Note 117 — John Lilburne and the Levellers 1647–1653

The movement “had sprung into existence in response to a widely spread apprehension that the victory of the people might be rendered fruitless. Its call had found an echo in the ranks of the army, and by its admirable organization it had insisted that the leaders should hear what it had to say. It had powerfully influenced their conduct and had introduced a radical element into their programme. When this had been done, the soldiers felt that its raison d’être as a separate party had come to an end. The battle had been fought, and the victory, at least for the time, had fallen to Ireton.”—G. P. Gooch, History of Democratic Ideas in the Seventeenth Century.