although the Frenchman saith, Songes sont Mensonges, dreams are delusions, and that they turn to contraries, yet the Spaniard hath a saying,

Et ciego sonnara que via,

Y era lo que querria.

The blind man dream'd he did see light,

The thing he wish'd for happen'd right.

Insomuch that some dreams oftentimes prove true; as St. Austin makes mention of a rich merchant in Milan, who being dead, one of his creditors comes to his son to demand such a sum of money which he had lent his father; the son was confident it was paid, but, not finding the creditor's receipt, he was impleaded and like to be cast in the suite, had not his father's ghost appeared to him, and directed him to the place where the acquittance was, which he found the next day accordingly. Galen speaks of one that dreamed he had a wooden leg, and the next day he was taken with a dead palsy in one whole side. Such a dream was that of William Rufus, when he thought he had felt a cold gust passing through his bowels; and the next day he was slain in the guts, by the glance of an arrow, in New Forest, a place where he and his father had committed so many sacrileges. I have read in Artemidorus, of a woman that dreamed she had seen the pictures of three faces in the moon like herself, and she was brought to bed of three daughters a little after, who all died within the compass of a month. Another dreamed, • that Xanthus's water ran red, and the next day he fell a spitting blood. To this, I will add another foretelling dream, whereof I have read, which was thus: Two young gentlemen travelling abroad in strange countries, and being come to a great town, the one lay far in the city, the other in an hostry without the walls in the suburts. He in the city did dream in the dead of night, that his friend which he had left in the suburbs rushed into his chamber, panting and blowing, being pursued by others; he dreamed so again, and the third time he might see his friend's ghost appearing at his bed's side with blood trickling down his throat, and a poniard in his breast, telling him: Dear friend, I am come now to take my last farewel of thee, and, if thou rise betimes, thou shalt meet me in the way going to be buried. The next morning, his friend going with his host towards the inn in the suburbs where he left his friend, they met with a cart laden with dung in the way, which being staid and searched, the dead body was found naked in the dung.

I will conclude with a notable dream that Osman the great Turk had, not many years since, a few days before he was murthered by his janizaries, 1623. He dreamed that, being mounted upon a huge camel, he could not make him go, though he switched and spurred him never so much; at last the camel overthrew him, and, being upon the ground, only the bridle was left in his hand, but the body of the camel was vanished. The mufti not being illuminated enough to interpret this dream, a Santon, who was a kind of idiot, told him, the camel represented the Ottoman Empire, which he not being able to govern, he should be overthrown, which two days after proved true.

By these, and a cloud of examples more, we may conclude, that dreams are not altogether impertinent, but something may be gathered out of them; though the application and meaning of them be denied to man, unless by special illumination:

Somnia venturi sunt præscia sæpe diei.

By dreams we oft may guess

At the next day's success.

and

Thus have you a rough account of a rambling noctivagation up down the world. I may boldly say, that neither Sir John Mandevile, nor Coryat himself, travelled more in so short a time. Whence you see what nimble postillions the animal spirits are; and with what incredible celerity the imagination can cross the line, cut the tropicks, and pass to the other hemisphere of the world; which shews, that human souls have something in them of the Almighty, that their faculties have a kind of ubiquitary freedom, though the body be never so under restraint, as the author's was.

The last country, that is here aimed at, is known already; I leave the application of the rest to the discerning reader, to whom only this dream is addressed.

A LETTER TO THE LORD FAIRFAX,
AND HIS COUNCIL OF WAR,

With divers Questions to the Lawyers and Ministers:

Proving it an undeniable Equity, That the common People ought to dig, plow, plant, and dwell upon the Commons, without hiring them, or paying rent to any. Delivered to the General and the chief Officers, on Saturday, June 9. By Jerrard Winstanly, in the Behalf of those who have begun to dig upon George-hill in Surrey.

London: Printed for Giles Calvert, at the Black-Spread-Eagle, at the West End of St. Paul's, 1649. Quarto, containing sixteen Pages.

