"_Secondly_, Hereby England would be enriched with all commodities
within itself which they each would afford. And truly this is a
stain to Christian religion in England [a stain not yet removed]
that we have so much land lie waste and so many starve for want.
Further, if this freedom be granted, the whole Land will be united
in love and strength, that if a foreign enemy, like an army of rats
and mice, come to take our inheritance from us, we shall all rise
as one man to defend it.

"Then, lastly, if you will grant the poor commoners this quiet
freedom to improve the common land for our livelihood, we shall
rejoice in you and the Army in protecting our work, and we and our
work will be ready to secure that, and we hope that there will not
be any kingly power over us, to rule at will and we to be slaves,
as the power has been, but that you will rule in love as Moses and
Joshua did the children of Israel before any kingly power came in,
and that the Parliament will be as the elders of Israel, chosen
freely by the people to advise for and to assist both you and us.

"And thus in the name of the rest of those called Diggers and
Commoners through the land, I have in short declared our mind and
cause to you in the light of righteousness, which will prove all
these reports made against us to be false and destructive to the
uniting of England into peace.

"Per me Gerrard Winstanley, for myself and in the behalf of my
fellow commoners.

"_December the 8th, 1649._"