Latin Versions. Two editions of Haddon's Version printed in 1560. A correct use of the learned in England, hastily received the addition of the Services of Public and Private Baptism, Confirmation, with the Catechism, Matrimony, and Churching of Women, that it might exhibit the necessary Parochial Services for the use of the unlearned in Ireland. Hence two editions of the book appear to have been printed in the same year; one containing these Occasional Offices, and the other with the above-mentioned Appendix in their place. In both editions, or forms of the edition, the Commination Service was omitted, although Ales had translated it. The discrepancy between this Latin version and the English Book of Common Prayer was felt at the time. Strype1 (anno 1568) says that 'most of the colleges in Cambridge would not tolerate it, as being the Pope's Dreggs,' and that 'some of the Fellowship of Benet College went contemptuously from the Latin Prayers, the master being the minister then that read the same.' Whitaker, the Master of St. John's College, in 1569 dedicated a small Prayer Book in Greek and Latin 2 to his uncle, Dean Nowell, in which he endeavoured to account for this discrepancy, on the plea that it only arose from the expansion or contraction of the original in a translation. In 1571 another Latin version was published, intentionally made to exhibit a close resemblance to the English Book in its complete state, with the new Calendar prepared in 1561. The Act of Uniformity is prefixed; the Occasional Services are arranged in their order; and at the end is Munster's translation of the Psalms.3 In this book the peculiarities of Haddon's version (1560) are avoided; yet even here we find traces of Ales's original translation, and the postridie notice of Communion of the Sick, and the Collect for St. Andrew's Day (altered in 1552), remained in Latin' according to the form of 1549, through the whole reign of Elizabeth.* 1 Life of Parker, p. 269. 2 Liber Precum Publicarum Ecclesiæ Anglicanæ in juventutis Græcarum literarum studiosæ gratiam, Latine Græceque editus.' Like the small English Prayer Books of the period, called Psalters, it contained only the Morning and Evening Prayers, the Litany, the Catechism, and the Collects, Clay, Eliz. Services, Pref. p. xxii. 8 Ibid. P. xxxi. xxxii. 'In 1615, if not before, an abridgment of this Latin Prayer Book appeared, entitled Liber Precum Publicarum in usum Ecclesia Cathedralis Christi, Oxon. It con. tains the Morning Service, the Athanasian Creed, the Evening Service, the Litany and its Collects, followed by the Psalter: then come four prayers (Pro officio totius Ecclesiæ in communi, Pro Rege, Tempore pestilentiæ, Pro Docilitate), of which 4 Clay, Eliz. Services, Pref. p. the last two were taken from the SECT. II.-BOOKS OF PRIVATE DEVOTION. The old custom of the English Church, in having Books of Private Devotion for the people, following in a great measure the order of the Public Services, but containing also forms of more constant Prayer, was still retained in the early period of the Reformation. The clerk used to have his Portuise; the more learned of the people had their Latin Horæ; and by degrees the unlearned also had prepared for them what was peculiarly their own book, the Prymer. In reformed times these laymen's books of devotion were styled the 'Orarium' and the 'Primer.' We may consider that there were two series of reformed Primers. The one dates from that of Henry VIII. (1545), which was often reprinted with successive alterations, showing the steady advancement of religious opinion. Edward's first Primer (1547) was a republication of this; so also was that of 1549, with the Litany as amended for the Book of Common Prayer by the omission of the invocations of the Virgin Mary, the angels, and the patriarchs. Alterations of this sort were ordered by the Act of Parliament (3 and 4 Edward VI.) 'for the abolishing and putting away of divers books and images,' which provided that any person might use any Primers, in English or Latin, set forth by the late king, 'so that the sentences of Invocation of Prayer to Saints be blotted or clearly put out of the same.' The edition of 1551 omitted the Hail Mary,' with other objectionable passages, though many strong doctrinal statements still remained. This was reprinted in 1552, with the addition of the Catechism, and again at the commencement of Elizabeth's reign in 1559.1 Books of Private Devotion. Two series of Reformed Primers: one dating from 1545, continuid until 1575. Primer of 1553. The Primer of 15532 was not an improved edition, but rather a Reformed new publication, the first of a distinct series of Primers. 