thee these few vvordes for the helpe of thy Soule whome God of his endles mercie gouerne to his good pleasure and thy saluation Amen Verie Deuout and Godlye Prayers on the Passion of Christ Gre. Mag. O Lord Iesus Christ I adore worship thee hanging on the Crosse bearing on thy head a Crown of Thorne I pray thee that thy holie Crosse and death be my defence and sheeld and I beseche thee deliuer me from the Angel smiting Amen Pater noster Aue Maria. O Lord Iesus Christ I adore and worship thee vvounded vpon the Crosse and there drinking Gaul and Eisel I require thee that thy vvoundes may euer be comfort to my Soule and remission of my sinnes Amen Pater noster Aue Maria. O Lord Iesus Christ I honour thee for those moste bitter paines vvhich on the Crosse thou didst suffer forme specially in that howre vvhen thy most holye Soule departed from thy blessed bodie I beseche thee haue mercie on my Soule vvhen it shal departe out of my bodye and bring it to euerlasting blisse and Ioye in Heauen Amen Pater Aue O Lord Iesus Christ I adore worship thee layde in the Sepulcher anoynted vvith Mirre and Inscence I beseche thee that thy deathe may be my lyfe and lighte Euerlasting Amen Pater Aue. O Lord Iesus Christ I adore worship thee descending into Hel and from thence deliuering those that vvere Captiue I beseche thee that thou suffer not me thither to descend Amen P. Aue. O Lord Iesus Christ I adore worship thee Rising from death Ascending into Heauen and sitting at the right hand of thy Father I beseche thee that thither I may folovv thee and that I may deserue to be presented before thee Amen P. A. O Lord Iesus Christ the good Shepheard cōserue and keepe the Iuste Iustifie the Sinner haue pitie vpon al faithful People be merciful to me a greeuous Sinner Amen Pater Aue. Credo I Beseche thee o Lord Iesus Christ that thy Deathe be my Lyfe and strength vvith the vvhich I may be Armed protected and directed Thy Woundes be vnto me continual foode vvherwith I may be refreshed and delighted The Shedding of thy moste precious blood be the washing away of all my sinns Thy passion and Resurrection be vnto me Eternal Life and Glory In these thinges be all my delihgt and desire my refection and reioycing my health and strength my Ioye and studdies and the whole desire of my hart minde and body now and euer Amen Reasons inducing vs to be gratful vnto God for his Benefites HOw much vve are bound continually to laude and praise God cheifly for his goodnes in him selfe and also to be thankful to him for his B. Benefites we may learne of the holy Prophet Dauid which in that respect said the praise of God vvas in his mouth For vve ought vvithout cessing as S. Bernard saith to geue thanks vnto him vvhich neuer ceasseth to bestow his benefites vpon vs. And how dangerous it is to be ingratful it apeareth vvel in one of the holy Fathers saying that there is nothing vvhich so much prouoketh the indignation of God against vs as ingratitude Therfore seing vve vvere created to serue God Let vs begin to learne here in Earth as S. Bernard coūsaileth vs praises vve shal yeld to him in heauen A Moste Godly and Deuoute prayse and Thankes-geuing to God for his blessed Benefites Spiritual and Corporal Of al true Christians daily to be vsed O Moste holy B. glorious and Indeuided Trinitie the Father the Sonne and Holye Gstost Three Persons and one Almightie God my Lord and God my maker and redeemer my norisher my defender my sweetnes my mercy my refuge my strength my victorye my Sauiour my Ioy and glory Eternal I Laude thee I glorifie thee I honor and worship thee O Blessed Trinitie for that thou art in thy selfe for thou art the highest God from whom floweth al goodnes Thou art gracious Eternity thou art eternall Felicitie thou art the depth of all Wisdome and Sapience Thou art only God and ther is none without thee I Laude and honor thee o B. Trinitie that mightilye haste made of nothing Heauen and Earth Sunne and Moone and al other creaturs and for that thou conseruest and gouernest al things in this Worlde All worship Laude glory and thanks be euer geuen to thee for al thy works and of al thy creaturs now and euer Amen Also I Laude thanke and praise thee for that it pleased thee to make the ix glorious Orders of