Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Introduction: the English Levellers, 1645–1649
- Chronological table
- Bibliographical note
- Notes on the texts
- Leveller texts
- 1 ‘On the 150th page’: An untitled broadsheet of August 1645
- 2 Toleration justified and persecution condemned. 29 January 1646
- 3 Postscript to The freeman's freedom vindicated. 16 June 1646
- 4 A remonstrance of many thousand citizens. 7 July 1646
- 5 An arrow against all tyrants. 12 October 1646
- 6 Gold tried in the fire. 4 June 1647
- 7 Several hands, An agreement of the people for a firm and present peace upon grounds of common right and freedom. 28 October 1647
- 8 Members of the New Model Army and civilian Levellers, Extract from the debates at the General Council of the Army, Putney. 29 October 1647
- 9 The petition of 11 September 1648
- 10 England's new chains discovered. 26 February 1649
- 11 A manifestation. 14 April 1649
- 12 An agreement of the free people of England. 1 May 1649
- 13 The young men's and the apprentices' outcry. 29 August 1649
- Select biographies
- Index
- Title in the series
11 - A manifestation. 14 April 1649
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 June 2012
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Introduction: the English Levellers, 1645–1649
- Chronological table
- Bibliographical note
- Notes on the texts
- Leveller texts
- 1 ‘On the 150th page’: An untitled broadsheet of August 1645
- 2 Toleration justified and persecution condemned. 29 January 1646
- 3 Postscript to The freeman's freedom vindicated. 16 June 1646
- 4 A remonstrance of many thousand citizens. 7 July 1646
- 5 An arrow against all tyrants. 12 October 1646
- 6 Gold tried in the fire. 4 June 1647
- 7 Several hands, An agreement of the people for a firm and present peace upon grounds of common right and freedom. 28 October 1647
- 8 Members of the New Model Army and civilian Levellers, Extract from the debates at the General Council of the Army, Putney. 29 October 1647
- 9 The petition of 11 September 1648
- 10 England's new chains discovered. 26 February 1649
- 11 A manifestation. 14 April 1649
- 12 An agreement of the free people of England. 1 May 1649
- 13 The young men's and the apprentices' outcry. 29 August 1649
- Select biographies
- Index
- Title in the series
Summary
A manifestation from Lieutenant-Colonel John Lilburne, Mr William Walwyn, Mr Thomas Prince, and Mr Richard Overton (now prisoners in the Tower of London), and others, commonly (though unjustly) styled Levellers
Since no man is born for himself only, but obliged by the laws of nature (which reaches all), of Christianity (which engages us as Christians), and of public society and government, to employ our endeavours for the advancement of a communitive happiness of equal concernment to others as ourselves, here have we (according to that measure of understanding God has dispensed unto us) laboured, with much weakness indeed but with integrity of heart, to produce out of the common calamities such a proportion of freedom and good to the nation as might somewhat compensate its many grievances and lasting sufferings. And although in doing thereof we have hitherto reaped only reproach and hatred for our good-will, and been fain to wrestle with the violent passions of powers and principalities, yet since it is nothing so much as our blessed Master and his followers suffered before us and but what at first we reckoned upon, we cannot be thereby any whit dismayed in the performance of our duties, supported inwardly by the innocency and evenness of our consciences.
'Tis a very great unhappiness – we well know – to be always struggling and striving in the world, and does wholly keep us from the enjoyment of those contentments our several conditions reach unto.
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- Information
- The English Levellers , pp. 158 - 167Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 1998