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A92880
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The Selfe afflicter lively described in the whole course of the life of Mr. John Lilburn, sometimes Lieut. Colonel in the army of the Parliament ... / pri[n]ted purposely to vindicate the truth against a [?]ate foolish pamhlet [sic] lately pub[l]ished called an Exact and true narra[t]ion.
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1657
(1657)
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Wing S2447E; ESTC R42858
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5,651
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17
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THE Selfe Afflicter Lively described in the whole course of the Life of Mr. John Lilburn sometimes Lieut. Colonel in the Army of the PARLIAMENT His being Whipped Gagged and committed Prisoner to the Fleet by the sentence of the Bishops and the Star-Chamber His Arraignment for his life by the Expresse command of the late King before the house of Lords The arraignment of him for his life at Oxford beinâ— taken Prisoner at Brainford His commitment to the Tower by the House of Lords and his long imprisonment there His arraignment before the Commissioners at Guild Hall for Treason His banishment beyond the Seas His arraignment afterwards at the Sessions in the Old-Baily and his confinment againe beyond the Seas With his natural death at last by sicknesse Together With the Notable Difference betwixt the Levellers and Quakers about the black cloth to be laid over his Coffin when he was â—o be interred Priâ—ted purposely to vindicate the truth against a â—ate Foolish Pamhlet lately pubâ—ished called an Exact and true Narraâ—ion Printed for Tho. Vere and VV. Gilâ—eâ—tson 1657. A True Account of the most Memorable Passages on the Life and Death of Mr. JOHN LILBURN sometimes Lievetenant Colonell in the Victorious Army of the PARLIAMENT c. TO give you a view of his whole Life and how much at all times he opposed with al his power this present Government is to swell that up into a volum which is meant for a single shéet we shall proportion our discourse according to the Emergency of the Advantages in which we shall be carefull not to be injurious to the Reader nor unprofitable to our selves Some are of Opinion that this man of extraordinary Spirit and understanding did not so much strike at the present Government as at the Enormities which he conceived to be too rank or gnawing in that Government Let them think what they please we shall represent unto you the most Materiall passages that concerned him And that without flattery or affection the causes whereof are far asunder from us John Lilburn the famous subject of this present discourse was born in the Yeare 1618. At Thickley in the County of Durham He was Discended of Ancient and worshipfull parentage and being very yong he was brought up to London and bound an Apprentice to a Packer of Cloth in St. Swithens Lane he was from his Cradle of a high and undanted Spirit of a quick and pregnant Apprehension of an excellent memory but al wayes extreamly addicted to contention a lover of novelties an opposer of Government unsetled in his judgement and violent and bitter in his expressions About the year 1632. he disliking his trade had a mind to the Law and became a servant to Mr. William Prin of Lincolns-Inne who for wrighting some Bookes and amongst others that called Histriomastix in which the State as the Players were whipped was imprissoned with those that vended the Book and censured by the Bishops John Lilburn did then begin the quarel and full of his Masters Cause did write a Book against the Bishops for which he was committed prisoner to the Fleet and whipped at a Carts taile from the prison of the Fleet to Westminster The Indignity whereof sate so heavy upon his Spirits that even when the punishment was inflicting on him he ceased nortâ—ratle against his persecutors insomuch that they caused him to be gagged In the year 1640 he was released by the Parliament and took upon him the place of a Captain in their service and in the year 1642. not long after the battle at Edge Hill he was taken prisoner at Brainford And carried to Oxford where he was Arraigned not long Afterwards as a Traytor for levying war against the person of the King but his life was never in so much jeopardy as when he was arraigned at Guild-hall for indeavoring to disturb the peace and subvert the Government of this Nation established without a King Several books to this purpose were laid to his charge as a traytorous and scandalous book intituled a Salva Libertate Also a trayterous and a scandalous book intituled An Impeachment of High Treason against Oliver Cromwell and his Son in Law Henry Ireton Esquire Also a scandalous and a trayterous book intituled The â—uâ—-cry of the young-men and the Aprentices of London or an inquisition after the lost fundamentall laws and liberties of England c. Also another scandalous and trayterous book intituled The legall fundamentall liberties of the people of England revived Also another scandalous book intituled A preparation to a hue and cry after sir Arthur Hâ—selrigge In which Bookes it was laid to his charge that he did publish that the Government then in present was tyrannicall usurped And unlawfull And that the Commons then in Parliament