The 15 Prayers of Saint Bridget 

The 15 Prayers in an English-language book, printed 1576 at Bruges (Brugge, Belgium)

Fifteene Prayers
righte good and vertuous,  usually called the.xv.Oos,  and of divers called S. Brigets prayers, because the holye and blessed Virgin used dayly to say them before the Image of  the Crucifix,  in S. Paules Church  in Rome.

The first Prayer.

O Jesu, endles sweetenesse of all that love thee, a ioyepassing and exceeding all gladness and desyre, the saviour and lover of all repentaunt synners, that lykest to dwell (as thou saydest thy selfe) with the children of men, for that was the cause why thou waste incarnate and made man in the ende of the worlde: Have mynde, blessed Jesu, of all the sorrowes that thou sufferedst in thy manhood, drawing nigh to thy blessed Passion, the whiche most wholsome Passion was ordeyned to be in thy Divine harte, by councel of the holy Trinitie, for the raunsome of al mankinde: Have minde, blessed Jesu, of al the great dredes, anguishes, and sorrowes that thou suffredst in thy tender fleshe, before thy passion on the Crosse, when thou wast betrayed of thy disciple Judas to the Jewes, which of singuler affection that thou haddest to them, should have beene thy special people, after the tyme that thou haddest made thy prayer uppon the mount of Olivet, and swettest there both blood and water: Also have minde of the great anguishe that thou wast in, when thou wast taken of the false Jews, and by false witnesse accused: and at Jerusalem in tyme of Easter, in the flourishing youth of thy body, without trespasse recyvedst thou thy iudgement of death uppon the Crosse: where also thou waste dispoyled of thyne own clothes, scorned, blindfeelde, buffeted, bounde to a pyller, scourged, crowned with thornes, smitte on the head with a reede, and with innumerable paynes thy body was al to brused and torne. For minde of this blessed Passion, I beseech thee, benigne Jesu, graunt me before my death, very contrition, true confession, and worthye satisfaction, and of all my sinnes remission, Amen.
Pater noster. Ave Maria.

The second prayer.

O Blessed Jesu, maker of all the worlde, that of man may not be measured, which closest in thy hande al the earth: Have mind of thy bytter sorow, first when the Jewes fastned thy blessed handes to the Crosse with nayles: Also to encrease more thy payne, they added sorowe upon sorowe when they pearsed thy tender fete, because thou wouldest not accorde to their wyll, and so cruelly they drewe thy blessed body in lenght and breadth to the measure of the Crosse, that al the ioynts of thy limmes were both losed and broken: For minde of thy blessed Passion, I beseeche thee benigne Jesu, give me grace to keepe with me both thy love and thy dread, Amen
Pater noster. Ave Maria.

The third prayer.

O Jesu heavenly Phisition, have minde of thy langour and blewnesse of thy woundes, and sorowe that thou sufferedst in the height of thy Crosse, when thou wast so lifted up from the earth that thou wast al to torne in every of thy lymmes, so that there was no lymme abyding in his right ioynt, and therefore no sorrow was like to thine, because that from the soules of the feete to the top of the head was no whole place: and yet forgetting in manner of those greevous paynes, thou prayedst devoutly and charitably to thy father for thine enemies, saying, Father forgeve them, for they knowe not what they doo. For this charitable mercy that thou shewedst to thine enimies, and for mynde of those bytter paynes, graunte me that this mynde of thy bytter passion be to me ful remission, and forgivenes of all my sinnes, Amen.
Pater noster. Ave Maria.

The fourth prayer.

O Jesu, very freedome of Angels, the paradise of al ghostly pleasures, have minde of the dread and hydeous fearfulnes that thou suffredst when all thyne ennemies, lyke unto moste wood lions, compassed thee about, smyting thee, and spitting on thee, scratching thee, and with many other greevous paynes tormenting thee: For minde of all these dispiteful words, cruel beatinges, and sharpe tormentes, I beseeche thee (blessed Jesu) delyver mee from all mine enimies bodily and ghostly, and give me grace to have the defence and protection of health everlasting agaynst them under the shadowe of thy wings, Amen. Pater. Ave.

The fifth prayer.

O Jesu, myrrour of the divine clearenesse, have minde of that dread and heavines which thou hadst when thou hangedst naked and miserable uppon the Crosse, and al thy freends and acquayntaunce stoode agaynst thee, and thou foundest comforte of none, but onely thy most loving mother, faythfully standing by thee with great bitternesse of heart, whom thou diddest betake to thy welbeloved Disciple, saying, Lo woman thy sonne: And likewyse to thy Disciple, Lo thy mother. I beseeche thee, blessed Jesu, by the sworde of sorowe that then pearsed her harte, to have compassion on me in al my troubles and afflictions, both bodyly and ghostly, and geve mee comforte in all time of tribulations. Amen.
Pater noster. Ave Maria.

The sixth prayer.

