able goodness, keepest, defendest, and furtherest all things: who, of thy deep mercy, restorest the decayed, renewest the fallen, raisest the dead; vouchsafe, we pray thee, at last, to turn the light of thy countenance upon thy well-beloved spouse, the Church: but let it be that amiable and merciful countenance wherewith thou pacifiest all things in heaven, in earth, and whatsoever is above heaven, and under the earth. Vouchsafe to cast upon us those tender and pitiful eyes with which thou didst once behold Peter, that shepherd of thy Church, and forthwith he remembered himself, and repented; with which eyes thou once didst view the scattered multitude, and wert moved with compassion, that for lack of a good shepherd, they wandered as sheep dispersed and strayed asunder. Thou seest (O good Shepherd) what sundry sort of wolves have broken into thy sheep-cotes; so that, if it were possible, the very perfect persons should be brought into error: thou seest with what winds, with what waves, with what storms, thy silly ship is tossed, thy ship, wherein thy little flock is in peril to be drowned. And what is now left, but that it utterly sink, and we all perish? For this tempest and storm we may thank our own wickedness, and sinful living; we discern it well, and confess it; we discern thy righteousness; and we bewail our unrighteousness; but we appeal to thy mercy which surmounteth all thy works. We have now suffered much punishment, being scourged with so many wars, consumed with such losses of goods, shaken with so many floods; and yet appears there no where a haven or port unto us. Being thus tired and forlorn among so strange evils, but still every day more grievous punishments, and more seen to hang over our heads; we complain not of thy sharpness, most tender Saviour, but we discern here also thy mercy, forasmuch as we have deserved much more grievous plagues. But, O most merciful Jesus, we beseech thee, that thou wilt not consider nor weigh

what is due for our deservings; but rather what becometh thy mercy, without which the angels in heaven cannot stand sure before thee, much less we frail vessels of clay. Have mercy on us, O Redeemer, who art easy to be intreated: not that we be worthy of thy mercy, but give thou this glory unto thine own name. Suffer not those, who have not known thee, or do envy thy glory, continually to triumph over us, and say, Where is their God? Where is their Redeemer? Where is their Saviour? Where is their Bridegroom that they thus boast on? These opprobrious words redound unto thee, O Lord, while by our evils men weigh and esteem thy goodness; they think we be forsaken, whom they see not amended. Once when thou didst sleep in the ship, and a tempest, suddenly arising, threatened death to all in the ship, thou awokest at the outcry of a few disciples, and straightway, at thine Almighty word, the waters couched, the winds fell, the storm was suddenly turned into a great calm: the dumb waters knew their Maker's voice. Now in this far greater tempest, wherein not a few men's bodies be in danger, but innumerable souls, we beseech thee, at the cry of thy holy Church, which is in danger of drowning, that thou wilt awake. So many thousands of men do cry, Lord save us, or we perish! the tempest is past man's power; it is thy word that must be the deed. Lord Jesus, only say thou with a word of thy mouth, Cease, O tempest, and forthwith shall the desired calm appear. Thou wouldest have spared so many thousands of most wicked men, if in the city of Sodom had been found but ten good men. Now here be so many thousands of men, who love the glory of thy name, who sigh for the beauty of thy house; and wilt thou not, at these men's prayers, let go thine anger, and remember thine accustomed mercies? Shalt thou not, with thy heavenly policy, turn our folly into thy glory? Shalt thou not turn the wicked man's evils into thy Church's good? for thy

