Every mans case, or A brotherly support to Mr. VVill. Larner,: prisoner in the New-Prison in Mayden-Lane, London. Also, another letter from a prisoner, to Mr. Larner.

EVERY MANS CASE, OR, A brotherly Support to Mr. VVILL. LARNER, Prisoner in the New-Prison in Mayden-lane, LONDON. Also another Letter from a Prisoner, to Mr. Larner.

BY Reason of your Sufferings, I am much grieved, especi∣ally to consider, that good men should still be subject to the Tyranny of the late High-Commission Promoters, and Informers, the Stationers, through whose malice, both You and your Servants are thus Imprisoned: Wee have known and observed them a long time, how they have been a naughty and vexatious people to all Good Men, as mischievous as any Pattentees in England: In the Bishops times, they were like Set∣ting-Dogges, to hunt Good Men and Women into the Star-Cham∣ber, and High-Commission Netts; and wee see, it is to little purpose to put downe those Courts, and not Punnish those wicked men; for they hate all that are honest in their hearts, because they that are honest, are against their Patent: and therefore they studdy night and day how to undoe them, and are like Mothes in the State, creeping into imployment, upon pretext of doing great service, but indeed, be∣ing corrupt themselves, endeavour to make others so too, and mis∣lead them that give care to them, into such courses, as will in time make them odious to the World, so true it is, that those that touch Pitch, shall be defiled therewith.

And such as they have been, such they continue; for without doubt, they are the principall cause why this inhumaine course of examining men upon Intergatories is continued, especially in crimi∣nall causes, notwithstanding it hath been so cryed out upon by Par∣liaments, by Martyrs, Ministers, and all true Christian Lawyers, as a thing against the Lawes of God, of Nature, Nations, and of this Kingdome, (as was faithfully pleaded the other day in Colonell Lilburns case, at the Lords Barre,) in which Case, and likewise in another of greater moment, about a Petition rejected by their Lordships, their Lordships have dealt so Nobly, and Worthily, as hath put their Honours past all hurt or blemish, From such Paper∣pellets, as have unhappily occasioned your sufferings: And if all other Parties, intimated in that Paper, (Londons last Warning,) prove when they are tryed, as their Lordships have done, the Author will have cause to repent his too hasty Zeal. And certainly their Ho∣nours had past it over, and had not insisted thus upon you, but upon the Stationers instigation, and misinformation; and will not persist to examine Free Commoners, ex Officio, nor Servants against their Masters, against their Wills: all sorts of People, great and small, ought to doe as they would be done by; and God by his Providence fail∣eth not first or last, to render measure for measure; Therefore I hope, their Lordships will give care no longer to the malitious suggesti∣ons, and insinuations of wicked men, but upon consideration of your faithfulnesse to the Parliament, the affliction of your Wife, and family; and that a small time of imprisonment may undoe you and them, they will not retaine you longer, but set you free, and look upon the Stationers, as Cankers of the Common-wealth, and destructive to all true Honour.

However, you doe well to stand in the Liberty, wherein God, and the Law of the Land hath made you free, and not to be intangled with any yoake of bondage; the greatest whereof, is for a man to be bound to Accuse himself, or another: and next thereunto, is to be enforced, to be Tryed otherwise then by his Peers or Equalls, in both which, you have carried your self like a true English-man, chusing rather to suf∣fer imprisonment, and great affliction, then betray your native Li∣berties, and the Liberties of your Country, for which, all good Peo∣ple will ever love and respect you, and all others, who have done, or shall doe, as you have done herein.

Pilate is the first we read of, that endeavoured this cruell distor∣ting of the mind, saying to our Blessed Saviour; I charge thee by the Everlasting God, tell us who thou art; a bad President for Christians to follow: and strange it is, it should be owned by any but Star-Chamber, High-Commission, or Pattentee-Christians; farre be it from any that would truely deserve that holy Name, to owne so unholy a practise, and if any favour thereof, be to be found in any of our Le∣gall Tryalls, though it be but to Answer Guilty, or not Guilty, as it came, and crept in by Tyranny, (for those who know the Truth, know it to be so,) so ought it to be totally excluded by those, who would be esteemed true Christian Law-makers, or Reformers.

