§ 14. The Primer was a volume of Prayers for private use, printed in Latin and also in English, so as to suit either preference. It was not, however, a private devotional manual in the modern sense of such a term. For as the public services were in Latin, it was the Church companion of those who understood not that tongue, and in its pages the unlearned could pray many of the prayers, which the priest was uttering between himself and God. It was issued, therefore, under official sanction, and on this as well as on the other accounts it was a semi-public book, and stood in the affections of the religious laity of the Middle Ages as the Book of Common Prayer does in modern times. It is one of the sources of the latter work. The earliest known copy in existence is a manuscript of about A.D. 1410, and this is printed in the third volume of Maskell's Monumenta Ritualia, 1882. The Primer varied in its form and contents, while preserving a general uniformity; and some Primers would appear under private sanction. In 1834 Dr. Edward Burton edited three Primers in one volume, all belonging to the eve of the Reformation: one being of 1535, A Goodly Primer, known as "Marshall's;" one of 1539, A Manual of Prayer, or the Primer in English, known as "Hilsey's ;" and the third of 1545, believed to have been edited by Cranmer, and certainly issued under royal authority, called, therefore, The King's Primer. Much information about the Primer will be found in the Introduction to Dr. Burton's and Mr. Maskell's volumes.

CHAPTER V.

FOREIGN REFORMED SERVICE BOOKS.

§ 15. Hermann's

"Consultation."- Hermann

was

archbishop of Cologne and Elector (1518-1547). Looking with a favourable eye on the progress of Luther's Reformation, he sought to introduce something of the kind into his diocese and dominions, but on lines of his own. With that view he caused to be issued, in 1545, a Latin volume entitled Simplex et Pia Deliberatio quâ Ratione Christiana Reformatio instituenda sit. It was a proposed new service-book, yet something more than that, each of the offices being introduced by a sort of explanatory and recommendatory preface. It was drawn up by Melanchthon and Bucer, but based on one modelled from the ancient services by Luther for the Nüremberg Church. An English version of it, a small blackletter volume, appeared in London, under the title A Simple and Religious Consultation, by what means a Christian Reformation may be begun. The efforts. of Hermann fell to the ground; he was excommunicated by Paul III. in 1546, resigned in 1547, and died in 1552. Hermann's Consultation is one of the sources of our reformed Prayer Book, and we owe to it particularly much of our Offices of Holy Baptism and Holy Communion.

§ 16. The Strasburg Liturgy.-On February 23rd, 1551-2, was printed in London a Latin version of a Liturgy used by a congregation of refugees at Strasburg, the translator being a Fleming named Valerand Poullain, or Valerandus Pollanus, who had been one of the ministers, but was then in charge of a Walloon congregation at Glastonbury. In his dedicatory epistle to Edward VI. he gives some information respecting the book and himself; and of himself a little more is learnt from the letters of the period. We owe to the suggestion of this Strasburg Liturgy all the opening portion of our Morning and Evening Prayer.

CHAPTER VI.

PRAYER BOOK REFORM: SUMMARY VIEW.

§ 17. The Litany of 1544.-This was the precursor and first instalment of the English Book of Common Prayer. It was printed on May 28th, 1544, and its use was enjoined by Henry VIII., in a letter of June 11th, to Archbishop Cranmer. Froude, who gives this letter (Hist. Eng. iv. 482), observes that the Litany thus enjoined was "prepared by the king, and perhaps translated by him." Cranmer sent the king's letter with one of his own (June 18th) to Bonner, Bishop of London, for dissemination among the bishops of the province. Both the letters are printed from Cranmer's register, by Wilkins (Concilia, iii. 879). To prevent any mistake, it should be observed that Cranmer's letter to the king in his Remains and Letters (p. 412, ed. Parker Soc.), dated Oct. 7th [1544], contains a mere allusion to this Litany, and relates mainly to some other "processions" (or processional anthems as they might now be called) which he was then translating. The Litany in question is preceded by "An Exhortation unto Prayer, thought meet by the King's Majesty and his clergy to be read by the people in every church afore processions." Its own title is, "A Litany with Suffrages to be said or sung

in the time of such processions."

It may

be seen

in the Appendix of the Parker Society's volume, Private Prayers of the Reign of Queen Elizabeth. See further § 26.

§ 18. The Order of Communion, 1548.-On November 26th, 1547, a bill was brought into the House of Lords for the people to receive the Sacrament of the Body of Christ in both kinds, and on November 30th, while Convocation was in its fifth session, the Prolocutor exhibited to the clergy and caused to be read a certain form of such receiving which had been subscribed and delivered to him by Archbishop Cranmer. The Prolocutor and some of the clergy affixed their names, and on December 2nd, in the sixth session, the proposal was voted for without a dissentient voice by "the whole session" (Strype, Memorials of Cranmer, Bk. ii. ch. 4, vol. i., p. 221, ed. 1812; Wake, State of the Church, p. 592, ed. 1703). According to Wake, the Archbishop's object was to expedite the passage of the bill through the Lords by obtaining the approbation of the clergy in Convocation, and by this management the bill passed both houses, December 20th, 1547, and became law (1 Ed. VI. c. 1). On March 8th, 1548, the Order of Communion was printed (Colophon). Its use was enjoined by a royal proclamation and by a circular letter of the Privy Council to the bishops, dated March 13th, 1548 (Foxe, A. & M. Bk. ix. p. 9). It came into legal use on Easter Day, April 1st, 1548. The service, with the proclamation, may be seen in Lit. Ed. VI. See further § 27.