Be thy hands anointed with holy oil:
And as Solomon was anointed king by Zadok the priest, and Nathan the
prophet, so be you anointed, blessed, and consecrated King over this
people, whom the Lord your God hath given you to rule and govern, in
the name of the father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.
Then the dean of Westminster laid the ampula and spoon upon the altar,
and the King kneeling down at the faldstool, and the archbishop standing
on the north side of the altar, said this prayer or blessing over him:--
Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who by his Father was
anointed with the oil of gladness above his fellows, by his holy
anointing pour down upon your head and heart the blessing of the
Holy Ghost, and prosper the works of your hands: that by the
assistance of his heavenly grace you may preserve the people
committed to your charge in wealth, peace, and godliness; and after
a long and glorious course of ruling this temporal kingdom wisely,
justly, and religiously, you may at last be made partaker of an
eternal kingdom, through the merits of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
This prayer being ended, the King arose, and sat down again in his
chair, and the dean of Westminster wiped and dried all the places
anointed, with fine linen, or fine bombast wool, delivered to him by the
lord great chamberlain.
THE PRESENTING OF THE SPURS AND SWORD, AND THE GIRDING AND OBLATION OF
THE SAID SWORD.
Then the spurs were brought from the altar by the dean of Westminster,
and delivered to a nobleman thereto appointed by the King, who, kneeling
down, presents them to His Majesty, who forthwith sent them back to the
altar.
Then the lord who carried the sword of state, returned the said sword to
the officers of the Jewel-house, which was thereupon deposited in the
traverse in King Edward's chapel; he received thence, in lieu thereof,
another sword, in a scabbard of purple velvet, provided for the King to
be girt withal, which he delivered to the archbishop; and the
archbishop, laying it on the altar, said the following prayer:--
Hear our prayers, O Lord, we beseech thee, and so direct and support
thy servant King GEORGE, who is now to be girt with this sword, that
he may not bear it in vain; but may use it as the minister of God,
for the terror and punishment of evil-doers, and for the protection
and encouragement of those that do well, through Jesus Christ our
Lord. Amen.
Then the archbishop took the sword from off the altar, and (the bishops
assisting, and going along with him) delivered it into the King's right
hand, and he holding it, the archbishop said:--
Receive this kingly sword, brought now from the altar of God, and
delivered to you by the hands of us the bishops and servants of God,
though unworthy.
The King stood up, the sword was girt about him by the lord great
chamberlain, and then, the King sitting down, the archbishop said:--
Remember him of whom the royal Psalmist did prophesy, saying, "Gird
thee with thy sword upon thy thigh, O thou most mighty, good luck
have thou with thine honour, ride on prosperously, because of truth,
meekness, and righteousness;" and be thou a follower of him. With
this sword do justice, stop the growth of iniquity, protect the holy
Church of God, help and defend widows and orphans, restore the
things that are gone to decay, maintain the things that are
restored, punish and reform what is amiss, and confirm what is in
good order: that doing these things, you may be glorious in all
virtue; and so represent our Lord Jesus Christ in this life, that
you may reign for ever with him in the life which is to come. Amen.
Then the King, rising up, ungirded his sword, and, going to the altar,
offered it there in the scabbard, and then returned and sat down in his
chair: and the chief peer offered the price of it, namely, a hundred
shillings, and having thus redeemed it, received it from off the altar
by the dean of Westminster, and drew it out of the scabbard, and carried
it naked before his Majesty during the rest of the solemnity.