THe seconde parte of this psalme I sayd sholde styre
vs to haue compassyon & pyte vpon this moost noble
kynge / and that for a lamentable & pyteous complaynt
folowynge whiche resteth in foure poyntes. Fyrst touchynge
the sorowes of deth in his body. Seconde touchynge
the dredes of his Iugement in his soule. Thyrde
touchynge the miseryes of this worlde full of labour and
greuaunce. Fourth touchynge his sorowfull crye to god
for helpe and socour. As to the fyrst it is sayd. Circu~dederu~t
me dolores mortis. The sorowes of deth
hath enuyroned me. Whan we here a lamentable complaynt
of ony persone that is in sorowe or heuynesse / yf
there be in our hertes ony gentylnes or pyte it wyll moue
vs to co~passyon / thoughhe were ryght symple & of poore
and lowe degre / moche rather yf it were some noble man
whiche of late had ben in grete p~speryte / but moost of all
our lord & souerayne / that shold perse our hertes wt sorowe
to here hym lamentably co~playne of ony of his sorowfull
greuau~ces / & what can be more sorowfull & more paynful
than be the paynes & sorowes of deth. Mors oi~m terribilissima.
Sayth Arystotle. And why is deth so ferefull:
but for the greuous paynes yt are in it / there is so grete
an amyte bytwene the soule & ye body / & so surely a Ioyned
knotte & bonde / that dysseuerau~ce of them is to paynfull /
whiche thynge appered well in our sauyour cryst Ihesu.
Where here remembrynge the nyghnesse of his deth complayned
hym vnto his apostles / sayenge. Tristis est
ai~a mea vsque ad morte~. And after for ye very drede
of tho paynes was in so grete agony of body & soule that
he swette water & blode for the onely remembraunce / he
than that is wrapped in dede in ye very sorowes & paynes
of deth / he feleth moche greuau~ce / specyally yf his body be
delycate / & he of tendre & sensyble nature as was this noble
kynge. Let vs therfore tender his complaynt / sayenge
in this maner. Circu~dederu~t me dolores mortis.
That is to saye / the bytter sorowes of deth haue enuyroned
me on euery parte / not onely one sorowe / but many
sorowes. Dolores and many sorowes of deth whiche
is moost paynfull. Dolores mortis not touched hy~
or pynched hym / but on euery parte hath assayled & oppressed
hym. Circu~dederu~t me And yt no shorte whyle
but by longe contynuau~ce by the space of. xxvij. houres to
gyder / so longe I vndersto~de he laye co~tynually abidynge
the sharpe assautes of deth / & therfore he sayth pyteously co~playnynge.
Circu~dederu~t me dolores mortis
Secondly as touchinge his soule / in what agony suppose
ye that was / not for the drede of deth onely / but for ye drede
of the Iugement of almyghty god / for all be it he myghte
haue grete confydence / by the reason of his true co~uersyon
vnto god / and by the sacramentes of crystes chyrche whiche
he with full grete deuocyon had receyued before / yet
was not he without a drede. Nemo nouit an sit
odio an amore dignus. There is no man be he neuer
so perfyte oneles he haue it by reuelacyon yt knoweth
certaynly wheder he be in the state of grace or no / for of an
other maner be the Iugementes of god than of men. And
the holy abbot Hely sayd lyke wyse. Thre thinges sayd he
there be that I moche drede / one is what tyme my soule
shall departe out of my body / an other is whan I shall be
presented before my Iuge / the thyrde is what sentence he
shal gyue whether with me or ayenst me. If these holy faders
whiche had forsaken this worlde & hat lyued so vertuously
were in this fere / no meruayle though this grete
man whiche had so moche worldly besynes & dayly occupyed
in the causes therof / noo meruayle though he were
in grete fere / & therof he complayneth sayenge. Et pericula
inferni inuenerunt me. That is to saye /
and the perylles of hell dyd fynde me. Who that wyll not
make his remembraunce famuler with them before / and
often set them before the eye of his soule / they shall at the
houre of deth in more terryble maner offre themselfe vnto
his mynde euen as ye se these wood dogges these grete
mastyues that be tyed in chaynes / vnto suche as often vysyte
them they be more gentyll and easy / but to the straungers
which haue none acqueyntaunce of them they ragyously
and furyously gape and ryse ayenst them as they
wolde deuoure them. Et pericula inferni inueneru~t
me. Thyrdly touchy~ge these worldly pleasures
wherin men set grete parte of theyr co~forte bothe in body
& soule / he had than full lytell comforte or pleasure in them
but rather dyscomforte & sorowe / all his goodly houses so
rychely dekte & appareyled / his walles & galaryes of grete
pleasure / his gardyns large & wyde wt knottes curyously
wrought / his orcheyardes set wt vynes & trees moost dylycate /
his meruaylous rychesse & treasour / his metes & drynkes
were they neuer so dylycately p~pared might not than
helpe hy~ / but rather were paynfull to hy~ / so moche yt longe
before his deth his mete was to hym so lothsome (were it
neuer so dilicately p~pared) that many a tyme he sayd / but
onely to folowe cou~seyle he wold not for all this world receyue
it / wherin he well perceyued ye miseryes of this wretched
world. Tha~ lo he had experience of that / yt lo~ge tyme
before ye grete & wyse Salamo~ reported in his boke eccl~iastes.
