coÌ„maundement and that he myght here masse yf he wolde in rysynge a lytell erlyer in the mornynge / than the mayster is excused / and the seruaunt onely shall make acoÌ„pte therof afore god ¶ The .xi. Chapytre Yf it be suffycyeÌ„t that a man here one masse the Sondaye / in leuynge the sermon and euensonge the same daye AFter the coÌ„maundement of god man is bounde to kepe sanctyfye the holy daye by good workê not onely by one good worke as to here masse / but rather by many good workes / for as Doctours do saye / that man whiche wyll accoÌ„plysshe the thyrde coÌ„mauÌ„dement of god / as to sanctyfye the sondaye he shall do that same daye after his power / syxe thynges ¶ Fyrste he shal here masse as is aforesayd ¶ SecoÌ„daryly he shal also here the sermon yf it be possyble / for yf the man dyde leue or lease it by contempte or custome / he shulde synÌ„e greatly And yf he can not here the sermon / he shall rede in the stede of the sermon some other good thynge ¶ Thyrdly / the man also shal gyue that same daye an almous for the loue of god / yf he be of power And in case that he be not of substaunce to gyue almous it is suffycyent / yf he haue a good wyll so to do ¶ Fourthly / the man shall praye that same daye for his greatest helth ¶ Fyfthly / he shall remembre that daye the goodnesse and benefytes that he hath receyued of god / princypally that god hath creat hym of nothynge / and hath called hym vnto the holy catholyke fayth And delyuered hym by his precyous blode / and this doyng the man shall loue god with all his herte ¶ Syxtly / the man is also bounde the same daye / to make a generall confessyon of all his mortall synnes / the whiche he hathe done sens his last confessyon / and therof to haue contrycion and repentaunce bytwene god and his conscyence For this coÌ„maundement of god / to sanctyfye the Sondaye / no man maye accomplysshe beynge in the state of deedly synne Yet neuertheles the man is not bounde to confesse hym but at the tyme ordeyned and instytute by the churche but in certayne causes hereafter in the fyfth Chapytre of this boke wryten Yet he is bounde that same daye to make a generall confessyon and to haue contrycyon / and to purpose neuer after to synne ¶ The .xii. Chapytre / howe the man shall behaue hym selfe in the masse tyme / after the ordynaunce of the holy churche and the lawe Canon WE fynde wrytten in Canon lawe in dyuerse places / that oure mother the holy churche hath ordeyned nyne ordinauÌ„ces or maners of the masse / the which all chrysten people ought to kepe ¶ Fyrste / the man albeit that he haue herde one masse / yet he shall here the hygh masse / yf it be not that he be lawfully excused for certayne necessyties / as is aforesayde ¶ SecoÌ„daryly / the maÌ„ shal also here masse in his parysshe churche / and he shall not go by contempte to any other ¶ Thyrdly / those that wyll deuoutly here masse / they shall leue theyr hawkes theyr dogges at the churche dore / or elles at home in theyr howses ¶ Fourthly / the laye people shall not sytte or stande by the hyghe aulter / pryncypally whyles that the masse is sayd And aboue all the women shall absent them from the aulter ¶ Fyfthly / the man shal kepe scylence / and shall make no trouble nor noyse iÌ„ the masse tyme / but shall praye with a feruent herte ¶ Syxtly / euery man whan he heryth the gospell red shal stande vpryght redy with his body to defeÌ„de the holy catholyke fayth / whiche god hath spoken in the holy gospell ¶ Seuenthly / euery person herynge the name of Ihesus shall knele or bowe with his knees / or he shall inclyne with his heed in sygne and token of reuerence / for so ofte as the person doth it / he doth meryte threscore dayes of pardon / gyuen by two popes ¶ Eyghtly / all good catholyke people shal knele downe of both theyr knees whan the preest doth lyft our lord Ihesu in the masse and shal worshyp the holy sacrament with great reuerence ¶ The .ix. euery good chrysten maÌ„ and woman shall offre some thynge at the masse / for god spekyng in the olde testament sayth Ye shall not come in my presence voyde or Idle / that is to saye / that at the leste ye shal offre vnto god a feruent prayer and orayson And there where it is the custome / the man shall gyue iÌ„ the masse tyme temporall goodes and offrynges But to this no man is bounde except in great hygh feestes after the custome of the countre or place ¶ The .xiii. Chapytre / Yf the man be bounde to here masse of his Curate / and in his owne parysshe IT is wryten iÌ„ the Canon lawe / that he whiche contempneth his owne curate churche / and goth to here masse iÌ„ another place shal be chased out of that churche where he goth vnto This coÌ„maundement hath our mother holy churche gyuen / for to coÌ„strayne them that do rebell agaynst theyr curates / in contempnynge them and also theyr mother the holy churche / and to brynge them to subieccyon and humylytye Yet neuerthelesse yf any man do go to here dyuyne seruyce in any other churche / without any contempte / but rather that he hath greater deuocyon there or better place / or that he doth here the sermon there and other seruyces / whiche he can not here in his parysshe churche or for any other iuste cause / he dothe not offende / in case that his bysshop or curate haue not forbyd hym the same ¶ The .xiiii. Chapytre / Yf masse maye be sayde in places not halowed / as within the howse WE haue it wryten iÌ„ the Canon lawe / that in as moche as is possyble / a man shall not say masse withoute places dedycate and halowed / and pryncypally in the shyppes beynge vpon the see / for the dauÌ„ger that maye come therof It is better to be sayd in the feldes vpon a stone halowed or dedycate sette in a case of wood with two fayre to welles spred vpon the same / or one to well doubled c. There can no masse be sayde in a howse or a chambre / without lyceÌ„ce of the bysshop but the freers whiche be called freers prechers / myneurs haue pryuylege and lycence to say masse in the howse / in tyme of necessytye / howe be it they maye not mynyste the sacrament to no person vnder the payne of excomynycacyon / withoute lycence of the Curate ¶ The .xv. Chapytre / yf a man the sondaye in the masse tyme may saye that thynge / whiche is coÌ„maunde hym in penaunce SOme doctours do saye / that the soÌ„dayes whaÌ„ a maÌ„ hereth but one masse that he ought not to say or
the meanes to content and pacyfye hym And that done / desyre what ye wyll reasonably ye shall obteyne For otherwyse as saynt Gregory sayth / ye shulde prouoke hym to be more angry and dyspleased with you Therfore as Iohan Gerson chaunceller of Parys doth wryte / euery man oughte one tyme of the daye saye this orayson prayer folowynge with all deuoute premedytacyon For yf it do chaunce that the man dye sodaynly that same daye or nyght he shal not be dampned nor pryuate of the syght of the gloryous face of god / in case that he do saye this prayer with all his herte / and with coÌ„trycyon and repentaunce of his synnes ¶ The prayer O Most benygne and mercyful god / I knowlege confesse that I haue greuously synned agaynst thy wyl and coÌ„mauÌ„dement / aboue the nombre of sterres Wherof I am very sory and contryte iÌ„ my herte / and am sory that I can not repent me a hondreth tymes more than I do Wherfore good lorde / I vndertake from hensforth / that yf I do lyue a hoÌ„dreth yeres more / I wyll kepe me with thy grace from all deedly synne And also I haue a good and a ferme wyll to confesse all my synnes at the tyme ordeyned by the churche / wyll also do penaunce for all my synnes after the counceyll of my confessoure ¶ The fourth degre or condycyon is / to consydre that the man beynge iÌ„ the churche shal cast all temporall worldly busynes from his herte / in as moche as he can possyble / onely shal occupye hym selfe with god and that thynge that he doth rede or saye / to the entent that he maye saye with Dauyd O good lorde I haue cryed vnto the with all my herte And that is that thynge / to the whiche the preest dothe monysshe exhorte vs in the masse sayenge / Sursum corda / that is to saye / lyft vp your hertes to almyghty god And than the clerke doth answere in the name of all them that do here the masse / Habemus ad dominum / whiche is to saye / we haue our hertê towardes god O wold to god that it myghte be alwayes so for yf we dyd praye as we ought to do / we shuld obteyne all thynge that we wolde desyre And therfore god doth not regarde the wordes that we do speke in prayenge / but he desyre the herte of the maÌ„ Wherfore Isodorus sayth that a prayer made and sayd onely of the mouthe withoute any premedytacyon / doth as moche preuayle as the kackelynge of a henne Wherfore whaÌ„ ye wyll rede any thynge in prayenge to god for grace ye shal say thus O good lord gyue me thy dyuyne grace to rede saye my prayer deuoutly / to the enteÌ„t that it may be exalted of the. And yf any other thynge come in my mynde / I do reuoke now as for thaÌ„ this prayer sayd God as saynt Thomas doth wryte shall receyue it all for the beste And therfore the man shall not coueyte to rede moche / as some do whiche haue sackes full of bokes / great longe bedes / as they wolde tarye all the daye in the churche Yet neuertheles they wyll rede all in one masse tyme / not regardynge what they do rede But the maÌ„ must praye with a very pure herte / for the prayer ought to be ferueÌ„t deuout / shorte of wordê as our lorde doth showe vs in the gospell Therfore saynt Ierome saith that one Pater nrÌ„ / sayd with deuocion / is better more profytable thaÌ„ an hondreth without deuocion ¶ The fyfth degre or condycyon is scylence so that the man ought to kepe hym from moch talkynge in the churche / as many folkes do not / as well men as women / yonge olde great and small / but there do talke and iangle as they were iÌ„ the hygh strete And other some do walke vp and downe in the churche showyng them selfe as they were in the market / wherby they do let trouble other of theyr deuocyon / the whiche they haue not in them selfe And other some there be / whiche do speke vnhonest vycyous wordes / no more regardyng the temple of god than a tauerne / wherof the deuyll doth reioyse is glad Nowe is accoÌ„plysshed that Dauid doth speke of the Infydels and Sarazyns sayenge Deus venetuÌ„t gentes / hoc est gentiliter viuentes c. that is to saye the Sarazyns and Infydels / that is to saye / the crysten people lyuynge lyke vnto Infydels / become in to your herytage that is io saye / in the catholyke fayth / and haue maculate the holy temple And without doubte / the Iewes haue greater reuerence in theyr synagoge / than many chrysten people haue iÌ„ the teÌ„ple of god where god is alwayes pÌ„sent in the holy sacrament of the aulter / coÌ„syderynge / seynge / and herynge all your wordes thoughtes Wherfore whan ye do entre in to the churche which is the temple of god / tourne your iyes from the people and remembre your synnes / and the passyon of our lorde / and rede some good thynge ¶ The syxte degre or condycyon that man shall haue to here masse deuoutly / is perseuerauÌ„ce / so that ye shall here the hole masse from the begynnynge to the endynge / and shall not out of the churche vnto it be fynysshed / and that the preest haue gyuen the blyssynge / excepte great necessyte requyre it / specyally on sondayes and other holy dayes for it is so coÌ„mauÌ„ded by the lawe Agaynst this some do offende which do walke in the churcheyarde there talkynge and iangelynge / and whan the preest doth lyft oure lorde in the blyssed sacrament / they do renne and entre in to the churche / as the dogge in to the kechynge / and incontynent they do go out agayne All those that so do by custome doth not regarde the coÌ„maundement of the holy churche / they do coÌ„myt a deedly synne at euery tyme. O good lorde what small deuocyon / loue / fere haue the people of god they be lothe to bestowe one houre to here masse / serue god / and norysshe the soule but they be not lothe to myspende thre or foure houres at the table in eatynge and drynkynge / for to norysshe the body the whiche shall rote and be eten with wormes O man remembre of what vertue the blyssynge whiche the preest dothe gyue after the masse is / for his haÌ„des haue mynystred at the aulter the blyssed body of our lorde Ihesu chryste So god in the olde Testament dyde blysse the chyldren / whiche were blyssed of theyr fathers / as AbrahaÌ„ blyssed his sone Isaac Isaac blyssed his sone Iacob / and Iacob all his chyldren of the .xii. generacyons of Israell / by the whiche blyssynge god oft tymes dyd saue and delyuer them from many perylles and euylles Moche more god wyl be mercyful vnto vs and kepe vs from so
