Free Born John: Biography of John Lilburne

The seventeenth century produced no more colourful figure than John Lilburne, the leader of the Levellers, whose unflagging opposition to authority resulted from a consistent fight for civil liberty. Though whipped and pilloried by the Star Chamber, imprisoned by the-Long Parliament, and twice put on trial for his life by Cromwell, Lilburne's struggles on behalf of the ordinary citizenn ever faltered. He died a Quaker in his early forties. Pauline Gregg's biography of Lilburne, originally published in 1961, now appears in paperback for the first time, with a new foreword by the author.'In Dr Gregg, Lilburne has found an admirable as well as admiring biographer.' Times Literary Supplement. 'The real merit of this book lies in the fresh insights into the man himself.' The Listener. 'She successfully conveys the nature of his personality as well as his ideas... an authoritative and illuminating biography.'C.V. Wedgwood, Daily Telegraph. Cover illustration shows a detail of an engraving of John Lilburne reproduced by courtesy of the Bodleian Library, reference firth e63 (2), Portrait opp t.p.