A COPY OF THE OATH Taken by the Papists, as it was given to the Governor and Captains by Friar Darcy, lately Guardian of the Franciscans in Ireland, and employed by the Rebels upon a Treaty.  
With a short Gloss upon the confused OATH of the pretended Catholics for this Religious Rebellion.  
By N. B.  
LONDON, Printed for William Bladen, MDC.XLII.   

A short Gloss upon the confused Oath of the pretended Catholics for this religious Rebellion.  
I A. B. do in the presence of Almighty GOD, and all the Angels and Saints in 
a A contradiction at first, sworn on Earth, and yet at the same instant in the presence of the Saints then in Heaven, will you attribute unto them an Omni-presence to fill heaven & earth at once, proper only to him, who is Infinite.  Heaven, Promise, Vow, Swear and 
b This is over-sworn, we observe your Oath for Religion is well bound, runs strongly upon 4 wheels, the next for the King is but weakly mounted on one, but there is good reason, this is the prime, the other but an attendant.  Protest to maintain and defend, as fare as I 
c That is, as fare as I am able, but we hope you are now at your furthest, and as S. Paul of Jannes and Jambres, your folly will be made manifest before all men.  may with my life, Power and Estate, the 
d What wanted you but the public exercise of it in our Churches, which you have indeed of late practised in many places by violence.  Public and 
e Were any of you fined or restrained in bonds for it.  free exercise of the true and Catholic 
f As if we could not be of the Catholic Church, unless of the Roman, as much to say, a man could not be in Ireland, unless he were in Dublin. And yet by that very addition of Roman to Catholic by way of distinction is necessarily confessed, there is also a true Catholic Religion, not Roman.  Roman Religion against 
g No exceptions of the King here, who hath often declared himself against it.  All Persons that shall oppose the same.  
I further swear, that I will bear 
h But is it not your Doctrine? no Faith need be kept with Heretics, and hath not the Pope often declared our Kings to be such?  Faith and 
i Take heed what you do, there are two Bulls of the Popes against your taking the Oath of Allegiance, and a long Tractate of Cardinal Bellarmine's to show the unlawfulness of it, this is more than we pressed you too, or looked for from you.  Allegiance to our Sovereign 
k If you be a Priest, you profess to have no Lord even in Temporalibus, but the Pope.  Lord King 
l And yet the Earl of Ormond hath a Commission under the Hand and Seal of our King Charles for the suppressing of you, as evidently run into Rebellion against him.  Charles, his heirs and Successors, and that I will defend him and them, as 
m Well put in, as a good reservation, that is, as fare as it may stand with the former Article, or till I am restrained by the Pope.  fare as I may with my life, power and estate, against all such persons as shall attempt any thing against their Royal Persons, Honours and Estates or Dignities, and against all such as shall directly or indirectly endeavour to suppress their Royal 
n How the season hath altered your dispositions, were you not this last Summer in Parliament, directly and indirectly, the greatest opposers of it, would not you have had an Act and Acts for suppressing it, Tempora mutantur & vos, etc.  Prerogatives, or do any Act or Acts contrary to 
o It should be Papal Government.  Regal Government.  
As also the Power and 
p Why do you then detain so many Parliament men here besieged from attending it, who are privileged from so much as an arrest, are you not perjured in it.  Privileges of Parliament, the lawful rights and Privileges of the 
q Be good Subjects yourselves first, and take not in the mean time a Privilege to destroy those who are such.  Subject and every 
r We guess whose apes you are in this, but the cause and end is much differing and the success will be according.  person that makes this vow, Oath and Protestation in whatsoever he shall do in the lawful pursuance of the same.  
And to my power, as fare as I may, I will oppose, and by 
f 'Tis no matter, whither lawful or no.  All ways and means endeavour to bring to 
t Condign, this word needs a Gloss indeed for the Vulgar, but they are used enough to an unknown language, and an implicit Oath, may be as safe as an implicit faith, what the boast of the merit of your good works, is ex condigno, we know, but what will prove a condign punishment for a pretended bad work, I believe, the poor people will sooner feel then understand.  condign punishment, even to the 
u Bloody it must be, or you cannot own it, enough we had of this, for murder, robbery and imprisonment, before we heard of this Oaths framing, only then inflamed by him, who was a murderer from the beginning.  loss of life, liberty and estate, all such as shall either by 
x What need this, alas, have ye not cruelly starved and undone thousands that never were guilty of any of these, that meddled not with your Religion, lived harmless and innocently by you, and were your best friends, who were not of that strength as to force, of that disposition as to be practising, of that reach as to be plotting, or so false as to be conspiring, all which we freely (as having nothing to do with them) resign up to yourselves again.  force, practice, counsels, plots, conspiracies, or otherwise do or attempt any thing to the contrary of any Article, clause or any thing in this present Vow, Oath and Protestation contained, So help me 
y And why is there not added, And all his Saints, as your custom was and is, whereby your farewell had been somewhat answerable to your entrance, but 'tis possible, if the Angels and Saints were present at the beginning of the first Article, they so abhorred the Progress, that they would not stay to be witnesses of the conclusion.  God.  
Well, God help you indeed, and open your eyes to see into this mystery of Iniquity, the perjury and contradiction, with which your souls are in hazard; make your consciences sensible of the guilt of blood, your hearts to smite you for making this rent in the Kingdom, and give you repentance to turn from those evil ways, lest in the end the mischief return upon your own heads. Would ye know whose steps ye have followed formerly, you shall find Psal. 83. to be the cursed Edomites and Ishmaelites, Moab, Ammon, and Amalek with the Philistines, of whom the Psalmist (by way of complaint to God) saith thus, They have taken crafty counsels against thy people, and consulted against thy hidden ones; They have said, come let us cut them off from being a Nation, that the name of Israel be no more in remembrance; they have conspired together with one consent, saying, let us take to ourselves the Houses of God in possession; Would ye see your face by way of Prophecy, look into Saint Paul's 2. Tim. 3.2. In the latter day's men shall be unthankful, without natural affection, truce-breakers, false Accusers, fierce, Traitors, heady, high min●ed, yet having a form of Godliness, or a pretence of Religion, but denying the power of it.  
For such of you as have been drawn to take this unlawful Oath, let them think they are no more bound to observe it, than David was by his to have killed Abigail, Herod to have beheaded S. john the Baptist, or the 40 Conspirators to have slain S. Paul.  
To such as have not yet taken it, let them hearken to the Council of Solomon, 1. Pro. 10. My Son, if sinners entice thee consent thou not, if they say, Come with us, let us lay wait for blood, let us lurk privily for the innocent without cause; let us swallow them up alive as the Grave, and whole as those that go down into the Pit. We shall find all precious substance, we shall fill our houses with spoil. Cast in thy lot among us, let us all have one purse. My Son, walk not thou in the way with them, refrain thy foot from their path. And for us in this Town, Blessed be God, who hath not given us over as a prey unto your teeth, our soul is this day escaped as a bird out of the snare of the Fowler, the snare is broken and we are escaped; Blessed be the name of the Lord, who hath made Heaven and Earth, Ps. 124.6, 7, 8.  
Upon the treaty of this Friar and others, who in the name of the Commanders of the Catholic Army (for so they term it) demanded the surrender of this Town of Drogheda, for his Majesty's use and service, the Governor and Captains of the said Town, caused this Protestation and Oath to be drawn up as followeth.   

