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
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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-
"_Secondly_,{9} In many Parishes there are old, formal, ignorant
Episcopal Priests established; and some Ministers, who are bitter
enemies to Commonwealth's Freedom, and friends to Monarchy, are
established preachers, and are continually buzzing their subtle
principles into the minds of the people, to undermine the peace of
our declared Commonwealth, causing a disaffection of spirit among
neighbours, who otherwise would live in peace.
"_Thirdly_, The burthen of Tythes remains still upon our estates,
which was taken from us by the Kings and given to the Clergy to
maintain them by our labors. So that though their preaching fill
the minds of many with madness, contention and unsatisfied
doubting, because their imaginary and ungrounded doctrines cannot
be understood by them, yet we must pay them large Tythes for so
doing: this is Oppression."
THE POWER OF THE LAWYERS.
"_Fourthly_, If we go to the Lawyer, we find him to sit in the
Conqueror's Chair, though the King be removed, maintaining the
King's power to the height....
"_Fifthly_, Say they, if we look upon the Customs of the Law
itself, it is the same it was in the King's days, only the name is
altered; as if the Commoners of England had paid their taxes, given
free-quarter, and shed their blood, not to reform, but to baptize
the Law with a new name, from Kingly Law to State Law....[168:1]
And so as the Sword pulls down Kingly Power with one hand, the
King's Old Law builds up Monarchy again with the other."
THE MAIN WORK OF REFORMATION.
"AND INDEED THE MAIN WORK OF REFORMATION LIES IN THIS, TO REFORM
THE CLERGY, LAWYERS AND LAW; FOR ALL THE COMPLAINTS OF THE LAND ARE
WRAPPED UP WITHIN THEM THREE, NOT IN THE PERSON OF A KING."
"_Sixthly_, If we look into Parishes, the burthens there are many."
AND OF LORDS OF MANORS.
"_First_, For the Power of Lords of Manors remains still over their
Bretheren, requiring Fines and Heriots, beating them off the free
use of the Common Land, unless their Bretheren will pay them Rent,
exacting obedience as much as they did, and more, when the King was
in power.
"Now saith the People, By what Power do these maintain their Title
over us? Formerly they held Title from the King, as he was the
Conqueror's successor. But have not the Commoners cast out the
King, and broken the band of that Conquest? Therefore in equity
they are free from the slavery of that Lordly Power.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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