A paper delivered and dispersed by Sir William Killigrew. Killigrew, William, Sir, 1606-1695. This text is an enriched version of the TCP digital transcription A87729 of text R212229 in the English Short Title Catalog (Thomason 669.f.19[62]). Textual changes and metadata enrichments aim at making the text more computationally tractable, easier to read, and suitable for network-based collaborative curation by amateur and professional end users from many walks of life. The text has been tokenized and linguistically annotated with MorphAdorner. The annotation includes standard spellings that support the display of a text in a standardized format that preserves archaic forms ('loveth', 'seekest'). Textual changes aim at restoring the text the author or stationer meant to publish. This text has not been fully proofread Approx. 5 KB of XML-encoded text transcribed from 1 1-bit group-IV TIFF page image. EarlyPrint Project Evanston,IL, Notre Dame, IN, St. Louis, MO 2017 A87729 Wing K465 Thomason 669.f.19[62] ESTC R212229 99870871 99870871 163399 This keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the Early English Books Online Text Creation Partnership. This Phase I text is available for reuse, according to the terms of Creative Commons 0 1.0 Universal . The text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. Early English books online. (EEBO-TCP ; phase 1, no. A87729) Transcribed from: (Early English Books Online ; image set 163399) Images scanned from microfilm: (Thomason Tracts ; 246:669f19[62]) A paper delivered and dispersed by Sir William Killigrew. Killigrew, William, Sir, 1606-1695. 1 sheet ([1] p.) s.n., [London : 1651] Dated at end: 1 June, 1651. Imprint from Wing. Reproduction of the original in the British Library. eng Drainage -- England -- Lincolnshire -- Early works to 1800. Lincolnshire (England) -- History -- 17th century -- Early works to 1800. Great Britain -- Politics and government -- 1649-1660 -- Early works to 1800. A87729 R212229 (Thomason 669.f.19[62]). civilwar no A paper delivered and dispersed by Sir William Killigrew. Killigrew, William, Sir 1651 970 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 A This text has no known defects that were recorded as gap elements at the time of transcription. 2007-09 TCP Assigned for keying and markup 2007-09 Apex CoVantage Keyed and coded from ProQuest page images 2007-10 Mona Logarbo Sampled and proofread 2007-10 Mona Logarbo Text and markup reviewed and edited 2008-02 pfs Batch review (QC) and XML conversion A Paper delivered and dispersed by Sir William Killigrew . I. BY reason of the many greater Affairs in Parliament , the Bill for perfecting the Earl 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 several persons of quality , that the people have been lately invited and incouraged at Boston to come up in great numbers to make new clamors , by telling them that they have a good cause , and but few friends in Parliament ; that three or four 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 unless they did come generally up to petition ; and if that failed , then they should bring up their wives and children to the Parliament door , 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 poore 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 Commoners 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 delayes , 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 Countrey 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 honorable 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 .