E-text prepared by Suzanne Lybarger, Louise Pryor, and the Project Gutenberg Online Distributed Proofreading Team (http://www.pgdp.net/) from page images generously made available by the Internet Archive/Canadian Libraries (http://www.archive.org/details/toronto) Note: Images of the original pages are available through the Internet Archive/Canadian Libraries. See http://www.archive.org/details/diggermovement00bereuoft Transcriber's notes: All material added by the transcriber is surrounded by braces {}. The original has a number of inconsistent spellings and punctuation. A few corrections have been made for obvious typographical errors; they have been noted individually. A list of specific items will be found at the end of the file. Text in italics in the original is shown between _underlines_, and text in bold between =equal signs=. THE DIGGER MOVEMENT IN THE DAYS OF THE COMMONWEALTH As Revealed in the Writings of Gerrard Winstanley, the Digger _Mystic and Rationalist, Communist and Social Reformer_ by LEWIS H. BERENS Author of "Towards the Light" Etc. Etc. "Was glaenzt ist fuer den Augenblick geboren; Das Echte bleibt der{1} Nachwelt unverloren." GOETHE. London Simpkin, Marshall, Hamilton, Kent, & Co. Ltd. 1906 RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED TO THE SOCIETY OF FRIENDS (THE CHILDREN OF LIGHT) TO WHOM THE WORLD OWES MORE THAN IT YET RECOGNISES AND WHOSE FUNDAMENTAL DOCTRINES THE AUTHOR HAS LEARNED TO LOVE AND ADMIRE WHILST WRITING THIS BOOK CONTENTS CHAP. PAGE I. THE REFORMATION IN GERMANY 1 II. THE REFORMATION IN ENGLAND 12 III. THE GREAT CIVIL WAR 23 IV. THE DIGGERS 34 V. GERRARD WINSTANLEY 41 VI. WINSTANLEY'S EXPOSITION OF THE QUAKER DOCTRINES 52 VII. THE NEW LAW OF RIGHTEOUSNESS 68 VIII. LIGHT SHINING IN BUCKINGHAMSHIRE 79 IX. THE DIGGERS' MANIFESTOES 90 X. A LETTER TO LORD FAIRFAX, ETC. 100 XI. A WATCHWORD TO THE CITY OF LONDON, ETC. 112 XII. A NEW YEAR'S GIFT FOR THE PARLIAMENT AND ARMY 132 XIII. A VINDICATION; A DECLARATION; AND AN APPEAL 146 XIV. GERRARD WINSTANLEY'S UTOPIA: THE LAW OF FREEDOM 162 XV. THE SAME CONTINUED 179 XVI. THE SAME CONTINUED 206 XVII. CONCLUDING REMARKS 228 APPENDIX A. THE TWELVE ARTICLES OF THE GERMAN PEASANTRY, 1525 235