Angels to laud honor thee eternally and some of them to asist vs faithfully in this exile and vale of misary with houable necessary councels and helpings and also to declare thine Ineffable goodnes And thou madest al these thinges for man But man thou madest with thy proper hands to thin owne glorious Image and liknes Thou formed in him Vnderstanding and adorned enabled him with free wil. I Laude and glorify thee for that great gifte in that thou set him in Paradise flowing with delights that he might haue high things in fruition inferior things in gouernment and to possest al things to thine honour and to worship Laude and praise thee euerlastingly Yet thou made not thes noble creaturs Angel and man for any necessity thou had to thē for truly al things were sufficient in thee to thine eternal glory But of the feruor of charity thou wast moued to create them that such noble creatures should be pertakers of thine inexpressable Ioye and glorye Thankes geuing to God for our Creation and other benefites spiritual and corporal ANd furthermore I Laude honour and worship thee O Lord for that it hath pleased thee among al thy B. workes to make me a reasonnable man For gracious Lord thou mightest if it had pleased thee haue made me a clod of earth a stone a mine of metal or any such dead creature Or else good Lord thou mightest haue made me an hearbe a plante or a tree bringing forth blossons and fruit which hath life vegetiue to fructify Or yet a more worthy creature then any of these as a beast bird or fishe hauing sence feeling and local mouing But thou o Lord hast made me none of al these creatures but to my vse health and helpe hast thou made them al to be my subiectes and I to be their Soueraigne And to me whom thou hast made a creature reasonable thou hast geuen power Wisdome Reason Vnderstāding and free will and hast formed me with al my right līms and featur of body and thou o Lord hast bestowed on me the perfection of al the forsaid creatures hauing geuen me being with stons and metales life with Trees and hearbes Sence feling moueing with beastes and Vnderstanding with Angels Hauing also indued me with many other good giftes spirituall and Corporall As the giftes of grace giftes of nature and the gifts of Fortune The giftes of Grace as Memory Vnderstanding and wil Minde Reason Imagination and
hovv hastely they draw him forth to heape vpon his tēder bodye more painye and tormentes A Garlande of sharpe thornes they thruste vvith violence on his B. head til the blood ran downe into his eyes nose mouth eares They kneele then downe vvith scornes and rise with reproofes and spitte in his blessed face Se thē how that B. Ladye beateth her brest and vvringeth her hands I trow thou vvilte vveepe for that doleful sighte Looke yet again to thy Lord and see how spitefullie they hale him forth to an high hil there to naile him hand and foote to the Rood Tree See there first how fearsely they pul of his clothes how meekly he goeth then to the Crosse and spreadeth his armes abroad and how with cordes those pitieles Tormentors dravve them forth til his B. senewes Ioyntes al to bruste Then vvith greate boysterous Nayles they make faste to the Crosse his precious handes In the same maner thou may see how greeuosly they drawe his blessed legges and nayle his feete downe to the Tree Se then how they proffer him to drinke bitter galle and isel and knele again before him vvith manie despites Then harken to that good Lord how meekly he taketh his leaue of his gracious Mother and of his deare Apostle betaketh them ether to other as deare Mother and Sonne after vvith a lowd voyce he commendeth his Spirite to his Father in Heauen hanging downe his B. head vpon his breaste Se also how soone after they pearce his harte vvith a Speare in great fury and how bloode and vvater gusheth forth of his B. side Then maiest thou haue ful great pity behoulding that good Ladye how for sorow she shrinketh down in her sisters armes Take heede to the heuy chere of his Apostle S Iohn To the teares of Magdelein and of his other friends I hope among al these thou shalt haue compunction Then is it time to speake for thine owne neede and for al others aliue and dead that trust to thy prayers Caste downe thy bodie to the ground