dredefulli: thi werkis ben wondirful, and my soule shal knowe ful moche. My boon whiche thou madist in priuyte, is not hid fro thee and my substaunce in the lowere partis of erthe. Thin yзen sizen myn unparfiit thing, and alle men shulen be writun in thi book: daies shulen be fourmed, and no man is in tho. Forsothe, god, thi frendis ben maad honourable ful moche to me: the princehed of hem is counfortide ful moche. I shal noumbre hem and thei shulen ben multiplied aboue grauel: I ros up and yit I am with thee. For thou, god, shalt slee synneris: ye menquelleris bowe awei fro me. For ye seyn in thou3t: take thei her citees in vanyte. Lord, where I hatide not hem that hatiden thee: and I failide on thin enemyes. Bi parfiit hatrede I hatide hem: thei weren maad enemyes to me. God, preue thou me and knowe thou myn herte: axe thou me and knowe thou my pathis. And se thou if the weie of wickidnesse is in me : and lede thou me forth in euerlastinge liif. Vers. Lord, gyue hem endles reste. Resp. And perpetuel lizt shyne to hem. Vers. Fro the gatis of helle. Resp. Lord, delyuere the soulis of hem. Vers. I bileeue to se goodis of the lord. Resp. In the lond of lyueris. Vers. Reste thei in pees. Resp. So be it. T Oracio. Tibi domine commendamus. O thee, lord, we bitaken the soulis of thi seruauntis bothe men and wymmen, so that thei ben deed to the world, moun lyue to thee: and alle the synnes that thei han do bi freelte of worldly lyuyng, thou, lord, waishe hem awei bi the forzyuenesse of thi moost merciful pitee. Bi crist oure lord. So be it.26 26 Many editions add here, "Requiescant in pace, Amen. God haue mercy on all crysten soules. so be it." There is considerable variety in the Hora and Prymers at the conclusion of this Office. Some editions, with our present text, end here: with which agree the two Enchiridions. Others add one or more prayers to be said as occasion might require, or devotion might suggest. These either have a mere rubric thus; "A prayer to God for them that be departed, hauyng none to praye for them :" Prymer. 1538: or, a recommendation of this sort; Pius the ij. pope of rome hath graunted to all them that say thys prayer folowinge for the saluacion of al christen soules, totiens quotiens a hondreth dais of pardon. And also Johannes the iiij. pope hath graunted many dais of pardon as ther bodyes of christen people beryed." Hora. 1531. 66 I shall extract the prayer attached to the first of these rubrics, for those "having none to pray for them." Miserere quæsumus Domine Deus. "Haue mercy (we beseche the lorde god) thorough the precyous passyon of thy onely begotten sonne our lorde Jesu Christe, haue mercy on those soules that haue no intercessours unto the to haue them in remembraunce, whiche haue neyther hope nor comforte in theyr tormentes, but onely for that they be formyd after thy ymage and likenes, and insigned with the sygne of faythe, which eyther by neglygence of them that be lyuynge, or longe processe of tyme, are forgotten of theyr frendes and posteryte. Spare them, lorde, and defende thy creacyon, neyther despyse thou the worke of thyne handes, but extende thy ryght hande on them, and delyuer them frome the dures of theyr paynes, and bryng them into the company of the celestyall cytezens, thorough thy excedyng greate mercyes, whiche are most excellent aboue all thy workes. Whiche lyuest and reygnest, God, worlde without ende. So be it." I do not remember to have seen URE fadir, that art in heuenes, halewid be thi name: thy rewme come to thee: be thi wille do as in heuene and in erthe: oure eche daies breed 3yue us to day: and for3yue us oure dettis, as and we forgeuen to oure dettouris and ne lede us into temptacioun: but delyuere us fro yuel. So be it. omnium Christianorum, pro quibus salvandis nudus et expansis manibus in cruce pependisti: et quinque vulnera pertulisti: et amaram mortem subire voluisti. Qui vivis et regnas Deus. Per omnia sæcula sæculorum. Amen. "Pater. Ave. Credo." Compare with the above, this old custom recorded of the monks of Durham: and, without doubt, not