bris." Upon the reverse is the printer's device, viz. a negro's head and the letters M. M. within a circle supporting a double cross, with the following legend in the border: "Imprime. A. Rouen. Devant. Sainct. Lo." in gothic letters.

No printed copy of the Use of Bangor has been discovered. If there ever was an edition, it has, so far as we know, utterly perished, perhaps by the common accidents of time, but more probably by means of the eager inquisitors under Edward VI. I have arranged the Ordinary and Canon according to the Use of Bangor from a manuscript in my possession, written somewhere about the year 1400: a large folio, upon vellum. I do not venture to say that it is certainly that Use, but I conceive there are many reasonable grounds for supposing it to be so. It is undoubtedly an English missal, and not according to the Uses either of Sarum, York, or Hereford. A very slight examination even of the small portion reprinted in this volume will be sufficient to establish this: a point confirmed by many variations in the collects and offices throughout the book.

But I would mention particularly the Ordo sponsalium. This agrees with the prayers and order in the famous pontifical according to the Use of Bangor, still preserved in the cathedral library of that city; to which it was given in the year 1485, by Richard Ednam, the then Bishop. That pontifical does not, however, contain the forms of giving troth, and at the putting on of the ring: which were anciently in all the missals, in

This volume originally belonged to Anianus, Bishop of Bangor from A.D. 1268 to about 1300. It was for some time lost from the cathedral, but with better fortune than happened to the great majority of such books, it was preserved and restored to the library by Bi

shop Humphreys in 1701. I have given a particular description of this most valuable manuscript in the Dissertation on Service Books, to which I must venture again to refer the reader. Monum. Ritual. vol. i. p. cxv.

English; and I cannot think it altogether out of place to give them at length.

In the Salisbury missal the man is directed to say: "I, N, take the, N, to my weddyd wyf to haue ad tho holde fro thys day far warde for beter, for wurs, for rychere for porer in sykenisse ad in helthe tyl deth us deperte yf holy chyrche wol it ordeyne, and therto I plyght the my trouth." The woman repeats the same form, adding after the words and in helthe, "to be bonour ad buxum 40 in bed and at borde." At the putting on of the ring the man says: "With tys ring I the wedde and tys gold ad siluer I te geue: and with my body I te worscype and wyth all my worldly catell I the honore."

The York missal directs both the man and woman to say as follows: "Here I take the, N, to my wedded wyfe or husband, to have and to holde at Bedde and at Borde, for fayrer, for fowler, for better for warse, in sikenes and in hele (or helth) tyll dethe us departe. And therto I plyght the my trouthe." Putting on the ring: "With this rynge I wedde the and with this golde and siluer I honoure the, and with this gyft I honoure the."

The Hereford missal directs the man to say: “I, N, underfynge þe, N, for my wedded wyf, for betere for worse, for richer for porer, yn sekenes and in helpe, tyl dep us departe, as holy churche hap ordeyned, and perto y plygth þe my trovvpe."

The woman repeats the

40 There are more meanings than one given to this old English word. The usual is that it signifies obedience. The dictionaries do not commonly mention the privative form of the word, which, however, leads us to the true meaning, and occurs in Hylton's Medled lyfe. Printed by R. Wyer, p. 4. "Also it longeth to all yonge begynnynge

men, the which come newe out of worldly synnes to the seruyce of god: for to make them able to ghostly werkynge, & for to breke downe the unbuxumness of the body by discrecion."

41 The old books, both Salisbury and York, say, upon the fourth finger, "quia in illo digito est quædam vena procedens usque ad cor."

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same, with the addition after the word helpe, fito be boxum to be." Giving the ring the man says: " Wyp þys<ryng›y) þe wedde, and pys gold in seluer ych pe geué, and vvyþ myne bolly yeh pe honoure.". ....In my manuscript the form appointed for the man is, "I N, tak þe, N, to my weddydwyf to haue & to holde from thys day forward, for bettere for werse, for fayrere for fowlere, for rycheres fors porere in syknesse & in helthe tyl depus departi gyfl holy cherche yt wole or deyne. And therto y plyghte the my trewthe." The woman repeats the same, adding after the word helpe, "to be boneere & buxum in all lawfulle placys." The form at the giving of the ring is: "Wyth thys ring I þe wedde & ys gold & syluer I pe gefe & wyth my bodi the wourchepe and wyth all my worldli catell I the onore and endue.”......

