Honoured Sir,

I Have yesterday seen a paper comming from yourselfe, and your Councell of Warre, wherein there is mention made of my selfe, & and though it doe not reach what I stand in need of, yet can I not but judge my selfe very much obleiged unto your honour, and the rather because the first motion made unto you by my true friends the Adjutators, found such a noble and respective acceptation at your hands, (as my intilligence gives me to understand it did) though it received obstructions from others, Viz. Commissary Generall Ireton. &c. from whom I might have challenged more interest then from your selfe. I beseech your Excellency give me leave to state my case unto you, which is thus, upon the 10. Iune 1646. I was by warrant from the House of Peers, brought to their barre, to answer such things, as I stood charged with before their Lordships, concerning a Pamphlet intituled, The just mans justification, or a letter by way of plea in bar, and hereof he shall not faile, as he will answer the contrary at his perrill. Which said Order you may verbatum read in the 3. pag. of my book called the free mans freedom vindicated: in which you may also read what passed betwixt us at their bar, as also my protest I delivered in against them, and my formall Appeal which I sent unto the house of Commons from Newgate. And being there, I was by their Speaker, the Earle of Manchester, pressed at their bar (inquisition like, against all law, and justice) to answer to Interrogatories against my selfe, without having any visible accuser or any accusation at all laid unto my charge, which I pleaded at their bar, was against the very fundamentall lawes of the land, and so declared by themselves, the 13. of February, 1645. in my own case, against the Star-Chamber, but being eagerly pressed to answer their interrogatories, I was driven to my last refuge, to protest against their assuming a jurisdiction over me in a criminall case, being a Commoner, for which and nothing else, I was most illegally the 11. Iune, 1646. committed by them to Newgate, as your Excellency may read in the 7. pag. of my book, called the free mans freedome vindicated, now with the rest of my bookes in the hands of Mr. Saxby, and the 16. of Iune 1646. I sent my Appeale (appealing from their jurisdiction) to the House of Commons, which Appeal you may read ibim. pag. 9, 10. 11. which said appeale the House of Commons received read, and approved of, and committed it and my cause to a Committee where Col. Martin had the chaire, who twice examined the businesse, but I could never get him to make his report unto the House to [2] day, upon whose delay the Lords took courage and the 22 Iune 1646 sent for me up to their barr, where they commnaded me to kneele, which I absolutely refused, and stood stifly to my said appeale, upon which they committed me close prisoner to Newgate, and also ordered that I should not be permited Pen, Ink, or Paper, or any to speak with me, or to have acces to me in any kind, which order you may read in halfe a sheete of paper called the Just man in Bonds, now also in Mr. Saxbyes hands; which said order was so barbarously executed upon me, by Ralph Bristo the Clarke of Newgate, that my wife was not permitted to come into the prisonyard to speak with me out of my window, neither was shee, my, servant, nor any of my friends permitted to deliver into my hands, either meat, drink, money, or any other necessaries, till the 11 of July 1646. upon which day by a Warrant I was brought to the Lords Barr againe, Mr. Sargant Finch, Mr. Hayle, Mr. Glover, and Mr. Hearne. of purpose to be supprised, they having had as I was informed, 3 or 4 Lawyers constantly at worke all the time I was close, secretly to draw up a charge against me, As you may more fully read in the 12, 13, 14, 15. pages of my Annotamy of the Lords tyrannay. and being at their barr I refused againe to kneel or or to doe any action that might declare a subjection to their jurisdiction, telling them I was resolved to spend the last drop of my heart blood in iustification of my Appeale to the House of Commons * whereupon they then and there for so doing, sentenced me in two severall sentences, to pay to the King 4000. l. to be imprisonned in the (extraordinary chargeable prison of the) Tower of London, for 7. yeares, without, according to the custome of the place allowing me subsistance, and that I be for ever uncapable to beare any office or place, in military or in civill government, in Church or Common wealth, as more at large in the sentence it selfe, printed in Vox Plebis, pag. 31, 32 33. 34. you may please to read. And being by warrant that day sent to the Tower, where in my judgement I was very hardly used in many particulars, but especially in being compulsively & strictly devorced from my wife, (that meet helpe that the wise and mercifull God had provided for me, to beare part of my afflictions) tell the 16. of September, 1646. about which time both shee and my selfe petitioned againe to the House of Commons, which you may be pleased to read in the last end of my book called Londons liberty in Chains, with which Petitions shee with some scores of Gentlewomen her friends and mine, followed the House day by day, with the importunate widowes crys for justice, to men abundantly more unjust then her unrightous judge, that upon no importunitie for these six yeares together, will doe me one dram of effective justice, though I dare boldly say I have spent one way and another, in following them, above a thousand pound. But with her importunitie, the same Committee with some additions as I remember, was appointed by the house fully to here and report my businesse, and after the greatest part of twenty dayes waiting. I got the Committee fully to heare me, upom the 6. November 1647. at which time, Lievt. Gen. Cromwell, Col. Fleetword, and Maior Harrison now with you were present, and so fully heard and know the whole state of my businesse that if their memory had not been very forgetfull, I should have thought they should have been able fully to have directed the Councell of Warre, to have desired something of the House of Commons, that might really have been good for me, viz. without delay to have adiudged my cause and appeale, either to my iustification, or condemnation, which is the chiefest thing is the first place I desire, and which may easily be done in one houre.

