Selected quad for the lemma: justice_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
justice_n	king_n	law_n	right_n	3,390	5	7.1155	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A48472	The picture of the Councell of State, held forth to the free people of England by Lieut. Col. John Lilburn, M. Thomas Prince, and M. Richard Overton, now prisoners in the Tower of London for bearing testimony to the liberties of England against the present tyrants at White-Hall, and their associates, or, a full narrative of the late extrajudiciall and military proceedings against them ; together with the substance of their severall examinations, answers, and deportments before them at Darby-house, upon March 28 last.	Lilburne, John, 1614?-1657.; Prince, Thomas.; Overton, Richard, fl. 1646.	1649 (1649)	Wing L2155; ESTC R10562	40,210	29

my self in again amongst them being scarce able to contain myself that so I might have gone five or six stories higher then I did before yea as high as I intended when I came to their door and to have particularly paid Cromwel and Haslerig to the purpose for their late venome not onely against me in the House but my whole Family Haslerig saying as I am informed in the open House There was never a one of the Lilburns Family fit or worthy to be a Constable in England though I am confident there is not the worst of us alive that have served the Parliament but he is an hundred times more just honest and unspotted then he himself as in due time I shall make it appear by Gods assistance I hope to his shame But the fair carriage of the Gentlemen of the supposed Councel to me at the first took off the height of the edge of my Spirit and intended resolution which it may be they shall have the next time to this effect Y●u your selves have already voted the People under God the Fountain and Originall of all just Power and if so then none can make them Laws but those that are chosen impowred and betrusted by them for that end And if that be true as undoubtedly it is I desire to know how the present Gentlemen at VVestminster can make it appear they are the Peoples Representatives being rather chosen by the Will of him whose head as a Tyrant and Traytor they have by their Wils chopt off I mean the King then by the People whose Will made the Borough towns to chuse Parliament men and thereby robb'd about nineteen people of this Nation of their undubitable and inherent right to give to a single man in twenty for number in reference to the whole Nation a Monopoly to chuse Parliament men dis-franchising thereby the other nineteen And if so in any measure then upon their own declared Principles they are no Representative of the People no nor was not at the first Again the King summoned them by his Writ the issue of his will and pleasure and by vertue of that they sit to this hour and so are rather his Parliament then the Peoples Again the King by his Will and pleasure combines with them by an Act to make them a perpetual Parliament one of the worst and tyrannicallest actions that ever he did in his life to sit as long as they pleased which he nor they had no pow●r to do in the least the very constitution of Parliaments in England being to be once every yeer or oftner if need require Q●aere Whether this Act of perpetuating this Parliament by the Parliament men themselves beyond their Commission was not an act in them of the highest Treason in the world against the People and their Liberties by setting up themselves an Arbitrary power over them for euer which is the greatest slavery can be exexcised upon the sons of men Yea and thereby razing the foundation and constitution of Parliament it self And if so then this is null if at the first it had been any thing Again if it should be granted this Parliament at the beginning had a legal constitution from the people the original and fountain of all just power yet the Faction of a trayterous party of Officers of the Army hath twice rebelled against the Parliament and broke them to pieces and by force of Armes culled out whom they please and imprisoned divers of them and laid nothing to their charge and have left onely in a manner a few men besides 12 of themselves viz. the General Cromwel Ireton Harrison Fleetword Ri●h Ingalsby Haslerig Constable Fennick Walton and Allen Treasu●er of their own Faction behind them that will like Spanel-doggs serve their lusts and wills yea some of the chiefest of them viz. Ireton Harrison c. yea M. Holland himself stiling them a mocke Parliament a mocke power at Winsor yea it is yet their expressions at London And if this be true that they are a mocke power and a mocke Parliament then Quere Whether in Law or Justice especially considering they have fallen from all their many glorious promises and have not done any one action that tends to the Universal good of the people and absolutely degenerate into pure tyrany and thereby have lost the essence and soul of authority and are become but a dead and stincking Carkess Can those Gentlemen sitting at Westminster in the House called the House of Commons be any other then a Factious company of men trayterously combined together with Crumwel Ireton and Harrison to subdue the Lawes Liberties and Freedoms of Ergland for no one of them protests against the rest and to set up an absolute and perfect Tyranny of the Sword will and pleasure and absolutely intend the destroying the Trade of the Nation and the absolute impoverishing the people thereof to fit them to be their Vassels and Slaves And if so then Quere Whether the Free-People of England as well Souldiers as others ought not to contemn all these mens commands as