Ceremonies of the Monstrous Popish Mass, Part 2 · Chapter 7 – Chapter 14
The things that are to be noted and conſidered of, vppon theſe od remnantes before mentioned. CHAPTER XII.
a IN the firſt pitching & ſetting of this daunce. the head and backe are they which playe the chiefeſt part. And by and by after the hands, and eftſones the feete.Nicolas de Plode expoſ. Miſſ. Wherupon we are here to note that when the Quereſters beginne to ſing the introit, the Prieſt which doth the office, muſt come out of the Reueſtrie, in his players weedes to play his part. They ſay that this ſignifieth Ieſus Chriſt comming out of the wombe of the Virgine, as a bridegrome that cōmeth out of his chamber. For queſtionleſſe this trickſie Sir Iohn, is a pleaſaunt bridegrome, and ioly minion, apparelled & garniſhed like a comly paramour to go to a wedding
b See here what a ioly entry he maketh. He hath fed thē, ſaith this gentle Sir Iohn, & his quereſters alſo ſing the very ſame introite, very chauntingly. But what is this food, & thoſe whom it doth feed? Forſooth the foode which Dauid ſpake of,Pſalm. 81. Deut. 32. which God gaue vntounto the childrē of Iſraell according as Moſes in times paſt, had writtē of: theſe ioly ſcoffing mates, liken it to the banket which they make in their Maſſe, & to their God which they eate in it. Wherin they hauehave no whit ſaid amiſſe. For, to ſay truely, this is a God which throughly feedeth thē with the pure fineſſe of the wheat, & with all ſweet, pleaſant, & delicate food. For, if there be any good & pleaſant diſh to be had in al the world, it is kept for their kitchin & boord. I remēber that whē we were yōg boys, we were told, becauſe we ſhold be the more deſirous to ſtudy, that we might be made Prieſtes, that when we were Prieſtes we ſhould eate white bread. But becauſe this introite is a ſentence gelt out of a Pſalme, it hath no full ſenſe with it. Neither is it taken in this place, in ſuch ſenſe as it is ſet down in the Pſalme. Wherefore if we will expound it, and giuegive it the moſt fit ſenſe to the matter wherūto it is applied, we may thus interprete it, He, that is to ſay, the caky God of the Maſſe: hath fedde them, to wit, the Prieſts: with the fineſſe of the wheate, and honie of the Rocke: that is to ſay, verie fat, with the beſt and moſt delicate foode. And therefore hauehave they ſo great a mind, & are alwayes ſo ready to ſing double & treble Alleluyas, which are meary and pleaſant notes. For this I tell you is no melancholique or ſad feaſt. And for this cauſe are all the ſtreetes ſtrewed ouer with herbs, flours, & greene boughs, & behoong with Arras and tapeſtrie, and withall the braueſt ornamēts that may be hanged abroad, and eſpeciallie, when this iolie white God is caried about on proceſſion, he is then accompanied with notable muſicall inſtruments, with goodlie tapers and torch ſtaues: and both he him ſelfe, and they which beare him, & as manie as accompanie him, are receaued with maruelous pleaſant paſtimes, enterludes, moriſdaunces, and with all the ſports that may be deuiſed: and this is to make him amends for the ſtraight impriſonment which he endureth all the reſt of the yeare.
c In this ſort put they this verſicle in practiſe which is taken out of the ſelfe ſame Pſalme,Pſal. 81 Ex lib. Concil. that the introit is taken out of, ſaying, Reioyce and be glad, &c. For, this is their God and aide: whome they thus vainelye, like worldlinges, mocke, cleane contrarie to the Canons and decrees of the Councell of Affrike, which was celebrated about the time of Boniface the firſt, and of the thirde Councell of Toledo, celebrated in the dayes of Pelagius the 2. and of the Councell of Baſil: which forbad daunſing, moriſdaunces, enterludes and playes vponupon feſtiuall dayes, & chiefly in churches.
d The cauſes whie in times paſt, the Gloria patri was ordained to be ſaid, & ſong, at the ende of euerie Pſalme, doth manifeſtly appeare amongeſt the Canons of the ſecond Vaſenſian Coūcel, which was holden after the dayes of Leo the firſt, wherin an expreſſe ordinance is made, according to the practiſe that was then in vſe in the eaſt and weſt churches.Ex lib. Con. Howbeit the third councell of Toledo which we hauehave ſo often ſpoken of, addeth thereto one point which at this day is not obſerued, that is, that no man ſhould ſay onelyonly, Gloria patri &c. but adde thereto, And honor, ſayinge, Glorie and honor be to the Father, &c. Becauſe it is found to be ſo ſaid in the Apocalipſe: and that vponupon paine of excommunication.
e The ſecond Vaſenſian Councell which we earſt ſpake of, hath confirmed the cuſtome, which as well the Eaſt as the Weſt Churches receaued, concerning the rehearſal of the Kyrie eleyſon: cō manding it to be ſaid & often rehearſed not onelyonly in the Maſſe, but alſo in all the Canonical houres. We hauehave here a freſh, iollie gaye miſteries in the numbers of 3. and 9. which we will no more here ſpeake of, but leaue this pithagoricall and magical diuinitie to ſuch as take delight therein.
f The Prieſt maketh here a preatie pitch of his baſe daunce, with a ſolemne reuerence both with his head and backe.
g He ſetteth down here a rule, at what times the Gloria in excelſis is to be ſaid, or not ſaid, according to thoſe ordināces which we hauehave alreadie ſet downe in their place. And becauſe there hauehave bin manie lawes giuen by diuerſe, touching one only peece, I hauehave alſo marked the names of euerie Author in the margine, in ſuch ſort as hath bene before ſaid, to the end that whoſoeuer were deſirous to ſee the ordinaunces that are made for theſe purpoſes, may finde them vponupon the Popes heades that made them.
h Theſe fragmēts which ſpeak of the holy Ghoſt and of the virgine Mary, hauehave bene added to this himne by others, & not by them which made all the reſt: but I could neuer yet reade who were the Authors of them, Neither are they ſaid, but in our Ladies Maſſes, and on her feſtiuall dayes.
