THE JUGGLERS DISCOVERED, In two Letters writ by Lievt. Col. John Lilburne, prerogative prisoner in the Tower of London, the 28. September, 1647. to his Excellency Sir Thomas Fairfax, Captain General of all the forces in England and Wales, discovering the turn coat, Machiavelli practisers and underhand deal of Liew. Gen. Cromwell, and his soon in law, Commissary General Ireton, and the rest of their Hocus Pocus faction in his Excellency's Counsel of War, the first of which Letters thus followeth. Unto which is annexed some advice to the private Soldiers. Honoured Sir, I Have yesterday seen a paper coming from yourself, and your Council of War, wherein there is mention made of myself, & and though it do not reach what I stand in need of, yet can I not but judge myself 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 General Ireton. etc. from whom I might have challenged more interest then from yourself. I beseech your Excellency give me leave to state my case unto you, which is thus, upon the 10. june 1646. I was by warrant from the House of Peers, brought to their bar, to answer such things, as I stood charged with before their Lordships, concerning a Pamphlet entitled, The just man's justification, or a letter by way of plea in bar, and hereof he shall not fail, as he will answer the contrary at his peril. * Which said Order you may verbatum read in the 3. pag. of my book called the free man's 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 formal Appeal which I sent unto the house of Commons from Newgate. And being there, I was by their Speaker, the Earl of Manchester, pressed at their bar (inquisition like, against all law, and justice) to answer to Interrogatories against myself, without having any visible accuser or any accusation at all laid unto my charge, which I pleaded at their bar, was against the very fundamental laws 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 criminal case, being a Commoner, for which and nothing else, I was most illegally the 11. june, 1646. committed by them to Newgate, as your Excellency may read in the 7. pag. of my book, called the free man's freedom vindicated, now with the rest of my books in the hands of Mr. Saxby, and the 16. of june 1646. I sent my Appeal (appealing from their jurisdiction) to the House of Commons, which Appeal you may read ibim. pag. 9, 10. 11. which said appeal the House of Commons received read, and approved of, and committed it and my cause to a Committee where Col. Martin had the chair, who twice examined the business, but I could never get him to make his report unto the House to day, upon whose delay the Lords took courage and the 22 june 1646 sent for me up to their bar, where they commnaded me to kneel, which I absolutely refused, and stood stiffly to my said appeal, upon which they committed me close prisoner to Newgate, and also ordered that I should not be permitted 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 half a sheet 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 Clerk of Newgate, that my wife was not permitted to come into the prisonyard to speak with me out of my window, neither was she, 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 Bar again, * iz. Mr. Sergeant Finch, Mr. Hail, Mr. Glover, and Mr. Hearne. of purpose to be supprised, they having had as I was informed, 3 or 4 Lawyers constantly at work 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 bar I refused again to knelt or to do any action that might declare a subjection ●o their jurisdiction, telling the● I was resolved to spend the last drop of my heart blood in justification of my Appeal to the House of Commons * whereupon they then and there for so doing, sentenced me in two several sentences, to pay to the King 4000 l. to be imprisonned in the (extraordinary chargeable prison of the) Tower of London, for 7. years, without, according to the custom of the place allowing me subsistence, and that I be for ever uncapable to bear any office or place, in military or in civil government, in Church or Common wealth, as more at large in the sentence itself, 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 divorced from my wife, (that meet help that the wise and merciful God had provided for me, to bear part of my afflictions) tell the 16. of September, 1646. about which time both she and myself petitioned again to the House of Commons, which you may be pleased to read in the last end of my book called London's liberty in Chains, with which Petitions she with some scores of Gentlewomen her friends and mine, followed the House day by day, with the importunate widows cries for justice, to men abundantly more unjust than her unrightous judge, that upon no importunity for these six years together, will do 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 importunity, the same Committee with some additions as I remember, was appointed by the house fully to here and report my business, and after the greatest part of twenty days waiting. I got the Committee fully to hear me, upom the 6. November 1647. at which time, Lievt. Gen. Cromwell, Col. Fleetword, and Mayor Harrison now with you were present, and so fully heard and know the whole state of my business that if their memory had not been very forgetful, I should have thought they should have been able fully to have directed the Council of War, to have desired something of the House of Commons, that might really have been good for me, viz. without delay to have adjudged my cause and appeal, either to my justification, or condemnation, which is the chiefest