“12.  Another Cart and Wheels were cut to pieces, and some of our
     Tools taken by force from us, which we never had again.

     “13.  Some of the Diggers were beaten by the Gentlemen, the Sheriff
     looking on, and afterwards five of them were carried to White Lion
     Prison, and kept there about five weeks, and then let out.

     “14.  The Sheriff, with the Lords of Manors and Soldiers standing
     by, caused two or three poor men to pull down another House:  and
     divers things were stolen from them.

“15.  The next day two Soldiers and two or three Countrymen, sent by Parson Platt, pulled down another House, and turned a poor old man and his wife out of doors to lie in the fields in a cold night.”

“And this is the last hitherto.  And so you Priests, as you were the last that had a hand in our persecution, so it may be that our misery may rest in your hand.  For assure yourselves God in Christ will not be mocked by such Hypocrites that pretend to be His nearest and dearest Servants, as you do, and yet will not suffer His hungry and naked and houseless members to live quiet by you in the Earth, by whose Blood and Monies in the Wars you are in peace.

“And now those Diggers that remain have made little Hutches to lie in, like Calf-cribs, and are cheerful, taking the spoiling of their Goods patiently, and rejoicing that they are counted worthy to suffer persecution for Righteousness’ sake.  And they follow their work close, and have planted divers acres of Wheat and Rye, which is come up and promises a very plentiful crop, and have resolved to preserve it by all the diligence they can.  And nothing shall make them slack but want of food, which is not much now, they being all poor people, and having suffered so much in one expense or other since they began.  For Poverty is their greatest burthen; and if anything do break them from the Work, it will be that.”

After this confession of their weakness, and of the probable end of their work, Winstanley again bursts out into verse as follows: 

     “You Lordly Foes, you will rejoice
       this news to hear and see. 
     Do so, go on; but we’ll rejoice
       much more the Truth to see. 
     For by our hands Truth is declared,
       and nothing is kept back;
     Our faithfulness much joy doth bring,
       though victuals we may lack,
     This trial may our God see good,
       to try, not us, but you;
     That your profession of the Truth
       may prove either false or true.”

And after another and much worse specimen of his poetry, which we will spare our readers, he concludes as follows: