Light shining IN BVCKINGHAMSHIRE OR A Discovery of the main Grounds Originall Cause of all the Slavery in the World but chiefly in England Presented by way of a DECLARATION Of many of the wel-affected in that County to all their poor oppressed Country-men of ENGLAND And also to the Consideration of the present Army under the Conduct of the Lord FAIRFAX The first PART Arise oh God judg thou the Earth Printed in the year 1648. Light shining in Buckinghamshire OR A Discovery of the main ground original Cause of all the Slavery in the world but chiefly in England presented by way of a Declaration of many of the wel-affected in that County to all their poor oppressed Country men of ENGLAND c. IEHOVAH ELLOHIM Created Man after his own likenesse and image which image is his Sonne Jesus Heb. 1. verse 2. who is the image of the Invisible God now Man being made after Gods image or likeness and created by the word of God which word was made Flesh and dwelt amongst us which word was life and that life the light of men 1 John 2. this light is taken to be that pure spirit in man which we call Reason which discusseth things right and reflecteth which we call conscience from all which there issued out that golden rule or law which we call equity the summe of which is saith Jesus whatsoever yee would that men should doe to you doe to them this is the Law and the Prophets and James cals it the royall Law and to live from this principle is call'd a good conscience and the creature Man was priviledged with being Lord over other inferior creaturs but not over his own kinde for all men being a like priviledged by birth so all men were to enjoy the creatures alike without propriety one more then the other all me by the grant of God are alike free and every man individuall that is to say no man was to Lord or command over his own kinde neither to enclose the creatures to his own use to the impoverishing of his neighbours see the Charter 1 Gen. from 26. vers to the end of the Chapt. and see the renewing of the Charter to Noah and his sons Gen. 9. from the 1. vers to the 18. But man following his own sensuality became a devourer of the cretures and an incloser not content that another should enjoy the same priviledge as himself but incloseth all from his Brother so that all the Land Trees Beasts Fish Fowle c. are inclosed into a few mercinary hands and all the rest deprived and made their slaves so that if they cut a Tree for fire they are to be punished or hunt a fowle it is imprisonment because it is gentlemens game as they say neither must they keep Cattle or set up a House all ground being inclosed without hiring leave for the one or buying room for the other of the chiefe incloser called the Lord of the Mannor or some other wretch as cruell as he and all must be summoned to a Court Leet there to acknowledge Fealty and Service and that with oathes if required at least wise if Jury-men to their Tyrant called Lord of the Mannor as if a Tenant admitted if Coppy-holder he must take an Oath to become a true Tenant rather Slave as afore said now all this Slavery of the one and Tyrany of the other was at first by murther and cruelty one against the other and that they might strengthen themselves in their villany against Gods ordinances and their Brothers freedomes and rights They had alwayes a Commander in chiefe which was the most blindest and desperatests wretch and he was their chiefe and head as Nimerod and he became their King so that I dare make plainely appear by Scripture and Reason that Kings were not of Gods institution at first but it arose from the Heathens viz. those that lived after their own beastly lusts and when Israel would have a King their onely ground was to be like other Nations and God told Samuel saying they have not cast off or rejected thee but me that I should not reigne over them Read the whole 8. Chapter of the 1 of Samuel c. where observe the Slavery that the people are in that have a King and amongst the whole Catalogue observe the Tenth of Stocks c. and see the 12. Chapter from the 16. verse forward what judgments God sent in their Harvest for asking a King and afterwards observe what misery befell for they were in continuall Wars abroad and at last divided into divisions and had two Kings Then what woful civil Wars and murthering one another for the Kingdom I refer you to the whole book of Kings to judg do but read that of their first King Abimelecks cruelty which was Gidions bastard Judges 8.21 read the 9. of Judges c. there he kils his brother with a company of light fellows and as Kings are the root of Tyrany so likewise they were the first that brought in wars see Gen. 14. for their greatness must be upheld with murther and cruelty as aforesaid in so much that in Revel 13. mention is made of an ugly beast with seven heads and ten horns which horns did persecute the Saints now in Revel 17. horns are there declared to be Kings so that Kings are of the Beast which is a power that makes all subject to it but only the Saints c. Revel 13. and 7. And saith the Scripture the Beast hath its power from the Dragon Revel 13. and 4. and the Dragon in Revel 20. and 2. is the Devil and Satan so that it is plain that Kings are of the Beast and the Beast is of the Devil and it is as plain they that worship the King worship the Beast and they that worship the Beast worship the Devil Revel 13. and 