Ceremonies of the Monstrous Popish Mass, Part 2 · Chapter 54
Of the leaue that is giuen to the people in the ende of the Maſſe, and of the prayer which the Prieſt ſaith immediatly after, and of the matters that are to be conſidered therevpon. CHAPTER LIIII.
HEre let him kiſſe the image of the Crucifixe, which is in the Maſſe booke and then ſay,
For euer and euer.
Anſwer.
So be it.
In the midſt of th' Altar towards the people, let him ſay,
The Lorde be with you.
Anſwer.
And with thy Spirit.
Prieſt.
a Go your wayes, the Maſſe is
Anſwer.
Thankes be to God.
b Note, that when it is not ſaid,
Glorie be to God on high.
Then, for
Go your wayes, the Maſſe is.
They ſay,
Let vsus bleſſe the Lord.
c And for the dead.
Let them reſt in peace.
Anſwer, So be it.
d After that he hath bowed him ſelfe very low, in the midſt of the Altar, he ſaith.
O holy Trinity, let th'office of this my ſeruice be acceptable vntounto thee: & grant that the Sacrifice which I vnworthely hauehave offred in the ſight of thy Maieſtie, may pleaſe thee, and by thy mercifulnes be propitiatory, as wel to myſelf, as alſo to as many as I hauehave offred the ſame for, through Chriſt our Lord. Amē.
HIc oſculet imaginem Crucifixi, qui eſt in Miſſali, deinde, dicat.
Per omnia ſaecula ſaeculorum
Reſp.
Amen.
In medio Altaris verſus populum, dicat,
Dominus vobiſcum.
Reſp.
Et cum ſpiritu tu….
Sacer.
Ite, Miſſa eſt.
Reſp.
Deo gratias.
Nota, quod quando nō dicitur,
Gloria in excelſis Deo.
tunc pro
Ite, Miſſa eſt,
dicitur.
Benedicamus Domino.
Et pro defunctis,
Requieſtant in pace.
Reſp.
Amen
Deinde profundè inclinatus ante medium altaris dicit,
Placeat tibi ſancta Trinitas obſequiū ſeruitutis me…e: & praeſia vt hoc ſacrificium quod oculis tuae maieſtatis indignus obtuli, tibi ſit accepta bile, mihi que & omnibus pro quibus illudobin…, ſi…, te miſe rante propitiabi…e, per Chriſtū Dominum noſtrum. Amen.
a We will not here ſpeake any more of the kiſſing of the image in the Maſſe booke, neither yet of his laſt ſalutation of the Prieſt vntounto the people. Neither ſhall it be needfull againe to rehearſe that, which hath alreadie bin ſaid of this leaue, Ite Miſſa est. But only ſet down the expoſition which Barnard de Paratine, Iohn Beleth, & Nicholas de Ploue, make thereof, ſaying, that this is as much,Nicol. de Plo. in expo. 6. par Miſſ. Berno de offic. Meſſ. Ca. 20. Alam. de offic. Miſſ. Ca. 36. Nicol. de Plo. expo. 6. part. as if the Prieſt ſhould hauehave ſaid, Get you hence about your buſineſſe: For, the Maſſe is, or the hoſt and oblation, is made an ende of. And therefore go after it. Whie? then muſt they go into out yōg Maiſters bellie that hath eaten it? Now, here is to be noted, that the Prieſt playeth both Ieſus Chriſt his part in his aſcenſion vntounto heauen, and alſo the part of the Angelles who ſpake vntounto the Apoſtles after his aſcenſion: and the people, play the part of the retourning of the Apoſtles vntounto Ieruſalem, after the aſcenſion, or according to the expoſitiō of Iohn Baleth, of the returning of the people of Iſraell from Babilon. I beſeech you are not here great reaſons in euerie of theſe gentle expoſitiōs?
