressed in my spirit to do it inregard I am so exceeding tormented with bodilie Paine especially in my head by reason of my long closenesse and the crueltie that I under went in the daie of my publicke suffering that my soule is not able to containe it selfe in silence any longer seast I become guiltie of my owne blood To laie down any more arguments vnto you but desire you to read two late printed bookes the one is called The Beast is Wounded Or the Scots Newes and put forth by Iohu Bastwicks Younger Brother [a] It is pitty that young Bastwick puts not forth more bookes but it may be he hopes their ruin is at hand in that regard thinkes it not necessary to write the other is Called A Light for the ignorant And in them you shal find your dutie punctually laid down how to detest the wicked Lordlie Bb. as the Divel himself whose officers they are with all lawfull power to keep assist those that groan under their tirannie in a lawful right waie seeke deliuerance from them So remembring my brotherly loue vnto you and returning my humblest thankes vnto you for your loue alreadie manifested vnto mee and bestowed vpon mee for which the Lord hath a recompence in store My soule now lying a bleeding before my God (b) That which giues us case to think that their cursed Kingdome is comming down It is in regard of the many effectuall prayers which are dayly put up to God against them and it is obserued how the Lord doth in a speciall manner now moue the harts of his Children this way to seek him as if he meant to prepare away by their prayers for to bring in his judgments upon the Kingdom of the Beast earnestlie and uncessantlie crying vnto him with manie teares proceeding from a too too much burdened and wounded spirit and his Sion and the downfall of all Gods enimies which he for his mercies sake hasten and accomplish Now vnto Iehovah the Lord of Hosts and our faithfull and powerfull God I committ and commend you rest From the Fleete my refining furnace in which though my soule thriue in Godlinesse yet my bodie and blood is almost spent This present Friday being one of the Bishops Idoll-daies commonly called St. Thomas-day December 20. Anno. 1638. Your faithfull courraigious Brother in great tribulation for the purity of the truth of Christ and publique bearing witnesse theretoo JOHN LILBVRNE Etatis suae 22. The fore-mentioned Petition followes To the Right Honourable the Lords and others of his Majestyes most Honourable privie Councill The humble Petition of IOHN LILBVRNE Close prisoner in the Common Jayle in the Fleete HVmbly sheweth that your Petitioner hath beene about ten moneths close prisoner the greatest part whereof hath been in the wards of the Fleete where hee hath beene so closely kept that no friends haue beene suffered to come at him to reliefe him to speake with him And alsoe for a great time together hath layen in letters of Iron vpon both handes and legs and so it hath pleased God inregard of the exceeding greatnesse of his sore punishment and misery which he hath layen under to bring bodily weaknesse upon him and a heavy and dangerous sicknesse which he hath laid many moneths together which hath brought him many times even to deaths doore which yet with weaknesse and patience hee hath undergone though hee rather hath desired to haue chosen present death then to haue felt the constant bitternes of those bodily torments paines which in this miserable condition he hath groned vnder Now forasmuch as your petitioner hath in all humble manner besought his Majesty and your Honours for a little liberty to take some aire for the preseruation of his life but no answere could he receiue being now out of all hopes to obtaine his humble and reasonable request yet remaines as close as ever in which regard he hath continued very weake and in exceeding much bodily paine and misery being forced in this his weaknes to keepe the coldnesse of his Irons from his Tender flesh to lye for a long time together in his bed in stockings and bootes which sicknes in regard of the greatnes and long continuance of it and being forced to a constant course of Physick and to keepe a dyet of Phisicall things to keepe life in his body which hath beene extraordinary chargeable to him and hath exhausted and spent all his estate and being from the first beginning unto this day forsaken by his kindred and friends and left to the world Hee is therefore forced in regard of want of meanes to keepe life substain nature in this his sicknes To Petition most humbly to your honours that out of compassion to him in his great distresse who suffers for his conscience sake in which he is like to perish to grant him a competent allowance to preserue life that he may not dye for want of food And as in duty bound shall ever pray FINIS
THE POORE MANS CRY Wherein Is shevved the present miserable estate of mee IOHN LILBVRNE Close prisoner in the Fleete ALSO An humble Petition to his Maiesties Honorable privy Councill for meantenance that I famish not Pro. 21.13 Who so stoppeth his eares at the cry of the poore he also himselfe shall cry and not be heard Published by a backe friend of the English Popish Prelates 1639. Courteous Reader IT is not without the special wisdome of God to set forth the kingdome of Antichrist vnder the name title of a Beast For looke as Beasts do exercise all kinde of cruelty and no favour is to be expected from them so it is with the inhuman Prelates their delight is only in the blood of the Saints and as for Pittie Compassion Charritie c. there is no more in them then in Dogs I could giue many instances * Witnes lately their offering of two hundred pounds to one in London to betray his friend into their bloody hands It seemes there is now some scarsity among these Wolues that they will giue soe much monie for one poore sheep of their beast-like