TO EVERY INDIVIDUAL MEMBER of the Supreme Authority of the Parliament of the Commonwealth of ENGLAND.  
The Humble Address of Lieu Col. John Lilburn, by way of Answer to a most false and scandalous Printed Petition, delivered at the House door against him, by one William Huntingdon, upon Wednesday the 26 of November. 1651:  
SHOWETHS,  
THAT by virtue of a particular Act of Parliament bearing date the 30 of July, 1650. your suppliant was enabled to purchase as much Dean and Chapters Lands (as part of his reparations for his barbarous sufferings by the Star-Chamber) as did amount to One Thousand five hundred eighty three pounds eighteen shillings and four pence, at ten years' purchase in possession, and propotionable in reversion; by virtue of which Act, he repaired to the Contractors at Gurney House, and there amongst other things found certain Farms in the Manor of Billingham, in the County of Durham, where his Father and kindred lives unsold, and to the best of his remembrance, the Survey was returned eighteen months before the date of his said Act, and at that time when he begun to look after the said Farms, he did not hear of any one man in the world that was about the buying of them; but finding them absolutely free, in a Town that to the best of his knowledge he before that time never see in his life, nor knew not, nor ever saw with his eyes to his knowledge any one of the faces of the occupiers thereof; nor before his purchase never had any treaty by letter, word of mouth, or message, with any one of Them, saving That about the Time of his purchase, one M. Richard Martial came to him in the name of M. Gascoign Eden, (who had certain years remaining in one of the said Farms) and for him desired to deal with your suppliant for the said Farm; unto which he very well remembers he replied to the said M. Marshal in these words, or to this effect; That M. Eden, nor none else could not be justly offended at him for buying the said Farms, forasmuch as he did not go about to buy any of their Tenant rights, or to meddle with any thing belonging to them, for about a year and a half after their preemption was expired; and the Market was as free for him as for any man in England, especially considering That no man in the world, That he could hear of, was endeavouring to buy any of the said Farms, when he began his purchase; and the Market on his part being so free as it was, he was resolved to sell none of them, having already engaged to some eminent friends of his, men of honour, That were instrumental in getting the said Act to pass, That he would keep Them as his Inheritance for him and his heirs; and having perfected his Purchase, and got his Conveyances signed, sealed, and enrolled, he endeavoured to look after the rents and profits of the said Farms, which we●e Five in number, and a certain Rent Co●n called the Haver Malts, which were to be paid by the Occupiers of 16 Farms in the said Town of Billingham, and finding the said Tenants or Occupiers of the said Farms did deny the State's Title, and would not pay their rents, he, in or about the 15 of Janu. 1650. complained thereof by Petition to the Honourable Committee of Parliament, for removing of Obstructions, who thereupon ordered the said Tenants to pay their rents, or else within Twenty days after notice of the said Order, to appear in the inner Court of Wards, To show cause to the contrary, as appears by the Original of the said Order, recorded in Mr. Nowel's Book, Clerk to the said Committee; unto which, for more certainty, he referreth himself. Upon the serving of which said Order, all the said Tenants yielded conformity and obedience in paying the said Rents, saving the Complainant Will. Huntingdon.  
Unto whom at Billingham, in or about Feb. 1650. your Suppliant repaired, and in the presence of his Father Mr. Richard Lilburn, and his Cousin George Blacket, and the Father of the said Huntingdon, and several of the neighbours and kinsfolks of the said Huntingdon, proffered the said Huntingdon and his wife, (who was not long before the wife of one Shippard, possessor of the said Farm) that if they pleased to acknowledge him for their Landlord, and turn Tenant to him, he having bought the Farm in present possession, they should have it at the same rate he paid for it, and that it was valued in the Survey, which was 18 l. 15 s. 7 d. per annum; or if They would not be his Tenants, in the second place, he proffered Them, That if They would choose two neighbours of the Town, he would choose two more to value the Corn They had sown upon his Ground without his leave or licence. Conditionally They would quietly surrender him the possession of his own, he would give Them in ready money what They valued the said Corn at, and five pound more: And in regard her first husband had left her divers small children, in a poor condition, he would immediately take one of her boys, and new cloth him from the crown of the head to the sole of the foot, and take him into his own Family, and bring him up at his own costs and charges in that which he found him most capable of, till he became Twenty years old. Or  
Thirdly, if They would do neither of these, but stood upon Their Title, Then he told Them their regular way was to state Their Title in a Petition to the Committee of Parliament, appointed to decide such things; and if they would do that, he proffered them that seeing they might be destitute at London of friends, he would present their Petition for them, and endeavour to the utmost of his interest to get Them a speedy Answer, and engage unto Them upon his reputation, That he would not either directly or indirectly improve in the least his Interest or Tongue to impead their Title, further than to crave a reprisal for their Farm.  