I do not say that these variations prove this missal to be certainly the Bangor Use, whilst joined with others they shew it to be, as I have already said, neither the York, nor Hereford, nor Sarum. I humbly leave them to the consideration of men better learned in the subject than myself, trusting that they may at least lead to some inquiry into the matter. There are very probably uncollated and neglected manuscripts in our public libraries, which may some day decide without doubt what the Bangor Use was. The whole question of the ancient English Uses is one upon which very little labour has yet been bestowed.43

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these the reader will himself be able to judge, by examining them as they are pointed out in the notes below.

43 There are unquestionably many imperfect MSS. and printed editions of missals of various Uses, in our public libraries, which have been arranged (and therefore neg

A note in the handwriting of the age, at the end of the calendar, fixes the book to have belonged to a church in a part of the country where the Use of Bangor was probably observed. It is as follows: "This Booke was geuen to the hye Alter of the Paryshe Churche of Oswestry by S. Morys Griffith Prist, To pray for all Christen Soules, the yere of oure Lorde god a thowsande fyve hundred fyfty and foure." I suppose that it had been removed from the church during the troubles of king Edward's time, been carefully preserved, and as soon as possible restored after queen Mary's accession. There was anciently at Oswestry a monastery, the church of which was made the parish church, and is described by Leland in his Itinerary.

..If, in the first edition of this arrangement of the Ancient Liturgies, I trusted that it would not be an unacceptable book, I may now congratulate myself on the fulfilment of that hope; and still more earnestly than then, desire that the additions which have been made, in notes and otherwise, will in their degree also be found useful. The circumstances of the times in which we live seem to call for a more general knowledge, especially among the clergy, of these subjects; which must not be looked upon as merely antiquarian, or even historical, but as of

lected) under the very convenient title of Roman Missal. An authentic reprint of the York or Hereford missal, for example, would very probably lead to the discovery of other copies; and so we might hope also by inquiry, to discover even the lost Lincoln Use, or assure ourselves of the Bangor.

44 Sir, was a common title given in those days to men of certain religious orders, from the Latin Dominus, which also being contracted

into Domnus, became Dom or Dan. And hence Dan Chaucer, as he is styled by Spenser. This title after its serious use was lost, became ludicrous: as for example, “Dan Cupid."

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45 Leland says that the church of S. Oswald at Oswestry was sometime a monastery "caullid the White Minster. After turned to a Paroche Chirch, and the Personage impropriate to the Abbay of Shreusbyri." Itinerary. vol. v. 37. Edit. 1744.

the highest importance in their relation to questions involving doctrine. That temper of mind we may trust is rapidly passing away, in which we have feared to come in contact, as with unholy things, with the ancient liturgies and offices, (which are indeed the monuments) of the English church. Men have been accustomed to speak slightingly, and with harsh words also, of holy prayers which for a thousand years rose through the aisles of our village, equally with our cathedral, churches, and of solemn rites by which devotion was not only quickened, but directed to its proper end, Zar Very much of this must, not in charity simply but of necessity, be attributed to ignorance: passing by of course the few whom no argument will reach; and with whom Genevan prejudice is infallible. It may be said that the original editions of these books are of that extreme rarity, as to be completely beyond the reach of all who have not access to the public libraries. When therefore men, by one sweeping condemnation, contemptuously passed judgment upon the old services and worship of the church of England, they spoke of matters about which they knew absolutely nothing, and without the slightest discrimination included within one sentence both good and bad, essentials and non-essentials, trivial or superstitious rites and holy ceremonies. Nor did they know that the Common Prayer Book now used in their Church, is founded upon and draws its origin from the very sources about which they did not hesitate to utter these opinions. Such a judgment may perhaps be popular, may be widely received, but is worth nothing.

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Let then the authentic documents be produced, and let men have the means of examining for themselves; it may not be, nor is it to be desired, that an approbation as ill-judging and as ill-founded as disapproval has been, should follow; but this I cannot but believe, this at least we may justly and with all moderation hope for that that extreme and false, because indiscriminating, dislike