ed our
Saviour's sepulchre to keep him from rising [soldiers! see Matthew
XXVII. and XXVIII.]. Besides, whilst people are not free, but
straitened in accommodations for life, their spirits will be
dejected and servile; and, conducing to that end [of rousing them],
there should be an improving of our native commodities, as our
manufactures, our fishery, our fens, forests, and commons, and our
trade at sea, &c.: which would give the body of the nation a
comfortable subsistence. And the breaking that cursed yoke of
Tithes would much help thereto. Also another thing I cannot but
mention; which is that the Norman Conquest and Tyranny is continued
upon the nation without any thought of removing it: I mean the
tenure of land by copyhold, and holding for life under a lord, or
rather tyrant, of a manor; whereby people care not to improve their
land by cost upon it, not knowing how soon themselves or theirs may
be outed it, nor what the house is in which they live, for the same
reason; and they are far more enslaved to the lord of the manor
than the rest of the nation is to a king or supreme magistrate.

"We have waited for liberty; but it must be God's work and not
man's: who thinks it sweet to maintain his pride and worldly
interest to the gratifying of the flesh, whatever becomes of the
precious liberty of mankind. But let us not despond, but do our
duty; God will carry on that blessed work, in despite of all
opposites, and to their ruin if they persist therein.

"Sir, my humble request is that you would proceed, and give us that
other member of the distribution mentioned in your book: viz. that
Hire doth greatly impede truth and liberty. It is like, if you do,
you shall find opposers; but remember that saying,_'Beatius est
pati quam frui,'_ or, in the Apostle's words, James V. 11.
[Greek: Makarizomen tous hypomenontas] ['We count them happy that
endure']. I have sometimes thought (concurring with your assertion)
of that storied voice that should speak from heaven when
Ecclesiastics were endowed with worldly preferments, _'Hodie
venenum infunditur in Ecelesiam'_ ['This day is poison poured
into the Church']; for, to use the speech of Gen. IV. _ult._,
according to the sense which it hath in the Hebrew, 'Then began men
to corrupt the worship of God.' I shall tell you a supposal of
mine; which is this:--Mr. Durie has bestowed about thirty years'
time i