The interpretacyon, and sygnyfycacyon of the Masse Here begynneth a good deuoute boke to the honoure of god, of our lady his mother, [and] of all sayntes, and ryght profytable to all good Catholyke persones, to knowe howe they shall deuoutly here masse. And how salutaryly they shal confesse them. And how reuerently and honourably they shall go to the holy sacrament or table of our sauyour Ihesu chryste, with dyuerse other profytable documents and oraysons or prayers here conteyned, composed and ordeyned by frere Gararde, frere mynoure, of the ordre of the Obseruauntes.

¶ The .xx. Chapytre / In what thynge & wherby a man may consydre the great¦nesse and dygnyte of the masse.

THe dygnyte & holynes of the blyssed masse maye be consy∣dered by fyue reasons.

¶ Fyrste: for in the masse is 〈…〉〈…〉 the same blyssed flesshe / that Mary the mother of god dyd conceyue and the precyous blode shed vpō the crosse on good frydaye. And therfore sayth Cryso¦stome / that touchynge the holy sacrament of the aulter: the masse is not of lesse dygny¦te and value / than the deth of our lord god vpon the crosse for the helth of the man. For as the deth of our lorde hath delyuered man from euerlastynge deth / so is euerlastynge lyfe gyuen to them / whiche be delyuered by the masse.

¶ Secondaryly / a man maye consydre the dygnyte of the masse / for there is alwayes present all the holy cōpany of heuen. That

is to say / the holy trynyte / Mary the mother of god / with all the holy aūgelles & saynt{is}: beholdynge and worshyppynge the holy & blyssed sacrament. For as saynt Gregorye sayth / who is he that wolde doubte y^t whā heuen doth open / at the tyme that the preest doth consecrate the sacrament / and that the sone of god as the kynge of glory / doth de∣scende vpon the aulter / that there doth not come a great multytude & company of holy aungelles with hym. For a myghty kynge or prynce whan he wyl showe his mageste he doth take with hym / his nobles / his kny∣ghtes and other his seruauntes. Shuld thā the kynge of glory descende hym self alone and without company / I do not byleue it. ¶ Thyrdly / ye shall consydre that without lyght the preest maye not say masse / whan there shulde be bothe Sonne / Moone / and sterres shynyng vpon the aulter. And that doth sygnyfye / that there shall be in vs a hote and feruent loue of god / and a ferme & stedfast fayth & byleue. Also the ornamēt{is} of the masse ought to be dedycate and halo∣wed. And also the chalyce / the corporas / the aulter clothes and towelles / and other pre∣parementes / ought also to be halowed / or elles a man maye not saye masse. Also he

that shall say the masse / ought to be a preest consecrate: and otherwyse he maye not / we¦re he as holy as our lady the mother of god. For all the sayntes and aūgelles in heuen can not saye nor do one masse.

¶ Fourthly / ye shall consydre that all that is done and sayd in the masse: hath a syngu¦ler mystery and deuocyon in it / so that the preest doth not say one worde / nor doth not moue ones his hande ī the masse: but it doth sygnyfye some thynge of the lyfe of our lor¦de. For as Aureolus sayth in Cōpēdio theo¦logie / in the syxt boke in the .xviii. Chapy∣tre / that the masse (in a maner of spekynge) is as full of dyuyne mysteryes / as the see of droppes of water / & the sonne full of lyght & the skye full of sterres. And also all chry∣sten people beynge here in erthe and in pur∣gatorye / and all the sayntes in heuen / haue a synguler ioye and gladnesse of the masse. And some doctours do saye / that there is ne¦uer a masse sayd here ī erth / but there is one soule delyuered out of purgatorye / or a syn¦ner conuerted / or a good and iuste man pre∣serued and kept from fallynge in to temp∣tacyon.

¶ Fyfthly / ye maye also consydre the hygh dygnyte of the masse / for it is aorned with

many dyuerse languages & prayses. Fyrste Hebreu / as Amen / alleluya / sabaoth / osan¦na: also Greke / as kyry eleyson / chryste eley¦son / also Laten / as dominus vobiscū / pax tecum. Also ye here the voyce of oure lorde in the gospell: the whiche euery person ought to here with great deuocyon / not syttynge nor knelynge / but standynge vpryght / re∣dy to fyght vnto deth for to defende it and the holy fayth. And as ye do here god speke in the gospell / so ye here also the voyce of aungelles / as in Gloria in excelsis deo. Al¦so the voyce of the apostelles / as in the epy∣stelles. Also the voyce of the synner / in the Cōfiteor. Also ye here the voyce of the iuste man / as in the graduall or grayle / alleluya offetorye & cōmunyon or cōmon. And ther∣fore euery good chrysten person shall dyspo¦se hym selfe deuoutly to here masse / with a feruent herte and with great reuerence / as yf he were vpon the mount of Caluerye / & there dyd se our lorde god hangynge vpon the crosse. O with what and howe great deuocyon shulde we be at the masse / and shuld remembre the blyssed passyon of our lorde god: the whiche is represented & showed in the masse.