a singular one in that age. "Also the Mounkes was accustomed every daie, to goe thorowgh the Cloister, in at the Usher's door, and so thorowgh the entrie, in under the Prior's lodginge, and streight into the Scentorie garth, wher all the Monnks was buried, and thei did all bair-heade, a certain longe space, praieng amongs the toumbes and throwghes for there brethren soules being buryed there, and, when they had done there prayers, then they did returne to the Cloyster." Rites of Durham Abbey, p. 74. This is already a long note: but I must add a paragraph from Aue maria. EIL, marie, ful of grace, the lord is with thee, thou art blessid among wymmen: and the blessid fruyt of thi wombe, iesus. So be it. the concluding section of the Necessary Doctrine and Erudition: I quote from the edition by Berthelet, 1543. 4to. "And here is specially to be noted, that it is not in the power or knowlege of any man, to limitte and dispence, howe moche and in what space of time, or to what person particularly the saide suffrages do profitte and auayle: Therfore charitie requireth, that who so euer causeth any such to be done, shulde yet, (though their intent be more for one then for the other) cause them also to be done for the universall congregation of chrysten people quicke and deade, for that power and knowlege afore rehersed perteyneth onely vnto god, whiche alone knoweth the measures and tymes of his owne iudgement and mercies." This entire section should be consulted by the student: and the concluding one, which corresponds with it, of the earlier treatise, put forth in the same reign, The Institution of a Christen "The article of purgatorie.' I believe both these are man: reprinted in a volume published at the Clarendon Press, Oxford: under the title of Formularies of Faith. We find frequent examples in ancient Wills, of the practical extent to which this charitable principle was extended. People not only left money that themselves might obtain the benefit of the Church's prayers; not only even that their own immediate kindred should be included: but, all the faithful. Take two examples from the Wills and Inventories, published by the Surtees Society. "Item do et lego—ad celebrandum pro anima mea et animabus omnium fidelium defunctorum per unum annum, iiij'.” P. 50. "Item do et lego presbiteris divina celebraturis pro anima mea et anima Aliciæ uxoris meæ, et pro animabus liberorum nostrorum, et omnium fidelium defunctorum, cc'." P. 59. A. D. 1410 and 1416. 27 I have placed in the Appendix several other early translations of the Pater noster, and Creed, after the Calendars, and versions of the Te Deum, etc. Credo in. BILEUE in god, fadir almysti, makere of heuene and of erthe: and in iesu crist the sone of him, oure lord, oon aloone: which is conceyued of the hooli gost: born of marie maiden: suffride passioun undir pounce pilat: crucified, deed, and biried: he wente doun to hellis: the thridde day he roos azen fro deede : he steiz to heuenes : he sittith on the riзt syde of god the fadir almy3ti : thenus he is to come for to deme the quyke and deede. I bileue in the hooli goost: feith of hooli chirche : comunynge of seyntis: for3yuenesse of synnes: azenrisyng of fleish, and euerlastynge lyf. so be it. Thes ben the ten comaundementis of god. HE firste comaundement of god is this. The lord spake alle thes wordis. I am lord, thi god, that ladde the out of the lond of egipt, fro the hous of seruage: thou shalt not haue alien goddis bifore me. Thou shalt not make to the a grauun ymage: nethir ony licnesse of thing that is in heuene aboue, and which is in erthe bynethe: nethir of tho thingis that ben in watris undir erdir erthe: thou shalt not herie tho: nethir thou shalt worship: for I am thi lord god, a stronge gelous louyer: I visite the wickidnesse of fadris in sones, in to the thridde and fourthe generacioun of hem that haten me: and I do merci into a thousand, to hem that louen me and kepen myn heestis. The secounde comaundement is: thou shalt not take in veyn, the name of thi lord god: for the lord shal not |