¶ A devout prayer of s. Ambrose, very expedient for all such as prepare themselves to say mass, or to receive the blessed Sacrament of the very body and blood of Christ. Englished by Thomas Paynell.  
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¶ To the reverend father in god, my lord Edmonde Bonor, bishop of London, Thomas Paynel wisheth all felicity.  
IN as much as there hath been, and yet is( most reverend father) a number of lewd and unlearned persons, the which deride and scorn the holy mass, and the blessed sacrifice there of both god and man: and say that it is a thing newly forged, and of late dayes invented of the papists, as they in derision do name the true and catholic servants, of god: I thought it very necessary to translate this excellent and devout prayer, as a thing most expedient for those, which daily do prepare themselves( as every chased and good pressed should do) to celebrate and offer up unto god this heuenlye and blessed sacrifice, 
Augusti. ad Laur. Cap. 110.  for the quick and the deade. The which prayer, as of itself it is very fruitful, containing the hole mystery of the sacrament: so it declareth to such as hereticallye and peruerslye unto their own destruction( as witnesseth, saint Peter) do rack and wring scripture: 
2. Pet. 3.  that the sacrifice of the mass, is no figure, no idol( as they ignominiouslye do term it) no bread, nor no signification, but Christ himself, his very flesh, and very blood, both god and man, whom yf we worship not in the holy sacrament of the altar, 
joan. 6. ( as a number of wicked personnes refrain to do) we shal not escape( as saith, 
De verbis domini serm. joh. Serm. 58.  saint Austen) the eternal burning fire and pains of hell: for as it is no sin at all to adore and worship Christ being really and presently( as saith saint Austen) in the sacrament, 
supper Psal. 98.  so it is a most detestable sin, not to adore and worship Christ in the same. And to preach and affirm the mass( as they do most impudently) to be a new invention of the papists saint Ambrose the which was twelve. C. yeares ago) in this his godly and virtuous prayer, doth plainly and apertly to their great rebuk and shane, confute them, and declare the contrary. this prayer thus rudely englishyd I dedicate unto your good Lord eshyppe, as to a most puissant protector of this most excellent sacrament of the real body and blood of christ the very substance and sacrifice of the blessed mass: wisshynge your Lordeshyppe long life and continuance, aswell for the tuition and defence of the same, as of al other articles& poyntes of the catholic faith, the which in this our time( most wicked for the world, alas for pity, as yet stuffed with many false and hollow hearted brethren) hath need of such strong and faithful champions and defenders, as your Lordeshyppe is, and to the uttermost of your power hath been to the great honor& glory of God, to whom be all honour and glory for ever and ever.   

¶ A devout prayer of S. Ambrose, very expedient for al such as prepare themselves to say mass, or to receive the blessed Sacrament of the very body and blood of christ.  
O Iesu christ, the high priest and true bishop, that hast offered up thi self unto god the father, 
Hebr. 9.  a pure host and sacrifice vpon the altar of the cross, for us wretched& miserable synners: and hast given unto us thy flesh to be eaten, 
joan. 6.  and thy blood to be drunken, and hast set the mystery therof in the virtue of the holy spirit, 
luke. 22.  saying: As oft as ye shall do these things, ye shall do them in remembrance of me. I beseech thee for thy precious blood sake, 
1. Cor. 6.&. 7.  the great price of our salvation: I pray thee for this thy marvelous& unspeakable charity, wherewith thou hast vouchesaued so to love us, vnworthi wretches, that in thy blood thou mightest puryfye and wash us from our sins: teach me thy unworthy servant, whom among other thy gifts, thou hast vouchesaued( not for any of my merites, but onely of the lenity and facilite of thy mercy) to call me to the office of a priest. I beseech the to teach me clothe thy holy spirit, with such reverence and honour,& with such devotion and fear, to handle so great a mystery, as it ought to be handled, and as it becometh me to do. Cause me, O lord Iesu christ, through thy grace, continually to believe& understand, to judge,& firmly to hold, to say, and to think, that thing of so great a mystery, that may please thee, and that is most expedient for my soul: Let and suffer thy good spirit, enter into my soul, the which may sound there without any sound or noise of