To the Honble. the House of Commons now Assembled in the high Court of Parliament The humble Petition of John Lilburne, Leif. Colonel.  
In all humility  
Showing, That your Petitioner having suffered abundance of inhuman barbarous cruelty, by virtue of an illegal decree made against your Petitioner in the Starr-Chamber, 1627. (As by the copy of his Petition formerly presented to this Honourable House here unto annexed, and by your own Votes made the 4. of May. 1641. upon the examination of that Petition) will appear, which are as followeth, First, that the sentence of the Star-Chamber given against him is illegal and against the Liberty of the Subject, and also bloody, wicked, cruel, barbarous and tyrannical. Secondly, that reparations ought to be given to him, for his imprisonment, sufferings, and losses sustained by that illegal sentence; and then also ordered that care should be taken to draw up his case and transmit it to the Lords. But by reason of multitude of business in this Honourable House there hath been no further proceeding in it since, and these distractions coming on; your Petitioner took Command under the Right Honourable Robert Lord Brooke, with whose Regiment he adventured his life freely, and resolutely both at Kenton field and Brainford, where he was taken Prisoner and carried away to Oxford: where within a short time after his coming, the King sent to the Castle to your Petitioner, the now Earl of Kingston, the Lord Dunsmore, the Lord Maitrevers, and the Lord Andevour to woo your Petitioner with the large proffers of of the Honour and glory of Court preferment, to forsake the Parliaments party; and to engage on his party; upon the slighting and contemning of which your Petitioner was within few days after laid in Irons & kept an exceeding close Prisoner, & forced several times to march into Oxford in Irons to judge Heath, before whom he was arraigned for high Treason, for drawing his sword in the cause of the Commonwealth, & suffered multitudes of other miseries in his almost twelve months cruel Captivity there. In which time he lost above 600. l. in his estate that he left behind him at London (as he is clearly able to make appear) and immediately after his coming from thence he took Command in the Earl of Manchesters' Army, his Commission as Major of Foot, bearing date the 7. of October 1643, which lasted till the 16. of May, 1644 At which time he was authorized by Commission as Leiftenent Colonel to command a Regiment of Dragooners. In which service having been in many engagements, he hopes it will easily appear that he hath not only behaved himself honestly and faithfully, but also valiantly and stoutly in the midst or many discouragements, (God crowning some of his endeavours with success, especially at the taking in Sir Francis Wertle●s Garrison and Tickel Castle,  
The premises considered,  
He humbly beseecheth this Honourable Assembly to perfect that justice which you happily began for your Petitioner, and to give him Reparation for his long and tedious Imprisonment and heavy sufferings by the Starr-Chamber decree (having waited 4● years with patience for that end) though he lost by his Imprisonment all that he had, and was deprived of a profitable calling being then in the way of a Factor in the low Countries) and also to take of the King's fine. And to consider his service with the Earl of Manchester, his pay amounting to about 800. l. of which he hath not received, 2●0. l. though he hath faithfully adventured his life, and spent a great deal of his own money, and lost at Newarke when Prince Rupert raised the siege almost a 100 l. being stripped from the Crown of the Head to the Sole of the Foot, besides his former losses at Kenton battle and Bra●nford. Wherefore he humbly prayeth that his accompts may be audited and his arrears (according to the Tenor of your own Ordinance) paid unto him.  
And he shall ever pra, etc. John Lilburne.   

