For breaking of an oath, and lying,
Is but a kind of self-denying;
A Saint-like virtue:  and from hence 135
Some have broke oaths by Providence
Some, to the glory of the Lord,
Perjur’d themselves, and broke their word;
And this the constant rule and practice
Of all our late Apostles acts is. 140
Was not the cause at first begun
With perjury, and carried on? 
Was there an oath the Godly took,
But in due time and place they broke? 
Did we not bring our oaths in first, 145
Before our plate, to have them burst,
And cast in fitter models for
The present use of Church and War? 
Did not our Worthies of the House,
Before they broke the peace, break vows? 150
For having freed us first from both
Th’ Allegiance and Supremacy Oath,
Did they not next compel the Nation
To take and break the Protestation? 
To swear, and after to recant 155
The solemn League and Covenant? 
To take th’ Engagement, and disclaim it,
Enforc’d by those who first did frame it
Did they not swear, at first, to fight
For the king’s Safety and his Right, 160
And after march’d to find him out,
And charg’d him home with horse and foot;
But yet still had the confidence
To swear it was in his defence
Did they not swear to live and die 165
With Essex, and straight laid him by?

If that were all, for some have swore
As false as they, if th’ did no more,
Did they not swear to maintain Law,
In which that swearing made a flaw? 170
For Protestant Religion vow,
That did that vowing disallow? 
For Privilege of Parliament,
In which that swearing made a rent? 
And since, of all the three, not one 175
Is left in being, ’tis well known. 
Did they not swear, in express words,
To prop and back the House of Lords,
And after turn’d out the whole House-full
Of Peers, as dang’rous and unusefull? 180
So Cromwell, with deep oaths and vows,
Swore all the Commons out o’ th’ House;
Vow’d that the red-coats would disband,
Ay, marry wou’d they, at their command;
And troll’d them on, and swore, and swore, 185
Till th’ army turn’d them out of door. 
This tells us plainly what they thought,
That oaths and swearing go for nought,
And that by them th’ were only meant
To serve for an expedient. 190
What was the Public Faith found out for,
But to slur men of what they fought for
The Public Faith, which ev’ry one
Is bound t’ observe, yet kept by none;
And if that go for nothing, why 195
Should Private Faith have such a tye?