To the KING's most Sacred Majesty and Clemency, And to the great Wisdom and Piety of both Houses of PARLIAMENT, Most Humbly offered to Consider,  
1. WHether it be not more expedient now to Enact a total Suspension of all former Laws, as to the Sanguinary and Mulctative Penalties only, than any Execution of them against Recusants taking and subscribing the following Oath?  
2. And whether a Conditional Proviso of strict indispensable execution of the said Penalties upon any perfidious Retractor may not sufficiently answer the Objection, That no Subscription can secure them from refixing, retracting, or recanting after directly or indirectly?  
3. And whether it be not expedient also to comprehend on the same Conditions a competent number of their best principled or best affected Moderate Priests, under the Protection of the same Law or Act, against the said Penalties of all former Laws or Acts, with this only Additional Proviso as to them, That besides the Subscription of the said Oath, they withal subscribe a Renunciation or Abjuration of some other false and dangerous Positions: And that they Officiate only in private Families, and not admit besides the Family of the House, at one Meeting above the number of five Neighbours or Strangers?  
4. And whether this mild way of discreet Indulgence, may not conduce much more to his majesty's security, and to the other great end also of allaying Animosities, reconciling Differences, and bringing at last all sides to meet in perfect Concord, Peace and Love, serving the God of Peace in one Church of England, than any other of undiscriminating or undistinguishing rigour, against all Papist dissentors, Priests and People whatsoever?  

The OATH.  
I A. B. do truly and sincerely acknowledge, profess, testify and declare before God and the World, That our Gracious King CHARLES the II. is true and lawful King, Supreme Lord, rightful sovereign, and the only Chief governor under God, of the Realms of England, Ireland, Scotland, and all other his majesty's Dominions, and of and over all persons therein, both Temporal and Spiritual, of what Religion soever.  
And that he is entrusted by God, and by the Laws of his said Kingdoms and Dominions, with the Supreme external Regiment of both State and Church, People and Clergy in them.  
And that although he be not empowered with any Spiritual or Supernatural Church-Power of the keys, yet he is with a Royal politic Temporal and Natural Power Supreme to direct by suitable Laws and Precepts all the aforesaid persons, and to Coerce by suitable means and punishments all Transgressors amongst them, and all Transgressions of every person of them, (without exemption of any) in whatever cause or thing Civil and Temporal, or Ecclesiastical and Spiritual.  
And that neither the Pope, nor any Prince, Potentate, State or Person, nor any Synod, or other Assembly or Representative of the Clergy or People or both, Foreign or not Foreign, of what Religion soever, hath or have, or aught to have over all or any of the said persons his majesty's Subjects, or in or over any of their said Affairs or Causes within his majesty's Kingdoms or Dominions aforesaid, any Power, Superiority or Jurisdiction transcendent or paramount, or coordinate or equivalent to the aforesaid Power Supreme Royal, as to any proper effect thereof, or any kind of Authority which doth or may contain it eminentially, formally or virtually, nor can have any part thereof inherent in or derived to them, but from and by his majesty's special or general Commission or Permission, according to his Laws, and with continual dependence from, and subordination to his said Majesty and Laws.  
And that all the aforesaid persons, his majesty's Subjects, are obliged under pain of sin to obey his Majesty in all Civil and Temporal Affairs, as much as or wherein the said Laws require obedience from them, and in all Ecclesiastical and Spiritual things and Causes not only to obey the direction of the said Laws, where such direction appears not to be against the will of God, but also where it doth appear to them against such will, then and in every such case to abide and suffer patiently without rebellious reluctance, or any forcible resistance by Arms, or by unlawful and contumacious Riots or Tumults, the coercion and penalties of the same Laws.  
And that the aforesaid power Supreme-royal of his majesty, is not hitherto, nor can hereafter be forfeited or lost by any abuse either true or pretended of it, nor is any way separable from his majesty's Crown Imperial.  
And that neither the Pope, nor any other foreign Prince, Power, State, Person or Persons, nor any Church-Council or Synod of Bishops, nor any Estates or persons Collective or Representative, foreign or not foreign, hath, or have, or aught to have any Jurisdiction, Power, Superiority, Preeminence, or Authority, Spiritual or Temporal, or mixed of both, Celestial or Terrene, human or Divine, ordinary or extraordinary, continual or casual, direct, or indirect in ordine ad spiritualia, not even in the special cases of apostasy, heresy, Schism, or pretended oppression of the Church or People, sententially or otherwise to bereave or deprive his Majesty of, or to depose or suspend him from his aforesaid Regal Power, or any part thereof, or of or from the administration, use, or exercise of it, or of any part or appendage of it, or to transfer the Rights of any of his majesty's Crowns, or to dispose of any of his majesty's kingdoms or Dominions to any other, or to Authorize any other Prince, State, or People, to invade or annoy him, or any of his countries, or to free, discharge, or absolve me, or any other of his majesty's Subjects from, or dispense with me or any of them in the sacred Tye of an Oath of Allegiance to the King, after the taking or swearing it, or from or in the Natural or Legal Antecedent tie of Allegiance to his Majesty upon all his aforesaid Subjects whatsoever Temporal and Spiritual, or any way to give me or any of them leave or licence to contrive or lay Plots, raise Tumults, bear Arms against, or offer any violence or hurt to his majesty's Person, or Royal Authority, or the State or Government, or to any of his majesty's Subjects within his majesty's Dominions.  
