THE RECANTATION Of Lieutenant Colonel John Lilburne, Prisoner in the Tower. OPENING, All the MACHINATIONS of the Independent Party: THEIR Various Practices and Judgements. With the Reasons or Grounds of his unexpected Revolt from that Party: Also certain Rules to know them, with Cautions to shun most of their pernicious Heresies. Printed in the Year. 1647. THE RECANTATION of LIEV. COL. JOHN LILBURNE. Fellow-Commoners: I Know it cannot otherwise choose but strike a wonder into you, to see me now revoke that Cause that formerly I have so unanimously maintained, both with my sword and pen; besides, many cruel sufferings, as whipping, imprisonments, and the like; in defence of you, your Privileges, Freedoms, and Birth rights, even with the hazard of my life against all Opposers whatsoever; whether Bishops, Kings, Parliaments, or any other Principalities or Powers in high places. 1. Being imprisoned (by the Bishops) in the Fleet for a long time; denied ever what nature itself so plentifully gives to all sorts of Creatures, water being near famished, shamefully betrayed by my * Ed. Childingden. friends, abused by Jailers, censured by Star-chamber, whipped from the Fleet to Westminster, afterwards enduring long Captivity by the Bishops; then having obtained liberty by the means of my much honoured friend, Lieu. Gen. Cromwell, no sooner released but again arraigned for my life, before the whole House of Peers, about the Earl of Strafford, the King himself sending my Accusation against * May 24. 1641. me. The House of Commons than vouchsafed me so ☜ much justice, as to vote for me. 1. That the Sentence of the Star-chamber given against me was illegal, and against the Liberty of the Subject as also wicked, bloody, cruel, barbarous, and tyrannis all. 2. That reparations ought to be given me for my imprisonment, sufferings, and losses sustained by that illegal sentence. But since what justice I have received from them, let the world judge; considering the high esteem I have had both of them and their Cause, that had I had at the beginning of these wars ten thousand * my hot Zeal. lives, I should have ventured them all for the Parliament, though I had stripped myself to my very shirt, and though I had not left my Wife and Family any thing wherewith to have subsisted: In their service I freely adventured my life with an undaunted courage and resolution, till being taken prisoner at Brainford, I was carried to Oxford, where for almost a year I continued a prisoner, arraigned again for my life; but when they could not work upon me by any threats or menaces, they resolved to try to do that by policy, they could not effect by force, and made me many proffers of worldly honours and preferments, which came even from the King himself, by the hands of 4 several Lords, yet I remained unmoveable as a * My strong faith. ●ock, stopping my ears against all those juncto Sirens, and not so much as listening to any their conjurations or imprecations, charmed they never so wisely, though I endured at that present as much misery as it was possible for any one man to do by sickness, and otherwise, to the utter ruin of my estate, to the value of 6 or 700 l. as I can make it appear. After this, being exchanged, I served under the Lord of Manchester, and being before Newarke, was stripped to the bare * Yèt fervent for their Cause. skin, hardly escaping with my life, and although I took in Tickell Castle from the Cavaliers, with much hazard, and danger; Yet the great Parliamentary Reward for all my good service, was but an earnest desire to hang me, an unwelcome payment for so deserving a service, and an excellent new reformed way to pay old debts, having due unto me under the command of the said Earl about 700 l. a sum that would have reared a gallows as high as haman's for Mordecai; but etc. ☞ I forbear to speak of Col. King. But they having served their own turns of me, I could never have justice from them since, though I have been as faithful a servant to them, and the Commonwealth, as any they ever employed, and have bid defiance to all men in the world, to brand or tax me with unfaithfulness: And whereas Magna Carta saith, justice and Right we will deny to none, nor we will defer to none; Yet did I wait at least four years upon them, and in all that time, could not get them so much as to put their Votes in execution; since have I followed them 6 months, to the expense of above a hundred pounds to get a Petition read, that I might have justice and Right, yet denied both, and have been since the 1 of May, 1641. imprisoned three times by authority of the House of Commons before ever I knew mine accuser, or ever was suffered to speak one word in mine own defence, directly against my Freedom, (having been in the field with my sword in my hand for the preservation thereof:) But if you please to read Magna Carta, 9 of Hen. 3. cap. 1. you shall find there. That no Freeman may be taken and imprisoned, and disseazed of his Freehold or his Liberty or his free Customs, or outlawed, or banished, or any way destroyed; neither will we go upon him, neither pass upon him but by the lawful trial of his equals, or by the law of the Land; justice & Right we will sell to none, we will deny to none, nor will defer to none; all which is my proper Birthright and Inheritance, confirmed by this present Parliament in many Declarations, taxing the King for the violation thereof; yet acting contrary thereunto themselves. Dear fellow Commons, I Desire you to judge impartially, and tell me, if they deserved so faithful a Champion as my ☜ self: That with undaunted courage, and unparrallelled valour have disarmed their enemies even at their very doors, (as namely Captain Hid and others) and yet from that very house unto which those doors do lead, have received so many Votes in Commitments, and otherwise, as any Freeman under the Cope of Heaven: the Copy of one followeth. Die Sabbati, 19 July, REsolved upon the Question by the Commons assembled in Parliament, that Lieutenant Colonel Lilburne be forth with taken into Custody by the Sergeant at Arms attending this House, and so kept till the House take further Order. To the Sergeant at Arms attending at this House, or to his Deputy, etc. H. Elsing. Cler. Parl. D. Com. I Can instance you many more Tyrannies and Outrages committed upon me since my commitment to the Tower, where I remain yet a Prisoner, but