Cu~q~ me 2uertisse~ ad vniuersa op~a q~ fecera~t
man=9= mee & ad labores i~ q~bus frustra

3

sudauera~ vidi in oi~bus vanitate~ & afflictionem
animi. That is to saye whan I had tourned my
remembrau~ce to all that I had ordeyned / & to the labours
wherin I swette in vayne I founde in them all but vanyte
& turmentry of soule. This co~clusyon our late kynge
and souerayne full truly than had lerned & the vayne troubles
and laboures whiche many take for this wretched
worlde / wherin as I sayd full lytell pleasure than he had
but moche displeasure and sorowe / wherfore it foloweth
in his co~playnt. Tribulatione~ & dolore~ inueni
The fourth percell of his complaynt is a lamentable crye
vnto almyghty god for helpe and socoure / for whan he
sawe playnly that noo where elles was ony socoure or
comforte / the cruell assautes of deth was fyers and sharpe
ayenst hym / the daungerous perylles whether he sholde
become was importunely greuous / all this worlde and
worldly pleasures were to hym vnswete & full dyspleasaunt /
therfore with al his myght & power he cryed vpon
the name of our lord / for the whiche name is promysed by
saynt Poule. Oi~s quicu~q~ inuocauerit nomen
dn~i saluus erit. That is who soeuer call vpon the name
of our lorde he shall be safe / he therfore full besyly / full
studyously / full ernestly called vpon that blessyd name for
socour & helpe / and so it foloweth in the psalme. Et nomen
dn~i inuocaui. O my blessyd Ihesu / o my moost
mercyfull Ihesu / o my lorde & creatoure Ihesu. O dn~e
libera anima~ mea~. O my lorde delyuer my soule / delyuer
my soule from the myseryes of this worlde / delyuer
my soule from these deedly paynes / delyuer my soule from
this corruptyble body / delyuer my soule from the bondes
of synne / delyuer my soule from my mortall enemyes / delyuer
my soule from the daungers of euerlastynge deth.
O dn~e libera ai~am mea~. A my lordes & maysters
let this pyteous and lamentable co~playnt of hym that of
late was your kynge and souerayne / let it entre and synke
in to your brestes. Scrypture there vnto dooth moue you
sayenge this wyse. Fili in mortuu~ p~duc lachrimas
& quasi dira passus incipe plorare.´ And
in an other place thus. Supra mortuu~ plora defecit
eni~ lux eius. Example herof we haue of the gentyles.
The cruell warryour Hanyball he pyteed the deth
of his enemyes Paulus / Enulius / Tiberius / Graceus /
Marcus / Marcellus. Whan he sawe theyr bodyes lye
deed before hym. And in holy letters also kynge Dauyd
whan it was tolde vnto hym the deth of his enemyes at
dyuerse tymes he wepte ryght pyteously as at the deth of
Saul / Absolon and Abner. If they so grete & noble men
soo moche pyteed the deth of theyr mortall enemyes. We
sholde moche rather tender and pyte the deth of our own
kynge & souerayne. But wherto reherse I them whan he
that was the lorde of all this worlde our sauyoure cryste
Ihesu wepte at the monument of Lazarus whan he had
ben buryed the space of foure dayes / gyuynge vnto vs all
therby example of pyte. If he yt was the kynge of all kynges
wepte for the deth of his subgecte soo longe after his
buryall / what sholde we that be subgectes do for the deth
of our kynge & souerayne hauynge yet the presence of his
body vnburyed amonges vs / forsothe it sholde moue vs
to haue pyte & compassyon the rather vpon hym. A kynge
Henry kynge Henry yf thou were on lyue agayne many
one that is here present now wolde pretende a full grete
pyte & tendernesse vpon the. It is remembred in the boke
of the kynges how a seruau~t of kynge Dauid whose name
was Ethay whan his lorde & souerayne was in trouble
he wolde not forsake him / but answered hym playnly
in this maner saynge. In quocu~q~ loco fuers~ dn~e
mi rex siue i~ morte siue i~ vita ibi erit seruus
tuus. That is to say in what place soeuer thou shalte be
my lorde my kynge in the same place shall thy seruaunt be
A squyer also of kynge Saul whan he sawe his lorde &
mayster deed his sorowe was so grete that he slewe hymselfe
incontynent. Alas where is the true pyte & very compassyon
become that shold be in the hertes of men. These
two persones had so grete ruthe and compassyon of theyr
maysters that they refused not to suffre ye deth with them
How harde are our hertes / how stony / how flynty. If
we relent not with pyte & compassyon / herynge so lamentable
a complaynt of our late souerayne / and herynge him
so pyteously crye sayenge. O dn~e libera ai~am mea~
O my lorde delyuer my soule. Let vs helpe hym at the lest
with our prayers besechynge almyghty god for his infynyte
mercy to delyuer his soule and to pardon it. And or
we procede ony ferder of our psalme let vs here deuoutly
and affectually saye for his soule and all crysten soules
euery of vs one pater noster.
