dayne deth yf we do receyue with all humylyte the blyssynge of the preest / at the ende of his masse / for his handes be moche more holy / thaÌ„ were the haÌ„des of the olde fathers And by the blyssynge of the preest / we be made worthy of the blyssynge of our lorde god in heuen Therfore whan the preest gyueth the blyssynge after masse / ye shall knele downe vpon your knees with your heed bare and inclyned towardes the grounde / in receyuynge the same Wherof we haue many fayre examples / the whiche shuld be to prolyxe and longe to descrybe Yet neuer theles ye shall haue twayne in shorte wordes here declared ¶ Example WE rede that there was a couereur of howses whiche beynge vpon the toppe or hyghte of a howse there workynge / sodaynly fell downe to the grounde / without hurtyng hym selfe or hauynge any maner of harme The people seynge this dyd renne vnto hym / thynkynge that he was dede / and they dyd fynde hym hole sounde and they dyd say vnto hym Thou haste ben well blyssed this daye / He answered and sayd it is true for I had this daye the blyssynge / whiche the preest gaue after the masse / whose handes had touched the body of our lord Ihesu chryste And my fayth byleue was / that after the blyssynge which I receyued huÌ„bly after the masse I shulde not dye sodaynly without confessyon / as nowe ye maye se ¶ Example WE rede moreouer of two men whiche were coÌ„paygnons felowes in marchaundyse / of the whiche the one receyued alwayes the blyssynge of the preest / and the other neuer dyd regarde nor care for it And one day as they were goynge in theyr iourney / there came a great tempest of thondre and lyghtnynge / of the whiche tempest he that was neuer wont to receyue the blyssynge of the preest nor to regarde it / was stryken to deth / and the other whiche was alwayes wonte to receyue the blyssynge / was saued and not hurte ¶ The .xxiiii. Chapytre / what thynge a man shall rede whan he coÌ„meth fyrste before the holy sacrament ¶ Orayson O Blissed and mercyfull lord Ihesu chryste / I coÌ„mende this daye in the presence of thy holy body and at all tymes my soule and my body by the vertue of thy holy natyuyte thy blyssed crosse / and sharpe and bytter passyon / thy gloryous resurreccyon O father euerlastynge god almyghty / thou arte the begynnynge and the ende of all creatures / thou art the waye and the trueth and the helth of al men O father euerlastynge / I crye and call pryncypally vnto the for my helpe ayde / by the vertue of the holy sacrament / to the entent that thou wylt defende me froÌ„ all thynge that may be hurtfull to the helth of my soule Albeit that I am a poore synner / Yet neuerthelesse I am thy vnworthy creature / redemed and delyuered by the precyous blode of thy sone And I byleue stedfastly in the wherfore good lorde defende me alwayes from all perylles and dauÌ„gers of myne enemyes vysyble and inuysyble / and from all venom and poyson in metes and drynkes / from shame and sodayne deth / by the vertue of the holy sacrament / in the whiche I put all my hope and byleue O holy and most worthy sacrameÌ„t in the which be vnyed iÌ„ godhed / the father / the sone / and the holy ghost / thou dost exalt all that do crye and call vnto the and that do byleue in the. Therfore exalte me nowe specyally in all that is necessary helthful for my soule / that from hensforth I maye accomplysshe and fulfyll thy wyll ¶ The .xxv. Chapytre / what thynge the man shall rede / whan he coÌ„meth before the holy crosse of our lorde Ihesu chryste O Lorde Ihesu chryste / I pray the by the vertue of the same orayson prayer / that thou dyddest make in great anguysshe and payne of herte / vnder the mount of Olyuete where for fere drede of deth / thou dyddest swete droppes of blode rennynge downe to the grounde Offre and show that same blode to thy father celestyall / agaynst the multytude of my synnes / and delyuer me at the houre of deth / from all fere and drede whiche I haue deserued for my synnes ¶ Pater noster Aue maria O Lorde Ihesu chryste whiche hath dyed vpon the crosse for me poore synner / I pray the that thou wylt showe offre to thy father celestyall / all the payne and bytternes of thy passyon / and specyally whan thy blyssed soule departed out of thy blyssed body / agaynst the multytude of my synnes And delyuer me at the houre of deth from all payne / whiche I haue deserued for the multytude of my synÌ„es Amen ¶ Pater noster Aue maria O Lorde Ihesu chryste / I praye the by the inestymable loue that caused the to descende from heuen vnto erthe / there to suffre deth vpon the crosse most cruelly for me poore synÌ„er / to showe and offre the same vnto thy father celestyal agaynst the multytude of my synnes And after this lyfe to open me the gate of heuen Amen ¶ Pater noster Aue maria ¶ The .xxvi. Chapytre / what thynge the man shall rede / whan he doth come before the Image of our Lady O Moste benygne Mary doughter of the father of heuen mother of the sone of god / espouse of the holy ghost I praye the that as the father celestyall of his great myght power hath exalted the in the hyghest trone of heuen / so I pray the most benygne vyrgyne and mother mary / to socoure and helpe me and all my frendes And to defende vs from the teÌ„ptacyons of our enemye Amen ¶ Aue maria O Most humble mother of Ihesu chryste Mary thou art a paradyse of ioye the hyd treaso r of the secrete of god I pray the that as the son of god of the myght power of his incoÌ„prehensyble wysdome hath aorned the / that ouer and aboue al the sayntê thou shulde vse haue the fruycyon most perfytly / of the face preseÌ„ce of the holy trynyte so I pray the most pure virgyn mary / that thou stande by me assyste me and all my frendes at the houre of deth / in remplysshynge and in puttynge in our soules / the lyght of the holy catholyke fayth / to the entent that oure fayth / be not occupyed with erroure ¶ Aue maria O Most swete mary / beaute of the aungelles / flower of the patryarkê / maystres of the apostelles / courage of the martyres / swete fouÌ„tayne of the coÌ„fessours honoure and ioye of vyrgynes / consolacyon solace of all synners / I praye the that as the holy ghoost hathe remplysshed and fylled the of his swetnes and dyuyne grace to the entent that thou be the most benygne and mercyfull next after god / so I beseche the most holy
may gyue them grace and mayntayne them iÌ„ all goodnes This doth sygnyfye showe howe oure lorde Ihesus was taken in the garthen at the most secrete tyme of the nyght / prayenge the Iewes to spare his dyscyples to do them no hurte ¶ Orayson Pater nrÌ„ Aue maria O Blyssed lorde Ihesu chryste / I do thanke the that thou hast suffred thy selfe to be taken and bouÌ„de of the cursed Iewes / and so to be led to the howse of Annas to the entent that thou myght breke the bondes of deth of our synnes / I praye the delyuer me from the bondes of myne enemyes vysyble and inuysyble / and vnbynde the bondes of my conscyence / to the entent that I so delyuered maye laude and prayse the euerlastyngly Amen ¶ The .xvi. Artycle of the masse HOwe the preest doth make fyue crosses vpon the hoste afore that he do consecrate it in sacrament This doth sygnyfye that the thre fyrste crosses do sygnyfye that there was thre pryncypall Iuges examynynge our lorde to deth / as Annas / Cayphas / and Pylate The other two crosses sygnyfye the two pryncypall effusyons of blode as whaÌ„ our lord was scourged crowned ¶ Orayson Pater nrÌ„ Aue maria O Blyssed lorde Ihesu chryste / I do thanke the that at the houre of pryme thou hast suffred thy selfe to be led to the counceyll of the Iewes / before Annas / Cayphas / Pylate / where they haue mocked and dyspysed reputed the as a sole / I pray the good lorde for the passyon payne that thou dyddest suffre there / grauÌ„t me pacyeÌ„tly to bere al maner of mockyngê dyspysynges / and wronges done to me Amen ¶ The .xvii. Artycle of the masse HOwe the preest maketh clene his haÌ„des vpon the aulter as puryfyenge them This doth sygnyfye how Pylate hath wasshed his handes afore the Iewes / as knowlegynge hym selfe not culpable of the deth of the innocent Ihesus / to the whiche the Iewes dyd seduce hym / for fere of leasynge of his offyce / not to be loued of the Emperoure ¶ Orayson Pater nrÌ„ Aue maria O Blyssed lorde Ihesu chryste / I do thanke the that thou hast suffred thy selfe to be ledde as an euyll doer to the consystory of Pylate / I praye the good lorde seene me to ascende and go vp to the consystory and courte of my conscyence / to the entent that there I maye iuge my fault and not those of myne euen chrysten that also I maye haue no nede to care for the iugement of men But that I maye onely before thy face be founde innocent and not culpable Amen ¶ The .xviii. Artycle of the masse HOw the preest taketh the hoste in his handes and doth mynyster it lyftynge the chesuble vpon his sholdres / doth make hym redy to consecrate and offre the holy sacrament and body of oure lorde This sygnyfyeth howe after the sentence of Pylate / our lorde made hym redy to dye takynge the heuye crosse vpon his blyssed sholdres / and went therwith towardes the mount of Caluerye ¶ Orayson Pater nrÌ„ Aue maria O Blyssed lorde Ihesu chryste I thanke the that thou after the sentence of deth which Pylate gaue of the / was charged of thy heuy crosse / preparynge thy selfe to deth wyllyngly / I praye the good lorde graunt me whan my tyme shal come to gyue me wyllyngly in to thy handes to lyue and dye / to the entent that therby and by thy bytter passyon / I may be delyuered from euerlastynge deth Amen ¶ The .xix. Artycle of the masse HOwe the preest whan he hath consecrate the holy sacrament / he dothe lyfte the body of our lorde on hygh / afore all the people betwene his two handes / as a medyatoure betwene god the father man This dothe sygnyfye howe the sone of god was lyfte vp of the Iewes / nayled vpoÌ„ the crosse betwene two theues and of two sortes of people mocked / as of the Iewes and infydelles ¶ Orayson Pater nrÌ„ Aue maria O Blyssed lorde Ihesu chryste / I thanke the that after many paynes and sorowes suffred here on erth fynally thou was crucyfyed and lyfte vp iÌ„ the ayre vpoÌ„ the crosse with great sorowe payne / I praye the good lorde lyfte my herte vp to heuenly thynges tourne it from all erthly thyngê not necessary for the helth of my soule / to the entent that so I maye crucyfye my spyryte betwene the flesshe and the worlde that by desyre I maye rest in the. Amen ¶ The .xx. Artycle of the masse HOwe the preest after that he hathe lyfte the blyssed body of oure lorde / he doth lyfte the chalyce with the precyous blode of god This dothe sygnyfye howe oure lorde beynge lyfte vp with the crosse / the Iewes dyd lette it fall so rudely with the body in to the mortays that all his woundes and specyally the fyue woundes dyd renne downe with blode abundauntly as a fountayne vpon the erth ¶ Orayson Pater nrÌ„ Aue maria O Blyssed lorde Ihesu chryste / I thanke the that thou hast suffred thy selfe to be drawen and nayled vpon the crosse / so that a man myght haue compted all thy membres / wherof dyd yssewe abundauntly thy precyous blode vpon the erth / I pray the good lord grauÌ„t me that I may vse all my power vertues in thy seruyce and to thy honour and not in synne / to the entent that all my membres maye laude prayse the euerlastyngly Amen ¶ The .xxi. Artycle of the masse HOwe the preest after the eleuacion doth stande vp ryght with his armes spred abrode / prayenge for the people This doth sygnyfye howe oure lorde hangynge on the crosse / was mocked of the Iewes and paynyms whiche dyd not knowe hym Yet neuertheles he dyd praye for them / whiche dyd kyll and crucyfye hym / as for symple folkes and infydelles whiche dyde not knowe what they dyd ¶ Orayson Pater nrÌ„ Aue maria O Blyssed lorde Ihesu chryste / I do thanke the that thou haste suffred to be mocked for me / to the entent that I maye be honoured and exalted in heuen / I pray the good lorde graunt me by thy dyuyne grace / that I neuer do erre nor go froÌ„ the crosse of penaunce by any temptacyon / interyoure or exteryoure / the whiche from hensforth I desyre to take for my synnes / vnto that tyme that my soule shal be departed from my body Amen ¶ The .xxii. Artycle of the masse HOw the preest after this dothe make .vii. crosses vpon the Sacrament This sygnyfyeth howe God hangynge on the crosse / dyde speke these vii wordes in great sorowe and anguysshe of his herte The fyrst worde / Father forgyue them / for they can not tell what they do The .ii. thou shall be with me this daye in paradyse The .iii. mother se here thy sone / and to his dyscyple / se here thy mother The .iiii O my god / why hast thou
nere that he shuld resuscytate hym selfe from dethe / wherfore resuscytate hym nowe at this tyme. O my dere sone I haue seen the all redy wounded longe ago O yf I myght se the now resuscytate from deth gloryfied ī body O my dere son thou hast ofte tymes tolde that on the thyrde day thou wold ryse frō deth / now it draweth nere Mary thus prayenge / as the sondaye at mydnyghte her dere sone dyde ryse from deth / and dyde reioyse make glad his mother afore all other / wherfore ye shall saye in the honour of her this prayer folowynge ¶ Who that sayth this prayer with repentaunce of his synnes / shall meryte .lxxx. M. yeres of pardon O Lorde Ihesu chryste / I praye the forthe loue of that ioye whiche thy mother had / whan thou dyddest appere to her in the holy nyghte of Ester / And for that ioye that she had / whan she dyde se the gloryfyed with the dyuyne clerenesse / that thou wylt illumynate me with the .vii. gyftes of the holy ghost / to the entēt that all the dayes of my lyfe I maye accomplysshe thy dyuyne wyll whiche doth lyue and reygne euerlastyngly Amen ¶ The .xxix. Artycle of the masse HOwe the preest dothe take all that is within the chalyce and dothe emptye it leue it open This doth sygnyfye how our lorde on the thyrde daye / dyd ryse from deth and left the sepulchre emptye and open / and dyd fyrste appere to his heuy mother than afterwarde to his other frendes ¶ Orayson Pater nr̄ Aue maria O Blyssed lorde I thāke the that thou haste broken the bondes of deth / and areysynge thy holy body from deth / hast gloryfyed the same by the .iiii. vertues of the claryte or clerenes / I praye the good lorde graūt me to ryse in my soule from the deth of synne / to the entent that from hensforth I maye walke in the waye of reason that I do not serche ne taste any other thynge / but that which shall dure euerlastyngly in heuen Amen ¶ The .xxx. Artycle of the masse HOw the preest cōmeth with the chalyce towardes the ende of the aulter takynge wyne for the percepcyon This doth sygnyfye howe our lorde after that he was rysen from deth / dyd appere to his dyscyples eatynge with them fysshes rosted the which they had taken by the cōmaūdement of god ¶ Orayson Pater nr̄ Aue maria O Blyssed lorde Ihesu chryste / I do thanke the that after thy resurreccyon / thou hast appered to thy dyscyples in eatynge with them naturall meate I praye the good lorde norysshe me here in erthe with the breade of the holy scrypture / to the entent that after this tyme I may be parte taker of the heuenly and pardurable refeccyon Amen ¶ The .xxxi. Artycle of the masse HOwe the preest in the myddes of the aulter doth tourne hym ī dysioynynge and takynge his handes a sondre sayth / Dominus vobiscum This doth sygnyfye howe our lorde after that he was rysen from deth / dyd appere showe hym selfe amonges his dyscyples sayenge / Pax vobis / that is to saye / peace be with you / showynge his hādes fete persed through ¶ Orayson Pater nr̄ Aue maria O Blyssed lord I thanke the that thou hast appered to thy dyscyples / there where they were with the gates fast shytte to them / and hast showed amonges them thy fyue woundes / I praye the good lorde shytte and close faste the locke of my fyue wyttes interyoure exteryoure from all tēptacyons / that I maye be within illumynate with the lyght of thy dyuyne grace euerlastyngly Amen ¶ The .xxxii. Artycle of the masse HOwe the preest doth tourne hym sayeng / Ite missa est / that is to saye in a maner / go ye the mysterye of the masse is done This sygnyfyeth howe god afore that he dyd ascende in to heuen / he cōmaunded to his dyscyples / to go preche sayenge / Go through all the worlde and preche the holy gospell to all creatures And he that doth byleue and is baptysed / he shall be saued ¶ Orayson Pater nr̄ Aue maria O Blyssed lorde I do thanke the that by the prechynge of thyne apostelles hast called vs beynge infydelles / to the holy catholyke fayth / to the ende that al those that shuld byleue in the on erth shuld haue the fruycyon of the afterwarde in heuen / I pray the good lorde graunt me to byleue in herte faythfully / with my mouthe truely / and by my workes fruytfully / that so I maye dye salutaryly / and lyue pardurably Amen ¶ The .xxxiii. Artycle of the masse HOwe the preest / whan he hath sayd and red all he gyueth the benedyccion vpon all those that be there presēt than he dothe tourne hym from the people retournynge thyther from whens he came This doth sygnyfie that after that the sone of god had accomplysshed all thynge after the wyll of god his father / he gaue his benedyccyon to all those that were vpō the mount of Olyuete / dyd ascende ī to heuen where he doth syt on the ryght hande of god his father ¶ Orayson Pater nr̄ Aue maria O Blyssed lorde I thanke the that after that thou had accomplysshed all thynge in erth / after the wyll of the father celestyall for the helth and profyte of vs / thou dyddest ascēde in to heuen / I pray the good lorde drawe my herte to the in heuen / to the entent that onely I maye loue serche the ī erth / and that here beynge in erth I maye be alwayes with the by desyre in heuen / where I maye se the syttynge on the ryght hande of thy father Amen HEre endeth the seconde boke of the masse / treatynge of the lyfe / passyon / and resurreccyon of our lord Ihesu chryste / in the which euery good catholyke person maye be in his deuocyon occupyed / and specyally in the masse tyme. For as doctours do wryte there be .xii. vertues in remembrynge the lyfe and passyon of our lorde ¶ The fyrste vertue is / that the synner ofte tymes is conuerted therby / from his euyll peruerse lyuynge to good and holy lyuyng so that god graunt hym repentaunce of his synnes / true confessyon and penaunce afore his deth ¶ The seconde vertue is / that the remembraunce of the passyon of our lorde is a medycyne agaynst the tēptacyon of the deuyll For howe great soeuer the temptacyon be / yf the man remembre cordyally the passyon of oure lorde / tournynge his iyes deuoutly vpon the crosse of god / he shal be delyuered from the temptacyon ¶ The thyrde vertue is / that our lord wyl make a sure and a stedfaste peace betwene the synner and his father celestyall ¶ The fourth vertue is / that all trybulacyons aduersytes / syckenes / dyseases / displeasures / and temptacyons / shall be easye and lyght for that man
sygnyfye howe Pylate hath gyuen and myxte the bytter sentence of deth / with the humanyte of oure lorde Ihesu chryste ¶ The .xviii. the breade thus myxte made / it is couered with a cloth This doth sygnyfye howe after the sentence gyuen by Pylate / the Iewes dyd cloth our lorde agayne with his owne clothes ¶ The .xix. the breade begynneth to ascende ryse This doth sygnyfye howe swete Ihesus charged with the heuye crosse / dyd ascende vp to the mount of Caluerye ¶ The .xx. the ouen is prepared for to bake the breade This doth sygnyfye that the Iewes dyd prepare the crosse / for to crucyfye our lorde vpon the same ¶ The .xxi. the fyre is put in to the ouen / wherwith it is made hotte This dothe sygnyfye the brennynge feruent loue / wherwith the herte of our lorde was kyndled set on fyre for to saue mankynde ¶ The .xxii. the cooles asshes be drawen out of the ouen the ouen made clene This doth sygnyfye howe our lorde ones agayne was spoyled of his robes by the Iewes / was lefte all naked ¶ The .xxiii. the breade is put in to the ouen to be baked This doth sygnyfie that the Iewes dyd cast our lorde vpon the crosse and there dyd fasten and nayle hym with great nayles ¶ The .xxiiii. than the ouen is iust stopped that there go none ayre forthe of it This dothe sygnyfye that the sonne was darke stopped from his lyghte at the deth of oure lorde Ihesu chryste ¶ Fynally whan the breade is well baked it is drawen out of the ouen This doth sygnyfye howe after that our lorde was wel dryed and baked with the hete of the sonne / he was taken downe from the crosse And as a man doth shytte locke vp the breades so was the body of our lorde buryed / shytte fast and kepte / and the thyrde daye dyd ryse from deth All this done / the breade is perfyte / wherof our lorde Ihesu chryste doth speke sayenge I am the lyuynge breade descended from heuen all those that do eate of this breade shall lyue euerlastyngly O what it is swete to here in the ere 's of synners Our lorde doth moue exorte vs poore synners spoyled and voyde of all vertues / to receyue his blyssed body for the meate and reseccyon of our soule But O good lorde man maye say / what am I that wolde presume to receyue the for neyther heuen nor erth can not coÌ„prehende the / and shall I receyue the. O good lorde / howe shall I be so bolde as to receyue the / whiche hath done no maner of good afore thy face / but ofte tymes haue greued and offended thy dyuynyte The holy aungelles tremble for fere in thy presence and the iust men fere and doubt thy power and yet exhorteth and moueth me to receyue the. O most benygne lord Ihesu yf thou haddest not spoken this / who wold byleue it Yf thou haddest not coÌ„mauÌ„ded this / who wolde haue ben so bolde as to do it Noe the iust and good man was an hondreth yeres in preparynge a shyppe to saue eyght persones And howe myght I prepare my selfe in so lytell space to receyue the / whiche hast made heuen / erth and all creatures Moyses thy faythfull seruaunt and frende / made a tabernacle of precyous wode couered with golde / for to put in the tables of thy .x. coÌ„maundemeÌ„tes / and Ian vnclene creature shuld I presume to receyue the whiche hath made all lawes all creatures Salomon the prudent kynge was .vii. yeres iÌ„ makynge a precyous temple for to honoure worshyp the there / there dyd offre thousandes of offrynges / and I a poore synner howe shall I be so bolde as to receyue the in my soule / whiche hath not occupyed my selfe deuoutly one houre of this daye O good lord what great dylygence haue they gyuen in the olde testament for to please the / howe lytell haue I trauayled and busyed me to receyue the worthely There is great dyffereÌ„ce betwene the tabernacle of Moyses with the relyques / and thy blyssed body Yf they haue showed suche deuocyon afore the arche or tabernacle of the testament / moche more shulde I prepare my selfe to receyue the blyssed body of our lorde Ihesu chryste in the holy sacrament O father of heuen albeit that I shulde be a thousande yeres in preparynge my selfe / and that I shuld haue the holynes of all sayntê the charyte of all auÌ„gelles and archauÌ„gelles / the desyre of all iust pernes / yet neuertheles I knowlege my selfe vnworthy to receyue thy onely sone Ihesu chryste in the holy sacrament O man this thou shall vnderstaÌ„de after the dygnyte of the holy sacrament / for there is no person ne creature in heuen so holy / nor in erth so iust that myght worthely receyue it But thou shall vnderstaÌ„de and knowe for to coÌ„forte the / that whan the man dothe prepare hym selfe to it by true coÌ„trycyon and confessyon that god doth not regarde what he is or hath ben / but onely doth se regarde yf he wold be better thaÌ„ he is / for god doth than forget all his synnes / and doth molyfye hym selfe by the holy sacrament And therfore the maÌ„ shall proue and serche his coÌ„scyence in these thre poyntes ¶ Fyrste / yf his conscyence doth moue and prycke hym in any of the deedly synnes ¶ Secondaryly / yf his wyl be vnyed and ioyned to the wyll of god / so that all thynge do please hym whiche doth please god / that all thynge do dysplease hym / whiche doth dysplease god ¶ Thyrdly / yf the man do fynde in hym selfe that charyte the loue of god is augmented by the holy sacrament / and that the fere of god is not dymynysshed In these poyntes the man shall examyne hym selfe And yf he fynde that by oft tymes goynge to the holy sacrament / the loue of god is not feruent and quycke in hym and the fere of god is dymynysshed / than by humylyte he shall refrayne and shall not go so ofte For the lyfe of one man is the deth of another / but yf he fynde that the loue of god is more ferueÌ„t and quycke in hym by reason of the same / and that the fere of god doth encrease rather than dymynysshe / he shall ofte tymes go to the holy sacrament after the counceyll of a good coÌ„fessoure and ghostly father For the desyre of god is / that he maye dwell in the herte of man and by the same habytacyon or presence of the holy sacrament / the man doth drawe hym selfe from transytory thynges / doth delyte in heuenly thynges Also by his holy body / ours is renewed / with it is vnyed and ioyned so that all thynge is oure whiche belongeth vnto hym / so that his herte and ours is all one our body is his our wyttes be his / our power / and all our membres be vnyed
