PREFATORY REMARKS.

HE purpose which the author has had in view in this work is (acting in the fpirit of the "Ancient and Godly Fathers," the laft of whom was S. Bernard), to discover, fet forth, and fix fuch a correct and reverential ftandard of Ritual and Ceremonial in Public Worship and in the Celebration of the Holy Eucharift, as fhall ferve for a pattern to those who are now labouring to restore to the Services of the Church fomewhat of their priftine dignity, beauty, propriety, folemnity, fignificance, and devoutnefs.

Ecclefiaftical Architecture, as all muft acknowledge, culminated, attaining its highest excellence, in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries of our era, and it has happily become an accepted duty, an incontrovertible axiom with the great majority of well-informed Englishmen, that their Churches ought to be built or reftored after the models which that age has furnished.

The reafons for this conclufion are obvious. Not only are the forms of conftruction then adopted by our ancestors abftractedly of furpaffing elegance and most agreeable to the eye, but to every confiderate obferver they are alfo eminently adapted for duly fetting forth the paramount dignity and importance of Divine Worship in general, the higheft duty and privilege of man, and for the honourable Celebration of the Great Mystery of our Religion, the Holy Eucharift in particular; moreover, for impreffing upon the minds and hearts of all the grandeur and fublimity of the Catholic Faith.

If, then, the medieval Church builders with their exquifite and elevated tafte, emanating as it did from a comprehenfive and fpiritualized intellect, fucceeded in reprefenting, expreffing, and embodying thefe objects and fentiments in their imperishable material works, it was alfo to be expected that the Clergy and Laity of thofe Ages of Faith, for whom thefe noble edifices were reared, would alfo in the order and method of their Liturgies and Sacramental Ordinances, realize and fhow forth in act a like fpiritualized beauty, fplendour, fignificance, and reverence in their devotions, as well as exprefs vividly thereby the unfpeakable importance of the fame Eternal Verities of

the Faith.

And fuch is the undoubted fact. It is hiftorically certain that at no period during the existence of the Church of Chrift was Divine Worship and the Celebration of the Sacraments conducted with fuch impreffive earneftnefs, reverence, decorum, and refined splendour as between the years of our Lord 1200 and 1400. The magnificence and variety of the material Temple was illuftrated and correfponded to by equally noble and varying forms of devotion and ceremonial, which engaged the fenfes as well as the mind and the

affections in the Service of God; and reprefented in lively act the great Christian truths which the intellect had theoretically received.

This, therefore, is the epoch to which the author would refer for improving, enlivening, and dignifying the comparatively meagre, monotonous, unfuggeftive, unlovely bareness of the prefent Anglican Offices, as well as for making good and supplying their un-Catholic omiffions and neglects. And it is well to be remembered, that in all that is here propounded there is scarcely a fingle Ceremony or Ritual Obfervance, or any inftance of Church ornament or embellishment which may not be referred for its warrant and precedent to the patterns given in Holy Scripture itself for our inftruction, admonition, and example, confirmed as they are, with but fmall differences, by the univerfal custom of the Catholic Church.

In the fifteenth and fixteenth centuries the excellence of Ecclefiaftical Architecture and Ceremonial, gorgeous though they continued to be, alike declined, till in the seventeenth and eighteenth both became utterly degraded. It is in order to elevate the latter, purified and divefted of fuperfluous and tawdry additions, to its former propriety and dignity that this work has been undertaken.

Two matters may finally require fome explanation.

One of these is the frequent reference herein made to ancient Norman and French MSS. and other fuch authorities. It is to be remembered that S. Augustine, the converter of the English, was confecrated in Gaul, and doubtless introduced or permitted the practice of many Gallican usages in this country; that Edward the Confeffor had conftant communication with the oppofite continent on these matters; that after the Conqueft, England and Normandy became, and for many centuries with other parts of France continued to be, one nation; and that in confequence S. Ofmund and others of the principal Clergy and heads of the Church were either Normans or French; and fo would naturally follow their own cuftoms and ufages in this country. It is to be noted, however, that therein they differed but very flightly from their predeceffors.