Unto all which, the said Will. Huntingdon replied, It was none of his, he had nothing to do with it, it was his wives, and the barns of her first husband; And she replied, The Farm was her ayne, and her barns, and she wooed leaves her heart blood before either the Parliament or your Suppliant should have it. But after abundance of entreaties by your Suppliant used unto her not to be fooolish and mad, and so undo and destroy herself and children, but all in vain; he was forced plainly to tell her the Farm was his, and he had honestly bought it and paid for it, and had bought it of those that he durst not presume otherwise but that they had right to sell it, and would make the bargain good; and with a little expense of money and time could force her whether she would or no, to surrender up the possession of it, and then she might repent too late She did not embrace some of the foresaid fair proffers, and so he left her as obstinate at the latter end, as she was at the beginning of the Discourse; and coming up immediately to London, he wrote down to his Father and his said Cousin Blacket, to go to her and her husband again before complaint was made of Them, and persuade Them to embrace some of the said Propositions, who did so accordingly, but all in vain. Upon the knowledge of which, your Suppliant did upon the 22 of April, 1651. by a second Petition complain of the said Will. Huntingdon, that he would yield no obedience to Their said Order, either in paying his rent, or appearing before Them to show cause wherefore he would not. Upon which complaint, the said Committee of Obstructions, did further Order, That the said Will. Huntingdon should upon site or notice of That Order, and Demand made by your Suppliant, or by such person or persons, as he then had, or should appoint to receive the said rent, with the arrearages thereof, as also the possession of the said Farm pay the said rend for, and give up the possession of the Farm aforesaid, accordingly; or otherwise make his personal appearance before the said Committee within Twenty days after such site or notice of that Order; which Order being served by my Agent or Attorney George Blacket, and who made abundance of Journeys from his own House thither (which is about Twelve miles off Billingham) to persuade Them without the utmost of compulsion to obey the Authority of Parliament, which was all in vain; and for his pains therein Huntington's people with great gads or cudgels, set upon him; and as he hath told me, might have hazarded the knocking him upon the head, had he not well acquitted himself with his Sword. After the knowledge of which, before I would go about to execute the utmost extremity, I on purpose sent down my wife's brother Cornet Thomas Duel, to see what he could do with them about yielding obedience to the said Orders: but fully understanding of their perverse obstinacy, I ordered the reserving of the Order in the presence of one that I hired to come to Westminster, to make Affidavit of the serving it; which being made, the said Committee made an Order to the Sheriff by force to put me into the possession of the said Farm. The Copy of which Order thus followeth.  

