“Serres;—ye shall well and trulye upon your discressions, without any affection, favour, fraude, or male-engine, chese and call up four burges, abyll, of the most indifferent, and not suspect persons, for the election of my mayster the Mayre: so God you help at the holy dome.”
The oath tendered to each of the 24 Jurats was as follows—
“Serre;—ye shall be ready and buxom to my mayster the Mayre at all tymes when ye be called by him, or warned by the Sergeante, for the nedes and worship of this towne and the commonaltie thereof, and well and trulye councill him, for the proffitte and worshipe of this towne after your discression, and the counsell of this towne trulye kepe; so God you help at the holy dome.”
As to the 27 Common-councilmen, their oath ran in much the same strain, only referring to their particular designation, as overseers or superintendents of all taxes, tallages, dymes, fiftenes, loones, reparacions, amending of houses, walles, brigges, fletes, and dyches, &c.
That tendered to the Sergeant began thus—
“Ser; ye shall swere that ye shall be redy and buxom to my mayster the Mayre at all tymes, and truelye warne the 24 and 27 to come to the gild halle, or into any other place.” &c. &c.—
That tendered to the Keeper of the East Gate was expressed thus—
“Ser; ye shall well, duelye, and truelye kepe the East Yates, and the Gannock Yate, and lete out and in the pepyll in dewe tyme, and lete the Couses shake in dewe tyme, to scoure the fletes of this towne, and oversee the markett, that the vitalls that come to the towne by land or by water be not ferestalled, nor hydde in no prive place, and every day be attendant on your mayster the Mayre, and all other things truelye to do and use that belongeth or perteyneth to the office of the portership, and keper of the markett; so God you help at holy dome.”
The oath tendered to the keeper of the South Gate was in this form.—
“Ser, ye shall well and trewlye kepe the South Yates, and lete the pepyll in and oute in lawful tyme, and buxom be to my mayster the Mayre, and to his commandments, for the proffitte and worshipe of this towne; so God you help at holy dome.”