Thus endeth the doctrinal of sapyence the whyche is ryght vtile and prouffytable to alle crysten men, whyche is translated out of Frenshe in to englysshe by wyllyam Caxton at westmestter [sic] fynysshed the. vij. day of may the yere of our lord, M,cccc lxxx ix Caxton me fieri fecit

¶ Of the sacrament of the aulter Capitulo. lx (Book 60)

THe thirde sacrament is the sacrament of the aulter / our lord whiche for the loue of vs is bioomen man and suf∣fred deth and passyon right anguysshous in the trre of the cros¦se for vs. yet for more ardently to shewe thys brennyng loue and that we shold haue hym in perpetuell mynde and special¦ly hys blessyd passyon. he hath establysshed a superlatyf sacra∣ment of loue that is of his precious body and of hys precyous blood. In whyche hym self is all conteyned and to whyche he gyueth hym self to vs vnto the ende of the world lyke as he pr••¦mysed to his apostles. god said that he shal he wel blessyd that shall write all the alyan̄ees amorouses in hys herte. And ofte recorde and remembre them in thys blessyd sacrament▪ whyche is the lyf of angelles and of seintes / by whome we haue spyri¦tuelly & be by the grace in ihesu crist and he in vs and whom yf we receyue hym wordily we shal haue the lyf perdurable in he¦uen wyth hym. the whiche conteyneth in him many merueil∣les and many sygnes of loue & stablyssheth for many causes / whiche were ouer longe to recounte. But for to speke short in hym takē part all they that ben in heuen as touching to glorie & honour. alle they of the world that ben in grace as to glorye.

to theyr saluacion and alle they of purgatorie to the alegemēt of payne and for these causes & many other maketh the prest iij partes of the body of our lord in the sacrament of the aulter. the fyrst is for them of heuen / the ij for them of the world / and the in for them of purgatorie: the maystres of dyuinite sayen that for euery masse that is worthly sayd or songen. many soules ben deliuerd ont of the paynes of purgatorie and goon strait to heuen. Euery prest ought to dispose him self to syng euery day for the merites of the masse be grete and grete prouffit cometh therof. aud that they see that they take it not in vayn for yf they soo doo they shal be greuously punysshyd and tormented / they that take it in vain be lyke to the seruaunt that toke the besaūt of hys lord and putte it not forth to prouffyt. wherfore he was caste out in to derke tenebres lyke as the gospel sayth. our lord comaundeth the prestes that they shold make thys blesshyd sa∣crament and comanded them in sayeng hoc facyte in meam cō memeracionem. That is to saye that as ofte as ye make thys holy sacrament that ye doo it in the remembraunce of me. About alle prestes shal he be wel happy and blessyd. that shal mowe saye lyke as saint and rewe sayd. Euery day sayd he I offre & sacrifyce to god the fader. the lambe wythout spotte. that is the precyous body of ihesu crist / Example. It is redde of dyuerse [Exā] prestes that euery day songe masse / saint ambrose saith in the canon this is our cotidyen bred. take it euery day / & lyue in su∣che maner that thou mayst euery day receyue him worthyly & sait austyn saith / I preyse not ne blame him that receyueth it eueri day. but he saith. euery man doo after his fayth and after that him shal seme good. Neuertheles saith he I admonests that alle and enerych of them receyue it euery sonday: And seynt Grigore in hys omelyes admonesteth to syuge masse of te. & she weth an example of a byshop that songe almost euery day masse. to whom our lord sente word sayeng. doo that thou doost aud werke that thou werkest and cesse not therof