Sarum Pontifical (Maskell) (Sarum use, as printed by Maskell)

Preliminary Directions

¶ [Reconstruction note: this is the Sarum text that Maskell prints in Monumenta Ritualia Ecclesiae Anglicanae, 2nd edition (1882), vol. 2, "Celebratio ordinum" and "Consecratio electi in episcopum", taken from the Salisbury pontifical. His notes are not translated here; they supply the Winchester, Bangor and Exeter readings used for the other Maskell versions.]

¶ At the celebration of orders in Advent and at the other times of the year, those to be ordained shall be warned in the morning or before that they have made a pure confession of their sins, and that those who wish to be in the order of priesthood prepare themselves for communion. Let all also provide the sacred vestments needful for them, and see that they have a fitting tonsure.

¶ When orders are held, first let there be a sermon if it please [the bishop]; afterwards let the following inhibitions be made, if they are general orders and it please the bishop, to the terror of those who would enter wrongfully.

On the part of God Almighty, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost, and under pain of the greater excommunication, we forbid that anyone bound by the impediments written below, contrary to the decrees of the holy fathers, [should thrust himself into orders ...]

First therefore, secondly, and thirdly, we warn and forbid under pain of anathema that any man thrust himself forward to be ordained unless his person has first been examined, with his title, and he has been enrolled, written below, and called. Let no one either, conscious of mortal sin, or excommunicate, or suspended, receive orders unless he first confess to one having power and be duly absolved. And lest the irregular, who are barred from orders by the sacred canons, be ignorant [of it], we have thought good to specify them one by one and in order.

Whosoever is a homicide. Item, a burner of churches, or one who breaks into them with violence. Item, an advocate in a cause of blood, or one notoriously perjured. Item, an executioner of cruel tortures in public administrations. Item, a simoniac, who has obtained any benefice or title unlawfully, or has so entered religion. Item, a contriver or abettor of simoniacal bargains. Item, an apostate from the faith or from religion, not reconciled. Item, one who [has received orders] from heretical and schismatic bishops, not having the grace of the apostolic see, [or] who knowingly received other orders [from such]. Item, one [ordained] under a false or feigned title, or who has made a bargain with his presenter concerning such title, to restore it to him after he is ordained, or otherwise not to trouble him on account of it; or who has promised an annual pension or any temporal emolument to his presenter, or to him who procures his promotion, under any colour whatever. Item, one promoted per saltum to other orders. Item, one previously married, unless he do it in a case allowed by law. Item, no one who, knowingly excommunicate, received other orders and presumed to minister in those received. Item, a bigamist, or the husband of a woman defiled. Item, a violator of virgins consecrated to God. Item, no sorcerer, or necromancer, or teacher or abettor of forbidden arts. Item, one suffering from the falling sickness, or epilepsy, or lunacy, or other incurable disease, or maimed in body. Item, one illegitimate, unless he has been sufficiently dispensed. Item, a born serf, without the knowledge and will of his lord. Item, no one of another diocese unless he has letters dimissory and also a sufficient title. Item, we forbid that anyone receive the order of subdeacon unless he be eighteen years of age; of deacon, twenty; of priest, twenty-four, and have reached his twenty-fifth year. Item, no religious not professed in law or in fact. Item, no beneficed curate who has not been ordained priest within a year from the time of taking the cure and gaining peaceful possession, unless by dispensation, which he has also rightly used according to the constitution "Cum ex eo". Item, no one without a true title, or whose title has been reduced to no title, unless by special grace.

[All and each of whom, so long as] the aforesaid impediments continue, we command, under pain of the greater excommunication above [written], to abstain from receiving such orders until they have been sufficiently dispensed.

¶ And let good care be taken of every mutilation of the limbs of those to be ordained in holy orders. Let them not be hunchbacked, or maimed, or otherwise faulty in body, because of the scandal [of the people].

¶ It is to be known that the bishop, throughout the whole year, on Sundays, or feasts of apostles, and other doubles, when he celebrates mass, may if he will and need be ordain acolytes, one or two, and few or seldom. But he may not by law, nor ought he, ordain the same man acolyte and subdeacon on the same day. For now in the Church the four minor orders, that is, doorkeepers, readers, exorcists, and the acolytate, are conferred together, which formerly in the primitive Church was done separately. And then it was lawful to give one of those minor orders, that is, the acolytate, on the same day with [the subdiaconate ...]

¶ [Let those to be ordained be warned] that they depart not before the end of the mass.

¶ The holy fathers of old used to call the least order great. It is read in the life of Saint Martin that when the blessed Hilary, bishop of Poitiers, wished to make him a deacon, he did not consent, reckoning himself unworthy of so great a degree; yet he scarcely consented to be made an exorcist. Whence it is greatly to be wondered at, and more to be lamented, how in these days men ascend within a year from the lay state to the highest state of the priesthood, when they ought to minister for at least a whole year in every order received, and exercise themselves, so that as worthy and proved they may deserve to ascend to higher things, since no one becomes highest of a sudden. If then it is not lawful to confer the acolytate and subdiaconate on the same day, much more is it not [lawful to confer] the subdiaconate together with the diaconate, nor the diaconate and the priesthood, according to the decrees, since both ordainer and ordained would be grievously punishable alike.

¶ At the four times therefore, that is, on the Saturday in the third week of Advent, the Saturday in the first week of Lent, the Saturday in Whitsun week, which is the eve of holy Trinity, and that Saturday in September which follows the octave of the Nativity of blessed Mary after the feast of holy Cross, the bishop may generally celebrate holy orders. But if he be hindered at these times, and need be, he may minister holy orders on the Saturday before Passion Sunday, which is called "Sitientes", and on the Saturday which is the eve of Easter.

The Mass and the Presentation

¶ The celebration of orders on the Saturday of the four times. In Advent of the Lord. At mass, the Office [introit]:

Come and shew us thy face, O Lord, thou that sittest upon the cherubims, and we shall be saved.

¶ Psalm. Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, thou that leadest Joseph like a flock.

¶ While the office is sung, let those who are to be ordained acolytes be called by name; and when they have been called and brought in, let the prayer follow without The Lord be with you, but only with Let us pray; and let all the prayers be said without The Lord be with you, except the last before the epistle.

O God, who seest that we are afflicted by our own wickedness: mercifully grant that we may be comforted by thy visitation. [Through our Lord.]

¶ Then let the bishop sit before the altar, turned towards those to be ordained; and let the archdeacon, vested in a cope, humbly looking towards the bishop, address him with these words, saying them standing and as it were saluting the bishop, with note:

This holy Church asks, reverend father, that these men, fit for orders, be consecrated for her by your fatherhood.

¶ The bishop answers:

See that such be brought in by thee in nature, knowledge and manners; nay, that such persons be ordained by us in the house of the Lord, by whom the devil may be driven far off, and the clergy be multiplied to our God.

¶ The archdeacon answers:

So far as human examination reaches, they are held worthy in nature, knowledge and manners, so that, God willing, they can be made upright fellow-workers in these things.

¶ These being finished, let the bishop say this prayer publicly:

By the help of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, these our brethren here present have been chosen into holy orders by us and by the clerks serving this holy see: some to the office of priest, deacon or subdeacon, and some to the other ecclesiastical degrees. Therefore we admonish and ask both you clerks and the rest of the people, that ye would vouchsafe to intercede with the divine mercy for us and for them, with pure heart and sincere mind, that he may make us worthy to be heard for them, and may vouchsafe to choose and consecrate each of them in his own order by our hands. And if any man hath anything against these men, for God's sake and on God's behalf, let him come forth with confidence and say it; but let him be mindful of his own communion.

The Ordination of Doorkeepers

¶ [The archdeacon:] Let those who are to be ordained doorkeepers come forward.

¶ Then let them come forward immediately, before the lesson is read; and the bishop, sitting with the mitre, instructing them, shall say, without note:

It behoves the doorkeeper to strike the bell, to open the church and the sacristy, and to hold the book for him who preaches.

¶ And when they are ordained, let the bishop, rising, deliver to them the keys of the church, and let them receive them with both hands; and let the bishop say to them plainly, standing and without note (and if there are many, let them stand round about, and the bishop go round them):

So act as men who shall render account to God for the things that are locked up with these keys.

