A remonstrance of Lieut. Col. John Lilburn

THE REMONSTRANCE OF Lieutenant Colonel John Lilburn, to the Freeborn people of England; and a Narrative and Abstract of his late pro∣ceedings, tryal, and sufferings.

IT is the saying of the God of Truth, That he that walketh righteously, and speaketh uprightly; he that despiseth the gain of oppressions, that shake∣eth his hands from holding of bribes, that stoppeth his ears from hearing of bloud, and shutteth his eyes from seeing of evil; He shall dwell on high; &c. But on the contrary he saith; VVoe unto them that de∣cree unrighteous Decrees; and that write grievous∣nesse which they have prescribed; to turn aside the needy from judgment; and to take away the

right from the poor of my people; that widowes may be their prey; and that they may rob the Fa∣therlesse, Isa. 32.15, 16. Chap. 10.1, 2.

As for my own part I am a free-man; yea, a free Denizen of England; and I have been in the field with my sword in my hand, to adventure my life and my bloud (against Tyrants) for the preserva∣tion of my just-freedom; and I do not know that ever I did an act in all my life, that disfranchised me of my freedom; and by vertue of my being a free∣man (I conceive) I have as true a right to all the pri∣viledges that do belong to a freeman as the greatest man in England whatsoever he be; and the ground and foundation of my freedome I build upon the grand Charter of England, which is published and expressed in the 9 of HEN. 3. Chap. 29. which I humbly crave leave to illustrate as followeth, viz. That no freeman shall be taken or imprisoned; or be diseised of his free-hold or liberties; or free Cu∣stoms; or be out-lawed or exiled; or any wise de∣stroyed: Nor we will not passe upon him, nor con∣demn him; but by lawful Judgment of his Peers; or by the Law of the Land; we will sell to no man; we will not deny; or defer to any man either Ju∣stice or Right. And the priviledges contained here∣in are my birth-right and inheritance; which privi∣ledges

have been ratified and confirmed to the free people of England by the Parliament assembled at Westmidster; and many Declarations put out a∣gainst the late King for violating of them.

And truly, I cannot chuse but remind you, That the Law of England is the birth-right and inheri∣tance of the people of England; yea of the meanest as well as of the richest: And although the Law of England be not so good in every particular, e∣specially in the administrative part of it, as I could wish it were; yet till I can see a better, I (for my part) will make much of that which we have, as the principal Earthly preserver and safeguard of my life, liberty and property for it, viz. Magna Charta Chap. 29. saith, No free-man shall be taken or im∣prisoned, or be disseifed of his freehold or ftee Cu∣stomes, or be outlawed or exiled, or any otherwise destroyed; nor past upon, nor condemned, but by lawful Judgment of his Peers; or by the Law of the Land; and that Justice and Right shall not be sold denied, or deferred to any man. See Sir Edw. Cook's excellent Exposition upon this in his 2. par. Instit. fol. 46, 47. &c. Printed by the late forcibly dissolved Parliament for good Law. And positively declared, To preserve unto the people inviolably their fun∣damental Laws and Liberties, in refere••ce to their Lives, Estates, and all things appertaining thereunto.

The Remonstrance.

IT was the lot and portion of our onely Lord and Master Jesus Christ, to be persecuted, reviled, re∣proached, and counted a Troubler of the World, and one not sit to breath therein: And this even by his own Countrey-men and friends; And if we his ser∣vants meet with the same measure, he hath com∣manded Us not to be dismayed or troubled, and the reason is, because the servant is not above the master: And withall, that we might go on cheerfully in bear∣ing the yoak of our master, he hath ingaged himself to bear part of it with us, and takes all that is done to us for adhering to him, as done unto himself, Act. 9.4. And therefore, saith the spirit of God, in all their afflict••ons, he was afflicted, and the Angel of his pre∣sence saved him, Esay 63.9. Paul, Peter, and John, sound these sayings of their Master true, and had their portions in afflictions in an extraordinaay man∣ner, but yet tasted largely of the faithfulnesse of their Masters promise, which was to be with them, and in them; which made Paul glory in his tribulations, and to say, That as his afflictions did abound, so much more his consolations; and Paul's portion in these expressions and enjoyments, I my self have been made partaker of, in my great and pressing tribula∣tions, which I under-went in the Bishops dayes, and have had a large portion of sorrowes all along both

before and since, throughout my pilgrimage in this present Vail of teares. And having had my spirit mightily refreshed and carryed above the world, and the lash of my bitter adversaries, by calling to mind my by-past experience and refreshings, that I have injoyed from that Fountain of fulnesse, that hath for many years together been my sensible injoyed por∣tion: And amongst all the Writings and Declarati∣ons of Gods Love and Kindnesse manifested to me in my sorrowes, this hath most affected, and ••••ken my spirit with greatest content, That it is the work of the Saints, to incounter with difficulties in the Cause and Quarrel of their Lord and Master, and not to be afraid of bonds nor imprisonments. A good Conscience had rather run the hazard of cru∣elty, then to abate an hairs breadth of contestation a∣gainst illegality. This was the saying of Mr. Over∣ton, in his late Case, depending in the Honse of Peers; for, saith he,

As their Lordships in their ar∣bytrary capacity found Warrants, so should they find Legs to obey them; for I was resolved mine should not be inslaved to that their Usurpation to do their Arbytrary Drudgery; I would rather lose my life, then in that kind to do them that vas∣salage: My Legs were born as free as the rest of my Body, and therefore I scorn that Legs, or arms, or hands, should do them any service; for as I am

a free-man by Birth, so am I resolved to live and die, both in heart, word and deed, in substance and in shew.

Many thousand Citizens are petitioning the Parl. for the recalling of the heavy sen∣tence upon him; by reason that if in relati∣on to his person, his affection to the Parlia∣ment, and zeal to publick freedom, renders all forrein Nations so unsafe to him, as that (in effect) he is banished into a Wilderness, and exposed naked to the fury of Bears and Lyons.

FINIS.