¶here foloweth a shorte & swete remembraūce of the sacrament of y ^e awter or y ^t it be reccyued of the syke persone or of ony other afore ther comunynge

WElcome blessyd Ihu my lorde god & sauyour to whom is apropryed all mercy & pyte. Re­membre good lorde how freyll my nature and sub­staūce is / and haue mercy & pyte on me grete syn­ner / after thy grete mercyes & for thy bytter passyon for I knowleche and byleue faythfully as a crysten childe of thyn / that thou here in fourme of brede / is the same my lorde god that of thy goodnesse co­me downe from heuen & was born and toke my nature of the blessyd virgyne Mary / & deyed for me [Page] and rose the thyrde daye & after ascended in to he­uen / and there reygneth with the fader & the holy ghost & all sayntes for euer Immortall / the whiche for our grete helthe freylte & dayly transgressyon & in remembraunce of thy grete loue & passyon haste ordeyned this thy blessyd body in this wyse to be taken of me and of all other wyllynge to be saued. ¶I knowe well that I am ferre vnworthy to be called thy childe or seruaūt for the grete multytude of my synnes / how be it y ^u mayste make me ryght­full & able the whiche oonly of synners hast made grete sayntes of heuen. By the thy grete power and myght graūte me now to take the mekely in all fere & in waylynge for my synnes & with spyrytuall gladnes. Come now good lorde in to my herte and clense it of all synne / entre in to my soule & make it hole / & therwith sanctyfye me within & without / and be my defence for body & soule rebukynge and puttynge a syde all myn enmyes ferre from the presence of thy power / that I thenne so defended by the may haue a free and sure passage to thy kyngdom where I shall not se the in this fourme by mystery but I shall se the face to face where I shall neuer hungre ne thurste / but euer be in Ioye with the and thyne / there to glorefye the & to worshyp y ^e to laude & to praye the worlde withouten ende Amen.

¶By thyse folowynge aren venyall synnes taken awaye yf they be done deuoutly.

IN takyng holy water holy brede / also by say­enge of the Pat (er) (nr̄) noster / and spyrytually for this clause & petycyon. Dimitte nobis debita nostra si­cut et nos dimittimꝰ debitori (bus) nostris. ¶And also by knockynge of the brest for ones synnes and also for sayenge of Deꝰ ꝓpiciꝰ esto michi (pccōri) peccatori / and by sayenge the comyn Confyteor at masse or at other tyme. Also by receyuynge of ony of the sacramentꝭ of the chirche / & specyally of the body of our lorde. Also by herynge of masse / & by the syght of the sa­crament of the awter there or elles where. By the blessynge of a bysshop or of a preeste at his masse. By ony of the dedes of mercy / by pardons / by martyrdom / & penaūce / by forgeuenes to a trespasour / by good ensample geuynge / or for conuertynge of other to good lyf / by pacyence thankynge in trou­ble / & by contrycyon of synnes with dyspleasure of hem. And for euery good dede doynge with good entent & deuocyon Amen.

¶The famous doctour John Gerson Chaūseler of Parys takynge his grounde of holy scrypture & accordynge with holy doctours sayth thus.