¶ Then let the archdeacon lead them to the door of the church, and deliver the door to them, the senior doorkeeper going before; and when they have returned, let the bishop say, with note, standing, the preface over them:

Dearly beloved brethren, let us humbly pray God the Father Almighty that he would vouchsafe to ✠ bless these his servants, whom he hath vouchsafed to choose into the office of doorkeepers; that they may have most faithful care by day and by night, for the marking of the appointed hours, for calling upon the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

¶ [The bishop turning to the altar: Let us pray. The deacon: Let us bow the knee. Arise.]

O Lord, holy Father, almighty, everlasting God, vouchsafe to ✠ bless these thy servants in the office of doorkeepers; that among the porters of thy Church they may render obedient service, and among thine elect may be found worthy to have a share in thy reward. [Through our Lord.]

¶ Let all the lessons be read with their titles.

The Ordination of Readers

¶ The first lesson. [Isaiah 19:20–22.]

In those days: They shall cry unto the LORD because of the oppressors, and he shall send them a saviour, and a great one, and he shall deliver them. And the LORD shall be known to Egypt, and the Egyptians shall know the LORD in that day, and shall do sacrifice and oblation; yea, they shall vow a vow unto the LORD, and perform it. And the LORD shall smite Egypt: he shall smite and heal it: and they shall return even to the LORD, and he shall be intreated of them, and shall heal them.

¶ Gradual. His going forth is from the end of the heaven, and his circuit unto the ends of it. ℣. The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.

¶ [The prayer:]

Grant, we beseech thee, Almighty God, that we who are bowed down under the yoke of sin by our ancient bondage may be set free by the new birth of thine only-begotten Son. [Through the same.]

¶ The prayer having been said, let the archdeacon say at once: Let those who are to be ordained readers come forward.

¶ Then let them come forward immediately, before the lesson is read; and let the bishop, sitting, say to them without note:

It behoves the reader to read [to him that preaches, and to sing the lessons, and to bless bread and the new fruits.]

¶ And standing, or going round, let him deliver to them the book of the divine lessons, which they shall receive between their hands, the bishop saying without note, and repeating it often if need be:

Receive, and be ye bearers of the word of God; if ye fulfil your office faithfully and devoutly, ye shall have part with them that have ministered the word of God.

¶ The preface of readers follows, with note.

Let us pray, dearly beloved, God the Father Almighty, that upon these his servants, whom he vouchsafeth to take into the order of readers, he would mercifully pour forth his ✠ blessing; that they may read distinctly the things that are to be read in the Church of God, and fulfil the same in their works.

¶ [Let us pray. Let us bow the knee. Arise.]

O Lord, holy Father, almighty, everlasting God, vouchsafe to ✠ bless these thy servants in the office of readers; that by diligence in reading they may be distinguished and ordered, and may both speak the things that are to be done and fulfil in deed the things that they speak; that in both they may serve the good of holy Church by the example of their holiness. [Through our Lord.]

The Ordination of Exorcists

¶ The second lesson. [Isaiah 35:1–7.]

Thus saith the Lord: The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose. It shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and singing: the glory of Lebanon shall be given unto it, the excellency of Carmel and Sharon, they shall see the glory of the LORD, and the excellency of our God. Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees. Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompence; he will come and save you. Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing: for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert. And the parched ground shall become a pool, and the thirsty land springs of water.

¶ Gradual. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun, which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber. ℣. His going forth is from the end of the heaven, and his circuit unto the ends of it.

¶ [The prayer:]

We beseech thee, O Lord, [that we] thy unworthy servants, [who are afflicted by the guilt of our deeds, may be gladdened by the coming of thine only-begotten Son.] [...]

¶ The third prayer having been said, let the archdeacon say: Let those who are to be ordained exorcists come forward.

¶ And let the bishop, sitting, say to them without note:

It belongs to the exorcist to cast out devils, and to say to the people, "Let him that does not communicate give place," and to pour out water in the ministry.

¶ [And let him deliver to them the book in which] the exorcisms are written, in the manner above, saying:

Receive, and commit to memory, and have ye power to lay hands upon the possessed, whether baptized or catechumens.

Dearly beloved brethren, let us humbly pray God the Father Almighty that he would vouchsafe to ✠ bless these his servants in the office of exorcists; that they may be spiritual commanders for casting out devils from bodies possessed, with all their manifold wickedness. [Through ...]

O Lord, holy Father, almighty, everlasting God, vouchsafe to ✠ bless these thy servants in the office of exorcists; that through the laying on of hands and the office of the mouth they may have power and command for restraining unclean spirits; that they may be approved physicians of thy Church, strengthened by the grace of healing and by heavenly power. [Through our Lord.]

The Ordination of Acolytes

¶ The third lesson. [Isaiah 40:9–11.]

Thus saith the Lord: O Zion, that bringest good tidings, get thee up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God! Behold, the Lord GOD will come with strong hand, and his arm shall rule for him: behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him. He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, [and shall gently lead those that are with young.]

¶ Gradual. Turn us again, O LORD God of hosts, cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved. ℣. Stir up thy strength, [and come and save us.]

¶ [The prayer:]

Grant, we beseech thee, Almighty God, that the coming solemnity of thy Son may bestow on us remedies for this present life [and the rewards of the life eternal. Through the same.]

¶ The fourth prayer having been said, let the archdeacon say in the manner above: Let those who are to be ordained acolytes come forward.

¶ Then let those who are to be ordained acolytes come forward, and let [the bishop] say [to them, sitting]:

It behoves the acolyte to carry the candlestick, and [to light] the lamps [of the church, and to minister wine and water for the eucharist.]

¶ Here also he may inform them more expressly of the four preceding orders, which are comprehended under the name of the acolytate, though they are four in number, as is contained at the beginning of the book. And then let them receive from the bishop the candlestick with the taper, one with one hand and the other with the other, the bishop saying to them:

Receive the candlestick with the taper, that ye may know that ye are appointed to light the lamps of the church.

¶ Let them receive also an empty cruet from the archdeacon, the bishop saying to them in the manner above:

Receive the cruet, for supplying wine and water for the eucharist of the Blood of Christ.

Dearly beloved brethren, let us humbly pray God the Father Almighty that he would vouchsafe to ✠ bless these his servants in the order of acolytes; that, bearing visible light in their hands, they may also show forth spiritual light in their manners; by the help of our Lord Jesus Christ, [who with him and the Holy Ghost liveth and reigneth.]

O Lord, holy Father, almighty, everlasting God, who by Jesus Christ thy Son and his apostles didst send into this world the light of thy brightness; and who, that thou mightest blot out the ancient handwriting [of our death], didst will that he should be fastened to the most glorious standard of the cross, and that blood and water should flow from his side for the salvation of mankind: vouchsafe to ✠ bless these thy servants in the office of acolytes; that for the kindling of the light of thy Church, and for the supplying of wine and water for the making of the Blood of Christ thy Son in the offering of the eucharist, they may faithfully minister at thy holy altars. Kindle, O Lord, their minds and hearts to the love of thy grace, that, enlightened by the countenance of thy brightness, they may faithfully serve thee [in holy Church. Through the same.]

O Lord, holy Father, almighty, everlasting God, who didst speak to Moses and Aaron that the lamps should be lit in the tabernacle of witness: vouchsafe to ✠ bless and ✠ sanctify these thy servants, that they may be acolytes [in thy Church. Through our Lord.]

Almighty and everlasting God, fountain of light and source of goodness, who by Jesus Christ thy Son, the true light, hast enlightened the world, and hast redeemed it by the mystery of his passion: vouchsafe to ✠ bless and ✠ sanctify these thy servants, whom we consecrate in the office of acolytes, beseeching thy mercy that thou wouldest enlighten their minds with the light of thy knowledge, and water them with the dew of thy loving-kindness; that they may so fulfil the ministry received, by thy help, that they may be found worthy to attain unto an everlasting reward. Through the same Lord.

¶ The fourth lesson. [Isaiah 45:1–8.]