thing is the first place I desire, and which may easily be done in one hour. Upon the hearing fully of all business, so that in 7. year's 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 did, and since printed it, and entitled it an Annotamy of the Lords tyranny. And have since that time with all my might, by all the ways and means I had in the world, endeavoured 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 enclosed epistle sent unto him yesterday, * Which is now printed in the last pag. of my book, called jonahs' cries out of the Whale's belly. but what should be the reason why he will not do it, I cannot tell, unless it be that he is conjoined in interest with the Lords, to buy, sell or betray the liberties of all the Commons of England, who are all and every of them concerned in the Lords arbitrary and tyrannical dealing with me, for what is my case to day, may be their case to morrow, and seeing by entreaties and fair words, I could do nothing with him, * But in answer to the forementioned letter, he sent me a letter in which he gives me information, that he hath proffered 20. times to make my report, but the house would not hear him, and he also promiseth me to do it the first opportunity he hath; which he did perform the 14. Sept. 1647. which hath given me full satisfaction, which I have acknowledged to him in my late two printed letters to him. I underhand in City and Country applied myself vigorusly to my friends and fellow Commons, strongly to petition to the House of Commons, to adjudge my cause, and either to justify me or condemn 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 tyrannical, treacherous Villains there, Hollis and Stapleton, etc. was slighted and would not be received, and others they burned by the hands of the Common Hangman, and for ever to terrify the Commons of England again to petition for justice or their liberty, they most illegally and unjustly caused several 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 fair means I could use, would do me no good; and knowing that▪ it was as bad as murder in me, to leave any means whatsoever unattempted for my own preservation, being by my tyrannical imprisonment likely to be murdered and destroyed, without and against all law, and justice, and being in my own soul confidently persuaded, that if I sat still I must perish, I made a vigorous and strong attempt upon the private Soldiery of your Army, and with abundance of study and pains, and the expense of some scores of pounds, I brought my just, honest, and lawful intentions, by my agents, instruments, and interest to a good ripeness, 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 tried, to see what mettle they were made of, and found them quivering spirited, overwise, prudential men, not any one of them that I could hear of at any time daring to carry a high, though just Petition into the House, to deliver it, and speak unto it, so that at present they were to me become reprobate silver, and therefore knowing by the moral law, that murder was odious in the sight of God, especially self murder, I durst not but do the uttermost that I could to preserve myself, which in my understanding could by no other means in the world be effected, but by men that had swords in their hands, and resolution in their spirits, which I believe had been done ere now to the purpose, if I had embraced their earnest desire to break prison and go to them, which for divers weighty reasons I could not, and truly Sir give me leave to tell you without fear or dread, had I come, and could have got so many to have followed me, as would da●e enabled me with my sword in my hand, to have done justice and execution upon those grand treacherous fellows, and tyrants at Westminster,, that have not only tyrannised over me, but the whole kingdom, 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 tyrannical wills) then to have destroyed so many Weasels and Poule-Cats; but I hoped the great work of the kingdom would speedily be done, by more abler and wiser instruments than I judged myself to be, but when I see and heard of divers great ones in your Army to cool the business on foot, I sent my wife then big with child, and several other Agents down to St. Albon, to revive my earnest desire, with those I had an interest in, for the obtaining of my just ends, justice, and my just liberty, never in my life time coveting or desiring the interest and power of your Army to be a clock or covering for any of my misdoings; making always so far as I knew, the law of the land the square of my actions, in reference to civil things amongst men, having always this rule of true reason and justice before me, to do to every man, as I would have all men do to me, but understanding from time to time of plotted and contrived tricks put upon me &c, by some fair outsides under your * Who I have named in my book called jonahs' 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 self, either in reference to me or the public, but what deserves my choicest thanks and praises, and the rather for that I am as it were a mere stranger to you) which now to you, I judge it altogether inconvenient to take the boldness to complain of, but hearing from time to time, I was not forgot amongst those, that have no more ends than I have, viz. justice, and the universal good and benefit of all just interests in England. I waited with as much patience as my unsimpothized with condition would enable me to do, for the good hour of my just and long expected liberty, justice and reparation, procured for me, by