A scripture-word AGAINST enclosure; Viz: Such as do unpeople towns, and uncorne Fields. As also, Against all such, that daub over this black sin with untempered mortar.  
By JOHN Moor, Minister of the Church at Knaptoft in Leicester-shire.  Isaiah 5. 20. Woe unto them that call evil good; and good, evil: that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter. 
LONDON, Printed for Anthony Williamson, at the Queen's arms in S. Paul's churchyard, 1656.   

To his highness the Lord protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland, and his most Honourable council.  
May it please your highness,  
IN this discourse I plead the cause of the public and poor of your true-hearted County of Leicester, and the Counties adjacent. Else (had it been any thing of private interest) my hand and heart would have trembled to have put any thing into your hands, to turn off your eye but a few minutes, from the wonderful weighty affairs of these three Nations; which are all Incumbents upon your highness and council. The only wise, great, good God support you with his own wisdom, counsel, and strength. Though the main of my business is for souls, even to get out of themself, world, sin and Devil, and to get in God, Christ, grace and the Gospel: Yet I have borrowed some weeks (which by double pains, I bless God I have repaid) to wait upon Parliaments formerly, 
Chari paren tes, chari liberi, chari quoque amici, sed omnes omnium charitates comprehendit patria. Tullius de officiis.  and now upon your highness and council with Petitions, to prevent the ruin of my country (which is dear unto me) so endeavoured & endangered by selfish men truly delineated in these Papers: whatsoever specious pretences may be made to the contrary of Regulated enclosure, and of a may-be enclosure, without ruin either of public or Poor. In these Inland counties woeful experience tells us, It is not so. And that enclosure is now making, is likely to be in time as desolating as any, if not speedily prevented by your highness and council. Such Incolsurists in the very making of them, having no respect to the public, or right in Law, or the Consciences of men. As in the several Petitions from Leicester-shire now before you it appears: which Petitions your highness (our hearts rejoice in you, and bless God for you) without delay heard, and referred to your council: which also they have read and committed to the Lord Viscount Lisle, Sir Gilbert Pickering, Mr. Strickland, and Charles Wolsley or any two of them, who are speedily to speak with the parties that attend the business, and to consider of the matter therein contained, and to offer to the council what they shall conceive fit to be done thereupon. And as your Leicester-shire Petitioners have petitioned your highness, and Councell-men upon earth; so they daily Petition the High God of heaven to incline your hearts to relieve the oppressed of these Inland Counties. And truly God hath set it upon my Spirit, That you are (Hester 4. 14.) Come to the rule of this nation for such a time as this. And my soul wrestles with my God that you may still be serviceable to God, and his Church, the public and the poor, till you go away hence and shall be seen no more, and then be gathered to our Christ, who then shall say, Mat. 25. 35, 36. &c. Come ye blessed of my Father, receive a kingdom prepared for you from the beginning of the world. I was hungry and you gave me meat, thirsty and you gave me drink, naked and you clothed me, &c. Amen saith the soul of him who is  
As your highness' most humble servant, so also the Churches, the publics, and the poors', John Moor.   

An Advertisement of three things, to such Reader, who as he loves God, loves his Neighbour also.  
FIrst, if thou chance to meet with a Book, called [A Vindication of Regulated enclosure:] thou hast very little reason to believe much in it. The man speaks of what may be, and not of what usually is. He hath fancies, notions and dreams of Innocent enclosure both from Depopulation and Decay of Tillage. And for the towns he names to be free, they are grossly guilty either of the one, or of the other, or of both.  
Secondly, whereas that Book tells thee, That such desolations are Vitia Personarum non rei, It is the fault of the Persons and not of the Thing. I must confess with him they are vicious persons indeed that produce such enclosure. What better issue can we look for from such Parents? enclosure, making of hedges and ditches, is not a sin, but such enclosure that is destructive to public, and poor is a crying sin. Lastly, I complain not of enclosure in Kent or Essex, where they have other callings and trades to maintain their Country by, or of places near the sea or City, but of enclosure in the Inland countries, which takes away Tillage, the only Trade general they have to live on; and whereby they are so beneficial to the rest of the Nation, in times of scarcity. Pray with me, God speed the Plough.  
