which in any way rested upon authority, do contain a definite set of prayers: they have the hours, the dirge, the seven and the fifteen psalms, the litany, commendations, and other prayers. These may not always be in the same order, though they usually are, and some may contain more occasional prayers and offices than others; but still, they have all a plain and certain character: before we open a "Prymer" of the first half of the 16th century, we may know what its contents generally are: and the Creed, Pater Noster, and Ave, can no more be said to be prominent than any of the portions mentioned just above.. Two of the so-called prymers edited by Dr. Burton were compiled by private men; and not only were not of authority, but one was strictly suppressed: the author of the second does not, except as an improper title, call it a prymer, but a Manual of prayers. Still both of these continue so far the true character of the books which they were intended to supersede, that the greater part of them is occupied with the Offices for the hours, the dirge, seven psalms, &c. The third prymer of his selection is the famous one put forth by king Henry the eighth in 1545,5% Again, Dr. Burton seems to suppose, that the Prymers" were chiefly put forth by the reforming party, although he acknowledges that some "were composed by zealous adherents of the Church of tions upon this book says, "Wilkins has printed in his Concilia (Vol. 3. p. 873.) A Preface made by the King's most excellent Majesty into his Prymer book,' without stating the authority from which he took it. It does not appear in any editions of the Prymer which I have seen; but I have thought fit to print it in its. proper place as a Preface to the Prymer." Pref. p. lx. I have four editions of this prymer. Two by Whitchurch 8vo. 1545 and 1546, neither of which has the Preface and two by Grafton, 4to. and 8vo. 1545, and it is in both of these. Dr. Burton printed from a copy in the Bodleian, Whitchurch 1545, but he does not state the size. I consider the 4to. edition by Grafton of that year, to be the authentic one. But the above passage from Dr. Burton's preface is too remarkable, in another way, to be passed over without remark. It shews how little pains he bestowed upon the subject which he had undertaken. The insinuation, for such it is, against the accuracy if not the honesty of Wilkins, is repeated almost word for word from Mr. Jenkyns' preface to Archbishop Cranmer's Remains. He says, "This Preface (to the Prymer) is quoted on the authority of Wilkins. It does not occur in the reprint of the Prymer, nor in any of the earlier copies which the editor has seen." P. xli. Mr. Jenkyns does not state how many earlier copies he has examined: even if he could, I think he was wise in the omission, having just before explained K. Henry's Prymer to be a book, which for the first time contained "besides an English Litany, translations from the Matins, Vespers, and other parts of the Breviary; and thus supplied the means of joining in some portion at least of the public worship with the understanding as well as with the spirit." Some may think it excusable in a writer who had another object before him (one, let me say, upon the whole well executed), to make ignorantly such incorrect assertions; but it must be remembered that his readers, equally ignorant, give their author credit for at least inquiry, and are led astray by him. And if his case admits but of a doubtful excuse, what are we to say for the other? Rome, for several years before the separation of the Church of England." But that this was not so, is evident from the fact of so many volumes, all called prymers, having been put forth before 1535, containing not the "compositions" of any one who chose to attempt it, not even selections from the breviary, but certain set prayers and offices which were appointed and authorized by the Church. And as I have said, as we now know what we may expect to find in such books, so in those times the purchasers of them did not buy blindly, as men often do in modern days, books of prayer, but "the Prymer:" or "the Prymer of Salisbury Use:" or "the Prymer set forth by the King's authority." And the manuscript now published will prove this fact also among others, that the Prymer was in circulation, and to be procured, not merely "several years before the separation, &c," but a hundred and fifty years. How much earlier than that, must still remain a subject of inquiry. It is not to be forgotten also, that the unauthorized books entitle themselves, "a goodly Prymer," or “ a Manual of prayers," never, "the Prymer;" and so the edicts issued against them speak as on the one hand they did not contain the same doctrines, so on the other the new books could not be mistaken for those which bore their proper name. But as this is a point of some importance, and which has not been inquired into, I shall further add the tables of contents of two printed editions of the prymer, to be compared with the contents of my manuscript. First then the manuscript: which has no "table," but contains the following. Matins and Hours of our Lady. The psalms of commendation. Pater noster: Ave Maria: Creed: the ten Commandments: the seven deadly sins. Secondly, the table of one of the most complete of the Prymers" after the use of Sarum:" viz. in 4to. London, by Thomas Petyt. 1543. "Fyrst an Almanacke for .xx. yeares. ¿A calender. A prayer of the seuen wordes that our Lorde spake on the crosse at his passyon.. Is The Pater noster, and the Ave Marya. The ten commaundementes of allmyghtye God. The symball or Crede of the great doctour Athanasius called Quicunque vult. An inuocacyon vnto the holy Trinyte. The .iiii. Gospels of the foure Euangelystes. The Euensonge. The Complyn. Gaude virgo. Gaude flore. Stella cœli. Ave verum corpus. The .xv. Ooes. The seuen Psalmes with the Letani. The verses S. Bernarde. The Diryge. The commendacyons. The Psalmes of the Passyon. Saynt Hieroms psalter. A prayer unto oure sauyoure Jesu Chryst. When thou shalt receyue the Sacrament. A prayer to obtayne wysdome. Sapience the ix. Chapytre. A prayer of Salomon for wysdom .iii. Regum the thyrde chapytre. For a competent lyuynge. Prouerbes the .xxx.⠀⠀ Chapytre." I need scarcely observe upon this, that with the exception of some additional hymns and prayers, this book is, for all practical purposes, the same as the preceding. And even more exact with it is, thirdly, the table of "the Prymer set forth by ye kinges maieste and his Cleargy." 1545,53 "The contentes of this booke. The Kalendre. The kynges highnesse iniunction. The prayer of our Lorde. The salutacion of the angel. The Crede or articles of the faith. The ten commaundementes. Certein graces. The Matyns. The Euensong. The Complin. The Letany. 53 The book referred to in the preceding note, |