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

O Lord Jesus Christ Son of the living God, which being upon the cross with thy hands spread abroad for the redemption of all mankind didst drink the most bitter cup of thy passion I beseech thee that thou wouldest vouchsafe to give me help this day & ever. Lo, I a poor wretch cum unto thee, which art rich, a sinner unto thee that art merciful. Let me not return home contemned and despised with no thing. I begin a hungered, let me not leave of fasting I cum unto thee as though. I were famished, let me not go away unfed. Although before I eat, I sigh & ⟨p. 121⟩sorrow: yet after my sorrow, give me somewhat to eat. First of all good Jesus, I acknowledge before thy majesty mine unrighteousness towards thee. Behold, O Lord, I was conceived in sin & borne in the same: & thou didst wash them of from me, & sanctified me: but I afterward defiled my self with bigger and more grievous sins. For I was born in sin of necessity, because I could be borne none otherwise. But afterward I rolled my self willingly in sins. Nevertheless thou, O Lord being mindful of thy pity, didst take me out of the house of my carnal father ⟨image 124⟩& out of the tents of the ungodly and hast inspired me & put me in mind to follow thee, with the generation of them that seek thy face, of them that walk in the right path, of them that abide & continue amongst the lilies of chastity: & of them that sit down together with the at supper of most scarcity & least excess. But I an unkind person, forgetting so many great benefits, after that I was entered into religion & holiness did commit many unlawful things. I did offend wonderful ungraciously: & where I should of right, have amended mine evil life, and lest my sins: I heaped ⟨p. 122⟩sins upon sins, & these be the evils, o Lord wherewith I have dishonoured thee, & have spotted & defiled my self (whom thou didst create after the similitude and likeness of thine own self) with pride vain glory and other many evils wherewith mine unlucky soul is vexed, punished, torn & destroyed. Behold, o lord mine unrighteousness is gone over my head and are like a sore burden, over heavy for me to bear. And except thou, whose property is ever to have mercy & to forgive, do lay under me the right hand of thy majesty: I shall be constrained miserably to sink in to the deep and be drowned.