No Sleepy Dormouse shall dare to creep up the edge of it.

A Word from the Lord to all the Great Ones of the Earth
(whom this may concern)
being the Last Warning Piece &tc.

1. The word of the Lord came expressly to me, saying, Son of Man, write a roll and these words from my mouth to the Great Ones, saying, thus saith the Lord.

Slight not this roll, neither laugh at it, lest I slight you and cause all men to slight and scorn you; lest I destroy you, and laugh at your destruction, &c.

2. This is 
(and with a witness, some of you shall find it to be)
an edg'd tool, and there's no jesting with it, or laughing at it.

It's a sharp sword, sharpened, and also furbished 

No sleepy dormouse shall dare to creep up the edge of it

Thus saith the Lord, You shall find with a witness that I am now coming

to
inform
advise and warn
charge
judge and sentence
you 
O ye great ones

Chapter I.

Containing several strange yet true and seasonable informations to the great ones, as also an apologetical hint of the author's principle, standing in the front.

1.

Thus saith the Lord
I inform you that I 
overturn
overturn
overturn

and as the bishops, Charles and lords have had their turn
overturn
for your turn shall be next

(ye surviving great ones)

by what name or title soever dignified or distinguished
whoever you are that oppose me
the Eternal God
who am UNIVERSAL love
and whose service is perfect freedom
and pure libertinism

2.

But afore I proceed any further, be it known to you, that although that Excellent Majesty which dwells in the writer of this roll has reconciled ALL THINGS to himself, yet this hand

(which now writes)

never drew a sword or shed one drop of any man's blood

(I am free from the blood of all men)

though

(I say)

all things are reconciled to me
the eternal God

( IN HIM )

yet sword levelling
or digging levelling
are neither of them his principle

both are as far from his principle
as the east is from the west
or the heavens from the earth

(though
I say
reconciled to both
as to all things else)

and
though he has more
justice
righteousness
truth
and
sincerity
shining
in those low dunghills

(as they are esteemed)

than in the Sun, Moon
and all the Stars

An apologetical hint concerning the author's principle, the result, is negative; he speaks a little in the affirmative because not one in a hundred, yea, even of his former acquaintance now know him, neither must they yet.

3.

I come not forth

(in him)

either with material sword
or mattock
but now

(in this my day)

I make him my sword bearer
to brandish the sword of spirit
as he has done several days and nights together
through the streets of the great city

4.

And now thus saith the Lord

though you can as little endure the word LEVELLING
as could the late slain or dead Charles

(your forerunner
who is gone before you)

and had as live hear the DEVIL named
as hear of the Levellers

(Men Levellers)

which is
and who

(indeed)

are but shadows of most terrible
yet great and glorious
good thing to come

5.

Behold
Behold
Behold
I
the eternal 
God
the Lord of Hosts
who am the mighty 
Leveller
am coming

(yea, even at the doors)

to Level
in good earnest
to Level
to some purpose
to Level
with a witness
to Level
the hills with the valleys
and to lay the mountains low

6. 

High mountains!
Lofty cedars!
it's high time
for you to enter into the rocks
and to hide you in the dust
for fear of the Lord
and for the glory of his majesty

for the lofty looks of men
shall be humbled
and the haughtiness of men
shall be bowed down
and the Lord ALONE
shall be exalted in that day
for the day
of the Lord of Hosts
shall be upon every one
that is proud and lofty
and upon everyone
that is lifted up
and he shall be brought low

and upon all the Cedars of Lebanon
that are high and lifted up
and upon all the Oaks of Bashan
and upon all the high mountains
and upon all the hills
that are lifted up
and upon every high tower
and upon every fenced wall
and upon all the ships of Tarshish
and upon all pleasant pictures

and the LOFTINESS of man
shall be bowed down
and the haughtiness of men
shall be laid low
and the Lord ALONE
shall be exalted in that day
and the idols he shall utterly abolish

and they shall go into the holes of the rocks
and into the caves of the earth
for fear of the Lord
and for the glory of his majesty
when he arises to shake terribly the earth

in that day
a man shall cast his idols of silver
and idols of gold
to the bats
and
to the moles
to go into the clefts of the rocks
and into the tops of the ragged rocks
for fear of the Lord
and for the glory of his majesty
for the Lord is now RISEN
to shake the earth

Isa. 2.10

to the end of the chapter

7.

