saynt Gabryell most faythfull swete messenger of our helth O saynt Raphaell reuerende and amyable medycyne and phesycyen of god O thre soueraygne messengers of the holy trynyte I do call vnto you for helpe / with my good aungell / whiche hath me in kepynge / and all holy sayntes / whiche be afore god with incoÌ„parable ioye laudynge god and with one voyce sayeng Sanctus / Sanctus / Sanctus / that is to say holy lorde god of the heuenly company I praye you all togyther by the incomparable ardaunt loue / whiche abundauntly ye vse and enioye afore the face of god that ye wyll come to helpe me a poore synner and all my frendes and enemyes / in all maner of necessytie and at al tymes in all places to defende kepe and conserue vs And illumynate our hertê with the same dyuyne dyleccyon loue / wherwith ye be illumynate And helpe vs in all temptacyons and trybulacyons / and streÌ„gthen vs in all vertue and specyally socoure vs in extreme necessytie / and delyuer vs from the temptacyon and snare of our enemye / to the entent that throughe your helpe we maye at that tyme obteyne a holy and good lyfe / and may procede in all vertue / so boldly fyght / pacyently suffre / and well happely to dye / that after this lyfe we maye come to the euerlastynge lyfe / where with you and all sayntê we maye laude and prayse oure creatoure euerlastyngly Amen ¶ Pater noster Aue maria ¶ A prayer to the Patryarches and Prophetes / on the Tuesdaye O Holy gloryous reuerende fathers / Adam / Abraham / Isaac / and Iacob / Moyses / Aaron / Iosue / Samuel / Dauid / Helye / and Helyzeus / Isaie Hieremye / and Danyell / with all other holy Prophetes and Patriarches / messengers of the perpetuall trueth of god oure lorde Ihesu chryste / which for our helth was borne of a vyrgyne and suffred deth / as ye holy patryarches haue fygured in the olde testament / and ye true prophetes haue prophecyed by the myght of the holy ghost / I pray you holy fathers that ye wyll praye for me a poore synner to our lorde Ihesu chryste / that he wyll illumynate my herte by the holy ghost / to the entent that alwayes I may haue afore myne iyes / those extreme thyngê that be to come / as the iugement / deth / the paynes of hell / and the euerlastynge ioye of heuen And so by his grace specyally at the houre of deth I maye be founde redy therto and at the daye of iugement I maye onely trust in hym by his grace escape the payne of hell / and that I may be fouÌ„de amonges the nombre of those whiche from the Eest west shall come to rest in the skyrte or lappe of Abraham Isaac / and Iacob / in the euerlastynge lyfe the whiche graunt vs he that without ende lyueth reygneth iÌ„ the worlde of worldes Amen ¶ Pater noster Aue maria ¶ A prayer on the wednesdaye / to all the Apostelles / and to the Apostell that ye do honoure O Heuenly senatures and clere lyghtes iuges of the world holy Apostelles and EuaÌ„gelystes / saynt Peter / saynt Paule / saint Andrewe and saynt Iames / saynt Iohan / and saynt Phylyppe / saynt Iames / saynt Mathie / saynt Symon / and Iude Thadee / saynt Thomas / saynt Barthylmewe / saynt Mathewe / saynt Luke / saint Marke / saint Barnabe / with all other dyscyples of our lord Ihesu chryst And specyally saynt N. whom I serue and haue chosen to be myne aduocate and to pray for me I beseche you all humbly with my very herte / to praye to your mayster our lorde Ihesu chryste for me / that he do grauÌ„t me perfyte / ryght / and stedfaste fayth hope towardes hym / and true charyte and loue towardes god and al persones And as that he hath drawen you from this worlde to dyspyse it / so drawe me also from all carnall ioyes and worldly loue / and from all transytorye thynges And that he do graunt his dyuyne grace / to folowe his doctryne showed vnto vs by you to the entent that at the day of iugemeÌ„t I may appere and come afore the consystorye / as a good chylde of the holy churche / to lyue with you in euerlastynge lyfe Amen ¶ Pater noster Aue maria ¶ A prayer the Thursday to all Martyres / and to hym that ye do serue O Noble knyghtes of god and gloryous Martyres of oure lorde Ihesu chryste / saynt Stephen / saynt Laurence / saynt XpÌ„ofore / saynt George / saynt Cornelys / saynt Adryan / saynt Sebastyan / saynt Lambert / with all other Martyres / whiche haue suffred deth for the name and loue of god / with whom ye do reygne and reioyse in heuen euerlastyngly / and specyally saynt N. whom I do serue and haue chosen to praye and speke for me I pray you all for the loue of hym whiche hath chosen you / and for the confessynge of whose name / ye haue receyued gloryous martyrdome / that ye praye for me a poore synner / that as he hath gyuen you strength and pacyence agaynst his enemyes in all the great and intollerable tourmentes that they dyde you / that he wyl grauÌ„t me also by his great mercy and your prayers / strength / myght / and pacyence in all temptacyons and persucyons of the enemye / of the worlde / and of my flesshe / that I maye vaynquysshe ouercome them and that he do graunt me to dyspyse all transytorye thynges / and to inclose in my herte / onely heuenly thynges O shynynge rubyes O reed roses heuenly baners / obteyne vs of the holy trynyte to folowe you stedfastly and feruently / in the holy catholyke fayth / to the entent that of the kynge of heuen IhuÌ„ chryste / we may be crowned with the crowne of spyrytuall martyres in the euerlastynge lyfe Amen ¶ Pater noster Aue maria ¶ A prayer the Frydaye to all CoÌ„fessours and to hym whom ye do serue O Holy blyssed Confessours of oure lord / saynt Gregorye / saynt Ierom saynt Ambrose / saynt Augustyne / saynt Martyne / saynt Frauncys / saynt Alexe / saynt Bernarde / with all Confessours your dere heuenly company / whiche haue confessed / knowleged / and annunced god in erth and specyally saynt N. whom I serue and haue chosen to praye and speke for me / I praye you all / O heuenly trompettes by the whiche god hath ben herde / that as ye haue showed annuÌ„ced in erth with the herte / with the mouth / and with the dedes that by your prayers I may obteyne to byleue with herte / to speke with the mouth / and with dedes to accomplysshe that that ye haue showed and taught / to the entent that by your holy doctryne and predycacyon I may receyue the blyssed name Ihesus with his grace / wherby I maye be saued O happy and noble louers and frendes of god and possessours of the euerlastynge lyfe / praye for me to almyghty god / that by your merytes he wyll graunt me to do penaunce for my synnes afore my deth / and to pardon and forgyue all that I haue mysdone in all my lyfe / agaynst hym and my neyghboure And do not dyspyse me poore synner for the multytude of my synnes but coÌ„uerte me at al tymes to god / to the entent that he maye sende you to be present at my passyng of the bytter deth And delyuer my poore soule from the fere / drede / and payne of hell / and to brynge it in to euerlastynge ioye Amen ¶ Pater noster Aue maria ¶ A prayer on the Saturdaye to our blyssed lady to al Vyrgynes and to that Vyrgyne that ye specyally serue O Noble and honourable mother of god / I worshyppe praye to the this daye aboue all vyrgynes / for thou arte quene of al vyrgynes / whiche hath ben worthy aboue all women / to bere hym in thy vyrgynall wombe whom I vnworthy synÌ„er coueyteth and desyreth to receyue in the holy sacrament / afore my deth Therfore I pray the most blissed lady with all holy vyrgynes chosen espouses of god / saynt Katheryne / saynt Babara / saynt Agnes / saynt Lucye / saynt Cycyle / saynt Agatha / saynt Dorothe / saynt Margarete / saynt Clare / saynt Gertrude saynt Vrsula / with all other vyrgynes and wydowê / saynt Anne / saynt Elyzabeth specyally the chosen vyrgyne saynt N. whom specyally I do serue I praye you all togyther with a profounde herte / that ye wyll faythfully pray for me to your espouse and husbande / that he wyll take awaye from me all euyll and carnall concupyscences / all pryde and vanytie of the worlde And that he wyll graunt me true humylyte and pacyence in aduersytie / payne / tourment / helth and holynes in my soule / true contrycyon / perfyte confessyon / and penaunce for all my synnes / in all vertue a feruent begynnynge and a ferme and stedfast perseuerauÌ„ce vnto my deth the which almyghty god / the father / the sone / and the holy ghost graunt me Amen ¶ Here endeth the ryght deuoute Boke / of the sygnyfycacyon of the Masse / to the honour of god of our lady his mother of all sayntes ¶ Imprynted by me Robert Wyer / dwellynge at the sygne of saynt IohnÌ„ EuaÌ„gelyste / in saynt Martyns parysshe in the felde / in the Bysshop of Norwytche rentes / besyde Charynge crosse ¶ In the yere of our Lorde God a M. CCCCC.xxxii The .xiiii. daye of the moneth of Octobre ¶ Cum priuilegio Regali pro spatio septem annorum ROBERT WYER
ascende in to heuen / he was sytuate in the Eest parte / where his apostelles dyd worshyppe hym / and where he shal be constytute at the daye of iugement And this doth sygnyfye vnto vs that after we be deed / we be buryed with the hed towardes the west parte / the fete in the Eest parte / for at the daye of iugement whaÌ„ we shal be resuscytate from deth / we shall ryse as we do lye / shall go streyght forth without retournynge / to the iugement of god syttyng in the Eest parte ¶ The thyrde Chapytre / who dyd saye the fyrste Masse vpon the erth / and who hath so ordeyned and composed it sens that tyme. AS the holy scrypture doth teche vs / oure lorde the sone of god in his last supper that he made with his apostelles in his lyfe / dyd instytute the holy sacrament he onely dyd speke the wordes of the consecracyon as a very preest / after the ordre of Melchysedech In the which supper our lorde as a soueraygne bysshop / dyd ordeyne all his apostelles preestes / coÌ„maundynge them and also all other preestê that shall come after them / so to do in his remembraunce and coÌ„memoracyon ¶ After this the apostelles sayd the Masse spekyng the same wordê that our lorde dyd in blyssynge the breade / with a Pater noster and so the masse was sayde and accomplysshed And in this maner saynt Peter dyde the fyrste masse / by the space of foure yeres in the Eest parte / where he was bysshop / after was constytute bysshop in Antyoche And there he sayde after the Pater noster / thre oraysons ¶ Saynt Iames the lesse sayde the fyrste masse at Ierusalem afore that he was bysshop Saynt Marce the euangelyste sayde the fyrste masse in Alexandrye / and so all the other apostels in al quarters of the worlde After them / the holy catholyke churche hath ordeyned and instytute / to saye the epystell and the holy gospell And fynally dyuerse holy popes and bysshopes / by inspyracyon of the holy ghost / as saynt Gregorye / saynt Basilius / saynt Celestyn saynt Ambrose / and saynt Austyn / haue ordeyned instytute it as it is nowe and euer shall be ¶ The fourth Chapytre / yf the fyrst masse of a newe preest be better than the seconde or the thyrde of another preest THe holy sacrament consecrate of the preest / is in all masses of all preestes of lyke power and myght / as touchynge the holy sacrament Yet notwithstaÌ„dynge the fyrste masse is coÌ„monly more profytable and merytoryous than the seconde or the thyrde and that is for foure reasons ¶ The fyrst cause is / for in the fyrst masse there be many reuerences and solempnytes done / whiche be not done in other tymes / as to com to offre to hange the churche with Tapysserye / to cast sprede herbes in euery place other ceremonyes / the which be done by deuocyon to moue the hertes of catholyke people to feruent prayers and oraysons ¶ The seconde cause is / for iÌ„ the fyrst masse the synnes be more habundauÌ„tly pardoned for certayne pardons and indulgences gyuen them / whiche do here the fyrste masse ¶ The thyrde cause is for in the fyrst masse the preestê be wont to prepare them self more deuoutly than at another tyme. And therfore theyr prayers be than more acceptable / deuoute / feruent to praye for them that do here theyr fyrst masses for to obtayne grace ¶ The fourth cause is for in the fyrst masse certayne soules be delyuered from purgatorye / the whiche god hath ordeyned to be delyuered at that tyme / and not in none other masses as it is red of saynt Gregorye / that in his fyrste masse / he delyueryd as many soules as there was folkê heryng his masse and of suche examples there be many ¶ The fyfth Chapytre / yf it be more for the soule helthe / to here masse of a deuoute and vertuous preest / than of an euyll preest VPon this deuoute doctours do saye / that we maye speke of the masse in thre maners ¶ Fyrst touchyng the holy sacrament of the blyssed body of oure lorde Ihesu chryste / the whiche is the most pryncypall in the masse The masse is as good of an euyll preest as of a good / for the holy sacrament is not worse nor the vertue therof dymynysshed by the euyll preest / nor better and of greatter vertue by reason of the good preest Yet neuertheles the euyll preest beynge in synne doth receyue it to his dampnacyon ¶ Secondaryly / a man may consydre / by what persone the masse is done and sayd / for yf it be sayd by the person / or vycare / or chaplayne of the churche / for other persones and not for hym selfe / than the masse is as good of an euyll preest / as of a good and a vertuous preest ¶ Thyrdly a man maye speke of the masse touchynge the prayers and oraysons / the whiche the preest sayth in the masse tyme / And than the masse sayd of a good and deuout preest is more better / than of a synner and an euyll preest ¶ The syxte chapytre / Yf all the masses be lyke good as masse of Requiem / of our Lady / of the holy Sacrament c. and whiche is best OF the offyce or seruyce of the masse we maye speke in two maners / as the Canon lawe dothe shewe vs. ¶ Fyrste there be certayne festes / whiche hath theyr propre offyce and seruyce / as Ester / Pentecoste / the Ascencyon / the Dedycacyon All the festes of our lady and coÌ„monly the Sondayes / and dyuerse other dayes In these hyghe and great feestê it is not coÌ„uenyent but of necessyte that a man shall saye any other masse / and leue the masse of the great feest Therfore we shall not cause to saye any other masse / but the same of the daye and feest ¶ Secondaryly / there be certayne dayes in the weke / which hath no propre offyce and than it is best to saye the masse / wherin the preest or the man hath the greatest deuocyon as of Requiem / or of the Vysytacyon / Annuncyacyon Assumpcyon c. And so there be certayne masses ordeyned by certayne deuoute persones / or by apparycyon / the whiche be very good and profytable to be sayd as well for these that be lyuynge / as those that be deed As the pope Boniface hath ordeyned fyue masses / in the honoure of the fyue woundes of our lorde / the whiche be very deuoute and profytable And also there is founde in wrytynge for a trueth / that there be .vii. masses called the goldeÌ„ masses the whiche sayd of a deuout preest the space of .vii. dayes / euery daye in remembraunce as hereafter is wryten / be very profytable / for to delyuer shortly the poore soules out of purgatorye / the whiche acordynge to the iustyce of god / oughte to