invalid and illegal in themselves and as one man to rise up against them as so many professed traytors theeves robbers * For Magistacy going beyond its bounds and limits and setting up their wills and lusts are no more Magistrates but Beares and Wolves and so may be resisted for these three things out of the Parliament and Armies Declarations I will prove to be good and sound doctrine consonant to reason and scripture viz. first that all Magisteriall power in England what ever are at most but Officers of trust and expresly bound up with this limitation to be exercised for the good and wel fair of the trusters Secondly that it is possible that all or any of the several Magisterial trustees may forfeit their or its trust Thirdly that in case of forfeting the Magisterieal trust the trusters the people are disobliged from their obedience and subjection and may lawfully doe the best they can for their own preservation and their Magistrates punishment See the first part of the Parliaments Declarations pag. 81. 150. 201. 207. 264. 267. 270. 276. 304. 492. 494. 629. 690. 694. 696. 699. 700. 701. 726. 728. See the Armies booke Declaration pag. 26. 34. 38. 39. 40 41. 60. 61 62 66. 141. 143 144. See also King James opinion betwixt a Real King and a Tyrant in his speech to the Parliament 1609. See my Book called The Out-crys of oppressed Commons pag. 16. 17. 18. and regall Tyranny pag. 32. 33 34 35. c. 59 60. 61 62. but to behead the King for Tyranny and Treason who was fenced about with the Letter of multitude of Lawes puts this out of all dispute high way men apprehend secure and bring them to Justice in a new Representative chosen by vertue of a just Agreement among the pecple there being no other way in the world to preserve the Nation but that alone the three forementioned men viz. Cromwel Ireton and

Harrison the Generall being but their stalking Hors and a Cipher and there trayterous faction ** For the greatest Traytors they are that ever were in this Nation as upon the losse of my head l Ioh. Lilburn will by law under take to prove and make good before the next free and just Parliament to whom I hereby appeal having by their wills and Swords got all the Swords of England under their command and the disposing of all the great places in England by sea and land andalso the pretended law executing power by making among themselves contrary to the Lawes and Liberberies of *** For the people being in reason justice and truth as well as by the Parliaments late votes the true fountain and original of all just power they ought not only in Reason Right and Justice chuse their own law makers but all and every of their law executors and to obey none what soever but of their own choice and it is not only their right by reason and justice but Sir Ed. Cooke in his second part Institut published for good Law by this present house of Commons declares and proves Fol. 174. 175. 558. 559. that by law it was and is the peoples right to chuse their Coroner Justices or conservators of the Peace as also their high Sheriff and Verderors of Forest and saith he there expresly for the time of War there were likewise Leaders of the Countreys Souldiers of Ancient time chosen by the Free-holders of the county but it 's true the chiefest of these things were expresly taken from the people and invested in the King by the Statute of the 27. Hen. 3 chap. 24. and therefore Kingly government being abolished the right is returned into the people the king or fountain of power and cannot be exercised as a new devise by the Parliament although they were never so legally and Justly chosen by them without a conference with them thereupon a power deputed to them for that end as Sir Edward Cooke declares in the 4 part of his Institutes chap. High Court of Parliament Fol. 14. 34. therefore I do hereby declare all the present Parliaments Justices Sherifs c. to be no Justices Sherifs c. either in law or reason but meer tyrants invadors and usurpers of their power and authority and may very well in time come to be hanged for executing their pretended offices England all Judges Justices of Peace Sheriffs Bailiffes Committee-men c. to execute their wils and tyranny walking by no limits or bounds but their own wils and pleasures And trayterously assume unto themselves a power to levie upon the people what money they please and dispose of it as they please yea even to buy knives to cut the peoples throats that pay the money to them and to give no account for it till Dooms-day in the afternoone they having already in their wills and power to dispose of Kings Queen Princes Dukes and the rest of the Childrens Revenues Deans and Chapter lands Bishops lands sequestered Deliquents lands sequestred Papists lands Compositions of all sorts amounting to millions of money besides Excise and Customs yet this is not enough although if rightly husbanded it would constantly pay above one hundred thousand men and ●urnish an answerrable Navy thereunto But the people must now after their trades are lost and their estates spent to procure their liberties freedoms be sessed about 100000. pound a month that **** But saith there own Oracle Sir Ed. Cook in the 4 part of his instutes chap. High Court of Parliament Fol. 14. 