25 June 1651. At the Committee of Parliament for removing Obstructions in the sale of Deans and Chapters Lands.  
WHereas complaint hath been made unto the Committee by Lieut. Col. John Lilburne, that he hath purchased of the Contractors for sale of Deans and Chapters Lands, several Messages, Lands and Tenements, with their Appurtenances, lying and being in Billingham, in the County of Durham, that the Tenants of the said Farms refusing to pay their rents, and some of them denying the Title of the Commonwealth; this Committee did the 15 of January last, order that they should pay their rents, or else within twenty days after notice of that Order, appear before this Committee, and show cause to the contrary. And whereas the said Lieut. Colonel in a later Petition (read the 22 of April last) alleged that all the said Tenants submitted to pay the rents, saving William Huntingdon, the successor of Thomas Shippard, in the said Order of 15 of January last mentioned, who lives upon and enjoys the profits of a Farm lying in Billingham aforesaid, part of the said purchase rated at 18 l. 15. s. 7. per Annum in present possession, and will in no way obey the said former order; whereupon this  did the said 22 of April, order that the said William Huntingdon should (upon sight or notice of that Order and demand made by the said Lieut. Coll. or by such person or persons, as he then had or should appoint to receive the said rent, with the Arreages thereof, as also the possession of the said Farm,) pay the said rend for, and give up possession of the Farm aforesaid accordingly, or otherwise make his personal appearance before this Committee within twenty days after such sight or notice of that order as aforesaid. And forasmuch as oath hath been made unto this Committee, that the said William Huntingdon was upon the third of June instant, personally served with the said Order of this  of the 22 of April aforesaid, and whereas it is alleged that the said William Huntingdon hath neither paid the rent for, nor given up possession of the said Farm, nor appeared before this Committee, according to direction of the said Order of the 22 of April aforesaid: This Committee do thereupon order, That (according to an ordinance of Parliament in that case made) the Sheriff of the County of Durham aforesaid, do upon the fight of this Order, repair unto the said Farm and Farm-house, and do remove the said William Huntingdon, or any for him, or under him out of the possession of the said Farm, Farm-house, and appurtenances, and do deliver up the quiet possession of the said Farm, Farm-house, and all and singular the appurtenances thereto belonging, unto the said Lieut. Col. John Lilburne, or unto Richard Lilburne Esquire, Cornet Thomas dowel, and George Blacket, his Assigns or any of them; and if he find resistance, to raise the Posse Comitatus, and by force of Arms to possess the same, and also to break open Doors and Gates for the clearing of the possession; and the said Sheriff is authorised to commit unto the next common prison for one month, such person and persons as he shall find to resist him in the executing of this Warrant.  


Jo. Corbet,  
Nath. Hallows  
Cor. Holland.  
Richard Sallaway.  
John Trenchard.     
Upon the serving of which Order upon the Sheriff of the county to Durham, he with his men went to Billingham, where the said Huntingdon and his Wise forced them to the utmost extremity that could be before they could get the possession, which at last having obtained, it was delivered up to my Assigns named in the foresaid Order. After which, my occasions in August leading me down into the North parts on purpose to complain against Sir Arthur Hesilrigg to the General (he being then an Officer in his Army) for robbing of my Uncle and other of my Relations by his Will and pleasure of their Colliery at Harraton, commonly called, The nine and five Quarter seams of Coals; which the said sir Arthur values in his Certificate at 5475 l. per annum. I say, going into the North, at the Post house at York I met with a large exclamation against me for a Tyrant and grand Oppressor about the said Farm, being left there by M. Bowles, sometimes a Chaplin in the Army; as the Postmaster told me; which I have cause to judge arose from some of sir Arthur's Agents, one purpose to blast my Reputation: Unto which I made my defence in the manner that is made before: after which arriving at Billingham, the said Huntington's Wife came to me for to claim the enjoyment of her crop of Corn. Unto which I answered to this effect, I knew none she had, nor had taken none from her; for, if she would sow a crop of Corn upon my Ground in despite of me, and to force me to all the Extremities that in Law I could be put unto to get my own, and by it had legally recovered it, I knew no other way if she found herself aggrieved at me; but to take the same course to right herself against me: And in Equity I knew not of a penny she could challenge at my hand; for I did and do believe That a crop of Corn growing upon a Farm let for under 20 pounds per annum, and upon such ground, as by the Tradition of people there hath been constantly ploughed, without ever lying swarth for many scores of years, if not some 100 of years, could countervails a full years Rend (which then they were almost complete in arrear to me) and those vast expenses that for almost 12 months together I had constantly been at to get possession of my own; besides the loss of all my time, and divers of my Friends, besides the charge of reaping, etc. of the said Crop, and therefore so long as she came unto me upon those Terms of claiming it as her own, after she had done what in her lay to