Thus saith the LORD to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have holden, to subdue nations before him; and I will loose the loins of kings, to open before him the two leaved gates; and the gates shall not be shut; I will go before thee, and make the crooked places straight: I will break in pieces the gates of brass, and cut in sunder the bars of iron: and I will give thee the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, that thou mayest know that I, the LORD, which call thee by thy name, am the God of Israel. For Jacob my servant's sake, and Israel mine elect, I have even called thee by thy name: I have surnamed thee, though thou hast not known me. I am the LORD, and there is none else, there is no God beside me: I girded thee, though thou hast not known me: that they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none beside me. I am the LORD, and there is none else. I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things. Drop down, ye heavens, from above, and let the skies pour down righteousness: let the earth open, and let them bring forth salvation, and let righteousness spring up together; I the LORD have created it.

¶ Gradual. Stir up thy strength, O Lord, and come [and save us]. ℣. Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, thou that leadest Joseph like a flock; thou that dwellest between the cherubims, shine forth [before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh].

¶ [The prayer:]

Mercifully hear, we beseech thee, O Lord, the prayers of thy people; that we who are justly afflicted for our sins may be comforted by the visitation of thy loving-kindness. Who livest and reignest.

¶ The fifth lesson. [The Song of the Three Holy Children, 23–28.]

[And the king's servants, that put them in, ceased not to make the oven hot ...] so that the flame streamed forth above the furnace forty and nine cubits. And it passed through, and burned those Chaldeans it found about the furnace. But the angel of the Lord came down into the oven together with Azarias and his fellows, and smote the flame of the fire out of the oven; and made the midst of the furnace as it had been a moist whistling wind, so that the fire touched them not at all, neither hurt nor troubled them. Then the three, as out of one mouth, praised, glorified, and blessed God in the furnace, [saying:]

¶ Gradual. Blessed art thou, O Lord God of our fathers: and to be praised and glorified for ever.

¶ Verse. And blessed is thy glorious and holy name. ¶ Choir. And to be praised and glorified for ever.

¶ Verse. Blessed art thou on the holy throne of thy kingdom. ¶ Choir. [And to be praised and glorified for ever.]

¶ Verse. Blessed art thou on the sceptre of thy divine kingdom. ¶ Choir. [The same.]

¶ Verse. Blessed art thou that sittest upon the cherubims. ¶ Choir. [The same.]

¶ Verse. Blessed art thou that walkest upon the wings [of the wind and upon the waves of the sea]. ¶ Choir. And let them praise and glorify thee for ever.

¶ Verse. Let the heavens, the earth, the sea, and all [that are therein] bless thee. ¶ Choir. [The same.]

¶ Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. ¶ Choir. And praise and honour, power and dominion [for ever].

¶ Verse. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, [world without end. Amen.]

O God, who didst assuage the flames of fire for the three children: mercifully grant that the flame of vices may not burn us thy servants.

Hear, we beseech thee, O Lord, the prayers of thy suppliants, and keep with perpetual defence them that serve thee with devoted heart; that, hindered by no troubles, we may ever render free service to thine offices. Through [our Lord].

¶ And let them be said under one Through our Lord.

¶ The prayer having been said, or the memorials finished, the bishop, [calling the acolytes to him, shall instruct them concerning their office,] exhorting them to do well and to pray for him, and [laying on them] something definite if he will; and let him enjoin on them the Hours of the Blessed Virgin Mary to be said daily to the end of their life; and they kiss his hand. [Then let the archdeacon say:] Let those who have been ordained acolytes withdraw.

The Ordination of Subdeacons

¶ [The archdeacon:] Let those who are to be ordained subdeacons come forward.

¶ In the manner above. Then let the bishop, sitting, say to them:

It behoves the subdeacon to prepare the things needful for the ministry of the altar, and humbly to minister to the deacon.

¶ The subdeacons therefore coming forward, when they are ordained, because they do not receive the laying on of hands, shall receive from the hand of the bishop the empty paten and the empty chalice; and from the hand of the archdeacon they receive a full cruet with the ewer, that is, a towel, the bishop saying to them:

See whose ministry is delivered to you.

¶ [And let him add:]

Therefore, if hitherto ye have been slow to come to church, from henceforth ye must be diligent; if hitherto drowsy, henceforth watchful; if hitherto drunken, henceforth sober; if hitherto unseemly, henceforth chaste. Therefore I admonish you so to show yourselves that [ye may be able to please God.]

¶ The preface of subdeacons, with note, standing.

Let us pray God and our Lord, dearly beloved brethren, that upon his servants, whom he hath vouchsafed to call to the office of subdeacon, he would pour forth his ✠ blessing and grace; that, serving faithfully in his sight, they may obtain the rewards predestined for the saints; by the help of our Lord Jesus Christ.

¶ [Let us pray. Let us bow the knee. Arise.]

O Lord, holy Father, almighty, everlasting God, vouchsafe to ✠ bless these thy servants, whom thou hast vouchsafed to call to the office of subdeacon; that thou mayest set them in thy holy sanctuary as diligent and careful watchmen of the heavenly host, and that they may faithfully minister at thy holy altars; and may the spirit of wisdom and understanding rest upon them, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and godliness; and fill them with the spirit of thy fear, and strengthen them in the divine ministry, that, obedient in deed and ready at thy word, they may obtain thy grace. Through our Lord, in the unity [of the same].

The Maniple, Tunicle and Epistle

¶ Then let him deliver to each of them the maniple on the left arm, [saying:]

Receive the maniple; fulfil thy ministry; for God is able to increase grace unto thee: who liveth [and reigneth, God, world without end.]

¶ At the end let the bishop say to each: [Peace be with thee.]

¶ For putting on the tunicle let the bishop say:

The Lord clothe thee with the garment of salvation, and compass thee ever with the robe of righteousness.

¶ That being finished, let the epistle to the Thessalonians be read at once. [2 Thessalonians 2:1–8.]

Brethren, we beseech you, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, that ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things? And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy [with the brightness of his coming.]

¶ Tract. Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, thou that leadest Joseph like a flock. ℣. Thou that dwellest between the cherubims, shine forth before Ephraim [and Benjamin and Manasseh]. ℣. Stir up thy strength, O Lord, and come, [and save us.]

¶ The tract having been sung, let the bishop enjoin on them the canonical hours to be said daily for the whole term of their life. And let the archdeacon enjoin on them something definite for the state of the universal Church, and the tranquillity of the king and the realm, and the prosperity of the lord bishop; and for the souls of their fathers and mothers, and for the souls of all the faithful departed. And also let the lord [bishop] grant an indulgence of twenty days to all who hear their first [epistles].

¶ [The archdeacon:] Let those who have been ordained subdeacons withdraw; let those who are to be ordained deacons and priests come forward.

The Presentation of Deacons and Priests

¶ Let those who are to be ordained deacons and priests come forward together with their vestments; and, after the epistle has been read, let the deacons be called by name, and let the archdeacon present them to the bishop in the manner above.

¶ Then let the bishop, with his ministers, prostrate himself before the altar while the litany is sung by the choir. [Maskell's text gives the litany in full; its petitions agree in substance with the common English litany of the pontificals.]

The Litany

Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Christ, hear us.

O God the Father of heaven, have mercy upon us. Holy Trinity, one God, have mercy upon us.

Holy Mary, pray for us. Holy Mother of God, pray for us. Holy Virgin of virgins, pray for us.

Saint Michael, pray for us. Saint Gabriel, pray for us. Saint Raphael, pray for us. All ye holy Angels and Archangels, pray for us. All ye holy orders of blessed spirits, pray for us.

Saint John the Baptist, pray for us. All ye holy Patriarchs and Prophets, pray for us.

Saint Peter, pray for us. Saint Paul, pray for us. Saint Matthew, pray for us. All ye holy Apostles and Evangelists, pray for us. All ye holy disciples of the Lord, and Innocents, pray for us.

Saint Silvester, pray for us. Saint Gregory, pray for us. Saint Martin, pray for us. Saint Nicholas, pray for us. Saint Augustine, pray for us. All ye holy Bishops and Confessors, pray for us.

Saint Benedict, pray for us. Saint Maurus, pray for us. Saint Giles, pray for us. All ye holy Monks and Hermits, pray for us.

Saint Mary Magdalene, pray for us. Saint Agatha, pray for us. Saint Agnes, pray for us. [...]