Thy Friend, if thou be so to the public and the poor, John Moor.   

A Scripture-word against enclosure, &c.  Amos, ch. 2. ver. 6, 7. 
Thus saith the LORD, for three transgressions of Israel, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof, because they sold the righteous for silver, and the poor for a pair of shoes.  
That pant after the dust of the earth on the head of the poor, and turn aside the way of the meek.  
THe Lord assist me his poor under shepherd with his own holy Spirit, that I may deal as faithfully and plainly with England, as Amos an honest-hearted herdsman, and GOD's Prophet dealt with Israel.  
For England (especially Leicester-shire, 
Viz: by such enclosure that doth unpeople Towns, and uncorn Fields. For it will parallel the sin in the Text.  and the Counties round about) stands now as guilty in the sight of God of the sins in the Text, as Israel did then: And therefore the Lord may justly say to us,  For three transgressions, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof, because &c. 
The Text contains Israel's sin, and Israel's punishment. I shall first open the sins of Israel, and then tell me if England be not as guilty as Israel; and if so, why should not she partake of the same punishment? I entreat therefore, as I open the sins of Israel, bear in your mind the enclosure in the middle of England.  
First then, what is meant by three transgressions, and for four? In plain terms is meant, adding of sin to sin, Isa. 30. 1. and transgression to transgression.  
And so Tremellius expounds three and four transgressions, 
Tremellius upon this prophecy, id est, propter quam. plurimae numero finitus pro indefinito, &c.  that is saith he, for very many. A finite number is put for an indefinite. And then God seemed to speak thus, If Israel had had a moderation in sinning, I would have turoed away their punishment, I would have been moderate in punishing; but since to three sins they have added four, and to many they daily add more, I am determined to perfect my judgements upon them, and to be avenged on them once for all.  
If we take three and four for seven: Know we seven is eminently in Scripture put for a multitude. So 1 Sam. 2. 5. (saith Hannab) The barren hath born seven, that is, many, and is become a mother of many children. Seven devils were cast out of the woman, Luke 8. 2. that is, a multitude. The just falleth seven times a day, Prov. 24 16. that is, often: so the sense is, They multiply their sins, and I will multiply my judgements.  
Lastly, we may expound for three transgressions, and for four; by the twelfth verse of this Chapter. Whereas here he complains of three transgressions, and four; so there he complains, I am pressed under you as a cart is pressed with sheaves: Now this is a plain country-comparison: When we load a cart, we begin with a few sheaves at the first, with two, or three, or four; and so go on to lay on more sheaves one after another, till we over-load, and are ready to press the cart into pieces. So Israel laid on one sheaf after another, one sin after another, still burdening God with their sins, that he seems to groan under the burden of them, as one that is weary to bear them any longer. Isaiah 1. 24. they make him sigh. Ab, I will ease me of my adversaries, and avenge me of mine enemies. I can hold my hands no longer for their multiplied transgressions.  They sold the righteous for silver, and the poor for a pair of shoes. 
If we put that of our Prophet (Amos 8, 6.) to these words of selling the Righteous that they may buy the poor for silver, &c. They buy and sell the righteous Poor for silver, that is, for the gain and profit, use them they do as they use their beasts, keep them or put them off for their advantage. So long as serviceable, drudge them, rack their rents, buy them to get by them, and then sell them; yea, away with them out of house and harbour, town and field, take away their calling, and livelihood that should maintain themselves, wives, and children, &c. When lesser gain comes in by them; They sell them or buy them upon that account as may serve their turns (Judas-like) to fill the bag, and make no more account of them than a pair of shoes, yea old shoes that they cast to the dunghill.  That pant after the dust of the earth on the head of the poor. 
