Quotes by John Lilburne
1615 – 1657
John Lilburne (1615-1657) was a leader in the Leveller movement of the 1640s. A prolific pamphleteer, he was imprisoned several times for his religious views and became an ardent defender of religious liberty. He was active in the army of parliament and rose to the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel. His more important works include England’s Birthright Justified (1645), England’s New Chains Discovered (1649), The Hunting of the Foxes (1649).
Natural Rights
John Lilburne on one’s duty to respect “the Right, Due, and Propriety of all the Sons of Adam, as men” (1646)
Rhetoric of Liberty
John Lilburne rails against his unjust imprisonment (1646)
Presidents, Kings, Tyrants, & Despots
John Lilburne shows defiance to the tyrants who would force him to pay tythes to the Church (1648)
Law
John Lilburne argues from prison that the King and the Magistrate must obey the law like everyone else (1648)