serious consultation and of more sacred restriction n Votum à voluntate dictum quasi deliberatione propositio profectum Buca instit Theo. l. 45. promises are commonly made to men but o 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sic Eustath Vowes seem to mount a step higher and being offered to the Deity are observed with a more divine and dreadfull attestation of God and to violate vowes is much more dangerous the votaries may plead but in this point it will appear that an unlawful vow is as easily and justly to be broken as a rash and undiscreet or disloyal promise the rather because a vow properly is an p Votum est actus latriae Religionis Tho. Aqui. 22 ae q 88. a 5. Votum promissio Deo facta de meliori bono idem Votum testificatio quaedam promissionis spontanea qua debet fieri Deo de iis quae Dei sunt Aqui. 22ae quest 88. Ad Votum tria requirunt deliberatio Propositum promissio idem act of religious worship It is a promise to God of the intention resolution to some better good because it is a solemn testification of a deliberated voluntary promise made and offered unto God to perfect and compleat which are a resolute purpose and a certain or constant promise Now these circumstances and requisites are such as the votary need nor err unless he will be affectely ignorant or rashly and willfully sinful Now for a subject to vow to that which is unlawful to signe to that which is sinful to offer such a sacrifice to God which is odious and unacceptable is an aggravation of the crime and therefore not to be kept but to be broken off with more bitter repenrance and more zealous detestation q 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Votum temerarium illegitimum quod de rebus illcitis malo fine ae personis etiam non ui juris suscipitur Bucan The. Instit I. 45. quest 4. And if every perty sin be offensive before the eternal God how abominable must those sins appear which like scarlet and crimson are of a double dye aggravated with sollemn vows and promisses and yet so much the more sinful because attempted and perpetrated by those who in the case of loyalty as subjects cannot be absolved from their oaths of allegiance to their King and so not being sui juris at liberty have no power to make illicit vows of this kind and are not to give so much as consent to their illegallity The subjects in This case of allegiance being as strictly restrained and durifully obliged to their Prince in his power and pleasure and the justnesse of the laws as children under the power of their Parents as a Wife during the life of her Husband as servants are obliged to their Masters until they are at liberty r Num 30.4.5.7 Votum animae vinculum Vota eorum infringi poterant If a vow though lawful were by Gods word thus stated in the power of the Parent the Husband the Master a minore ad majus much more are illicit vows to be abrogated and broken in subjects vowing not only against their Princes consent but against the houour and safety of their sacred persons and their royal Crown and dignity by these arguments it plainly appears that neither rash and unvised advised promises nor serious sinful and deliberated vows are to be kept or observed no more then that Anathema under which some desperate zealous bloudy Iews bound themselves neither to eat nor drink till they had slain St. Paul ſ Act. 23.12.14 Stulto zelo correpti mentiri occidere quidvis denique tibi licere arbitrabantur T. Beza in loc There is a third bond or obligation that some tender curiosities lay hold on The 3. protestation and that is the protestation which though never formed nor forced into the nature of a municipal and binding law yet was cunningly devised by some state politicians and sent and dispersed over the Kingdomes to taste the inclinations of the people or at least as Shiboleth to distinguish who were really and truly Royalists and who were not which form of obliging a party very probably took its example from Germany where the Lutherans solemnly protested against some doctrinal and practical proceeding of the Church of Rome And from this root sprang the distraction that those reformed Christians who deserted the communion of the Roman Church were commonly called Protestants but the protestation of a later and parliamentary conception and birth was not so much to distinguish Christians of several Churches as to discern persons how they stood affected to the King or to his great Councel whether they would as loyal subjects adhere to the Soveraignty of their Prince or in case his Majesty dissented from his two houses whether they would adventure all and to live and dye with a Parliamentary party of their fellow subjects and be subservient to their ends and interests this protestation was an early cunning bait and like Manna it pleased most pallats