all these thy mercies, first and last, to enter into our hearts, and keep them for ever in the minds and memories of this people, and prepare our hearts to be thankful unto thee. And, O Lord, (for it is thou that hast done this) let it please thee to confirm for ever thine own work: and as thou hast, by thus often delivering thine Handmaid our Queen, brought her hitherto, that she is now thy First-born, the most renowned and ancient1 Prince of all that profess thy Name; so let her be blessed for ever with thy blessing, that she may long enjoy this honour. And now and ever shew thou thy marvellous lovingkindness, that she may long enjoy it, remaining ever happy, happy in the love and loyalty of her people, happy in the folly and fall of her enemies, and thrice happy in the continual comfortable experience of thy favour, power, and care, still upon every occasion thus mightily, mercifully, miraculously preserving her, to the continuance of thy truth still among us, of the comfort and contentment of thy people, and of the everlasting remembrance of thy goodness, and praise of thy holy Name, through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Most holy and everliving God, the inestimable riches of whose mercies toward us we are more willing to confess than able to comprehend, daily and hourly drawing from that infinite Treasury which we never can consume, from the deepest acknowledgement of our own wretchedness and highest admiration and adoration of thy glorious goodness, we bless thy sacred Majesty, and from the ground of our hearts ascribe honour to thy praiseworthy Name: that it hath pleased thee from time to time with the early and late showers of all sufficient blessings to water thine inheritance, this little Kingdom, and by infallible arguments of continual graces to make known to the whole world, that thou lovest the Gates of England more than all the Habitations of our neighbour Countries about us. Namely thou hast dwelt in the midst of us with the presence and protection of thy good will to keep us from the danger of those fires, which both abroad and at home men of unquiet spirits have kindled against us. Many mischiefs have the ungodly devised, which they were not able to bring to pass. The bottomless deep of ['Elizabeth at this time was in her sixty-eighth year.]

thy Counsel hath laid open their shallow and ungrounded policies. Thy faithfulness above the Clouds hath prevented their treacherous, unfaithful earthly conspiracies, and thy judgments as the great mountains have overwhelmed and dasht in pieces all the power of their malice.

Why did the ungodly of late so rage, and the children of this Land imagine a vain thing? The Princes banded themselves, and assembled together against thee (0 Lord) and against thine Anointed, saying amongst themselves, Let us break their bonds, and cast their cords from us. But thou that sittest in heaven hast laughed them to scorn, thou hast had them all in derision, thou hast dissolved their knots, dissociated their bandings, defeated and frustrated their whole designments. They travailed with wind, and brought forth a whirlwind, which hath scattered their devices, and brought a woful recompence upon their own heads.

We are not worthy to entreat mercy at thy hands, worms of the earth, of thee who art the Former of our spirits, and Creator of all things, transgressors from our mothers' bellies, and laden with sin, of thee that hast pure eyes. The sacrifices we offer up, either of our praises or prayers, proceed but from hearts of ashes and polluted lips : but under the warrant and wings of thy dear Son, in whom thou art pleased and we hid, hoping that the sacrifice of his most precious blood shall answer all our defects, and cover our infirmities, we pour out our whole souls before thee, humbly beseeching thee for thy Christ's sake, that the line of thy mercies and the line of her life may be lengthened and run forth together: that thou wilt always quiet her Realms both from foreign invasions and intestine Rebellions, secure her person, keep her people in allegiance to her Highness, and amity amongst themselves, and meet with the purposes and practices of all ambitious Absalons, blasphemous Shemeis, seditious Shevas2, traitorous Achitophels, rebellious Cores, which strive against thine ordinance in her Heroical hands.

Finally, O our strongest Redeemer, make us mindful of all thy forepassed benefits, thankful for the present, fearful of nothing but thy plagues, careful of nothing but of thy service and worship; that with hands and hearts everlastingly lift up [ Meet with: frustrate, defeat.]

[ Shebas. 2 Sam. xx. 1, &c.]

to heaven, Prince and people knit together as it were in one soul, we may glorify thy holy Name, and seek the advancement of thy kingdom through our blessed Redeemer and Intercessor, Jesus Christ.

[The prayer composed by Whitgift (Register, Lambeth, part III. fol. 148. b.) for Elizabeth the day before her death, will constitute a fitting termination to these public Forms. Sancroft also wrote it on one of the leaves of that volume in his collection, which is marked 3. 4. 30.]

O most heauenlie Father, and God of all mercie, we most humbly beseech thee to behoulde thy seruaunt our queen with the eies of pity and compassion: giue vnto her the comforts of thy holie spirit, worke in her a constant and liuelie faith, graunt hir true repentance, and restore vnto her (if it be thy will) hir former health and strength of bodie and soule. Let not the enemy, nor his wicked instruments have anie power ouer hir, to do her harme. O Lord, punish hir not for our offences, neither punish vs in hir. Deal not with vs, O Lord, as we haue deserued, but for thy mercies sake, and for thy Christ his sake, forgiue vs all our sinnes, and prolong hir daies, that we may still enioy hir to the glory of thy holy name, and ioy of all such as truelie fear thee, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.