4. vers Now let us a little behold our English Powers all that which is called Magistracie is from the Kings Pattent and his is from the Devil for the Kings Predecessors the outlandish bastard William came to be King by Conquest and murther now murtherers are saith Jesus the Devils children for saith he the Divel was a murtherer from the beginning and he abode not in the Truth now Kings are utterly against the truth and persecutors of the Saints for saith Jesus they shall bring you before Kings so that Kings are enemies unto the kingdom of Christ Secondly Behold now from licence or grant comes all our inclousures and tradings as priviledge to buy and sell and to enjoy occupy and possess lands it is from taking the beasts mark now observe the rich possessors incroachers inclosers see your holdings your Pattents and Charters and Licence is from the King and all tenures and holding of lands is from your King yea all Writings Indentures Bonds Leases c. is in the name and authority of him nay your money is not lawfull if it be not the Kings coyn and his picture and superscription on it
And therefore weep and howl ye rich men by what vain name or title soever God will visit you for all your oppressions you live on other mens labours and give them their bran to eat extorting extreme rents and taxes on your fellow-creatures But now what will you do for the People will no longer be enslaved by you for the knowledg of the Lord shall enlighten them c. And now according to our knowledg we shall discover your pedegree from your King to your Gentleman and it is thus William the Bastard sonne of Robert Duke of Normandy with a mighty Army of his fellow-Tyrants and Theeves and Robbers enters Sussex kils the Inhabitants the Brittains and their King that were in an Army to withstand his cruelty and defend their rights robs and destroys all places and persons at his pleasure setleth Garrisons of Normans to enslave the Brittains takes all Land and causeth them to hold it by Copyhold to pay fines and harets at his pleasure c. It is too tedious to relate all Polls Tolls Taxes c. that he made our Forefathers pay Let the Reader view the Chronicle But amongst all unnaturall unreasonable tyrannicall and cruel Laws he made as that of Curfur of Felony That the childe must suffer for the Father c. And all his tyrannical Laws he caused to be in an Outlandish tongue So that here we take this power to be that little horn in Dan. 7.24 because we never heard or read of the like cruelty that any Tyrant did the like for to cause his cruel Laws to be in an unknown tongue Now the poor people knew not when they offended or no. 2. For the execution of those Laws the people to come to what place he will appoint at four Terms and times in a year And 3. to buy their Laws at the Lawyers unconscionable rate for he set up and devised the Lawyers Now as we shall make it appear that this is the horn so the Caterpillers Lawyers will prove the eyes which Lawyers are as profitable as magots in meat and Caterpillars in Cabages and Wolves amongst Lambs c. And amongst those see their preferment as it s called to suck the people as Attorny Counsellor Barrester Sergeant and accordingly Fees to rob and they take Oathes and out of this rubbish stuffe are all our Creatures called Judges and they likewise all to be sworn And then places of preferment so called to tyrannize and to be the head Tyrants Sycophants Wolves Lyons Leopards c as Dutchy-General Attorney-General Lord-lubber-keeper Lord Privy-Seal Lord-Treasurer Lord Barons of the Exchequer and I know not what great Catchpoles besides these all to be sworn to their dread Soveraign Tyrant Beast c. And so being right whelps brought up to rent devoure rob spoil tyrannize c over the poor people then their dread Tyrant as he hath received power and dignity from the Dragon or Devil as aforesaid doth shelter breathe out and all to be daggle them with it with hairy skin d robes resembling the subtle nasty Fox with his dirty tail And because the Lord Keeper Privy Seal and Treasurers long tailes should not draggle in the dirt they must have another Sycophant slave apiece to carry it up for them with their hats off doing homage to their breech O height of all baseness What will they creep in one anothers arses for honour Why oh his Majesties breath of Honour it may be blows out Thire and therefore he holds up his gown that might blow him that holds it up and makes him be called Sir Likewise those men thus honoured must have a gue-gaw silver Mace carried before them with a Cross a top on it to shew they have their Title from the Defender of the Popish Faith the Lord Keeper having a fools-babie like a Purse carried before him now all these Lawyers Lyers and twelve Judges Besides with their cowtred Caps and Serjeants with their womanish Coifs and Peticotes on their Shoulders with their Barresters Atturnies c. Howbeit they rob and devoure the people striving who shall most play the knave and couzen so that he may clime up into high places of profit for all those upholding their Kings Prerogative their Tiranny is unquestionable that is the reason that they maintain the King can do no wrong that he is a God on earth as God is God in Heaven and that he is the life of the Law all Writs Warrants Commissions c. His name gives the beeing to them that he is the fountain of our honour and magistracy yea and that