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 — John Shaqi
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-
"That their intent is to restore the Creation to its former
condition. That as God had promised to make the barren land
fruitful, so now what they did was to restore the ancient community
of enjoying the fruits of the Earth, and to distribute the benefits
thereof to the poor and needy, and to feed the hungry and to clothe
the naked.
"That they intend not to meddle with any man's property nor to
break down any pales or enclosures, but only to meddle with what
was common and untilled, and to make it fruitful for the use of
man. That the time will suddenly be, when all men shall willingly
come in and give up their lands and estates, and submit to this
community.
"And for all those that will come in and work they should have
meat, drink, and clothes, which is all that is necessary to the
life of man; and that for money, there was not any need of it, nor
of clothes more than to cover nakedness.
"That they will not defend themselves by arms, but will submit unto
authority, and wait till the promised opportunity be offered, which
they conceive to be at hand. And that as their forefathers lived in
tents, so it would be suitable to their condition now to live in
the same: and more to the like effect.
"While they were before the General, they stood with their hats
on; and being demanded the reason thereof, they said, 'Because he
was but their fellow-creature.' Being asked the meaning of that
place, 'Give honour to whom honour is due'; they said that their
mouths should be stopped that gave them that offence."
Whitelocke continues, "I have set down this the more largely
because it was the beginning of the appearance of this opinion; and
that we might the better understand and avoid these weak
persuasions."
"The germ of Quakerism and much else is curiously visible here," is
Carlyle's shrewd comment on the above incident. But as to how far this
account of the views of the Diggers is correct, we shall leave to the
judgement of those who read the pages that are to follow. Though we may
now believe that, save that he placed Norman in the place of the Saxon
Lords, William the Conqueror introduced but few innovations into the
laws and institutions of the country, the very opposite was the accepted
opinion in the days of Winstanley and his associates.[38:1] It may also
be well to mention here that, though Everard's name appears, and first
in order, amongst those who signed the pamphlet, _The True Levellers
Standard Advanced: or, The State of Community opened and presented to
the Sons of Men_, which bears date April 26th, 1649, and to which we
shall presently refer, it does not appear in any of the later
publications of the Diggers. Whether he died about this time or merely
dropped out of the movement, we have not been able to ascertain.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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