Nunc Dimittis

LORD, now lettest thou thy seruant depart in peace: accordyng to thy worde.
For mine iyes haue sene: thy saluacion.
Whiche thou hast prepared, before the face of al people;
To be a light to lighten the Gentiles: and to be the glory of thy people Israel.
Glory be to the father, &c.
As it was in the, &c.

-From "An Ordre for Evening Prayer Throughout the Yere," The Second Prayer-Book of Edward VI

***

I received The First and Second Prayer Books of Edward VI (Everyman Library Edition, 1938) for Christmas. I also own an old copy of The Book of Common Prayer (1892 edition?), so I think I am now an official collector of ancient-ish prayer books. I read through the order for Evensong a couple nights ago - stumbling over (and thoroughly enjoying) the idiosyncratic spelling* - and was particularly struck by this quotation of Simeon's prayer in Luke 2. I have always read this as the prayer that Simeon prayed - i.e., part of the Christmas narrative, a matter of historical fact, but not of any particular use for personal devotion. But I don't think it's included in the Order for Evening Prayer as a historical remembrance or quote - I think it's intended to be prayed. Every night! And what a fitting epitaph for the day: "Lord, now lettest thy servant depart in peace...for mine eyes have seen thy salvation."

*Re idiosyncratic spelling, it is fascinating to me how much more peculiar the spelling is in the 1549 version (First Prayer Book) as compared to the 1552 version - just three years apart?! E.g., now/nowe, seruaunte/seruant, woorde/worde, lyght/light, bee/be!