trafford, and
many others, had been formerly murdered by this wicked Parliament; but
the King yet was not: and the University had yet some faint hopes that
in a Treaty then in being, or pretended to be suddenly, there might
be such an agreement made between King and Parliament, that the
Dissenters in the University might both preserve their consciences and
subsistence which they then enjoyed by their Colleges.

[Sidenote: A mistaken hope]

[Sidenote: Manifesto to Parliament.]

And being possessed of this mistaken hope, that the Parliament were
not yet grown so merciless as not to allow manifest reason for their
not submitting to the enjoined Oaths, the University appointed
twenty delegates to meet, consider, and draw up a Manifesto to the
Parliament, why they could not take those oaths but by violation
of their consciences: and of these delegates Dr. Sheldon,--late
Archbishop of Canterbury,--Dr. Hammond,--Dr. Sanderson, Dr.
Morley,--now Bishop of Winchester,--and that most honest and as
judicious Civil Lawyer, Dr. Zouch,[17] were a part; the rest I cannot
now name: but the whole number of the delegates requested Dr. Zouch
to draw up the Law part, and give it to Dr. Sanderson: and he was
requested to methodise and add what referred to reason and conscience,
and put it into form. He yielded to their desires and did so. And
then, after they had been read in a full Convocation, and allowed of,
they were printed in Latin, that the Parliament's proceedings and the
University's sufferings might be manifested to all nations: and the
imposers of these oaths might repent, or answer them: but they were
past the first; and for the latter, I might swear they neither can,
nor ever will. And these Reasons were also suddenly turned into
English by Dr. Sanderson, that those of these three kingdoms might the
better judge of the loyal party's sufferings.

[Sidenote: "Cases of Conscience"]

[Sidenote: The King's errors]

[Sidenote: Translation of "De Juramento"]

About this time the Independents--who were then grown to be the most
powerful part of the army--had taken the King from a close to a
more large imprisonment; and, by their own pretences to liberty of
conscience, were obliged to allow somewhat of that to the King,
who had, in the year 1646, sent for Dr. Sanderson, Dr. Hammond, Dr.
Sheldon,--the late Archbishop of Canterbury,--and Dr. Morley,--the now
Bishop of Winchester,--to attend him, in order to advise with them,
how