FOr asmuch as I see that most men in their science be diligent and circumspect as crafts men in their occupations do exquisitely labour and search out the knowledge not only of workmanship and cunning: but as well of the order and preserving of the stuff and matter whereof they shall frame and fashion their work, ye and when it is wrought and finished, to the perfection of their forecast or imagination: they do not lightly and negligently regard the same work, But like as they did before study to bring to pass and to perform their workmanship and take pains in practising thereof: Even so will they study and look for the preservation of the same that the thing where with they have so much laboured & broken their wit should not by sloth and reckless lokeing to, be suffered to decay in a short space: I marvel therefore that you who are of the most high science or artifice the as ye say yourselves are not workres only of worldli thiges. But also the workers of the great work man & makers of the great maker whom ye can make & fashion at your own will and pleasures: will not regard the works the ye make (which ought moste worthily to be preserved from any despair or corruption (if it be as you say) but let your gods whom ye have made corrupt, mould, stink, rot, must, cleave together bred worms with diverse other mishaps, as some time to be eaten of a mouse, rat or munkay & to be borne away of robin redbreast or philip sparrow the which would grieve any manes or woman's heart (who believeth in the same great God of your makeinge) and causeth many to forsake the faith which they had in him and all this is by your own folly and slender oversight. Wherefore year much worthy dispraise among all other crafts men. Men see daily how the appothecaries and gross in their occupyings have ways and means to conserve and preserve diverse things as fruits roots & herbs.  
They preserve Damasene prunes, cheres, Quinces, peachiss, pears, Olives, Cappars, Oranges walnuts, melons, Citrons & many other things wherein they be worthy to be commended & ye contrariwise are worthy to be discommendid, yea rather to be greatly: punished because, ye be no more studious in yep̄seruing of your God from filth and putrefaction. The which god you say is not only the creator of herbs fruits roots & all other like? but aswell of the apothecary's & gross themselves & all other, yea & the creator & maker of you also. Though you make him why do ye not therefore find some ways how to keep him sweat, but let him perish so vilely how will you have men to believe in him as in a God when ye yourselves set so light by him that he will not take the pain to keep him sweet and clean from filthiness.  
And though ye can make new when the old be rotten and burned or buried, yet I would not have you so rechels and slovenly about them as ye be all the sort of you, but to be as net fine and jealous over them as ye may be, lest the people (seeing your slovenly and sowterly faction about them) regard neither your gods nor you that are the makers of them.  
And because ye shall the easilier and sooner attain the knowledge of the preservation of them: I intend in this little work to prescribe to you the order thereof whereby ye may also avoid and put by the hanous infamy obloquy & slander which both your gods & you the makers of them do daily sustain and hear, (I fear me) to your utter exinanition, and derogation of all your great power of God making and to th'intent that ye may the rather find the ways to prevent the same I have composed this little book for you to bear in your hands or in your bosoms as a necessary utensile concerning your craft and occupation, wherein be contained these rules following.  
❧ first it is requisite that ye should know whether the wafer maker be an honest man, & of good conscience, and cunning in the feat, or no, for by his uncunning or covetousness he may be a great cause of the decay of them. As if he make them of musty wheat, or make his batter to thin for covetousness. Or if by recklessness take not head whether his Irons be hot enough or to could, for so by slackness of baking may they be the sooner musties and hoar moulded.  
Item ye shall have a close box to put them in and that shall ye set in your chimneys end to keep them dry till ye shall consecrated them. And this is to be done in the winter quarter, or rainy and foggy whether.  
Item ye must choose of the fairest roundest and whighteste, or else if need be ye may clip them round with a payer of sheres, or pair them with a sharp knife. The clipping or parings whereof, may paruenture be a refreshing to your clerk or to the boy that helpeth you to say Mass.  
Item it shallbe needful for you when ye be in consecrating, to blow or breath as nicely and featly as ye may devise, lest by your much brethinge and anhelation ye might irroate & enmyst themso much, the they shall never be sweet or good after.  
Item it behoveth not him that hath a stinking breath or pthisike or apostume in his longs or stomach, or hath the pocks to blow or breath so much on them as he that hath not, for by such stinking exhalations and out breathings your gods are so corrupt and infect, that they be corrupted and infectious both to body and soul of them that eat them as their God.  
Iten ye ought (as near as ye may) to consecreate on a fair clear & sunny day for if the air be moist dark or misty they will become the sooner faulty. And what by corrupt breathing and whether together, they may be so much dank and soddy, that they will never be brought to good, and so your labour cunning stuff and all is but lost.  