That pant after the dust of the earth, 
Vid. The clear-spirited Expositor upon holy Writ Mr. caryl upon Job, c. 24. ver. 3.  That is, (saith Mr. caryl) exceedingly desire and long for it. As David describes his holy desires, Psal. 42. 1. As the Hart panteth after the water-brooks, so panteth my soul after thee O God: that is, I extremely desire thy presence and communion with thee: even as the Hart being hunted and heated desireth the waters. Thus they panted after the dust of the earth, that is, after those things which are but as the dust of the earth, or whose original and matter is but the dust of the earth, gold, of silver. These are but the refined dust of the earth. But whose dust did they pant after? It was the dust upon the head of the poor. If they did but see a poor man to have gotten a little about him, though only enough to keep life and soul together, to preserve himself and his family from starving, or begging, they presently panted after it: they were passionately desirous of it: they cast about how to get it. They who are inflamed with covetousness are busy to find out, and having found out, are greedy to pursue all advantages and occasions to enrich themselves though it be with the ruin of the poor. They are glad to get something even from them, who (according to common speech) have nothing. They scraped from them who have but scraps to live on. Thus sweetly hath that heavenly man interpreted these words to our hand.  And turn aside the way of the meek. 
That is, first they turn aside the way of Justice and Equity, which is the means of recovering their right. They cannot have that justice and right done them, which is due unto them. By reason of the greatness of the estates and power of these men, they stop the current of justice and equity, whereby these meek ones should be delivered from their oppressors.  
Secondly, they turn aside the way of the meek, that is, they take away the way of their livelihood. We use commonly to ask this Question, How doth such a man live? And 'tis answered, He lives in a very good way, he hath such a way of living, such a trade, calling, or profession, that's his way. Thus to turn aside the way of the meek, is to put them besides the way of getting their bread, and maintaining themselves, wives, and children with necessary provisions.  
To take away the calling they live by, is a turning aside the way of the meek to all purposes.  
Thirdly, they turn aside the way of the meek. Why? what is the way of the meek? The Psalmist tells us, Psal. 25. 9 it is God's way, the meek he will teach his way. Now these great ones either first force them to make shipwreck of faith and a good conscience, or else undo them if they will not consent unto them in their unjust and uncharitable designs. And so of necessity these meek ones must be undone either in the inward, or outward man. Or else secondly, they become tempters unto these meek ones by their often alluring persuasions and ill egging, or else by their ill examples to turn them out of God's way.  
Thus having explained the Text, I come to show, That England (especially Leicester-shire, and the Counties adjacent) is as guilty of the sins in the Text now, as Israel was then: yea, especially in that aggregated sin of enclosure, viz: such as doth unpeople Towns, and uncorn Fields, which I chiefly intend in this present discourse. And that principally, because there are so many ready to make Helmets to save this great Goliath sin, harmless; making this great sin a little sin, and so at last no sin at all. For indeed, all the workmen of this occupation rise up together, crying, Great is the Diana of enclosure, because by this craft we have our wealth, Acts 19 25. And therefore to defend it they prate much, and print something: yet I never heard of any so audaciously impious as to preach the lawfulness of such enclosure. But I shall show that this enclosure is not a single sin, but will admit for the aggravation of it all those sins, and black circumstances in the Text: And then we may conclude, it is a transgression for which the Lord will not turn away the punishment thereof. Now than it is my business to rip up such enclosure, and to manifest how many sins lie within the bowels of this monster, &c. And for the proof I shall bring herein, it is undeniable. Such enclosure shall be discovered by his bloody hands, and in the very Fact be found guilty. If the Lord PROTECTOR his highness; and most Honourable council should impannel a Jury of all the honest hearts in Leicester-shire, and North-hampton-shire, and Counties adjacent, they must bring therein a Verdict against such enclosure, guilty of Depopulation and decay of Tillage generally, very few if any at all excepted. Our proof is De Facto: it is so. Behold it with your eyes. Oh woeful experience! And that enclosure is now about in Leicester-shire is like to be as sordid and base as any of the former, if not worse: for, Depopulation comes by degrees; in the next generation, if not present. Behold what desolation of houses and tillage of Farmers, Cottagers, man-servants, maid-servants, &c. which all lived by the Plow.  
But I hasten for the Conviction of such enclosure to be guilty as aforesaid. And for such conviction I shall follow the method of the Text, as those sins lie in order there:  For three Transgressions of Israel and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof. 
