Description in Latin of the Book of Common Prayer sent to John Calvin

A brief description of the great English book, written in Latin, a copy of which was sent to Mr Calvin.¹A version is found in the letter of 11 December [1554] from John Knox and William Whittingham to John Calvin, edited from the autograph as Calvin, Epistola 2059 in Corpus Reformatorum 15. 337-344. An English version of the description is printed under the title ‘A description off the Liturgie/ or booke off service that is used in Englande’ in A Brieff discours off the troubles begonne at Franckford in Germany Anno Domini 1554 ... (1574 [reprinted Amsterdam: Theatrvm Orbis Terrarvm, 1972]), pp. XXVIII-XXXIIII. In the following notes G = the Goodman notebook; E = Ep. 2059; and T = Troubles begonne at Franckford.

Description of the English liturgy.

First, morning prayers are offered.²The Latin text (in both G and E) has se offerunt. T has ‘morninge praier offreth itself’. The reflexive sounds rather odd in English; does this suggest that T is a translation? The minister, wearing the white vestment which they call a surplice, begins them with some short statement – as for example, ‘If we say that we do not have sin, we deceive ourselves’ and so on, or something of that sort – and he undertakes an exhortation. This is followed by confession which the people utter in a clear voice, following the minister. To this is added an absolution. When that has been done, he recites the Lord’s prayer. And afterwards,

And next, three psalms together with a ‘Glory be to the Father’.⁴E is almost identical (Atque mox treis psalmi, una cum: Gloria patri etc.). But the ‘Glory be’ has somehow got lost in T: ‘By and by also there folowe 3. Psalmes together at thende off every one.’ There follows a reading which contains a whole chapter of the Old Testament. After it, ‘We praise you, o God’ or ‘Bless’ and so on.⁵That is, the ‘Te Deum’ or the canticle ‘Benedicite’. Then another reading, from the New Testament, unless the celebration of a feast happens to have fixed readings. And in cathedral churches⁶Literally, ‘cathedral temples’. the readings are delivered in plain-song. Then afterwards the ‘Blessed’⁷That is, the canticle ‘Benedictus’. is added. Here the book admonishes them to preserve this order through the whole year. Finally, ‘I believe in God’⁸That is, the Apostles’ Creed (‘Credo in Deum’) rather than the Nicene Creed (‘Credo in unum Deum’). is uttered by the minister, the people now standing up on their feet. Then, when all have fallen to their knees,

Then the minister stands up and says,

At last, as a conclusion there are three collects. The first is that of the day. The second is for peace – that is, ‘God the author of peace’ and so on. The last is a petition for the receipt of grace.⁹E adds a whole paragraph here on the papistical and superstitious character of the rite.

And evening prayers are conducted with almost the same order, except that the ‘Magnificat’ follows the first reading, and the ‘Nunc Dimittis’ the second. And in place of ‘God the author of peace’ what is used is ‘God from whom’ and so on. Furthermore, a caution is provided by the author that all ministers should apply themselves daily at both morning and evening prayers, unless they happen to be hindered by the study of theology or some most necessary business. In addition to these things, on [p. 66] Sunday, Tuesday, and also Thursday, a certain Gregorian litany is in use, which begins like this.

with only the invocation of the saints omitted. Otherwise, it expressly includes a certain exorcism ‘through the mystery of your incarnation; through your holy birth and circumcision; through your baptism, fasting, and temptation; through your agony and bloody sweat’. It similarly includes ‘from sudden and unforeseen death’. At the end of each clause the people meanwhile reply, ‘Spare us, o Lord’ or ‘Free us, o Lord’ or ‘We ask you, hear us.’

Much that belongs to this way of thinking is joined on to these things – which I omit so as not to seem to scatter papistical dregs.¹⁰In place of ‘so as not to seem to scatter papistical dregs’, E has the more prosaic ‘for the sake of brevity’. T is closer to G, but reads ‘least we shulde seeme to syfte all those drosses which remaine still amonge us’.