doings this way but it needs not considering how the same is already knowne vnto all men in all places Besides in this short Relation thou shalt haue as much proued as I do here affirme of them namely that they are without naturall affections inhumane barberous Such as Please not God and are contrarie to all men 1 Thess 2.15 fulfilling herein as did Iudas the Prophesies recorded of thē in the Revelation viz. to be Serpents Scorpions and the Spirits of Divels making warre against the Saints and to overcome them The consideration of whose cruelty is to advertise euery faithfull man to looke to it that he well prepare himselfe to fight with these Beasts that so whensoever the Lord shall call him to warree this way he may by the power of the Lambe overcome and possesse the Crowne of life Thy exiled friend and namelesse Country-man To all the people of God that loue the Lord Iesus Christ in truth and sincerity and desire the vvelfare and prosperity of his poore afflicted Saints Seruants DEarely beloued Brethren and fellow heires of the same Kingdome and Crowne of Glory with mee I am at this present constrained to declare vnto (a) If we will be like vnto God we must haue our eares open to heare the cry of the oppressed and our hāds ready to releeve them in what we are able you and truely to say with the Prophet Jeremiah in the third of his Lamentations that I am the man that haue seene felt afflictions by the rod of Gods wrath Also I am aboue measure forced to send forth vnto you and cry out aloud to make my grievous deplorable lamentable complant knowne vnto you of the barberous cruelty tiranies that Prelates and Iaylors haue for a long time together and still do exercise vpon mee labouring by vnheard of cruelty to take away my life privatly (b) This hath been constantly their practice barberously to murder the Saints in secret knowing their cause to be so wicked that if it should come to be openly discouered all good men would detest it them in a hole and corner that so it might be noysed abroad not daring in regard of my vnspotted innocency to bring me againe into the publique view of the Kingdome and therefore doe they tortour my poore weake body with vnparaleld Paganish and Heathenish cruelty (c) Howsoever wee cannot but greeve to heare of such cruell sufferings yet wee maie herein rejoyce that we se these marked slaves of Antich so farre to fulfill the scriptures as that we may infallibly conclude that they are the Locusts which came out of the bottomlesse pit A breife Relation of part of which you may read after these lines in my Humble Petition to the Noble Lords for meantenance which J sent the last week to the Wardens of the Fleete having leave of them for a Scribe to write it and they kept it all night and Warden Jugram sent me this word back againe that he would deliuer no Petitiō vnles I would recant and submitt (d) That is turne Papist and see he might be sure to haue liberty enough and preferment also J answered him back again that if any of my adversaries would shew mee wherein I had broken any of my Soveraignes Lawes J would submit without any conditions to all that they wovld desire of mee Or if they see that I am erronious in my Iudgment J would dispute it with them and if they could groundedly by the authority of the word of God shew and proue that I hold one errour I will be bound publiquely to recant in every Citty of the Kingdome And I said to my Keeper at severall times and so I do still I desire no favour at his hands nor any Bishop in the Kingdome for if I be an offender I desire the extreamity of the law may be inflicted vpon me to the vtmost for J had rather I professe vnto you chuse to morrow to dy at Tyburne or (e) It is no marvaile that the Scotsmen will haue no Bishops among them Considering that it is better that aman were put to the cruelst death that could be devised then to be vnder their hands Smithfield then to bee still induring of my Constant Extraordinarie bodily paines and torments which haue been so great that I do assure you many times they haue almost distracted me of my sences And if they will not do this then seeing my owne estate is spent and all my kindred hath from the beginning left mee (f) Gods people when they suffered vnder the pagans had this favour shewed them that ther friēds might come freely to them supply their wāts But the Prelates for cruelty are far worse then the Heathens for when they once get a man into their prison they will not suffer any body to visit him but rather do seeke by some secret way to murder him my weake condition is so exceeding chargable vnto me standing mee in more in one week now then would keep me fiue weekes if I were wel And also seing that any that will take compassiō of my low estate are not suffered to come at me to releeue mee I desired the Warden having none at all to do it for me besides him that hee according to his place office would truly make my miserable condition known to to the LORDS that J may haue a competant allowance from them to sustaine nature that so I may not perish in this deplorable weake condition and this said I hee being my chiefe Keeper hee is bound to do it at his your perrell be it for I know if my innocent blood should this night by cruelty be takē awaie the Lord would raise vp some that will require of you him a strict account how it was shed though you keep me so close that