And therefore I do utterly renounce and forsake all Jurisdictions, Powers, Superiorities or Authorities, (whether Foreign or not Foreign) wherein, or as far as they or any one or more of them, severally or jointly, shall pretend any Right or thing contrary to the premises.  
And I do swear in the presence of God, that notwithstanding any Power, or pretended Power of the Pope, or See of Rome, either from or by divine Right or Law, or from or by any human Right or Title, or any Power, or pretended Power, foreign or not foreign, whether Ecclesiastical and Spiritual, or Civil and Temporal, or Natural and Inherent, of any other person or persons, or Clergy, or People, or Synod, or Assembly, or other Representative upon earth, and notwithstanding any general or special Excommunication, or other Ecclesiastical or Civil censure or penalty, or any sentence either of suspension of exercise, or of total deposition or deprivation, or translation of the Rights Royal or sovereignty of the Crown, or any other Sentence or Judgement Decretory or Declaratory, of what kind or quality soever, given or to be given by the Pope either as Bishop in Ordinary of the particular See of Rome, or as he is, or is said to be in all or some Cases Bishop and Prince too in Extraordinary of all other Sees, and of the Universal Church and World, or by any of his Predecessors or Successors, or any Authority Spiritual or Temporal, or mixed of both, proceeding or derived from him or his Apostolic See, or by any other Bishop or Bishops, or any Congregation or Synod whatsoever of Bishops and other ecclesiastics, or by any Power derived from such or their Sees, or by any other Church-power, or pretended Church-power, of what Religion or Assembly soever, or by any Power or pretended Power Temporal and Civil, or Natural and Inherent of the people, against his Majesty and Royal Authority, or any of his majesty's Predecessors, or lawful Heirs and Successors, and notwithstanding any Absolution from, Dispensation in, or Declaration against this Oath, or the Allegiance promised therein, or the Sacred, Natural or Legal tye of either, granted or made heretofore, or to be granted or made hereafter by the Pope, or any other person or persons, or Power or pretended Power Spiritual or Temporal whatsoever, and notwithstanding also any Obligation or pretended Obligation of any either Canonical or Universal Obedience to another, whether simply promised, or solemnly vowed to him, or of any strict Fidelity and Obedience to the Pope in particular however sworn, or of any Oath of Confederacy, Association, League, or Solemn League and Covenant, and finally notwithstanding any other pretence, or cause or thing conceivable, I will during life bear true Faith and Allegiance to his Majesty, and his lawful Heirs and Successors, and him and them will defend to the utmost of my power against all men (that is) against all private Conspiracies and Attempts, and all public Hostilities, Invasions, Insurrections, Rebellions, and other endeavours whatsoever, that shall be against his majesty's person or Royal Authority, or his lawful Heirs and Successors, their Persons, Crowns and Dignities, or the State and Government, be such Conspiracies, Attempts, Hostilities, Invasions, Insurrections, Rebellions, or other endeavours contrived, framed or carried on under what pretence, or for what cause, or patronised by what Foreign or not Foreign Power or Authority, Person or People, or State, or Church, or Religion whatsoever; And that I will use my best endeavours to disclose or make known to his Majesty, and to his lawful Heirs and Successors, or his or their Ministers, all the Treasons and Treacherous Conspiracies against him or them, or his or their Royal Estate or Government, which shall come to my knowledge or hearing.  
And I do further swear, that I do from my heart abhor, detest, and abjure, as impious, and against the Word of God, this damnable Doctrine and Position, That Princes excommunicated or deprived by the Pope, may be deposed or killed by their Subjects, or any other whatsoever: And that likewise I do from my heart renounce not only all other Doctrines and Positions of the same horrid nature, but also all which either formally or virtually, directly or indirectly, (or by necessary consequence) are against any part or thing professed in any part of this whole Oath, or against the entire lawfulness thereof, in point of Catholic Faith, Christianity, or Conscience.  
And I do acknowledge this Oath to be administered unto me by good and lawful Authority, and I do protest against all Doctrine and Authority to the contrary, as far as contrary in this point, or in any other Antecedent or Subsequent point of this whole Oath.  
And all these things I do plainly and sincerely acknowledge and declare, and this Oath I take and make, according to the common sense and understanding of the words, without any equivocation, mental reservation, or any other mental or vocal evasion whatsoever, contrary to the common sense and understanding of the words.  
And I do make this Recognition and Acknowledgement heartily, willingly, and truly, upon the Faith of a Christian, So help me God, and these holy Gospels of God.