The scheme for the Lord’s supper is like this. The minimum number suitable for the celebration of the supper is three, yet when plague is raging or some pestilence is running riot, it is permitted to the minister on his own so that he might share the gifts with the sick.¹¹T takes this to mean ‘and yet it is permitted ... the Minister alone maie communicate withe the sicke man in his house’. And so first the minister ought to make himself ready in this fashion. Dressed in a linen vestment – as in the other rites – he stands at the north end of the table. Then, after there has been as usual an ‘Our Father’, he recites the collect. There follow in order the Ten Commandments, yet¹²The force of the ‘yet’ (tamen’) is made clear in the slightly fuller version in E: ‘But then in place of the ‘Kyrie eleyson’ are put the Ten Commandments, yet in such a way that to each commandment the community replies, ‘Lord, have mercy upon us, and direct our hearts to the keeping of this law.’’ T agrees with G. in such a way that the community¹³‘Community’ isn’t a particularly good translation of populus, but above I used ‘people’ for plebs and ‘congregation’ for audientia. Presumably here there is no difference between populus and plebs, though of course in earlier usage plebs is the common ordo, as opposed to the ordo of the clergy, while populus is the people of God as a whole – as a social and ecclesial reality. replies to each, ‘Lord, have mercy’ and ‘Direct our hearts to the keeping of this law’. After the Commandments have been repeated, there is a collect, which they call the collect of the day, and another one, for the king. Next, the epistle and Gospel – as, namely, the calendar itself assigns them to that particular day. And there is at this point a certain annotation, that each feast day has its own collect, epistle, and Gospel – which fill seventy-three huge folios, while the rest of the book is not even fifty. For all the feasts are just as much in use as they are among the Pope-worshippers, with only a few being disregarded.¹⁴E is (according to the editors) edited from the autograph, but its text is garbled here: something must have dropped out. It contains the phrase ad dextram et sinistram (Christi) contendimus, which I suspect is part of an attack on moving from the Epistle side of the church to the Gospel side for the lections. Then he goes on to the ‘I believe in God’, and after that to the sermon – if there actually is one. Afterwards the parish man¹⁵Parochus here of course means the parish priest (as T in fact renders it), but I don’t want to import the word ‘priest’ into the translation, since both sacerdos and sacrificus are used later in the text and are in the context loaded words. indicates the feasts and fasts, if any happen to fall.¹⁶During the coming week, as T makes explicit (‘iff there be ayne that weeke’). Here the book adverts that no one should defraud the parish man of his right, especially on those feasts which are dedicated for oblations. There follows a prayer for the condition of the Church militant, not without a long hotchpotch of other things, until, after there has been some confession of sins, it comes to the

the community replying,

Here is added the preface according to the feast. Afterwards it adds, ‘Therefore with angels and archangels’ and so on, and thus it ends with ‘Holy, holy, holy’ as far as ‘Glory in the highest’. [p. 67] Now the sacrificer¹⁷Sacrificus. again genuflects, proclaiming our unworthiness in the name of the community. And, proclaiming in turn the mercy of God, he asks that our bodies be cleansed by the body of Christ and our souls be washed clean by his blood. Here he stands up again and embarks on still another new prayer constructed¹⁸T has the weaker ‘appointed for this purpos’. for this purpose, in which are also contained the words of institution. When all these things have been performed, he communicates first, and next, when he is about to give the bread, he says to another, who has prostrated himself, ‘Take, eat, and, remembering Christ who suffered for you, feed your heart through faith and give thanks.’ Then, when he is about to offer the cup, he says similarly – and so on. And towards the end, ‘Our Father’ – as before, with all following the minister out loud. Finally, the climax¹⁹For G’s catastrophe, E reads the much blander conclusio. I presume the point of the ten-bob word is to underline the fact that the ‘Gloria in excelsis’ comes after communion, rather than near the beginning as in the Roman Mass or the English Prayer Book of 1549. has a giving of thanks with a ‘Glory to God in the highest’ – as with the papists. But if it happens that no one goes to communion, only a few little things²⁰For ‘only a few little things’ (tantum paucula), E reads verba institutionis. I presume both Latin versions have in mind a dry Mass. T, curiously, says, ‘yff it happen that there be no sermon / onely a fewe thinges are omitted’. I think this must imply that T is translated from Latin and somehow managed to read contionem instead of communionem. are omitted, but the others are done after the order described above.