To the Honourable House of Commons, now Assembled in the high Court of Parliament. The humble Petition of John Lilburne, Prisoner in the Fleet:  
In all humility showeth,  
THat in December next will be three years, your Petitioner upon supposal of sending over certain Books of Doct Bastwickes' from Holland into England, was by Doct. Lambs warrant without any examination at all sent to the Gate house Prison, and from thence within three days removed to the Fleet where he abiding Prisoner, In Candlemas Term following was proceeded against in the honourable Court of Starr-chamber, where your Petitioner appearing and entering of his name, for want of money his name was struck out again, and he refusing to take an Oath, to answer to all things that should be demanded of him, for that your Petitionor conceived the said Oath to be dangerous and illegal, without any Interogatories tendered him, for his refusing the said Oath, he was prosecuted and censured in the said Court most heavily, being fined 500 l. to the King, and sent prisoner to the Fleet. And in Easter Term following was whipped from the Fleet to Westminster, with a 3. fold knotted Cord receiving at least 200 stripes, and then at Westminster he was set on the Pilla●…ry the space of 2. hours (and over and above the censure of the Court at the Warden of the Fleets command was gagged about an hour and half) after which most cruel sufferings was again returned into the Fleet close Prisoner, when through his said sufferings the next morning he being sick of an extreme Fever could not have admittance for his Chirurgeon to let him blood, or dress his sores till the after noon of the said day though the Chirurgeon himself in pity to the Prisoner went to Westminster to the Warden himself, and your Petitioner hath been a close Pisoner in the Fleet ever since, where in a most cruel manner he hath been put into Iron Fetters both hands and legs, which caused a most dangerous sickness that continued 6. months, and after some small recovery was again laid in Irons: which caused at least 5. month's sickness more dangerous than the former. During which time of sickness, they have most unhumanely denied his friends to come to see him, nntill they would give them money for admittance; and they have denied many to come at all, and have beaten, and kicked, and otherwise most shamefully abused such his friends as came to see him in his great distress, and to bring him food and necessaries to sustain his life, and also have kept his servant from him, and his food: so that if he had not been relieved by stealth of his fellow Prisoners he had been kept from any food at all for above the space of 10. days together, and the Prisoners that out of pity have relieved him, have been most cruelly punished, and the Keepers have not forborn to confess themselves that they had starved him long ago, had not the Prisoners releived him: and besides all this they have most cruelly beaten and wounded him, to the hazard of his limbs, and danger of his life, had he not been rescued and saved from them by the Prisoners of the same house, in which most miserable condition your poor Petitioner hath continued a Prisoner for the space of above 2 years and a half, and is like still to continue in the same under the merciless hands of the Warden of the Fleet, who hath denied lawful liberty to his Prisoners: For that he hath said, he must observe the Man that hath so great a sway in the Kingdom, intimating the Arch Bishop.  
All which his deplored condition and Lamentable miseries he most humbly presenteth to this honourable Assembly beseeching them to be pleased to cast an eye of compassion towards him, and to afford him such relief from his censure and hard imprisonment as may seem good to your wisdoms, who otherwise is like to perishunder the hands of merciless men.  
And your Petitioner shall ever pray as in duty he is bound to the Lord to bless and prosper this honourable Assembly. John Lilburne.   

MAy it please this Honourable House to take Notice, that I have endeavoured by all the ways and means I possible could, for these divers weeks together, to get my Petition presented and, read in this honourable Assembly: but by reason of multitudes of Public business, I have not been able to get my desire effected: Therefore in regard of my necessities arising from my often suffering shipwreck in my estate, in reference to my eyeing the Welfare of the Public, and having spent above threescore pounds since I begun to wait, upon this house to get this Petition read, and having a wife and family to maintain, merely out of my own industry which are likely to suffer very much by my continued attendance here, I am therefore necessitated to assume the boldness to present my Pertition in print to the honourable Members of this house, hoping I shall not therefore be esteemed a transgressor; especially when it is seriously considered that for above 7. years together, I have suffered all kind of miseries, hazards and dangers, and laboured studiously and cordially to preserve and defend my birth right and privileges, which is the inheritance of all the Freeborn people of England, amongst which I humbly conceive the liberty of making known my greviances to this heigh and honourable Court (the trusts of the whole Common wealth of England) is not the least: for whose just authority I have so often in the field ●entered my life.  
And whereas in the conclusion of my Petition, I pray that my accounts may be audited, I humbly crave leave to declare unto you one reason for that, which is this. I was Major to Colonel King for divers months, with whom I served in Lincolnsheire faithfully, my pay amounting to betwixt 2. & 300. l of which he paid me about one forth, & detains the rest in his own hands, (which I am confidently persuaded he received punctually) of the Countery, with other large sums of other Officers which likewise he unjustly detains, as particularly 292. l, 6. s. of my eldest brothers, who never had a weeks pay from him. And ●…ewise 316. l. 12. 3. 6. d. of my youngest brother, with other great sums and though we had the Earl of Manchesters' warrant to him and the Auditer General of the Army to audit our accounts, yet he contemned them both, and would not give us a Debenter for our money though we honestly paid our quarters both for Horse and Man and though he received about Twenty thousand pounds of the County to pay his Officers and Soldiers as divers of the Committee of Lincoln do affirm in their printed Articles which were exhibited to this honourable House in August last, and if they had said 30000. l. I believe it might easily be proved true, if you would command him, to give up his accounts and authorise men of integrity and fidelity in the Country to inquire after his receipts, the which if you please to do I do humbly conceive you will get some thousands of pounds by it, which he unjustly detains in his hands from you and those that have done you faithful service.  
FINIs.