RESEARCH
COPY
A 1,263,218
***;
2119
TERS.17'*.
72
722
no
mo
TRT1'S
NOS
1. ONO
KERUS
1. Henry Scudantore Burr.
Music
ML..
316
J4
Prs. 783
4
بار در کار
ке
Senda
Camere
Bart
k
August 14
.
I SHALL only crave leave that I may remember Jerusalem, and call to
mind the pleasures of the temple, the order of her services, the beauty
of her buildings, the sweetness of her songs, the decency of her minis-
trations, the assiduity and economy of her Priests and Levites, the daily
sacrifice, and that eternal fire of devotion that went not out by day or
by night: these were the pleasures of our peace, and there is a remanent
felicity in the very memory of those spiritual delights, which we there
enjoyed, as antepasts of heaven, and consignations to an immortality of
joys.
BISHOP JEREMY TAYLOR. Preface to the Apology for authorized
and set Forms of Liturgy.
The
Choral Service of the United Church
of England and reland:
1205/5
BEING AN ENQUIRY INTO
The Liturgical System of the Cathedral
and Collegiate Foundations
OF THE
Anglican Communion.
BY THE REV. JOHN JEBB, A. M.
RECTOR OF PETERSTOW, HEREFORDSHIRE; LATE
PREBENDARY OF LIMERICK.
a plan
How gloriously pursued by daring man,
Studious that He might not disdain the seat,
Who dwells in heaven.- -WORDSWORTH.
London:
JOHN W. PARKER, WEST STRAND.
M.DCCC.XLIII.
MUSIC
ML
3166
144
LONDON :
HARRISON AND Co., PRINTERS,
ST. MARTIN's LANK.
..
TO
THE VENERABLE JAMES WILLIAM FORSTER, LL.D.,
ARCHDEACON OF AGHADOE, AND VICAR GENERAL
OF THE DIOCESE OF LIMERICK,
IN GRATEFUL REMEMBRANCE OF THE MANY HAPPY DAYS
WHEN THEY WALKED TOGETHER IN THE
HOUSE OF GOD AS FRIENDS,
THIS VOLUME IS AFFECTIONATELY INSCRIBED
25-37
ń
BY
THE AUTHOR.
reckin at
1
Iransfer to
mune
9.25-69
ADVERTISEMENT.
The following pages are the result of personal observa-
tions, casually made during the course of several years,
of information derived from occasional enquiries, and
of studies which were subsidiary to other and higher
ends. No information has been sought or used, which
was not open to the cognizance and observation of the
public. These collections were gradually accumulated,
and the Author has been urged to their publication
from its apparent suitableness to the present times.
Like most country Clergymen, he has had but a limited
number of documents within reach; and having, as a
general rule, abstained from referring to any authorities
which he could not verify, his observations may not
always appear so fully supported as is desirable, though
he trusts their correctness will be acknowledged by well
instructed Musicians and Ritualists. If in any points
he shall be found in error, he will rejoice to be set
right: his sole object being the promotion of the good
of the Church, and consequently of Truth.
WOODLAWN, near MAIDSTONE,
June 1st, 1843.
b
CONTENTS.
Section.
Pago
1
I.
II.
17
III.
Introductory Remarks
On the Term, Choral, or Cathedral Service
Of the Constitution of Cathedral Churches: and, first,
of the Capitular Members
Of the Cathedrals of the Old Foundation
27
IV.
37
V.
Of the Prebendaries in the Cathedrals of tie Old
Foundation
44
VI.
Of the Residentiaries
50
54
VII. On Residence in the Cathedrals of Ireland
VIII. Observations on the Excellence of the Ancient Cathe-
dral System
IX. Of the Cathedrals of the New Foundation
60
74
X.
Of the Inferior Members in the Ancient Cathedrals;
and, first, of the Colleges of Minor Canons and
Vicars Choral
Of other Inferior Clerical Members formerly existing
in the Old Cathedrals
96
XI.
107
108
110
XII. Of the Lay Members of the Old Foundation
XIII. Observations on the Inferior Members of the Old
Cathedrals
XIV. Of the Non-Capitular Members in the Cathedrals of
the New Foundation: and, first, of the Six Preach-
ers of Canterbury
xv. Of the Minor Canons and Lay Clerks in the Cathe-
drals of the New Foundation
118
121
viii
CONTENTS.
Section.
Page
XVI. Of the Collegiate Churches in England and Ireland 127
XVII. Of the Academical and other Colleges which have
Choral Foundations
136
XVIII. Of the Royal Chapels.
147
XIX. Of other places which have regular Choirs
151
XX. On the uniform Manner of performing the Choral
Service
154
XXI. Of the Characteristic Features of the Choral Service 156
XXII. On the Degree of Authority with which the Church
of England has prescribed the Choral Service 158
XXIII. Of the Universality and Antiquity of the Chant
166
XXIV. Of the Chant, the Basis of the Choral Service 172
XXV. The Rubrics before Morning Prayer
183
XXVI. Of the Chancel, or Choir
187
XXVII. Of the Ornaments of the Church, and of the Ministers
thereof
212
XXVIII. Of the Morning Prayer
226
XXIX. Of the Beginning of the Morning Prayer
229
XXX. Of the Minister of Morning Prayer.
235
XXXI. The Loud, or Audible Voice
242
XXXII. The Sentences
245
.
XXXIII. Of the Confession
249
XXXIV. Kneeling at Prayers
232
XXXV. The Absolution
253
XXXVI. The Lord's Prayer
254
XXXVII. Of the Versicles before the Gloria Patri.
257
XXXVIII. Of the Versicles immediately preceding the Psalms. 265
XXXIX. Of the Venite Exultemus
268
XL. Of the Chants for the Psalms
273
XLI.
Of the Performance of the Chant in the Psalms .
295
XLII.
Of the Gloria Patri
315.
XLIII. Of the Voluntary after the Psalms
317
CONTENTS.
ix
Section.
Page
319
XLIV. . Of the Lessons
327
XLV. Of the Reader of the Lessons
XLVI. Of the Manner of giving out the Lessons
XLVII. Of the Te Deum
331
333
XLVIII. Of the Benedicite
345
XLIX.
Of the Rubric before the Benedictus and Jubilate
347
L.
352
LI.
357
Of the Apostles' Creed
Of the Preces, &c., after the Creed
Of the Collects at Morning Prayer
Of the Anthem
LII.
364
LIII.
368
LIV.
399
LY.
402
LVI.
Of the Conclusion of Morning Prayer.
Of the Evening Prayer
Of the Latin Services, and Commemorations in
Colleges
Of the Litany
Of the Former part of the Litany
Of the Latter part of the Litany
416
LVII.
420
0
LVIII.
431
LIX.
449
.
LX.
Of the Communion Service
454
LXI.
464
LXII.
468
Of the Holy Table
Of the Place and Minister of the Communion
Service
Of the Commandments and their Responsals
Of the Collects, Epistle, and Gospel
Of the Nicene Creed
LXIII.
475
478
LXIV.
LXV.
483
LXVI.
Of the Notices after the Creed
488
LXVII.
Of the Sermon
490
LXVIII. Of the Offertory .
496
LXIX.
Of the First Exhortation .
499
LXX.
Of the Exhortation and Confession at the Com-
munion Service
501
LXXI.
.504
Of the Sursum Corda, Preface, and Sanctus
Of the Administration of the Communion
LXXII.
508
X
CONTENTS.
Section.
Page
511
LXXIII.
Of the Post Communion
LXXIV. Of the Rubrics after the Communion Service
515
LXXV.
Of the Occasional Services
524
534
LXXVI. Of the Ordination and Consecration Services
LXXVII. Of the Services for the State Holidays .
LXXVIII. Of the Coronation Service
536
538
LXXIX. Conclusion
543
The
Choral Service of the United Church
of England and Ireland.
SECTION 1.
.
INTRODUCTORY REMARKS.
The history of the Spiritual Reformation, or rather of the
Restoration to the primitive integrity of Faith, permitted
by Divine Wisdom to the English and Irish branches of
the Church Universal, has been of late years pursued in
a spirit of inquiry at once comprehensive and minute.
To the learned labours of many who have ministered to
this excellent object, the Providence of God has already
granted a fertile blessing, in no respect more manifest,
than in the increase of a cordial and intelligent estimate
of our religious services, and of an earnest desire to
understand and to obey to the utmost the provisions of
the Prayer Book, as the clearest exponent of the will
of the Church of England, and as the best interpreter of
Holy Writ.
But, as it ever happens in like cases, the very ardency
of a newly awakened zeal has, in many instances, caused
an overstepping of that due moderation, which it is the
part of wisdom to temper with the most earnest spirit of
devotion. That the sobriety of English good sense may
before long, by God's blessing, master this temporary
indiscretion, it were wrong not to hope with confidence.
Meantime, a caution may well be given to those younger
B
2
INTRODUCTORY REMARKS.
inds, which are just entering upon the study of our
Ritual, lest, in their enlarged admiration of what is
Catholic, their pure desire for what is perfect, their most
religious aspirations after the Unity of the Church of
God, they be led to substitute some visionary scheme of
things unattainable on earth, for the stern realities
which deserve their gravest attention: lest the study of
primitive antiquity, too exclusive and prolonged, with-
draw them from the contemplation of God's special
Providence manifested in the history of this Church and
Nation. Rather let them learn, by the reverent study of
those pregnant facts, which are written as it were by the
finger of God, to balance circumstances, to mitigate
abstract theories, to form deliberate and charitable judg-
ments of men and things, so as in the end to arrive at
the conviction, that the English Reformation has been
the work of a special interference from above, a timely
rescue from most aggravated evil, and a bestowal of all
the spiritual advantages which the most discursive and
exalted piety could reasonably desire.
This careful observation of the divinely ordered
course of things will administer the best corrective to
misgivings now too commonly entertained, that in some
respects our Reformation' was incomplete, from either
an excess or a defect in certain ceremonies, and even in
matters of a graver kind. For when due consideration
is had of the constitution of human nature, of the history
of the world, of the English nation, of the English
language, of all the various elements which must be
The word Reformation here is applied merely to doctrine and
worship. It is not intended to include the spoliation of the Church's
temporal possessions, which was a transaction altogether distinct, or
the Erastian infringements, by the State, of Ecclesiastical Law.
INTRODUCTORY REMARKS.
3
taken into calculation, when that great event is weighed,
it must appear to every sober mind most marvellous,
that a system like that of our Liturgy was produced,
under circumstances so adverse to its completion. How
was it, that the English language, then hardly formed,
and still so quaint and rugged in the compositions of the
most accomplished scholars, yet in the offices of the
Church exhibited a choice of words the most accurate,
and a rhythm and melody unequalled before or since ?
How did it happen, that in spite of such discordant
sentiments among the Fathers of the English Church
themselves, and the threatening and conflicting pressure
of Geneva and Rome, a system was built up, so much at
unity in itself, so harmonious as a whole, so accurate in
every detail ? How was it, that after the many immi-
nent perils to which she was exposed by the indifference
or cowardice of her sons themselves, the Liturgy escaped
unharmed; that at the last revision, after the Restoration,
a more strict recurrence to Catholic principle was made;
and that the endeavours, made a very short time after,
to depreciate its standard, by temporizing alterations',
were unexpectedly defeated, so that the integrity of her
teaching has survived, even after a century of latitudi-
narian indifference and sloth? No other answer can be
made, than that her restoration and preservation have
been the work of a special Providence. It therefore
well becomes us to doubt, and more than doubt, whether
many things, which, from the imperfection of our sight,
appear defects and blemishes, may not actually be
1 Our Church had two narrow escapes of being sacrificed by her
own councils and rulers to the clamour of the Puritans: once in the
reign of Elizabeth, in 1562, and again after the Revolution, when
Archbishop Tillotson favoured some most mischievous concessions.
B 2
4
INTRODUCTORY REMARKS.
matters of special appointment by Him who favours us:
whether the supposed excrescences of the building may not
be its essential props and bulwarks. On the one hand,
omissions may have been made of things apparently
edifying and innocent in themselves, which yet would
have become, through the tendencies of human infirmity,
the germs of gradual, but inevitable ill: while on the
other hand, things may have been retained, which not
only the constitution of our nature, but even perhaps the
external obligations due from his creatures to God, may
require, as essential accessories to divine worship.
Before any change be contemplated in a work which
has been protected in a manner so plainly supernatural,
which has been tried by tests the most severe, protracted,
and minute, of reason, of Scripture, of Catholic autho-
rity, and which has been proved to be in all points true,
consistent, and sufficient, let it be shown, first, in what
respect the divine commands, or the apostolic ordinances,
bave been neglected or transgressed: then, how far the
Church of England has contravened any essential par-
ticular which testimony' can prove to have been taught
by the Church Universal from the first: and lastly, in
what respect she has herself avowed her system to be
incomplete, and therefore requiring change.
As to any inconsistencies with Holy Scripture, apo-
stolic authority, or Catholic doctrine, it may be confi-
dently affirmed, as a matter of evident proof, that these
do not exist in our Liturgy. And as to any avowal, by
the Church herself, of the necessity for change, this is
nowhere to be found, as far as the formularies of her
worship, and the theory of her discipline, are concerned.
1 I do not here speak of the conjectures of mere opinion, founded
on uncertain passages of ancient writers.
INTRODUCTORY REMARKS.
5
The Commination Service, or rather that hortatory part
which precedes the Lenten prayers', has been alleged as
a proof of the incompleteness of the Liturgy. But here
the Church merely avows and laments the practical defi-
ciency in her discipline, which the Prayer Book nowhere
contravenes, and which ecclesiastical authority has a
right to restore; and meantime she supplies a form,
which of course the very letter of her observations
teaches us would cease to be used, were the desired
restoration to take place. The reading of the Commi-
nation is merely a provision similar to those made for
concluding the service when there is no Communion,
and which are superseded in places where it is adminis-
tered weekly. This implies no meditated change in the
Liturgy. And when the Church contemplates no change,
it little becomes private judgment, distrustful of Provi-
dence, unmindful of past advantages, to desire it. When
innovation is once made, the ill consequences, overlooked
by its promoters, but foreseen by the long-sighted wisdom
of our forefathers, must follow, to be acknowledged,
when it shall be too late, by the innovators themselves:
the precedent for change must infallibly induce the
present disfigurement, and eventual ruin, of a goodly
fabric; till at length the divinely suggested outline of the
Temple itself is lost for ever.
If the spirit of reverent inquiry, recommended in
these pages, lead to the conviction which their writer
The Commination, or exhortations and declarations preceding
the Psalm, is not to be confounded with the “certain prayers,” of
which that Psalm forms the commencement, and which may be used,
not only on the first day of Lent, but at other times, as the ordinary
shall appoint. The title of this service obviously makes a distinction
between these two parts. The restoration of the penance would not,
it is appreliended, supersede the use of these prayers.
6
INTRODUCTORY REMARKS.
most deliberately avows, that our Liturgy is the most
perfect upon earth, and to the prayer which he fervently
makes, that it may remain unaltered till the day of
judgment, these sentiments must not be identified with
an arrogant praise of ourselves, a feeling of national
pride. The devotion of the sons of England has indeed
been censured as an insular, and therefore uncatholic
feeling, the offspring of narrow and prejudiced minds.
Were there now to be found, external to the British
isles, such a thing as Catholic agreement, that is, the
agreement of all Christian nations whatsoever, except
ourselves, this reflection would of course have weight.
Yet even that agreement would deserve no regard,
unless it was identical with the Unity of Faith, held by
the primitive, undivided Church. Since the Church
exists throughout all time, the contemporaneous concord
in things opposed to divine truth and apostolic teaching,
can never be authoritative. But knowing as we do, that
the Body of Christ is divided, and that no segment of
that body can rightly claim the exclusive title of Catholic,
being properly but a branch of the Universal Church,
once united, and in God's good time to be at unity again,
the size of any one particular segment is no argument
for or against its orthodoxy or purity. England has an
equal abstract right with that great portion of Europe
which is under the spiritual dominion of Rome, with the
Church of Russia, with the Oriental Church at large, to
claim the most unalloyed possession of Catholic truth,
if she can prove her doctrine to be in accordance with
primitive consent. But if she can prove this (and we
claim it as our privilege that she has already done so,)
we of this generation can no more arrogate praise to our-
selves for this Providential good, than we can for that
INTRODUCTORY REMARKS.
7
unequalled system of civil Government, which, from no
formal device of human wisdom, providentially grew up
among us: or for that pure administration of Justice,
which not we ourselves, but the peculiar circumstances
of our social state, gradually established. And if our
insular condition has secured for us, as it unquestionably
has, a distinctness of position, political, social, and reli-
gious, so as to weaken the bad influence of the Conti-
nent, the praise is to be ascribed to Him alone, who has
caused the rivers of the flood encompassing us, to make
glad this peculiarly favoured city of our God.
We praise neither our forefathers nor ourselves. The
Voice of the Church, inspired by God, and not the voices
of individuals, is that which we hearken to: and we
allow, that though certain good men were the aggregated
instruments towards completing a consistent system, yet
in their errors, and partial or inconsistent views and
actions, they are individually of no authority to us. We
acknowledge the Fathers of our Reformation to be active
members, busied each with his specific function: and
it ought to be considered as an additional and most strik-
ing argument for the Providential superintendence of
God, who alone comprehended the entire scheme, that
some of these members, confined to their restricted
spheres of action, were, from the limited capacity of
human nature, careless, or but little cognizant, or even
mistaken, with regard to the important particulars beyond
their proper range. As an instance: in an age when
controversy was a weapon which required to be wielded,
in order to hew down the obstacles to Catholic purity, it
can be a matter of little wonder, if those who were busied
in its successful use undervalued particulars of ritual
observance, or even those essential principles of Church
8
INTRODUCTORY REMARKS.
1
Government, to which they were clearing the way. They
had their part to perform, which perhaps would not have
been so uninterruptedly prosecuted, had divine Provi-
dence permitted them to see further. And thus through-
out the progress of the Church's Restoration, we may
learn in each particular to form a sober yet charitable
estimate of men, regarding them as underworkers to
God, and duly respecting them as such : while the whole
glory of the completed work is to be ascribed to the
wisdom of an Architect who is divine.
When we speak of our Church as pure and apostolic,
we do not mean that her children of the past or present
age are uncorrupt in doctrine or life, but that the system
in which we acquiesce, and by which we acknowledge
ourselves bound, is pure: that her prescribed discipline
is excellent, though we may have neutralized it: that her
ordinances are of apostolic origin, though neglected or
profaned by those who recognize them. The Clergy are
still the channels of her voice, which makes an inflexible
profession, and issues unalterable commands; but if their
practice is at variance with their adopted theory, the
blame rests with the individual or with the generation,
not with the Church, who belongs to no one place or
time.
And this must induce a reflection, introductory to the
immediate subject of the present work ; namely, that for
the real spirit of the Church of England, we must not
look to the negligent practice of her children, but to the
acknowledged dictates of her recorded will. It is true,
that her plan has never been perfectly followed out, and
in many instances has been treated with disregard. But
as long as her Clergy consent to her Book of Common
Prayer, and subscribe to her Canons, and thus virtually
INTRODUCTORY REMARKS.
9
bind themselves to a compliance with her injunctions, so
long it never can be said that anything contained in
them has become obsolete: and a power, superior to that
of
any individual authority, speaks to their consciences,
reminds them of their pledge, and commands them, at
whatever cost, to obey her. It remains, then, for us, of
this age of activity and zeal, to venture upon no new
plans of our own fancy, but to trace out carefully the
plan of our mutilated Temple, to clear away the sand
from her walls and threshold, to restore to sight her
concealed proportions, to raise her prostrate columns, to
cleanse and restore her inmost sanctuary, and to show to
blaspheming enemies, and temporizing friends, how it is
that in this fair structure God ought to be worshipped,
with a reasonable service, and in the beauty of Holiness.
The structure of the Prayer Book, and the due
observance of the Rubrics, as matters to which attention
has been so plainly invited of late by our highest eccle-
siastical authorities, and which have been so clearly
exhibited by many learned men of our time, have formed
to the zealous sons of the Church a subordinate, but still
important object of inquiry. To these the Church, with
a decorous regard for edification, but with no over-curious
minuteness, has invited attention. It is the part of
wisdom, therefore, to endeavour so to ascertain her inten-
tions, that while the line defined by her may never in
any particular be overstepped, the growing spirit of
enlightened piety may restore every prescribed usage that
can add due outward honour to the public service of
God.
