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<DATE>2010-08-17</DATE>
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<NAME>Megan Marion</NAME>
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<TEXT LANG="eng">
<FRONT>
<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="1">
<PB REF="1" MS="y">
<P>Every mans Right: or, <HI>ENGLANDS</HI> PERSPECTIVE-GLASSE.</P>
<P>Wherein may be &s;een, every mans Ca&s;e, Face, Birth|right, and ju&s;t Liberty.</P>
<P>Whereunto is added; The Copie of a Letter written by a Pri&s;oner in the <HI>Fleet,</HI> unto a worthy Member of the Hou&s;e of <HI>Commons:</HI> Expre&s;&s;ing the nece&s;&s;itie of Ju&s;tice, and the illegality of Impri&s;onment of men for Debt.</P>
<P>Compo&s;ed (primarily) for the Meridian of <HI>London</HI> and <HI>VVe&s;tmin&s;ter,</HI> and may prove very profitable, to inlighten the eyes of all the Commons of <HI>England,</HI> in this year of our long-expected Reformation, and Suppre&s;&s;ions of Inju&s;tice, Tyranny, and Oppre&s;&s;ion, <HI>Anno</HI> 1646.</P>
<Q><BIBL>Prov. 21.3.7.10.15.</BIBL>
<P>The &s;oul of the wicked de&s;ireth evill, his neighbour fin|deth no favour in his eyes. It is joy to the ju&s;t to do judgement, But de&s;tru|ction &s;hall be to the workers of iniquity. To do justice, and judgement, is more acceptable then &s;acrifice.</P></Q>
<Q><BIBL>Prov. 24.23, 24.</BIBL>
<P>It is not good to have re&s;pect of per&s;ons in judgement (for) he that &s;ayeth to the wicked, thou art righteous, him &s;hall the people cur&s;e, and Nations &s;hall abhorr<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">him.</P></Q>
<Q><BIBL>Prov. 31.8, 9.</BIBL>
<P>Therefore open thy mouth wide, in the cau&s;e of all &s;uch as are appointed to de&s;truction; Open thy mouth, judge righteou&s;ly, and plead the cau&s;e of the poor and needy.</P></Q>
<Q><BIBL>Eccle&s;. 4.1.</BIBL>
<P>So I con&s;idered all the oppre&s;&s;ions that are done, and behold the Tears of &s;uch as be oppre&s;&s;ed, and they have no comforter, and on the &s;ide of their oppre&s;&s;ours there is power, but the oppre&s;&s;ed have no com|forter.</P></Q>
<Q><BIBL>Job. 24.25.</BIBL>
<P>And if it be not &s;o now, who will (or can) make me a Liar, and make my &s;peech nothing worth.</P></Q>
<P>Fear not the face of the mighty, neither be di&s;mayed at the looks of the haughty, for their end &s;hall be &s;uddainly.</P>
<P>Printed, Anno 1646.</P>
</DIV1>
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<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="text">
<DIV2 TYPE="letter">
<PB REF="2">
<PB N="1" REF="2">
<HEAD>The Copie of a letter written unto the worthy Member of the Honourable hou&s;e of Commons, Mr. HENRY MARTIN, Apr. the 18. Anno 1646.</HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>HONOURED SIR,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>THe many guifts and graces di&s;playing them&s;elves in you, and by them &s;etting forth your zeal to Gods glory, and your Native Countries welfare, together with the hopes of comfort we apprehend in the re&s;toration unto the place you po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed, when the Ordinance of Parliament pa&s;&s;ed for relea&s;e of pri&s;oners for debt, and others as unju&s;tly re&s;trained; incourages me to ad|dre&s;&s;e my &s;elf unto you, not only in mine own particular, but al&s;o, for and in the behalf of all, &s;uffering impri&s;onment for Debt, in tho&s;e times in which the whole Kingdome is become Banckrupt; and inforced by a &s;trong hand to work his peace for the re&s;toration of her Liberty, Laws, and Religion in its purity, according to the true and only rule, <HI>The Word of God.</HI> Yet we poor creatures, whom the Lord by his ju&s;t afflicting hand, hath bereft of all their e&s;tates, through &s;everall cro&s;&s;es and lo&s;&s;es by Sea and Land, are &s;till afflicted, impri&s;oned, and oppre&s;&s;ed by tho&s;e, who doubtle&s;&s;e in their hearts, conceit them&s;elves wi&s;er then their Creator, and by that their phanta&s;tick wi&s;dome, endeavour, by mo&s;t cruell oppre&s;|&s;ion and tyranny, over their brethren (like to the <HI>Alcumi&s;t</HI>) to extract &s;omething out of nothing; viz. Satisfaction of debts out of their Brethren, who have nothing, being bereft long before by the ju&s;t hand of heaven. Onely here is the difference; The Lord after his ju&s;t judgement inflicted on us, did in mercy &s;uffer us &s;till to enjoy the liberty of our per&s;ons, and thereby the future u&s;e of
<PB N="2" REF="3">our endeavours for &s;ub&s;i&s;tence, and the common ayre to breath in; But the&s;e mo&s;t cruel,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mich. 7.<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">, 3, 1, 5, 6.</NOTE> mercile&s;&s;e, unju&s;t, per&s;ecuting <HI>Nimrods,</HI> have not only (by that abominable Statute of Bancrupt) bereft us of all the remainder of our Estates, to the very covering of our na|kedne&s;&s;e; but al&s;o have mo&s;t cruelly &s;hut us up in their &s;everall pri&s;on hou&s;es for <HI>8. 10. 20.</HI> yeers <HI>30.</HI> yeers together, There their blood thir&s;tie Soules (like &s;o many Cainballs) feeding upon our bodies and lives, thinking to extract &s;atisfaction for their debts out of the very ruins of our poore &s;oules and lives, depriving us (in the&s;e their &s;oul-de&s;troying hou&s;es) of the very ayre, by the Lord alotted in common to every Creature to breath in, where our conditions is farre wor&s;e then the fellons ca&s;e, who commonly within <HI>2.</HI> or <HI>3.</HI> moneths after their Commitment to pri&s;on, are by the Law, either aquitted of their Impri&s;onment, or by depriva|tion of life relea&s;ed out of their mi&s;erable &s;ufferings; whereas our mi&s;ery of Impri&s;onment for Debt, is contnued many yeeres, and &s;eldome ends, but by a violent (untimely, or naturall) de|privation of our lives in extreame mi&s;ery.</P>
<P>Shall we the Inhabitants of England, who profe&s;&s;e the true Knowledge, Honour, Love, and feare of God, and the Rule of true Chri&s;tian Charity prove more cruel to our Brethren and fellow Members of the &s;ame Common Wealth, then Turkes and Pagans, who knowes not God in a &s;aving way, or the unju&s;t judge in the Go&s;pel who cared neither for God nor man, yet becau&s;e of the poore widdowes unce&s;&s;ant importunity, he did her ju&s;tice, by gran|ting her ju&s;t reque&s;t, <HI>(God forbid) farre be it,</HI> from this &s;o know|ing a nation, to mock God thus, in &s;lighting, and neglecting him their <HI>Ju&s;t and dreadfull God</HI> in the&s;e his three chiefe&s;t attributes, of <HI>Mercy, Judgement, and Ju&s;tice,</HI> in &s;topping their eares from the hearing lamentable cries, of the oppre&s;&s;ed, and becoming dumb to &s;peak in the behalfe of the afflicted, oppre&s;&s;ed, and long impri&s;oned, or to judge their righteous cau&s;e in a free current without re&s;pect of per&s;ons, and yet (with greife of heart be if &s;poken) our &s;everall unce&s;&s;ant humble reque&s;ts, have now continued more then <HI>Five yeeres,</HI> crying, knocking, and calling at the doores of the honour|able A&s;&s;embly of Parliament; for <HI>Ju&s;tice,</HI> and <HI>Relea&s;e,</HI> from this our unju&s;tly in&s;laved Thraldome: But hither to have we reaped no fruits of our humble and ju&s;t de&s;ires; For their faces
<PB N="3" REF="3">have been hid, &amp; their eares &s;topped again&s;t the cryes of our afflicti|ons, &s;o that (as yet) none of our oppre&s;&s;ions and wrongfull &s;uffer|ings are redre&s;&s;ed (as in duty both to God and Man, they ought long &s;ince to have bin) and then doubtle&s;&s;e our enemies had bin long ere this time at peace with us, &amp; the Land &s;hould have in|joyed re&s;t; For when the wayes of men plea&s;e the Lord, then (and not till then) &s;hall their very enemies be at peace with them; <HI>For what do I require of thee O man &s;aith the Lord; but to exe|cute Ju&s;tice, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God, to relieve the Widdow, the Fatherle&s;&s;e, and the &s;tran|ger, and to let the oppre&s;&s;ed, and long impri&s;oned go free: for in the&s;e things I delight &s;aith the Lord: But my &s;oule abhor|eth the wayes, of wickedne&s;&s;e, Inju&s;tice, Tyrannie, and Oppre&s;&s;ion.</HI></P>
<P>The long neglect of Ju&s;tice (I think) hath brought downe the&s;e heavie Judgements from the ju&s;t hand of heaven upon this King|dome in &s;peciall, where God and his Statutes are &s;o cleerly known, but whether they be as truly practi&s;ed or not, I refer to your Judgement, and to the due con&s;ideration of all &s;uch as truly love and feare God.</P>
<P><HI>For now ye purpo&s;e to keepe under the People of God for Bond men and Bond women unto you; But are there not with, you even with you, &s;innes again&s;t the Lord your God? And becau&s;e we have not from the fir&s;t &s;ought the Lord, after a due order, and in the true practice and faithfull execution of Ju&s;tice, Judgement, and mercy: Therefore hath the Lord God made this breach upon us, as at this day to the King|domes woe.</HI></P>