34. It is also the Law and custome of Parliament that when any new device is moved on the Kings behalf in Parliament for his aid or the like the Commons may answer that they tend●ed the Kings estate and are ready to aide the same only in this new device they dare not agree without conference with their countries whereby it appeareth saith he that such conferences is warrantable by the law and custome of Parliament and this was do●e in the Parliament of the 9. Ed. 3. nu●b 5 but the present Parliament assume unto themselves the regall office in the height and therefore ought not to be their own carvers in reference to the peoples purses but ought to demand and obtain their consents especially in time of peace before they levie either 90000 pounds per month or any such like new device what ever and therefore I know neither law equity or reason to compel the people to pay a penny of it unlesse they have a desire to bring themselves into the same condition in reference to the present Parliament that the Egyptians were to Pharoah when Joseph was so hard hearted as to make the Egyptians to pay so dear for b●ead-corn that it cost them all their money and all their cattle yea all their lands and also themselves for his slaves Gen. 47. 14. 15. 16. c. for which tyranny God plagued him and his posterity by making them slaves to the Egyptians afterwards so they may be able like so many cheaters and and State theeves to give 6. 8. 10. 12. 14. 16000. pounds apeice over again to one another as they have done already to divers of themselves to buy the Common-wealths lands one of another contrary to the duty of Trustees who by law nor equity can neither given or sell to one another or two or three yeers purchase the true and valuable rate considered as they have already done and to give 4 or 5000l per annum over again to King Crumwell with ten or twenty thousand pounds worth of wood uponit as they have done already out of the Earl of Worcesters estate c. Besides about four or five pounds a day he hath by his places of Lieut. Generall and Colonel of Horse in the Army besides the extraordinary advancement of many of his kindred that so they might stick close to him in his tyranny although he were at the beginning of this Parliament but a poor man yea little better then a begger to what he is now as well as other of his neighbours But to return those Gentlemen that would have had us bailed lost the day by one vote as we understood for all their wicked oath of secrecy and then about 12. at night they broke up a fit hour for such works of wickednesse John 3. 19. 20. 21. and we went into their pretended Secretary and found our commitments made in these words our names changed viz. These are to will and require you to receive herewith into your custody the Person of Lieu. Col. John Lilburn and him safely to keep in your Prison of the Tower of London untill you receive further order he being committed to upon suspition of high Treason of which you are not to fail and for which this shall be your sufficient Warrant given at the Councel of State at Derby-house 28. day of March 1649. To the Lieu. of the Tower of London Signed in the name

which I have proved that I am more cruelly dealt with then bloudy Bonner dealt with the poor Saints and Martyrs in Queen Marys dayes and that I am denyed that which in England was never yet denyed to any Traytor that ever I read of And in it I accuse William Laud the Prelate of Canterbury for High Treason the which I did a yeer agone before Sir John Banks Knight and will still venture my life upon the proof thereof if I may have a Legall proceeding One ground of my accusation is this the Parliament Laws and Statutes of this Land as the 25 and 37 of Hen. 8. and the first of Edw. 6. and the first and 27 of Elizabeth doth enact to this effect That whosoever goes about to set up or challenge any forrain or domestick Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction but what doth immediately flow and come from the Imperiall Crown is ipso facto a Traitor and ought to die without the benefit of Clergie as more at large in them you may read Now the Bishop of Canterbury and the rest of his mercilesse brethren about four yeers agone in the Censure of that Noble Doctor Bastwick now of late much degenerate there in their open Court at Lambeth renounced the King and his Authority and said They were not beholding to him for their Episcopall Jurisdiction for they were made Bishops by Jesus Christ and consecrated by the holy Ghost and they had their thrones and were before Christian Kings and they held the Crowns of Kings upon their heads and their Maxime was No Bishop no King And if this be not treason then I think there was never any committed And this with much more to this effect Doctor Bastwick doth declare in his answer to Sir John Banks his Information as you may read in the tenth and eleventh pages thereof And for this most Noble Lord was I against all Law and Justice laid in irons for a long time together in a most inhumane manner and lock'd up close prisoner for these twelve months together against all Law and to the violating of the Subjects Libertie for by Magna Charta and other Statutes of this Land which are still in force but onely the execution of them is thrown in the kennell neither the Lord Keeper nor any others ought to commit any of the Kings Subjects close prisoners unless either for Felony or Treason and onely in case of an extraordinary crime and then they must forthwith bring them to their tryall But by close imprisonment the Law doth not mean that the Kings Subjects should be locked up in rooms much lesse that their friends should not be suffered to come to speak with them and bring them victuals to preserve their lives as grave Judge Cr●ok not long since in his Speech at Westminster-Hall did prove when he pleaded for the Subjects Liberty But contrary to the Parliament Laws yea and the practice of Heathens and Pagans I am locks up close all alone and cannot be suffered to come to a just tryall but am kept up so close