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
And therfore the women shall not wasshe the lynnen clothes of the same afore that the preest hath wasshed them But that women maye not helpe the masse / we haue not so great coÌ„mauÌ„dement in the lawe / for the holy churche doth admyt the spyrytuall persones and maydens maye helpe and serue at the masse iÌ„ necessyte / whiche they shal not do yf there be any man present that can do it wherfore the maydens whaÌ„ they shal helpe the masse in necessytye / they shall alwayes loke deuoutly afore them / and shall not beholde the preest in the face / But they shal knele down honestly behynde the prest and shall not come to nere the aulter for the dygnyte of the holy sacrament ¶ The .xxxi. Chapytre / yf the mynyster maye helpe and serue and here the holy masse all togyther And also yf a man maye here many masses togyther at one tyme with as great meryte / as yf he herde euery masse by it selfe AS the doctours do wryte the lyfe of all good and iuste catholyke people is as a coÌ„pany of marchauÌ„tes in the whiche that that the one doth wyn the other doth lease So it is with all them that be in the loue and grace of god and of holy churche / so that they be not onely parte takers of the masse at the which they be present with theyr iyes / but also so longe as they be in the state of grace and iÌ„ the loue of god / they be parte takers of all the good dedes that be done in the holy churche through out all this worlde / of all good and iust catholyke people And the coÌ„trarye is of them whiche be in deedly synne / which do not meryte for them selfe any rewarde iÌ„ heuen / for they be deed afore god and also theyr good workes O yf the synÌ„er dyd remembre this in takynge it to the herte / what goodnesse shulde come vnto hym ¶ The .xxxii. Chapytre / what the aornementes of the preest / dothe sygnyfye FYrste the aulter where the preest sayth the masse / doth sygnyfye the crosse of oure lorde god ¶ Item the preest at the aulter / doth sygnyfye our lorde vpon the crosse ¶ Item the chalyce afore the preest / doth sygnyfye the sepulchre of our lorde ¶ Item the corporas sygnyfyeth the lynneÌ„ cloth / in the which our lorde was wrapped in the sepulchre ¶ Item the lynnen cloth of the chalyce / sygnyfyeth the lytell cloth put vpon the face of oure lorde in the sepulchre / for to wype the swete ¶ Item the patyne of the chalyce sygnyfyeth the stone that dyd couer the sepulchre ¶ Item the amys which the preest doth put on his heed / sygnyfyeth the cloth whiche the Iewes dyd bynde afore the iyes of our lord whan they dyd mocke hym ¶ Item the albe whiche is whyte and longe / sygnyfyeth the whyte and longe robe / wherwith Herode dyde cloth oure lorde in derysyon ¶ Item the longe stoyle that the preest hath aboute his necke / sygnyfyeth the corde the whiche the Iewes dyd cast about the necke of our lorde / and afterwarde about his body whan they dyd take hym in the garthen ¶ Item the short stoyle or maniple the whiche the preest hath on his left arme sygnyfyeth the corde with the whiche the handes of our lorde were bounde / for whan they dyde vnbynde hym they left the corde hangynge at the left hande ¶ Item the corde / wherwith the preest is gyrde / sygnyfyeth the corde wherwith oure lorde Ihesus was bounde to the pyller ¶ Item the chesuble whiche is the vpper vestement of the preest / closed behynde and before and withoute fasshon open of bothe sydes / sygnyfyeth the robe of purple / wherwith Pylate dyde cloth our lorde whan he dyd mocke hym ¶ Item the crosse vpon the chesuble vpon the sholdres of the preest goth to the grouÌ„de behynde / sygnyfyeth the heuye crosse of our lorde of .xv. fote of length / the whiche he bare vpon his sholdres vpon the mount of Caluarye ¶ Item the crowne of the heed of the preest doth sygnyfye the crowne of thornes / whiche our lorde ware vpon his heed ¶ Item the lytell peacê vpon the albe vpoÌ„ the handes of the preest / and also hangyng behynde and before at the fete of the preest / do sygnyfye the great nayles / whiche were stryken through the handes and fete of our lorde vpon the crosse ¶ Item the breade whiche is consecrate / is verely the blyssed body of oure lorde / And the wyne after the consecracyon / is the precyous blode of our lorde habundauÌ„tly shed vpoÌ„ the crosse This may a symple person whiche can not rede thus thynke and remeÌ„bre in the masse tyme / and to occupye hym selfe with the passyon of our lorde ¶ The .xxxiii. Chapytre / what vertue or fruyte doth consyst and lye in deuoutly herynge masse the whiche vertues be in .xii. maners THe fyrste vertue or fruyte is / as some doctours do wryte / that the man doth meryte more whyles that he dothe here masse deuoutely / than yf he shulde gyue for godes sake / as moche grouÌ„de lande as he could passe and go ouer in the space of the same masse O what maye he than deserue whiche doth here euery daye thre or foure masses And what doth he lease / what compte shall he make afore god at the daye of iugement / whiche hath not so great busynesse / but that he maye here one masse at the left euery daye O what it shal greue you that ye haue lost so moche This ye shall vnderstande accordynge to the dygnyte and excellentnes of the masse ¶ The seconde vertue is / that the holy auÌ„gelles be glad to be nyghe vnto that person in kepynge hym whan he hath herde masse As Dauid sayth / god dyde coÌ„maunde his aungelles to kepe and preserue you / in all your wayes and busynes ¶ The thyrde vertue is that the man beholdynge with deuocyon and reuerence the holy sacrament in the masse / as saynt Austyn sayth / god doth gyue hym that same daye al thyngê necessary for his body Item vayne wordes and vnaduysed othes be forgyuen and pardoned / and he is preserued from sodayn deth A man doth lease no tyme whyles that he doth here masse All the steppes in coÌ„mynge and in goynge / be compted of the holy aungell And yf the man dyed the same daye that he hath herde masse without receyuynge the sacrameÌ„t / god shall compte it as spyrytually receyued ¶ The fourth vertue is / that the person beynge in synne ofte tymes in the masse tyme by the presence of the holy sacrament / doth receyue a good iÌ„spyracion so that from theÌ„sforth he doth conuerte hym from his synnes As the good thefe vpon the crosse / Mary Magdaleyne afore the fete of our lorde Yf they had not ben present with our lorde / perauenture they shulde not haue had pardon of theyr synnes ¶ The
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