A fecond circumftance is that authorities are here frequently adduced both from the centuries preceding the thirteenth and from those which follow the fourteenth century. Here, again, it must be remembered that if a particular ufage or custom be noted as habitual in a preceding century, the inference is that it continues fuch, until an alteration be detected or expreffly stated. So alfo if any fuch custom or practice be found to be ufual in a fubfequent century it must be presumed to have exifted in the preceding century alfo, unless the period of the novel introduction of the fame be plainly apparent.

N.B. As accuracy in the matters here treated of is especially defirable, the reader in investigating any point is requested to refer to the "Addenda et Corrigenda" before finally determining it.

ADDENDA ET CORRIGENDA.

HE author has to apologize for several errors and omiffions in numerals and letters in printing, for much falfe and fuperfluous punctuation, and fome repetitions and inaccuracies in, or incompleteness of, ftatement or detail.

Inter alia:

P. 4, Lines 1 and 2, after the word "that" infert "Te Deum" and dele "Apoftles' and Nicene."

P. 4, Line 9, before "Double" infert "Principal." Line 10, before "Eafter" infert "from Maundy Thurfday during." Line 4 from bottom, for "Lampes " read "Lampefiers."

P. 8, Line 4 from bottom, for "taper bearers" read "Cerofers."

P. 34, Line 5 from bottom, for "lib. ii." read " Taf. 11."

P. 38, Line 13, for "1278" read "1268."

P. 53, Line 3, for "Stole " read "Etole."

P. 58, Line 7, for "CXLVIII." read "CXLVII."

P. 77, Line 13 from bottom, make the fame correction.

P. 79, Line 7 from bottom, after "two" infert "or by three." Line 2 from bottom, after "Second Clafs" infert "Simples of the Third Clafs."

P. 80, Line 4 from bottom, for "Two" read "Three."

Ibid. Inftead of "The firft with two Rulers called Hebdomadaries as on Sundays. The Second were treated as Ferials, &c.," read "The Firft wherein the Invitatory was fung by three and with two Rulers; the Second wherein the Invitatory is fung by two; both on the footing of Sundays. The Third Clafs wherein the Invitatory is fingle are treated as Ferials."

Ibid. Laft Line, after "had" infert "continuous."

P. 81, Line 12, after "Lent" infert " S. Mark's Day, if it fall on a Ferial."

P. 84, Line 6, for "were " read " are."

P. 85, Line 19, after "Sunday" infert "before the Afcenfion and the Sunday."

Ibid. Line 23, after " fame" add "but a Simple Feaft of the two firft claffes is deferred." Ibid. Line 17 from bottom, after "Sunday" infert "and between the Octave of Eafter and the Sunday before the Afcenfion."

P. 86, Line 19 from bottom, after "Ferials" add "in Advent; these last were fo far privileged that a Memorial was always made of them, but they did not fuperfede Commemorations."

P. 87, Line 2 from bottom, after "Afcenfion" infert "Pentecoft and Trinity Sunday." After "Affumption" infert "the Annunciation and Nativity of the Virgin."

Ibid. Laft Line, after "Church" infert "the Feafts of Relics, of the Place, and of All Saints." (See p. 392.)

P. 108, Line 17 from bottom, for "the perfecution of" read "his perfecution by."

P. 118, Line 2 from bottom, for "fhould always be" read "was ufually."

P. 126, Line 4, for "fifteen days" read "Firft and third and fifth week up to Christmas."

Ibid. Line 5, for "laft fifteen" read "fecond and fourth weeks."

P. 138, Line 3, for "were " read "fhould be."

Ibid. Line 8 from bottom, for "turned" read "fhould turn," and for "continued " read "continue." Next line, 7, for "was" read "is," and for "fate" read "fhould fit."

P. 186, Line 12 from bottom, dele "all."

P. 201, Line 8, for "PART IV." read "Appendix III."