that my friends and acquaintance that bring me relief I being long since deserted of my Kindred are not suffered to come at me but are sent away with that they bring me with all the abuses reproaches and revilings that possible may be by my Keeper And one that came unto me he hath beaten and others he hath threatned to kick if they come any more to me and to others of them he hath most fasly and slinderously reviled me calling me Rebell and Traytor telling them that no victuals should come at me so that I am forced daily in regard of barbarous cruelty to cry out aloud at my iron grate to the prisoners and strangers to let them know the height of my misery wherein I live and yet no redresse can I have but daily more and more cruelty is exercised upon me and many grievous threats from bloudy murthering Morry my keeper who threatens to hamper me and lock my head and legs together for my complaining This he did the last Lords day at night and also offered to beat me with his keys in so much that at ten a clock at night I was forced to cry out to the prisoners of it And in this most miserable condition do I remain though I have been dangerously sick almost these eleven months which many times hath brought me even unto deaths door and in regard of my exceeding extremity of pain in my head by reason of my long closenesse ever since Candlemass Term was twelve months and my cruell torments besides I have been constrained for to get a little ease of my extream pain which in sudden fits takes me for two or three hours together to be tied to a constant course of Physick usually once in fourteen dayes and sometimes oftner And though of late I had a little liberty to walk once a day in the common prison yard yet I am now deprived of it by the Warden for complaining of my keepers cruelty and his shamefull abusing me and my friends which did but come to look upon me with whom this was my greatest discourse that I had tied my self by promise before I could get that little liberty of walking that I would not talk with any Friends therefore I desired them not to be offended for I durst not talk with them Yet because they came but to see me I was deprived of it and also they that looked to me in my sicknesse and weaknesse kept from me so that now in my weakness I have none to look to me In my Grievous and mournfull Complaint already published I have a little touched the Wardens galled conscience for his cruell oppressions wherefore he in revenge it seems intends to murther me lest I should by my just complaints make it cost him as dear as the salving up of his wickednesse did when he was last called to an account for I have heard the prisoners with open mouth proclaim it that for making his peace he gave to the Barl of Bohon ten thousand pounds and to the fore-man of the Jury one thousand pounds for which his conscience being troubled he revealed it upon his death bed And also to an Officer five hundred pounds to rase out some things which were upon record yea I have heard the poor Prisoners proclaim it aloud that he cozens them of above seven hundred pounds a yeer which belongs to them and allows them but a small pittance upon which they are not able to live and some of them have severall times in the open Chappel cryed out to the Gentlemen prisoners that they are ready to starve and perish for want of food yea so great hath been the barbarous cruelty of the Warden to the poor that if the Prisoners reports may be beleeved poor men here have been forced for want of food to eat their own dung And this had been my own condition in likelyhood had not God raised up some compassionate Friends that were meer strangers

and by the Order of the Councel of State appointed by authority of Parliament Jo. Bradshaw President Note that we were committed upon Wensday their fast day being the best fruits that ever any of their fasts brought out amongst them viz. To sinite with the fist of wickednesse For the illegallity of this warrant I shall not say much because it is like all the rest of the warrants of the present House of Commons and their unjust Committees whose Warrants are so sufficiently anatomized by my quondam Comrade M. John Wildeman though much degenerated his Books called Truths Triumph and the Laws subversion being Sir John Maynard's Case truly stated and by my self in my late plea before the Judges of the Kings Bench now in print and intituled The Laws Funerall that it is needlesse to say any more of that particular and therefore to them I refer the Reader But to go on When we had read our Warrants we told Mr. Frost we would not dispute the legality of them because we were under the force of Guards of armed Musketiers So some time was spent to finde a man that would go with us to prison Captain Jenkins as I remember his name being Captain of the Guard and my old and familiar acquaintance was prevailed with by us to take the charge upon him who used us very civilly and gave us leave that night it being so late to go home to our Wives and took our words with some other of our friends then present to meet him in the morning at the Angel Tavern neer the Tower which we did accordingly and so marched with him into the Tower where coming to the Lieutenants House and after salutes each of other with very much civility the Lieutenant read his Warrants and Mr. Walwin as our appointed mouth acquainted him that we were Englishmen who had hazarded all we had for our Liberties and Freedoms for many yeers together and were resolved though Prisoners not to part with an inch of our Freedoms that with strugling for we could keep and therefore we should neither pay Fees nor chamber-rent