syngynge wanton and vnhonest songes I haue also abused my handes to my self or to other / in vnclennes and lechery I haue made my god of my body / in abundaunce of eatynge and drynkyng / and vnclennes I haue had many vnlawfull and vnclene thoughtes / desyres in my herte the whiche I wolde haue done in dede / yf shame of the worlde had not letted me I haue mysused my legges and fete in goynge to places / where as I haue greatly greued god / wherof I am sorye / and I crye god mercy ¶ The .xx. Chapytre / howe the man shall confesse hym selfe of the foure synnes cryenge vengeaunce afore god I Confesse me also yf I haue iÌ„ any wyse offended god / in the foure synnes cryenge to god for vengeaunce ¶ Fyrste / in the synne agaynst nature that is to saye / whan it is done in another place and in otherwyse / than nature and god haue ordeyned it ¶ Secondaryly / that I haue shed innocent blode / or haue brought any persone to deth / without a cause ¶ Thyrdly / that I haue oppressed and vnreasonably persecuted poore orphelyns wydowes / and poore folkes ¶ Fourthly / that I haue withholden and not dewely payed those / whiche haue fayth fully serued and laboured for me / as they haue deserued ¶ The .xxi. Chapytre / howe the man shall confesse hym of the foure cardynall vertues I Haue yet synned iÌ„ the foure cardynall vertues / wherby I am bounde to lede rule my lyfe ¶ Fyrste in me there is not wysdome prudence to do and accoÌ„plysshe my actes and dedes in tyme conuenyent / as I am bounde ¶ Secondaryly / I haue not in me force strength to resyste euyll and peruers inclynacyons and temptacyons to synne / but I haue ben lyghtly ouercome / and haue fallen in to synne ¶ Thyrdly / I haue not in me the vertue of temperauÌ„ce and meane / for I haue trauayled / and laboured / fasted / prayed / done penaunce / and other good dedes without dyscrecyon / so that therby I haue to moche feblysshed my body ¶ Fourthly / I haue not in me the vertue of iustyce / for I haue not tourned my selfe from synne / in not doynge the vertue whiche I was bounde to do / for myne owne profyte / I haue forsaken to do the coÌ„mon profyte ¶ The .xxii. Chapytre / howe a man shall coÌ„fesse hym of the .iii. pryncypall vertues / called Theologycall I Haue synÌ„ed iÌ„ the .iii. pryncypall vertues without the which I can not be saued ¶ Fyrste / that I haue not in me / stedfaste fayth with good workes ¶ Secondaryly / I haue not a sure hope of the heuenly goodnes for to come ¶ Thyrdly / I haue not in me a feruent loue charyte towardê god my neyghbour ¶ The .xxiii. Chapytre / howe a man shall confesse hym of the two coÌ„maundementes / in the whiche all the other be comprehende I Haue synned / bycause I haue not loued my lorde god and creatoure with all my herte / my soule / and with all my myght and power I haue ofte tymes set my herte more in the loue of folkes / and in the honoure and ioye of this worlde / in aornemeÌ„tes voluptuousnes of my body / and in the goodes / rychesse / and other vanyties of this worlde / than towardes god almyghtye ¶ Also I haue not loued my chrysten brother neyghbour as my self / doynge otherwyse to hym / than I wold had ben done to me / wherof I am sory crye god mercy ¶ The .xxiiii. Chapytre / howe a man shal confesse hym / of the cogytacyons and thoughtes of his herte I Do accuse me also / to haue synned greatly by cogytacyons and thoughtê of my herte ¶ Fyrste / that I haue receyued of our lorde god many good inspyracions sterynge and mouyng me to amende my peruers euyll lyfe / and to tourne me to penauÌ„ce / and that I shulde do good and leue the euyll These and many other exhortacions whiche I haue receyued of god and of my holy aungell I haue resyste withstande / as an ingrate and vnkynde persone ¶ Secondaryly / I haue not resyste with stande euyll thoughtes / whiche haue come vnto me by temptacyon of the flesshe or of the deuyll / but haue perseuered of a fre wyl and haue thought of them by consent / yf I myght haue had my purpose and haue lefte it more for shame and fere of the people thaÌ„ for the loue or fere of god In these and many other synnes venyall and mortall / I knowlege me to haue ofte tymes offended my lorde god in herte ¶ The .xxv. Chapytre / howe a man shall confesse hym selfe in generall of all his venyall synnes I Haue finally synned and do accuse me of al my venyall synÌ„es / whiche be in great nombre / as of vayne thoughtes / wordes / dedes that I haue euyll and vnprofytably spent and lost my tyme and that I myght haue done moche more good thaÌ„ I haue done I haue not also said my prayers and penauÌ„ce so hertely and feruently as I ought to do / and that I haue not so deuoutly and hertely made my confessyon I haue not praysed and lauded almyghty god in all his operacyons workê I haue fylled nourysshed my body with eatynge and drynkynge more than was nede or necessarye ¶ Of these synnes and all other that I haue done in my lyfe / whether they be mortall or venyall / whiche be in my remembraunce and knowen / or forgoten not knowen by ygnorauÌ„ce / were it wakynge or slepynge / by daye or by nyght al one or with another / I confesse me and knowlege me to haue offende god / cryenge hym mercy / and desyre absolucyon of you my ghostly father Et Ideo precor c. ¶ The .xxvi. Chapytre / what thynge man receyueth / whiche worthely and in the state of grace / goth to the holy sacrament WE haue nowe herde / howe in what maner ye shall prepare your selfe by confessyon for to go to the holy sacrameÌ„t and resteth to declare what vertues and fruytes the maÌ„ receyueth in his soule / whiche hathe so prepared hym selfe ¶ Fyrste / the man receyueth in the holy sacrament / the same blyssed body and flesshe that our lady mary the mother of god hath borne in her vyrgynall wombe / the whiche hath hange vpon the crosse / by the whiche sacrament also the man is made parte taker of all the goodnes that our lorde hath done in all his lyfe / in fastynge / prayenge / prechynge / in watchynge / and in his harde and bytter passyon Also the man therby is made parte taker of all the merytes of all the sayntes in heuen and of all the good persones in erth ¶ Secondaryly / the man receyueth in the holy sacrament / the holy precyous blyssed blode of our lorde Ihesu chryste therby is pourged
wyll of god / and the greatnes of synne ¶ Fyfthly / deedly synne maketh place for the deuyll / by his temptacyons in the soule of man / but the holy sacrament doth arme the soule of man agaynst the deuyll and his dartes or temptacyons For where he seeth the blode of our lorde / he flyeth from thens and the auÌ„gelles do helpe the man to fyght agaynst the deuyll and enemye of hell ¶ Syxtly / deedly synne inclyneth the man and doth plucke hym to many other deedly synnes / yf it be not incontynent wasshed taken awaye by true penaunce / but by the blyssed sacrament man becoÌ„meth stedfaste and stronge in grace and redy to all vertue so longe as he doth not fall to synÌ„e agayne ¶ Seuenthly / by deedly synne man is beseged of the deuyll / but by the blyssed sacrament he is vnyed with god / so that he loue god wherby he doth pourchase and obteyne taste and sauoure of euerlastynge lyfe ¶ Eyghtly / the soule of man dyeth of euerlastynge deth by deedly synÌ„e / so that it knoweth not what to do that maye be acceptable to god / and to hym selfe profytable / but the holy sacrament doth preserue and kepe the soule of man from the deth of synne / so that he doth abyde in the lyfe of grace / And his workê be acceptable to god / and to hym selfe profytable ¶ Nynthlye / deedly synne maketh a man sorowfull pensyfe heuy of herte / and harde and euyll wyllynge to all vertue / but the blyssed sacrameÌ„t maketh the man worthy mete redy to all vertue / and tourneth all his inwarde myght towardes god / and spyrytuall ioye and gladnes ¶ Tenthly / man doth depryuate hym selfe by deedly synne of the passyon / payne / and tourment of our lorde Ihesu chryste / of mary the mother of god / and of all the sayntes Also of all the good workes and coÌ„munyon of the holy churche / and of all the goodnes in heuen and in erth / but by the holy sacrament man maketh hym selfe parte taker of all the goodnes that the sone of god hath done vpon the erth / and of all other good dedes ¶ Eleuenthly / man is dayly cursed of god of the holy churche for deedly synne / wherby man hath alwayes an inconstaunt and troubled conscyence / but by the holy sacrament he pourchaseth in his soule / a swete spyrytuall ioye and gladnes / and great peace and rest in his conscyence / the which doth passe all gladnes pleasure that man may haue in all his lyfe in this worlde ¶ Twelfthly / man is for deedly synne put out of the gate of Paradyse and of euerlastynge lyfe dysinheryte of the soueraygne rychesse / but by well and worthely receyuynge the holy sacrament it is forgyuen as to a chylde heyre of the precyous treasure of the glory of heuen / the whiche they onely shall possede and euerlastyngly vse and enioye / whiche worthely / bodely / and ghostly receyue here in erth the holy sacrament / As chryste hym self sayth as it is wryten in the begynnynge of the thyrde boke Hic est panis c. This is the breade descended from heuen / and all those whiche eateth of this breade shall lyue euerlastyngly / to the whiche brynge vs Ihesu chryste very god and man / inclosed and conteyned in the holy sacrament Amen ¶ This prayer shall a man saye whan he goth to the holy sacrament / or for to here masse deuoutly I Do salute the moste holy body of oure lorde Ihesu chryste / conteyned in this sacrament / I do confesse knowlege the with my lyppes / and with my hert I desyre coueyte the / I pray the that thou wylte this daye come to conforte my poore soule gracyously / the whiche desyreth and coueyteth to receyue the holy oblacyon and fountayne of all grace / to the ende that I may be with the in ioye and consolacyon of thy presence / in body in soule O benygne lorde Ihesu chryste / haue not regarde to my many folde synnes / but haue regarde to thy great mercy / for thou arte he by whom all the worlde is made delyuered Thou arte the innocent lambe which is offred vp this daye to the father of heuen / for all the worlde O most swetest heueÌ„ly breade O most ioyfull buurayge or drynke / Gyue to my mouth a swete sauoure of thy holsome presence / illumynate me with thy loue / take awaye my malyce and synne and put in me vertue and grace to the helthe of my soule O most worthy sacrament / I praye the that by thy presence all myne enemyes maye be chased awaye / all my synÌ„es forgyuen / and all euyll temptacyon withstande and put awaye / graunt me a good and holy lyfe / correcte my maners and condycyons / and all my workes and dedes / tourne them to thy wyll O good lorde open heuen come to me for to illumynate my vnderstandynge by this newe lyght / illumynate my desyres / and corroborate strengthen my truste and hope / to the entent that from hensforth my lyfe maye so amende / that fynally I maye come to good ende Amen ¶ Another deuoute prayer that a man shal saye in goynge to the holy sacrament O Lorde Ihesu chryste I desyre and coueyte this day to receyue thy blyssed body / as perfytely as mary thy most honourable mother receyued it in her vyrgynall wombe so good lorde descende and come in to my soule / not accordynge and after my deseruynges / but after thy great mercy O lorde Ihesu chryste I desyre and coueyte this daye to receyue thy blyssed blode / in wasshynge awaye all my synnes O lorde Ihesu chryste / this daye I coueyte to receyue thy blyssed spyryte / in recouerynge all my tyme loste and mysspent O benygne lorde Ihesu chryste / I desyre this daye to receyue thy blyssed soule / in infusyon of thy dyuyne charyte loue O lorde Ihesu chryste / this day I coueyte and desyre to receyue thy blyssed dyuynyte / in assuraunce and securytye / of the euerlastynge lyfe Amen ¶ Saye thre tymes this verse afore that ye go to the holy sacrameÌ„t O lorde god I am not worthy that thou entre in to my howse but speke onely and my poore soule shall be hole Than go forthe and receyue the sone of god with all mekenes and feruent desyre And whan thou shalt haue receyued hym / rede this prayer whiche our lady dyd speke / after that she had receyued the sone of god / the whiche was this psalme Magnificat anima mea dominum ¶ The Magnificat in englysshe MY soule dothe magnyfye our lorde And my spyryte hath reioysed iÌ„ god my sauyoure For he hathe beholden the humylyte of his mayde seruaunt / therfore all generacions shall blysse me For he whiche is myghtye / hathe done great thynges to me / and his name is holy And his mercy is from generacyon to