To the Lord Fairfax, General of the English Forces, and his Council of War.

SIR,

OUR

UR digging and plowing upon George-hill in Surrey is not unknown to you, since you have seen some of our persons, and heard us speak in defence thereof; and we did receive mildness and

moderation from you, and your council of war, both when some of us were at Whitehall before you, and when you came in person to Georgehill, to view our works. We endeavour to lay open the bottom and intent of our business, as much as can be, that none may be troubled with doubtful imaginations about us, but may be satisfied in the sincerity and universal righteousness of the work.

We understand that our digging upon that common is the talk of the whole land; some approving, some disowning; some are friends, filled with love, and see the work intends good to the nation, the peace whereof is that which we seek after; others are enemies filled with fury, and falsely report of us, that we have intent to fortify ourselves, and afterwards to fight against others, and take away their goods from them, which is a thing we abhor; and many other slanders we rejoice over, because we know ourselves clear, our endeavour being no otherwise, but to improve the commons, and to cast off that oppression, and outward bondage, which the creation groans under, as much as in us lies, and to lift up and preserve the purity thereof.

And the truth is, experience shews us, that in this work of community in the earth, and in the fruits of the earth, is seen plainly a pitched battle between the lamb and the dragon, between the spirit of love, humility, and righteousness, which is the lamb appearing in flesh, and the power of envy, pride, and unrighteousness, which is the dragon appearing in flesh; the latter power striving to hold the creation under slavery, and to lock and hide the glory thereof from man; the former labouring to deliver the creation from slavery, to unfold the secrets of it to the sons of men, and so to manifest himself to be the great restorer of all things.

And these two powers strive in the heart of every single man, and make single men to strive in opposition, one against the other; and these strivings will be till the dragon be cast out, and his judgment and downfal hastens a-pace; therefore let the righteous hearts wait with patience upon the Lord, to see what end he makes of all the confused hurlyburlies of the world.

When you were at our works upon the hill, we told you, many of the country-people, that were offended at first, begin now tobe moderate, and to see righteousness in our work, and to own it, excepting one or two covetous free-holders, that would have all the commons to themselves; and that would uphold the Norman tyranny over us, which, by the victory that you have got over the Norman successor, is plucked up by the roots, therefore ought to be cast away. And we expect, that these our angry neighbours, whom we never wronged, nor will not wrong, will in time see their furious rashness to be their folly, and become moderate, to speak and carry themselves like men rationally, and leave off pushing with their horns like beasts. They shall have no cause to say we wrong them, unless they count us wrongers of them, for seeking a livelihood, out of the common-land of England, by our righteous labour, which is our freedom, as we are Englishmen, equal with them; and rather our freedom than theirs, because they are elder brothers, and freeholders, and call the inclosures their own land, and

we are younger brothers, and the poor oppressed, and the common-lands are called ours, by their own confession.

We told you, upon a question you put to us, that we were not against any that would have magistrates and laws to govern, as the nations of the world are governed; but, as for our parts, we shall need neither the one, nor the other, in that nature of government. For as our land is common, so our cattle is to be common, and our corn and fruits of the earth common, and are not to be bought and sold among us, but to remain a standing portion of livelihood to us, and our children, without that cheating intanglement of buying and selling, and we shall not arrest one another.

And then, What need have we of imprisoning, whipping, or hanging laws, to bring one another into bondage? And we know, that none of those that are subject to this righteous law dares arrest or inslave his brother for, or about the objects of the earth, because the earth is made by our Creator, to be a common treasury of livelihood to one equal with another, without respect of persons.

But now, if you that are elder brothers, and that call the inclosures your own land, hedging out others, if you will have magistrates and laws in this outward manner of the nations, we are not against it, but freely, without disturbance, shall let you alone; and if any of we commoners, or younger brothers, shall steal your corn, or cattle, or pull down your hedges, let your laws take hold upon any of us that so offends.

