Liber Sacramentorum. Appendix

APPENDIX TO THE SACRAMENTARY OF ST. GREGORY THE GREAT.

THE OLD MASS.

From the Codex of Ratold, Abbot of Corbie.

Sunday on the holy day of Easter.

First, before the bishop celebrates Mass, he shall enter a certain oratory, and according to the compunction of his heart offer himself to God with the libation of prayer. Let him say this prayer: O Jesus Christ, way of all the saints, who have bestowed the joy of brightness upon those who come to you, pour the light of the Holy Spirit into the entrance of this temple, you who have consecrated this place by the name and blood of your holy martyrs: grant, we beseech you, almighty God, that all these interceding may obtain pardon for their offenses, be freed from all distresses, obtain whatever they ask for their necessities, and ever prevail to be pleasing before your eyes, so that, protected by you and by your soldier Saint Peter, we may deserve to enter the court of paradise. Through.

At the third hour of the day, let the priestly vestments be brought to him, which he shall put on outside the choir, on the left side, in the place of the secretarium. When he has entered the secretarium, let him say this Prayer: Almighty and merciful God, who deignest to use the ministry of priests for serving and entreating thee, we beseech thy boundless clemency that whatever we now visit thou visit, whatever we bless thou bless, and that at the entrance of our humility, through the merits of thy saints, there be flight of demons and the entrance of the angel of peace. Through.

First indeed let the minister bring the stockings, reaching to the knee, and let him say: Do thou, Lord, we pray, command that all be blessed. The bishop answers: Almighty God, author of all honorableness, to restrain the cunning of the ancient enemy, through the mystery of our service, command that these stockings be sanctified, so that both in our step the truth of the Gospel may shine forth and in the mind the integrity of faith may be exercised. Through all.

Then let the minister give the sandals, and let him say, as above. The bishop responds: Clothe me, Lord, with the shoes of righteousness, whom John saw clothed with a garment of skins, that I may be able to serve you at all times with fear. Through all things.

After this, moreover, let him be adorned with the remaining garments, and let the minister hand him the shoulder-garment, and say: Command, Lord, to bless. The bishop responds: O God, highest power, best ruler of all things, bless our garment, with which we are now adorned: that we may be able to serve you with a pure heart. Through all things. Afterward let him minister to him the white garment and say, as above. Clothed in angelic garments, King of loving-kindness, may we be able to offer the libation of a holy fragrance, and, O merciful one, may you cleanse the contagions of a depraved mind. And may you swiftly blot out the contagions of an evil mind. Through all things.

Afterward let him minister to him the belt, and say, as above. Searcher of the heart, and light of the house of the mind, gird my loins, O God, intimate judge, mortifying wicked gestures in a chaste body. Through all things.

Afterward let the belt of chastity be given to him, and let the minister say as above. The bishop responds: I beseech you, most high God of Hosts, holy Father, that you deign to chasten me, to gird me, and to surround my loins with the belt of your fear, and to burn the reins of my heart with the fire of your love, that I may be able to intercede for my sins, and to merit forgiveness for the sins of the people standing by, and to offer the peaceable sacrifices of each one. Through.

Then let the minister bring out for him the stole of gladness, bearing the life of twofold contemplation. And let him say as above. The bishop responds: I bow my neck, O gracious God, to be subjected to your sacred yoke, at whose worthy tomb, made precious by death, the angelic host had sat down in clean order. Through all things.

Over these, therefore, let there be ministered to him a tunic renewed with circling folds in the little bells of myrrh, and let the minister say as above. The bishop responds: Sanctify this tunic with which I am now clothed over, Almighty eternal God, without whose nod no human power is able to establish anything. And you who willed me to use these sacred garments, grant me to serve you, O righteous judge, with a faithful mind. Through all things.

Then let water be ministered to him for his hands, and a comb for his head, and let the minister say as above. The bishop responds:

Almighty and merciful God, I beseech your clemency, that you not allow me, who approach boldly, to perish, but deign to wash, adorn, and gently receive me. Through all things.

Then let the manica be ministered to him, as above. May the worthy custody of Christ keep our hands, so that they may handle the monuments of our salvation. Through all things.

Afterward let a ring be given to him on his right hand, over the manica. Let the minister say as above. The bishop responds: Marked with the pledge of faith and the earnest of peace, keep me, blessed King, by your right hand. Through all things.

Afterward let the casula be ministered to him, and finally the rationale, joined fast to the superhumeral. And let the minister say as above. The bishop responds: Eternal hope, O God, and sure salvation of all, be mindful of me, who seek you with my whole heart, that I may worthily perform the duties of heavenly life. And while the mystic power is handled by my hands, let whatever the old order has contracted perish away. Through all things.

And let a manipulum of chastity be given to his left hand, and let the minister say: Command, all, to bless. The bishop responds: You who sit above the stars, who guard the sceptres of the kingdom, be present, O Highest God, to me as I follow your commands, and apply your gentle right hand to the embraces of my hair, and graciously grant me help through all things, that I may be able to stand before you in a chaste and perpetual life. Through all things.

And let the bishop be venerated by your people with all diligence. But when he has been reasonably clad in the flame-colored garment, let him proceed in order with all things for the procession: seven, or five, or three, even if not a presbyter, and a deacon. Let the presbyter also be at the right and the deacon at the left. But let the subdeacon hold the Gospel before his eyes; and let him also be surrounded by two acolytes, or more, with candles and thuribles. Meanwhile let the school prepare itself, and let the middle one of their singers, with the bishop's nod, begin the antiphon, Resurrexi. Psalm: Domine, probasti me. As the bishop hastens to the vestibule of the temple, and to the door of the secretarium, let him kiss the Gospel, and afterwards let them proceed with all diligence. And when the Introit is finished, let the pontiff enter in the middle, with the college of the procession.

While he stands and prays, let him say this Prayer: (952) Receive my confession, O only hope of my salvation, Lord my God, for by gluttony, drunkenness, fornication, lust, sloth, sorrow, drowsiness, negligence, anger, covetousness, envy, malice, hatred, detraction, perjury, falsehood, lying, vainglory, levity, and pride I am undone, and altogether in thought, speech, action, and all my senses I am dead; you who justify the ungodly and give life to the dead, give me life, and raise me up, and have mercy on me, my God.

With the bishop assenting, (953) let the Psalm be begun by the cantor, with the Introit responding in turn. (954) Meanwhile let him also kiss all those around him, beginning (955) on the left and coming alternately (956) to the right.

When this is completed, (957) at a sign of his finger from the bishop, let the cantor begin Glory to the Father. And let the bishop go quickly to the altar with the ministers crowding around; let him say this Prayer: I confess, Lord, that I am unworthy (958) of your sacred rites, I who am defiled by countless daily sins. Why do I presume, Lord, to ask you with flattering words, whom I most often offend with wicked deeds? For you, Lord, bring medicine to me in my sickness, while I do what is contrary to my health; I read your law, Lord, set down in the sacred pages, but I, wretched man, neglect sound discipline. Indeed I approach your altar as if devout, but with a stubborn heart I withdraw from your commandments.

Grant me therefore, I beseech you, O Lord, a contrite heart, which may truly hate sin. It is mine, if you grant it, to confess my offenses; it is yours to blot them out swiftly as snow. And although I have lost the prize through the enemy's deceit, may I at least attain pardon through your mercy. To you, God, be honor, and to the King of all, who rules all things, the kingdom for ever and ever. Amen.