with god by the holy sacrament Wherfore he doth speke by the prophete Dauid I haue spoken O men ye be godes and all togyther chyldren of heuen / For the soule of man is so vnyed with god by the holy sacrament that all the auÌ„gelles Cherubyns ne Seraphyns can not fynde any dyfference betwene theÌ„ two for where they do moue the soule / thyther also they do moue god There was neuer thyng so vnyed as god is with the soule of man / for he is nerer and more vnyed / than the soule and the body / whiche do man a man This we may consydre by many sayntes and perfyte men whiche haue suffred great paynes / punysshementes / and tourmeÌ„tes of tyrauntes vnto deth / that theyr bodyes dyde departe from theyr soules Yet these tyrauntes could neuer separate god from theyr soules with all theyr tourmeÌ„tê This vnyon is greater than yf a droppe of water were put in to a great tonne full of wyne / the which droppe of water shall be incontynent conuerted in to wyne And therfore man yf thou wylte procede from vertue to vertue / from grace to grace / from charyte to charyte / from desyre in to desyre / from the lyght of grace to the lyght of glory / and to come to the perfeccyon of good workes / exercyse thy selfe in the passyon of our lorde / and go oft tymes true tenâ—ly and worthely to the holy sacrament For there is nothyng that doth quycken the wyttes so moche / nor that doth illumynate the herte with deuocyon / nor that doth lyfte vp the man so moche to hygh contemplacyon / as to receyue the body of our lorde / and remeÌ„bre his passyon O man yf thou wylt also be perfytly pourged from synne / enryched in vertues / hyghly illumynate in the holy scrypture / boldly vaynquysshe thyne enemyes / be coÌ„forted in all paynes and trybulacyons / lyue deuoutly in erth / feruently be enbrased in thy herte / to wepe swetely in thy prayers / oft tymes to be illumynate / in thy desyres to be ferme and stedfast / to contynewe in good operacyons / to be remplysshed and fulfylled with spyrytuall ioyes / to be drawen to heuenly thynges / to know that thynge that god hath hydde and kepte darke / to dye wysely / to lyue euerlastyngly with god / exercyse thy selfe here in erth with god in the holy sacrament and his bytter passyon For the man myght with suche and so great medytacyon / desyre / and with suche loue and deuocyon receyue the holy sacrament that from the lowest trone of aungelles he shulde be set iÌ„ the hyghest For god doth not promyse nor also rewarde the man in heuen / after the multytude of his good workes / but also after the greatnes of his desyre loue Therfore many do erre which do withdrawe them selfe from the holy sacrament sayenge I worde very oft tymes go to receyue the holy sacrameÌ„t / but I haue no spyrytuall rychesse in me / that is to saye vertues wherwith honestly and competeÌ„tly I maye aorne my soule for to receyue the great kynge beynge present in the sacrameÌ„t The other do say / I haue not in me the water of teares for to clense and wasshe my coÌ„scyence from all fylth and synne Other do say / I haue no feruent deuocyon iÌ„ my prayers / but I am colde / feble / and slouthfull towardes god And so they wyll tary vnto they be ryche in vertues and that they haue abundaunce of teares and feruent deuocyon as they were assured therby to receyue god worthely iÌ„ the holy sacrameÌ„t O poore man there be many Turkes / Sarazyns / Infydelles / whiche haue done many vertuous dedes haue great deuocyon in theyr sacryfyce / yet neuertheles they do consyste be in dampnacyon of theyr soules It is not that that god doth serche Our lorde Ihesu chryste doth desyre and demauÌ„de of vs that we after our poore power prepare our selfe by trewe confessyon / repentaunce / and contrycyon and ferme purpose neuer to retourne more to synÌ„e In this we do prepare our selfe And yf our lord god gyue vs this grace / than we shall tourne vs to deuocyon to the teares of our iyes And yf we can not do it / we shal coÌ„myt it to god and shall not therfore leue and refrayne to go to the holy sacrament / specyally yf thy herte greatly desyre it That suche people do erre / I wyll showe you by thre reasons ¶ Fyrste / it shulde be great foly madnes for a poore man beynge clothed in ryche and precyous apparell / to demauÌ„de and begge of a ryche kynge / but it shulde be better that he shuld come lyke a poore man showynge his pouertie and so demaundynge rychesse So do the poore people that do sytte at the churche dores / showynge to the ryche men theyr nakednes and pouertie and therby the ryche people be moued with pytie So also shall we do showyng our nakednes of vertues / howe feble so euer we be / howe colde and flowe in deuocyon / howe indyscryte in wordes inclyned to all synÌ„e These faultes other lyke showynge to god the ryche kynge of Ierusalem / he wyll ayde and helpe vs in our pouertie with the treasoure of his dyuyne grace / and shall haue mercy of vs in lykewyse as he dyd to the woman of Canane / the whiche humbly dyd demaunde and desyre to eate with the fytell dogges the crommes lytell peaces of breade / that dyd fall from the table And bycause that she dyd not repute her selfe worthy to receyue a great grace / god dyd graunt her that / that she dyd demaunde / ye and yf she had desyred a greater thynge And this is that / wherof he doth speke by the prophet Dauid The poore shall eate shall be fylled / and those that do serche god shall prayse laude hym / theyr herte shall lyue with god euerlastyngly In this ye maye consydre two thynges ¶ Fyrste / god is the meate of the poore / in the soule ¶ Secondaryly / that they shall eate vnto they be full And bycause that that is impossyble so longe as we be here in erth / vnto that we come to heuen where we shall be fylled Therfore all deuoute persones shall dyspose themselfe for to go ofte tymes to the holy sacrament For as saynt Gregorye faythe / there is great dyffereÌ„ce betwene spyrytuall meate carnall meate For the man maye take so moche of carnall meate or ioye / that he shall be wery therwith But of spyrytuall meate or ioye / the man can not take so moche that he wyll be wery therwith / for the more that he dothe take therof / the more he doth demaunde and desyre And of this it is spoken in Ecclesiastico sayeng Those that do eate me shall haue hungre Wherfore he that wyll go to receyue the Sacrament worthely / he shall do that is in hym / than he shall
cōmyt hym selfe to god / which wyl fulfyll that that doth lacke in the mā The other do cōplayne and saye / that they haue not the water of teares for to wasshe theyr cōscyēce / for the which thyng they do refrayne to go to the holy sacrament / in depreuynge theyr soule from moche fruyte These persones do lyke foles / whiche wyll not go to the fountayne for to haue water / but with theyr pottes full And shulde it not be more profytable to go to the fountayne with emptye vesselles / and to take of the water so moche as shall suffyse them This fountayne is our lorde Ihesu chryste hyd in the holy sacrament / redy with his dyuyne grace / to gyue abundauntly to all persones / as he dyd speke to the woman standynge at the well He that doth drynke of that water that I wyll gyue hym he shall neuer haue thirste / but in hym shall spryng and come forth a lyuynge fountayne in the euerlastynge lyfe And therfore he that hath no thynge nor no thynge can get of the water of teares in his vessell / he shall go surely without doubte or fere with a ferme fayth and byleue / to the abundaūtly lyuyngly well the whiche is open to all persones / that is to saye / the holy sacrament And therof thou shall drawe and take abundauntly / so moche as thou shall nede / and shall suffyse the / for yf the fountayne be to depe / bynde thy vessell to the woode of the crosse remembryng his bytter passyon / thou shall fyll thy vessell abūdauntly with the water of teares And therfore it is that our lorde Ihesu chryste hath gyuen hym selfe in the holy sacrament / bycause that he knoweth wel that mā is faultye and inclyned to all feblenes Yf we shulde haue ben as perfyte as the aungelles in heuen / it shulde not haue ben nedefull that our lorde god shulde haue gyuen hym selfe in the holy sacrament for our syckenes