.. and so take possession of your
deserved honor. Or, secondly, you must only remove the Conqueror's
power out of the King's hand into other men's, maintaining the old
laws still; and then your wisdom and honor will be blasted for
ever, and you will either lose yourself, or lay the foundation of
greater slavery to posterity than you ever knew."
A marvellous prophecy, truly! Cromwell could see nothing in Winstanley's
demands save that they tended "to make the Tenant as liberal a fortune
as the Land-lord,"[165:1] which did not conform to his sense of the
eternal fitness of things. Winstanley then continues:
"You know that while the King was in the height of his oppressing
power, the People only whispered in private chambers against him;
but afterwards it was preached upon the house-tops, that he was a
Tyrant, a Traitor to England's Peace: and he had his overturn.
"The Righteous Power in the Creation is the same still. If you and
those in power with you should be found walking in the King's
steps, can you secure yourselves or posterities from an overturn?
Surely No.
"The Spirit of the whole Creation (who is God) is about the
Reformation of the World, and he will go forward in his
work.[166:1] For if he would not spare Kings, who have sat so long
at his right hand, governing the world, neither will he regard you,
unless your ways be found more righteous than the King's.
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