The desire to assist in this good work has occasioned
the present Treatise : in which it is proposed to investi-
gate the will and spirit of the Church of England, as to
10
INTRODUCTORY REMARKS.
that peculiar mode of performing her ritual, which is
commonly known by the name of CATHEDRAL or CHORAL
SERVICE. The authority of our Church, in this particular,
is sought to be indicated, and the consistency and suffi-
ciency of her provisions to be shown. For here, as in all
other respects, she has followed the guidance of antiquity,
yet not so inconsiderately, as to disregard the circum-
stances of later times, or to surrender the liberty per-
mitted to each national Church, of ordaining peculiar
forms in matters merely circumstantial. By a simple
comment on her Rubrics and authoritative usages, as
peculiarly referring to her Choirs, it is hoped that the
unity of her system may be more clearly exhibited than
has perhaps been hitherto attempted, and that a rever-
ence for her intimated will may be fostered among her
zealous children.
But in this inquiry no indulgence whatever can be
shown to the corrupt administrations, the grovelling
notions, the irreverent innovations, which mere modern
custom and the tyranny of private caprice has established
in too many of our Collegiate foundations. The standard
now appealed to is the theory of the Church, clearly
expressed by authoritative documents, and by the con-
sistent practice of ancient times. The glorious idea of
liturgical administration intended by the Church, but,
through various conflicting causes, never carried univer-
sally into full effect, comprehends the utmost perfection
of divine worship in all its parts, whether as regards the
glory of God, or the edification of man. It will be the
object of the following pages to show in detail all the
several instruments provided to this end by the slighted
.wisdom of the Church of England, and the original inte-
grity of her perverted plan.
INTRODUCTORY REMARKS.
11
It must be here reinarked, however, that her several
institutions are spoken of, as they existed before the late
unhappy mutilations inflicted first on Ireland and subse-
quently on England, and as they doubtless will again
exist, with increased efficiency, whenever the nation
returns to that zealous love for God's honour, the want
of which induced the supposed necessity of measures,
deplored, as they doubtless were, by their promoters
themselves. The blame of these deplorable acts ought
not in justice to be thrown on those in responsible
authority, who, surrounded by unprecedented difficulties,
in their very anxiety for the Church, were unwillingly
compelled to believe that a necessity existed for a choice
of evils. The blame rests with the nation, who had
caused this supposed necessity, who in neglecting to give
to God of his own, had caused an appalling spiritual des-
titution, and who refused to supply the legitimate remedy.
In the earnest hope that the slumber of true religious
devotion is but very temporary, these contrivances of
yesterday will be but passingly noticed, and our ecclesi-
astical foundations, which England had for ages, in com-
mon with the whole Church Universal, regarded as essen-
tial, will be spoken of as the permanent features of her
system. It will soon, let us hope, be confessed with
shame and tears, that it was unworthy of the richest
nation in the world to stand by, and while the great body
of the Clergy reclaimed against these measures, to suffer
the glory of God's worship to be tarnished, his chief
Palaces to be thinned of his attendant ministers, the chief
shepherds of his flock to be diminished, in order that the
people might be saved from contributions to make up for
their own inveterate neglects. It will be remembered
with confusion, that new principles, which threatened
12
INTRODUCTORY REMARKS.
the very safety of all property, which polluted the very
fountains of honour and of national faith, were forced
upon our Rulers, from the miserable plea of expediency.
The wealth of the ecclesiastical corporations, in contra-
diction to all constitutional maxims, was looked upon as
an aggregate, to be newly apportioned at the will of that
which is called the State': ancient Charters were vio-
lated, the pious bequests of remote times were sacrile-
giously alienated. The maxim was virtually laid down,
that in proportion as the nation becomes more prosperous
and more populous, in the same proportion those sacred
bands, instituted to minister a more solemn worship in
the Chief Temples of our God, are to be diminished:
that in proportion as our cieled palaces multiply, the
holy places of the Tabernacle of the most High are to be
despoiled : and that instead of compelling a more full
and frequent attendance of his immediate servants, for
which the very stones of Canterbury and York and Lin-
coln are calling out, there is hereafter to be established
a more niggardly and scanty service than had ever been
rendered in the meanest Cathedral in the most impover-
ished part of Christendom since the foundation of the
Church. The gold was to be cut off from the doors of
the temple of the Lord”, in order that a tribute might be
made to the Assyrians, to those evil spirits of Avarice and
Envy and Utilitarianism which were beleaguing her: in
1 The Church, considered as a Convocation, not nicrely as a Synod,
forms an integral part of the State: and the Clergy, as was formerly
the rule throughout Christendom, is one of the Estates of the Realm.
2 Even in the Church of France, deprived as she is of her posses-
sions, the Catlıedral Chapters are more numerous than those of Eng-
land, according to the new schieme. Nôtre Dame at Paris, for instance,
has sixteen canons, besides subordinate officers.
3 1 Kings xviii. 16.
INTRODUCTORY REMARKS.
13
order that the people might be spared their contribution
of those jewels of silver and jewels of gold in which, to a
degree unexampled since the creation, this nation had
abounded, and in the greedy accumulation of which the
offerings to God had been forgotten. As if this miserable
plunder can after all make up one thousandth part of
that which is required as a scanty offering indeed to God,
as a base act of charity to perishing multitudes: as if a
blessing can ever rest on the alienation of these shekels
of the sanctuary: as if any other than a blighting and
deadening influence can arise from a measure, which, in
order that Charity may prolong her slumbers, endeavours
to serve God by extortion and wrong! The Church was
not called upon to make, she had no right to offer, an
alienation of foundations and offices and Colleges once
dedicated to her God, and of which she was the
guar-
dian. But if the Church had no right to make what is
miscalled a sacrifice, in other words, a surrender of her en-
trusted charge, the nation was bound not only to augment
her Parochial Institutions, but also to add to, not to
diminish from, the glory of her Collegiate Foundations :
to exalt and decorate her towers and domes, while she
multiplied those humble habitations which they protected
and adorned. It became her to erect into Collegiate
Churches, if not into Cathedrals, with establishments as
full as those of Windsor or of Westminster, such noble
fabrics as those of Beverley, St. Alban's, Bath, and
Tewkesbury. But so far from this, one of her most
ancient establishments', whose restoration in the last
century is due to the most diligent Bishop of his time,
is doomed to be reduced to the mere station of a Parish
1 The Church of Southwell, which was reformed in the last
century by Archbishop Sharpe.
14
INTRODUCTORY REMARKS.
Church, on the wretched plea, that the town in which
it is placed is not of sufficient importance to have a
Collegiate Establishment. As if the noble piety of
ancient times, which delighted thus to honour a beloved
spot, were worth no regard : as if the Church itself did
not impart dignity to the place however mean or circum-
scribed. The present is not an age when the Minster can
give the title to the City', and become itself the origin
and centre of the Metropolis; the place is no longer
honoured, because God is there more diligently and
magnificently served. And with respect to the founda-
tions still permitted to exist, instead of reverting to the
noble theory of divine worship, laid down by the Church
of England, advantage is taken of the degraded standard
to which the notions of her Cathedral Service had been
reduced during an age of the Church above all others
the most grovelling and unspiritual. Hence the cold-
hearted calculations, at how little expense God might be
served : hence the worse than Procrustean measure which
reduced the foundation of her greatest Minsters to the
level of her smallest and least conspicuous Colleges:
hence the arithmetical canons, which, superseding time
honoured statutes, the ordinances of kings and bishops,
suppressing honourable and holy offices, paralyzing the
independent function of the Chapters, substituted for the
ancient ecclesiastical principles the sordid notions of the
counting-house, and that doctrine of " more or less, which
1 As Westminster, for example.
? The Chapter of Carlisle, consisting of four Prebendaries, is made
the new model for most of the English Cathedrals: not Chichester, as
has been supposed by some: for though there are but four residentia-
ries at Chichester, there is besides a numerous body of Prebendaries,
who constitute the Great Chapter.
INTRODUCTORY REMARKS.
15
is treason against property'." Hence that sickening
influence which must hereafter check bequests or endow-
ments to the Church of God, discourage the aspirations
for the magnificence of his Service, and teach the Church
(if it be not impious to imagine that she can learn so
unhallowed a language) the low jargon of an utilitarian
philosophy
But where meantime was the authority which could
have insisted on a real reformation: a reformation not of
pounds and of pence, but of hearts, and of feelings, and
of all that concerns the spiritual energies of the Clergy?
Where was the voice to rebuke the secularity, the
neglect, the indevotion, the pretermission, or perfunctory
performance of the most holy duties, which had brought
our Cathedrals into disrepute? And where was the gene-
rous sympathy to encourage that religious spirit of improve-
ment to which the Chapters, in spite of the absence of all
authoritative rebuke, were by the grace of God, at length
awakening, to meet the enlightened apprehensions of the
laity, now becoming sensible of the excellence of the
Services of their Church? Had this voice been exerted,
this sympathy cherished, the public opinion of England
would never have permitted one Prebend to be touched;
nay would have gladly called for their augmentation ; for
God be thanked, England is not France or Spain, and
still retains her original soundness of heart.
But a restraint must be placed upon these reflections.
We must turn from these most depressing contempla-
tions, to that better system, which it only requires the
1
“ There is a canon laid down by my great countryman, Mr.
Burke, which by all British legislators, should be held little short, of
sacred : MORE OR LESS IS TREASON AGAINST PROPERTY."--Bishop Jebb's
Speech in the House of Lords, 1824.
16
INTRODUCTORY REMARKS.
zeal of the English nation to realize in all its fulness.
And let us hope even against hope, and whatever may be
the result, God will assuredly bless our efforts.
In the following Section, therefore, we shall consider
the nature of the Choral Service in general, which in the
remainder of the Book will be illustrated in detail: two
inseparable objects being constantly kept in view, namely,
EDIFICATION, whereunto all things done in the Church
ought to be referred:” and OBEDIENCE to the order and
will of the Church.
17
SECTION II.
ON THE TERM, CHORAL, OR CATHEDRAL
SERVICE.
THERE are three modes of celebrating the Services of the
Church of England, eaclı sanctioned by authority and
prescription.
The first to be considered, is that usually termed
Parochial. According to this mode, the accessories of
divine service, necessary towards its due performance, are
but few and simple, whether we regard the Ministers of
divine worship, or the liturgical particulars themselves.
As to the Ministers, the stated requirements of each
parochial Church usually contemplate but one: the assist-
ant Clergy, and members of Choirs, being rarely objects
of permanent endowment. There are now in some
Churches Clerks in orders, and Lecturers, specially en-
dowed. In ancient times the Parish Clergyman had
frequently many unendowed assistants, clerical and
choral, who occupied the Chancel: but these the practice
of the Reformed Church of England has not retained;
and almost all the ancient Collegiate Churches which
had permanent endowments have been made parochial.
As to the mode of performing divine service, the
strict parochial mode consists in adopting the alter-
native permitted by the Rubrics, of reciting all parts
of the Liturgy, in the speaking tone of the voice, un-
accompanied by music. The small portions of singing
customarily introduced, have indeed the tacit license of
C
18
ON THE TERM, CHORAL,
1
the Church, and the express sanction of individual ordi-
naries, but are justified by no rubrical direction. Accord-
ing to this mode no Chant, or Canticle, or Anthem, properly
so called, is employed: but metrical “ versions” of the
Psalms as they are termed, are sung at certain intervals
between, not during the various offices.
This mode, though now by far the most usual in Parish
Churches, is not ancient. The use of metrical Psalms
in Churches dates no higher than the reign of Eliza-
beth, and was a custom of foreign growth, then intro-
duced by those Protestants who had been exiled in the
Low Countries and Geneva during Queen Mary's time.
The compilation of the Metrical Psalms, by Sternhold
and Hopkins, was not originally intended for use during
the Church Service, as their very title shows®. In
ancient times, before the Reformation, as far as can be
collected from the very vague documents of local history,
that mode of service called Choral, was adopted very
generally in Parish Churchesº. Many of the greater
1 “The day of September, 1559, the new Morning Prayers began
now first at St. Antholin's in Budge Row, ringing at five in the
morning; and then a psalm was sung, as was used among the Pro-
testants of Geneva, all men, women, and young folks singing together ;
which custom was about this time brought also into St. Paul's.”—
STRYPE's Life of Grindal, book i. chapter 3.
They were set forth and allowed to be sung in all Churches,
both before and after Morning and Evening Prayer," (just as our
country Choirs now often practice Anthems, &c., as a religious pas-
time, in the Churches after service is over,)“ and also before and after
scrmon” (the scrmon was now often preached at a separate hour from
the Liturgy.) They were also intended as a substitute for “ungodly
Songs and Ballads” in private houses: but their liturgical use is not
clearly expressed. But scc Bishop BEVERIDGE's Defence of the old
Singing Psalms, who seems to take for granted their strict ccclesias-
tical use from the first.
Bislop Burnct, in his History of the Reformation, informs us,
3
OR CATHEDRAL SERVICE.
19
Parishes had. Choirs; as an instance, we find, in the life
of Sir Thomas More, that he used to put on a surplice,
and sit with the Choir in the Chancel of the Church at
Chelsea. The difference, indeed, between the performance
of the ordinary Parochial and Cathedral service seems to
have consisted rather in the degree, than in the prin-
ciple.
Many places which are not parochial, adopt, in all
respects as far as the absence of choral music is concerned,
the Parochial mode. Thus, most of the Colleges of our
Universities, though endowed with Priests and Deacons,
have the service simply read. But on this head more will
be observed, when we come to consider the Academical
Colleges, in their proper place.
The second mode is one less simple than the former,
partaking in some respects of the Parochial, in others of
the Cathedral form, and adopted in many Parish Churches
and Chapels of charitable institutions. But there are
such varieties as to the extent, or partial adoption of the
Cathedral mode, that it would be impossible, were it
desirable, to specify them. It is believed, however, that
that “ till 1549, Parish Churches had used the plain chant as well as
Cathedrals; for at a visitation this year, complaint was made that the
Priest read the Prayers with the same tone of voice that they had for-
merly used in the Latin Service.”
Notices of Choirs in local memoranda of Parishes are to be
found, and are perhaps frequent. In STRYPE's Annals of the Refor-
mation, (vol. ij. book i. chapter 10) it appears that in 1571, at
Northampton, “the singing and playing of Organs in the Quire was
put down, and the Common Prayer then accustomed to be said,
brought down into the body of the Church among the people, before
whom tho samo was used according to the Queen's book, with Singing
Psalms before and after the Sermon.” It is presumed from this passage
that the service had formerly been Choral, as the Singing Psalms are
spoken of as a novelty,
C 2
20
ON THE TERM, CHORAL,
till of very late years, in no one Church in which this
eclectic method was adopted, were those essential charac-
teristics of the Cathedral service preserved, the chanting
of prayers, responses, litanies and creeds. These have
been till lately exclusively practised in regularly endowed
Choirs: though there is no law whatever of the Church,
which forbids any portion, or the whole, of the Cathedral
mode to be adopted in any Church. For its use or rejec-
tion a wise discretion, and a charitable consideration of
circumstances, are the only restraining laws.
The highest, most perfect, and most ancient mode is
that which is properly called CHORAL or CATHEDRAL
service.
By these terms we are to understand, that more
solemn manner of celebrating divine worship, which has
ever been practised in the principal Churches throughout
the world, and which the Church of England, in accord-
ance with her uniform recognition of Catholic usages, has
retained.
It is called Cathedral, because it is the genuine cha-
racteristic of the mother Church in each diocese, to which
the principal Clergy are attached, and where the Bishop
has his Cathedral or Throne, (and hence the designation,)
and which ought therefore to be pre-eminent in affording
to God every circumstantial heightening of external
homage. And as these Churches excel, for the most
part, in a more sublime architecture, in richness of out-
ward decoration, and in a numerous attendance of minis-
ters, so are they also designed to excel in a greater
frequency of religious offices, performed with the fullest
accompaniment wherewith the most devout and expres-
sive music can clothe the lauds, and litanies, and eucha-
ristic services of the Church militant.
OR CATHEDRAL SERVICE.
21
But though this service is the proper and necessary.
feature of the mother Churches of the land, it is also
adopted in other eminent places, such as the Royal
Chapels, and some of the principal Colleges. As many
of these places, in borrowing the religious usages of
Cathedrals, have Choirs of Clergy and Laity set apart for
their due performance, the service thus administered is
properly called Choral. And hence it is, that in common
use, the terms cathedral or choral service are considered
as convertible. Though in strictness the word Choir
ought not to be confined merely to the subordinate
Clergy, much less to the lay Clerks of Collegiate foun-
dations: the whole body of the Clergy are supposed by
the Church to bear their part in the Ecclesiastical Chant:
and the place which they, as well as the inferior members
occupy, is called the Choir.
And here, at the outset, a grave attention must be
claimed to matters, which the carelessness of secular
minds, or fanatical and self-willed tempers, are disposed
to gainsay, as particulars unworthy the notice of Chris-
tian men.
The Church of England has advisedly, and
with a most religious caution, foresight, and wisdom,
recommended by her rubrics, and enforced by her prac-
tice, such a manner of illustrating the Liturgy in her
principal temples, as may best accord with the principle
maintained by the devotional instincts of mankind in all
ages, that of dedicating the best of everything to God.
If Abel and the Patriarchs made a freewill offering of
their first fruits; if God's command sanctioned this holy
impulse, by converting it into a religious duty, and made
the choicest industry of man subservient to the adorning
of his earthly Tabernacle: if the wisest and richest of
kings in after times adorned his Temple with the purest
22
ON THE TERM, CHORAL,
gold, and the most precious gifts: if, in despite of all
calculating and worldly notions of utility, gold, frank-
incense, and myrrh, were presented to our blessed
Saviour at. his Nativity, and spikenard and precious
ointment when he was about to suffer: if the kings, the
early nursing fathers of the Church, bestowed their
palaces to be the habitation of his unseen, though
spiritual Presence: if Christendom, with one consenting
voice, alike in the days of her poverty and her prosperity,
has avowed the principle, that the first fruits of man's
wealth and skill are to be bestowed upon His service,
who has given man everything: then surely it cannot be
an unworthy waste of time to consider how the Church
of England has ordered the glorious ministrations of her
sanctuary; how it is that God the Lord is praised in the
congregation, how it is that the singers go before, and
the minstrels follow after: how we may best comprehend
and minister to her magnificent design of teaching her
children to sing and give praise with the best member
that they have.
And it is solely in this point of view that the Colle-
giate bodies are intended to be contemplated in this
Treatise. Whatever may be the subsidiary advantages
which they doubtless afford to learning, and to other
sacred objects (and these are many and important); yet
the worship of God is their paramount and most holy
end, to which every other consideration, however high,
must yield; the liturgical functions of their members
being as superior to their other occupations, as the
Prayer Book and Scriptures which they promulgate are to
the volumes which they may read or compose at home:
as the Minster itself is to the habitations of the Clergy
which encompass it. The Cathedral system is to be
OR CATHEDRAL SERVICE.
23
contemplated as the endeavour after the perfection of
prayer and thanksgiving; as a blessed and holy order,
which, if upheld in the dignity and purity intended by
the Church of England, would afford the nearest resem-
blance yet exhibited to that worship, which all Christians
hope hereafter to celebrate, in spirit and in truth, yet
not without visible form and external order, in the
Church above.
To this endeavour after perfection, everything con-
nected with the Cathedral Churches bears testimony.
It is almost too obvious to require notice, how from east
to west, through all parts of Christ's earthly dominion,
the principal temples of his worship are the crowning
ornaments of all cities: how from the swelling dome of
St. Sophia to the vaults of Cologne and Amiens, and the
spire of Salisbury, a spirit of expansive devotion is visible,
which, with an uncalculating recklessness of expense and
labour, yearns to symbolize the infinity of God, the
boundless extent of his benefits, the eternity of his king-
dom, by means of an architecture to which Christianity
has imparted new principles, teaching it to seek an ascent
· Though I grant that the influence of Christianity has done this
for Gothic architecture, yet I can by no means subscribe to the exclusive
designation of “ Christian,” which is now sometimes claimed for it, or
to that of “ Pagan,” which is applied to the architecture of Palladio,
Michael Angelo, and Wren. If these be allowed, then the Saxon
style (or as it is now generally called, the Norman) cannot be termed
Christian; it is obviously a debased Pagan. But the Roman style
was essentially modified, and that in very early times, for religious
purposes, by Christian architects, and has in fact become, in this modi-
fied state, the ecclesiastical style of Italy. It is true it is not confined
to Churches there; but neither was the Gothic in England. At the
same time, I willingly grant that Gothic and Saxon are the only
legitimate styles of Church architecture for England.