<P>The neglect of Ju&s;tice, Judgment, and mercie (and the practi&s;e of the contrary by the <HI>I&s;raelites</HI>) informed the Lord to become an enemy unto them, to &s;wallow them up by his judgments of Plague, Pe&s;tilence, Famine, and the Sword, and al&s;o to de&s;troy all their &s;trong holds and places of habytation in the Land, and to increa&s;e unto them, <HI>Mourning, Lamentation, and Woe,</HI> and can we, who are guilty of the &s;ame tran&s;gre&s;&s;ions (if not more) being but wild branches of that Olive tree, pre&s;ume to receive more favours from the hand of that mo&s;t ju&s;t God, then tho&s;e his peculiar cho&s;en people the I&s;raelites&punc; Certainly no, <HI>For what mea&s;ure ye mete un|to
<PB N="4" REF="4">the poor, afflicted, and oppre&s;&s;ed, &s;hall be mea&s;ured to you again.</HI> Oh that there were &s;ome ju&s;t <HI>Jeho&s;haphat,</HI> to give &s;om &s;peedy and &s;trict charge, for the due execution of ju&s;tice, between man and man, in a free current without re&s;pect of per&s;ons, and without the taking of <HI>Fees, Gifts, (alias Bribes)</HI> and otherwi&s;e &s;tiled <HI>New-years gifts.</HI> The <HI>2 d.</HI> of <HI>Chron. 19.5, 6, 7, 9.10. ver|&s;es.</HI> Or that there were in that honourable A&s;&s;embly, &s;ome undaunted <HI>zealous Nehemiah,</HI> to &s;tand up for the birth-right and ju&s;t liberty of his brethren (according to the true intent of his being called to that place of tru&s;t) &amp; to inforce ju&s;tice to take its free current with|out re&s;pect of per&s;ons (or the wages of <HI>Balaam</HI>) in de&s;pight of all wicked, abhominable, oppo&s;ers of the &s;ame: <HI>Nehem. 5.5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12. ver&s;es.</HI> And I wi&s;h al&s;o from my heart, that the <HI>58, and 59. Chapters</HI> of <HI>I&s;aiah,</HI> the <HI>58. P&s;alme,</HI> the <HI>6.</HI> of <HI>Jere|miah,</HI> and the <HI>22.</HI> of <HI>Ezekiel,</HI> were truly looked into, piou&s;ly con&s;idered, and well weighed by all the Inhabitants of the Land, from the highe&s;t euen to the lowe&s;t of them, and that they might open their mouthes in the cau&s;e of the oppre&s;&s;ed, and &s;uch as are ap|pointed (by cruelty and tyranny) for de&s;truction, that they might open their mouthes and judge righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, and plead the cau&s;e of the poor and needy.</P>
<P>I will &s;ay no more for this pre&s;ent, but onely from my poor op|pre&s;&s;ed and afflicted &s;oul, mo&s;t earne&s;tly and unce&s;&s;antly wi&s;h and pray for the pro&s;perity of <HI>Sion,</HI> and the peace and flouri&s;hing &s;tate of this Kingdome. Be&s;eeching you al&s;o in the bowels of compa&s;&s;ion to think upon your afflicted, oppre&s;&s;ed, and long-impri&s;oned Bre|thren, to ca&s;t your eyes upon the&s;e inclo&s;ed papers; Intituled, <HI>An Appeal to Heaven;</HI> and the other called, <HI>A Declaration and ap|peal to all the free-born People of England;</HI> and then (as the Lord &s;hall direct you) to prove a <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> for our delivery out of this <HI>Egyptian</HI> bondage of unju&s;t impri&s;onment, which is the mo&s;t ear|ne&s;t and humble &s;ute of him who is and will be</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>Your a&s;&s;ured friend in the Lord, to &s;erve you in what he may to his power, JAMES FRES<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">.</SIGNED>
<DATELINE><HI>From my chamber of clo&s;e impri&s;onment in the</HI> Fleet, <HI>&s;ince the 11 of</HI> Febr. <HI>1645.</HI> (<HI>contrary to the Subjects liberty, and the Parliaments own vote, in the ea&s;e of Sir</HI> Rich. Wi&s;eman <HI>and others, complain|ing of their clo&s;e impri&s;onment in the year 1641.</HI>) <DATE><HI>this <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 word"> of</HI> April, <HI>1646.</HI></DATE></DATELINE></CLOSER>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="tract">
<PB N="5" REF="4">