From the desire of vainglory, deliver us, O Lord. From all uncleanness of mind and body, deliver us, O Lord. From anger and hatred and all ill will, deliver us, O Lord. From unclean thoughts, deliver us, O Lord. From blindness of heart, deliver us, O Lord. From lightning and tempest, deliver us, O Lord. From sudden and unprovided death, deliver us, O Lord. From all sin, deliver us, O Lord.

By the mystery of thy holy incarnation, deliver us, O Lord. By thy coming, deliver us, O Lord. By thy holy nativity, deliver us, O Lord. By thy holy circumcision, deliver us. By thy baptism and holy fasting, deliver us, O Lord. By thy death and burial, deliver us, O Lord. By thy glorious resurrection, deliver us. [...]

That thou wouldest spare us, we beseech thee to hear us. That thou wouldest vouchsafe to rule and defend thy holy Church, we beseech thee to hear us. That thou wouldest vouchsafe to preserve the lord apostolic, and our bishop, and all ecclesiastical orders in holy religion, we beseech thee to hear us.

¶ Here let the bishop rise and, holding the staff, turned towards those to be ordained, say:

That thou wouldest vouchsafe to ✠ bless these elect who are to be ordained, we beseech thee to hear us.

That thou wouldest vouchsafe to ✠ bless and ✠ sanctify these elect who are to be ordained, we beseech thee to hear us.

That thou wouldest vouchsafe to ✠ bless, ✠ sanctify and ✠ consecrate these elect who are to be ordained, we beseech thee to hear us.

¶ This done, let the bishop kneel again with the ministers until the end of the litany.

That thou wouldest vouchsafe to preserve our bishops and abbots in holy religion, we beseech thee to hear us. That thou wouldest vouchsafe to give to our king and our princes peace and true concord and victory, we beseech thee to hear us. That thou wouldest vouchsafe to preserve the congregations of all thy saints in thy holy service, we beseech thee to hear us. That thou wouldest vouchsafe to consecrate all Christian people redeemed by thy precious blood, we beseech thee to hear us. That thou wouldest render everlasting good things to all our benefactors, we beseech thee to hear us. That thou wouldest deliver our souls and the souls of our parents from eternal damnation, we beseech thee to hear us. That thou wouldest vouchsafe to give and preserve the fruits of the earth, we beseech thee to hear us. That thou wouldest vouchsafe to turn again the eyes of thy mercy upon us, we beseech thee to hear us. That thou wouldest make the service of our bondage reasonable, we beseech thee to hear us. That thou wouldest raise our minds to heavenly desires, we beseech thee to hear us. That thou wouldest vouchsafe to behold and relieve the miseries of the poor and of captives, we beseech thee to hear us. That thou wouldest give eternal rest to all the faithful departed, we beseech thee to hear us. [...]

That thou wouldest vouchsafe to strengthen us ourselves in thy holy service, we beseech thee to hear us. That thou wouldest vouchsafe to hear us, we beseech thee to hear us. Son of God, we beseech thee to hear us.

O Lamb of God, that takest away the sins of the world, hear us, O Lord. O Lamb of God, that takest away the sins of the world, spare us, O Lord. O Lamb of God, that takest away the sins of the world, have mercy upon us. Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.

The Ordination of Deacons

¶ The litany being ended, let the priests elect return to their places, the levites remaining. And let the bishop, sitting, say to them:

It behoves the deacon to minister at the altar, to baptize and to preach.

¶ Then let the bishop alone lay his right hand upon the head of each, because they are consecrated not to the priesthood but to the ministry; saying [secretly]: Receive the Holy Ghost.

¶ The preface over the deacons, the bishop standing.

Let us pray, dearly beloved, God the Father Almighty, that upon these his servants, whom he hath vouchsafed to take to the office of deacon, he would mercifully pour forth the grace of his ✠ blessing, and graciously preserve the gifts of the consecration granted; and mercifully hear our prayers, that what is to be done by our ministry he may graciously follow with his help; and that those whom, so far as we understand, we believe fit to be offered for the performing of the holy mysteries, he may ✠ sanctify with his blessing.

¶ The deacon: Let us bow the knee. Arise. The blessing of deacons, [the bishop] turning towards them.

Hear, O Lord, our prayers, and send forth upon these thy servants the spirit of thy ✠ blessing; that, enriched with the heavenly gift, they may be able both to obtain the grace of thy majesty and to give to others an example of good living.

¶ Reading in a low voice: Through our Lord Jesus Christ thy Son, who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the same Holy Spirit, God. [...]

The Consecration Preface

It is very meet and right, fitting and for our salvation, that we should at all times and in all places give thanks unto thee, O Lord, holy Father, almighty, everlasting God, giver of honours, distributor of orders and disposer of offices; who, abiding in thyself, makest all things new and orderest all things through thy Word, Power and Wisdom, Jesus Christ thy Son our Lord; by thine everlasting providence preparing them, and dispensing what is fitting for each several time; whose body, that is, thy Church, distinguished by a variety of heavenly graces and knit together by the distinction of its members, united by a wonderful law of the whole frame, thou grantest to grow and spread for the increase of thy temple; appointing the service of the sacred office to serve thy Name in three degrees of ministers; the sons of Levi having been chosen from the beginning, who, abiding in faithful watches in the mystical works of thy house, should possess by an everlasting lot the inheritance of eternal blessing. Upon these thy servants also, we beseech thee, O Lord, look graciously, whom we humbly dedicate to the office of deacon to serve thy sanctuaries. And we indeed, as men ignorant of the divine mind and of the highest reason, judge of their life as far as we can; but from thee, O Lord, the things that are unknown to us do not pass away, and secret things deceive thee not. Thou art the knower of secrets; thou art the searcher of hearts; thou art able to examine their life by heavenly judgement, who ever prevailest both to cleanse what has been committed and to grant what is to be done.

¶ Here, with his hand raised over their heads:

Send forth upon them, we beseech thee, O Lord, the Holy Spirit, whereby they may be strengthened by the gift of thy sevenfold grace for the faithful performing of the work of the ministry. Let the pattern of every virtue abound in them: modest authority, constant chastity, the purity of innocence, and the spiritual observance of discipline. Let thy commandments shine forth in their manners, that by the example of their chastity they may win the imitation of the holy people; and, showing forth the good testimony of conscience, may continue firm and steadfast in Christ, and by worthy advancement may be found worthy, through thy grace, to receive higher things from the lower degree.

¶ In a low voice, without note: Through the same our Lord. In the unity of the same.

The Stole and the Book of the Gospels

¶ Then let him put the stole on each over the left shoulder, saying:

In the Name of the Holy Trinity, receive the stole of immortality; fulfil thy ministry; for God is able to increase grace unto thee: who liveth and reigneth.

¶ After this let him deliver to each the book of the Gospels, saying:

In the Name of the Holy Trinity, receive power to read the gospel in the Church of God, as well for the living as for the dead. In the Name of the Lord.

¶ Let the ordained answer: Thanks be to God. The prayer follows.

The Lord be with you. ℟. And with thy spirit. Let us pray.

O Lord, holy Father, giver of the rewards of hope, faith, grace and all progress, who, by the ministries of angels everywhere set in heaven and on earth, spreadest abroad the working of thy will through all the elements: vouchsafe to enlighten these thy servants also with thy special regard; that, ready for thy service, they may grow up as pure ministers at thy holy altars, and, purer by thy pardon, may be found worthy of the degree of those whom thine apostles, with blessed Stephen as their leader and forerunner, by the authority of the Holy Spirit, chose to the number of seven; and, furnished with all the virtues with which thou oughtest to be served, they may be strong. Through our Lord. In the unity of the same.

The Dalmatic and the Gospel of the Day

¶ Then let him who is to read the gospel receive from the bishop the dalmatic, the bishop saying: The Lord clothe thee with the garment of salvation, and compass thee ever with the robe of gladness. Then, having asked a blessing, let him read the gospel. [Luke 3:1–6.]

Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judaea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of Ituraea and of the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias the tetrarch of Abilene, Annas and Caiaphas being the high priests, the word of God came unto John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness. And he came into all the country about Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins; as it is written in the book of the words of Esaias the prophet, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low; and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways shall be made smooth; and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.