Vpon the hearing fully of all businesse, so that in 7. yeares time I know not what more effectually to say then then I did, I was commanded by that Committee, by the 9. of Novemb, 1646. to bring in writing what by word of mouth I had said to them, which I accordingly [3] did, and since printed it, and intituled it an Annotamy of the Lords tyrannie. And have since that time with all my might, by all the wayes and meanes I had in the world, indeavoured with Mr. Martin to make my report to the house, as you may fully understand, by reading the first part of my epistle to him, dated the 31. of May last, (which in print I lately sent unto your Excellency) and, in this inclosed epistle sent unto him yesterday, Which is now printed in the last pag. of my book, called Ionahs cryes out of the Whales bellie. but what should be the reason why he will not doe it, I cannot tell, unlesse it be that he is conjoyned in interest with the Lords, to buy, sell or betray the liberties of all the Commons of England, who are all and everie of them concerned in the Lords arbitrary and tyrannicall dealing with me, for what is my case to day, may be their case to morrow, and seeing by intreaties and faire words, I could doe nothing with him, But in answer to the forementioned letter, he sent me a letter in which he gives me information, that he hath proferred 20. times to make my report, but the house would not heare him, and he also promiseth me to doe it the first opportunitie he hath; which he did performe the 14. Sept. 1647. which hath given me ful satisfaction, which I have acknowledged to him in my late two printed letters to him.I underhand in City and Country applyed my selfe vigorusly to my friends and fellow Commons, strongly to petition to the House of Commons, to adjudge my cause, and either to justifie me or condemne me, for favour or mercy I craved none from them but only law and justice, some of whose petitions, by the interest of a company of tyrannicall, treacherous Villains there, Hollis and Stapleton, &c. was slighted and would not be received, and others they burnt by the hands of the Common Hang-man, and for ever to terrifie the Commons of England againe to petition for justice or their liberty, they most illegally and uniustly caused severall of the Petitioners to be imprisonned, for which action alone, by the principles of justice and reason, they deserve in my judgement to be hanged. And when I see that all my importunity and all the faire meanes I could use, would doe me no good; and knowing that▪ it was as bad as murther in me, to leave any meanes whatsoever unattempted for my own preservation, being by my tyrannicall imprisonment likely to be murthered and destroyed, without and against all law, and justice, and being in my own soule confidently perswaded, that if I sate still I must perish, I made a vigorus and strong attempt upon the private Soldiery of your Army, and with abundance of study and paines, and the expence of some scores of pounds, I brought my just, honest, and lawfull intentions, by my agents, instruments, and interest to a good ripenesse, not daring to meddle with the Officers, having had so large experience of the selfeishnesse, and timerousness of the chiefest of them, sitting in the House of Commons, who I had sufficiently tryed, to see what mettle they were made of, and found them quivering spirited, overwise, prudentiall men, not any one of them that I could heare of at any time daring to carrie a high, though just Petition into the House, to deliver it, and speake unto it, so that at present they were to me become reprobate silver, and therefore knowing by the morrall law, that murther was odious in the sight of God, especially selfe murther, I durst not but doe the uttermost that I could to preserve my selfe, which in my understanding could by no other meanes in the world be effected, but by men that had swords in their hands, and resolution in their spirits, which I beleeve had been done ere now to the purpose, if I had imbraced their earnest desire to breake prison and goe to them, which for divers weighty reasons I could not, and truly Sir give me leave to tell you without feare or dread, had I come, and could have got so many to have followed me, as would dare inabled me with my sword in my hand, to have done justice and execution upon those grand treacherous fellows, and tyrants at Westminster,, that [4] have not only tyrannised over me, but the whole kingdome, I should have made no more scruple of conscience with my own hands to have destroyed them, (who have destroyed all law and justice, equity and conscience, and destroy us by their arbitrary and tyrannicall wills) then to have destroyed so many Weasels and Poule-Cats; but I hoped the great worke of the kingdome would speedily be done, by more abler and wiser instruments then I judged my selfe to be, but when I see and heard of divers great ones in your Army to coole the businesse on foot, I sent my wife then big with child, and severall other Agents down to St. Albons, to revive my earnest desire, with those I had an interest in, for the obtaining of my just ends, iustice, and my iust liberty, never in my life time coveting or desiring the interest and power of your Army to be a clooke or covering for any of my misdoings; making alwayes so far as I knew, the law of the land the square of my actions, in reference to civill things amongst men, having alwayes this rule of true reason and justice before me, to doe to every man, as I would have all men doe to me, but understanding from time to time of plotted and contrived tricks put upon me &c, by some faire outsides under your Who I have named in my booke called Ionahs cry, and in an Epistle to Lievt. Gen. Cromwell, bearing date 13. Aug. 1647. and lately printed with my two letters to M. Hen. Martin. command, (although I never heard any thing of your gallant, just and magnanimous selfe, either in reference to me or the publique, but what deserves my choisest thankes and praises, and the rather for that I am as it were a meere stranger to you) which now to you, J iudge it altogether inconvenient to take the boldnesse to complaine of, but hearing from time to time, I was not forgot amongst those, that have no more ends then I have, viz. iustice, and the universall good and benefit of all iust interests in England. I waited with as much patience as my unsimpothized with condition would inable me to doe, for the good houre of my iust and long expected liberty, iustice and reparation, procured for me, by the meanes of your selfe, and those men of honour and justice with you.

But most Noble, and most Honoured Gen. give me leave without your displeasure, truly to tell you, that though I must (as you justly and truly deserve from me) returne you extraordinary hearty thankes, for your chearefull willingnesse to give countenance to anything that may justly be undertaken, (in my doulfull and sad condition) to procure for me justice, and my just freedom; yet I am apt to think there is intentively some tricks put upon me, by some of the contrivers The cheif contrivers I iudge to be King, Crumwell, and his son Prince Ireton. who are the principall instruments that keep me in prison, because I will not comply with their turncoat Lordly interest, and yet at that time durst not well, but seem to doe something far me in regard of the honest Adjutaters impertunitie, about it, but yet by their subtilty did it in such a manner that they were sure would doe me no good. of that paper to the House of Commons, Dated at Reading Iuly 19. 1647. sent by your Excellency and your Councell of Warr, for most Noble Sir, the thing that will doe me good is vigorrously to presse the House of Commons, to command Mr. Martin to make my report unto their House, and then to adjudge my cause, for either the House of Lords have by law a Jurisdiction over me, and all the Commons of England? in crimminall cases, or they have not, and in my protesting against the Lords juridiction, in crimminall cases, and appealing to the House of Commons, as my leagall & proper judges I have either done evill, & illegally, or else justly and legally, If I have done evilly and illegally I crave no favour at their hands, but desire them to condemne me, that so I may know what to trust to, that so I may vse some meanes to the King &c. for to the House of (Lords I will never in this apply my selfe.) For the takeing of my 4000l. Fine, and restoring me to my liberty and freedome, and not be forced [5] all my dayes to live in prison, and in the conclusion be forced to strave for want of bread, or else to eat my wife and children,

But if in my protesting against the Lords jurisdiction in crimminall cases, and appealing to the House of Commons as my proper and legall Iudges, I have done well and legally, why doe the house of Commons suffer me to be kept in prison, and not adiudge my cause, and deliver me with iust reparation, and a iust punishment upon the causers of my causelesse torments and sufferings, and this alone is the thing most noble Generall, I want and stand in need of, which only will doe me good, and which in it selfe is such a rationall and equitable peece of justice, as by no iust man can be denyed.

For alas, most noble Generall, what will liberty in England, without iudging my cause (and Appeale) doe me good, am I not subiect every houre in the Kings name and behalfe? though it may be against his previty, will or mind, to have my body cast into prison, for the 4000. l. which by that uniust fine I in law owe him? or if my body by absence cannot be seized upon, is not that little that I have liable by the law every houre to be seized upon? yea, and the very beds that my distressed, helpelesse, and unpittied wife and children lye upon, subiect to be taken from under them, yea, and stript of their very wearing clothes They were, And truly Sir, so large experience have I of the mercilesse and cruel temper of my adversaries, that I will not trust in the least, to the mercie of the mercilesse Lords at westminster, or their cruell and mercilesse confederates, in the House of Commons, Assembly, or Common Counsell of London, any of whom I am sure, would willingly, Vote, Petition, or Remonstrate me to death.

And againe Sir, should I put in baile as your paper desires, I should run my selfe into such a snare, as I should never get out of again while I live, but thereby should like a foolish fellow, undoe all that in the heat of the fire I have been doing almost this 14. moneths, viz. preserving and defending the liberty of all the Commons of England, against the tyrannicall invasions of the House of Lords: For whose prisoneram I? surely the House of Lords, and no others, (unlesse it be negligent Henry Martins) and to whom must I put in security? surely to no other then the Lords. And undoubtedly I should both in reason and law, by so doing iustifie the illegallitie and uniustnesse of their sentence past against me, and not only so, but also iustifie their iurisdiction and power over all the Commons of England in criminall cases, which were an act, that would not only as much as in me lyes, destroy the best and fundamentallest Lawes of England, (viz. Magna Charta, and the most excellent Petition of Right, &c.) But also destroy and overthrow the rationall, naturall, nationall, and legall liberties of my selfe and all the Commons of England, which would be an act in my iudgement, not only of the greatest businesse in the world, but also of the greatest treason that I could commit against the land of my nativitie and my own being, of which wickednesse I would not iustly be esteemed guilty for all the gold in the world.

