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 ReformerBerens, Lewis Henry
History
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
Berens, Lewis Henry
Communism; Land use; Winstanley, Gerrard, 1609-
"_April 4 (Thursday)._--THE TRUE COPY OF A LETTER taken at
Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, with some men that were there
apprehended for going about to incite people to Digging, and
under such pretence gathered money of the well-affected for
their assistance.
"These are to certify all that are Friends to Universal Freedom,
and that look upon the Digging and Planting of the Commons to be
the first springing up of Freedom: To make the Earth a Common
Treasury that everyone may enjoy food and raiment freely by his
labour upon the Earth, without paying Rents or Homage to any
Fellow-creature of his own kind; that everyone may be delivered
from the Tyranny of the Conquering Power, and to rise up out of
that Bondage to enjoy the benefit of his Creation: This, I say, is
to certify all such that those Men that have begun to lay the First
Stone in the Foundation of this Freedom (by digging upon Georges
Hill on the Common called Little Heath in Cobham) in regard of the
great opposition hitherto from the Enemy, by reason whereof they
lost the last Summer's work, yet, through inward faithfulness to
advance Freedom, they keep the field still, ... but in regard to
poverty their work is like to flag and drop: Therefore if the
hearts of any be stirred up to drop anything into this Treasury, to
buy victuals to keep the men alive, and to buy Corn to cast into
the ground, it will keep alive the Spirit of Public Freedom to the
whole Land, which otherwise is ready to die again for want of help.
And if you hear hereafter that there was a people appeared to stand
up to advance Public Freedom, and struggled with the Opposing Power
of the Land, for that they begin to let them alone, and yet these
men and their public work were crushed, because they wanted
assistance of food and corn to keep them alive: I say, if you hear
this, it will be trouble to you when it is too late, that you had
monies in your hand, and would not part with any of it to purchase
Freedom, therefore you deservedly groan under Tyranny, and no
Saviour appears. But let your Reason weigh the excellency of this
work, and I am sure you will cast in something.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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