<P>Woe unto that Kingdome and people, where the wicked walke on every &s;ide (without controul) and the vile&s;t men are exalted to places of eminencie and tru&s;t,<NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;ai. 10.1, 2, 3, 4.</NOTE> that they may op|pre&s;&s;e and do violence with both hands, yea, that they may the more effectually exerci&s;e their cruel tyranny of inju&s;tice and oppre&s;&s;ion (without let or hindrance) upon the poore, the needy, the afflicted, oppre&s;&s;ed, and long impri&s;oned, in e&s;peciall upon &s;uch as honour, love, and feare God, and mo&s;t earne&s;tly wi&s;h the peace and pro&s;perity of this Kingdome, &s;ome &s;uch as the&s;e have been brought to mo&s;t untimely ends by Jaylor, and their &s;ub&s;titutes, others quite lamed by their Iron fetters, others of them have &s;urfered unju&s;tly, mo&s;t cruel and heavie afflicti|ons in &s;everall pri&s;on hou&s;es and denns of cruelty, from &s;ome (eminently &s;upports) Jaylors, and their cruel &s;ub&s;titutes, yet hi|therto none of the&s;e oppre&s;&s;ed Chri&s;tians have been righted; but rather di&s;couraged from &s;eeking any redre&s;&s;e, their &s;everall Articles exibited again&s;t Jaylors, extreamly &s;lighted, and them|&s;elves &s;till expo&s;ed to the inhumane rage and unlimited cruel|tie of the&s;e Jaylors, and their helli&s;h &s;ub&s;titutes, to be by them (if not murthered) yet beaten, abu&s;ed, reviled daily, and &s;tarved to death, and decreppit by Irons, for in&s;tance the pri&s;ons of the <HI>Kings Bench,</HI> the <HI>Fleete,</HI> and <HI>Newgate.</HI></P>
<P>Behould they tread upon the poore, they afflict the needy, they murther the innocent, and cru&s;h the pri&s;oners under their feet, before the face of the mo&s;t high, not re|garding the Lord of Ho&s;ts, nor his Power, nor his Ju&s;tice, nor his Judgements, although he hath divided them, in &s;etting the Prince again&s;t the people, the Father again&s;t the Sonne, and one friend again&s;t another, and hath &s;et the &s;word as a de&s;troyer of them all, yet they &s;till provoke the Lord of Ho&s;ts, the God of Ju&s;tice unto wrath and indignation again&s;t them&s;elves, by neglecting the due execution of Ju&s;tice, Judgements and mer|cy, in a free current (without re&s;pect of per&s;ons, and the wages of <HI>Balaam</HI>) intituled, <HI>Fees, Nowyeers-gifts,</HI> and <HI>Bribes:</HI> It &s;eemeth <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 word"> Riddle, not only to me, but al&s;o to many thou|&s;ands in the Kingdome, that the greate&s;t Conte&s;t betweene King and Parliament, being for the Liberty of the &s;ubiect (and hath been the cau&s;e of &s;o much efu&s;ian of Chri&s;tion blood
<PB N="6" REF="5">for almo&s;t 5. yeers together) the Peers of the Realme con&s;tant|ly enjoying the &s;ame, and yet the commonalty hitherto mo&s;t unju&s;tly debarred of the &s;ame, and &s;till in&s;laved (as formerly) unto the arbitrary will and power of a few mercinarie Lawyers who&s;e profe&s;&s;ion and gayne in&s;laves them to the will and di&s;|po&s;ition of the very wor&s;t and skum of men and women, and ingages them (as hirelings) to maintaine their cau&s;e at any barre of ju&s;tice (&s;o called) for the price of iniquity; I meane for their fee of ten or twenty &s;hillings, be the cau&s;e never &s;o bace and unju&s;t, &s;o by them mayntained. It is therefore to be con&s;idered, whether it be agreeable to ju&s;tice, and the freedome and pro&s;perity of this Nacion, that the pro&s;perity and flouri&s;h|ing &s;tate of a few Lawyers, Atturneys, Jaylours, and their ad|herents &s;hould be pre&s;erved before, the ju&s;t liberty, peace, and well being of this whole Nation and their po&s;terities, and whether it &s;avour of Chri&s;tianity or any Charity, to in&s;lave your brethren to their works, and unju&s;t wills, &amp; to coope them up (as a bird in a cage) in your pri&s;on hou&s;es, and not to pro|vide for their &s;ub&s;i&s;tence there, or for their determinate time of delivery from thence; but expo&s;e them to the oppre&s;&s;ion of their adver&s;aries, and the &s;everall mercies cruelties of Jaylors and their cruell &s;ub&s;titutes for many yeers, or whether the in|richment of a few Lawyers, Atturneys, Solicitors, Clarkes and Jaylors, be to be preferred before the flouri&s;hing Peace and tranquility of this whole Nation, and al&s;o whether it be accor|ding to Gods Law (who&s;e people we profe&s;&s;e our &s;elves to be) that ju&s;tice &s;hould not be executed nor admini&s;tred unto the poore of the Land in particular, nor to all in generall, without the price and reward of iniquity, I meane without paying to <HI>Judges, Lawyers, Atturneys, Clarkes, Jaylours,</HI> their depu|ties and &s;ervants, their &s;everall great (unju&s;t) exacting <HI>Fees, Fees I &s;ay,</HI> and <HI>Newyeers gifts</HI> (be&s;ides <HI>Bribes</HI>) for expedition, and &s;etting downe of a &s;au&s;e for hearing, or el&s;e it may be &s;taved off by many jugling tricks and devices of our Lawyers from be|ing heard, &s;ince the 44th. yeer of Queene <HI>Elizabeths Rayne un|till this pre&s;ent,</HI> e&s;pecially in the Court of Chancery, where the &s;ucceeding Orders (like &s;o many vipers) &s;till eat up and de|vour all the preceeding Orders, or that Court, and one cau&s;e
