The Book of Common Prayer, has, throughout its history, been translated into Latin. While this may at first seem odd, as one of the main purposes of the Book of Common Prayer was to get away from liturgy which the people could not understand, there were some good reasons for it. First was to better communicate the liturgy to those on the Continent who might wish to study it, but did not know English. Second was for use in colleges and universities where it would be expected that all knew Latin. And finally it was for use in Ireland by priests who knew Latin but not English - a translation into Irish Gaelic was not completed until 1608.

A translation of the 1549 Book into Latin was completed in 1551, and one of the Elizabethan 1559 book in 1560. (We have most of this book online.) The 1662 Book was first translated into Latin by Jean Durel in 1670. This was followed by another translation in 1713 by Thomas Parcell, one by John Carey published by Samuel Bagster in 1821, and finally a translation by William Bright & Peter Medd in 1865. None of these translations were official, and they are of varying quality. The most highly regarded translation is that of Bright & Medd, which is the one used here.

The specific Bright & Medd text used here was the 5th (1910) edition, for which the title page may be seen at right. Comparison with an older, 1869 microfilmed edition indicates that minor changes were made over the years, including, of course, changes in the prayers for the ruling monarch. For this edition that person was George V; prayers for the king and royal family have not been changed to reflect the changes in monarchs since then.

As I am not fluent in Latin by any means, I would very much like to hear of any errors you might find.

[The Vulgate (Latin) Psalter may be found at Fourmilab.]

DAMUS tibi in manus, Christiane lector, Librum Precum Publicarum, quo hodie Ecclesia Anglicana utitur, Latine redditum.

Versionem nostram juxta Exemplar Recensionis anno MDCLXI factæ, vulgo appellatum ‘The Sealed Book,’ (in quo Articuli, quos vocant. Fidei et Religionis non inveniuntur,) fecimus; nisi quod placuit, primo, Regulas de Festis Mobilibus, utpote in hujusmodi opere minus necessarias, prætermittere; et secundo, mutationes, post eam Recensionem factam, auctoritate legitima sancitas observare. Quarum mutationum exemplo est juramentum de summa Regiæ Majestatis in hoc regno potestate; quod, hucusque in ipso Ordinationis ritu ab omnibus ordinandis vel consecrandis exactum, hoc ipso anno Auctoritas, tam Ecclesiastica quam Civilis, alio seorsim tempore exigendum decrevit.

Psalterii, quod secundum “Usum insignis et præclaræ Sarisburiensis Ecclesiæ” distinximus, Epistolarum et Evangeliorum, cæterorumque omnium Sacræ Scripturæ locorum vel locutionum, Vulgatum Textum hodie receptum exhibuimus.

Orationes, aliasque formulas, quas, e Breviariis vel Missalibus, aliisve Libris olim apud majores nostros in re Divina facienda usitatis, desumptas, Ecclesia in recensione antiquorum suorum Officiorum conservavit, omnes secundum textum veterem Latinum reddidimus.

Quodcunque recentioris addidit, in sermonem veteri Ecclesiæ Occidentalis linguæ quam proxime consentaneum redegimus.

Librum Latinum Publicarum Precum, anno MDLXo, ad usum “Collegiorum Cantabrigiæ, Oxoniæ, Wintoniæ, et Etoniæ,” primo editum, in nostra versione conficienda non negleximus; nec tamen omnino imitandum putavimus, quippe qui nec publicam Ecclesiæ auctoritatem præ se ferret, nec, novis postea recensionibus factis, cum hodierno Libro satis consentiret.

Verbum 'Priest' visum est verbo ‘Presbyter’ eis in locis reddere ubi de ordine eorum ageretur qui in Ministerio Christi inter Episcopos et Diacanos locum habent ; ubi autem de ipsa ministerii earum exsecutione, verbo ‘Sacerdos.’

Non possumus nobis persuadere quin permultis e Clero Anglicano pergratum foret, multis etiam piis studiosisque in Universitatibus et Collegiis nostris commorantibus, immo laicis nonnullis pie ac liberaliter in simu Ecclesiæ nostre educatis, quotidianas Ecclesiæ psallendi et orandi formulas, in linguam tot per sæcula apud Occidentales vigentem redditas, manibus versare. Gratum etiam fore putavimus ea ipsa verba, (id quod plurimis in formulis accidit,) ante oculos habere quæ a Doctoribus clarissimis, (quales fuere Leo ille Magnus, Evangelicæ veritatis propugnator illustris, et Gregorius, Magnus et ipse, qui gentem Anglorum Christo mancipavit,) originem ducentia, antecessoribus nostris, Bedæ Venerabili, Ælfredo Magno regi, sanctis episcopis Osmundo et Anselmo, cæterisque multa per sæcula, in pio cum cœlis commercio cordi fuere.

Speramus etiam hoc opus nostrum, si quorum doctiorum in manus venerit Christianorum, aut ex eis qui Ecclesiæ vel Latinæ vel Orientali aggregati sunt, aut cx aliis, quicunque sint, qui “æternæ Trinitatis gloriam agnoscunt et in potentia Majestatis adorant Unitatem,” qui “Unigenitum Dei Filium in veritate nostri corporis natum de Matre Virgine confitentur,” veriorem Ecclesiæ Anglicanæ imaginem eorum charitati oblaturum esse, et demonstraturum eam tum Fidem vere Catholicam, tum regimen vere Apostolicum et primitivum, fideliter conservasse.

Misereatur Deus, precamur, universæ Ecclesiæ suæ; et omni, quantuluscunque sit, faveat conatui, qui faustum illum felicemque diem, tot votis, tot suspiriis exoptatum, maturare possit, cum iterum fideles totius Orbis Christiani “cum omni humilitate et mansuetudine, cum patientia, supportantes invicem in charitate, solliciti sint servare unitatem Spiritus in vinculo pacis.”

Restat ut viris reverendis Joanni Jebb, Gulielmo J. Blew, et R. F. Littledale, qui huic versioni corrigendæ lubenti animo operam dederunt, amplissimas gratias referamus.

 In hac tertia Edition; novas pro veteribus substitui Tabulas Lectionum. Subjunxi etiam, in Appendice, Versiones Latinas
 (a) Liturgiæ primæ Reformatræ anno MDXLIX editæ;
 (b) Liturgiæ Scoticanæ;   (c) Liturgiæ Americanæ.

 In quarta Editione fere nihil in Textu immutavimus. Punctorum tamen notationem propius ad Anglicum usum correximus.

 In quarta Editione, post Accessionem clementissimi Regia nostri Edvardi Septimi, quem Deus semper salvum faciat, denuo recognita, neccssarias correctiones feci nominum et titulorum Regis et Reginæ et Principis et Principisse Walliæ: et Versionem Latinam Ordinum gratiarum actionis in Die Anniversario Accessionis ad finem subjunxi.