¶ The gospel having been read, let the bishop enjoin the ordained to pray for him, and let him grant an indulgence of thirty days to all who hear their first gospels.

The Ordination of Priests

¶ Then, the Creed having been said, let the archdeacon say: Let those who have been ordained deacons withdraw; let those who are to be ordained priests come forward.

¶ And let the bishop, sitting, say to them:

It behoves the priest to offer, to bless, to preside, to preach, to consecrate and to baptize.

¶ Then, the bishop laying his hands upon their heads, let all the priests who are present lay their hands with him; and let the bishop say:

Let our common desire, our common prayer follow; that these, who by the prayer of the whole Church are prepared for the ministry of the priesthood, may shine in the order of the priestly blessing, and, resplendent in spiritual conversation, may shine by the grace of sanctification; through our Lord Jesus Christ, who with the Father and the Holy Spirit liveth and reigneth.

¶ The preface.

Let us pray, dearly beloved, God the Father Almighty, that upon these his servants, whom he hath chosen for the office of priest, he would multiply heavenly gifts; and that what they receive by his favour they may obtain by his help.

¶ The deacon: Let us bow the knee. Arise. The blessing.

Hear us, we beseech thee, O Lord our God, and pour forth upon these thy servants the ✠ blessing of the Holy Spirit and the power of spiritual grace; that those whom we offer to the sight of thy loving-kindness to be consecrated thou mayest follow with the everlasting bounty of thy gift.

¶ Reading in a low voice: Through our Lord. In the unity of the same.

The Consecration Preface

¶ Raising his voice, the right hand of the bishop and of the other priests being raised over them: Let us give thanks unto our Lord God.

It is very meet and right, fitting and for our salvation, that we should at all times and in all places give thanks unto thee, O Lord, holy Father, almighty, everlasting God, giver of honours and distributor of all dignities, through whom all things are perfected, through whom all things are made firm, [...] the increase of rational nature being ever enlarged for the better by an order disposed with fitting reason. Whence also the priestly degrees and the offices of the levites, instituted with mystical sacraments, have grown; so that, when thou hadst set high priests over the governing of the peoples, thou didst choose for the fellowship and help of their work men of a following order and of the second dignity. So also in the wilderness thou didst spread abroad the spirit of Moses into the minds of seventy wise men, using whom as helpers among the people he easily governed countless multitudes. [...] By this providence, O Lord, thou didst add to the apostles of thy Son teachers as companions of the faith, with whom they filled the whole world with second preachings. Wherefore, O Lord, we beseech thee, grant these helps to our infirmity also, who, the frailer we are, the more we need them. Grant, we beseech thee, Almighty God, to these thy servants the dignity of the priesthood; and renew in their inward parts the spirit of holiness; that they may hold the office of the second rank received from thee, O God, and by the example of their conversation may commend the strictness of good manners; let them be provident fellow-workers of our order; and let the pattern of all righteousness shine forth in them, that, being about to render a good account of the stewardship committed to them, they may obtain the rewards of everlasting blessedness.

¶ [Maskell's text includes here the clause on the sons of Aaron, Eleazar and Ithamar: So also thou didst pour forth upon Eleazar and Ithamar, the sons of Aaron, the fulness of their father, that the ministry of the priests might suffice for the saving sacrifices and the rites of more frequent offices.]

¶ Let it be ended in a low voice: Through the same our Lord. In the unity of the same.

The Stole and Chasuble

¶ Here let the bishop draw the stole over the right shoulder to the breast of each, saying:

Receive the yoke of the Lord; for his yoke is easy, and his burden is light. The Lord clothe thee with the stole of innocence.

¶ Then let him put on each the chasuble, folded upon the shoulders, saying:

Receive the priestly vesture, whereby charity is understood; for God is able to increase charity unto thee, and a perfect work.

The Consecration

¶ The consecration follows. The Lord be with you.

O God, author of all sanctification, whose is true consecration and full blessing: do thou, O Lord, pour forth the gift of thy ✠ blessing upon these thy servants, whom we dedicate to the honour of the priesthood; that by the gravity of their actions and the strictness of their living they may prove themselves elders, instructed in those disciplines which Paul set forth to Titus and Timothy; that, meditating in thy law day and night, they may believe what they shall read, teach what they shall believe, and practise what they shall teach; that they may show in themselves righteousness, constancy, mercy, fortitude and the other virtues; that they may give examples and confirm by admonition, and keep pure and undefiled the gift of their ministry; and by the service of thy people may transform bread and wine into the Body and Blood of thy Son by spotless blessing; and that, in inviolable charity, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ, in the day of the just and eternal judgement, with pure conscience, full faith, and full of the Holy Spirit, they may render their account. Through the same Lord. In the unity.

Veni Creator

¶ This prayer being finished, let him begin the hymn with a loud voice.

Come, Creator Spirit, visit the minds of thine own; fill with grace from on high the hearts which thou hast created.

Thou who art called the Comforter, gift of God most high, the living spring, fire, charity, and the spiritual anointing.

Thou sevenfold in thy gift, thou finger of God's right hand, thou duly promised of the Father, enriching our throats with speech.

Kindle light in our senses, [pour love into our hearts,] strengthening the weakness of our body with thy perpetual power.

Drive far away the enemy, and give us peace forthwith; so, with thee as our guide going before, may we shun all that is hurtful.

Grant that through thee we may know the Father, and know also the Son; and may believe at all times in thee, the Spirit of them both.

Praise be to the Father with the Son, and to the Holy Paraclete; and may the Son send us the gift of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

The Blessing and Anointing of the Hands

¶ The hymn being finished, all rising, let the bishop, standing, bless the outspread hands of those to be ordained:

Bless, O Lord, and sanctify these hands of thy priests, for consecrating the sacrifices which are offered for the sins and negligences of the people, and for blessing the other things that are necessary for its uses; and grant, we beseech thee, that whatsoever they bless may be blessed, and whatsoever they hallow may be hallowed; O Saviour of the world, who livest and reignest.

¶ Then let the bishop, sitting, anoint the hands of each with holy oil and chrism, making a cross from the right thumb to the left forefinger and from the left thumb to the right forefinger, saying:

Vouchsafe, O Lord, to consecrate and ✠ sanctify these hands by this anointing and our ✠ blessing; that whatsoever they bless may be blessed, and whatsoever they consecrate may be consecrated and sanctified. In the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Delivery of the Chalice and Paten

¶ Then let him deliver to each the chalice with wine and the paten with the host upon it, saying:

Receive power to offer sacrifice to God, and to celebrate masses, as well for the living as for the dead. In the Name of the Lord.

The Rest of the Mass

¶ Then: The Lord be with you. Let us pray. The offertory.

Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is holy, and having salvation. ℣. He shall speak peace unto the heathen: and his dominion shall be from sea even to sea, and from the river even to the ends of the earth.

¶ While the offertory is sung, let as many hosts be set out as suffice for the priests to be ordained to communicate.

¶ The secrets.

Look, we beseech thee, O Lord, with favourable countenance upon these offerings of the faithful; and since by our own merits we cannot, let these gifts rather commend us to thy coming. Through [our Lord].

Work, we beseech thee, O Lord, in thy mysteries, that we may offer these gifts to thee with worthy minds. Through [our Lord].

¶ Then let the bishop say the whole mass as far as the giving of the blessing; and after World without end, before the Agnus Dei, let the deacon say: Humble yourselves for the blessing. Then, the Body of Christ being laid upon the paten, let him turn to the people and, having taken the staff, give this blessing, or another suited to the season:

May the Almighty God bless you of his mercy, and pour into you the sense of saving wisdom. Amen.

May he nourish you with the teachings of the catholic faith, and make you persevering in holy works. Amen.

May he turn your steps from error, and show you the way of peace and charity. Amen.

Which may he vouchsafe to grant, whose kingdom and empire endure without end, world without end. Amen.

The blessing of God Almighty, the ✠ Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost, descend upon you and remain always. Amen.

¶ After the bishop's communion, let the priests come to communion.

¶ The communion. He rejoiceth as a giant to run his course: his going forth is from the end of the heaven, and his circuit unto the ends of it.

The Second Imposition of Hands

¶ Before the postcommunion is said, let the bishop lay his hands upon the head of each, saying:

Receive the Holy Ghost: whose sins thou dost remit, they shall be remitted unto them; and whose sins thou dost retain, they shall be retained.