blast my Reputation, for using no other means but what the Law allows me to get my own, after all fair means of Composure were scorned and rejected by her, and therefore she must now do as she had forced me to do which was to take her couse at Law. But perceiving that with much art her Reproaches against me was much spread in the Country; finding at my coming down the Church doors shut up, and the Parson put out of the Living, being a sat sequestered Living, the profits of which going to I know not what use! upon divers first days during my abode there, I supplied the ejected Parson's place, with Prayer, and the best words of Exhortation and Instruction that the Incomes of God upon my Soul enabled me to afford unto the people. And upon a day after the end of our meeting, there being a large Auditory of many hundreds of people, I took occasion to show what a vain and fruitless thing Notions and Speeches are, when the Practice or Actions were choir contrary. And hearing of a rumour, That there was hard dealing by me to some of my Tenants; which although (as I told them) my own conscience did not in the least accuse me, having used all the fair means that the wit of man could use to avoid extremity of Law, yet so willing was I to avoid being my own Judge, That if any one in that Town thought I had done them wrong, let them choose one Neighbour, and I would choose another, who should hear us both, and to whose determination I would bind myself in Bonds to stand unto: And I the rather spoke it in that place; That so my readiness to give all just satisfaction to the meanest persons might be taken notice of. After which time, one Richard Rutlas an Innkeeper in that Town, a fair conditioned man, and her Cousin, spoke to me largely about her and her Farm; and after I had made him a Narrative of her evil dealing with me, which he partly knew before, being privy to my first proffers to her; I desired him from me to go to her and her Husband, and tell them, That if they would under both their hands acknowledge, The Parliament had a right to sell the said Farm, and that I had a just freedom to buy it, I would then (although they had lately been with Sir Arthur Hesilrig to petition against me.) I would then  
I say, lay aside my right in law to the said crop, and in equity, come to an exact account with them for all that in any kind of equity they can call theirs, and lay my rent, my disbursments, and charges in getting my possession, etc. together, and rather give them more than less, it there were any overbalance; but as I told him, so long as they continued obstinate in that opinion, that the Parliament was Tyrants in selling their farm, and myself no better than a Rogue in buying it, I would never treat with them, while I lived, and after this one Mr. Brough, as I remember his name, being the Minister of Norton, that joins to the said Billingham came to me about the same business, in her name, unto whom I made the same answer, in effect as is before expressed, and told him, that if they would acknowledge the Parliaments title, and that they had a right to sell it, I would with all my heart, he being Judge, come to an exact equitable account with them, and do that he himself should judge to be full of conscience and honesty, although I conceived myself not in the least bound unto it by law, but I could never have a return of my desire from either of them; so that in some time after, leaving the Country and coming to London, I accidentally upon Wednesday last, being the 26. of November 1651. met with a Petition in print at the House door delivered against me; the Copy of which thus followeth.  

To the supreme authority of this Nation, the Parliament of the Commonwealth of ENGLAND: The humble Petition of William Huntingdon of Billingham in the Country of Durham, Yeoman;  
SHOWETHS,  
THat your Petitioner having lately married a poor Widow with four small Children, who had the Possession and ancient Tenant-right of a Farm in Billingham aforesaid, holden by Lease of the Dean and Chapter in Durham, which with two Cows and a Crop of Corn was the only maintenance of that whole family, your Petitioner being unable to purchase the Reversion thereof, the Lease expiring, intended to have concluded a Bargain with an Officer of the Army, who propounded to purchase the said Tenement, rendering the Moiety thereof back to your Petitioner for his Tenant-right, and the same had been effected, had not Lieutenant Colonel John Lilborn interposed, concluding the Purchase thereof upon the terms of Tenant right, by virtue of an Act of Parliament given him in that behalf, together with divers other Tenements in that Manor, declaring at the time of his Contract, That he neither intended or desired any of the Tenants Estates, had not the Parliament forced him upon that course for the gaining of 150 l. which they ought him; further promising, that if the Tenants would at any time make good the Rates of his Purchase, he would return their Lands and Tenements to them. Now so it is, Right Honourable, that the said Mr. Lilborn no sooner perfected his Conveyance, but immediately thrusts out your Petitioner, his Wife and four Children, with the addition of one to your Petitioner, and most barbarously and tyrannically, against Law and Equity, hath possessed himself of all your Petitioners. Corn upon the ground, and threshes out the same for his own use, taking his two Cows from him, with almost a years stock of Hay, Straw, and a great quantity of Manure, to the value of a Hundred and thirty Pounds, as by the Testimony of several Neighbours here attending at your door it will appear, to the endless ruin of your Petitioners whole family.  
