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Inftitutio Ordinis.

dua Deprecatio ; nec efl: quod impediat, quin ad aures Domini DeiSabaoth hæc, fi jufta fit, ulque pertingat. Commovit illa RecordatioReges maximos, maximeq; potentes, ad tantas & tam numerolâs mo-les incredibilibus luis impenfis Erigendas, ad tam multos ac varios Cac-tus, ut jugiter orarent, inibi congregandos : commovit alios minorespro luis quenq; Copiis, ad animæ fuæ fuorumque (aiuti fintili modoprolpiciendum. Viderunt enim tantipotentes Reges, quam incerto & ipfitraólu hujus Vitæ filum tenderent, viderunt quot fui Caula ceciderant,in tam multis dubiilq; bellis : quot ftrenuè gerendo Nobiles extinóti,quamque varie Vulgus in tot dilcrimina fufum, & quam ambuguus eilettalis Exitus. Cunq; prodelïè non valerent amplius in hac Vita, de fu-tura cogitabant, ad quam poll: tam ancipitem hujus Vitæ duólum, fi quidpofiìt, Orationem polle videbant. Eam autem omnino polle non dubitabant,quod alioqui Spes nulla liiggereret. Ad eam igitur accurlu lo Ium inito, totfedulo precandum numeros inftituere, componereq; coeperunt. Utqjde cæteris non laborem, ita noftra hæc Windeforus tam celebri Canonico-rum, Vicariorum, & Secularium præterea cantorum, Virorum pariterac Puerorum coetu decoratur. Inter quos Illuftrilfimi Ordinis militarisfundatio conflkukur, & optimorum Equitum excellendlfima turba pro-ponitur : ut hos omneis illi lùæ Recordationi fingularilfime Commenda-tos intelligant Supremi fundabant, nec adeo quidem ut fùa fùorumq-, cla-rilfimorum Equitum ibi clara Memoria condnuo vigeat ac celebre-tur :

this Life ) into Mercy and Clemency. For a continuai deprecating God’s Wrathprevails much, nor can any Thing prevent it, fo it he but juft, from reaching tothe Ears of the Lord God of Sabaoth. That Thought hath induced the great eftand moft powerful Kings, to build fuch large and numerous Files at their ovmvaft Expence, and to gather and place in them fo many and various Orders andSocieties, to put conflant Prayers up to God for them. Others alfo of lefts Pow-er have according to their Abilities, been moved to have had a Regard for the Sal-vation of their ovm, and their Friends Souls. For thefe great and powerful Kings

vjell favo, how even the Thread of their Life was uncertain, they knew how ma-ny had fell in their Defence, in fo many hazardous Wars : how many noble Menhad perißed in valiantly fighting for them ; and in what 'different Manners theVidgar had been deftroyed in fo many Engagements, and how doubtful thefuture State of fuch muß be. And when they could do no more in this World,they thought of the next -, to the fecuring of which, after their unfettled Courfe ofLife, they thought, if any Thing could, Prayer would prevail. And they had noDoubt at all of its Efficacy, becaufe otherwife they had no Hope leff. And thereforerely ing entirely on that, they inftituted and founded fo many Numbers of Intercef-fors. And, not to trouble my felf about others, fo this our Windlor is graced witha handfome Affiembly of Canons,Ficars, and other Seculars,Chorifters,Men as well asBoys. Among them is placed this our illuftrious Order of Knighthood, and a gloriousCompany of excellent Knights fet before them, that they may know they are all in amore particular Manner commended to their Remembrance. The Sovereigns foundedthem not fo much that their own Memory, and that of their braveft Knights mightfiouriß there, and be for ever celebrated, as that the Safety of their Souls might be