O Jesu, king most worthy to be loved, and freende moste to be desired: Have minde of the sorrowe that thou haddest, when thou beheldest in the myrrour of thy moste cleare maiestie, the predestination of al thy chosen Soules, that should be saved by the merite of thy Passion: For minde of the deepenesse of thy great mercy, which thou haddest upon us lost and desperate sinners, and namely for the great mercy whiche thou shewedst to the theefe that hung on thy right side, saying thus, This daye thou shalt be with me in Paradise. I pray thee (benigne Jesu) to shewe thy mercy to me in the houre of death, Amen.
Pater noster. Ave Maria.

The seventh prayer.

O Jesu, wel of endlesse pitie, that said on the crosse of thy passion by inwarde affection of love, I thirst, that is to saye, the health of mans soule: for mynde of this blessed desyre, I beseeche thee (benigne Jesu) kyndle our desyre to every good and perfecte worke, the thyrst of concupiscence, and burning of al worldly love in us utterly coole and extinguishe. Amen.
Pater noster. Ave Maria.

The eyght prayer.

O Jesu, sweetnes of harts, and ghostly pleasure of soules, I beseeche thee for the bytternesse of eysel and gal that thou tastedst and suffredst for us at the houre of thy death, graunt that we may worthely receyve thy most blessed body and blood for the remedie of our sinnes, and comforte of our soules. Amen.
Pater noster. Ave Maria.

The ninth prayer.

O Jesu, royal strenght, and ghostly ioy: have mind of the anguishes and great sorowes that thou suffredst, when thou criedst to thy father with a mightie voyce, what for ye bitternes of thy death, and also for the scorning of the Jews, saying, O my God, why hast thou forsaken me? by this painful anguish forsake us not in the anguishes of our death, our blessed God, Amen.
Pater noster. Ave Maria.

The tenth prayer.

O Jesu, the beginning and ende, the way, life, and vertue in every meane, have minde, that from the top of thy head, unto the soales of thy feete thou sufferedst for us, to be drowned in ye water of thy paynefull passion: for mind of this great pain, and namely for the depenes and widenes of thy wounds, I beseech thee, blessed Jesu, teache me the large precept and commaundement of love, whiche am all drowned foule sinne. Amen.
Pater noster. Ave Maria.

The eleventh prayer.

O Jesu, deepenes of endles mercy, I beseech thee for the depenes of thy wounds that went through thy tender fleshe, and thy bowels, and the marowe of thy bones, that thou vouchesake to drawe me out, being drowned in the deepenes of my sin, and hide me ever after in the holes of thy wounds, from the face of thy wrath, unto the time, Lorde, that thy dreadfull fury be passed. Amen. Pater noster. Ave.

The twelfth prayer.

O Jesu, mirroure of truth, token of unitie, and sure bond of charitie: have mind of thy innumerable paynes and woundes, with the whiche from the top of thy head to the soale of thy foote thou wast wounded, and of the wicked Jewes thou wast al to torne and rent, and al thy body made redde with thy moste holy bloud, the which great sorowe (blessed Jesu) in thy cleane Virgin body thou sufferedst: what mightest thou do more for us then thou diddest? therefore (benigne Jesu) for the mind of this Passion write all thy woundes in my heart with thy moste precious bloud, that I may both rede in then thy dread and thy love, and that I may still continue in praying and thanking thee to my lives ende. Amen.
Pater noster. Ave Maria.

The thirtenth prayer.

O Jesu, most mighty Lyon, king immortall, and moste victorious, have minde of the sorowe that thou sufferedst, when all the powers of thine heart and body fayled thee utterly, and then thou declining thy head, saydest thus, It is done: for minde of this anguishe and sorowe have marcy on me, when my soule in the last consummation and departing of my breath, shal be anguished and troubled. Amen. Pater. Ave.

The fourtenth prayer.

O Jesu, the onely begotten sonne of almightie God the father, the brightnes and figure of his godly substance: have minde of that entire commendation, in whiche thou diddest commende thy spirite into the hands of thy Father, and with a torne body and broken heart, shewing to us for our raunsome the bowels of thy mercy, for the redeming of us diddest give up the breath: for minde of that precious death, I beseech thee (king of Saints) comfort me to withstande the fiend, the world, and my fleshe, that I may be dead to the world, and living ghostly towarde thee: and in the last houre of my departing from this world, receive my soule comming to thee, which in this life is an outlawe and a pilgrime, Amen.
Pater noster. Ave Maria.

The fiftenth prayer.

O Jesu, very true and plenteous vine, have mind of the most exceeding and abundant effusion of bloud, that thou sheddest moste plentiouslye, as it had bene crusht out of a ripe cluster of grapes, when thou upon ye crosse diddest treade that presse alone, and gavest us drinke both bloud and water out of thy syde, being perced with a knightes speare, so that in al thy body was not lefte a drop of bloud ne of water, then at the last like a bundle of myrre thou wast hanged on the crosse on high, where thy render flesh waxed wan, and the licour of thy bowels, and the marowe of thy bones was dried up: for minde of this thy most bitter passion, sweete Jesu, wound my hart that the water of penance, and the teares of love maye be my foode both night and day. And, good Jesu, turne me whole to thee, that my hart maye be ever to thee a dwelling place, and that my living maye be ever plesant and acceptable, and that the end of my life may be so commendable, that I may perpetuallye deserve to prayse thee with all thy saints in blisse. Amen.
Pater noster. Ave Maria.

FINIS.