the means of yourself, 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) return you extraordinary hearty thanks, for your cheerful willingness to give countenance to anything that may justly be undertaken, (in my doleful and sad condition) to procure for me justice, and my just freedoms; yet I am apt to think there is intentively some tricks put upon me, by some of the contrivers * The chief contrivers I judge to be King, Crumwell, and his son Prince Ireton. who are the principal 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 do something far me in regard of the honest Adjutaters impertunitie, about it, but yet by their subtlety did it in such a manner that they were sure would do me no good. of that paper to the House of Commons, Dated at Reading july 19 1647. sent by your Excellency and your Council of War, for most Noble Sir, the thing that will do me good is vigorrously to press 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 Lord's juridiction, in crimminall cases, and appealing to the House of Commons, as my leagall & proper judges I have either done evil, & illegally, or else justly and legally, If I have done evilly and illegally I crave no favour at their hands, but desire them to condemn me, that so I may know what to trust to, that so I may use some means to the King etc. for to the House of (Lords I will never in this apply myself.) For the taking of my 4000 l. Fine, and restoring me to my liberty and freedom, and not be forced all my days 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 Lord's jurisdiction in crimminall cases, and appealing to the House of Commons as my proper and legal judges, I have done well and legally, why do the house of Commons suffer me to be kept in prison, and not adjudge my cause, and deliver me with just reparation, and a just punishment upon the causers of my causeless torments and sufferings, and this alone is the thing most noble General, I want and stand in need of, which only will do me good, and which in itself is such a rational and equitable piece of justice, as by no just man can be denied. For alas, most noble General, what will liberty in England, without judging my cause (and Appeal) do me good, am I not subject every hour in the King's name and behalf? though it may be against his previty, will or mind, to have my body cast into prison, for the 4000 l. which by that unjust fine I in law own him? or if my body by absence cannot be seized upon, is not that little that I have liable by the law every hour to be seized upon? yea, and the very beds that my distressed, helpless, and unpitied wife and children lie upon, subject to be taken from under them, yea, and stripped of their very wearing clothes They were, And truly Sir, so large experience have I of the merciless and cruel temper of my adversaries, that I will not trust in the least, to the mercy of the merciless Lords at westminster, or their cruel and merciless confederates, in the House of Commons, Assembly, or Common Counsel of London, any of whom I am sure, would willingly, Vote, Petition, or Remonstrate me to death. And again Sir, should I put in bail as your paper desires, I should run myself into such a snare, as I should never get out of again while I live, but thereby should like a foolish fellow, undo all that in the heat of the fire I have been doing almost this 14. months, viz. preserving and defending the liberty of all the Commons of England, against the tyrannical invasions of the House of Lords: For whose prisoneram I? surely the House of Lords, and no others, (unless it be negligent Henry martin's) and to whom must I put in security? surely to no other than the Lords. And undoubtedly I should both in reason and law, by so doing justify the illegallitie and uniustnesse of their sentence passed against me, and not only so, but also justify their jurisdiction and power over all the Commons of England in criminal cases, which were an act, that would not only as much as in me lies, destroy the best and fundamentallest Laws of England, (viz. Magna Charta, and the most excellent Petition of Right, etc.) But also destroy and overthrow the rational, natural, national, and legal liberties of myself and all the Commons of England, which would be an act in my judgement, not only of the greatest business in the world, but also of the greatest treason that I could commit against the land of my nativity and my own being, of which wickedness I would not justly be esteemed guilty for all the gold in the world. Now most noble and heroical General, if it should be objected against me, that the House of Commons, are full of the great and weighty affairs of the Kingdom, and therefore want time to debate and adjudge my particular business, to which I answer and say, I am confident they have not a business of greater weight and consequence before them, than mine in the latitude of it is, for it is concerning the escentiall and fundamental liberties of themselves, of me, and of all and every individual Commoner of England, and I wonder what greater business they can spend their time about, than a business of so grand and universal 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 in the air, for invasion of rights, was the true cause of all the present wars, and their so visible invading of the just and legal rights, and freedoms 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 again * Espccially when the Commons of England, shall see the most base and wicked juggle 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. Vain, and Solicitor St. john) is now