¶ Then let him draw down the chasuble of each over the shoulders, kissing him and saying: The peace of the Lord be always with thee. And let the ordained answer: Amen. And let him commend himself to their prayers.

¶ The final blessing follows, with note, standing.

The blessing of God the Father, and of the ✠ Son, and of the Holy Ghost descend upon you; that ye may be blessed in the priestly order, and offer acceptable sacrifices for the sins and offences of the people to Almighty God, to whom be honour and glory, world without end. Amen.

¶ All things being finished, let the bishop set before them:

Since the thing that ye are about to handle is perilous enough, dearly beloved brethren, I admonish you that ye diligently and decently learn the order of the whole mass, and the consecration, and the fraction, and the communion, from other priests already taught, before ye presume to sing mass.

¶ Here let the bishop enjoin on the ordained priests to say nine masses, [of the Holy Ghost, of the Blessed Virgin and for the faithful departed,] and grant an indulgence of forty days to all who hear their first masses. Then the communion is sung and the postcommunion said.

The Prayers of the Mass for the Ordained

¶ The postcommunions.

We beseech thee, O Lord our God, that thou wouldest not suffer to be exposed to human perils those whom thou grantest to rejoice in divine fellowship. Through [our Lord].

Those whom thou refreshest with thy sacraments, O Lord, graciously raise up with continual help; that we may receive the effect of thy redemption both in the mysteries and in our manners. Through [our] Lord.

¶ Then: May the homage of my service please thee, O holy Trinity [...]; and the order is ended.

¶ Let this manner be observed in the celebrating of orders at all the times of the year, the lessons, graduals and prayers being changed according to the season.

The Decree of Election

¶ The decree which the clergy and people ought to confirm concerning the bishop elect.

To the venerable and holy N., metropolitan of the church of Canterbury, the clergy and people of the church of N., [with] due subjection. It is known to your fatherhood how long a time it is since, by divers events befalling, the church of N. has been widowed of its pastor and left without a ruler. This is known to pertain to the hurt not only of ourselves, but of you and of this whole diocese, since it is agreed that the care of the whole province is committed to the metropolitan. Therefore we have chosen N., priest of that our church, [...] and we pray your fatherhood that you would ordain him to be our bishop, that he may be able to preside over us in the Lord and to profit us by his doctrine. [...]

¶ [The rubric following prescribes the things to be prepared for the consecration: among them the chrism and oil, the staff, ring, mitre, gloves and sandals, and the book of the Gospels.]

The Examination of the Bishop Elect

¶ The consecration of the bishop elect. Let the elect be vested in priestly vestments with a cope, and be brought by the bishops of the province before the metropolitan, who sits before the altar; and let the metropolitan say:

The ancient institution of the holy fathers teaches and commands that he who is chosen to the order of bishop be first most diligently examined with all charity concerning the faith of the Holy Trinity, and be questioned on divers matters and manners which befit this governance and which are needful to be kept, according to the saying of the Apostle, Lay hands suddenly on no man; and also that he who is to be ordained be first heard how one appointed under this governance ought to behave himself in the Church of God; and that those who lay the hands of ordination on him may be blameless. By the same authority, therefore, and precept, we ask thee, dearly beloved brother, in sincere charity, whether thou wilt apply all thy prudence, so far as thy nature is capable, to the senses of divine Scripture?

¶ The elect answers: So I will, with all my heart, and consent in all things.

¶ Question. Wilt thou teach the people for whom thou art to be ordained, by words and by examples, the things which thou understandest from the divine Scriptures? I will.

¶ Question. Wilt thou reverently receive, teach and keep the ordinances of the orthodox fathers and the decretal constitutions of the holy and apostolic see? I will.

¶ Question. Wilt thou show subjection and obedience in all things to the holy church of Canterbury, and to me and my successors, according to canonical authority and the decrees of the holy pontiffs? ℟. I will.

¶ Here let him read the profession, as appears by the bull if it be had, and subscribe a cross upon the same bull with his own hand; but if not, let the profession be required in this manner:

In the Name of God. Amen. I, N., elect of such a church, and to be consecrated bishop by thee, reverend father N., archbishop of Canterbury, primate of all England, profess and promise that I will show in all things due and canonical obedience, reverence and subjection to thee and to the holy metropolitical church of Canterbury, and to thy successors canonically to be substituted in the said church of Canterbury, according to the decrees of the Roman pontiffs; and that I will be a helper of thy rights and of the aforesaid holy church of Canterbury, to defend, retain and preserve them, saving my order: so help me God and the holy Gospels of God. And all the aforesaid I confirm by subscribing with my own hand.

¶ Then let him subscribe with his own hand, making a cross.

¶ Wilt thou restrain thy manners from all evil, and, so far as thou canst with the Lord's help, change them to good? I will.

¶ Question. Wilt thou with God's help keep and teach chastity and sobriety? I will.

¶ Question. Wilt thou ever be given to divine business, and a stranger to earthly business and filthy lucre, so far as human frailty allows thee to be able? I will.

¶ Wilt thou keep humility and patience in thyself, and teach others likewise? I will.

¶ Question. Wilt thou, for the Lord's name, be affable and merciful to the poor and to strangers and to all in need? ℟. I will.

¶ Then let the consecrator say, with his voice somewhat lowered:

The Lord grant thee all these and other good things, and keep thee and strengthen thee in all goodness.

¶ And let all answer: Amen.

¶ Dost thou believe, according to the understanding and capacity of thy mind, the Holy Trinity, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, one God almighty, and the whole Godhead in the Trinity consubstantial, coeternal and co-almighty, of one will, power and majesty, creator of all creatures; from whom are all things, in whom are all things, through whom are all things that are in heaven and in earth, visible and invisible, bodily and spiritual? I assent, and so I believe.

¶ Dost thou believe each several Person in the Holy Trinity to be one God, true, full and perfect? I believe.

¶ Dost thou believe the Son of God himself, the Word of God, eternally begotten of the Father, consubstantial, co-almighty, equal to the Father in all things in his Godhead; born in time of the Holy Spirit from Mary ever virgin, with a reasonable soul; having two nativities, one eternal from the Father, the other temporal from his mother; true Lord and true man, proper and perfect in each nature; not adopted nor a phantom, but the one and only Son of God in two and of two natures, but in the singleness of one Person; impassible and immortal in his Godhead, but in his manhood suffering for us and for our salvation with true suffering of the flesh, and buried; and rising from the dead on the third day with true resurrection of the flesh; on the fortieth day after the resurrection, with the flesh in which he rose, and with his soul, ascending into heaven, and sitting at the right hand of the Father; thence to come to judge the quick and the dead, and to render to every man according to his works, whether they be good or evil? I believe.

¶ Question. Dost thou believe this Trinity to be not three gods but one God, almighty, eternal, invisible and unchangeable? I believe.

¶ Question. Dost thou believe the holy, catholic and apostolic, true, one Church, in which is given one baptism and the true remission of all sins? I believe.

¶ Question. Dost thou believe also the true resurrection of this same flesh which thou now bearest, and the life everlasting? I believe.

¶ Question. Dost thou believe also that of the New and Old Testament, of the Law and the Prophets and the Apostles, there is one author, the Lord almighty? I believe.

¶ Question. Dost thou anathematize every heresy that exalteth itself against this holy catholic Church? ℟. I anathematize it.

¶ Question. Dost thou believe that the bread which is laid upon the altar is, after the consecration, the true Body of Christ? ℟. I believe.

¶ Question. Likewise, that the wine, which is offered in the chalice mixed with water, is after the consecration the true Blood of Christ? ℟. I believe.

¶ Then let the consecrator say:

May this faith be increased unto thee by the Lord, unto true and eternal blessedness, dearly beloved brother in Christ.

¶ Let all answer: Amen.

The Opening of the Mass

¶ Then let the cantor begin the introit, and the mass proceed after the custom. After the first collect let the metropolitan say this for the elect:

Be present at our supplications, Almighty God, that what is to be done by the ministry of our lowliness may be fulfilled by the working of thy power. Through our Lord.

