 Individualism, a reader, edited by George H. Smith and Marilyn Moore, narrated by James Foster. 11. An Arrow Against All Tyrants, Richard Overton An arrow against all tyrants and tyranny shot from the prison of Newgate into the prerogative bowels of the arbitrary House of Lords and all other usurpers and tyrants whatsoever. 1646. Spelling and punctuation have been modernized. Relatively little is known about the life of Richard Overton, 1631 to 1664. In the 1640s, during the period of the English Civil Wars, he actively participated in the leveler movement. The levelers, who were the most consistent libertarians of the 17th century, advocated a wide range of personal and civil liberties including private property rights, opposition to government monopolies and special privileges, a free press, complete freedom of religion including freedom for Catholics and atheists, and so forth. The author of many pamphlets on political and religious matters, Overton was imprisoned at least two times, the first of which was from August 1646 to September 1647. It was during this time that Overton wrote an arrow against all tyrants. This pamphlet is especially noteworthy for its spirited presentation and defense of self-propriety, a foundational principle of libertarianism that went by various names including self-ownership and self-sovereignty. Sir, to every individual in nature is given an individual property by nature not to be invaded or usurped by any. For everyone as he is himself so he hath a self-propriety else could he not be himself, and on this no second may presume to deprive any of without manifest violation and affront to the very principles of nature and the rules of equity and justice between man and man. Mine and thine cannot be except this be. No man hath power over my rights and liberties, and I over no man's. I may be but an individual, enjoy myself and my self-propriety, and may write myself no more than myself or presume any further. If I do, I am an encroacher and an invader upon another man's right to which I have no right. For by natural birth all men are equally and alike born to like propriety, liberty, and freedom. And as we are delivered of God by the hand of nature into this world, everyone with a natural innate freedom and propriety, as it were writ in the table of every man's heart never to be obliterated, even so are we to live everyone equally and alike to enjoy his birthright and privilege, even all whereof God by nature has made him free. And this by nature everyone desires, aims at, and requires, for no man naturally would be befooled of his liberty by his neighbor's craft or enslaved by his neighbor's might. For it is nature's instinct to preserve itself from all things hurtful and obnoxious, and this in nature is granted of all to be most reasonable, equal, and just, not to be rooted out of the kind even of equal duration with the creature. And from this fountain or root all just human powers take their original, not immediately from God as kings usually plead their prerogative, but immediately by the hand of nature, as from the represented to the representatives. For originally God hath implanted them in the creature, and from the creature those powers immediately proceed and no further, and no more may be communicated than stands for the better being, wheel or safety thereof. And this is man's prerogative and no further, so much and no more may be given or received thereof, even so much as is conducive to a better being, more safety and freedom, and no more. He that gives more sins against his own flesh and he that takes more is a thief and robber to his kind. Every man by nature being a king, priest, and prophet in his own natural circuit and compass, whereof no second may partake but by deputation, commission, and free consent from him whose natural right and freedom it is. And thus, sir, and no otherwise, are you and stated into your sovereign capacity for the free people of this nation. For their better being, discipline, government, propriety, and safety have each of them communicated so much unto you, their chosen ones, of their natural rights and powers, that you might thereby become their absolute commissioners and lawful deputies, but no more. And that by contraction of those their several individual communications conferred upon and united in you, you alone might become their own natural proper sovereign power, therewith singly and only empowered for their several wheels, safeties, and freedoms, and no otherwise. For as by nature no man may abuse, beat, torment, or afflict himself, so by nature no man may give that power to another. Seeing he may not do it himself, for no more can be communicated from the general than is included in the particulars whereof the general is compounded. So that those so deputed are, to the general, not otherwise than as a schoolmaster to a particular or to this or that man's family. For as such ordering and regulating power is but by deputation, and may be removed at the parents or headmasters pleasure upon neglect or abuse thereof, and be conferred upon another. No parents ever giving such an absolute unlimited power to such over their children as to do them as they list and not to be retracted, controlled, or restrained in their exorbitances. Even so, and no otherwise, is it with you, our deputies, in respect of the general. It is in vain for you to think you have power over us to save us or destroy us at your pleasure, to do with us as you list, be it for our wheel or be it for our woe, and not to be enjoined in mercy to the one or questioned in justice for the other. For the edge of your own arguments against the king in this kind may be turned upon yourselves, for if for the safety of the people he might in equity be opposed by you in his tyrannies, oppressions, and cruelties, even so may you by the same rule of right reason be opposed by the people in general in the like cases of destruction and ruin by you upon them. For the safety of the people is the sovereign law to which all must become subject, and for which all powers human are ordained by them. For all tyranny, oppression, and cruelty whatsoever, and in whomsoever is in itself unnatural, illegal, yea, absolutely anti-magisterial, for it is even destructive to all human civil society and therefore resistable. Now, sir, the commons of this nation having empowered their body representative whereof you are one, with their own absolute sovereignty thereby authoritatively and legally to remove from amongst them all oppressions and tyrannies, oppressors, and tyrants, how great so ever in name, place, or dignity, and to protect, safeguard, and defend them from all such unnatural monsters, vipers, and pests, bread of corruption, or which are entrusted amongst them and as much as in them lie to prevent all such for the future. And to that end you have been assisted with our lives and fortunes most liberally and freely with most victorious and happy success whereby your arms are strengthened with our might that now you may make us all happy within the confines of this nation, if you please. And therefore, sir, in reason, equity, and justice we deserve no less at your hands, and, sir, let it not seem strange unto you that we are thus bold with you for our own. For by nature we are the sons of Adam and from him have legitimately derived a natural propriety, right, and freedom, which only we require, and how in equity you can deny us we cannot see. It is but the just rights and prerogative of mankind where unto the people of England are heirs apparent as well as other nations which we desire, and surely you will not deny it to us that we may be men and live like men. If you do, it will be as little safe for yourselves and posterity as for us and our posterity. For, sir, whatever bondage, thralldom, or tyranny so ever you settle upon us, you certainly or your posterity will taste of the dregs. If by your present policy and abused might you chance to award it from yourselves in particular, yet your posterity will do what you can and will be liable to the hazard thereof. This has been Individualism, a Reader, edited by George H. Smith and Marilyn Moore, narrated by James Foster. Copyright 2015 by the Cato Institute. Production copyright 2015 by the Cato Institute.