ben conceyued in malyce and synne / may be puryfyed of all my synnes Amen ¶ The seconde artycle of the masse HOwe the preest doth go out of the vestry towardes the aulter with the deacon and subdeacon where he doth tary a lytel space betwene theÌ„ with scylence / the whiche doth sygnyfye / howe Ihesus was borne betwene Ioseph and our lady / and layde betwene an Oxe and an Asse ¶ Orayson Pater nrÌ„ Aue maria O Blyssed lorde Ihesu chryste / I do thaÌ„ke the bycause thou hast wylled to be borne after the nature of man / of the vyrgyne mary in this worlde for our synnes / for the whiche synnes thou hast afterwarde suffred deth vpon the crosse I beseche the good lorde gyue me grace so to bere the crosse of penaunce herein erthe for my synnes / that I maye come to thy glory in heuen Amen ¶ The thyrde artycle of the masse HOwe the preest beynge betwene theÌ„ sayth with great deuocyon Confiteor / and doth confesse hym selfe as a synÌ„er / albeit that he hath confessed hym selfe afore of all his deedly synÌ„es whiche doth sygnyfye that the innocent chylde Ihesus / dyd suffre hym selfe to be cyrcumcysed as a pure a clene myrrour without any spotte ¶ Orayson Pater nrÌ„ Aue maria O Blyssed lorde Ihesu chryste / I do humbly thanke the for thou hast suffred thy selfe to be cyrcuÌ„cysed on the .viii. daye / after thy natyuyte with a knyfe of stone / for to take awaye the vengeauÌ„ce of our synnes / and hast coÌ„mauÌ„ded that thy holy name shuld be Ihesus / I praye the dere lorde graunt me thy dyuyne grace / that I maye cyrcumcyse me with the knyfe of thy dyuyne fere and drede from all euyll teÌ„ptacions / that I may laude and prayse thy holy name Ihesus euerlastyngly Amen ¶ The fourth artycle of the masse HOwe the preest after CoÌ„fiteor gothe to the aulter with great reuerence / lowly inclynyng hym selfe doth worshyppe god almyghty / whiche doth sygnyfye vnto vs / howe the thre Kynges with great reuerence deuocyon / haue worshypped the swete chylde Ihesu / and haue humbly gyuen hym theyr offrynges ¶ Orayson Pater nrÌ„ Aue maria O Blyssed lorde Ihesu chryste / I do thanke the that thou haste wytsauâ—e to showe manyfest thy selfe to the thre kynges / by the tokenynge of a shynynge sterre hath brought them home agayne in to theyr owne countre by another waye / I beseche the good lorde to illumyne the obscuryte and darkenes of my conscyence / by the lyght of thy grace / that I maye gyue offre myrre of feruent deuocyon / insence of busye and dylygent prayer / and golde of dyuyne dyleccyon / that I maye come to the waye of helth Amen ¶ The fyfth artycle of the masse HOw the preest after that with great reuerence doth begynne the masse / betwene deacon and subdeacon at the one syde of the aulter whiche doth sygnyfie that Ihesus was presented in the temple / vpon the aulter of the soueraygne preest / with great deuocyon and reuerence betwene Ioseph Mary / and his other frendes ¶ Orayson Pater nrÌ„ Aue maria O Blyssed lorde Ihesu chryste / I thanke the that thou hast suffred deuoutly and obedyently thy selfe to be presented iÌ„ the temple by the soueraygne preest to the entent that we maye be present in heuen with the father celestyall Wherfore father celestyall / I do offre accordynge as I am worthy this daye in the masse / Ihesu chryste thy onely sone for all my synÌ„es and praye the that this oblacyon be not loste in me Amen ¶ The .vi. Artycle of the masse HOwe the preest / the deacon and subdeacon do go from the aulter / the preest and the deacon do sytte them downe / and the subdeacon doth synge the epystell This doth sygnyfie vnto vs how Ihesus Mary and Ioseph fled out of theyr countre from the face of Herode where they dyd dwell in to Egypte / where Ioseph laboured for them ¶ Orayson Pater nrÌ„ Aue maria O Blyssed lorde Ihesu chryste / I do thanke the for thou beyng yonge of age / was constrayned to flye from Herode out of thy countre iÌ„ to Egypte amoÌ„ges the paynyms / I beseche the good lorde that thou wylt gyue me grace / that I may pacyently contempne all persecucyons / trybulacyons / and false tales and lyes surmysed vpon me / to the entent that hereafter I may be founde a true pylgryme of Ierusalem Amen ¶ The .vii. Artycle of the masse HOwe the preest dothe come agayne to the aulter / where dylygently he doth rede the gospell This sygnyfyeth howe Ihesus Mary and Ioseph / haue retourned from Egypte in to theyr countre from whens they fled / by the coÌ„mauÌ„demeÌ„t of the holy aungell ¶ Orayson Pater nrÌ„ Aue maria O Blyssed lorde Ihesu chryste I thanke the for after that thou had ben vii yeres iÌ„ Egypte / thou retourned in to thy cytie of Nazareth / I praye the good lorde graunt me poore synÌ„er to retourne from my synnes / and so to serche / fynde / and holde the here in erth / that we be not separate from hensforth / the one from the other for euermore Amen ¶ The .viii. Artycle of the masse HOwe the preest after that he hath red and herde the gospel he goth to the myddes of the aulter and doth synge with a hygh voyce Credo in vnum deum This doth sygnyfye that mary with great ioye and gladnesse hath fouÌ„de her dere sone Ihesus in the temple amoÌ„ges the doctours / and dyd go with her in to Nazareth ¶ Orayson Pater nrÌ„ Aue maria Credo O Blyssed lorde Ihesu chryste / I thanke the that thou hast reioysed and coÌ„forted thy heuye mother / in goynge with her in to Nazareth / and hast alwayes ben obedyent vnto her / I praye the good lorde gouerne me alwayes that I may lyue after thy coÌ„maundementes and those of the holy churche / to the entent that so lyuynge I maye byleue as a good catholyke person ought to byleue / in the whiche I desyre to lyue and dye euerlastyngly Amen ¶ The .ix. Artycle of the masse HOwe the preest with scyleÌ„ce doth make redy / prepare and offre the sacryfyce and afterwarde goth to the ende of the aulter doth wasshe his haÌ„des This sygnyfyeth vnto vs that chryste from the .xii. yeres of his age vnto .xxx. yeres / dyd nothynge openly that a man can fynde in wrytynge Yet neuertheles he was not Idle / but at the .xxx. yeres of his age he went towardes Iordan / for to be baptysed of saynt IohnÌ„ Baptyste ¶ Orayson Pater nrÌ„ Aue maria O Blyssed lorde Ihesu chryste / I thanke laude the that thou beynge god almyghty / hast gone in the humanyte towardes Iordan to be baptysed / to the entent that our baptysme myght be ordeyned / confyrmed / sanctyfyed by the same / I beseche the good lord grauÌ„t me poore synner that I
may so puryfye me iÌ„ the baptysme of my coÌ„fessyon declaryng of my faultes and synnes / by thyne humble baptysme all my synnes maye be pardoned euerlastyngely Amen ¶ The .x. Artycle of the masse HOwe the preest doth go to the myddes of the aulter prayeng al those that be iÌ„ heuen to pray for hym and than he doth tourne hym towardes the people desyryng them also to praye for hym This doth sygnyfye that chryste dyd pray for vs in the deserte or wyldernes / whaÌ„ he dyd fast .xl dayes and .xl. nyghtes / and after was tempted of the euyll spyryte and enemy of hell ¶ Orayson Pater nrÌ„ Aue maria O Blyssed lorde Ihesu chryste / I do thanke the that thou beyng ledde by the inspyracyon of the holy ghost in to the wyldernes / there dyddest fast .xl. dayes and .xl. nyghtes / and afterwarde hauynge hungre dyde ouercome thyne enemye / I praye the good lorde graunt me the vertue of abstynence to fast alwayes from synne / and to haue thryste or desyre / of the vertue of equyte iustyce / that I maye ouercome the temptacyon of myne enemyes Amen ¶ The .xi. Artycle of the masse HOwe the preest beynge in the myddes of the aulter begynneth to synge with a hygh voyce the preface / Per omnia secula seculorum This doth sygnyfye that oure lorde hath preched at his .xxx. yeres to the people the holy catholyke fayth confyrmynge the same by meruaylous myracles to the honour of his father celestyall ¶ Orayson Pater nrÌ„ Aue maria O Blyssed lorde Ihesu chryste / I do thaÌ„ke the of the great loue that thou hast had for our helth / and for the holy catholyke fayth / which thou thy self hath taught and confyrmed by myracles / I beseche the good lorde graunt me to accomplyssâ—e that that thou hast taught / and to byleue stedfastly in that / whiche thou hast done to the entent that so I maye lyue in thy coÌ„maundementes / and dye in thy holy fayth Amen ¶ The .xii. Artycle of the masse HOwe after that the preest hath songe the preface they do synge SaÌ„ctus Sanctus Sanctus / benedictus qui venit in noiÌ„e domini This doth sygnyfye howe the huÌ„ble Ihesus on Palme sonday dyd humbly come iÌ„ to Ierusalem syttynge vpoÌ„ an Asse where the Iewes dyd receyue hym with great reuereÌ„ce the chyldren dyd synge bnÌ„dictus qui venit osanna in excelsis ¶ Orayson Pater nrÌ„ Aue maria O Blyssed lorde Ihesu chryste / I do thanke the that thou haste come voluÌ„taryly in to Ierusalem to thy passyon / syttyng vpon an Asse / I beseche the humbly good lorde that thou wylt so come to me poore synner / and vysyte me by thy dyuyne grace / to the entent that iÌ„ body / soule / and in all thynge / I maye be obedyent vnto the / that thou maye gouerne me for to go / to be conuersaunt / to kepe scylence / and to speke that thynge / that maye be acceptable to thy dyuyne wyll Amen ¶ The secoÌ„de parte of the masse in the whiche is declared the passyon of oure lorde IhuÌ„ christe ye shal rede these prayers shall haue .xlvi. yeres of pardon O Lorde Ihesu chryste I do worshyppe the hangynge vpon the crosse and beryng vpon thy heed a crowne of thornes / I praye the that thy crosse maye delyuer me from the euyll aungell Amen ¶ Pater noster Aue maria O Lorde Ihesu chryste / I do worshyp the hangynge on the crosse all wouÌ„ded / to whom gall vynegre was gyuen to drynke / I praye the that thy wordes maye be remedy to my soule Amen ¶ Pater noster Aue maria O Lorde Ihesu chryste I do worshyppe the beynge in the sepulchre oynted with myrre and other good odours / I pray the that thy deth maye be my lyfe Amen ¶ Pater noster Aue maria O Lorde Ihesu chryste / I do worshyp the descendynge in to hell / and delyuerynge the prysoners / I pray the do not suffre me to come there Amen ¶ Pater noster Aue maria O Lorde Ihesu chryste / I do worshyp the rysynge from dethe / ascendynge in to heuen / syttynge on the ryght hande of god the father almyghty / I praye the that thou haue pytie of me Amen ¶ Pater noster Aue maria O Lorde Ihesu chryste / good pastoure and gouernoure / kepe and preserue the good iuste men / and make synners ryghtfull and iuste Haue mercy of all faythfull soules departed / and of me poore synner Amen ¶ Pater noster Aue maria O Lorde Ihesu chryste / I do worshyp the for the bytternes of thy passyon / which thou hast suffred on the crosse specyally at the houre that thy holy soule departed from thy blyssed body haue mercy on my soule / whan it shal departe from my body Amen ¶ Pater noster Aue maria ¶ The .xiii. Artycle of the masse HOwe after Sanctus / the preest begynneth with scylence secretly the Canon hauynge the curteynes drawen to the enteÌ„t that he be not troubled / and dothe inclyne hym selfe very lowe This doth sygnyfye howe our lorde Ihesus with the dore closed / hath eaten the pascall lambe with his dyscyples and afterwarde he hath inclyned hym selfe downe to the grounde / wasshynge the fete of his apostelles ¶ Orayson Pater nrÌ„ Aue maria O Blyssed lorde Ihesu chryste / I do thanke the for that thou haste in thy last supper ordeyned thy holy body to be meate for vs / and thy precyous blode to be drynke / to the entent that we maye haue alwayes remembraunce of the / I praye the good lorde illumynate my herte by thy dyuyne dyleccyon / to the entent that I desyre no thynge that may drawe me to synne / but that all thynge be bytter vnto me / excepte onely the remeÌ„braunce of thy blyssed passyon Amen ¶ The .xiiii. Artycle of the masse HOwe the preest after the fyrste Memento / maketh thre crosses vpon the chalyce / sayenge secrete wordes This doth sygnyfied showe vnto vs that our lorde hath prayed to his father almyghty in the garthen / thre tymes secretly in the nyght ¶ Orayson Pater nrÌ„ Aue maria O Blyssed lorde Ihesu chryste / I do thanke the that thou hast wylled to swete for vs poore synners / water and blode for drede and fere of deth / I pray the good lorde for the great payne and anguysshe that thy herte dyde suffre / delyuer me from al payne anguysshe of the herte and he le vs bothe in body soule / and graunte vs helpe in trybulacyon / consolacyon and conforte in persecucyon / pytie of our synnes passed / ameÌ„dement of those that be present proteccion and defence from those that be to come / to the entent that thy precyous blode be not lost in vs. Amen ¶ The .xv. Artycle of the masse HOwe the preest is in his fyrste Memento / and thaÌ„ he prayeth for all his frendes lyuynge / that god
