If a child is in danger of death, the midwife or the father or mother is to baptize it; and he is to teach people what is the proper form, “I folowe (baptize) thee, or, I christen thee, in the name of, etc.” All children born within eight days of Easter or of Whitsunday, are to be brought to baptism at those seasons, unless they are in danger of death. He is to instruct godparents to teach their god-children the Our Father and Creed; and to bring them to be bishoped within their fifth year; but the sponsors at the baptism are not to hold the child at the confirming.[220] Relatives by spiritual ties as well as by blood, are not to marry, and he defines these spiritual relationships. Irregular marriages are cursed. Banns are to be asked on three holy days, and then the parties are to be openly wedded at the church door. He is to bid all who are of years of discretion to come to church to confession, and to receive communion on Easter Day all together:[221]
Teach them then with good intent
To beleve in that sacrament
What they receive in form of bread
It is God’s body that suffered dead[222]
Upon the holy rood tree,
To buy our sins and make us free.
Every Sunday a “holy loaf”[223] provided by the charity of some one of the laity was cut in pieces, and a piece given to all who came up to receive it: the authority for this practice was no doubt the primitive love-feast. But when it was not the custom for the laity to communicate, this was given as a sort of representation of and substitute for the consecrated bread, and it was attended by a good deal of superstition. A question in the “Lay Folks’ Mass-book” seems to indicate that it was required that people should receive it and eat it, fasting, every Sunday—
Hast thou eaten any Sonday
Withouten holy bred? Say yea or nay;
and a return by the vicar of Leominster of the sources of his income, seems to indicate that a payment for this holy bread was customary in some places (see p. 404).
He is to teach that, after receiving the Consecrated Bread at Easter, what is given them afterwards in the chalice is only wine and water to assist in the swallowing it completely:
But teach them all to ’lieve sudde[224]
That it which is on the altar made
It is very God’s blood
That He shed on the rood.
Teach the people when they go to church to leave behind idle speech and jests, and light behaviour, and say their paternoster and creed. Not to stand or lean against pillar or wall, but set themselves on their knees on the floor, and pray to God with meek heart to give them grace and mercy. When the gospel is read, they are to stand and bless Him as well as they can, and when gloria tibi is done, they are to kneel down again; and when the sacring-bell rings, they are to hold both hands up and say softly, without noise—
Jesu, Lord, welcome thou be,
In forme of bred as I Thee see;
Jesu for thy holy name
Shield me to-day from sin and shame.
Shrift and housel, Lord, thou grant me bo[225]
Ere that I shall hennes[226] go,
And true contrycion of my sin
That I Lord never die therein.
And as thou wert of a may[227] y’bore,
Suffer me never to be forelore;
But when that I shall hennes wend
Graunt me thi blysse withouten ende. Amen.
Teche them thus or some othere thynge,
To say at the holy sakerynge.
[In the “Lay Folks’ Mass-book” the following short verse is given to be said in this place—