<PB N="7" REF="5">of 40. l. value, produceth at the lea&s;t 700. &s;everall orders before it be determined, and the expence of that Suite (on the Plaintifs part only) amount unto 2500. l. at the lea&s;t, the&s;e and &s;uch like cau&s;es (and the &s;everall commitments upon the &s;ame) makes Lawyers and Jaylours laugh, and both plaintiff and defendant to come heavily home by weeping cro&s;&s;e, to the utter ruin of them and their po&s;terity, and at the la&s;t inforces them to &s;ell their Lands to their Lawyers, and Atturneys. We reade that <HI>Samuel</HI> judged <HI>J&s;rael</HI> many yeeres, yet we reade not, that he nor any of his Servants and &s;ubordinate Officers exacted or rceived any fees and rewards of the people for the admini&s;tration of Ju&s;tice, or that the people were barred from pleading their cau&s;es (but only by Lawyers, Advocates, and Atturneys) or that ever there were &s;uch a generation of men, or In&s;truments of contention knowne, or appointed by Gods Law, to the overthrowing of many a poore and righte|ous mans cau&s;e, by their &s;everall tricks and unju&s;t devices ten|ding meerly for their owne ends, and &s;elf-advantage of private gayne, although to the apparent in&s;laving of the Nation, and ruine of the People.</P>
<P>Who, but &s;ome Lawyers, are (for the&s;e 5. yeeres pa&s;t) con|ceived to be the only ob&s;tructors of <HI>Magna Charta,</HI> in poynt of the Subjects Liberty, and in&s;laving their per&s;ons in their &s;everall pri&s;on-hou&s;es, notwith&s;tanding the peoples &s;everall Re|mon&s;trances, Petitions, Declarations, and appeales unto the honourable hou&s;es of Parliament, and Commonalty of the Land, and in&s;tead of reliefe, their mi&s;eries have been augmen|ted to them, by the crueltie of Jaylors (who are counte|nanced) and the poore Pri&s;oners complaints, rejected and them&s;elves di&s;couraged from exhibiting any further com|plaints again&s;t them, for Ju&s;tice and Reliefe? who but Law|yers make merchandi&s;e of Ju&s;tice, and confine the practi&s;e of the &s;ame, unto the <HI>Latine Tongue,</HI> and <HI>Pedlars French,</HI> like unto the Ma&s;&s;e Prie&s;ts, who in like manner confine the Service of God to the Latine Tongue that they may make merchandi&s;e of the word of God, and by keeping the people in Ignorance, in|force them (like &s;laves) to walke by their light, as the Lawyers and Atturneys do by this Nation; For their Tongues devi&s;e
<PB N="8" REF="6">mi&s;chief, working deceitfully, becau&s;e they love evill more then good, contention more then Peace, and lying, and &s;wear|ing, more then to &s;peak the truth, becau&s;e contention, &s;trife, and debate, is the only thing that brings the price of gayne, Riches, Honour, and Preferment unto their <HI>Mill</HI> of conten|tion and profe&s;&s;ion.</P>
<P>The Lord in mercy looke upon the deplorable, afflicted, op|pre&s;&s;ed, and di&s;tre&s;&s;ed E&s;tate of this di&s;tracted Kingdome, and now at the la&s;t (after five yeeres expectation) be plea&s;ed to o|pen the eyes, and incline the hearts of the honourable A&s;&s;embly in Parliament, unto the &s;peedy and free execution and admini|&s;tration of Ju&s;tice, Judgment, and Mercy, in a cleere current without re&s;pect of per&s;ons, or the wages of <HI>Balam,</HI> that &s;o the wrath of God may be appea&s;ed, his pre&s;ent Judgements di|verted, and the poore, affllicted, oppre&s;&s;ed, and long impri&s;on|ed, relieved and relea&s;ed, and al&s;o inabled to reape the fruits of ju&s;tice again&s;t their oppre&s;&s;ours.<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 123.4 P&s;al. 140.3. P&s;al. 142.6.</NOTE> And the high and honourable Court of Parliament al&s;o, thereby cleerly acquitted of and from the &s;everall blemi&s;hes fa&s;tned on them (not only in this King|dome but al&s;o in other Countries) for the neglect of the due admini&s;tration of Ju&s;tice (according to expectation upon their fir&s;t Summons and convening) and the re&s;toration of the Commonalty unto their ju&s;t and ancient Birth-right of Liber|ty, according to <HI>Magna Charta,</HI> and the late Petition of Right, ratified and confirmed by his now Maje&s;ty, more then 4. yeers &s;ince.</P>