THe thyrde parte of this psalme entreateth of comforte /
whiche is co~teyned in. iiij. poyntes. Fyrst yt
almyghty god is mercyfull / seconde yt he hath taken hy~ into
his custody / thyrde yt he hath delyuered hy~ fro~ al euylles
fourth yt hens for warde he shall contynue in the gracyous
fauoure of almyghty god. For the fyrst it foloweth. Misericors
dn~s & iustus et de=9= nr~ miserer~. That
is to saye. The lorde is mercyfull and ryghtwhyse and our
god wyll haue pyte / who is this lorde that is mercyfull
& ryghtwyse / who but our sauyour cryst Ihesu whiche of
his infynyte mercy came in to this worlde to dye for synners.
Christus iesus venit in hu~c mu~du~ saluos
facere pcto~res. Why than sayth he. Et iust=9=.
that he is ryghtwyse also / that rather sholde make ayenst
the synner than for hym. Nay forsothe / the prophete and
kynge Dauyd brought in this worde for hymselfe & not
ayenst hym. Two wayes it maketh for the synner / one by
reason of promyse made thrugh out all scrypture vnto the
penytent that wyll vtterly forsake his synne. Our lorde yt
is moost Iuste of his promyse wyll pardon the synnes so
repentynge hymselfe and soo truly retournynge whiche
thynge saynt Iohn~ playnly wytnesseth in his fyrst epystle
Si co~fiteamur peta~ nr~a fidelis & iustus est
vt remittat nobis pcta~ nr~a & emundet nos
ab om~i iniq~tate. That is to saye. If we wyll knowlege
our synnes ye lorde is faythfull & Iuste in his promyse
to forgyue all our syn~es & make vs clene from all wyckednes /
this is one waye. An other waye also it may make &
that is this. Our sauyour Ihu~ is Iustus / for he is innocent
and gyltles / & therfore he is a conuenyent meane / a suffycyent
vocate for vs before the face of his fader accordynge
to the wordes of the same saynt Iohn~. Si q~s peccauerit
aduocatu~ habem=9= apd~ patre~ iesu~ xp~m
iustu~ & ipse est p~piciatio p~ p~cti~s / no~ pro nr~is
tm~ sed & tocius mu~di. That is to saye. If ony of vs
haue synned / let vs not dispayre / for we haue an aduocate
for vs before god / our sauyour whiche is Iuste & without
synne / & he shall be a meane for our synnes / not for ours all
onely / but for all ye worldes. Who may be thought a more
conuenyent vocate for synners than he yt neuer dyd synne
than he yt suffycyently hath payed for ye raunsome of synne

B.j.

his owne moost precyous blode & paynfull & bytter deth
than he that is the sone of almyghty god and that before
his owne fader. But perauenture his fader is harde and
straunge and wyll not be moued. Nay forsothe / for rather
the contrary / he is full pyteous & full redy to haue mercy.
And therfore it foloweth. Et deus noster miseretur.
And our god wyll haue pyte & mercy. For the whiche
saynt Austyn sayth in his boke de pni~a. Quecu~q~
necessitas pcto~rem ad penitencia~ cogit neq~
qua~titas criminis /nec breuitas te~pis / nec
enormitas sceleris / nec hore extremitas / si
pura fuerit voluntatis mutacio excludit a
venia. That is to saye / What necessyte soeuer compell
the synner to repentau~ce / neyther the gretnes of his synne
nor yet the shortnesse of tyme / nor the enormyte of his trespasse /
ne yet the vttermost houre of his lyfe shall exclude
hym from pardon / yf so be yt his wyll be clerely chau~ged &
tourned to god. This is than one grete comforte that our
late kynge and souerayne may haue / and all tho that bere
hym true fayth and seruyce.