May it therefore move your godly Hearts to pity the sad and deplorable Condition of your Petitioner, who now stands deprived of all his Livelihood and Subsistence, the said Mr. Lilborn leaving him nothing but a poor sickly Woman and five small children, and not a Cow's milk to stay their hungry hearts; your Petitioner also being much in debt, and likely to lie and rot in Prison by these merciless and inequitable Practices of the said Mr. Lilborn, who is not ashamed of such unparallelled Cruelties, forcing your Petitioner to travel Two hundred Miles upon his bare feet, to beg Relief at this Honourable Door being unable to resist his rigid Power, or wager Law with him in his own defence; He therefore humbly beseecheth your Honour's Order, that the said Mr. Lilborn may either return the Moiety of the said Tenement, as was formerly offered to your Petitioner, or otherwise that he may accept the Rate of his Purchase according to his own offer, from a Friend of your Petitioner, who is willing to continue him Tenant at the yearly Rent of the late Survey; and that the illegal taking away of his two Cows and Corn, with divers other Goods upon the ground, may be committed to the Examination of such men as you shall appoint, whereby your Petitioner may have some Relief in this sad and disconsolate Condition he having stripped him of all his means, leaving him nothing but a sickly woman and five small Children; which if I may obtain, I shall as in duty bound, humbly exhibit my daily Prayers in your behalf, etc.   
NOw most noble Senators; having exactly laid down a true Narrative of the state of this business, the Truth of which, I do engage hereby to make good by currant proof upon the forfeiture of my reputation for ever, which I value above my life, estate, wife, and children, and do earnestly desire at your hands, if it may stand with your pleasure, That Sir Arthur Hesilrigge who I do verily believe either by himself in person, or some of his Agents, encouraged the said Huntingdon or his wife to come to London, to complain, and drew the forementioned false and lying Petition for him, which he the rather believes because Sir Arthur in the Country told my brother in law M. Thomas Gore, as he related to me; That the said Huntington's wife had been with him, and preferred a Petition against me, wherein she complained of such Things, as if he should have done the like, he should have been printed for a Tyrant indeed. I say, I desire, That Sir Arthur as for my adversary, and Col. Henry Martin, as for me, and his Excellency the Lord General, as an indifferent person, may be fully impowered by the House, to hear and examine the Truth of his Narrative in his Petition, and of mine in this Address, and upon a full hearing on both sides, to punish either in body or goods at the pleasure of them, or any two of them, where They find the fault to lie in lies, falsehoods, or any other baseness, about this particular business, which I think is so fair, as nothing in the world can be offered of more ingenuity by me, especially in regard I have a visible estate to make him satisfaction, and he hath none as he confesseth, to make me; he being not in the least made so poor by me, but by his own lecherous baseness in conversing with Whores, and getting of Bastards, which is the open and common brand he lies under in the Town where he lives; There is but one Thing more in his Petition, I shall at present touch upon, and that is my taking away Two Cows from him, so That They have not one now to give Them a drop of Milk. It's true, I believe my said Agent George Blacket above six months ago according to law seized upon Two poor Cows of Theirs, for part of my rent, and praised them, and proffeered either Them or any of Their friends the Cows for the money they were praised at; which they refusing, the Cows hath ever since been kept in a good pasture, and to my knowledge, I do aver it with confidence, hath several Times since I got my possession, been freely proffered unto her again both by myself and others, that I have sent to her for That end, which she hath obstinately from Time to Time refused, although at my being in the Country, as I was informed, one of Them was then worth both of Them when they were taken from Huntingdon, they were so mended in their flesh; so that if They have never a Cow to give Them Milk, They may thank Their own sullenness, and not in the least my oppression: And so much at present to his scandalous Petition.  