Now most noble and heroicall Generall, if it should be obiected against me, that the House of Commons, are full of the great and weighty affaires of the Kingdome, and therefore want time to debate and adiudge my particular businesse, to which I answer and say, I am confident they have not a businesse of greater weight and consequence before them, then mine in the latitude of it is, for it is concerning the escentiall and fundamentall liberties of themselves, of me, and of all and every individuall Commoner of England, and I wonder what greater businesse they can spend their time about, then a businesse of so grand and universall concernment, without the settlement of which, it is easily to be evinced, that all that you have done with your swords, and they with their tongues is to no more purpose then to blow [6] in the aire, for invasion of rights, was the true cause of all the present warres, and their so visible invading of the just and legall rights, and freedomes of all the Commons of England, is not the way in the least to pacific and still them, but to foment and newly increase them, and make them a fresh flame out againe Espccially when the Commons of England, shall see the most base and wicked juglings of L. G. Cromwell, and his' son Ireton: whose power & interest in the Army (by those 4 grandiuglers means, viz. Lord Say, Lord Wbarton, young Sir Hen. Vaine, and Soliciter St. Iohn) is now vigorusly improved to support & uphold the Lords usurpations, tyranny, and grand opprossions, that so they may merrit, to be voted by them to be domincering, tyrannising Lords with them, or else why am I kept in prison by them, seeing it is every houre in the day in their power to deliver me if they pleased. with strong violence which if it doe, I hope it will be to their fatall and finall destruction: which I with all my might and strength with as much earnestnesse as Sampson prosecuted the Philistems, should helpe forward, though I should thereby pull the roofe of the house about my eares as he aid.

And truly Sir I cannot thinke that the House of Commons are so mindfull of the good of the kingdome, that the providing therefore, so straightens them, that they have no time to heare my report, and adiudge my cause. Sure I am since my report was ready, they have found time enough to vote and devide among themselves like wicked stewards, hundreds of thousands of pounds of their masters the Common wealths money, and I am sure they can find time enough to vote all the Commons of England slaves, by voting their honest and iust Petitions, to be burnt by the hands of the Common Hangman, yea and to vote and declare them Rebe'ls and Traytors to the kingdome, (which principally is themselves) for endeavouring by petition to make known their grievances to them their servants, whom they chuse and trusted to provide for their weal but not in the least for their woe, 1. part book Decl. p. 150. And besides they can find time to violate the lawes and iustice of the kingdome, by voting the 11. Members particularly impeached of no lesse then high treason, by accusers ready to prosecute and make good at their perrils their charge and impeachment, to have liberty without securitie to travell where they please for six moneths, and yet can find no time in 13. moneths to deliver me from the tyranny of the Lords, who originally laid no crime nor legall charge to my charge, nor never in the least produced any accuser or witnesse against me, but meerly imprisoned me because I would not be a slave to their tyrannicall wills and unbounded lusts, which is the hight of iniustice. See Vox Plebis, pag. 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 18, 19. &c. See my Annotamy of the Lords tyranny, p. 8.9.10. and my book called the resolved mans resolution, dated 30. April 1647. p. 3, 4, 8, 9, 10. See also regall tyranny, from the 62. 63. to the 84. pag. Besides Sir, if I had doe evill, add lying in prison after so many Gaole detiveries, and being so strongly committed by those, that I am confident never a Iudge in Westminster Hall, dare grant me a Habias Corpus against; there being no visible and formall power in England but the House of Commons, to save me from Arbitrary destruction, they ought by law, though never in my selfe so guilty of violation of the law, being the Lords have let so many Gaole deliveries passe, and hath never called me oat to erye me by law, nor yet to this day hath laid no legall crime to my charge, for by the law of England (which they havee often sworne to maintaine) there ought to be Gaole deliveries held 3. times a yeare, or oftner if need require, either for the condemning or acquitting all prisoners whatsoever, 5 Ed. 3 2. 4. part Sir Edward Cookes institutes, folio. 168, 169. See the oppressed mans oppressions declared. pag. 3. And Ionah cryes outt of the Whales belly pag. 10. See also the beginning of Vox Plebis.

[7]

And Sir, give me leave to tell you, I am as free a man, and have as good a right to the benefit of all the lawes in England as any Member of the House of Commons what ever he be, (as they confesse in their own Declarations, cited by me, in the Outcryes of Oppressed Commons, for all their vapring with their big swolne blatherly priviledges, they having none at all in referrence to the Commons of England. But freedome from arrests, and that but for a short time, and that not for aprentiship, much lesse for ever, being as lyable to the law as any other man, either for the breach of the peace, Fellony or Treason, as Sir Edward Cooke their own learned oracle declares in the 4 part of his institutes, chap. high Court of Parliament, fol. 25. And I find by his discourse there, that they have no priviledges by law in referrence to the King, but freedome of speech and debate, and that he shall not take notice of any thing done and debated among themselves, tell they themselves in a Parliamentary way transmit the cognisance of it to him. And if this be true as that learned Lawyer, &c. declares it is, then I humbly desire the pressing of this argument unto the house without any more dispute, at least at present to deliver me, because I have laine so long in prison without any legall accusation at all, or legall tryall, or so much as without any prosecuter or informer against me at all, which is against all law and iustice in the highest degree whatsoever, for the words of their own late Vote in the behalfe of the eleaven impeached Members is.