because it contained in it a variety of lawful good things and what could be more acceptable to a true Son of the Church of England then to defend her doctrine what duty more agreeable to a subject then to defend the prerogatives of his Soveraigns crown and what endeavour more honourable then to preserve the priviledges of Parliament and the laws of the land These four dishes seasonably served might relish well and find a good digestion being duties in themselves rightly understood fit for a good resolutition in any subject who honoured his King loved his Country or had a care of his soul yet the branches of that protestation did spread into so great a latitude in respect of the variety of the definitive points of the doctrine of the Church the unlimitted prerogatives of the Crown undetermined priviledges of Parliament and the difficulty of understanding the multitude and body of the learned laws that after the protestation was licked into a form as a golden pill quickly swallowed by about t weny members of the Commons House The pill being tasted by a more judicious pallate was disrelished and had stopt there if these words viz. as far as lawfully I may had not as a more safe ingredient been added to it there as if a warrantable dispensation had been given to every mans conscience sense and reason it was clearly swallowed without chawing or the least dispute The protestation then was at most but a conditional asseveration stuffed with great variety of dificulties and obscurityes And though the doctrine of the Church of England the Kings prerogative and the laws of the land had elbow-room in those few lines yet the priviledges of that Parliament which in time destroyed the King the Church and the laws under a specious name deluded the bewitched people into a horrid rebellion which caused great misery devastation to three flourishing Kingdomes now when those who took the
SIR will you grant and keep and by your Oath confirm to the people of England the Laws and Customes to them granted by the Kings of England your lawful and religious predecessors and namely the Laws Customes Franchises granted to the Clergy by the glorious KING St. Edward your predecessour according to the Laws of God the true profession of the Gospel established in this Kingdome and agreeing to the prerogative of the Kings thereof and the ancient customes of this Realm The King Igrant and promise to keep them Lord Bishop Sir will you keep peace and Godly agreement entirely according to your power both to God the holy Church the Clergy and the people King I will keep it L. Bishop Sir will you to your power cause law and justice and discretion in mercy and truth to be executed in all your judgements King I will L. Bishop Sir will you grant to hold and keep the rightful Customes which the commonalty of this your Kingdome have will you defend and uphold them to the honour of God so much as in you lyeth King Igrant and promise so to do The Petition of the L. Bishops read by the L. Bishop of ROCHESTER O Lord our King we beseech you to grant and preserve unto us and the Churches committed to our charge all Canonical priviledges and due Law and Iustice and that you would protect and defend us as every good King in his Kingdome ought to be a Protector and defender of the Bishops and Churches under their Government The King answered With a willing and devout heart I promise and grant my pardon and that I will preserve and maintain to you and the Churches committed to your charge all Canonical priviledges and due law and justice and that I will be your Protector and Defendor to my power by the assistance of God as every good King in his Kingdome ought in right protect and defend the Bishops and Churches under their Government Then the King went to the Altar where laying his hand upon the Evangelists he took the Oath following The things which I have here before promised I shall perform keep so God me help and by the contents of this Book and so kissed the Book The Homage of the Arch-Bishop of Canterbury for himself and all the Bishops he kneeling down and all the Bishops behind him said I William Arch-Bishop of Canterbury shall be faithful true Faith Truth shall bear unto you our Soveraign Lord and your Heirs Kings of England and I shall do and truly acknowledge the service of the Lands which I claim to hold of you as in right of the Church So God me help Then he arose and kissed the Kings left cheek as did the rest of the Bishops The Homage of the Nobility I James Duke of York become your Leigeman of life and limb and of earthly worship and Faith and Truth I shall bear unto you to live and dye against all manner of folk So God me help The Oath of a Lord Chancelour YOu shall swear that well and truly you shall serve our Soveraign Lord the King and his