I A. B. do in the pre­sence of Almighty GOD, and all the Angels and Saints inA 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, Sweare andThis 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 maine­taine and defend, as farre as IThat is, as farre as J 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, theWhat wanted you but the publike exercise of it in our Churches, which you have indeed of late practised in many places by violence. Pub­lique andWere any of you fined or restrained in bonds for it. free exer­cise of the true and CatholiqueAs if we could not be of the Catholike Church, unles of the Roman, as much to say, a man could not be in Ireland, unles he were in Dublin. And yet by that very addition of Ro­man to Catholike by way of distinction is ne­cessarily confest, there is also a true Catholique Religion, not Romane. Roman Religion againstNo exceptions of the King here, who hath often declared himself against it. All Persons that shall op­pose the same.

I further sweare, that I will beareBut is it not your Doctrin? no Faith need be kept with Heretiques, and hath not the Pope often declared our Kings to be such? Faith andTake heed what you doe, there are two Bulls of the Popes against your taking the Oath of Allegiance, and a long Tractate of Cardinall Bellarmines to show the unlaw­fullnesse of it, this is more then we pressed you too, or looked for from you. Alle­giance to our Sove­raigneIf you be a Priest, you professe to have no Lord even in Temporalibus, but the Pope. Lord KingAnd yet the Earle of Ormond hath a Commission under the Hand and Seale of our King Charles for the suppressing of you, as evidently runne into Rebellion against him. Charles, his heires and Successours, and that I will defend him and them, asWell put in, as a good reservation, that is, as farre as it may stand with the former Article, or till I am restrained by the Pope. farre as I may with my life, power and estate, against all such persons as shall attempt any thing a­gainst their Royall Persons, Honours and Estates or Dig­nities, and against all such as shall directly or indirectly endea­vour to suppresse their RoyallHow 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, &c. Prero­gatives, or doe any Act or Acts contra­ry toIt should be Papall Government. Regall Govern­ment.

As also the Power andWhy doe you then detaine so many Parlia­ment men here besieged from attending it, who are priviledged from so much as an ar­rest, are you not perjured in it. Priviledges of Parliament, the law­full rights and Pri­viledges of theBe good Subjects your selves first, and take not in the meane time a Priviledge to de­stroy those who are such. Sub­ject and everyWe guesse whose apes you are in this, but the cause and end is much differing and the successe will be according. per­son that makes this [Page 3]vow, Oath and Pro­testation in whatsoe­ver he shall doe in the lawfull pursuance of the same.

And to my power, as farre as I may, I will oppose, and by'Tis no matter, whither lawfull or no. All waies and means endeavour to bring toCondigne, this word needs a Glosse in­deed for the Vulgar, but they are used e­nough to an unknown language, and an im­plicite Oath, may be as safe as an implicite faith, what the boast of the merit of your good works, is ex condigno, we know, but what will proove a condigne punishment for a pretended bad worke, I believe, the poore people will sooner feele then under­stand. condigne punishment, even to theBloudy 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, onely then inflamed by him, who was a murderer from the beginning. losse of life, liberty and e­state, all such as shall either byWhat need this, alas, have ye not cruel­ly starv'd and undone thousands that never were guilty of any of these, that medled not with your Religion, lived harmelesse 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) resigne up to your selves again. force, pra­ctice, councels, plots, conspiracies, or other­wise doe 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 And why is there not added, And all his Saints, as your custome was and is, wher­by your farewell had bin 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 Pro­gresse, that they would not stay to be witnesses of the conclusion. God.

Well, God helpe 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 Kingdome, and give you repentance to turne from those evill wayes, least in the end the mischiefe returne upon your own heads. Would ye know whose steps [Page 4]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 councells 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 our selves the Houses of God in possession; Would ye see your face by way of Prophecy, looke into Saint Pauls 2. Tim. 3.2. In the latter daies men shall be unthankefull, with­out naturall affection, truce-breakers, false Accusers, fierce, Traitors, hea­dy, high min [...]ed, yet having a forme of Godlinesse, or a pretence of Re­ligion, but denying the power of it.

For such of you as have bin drawne to take this unlawfull Oath, let them thinke they are no more bound to observe it, then David was by his to have kil'd Abigail, Herod to have beheaded S. Iohn the Baptist, or the 40 Conspiratours to have slain S. Paul.

To such as have not yet taken it, let them hearken to the Councell of Salomon, 1. Pro. 10. My Son, if sinners intice thee consent thou not, if they say, Come with us, let us lay wait for blood, let us lurke privily for the innocent without cause; let us swallow them up alive as the Grave, and whole as those that goe downe into the Pit. We shall finde all precious substance, we shall fill our houses with spoyle. Cast in thy lot among us, let us all have one purse. My Son, walke not thou in the way with them, refraine thy foot from their path. And for us in this Towne, Blessed be God, who hath not given us over as a prey unto your teeth, our soule 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.

Vpon the treatie of this Fryer and others, who in the name of the Commanders of the Catholike Army (for so they terme it) demanded the surrender of this Towne of Drogheda, for his Majesties use and service, the Governour and Captaines of the said Towne, caused this Protestation and Oath to be drawn up as followeth.