After the prayer has indeed been said, the priests and deacons, as they have been ordered, shall kiss one another and the horns of the altar. And last of all the bishop, while they minister, shall kiss the Gospel, which has been lifted up and opened by them and placed in the middle of the altar by the subdeacon. And then let Kyrie eleison be sung. And while they lead the way, let the bishop come to his throne. (959) And then let him begin Gloria in excelsis Deo. After these things, let Milia be sung according to his own judgment (perhaps usage). And let the bishop announce: Peace be with you. Response: And with your spirit.

Prayer. — O God, who on this day through your only-begotten Son, etc.

Then let the subdeacon proceed to the ambo and read the Epistle, clearly. Response: This is the day. Alleluia, Christ our Pasch.

Let the deacon then come forward with the censer, and another minister with him, and kneeling before the knees of the seated bishop, let him place incense, smoke of sweet odor, and say: I send up incense in the odor of sweetness and in the name of the holy and undivided Trinity.

And the deacon, bowing his head, asking the blessing, let him say: Bid, Lord, to bless. The bishop answers: May the Lord be in your heart and in your mouth to proclaim the reading of the Gospel.

Taking the Gospel himself, let him kiss it and the altar. And let him ascend to the ambo to announce the words of eternal felicity. Let the Gospel of Mary Magdalene be read. When the Gospel is finished, let the Gospel be brought by the subdeacon, that the bishop may kiss it, and all after him. And let the bishop say: The Lord be with you. Response: And with your spirit. Let us pray. Then let the Offertory begin: The earth trembled.

When this is finished and the offering has been received, let him return with the whole procession to the throne, and let him take off his maniples and wash his hands, and so let him enter the propitiatory, and let him offer the offering for himself before all the procession, and at the last incense, and let him say these prayers while the incense is being offered: Lord our God, we humbly and devoutly entreat that, just as you accepted the gifts of Abel, Noah, Aaron, Zechariah and Samuel, and of all your saints, so you may deign to accept this incense from our sinful hand as a sweet odor and for the remission of all our sins. Through the Lord.

Another. — Be pleased, Lord, that by this incense your wrath may be appeased against me, and against this place, and against this people, and graciously grant that we may be to you a smoke of a sweet odor for the obtaining of eternal life. Through.

Afterward let them arrange themselves according to the custom of the church. That is, the deacons before the altar, the subdeacons behind, the bishop in the middle, because in the mouth of two or three every word stands, bowing their heads until there is said: Through all ages of ages. Response: Amen. And let him say this prayer over the offerings: Receive, Lord, we beseech you, the prayers of your people together with the offerings of the sacrifices. Look for this later in Holy Saturday. Then truly after this let them rise, and let the acolytes minister water to the deacons for their hands, and a towel; and let the priest say in another voice: Through all ages of ages. Response: Amen. Lift up your hearts. Response: We have them to the Lord.

Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. R. It is right and just.

Preface. — It is truly right and just, fitting and salutary: Thee indeed at all times, as above.

While the Sanctus is being said, all bow down, and the bishop shall say this prayer in the meantime: (976) O God, who desirest not death but repentance of sinners, do not drive me, wretched and frail sinner that I am, away from thy loving-kindness; nor look upon my sins and my crimes and my unclean and shameful thoughts, by which I am tearfully separated from thy will, but look upon thy mercy and upon the faith and devotion of those who through me, a sinner, seek thy mercy. And since thou hast willed that I, unworthy, be the mediator between thee and thy people, make me worthy that I may entreat thy mercy for myself and for this same people of thine. And join our voices to the voices of thy holy angels, so that just as they praise thee ceaselessly and untiringly in eternal blessedness, so we also, through their intercession, may merit to praise thee blamelessly in this pilgrimage. Through the Lord.

Thee therefore, most merciful Father.

Communicantes, and venerating the memory, as above.

This therefore the offering of our service, as above.

Before Per quem hæc omnia is said, the Blessing of the flesh: God of all flesh, who to Noah and his sons.

Through whom, Lord, thou dost always create, sanctify, and give life to all these good things.

But let the acolyte stand behind the deacon with the paten, bowing with the deacons, and let the bishop say, To us also sinners. The deacon therefore who read the Gospel, thence taking care that the bishop makes the sign of the cross over the chalice, and let him go before him, lifting up the chalice in the sight of the Lord, and let him return quickly to his place. Indeed the subdeacons from behind the altar, where they have named or recited the memory or the names of the living and the names of the dead, come forward after the deacon, bowing their heads. When the Lord's Prayer is finished, let the subdeacon receive the paten from the hand of the acolyte, and give it to the deacon, and let him carry it to the bishop; and after these things let them be established in the place where they were before the Gospel was read, until the Blessing and the kiss of peace have been completed. Then while the bishop says, Through all ages of ages, R. Amen, after the Lord's Prayer, when he has finished, Deliver us from evil, with the bishop nodding, let the deacon say: Bow down for the Blessing; and let the people respond: Thanks be to God.

And let the bishop say this Blessing: May almighty God bless you, with the solemnity of this day's Pasch intervening, etc.

And then, taking up the portion of the Lord's body, let him say: The peace of the Lord be always with you. R. And with your spirit. And with the bishop nodding, let the cantor say: Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world. Meanwhile let him kiss the archdeacon and the others. Then, turning to the altar, let him say this Prayer: The Lord be with you. R. And with your spirit.

May this most sacred commingling of the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ be for all who receive it a sound preparation of mind and body, and a saving preparation for obtaining eternal life. Through the Lord.

While the body is broken. — Deign to send forth, in the name, your holy angel to the sacred and immortal mystery, namely your body and blood; for we, Lord, break it; do you deign to bless it, and grant that we may be able to handle it with undefiled senses and hands, and to receive it worthily. Through our Lord. Send your angel, Lord, that he may deign.

After these things, therefore, let all communicate themselves one by one, and let the bishop also communicate, and when he has communicated, let him say these Prayers: May the reception of your body and blood, Lord Jesus Christ, which I, unworthy, presume to take, not come to me for judgment and condemnation, but by your loving-kindness profit me for the protection of mind and body, who with the Father in unity.

Another. — Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the living God, who by the will of the Father, with the Holy Spirit cooperating, through your death gave life to the world, free me through this your sacred body and blood from all my iniquities and all my evils, and make me to obey your commandments, and never in eternity to be separated from you. Who with the Father.

Another. — Holy Lord, almighty Father, eternal God, grant me so to receive this body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ that I may deserve through this to receive the remission of all my sins, and to be filled with your Holy Spirit, for you are blessed, and besides you there is no other, whose glorious kingdom remains for ever and ever. Amen.

And let the bishop communicate the presbyters and deacons with the kiss of peace, yet with the sacrifice dry, and the subdeacons without the kiss, with the sacrifice mixed. And let the deacons and presbyters taste summarily with the chalice, the subdeacon holding it, of the blood itself. Meanwhile let the cantor begin, with the bishop's assent, the Communion antiphon Pascha nostrum; Psalm Domine probasti me, with Gloria. When this is finished, let the bishop sit on his throne, and, after washing his hands three times, let him return to the altar and say the Collect.

At the Complendum. — Spiritum nobis, Domine. Afterwards let the bishop say, turning to the people: Dominus vobiscum. Response: Et cum spiritu tuo. With the bishop's assent, let the deacon say: Ite, Missa est. Response: Deo gratias. But the bishop himself kisses the altar and says in silence this Prayer: Oremus. — Placeat tibi sancta Trinitas, at Saint John's, at Vespers: Concede, quaesumus, omnipotens Deus; at the font: Praesta, quaesumus, omnipotens Deus; at Saint Andrew's: Praesta, quaesumus, omnipotens Deus, ut qui gratiam. Thus far concerning the Paschal Mass.

