THE Banner of Injustice, AND endless Oppression, Displayed to the worlds view: OR, The CASE of John raiment, Citizen and Baker of London, stated.  
Who for these fifteen years hath been causelessly, maliciously, and wickedly sued in the Law, and most unjustly persecuted and imprisoned in the Fleet, by the wicked prosecution of one John Johns, now one of the Paymasters for the Souldiers and widows at Ely-house in Holborn, London.  
Published by John raiment, for the manifestation of the truth, satisfaction to all honest, well-minded people, and for the vindication of his own innocency. From the Fleet this 24. of the third month called May, 1650.  
Truth from Injustice may hap to reap some blame,  
Yet truth shall stand, Injustice shall reap the shane. Probatum est.  
THat it is the glory of a Nation to advance the free administration of Justice, judgement, and Mercy in the Land, 
Lev. 19.15.15. See Lev. 25.35, 46. 2 Chron. 19.5, 6, 7, 9. 1 Sam. 12.3.  is true: That it is the strict command of God imposed on all Nations( that profess the saving knowledge of him) so to do, is most true: That they are enjoined not to oppress one another in judgement, nor to rule one over another with rigor, is as true: For which Samuel( the great Judge in Israel) is a perfect rule and example, who set all Israel at defiance to lay to his charge any act of injustice or oppression, or the receiving of any bribe or gift,( now called Fees;) By the practise of the contrary not only myself, but millions of men and women in this Land are oppressed, 
witness the many Goals and prisons of cruelty in this Land, devised by the Devils-children for the murdering of poor and innocent men and women, as thousands have been.  enslaved, ruined, yea, destroyed in their Estates, Rights Liberties, and Lives, to the high displeasure of God, and dishonour of this Nation.  
For the more clearer manifestation of the truth hereof to all men in the world, I have thought good to make a full( yet brief) relation of all my fifteen years troubles, vexations, and most unjust oppressions, suffered to the ruin of my Estate, and loss of my Liberty in these my aged and weak dayes, in and by reason of a most unjust svit impiously and causelessly commenced by one John Johns( now one of the Clerks and Paymasters at Ely-House in holborn) about fifteen yeares since against me, that then was an Inhabitant of the Parish of Ethelberts within Bishops-gate, London, above thirty years continuance, where I bore all Offices both in my Parish and Company, and from the very first appeared most forward( and so have ever since continued) and free to advance the service and peace of the Nation in the Parliaments Cause; which is as followeth.  
Richard Iohns Merchant( brother to the said John Iohns, being a young man of a very mean fortune, came as a Lodger to my house in the year, 1628, and there continued the space of seven years, where in all that time he had his diet, lodging, washing, and other necessaries free, without paying any thing for them; with whom I became partner in his Trade to Virginia, and to whom both I and my wife advanced a stock of money for managing the Trade, and also lent him sundry times several sums of money, and have stood bound for him several times for four or five hundred pound at a time: At the end of seven years this Richard Johns fell sick in my house, and was then justly indebted to me( by an account made up by himself, not long before his death) somewhat above 700, l. who then upon his death-bed being in perfect memory, and two or three dayes before his death in the presence of divers honest people, called his said brother John Iohns to him, ordained him his Executor, and most strictly charged him to pay me the said 700. l. affirming then to all there present, that he had left a sufficient estate to pay all men with a good Surplusage, and charged the said John Iohns to pay me first of all, which he then accordingly promised to do, and then saying, I were a very villain if I should deal otherwise then justly and honestly with our friend M. raiment, 
Note, that John Johns hath confessed to divers, that his brother died worth 2200. l. all debts paid; and that all this was gained by the blessing of God, and the friendly assistance of Mr. John raiment.  and soon after this his brothers death, the said John Johns acknowledged, that his brother died of a good estate, and then payed me in part of my 700. l. due, the sum of 250. l. but then taking wicked counsel of some sons of Belial,( no doubt, but of some Lawyer or attorney) he refused to pay me the rest,( having gotten all his brothers books into his custody) unless I could prove the debt remaining, being 450. l. Thereupon I commenced svit against him in Guild-hall, proved the debt and recovered the said remainder, being 450. l. the spirit of Iohns being hereby through evil counsel exasperated against me,( though unjustly) he files a Bill against me in 1636. in the Court of Requests, where I answered, and came to a hearing, and at hearing nothing being proved by Johns against me, instead of a just dismission, the Lord privy Seal commits the matter unto Referrees, viz. M. Lee, and M. Smith, who by reason of Johns his turbulence of spirit, were constrained to return several times sundry Certificates, and yet by all these several Certificates they clearly proved and declared, that there was not any thing authentically proved by Johns against me, either by Merchantlike books of account, or by testimony, 
M. Lees, and Mr. Smiths several Certificates.  and that I owed nothing to Johns. Upon the return of the last of these Certificates, Iohns thus receiving the foil, makes means in a 〈◇〉 way to the Lord privy seal for another reference, and procured the matter to be referred unto Mr. Lee, and Mr. Northie, who also made divers Certificates, and then in their full and sinal Certificate, they thereby certify, that there appeared to be nothing at all due to Iohns from me, but per contra; 
