 Before his death, he was coerced by Sir John Barkstead to admit his participation in the writing of the pamphlet.While it was often assumed that the document was written under a pseudonym, another theory suggested that William Allen, a former New Model Army trooper and Republican who had ties with Edward Sexby and Thomas Sheppard, had penned the document.The trio (Allen, Sexby and Sheppard) had agitated Cromwell in the past by expressing their concerns about the Army's attitude toward Parliament.