:
24
ON THE TERM, CHORAL.
to heaven, and to know of no limiting principle whether
of height or length or breadth: how in every arch and
pillar and stone, the perfection of beauty in detail is
associated with the sublime in the general conception:
so that as far as stones can speak, their language harmo-
nizes with that worship which it is the highest employ-
ment at once of the understanding and of the heart to
render. But observe, how the system of the Church has
the same glorious aim in all that regards those who serve
in her temples, and the worship which they are instituted
to perform. For with the same defiance of expense, and
exuberance of means, her delight has been to multiply
the ministers of divine service within those walls; and not
only this, but to marshal and regulate them in such a
manner, as that every particular incident to God's service
may be administered in the utmost perfection. Ample
means and stringent regulations have been made for
securing the most eminent ability for the setting forth
God's true and lively word, whether in the preaching or
the reading of it, for the celebration, with all skill and
solemnity, of his praise, and for the right and due admi-
nistration, with a primitive frequency, of his holy Sacra-
ments. To the due utterance of the poetry of Scripture,
and of the inspired eloquence of primitive devotion, she
has brought the most perfect tones of the human voice:
to the hymns of holy men and angels she has made the
inmost resources of melody and harmony subservient,
and this with a completeness and consistency of design,
as perfect as that which framed the Liturgy the expo-
nent of her faith and discipline. These are the holy ends
of her dignities, her Prebends, her Colleges of Vicars;
those several ranks of Ministers, which have each their
proper function.
OR CATHEDRAL SERVICE.
25
In subordination to these highest objects, yet in
necessary connection with them, there have been provided
within the precincts of the Cathedrals the appliances of
a learned leisure, the opportunities of an active admi-
nistration, schools of Christian education, and the asylums
of an honourable poverty, to maintain a holy companion-
ship with that religious worship, which is the sanctifier of
all learning, the stimulator of all activity, the foundation
of all education, the very soul of almsgiving and charity.
Such has been the plan of the Church, laid down indeed
in the most ancient times, but sanctioned and sustained
by the Church of England. But if it has been unhappily
marred and defeated by the negligence or rapacity of
men, if the holy ends of her offerings to God have been
lost sight of, and exchanged for the unworthy motives of
political patronage, and mere secular aggrandizement, so
that the places of ministration to the Most High God
have come to be spoken of as the "prizes” of the Church,
as pay for unlearned or irreligious service, are we yet
content to declare that these disfigurements and desecra-
tions shall be perpetual, and so to forget the principle
of active faith, as to forego all rightful endeavours and
prayers, in order to the restoration of her full propor-
tions, the vindication of her charitable design? If a zeal
for these things has, by the marvellous Providence of
God, sprung up of late, with a rapidity exceeding the
most sanguine hopes of former years, and increased with
a progress which is hourly visible, let us endeavour to
make that zeal effectual, by the careful and comprehen-
sive study of our Church's scheme, and bestow upon this
long neglected object, which men had well nigh learned
to think was alien from the spirit of the Church of
England, a due proportion of that knowledge, those
26
CHORAL, OR CATHEDRAL SERVICE.
accomplishments, and that wealth, of which this nation
has long been the faithless and ungrateful steward.
Having thus asserted the general principle which
guides the Church in her collegiate establishments,
namely, the dedication of all that is best to divine
worship, let us proceed to consider the several particulars
which are peculiar to the Cathédrals and Choirs; in the
first place, the general constitution of those Churches, as
respects the ministers of divine service: in the next place,
the manner in which the Liturgy is there administered.
27
SECTION III.
OF THE CONSTITUTION OF CATHEDRAL CHURCHES;
AND FIRST, OF THE CAPITULAR MEMBERS.
THE Cathedral of each Diocese in the British Church,
with the exception of four, which shall be noticed
in their place, bas attached to it a body of Clergy,
more or less numerous, forming an Ecclesiastical Corpo-
ration, and called a Chapter. In strictness, the word
Chapter is applicable to Cathedrals only; the governing
bodies of other corporate foundations being properly
called Colleges.
In this, as well as in the principal details of their
constitution, the system of the Church of England
resembles that of the other Churches of Western Christ-
endom. The Eastern Churches are so far analogous to
those of the West, as that they have a number of Clergy
attached to them: but these do not form bodies corporate'.
· In Goar's Rituale Grcecorum, page 268, there is a curious and
detailed, though not very clear account, of the constitution of the
Church of Constantinople. From the various names and specified
duties of the Clergy, attached to that Cathedral, it appears that many
were assistant to the Archbishop in diocesan affairs, as in visitation of
monasteries, the care of orphans, and the hearing of causes in those
matters of charitable jurisdiction which were entrusted to the Church;
nd that others had the more special services of the Church to attend
to. Those on the right, or Bishop's side of the Choir, appear to have
been chiefly Deacons, and directly assistant to the Bishop: those on
the left, or Dean's side, were chiefly Priests. Some of these offices
have analogy to those in our Cathedrals, e.g., the Protopapas, or
28
CONSTITUTION OF CATHEDRAL CHURCHES.
From the earliest ages of Christianity, the Bishop has
always been surrounded, in his principal Church, by a
body of Presbyters. But to go into any detailed account
of the origin of Chapters would be foreign to the design
of this Treatise: and more space cannot be afforded, than
for this passing notice.
Nor does it come within our purpose to notice the
functions of Chapters as Councils to the Bishop. It is
sufficient to mention that such they certainly were in the
primitive constitution of the Church, as the very names
of many of their functionaries would alone demonstrate;
and such they are still, though only to a very limited
degree, in the British Church. There are some episcopal
acts to which the consent of the Chapter must be
obtained, before they are legally valid; such as the con-
firmation by them of certain leases and appointments
originated by the Bishop. In all Cathedrals of the old
foundation, the Archdeacons, who are the principal
officials of the Bishop, have places in the Chapter; and
in many places, at home as well as abroad, the Precentor
and Chancellor have functions, which imply a delegation
of episcopal authority, as will presently be noticed, when
those offices come under consideration. The Chapters
of England have, in addition, the important duty of
electing the Bishop of the Diocese, though at present
this, though retained in form, is virtually overruled by
the statute law. Those of Ireland had the same privi-
lege till the Reformation, when this right was even in
form swept away, and the nomination by the letters
Dean: the Deutereuon, or Sub-Dean; the Sceuophylax, Treasurer, or
Sacrist: the Chartophylax, or Chancellor: the Protopsaltes, or Pre-
centor, &c.
THE CAPITULAR MEMBERS.
29
patent of the Sovereign was substituted. It
It may suffice,
on this head, to quote the words of Bishop Scambler in
his letter to Queen Elizabeth in 1582. " That kind of
foundation implieth alway a society of learned men, staied
and grounded in all parts of religion, apt to preach the
Gospel, and convince errors and heresies, which in the
singleness of opinion, where particular men over particular
Churches, as Pastors, are set within the Diocese, where
it is chief, may happen to arise. And further, to assist
the Bishop, the head of the diocese, in all godly and
wholesome consultation. Inasmuch, that the Cathedral
Church ought to be as it were the oracle of the whole
Diocese, and a light unto all places lying near it'."
But our present business is to inquire into the pecu-
liar characteristics of capitular bodies, as forming commu-
nities for the administration, in the most full and perfect
manner, of God's word, worship, and Sacraments. Not
but that in these matters they are assistant to the
Bishop, as much as in the matters which do not directly
concern divine worship: since the Bishops are supposed,
in the eye of the ecclesiastical law, to reside at their
Cathedral Churches, in which they still for the most part
perform their most solemn functions, such as that of
ordinations; though unhappily, from various causes and
corruptions, their interest in their Cathedrals has de-
creased, and their authority over them as Bishops has
been circumscribed and perverted, and has been merged
into that of visitors.
The Cathedrals have been invested with corporate
rights, and wisely, that so they may the more readily
maintain their proper functions: but it never was in-
· Life of Archbishop Parker. Appendix to book iv, no. 64.
30
CONSTITUTION OF CATHEDRAL CHURCHES.
tended that these rights should be so abused, as to
support a claim of virtual independence of the Bishops.
The regulations of the ancient Cathedrals, as existing
documents show, maintain the paramount authority of
the Bishops in their own peculiar Churches, which the
Cathedrals are: in them they were expected more pecu-
liarly to officiate': over their members they had a con-
troul both corrective and directive": the statutes, and
regulations, and endowments, of the Cathedrals, proceeded
from episcopal authority; and their own peculiar rights
1 In the valuable Appendix to DUGDALE's History of St. Paul's,
containing an ancient document drawn up by Dean Colet, respecting
the constitution of that Cathedral, it appears, that the Bishop was
expected to assist on the festivals of Christmas, Easter, Ascension,
Whitsunday, &c., and that he had a right to officiate at all other
times: that when he did so, the Dean assisted him; that in his ab-
sence the Dean was his deputy, and that he even read sometimes the
Collect, Confiteor, and Lesson (pp. 237, 238, 240, 257, 259). Of
this document, of which it is much to be wished a fac-simile were
republished, as affording a clear insight into the constitution of our old
Cathedrals, large use will be made in this and the following pages.
2 The Bishops, it is well known, were the endowers and builders
of many of our Cathedrals, the founders of stalls, and of the minor
colleges within them, and the institutors of the offices peculiar to the
several Churches. Thus Osmund, bishop of Sarum, in the eleventh
century, the compiler of the Use of Sarum, and founder of the Cathe-
dral body there: Bishop Poore, the rebuilder of that Church, in the
thirteenth century: Henry de Loundres, the founder of St. Patrick's,
&c. But in Jones's account of the ancient constitution of the Church
of Exeter, published in the eighteenth volume of the Archæologia, it
largely appears how the successive Bishops of that See were the
revisers of the statutes, and the enforcers of the discipline of their
Cathedral. To this interesting Essay I am indebted for the notices
of Exeter Cathedral here given. Bishop Grindal in 1561 (Strype's
Life of Grindal, book i. chapter 6), appointed the order for preachers
in the Cathedral of St. Paul's, where, it ought to be remembered, the
Morning Preachers are of the Bishop's appointment: he also in 1571
(book ii. chapter 2), did the same for his Cathedral when Archbishop of
York: and Bishop Ward in 1663, according to Jones, concurred with the
THE CAPITULAR MEMBERS.
31
were auxiliary to those of the Chapters, not conflicting withi
them. In more modern times the absurd spectacle has
been presented, of a circumscription of episcopal authority
in those very Churches, which derive their whole dignity
and peculiar privileges from the fact of their being the
seats of the Diocesan. They have been more mindful of
their corporate rights, than of their ecclesiastical position:
they have been disposed to treat their Bishops as strangers,
and to resist any interference beyond what the bare
letter of the statutes seems to allow. This abuse is so
contrary to all ecclesiastical principle, that no consideration
ought to suffer it to remain; and those doubtful argu-
ments which support it, ought to be silenced by some
act, declaratory of the rightful and ancient principle.
How far the Bishops may have contributed to this
state of things, by their own conduct in ancient times, it
may perhaps be difficult to say. Still it may be partly
accounted for by the secular tendencies of the middle
ages. The Bishops then were too commonly disposed to
consider themselves rather as great ecclesiastical barons,
than as spiritual rulers: they affected the state of the
laity: they resorted to London as the councillors of the
crown (functions, indeed, which the ignorance of the laity
often forced upon ecclesiastics), and in the country they
preferred living upon their manors rather as lords of
the soil, than as pastors of the flock; and thus the
ancient and immemorial custom which fixed the residence
of the bishop, in his city, near his Cathedral, fell into
dispute, so that to this day the proper episcopal palace,
Chapter of Exeter in a new statute as to the number of residentiarics,
&c. In the notice of the Cathedrals of the new foundation, this ques-
tion of the authority of the Bishops in their Cathedrals will be further
discussed.
32
CONSTITUTION OF CATHEDRAL CHURCHES.
?
where it is still suffered to exist, is, in some of the prin-
cipal sees, postponed in importance to the country-house,
which corrupt custom has established as the chief resi-
dence. The Primate of England has now no palace in
his metropolis of Canterbury': the palaces of Dublin
and London, formerly adjoining their cathedrals, have
long been exchanged for modern houses in fashionable
squares, totally unepiscopal in their character: the noble
palace of Durham, for a long time but partially used, is
now alienated': that of Winchester has been deserted
for above a hundred years, and perhaps will soon undergo
the same fate'. These are the principal instances, and
by these abuses the unity and beauty of the Church's
scheme has been materially broken. The Bishop is no
longer seen, at least in the principal sees, as the chief
pastor of his diocese, habitually administering the Sacra-
ments, and preaching the Word in that place which the
Church intended to be the exemplar of divine worship;
and the Cathedral city has ceased, in consequence of this
dereliction, to be the real metropolis of the clergy, there
rallying round their Bishop, and there seeking his
direction, and looking up to his authority.
But whatever may be the cause of the slender con-
nection which is now suffered to exist between the Bishop
Archbishop Parker was the last English Primate who resided
much in his palace at Canterbury, which has been long alienated. He
held his ordinations and consecrations at his Cathedral, preached there
frequently, and kept up a generous hospitality. Vide Strype's Life
of Archbishop Parker, vol. ii. book iv. chapter 3.
? It is handed over to the University, and the Bishop is merely
permitted to occupy occasionally certain chambers in it.
The same observation may apply to Lichfield, Rochester, and
Worcester. The Sees of Lincoln, Oxford, Llandaff, and St. David's,
have no palaces, properly so called. They have only country-houses.
THE CAPITULAR MEMBERS.
33
and the Clergy of his Cathedral, it is yet certain that in
those places they are his assistants and delegates in the
performance of divine offices. In proceeding to observe
upon the peculiar functions of the several orders, I shall
not stop to argue upon the fitness of having many Priests
to minister before God in his principal temples. All
ages of the Christian Church have sanctioned this prin-
ciple: the piety of all ages has responded to it: the
analogy of the Courts of Secular Sovereigns commends
it to our reason', that the King of Heaven should be
numerously served in those places which are the most
conspicuous memorials of his honour. And this prin-
ciple was never questioned till it was surrendered in
very modern times, in deference to that new principle
which is called utilitarianism, yet is falsely so called,
because a real spirit of utility implies a regard for that
which is useful to the heart, the mind, and the imagina-
tion, and which ministers to the soul's health, by quick-
ening, by means of the magnificent and the beautiful,
her apprehension of holy things. Those men are there-
fore not to be heard, who would regulate the Cathedral
by the standard of the parish Church: reversing the
maxim of ancient times, which regarded the Mother
Church as the example to the diocese. But it is to be
hoped that such a mean view of things is contrary to
that which will be before long the religious spirit of the
age.
The Cathedrals of our Church, regularly constituted,
have a body of men attached to them, whose general
name, including both the higher and inferior Capitular
This argument, among many others, has been nobly enforced in
Mr. Hope's speech before the House of Lords, in defence of our
Cathedral foundations; a speech which the Church will ever remember.
D
34
CONSTITUTION OF CATHEDRAL CHURCHES.
Members, and the subordinate Clergy, not members of
the Chapter, is that of Canons. This name has been fre-
quently superseded by some title, significant of their
peculiar offices in the Church, such as the dignitaryships,
or having more peculiar reference to their endowment, as
that of Prebendary. The origin of the word Canon has
been a matter of dispute; the most probable derivation,
however, is from the proper meaning of the Greek word,
signifying a rule: the Canonici being those whose busi-
ness it specially was to afford the most perfect rule of
liturgical observance, in those offices which they were
called upon to perform in all their fulness; so that
Canonicus in Greek signified much the same as Regularis
in Latin, though of a different application: the term
Regular being restricted, by the use of the Western
Churches, to the monastic bodies. The term Prebendary
is from the Latin Præbenda, a stipend or estate bestowed,
or afforded, for the sustentation of the stall: and this is
applied to Capitular Members alone. It appears that in
ancient times, and indeed according to the present forms of
ecclesiastical law, the titles of Canon and Prebendary, as far
as regarded the governing members of Collegiate Churches,
were interchangeable. According to present practice,
the term Canon' is restricted to the residentiaries in the
Cathedrals of old foundation, and to the Capitular Mem-
bers of Christ Church in Oxford. Prebendary is applied
to the non-residentiaries of the old Cathedrals, and with
propriety; as these, though receiving each a stated por-
1 I do not mean the nomenclature laid down so unnecessarily by the
late Cathedral Act. It is difficult to see what use there can be in
altering the accustomed names of officers, and thus interfering with old
associations. Names cost nothing, and therefore their alteration could
not affect that fiscal measure one way or the other.
THE CAPITULAR MEMBERS.
35
tion of the revenues, do not illustrate or carry out the
rule of ritual observance. In all the new. Cathedrals, how-
ever, with the above noticed exception of Christ Church,
the superior members are called Prebendaries. In Ire-
land, with the exception of the lesser Chapter of Kildare,
the designation of Canon is not popularly used, while
that of Prebendary is.
To the above regular constitution of Cathedrals there
are, in the British Isles, four exceptions: namely, the
Churches of Ardagh, Kilmore, Clonmacnoise, (the now
ruined Cathedral of the Diocese of Meath) and that of
St. Germain's in the Isle of Man. None of these have
any Chapter, or Collegiate body attached: that last men-
tioned has no Dean, while the others have. The Dean,
however, is a Diocesan, not a Collegiate Officer. He is
President of the Synod, which consists in each of the
three above-mentioned Dioceses, of all the beneficed
Clergy, who perform the same acts connected with the
Episcopate, as are discharged by the Chapters in other
places, under a common seal: but the Cathedral Church
is in no other way distinguished from the other parish
Churches, of which it is the principal, than by the pre-
sence of the Bishop's Throne'. This has been the
immemorial constitution of these particular Churches, in
which it is believed many in Scotland, till comparatively
late times, and in the Scandinavian part of Europe, par-
ticipated, at least while their Sees were ambulatory.
But these are exceptions to the rule of Christendom:
and though they are interesting vestiges of ancient
1 That of Kilmore, an interesting building, as connected with the
memory of Bishop Bedell, is so small as to be more like a domestic
Chapel than a Church. It is plain and unornamented to the last
degree.
D 2
36
CONSTITUTION OF CATHEDRAL CHURCHES.
customs, still they are memorials of poverty and unsettle-
ment, when the Church was as it were in the wilderness,
and dwelling in Tabernacles. These cannot be alleged
as precedents to be followed by nations capable of build-
ing Temples.
Nothing need here be said of the defective organiza-
tion, in this respect, of our Colonial Sees. They were
founded in times when regard for ancient Catholic pre-
cedent, and a sense of the beauty of holiness were alike
dormant. The less, indeed, need be said, as the desire for
Cathedral Establishments, the inseparable consequence of
the recognition of Catholic principle, is awakening in our
Colonies, and is openly encouraged with a zeal worthy
of the most devoted times, by our Bishops in India, in
Australia, in Van Diemen's Land, and New Zealand':
and the sister Church, in the United States of America, is
shewing symptoms of a desire to perfect this part of her
system.
· The Bishop of New Zealand has literally begun the service of
God in a Tabernacle. The foundation of a future Temple, however, is
one of his first designs : conceived in that faithful spirit of patience,
which inspired the founders of our noblest Minsters, in poorer but more
zealous times.
37
SECTION IV.
OF THE CATHEDRALS OF THE OLD FOUNDATION.
NINE of the English Cathedrals, the four Welsh, and all
the Capitular Cathedrals in Ireland, with the exception
of Christ Church in Dublin, which was changed from a
monastic to a secular foundation, and those of Dromore
and Clogher, which were modified', retain their original
constitution, as they existed before the Reformation. In
their main features they resemble each other. From the
time of their several establishments they consisted of
secular Canons; that is, of Clergy, who, though living
in a community, were bound by no monastic vows, and
who, before the tyrannous interference of the Roman
see, were allowed to marry. We have records of the
existence of a married Cathedral Clergy, residing at their
Cathedrals, in the Saxon times, and occupying, as our
Canons and Prebendaries now do, separate homes. So
that it is a gross mistake to consider the constitution of
our Cathedrals as of monastic origin. The celibacy of
the Clergy of these places was no peculiar feature of the
Collegiate bodies, but was common to the whole order,
1 In WARE's Irish Bishops, we are informed, that the ancient
foundation of Dromore, consisting of a Dean, Archdeacon, and Pre-
bendaries, was altered in the time of Bishop Tod, and newly erected by
letters patent of James Ist. into a body consisting of the five usual
Dignitaries and one Prebendary. That of Clogher consisted of a Dean
and eleven Canons, which Bishop Montgomery, the first Bishop after
the Reformation, altered without warrant, adding a Precentor and
Chancellor.