BUt now most Honourable Senators, seeing I am compelled for my own preservation to put pen to paper, vouchsafe me a little liberty farther without offence, and to appeal to you, That if there be a great man that doth not appear above board, and yet under board, hath a hand in this Petition, who by himself or Instruments, sets this fellow on, whether is he not run almost to death in his reputation, that is forced to fly to such slender props as the complaint of This fellow is to support it; so pitifully and slenderly endeavouring to blast the reputation of him that is his pursuer: For  
First, I beseech you observe, That the Complainant and his wife, are a couple that never would in the least yield obedience to the Orders and Commands of Parliament signified by Their immediate Committees; but contemned them, scorned Them, and bid open defiance to them, as will appear plainly by the Records of the Committee of Obstructions; for which affronting contempts (which is a scorning of Authority) he ought in law, equity, and justice, rather be clapped by the heels then to be heard by you, before he hath made expiation for his said crimes.  
Secondly, I beseech you observe and judge, whether or no before I went to legal extremity, I did not use all fair and candid means to get mine own, that it was possible for any man in the world to use that in the least would maintain his own right.  
Thirdly, I beseech you observe and judge, whether I have been so base, as to use any boisterous courses to get my own, other then what the law of England allows to every man in the Nation; and if so, I hope I shall not be judged a merciless oppressor by you, for walking in the known Tracts and Footsteps of the Law of England. But most noble Senators, I perceive it is a studied Artifice in this Age, for men that have more guilt upon Them then Their backs are able to bear, behind persons backs to study to reproach Those They hate, and are pinched by, and to blast Their reputation; and therefore is it spoken privately up and down amongst Parliament men, That I lately took a false Oath at Haberdasher's Hall, about the Colliery at Harraton; unto which I shall answer no more at present but This, That the business is of many Thousand pounds' consequence per annum of concernment to other men, and I would be very loath in an hasty Apology for myself, to let any thing drop that might give any just occasion to the Judges There to be peevish, and thereby to have any colourable pretence to put off the ●inall Judgement of the case longer than Tuesday next in the afternoon, the Time appointed for it after many days hearing, and many hours already expended in private debates amongst the Judges Themselves. And in the mean Time, I entreat every ingenious man to suspend his censuring of me for a few days after the Judging of the said cause; and if then I do not with as much ease blow off all that dirt that by art about that business is thrown upon me, as the wind blows the lightest of chaff before it, let me forfeit my reputation amongst all ingenious men for ever; And Therefore at present to conclude, vouchsafe me liberty without distaste to acquaint you, That at our grand day of hearing about that Colliery, Sir Arthur Hesilrig much insisted upon a Book I had lately about it writ against him; and therefore desired the Commissioners freely to give me leave to lay all the evil in the world to his charge there; that I knew against him; unto which, when it came to my part to speak, I told Them in these words or to this effect.  
That I very much commended Sir Arthur for his wisdom to save himself, for he could not be so ignorant to imagine, but that I very well knew those Commissioners had no power to question him, for though it were, as he was there subsequestrator in the County of Durham (which mean and low Office I knew never a Parliament man in England, besides himself, but he scorned to execute) he was under them, and aught to be obedient to their orders, & to give them a submissive an account of his actions; but as he was a Parliament man, and thereby one of the supreme Authority of the Nation, he was above them, and one of their Lords and Masters and if I were such a child and fool to question him for his offences before them that had no jurisdiction over him, (but absolutely inferior to him) I should be laughed at for my pains, and they if they should be so misunderstanding of their own Authority, as to assume jurisdiction over him upon my complaint, and thereupon go about to punish him, they might very well be clapped by the heels for their sawsiness, for breaking the privileges of Parliament, in judging one of their Members, that they have no authority given them so to do unto.  