The interpretacyon / and sygnyfycacyon of the Masse ¶ Here begynneth a good deuoute Boke to the honoure of god / of our lady his mother / of all sayntes / and ryght profytable to all good Catholyke persones / to knowe howe they shall deuoutly here Masse And how salutaryly they shal Confesse them And how reuerently and honourably they shall go to the holy Sacrament or table of our sauyour Ihesu chryste / with dyuerse other profytable documentê and oraysons or prayers here conteyned / Composed and ordeyned by frere Gararde / frere mynoure / of the ordre of the Obseruauntes ¶ The Prologue IS the scrypture dothe teche vs / and saynt Gregorye doth wryte / amonges al sacryfyces and oblacyons / there is no seruyce so acceptable vnto god / as dyleccyon loue of the helth of the soule / as well of hym selfe as of other men the whiche pryncypally is serched goten by the passyon of our lord Ihesu chryst sone of god in the remeÌ„brauÌ„ce wherof / the moste honourable sacryfyce of the masse is done celebrate / as by the holy sacrament Wherfore the auctoure of this boke wyllynge to induce the people to here masse deuoutly / to ordeyne some thynge that a man maye rede or thynke in the masse tyme which is a worke that doth surmouÌ„t passe all the vnderstandynge vnder god both in heuen erth / hath wryten iÌ„ this boke as moche as the holy ghost doth showe vs deuoute doctours do wryte / and as beloÌ„geth to man to know of the same the whiche boke is dyuyded in thre partes as doth appere / euery of them in his place Therfore he that with great merytê wyll here masse / he shall rede the orayson prayer whiche is put at euery artycle Or yf he can not rede he shall deuoutly premedyte and thynke of the lyfe of our lorde and shal saye at euery artycle a Pater noster and an Aue. And than he shal haue sayd as many tymes the Pater noster / as our lorde hathe lyued yeres vpon the erth / in the gratytude and kyndnes of al his great trauayles and paynes / in watchynge / fastynge / prayenge prechenge / in his passyon / whiche he hathe suffred for vs poore synners And trustynge in the mercy of god that the man so exercysynge hym selfe towardes god / shall neuer be lost nor dampned And yf there were any sycke or otherwyse feble of nature or of necessytie shulde go by the countrees / or women in chylde bedde / or in other necessyties that they myght not here masse / they shall exercyse them selfe in redynge this lytell boke of the masse / in offrynge so to god a good wyll / the whiche for that tyme shall be suffycyent / seynge that otherwyse they can not amende it ¶ Here begynneth the Regestre or Table of the fyrste Boke of the Masse THe fyrste Chapytre / wherfore the Masse in all languages is called Missa / none otherwyse ¶ The seconde Chapytre / wherfore coÌ„monly the catholyke Churches be sytuate or set in the Eest and west partyes and the masse is sayd in the Eest parte ¶ The thyrde Chapytre / who dyd saye the fyrste masse vpon the erth / and who hathe so ordeyned and coÌ„posed it sens that tyme. ¶ The fourth Chapytre / yf the fyrst masse of a newe preest be better thaÌ„ the seconde or thyrde of another preest ¶ The fyfth Chapytre / yf it be more for the soule helth / to here masse of a deuoute vertuous preest / thaÌ„ of an euyll preest ¶ The syxte Chapytre / yf all masses be lyke good / as masse of Requiem / of our Lady / of the holy sacrament c. and whiche is best ¶ The .vii. Chapytre / howe a man shall saye the seuen masses ¶ The .viii. Chapytre / yf euery catholyke persone be bouÌ„de to here masse the sondaye ¶ The .ix. Chapytre yf it be coÌ„maunded to here masse / as well of all other feestes and holy dayes / as of the sondayes ¶ The .x. Chapytre / yf a man maye go on pylgrymage the sondayes and other feestes and yf seruauntes be bounde to here masse the sondayes ¶ The .xi. Chapytre / yf it be suffycyent that a man here one masse the sondaye / in leuynge the sermon euensonge the same daye ¶ The .xii. Chapytre / howe the man shall behaue hym self in the masse tyme / after the ordynauÌ„ce of the holy churche and the lawe Canon ¶ The .xiii. Chapytre / yf the man be bounde to here masse of his Curate / and in his owne parysshe ¶ The .xiiii. Chapytre / yf masse maye be sayd in places not halowed / as within the howse ¶ The .xv. Chapytre / yf a maÌ„ the sonday in the masse tyme may say that thyng whiche is coÌ„maunde hym in penaunce ¶ The .xvi. Chapytre / yf the man whiche coÌ„meth after that the masse is begon / be yet bouÌ„de on the soÌ„dayes to here another masse ¶ The .xvii. Chapytre / yf it be requysyte / that the man here and vnderstaÌ„de the wordes of the masse ¶ The .xviii. Chapytre / what profyte coÌ„meth by the masse and what persones may haue and vse it ¶ The .xix. Chapytre / yf a man may with out synne saye or cause a masse to be sayde for money ¶ The .xx. Chapytre / In what thynge wherby a man maye consydre the greatnes and dygnyte of the masse ¶ The .xxi. Chapytre / what the ê‘son shal rede in the mornynge / whan he dothe ryse from bedde ¶ The .xxii. Chapytre / what the man shal saye for all chrysten soules / whan he dothe passe by the churcheyarde ¶ The .xxiii. Chapytre / howe the maÌ„ shal dyspose hym selfe to here masse ¶ The .xxiiii. Chapytre what thyng a maÌ„ shall rede whan he coÌ„meth fyrste before the holy sacrament ¶ The .xxv. Chapytre / what thynge the man shall rede / whan he coÌ„meth before the holy crosse of our lorde Ihesu chryste ¶ The .xxvi. Chapytre / what thynge the man shall rede / whan he dothe come before the Image of our Lady ¶ The .xxvii. Chapytre / how he that doth helpe serue at masse ought to behaue hym ¶ The .xxviii. Chapytre / howe euery maÌ„ shall gladly helpe serue at the masse / for syxe reasons ¶ The .xxix. Chapytre what fruytes he receyueth of god / that serueth gladly and deuoutly at the masse ¶ The .xxx. Chapytre yf women may helpe and serue at the masse ¶ The .xxxi. Chapiter yf the mynyster may helpe and serue here the holy masse all togyther And also yf a man may here many masses togyther and at one tyme with as great meryte as yf he herde masse by it selfe ¶ The .xxxii. Chapytre / what the aornementes of the preest doth sygnyfye ¶ The .xxxiii. Chapytre / what vertue or fruyte doth consyste and lye in deuoutly herynge masse / the whiche vertues be in .xii. maners ¶ Here
rede any thynge ioyned to hym in penaunce The reason is / for with one peny a man can not paye two credytours or dettours / so also a man can not at one tyme accomplysshe two cōmaundementes / for ye be bounde to here masse and to saye your iniūccyon Agaynst this there be certayne other doctours whiche do saye / that there is none apparēce nor reason therin / for man maye obserue and kepe all the cōmaūdementes of god at one tyme / wherfore a man maye at one tyme here masse also say his iniūccyon for otherwyse amonges an hondreth persones / there shulde not one here masse well / nor shuld not also say well his iniūccyon / whiche be so symple that they knowe none otherwyse to do Wherfore he that knoweth howe to do / he shall say his iniūccyon eyther afore or after the masse for the suretie therof And that sayd he shal cōmende it vnto god / in remembrynge in the masse tyme the passyon of our lorde / as hereafter is wryten ¶ The .xvi. Chapytre / Yf the man whiche cōmeth after that the masse is begon / be yet bounde on the sondayes / to here another masse BYcause that al the workes of god be parfyte / So he wyll also that ours in lykewyse be parfyte not dyuyded nor broken / for an hondreth peaces do not make one hole peace It is cōmaunded in the spyrytuall lawe / that euery man shall here one hole masse to the ende on the sondayes and holydayes He that heryth than but a peace of the masse doth not accomplysshe the cōmaundement of the holy churche But he that cōmeth a lytell to late / after cōfiteor / or kyryeleyson / or there aboutes and no further / he is not bounde to here another masse For a lytell is in maner as nothyng pryncypally whan it is not done by cōtempte / yf he com after that the halfe or the thyrde parte of the masse be done / than he is boūde to here another hole masse Those that do helpe and serue at the masse / whiche ofte tymes be letted in the masse tyme / rēnynge for insence / wyne / or any other thynge touchynge the masse / be excused / they be not bounde to here another hole masse ¶ The .xvii. Chapytre / yf it be requysyte that the man here and vnderstande the wordes of the masse AFter Canon lawe / it is cōmaunded to all chrysten people to here masse / howe be it the preest doth somtyme rede so lowe that those whiche be but a lytell from hym can not here nor vnderstande the wordes of the masse Wherfore the doctours do saye / that it is suffycyent yf the man be present at the masse whyther he here and vnderstande the wordes or no. And whyther he be farre of or nere / so that he be present and it is suffycyent yf he do se the preest But yf there be any that vnderstande Latyn / he maye go nere to the aulter whan the preest dothe rede the holy gospell to here it Therfore many symple folkes do euyll / whiche do make noyse and rumoure in rennynge here and there whan the preest doth lyft our lorde / and do trouble both the preest and other persones of theyr deuocyon He that can not se our lorde without rēnynge here and there and troublynge other folkes / he shall tourne his face to the preest / in castynge his iyes deuoutely towardes the grounde thynkynge with the Publycane / whiche beynge farre of in the temple / dyde esteme hym selfe that he was not worthy / to lyft vp his iyes in to heuen but knockynge on his brest sayd O good lorde haue mercy of me poore synner / for the synner shall oft tymes cast his iyes towardes the grounde by humylyte / whan the preest doth lyft our lorde in the masse / estemynge hym selfe not to be worthy to beholde the holy blyssed sacrament with his iyes ¶ The .xviii. Chapytre / what profyte cōmeth by the masse / and what persones maye haue and vse it OF the masse do come honour glory / and helth Honoure to god / glory to the aungelles / and sayntes / And helthe to the men and women ¶ Fyrste of the masse / the holy blyssed trynyte receyueth glory / honour / prayse / ī the honour glory wherof the masse is sayd done and the holy trynyte is there present ¶ Secondaryly / the aungelles and all the sayntes in heuen do reioyse of the masse / for they be glad of all thyng that is done in the erthe to the honoure and laude of god / and pryncypally whan god is honoured by thē and in them ¶ Thyrdly / of the masse doth come profyte and conforte to the soules lyenge in purgatorye For there is no vertue nor prayer so profytable vnto them as the masse done or sayd for them / for by the same / theyr deedly synnes be forgyuen also venyall synnes And that is by the holy sacrament / whiche the preest doth offre in remembraunce of the passyon of our lorde Ihesu chryste ¶ Fourthly / the masse also gyueth conforte and socoure to the lyuynge persones / for by the same the man is oft tymes delyuered frō many perylles of the body as is declared in the .xxiii. Chapytre in the last condycyon or degre in the .xxiiii. Chapytre folowynge ¶ Fyfthly / the man also ī his lyfe doth get and obtayne pardon of many venyall synnes whiche he doth cōmyt dayly / wherof he is contryte and sory ¶ And this is in the masse tyme in seuen maners ¶ Fyrste all those that do saye Confiteor with the preest ¶ Secondaryly / he that doth inclyne in bowynge his knees / doynge reuerence whā he hereth the swete name of Ihesus ¶ Thyrdly / he that kneleth downe to the grounde / whan the preest dothe rede in the Credo Et homo factus est ¶ Fourthly / he that with great deuocyon / beholdeth the holy sacramēt whan the prest doth lyfte it ¶ Fyfthly / he that with contrycyon and repentaūce of his synnes / doth knocke vpon his brest whan the preest sayth in the Pater noster / Et dimitte nobis debita nostra / or the man maye saye the Pater noster with the preest / And whan he shall saye / Et demitte nobis debita nostra / he maye knocke on his brest ¶ Syxtly / he that doth with humylyte receyue the benedyccyon of the preest / at the ende of the masse ¶ Seuenthly / he that after the masse dothe receyue of the preest or by hym selfe / the holy water with repentaunce of his venyall synnes And accordynge to the quantyte or greatnes of the deuocyon the venyal syn̄es be pardoned and forgyuen to the man ¶ The .xix. Chapytre / yf a man maye without synne saye or cause a masse to be sayde for moneye WE haue it wryten in the holy scrypture / that it is Symonye to sell that thynge / whiche
