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times, to give a little further advice to our friends aforesaid, from whose company or society, or from some of them, hath been begun and issued out the most transcendent, clear, rationall and just things for the peoples liberties and freedomes, That the foresaid John lilburn, had seen or read in this Nation, as your notable and excellent Petition of May the 20th 1647. burnt by the hands of the common-hangman, recorded in my Book called Rash Oaths unwarrantable, page 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35. with divers petitions of that nature, and the Petition of the 19th of January 1648. recorded in the following discourse, page 45, 46, 47, 48. and the Masculine Petition of the eleventh of September 1648. so much owned by Petitions out of severall Counties, yea, and by the Officers of the Armies large Remonstrance from Saint Albones, the sixteenth of November 1648. page 67, 68, 69. the substance of all which I (thou the foresaid Iohn Lilburn meaning) conceive is contained in the printed sheet of paper, signed by my fellow prisoners, Mr William Walwin, M. Richard Overton, and M. Thomas Prince and my selfe, dated the first of May 1649. and intituled the Agreement of the free People of England; which false, scandalous and traiterous Book, called the Agreement of the people of England, tends to the alteration, and subversion of the Government aforesaid; the principles of the foresaid Agreement, I (meaning your selfe the said John Lilburn) hope and desire you (the friends of the foresaid John Lilburn meaning) will make the finall centre, and unwavering standard of all your desires, hazzards and endeavours, as to the future settlement of the Peace and Government of this distressed, wasted, and divided Nation, the firm establishing of the principles therein contained, being that only which will really, and in good earnest marry, and knit that interest, what ever it be that dwels upon them, unto the distressed or oppressed Commons of this Nation.
But the principles of the foresaid Agreement, being so detestable and abominable to the present[1] ruling men, as that which they know will put a full end to their tyranny and usurpation, and really ease and free the People from oppression and bondage; that it is somthing dangerous to those that goe about the promotion of it; yet I shall advise and exhort you, (meaning the friends of him the aforesaid John Lilburn) vigorously to lay all fear aside, and to set on foot the promotion of it (meaning the said Agreement) in the same method we tookfor
- ↑ These lines are in pag. 7.
