The myroure of Oure Ladye, containing a devotional treatise on divine service, with a translation of the offices used by the sisters of the Brigittine monastery of Sion, at Isleworth, during the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. Edited from the original black-letter text of 1530 A.D., by John Henry Blunt.

¶ Who ordenyd fyrste the praysyng of god to be songe in quyers, and why psalmes ar oftener songe in holy chyrche then other partes of holy scrypture.

Capitulo .xiii.

Saynt Austyn sayth that Moyses was the fyrste [Church song invented by Moses,] fynder of this maner of syngynge in quyer. For when god had smyten Egypte with seuen plages, & delyueryd thense hys peple whyche wente thrughe the red see on theyre fete dry, for the water stode up as a walle, and [Exo. xiiij.] abode tyl they were paste, & Pharao the kinge of Egipte with all hys hooste folowyd after for to haue [at the passage of the Red Sea.] slayne them; then the water fell upon the same Pharao, & upon all his, & drowned them euerychone, wherfore Moyses in praysyng and thankyng of god for

that greate myracle made a songe that begynneth. Cantemus domino. whyche is youre fyrste psalme at [Exodi. xv.] lawdes, on fryday and then he ordenyd tow quyers, [The first double quire, of men and women.] one of men, an other of women, to synge & to prayse god. And in the mennes quyer he was chyfe chanter [Moses led one quire, and Miriam the other.] hymselfe, & hys syster Mary was chyfe chanteres in the womens quyer, as saint Austyn sayth, & as yt is writen in the seconde boke of scripture. ¶ After this many other bothe men & wymen fylled with the spiryte of god made songes, & psalmes to the praysyng of god, & specyally the kynge & prophete Dauyd, whome god chose fro chyldehod to the greate gyfte, that he shulde be prynce of syngers of goddes meruayles, & maker of psalmes to our lordes praysynge. ¶ These songes and [Why the psalms and hymns of scripture are used more frequently than any other books,] psalmes ar writen in the psalter boke whiche ar sayde, & songe in the seruyce of holy chyrche, oftener then any other boke of holy scripture for dyuerse causes. Fyrst for the ebrewes [Folio .xv.] that is to say the Iewes, which were goddes speciall people, vsed moste to synge these [.j. after the custom of the Jews.] psalmes in the temple of god. ¶ An other cause is for example of penaunce & hope of mercy to synners, whyle [.ij. For example, of David's repent∣ance and hope of mercy.] we se that Dauyd whome our lorde chose after hys oune harte felle so depe in synne, & by penaunce rose agen to so moche mercy and grace. ¶ The thyrde cause is for the propertye of these psalmes deuoutly [.iij. Because they drive away evil spirits.] songe is to dryue away fendes, & all euel spirites, as I sayd before. The forthe cause is for there is more prayer in these psalmes, then in other bokes of scrypture. [.iv. They are full of prayer.] ¶ The .v. cause is, for the greate worthynes therof, for in few wordes they conteyne moche mystery, & grete sentence more then other scrypture. For as saynt [In prologo super psalmo.] Austyn sayeth All that the olde lawe. All that the prophetes, & all that the gospel & the new lawe bydde [.v. Because in a few words they con∣tain so much mystery both of the old law and of the gospel.] & ordeyne is conteyned in these holy psalmes, & ther∣fore he sayeth the syngyng of them pleasyth god moche, for al that is in them, longeth to hys worshyp, what he

sayeth may be founde in these psalmes; that is not to the profyt & edyfycacyon of mankynde, what degre or age or condycyon that he be of; Eche man & woman and childe yonge & olde, may fynde in these psalmes that shall teche hym, & that shall delyte hym. For [St Augustine's sayings on the value of the Psalms for the heavy and the merry, the rich and the poor.] psalmes he sayth comforteth the heuy, & tempereth them that ar mery, they appese them that ar wrothe, & they refreshe the pore, they warne the riche to knowe themself and not to be prowde, & so they gyue able medycyne to all that receyue them. They dys∣pyse not synners: but they offer and gyue them whol∣some remedy of penaunce. For oure lorde god hathe made a drynke by hys seruante Dauid whiche is swete to taste, & effectuall to hele the woundes of synners by hys verteu. This drinke is these psalmes, that ar swetely harde when they ar songe, & they go thorughe the harte when they delite. Moche more is said in praysyng of these psalmes, whiche I leue to write here for lenghte. ¶ The holy pope called Damasus, ordeyned [Pope Damasus ordained anti∣phonal singing in the Church of Rome, after the example of the Church of Antioch taught by a vision seen by St Ignatius.] that these psalmes shulde be songe one verse on the tone syde of the quier, an other on the other syde. For a holy bysshop that was the thyrde of antioche after saynt Peter harde aungels on an hyghe mountayne synge psalmes in suche maner; quier to quier, & so was that maner of syngynge fyrste begonne in grece, & after ordened to be kepte in the chyrche of Rome as is before sayde. ¶ How hympnes and antempnes, & responses & suche other were made & ordeyned, and set to be sayde and songe in holy chyrche, by holy sayntes & popes and generall conseylles. I hope yt nedyth not moche to write here to you. For ye haue nye all suche thynges [The beauty of the Church song of Syon.] made and set to you of new in your seruice in suche a meruelous and gracyous wyse, as I haue sayde before.