Lewis H. Berens - The Digger Movement in the Days of the Commonwealth

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Then, as if ashamed of appealing to mere conventional man-made Laws, he
at once acknowledges what he and his comrades have done, and justifies
their action in the following dignified words:

"But that all men may see that we are neither ashamed nor afraid to
justify that cause we are arrested for, neither to refuse to answer
to it in a righteous way, therefore we have here delivered this up
in writing, and we leave it in your hands, disavowing the
proceedings of your Court, because you uphold prerogative
oppression, though the kingly office be taken away, and the
Parliament hath declared England a Common-wealth, so that
prerogative cannot be in force, unless you be besotted by your
covetousness and envy.

"We deny that we have trespassed against those three men, or Mr.
Drake either, or that we should trespass against any, if we should
dig up and plough for a livelihood upon any of the waste land in
England. For thereby we break no particular Law made by any Act of
Parliament, but only an ancient custom bred in the strength of
kingly prerogative, which is that old Law or Custom by which Lords
of Manors lay claim to the Commons, which is of no force now to
bind the people of England, since the kingly power and office was
cast out. And the Common People who have cast out the oppressor, by
their purse and person, have not authorised any as yet to give away
from them their purchased freedom; and if any assume a power to
give away or withhold this purchased freedom, they are Traitors to
this Common-wealth of England; and if they imprison, oppress, or
put to death any for standing to maintain this purchased freedom,
they are murderers and thieves, and no just rulers.

"Therefore in the light of Reason and Equity, and in the light of
the National Covenant which Parliament and People have taken with
joint consent, all such prerogative customs, which by experience we
have found to burden the Nation, ought to be cast out with the
kingly office, and the Land of England now ought to be a Free Land
and a Common Treasury to all her children, otherwise it cannot
properly be called a Common-wealth."

He then continues:

"Therefore we justify our act of digging upon that Hill to make the
Earth a Common Treasury. First, because the Earth was made by
Almighty God to be a Common Treasury of Livelihood to the whole of
mankind in all its branches, without respect of persons....
Secondly, because all sorts of people have lent assistance of purse
and person to cast out the kingly order as being a burden that
England groaned under. Therefore those from whom money and blood
were received, ought to obtain freedom in the Land to themselves
and posterity, by the Law of Contract between Parliament and
People. But all sorts, poor as well as rich, Tenant as well as Land
Lord, have paid taxes, free-quarter, excise, or adventured their
lives to cast out the kingly office. Therefore all sorts of people
ought to have freedom in this the Land of their Nativity, without
respecting persons, now that kingly power is cast out by their
joint assistance.... Therefore, in that we do dig upon that Hill,
we do not thereby take away other men's rights, nor demand of this
Court, nor from the Parliament, what is theirs and not ours. But we
demand our own to be set free to us, and to them, out of the
tyrannical oppression of ancient customs of kingly prerogative; and
let us have no more gods to rule over us, but the King of
Righteousness only.

"Therefore, as the Freeholders claim a quietness and freedom in
their enclosures, as it is fit they should have, so we that are
younger brothers, or the poor oppressed, we claim our freedom in
the Commons; that so elder and younger brother may live quietly and
in peace, together freed from the straits of poverty and oppression
in this Land of our Nativity."

His written address to the Court at Kingston concludes as follows:

"Thus we have in writing declared in effect what we should say, if
we had liberty to speak before you, declaring withal that your
Court cannot end this controversy in that equity and reason of it
which we stand to maintain. Therefore we have appealed to the
Parliament, who have received our Appeal and promised an answer,
and we wait for it. And we leave this with you, and let Reason and
Righteousness be our Judge. Therefore we hope you will do nothing
rashly, but seriously consider of this cause before you proceed to
execution upon us."