That by the law of the Land, no Iudgement can be given to suspend (and therefore much lesse to imprison) those members from sitting in the House, upon the papers presented by the Army, before particulars produced and proofs made, & if this be true, then I am sure they are most unjust in not delivering me, who orriginally never had any charge at all against me, nor never see prosecuter nor witnesse examined against me, to this very day; O hight of injustice, and partiallity? thus to vote, and thus contrary to that vote, to deale with me, who am equally free and intaled to the Law of the Land as any of their Members.

But yet most Noble sir, give me leave to aver unto you that I am not only illegally imprisoned, but that their vote in favour of their impeached members is most illegall in it selfe, and against the law, and the practises of the law in England, or else they themselves violated it in the highestd degree with the Earle of Straford, who upon a generall charge of high treason, without mentioning particulars, further then for endeavouring to subvert the Fundamentall Lawes, without nameing any witnesses or prosecutors, unlesse it was their own Clarke, and yet required at the nick of time, not only to sequester him, from the House of Lords, but also to secure his body in prison, which was accordingly done at the very instant, and then, and not before examined witnesses against him, and out of their examinations, drew particular articles, to make good their generall Charge, and I have from good hands been told, Mr Hallis under hand, was one of his chiefe prosecutors, and sat up many a late night to beat his braines to destroy him, and therefore just, or not just, it is but just, that he himselfe should [Editor: illegible letter]aft of his own law, which he &c. is so farr from doing, that he is yet at liberty, and voted by the House to have leave for 6 monthes to goe whether he pleaseth, the which if the Army with patience suffer, I am sure their credet is lost forever, And now it is too apparent that Cromwell and Ireton, there these impeachers, with their fore mentioned associates here at Westminster, desired no more but to be rid of their company, that so they might not stand in their way, as an antifaction to hinder them from their tyranicall intended tyrany and Lordly domination, now as apparant to any impartiall observant rationall man as the Sun that shines at noone day. and all men will conclude they can prove nothing against them. Sir I have stated my case to you, and must crave pardon for my teadiousnesse, leaving all to your judicious and wise consideration, to doe in it as God, justice, humanity, and conscience shall direct you; craving nothing from your power to justifie or protect me in any evill, or wickednesse; but only that I may have justice and faire play above board, and upon them tearmes I bid defiance to all the adversaries I have in England; to doe the worst they can to me, only I humbly [8] and earnestly supplycate you, that what you shall resolve to doe for me, you doe it speedily and vigorously, for perrish I can not, nor will not if I can help it, and if nothing will serve the 2 Houses but my causlesse destruction, I am nesscesitated like a plaine dealer, that feares no cullers, to protest unto your Excellency that if speedily they will not doe me justice I will appeale to all the Commons of England, and the private Soldiers of your Army, Which I had done eare now if I had not been deluded With faire words, and cheated with faire promises, and doe the best I can to set them about their eares, to cut their tyrannicall throats, though I perish with them; so committing your Renowned Excellency, to the faithfull protection, care and direction of your wise and powerfull God, desireing of him for you, that your heart may be kept upright, and sinscere before him, tell the Glorious and joyfull appearing of our Capt. Gen. the Lord Iesus Christ, and so I humbly take my leave and subscribe my selfe

From my watch Tower, in the Tower of London, this 22. Iuly, 1647.

Sir, Your Excellencies cordiall, obleiged and faithfull servant for the common good of his Country, ready to spend his heart blood with you.

Iohn Lilburne.

The second Letter thus followeth.

For his Excellency, Sir Thomas Fairfax, this at Kingstone present with speed.