people in the office of Chancelour and you shall do right to all manner of people poor and rich after the laws and usages of this Realm and truly you shall counsel the King and his Counsel you shall layne and keep and you shall not know nor suffer the hurt or disheriting of the King or that the rights of the Crown be deceased by any means as far forth as you may let it and if you may not let it you shall make it cleerly and expresly to be known unto the King with your true advice and councel and that you shall do and purchase the Kings profit in all that you reasonably may As God you help and by the contents of this book The Oath of a privy Counceller YOu shall swear to be a true and faithful servant unto the Kings Majestie as one of his privy counsel you shall not know or understand any manner of thing to be attempted done or spoken against his Majesties Person Honour Crown or Dignity Royal but you shall let and withstand the same to the utmost of your power and either cause it to be revealed to his Majestie himself or to such of his privie Councel as shall advertise his Highness of the same You shall in all things to be moved treated and debated in Councel faithfully and truly declare your mind and opinion according to your heart and conscience and shall keep secret all matters committed and revealed unto you or shall be treated off secretly in Counsel and if any of the same Treaties or Counsels shall touch any of the Councellers you shall not reveale it unto him but shall keep the same until such time as by the consent of his Majesty or of the Councel publication shall be made thereof You shall to your uttermost bear Faith and Allegiance unto the Kings Majestie his Heirs and lawful successours and shall assist and defend all jurisdictions preheminences and authorities granted to his Majestie and annexed to his Crown against all forraign Princes Persons Prelates and Potentates by act of Parliament or otherwise And generally in all things you shall do as a faithful and true servant and Subject ought to do to his Majestie So help you God and by the holy contents of this book The Oath of a Secretary of State YOu shal swear to be a true faithfull Servant unto the Kings Majestie as one of the Principal Secretaries of State to his Majestie you shall not know or understand of any manner of thing to be attempted done or spoken against his Majesties person Honour Crown or Dignity-royal but you shall let and withstand the same to the uttermost of your power and either do or cause it to be revealed either to his Majestie himself or to his privie Counsel you shall keep secret all matters revealed and committed unto you or that shall be secretly treated in Counsel and if any of the said treaties or Counsels shall touch any of the Councellors you shall not reveal the same unto him but shall keep the same until such time as by the consent of his Majestie or the Connsel publication shall be made thereof you shall to your uttermost bear Faith and Allegiance to the Kings Majestie his heirs and lawful successours and shall assist and defende all jurisdictions preheminences and authorities granted to his Majestie and annexed to his Crown against all forraign Princes Persons Prelats or Potentates c. By act of Parliament or otherwise Generally in all things you shall do as a true and faithful servant and subject ought to do to his Majestie So help you God and by the holy contents of this book Subscription of such as are to be made Ministers according to the 37 canon and constitution Anno Dom. 1603. and in the reign of our Soveraign Lord Iames by the grace of God King of England Scotland France and Ireland
prodigiously to destroy the roots and branches of the royal stemm and though it was hatcht and contriv'd by a cunning hypocritical Crocodile and his bloudy Sycophants Cromwel yet as if Heaven and Earth God and man did abhor such an odious oath and combination how suddenly did it please God that his arme of providence should appear and incline the hearts not only of his loyal subjects but even of those who had been bitter Enemies to the royal throne to endeavour and cooperate for his Majesties restauration And now all these Withes and new Cords being broken by a Samsonian strength and influence from true Soveraignty are untwisted and unravel'd to an odium and a scorn And the Parliament hath judiciously and nobly determined and damn'd the covenant the Engagement and the oath of Abjuration to be illegal factious and seditious papers and all rational subjects may securely acquiess in their judgement and determination u Malum quod juramus facere non debemus implâ—â—â— D. Ber. de perjur ser 32. If this Collyrium clear not the eyes of all Protesters Covenanters Engagers and abjurators nor all these reasons reduce the phanatically