sægþ seo boc ; Se ðe husel forhylt . oððe hit forlyst . oððe mis eton . oððe oðre nytenu . sceawa þa pœnitentialē . hwæt he sægð be þisum ; Eal swa halig is ðæt husel ðe bið gehalgod to dæg . swa ðæt ðe bið gehalgod on ðam halgan easter dæge ; Healdaþ forþig ic bidde þone halgan Cristes lichaman mid maran wisdome to seocum mannum fram sunna dæge to sunnan dæge on swiþe clænum boxe . oððe be ðam mæstan feowertyne niht . and ðicgaþ hit þonne . & lecgað ðær oþer ; We habbaþ by sene be ðam on Moyses bocum . swa swa God sylf bebead on Moyses æ . ðæt se sacerd sceolde on ælcum sæternes dæge wettan twelf hlafas on ðam tabernaculo ealle niwe bacene . ða wæron gehatene Panes propositionis . and hig sceoldon ðær standan on ðam Godes getælde oð oþerne sæternes dæg . & etan hi ðonne ða sacerdas sylfe . & settan ðær oþre ; Sume preostas nellað ðicgan ðæt husel ðe hi halgiað ; Nu wille we eow secgan . hu seo boc segð be þam ; Presbyter missam celebrans . & non audens sacrificium accusante conscientia sua anathema est ; Se mæsse preost ðe mæssaþ . and ne dear ðæt husel ðicgan . wat hine scyldigne . se is amansumod ; Læsse pleoh is to digenne ðæt husel . ðonne to halgienne ; Se ðe tuwa halgað ane ofletan to husle . se bið ðam gedwolan gelice . ðe an cild fullaþ tuwa ; Crist sylf gehalgod husel ær his ðrowunge . he bletsode ðone hlaf . & tobræc ðus cweþende to his halgum apostolum . etaþ þisne hlaf . hit is min lichama : and he eft bletsode ænne calic mid wine . and cwæþ heom ðus to . drincaþ ealle of þisum . hit is min agen blode ðære niwan gecyðnysse . ðe bið for manegum agoten on synna forgyfenysse ; Se drihten þe halgode husel ær his ðrowunge . and cwæþ þ^t se hlaf wære his agen lichama . and þæt win wære witodlice his blod . se halgaþ dæghwamlice þurgh his sacerda handa hlaf to his lichaman . & win to his blod on gastlicere geryne . swa swa we rædaþ on bocum ; Nebiþ se liflica hlaf lichamlice swa þeah se ylca lichama . ðe Crist on þrowode ; Ne þæt halige win nis þæs hælendes blod þe for us agoten wæs on lichamlican þinge . ac on gastlicum andgyte ; Ægþer bið soþlice se hlaf his lichama . & þ^t win eac his blod swa swa se heofonlica hlaf wæs . ðe we hataþ manna . ðe feowertig geara afedde Godes folce . & þæt hlutre wæter wæs witodlice his blod . ðe arn of ðam stane on ðam westene ða ; Swa swa Paulus awræt on sumon his pistole Omnes patres nostri eandē escam spiritualem manducauerunt : & omnes eundē potū spiritualem biberunt. & c. Ealle ure fæderas æton on ðam wæstene þone ylcan gastlican mete . & þone gastlican drenc druncon ; Hi druncon of þam gastlican stane . & se stane wæs Crist ; Se apostol sæde swa swa ge nu gehyrdon ðæt hi ealle æton ðone ylcan gastlican mete . and hi ealle druncon ðone gastlican drenc ; Ne cwæð he na lichamlice . ac gastlice ; Næs Crist ðe gyt geboren . ne his blod næs agoten . þa þæt Israhela folc geæt ðone mete . & of ðam stane dranc . & se stan næs lichamlice Crist ðeah he swa cwæde ; Hit wæron ða ylcan gerynu on þære ealdan æ . & hi gastlice getacnodon ðæt gastlice husel ures hælendes lichaman. ðe we halgiaþ nu .