feblenes Therfore man shall do that that is in hym shall recōmende hym to the mercy of god / For so haue all the holy men done / whiche be saued by the same ¶ There be other that do complayne sayenge that they be not feruent nor hote in the loue of god / and that theyr hertes be not inflamed in the charyte or loue of god / but they be colde And therfore they wyll not go to the table of god to receyue the holy sacramēt These persones do lyke foles / as those that be very colde and wyll not go to the fyre to warme them It were better for them to go to the fyre / than to tarye longe from it / and to suffre ī the meane tyme great colde This fyre is Ihesu chryste hydde in the holy sacrament / as the Prophete sayth / Our god is fyre whiche deuoureth / the whiche fyre is god come and descended in erth / for to illumynate our hertes by all the benefytes that he hath done vnto vs. Deuocyon doth not consyste in moche fastynge / prayenge / and oft tymes confessynge / but it doth consyste in that that the man be humble of herte / feruent / tourned towardes god / illumynate with dyuyne charyte / mercyfull towardes his neyghbour euen chrysten hauyng god alwayes afore his iyes For it is more acceptable vnto god / that the man after that he hath synned / tourne hym selfe humbly towardes god / than yf he had neuer synned shulde not be humble Therfore all those that be colde and feble in the loue and charyte of god / shall somtymes prepare themselfe for to go worthely to the holy sacrament / for to be so and in suche maner hooly illumynate with the loue of god / without the which al our good workes as saynt Paule sayth be no thynge acceptable of god I do not saye that I wyll counceyll al persones to go oft tymes to the holy sacrament / But I say as saynt Austyne sayth / I do not laude and prayse for to go euerydaye to the holy sacrament / nor also do not dysprayse it / but I gyue counceyll to receyue it euery sondaye This dothe saynt Austyne speke of those / whose cōscyence is not knowen / wherupō the glose doth saye / that yf the good men go ofte tymes to the holy sacrament it is to be praysed whan they be in good lyfe / flyenge synne and the occasyon therof / takynge also good hede to them selfe and alwayes occupyenge them selfe in the passyon of our lorde These folkes thus lyuynge and not after the sensualyte of the flesshe be greatly to be praysed / that they go so ofte tymes to the holy sacrament And bycause that the conscyence of man is hyd and not knowen whether it be worthy to receyue god or no / therfore the holy doctours do counceyll that euery man do after his byleue fayth / that is to saye after his conscyence / and the loue that he hath towardes the holy sacrament For after the loue that the man hath towardes the holy sacramēt / he doth perceyue and fele deuocyon and swetnes in his soule / the man doth more honour to god in deuoutly goynge to the holy sacrament / than yf he shulde refrayne by and through humylyte For the man goynge deuoutly to the sacrament / he doth conuerte and tourne hym self to the dyuyne loue charyte / and in refraynyng he doth tourne hym to humylyte and bycause that charyte and loue do passe all other vertues / so it is better to go with loue to the holy sacrament / than to refrayne by humylyte For he that is not letted by synne and myght well prepare hym selfe to the same and dothe it not / he dothe depryue in as moche as in hym is the holy trynyte from his honoure / the aūgelles from theyr glory / the holy churche from his treasoure / the iust men from many graces / the synners from pytie and mercy / and the soules in purgatorye from delyueraunce of the payne Yet not withstādynge it is good that the man somtymes withdrawe hym selfe through humylyte from the holy sacrament / in not goyng to the table of our lorde For it was as acceptable to god / that Centurio that noble knyght dyd knowlege hym selfe by humylyte to be vnworthy to receyue hym in his howse / as Zacheus that ryche man whiche worthely dyd receyue hym This neuetheles shall not be oft tymes to be done / specyally whan the man dothe fynde hym selfe īmaculate and without synne For the holy sacramēt is a medicyne of the soule agaynst syx dyseases wherwith the soule is charged ¶ Fyrste / the man is feble and hath small courage in vertue / and is not so vertuous ne doth not so many vertuous dedes / as he is bounde to do Wherfore god hathe made hym selfe lytell and small in the holy sacrament / to the entent that no man be afrayed of his myght power / the whiche we
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
and accordynge to the prolyxyte of the tyme that he was last confessed And than he doth serche for a good confessoure / that can helpe examyne hym in that wherin he is ygnoraūt Who that so goth to the holy sacramēt with repentaunce and contrycyon of his synnes receyueth in the holy sacrament remyssyon of all his synnes / confessed and forgoten But yf he do renne neclygently to confesse hym / as the dogge to the potage / without remembrynge his euyll lyfe / it shall not helpe nor profyte hym afore god / that he hath forgoten his synnes For it semeth that he careth not for it / and that he doth dyspyse it ¶ Secondaryly / the man maye doubte in deedly synne for the erraunt and varyable conscyēce / so that he maketh cōscyence where it nedeth not / wherof cōmeth ofte tymes great peryll For the varyable conscyence byndeth the man to electe a good sage and wyse confessoure / whiche hath knowlege and vnderstādynge therof / and so he shall take awaye from hym the varyable cōscyence or the erroure of the same And than he shall go to the holy sacrament but so longe as that erroure of conscyence dureth or the most parte / he shall not go to the sacramēt But yf the man doubte yf it be deedly syn̄e or no / he shall confesse hym afore that he go to the holy sacrament / or els he shall cōmyt a deedly synne / in puttyng hym ī the peryll of deedly synne ¶ Thyrdly / the man maye yet be in deedly synne / and that he knoweth well that he hath not confessed hym therof And neuertheles he shulde haue confessed hym therof / where he cōmytteth a deedly synne bycause he doth not knowe it / for he is boūde to knowe it And in so goynge to the holy sacramēt it is deedly synne and the ygnoraūce doth not excuse afore god / for he myght go / where he myght be instructed ¶ The thyrde Chapytre / yf the man maye go vnworthely to the holy sacrament / or be dampned for certayne deedly synnes whiche he hath forgoten and that he knoweth not VPon this answereth / saynt Bonauenture that ī case that the man haue fyue poyntes in hym / god shall not compt his synnes forgoten / albeit that there were many ¶ Fyrste / he shall aduyse hym selfe well afore that he go to his confessoure / in examynyng his conscyence in the .x. cōmaūdementes / and in the .vii. deedly synnes / and afterwarde in his state / offyce or crafte ¶ Secondaryly / he shall praye to god dylygently that he maye haue knowlege of his synnes forgoten / of the whiche he is redy to confesse hym and to do penaunce for the same after the counceyll of his confessoure ¶ Thyrdly / he shall gladly go to the Sermons for to here and lerne / what thynge is deedly synne and what is not ¶ Fourthly / he shall take counceyll with his confessoure / and shall demaunde that wherin he doubteth / whether it be deedly synne or venyall For many folkes do make no synne of that that is synne / thynkynge so to begyle theyr confessours / the which