ANOTHER OLD MASS.

From the Tiliano Codex.

(997) Here begins the Order for the bishop, when he prepares himself for Mass. (998) When he washes his hands, let him say this prayer: Grant to our senses, almighty Father, that just as the defilements of our hands are washed away outwardly, so the pollutions of our minds may be cleansed inwardly by you, and that an increase of holy virtues may grow in us. Through.

Afterward (999) the bishop begins to put on his sandals, and says this Prayer: Shoe, O Lord, my feet in preparation for the Gospel of peace, and protect them under the covering of your wings.

(1000) Then let him sing with those standing by these Psalms: How lovely; You have blessed, O Lord; Incline, O Lord, with the prayers: Arise, O Lord; let your mercy, O Lord; O God, you being turned; Show us, O Lord; Do not enter into judgment; Be favorable to our sins; O Lord, hear my prayer.

Most gentle God, incline the ears of your loving-kindness to my prayers, and illuminate my heart by the grace of the Holy Spirit, that I may be able worthily to minister in your services, and may merit to love you with eternal charity. Through.

Prayer of the priest for preparing for Mass. — Overshadow, Lord, my head with the covering of holy faith, and drive away from me the clouds of ignorance. Amen.

At the alb. — Clothe me, Lord, with the garment of salvation, and surround me with the breastplate of fortitude. Amen.

At the girdle. — Gird upon me, Lord, the guard of my mind, and let not my mind itself be harmed by a spirit of pride. Amen.

At the stole. — Surround my neck, Lord, with the stole of righteousness, and purify my mind from every corruption of sin. Amen.

At the chasuble. — Clothe me, Lord, with the adornment of charity and peace, so that, fortified on every side by virtues, I may be able to resist vices and the enemies of mind and body.

After [he comes] to the maniple. — Give me, Lord, a right understanding and a pure voice, that I may be able to fulfill your praise.

After he enters the church, let him kiss two priests and two deacons, beginning by himself: I will go in to the altar of God, with the Psalm Judge me, O God. Meanwhile, while the Verse at the Introit is being sung, he says these prayers. — Take away from us our iniquities, that we may enter into the holy of holies with pure minds.

Another Prayer. — Almighty God, who willed that I, a sinner, stand at the sacred altars and praise the power of your holy name, I beseech you: through the mystery of this sacrament, grant me forgiveness of my sins, that I may merit to minister worthily to your Majesty. Through.

Then he shall kiss the Gospel and say: May the peace of Christ, which he has handed down to us through his Gospel, confirm and preserve our hearts and bodies unto eternal life. Amen.

The confession of the priest before the altar.

Receive my confession, O only hope of my salvation, Lord my God. By gluttony, drunkenness, fornication, lust, sorrow, sloth, drowsiness, anger, covetousness, envy, malice, hatred, slander, perjury, falsehood, lying, vainglory, levity, and pride I am undone; and by every thought, word, and deed, and by all evils I am destroyed; but you, who justify the ungodly and give life to the dead, give me life and raise me up, my God.

Prayer of the priest before the altar before he begins the Mass. — God, be merciful to me, a sinner, for you are the immortal God, and you alone are without sin. Lord my God, pardon your unworthy servant, for I am a sinner and unworthy to presume to approach your holy altar and to invoke you, who have sinned before you and before your angels; but grant me forgiveness of my offenses, and strengthen me in your holy Church, in the faith of the orthodox, and teach me to do your will all the days of my life. Who lives.

(1007) Likewise a Prayer while the Gloria in excelsis Deo is sung. — Lord Jesus Christ, Redeemer of the world, be merciful to me, a sinner, lying in sin in every way, for you alone, Lord our God, are immortal and without sin; pardon me, most wretched, as I presume to approach your holy altar and to invoke you, for I have sinned from my infancy even until now before you and before all your saints; but through their intercession grant me, by divine clemency, forgiveness of my sins, and teach me to do your will all the days of my life. Who lives and reigns.

After the collect, up to the Gospel, as seems good to him, he says these Prayers: God, who make worthy men out of unworthy, just men out of sinners, clean men out of the unclean, cleanse my body and my heart from every contagion and filth of sin, and make me a worthy minister of your holy altars, and graciously grant that on this altar, to which I approach though unworthy, I may offer propitiatory sacrifices to your loving-kindness for my sins and offenses, and for my countless daily transgressions, and for the flock committed to me, and for your servant N. and his wife, and for the people subject to him, and for all those standing around, and for all who are joined to me in familiarity, and for all who pursue me with hateful and accursed hatred, and for all who oppose your committed Church, and for all faithful Christians together. And may my vow and sacrifice be acceptable to you through him who offered himself to you, God the Father, as a sacrifice, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Forgive, Lord, that I am compelled to ask you, while with unclean lips I take up your holy name, so that when I confess the secrets of my shameful deeds, I have no words before you without guilt. For you know the wounds of my conscience, you know the hidden things of my thoughts, and you alone acknowledge my uncleanness. Have mercy on me, Lord, have mercy on me; forgive me who handle the secrets of your mystery, and do not judge me unworthy of your mercy, whom you permit to pray for others; and do not refuse in me, in whom you do not recognize the testimony of a good work, at least the office of the dispensation entrusted to me, O Savior of the world. Who lives.

When (1009) he puts incense into the thurible before the Gospel is read, let him say: May the Lord kindle and fill our hearts with the odor of his heavenly inspiration, to hear and to fulfill the precepts of his Gospel. Who lives.

(1011) Then, as the deacon bows, let the priest say: The Lord be in your heart and on your lips, that you may worthily announce the Gospel of peace.

After the Gospel has been read, let the bishop be brought forward to be greeted, and let him say: Through these words of the holy Gospel of your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, may the Lord forgive our sins.

But when the altar has been adorned, before the bishop receives the offerings of the priests and deacons, while the Offertories are being sung, let him ascend to the altar and say this Prayer most humbly: Before your eyes, Lord, I stand as a guilty man, with conscience as witness. I do not dare to ask what I do not deserve to obtain. For you know, Lord, what is done within us. We blush to confess what we do not fear to commit. In words alone we obey you, in heart we lie; and what we say we wish, we approve by our deeds that we do not wish. But spare those who confess, Lord; forgive those who sin; have mercy on those who entreat you. And because my understanding is weak in your sacraments, and sinners have no words before you without guilt, grant, Lord, that if from us, unworthy and sinful men of hard heart, you do not receive words, you may bestow forgiveness upon us by yourself. You who live and reign as God both always and forever and ever.

Then let him turn to receive the offerings of the offering priests or deacons, and let each one say this Prayer: To you, Lord God my Creator, I offer a victim for the remission of all my sins and of all your protections.

When the deacon receives the pouring of the chalice, let him say: May this sacrifice be acceptable to almighty God. Then let the priest return to the altar; and before the altar, before he says the Secret, let him first accuse himself tearfully, and say this Prayer: Before the sight of your divine Majesty I stand guilty, who presume to invoke your holy name. Have mercy on me, Lord, a sinful man; pardon an unworthy priest, through whose hands this offering is seen to be offered; spare one defiled by the stain of sins beyond others with capital sins. And do not enter into judgment with your servant, that is, one weighed down by the vices and pleasures of the flesh. Remember, Lord, that I am flesh. In your sight even the heavens are not clean, how much more we mortal men. I am unworthy to be living. You who do not will the death of the sinner, grant me pardon in the appointed course of the flesh, that through the labors of penance I may enjoy eternal life in the heavens through you, Jesus Christ.

