“Therefore we declare our intentions that the World may take notice
     of our principles, which are for Common Right and Freedom.  And
     therefore—­

“1.  We do protest against all Arbitrary Courts, Terms, Lawyers, Impropriators, Lords of Manors, Patents, Privileges, Customs, Tolls, Monopolisers, Incroachers, Enhancers, etc., or any other interest-parties, whose powers are arbitrary, etc., as not to allow or suffer ourselves to be inslaved by any of those parties, but shall resist, as far as lawfully we can, all their Arbitrary Proceedings.

     “2.  We protest against the whole Norman Power, as being too
     intolerable a burden any longer to bear.

     “3.  We protest against paying Tythes, Tolls, Customs, etc.

“4 We protest against any coming to Westminster Terms, or to give any money to the Lawyers, but will endeavour to have all our Controversies ended by 2, 3 or 12 men of our own neighborhood, as before the Norman Conquest.

     “5.  We protest against any trial by a Martial Court as arbitrary,
     tyrannical and wicked, and not for a Free People to suffer in times
     of peace.

     “6.  We shall help to aid and assist the Poor to the regaining all
     their Rights, dues, etc., that do belong unto them, and are
     detained from them by any Tyrant whatsoever.

     “7.  And likewise will further and help the said Poor to manure,
     dig, etc., the said Commons, and to sell those woods growing
     thereon to help them to a stock, etc.

“8.  All well affected persons that joyn in Community in God’s way, as those Acts 2. v. 44, and desire to manure, dig and plant in the waste grounds and commons, shall not be troubled or molested by any of us, but rather furthered therein.

“We desire to go by the Golden Rule of Equity, viz., To do to all men as we would they should do to us, and no otherwise:  and as we would tyrannise over none, so we shall not suffer ourselves to be slaves to any whosoever.”

That such views were not restricted to “the Levellers” may be inferred from the very similar demands made in “A Petition of the Officers engaged for Ireland,” and presented to the House of Commons in July of the same year (see Whitelocke, p. 413), from which we take the following:  “That proceedings in law may be in English, cheap, certain, etc., and all suits and differences first to be arbitrated by three neighbours, and if they cannot determine it, then to certify the Court.”  They also “humbly pray”—­“That Tithes may be taken away, and Two Shillings in the Pound paid for all lands, out of which the Ministers to be maintained and the Poor.”  This, we should think, was the first petition to the House of Commons in favour of the Taxation of Land Values.