f. 184.) This holiday surpasses incomparably the mass-days of all the other saints: so much as this holy maiden, God's mother, is not to be compared with all other maidens. This festal day is yearly to us, but it is continual with the inhabitants of heaven. On this heavenly queen's ascent, the Holy Ghost gave glory in hymns; thus asking: Who is this that here ascends like the rising dawn; as beauteous as the moon, as choice as the sun, as terrible as a warlike band? The Holy Ghost wondered, for he caused, that all heaven's inhabitants wondered (at) this virgin's upward journey. Maria is more beauteous than the moon, because she shineth without intermission of her brightness. She is choice as the sun with rays of exalted power, because the Lord, who is the sun of righteousness, chose her for a parent. Her journey is comparable with a warlike band, because she was with heavenly potentates escorted, and with companies of angels.

19❝S. Ambrose speaketh thus to the water of Baptisme; O aqua, quæ humano aspersum sanguine, &c. O thou water, that haste washed the worlde, stained with man's bloude. O thou water, that deservedst to be a sacramente of Christe. Thou beginnest, thou fulfillest the perfite mysteries, &c. Muste we needs thinke, bicause S. Ambrose thus speaketh unto, and calleth upon the water, that, therefore, either the water had eares, and hearde him; or Christe himself was there corporally present in the water?" Bishop Jewel's Replie unto M. Hardinges Answeare. Lond. 1566. p. 398.

20Nec mirum, quidem, si nostrates tarde adeo, et tam pigre ad sanctorum imagines adorandas ve

nerint, cum parcius sub hoc seculo (8. sc.) ad eosdem ipsos preces effudisse dicitur. Est enim mihi Psalterium Davidis sub temporibus Niceni Concilii II. vel mox inde, ut conjicitur exaratum: in quo ad finem uniuscujusque Psalmi, et singularum sectionum Psalmi CXIX. habetur oratio, (numero scil. 171.) nec inter eas omnes reperitur una aliqua ad Sanctorum aliquem designata, nec qua nomen divæ Virginis, vel Apostolorum alicujus, aut inferioris alterius Sancti meminit. Haud nego, tamen, veteres ipsos Saxones nostros, alias, cruces, (ut Alexandrini olim sub infantia Ecclesiæ,) Christianitatis symbolum, alias, Sanctorum imagines, ad memoriam, ornamentum, reverentiam, et exemplum pietatis exhibuisse. Vide donum Inæ Regis Occid. Sax. infra hic in ann. Dom. 725.

Crebra fuit sub hoc tempore, (Canut. R. A. D. 1032. aut circ.) beatæ Virginis, et Sanctorum invocatio, quam et in Litania publica (tertio repetitam) jam invenio, proxime post imploratam sanctæ Trinitatis misericordiam, vir. Sancta Maria ora pro nobis. Sancta Dei genitrix ora pro nobis. Sancta Virgo virginum ora pro nobis. Sequitur etiam ad archangelos, et cœlestium animarum cœtum reliquum nominatim provocatio, more hodierno in Romana Ecclesia." Spelman. Conc. I. pp. 218, 537.

The Psalter of which Sir Henry Spelman speaks in the former of these extracts was published by his son in 1640. The learned editor thus mentions the prayers to which his father alludes. "Cum vero in Codice nostro, itemque in MS. Collegii Trinitatis, ad finem Psalmi uniuscujusque optimæ reperiuntur preces, in animum Psalmi cujusvis

compositæ, nos, quamvis ad linguæ Saxonicæ notitiam, nihil prorsus conducant, eas tamen publicandas æquum duximus. Tum ut librum ipsum fideliter recitemus, tum ut antiquioris Ecclesiæ Anglicanæ praxin synceram ob oculos ponamus, quæ sub illo tempore, ut videtur, nec beatorum animas, nec beatissimam Virginem Mariam, nec crucem Domini adorandas docuit. Namque inter preces plus minus centum et septuaginta, ne minima quidem intercessio reperitur, nisi quæ soli Deo, ipsique immediate præstatur.