vigorusly improved to support & uphold the Lords usurpations, tyranny, and grand opprossions, that so they may merit, 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 hour in the day in their power to deliver me if they pleased. with strong violence which if it do, I hope it will be to their fatal and final destruction: which I with all my might and strength with as much earnestness as Samson prosecuted the Philistems, should help forward, though I should thereby pull the roof of the house about my ears as he aid. And truly Sir I cannot think that the House of Commons are so mindful of the good of the kingdom, that the providing therefore, so straightens them, that they have no time to hear my report, and adjudge my cause. Sure I am since my report was ready, they have found time enough to vote and divide among themselves like wicked stewards, hundreds of thousands of pounds of their masters the Common wealth's money, and I am sure they can find time enough to vote all the Commons of England slaves, by voting their honest and just Petitions, to be burnt by the hands of the Common Hangman, yea and to vote and declare them Rebe'ls and Traitors to the kingdom, (which principally is themselves) for endeavouring by petition to make known their grievances to them their servants, whom they choose 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 laws and justice of the kingdom, by voting the 11. Members particularly impeached of no less than high treason, by accusers ready to prosecute and make good at their perils their charge and impeachment, to have liberty without security to travel where they please for six months, and yet can find no time in 13. months to deliver me from the tyranny of the Lords, who originally laid no crime nor legal charge to my charge, nor never in the least produced any accuser or witness against me, but merely imprisoned me because I would not be a slave to their tyrannical wills and unbounded lusts, which is the height of injustice. * See Vox Plebis, pag. 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 18, 19 etc. See my Annotamy of the Lords tyranny, p. 8.9.10. and my book called the resolved man's resolution, dated 30. April 1647. p. 3, 4, 8, 9, 10. See also regal tyranny, from the 62. 63. to the 84. pag. Besides Sir, if I had do evil, add lying in prison after so many Gaol detiveries, and being so strongly committed by those, that I am confident never a judge in Westminster Hall, dare grant me a Habias' Corpus against; there being no visible and formal power in England but the House of Commons, to save me from Arbitrary destruction, they ought by law, though never in myself so guilty of violation of the law, being the Lords have let so many Gaol deliveries pass, and hath never called me oat to crye me by law, nor yet to this day hath laid no legal crime to my charge, for by the law of England (which they havee often sworn to maintain) there ought to be Gaol deliveries held 3. times a year, or oftener if need require, either for the condemning or acquitting all prisoners whatsoever, 5 Ed. 3 2. 4. part Sir Edward Cooks institutes, folio. 168, 169. See the oppressed man's oppressions declared. pag. 3. And jonah cries outt of the Whale's belly pag. 10. See also the beginning of Vox Plebis. 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 laws in England as any Member of the House of Commons what ever he be, (as they confess in their own Declarations, cited by me, in the Outcries of Oppressed Commons, for all th●ir vapring with their b●g swollen blatherly privileges, they having none at all in reference to the Commons of England. But freedom from arrests, and that but for a short time, and that not for aprenti●ship, much less for ever, being as liable to the law as any other man, either for the breach of the peace, Felony or Treason, as Sir Edward Cook 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 privileges by law in reference to the King, but freedom 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, etc. declares it is, than 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 lain so long in prison without any legal accusation at all, or legal trial, or so much as without any prosecutor or informer against me at all, which is against all law and justice in the highest degree whatsoever, for the words of their own late Vote in the behalf of the eleven impeached Members is. That by the law of the Land, no judgement can be given to suspend (and therefore much less 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, than I am sure they are most unjust in not delivering me, who orriginally never had any charge at all against me, nor never see prosecutor nor witness examined against me, to this very day; O height of injustice, and partiality? thus to vote, and thus contrary to that vote, to deal 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 illegal in itself, and against the law, and the practices of the law in England, or else they themselves violated it in the highestd degree with the Earl of Straford, who upon a general charge of high treason, without mentioning particulars, further than for endeavouring to subvert the Fundamental Laws, without nameing any witnesses or prosecutors, unless it was their own Clerk, 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 general Charge, and I have from good hands been told, Mr halis under hand, was one of his chief prosecutors, and sat up many a late night to beat his brains to destroy him, and therefore just, or not just, it is but just, that he himself should ●aft of his own