To yethe Question wtwhat was yethe V. CrsVice Chancellors oath of office? & of what antiquity?. They say, ytthat yethe words of the oath are these: Iurabis quod bene et fideliter præstabis omnia quæ spectant ad officium Procancellarij hujus Academiæ: sic te Deus adjuvet: wchwhich office being stated & prescribed by yethe Laws of yethe Land & Statutes of yethe Vniv:Vniversity, yethe V.C.Vice Chancellor is thereby obliged to observe faithfully those Laws, as far as they respect his office; a part of wchwhich laws were those recited in yethe beginning of yethe Answer of yethe V.C.Vice Chancellor & Senate formerly presented to their Lordships. Further yethe sdsaid oath they conceive to be as ancient as yethe office of V.Vice chancellrshipchancellorship, & ytthat yethe breaches thereof do not onely make yethe V.C.Vice Chancellor forsworn, but also affect yethe whole Senate: the honour & dignity whereof each member is sworn to save harmless.

To yethe Question, Did you ever know yethe Kings Mandate for degrees declined before They answer; always in this case where yethe oaths have been refused. An instance of this was given in one Tatnel, who was a non-conformist & upon certificate from yethe Vniv:Vniversity ytthat he refused to take yethe sdsaid oaths his late MatieMajestie was pleased to recall his particular Mandate for conferring yethe Degree of Dr of Divinity. And they further say, ytthat Mr. Pereira, & Mr. Stephens, Servants to her MatyMajesty yethe Queen Dowager, & Roman Catholicks, upon his late MatsMajestys general Mandate for conferring Degrees on occasions of yethe Kings com̄mming to yethe Vniv:Vniversity had their graces passed by yethe Senate, but upon their refusing to take these oaths were not admitted.

To yethe Question, have you never admitted ꝑpersons to Degrees without taking yethe Oaths? They answer, ytthat they know not of any ytthat have been so admitted, excepting onely Peers such as by yethe Custome of yethe Vniv:Vniversity have been reputed Noblemen & are thereupon excused. As to other ꝑpersons who take Degrees of Learning to use, exercise, supply, or occupy yethe same, (as yethe Statute words it) they reprpresent ytthat it has been yethe constant custome of yethe Vniv:Vniversity to require yethe oaths. And for Dr. Lightfoot, in whom his LdpLordship instanced, they are fully perswaded satisfied ytthat he did take yethe oaths, by reason ytthat he subscribed the three Articles in their common Register, to which all ꝑpersons taking yethe oaths do sett their hands, one of wchwhich Articles is yethe KKing's supremacy, & wchwhich subscription is all yethe Record they have, & consequently all yethe proof ytthat can be expected of any mans taking yethe sdsaid oaths, yethe oaths themselvs being never recorded. And yet it is worthy of remark, ytthat Dr Lightfoot took his Degree by yethe benefitt of yethe same LettrsLetters from wchwhich the aforesdsaid Pereira, & Stephens, were upon their refusing to take yethe oaths, were excluded; as appears by yethe records of yethe Vnivrersity. And they hear ytthat Dr Balaam affirms ytthat he, & Dr. Lightfoot had their hands on yethe book together in swearing. And if it shall be reprpresent (as they hear it is by some) ytthat anyone some persons in their absence from yethe Vniv:Vniversity & consequently without taking yethe sdsaid oaths was haue been, admitted to a degrees; they answer, ytthat they took them by Proxy under hand & seale, in wchwhich instruminstrument they empower Proxys to perform yethe ceremony of swearing for thiem, and in animam suam; & binds thiemselfves to abide by those oaths, according to yethe practise of yethe civil Law, conserved not only in yethe VnivrVniversity but also in yethe Church of Rome, as well formerly in this Nation, as still in other Countries. And further, if any one hath in any hurry of business, or otherwise, escaped taking them (an instance whereof will not easily be found) they conceive it was a transgression of yethe law punishable in yethe ꝑpersons offending, & can be no just precedent for any to transgresse them wilfully, & thereby subject themselvs to yethe penalties thereof. And in general thus much may confidently be sdsaid, ytthat no ꝑperson was ever admitted to any Degree who refused to take yethe oaths.: wchwhich is yethe true state of the prpresent case.

