his greatness that he may live at ease."

And after expressing his intense conviction that "Surely the Lord hath
not revealed this in vain," he summarises the whole train of reasoning
that had led him to his final conclusion, as follows:

"Was the Earth made for to preserve a few covetous, proud men to
live at ease, and for them to bag and barn up the treasures of the
Earth from others, that these may beg or starve in a fruitful land;
or was it made to preserve all her children? Let Reason and the
Prophets' and Apostles' writings be judge, the Earth is the Lord's,
it is not to be confined to particular interests.... Did the light
of Reason make the Earth for some men to engross up into bags and
barns, that others might be oppressed with poverty? Surely Reason
did not make that law. For the Earth is the Lord's; that is, the
spreading Power of Righteousness, not the inheritance of covetous,
proud flesh that dies. If any man can say that he makes corn or
cattle, he may say, _That is mine_. But if the Lord made these for
the use of his Creation, surely then the Earth was made by the Lord
to be a Common Treasury for all, not a particular treasury for
some."

Winstanley then summarises the results of the prevailing system in the
following terse but telling passage:

"Divide England into three parts, scarce one part is manured. So
that here is land enough to maintain all her children, yet many die
of want, or live under a heavy burden of poverty all their days.
And this misery the poor people have brought upon themselves by
lifting up particular interest by their labors."