neuerthelesse shall be reputed great synne afore god ¶ Fyfthly / the man shall kepe hym in as moche as he can and may from deedly syn̄e for those that synne an hondreth tymes and esteme it no more thā yf they dyd it not but .x. or .xx. tymes / it is no meruayle yf they do forget moche / the which our lorde god wyll iuge at the daye of iugement ¶ The fourth Chapytre / wherby the man maye truste that he receyueth the holy sacrament worthely / who is in the state of grace SAynt Thomas saythe / that no man so longe as he lyueth here ī erth may knowe certaynly yf he be in the state of grace / yf he receyue worthely the holy sacramēt or no / excepte that god do manyfest and showe it vnto hym For saint Paule speketh of hym selfe / I do not knowlege me to be culpable in any deedly synne / yet notwithstandyng I am not iustyfyed afore our lord god whiche knoweth all the hertes Neuertheles after that the man hath confessed hym selfe afore his confessoure / and hath dylygently declared all his synnes There be yet foure tokens / by the whiche he maye surely truste and also haue knowlege / that he is well cōfessed and that he is in the state of grace / so goth worthely to the holy sacrament ¶ The fyrste / yf the man after his confessyon / gladly doth here the worde of god and to speke of god For our lorde sayth / he that is of god / gladly doth here to speke of god ¶ The seconde is / so longe as the man feleth hym selfe redy to dwell to serue god / it is a token that he is in the loue of god for where the charyte and loue of god is / there it doth worke some good / and yf it can not do it by workes / it doth it by desyre And as saynt Gregorye sayth / the token of loue is the showynge of the workes ¶ The thyrde is / that the man ought to haue a stedfast purpose / from hensforth neuer to synne more For so longe as the man is in the mynde and wyll to synne / so longe is he in the state of dampnacyon ¶ The fourth is / that the man ought to haue great repentaūce and contrycyon of his synnes passed Therfore the man shall not reioyse nor vaunte hym selfe / nor also shall not reherse his synnes for by hauynge pleasure and delyte in any deedly synne / a man maye cōmyt another deedly synne of newe / and is great peryll and daunger to the soule In these foure poyntes as saynt Gregorye sayth doth consyste true and perfyte penaunce ¶ The fyfth Chapytre / yf the man be boūde in and for any cause / to confesse hym more than ones in the yere YT is cōmaūded in the Canon lawe / that all good catholyke persones which be come to theyr aege certayne great necessyties excepte at the leste / ones in the yere do confesse them and do receyue the holy sacrament / or elles he that doth it not / he shall be excōmunycate in his lyfe / and after his deth he shal be buryed in the feldes lyke a beest Yet notwithstādynge doctours do saye / that the man is bounde vnder the payne of a deedly synne / to confesse hym in contynent and not to tarye to Easter / and that for foure reasons and causes ¶ Fyrste / so ofte as the man is in peryll of his lyfe as women afore that they begynne to trauayle and laboure of theyr chylde / or those that wyl interpryse any great iourney or to go ouer the see or those that do go to the warre for to fyght / or those that do vndertake any thynge / wherof many do dye / or those that be in peryll to dye / as in the tyme of pestylence ¶ Secondaryly
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
receyue our lorde worthely with Zachee Suche persones shal thynke that god hath seen some thynge in them / wherfore they maye not be admyt to receyue the holy sacrament bodely And so they maye go afore the blyssed sacrament / and shall rede deuoutly these prayers folowynge / the which saynt FrauÌ„cys was wont to saye and rede with great deuocyon / or a man maye saye them in his chambre afore the crucyfyxe or crosse of our lorde god / thynkynge that the very sone of god doth hange there ¶ The .xxx. Chapytre / what thynge a man shall rede whiche desyreth spyrytually to receyue the holy sacrament with his dyuyne grace THat man whiche spyrytually desyreth to receyue the body of our lorde Ihesu chryste with his dyuyne grace / vertue / and fruytes he shall huÌ„ble hym selfe perfoundely afore god And shall rede these fyue prayers deuoutly vpoÌ„ his knees or in his chambre iÌ„ the maner here showed ¶ Here thou shalt knele on thy knees and shall saye O Lorde Ihesu chryste here I am vpoÌ„ my knees afore thy blyssed iyes and presence / as a synner and an euyll doer afore a iuge And I knowe that after thy iustyce / I haue lost and forfayte my body soule Wherfore I praye the good lorde Ihesu chryste / by the senteÌ„ce of deth wrongfully gyuen of the / that thou wylt be a mercyfull iuge to me / whan my soule shall departe from my body Amen ¶ Pater noster Aue maria ¶ Nowe thou shalt ryse vp and saye O Good lorde Ihesu chryst here I am afore thyne iyes and in thy presence as a bonde man afore his lorde and mayster / whom I and all other creatures be bounde to serue euerlastyngly I praye the good lorde Ihesu chryste that thou wylt lette me knowe thy dere wyll in all thyngê to be done / and to let it be acceptable to the / and lette me not do that thynge / wherby I maye lease thy loue euerlastyngly Amen ¶ Pater noster Aue maria ¶ Here thou shalt knele agayne / and shall saye hertely O Lorde Ihesu chryst here I am on my knees afore thy blyssed face / as a pore begger afore a ryche kynge I praye the O kynge of glory that thou wylt cloth my soule with the vestment of thy dyuyne loue / and to enryche the same with thy grace in all vertue / to aorne the same with the perles of pacyence / to the entent that so aorned I may com to the soueraygne maryage wherunto thou hast called me Amen ¶ Pater noster Aue maria ¶ Here thou shalt ryse with fere / and shall saye O Lorde god Ihesu chryste here I am afore thy reuereÌ„de presence as a man afore his derest frende / whom I al other creatures be bounde to loue / for thou haste made delyuered vs by thy precyous blode O benygne Ihesu chryste I pray the kepe and defende me alwayes / and graunt me to perceyue howe good and swete thou art / to the entent that therby all payne and ioye / and also all creatures maye be bytter vnto me Amen ¶ Pater noster Aue maria ¶ Nowe thou shalt knele agayne / and shall saye O Lorde Ihesu chryste here I am humbly on knees afore thy dyuyne iyes / as a chylde afore his father of whom I haue receyued body and soule / albeit that I haue not ben at all tymes obedyent / as a true and faythfull chylde ought to be to his father I pray the O my father euerlastynge by thy paternall loue / that thou wylt norysshe me here in erth with the heuenly breade / and in chastysynge me for my faultes / haue mercy of me / to the entent that so I puryfyed of my synnes / we maye reioyse / thou in me and I in the / with all the sayntê in heuen euerlastyngly Amen ¶ Pater noster Aue maria ¶ The .xxxi. Chapytre / of those whiche neyther spyrytually nor bodely receyue the holy sacrament THyrdly / there be some ê‘sones whiche neyther spyrytually nor bodely / receyue the holy sacrament / and that do withdrawe them selfe from the lyfly fountayne of grace wherby they become drye in theyr soules / as a braunche cut from a tree ¶ Fyrste / they be those whiche be harde herted / obstynate / and roted in theyr euyll and peruers lyuynge / and wyll not leue it / As those which be in adultery / those whiche do lede theyr lyues in a lyght and