law, which he &c. is so far from doing, that he is yet at liberty, and voted by the House to have leave for 6 months to go 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 tyrannical intended tyranny and Lordly domination, now as apparent to any impartial observant rational man as the Sun that shines at noon 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 tediousness, leaving all to your judicious and wise consideration, to do in it as God, justice, humanity, and conscience shall direct you; craving nothing from your power to justify or protect me in any evil, or wickedness; but only that I may have justice and fair play above board, and upon them terms I bid defiance to all the adversaries I have in England; to do the worst they can to me, only I humbly and earnestly supplycate you, that what you shall resolve to do for me, you do it speedily and vigorously, for perish I can not, nor will not if I can help it, and if nothing will serve the 2 Houses but my causeless destruction, I am nesscesitated like a plain dealer, that fears no colours, to protest unto your Excellency that if speedily they will not do me justice I will appeal to all the Commons of England, and the private Soldiers of your Army, * Which I had done ear now if I had not been deluded With fair words, and cheate● with fair promises, and do the best I can to set them about their ears, to cut their tyrannical throats, though I perish with them; so committing your Renowned Excellency, to the faithful protection, care and direction of your wise and powerful God, desiring of him for you, that your heart may be kept upright, and sinscere before him, tell the Glorious and joyful appearing of our Capt. Gen. the Lord jesus Christ, and so I humbly take my leave and subscribe myself From my watch Tower, in the Tower of London, this 22. july, 1647. Sir, Your Excellencies cordial, obliged and faithful servant for the common good of his Country, ready to spend his heart blood with you. john Lilburne. The second Letter thus followeth. For his Excellency, Sir Thomas Fairfax, this at Kingston present with speed. NOble and right worthy Gen. vouchsafe unto me I beseech you leave, to present unto your Excellency, the grateful acknowledgement of my heart for your Excellency's senceablenesse of my afflictions, and your readiness and willingness 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 been 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. Cromwel's Regiament, and his Officious and extraordinary creature in the employing of all his subtlety and parts to make fruitless the honest negotiations of the honest and uncorrupted adjetators, and to support the usurping Lords in their tyrannical oppressions, as I have largely declared unto himself 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 expected to have received any such pernicious destructive advice (to justice and true freedom) from the mouths of any in your Army, that hath eminently pretended to be patrons of true, and impartially justice, and the Commons true legal and well known privelidges; & therefore 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 justice and honesty abhor and detest, and had rather desire to rot here then not with all my interest as fare as I am able to hinder such a thing, for to the bar of the great interest of the Commons of England I have appealed in the iustifiing and presenting of which appeal I will live and die; stand or fall I desirnothing but either legal justification or condemnation and thereeore most Noble Gen. if there be no other means within your power to ease me of my sorrows and to obtain justice, for me and all the Commons of England concerned in me, but by application to the Lords, I most humbly and most earnestly beseech and entreat your Honour to desist and throw my business 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 interest, that over ruled the rational & just disenters at that council of War, 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 boldness 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 grown, very gallant, and for now in honesty outstrip the present House of Commons, & therefore sit for me to comply with and address unto; yet give me leave to tell your Excellency, I walk not, nor act not from accidents, but from principals, and being throughly persuaded in my own soul they are just, righteous, and honest, I will by God's goodness never departed from them though I perish in maintaining them; and not only the principals of reason, but the known and just law of England, and the experience of all ages tells me, that the usurpations of illegal prerogative Lords, over honest and free Commons: is not only destructive to true justice and right reason (the fountain of all just laws) but also to all true and just freedom, and therefore I both must and will run the hazard of spending my heart blood, to root up and destroy their illegal and unjust usurpations, being now so deeply engaged, and can never willingly without being a Trayter to myself and Country, consent in this to close, with them, knowing very well, that it is an easy thing for a scholmasters to make a t●merous boy for the saving of himself, to say and do what he pleaseth, when he hath taken him in a notorious crime, and hath got his breeches down, with a good rod in his hand, to whip him sound, and yet as soon as that: present fear 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 ways 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 mouths of some of themselves, to some of my true friends. I might at the first Contest with them have had my liberty, etc. 