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This script cannot exactly reflect the transmission, as it was prepared before the service was broadcast. It may include editorial notes prepared by the producer, and minor spelling and other errors that were corrected before the radio broadcast.

It may contain gaps to be filled in at the time so that prayers may reflect the needs of the world, and changes may also be made at the last minute for timing reasons, or to reflect current events.

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OPENING ANNO:

大象传媒 Radio 4 and now it鈥檚 time for Sunday Worship which comes from the Chapel Royal and commemorates the 600th anniversary of the Battle of Agincourt.听 The service is led by the Sub-Dean the Revd. Canon Paul Wright and begins with the anthem Holy is the True Light by William Harris.

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Introit - Holy is the true light - Harris

WELCOME 鈥� CANON PAUL WRIGHT

"Welcome to this service of Choral Mattins from the Chapel Royal at St James's Palace.听 We are gathered here today on this St Crispin's Day to commemorate the 600th Anniversary of the Battle of Agincourt 鈥� one of the great moments in the Nation's story. The Chapel Royal participated in the campaign and battle of Agincourt and in our service today we remember those Priests, Gentlemen, Children and Vestry-men who travelled to France with King Henry 5th, and we pray for our most gracious sovereign Lady, Queen Elizabeth, and for the peace of the world"

We begin with the hymn Sing my Tongue the Glorious Battle to plainchant tune which would have been known at the time of the Battle of Agincourt.

HYMN Sing my tongue the glorious battle NEH 78

Matins is a service of morning prayer that stems from an ancient monastic tradition and is still celebrated today in churches around the world. The Anglican form we hear today consists of a number of Psalms, canticles, scripture, responses and prayers.

Much of our music today comes from musicians associated with the Chapel Royal.听 Our responses are by Thomas Tomkins.听 He was possibly a chorister at the Chapel Royal and in 1621 he became a Gentleman Ordinary of the Chapel Royal and organist under his friend and senior organist, Orlando Gibbons.听

RESPONSES

Priest. O Lord, open thou our lips.
Answer. And our mouth shall shew forth thy praise.
Priest. O God, make speed to save us.
Answer. O Lord, make haste to help us.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
Answer. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
Priest. Praise ye the Lord.
Answer. The Lord's Name be praised.

SPEECH

"The choir sing Psalm 115, Non nobis Domine' 鈥� the Psalm which was sung at the Battle of Agincourt by the Chapel Royal"

NOT unto us, O LORD, not unto us, but unto thy Name give the praise; * for thy loving mercy, and for thy truth鈥檚 sake.
听听听 2 Wherefore shall the heathen say, * Where is now their God?
听听听 3 As for our God, he is in heaven: * he hath done whatsoever pleased him.
听听听 4 Their idols are silver and gold, * even the work of men鈥檚 hands.
听听听 5 They have mouths, and speak not; * eyes have they, and see not.
听听听 6 They have ears, and hear not; * noses have they, and smell not.
听听听 7 They have hands, and handle not; feet have they, and walk not; * neither speak they through their throat.
听听听 8 They that make them are like unto them; * and so are all such as put their trust in them.
听听听 9 But thou, house of Israel, trust thou in the LORD; * he is their helper and defender.
听听听 10 Ye house of Aaron, put your trust in the LORD; * he is their helper and defender.
听听听 11 Ye that fear the LORD, put your trust in the LORD; * he is their helper and defender.
听听听 12 The LORD hath been mindful of us, and he shall bless us; * even he shall bless the house of Israel, he shall bless the house of Aaron.
听听听 13 He shall bless them that fear the LORD, * both small and great.
听听听 14 The LORD shall increase you more and more, * you and your children.
听听听 15 Ye are the blessed of the LORD, * who made heaven and earth.
听听听 16 All the whole heavens are the LORD鈥橲; * the earth hath he given to the children of men.
听听听 17 The dead praise not thee, O LORD, * neither all they that go down into silence.
听听听 18 But we will praise the LORD, * from this time forth for evermore. Praise the LORD.

READING

Here begins the 32nd verse of the 11 Chapter of the Epistle to the Hebrews

听And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets:听 who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions,听 quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens.听 Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection:听 and others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment:听 they were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented;听 (of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.听 And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise:听 God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect. Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,听 looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

One of the elements of Choral Matins is the Te Deum 鈥� a morning prayer of praise.听 We also know that the Gentlemen and Boys of the Chapel Royal sung a Te Deum during their Service of Matins on the Battlefield at Agincourt. The choir now continue this age old tradition with Vaughan Williams鈥� setting of the Te Deum in G.

