I Haue sent you a small token of my no smal loue, a paire of plaine Beades, together with the expli­cation thereof. The^(a) Prophet Da­uid vsed to sing certaine spirituall Ditties or Songs to his Harpe, with [Page 4]which melodie, hee so appeased the spirit of furie, wherewith King Saul was possessed, and grieuously tor­mented: that notwithstanding hee was so incensed against Dauid, that he would haue slaine him: hee was faine to forbeare, for the great ease hee enioyed by his melodie yea and whilest hee sang in his presence, he had no power to execute his wic­ked purpose vpon him, as if he had enchaunted him by the sweetnesse thereof, as indeede it seemed to doe. These Songs are called Psalmes of Psallo a latine word, which in english signifieth to sing, because they were sung to the Harpe, and the whole number of them, are called Dauids Psalter. They are re­gistred amongst the Bookes of Ca­nonical Scripture, and accounted a principall part thereof so myste­rious, that they are appliable and [Page 5]correspondent to all the affections and motions of our minde what­soeuer. They are spirituall Manna, ^(b) hauing the taste of euery good thing we can desire: In regard whe­reof a certaine Father affirmeth, whatsoeuer is contayned in all the other Bookes of holy Scripture, by way of Prophecie, Doctrine, or Ex­ample; is comprised in this by way of spirituall Songs, and prayses of God, the seuerall Verses whereof are, as it were, so many iaculatorie darts cast vp to heauen; and there­fore they are altogether vsed in the Church-Seruice and in the Office of our blessed Lady, commonly called the Primmer, and in the Manuall of Prayers, as a most soueraigne and sanctified deuotion to please God, and appease the furie of our ghostly [Page 6]enemie the Deuill, who like ano­ther Saul seeketh the destruction of our soules. The number of theses Psalmes are one hundred and fiftie, and are called, as I said before, the Psalter of Dauid.

To the imitation of this holy Psalter, the Church hath ordained another diuine Psalter, called the Psalter of Iesus, cōmonly set in the latter end of the Manuall of Prayers consisting also of the like number, that is to say, fifteene Petitions, with ten Inuocations to each Peti­tion. And to the same imitation, the Church hath instituted yet another Psalter, of our blessed Lady, the glo­rious Virgin Mary, commonly called the Rosarie or Psalter of our blessed Lady, or the Beades, consisting of the like number of Aue Maries, and is diuided into three parts, each part consisting of fiftie Aue Maries, [Page 7]wherevnto are added fiue Pater no­sters, to wit, one betweene euery ten Aue Maries, and a Creede at the end.

This Psalter is nothing inferior vnto the other two: but rather so much the more soueraigne, by how much more excellent the wordes and mysteries thereof are: The Pa­ter noster for sanctitie and pithynesse no Prayer comparable vnto it, pro­ceeding from the sacred mouth of Christ, ^(a) and instituted by him as a generall forme of Prayer.

The Aue Mary, indited by the most blessed Trinitie, in heauen, and brought as an Ambassage, vnto the earth by the Arch-angell Gabriel, (b) for most ioyfull tydings of the Re­demption of Mankinde, the blessed Virgin Mary being saluted and ho­nored with the miraculous Mother­hood [Page 8]of the VVorlds Redeemer.

The Creede contayneth the twelue principall articles of our Faith, wherevpon as most certaine and infallible foundations, our holy Catholike beliefe (without which,^(a) it is vnpossible to please God) is built, and erected, and was com­posed by the twelue Apostles, each of them making one seuerall Arti­cle, which in regard thereof, is cal­led in Latine, S [...]mbo [...]um Apostolorum, that is to say, The Shot of the Apostles, alluding to an Ordinarie, whereas euery one of the Commensals lay downe their shot or share. And as this Creed is a geuerall Summe of all our beliefe: so are the Pater noster, and Aue Marie, generall formes of prayer and praisings of God, which may be applyed to all the particular affections and motiōs of our minde, [Page 9]whatsoeuer wee desire to obtaine at the hands of Almightie God, as the Psalter of Dauid may. And as our Sa­uiour Christ commended the Pater noster vnto vs, saying: When you pray, pray thus, Our Father. &c. So our bles­sed Lady in her Hymne of Magnifi­cat, commended the Aue Marie vnto vs, saying: For, behold from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed: for with what words, I pray you, can wee more properly and pleasingly to God and Her, call her blessed, then by the Aue Marie, wherewith­all the Angell Gabriel was sent from Heauen to salute her so, as afore­said?