¶ The rest is sung after the custom as far as the alleluia or the last verse of the tract. Meanwhile the elect is vested with the sandals, tunicle, dalmatic and chasuble, and the bishops lead him before the altar, where the metropolitan, sitting, says to him:

It behoves a bishop to judge, to interpret, to consecrate, to confirm, to ordain, to offer and to baptize.

¶ And turning to those standing round, let him say:

Let us pray, dearly beloved, that the goodness of Almighty God, providing for the benefit of the Church, may grant to this man the bounty of his grace. Through [our Lord].

The Litany

¶ Then let the litany be sung, the metropolitan and the elect lying prostrate before the altar; and when it has come to the verse for the archbishop, the metropolitan, rising and turning to the elect, says:

That thou wouldest vouchsafe to ✠ bless this elect, we beseech thee to hear us.

That thou wouldest vouchsafe to ✠ bless and ✠ sanctify this elect, we beseech thee to hear us.

That thou wouldest vouchsafe to ✠ bless, ✠ sanctify and ✠ consecrate this elect, we beseech thee to hear us.

¶ And again he lies prostrate until the litany is ended.

The Book of the Gospels and the Consecration

¶ The litany ended, let two bishops place the book of the Gospels, open, upon the neck of the elect and between his shoulders, and let the metropolitan and all the bishops lay their hands upon his head, saying: Receive the Holy Ghost. Then let the metropolitan begin the hymn Veni Creator Spiritus; and when it is finished let him say:

Be favourable, O Lord, to our supplications, and, inclining the horn of priestly grace upon this thy servant, pour forth upon him the power of thy blessing.

¶ After the manner of a preface: World without end. The Lord be with you. Lift up your hearts. Let us give thanks unto our Lord God. It is meet and right.

It is very meet and right, fitting and for our salvation, that we should at all times and in all places give thanks unto thee, O Lord, holy Father, almighty, everlasting God, honour of all dignities that serve thy glory in sacred orders; O God, who, instructing Moses thy servant in the intimacy of secret converse, among other teachings of heavenly worship concerning the fashion of the priestly vesture also, didst command that Aaron thy chosen should be clothed in mystic robe in the holy rites; that posterity following might take the sense of understanding from the examples of those before, lest the instruction of thy teaching should be wanting to any age; since both among the ancients the very outward form of the signs obtained reverence, and among us the experience of the realities is more certain than the riddles of the figures. For the habit of that former priesthood is the adornment of our mind; and it is no longer the honour of garments that commends the high-priestly glory to us, but the splendour of souls; because those things also which then pleased fleshly eyes required rather that the things signified in them should be understood. And therefore, we beseech thee, O Lord, grant this grace to this thy servant, whom thou hast chosen for the ministry of the high priesthood: that whatsoever those veils signified in the brightness of gold, in the sparkle of jewels, and in the variety of manifold work, may shine forth in his manners and actions. Fulfil, O Lord, in thy priest the sum of thy ministry, and, furnished with the ornaments of all glorifying, sanctify him with the dew of heavenly ointment.

The Anointing of the Head

¶ Here let him pour chrism and oil upon his head in the form of a cross, saying:

Let thy head be anointed and consecrated with heavenly blessing in the pontifical order. In the Name of the ✠ Father, and of the Son, and of the ✠ Holy Ghost. Amen. Peace be with thee. ℟. And with thy spirit.

¶ Then let all the bishops anoint his head, and the metropolitan continue:

Let this, O Lord, flow abundantly upon his head; let this run down upon his lips; let this descend to the uttermost parts of his whole body; that the power of thy Spirit may both fill his inward parts and cover his outward. Let there abound in him constancy of faith, purity of love, sincerity of peace. Let his feet by thy gift be beautiful for preaching the gospel of peace, for bringing glad tidings of thy good things. Give him, O Lord, the ministry of reconciliation, in words and in deeds, in the power of signs and wonders. Let his speech and his preaching be not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power. Give him, O Lord, the keys of the kingdom of heaven, that he may use, and not boast of, the power which thou givest, for edification and not for destruction. Whatsoever he shall bind on earth, let it be bound also in heaven; and whatsoever he shall loose on earth, let it be loosed also in heaven. Whose sins he shall retain, let them be retained; and whose he shall forgive, do thou forgive. He that curseth him, let him be cursed; and he that blesseth him, let him be filled with blessings. Let him be a faithful and wise servant, whom thou, O Lord, mayest set over thy household, to give them meat in due season, and to present every man perfect. Let him be not slothful in care; let him be fervent in spirit. Let him hate pride, love humility, and never forsake it, overcome either by praises or by fear. Let him not put light for darkness, nor darkness for light; let him not call evil good, nor good evil. Let him be debtor both to the wise and to the unwise, that he may obtain fruit from the progress of all. Grant him, O Lord, the episcopal throne for the governing of thy Church and the people committed to him. Be thou his authority; be thou his power; be thou his strength. Multiply upon him thy blessing and grace, that, by thy gift ever fit for entreating thy mercy, he may by thy grace be devout. Through our Lord.

¶ In the unity of the same, let it be said in a lowered voice; and let them answer: Amen.

¶ Another prayer.

Holy Father, almighty God, who through our Lord Jesus Christ didst create all things from the beginning, and afterwards, in the end of the times, according to the promise which Abraham our father had received, didst found the Church also by the congregation of the saints, having ordained the things by which religion should be governed under the laws of discipline given by thee: grant that this thy servant may be worthy of thy ministries and of all offices to be faithfully fulfilled, that he may be able to celebrate the mysteries of the sacraments instituted of old, and may by thee be ✠ consecrated to the highest priesthood to which he is taken up. Let thy ✠ blessing be upon him, though it be stretched forth by our hand. Command him, O Lord, to feed thy sheep, and grant that, in the keeping of the flock committed to him, he may watch as a careful shepherd. May thy Holy Spirit, the divider of heavenly gifts, be present with him; that, as the elect teacher of the Gentiles instituted, he may be not wanting in righteousness, strong in kindness, abundant in hospitality; that he may keep readiness in exhortations, faith in persecutions, patience in charity, constancy in truth; that he may know how to hate heresies and all vices, and know not envyings. Suffer him to be gracious in judgements, and grant him to be acceptable. Lastly, may he learn of thee abundantly all things which he may teach thy people to their salvation. Let him reckon the priesthood itself a work, not a dignity. Let the increase of honour profit him also to the increase of merits; that, as by these he is now taken up with us into the priesthood, so hereafter he may be taken up with thee into the kingdom. [...]

¶ The blessing of the sevenfold Spirit, thus:

The sevenfold Holy Spirit come upon thee, and every blessing that is written in the holy Scriptures come upon thee. God the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit confirm thee, that thou mayest have life everlasting, and live world without end.

¶ After this let the choir sing this antiphon:

It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron's beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments. The Lord commanded the blessing for evermore.

¶ Psalm: Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! (Psalm 133). And after every verse of the psalm let the clergy repeat the antiphon. Then let the head of the elect be anointed again with chrism only.

The Anointing of the Hands

¶ Then let the consecrator anoint the hands of the elect, saying:

[...] be ordained to thee, the God of gods. I anoint these hands with oil sanctified and the chrism of unction purified; that, as Moses by the word of his mouth anointed the hands of holy Aaron his brother, and as the Holy Spirit by his breath anointed the hands of the holy apostles, so these hands may be anointed and sanctified and consecrated, that they may be perfect in all things in thy Name, Father, and Son, and eternal Holy Spirit, who art the one most high God of all the living and the dead, abiding world without end. Amen.

¶ This done, let him who is consecrated stretch out both his hands, one beside the other, before the consecrator; and let the consecrator, pouring chrism upon the hands, make a cross with his thumb, anointing from the right thumb to the left forefinger, and anoint the whole of them on the inner side, saying without note:

May God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who willed that thou shouldest be raised to the dignity of the pontificate, himself pour upon thee the chrism and the liquor of mystical anointing, and make thee fruitful with the abundance of spiritual ✠ blessing; that whatsoever thou blessest may be ✠ blessed, and whatsoever thou sanctifiest may be ✠ sanctified; and that the laying on of thy ✠ consecrated hands, or thumb, may profit all unto salvation. [Amen.]

¶ [The gloves.]