Of the Dominus vobiſcum, and of the collect, & of the writhing and wreathing countenances that are to be vſed in this other Antique. CHAPTER XIII.
aConc. Brac. 1.After hee hath thus done hee k…ſſeth the Altar in the midſt bThomasand afterward, turneth him ſelfe to the people, ſayeng.
c The Lorde be with you.
Aunſwere
And with thy ſpyrit.
The prieſt
d Let vsus pray.
e O God, who vnderunder a maruelous Sacrament, haſt leaſt vsus a remembraunce of thy paſſion, we beſeech thee to graunt vsus ſo to honour the holy miſteries of thy body and blood, that we may alwaies finde the fruite of thy redemption in vsus: who lyueſt and reigneſt with God the father, in the vnite of the holy ſpirit,Gelaſe. Symmac. God world without end, Amē.
Here is to be noted, that when either the collect or the epiſtle is ſaid: his hands ar not ioined together: but the toppes of his fingers,
Through our Lord,
Here, aſwell in the end of his prayer as of the maſſe, his handes are to be ioyned together.
QVo a finito, oſculatur altare in medio b poſtea vertet ſe ad populum dicendo:
c Dominus vobiſcum.
Reſp.
Et cum Spiritu tuo.
Sacerd. d Oremus.
Deus qui nobis ſub Sacramēto mirabili paſſionis tuae memoriam reliquiſti, tribue quaeſimus ita nos corporis & ſanguinis tui ſacra miſteria venerari, vt redemptionis tuae fructum in nobis ſentiamus qui viuis & regnas cū Deo Patre, in vnitate: Spiritus ſancti Deus per omnia ſecula ſeculorum, Amen.
Nota quando dicuntur c collectae vel Epiſtolae manus ſint diſiunctae: ſed ad vltimum.
Per Doninum.
Orationis, hic & in fine Miſſae, manus debent iungi.
Here follow the annotations belonging to the fragmentes aforeſaid. CHAPTER XIIII.
a GEntle Sir Iohn is far in louelove with the Table. For he kiſſeth it often.
b He turneth himſelfe 5. times about vntounto the people during the time that he is playing of his play, or dauncing of his antike. Moreouer, he continually turneth his back & hinder parts, becauſe according to Vigilius ordinance he muſt turne his face towards the Eaſt,Ala. de offic. Miſſ. cap. 8. becauſe the ſituation of the Churches & Altars are ſet Eaſt ward. Howbeit, it becōmeth not a Iuggler, a player, but much leſſe a Preacher to turn their backs vponupon the people, before they iuggle, play or preach. For, it is the ordinary way to tourne their faces to whome they ſpeake, & not their backs. Howbeit, the Prieſtes, meane not to ſpeak vntounto the people, whē they ſay Maſſe: nether ſhold they vnderſtād thē, if they did: but they talk to the bread & wine, to the idolls, & table, & to the bord clothes & napkins, which lie before them: & vntounto the Sūne, ouer againſt whichc Gregor. Innocent. 1 Jnnocent. 3. they tourne them ſelues: or elſe it were meete to hauehave their Churches & Altars ſo built, as that the Prieſt might hauehave the people before him, when he ſayeth Maſſe, as a Preacher is wonted to hauehave his pulpit. But then againe ſhould herein fall out a great inconuenience, when he ſhould ſalute them, & turne him ſelfe vntounto thē as here is noted. For thē his back ſhould be towards thē, & therfore ſhould not neede any whit to turne or returne him ſelfe.
c The Biſhops, in ſtead of ſaying Dominus vobiſcum, ſhall ſay, pax Domini ſit ſemper vobiſcum, that is to ſay, the peace of God be & remaine with you for euermore: Although, it was ordained in the firſt Bracarien Councell, about the time of Honorius the 1. that the Biſhops & Prieſts ſhould not hauehave ſundry ſortes of ſaluting the people, but that both the one & the other of thē ſhold vſe this common order, Dominus vobiſcū, & none other.
d Theſe exhortations to prayers & ſuch other like, manifeſtly declare, that they which are at maſſe, ſhould vnderſtand what is ſaid. For, how ſhal the hearers pray with him that ſaith the prayers in the Maſſe, if they vnderſtād not what is ſaid in it, and what the exhortations are which are made vntounto them? This alſo declareth, that a Prieſt ſhould not ſay Maſſe alone by him ſelfe.
e This is one of the prayers which they call collects, which ſerueth not greatly amiſſe for the Supper of the Lord, if it be rightly vnderſtood. For it maketh no mention of any reall, materiall, and ſenſible preſence of the bodie and bloud of Ieſus Chriſt, in the Sacrament of the Supper, as the doctrine of tranſubſtantiatiō importeth: But onelyonly a memorial, of the ſecrets & Sacramēts of thē, & of the vertue & efficacie of the death & paſſiō of Ieſus Chriſt, of whō we are made partakers through a ſpirituall communion, which we hauehave with his body and blood in the Supper, as is repreſented to vsus therein by the ſignes,Breui. R.S.L. and in the action and adminiſtration thereof. They vſe the ſame prayer and collect at the euenſong of the ſelfe ſame feaſt, whereof we hauehave expounded the Maſſe.
What geſtures he muſt keepe with his handes.