Ad Vefperas.

De Cruce deponitur Hora Vefpertina, Fortitudo latuit in mente divina; Talem mortem fubiit vitæ medicina, Heu! corona gloriæ jacuit supina.

Ad Completorium.

Hora Completorii datur sepulturæ, Corpus Chrifti nobile, spes vitæ futuræ; Conditur aromate, complentur scripturæ, Jugi fit memoria Mors hæc mihi curæ.

Has Horas Canonicas cum devotione,
Tibi, Christe, recolo pia ratione;
Ut ficut Tu paffus es pœnas in Agone,
Sic labori confonans confors fim coronæ.a

[L

ARCHBISHOP ECGBERT.

DIRECTIONS TO
PRIESTS.

Respecting the Canonical Hours, carefully attend to the following directions.

SINCE every beneficed clergyman and other person in holy orders, is, in conformity with the determinations of the Church, bound to fay the seven Canonical Hours; let him take good heed before all things to prepare his mind by entirely ridding it of vain thoughts. Let him not mingle conversation, laughter, or jokes with his prayers; let him not be thinking of birds, dogs, or beasts; let him choose a place fitted for devotion, and clear from everything which may impede it; let him not draw near for the fake of human praise, but with an upright and good intent; purpofing God's praise, the performance of his duty, the increase of his deferts, and fupplication for his benefactors.

In the first place, then, let him fortify himself with the sign of the Holy Cross, and beginning with the Lord's Prayer and the Angelic Salutation; that the divine grace may be his helper, and so his mind be elevated to greater devotion in the praise of God, and his worship of the Creator be rendered more acceptable.

Let us then, dearest brethren, read throughout the Canonical Hours with attention of heart; affectionately with devotion of mind; in their entirety with a diftinct utterance of the lips, reverently with obeifance of body and foul; becomingly at the appointed places and hours.

For with those occupied in Pfalmody, as faith S. Bernard on the Canticles, the holy angels vouchsafe to mingle; where

fore we should be mindful of their prefence when we are standing to pray or fing pfalms, and stand with all reverence and order, and pay the more particular attention to the verses which follow;

When Pfalms thou fingeft to The Lord,
Three rules in Pfalmody regard-
Heavenward direct thy heart; forthtell
Clearly the words; the sense mark well.
Then prayerfully the Hours we say,
When heart and lips together pray;
Lift as ye sing; begin the strain
With one accord; and let the close be plain.

He verily who faith devoutly the Canonical Hours shall be abundantly rewarded by God. In his tribulation he shall be comforted; in danger he shall be preferved; he shall obtain more abundantly the grace of God as well as glory; he lightens his confcience; he payeth his tribute and a debt to God; for it is the bounden duty of Clerks day by day to fulfil

the fervices of the Seven Hours. To him

in very deed shall the angels of God be familiar friends and guardians; and all his works shall be thenceforth more acceptable to God, more deferving as regards himself, and more profitable to the living and the departed. Finally, more speedily and readily doth God liften to these prayers than to others which are offered privately.e

PRAISE OF THE
PSALMS.

Of the praise, virtue, and efficacy of the
Pfalms.

THE royal prophet David speaketh thus, "O fing praises to our God, fing ye praises with understanding." Pf. xlvi.

"Imp. Lond. 1555. Kyngston and Sutton."

Further, if thou art afflicted with bodily or spiritual temptations, and feem to be forfaken from thine inmost foul: repeat the pfalms "O God, my God, look upon me." "Hear, O God, my fupplication," "Save me, O God," and forthwith God will lighten thy burthen. ( If this present life be wearifome to thee, and thou hast an ardent and longing defire to behold God: fing those pfalms, "Like as the hart defireth," "How amiable are thy tabernacles," "O God, Thou art my God, to Thee at break of day," and He will immediately fulfil thy defire. ( If thou dost suppose thyself deferted in tribulations: with compunction of heart repeat the pfalms "How long, O Lord?" "O God we have heard with our ears, "Have mercy upon me, O God," "Hear O God, my prayer," " In Thee, O Lord, have I put my truft," and foon wilt thou be visited with the favour of God. And when thou haft recovered rest, then sing forth in praise of God "I will always give thanks unto the Lord," "Praise the Lord, O my foul." And whether in adversity or profperity, chant the Song of the Three Children, for no mortal man can duly set forth the excellency of this hymn, in which every creature is invited to praise God. If, moreover, thou defirest to exercise thyself in the divine praises and commands, fay through the pfalm "Blessed are the undefiled in the way;" and although to the end of life thou wert employed in searching out the virtue of this pfalm, thou wouldest never be able fully to comprehend it: fince there is scarce any verse in it in which you

may not read fet down a law, or a command, or a precept, words of righteousness, or the discourse of the judgments of the Lord. In the Pfalter, if thou art attentive, thou hast the means of searching into, and learning the prophets, so, moreover, the sayings of the evangelists and apoftles, if thou wouldest enquire of the agreement between them. So far respecting the praise and excellency of the Pfalms.

OF THE HOURS.

[HOW THE SAYING OF THE HOURS FIRST BEGAN, AND Why they ArE SO CALLED.

