TO give you a view of his whole Life, and how much at all times he op­posed with al his power this present Govern­ment. is to swell that up into a volum, which is meant for a single shéet: we shall propor­tion our discourse according to the Emer­gency of the Advantages, in which we shall be carefull, not to be injurious to y^e Reader, nor unprofitable to our selves.

Some are of Opinion that this man of extraordinary Spirit and understanding did not so much strike at the present Govern­ment, as at the Enormities which he con­ceived to be too rank, or gnawing in that Government: Let them think what they please, we shall represent unto you the most Materiall passages that concerned him, And [Page 2]that without flattery, or affection, the causes whereof are far asunder from us.

John Lilburn the famous subject of this present discourse, was born in the Yeare 1618. At Thickley in the County of Dur­ham; He was Discended of Ancient and worshipfull parentage, and being very yong he was brought up to London, and bound an Apprentice to a Packer of Cloth in St. Swithens Lane: he was from his Cradle of a high and undanted Spirit, of a quick and pregnant Apprehension, of an excellent memory, but al wayes extreamly addicted to contention, a lover of novelties an opposer of Government, unsetled in his judgement, and violent and bitter in his ex­pressions.

About the year 1632. he disliking his trade, had a mind to the Law, and became a servant to Mr. William Prin of Lincolns-Inne, who for wrighting some Bookes and amongst others that called Histrio­mastix, in which the State as the Players were whipped, was imprissoned with those that vended the Book, and censured by the Bishops.

John Lilburn did then begin the quarel, and full of his Masters Cause did write a Book against the Bishops, for which he was [Page 3]committed prisoner to the Fleet, and whip­ped at a Carts taile from the prison of the Fleet, to Westminster.

The Indignity whereof sate so heavy up­on his Spirits, that even when the punish­ment was inflicting on him he ceased nort [...] ­ratle against his persecutors, insomuch that they caused him to be gagged.

In the year 1640 he was released by the Parliament, and took upon him the place of a Captain in their service, and in the year 1642. not long after the battle at Edge Hill he was taken prisoner at Brainford, And carried to Oxford, where he was Arraign­ed not long Afterwards as a Traytor, for levying war against the person of the King, but his life was never in so much jeopardy as when he was arraigned at Guild-hall for indeavoring to disturb the peace and subvert the Government of this Nation, established without a King.

Several books to this purpose were laid to his charge, as a traytorous and scanda­lous book intituled a Salva Libertate: Also a trayterous and a scandalous book intitu­led An Impeachment of High Treason against Oliver Cromwell, and his Son in Law Henry Ireton Esquire. Also a scanda­lous [Page 4]and a trayterous book intituled, The [...]u [...]-cry of the young-men, and the Apren­tices of London, or an inquisition after the lost fundamentall laws and liberties of England, &c. Also another scandalous and trayterous book intituled The legall funda­mentall liberties of the people of England revived. Also another scandalous book inti­tuled, A preparation to a hue and cry after sir Arthur H [...]selrigge, In which Bookes it was laid to his charge, that he did publish that the Government then in present was tyrannicall usurped, And unlawfull, And that the Commons then in Parliament As­sembled were not the supream Authority of the Nation.

He stood also further indicted, that he as a fals traitor did maliciously plot and contrive to raise forces against the present Govern­ment for the subversion and Alteration of it, And did also maliciously indeavor to with-draw certain Souldiers of the Lord Fai fax his Army, from their obedience to their superiour offices. It was also laid to his h [...]rge that trayterously and contume­liouesly he had spoken very reproachfull words against the Lord Generall, sir Tho­mas Fai fax, as also against the high Court [Page 5]of Iustice.