M. Lees,& M. Northies Certificate.  that the said Iohns appeared to be justly indebted to me in the sum of 54. l. 7. c. 6. d. as by their Certificate( ready to be produced) more clearly appeareth. But before their return then made of this their final Certificate, the said Iohns finding his wicked unjust dealings discovered by those Referrees, makes his private address to the Lord Privy seal again, and procures from him yet another reference in the cause, to three of the Clerks of the said Court of Requests, viz. M. lain, M. Bickerstaffe, and one more, who most unjustly and corruptly without ever hearing me, or any other for me, did forthwith certify( no doubt but by virtue of Iohns Angells) that I was indebted to John Johns in no less then 537. l. 19. s. 6. d. yet doubting of their gross error committed by that Certificate, they submit the same to the wisdom of that Court, viz. to the Lord privy Seal, and so left it doubtful: The Court of Requests immediately after this being put down( and the decease of the Lord Privy Seal) the said John Iohns then sued me in the Court of Obstructions, where also at the day of hearing nothing being proved against me by Iohns, instead of a just dismission, the cause was again by M. Prideaux referred to M. page.,( a Master in Chancery) in whose hands it restend a long time, and then John Iohns moves the Court of Chancery to have other Witnesses examined in the cause, and thereupon prefers another Bill in Chancery against me, which Bill being by me answered, then Johns moves to have the cause again referred to the said Mr. page., where after several dayes of my tedious wearisome attendance, without any perusal of Books, or any other papers of proof,( other then what was by Johns himself only perused) the said Master page. draws up a Report, and thereby very modestly and truly certifieth, that John Johns had not in all that time produced to him any Ledger Book, or Merchant-like account, or any ●uthentick proof, whereby it might appear that I was 〈◇〉 to him: Yet at the last in and by the said Report he most unjustly confirms the false and unjust Report formerly made by the three Clerks of the Court of Requests, 
Anno, 1646.  whereby they certify me to be indebted to Johns 537. l. 19. s. 6. d.  
This unjust Report of M. Pages being thus gained by Johns, he forthwith moves the Lords Commissioners for the Great. seal, who were then the Earl of Manchester, and M. William Lenthall the Speaker of the House, who upon the said motion, and M. Pages Report, presently ordered, That I should bring into the Court the said 537. l. 19. s. 6. d. and that then the truth of the matter should be tried by them afterwards;( that is, whether I did owe any thing to John Iohns, or not, although in above thirteen years svit and debate of the matter, there was never any thing justly proved against me to this day, nor that ever it appeared that I owed Iohns one penny:) Upon sight of this unreasonable disorderly Order, I refused to yield any obedience unto it; thereupon I was taxed with slighting the Order of Court, and then forthwith I was examined upon Interrogatories to that effect, to which I answered, that I did not slight the Orders of Court, but that my adversary John Iohns had now more then thirteen years most maliciously, vexatiously and causelessly molested and sued me in several Courts to my great damage, and that in all that time he had not proved penny, nor pennyworth against me,( as due from me to him) and that if ever he had, or yet can( by sufficient evidence) prove any thing justly due to him, I shall be ready to pay it without any further trouble: After this my examination thus taken, John Iohns presently moves the Court of Chancery for my commitment to the Fleet, which his unjust request was by the Speaker presently granted, and I was accordingly committed and imprisoned in the Fleet, where I have now continued in close durance above eight and twenty moneths, without any just cause by them shewed hitherto for their so doing, that thus unjustly committed me.  
Where after some time of abode, I was by council learned, advised to commence a svit in Law fo●●●lse imprisonment against the said John Iohns, Henry Hopkins, the Warden of the Fleet, Thomas Rivet his Clerk, and Matthew Pits his servant, which being done accordingly, 
May 8. 1650.  they then stayed me from gaining of a Judgement by an Injunction out of the Chancery( which Court of Chancery I always apprehended to be ordained for relief of the oppressed against cruel oppressors, and not to be a Court for support and strengthening of cruel oppressors against poor oppressed and distressed men and women,) and then to acquit themselves from further trouble, 
May 9. 1650.  on the 9. of May, 1650. the Warden of the Fleet shewed, and red to me an Order of Chancery( as he called it) in the presence of his aforenamed Clerk and servant, for the restraining of me close prisoner in my little chamber in the Fleet; but after the reading of the said Order, instead of confining me to my chamber, he the said Warden of the Fleet commanded his servants to lay hold of me, and have me into the loathsome dark Dungeon called the Common Wards of the Fleet, conceiving that by the noisome stench and dampnesse of the place they should have soon gained a period to their unexpected trouble: But after seven dayes stay there,( things no ways answering their cruel intentions and expectations) they then caused me to be returned to my former chamber of nine foot square,( furnished with mine own goods) and there they caused me to be locked up close, with a padlock on the out-side of my door, but sithence they having taken off the Padlock, do still confine me close prisoner to my chamber, and debar me of the air, and benefit of the common Prison-yard, allotted by God to every creature to breath in.  
