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-
[108:1] Colonel Rainborrow, who with Sexby and Wildman represented on
the Army Council the private soldiers of the Model Army, during the
debate on the right of voting, gave expression to the view that some
fundamental changes in the laws of the Land were both necessary and
justifiable, in the following words: "I hear it said, 'It's a huge
alteration it's a bringing in of new laws.' ... If writings be true,
there hath been many scuttlings between the honest men of England and
those that have tyrannised over them. And if what I have read be true,
there is none of those just and equitable laws that the people of
England are born to, but were once intrenchments [but were once
innovations]. But if they [the existing laws] were those which the
people have been always under, if the people find that they are not
suitable to freeman, I know no reason that should deter me, either in
what I must answer before God or the world, from endeavouring by all
means to gain anything that might be of more advantage to them than the
government under which they live."--_Clarke Papers_, vol. i. p. 247.
[109:1] _Economic Interpretation of History_, p. 138.
[110:1] _Economic Interpretation of History_, p. 241.
[110:2] _Six Centuries of Work and Wages_, pp. 432-433.
CHAPTER XI
A WATCHWORD TO THE CITY OF LONDON, ETC.
"All men have stood for Freedom; thou hast kept fasting-days and
prayed in the morning exercises for Freedom; thou hast given thanks
for victories because hopes of Freedom; plenty of Petitions and
Promises thereupon have been made for Freedom. But now the common
enemy is gone, you are all like men in a mist seeking for Freedom,
but know not where nor what it is.... Assure yourselves, if you
pitch not now upon the right point of Freedom in action, as your
Covenant hath it in words, you will wrap up your children in
greater slavery than ever you were in."--WINSTANLEY, _A Watchword
to the City of London_.
The House of Commons, as we have seen, took no notice of Winstanley's
dignified appeal, hence, within a week of its publication in pamphlet
form, Winstanley, on August 26th, 1649, addressed himself to the City of
London, at that time the stronghold of advanced political and religious
thought. The pamphlet, which is one of the most interesting he ever
wrote, appeared the following month: the title-page reads as follows:
"A WATCHWORD TO THE CITY OF LONDON AND THE ARMY:[112:1]
Wherein you may see that England's Freedom, which should be the
result of all our Victories, is sinking deeper under the Norman
Power, as appears by this Relation of the unrighteous
proceedings of Kingston Court against some of the Diggers at
George Hill, under colour of law; but yet thereby the cause of
the Diggers is more brightened and strengthened, so that every
one singly may truly say what his Freedom is and where it lies.
BY JERRARD WINSTANLEY.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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