I have oftentimes had a Piece or two given me to make Writings in favour of one man more than another; for in a Lease, if Rent reserved be 100_l._ _per annum_, and there be no Covenant for payment of the Rent, when either of the parties die, if any Rent be behind due to the Lessee, it cannot be recovered by the Executors, Administrators, or Assigns of the Lessor, because there was no Covenant between them in behalf of their Executors, Administrators and Assigns; and it hath been usual in all ancient Leases to leave that Covenant out as needless, but now people are grown wiser by experience. In arbitration between parties there is much cunning and knavery to be used, in drawing up an Award, or final End; for the Scrivener, if he be a friend to, or favour either of the parties, shall do it so as that it shall be void, or not authentick, or not obliging to one of the parties, and yet the Arbitrators who are commonly honest harmless men, think they have done their business, when as they have only made more work for Lawyers. In _Counter-Bonds_ there may be much partiality used, as also in _Letters of Attorney_, only putting in _his use_, for _my use_, entitles the Attorney to receive all to his own use without any account; and such a thing as this is often slipt over, or not understood, and many a good piece and Half-piece comes into our pockets in a year for these actions. It was like to go very hard with one of my Masters acquaintance not long since, for he being skilled in counterfeiting of Hands, did very artificially counterfeit a Citizens Hand (with whom he had some small dealing) to a Bond of 400_l._ to pay 200_l._ with interest at a day, and when the time came he asked him before some company to pay him that money that he then owed him: Yes, said the Citizen, I shall do it next week, meaning a small sum which he did directly owe him, and did then pay him, but the other then telling him of his Bond of 400_l._ and the Citizen directly denying it, a Suit was commenced, and Tryal was had at the _Kings-Bench_ Bar in _Westminster-Hall_, where the innocent Citizen (seeing the confidence of the Witnesses, and indeed his own hand, as he supposed, to the Bond, which he could not deny but it was so, or very like) and having nothing to say, in a passion cryed out in open Court, _to desire God to revenge his Cause, for he was utterly and absolutely wronged_. This being so solemnly protested, made not only the Judge but the Jury a little more inquisitive into the matter than ordinary, and called for some papers to compare the hand with other of his handwriting, but no difference could be found therein. The Bond thus passing about to every one of the Jury, one of them viewing the Bond more narrowly than ordinary, craved leave of the Judge to be discharged of his place as a Jury-man, and to be admitted & sworn as a Witness; for my Lord, saith he, I can say somewhat to the matter. This his request