is sanctyfyed and dedycate vnto god And that he which doth sell it / hath receyued it of god for no thynge And so both he that doth sell it that dothe bye it do coÌ„myt deedly synne For it is agaynst al lawes / as agaynst the lawe of god / the lawe of man / the lawe of nature Wherfore whan the intent of the preest is pryncypally vpoÌ„ money / and maketh marchaundyse of the masse And that those whiche cause the masse to be sayde / do take it that they do bye it for so moche money / they do both coÌ„mytte Symonye and is deedly synÌ„e Therfore whan a man wyl haue a masse sayd for hym or for his freÌ„des / he shall say to the preest Syr we maye not make marchaundyse of the masse / but I praye you say so many masses for me or for my frendes / and I wyll prouyde for you and recompence your payne And than ye shall prouyde hym of an honest lyuynge accordynge to his estate and degre For as the apostell saynt Paule sayth / he that serueth at the aultre / he must lyue by the aultre / for the preest hath none other occupacyon ¶ The .xx. Chapytre / In what thynge wherby a man may consydre the greatnesse and dygnyte of the masse THe dygnyte holynes of the blyssed masse maye be consydered by fyue reasons ¶ Fyrste for in the masse is 〈…〉 the same blyssed flesshe / that Mary the mother of god dyd conceyue and the precyous blode shed vpoÌ„ the crosse on good frydaye And therfore sayth Crysostome / that touchynge the holy sacrament of the aulter the masse is not of lesse dygnyte and value / than the deth of our lord god vpon the crosse for the helth of the man For as the deth of our lorde hath delyuered man from euerlastynge deth / so is euerlastynge lyfe gyuen to them / whiche be delyuered by the masse ¶ Secondaryly / a man maye consydre the dygnyte of the masse / for there is alwayes present all the holy coÌ„pany of heuen That is to say / the holy trynyte / Mary the mother of god / with all the holy auÌ„gelles sayntê beholdynge and worshyppynge the holy blyssed sacrament For as saynt Gregorye sayth / who is he that wolde doubte that whaÌ„ heuen doth open / at the tyme that the preest doth consecrate the sacrament / and that the sone of god as the kynge of glory / doth descende vpon the aulter / that there doth not come a great multytude company of holy aungelles with hym For a myghty kynge or prynce whan he wyl showe his mageste he doth take with hym / his nobles / his knyghtes and other his seruauntes Shuld thaÌ„ the kynge of glory descende hym self alone and without company / I do not byleue it ¶ Thyrdly / ye shall consydre that without lyght the preest maye not say masse / whan there shulde be bothe Sonne / Moone / and sterres shynyng vpon the aulter And that doth sygnyfye / that there shall be in vs a hote and feruent loue of god / and a ferme stedfast fayth byleue Also the ornameÌ„tê of the masse ought to be dedycate and halowed And also the chalyce / the corporas / the aulter clothes and towelles / and other preparementes / ought also to be halowed / or elles a man maye not saye masse Also he that shall say the masse / ought to be a preest consecrate and otherwyse he maye not / were he as holy as our lady the mother of god For all the sayntes and auÌ„gelles in heuen can not saye nor do one masse ¶ Fourthly / ye shall consydre that all that is done and sayd in the masse hath a synguler mystery and deuocyon in it / so that the preest doth not say one worde / nor doth not moue ones his hande iÌ„ the masse but it doth sygnyfye some thynge of the lyfe of our lorde For as Aureolus sayth in CoÌ„peÌ„dio theologie / in the syxt boke in the .xviii. Chapytre / that the masse in a maner of spekynge is as full of dyuyne mysteryes / as the see of droppes of water / the sonne full of lyght the skye full of sterres And also all chrysten people beynge here in erthe and in purgatorye / and all the sayntes in heuen / haue a synguler ioye and gladnesse of the masse And some doctours do saye / that there is neuer a masse sayd here iÌ„ erth / but there is one soule delyuered out of purgatorye / or a synner conuerted / or a good and iuste man preserued and kept from fallynge in to temptacyon ¶ Fyfthly / ye maye also consydre the hygh dygnyte of the masse / for it is aorned with many dyuerse languages prayses Fyrste Hebreu / as Amen / alleluya / sabaoth / osanna also Greke / as kyry eleyson / chryste eleyson / also Laten / as dominus vobiscuÌ„ / pax tecum Also ye here the voyce of oure lorde in the gospell the whiche euery person ought to here with great deuocyon / not syttynge nor knelynge / but standynge vpryght / redy to fyght vnto deth for to defende it and the holy fayth And as ye do here god speke in the gospell / so ye here also the voyce of aungelles / as in Gloria in excelsis deo Also the voyce of the apostelles / as in the epystelles Also the voyce of the synner / in the CoÌ„fiteor Also ye here the voyce of the iuste man / as in the graduall or grayle / alleluya offetorye coÌ„munyon or coÌ„mon And therfore euery good chrysten person shall dyspose hym selfe deuoutly to here masse / with a feruent herte and with great reuerence / as yf he were vpon the mount of Caluerye / there dyd se our lorde god hangynge vpon the crosse O with what and howe great deuocyon shulde we be at the masse / and shuld remembre the blyssed passyon of our lorde god the whiche is represented showed in the masse ¶ The .xxi. Chapytre / what the persone shall rede in the mornynge whan he doth ryse from bedde O Lorde god Ihesu chryste / I thanke the most humbly that thou haste preserued kepte me this nyght from sodeyn deth / and also from euerlastynge daÌ„pnacyon / by the whiche neuertheles moche people must be seperate from the the whiche haue not done so many greuous offencê synnes as I haue done But thou hast preserued me to the entent that I may amende myne euyll lyuynge Wherfore I praye the good lorde / by thy incomparable mercy / and by the merytes of thy most blyssed mother of all sayntes / that thou wylt kepe and preserue me this daye from all maner of deedly synne and euyll thoughtes wordes / and from all vnlawfull workes to the entent that I maye so with a pure coÌ„scyence / entre in to thy temple / and there to fynde thy great mercy / wherby I shall be worthy to be the temple and
habytacyon of the holy ghost / where thou desyrest to dwell And that I maye come to the soueraygne temple of Ierusalem / there to gyue the laudes and prayses euerlastyngly with all the sayntes Amen ¶ The .xxii. Chapytre / what the man shal saye for all chrysten soules / whan he doth passe by the churcheyarde HElth and conforte be to you all christen soules whose bodyes do rest here and in euery place Ihesu chryste whiche hathe boughte you with his precyous blode / delyuer you from the innumerable paynes of purgatorye / and brynge you amonges the blyssed company of heuen And there do ye remembre vs / in prayenge humbly that we maye be in your company / and crowned in heuen with you euerlastyngly Amen ¶ Pater noster Aue maria ¶ The .xxiii. Chapytre / howe the maÌ„ shall dyspose hym selfe to here masse HE that wyll deuoutly and merytoryously here masse in the temple of god / he shall mount or asceÌ„de .vi. steppes or degrees that is to say that he shall haue in hym selfe syxe vertues / the whiche be fygured vnto vs in the temple of Salomon / whiche had syxe degrees or steppes goynge vpwarde ¶ The fyrste degre or condycyon is / to desyre to be incontynent and without any taryenge at the seruyce of god / That is to saye / that as soone as ye here that they rynge the fyrste pele to masse / ye shall cast downe all maner of thynges out of your handes / and shall go to the seruyce of god / takyng example at the thre kynges / whiche dyde leue all maner of thynge / and came from the Eest parte serchyng the lytell chylde iÌ„ Bethleem at the fyrste token warnynge of the sterre Wherfore all busynes that come and chaunce to man goynge towardes the churche / that he maye well let it passe / he shall let it be vndone vnto another tyme. And yf he can not let it passe without shame / he shall answere quyckely / as Dauid the prophete sayd Good lorde thou haste made my fete lyke to the fete of a harte Vpon this saynt Gregorye saythe / that whan a harte dothe renne vpon a hygh mountayne / he doth lepe ouer all that he dothe mete / and so shall we do in lykewyse For the enemye of god and man whiche is the deuyll of hell / doth serche somtymes many wayes for to drawe man from the seruyce of god / as from the masse / sermon / euen songe / and other dyuyne seruyce Or elles yf he can not lette hym from the hole / yet he wyll let hym from as moche as he maye so that many folkes do tary in the waye talkynge or chydynge / or otherwyse occupyed tyll that the seruyce of god is halfe done Therfore our lorde god dyd forbyd his dyscyples / to talke or reason with any person in the hygh waye Wherfore it is good that the man erely in the mornynge do go to masse afore that any person maye let hym For as Iob sayth / he that erely in the mornynge dothe serche for god / he shall fynde hym for than man hath greater deuocyon / thaÌ„ at any other tyme of the daye whan the wyttes be occupyed ¶ The seconde degre or condycion is humylyte so that the ê‘son ought not to entre in to the churche or temple of god / by great pompe and pryde as the Pharazen dyd For many folkes which god ameÌ„de go to the churche more to be seen or to se other / than for deuocyon or the helth of theyr soules / the whiche be afore god as the proude Lucyfer was in heuen and Adam in paradyse Therfore man shall come to the churche with humylyte / as dyd the Publycane knockynge on his brest sayenge O good lorde haue mercy of me poore synner And than god shall here exalte his prayer For saynt Bernarde speketh a notable worde / sayeng that man that doth humylyate meke hym selfe here in erth as lowe as he can / god wyll exalte hym as hygh as he can in heuen And he that doth exalt hym selfe here in erth as hygh as he can / god shall humylyate and caste hym as depe in hell as he can O mercyfull god / howe depe shall some folkes descende in to hell / which be ashamed through theyr great pryde to humylyate them self afore the. So that iÌ„ heryng masse / some persones do walke vp and downe in the churche other some do sytte at theyr most case / and other some do knele but of one kne / theyr bonettes fast nayled to theyr heddes / so dyd the Iewes knele of one kne / whan they mocked oure lorde and dyd spytte in his face O what lytell knowlege / loue and fere haue suche folkes of god for the holy auÌ„gelles be standynge vpryght with great reuerence and fere / afore the face of god And the proude stynkynge creature of god the man / doth swell with pryde and without any fere or drede Ye do se that whan a man shall be hedded / that he doth knele on bothe his knees / with his handes ioyned togyther afore hym that shall do the execucyon and the poore wretched synner / is ashamed to humylyate hym selfe afore god Here what our lorde Ihesu doth speke of the man / he that is ashamed to serue me afore the worlde / I wyll be ashamed of hym afore my father celestyall Wherfore the man as soone as he is entred in to the churche shal knele on both his knees with great humylyte and mekenes of herte in showynge to god his synnes / sayenge O good lorde haue mercy of me poore synner / or other lyke wordes as ye shall fynde hereafter wryten / in the .xxx. Chapytre for suche prayer god doth exalte / and doth asceÌ„de in to heuen afore the face of god / dothe not departe from thens / vnto it hath obteyned all thynge that it doth demauÌ„de for the helth of the soule ¶ The thyrde degre or condycyon / to here masse deuoutly / is contrycyon or repentauÌ„ce of al the deedly synnes that the man hath done And whan the man shall thus haue mekened humylyate hym selfe afore god / he shal haue made his peace with god afore that he wyl praye for any thynge / For god doth hate the synÌ„ers / cannot se them whiche do not repent them of theyr synÌ„es with all theyr hertes Therfore our lorde speketh by the prophete Esaye and sayth Whan ye entre in to the churche and do lyft your handes on hyghe to me / I wyll tourne myne iyes from you and whan ye crye to me / I wyll not here you / for your handes be full of blode that is to say full of synÌ„e Of this ye maye haue example / yf ye wyll desyre obteyne any thyng of a prynce or of a great lorde / the whiche is angry with you doth hate you so that he can not abyde the syght of you / ye muste fyrste fynde