it is needless, therefore enough shall suffice for this time. Let me in the next place give you notice concerning your Collections in your several Congregations; I have found lately your Zeal very cold, and your Talon of Charity not to abound; the stream of your bounty still ebbing, or flowing some other way; I speak this to put you in mind of your forwardness to minister freely to my wants, for I may speak it to your shames, that many of you mistaking the way to the Tower, are hurried with too forward zeal to Newgate, Bridewell, or the Fleet; I must tell you Brethren, † Martin Marpri●st alias H. Overton, his Wise in Bridewell. MARTIN, though a little bird, has a villainous stomach, * Mr. Musgrave, Jane Hules and John Larner, in the Fleet, and Cupid Overton in the Gatehouse. even like any Cormorant, can digest your silver as easily as an Estriche Iron; Martin is a † He writ the Bo●ke of soul's mortality, and maintains the same. Mortal Creature and of a retrograde judgement to the truth of our profession; besides he studies Chemistry, and by his feigned art of Eloquence, can easily extract the silver from his fellow-sufferers: O divine Martin, if your superlative holiness have no more fellow-feeling of the necessities of your Brethren, I shall hardly endure you to build your Nest (this Summer) on the charities of your abused Brethren, but will cause you take your flight (at Midsummer) with Cockoes and Jackdaus more Westerly, where you shall perch according to your Dignity. It cannot much impair your holiness' function, considering your grave Labours, and most Elaborate Pieces that * A scurrilous Pamphlet entitled Martin's Echo. Echo forth your * sacred endowments. I shall go near to tell the people, that your holiness battens (like an Abby-lubber) in your Cloister of Newgate, far more abundantly then in your † Sacred decretal, or a Hue and Cry of 〈◊〉 his holiness, Martin Mar-priest. hole in Toolies: Martin went upon * Where his holiness kept his Strumpet called Margery Mar-priest, alius his Printing-presse Crutches then, though now his holiness hath taken upon him the garb of a complete Gallant, smells like a † perfumer, God save his holiness: Courts the Sisters, and finds them excellent well edified, and very compliable in their uses; Mortal Creatures, grass and hey, all Mortal, all Mortal. * Both his Servants names. But dear Brethren, enough of this fowl bird Martin, next I shall desire you to lay to heart all my suffering; for your Privileges, Liberties, † But he may thankss sister Daw the Perfumers w●fe. and Native Birth rights: And that you would exhort all, and every Member in your respective Congregations, to contribute freely to my necessities, and the necessities of my fellow sufferers in the Fleet; and to hold your hand from contributing to profane Martin any more, till his Brethren that are more worthy sufferers than himself be first supplied, or he himself reclaimed from his pernicious Errors. Therefore to conclude, I give my judgement for the present, which I desire to hold and maintain until I be convinced by you of the same, and convinced, shall be soon reclaimed. 1 I believe the King to be supreme head and governor, in all causes, over all persons, Ecclesiastical or Civil. 2. I am of the judgement, that no Subject aught to take up Arms against his lawful King, and that all such taking up Arms against lawful Authority, is fight against God, and his Ordinances. 3. I query whether the King, being despencer of Law, or Chief Minister thereof, offending, or breaking the Law, be under a capacity of being punished by any inferior power, my judgement therein is, that no power under the King can do it, but he is to expect his punishment from God only, and none else. 4. I am of that judgement, that if the King shall command me any thing contrary to the word of God, I ought not to do it, neither to resist, but patiently suffer what punishment soever he shall inflict upon me, for Christ's sake. 5. I am of that judgement, that there cannot be fight for Religion, but suffering for Religion in England, Ireland, or else where. 6 I am of that judgement, that the Church founded upon the 12 Pillars or Articles of Christian Faith in the three Creeds, called the Apostles, Athan●sius, and Nicene Creed, is the true Church of God, and that we ought not to separate from that Church but from any known Error in that Church: And any new Faith coined by the Assembly to the contrary of none effect. Thus dear Country men have I laid down my judgement for the present, which shall no longer be evidenced by me, then proved by the Word. Therefore I desire thee to search the Scriptures, by which Rule all sure foundations are laid, for lasting structures, Common wealths, and Churches have not a Philosophical Generation, the new out of the perversion, the corruption of the ancient Government; the new out of the extirpation, the annihilating the established old Religion; And if so great tempests and Earthquakes of Drums and Artillery, subvertions and immersions, of persons and estates: Such unreckonable expense of a Kingdom, coined (to effect) for supplies, and such inundations and overwhelming of blood, beget but a bare promise of such an issue, what remains for the Nation to undergo before its productions? Doubtless this birth can at these rates be attended with no less than a desolation, when there shall be too few left, and those too much enfeebled to fall out about the enjoyment of so great a happiness. Reason was given to man for a direction, as well as a distinction; and generally we believe our eyes above any assertions: Poor selfe-deceiving Englishman, who canst not be sensible how fantastic thy opinionate Reformation is; how real the devastation of thy substance, and canst find a hope that the one will improove, and not a fear that the other may impair; As thou art only miserable in a proportion at present from thyself; So the Remaining degrees that thou art to take in misery, are not to be proceeded in without thy consent to a continued Vassalage. It is just with God, and abates the Condemnation of imposing man to lay burdens, and use Goads on those who will be beasts by disavowing their reason, or pinning it upon opinion of another's infabilities. and as just to strike him blind, who will not see an object of his mark in other colours or dimensions then what are rendered by another's spectacles. FINIS.