deluded to their fidelity and allegiance to their King let them beware least the judgement as well as the sins of detestable perjury follow or fall upon them This is a horrid crime which the Schoolmen lay open to the world in this dress that x Perjurium est mondacium juramento firmatum Aurey Thes Eccles lib. 4. dist 39. perjury is a ly confirm'd and ratified by an oath and this is a most fearful aggravation And it is St. Hieroms resolution y Ius jurandum tres habet comites veritatem judicium justitiam Hieron super Hieremi 22. q. 2. that no oath is lawful unless it be attended with three indispensable concomitants viz. Truth Iudgement and Righteousnesse and where all or any of these three faile an oath is perjury St. Austin is more strict claring plainly z Cum sit vel putat falsum esse tamen pro vero jurat D. Aug. de ver Apost ser 28. that he is perjured that sweareth voluntarily what he knoweth to be false with a deceitful design or if he perfectly know it not thinketh it to be false The Fathers make an out-cry and declaim severely against this crime and call it Bellua detestanda a most detestable beast and filthy sin The schoolmen seem yet more severe then the Fathers a Iurans rerum quod putat esse falsum vel jurans falsum quod putat esse verum est perjurus T. Aquin. 22. ae q. 98 1.3 Aquinas determins that he who sweareth the truth which he thinketh to be false or swearing that which is false thinketh it to be truth is a perjured person Where the sin is so notorious the infamy and obloquies so odious and the judgements of the Eternal revenger so terrible and dangerous against perjured persons how careful should subjects be to recover themselves to the duty of loyalty and thereby to repair their credit and to vindicate themselves from eternal plagues and infamy The clouds thus dispersed by the beams of truth and rational arguments It is most evident that those subjects who started from their allegiance loyalty can neither plead excuse or merit for their tergiversation Apostacy as to any unlawful oaths wherewith their soules were insnared or intangled they are by the supream laws of God the laws of men discharghed absolved from them unless hardned with obstinacy they will as 't is in the Greek proverb b 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. malum malo meditatur sophocles Aeneas Platonicus ad sin unto sin force one nail with driving another and to perjury adde wilful impenitency but better things may be hoped from all subjects who as men look on themselves as born for rational society or as Christians professing the truths of sacred religion and not longer adhering to self opinion or seditious faction be perfectly converted to be true cordial royalists remembring the caution and counsel the late royal c Εικον Βασιλικε cont 19. pag. 174. Martyr gave not to pretend a reformation and to force a rebellion nor to hearken or give credit to those parasitick preachers who dared to call those Martyrs who dyed fighting against their King the laws their oathes and the religion established But sober Christians know that glorious title of Martyrs can with truth be applied to those who sincerely preferred Gods truth and their duty in all particulars before their lives and all that was dear to them in this world who where religiously sensible of those tyes to God the Church and the King which lay on their souls both for obedience and just assistance By this time apostatiz'd and deluded subjects their eyes being as well opened with sad experience as bright beames of reason and truth may cleerly see their errours and more securely avoid their dangers But least as those who behold their faces in a glass they may upon aremoval utterly forget their features or complexions It may not prove improper to set before us those pure Christals of Piety Wisdome Religion Honour and Government which the customes and laws of former ages have conveyed to this present generation engaging both the King and people to their respective dutyes whereby the soveraign and all his subjects are comprehended under â—â—mental obligationds d Fidelis sermo retinet locum sacramenti Iuramento non egit veritas D. Ber. Serm. 32. This difference and distinction only admitted that glorious Princes of the imperial Crown of England have in their royal grace and voluntary condescention accustomed themselves to solemn oathes at their coronation but the Kings subjects are obliged by oaths setled formed and confirmed by laws to exhibit and perform their homage Fealty allegiance and Fidelity to their Kings as Gods annointed and in these high priviledges and prerogatives the Kings of England seem to have a more legal tye and soveraignty over their subjects then either the Crown of France or Spain whose subjects are commanded in greater vassalage and as brighter