You shall swear, according to that wisdom, and measure of discerning giuen vnto you; faithfully, equally & indifrently without respect of persons; to administer Justice, in all causes coming before you. And shall labor, to aduance, & furder the good of this Colony, & plantation, to the vtmost of your power; and oppose any thing that may hinder the same. So help you God. The words, “a true Christian” were afterwards crossed out, and the form used later: “as you hope for help from God, the God of truth and punisher of falsehood” was substituted. By the Laws of 1636, every freeman was required to take the following Oath: THE OATH OF A FFREEMAN 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: THE OATH OF A RESIDENT