or work for day-wages, which I was never brought up to,
for another; when the Earth is as freely my Inheritance and
Birth-Right as his whom I must work for. And if I cannot live by my
weak labors, but take where I need, as Christ sent and took the
Asses Colt in his need, there is no dispute, but by the Kings and
Laws, he will hang me for a thief."

THE TRUE FUNCTION OF A COMMONWEALTH ARMY.

"A Monarchial Army lifts up mountains and makes valleys, viz.,
advances Tyrants and treads the oppressed in the barren lanes of
poverty. But a Commonwealth's Army is like John the Baptist, who
levels the Mountains to the Valleys, pulls down the Tyrant, and
lifts up the Oppressed: and so makes way for the Spirit of Peace
and Freedom to come in to rule and inherit the Earth.

"By this which has been spoken an Army may see wherein they may do
well and wherein they may do hurt."

THE OFFICE OF THE POST-MASTER.

Under this heading Winstanley describes an office by which he evidently
thought the social bonds uniting the whole Nation might be strengthened
and all parts thereof be brought into closer and more intimate relations
one with the other. He describes its functions as follows:

"In every Parish throughout the Commonwealth shall be chosen two
men (at the time when the other Officers are chosen), and these
shall be called Post-Masters. And whereas there are four parts of
the Land, East, West, North, South, there shall be chosen in the
chief City two men to receive what the Post-Master of the East
Country brings in"; and so on. "Now the work of a Country
Post-master shall be this: They shall every month bring up or send
by tidings from their respective Parishes to the chief City, of
what accidents or passages fall out, which is either to the honor
or dishonor, hurt or profit, of the Commonwealth. And if nothing
have fallen out in that month worth observation, then they shall
write down peace or good order in such a Parish.

"When these respective Post-masters have brought up their Bills or
Certificates from all parts of the Land, the Receiver of these
Bills shall write down everything in order from Parish to Parish in
the nature of a Weekly Bill of Observation. And those eight
Receivers shall cause the Affairs of the Four Quarters of the Land
to be printed in one Book wit