The Protestation of the Governor and Captains of the Town of Drogheda for their unanimous defence of it for his Majesty's use and service.  
Whereas, we are beset with such, who pretend their attempt in taking of this Town to be for the advancement of his Majesty's service, (which notwithstanding we believe, is but a pretext for the deluding of the Vulgar) We the Governor and Captains of the said Town, for the further manifestation and approbation of our loyalty and faithfulness to his Majesty, by whose immediate Command we are here charged for the defence of his Majesty's Royal Title in it, do likewise hereby unanimously make this following Protestation and Oath, and do enjoin it to be taken by every Soldier and Inhabitant of this Town, as the Evidence of their faith and truth to the King's Crown and Dignity, which we shall maintain with our lives and estates, and that such as shall refuse it, be put out of the Gates.  

The Oath.  
1. I Shall to my uttermost, endeavour the defence of this Town against all outward or inward attempts whatsoever for his Majesty's Service.  
2. I shall forthwith discover any Plot, Conspiracy or Combination, which may or shall come to my knowledge, from without or within, which may be any ways intended to the prejudice of the whole Town, or to the persons of the Mayor, Aldermen, Governor, or any of the Captains or Officers garrisoned in it.  
3. I shall not attempt, nor consent, that the Town shall be given up, upon any pretence or cause whatsoever without the consent of the Governor, Major and greater part of the Captains and Aldermen in it, or without some special command from his Majesty, or chief Governor or Governors of the Kingdom.  
All which I do hereby swear truly and faithfully to observe and keep, without any fraud, deceit, or mental reservation whatsoever.   
THis Oath, howsoever intending the safety of the Town Officers as the Garrison, and either readily taken or offered to be taken by the Captains, Officers and all the Soldiers, yet being presented to the Major and Aldermen, they first delayed it, by desiring a Copy of it with some time of consideration, and so after advice with their Learned (I will not say, Religious) Counsel, returned a flat refusal, only coloured, with a pretence of endangering the favour of a fair Quarter, which they expected from the enemy if the Town were taken.  
FINIS.