A LETTER Sent from Captain LILBURNE, To divers of his Friends, Citizens, and others of good account in LONDON, Wherein he fully expresseth the misery of his imprisonment, and the barbarous usage of the Cavaliers towards him.  
Desiring them (if it were possible) to use some means for his releasement.  
London, Printed for james Rogers. 1643.   

A Letter sent from Captain Lilburne to divers of his friends in LONDON.  
My dear friends,  
IT will seem strange to you, considering the miserable condition of my present fortune, and the strictness of my imprisonment, to receive any notice from me of my affairs; but God having blest me with the opportunity of this treaty, and convenient messenger, I thought it fit to give you the true intelligence how things stand with me at this instant time of my writing. I am thanks be to God in very good health, though in as strict imprisonment as can be possible unless I should be in a dungeon; and since Judge Heath, whom God forgive, pronounced sentence of death against me, I have been laden with Irons; but those either by direct command from His Majesty, or out of his own clemency or by the mediation of some about him, are now taken o● from me. The report was here immediately after my condemnation, that I should suffer an ignominious death but since the Honourable the High Court of Parliament, in my favour put out their Declaration that rumour hath been quite dashed, so that I must confess I own my life more to their bounty, then to the gentleness of my enemies, who went about as much as possible in them lay to deprive me of it and truly I should very cheerfully have received my f●eath, being secured by the innocence of my own conscience, that I should have died Gods true religious, and my Country's Martyr, for whose sake I put on Arms. And not my imprisonment, nor death, would have so much afflicted me, as do the thoughts, that by my restraint I am deprived of doing my best endeavour, according to my poor abilities, in serving the affairs of that strength of this kingdom, and champion of true Religion, the Honourable the High Court of Parliament: In whose service, if I had died valiantly in the field in the face of those enemies to all goodness and humanity, the Cavaliers, it would have been a more welcome benefit to me then this imprisonment, wherein I lie and languish under a daily death; the grief whereof would certainly take away my life, did not the goodness of the cause for which I suffer, like an Angel of light, come and comfort me in this darkness, and make me not only scorn my afflictions, but even rejoice that I am held worthy for God's cause, and my Countries, to undergo these bonds; and should they never so long imprison my body, it should not a jot enthral the liberty of my mind, which is above the unhappiness of my fortune; and I do still serve the State and Parliament as much in the integrity of my heart, and wishes, as I did when I had my freedom, and converse as familiarly with you in my understanding, as when I was at London with you; marry the greatest cross that hath befallen in this my durance, is, that the barbarousness of my Gaolers and visitants, the Cavaliers, who never cease reviling me, calling me Round-head, Parliament-dog, and terms of the like villainy and disgrace, never suffering me to enjoy the quiet of being alone, but when they are weary of tormenting me; so that sometimes, as I am a man, I am not enough fortified against their reproaches; which to a courageous mind, breed more torments then to have one's body cut into a thousand pieces; and certainly, I should unarmed as I am divers times fly in the faces of these adversaries to God and all good men, did not my reason tell me it were an act of desperate cowardice, rather than truly valour in any man to seek his own death; For no more mercy would they show to me in such a case, than Turks would, nay perhaps, not so much; the Turks themselves being surely better civilised, than these monsters of Christianity, who neither respected the Divine or Humane Laws, but make whatsoever their wicked desires guide them to, that only is a Law to them, nor is it in the power of the King or his Officers to restrain them from any outrage they have a will to commit: they keeping his majesty and those Noblemen that are with them, scarcely in any condition better than that of imprisonment, or as hostages for their own safety; so that in my duty to his Majesty, to whom I told the Cavaliers to their teeth, I was as loyal a Subject as the best of them. I do much pity the misery of his present misfortune, being enforced to do nothing contrary to their desires, not having liberty to dispose of his own intentions or Person: but these Cavaliers have their powerful agents in his Counsels, and, as it were, their spies upon his Person, lest He should (as I do verily believe His Highness would, if it were possible) make an escape from them, (of whose behaviour His goodness must needs be weary) to London, to His high Court of Parliament, as I was informed from an old friend of mine at Court, a Yeoman of the Guard, one very