Student Stirs: a Document
LETTERS
From James A. Sharpe, Ronald Cholodny, Robert Brady, W. Waddington, Edward Bonney, John Palmer, Charles Schwarzenberg, Ewart Milne, Kennedy Wells, Keith Kyle, Donald McLachlan.
(The Case of the students truly stated; being in part an answer to Mercurius Oxoniensis; and in part a pithie exhortation to the commons of England.) Sir,—Whereas the grievances, dissatisfactions, and desires of the students hath been much advertised of late; and whereas divers mutinies (so called) hath of late broke out in Essex Universitie, and at Hornsea, and Birmingham and Bristol and elsewhere; and whereas mutinies (so called, likewise) hath broke out in Oxon.,' and the wrath of the skolars directed at the Venetian Oligarchic of All Soutes Coll., &c:; so wee feel it meete to set forth our case; for wee are no meer mercenary skolars, nor do wee seek to abuse the publick lucre, and live as did the lilies in Solomon his writings; but rather are wee called forth, upon certain stated grounds, for a reformation of law and constitution; at which the grandees do cry out at us, to call us levellers, fanaticks, fifth monarchic men and the like; while wee do but seek a more seasonable mean between tyrannie and anarchic. Yet are the people led astray by these great men, and do call us all manner of rogues, as filthy vagabonds and un- washed ranters.
Wherefore wee do cry to the poore opprest commons, to consider, who are these great men, these lQrdes men, these parliament men? For was ever a generation of men so false, so per- jured as these? When out of power (in the thirteen yeeres tyrannie, and abitrary govern- ment, as they are wont to call it) did ever men clothe themselves in such glorious garments, and make so many manifold declarations, en- gagements, remonstrances &c., to heale the bleeding wounds of the Common Weal, for which relief the poore opprest sorte called out from their bowels; and once in preferment, what did they but as the others had done, and introduce a perfect presidency; for what is the Lordes House, but a representative glass of the Commons House? and what is the Commons House, but a mirrour of this prag- matick man, this great Turk, this Wilson? And you may scarce hear his party speak of any- thing, but that they will lay their hands on their brest, elevate their eyes, and call God to witness; they will weep, howl, and repent, even while they do smite you under the third rib; the honest Brown and others can tell you sufficient to that purpose.
Therefore wee call upon the poore opprest commons, not to heed them that contemn us, and say wee follow blackamoors, and scribblers, and such as the good Muscovite Trotsky; they that say thus are but wolves in sheep's clothing, foxes in the habit of saints; nor yet to turn to them that were in before, the Lordes men, the Grocers men, and their episcopal crew; but rather make cause with us the skolars, as they have in Almaine; and in /I Fraunce, where ast May they went about to bind their Kin s in chains and their nobles in links of iron;and now even in Italie, and soon elsewhere, as far as Greece, where the swords- men, and those grandees and officers, must surely fall for all that uphold them here; for wee skolars look around us, and see not any redresse for the people, nor the rights and freedoms of the nation cleared or secured; and wee call on the people to join us, and seek better issue.
Previous page