he is supreme head Ecclesiasticall and Civil also that he is to be accountable to none but God and all this the better to hide their tyrany for they being all from him and all their Commissions if you question them then you must question him from whom their power was derived but they say he is not to be accountable c. so that by this means they uphold all their Tyranny and there is no way but to take down the Kingly power and then they will down too and not before Now these Lawyers are the Eys of the Beast for the twelve Judges sit in the tyranicall House of Peers another sort of the Kingly creatures to advise them in all tyranny and how to keep the Norman yoake about the peoples necks The next thing to shew is from whence came our Nobility and Gentry even from that outlandish Norman Bastard who first being his Servants and under Tyrants secondly their rise was by cruell murther and theft by the Conquest thirdly their rise was the Countries ruine and the putting them down will be the restitution of our rights againe these are called Dukes Earls Barons Marquesse Lords c. And from this Bastard is all our royall blood therefore to be utterly disesteemed O then behold O England thy vanity in Idolizing the King and his Children Thy Priests have guld bewitched cheated and betrayed thee into these tyrants hands with their sorceries onely for their own filthy lucre and bellies sake because they have the greatest part of the spoile for their preaching up the King to be the Supream head Defender of the Faith Gods anointed and that if thou doest resist his power thou resisteth the ordinances of God now all this is but as bridles in thy jawes and blindes over thy eyes that thou must be ruled by the Church and they are thy enemies and thou must beleeve them and keep thy selfe a good Subject to thy Prince the condition is good and by all these and a thousand tricks more they doe but mould thee to slavery this five hundred yeares and more and by this means the King and his Creatures ride thee in thy Estates and Persons and Labours And the Priests over thy Conscience and soule and keeps thee in all ignorance and malice and for so doing thy Priests are thy Princes and beare rule and for their so bewitching thee they come by their Impropriations and fat Benefits
So that observe the King is made by you your God on earth as God is the God of heaven saith your Lawyers therefore all Laws Writs Summons Warrants Patents c. must be in his name nay the Parliament will settle nothing without him yea all Honours must be from him Now then mark if this be not all from the Dragon and the Priests to verifie this saith in their thing called Prayer he is supreme head of their Church Ecclesiastical as Civil next under thee and thy Christ so that he is their third person of their Trinity and so their God Defendor of their faith Now here is the blasphemy in Revel 13. verse 5. And in the Scottish Covenant one Article of their Religion is concernning his sacred Majesty c. and Kings are the only chief upholders of Babylon see how they weep at her downfall Rev. 18. when buying and selling ceaseth c. Now friends what have we to do with any of these unfruitful works of darkness Let us take Peters advice 1 Pet. 4.3 The time past of our life may suffice that we have wrought the will of the Gentiles when we walked in lascivious lusts excess of wine revellings banquetting and abominable idolatry And let us not receive the Beasts mark least that the doom in Rev. 14.9 10. befall none of us but let us oppose the Beastly powers and follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth Now here is the chief ground why wicked men stand so for a King it is to uphold all their confused cruelties and incests as aforesaid and herein upholding him they uphold that power that set him up by our Saviours rule and by justifying him they justifie that power that set him a work in all his tyranny and they and the Parliament in treating with him treat with him that authorised him and in receiving him receiveth him that set him on work that is to say the Devil Then see how we are cheated Now the enlightened Saints are commanded to abandon the unfruitfull works of darknesse But all this power aforesaid is 1 of darknesse therefore to be resisted 2. Christ hath called the Saints to light therefore they are to walk as children of light 3. The Saints are to have no fellowship with Belial but the power aforesaid is of Belial therefore have no fellowship with it 4. The said power is to be resisted and see the promise for saith James Resist the Devil and he will flee from you And this we have experience of that whensoever the Kings power was manfully resisted he fled from the resisters And therefore those called the Levellers their principles to free all a like out of slavery are most just and honest in reference to the matter of freedome for it is the end of the redemption by Jesus to restore all things And to do this the removall of the Kingly power will bee main forwardnesse and indeed the Kingly power is the being of Tyranny for if no King no Lord no Patent c. 2. If the execution of Lawes were not in his name as all Assurances Writs Commissions Patents Warrants c. then he should down if he would for any use or need they had of him Therefore rich men cry for a King because the poor should not claim his right that is his by Gods gift 2. The horsleech