Thus notwithstanding the dissolution of the head of tyranny, the Courts of Star-chamber and high Commission, by the parliament declared, barbarous, cruel, and detestable, and that prisoners confinement to their chambers is a cruelty, invented for the murdering and destroying of men, the whole circumference of prisons being a confinement in all reason strict, and close enough, and that it is man-slaughter in any gaoler to confine any felon to closer restraint then ordinary before conviction,[ as in the Case of Sir Richard Wiseman, and Sir Michael Green, who 〈◇〉 murdered by eight yeares close restraint in his chamber in the Fleet;] much less an honest Commonwealths-man most wrongfully restrained: Yet this gaoler of the Fleet and his Substitutes assuming to themselves a tyrannous power, surpassing the late regal power, do use and abuse men committed to their custody, at their pleasure, and exact of them what Fees they please without control, and confine men to their chambers, yea, drag them out of their chambers, place and displace them at their pleasure, upon the least private grudge or distaste by them taken against a Prisoner, either for his declaring their cruelties practised, or refusing to satisfy their greedy insatiate minds with such large illegal sums of money by them daily required of him for fees and chamber-rent.  
But if gaolers be thus suffered still to oppress and exact, then may they under colour of the prisoners non-payment of their exactions( bearing malice to a prisoner) drag them out of their chambers into their dungeons, or by close restraint to their chambers and other misusage, murder and destroy them at their pleasure.  
By reason of all which several cruel oppressions, unjust proceedings in Courts, and excessive charges and expense of my estate in the Law for these fifteen years, I have been driven from my trade, ruined in my estate above 2000. l. and thereby enforced to fell the remainder of my houses and goods( to feed Lawyers, attorneys, Solicitors, and gaolers) in defence of innocency and truth; whereby I am now disabled to express my readiness for the service of the State as formerly I have done, in freely advancing 300. l. for the reducing of Ireland, and by lending freely 200. l. upon the public Faith many years since,( as yet resting due to me from the State) as also maintaining men in their service upon my own charge formerly; of all which I am now constrained( by reason of these my troubles) to crave a speedy repayment by the State.  
Thus may all men in me( as in a glass) behold their own miserable slavery to the wills of unjust and cruel men, 
Note this I beseech you all ye Inhabitants of England.  and the ruin of their Estates, Liberties, and Lives, wrought by corrupt Judges, deceitful Lawyers, and cruel gaolers, by whom( of being profitable members in this Common-wealth) they are made poor useless drones, yea, butted alive in Goals and Prisons,( a cruelty abhorred by Heathens) and thereby ever after disabled to serve the State.  
Wherefore being left remediless and hopeless of ever gaining justice and relief from those by whose unjust Reports and Orders I have all this time, 
raiment his humble svit to the Parliament.  and still do suffer wrongfully in the loss of my Estate and Liberty: I do therfore most humbly appeal to the high and honourable Court of Parliament, beseeching them in the bowels of compassion to commiserate these my wrongful sufferings, and according to the pious impartial rules of justice and mercy, to call before them the said John Iohns, commanding him to produce all such Bills, Bonds, accounts, and Proofs, as he hath under my hand, or the hand of the said Richard Iohns, to manifest that( his falsely pretended) debt of 537. l. 19. s. 6. d.( if he have any) for which I stand unjustly committed to the prison of the Fleet, it having for these thirteen years clearly appeared, that he hath neither Bill nor Bond, nor any account under my hand for any thing, nor that ever I owed him penny, or penny worth in all my life, that then upon the manifestation of this truth, this honourable Assembly will be pleased to order my discharge out of prison, with full reparation for my wrongful sufferings and losses thereby sustained in my estate from the said Iohns, Hopkins, Rivet and Pits, and in the mean time to enjoy my chamber quietly, and the free use of the Prison-yard, as others do; and that by justice the said John Iohns may be made an example to deter all other such like evil minded, cruel, vexatious persons from troubling, molesting, and vexing honest quiet men causelessly in the Law, as I have been these many yeares, and many thousands in this Land are to this day, to the high displeasure of God, and dishonour of this Nation.  
FINIS.