The mysterie of the number of prayers in this holy Rosarie or Psalter is this: In the old Law,^(a) before the comming of Christ, euery Fif­tieth yeere was a yeere of Iubile, [Page 10]wherein there was a generall for­giuenesse of all debts, crimes, and grieuances whatsoeuer, and a redu­cing of all things to their former qualitie and state: in which all grie­uances being redressed, the whole earth did seeme to reioyce, and clap her hands, and therefore had the appellation of the yeere of Iubile, or Iubilation, that is to say, of exceeding ioy and iubilation: and this was in­deed a figure of the most ample re­mission of sinnes in the new Law, by the Death and Passion of Christ Iesus, expressed more plainly by the descending of the holy Ghost (the Fountaine of Grace and Remis­sion of sinnes) vpon the Apostles and Disciples of Christ, Fiftie dayes after his Death and Resurrection, vpon the feast of Pentecost or Whit­sunday, so called, in regard of the number of fiftie dayes.

Wherefore by the number of fiftie Aues Maries, whereof the third part of the said Psalter consisteth, is aptly signified remission of sinnes. By the fiue Pater nosters, is signified the fiue principall wounds of Christ, which fiue wounds may bee resembled to those Cities of refuge in the old Law,^(a) as it were, places of San­ctuarie for all Offenders to flie vnto for refuge against their persecuting Foes, either spirituall or corporall. By the ten Aue Maries betweene the Pater nosters, is signified the ten Commandements. By the Creede is signified the Catholike Faith or Be­liefe, out of which there is no salua­tion, or possibilitie of pleasing God, as aforesaid: So that all this put together signifieth thus much, whē we say this holy Psalter. Wee desire that by the keeping of the ten [Page 12]Commandements signified by the ten Aue Maries, betweene the Pater nosters, We being of the Catholike Faith or Beliefe, signified by the Creede, in the vertue of the fiue wounds and death of Christ, signi­fied by the fiue Pater nosters, wee may obtaine remission of our sinnes signified by the fiftie Aue Maries, the number of remission of sinnes, as aforesaid. Besides this, the Church addeth her Benediction or Sanctifi­cation to the Beades whereupon they are said, wherewithall I haue caused yours to bee hallowed, to make them (being otherwise but plaine) more precious vnto you.

That the Church hath such au­thoritie, you need not doubt, it being the vse in the old Law^(a) to blesse or hallow, not onely the Temple and Altars, but also all [Page 13]Vestments & Vtensils belonging to the seruice of God. And Saint Paul saith (a) that Creatures are or may be sanctified by the Word of God and Prayer, especially that which is authorised and appointed by the Church of God to that end, as this of the Beades is. Moreouer, if there be any vertue in wordes (as cer­tainly there is) and if wordes can enchaunt Serpents, as it appeares they can, out of the prophet Dauid (b) and many naturall experiences there are of the same. Then surely it is piously to be thought, that Al­mightie God is pleased to bee, as it were, enchaunted with these most soueraigne prayers deuoutly re­hearsed, & hath caused our blessed Lady and his Saints to bee so like­wise: and no maruaile, though he make himselfe subiect herevnto,⁸ [Page 14]when he said to his seruant Moyses, (a) Let me goe that my fury may be an­grie against this people: as if Moyses had forceably with holden him.

