Mr. Palmer, in his Origines liturgica, has again disappointed us. I can find no other account of the books used in the daily service than occurs in his first volume, p. 207: and this being the most complete we have yet arrived at, yet not over-long, shall also be transcribed:

"The Psalter used in the celebration of divine service generally contained, at the end, several hymns taken from the old and new Testament, such as Benedictus, &c., and the Te Deum, and Athanasian creed, all of which were appointed for the service of the canonical hours.

"The Bible contained the lessons of scripture, which were not formerly selected and placed in a distinct volume, but were read at the nocturns from the bible itself.

"The Antiphonarium contained the anthems and responsories, which were sung in the course of divine service.

"The Hymnarium comprised the hymns in verse, which from the time of Ambrose were chanted in the canonical hours.

"The Collectarium included the collects to be said at the end of the services, and the capitula or short lessons, which were also sometimes recited in the offices.

"The Homilarium, Passionarium, and Martyrologium contained the comments of the fathers on the gospel of the day, and the account of the martyrdom of the saints for each distinct festival.

"About the eleventh century, the Breviary was formed out of all these books; the lessons, anthems, responsories, hymns, &c. for the different days of the year being all placed in the same volume with

the psalter, prayers, &c. And in later times the breviary was divided into two parts, one for the summer and the other for the winter half of the year, and sometimes it was divided into four parts; so that it was more portable and convenient for the use of those clergy and monks who were

6

ac

customed to recite the offices for the canonical hours at some time in the day. From this cause also it was sometimes entitled Portiforium.""

The above therefore appears to be the extent of the information afforded by works generally appealed to at present [1846] by the English student; I have collected it, such as it is, for two reasons: one, that it will save him much trouble in searching those authorities; and, secondly, it shows how little the whole amounts to and that further labour is still demanded.8

But there are two more authors who have touched upon the subject of old English service books: I am certainly bound to notice them, though they are not likely to be referred to for this purpose. These are Gough and Dr. Dibdin. There is this to be said for the commentators who are mentioned above, that not having ventured much they have made in proportion few mistakes, and so do not in that

way mislead but here we must complain of most egregious blunders.

Yet perhaps Gough only is to be blamed, for Dr. Dibdin has but copied his statements and complacently (as upon a matter of no consequence) repeated his errors."

Let us then turn at once to the British topography:10 and, upon the same principle that the reader may find collected here the chief explanations existing, I shall make a somewhat long extract and point out his mistakes. We are told,—

"No cathedral has preserved such a variety of service books for its Use as Sarum. This is another name for the Ordinale: it was also named the Consuetudinary. . . . . The missal was the ritual, containing the rites, directions to the priests, prayers used in the administration of the sacraments," only one, viz. the eucharist, "blessing of holy water," sometimes, "and the whole service used in processions;" very seldom any portion of it. "It begins with the speculum sacerdotum, or directions for celebrating the mass;" this tract seldom occurs in the missals, neither is it directions, &c. as Gough tells us: "or with benedictions of the bread and salt, or exorcisms. Then follows the service of

....

every sunday (from the first in Advent), festival and eve prefaces, canons," what are canons? "conclusio and cautelæ missæ. Then the masses for saints, martyrs, &c."

• Bibliographical Decameron: second day. This work is admirably illustrated with woodcuts, &c., and so far is enter

taining; more than this in praise can scarcely be said with justice.

10 Vol. 2. p. 319, Wiltshire.

"

"The Breviary seems to have been at first confined to rubrics: this is a repetition of an hypothesis of Quesnel which I have examined elsewhere; "after became a more compendious missal (!) containing the whole office of the mass, and all services, except the forms of marriage." Lyndwood is quoted for this extraordinary statement but no reference given: I do not remember to have seen so compendious a breviary.

"The Portiforium, called also in some titles the Breviarium, and like it a commodious portable" not always portable "abridgement of the service, has a gloss or paraphrase on each portion of scripture." What does he mean? "It is sometimes called Sanctorale." Never the edition named in the note must have been an odd volume. "It was divided into the summer and winter part according to the holidays; the summer containing only sundays, beginning 'with Trinity sunday; the winter, the saints' days." One would have supposed that with the books before him, as Gough had, no writer could have made such a

statement.

"The Enchiridion, called also Orarium, is supposed to have been the same with the directorium:" from which it differed as much as any two books can which have nothing in common.

"The Manuale seems to have been a collection of prayers, canons (?), and other forms not ranged through the year as in the missal, and of a more portable size." Utterly wrong. "Lyndwood defines it the same as the ritual, containing all things belonging to the sacraments, sacramentals and benedictions:" why then did not our

author content himself with this, instead of making guesses?

"The Hora begin with some short prayers, or In principio erat verbum, and consist of prayers, sentences, suffrages, vigils, and psalms." The "In principio" &c. is a quaint way indeed of speaking of the first chapter of the gospel of St. John.

"The Processionale is a rubric of processions and chanting."

"The Graduale, derived from gradus or gradiri, was nearly the same with the processional, a set of chants for processions," with which it had nothing to do, "though the words are not always the same. In this the epistles and gospels were set to music, with other choir music: and it contained all that was to be sung by the choir at high mass,—and the office for sprinkling holy water." Lyndwood is quoted for this last sentence, and fortunately not amended.

"The Legend contained the lessons taken out of scripture and the fathers, and the lives of the saints, &c."

"The Liber festivalis was a set of homilies either in Latin or English, for the several festivals and saints' days."

"The Psalter, besides David's psalms, contained the other scripture songs, and a set of hymns sung at vespers, matins, and other canonical hours throughout the year:" this latter part confounds the hymnal with the psalter.

"The Hymni were confined to the hymns in honour of saints, the Te Deum, Magnificat, &c. The Expositio hymnorum is a gloss or parsing of the hymns; reducing them to the meanest capacities,