Sarum Manual: Inhumatio defuncti (the Burial) (printed editions c. 1500–1554)

At the Bier after Mass

¶ After the Mass the priest goes to the head of the dead, vested in an alb without the silk cope; and two clerks of the second form, standing at the head of the dead, begin three times the following antiphon, which the choir takes up each time to the end.

Antiphon. The groans of death compassed me about; the sorrows of hell compassed me about.

Then, after the third repetition: Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.

¶ The Lord's Prayer is not said, nor "The Lord be with you", nor "Let us pray", but only the prayer, the priest saying it in a low voice, that is, without chant; and all the following prayers are said in the same way.

Enter not into judgement with thy servant, O Lord, for no man shall be justified in thy sight, unless through thee remission of all his sins be granted him. Let not therefore, we beseech thee, the sentence of thy judgement weigh upon him whom the true prayer of Christian faith commends to thee; but by the help of thy grace may he be worthy to escape the judgement of vengeance, who while he lived was sealed with the sign of the Holy Trinity. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

¶ Then the cantor begins the responsory: Thou who didst raise Lazarus, stinking, from the tomb, thou, O Lord, give him rest and a place of pardon. Verse. Thou who art to come to judge the living and the dead and the world by fire. The choir sings it through with its verse, and meanwhile the priest goes round the body with the thurible and censes it; and so in the responsories that follow.

Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. (Without the Lord's Prayer and without "The Lord be with you", but with "Let us pray".)

O God, to whom all things live, and to whom our bodies do not perish in dying but are changed for the better: we humbly beseech thee that whatever faults contrary to thy will the soul of thy servant has contracted, through the deceit of the devil and its own wickedness and frailty, thou, of thy goodness and mercy, wouldest wash away by pardon; and command it to be received by the hands of thy holy angels and led into the bosom of thy patriarchs, Abraham thy friend, Isaac thy chosen, and Jacob thy beloved, whence grief and sadness and sighing are fled away, and where the souls of the faithful rejoice in full and happy gladness; that at the last day of the great judgement thou mayest make it to receive, among thy saints and elect, its share of everlasting glory, which eye hath not seen nor ear heard, neither hath it entered into the heart of man, which thou hast prepared for them that love thee. Through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Responsory. Woe is me, O Lord, for I have sinned greatly in my life: what shall I do, wretch that I am? whither shall I flee, but to thee, my God? Have mercy upon me when thou comest at the last day. Verse. My soul is sore troubled, but thou, O Lord, succour it. (The body is censed as before.)

Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Let us pray.

Grant, we beseech thee, O Lord, this mercy to thy servant departed, that he may not receive in punishment the requital of his deeds, who in desire held fast thy will; that as here the true faith joined him to the company of the faithful, so there thy mercy may join him to the choirs of angels. Through Christ our Lord.

¶ Then the cantor begins the responsory: Deliver me, O Lord, from eternal death in that dreadful day, when the heavens and the earth shall be moved, when thou shalt come to judge the world by fire. Verse. That day, a day of wrath, of calamity and misery, a great day and exceeding bitter. The choir sings it through with its verse only; meanwhile the priest censes the body, going round it once, and afterwards it is sprinkled with holy water.

Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.

¶ Here the priest asks those standing round to pray for the soul of the dead, saying: For the soul of N., and for the souls of all the faithful departed. Our Father. And lead us not. But deliver us.

Enter not into judgement with thy servant, O Lord. For in thy sight shall no man living be justified.

From the gate of hell. Deliver their souls, O Lord.

I believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord. In the land of the living.

O Lord, hear my prayer. The Lord be with you. Let us pray.

Incline thine ear, O Lord, unto our prayers, in which we humbly entreat thy mercy, that thou wouldest set the soul of thy servant, whom thou hast commanded to pass out of this world, in the region of peace and light, and bid him be a partaker with thy saints. Through Jesus Christ our Lord.

The Procession to the Grave

¶ Here the body is carried to the grave, the cantor beginning the antiphon: May the angels lead thee into paradise; may the martyrs receive thee at thy coming, and bring thee into the holy city Jerusalem.

