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<DATE>2008-01-07</DATE>
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<NAME>Pip Willcox</NAME>
<RESP>MURP</RESP>
</RESPSTMT>
<ITEM>proofed text and revised markup</ITEM>
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<IDG S="marc" R="OX" ID="A88260">
<STC T="W">L2187</STC>
<BIBNO T="oclc">42475314</BIBNO>
<VID>34640</VID>
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<DIV1 TYPE="petition">
<PB REF="1">
<PB REF="1" MS="y">
<HEAD>To the Hon^b^l^e^. the Hou&s;e of <HI>Commons</HI> now A&s;&s;embled in the high Court of <HI>Parliament</HI></HEAD>
<DIV2 TYPE="body of petition">
<HEAD>The humble Petition of <HI>John Lilburne,</HI> Leif^t. Colonel.</HEAD>
<OPENER>In all humilitie</OPENER>
<P>SHewing, That your Petitioner having &s;uffered aboundance of inhumaine barbarous crueltie, by vertue of an illegall decree made a|gain&s;t your Petitioner in the Starr-Chamber, 1637. (As by the coppie of his Petition formerly pre&s;ented to this Honourable Hou&s;e here unto anexed, and by your owne Votes made the 4. of <HI>May.</HI> 1641. upon the examina<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ion of that Petition) will appeare, which are as followeth, Fir&s;t, that the &s;entence of the Star-Chamber given again&s;t him is illegall and aga<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">n&s;t the Libertie of the Subject, and al&s;o bloudy, wicked, cruell, barbarous and tyrannicall. Secondly, that reparations ought to be given to him, for his impri&s;onment, &s;ufferings, and lo&s;&s;es &s;u&s;tained by, that illegall &s;entence; and then al&s;o ordered that care &s;hould be taken to d<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">aw up his ca&s;e and tran&s;mit it to the Lords. But by rea&s;on of multitude of bu&s;ine&s;&s;e in this Honourable Hou&s;e there hath been no further proceeding in it &s;ince, and the&s;e di&s;tractions comming on; your Petitioner tooke Command under the Right Ho<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ourable <HI>Robert</HI> Lord <HI>Brooke,</HI> with who&s;e Regiment he adventured his life freely, and re&s;olutely both at <HI>Kenton</HI> field and <HI>Brainford,</HI> where he was taken Pri&s;oner and carried away to <HI>Oxford:</HI> where within a &s;hort time after his comming, the King &s;ent to the Ca&s;tle to your Petitioner, the now Earle of <HI>King&s;ton,</HI> the Lord <HI>Dun&s;more,</HI> the Lord <HI>Maltre|vers,</HI> and the Lord <HI>Andevour</HI> to wooe your Petitioner with the large profers of of the Honour and glorie of Court preferment, to for&s;ake the Parliaments partie; and to ingage on his partie; upon the &s;lighting and contemning of which your Petitioner was within few dayes after laid in Irons &amp; kept an exceeding clo&s;e Pri&s;oner, &amp; forced &s;everall times to march into <HI>Oxford</HI> in Irons to Iudge <HI>Heath,</HI> b<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">fore whom he was araigned for high Trea&s;on, for drawing his &s;word in the cau&s;e of the Common-wealth, &amp; &s;uffered multitudes of other mi&s;eries in his almo&s;t twelve moneths cruell Captivitie there. In which time he lo&s;t above 600. l. in his e&s;tate that he left behind him at <HI>London</HI> (as he is cleerly able to make appeare) and immediately after his comming from thence he tooke Command in the Earle of <HI>Manche&s;ters</HI> Army, his Com|mi&s;&s;ion as Major of Foot, bearing date the 7. of <HI>October</HI> 1643, which la&s;ted till the 16. of <HI>May,</HI> 1644 At which time he was authorized by Commi&s;&s;ion as Leiftenent Collonell to command a Regiment of Dragooners. In which &s;ervice having beene in many ingagements, he hopes it will ea&s;ily appeare that he hath not only behaved him&s;elfe hone&s;tly and faithfully, but al&s;o valiently and &s;toutly in the mid&s;t of many di&s;|couragements, (God crowning &s;ome of his endeavours with &s;ucce&s;&s;e, e&s;pecially at the taking in Sir <HI>Francis Wortlers</HI> Garri&s;on and <HI>Tickel</HI> Ca&s;tle,</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="premises">
<OPENER>The premi&s;es con&s;idered,</OPENER>
<P>He humbly be&s;eecheth this Honourable A&s;&s;emblie to perfect that ju&s;tice which you happily began for your Petitioner, and to give him Re|paration for his long and tedious Impri&s;onment and heavie &s;ufferings by the Starr-Chamber decree (having waited 4. yeares with pati|ence for that end) though he lo&s;t by his Impri&s;onment all that he had, and was deprived of a profitable calling being then in the way of a Factor in the low Countries) and al&s;o to take of the Kings fine. And to con&s;ider his &s;ervice with the Earle of <HI>M<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">nche&s;ter,</HI> his pay amoun|ting to about 800. l. of which he hath not received, 200. l. though he hath faithfully adventured his life, and &s;pent a great deale of his own money, and lo&s;t at <HI>Newarke</HI> when <HI>Prince Rupert</HI> rai&s;ed the &s;eige almo&s;t a 100. l. being &s;tript from the Crowne of the Head to the Sole of the Foot, be&s;ide<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> his former lo&s;&s;es at <HI>Kenton</HI> battell and <HI>Brainford.</HI> Wherefore he humbly prayeth that his accoumpts may be audited and his arreares (according to the Tennor of your own Ordinance) paid unto him.</P>
<CLOSER>And he &s;hall ever pra, &amp;c. 
