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Prayers to the Proper Angel.

In the Salisbury Horæ and Prymers, is commonly to be found an Office to the "Proper Angel." That is, prayers addressed to the invisible Being, who is supposed to be ever attendant upon individual Christians, as their guardian and protector: and advocate also before the Almighty Father. So our Blessed Lord Himself has spoken: "Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of My Father which is in Heaven." S. Matt. c. xviij. v. 10.

I shall add no further observations: but extract, leaving the reader to his own judgment, first, this Office from the Hora ad usum Sarum, edit. 1531: in my possession: and next, two Prayers to the Proper Angel, from MSS. in the Library of the British Museum.

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prayer to thy proper aungel. Antiphona.

NGELE qui meus es custos, pietate superna:
Me tibi commissum, salva, defende, guberna.
O tu dulcis angele, qui mecum moraris,
Licet personaliter mecum non loquaris:

Animam cum corpore precor tuearis,
Tuum hoc est officium, ad quod assignaris.
Vers. O beate angele, nuntie Dei nostri.
Resp. Actus meos regula ad votum Dei altissimi.
Oratio. Deus, qui sanctorum angelorum tuorum ali-
quos tibi benigne concedis assistere et aliquos jubes
hic in terris hominibus misericorditer ministrare, con-
cede propitius: sic angelum mihi commissum ad custo-
diam me in bonis dirigere, ad virtutes assidue excitare,
et a peccatorum voragine potentissime liberare, quate-
nus in districto judicio quando fiet unum ovile homi-

Prayers to the Proper Angel.

269

num ac etiam angelorum, sub tanto pastore merear inter sui gregis pecora numerari. Per.

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¶ An other prayer to thy proper aungell.

SANCTE angele Dei, minister cœlestis imperii, cui Deus omnipotens mei custodiam deputavit: per majestatem ejus et pietatem te humiliter deprecor, ut custodias animam meam et corpus meum: et omnes sensus meos a pravis et illicitis desideriis: a noxiis, vanis, et immundis cogitationibus, et ab illusionibus malignorum spirituum: a pollutione mentis et corporis: et ab insidiis inimicorum meorum visibilium et invisibilium quærentium animam meam : et sis mihi protector tutus, ubicunque iero diebus ac noctibus, horis atque momentis, et conserva me in mundo opere: et confirma me in timore et amore Jesu Christi cum sanctis desideriis: et post hanc miseram et caducam vitam perduc animam meam ad æternam felicitatem: ubi cum Deo et omnibus sanctis gaudeat sine fine : præstante Domino nostro Jesu Christo: cui est honor et gloria in sæculorum sæcula. Amen.

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To the propre angell a devoute prayer.3

H Gloriouse angell, to whom our blessyd lord of his most mercyfull grace hath taken me to kepe: to thee, I, synful creature, crye and calle, with hertely mynde, besechyng the ever to be singuler comfort to me in all my nede. Suffer me never to be over come with tentacyon or synful dede, but helpe me, that by grace I may ever in virtuous livynge procede. At the hour of my deth be present, that my gostly enemy in

3 Harleian MS. 2445. fol. 134.

270

Prayers to the Proper Angel.

me have noo power. And after bryng me to the blysse, where ever with the I may lyve and prayse our Saviour. Amen.

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A Prayer to the Proper Angel.+

GOOD Curtyes aungell ordyned to my gover9 nale, I knowe wele my feblenes and my unkonnyng. Also wel I wote that strength have I none to do Goddes servyce, but only of his grace, and of your besy kepyng. The connynge I have cometh no thynge of me, but what God wyll sende me be your good entysynge. Now good gracyous aungell, I aske you lowely mercy, for lytell hede I have takyn of your good besynes, but now I thanke you as I can, with full herte besechyng you that ye kepe me truely this day, and evermore, slepynge and wakyng with syker defendyng and your holy techeynge. Defend me and kepe me from bodely hermes, defende me and kepe me from goostly perelys, to goddes worchippe and savyng of my soule. Teche me and wysshe me my wyttes for to dyspende, most to goddes worchipe and pleasynge, fede me with devocyon and savour of goostly swetnes, conforte me whan nede is ayenst my ghoostly enemes, and suffre me not to lese thi grace that ys grantyd me, but of your worthy offyce kepe me in goddes servyce to my lyves hende. And after the passynge of the body, presente my soule unto the mercyfull god: for though I fall alday by myn owne freelte, thou I take in wyttnes that ever I hope in mercy. Gladly wolde I worship the and i myght to you: lykyng therefore god to worship for you, thou also in hym after his holy techeyng, I thank hym with holy prayer.

4 Harleian MS. 2445. fol. 94.

Form of Confession.'

¶ Here folowth certayne questyons, what is synne, with the ordre and forme of confessyon.

YRST: what is penitence?

Penitence is the emendacyon of the lyfe, with inwarde contricyon of hert for the synne committed: with a full purpose neuer

to do the synne agayn.

. What is the effect of penitence?

Penitence maketh aungelles gladde: justyfyeth wyketh personnes: calleth agayn the goodnes lost: et draweth mankynde unto everlastynge lyfe.

C. How many necessary thynges belonge to penitence?

Five.

Which ben they?

Hope of forgyuenes: contricyon of herte: confessyon of the faute: fulfyllyng of such thynges as the

1 These questions and Order of Confession are taken from a "Prymer of Salysbury vse, -newly enprynted at Rowen. M. ecccc.xxxviij." 8vo. In my possession. It is not uncommon, and may be found in several Editions of about the same date.

I have corrected one or two typographical errors: the "et” for "and" is frequent in books of

the kind, printed abroad, and (as
before) I have not altered it.
One liberty I have taken with the
text, viz. to omit a short passage
from the form of Confession of
Lechery. It is not material, or
even if
some may think So, there
seemed to be no absolute neces-
sity for reprinting every word in
such a case as this.

preest shall commaunde et enjoyne: et utterly to forsake synne.

C. How is synne auoyded?

By auoydynge occasyon thereof: as is pleasure: the beholdynge of the wanton playes: euyll company: and such other.

C. Who shall neuer be forgyuen?

He that forgyueth not to other: and he that to his power wyll not restore agayne thynges wrongfully taken. How prouest thou that?

For it is sayed in the Pater noster, Dimitte nobis debita nostra, sicut et nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris. Good lorde forgyue us as we forgyue. And Saynt Augustin sayth: Non dimittit peccatum nisi restituat ablatum. The synne is neuer forgyuen tyll the thynge wrongfully taken be restored. Therfore whan we offende in worde or in dede, we ougth to our power make satisfaccion. And what euyll wyll: malyce or hatred we haue conceyued agaynst ony, we sholde put it out of our mynde: to the ende that our confessyon may be acceptable to god.

C. What is confessyon?

Confessyon is the declaracyon of synne before a preest or any other in necessite.

C. Under what maner ougth the confessyon be? True of thy propre synnes, hole: spedefull: ofte sure: manerly voluntarely clere: wyth suche deliberacyon, that it may playnly be understande, and with so grete contrycyon that it may make the sory, and heuy to have committed those synnes: fully myndynge never to retourne to theym agayne, and so forthe surely purposynge to do penaunce.

C. What sholde I do, willyng to be confessed?

Before all thynges in thy bendde chambre or other

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