lifte vppe thy harte vvith doliful chere and make thy prayer in maner as foloweth O Lord God Almightie blessed may thou boughtest me thy sufferance is great in me Thou vvouldest not condemne me hauing often times iustly deserued it But thou hast kepte and saued me til I vvould forsake sinne and turne wholy to thee Now Lord with sorowful harte I acknowledge to thy Goodnes that I haue misspente vvithout profite al my vvittes powers and vertues that thou haste geuen me to the helpe of my soule Al the time of my life haue I vvasted in diuers vanities al the līmes of my bodie in sinne and superfluities The grace of my Christendome in pride and other vvretchednes and trulie Lord manie other things haue I loued better then thee and not vvithstanding my great vnkindnes euer thou haste norished me tenderly kepte me Of thy great suffrāce I had ful litle knowledge of thy great rightuosnes I had but litle dreed I tooke no hede to thāke thee for thy great goodnes but in al my life from daye to daye great matter of vvrath haue I heaped vppe through mine owne vvickednes Therfore sweete Lord vvhat I shal say to thee I knovv not But only this vvorde in vvhich I trust God of thy great mercie haue mercie vpō me I acknowledge o Lord al that I haue commeth onlie of thee I knowe wel vvithout thee nothing may be but sinne and vvretchednes vvhich commeth of me Wherfore Lord vvith meke hart I beseche thy goodnes doe not to me as I haue deserued but after thy great mercy send me the grace of the holie Ghost to lighten my hart to comfort my spirite to establish me in the right vvay and to performe thy wil that I may haue perseuerance in that I haue begun and neuer hereafter be seperated from thee by my vnstablenes ne by temptations to my enemie I am vvorthy o Lord to be chastised for my vvicked liuing vvith vvhat rod it pleaseth thee vvelcome be it Pacience good Lord send me gladlie to suffer thy correction comfort me among of thy grace vvhen thy vvil is vvithdraw thy rod take me to thy mercie Ful bitter be the temptations ful greuous to suffer but though they be dreedful I knovv they shal hereafter to my soule be meedful O Lord thou knowest my hart is right feble much is my vnstablenes my knowledg ful litle Therfore good Lord strengthen me establish me and teach me and as thou made and bought me so keepe and defend me Bodie and Soule I commit to thee not as I vvil but as thou wilt Lord so be it And novv good Iesu Gods Sonne that knowest al things helpe me in al vvicked thoughts that I displese thee not in liking or consenting Ful oft I haue offended thee in diuers thoughtes against thy vvil much to my liking therfore it is thy rightuousnes that I be trubled with other thoughts at thy pleasure that be greuos to me But swete Iesus vvhen thy vvil is put them from me and take me to mercie O Lord Iesus Christ Gods Sonne keep my mind that I dilight not in vaine thoughts Iesus Christ Gods Sonne vvhich stood stil before a Iudge nothing to him answering vvith draw my tongue til I consider hovv and vvhat I shal speake that may be to thy vvoorshippe Iesus Christ Gods Sonne vvhose hands vvere bound ful sore for my loue guide gouerne my hands al my other members that my vvorkes may euer beginne to thy vvorship and graciously end to thy moste honoure Arise o Lorde and helpe vs And for thy holie names-sake saue deliuer vs. O Lord Iesus Christ cause me to haue in thy loue a meane vvithout mesure an afection vvithout meane a longing without order a burning desire vvithout ceassing O Lord I beseche thee of mercie also for al thos that doe desire my prayers though I be a most vvretched sinner vnvvorthy to be hard haue regard to their humilitie and deuotion and vvhat they desire to thy vvorship graunt thē for thy goodnes Graunt them and me to al other that I am behoulding to or bound to pray for grace to loue vvhat is moste to thy liking thee to loue aboue al thinges nothing to desire that should thee displese Al temptations mightily to withstand al other vanities o Lord for thy loue to dispise Thee good Lord euer to haue in minde and in thy seruice to abide to our liues ende and if thou graunt vs anie thing to doe that shal be to vs meedful graūt part o Lord to the Soules departed abidig thy mercie in the paynes of Purgatorye Amen In such maner thou maiest pray in the beginning and vvhen thou art entred in deuotion thou shalt percas haue better feeling in praier and holy meditations then I can shew Good brother or sister pray then forme vvrit by the teching of Almighty God haue vvhich
