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to lay violent hands upon her royal person, and to have murdered her. But still the vigilant eye of thy blessed providence did either prevent him by some sudden interruption of his endeavour, or by the majesty of her person and princely behaviour towards him didst strike him so abashed, that he could not perform his conceived bloody purpose. And at the last this wretched villany was by thy means disclosed, and his own tongue opened to confess his detestable and wicked intent. For this thy inestimable goodness towards us (O heavenly Father) with humble hearts and minds we thank thee: and bless thy name for ever and ever. For assuredly if thou hadst not been now on our side (as the prophet David saith), the whole floods and waves of wickedness had overwhelmed us, and we had been sunk into the bottomless pit of infinite and unspeakable miseries. seech thee therefore (O Lord), that thou wilt bless us so with thy grace, that we may be rightly and truly thankful to thee: that is, not in word only, but in deed also, daily studying to frame our lives according to the direction of thy holy word, which thou hast sent among us: And that her Majesty, thus feeling the mighty hand of thy providence fighting for her safety, may more boldly and constantly with an heroical spirit stand in the protection and defence of thy blessed Church, which by thy word thou hast planted among us. And lastly, that the cruel spirits of Antichrist, that seek the subversion of the Gospel, may by the hand of thy justice feel what it is to set to sale for money the innocent blood of thine anointed Princes, which thou hast prepared and set up, to be the nurses and protectors of thy truth: Grant this, O heavenly Father, for Jesus Christ's sake, thy only Son our Saviour, to whom, with thee and the Holy Ghost, be given all honour and glory, world without end.

A PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING for the deliverance of her majesty from the murderous intention of D. Parry.

O2 ETERNAL God and merciful Father, we thy unworthy Creatures most humbly do confess, that we are not able with our tongues to utter, nor in our hearts to conceive, the exceeding measure of thine infinite goodness, graces, and favours in this later age shewed to this Noble Realm, in that thou (O Lord) hast in most dangerous times, a few years past, by thy goodness and providence, beyond expectation of man, directed and preserved the tender and noble person of our now Sovereign lady Elizabeth, by thy grace, according to her right, to come to this kingdom and Royal seat of her noble father, and by her, being therein stablished, as thy dear beloved chosen servant, to deliver us thy people, that were as Captives to Babylon, out of bondage and thraldom1, and to restore us again to the free fruition of the Gospel of thy Son our Saviour Christ; for the enjoyment whereof now these many years, we do confess and acknowledge that beyond all our deserts, yea truly, O Lord, when we by our daily unthankfulness for the benefit of thy Gospel, and by our sinful lives, contrary to our bold profession, have most justly provoked thee to withdraw thy favour from us, thou, O Lord, with thy merciful favour and mighty power did strength thy good blessed servant, our most gracious queen, constantly against the roaring and threatenings of the mighty of the world, to persist in maintenance of us her subjects and thy unworthy servants to draw out our days in all manner of prosperity, peace, and wealth; but most singularly, in a peaceable freedom, to enjoy the

[Had not this Prayer been properly authorised for public use, according to Strype's notion (see p. 466), we can scarcely understand why it should have been altered, and incorporated into the Form issued on account of Babington's conspiracy.]

[* See p. 585.]

[ minister. These notes shew the readings of the uncorrected manuscript.]

[thraldom of the Enemies of thy true Churche.]

[blocks in formation]

XIX.

blessed benefits of thy holy word, against the mighty roaring of Bulls and Tigers, the Enemies of thy Church, daily conspiring round about us, and partly amongst ourselves, against this Realm, and specially against the royal person of our blessed queen, thy humble servant, and true Handmaid, whose estate being in the expectation of the number of wicked persons many times in great and secret dangers, yet thou, Lord, that art the Lord of lords, and King of kings, of thy heavenly goodness hast always preserved and defended her by many miraculous means: And as we have good cause to think, by many other means, and at many other times, than to us are yet known, but yet of late time we have fully felt thy marvellous goodness by the discovery of some Attempts most apparently taken in hand against her person, by certain wicked unnatural subjects, the stay whereof only hath proceeded, good Lord, by thy most continual tender and fatherly Care over her, thy dear beloved Daughter and servant, and not by the wit, providence, or strength, of any worldly Creature, as was most notably to be seen the last year to have been Sommervile.1 attempted by one malicious and furious person resolutely prepared, by persuasion of others, wicked Traitors, to have committed a bloody fact upon her person, but marvellously by thy ordinance (O Lord God) discovered, by the troubled desperate conscience of the very Malefactor, and so most happily stayed: for the which thy blessed favour then shewed, if we were not so thankful to thee, O Lord, as we ought to have been, yet, Lord God, we are now most urgently stirred up to acknowledge our most bounden duties of praise and thanksgiving, by a very late manifestation of thy singular favour so largely above that former, as, all wonderful circumstances considered, we may compare it with any Example of thy most wonderful kindness shewed to any Kings or Nations of old time, testified to us in thy Holy Scriptures: For, Lord God, what can be added to this thy secret favour now lastly shewed to her, when neither she being the queen of the whole realm, nor we being in number an exceeding multitude of her subjects, could imagine, or once think of the same, much less have withstanded it2, in that a miserable wretched unna

['For an account of this man see the notes to the Form put forth in 1594.]

[2 the same.]

tural born subject, a man in truth of no religion (as now appeareth), under colour seeking to be a diligent and most careful servant to our gracious Queen, and pretending to discover to her, by his own privity, how her person was in danger of murdering, and how the same might be withstood, he himself did of long time, even whilst he had gotten credit with her Majesty, and with her Court, determine very often most desperately and resolutely to have with his own cursed hands destroyed her Majesty's sacred person: and if, Lord, thy mighty and unsearchable power had not at many times diverted his desperate heart, and his bloody hand, by reverence of the Majesty of her person, as by his own voluntary confession is declared; we do now perceive, with trembling of our hearts, that she could not at sundry times by the space of one whole year3 and more have escaped the danger of violence, wickedly and resolutely by him intended. Wherefore we now thy humble creatures, acknowledging our unworthiness of these great graces, beseech thee, O Lord, that thou wilt, without regard of our former unthankfulness, shew thy mercy to us, and continue thy blessings over us, that we may for these so unspeakable benefits be more thankful than we have been, not only in words, but in deeds also, according to the direction of thy Holy word, whereof we, under the protection of our gracious Queen, by thy ordinance have by the Ministry of many thy good servants had plentiful instruction: and we do firmly hope in thy great goodness, that our Sovereign Lady the Queen, thy humble servant, having so notable proofs of thy special providence in her whole life, besides thy unknown works of favour towards her far above that which thou shewest to many other Princes, shall by her continual thankfulness, and by constancy in serving of thee and maintaining of thy Holy Word, procure to herself and us the continuance of these thy favourable graces, still to preserve her from all manner of open or secret perils, which the Enemies of thy word are known to intend against her, whereby her years may be prolonged, as far as it may please thee to grant, by the course of nature, to any other prince in this world, for the maintenance of the glory of thy Son Jesus Christ and of his Gospel, and for continuance of us thy people her natural subjects in the due fear and service of [ together.] [violent death.]

thee, and in our natural obedience to her, whereby we and our posterity may enjoy such peace, as we have had these many years under her Majesty's government, far above any like example, in any age by past, either in this our natural Country, or any other within the limits of Christendom. Grant this, grant this, O heavenly Father, for Jesus Christ's sake, thy only Son our Saviour, to whom with thee and the Holy Ghost be given all honour and glory, world without end. Amen.

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