Item it will become you to look to them often, least they run to far into putrification. Provided always that ye do it in clear whether.  
Item remember the ye torn them & remove them; for cleaving together  
Item if it be so the they be mould of any thing clammy (as oft times they be) ye shall carry them into the church yard or into some garden or upon the leads of the church, and lay them abroad one by one upon a fair cloth to take the sun and then bestow them up again.  
Iten ye must provide a net of silk or fine thread to leye on them in the time of drying and also to watch warily for fear that birds should take any of them away.  
Item ye must consider the wind whither it be great or in what quarter it bloweth. For some winds be infectious more than some, as the south, south west, or southeast & to take head the none of them be blown away with the wind, for they be but light and of small substance.  
Item ye must mark well the numbered of them, the ye may put into the pixt as many as ye take out, and so shall ye be sure that ye have lost none of them Item you shall remember the ye must all ways have an odd God, for they may not be even in numbered.  
Item if they be mould or musty or green or evil coloured, ye shall wipe them with a fine cloth upon a fram made of four sticks & lay then on it one by one each one by himself & hold the same frame over a chafing-dish of coals into the which coals ye shall cast the powder of brimstone which will make them white again but ye must remember to torn them oft.  
Item it shallbe convement for you to know how to preserve them from mites or worms which thing ye may well do if it be possible on this wise. Ye shall anoint or rub the inner side of the pixt or cup wherein, ye keep them with a little wormwode, tansy or rue, in time of year when ye may have the herbs. And when ye can not come by the herbs conveniently, them shall ye take a little of the powder of mints and strew among them, or the powder of coloquintida which is white & will agree well with the colour of them & will not suffer any worms to bread where it is, by the means of the bitterness thereof.  
Item ye shall take good heed and remember unto whom and what persons these that be so trimmed aught to be ministered for if ye shall minister them to heal they and well tasting persons it will be easily espied, and may peraduentre cause them to spit them out again whereof may arise diverse in conveniences wherefore ye shall all way keep them for sick folk and such as can not savour things well in their mouths (for they will impute it to their evil taste) ye & it may so prove that they may the sooner recover their health for by the bitterness & propriety thereof they being provoked to lax or vomit may eject and cast out such humours as be the cause of their sickness & so become hole whcihe thing the common people will repute as a great miracle and give much glory to your gods therefore.  
Item to avoid the mishaps that might betide them by vermin as mouse, rat, weasel, munkay or spaniel ye must be circumspect and take heed on every hand especially when ye take them out or put them in the box and look that ye leave none abroad, for oft times it hath be seen that they have been devoured by such mean and with such kind of vermin.  
Item ye ought to cast an eye toward your God when ye be in your bisy memento & after the levation, for whilst ye wink and hold your hands before your nose and eyes, it may chance some robin redbreast (which among all other birds is most hardy, sauce, pert and homely) to season upon it & fly away clean therewith which done ye know in what perilous and dangerous case ye stand in. Wherefore it standeth in your hand to be well aware and wise thereof.  
Iten if ye have any tame sparrow or other thing which is familiar with you, take good heed to them or eyes leave them at home for the time, for strange things hath happened by such, to the disworshippe of your gods.  
Item have in mind that while he lieth on the altar, ye set the foot of the chalice upon the edge of your God, lest the wind by whipping suddenly get under him & blow him a way or about the chancel to your shame & dishonour of your gods which he defend that dwelleth in the pixt above, daily sensing in & out by a string between the altar and the roof, to whom be honour worship and praise worthy Amen.  
If any or all of these will not help: than ye must use your old order of burning, or burying of them, wherein I know well ye be expert enough and so well practised the I need not to instruct you there in, or show you any thing thereto belonging.  
☞ These have I written to you undesired to th'end that ye should avoid slannder and infamy. More shall ye have shortly God willing, the which I think willbe very necessary for you. And be you assured that as long as I am able to write say or do: ye shall not fail of help or aid after the blout sort as ye see I have showed in this little treatise, the which I doubt not ye will accept none other wise than I judge in you to do, for sure I am that ye forget me not in your prayers and beneditions, wherein ye be more busy and devout than I would ye should be for my part. Nevertheless I trust I speed not the worse for them but the better, by defence and goodness of the Lord jesus Christ, who sitteth on the right hand of God the father with the holy ghost and from thence shall come a very man unite with his godhead, to judge all the world in whose sight all vile false and stinking gods and Idols with their worshippers and makers shallbe confounded, And unto him with the father and the holy spirit be honour and praise for ever and ever and to all that believe only in him eternal joy thorough the same Lord jesus Christ. Amen.