Of course, the Court paid no heed to his pleadings, and he details the
subsequent proceedings in the following business-like manner:

"Well, this same writing was delivered into their Court, but they
cast it out again, and would not read it, and all because I would
not fee an Attorney. And then the Court-day following, before there
was any trial of our cause, for there was none suffered to speak
but the Plaintiff, they passed a judgement, and after that an
execution. Now their Jury was made of rich Freeholders, and such as
stand strongly for the Norman power. And though our digging upon
that barren Common hath done the Common good, yet this Jury brings
in damages of L10 a man, and the charges of the Plaintiff in their
Court, twenty-nine shillings and a penny: and this was their
sentence and the passing of the execution upon us."

Winstanley then mentions one instance descriptive of the way he and his
comrades were "boycotted" by his neighbours, and of the men responsible
therefor. He says:

"Before the report of our digging was much known, I bought three
acres of grass from a Lord of the Manor, whom I will not here name
because I know the counsel of others made him prove false to me.
For when the time came to mow, I brought money to pay him
beforehand, but he answered me that I should not have it, and sold
it to another before my face. This was because his Parish Priest
and the Surrey Ministers have bid the people neither to buy nor to
sell us, but to beat us, imprison us, or to banish us."

He then relates that two days later "they sent to execute the execution,
and they put Harry Bickerstaffe in prison, but after three days Mr.
Drake released him again, Bickerstaffe not knowing of it till the
release came. They seek after Thomas Star to imprison his body, who is
a poor man, not worth ten pounds." He continues:

"Then they came privately by day to Gerrard Winstanley's house and
drove away four cows, I not knowing of it. They took away the cows
which were my livelihood, and beat them with their clubs that the
cows' heads and sides did swell, which grieved tender hearts to
see. And yet," he pathetically but somewhat humourously adds,
"these cows never were upon George Hill, nor never digged upon that
ground, and yet the poor beasts must suffer because they gave milk
to feed me. But strangers made rescue of those cows, and drove them
astray out of the Bailiffs' hands, so that the Bailiffs lost them.
But before the Bailiffs had lost the cows, I, hearing of it, went
to them and said--'Here is my body, take me, that I may speak to
those Normans that have stolen our land from us; and let the cows
go, for they are none of mine.' After some time, they telling me
they had nothing against my body, it was my goods they were to
have. Then said I, 'Take my goods, for the cows are not mine.'"

Here follows one of the most touching passages to which Winstanley ever
set pen:

"And so I went away and left them, being quiet in my heart, and
filled with comfort within myself, that the King of Righteousness
would cause this to work for the advancing of His own cause, which
I prefer above estate and livelihood. Saying within my heart as I
went along, that if I could not get meat to eat, I would feed upon
bread, milk and cheese. And if they take the cows, and I cannot
feed on this, or hereby make a breach between me and him that owns
the cows, then I'll feed upon bread and beer, till the King of
Righteousness clears up my innocency and the justice of His own
cause. And if this be taken from me for maintaining His cause, then
I'll stand still and see what He will do with me; for as yet I know
not.

"Saying likewise within my heart as I was walking along--O thou
King of Righteousness, show thy power and do thy work thyself, and
free thy people now from under this heavy bondage of misery. And
the answer in my heart was satisfactory, and full of sweet joy and
peace: and so I said, Father, do what thou wilt, for this cause is
thine, and thou knowest that the love to righteousness makes me do
what I do."

He then continues:

"I was made to appeal to the Father of Life in the speakings of my
heart likewise thus--Father, thou knowst that what I have writ or
spoken concerning this light, that the Earth should be restored and
become a Common Treasury for all mankind, without respect of
persons, was thy free revelation to me, I never read it in any
book, I heard it from no mouth of flesh, till I understood it from
thy teaching first within me. I did not study nor imagine the
conceit of it; self-love to my own particular body does not carry
me along in the managing of this business; but the power of love
flowing forth to the liberty and peace of thy whole Creation, to
enemies as well as to friends: nay, towards those who oppress me,
endeavouring to make me a beggar to them. And since I did obey thy
voice, to speak and act this truth, I am hated, reproached and
oppressed on every side. Such as make professions of thee, yet
revile me. And though they see I cannot fight with fleshy weapons,
yet they will strive with me by that power. And so I see, Father,
that England yet doth choose rather to fight with the Sword of Iron
and Covetousness than with the Sword of the Spirit, which is Love.
And what thy purpose is with this Land or with my body, I know not,
but establish thy power in me, and then do what pleases thee.