Hills!
Mountains!
Cedars!
Mighty men!
your breath is in your nostrils

those that have admired
adored
idolized
magnified
set you up
fought for you
ventured goods and good name
limb and life 
for you
shall cease
from you

you shall not

(at all)

be accounted of

(not one of you)

ye sturdy oak who bow not down
before eternal majesty
universal love
whose service is perfect freedom
and who has put down the mighty

(remember
remember your forerunner)

and who is putting down the mighty
from their seats
and exalting them of low degree

8.

Oh
let not

(for your own sakes)

let not
the mother of harlots 
in you
who is very subtle of heart

nor the beast

(without you)

what do you call 'em?
the ministers
fat parsons
vicars
lecturers
&c.
who

(for their own base ends
to maintain their pride and pomp
and
to fill their paunches and purses)

have been the chief instruments of all
those horrid abominations
hellish
cruel
devilish persecutions in this nation
which cry for vengeance

for your own sakes

(I say)

let neither the one
nor the other
bewitch you
or
charm your cares
to hear them say these things
shall not befall you
these scriptures
shall not be fulfilled upon you
but upon the
Pope
Turk
and
Heathen Princes
&c.

9.

Or 
if any of them should

(through subtlety
for their own base ends)

creep into the Mystery of that forementioned scripture*
and tell you those words are to be taken in the Mystery only
and they only
point out a spiritual inward Levelling

(once more
for your own sakes
I say)

believe them not

10.

'Tis true
the history or letter

(I speak comparatively)

is but as it were haircloth
the Mystery is fine flax
my flax
saith the Lord
and the Thief and the Robber
will steal from me my flax
to cover his nakedness
that his filthiness
may not appear

but behold
I am

(now)

recovering my flax
out of hand
and discovering his lewdness

- verbum fiat -

11.

'Tis true
the Mystery is my joy
my delight
my life

and the prime Levelling
is laying low
the mountains
and 
Levelling the hills
in man

but this is not all

for lo I come 
(saith the Lord)
with a vengeance
to Level also 
your honour
riches
&c.
to stain the pride of all your glory
and
to bring into contempt all the honourable
(both persons and things)
upon the earth
Isa. 23,9

12.

For this 
honour
nobility
propriety
superfluity
&c.
has

(without contradiction)

been 
the father of hellish horrid pride
arrogance
haughtiness
loftiness
murder
malice
of all manner of wickedness
and
impiety
yea
the cause of all the blood
that ever has been shed
from the blood of righteous Abel
to the blood of the last Levellers that were shot to death

and now
(as I live, saith the Lord)
I am come to make inquisition for blood
for murder and pride
&c.

13.

I see the root of it all

the axe is laid to the root of the tree

(by the eternal God, myself, saith the Lord)

I will hew it down

and as I live
I will plague your honour
pomp
greatness
superfluity
and confound it into parity
equality
community

that the neck of horrid pride
murder
malice
and tyranny
&c.
may be chopped off at one blow

and that myself 
the eternal God
who am 
universal love
may fill the earth with
universal love
universal peace
and
perfect freedom
which can never be by human sword
or strength accomplished

14.

Wherefore
bow down
bow down
you sturdy oaks
and tall cedars
bow
or 
by myself
I'll break you
I'll cause some of you

(on whom I have compassion)

to bow
&c.
and will terribly plague the rest

my little finger shall be heavier on them
than my whole loins were on Pharaoh pf old

15.

And 
maugre the subtlety and sedulity
the craft and cruelty of hell and earth
this Levelling shall up

not by sword
we

(holily)

scorn to fight for anything
we had as live be dead drunk
everyday of the week
and lie with whores i'th' market place
and account these as good actions
as taking the poor abused
enslaved ploughman's money from him

(who is almost everywhere undone
and squeezed to death
and not so much as that plague
unsupportable
hellish burden
and oppression
of tithes
taken off his shoulders
notwithstanding 
all his honesty
fidelity
taxes
frequenter
petitioning
&c.
for the same)

we had rather starve
I say
then take away his money from him
for killing of men

nay
if we might have captain's pay
and a good fat parsonage
or two besides
we would scorn to be swordsmen
or fight with those

(mostly)

carnal weapons
for anything
or against anyone
or for our livings

16.

No
no
we'll live in despite of our foes
and this Levelling

(to thy torment
O mighty man)

shall up
not by sword
not by might
&c.
but by spirit
saith the Lord
for I am risen
for I am risen
for I am risen
to shake terribly the earth
and not the earth only
but the heavens also
&c.

but here I shall cease informing you

you may for your information

(if you please)

read my roll to all the rich inhabitants of the earth
read it if you be wise
I shall now advise you