The Indictment held a long time. being read, Mr. Atturney did present unto the [...]u­ry of what Dangerous Consequence were these trayterous books, and how much De­rogating from the honor of the Parliament And the Counsell of state, And of the chief Captain and Generall of the Army. And o­ther Officers Included in the Indictment whose fame doth ring through the world, Never Army (said Mr. Atturney) hath done greater things, & yet they have not escaped from being Slandered by Mr. Lilburns tongue and pen, And not long after upon consideration of the evidence and witnesses he told the Jury that if they did respect the Government of the Parliament the honor of the Counsell of State, And the honor of the Nation, or of the Army, or the persecu­tions of the Laws of the Nation, they could not say but the prisoner was guilty of those crimes and treasons of which he was Accu­sed And that they were oblieged according­ly so to find him, And then Addressing his spéech to Mr. Keeble, who was Lord chief Commissioner And to the Iudges and Bar­rons. He declares unto them how the In­dictment was proved by witnesse And evi­dences, [Page 6]and that the trayterous book intitu­led the Legall fundamentall liberties was owned by Mr. Lilburn himself in his Im­peachment of high Treason against Liev­tenant Generall Cromwell. And his Son in Law Commissary Jreton, my Lords said he, you have heard the severall charges wherewith he stands accused, you have heard a great deal of foul matter and durt, that is fit for nothing but to be cast upon the ground, and returns to Mr. Lilburn again: the prisoner hath cast those Accu­sations and blemishes upon others but they return to his own face. Certainly the Par­liament of England, the Army, And all the Officers of it (whose fame both as Parli­ment and Army are known in an extraor­dinary manner) Are now put in a ballance against Mr. Lilburn. And as for the Army and the Officers of it, no man can say but that they have béen faithfull and true in their trust. valiant, couragious, And Suc­cesfull to Admiration, even to the Peace and the Happinesse of this Nation, And God is pleased at this instant to owne them and blesse them in a miraculous man­ner.

This and much more excellently spoken by Mr. Atturney, was to lay open to the Lord Iudges, And to the Iury, the crimes of the offender, And the Lord Keeble, who was Lord Commissioner, having suggested unto the Iury what their duty was, And the Relligion of an oath did represent unto them, that they should consider the strength of the Accusation, which did consist in those scandalous and trayterous Books, which did consist of three heads.

The first was to vilifie the Parliament and State, as it was then established in England: the second to take into their con­siderations, his counsells and Invitations therein for the stiring up of tumults, wars, And Commotions in the Nation.

And the third, was the thing cited in the book to divide the Army, that the other might take effect. These (said he) are the thrée main charges, And these the Bookes that do come from him do plainly testifie. Then directing his spéech to Mr. Lilburn, at y^e bar. In this Act saith he, of yours thus declared (if your intentions had taken effect the plot was the greatest that ever England saw: For it struck at no lesse then at the Subvertion of the Common Wealth; [Page 8]of this state to have laid & put us al in blood: Your plot was such as never was séen in the world before to procéed from a private man as you are, And it must néeds sit heavy upon your conscience. Therefore (turning again to the Iury) he said you my Masters of the Iury, look into your consciences, And sée what that saith unto you. That which the prisoner stands too much upon. Viz. the witnesses is made plain and good in Law. I do not know in one particular that there is a single Testimony but it is Agravated with many circumstances therefore let not that trouble you, [...]ou are the proper Iudges of the matter of Fact, being of the Coun­try, And if you have fully Apprehended the dangerous things plotted in these books of Mr. Lilburn, you shall find that the like creason was never hatched in England, and so in Gods name As the prisoner doth lead to your consciences, so go and do

Mr. Lilburn in the mean time who had much wasted his Spirits, And had with great earnestnesse béen pleading for his life two dayes before at the Barre, did omit nothing to insinuate into the Iury an Ap­prehension of his innocency, He protested that he never owned nor signed any Booke [Page 9]that was proved against him▪ he diclaimed every Litle of them. He certified y^e Bench that no book in the eye of the Law could be accounted his, unlesse it were Legally proved or voluntary confessed to be his by himself.