b Moreouer, this leaue is not alwayes giuen after one maner of faſhion, according to the rule which is here ſet down. For, if it be not giuē with Ite miſſa eſt, the Prieſt turneth not himſelf vntounto the people. And here Durand rendreth a reaſon of this diuerſitie,Rat. li, 4. par. Rub. de ora. no. ſaying, that Ite miſſa eſt, was, in the old time ſayed, when as the people met together in great numbers at Maſſe, by reaſon of the Communion that then was made, to giuegive them leaue after this maner: & that at other times, when the people did not aſſemble after that ſort, they vſed another kinde of faſhion.
c If the faithfull that are dead reſt alreadie in peace, as before hath bene ſaid, then is this a vaine prayer for that purpoſe that they make it. Moreouer, they ſay that there is no peace graunted for the dead in the Maſſe, & that there is no mention at all made of them in the ſame, becauſe they hauehave no neede thereof. And therefore it ſhould ſeeme by this, that they are quite & clane forgotten in it.
d Euen as all the reſt of the Romiſh Maſſe, as at this day it is, is nothing elſe but a continuall blaſpheming of the name of God, and of the merit & paſſion of the death of Ieſus Chriſt: it can not be choſen, but that it muſt alſo conclude with a moſt horrible and curſed blaſphemie. For after that the Prieſt hath forſaken Ieſus Chriſt the Sonne of God, and withall, both the Father, and the holie Ghoſt alſo, in him: he prayeth that the holie Trinitie would accept of this ſo inſupportable blaſphemie: manifeſtly confeſſing, that he taketh his Maſſe to be not onelie a Sacrifice of praiſe and thankeſgiuing: but alſo a propitiatorie Sacrifice, for the obtaining, by meane thereof, remiſſion of ſinnes, which we no wayes can obtaine, but by the onelie Sacrifice which Ieſus Chriſt made: as hath alreadie bene often ſaid. And ſeeing it is ſo, it was impoſſible to make a better concluſion of the expoſition of the Maſſe, thē Nicholas de Ploue hath there made: greatly commending, not onelyonly this prayer which wee here preſently ſpeake of,Tract fac. de expoſ. Miſſ. 6. part. but alſo the curteſies & bowings that are to be made in the ſaying thereof: mightelie reprouing al ſuch as ſay it not, as it is here ordained. Wherevpon, he bringeth foorth for his authoritie,A very pleaſaunt tale. a maruelouſe pleaſant tale as followeth. There was, quoth he, a man poſſeſt with a deuill, who was brought before a certaine Prieſt, whome this Prieſt aſked, what he thought of two other Prieſtes which hee named vntounto him. Then this deuill that tormented this poore wretched man, ſaid vntounto him, The firſt Prieſt, quoth he, which thou namedſt vntounto me, was ſometime ours, but he is now the Lords. And as for the other, quoth this gentle maiſter deuill, would be a verie honeſt man if it were not for ſtealing. This Prieſt who had demaunded of this M. the deuil his prophet, this queſtiō, greatly maruelled to heare this anſwer, becauſe he tooke this prieſt, of whom the deuill made him this auſwer, to be a verie holie man. Whervpon he determined to enquire further of him more ſubſtātially, aſking him, what it was that he would ſteale, whō the deuill anſwered, That it was this laſt prayer, whereof we now ſpeake. VponUpon which anſwer enquiry was made, whether it was ſo as the deuill had ſated or not, & it was found ſo in deed. Whervpō this ſaid Nicholas de Ploue, a Doctor of the decrees, cōcludeth, that the Prieſts ought, not onelyonly to be verie carefull to ſee that this prayer, with theſe ceremonies, were not omitted, but alſo nothing elſe, that was wonted to be obſerued in the Church, in the Maſſe. What is he then that will not in good earneſt, hauehave great regard herevnto, conſidering that ſo great a Doctor as the deuill is, is a witnes herof, & hath giuen his ſentence & iudgement vponupon the ſame? For, without all doubt, this is a doctor, prophet & witneſſe, that is worthy to be brought in in ſuch a matter. For, he is able to be a witnes therof, as of a matter of his owne handie work, which he right well vnderſtood and knew.