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6 - Gold tried in the fire. 4 June 1647
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- By William Walwyn, Merchant Adventurers' Company
- Edited by Andrew Sharp, University of Auckland
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- Book:
- The English Levellers
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- 05 June 2012
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- 11 June 1998, pp 73-91
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Summary
Courteous Reader,
I shall give thee a short narrative of some passages upon the following petitions. First concerning the Large Petition, divers printed copies thereof were sent abroad to gain subscriptions, one whereof was intercepted by an informer and so brought to the hands of Mr Glynn, Recorder of London and a member of the Commons' House, who was pleased to call it a scandalous and seditious paper. Whereupon it was referred to Colonel Leigh's committee (it being that committee appointed to receive informations against those men who preached without licence from the ordainers) to find out the authors of the said petition. Upon this a Certificate was drawn up and intended by the petitioners to have been delivered to the said committee for vindication of the said petition – as will appear by the certificate herewith printed – and notice being taken of one of the petitioners named Nicholas Tew, who read the said certificate in the Court of Requests for the concurrence of friends who had not formerly seen nor subscribed the certificate; and for his so doing he was sent for presently before the said committee; and for refusing to answer to interrogatories, was presently by them committed and still remains in prison, it being at the least three months since his first commitment.
Likewise Major Tulidah, was, upon complaint of that committee, the next day committed by the House – but since discharged upon bail – without any just cause shown for either of their commitments.
11 - A manifestation. 14 April 1649
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- By William Walwyn, Merchant Adventurers' Company, John Lilburne, Dover Castle, Thomas Prince, Overton and Walwyn, Richard Overton, General Baptist congregation in the Netherlands
- Edited by Andrew Sharp, University of Auckland
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- Book:
- The English Levellers
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- 05 June 2012
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- 11 June 1998, pp 158-167
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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.
12 - An agreement of the free people of England. 1 May 1649
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- By John Lilburne, Dover Castle, William Walwyn, Merchant Adventurers' Company, Thomas Prince, Overton and Walwyn, Richard Overton, General Baptist congregation in the Netherlands
- Edited by Andrew Sharp, University of Auckland
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- Book:
- The English Levellers
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- 05 June 2012
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- 11 June 1998, pp 168-178
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A preparative to all sorts of people
If afflictions make men wise and wisdom direct to happiness, then certainly this nation is not far from such a degree thereof as may compare, if not far exceed, any part of the world, having for some years by-past drunk deep of the cup of misery and sorrow. We bless God our consciences are clear from adding affliction to affliction, having ever laboured from the beginning of our public distractions to compose and reconcile them, and should esteem it the crown of all our temporal felicity that yet we might be instrumental in procuring the peace and prosperity of this commonwealth, the land of our nativity. And therefore according to our promise in our late Manifestation of 14 April 1649, being persuaded of the necessity and justness thereof as a peace-offering to the free people of this nation, we tender this ensuing Agreement, not knowing any more effectual means to put a final period to all our fears and troubles.
It is a way of settlement, though at first much startled at by some in high authority, yet, according to the nature of truth, it hath made its own way into the understanding and taken root in most men's hearts and affections, so that we have real ground to hope – whatever shall become of us – that our earnest desires and endeavours for good to the people will not altogether be null and frustrate.
2 - Toleration justified and persecution condemned. 29 January 1646
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- By William Walwyn, Merchant Adventurers' Company
- Edited by Andrew Sharp, University of Auckland
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- Book:
- The English Levellers
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- 05 June 2012
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- 11 June 1998, pp 9-30
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The letter of the London ministers to the Assembly of Divines at Westminster against toleration, mildly examined, and the mistakes thereof friendly discovered, as well for the sakes of the Independent and Separation, as for the good of the commonwealth.
When I call to mind the general oppression before the parliament exercised upon good people conscientious in the practice of their religion, and that the presbyters did not only suffer as much as any therein but exclaimed and laboured as much as any thereagainst, it is a wonder to me – now that yoke is removed and a blessed opportunity offered by Almighty God to the people and their parliament to make every honest heart glad by allowing a just and contentful freedom to serve God without hypocrisy and according to the persuasion of conscience – that one sect amongst us, that is the presbyters that have been yoke-fellows with us, should not rest satisfied with being free as their brethren but become restless in their contrivances and endeavours till they become lords over us. The wonder is the same as it would have been had the Israelites after the Egyptian bondage5 become task-masters in the Land of Canaan one to another; but it is more in them who have been instructed by our Saviour in that blessed rule of doing unto others what they would have others do unto themselves.