Ceremonies of the Monstrous Popish Mass, Part 1 · Chapter 3
Of the rehearſing and pronouncing of the Canon of the Maſſe, and eſpecially of the Sacrament all wordes and of the power & vertue of the prieſtes intent. CHAPTER III.
TErtia eſt, vt Canonem moroſius legat quà caetera: & praecipuè ab illo loco, Qui pridie, quàm pateretur, accepit, &c,
Tunc enim reſpirans, attendere debet, & ſe totum colligere, ſi prius non potuit, ſingulis verbis attendens.
Et dum dixerit, accipite et manducate ex hoc omnes, reſpiret: & vno ſpiritu tractū dicat, Hoc eſt enim corpus meū. Sic non immiſcet ſe alia cogitatio: Non enim videtur eſſe rationabile, diſcontinuare formam tam breuem, tam arduam, tam efficacem: cuius tota virtus dependet ab vltimo verbo, ſcilicet, Meum, quod in perſona Chriſti dicitur. Vnde, non debet cuilibet verbo punctus imponi, cum id nulla ratione valeat, vt dicatur. hoc, eſt, enim, corpus, meū. Sed totum ſimul proferat.
Pari modo, hoc idem in forma conſecrationis ſan guinis obſeruetur.
Item, proferendo verba conſecrationis circa quamlibet materiam, Sacerdos ſemper intendat, cōficere id, quod Chriſtus cōſtituit, et Eccleſia facit.
THe third a Cautel is this, That the prieſt muſt read the Canō b more treatably and leaſurely thē the reſt: and eſpecially after he cō meth to this place, who the ſame day before he ſuffred, tooke &c.
For then, when he taketh his breath, he muſt be very attentife, and c gather vp him ſelfe roundly together (if he hath not done it before) giuing great attention to eueryevery word he pronounceth.
And after he hath ſaid, d take ye and eate ye all of this: he muſt take his e breath, & then with one breath ſpeake theſe words, for this is my body: without once thinking any other thing. For, there is no reaſon that this ſo ſhort, ſo high, & ſo effectuall a fourme of ſpeeche, ſhould be diſcontinued, the whole power whereof dependeth vppon the laſt word, to f wit, My, which worde is ſpoken in the perſon of Chriſt. And therefore, there ought no point to bee made betweene thoſe words, conſidering that there is no reaſon to leade any man ſo to do, as to point it thus, for, this, is, my, body, but that the whole ſentence be pronounced at once.
This obſeruation likewiſe is to be vſed in the maner of the conſecration of the blood.
h In like maner when the Prieſt pronounceth the wordes of conſecration, he is alwayes to beare in mind the intent of the inſtitution of Ieſus Chriſt, in eueryevery matter & what the Church alſo doeth.
a Herein muſt good Maſt perſon beſtowe the ſubſtance of all his fiue wittes. For here, I tell you goeth the hare away.
b This venerable Pilate hath not for this point, ſet downe in his Latine Maſſe booke that which he thought to hauehave done, for the inſtructiō of his Maſſe Prieſt. For he meaneth as it is here tranſlated: But, that which he ſetteth downe in the Latine, is as much as if he had ſaid, he muſt reade the Canon after a more doleful maner, pronouncing his wordes as a melancholike & teſtie man, that is hard to be pleaſed.
c To gather him ſelfe vp roundly together, ought to be vnderſtood of the thoughtes of his mind, which he is to gather and bind vp together as it were in a fagot: to the end they might be faſt bound vp together: ſo that their mindes ſhould euer runne vponupon their bellies and vponupon the maids, vponupon whom my Sir whips hauehave oftentimes more mind, then vponupon their conſecration: which is a very dangerous matter, eſpecially in this place, by reaſon the people ſhould become flat idolaters in worſhipping the hoſt, if ſo be the Prieſt ſhould not rightly conſecrate: which he is neuer able to do if his mind be not fully and wholy thereon.
d He is to chaunge theſe wordes, and pronounce wordes cleane contrary to the wordes of Ieſus Chriſt, to wit: Take not nor eate not any of you of this: ſeeing that none dare once take or eate any of this, ſaue the Prieſt alone.
e This is meant if he be not brokē winded, or if ſo be he hath not bene ſo foundred, & ſo ouertaken with the Pope, as that he is not able to take his breath.
f In our language, this word My, is not the laſt word, but the Body is the laſt. For we do not ſay Body mine, but, my bodie: neither do we ſay, This is body mine. And therefore ſeing the whole vertue of the conſecration and tranſubſtantiatiō hangeth vponupon the laſt word, he muſt not ſay, For this is my body: But ought to ſay, ſhalbe. For otherwiſe the bread ſhold be body, before it were, becauſe it is not vntill the laſt word. For, all the words cannot be ſpoken at one choppe. And beſides our venerable Maiſters ſhould be greatly troubled about the difficulties that are in this matter.
g They feared that the Prieſt ſhould eate him ſelfe and his owne body, as they ſay that Chriſt did eate him ſelfe and his owne body, fleſhe and bones, and that he dranke his owne natural blood in the Supper which he made vntounto his Apoſtles. For, if theſe wordes be ſaid in the perſon of the Prieſt, then the bread ſhall be conuerted into the Prieſtes body, and not into Ieſus his body.
h There is much to do in wordes, about the intent of the Prieſt, becauſe as they teach, all the power of conſecration & tranſubſtantiation conſiſteth therein: ſo that neither the pronunciation of the words are auailable in this matter, neither yet the faith and intent of as many as are preſent at Maſſe, if the intent of the Prieſt be not before them all in it. And yet there is another point to be conſidered of, which is this: That if his minde ſhould be ſo troubled as that in conſecrating the one, he intended to conſecrate the other, and had any ſuch intent, then all his paine were loſt: to wit, if he meant to conſecrate the wine, when he was about the conſecrating of the bread, or purpoſed to conſecrate the bread, when he was a cō ſecrating of the wine.