The pomander of prayer, newly madeThe pomaunder of prayer, newly made

The one I beseech thee to preserve the other to cure: do thou heal me (O Lord) and I shall be healed: do thou make me safe & I shall be saved. Thou I mean which dost make hole them that be diseased, & dost preserve them that be cured, which only with a beck dost restore and repair things that be decayed & fallen into ruin. For if thou wilt vouch safe to sow any good seed in the field of my hart, of necessity thou must pluck up first with the hand of thy pity, the thorns a fvices which be in it. Put in my heart I beseech thee, so great plenty of delectation in thee, that I may ⟨p. 100⟩desire no earthly or carnal thing nor yet think upon them, but that I may love thee alone, that I may have thee only in my hart and in my mouth. Write with thy finger in my breast, the delectable remembrance of thy sweet name & so that it may be blotted out with no forgetfulness. Write thy will in the tables of mine hart, and also thy justifications, that I may always & in every place have thee (O Lord) before mine eyes in my sight. Inflame my mind with that fire, which thou diddest send into the earth, and willedst it to be kindled, that I might offer unto the daily with ⟨image 104⟩tears, a sacrifice of a troubled spirit and a repentant hart. O sweet Christ, O good Jesus, even according unto my desire and even as I heartily require thee with my whole mind, give me thy holy and chaste love, which may replenish and keep me & also fully posses me. Give me an evident sign and token of thy love, a flowing well of tears which will continually run, that those tears may somewhat testify thy love in me, that they may show forth, that they may declare how much my soul loveth thee, whiles for the great delectation it hath in the sweetness of thy love: ⟨p. 102⟩it may not refrain from tears. I call to my remembrance from times good lord, that virtuous woman Ann, which came to the tabernacle to pray ye thou wouldest send her a son, of whom the scrip ture maketh mention that her countenance (after her tears and prayers) was not again changed or altered. But when I think upon so great virtue, constance & steadfastness: I am vexed with sorrow and confounded with shame, because I a wretchedoo perceive my self to be fallen over much from thee. For if a woman did weep after such a sort and continued so in weeping, which ⟨image 105⟩