and leading stars that sacred oathes obligations are here presented which pious Kings and Queens have accustomed to take at their coronation when they sealed to their sacred vows in the communion and sacrament of the body and bloud of Christ and then as better fitted have laid their hands on the blessed Evangelists bowing their heads have kissed the book the best eternal evidence of the affection of the heart and thus prepared they have usually received the Imperial Crown and Scepter with other Regalia and Emblems of royal Majestie from Gods altar as holding all their power and soveraignty from the King of Kings and Lord of Lords that God Angels and Men Heaven and Earth and the whole world and all ages to come may behold the pious integrity of Sacred Princes The Kings Oath at his Coronation L. Bishop of London
Kingdomes or Dominions or to authorise any Foreign Prince to invade or annoy him or his Countries or to discharge any of his Subjects of their Allegiance and obedience to his Majesty or to give license or leave to any of them to bear Arms raise Tumults or to offer any violence or hurt to his Majesties Royal Person State or Government or to any of his Majesties Subjects within his Majesties Dominions Also I do swear from my heart that notwithstanding any Declaration or sentence of Excommunication or Deprivation made or granted or to be made or granted by the Pope or his Successours or by any Authority derived or pretended to be derived from him or his See against the said King his Heirs or Successours or any Absolution of the said Subjects from their Obedience I will bear Faith and true Allegiance to his Majesty his Heirs and Successours and him and them will defend to the uttermost of my power against all conspiracies and attempts whatsoever which shall be made against his or their Persons their Crown and Dignity by reason or colour of any such Sentence or Declaration or otherwise and will do my best endeavour to disclose and make known unto his Majesty his Heirs and Successours all Treasons and Trayterous Conspiracies which I shall know or hear of to be against him or any of them And I do further swear That I do from my heart abhor detest and abjure as impious and heretical this Damnable Doctrine and Position That princes which be excommunicated or deprived by the Pope may be deposed or murthered by their Subjects or any other whatsoever And I do believe and in conscience am resolved that neither the Pope nor any person whatsoever hath power to absolve me of this Oath or any part thereof which I acknowledge by good and full Authority to be lawfully administred unto me and do renounce all pardons and dispensations to the contrary And all these things I doe plainly and sincerely acknowledge swear according to these expresse words by me spoken and according to the plain and common sense and understanding of the same words without any equivocation or mental evasion or secret reservation whatsoever And I do make this Recognition and acknowledement heartily willingly and truly upon the true faith of a Christian So help me God c. The Oath of Supremacy I A. B. Do utterly testifie and declare in my conscience that the King 's Highnesse is the onely Supream Governour of this Realm and of all other his Highnesse's Dominions and Countries as well in all Spiritual or Ecclesiastical things or causes as Temporal And that no Foreign Prince Person Prelate State or Potentate hath or or ought to have any Jurisdiction Power Superiority Preeminence or Authority Ecclesiastical or Spiritual within this Realm And therefore I do utterly renounce and forsake all Forraign Jurisdictions Powrs Superiorities and Authorities and do promise that from henceforth I shall bear Faith and true Allegiance to the King's Highnesse his Heirs and lawfull Successours and to my power shall assist and defend all Jurisdictions Priviledges Preeminences and Authorities granted or belonging to the Kings Highness his Heirs and successours or united and annexed to the Imperial Crown of this Realm So help me God and by the contents of this book These Platforms and models of Oathes as they are of holy use to unite our fidedelity to God and Man so they are of Divine Authority and seem to be influential from Heaven from whence we have the Sacred example so the Scriptures testifie Exod 33.1 Depart hence unto the Land which I swear unto Abraham Isaac and Jacob. Thus divine usage is very frequent with God Deut 1.8.34.35 Psal 95.9 Luk. 1.73 Heb. 6.13 Heb. 7.21 And as God pleased to confirm his promise with an Oath So King David Gods annointed voweth and sweareth calling on God and praying Lord remember David and all his Afflictions how he swear unto the Lord and vowed to the mighty God of Jacob. Psal 132.1 2. And Solomon his royal Son gave Counsel to all