Te Deum in G by Vaughan Williams

READING

Here begins the 24 verse of the 16th Chapter of the Gospel according to St Matthew

听Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.听 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.听 For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?听 For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works

We now sing the hymn Let all Mortal Flesh Keep Silence to the French tune Picardy.

HYMN Let all mortal flesh keep silence NEH 295

THE CREED

I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth:
And in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord, Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, Born of the Virgin Mary, Suffered under Pontius Pilate, Was crucified, dead, and buried: He descended into hell; The third day he rose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven, And sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty; From thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Ghost; The holy Catholick Church; The Communion of Saints; The Forgiveness of sins; The Resurrection of the body, And the Life everlasting. Amen.

Minister. The Lord be with you.
Answer. And with thy spirit.
Minister. Let us pray.
Lord, have mercy upon us.
Answer. Christ, have mercy upon us.
Lord, have mercy upon us.

The Lord's Prayer

Our Father, which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy Name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, in earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; And forgive us our trespasses, As we forgive them that trespass against us; And lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from evil. Amen.

Priest. O Lord, shew thy mercy upon us.
Answer. And grant us thy salvation.
Priest. O Lord, save the Queen.
Answer. And mercifully hear us when we call upon thee.
Priest. Endue thy Ministers with righteousness.
Answer. And make thy chosen people joyful.
Priest. O Lord, save thy people.
Answer. And bless thine inheritance.
Priest. Give peace in our time, O Lord.
Answer. Because there is none other that fighteth for us, but only thou, O God.
Priest. O God, make clean our hearts within us.
Answer. And take not thy Holy Spirit from us.

Almighty God, by whose grace and power thy holy martyrs Crispin and Crispinius, triumphed over suffering, and despised death:听 Grant we beseech thee, that enduring hardness, and waxing valiant in fight, we may with the noble army of martyrs receive the crown of everlasting life; through Jesus Christ our Lord.听 Amen.

O God, who art the author of peace and lover of concord, in knowledge of whom standeth our eternal life, whose service is perfect freedom: Defend us thy humble servants in all assaults of our enemies; that we, surely trusting in thy defence, may not fear the power of any adversaries; through the might of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

O Lord, our heavenly Father, Almighty and everlasting God, who hast safely brought us to the beginning of this day: Defend us in the same with thy mighty power; and grant that this day we fall into no sin, neither run into any kind of danger; but that all our doings may be ordered by thy governance, to do always that is righteous in thy sight; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

A cry for mercy is not uncommon on the battlefield.听 The anthem is such a cry for mercy. The Kyrie from the Mass for Four Voices, by William Byrd,听 one of the most famous of English church musicians who became a Gentleman of the Chapel Royal in 1572.

Anthem Byrd's Kyrie from the Mass for Four Voices.
(Did we want the kyrie interspersed between the prayers or did we change our minds on this?)

The Prayers

O Lord, our heavenly Father, high and mighty, King of kings, Lord of lords, the only Ruler of princes, who dost from thy throne behold all the dwellers upon earth: Most heartily we beseech thee with thy favour to behold our most gracious Sovereign Lady, Queen ELIZABETH; and so replenish her with the grace of thy Holy Spirit, that she may alway incline to thy will, and walk in thy way. Endue her plenteously with heavenly gifts; grant her in health and wealth long to live; strengthen her that she may vanquish and overcome all her enemies; and finally after this life she may attain everlasting joy and felicity; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Almighty God, the fountain of all goodness, we humbly beseech thee to bless Philip Duke of Edinburgh, Charles Prince of Wales, and all the Royal Family: Endue them with thy Holy Spirit; enrich them with thy heavenly grace; prosper them with all happiness; and bring them to thine everlasting kingdom; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Almighty and everlasting God, who alone workest great marvels: Send down upon our Bishops, and Curates, and all Congregations committed to their charge, the healthful Spirit of thy grace; and that they may truly please thee, pour upon them the continual dew of thy blessing. Grant this, O Lord, for the honour of our Advocate and Mediator, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Almighty God, who hast given us grace at this time with one accord to make our common supplications unto thee; and dost promise that when two or three are gathered together in thy Name thou wilt grant their requests: Fulfil now, O Lord, the desires and petitions of thy servants, as may be most expedient for them; granting us in this world knowledge of thy truth, and in the world to come life everlasting. Amen.
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Ghost, be with us all evermore. Amen.

The choirs now sings 'The Agincourt Carol' 鈥� which begins with words:

"Our King went forth to Normandy, with grace and might of Chivalry'

Agincourt Carol

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The Homily

鈥淭his day is called the feast of Crispian:
He that outlives this day and comes safe home,
Will stand a tip-toe when this day is named,
And rouse him at the name of Crispian.

