an edition of the Salisbury Prymer.15 They are commonly to be found in the Horæ, Prymers, and Enchiridions of about the same date, placed under woodcuts of the subjects.

Ad laudes.

De beata Maria.
How Mary the moder and vyrgyn ;
Vysyted Elizabeth wyf of Zachary,
Whiche sayd, blyssed be thou cosyn,
And blyssed be the fruyt of thy body.

¶ Ad primam.

How Jesu chryst ryght poorely borne was,
In an olde oryble,16 layde all in pouerte:
At Bethleem, by an oxe and an asse,
Where Mary blyssed his natyuite.

Ad tertiam.

How an aungell appered in the morne,
Syngyng Gloria in excelsis deo:
Saynt" the veray sone of god is borne,
Ye shepeherdes bedleem ye may go.

15 The prymer of Salysbury vse, set out a long wout ony serchyng, with many prayers, and goodly pycturesAnd be newly enprynted at Rowen. M.ccccc.xxxviij. 8vo.

16 I have little doubt that this word is meant for cribbe: the foreign printers were sadly puzzled occasionally with English words.

An edition of the Salisbury Prymer, 12mo. printed at Paris by Kerver, 1532, has "oribbe." An Enchiridion of the same printer, 1528, and another by German Hardouyn, read "stall." The later Prymers after 1540 do not contain these verses.

17 The other editions correctly read "sayng."

Ad sextam.

How thre kynge of straunge nacyons,
Of Chrystes byrth hauyng intellygence,
Unto Bethleem brought theyr oblacyons,
Of golde, of myrre, and frankencence.

¶ Ad nonam.

Symeon at Crystes cyrcumcision,

These wordos unto the iewes dydes tell,

Myn eyen beholdeth your redempcyon,
The lyght and glory of ysraell.

Ad vesperas.

How Mary and Joseph with Jesu were fayne,

In to Egypt, for socour to fle:

Whan the Innocentes for his sake were slayne,

By commyssyon of Herode's cruelte.

Ad completorium.

How mary assumpted was aboue the skyes,
By her sone as souerayne lady :

Receyued there among the Jerarchyes,
And crowned her the quene of glory.

Generally, as in this edition, the Hours "de Cruce are added, with verses both in Latin and in English : much more to the purpose.

How iudas came about ye houre of mydnyght,
To betray Chryst with a grete company :
With glayues wepons: and moche lyght,
And kyssed hym: sayng, Aue rabbi.

¶ Patris sapientia veritas divina,
Deus homo captus est hora matutina :

A notis discipulis cito derelictus,
A18 Judeis venditus, traditus, afflictus.

¶ Ad primam.

How Jesu chryst was taken at pryme,
And before Pylate bounden presented:
Whiche in hym founde no maner cryme,
All though that he was scraytly examined.
¶ Hora prima ductus est Jesus ad pilatum,
Falsis testimoniis multum accusatum:
In collo percutiunt, manibus ligatum,
Vultum Dei conspuunt lumen cœli gratum.
Ad tertiam.

How Pylate wenyng to delyuer our lorde,
Unto the people, Ecce homo, sayd he:
But euer they cryed with one accorde,
Tolle, tolle eum, crucifige.

¶ Crucifige clamitant hora tertiarum,
Illusus induitur veste purpurarum :
Caput ejus pungitur corona spinarum,
Crucem portat humeris ad locum pœnarum.

Ad sextam.

At the hour of sext Christ was crucified,
Beaten and nayleth with grete myschefe,
For the soule of man there he dyed,
On eche of his sydes hanged a thefe.
Hora sexta Jesus est cruci conclavatus,
Atque cum latronibus pendens deputatus:
Præ tormentis sitiens felle saturatus,
Agnus crimen diluit sic ludificatus.

18 The Enchiridions have "et." The Prymer, 1532,

"ac."

Ad nonam.

At the hour of noone Cryst is lyfe lefte,19
And to his fader his soule behyght :
Graues opened, the temple veyle clefte,
The erthe shoke, the sonne lost his syght.
Hora nona Dominus Jesus expiravit,
Heli clamans animam patri commendavit:
Latus ejus lancea miles perforauit,

Terra tunc contremuit, et sol obscuravit.

Ad vesperas.

How our lorde at the tyme of euensong,
By Joseph and Nichomede was taken downe:
Layde in his moders lappe streched along,
Whiche for pure sorow fell in a swowne.

De cruce deponitur hora vespertina,
Fortitudo latuit in mente divina:
Talem mortem subiit vitæ medicina,
Heu corona gloriæ jacuit supina.

Ad completorium.

At complyn tyme the body of Jesu,
Was wraped and bounde in a sudary:
Anoynted with bawme, and in a tombe newe,
He was layde by Joseph ab armathy.

Hora completorii datur sepulturæ,
Corpus Christi nobile, spes vitæ futuræ:

19 The Prymer of 1532 omits the English verses altogether: the Enchiridions give a different stanza.

At nyne of the clocke our sauior ful of myght,

His spirit unto his father rendryd:
When the sunne lost the clerenes

of his lyght,

And the erthe wonderfully tremblyd.

Conditur aromate, complentur scripturæ,

Jugi sit memoria mors hæc mihi curæ.

The recommendation follows.

Has horas canonicas cum devotione,
Tibi Criste recolo pia ratione :

Ut sicut tu passus es pœnas in agone,

Sic labori consonans consors sim coronæ.20

20 The reader is not to understand that the English verses are intended to be anything but a mere approach to a translation of the Latin. The Prymer of 1532 attempts (at least) a closer version, which it gives as well as the stanzas in the text. It is sufficiently curious to be inserted here.

"The englyse of Patris sapientia.

He that is the great profounde sapience,

And dyuyne trewthe of the fa

ther on hye:

Whyche for mankynde of hys benevolence,

Hym selfe hath made bothe god

and man ioyntely: Was sold and bought by the Jewys treyterously,

And aboute mydnyght pertur-The byd and takyn,

And of hys dyssyples anon forsaken.

The furste houre in the mon

syxt houre spryngynge before the myddaye,

Jesu hand and foot to y cros they naylyd:

With the shamfullyst deth y

they contryue may, In dyspyte bytwene two theuys hym hangyd,