London," presented September 11th, 1648, the petitioners address the
House of Commons as "the supreme authority of England," and desire it so
to consider itself. They complain that the Commons have declared their
intention not to alter the ancient government of King, Lords and
Commons, "not once mentioning, in case of difference, which of them is
supreme, but leaving that point, which was the chiefest cause of all our
public differences, disturbances, wars, and miseries, as uncertain as
ever." See _Clarke Papers_, vol. ii. p. 76.

[29:2] See "The Agreement of the People for a firm and present peace,"
as presented to the Council of the Army, October 28th, 1647. Reprinted
at the end of the third volume of Gardiner's _History of the Civil War_.

[29:3] _History of the Civil War_, vol. ii. p. 67.

[30:1] _History of the Civil War_, vol. iv. pp. 327-328.

[31:1] _History of the Civil War_, vol. iii. p. 95.

[31:2] See Appendix B.

[32:1] "The Agreement of the People for a firm and present peace."
(Italics are ours.)

[33:1] See Carlyle's _Cromwell's Letters and Speeches_, part ii. p. 135,
and part x. p. 255.

[33:2] See Gardiner's _History of the Civil War_, vol. iv. pp. 120-121.

[33:3] Cromwell seems early to have foreseen and guarded against such a
contingency. See Gardiner, _ibid._ vol. ii. p. 25.

CHAPTER IV

THE DIGGERS

"The way to cast out Kingly Power is not to cast it out by the
Sword; for this doth but set him in more power, and removes him
from a weaker to a stronger hand. The only way to cast him out is
for the people to leave him to himself, to forsake fighting and all
oppression, and to live in love one towards another. The Power of
Love is the True Saviour."--WINSTANLEY, _A New Year's Gift for the
Parliament and Army_.

The Council of State which, on February 13th, 1649, within a month of
the execution of the King, had been appointed to administer the public
affairs of England, had scarcely settled down to their work when they
received the following information of the mysterious doings of "a
disorderly and tumultuous sort of people" very near to their
doors:[34:1]

"INFORMATION OF HENRY SANDERS OF WALTON UPON THAMES.

"Informeth, that on Sunday was sennight last,[34:2] there was one
Everard, once of the army but was cashiered, who termeth himself a
prophet, one Stewer and Colten, and two more, all living at Cobham,
came to