sygnyfye howe Pylate hath gyuen and myxte the bytter sentence of deth / with the humanyte of oure lorde Ihesu chryste ¶ The .xviii. the breade thus myxte made / it is couered with a cloth This doth sygnyfye howe after the sentence gyuen by Pylate / the Iewes dyd cloth our lorde agayne with his owne clothes ¶ The .xix. the breade begynneth to ascende ryse This doth sygnyfye howe swete Ihesus charged with the heuye crosse / dyd ascende vp to the mount of Caluerye ¶ The .xx. the ouen is prepared for to bake the breade This doth sygnyfye that the Iewes dyd prepare the crosse / for to crucyfye our lorde vpon the same ¶ The .xxi. the fyre is put in to the ouen / wherwith it is made hotte This dothe sygnyfye the brennynge feruent loue / wherwith the herte of our lorde was kyndled set on fyre for to saue mankynde ¶ The .xxii. the cooles asshes be drawen out of the ouen the ouen made clene This doth sygnyfye howe our lorde ones agayne was spoyled of his robes by the Iewes / was lefte all naked ¶ The .xxiii. the breade is put in to the ouen to be baked This doth sygnyfie that the Iewes dyd cast our lorde vpon the crosse and there dyd fasten and nayle hym with great nayles ¶ The .xxiiii. than the ouen is iust stopped that there go none ayre forthe of it This dothe sygnyfye that the sonne was darke stopped from his lyghte at the deth of oure lorde Ihesu chryste ¶ Fynally whan the breade is well baked it is drawen out of the ouen This doth sygnyfye howe after that our lorde was wel dryed and baked with the hete of the sonne / he was taken downe from the crosse And as a man doth shytte locke vp the breades so was the body of our lorde buryed / shytte fast and kepte / and the thyrde daye dyd ryse from deth All this done / the breade is perfyte / wherof our lorde Ihesu chryste doth speke sayenge I am the lyuynge breade descended from heuen all those that do eate of this breade shall lyue euerlastyngly O what it is swete to here in the ere 's of synners Our lorde doth moue exorte vs poore synners spoyled and voyde of all vertues / to receyue his blyssed body for the meate and reseccyon of our soule But O good lorde man maye say / what am I that wolde presume to receyue the for neyther heuen nor erth can not coÌ„prehende the / and shall I receyue the. O good lorde / howe shall I be so bolde as to receyue the / whiche hath done no maner of good afore thy face / but ofte tymes haue greued and offended thy dyuynyte The holy aungelles tremble for fere in thy presence and the iust men fere and doubt thy power and yet exhorteth and moueth me to receyue the. O most benygne lord Ihesu yf thou haddest not spoken this / who wold byleue it Yf thou haddest not coÌ„mauÌ„ded this / who wolde haue ben so bolde as to do it Noe the iust and good man was an hondreth yeres in preparynge a shyppe to saue eyght persones And howe myght I prepare my selfe in so lytell space to receyue the / whiche hast made heuen / erth and all creatures Moyses thy faythfull seruaunt and frende / made a tabernacle of precyous wode couered with golde / for to put in the tables of thy .x. coÌ„maundemeÌ„tes / and Ian vnclene creature shuld I presume to receyue the whiche hath made all lawes all creatures Salomon the prudent kynge was .vii. yeres iÌ„ makynge a precyous temple for to honoure worshyp the there / there dyd offre thousandes of offrynges / and I a poore synner howe shall I be so bolde as to receyue the in my soule / whiche hath not occupyed my selfe deuoutly one houre of this daye O good lord what great dylygence haue they gyuen in the olde testament for to please the / howe lytell haue I trauayled and busyed me to receyue the worthely There is great dyffereÌ„ce betwene the tabernacle of Moyses with the relyques / and thy blyssed body Yf they haue showed suche deuocyon afore the arche or tabernacle of the testament / moche more shulde I prepare my selfe to receyue the blyssed body of our lorde Ihesu chryste in the holy sacrament O father of heuen albeit that I shulde be a thousande yeres in preparynge my selfe / and that I shuld haue the holynes of all sayntê the charyte of all auÌ„gelles and archauÌ„gelles / the desyre of all iust pernes / yet neuertheles I knowlege my selfe vnworthy to receyue thy onely sone Ihesu chryste in the holy sacrament O man this thou shall vnderstaÌ„de after the dygnyte of the holy sacrament / for there is no person ne creature in heuen so holy / nor in erth so iust that myght worthely receyue it But thou shall vnderstaÌ„de and knowe for to coÌ„forte the / that whan the man dothe prepare hym selfe to it by true coÌ„trycyon and confessyon that god doth not regarde what he is or hath ben / but onely doth se regarde yf he wold be better thaÌ„ he is / for god doth than forget all his synnes / and doth molyfye hym selfe by the holy sacrament And therfore the maÌ„ shall proue and serche his coÌ„scyence in these thre poyntes ¶ Fyrste / yf his conscyence doth moue and prycke hym in any of the deedly synnes ¶ Secondaryly / yf his wyl be vnyed and ioyned to the wyll of god / so that all thynge do please hym whiche doth please god / that all thynge do dysplease hym / whiche doth dysplease god ¶ Thyrdly / yf the man do fynde in hym selfe that charyte the loue of god is augmented by the holy sacrament / and that the fere of god is not dymynysshed In these poyntes the man shall examyne hym selfe And yf he fynde that by oft tymes goynge to the holy sacrament / the loue of god is not feruent and quycke in hym and the fere of god is dymynysshed / than by humylyte he shall refrayne and shall not go so ofte For the lyfe of one man is the deth of another / but yf he fynde that the loue of god is more ferueÌ„t and quycke in hym by reason of the same / and that the fere of god doth encrease rather than dymynysshe / he shall ofte tymes go to the holy sacrament after the counceyll of a good coÌ„fessoure and ghostly father For the desyre of god is / that he maye dwell in the herte of man and by the same habytacyon or presence of the holy sacrament / the man doth drawe hym selfe from transytory thynges / doth delyte in heuenly thynges Also by his holy body / ours is renewed / with it is vnyed and ioyned so that all thynge is oure whiche belongeth vnto hym / so that his herte and ours is all one our body is his our wyttes be his / our power / and all our membres be vnyed
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
wyll of god / and the greatnes of synne ¶ Fyfthly / deedly synne maketh place for the deuyll / by his temptacyons in the soule of man / but the holy sacrament doth arme the soule of man agaynst the deuyll and his dartes or temptacyons For where he seeth the blode of our lorde / he flyeth from thens and the auÌ„gelles do helpe the man to fyght agaynst the deuyll and enemye of hell ¶ Syxtly / deedly synne inclyneth the man and doth plucke hym to many other deedly synnes / yf it be not incontynent wasshed taken awaye by true penaunce / but by the blyssed sacrament man becoÌ„meth stedfaste and stronge in grace and redy to all vertue so longe as he doth not fall to synÌ„e agayne ¶ Seuenthly / by deedly synne man is beseged of the deuyll / but by the blyssed sacrament he is vnyed with god / so that he loue god wherby he doth pourchase and obteyne taste and sauoure of euerlastynge lyfe ¶ Eyghtly / the soule of man dyeth of euerlastynge deth by deedly synÌ„e / so that it knoweth not what to do that maye be acceptable to god / and to hym selfe profytable / but the holy sacrament doth preserue and kepe the soule of man from the deth of synne / so that he doth abyde in the lyfe of grace / And his workê be acceptable to god / and to hym selfe profytable ¶ Nynthlye / deedly synne maketh a man sorowfull pensyfe heuy of herte / and harde and euyll wyllynge to all vertue / but the blyssed sacrameÌ„t maketh the man worthy mete redy to all vertue / and tourneth all his inwarde myght towardes god / and spyrytuall ioye and gladnes ¶ Tenthly / man doth depryuate hym selfe by deedly synne of the passyon / payne / and tourment of our lorde Ihesu chryste / of mary the mother of god / and of all the sayntes Also of all the good workes and coÌ„munyon of the holy churche / and of all the goodnes in heuen and in erth / but by the holy sacrament man maketh hym selfe parte taker of all the goodnes that the sone of god hath done vpon the erth / and of all other good dedes ¶ Eleuenthly / man is dayly cursed of god of the holy churche for deedly synne / wherby man hath alwayes an inconstaunt and troubled conscyence / but by the holy sacrament he pourchaseth in his soule / a swete spyrytuall ioye and gladnes / and great peace and rest in his conscyence / the which doth passe all gladnes pleasure that man may haue in all his lyfe in this worlde ¶ Twelfthly / man is for deedly synne put out of the gate of Paradyse and of euerlastynge lyfe dysinheryte of the soueraygne rychesse / but by well and worthely receyuynge the holy sacrament it is forgyuen as to a chylde heyre of the precyous treasure of the glory of heuen / the whiche they onely shall possede and euerlastyngly vse and enioye / whiche worthely / bodely / and ghostly receyue here in erth the holy sacrament / As chryste hym self sayth as it is wryten in the begynnynge of the thyrde boke Hic est panis c. This is the breade descended from heuen / and all those whiche eateth of this breade shall lyue euerlastyngly / to the whiche brynge vs Ihesu chryste very god and man / inclosed and conteyned in the holy sacrament Amen ¶ This prayer shall a man saye whan he goth to the holy sacrament / or for to here masse deuoutly I Do salute the moste holy body of oure lorde Ihesu chryste / conteyned in this sacrament / I do confesse knowlege the with my lyppes / and with my hert I desyre coueyte the / I pray the that thou wylte this daye come to conforte my poore soule gracyously / the whiche desyreth and coueyteth to receyue the holy oblacyon and fountayne of all grace / to the ende that I may be with the in ioye and consolacyon of thy presence / in body in soule O benygne lorde Ihesu chryste / haue not regarde to my many folde synnes / but haue regarde to thy great mercy / for thou arte he by whom all the worlde is made delyuered Thou arte the innocent lambe which is offred vp this daye to the father of heuen / for all the worlde O most swetest heueÌ„ly breade O most ioyfull buurayge or drynke / Gyue to my mouth a swete sauoure of thy holsome