<P>I do al&s;o therefore in all humility, mo&s;t humbly, and ear|ne&s;tly, implore the high and Honourable A&s;&s;embly, Piou&s;ly to con&s;ider, That the mi&s;eries happening to one man, at one time, may redound to another man the next, and that the &s;ame divine hand of power which at the fir&s;t, did ca&s;t us downe into the du&s;t of reproach, mi&s;ery, and oppre&s;&s;ion, is al&s;o able at his plea&s;ure, to bring the mightie&s;t, the riche&s;t, yea, the prou|de&s;t downe to the like du&s;t of mi&s;ery, and bands of oppre&s;&s;ion; Be&s;eeching them al&s;o to con&s;ider, that if any their car&s;es were the &s;ame with us, whether, they then would be willing &amp; con|tented thus to &s;uffer, &amp; to be oppre&s;&s;ed by the indirect practi&s;e of the Law, and Tyrannie of Jaylors, and their helli&s;h In&s;tru|ments;
<PB N="9" REF="6">To be by them clo&s;e impri&s;oned, put in Irons, &s;tarved, yea murthered in Goale (I trowe not) yea, I am confident that they woud account it a great mea&s;ure of cruelty inflicted on them, or their po&s;terity; and have not many thou&s;ands of an|cient families in this Kingdome, (by impri&s;onment) been brought to utter ruine and de&s;truction, and have not I knowne divers per&s;onages, nobly de&s;ended of very ancient Families in this Kingdome, that have peri&s;hed mi&s;erably in Goal, and their mi&s;ery not pittied by any, nor their death no more re|garded by the Jaylour, nor any his Sub&s;titutes, then the bark|ing of a Dogg. The&s;e things piou&s;ly con&s;idered (according to the Rule of Chri&s;tian Charity) it is then to be wi&s;hed, that the facred Rule of our Saviour Chri&s;t might &s;peedily be put in practice among&s;t the Inhabitants of this Land; from the high|e&s;t to the lowe&s;t of them. <HI>To do as we de&s;ire others &s;hould do to us,</HI> and not like Caniballs, out of meere malice and revenge, (and the great gayne by contention) to devoure one another in pri|&s;on hou&s;es, that &s;o the God of <HI>Ju&s;tice, Love, Mercy,</HI> and <HI>Peace,</HI> may receive us againe to mercy, and returne unto us, with healing in his wings.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Note this vvell.</NOTE> <HI>For behold, wickedne&s;&s;e and op|pre&s;&s;ion &s;hall not deliver tho&s;e that are given to it, And there is a time wherein one man ruleth over another, to his own hurt, And becau&s;e &s;entence against evill doers is not &s;peedily execu|ted; therefore the hearts of the Sons of</HI> Belial <HI>is fully &s;et in them to do evell with both hands: For they lye in wayte for blood, they haunt their Brethren with the net of cruelty and op|pre&s;&s;ion. The be&s;t of them is as a Briar, or as a Thorny hedge unto his poore afflicted Brother; And if it be not &s;o now, who will make me a lyer, and make this my &s;peech nothing worth,</HI> J<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">be 24 25. <HI>For thus &s;aith the Lord, who art thou, that thou &s;houlde&s;t be afraid of men that &s;hall die, and the Sons of men which &s;hall be made as Gra&s;&s;e, and forgette&s;t the Lord thy ma|ker, becau&s;e of the fury of the oppre&s;&s;our, as if he were ready to de&s;troy; Feare not the reproach of men, be not di&s;maid at their lookes, neither be afraid of their revilings; for the Moth and the Worm &s;hall eat them, horrer, coufu&s;ion, and eternall de|struction &s;hall take hold of them, And where (then) is the fu|ry of the oppre&s;&s;our? I am he that comfort thee; for I am a ju&s;t,
<PB N="10" REF="7">and a righteous God, who bring Princes to nothing, and make all the Judges of the Earth as vanity; Therefore fear not man, who&s;e breath is in his No&s;thrils, for wherein is he to be accompted of; Behold I the Lord execute Righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e and Judgement, for all that be oppre&s;&s;ed; Therefore be not afraid of their faces, nor of their haughty and proud looks, for I am with thee.</HI></P>
<LG>
<L>Impri&s;onment may be compared to Hell</L>
<L>Where puni&s;hment, among them &s;hall excell,</L>
<L>And Hels mu&s;ick is, to cur&s;e and &s;wear</L>
<L>And ban, their wicked friends, &s;o do they there;</L>
<L>As they in Hell, &s;hall daily howl and cry,</L>
<L>For to obtain &s;ome ea&s;e, or liberty,</L>
<L>So men in pri&s;on daily make complaint,</L>
