Composed while a prisoner in the tower, 1534.
Give me Thy Grace, good Lord,
to set the world at naught,
and not to hang on the blast of men's mouths,
to be content to be solitary,
to lean on Thee for comfort,
and trustingly to call on Thee for help.
Give me Thy Grace, good Lord,
to humble myself under Thy chastening hand,
to bewail my sins,
and regret them because they offended Thee,
gladly to bear my Purgatory here,
to be joyful in tribulations,
willingly to bear the cross,
and so reign with Thee eternally.
Give me Thy Grace, good Lord,
to have the Last Things in remembrance,
to dread Hell-fire,
to pray for pardon before Thy coming,
to have always in mind Thy painful death for me.
Give me Thy Grace, good Lord,
incessantly to thank Thee for Thy love,
to give Thee faithful service to the end,
to value Thy friendship above all else,
and to die for love of Thee.
