A Paper delivered and dispersed by Sir William Killigrew .

1. BY reason of the many greater affairs in Parliament , the Bill for perfecting the Earle of Lindseys Fens , hath not yet found a time to be read : by which unhappy delay the season of this yeer is neer spent for works of this nature ; and if the work begin not till next Summer , the profit of that yeer must be also lost . By this unhappy delay also new obstructions are now raised against this publick work ; For I am credibly informed by severall persons of quality , that the people have been lately invited and incouraged at Boston to come up in great numbers to make new clamours , by telling them that they have a good cause , and but few friends in Parliament ; that three or foure onely spoke for them ; that when the Vote passed , but thirteen were for the Country , and twenty seven against them ; that their Fens would be lost unlesse they did come generally up to petition ; and if that failed , then they should bring up their wives and children to the Parliament doore , and there leave them .

II. I do conceive , by these invitations and incouragements , many poore ignorant people are perswaded to signe Petitions they understand not , and may be did never see . And to make the noise and clamour greater , many rich men of Boston , with others bordering on the eight hundred Fens , are now come up ( who would have no draining , that so themselves with their great stocks may still continue to eat out the poor Commoners , and do therefore well to declare in their last Friday books , that the poor Commoners have no interest in the Fens , but by their Landlords right : which is a pretty preamble to rob the poor people of their Commons , in case their designe should follow of inclosing all the Commons . ) These men also are now come up to petition against the Drainers , in hope to stay the Act from passing , thereby to keep the said eight hundred Fens from being drained , and thereby to defraud the State of eight thousand Acres in that Fens belonging to the late King , as Lord of the Soyle , and Drainer of the said Fen.

III. I shall not trouble my self to answer their railing books given abroad on Friday last , because the substance of the same books hath by them been published long since , and long since fully answered by books of mine : nor much value what their Petition or themselves can say after so many yeers hearing , and such full debates at so great a Committee , where all the House had Voices ; and after a Bill ordered by this honourable House to be brought in to perfect the said draining : for I do humbly conceive , there being no new act done by the Drainers , these mens repetition of old clamours fully answered , can signifie nothing but some few mens endeavours to delay the Act , in hope to starve the Drainers while the cause depends ; filling mens ears with terrours of the peoples discontent , as if two or three hundred Riotters , with their Abettors , signing a Petition , or as many rich mens coming up with a Petition were the voice of the whole people of Lincolnshire ! and as if all England did desire the Fens should not be drained ! when as most of this Nation do wonder that any should oppose so generall a good .

IV. I do glory in my part of the merit of this work , because I may safely say that no work of this nature was ever carried on with a more generall consent , and applause of the most eminent Lords , Owners , and Commonets of the Country ; or with more equity pursued , or lesse prejudice to any man , or hath produced a greater improvement ( I mean proportionable to its quantity ) nor hath any such work been brought to a greater perfection . In consideration whereof , I cannot apprehend that the whole Land shall be taken from us ; but my fears are , lest some artificiall delays , or prejudiciall accommodation be found to bring us to ruine , to wit , by recompencing our charge , hazard , and losses , which the whole twenty foure thousand Acres will not now do , nor can the Country ever perform it by a sum of money , though they and we should agree to it . My onely hope is , that the Parliament will think it just and honourable to settle us by the same like Act with Bedford-Levell , having the same title and merit . In which Act there are provisoes to meet with , and prevent all mischiefs and inconveniences which have , or may happen to any person concerned in this work of draining . It is therefore a vain thing by Petitions to anticipate the intentions of the Parliament , who intend so much their good , if Lindsey-Levell be established by the like Act with Bedford-Levell ; the profit of these works being done , will encourage the draining of all the Fens in England , as a high improvement to the publick good of this Nation , and therefore worthy of the Parliaments protection ; for which there are arguments enough to convince any opinions to the contrary .

1 June , 1651. William Killigrew .

A Reply to Sir William Killigrews dispersed Papers , by the Owners and Commoners in Lincolnshire .

TO the first . We are civilly sensible of the Parliaments affairs , as appeared by the manner of our petitioning : We conceive there cannot be a time found to settle the Fens in the Earle of Lindsey , who petitions not for them , nor in Sir William Killigrew , who hath not produced to the Committee any Deed or Conveyance , whereby to derive a Title to himself . We may complain of unhappinesse , who have been delayed and interupted in our Drainings these sixty yeers by Court-Undertakers : We cannot be called obstructors of a Bill , that petitions for one . If it was good manners for us to print what we heare and are credibly informed , we could tell to whom Sir Thomas Dawes is indebted , and to whom Sir William Killigrew is ingaged ; and that our Lands must discharge those debts and ingagements ; and who are interessed in other Undertakings . But to avoid calumniation , we will hold our babbles ; persons of quality are seldome tatlers . To invite and incourage people in a good cause , is noble , honest , and commendable : humbly to petition , cannot be called clamour by a tongue well guided . We cannot learn of any Votes that passed against us , neither can we believe it , nor that any of this Parliament is against us , who was so much for them ; nor that the Fens can be lost , if kept out of the hands of Parliament-destroyers . We shall never be so uncivill or unnaturall , as to leave our wives and children at the Parliaments doore : nor can we imagine that ever any thing will come from thence , to cause them to beg at other mens doors .