In baptism, the godparents are asked in the name of the infant whether they renounce Satan and his works and the desires of the world. At that point they say, ‘I renounce.’ Then, whether they believe the articles of the faith. When consent to them has been given, he says – directing the remark to each sponsor – ‘Do you wish to be baptized into this faith?’ ‘I do indeed wish,’ they say. After reciting a few brief remarks, he takes the child and dips²¹From Tertullian on, inting(u)o was used more or less synonymously with baptizo – that is, without any emphasis on the literal meaning ‘dip/plunge in’ – though of course for Tertullian and co. immersion rather than infusion was the paradigm. Troubles here has ‘dippeth’ (p. XXXII). it – but carefully and sensibly, as the writer says. He also makes the sign of the cross on the child’s forehead, for this purpose -- in order to admonish him when he is grown up boldly to confess the faith. Afterwards, when he is about to dismiss the godparents, he enjoins them to bring the child to the bishop to be confirmed as soon as he has learnt the articles of the faith, the Lord’s prayer, and the decalogue.²²E here adds, ‘There is no point in writing about private baptism and private Supper, though they are discussed by our author.’ T, as usual, agrees with G. Though there are, the writer says, many reasons that ought to lead us to confirm children, this is to be sure by far the most weighty of all – in order that through the imposition of hands they might receive strength and support against all the temptations of sin and the assaults of the world and the devil, because of the fact that those who have reached that age are assailed partly by the weakness of the flesh and partly by the allurements of the world and the deceits of Satan. But lest by chance some error should reside in this confirmation, they clip on some set-piece²³Literally, ‘they sew on (like a patch) a certain rhapsody’ – that is, a chunk of an epic poem suitable for recitation at one go. of a catechism. But the articles of the faith, the Lord’s prayer, and the decalogue – that is, two folios, more or less – bring it to an end.

To this is appended the scheme for marriage. Omitting its other petty ceremonies – who could endure even these absurdities? For the groom deposits a ring in some book. The minister at once grabs it and delivers it into the hand of the same man [p. 68] and bids him to put it on the fourth finger of his bride’s left hand. Then the groom uses this form of words. ‘With this ring,’ he says, ‘I marry you; with my body I honour you; and with my goods I endow you, in the name of the Father’ and so on. Shortly afterwards, as they are prostrate before the Lord’s table, he says,

And thus, when he has run through a few things, it is necessary that they be led to the Lord's supper.

The visitation of the sick is like this.

and so on as in the rest of the prefaces that have triggers and responses.²⁴Literally, ‘interrogations and responses’ or, as T says, ‘questions and answers’ (p. XXXIII). But no questions have been asked here. In medieval Latin, interrogatio can mean ‘exaction, demand’ (so Latham). I think the meaning is that here, as in other liturgical dialogues which introduce (hence ‘prefaces’) sacraments or sacramentals, the minister has half-lines which are meant to cue and be completed by corresponding half-line responses.

A funeral is met by the priest²⁵Sacerdos. at the entrance to the cemetary. He sings or in a low voice says ‘I am the resurrection and the life’ – John 11. ‘I know that my redeemer lives.’ ‘We brought nothing into this world.’ ‘The Lord gave’ and so on. When it comes to the grave, there is heard, ‘Man born of woman’ – Job 9. When the earth is thrown in, ‘We commit,’ he says, ‘earth to earth, dust to dust’ and so on. ‘I heard a voice from heaven, saying’ and so on. Next, ‘Lord have mercy’ and so on.

The purification of those who have newly given birth – which they call thanksgiving – in almost all respects we have in common not only with the papists but also with the Jews, since indeed it is commanded to offer a coin in place of a lamb or a turtle-dove.²⁶How does the argument work? There is plainly a reference to the purification after childbirth described in Lev 12. It is there specified that a woman is to bring to the priest a year-old lamb for a burnt offering and a pigeon or turtle-dove for a sin offering (Lev 12:6), but there is no reference to commuting the sacrificial offerings into a money payment. The argument, I think, is that the money payment required by the English book is (theologically) equivalent to the offerings required by Leviticus. So jubetur (G and E) means ‘it is commanded (by the English book)’, not ‘it is commanded (by the Old Testament)’ and when T says, ‘The purification of women in childbed / whiche they call gevinge off thankes / is not only in all things withe us almoste common withe the Papistes but also with the Jewes / bycause they are commaunded in stede off a lambe or dove to offre monie’ (pp. XXXIII-XXXIIII), the referent of ‘they’ is ‘women in childbed’, not – as it might seem at first blush – ‘the Jewes’. The argument is given a distinctive spin in E:

When we condemn the purification, which is called by our people giving of thanks, they suppose that we Calvinize, and they do not see that when they defend it, they Judaize. For apart from the fact that they agree in all respects with the most heretical Papists, it is also commanded to offer a coin in place of a lamb or a turtle-dove."