Then with a pure heart let him offer to the Lord the offerings placed upon the altar, saying: Receive, holy Trinity, this oblation which I offer to you for me, a sinner, and for the salvation of our congregation, and for all the Christian people, and for all who give alms to us, and for those also who have commended themselves to our prayers; and for those who hold our memory in their prayers, that here we may receive forgiveness of sins, and that in the future we may deserve to obtain eternal rewards. Amen. Receive, holy Trinity, this oblation which I offer first, as is right, in memory of the Incarnation, Nativity, Passion, Resurrection, and Ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ, and in honor of all your saints who have pleased you from the beginning of the world, and whose names and relics are contained here, and of those whose festival is celebrated on earth, that it may profit them unto honor and us unto salvation, and that all those whose memory we make on earth may deign to intercede for us in heaven.

Receive, holy Trinity, this oblation which I offer to you for the soul of your servant, so that, by your gift, having received pardon for sins, he may deserve to receive also the immeasurable joys of eternal life.

Receive, holy Trinity, this oblation which I offer to you for the souls of your male and female servants, so that, purified by this saving sacrifice, they may be joined to the fellowship of the saints.

Then let the deacon offer the chalice to the priest upon the altar, and let him say: Sacrifice to God a sacrifice of praise, and pay your vows to the Most High. May the Lord be your helper, may he make you clean; when you pray to him, may he hear you.

And the bishop, offering the chalice to the Lord, let him say: Lord Jesus Christ, who on the cross of your passion willed that blood and water flow from your side, whereby you might consecrate your Church, receive this sacrifice placed upon your altar, and grant, most merciful, that for our redemption and also for the whole world it may ascend in the sight of your divine Majesty with the odor of your sweetness, Jesus Christ.

For mixing wine with water.

O God, who wondrously created the dignity of human substance and more wondrously reformed it, grant us, we beseech you, through the mystery of this water and wine, to be partakers of his divinity who deigned to become a partaker of our humanity, Jesus Christ.

Then, with hand raised, let him bless both.

In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, let this sacrifice be undefiled, and be united and blessed by you, the living and true God.

Afterward, taking incense, let him place it in the thurible, saying:

Through the intercession of the holy archangel Gabriel, who stands before the altar of incense, and of all his elect, may the Lord deign to bless this incense and receive it as a sweet odor.

Then let him place the incense upon the sacrifice, and going around the altar let him say: Let this incense, blessed by you, ascend to you, O Lord, and let your mercy descend upon us. Let my prayer be directed like incense in your sight.

(1032) When the odor of the same incense is offered to the bishop or to the others, each one shall say: May the Lord kindle in us the fire of his love and the flame of eternal charity.

(1033) Then the priest shall turn most humbly to those standing around and say: Pray for me, a wretched sinner, to our Lord Jesus Christ, that my sacrifice and yours may be acceptable in the sight of divine goodness.

(1034) Then let it be said by all: Let all the saints of God pray for you. May the Lord be mindful of every sacrifice of yours, and may your burnt offering be made rich. May the Lord hear you as you pray for us. May almighty God have mercy on you and forgive you all your sins.

(1035) After the priest begins "Therefore, we humbly beseech you," the deacons and subdeacons shall sing these Psalms: "May the Lord hear you"; "To you, O Lord, I have lifted up"; "Have mercy on me, O God"; "He who dwells," with the prayers: "Save your servant"; "The desire of his heart"; "He asked life of you"; "The eyes of the Lord are upon the just"; "Let your mercy be"; "O Lord, hear my prayer.

Prayer for the sick. — Let your servant, O Lord God, rejoice in the benefits he has obtained; and to him whom you have granted confidence in hoping for your loving-kindness, graciously bestow the fulfillment of his desired mercies.

Likewise a Prayer for all. — We beseech you, O Lord, incline the ears of your loving-kindness to our prayers, and, O knower of hidden things, graciously hear the petitions of your suppliants, so that, by your bounty, we may attain eternal pardon.

(1036) When the Secret has been completed, and (1057) the Lord's Prayer, when he has said, "The peace of the Lord be always with you," let the body of the Lord be mixed with the blood.

May this holy commingling of the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ be for us all a saving preparation for receiving eternal life of mind and body. Through.

(1038) But after the episcopal blessing has been completed, taking the part which he had previously broken off, and holding it over the chalice, let him break it and say: May the commingling of the holy blood with the holy body of our Lord Jesus Christ profit all who receive it unto eternal life.

When he receives the body of the Lord in his hands, let him say: I will receive the heavenly bread, and I will call upon the name of the Lord.

For receiving the Lord's body.

Let the reception of your body, Lord Jesus Christ, which I, unworthy, presume to take, not come to me for judgment and condemnation, but through your loving-kindness profit me for the protection of mind and body. Who lives.

When he receives the cup, let him say: What shall I render to the Lord, etc., as in the Roman Missal. After receiving, let him read.

May the partaking and confirmation of your holy blood, Lord Jesus Christ, profit me for the remission of all sins, and preserve me unto eternal life.

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the living God, who by the will of the Father, with the cooperation of the saints, through your death gave life to the world, free me through this sacred body and blood of yours, so that it may not be to me for judgment, nor for condemnation, but may profit for the remedy of my soul; and free me from all my iniquities, O God, and make me obedient to your commandments, and never in perpetuity to be separated from you and from your saints. Who lives.

Holy Lord, almighty Father, eternal God, grant me so to receive this body and blood of your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, that through it I may deserve to receive forgiveness of sins and to be filled with your Holy Spirit, for you are God, and besides you there is no other, whose glorious name endures forever and ever. Amen.

Then, when he begins to give communion to the clergy or the people, let him say to each one:

May the reception of the body of our Lord be to you life and salvation, and the redemption of all your sins.

Prayer of holy Pope Gregory. — May the body of our Lord Jesus Christ profit me unto the forgiveness of all sins, unto eternal life.

When the Mass is finished, after the deacon says: Go, the Mass is ended, let the priest come before the altar, and having kissed it, let him say:

May the service of my servitude be pleasing to you, holy Trinity, and grant that this sacrifice, which I, unworthy, have offered to the eyes of your Majesty, may be pleasing to you, and may be, by your mercy, propitious to me and to all for whom I have offered it. Who lives and reigns.

Another Prayer. — By the merits and intercessions of all his saints, may the almighty Lord have mercy on us.

When all things are completed, let the bishop, returning to the sacristy with the deacons and the rest, sing the hymn of the three youths, and Laudate Dominum in sanctis ejus. Afterwards the prayers: Confiteantur tibi, Domine, omnia opera tua, et sancti tui; Exsultabunt justi; Exsultent justi; Non nobis, Domine, non nobis; Sacerdotes induam; Ne inres in; Domine Deus virtutum; Benedicat nos Deus, Deus; Domine exaudi; Then the Prayer. O God, who didst temper the flames of fire for the three youths, grant in thy mercy, through their intercession and that of all the saints, that the flame of vices may not burn us thy servants. Ptr.

ANCIENT RITE OF CELEBRATING MASS.

From an ancient manuscript codex of the priory of Salicosanum (commonly Sausense) among the Velocasses, of the Canons of the order of Saint Augustine, not far from Vernon. The beginning of which codex is:

To the holy and venerable lord, honorable in his merits, Maurilius, venerable archbishop of the holy church of Rouen, John of Avranches, least in merits among all bishops, offers the office of entire obedience in body and spirit, etc.