NOble and right worthy Gen. vouchsafe unto me I beseech you leave, to present unto your Excellency, the gratefull acknowledgement of my heart for your Excellencies senceablenesse of my afflictions, and your readines and willingnesse to improve your interest to abaite them, and particularly for your late Noble favour which I was made partaker of, by the hands of your Secretary; and give me leave humbly to acquaint your Excellency, that by my wise who hath bin all the by past weeks at Kingson, to see what she could do for my liberty, I received a message by her coming from some of no small influence and Viz Mr. Allen one of the Adjetators for L. G. Cromwels Regiament, and his Officious and extraordinary creature in the imploying of al his subtilty and parts to make fruitlesse the honest negotiations of the honest and uncorrupted adjetators, and to support the usurping Lords in their tyrannicall oppressions, as I have largely declared unto himselfe in my letter unto him of 23 August 1647, parts that I should petition to the Lords for my liberty as the only way to procure it, which advice is as acceptable to me as to desire me with my own hands to cut my own throt, and little should I have exspected to have received any such prenitious distructive advice (to justice and true freedome) from the mouthes of any in your Army, that hath eminently pretended to be patrons of true, and impartially justice, and the Commons true legall and well knowne privelidges; & therfore fearing that by the destructive advice, or incinuating interest of some about you that pretendedly would serve me, you should be put upon some addresses to the Lords for me, the thoughts of which I can not but in iustice and honesty abhor and detest, and had rather desire to rot here then not with all my interest as farre as I am able to hinder such a thing, for to the barr of the great interest of the Commons of England I have appealed in the iustifiing and pre¦senting of which appeal I will live and die; stand or fall I desirnothing but either legall iustification or condemnation and theree¦ore most Noble Gen. if there be no other meanes within your [9] power to ease me of my sorrowes and to obtaine iustice, for me and all the Commons of England concerned in me, but by applycation to the Lords, I most humbly and most earnestly beseech and intreat your Honour to disist and throw my businesse behind your back, and forever to bury it in the grave of forgitfulnesse, and truly I cannot but apprehend that this advice flows from the same intrest, that over ruled the rational & just disenters at that councell of Warr, that sent up their desires to the Parliament the other day, that I might put in bail for my liberty, the snares of which desires I took the boldnesse largely to evince in my letter of the 22 July 1647. to your Honour.

And Noble sir, though it should or might be said to me that the Lords are growne, very gallant, and for now in honesty outstrip the present House of Commons, & therfore sit for me to comply with and addresse unto; yet give me leave to tell your Excellency, I walk not, nor act not from accidents, but from principals, and being throughly perswaded in my own soule they are iust, righteous, and honest, I will by Gods goodnesse never depart from them though I perish in maintaining them; and not only the principals of reason, but the known and iust law of England, and the experience of all ages tels me, that the usurpations of illegall prerogative Lords, over honest and free Commons: is not only distructive to true justice and right reason (the fountaine of all iust lawes) but also to all true and iust freedome, and therefore I both must and will run the hazard of spending my heart blood, to root up and destroy their illegall and uniust usurpations, being now so deeply ingaged, and can never willingly without being a Trayter to my self and Country, consent in this to close, with them, knowing very well, that it is an easie thing for a scholmasters to make a timerous boy for the saving of himselfe, to say and doe what he pleaseth, when he hath taken him in a notorious crime, and hath got his breeches downe, with a good rod in his hand, to whip him soundly, and yet as soone as tha: present feare is over, to be as ready as ever, to run into the same transgression, and truly most Noble Sir, give me leave to think, that if the present House of Lords were truly and in good serious earnest, resolved to repent of their evils, and amend their wayes by doing unbiased justice and right, they would of themselves without any addressing unto, have forthwith done justice and right to me, and other afflicted one whom they have by unmerciful imprisonments contrary to all equity, reason, law, and justice, yea and I dare boldly say it, against the light of their own consciences; And truly Sir, give me leave to assure your Honour from the mouthes of some of themselves, to some of my true friends. I might at the first Contest with them have had my liberty, &c. from them, if I would in any way of my own framing, have made but any addresses to them. And truly Sir give me leave in the sincerity and uprightnesse of my heart before the presence of God to tell you, it is meerly a principle of conscience within me, to justice and honesty, and not any wilfull stubbornnesse▪ or base selfe ends of my owne, that makes me I cannot, ingeneously professing unto your honour, I received more, iustice and courtesie in three moneths from the House of Lords, then I have done almost in seaven yeares from the House of Commons. And I doe protest before the Almighty, (and I appeale unto the Lord Wharton to beare Ʋnto whom I shewed my protest before I delivered it, and told him both what I must and would and offered him to doe any thing that the Lords in reason or iustice could require of me, so they would not force me to to their bar. See the 4. pag. of my booke, called the free mans freedome vindicated. me witnesse) that I did the utmost that in me laid by way of gratitude and thankefulnesse unto them to hinder a contest with them, but the revenging mallice of the Earle of Manchester (who I am apt to think had long since lost his head, for his base and palpable treacherie, and transcendent wickednesse, if Lievtenant Generall Cromwell had effectually discharged his duty to the whole kingdome as he ought to have done) at me, for ingaging with Lievtenant Generall Cromwell, in his just cause against him, would be satisfied with no reason, but the crushing me to peices, by whose meanes principally, with Col.[10]Edward King, one of his treacherous wicked confederates, I suffer all that I doe at this day, See my printed narrative to the Adjutators of the 21. August 1647. printed at the last on of the 2. Edition of my Epistle to Iudge Reeves. and I dare confidently affirme it, that if I could have addressed to them since my Appeale to the House of Commons, I might have had solid grounds, not only to have had my liberty: and my fine of 4000. l. taken of, but also some thousands of pounds by their meanes in my purse, which now in my thoughts is a very great hazzard whether ever I shall injoy or no.