This Rosarie or Psalter of our blessed Lady, is adorned with fif­teene most pious and deuout Medi­tations, to wit, of the fiue ioyous, fiue dolorous, and fiue glorious mysteries of our blessed Lady, well knowne to most Catholikes and vsed accor­dingly, with sundrie other kindes of godly and deuout Meditations: amongst which I lighted of late vpon certaine most deuout and an­cient Meditations in latine, called Rasarium aureum, the golden Rosarie, which, in my opinion, doth very well deserue that name. These haue I translated into English meeter, & sēt vnto you to stirre vp & sweetnē your deuotion so much the more.⁹

If you obiect the Aue Mary, pro­nounced by the Angell Gabriel, is no prayer but only a falutation? I answer, The Church hath made it an expresse Prayer, by adding vnto the Salutation of the Angell, these words: Holy Mary mother of God, pray for vs sinners, now, and in the boure of our death. Amen. Which thing, suppo­sing the doctrine of the Inuocation of Saints to bee true, Shee may law­fully doe, and hath great reason to doe vnto our blessed Lady as a ge­neral prayer for all vies especially, considering the Salutation was in­tentionally said as a prayer, before: and was more then insinuated for such by our Sauiour Christ vpon the Crosse, saying to our blessed La­dy of Saint Iohn^(a) Woman, behold thy Sonne: and to him of her, Behold thy Mother: by which wordes he [Page 16]commended her mystically, not onely to Saint Iohn, but also to all others in him, that are Iohns by grace and loue of God, as hee was by name, as a Mother of interces­ssion to God for them, and they as children confidently to entreat it at her hands.

If your conceit suggest vnto you, It is a dishonour to God to pray vn­to his Mother? answer vnto it, No more dishonour, then to desire one anothers prayers here on earth, which is to the greater honour of God, commanded and commended vnto vs in his sacred Word. If it vrge, The Saints know not our prayers? answer, They reioyce at the conuersion of a Sinner: There­fore they know the same. If the often repetitiō of the same prayers seeme vaine? answere. It is full of mysterie and holy meditation, as is [Page 17]before declared; which mysterious­nesse, together with the often repe­tition, doe maruailously incite the soule to feruour and deuotion, if it bee done with due attention. The Angels vse the repetition of Holy, holy, holy. ^(a) Our Sauiour Christ, went three seuerall times together into the Garden and prayed (as the text saith) the same Prayer. In the 135. Psalm. the Prophet Dauid repea­teth in euery verse, for his mercy en­dureth for euer. If one may vse often repetitiō of one thing in the prayse of God, Why not in prayer? This being so, this holy Psalter of the Beades cannot be but a most accep­table seruice and deuotion to God, and to our blessed Ladie the glo­rious Virgin Marie the Mother of of God, and to all the Court of Heauen. And to our enemie the [Page 18]Deuill a great confusion, chasing him out of our hearts, or at least repressing and much appeasing his deadly assaults and temptations a­gainst vs, as that Psalter of Dauid did, as aforesaid, which was in­deed, a liuely figure of this.

Before euery Meditation following say the first part of the Aue Marie till you come to Iesus: Then say the Medi­tation in verse: then the other part of the Aue Marie in order as it lyeth.

IT is said in the Gospell, that wee must pray alwayes: and Saint Paul exhorteth vs to pray without inter­mission. The meaning of which wordes is not, that wee should doe nothing else but pray, for that wee cannot, nor ought not to doe. The meaning therefort of these places of holy Scripture, is, that wee should pray at certaine set times,^{(a) (b)} [Page 35]without omission or intermission. Such times did the Prophet Dauid set to himselfe, as appeareth by his owne wordes: In the euening and mor­ning or at mid-day, Will I declare or set forth thy prayse: and, Psal. 118. v. 164. hee saith, hee did the like seuen times a day.