THE first that now we find in scripture to have used the worshipping of God at certain hours of the day, was Daniel the prophet, as it appeareth in his fixth chapter. And in the New Testament, in the Acts of the Apostles, the tenth chapter, we read that S. Peter the Apostle accustomed himself to certain hours of prayer. By which examples (as S. Cyprian teftified) the Catholic Church of Chrift did first receive and admit such manner of praying. Whereupon the fame usual service that we call Pryme and Hours, was first instituted to be said and fung in the churches of England, according to the custom and use of the Diocese; somewhere after the Ufe of Sarum, and somewhere after the Use of York. And therefore when we read Hora Prima, Tertia, Sexta, Nona, that is the first, the third, the fixth and the ninth hour, even as they make mention of several hours, so were they; and they may be ufed at several times of the day, to be faid in remembrance of Christ's paffion, and the compaffion of the Virgin Mother.]

[HOW AND WHY GOD'S SERVICE IS

SAYD EACH DAY IN SEVEN HOURS.

CAPITULO PRIMO.h

"SEPTIES in die laudem dixi Tibi." Thefe are the words of the prophet David,

saying thus to our Lorde, "Seven times on the day have I faid praysynges to thee." i All reasonable creatures were made to know and to love and to praise God, and therein to have their endless joy; but while our fouls are poifoned in these deadly bodies, we may not for corruption and hevynes of the fame bodies entende continually to the godly prayfinge; like as they do who by death are made free from thraldome of the flesh, and are come to the ende of their joy, that is the prefence of God. Therefore our mother Holy Church, ruled by the Holy Ghost, knowing the frailty and feebleness of her children, hath set us eche daye seven hours, which at least we ought to occupy in the fervice and praising of God that is to say Matins, Pryme, Tyerce, Sexte, None, Evensong, and Complyn. For syth it is so as Solomon faith, that a rightful man falleth seven times on a day, and the number of all wyckedness is named under seven deadly fins, against which in holy church is ordained feven facramentes, and given seven giftes of the Holy Ghost: therefore to get remiffion of our fins and to thanke God for his gifts, we say praisings to Him in the faid hours seven times a day. And for God made all thynges in fix days, and fulfilled them on the seventh day and rested, therefore doing thankings to God for all his works, and all that He made each day, we praise Him seven times. I Also for the life of man is departed in seven ages, whereof we have fpent fome full idly or evil: therefore to thank God for our life, and to recompense such negligence, seven times on the day we do service to God. And for all the tyme of this life passeth under seven days, wherein the people of this world that is given to active life, is occupied to get their livelyhood and ours, so that they may not freely attend each day in all these times to praise God with their tongues: therefore we that are called to contemplative life, ought to praise God for them and for us every day seven times, that we may faye to our Lorde with David "Lord God, I praised Thee seven times on the day."k

hath wroughte therein, for which He is everlaftingly to be praised; and therefore we read that sayntes both in the old law and in the new, praysed God in those hours. For David the prophet faith to God of himself, thus :-" Media nocte furgebam ad confitendum tibi," that is, "Lord, at midnight I rose to praise Thee." And also he sayth thus:- "Vefpere et mane et meridie narrabo et annunciabo,"m that is, "by the morrow at Prime-time and at None, and at Even-fongtime I shall tell and show thy praifings." Alfo Daniel the prophet worshipped God thrice in the day, kneeling; that was after the expofition of S. Hierome, at Tyerse, at Sexte, and at None. Alfo Peter and John went up into the Temple to praye at the hour of None, as it is written in the Acts of the Apostles. And S. Paul and Silas being in prifon prayed to God at midnight, P and then the erthe quaked and all prifon doors opened, and all the fetters and bonds of prisoners were loofed. Our Lord Jesus Christ also prayed not only in one part of the night, but in all the night He woke in prayer as the Gofpel telleth. And in the beginning of holy church, the clergy and the common people, both men and women, rofe to praise God four times in the night; first in the beginning of the night, when folk are wont to go to bed: the second time at midnight, the thirde time a little before day, and the fourth time in the self morrowtyde; for at even our Lorde was taken of the Jews, and bounde and scorned; at midnight He was born; before day He spoiled hell, and in the morning He rose from death to life. And therefore in fome feasts Matins are yet faid at even, and in some religious at midnight, and in fome before day, and in other diverse tymes of the night; and in fome churches they say matins in the morrow-tide.

At Prime-tide our Lord Jesus Christ was led before Pilate and accused; and in the fame hour, after his refurrection, He appeared to Mary Magdalene, and another day He appeared to his disciples as they were fishing, the fame hour. At hour of Tierce our Lord Jesus Christ was scourged and crowned with thorns and scorned. The fame hour, after his refurrection, He appeared to Mary Magdalene, and another day He appeared to the women coming from the fepulchre; and on Pentecost Sunday, the fame hour, He fent the Holy Ghost down to the Apostles.x At Sext our Lord Jesus Christ was done on the cross, and fed with eyse and gal. The fame hour, after his refurrection, He appeared to the Apostle S. James; and on Afcenfion Day, the fame hour, He fate and ate with

Pfalm cxviii.

Pfalm liii.

m