38
OF THE CATHEDRALS OF
when the influence of Rome was fully established: and
in all the leading features of their constitution, there was
nothing which is not perfectly consistent with the dis-
cipline of Catholic practice restored to its purity.
It is also a mistake to suppose that the peculiar
solemnity of Church ceremonial is monastic. In these
the Cathedrals set the example, and were the instructors,
not the disciples, of the Monasteries.
Originally the Chapters of the English Church were
not, for the most part, monastic. The substitution of
Monks for Canons in several Cathedrals', was a measure
in each of these places of later origin, and of aggressive
usurpation, favoured by the Court of Rome, whose strong-
hold was in the monastic bodies. And ecclesiastical
history shews us, as indeed might have been expected,
that the Conventual Chapters, thus established, were often
at war with their Bishops, and but little fulfilled their
primitive function of acting as his Council.
The remainder of the British Cathedrals were, at the
time of the Dissolution of Monasteries, remodelled by
King Henry VIII. as will hereafter be shewn in its
place.
The constitution of the ancient Cathedrals was as
follows. At the head was a DEAN', corresponding to the
Protopapas of the Greek Church; and throughout Europe
1
The monastic constitution of Canterbury is supposed to have been
established by Laurentius, successor of Augustine.
But this is a
matter of dispute. Vide Dart, and SOMNER’s Canterbury. The secu-
lars were expelled from Winchester by Bishop Ethelwold in the 10th
Century, through the influence of Dunstan; from Rochester by Gun-
dulph, and from Gloucester by Wolstan, in the eleventh.
2 The title of Decanus in the Greck Church was given to an inferior
functionary, who was a sort of steward of the Clerical revenue. In
our Colleges he administers thc Discipline.
THE OLD FOUNDATION.
39
styled Dean, or Archpriest. The Dean had the executive
authority of the Church in his hands, and the power of
correcting the Canons. In the absence of the Bishop he
took the chief part in Divine Service, and in his presence,
assisted him.
Next in rank were certain Canons, holding offices of
jurisdiction or trust in the Diocese and Cathedral, and
styled Dignitaries, or Canons with Dignity. These were
generally four in number.
The precedence and functions of these Dignitaries
vary in different places : but in general they are as I pro-
ceed to state them.
In most Churches the PRECENTOR was next in rank:
but sometimes, as in St. Paul's, the Archdeacons inter-
vened between him and the Dean: and in the same place
it appears that the Treasurer also preceded him. To the
Precentor the superintendence of the principal part of
the Church service belonged. He examined, and super-
intended the Chanters, appointed the musical services,
and was responsible for the appointment of the Choir
boys. On the greater feasts, as they were technically
called, which somewhat corresponded to the Sundays
and other Holidays when the Canons officiate at morning
or evening prayer with us, he intoned or commenced the
Church Hymns. So that by the ancient constitutions
of our Cathedrals, that most important and religious
office of regulating the Church Music, which in Choirs
comprehends not only Hymns and Psalms, but Prayers
and Litanies, was regarded, as it ought to be, worthy the
personal superintendence of one of the Chief Dignitaries,
who also took a part himself in their performance.
The CHANCELLOR was the third Dignitary. He was
originally the Secretary of the Chapter, receiving the
40
OF THE CATHEDRALS OF
letters addressed to them, and writing the answers by
their direction. He had also the custody of the Chapter
seal. To him also belonged the function, which was
evidently the expansion of his primary duty, of presiding
over the religious literature of the Cathedral', having the
custody of the library, and the superintendence of the
schools in connection with the Church: and not only
this, but in some instances at least, as at St. Paul's, he
had the superintendence of all schoolmasters in the city';
one remarkable instance of the diocesan administration,
in which the Church dignitaries were plainly the dele-
gated officials of the Bishop, to whom in ancient times
the licensing of schoolmasters belonged.
Besides these duties, he had another which had a
more peculiar reference to the performance of divine
service.
He had the oversight of every lesson which
was read in the Choir; and took care that it was “cor-
rectly", gracefully, and distinctly read,” and had the
instruction and correction of the readers. These im-
portant qualifications, now slighted even by some learned
divines, are well worthy of the most religious attention of
our present Dignitaries.
Connected with these duties was another, the vestiges
of which we find in some Cathedrals; that, namely, of
delivering a Theological Lecture at stated periods. A
lectureship in the Cathedral of Exeter, attached to the
office of Chancellor, was endowed by Bishop Quivil in
the latter part of the thirteenth century. By Graves-
ende, Bishop of London, in the fourteenth century,
1
“Is etiam præest literaturæ, non solum ecclesiæ, sed etiam totius
civitatis.”-DuGDALL's St. Paul's.
2 The Precentor of Notre Dame at Paris had the same jurisdiction.
36 Ut quicquid legatur, id rité, pulchré, et distincté legatur."
THE OLD FOUNDATION.
41
there was instituted', in the Cathedral of St. Paul, a
Lecturer, who was required to be a Bachelor in Divinity.
Bishop Gravesende testifies to the fact, that Divinity
Lectures had been annually read in other Cathedrals of
the realm, but not in that of London. In the Convoca-
tion of 1562' it was recommended, that all Chapter
members who were not preachers should contribute to
two preachers: “and especially that the Chancellor of
the Church do give the greatest portion, for that dignity
is given for that office and end.”
The TREASURER, ranking next after the Chancellor,
was not the Bursar of the Chapter, but rather the Sacrist.
He had the care of all the Church plate, vestments, and
furniture; and the providing for the necessaries for divine
service and the Sacraments. He had also the superin-
tendence of the vergers, sacristans, and bell-ringers, and
the oversight of the proper performance of their duties.
And it is presumed, that to him also largely, but not
exclusively, belonged the care of the fabric. In many
respects he might be considered as being that to the
Cathedral, which the Church wardens are to Parish
Churches.
The ARCHDEACONS, though superior in diocesan rank,
hold in the Cathedrals (but with many exceptions) a
place inferior to the above mentioned Dignitaries. In all
the ancient Cathedrals, how many soever they may be in
number in the diocese, they have each a stall, and a voice
in the greater Chapters.
Besides the above, in the Cathedrals of York, Wells,
Exeter, and Lincoln, there was an officer, not universally
· DUGDALE'S St. Paul's, p. 17.
STRYPE, Annals of Reformation, vol. i. chap. 131, p. 350.
42
OF THE CATHEDRALS OF
or originally esteemed a Dignitary, styled the Sub-Dean,
whose office it was to act for the Dean during his
absence. In Exeter, this office was united to that of
Penitentiary, which was suppressed at the Reformation,
whose business it was to hear confessions, and assign
penances.
In the Cathedral of York there is a Dignitary styled
“Succentor Canonicorum,” whose duty is explained by
his name. The Sub-Dean and Succentor in St. Paul's
Cathedral were Minor Canons: but had authority merely
over inferior members. The Succentor, however, had
the ordering of the Church Music in the Precentor's
absence, with an authority superior to that of the Canons.
The Cathedrals of Tuam and Kilmacduagh have each
a Dignitary styled Provost. From the total want of any
documents to explain the constitution of the ancient
Chapters of the Province of Tuam, the duties of this
office can be but conjectured. An office of the same
designation I find among the Dignitaries of the Cathedral
Church of Milan'; but his duties I have no means of
ascertaining
It may be remarked, that in Scotland", the Cathedrals
of Glasgow and Elgin, and the Royal Collegiate Church
of Stirling, had each a Sub-Dean: that of Glasgow a
Succentor: and Glasgow and Stirling had each a digni-
tary styled a Sacrist, in addition to those of Precentor,
Chancellor, and Treasurer.
The office of Treasurer is wanting in the Cathedrals
I UGHINI'S Italia Sacra. Also in Lowri's Life of Wykeham,
p. 28, it appears that there was anciently a Provost in the Cathedral
of Wells.
4 Vide the account of Religious Houses and its Appendix, by Spot-
tiswood, forming the sequel to BISHOP Keith's Historical Catalogue of
the Scottish Bishops.
THE OLD FOUNDATION.
43
of York, Lincoln, Emly, and Clogher. That of Chan-
cellor in the Cathedrals of Dromore and Kilmacduagh.
The Cathedrals of Derry and Raphoe have neither Pre-
centor, Chancellor, nor Treasurer. Out of the six Cathe-
drals of the Province of Tuam, that of Clonfert has none
of the above Dignitaries except the Dean and Arch-
deacon: and Kilmacduagh is the only one which has the
usual number of Dignitaries. The peculiar defects in the
Cathedrals of this Province, taken in connection with
other circumstances' peculiar to that portion of the
Church, suggest some curious speculations, which it is to
be regretted the want of documents hinders the lover of
ecclesiastical antiquity from pursuing. Yet I cannot but
think that if the facts we actually possess were put toge-
ther, and investigated by the light of analogy, many and
instructive inferences might be drawn with respect to
this impoverished but most interesting Province.
The Cathedrals of Llandaff and St. David's present
the singular anomaly of having no Dean. But here the
Bishop was considered to be the head of the Chapter:
and it is to be remarked that the senior Vicar Choral of
St. David's is styled the Bishop's Vicar, and not the
Dean's, as is usually the case.
It is evident, from the above statement, that from
the very nature of their offices, it was originally intended
that the Dignitaries should be permanent residents at
their Cathedrals. But the distinction between residents
and non-residents is a thing comparatively modern, as
will be shewn in the succeeding section.
Such as the “quarta pars” paid to the Bishops, and the peculiar
nature of the Vicarial Tithes, &c.
44
SECTION V
OF THE PREBENDARIES IN THE CATHEDRALS OF
THE OLD FOUNDATION.
In the Cathedrals of the old foundation there are, next
in rank to the Dignitaries, a certain number of Preben-
daries, who were anciently styled “ Canonici Simplices,
varying in number, in England, from forty-six to eigh-
teen': in Wales, from twelve to two: and in Ireland,
from twenty to one.
Three of the Irish Cathedrals, viz.,
Waterford, Ardfert, and Kilfenora, have no Prebendaries,
the Chapters consisting only of the five usual Digni-
taries.
2 It was originally intended that all members of the
Cathedrals, Dignitaries as well as Prebendaries, should
constantly reside. They had separate residences, but
lived from a common fund. To each was apportioned a
small fixed stipend, besides which, a certain sum, called
the daily distribution, was given them, while resident.
For a long time residence was strictly kept. The estates
· Lincoln has the greatest number, forty-six. Dromore has the
smallest, one.
2 This account of the ancient laws, and more recent modifications
of residence, is taken from the following writers: the Appendix to
DUGDALE'S St. Pauls, JONES's Account of Exeter Cathedral, already
referred to, Caurton's Life of Dean Nowell, and ArcIIDEACON REY-
NOLDS's Historical Essay upon the Government of the Church of England,
1743, chapter iii. Archdeacon Reynolds's information has immediate
reference to Lincoln Cathedral: but he remarks that it is generally
applicable to the others.
OF THE PREBENDARIES.
45
of the Cathedral were then fully sufficient for the main-
tenance of all the members. Besides other sources of
revenue, a very considerable one was, according to Arch-
deacon Reynolds, “ the payment of a stated annual com-
position paid by every house or family in the Diocese as
an acknowledgment of gratitude and obedience to the
Mother Church, from which, at the feast of Pentecost,
they received a general absolution.” But gradually the
increasing influence of the Friars drew the devotions of
the people away from the Cathedral into a new channel.
In consequence of this decay of their revenues, it became
in the fourteenth century difficult to maintain the fabric
and the full number of residents. However, any one who
chose to reside might claim, besides his yearly stipend,
the daily distribution. In order to discourage a large
number of residents, a heinous rule was now esta-
blished, that before any Prebendary was admitted into
residence, he was obliged to provide some most expensive
entertainments, for which however he might compound
with the Chapter for a considerable sum.
In conse-
quence of this heavy tax, which not one man in ten could
undergo, residence came to be avoided: till at length
it was necessary to establish certain permanent resi-
dentiaries, who should constitute, for the ordinary duties
of the Church, a delegation of the entire Chapter; being
Prebendaries or Dignitaries, responsible for the various
offices of the Church; their number varying, in different
Cathedrals, from nine (as at Exeter) to four (as at St.
Paul's), including the Dean, who is always one. Against
this wicked regulation, which substituted for a decent
and liberal hospitality a secular luxury, of the worst
example in Cathedral towns, the loudest and sternest
reclamations have been made. In the regulations of
46
OF THE PREBENDARIES IN THE CATHEDRALS
Exeter, hospitality and respectability of appearance and of
living were indeed strictly enforced by the Constitutions
of various Bishops. But ostentatious luxury was strictly
reprehended. And in the Convocation of 1531 (as Rey-
nolds remarks,) Archbishop Warham remonstrated strongly
against the abominable custom of thus purchasing the
right to residence, or rather to enjoy the patrimony of
the Church, by giving these inordinate entertainments.
But unhappily the evil prevailed, so as to dim the splen-
dour of God's service, while it increased the show of the
tables of a few luxurious men. Nor has it ceased.
It thus came to be settled, that the Residentiaries
who took upon themselves the permanent residence of
the entire Chapter, besides having the daily distribution,
divided at the end of the year the common funds of the
Church, which remained after the expenses of the fabric
and of the Service were paid. The other Prebendaries
merely held the fixed annual stipend, as at Exeter, or such
estates as had been affixed to each individual stall. The
larger revenues of the Residentiaries therefore cannot be
considered, in their original intention at least, as individual
properties, or the common property of a less extended
corporation (as the lesser Chapters are often considered),
but as the payment for certain delegated services per-
formed. For, as Reynolds remarks, “the Prebendaries
had not been instituted into a right to a dividend, but were
only put into a condition to merit one by residence.”
The Prebendaries, however, though absolved from
continued residence, were still required to perform such
duties as were occasional, according to a fixed rota; and
this rule is still binding. According to the present
system of our Cathedrals, this is considered to consist in
preaching only. But it appears from the ancient Con-
OF THE OLD FOUNDATION.
47
Nor can
stitutions', that the Prebendaries were liable to be called
on not only to officiate at the altar, but also to chant
the Prayers when required by the Precentor, or the
Lessons, by the Chancellor. And even now, however
the apathy of more modern times may have slighted the
privilege, or have ceased to regard it as one, there can
be no question but that the Prebendaries when present,
have a right to officiate at the Communion, if the absence
of a superior member entitles them to do so.
there be any abstract binderance to their performing
Morning or Evening Prayer, if competent to use the
ecclesiastical tone; nay, it is their proper office; for the
Vicars Choral, who commonly perform this duty, are only
their deputies, as will hereafter be shown.
Originally the Prebendaries had each an equal right
of voting at all Chapters. In transacting the greater
concerns of the Church, the Canons were all convoked,
ten days' notice being given. There were, however,
weekly meetings, sometimes called Parliaments, as at
Exeter, for the transactions of ordinary matters, for which
one day's notice only was necessary, and at this the non-
residents could not be expected to be present. When,
i
“Omnes Canonici ad Missarum munera obligentur ... Inscrip-
tus aliquis Canonicus admonitusvè, vel ad lectionem à Cancellario,
vel ad cantum à Præcentore, promptè se exhibeat .... quod quidem
fit semper in Festis majoribus, ut majores Canonici, etiam ex non
residentibus, Chorum regant primas, antiphonas, psalmos, hymnos,
incipiant, ct ministranti ad summum altare assistant."- Appendix to
Dugdale's St. Paul's.
2 JONES's Account of Exeter Cathedral.
3 This weekly Chapter is still held at Lichfield. At Exeter, all
members of the Cathedral were required to go into the Chapter House
every day. At St. Paul's, every Saturday (the usual day at Cathedrals
for this purpose) the Dean was bound to hold a Chapter for the proper
48
OF THE PREBENDARIES IN THE CATHEDRALS
however, the divisible portion of the Corporate property
was assigned to the Residentiaries, its management was
of course left in their hands, and thus one of the func-
tions of the Chapter was limited to their control; while
it was but natural and right that the ordinary care of the
Church should rest with them also. The meetings held
for these purposes were called Chapters, as the lesser
assemblies had always been, and their acts had all the
authority originally placed in the whole body. But upon
matters of more important concern the Prebendal body
at large still preserved its capitular rights. And this
constitution still remains. Thus, they are all summoned
to the election of a Bishop. They still preserve their
rotatory privileges of preaching, &c. It is an error,
though a very common one, to apply the name of
Chapter exclusively, or preeminently, to these meetings
of the Residentiaries. It could, I believe, be proved,
upon due investigation, that the whole Prebenda] body
has a general interest in the performance of divine offices
in which they take each an individual part, and have a
right to deliberate and vote upon any weightier matters
which may be called into question. Such are, any change
in the manner of performing Divine Service; for in-
stance, any suppression or desuetude of the portions
of the Liturgy by prescription chanted or sung; the
disuse of the weekly communion, which is the depriva-
tion of a privilege which every Priest in the Cathedral
has a right to claim; the omission of the early morning
prayers; the alteration or addition to the fabric, beyond
the ordinary repair, &c. The Residentiaries are nothing
administration of discipline. Besides this weekly meeting, the Sub-
Dean held a daily court, called also a Chapter, for the correction of the
non-capitular members.
OF THE OLD FOUNDATIONS.
49
more than the delegates of the whole Corporation; and
therefore common sense would seem to suggest, that
they can be entitled to the exclusive management of
those matters only which concern their delegation. In
fact, the lesser Chapters may be considered as having the
same relation to the greater that the Congregation in the
University of Oxford has to the Convocation.
It remains to observe, that throughout England and
Ireland, the stalls are generally denominated from the
places whence their individual revenues are derived. At
Llandaff one of the Prebends, and at St. Asaph, the
Cursal Canonries are named after their respective
founders. These Cursal Canons, it is presumed, were
Prebendaries to whom rotatory, not permanent duties
were assigned. At St. David's, there are seven Cursal
Canonries and Prebends; these, as well as the Prebends
at Exeter, have no specific denomination. The latter
have been always supported from a common estate, and
have been paid each a certain fixed sum. The constitu-
tion of this last Cathedral seems to be the most compact
in England, and its discipline the most orderly. History
testifies that more harmony prevailed in this Church than
in most others during the middle ages; and to the present
time it keeps up its long established reputation of a most
exemplary solemnity in the administration of the Divine
offices'.
1
In an English Itinerary, by Defoe, published above a hundred
years ago, the Cathedral Service at Exeter is mentioned with high
praise, both for its musical excellence and religious decorum. The
fulness of the week-day congregation is also noticed. The same praise
was given, in the preceding century, by a foreigner, one of the Medici
family, who attended the Cathedral Service here, during his travels in
England. He expressly says that the chanting of the Psalms was
sweeter and more melodious than the Gregorian Chant.
E
50
SECTION VI.
OF THE RESIDENTIARIES.
From the foregoing statements it appears that the Resi-
dentiaries, or Canons Residentiary, as they are usually
called, are such a number of Dignitaries or Prebendaries
belonging to the Cathedral, as may have been set apart,
in times comparatively modern, that is, not more anciently
than in the fourteenth century, for perpetual residence at
the Cathedral Church. The term Residentiary signifies
merely this delegation; their name Canon is one to which
all members of the Church have an equal riglit. Their
proper titles are those of the stalls which they happen
to occupy, in right of their particular Prebends; and
their rank and position in the Choir ought to be merely
that of those stalls'.
The original intention of the institution of Residen-
tiaries is still apparent from the necessity which exists
in several Cathedrals, and which it is presumed formerly
existed in all, of these being chosen from actual Digni-
taries or Prebendaries, whether the right of choice existed,
according to the various usages of different places, in the
King, the Bishop, the Dean, or the Chapter.
The greatest number of Residentiaries in any English
Cathedral is nine, as at Exeter; the smallest, four, as at
St. Paul's, Chichester, and Lincoln; the Dean being
The Residentiaries of St. Paul's occupy, most improperly, the
stalls of the Dignitaries and Archdeacons.
OF THE RESIDENTIARIES.
51
always one, though at St. Paul's, there ought to be four
besides the resident Dean. The apportionment of the
present number of Residentiaries in Exeter Cathedral
is a matter of modern regulation, dating nọ higher than
the time of Bishop Ward, in 1663.