Therefore to conclude all. I shall humbly state a case unto your Excellency, and leave the application of it to your selfe, which is this. An honest and a true man is following his lawfull occasions, and there meets with him a company of bloody Murtherers, Theeves and Robber, who being stronger then he, set upon him, and attempt the taking away his purse and life, and whiie he is strugling with them, by comes a company of honest and true men, stronger then the Rogues and Theeves, unto whom the honest, almost destroyed man addresseth himself, and acquaints them truly & fully with his present case, and pittifully cryes out to them for helpe, but they though they seeme to pittie him in words, passe by him and doe not effectually rescue him, by meanes of which he is not only rob'd, but also slaine and destroyed. Now the question is, whether by the law of humanity, nature and reason, the aforesaid honest passengers were not tyed in duty and conscience without any more dispute, to have at least rescued the honest oppressed man, and have set him free? (or at least to have secured him and them to the next just Magistrate) and endeavoured the obtaining of iustice for him, upon those that would have destroyed him. And then the second question is, whether or no that in the case before mentioned, they suffer him (being easily able to rescue him) to be robd and murthered? whether in the sight of God and all iust men, they be not cleerly accessaries of the robberie and murther? and as guilty of it as those that committed it. So craving pardon for my boldnesse and tediousnesse, I commit you as my owne soule to the carefull and powerfull protection of the Lord Iehovah, desiring of him for you, to mainetaine and uphold you, in your integrity and true plain uprightnesse, that you may shine and be truly glorious in the eyes of our Lord and master, and all iust men, I humbly take my leave and rest.

From my causelesse and uniust inthralment, in the Tower of London, this 21. of August, 1647.

Sir, your most devoted faithfull servant, that without feare or flattery highly honours you. John Lilburne.

Advice to the Private Soldiers.

SIRS,

MY best advice at your earnest desire, unto you and all the privat Soldiers of your Army is: to the death to contest for the preservation and performing of your Solemn ingagement, made and subscribed at New Market the 5. th. July 1647. especially in the first branch thereof: and not to suffer any thing to be acted or done in the Army, to the violation thereof, but forthwith vigorously to demand justice upon every person, though never so great, that you can prove hath or doth attempt the infringment of it, and to set a brand of infamy upon him as a deceiver, and a man not fit to be intrusted, and also immediately to require an account of your respective Adjutators, what they have been doing all this while: and suffer not one sort of men too long to remaine adjetators, least they be corrupted by bribes of offices, or places of preferment, for standing waters though never so pure at first, in time putrifies, and also instantly presse your Adjutators to move vigorously for the imediate and totall purgeing of the House of all those that sat in Mr. Pellums factious traiterous Juncto: who are so declared already by your Army? by whose illeagall pretended and unbinding votes, a new Warr was defacto raised and leavied in the Kingdome, to the visible hazard [12] of the ruine and utter destruction there: and if you doe not this effectually, but for the factious Lordly ends of some great ones (as L. G. Crumwell, Commisary Gen, Ireton) suffer that factious illeagall Combination and assembly of men, to run away with the name and power of a true House of Commons, then it will evidently follow, that your Generall and your whole Army, and all those members of the House that came to you, and adheared to you, are all Parliament Rebels and traytors, inforceably opposing them, and marching up against them in all Warrlick manner, as you have done, and by your Remonstrances, declarations, and proposals, declaring that whole assembly of Mr. Pellumes JunctoSee the latter end of the Armies Remonstrance of 18. August, 1647. published to the whole Kingdome, by the spesciall order of the present House of Peeres, 20. Aug. 1647. see also the Adiutators proposals or addresses 5th, and 14. August, 1647. subscribed by 53 of their hands, and printed by the Armies printer.blades to be usurpesr of a Parliament power, Traytor and enmies to their Country, and the trust reposed in them, ands fit to beseverely punished, and not fit to be continued any longer as Iudges in the Kingdome, or their own causes; and their sitting still in the House will reader all the orders and ordinances made while they there sit to be questionable, as unvailed and unbinding, being made by the cōcurrant votes of so many as you your selves, & al those members that concurd with you, (but espescially the present House of Lords) have so visibly and publiquely declared Traytors to the whole Kingdome, and therefore are not fit to be law makers, nor Iudges in their own causes, and the greatest and weightiest things of the Kingdome, and besides how can you, or any that have adheared to you (in iustice) presse for the punishing of any in London, that was active in leaving War against you the Kingdoms & Parliaments Army, as you call your selves, in your notable and large Remonstrance of the 18 August 1647. seeing what they did, was in obedience to Parliament authority, if you suffer the most, or any of Mr. Pellums Iuncto Blades, to set in the House, and so to goe scot free without punnishment, for to let the principals, (the Parliament men) goe free without punnishment, and to punnish the accessaries, the Citizens) for putting in execution their orders and ordinances; is the greatest in iustice that can be acted in the World, and besides, if that any of the Juncto Blades that sat in the House, when the votes passed, for leavying a new warr on the Kingdome, sit still in the House and so gac on unpunnished: & the active zealous Presbyter Citizens that did obey, & execute their Ordinances, shall any way be punnished, therefore what will this else, but be a iust ground to all rationall men to combine together, and resolve in future time, never to obey any more orders, Ordinances of Parliament: least they be by the Parliament soundly punished therefore: And for Sir Thomas Fairfax to command a Soldier to goe charge such an enemie, and do the best he can to kill him, and when the obedient Soldier hath zealously put his command in execution, and for Sir Thomas when he hath done to goe about to hang the Soldier for his paines, is not only the hight of in iustice, but is also the ready way to breed a muteny in his Army that in future times, his commands will never be obeyed. and grant that Iuncto to be a House of Commons in any sence, and all the late active zealous Citizens against you are acquited thereby from all their Junquits and made iust persons, and your selves the Traytors and transgressors, and it may be, before you be a yeare older, yee may get your recompence by loosing your lives at Tiburne, or else wheare, as you will iustly diserve it. In this particular you play the Iuglers, or suffer your selves to be foold, and doe not effectually see fulfilled, your own forementioned Declarations.