there be but few at my death yet you knowe not what great troupes may com to my burial (g) Who shall accompany thy body to the grave I know not But this J know Angels shall accompany thy soule to Heaven But as for that blood sâ—cker Laud J verily beleeve except he repent the Devill will accompany him to hell torment remember but the late great multitude (h) Such a company would follow Laud and his crew If they knew when the king state would hang them at Tiburne that came to the Fleet attended M Burton M. Prinne out of the Cittie and if any thing but good follow vpon this you hee are the sole cause of it therfore as you wil answer it before King and State look to it for I am my Soveaignes faithfull and leige subject (i) Let it be observe that it was never yee seene nor I hope shall be that ther was any man of his profession iustly tainted for a Traitor to the King cuntry whereas the Prelates in all ages since the Devill erected them haue beeÌ„ proved the most notorious traitors that ever were in the world might iusttice take place it would bee proved that they who are now aliue are notorious ones yea one as faithfull to his Crowne as any whatsoever that breathes in all his Dominions for if it can be proued that ever I broke any of his lawes I will submit vnto and suffer whatsoever authoritie wil laie vpon mee therefore be not you hee the Bishops Agents to take awaie my life in my close imprisonment for you vse me worse more tiranically then ever any traitour in England was vsed yea worse then the Gun-powder traitours were vsed I haue read a great part of the Booke of Martyrs with some Histories of the like kinde and J will meantaine it that such an vnparaleld Act of crueltie and barborous tiranie as haue been exercised vpon mee is not to be found in them all Yea wicked bloodie Bonner (k) Seing thier wick ednes is come to such a height fulnesse and they doe go beyond in cruelty the crelst Tirants that ever were My hope is that their destruction ruin is at haÌ„d and that hee will cause the laÌ„d to spue them out and so sâ—nd them packing to their owne place Amen Amen himselfe never did the like to any of the Saints as haue been done vnto mee for while they lived he would either suffer their friends to come at them to releeue them or else he would allow them meantenance to preserue life in them but neither of these can I enjoy also hee would dispute with them himselfe and send for others likewise to do it and vse all meanes to winne them to himselfe but none of these haue I yet found though J haue often desired it and promised to recant if it could be shewed that I held any errors Againe hee would take away their lines (l) Without doubt the Prelates would do so too but are restrained Now it is humlby desired that they who thinke it not fit that the Bishops should haue their will in taking our lines away that they suffer them not in the meane time to use us worse if they broke any of the lawes or would not submit vnto them but though I haue not broken any of the Kings lawes and haue offered so faire as I haue done and haue desired longed to meet with death yet can I not be rid of my misery but you keep me in a tormenting (m) When these Tormentours feele hell torments then they will know what it is to torment others condition full of extreamitie and bodiliepaine that I can neither get ease sitting nor lying being vnable to go without great miserie being alwaies as it were in the panges of death yet cannot meet with it But said I to M. Iohn Murry M. Morgan a Papist tell the Warden from mee that vnlesse the Bishopps by the law of the land and the word (a) They can shew as much word of God for what they doe as they doe shew mercy and goodnesse in their actions and that is in both none at all of God will shew me my offence I will never submit nor recant in the least while breath is in my body and therefore it is but in vaine to hâ—pe for it for if he and I should liue together as longe as Methusalah did which was almost a thousand yeares yet he should never get mee to goe against the sweet peace of a good conscience or recant that which J am perswaded is a truth yea if hee should exercise all the cruelty in the world upon mee though he should locke mee in an Iron chest that I could neither stirre hand nor foote and feede me with channell water and with bread made of saw dust hee might well take away my life and beeing from the earth but he should never make me goe against my conscience for I am kept by the power of God through faith vnto salvation and Crowne of glory that is so rich in my eyes that I dare not deny Christ nor his truth though all the crueltie in the world should be inflicted upon mee least he deny mee before his father which is in heaven Yet most miserable it is that I should perish by cruelty in my close condition being a faithfull subject to the King neuer broke any of his lawes And let my tormentors looke to it as they will answer it for I haue heard that the Honorable Lords (b) Howsoever the Bishops do cause the Godly to be cruelly vsed in Preson Yet I am perswaded that neither the King nor the Temporall Lords of his majesties council do know of it For it is not possible if they did that they would suffer it considering how much it is against nature to exercise cruelty vpoÌ„ any creature much lesse on man who carries Gods owne image which haue beene made acquainted with my cruell vsage protested they would not beleeue that the Warden dealt so with mee this with much more that then I said with some prisoners taking notice of my condition but especially Sr. Richard Gravenner a worshipfull Knight (c) J do not marvaile that the knight would not receive it for atruth For the truth is such is their cruelty shewed to such as are against their places that vnles it were seen with the eyes one would scarce beleeve it For this I do affirme will make it good that no Rogue in any Iayle of the Land is so basely barberously handled Not that the Keepers desire to vse theÌ„ so but are charged secretly by the Bb. so to do threatened to loose their places if they shew favour to them who sent to the Warden about it which I think put him in some feare that he durst not well denie my reasonable request in delivering my petition so hee sent a scribe to me to draw it oner a