Let us pray to the Lord. O Lord God of the salvation of thy servants, who art merciful, and compassionate and long-suffering, and repentest thee concerning our miseries, who desirest not the death of a sinner, but that he should return and live; do thou thyself now be merciful unto thy servant, _name_, and grant unto him an image of repentance, pardon and remission of sins; and forgive him every voluntary and involuntary offence: reconcile and unite him to thy holy church, through Christ Jesus our Lord, with whom is due to thee might and majesty, now and ever, and to ages of ages. Amen. _After this prayer the priest absolveth the penitent, who lowly kneeleth, saying on this wise, to the completion of the mystery of holy penitence,_ Our Lord and God, Jesus Christ, by the grace and compassion of his love to man, forgive thee, child, _name_, all thine iniquities; and I, an unworthy priest, by the power that is given unto me, forgive thee and loosen thee from all thy sins, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen. _And finally, the priest, while saying the absolution, signeth the penitent with his right hand with the sign of the cross._ _Then_, It is very meet.... Glory. Both now. _And the dismissal._[12] [Illustration] _Chapter VIII._ PRAYER ON THE RELEASING FROM PROHIBITION. O benign Lord, good and man-loving, who, for thy mercy’s sake, didst send thine only-begotten Son into the world that he might tear in pieces the accusation of offences against us, and burst the bonds of them that are bound by sin, and preach deliverance unto the captives; do thou thyself, O Master, by thy grace, deliver thy servant, _name_, from the bond that lieth upon him, and grant unto him that, in every time and place, he may without sin draw nigh with boldness unto thy majesty, and, in a pure conscience, entreat the rich mercy that is from thee. For a merciful and man-loving God thou art, and to thee we ascribe glory, to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost, now and ever, and to ages of ages. Amen. [Illustration] [Illustration] _Chapter IX._ THE ORDER THAT IS USED AT BETROTHALS. _After the divine liturgy, while the priest standeth in the sanctuary, they that purpose to be joined together stand before the holy doors, the man on the right side and the woman on the left. And on the right side of the holy table are laid their two rings, a golden one and a silver one, the silver one towards the right and the golden one towards the left, close to one another. And the priest signeth the heads of the bridal pair thrice, and giveth them burning tapers, and leadeth them within the temple, and censeth crosswise, and by the deacon is said,_ Bless, master. _And the priest._ Blessed be Our God.... _Choir._ Amen. _Deacon._ In peace let us pray to the Lord. For the peace that is from above, and for the salvation of their two.... For the peace of the whole world, the good estate....