your sayde diocesse. And þ^t likewise al priestes, and other ecclesiastical ministers, in their Masses, and other diuine seruices, may continually pray to almighty God, so to extend his holy hande ouer her maiestie, the kynges highnes, and this whole Realme, as this thyng beinge by his omnipotent power graciously thus begonne, may by the same be well continued and brought to good effect, to þ^e glory of his name. Whereunto albeit we doubt not, ye would of your selfe haue had speciall regarde without these our letters, yet for the earnest desire wee haue, to haue this thyng done out of hande, & diligently continued, we haue also wrytten these our letters, to put you in remembraūce. And so bidde your Lordship moste hartely wel to fare. From Westminster the. xxvii. of Nouember. 1554.

¶ Your assured louing frendes.

S. Winton Cancel. Arundel. F. Shrewesbury. Edward Darby. Henry Sussex. Iohn Bathon. R Rych Thomas Wharthō. Iohn Huddylston. R. Southwel.

A prayer made by D. weston, Deane of Westminster, and deliuered to the children of the Quenes maiesties gramer schole there, and sayd by them daily, morning, and euening, for her Maiestie.  

Commentary     Close

Three prayers made for the safe delivery of Mary's child were moved from where they had been printed in 1563 to bring them into the correct chronological position within the narrative. Foxe also deleted the Latin original of the first of these prayers, that made by Hugh Weston, which had been printed in the 1563 edition, from subsequent editions. Weston's prayer (1563, p. 1015; 1570, p. 1653; 1576, p. 1410; 1583, pp. 1480-81) was a printed text circulated by the government; Foxe declared (only in 1563) that it was 'Imprinted by Iohn Cawode'.

[Back to Top]

IVste Domine deus, qui propter primæ mulieris pia culum, communem omnibus fæminis seueram & ineuitabilem maledictionem denunciasti, et imposuisti: nempe vt in peccatis conciperent, grauidæ, multis & magnis crnciatibus subiacerent, & tandem cum vitæ periculo parerent: Quæ sumus pro tua immensa bonitate, proq̀ inexhausta misericordia, huius legis edictū mitiga. Quiescat paululum ira tua, & Reginam nostram Mariam iam partum enitentem, tuæ gratiæ sinu foue. Adiuua eam vt sine periculo vitæ dolorem superare, prolem corpore elegantem, animo nobilem, iusto tempore valeat parere, quo, post angustiæ oblita, cum gaudio miserationis tuæ gratiā celebret, teq̀ tuumq̀ nomen nobiscum bendicat in secula seculorū. Oramus, obsecramus, obtectamur. Audi domine, & exaudi, ne dicant fidei & ecclesiæ tuæ hostes: vbi est deus eorum? That is in Englysh.

O Moste righteous Lorde God, whiche for the offence of the first womā, hast threatned vnto al womē, a cōmē, sharp, & ineuitable malediction, & hast enioyned them that they should conceaue in synne, and being conceiued, should be subiect to many and greuous tormētes, and finally be deliuered with the daunger and ieoperdie of their lyfe: We beseche the, for thyne exceading great goodnes and bottomles mercie, to asswage and mitigate the straightnes of that lawe, and to embrace into the bosome of thy fauoure and mercy, our moste gratious Quene Mary, being nowe at the pointe of her deliueraunce. So helpe her,that without daunger of her lyfe she may ouercome the sorowe, and in due season bryng forth a chylde, in body beautiful and comely, in minde noble and valiant. So that afterward she forgetting the trouble, may

with ioye laude and prayse the bountifulnes of thy mercy and together with vs prayse & blesse both thee and thy holy name, worlde without ende. This (oh Lord) we desire thee, we beseche thee, and moste hartely craue of thee. Heare vs oh Lorde, and graunt vs our peticion: Let not the enemies of thy fayth,and of thy church say: Where is their God? Amen.

¶ Imprinted by Iohn Cawode. &c.

A deuout praier, for the prosperous state of our soueraigne Lord and Lady, Philip and Mary by the grace of God, kynge and Quene of Englād, Fraūce. &c. that God may many years preserue thē, & also make the Quenes maiestie a glad mother of a fayre chylde.  

Commentary     Close

The second prayer (1563, pp. 1015-16; 1570, pp. 1653-54; 1576, pp. 1410-11; 1583, p. 1481) seems also to have been officially inspired, although there is no sign that it was printed.

O Most mightye Lord god, which regardest the prayer of the humble, and despisest not their request, bow downe from thine high habitation of the heauens, the eyes of thy mercy, vnto vs wretched sinners bowing þ^e knees of our hartes, and with many & depe sighes, bewayling our sinnes and offences, humblye with eyes intent, and handes displayed praying, and beseching thee, with the shilde of thy protection, to defend Mary thy seruaunt, and our Quene, who hathe none other helper but thee, and whome through thy grace thou hast willed to be conceiued with childe: and at the tyme of her trauaile, graciously with the help of thy right hand, deliuer her, and from al daūger with the childe in her conceaued, mercifully preserue. It hath semed good in thy sighte, mercifull father, by thy seruaunt Mary, to worke these wonders, that is to saye: in her handes to vanquyshe, and ouerthrow the stout enemy, and to deliuer vs thy people out of the hand of heretikes, infidels, enemies to the, and to the crosse of thy beloued sonne Iesus Christ that of thy seruaunt thou myghtest speake, in farre countries. Therfore for these wonderful workes, which thou doest to thy seruants, thou art magnified Lord God for euer. And we thy people blesse the, the god of heauen, which hast wrought vpon vs this great mercy, and hast excluded frō vs the heritike, the enemy of truth, the persecuter of thy churche. We knowe we knowe, that we haue greuouslye Lorde sinned, that we haue bene deceaued by vanity, and that we haue forsaken the our god. Our iniquityes be multiplied vpon oure heade, and our sinnes be increased vp to heauen, and we our selues haue offended, and our princes, and our priestes for these our sinnes haue deserued an hipocrite to our prince: our sins haue deserued a tirante to our gouernoure, that shoulde bringe our life to bitternes. we be not worthye to haue so gentle and merciful a quene, so godly a ruler, and finally so vertuous a prince at