Capacity which are calleed the mightes of the Soule invvard The gifts of Nature as beauty comly shape strength agility and svviftnes My v. wits corporal limms and menbers as hands feete mouth nose eyes and eares vvhich be the mightes of the Bodye outvvard And vvith these also the gifts of fortune as meate drinke and cloth vvorldly riches and al other things necessary for Body Soule vvhich many a good creature that hath serued thee better then I haue wante Al honour and praise be to thee for al these thy louing kindnes that thou o Lord hast shewd to me and I not withstanding haue bene so vnkind to the in mispending these thy giftes litle concidering thy aboundant goodnes I humbly aske mercy o Lor for thes my trespasses and loueingly I thāke thee for thy greate Grace and goodnes Praises to God for his gracious visitation Inspiration and Preseruation AL honour and Prayse be to thee o Lord for thy manifolde mercies in hauing so often visyted my harte vvith thy Graces spiritual motions and good Inspirations And also hast kepte defended and deliuered me this day night and al the daies and times of my life vnto this howre from many perils and dangers of body and soule As from fire and vvater lightning thunder and tempeste from slanders shames and rebukes of this vvorld and many other mischiefes into vvhich for my sinnes I might iustly haue fallen thou o Lord hauinge suffred many a vvorthier person then I both in strength beauty cunning sodainly to be punished for their defaultes But merciful Lord me thou hast spared and forborne hast suffred me in al my great and greuos trespasses vvhich I haue don against thee more then they paciently abiding alway for my conuersion and amēdment vvhen rightfully thou might haue slaine me and damned me also perpetuallye Others Lord thou hast punished by great troubles many vvaies as by imprisonment hunger thirst could and heate blindnes and madnes by bakbiting and open infamy and me vnkinde vvretch thou caledst by friendly chastisings as by bodily sicknes by death of frendes or losse of vvorldly goods And somtime thou admonished me calling me againe vvith ful benigne and tender loue by exāple of others that haue ben drowned slaine or dead sodainly in my company and I spared and saued vvhich if I had then finished my life as they did I had ben vnready to thee dyed in my sinne Thus then hast thou saued me both soule and body from many perils and dangers diuersly for the which I geue thee most harty and louing thankes For the multitude of al these thy mercies forgeue me I beseeche thee o Lord my great offences and remember not my sinnes and Iniquities but of thy goodnes pardone me geue me grace cōtinuallye to yelde acceptable thankes vnto thee for al thy B. Benefites Laude Praise for our Sanctification Vocation to the Vnitie of the Catholike Churche ABoue al these thy mercies hast thou o Lorde of thy especial grace and goodnes knit me to thee by calling me to the knowledge of thy selfe and making me a member of thy Church catholike wheras many thousand Iewes Turkes Infidels that haue bene borne since I was haue died in their iniquities and many hundred thousand also since the beginning of the world vntil this time more worthy and noble then I if it had plesed thee o Lord thou mightest haue made me one of them and so to haue liued and died as they did But of thy especial mercy and tender loue hast thou chosen me among so many thousāds to be one of thy darlings borne now in the time of grace among Christian people and vnder the Keyes suffrages of holy Church for the which al honour be to thee for euermore Amen Thankes and praise to our Sauiour Iesus for the Benefices of Redemption Glorification and fruition O Blessed Iesus I Laude and honoure thee vvhich for my sake vvas borne of the B. Virgin and suffred here for the space of xxxiij yeres hunger thirst cold and heate and after al dispite and painfull death And by that thy death and bitter Passion thou bought vs out of the thraldome