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 uprightness of my heart before the presence of God to tell you, it is merely a principle of conscience within me, to justice and honesty, and not any wilful stubbornness▪ or base self ends of my own, that makes me I cannot, ingeneously professing unto your honour, I received more, justice and courtesy in three months from the House of Lords, than I have done almost in seven years from the House of Commons. And I do protest before the Almighty, (and I appeal unto the Lord Wharton to bear * Unto whom I shown my protest before I delivered it, and told him both what I must and would and offered him to do any thing that the Lords in reason or justice could require of me, so they would not force me to to their bar. See the 4. pag. of my book, called the free man's freedom vindicated. me witness) that I did the utmost that in me laid by way of gratitude and thankfulness unto them to hinder a contest with them, but the revenging malice of the Earl of Manchester (who I am apt to think had long since lost his head, for his base and palpable treachery, and transcendent wickedness, if Lieutenant General Cromwell had effectually discharged his duty to the whole kingdom as he ought to have done) at me, for engaging with Lieutenant General Cromwell, in his just cause against him, would be satisfied with no reason, but the crushing me to pieces, by whose means principally, with Col. Edward King, one of his treacherous wicked confederates, I suffer all that I do at this day, * See my printed narrative to the Ad●utators of the 21. August 1647. printed at the last on of the 2. Edition of my Epistle to judge Reeves. and I dare confidently affirm it, that if I could have addressed to them since my Appeal 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 means in my purse, which now in my thoughts is a very great hazard whether ever I shall enjoy or no. Therefore to conclude all. I shall humbly state a case unto your Excellency, and leave the application of it to yourself, which is this. An honest and a true man is following his lawful occasions, and there meets with him a company of bloody Murderers, Thiefs and Robber, who being stronger than he, set upon him, and attempt the taking away his purse and life, and whiie he is struggling with them, by comes a company of honest and true men, stronger than the Rogues and Thiefs, unto whom the honest, almost destroyed man addresseth himself, and acquaints them truly & fully with his present case, and pitifully cries out to them for help, but they though they seem to pity him in words, pass by him and do not effectually rescue him, by means of which he is not only robbed, but also slain and destroyed. Now the question is, whether by the law of humanity, nature and reason, the aforesaid honest passengers were not tied 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 justice 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 robbed and murdered? whether in the sight of God and all just men, they be not clearly accessaries of the robbery and murder? and as guilty of it as those that committed it. So craving pardon for my boldness and tediousness, I commit you as my own soul to the careful and powerful protection of the Lord jehovah, desiring of him for you, to maintain and uphold you, in your integrity and true plain uprightness, that you may shine and be truly glorious in the eyes of our Lord and master, and all just men, I humbly take my leave and rest. From my causeless and unjust inthralment, in the Tower of London, this 21. of August, 1647. Sir, your most devoted faithful servant, that without fear 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 private Soldiers of your Army is: to the death to contest for the preservation and performing of your Solemn engagement, 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 infringement of it, and to set a brand of infamy upon him as a deceiver, and a man not fit to be entrusted, 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 remain adjetators, lest 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 press your Adjutators to move vigorously for the immediate and total purging of the House of all those that sat in Mr. Pellums factious traitorous Juncto: who are so declared already by your Army? by whose illeagall pretended and unbinding votes, a new War was defacto raised and levied in the Kingdom, to the visible hazard of the ruin and utter destruction there: and if you do 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, than it will evidently follow, that your General and your whole Army, and all those members of the House that came to you, and adheared to you, are all Parliament Rebels and traitors, 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 Juncto * See the latter end of the Army's Remonstrance of 18. August, 1647. published to the wh●le Kingdom, by the spesciall order of the present House of Peers, 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 Army's printer. blades to be usurpesr of a Parliament power, Traitor and enemies to their Country, and the trust reposed in them, and's fit to beseverely punished, and not fit to be continued any longer as judges in the Kingdom, 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 concurrant votes of so many as you yourselves, & all those members that concurd with you, (but espescially the present House of Lords) have so visibly and publicly declared Traitors to the whole Kingdom, and therefore are not fit to be law makers, nor