Therefore say I, immediately presse vigorusly for the totall purging the House of all that sate with Mr. Pillam, that so there may be way made for the exemplary punishing of the Lord Maior of London, and all the chief ring-leaders, actors in the late desperate and trayterous ingagement. And also presse for moneys to pay your quarters, the want of which will speedily (by free quarter) destroy the Army in the poore country peoples affections, whose burthens are intolerable, in paying Excise for that very meat the Soldiers eate from them gratis, and yet paying heavie taxations besides, and being also lyable by the Persons and Impropriators, to be every [11] yeare robbed of the tenth part of their labours, stock, ⁱ and increase, under the name of payment of Iewish Tythes, long since by the death of Christ abolshed, Heb. 7. 5. 11. 12. 18. 19. 17. & 9. 9. 12. 14. 16. & 10. 1. 12.

And if they be any thing stuborne in this particular of parting with their proper goods, to those that never sweat for it, then by the late Independant Ordinance of Parliament, they are subiect by the Arbitrary pleasure of two Iustices of peace to pay them trible. Also it is worth your consideration to presse that the publique treasure of the kingdome may be taken out of that uncertaine, cheating and cosoning way of receiving and paying, that now it is in, and put immediately into the old, experienced, sure, and undeceiving way of the Exchequer, by meanes of which the Kingdome may be sure to know what is done with their money.

And without which both they and you wil be everlastingly consumed and cheated Read a late notable book intituled an eye salve for the Army. but above all presse for the immediate doing of impartial iustice without any more delay to all men without exceptions, that are under oppressions & suffer wrong, & down withal sorts and kinds of Monopolies, that so all the people may injoy their birth right, free trade. And take effectuall care of all our lawes and the proceedings therein, may be translated speedily into English that so the people may speedily inioy some fruits by all your baffling and gallant promises, and may no longer have overmuch cause to say as now commonly they doe both in City and Country, that you have cheated and guld them▪ with faire and plausible Declarations, which when you made, you never intended (as by your present actions you fully declare) to endeavour the fulfilling of, but made them as stalking Horses to attaine your own ends, (of present power, and future expected honour and profit, and so suck the people dry, and make them slaves,) as the Grandees in Parliament have done with all their Declarations.

But above all the rest be sure not to trust your great officers at the Generalls quarters, no further then you can throw an Oxe, for they are generally corrupted, and to the true and legall liberties of the Commons of England are turned enemies and reprobates, being grown Lordly and selfeish in the highest nature (having by their plausible but yet cunning and subtile pollicies, most uniustly stolne the power both from your honest Generall, and your too flexible Adiutators, and devolved it upon a company of corrupt Linsey woolsey men sitting at Westminster.Who I am sure are not short in acting all manner of tyranny and appression whasoever, that may render a power or Magistracy, to be for fitters of their trust, and degenerate from the true Magistrates into reall Tyrants.That in Iune or Iuly last declared you Traytors for endeavong by petition to make knowne your grievances to them, and in August last, voted and leavied a warre against you, intentively to have murthered and destroyed you. Whose principall care in all their visible actions, is to rob and pole the poore kingdome of all their treasure, and share it by thousands and ten thousands, amongst themselves, and to doe effectuall iustice and right to no man, but themselves, kindred and friends. Who by the serious of all their visible actions, intend when the people are poore enough to make both them and you their vassells and slaves, and themselves domineering Lords and masters over you, and your aforesaid officers present carriage being such, as that they give too iust cause to me, &c, to aver it under my hand, with sorrow and griefe, that as sure as I beleeve there is a God, so surely doe I beleeve that they are ioyned with the Lords against me, and become the principall instruments to keep me fast in my uniust imprisonment, witnes my hand this 8. Sept. 1647.

Iohn Lilburne.