The anatomie of the service book, dedicated to the high court of Parliament wherein is remonstrated the unlawfulnesse of it, and that by five severall arguments, namely [brace] from the name of it, the rise, the matter, the manner, and, the evill effects of it : whereunto are added some motives, by all which we clearly evince the necessitie of the removeall of it : lastly, we have answered such objections as are commonly made in behalfe of it / by Dwalphintramis.

CHAP. V.

Of the Letany.

WE come now to the last piece of the matter of the Lyturgie, but not the least sinfull, but rather the most offensive: Namely, the Letany, not a stump or a limb of Dagon,

but the head of the Masse booke, appointed to be said on Sundayes Wednesdayes and Fridayes, yea, and at other times, if the Ordinarie appoint it: of this it may truly be said, as one said of the Pharisees sinne, that it was either the sinne of the holy Ghost, or a sinne very nigh it; so the Letany is either blasphemie, or very nigh blasphemy: upon these dayes one of every house must be present; setting a note of some pre∣heminency, both upon these weeke dayes and the Service, yea, from the Etymologie of the word 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 or Letany, the defenders of it will have it to be a more serious and cordiall prayer than others: it is observed by the learned, that the Antients had the order and manner of the Letany from the Heathens, as Dtonysius Halicarnassius witnesseth, and Causabon observeth in these words: 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, the Letanies or Supplications about the altars of their gods. Polybius renders the words very handsomely and significantly by the word, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, which signifieth to intice the gods by blandishing allurements; these words and others used by humane Writers to the same purpose, as by Homer and others, falls in with the same fault, that our Saviour accuseth the Pharisees of, namely, vaine repetition and multitude of words, for which, saith Christ, they thinke to be heard. Now this Letany is a very fascinating fardel of tautologies and Battologies, besides its other faults; in this Letany there is, Lord deliver us, eight times, Hea eus we beseech thee twenty times: to omit many desires to be delivered from things from which there is not the least appearance, no more than of the french pox, the danger of being drunke at a Whitson ale, or a purse cut at a stage play, and not so much. In that prayer to be delivered from fornication, what meaneth that addition, and from all other deadly sin, as though some sin were not deadly. Againe, af∣ter a tautological, summing up, and repetition of the titles and Elogies of the Trinity tossed with responses, they fall on in a heathenish way to act the word Letany or Maggany, as it is well rendered, namely, as it were to conjure; and as if the divell were now to be dispossest (which no Priest must dare to doe by the Canon without license from the Ordinary) they would use the very same pieces, namely, By the mysterie of

thy holy incarnation, by thy holy nativity and circumeision, by thy baptisme, fasting and temptation; by thine agony and bloody sweat; by thy crosse and passion; by thy precious death and buriall, and by the coming of the holy Ghost, Good Lord deliver us. This piece of the popish Masse-booke, whence we have it, is no better than that conjuring or jugling of the Ma∣gitians, whereby they seemed to imitate Moses his working of miracles, which they did not, as the learned in that art testifie without Magick spels; they use ridiculous invocations saith the same Author, and so be the invocations in the Letany; and the better the words are, as we have said, the more grie∣vous the abuse: and that we may not come short of the Papists Idolizing of this Letany, we have not onely our or∣dinary and weekly Letanies, but also our annuall or yeerely Letanies acted in procession. It is true we have left out the Saints in our Lyturgie, that was too grosse; but had the Laudenses got their colours fixed ere this, the Letany had been flancked with this stuffe. But why did they expunge that suf∣frage in King Edward his Booke against the Pope, From the ty∣rannie of the Bishop of Rome, good Lord deliver us? To shut up this cursory triall of the matter (for it is no more) how can the Service-book-men justifie these words of the Collect on the twelfth Sunday after Trinity; giving unto us that which our prayer dare not presume to aske? It is true, we obtaine more than we pray for; but what we dare not pray for, ei∣ther in act or desire, we shall never obtaine.

The summe of that which hath been said we bring up into this Argument.

That service, the matter or bulke whereof is partly false, partly foolish and frivolous, should not be presented unto God.

But the parts of the Service-book, whether essentiall or integrall, are such, as hath been fully proved.

Therefore they should not be presented to God.

We humbly intreat your Honours to lay this argument in the ballance of truth, and if it weigh downe the Service-booke, let the said Booke, we pray you, be cast out of the Sanctuary as light.

Notes

• Tossan. in Matth. 12.
• Canon. 15.
• Serarius in Litan. Cas∣san. in Li∣turg. p. 242. Excreit. p. 237.
• Matth. 6. 7.
• Porph. in his doubts.