First, It cannot be denied that if such as make such enclosure be guilty of all the sins in the Text, than they are guilty of three transgressions and of four, (that is, as hath been opened) they add sin to sin, they accumulate very many sins, they commit a multitude of sins: To three sins they add four, they press God as a cart is pressed with sheaves, Amos 2 12. laying on one sheaf after another, burdening God with their sins, and make him serve with their sins. But the former is true, Therefore they are guilty of three transgressions and of four. We shall prove the former true in the ensuing particulars of the Text.  They sold the righteous for silver. 
That is, if we put to this selling of the righteous for silver, the buying of the poor for silver, Amos 8. 6. they make chaffer and merchandise of them for gain and profit: they use them as they do their beasts, keep them or put them off for advantage: they buy them, and sell them, as may best serve their turns to get by them. But what is that they thus buy and sell the righteous for? For silver, that is, for advantage, profit, gain. Oh base! And then why such enclosure made I pray you? Is it not for silver, advantage, gain? Doth not silver, filthy lucre lie at the bottom? Do they not call such enclosure an Improvement of their lands? We shall gain by it, we shall treble our rents. Hence those Heathenish speeches of theirs. May I not make the best of mine own? May I not do what I list with mine own? Who shall hinder us? And they say of their estate●, as he in Psal. 12. 4. of his tongue, Our estates are ours, Who is Lord over us? I answer, whereas thou talkest of thine own: that although thou art a civil Owner, yet thou art a spiritual usurper. Thou must look whether thou hast right in the Court of Conscience, as well as in the Court of Law. Whether thou hast right in the Consistory of God, as well as in the Common pleas of men. What, mayest thou do with thine own what thou listest? No: thou must do what God would have thee to do with it. He is thy sovereign Lord of whom thou holdest all in chief. Thou art but his Steward, and he hath committed to thee all these Talents of thy Estate, and one day thou must give an account of thy stewardship, viz: whether thou hast improved these talents, (not to thy own) but to thy heavenly Master's advantage, even to the glory of his name, the good of all with whom thou livest, especially of the saints, and to thy own poor soul's advantage. What, mayest thou do with thy own what thou listest? No: He that is Lord over thee, and hath made thee rich, 1 Tim. 6. 17. and hath given thee all things richly to enjoy, hath laid a charge upon thee (in the 17, 18, & 19 verses) what thou shouldest do with all he hath given thee, even To do good, to be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate, laying up unto thyself a sure foundation against the time to come, that thou mayest lay hold on eternal life. Oh! what a sandy-foundation do these build on for eternal life, who walk contrary to this charge? &c. What, mayest thou do with thine own what thou listest, and improve it to thine own advantage? No: hear that complaint, Phil. 2. 21. All seek their own, not the things that are Jesus Christ's. I tell thee Jesus Christ must share with thee in land, house, food, clothing, (Mat 25. 41. to the end of the Chap:) that is, in his members: or else, Depart from me ye cursed must be your eternal doom. But may I not improve mine own estate to my best advantage? No: thou must have a care of thy brothers also, Phil. 2. 4. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others, even that they may thrive as thyself. But yet I have not touched this sin in this particular to the quick. Thou must then ask this Question, may I not improve mine own to the hurt and damage of others? But here I know thou wilt startle, and say, Whose hurt? Whose damage? I will make it appear, thou raisest thy own estate upon the ruin both of public & Poor. First, on the ruin of the public, Thou takest away Tillage, which is the general Trade we live on in Leicester-shire, and the Counties adjacent: By which Trade or Tillage and Husbandry we have been as beneficial to the rest of the commonwealth of England as any counties whatsoever. We have fed them not only with our wheat, corn, and malt, not only in plentiful years, but also in times of famine and dearth, we being the only magazine for corn in the middle of the Nation; But also we have fed them with fat mutton, and swine's flesh, yea also with victualling our ships by our pease and beans that come by the plow. As our open-fields breed abundance of sheep, so the plow provides abundance of the aforesaid provisions to feed them fat; yea, at such times when no fat flesh is to be had elsewhere in the Nation. If the Tillage of these inland counties be turned into grazing, the rest of the Nation must be in a starving condition whensoever the Lord shall slack his hand of this abundance of corn, he seems of late years to have rained from heaven amongst us. Thus are we as beneficial by our Trade of Tillage to other counties, as they to us by other Manufactures which are so commodious, they lying near to the Sea and City which we are so far from.  
