Ceremonies of the Monstrous Popish Mass, Part 1 · Chapter 4
VVhat difference there is betwene the goddes which the Prieſtes make by reaſon of their conſecration, and of their numbers. CHAPTER IIII.
QVarta eſt, vt ſi plures hoſtias habet cō ſecrare, debet harum vnam eleuare, quam ſibi deputauerat à principio ad Miſſam: & tencat illā penes alias, ita quod intentionem ſimul ad omnes dirigat, & ſignando & dicendo. Hoc eſt enim corpus meum, omnes cogitet quas demonſtrat, ſeu ante ſe habet.
Conſulimus quo que vt canonē presbyter memoriter ſciat, quia deuotius dicitur: ſemper tamē liber habeatur, vt ad ipſum, ſi neceſſe ſit, recurratur.
THE fourth is, that if he hauehave a many hoſts to conſecrate, he muſt lift vp one of thē, to wit, the ſelfe & ſame which he made choiſe of at the firſt, when hee went to Maſſe: & he muſt let it lie amongſt the reſt, alwayes prouided that his minde be vponupon them all at once, as well whed he croſſeth as when he ſayeth, This is my body, and muſt thinke vponupon as many as he lifteth vp, or of as many a… he hath before him.
c Wee giuegive this councell alſo, that it is beſt for the Prieſt to hauehave the Canon by heart, for by that meane he ſhall be able to ſay it the more deuoutly: Neuertheleſſe it is good that he hauehave the booke ſtil lyinge before him, becauſe if he ſhould at any time miſſe, he might then looke vponupon it.
a There is not onelyonly a difference betweene the ſinging cakes, whereon the Prieſt meaneth to make his Gods, beſides his choiſe, which ſhall be the firſt: But alſo which of them ſhall be the greateſt or the leaſt, and moſt honorable amongſt the reſt. For, that which the prieſt choſeth for to ſerue his owne turne, is of the largeſt ſorte, and more honorable then any of the other, and gallantlier fr…eth, skippeth, and curteſieth then the reſt which lie blo…ſhly ſtill vponupon the Aultar. And this is vnde…ſtood to be done vponupon ſuch dayes as the ſup…er …s adminiſtred to all the pariſh or at leaſt to the moſt of them. For it is not ſufficient that the prieſtes, all the reſt of the yeare adminiſter the ſupper vntounto them ſelues alone, cleane cō trary to the ordinance of Ieſus Chriſt: But they will beſides alſo, becauſe they can abide no equalitie, that the prieſt which ſhall adminiſter the ſupper publikly that day, ſhall hauehave his God by him ſelfe, and ſuch a one as ſhalbe both larger and honorablier then any other, and both eate him, & drinke his wine all alone by him ſelfe long before any of the reſt: making firſt of all, eueryevery man, moſt ſolemnely and magnifically worſhip his God, which ſoone after he eateth. And therefore it is here ſaid, that he is to hauehave a farre greater cō ſideration and minde vponupon him, then vponupon any of the other, which lie there diſhonorably, and do not ſo much as once pitch or turne as the other doth, who danſeth alone with his venerable Maiſter whip. And therefore he playeth with theſe poore Gods, as the poore yong ſluttes which go to the danſing games are dealt withall, whom none take into the danſe, making no reckning of them, but ſtand by, gaſing vponupon the faire virgines which do danſe. For, eueryevery man knoweth how whipped Sir Hugh ſporteth with his God, and how many friskes, gamboldes, and capriaes, and what reuerences, reprinſes, and braules, he vſeth: and how he lifteth, & toſſeth him aboue his head, & ſome time on this ſide and on that, & vnderunder his armes. To be ſhort, I can not be able to vtter vntounto you the nombers of ſleightes of legier demaine, which he ſo gallantly maketh him play.
b Now Sir, when he maketh ſo many Gods at once, he hath no reaſon, properly to ſay, This is my body: but ſhould rather ſay, Theſe are my bodyes. But he may very well ſay it by the blood, bycauſe that in his conſecration, he turneth none of the wine into blood, ſaue onelyonly that which is in his chalice which he iuggleth into it: which blood he maketh onelyonly for the body of his owne God, and for none of the reſt. And therefore it muſt nedes be, that either the reſt hauehave no blood, or els that he maketh their blood all at once with the bodies: As in very deede it ought to be, if this bread were turned, and as they ſay, really, eſſentially, ſubſtantially, ſenſibly, and corporally tranſubſtantiated into the naturall body of Ieſus Chriſt: or elſe it cannot be choſen but that the reſt of the bodyes which are made for the commō people, hauehave no blood at all in thē. And although the prieſtes God, hath blood, yet bycauſe it is ſeparated from the body, therefore it cannot be but a dead body, becauſe a liuing body is not without blood. Wherefore the body of the God which they eate is a dead body. Againe, if they ſay that there is blood in the bodyes which the common people eate, thē deale they more cruelly, making them eate them while they are yet aliue.
c This is a very neceſſary aduertiſement, becauſe Sir Iohn Shorne hath not the enterlude booke caried after him in this ſtage play, to be prompted behind in the eare, if he ſhould at anie time haply forget his part, as they commonly do in other ſtage playes.