<SIGNED>John Lilburne.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV2>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="petition">
<HEAD>To the Honorable Hou&s;e of <HI>Commons,</HI> now A&s;&s;embled in the high Court of <HI>Parliament.</HI></HEAD>
<DIV2 TYPE="body of petition">
<HEAD>The humble Petition of <HI>John Lilburne,</HI> Pri&s;oner in the <HI>Fleete:</HI></HEAD>
<OPENER>In all humilitie &s;heweth,</OPENER>
<P>THat in <HI>December</HI> next will be three yeares, your Petitioner upon &s;uppo&s;all of &s;ending over certaine Bookes of Doct <HI>Ba&s;twickes</HI> from <HI>Holland</HI> into <HI>England,</HI> was by Doct. <HI>Lambes</HI> warrant without any examination at all &s;ent to the Gate hou&s;e Pri&s;on, and from thence within three dayes removed to the Fleet where he abiding Pri&s;oner, In <HI>Candlemas</HI> Tearme following was proceeded again&s;t in the ho|nourable Court of Starr-chamber, where your Petitioner appearing and entering of his name, for want of money his name was &s;truck out a|gaine, and he refu&s;ing, to take an Oath, to an&s;wer to all things that &s;hould be demanded of him, for that your Petitionor conceived the &s;aid Oath to be dangerous and illegall, without any Interogatorys tendered him, for his refu&s;ing the &s;aid Oath, he was pro&s;ecuted and cen&s;ured in the &s;aid Court mo&s;t heavily, being fined 500. l. to the King, and &s;ent pri&s;oner to the Fleet. And in <HI>Ea&s;ter</HI> Tearm following was whipped from the Fleet to <HI>We&s;tmin&s;ter,</HI> with a 3. fold knotted Cord receiving at lea&s;t 200 &s;tripes, and then at <HI>We&s;tmin&s;ter</HI> he was &s;et on the Pilla+ry the &s;pace of 2. houres (and over and above the cen&s;ure of the Court at the Warden of the Fleets command was gagged about an houre and halfe) after which mo&s;t cruell &s;ufferings was againe returned into the Fleet clo&s;e Pri&s;oner, when through his &s;aid &s;ufferings the next mor|ning he being &s;icke of an extreame Feaver could not have admittance for his Chirurgion to let him bloud, or dre&s;&s;e his &s;ores till the after noone of the &s;aid day though the Chirurgion him&s;elfe in pittie to the Pri&s;oner went to <HI>We&s;tmin&s;ter</HI> to the Warden him&s;elfe, and your Peti|tioner hath been a clo&s;e Pi&s;oner in the Fleet ever &s;ince, where in a mo&s;t cruell manner he hath been put into Iron Fetters both hands and leggs, which cau&s;ed a mo&s;t dangerous &s;ickne&s;&s;e that continued 6. moneths, and after &s;ome &s;mall recoverie was againe laid in Irons: which cau&s;ed at lea&s;t 5. moneths &s;ickne&s;&s;e more dangerous then the former. During which time of &s;ickne&s;&s;e, they have mo&s;t unhumanely denyed his friends to come to &s;ee him, untill they would give them money for admittance; and they have denyed many to come at all, and have bea|ten, and kicked, and otherwi&s;e mo&s;t &s;hamefully abu&s;ed &s;uch his friends as came to &s;ee him in his great di&s;tre&s;&s;e, and to bring him food and nece&s;&s;aries to &s;u&s;taine his life, and al&s;o have kept his &s;ervant from him, and his food: &s;o that if he had not been releived by &s;telth of his fel|low Pri&s;oners he had been kept from any food at all for above the &s;pace of 10. dayes together, and the Pri&s;oners that out of pitty have relei|ved him, have been mo&s;t cruelly puni&s;hed, and the Keepers have not forborne to confe&s;&s;e them&s;elves that they had &s;tarved him long agoe, had not the Pri&s;oners releived him: and be&s;ides all this they have mo&s;t cruelly beaten and wounded him, to the hazard of his limbs, and danger of his life, had he not been re&s;cued and &s;aved from them by the Pri&s;oners of the &s;ame hou&s;e, in which mo&s;t mi&s;erable condition your poore Petitioner hath continued a Pri&s;oner for the &s;pace of above 2 yeares and a halfe, and is like &s;till to continue in the &s;ame under the merciles hands of the Warden of the Fleet, who hath denyed lawfull libertie to his Pri&s;oners: For that he hath &s;aid, he mu&s;t ob&s;erve the Man that hath &s;o great a &s;way in the Kingdome, intimating the Arch Bi&s;hop.</P>
<P>All which his deplored condition and Lamentable mi&s;eries he mo&s;t humbly pre&s;enteth to this honourable A&s;&s;embly be&s;eeching them to be plea&s;ed to ca&s;t an eye of compa&s;&s;ion towards him, and to afford him &s;uch releife from his cen&s;ure and hard impri&s;onment as may &s;eem good to your wi&s;edomes, who otherwi&s;e is like to peri&s;h under the hands of mercile&s;&s;e men.</P>
<CLOSER>And your Petitioner &s;hall ever pray as in duty he is bound to the Lord to ble&s;&s;e and pro&s;per this honourable A&s;&s;embly. 
