The Goolden Letanye.' ERE begnnyth in the hand of god the goolden Letanye of the lyf and passion of oure lorde Jesu Criste, in the same maner and forme, that he Self hath Shewed to the helthe and saluacion of all crysten peple. Lorde, haue mercy on vs. crist, haue mercy on vs: ande graunt vs strength of soule inwarde and outwarde, that we may serue the to the pleasure of thi wyll. Lorde god, fader of heuen: by thour heuenly vertue, haue mercy on vs. The sone of god, the redemer of the worlde haue mercy on vs. 1 This Litany is taken from a MS. in the Library at Lambeth : No. 546. fol. 29. It is preceded by a long account "of a fayre miracle or shewyng of the golden Letany, to an holy woman namyd Mawdlene, of good and lawdable lyf." And how our blessed Lord made it known to her in a vision : with much other marvellous detail. Such recommendations of prayers are very frequently met with in early manuals of devotions: the Psalter of S. Jerome, and the xv oos of S. Brigitte, will readily occur to the recollection of the reader. But it will be a most unwise course immediately to con demn the Prayers or Litanies which may be so recommended, for these are generally of much earlier date, and the legend was superstitiously attached to the prayer, and not the prayer to the legend. The rest of the Volume from which the "Golden Litany" is taken, contains many other prayers and meditations: such as, of the xv sorrows; meditation of a sick man; prayers to our Lady; a devout prayer before the receiving of the Holy Communion; &c. Some of these are in Latin, some in English. O holy goost, oon god, whyth the fadyr and the son: haue mercy on vs. Lorde god, by thy increate ande vndiuidid trinite : haue mercy on vs. Bi thy godly beyng: haue mercy on vs. By thy godly nature: haue mercy on vs. By thy infinite buxomnes: haue mercy on vs. By thy self and all goodnes, that thou beholdest in thy self: haue mercy on vs. By the creacion of heuen and erth and all thyngis that be in them: haue mercy on vs. By thy goodnes with whych thou hadest in the creacion of man to thy ymage an lyknes: haue mercy on vs. By that gret loue where with thou didest predestinate to repeyre man that fell: haue mercy on vs. By that ineffable loue whereby thou chosest mary most pure virgine into thy mother: haue mercy on vs. By that most holy name marye, that descendid and flowed fro the hye throne of the gloriouse trinite : haue mercy on vs. By the concepcion of thy blyssid modir and virgine whyche was sanctificate in her mothers wombe haue mercy on vs. By her most holy natevite: haue mercy on vs. By hir virginite and gret mekenes: haue mercy on vs. By that meke affection and loue that drewe thee from the bosom of the fadir into the wombe of the virgyn haue mercy on vs. By the humilite of thy hye mageste whych disdayned not to discend into the wombe off virgyn marye; haue mercy on vs. For the fraylte of man whych thou lothest not to take wylfully for our synnys: haue mercy on vs. For thy holy natiuite that thou vouchest saue to be borne of a woman: haue mercy on vs. For that vnspekable delectation and gladnes that thi blyssed modir had in thi natiuite : haue mercy on vs. By that colde crebe that thou layste in, wrapped in pore clothes and fede with maydyns mylke: haue mercy on vs. By the gret Joye of the shepherdis that worshypped thee lyinge in the crebe : haue mercy on vs. For that paynfull circumcision, and shedynge of thy preciouse blode, and for the vertue of thy holy name Jesus, and all thy blyssid names: haue mercy on vs. For the oblacion and the prayers of the thre kynges: haue mercy on vs. ffor that blyssyd oblacioun, the whyche thou were offered to thy fader in the temple: haue mercy on vs. For thy flyght in to egypte, and all penalites that thou suffredist there with thi blyssyd mother: haue mercy on vs. For thi commyng agen fro egypte in to nazareth, and thi mete obedience that thou woldest subdue to thee thy fadir and modir: haue mercy on vs. For thi lowly and meke conversacion that thou lyuest thre and thrity yere here oon erth: haue mercy on vs. For thi meke obedience and gret pacience: haue mercy on vs. For thi most holy meditacions, wordys and workis of mercy haue mercy on vs. For thi holy baptyme, and thi gloriouse apperyng of the holy trinite: haue mercy on vs. For thy holy faste, contemplacion, genyflexions, and the tempting of the fynde in deserte: haue mercy on vs. For thy thriste, hunger, coolde, and hete, whyche thou sufferedist in this vale of miseri: haue mercy on VS. For thi heuynes, labor and werines: haue mercy on vs. For the detraccion and euell wordis that thy enemyes bakbited the haue mercy on vs. For thy wache and prayers: haue mercy on vs. For thy holsome doctryne, benefytes, and thy myghty resistens that thou gauest no place to thy enmys: haue mercy on vs. For the wonderfull signes and myracles whyche thou wroughtest haue mercy on vs. For thi meke and holy conuersacion: haue mercy on vs. For thi holy teerys and meke intronizacion in ierusalem on palme: haue mercy on vs. For that curside counsell in the whyche the maliciouse Jewes conspirid in to the deth: haue mercy on vs. Bi that feruent and charitable desire that thou haddist to redeme vs: haue mercy on vs. Bi that grett lawlynes that thou shewest, in washyng the feete of thy disciples, and of Judas, that betrayd the haue mercy on vs. For thi most noble ande worthi institution of the sacrament of thy most precious body and blode: haue mercy on vs. For that profounde loue in the whyche thou suffredist Seynt John the euangelyste to rest vpon thi brest at thi soper: haue mercy on vs. For pees whych thou gauest to thi disciples: haue mercy on vs. For thi holi wordis and sermons: haue mercy on vs. For inwarde and grett heuenes, whyche thou haddist when thou praydist to thi fadir in the garden byside the mounte of Olyuete: haue mercy on vs. |