<L>How they with grief and hunger pine and faint,</L>
<L>And are tormented by the Jaylors &s;till</L>
<L>With iron fetters, abu&s;ed at their will:</L>
<L>Yet the&s;e unto Delinquents, Traytors, Papi&s;ts, Knaves,</L>
<L>Yeild liberty, give moneys, onely make us &s;laves,</L>
<L>That loyall are, no Enemies to th' &s;tate;</L>
<L>This is our lot, this is our cruell fate,</L>
<L>And fruits we reap for our fidelity,</L>
<L>From the&s;e vile imphs of all di&s;loyalty,</L>
<L>Who mo&s;t of them being none other then,</L>
<L>Fiends of hell, walking in &s;hapes of men,</L>
<L>Acting <HI>Belzebubs</HI> plea&s;ure, on us all</L>
<L>That are their captives, lying in Bonds and thrall:</L>
<L>Yet we the&s;e five years pa&s;t, no right can have</L>
<L>Though we the &s;ame full oft with tears did crave,</L>
<L>Of King and Parliament to grant, but that</L>
<L>Which they them&s;elves full oft, have &s;worn flat,</L>
<L>For to maintain, the liberties and right</L>
<L>Of free-born Subjects, and thereto have plight</L>
<L>Their faith, their covenant, and their Prote&s;tation,</L>
<L>Yet for all this, we &s;till reap mole&s;tation,</L>
<PB N="11" REF="7">
<L>Angui&s;h and &s;orrow, afflicts our hearts and will,</L>
<L>Cruelty of Jaylors, doth torment us &s;till:</L>
<L>If Lawes, if oathes, if vowes, if Prote&s;tation,</L>
<L>If covenant with God, produce &s;uch reformation,</L>
<L>Then Judges, Lawyers, Atturneys, Jaylors, all</L>
<L>This Kingdomes glory, unto your lot mu&s;t fall.</L>
<L><HI>Then Bribes and Fees all Helli&s;h gain,</HI></L>
<L><HI>Shall flouri&s;h to the peoples pain,</HI></L>
<L><HI>And &s;orrow grief and mi&s;ery,</HI></L>
<L><HI>Shall &s;till po&s;&s;e&s;&s;e the Commonalty,</HI></L>
<L><HI>For justice, judgement, and mercy,</HI></L>
<L><HI>Are grounded on true piety,</HI></L>
<L><HI>But want of ju&s;tice in this land,</HI></L>
<L><HI>Hath brought on all, Gods heavie hand.</HI></L>
<L>Be carefull then, &s;uppre&s;&s;e the Imphes, make &s;ure</L>
<L>Your Rights and Liberties, may &s;till endure</L>
<L>To future ages, po&s;terity then may</L>
<L>Have cau&s;e, to ble&s;&s;e your memories for aye:</L>
<L>For God, is God of Unity, of Love, and Peace alone,</L>
<L>But the&s;e men for deceit and &s;trife,</L>
<L>the like of them there's none.</L>
<L><HI>Probatum est.</HI></L>
</LG>
<P><HI>For what&s;oever is not of God is from the Divell. But inju&s;tice, contention (and the in&s;truments of the &s;ame) Oppre&s;&s;ion, Bribery, impri&s;onment of men unju&s;tly, &s;tarving, and murthering of men in Goal, are not from God; Therefore from the Divell: And who|&s;oever doth them, doth the will of his father the Divell; for he is a murtherer from the beginning, and the grand Enemy to Ju&s;tice, Love, Mercy, and Peace. Therefore if we be of God, we mu&s;t then do the works of God, and manife&s;t the fruits of the &s;ame. And the&s;e are the works of God; To execute ju&s;tice and judgement, to &s;hew mercy, to relieve the Widdow, the fatherle&s;&s;e, and the &s;tran|ger, and to let the oppre&s;&s;ed go free. Let us therefore now at the la&s;t (by &s;uppre&s;&s;ing of Contention, Inju&s;tice, Tyranny, and Oppre&s;|&s;ion, and the wicked in&s;truments of the &s;ame; And by a &s;peedy ad|mini&s;tration of ju&s;tice, judgement, and mercy) try the Lord our God, and &s;ee if the Lord will not forthwith powr down his mercies
<PB N="12" REF="8">on us, withdraw his pre&s;ent judgements (of Devi&s;ion, Sword, and Plague) from us, and heal the Land; and &s;o become a father of mercies, a God of comfort and con&s;olation, unto us, and our po&s;te|rity after us.</HI></P>
<P>It is to be wi&s;hed, that the Lawes of England favoured of as much <HI>ju&s;tice</HI> and <HI>mercy,</HI> and were but as truly executed with|out re&s;pect of per&s;ons, as the Lawes of &s;ome Forraign Nations are, &amp; that there were &s;ome hone&s;t men appointed, for the Vi&s;ita|tion of Pri&s;ons every fir&s;t Munday in the Month, for to re&s;train the cruelty of Jaylours, and to know the cau&s;es of mens Impri|&s;onment; To whom the pri&s;oner declaring him&s;elf by Peti|tion, declares the reall value of his e&s;tate (and as in the pre&s;ence of God, affirms the contents of his Petition to be the whole truth) unto which the Commi&s;&s;ioners then &s;ub&s;cribe. <HI>Let the Creditors &s;ee this Petition, and by the next Vi&s;itation day, either di&s;prove the contents thereof, or el&s;e the Petitioner to be &s;et free, upon the a&s;&s;ignement of the two third parts of the &s;aid declared E|&s;tate unto them. In the mean time, the Creditors, or party impri|&s;oning the Debtor, are to take care for his &s;ub&s;i&s;tence in Goal, and to di&s;charge all just Pri&s;on fees.</HI></P>
<P>And if the Creditor happen to di&s;prove the &s;aid Debtors Pe|tition before the &s;aid Commi&s;&s;ioners, and prove that he hath concealed &s;ome part of his e&s;tate; then (for a puni&s;hment to &s;uch a deceiver) his whole e&s;tate is, by the &s;aid Commi&s;&s;ioners a&s;&s;igned to the Creditors, and both he, his wife, and children, deprived of their third part of the &s;ame; and the &s;aid fraudu|lent Debtor is then al&s;o adjudged to &s;tand in the Pillory (and a hole punched or bored through his ear.) But upon the Debtors di&s;covery of his whole e&s;tate (be it more or le&s;&s;e) really and truly, then the Commi&s;&s;ioners do forthwith a&s;&s;igne two third parts of the &s;aid e&s;tate to the Creditors, and the other part thereof unto the &s;aid Debtor, for and towards the future &s;ub|&s;i&s;tence of him&s;elf and his wife, and education of his children: And further, that if any Debtor, do of purpo&s;e take up goods &amp; monies, with an intent to defraud (and take a pri&s;oner as his &s;urety) by a&s;&s;igning over in tru&s;t the &s;aid e&s;tate to &s;ome of his friends (this being proved) then the &s;aid Commi&s;&s;ioners have power to a&s;&s;igne all the &s;aid e&s;tate unto the Creditors, prohibi|ting
<PB N="13" REF="8">(by proclamation) all per&s;ons from paying or delivering unto the &s;aid cheating Debtor any monies, goods, or Lands, or to any other per&s;ons for his u&s;e, but only unto the Creditors; And the &s;aid Cheator or fraudulent Debtor, is then al&s;o ad|judged to &s;tand three hours in the Pillory, and to have then both his No&s;thrils &s;lit up (by the common Hangman) or &s;ome ba&s;e <HI>Hounds-Cut:</HI>) Such a cour&s;e as this, truly and ju&s;tly put in execution here in <HI>England,</HI> would &s;oon increa&s;e the number of hone&s;t men, and produce (if not inforce) hone&s;t and plainer dealing, from, and among&s;t all men, and it would al&s;o de&s;troy the great number of Deceivers, Oppre&s;&s;ors, Extortioners, and Gentlemen-cheaters, as well as common-Cheaters, and all Knights of the Po&s;t, common Bail-men, and all &s;uch cunny-catching deceitfull companions. The opening of this gap (I doubt not) will draw upon me, the rage and malice (if not the cur&s;e) of all Knights and Gentlemen Jaylours and their Sub|&s;titutes, as al&s;o the revengefull fury of &s;ome evill-minded Law|yers, Atturneys, Clarkes, Soliciters, Sergeants, and Bumbay|liffes: From who&s;e Milles (by this meanes) the great gainfull waters of <HI>contention, fraud, inju&s;tice, and oppre&s;&s;ion,</HI> will be dreyned dry, theit deceitfull craft fall to the ground, and their Godde&s;&s;e <HI>Diana</HI> quite drowned in the Sea of <HI>Englands</HI> Peace and Tranquility.</P>
<EPIGRAPH>
<Q><L>Truth from Inju&s;tice, may hap to reap &s;ome Blame,</L>
<L>Yet truth &s;hall &s;tand, Inju&s;tice &s;hall reap the &s;hame.</L></Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
</DIV2>
</DIV1>
</BODY>
<BACK>
<DIV1 TYPE="to the reader">
<PB N="14" REF="9">
<OPENER><SALUTE>Gentle Reader,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>I Pray thee to accept of this &s;mall Treati&s;e for the pre&s;ent, and if this unju&s;t bondage of Impri&s;onment, be any longer conti|nued, upon the Commonalty of this Land, then expect a more larger Relation, and Declaration of the many &s;everall oppre&s;|&s;ions, indirect practi&s;es, and abu&s;es of the &s;everall Courts, and Committees, as al&s;o of the &s;everall murthers and cruelties, by Jaylors committed on pri&s;oners, <HI>when, where, on whom, and by whom;</HI> &s;o farre forth as God &s;hall enable me, and give me life and health. In the mean time I remain, thine and the King|domes friend and well-wi&s;her, and a profe&s;&s;ed Enemy to all in&s;truments of Inju&s;tice, Tyranny, and Oppre&s;&s;ion.</P>
<P><HI>For the Lord upholdeth my &s;oul, he, even the God of Ju&s;tice, Judgement, and Mercy, is on my &s;ide, and taketh my part against all tho&s;e that &s;eek to de&s;troy my &s;oul; Therefore will I not fear what man can do unto me.</HI></P>
<CLOSER><SALUTE>FAREWELL,</SALUTE>
<DATELINE><DATE>This year of Hope, 1646.</DATE></DATELINE></CLOSER>
<PB REF="9">
</DIV1>
</BACK>
</TEXT>
</EEBO>
</ETS>
