“Truly thou Colonel, I tell thee, thy knavish imagination is thereby discovered, which hinders the effecting of that Freedom which by Oath and Covenant thou hast engaged to maintain.  For my part and the rest, we had no such thought.  We abhor fighting for Freedom; it is acting of the Curse, and lifting him up higher.  Do thou uphold it by the Sword; we will not.  We will conquer by Love and Patience, or else we count it no Freedom.  Freedom gotten by the Sword is an established Bondage to some part or other of the Creation.  This we have declared publicly enough.  Therefore thy imagination told thee a lie, and will deceive thee in a greater matter, if Love doth not kill him.  VICTORY THAT IS GOTTEN BY THE SWORD IS A VICTORY SLAVES GET ONE OVER ANOTHER; BUT VICTORY OBTAINED BY LOVE IS A VICTORY FOR A KING!”

Surely, surely, if all other writings of Winstanley had perished, this one passage would have given us sufficient insight into his philosophy, into the noble principles animating his life, to entitle him to our admiration and respect.

He then continues: 

“This is your very inward principle, O ye present Powers of England, you do not study how to advance Universal Love.  If you did it would appear in action.  But Imagination and Self Love mightily disquiet your mind, and makes you to call up all the Powers of Darkness to come forth and help you to set the Crown upon the head of Self, which is that Kingly Power you have oathed and vowed against, but yet uphold it in your hands....  All this falling out and quarrelling among mankind is about the Earth, and who shall, and who shall not enjoy it, when indeed it is the portion of everyone, and ought not to be striven for, nor bought, nor sold, whereby some are hedged in and others are hedged out.  Far better not to have had a body than to be debarred the fruit of the Earth to feed and clothe it.  And if every one did but quietly enjoy the Earth for food and raiment, there would be no wars, prisons, nor gallows, and this action which men call theft would be no sin.  For Universal Love never made it a sin, but the Power of Covetousness made it a sin, and made Laws to punish it, though he himself lives in that sin in a higher manner than those he hangs and punishes....  Well, He that made the Earth for us as well as for you will set us free, though you will not.  When will the Veil of Darkness be drawn off your faces?  Will you not be wise, O ye Rulers?”

After further expatiating on the blessings inherent in Righteousness and Universal Love, and on the inevitable evil consequences of Self Love or Covetousness, he indicates the practical steps by which these evils might be removed, as follows: 

     “If ever the Creation is to be restored, this is the way, which
     lies in this two-fold power: 

“First, Community of Mankind, which is comprised in the Unity of the Spirit of Love, which is called Christ within you, or the Law written in the Heart, leading Mankind unto all Truth, and to be of one heart and one mind.

     “The Second is Community of the Earth, for the quiet livelihood in
     food and raiment, without using force or restraining one another.