To yethe Question, why yethe Senate interposed in this affair, & sent up MessengrsMessengers to yethe V.CVice Chancellor? They answer, ytthat yethe KsKings Mandate being communicated to yethe Senate according to its direction their not taking notice of yethe same would have made it seem to be accepted by them, & so the admission of Mr Francis to a degree to pass for their act of the Vniversity: especially since Degrees are not given by yethe V.C.Vice Chancellor without yethe Senate, consisting of a certain Number of menpersons (22 at yethe least) & consenting either by vote or else by silence, wchwhich in their proceedings usually passeth for an affirmative vote &that the ceremony of giving Degrees authorised by the V.C.Vice Chancellor as the Vniversities Officer presiding in yethe Senate. # #For seeing degrees are not given wthwithout convening yethe Senate 'tis yethe Vniversity that gives them & only yethe ceremony which is performed by yethe V.C.Vice Chancellor wthwith their consent on their behalf. And accordingly as yethe Mandate was directed to all & consequently required obedience in them all, so yethe LdsLords CommissCommissioners in their Summons advisedly accused yethe V.C.Vice Chancellor & Senate together of disobedience & yethe V.Vicechancellor & Senate returned one common answer & after hearing yethe LdLord Chanc.Chancellor reproved yethe Senate not for impertinent intermedling wthwith wtwhat concerned them not, but for disobedience & uneasiness under his MatiesMajesties commands, & advised their obedience for yethe future. wchwhich obedience will make it their Act They conceived themselvs obliged also by their oaths, to interpose. For (beysides their oaths of Allegiance & Supremacy whereby they promise to renounce all forreign Authority, & promise to their power to assist, and defend all Iurisdictions & Authorities annexed to yethe Imperial Crown of England & by consequence to oppose as far as they may lawfully, yethe abettors of forreign authorities) ✝ # wchwhich they could not be said to do at present, & should disable themselves n great measure of doing for yethe future, if they should consent to yethe admission of such persons into their body, without insisting upon those oaths according to yethe trust reposed in yethe Vice Chancellour, & Senate, And besides they have swo for yethe defence of thies MatyMajesty Crown against them. And besides they have – they have obliged themselvs by their Matriculation oath, to preserve yethe priviledges of yethe Vniv:Vniversity as much as in them lies, & to save harmless yethe state, honour, & dignity thereof, as long as they live, & the same to defend by their vote, & counsel, whether askt, or not askt, & other oaths to yethe same purpose are taken, & repeated by every Graduate in his respective degree. And even Noblemen themselvs, who are excused from all other oaths, do make faith to yethe same purpose in verbo honoris. And further These are the reasons for yethe Senate's interposing, & for the manner of their doing it they represent, ytthat it is yethe natural right & priviledge of all Senates, ytthat their MembrsMembers may consult & advise one another, concerning any business ytthat comes before them; & yethe only way whereby yethe hHouses, in Senate, or any of their MembrsMembers may conveniently consult yethe V.C.Vice Chancellor is by Messengers, it being indecent for him to go down to them, & turbulent for any great number of them to go up to him, where it may be conveniently avoided. That it is very frequent for ꝑpersons to go up to him from yethe houses to advise or consult him, either in their own Names or in yethe Names of many others, or in yethe Names of whole Colledges, & by yethe same reason, many or all yethe Colledges, or Senate may consult him, by one or more MessengrsMessengers, in any business wchwhich concerns yethe whole. That it would be a force upon yethe Senate to be required to be prpresent at an act which cannot be done without them, & to have yethe thing communicated to them, in order to its being done, & yet, whilst they are averse from it, to be denyed all liberty of signifying their dissent. That a Grace is not yethe proper way of yethe Senate's signifying their dissent from yethe V.C.Vice Chancellor in an illegal Act; for Graces are proposed by private ꝑpersons to yethe V.C.Vice Chancellor to be communicated to yethe Senate, & may be laid aside by him, or stop't by any one in yethe hHead. That yethe Members of yethe Senate may protest agtagainst yethe V.Vice Crs.Chancellors acting amongst them contrary to his duty, & by consequence, may all of them severally request him to forbeare, & therefore are not to be blamed for signifying their dissent in a more quiet & modest way. That yethe Order in his late MatsMajestys Letter to yethe Vniversity Decemb. 15th1669 agtagainst cursitation in yethe Senate, is to be understood of such needless, or indecent motions actions as disturbe yethe Senate Senate; & barrs not fit motion in business, as in Scrutinies, writing & giving up votes, paying of mony to yethe Proctors, or other just occasions: and ytthat one clause of yethe sdsaid order is, ytthat none in yethe Regent house shall make any other address to yethe V.C.Vice Chancellor then by a reverent, & respectfull application to him: whereby his sdsaid MatieMajestie seems both to advise, & approve & advise addresses of this nature; they humbly conceiving ytthat yethe sence of both houses was communicated to yethe V.C.Vice Chancellor by their MessengrsMessengers in yethe most modest, quiet, reverent, & respectfull manner ytthat they could think of. For if in this Message there was any thing extraordinary 'twas suitable to yethe occasion, & not more extraordinary then protesting would have been wchwhich every one allows to be a lawfull act; & wchwhich not onely implys a right of signifying their dissent, whether immediately, or by MessengrsMessengers, but also recommands yethe same as fit, & proper to be done, in yethe first place. And yethe reason why these MessrsMessengers, rather then others were chosen by yethe Senate, was because of their being publick ꝑpersons or Seniors of their houses.