Lawyers vnmask'd, or, A discovery of their matchless villanies, intolerable oppressions, and most accursed practizes in perverting the known lawes of England from summons to an illegall capias for debt by which is discovered the great benefit and freedome that will accrew to the people of the common wealth by the reformation of that destructive law : with an appeale to the present power for regulating the law / by John Jones of Neyath in Com. Brecon, Gent. ...

To the POLITIQUE BODIE, And Unanimous Fraternitie of the ARMY of ENGLAND; Officers and Souldiers, Ioyntly and severally.

HOnored and Honora∣ble: Commanders and Commanded: Wise and Prudent: Grave and Valiant: Seniors and

Juniors: Souldiers all: Un∣known to most, Cherish∣ed by som, ingaged to ma∣ny; I presume to write to you all, concerning what most concerneth us all: To Honor God: To love his Children: and hate, and quell his enemies, are his own Commandements: And although the two first be the greatest, yet is the third none of the least du∣ties required of us all, as appeareth by that account

given by David saying, Psal. 139.21. & 22. Vers. speaking to God, Do not I hate them that hate thee? And am not I grieved with those that rise up against thee? I hate them with a perfect hatred, and count them my enemies. And the affliction of Saul for spar∣ing Agag, was a full exam∣ple to us in that case. Nay, an Heathen could tell Cha∣rislaus King of Sparta, he did not his office when he

forbore to punish dishonest men. I confess, you have fought a good Fight, and declared your selvs con∣stant workers in the waie of our Reformation, in our Land of Promise: promis∣ed by many, performed by none, endeavored by too few. And I also ac∣knowledg that you are now upon service conducing in order to secure & maintain the model to be perfected in time, from which ex∣pedition

I desire not to di∣vert you, (as I have writ∣ten formerly to his Excel∣lencie the Lord General) but to give you to under∣stand you have left behind you more pestiferous, dan∣gerous, obnoxious, ma∣nifest, sedulous, and con∣stant enemies to God, your Countrey, your selvs, and us all, then you have or can have, before you, un∣less that for sparing those at home unpunished, as you

might before you went, God will raise afflictions a∣gainst you abroad, to make you minde your error be∣fore you return; And let you know Achan and his Wedg must be discovered, and he and his Familie pu∣nished at home, before you can expect prosperitie a∣broad, for it is usuall with God to send forraign Cor∣recters to punish the Ma∣gistrates of his People that neglect the punishment of

their domestique wicked∣ness. Many were our A∣chans, even most of our Lawyers and Judges, that in the late Kings time Sacri∣legiously, and daily by se∣cret briberies, and open extortions, exhausted the treasure of the people, even the whole estates, real and personal, of many thou∣sands of the free-men of England, consecrated to the said free-men, and e∣stablished upon them even

by God himself, and his then Viceroy's, and the great Charter of England, attesting their agreement thereupon. And this to be done (saith the Lord Cook somtimes Chief-Ju∣stice) under the Colour of Justice, is the greatest kind of Injustice, and the cunningest Robberie that can be in the World. And do none of you know that we have still such as do the same? in comparison of

which and whom, Achan was but a sole, sillie, filch∣ing thief; and his single Wedg, but a poor trifling theft, nothing valuable to the least share of the mean∣est undertaker for draining Lincolnshire Fenns, and that is nothing in respect of the constant draining of the purses of the rest of that Countie, which also is no∣thing in respect of the rest of all England and Wales, more perfectly and con∣stantly

drained by the Ar∣tists of Westminster, then any Fen is or can be by Mr. Henley, and his partners. Nay, the extorted Fees for Habeas Corpus's from the Kings Bench and Fleet, yearly amount to a richer Wedg then Achans, which was no more then he could carrie to his Tent of the spoile of Jericho. Less loss to the Israelites that were at libertie to fight for more, then what is daily

and hourly carried by many of the price of starv∣lings bread, to the sever∣all Chambers of severall Westminster Judges; so loss∣full to hungrie Prisoners, that manie thousands of them lose their lives by that means, before they can procure their libertie to speak with their Creditors. Have we not had more men lost so in dungeons in Eng∣land and Wales, wrong∣fully imprisoned and mur∣thered

by Judges and Gao∣lers, then you have lost in the field, hurt by the hands of your enemies? And were not too many of those (so lost under the hands of Goalers and dooms of Judges) souldiers that re∣turned safe from the mouths of Cannons, and the Swords of enemies, whose widows and father∣less children crie to men in vain for Justice and relief in this case? And shall not

God hear the crie of the poor, and of the blood of so many Abels? when men will not? I beseech you lay these things to your hearts, and consider in time; And let it not be said that any of you accept bribes of Law∣yers, to dispence with their bribing, extorting and murthering of whom and as many as they please of your Friends, kindred and Coun∣trey men, whose case ano∣ther day may be your own,

if you timely prevent it not. Som do inform you that they are beneficial men un∣to you; those are fals coun∣sellors, for what can they give unto you, but what is none of their own? Nay more, but what is your own? forfeited and ad∣judged unto you amongst the rest of the Common-wealth, and so confessed even by their own mouths, (as I have written and proved formerly) be there∣fore

pleased to make your selvs Masters of your own whiles it is in your power, or expect it shall be told you the Virgins Lamp is out. If your present in∣gagement will not permit any of you to see this done, cease not to sollicit his Ex∣cellencie to write to the Hous, to desire them to put out of their assembly al mer∣cenarie professors of Law that poison their Counsell, no less then their predeces∣sors

did the King, making them to do the same things w^ch they condemned in him; to the more grief of the People, that were promised Reformation, and are paid in more and wors deforma∣tion of their Laws and Li∣berties then they were be∣fore: witness amongst ma∣nie more abuses, the Fen Project of Lincolnshire, &c. condemned in the late King, yet supported by more Malignant Royalists

then in respect of Justice, he himself could be any, who are Judges, Parties and partners of the prey made by themselvs of other mens Rights, of whose service and affections, both Parliament and Army have had no less experience, then of their defects and delinquencies: And move his Excellencie to desire the House further to command the keepers of the great Seal to issue forth∣with Commissions of Oyer

and Terminer (as by Law they ought to all parties grieved, that shall demand them, directed to such Commissioners as the grie∣ved parties shall nominat, to enquire hear and de∣termine the extortions, op∣pressions and misdemea∣nors of Sheriffs, under She∣riffs, Gaolers, and other Officers subject to popular offence. And lastly, to de∣sire the said House to pass an Act for the setling of the

Law hereafter (in that plain∣ness, shortness and cheap∣ness) as hath been often de∣sired in divers Petitions of Londoners and others and by my last Letter to his Ex∣cellencie, bearing date a∣bout the beginning of this Month, according to the propositions of 12 heads of Law there inclosed which I understand in Scotland were delivered to his Excellen∣cies hands: So God him∣self shall bless you and

your Actions, and the peo∣ple present and future, and even your selvs and your Children have cause to re∣joice in your work, and be thankfull to God and your industrie for so great a fa∣vor. So shall

Your Faithfull servant John Jones.

From my Lodging at Mr. Mundays hous in Clarkenwel, this 29. of July, 1650.