But, while we keep within the bounds of our commons, and none of us shall be found guilty of meddling with your goods, or inclosed proprieties, unless the spirit in you freely give it up, your laws then shall not reach to us, unless you will oppress or shed the blood of the innocent; and yet, our corn and cattle shall not be locked up, as though we would be proprietors in the middle of the nation: No, no, we freely declare, that our corn and cattle, or what we have, shall be freely laid open, for the safety and preservation of the nation, and we, as younger brothers, living in love with you our elder brothers, for we shall endeavour to do, as we would be done unto; that is, to let every one enjoy the benefit of his creation, to have food and raiment free by the - labour of his hands from the earth.

And, as for spiritual teachings, we leave every man to stand and fall to his own master. If the power of covetousness be his master, or King, that rules in his heart, let him stand and fall to him; if the power of love and righteousness be his master or King, that rules in his heart, let him stand and fall to him; let the bodies of men act love, humility, and righteousness, one towards another, and let the spirit of righteousness be the teacher, ruler, and judge, both in us and over us; and, by thus doing, we shall honour our father, the spirit that gave us being. And, we shall honour our mother, the earth, by labouring her in righteousness, and leaving her free from oppression and bondage.

We shall then honour the higher powers of the left-hand man, which is our hearing, seeing, tasting, smelling, feeling, and walk in the light of reason and righteousness, that is the King and judge that sits upon this five-cornered throne; and we shall be strengthened by those five well

springs of life, of the right-hand man, which is, understanding, will, affections, joy, and peace, and so live like men, in the light and power of the sun of righteousness within ourselves feelingly. What need, then, have we of any outward, selfish, confused laws made, to uphold the power of covetousness, when we have the righteous law written in our hearts, teaching us to walk purely in the creation?

Sir, the intent of our writing to you, is not to request your protection, though we have received an unchristian-like abuse from some of your soldiers; for, truly, we dare not cast off the Lord, and make choice of a man or men to rule us. For the creation hath smarted deeply for such a thing, since Israel chose Saul to be their King; therefore, we acknowledge before you, in plain English, That we have chosen the Lord God Almighty to be our King and protector.

Yet, in regard you are our brethren, as an English tribe, and for the present are owned to be the outward governors, protectors, and saviours of this land, and whose hearts we question not, but that you endeavour to advance the same King of righteousness with us, therefore, we are free to write to you, and to open the sincerity of our hearts freely to you, and to all the world.

And if, after this report of ours, either you, or your forces, called soldiers, or any that own your laws of propriety, called freeholders, do abuse or kill our persons, we declare to you, that we die, doing our duty to our Creator, by endeavouring, from that power he hath put into our hearts, to lift up his creation out of bondage; and you and they shall be left without excuse in the day of judgment, because you have been spoken to sufficiently.

And, therefore, our reason of writing to you is this, in regard some of your foot soldiers of the general's regiment, under Captain Stravie, that were quartered in our town, we bearing part therein as well as our neighbours, giving them sufficient quarter, so that there was no complaining, did, notwithstanding, go up to George hill, where was only one man and one boy of our company of the diggers. And, at their first coming, divers of your soldiers, before any word of provocation was spoken to them, fell upon those two, beating the boy, and took away his coat off his back, and some linnen and victuals that they had, beating and wounding the man very dangerously, and fired our house.

Which we count a strange and heathenish practice, that the soldiery should meddle with naked men, peaceable men, countrymen, that meddled not with the soldiers business, nor offered any wrong to them in word or deed; unless, because we improve that victory, which you have gotten in the name of the commons over King Charles, do offend the soldiery. In doing whereof, we rather expect protection from you, than destruction. But, for your own particular, we are assured of your · moderation and friendship to us, who have ever been your friends in times of straits; and that you would not give commission to strike us, or fire or pull down our houses, but you would prove us an enemy

first.

Yet, we do not write this, that you should lay any punishment upon them, for that we leave to your discretion; only we desire, in the requestTM

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