The Loyal Nonconformist; OR, An Account what he dare swear, and what not.  

I Fear an Oath, before I swear to take it;  
And well I may, for 'tis the Oath of God:  
I fear an Oath, when I have sworn, to break it;  
And well I may, for Vengeance hath a Rod.   

And yet I may swear, and must too, 'tis due  
Both to my Heavenly, and my Earthly King:  
If I assent, it must be full and true;  
And if I promise, I must do the thing.   

I am no Quaker, not at all to swear;  
Nor Papist, to swear East, and mean the West;  
But am a Protestant, and shall declare  
What I cannot, and what I can protest.   

I never will endeavour Alteration  
Of Monarchy, or of that Royal Name,  
Which God hath chosen to command this Nation,  
But will maintain his Person, Crown & Fame:   

What he commands, if Conscience say not nay,  
(For Conscience is a greater King than he)  
For Conscience-sake, not Fear, I will obey;  
And if not Active, Passive I will be.   

I'll pray that all his Subjects may agree,  
And never more be crumbled into parts;  
I will endeavour that his Majesty  
M●y not be King of Clubs, but King of Hearts.   

The Royal Oa● I swear I will defend;  
But 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ivy which doth hug it so,  
I swar that is a Thief, and not a Friend,  
And about Steeples fitter for to grow.   

The Civil-Government I will obey;  
But for Church-Policy I swear I doubt it;  
And if my Bible want th' Apocrypha,  
I'll swear my Book may be complete without it.   

I dare not swear Church-Government is right  
As it should be; but this I dare to swear,  
If they should put me to't, the Bishops might  
Do better, and be better than they are.   

Nor will I swear for all that they are worth,  
That Bishoprics will stand, & Doomsday see;  
And yet I'll swear the Gospel holdeth forth  
Christ with his Ministers till then will be.   

That Peter was a Prelate they aver;  
But I'll not swear't when all is said and done  
But I dare swear, and hope I shall not err,  
He preached a hundred Sermons to their one.   

Peter a Fisher was, and he caught Men:  
And they have Nets, & in them catch Men too;  
Yet I'll not swear they are alike, for them  
He caught he saved: these catch, & them undo.   

I dare not swear that Courts Ecclesiastic  
Do in their Laws make just and gentle Votes;  
But I'll be sworn that Burton, Pryn and Bastwick  
Were once Ear-witnesses of harsher Notes.   

Archdeacon's, Deans & Chapters are brave men,  
By Canon, not by Scripture: but to this,  
If I be called, I'll swear, and swear again,  
That no such Chapter in my Bible is.   

I'll not condemn those Presbyterians, who  
Refused Bishoprics, and might have had'em:  
But Mistress Calamy I'll swear doth do  
As well as if she were a Spiritual Madam.   

For Holy Vestments I'll not take an Oath  
Which Linen most Canonical may be;  
Some are for Lawn, some Holland, some Scotscloth;  
And Hemp for some is fitter than all three.   

Paul had a Cloak, and Books, & Parchments too;  
But that he wore a Surplice I'll not swear,  
Nor that his Parchments did his Orders show,  
Or in his Books there was a Common-Prayer.   

I owe assistance to the King by Oath;  
And if he please to put the Bishops down,  
As who knows what may be, I should be loath  
To see Tom Beckets Mitre push the Crown.   

And yet Church-Government I do allow,  
And am contented Bishops be the men;  
And that I speak in earnest, here I vow  
Where we have one, I wish we might have ten.   

In fine, the Civil Power I'll obey,  
And seek the Peace & Welfare of the Nation:  
If this won't do, I know not what to say,  
But farewel London, farewel Corporation.   
R. W.   

Printed in the Year, 1666.