A Boding from þe Underyoked of England

Happy Day! Þis is a small writ I (Yose) have by Gerrard Winstanley.

Þe Writ
A

FROM ÞE

of

ENGLAND

To all þat call þemselves, or are called

Lords of

þrough þis

Þat have begun to cut, or þat þrough

fear and do mean to cut down

þe Woods and Trees þat grow upon þe

and þe

in þe Year, 1649.

We whose names are in þe name of all arm underyoked folk in England, bode unto ew, þat call ewerselves lords of Drightenhuse, and Lord of þe Land, Þat  þe King of  ure  have inlightened ure hearts so far, as to see, Þat þe earþ was not made  for ew, to be Lords of it, and we to be ewer   and Beggers; but it was made to be made an  Livelihood to all, wiþute  of leeds: And þat ewer buying and selling of Land, and þe  of it, one to anoþer, is þe  þing, and was brought in by War; which haþ, and still   and þeft, in þe hands of some  of Mankind over oþers, which is þe greatest uteward burden, and unrightwise might, þat þe  groans under: For þe  of  Land, and owning  was brought into þe Making by ewer  by þe Sword; which first murþered þeir fellow  Men and after plunder or steal away þeir Land, and left þis Land  to ew, þeir Children. And þerefore, þough ye killed not nor þieved, yet ye hold þat hexed þing in ewer hand, by þe might of þe Sword; and so ye seek to make þe wicked deeds of ewer Faþers seem right; and þat sin of ewer Faþers, shall be upon þe heads of ew, and ewr Children, to þe þird or fourþ  and longer too, till ewer bloody and þieving might be rooted ute of þe Land.

And furþer, þe King of Rightwiseness haþ made us  of ure burdens, and þe  and groaning of ure hearts are come before him: we take it as a  of love from him, Þat ure hearts begin to be freed from  fear of men, such as ye are; and þat we find  in us, grunded upon þe inward law of Love, one towards anoþer, To Dig and Plough up þe Meanlands, and weest Lands þrough England; and þat ure  shall be so  Þat ewer Laws shall not reach to underyoke us any longer, unless ye by ewer Laws will shed þe  blood þat runs in ure

For þough ye and ewer Forebears got ewer Aught by and þeft, and ye keep it by þe same might from us, þat have an  right to Land wiþ ew, by þe rightwise Law of Life, yet we shall have no  of fighting (as ye have) abute þat worrisome devil, called  aught: For þe Earþ, wiþ all her Bleads of Corn,  and such like, was made to be an amean  of Livelihood to all Mankind, friend, and foe, wiþute

And to ewer   know þis, Þat we Must neiþer buy nor sell;  must not any longer (after ure work of þe Earþs  is furþered) be þe great god, þat hedges in some, and hedges ute oþers, for Yeeld is but a  of þe Earþ: And  þe Rightwise Maker, who is King, never  Þat unless some of  Mankind, bring þat  (Silver and Gold) in þeir hands, to oþers of þeir own kind, þat þey should neiþer be fed nor be cloþed; no wissly, For þis was þe  of -flesh (which Land-lords are boughs of) to set his  upon Yeeld. And þey make þis unrightwise Law, Þat none should buy or sell, eat, or be cloþed, or have any Livelihood among men, unless þey brought his Bild þrutched upon Gold or Silver in þeir hands.

And whereas þe speak, Þat þe mark of þe  is 666, þe  of a man; and þat þose þat  bring þat mark in þeir hands, or in þeir foreheads, þey should neþer buy nor sell,  13:16. And seeing þe   abute þe English yield make 666, which is þe rime of þat Kingly Might and  (called a Man) And seeing þe  of þe Making is nue come to þe Bild of þe Feend, or Half day. And seeing 666 is his mark, we þis to be þe last  might þat shall  and þat folk shall live freely in þe  of þe Earþ, wiþute bringing þe mark of þe Feend in þeir hands, or in þeir  and þat þey shall buy Wine and Milk, wiþute Yield, or wiþute  as Isah speaks.

For after ure work of þe Earþly amone is we must make  of Gold and Silver, as we do of oþer  but not to buy and sell wiþal; for buying and selling is þe great, þat  and steals þe Earþ one from anoþer: It is þat which makeþ some Lords, oþers Beggers, some  oþers to be weelded; and makeþ great Murþerers and Þeeves to be  and hangers of little ones, or of  men.

And while we are made to þe Earþ togeþer, wiþ one  and willing mind; and while we are made free, þat every one, friend and foe, shall  þe  of þeir Making, þat is, To have food and  from þe Earþ, þeir Moþer; and every one  to give witness of his þoughts, words, and  to none, but to þe one and only rightwise  and  þe  of Rightwiseness þat dwells, and þat is nue rising up to weeld in every Wight, and in þe whole  We say, while we are made to hinder no man of his  given him in his Making, even to one, as to anoþer; what Law þen can ye make, to take hold upon us, but Laws of Underyoking and  þat shall  or spill þe blood of þe Cleanhearted? And so ewer Selves, ewer Deemers, and  shall be fund to be þe greatest  in, and over Mankind.