The New Oath Examined, and found Guilty.
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SInce Oaths are Solemn, Serious Things,
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The best Security to Kings;
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And since weave all Allegiance swore
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To J------ as King, or Successor;
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I cant imagine, how we may
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Swear that or Fealty away.
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Nought sure but Death or Resignation
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Can free us from that Obligation.
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All Oaths are vain, both those and these,
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If we may break em, as we please.
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And did I fairly swallow both,
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Whode give a Farthing for my Oath?
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If you affirm, as many do,
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They both consistent are, and true.
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I ask, Can you Two Masters serve,
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And never from your Duty swerve?
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Or can you True Allegiance bear
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To Two at once, and not forswear?
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Whats due to J------ if W------ have,
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And J------ have what you W------ gave?
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Its plain, youre false to both, and shoud
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Or take no Oaths, or make em good,
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Which here you cannot, if you woud.
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Nor will these Oaths, as some contend,
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To your own private Meaning bend.
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You swear to each as to a King,
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And ought to mean the self same Thing.
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And tis Allegiance Full and True
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Is sworn to both, to both as due.
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To say, The People have a Right
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Kings to depose, as they see fit,
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Is Popry, or as bad as it.
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There is no Law, or Charter fort:
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Kings cant be tryd in any Court.
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Bradshaws High Court had but the Name
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Of Justice, and was Bradshaws Shame.
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But thats by all condemnd---------
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Or he that dares such Presidents plead,
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Deserves, like him, to lose his Head,
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And hang fort, or alive or dead.
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Now to condemn the King untryd,
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Seems something worse than Bradshaw did.
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Tis English Priviledge to be heard,
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Before the Judge can give Award.
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I know, some Conquest plead, and say,
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The King was drivn and forcd away.
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Convention though pleads Abdication,
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Because unforcd he left the Nation.
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Hard tis these Things to reconcile:
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He chose to leave us gainst his Will.
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These Pleas and Proofs are opposite,
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And cannot both be True and Right:
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A Sign their Cause is desperate,
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Theyd something say, but know not what.
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Their Non-agreement is enough
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To shew each Plea of theirs wants proof.
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Now as for Conquest, Why shoud we
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Make Slaves of People that are Free?
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Why shoud we make so much ado
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Bout what Prince neer pretended to?
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He from Convention took the Crown:
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Convention placd him in the Throne:
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Convention gave him all his Powr:
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Convention made the Oaths you swore.
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And therefore if to him wede swear,
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Tis as their High Commissioner.
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And if they have no Right to chuse,
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We may Allegiance refuse.
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We may and ought to keept entire
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For Lawful King, and Lawful Heir.
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If People say, they have such Right:
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They ought to shew how they came byt.
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If People made their Sovreign Lord,
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They ought to shew it by Record.
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The Law oth Land says no such Thing:
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By Law Succession makes the King.
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They cant plead Scripture, if they woud;
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The Scripture says, All Powrs from God.
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God says himself, By me Kings Reign;
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Tis he doth Higher Powers Ordain.
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Tis he doth make them all Supream;
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The Peoples Choice is Peoples Dream.
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Nor can you prove by Law of Nature,
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That Princes are the Peoples Creature.
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Tis plain, the People never gave
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What they nere had, nor coud they have;
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I mean, the Power, which Princes bear:
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If People had it, maket appear,
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And tell us who, and when, and where.
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Our King has Powr ore Subjects Lives,
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By Law he takes away, or gives.
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The Sword the People never bore,
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They nere ore their own Lives had Powr.
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Self-Murder never was allowd
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By Law of Nature, or of God.
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Wherefore the Powr which Kings have now,
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The People never coud bestow.
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Indeed for Self-Defence to fight
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Gainst private Foes was Natures Right.
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They ever had it, and still have it,
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And therefore to their Prince nere gave it.
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Besides, the Magistrates empowrd
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In other cases tuse the Sword.
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Though Vengeance is the Subjects Crime,
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Its very innocent in him.
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Vengeance belongs to God alone:
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Who has it not from God, has none.
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In state of Nature People were
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All free and equal, and coud nere
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That Powr possess, much less confer.
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No, tis the Prince Gods place supplies:
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Tis his Prerogative to chastise
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The Evil, redress Injuries.
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If Rulers are for publick Good
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Their Jus divinums understood.
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Unerring Wisdom cant be thought
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To leave the Choice to giddy Rout.
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But granting Peoples Right, I say,
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They ought not, coud not givet away.
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In vain had they such Right from Heaven,
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If they shoud part witht, soon as given.
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It were Impiety and Sin
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To give away a Right Divine.
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Nor is it like, theyd all consent
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To lose their share of Government.
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Nor coud they meet all for a Choice,
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That evry Man might give his Voice.
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Some might be Busy, others Sick;
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Some their Proceedings might dislike.
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Now if they all were free before,
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How coud those, who did nere concur,
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Lose that their Liberty and Powr?
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These Knots, and such like, I defy
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Pretended Patriots to unty.
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Be sure they cant: And then their Cause
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Is grown much weaker by the Laws.
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The Laws which own our Kings Divine,
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And tye the Crown to Royal Line.
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The Laws, which make Allegiance due
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Without your Oaths, or theirs to you.
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The Laws, which give to evry Man his own,
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To People their Estates, to Kings their Crown.
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Some idly fancy, That protection
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Doth natrally infer Subjection.
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To which, I say, if this were True,
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Subjection were even Cromwels due.
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He was Protector, (Name and Thing)
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He did th whole Office of a King.
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No, tis a Right for to Protect us,
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Can only Lawfully Subject us.
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Who has no Right to Englands Throne,
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To Englands Fealty can have none.
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And when the lawful Kings turnd out,
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(Whose will to govern is past doubt.)
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It is not Merit, but a Crime
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His People to Protect gainst him.
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It is to keep him from his Right
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Who woud Protect us, if he might.
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It is to make himself Supreme,
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And to Protect himself, not them.
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Its to maintain his Usurpation,
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And to entail on Captive Nation
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A lasting War, and Desolation.
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And is this such a mighty Favour,
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As to deserve the Name of Saviour?
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For my part, I shoud give him rather
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A harder Name than that of Father.
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And with the Cynick wish him gone,
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Not stand betwixt me and the Sun.
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If where its due, we pay Subjection,
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My Friends, we shall not want Protection.
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And now, I think Ive made it clear,
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We cannot with good Conscience swear.
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We cannot take Oaths Old and New,
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And to both Faithful prove, and True.
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And if I must Starve or Comply:
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Be sure, I woud not swear, Ide die.
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Ide suffer ought for my dear Saviours Laws,
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Who dyd for me---------
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I cant well suffer in a better Case.
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