Page:William Blackstone, Commentaries on the Laws of England (3rd ed, 1768, vol I).djvu/251

Ch. 6. tion oath, which by the tatute 1 W. & M. t. 1. c. 6. is to be adminitred to every king and queen, who hall ucceed to the imperial crown of thee realms, by one of the archbihops or bihops of the realm, in the preence of all the people; who on their parts do reciprocally take the oath of allegiance to the crown. This coronation oath is conceived in the following terms: “The archbihop or bihop hall ay, Will you olemnly promie and wear to govern the people of this kingdom of England, and the dominions thereto belonging, according to the tatutes in parliament agreed on, and the laws and cutoms of the ame?—The king or queen hall ay, I olemnly promie o to do. “Archbihop or bihop. Will you to your power caue law and jutice, in mercy, to be executed in all your judgments?—King or queen. I will.

“Archbihop or bihop. Will you to the utmot of your power maintain the laws of God, the true profeion of the gopel, and the protetant reformed religion etablihed by the law? And will you preerve unto the bihops and clergy of this realm, and to the churches committed to their charge, all uch rights and privileges as by law do or hall appertain unto them, or any of them?—King or queen. All this I promie to do. “After this the king or queen, laying his or her hand upon the holy gopel, hall ay, The things which I have here before promied I will perform and keep: o help me God. And then hall kis the book.” is the form of the coronation oath, as it is now precribed by our laws: the principal articles of which appear to be at leat as antient as the mirror of jutices, and even as the time of Bracton : but the wording of it was changed at the revolution, becaue (as the tatute alleges) the oath itelf had been Rh