words. Cause it to pronounce and speak the hole verity and truth of so many great mysteries, for they are profound and deep, and covered with a certain holy veil and covering. grant me for thy great clemency and meekness, this day& evermore, to celebrate the solemnities of the mass, with a pure heart and mind. deliver my heart from all unclean, and untrue things, from vain and hurtful cogitations and thoughts. defend me with the merciful, and sure defence of thy blessed angels, and with so strong a custody& guard, that the enemies of all goodness, through the virtue of so great a mystery, and the hand and power of thy holy angel, may depart hence confounded. repel from me O lord Iesu christ, and from al thy servants, that most evil spirit of pride, of vain glory, of envy, of anger, of fornication, of uncleanness, of doubtfulness, and of blasphemy. Let them be confounded that persecute us: 
Psal. 39,  let thē perish that make hast to destroy all things. O king of all virtue, the lover and God of chastity,& integrity, extinguyshe, and quench in my body, with the celestial dew of thy blessing, all the burning foam, and tyklynges of carnal lusts, that the rule of all chastity, both of body and soul, may remain and continue in me. Mortyfye in me the pricks and stynges of the flesh, and of all voluptuous commotions, and give me, with other thy gifts, true, and perpetual chastity, the which in verity and truth do please thee, that I may be able with a chast body,& a chased soul and heart, to offer up unto thee, the sacrifice of praise, and thankesgeuyng. With howe great contrition, and abundant tears, O lord Iesu christ, with howe great reverence, and fear, with howe great chastity and pureness of mind, should this divine sacrifice be celebrated and honoured? where in thy flesh in very dede is received, 
joan. 6.  wherein thy blood in very dede is drunken, where that thing which is most highest, and most excellent, is annexed to that, that is most bace and lowest, where the presence of thy holy angels is present and at hand, where thou thyself most wonderfully and vnspeakeablye arte constituted and ordained, both the priest and the sacrifice. Who can worthily celebrate, and reverently honour this thing, except thou the God omnipotent do make him worthy that doth offer it? I know, and for a surety I know, and confess it unto thy mercy and goodness, that I, for my manifold sins, and infinite negligences, am not worthy to approach unto such a great mystery: but certainly I do know, and believe it with all my heart, and with my mouth I do confess it, that thou mayst make me worthy. For thou onely canst mundify& cleanse, 
job, 14.  that is of unclean seed conceived, and of the sinful canst make both just and holy. I beseech thee for this thy omnipotent and almighty power, to grant unto me a sinner, to celebrate& offer this heavenly sacrifice with fear and trembling, with a pure heart, and abundant tears, with spiritual joy& celestial gladness. Cause my mind to feel and perceive the sweetness of thy blessed presence,& the day and nyght-watchinges of thy holy angels about me. For I( O lord) having thy most reverent passion in remembrance, do approach and come unto thy altar( although I be a sinner) to offer unto thee that sacrifice, the which thou thyself didst institute, and command to be offered for our salvation in the remembrance of the. 
luke. 22  Therefore, O most high God, and most sweeteste Christ Iesu, receive this sacrifice for thy holy church, and for al thy people, the which thou hast redeemed and saved with thy precious blood. And forasmuch as it is thy will and pleasure, that I a sinner should be a mean betwixt thee and thy people: thou shalt not( albeit thou dost not finde in me the testimony of good works) refuse the office of thy dispensation unto me committed. Nor the price of their salvation shall not perish through me thy unworthy servant, 
Col. 3.  for whom, being made a salutiferous host and sacrifice, thou wast content to be their redemption. Therefore. O lord, here I set before thee( yf thou disdain not mercifully to behold us) the tribulations and perils of thy people, the sorowefulnes of those that be in captivity, the miseries of the fatherless, the necessities of pylgrimes, the poverty of the weke and feeble, the desperations of those that be sick, the feebleness of the aged, the sythynges of those which are young, the vows of virgins, and the lamentations of widows. Thou arte merciful O lord, unto all men, 
Sap. 11.  nor thou hatest nothing that thou hast created and made. Remember what and whereof our substance is. 
