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 syxte chapytre / Yf all the masses be lyke good: as masse of Requiem / of our Lady / of the holy Sacra∣ment. &c. and whiche is best.

OF the offyce or seruyce of the masse we maye speke in two maners / as the Canon lawe dothe shewe vs.

¶ Fyrste there be certayne fe∣stes / whiche hath theyr propre offyce and ser¦uyce / as Ester / Pentecoste / the Ascencyon / the Dedycacyon: All the festes of our lady: and cōmonly the Sondayes / and dyuerse other dayes. In these hyghe and great feest{is} it is not cōuenyent (but of necessyte) that a man shall saye any other masse / and leue the masse of the great feest. Therfore we shall not cause to saye any other masse / but the same of the daye and feest.

¶ Secondaryly / there be certayne dayes in the weke / which hath no propre offyce: and than it is best to saye the masse / wherin the

preest or the man hath the greatest deuocyon as of Requiem / or of the Vysytacyon / An∣nuncyacyon: Assumpcyon. &c. And so there be certayne masses ordeyned by certayne de¦uoute persones / or by apparycyon / the whi∣che be very good and profytable to be sayd as well for these that be lyuynge / as those that be deed. As the pope Boniface hath or¦deyned fyue masses / in the honoure of the fyue woundes of our lorde / the whiche be very deuoute and profytable. And also the¦re is founde in wrytynge for a trueth / that there be .vii. masses called the goldē masses the whiche sayd of a deuout preest the space of .vii. dayes / euery daye in remembraunce as hereafter is wryten / be very profytable / for to delyuer shortly the poore soules out of purgatorye / the whiche acordynge to the iu∣styce of god / oughte to be a longe season in the paynes of purgatorye / for it is red of a deuoute preest / whiche in one masse delyue¦red a hondreth soules / whiche were seen of another deuoute man / flyeng out of purga¦torye as thycke as sparkes of fyre.