To the second . Sir William knows the poore need no invitations ; it was they onely who were found guilty , and punished for pulling down their houses , &c. as appears by severall Indictments , when Sir Williams friends and sharers was by Court power made high Sheriff and Justices of the peace , and Parliament men put out . Had Sir Williams charity sooner appeared , it might have been better for him and us . He argues Leveller like , to gain the poore by telling them that is theirs they have no propriety in , for all Lawyers will tell him , right of common belongs to the lands and houses of men , and not to their persons ; and such poore as have land or cottage , hath as good right of Commons , as he that hath a hundred acres . We are as willing our Common should be stinted and enjoyed in common , if so thought fit , as any poor man can desire it , practise that onely , and condemn us if we oppose it . When Sir Williams power prevailed , it is well known how the poore was oppressed ; so that his charity and arguments are but self-ends . He saith the rich men of Boston eat up the Common with great stocks , and so he saith of the rest of the Towns , which great stock those Fens ever maintained before Sir William knew the Country , and is an argument the Fens are not at all hurtfully surrounded grounds , and needs draining , since they bear such great stocks . He saith the Commoners would defraud the State of eight thousand acres in the eight hundred Fenne : It is he that would defraud the State , by inviting them to own what was condemned in the King ; and so metamorphize a dear-bought-Common wealth into a Kingdome again . He knows the King , when Court-power ruled , having no Title , could never out the Commoners , though he perplexed them with long and tedious suits in the Court of Exchequer , where he was cast , and the Commoners possessions never interupted .

To the third . We say , it is great discretion in Sir William not to reply to books , he is so unable to answer . But we much value , that after a cause so fully heard in Parliament , as to be remonstrated a grievance , it should now be a question , whether the grievers should be recompenced or not . What our petitions or repetitions signifie , we must leave to the judgement of the Readers , who will soberly determine who is most clamourous . He saith it is but some few men that oppose him : We will joyne issue with him there , if he can either of persons or hands procure foure in ten , of rightfull Owners and Commoners , we will cease in opposing him . Sir William much insisteth upon the Act or Bill that is ordered by the House to be brought in by Jo: Gooding Esq ; a Member thereof , as if it was either made by or with his and his sharers privity ; for he saith the delay of it will starve them ( it is better starving ten then ten thousand . ) But we cannot but imagine he abuseth that worthy Member , in fomenting cause of jealousie , being well assured the House ordered no compliance more with them then us . Sure we are , we have had no insight or privity at all to the Bill , and why they should we wonder . It is strange that one who hath received so much mercy , should be still so foul-mouthed , as to call humble Petitioners riotters and abettors . He falsely accuseth us for riotters , and yet invites us to be so , in excepting against many rich men , being trusted to represent the grievances of thousands ; as if it was fit to trouble the Parliament with multitudes . But as before , if Sir William can procure the greater number , we will be silent . We know none in England that opposeth drainings , neither do we believe any in England think us such fools or mad men , that we need Guardians for our estates . We are perswaded few of the Nation knows how we have been abused by Court-Undertakers ; if they did , they would wonder such propriety-destroyers should go unpunished .

To the fourth . We are sorry to heare Sir William glory in oppression , our imprisonments , fining , selling our cattell without any account making , taking our Land against our consents , and commanding Commissioners by the Kings letters , deserves little applause , and expresseth lesse equity . Produce the consent gained of the greatest part of the eminentest Lords , Owners , and Commoners , otherwaies then by force , and we will acquiesse . A for the improvement made , we shall submit to the view of indifferent honest Gentlemen , who may judge by the soyle turned up , what was the former condition of the Fens . Sir William argues much for Recompence ( we can easily prove a good recompence he hath received ) for our parts , we have more cause to expect it , Micah 2.1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5. shews what recompence such deserve . many of the Commoners having lost their lives and estates in the Parliaments service , by the violence of Sir William and his participants ; which blood was of greater value then any estate Sir William ever had . If we be unable to satisfie his pretended estate , he is far more unable to answer for our bloud and estates , he and his participants in the late war so lavishly shed and spoyled . In the pardon of his violence done to the five Members , and his hostility to the Parliament , he hath received more then ever we did for our lives and estates we lost and hazarded . What Bedford Act is , concerns not us , their convenience and inconveniences may not be the same with ours . It is high presumption for such an offendor as Sir William hath been , to say its vain to petition a Parliament . Could his bribes prevail there , as they did at Court , he would anticipate the justice thereof , and divide betwixt them and the people ; the which we hope providence ( that in our extremity raised us a Parliament ) will prevent . In a late paper Sir William boasteth of 78 Commissioners that did act for him . It s well known how unwilling they were to act , untill they were commanded by the Kings letters . Again , those Gentlemen were not actors in that which was the root of the evill ; for the view of what grounds was hurtfully surrounded betwixt Bourne and Kime Eae , was taken onely by Undertakers and Sharers , viz. the Earl of Lindsey , the Lord Willoughby his son , Sir Edward Heron , Sir John Brooks , William Langton , and Robert Long , Esq ; these being for themselves , were tempted with that sin of covetuousnesse ( yet unreformed ) and certified that all was hurtfully surrounded ; the other Gentlemen not privie to the designe , being commanded by the Kings letters to proceed accordingly ; and did , untill they understood the evil of that designe , and then they endeavoured to oppose it . But when the Undertakers perceived their dislike of the proceedings , they put out of commission o● Sewers those Gentlemen , of which number Sir William Armin and Mr. Lister were two ; and neither of them viewed the Fens now in question . We wonder Sir William Killigrew should so unworthily charge Sir William Armin , that worthy deceased Member , as a Viewer , who cleared his innocency of that act before the Committee of the Fens . Though what he said , and what Sir Anthony Irby testified before the Committee , what Fens he and others meant , when they writ to the King for an Undertaker , be left out of the depositions , yet many worthy Members and Gentlemen standing by remembers it . Sir Anthony Irby being still living , we desire he may again , if occasion requires it , declare himself ; he formerly testified , that it was not meant the Fens between Bourne and Kine Eae .