Yea, to show the intolerableness of such enclosure: Behold it takes away the general Trade that all the Inhabitants of these Counties live on, except some great ones and tradesmen in Market-Towns, &c. Can any deny but that the Farmer lives of the plow, the Cottagers live of the plow, and the Children of both brought up to the trade of the plow, and do not the Children of the poor become man-servants and maid-servants to the ploughman? Doth not that ancient, honest, venerable, and profitable Trade of Husbandry maintain all these? Yea, and all these lived as happily, plentifully, and richly of this Trade of Tillage in these counties before so much enclosure, as any in other counties whatsoever, or of what other Trade soever they were of. What must become of these thousands and ten thousands if such enclosure be not speedily stopped? As every honest heart prays GOD SPEED THE PLOW, so every every good Minister will have a word to uphold it, and every good Magistrate make use of his power ●o save it from ruin. What now, mayest thou do what what listest with thine own, and advance thine own nest on high thus upon the ruin of the public? Why art thou not content with thine own? since especially thy lands in Common are worth as much and more than ever thy forefathers purchased them at, or thou of late hast purchased thine at. If they that sold thy lands in Common had had thy evil conscience to have improved them upon the ruins of the public and Poor, thou and thy forefathers must have paid twice as much, if not thrice as much more for them. But now these covetous wretches have got the trick of it to buy lands in Common, and presently improve them, and so double if not treble their money upon a public account. These cruel ones care not how many they ruin so they may be rich, nor how many they make Beggars so they may be Gentlemen; Let them answer me this one Question, viz: How so many thousand Families can subsist, when their livelihood is taken away, to wit, their Trade of Tillage? And how shall so many thousands of Children be disposed of from starving, Vagrancy or thieving, since so much enclosure hath caused so many Tradesmen already they cannot live one by another?  
But it will be objected, some Books have been printed of late that prone enclosure both lawful and laudable. Surely my heart bleeds within me to see some hands at such Books of whom I hoped better things, That they should daub o'er this black sin with such untempered mortar. Oh how men will scrabble for gain! They would not have a spade called a spade. They would not (though they are such) be called oppressors, unjust, unconscionable, uncharitable, unmerciful. And surely such Books are stuffed so full of levity and untruths, that the Authors of them deserve rather to be pitied than answered. I but these Books say there may be an innocent enclosure. What then? The Petitioner: to Parliament formerly, and the Petitioners now to his highness and council seek a redress against such enclosure that doth depopulate towns and decay Tillage. And such the authors of these books hold to be hateful to God and man. Yes, but they say there may be an enclosure without decay of Tillage or Depopulation. Surely they may make men as soon believe there is no sun in the firmament as that usually depopulation & decay of Tillage will not follow enclosure in our Inland counties. We see it with our eyes: It is so. De facto, it is so. And we see the enclosure that they are so now about will be as sordid or more than any formerly. They having not so much as one Covenant amongst them to uphold Tillage. And then we know what follows in his time, even an utter depopulation. It matters not what they pretend in their books, provision for the poor, &c. In one place they speak of fourteen acres given to the poor, what will this do when they have taken away their whole trade of maintenance for themselves and families? Yet but they say they do not intend depopulation and decay of Tillage. If in charity I could believe them, Yet I must answer, it is finis operis, though not operantis: It is the end of the work, though not of the workman, as everywhere appears. It is true indeed, Infant enclosure may be somewhat in his nonage free from depopulation, but never from decay of Tillage. Yet I know not where gray-headed enclosure is free from depopulation as well as decay of Tillage. If anywhere it is rare indeed. For they would never enclose to keep Farmers, Tenants, Cottagers, Servants, teams &c. Yea, but the books tell of some towns free from both Depopulation and decay of Tillage. They scrabble up a few towns that are innocent (as they say) which are just none at all in comparison of those many hundreds are guilty of both. And these few they are forced to fish out of the County of Leicester, Warwick, Northampton, &c. Let's see what truth is in this. For I know two or three of these places, because they are near unto me. They brag of the innocency of Ashby magna, which hath been enclosed above fifty years. The truth of this business stands thus, The Lord of that place gave most of his Tenants Leases for three Lives, and one and twenty years after, which are not yet expired. And therefore the time of depopulation of that town is not yet come. But they name Misterton and Poultney as innocent also. I wonder they dare do so, since in regard of depopulation there is no house at all lest in either of them but the Ministers. And the Closes now are called by the town's name that were anciently there. And as for decay of Tillage in those places they have not been ploughed in the memory of man, except some part of them of late: And the Tenants that rent them must plow them now but for Four years only. How dare they print such falsehoods? And as little credit I hear and believe is to be given to the innocency of the rest of the towns named.  