[Back to Top]

MarginaliaAn Epistle of Ælfricke to Wulfstane, touching the sacrament of the Lordes Supper. SOme Priestes fill their boxe for housel on Easter day, and so reserue it a whole yere for sicke men, as thoughe that housel were more holy thē any other. But they do vnaduisedly, because it waxeth hory, or altogether rottē by keping it so long space: and thus are they become gilty, as the boke witnesseth to vs. If any do kepe þ^e housell to long or lose it or myse or other beastes doe eate it, see what the pœnitentiall booke sayth by thys: So holye is altogether that housell, whiche is hallowed to daye, as that whiche is hallowed on Easter day. Wherfore I beseche you to keepe that holy body of Christ with more aduisement: for sicke men, frō Sonday to Sonday, in a very cleane boxe: or at the most not to keepe it aboue a fortnight, and then eate it, laying other in the place. We haue an example hereof in Moyses bookes, as God hymselfe hath commaunded in Moyses lawe, how the Priestes should set euery Saterday, twelue loaues all new baked, vpon the tabernacle: the whiche were called Panes propositionis: and those shoulde stand there on Gods tabernacle, till the next Saterday, and then dyd the Priestes thē selues eate thē, and set other in the place. Some Priests will not eate the housell, whiche they do hallowe: But wee wil nowe declare vnto you how the booke speaketh by thō. Presbyter missam celebrans, & non audens sumere sacrificium, accusante conscientia, anathema est. The Prieste that doth saye masse and daere not eate the housell, his consciēce accusing him, is accursed. It is lesse daunger to receyue the housell, then to hallowe it. Hee that doth twise halowe one host to housell, is lyke vnto those heretickes, who do Christen twise one childe. Christ him selfe blessed housell before his suffring: he blessed the bread and brake it, thus speakyng to his Apostles: Eate thys bread, it is my bodye. And agayn, he blessed one Chalice with wyne, & thus also spake vnto them: Drinke ye all of this, it is myne owne bloude of the new testamēt, which is shed for many, for the forgeuenes of sinnes. The Lord which hallowed housell before his suffering, & sayth that the bread was his owne body, & that the wyne was truly his bloud, haloweth dayly by þ^e handes of the priest, bread to hys bodye and wyne to his bloud in goostly mystery, as wee read in bookes. And yet notwithstandyng that liuely bread is notMarginalia* Bodely presēce denyed. * bodily so, nor the self, same body that Christ suffered in: nor that holy wyne is the Sauiours bloud whice was shed for vs in bodily thinge: but in ghostly vnderstandyng. Both bee truely that bread hys bodye, and that wyne also hys bloude, as was the heauenly bread, which wee call manna that fedd forty yeares Gods people. And the cleare water whiche dyd then runne from the stone in the wildernes, was truly hys bloud as S. Paul wrote in one of his Epistles: Omnes patres nostri eandem escam spiritualem manducauerunt, & omnes eundem potum spiritualem biberunt. &c. Al our fathers dyd eate in the wildernes the same ghostly meate, and dranke the same ghostly drinke. They dranke of that ghostly stone, and that stone was Christe. The Apostle hath sayde (as you nowe haue heard) that they all dyd eate the same ghostly meate, & they all dyd drinke the same ghostly drynke. And he sayth not bodily, but ghostly. And Christe was not yet borne, nor hys bloud shedde, when that the people of Israel dyd eate that meat, and dranke of that stone. And the stone was not bodily Christ, thoughe he so sayd. It was theMarginalia* That is, a mystery of the same thing that was in the olde law. * same mistery in the olde lawe, and they dyd ghostly signifie that ghostlye housell of our Sauiours bodye whiche we consecrate now.

[Back to Top]

Besides  

these Epistles aboue prefixed, of Elfricus to Wulfsinus, and Wulfstane, whiche fight directly agaynst transubstantiation,MarginaliaLxxx Sermons translated out of Latine into Saxon by Ælfricus. mention was touched also before of certeine Sermons to the number of lxxx. translated by the said Elfricus, out of Latine into the Saxon, that is, into our Englishe tongue, as ye partely haue heard before.MarginaliaA booke of xxiiij. speciall sermons selected out of the 80. sermons translated by Ælfricus. Of the whiche lxxx. Sermons, xxiiij. were chiefly selected, to bee read, as in stede of Homelies, or treatises, vnto the people: in such order as the first xij. Sermons or treatises, intreatyng of generall matters (as De initio creaturæ, de auguriis, de die iudicij, vnius confessoris, de vaniloquio & negligentia, de auaritia, de falsis dijs. &c) were appoynted to be read at pleasure, and at the discretion of the Minister. The other xij. sermons were prescribed for proper feastes: (as De annunciatione beatæ Mariæ, de natiuitate domini, de circumcisione domini, de Epiphania, de purificatione sanctæ Mariæ. Dominica prima in Quadragesima, Dominica palmarū, Die Pascæ, &c. Wherof this testimony remayneth in þ^e same booke yet to be sene both in the Saxon tongue, and also in the Preface of the latter xij. Sermons in Latine, in these wordes followyng: In hoc codicillo continentur Sermones

[Back to Top]