Four treatises tending to dissuade all Christians from four no less heinous then common…Foure treatises tending to disswade all Christians from foure no lesse hainous then common…

Here therefore are condemned all oaths which are not by the name of the true God;¹ of which there are many kinds: first those petty, diminutive, and childish oaths which are so much in use in these days; bodikin, lakin, by cock, by my fey, and such like; all which are the fruits of ignorance and superstition: for men seeing the unexcusable evil of profaning the glorious name of God, in their ordinary communication, upon every trifling occasion, and having so inured their tongues to swearing, that they think there is a kind of necessity of using some kind of oaths, either for ornament of speech, or to gain more credit to their words; they imagine that God will excuse them if they do not directly take his name in vain, but use only these trifling and petty oaths in their ordinary speech. But what is this but to jest with holy things, and to mock the Lord, who will not be mocked? As though he regarded the pronunciation and outward sound more than the oath it self; or being displeased, to have his titles and attributes commonly used, should be contented to have them nick-named in a ridiculous manner. What is it but quite to overthrow the lawful use of an oath, which is ordained by God, only for the confirmation of a weighty and necessary truth, and not to be used ordinarily and upon every trifling occasion? so that if the matter be light and vain we must not swear at all; if so weighty that we may lawfully swear, then likewise is it lawful to use the glorious name of God in an holy and religious manner.

Here therefore are condemned all oathes which are not by the name of the true God;¹ of which there are many kinds: first those pettie, diminutiue, and childish oathes which are so much in vse in these dayes; bodikin, lakin, by cocke, by my fey, and such like; all which are the fruites of ignorance and superstition: for men seeing the vnexcusable euill of prophaning the glorious name of God, in their ordinarie communication, vpon euerie trifling occasion, and hauing so inured their tongues to swearing, that they thinke there is a kinde of necessitie of vsing some kind of oathes, either for ornament of speech, or to gaine more credit to their words; they imagine that God will excuse them if they doe not directly take his name in vaine, but vse onely these trifling and pettie oathes in their ordinarie speech. But what is this but to iest with holy things, and to mocke the Lord, who will not be mocked? As though he regarded the pronunciation and outward sound more than the oath it selfe; or being displeased, to haue his titles and attributes commonly vsed, should be contented to haue them nick-named in a ridiculous manner. What is it but quite to ouerthrow the lawfull vse of an oath, which is ordained by God, onely for the confirmation of a waightie and necessarie truth, and not to be vsed ordinarilie and vpon euerie trifling occasion? so that if the matter be light and vaine we must not sweare at all; if so waightie that we may lawfully sweare, then likewise is it lawfull to vse the glorious name of God in an holy and religious manner.