but what the Law did exactly require us neither should we eat or drink of our own cast or charges so long as we could fast telling him it was our unquestionable right by Law and the custom of this place to be provided for out of the publick Treasure although we had never so much money in our pockets of our own which he granted to be true and after some more debate I told him we were not so irrationall as to expect that he out of his own money should provide for us but the principall end of our discourse with him was to put words in his mouth from our selves he being now our Guardian to move the Parliament or Councel of State about us which he hath acquainted us he did to the Councel of State who he saith granted the King or former times used to provide for the Prisoners But I say they will not be so just as he was in that particular although they have taken off his head for tyranny yet they must and will be greater Tyrants then he yea and they have resolved upon the Question that he shall be a Traytor that shall but tell them of their Tyranny although it be never so visible But let me tell them that saying of Mr. John Cook their Solicitor general in his Book called the Kings case stated is most true That in condemning the King for tyranny they have already past Sentence against themselves when they tyrannize But I say and will make it good upon my life before competent Judges that they are greater Tyrants then the King was and the Ring-leaders of them better deserved his punishment of losse of their heads then he did for he never made such professions of Libertie and Justice to the People as they have done but always maintained the people had no share in Government and that for his misgovernment he was accountable to none but God and yet I will justifie it their actions are as wicked as his yea I will maintain it that the cruel tyrant Duke D'Alva so much mentioned in Edmond Grimstons generall History of the Neather-Lands lib. 9. who with his High Court of Justice or Counsell of State put above eighteen thousand to death under pretence of Justice in less then five yeers fol. 435. 462. was more excusable then the Leaders of these men Yea bloudy Qu. Mary in comparison was a Saint to these men who never went about to burn or hang the Martyrs but for transgressing a Law in being yea and let them enjoy open tryals according to Law but these men would hang us for Traitors although we have transgressed none of their Laws yea and in the night contrary to Law in a close room examine us against our selves without producing face to face either prosecutor accuser or witnesse yea or so much as laying any crime unto our charge our chiefest Adversaries being our Judges Wherefore Hear O heavens and give ear O earth So now I have brought the Reader to my old contented lodging in the Tower where within two or three days of our arrivall there came one M. Richardson a Preacher amongst those unnatural un-English-like men that would now help to destroy the innocent and the first promoters in England as Cromwels beagles to do his pleasure of the first Petition for a personal Treaty almost two yeers ago and commonly stile themselves the Preachers to the seven Churches of Anabaptists which Richardson pretending a great deal of affection to the Common-wealth to Cromwel and to us and prest very hard for union and peace and yet by his petition since this endeavours to hang us telling us men cryed mightily out upon us abroad for grand disturbers that sought Cromwels bloud for all his good Service to the Nation and that would center nowhere but meerly laboured to pull down those in power to set up our selves And after a little discourse with him being all four present and retorting all he said back upon those he seemed to plead for before severall witnesses we appealed to his own conscience to this effect whether those could intend any hurt or tyranny to the people that desire and earnestly endeavoures for many years together that all Magistrates hands might be bound and limited by a just law and rule with a penalty annexed unto it that in case they out-stripe their rule they might forfeit life and estate therefore and that all Magistrates might be chosen by the free people of this Nation by common consent according to their undubitable right and often removed that so they might not be like standing waters subject to corruption and that the people might have a plain easie short and known Rule amongst themselves to walk by administred in their own Countries but such men were all we and therefore justly could not be stiled disturbers of any but onely such as sought to rule over the people by their absolute

death nor hell men nor Devills hanging nor burning for I assuredly know that when this my miserable life is ended I shall go to my God of glory to be a posessour of an immortall Crowne of glory In the second place if they will not let me have a speedy and legal tryall then therefore in regard my keepers are such murthering poysoning and starving fellowes that I have just cause in regard of their cruell bloudy threats and inveterate malice at me to fear that they will either secretly by poison or else by other wicked cruelty put me to death I humbly and earnestly desire that I may be turned over to Bridwell Newgate either of the Countors or any other prison about this City where my friends may be suffered to come to me and relieve me and look to me in my weaknesse and great distresse for I am necessitated with speed to take physickagain to ease the extremity of pain which I endure in my head if my Friends according to law and humanity might be suffered to come to