Assembled were not the supream Authority of the Nation He stood also further indicted that he as a fals traitor did maliciously plot and contrive to raise forces against the present Government for the subversion and Alteration of it And did also maliciously indeavor to with-draw certain Souldiers of the Lord Fai fax his Army from their obedience to their superiour offices It was also laid to his hâ—rge that trayterously and contumeliouesly he had spoken very reproachfull words against the Lord Generall sir Thomas Fai fax as also against the high Court of Iustice The Indictment held a long time being read Mr. Atturney did present unto the â—ury of what Dangerous Consequence were these trayterous books and how much Derogating from the honor of the Parliament And the Counsell of state And of the chief Captain and Generall of the Army And other Officers Included in the Indictment whose fame doth ring through the world Never Army said Mr. Atturney hath done greater things yet they have not escaped from being Slandered by Mr. Lilburns tongue and pen And not long after upon consideration of the evidence and witnesses he told the Jury that if they did respect the Government of the Parliament the honor of the Counsell of State And the honor of the Nation or of the Army or the persecutions of the Laws of the Nation they could not say but the prisoner was guilty of those crimes and treasons of which he was Accused And that they were oblieged accordingly so to find him And then Addressing his spéech to Mr. Keeble who was Lord chief Commissioner And to the Iudges and Barrons He declares unto them how the Indictment was proved by witnesse And evidences and that the trayterous book intituled the Legall fundamentall liberties was owned by Mr. Lilburn himself in his Impeachment of high Treason against Lievtenant Generall Cromwell And his Son in Law Commissary Jreton my Lords said he you have heard the severall charges wherewith he stands accused you have heard a great deal of foul matter and durt that is fit for nothing but to be cast upon the ground and returns to Mr. Lilburn again the prisoner hath cast those Accusations and blemishes upon others but they
return to his own face Certainly the Parliament of England the Army And all the Officers of it whose fame both as Parliment and Army are known in an extraordinary manner Are now put in a ballance against Mr. Lilburn And as for the Army and the Officers of it no man can say but that they have béen faithfull and true in their trust valiant couragious And Succesfull to Admiration even to the Peace and the Happinesse of this Nation And God is pleased at this instant to owne them and blesse them in a miraculous manner This and much more excellently spoken by Mr. Atturney was to lay open to the Lord Iudges And to the Iury the crimes of the offender And the Lord Keeble who was Lord Commissioner having suggested unto the Iury what their duty was And the Relligion of an oath did represent unto them that they should consider the strength of the Accusation which did consist in those scandalous and trayterous Books which did consist of three heads The first was to vilifie the Parliament and State as it was then established in England the second to take into their considerations his counsells and Invitations therein for the stiring up of tumults wars And Commotions in the Nation And the third was the thing cited in the book to divide the Army that the other might take effect These said he are the thrée main charges And these the Bookes that do come from him do plainly testifie Then directing his spéech to Mr. Lilburn at the bar In this Act saith he of yours thus declared if your intentions had taken effect the plot was the greatest that ever England saw For it struck at no lesse then at the Subvertion of the Common Wealth of this state to have laid put us al in blood Your plot was such as never was séen in the world before to procéed from a private man as you are And it must néeds sit heavy upon your conscience Therefore turning again to the Iury he said you my Masters of the Iury look into your consciences And sée what that saith unto you That which the prisoner stands too much upon Viz. the witnesses is made plain and good in Law I do not know in one particular that there is a single Testimony but it is Agravated with many circumstances therefore let not that trouble you â—ou are the proper Iudges of the matter of Fact being of the Country And if you have fully Apprehended the dangerous things plotted in these books of Mr. Lilburn you shall find that the like creason was never hatched in England and so in Gods name As the prisoner doth lead to your consciences so go and do Mr. Lilburn in the mean time who had much wasted his Spirits And had with great earnestnesse béen pleading for his life two dayes before at the Barre did omit nothing to insinuate into the Iury an Apprehension of his innocency He protested that he never owned nor signed any Booke that was proved against him he diclaimed every Litle of them He certified the Bench that no book in the eye of the Law could be accounted his unlesse it were Legally proved or voluntary confessed to be his by himself To prove this he Alleaged by severall Statutes that it should be by two witnesses which he said they failed in although Mr. Atturney And the Lord Keeble did indeavor to give the Iury all possible satisfaction therein