You shall be truly loyall to our Sov Lord King Charles, his heires &
successors, [the State & Govern^t of England as it now stands.] You
shall not speake or doe, devise or advise any thing or things act or
acts directly or indirectly by land or water, that doth shall or may
tend to the destrucc̄on or overthrow of this pr̄nt plantac̄ons
Colonies or Corporac̄on of New Plymouth, Neither shall you suffer
the same to be spoken or done but shall hinder oppose & discover the
same to the Govr̄ & Assistants of the said Colony for the time being
or some one of them. You shall faithfully submit unto such good &
wholesome laws & ordnanc & as either are or shall be made for the
ordering & governm^t of the same, and shall endeavor to advance the
growth & good of the severall Colonies plantations w^{th} in the
limit & of this Corporac̄on by all due meanes & courses. All w^{ch}
you promise & sweare by the name of the great God of heaven & earth
simply truly & faithfully to pforme as you hope for help frō God
who is the God of truth & punisher of falsehood. [1636]
Following the outbreak of civil war in England in 1638, the words “our
sovereign lord King Charles his heirs and successors” were erased, and
loyalty to “the State and Government of England as it now stands”
substituted. The modern rendering intermixed is probably an attempt by
the transcriber to fill out missing or undecipherable paragraphs or
sentences.
According to Francis Baylies’ “Historical Memoir of New Plymouth,” (I:
235,) the following Oath was prescribed to be taken by any residing in
the government of New Plymouth: