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to the Altar, and proceed in front of the Bishop, observing to make an inclination to him. The Bishop rises, and turns towards the Altar, having the first Assistant on the right, and the second on the left. The last Cope-man, having received the choir-book from the second Master of Ceremonies, sings the Capitulum in the place where the Epistle is usually sung. (Carem. Epis. lib. ii. cap. i. n. 2.)

13. The little Chapter over, the first Cantor pre-intones the Hymn for the Bishop, who, upon taking his seat, has his mitre taken off by the first Assistant. He then rises, and intones the Hymn (Carem. Epis. ibid.) out of the choir-book, sustained by a Clerk, another holding the bugia.

14. The Hymn being intoned, the Bishop and Assistants in copes remain standing, and facing the Altar. The Cantors, having genuflected in the centre, proceed to their places, and the Thurifer prepares fire in the thurible.

Note. If the Hymn be the Veni Creator Spiritus, or the Ave maris stella, the Bishop, having intoned it, will kneel down before the faldstool, on a cushion prepared for him by the Master of Ceremonies, and will remain kneeling with the Assistants until the conclusion of the first strophe. The Cantors will advance to kneel down on the lowest step of the Altar. The first strophe being finished, all will rise up, and remain standing until the conclusion of the Hymn. (Carem. Epis. ibid. n. 12.) The Cantors, having made a genuflection, will return to their places.

15. At the conclusion of the Hymn, the Cantors proceed to the centre to sing the versicle, making a genuflection before and after. They then proceed to the faldstool, when the first Cantor gives to the Bishop the tone for the antiphon of the Magnificat: having returned to the centre, they genuflect, retire to their seats, and sit.

16. After the intonation of the Antiphon, the Bishop sits down, and the first Assistant puts on him the costly mitre; the two Assistants then change places. The Thurifer now approaches, and having made an inclination to the Bishop, presents the thurible, remaining in a kneeling posture (Bauldry, lib. ii. cap. i. n. 11), until the incense has been blessed. The first Assistant ministers with the boat. In the mean time, the Acolytes, with the second Master of Ceremonies, proceed in front of the Bishop, and the Thurifer, having obtained the incense, places himself behind the Acolytes, to the right of the second Master of Ceremonies;

then all unitedly make a reverence to the Bishop, and proceed to the centre.1

17. At the intonation of the Magnificat the Bishop rises with the mitre, and makes the sign of the Cross, the two Assistants at the same time raising the borders of his cope. (Carem. Epis. ibid. n. 14.) Whilst the Bishop is making the sign of the Cross, the Cantors rise, and having genuflected, present themselves before him. Having saluted him, they change places, the first Cantor taking his position at the side of the first Assistant, and the second Cantor at the side of the second Assistant. They proceed before the Altar, where the Bishop makes a profound inclination, and the Assistants, Cantors, Acolytes, Thurifer, and Masters of Ceremonies, a genuflection.

18. The Cope-men, having made the due reverences to the Cross, change place, and proceed in the following order to the Altar, where the Blessed Sacrament reposes.3 The second Master of Ceremonies goes first, having the Thurifer at his left; the Acolytes follow, then the Cantors, the Master of Ceremonies, and next the Bishop, between his two Assistants, who raise the borders of his cope, while the mitre and trainbearers close the procession.

19. The Ministers, on issuing from the Sanctuary, put on their berrettas, and again take them off on arriving at the Altar of the Blessed Sacrament. At the steps, the first Assistant takes off the Bishop's mitre and zucchetto, and all unitedly genuflect in plano. The cushion is not placed for the Bishop, as he genuflects on the floor itself. (Carem. Epis. lib. i. cap. xv. n. 5.) The Altar will be incensed as usual, all (save the Bishop and his Assistants) standing so as to face each other. The incensing finished, they make an inclination and descend in plano, where all genuflect. The first Assistant puts the zuchetto and mitre on the Bishop, and the whole will depart in the same order in which they came. If there be occasion to incense another Altar, they will act as at that of the Blessed Sacrament, except that the

1 During the Antiphon, the Acolytes may proceed to the corners of the Altar, and turn back the altar-cover, folding it in the middle. (See note 2, page 61.)

2 It will be observed, that these rules always suppose that the Blessed Sacrament is not in the Tabernacle at an Episcopal function, otherwise the Bishop would make a genuflection.

3 Should the Holy Sacrament repose at the Altar at which Vespers are sung, then that Altar only, and no other, is incensed.

↑ Usually that of the Blessed Virgin.

Bishop takes off only his mitre in plano, receives it again on the predella, and omits the genuflection.

20. The incensing of the Altar of the Blessed Sacrament, and also of the second one to which we have referred, being finished, they all proceed to the High Altar in the manner in which they departed. On arriving in choir, the Acolytes and Cantors separate, but the second Master of Ceremonies and the Thurifer retire a parte Epistolæ. The Bishop, with his Assistants, having arrived before the Altar, the first Assistant takes off the mitre. The Bishop makes a profound inclination, and all the rest a genuflection. The Acolytes afterwards proceed to deposit their candlesticks on the credence, the Bishop and his Assistants ascend the predella, and the Cantors continue in their present places, but facing one another. The incensing (which is made as usual) being completed, the Bishop, standing at the Altar a parte Epistolæ, receives the costly mitre; then proceeding to the centre, he makes, with his Assistants, an inclination to the Cross, descends in plano, where having again made the due reverences, they retire to the faldstool.

21. The Bishop standing up and facing the people, is incensed by the first Assistant; he then sits down, and the first Assistant having presented the thurible to the Thurifer, as soon as the Bishop has been incensed, takes off his mitre. Then the Bishop rises and turns towards the Altar, having the two Assistants at his sides, and so remains until the Sicut erat. The Bishop having been incensed, the second Cantor genuflects in the centre, and retires to his seat, where he remains standing; and the first receives the thurible from the Thurifer, and incenses first the Assistants (who for this purpose will turn towards him), and then the second Cantor. The Thurifer, in the mean time, raises the right border of his cope. The first Cantor, having returned to his seat, will be incensed by the Thurifer, who will also afterwards incense the Master of Ceremonies, the Clerks, and the people.

22. At the words Sicut erat of the Gloria Patri, the Bishop takes his seat (the Cantors doing the same), and the first Assistant puts on him the costly mitre. Both Assistants remain at the side of the faldstool, with their faces towards the people, until the antiphon is repeated, when the first Assistant takes off the mitre. The Bishop then rises, and with his ministers turns towards the Altar to sing the Prayer. A Clerk holding the choir-book, and another

the bugia, are stationed between the Acolytes, with their candles. The Cantors also assist at the Prayer: they rise simultaneously with the Bishop, genuflect in the centre, and proceed behind the two Assistants.

Note. Should there be Commemorations, the Cantors proceed to the centre at the conclusion of the first Prayer, and at the proper time intone the versicles belonging to each Commemoration; they remain there until they have sung the Benedicamus Domino.

23. At the conclusion of the Prayer the Cantors proceed to the centre to sing the Benedicamus Domino. (Carem. Epis. lib. ii. cap. i. n. 18.) The Acolytes, when the Prayers are finished and the Dominus vobiscum recited, make a reverence to the Bishop, together with the Clerks who hold the book and bugia, convey all to the credence, and retire to their places. This being done, the second Master of Ceremonies places on the centre of the Altar the canon, open at the Sit nomen Domini, &c., and also the bugia.

24. After the Benedicamus Domino, the Cantors genuflect, and proceed before the Bishop, who, having taken his seat, receives the costly mitre from the first Assistant. Then all, standing in a straight line, make an inclination to him, and change their places, the first proceeding to the right, and the second to the left of the Bishop. This being done, the Bishop rises, having the Assistants at his sides; when arrived at the Altar, without taking off his mitre, he makes a profound inclination, and the others a genuflection. He ascends the predella, accompanied by the two Assistants, and pronounces the Benediction more solito. The Cantors remain in plano.

25. Having pronounced the Benediction, the Bishop descends in plano with the Assistants, and having made the due inclination to the Cross, retires to the faldstool; where having taken his seat, the Cope-men make a reverence to him. The Cantors pause in front of the Bishop at a little distance; and the two Assistants, having changed places, proceed to unvest the Bishop, as in Chap. I. After the first Assistant has vested the Bishop in the mantelletta and pectoral Cross, all, being arranged in a straight line, make a reverence to him, then proceed before the Altar, and genuflect simultaneously with the Acolytes and second Master of Ceremonies; thus proceeding to the sacristy in the same order as they left it, the Bishop also doing the same.

Note 1.-Should the Assistants and Cantors have vested at the Altar, the Vespers having terminated, and the Bishop having arrived at the faldstool, they all conjointly make a reverence to him. The Cantors, having genuflected in the centre, proceed to the stools to take off their copes, and the Assistants will do the same after the departure of the Bishop. Note 2.-Should Cardinals assist at Vespers or Mass, in such case, before the commencement of the Vespers, the Bishop will wait until they have arrived at their places, and will make an inclination to them before the function commences, and before pronouncing the Benediction, as if asking their permission. During the Vespers the bugia will be dispensed with. The Cardinals will be incensed with three swings.

CHAPTER VII.

VESPERS SUNG BY A BISHOP IN HIS OWN DIOCESE.1

THE present chapter assumes that the Bishop officiates solemnly at the first Vespers of a Feast, the High Mass of which he will celebrate on the next day, or at the second Vespers. Should he sing the first Vespers, and not solemnly celebrate on the morning after, the following differences of ceremonial will be observed:-1. Only four or six of the Canons will be vested in copes; the Assistant Priest and Deacons to the throne will be in habitu canonicali. 2. The antiphons of the Psalms will not be distributed in the same order, nor by a Subdeacon, but by one of the Canons, or another person, according to the custom of the Church; the first will be pre-intoned to the Bishop, and the rest to the Canons in choir, according to their dignity. The Capitulum will be sung by one of the Cantors, either in his place or elsewhere as usual. The Assistant Priest does not hold the book when the Bishop sings from it, but a Clerk in cotta. (Carem. Epis. in loc.)

1. The Altar should be prepared as for Solemn Mass, also the throne, and seats for the Assistants to the Bishop. The Episcopal vestments and mitres should be placed in due order

A Coadjutor Archbishop or Bishop officiates precisely in the same manner as one not in his own diocese, unless the use of the throne be duly conceded to him. (S. C. R.)

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