It looks as if a pre-existing argument has been adapted to fit the context of a letter to Calvin.

Other things²⁷This final paragraph (‘Other things ... finely developed’) is found in virtually identical form in G and T, but there is nothing corresponding to it in E. T has in the margin beside this paragraph ‘Knox and Whittingham ashamed to open some things’. So the compiler of Troubles (or at least the editor of 1574) thought that his text of ‘A description off the Liturgie’ was that contained in the letter sent by Knox and Whittingham to Calvin. But in that he was mistaken, for E is edited from the autograph -- in Whittingham’s hand, according to C.R. 15. 344, note 11. That might say something about the authorship of Troubles. not so much shame itself as a certain pity compels us to leave unsaid. In the meantime we take nothing away from those men, worthy of honour, who – partly obstructed by the times, partly overwhelmed, as if by waves, by the stubbornness and number of their adversaries, to whom nothing apart from their own dregs ever gives pleasure -- continually strove in their mind, as far as they were able, toward that which was more perfect and more finely developed.²⁸In general in this document G and T are very, very close, while E goes its own way. Indeed, the variants are so extensive that a full collation would be impracticable as well as pointless: it would really take a synoptic table to set the divergences out clearly. But G/T on the one hand and E on the other are obviously not independent summaries of the English book. That is apparent from what I might call editorial comment shared by the two recensions, such as the complaint about proper readings filling ‘73 huge folios’ while the rest of the book scarcely runs to 50 or the argument about the Judaizing character of the service for the Churching of Women. A pre-existing ‘Description’ must have been, on the one hand, revised for inclusion in the letter to Calvin and then, on the other hand, further edited to produce the common ancestor of G and T. That further editing is implied by some elements present in E which are not found in G/T, such as the specification that the paucula to be omitted in a dry Mass are the words of institution or the reference, between baptism and confirmation, to private baptism and private Mass.

A brefe discription of the great Englishe Boke wryten in Latten, a / copy whereof was sent to Mr. Calvin. /²⁹For the different versions of this document, see my note to the translation.

Descriptio Liturgiae Anglicanae. / /

Primum se offerunt Matutinae preces, quas minister alba veste quam super-/pellicium vocant indutus, ab aliqua scripturarum sententiola exorsus (utpote, / si dixerimus quod peccatum non habemus nos ipsos fallimus etc. aut hujus / generis) aggreditur hortationem. Hanc excipit confessio quam clara voce / plebs, praeeunte ministro exprimit. Huic adjungitur absolutio; quibus quidem / peractis, recitat orationem dominicam. Post verò, Domine labia mea aperi-/es; et os meum annunciabit laudem tuam. Deus in adjutorium meum in-/tende etc. Venite exultemus etc. Atque mox tres psalmos una cum glo-/ria patri. Sequitur Lectio quae integrum veteris testamenti caput con-/tinet. Post hanc, Te Deum Laudamus, vel Benedicite etc. Altera dein-/de Lectio ex novo testamento, nisi forte festi celebritas statas lectiones / habeat. In templis vero cathedralibus plano cantu lectiones proferun-/tur. Post deinde Benedictus adjicitur. Hîc, liber admonet ut per inte-/grum annum hunc ordinem servent. Postremo, Credo in Deum per minis-/trum pronunciatur, erecto interim in pedes populo; Deinde omnibus in / genua provolutis, Dominus (inquit) vobiscum. Resp[onsum] Et cum spiritu / tuo. Kyrie eleyson, Christe eleyson, Kyrie eleyson. Pater noster etc ab / omni audientia alte pronunciatum. Minister tum erectus. Ostende, / inquit, nobis Domine misericordiam tuam. Resp[onsum] Et salutare tuum da / nobis. Domine salvum fac regem. In die qua invocaveramus te. Sa-/cerdotes tui induantur justitia. Et sancti tui exultent. Salvum fac / populum tuum Domine. Et benedic haereditati tuae. Da nobis pacem in / diebus nostris etc. Tandem conclusionis vice habentur tres Collectae. prima / diei, altera pro pace, id est, Deus autor pacis etc. ultima est pro gratia / impetranda. /

