The New Oath Examined, and found Guilty.  

SInce Oaths are Solemn, Serious Things,  
The best Security to Kings;  
And since we've all Allegiance swore  
To I— as King, or Successor;  
I can't imagine, how we may  
Swear that or Fealty away.  
Nought sure but Death or Resignation  
Can free us from that Obligation.  
All Oaths are vain, both those and these,  
If we may break 'em, as we please.  
And did I fairly swallow both,  
Who'd give a Farthing for my Oath?   

If you affirm, as many do,  
They both consistent are, and true.   

I ask, Can you Two Masters serve,  
And never from your Duty swerve?  
Or can you True Allegiance bear  
To Two at once, and not forswear?  
What's due to I— if W— have,  
And I— have what you W— gave?  
It's plain, you're false to both, and should  
Or take no Oaths, or make 'em good,  
Which here you cannot, if you would.   

Nor will these Oaths, as some contend,  
To your own private Meaning bend.  
You swear to each as to a King,  
And aught to mean the self same Thing.  
And 'tis Allegiance Full and True  
Is sworn to both, to both as due.   

To say, The People have a Right  
Kings to depose, as they see fit,  
Is popery, or as bad as it.  
There is no Law, or Charter for't:  
Kings can't be tried in any Court.  
Bradshaw's High Court had but the Name  
Of Justice, and was Bradshaw's Shame.  
But that's by all condemned—  
Or he that dares such Precedents plead,  
Deserves, like him, to lose his Head,  
And hang for't, or alive or dead.  
Now to condemn the King untried,  
Seems something worse than Bradshaw did.  
'Tis English Privilege, to be heard  
Before the Judge can give Award.   

I know, some Conquest plead, and say,  
The King was driven and forced away.  
Convention though pleads Abdication,  
Because unforced he left the Nation.  
Hard 'tis these Things to reconcile:  
He chose to leave us 'gainst his Will.  
These Pleas and Proofs are opposite,  
And cannot both be True and Right:  
A Sign their Cause is desperate,  
They'd something say, but know not what,  
Their Non-agreement is enough  
To show each Plea of theirs wants proof.   

Now as for Conquest, Why should we  
Make Slaves of People that are Free?  
Why should we make so much ado  
'Bout what Prince ne'er pretended to?  
He from Convention took the Crown:  
Convention placed him in the Throne:  
Convention gave him all his Power:  
Convention made the Oaths you swore.  
And therefore if to him we'd swear,  
'Tis as their High Commissioner.  
And if they have no Right to choose,  
We may Allegiance refuse.  
We may and aught to keeped entire  
For Lawful King, and Lawful Heir.   

If People say, they have such Right:  
They ought to show how they came by't.  
If People made their sovereign Lord,  
They ought to show it by Record.  
The Law o'th' Land says no such Thing:  
By Law Succession makes the King.  
They can't plead Scripture, if they would;  
The Scripture says, All power's from God.  
God says himself, By me Kings Reign;  
'Tis he doth Higher Pow'ers Ordain.  
'Tis he doth make them all Supreme;  
The People's Choice is People's Dream.   

Nor can you prove by Law of Nature,  
That Princes are the People's Creature.  
'Tis plain, the People never gave  
What they ne'er had, nor could they have;  
I mean, the Power, which Princes bear:  
If People had it, make't appear,  
And tell us who, and when, and where.  
Our King has Power o'er Subject's Lives,  
By Law he takes away, or giveth.   

The Sword the People never bore,  
They ne'er o'er their own Lives had Power,  
Self-Murder never was allowed  
By Law of Nature, or of God.  
Wherefore the Power which Kings have now.  
The People never could bestow.  
Indeed for Self-Defence to fight  
'Gainst private Foes was Nature's Right.  
They ever had it, and still have it,  
And therefore to their Prince ne'er gave it.  
Besides, the Magistrate's empowred  
In other cases t'use the Sword.  
Though Vengeance is the Subject's Crime,  
It's very innocent in him.  
Vengeance belongs to God alone:  
Who has it not from God, has none.  
In state of Nature People were  
All free and equal, and could ne'er  
That Power possess, much less confer.  
No, 'tis the Prince God's place supplies:  
'Tis his Prerogative to chasti●e  
The Evil, redress Injuries.  
If Rulers are for public Good  
Their Jus divinums understood.  
Unerring Wisdom can't be thought  
To leave the Choice to giddy Rout.   

But granting Peoples Right, I say,  
They ought not, could not give't away.  
In vain had they such Right from Heaven,  
If they should part with't, ' soon as given.  
It were Impiety and Sin  
To give away a Right Divine.   

Nor is it like, they'd all consent  
To lose their share of Government.  
Nor could they meet all for a Choice,  
That every Man might give his Voice.  
Some might be Busy, others Sick;  
Some their Proceed might dislike.  
Now if they all were free before,  
How could those, who did ne'er concur,  
Lose that their Liberty and Power?   

These K●●●● and such like I defy  
Pretended Patriots to untie.  
Be sure they can't: And then their Cause  
Is grown much weaker by the Laws.  
The Laws which own our Kings Divine,  
And tie the Crown to Royal Line.  
The Laws, which make Allegiance due  
Without your Oaths, or theirs to you.  
The Laws, which give to every Man his own,  
To People their Estates, to Kings their Crown.   

Some idly fancy, That protection  
Doth naturally infer Subjection.  
To which, I say, if this were True,  
Subjection were e'en Cromwel's due.  
He was Protector, (Name and Thing)  
He did th' whole Office of a King.  
No, 'tis a Right for to Protect us,  
Can only Lawfully Subject us.  
Who has no Right to England's Throne,  
To England's Fealty can have none.  
And when the lawful King's turned out,  
(Whose will to govern is past doubt.)  
It is not Merit, but a Crime  
His People to Protect 'gainst him.  
It is to keep him from his Right  
Who would Protect us, if he might.  
It is to make himself Supreme,  
And to Protect himself, not them.  
It's to maintain his Usurpation,  
And to entail on Captive Nation  
A lasting War, and Desolation.  
And is this such a mighty Favour,  
As to deserve the Name of Saviour?  
For my part, I should give him rather  
A harder Name than that of Father.  
And with the Cynic wish him gone,  
Not stand betwixt me and the Sun.  
If where it's due, we pay Subjection,  
My Friends, we shall not want Protection.   

And now, I think I've made it clear.  
We cannot with good Conscience swear.  
We cannot take Oaths Old and New,  
And to both Faithful prove, and True.  
And if I must Starve or Comply:  
Be sure, I would not swear, I'd dir.  
I'd suffer aught for my dear Saviour's Laws,  
Who died for me—  
I can't well suffer in a better Case.   
FINIS.