Psalm 114 (Vulgate 113), When Israel came out of Egypt. Or, if only a short way remains, Psalm 25 (Vulgate 24), Unto thee, O Lord, will I lift up my soul.

¶ The psalm or psalms ended, the verse Rest eternal is said, and the antiphon May the angels lead thee into paradise is repeated. Then the priest says, without "The Lord be with you", but with "Let us pray", in a low voice:

With loving remembrance, dearly beloved, we make commemoration of our dear one, whom the Lord has taken from the prison of this world; beseeching the mercy of our God that he would vouchsafe to grant him a calm and quiet dwelling, and forgive all the offences of his slippery rashness; that, pardon and full indulgence being granted, whatever he has done amiss in this world by his own guilt or another's, he may of his unspeakable goodness and kindness wholly blot out and wipe away. Who liveth and reigneth with God the Father in the unity of the Holy Spirit, world without end. Amen.

Another prayer, with "Let us pray". We humbly entreat thee, O Lord, holy Father, almighty, everlasting God, for the spirit of our brother (or sister), whom thou hast commanded to be called from the whirlpools of this world, that thou wouldest vouchsafe, O Lord, to give him a bright place of refreshment and rest. Let him pass the gates of hell and the pains of darkness, and abide in the mansions of the saints and in the holy light which of old thou didst promise to Abraham and to his seed. Let his spirit feel no hurt; but when that great day of resurrection comes, vouchsafe to raise him up together with thy saints and elect, and blot out all his faults and sins to the last farthing, that with thee he may obtain the life of thy immortality and the everlasting kingdom. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

The Opening and Blessing of the Grave

¶ The prayers ended, the grave is opened, the cantor beginning the antiphon: Open to me the gates of righteousness; I will go into them and give thanks unto the Lord: this is the gate of the Lord; the righteous shall enter into it.

Psalm 118 (Vulgate 117), O give thanks unto the Lord, for he is gracious. The psalm ended, the whole antiphon Open to me the gates is said. Then the priest says, Let us pray.

We beseech thy mercy, almighty, everlasting God, who didst vouchsafe to create man after thine own image, that thou wouldest gently and kindly receive the spirit and soul of thy servant, whom thou hast this day bidden to be taken from human affairs and called to thee. Let not the shadows of death have dominion over him, nor chaos and the gloom of darkness cover him; but, stripped of the stain of all his sins and laid in the bosom of the patriarch Abraham, may he rejoice to have gained a place of light and refreshment; that when the day of the great judgement comes, thou mayest bid him be raised with thy saints and elect. Through Christ our Lord.

Another prayer, with "Let us pray". O God, who art ever present to righteous prayers and vouchsafest to look upon devout desires: grant to thy servant, to whose burial we this day perform the offices of humanity, a share of the blessed reward with thy saints and faithful. Through Christ.

¶ Then the blessing of the grave is said, without "Let us pray", thus: We beseech thee, O Lord, almighty Father, holy, everlasting God, that thou wouldest vouchsafe to bless ✠ this grave and the body to be laid in it, that it may be a healing remedy to him who rests in it, and the redemption of his soul, and a protection and defence against the cruel darts of the enemy. Through Christ.

[Another blessing of the grave, found in later editions only.] Our help is in the name of the Lord. Who hath made heaven and earth. Bless, O Lord, the place of this grave, as thou didst bless the graves of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Shew us thy mercy, O Lord. And grant us thy salvation.

O God, who didst found the earth and form the heavens, who didst set all things in order with the stars; who restorest by the washing of the font man taken in the snares of death; who didst write in the book of life, as princes of all glory, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, buried in the double cave: vouchsafe so to bless this thy servant that thou mayest make him rest and set him in the bosom of Abraham; who didst bid our Lord Jesus Christ thy Son, the snares of hell being overcome, to rise again, and to raise the members of those that believe in him; who shall come to judge the living and the dead and the world by fire.

Look down, O Lord, upon this building of the grave, and let thy Spirit descend upon it, that at thy bidding it may be for him in this place a quiet sleep, and in the time of judgement, with all the saints, a true resurrection. By thy gift, our Lord, who in perfect Trinity livest and reignest, world without end. Amen.

¶ Here the grave is sprinkled with holy water and censed.