Lawyer cryes for a King because else the supream power will come into the peoples Representatives lawfully elected and so all Trials would be done in the country in every Town c. by the same Neighbourhood and so the Law would no more be bought nor sold and then farewel caterpiller-Lawyer 3. The things Lord Barons c. cry for a King else their tyranical House of Peers fals down and all their rotten honour and all Patents and Corporations their power being derived from him if he go down all their tyranny fals too The like of Lord of Manors Gentlemen c. besides the Priests of all men must cry for a King for by his power and oppressing Courts all his Judges Justices c. and himself too is their sworn creature and they are the Priests pack-horses that carry the whore of Babylons ware about and they want but bels about their neck they may be the better heard c. Now if the King goe down what will become of the Priests ware thinke you and Tythes goes down The like of all base Conventions of men of what kinde soever But now the honest man that would have liberty cries down all interests whatsoever and to this end he desires common right and equity which consists of these particulars following 1. A just portion for each man to live that so none need to begge or steal for want but every one may live comfortably 2. A just Rule for each man to go by which Rule is to be found in Scripture 3. All men alike under the said Rule which Rule is To do to another as another should do to him So that eye for eye tooth for tooth hand for hand c and if any one stole to restore double c. 4. The government to be by Judges called Elders men fearing God and hating covetousness Those to be chosen by the people and to end all controversies in every Town and Hamlet without any other or further trouble or charge And in the Scriptures the Israelites Common-wealth is an excellent pattern if led up to that in Gen. 1. and Gen. 9. mentioned in the beginning Now in Israel if a man were poor then a publike maintenance and stock was to be provided to raise him again So would all Bishops-lands Forrest-lands and Crown-lands do in our Land which the apostate Parliament give one to another and to maintain the needlesse thing called a King And every seven years the whole Land was for the poor the fatherless widows and strangers and at every crop a portion allowed them Mark this poor people what the Levellers would do for you Oh why are you so mad as to cry up a King It is he and his Court and Patentee-men as Majors Aldermen and such creatures that like Cormorants devoure what you should enjoy and set up Whipping-posts and Correcting-houses to enslave you T is rich men that oppess you saith James Now in this right Common wealth he that had least had no want therefore the Scripture call them a Family and houshold of Israel And in the 2. of the Acts amongst those that received the Gospel they were gathered into a family and had all things common yet so that each one was to labour and eat his own bread And this is equity as aforesaid for it is not lawful nor fit for some to work and the other to play for it is Gods command that all work let all eat and if all work alike it is not fit for all to eat alike have alike and enjoy alike priviledges and freedoms And he that did not like this is not fit to live in a Common-wealth See Gen. 9.
and it is for those fat Benefits that makes them turn changelings either to King or Parliament which will best furnish their kitching Therefore shake off those locusts and be no more deluded by them but hearken to the voice of God in the Scriptures and his Saints and pay no more Tithes to those Priests nay cast off those abominable deceivers All Charters Pattents and Corporations was devised onely to uphold the Kings Tyrany Greatnesse and interest and because the people did rife in many patts for their Priviledges and Right and he being in straights and knowing not how to uphold his tyranny devised a way to set the people one against another by making some Free some Forreigners c. and so deviseth these Patents and Charters in all populous Cities and Towns throughout the Realme to uphold his Interest Now as for these bewitching Charters see how they run in J. 1. Out of our Princely grace bountie meer motioned pâ—â—â—â—ely favour Doe give and grant to this our Citie or Town c. To be a body Corporate to consist of a Major Bailiffs and Burgesses c. Why Mark the better to serve us and our successors this is the end of their grant then all Towns and Customs whatsoever is due to us and our successors We bequeath to the same body Corporate and every businesse must be sworn to be the Kings creatures then out of that pack they have power to choose twelve Aldermen for a Common-counsell and they all be sworn again Then out of this stuffe all the Burgesses to choose a thing called a Major and she all to be sworn to the Kings then she shall be a Just-asse of Peace and Coram and have a silver Hartichoak or toy called a Mase carried before her and she and her twelve Adermen following after in their Conie skin Gowns as so many fools in a Mid sommer Aile and those petty tyrants shall domineer over the Inhabitants by vertue of their patent and enclose all letting and setting of the poors lands too and moneys stocks of moneys to their own use and claim a priviledge from their Charters and patents that they scorn to be accountable