talkers and verbal professors of Freedom.  If thou wouldst know what true Freedom is, read over this and other of my writings, and thou shalt see it lies in the Community in Spirit and Community in the Earthly Treasury; and this is Christ, the true manchild, spread abroad in the Creation, restoring all things unto himself.  And so I leave thee, Being a free Denizon of thee, and a true lover of thy peace.

                                              JERRARD WINSTANLEY.
     “August 26th, 1649.”

The pamphlet commences with a short and business-like account of the proceedings at Kingston Court, as follows: 

“Whereas we, Henry Bickerstaffe, Thomas Star and Jerrard Winstanley, were arrested into Kingston Court by Thomas Wenman, Ralph Verney, and Richard Winwood, for a trespass in digging upon George Hill in Surrey, being the right of Mr. Drake, Lord of that Manor, as they say, we all three did appear the first Court-day of our arrest, and demanded of the Court, What was laid to our charge? and to give answer thereunto ourselves.  But the answer of your Court was this, that you would not tell us what the trespass was, unless we would fee an Attorney to speak for us.  We told them we were to plead our own cause, for we knew no Lawyer that we could trust with this business.  We desired a copy of the Declaration, and profered to pay for it, but still you denied us unless we would fee an Attorney.  But in conclusion the Recorder of your Court told us that the cause was not entered.  We appeared two Court-days after this, and desired to see the Declaration, and still you denied us unless we would fee an Attorney, so greedy are these Attornies after money, more than to justify a righteous cause.  We told them that we could not fee any unless we would wilfully break our National Covenant, which both Parliament and People have taken jointly together to effect a Reformation.  And unless we would be professed Traitors to the Nation and Common-wealth of England, by upholding the old Norman tyrannical and destructive Laws, when they are to be cast out of equity, and reason to be the Moderator.

“Then seeing that you would not suffer us to speak, one of us brought the following writing into Court, that you might read our answer.  Because we would acknowledge all righteous proceedings in Law, though some slander us and say we deny all Law, because we deny the corruption of Law, and endeavour a Reformation in our place and calling, according to that National Covenant.  And we know if your Laws were built upon equity and reason, you ought both to have heard us speak, and to have read our answer.  For that is no righteous Law, whereby to keep a Common-wealth in peace, when one sort shall be suffered to speak and not another, as you deal with us, to pass sentence and execution upon us, before both sides be heard to speak.  This principle in the forehead of your Laws foretells destruction to this Common-wealth.  For it declares