his subjects and all the world I counsel thee to keep the Kings commandement and that in regard of the Oath of God Eccles 8.2 Having now set fourth the sacred ☜ Oaths and obligations of the Kings and Queens of England and of some of the cheif Officers and Ministers of State together with the Homage of the Ecclesiastical Hirarchy and temporal Nobility and of the three great Officers of Court the Lord high Steward the Master of the Horse and the Lord Chamberlain by their Oathes as privy counsellors under whose immediate command and power all servants at Court are sworn to fidelity and obedience in their respective relations and ranks of order degrees and subordinations It is plain and easie to every rational subject to discern and see the most excellent form of Government that the prudence and piety of former ages hath conveyed to the English to this present time and we cannot do less then admire and magnifie the gracious providence and riches of Gods favours to the Kingdome of England who hath with the golden chain of harmonious Government so lincked Kings and Queens to himself and all their subjects and people to their soveraign Princes that no Kingdome under the canopy of Heaven hath a better frame of Government either for Church or State or the transaction of Ecclesiastick or civil concernments and affaires in which there is such an incementing concatenation by wholesome laws and customes for justice and the happy preservation of all the peoples Rights that as the King may sit as happily and securely on his Throne as any Monarch on earth so his people may as prosperously thrive under his gracious Government and reposing themselves under their own vines and figtrees as cheerfully enjoy the inestimable blessings of their own just rights and labours Milk and Hony with the overflowing favours of Peace and Plenty How great a crime must it then be to wrest or break one of the invaluable lincks of this golden concatenation which Soveraign Princes graciously please to strengthen and consolidate if possible by their sacred Oathes to God which cannot but indear and more oblige ingenuous subjects to greater exactness of duty and fidelity considering that these pious proceeding are more acts of Grace and voluntary and Princely condescentions flowing from the fountaines of their own royal goodness being methods of high degrees of kindness and love where words or promises and those at their royal wills and pleasure are to be looked on not only as certainties and assurances but as deeds and compleat performances The civil Law expecteth as much from Noble men and Persons of Honour that there words be equally esteemed as their deeds m Promissa nobilinm pro factis habentur And Iser c. 1. Tantum fidei legalitatis presumitur in Nobilibus ut si quicquam promiserint id per equesit certum ac indubitatum ac si jam factum esset And Iser c 1.
or alteration though from a discontented party or reconciled enemy in policy was not to be refused or unacceptable for though it might not much strengthen the King yet in some proportion it did debilitate and weaken the enemy and it might be probably hoped that as some branches had fallen from the Rebellious body others might follow their example or at least learn from them that an Army or party like a house or Kingdome divided within it self hath no long duration and cannot stand this declension from evil principles as it was an external testimony of repentance and grace so it must be acknowledged to be good service and a fair praeludium to future good effects but duty and endeavour of this Nature may rather and more fitly be reputed expiations for former crimes then pretensions to reward and merit which ever as the acute School men testify i Moritum importat aqualitatem justitiae Aquin. 3. quas 19. implyeth and importeth an equality of justice and right and justice doth not beg but boldly plead for desert and merit and to have and receive its rights not out of bounty or favour but as its due and debt a soveraign Throne cannot endure such petulant and bold pleaders This temper were rather tolerable in equals and Kings know none then inferiours and might better sute with commanders and soveraign Kings acknowledge none but God Rex a Deo primus nulli secundus then with those who have been offenders and in the highest priviledges ought to attend as humble petitioners So then though the service be never so infinite yet rising from the art and power of those who have so deeply offended there can be no pretences to merit which in a second reveiw is not to be granted or admitted without a lessoning diminution to the prerogatives of soveraignty which is so absolute that it cannot endure any intimation of command k Meritum est actio qua justum est ut agenti aliquiddetur Aquin. 