coÌ„mon maner / those whiche do haunt olde fylthy / and vnhonest tauernes or lodgyngê / or whiche do possesse goodes vnryghtfully / or also whiche be in enuye or suche lyke deedly synnes These persones / albeit that they synne lease bycause they do not go to the holy sacrament in suche an euyll and peruers lyfe yet neuertheles they synne deedly / bycause that one iÌ„ the yere they do not prepare them selfe to the holy sacrament For they myght leue theyr synne and confesse them therof / and so go to the holy sacrament / where as nowe they tarye in deedly synne and in the state of euerlastynge daÌ„pnacyon in the whiche they maye at all houres dye ¶ Secondaryly / all Infydelles / as Turkes / Sarazyns / Iewes / and paynyms / other whiche do not byleue in Ihesu chryste the sone of god in the holy catholyke churche All persones blynded in theyr malyce synne / wherby they dyspyse the holy sacrament / mocke them that do receyue it And bycause that they byleue not in the sone of god / and do not receyue hym in the holy sacrament / whiche is the lyfe of the soule / therfore they abyde and dwell in dethe / and be deed in theyr soules ¶ Thyrdly / there be yet some which do not receyue the holy sacrament / as Herytykes / that is to saye chrysten people / whiche vnderstaÌ„de the holy scrypture otherwyse than the holy ghost doth speke it by the prophetes and that that is ordeyned by the holy churche / as to go to confessyon / to faste / to go to the holy sacrament / to repute as no thynge excoÌ„munycacyon / and not to sanctyfye the holy dayes / and to honoure our lady other sayntes / or to gyue any almous in theyr honoure to the poore folkes / to dyspyse and set at nought pardons indulgences / and of suche other artycles they haue many And these persones go not to the holy sacrament whan and where they may / for they byleue not in the holy sacrament And yf they go to confessyon or to the holy sacrament / they do it without fayth / and bycause that they shall not be knowen from other / and in lyke case they com to the churche to here masse ¶ Fourthlye / they be those whiche take so great payne in worldly busynes / as to go in to the countre for marchauÌ„dyse and other transytory thynges / that they forgette to receyue the holy sacrament For there be some
folkes which yf they dyd not gyue them selfe therunto / they wolde receyue the holy sacrament more than ones in the yere / as on the foure pryncypall and solempne festes / and the feestes of our lady But bycause that they be colde in deuocyon / and that they be loth to prepare them selfe to confesse them they lette it passe lyghtly / and go not to the holy sacrament / wherof they shall gyue a compte afore god For that man that goth so seldome to the holy sacrament / he becoÌ„meth so slouthfull / so colde and drye to wardes god / that he is oft tymes wery and loth to thynke of god to here of god / and to serue hym And yf he do saye one Pater noster he feleth hym selfe wery and thynketh it very tedyous This is bycause that the soule is not ofte tymes fedde and refresshed / wherby it becoÌ„meth feble / colde / and sycke / and inclyned to deedly synÌ„e / wherin it doth make an ende of the lyfe ¶ The .xxxii. Chapytre / of them whiche worthely receyueth the holy sacrament in grace and howe a man maye knowe that he hath receyued it in grace FOurthly / there be yet some maner of folkes whiche receyue the holy sacrament bodely and ghostly in grace / to the helthe of soules These be all good catholyke persones / whiche haue prepayred them selfe therto with all dylygence by true contrycyon and confession as is aforesayd These persones wyll not prepare them self onely to receyue well and worthely the holy sacrament / but they be very dylygent in kepynge and holdynge it with them And ther is .vii. tokens wherby a man may knowe stedfastly / that god resteth styll in his soule / and in the holy sacrament ¶ The fyrste is / that so longe as a man is contryte sory for his synnes passed whan soeuer he doth remeÌ„bre them suche a persone lyueth styll in his soule But whan a man reioyseth and taketh pleasure in remeÌ„brynge his synnes passed / than his soule begynneth to dye god to departe from hym with his dyuyne grace ¶ The seconde token is / so longe as a man is dylygent to ordre his thoughtes / wordes and dedes / to the profyte helth of his soule and to the instruccyon and example of his neyghboure / and that he do all his busynes and workes with fere / to the entent that no man take any euyll example at hym And that he desyre that god onely be honoured in all his good workes suche folkes haue god inclosed in theyr hertes ¶ The thyrde token is / so longe as a man hath pacyence in his trybulacyon for no maÌ„ can tell what a maÌ„ is in wardly / afore that he be proued outwardly Some and many folkes esteme them selfe to be good and holy / yet they can not suffre or bere pacyently one lytell worde / the whiche is a token that they be farre from the waye of perfeccyon / for holynes consysteth in trybulacyon For it is better to haue pacyence in trybulacyon than to do moche good dedes withoute pacyence ¶ The fourth token is / so longe as a man hath sauoure pleasure / and ioye in the remeÌ„braunce of euerlastynge lyfe / in the worde of god / in the passyon of our lorde / and in other lyke / god is styll restynge in his soule For yf he haue no pleasure nor sauoure in these thynges / it is a token that his herte is remplysshed and full of worldly and temporall thyngê by carnall ioye and pleasure And suche folkê haue chased our lorde Ihesu chryste from theyr soules for carnall ioye spyrytuall consolacyon / maye not dwell togyther in one place ¶ The fyfth token is / so longe as a man is feruent and deuoute in sayenge his prayers to god / and that at that tyme he put awaye all rumoure and trouble from his herte in as moche as he maye / and that he speke godly and fruytfull wordes / and that he thanke god of all his benefytes and goodnes / as well for aduersytie as prosperyte Suche a man hath god remaynyng styll in his herte but whan he doth begyn to speke detraccyons or backbytynges / to curse / or other euyl wordes / it is a token that he is deed in his soule / and that god is not with hym For he that is of god / he wyll gladly here to speke of god ¶ The syxt token is / so longe as a man feleth hym self redy to serue god / and dylygeÌ„t to all good workes / it is a token that suche a man hath ben worthely at the holy sacrament For our lorde Ihesu chryste moueth the herte and the soule within / howe he shal lyue and kepe hym from synne / for the loue of god is neuer Idle iÌ„ man for to cause hym do well ¶ The seuenth token is / so longe as a man hath in hym the loue of god and of his neyghboure chrysten brother / in louynge god aboue all thynge doynge to his neyghbour as he wolde shulde be done to hym / as to coÌ„forte those that be desolate and coÌ„fortles / to helpe the poore in theyr nede / and suche lyke good dedes This persone shall not doubte but that he is in the grace fauoure of god ¶ The .xxxiii. Chapytre / of the .xii. vertues and fruytes / whiche the man receyueth / that worthely goth to the holy sacrament FYnally it is to be declared what vertues and fruytê the good maÌ„ receyueth in goynge worthely / to the holy sacrament Saynt Iohan in the apocalypse dyde se in Paradyse .xii. maner of fruytes The tre is our lorde Ihesu chryste / whiche hath borne and lefte to vs in the holy sacrament .xii. maner sortes of