It seems strange that in Churches of such numerous
Chapters as those of St. Paul's and Lincoln, and where
the divisible property is now so great, so small a number
should be fixed. A reason, however, may be found in
the original slenderness of their estates'. The present
sufficiency of the endowments ought, however, to enable
all to reside constantly, a case not perhaps always
practicable elsewhere, as at York.
And this suggests the statement of a fact now alto-
gether lost sight of: namely, that it was the original
intention, as appears from more than one explicit
declaration in the ancient documents of St. Paul's?, that
all the Residentiaries were required to reside together,
not merely dividing the year between them, according
]
Quia patrimonium S. Pauli exile est, et onera sunt multa et
gravia, idcirco statuimus et ordinamus, ut sub Decano residente sint
alii Residentes quatuor, et tantum quatuor ex Canonicis ejusdem
Ecclesia.”
2 “ In ecclesiâ S. Pauli solùm, et nullâ aliâ in Ecclesiâ inservire.”
“ In primis Residens in Ecclesiâ S. Pauli nullâ alia Ecclesiâ quâ-
cunque resideat ullo modo: id enim faciens statim ecclesiæ S. Pauli
non-residens censeatur, et privetur omni fructu et emolumento resi-
dentis. Item alibi Residens, si quos perciperit ex Ecclesiâ Pauli
fructus, eos omnes cogatur restituere : nihil enim tam detestabile est,
nec apud Deum, nec apud homines abhominabile, nec certè Ecclesiæ
tam pestiferum ac perniciosum, quàm professum aliquem in hâc Ecclesiâ
ad Residentiam, eundem aliâ in Ecclesiâ quâcunque residere."
“Residentes in Ecclesiâ S. Pauli in nullâ aliâ quâcunque Ecclesiâ sive
Cathedrali sive Collegiatâ resideant, sed solùm in Ecclesiâ S. Pauli
suam residentiam teneant."
E 2
52
OF THE RESIDENTIARIES.
to tlie present most reprehensible arrangement. They
were allowed to serve no other Church whatever. They
were required to be all present together at all services
on Sundays and greater holy-days', and so to manage
between themselves as to the services on ordinary week-
days, that one at least should be present at each one of
these. And if they neglected this perpetual residence,
from which only occasional absence, as to Parish Clergy-
men from their cures, was permitted, they were not
considered as entitled to their emoluments: and their
neglect is censured in the old records in terms of the
strongest reprobation. The rules of residence in St.
Paul's were framed after the example of the Cathedral of
Sarum?, and were in substance the same in other Cathe-
drals. In Exeter, Mr. Jones informs us, that “if a
Canon of this Cathedral was a Residentiary in any other
Cathedral in one and the same year, or in any part of it,
his residence here was deemed å feigned one, and he
was to receive nothing of the daily distribution.'
Another fact it is in place to mention: that accord-
ing to the original intention, that revenue, which is
now considered as the divisible property of the Residen-
tiaries, was not so. The Chapter, or their delegated
members, the Residentiaries, were the stewards and
trustees of that which was the property of the Cathe-
dral Church, dedicated to the service of God, that he
might be there rightly and duly served. Out of this
I « In Dominicis verò diebus, ac majoribus et solemnioribus Festis,
omnes Residentes dent operam ut præsentes sint in Ecclesiâ, et universo
divino officio illius diei intersint."
Quod forma Residentiæ in dictâ Ecclesiæ secundùm formam et
exigentiam statutorum Ecclesiæ Sarum in eâ parte editorum, de cætero
fiat et observetur pro perpetuo in futurum.”
OF THE RESIDENTIARIES.
53
property the fabric was maintained, the choir (in part
at least) sustained, the ministers of the temple paid: and
the divisible portion given to the Residentiaries were
wages bestowed for services performed. Their individual
estates were those of their Prebends: their incomes as
Residentiaries were the portion of the sacrifices and
offerings which fell to those who ministered at the altar.
If then they failed to administer their duty, and to keep
perpetual residence, they could have no religious or
moral right to these emoluments, nor have they now.
I do not speak of any statuteable enactment which
may possibly have legalized a most inexcusable abuse;
but in the eye of their founders and of the Church,
those Residentiaries who keep but a partial residence,
are in no way entitled to the revenues which were
bestowed for other purposes than personal aggran-
dizement.
On the Residentiaries devolves the ordinary and
daily service of the Church, and care of the fabric, &c.
They have in most cases each a house near the Cathedral,
and every facility afforded them for making their Cathe-
dral their HOME, as it ought be.
In the Cathedrals of Exeter, Lichfield, and Lincoln,
the Dignitaries are Residentiaries. On the propriety of
this custom, as well as on other particulars respecting
residence, observations will be made in a subsequent
section.
54
SECTION VII.
ON RESIDENCE IN THE CATHEDRALS OF IRELANI).
THERE can be no doubt that the original constitution of
the Irish Cathedrals was in all essentials the same as
that of the English. The statutes of most of them,
however, having been lost or destroyed in consequence
of the terrible commotions which so often vexed that
part of the realm, this similarity is in most cases a matter
of inference. The reasons upon which this conclusion is
founded are the following:
1. It is a matter of record', that the present esta-
blishment of one of the principal Cathedrals in Ireland,
that of St. Patrick's in Dublin, was expressly constituted
by its founder, Henry de Loundres, Archbishop of
Dublin in the 13th century, after tlie model of Salisbury.
This prelate was present at the consecration of Salisbury
Cathedral by Bishop Poore in 1225. And it is an inter-
esting fact to observe, that in the general features of the
Choir and Lady Chapel of St. Patrick's, there is an
evident, though humble imitation of the Church whence
its liturgical forms and constitution were derived.
2. It is also a matter of record that the use of Salis-
bury was employed in the Cathedral of Armagh. A
large MS. of the Sarum Breviary, with the offices pecu-
| Vide Mason's Hibernia; from which the facts here given relating
to St. Patrick's are taken.
2 BRITTON'S History of Salisbury Cathedral.
ON RESIDENCE.
55
liar to that Metropolitan Church, and with some curious
notices of obits, and of events connected with Irish
History, is preserved in Dublin College Library. The
Sarum use, it is believed, was that commonly adopted in
Ireland.
3. In the names of their officers, almost all, and in
the additional features of their Minor Corporations,
several, resemble St. Patrick's and the old English
Cathedrals.
4. There are the remains of some institutions, such
as residences for Dignitaries, &c. analogous to the regu-
lations of the English, and indeed of most European
Cathedrals.
Any important differences at present existing between
the usages of the Cathedrals of England and Ireland,
may be plainly accounted for by the unhappy circum-
stances of Ireland, and the impoverishment and neglect,
during semi-barbarous times, of her collegiate establish-
ments; in most of which it would be now next to impos-
sible, with their present endowments, or rather absence of
endowments, to sustain the more perfect system of Eng-
land. The differences which exist are, the non-residence
of the Capitular Members, as such, the absence of the
Choral service altogether in the greater number, and
even in most of those which retain it, of the daily prayers.
To suppose that the want of these features was a
matter of original statute or regulation would be to
oppose the usage of the Church in Ireland to that not
only of England and Scotland, but of universal Christen-
dom, from times almost apostolic. And such an oppo-
sition to Catholic practice is contradictory to all the
known provisions of the Irish portion of the Church.
But proof can be given, if not demonstrative, yet
56
ON RESIDENCE IN
strongly presumptive, that a compliance with Catholic
usage was originally intended.
First, that the Choral service was either instituted,
or contemplated, appears from the existence of the office
of Precentor in all the Collegiate Cathedrals of Ireland,
except those of Tuam, Derry, Raphoe, and Clonfert.
Yet Tuam had Vicars Choral, who were intended to
form a Choir. So that there are but three in which
it may be plausibly asserted that no Choir was contem-
plated. The exception manifestly proves the rule.
Nothing of course need be said of those three Cathedrals
which had no Collegiate establishment whatever.
Secondly, it may be fairly presumed that residence
was intended at the principal Cathedrals at least, from
the chief Capitular Members. At St. Patrick's the three
Dignitaries and the Archdeacon had their houses, the
localities of which are still known, close to the Church.
The same exactly is the case at Limerick: and these
residences, or their sites, are still the properties of the
holders of those dignities, though unhappily residence
is altogether laid aside or forgotten. At other places,
Armagh for instance, such pieces of property, which
obviously could not have sufficed for any other purpose
than for a house, still belong to Dignitaries who no
longer reside.
In the instances mentioned it appears, that the com-
mendable practice of Lichfield, Lincoln, and Exeter, was
observed, of devolving the duties of permanent residence
upon those Dignitaries, who by their offices had a more
special concern in the government of the Cathedral.
The Constitution of Kildare differs from that of all
in Ireland, though affording a strong analogy to those of
England. In it there are both Canons and Prebendaries.
THE CATHEDRALS OF IRELAND.
57
On the Canons, four in number, together with the Dean,
devolve the responsibility of residence, the division of the
corporate property; in short, the duties of the lesser
Chapters in England. They may be, but are not of
necessity, Prebendaries also. The latter vote on parti-
cular occasions only, as on the Election of a Dean, thus
keeping up the notion of a Greater Chapter. The resi-
dence at Kildare is of necessity kept by only one Canon
appointed by the whole body. The revenues are little
more than nominal, and hardly sufficient for keeping up
the small Choir or Chancel, (the rest of the Cathedral
having been ruined in the Great Rebellion,) and there is
no official residence for any one of the members,
Except, however, in the supposed case of Kildare, it
does not appear that in Ireland the more modern arrange-
ment of appointing a fixed number of Residentiaries to
represent the whole body ever took place. The provision
for the more strict residence of the Dignitaries appears to
have been nothing more than what was required for the
discharge of their respective offices. In all Irish Cathe-
drals, with the solitary exception just mentioned, all
Dignitaries and Prebendaries have an equal vote and
concern in all Chapter matters, and divide between them
the duties of preaching, and of such divine offices as are
not parochial.
The discharge of these duties in person, is now in
many cases impossible, or inconvenient to the last degree.
The Irish Dignities and Prebends are for the most part
attached to Parishes which form their corps: several of
these have indeed become non-cures, from the want of
churches or houses of residence. But of those which
have actual parochial duties annexed, the revenue is
frequently insufficient to admit of occasional residence
0
58
ON RESIDENCE IN
at the Cathedral besides (were this required), or even of
the payment of a Curate. It has therefore become a
matter of necessity in most cases to appoint a permanent
deputy, paid by the contributions of the members who
do not attend, to discharge the cathedral offices: this
deputy being denominated the Residentiary Preacher.
This denomination, however, has arisen from the low and
improper notion of regarding the Sermon as the prin-
cipal Canonical office. In strictness, this Deputy ought
to be considered as representing the Prebendary in
course in all his sacred functions, that of administering
or assisting at the Holy Communion especially, and that
on all Sundays at the least. In all the Irish Churches,
this most sacred part of divine worship is the duty of
the three, or two Senior Members present. And where
there are no Vicars Choral, that is, no deputies for per-
forming Canonical duties, the principals must officiate,
and therefore of course the Capitular Members are respon-
sible for the offices of morning and evening prayer
besides.
In St. Patrick's, the Prebendary or Dignitary in
course is in strictness obliged to attend the daily service
during the fortnight of residence which devolves on him.
And it appears from documents still extant', that not
very many years ago, a residence was provided by the
Chapter for the Prebendary in course.
By the law of the land, most of the Cathedrals in
Ireland were constituted the Churches of the Parishes
in which they were situated. Some indeed, as Limerick,
had been so from time immemorial. And thus thes
Churches serve in a double capacity; but this application
1 Scc MASON's Hibernia.
THE CATHEDRALS OF IRELAND.
59
to Parochial purposes has by no means interfered with
any of their Collegiate rights. Though the Parishioners
resort thither, and all occasional offices are performed
there by the parochial Clergy of the place, yet the privi-
leges and duties of officiating and preaching remain as
before to the Capitular Members. There are cases,
indeed, when the Parochial Incumbent or Curate is also
the officiating Minister: but this arises either from his
being the Dean, or a Capitular Member, or from his
uniting with his parochial office that of Residentiary
Reader or Preacher, conferred on him by the Chapter.
It often happens, and most advantageously for the
interest of the Cathedral, that the Dean is also the
Parochial Incumbent. Thus permanent residence is
secured to him who has the chief authority both in the
Parish and in the Chapter.
Besides the Residentiary Preacher, there is in some
places another officer, annually elected from their own
body by the Chapter, called the Economist. This regu-
lation is one of ancient standing in the Church: since we
find that in the Cathedral of Exeter, two Economi, or
Stewards, were annually chosen from the Canons, with
duties of a similar kind. These are, the custody of the
fabric, the payment of salaries, and the care of the com-
mon funds for the support of the Church, under the
direction of the Chapter. But it is to be remarked, that
by far the greater number of the Cathedrals have long
been without common funds, and were formerly sustained
by Church rates, as they are now by those iniquitous
substitutions for rates, the legalized plunder in the hands
of the Ecclesiastical Commissioners.
I
1
1
60
SECTION VIII.
OBSERVATIONS ON THE EXCELLENCE OF THE
ANCIENT CATHEDRAL SYSTEM.
Ir may be desirable to follow up the above facts by a
few observations, having reference as well to the original
constitution of the ancient Cathedrals, and to their
present administration, as to their reformation, or rather
restoration.
In their design originally laid down there seems an
admirable wisdom. And indeed this might be well
presupposed, since they retained the principal features
common to all Christian Churches, ever since the endow-
ments of the pious, during the more tranquil times,
permitted them to organize and to exhibit any settled
system in the details of their ministrations.
In the first place, provision was made for the perma-
nent residence of a competent number of Clergy, who, in
addition to the sacred offices common to all, had each the
superintending, as before observed, of certain duties
immediately connected with the administration of divine
service. And were this constitution restored, all the
advantages would be found to be of practicable attain-
ment, which persons of zeal indeed, but of partial and
incomprehensive views, and unmindful of their ancient
system, are now wishing to establish in them.
Thus the office of PRECENTOR, held by a Presbyter of
Capitular rank, was provided for the authoritative super-
intendence of an object most sacred in itself, which many,
EXCELLENCE OF ANCIENT CATHEDRAL SYSTEM.
61
regarding the Cathedral preeminently as a school of sacred
music, would entrust to subordinate or lay hands. Here
an accomplished ritualist and musician would find his
place.
Again the office of CHANCELLOR had respect to ends,
which though not superior to the details of liturgical
ministration, as some would consider them, are yet of
great importance. These ends are, the public profession
of Divinity in some manner best suited to the wants of
the Church; the care of the Chapter library, an object
to which attention has of late been largely called; the
superintendence of the Cathedral schools, and perhaps
those of the city and Diocese: and as regards the service
of the Church (for this is an object subordinate to none),
the due enforcement of the correct and reverential
reading of the lessons from Holy Scripture; a matter of
prime importance, the impious neglect of which calls for
most stringent correction.
The office of TREASURER, embracing the special super-
vision of the inferior ministers of the Church, and of all
the requisites for divine service, requires a wise discre-
tion, well befitting a Priest. And if to this duty were
added the office of the Economist (though this latter
does not in strictness belong to the place), and the special
care of the fabric, these functions would well befit one
who had studied in a religious spirit the architecture and
antiquities of the Church.
The ARCHDEACONS were anciently always attached
to the Cathedral: an arrangement, the obvious propriety
of which is now recognized, and on which it is needless
to enlarge
And when to these peculiar duties, the ordinary
service of the Church, celebrated with a primitive fre-
62
ON THE EXCELLENCE OF THE
quency and solemnity, is added, as the common func-
tions of all the Canons, ample employment, consistent at
the same time with competent leisure, would be secured
for men of various kinds of ability, all converging in the
service of God, as their common centre.
Again, there is now a general feeling that the Paro-
chial Clergy should have some interest in the Cathedral
Chapters. By the old Constitutions, at least by the prac-
tice of the Church for many centuries, there was an
ample infusion of these, who had the privilege of per-
forming stated and occasional services, of such rare
occurrence, as not to draw them much away from their
cures, and yet sufficient to bring them from time to time
under the eye of their Bishop, or at least of his principal
Clergy. Of this advantage Archbishop Sharpe', one of
the best disciplinarians of our Church, was fully sensible,
and availed himself of it in his Cathedral of York. In
this respect the primitive connection between the Paro-
chial Churches and the Mother Church of the Diocese
was practically preserved. And here an analogy is
observable between the Services of the Cathedrals and of
their great prototype, the Jewish Temple: where though
the greater part of the Priests had merely short and
stated terms of residence and duty, yet there were some
who were perpetually resident, and had the ordinary care
of the sacred place?.
The endowments of the simple Prebends were gene-
rally small: insufficient for the maintenance of a Priest,
but often sufficient to meet the expenses incident to the
performance of occasional duties. There are a few
1
Life of Archbishop Sharpe, by his son.
2 LIGHTroor's Temple Service.
ANCIENT CATHEDRAL SYSTEM.
63
exceptions, however, in York, St. Paul's, and Lincoln.
These exceptions might be regarded as advantages.
For there are many able men, unfitted for the exclusive
service of the Cathedral, yet eminently useful as Paro-
chial Ministers, on whom the bestowal of a stall, not
only as an honourable distinction, but as a fair assistance
to their means, would be a legitimate employment of the
Church's revenue. As it is now, such a' measure is
impracticable, unless by compelling men to the neglect
of one duty or another, that of the Parish, or of the
Cathedral.
But we must turn from this fair theory, which has
not been realized, solely because Church principles have
been despised and forgotten, to the actual practice. As
to the dignities, it is notorious that they have been gene-
rally bestowed without the slightest reference to the
performance of their peculiar duties. Men have been
contented to possess the contemptible distinction of hold-
ing places of prominent ecclesiastical rank, the names of
which have become, through their incompetence, prac-
tical falsehoods. They have aided, by their neglect, in
fixing a secular sense on the ecclesiastical term sinecure,
which is far from meaning an exemption from duty, but
merely from those which are peculiarly parochial: though
indeed, in strictness, every Priest who ministers before
God has, during his ministration, the cure of souls. As
Canons they have been content to defeat the wills of
their founders, and to do nothing. The name of Pre-
centor, for instance, is often assumed by men utterly
ignorant of Choral Music and the ecclesiastical Chant,
nay perhaps absolutely hating it, or else considering it as
a matter beneath the notice of Dignitaries, or Clergymeni,
or gentlemen, and are content to delegate to inferior
64
ON THE EXCELLENCE OF THE
ministers, whom they despise, employments which have
been exercised by Prophets and Kings inspired by the
Holy Ghost. In like manner there have been Chan-
cellors utterly neglectful or incapable of the functions of
scholars or divines. And so of other offices. The result
is a system of delegation of the most sacred capitular
offices, as in the Cathedral of St. Paul, to Minor Canons,
to men who have the responsibility without the authority.
Even the comparatively modern expedient of Resi-
dentiaries has been defeated by long tolerated abuse.
They each reside but a short time of the year, and,
contrary to the original intention of their institution, are
permitted to hold Parishes. They have in fact no moral
right to their emoluments. If the almost episcopal
magnitude of the revenues now claimed by the Canons
of St. Paul's and Lincoln be considered, and the suffi-
ciency of those in most other places, for all the moderate
wants of clerical life, the fulfilment of the original
requirements is the very least that can be required, if
the desire for reform is anything more than a jest and a
pretence. Four members, even though all constantly
present, are but a scanty representation of forty or fifty
men, and form but a meagre band of Ministers to offer to
God a majestic service in Temples so vast and magnifi-
cent. As it is, the duty of daily attendance of even but
one at a time is frequently intermitted by unavoidable
casualties. Hence in St. Paul's, that disgraceful con-
trivance, by which one of the Prebendaries, the Divinity
Lecturer, is appointed to that office, founded for very
different purposes', on the understanding, that he is to
In old times, the Divinity Lecture was read daily at St. Paul's,
at which all members of the Church were required to attend. Grindals
ANCIENT CATHEDRAL SYSTEM.
65.
take the duty of the absent members at a salary little
better than an assistant Curate's. But this is a flagrant
abuse. The Residentiaries, themselves delegates, are
responsible as a body, for the continual presence, through-
out the year, of the greater part of their number. Their
rotatory system is a matter of private regulation, and
is in direct opposition to the ordinance of the Church
which they so inadequately serve.
It is true, that sometimes, as at York, it may happen
that the possessor of a meagrely endowed Prebend, if
called
upon to be a Residentiary, has still too small a
revenue from the divisible fund of that Church, for his
exclusive support. In that case, the holding of a parish
in addition may be excusable. But can it be doubted,
that men might be found of zeal and of private income
sufficient to sustain a permanent and willing residence?