Our holy Mother the Church, hath ordayned for Religious and Ecclesiasticall persons, a certaine set Office or Seruice to bee said to God, in euery houre of the day and night that so they may seeme to pray al­wayes or without intermission, as aforesaid. But because it were hard and ouer burdensome to pray eue­ry naturall houre of the day and night, which are in number twen­tie foure, Shee hath put three natu­rall houres into one houre,^(a) calling it a Canonicall or Ecclesiasticall [Page 36]houre, and of these there are but eight in a day and night. For euery of which eight houres Shee hath ordayned a seuerall Seruice or Offi­ce of prayer and praysing of God At mid-night Shee hath ordained that to bee said, which we call the Ma­tins: At three a clocke after mid­night, the Laudes: At sixe a clocke in the moning, the Prime: At nine a clocke, the Third: At twelue, the Ninth: At six, the Euen-song, At nine, the Compline, so that by this meanes they seeme to pray alwayes or with­out intermission, according to the exhortation of the holy Scripture, as aforesaid. Thus doe Religious & Ecclesiasticall persons serue God night and day, and doe by their pro­fession binde themselues thereunto, and this is the publike or common Seruice and prayer of the whole Church dispersed thorowout the [Page 37]world, whereof all such as are members of the Church are parta­kers, wheresoeuer they are, though not present thereat, but more espe­cially and effectually if they bee corporally present. And that is the reason why denout people resort to Churches vpon Sundayes and Holy dayes, and many weeke dayes also, not onely to heare Masse, but also Matins and Euen-song.

Lay people are not bound to anie such forme of continuall prayer or seruice; but because it is a godly and deuout exercise to imitate Reli­gious and Ecclesiasticall persons herein, and maketh them so much the more effectually partakers thereof (it being the publike Prayer or Seruice of the Church) by how much the more deuoutly they imi­tate the same: Therefore the Church hath also ordained a certaine short, [Page 38]but verie sweet Office or Seruice for them to say also, after the same method or order, called the Office of our blessed Lady, or the Primmer, consi­sting of those seuerall eight houres, aforesaid. to wit, Matins, Laudes, Prime. Third, Sixt, Ninth, Euen­song, Compline. Such a booke (deare sister) I haue sent you, whereby you may serue our Lord Iesus Christ and his blessed Mother the glo­rious Virgin Mary, euery our of the day and night, as aforesaid, and so purchase the daily and hourely blessings of God. Not that I would haue you say these seuerall Seruices in their proper seuerall houtes, but to say them all at two times in the day, in the Morning and Euening for your Matins and Euen-song, as the cu­stome is. Or if you cannot conue­niently say them at those times, [Page 39]then at such times as you can: And if you cannot conueniently say thē at all, make no scruple to omit thē, for none are boūd but such as binde themselues.

Moreouer, besides the saying of these houres, to the imitation of Religious persons, that so you may seeme to pray alwayes or without intermission, as aforesaid: you may make another singular benefit by way of Meditation, according to the Pictures set downe and prefi­xed at the beginning of euery houre, to which end they are set there.

At your Matins you may medi­tate of the Annunciation or Salu­tation of our blessed Ladie by the Archangell Gabriel. At Laudes of our blessed Ladies visitation of her cousin Saint Elizabeth. At Prime, of the Natiuitie or birth of Christ. [Page 40]At Third, of the Circumcision of Christ, and of his blessed Name Iesus. At Sixt, of the Purifica­tion of our blessed Ladie, and Presentation of Christ in the Tem­ple. At Ninth, of the Adoration of the three Kings and their gifts. At Euen-song, of the flight of our blessed Ladie and Saint Ioseph into Egypt with little Iesus. At Compline, of our blessed Ladies glorious As­sumption body and soule into Hea­uen. These, with the seuerall cir­cumstances thereof, are most sweet Meditations, fit to be vsed eue­ry day, and would be very com­fortable vnto you, if you knew them perfectly, and were well in­structed therein. And in these exer­cises you shew your selfe, as it were, one of our blessed Ladies especiall Hand-maides, or Wayting-women, attending vpon her daily [Page 41]and hourely in this Office or Serui­ce of hers, for such Shee hath and must haue, as appeareth in the first Psalme of the second Nocturne at Matins, vers. 15.16. and 17. and it is the fourth Psalme in your Primmer.

VVHen our blessed Father Saint Benedict departed this life, the very same time, two religious men saw him ascend into heauen in a rich Robe, with bright Lamps shining round about him, & a Man of a bright and venerable as­pect [Page 43]standing ouer him, who said vnto them, while they were gazing on him: This is the way which the beloued of our Lord, Benedict, ascendeth into Heauen.