"These and such like sweet thoughts dwelt in my heart as I went
along; and I feel myself now like a man in a storm, standing under
shelter upon a hill in peace, waiting till the storm be over to see
the end of it, and of many other things that my eye is fixed upon."

The pamphlet concludes as follows:

"You have arrested us for digging upon the common land, you have
executed your unrighteous power, in destraining cattle, imprisoning
our bodies, and yet our cause was never publicly heard, neither can
it be proved that we broke any Law that is built upon equity and
reason. Therefore we wonder whence you had your power to rule over
us by will, more than we to rule over you by our will.... We
request that you would let us have a fair open trial.... let your
Ministers plead with us in the Scriptures, and let your Lawyers
plead with us as to the equity and reason of your own Law. And if
you prove us transgressors, then we shall lay down our work and
acknowledge that we have trespassed against you in digging upon the
Commons, and then punish us. But if we prove by Scripture and
Reason that undeniably the Land belongs to one as well as another,
then you shall own our work, justify our cause, and declare that
you have done wrong to Christ, who you say is your Lord and Master,
in abusing us His servants and your fellow-creatures, while we are
doing His work. Therefore, knowing you to be men of moderation in
outward show, I desire that your actions towards your
fellow-creatures may not be like one beast to another, but carry
yourselves like man to man, for your proceeding in your pretence of
Law hitherto against us is both unrighteous, beastly, and devilish,
and nothing of the spirit of man seen in it. You Attornies and
Lawyers, you say you are Ministers of Justice, and we know that
equity and reason is or ought to be the foundation of Law. If so,
then plead not for money altogether, but stand for Universal
Justice and Equity: then you will have peace; otherwise both you
and the corrupt Clergy will be cast out as unsavoury salt."

As will have been seen from the above, and as we shall show more fully
later on, the little company of Diggers were having a rather troublesome
time. Within two days of the delivery of their first letter to Lord
Fairfax, on June 11th, some of them were grievously assaulted by two of
the local freeholders, accompanied by men in women's garments; but,
according to their own account, they made no attempt to defend
themselves.[122:1] In November of the same year the agitation against
their doings was revived, or became more acute, and early in December
they found themselves compelled again to appeal to Lord Fairfax for
protection.[122:2] After having recapitulated their main arguments, this
letter continues:

"Now, Sirs, divers repulses we have had from some of the Lords of
Manors and their servants, with whom we are patient and loving, not
doubting but at last they will grant liberty quietly to live by
them. And though your tenderness hath moved us to be requesting
your protection against them, yet we have forborne, and rather
waited upon God with patience till he quell their unruly
spirits.... In regard likewise the soldiers did not molest us, for
that you told us when some of us were before you, that you had
given command to your soldiers not to meddle with us, but resolved
to leave us to the Gentlemen of the County and to the Law of the
Land to deal with us, which we were satisfied with, and for this
half-year past your soldiers have not meddled with us.

"But now, Sirs, this last week, upon the 28th of November, there
came a party of soldiers commanded by a Cornet, and some of them of
your own regiment, and by their threatening words forced three
labouring men to help them to pull down our two houses, and carried
away the wood in a cart to a Gentleman's house, who hath been a
Cavalier all our time of war, and cast two or three old people out
who lived in those houses to lie in the open fields this cold
weather (an act more becoming Turks to deal with Christians than
for one Christian to deal with another). But if you inquire into
the business you will find that the Gentlemen who set the soldiers
on are enemies to you, for some of the chief had hands in the
Kentish rising against the Parliament, and we know, and you will
find it true if you trust them so far, that they love you but from
the teeth outward.