The Laying of the Body in the Grave

¶ The prayers ended, the body is laid in the grave, the cantor beginning the antiphon: I will go into the place of the wonderful tabernacle, even unto the house of God.

Psalm 42 (Vulgate 41), Like as the hart desireth the water-brooks. The psalm ended, the antiphon is repeated. Then the priest says the prayer thus:

Let us pray, dearly beloved, for the spirit of our dear one, whom the Lord has vouchsafed to call from the prison of this world, whose little body is this day given to burial; that the goodness of the Lord may vouchsafe to set him in the bosom of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; that when the day of judgement comes he may make him to be raised up among his saints and elect, to be crowned on the right hand. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, who with the Father.

Another prayer, with "Let us pray". O God, the eternal lover of human souls: banish from all the torment of hell the soul of thy servant, which while it remained in the body held the true faith; that, separated from the prison-houses of hell, it may be worthy to be helped by the fellowship of thy saints. Through our Lord Jesus Christ thy Son.

¶ The prayers ended, the grave is closed, the priest first laying an absolution upon the breast of the dead, saying thus: May the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave to blessed Peter the apostle and his other disciples power to bind and to loose, himself absolve thee from every bond of sin; and so far as is permitted to my frailty, mayest thou be absolved before the judgement-seat of our Lord Jesus Christ, and have eternal life, and live for ever and ever. Amen.

The Committal

¶ Here the grave is sprinkled with holy water and censed, the cantor beginning the antiphon: This is my rest for ever; here will I dwell, for I have chosen it. Psalm 132 (Vulgate 131), Lord, remember David. The psalm ended, the antiphon is repeated, and the priest says, Let us pray.

O God, with whom the spirits of the dead live, and in whom the souls of the elect, the burden of the flesh laid down, rejoice in full happiness: grant to us thy suppliants that the soul of thy servant, which through the body has lost the sight of this light of time, may enjoy the comfort of that eternal light; let not the torment of death touch him, nor the pain of a dreadful vision afflict him, nor fear of punishment torture him, nor the chain of the guilty bind him near; but, pardon of all his sins being granted, may he obtain the promised joys of the rest he longed for. Through Christ our Lord.

Another prayer, with "Let us pray". Do thou, O Lord God almighty, vouchsafe to incline the ear of thy goodness to our prayers; bring help to the wretched and bestow thy mercy, and receive into the peace of thy saints the spirit of thy servant N., set free from the bonds of the body, that, carried over into the region of the living, he may escape the place of punishment and the fire of hell. Through Christ.

¶ The prayers ended, the minister of the office puts earth upon the body in the form of a cross, and censes the body and sprinkles it with holy water; and while the following psalm is sung the body is wholly covered, the cantor beginning the antiphon: Of earth thou didst form me. Psalm 139 (Vulgate 138), O Lord, thou hast searched me out and known me. The psalm ended, the whole antiphon is said: Of earth thou didst form me, and didst clothe me with flesh; my Redeemer, O Lord, raise me up at the last day.

¶ Then the priest says, without "The Lord be with you" and without "Let us pray":

I commend thy soul to God the Father almighty, earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust: in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.

¶ Then the priest says this prayer, without "Let us pray": It is indeed rashness, O Lord, that man should dare to commend man, a mortal the dead, ashes ashes, to thee, the Lord our God; but because earth receives earth and dust is turned to dust, until all flesh be brought back to its origin, therefore with tears we beseech thy goodness, O God, most loving Father, that thou wouldest receive into the bosom of Abraham thy friend the soul of this thy servant, which thou art leading from the muddy whirlpool of this world to the heavenly country, and bathe it with the dew of refreshment. Let it be separated from the fierce fire of burning hell and, by thy gift, be joined to blessed rest; and whatever faults it has that deserve torment, do thou, of thy most gentle grace, mercifully pardon them; and when the end of the world is finished and thy everlasting kingdom has shone upon all, may it be gathered into the company of all the saints, to be crowned on the right hand. Through Christ our Lord.

Another prayer, with "Let us pray". O God, the giver of life and the restorer of human bodies, who hast willed to be entreated by sinners: hear the prayers which with special devotion we pour out with tears for the soul of thy servant, that thou wouldest vouchsafe to deliver it from the torments of hell and set it among the hosts of thy saints, and bid it be clothed with that heavenly garment and the robe of immortality, and be refreshed with the delights of paradise. Through Christ our Lord.