I have one word to speak to men that have not put off humanity, natural compassion towards their own flesh, and to Christians that love much, because God hath forgiven them much. Which is this. If you did but hear what complaining and lamentation is made of Farmers that rent land turned out of those enclosed places, and of poor Cottagers together with them, that the one cannot get no not at any excessive rate a little land to plow, whereby he might keep his team and cattle, that himself and family might be employed in husbandry, to get a poor living by, but is constrained to sell all these to all their utter undoings: That the other cannot get a house anywhere to harbour himself and his poor babes.  
Surely, it would make all Ministers and others, yea Ministers above others, to ride and run, spend their pains and estate to petition, entreat, beg, wait, and never cease to be importunate for relief for these oppressed Fellow-creatures, and many of them Fellow citizens of heaven together with us.  
Behold now the oppressions of towns in open fields and Market-towns! for when these enclosures have made Farmers, Cottagers; and Cottagers, Beggars; no way of livelihood being left them: These poor with their families are forced into market-towns, and open-fielded towns, hoping they may find some employment there to preserve them and theirs from perishing. Whereupon, these open-fielded places are so loaden with poor, that the Inhabitants are not able to relieve them. I but these bookmen for enclosure say they pay more Taxes. And truly well they may, when they lay such burdens upon open fields that they are not able to bear them; not only all those poor the enclosure have beggared, but all carriages the State hath need of, free quarter, attendance at the assizes and sessions, &c. The enclosures got the gain, and have the ease; and poor open fields pay the shot, and endure all the drudgery. What enemies to the public are these enclosures? observe how few or no gentle-like men or horses in these places, for the defenee of the Nation when need is: whereas before they were enclosed there were twenty, thirty, forty, &c. of both kinds, now scarce one or two. Yes, but one of the last bookmen for enclosure tells us they are jaded tired horses. Oh impudence! let the whole country speak, whether four or five of these open-fielded towns (yea sometimes one of them alone) are not able to raise a whole Troop of gallant Horses, and to set valiant men on their backs too, in so formidable a manner, that they were able to make the stoutest Troop to quake that opposed the Parliament formerly, and his highness the Lord protector of late: yea, which they have done too, under both Governments. Whereas such enclosed places can (I believe) scarcely raise one Troop either for men or horses, &c. Oh! let not these valiant spirited men for the public in Leicester-shire, and their forces be trampled in the dirt by such enclosure, to raise a few private persons upon the ruin of the strength of the Nation. Surely if a Jericho was again to be besieged, there would be found good store of Rams horns, though but few persons to wind them in these enclosed places. But these bookmen for enclosure say, that the common fields cause many Law suits &c. I shall (God willing) answer all as I pass through this Text of Scripture. First, there are offenders both within hedges and without too, and loving hearts will pass by an offence.  
Secondly, in common fields they live like loving neighbours together for the most part, till the spirit of enclosure enter into some rich churl's heart, who do not only pry out but feign occasions too to go to law with their neighbours, and no reconcilement to be made till they consent to enclosure. For this is the trick they fall together by the ears with their honest neighbours, that they bring their design about. Yea, but there is so much stealing and filching by the poor. But thank enclosure for that, which hath filled openfield Towns so full of poor they cannot live one by another, For, Poverty is a provoking argument to steal. And therefore Agur prays, Prov. 30. 8. Give me not poverty, and why so? the ninth Verse tells us, lest I be poor and steal. And thus enclosure makes thieves, and then they cry out of thieves.  Because they sold the Righteous for silver, and the poor for a pair of shoes. 