Let the Mass of the day be celebrated in this order. First, on ferial days let two bells be rung; on feasts, all. At the Gloria Patri, while the choir sings the Introit instituted by blessed Celestine, let the priest and the other ministers be vested in the sacristy in the holy garments according to order: namely, the deacon in alb, stole, and dalmatic; the subdeacon in alb, tunic, and maniple; the rest only in albs—namely, the two acolytes, one who is to sing the Gradual and carry the candlestick, the other who is to sing the Alleluia and carry the thurible. When the psalm has been said, with the choir beginning the Gloria Patri, the priest and the other ministers shall thus proceed to the altar. Let the deacon precede the priest; let the subdeacon, going before the deacon, carry the Gospel; let the candle-bearer with his candle precede the subdeacon; let the thurible-bearer precede the candle-bearer. When therefore they have come before the altar, let the subdeacon place the Gospel on the right corner of the altar, where he shall remain until the Gospel. By the altar Jerusalem is signified, in which from the beginning the evangelical teaching of the Lord resounded, and from there it shall go forth even to the public, as it is written: Out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.

Afterward let the subdeacon pass to the left of the priest, the deacon to the right; where, confession having been made to one another, the priest shall kiss the deacon and the subdeacon. For first Christ gave peace to the apostles, and through them sent it to the world. After these things the priest and the other ministers shall pray briefly behind, before the altar, standing in their own order; then first, rising from prayer, he shall bow to the deacon bowing to him, the deacon to the subdeacon bowing to him, the subdeacon to the choir bowing to him. But the deacon after the inclination, kissing both horns of the altar, shall offer the Gospel to the priest kissing the middle of the altar, to be kissed. For by the Gospel Christ, blotting out the handwriting of transgression, gave peace to the world, and by its heralds reconciled to himself both peoples, namely the Jewish and the gentile. That the priest kisses the altar signifies the Jewish people dwelling in Jerusalem, whom Christ reconciled to himself; through the Gospel, the gentile people. Then the priest proceeds to the right horn of the altar; for Christ always wrought life on the right hand, for by the right hand the glory of heaven is acquired. Let the deacon stand after him, imitating the same life, until he signals him to sit. The sitting of the bishop, according to the decrees of Pope Urban and the Council of Carthage, ought to be higher than the rest, in which the pontifical chair is honorably set, etc.

Let the candle-bearers hold the candelabra from the South to the North until the Kyrie eleison, and when it has begun, let them set them down in the same place. By the wind, which is a hot blast, the fervor of the Holy Spirit is designated, which, from the rising of the true Sun, is diffused from the East to the West, illuminating the world. But let a third one be placed in the middle, by which it is signified that where two or three have gathered in the name of the Lord, the Lord is present. By the fact that, when the Kyrie has begun, the candles are set down, it is shown that we, while we entreat the Lord, ought to be humbled with a contrite heart. When the priest greets the people, let them hold them there again. When the prayer is finished, let them place them from the East to the West. For by the two Testaments the four parts of the world are illuminated. The seven candelabra on feast days signify the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit. When the subdeacon begins the Epistle, let the priest sit near the altar, and let him order the deacon to sit in his place; but let the subdeacon, except at the time of his ministry, remain in the choir. As the end of the Gospel approaches, let the priest put incense in the thurible, and when the altar has been incensed, let it be brought before the Gospel. By the thurible, which emits the fragrance of odor, is signified the fame of good works which preceded the teaching of Christ. The deacon, having received the blessing from the priest, taking the Gospel from the altar, let him place it upon his left arm. For by the left arm the temporal life is designated, in which it is fitting that the Gospel be preached. And let the subdeacon carry a cushion before him.

By the cushion that precedes, the law is figured which preceded the Gospel; by the feathers that are hidden when it is angry, the mysteries that were contained in the law; by the lightness of the feather, the precepts of the old law are light in comparison with the new; for in that one it is said: You shall not kill; in the new one, however: Whoever is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment. And so, with the candle-bearer and the thurifer going before, let him proceed with the procession to the pulpit, and when the Gospel has been placed and incensed, turning toward the North, let him read the Gospel; for by the North is designated the unbelief of the nations, to whom the Gospel is preached by the apostles, kindled by the fire of the Holy Spirit. When this has been read, let the candelabra be extinguished. For by the immolation of the true Lamb the typical immolation ceased, and the other mysteries that were contained in the law and the prophets, designated by the candelabra. Let incense be offered by the priest in the thurible, and let him first kiss the Gospel handed to him by the subdeacon, which is then kissed by the deacon. And on feast days let it be presented by the subdeacon to all the clergy, with incense going before. With the Gospel covered, let the people be greeted by the priest: let the Offertory be begun, and when it is finished let the Verse follow. Meanwhile, however, let the offering of bread and wine be presented by the subdeacon to the deacon, and by the deacon to the priest. Let the cantor bring the water covered with a linen cloth on feast days to the deacon, and let the deacon mix it with the wine. For by the sweetness of the cantor.

By this modulation the people is kindled with pious devotion and divine love, and so runs to the Lord, and is made one body in Christ. By the wine is signified Christ, by the water the people, by the linen covering the labor of the water, that is, the modulation of the choir, whereby the people is freed from the depravity of thoughts; for by linen labor is expressed.

(1063) The water mixed with wine: the people is united to Christ. On other days the acolyte ministers as well. (1064) Let the priest so arrange the oblation that he place the chalice on the right side of the host; for from the right side of the Lord blood flowed forth and water. And thus, with the corporal covered, let him offer incense over it, and so hand it to the deacon. Let the deacon carry it around the altar, then return it to the priest, then to the minister, that he may deliver it to the clergy and the people. Moreover, taking the paten from the altar, let him hand it to the subdeacon; and the subdeacon, if present, to the acolyte. For it is not lawful for anyone to take away anything sacred from the altar except the deacon or the priest. (1065) Then let the priest alone pray bowed before the altar, asking that he may be worthy to approach the altar and to attend to the divine services. But let the other ministers stand in prayer in their own order. After these things, turning to the people, let him admonish them to pray, and having turned back to the altar, let him say the Secret Prayer; when it is completed, let him utter Vere dignum, etc., with a devout mind and sweet voice, at the end of which let the chorus respond with the hymn Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus, instituted by the blessed Sixtus.

The deacon and the ministers remain behind the priest at the Te igitur, etc., until the Sed libera nos, bowed down. For the apostles shared in the Lord's suffering with grief and fear. By the bowing of the deacons is signified the sorrow of the apostles; by that of the subdeacons, that of the holy women. The subdeacons likewise are to bow in the sight of the priest, and by them are represented the holy women who, while the Lord suffered, though the disciples fled stricken with fear and grief, were intent on what was being done to him, and after the Lord was taken down from the cross and buried, they withdrew from there and prepared spices for the burial; so the subdeacons depart from that place and hasten to minister to the body and blood of Christ, offering the paten by the hand of the deacon to the priest to break the Lord's body upon it, etc. When therefore he has come to these words, namely, Per quem haec omnia, Domine, semper bona, then let the deacon approach, and with his right hand take the right horn of the corporal, and uncover it together with the priest. While the priest says Per ipsum, etc., let him touch the four parts of the chalice with the offering. For by the immolation of the body of Christ the four regions of the world are redeemed. Again, when the elevation is finished, let both lift the chalice and set it down together, and cover it. Then let the deacon kiss the altar, and next the priest's right shoulder. By the priest's shoulder is designated the stone in which the angel sat at the tomb. For the angel is always to be believed.