The Psalms of Praise and the Benedictus

¶ The prayer ended, the cantor begins the antiphon: Let every spirit praise the Lord. Psalms 148, 149 and 150 (O praise the Lord of heaven; O sing unto the Lord a new song; O praise God in his holiness). The psalms ended, the whole antiphon is said.

¶ Then the priest says, without "The Lord be with you" and without "Let us pray": Fulfilling according to custom the office of burying the human body, let us faithfully pray God, to whom all things live, that he would bid this body, buried by us in weakness, to be raised in the order of his saints, and bid his spirit be joined to the holy and faithful ones, with whom he may be worthy to enjoy unspeakable glory and everlasting happiness. Through our Lord, who with the Father.

¶ The prayer ended, the priest begins the antiphon, and the psalm Benedictus (Luke 1:68–79) is intoned and sung solemnly, as at Matins. Antiphon: I am the resurrection and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live; and whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die.

Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.

¶ Here he asks prayer for the soul of the dead: For the soul of N., and for the souls of all the faithful departed. Our Father. And lead us not into temptation. But deliver us from evil.

Rest eternal grant unto them, O Lord. And let light perpetual shine upon them.

From the gate of hell. Deliver their souls, O Lord.

I believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord. In the land of the living.

Enter not into judgement with thy servant, O Lord. For in thy sight shall no man living be justified.

O Lord, hear my prayer. And let my cry come unto thee. The Lord be with you. And with thy spirit. Let us pray.

O God, the fount of goodness, Father of mercies, comfort of the sorrowful, forgiver of sins, from whose gift comes and proceeds all that is good: look graciously upon the prayers of thy suppliants. And though our own conscience counts us unworthy that thou shouldest be moved by our petitions, yet we knock, so far as is granted us, at the ears of thy goodness; for if we leave off, we fear to fail in both, since thou biddest thyself to be entreated by sinners, and this is given to our ministry to be done, though not by merit, yet by thy gift. Therefore, O Lord, holy Father, almighty, everlasting God, who didst ordain that thine only Son our Lord Jesus Christ should be made flesh of a virgin, to undo by his own blood the ancient sin and give back life to the world: by his help we beseech thee to absolve from all offences the soul of our brother (or sister) N., set free from the prison of this muddy matter. Let it suffer no snares of the demons that meet it, for whose sake thou didst send thine only Son to earth. Deliver it and absolve it from the fierce fire of burning hell, setting it in the delights of paradise. Let it not feel, most loving Father, what burns in the flames, what shrieks in the pains, and what shudders in the darkness; but, forestalled by the gift of thy bounty, may it be worthy to escape the judgement of vengeance and enjoy the happiness of blessed rest and eternal light. Through Christ.

Another prayer, with "Let us pray". To thee, O Lord, we commend the soul of thy servant N., that, being dead to the world, he may live to thee; and whatever sins he has committed through the frailty of his worldly life, do thou wipe away by the pardon of thy most merciful goodness. Through Christ.

After the Burial

¶ These said, the psalm Miserere (Psalm 51, Vulgate 50) is said, with the antiphon Rest eternal. Then the priest says in the hearing of all: Our Father, for his soul, N., and for the souls of those whose bones rest in this churchyard or elsewhere, and for the souls of all the faithful departed. And lead us not. But deliver us.

From the gate of hell. Deliver their souls, O Lord.

Deliver not, O Lord, unto the beasts the souls that confess thee. And forget not the souls of thy poor for ever.

The Lord be with you. Let us pray. O God, by whose mercy the souls of the faithful rest: graciously grant to thy servants, men and women, here and everywhere resting in Christ, pardon of their sins, that, absolved from all guilt, they may rejoice with thee without end. Through the same Christ our Lord.

¶ Afterwards the clerks, returning from the grave, say the seven Penitential Psalms, or the psalm De profundis (Psalm 130, Vulgate 129), with the antiphon Rest eternal, followed by the Kyries, the Lord's Prayer and the suffrages, as above.