"Therefore our request to you is this, that you would call your
soldiers to account for attempting to abuse us without your
commission, that the Country may know that you had no hand in such
an unrighteous and cruel act. Likewise we desire that you would
continue your former kindness and promise to give commission to
your soldiers not to meddle with us without your order."

As we shall presently see, nothing more discouraged the little company
of Diggers than the assistance given to their enemies by the soldiery.
Lord Fairfax, however, had no free hand in this matter; the Council of
State had again received information of what was termed "a tumultuous
meeting at Cobham," which the ordinary power at the disposal of the
local Justices of the Peace "was not sufficient to disperse," and had
consequently sent Lord Fairfax definite instructions to send "such horse
as you may think fit to march to that place."[124:1] This information
had evidently come to Winstanley's knowledge. He had not signed the
foregoing letter, so felt himself at liberty to supplement it by another
and more forcible one, which opens as follows:

"WINSTANLEY'S SECOND LETTER TO LORD FAIRFAX.[124:2]

"TO MY LORD GENERAL AND HIS COUNCIL OF WAR.

"SIR,--I understand that Mr. Parson Platt with some other gentlemen
have made report to you and the Council of State that we that are
called Diggers are a riotous people, and that we will not be ruled
by the Justices, and that we hold a man's house by violence from
him, and that we have four guns in it to secure ourselves, and that
we are drunkards, and Cavaliers waiting an opportunity to bring in
the Prince, and such like. Truly, Sir, these are all untrue
reports, and as false as those which Hamaan of old brought against
sincere-hearted Mordecai to incense king Ahasuerus against him. The
conversation of the Diggers is not such as they report; we are
peaceable men and walk in the light of righteousness to the utmost
of our power."

He then expounds their aims, and justifies their action in the manner
with which our readers will by now be familiar, and continues:

"We know that England cannot be a free Common-wealth, unless all
the poor Commoners have a free use and benefit of the land. For if
this freedom be not granted, we that are the poor commoners are in
a worse case than we were in the King's days; for then we had some
estate about us, though we were under oppression, but now our
estates are spent to purchase freedom, and we are under oppression
still of Lords of Manors tyranny. Therefore unless we that are poor
commoners have some part of the land to live upon freely, as well
as the Gentry, it cannot be a Common-wealth, neither can the kingly
power be removed so long as this kingly power in the hands of Lords
of Manors rules over us.

"Now, Sir, if you and the Council will quietly grant us this
freedom, which is our own right, and set us free from the kingly
power of Lords of Manors, that violently now as in the king's days
hold the commons from us (as if we had obtained no conquest at all
over the kingly power), then the poor that lie under the great
burden of poverty, and are always complaining for want, and their
miseries increase because they see no means of relief found out,
and therefore cry out continually to you and the Parliament for
relief, and to make good your promises, will be quieted.

"We desire no more of you than freedom to work, and to enjoy the
benefit of our labors--for here is waste land enough and to spare
to supply all our wants. But if you deny this freedom, then in
righteousness we must raise collections for the poor out of the
estates, and a mass of money will not supply their wants. Many are
in want that are ashamed to take collection money, and therefore
they are desperate, and would rather rob and steal and disturb the
land, and others that are ashamed to beg would do any work for to
live, as it is the case of many of our Diggers, who have been good
housekeepers. But if this freedom were granted to improve the
common lands, then there would be a supply to answer everyone's
inquire, and the murmurings of the people against you and the
Parliament would cease, and within a few years we should have no
beggars nor idle persons in the land.

"_Secondly_, Hereby England would be enriched with all commodities
within itself which they each would afford. And truly this is a
stain to Christian religion in England [a stain not yet removed]
that we have so much land lie waste and so many starve for want.
Further, if this freedom be granted, the whole Land will be united
in love and strength, that if a foreign enemy, like an army of rats
and mice, come to take our inheritance from us, we shall all rise
as one man to defend it.

