HERE BEGINNETH A LITTLE TREATISE SHORTLY COMPILED AND CALLED ARS MORIENDI : THAT IS TO SAY, THE CRAFT FOR TO DIE FOR THE HEALTH OF MAN'S SOUL
When any of likelihood[1] shall die, then it is most necessary to have a special friend, the which will heartily help and pray for him, and therewith counsel the sick for the weal of his soul; and moreover to see that all others so do about him, or else quickly for to make them depart.
Then is to be remembered the great benefits of God done for him unto that time, and specially of the passion of our Lord; and then is to be read some story of saints or the vii psalms with the litany or our Lady's psalter, in part or whole, with other. And ever the image of the crucifix is to be had in his sight, with other. And holy water is oftimes to be cast upon and about him for avoiding of evil spirits, the which then be full ready to take their advantage of the soul if they may.
And then and ever make him cry for mercy and grace, and for the help of our Blessed Lady and of other saints in whom afore he had a singular trust and love, and thereupon to make his prayers if he may.
When death cometh or any grievous pangs, or other great sickness, then prayer or devotion assuageth; wherefore it is wisdom for one to pray afore any sickness come, and also when one may in his sickness, if he will not be deceived. So he is happy and may be glad that [at] such a time of most need [he] hath a faithful friend; and that will say beside the prayers afore rehearsed, and cause other also to say devoutly in remembrance of the charity of Jesu Christ and of His passion, and for to have the rather[2] His mercy and help, iij Paternosters and iij Aves, with a Credo; and therewith to exhort him, by a priest, or for need by another, in the manner as followeth:
Brother, or sister, remember well that God saith by His prophet and evangelist: Blessed be those that die and depart in our Lord, that is to say from the world and his pleasures, and die in the true faith of the church, and repentance for their sins. Sir, ye have great cause to be glad for to depart from this wretched world, and full of all misery; and think that thee needs must depart, and desire heartily to be with Jesu Christ your Maker, Redeemer and Lord God, for He shall give to you now your inheritance that He did buy for you with His precious passion and blood. Wherefore this time of your departing shall be better to you than the time of your birth, for now all sickness, sorrow, and trouble shall depart now from you for ever. Therefore be not aggrieved with your sickness and take it not with grutching, but take it rather by all gladness.
See at all times that ye be stable in your faith, and believe, and say your Credo, if that ye may — or else desire another heartily to do it for you here afore us openly. And arm you ever with the sign of the cross + as a Christian man, for your defence against your ghostly enemies; in the which doing God will be greatly pleased, and the rather take you for one of His folk, by protection and grace, and as His child of salvation.
Have ever a good and true belief, and nothing may be impossible unto you. And ever beware that ye fall not in despair, for that greatly would displease God, and can not be remedied. And remember the sins done aforetime shall never hurt you as to damnation, if they please you not now and that ye be sorry for them. Saint Jerome saith: If one should take his sickness or his death with grutching it is a token that he loveth not God sufficiently; all is righteous that we suffer. Desire, with Saint Austin, of our Lord here to be cut with tribulation and to be burned with sickness and sorrow, so that ye may be saved hereafter for ever.
Now meek yourself and be sorry that ye have been so unkind to please and to keep His commandments, and presume not as of yourself any goodness, and say with all meekness thus: Good Lord, Jesu Christ, I knowledge that I have sinned grievously and by Thy grace I will gladly amend me if I should live. Have mercy now of me for Thy bitter passion.
Then ask him these questions following afore his death.
Be ye glad that ye shall die in Christian belief? Let him answer: Yea.
Know thee that ye hath not so well lived as ye should? Yea.
Have ye will to amend if that ye should live? Yea.
Believe ye that Jesu Christ, God Son of heaven, was born of Blessed Mary? Yea.
Believe ye also that Jesu Christ died upon the cross to buy man's soul on Good Friday? Yea.
Do ye thank God therefore? Yea.
Believe ye that ye may not be saved but by His passion and death? Yea.
As long as the soul is in your body thank God for His death, and have a sure trust by it and His passion to be saved. And counsel him to say if he may these following words of great virtue:
Put Christ's passion betwix me and mine evil works, and betwix me and His wrath. Now Lord God be merciful to me a sinner.
The praise of Our Lord Jesu Christ, and the virtue of His passion, with the sign of the holy cross, and the undefiled virginity of Blessed Mary, His Mother, and the blessing of all saints, and the protection of all holy angels, with the help and prayers of all saints, be betwix me and all mine enemies, now and in the hour of my death and departing. Amen.
Also these verses following be of great virtue in the time of death, and to be said by the sick if he may, or by another for him.
Dirupisti Domine vincula mea, tibi sacrificabo hostiam laudis, et nomen Domini invocabo. Deus propitius esto michi peccatori. Domine Jhesu Christe ego cognosco me graviter peccasse, et libenter volo me emendare per graciam tuam. Miserere mei propter amaram passionem tuam. Domine Jhesu, redemisti nos in sanguine tuo. Laus sit tibi pro amare passione tua. Largire clarum vespere, quo vita nusquam decidat: sed praemium mortis sacre perennis instet gloria.
Also to Our Lady:
Maria plena gracie. Mater misericordie, tu nos ab hoste protege, et in hora mortis suscipe.
And at last:
In manus tuas Domine commendo spiritum meum. In nomine patris, et filii, et spiritus sancti. Amen.
