Page:The religious life of King Henry VI.djvu/148

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POPULAR DEVOTION

Arthur's chantry in Worcester Cathedral and those on the lectern at King's College, Cambridge, and at Eton. A copy of the lastnamed in gold was the present made by the students at Eton to the Princess Mary on her marriage.

As an evidence of popular cultus of King Henry, even more striking than these images and paintings set up in the English churches, are the hymns, prayers, and short offices of the saintly King, which were evidently very numerous and many of which are still preserved. Some instances may here be given, without any attempt to arrange them in order of date or importance. An ancient "Bede roll" is preserved among the Trevelyan family papers, which contain several prayers and hymns to the saintly monarch. This part is headed: "Here ys a devoute prayer of Kyng Harre."[1] The first hymn begins:

Gaude princeps populorum
Dux et decus Britanorum
Rex Henricus nomine.

and has some twelve verses recording the numerous virtues of the holy man. This is followed by the versicle: "Pray for us,

  1. Trevelyan Papers (Camden Soc), i, 53.