presence / illumynate me with thy loue / take awaye my malyce and synne and put in me vertue and grace to the helthe of my soule O most worthy sacrament / I praye the that by thy presence all myne enemyes maye be chased awaye / all my synÌ„es forgyuen / and all euyll temptacyon withstande and put awaye / graunt me a good and holy lyfe / correcte my maners and condycyons / and all my workes and dedes / tourne them to thy wyll O good lorde open heuen come to me for to illumynate my vnderstandynge by this newe lyght / illumynate my desyres / and corroborate strengthen my truste and hope / to the entent that from hensforth my lyfe maye so amende / that fynally I maye come to good ende Amen ¶ Another deuoute prayer that a man shal saye in goynge to the holy sacrament O Lorde Ihesu chryste I desyre and coueyte this day to receyue thy blyssed body / as perfytely as mary thy most honourable mother receyued it in her vyrgynall wombe so good lorde descende and come in to my soule / not accordynge and after my deseruynges / but after thy great mercy O lorde Ihesu chryste I desyre and coueyte this daye to receyue thy blyssed blode / in wasshynge awaye all my synnes O lorde Ihesu chryste / this daye I coueyte to receyue thy blyssed spyryte / in recouerynge all my tyme loste and mysspent O benygne lorde Ihesu chryste / I desyre this daye to receyue thy blyssed soule / in infusyon of thy dyuyne charyte loue O lorde Ihesu chryste / this day I coueyte and desyre to receyue thy blyssed dyuynyte / in assuraunce and securytye / of the euerlastynge lyfe Amen ¶ Saye thre tymes this verse afore that ye go to the holy sacrameÌ„t O lorde god I am not worthy that thou entre in to my howse but speke onely and my poore soule shall be hole Than go forthe and receyue the sone of god with all mekenes and feruent desyre And whan thou shalt haue receyued hym / rede this prayer whiche our lady dyd speke / after that she had receyued the sone of god / the whiche was this psalme Magnificat anima mea dominum ¶ The Magnificat in englysshe MY soule dothe magnyfye our lorde And my spyryte hath reioysed iÌ„ god my sauyoure For he hathe beholden the humylyte of his mayde seruaunt / therfore all generacions shall blysse me For he whiche is myghtye / hathe done great thynges to me / and his name is holy And his mercy is from generacyon to
endeth the regystre or table of the fyrst boke of the masse And hereafter foloweth the table of the seconde boke ¶ Here begynneth the table of the seconde boke of the masse FYrste a prayer of our blyssed Lady in the Sonne / in the whiche you shall meryte .xi. M. yeres of 〈◊〉 The fyrste Artycle ¶ A prayer in the honoure of the natyuyte / of our sauyour Ihesu chryste / for to bere the crosse of penaunce The .ii. Artycle ¶ A prayer in the honour of the circuÌ„cysion of our sauyour Ihesu chryste / for to be circuÌ„cysed The .iii. Artycle ¶ A prayer in the honour of the thre Kyngê for pure conscyence The .iiii. Artycle ¶ A prayer in the honoure of the presentacion of our sauyour Ihesu chryste / bycause that the humanyte of Ihesu chryste / shall not in vs be loste The .v. Artycle ¶ A prayer that the swete chylde Ihesu fled in to Egypte / for pacyently to bere / suffre all persecucyons The .vi. Artycle ¶ A prayer that the swete Ihesus was thre dayes lost / for to be sought The .vii. Arty. ¶ A prayer that the swete Ihesus was fouÌ„de in the temple / for to be alwayes obedyeÌ„t vnto god The .viii. Artycle ¶ A prayer that he was baptysed in iordan for to be puryfyed of all synnes The .ix. Artycle ¶ A prayer that our lorde Ihesu chryste fasted the .xl. dayes / for alwayes to abstayne from all synne The .x. Artycle ¶ A prayer that Lazarus was resuscyte / for to be resuscyte c. The .xi. Artycle ¶ A prayer that our lorde Ihesu ryd vpon an asse the palme soÌ„day c. The .xii. Arty. ¶ A prayer secondly of the vysyon and apparycyon of saynt Gregorye the which one shall meryte .xlvi. M. yeres of pardon ¶ A prayer that our lorde Ihesu chryste in holdynge his last supper The .xiii. Artycle ¶ A prayer that our sauyoure chryste swet water and blode The .xiiii. Artycle ¶ A prayer that our lord Ihesu chryst was taken and bounde of the cursed Iewes The .xv. Artycle ¶ A prayer / that oure Lorde Ihesu was brought afore the Iuges / where they mocked reputed hiÌ„ as a fole The .xvi. Arty. ¶ A prayer that o r lorde Ihesu chryst was brought before Pylate / for to iuge hym self The .xvii. Artycle ¶ A prayer that our sauyoure chryste was condeÌ„pned to the deth c. The .xviii. Arty. ¶ A prayer that our sauyour Ihesu chryste was crucyfyed and lyft vp in the eyre vpoÌ„ the crosse The .xix. Artycle ¶ A prayer that our sauyour Ihesu chryste was drawen and hanged vpon the crosse The .xx. Artycle ¶ A prayer that our lord Ihesu chryst was mocked and scorned hangyng on the crosse The .xxi. Artycle ¶ A prayer that our lorde Ihesu spoke the .vii. wordes vpon the crosse / for to obteyne pardon of the .vii. deedly synÌ„es The .xxii. Artycle ¶ A prayer that in the deth of our lord Ihesu chryste / the sonne loste his clerenes / for to haue compassyon of the passyon martyre of Ihesu chryste The .xxiii. artycle ¶ A prayer that our lord Ihesu chryst prayed on the crosse / for to haue a good houre / in the houre of his deth The .xxiiii. artycle ¶ A prayer that our lorde Ihesu chryste coÌ„uerted in the crosse / thre estates of persones / for to haue and knowlege of the synnes for goten The .xxv. artycle ¶ A prayer that oure lorde Ihesu chryste is dyscended in to hell / for the delyuerynge of the soules of purgatorye The .xxvi. arty ¶ A prayer that our lorde Ihesu was takeÌ„ of the crosse / for alwayes preserue and procede in vertues The .xxvii. Artycle ¶ A prayer that our lord Ihesu chryst was put in sepulchre of Ioseph for to obteyne of god a good holy lyfe The .xxviii. artycle ¶ Thyrdly a prayer of the gloryous resurreccyon of Ihesu chryste / in the whiche one shall meryte .lxxx. M. yeres of 〈◊〉 ¶ A prayer that our sauyour Ihesu chryste dyd resuscyte and ryse of the deth / for c. The .xxix. Artycle ¶ A prayer that our lorde Ihesu chryst made redy after his resurreccyon / for to be fortyfied at the holy sacrameÌ„t The .xxx. arty ¶ A prayer that our lorde Ihesu chryst dyd showe his fyue woundes / for conseruacion of the fyue wyttes The .xxxi. Artycle ¶ A prayer that our lorde Ihesu chryst sent his apostles to preche / for to obteyne of god a stronge fayth The .xxxii. Artycle ¶ A prayer that our sauyour Ihesu chyrste ascended in to heuen / for to be alwayes occupyed of the thynges celestyalles The .xxxiii. Artycle ¶ The .xii. fruytes that the man may obteyne in deuoutly remembryng the passyon of our sauyoure Ihesu chryste ¶ Here endeth the table of the seconde boke ¶ And here begynneth the table of the thyrde Boke of the masse THe fyrste Chapytre / what thynge is necessary for the man that wyl receyue worthely the holy sacrament ¶ The seconde Chapytre / howe the man goth in thre maners of wayes to the holy sacrament in deedly synne ¶ The thyrde Chapytre / yf the man maye go vnworthely to the holy sacrament / or be dampned for certayne deedly synnes which he hath forgoten / and that he knoweth not ¶ The fourth Chapytre / wherby the man maye trust that he receyueth the holy sacrament worthely / and who is in the state of grace ¶ The fyfth Chapytre / yf the man be bouÌ„de in and for any cause / to confesse hym more than ones in the yere ¶ The .vi. Chapytre / howe and in what the man shall serche and examyne hym self that worthely wyl go to the holy sacrameÌ„t ¶ The .vii. Chapytre / howe the man shall confesse hym selfe / fyrste of the .xii. artycles of the holy catholyke fayth ¶ The .viii. Chapyter / of the .xii. vertues of the holy ghost / wherof thou shal coÌ„fesse the. ¶ The .ix. Chapytre / of the .xi. Capytall synnes / whiche be called crymynall ¶ The .x. Chapytre / of the .x. coÌ„mauÌ„dementes / the whiche euery persone is bounde to knowe ¶ The .xi. Chapytre / of the ix strauÌ„ge synnes / howe a man shall confesse hym of the same ¶ The .xii. Chapytre / howe a man shall coÌ„fesse hym self brefly of the .viii. beatytudes ¶ The .xiii. Chapytre / of the .vii. gyftes of the holy ghost / and howe a man shall confesse hym of the same ¶ The .xiiii. Chapytre / howe a man shall confesse hym selfe of the .vii. sacramentes / of the holy churche ¶ The .xv. Chapytre / howe a man shall confesse hym of the .vii. deedly synnes ¶ The .xvi. Chapytre / howe a man shall confesse hym self of the .vii. workes of mercy bodely ¶ The .xvii. Chapytre / of the .vii. workes of mercy spyrytually ¶ The .xviii. Chapytre / how the maÌ„ may confesse hym of the syxe synnes / whiche be agaynst the holy ghost ¶ The .xix. Chapytre / howe a man shall confesse hym of the fyue
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
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
dayne deth yf we do receyue with all humylyte the blyssynge of the preest / at the ende of his masse / for his handes be moche more holy / thaÌ„ were the haÌ„des of the olde fathers And by the blyssynge of the preest / we be made worthy of the blyssynge of our lorde god in heuen Therfore whan the preest gyueth the blyssynge after masse / ye shall knele downe vpon your knees with your heed bare and inclyned towardes the grounde / in receyuynge the same Wherof we haue many fayre examples / the whiche shuld be to prolyxe and longe to descrybe Yet neuer theles ye shall haue twayne in shorte wordes here declared ¶ Example WE rede that there was a couereur of howses whiche beynge vpon the toppe or hyghte of a howse there workynge / sodaynly fell downe to the grounde / without hurtyng hym selfe or hauynge any maner of harme The people seynge this dyd renne vnto hym / thynkynge that he was dede / and they dyd fynde hym hole sounde and they dyd say vnto hym Thou haste ben well blyssed this daye / He answered and sayd it is true for I had this daye the blyssynge / whiche the preest gaue after the masse / whose handes had touched the body of our lord Ihesu chryste And my fayth byleue was / that after the blyssynge which I receyued huÌ„bly after the masse I shulde not dye sodaynly without confessyon / as nowe ye maye se ¶ Example WE rede moreouer of two men whiche were coÌ„paygnons felowes in marchaundyse / of the whiche the one receyued alwayes the blyssynge of the preest / and the other neuer dyd regarde nor care for it And one day as they were goynge in theyr iourney / there came a great tempest of thondre and lyghtnynge / of the whiche tempest he that was neuer wont to receyue the blyssynge of the preest nor to regarde it / was stryken to deth / and the other whiche was alwayes wonte to receyue the blyssynge / was saued and not hurte ¶ The .xxiiii. Chapytre / what thynge a man shall rede whan he coÌ„meth fyrste before the holy sacrament ¶ Orayson O Blissed and mercyfull lord Ihesu chryste / I coÌ„mende this daye in the presence of thy holy body and at all tymes my soule and my body by the vertue of thy holy natyuyte thy blyssed crosse / and sharpe and bytter passyon / thy gloryous resurreccyon O father euerlastynge god almyghty / thou arte the begynnynge and the ende of all creatures / thou art the waye and the trueth and the helth of al men O father euerlastynge / I crye and call pryncypally vnto the for my helpe ayde / by the vertue of the holy sacrament / to the entent that thou wylt defende me froÌ„ all thynge that may be hurtfull to the helth of my soule Albeit that I am a poore synner / Yet neuerthelesse I am thy vnworthy creature / redemed and delyuered by the precyous blode of thy sone And I byleue stedfastly in the wherfore good lorde defende me alwayes from all perylles and dauÌ„gers of myne enemyes vysyble and inuysyble / and from all venom and poyson in metes and drynkes / from shame and sodayne deth / by the vertue of the holy sacrament / in the whiche I put all my hope and byleue O holy and most worthy sacrameÌ„t in the which be vnyed iÌ„ godhed / the father / the sone / and the holy ghost / thou dost exalt all that do crye and call vnto the and that do byleue in the. Therfore exalte me nowe specyally in all that is necessary helthful for my soule / that from hensforth I maye accomplysshe and fulfyll thy wyll ¶ The .xxv. Chapytre / what thynge the man shall rede / whan he coÌ„meth before the holy crosse of our lorde Ihesu chryste O Lorde Ihesu chryste / I pray the by the vertue of the same orayson prayer / that thou dyddest make in great anguysshe and payne of herte / vnder the mount of Olyuete where for fere drede of deth / thou dyddest swete droppes of blode rennynge downe to the grounde Offre and show that same blode to thy father celestyall / agaynst the multytude of my synnes / and delyuer me at the houre of deth / from all fere and drede whiche I haue deserued for my synnes ¶ Pater noster Aue maria O Lorde Ihesu chryste whiche hath dyed vpon the crosse for me poore synner / I pray the that thou wylt showe offre to thy father celestyall / all the payne and bytternes of thy passyon / and specyally whan thy blyssed soule departed out of thy blyssed body / agaynst the multytude of my synnes And delyuer me at the houre of deth from all payne / whiche I haue deserued for the multytude of my synÌ„es Amen ¶ Pater noster Aue maria O Lorde Ihesu chryste / I praye the by the inestymable loue that caused the to descende from heuen vnto erthe / there to suffre deth vpon the crosse most cruelly for me poore synÌ„er / to showe and offre the same vnto thy father celestyal agaynst the multytude of my synnes And after this lyfe to open me the gate of heuen Amen ¶ Pater noster Aue maria ¶ The .xxvi. Chapytre / what thynge the man shall rede / whan he doth come before the Image of our Lady O Moste benygne Mary doughter of the father of heuen mother of the sone of god / espouse of the holy ghost I praye the that as the father celestyall of his great myght power hath exalted the in the hyghest trone of heuen / so I pray the most benygne vyrgyne and mother mary / to socoure and helpe me and all my frendes And to defende vs from the teÌ„ptacyons of our enemye Amen ¶ Aue maria O Most humble mother of Ihesu chryste Mary thou art a paradyse of ioye the hyd treaso r of the secrete of god I pray the that as the son of god of the myght power of his incoÌ„prehensyble wysdome hath aorned the / that ouer and aboue al the sayntê thou shulde vse haue the fruycyon most perfytly / of the face preseÌ„ce of the holy trynyte so I pray the most pure virgyn mary / that thou stande by me assyste me and all my frendes at the houre of deth / in remplysshynge and in puttynge in our soules / the lyght of the holy catholyke fayth / to the entent that oure fayth / be not occupyed with erroure ¶ Aue maria O Most swete mary / beaute of the aungelles / flower of the patryarkê / maystres of the apostelles / courage of the martyres / swete fouÌ„tayne of the coÌ„fessours honoure and ioye of vyrgynes / consolacyon solace of all synners / I praye the that as the holy ghoost hathe remplysshed and fylled the of his swetnes and dyuyne grace to the entent that thou be the most benygne and mercyfull next after god / so I beseche the most holy
forsakē me The .v. I am a thrust The .vi. all is accomplysshed and ended The .vii. father I betake or cōmende my soule in to thy handes ¶ Orayson Pater nr̄ Aue maria O Blyssed lorde Ihesu chryste / I do thanke the for the .vii. wordes that thou hast for me on the crosse ī great payne sorowe spoken for the helth of my soule / I beseche the good lord by the vertue of the same wordes that thou wylt pardon me of all the offences that I haue done in my lyfe / and ī any of the .vii. deedly syn̄es as pryde / coueytous / enuye / wrath / glotonye / slouth / and lechery / wherof I do aske mercy for euermore Amen ¶ The .xxiii. Artycle of the masse HOwe the preest beynge in his seconde Memento / prayeth for the soules that be departed beynge in purgatorye This doth sygnyfie the great darkenes and scylence that was throughout the worlde / whyles that god dyd speke on the crosse afore that he dyed for our synnes ¶ Orayson Pater nr̄ Aue maria O Blyssed lorde Ihesu chryste / I thanke the for from the houre of syxe vnto the houre of noone the Sonne lost his clerenes or lyght / and the worlde was darke I beseche the good lorde shed and put in to my herte cōpassyon of thy payne and passyon / to the entent that all dygnyties ioyes of this worlde and of all creatures / maye be darke / bytter dyspleasaunt vnto me euerlastyngly Amen ¶ The .xxiiii. Artycle of the masse HOwe the Preest after the Memēto with a hygh voyce dothe synge to the father celestyall Pater noster quies ī celis This doth sygnyfye that our lorde preparynge hym selfe on the crosse to dye / hath cryed with a hygh voyce / the heed inclyned / the iyes closed / the vysage pale / the voyce sorowynge agaynst nature / O father celestyal in to thy handes I do yelde my soule ¶ Orayson Pater nr̄ Aue maria O Blyssed lorde Ihesu chryste / I do thanke the that thou hast suffred for me poore synner / bytter deth vpon the crosse / to the entent to delyuer me from euerlastynge deth / I praye the good lorde for the bytter passyon that thou hast suffred on the crosse and specyally at the houre that thy holy soule departed from thy blyssed body / graūt me that in all trybulacyons and paynes / I may onely conuerte and tourne me vnto the / and haue mercy of my soule at the houre of deth Amen ¶ The .xxv. Artycle of the masse HOwe the preest doth breke the holy sacramēt in thre partyes and sayth thre tymes Agnus dei qui tollis peccata mūdi miserere nobis This doth sygnyfye howe god hangynge on the crosse / hath cōuerted and hath had mercy of thre maner of folkes That is to say / of the thefe at his ryght hande of Longius whiche dyde perce the herte of oure lorde with a spere / and of many other of the cōmon people which were there present ¶ Orayson Pater nr̄ Aue maria O Blyssed lorde Ihesu chryste / I do thāke the that thou hangynge on the crosse / haste suffred thy selfe to be taken downe of synners by great loue / wherwith thy dyuyne hert was inflamed of thy great mercy / I praye the good lorde suffre thy great mercy to dyscende vpon the multytude and ygnoraūce of my synnes / to the entent that my soule may be a conuenyent place of the dyuyne grace here in erth / and after in the glory Amen ¶ The .xxvi. Artycle of the masse HOwe the preest brekynge the sacrament doth let one peace fall in to the chalyce This dothe sygnyfye that whan the herte of oure lorde was braste on the crosse / he descended in to hell brekynge the same / and delyuered from thens the patryarches / prophetes / and the auncyent fathers there beynge prysoners ¶ Orayson Pater nr̄ Aue maria O Blyssed lorde Ihesu chryste / I thanke the that incontynent after that thy holy soule was departed from thy body / thou dyddest descende in to hell / there delyuerynge the auncyent fathers whiche were there present / I praye the good lorde descende by thy great mercy delyuer from purgatorye the soules of my father and mother of all my frendes / where I am bounde to pray for them / to the entent that we they maye laude and prayse the euerlastyngely Amen ¶ The .xxvii. Artycle of the masse HOwe the preest dothe take the paxe holdynge the sacramēt a lytell space in his handes / and after doth lay it downe vpō the aulter This doth sygnyfye how chryste a lytel whyle after his deth was taken downe from the crosse / layed before the lappe of our lady his blyssed mother there present very pensyfe dolent ¶ Orayson Pater nr̄ Aue maria O Blyssed lorde Ihesu chryste / I thanke the that at the houre of vespres or Euensonge thou was in the armes of Ioseph deposed and taken downe from the crosse / in the presence of thy dere mother and layed before her / I pray the good lorde graunt me to ascende euery day the steppes of vertues and to do no more synne / for the whiche thou hast ben crucyfyed to the entēt that I maye receyue the in myne armes of loue and dyleccyon / that it maye please the to dwell with me I with the euerlastyngly Amen ¶ The .xxviii. Artycle of the masse HOwe the preest doth take the blyssed sacrament with both his handes / reuerently receyuynge it This dothe sygnyfye howe god was reuerently put in the sepulchre / betwene the hādes of Ioseph and Nycodemus after moche heuynes and sorowe whiche our lady other his frendes there had showed and made afore that they dyde let hym departe from them ¶ Orayson Pater nr̄ Aue maria O Blyssed lorde god / I do thanke the for at the houre of cōplyne / thou hast suffred thy self to be buryed wonne or wrapped in a whyte and clene cloth and to be oynted with precyous aromatyke / I pray the good lorde graunt me to oynte the with clene lyfe deuoute prayers / to wrap the in a whyte cloth by pure and clene thoughtes / to bere the in myne armes by good workes and humylyte / and to burye the in my herte by stedfast remembraunce of thy bytter passyon / to the ende that in glory I maye be resuscytate Amen HEre begynneth the thyrde parte of the masse / of the gloryous resurreccyon of our lorde Ihesu chryste / in the whiche the blyssed soule of oure lorde was templysshed with great ioy / and also mary the mother of god For as the doctoures do wryte / she was so sore trauayled on good frydaye for the intollerable passyon of her dare sone / that she was borne home halfe deed wherfore she dyd loke and tary for the resurreccyon of her blyssed sone / prayenge thus O father celestyall I knowe well that the tyme is nowe
nere that he shuld resuscytate hym selfe from dethe / wherfore resuscytate hym nowe at this tyme. O my dere sone I haue seen the all redy wounded longe ago O yf I myght se the now resuscytate from deth gloryfied ī body O my dere son thou hast ofte tymes tolde that on the thyrde day thou wold ryse frō deth / now it draweth nere Mary thus prayenge / as the sondaye at mydnyghte her dere sone dyde ryse from deth / and dyde reioyse make glad his mother afore all other / wherfore ye shall saye in the honour of her this prayer folowynge ¶ Who that sayth this prayer with repentaunce of his synnes / shall meryte .lxxx. M. yeres of pardon O Lorde Ihesu chryste / I praye the forthe loue of that ioye whiche thy mother had / whan thou dyddest appere to her in the holy nyghte of Ester / And for that ioye that she had / whan she dyde se the gloryfyed with the dyuyne clerenesse / that thou wylt illumynate me with the .vii. gyftes of the holy ghost / to the entēt that all the dayes of my lyfe I maye accomplysshe thy dyuyne wyll whiche doth lyue and reygne euerlastyngly Amen ¶ The .xxix. Artycle of the masse HOwe the preest dothe take all that is within the chalyce and dothe emptye it leue it open This doth sygnyfye how our lorde on the thyrde daye / dyd ryse from deth and left the sepulchre emptye and open / and dyd fyrste appere to his heuy mother than afterwarde to his other frendes ¶ Orayson Pater nr̄ Aue maria O Blyssed lorde I thāke the that thou haste broken the bondes of deth / and areysynge thy holy body from deth / hast gloryfyed the same by the .iiii. vertues of the claryte or clerenes / I praye the good lorde graūt me to ryse in my soule from the deth of synne / to the entent that from hensforth I maye walke in the waye of reason that I do not serche ne taste any other thynge / but that which shall dure euerlastyngly in heuen Amen ¶ The .xxx. Artycle of the masse HOw the preest cōmeth with the chalyce towardes the ende of the aulter takynge wyne for the percepcyon This doth sygnyfye howe our lorde after that he was rysen from deth / dyd appere to his dyscyples eatynge with them fysshes rosted the which they had taken by the cōmaūdement of god ¶ Orayson Pater nr̄ Aue maria O Blyssed lorde Ihesu chryste / I do thanke the that after thy resurreccyon / thou hast appered to thy dyscyples in eatynge with them naturall meate I praye the good lorde norysshe me here in erthe with the breade of