And, after a certain number of psalms
read, which are limited according to the dates of the month, for
morning and evening prayer we have two lessons, whereof the first is
taken out of the Old Testament, the second out of the New; and of
these latter, that in the morning is out of the Gospels, the other in
the afternoon out of some one of the Epistles. After morning prayer
also, we have the Litany and suffrages, an invocation in mine opinion
not devised without the great assistance of the Spirit of God,
although many curious mind-sick persons utterly condemn it as
superstitious, and savouring of conjuration and sorcery.

This being done, we proceed unto the communion, if any communicants be
to receive the Eucharist; if not, we read the Decalogue, Epistle, and
Gospel, with the Nicene Creed (of some in derision called the "dry
communion"), and then proceed unto an homily or sermon, which hath a
psalm before and after it, and finally unto the baptism of such
infants as on every Sabbath day (if occasion so require) are brought
unto the churches; and thus is the forenoon bestowed. In the afternoon
likewise we meet again, and, after the psalms and lessons ended, we
have commonly a sermon, or at the leastwise our youth catechised by
the space of an hour. And thus do we spend the Sabbath day in good and
godly exercises, all done in our vulgar tongue, that each one present
may hear and understand the same, which also in cathedral and
collegiate churches is so ordered that the psalms only are sung by
note, the rest being read (as in common parish churches) by the
minister with a loud voice, saving that in the administration of the
communion the choir singeth the answers, the creed, and sundry other
things appointed, but in so plain, I say, and distinct manner that
each one present may understand what they sing, every word having but
one note, though the whole Harmony consist of many parts, and those
very cunningly set by the skilful in that science.

Certes this translation of the service of the church into the vulgar
tongue hath not a little offended the pope almost in every age, as a
thing very often attempted by divers princes, but never generally
obtained, for fear lest the consenting thereunto might breed the
overthrow (as it would indeed) of all his religion and hierarchy;
nevertheless, in some places where the kings and princes dwelled not
under his nose, it was performed maugre his resistance. Wratislaus,
Duke of Bohem