In his concessions, Sir Henry appears to have been somewhat too liberal; especially since he cites no authority for them, besides King Ina's grant to Glastonbury; which he has printed in p. 227. Of this instrument he has observed, that the year of our Lord and that of the indiction do not agree in it. There are also other internal marks of forgery, and it is notorious that monastic forgeries of this kind are almost innumerable. With reference to crosses and images, however, there is no occasion to be particular with Ina's alleged grant; for it does not mention such things. The notice taken of them is found in a piece of history appended to the grant, and not claiming a coeval date. In this historical notice, we are told, that Ina lined a chapel at Glastonbury with gold and silver plates, and that his images, with all other of his gifts, were upon a scale of corresponding magnificence. It is needless to say any thing more of his liberality, or to shew the little value of such accounts, as evidences of iconolatry in the time of Ina.

" Utan biddan nu þær eadize I þær zerælize

mæden maɲian þæt heo ur zepinzie to hype azenum runa to hyne reyppende hælende crirte re pe zepylt ealna pinza mid fæder

mid halzan zarte· á on ecenerre. Amen. (Bibl. Bodl. MSS. Junii 22. Ex Hom. in Purif. S. Mariæ.) Come, pray now that blessed and that happy maiden Maria, that she would intercede for us to her own Son, and to her creator, Jesus Crist; who ruleth (over) all things, with the Father and with the Holy Ghost, for ever and ever. Amen.

Mine zebroðra þa leofertan uton clypian mid ringalum benum to pæne halzan zoder meder· þæt heo ur on uɲum neadþearƑnýssum to hýɲe bearne zedinzie. Hit is spÿde zelearlic þær he hype miccler dinger tipian pylle re pe hýne rýlfne zemedemode þær he puph hi for middan earder alyrednesse to mennircum menn acenned puɲde. se þe æfre is god buton anzinne nu þuɲh-punað on anum hade roð man

rod zod· á on ecenerre spa spa zehpilc man punað on raple

on lichaman an man spa íɲ crist zod y man an hælend· se þe leofað nixað mid fæder 7 halzum zarte on ealɲa porulda poɲuld abutan ende. Am. (Ex eod. cod. f. 189.) My beloved brethren, come call with continual prayers to the holy mother of God, that she would intercede for us in our necessities to her child. It is very credible that he will yield to her great intercession, who demeaned himself, that he, through her, for the world's redemption, was born among human beings: who is ever God without beginning, and now continueth in one person, true man and true God, for ever and ever: even as every man liveth in soul, and in body, one man, so is Crist, God and man, one Saviour; who liveth

and reigneth with the Father, and the Holy Ghost, world without end. Amen.

It is worthy of remark, that the second extract in note 15, upon this Sermon, an extract so plainly levelled against unscriptural statements, is thus followed in the MS. Uton nu zeoɲnlice biddan þa eadigan maɲian þe nu to dæi pær ahafen zeuFerod bufon engle pnýmne heo ur pinzie to þam ælmıhtızan zode re pe leofað ɲixað on ealna populda populd. Amen. Come, now, earnestly pray the blessed Maria, who, to-day, was raised and exalted above the majesty of angels, that she would intercede for us to the Almighty God, who liveth and reigneth world without end. Amen. But then it is manifest, from the position of this last passage, at the very end of the homily, that it is not unlikely to be the addition of an age subsequent to that in which the body of the homily was written.

"It must appear obvious, that individual usage was likely to pave the way in this as in other instances for public innovation. In the case, however, of invoking saints, this conclusion is confirmed by the ancient Portiforium Oswaldi, in the MS. library of C. C. C. C. (No. CCCXCI.) already cited. At the end of this interesting volume, which contains such numerous proofs, that the public prayers of our ancient Church addressed God only, is a series of prayers invoking saints, but attached to no particular services. Hence it seems not an unreasonable conjecture, that they were provided for the private use of persons who had acquired a taste for the Italian fashion of calling upon the dead. It should be remarked of this MS. that po