"Then, lastly, if you will grant the poor commoners this quiet
freedom to improve the common land for our livelihood, we shall
rejoice in you and the Army in protecting our work, and we and our
work will be ready to secure that, and we hope that there will not
be any kingly power over us, to rule at will and we to be slaves,
as the power has been, but that you will rule in love as Moses and
Joshua did the children of Israel before any kingly power came in,
and that the Parliament will be as the elders of Israel, chosen
freely by the people to advise for and to assist both you and us.

"And thus in the name of the rest of those called Diggers and
Commoners through the land, I have in short declared our mind and
cause to you in the light of righteousness, which will prove all
these reports made against us to be false and destructive to the
uniting of England into peace.

"Per me Gerrard Winstanley, for myself and in the behalf of my
fellow commoners.

"_December the 8th, 1649._"

Amongst Winstanley's disciples was one Robert Coster, who appears to
have been the poet of the Digger Movement, and the next pamphlet which
issued from their camp, on December 18th, some ten days after the date
affixed to the above vigorous letter, was from his pen. It is entitled:

"_A Mite cast into the Common Treasury_:[126:1] Or Queries
propounded (for all Men to consider of) by him who desireth to
advance the work of Public Community. By Robert Coster."

In it Coster first recapitulates Winstanley's main arguments and
contentions, and then shows that he for one fully realised their
far-reaching scope, by indicating their probable effects in the
following words:

"As, 1. If men would do as aforesaid rather than to go with cap in
hand and bended knee to Gentlemen and Farmers, begging and
entreating to work with them for 8d. or 10d. a day, which doth give
them an occasion to tyrannise over poor people, who are their
fellow-creatures; if poor men would not go in such a slavish
posture, but do as aforesaid, the rich Farmers would be weary of
renting so much land of the Lords of Manors.

"2. If the Lords of Manors and other Gentlemen who covet after so
much land, could not let it out by parcels, but must be constrained
to keep it in their own hands, then would they want those great
bags of money (which do maintain pride, idleness and fullness of
bread) which are carried in to them by the Tenants, who go in as
slavish a posture as well may be, namely, with cap in hand and
bended knee, crouching and creeping from corner to corner, while
his Lord (rather Tyrant) walks up and down the room with his proud
looks, and with great swelling words questions him about his
holding.

"3. If the Lords of Manors and other Gentlemen had not those great
bags of money brought to them, then down would fall the lordliness
of their spirits, and then poor men might speak to them, and there
might be an acknowledging of one another to be Fellow-Creatures.

"For what is the reason that great gentlemen covet after so much
land? Is it not because Farmers and others creep to them in a
slavish manner, profering them so much money for such and such
parcels of it, which doth give them occasion to tyrannise over
their Fellow-Creatures, which they call their Inferiors?

"And what is the reason that Farmers and others are so greedy to
rent land of the Lords of Manors? Is it not because they expect
great gains, and because poor men are so foolish and slavish as to
creep to them for employment, although they will not give them
money enough to maintain themselves and their families comfortably?
All which do give them an occasion to tyrannise over their
Fellow-Creatures, which they call their Inferiors.

"All which considered, if poor men which want employment and others
which work for little wages would go to dress and improve the
Commons and Waste Lands, whether it would not bring down the price
of Land, which doth principally cause all things to be dear?"

The pamphlet concludes with the following lines:

"The Nation is in such a state as this,
to honor rich men because they are rich;
And poor men, because poor, most do them hate.
O, but this is a very cursed state;
But those who act from love which is sincere,
will honor truth wherever it doth appear.
And no respecting of persons will be with such,
but tyranny they will abhor in poor and rich.
And in this state is he whose name is here,
your very loving friend, Robert Costeer."

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