To the Right Honourable Members of the High Court of Parliament for the Common-wealth of England, Scotland, and Ireland.
The humble Petition of divers Prisoners in the Fleet

SHEWETH:

THat your Petitioners by the oppression of their cruell Adversaries and Creditors, and pollicy of subtile Attorneys and Solicitors adhering to them, are up­on Judgements, Executions, Contempts, and De­crees, surruptitiously obtained, most unjustly im­prisoned, and that the Judges now appointed have no power upon the same to relieve them; some of which Judgements, Executions, Contempts, and Decrees are upon pretended Debts, where nothing is due, others for far greater sums then are due, or your Petitioners able to pay, by which means they are bereft of their Estates, credits, and imployments, to the utter ruine of them­selves and families.

That whereas many of your Petitioners who formerly lived comfortably, and in these sad times of War have been utterly undone (should be the objects of Mer­cy and pitty) yet they find nothing but the Rigor of the Law executed upon them, to the satisfaction of Obdurate Creditors and misery of your undone Petitioners.

That the remainder of the Estates of your poor petitioners undone as aforesaid by judgements, Executions &c. being so obtained, must goe to satisfie one man one­ly, whereas many other consciencions Creditors, some perhaps as poore as your Pe­titioners not having obtained that advantage must have no satisfaction.

Your Petitioners humbly pray, that the Judges appointed may have power to right and free them from the said Judgements, Executions, Contempts, and Decrees, so unjustly gotten (which power given them by the said Act) is abridged and taken away by the Ordinance; your Petitioners through restraint wanting meanes to relieve themselves by course of Law, and that those who have beene ruinated by Sea and Land by the sad accidents of War, may have Equity according to conscience, and not the rigour of Law to passe upon them, and that those who have nothing to satisfie, or are willing to part with what they have, may bee dischar­ged, according to the late Act as poore, and that the compassionate Cre­ditor, aswell as cruell, may have their equall proportions.

And your Petitioners shall ever pray, &c.

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