When our Captain came home, we privately met and shared our profit, and by this I gained two hundred pounds for my share, and this was a good beginning; and though I hazarded to Sea, yet there was less hazard then my Master underwent in his first attempt in Counterfeiting a Companies Seal; for should he have been discovered, sorrow would have been his sops. I have now and then had five or ten pound given me at a time for altering a Will, and putting in more as Legacy to one than the Testator intended, and this I would venture on without much hazard, if the Testator were sick to death. My Master once made a Will, and instead of another, made himself Executor, and I and one more of the Confederacy were witnesses to it, by this means he gained near three hundred pound.
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 100l. 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 400l. to pay 200l. 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 400l. 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 was assented to, and he being sworn, began in this manner, My Lord, this Bond here in Court is pretended to be made, sealed, and delivered nine moneths since, when, my Lord, this Paper whereon it is written, hath not been in England above four moneths. How do you know that? said my Lord. The Jury-man replyed, My Lord, I am a Stationer or Paper-seller, and to all Paper there are several marks whereby we know and distinguish them; As Pot, Piller, Crown, Cardinals-Armes, &c. and my Lord, this being such a sort of Paper was made by a young man in France, whose mark is here, and none of it came over till within these four moneths. At this the Judge was satisfied, all people wondred, the Defendant rejoyced, and the Plaintiff with his Swearers were forced to sneak out of the Court, and could not presently be heard of.
I once was called to make a Will, and the party lying speechless, another there present dictated to me, telling me, that the sick man he was sure would consent to what he said, which I believing, proceeded and finished the Will, but when I came to have him sign it, I saw that he was dead: well, said the party that dictated, if you will be ruled by me, this Will shall stand, and yet nobody forswear themselves, and said he to me, you shall have a good reward for your consent. I being ready to receive money, promised him my consent; whereupon, saith he, read the Will, so I did: well, saith he, you see the party doth not at all contradict what is here written, & now he shall set his hand and seal thereto, which he did by guiding the dead mans hand: now, saith he, if you be questioned, you may safely swear that you read the Will to him, and he consented, or at leastwise did not contradict, and that you saw him with his own hand sign, seal, and deliver the same. Well sir, said I, if you are content I am; and thereupon he giving me the promised reward, I subscribed as Witness, and left him, who soon after by vertue of this Will possessed himself of the Estate. I had seen this trick of putting a dead mans hand to Writings done two or three times before, and so this was no new thing, and would not contradict any thing that was to turn to my profit.
I could tell you thousands of these Cheats, and indeed, as one said, there is more mischief done with a dash of the Pen, than with any thing else in the way of Knavery and Cheating. Thus did our Scrivener conclude his Discourse, and we calling for another pint of Wine and a Faggot, drank and warmed our selves, and so for that time parted.
CHAP. XXII.
The Book-sellers Prentice gives an account of his Masters first tricks in Cheating, by Printing Books that were other mens Copies.