RETIRED - Oath of Office - Benjamin Sangly, Herald

First, I swear to our lord the duke that made me of the order of herald, in his excellent presence, to be true in all manner point if I hear any manner of language or any other thing that should touch treason to his high and excellent person, or to his noble and discreet council, so help me Morgaine and holidom.

I shall do my diligence to have knowledge of all the nobles and gentlemen within our march which should bear coats in the field in the service of our sovereign lord, his lieutenants, officers, and commisaries, and them with their issue truly register, and such arms as they bear, with the difference due in the arms to be given, and they hold any service by knight's fee, whereby they should give to the duke service for the defense of his land.

I shall be serviceable and secret in all points, except treason, and in obedience to all knights and gentleness, to lords and ladies and to gentlemen and gentlewomen, and as a confessor of arms, and cause and counsel them to all the truth, worship, and virtue in that in me is, so help me Morgaine and holidom.

I shall be true of all my reports, and diligent to seek worship, and I will desire to be in the places of great assembly of princes and princesses, lords, ladies, and estates of great worship, which through me may have cunning to report to His Grace, my duke, such worship as is occupied there, so help me Morgaine and holidom.

I promise, in case that fortune befall me to meet any gentleman of name and of arms that has lost his goods in our lord's service, or in any other place of worship, if he requires me of my goods to his sustenance, I shall give or lend him to my power, so help me Morgaine and holidom.

If in case I shall be in any place, that I hear any language between gentleman and gentleman that should touch any strife or debate between them two, and afterwards following that I be sent for to come before our duke to bear witness of the aforesaid language, I shall keep my mouth closed, and bear no witness without leave of both parties, and with their leave only shall I say the truth, and let neither for love nor for dread, but I shall say the truth, so help me Morgaine and holidom.

Whensoever the duke shall command me to give any message to any other king, prince, state, or any other person out of this his realm, or to any person of whatever state, condition, or degree he be of within the same, that I shall do it as honorably and truly as my will and reason can serve me, and greatly to the advantage of our duke and his realm, and truly report bring again to His Grace of my message and as near to the charge to me committed in words and in substance as my said reason may attain to, always keeping myself secret for any manner motion, save to such persons as I be commanded to utter my charge unto.

I shall do my true duty to be every day more cunning than others in the office of arms, so as I may be better furnished to teach others under me, and execute with more wisdom and more eloquence such charges as my sovereign lord and his realm or of his realm any nobleman shall lay unto me by the virtue of the office, which his grace will erect me to at this time, discovering in no wise that I have in charge to keep closer than that be prejudicial to the duke our sovereign lord and his realm.

I further swear service to Sir M. Aeneas, Constable of the Duchy of Wessex, until such a time as he sees fit to relieve me of said burden.

May my tongue bear no lies, lest it be removed from its earthly host, and may my heart do no wrong. May I leave this earth as pure as I entered it.

I shall promise to my power to forsake all vices, and take to myself all virtues, and to be no common goer to taverns, the which might cause unvirtuousness and unclean language, and that I be neither a dice player nor has-harder and that I flee places of debate and dishonest places, and the company of women dishonest. These articles and other abovesaid I swear truly to keep with all my might and power, so help me Morgaine and holidom.

This I swear, by the light and the stars, by the moon and the heavens, and by all those who dwell in all lands, save none.

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