The Righteous: who are those? Not to stand upon the divers acceptations of the word [Righteous,] I'll show what is meant by a righteous man, viz: The Evangelical righteous man is one, who, as he hath the righteousness of Jesus Christ imputed unto him, so he hath in some measure the righteousness of Christ imparted unto him, desiring and endeavouring to keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus, Rev. 14. 12. He is one that loves God above all, and his neighbour as himself, Mat. 22. 37, 38, 39 He is one, 1 Joh. 4 21. who as he loveth God, loveth his neighbour also. Oh! how precious are these Righteous ones in heaven? They are the Lord's people, his portion, the lot of his Inheritance, Deut. 32. 9 They are the Lord's own, his very jewels: All the rest of a Town are but the rubbish amongst whom these his jewels lie and live for a while. And to speak the truth (for truth must be spoken however it be taken) if the Lord had not had two of these Righteous ones, or three of these jewels, that as they love God they love their neighbour also, in many towns of these Inland Counties, what desolations had there been made ere this time by such enclosure?  
These inclosurists sell the Righteous for silver. What care they for God's jewels, his portion, his inheritance, so they may improve their own inheritance? what cared Judas for Jesus Christ the Righteous, so he might get thirty pieces of silver by him? What care these men for the tender consciences of any of these Righteous ones, that dare not consent to such enclosure? They will make them make shipwreck of faith and a good conscience, or else estates and liberties and all must be ruined by multiplicities of trivial Law suits in common Law and Chancery, threatening they will not leave them a shift to their backs, nor a cow to their pail. I could here give you a large Catalogue of the unjust vexations of such Righteous ones, but because some of their vexers pretend to religion, I will spare them, One of these two evils are incident to such as dare not in conscience consent to such enclosure, viz. Either to be undone in the inward, or el●e in the outward man, choose them which. If they go against conscience in the inward man; if they will keep a good conscience in the outward man, and here let the inclosurists of Cat in Leicester-shire tremble, to have no respect to the conscience of one of these righteous men (their own consciences I believe judging him such a one) nor to his vow to his God made upon good ground in the sight both of God and good men, nor to his right in law, according to a petition that is now depending before his highness and his most Honourable council, in which there is made a good progress and good hopes (praised be God) of a happy issue. It matters not what one of the bookmen for enclosure truly prattles to the contrary. He makes but a Jeer of a good conscience in his Book. And as for his right in Law, because it is but a little to their great deal, they may alter the propriety of it as they list, without his consent, and set hedges and ditches upon his common whether he will or no. I wonder who made these men dividers of his common from theirs, when he hath a right and propriety in every foot of common in all their fields. Is there not the same right in Law to a little as a great deal? &c.  And the poor for a pair of shoes. 
The poor. Well may they sell the poor for a pair of shoes, when they sell the Righteous for silver. When Judas sold his Master That Righteous one for silver (let Ministers remember Judas was a Disciple) no wonder if he cared not for the poor. But these inclosurists have the poor much in their mouths, and how they provide for the poor. My exhortation to them is 1 Joh. 3. 18. My little children let us net love in word neither in tongue, but in deed and in truth. Saint James shows us that a few words will not warm, nor feed, nor clothe poor people, James 2. 16. If one of you say unto them, depart in peace, be you warmed, and filled, notwithstanding you give them not these things which are needful to the body, what doth it profit? Alas, what will all their good words profit the poor, when they do not only not give them those things which are needful for the body, but take away at once all things that are needful for the body, even the Trade of Tillage which should warm, cloth, feed them and their families. But these bookmen for enclosure have articles, yea, and acres for the poor too. What would these men be thought charitable men? Let Judas be thought so too. For he would have the ointment sold for three hundred pence, and given to the poor, John 12. 5. Truth is, former Inclosurists have been very specious and pretending for the poor in their Promises, Articles, Acres, when they were hot upon their business of enclosure, to stop the mouths of poor and Country from clamours; and these enclosures of the last Edition which they are now about are but sordid in respect of the former in that kind. But woeful experience tells us, a short time forced all the Tenants and Cottagers out of most of those places into the open fielded Towns to seek for a livelihood where they can find it, to the great oppressions of those towns.  That pant after the dust of the earth upon the head of the poor. 