We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile

This day shall gentle his condition:
And gentlemen in England, now a-bed
Shall think themselves accursed they were not here,
And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks
That fought with us upon Saint Crispin's day.鈥�
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The rousing words of King Henry V in Shakespeare鈥檚 play that bears his name and today we commemorate those two Roman martyrs who will be forever associated with the stirring story of the Battle of Agincourt.
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And indeed the battle of Agincourt was a miracle against all the odds 鈥� a day of days;

but lost in the beauty and triumph of Shakespeare - is the grim reality of that day.听

As St Crispin's day dawned, The King鈥檚 army, retiring after the long siege of Honfleur, ravaged by dysentery, was facing a powerful and resolute foe.听 The English army numbered between 6 鈥� 9000 men; the French army was possibly over 30,000 strong.听 Whatever the true number, Henry's army was at a great disadvantage and needed a miracle.听

Henry did, however, have the best battle winning weapon of the day 鈥� the English longbow man.听 As the battle began in earnest the two armies had probably advanced to within 250 yards of each other.听 The storm of arrows, that is said to have blackened the sky, was one of the key elements in the initial French setback.听 This onslaught of arrows was described by a French knight as a hailstorm - with many thousands of arrows being fired per minute as the French army closed.

The battle then turned into a muddy and grim killing match on a narrow ground 鈥� with much horror.听 One of the most telling accounts of the battle came from a Chaplain of the Chapel Royal, the ' Gesta Henrici Quinti'.听 The heavily armoured French men-at-arms were no match on the muddy ground for the English archers, who set amongst them with daggers, and hammers and short swords.听 A no doubt frightful and frightening experience 鈥� and possibly all over in under an hour?听 It is said that the King fought on foot 鈥� in the midst of his men 鈥� and engaged in personal combat.听

And of course, as with all wars and battles 鈥� there was controversy.听 The killing of the French prisoners of war was an action that offended the conventions of the time.听 It followed the looting of the Royal camp, and the reported murder of the children of the Court 鈥� and Henry also feared a counter attack from the remaining French forces.听

The Chapel Royal had sung Mass as the day dawned 鈥� legend has it with the King in Surcoat and Crown.听 A captured French Priest, Raul le Gay, had remarked on the beauty of the Chapel鈥檚 singing during the siege of Honfleur - and no doubt for the English soldiers this Mass was a moment to 鈥榣ift up their hearts鈥�.听 Sursum Corda.听 The Chapel Royal was there to support the King's Army, but also there to impress both friends and enemies alike.听

As an Army Chaplain, I stood with soldiers before battle in our own times, and I can relate to this experience.听 The experience for soldiers on the eve of battle is this

听"now, my feet have reached the edge of the world"

听and what lies ahead is placed into God鈥檚 hands.听 Beautiful moments and terrible and terrifying moments which are part of a soldier's experience.听听 During one very bad day in Iraq, a young soldier asked me, quietly in the midst of a small battle; 'can you please pray for Padre, because I am very frightened.'听 The Chaplain, the Soldier of Solace, remains the same today as in 1415.
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And today as we remember all this, the distant noise of battle in the past; made glorious and triumphant by the passage of time, so we reflect on the dreadful noise of war in our own world.听 The truth of course being that the more distant we are from a battle, the more glorious it appears!

Then we are called to pray for the peace of the world, an end to war and suffering, and the coming of Christ鈥檚 Kingdom 鈥� that is not of this world.听

Later today the Chapel Royal will begin a pilgrimage to Azincourt in France 鈥� so that we 鈥� the Clergy, Gentlemen, Children and Vestry-men of today's Chapel can revisit the place where our predecessors were participants in one of the great moments in the nation's story.听 We shall sing 'Non nobis Domine', and by doing so we shall look ahead with confidence in our faith that has sustained this place, and the Royal Household throughout the centuries 鈥� through days of strife and days of joy.听 The Chapel Royal no longer goes on military campaigns 鈥� but it still exists to be the spiritual support of the Sovereign, and a daily religious heartbeat within the Royal Household.

As the Psalm on St Crispin's day read:

"Ye that fear the LORD, put your trust in the LORD; * he is their helper and defender"

Amen

We close with the hymn Forth in Thy Name, O Lord, I go to a tune by another Chapel Royal Composer, Orlando Gibbons
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HYMN Forth in the name (Gibbons Tune)

The Blessing

The peace of God, which passeth all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in the knowledge and love of God, and of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord: And the blessing of God Almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, be amongst you and remain with you always. Amen.

ORGAN