the holy scrypture / to the entent that after this tyme I may be parte taker of the heuenly and pardurable refeccyon Amen ¶ The .xxxi. Artycle of the masse HOwe the preest in the myddes of the aulter doth tourne hym ī dysioynynge and takynge his handes a sondre sayth / Dominus vobiscum This doth sygnyfye howe our lorde after that he was rysen from deth / dyd appere showe hym selfe amonges his dyscyples sayenge / Pax vobis / that is to saye / peace be with you / showynge his hādes fete persed through ¶ Orayson Pater nr̄ Aue maria O Blyssed lord I thanke the that thou hast appered to thy dyscyples / there where they were with the gates fast shytte to them / and hast showed amonges them thy fyue woundes / I praye the good lorde shytte and close faste the locke of my fyue wyttes interyoure exteryoure from all tēptacyons / that I maye be within illumynate with the lyght of thy dyuyne grace euerlastyngly Amen ¶ The .xxxii. Artycle of the masse HOwe the preest doth tourne hym sayeng / Ite missa est / that is to saye in a maner / go ye the mysterye of the masse is done This sygnyfyeth howe god afore that he dyd ascende in to heuen / he cōmaunded to his dyscyples / to go preche sayenge / Go through all the worlde and preche the holy gospell to all creatures And he that doth byleue and is baptysed / he shall be saued ¶ Orayson Pater nr̄ Aue maria O Blyssed lorde I do thanke the that by the prechynge of thyne apostelles hast called vs beynge infydelles / to the holy catholyke fayth / to the ende that al those that shuld byleue in the on erth shuld haue the fruycyon of the afterwarde in heuen / I pray the good lorde graunt me to byleue in herte faythfully / with my mouthe truely / and by my workes fruytfully / that so I maye dye salutaryly / and lyue pardurably Amen ¶ The .xxxiii. Artycle of the masse HOwe the preest / whan he hath sayd and red all he gyueth the benedyccion vpon all those that be there presēt than he dothe tourne hym from the people retournynge thyther from whens he came This doth sygnyfie that after that the sone of god had accomplysshed all thynge after the wyll of god his father / he gaue his benedyccyon to all those that were vpō the mount of Olyuete / dyd ascende ī to heuen where he doth syt on the ryght hande of god his father ¶ Orayson Pater nr̄ Aue maria O Blyssed lorde I thanke the that after that thou had accomplysshed all thynge in erth / after the wyll of the father celestyall for the helth and profyte of vs / thou dyddest ascēde in to heuen / I pray the good lorde drawe my herte to the in heuen / to the entent that onely I maye loue serche the ī erth / and that here beynge in erth I maye be alwayes with the by desyre in heuen / where I maye se the syttynge on the ryght hande of thy father Amen HEre endeth the seconde boke of the masse / treatynge of the lyfe / passyon / and resurreccyon of our lord Ihesu chryste / in the which euery good catholyke person maye be in his deuocyon occupyed / and specyally in the masse tyme. For as doctours do wryte there be .xii. vertues in remembrynge the lyfe and passyon of our lorde ¶ The fyrste vertue is / that the synner ofte tymes is conuerted therby / from his euyll peruerse lyuynge to good and holy lyuyng so that god graunt hym repentaunce of his synnes / true confessyon and penaunce afore his deth ¶ The seconde vertue is / that the remembraunce of the passyon of our lorde is a medycyne agaynst the tēptacyon of the deuyll For howe great soeuer the temptacyon be / yf the man remembre cordyally the passyon of oure lorde / tournynge his iyes deuoutly vpon the crosse of god / he shal be delyuered from the temptacyon ¶ The thyrde vertue is / that our lord wyl make a sure and a stedfaste peace betwene the synner and his father celestyall ¶ The fourth vertue is / that all trybulacyons aduersytes / syckenes / dyseases / displeasures / and temptacyons / shall be easye and lyght for that man
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
The interpretacyon / and sygnyfycacyon of the Masse ¶ Here begynneth a good deuoute Boke to the honoure of god / of our lady his mother / of all sayntes / and ryght profytable to all good Catholyke persones / to knowe howe they shall deuoutly here Masse And how salutaryly they shal Confesse them And how reuerently and honourably they shall go to the holy Sacrament or table of our sauyour Ihesu chryste / with dyuerse other profytable documentê and oraysons or prayers here conteyned / Composed and ordeyned by frere Gararde / frere mynoure / of the ordre of the Obseruauntes ¶ The Prologue IS the scrypture dothe teche vs / and saynt Gregorye doth wryte / amonges al sacryfyces and oblacyons / there is no seruyce so acceptable vnto god / as dyleccyon loue of the helth of the soule / as well of hym selfe as of other men the whiche pryncypally is serched goten by the passyon of our lord Ihesu chryst sone of god in the remeÌ„brauÌ„ce wherof / the moste honourable sacryfyce of the masse is done celebrate / as by the holy sacrament Wherfore the auctoure of this boke wyllynge to induce the people to here masse deuoutly / to ordeyne some thynge that a man maye rede or thynke in the masse tyme which is a worke that doth surmouÌ„t passe all the vnderstandynge vnder god both in heuen erth / hath wryten iÌ„ this boke as moche as the holy ghost doth showe vs deuoute doctours do wryte / and as beloÌ„geth to man to know of the same the whiche boke is dyuyded in thre partes as doth appere / euery of them in his place Therfore he that with great merytê wyll here masse / he shall rede the orayson prayer whiche is put at euery artycle Or yf he can not rede he shall deuoutly premedyte and thynke of the lyfe of our lorde and shal saye at euery artycle a Pater noster and an Aue. And than he shal haue sayd as many tymes the Pater noster / as our lorde hathe lyued yeres vpon the erth / in the gratytude and kyndnes of al his great trauayles and paynes / in watchynge / fastynge / prayenge prechenge / in his passyon / whiche he hathe suffred for vs poore synners And trustynge in the mercy of god that the man so exercysynge hym selfe towardes god / shall neuer be lost nor dampned And yf there were any sycke or otherwyse feble of nature or of necessytie shulde go by the countrees / or women in chylde bedde / or in other necessyties that they myght not here masse / they shall exercyse them selfe in redynge this lytell boke of the masse / in offrynge so to god a good wyll / the whiche for that tyme shall be suffycyent / seynge that otherwyse they can not amende it ¶ Here begynneth the Regestre or Table of the fyrste Boke of the Masse THe fyrste Chapytre / wherfore the Masse in all languages is called Missa / none otherwyse ¶ The seconde Chapytre / wherfore coÌ„monly the catholyke Churches be sytuate or set in the Eest and west partyes and the masse is sayd in the Eest parte ¶ The thyrde Chapytre / who dyd saye the fyrste masse vpon the erth / and who hathe so ordeyned and coÌ„posed it sens that tyme. ¶ The fourth Chapytre / yf the fyrst masse of a newe preest be better thaÌ„ the seconde or thyrde of another preest ¶ The fyfth Chapytre / yf it be more for the soule helth / to here masse of a deuoute vertuous preest / thaÌ„ of an euyll preest ¶ The syxte Chapytre / yf all masses be lyke good / as masse of Requiem / of our Lady / of the holy sacrament c. and whiche is best ¶ The .vii. Chapytre / howe a man shall saye the seuen masses ¶ The .viii. Chapytre / yf euery catholyke persone be bouÌ„de to here masse the sondaye ¶ The .ix. Chapytre yf it be coÌ„maunded to here masse / as well of all other feestes and holy dayes / as of the sondayes ¶ The .x. Chapytre / yf a man maye go on pylgrymage the sondayes and other feestes and yf seruauntes be bounde to here masse the sondayes ¶ The .xi. Chapytre / yf it be suffycyent that a man here one masse the sondaye / in leuynge the sermon euensonge the same daye ¶ The .xii. Chapytre / howe the man shall behaue hym self in the masse tyme / after the ordynauÌ„ce of the holy churche and the lawe Canon ¶ The .xiii. Chapytre / yf the man be bounde to here masse of his Curate / and in his owne parysshe ¶ The .xiiii. Chapytre / yf masse maye be sayd in places not halowed / as within the howse ¶ The .xv. Chapytre / yf a maÌ„ the sonday in the masse tyme may say that thyng whiche is coÌ„maunde hym in penaunce ¶ The .xvi. Chapytre / yf the man whiche coÌ„meth after that the masse is begon / be yet bouÌ„de on the soÌ„dayes to here another masse ¶ The .xvii. Chapytre / yf it be requysyte / that the man here and vnderstaÌ„de the wordes of the masse ¶ The .xviii. Chapytre / what profyte coÌ„meth by the masse and what persones may haue and vse it ¶ The .xix. Chapytre / yf a man may with out synne saye or cause a masse to be sayde for money ¶ The .xx. Chapytre / In what thynge wherby a man maye consydre the greatnes and dygnyte of the masse ¶ The .xxi. Chapytre / what the ê‘son shal rede in the mornynge / whan he dothe ryse from bedde ¶ The .xxii. Chapytre / what the man shal saye for all chrysten soules / whan he dothe passe by the churcheyarde ¶ The .xxiii. Chapytre / howe the maÌ„ shal dyspose hym selfe to here masse ¶ The .xxiiii. Chapytre what thyng a maÌ„ shall rede whan he coÌ„meth fyrste before the holy sacrament ¶ The .xxv. Chapytre / what thynge the man shall rede / whan he coÌ„meth before the holy crosse of our lorde Ihesu chryste ¶ The .xxvi. Chapytre / what thynge the man shall rede / whan he dothe come before the Image of our Lady ¶ The .xxvii. Chapytre / how he that doth helpe serue at masse ought to behaue hym ¶ The .xxviii. Chapytre / howe euery maÌ„ shall gladly helpe serue at the masse / for syxe reasons ¶ The .xxix. Chapytre what fruytes he receyueth of god / that serueth gladly and deuoutly at the masse ¶ The .xxx. Chapytre yf women may helpe and serue at the masse ¶ The .xxxi. Chapiter yf the mynyster may helpe and serue here the holy masse all togyther And also yf a man may here many masses togyther and at one tyme with as great meryte as yf he herde masse by it selfe ¶ The .xxxii. Chapytre / what the aornementes of the preest doth sygnyfye ¶ The .xxxiii. Chapytre / what vertue or fruyte doth consyste and lye in deuoutly herynge masse / the whiche vertues be in .xii. maners ¶ Here
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
