To the Right Honourable Members of the High Court of Parliament for the commonwealth of England, Scotland, and Ireland.  
The humble Petition of divers Prisoners in the Fleet  
Showeth:  
THat your Petitioners by the oppression of their cruel Adversaries and Creditors, and policy of subtle Attorneys and Solicitors adhering to them, are upon Judgements, Executions, Contempts, and Decrees, surruptitiously obtained, most unjustly imprisoned, and that the Judges now appointed have no power upon the same to relieve them; some of which Judgements, Executions, Contempts, and Decrees are upon pretended Debts, where nothing is due, others for far greater sums than are due, or your Petitioners able to pay, by which means they are bereft of their Estates, credits, and employments, to the utter ruin of themselves and families.  
That whereas many of your Petitioners who formerly lived comfortably, and in these sad times of War have been utterly undone (should be the objects of Mercy and pity) yet they find nothing but the rigour of the Law executed upon them, to the satisfaction of Obdurate Creditors and misery of your undone Petitioners.  
That the remainder of the Estates of your poor petitioners undone as aforesaid by judgements, Executions &c. being so obtained, must go to satisfy one man only, whereas many other conscientious Creditors, some perhaps as poor as your Petitioners not having obtained that advantage must have no satisfaction.  
Your Petitioners humbly pray, that the Judges appointed may have power to right and free them from the said Judgements, Executions, Contempts, and Decrees, so unjustly gotten (which power given them by the said Act) is abridged and taken away by the Ordinance; your Petitioners through restraint wanting means to relieve themselves by course of Law, and that those who have been ruinated by Sea and Land by the sad accidents of War, may have Equity according to conscience, and not the rigour of Law to pass upon them, and that those who have nothing to satisfy, or are willing to part with what they have, may be discharged, according to the late Act as poor, and that the compassionate Creditor, as well as cruel, may have their equal proportions.  
And your Petitioners shall ever pray, &c.