Here followeth a short and sweet Remembrance of the Sacrament of the Altar or that it be received OF THE Sick Person, or any other, afore their Communing
Welcome Blessed Jesu, my Lord God and Saviour, to whom is appropried all mercy and pity. Remember good Lord how frail my nature and substance is, and have mercy and pity on me, great sinner, after Thy great mercies and for Thy bitter passion. For I knowledge and believe faithfully, as a Christian child of Thine, that Thou here in form of bread is the same my Lord God that of Thy goodness came down from heaven, and was born and took my nature of Blessed Virgin Mary, and died for me, and rose the third day, and after ascended in to heaven, and there reigneth with the Father and the Holy Ghost and all saints, for ever immortal: the which for our great health, frailty, and daily transgression, and in remembrance of Thy great love and passion, hast ordained this Thy blessed Body in this wise to be taken of me, and of all other willing to be saved.
I know well that I am far unworthy to be called Thy child or servant, for the great, multitude of my sins; howbeit Thou mayst make me rightful and able the which only of sinners hast made great saints of heaven. By that Thy great power and might grant me now to take Thee meekly, in all fear, and with wailing for my sins, and with a spiritual gladness. Come now, good Lord, into my heart and cleanse it of all sins. Enter into my soul and make it whole, and therewith sanctify me within and without, and be my defence for body and soul, rebuking and putting aside ill mine enemies far from the presence of Thy power; that I then so defended by Thee, may have a free and sure passage to Thy kingdom, where I shall not see Thee in This form by mystery, but I shall see Thee face to face; where I shall never hunger nor thirst, but ever be in joy with Thee and Thine, there to glorify Thee and to worship Thee, to laud and to praise Thee, world without end. Amen.
By these following are Venial Sins taken away; if they be done devoutly
In taking holy water [and] holy bread; also by saying of the Paternoster, spiritually, for this clause and petition : Dimitte nobis debita nostra sicut et nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris; and also by knocking of the breast for one's sins; and also for saying of Detis propicius esto in peccatori; and by saying of the common Confiteor at mass or at other time. Also by receiving of any of the sacraments of the church, and specially of the Body of our Lord. Also by hearing of mass, and by the sight of the sacrament of the altar, there or elsewhere. By the blessing of a bishop or of a priest at his mass. By any of the deeds of mercy; by pardons; by martyrdoms and penance; by forgiveness to a trespassour; by good ensample giving, or by converting of others to good life; by patient thanking in trouble, and by contrition for sins, with displeasure of them. And for every good deed doing with good entent and devotion. Amen. The Famous Doctor Johan Gerson, Chancellor OF Paris, taking his ground from Holy Scripture, and according with holy doctors, saith thus:
Our most merciful Father, Lord God, knowing our frailty and readiness to all sin, is ever ready during this wretched and mortal life, by many and diverse ways to forgive us ever our trespass and to grant and give us His grace; if so be that truly we do ordain unto Him these iii virtues following, so that they be said and done with all the heart devoutly.
The first is that thou shalt say: Blessed Lord, I knowledge that I have sinned grievously against Thy goodness thus and thus — rehearsing thy sins, — and I am displeased therewith, by reason of the which I do penance and will do; for I know well that I have grieved the merciful Lord and broken Thy commandments, in the which Thou only ought to be worshipped.
The second, say this: Good Lord, I have a good purpose and desire with Thy help to be right ware hereafter that I fall not into sin, and I entend to flee the occasions after the possibility of my power.
The third is this: Gracious Lord, I have good will to make an whole confession of all my sins, when place and time convenient may be had, according to Thy commandments and all holy church.
These three verities or truths whosoever sayeth with his heart unfeigningly, in what place that ever he be, he may be sure that he is in the state of grace and salvation, and that he shall have everlasting life, though all he had done all the sins of the world. And if he deceased without any other confession for lack of a priest, as sleeping, or sudden death, he should be saved suffering and sore hard pain in purgatory. Wherefore it is good counsel that every Christian man once or twice on the day, early or late, or else at least on holy days, examine his conscience and remember if that he may with all his heart unfeigningly say these iij truths. And if he can so do he may be sure that he is in the state of grace; and if he may not, but is in will to sin again, and to have his delectation with deed, and will not flee the occasions of mortal sins, and so, drowned in sin, will not arise, such one may be certain that the Pope may not assoil him. Not for thy good it is that such one use much prayer and give alms, and (to) do other good deeds after their power, that God the rather may lighten their hearts and the sooner turn to goodness. Amen.
NOTE ON CAXTON'S TRACT edit
This tract of Caxton's was found in the middle of a volume of black letter tracts in the Bodleian Library, and Mr Blades avers that " no other copy in any language, in print or manuscript, appears to be known."[3] It has no date, printer's name, or place, but it is in Caxton's No. 6 type, with a few lines in the No. i type of Wynkyn de Worde, who was Caxton's workman and successor. We may therefore infer that it was one of the last books printed by Caxton, or one of the first printed by de Worde. In either case it was probably issued from Caxton's House at Westminster, in 1491, the year of his death. Mr Nicholson the late librarian of Bodley's Library says " it does not answer to any of the three printed Latin treatises known as Ars Moriendi which the Bodleian possesses," but that "the heading of the treatise suggests that it was a translation of a work already known by a particular name; the name given is in Latin; and occasional turns of expression . . . suggest a Latin original for parts at least."[4]
1 think it will be evident to anyone who reads these two tracts of Caxton's, after reading the longer version of The Craft of Dying that Mr Nicholson was right about the Latin original, and that the latter must have been the Speculum or Tractatus de arte Moriendi; and also that this particular tract appears to be a further abridgment of Caxton's own already abridged version.
Only those parts of the Tract which have any reference to death are given here. The last pages contain : A singular prayer to be said at the Feast of the Dedication of any church, or at any other time; The twelve degrees of Humility; The seven degrees of Obedience; The seven degrees of Patience; and The fifteen degrees of Charity.