Mala. 2  Thou art our father, be not much angry, nor hold not the multitude of thy bowels and wrath vpon us, for we lay, nor present not our prayers before thy face in our own righteousness, but in thi manifold and great mercies. Take from us, O lord, our iniquities, and mekelye kindle the fire of thy holy spirit in vs. remove from our flesh a stony heart, and give us a fleshly and a soft heart, the which may fear, 
Ezec. 11.&. 36.  love, and honour thee, delight in thee, follow thee, and haue the fruition of thee. O lord we beseech thy clemency, with a favourable countenance to behold thy family, that doth attend and wait for the office and duty of thy holy name. And that no mans vow be void, no mans petition be frustrate, infude, and put thou such orations, and prayers into our minds, as thou thyself, which arte merciful, shalt delight to hear and grant. Also we pray thee, O holy father, for the spirites& souls of those which are departed, 
He prayeth for the deade  that this great and high sacrifice of pity may be unto them eternal salvation, continual health and joy, and an everlasting recreation and refreshynge. O my lord God, suffer and let them haue a great and a full joy this day in thee, the living and true bread, that didst descend from heaven, and taking away the sins of the world, dost give life unto the world, 
joan. 6.  with the holy and blessed flesh of the immaculate lamb: And that they being thus satisfied& comforted with the fountain of pity, 
joan. 19.  the which clothe amongs spear gusshed out of the side of our lord which was crucified, may rejoice in thy holy laud& glory. O lord I desire thy clemency, that the fullness of thy divinity and godhead, may descend vpon this bread and wine: and furthermore that the invisible form, and incomprehensible majesty of thy invisible spirit may descend vpon it, as it descended in times past, vpon the hostes and sacrifice of our forefathers, the which shall effectuously, make our oblation thy very body and blood,& teach me thy unworthy priest and minister, so to handle so great and so excellent a sacrifice, that mekelye, and benignly thou mayst receive it at my hand, to the salvation of all men, both quick and deade.  
I beseech the O lord for the most holy mystery of the body and blood sake, wherewith we be daily fed, nourished, washed, and sanctified in thy holy church, and made partakers of thy onely& most excellent godhead, to grant and give me thy holy virtuous, that replenished with them, I may with a good conscience approach unto thy altar, so that these thy celestial and heavenly Sacramentes may be unto me life and salvation. Thou didst say with thy holy and blessed mouth, 
joan. 6.  the bread which I shall give for the life of the world, is my flesh. And he that eateth me, shall live for me, he shall dwell in me, and I in him, I am the living bread that descendyd from heaven, he that shall eat of this bread, shall live eternally. O most sweetest bread make hole the palate of my heart, that I may feel& taste the sweetness of thy love, heal it from all diseases, that I love nothing that is fair& beautiful besides thee. O most goodly bread, containing in the all the delectation and sweetness of tastes, that doth continually recreate& refresh us, let my heart eat thee, and the bowels of my soul be replenished with the sweetness of thy taste& saver. The angel doth eat thee with a full mouth, and the stranger( as he may) shal eat the, that he refreshed by the way with such ecclesiastical food, faint not. O holy bread, the bread of life. O most fair bread. O most clean bread that diddest descend, and come from heaven, 
joan. 6.  and dost give life to the world, enter into my heart, and purge me of all filthiness both of body& soul, enter into my soul, heal me and sanctify me both with in and without, be thou a defence and a perpetual health both of my body and soul. reject those from me, that do lay wait for me. repel my ennemyes far from my presence, that I both inwardly and outwardly, by the defended, may come the straight way unto thy kingdom, where no mysteries as in this time are used where we when thou shalt resign& deliver up the kingdom, 
1. Cor. 15.  unto god, shal se the face to face and god shalbe al in al. Then thou shalt in such wise feed me and with a munthely satiate so satiate me with thyself that I shall nevermore be hungry nor thrusty, the which dost live and reign with the self same god the father and the holy ghost for ever.   

¶ imprinted at London in Paules churchyard, at the sign of the holy ghost, by john Cawood, printer to the queens highnes,  
Cum priuelegio Regiae Maiestatis.