Lilburne was a leader in the Leveller movement of the 1640s. A prolific pamphleteer, he was imprisoned several times for his religious views and became an ardent defender of religious liberty. He was active in the army of parliament and rose to the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel. His more important works include England’s Birthright Justified (1645), England’s New Chains Discovered (1649), The Hunting of the Foxes (1649).