But as I told the Chairman, Sir Arthur saith, I have printed a book lately against him, in which he saith I call him Traitor, Tyrant, and worse than Strafford: unto which I answered, to this effect, Sir, it is true, I have writ and caused a late book to be printed against him, in which its possible such expressions may be, and if there are I will justify and prove them at my utmost peril: and that Sir Arthur and all the company may know that I am not afraid nor ashamed to own the said book; be it known to him, that since I last came to Town I took the boldness upon me, as to wait upon the General, under whose command I look upon Sir Arthur (as he is a Colonel) to be, and I told him a little of Sir Arthur's Tyranny, which I told him was somewhat fully expressed in a late book of mine, one of which I gave him, and beged him to read it seriously, further telling him it was mine, and I would justify it with my life, and earnestly entreated him, that he would please to vouchsafe to take upon him the hearing and judging of the cause, and we would tie ourselves in bonds to stand to his judgement, but he put it off as being full of business.  
Upon which in the second place, hearing that in Parliament there was to be some questioning of the Speaker, I hasted away as fast as I could to their Door, supposing it a very fit season for me to get my complaint against Sir Arthur heard before them, that have a proper jurisdiction over him; And at the Door of the Parliament meeting with an honourable member of Parliament, called Mr Love, I told him what I heard the House was to be about, and having in my hand (I was confident of it, a higher Charge against Sir Arthur Haslerig, than any could be pretended against the Speaker) I therefore entreated him as he was a Gentleman, to take a Book of me, in which it was contained; and acquaint the House with it, and tell them, It was mine give to him to bring in, and I was at the Door ready at their Bar to justify and prove it. And (as I am informed) he did acquaint the House with it, sir Arthur himself being present, who it seems had not so much Innocency in his Breast, as to dare to press to have me called into justify it: And therefore said I to the Chairman, as earnest as sir Arthur is to desire you to give me free liberty to lay all I can to his charge before you, that he very well knows have no jurisdiction over him; so earnest am I with him to question me, and call me, if he dare, to the Bar of the Parliament (his proper Judges) to justify my said Book; and so much at present to Sir Arthur. And now, said I, if you please Gentlemen, a word or 2 to some of you Commissioners. Some of you say, I have writ a Book, in which I have abused you. It's true said I, a Book I have written against you, but I have not belied or abused you; & if you please to join Issue with me, you shall find me very ingenuous, ready either as a Christian, or an Englishman to give you full satisfaction. And therefore,  
First, As a Christian, if you please to choose 2 honest godly men, I will choose 2 more, and bind myself in large Bonds to stand to their Arbitration and Judgement; and if upon the hearing of both sides, they shall find I have done you wrong, and judge it Just for me to repair you by a public printed Recantation, I will freely do it with my Hand to it. Or, Secondly, If you like not this Proposition, as a rational Man, I will give you satisfaction, that is to say, if you please to enter your Action in the upper-bench, or any Court of Justice in England, I will appear to it gratis; and give you such satisfaction as by the extremity of the law you can obtain, which I think is so fair, as no ingenious man in England can offer fairer. And therefore (Right Honourable) to conclude all, give me leave to make this Proposition to you, seeing sir Arthur indirectly struggles so to maintain his guilt; That if you please to declare, That I may have as free liberty, and the same privileges against sir Arthur Haslerig, as yourselves had against the Earl of Strafford, I do hereby engage my Life against his, in the behalf of the Commonwealth of England, to prepare and bring into your House, in a very short time, as formal a charge in the eye of the Law, as high and criminal in its nature, against sir Arthur Haselrig, as ever yours was against Strafford; and before you openly, by legal and good testimony to prove it, or otherwise let my life go for his.  
So humbly craving pardon for my tediousness, I take leave to subscribe myself, Your faithful Suppliant, who desires to live no longer in this world, than he is able (the frailty of poor, weak feeble man set aside) to justify the honesty of his Actions and Deal with all private persons whatever, before the Judgement seat of the strictest justiciary in England. JOHN LILBURNE. London this 28 November, 1651.  
Finis.