Thousands of the most eminent Clergy have upon
smaller means contentedly undertaken the most laborious
and exacting cures. And wealth is not necessary towards
real dignity, even towards moderate and becoming hospi-
tality, which is confessedly one of the duties of the
Clergy in these places. That any pluralist, however,
should exist among the Residentiaries of St. Paul's or
Lincoln is a scandal.
As to the simple Prebendaries, they have sometimes
been actually discouraged, as at Lincoln, from performing
their sacred duties, which they have been taught to con-
sider rather as burdens than as privileges. Open coun-
tenance is given to a miserable job, which constitutes the
Life, book i. chapter 6. Divinity Lectures were established after the
Reformation, at Lichfield and Hereford, to be read on Wednesdays
and Fridays by persons chosen by the Charter.--- Whitgift's Life,
book ii. chapters 3 and 4.
F
66
ON THE EXCELLENCE OF THE
Vicars Choral as the deputies in this respect of the Pre-
bendaries, in order that, by the payment for the preach-
ing turns, their scanty incomes may be increased, and
the rich body of Residentiaries may be saved from the
contributions which they ought in all right to afford to
those inferior ministers. If a deputy is to be tolerated,
he ought to be invested with the dignity of those he
represents. The Residentiaries are the real deputies of
the other superior Members: the Vicars are, indeed,
also such, but for other purposes. It is an abuse not to
be spoken of without shame, that, in the presence of
richly endowed Canons, the capitular duties should be
devolved upon men who take the labour without sharing
the honour, and who are already overburdened by ill
compensated and conflicting employments.
I hope, however, that I am rather speaking of past
and passing, than of confirmed abuses. In some of our
Chapters, at least, a better spirit has arisen, and the
newly-appointed Prebendaries are zealous in doing their
part towards restoring the Cathedrals to their pristine
order. But I am willing to let these remarks stand, that
it may be seen how instant and vigorous, and systematic the
reaction must be, in order to rescue the Cathedrals from
the well-merited censure of public opinion, properly so
called: that is, the deliberate judgment of the zealous
and devout. No censure is intended on individuals, the
creatures (as all men to a certain degree must be) of
the system under which they have unconsciously grown
up, but on the system itself. Those alone are culpable,
whose eyes have been opened to the real state of things,
and who are yet content to retain their sacred trusts, and
to misapply them. It is but the part of charity to lay
before those connected with their discharge, in the
ANCIENT CATHEDRAL SYSTEM.
67
strongest terms of reprobation which can be properly
used, the gross want of good faith, or at best the inex-
cusable apathy, which in former times permitted a vio-
lation of the intentions of the Church, and thus ministered
in a wholesale manner to avarice, secularity, and, it must
be added, to utter irreligion.
To this the reply is obvious, that one who censures
abuses matured in growth, and consequently difficult of
eradication, is bound to find a remedy. For a private
individual to propose any new scheme might be rightly
considered presumptuous: but since my remedy is simply
the return, as opportunities may occur, to ancient
order, I am but asserting, as every Churchman has a
right to do, the long established system of the Church,
in opposition to the upstart contrivances of yesterday.
And this I venture to do with the more confidence,
because in the late measure, against which the great
body of the Church has earnestly reclaimed, the low
standard of modern neglect was taken as the rule of
alteration. In but two instances, that of the permanent
residence of the Dean, now properly enjoined, and of the
assignment of Prebendal stalls to Archdeacons, was the
slightest regard paid to the requirements of ancient
times; no effort whatever was made to give greater
majesty to God's worship; it was forgotten that his
honour was the end of the Church's institutions: and
in the fixing of the Capitular revenues upon principles
new to the Church, the whole object seemed to be to
make a few men moderately comfortable, to retain a few
“prizes," as it is called, “ for deserving Clergymen';" and
at the same time to save this great nation from bearing
It is a vice of the present day to talk of Clergymen instead of
the Clergy.
F 2
68
ON THE EXCELLENCE OF THE
its just burthen in the building of new Churches, by
reducing the already abridged worship of our Cathedrals
to the most sordid scale that the Christian world has yet
known.
In the first place, then, in all cases where the pro-
perty of the Church is sufficient, the Dignitaries, that is,
the Precentor, Chancellor, and Treasurer, ought, besides
the Dean, to be required to reside, and to hold no paro-
chial or other benefice: care being taken that their
qualifications be suited to the peculiar requirements of
each office. Thus in Salisbury' the separate estates of
the Dignitaries are amply sufficient to enable them
to reside, in addition to the Residentiaries already
established. It might perhaps be possible so to arrange
it in the other Cathedrals, as to establish the system
already noticed as existing in Lincoln, Lichfield, and
Exeter, by which the Dignitaries are Residentiaries. But
should this be impracticable, from the circumstance
of the appointment of Dignitaries' and Residentiaries'
places being in different hands, it might at least be
required of every newly appointed Dignitary to give some
portion of his time to the duties of his office, even though
slenderly endowed. This is no more than is required
from many of the Professors at the Universities;
familiar instances, from the Master of the Temple in
London, and the Bampton Lecturer at Oxford; nay, from
many of the most gifted men of their several generations,
who,' though assisted by endowments almost nominal,
have enlightened Europe by works of imperishable
as
· These estimates are made from the Parliamentary returns, and
the renewal fines, on an average of three years, as there given, are
included.
ANCIENT CATHEDRAL SYSTEM.
69
wisdom. This is no reason why a Precentor of St. Paul's
should not, with a revenue of 901. a year, bestow some
care upon the regulation of the ancient and numerous
Choir in that Church. There are many men, and the
number, thank God, is hourly increasing, who would
regard such and similar honourable services, as infinitely
to be weighed against all pecuniary recompense. The
principle, indeed, that those who serve at the altar should
live by it, is one which ought never to be overlooked in
a Christian country; and every endeavour ought to be
made to provide a sufficient maintenance for the undi-
vided attention to important functions. But where this
cannot be done, it were at least but decent to incite to
slenderly endowed preferments the services of willing
minds.
But whether united to dignities or not, the offices of
Residentiaries ought to be such in reality, and their pos-
sessors proliibited from holding any benefice with them.
They ought to learn to regard the Cathedral Precinct
as their HOME. It is sufficiently evident, that without
such a home feeling, no real spirit or vitality can coexist
with religious duties, however conscientiously performed.
A secular mind can of course never enter into the real
virtue of the Cathedral System. But in the case of a
good man, whose heart must of necessity be in that place
where the law (under the present system of tolerated
pluralities) rightly requires his most continued residence,
that is, his Parish, in what light can he regard his Cathe-
dral residence, except, at best, as a relaxation? Its
spiritual advantages, indeed, he must enjoy, if he have
either taste, or feeling, or devotion, or reverence: but he
cannot regard the interests of the Mother Church with
that undivided zeal, essential towards the due sustentation
70
ON THE EXCELLENCE OF THE
of its holy discipline and influence. Nay, the peculiari-
ties of the Choral Service he may probably regard as
foreign to his habits and best associations, and therefore
will either look coldly on it, or seek to assimilate it to the
lower standard to which he has been accustomed. He
comes and departs, (and this is notoriously the fact) as
a stranger, as an occasional visitor. And as these feel-
ings must more or less pervade the entire body, so long
as the present system is permitted, how can the ecclesi-
astical corporation have that unity and devotedness of
mind, which should concentrate the energies of the entire
body upon the high duties of their peculiar position; so
that from their city set upon a hill, a perpetual and glo-
rious light may shine before men?
It may be justly asked, by what law are the superior
members absolved from that strictness of constant and
daily attendance, which is enjoined on the inferior, except
by that, which a Christian ought to be ashamed to name,
the law of might? The Canons are not merely the occa-
sional superintendents of duties performed by others, a
sort of ecclesiastical police, but are themselves the
responsible agents, the principals, in those duties; the
inferior members are their assistants, not their servants.
The present desertion of oür Cathedrals by their Clergy
is to be regarded as one of the worst corruptions of
secular times, as one of the most mean of those inven-
tions of men, which have brought into disrepute the
misapprehended, because perverted, institutions of Chris-
tian wisdom.
As to the non-residentiary Prebends, their revenues
ought to be retained, unhappily it ought rather now to
be said, restored. To enlarge upon the reasons for this
is unnecessary, as they have been anticipated, when
ANCIENT CATHEDRAL SYSTEM.
71
stating the fitness of their original foundations.
As
matters now stand, it is a thing most providential,
that the names and functions of these stalls have been
preserved to the Church; at the same time that the
abstraction of all endowment is a new feature, foreign to
all ecclesiastical principle'. As their restoration is a
thing which should be hopefully contemplated, it may be
suggested whether a few of the best endowed in St.
Paul's, and perhaps elsewhere, might not be constituted
Residentiaryships, in addition to those already established
there. By the present law, indeed, an additional Resi-
dentiary is to be added to St. Paul's, being, with great
propriety, one of the Archdeacons. Still, for so great
a Church, the body of resident officers of the superior
order is scanty indeed, and, in spite of what has been
asserted to the contrary, is practically insufficient.
The preaching turns of the Prebendaries ought to
be discharged in person, when practicable; if otherwise,
by Capitular members, and if possible, by the Residen-
tiaries, in such cases as they have no stated turns beyond
those belonging to their Prebendal offices. But more
will be said on this head when the Rubric about the
Sermon comes under consideration. In no case, however,
ought the paltry system of delegation to Minor Canons
or Vicars Choral to be permitted.
1 The title of “Honorary Canon” is of foreign growth, and can
never realize its name with Englishmen. It would seem to imply that
endowed canonries are not honourable. It is impossible that those
anomalous places proposed to be established under this name in the
Cathedrals of Henry VIII.'s foundation can be regarded as honourable,
since they owe their origin to the late enactments which mutilated the
Church. But as for the ancient stalls still retained in the Cathedrals
of old foundation, they ought never to be styled, as they sometimes
are, honorary Canonries: they still retain their ancient designations,
which ought to be religiously preserved.
72
ON THE EXCELLENCE OF THE
use.
Before we leave the subject of residence, it may be
well to observe upon the system at present pursued at
York. The Close of that Cathedral contains some houses,
belonging to certain of the Dignitaries and Prebendaries,
not one of which is occupied by its possessor: as they
are mostly let to laymen.
The Residentiaries now
occupy in turn a modern house built for their common
The design of simultaneous residence is thus deli-
berately frustrated. This, however, is an abuse of modern
times. In the injunctions of Archbishop Grindal, in
1571', it was ordered, that “no Dignitary or Prebendary
should let his principal mansion house to any lay person,
or to any person, save to those that had Dignities or
Prebends in the said Church. So that if they did not
inhabit the same themselves, or keep it against their
repair to the said Church, (which shall be twice every
year at the least) the said houses, according to the ancient
laudable custom, shall remain to be inhabited by those
that have Dignities or Prebends, lacking houses of their
own.” Dean Comber, the indefatigable restorer of
ancient usages, and especially of weekly Communion,
resided at York in his Precentor's house: and in late
times, the celebrated Mason, who occupied the same
office, and strictly performed its duties, did the same.
The present miserable system ought not to be suffered
to continue.
The same regulations would apply to Ireland, in all
practicable cases. In the principal cities at least a
regular system of residence, on Church principles, ought
to be provided. And no Church requires revision in
this respect more than the Cathedral of St. Patrick,
| Life of Grindal, book ii. chapter ii.
ANCIENT CATHEDRAL SYSTEM.
73
where all canonical order has fallen into contempt, and
where delegation prevails to a shameful extent. The
Cathedrals of Ireland, though humble in comparison
with those in England, ought still to assert their intrinsic
dignity as the Mother Churches of the land: and it is
no more than the bounden duty of Churchmen to rescue
from further mutilation and depression the few vestiges
of outward honour which still remain; and which that
much injured Church can ill afford to spare. It is impos-
sible to say how far the neglect of her Cathedral foun-
dations may have afforded a specious justification for the
spoliations of late years.
In what has now been urged, it cannot be said that
obsolete customs are sought to be revived. The letter
of the Cathedral statutes, still of moral obligation, and
the sanction of the Church of England, which never
dies, require the re-establishment of reverent, Catholic,
and edifying order. It has been already shown, that in
the system itself there is nothing monastic. It is in
accordance with the discipline of the Church in her
purest days: and nothing but a sordid secularity, a
conceited love of innovation, or an undevotional apathy
can be urged as a real bar to its effective restoration.
74
SECTION IX.
OF THE CATHEDRALS OF THE NEW FOUNDATION.
THIRTEEN Cathedrals in England, and one in Ireland, that
of Christ Church in Dublin, were remodelled in the time
of Henry VIII. Before that time nine of these had
been at the same time Monasteries and Cathedrals: five
had been simply Monasteries; the sees of Oxford, Bristol,
Chester, Gloucester, and Peterborough, being then newly
established. Canons and Prebendaries, with inferior offi-
cers, were substituted for monks: the new constitutions of
these places being apparently modelled on that of the
Collegiate Chapel of St. George in Windsor, founded
about two hundred years before.
And here, an earnest disavowal must be expressed of
the identification often carelessly made of two very
different events, the one affecting the faith, the other
merely the temporalities of the British Church. The
Reformation from the grossest error and abuse to pri-
mitive integrity, was a work undertaken by the most
learned of her Clergy, perfected by her ecclesiastical
councils, and fortified by the approval and authority of
the civil power'. But the dissolution of the Monas-
1 In the newly published Lectures of the late Dr. Arnold, a work
the evident and high merits of which it were impertinent in the writer
of these pages to enlarge upon, it is assumed, that the first steps at
least towards a Reformation, and those of a most important kind,
were effected by the civil authority alone, independently of the Church.
That the King, as supreme within liis realm, at a time when the
CATHEDRALS OF THE NEW FOUNDATION.
75
teries was not only antecedent in time to the Reforma-
tion, but was effected by an agency totally different, by
secular authority alone, the estate of the Clergy in no
way assenting. While, therefore, the Reformation is
devoutly regarded as the work of God's Providence,
signally promoting our greatest national blessing, the
preceding events and their immediate consequences
claim no more respect than what is due to any historical
crisis, which, though overruled by Providence for good,
was immediately brought about by the worst passions of
mankind.
It were impious, indeed, to doubt, that in the course
of these momentous changes, God's Spirit was at hand
to suggest with admonitions clearly audible, a real work
of temporal reformation, and a plan the most compre-
hensive for strengthening the outward framework of the
Church. It was in contemplation not to alienate from
the service of God the monastic properties, but to
absolve the conventual Clergy from unlawful, irrational,
Church and State were rightly regarded as indivisible, was the execu-
tive organ of many of these measures, is unquestionable. But it ought
to be remembered, that the Convocations were then in full operation,
cognizant of these acts of the Sovereign; for some of which they had
petitioned, in some of which they concurrently approved, and for which,
in Archbishop Warham's time, they had evidently been preparing.
The virtual sanction of the estate of the Church was given to the
reforming acts of the King and the Parliament. But besides this consi-
deration, it ought to be remembered, that the Records of Convocation of
the time are for the most part destroyed, and it is now impossible to
say how far their formal concurrence was in each instance given. As
to the exercise of ecclesiastical authority by Queen Elizabeth, in oppo-
sition to the Church, as Dr. Arnold assumes, it is easily answered,
that the Convocations in Queen Mary's time were usurping and schis-
matical bodies. Queen Elizabeth merely restored the real councils of
the Church by declaratory acts.
76
CATHEDRALS OF THE NEW FOUNDATION.
and unscriptural vows: and so to modify their constitu-
tions as to meet their original objects, but with a more
enlarged and Catholic provision, that they might be the
Cathedral Chapters, the Schools of learning and the-
ology, the almshouses and hospitals of the land. These
measures could not be rightly regarded as wanton
violations of ancient rights. The constitution of the
Monasteries was inconsistent with rightful ecclesiastical
order: they were very much independent of the Bishops,
and subservient to the usurped jurisdiction of the Roman
see: having in many instances themselves supplanted, (as
remarked in a former section,) the original foundations of
secular Canons. The proceeding therefore, in its general
design, was one rather of restoration, than of organic
change.
But the suggestions from above were disregarded;
and the noble design, in part only accomplished, was
soon abandoned. In the first place, the Church was not
consulted: the Monasteries, compelled to the scandalous
mockery of a legal surrender, were seized upon by the
secular arm; out of the revenue thus placed at the
disposal of the crown, but six of the twenty-one con-
templated Bishopricks were founded: even these were
endowed with miserable revenues; the projects of Col-
leges for the education of the Clergy, and Hospitals for
the maintenance of the poor, whom the Monasteries had
sustained, were for the most part laid aside; and by far
the greater part of the ecclesiastical properties was
Of these six, Westminster continued a see during the incumbency
of but one Prelate. The other fifteen were, Waltham, St. Albans,
Dunstable, Newenham, Elveststone, Leicester, Fountains, Bury, Shrews-
bury, Welbeck, Worksop, Turgarton, Lanceston, Bodmin, and another
not fixed.
CATHEDRALS OF THE NEW FOUNDATION.
77
alienated to the use of a profligate King, and of a host
of craving courtiers. The Temples of God were suffered
either to fall into ruin, or to be desecrated as the nests
of the greedy vultures, who now infested the land : and
even in the instances where they were suffered to remain,
the most niggardly pittances were assigned to their
solitary incumbents: and by a wicked perversion of all
right, hitherto unknown to Christendom, the parochial
revenues, till then held by the Monasteries, were trans-
ferred to laymen, who were legally enabled to expend
upon their horses and hounds the shekels of the sanc-
tuary; that property which, however wrong might have
been the details of its application, was still ostensibly
bestowed, according to its original intention, upon the
service of God.
When these things are considered, those ought not
surely to be blamed, who refuse to regard the more
modern foundations of Canterbury and Winchester with
the same respect as the venerable constitutions of Salis-
bury and Lincoln; and who protest against the notion,
that these creations of King Henry VIII. are to be
considered as the standards to which the more ancient
establishments are to be conformed. Undoubtedly, a
reverence for an order of things established by the
undisturbed sanction of three hundred years would urge
right thinking men to deprecate any alteration now in
the more modern Colleges. But when we come to a
comparison of two systems, we have an unquestionable
right to hold up as the more holy and perfect, that which
in truth existed, as to its more conspicuous features, at
least in times when Parliaments had not yet been called
into being, when the usurpation of the Roman see had
hardly been felt in Britain.
78
CATHEDRALS OF THE NEW FOUNDATION.
Before, however, we proceed to examine the nature
of the modern Cathedrals, it must in all fairness be
allowed, that in those instances where Chapters were
newly founded or remodelled, the monastic property
seems to have been honestly given up to the purposes of
the new establishments. At first sight, indeed, it might
appear that the new foundations were far inferior to the
old in point of number and magnificence.
Thus the
ancient Convent of Canterbury consisted of between
fifty and sixty monks: whereas the present Chapter has
but thirteen members. But the monks were of various
degrees: some deacons, some laymen, some mere youths.
Some were in authority, others were obedientiaries, or
inferior members; so that while the present Prebendaries
and Preachers represent the superior members, the infe-
rior corresponded to the Minor Canons, Lay Clerks,
Schoolmasters, and even Grammar Scholars of the higher
form. If all these be taken into account, it will be
found, that whereas the old Convent of Canterbury had
at the dissolution about fifty-three members, the new
foundation, including its School, had seventy-five', and
this, without including in either estimate the Almsmen,
or boys of the Choir. It also appears that a choice was
given to the members either to remain as members of
the new foundation, or to retire upon a pension. Accord-
ingly, of the Monks six were made Prebendaries, ten,
Minor Canons, two, Choristers, or Lay Clerks; and
nine, Scholars. So that if we put out of the question the
sacrilegious seizure of the Church's sacred vessels, and
! Dean and Chapter, 13; Preachers, 6; Minor Canons (now but
six), 12; Vicars Choral, or Lay Clerks, 12; Schoolmasters, 2; Grammar
Scholars, 30.
CATHEDRALS OF THE NEW FOUNDATION.
79
ornaments, it does not seem that there was any flagrant
violation of the various holy ends to which the Convent
had been made subservient. The same conclusions, it is
presumed, may be arrived at, in the case of the other
new foundations.
Of the newly modelled Chapters, Canterbury, Dur-
ham, and Winchester have each twelve Prebendaries or
Canons: Ely and Oxford, eight each: Worcester, ten:
Bristol, Chester, Gloucester, Norwich, Peterborough, and
Rochester, six each, and Carlisle, four. Christ Church
in Dublin is different in its constitution, and in this
respect superior to any of the others of the new founda-
tions, since it has the four usual Dignitaries, besides the
Dean, and three Prebendaries. The turns of preaching
are equally divided among the Capitular members, except
the Archdeacon, who has no stated duties of officiating
or of residence; but the attendance on the daily service
of the Church falls on the Dean and Prebendaries, not
on the other Dignitaries. In all these Churches, with
the exception of Christ Church as now stated, the
Capitular members have equal rights and duties; all are,
or ought to be, Residentiaries; and generally speaking
each has a house belonging to his stall. The Dean is
the only Dignitary belonging to the foundation : as the
Archdeacon is not, according to the original constitution,
essentially a member. Though in some places, as at
Canterbury, he has a seat or stall and certain preaching
turns; but he has, as Archdeacon, no capitular rights.
The annexation of stalls to the Archdeaconries, in certain
Churches, is a modern measure. Certain offices are un-
dertaken in rotation by the members: but except that of
Vice-Dean, or Sub-Dean, which gives the holder rank
next after the Dean, these confer no precedence.
80
CATHEDRALS OF THE NEW FOUNDATION.
In the constitution of these Chapters there are
indications, of an Erastian and secular spirit. In the
first place, though a visitatorial power is assigned to the
Bishop, yet still it would appear from the wording of
the statute', that this was more a concession of Royal
favour, than an assertion of ecclesiastical principle. No
such mention is made of sacred functions to be per-
formed by the Bishop in his Cathedral, as was already
noticed in the case of St. Paul's. The total absence of
any mention of his sacred functions, shews at least a
carelessness of the more religious characteristics of the
Episcopal office, to which the provisions of the ancient
Cathedrals afford a laudable contrast.
Still I must
confess a strong conviction, that Henry VIII. in his
rehearsal of the Bishop's visitatorial power, merely
intended to assert his supremacy, as contradistinguished
from the papal, and his desire to reinvest the Bishops
with the power that ought rightfully to belong to them,
and ever had belonged, in those Churches which were
more peculiarly their own, and which derived their very
splendour and dignity from the fact that there the
Bishop had his throne. It is hard to conceive, that any
step so revolutionary, or so monstrous an anomaly, could
be. intended, as to deprive the Bishop, in his Cathedral
Church, of the right of officiating and of controul, which
the ancient ecclesiastical law had enforced. All such
rights, unless specially barred, still remain. And as to
In my remarks on the statutes of Henry VIII.'s foundation,
reference is made to the Statutes of Rochester Cathedral, published in
The History and Antiquities of the Cathedral Church of Rochester,
London, 1717. The statutes of these Cathedrals resemble one another,
with slight variations, some are totidem verbis identical. But as they
are not in general published, this assertion is made upon common
report, not upon actual knowledge.
CATHEDRALS OF THE NEW FOUNDATION.
81
the Prebendaries', they are expressly recognized as the
Bishop's Chapter; and no limitation whatever of the
functions essential to all ancient Chapters, is expressed.
They have the right, common to all Chapters, of electing
their Bishop, and of confirming certain Episcopal Acts.
To mention no other instance, we find that Archbishop
Parker fully asserted' his right of preaching and offici-
ating frequently in his Cathedral; and in his visitation
there, he went into such a minute and detailed examina-
tion of its discipline, even to the inquiry into the skill of
the singing men", as to exhibit something more than a
mere visitatorial authority.
In one essential respect, however, the connection and
influence of the Bishop with his Cathedral was weakened.
Anciently the Prebends were for the most part in the
collation of the Bishop. But in the new foundations,
the appointments were sometimes altogether vested in
the Sovereign, as at Oxford, Worcester, and Gloucester;
sometimes, as at Canterbury and Rochester, the Bishop
had the collation of but one or two. Even in the Metro-
politan Church of Britain, the Primate appoints but
three out of the twelve Prebendaries.
Then as to their internal constitution. There are no
Dignitaries, properly so called, except the Dean. The
office of Chancellor is unknown. The Precentor is not
a Capitular member: his functions, as if they were un-
“Et quod præfatus Decanus et Capitulum Ecclesiæ Cathedralis
Christi et Beatæ Mariæ Virginis Roffensis et Successores sui sint, et in
perpetuum erunt Capitulum Episcopatus Roffensis," &c.
2 STRYPE's Parker, vol. ii. page 304 (folio ed.)
3 It is hardly necessary here to advert to a mistake sometimes made,
of confounding the Diocesan office of Chancellor, or Vicar General of
the Bishop, with the Chancellorship of the Cathedral.
G
82
CATHEDRALS OF THE NEW FOUNDATION.
worthy the notice of the superior Clergy, are statuteably
assigned to a Minor Canon. The Archdeacon, as before
observed, is not necessarily a member of the Chapter.
But while there is thus a manifestly negligent estimate
of offices eminently ecclesiastical, the secular concerns of
the establishment are dwelt upon as matters of superior
moment, admitting of no delegation to inferiors. The
offices of Treasurer and Receiver, the most prominent
duties of which are those of Bursars and Stewards, are
held in yearly rotation by the Prebendaries. And indeed
the practice of these Churches favours the degenerate
spirit of their statutes. On the Minor Canons devo've
the chief details of divine worship: and the stated Chap-
ter meetings are generally known by the mere secular
name of Audits; as if the care of the estates of the
Church were the chief and most important concerns.
Again: from the comparative paucity of the mem-
bers, the parochial Clergy of the Diocese cannot bave the
same weight in the Chapter as in the older foundations,
where the great body of the Cathedral Clergy can of
necessity be but occasional residents, and must hold
parochial cures. In soine instances indeed, the Preben-
daries of the new foundations have no parochial connec-
tion whatever with the Diocese; and when the Sovereign
presents, this must often happen. Then, from the equality
of their rights and duties, it would be very difficult,
without injustice to the individual members, to restore a
system of perfect residence, practicable in the old Cathe-
drals. For if one member ought perpetually to reside, so
ought all: but if this were carried strictly into effect, the
desirable connection between the parochial and the
Cathedral Clergy would be altogether dissevered. So
that the only alternative is that system of residence by
CATHEDRALS OF THE NEW FOUNDATION.
83
rotation, already deprecated, which seems to have been
contemplated by the ancient statutes as the exception
and not as the rule.
And this leads me to follow up the above statements
with a few remarks. It is now generally held, that the
partial residence of the Prebendaries in turn was all that
was originally intended. And this notion is supposed to
be fortified by the sanction of the forty-fourth Canon,
which directs that no Prebendary shall under colour of
his Prebend absent himself from his Parochial Cure
beyond the term of his residence, and which also directs
that the Chapter shall arrange among themselves the
residence at their several Cathedrals.
Yet this Canon does nothing more than provide for
the due discharge of the parochial cure, when held with
a Prebend. It does not enjoin the combination of the
offices; it does not suppose it to be a matter of course;
nay, for anything that appears to the contrary, it may be
regarded as considering such a plurality as the exception
rather than as the rule. It was framed for the purpose
of preventing any flagrant abuse or positive neglect of all
duty, to which the existence of pluralities is obviously
liable. Otherwise the Parish or the Cathedral might
have remained altogether unserved. The statutes of
some Cathedrals at least are very stringent. Those of
Rochester' require perpetual residence from the Dean,
unless some legitimate impediments exist, and these are
specified ; viz., attendance on the King as Chaplain, &c.;
attendance at Parliament or Convocation, or the special
.*“Decanus semper domi apud Ecclesiam suam resideat, nisi illum
remoretur impedimentum legitimum." “ Canonicus domi se continere,
et in Ecclesiâ nostrâ semper residere volumus, nisi illos remorctur," &c.
G 2
84
CATHEDRALS OF THE NEW FOUNDATION.
:
affairs of the Church: with leave of absence but for a
hundred days, during which time alone he may visit any
other benefice he may happen to have. The same is
required of the Prebendaries, with the same exceptions,
and with a leave of absence on the like conditions, but
limited to eighty days. And it is further added', that a
third part at least of the whole number of Canons must
be perpetually present in the Church : obviously at every
daily service. And when the express reason of these
ordinances is stated to be”, that the Church may be
rightly governed, it is obvious that the present corrupt
practice is on every ground unjustifiable: and how much
our Cathedrals have suffered by partial residence it is
needless to point out. It is hardly to be believed, that
the magnificent endowments and residences, attached to
the greater stalls, as at Canterbury, Durham, and Oxford,
were originally intended to be subservient to occasional
duty only, that their revenues were to be mere auxiliaries
to parochial preferments: that the sums of money were
to be the essence, and the Cathedral duties the accidents,
and not rather that they were so endowed, in order to
afford every advantage for promoting the perpetual
service of the Cathedral, and to remove every excuse for
neglect. The very aspect of these places is sufficient
to confirm the impression conveyed by their original
ancient system of Christendom was statutes, that the
sought to be perpetuated.
1 “Statuimus et volumus tertiam ad minus partem totius numeri
Canonicorum in Ecclesiâ nostrâ perpetuum præsentem esse.” This, it
must be observed, is exclusive of the Dean, or Vice-Dean.
2 “Quia vigilanti Rectoris oculo nihil est utilius, ut omnia recté
gubernentur," &c. “Quandoquidem Membra a Capite procul sejungi
non convenit," &c.
CATHEDRALS OF THE NEW FOUNDATION.
*85
It may be answered, indeed, that whatever may have
been the theory, still the practice of the Church of
England has ever sanctioned the holding of stalls and
parishes in plurality. If this plea be worth anything, it
proves too much. For the same reasoning might defend
pluralities of parishes to an extent that no one would
now think of tolerating; and which, though permitted
for a long time subsequently to the Reformation, are
confessedly contradictory to the intentions of the Church.
And yet this abuse existed in the persons of some of the
most illustrious of her Clergy. To say nothing of
William of Wykeham in former times, who is supposed
to have held twelve benefices in plurality', we have a
notable, though by no means singular example in later
times, in the person of Laud”. Yet, if an exception
might ever be fairly pleaded, it would be in the case of
men such as these: who distributed with one hand what
they received with the other; who acted strictly as
stewards of the Church's property; and in times of
corruption and neglect, expended their time, their
talents, and their wealth, with single hearted zeal, upon
the building up the waste places of Zion, upon alms-
giving, and works of charity, upon the advancement of
good learning and divine worship, upon the most com-
prehensive designs for the promotion of man's welfare
and the glory of God. And indeed, the very rudeness
| Lowth's Life of Wykeham, 3rd edition, page 28.
2 It appears by Archbishop Laud's Diary, that he held at the
same time the following preferments, in addition to the Presidentship
of St. John's: the Deanery of Gloucester, a Prebend of Westminster,
the Archdeaconry of Huntingdon, the Prebend of Buck den, and the
living of Ibstock. When Bishop of St. David's, he retained his
Prebend, and the parishes of Ibstock and Creek..
.86
CATHEDRALS OF THE NEW FOUNDATION.
and confusion of the times in which they lived afforded
not only an excuse, but a cogent reason for a multiplied
superintendence of many concerns, by one master mind,
whose delight it was to set things in order, and to shape
the way for the defined administrations of more settled
times. And how sinall was the number of men to which
such superintendence could be safely trusted, how
necessary was a concentrated administration by a few,
how gross the ignorance of the great body of the
Clergy, the ecclesiastical annals of Edward and Elizabeth
abundantly shew. But besides these higher considera-
tions, it is evident that the theory of Collegiate discipline
was early interrupted by various linderances; and that
these may be mainly found to have arisen from the
Erastian interference of the Crown, which often diverted
to mere lay purposes the sacred revenues, and even
appointed Laymen to Clerical offices'; or from the con-
flicting elements, which long checked the authority, and
interfered with the most wholesome provisions of eccle-
siastical polity; or from that secular spirit, which, alas,
has existed more or less in every age, and which in the
generation just gone by was carried to its height, unre-
deemed, for the most part, by any characteristics of
learning, zeal, or devotion, and which degraded the
Collegiate offices of the Church, in the estimation of the
people, to mere places of emolument, cheaply earned,
and idly enjoyed.
But as the times of barbarity have long passed away,
1
Sir John Cheke, though a layman, was Canon of Windsor.
Many other such instances may be found. Dean Nowell remonstrated
with King James, upon the proposed measure of appointing laymen
to certain Stalls in St. Paul's.
CATHEDRALS OF THE NEW FOUNDATION.
87
so it is high time that the age of secularity should also
draw to a close. The external system of the Church has
now become a matter of deliberate investigation to the
conscientious: the exact scrutiny of the details of her
system, impracticable in more troubled times, is permitted
to us of this generation: the assaults of vigilant and
crafty enemies call for the return of each soldier of the
Church to his post: for the revival of deep learning, and
the cherishing of meditation, and of a devotional spirit
within the citadels and fortresses of the Church, no less
than for the full levies of her armies on the active fields
of warfare.
To return, however, to the subject before us. The
very arguments frequently used for the vindication of
Collegiate institutions imply the necessity of constant
residence of some of the members at least. Much is
said of the need for dignified leisure for men of learning,
and an exemption from the distracting cares of a Parish.
The theory is right: but what has been the practice of
the Church? Has not the possession of a Prebend with-
out a parish been the rare exception, not the rule? If
the Cathedral precinct has been regarded as a scene of
leisure, it has been so for the most part in the degrading
aspect of a breathing place from harassing duties, as a
mere place of relaxation, even of pleasure and luxurious
living, as the dormitory, not as the study, of the Clergy.
Nay, the paramount object of these foundations has been
altogether cast into the shade: we have heard them
spoken of as a sort of clerical hospitals, as if their chief
use was to afford a refuge for those who are past their
work, whether physical or intellectual. No wonder that
such views should prevail, when by a most unrighteous
perversion, they have ceased to be the homes of their
88
CATHEDRALS OF THE NEW FOUNDATION.
temporary occupiers: when, among other higher ends,
this end of their institution has been so forgotten, that the
first minds and the most laborious scholars in the English
Church, as Hooker and Bingham, have been suffered to
bear the whole burthen and heat of the day, while the
places befitting them have been diverted to the purposes
of political influence, and family aggrandizement, and
sometimes to the plethoric repletion of men utterly
incapable of comprehending the spirit of the Church's
institutions, or of discharging effectively one duty, intel-
lectual or religious, which she so imperatively requires at
their hands.
At the present time, there is, perhaps, more occasion
than ever for such an exemption from parochial cares, as
our Cathedrals are capable of affording. Our Univer-
sities, it is well known, have long ceased to allow this
leisure to any considerable degree. Till of very late
years, the residence of graduate members of the founda-
tion, unless they were engaged in tuition, was actually
discouraged, the Colleges being more anxious to crowd
their chambers with undergraduates. The Tutors and
their pupils became the objects of prime importance: the
University was changed into a school upon a large scale,
a hot-bed of exciting and ambitious emulation, directed
to objects mainly elementary, and ceased to be the quiet
sanctuary of holier and maturer studies, emulous of the
gigantic knowledge of ancient times'. The preparation
The modern assertion, that it is not the part of the Universities to
educate for professions, is contradicted by the letter of their statutes,
and by the provisions of their several foundations. This wretched
dogma may be true indeed with regard to the more purely technical
professions, such as common law: but theology, and civil law (would
that the latter were more studied by the Clergy), are expressly en-
CATHEDRALS OF THE NEW FOUNDATION.
89
for the Bachelor of Arts' degree occupied the attention
formerly considered due to the higher dignities of acade-
mical learning: the exercises of boys, unwholesomely
crammed with a mass of information, which it taxed the
health of body and mind to retain, pushed out of their
places the learned disputations and theses' of men trained
by a severe discipline in the higher regions of a more
intellectual philosophy, of an enlightened jurisprudence,
and of a Catholic theology. It is not meant, however,
by these remarks to insinuate, that the Cathedrals ought
to take the place of the Universities. God forbid that I
should pander to the unworthy notion practically held by
many, that for the sake of pampering the studies of
boyish philosophy and philology, the Queen and Mother
of all Sciences should be expelled from those places
which she herself had founded and sanctified, or at least
should be still further circumscribed in her rightful
dominion there. The Universities of England and
و
joined on the students of several Colleges. It is from mere abuse that
these have been suffered to decline. It is curious to observe that in
Bacon's time, the system of the Universities was the reverse of that
now practically pursued. "Amongst so many great foundations of
Colleges in Europe, I find it strange that they are all dedicated to
professions, and none left free to arts and sciences at large.”—Advance-
ment of Learning. He complains that the “fundamental knowledge"
was so passingly studied. The complaint now is, that they form the
chief staple of University education, and that boys are so crammed
with them, that they have too frequently no appetite for leapning of
greater moment when they become men.
Is it worthy of the University of Oxford to permit the substitu-
tion of " English Essays," for Latin theses and determinations, in the
exercises for the theological degrees, and to suppress the Conciones ad
Clerum on these occasions? It is to be doubted whether among the
unquestionable improvements made in her system during the present
century, the abolition of disputations and the ancient characteristic
exercises, is to be reckoned one.
1
90
CATHEDRALS OF THE NEW FOUNDATION.
Ireland will yet, with God's blessing, assert their preemi-
nent and holy dignity. They will yet administer a
severe correction to those secular and pseudo-aristocratic
habits, which are represented as being hinderances to
the calm study of theology: and recall that grave and
scholarlike demeanour, which was the rightful character-
istic of their venerable halls, and which even the highest
nobility, while pupils of our academical system, so admi-
rable in theory, ought to consider it an honour to assume.
Their chapels and their schools will yet be resorted to by
many matured spirits, content to prepare, in the depths
of holy study and meditation, for the service of God in
this world and that which is to come. The spirit of our
age requires a vigorous countercheck: that restless spirit
of activity, which seems to consider leisure almost as
great a crime as poverty; which can hardly believe that
any Clergyman is serving God aright, unless he have
some palpable work to employ his physical energies.
We require indeed that the Universities should oppose
this notion, by inviting back to their bosoms those of
their children, who, though harassed by active employ-
ment, and complaining of the want of learned leisure,
have yet to blame themselves for deserting the fellow-
ships or studentships which they hold as a mere augment-
ation to their parochial incomes: wanting perhaps the
moral courage to endure the restrictions of a scholastic
frugality, or to strive against the stream of public
opinion. Still, even were this reformation of the Uni-
versities carried into effect, it must be remembered, first,
that their endowments are mainly intended for a limited
class of men; secondly, that from them the married
Clergy are, with few exceptions, excluded; and lastly,
(a consideration of great importance) that each Diocese
CATHEDRALS OF THE NEW FOUNDATION.
91
ought to be able to afford within itself a dignified pre-
eminence to theological leisure, and to assert a principle
long undervalued or forgotten by a busy world, and
by a generation which carries a mercantile spirit even
into things divine.
And surely this necessity has become more cogent,
now when knowledge, and theological knowledge in
particular, is so ramified: when the progress of in-
formation has become so rapid, when the laity's super-
ficial acquaintance with many things so much requires to
be guided by the accurate and deep learning of men
devoted to the instruction, not of a class of raw pupils,
but of the Church at large: not as mere professors, as
constrained deliverers of formal lectures (for these belong
to the Universities), but rather as the untrammelled and
discursive investigators of the depths of divine learning;
the results to be exhibited as opportunity may serve,
either through their writings, or through the unformal
medium of Christian intercourse. Were all the stalls
of our Cathedrals to be filled with men who could thus
study and teach, the supply would not be more than
sufficient for the yearnings of the heart and intellect of
this Church and nation. Can it then be unreasonable,
if a demand is made, for the establishment in each Cathe-
dral of an inviolable rule, that some of the members
at least should constantly reside, exclusively devoted to
the public and daily service of God, and to those holy
studies and labours, which have ever so kindly harmo-
nized with the daily Choral worship, and with the weekly
celebration of the highest mysteries of Christ's religion?
