The Lay Folks Mass Book Part 8

Up to the Sanctus

At the end of the offertory, the Mass moves on to the Preface and the Sanctus. But first, the Secret prayers, called in this extract the priest’s “privy” prayers. In the 1962 Mass there is one Secret prayer but before that, there were generally at least two and sometimes three prayers. All of them are missing in the modern Mass.

The Secret prayers today are said audibly, but the practice here has varied, as perhaps the name implies.

Then the priest goes to his book

his privy prayers for to look,

kneel thou down and say then this,

that next in black written is:

it will thy prayer mickel [much] amend

if thou will hold up both thy hend [hands]

to God with good devotion

when thou says this oraison [prayer].

God receive thy service

and this solemn sacrifice

for the priest and for us all,

that here now are or here be shall,

this Mess [Mass] to hear or worship do,

the sacring [consecration] to see, or pray thereto;

and for all that live in God’s name,

that they have help from sin and shame,

and for the souls that are passed,

that they have rest that ever shall last.

Look paternoster thou be saying

while the priest is privy praying,

the priest will after in that place

remove himself a little space

till he come to the altar middus [middle]:

stand then, all men he biddus [bids],

heart and body and ilka [each] dele [one]

take good help, and hear him well,

then he begins per omnia,

and say then sursum corda.

At the end he says sanctus thrice,

in excelsis he nevens [invokes] twice.

As fast as he is done,

look that thou be ready sone,

and say these words with still[e] steven [quiet voice]

privily to God of heaven.

In world of worlds without-en ending,

thanked be Jesu, my sovereign king.

All my heart I give it thee,

great and right it is that it so be.

With all my will I worship thee,

Jesu, blessed might thou be.

With all my heart I thank[e] thee,

all the good thou hast done to me.

Sweet Jesu, grant me now this,

that I may come to thy bliss,

there with angels for to sing

this sweet song of loving.

Sanctus. Sanctus. Sanctus.

Jesu grant that it be this. Amen.

The reader is directed to pray while the priest says his prayers; a division of roles and responsibilities. The congregation know these prayers are ending when they hear the Sanctus, though here the text suggests that the congregation may join in with that.

My favourite line from this section is “God receive thy service and this solemn sacrifice for the priest and for us all, that here now are or here be shall…” I should point out that the word “shall” in the 14th century is more likely to mean “should” so they are praying for those who are missing from their number. But if we think of the word in its current use, it captures the timelessness of the Mass, I think. We can always pray for those who have preceded us and those who will follow us too.

Next time we move on to the Canon of the Mass.

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This is an excerpt from The Lay Folks Mass Book, a verse poem from the 14th/15th century, originally written in Middle English.

Each Sunday I post a short excerpt, transcribed into modern English for ease of reading, and harmonised from the 4 surviving versions which are in different dialects and with some variations in text.

Notes on the transcription: like German, the letter “e” on the end of words is often pronounced. In general, modern English has dropped all these so in transcribing it I have generally followed modern English which means that in most cases the rhyme and meter work. But occasionally, I have put letters in square brackets where required for the verse, or sometimes separated the endings with a hyphen to indicate that they should be pronounced as a separate syllable.

Most of the words have a modern English equivalent which is very similar, but where that doesn’t happen I have put the meaning in [ ].

One important word: the term for Mass in middle English is Messe, with the “e” pronounced, as in German. I have generally written it as Mess for the sake of the rhyming.

The text used is the one published by Thomas Frederick Simmons in 1879 and reprinted in 1968.