Let him be present at the immolation of the body of Christ. By the deacon Joseph is represented, by the priest Nicodemus, by the elevation from the altar the taking down of Christ's sacrifice from the cross, by the placing back upon the altar the burial of Christ. After these things let the priest utter the Lord's Prayer in a loud voice. By the raising of the Lord's Prayer is shown the unity of our brotherhood. For God our Father, the teacher of peace and concord, so taught us to pray as one for all, just as he bore all in one. While the clergy respond Sed libera nos a malo, let him complete the office of consecration. When Sed libera has been said, let the deacon and subdeacon raise themselves, and fix their eyes upon the consecration of the Lord's body. For the evangelist says that his acquaintances stood afar off, beating their breasts. Therefore when he comes to the place Da propitius pacem, he who, clad in the mantle, had held the paten—let the subdeacon hand it to the deacon, the deacon offer it to the priest—in which the priest divides the Lord's body into three parts: of which parts the priest, putting one into the chalice, saying with another voice Pax Domini, straightway adds secretly: Fiat commistio simul corporis et sanguinis Domini nobis accipientibus in vitam æternam. Another part let him communicate to the deacon and subdeacon. The third let him reserve as viaticum, if need be, upon the paten until the end of the Mass.

By the particle of the offered host placed in the chalice is shown the body of Christ which rose from the dead; by its being eaten by the priest and the people, the life-giving conversation of Christ with his disciples after the Resurrection in God. The third particle, which remains on the altar, the holy Church calls the viaticum of the dying, that it may be shown that it ought not to be reckoned as belonging to the dying but to those sleeping, who die in Christ, since by such and so great a leader they are brought to eternal life. But if there is no need, the priest or one of the ministers shall receive the third particle. However, the priest shall not communicate with the bread dipped, but, according to the definition of the Council of Toledo, with the body separately and the blood separately, except for the people, to whom it is permitted to communicate with dipped bread, not by authority but by the utmost necessity of fear of the shedding of the blood of Christ. Therefore, when the priest extends communion to the ministers, let him first kiss each one, and afterwards let him who is to communicate, having kissed the hand of the priest, receive communion from him. Finally, however, let the priest consume the particle which remained in the chalice, and afterwards let him extend the chalice to the deacon to be cleansed and to consume what remained, who shall carry the chalice with the paten to the left corner of the altar, where he shall take a part for himself and give a part to the subdeacon. After both have been cleansed, let both partake. But let the acolyte carry the other chalice to the priest for cleansing his fingers. Let the subdeacon, moreover, serve the deacon for cleansing the chalice and the paten.

After the cleansing of the paten and the chalice, the acolyte shall hold both wrapped in a cloth until the completion of the first Postcommunion, and the other ministers likewise their own offices. The priest, as we said above, having divided the body of the Lord, shall pronounce aloud the Lord's Prayer, from which one of the canons shall receive the peace, and distribute it to the seniors in each choir. These in turn shall pass it to the others in such a way that no one moves from his place, but each receives it from the one above him and gives it to the one below. One of the lesser among each choir shall receive it from the seniors and distribute it to the rest according to the prescribed order. Let them hold firmly to this, according to the Apostle, "preferring one another in honor," so that both those giving the peace and those receiving it always bow. By the kiss of peace is signified the benefit of our faith. Let the choir sing the Agnus Dei, which Pope Sergius ordered to be sung at the time of the confraction of the Lord's body, the immolation of which Lamb redeemed the world. When this has begun, let the candelabra be lit; by the passion of the Lamb the world was enlightened, etc.

This rite was formerly observed in the anointing of the kings of the Franks.

Here begins the inquiry or election of bishops and clerics, and also of the peoples, for consecrating or blessing the king.

The admonition of the bishops or clerics or peoples, to be spoken to the king, is read thus by one bishop before all:

We ask to be granted by you that you preserve for each one of us and for the churches committed to us the canonical privilege and the due law and justice, and that you show defense, as a king in his kingdom ought rightly to show to each bishop and to the church committed to him.

The king's response: I promise and grant to you that I will preserve for each one of you and for the churches committed to you the canonical privilege and the due law and justice, and I will show defense, as far as I am able, with the Lord's help, as a king in his kingdom ought rightly to show to each bishop and to the church committed to him.

Then let the two bishops address the people in the church, inquiring their will, and if they are of one mind, let them give thanks to almighty God, singing "Te Deum laudamus." And let the two bishops take him by the hand and lead him before the altar, and let him prostrate himself until the end of "Te Deum laudamus."

Invocation over the king. — We invoke you, holy Lord, almighty Father, eternal God, that your servant N., whom by the providence of your divine dispensation you granted to be formed in the beginning and to grow rejoicing in the flower of youth up to this present day, you may cause, enriched with the gift of your loving-kindness and full of the grace of truth, to advance always from day to day to better things before God and men, that he may joyfully receive the throne of supreme rule through the bounty of heavenly grace, and, protected on every side by the wall of your mercy from the hostility of enemies, may he deserve happily to rule the people entrusted to him with the peace of your favor and the power of victory. Through the Lord.

Likewise a prayer. — O God, who by your power guide your peoples and rule them in love, grant to this your servant the Spirit of wisdom together with the governance of discipline, that, devoted to you with his whole heart, he may remain always fit for the governance of the kingdom, and that by your gift in his times the security of the Church may be directed, and Christian devotion may remain in tranquility, so that, persevering in good works, he may be able to attain to the eternal kingdom under your leadership. Through.

For the high places. — In his days let equity and justice arise for all, help for friends, a barrier for enemies, consolation for the humble, correction for the proud, teaching for the rich, mercy for the poor, peacemaking for strangers, peace and security for those at home in the fatherland, governing each one moderately according to his own measure; let him diligently learn himself, so that, watered by your compunction, he may be able to offer to the whole people examples pleasing to you, and, walking in the way of truth with the flock subject to him, he may abundantly acquire frugal riches and at the same time receive from you all things granted for the salvation not only of bodies but also of hearts.

And so, composing in you every thought and purpose of his mind, may he always be seen to seek the governance of the people with peace together with wisdom; and with you aiding him, may he receive length of this present life, and through good times arrive even to extreme old age, and, freed from all the bonds of vices by the bounty of your goodness, may he obtain the perfect end of this frailty, and the rewards of infinite prosperity and the eternal fellowship of the angels. Through.

Consecration of a king. — Almighty eternal God, Creator and governor of heaven and earth, founder and disposer of angels and men, King of kings and Lord of lords, who made Abraham your faithful servant triumph over his enemies, who granted manifold victory to Moses and Joshua set over your people, who also raised up your humble servant David to the height of the kingdom, and delivered him from the mouth of the lion and from the hand of the beast and of Goliath, and also from the wicked sword of Saul and of all his enemies, and enriched Solomon with the ineffable gift of wisdom and peace, look favorably upon the prayers of our humility, and upon this your servant, whom with suppliant devotion into the kingdom of N.

We choose him likewise for all Albion, that is, for the Franks, with the gifts of your blessings multiplied upon him, and ever and everywhere surround him with the right hand of your power; so that, strengthened by the faithfulness of the aforesaid Abraham, relying on the gentleness of Moses, fortified by the courage of Joshua, exalted by the humility of David, adorned with the wisdom of Solomon, he may be pleasing to you in all things, and may always walk in the path of justice with unfaltering step, and may thereafter so nourish, teach, fortify, and instruct the Church of all Albion together with the peoples annexed to him, and may he powerfully and royally administer it against all visible and invisible enemies by the guidance of your virtue, so that he does not abandon the royal throne, that is, the scepters of the Franks, but with your help reforms their minds to the former concord of faith and peace, so that, supported by the due subjection of both these peoples, glorified with worthy love, he may deserve through your mercy to establish and govern in unity the summit of paternal glory for a long span of life; and, fortified also by the helmet of your protection, and continually protected by the sharp and invincible [sword], and surrounded by heavenly arms, may he happily obtain the triumph of desirable victory over his enemies, and strike terror of his power into the faithless, and joyfully bring back peace to those who serve you; and moreover, with the virtues with which you have adorned your aforesaid faithful ones, adorn him with a manifold blessing of honor, and set him on high in the governance of the kingdom, and anoint him with the oil of the grace of the Holy Spirit.