fruytê agaynst xii maledyccyons or cursynges / the whiche our soules receyue in coÌ„myttynge a deedly synne ¶ Fyrste / synne causeth the soule to be feble and redy to all euyll / but the holy sacrameÌ„t heleth the soule of synÌ„e / and maketh it worthy of all vertues ¶ Secondaryly / by deedly synne man doth bynde hym selfe to euerlastynge payne and dampnacyon / but by the holy sacrament he is assoyled of all deedly synne And after the great deuocyon that he hath towardes the sacrameÌ„t / the multytude of paynes and tourmentes be remytted ¶ Thyrdly / man dothe dyspoyle hym selfe by deedly synÌ„e / of all the good workes that he hath done in all his lyfe / so longe as he is in deedly synÌ„e But whan he doth retourne to grace / doynge penaunce humbly for his synnes / and that he receyueth worthely the holy body of god / god restoreth agayne to hym all his good workes ¶ Fourthly deedly synne blyndeth man by neclygent ygnoraunce / maketh hym loth to leue his synÌ„e / but the holy sacrament putteth in to the soule of man by his vertue myght a lyght of knowlege the which doth illumynate the soule and puryfye it / so that from thensforth man knoweth the
generacyon to them that fere hym He hath made power in his arme / he hath sprede abrode the prowde herted men He hath deposed and put downe the myghty men from theyr place / hath exalted the humble persones He hath reÌ„plysshed and fyllyd the hungrye and nedy persones with goodes / hath left the ryche voyde He hathe receyued Israel his sone / remeÌ„brynge his mercy As he hath spoken showed to our fathers Abraham / and to his sede for euermore Glory be to the father / the sone / and the holy ghost / through out all the worlde for euermore Amen ¶ A man shal rede this prayer after that he hath worthely receyued the holy sacrameÌ„t O Lorde Ihesu chryste / thankes praysynges be to thy ineffable and incomparable benygnyte and goodnes whiche so louyngly hathe made me parte taker of thy blyssed body / and precyous blode / wherw t thou hast now norysshed fedde my soule O penetrable and persyng lyght O lyght reluysant and shynynge aboue all lyghtes Illumynate and clere my vnderstandyng and shyne perce my soule of all sydes So that no maner of spotte do abyde there where as thy dygnyte hath come / thankes be to our lorde god the father in his puyssaunce magestie / thankes be to oure lorde god / the sone in his sapyence and wysdom thankes be to the holy ghoste / in his amyable pytie O lorde Ihesu chryste / in these thre thyngê thou arte one O amyable lorde god Ihesu chryste / I thanke the that thou hast vouchesafe to here me / an vnworthy creature / and to reioyse coÌ„forte my pensyfe herte That that I haue desyred of the / thou hast gyuen it me And that whiche of longe tyme I haue coueyted and desyred / now I haue receyued it O lorde god / thou arte the fruytefull tree of our helthe / the whiche thou thy selfe hathe planted in oure blyssed Lady thy mother / And of that same thy mother beynge a vyrgyne thou hast receyued nature humayne / wherwith nowe I am fedde O lorde god / nowe is the same selfe tree planted in erth where there is no humydyte nor moystnes of grace Wherfore I beseche the of mercy / that in the same it may please the to sende the swete moystnes and dewe of the holy ghost / the whiche shall cause the noble rote whiche thou good Lorde hath planted in my soule to florysshe sprynge O hyghe power and mageste of the father entre in to my thoughtes O sapyence and wysdome of the sone / entre in to my vnderstandynge intellygence O pyte of the holy ghost / entre in to my wyll / so that these thre myghty vertues maye answere to thy trynyte from whens they be com And I beseche the good lorde for the great loue that thou hast to thy dere mother and to all sayntes / that froÌ„ hensforth thou gyue me grace to synÌ„e no more / and to fulfyll thy wyl in all thynges to the whiche the father / the sone / and the holy ghost helpe lede vs. Amen ¶ Another prayer that a man shall say after that he hath ben at the holy sacrameÌ„t / wherby the the pope 〈…〉 gyueth moche pardon and indulgence O Most holy soule of Ihesu chryste sanctyfye me O most pure body of Ihesu chryste saue me O most swete blode of Ihesu chryste make me entre in to thy loue O most pure and clere water of the syde of our lord Ihesu chryste wasshe me from my synnes O most bytter passyon of Ihesu chryste coÌ„forte and strengthen me O most feruent swete of the face of our lorde Ihesu chryste he le me O good lorde Ihesu chryste here and exalte my prayer / and in thy wouÌ„des hyde me / and do not suffre me to be seperate from the delyuer me from the deuyll enemye of hell at the houre of deth helpe me and let me be set nere to the / to the entent that euerlastyngly I maye reioyse with all the aungelles in heuen / in gyuyng praysynges and thankes vnto the. Amen ¶ Another prayer after that a man hath ben at the holy Sacrament O Lorde Ihesu chryste I praye the / that thy body and precyous blode / whiche I a poore synner haue receyued / maye remplysshe and satysfye my soule / and graunt that in me there do not abyde any spotte of synne / where nowe the holy sacrament is entred O good lord sauyoure of all creatures / whiche doth not desyre the deth of synners I beseche the most humbly by thy blyssed body precyous blode / that thou wylte assure me from al fere drede / and to grauÌ„t me peace with all men / and remyssyon of all my synnes / to the entent that the holy sacrament be not to my dampnacyon / but to the helth and medycyne of my soule I beseche the also graunt me grace and felycyte / helth to lyuynge persones / and euerlastyng rest to those that be deed and specyally haue mercy of the soules of my father mother / my brother or syster / and of all my frendes which haue done me good / or for the which I am bounde to praye And whan the last houre of my lyfe shall come / that the holy auÌ„gelles maye receyue me and brynge and lede me to euerlastynge ioye Amen ¶ This prayer maye a man saye / whan he hath ben at the holy sacrament whan he goth therto / or eueryday in the weke / whan a maÌ„ hath herde masse ¶ A prayer on the Sondaye to all the sayntes in heuen O Most holy aungelles of heuen / Seraphyn / Cherubyn Trones / Pryncypalytes / Potestates / Vertues / Domynacyons / Aungelles / ArchauÌ„gelles / with all Patryarches / Prophetes / Apostelles / Martyres / CoÌ„fessours Vyrgynes / and all the chosen soules frendes of god / which without ceasynge be laudynge / praysynge / and louynge god / beholdynge his amyable face / and tastynge his perdurable glory I pray you all as a poore synner vpon my knees with feruent desyre and hole herte that ye wyll faythfully pray to god for me and all good catholyke persones / in what estate soeuer they be in body in soule Also for all chrysten people that god wyll haue prayed for / and specyall for those that I am bounde to pray for / be they lyuynge or deed / that it wyll please god to forgyue vs all our synnes offences / whiche we haue done agaynst his dyuyne wyll to the entent that by your prayers and merytes / we may all obteyne grace in our soules to escape the payne of hell in possedynge euerlastynge lyfe with you / the whiche almyghty Ihesu chryste graunt vs. Amen ¶ Pater noster Aue maria ¶ A prayer to be sayd the Mondaye to thre archauÌ„gelles and to thy holy aungell O Holy archauÌ„gell saynt Mychaell prynce and faythfull defeÌ„soure of the holy churche stronge and myghty conqueroure of the enemyes of hell O