The Ninth Chapter. Concerning the Two Last Moons Which Must Be Thus Commenced

THE NINTH CHAPTER.

CONCERNING THE TWO LAST MOONS WHICH MUST BE THUS COMMENCED.

ORNING and Noon ye shall wash your hands and your face on entering the Oratory; ² and firstly ye shall make Confession of all your sins; after this, with a E very ardent prayer, ye shall entreat the

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[paragraph continues] Lord to accord unto you this particular grace, which is, that you may enjoy and be able to endure ¹ the presence and conversation of His Holy Angels, and that He may deign by their intermission to grant unto you the Secret Wisdom, so that you may be able to have dominion over the Spirits and over all creatures.

Ye shall do this same at midday before dining, and also in the evening; so that during these two last Moons ye shall perform the prayer three times a day, and during this time ye shall ever keep the Perfume upon the Altar. Also towards the end of your Oration, ye shall pray unto the Holy Angels, supplicating them to bear your sacrifice before the Face of God, in order to intercede for you, and that they shall assist you in all your operations during these two Moons.

The man who is his own master ² shall leave all business alone, except works of charity towards his neighbour. You shall shun all society except that of your Wife and of your Servants. Ye shall employ the greatest part of your time in speaking of the Law of God, and in reading such works as treat wisely thereof; so that your eyes may be opened unto that which from past time even unto the present ye have not as yet seen, nor thought of, nor believed.

Every Sabbath Eve shall ye fast, and wash your whole body, and change your garment.

Furthermore, ye shall have a Vest and Tunic of linen, which ye shall put on every time that ye enter into the Oratory, before ye commence to put the Perfume in the Censer, as I shall tell ye more fully hereafter

Also ye shall have a basket or other convenient vessel of copper filled with Charcoal to put inside the Censer when necessary, and which ye can take outside the Oratory,

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because the Censer itself should never be taken away from the place. Note well that after having performed your prayer, you ought to take it ¹ out of the Oratory, especially during the Two last Moons, and ye should inter it in a place which cannot well be made unclean, such as a garden.

Footnotes

70:2 This probably means in the bed-chamber before entering the Oratory.

71:1 Que vous puissiez jouir et resister à la prèsence, etc.

71:2 I.e., independent.

72:1 I.e., the ashes of the charcoal and incense.