On trouve la trame de cette prière dans un ouvrage de 1627, souvent réimprimé, ayant pour titre :
A collection of private devotions. In the practice of the ancient Church, called the houres of prayer qui fut composé, selon le mémorialiste
John Evelyn, à la demande du roi Charles I° par John Cosin, futur évêque anglican de Durham :
John Evelyn - Diary and correspondence of John Evelyn. Londres, 1859. Tome I, pp. 282-283 a écrit :
At the first coming of the Queen into England, she and her French ladies were often upbraiding our religion, that had neither appointed nor set forth any hours of prayer, or breviaries, by which ladies and courtiers, who have much spare time, might edify and be in devotion, as they had. Our Protestant ladies, scandalised it seems at this, moved the matter to the King ; whereupon his Majesty presently called Bishop White to him, and asked his thoughts of it, and whether there might not be found some forms of prayer proper on such occasions, collected out of some already approved forms, that so the court-ladies and others (who spend much time in trifling) might at least appear as devout, and be so too, as the new-come-over French ladies, who took occasion to reproach our want of zeal and religion. On which, the Bishop told his Majesty that it might be done easily, and was very necessary ; whereupon the King commanded him to employ some person of the clergy to compile such a Work, and presently the Bishop naming Dr. Cosin, the King enjoined him to charge the Doctor in his name to set about it immediately. This the Dean told me he did ; and three months after, bringing the book to the King, he commanded the Bishop of London to read it over, and make his report ; this was so well liked, that (contrary to former custom of doing it by a chaplain) he would needs give it an imprimatur under his own hand. Upon this, there were at first only 200 copies printed ; nor, said he, was there anything in the whole book of my own composure, nor did I set any name as author to it, but those necessary prefaces, etc. out of the Fathers, touching the times and seasons of prayer ; all the rest being entirely translated and collected out of an Office published by authority of Queen Elizabeth, anno 1560, and our own Liturgy. This I rather mention to justify that industrious and Pious Dean, who had exceedingly suffered by it, as if he had done it of his own head to introduce Popery, from which no man was more averse, and one who in this time of temptation and apostacy held and confirmed many to our Church.
Cependant,
Jeremy Collier en son «
Ecclesiastical history of Great Britain, nous donne une version légèrement différente ; l’ouvrage aurait vu le jour, selon lui, suite
Jeremy Collier - An ecclesiastical history of Great Britain. Londres, 1841. Tome VIII, p. 26 a écrit :
[...] at the request of the countess of Denby, the duke of Buckingham's sister. This lady being then somewhat unsettled in her religion, and warping towards popery, these devotions were drawn up to recommend the Church of England farther to her esteem, and preserve her in that communion ...
Ceci étant, je ne sais d’où Cosin à tiré cette dévotion puisqu’elle ne fait pas partie de l’
Office publié en 1560 sous l’autorité de la reine Elizabeth, comme mentionné
dans le titre de l’ouvrage en question ...