judges in their own causes, and the greatest and weightiest things of the Kingdom, and besides how can you, or any that have adheared to you (in justice) press for the punishing of any in London, that was active in leaving War against you the Kingdoms & Parliaments Army, as you call yourselves, 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 juncto Blades, to set in the House, and so to go scot free without punishment, for to let the principals, (the Parliament men) go free without punishment, and to punish the accessaries, the Citizens) for putting in execution their orders and ordinances; is the greatest in justice 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 levying a new war on the Kingdom, 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 punished, therefore what will this else, but be a just ground to all rational men to combine together, and resolve in future time, never to obey any more orders, Ordinances of Parliament: lest they be by the Parliament sound punished therefore: * And for Sir Thomas Fairsax to command a Soldier to go charge such an enemy, 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 go about to hang the Soldier for his pains, is not only the height of in justice, but is also the ready way to breed a mutiny in his Army that in future times, his commands will never be obeyed. and grant that juncto to be a House of Commons in any sense, and all the late active zealous Citizens against you are acquitted thereby from all their Junquits and made just persons, and yourselves the Traitors and transgressors, and it may be, before you be a year older, ye may get your recompense by losing your lives at Tyburn, or else where, as you will justly deserve it. In this particular you play the jugglers, or suffer yourselves to be fooled, and do not effectually see fulfilled, your own forementioned Declarations. Therefore say I, immediately press vigorusly for the total purging the House of all that sat with Mr. Pillam, that so there may be way made for the exemplary punishing of the Lord Mayor of London, and all the chief ringleaders, actors in the late desperate and traitorous engagement. And also press for moneys to pay your quarters, the want of which will speedily (by free quarter) destroy the Army in the poor country people's affections, whose burdens are intolerable, in paying Excise for that very meat the Soldiers eat from them gratis, and yet paying heavy taxations besides, and being also liable by the Persons and Impropriators, to be every year rob of the tenth part of their labours, stock, ⁱ and increase, under the name of payment of jewish Tithes, 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 stubborn in this particular of parting with their proper goods, to those that never sweat for it, then by the late Independent Ordinance of Parliament, they are subject by the Arbitrary pleasure of two justices of peace to pay them trible. Also it is worth your consideration to press that th● public treasure of the kingdom may be taken out of that uncertain, cheating and cozening 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 means of which the Kingdom may be sure to know what is done with their money. And without which both they and you will be everlastingly consumed and cheated * Read a late notable book entitled an eye salve for the Army. but above all press for the immediate doing of impartial justice without any more delay … all men without exceptions, that are under oppressions & suffer wrong, & down withal sorts and kinds of Monopolies, that so all the people may enjoy their birth right, free trade. And take effectual care of all our laws and the proceed therein, may be translated speedily into English that so the people may speedily enjoy some fruits by all your b●●ss●ng and gallant promises, and may no longer have overmuch cause to say as now commonly they do both in City and Country, that you have cheated and gulled them▪ with fair 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 attain 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 General's quarters, no further than you can throw an Ox, for they are generally corrupted, and to the true and legal liberties of the Commons of England are turned enemies and reprobates, being grown Lordly and selfe●sh in the highest nature (having by their plausible but yet cunning and subtle policies, most unjustly stolen the power both from your honest General, 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 real Tyrants. That in june or july last declared you Traitors for endeavong by petition to make known your grievances to them, and in August last, voted and levied a war against you, intentively to have murdered and destroyed you. Whose principal care in all their visible actions, is to rob and pole the poor kingdom of all their treasure, and share it by thousands and ten thousands, amongst themselves, and to do effectual justice and right to no man, but themselves, kindred and friends. Who by the serious of all their visible actions, intent when the people are poor enough to make both them and you their vassals and slaves, and themselves domineering Lords and masters over you, and your aforesaid officers present carriage being such, as that they give too just cause to me, &c, to aver it under my hand, with sorrow and grief, that as sure as I believe there is a God, so surely do I believe that they are joined with the Lords against me, and become the principal instruments to keep me fast in my unjust imprisonment, witness my hand this 8. Sept. 1647. john Lilburne. FINIS.