<SIGNED>John Lilburne.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="premises">
<P>MAy it plea&s;e this Honorable Hou&s;e to take Notice, that I have indeavored, by all the wayes and meanes I po&s;&s;ible could, for the&s;e di|vers weekes together, to get my Petition pre&s;ented and, read in this honorable A&s;&s;embly: but by rea&s;on of multitudes of Publique bu&s;ine&s;&s;e, I have not been able to get my de&s;ire effected: Therefore in regard of my nece&s;&s;ities ari&s;ing from my often &s;uffering &s;hip|wracke in my e&s;tate, in reference to my eyeing the Welfare of the Publique, and having &s;pent above three&s;core pounds &s;ince I begun to wait upon this hou&s;e to get this Petition read, and having a wife and familie to maintaine, meerly out of my owne indu&s;terie which are likely to &s;uffer very much by my continued attendance here, I am therefore nece&s;&s;itated to a&s;&s;ume the boldne&s;&s;e to pre&s;ent my Pettition in print to the honourable Members of this hou&s;e, hoping I &s;hall not therefore be e&s;teemed a tran&s;gre&s;&s;or; e&s;pecially when it is &s;eriou&s;ly con&s;idered that for above 7. yeares together, I have &s;uffered all kind of mi&s;eries, hazards and dangers, and laboured &s;tudiou&s;ly and cordially to pre&s;erve and de|fend my birth right and priveledges, which is the inheritance of all the Freeborne people of <HI>England,</HI> among&s;t which I humbly conceive the libertie of making knowne my greviances to this heigh and honourable Court (the tru&s;tes of the whole Common welth of <HI>England)</HI> is not the lea&s;t; for who&s;e ju&s;t authority I have &s;o often in the feild ventered my life.</P>
<P>And whereas in the conclu&s;ion of my Petition, I pray that my accompts may be audited, I humbly crave leave to declare unto you one rea&s;on for that, which is this. I was Major to Collonell <HI>King</HI> for divers moneths, with whom I &s;erved in <HI>Lincoln&s;heire</HI> faithfully, my pay amounting to betwixt 2. &amp; 300. l of which he paid me about one forth, &amp; detaines the re&s;t in his owne hands, (which I am confidently per&s;waded he re|ceived punctually) of the Countery, with other large &s;umes of other Officers which likewi&s;e he unju&s;tly detaines, as patticularly 292. l, 6. 2. of my elde&s;t brothers, who never had a weekes pay from him. And <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="3 letters">ewi&s;e 316. l. 12. s. 6. d. of my younge&s;t brother, with other great &s;ums and though we had the Earle of <HI>Manche&s;ters</HI> warrant to him and the Auditer Generall of the Army to audit our accompts, yet he contemnd them both, and would not give us a Debenter for our money though we hone&s;tly paid our quarters both for Hor&s;e and Man and though he receaved about Twenty thou&s;and pounds of the County to pay his Officers and Souldiers as divers of the Committee of <HI>Lin|colne</HI> doe affirme in their printed Articles which were exhibited to this honourable Hou&s;e in <HI>Augu&s;t</HI> la&s;t, and if they had &s;aid 30000. l. I beleeve it might ea&s;ily be proved true, if you would command him, to give up his accompts and authorize men of integrity and fidelitie in the Country to inquire after his receipts, the which if you plea&s;e to doe I doe humbly conceive you will get &s;ome thou&s;ands of pounds by it, which he unju&s;tly detaines in his hands from you and tho&s;e that have done you faithfull &s;ervice,</P>
</DIV2>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
</DIV1>
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