Ovre moost mercyfull fader lorde god / kno­wynge our freylte & redynesse to al synne / is euer redy durynge this wretchyd & mortall lyfe by many & dyuerse wayes to forgeue vs euer our tres­pace & to graūt and geue vs his grace / yf so be that [Page] truly we do ordeyne vnto hym thyse .iij. vertues so lowynge / soo that they be sayd & done with all the herte deuoutly. The fyrste is that thou shalt saye. Blessyd lorde I knowleche that I haue synned gre­uously ayenst thy goodnesse thus & thus rehersynge thy synnes / & I am dyspleased therwith by reason of the whiche I do penaūce & wyll do / for I knowe well that I haue greued the mercyfull lorde & bro­ken thy cōmaūdementes in the whiche thou oonly ought to be worshypped. The seconde / saye this. Good lorde I haue a good purpose & desyre with thy helpe / to be ryght ware hereafter that I falle not in to synne / & I entende to flee the occasyons after the possybylyte of my power. The thyrde is this. Gracyous lorde I haue good wyll to make an ho­le confessyon of all my synnes / whan place & tyme cōuenyent may be had accordynge to thy cōmaūde­mentꝭ & al holy chirche. Thyse .iij. verytees or trew thes who so euer sayth with his herte vnfaynyngly in what place y ^t euer he be / he may be sure y ^t he is in the state of grace & saluacōn & y ^t he shall haue euer lastynge lyf though all he had done all the synnes of the worlde. And yf he decessed without ony other confessyon for lack of a preest as slepynge or sodeyne deth / he sholde be saue suffryng afore harde payne in purgatory / wherfore it is good coūseyl y ^t euery crysten man ones or twyes on y ^e daye erly or late or elles at lest on holy dayes examen his conscyence / & remembre yf y ^t he may with al his hert vnfaynyngly [Page] this sayd .iij. trewthes / & yf he can so do / he may be sure y ^t he is in the state of grace / & yf he may not / but is in wyl to synne agayn / & to haue his delectacōn w ^t dede / & wyll not flee the occasyons of mortal lȳnes / & so drowned in synne wyll not aryse / suche one may be certeyne y ^t the Pope may not assoyle hȳ not for thy good it is y ^t suche one vse moche prayer & geue almesse & do other good dedes after theyr po­wer / that god the rather may lyghten theyr hertes & the sooner torne to goodnesse Amen.

¶Here foloweth a synguler prayer to be sayd in the fest of the dedycacyon of ony chirche or at ony other tyme.

O Myghtyfull & moost pyteuous lorde god Ihesu Cryst whiche of thy grete goodnesse hath ordeyned all thynges that ben in heuen and in er­the for the vse and weele of man / to the entente & ende that they shall serue hym / and he the allone. And how be it that in eche place thou ought to be serued and worshypped / yet it pleaseth the moche more suche seruyce and prayer in a place or chirche that is dedyfyed / enueyled and halowed by a bys­shop and his mynystres with ympnes / psalmes / and letanyes / and other suffragyes with theyr mysteryall obseruantes ordeyned therfore / and for by cause thy precyous body and blood is the­re dayly offred vp vnto thy fader in heuen in kno­wleche [Page] of thy grete loue & passyon that thou had­dest for man. ¶And yf it pleased the in the olde te­stament with thyn angels nyght & daye to be assy­stent & to here the prayers of thy seruantes in the temple / where was but flesshe & blood of vnresonable beestes offred in sacrefyce / moche more we truste that thou wylt vysyte & be assystent to vs nyght & daye with thyn angels in this thy newe temple and chirche / where thyn owne body & very blood dayly is offred vp vnto thy fader of heuen / & therwith re­ceyued accordynge to thy desyre & wyll of vs thy seruaūtes though synners for our saluacyon & therto here the prayers of vs & other that entende to loue worshyp & thanke the in the best maner we can or may. ¶Now thenne blessyd lorde full of all mercy & pyte / that wyll that we calle vpon the & hath promysed to here the prayers of thy seruaūtes graūte now & at all tymes to vs and to all other of thy su­perhabundant mercy & grace / that who so euer co­me vnto this chirche or to ony other with deuocōn & praye in what caas that euer they be / prosperyte temptacyon / trouble / or aduersyte / that theyr pety­cyon behouefull & necessary prayer may be herde / & that the pardone graūted to them may in her sou­les & bodyes with all other thynges apperteynynge vnto them may take effect in euery parte gracyously. ¶And ouer this graūte vs of thy pyte / pease & accorde in thy chirche & realme / and to our foūders faders & moders / frendes / benefactours / and to all [Page] crysten soules / forgeuenes of theyr synnes with re­lesse of theyr paynes & Joye perpetual. And fynally we desyre of thy bounteuous goodnesse seasonable weder with fruytes & to exclude from vs pestylence hungre moreyne & sekenesse and all enemyes gho­stly & bodely and therwith graunte vs of thy grace good lyf & endelesse blysse. Amen.