[New paragraph, indented] Vespertinae autem preces eodem ferme ordine peraguntur, nisi quod / primam Lectionem sequatur Magnificat, secundum [sic]³⁰E reads the obviously correct secundam. verò, Nunc dimittis, Atque loco Deus autor pacis, habetur, Deus a quo etc. Cautio praeterea / adhibetur ab autore, ut ministri omnes tam in matutinis quam etiam / vespertinis precibus quotidie se exerceant, nisi forte studio Theologiae / aut negotio aliquo vehementer necessario impediantur. Ad haec die / [p. 66] dominica, feria tertia ac item quinta, Litania quaedam Gregoriana in usu / est, quae sic exorditur, Pater de caelis deus miserere nobis. Fili redemp-/tor mundi deus etc. omissa tantum sanctorum invocatione. alioquin exor-/cismum quendam, Per mysterium incarnationis tuae, per sanctam nativita-/tem et circumcisionem, per baptismum, jejunium, et tentationem, per ago-/nem et cruentum sudorem tuum diserte complectitur. A subitanea item / ac improvisa morte. Ad finem interim cujusque clausulae respondente ple-/be, vel, Parce nobis Domine, vel, Libera nos Domine, vel, Te rogamus au-/di nos. Agnus dei ter repetitum. Kyrie eleyson etc. Pater noster. Do-/mine non secundum peccata nostra facias nobis etc. His multa in hanc / sententiam connectuntur, quae ne omnes Papisticas faeces[?] excutere videar, / praetereo. /

[New paragraph, indented] Ratio caenae[?] dominicae sic se habet. Ternarius ad minimum numerus / idoneus est ad celebrandam caenam[?]. saeviente tamen peste, aut aliqua / grassante lue, ministro soli permittitur, ut donis[?] cum aegroto communicet. / Primum itaque minister ad hunc modum se accingere debet. Linea veste / (ut in reliquis sacris) indutus, ad boreale mensae latus astat. Deinde / Pater noster de more habito, collectam recitat. sequuntur ordine decem / praecepta, ita tamen ut unicuique populus respondeat, Kyrie eleyson et di-/rige corda nostra ad custodiendam legem hanc. Post repetita praecepta / habetur collecta quam diei vocant ac altera pro rege. Mox epistola / ac evangelium, cujusmodi videlicet Calendarium ipsum eidem diei assig-/nat. Atque notatio quaedam hoc loco habetur, quod singulus dies festus / suam habet collectam epistolam et evangelium (quae 73 ingentia folia / complent, reliquus verò liber ne 50 quidem) [no punctuation visible] Nam festa omnia aequè sunt / in usu ac apud Papicolas paucis tantum postpositis. Tum pergit ad Credo / in deum: post id autem ad concionem, si modo qua habetur. Postea paro-/chus festa indicit et jejunia, si forte incidant. Animadvertit hìc liber, ne / quis defraudet parochum suo jure; praesertim illis festis quae ad oblationes / dicantur. Sequitur precatio pro statu ecclesiae militantis, non sine longa / farragine aliarum rerum, donec[?] post habitam confessionem quandam / peccatorum perveniat ad Sursum corda. Respondente populo, Habemus / ad Dominum. Gratias agamus Domino deo nostro. Resp[onsum] Dignum est etc. / Verè dignum et justum est etc [possibly stop] usque ad illam clausulam, Aeterne[?] deus. / (Hic additur praefatio secundum festum.) postea addit, Idcirco cum angelis et / archangelis etc atque ita desinit in Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus, usque ad, Gloria / in excelsis / [p. 67] in excelsis. Jam flectit genua rursus Sacrificus, nostram indignitatem pub-/lico nomine confitens; deique vicissim misericordiam depraedicans, rogat nos-/tra ut corpora Christi purgentur corpore, nostraeque animae suo perluan-/tur sanguine. Erigitur hîc denuo, atque novam adhuc precationem aggre-/ditur ad hoc institutum fabrifactam, in quâ etiam continentur institu-/tionis[?] verba. Quibus omnibus confectis, primus communicat, mox vero pa-/nem daturus, prostrato alteri ait, Accipiens vescere, ac recordatus Chris-/ti pro te passi, animum tuum[?] per fidem ciba, ac gratias age. Poculum / deinde praebiturus similiter ait etc. Circiter autem finem, Pater noster, / ut antea, omnibus voce ministrum subsequentibus. Catastrophe denique /gratiarum actionem habet, cum Gloria in excelsis deo, ut apud Papistas [middle point] / Quòd si contingat nullam fieri communionem omittuntur[?] tantum paucu-/la, caetera[?] verò ordine praedicto peraguntur. /