of the fiende the third daye thy Soule and body being knit again together by thy glorious Resurrection And in thy Ascention hast thou abled be to be a Prince or Princes in the high Blisse of Heauen not ten or xx yeares as earthly Princes liue here in this life But euer to liue vvorld vvithout end in al Ioye Blisse endles Felicitye Great is the revvarde o Lord thou hast prepared for me if I leue my sinne continue in thy seruice to my liues end That is three dovvries in my soule and fiue in my bodye The three of my soule be these perfect loue and Charity in thy Diuine Maiestie Clere Inspection of thy B. Godhead And true knitting and perpetual vnion to thee vvithout dissolution or departing from thee And the bodie shal be indued vvith v. special giftes As brightnes svviftnes subtilnes able to pearse euery thing as the Sunne pearseth the Glasse impassibilitie neuer to suffer paine of hunger or thirst could or heate sorovv ne sicknes trouble or heauines and Imortality euer to liue in Ioy and al felicitie and neuer die Al vvhich vvhen I concider perceiue and that thou o Lord might haue made me a stone stub or anie other deade creature and haste not so done But of thy especial great mercye hast aduanced me so worthilye hauing made and abled me to be an heyre and to Inherite the high blisse of heauen in the companies of Angels and al Sainctes there with them thee to praise thee to loue and in thee to Ioye world without end I cannot but with sorowful harte lament my great Ingratitude towards thee O merciful Lord for thy great mercye forgeue me al my sinnes I beseech thee according to the multitude of thy compassions take pitie vppon me And geue me grace daile to goe forward in thy holy seruice Faith Feare and Lone and in the same to continue to my liues end A Praier for mercy and forgeuenes of sinnes and for Grace to geue God thankes for his Benefites HAue mercy on me o God and of thy especial Grace graūt me that I may with al my wits bodily ghostly thanke thee entirly for al thy benefits calling to my helpe our Blessed Ladie with al the number of Electe to Praye and beseche thee Lord of thy great goodnes to graunt the same and to haue mercie on me and forgeue me my sinnes That we together may thanke praise laud thee nowe and euerlasting Amen O Lord for the gifts of Fortune we Laude and praise thee saying Laudamus te And for the giftes of Nature wee Blesse thee saying Benedicimus te For thy giftes of Grace we Adore and worship thee saying Adoramus te And for thy merciful keeping guiding and gouerning vs in this life we glorify thee sayinge Glorificamus te And for thy great mercy and metit of our last reward Gratias agimus tibi propter Magnam gloriam tuam Amen Praise to God for his long suffrance and calling and receauing sinners to his Mercy O Lord God almighty I Laud glorifie thee for al thy mercies which thou hast alwaies shewed to sinners paciently abiding for them mercifully Calling them benignely Receiuing them aboundantly geuing grace to them and to such familiarity admitting them as though they had neuer sinned O merciful Lord and pacient God what shal I say to thee for al these thy benefits What lauds and thankings shal I yeld to thee For if al my sinnes were auoided from me yet were I not worthy for the least of them to geue condigne thankes vnto thee but as a wretched sinner may with al my harte I Laude thee I Thanke thee I Honoure and worshippe thee And al Laude and Prayse be euer geuen vnto thee worlde without ende Amen The Conclusion O Holy Trinitie in Vnitie Vnitie in Trinite three in one and one in Three merciful and pitiful in al thy workes gracious in thy giftes and God of al bounty vouchsafe to heare benignely me thy wretched and sinful seruant and with me al the Sainctes of thy Heauenlye Courte beseeching thee of mercye and forgeunes for my great ingratitude towards thee This Praise and thankes geuing o Lord which I presume to offer and yelde vnto thy Diuine Maistie Be it through the merits of our Sauiour Iesus Christ the prayers and of al thy Elect accepted and alowed in the Eares of thy mercy and pitie Raise me vp o Lord and mercifully releeue me Graunt pardon of al my sinnes paste forgeue my gilte present defend me from al to come Amen Pater Aue. Credo Te deum