Here let him be anointed with oil. Antiphon: Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anointed Solomon king in Gihon, and coming near, the assembled said: May the king live forever! Whence you have anointed priests, kings, and prophets, and martyrs, who through this have conquered kingdoms, wrought justice, and obtained the promises. May his most sacred anointing flow down upon his head, and descend to his inner parts, and penetrate the inmost places of his heart, and by your grace may he be made worthy of the promises which the most victorious kings obtained; so that he may reign happily even in the present world, and come to their fellowship in the heavenly kingdom through our Lord Jesus Christ your Son, who was anointed with the oil of gladness above his companions, and by the power of the cross subdued the powers of the air, destroyed Tartarus, overcame the kingdom of the devil, and ascended victorious to the heavens; in whose hand victory, all glory, and power consist, and who lives and reigns with you, God, in the unity of the same Spirit. Through.

Another. O God, the strength of the elect and the exaltation of the humble, who in the beginning willed to chastise the crimes of the world through the outpouring of the flood, and through the dove bearing a branch of olive showed that peace had been restored to the earth, and again sanctified Aaron your servant through the anointing of oil, and afterward through the infusion of this ointment perfected priests, kings, and prophets to rule the people of Israel, and foretold through the prophetic voice of your servant David that the countenance of the Church would be made glad with oil, so, we beseech you, almighty Father, through the richness of this creature, deign to sanctify this your servant with your blessing, and make him, in the likeness of the dove, to bestow the peace of simplicity upon the people committed to him, and diligently to imitate the examples of Aaron in the service of God, and always to attain the heights of kingship in counsels of knowledge and the equity of judgment, and by this anointing of oil, with your help, to have the countenance of gladness ready for your people.

Another. O God, the Father, Son, and Christ our Lord, who by the Father has been anointed with the oil of exultation beyond your companions, may he himself through the present infusion of the sacred unction pour the blessing of the Spirit, the Paraclete, upon your head, and cause it to penetrate even to the inner depths of your heart; so that by this visible and tangible gift you may perceive things invisible, and, having governed temporal kingdoms with just moderation, may merit to reign eternally with him. Through.

Here let the ring be given. — Receive the ring, the sign of holy faith, the firmness of the kingdom, the increase of power, through which you may know how to repel enemies with triumphant power, to destroy heresies, to subject your subjects, and to be joined to the perseverance of the catholic faith. Through.

Prayer after the ring has been given. — O God, to whom belongs all power and dignity, grant to your servant the effect of his dignity through the Spirit, in which, with you ruling, he may remain, and may he always fear you and strive continually to please you. Through.

Here let the sword be girded on him by the archbishop. — Receive this sword, conferred upon you with God's blessing, in which through the power of the Holy Spirit you may be able to resist and cast out all your enemies, and all adversaries of God's holy Church, and to guard the kingdom entrusted to you, and to protect the camps of God through the aid of the most invincible triumphator our Lord Jesus Christ, who with the Father in the unity of the Holy Spirit lives and reigns for ever and ever.

Prayer after the sword. — O God, who by your providence govern both heavenly and earthly things, be propitious to our most Christian king, that all the strength of his enemies may be broken by the power of the spiritual sword, and, with you fighting on his behalf, be utterly crushed. Through.

Here let him be crowned. — May God crown you with a crown of glory, and with the honor of righteousness, and with the work of fortitude, that through the office of our blessing, with right faith and a manifold fruit of good works, you may come to the crown of the everlasting kingdom, by the gift of him whose kingdom endures for ever and ever.

Prayer after the crown. O God, guide of everlastingness, of virtues, victor over all enemies, bless this your servant bowing his head to you, and preserve him with long-lasting health and prosperous felicity, and wherever he invokes your aid for those things, be present quickly, and protect and defend him. Grant him, we beseech you, O Lord, the riches of your grace. Fulfill his desire in good things; crown him in compassion and mercy, and may he serve you, the Lord, with pious devotion. Through our Lord.

Here let the scepter be given. — Receive the scepter, the emblem of royal majesty, that is, the straight rod of the kingdom, the rod of virtue, by which you may conduct yourself well, defend holy Church and the Christian people committed to you by God with royal virtue from the wicked, correct the depraved, pacify the upright, and direct them by your help so that they may be able to hold the right way; so that from the temporal kingdom you may come to the eternal kingdom, with his help whose kingdom and dominion remain without end for ever and ever.

Prayer after the sceptre. O Lord, fount of all good things and God, author of all prosperities, we beseech you: grant to your servant Ill. to rejoice rightly in the dignity he has obtained, and deign to strengthen the honor appointed to him by you. Honor him before all the kings of the earth, enrich him with abundant blessing, and establish him on the throne of his kingdom with firm stability; visit him in offspring, grant him length of life, and let justice always spring up in his days; so that with gladness and joy he may glory in the eternal kingdom. Through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Then the rod is given to him. Receive the rod of virtue and equity, by which you may understand how to soothe the pious and terrify the wicked. Teach the erring the way, extend your hand to the fallen, scatter the proud, and lift up the humble; and may Jesus Christ our Lord open the door for you, who says of himself: I am the door; if anyone enters through me, he will be saved. And may he himself, who is the key of David and the sceptre of the house of Israel, who opens and no one shuts, shuts and no one opens, be your helper, who brings the prisoner out of the house of prison, sitting in darkness and the shadow of death, so that in all things you may deserve to follow him of whom the prophet David sang: Your throne, O God, is for ever and ever.

the rod of equity, the rod of your kingdom; and by invoking him who says: You love justice and hate iniquity; therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness; after the example of him whom before the ages he had anointed before his fellows, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Then let the Blessing be said. — May almighty God stretch forth the right hand of his blessing, and pour out upon you the gift of his protection, and surround you with the wall of felicity, and with the guard of his propitiation, through the interceding merits of holy Mary, and of blessed Peter the prince of the apostles, and of holy Gregory, the angelic apostle, and of all the saints, may the Lord forgive you all the evils you have done. Amen.

And may he grant you grace and mercy, which you humbly ask of him, and deliver you from all adversities, and from all the snares of visible and invisible enemies. Amen.

May he set his good angels always and everywhere to go before you, accompany you, and follow after you, for your protection, and by his power free you from sin and from the sword, and from the peril of all dangers. Amen.

May he convert your enemies to the kindness of peace and charity, and make you gracious and lovable to all good people; and may he clothe even those who persist in persecuting and hating you with a salutary confusion; but over you may everlasting sanctification flourish. Anten.

May he always make you victorious and triumphant over invisible and visible enemies, and pour continually into your heart the fear and love of his holy name, and make you persevering in right faith and good works, and, with peace granted in your days, bring you with the palm of victory to the everlasting kingdom. Amen.

And may he who willed to establish you as king over his people grant that you, happy in this present world, may be a partaker of eternal felicity. Amen.

May he himself deign to grant this.

Likewise another blessing. — Bless, O Lord, this prelate prince, you who rule all kings from the beginning of the world. Amen.

And glorify him with such a blessing, that he may hold the scepter of salvation with Davidic sublimity, and be found enriched with the gift of holy propitiation. Amen.

Grant him by your inspiration to rule the people, as you made Solomon to obtain a peaceful kingdom. Amen.