fyfth vertue or fruyte is that the man herynge masse deuoutly / receyueth spūally the holy sacramēt so that he desyre it deuoutly And so it maye chaunce that the man herynge masse deuoutly / shall obteyne more grace than the preest whiche doth it / for the preest is not alwayes egally well disposed And so maye the man euery daye / receyue the holy sacrament spyrytually ¶ The syxte vertue is / that the man herynge masse and beynge in the state of grace / is parte taker of all the masses done throughout all the worlde / and that is more or lesse after as the man is in the loue and fauoure of god For it is one of the artycles of the holy catholyke fayth / as in the cōmunyon of the holy churche ¶ The seuenth vertue is / that the prayer of them whiche do here the masse / is sooner herde and exalted of god in the masse tyme / than at any other tyme / for than the preest the holy aūgelles which be about the aulter do helpe you to praye ¶ The eyght vertue is / that the soules beynge in purgatorye / whyles that the man doth here the masse and doth praye for them haue a synguler absolucyon durynge the same masse / for there is nothynge that dothe brynge them so shortly out of the paynes of purgatorye / as to cause to saye or to here deuoutly masse for them ¶ The nynth vertue is / that it is better to here one masse in our lyfe tyme than to cause an hondreth to be sayd or herde for vs after our dethe And also that it is better that the man cause a masse to be sayd for hym in his lyfe thā an hondreth after his deth The reason is / for the man maye nowe deserue meryte moche with a masse / but not after his deth but onely that he dothe fynde that thynge / whiche he hath deserued in his lyfe An hondreth thousāde masses nowe done can not augment one moment of glory ioye after this tyme but by a masse whiche I do here / I maye obteyne that I shall not come in purgatorye / but after our deth / the masse delyuereth onely from purgatorye Is it not better than not to come in to purgatorye / than whan a man is there to tary and loke for ayde helpe to be delyuered ¶ The tenth vertue is / that a woman heryng masse deuoutly / yf it chaunce that she do labour of chylde that same daye / she shal be delyuered without faulte the more easely with lesse payne / for the holy aūgelles be veray busye and dylygent aboute her Therfore all women beynge with chylde / yf it be possyble shall here masse euery daye for by the vertue of the same / the fruyte or chylde is preserued And thā shall put theyr trust in the holy sacrament in our blyssed Lady the mother of god / and in none other thynge ¶ The eleuenth vertue is / that all thynge that man doth enterpryse after that he hath herde masse / doth prospere and com to good ende And that whiche the man doth eate drynke after he hath herde masse / dothe profyte more to the necessyte of nature ¶ The twelfth vertue is / that yf the man dye the same daye that he hathe herde masse / god shall gyue hym a synguler grace which otherwyse he shulde not haue had That is say to that god hym self or his aungelles at the laste houre of his deth shall helpe conforte hym as the man hath serued god at the masse For it is wryten in the holy gospell / with the same measure that ye haue measured / with the same also I wyll measure you euerlastyngly Amen ¶ Thus endeth the fyrst boke of the masse And here foloweth the seconde ¶ Prologue HEre begynneth the seconde boke of the masse whiche is dyuyded in thre as the lyfe of our lorde is dyuyded in thre dyuerse tymes / these thre tymes be cōprehende in .xxxiii. yeres Also the masse is dyuyded in thre partyes / the thre partyes in .xxxiii. artycles ¶ The fyrste tyme is / from his humanyte vnto his passyon / and that doth sygnyfye the begynnynge of the masse vnto the Canon or Sanctus ¶ The seconde tyme / from his passyon vnto his resurreccyon / and that doth sygnyfye from Sanctus vnto that the preest haue receyued the sacrament ¶ The thyrde tyme / from that vnto the fynysshynge of the masse / that doth sygnyfye after his resurreccyon / vnto that tyme that our lorde dyd ascende ī to heuen Vpon euery tyme is a prayer / by the which a man maye deserue veray pardon As of our Lady .xi. M. yeres / in the honoure of his humanyte of saynt Gregorye .xlvi. M. yeres / in the honour of his passyon and resurreccyon .lxxx. M. yeres Som̄e C.xxxvii M. yeres at euery artycle is a deuoute prayer as to pray to almyghty god to obteyn some vertue or to eschewe synne ¶ The holy father pope Syxtus the .iiii. of that name / hath gyuen .xi. M. yeres of pardon so ofte as in the state of grace / with deuocyon a mā doth say this prayer folowynge afore the Image of our Lady in the whiche prayer a man may clerely vnderstande and perceyue / that Mary the holy mother of our lorde Ihesu chryste / is a pure and a clene vyrgyne / and was conceyued without any spotte of orygynall synne / the whiche is clerely declared in this prayer / where it is sayde / thou arte conceyued without synne And of this indulgēce or pardon / is a fayre Bull in the cytie of Coleyne BLyssed be thou Mary holy mother of god / quene of heuen / gate of paradyse / lady of the worlde / thou arte a synguler pure vyrgyne cōceyued without syn̄e Thou haste borne and ben delyuered of the creatoure / redemoure / and sauyoure of this worlde / wherin I do not doubte but stedfastly do byleue Praye for my synnes delyuer and kepe me from all euyll Amen ¶ The fyrste Artycle of the masse HOwe the preest doth make hym redy in the vestry to saye masse / and the deacon and subdeacon do helpe hym / but the preest alone doth take caste vpon hym the chesuble which doth sygnyfie how chryste hath taken vpon hym the nature of man / and was cōceyued in the vestry of the blyssed body of our lady / wherin the father and the holy ghost haue gyuen ayde helpe The mynystrer or he that doth helpe to serue at the masse / doth sygnyfye the aungell Gabryell ¶ Orayson Pater nr̄ Aue maria O Blyssed lorde Ihesu chryste / I do thanke the that by the wyl of thy father celestyall / thou hast ben conceyued by the operacyon of the holy ghoost / in the blyssed body of the vyrgyne mary in al clennes and without any spotte of synne / I beseche the good lord by the meryte of thy dere mother / that I whiche haue
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
sayth in the gospell all my goodes be the goodes of the maÌ„ / for all that I haue apperteyneth to the man O good lorde what thou art lyberall / large mercyfull / that all thy goodes whiche so rychely thou onely doest possede wyll spende with the man sayenge / all my good rychesse of grace glory / apperteyneth to the. O good lorde what small gyft thou receyuest of me for that that thou gyuest me in the holy sacrament god maker of all creatures for one creature / a man iÌ„nocent for a man beynge a synner / a noble holy soule for a peruerse vnnoble Wherfore I speke with the prophete Dauid O good lorde what shall I gyue and render to the for that thou hast gyuen me I wyll take the chalyce of helth / I wyll inuoke and call the name of our lorde All those that be poore of vertues in the soule / they shall go surely without any fere to the holy sacrameÌ„t as to a ryche marchauÌ„t whiche shall fulfyll all thy demauÌ„des and desyres of his lyberalyte without gyuynge golde or syluer ¶ Syxtly / the man is to farre from his ende of perpetuall helth / to the which he was made and fourmed in this worlde / so that of hym selfe he can not come therto Neuertheles to the entent that the man do not dyspayre for to come thyther / god hath gyuen hym selfe in a spyrytuall meate / in and by the whiche the man is saued and vnyed as he doth speke hym selfe in the gospell / He that doth eate my flesshe and drynketh my blode he abydeth in me and I in hym And yf it be not that thou eate the flesshe of the sone of the man and drynke his blode / thou shal neuer haue lyfe in the / that is to saye in thy soule here in erth hereafter in heuen Therfore speketh saynt Austyne in the person of god sayenge Whan thou doest eate me / I shall not be coÌ„uerted in the / but thou in me For this vnyon the sone of god dyd pray to his father sayenge O father saue in thy name al those that thou hast gyuen me so that they maye be one with vs as we togyther be one / I in the and thou in me O most benygne Ihesu thou hast showed in this thy infynyte mercy / for by this meate we do ioyne and make vs one in the / to the and with the. But many doth receyue the holy sacrament with lytell desyre in great feblenes It is greatly to be complayned / that so many folkê haue so lytell deuocyon towardes the holy sacrament / so that for a lyght occasyon they do not go therto to the which they shulde well and dylygently alwayes prepare them But bycause that they be loth to confesse them / and that it greueth them to fast / they do let it passe / the whiche is a token of lytell loue that they haue towardes god For as saynt Gregorye sayth / the dyleccyon and loue of god is neuer Idle and voyde in the man / For where it is there it worketh great thynges / and where it is not there the man is Idle O yf there were but one man in the worlde worthy to receyue the holy sacrament / howe wolde all the other reÌ„ne to se hym and to speke with hym Nowe our lorde Ihesu chryste gyueth and maketh hym selfe coÌ„mon egally to all persones / wherfore many there be that do not regarde hym And therfore whan they dye / they fynde them selfe naked of vertues in the soule / and chased from euerlastynge lyfe / the whiche all those onely that do eate of this breade shall vse and haue / for they shal lyue euerlastyngly Amen ¶ The fyrste Chapytre / what thynge is necessary for the man that wyll receyue worthely the holy sacrament AS the doctours do wryte / thre thyngê be necessary to euery good ê‘son that fructefully wyll receyue the blyssed sacrament of our lord Ihesu chryst ¶ The fyrste that is necessary for the man / is purenes and clennes in the conseyence / so that he be without deedly synne / in true repentaunce / confessyon / and stedfast purpose neuer to synne more / and to fulfyll the coÌ„mauÌ„demeÌ„tes of god and those of the holy churche For the holy churche doth prohybyte and forbyd / that all those that be in deedly synne / that they shall not receyue the holy sacrament / yf they be not fyrste and afore confessed and assoyled For otherwyse in goynge to the sacrament they synne deedly in case that they maye haue or fynde a confessoure Therfore the maÌ„ shal prepare hym therunto as yf incontynent after his confessyon he shulde dye / and that is suffycyent afore Ihesu chryste ¶ The seconde is / that the man shall haue feruent deuocyon / so that he shall appoynte and prepare hym self as deuoutly as he can possyble / tournynge hym selfe hooly from that thynge whiche for that tyme and houre myght drawe hym from god and from his deuocyon Therfore the man shall haue after his confessyon afore that he go to the sacrament / a generall repentauÌ„ce and contrycyon of all his venyall synnes / specyally of those wherin he knoweth hym selfe dayly to fall / be it in vayne spekynge / in eatynge and drynkyng more than nede requyreth or in not hauynge pacyence in trybulacyon or any other lyke / for they do let the persone in his deuocyon A man may get deuocyon in two maners / that is to saye by the fere of god / as in remembrynge the greatnes and multytude of his synnes / and the iustyce of god Secondaryly / by the dyleccyon loue of god in remembryng his passyon and the benefytes that he hath showed vs. ¶ The thyrde thynge that is necessary for man for to receyue the holy sacrament worthely / is clennes of the body outwardly / so that he be not poluted and maculate in the body with synne by the defaulte of nature / the whiche maye be done in deedly synne / That is to saye whan it coÌ„meth of carnall thoughtes / or whan it coÌ„meth of glotonye and excesse of meates drynkes And than it is good for hym to refrayne for the dygnyte of the sacrament It maye be done also without synne / as by feblenes or debylyte of nature / by coldnes of the body / by teÌ„ptacyon of the deuyll or otherwyse But he that shall fynde hym selfe greued herein shall take the counceyll of his confessoure ¶ The seconde Chapytre / howe the man goth in thre maners of wayes to the holy sacrament in deedly synne THe man may be in deedly synÌ„e and yet receyue the holy sacrament in thre maners ¶ Fyrste / he maye be in deedly synne and knowe it not / or he doth truste in god that it is forgyuen hym / for he doth not remembre it To this the doctours answere sayenge / yf it be so that the man afore his confessyon haue examyned his conscyence after his power /
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
