PRAYERS of the MIDDLE AGES Light from a Thousand Years Edited by J. MANNING POTTS [Illustration: logo] THE UPPER ROOM The World’s Most Widely Used Devotional Guide 1908 Grand Avenue Nashville 5, Tennessee Second Printing © Copyright, 1954 by The Upper Room Nashville, Tennessee UR-79-25-5-0962 Printed in the United States of America Preface This is a companion volume to the Prayers of the Early Church. That little volume has been started on its way and the editor has been encouraged to do this one on the Prayers of the Middle Ages. The period covered by these prayers is that of a thousand years from A.D. 500 to A.D. 1500. Generally speaking, the period is from the fall of Rome to the Reformation. This period was formerly called the Dark Ages. Evidence of the lack of light has been found in the lack of material in some of the centuries. It has been hard to find any prayers in a few. However, taken collectively, it is seen that there was much light that came out of these ages. The Church was kept alive by those who kept the light burning. The latter half of this period is now called the Golden Age of Mysticism. The arrangement of the prayers is century by century. There are some questions about dates of these as well as authorship. The authorities do not always agree. We are indebted to many collections of prayers and to other sources. Some of the books which have been most valuable are _Prayers of the Ages_, compiled by Caroline S. Whitmarsh; _Of the Imitation of Christ; Great Souls at Prayer_, arranged by Mrs. Mary W. Tileston; _The Cloud of Witness_, by Hon. Mrs. Gell; _Prayers_, from the collection of the late Baron Bunsen; _A Chain of Prayer Across the Ages_, compiled by Selina Fitzherbert Fox; _Prayers We Love to Pray_, arranged by Edward Leigh Pell; _Morning Readings_, compiled by Frank M. Rich; _Prayers of the Saints_, by Cecil Headlam; _Prayers Ancient and Modern_, compiled by Mary Wilder Tileston; _Ancient Collects_, by Rev. William Bright; _Prayers_, Massachusetts Council of the Church Service League; _Theologia Germanica_; _The Cloud of Unknowing_; _His Words of Admonition_ and _Praises of God_, by St. Francis of Assisi; _Common Prayers for Family Use_, by Westcott.