imaculate vyrgyne mary / that thou wylt be present by me and all my frendes after the tyme of our lyfe in shedynge and puttynge in to our soules the swetenes of the dyuyne dyseccyon loue / so that we maye ioye with the and with all sayntê euerlastyngly Amen ¶ The xxvii Chapytre / how he that doth helpe the masse ought to behaue hym FYrste he that dothe serue helpe the preest at masse / he muste beware that he do not beholde the preest / in the face ¶ SecoÌ„daryly / that whiche he doth gyue to the preest / he shall gyue it with both his handes ¶ Thyrdly / he shall be dylygent to proue and knowe the water from the wyne ¶ Fourthly / he shall absteyne in as moche as he maye / from to moche spyttynge and kowghynge or makynge any noyse / specyally whan the preest is in his Memento ¶ Fyfthly / he shall not greatly gyue his mynde to rede any prayers in the masse tyme but rather shal take hede dylygeÌ„tly that there do lacke nothynge / and shall kepe dogges from the aulter ¶ Syxtly / he shall not knele betwene the courteyne the aulter / in beholdynge what the preest doth vpon the aulter Also he shal not knele behynde the curteynes but shal be of the one syde of the preest / partely behynde hym ¶ Seuenthly / he shall take hede that he do answere the preest perfytely and that he do lyghte the candell of waxe in tyme / and to put it out whan the preest after the masse hath gyuen the blyssynge And whan the preest hath fynysshed his fyrste Memento / he shall prepare hym selfe to lyght the torche or candell in tyme / and to rynge the lytell bell to the eleuacyon ¶ Eyghtly / he shall take hede that he be pure and clene in his conscyence / that is to say that he haue contrycyon of all his synnes / also that he be clene without iÌ„ his body and in his handes so that he do not fyle the boke towelles / aulter clothes / or other aornemeÌ„tes He shall take hede also / that he do not touche the chalyce / patyne / or corporas / for yf he do he doth offende ¶ Nynthly / he shall folde the vestementes the aornementes honestly after the masse and shal laye them in theyr place And this done he maye deserue and meryte moche ¶ The .xxviii. Chapytre / howe euery man shall gladly helpe and serue at the masse / for syxe reasons THe fyrste reason is / for the seruyce that we do to the preest in the masse tyme / god wyll rewarde vs for it as we had done it vnto hym selfe for the preest is not there before the aulter as syr IohnÌ„ but he is there as the sone of god hathe hanged vpon the crosse ¶ The seconde reason is / that to serue god the man of hym is made And therfore there is no man so myghty of power nor so noble / that ought to be ashamed to serue god For oure lorde Ihesu chryste sayth / he that is ashamed to serue me I wyl also be ashamed of hym afore my father celestyall O with what loue and dylygence shulde we serue hym / whiche hath gyuen syght vnto vs beynge blynde / the whiche we beynge pryuate of our handes fete hathe restored them agayne vnto vs and we beyng deed he hathe resuscytate vs to lyfe / and moche more hath god done for vs. ¶ The thyrde reason is / for to the entent that we serue our lorde god / he hath coÌ„maunded his auÌ„gelles to serue vs and to kepe vs / to the entent that we may come to heuen / where the sone of god hym selfe shall serue vs. ¶ The fourth reason is / for to the entent that we shulde be more bounde to serue hym / he hath made hym selfe man mortall / hathe serued vs in his owne persone / by the space of .xxxiii. yeres in great pouertie and myserye / wherfore by all ryght we be bounde to serue hym And yet moche more hath he don for vs / he hathe shed his blode for vs / and suffred dethe for vs / to the entent that we maye reygne with hym in his glorye ¶ The fyfth reason is / for god hath made all thynges to serue vs / as in heuen the auÌ„gelles / the sonne / the moone / and the fyrmameÌ„t / in the ayre the byrdes / in erth the beestê and other creatures in the water the fysshes to the entent that by them we shulde be monysshed to serue hym ¶ The syxte reason is / for god shall gyue hym that gladly doth helpe and serue at the masse / a synguler rewarde in heuen / more than to other herynge the masse onely / as it is wryten ¶ The .xxix. Chapytre / what fruytes he receyueth of god / that serueth gladly and deuoutly at the masse THe fyrste vertue is / that god doth neuer suffre suche a persone to fall so farre in synne / but that he shall ryse sooner out of the same by true penauÌ„ce / than another that doth not helpe ne serue at the masse ¶ The seconde vertue or fruyte is / that suche a persone is not onely preserued kepte as another man of his propre aungell / but also there be many other aungelles nyghe vnto hym and alwayes redy to helpe hym and prayenge for hym ¶ The thyrde vertue is / that the good workes whiche he doth / be more acceptable vnto god and more profytable to men / as wel lyuynge as beynge deed / than of other whiche do not helpe and serue at the masse ¶ The fourth vertue is that he which doth helpe and serue at the masse / shall be in all his busynes and causes more dyscryte and wyse than other men ¶ The fyfth vertue is / that the mercye of god shall neuer forsake that man iÌ„ his great necessyte / but shall alwayes be redy at his most nede ¶ The syxte vertue is / that god shall gyue hym / whiche deuoutly and dylygently helpeth and serueth at the masse a synguler grace here in erthe / and a great rewarde in heuen / as he sayth iÌ„ the gospell / he that doth serue and mynystre vnto me in the erth / he shall be honoured of my father iÌ„ heuen For to helpe and serue at the masse / is a seruyce appertaynynge vnto aungelles Yet neuerthelesse god wyll be serued of man in erth Therfore euery man ought gladly helpe serue at the masse / for it is no shame / but great honoure to serue god The fathers oughte to cause theyr chyldren to lerne to helpe masse / for that person shall not serue god in heuen whiche hath not serued hym in erth ¶ The .xxx. Chapytre / yf women maye helpe and serue at the masse YT is prohybyte forbyd in the Canon lawe / for women to preche openly / or to gyue insence vpon the aulter / or to touche the chalyce / the patyne / or corporas
to bere / whiche doth remembre the passyon of our lorde For saynt Gregorye sayth / there is no grefe / dysease / nor displeasure / but we may lyghtly vaynquysshe it / yf we do remembre deuoutly the passyon of our lorde ¶ The fyfthe vertue is / that suche a person hath more knowlege of god what his wyll is to be done or not to be done / thā the other ¶ The syxte vertue is / that oure lorde gyueth deuocyon to suche men and doth exalt theyr prayer And therfore whan the man is drye of deuocyon / he shall tourne hym selfe to the passyon of our lorde where he shall fynde swetnes and abundaunt deuocyon / And also whā any man wyll praye to our lorde for any thynge / be it for hym selfe or for any other quycke or deed / he shall occupye hym selfe fyrste in one of the artycles of the passyon of our lorde wherin he hath the most deuocyon and in suche medytacyon he shall praye / and without doubte yf the thynge that he dothe desyre be to the helth of his soule / he shall obteyne it or elles a better ¶ The seuenth vertue is / as saynt Bernarde sayth / that god is present nere to hym that doth remembre his passyon / and so oft as the man doth drawe his breth and dothe take it of the ayre / so ofte dothe he receyue a specyall grace in his soule ¶ The eyght vertue / is that the man in remembrynge hertely the passyon of our lorde / maye obteyne more grace than yf all the holy churches / or all the men in the worlde shulde praye for hym ¶ The nynth vertue is / that the remembraunce medytacyon of oure lorde Ihesu chryste / doth passe and surmount all other corporall operacyōs / and is acceptable vnto god aboue all thynges / after that man hath done true penaunce for his syn̄es For as Albertus magnus doth wryte / it is better for man to remembre one poynte of the passyon of our lord / than to fast an hole yere breade and water or to scourge hym selfe tyll he make the blode renne out / or to saye the hole psalter ¶ The tenth vertue is / that the hertye and feruent medytacyon of the passyon of oure lord is more profytable to man / than yf our lady and all the sayntes in heuen dyd pray for hym that is to vnderstande accordynge and after the dygnyte of the passyon of god For in the prayer of sayntes dothe not consyste our helth as in the passyon of our lorde Ihesu chryste ¶ The eleuenth vertue is / that the man whiche hath lost myspent his yonge age / may recouer that whiche he hath lost and consumed / yf deuoutly and hertely he occupy and exercyse hym selfe with the passyon of god So that in shorte space he may obteyne as great rewarde of god / as another in longe tyme whiche doth not occupye hym selfe in the passyon of god ¶ The twelfth vertue is / that god shall ayde and conforte suche a man in the houre of deth / shall not departe from hym vnto he come to a good ende / sauely be brought to euerlastynge lyfe To the whiche the father / the sone / and the holy ghost brynge vs all Amen ¶ Here begynneth the thyrde boke / conteynynge showynge howe a man shall confesse hym and prepare hym selfe to receyue the holy and blyssed Sacrament / and what he shall rede than ¶ The prologue EGo sū panis viuus q i de celo descēdit si qis mādu cauerit ex hoc pane / viuet īeternū Iohīs sexto In the whiche wordes our lorde doth resēble hym selfe to breade sayenge I am the lyuynge breade / he that doth eate of this breade shall lyue euerlastyngly / not that this breade after the consecracyon doth lyue / but this breade is conuerted in to lyuely flesshe and blode / albeit that it doth resemble and appere lyke breade / And that for foure reasons ¶ Fyrste / for the breade noryssheth the man more than any other meate / so also the holy Sacrament doth norysshe the soule of man aboue all thynge / for a thynge is full whā there can no more enter therin The soule of man is of so great importaūce that no creature in heuen nor in erth can or maye fyll it / but god onely whiche hath made and fourmed it This ye maye consydre / for albeit that man shuld haue al the ioye all the goodes of the worlde / yet wolde he more haue and desyre / as those that haue a thousande poūdes / wolde yet haue .x. thousande / and those that haue .x. thousande / wolde haue .xx. thousande And therfore the herte of man is neuer content / haue he neuer so moche excepte that he haue god in his soule / for he is so great that he onely can fyll satysfye and content it And therfore they do erre whiche do saye / yf I had suche a thynge I shuld be content O man / yf thou haddest all the worlde as kynge Alexandre had / yf thou haue not our lord Ihesu chryste in thy herte yet shall thou not be content For as saynt Austyn sayth O good lorde thou hast made vs after thy dyuyne Image lykenes And therfore our herte is not content tyll it come vnto the / my herte maye be occupyed with in all thynges / but thou onely good lorde maye remplysshe and fyll it ¶ Secondaryly / oure lorde dothe resemble hym selfe to breade / for naturally a mā can not lyue without breade / and breade dothe fortyfye the herte and gyueth lyfe to man / So spyrytually the man can not lyue in the soule / without vsynge and receyuynge reuerently the holy sacrament / For by receyuynge reuerently the holy sacrament / a mā doth not onely lyue but also he is preserued here in erth / in vertue / ī prosperyte / in grace and also hereafter in heuen in ioye / whiche god hym selfe hath promysed vs sayenge / He that dothe eate of this breade shall lyue euerlastyngly ¶ Thyrdly albeit that the breade is necessary for man as concernynge the body / yet neuertheles it is very euyl daūgerous eaten in foure maners So is it also of the holy sacrament whiche is the breade of the soule ¶ Fyrste / the breade eaten in angre with impacyence / bryngeth causeth great dysease and syckenes to the man for the naturall hete of the man whiche dothe consume and dysgest the meate / doth apply gyue it selfe to the angre and impacyentnes / and not to the meate So is it also with them that receyue the holy sacrament beynge in malyce enuye for theyr synnes wherof they be cōfessed / be not pardoned and forgyuen them And as saynt Ambrose wryteth / the man receyueth of god suche pardon of his syn̄es / as he gyueth and pardoneth his neyghbour and euen chrysten / for suche persones do set theyr myndes more to dystroye theyr
