euermore saye to the with a glad chere, my lord, my god, my souerain sauyour, criste Iesu: I biseche thee hertili take me synner unto thy gret mercy and grace, for I loue thee wyth al my herte, wyth al my mynde, and wyth al my myght, and nothing so much in erthe ne aboue erthe as I doo thee, my swete lord, crist Iesu. And for that I haue not loued thee and worshypped thee aboue al thyng as my lord, my god and sauyour crist Iesu, I biseche thee wyth mekenesse and hert contrit, of mercy and of forgeuenesse of my gret unkyndnesse, and for the gret loue that thou sheddest for me and alle mankynde, what tyme thou offredest thy gloriouse body, god and man, vnto the crosse ther to be crucifyed and wounded, and vnto thy glorious hert a sharp spere, ther rennyng out plantyously blood and water for the redemption and saluacyon of me, and alle mankynde: and thus hauyng remembraunce stedfastly in myne herte of thee, my sauyour criste Iesu. I doubte not but thou wylt be ful nyghe me and conforte me bothe bodely and goostly wyth thy gloriouse presence and at the last brynge me unto thyn euerlastynge blysse: whiche shall neuer haue ende. Amen.

Two other deuoute prayers in Englysshe.

BLESSYD trinyte, Fader, sone, and holy ghoost: thre persones, and one god, I byleue with my herte, and confesse with my mouth, al that holy chirche bileueth and haldeth of thee: and as moch as a good catholike and cristen man ought to fele and bileue of thee and I proteste here before thi maieste, that I wyl lyue and deye in thys fayth, and continue al my lyf. And I knowlech thee, my good fader and maker

of al the world, and me thy poure creature, subgette, and seruaunte. And make tho the faith and homaige of my body and of my soule, whiche I holde of thee nobly, as of my souerain lorde and god: with alle the goodes natural, spiritual, and temporal, that I haue and that euer I hadde: and that I entende to haue of thee in thys worlde here and in that other: and wyth al my hert I remercye and thanke thee. And in the sygne of recognisaunce and knowleche, I praye (paye?) to thee thys lytel tribute on the mornyng, and on the euenyng thys: that I adoure and worship thee with hert and mouth, in feith, in hope and in charite, wyth thys lytel oryson and prayer, whyche alle apperteyneth to thy blessid maieste, seignorie and diuinite, and humbly require thee of thre thynges. The fyrst, is mercy and forgyueness of as many euylles and vyllain synnes, as I haue doon and commysed in thyme passed agenst thy wylle. The secounde, plese thee to gyue me grace, that I may serue thee and fulfille thy commaundementis, withoute to renue ne to falle in to dedly synne. The thyrd is, that at my deth and at my gret nede wylt socoure me: and gyue me grace that I may haue remembraunce of the blessid passion, and contricion of my synnes: and that I may deye in thyn holy faith, and finably may com to the glorie eternal, wyth alle the sainctes of heuen. Amen.

O Lord god almyghty, al seeing, al thinges knowyng: wysedom and sapience of al thing: I, poure synner, make thys day in despite of the fende of helle, protestation, that yf aduenture bi ony temptacion, deception, or variacyon comyng by sorowe or peyne or seknesse or by ony feblenesse of body: or by ony other occasion, whatsomeuer it be, that I falle or declyne in peril of my soule, or preiudyce of my helthe, or in er

rour of the holy faith catholike: In the whiche I was regenerate in the holy fonte of baptesme. Lord god, in good minde, in which I hold me nowe by thy grace (wherof wyth al my hert I thanke thee) that errour wyth my power I resiste, and here renounce, and of the same me confesse, in protestyng that I wyll lyue and deye in the fayth of holy chirch our moder, and thin espouse. And in wytnesse of this confession and protestation, and in despite of the fend of helle, I offre to thee the Credo, in whyche alle veryte and trouthe is conteyned. And to thee I recommaunde my soule, my feythe, my lyf and my deth. Amen. Credo in Deum.

The Prayer of Saint Thomas of Aquine.

2

THE prayer of Saynt Thomas of Aquyne, translatyd oute of latyn ynto Englyshe, by the moste exselent Prynces, Mary, doughter to the moste hygh and myghty Prynce and Prynces kyng Henry the viii. and Quene Kateryn hys wyfe. In the yere of oure lorde god M. cccccxxvii: And the xi. yere of here age.

MERCYFULL God, graunte me to couyt wyth an ardent mynde, those thingys whiche may please the, to serche them wysely, to know them truly, and to fulfyll them per

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fytely, to the laude and glory of thy name. my lyuyng, that I may do that whiche thou requirest of me, and geue me grace that I may know yt and haue wyll and powre to do it, and that I may obtayne those thingis, whiche be moste conuenient for my sowle. Good Lorde, make my way sure and streight to the, that I fayle not betwene prosperite and aduersyte, but that in prosperous thingis I may geue the thankys, and in aduersite be pacient: soo that I be not lyfte wyth

2 The following prayer is written upon the two leaves, originally blank, at the end of the MS. Horæ, in my possession, which contains several Royal Autographs, and of which I have given an account in the Dissertation on the Service Books. Below the prayer, is a short sentence, in the

handwriting of Mary, signed "Marye," probably followed by "princesse" which has been erased; as well as the words "Prynces" and "Queen Kateryn hys wyfe," in the title to the Prayer: but fortunately these last are still legible through the ink, with which they have been blotted.

the oon, nor oppressid with thother: and that I may reioyse yn nothing but in this whiche movith me to the, nor be sory for nothing but for those whiche drawith me frome the: Desiring to please nobody, nor fering to displese anny besidis the. Lorde, let all worldly thingis be vile to me, for the: and that all thi thingis be dere to me. And thou, good Lorde, moost Let me be wery withe that

speciall above them all. Joye whiche is withoute the, and let me desire nothing besidis the. Let the labor delite me whiche is for the, and let all the rest wery me whiche is not in the. Make me to lyfte my harte oftyntymys to the: and when I fall, make me to think and be sory with a stedfast purpose of amendement. My God, make me humble withoute faynyng, mery withoute lyghtnes, Sade withoute mystruste. Sobir withoute dulnes: Fearing withoute dysparacion: Gentill withoute doblenes: Trusting in the withoute presumpcyon: Telling my neybors fawtis withoute mokking: Obedyent withoute arguyng: Pacient withoute grutching: And pure without corrupcion. My most louyng Lorde and God, geue me a waking hart, that no curyous thought withdrawe me frome the. Let it be so strong, that no unworthy affeccion drawe me bakwarde: So stable, that no tribulacion breke it: And so free, that no electyon by vyolence make anny chalenge to it. My Lorde God, graunt me wytt, to know the: Dilygence, to seke the Wisedome, to finde the: Conuersacion, to please the Contynuance, to loke for the: and fynally Hope, to enbrace the: by thi penaunce here to be ponysshid, and in oure wey to use thi benefittis by thy grace. And in heuyn, through thi glory, to haue delyte in thy Joies and rewardys. Amen.