to others but to their Prerogative Masters so that you see all tyrany shelters it self under the Kings wings is it not time then to throw down the King and bring his person to his answer these Patents and Charters is the main wheele and prop that upholds the Kings tyrany for by this means the Prerogative people strives to uphold the King and Lords interests to get favours of them to hold up their own knavery and deceit and doth choose such Burgesses for the Parliament as will be for the King as Caterpâ—ller Lawyers Coliers or Lords of the Manor Imporpriators or such like and it is from those Patent Towns that the House of Commons is filled with so many kingified Prerogative self interest proud and cheating Varlets as now it is and untill those Corporations be thrown down we can expect never any hope of freedome by a Parliament see how Londons Common-Counsell stir up their Hackneys with Petitions and Mutineys for a Treaty with our Conquered enemy c. Therefore let Burgesses henceforth be no more so chosen but from all the wel-affected in generall The next thing is to shew you as I conceive how we came by a Parliament 2. What is a Parliament 3. VVhat good may be expected by a Parliament as it now stands Our fore-fathers the Brittains being altogether in slavery did rise in many parts and would not endure the slavery aforesaid then the tyrant and his brood not able to overcome grants a Parliament as followeth the People to parly treat or declare their mind to this end to chuse men to treat as followeth 1. The Freeholders in every County to choose two which should be called Knights for the County and his Patentee Towns each to choose two more which should be called Burgesses and those should sit for the Country and be cal'd a House of Commons and have a firmative voice to affirm what they would have done and the major part to carry it 2. Provided that he would have a House of Peers to sit for him from his Prerogative without Election by his Patent and those to have a Negative voice to thwart the Commons if they please and if they assented to the Commons then it should be an Ordinance if they did not then all the Commons did should be null and if the Commons and Lord or the most part did assent then the King to have a Negative voice and no Laws to be made or repealed without his consent and if he consented to it then it should be an Act and no otherwise 3. Before any sitting to Vote they are to take these Oaths as followeth 1. That he is their lawfull King 2. They will not alter the Government as it now stands 3. And they will not deprive his Successor and in King Henry the eights time when they came to be Priest-ridden that he is the Head of the Church Ecclesiasticall and Civil Supreme head c. Defender of the Faith and such blasphemes and these oathes as it is manifest they have ever since taken Now observe our worthy Parliament first the King is too hard for the people to cheat them for first the greater number of the Commons are chosen by his Patentee Burgesses Major Aldermen and the County but two in a County and those the Freeholders which had their freedome of the Normans and all the people else shut by from choosing and if 2. The King hath a House of Patentee Lords to ballance them with their Negative voice 3. The King hath a Negative voice and that is the third State to Ballance them himself 4. In the House of Commons it self the King hath the bigest part even neer two to one for most all the Burgesses be for him and the major part carrying it by voice Now what is this but a meer cheat and observe all the Cronicles from Bastard William to Charles and upwards and since and it will appear that Kings got more by treaties then ever their Sword could have done and kept it longer because now their tyranny was setled by a Law and the people sworn to those Laws they thinking they have gained freedome when indeed they have given away their freedome by their Parliaments as aforesaid and now we see had not God moved this Army to prevent this Treaty this Parliament had utterly cheated and betrayed us into our implacable enemies hands again and had setled the whole Norman power again over us notwithstanding all this light to the contrary Treasure spent Bloodshed c. Besides the many Oathes the Commons took to free us so that Charles had like to be set up in his tyrannicall Power again but now blessed be God the Net is broke and we are escaped And for all our tyranny the Priests are our Inchanters and those that preached it up for their own bellies sakes Now King Lords Commons three States as it hath been called the little Horne as I conceive in Daniel the seventh for it altereth from all other tyranicall Powers in the world whatever secondly the King is head of their Church as aforesaid thirdly they alter one tyranicall way and set up another and can make up a thing called Religion by one Parliament and throw it down the next Parliament and set up another so here is changing times c. and trampling under feet And the base Priests the Ecclesiastical State preacheth all those Powers and Constitutions to be Jure divino O wretches wretches the black gard of Satan what will become of them FINIS 1. Kings 12.16 So when all Israel saw that the King harkened not unto them the People answered the King saying What Portion have we in David neither have we inheritance in the Son of Jesse To your tents O Israel