enemyes / than to serue god ¶ Secōdaryly / he that doth eate the breade or meate whiche is not well hādled / dressed or apoynted / shall fynde it very vnholsome So is it also with them that do receyue the holy sacrament / without a feruent preparacyon of deuocyon / as of contrycyon confessyon which be necessary for the man For as saynt Paule saythe / the man shall proue hym selfe fyrste / that is to saye howe he is dysposed in his conscyence / afore that he receyue the holy sacrament / and than he shall go there ¶ Thyrdly / it is very vnholsome to take and eate to moche of brede or of mete for all fyllynge and excesse specyally of breade is euyll as the Phesycyens do saye So is it also of the holy sacrament / that is to saye / whan the man wyll enquyre further and knowe more thā it doth belonge vnto hym where it is cōmaūded vnto hym to knowe or to byleue / he doth fall in a great dysease and syckenes in his soule as the Herytykes whiche byleue not in the holy sacrament bycause that it is aboue theyr vnderstandynge / the whiche as Salomon sayth be spoyled of grace and of glory hereafter in heuen For as saynt Bonauenture sayth / there be .xxiii. mysteryes hyd and closed in the sacrament which do surmount and passe all our vnderstandynge ¶ Fourthly / the breade or meate is not holsome yf that the man do slepe incontynent after that he haue taken it / for therby do procede and come feuers and other dyseases as Auycene sayth So is it also of the holy sacrament / that is to saye / whan the man after that he hath receyued the holy sacrament dothe fall incontynent agayne in to deedly synne / so that he doth not kepe the grace of the holy sacrament / he doth lease all his vertues by hym done / and his soule is deed afore god And so longe as he is yet in synne / so longe he is in dampnacyon of his soule Therfore saynt Iohan Euangelyste sayth be well ware that thou do not lease that / that thou hast done / to the ende that thou maye receyue a great rewarde in heuen ¶ Fourthly / wherfore our lorde doth resemble hym selfe to breade is / that in all maner that the naturall breade is apoynted and laboured for the profyte of the body / so is also the lyuynge breade spyrytually apoynted / in the holy sacrament ¶ Fyrste / for to sawe the corne fructefully a man muste take the tyme conuenyent for the same / as the last parte of the yere This doth sygnyfie howe our lord had made hym selfe man / in the laste age of this worlde / whan it had dured .v. M.C.xcix yeres ¶ Secondaryly / by the sede caste in to the erth / we vnderstande the humanyte of our lorde buryed and couerte in erth ¶ Thyrdly / by the erth in the whiche the sede was caste / we vnderstande the blyssed body of oure lady / in the whiche oure lorde hath rested ¶ Fourthly / the erth ought to be donged that it may be fertyll / and yet alwayes it is estemed as nothynge worth We vnderstande by this the parfounde humylyte of the blyssed vyrgyne mary / the which dyd not repute and esteme her selfe to be the worthy seruaunt of our lorde god ¶ Fyfthly / the erth muste be laboured and tourned This doth sygnyfye howe mary was tourned by consent to receyue the sone of god in her vyrgynall wombe ¶ Syxtly / there is a seruaunt that doth lede and guyde the horses tournynge the erth This doth sygnyfie the aungell Gabryell berynge the message / and dysyrynge her consent ¶ Seuenthly / the erth oughte to be moyste with the rayne celestyall / for otherwyse the corne wolde not sprynge and come forth of the grounde / whiche doth sygnyfye the holy ghost descended from heuen / makynge the blyssed vyrgyne mary apte and mete to be the mother of the sone of god / and she to be styll a vyrgyne ¶ Eyghtly / the corne is couered vnder the erth that a man can not se it This doth sygnyfye the meruaylous concepcyon of oure lord / by the which the humanyte was vnyed with the deyte / the whiche thynge howe it was done / it doth passe the vnderstādynge of all creatures ¶ Nynthly / after that the corne hath ben a longe space in the erth / and that it is rype / it is cut layed on the grounde This doth sygnyfye how after that our lord had rested nyne monethes in the wombe of our lady / he was borne lyenge vpon the colde erth ¶ Tenthly / whan the corne hathe rested a lytell vpon the grounde / it is taken vp bounde togyther This doth sygnyfye how our lady dyd take vp her dere sone from the grounde / byndynge his membres in poore lynnen clothes ¶ Eleuenthly / after that the corne is so boūde / it is layde in the grange or barne This doth sygnyfye howe our lady dyd laye her chylde in the crybbe of an Oxe stall betwene an Oxe and an Asse ¶ Twelfthly / whan the corne hath ben a certayne space in the grange or barne / and that the man wyl vse it to his profyte / it is taken caste downe from the mowe to be thrasshed This doth sygnyfye howe after that oure lorde had rested .xxxiii. yeres / he was taken from the company of his dyscyples by the Iewes / who caste hym downe to the erth ¶ The .xiii. the corne is thrasshed and all to bette on euery syde hygh lowe This doth sygnyfye howe the Iewes dyde caste hym downe moste cruelly before them / betynge and scourgynge hym / hygh and lowe afore and behynde and on euery syde / those that were the seruaūtes of Pylate the Iewes ¶ The .xiiii. a man doth clense it and caste it in the fan from one syde to another This sygnyfyeth howe swete Ihesus was sent and ledde from Annas to Cayphas / from Cayphas to Pylate / from Pylate to Herode / and agayne from Herode to Pylate / as from one Iuge to another ¶ The .xv. the corne is gronne and broken so that there is no parte therof left hole This doth sygnyfye howe our lorde beynge boūde to a pyller / was so sore bette / scourged wounded / that from the toppe of his heed vnto the solles of his fete was not one place lefte hole The two heuye stones of the myll / were the Iewes and Romaynes / as the seruauntes and sergeauntes of Pylate ¶ The .xvi. the corne thus broken is cyfted caused to passe through the cyue / whiche is full of lytell holes This doth sygnyfye howe Ihesus after that he was scourged was crowned with a crown of thorne / the whiche dyd make many holles in his blyssed heed wherof dyd tenne downe his blyssed blode abundauntly ¶ The .xvii. the swete flowre or mele / is mynged or myxte / with daughe or sowre paste This dothe
maye consydre in two maners and sortes ¶ Fyrste / it semeth that god is lesser than the man / for he doth applye gyue his wyll to the wyll of the man so that he doth descēde from heuen to the erth vpon the aulter / whan it pleaseth the man / that is to say the preest And doth suffre hym selfe to be vsed as well of his enemyes as of his frendes / doth showe no maner of euyll nor aduersytye And so it semeth outwardely that the man is greater than god / for god is obedyent to the man ¶ Secōdaryly / we may consydre the smalnes or lytelnes of god in the holy sacrament For he dothe gyue hym selfe so frely to the man / that he maye do with hym what he wyll He doth suffre the man to vse and receyue hym as he wyll / to the entent that euery man whiche is lytell poore of vertues shulde receyue great rychesse in his soule ¶ The seconde reason the man is feble and redy to synne Therfore oure lorde Ihesu chryste hath gyuen hym self in the sacramēt to the entēt that the man therby shuld vaynquysshe all tēptacyons and inclynacyons to synne / For the multytude of our synnes towardes the power of the holy sacrament is not / but as a droppe of water towardes the hole see So we may alwayes by the holy sacrament / make satysfaccyon for oure synnes Therfore saynt Ambrose sayth / so ofte as the man receyueth the holy sacramēt so oft receyueth he remyssyon of his synnes And for so moche as man is alwayes redy to synne / therfore he shall haue alwayes with hym the medycyne of his soule / for the man can not better reconcyle hym selfe to god / than by the holy sacrament Therfore those that do not go to the holy sacrament / do showe that they do not desyre grace ne mercy of god thynkynge to come to heuen with out god Notwithstandyng the nerest way to come to heuen / is by the holy sacrament Therfore the prophete Dauid sayth assaye and proue howe swete our lorde god is ¶ Thyrdly / the man is enuyroned amonges his enemyes / as the deuyll / the flesshe / and the worlde Wherfore the man lyueth alwayes with fere and drede / and is neuer in suretie And to the entent that the man do not fere beynge in this great myserie and peryll / and that his enemyes do not vaynquysshe hym nor wounde hym to deth / therfore god hath gyuen hym selfe in the holy sacramēt as a faythfull felowe cōpaygnon whiche styfly wyll tary with hym and not departe / vnto he haue vaynquysshed all his enemyes / the which thynge god dyd promyse to his dyscyples in the last supper and to all men that do receyue hym sayenge / I wyll be with you / vnto the ende and consummacyon of the worlde This good compaygnon defendeth / techeth / and doth solycyts the man in all thyng that he hath to do and that is necessary for hym / and doth kepe and take hede of the man / in all payne / tēptacyon / trybulacyon / in pouertie of spyryte / and in all busynes that maye chaunce vnto hym Therfore the man shall call demaunde the cōmynge of this cōpaygnon / for he doth make the slouthfull person quycke / and that thyng that is heuy lyght / eygre and bytter swete And he doth make ryche those that be poore and those that be desolate and in heuynes / he doth reioyse and conforte them For saynt Paule sayth / I may in hym whiche dothe coroborate me / do all thynge / that is to saye in the holy sacramēt the mā may fynde in cōpanye many swete ioyes / ye yf the man wolde serche he shulde fynde all that he wolde / as vyctorye in tēptacyon / ioye in trybulacyon / in syckenes pacyence / in persecucyon pleasure Therfore Dauid sayth / I wyll not fere what soeuer man shall do to me for god is with me ¶ Fourthly / a good man fereth god for his tyme loste / the whiche he hath consumed in syn̄e without doynge any vertuous dedes fewe or none In this may be cōsydered the great displeasure of the mā which is moche to be complayned / that for two reasons ¶ The fyrste / that so longe as the man is in deedly synne / so longe is he in the maledyccyon of god / and is eueryday more than a hondreth tymes cursed of the good persones sayenge theyr houres / by the prophete Dauid in the psalter / where it is wryten O good lorde cursed be those whiche do not obserue and kepe thy cōmaundementes ¶ Secondaryly / so longe as the man is in deedly synne / he doth lease all his good workes that he doth hath done And yf he dye in any deedly synne / all is lost O good lorde / howe fewe people do remembre that O man remēbre that yf temporall goodes and rychesse be lost / there is no thynge lost / but yf the soule be lost / all is lost yf honour be lost / moche is lost but yf the soule be lost all is lost And to the entent that the man do not contynewe in this myserye and that he do not fall in dyspayre the most benygne Ihesus hath gyuen hym selfe in the sacrament / to the entent that all those whiche afore were cursed / by hym agayne maye be blyssed / and whose workes were deed / by hym shulde reuyue That is to say the good workes whiche ones were in lyfe / whiche nowe reuyue And so the man doth repare and recouer by the holy sacrament / all his tyme loste And in receyuynge the holy sacramēt the man doth a great worke / so that he can do no thynge better / in case that he receyue it as it aperteyneth after the ordynaūce of the holy churche / for therby the myserye of the man is amended ¶ Fyfthly / the man is very poore of vertues / so that he can do no good thynge of hym selfe Therfore god hath gyuen hym selfe in the sacrament for consolacyon and cōforte / as a marchaunt with all the treasoure and rychesse of his grace and mercy / so that the man maye surely of hym demaunde aske what soeuer he wyll / and god wyll gyue it hym by and in the holy sacrament / to the entent that the man may so satysfye his pouertie Wherof Salomon speketh sayenge / He is come as a shyppe of a marchaunt / the which brought his breade frō a farre coūtre This marchaunt is the dyuynyte the shyp is the humanyte / the whiche hath brought the dyuynyte from a farre countre / as from heuen in to the see of this worlde The breade whiche he hath brought in this shyppe is the holy sacrament / as he sayth of hym self I am the lyuynge breade descended come from heuen This breade is so abundaunt and so fertyll in it selfe / that it is suffycyēt for all those that demaundeth it and loueth it Therfore god
