The prisoners enlargement, or, The poor mans release out of prison discovering the misery that poor men endure through the cruelty of their hard-hearted creditors : and the worthy behaviour and carriage of the referrees [sic] concerning prisoner : and their releasing by their meanes great number of poor souls : also, shewing how poor men may be relieved, and releas'd out of prison that have hard-hearted creditors to deal withall : desiring all men whatever to prevent imprisonment / written by a sufferer and wel-wisher to poor prisoners, L.P.

To the Courteous Reader.

I Here present thee with a passage of comfortable Tydings, and good News, brought neither from Romes Ponti〈…〉〈…〉 Chair, Spains Inquisition; nor from any tye of the Norm••n Linage or Race; But from the fortunate of our dayes, Oliver Lord Protector, whom (by the decree of the Almighties power is made chief man of England, Scotland and Ireland, who having before and since his Victories heard the grief and anguish of many poor Prisoners Petitions both in writing, and by word of mouth, hath been pleased to chuse certain noble spirits well deserving Gentlemen, which carry themselves so worthily and wary and so affectionate to poor Prisoners that they rather seem to be taken to be their Brothers, or Dear and intimate freinds then strangers as they are unto them, truely imitating our Lord and Saviours example and rule in comforting the comfortless, visiting and releasing the poor Prisoner in his af∣fliction when all outward means hath seemed to fail, yet this comfortable light hath burst out in the midst of their calamity, to restore him that lyes in prison for debt, not having estate to defray his Creditor, Shall be as many have been discharged out out of prison by these worthy Gentlemen stiled the Refferrees, which have and do sit at Several places every week on certaine dayes in the week, as Ludgate, Ely-house, and about the Upper Bench, and in other places which have relation to Prisons, who are pleased by the virtue and power that these Referrees have from the Lord Protector to determin discharge and release any Prisoner for debt whatsoever, to Gods glory be it spoken; and the worthy Referrees they have discharged and set free many hundreds of poor souls out of prison, and in the space of lesse then 12. weeks, besides have debated betwixt Creditor and Debtor above 300. several mens differences by their pains and industry; and this not for lucre of gold and silver, but for the

glory of God, the comfortable refreshing of many poor Prisoners their liberty. Oh that such men had been of elder years too, so many then had not been starved to death in prison, nor undone by sly-pated Lawyers; these tread an easy path for any that shal have occasion to use them; these men take pains, spend their spirits and their time, for no mony wil they take; such men are no Mountebanks nor Lawyers, for they cheat for their mony, these Gentlemen delight to right the wronged; the cost of the acom∣plishment of any mans business to bring it to a hearing is no profit to them, a Petition to be drawn to the Lord Protector that the Scrivener will be paid, for the labourer is worthy of his hire; the Clerks for register must have their fees, which is not costly, the Referrees they have their labour for their pains; and for their so charitable actions, the God of heaven fill them all with his grace in this world, and with his glory in the world to come for evermore. Amen.