FORASMUCH as the Pretended Prince of Wales, hath for some Times,
and doth continue to assume to himself the Title of King of England,
and the Dominions thereunto belonging, by the Name of James the
Third: Therefore for the better Security of his Majesty in his
just Rights
and Sovereignty in and over the Province of Maryland, and for
extinguishing
all Hopes of the Friends and Adherents of the said Pretended Prince:
II. Be it Enacted,
by the King's most excellent Majesty, by and with the Advice
and Consent of his Majesty's Governor, Council, and Assembly of
this Province,
and the Authority of the same, That from and after the Conclusion
of this
present Session of Assembly, the Oath of Abjuration shall be administered
to
all Persons that already have, or shall hereafter be admitted to have,
or enjoy,
any Office or Place of Trust within this Province, in such Manner and
Form as is herein after recited, (That is to say,)
" I A.B. do truly and sincerely acknowledge, profess, testify,
and declare, in may
" Conscience, before GOD and the World, That our Sovereign Lord
King George
" is lawful and rightful King of the Realm of Great-Britain,
and of all other his
" Majesty's Dominions, and Countries thereunto belonging.
And I do solemnly and
" sincerely declare, that I do believe in my Conscience, that the
Person, pretended
" to be Prince of Wales during the Life of the late King
James, and since his
" Decease, pretending to be, and taking upon himself the Stile and
Title of, King of
" England, by the Name of James the Third, hath not
any Right or Title whatsoever
" to the Crown of the Realm of Great-Britain, or any other
of the Dominions
" thereunto belonging. And I do renounce, refuse, and abjure
any Allegiance
" to his Majesty King George, and him will defend, to the
utmost of my
" Power, against all traiterous Conspiracies and Attempts whatsoever,
which shall
" be made against his Person, Crown or Dignity. And I will
do my best Endeavour
" to disclose and make known to his Majesty, and his Successors,
all Treasons
" and traiterous Conspiracies which I shall know to be against him,
or any of them.
" And i do faithfully promise, to the utmost of my Power, to support,
maintain,
" and defend the Limitation and Succession of the Crown, against
him the said
" James , and all other Persons whatsoever, as the same is
and stands limited by
" an Act, entitled, Wan Act declaring the Rights and Liberties
of the Subject,
" and settling the Succession of the Crown to her present Majesty,
and the
" Heirs of her Body, being Protestants: And as the
same, by one other Act,
" entitled, An Act for the further Limitation of the Crown,
and better securing
" the Rights and Liberties of the Subject, is, and stands
limited, after
" the Decease of her Majesty, and for default of Issue of her Majesty,
to the
" Princess Sophia, Electress and Dutchess Dowager of Hanover,
and
the Heirs
" of her Body, being Protestants. And all these Things I do
plainly and sincerely
" acknowledge and swear, according to these express Words by me
spoken, and according
" to the plain and common Sense and understanding of the same Words,
" without any Equivocation, pr mental Evasion, or secret Reservation
whatsoever.
" And I do make this Recognition, Acknowledgment, Abjuration, Renunciation
and
" Promise, heartily, willingly, and truly, upon the true Faith of
a Christian.
" So help me GOD." |
N.B. The
Abjuration
Oath prescribed
by this Act,
1716, ch. 5,
which see, for
the Oaths of
Allegiance,
Abhorrency,
and Abjuration,
together
with the Test,
as now taken
and subscribed
by all Officers,
&c. |
