Selected quad for the lemma: religion_n
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A77425
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A Brief dialogue between creditor & prisoner; clearly setting forth how both of them have been shamefully abused for many years: with a short and easie way to free all prisoners for debt, with a just care of all creditors; and fully satisfactory to all such who have any religion or morall honesty.
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1653
(1653)
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Wing B4574; Thomason E713_5; ESTC R207158
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3,139
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8
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A BRIEF DIALOGUE BETWEEN Creditor Prisoner Clearly setting forth How both of them have been shamefully abused for many Years With a short and easie way to free all Prisoners for Debt with a just care of all Creditors And fully satisfactory to all such who have any Religion or morall Honesty London Printed by Tho. Newcomb dwelling in Thamestreet over-against Baynards-Castle Anno Dom. 1653. A brief Dialogue between Creditor and Prisoner clearly setting forth how both of them have been shamefully abused for many years Together with a short and easie way to free all Prisoners for Debt with a just care of all Creditors and fully satisfactory to all such who have any Religion or Morall honesty Enter Creditor GOod morning to you Sir having a little business this way I thought good to call upon you for that little Money it is a great summ in my Purse I have not troubled you for it this Twelve month Prisoner You have troubled me as much as you can and you would have me take it for a Curtesie that you can trouble me no farther Creditor I know you are able you have greater sums Owing unto you which you may have when you please Prisoner I confess I have Money abroad payable at certain places upon Demand but you have both tyed my Legs and my hands by your Execution that I can not goe to demand it without an escape nor can you give me leave without quitting your Debt Creditor Truly I am sorry for it but my Attorney over-ruled me to arrest you and to get you in execution I am sure it cost me 4 l. but I have considered of it since and am well contented to free you and take your own Bond for a year for this is not the way Prisoner This courtesse had been seasonable before I came to prison you know I desired of your Atturney but six months and he would not give a day But now it comes too late I have so many Executions upon me at other Mens suits one Action of 500 l. for 20 l. debt another of 200 l. for 10 l. debt and by those that owe me greater sums Cred But how cometh this abuse this is unsufferable out upon it out upon it must I stay till all this is cleraed Pris Do you wonder at this let me tell you imprisoning of mens persons was never intended to help any man to his own but to satisfie envious Creditors and to undor peevish Debtors It was made by Lawyers for their own gain and Creditors have lost many a Million by it for it made them careless of security by Estate and the word was He will not lye by it Cred. But what is to be done in this case Pris Sit down a little and you shall hear good sport doe you see those two that come hither one is a covetous and envious Creditor the other a cunning Knave and his Prisoner Cred. I doe not mean to trouble my self with any more Journeys if you will pay me so if not Pris What doth it come to charges and all Cred. About 500 l. Pris Make it up 600 l. and I will pay you in Three years Cred. I will not trust you for a Penny more Pris Then I will not pay you a penny more Cred. Sirrah I have you in Execution and my Atrurney tells me you shall not stirr before you pay me Pris Your Atturneys a Knave and you are a Fool goe ask your Atturney whether I shall not eat nor drink nor sleep till I pay you unless he tells you so he tells you nothing Cred. You are a cheating Knave if you doe not pay me Sirrah Pris You are the cheating Knave and have cheated your self and paid your self by your Execution the Law is at an end and you are satisfied in Law Cred. No sirrah you knave I am not satisfied you shall lye here till you roâ— and I will have your bones Pris Now you put me in minde of death I le make my Will and according unto Law which you so much honor I must give you by way of Legacy a bale of Dice in full satisfaction of your excellent Exeuction and all the cutesle I will afford you is you shall take your choice whether you will have high Cuts or low Cuts and let me advise you that the first two men you play with be your Scrivener and your Atturney for if you doe not winn your Money again of them they have cheated you most basely your Scrivener knew I would not pay you I gave him 5 l. for the 100 l. and when you asked what Estate I had he told you I would not lie by it for twice the summ Next your Atturney cryed Arrest him lay him in the Jayle get him into Exeuction and then your Money is sure he meant the Four pound he had of you was fure he could not mean the 100 l. debt I know he farther told you it is no matter what charges you are at I should pay all at last And however the reall Debt was but 100 l. yet I was in 5â—0 l. Execution to you and that I had no remedy at Law or in Chancery after Execution be it never so unjustly obtained What do you think of this truth who is the cheating Knave now I that cozen you of 100 l. or you that would cozen me of 500 l. Cred. I think in my conscience you all joined together to cozen me What a pack of Villains are here discovered that ever any honest Man should fall amongst them Pris I hope you do not mean your self and all the rest may be true enough but you have got it a hundred times over where you met with time rous Fools that would pay what you asked rather then endure to goe to prison Cred. I am sure enough to get this up again somewhere for we are all promised that if those that have Estates will not speedily pay us our Executions without dispute how the sums come due that if they refuse or perform not then we shall appoint others to sell their Estates and pay us Pris And we are told That we have now a Parliament of Religious and Charitable Men who will speedily take care that Creditors be not defrauded of their just Debts nor Prisoners oppressed contrary unto the Lawes of God and Nature and the Fundamental Laws of this Commonwealth The Law of God saith an Eye for an Eye a Hand for a Hand not two for one much less All for Dross and cheating Wares Again give Caesar his due in his own Coin if thou hast it which is thy Estate but if thou hast it not Caesor must lose his due The Law of Nature saith That the Body ought to preserve the Members And every Prisoner is a member of the Commonwealth The Fundamentall Lawes of the Common-wealth saith That no mans person ought to be imprisoned for Debt and there is great reason why one Free born should not implison another equally Free born with himself For in the time of Villenage before Magna Charta the Lord could not imprison any other Villain but only his own nor could he assigne that power over unto any Third person as it is ordinary in these times Brief Instructions how to set all Prisoners for Debt at Liberty with a just care of all Creditors ALL the people of the Commonwealth are comprehended under the capacity of Debtor and Creditor and all Debtors are comprhended under one of these three Heads following 1. The first have greater Estates then Debts 2. The second have estates but their debts are greater 3. The third have no estates above the value of 5 l. And if it shall please the Parliament to make an Act that all under the first head shall pay their just debts with reasonable consideration for use and that all incumbrances upon Land shall be freed by ready money that it may be sold That all under the second head shall have a competeney for livelyhood and the remainder to be equally divided among the Creditors Lastly That all under the third head be freed This great work will in a short time and with great ease be accomplished with this addition in the Act. That all Creditors shall upon Oath and under a penalty make to demand but what they shall prove to be due And that all prisoners shall under an oath and a penalty truly set forth what estates they have and what debts they truly owe. And the sooner this shall be acted it will be better for the Creditor For all prisoners conceive it just that when they pay their debts their Imprisonment should be considered in discount where the death payeth the debt For in that case imprisonment was in full satisfaction and so part of the debt is payed by part of the imprisonment FINIS