To prove this he Alleaged by severall▪ Statutes, that it should be by two witness­es which he said they failed in, although Mr. Atturney. And the Lord Keeble did indea­vor to give the Iury all possible satisfacti­on therein.

He much insisted to have Counsell to plead his Case in Law, which would not then be granted, Although he urged Exam­ples as he said both by Law and president, which made him sometimes to use exclai­mations more violent then became the con­dition of a prisoner.

He represented what a serviceable In­strument he had béen in the common cause of the Nation in which to the hazard of his life one handred times over be had ingaged for them with his sword in his hand, with as much resolution and faithfulnesse as ever man on earth served a Generation of men, having never betrayed his trust, nor ever given any Suspition in the least that be [Page 10]would, nor ever so much as stagered in his principles, nor never so much as disputed any Commands though never so desperate that were laid upon him.

Addressing himself to the Iury, he said unto them, you Gentlemen of the Iury, my sole Iudges, the Kéepers of my life, At whose hands the Lord will require my blood in case you leave any part of my In­dictment to these — I desire you to know your power, And consider your duty both to God, and me, to your ow [...] selves; And to your Country, And the gracious Assisting spirit, And the presence of the Lord God, Omnipotent, the Governor of Heaven and Earth, And all things there­in contained, go along with you guide, coun­sell you, and direct you to that which is just And for his glory.

The Iury having withdrawn them­selves, And consulted about the prisoner and his offences, for the space of thrée quarters of an hour, Did come into the Court again, And did bring in their ver­dict of him as not Guilty, At which the multitude that Attended in the Hall, to observe the event, did make so loud an accla­mation for almost half an hour together, [Page 11]that the like was seldome heard. Mr. Lil­burn being that Night conveyed to the Tower, where at that time he had béen prisoner for the space of seven months, was about a fortnight afterwards released from thence by the order of the Counsell of state.

Being now at liberty he was much in­clined to the study of the Law, which in his hardest distresse he found so successeful unto him.

But it was not long before he again fell under the displeasure of the Parliment, whereupon he was by an Act Fined, ban­ished the Common wealth of England, And if ever he returned again he was to die as a Traytor.

In obedience hereunto he want over in­to the Netherlands, And it was laid to his charge that there he came Acquainted with the Duke of Buckingham, the Lord Hopten, Captain Titus, Mr. Bartlet and others, & y^t for y^e sum of ten thousand pound he offered to setle the Government of this [Page 12]Nation in the same state as it was before the wars began, which whether true or false I will not take upon me to dispute: But howsoever it was, he had a great mind to return unto his Native Country, insomuch that without any leave he returned againe into England, And thereupon being Appre­hended and brought to Newgate, he was tri­ed for his life at the Sessions house in the Old Bayly, on Saturday the 20. of August, in the year 1653, where he found such fa­vor, that the Iury did again Acquit him.

Nor long afterwards he was conducted by a Troop of horse to Portsmouth, being once more bound for beyond y^e Seas, where making use of all his friends, and putting in security for the peaceablenesse of his future deportment. he Landed at Dover. And fall­ing at first into the Acquaintance of that Generation of men called Quakers, he was to taken with their H [...]at of Zeale and their hatred of the world, y^• he never afterwards Abandoned them but preaching after their Garbe and methode, Sometimes on the Lords day at Eltham, And sometimes at Woolidge he surrendred his prepared soul to him that gave it him.

One thing I cannot well omit that hap­ned [Page 13]at his Buriall, which is that his wife, or some Levellers of his old Acquain­tance (as others say) had brought a Black Cloth to cover his hearse, the Quakers would by no means admit of it, Alledging that the lesse there was of pomp, there was the more of piety. And thus thorow many Contentions and variety of opinions, he at l st wrangled himself into the grave, dying on Saturday the 29. of August, 1657. And was buried the Monday, following in the new Church yard néer Bedlam.