By this way mystically is vnder­stood his religious Rule, or course of life, which he instituted and be­gan, and prescribed vnto his Disci­ples. In this way, not onely Saint Benedict himselfe, but also all his Disciples and Followers haue wal­ked, and doe still walke as in a most readie and beaten way to heauen. In this way haue walked fortie sixe Popes (for so many haue theree beene of this holy Order or Rule) Emperors, foure: Empresses, twen­tie two: Archbishops, one thousand sixe hundred: Kings, fortie: Queens, fiftie one: Children of Kings, one hundred fortie sixe: Abbots being Doctors, fifteene thousand seuen [Page 44]hundred: Dukes, Marquesses, and Earles, two hundred fortie fiue: A­postles or Cōuerters of Kingdomes and Countries, thirtie; whereof our England was one, Saint Gregorie the Great Pope, and one of the foure principall Doctors of the Church, sending thirtie Religious Monkes of the Order of Saint Benedict, who conuerted it, and established Ca­tholike Religion therein, in that perfection that it was called the Garden of Christendome, and Dowrie of our blessed Lady, the most glorious Virgin Mary. Saint Gregorie being of the same Order himselfe, and the glorie, not onely of his owne Order, but of the vni­uersall Church, and for that cause was surnamed the Great: and of ve­nerable Bede called the Apostle of the English Nation. Of this holy Order of Saint Benedict were also [Page 45]of militarie Orders of Knights, for the defence of the Gospell by the sword, sixe. Of Religious Orders twelue principall, besides diuers other lesser, all branches of the holy Order of Saint Benedict, whereof there were in the world of Mona­steries of Men, thirtie thousand: & of Women one thousand and fiue hundred; who illuminated & filled all the westerne Church with lear­ning and vertue: it being the onely Religious Order that was extant in the westerne Church, the first fixe hundred yeeres after their begin­ning, which was about eleuen or twelue hundred yeeres agoe.

Vnto this Religious Order, the Dominicans, Franciscans, and Iesuites, three famous Orders of Religion, are in some part to attribute their beginnings, Saint Dominicke was giuen to his barren mother, by the [Page 46]prayers of Saint Dominick Abbot, of the Order of Saint Benedict, whose name for that cause his Parents im­posed vpon him. Saint Franeis con­ceiued the first proiect of his reli­gious course, in a Monasterie of the Order of Saint Benedict. Saint Igna­tius (for so he is now newly cano­nized) receiued the first sparkes of his religious spirit, in a famous Mo­nasterie of Saint Benedict in Spaine, called Monteseratta. Of this Order there were of canonized or appro­ued Saints, Fiftie fiue thousand fiue hundred and ten, in the time of Pope Iohn the two and twentieth, which was lōg agoe, besides infinite others holy Men and reputed Saints. And we haue had fiue or sixe glorious Martyrs in these our dayes of our small number here in England, Fa­ther Roberts, one of the first that were sent hither in Mission, being [Page 47]one: (so happily did they begin) nei­ther did any one hitherto (thankes bee to God) fall or miscarry, so hap­pily haue they gone forwards.

The glorie of the children is to bee attributed, a great part of it, to the Parents The branches, buds, blos­soms and fruit of a Tree vnto the Roote. Of all these aforesaid & infi­nite others, our most blessed Pa­trone Saint Benedict is the Father, the Founder, the Roote. All these went the way of blessed Saint Bene­dict, & so doe likewise all those who ioyne themselues vnto him in this holy Fraternitie or Societie of his, ordayned for lay people, that are deuoutly affected vnto the Order, as I vnderstād you are one. Reioyce therefore and bee glad in our Lord Iesus, and in his glorious seruant Saint Benedict, that you are a blos­some or bud of such a Tree, that [Page 48]hath so replenished Heauen and Earth with such noble Fruit, that you are a Childe of such a Father, and haue such and so many worthy Brethren and Sisters in heauen and earth, those in Heauen being readie to draw you vnto them, by the gol­den chaines of their intercession & merits: and those on Earth, to lift you vp with their charitable and brotherly assistāce, in what they cā: these on Earth being bound so to doe, as long as you are of their fra­ternitie, & walke with them in the way that our blessed Father Saint Benedict did; and they in Heauen out of their respectiue charitie can doe no lesse.