mercy is wont then most of all to succour, when the thing is with us past remedy; and neither the might nor wisdom of men can help it. Thou alone bringest things, that be never so out of order, into order again, who art the only Author and Maintainer of Peace. Thou framest that old confusion, wherein, without order, without fashion, confusedly lay the discordant seeds of things; and with a wonderful order the things of that nature which fought together, thou didst ally and knit in a perpetual band. But how much greater confusion is this, where is no charity, no fidelity, no bonds of love, no reverence, neither of laws, nor yet of rulers; no agreement of opinions, but, as it were, in a misordered choir, every man singeth a contrary note! Among the heavenly planets is no dissension; the elements keep their place, all do the office whereunto they be appointed: and wilt thou suffer thy spouse, for whose sake all things were made, thus by continual discords to perish? Wilt thou suffer the wicked spirits which be the authors and workers of discord, to bear such a swing in thy kingdom unchecked? Wilt thou suffer the strong captain of mischief, whom thou once overthrewest, again to invade thy tents, and to spoil thy soldiers? When thou wert here, a man, conversant among men, at thy voice fled the devils. Send forth, we beseech thee, O Lord, thy Spirit, which may drive away out of the breasts of all them that profess thy name, the wicked spirits, masters of riot, of covetousness, of vain glory, of carnal lust, of mischief, and discord. Create in us O our God and King, a clean heart, and renew thy Holy Spirit in our breasts: pluck not from us thy Holy Ghost: render unto us the joy of thy saving health, and with thy principal Spirit strengthen thy spouse and the herdsmen thereof. By this Spirit thou reconciledst the earthly to the heavenly: by this thou didst frame and reduce so many tongues, so many nations, so many sundry sorts of men into

one body of a Church; which body, by the same Spirit, is knit to thee their head. This spirit, if thou wilt vouchsafe to renew in all men's hearts, then shall all these foreign miseries cease; or if they cease not, they shall turn to the profit and avail of those who love thee. Stay this confusion, set in order this horrible chaos; O Lord Jesus, let thy Spirit stretch out itself upon these waters of evil, wavering opinions. And, because thy Spirit, which according to thy prophet's saying, containeth all things, hath also the science of speaking: make that like as unto all them which be of thy house, is one light, one baptism, one God, one hope, one spirit, so they may also have one voice, one note, one song, professing one catholic truth. When thou didst mount up to heaven triumphantly, thou threwest out from above thy precious things, thou gavest gifts among men, thou dealtest sundry rewards of thy Spirit: renew again from above thy old bountifulness, give that thing to thy Church, now fainting and growing downward, that thou gavest unto her shooting up at her first beginning. Give unto princes and rulers the grace so to stand in awe of thee, that they may so guide the common weal, as those who shall shortly render an account unto thee, that art the King of kings. Give wisdom to be always assistant unto them, that whatsoever is best to be done they may espy it in their minds, and pursue the same in their doings. Give to the bishops the gift of prophecy, that they may declare and interpret holy Scripture; not of their own brain, but of thine inspiring. Give them the threefold charity which thou once demandedst of Peter, what time thou didst commit unto him the charge of thy sheep. Give to the priests the love of soberness and of chastity. Give to thy people a good will to follow thy commandments, and a readiness to obey such persons as thou hast appointed over them. So shall it come to pass, if through thy gift thy princes shall command that thou requirest, if thy pastors and

herdsmen shall teach the same, and thy people obey them both, that the whole dignity and tranquillity of the Church shall return again, with a goodly order, unto the glory of thy name. Thou sparedst the Ninevites appointed to be destroyed, as soon as they were converted to repentance: and wilt thou despise thy house fallen down at thy feet, which instead of sackcloth, hath sighs, and instead or ashes, tears? Thou promisest forgiveness to such as turn unto thee; but this very thing is thy gift, a man to turn with his whole heart unto thee, to the intent that all our goodness shall redound unto thy glory. Thou art the Maker, repair the work that thou hast fashioned. Thou art the Redeemer, save that thou hast bought. Thou art the Saviour, suffer not them to perish which do hang on thee. Thou art the Lord and owner, challenge thy possessions. Thou art the Head, help thy members. Thou art the King, give us a reverence of thy laws. Thou art the Prince of Peace, breathe upon us brotherly love. Thou art God, have pity on thy humble supplicants; be thou, according to Paul's saying, All things to all men, to the intent that the whole choir of thy Church, with agreeing minds, and consonant voices for mercy obtained at thy hands, may give thanks unto the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost; which, after the most perfect example of concord, be distinguished in property of persons, and one in nature; to whom be praise and glory eternally. Amen.

A PRAYER FOR THE KING'S MAJESTY, OUT OF THE LIBER REGALIS.

GOD, the unspeakable Author of the World, Creator of men, Governor of empires, and Establisher of all kingdoms, who out of the loins of our Father Abraham, didst choose a King that became the Saviour of all kings and nations of the earth :