[New paragraph, indented] In Baptismo, rogantur Susceptores nomine infantis. Renunciant-/ne Satanae ejusque factis, ac mundanis concupiscentijs? tum illi, abrenun-/cio, inquiunt. Deinde creduntne[?] articulis fidei? quibis quidem concessis, / Visne, inquit, convertens sermonem ad utrumque sponsorem, baptizari in hanc / fidem? etiam, inquiunt, volo. Post paucula recitata puerum prehendit, /intingitque; at cautè ac sobriè, ut est apud autorem; cui etiam crucem in / fronte signat, quâ scilicet adultus admoneatur[?] intrepidè fidem confiteri. / Postea susceptores dimissurus, praecipit ut ad Episcopum puerum confirman-/dum deferant, quamprimum articulos fidei, orationem dominicam, et de-/calogum teneat. Cum plures sint causae (inquit autor) quae nos ad confir-/mationem puerorum movere debent[?], haec nimirum est longè omnium gra-/vissima, ut per impositionem manuum vires accipiant ac patrocinium ad-/versus omnes tentationes peccati, insultusque[?] mundi et diaboli; propterea / quod eo aetatis constitutos partim carnis infirmitas partim vero mundi / illecebrae et Satanae fraudes adoriantur. Sed ne forte aliquis in hac con-/firmatione error insit, rapsodiam quandam Catechismi assuunt. ea au-/tem fidei articulis, oratione dominicâ, et decalogo, hoc est, duobus plus mi-/nus folijs perficitur. /

[New paragraph, indented] His subjungitur Conjugij ratio, cujus ut caeteras ceremoniolas omitta-/mus, has saltem ineptias quis tolerare possit? Maritus enim annulum in / librum quendam deponit, quem statim minister arreptum eidem in manum / tradit / [p. 68] tradit, jubetque ut in quartum uxoris digitum sinistrum induat. tum mari-/tus hac verborum formâ utens, In hoc annulo, inquit, te duco, corpore / meo te honoro, et cum omnibus meis bonis te dito, in nomine Patris etc. / Paulo post coram mensa dominica prostratis minister ait, Kyrie eleyson, / Christe eleyson etc. Pater noster etc Domine salvum fac servum tuum et / ancillam tuam, etc. atque ita paucis recensitis ad coenam[?] dominicam perduci / eos oportet.³¹The first letter is illegible; oportet is the reading of E; T has ‘they muste be brought’. /

[New paragraph, indented] Visitatio infirmorum sic se habet. Pax sit huic domui. Resp[onsum] Et / omnibus habitantibus in ea. Kyrie eleyson Christe eleyson etc. Pater noster. / Domine, salvum fac servum tuum. Resp[onsum] Qui sperat in te. Mitte auxilium de / sancto tuo. Resp[onsum] Et in aeternum[?] protege eum, etc ut in reliquis praefationibus / cum interrogationibus et responsis. /

[New paragraph, indented] Funeri dat obviam Sacerdos ad ingressum coemeterij vel can-/tans vel summisse efferens, Ego sum resurrectio et vita. Jo. 11. Ego scio / quod redemptor meus vivit. Nihil intulimus in hunc mundum. Dominus dedit / etc. Ad tumulum pervenienti auditur[?], Homo natus de muliere Job. 9. Ad / injectionem terrae, Commitimus (inquit) terram terrae, pulverem pulveri etc. / Audivi vocem de caelo[?] dicentem etc. Mox [middle point] Kyrie eleyson, etc. /

[New paragraph, indented] Purificatio puerperarum quam illi gratiarum actionem appellant, / in omnibus fere³²The reading is far from clear, but T has ‘almoste’. non solum nobis cum Papistis communis est, sed cum Ju-/daeis etiam, quando quidem pro agno aut turture jubetur nummumofferre[?]. /

[New paragraph, indented] Caetera non tam pudor ipse quam commiseratio quaedam nos reti-/cere cogit. Nihil interim honorandis illis viris detrahentes, qui partim tem-/poribus impediti, partim adversariorum (quibus praeter faeces[?] suas nil[?] unquam / delectat) pertinacia et multitudine quasi fluctibus obruti, ad perfectiora / ac limatiora animo quantum potuerant perpetuò contendebant. /

[The orthography of this piece is quite different from that of thepreceding documents in distinguishing vocalic and consonantal i/ j and u/v and in the fairly frequent use of diacriticals on long-vowel adverbial forms and ambiguous ablatives.]