look to me And for my safe imprisonment if I may be removed I will put in sufficient security either to the L. Protector or your self for my forth-coming at all times to answer whatsoever the greatest or capitallest of my enemies shall at any time object against me Now my Lord I have a little acquainted you with my grievous and just complaint the particulars of which I offer to justifie and prove it being such an example of cruelty which is lawlesly and unjustly exercised upon me which I think cannot be parallell'd in any Nation in the world where morality and humanity are professed Oh therefore as you are the Noble Governour of this Renowned City and a Magistrate of good report make me some powerfull and speedy help against the cruel Warden whose lawless unjust and uncontrollable oppressions are so great not only to me but also to many other poor prisoners that I think no Prison in the world is able to parallel those just complaints that poor distressed men are able justly to make against him the chief of which arise from the Bishop old Sir Henry Vane and the Lord Keeper's bearing up the Warden in all his cruelty for executing with tyranny and rigour their unjust and unlawfull Commands upon th●se they commit hither to be tormented in our cruel Fleet Purgatory which if any of the oppressed do but offer to speak of the Warden and his Officers do labour by lawlesse cruelty to murther them Therefore it behoves you my Lord and my Lord Protector now in our Soveraigns absence being then gone against the Scots to hear the cryes of poor distressed and too too much oppressed prisoners and to ease them according to justice and right of their intolerable burthens For my own part my distresses and miseries are so great that I protest before the God of heaven and earth that I had rather imbrace present death then still endure the piercing bitternesse of my oppressing forments yea I had rather chuse to be banished into the howling and dolesom wildernesse and left among the Lions Dragons Bears and Wolves those devouring and ramping wilde beasts then to be as I am in the custody of the lawlesse murthering Bishop and Jaylors O therefore if there be any bowels of mercy and compassion in you most Noble Lord pity the deprorable condition of me a poor distressed innocent young man and a Prentice of this Honourable City And with you my Lord I have had occasion to speak face to face about my Masters businesse and the last piece of service that I did him was in your Honours House O that I were with you again that I might with mournfull sollicitations sollicite you for some speedy redresse which for our Christ his sake I beseech you let me shortly have lest the continuance in my present and constant misery cause me to publish this in print proclaiming it aloud to other Nations to the publick view of all men that so they may know my miserable condition But if I can but have any redresse I shall be ready at your Honours command to do you any service that I am able and in the interim I shall with willingnesse sit down in peace and silence So committing you and all your brave Citizins to the keeping of the Almighty Protector desiring him to guide your Noble heart uprgihtly to execute Justice and Judgment in your great place in these tormenting oppressing and bloudy times that so your good name for equity and justice may be had in perpetuity in future generations So for the present I humbly take my leave and rest Your most miserable distressed and cruelly oppressed poor Suppliant JOHN LILBURN All of this I subscribe with my own bloud which is already almost shed with cruelty And for the safety of my life since I was whipt to the number of above 500 stripes with knotten whip-cords in lesse then an hours space I have been forced to be let bloud four times And because in my most cruell condition I am not suffered to have either pen or ink neither of which I make use of in the writing of this I am forced to send it very ruggedly to your Honour and to crave pardon for those literal faults that you shall finde in it JOHN LILBURN From the Fleet the oppressingest and cruellest prison I think that is in the world the middle of this fifth Month called May 1639. Courteous Reader I shall desire thee to cast thy eye seriously upon this ensuing Letter of mine and my fellow-prisoner Mr. Richard Overton which we wrote to the Generall the 27. of April 1649 in the behalf of Captain Savages Troopers the Copy of which is as followeth The Copy of a Letter written to the Generall from Lieut. Col. Jo. Lilburn and M. Rich. Overton Arbitrary and Ari-stocratical prisoners in the Tower of London the 27 of April 1649 in behalf of Mr. Robert Lockier tyrannycally ordered to be murdered by the Councel of War M. George Ash M. Joseph Hockley M. Robert Osburn Mr. Matth. Heyworth Mr. Tho. Goodwin all of Captain Savage his Troop in Col. Whaley's Regiment who by the said Councel were adjudged to cast lots for their lives and one of them to die In which it is by Law fully proved that it is both Treason and Murder for any Generall or Councel of War to execute any Souldier in time of Peace by Martiall Law May it please your Excellency WEe have not yet forgot your Solemn Engagement of June 5. 1647 whereby the Armies continuance as an Army was in no wise by the wil of the State but by their own mutuall Agreement and if their standing were removed from one Foundation to another as is undeniable then with the same they removed from one Authority to a another and the Ligaments and Bounds of the First were all dissolved and gave place to the Second and under and from the head of their first Station viz. By the will of