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-
"In the managing of any trade let no young wit be crushed in his
invention. If any man desire to make a new trial of his skill in
any trade or science, the Overseer shall not injure him but
encourage him therein; that so the Spirit of Knowledge may have his
full growth in man, to find out the secrets in every art. And let
everyone who finds out a new invention have a deserved honor given
him; and certainly when men are sure of food and raiment, their
reason will be ripe and ready to dive into the secrets of the
Creation, that they may learn to see and know God (the Spirit of
the whole Creation) in all his works. For fear of want and care to
pay Rent to Task-Masters hath hindered many rare inventions. So
that Kingly Power hath crushed the Spirit of Knowledge, and would
not suffer it to rise up in its beauty and fullness, but by his
Club Law hath preferred the Spirit of Imagination, which is a
deceiver, before it.
"THERE SHALL BE NO BUYING AND SELLING OF THE EARTH, NOR OF THE
FRUITS THEREOF.
"For by the Government under Kings the cheaters hereby have cozened
the plain-hearted of their Creation Birth-rights, and have
possessed themselves in the Earth, and call it theirs, and not the
others, and so have brought in that poverty and misery which lies
upon many men. And whereas the wise should help the foolish, and
the strong help the weak, the wise and strong destroy the weak and
simple ... and so the Proverb is made true--_Plain dealing is a
jewel, but he who uses it shall die a beggar._ And why? Because
this buying and selling is the nursery of cheats; it is the Law of
the Conqueror, the Righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees....
And these cunning cheaters commonly become the Rulers of the
Earth.... For not the wise poor man, but the cunning rich man was
always made an Officer and a Ruler; such a one as by his stolen
interests in the Earth would be sure to hold others in bondage of
poverty and servitude to him and his party. Therefore there shall
be no buying and selling in a free Common-wealth, neither shall
anyone hire his Brother to work for him."
From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs:
such, then, was Winstanley's ideal; such was the Communistic
Commonwealth he evidently imagined would naturally evolve if only the
equal claims of all to the use of the Earth were once recognised and
respected. He was, however, much too shrewd to think for a moment that
any such State could be ushered in all at once, or created by Act of
Parliament. For he continues:
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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