A TRUMPET OF SEDITION
Wherein the Common People Are Stirred to a Remembrance
of Their Ancient Liberties, and the Hidden Histories of England Are Set Forth
for Publick Benefit.
Published by K. Livesey, Historian, Editor, and Friend to
All Who Labour Under the Yoke of Forgetfulness
To the Reader
Courteous Reader, Know that this small Work, entitled A
Trumpet of Sedition, is raised up not to flatter Princes, nor to varnish
the deeds of the Mighty, but to awaken in the breasts of Englishmen and
Englishwomen a just remembrance of their forebears — those brave and
plain-hearted souls who contended for Liberty when Tyranny bestrode the land
like a Colossus.
For too long hath the story of England been told by those
who sit in high places, who make merchandise of History and silence the voices
of the Multitude. Therefore this Trumpet is sounded, that the People may hear
again the clamour of their own past, and take courage from the deeds of those
who stood before them.
The Occasion and Purpose of This Work
This Platform, Blog, and Podcast — though modest in outward
form — is erected upon a firm foundation: that the Common People have ever
been the true authors of England’s freedom, and that their struggles,
petitions, pamphlets, and assemblies deserve to be set forth plainly, without
fear or favour.
Herein are treated:
- The
Great and Mighty Revolution of the 1640s, when the Nation was shaken
as by an Earthquake, and new models of Government were debated in fields,
taverns, churches, and camps.
- The
Levellers, Diggers, and other Godly and Rational Reformers, whose
writings and actions did more to advance the cause of Liberty than all the
Lords in Parliament.
- The
Courageous Women of the Nation, who, though oppressed by Custom and
Law, did nevertheless petition, print, organise, and speak boldly for
Justice.
- The
Power of Print, that noble engine of Truth, whereby the People have
ever broken the fetters of ignorance and confounded the designs of the
Proud.
This Work seeketh not novelty, but remembrance; not
faction, but understanding; not sedition against lawful authority, but sedition
against forgetfulness, which is the greatest enemy of a free people.
Concerning the Means of Publication
As in former days the presses of London did labour night and
day to scatter abroad the writings of honest men, so now doth A Trumpet of
Sedition employ the instruments of our present age:
- The
Publick Website, where essays, critiques, and historical discourses
are set forth for all who desire knowledge.
- The
Podcast, available upon the modern platforms called Spotify and
Apple Podcasts, wherein the Author speaketh plainly of the matters
contained herein, that even those who cannot read may yet hear.
Thus the Work is carried forth by many channels, that no man
or woman may plead ignorance of England’s radical inheritance.
A Word to the Well‑Affected
If thou art a lover of Liberty, a seeker of Truth, or one
who delighteth in the histories of the oppressed, then take up this Trumpet and
let its sound embolden thee. For though the times be changed, the struggle
between Power and the People endureth still; and the remembrance of former
battles is a lantern to guide us through the present darkness.
Let this Trumpet be sounded in every place where men and
women gather to speak freely; let it be read by scholars, artisans, labourers,
and all who desire to know how England came to be what she is.
So, Reader, I commend this Work unto thee. Use it well, and
let not the memory of the People’s cause fall silent.