'An ɔrder of private prayer for morning and evening, every day in the week, and so throughout the whole year,' was substituted for the divisions of prayer according to the Canonical Hours; the prayers were taken from the Book of Common Prayer, with a selection of Preces Private, two graces, a prayer for the sovereign and people, with one for their founder Henry. This, enlarged by the additional Collects after the Litany, introduced in 1604 and 1662, is still daily used for short Latin prayers during term time.' 1 Reprinted in Elizabethan Private Prayers (Parker Soc.). Following Henry's Book, it contains the Prayers for the Dead. See Lathbury, Hist. of P. B., p. 65. 2 Liturgies and Documents of the Reign of Ed. VI. (Park. Soc.). 1 Books of Private Devotion. The 'Orarium' of Hen. VIII. The 'Orarium' of Elizabeth. The 'Preces Psalins, one or two for each service, and short lessons from Scripture, or from the Book of Ecclesiasticus; thus forming a course of devotion for a week. With the Hours of Prayer, the ancient Hymns were omitted, and the Penitential Psalms, as well as the Dirige and the Commendations, with everything touching upon prayers for the dead, or the efficacy of the saints' prayers. The Catechism and Graces, and a Preparation for prayer, were placed at the beginning, and a collection of 'Sundry godly prayers for divers purposes' at the end of the book. This was reprinted in the reign of Elizabeth at least twice, in 1560 and 1568.1 These reformed Primers were accompanied by their more learned counterparts in Latin. When Henry put forth his famous Primer in 1545, he 'provided the self-same form of praying to be set forth in Latin also,' to the intent that he would be all things to all persons, and that all parties may at large be satisfied.' The title of the Latin Book of Private Devotion, which was substituted for the older 'Horæ,' was, Orarium, seu libellus precationum, per regiam majestatem et clerum latine editus: 1546. This title was taken for the Latin Book of Private Prayer, which was compiled at the beginning of Elizabeth's reign, as Companion to the Primer of the older series (1559), and published in 1560.2 The 'Orarium,' however, was not a mere version of that Primer. Besides smaller variations, the Calendar is full of names of saints; it has the short Catechism; and it has not the Dirige and Commendations. In 1564, or early in 1565, another Latin book of devotion was published under the title, Preces privatæ, in studiosorum gratiam collectæ et Regia authoritate approbata.3 This differs from the preceding 'Orarium' mainly in substituting an order of Morning and Evening Prayer in the place of devotions for 'the Hours ;' still retaining, however, some of the Hymns, Antiphons, Psalms and Lessons of the 'Orarium.' For instance, the course of Morning Prayer begins with the Sentences, then follows the Confession, a prayer of Absolution, the Lord's Prayer, Domine, labia mea aperies,' 'Venite,' an Antiphon, the Hymn 'Jam lucis orto sidere,' three Psalms, an Antiphon, 1st Lesson, concluding with the clause used at the termination of a lection from the prophets, 'Hæc dicit Dominus, convertimini ad me, et salvi eritis,' and followed by 'Te 1 See Clay, Elizabethan Private Prayers, Pref. p. ix. Another Primer was published in 1575, containing no prayers for the dead, and in its general character and arrangement differ ing from that of 1559 and from that of 1560. Lathbury, p. 67. 2 Reprinted in Eliz. Private Prayers, pp. 115–208. Thid. pp. 209-428. Deum :' then the Service passes to Lauds, 'Deus in adjutorium,' 'Gloria Patri,' an Antiphon, 'Jubilate,' 'Benedicite,' 'Laudate Dominum de cœlis' (Psalm 149), an Antiphon, 2d Lesson, the Hymn 'Consors Paterni luminis,' 'Benedictus,' the Creed, Lord's Prayer, Versicles, Collects, and the Litany. After a similar course of Evening Prayer, and a short devotion for night, follow select Psalms, Lessons, and Prayers adapted to the great Festivals, the seven Psalms, other select Psalms, 'Flores Psalmorum, quos Psalterium Hieronymi appellant' (selected versicles from the Psalms), Pious Meditations concerning death and the resurrection, Prayers gathered from Scripture,' Precationes Piæ variis usibus, temporibus, et personis accommodatæ,' Graces, and