May he himself deign to grant this.

The rank of the king is designated. — Stand and from now on retain what you have held until now by your father's suggestion, delegated to you by hereditary right through the authority of God Almighty, and through our present tradition, that is, of all the bishops and the other servants of God; and the closer you see the clergy to the sacred altars, the more you shall be bound to bestow upon them the greater honor in fitting places, so that the Mediator of God and men may confirm you as mediator of the clergy and the people on this throne of the kingdom, and make you to reign with him in the eternal kingdom, Jesus Christ our Lord, King of kings and Lord of lords, who with the Father and the Holy Spirit.

The uprightness of a newly ordained king, raised to the throne, is to command these three things to the Christian people subject to him: first, that the Church of God and all the Christian people keep true peace at all times. The second is that he forbid plundering and all iniquities to every rank. The third is that in all judgments he command equity and mercy, so that the merciful and compassionate God, who with the Father, may grant pardon to him and to us.

And then let him kiss all the clergy and the people, and let each one say: "May the king live happily forever" three times: "May the king live!" as above. And after the Gospel the king offers the offering and wine into the hand of the archbishop, and thus the Mass is performed in its order. Then let him be communicated by the archbishop with the body and blood of Christ; and so let them give thanks to God, and afterwards let them proceed to the table.

ITEM FOR BLESSING THE QUEEN.

For she ought to be led into the church and to prostrate herself before the altar. Having risen from prayer, by the bishops, and with her head bowed, the archbishop shall say this Prayer: (127) Attend, O Lord, to our supplications, and what is to be carried out by the ministry of our lowliness, let it be fulfilled by the effect of your power. Through.

(128) Then her head is to be anointed with oil. — In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, may this anointing of oil profit you unto honor and eternal confirmation.

Then follows the Prayer after the anointing. — Almighty, everlasting God, mercifully pour forth upon your handmaid, as we pray, the flowing Spirit of your blessing, (129) that she who today by the laying on of our hands is instituted as queen may remain worthy and chosen by your sanctification, so that she may never afterward be separated from your grace as one unworthy. Through.

(130) Then a ring is to be placed on her finger. — Receive the seal of faith of the holy Trinity, whereby you may be able to avoid all heretical depravities, and, (131) by the virtue granted to you, to summon barbarian peoples to the knowledge of the truth.

The Prayer follows. — O God, whose is all power and dignity, grant to thy handmaid N., by the sign of thy faith, a prosperous effect of her dignity, that she may ever remain firm in thee, and strive continually to please thee.

Then the crown ought to be placed on her head. — Receive the crown of glory, the honor of gladness, that thou mayest shine brightly and be crowned with eternal exultation. Through the Lord.

Likewise the Prayer. — O Lord, fount of all good things and giver of all advancements, grant to thy handmaid N. to bear well the dignity she has obtained, and strengthen in her, by good works, the glory bestowed upon her by thee. Through the Lord.

BLESSING OF MARRIAGES.

From the Codex of Rheims.

Here begins the nuptial rite. — Be present, O Lord, at our supplications, and graciously assist thy institutions, by which thou dost ordain the propagation of the human race, that what is joined together by thee as author may be preserved by thy aid. Through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Likewise another. — We beseech thee, almighty God, accompany with thy gracious favor the ordinances of thy providence, and those whom thou joinest in lawful union keep in long-lasting peace. Through the Lord,

The Prayer over the offerings. — Be present, O Lord, to our supplications, and graciously and kindly accept this offering of thy servants, which we offer to thee for thy handmaid N., whom thou hast deigned to bring to the estate of maturity and to the day of her marriage, that what is sought by thy disposition may be fulfilled by thy grace. Through our Lord.

The Prayer. — O God, who hast bound the covenants of marriage with the gentle yoke of concord and the unbreakable bond of peace, so that for the multiplying of adopted children the chaste fruitfulness of holy unions might serve. For by the grace of thy providence, O Lord, thou dost dispense both in ineffable ways, so that what generation brings forth for the adornment of the world, generation may lead to the increase of the Church. Through Christ.

Within the action. — We beseech thee, O Lord, that thou graciously accept this oblation of thy handmaidens, for which we humbly entreat thy majesty, that as thou hast granted her to reach an age suited to marriage, so thou wouldst make her, joined in marital union by thy gift, to rejoice in desired offspring, and do thou in thy kindness bring forward the series of years offered with her husband. Through Christ our Lord. Which oblation thou, O God.

Within the action. At the thirtieth or the annual day of marriage. — We beseech thee, O Lord, that thou graciously receive this oblation of thy servants, men and women, which they offer to thee for the thirtieth day of their union, or the annual day on which thou didst deign to join them in the yoke of marriage. For this cause therefore let them render their vows to thee, the true God and living, for whom we, suppliant, pour out prayers to thy dread loving-kindness, that they may likewise grow old well and peacefully, and see the children of their children even to the third and fourth generation, and bless thee all the days of their life. Through Christ our Lord. Which oblation.

You complete the full canon, and you say the Lord's Prayer, and there you bless her with these words:

Prayer. — O God, who blessest the beginning of the growing world with multiplied offspring, be favorable to our supplications, and upon this thy handmaid pour the help of thy blessing, that in the marriage union, with like affection, mind, and similar holiness, they may be joined by thee.

Likewise a Prayer. — Father, founder of the world, begetter of those who are born, establisher of the origin that is to be multiplied, who didst add a companion to Adam by thy hands, from whose bones bones growing forth marked out an equal form in wondrous diversity, and hence for the increase of the whole multitude the commanded partnerships of the marriage bed, throughout all the age, bound together the covenants of the human race. For thus, O Lord, was it pleasing to thee, for thus it was necessary; that since that which is man's is far different and weak compared with what thou, God, hadst made for thyself, the weaker sex is added to the stronger, that thou mightest make one out of two, and that offspring mingled from an equal pledge might remain: then in order the offspring brought forth would run on, so that we might follow those who were to come after those before, nor would they set any end for themselves in so brief a term, although they were transitory. For these things, therefore, let the institutions of the law that was to come be given.

Wherefore, Father, sanctify the beginnings of this your family, so that, joined in a good and rightly prosperous partnership, she may keep the rights of the eternal law; and let her remember, Lord, that she is bound not merely for conjugal license but for the observance of faith, and let her, faithful and chaste, be married in Christ and remain an imitator of holy women. Let her be lovable to her husband as Rachel, wise as Rebecca, long-lived and faithful as Sarah. Let not that deceitful author of transgression usurp anything from her; let her remain bound to the commandments of faith, and, serving the true God, devoted, let her fortify her weakness with the strength of discipline; joined to one bed, let her flee illicit contacts of life. Let her be modest, grave in shamefastness, venerable, instructed in heavenly teachings, fruitful in offspring, let her be proven and innocent, and let her come to the rest of the blessed, even to the heavenly kingdoms.

After this, say Peace be with you, and so communicate them. Then, after they have communicated, you say over them the Blessing with these words: Holy Lord, almighty Father, we suppliants entreat you with repeated rites, for those for whom Christ was entreated before you, deign to cherish your blessings upon the union of your servants, that they may be worthy to receive them, so that they may be made fruitful by the success of children, as you deign to confirm all in great number. May the snares of the enemy be turned away from them, almighty one, so that they may imitate the holiness of the Father even in marriage itself, who by your providence, Lord, have merited to be joined. Through our Lord Jesus Christ.

After Communion. — Hear us, holy Lord, almighty Father, eternal God, so that, from the office which is not ministered, they may rather be filled by your blessing. Through our Lord Jesus Christ.