NOw you haue declared to me the Pater noster, I desire Page 102 that you declare also, the Aue Maria
I wil do it willingly, for I desire that you be most deuout to our bles|sed Ladie. The Aue Maria in our vulgar tongue is this: Haile Marie ful of grace, &c.
What meaneth it, that to the Pa|ter noster, the Aue Maria is ioyned, rather then anie other prayer?
For so much as we haue no ad|uocate nor intercessor with Christ, more potent then his Mother, ther|fore when wee haue said the praier, which Christ hath taught vs, we re|paire also to his mother, to the end that she by her intercession, may helpe vs to obtaine, that we haue de|manded, in saying the Pater noster: like as in this world, when we haue geuen a supplication to the Prince, wee recommend the busines vnto the most potent that is in the court.
Who composed the Aue Maria?
God himselfe hath composed it. Page 103 For albeit hee taught it not by his owne mouth, yet he taught it by the mouth of the Archangel Gabriel, of S. Elizabeth, and of the Church. For those wordes, Haile Marie full of grace, our Lord is with thee, blessed art thou among women: were spoken by the Archangel Gabriel, but hee spake them as Gods embassadour, & so hee spake them as from God, and God spake them by the mouth of his Embassadour. Those other wordes: & blessed is the fruit of thy wombe, Saint Elizabeth spake, but she spake them whē she was replenished with the Holy Ghost, as the Euangelist Saint Luke testifyeth. Whereby it appeareth, that the holy Ghost spake them by the mouth of S. Elizabeth. Al the rest, holy church hath added, which is gouerned & taught by the same holy ghost; so it may welbe said that after the pater noster which christ taught vs by his owne mouth, the Page 104Aue Maria is the most excellent prayer that can be found: being cō|posed by the same God, & taught vs by the mouth of his seruants.
Let vs come thē to the declaratiō Wherefore do we say, Haile Marie?
This is a salutation, which we geue vnto her, to shew that we are friendes and of acquaintance, and therefore dare come to speake vnto her, and we vse the words of the An|gel, for that we know that she is plea|sed to heare often that newes which the Angell brought her, when hee spake the same wordes: and shee re|joyceth also, that wee are mindefull thereof, and that we are gratefull to God for so great a benefite.
What meaneth, Full of grace?
The grace of God worketh three principall effects in the soule. It wi|peth out the sinnes which are as spottes that defile the soule: it ador|neth the same soule with giftes and Page 105vertues: and finallie, it in-ableth to doe meritorious workes, gratefull to the diuine Majestie. Our Ladie is full of grace, because touching the first effect, she neuer had any spot of sinne, neither Original nor Actuall, neither mortal nor venial: Touching the second, she had al the vertues & gifts of the holy ghost, in the highest degree. Touching the third, she did works so gratefull vnto God, and so meritorious, that she was worthie to be assumpted in bodie and soule a|boue al the orders of Angels.
It seemeth not that our Ladie had more grace then other Saints. For I haue often heard that S. Stephen & other Saints were full of grace.
How much soeuer it is said of o|ther Saints, that they were full of grace, yet our Ladie had most grace of them al: for that she was made by God capable of more grace, then a|ny other Saints: as for example if Page 106manie vessels one greater then an o|ther were filled with balme, al should be ful, & yet in the greatest should be more balme, then in the others. And the reason of this is, because God doeth make men capable of more or lesse grace, according to the offices which he geueth them. And for so much as the greatest office that hath been geuen to a meere creature, was to be the Mother of God, therefore our Ladie was made capable of, & filled with more grace then anie other meere creature.
What meaneth, Our Lord is with thee?
this is an other singular praise of the blessed virgin which signi|fieth to vs that our Lord hath bene with our Ladie from the beginning of her conception, with a perpetual assistance, gouerning her, directing her, and defending her. And hereof it commeth that she neuer commit|ted Page 107anie sinne, either in thought, in worde, or in deed. Wherevpon God hath not only adorned this most holy virgin with al graces, but he would also remaine alwaies with her as guardian of so great a treasure.
What meaneth, Blessed art thou among women?
This is the third praise, which is geuen to our B. Ladie, in which is declared, that she is not only ful of al the graces, which can belong to a virgin: but of those also which can belong vnto a wife, and therby doth absolutly surpasse al other women, which haue bene, or shal be. The be|nediction of a married woman is fe|cunditie, and this was not wanting to the blessed Virgin, seeing shee hath brought foorth a childe, which is more worth, then a hundreth thousand Children. It may also be said, that shee is a Mother of a verie great number of Children: for that Page 108all good Christians are brothers to Christ, and consequently are childrē to our Ladie, not by birth and na|ture, in which maner only Christ is her childe: but by loue and mother|lie affection, which she had towards all. Whereupon she is worthely said to bee blessed amongst all women: because others had either the glorie of virginitie without fecunditie, or the benediction of fecunditie with|out Virginitie: she only had joyntlie by a singuler priuiledge of God, the honour of perfect virginitie, with the benediction of the highest and most happie fecunditie.
What meaneth. And blessed is the fruit of thy wombe Iesus.
This is the fourth praise, which is giuen to our Ladie, that she is not onely worthy of honour, for that she hath in her selfe: but for that also, which is in the fruit of her wombe. Because the praise of the fruite re|doundeth Page 109to the tree, and the glorie of the child redoundeth to the mo|ther. And because Iesus is not onlie true man, and blessed amongst men; but is also God, blessed aboue all things, as S. Paul teacheth vs, there|fore his mother is not onely blessed amongst women; but shee is blessed amongst all the creatures, as well in earth as in heauen.
Declare vnto me I pray you that which remaineth of the Aue Maria.
In the words following, the holy Church repeating the principall praise of our Ladie, which is to bee the mother of God, and so shewing, that she can obtain of the same God what shee pleaseth, desireth her to make intercession for vs, who haue great need thereof being sinners, & that she help vs while we liue, and in particular, at the poynt of death, when we shal be in greatest danger.
I would gladly know, wherefore it Page 110 ring to the Aue Maria, three times in the day, to wit, in the morning, at midday, and in the euening.
To the end we may vnderstand, that we haue need to make recourse often to the helpe of God, and of the Saints: being in the middest of ene|mies visible & inuisible. And that we ought not to thinke it sufficient to haue recourse to the armour of praier in the beginning of our works but that we must do the same in the progresse and in the end. There is also an other mysterie in this ringing thrise to the Aue Maria. That is, ho|lie Church would haue vs continu|ally to remember the three principal mysteries of our Redemptiō, the In|carnation, the Passion, and the Re|surrection. And therfore willeth that wee salute our B. Ladie in the mor|ning, in memorie of the Resurrecti|on of our lord: at midday, in memo|rie of the passion: & at night, in me|mory Page 111of the Incarnation. Because as we are certaine that our Lord was mayled on the Crosse at midday, & rose in the morning, so it is probably thought, that the Incarnation was in the night.
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