/ those that haue coÌ„myt suche synnes that coÌ„mon confessours can not assoyle them / or he that maye assoyle them / doth come thyther where they be or they may lyghtly go vnto hym where he is as to pardons and suche other / that they be bounde to confesse them ¶ Thyrdly / whan the conscyence is very vnquyet and doth moue a man feruently to confesse incoÌ„tynently his synnes / for the conscyence bereth wytnes howe the man is dysposed within ¶ Fourthly / whan the man wyll receyue the holy sacrament or any of the .vii. sacramentê In these foure causes is the maÌ„ bouÌ„de more than ones in the yere to confesse his synnes Yet all this notwithstandynge euery good catholyke person shal confesse hym selfe at the leste foure tymes in the yere albeit that he be not redy to go to the holy sacrament so oft For a vessell that is vsed and occupyed euery day and not made clene but ones in the yere / it wyll be so foule and fylthy at the last that he can not be made clene so it is also of the conscyence of man ¶ The .vi. Chapytre / howe and in what the man shall serche and examyne hym selfe / that worthely wyll go to the holy sacrament A Man that worthely wyll go to the holy sacrament he shal examyne dylygently his coÌ„scyeÌ„ce / in lyke case as he wol decyue and make a compte to a great lorde of many dettes And to the entent that euery man whiche can not well confesse hym selfe maye knowe the maner howe to confesse hym / I wyll wryte a coÌ„mon and a shorte maner / wherin al coÌ„mon synnes be inclosed / in leuynge that whiche apperteyneth not to be wryten / to the enteÌ„t that some do not lerne that which they knowe not And by this the man may lerne to coÌ„fesse hym / in addynge takynge awaye as his state and occupacyon doth requyre / or also after as his conscyence doth testyfye and moue hym for it shulde not profyte nor be possyble to wryte all maner of synnes Therfore the man shall prouyde hym of a good confessoure in coÌ„tynuynge with hym without rennynge from one to another / the whiche shall knowe his state and lyfe / to the entent that he may the better helpe hym in that that he shall haue forgoten and be ygnoraunt And thou shall come in tyme to confessyon / so that thou be not last / and that thou maye haue space ynough to confesse the / And whan thou doest confesse the a daye before / and thou doest remembre in the meane tyme any venyall synÌ„es / it shal not nede to go agayne to confessyon / but to knocke vpon thy brest with coÌ„trycyon sayenge O good lorde haue mercy of me poore synner And kepe the in as moche as thou can from vayne wordes / and carnall thoughtes and frequeÌ„tacyons / and from brekyng thy pacyence one day after thou hast receyued the sacrament / and one daye before / for the dygnyte of the same ¶ The .vii. Chapytre / howe the man shall confesse hym selfe / fyrste of the .xii. Artycles of the holy catholyke fayth WHan thou shall come to thy confessyon / knele downe of both thy knees afore thy confessoure / makynge a crosse afore the and saye / In the name of the father / of the sone / and of the holy ghost Amen or In nomine patris c. And than saye Confiteor yf thou can saye it vnto Ideo precor And yf thou can not say it / saye Benedicite and than saye / Syr I confesse me afore god and you of all my synÌ„es that I haue done / syth the fyrste tyme that I could synne vnto this houre Fyrste that I haue synned agaynst the .xii. artycles of the holy fayth that I haue not so stedfastly byleued in herte / mouthe / and workes as I am bouÌ„de I haue somtymes also doubted in the holy sacrament or otherwyse as thou shall knowe thy selfe gyltye Yf thou haste kepte companye with Iewes / Sarazyns / Heretykes / or yf thou know any other thynge / thou shall tell it ¶ The .viii. Chapytre / of the .xii. vertues of the holy ghoste / wherof thou shall confesse the / as here foloweth I Confesse accuse me / that I haue ben neclygent and haue transgressed iÌ„ the .xii. vertues of the holy ghost / I haue not had ioye / gladnes / and loue in the seruyce of god / nor peace with my chrysten brother nor pacyence in aduersyte / nor longanymyte or contynuauÌ„ce in the seruyce of god / nor holynes in my lyfe / nor pytie in beynge coÌ„uersaunt with other folkes / nor also measure and sobrenes in my maners / myne apparell / and in my workes / nor mekenes Ientylnes with them that I haue hauÌ„ted and dayly kepte companye / nor humylyte in my thoughtes and dedes / nor trueth in my wordes nor purenes in my desyres and concupyscence ¶ The .ix. Chapytre of the .xi. capytall synnes / whiche be called crymynall I Do confesse and accuse me that I haue synned in many of the crymynall or capytall synnes Yf thou fynde thy selfe culpable any wyse in any of the same thou maye tell it ¶ As to syn agaynst the fayth of the trinite ¶ To synne agaynst nature ¶ To synne in manslaughter ¶ To synne agaynst the equyte and iustyce of the mageste of any prynce or prelate ¶ To synne iÌ„ robbynge the churchê by force ¶ To synne in carnall medlyng with any of his lynage ¶ To synne in adultery in the state of maryage ¶ To synne in conspyracye or in makynge tumoure by force amonges the coÌ„monaltie ¶ To synne in berynge false wytnes and that he doth knowe it false ¶ To synne in Symonye ¶ To synne by hauntynge vserye ¶ The .x. Chapytre / of the .x. coÌ„maundementes / the whiche euery persone is bounde to knowe YEt I confesse and accuse me of the .x. coÌ„mauÌ„dementes of our lorde Ihesu chryste ¶ Of the fyrste coÌ„maundemeÌ„t that I haue not loued our lord god with al my herte aboue all thyngê I haue not also worshypped hym as I oughte to do / nor I haue not had so stedfaste fayth in hym as I am bouÌ„de / but soÌ„tymes I haue byleued those which haue vsed Nygromancye / or wytche crafte / or Herytykes which haue spokeÌ„ agaynst the holy churche ¶ Of the seconde coÌ„maundement / that I haue taken the name of god in vayne with out any necessytie / for I haue sworne ofte tymes for a lytell cause / which I haue knowen to be contrary / wherwith I haue ofte tymes deceyued myne euen chrysten I haâ— also caused other to swere and curse / bycause that I wolde not byleue them of theyr worde I haue also sworn not onely by god and hy his blyssed membres and passyon / but also by his sayntes / as by the mother of god / by saynt Iohan / in other maners ¶ Of the thyrde coÌ„mauÌ„dement / that I haue not sanctyfyed
syngynge wanton and vnhonest songes I haue also abused my handes to my self or to other / in vnclennes and lechery I haue made my god of my body / in abundaunce of eatynge and drynkyng / and vnclennes I haue had many vnlawfull and vnclene thoughtes / desyres in my herte the whiche I wolde haue done in dede / yf shame of the worlde had not letted me I haue mysused my legges and fete in goynge to places / where as I haue greatly greued god / wherof I am sorye / and I crye god mercy ¶ The .xx. Chapytre / howe the man shall confesse hym selfe of the foure synnes cryenge vengeaunce afore god I Confesse me also yf I haue iÌ„ any wyse offended god / in the foure synnes cryenge to god for vengeaunce ¶ Fyrste / in the synne agaynst nature that is to saye / whan it is done in another place and in otherwyse / than nature and god haue ordeyned it ¶ Secondaryly / that I haue shed innocent blode / or haue brought any persone to deth / without a cause ¶ Thyrdly / that I haue oppressed and vnreasonably persecuted poore orphelyns wydowes / and poore folkes ¶ Fourthly / that I haue withholden and not dewely payed those / whiche haue fayth fully serued and laboured for me / as they haue deserued ¶ The .xxi. Chapytre / howe the man shall confesse hym of the foure cardynall vertues I Haue yet synned iÌ„ the foure cardynall vertues / wherby I am bounde to lede rule my lyfe ¶ Fyrste in me there is not wysdome prudence to do and accoÌ„plysshe my actes and dedes in tyme conuenyent / as I am bounde ¶ Secondaryly / I haue not in me force strength to resyste euyll and peruers inclynacyons and temptacyons to synne / but I haue ben lyghtly ouercome / and haue fallen in to synne ¶ Thyrdly / I haue not in me the vertue of temperauÌ„ce and meane / for I haue trauayled / and laboured / fasted / prayed / done penaunce / and other good dedes without dyscrecyon / so that therby I haue to moche feblysshed my body ¶ Fourthly / I haue not in me the vertue of iustyce / for I haue not tourned my selfe from synne / in not doynge the vertue whiche I was bounde to do / for myne owne profyte / I haue forsaken to do the coÌ„mon profyte ¶ The .xxii. Chapytre / howe a man shall coÌ„fesse hym of the .iii. pryncypall vertues / called Theologycall I Haue synÌ„ed iÌ„ the .iii. pryncypall vertues without the which I can not be saued ¶ Fyrste / that I haue not in me / stedfaste fayth with good workes ¶ Secondaryly / I haue not a sure hope of the heuenly goodnes for to come ¶ Thyrdly / I haue not in me a feruent loue charyte towardê god my neyghbour ¶ The .xxiii. Chapytre / howe a man shall confesse hym of the two coÌ„maundementes / in the whiche all the other be comprehende I Haue synned / bycause I haue not loued my lorde god and creatoure with all my herte / my soule / and with all my myght and power I haue ofte tymes set my herte more in the loue of folkes / and in the honoure and ioye of this worlde / in aornemeÌ„tes voluptuousnes of my body / and in the goodes / rychesse / and other vanyties of this worlde / than towardes god almyghtye ¶ Also I haue not loued my chrysten brother neyghbour as my self / doynge otherwyse to hym / than I wold had ben done to me / wherof I am sory crye god mercy ¶ The .xxiiii. Chapytre / howe a man shal confesse hym / of the cogytacyons and thoughtes of his herte I Do accuse me also / to haue synned greatly by cogytacyons and thoughtê of my herte ¶ Fyrste / that I haue receyued of our lorde god many good inspyracions sterynge and mouyng me to amende my peruers euyll lyfe / and to tourne me to penauÌ„ce / and that I shulde do good and leue the euyll These and many other exhortacions whiche I haue receyued of god and of my holy aungell I haue resyste withstande / as an ingrate and vnkynde persone ¶ Secondaryly / I haue not resyste with stande euyll thoughtes / whiche haue come vnto me by temptacyon of the flesshe or of the deuyll / but haue perseuered of a fre wyl and haue thought of them by consent / yf I myght haue had my purpose and haue lefte it more for shame and fere of the people thaÌ„ for the loue or fere of god In these and many other synnes venyall and mortall / I knowlege me to haue ofte tymes offended my lorde god in herte ¶ The .xxv. Chapytre / howe a man shall confesse hym selfe in generall of all his venyall synnes I Haue finally synned and do accuse me of al my venyall synÌ„es / whiche be in great nombre / as of vayne thoughtes / wordes / dedes that I haue euyll and vnprofytably spent and lost my tyme and that I myght haue done moche more good thaÌ„ I haue done I haue not also said my prayers and penauÌ„ce so hertely and feruently as I ought to do / and that I haue not so deuoutly and hertely made my confessyon I haue not praysed and lauded almyghty god in all his operacyons workê I haue fylled nourysshed my body with eatynge and drynkynge more than was nede or necessarye ¶ Of these synnes and all other that I haue done in my lyfe / whether they be mortall or venyall / whiche be in my remembraunce and knowen / or forgoten not knowen by ygnorauÌ„ce / were it wakynge or slepynge / by daye or by nyght al one or with another / I confesse me and knowlege me to haue offende god / cryenge hym mercy / and desyre absolucyon of you my ghostly father Et Ideo precor c. ¶ The .xxvi. Chapytre / what thynge man receyueth / whiche worthely and in the state of grace / goth to the holy sacrament WE haue nowe herde / howe in what maner ye shall prepare your selfe by confessyon for to go to the holy sacrameÌ„t and resteth to declare what vertues and fruytes the maÌ„ receyueth in his soule / whiche hathe so prepared hym selfe ¶ Fyrste / the man receyueth in the holy sacrament / the same blyssed body and flesshe that our lady mary the mother of god hath borne in her vyrgynall wombe / the whiche hath hange vpon the crosse / by the whiche sacrament also the man is made parte taker of all the goodnes that our lorde hath done in all his lyfe / in fastynge / prayenge / prechynge / in watchynge / and in his harde and bytter passyon Also the man therby is made parte taker of all the merytes of all the sayntes in heuen and of all the good persones in erth ¶ Secondaryly / the man receyueth in the holy sacrament / the holy precyous blyssed blode of our lorde Ihesu chryste therby is pourged
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
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
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
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