some devotional Poems, or Hymns. This book was reprinted in 1573 with the addition of the 'XV. Psalms or Prayers taken out of holy Scripture,'—devotional exercises composed by Fisher, bishop of Rochester, during his year's imprisonment (1534-5) before his execution,—and some short sentences from the New Testament, supposed to have been collected by Sir Thomas More under the same circumstances.1 Books of Private Devotion. L Thus there were four series of books prepared for private devotion, and published with the royal authority in the reign of Elizabeth. To these may be added a fifth and sixth series of Christian Prayers. devotional works, published without authority, containing prayers and meditations for sundry occasions: and books of this character gradually displaced those which were formed upon the plan either of the Canonical Hours, or of the Morning and Evening Services of the Prayer Book. They seem to have originated with some compositions of Ludovicus Vives, which were translated by Bradford,2 and Becon's 'Flower of godly Prayers,' and 'Pomander of Prayer.' Thus, as Protestant books of devotion, we have 'Bull's Christian Prayers and Meditations' in 1566;* and in 1569 a considerable volume with the same title, and with illustrations.5 From the contents of some of these books it seems that the Romanizing party also put forth their devotional works upon the same plan, and with the same names, and partially formed of the same materials. Thus we have 'The Pomander of Prayer' (1558), and 'Christian 3 1 See Clay, Eliz. Private Prayers, p. 318, note. 2 Bradford, Sermons and Meditations (Park. Soc.), pp. 230-242; and the Latin Prayers of Vives, ib. PP. 572 sqq. 3 Becon, Prayers, &c. (Parker Soc.), pp. 1 and 72. Reprinted by the Parker Society. Maunsell, in his Catalogue of English printed Books (Lond. 1595), enumerates the titles of more than eighty works under the general head of Praiers.' Editor's Pref. P. iv. 5 See Clay, Elizabethan "Private Prayers, Pref. pp. xvi. sqq. Books of Private Devotion. Prayers and Meditations collected out of the ancient writers' (1578),1 in which Bradford's translations are joined with the 'XV. Oes of St. Bridget,' and a prayer for the Communion from Knox's Book of Common Order. SECT. III.-'A DESCRIPTION OF THE LITURGY, OR BOOK (Troubles at Frankfort, pp. xxviii.—xxxiv. )3 Some extracts from this curious description will show how obnoxious the Prayer Book was to an extreme section of Protestants in the early years of the Reformation. Their objections were not raised merely against a few isolated particulars, such as the use of the surplice, or the cross in baptism, but against the whole genius and structure of the book: it was to them 'a huge volume of ceremonies' (p. xli.). The description was drawn in Latin by Knox, Whittingham, and others at Frankfort, and sent to Calvin 'for his judgment therein,' or for an expression of his known opinion touching the matter in dispute; which was, whether Knox should minister to the English exiles according to the Genevan fashion, or whether Dr. Cox and Horne should read the Service in the congregation of their countrymen according to the Book authorized by the last Protestant Parliament of England. The objections, therefore, apply to the Second Book of Edward VI., or to the The Litany. Prayer Book at its greatest distance from Romanism. After a short summary of the Daily Prayer, which is given with some fairness, the Litany is thus described: 'Besides, upon every Sabbath-day, Wednesday, and Friday, there is yet in use certain suffrages devised of Pope Gregory, which beginneth after this manner, O God, the Father of heaven, have mercy upon us, miserable sinners; O God the Son, Redeemer of the world, &c.: only leaving out the invocation of saints, otherwise we use a certain conjuring of God, By the mystery of his incarnation, By his holy nativity and circumcision, By his baptism, fasting, and temptation, By his agony and bloody sweat, &c. Yea, it comprehendeth in plain words a 1 See Clay, Elizabethan Private Prayers, Pref. P. xxii. 2 See above, p. 17. A Brieff discours off the troubles begonne at Frankford in Germany, A. D. 1554. Abowte the Booke off Common Prayer and Ceremonies, &c. M.D.LXXV.' Reprinted, Lond. 1845. 4 Knox's unreserved opinion is given in a Letter to Anna Lock: Calendar of State Papers, Foreign,' -Elizabeth, No. 504. His language makes the Frankfort description seem a friendly delineation of the Prayer Book. |