• ¶Caste thy syght donewarde / & shewe mekenesse bothe in thy herte & body.
• ¶Beware of hyghe speche & clamorous / & se that thy wordes be fewe / well sette / & reasonable.
• ¶Be not lyght for to laughe / but vse euer sadnesse
• ¶Be stylle & kepe sylence / to nede requyre that answere muste be hadde.
• ¶Kepe well the comyn rule as the holy place hath vsed.
• ¶Thynke the moost vylest of all other & soo pro­nounce thy selfe.
• ¶Knowleche the vnworthy & not prouffytable to ony thynge / & so byleue in dede.
• ¶Make ofte confessyon of thy synnes / & that with grete contrycyon.
• ¶Kepe pacyence in thyn obedyence / at all thy pay­nes & trouble.
• ¶To all people be y ^u subget for thy maysters sake
• ¶Thyn owne wyl forsake it / & loue it in no wyse
• [Page] ¶And euer kepe the from synne for fere of hym aboue.

• ¶The fyrste is to do that is cōmaūded of thy so­uerayne without grutchynge.
• ¶The seconde is to make none excepcōn / neyther of the tyme neyther of the dede y ^t is to be done.
• ¶The thyrde is to be glad & cherefull in thy herte to do suche dedes cōmaunded without ony compulsyon settynge a syde all beestly condycyons.
• ¶The .iiij. is to be quycke in suche dede doynge leuynge all other occupacyons for that tyme or ony maner of excuse.
• ¶The .v. is to do suche thynges w ^t all thy myght & power / thynkynge y ^t thy rewarde shal be grete.
• ¶The .vi. is to doo hem also with all mekenesse both in spyryte & gesture.
• ¶The .vij. is to contynue suche obedyence to then­de of thy lyf euer folowynge thy mayster Ihu cryst that was made obedyent for thy synne vnto deth.

• ¶The .xij. degrees of pacyence thou mayst behol­de here.
• ¶To euyll done to the or aduersyte make noo re­systence.
• [Page] ¶Do not euyll for euyll ne geue an euyll answere
• ¶Loue thyn enemye & do good for euyll to hym in recompence.
• ¶Grutche not agaynst aduersyte / but take it as swete encence.
• ¶Accompte it for best medycyne / and be gladde in thy payne.
• ¶Thanke god therfore / and loke for more with all benyuolence.
• ¶And whan y ^u hast no grutchynge in thyse thenne mayst thou be fayne.

• ¶Thyse make perfyte charyte after Pouls epystle
• ¶Be pacyence contynuell for ony aduersyte.
• ¶Lyberall to the nedy / and good do for euyll.
• ¶Of other mennes welfare enuye not ne by heuy
• ¶Lete not by thy crokednesse good werkes to mul­typlye.
• ¶Swelle not Inwarde by malyce yf thy neygh­bour prospere.
• ¶Loue to be in lowe degree & lothe to be hyghe.
• ¶To labour for other as thy self do thy vtter de­uoyre.
• ¶Be not moeuyd for ony cause to vengeaunce or to Ire.
• ¶Thynke none euyll to an other for ony prouocacyon.
• [Page] ¶Ioye thou not in wyckednesse but sorowe thou rather.
• ¶Be gladde in trouthe & ryghtwysnesse and hate symulacyon.
• ¶For suche ryght bere aduersyte or ony trybulacōn
• ¶To y ^t the chirche techeth the put full credulyte.
• ¶That god hath promysed truste it well without defallacyon.
• ¶In hope abydynge his rewarde and euerlastyn­ge glorye. Amen.