3.49 c. 6. Now merit as the Schools teach is an action whereby it is not only might but necessary that reward and recompence be payed as a debt to him who hath acted now when the Actions and prevarications of those who have so highy injured and deeply wounded soveraignty and disturbed the peace and prosperity of three Kingdomes are ballanced and put into the Scales with their good works of loyalty though never so weighty they will be found utterly too light for reward or merit and rather justly prove objects of their Princes grace and clemency and in case their soveraign like Ahasuerus have inclined his royal Scepter towards them and thereby testified his bounty and goodnesse and so capacitated them with royal favour trust and honour these obligations as they magnifie the virtue of the Prince so they are as so many stronger chains to bind those who are obliged by them to greater perfection of loyalty and more exact and vigilant performances of their duty or else those favours will prove as so many witnesses to evidence against them and to accuse them of odious and monstruous ingratitude Meritum congrui condigni Aquin. l. 2. q. I 14. c. 6. And as to the medium or modification of the School distinction of condignity or is not to be admitted in this case for that of condignity or adequate merit is absolutely taken away and that of congruity or rather conveniency is totally and intirely to be recommended to the Princes Will Grace Wisdome and Iudgement who as he pleaseth may promote or punish as well as pardon by act of indemnity or amnesty as to royal pleasure shall seem expedient Apologies and excuses in delinquents thus exploded and all pretences to merit in those who have legally forfeited their lives liberties and estates by the laws of the land utterly abrogated what refuge can such offenders fly and address to as cordials to preserve their honour or their consciences perhaps some may plead their promise their vow their protestation their engagement or the covenant or their abjuration these were if righty judged exammined cunning subtile and sinful designs in the projectors and contrivers who framed them were Trumpets of Rebellion Sedition and faction sounded and blown up by those who promoted them and proved as snares to their Souls who either weakly submitted or with temporizing appetites did greedily swallow them and these cobweb lines spun out of the body womb of a venimous spider are not strong enough to hold a subjects hand or heart from his duty of faith allegiance towards his Soveraign and each one of these feeble and subsequent obligations being sifted by truth and reason as well as laws and justice will crumble to nothing before the oathes of allegiance and supremacy and the light of that duty that by municipal decrees by the laws of nature birth-right every subject oweth to his Prince being born under his prerogative and power in any of his Kingdomes or Dominions First as to promises l Promissio est actus iationis quia est enuntiatio ordinatio alicujus T. Aquin. 22. quae 88. a. 1. which are the suddain and usually most transient verbal obligations and ought to be effected of all persons of understanding Religion and Honour they ought ever to be acts of sound reason and judgement raised on good foundations and duly considered before they come to be published and proclaimed by the tongue or signed by the hand and even the strictest promises or paroles do not oblige the Faith or Honour of him that m Promissa non debent securari si estillicitum quod promittiur vel si sint mutatae conditionis personarum vel negotiorum Ad hoc ergo quod homo debeat servare quod promiserat oportet ut sit licitum quod promittitur quod omnia immutata permaneant Aquin. 22 ae quest 110. a. 35. promiseth if what be promised be illicit or unlawful or if the conditions of Persons or affairs be changed and altered These essentials rightly considered what ever promises have been made by subjects against the soveraignty of their Princes liberties of their Country laws of the land do fall to the Ground dissolve of themselves because of their illicit ununlawful foundation And as to the mutation of persons or affaires subjects are not to make new promises of combination or conspiracy against the true old principles of faith and true allegiance to their Kings for whether they sit gloriously and puissantly on their thrones or by any black misfortune are reduced to a low degree their character is indelible and being Gods vice-gerent in all conditions their subjects owe them reverence and true allegiance The first scruple thus easily blown over the second may prove of lesser difficulty some more zealous then judicious proceed further and plead they have not only promised but vowed now a vow seems to be a cord of stronger twisting the rather because an act of more