The Lords, by the instigation of the Stationers, have taken of∣fence against you, wherein themselves are Partees, and if there were no other Reason, it is most unequall, they should be your Judges: But the Law of the Land is expresse, That you a Commoner, are not to be adjudged of Life, Limbe or Liberty, but by Commoners, who are your Peers, and that upon sufficient Testimony of honest and faithfull Witnesses, face to face, in open Court. Friend, you are upon a sure ground, for these things are so essentiall, to the Freedom of the People, as Parlia∣ments will never alter them; nor I hope, act contrary to them.

And therefore, however the Commons in Parliament, have (up∣on mis-information,) delivered you up to the Lords, to be tryed by them, yet may they as well transferre all the Power they are in∣trusted with, by the generality of all the Commoners of England, and referre the whole Government, to the sole disposing of the Lords. And indeed, they have done little lesse in this act, then delivered us all up to the Lords, for there is the same equity for their trying and Imprisoning mee, and so of every man, as for their trying and imprisoning you; So that your case in this particular, Is every mans Case, though generally, men are so sottish, as to be sensible of the lash, then, only when it falls upon their own backs, not considering, That they may suffer to morrow that misery and calamity, which today their Brother groanes under. I hope therefore, upon better consideration, the House of Commons will take you to their own Protection, and deal with you, as is justly due to every Commoner, and not hold you in Prison, unlesse by faithfull and credible Wit∣nesses, they find by the Law of the Land, you are guilty of a crime deserving the fame.

And that must be no small one, for beleeve it, our Fore-fathers esteemed Imprisonment no small Punishment. Frequent Imprison∣ment, is an effect of exorbitant Power, by which, sooner then by any other meanes, plain and mean People are brought to stoop to the Wills of the Mighty: it being the way to destroy them, their Wives, and Families, by keeping them from their trades, husbandry, and other Callings: and hath served more then any one thing to break the Spirits of the people: being a subtill politick punishment, that makes, and keepes men tame, and fit for slavery, whereas all other punishments, if injurious, makes people wilde, and therefore this hath been practised by those that have most encroached upon the Liberties of the English, as will appeare by Proceedings of four∣ty or threescore yeeres last past in Court, City, and all Countries, every trifle hath been sufficient to procure an Imprisonment, and the Land groaneth under this intollerable burden still. But of all other Testimonies of our Bondage, Close Imprisonment is the most mani∣fest: where a man shall be kept from the sight of his Friends, and Comforters in his bonds, and in a gastly apprehension of he knows not what mischief may befall him, as hath formerly happened to divers great men, (that might be instanced in,) by meanes of the advantage wicked men have taken from the opportunity of safely doeing mischief to a Close-Prisoner. Next to the Rack, and Tor∣ture, certainly this is the most unchristian, unmanly, and irrationall usage of Free-men, and will, we hope, in this time of Reformation, be utterly banished out of this Land: Never had Parliament such an op∣portunity as this hath; Nor are we to doubt, but they will performe the same: and I should be glad to see some fruit thereof in their bear∣ing towards you. And that they would look back upon the Station∣ers, (and all other Monopolizers,) and remember them, when they shall make suit to have the Printing of the Bible, or for other favors, that they have dealt treacherously with the Parliament, and have ministred occasion of much trouble and vexation to them, and many of their most faithfull Friends, being as the Amalekites were to the Israelites, in their Passage from Aegyptian-Bondage, to the Freedom of Canaan. God, I trust, will at length remember them, and will also, I trust, deliver you out of the power of their malice, and recompence you a hundred fold for these your Sufferings. The Commons in Parliament have a right in you, which they cannot di∣sclaime;

other Judges you have not; it is most unequall you should have other, as I could in few lines demonstrate, past all deniall; but I will not doe it now, and I hope, I shall not have further occa∣sion to visite you in this kind; I doe not desire it; I heartily wish you at home with your Family, as knowing a little longer imprisonment, may prove your utter overthrow: which would very much afflict the Spirits of your faithfull Freinds, and would not be for the ho∣nour or profit of any. However, comfort your self in GOD, and be well assured, hee will never leave you, nor forsake you; And when the memories of those Officious men, that sollicite against you, shall be odious to all good men; you will be remembred, as one that knew and maintained the just Li∣berties of England, and shrunke not in time of Tryall.