of al his syn̄es cōfessed forgoten And after the greatnes of his deuocyon / the multytude of his synnes be forgyuen hym ¶ Thyrdly / the man receyueth in the holy sacrament / the noble soule of our lorde Ihesu chryste / the whiche he dyd cōmende hangynge on the crosse / to his father god almyghty / wherby man pourchaseth a gayge of euerlastynge lyfe For yf god gyue to man the greatest thynge / as his owne propre soule he wyll gyue also that whiche is lesse / as the perdurable and euerlastynge lyfe ¶ Fourthly / he receyueth also in the holy sacrament / the lyfe vnyed with the body of our lorde Ihesu chryste / wherby the man is transfourmed in god For as puyssaunce or myghte is ascrybed to god the father / to the sone sapyence or wysdome / and to the holy ghost pytie and benygnyte / so the man also by the vertue of the holy sacrament / becōmeth myghty stronge in prayer / to resyste the euyll temptacyons of the deuyll of hell He becōmeth also sage and wyse for to chose vertue and the good from the euyll He doth pourchase also in hym selfe great goodnes as loue and charite towardes god / and pacyence and humylyte ¶ Fyfthly / the mā receyueth by the holy sacrament / the dyuynyte of our lorde wherby the soule of the man is rēplysshed with the swetnes of dyuyne grace For the man whiche hathe worthely receyued the holy sacrament / albeit that the breade or hoste is consumed and vanysshed / yet hath he our lorde Ihesu chryste abydynge ī his soule with his grace / as a spyrytual meate of the soule and so he receyueth the sacrament bodyly ghostly But yf he receyue it in deedly syn̄e he receyueth it bodyly / as the very body of our lorde / but he dothe not receyue the vertues aforesayde in his soule For whan the sacrament is dygeste ī the body of man / our lorde god dothe retourne vnto heuen from whens he came by his grace / leuyng the soule voyde of all vertue and possessed of the deuyll of hell / as Iudas the traytoure was whiche receyued our lorde Ihesu chryste in the holy sacrament / in the last supper or collacyon And bycause that he was not in the state of grace but in deedly synne / therfore he receyued not the grace of god / also oure lorde dyd not tary with hym And so there be foure maner of folkes / that receyueth the holy sacrament ¶ The fyrst receyue it bodyly not ghostly ¶ The seconde / receyue it spyrytually or ghostly and not bodyly ¶ The thyrde receyue it not neyther bodely nor ghostly ¶ The fourthe / receyue it bodyly and not ghostly / as hereafter is declared to the helth of the soule ¶ The .xxvii. Chapytre / of foure maner of folkes whiche receyueth onely the holy sacrament bodely / to the dāpnacyon of theyr soules THey receyue the holy Sacrament bodyly to the dampnacyon of theyr soules ¶ Fyrste / those whiche wyllyngly and knowynge them selfe in deedly synne do go to receyue it / for suche folkes be deed in theyr soules And as saynt Austyne wryteth that as the soule of the mā is the lyfe of the body / so is also god the lyfe of the soule / taryenge and dwellynge in the soule / And god and deedly synne can not dwell togyther in one place Therfore saynt Paule saythe / that a man shall proue and examyne hym selfe afore that he receyue the holy sacrament A synner shall examyne hym selfe in thre thynges / and so he may go worthely to the holy sacrament ¶ Fyrste / yf he repent hym of all his syn̄es passed ¶ Secondaryly / yf he be purposed neuer to synne more ¶ Thyrdly / yf he haue mynde and wyll / wyll accomplysshe that same wyll / to confesse all his synnes / and after the counceyll of his confessour to make satysfaccyon for the same All those hauynge thyse thre poyntes be in the state of grace / without deedly synne And in case that they shulde dye sodeynly / god wyll haue mercy of them And may suerly receyue / vpon the mercy of god the holy sacrament ¶ The other whiche receyueth the holy sacramēt vnworthely be those whiche hauynge no knowleg of any deedly syn̄e by them cōmyt / be in a peruerse and euyll mynde wyll to do synne / as wyllyngly to hurte any man or to haunt lechery and vnclennes or to be prowde or other lyke For in al deedly synnes wherby a man may dampne his soule by the dede / so he maye also dampne it without the dede / onely by wyll consent So dyd Iudas receyue the holy sacrament beynge ī the myscheuous wyll and mynde to betraye our lorde Ihesu chryste And therfore dyde he receyue within hym the deuyll of hell / and became worse after that he had receyued the sacrament / than he was afore So also the people become worse and more obstynate in synne / whiche receyue the holy sacrament in an euyll and peruers mynde and wyll They haue all an euyll mynde and wyll / whiche do not eschewe occasyon to syn̄e wherby they shuld fall in synne ¶ The thyrde maner of folkes / whiche receyue not well the holy sacrament / be the Ypocrytes whiche resemble to be good outwardly / but within they be full of all vnclennes / lechery / and enuye They be suche whiche ones in the yere come to confessyon and do promyse to amende theyr lyuynge / but they do the contrarye They be also suche whiche without occasyon by fayned humylyte / do ofte tymes refrayne to go to the holy sacrament / sayenge that they be not worthy to receyue it / in reprehendyng other whiche ofte tymes go therunto Yf we wyll speke of the dygnyte / there is none worthy to receyue it / in heuen nor in erthe / neyther Mary the mother of god nor the apostelles Nor god doth not desyre of vs suche prepayrynge as doth apperteyne to his mageste dyuynyte / but he desyreth onely of vs suche prepayrynge as is possyble to our power / nor he dothe not demaunde that we do not synne / or that we haue not synned / but he desyreth onely that after that we haue synned / that we be penytent and sory therfore / and that we be in purpose and wyll neuer to synne more For saynt Peter in the laste supper dyd receyue worthely the holy sacrament / yet neuertheles he renounced our lorde Ihesu chryste shortely after / and all the other apostelles dyd cōmyt a deedly synne with hym Wherfore man shall do that that is in hym / goynge to the holy sacrament / cōmendynge hym to god ¶ The fourth maner of folkes / whiche receyue the sacrament vnworthely / be those whiche presūptuously go to the holy sacrament in deedly synne / to moche trustynge to the mercy of god / thynkynge it not to be synne / whiche they do make no synne / whiche do not examyne theyr
conscyence afore / nor remembre not theyr euyll and peruers lyuynge / nor also haue not contrycyon in theyr hertes / nor do not make theyr confessyon And suche folkes albeit that they haue not knowlege of any deedly synne by them cōmytte / yet neuertheles they goynge to the holy sacrament cōmytte a deedly synne / for they do put them selfe ī peryll Saynt Paule sayth / that the man shall examyne his cōscyence afore that he go therunto O what nombre of people there is which bere many and great synnes vpon them / and careth no thynge at all therfore They do chose a confessoure whiche is very symple whiche doth lede both the synner hym selfe to hell ¶ The .xxviii. Chapytre / howe greatly he synneth / whiche receyueth the sacrament vnworthely THe greatnesse of the synnes of those / whiche receyue the holy sacrament vnworthely and in deedly syn̄e to theyr euerlastynge dampnacyon / maye be consydered by foure reasons ¶ Fyrste / for suche folkes be reputed afore god for murderers of Ihesu chryste the sone of god And as saynt Gregorye sayth they do cōmyt greater synne whiche do dyspyse god reygnynge in heuen / than those whiche dyd crucyfye hym in erth O what penaunce wolde a good catholyke man do / whiche shulde haue crucyfyed our lorde / what penaunce is he than bounde to do / which hath vnworthely receyued the body of oure lorde god ¶ Secondaryly / suche folkes be oft tymes punysshed in theyr bodyes by syckenes / or by sodayne deth And therfore cōmonly after easter cōmeth syckenes / pestylence / and other inconuenyence / And that is bycause the man so vnworthely and in deedly syn̄e receyueth the holy sacrament ¶ Thyrdly / for they synne more enormely than the Iewes / for the Iewes dyd synne by ygnoraunce And as saynt Paule sayth yf they had knowen it / they wold not haue crucyfyed the lorde of glorye But the synners chrysten men knowlege god / knowe well that they be in great synne The Iewes haue crucyfyed our lorde but ones / but the chrysten men do crucyfye hym very ofte / in so moche that wyttyngly they do go to the holy sacrament in deedly synne ¶ Fourthly / suche folkes receyue vpō them the iugement of god / whiche he shall gyue vpon the dampned soules at the daye of iugement / where he shall say go ye cursed people to euerlastynge fyre ¶ Fyfthly / those that vnworthely receyue the holy sacrament / be lyke to Iudas the traytoure / whiche dyd betraye and delyuer our lorde Ihesu to the Iewes And it shall chaunce vnto them in hell / as it dyd to Iudas for after that he had vnworthely receyued the holy sacrament the deuyll dyd entre in to hym / so that he dyde betraye our lorde Ihesu chryste / wherfore afterwarde he fell in dyspayre and dyde hange hym selfe So they become more obstynate in synne / those whiche receyue the holy sacrament dayly in deedly syn̄e / they dare boldly do that thynge whiche other dare not thynke / ye and moreouer do that thynge whiche the deuyll dare not do And as Iudas delyuered our lorde to the Iewes so in lyke case men delyuer our lorde Ihesu chryste / in as moche as they can / to the deuylles of hell For they receyue our lorde Ihesu chryste in the place / whiche the deuyll doth possesse / and apperteyneth vnto hym ¶ Syxtly / this is an vnkynde man / for he dyspyseth god his creatoure / which for hym hathe suffred bytter dethe vpon the crosse This is yet a greater vnkyndnes ī the mā that the diuynyte power of god is redy for to come to vysyte hym with his dyuyne grace inclosed in the holy sacrament / the man maketh him self vnworthy to receyue hym ¶ Seuenthly / suche persones be more vnhappy than other / for the soueraygne goodnes whiche is god is hurtfull and dampnable vnto them / the medycyne of the soule is infyrmytie and deth vnto them For as the holy sacrament is an euerlastynge lyfe vnto them whiche do receyue vse it well so it is deth vnto those / whiche euyll vnworthely receyue it ¶ The .xxix. Chapytre / of those whiche receyue the holy Sacrament spyrytually and not bodely THere be yet foure maner of folkes / whiche receyue the holy sacrament spyrytually or ghostly and not bodely / that is to saye / they receyue the grace of the holy sacrament secretly ī theyr soules / albeit that they receyue it not vysybly in theyr bodyes / and shall be rewarded afore god / as yf they had receyued it bodely ¶ The fyrste sorte whiche receyue it spyrytually / be those whiche by feblenes of infyrmytie and syckenes can not holde meate in theyr bodyes / or whiche do coughe moche / or do cast and voyde fleume very sore suche other These persones shall coueyte and desyre hertely to receyue it / in beholdynge it with great deuocyon sayenge O good lorde I do thanke the that I maye paye / satysfye / and content the by a good wyll mynde O good lorde I thanke the / that in all places I maye fynde the. O good lorde I thanke the / that no persone maye hurte or hynder me towardes the. And I do thanke the good lord that whan I haue the / no persone maye take me ¶ The seconde sorte whiche receyue the holy sacrament spyrytually / be those whiche sodaynely be taken with sodayne deth / as maryners on the see / men of warre ī the felde / women trauaylyng of chylde and other lyke / whiche can not haue a confessoure to confesse them / and to receyue the holy sacrament Suche persones hauyng contrycyon and repentaunce for theyr synnes and desyre to receyue the holy sacrament / haue afore god receyued the holy sacrament ī theyr soules Yet neuertheles they shall confesse them selfe afore yf it be possyble / shall not trust to moche in that / to the entent that god do not withdrawe his grace ¶ The thyrde sorte be those / whiche serue god in purenes of cōscyence / yet neuertheles they refrayne somtyme through humylyte / to go to the holy sacrament / but they here masse with deuocyon reuerently beholdynge the holy sacrament / and by desyre to receyue it Suche persones yf so and in suche maner they here masse / they shall be rewarded afore god as yf they had receyued the holy sacrament ¶ The fourth sorte whiche spyrytually receyueth the holy sacrament / be those whiche be prepayred therto and humbly desyreth to receyue it / but theyr confessours wyll not agre therto Also relygeous persones whiche after the rule of theyr ordre / maye not go to the holy sacrament / but on dayes ordeyned by theyr heedes Yet notwithstandyng they desyre to receyue it somtymes / the whiche must be content for afore god they haue receyued it spyrytually And it is somtymes more acceptable to god that the man do absteyne deuoutly with Centurio / than to