well affected to the King and Parliament, who hath given me divers visits since my imprisonment: he further more avowing, that the Cavaliers insult so much over His Majesty's menial servants, that they with their domineering, and the want of their salaries, are so much oppressed, that they would, if it were possible withdraw themselves from Court to London to their houses; but if any one of them should but attempt his escape, the Cavaliers would cut his throat. And surely, this man whom you all know, hath been next to my own innocence, the greatest comfort I have had in my imprisonment: and he that hath given me to understand (for I am never suffered to go abroad, or to speak with any body else that will inform me any thing truly) that his Majesty intends certainly to make His abode at Oxford during this Winter, and hath for that cause bought up, or taken upon trust, all the corn and other provision could be possible procured in the Country thereabouts; that they are in great want of powder and ammunition in the King's Army, and that their soldiers steal away daily for want of pay; and that all the hopes his Majesty hath of supplies, is from the Earl of Newcastle, who should receive them from beyond sea: that the town of Oxford is not so well fortified as is reported; and that the King's Army there is nothing so strong as they report it, and this was all the news which he would relate to me for truth. And this I thought good to certify unto you; and as concerning mine own affairs, you may imagine, my dear friends, how heavy a burden it is for me to groan under the weight of this imprisonment, which surely is as grievous to me as that was of the Prophets committed by Ahab, to be fed with the bread and water of affliction; for Gentlemen, do but consider with yourselves, if it were any of your own cases to be as I am at this instant, bereft of your liberty, and by that means deprived of the society of your friends and kindred, robbed of all that is either pleasant or delightful to mankind; I do believe (though the cause of your sufferings were as noble as mine is, which is as noble and honest as ever cause was, or can be, your humane frailties wearied with the afflictions of your present misfortune, and consideration of your past happiness (would as I do now) desire liberty, to be freed from the griefs you are oppressed with, and be restored to the happiness you have been so long deprived of. I wish, I profess to you not my liberty so much for these ends though, as that by it I ought have occasion to bestow myself in the quarrel of the Commonwealth against these devilish Cavaliers, who have vilified me as much as it is possible for such traducers of God and all good men to do; nor should I ever receive so much comfort from any worldly blessing, as to see myself once more in the field in complete harness against those Malignants to the Commonwealth, they should then quickly perceive I should with God's Grace, be able to right myself of part of the abuses they have with so much despite cast upon me▪  
I would therefore desire you, dear and truly friends, to use all the means in your possibilities that may procure my liberty. I know the honourable the high Court of Parliament will not be wanting to the effecting of my freedom; and I do believe his Excellency the Earl of Essex, might by the commutation or exchange of another Captain of their side for me, work my restitution to liberty: his Excellencies own noble disposition and the affection he bears naturally to his Soldiers and Commanders, will be as forward in any treaty of that nature as you will desire he should be; let me therefore enjoin you, as you have ever respected the good of your unfortunate friend, or ever will give a testimony of the reality of your unfeigned affections to me, to omit no occasion, either by this means or any other, which to you may appear better for the sudden restitution of my liberty, which is not more precious to me then my ardent desires of expressing in the most ample manner my affections to the commonwealth, my zeal to God's true Religion; and last of all, my love to you Gentlemen, whom I esteem as dear as myself, and wish none of you may ever have so much misfortunes as to fall into the hands of these inhuman Butchers, the Cavaliers. I shall not need with any further inducements or circumstances to engage you to a forwardness in my behalf, I should then in that, abuse the integrity of your honest friendship, I know I cannot be more ready to desire your pains in this kind than you will be to imply them; and so the God of mercy and peace bless, sanctify and preserve you all, and send the light of his countenance, his best of blessing down on the honourable the High Court of Parliament, that they may proceed cheerfully as they have begun for the glory of God and all our goods in the great business of the Commonwealth, And if I be never ransomed, but die in my imprisonment, I shall joyfully take my lot, and think I fell happy in suffering for my Religion and Country, the Commonwealth's true servant, and your entire friend,  
I. L.  
FINIS.