He much insisted to have Counsell to plead his Case in Law which would not then be granted Although he urged Examples as he said both by Law and president which made him sometimes to use exclaimations more violent then became the condition of a prisoner He represented what a serviceable Instrument he had béen in the common cause of the Nation in which to the hazard of his life one handred times over be had ingaged for them with his sword in his hand with as much resolution and faithfulnesse as ever man on earth served a Generation of men having never betrayed his trust nor ever given any Suspition in the least that be would nor ever so much as stagered in his principles nor never so much as disputed any Commands though never so desperate that were laid upon him Addressing himself to the Iury he said unto them you Gentlemen of the Iury my sole Iudges the Kéepers of my life At whose hands the Lord will require my blood in case you leave any part of my Indictment to these I desire you to know your power And consider your duty both to God and me to your owâ— selves And to your Country And the gracious Assisting spirit And the presence of the Lord God Omnipotent the Governor of Heaven and Earth And all things therein contained go along with you guide counsell you and direct you to that which is just And for his glory The Iury having withdrawn themselves And consulted about the prisoner and his offences for the space of thrée quarters of an hour Did come into the Court again And did bring in their verdict of him as not Guilty At which the multitude that Attended in the Hall to observe the event did make so loud an acclamation for almost half an hour together that the like was seldome heard Mr. Lilburn being that Night conveyed to the Tower where at that time he had béen prisoner for the space of seven months was about a fortnight afterwards released from thence by the order of the Counsell of state Being now at liberty he was much inclined to the study of the Law which in his hardest distresse he found so successeful unto him But it was not long before he again fell under the displeasure of the Parliment whereupon he was by an Act Fined banished the Common wealth of England And if ever he returned again he was to die as a Traytor In obedience hereunto he want over into the Netherlands And it was laid to his charge that there he came Acquainted with the Duke of Buckingham the Lord Hopten Captain Titus Mr. Bartlet and others that for the sum of ten thousand pound he offered to setle the Government of this Nation in the same state as it was before the wars began which whether true or false I will not take upon me to dispute But howsoever it was he had a great mind to return unto his Native Country insomuch that without any leave he returned againe into England And thereupon being Apprehended and brought to Newgate he was tried for his life at the Sessions house in the Old Bayly on Saturday the 20. of August in the year 1653 where he found such favor that the Iury did again Acquit him Nor long afterwards he was conducted by a Troop of horse to Portsmouth being once more bound for beyond the Seas where making use of all his friends and putting in security for the peaceablenesse of his future deportment he Landed at Dover And falling at first into the Acquaintance of that Generation of men called Quakers he was to taken with their Hâ—at of Zeale and their hatred of the world yâ— he never afterwards Abandoned them but preaching after their Garbe and methode Sometimes on the Lords day at Eltham And sometimes at Woolidge he surrendred his prepared soul to him that gave it him One thing I cannot well omit that hapned at his Buriall which is that his wife or some Levellers of his old Acquaintance as others say had brought a Black Cloth to cover his hearse the Quakers would by no means admit of it Alledging that the lesse there was of pomp there was the more of piety And thus thorow many Contentions and variety of opinions he at l st wrangled himself into the grave dying on Saturday the 29. of August 1657. And was buried the Monday following in the new Church yard néer Bedlam An Epitaph on Mr. JOHN LILBVRN HE in his life who nere did cease To beat down Government peace who his own sword abhord to se The Iron with the Steele agree And scornd the pen that did not drink Far more of Copres then of Ink. The scourge of peace the soule of Jars The hur-burly of the Stars Whom neither creatures force nor fame Nor Love nor fear alive could tame But Orders would and Laws forestall And level Church and state and all Lyes now to have one Dust exprest What wonders Death can do at rest Another Epitaph on John Lilburn Here 's John Lilburn in good time deceast After much wrangling now he 's gone to rest If Factious Spirits stil much coyl do keep Pray blame not him he 's fairly laid asleep whether i' th right or wrong he hath thus left us stout death of this stout champion hath bereft us Who liking not the furious noise he made Threw dust upon him so the storm was laid Upon the late untimely death of JOHN LILBURN Untimely cause so late and late because To save much mischief it no sooner was Is John departed and is Lilburn gone Farewel to both to Lilburn and to John Yet being dead take this advice from me Let them not both in one grave buried be But lay John here lay Lilburn hereabout For if they ever meet they wil fal out FINIS