Iter Boreal 2, Poem 22 – Title page 1
THE Loyal-Nonconformiſt; OR An Account what he dare ſwear and what he dare not ſwear. Publiſhed in the year, 1666.
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 Heav'nly, 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, nor of that Royal Name,
Which God hath choſen to command this Nation,
But will maintain his Perſon, Crown and
Fame:
What he commands, if Conſcience ſay not nay,
(For Conſcience is a greater King then 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 Majeſtie
May not be King of Clubs, but King of Hearts.
The Royal Oak I ſwear I will defend;
But for the lvy which doth hug it ſo,
I ſwear that is a Thief, and not a friend,
And about Steeples fitter far 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'l ſwear my Book may be compleat 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 Biſhopricks will ſtand, and Doomſday ſee;
And yet I'l ſwear the Goſpel holdeth forth
Chriſt with his Miniſters till then will be.
That Peter was a Prelat they aver;
But I'l not ſwear't when all is ſaid and done:
But I dare ſwear, and hope I ſhall not err,
He preach'd a hundred Sermons to their one.
Peter a Fiſher was, and he caught Men:
And they have Nets, and in them catch Men too;
Yet I'l not ſwear they are alike, for them
He caught he ſav'd: theſe catch, and them undo.
I dare not ſwear that Courts Eccleſiaſtick
Do in their Laws make juſt and gentle Votes;
But I'l be ſworn that Burton, Pryn and Baſtwick
Were once Ear-witneſſes of harſher Notes.
Archdeacons, Deans and Chapters are brave men,
By Canon, not by Scripture: but to this,
If I be call'd, I'l ſwear, and ſwear agen,
That no ſuch Chapter in my Bible is.
I'll not condemn thoſe Presbyterians, who
Refuſed Biſhopricks, and might have had'em:
But Miſtris Calamy I'll ſwear doth do
As well as if ſhe were a Spiritual Madam.
I will not ſwear, that they who this Oath take,
Will for Religion e're lay down their Lives:
But I will ſwear they will good Juglers make,
Who can already ſwallow down ſuch Knives.
For Holy Veſtments I'll not take an Oath
Which Linen moſt Canonical may be;
Some are for Lawn, ſome Holland, ſome Scotſ-cloth;
And Hemp for ſome is fitter than all three.
Paul had a Cloak, and Books, and Parchments too;
But that he wore a Surplice I'll not ſwear,
Nor that his Parchments did his Orders ſhew,
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 loth
To ſee Tom Beckets Miter puſh 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 and Welfare of the Nation:
If this won't do, I know not what to ſay,
But farewel London, farewel Corporation.
R. W.
THE RECANTATION Of A Penitent PROTEUS; OR, The CHANGLING.
As it was acted with good Applauſe in St. Maries in Cambridge, and St. Pauls in London, 1663.
To the Tune of Dr. Fauſtus.
London, Re-printed in the year, 1668.