Pant, that is, exceedingly desire it, and long for it. After the dust of the earth, that is, after those things which are but as the dust of the earth, and whose original and matter is but the dust of the earth. Oh the excessive desire (after such enclosure and the gain that comes by it) execeding the bounds of piety, equity, charity, and humanity itself, as you have heard! Improvement of estate is this man's bait. And if any thing go about to hinder that, he is like a lion stirred up at the sight of his prey, and makes no conscience of devouring men, women, and children that stand in his way.  
The serpent feeds upon the dust of the earth: It feeds upon base and low things, vile and venomous: so do covetous, merciless men. As the Serpent licks the dust of the earth; so do they lick the dust of the earth, they feed upon blood, upon oppression; They pant after the dust of the earth, they pant after the estate and means that poor men have in Town or Field, and feed upon it, to satisfy (if it were possible) their greedy appetites in sucking the estates and crushing the bones of the poor. The Prophet Habakkuk hath a woe for these, Hab. 2. v. 6. Woe to him that increaseth that which is not his (to wit, in the Court of Conscience as well as in the Court of the Law) and ladeth himself with thick clay. Lutum scite pictum, with gold and silver, the finest dust and pieces of the earth, whereby all the rest of the commodities of the earth are valued. This dust of the earth, this thick clay doth but load and burden their souls and consciences, and makes them drive heavily heaven-ward, God's glory ward, and their own salvation-ward. This thick clay doth them no more good than that gold and silver and embroidered cloth of arras a sumpter-horse is burdened with all day, and at night is turned with the rest of the Jades with a gauled and bruised back into the stable. Oh take heed of a gauled conscience loaded and bruised with such hedges and ditches as hedge out public and Poor; lest at the night of Death thou be turned with the rest of the Jades of worldlings, Dives-like, into the devil's stable.  upon the head of the poor. 
They pant after the dust of the earth, but upon whose head? upon the head of the poor. These beasts will be sure to go over where the hedge is lowest. In any town where there is any rich men public spirited, and have bowels toward the poor, there these greedy gripes dare not meddle with their matches, and cannot force them to such enclosure, because they are able to defend themselves. But on the contrary in any town where there are merciful men, public spirited men &c. That dare not in conscience consent to such enclosure, If these be men but of mean estates, these merciless wretches join purses, and make no more conscience to trample upon these righteous poor, yea, upon their consciences, estates, liberties, and whole families, than they do to trample upon the mire in the streets.  And turn aside the way of the meek. 
These incl●surists turn aside the way of the meek these three ways. First, they turn aside the way of Justice and Equity which is the means of keeping and recovering their right. A great purse will make a good cause though it be stark nought. What say these Mammonists when any cross them in such enclosure, their word is, I'll undo him if he will not yield. And how is that? By suits in Law and Chancery. And have not these men been as good as their words? I could here tell sad stories. But I intend to name no man in this present discourse.  
Secondly, they turn aside the way of the meek when they take away the way of their livelihood. Now Tillage is the way, the calling, the profession which most of the inhabitants of Inland Counties live of, as we have proved.  
Thirdly, they turn aside the way of the meek: Why? What is the way of the meek? The Psalmist tells us (Psal. 25. 9) it is God's way. The meek he will teach his way. They endeavour to turn them out of the way of faith and a good conscience, in persuading them if that will not do, and compelling them to do against conscience, or undo. But I conclude with the wise man's exhortation, Prov 22. 22, 23. Rob not the poor because he is poor, neither oppress the afflicted in the gate. For the Lord will plead their cause, and spoil the soul of those that spoiled their.  
FINIS.