The Church of England’s Book of Common Prayer was first published in 1549, and, while it has gone through several revisions in response to shifts in political power and fluctuations in ecclesiastical fashion, it has been in continuous use ever since. To be sure, one wouldn’t read the Book of Common Prayer in the same way one reads most other books; for all its beauty and significance, it is a devotional, purpose-built to help believers mark the year and find consolation for their private tribulations in the common measure of a public language. Like poetry, the prayers this book contains describe a space in which thoughts can congregate and gather strength, a stillness that even non-believers can visit time and again to refresh their spirits amidst an eloquence filled with both humility and grandeur.