We entreat thy boundless mercy, almighty and most gracious God, that the hands of this thy servant, our brother, as they are outwardly covered with these gloves, so may inwardly be sprinkled with the dew of thy blessing; that whatsoever is to be blessed, sanctified or consecrated by them may by thee be blessed, sanctified and consecrated. Who livest and reignest with God the Father, in the unity [of the Holy Ghost].

¶ And let it be repeated for each, if there be several; then let the gloves be put on. Then the consecrator, having wiped his hands, blesses the pastoral staff.

The Staff, Ring, Mitre and Gospel

O God, upholder of human weakness, bless this staff; and what is outwardly signified by it, may the mercy of thy favour work inwardly in the manners of thy servant. Through [our] Lord.

¶ When the staff is given to the bishop, let the ordainer say:

Receive the staff of the pastoral office; and be thou tenderly severe in correcting vices, holding judgement without anger, soothing the minds of thy hearers in cherishing virtues, not forsaking the strictness of severity in tranquillity.

¶ The blessing of the ring.

Creator and preserver of mankind, giver of spiritual grace, bestower of eternal salvation: do thou, O Lord, send forth thy blessing upon this ring; that he who shall wear it may be armed with the power of heavenly defence, and that it may profit him to the salvation of mind and body. Through [our] Lord.

¶ For putting the ring on the finger.

Receive the ring, that is, the seal of faith; that, adorned with undefiled faith, thou mayest keep unblemished the spouse of God, that is, the holy Church of God.

¶ The blessing of the mitre.

May God, whose providence hath ordained that the mitre should adorn the head of a bishop, grant by the gift of his mercy that this ornament of the head may be turned, by the ministry of good works, to the adornment of the soul.

¶ When the mitre is given, let it be said:

May God, who hath willed that thou shouldest be distinguished with the honour of the pontifical mitre, mercifully grant that the things figured by the horns of the mitre thou mayest handle bravely and prudently, in heart and mouth, for the protection and salvation of thy soul. Through [our Lord].

¶ The mitre having been given, let him give him the book of the Gospels, saying:

Receive the gospel, and go, preach to the people committed to thee; for God is able to increase his grace unto thee; who liveth and reigneth.

¶ Then let the gospel be read, and the archbishop complete the mass he has begun.

The Proper of the Mass

¶ The secret.

Receive, O Lord, the gifts which we offer to thee for thy servant, that thou mayest graciously keep thy gifts in him. Through our Lord. [...]

¶ Within the canon.

This oblation therefore of our service, and of thy whole household, which we offer to thee also for thy servant, whom thou hast vouchsafed to advance to the order of bishop, we beseech thee, O Lord, graciously to accept, and graciously to keep thy gifts in him; that what he hath obtained by divine gift he may fulfil by divine effects.

¶ Postcommunion.

Work in us, we beseech thee, O Lord, the full remedy of thy mercy, and graciously make us such, and so cherish us, that we may be able to please thee in all things. Through [our] Lord.

Another Mass at the Ordination of a Bishop

¶ Collect.

O God, who preparest the wills of thy servants for the observance of an unspeakable sacrament: purify our hearts by thy gifts, that what is to be handled with holy devotion we may perform with sincere minds. Through [our Lord].

¶ Secret.

May this sacrifice, we beseech thee, O Lord, cleanse our offences, and sanctify the bodies and minds of thy subjects for the celebrating of the sacrifice. Through [our Lord].

¶ Within the canon.

This oblation therefore of our service, and of thy whole household, which we offer to thee also for thy servant, whom thou hast vouchsafed to advance to the order of bishop, we beseech thee, O Lord, graciously to accept, and graciously to keep thy gifts in him; that what he hath obtained by divine gift he may attain by divine effects.

¶ Postcommunion.

May this communion, O Lord, purge us from guilt, and make us partakers of the heavenly remedy. Through [our] Lord.

The Bishop's Mass on the Anniversary of his Ordination

¶ The office. O ye priests of the Lord, bless ye the Lord: O ye holy and humble men of heart, praise ye God. (In Eastertide: Alleluia.) ¶ Psalm. O all ye works of the Lord, bless ye the Lord: praise him, and magnify him for ever.

¶ Collect.

O God, by whose will the order of all ages runneth its course, look graciously upon me thy servant, whom thou hast vouchsafed to advance to the order of bishop; and, that my service may please thee, mercifully preserve thy gifts in me. Through [our] Lord.

¶ The epistle. [Hebrews 5:1–6.]

Brethren: Every high priest taken from among men is ordained for men in things pertaining to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins: who can have compassion on the ignorant, and on them that are out of the way; for that he himself also is compassed with infirmity. And by reason hereof he ought, as for the people, so also for himself, to offer for sins. And no man taketh this honour unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron. [So also Christ glorified not himself to be made an high priest; but he that said unto him, Thou art my Son, to day have I begotten thee.] As he saith also in another place, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.

¶ Gradual. I will also clothe her priests with salvation: and her saints shall shout aloud for joy. ℣. There will I make the horn of David to bud: I have ordained a lamp for mine anointed. Alleluia. ℣. I have laid help upon one that is mighty; I have exalted one chosen out of the people.

¶ In Septuagesima the tract: Blessed is the man that feareth the LORD, that delighteth greatly in his commandments. ℣. His seed shall be mighty upon earth: the generation [of the upright shall be blessed]. ℣. Wealth and riches shall be in his house: and his righteousness endureth for ever.

¶ The gospel. [John 10:11–16.]

At that time Jesus said unto his disciples: I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep. The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep. I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep. And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.

¶ Offertory. I have found David my servant; with my holy oil have I anointed him: with whom my hand shall be established: mine arm also shall strengthen him. (In Eastertide: Alleluia.)

¶ Secret.

To thee, O Lord my God, I offer the sacrifices of my devotion; I adore, and likewise entreat thy mercy, that thou wouldest accept me, made a sacrifice by the mortifying of the carnal life, for an odour of sweetness; and instruct me in manners agreeable to my profession; that by the ardour of holy compunction thou mayest separate me, whom thou hast set apart from the purpose of other men, from carnal conversation and from the uncleanness of earthly deeds, by holiness poured into me from heaven; that I may despise all earthly things and desire the heavenly. Through [our] Lord.

¶ Communion. Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them their portion of meat in due season? (In Eastertide: Alleluia, alleluia.)

¶ Postcommunion.

Receiving the bounty of thy gifts, O Lord, we humbly beseech thee that to those on whom thou hast bestowed the service of this ministry thou wouldest grant the ability to fulfil it by thy grace. Through [our] Lord.

¶ [Another mass of the bishop for himself on the day of his ordination, also given by Maskell:]

O God, who, not by my own merits supporting me but by the sole bounty of thine unspeakable grace, hast willed me to be set over thy household: grant me worthily to fulfil to thee the ministry of the priestly office, and fittingly to serve the ministries of the Church; and grant me, under thy protection in all things, to govern the people committed to me. Through [our Lord].

¶ Secret.

Keeping, O Lord, to the glory of thy Name the yearly feast of the priestly office, we offer to thee the sacrifice of praise, humbly beseeching that we, who unworthy serve thee in his ministry's stead, may by his prayers be made acceptable. Through [our] Lord.

¶ Within the canon.

This oblation therefore, which I, thy servant and priest, offer to thee because of the day on which thou didst vouchsafe to appoint me a priest in the sacred ministry, I beseech thee, O Lord, graciously to accept; wherefore I entreat thy majesty, that what thou hast vouchsafed to bestow upon me thou wouldest vouchsafe graciously to keep; and [order] our days [in thy peace].

¶ The blessing upon the people.

May God, who hath vouchsafed to promote me, unworthy and a sinner, to the pontifical office, enlighten and sanctify you with his blessing. Amen.

May he give me, by his grace, the ability to work well, and to you most ready obedience in his service. Amen.

And so grant you to be filled in this present life with spiritual teachings and good works, that he may bring you in, together with the rest of his sheep, to the pastures of eternal life. Amen.

Which may he himself vouchsafe to grant. [Amen.]

¶ Postcommunion.

Let the hearts of thy faithful, we beseech thee, O Lord, be filled with thy consolations; and let them give thee thanks both for the chief pastor of the Church and for the fulness of their desires.