How this might be effected I do not presume to decide;
but it may, perhaps, be allowed me to offer a few sug-
gestions. It is not my intention to insinuate that all
92
CATHEDRALS OF THE NEW FOUNDATION.
the stalls ought to be residentiary. On the contrary, as
shown in a former Section, it would seem that the
interests of the Church would be best consulted by the
partial residence of some, holding parishes'. These
might still keep their present terms of residence, and
perform their turns of duty. Out of the entire body
four in the more numerous Chapters, and two or three
in the smaller ones, besides the Dean, might be restricted
to perpetual residence, with duties analogous to those of
the Dignitaries in the old foundation', holding the offices
of Sub-Dean, Treasurer, &c., the knowledge of Church
music being indispensable to one, at least. I have no
desire, however, to meet the obvious objection, that the
residentiaries would thus have inferior revenues to the
others who held parishes in addition, by proposing any
redistribution of the common property. Let us believe
that a much more effectual answer may be found in the
more disinterested estimate of ecclesiastical duties now
growing up among the Clergy. Who, at the present hour,
could assert without shame, that the endowments of Can-
terbury, Durham, and Worcester, at least, are not fully
sufficient for every occasion which a clergyman of the
highest talents and deserts, may require, personal, social,
religious, and charitable? Can it be forgotten, that
from sources of revenue far inferior, some of the first
· Permanent annexations I must deprecate, as having the effect of
making the Cathedral duties to be considered as the accidents or
incumbrances of a certain ecclesiastical revenue. The holder is thus
effectually deprived of the right which every Canon originally had, of
residing exclusively at the Cathedral if he pleased. It is difficult to
conceive what advantage is secured by this new arrangement, which
could not be found in the old system, rightly administered.
? In Chester, and perhaps elsewhere, this would be impracticable,
from the extreme poverty of the endowments.
CATHEDRALS OF THE NEW FOUNDATION.
93
Churchmen in England have not only contrived to con-
tribute to the theology of their country, but, by the
exercise of a religious economy, to meet, and more than
meet, every charitable demand incident upon their posi-
tion as Christians and as Clergymen? No: with God's
blessing, the time is near, when the love for his service
shall do that for the Church, which chivalry is said to
have done in old times for the State: when the Church
shall find a “cheap defence” in the unsecular zeal of the
captains of her militant host: when frugality, moderation,
and plain but frequent and open-hearted hospitality,
reasserting their due preeminence, as the most honour-
able attributes of the clerical order, shall take place of
the desire for family aggrandizement, and a selfish or
ambitious luxury, and habits essentially secular: when
the real position of the Cathedral Clergy shall be prac-
tically exhibited, as that not of a set of dignified gentle-
men living at their ease, but as a College of Priests,
solicitous to expend every talent in the service of the
altar they surround, and of that Church, of which their
peculiar sanctuary is one of the preeminent strongholds.
Shame on that spirit, if indeed it still linger among
us, which would object to the restoration of the ancient
system, on the plea, that continual residence at the
Cathedral would afford no adequate duties, that it would
be a waste of life! What is this, but either to confess
or to suppose a want of aptitude for holy studies and
good learning, or of a devotional spirit, to which the
heavenly services of the Choir daily minister; or of that
active charity, for the exercise of which every city
affords daily occasion in innumerable forms, as long as
the poor man is in our land: as long as there are bye-
ways and lanes calling for the daily appliances of Christ-
94
CATHEDRALS OF THE NEW FOUNDATION.
ian love; as long as indifference, infidelity, and practical
heathenism remain to be reclaimed? Nay, the very
monuments of past ages that compass our Minsters, and
abound in the cities which they have made illustrious,
are remembrancers of these things. The learned Libraries,
the ancient Almonries', (disused indeed, but calling for
restoration) the decent Hospitals, founded in times when
Christian poverty was no shame: the schools for godli-
ness and good learning: all these indicators of man's
perpetual wants, these suggestors of the obligations of
Christian stewardship, these evidences of the charity
which fulfilled them; all these, placed as they are in
the neighbourhood, and under the shadow of those
Temples where the benefits of God's Grace are daily
sought, in the fullest voice of prayer, to sanctify every
work undertaken in his Name: all these ought surely
to speak to the conscience and heart of every Priest who
ministers within those precincts, and remind him that his
blessed privileges are to study, to meditate, to pray,
to give thanks, to do good: and by the use of means .
and opportunities, sufficient for the employment of every
faculty, to labour for his own salvation, and for the good
both present and prospective, of the people and Church
of God.
It cannot be, but that the energetic zeal, now
kindled on all sides for the furtherance of the parochial
system, must before long extend to the Cathedral
precinct: so that their inmates may teach the inhabi-
tants of our Cathedral cities to feel that they breathe
a more holy atmosphere; that they inhabit a metropolis,
the peculiar seat, not of fashion, or of trade, or of wealth,
1
That at Canterbury, for instance.
CATHEDRALS OF THE NEW FOUNDATION.
95
but of RELIGION: that the towering height of the Min-
ster may be symbolical of the heaven-directed studies
and devotions that characterize its favoured worship-
pers: till a vitality be infused into those ancient founda-
tions, and the prayers of their founders have their full
accomplishment: till their vast aisles and naves be filled
with great congregations, not pressing in as hitherto
merely to listen to the chanted service, or anthem, or
Sermon, but to participate in the holy emblems of their
Lord's sacrifice, offered to them on each recurring holy
day, and dispensed by a numerous Clergy, no more than
sufficient for the multitude seeking this highest office
at their hands: till the Cathedral be again the fountain,
the heart of the entire diocese, the exemplar to her
daughter Churches, as well of all external solemnity of
worship, as of deep, and fervent, and practical piety.
For this happy consummation how many hearts are now
yearning! For its accomplishment what noble means
has God's Providence placed within our reach! They
have been withdrawn for a time; but it only remains for
the State to speak, (if God so permit) and they can be
easily restored: it is not too late: let the Church
demand, as she has a right to do, the repeal of those
lamentable laws; let a determination be expressed by
rulers in Church and State to abjure the sacrilegious
abuses of past times, by a conscientious fulfilment of
the express ends of these endowments: and it shall be
found that in these much despised and neglected insti-
tutions, the Church possesses towers of strength, and
citadels of holiness: and that in her sharpest day of
trouble, God will be known in these her palaces as a
sure refuge.
96
SECTION X.
OF THE INFERIOR MEMBERS IN THE ANCIENT CATHE-
DRALS: AND FIRST, OF THE COLLEGES OF MINOR
CANONS AND VICARS CHORAL.
EVERY Cathedral in England and Wales, and several in
Ireland, has a certain number of inferior members,
clerical and lay, who, in their several functions, represent
the Deacons, Readers, Chanters, and other assistant
Ministers, who, under one denomination or another,
have always been attached to Cathedrals throughout the
Church Universal.
The duties of administering the Holy Communion,
and of preaching on Sundays and Holidays, peculiarly
belong to Canons or Prebendaries. The performance
of the daily morning and evening Prayer, Litany and
Lessons, are committed to the inferior Clergy, but only
as matters of delegation; the Canons, if competent,
having clearly a right to officiate. But more will be
said on this head in a future section. It is enough to
observe, that in the performance of divine service the
Prebendaries in general seem to resemble the Presby-
terate, the Vicars or Minor Canons, the Diaconate, of
the primitive Churches.
In all the Cathedrals of old foundation in England,
in that of St. David's in Wales, and in eleven of those
in Ireland', the inferior Clergy, and sometimes the lay
.
'Armagh, St. Patrick's, St.Canice's, Cashel, Limerick, Cork, Cloyne,
Lismore, Ross, Tuam, and Ardfert. In the two latter places these
bodies have dwindled down into corporations sole.
MINOR CANONS AND VICARS CHORAL.
97
members, form corporate bodies, distinct from the Chap-
ter, as far as their corporate property is concerned, but in
subjection to them, as regards the Service of the Church.
These corporations may be said to have somewhat the
same relation to the Cathedral body at large, that the
academical Colleges bave to the Universities to which
they belong
The inferior Clergy consist of two kinds, Minor
Canons, and Vicars Choral. The Cathedral of St.
Patrick's, in Dublin, and of Hereford, are the only two
which have both Minor Canons (four in number in each)
and Clerical Vicars. In St. Patrick's they form a dis-
tinct corporation from the Vicars Choral, and though one
person may hold offices in each college, they are not
necessarily united, as at Hereford. In the latter Church
they are elected by the Vicars. Of the Irish Cathe-
drals we shall speak hereafter, as there are circumstances
connected with them deserving a separate consideration.
The Cathedral of St. Paul has a Corporation of twelve
Minor Canons. The Vicars do not form a Corporation.
Each of the other above-named English Cathedrals has
a body of Clerical Vicars', varying from twelve, (of which
Hereford is the only instance,) to three, as at St. David's;
the usual number being four or five, corresponding,
in general, to the number of the Dignitaries. But in
many instances, as at Lichfield, Wells, &c., the Corpo-
ration has, in addition, several laymen: the total number
of the members being now generally twelve. This is
the proper force for a double Choir, which circumstance
in all probability was the principle of their limitation.
· The common title of Priest Vicars was not their original desig-
nation: since, at least at admission, they were frequently Deacons, or
in inferior orders.
H
98
COLLEGES OF MINOR CANONS
I say limitation, as they were formerly more numerous,
as will be presently shown. Twelve is the very smallest
number of adult members which should belong to a
Cathedral Choir.
The distinction between Minor Canons and Vicars
Choral is not very apparent: and the present usage of
the Church would seem to make them identical, as to
the duties they have to perform. The common duties
of each class are, however, constant' and daily attend-
ance (not by turns, but of the whole body simultaneously,)
in the Choir, to chant the prayers, services, and anthems;
and among the common qualifications", consequently, was
a skilful knowledge of Church Music. The term Minor
Canon is restricted to the Clergy: that of Vicar Choral,
is common to them and Laymen. The regulations of St.
Paul's Cathedral, however, recognize the Minor Canons
as a body superior to the Vicars. They were required
to be Priests, and to take the place of the Major Canons
at the high altar, when required, (but only it is presumed
on week days, since on Sundays and Holidays the Dean
and Canons officiated,) and also at the lesser altars. But
now that the daily Communion is disused, the Minor
Canons very properly perform the presbyteral duties at
Matins and Evensong. At St. Patrick's, the Minor
Canons read the lessons, the Vicars chant the prayers:
but this appears to be a modern regulation. At Hereford,
1 “Chorum assiduè et diligenter sectentur," (Canonici Minores sc.)
“ tum diebus, tum noctibus, agnoscentes se quidem ad id maximè
astrictos et obligatos esse. As to the Vicars, “ Sectenter Chorum die
nocteque.”-Appendix to DUGDALE's St. Paul's.
“ Habeat Minor Canonicus bonam vocem, sanam et placentem,
bonam artem canendi, quâ vocem dirigat suam in honorein Dei
“ Vicarii
sint tales qui habeant voces sanas et sonoras;
qui habent cum voce artem bcnè canendi.”- Appendix to Dugdale's
St. Paul's.
2
AND VICARS CHORAL.
99
the two Minor Canons and Junior Vicars are responsible
for the reading of the daily prayers, besides those Choral
duties which are common to all the Vicars.
The Vicars Choral, as their name implies, were origi-
nally appointed as the deputies of the Canons and Pre-
bendaries for Choral purposes, that is, to provide for the
absence or incapacity of the great body of Capitular
Members; the Clerical members to chant in rotation
the prayers at Matins and Evensong, &c., and the whole
body forming a sufficient and permanent Choir for the
performance of the daily service: a duty which the
Canons were originally required to perform in person.
This institution was most salutary; since, were every
Canon required to have this peculiar qualification, men
of more essential and higher qualities would of necessity
be often excluded from the Canonical stalls. In fact,
the appointment of Deacons and inferior ministers to this
particular office, which we do not find regularly estab-
lished till the beginning of the fourth century', bears a
striking analogy to the regulation of the Jewish temple;
where some of the Levites, the Deacons of that elder
Church, were newly appointed by David to the musical
service. And there can be no doubt that this, as well
many external regulations of the Christian Church,
was suggested by that primitive model.
The members of the Colleges were original mem-
bers of the Cathedral foundation; but did not at first
form separate corporations. The Vicars of Hereford were
incorporated by Bishop Stanbury, in the fifteenth cen-
1 BINGHAM, book iii. chapter 7, quotes the Council of Laodicea.
They were called the κανονικοί ψαλται. Τhe Precentor was sometimes
styled kavovápxns, a title which is confirmatory of the view taken of
the ecclesiastical meaning of Canon, in a former section, p. 34.
H 2
100
COLLEGES OF MINOR CANONS
tury: those of St. Paul, in the reign of Richard II., and
of Exeter, in Henry IV.th's time. In the Cathedral
of Glasgow the Vicars of the Choir were added by
Bishop Muirhead, (but whether as a corporation I do not
know) so late as 1455.
Originally the Vicars Choral were commensurate in
number with the Dignitaries and Prebendaries, each of
these having a Vicar, appointed by himself, by consent of
the Dean and Chapter, and holding his place only so long
as his principal lived. They were bound to assist at all
Canonical hours, and to make perpetual residence. They
were the vicegerents of their respective masters, not
their domestic servants. But it is evident that they
were their deputies for certain clerical purposes only,
since they were not necessarily priests, or even deacons,
though they were required to be in what were then
accounted holy orders. At St. Paul's they might be even
laymen at admission; but were required to seek for the
order of sub-deacon at least at the earliest opportunity.
Their delegation then must merely have consisted in the
performance of the ordinary duties of the Choir. The
numbers have now greatly diminished. In many places,
however, the two senior members are still styled Dean's
and Precentor's Vicars. At St. David's, the Senior is
Bishop's Vicar. In St. Patrick's, each Vicar is still
denominated from a Dignitary or a Prebendary, twenty-
six in number; but one Vicar is generally the represen-
tive of two stalls.
The reduction of members in these Colleges may be
owing to the diminution or alienation of their estates,
or more probably from the failure of those sources of
1 Vide Appendix to DUGDALE'S St. Paul's, and Jones's History of
Exeter Cathedral already referred to.
AND VICARS CHORAL.
101
revenue which existed before the Reformation. Thus, at
York, the College las dwindled down to five. The
Vicars of St. Paul's, (who do not form, as before stated,
a College,) have long been reduced to six, and these are
all laymen, contrary to the original intention'.
In former times, the members of these ecclesiastical
colleges lived in common, having, as at the Universities,
a Chapel, Hall, and common Table’. The College build-
ings still remain at Hereford and Wells, and elsewhere,
and are partially occupied at the first mentioned place
by the unmarried members. The College of Wells, with
its beautiful little Chapel, and its arched passage com-
municating with the North Transept of the Cathedral, is
singularly interesting. May it never be alienated, but
fully restored to its ancient discipline! At St. Paul's,
all vestiges of the common buildings, which stood at least
as late as 1561, in Bishop Grindal's time", have long dis-
appeared, and the Minor Canons have no residences as
such. At York, the extensive College buildings remain,
and could be easily restored, were there any available
funds; but they have been altogether alienated from their
original destination, with the exception of the Chapel,
which is occasionally used for the purposes of the Corpo-
ration. The President is styled Custos, Warden, Sub-
Dean, Sub-Chanter, Provost, or Procurator: an office
sometimes taken in rotation by the Clerical Members,
sometimes held for life.
As all the members together formed the Choir, and
1 This diminution took place before Dean Colet's time, who laments
this change, and the substitution of laymen for clergymen. He says
they formerly lived in common.- Appendix to DUGDALE'S St. Paul's.
2 The Common Hall of the Vicars of Exeter was built by Bishop
Brantyngham, in the fourteenth century.
Life of Grindal, vol. i. chapter 6. They had there a common table.
8
102
COLLEGES OF MINOR CANONS
as their formal incorporation was to supply the absence
of the Canons, and to provide the proper number of
simultaneous attendants on Divine Service, by the very
nature of their office all, clerical as well as lay, were
expected constantly to be present. It is true that the
clerical members have certain duties which they each
take in weekly course, as reading the Lessons, chanting
the Prayers and Litanies, &c.; but over and above these
they had the performance of the Choral Service common
to all. In fact, it is a modern abuse to devolve the
principal part of this sacred duty chiefly upon laymen.
Formerly, in every Cathedral the Clergy formed, as they
still do at St. Paul's, the principal part of the Choir.
That of Hereford consisted, at least till very lately,
exclusively of Clergymen.
Of the specific Liturgical duties allotted to the
various ministers, mention will be made when the Rubrics
come under consideration. In addition to these, the
Minor Canons, or Vicars, have frequently the superadded
offices of Sub-Dean, Sub-Chanter, or deputy of the
Precentor, and Sacrist, or deputy of the Treasurer;
offices of which the principals are too often altogether
regardless
I must here remark upon the flagrant abuse of
appointing men to the places of Minor Canons or Vicars
Choral, who are incapable of performing the proper
duties of their office, and whose designation becomes in
consequence a practical falsehood. If it would be absurd
to call him a singing man who cannot sing, it must be
considered equally absurd to give the name of Vicar
Choral to one who is not qualified to be the member of
a Choir. The writer of these pages well remembers
the pain lie felt at Wells, several years ago, at a time
when of all others a disturbance of devotional feelings
AND VICARS CHORAL.
103
was most to be deprecated (it was on the day of his ordi-
nation), when not only was the whole of the office of
Morning Prayer, Lessons, and Litany, with a sermon in
addition, performed by one Vicar Choral, but also no
attempt was made to chant the prayers, which were read
in the most rapid and irreverential manner conceivable;
and this in the presence of three Capitular members.
At Salisbury the prayers are, or were, sometimes chanted,
sometimes read. But it is hoped that the patrons of
these offices, now more alive to the conscientious recol-
lection of their trust, are remedying all such irreligious
indecencies.
Of the Irish Cathedrals (independently of Christ
Church, which will be considered among those of the
new foundation,) but twelve have any Choral foundations,
and of these twelve, four have long since disused any
semblance whatever of the Choral Service. The Cathe-
dral of Ardfert has but one Minor Canonry; which is
become a complete sinecure, the office being held by it
layman. The property is believed to have been formerly
appropriated to the support of many Minor Canons, and
it would still be sufficient to maintain a small Choir.
The Cathedral itself, an interesting though moderately
sized specimen of the Early or Lancet Gothic, is for
the greater part in ruin; the service being performed in
a small remnant of the ancient building, no way superior
to a poor village church in its size and appointments.
There is no organ, nor the least attempt to maintain any
of the attributes of a Cathedral. The Cathedral of Tuam
has in like manner now but one Vicar, the sole repre-
sentative of a College. However, a laudable attempt
was of late years made by its possessor to appropriate its
funds to the formation of a Choir. But modern legis-
lation has all such efforts in contempt; and of course
104
COLLEGES OF MINOR CANONS
any real attempt at reformation in this respect has met
with no encouragement from the dictators of our new eccle-
siastical polity. St. Canice, in Kilkenny, (the Cathedral
of the Diocese of Ossory,) has three Clerical Vicars. In
this beautiful little Cathedral, though there is an organ,
there is no Choir; the duty of the Vicars having degene-
rated into that of performing the service parochially.
The same may be said of Ross and Lismore; which latter
Cathedral, though restored, as to its fabric, in a praise-
worthy manner, still wants the essential feature of the
Choral Service.
The Cathedral of St. Patrick has been already noticed.
The foundation for the Choir here is large, magnificent,
and richly endowed; and as far as the lay Vicars are
concerned, nothing can surpass their musical skill, great
pains having been taken in the selection of qualified
singers. But unhappily it has been practically forgotten
that the Minor Canons and Priest Vicars ought to be
equally members of the Choir. Though the prayers are
chanted as often as the Choral Service is performed, this
duty has long devolved upon one or two, and these often
substitutes of the Vicars, deputies of deputies, and the
appointments have been considered as mere sinecures, in
the civil sense of the word. Besides this, to the disgrace
of this numerous Chapter and rich foundation, the Choral
Service is performed on the evenings of Sundays and
Christmas-day only; not even on Holidays or eves.
This was not formerly the case'. The abuse has arisen
from the plurality of offices allowed to the Choir, who
belong also to Christ Church; though the endowments
of each Cathedral are sufficient to support a full Choir
i Dean Swift speaks of the 1.usical abilities of liis Vicars being put
to the test every day.
AND VICARS CHORAL.
105
of its own. To suffer such abuses to exist, and to alienate
the appointments from the ends for which they were
instituted, when once these ends are known and consi-
dered, is to the last degree dishonest and profane. The
Collegiate buildings and common hall of the Vicars,
adjoining the Cathedral, have long been alienated, and
converted into wretched tenements.
The Metropolitan Church of Armagh has a College
of Vicars augmented as to numbers and endowments by
the piety of successive Primates, consisting now of two
Priests, and several laymen, and is in every way efficient.
The service of the Choir, of late years confined to
Sundays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, is now performed
daily; the prayers, formerly read parochially, are now
chanted after the use of Westminster, and the whole is
performed with a scientific skill and religious decorum
in every respect exemplary. The members of the College
have houses close to the Church, and a hall, where they
meet weekly to practise, under the personal management
of the Precentor, a dignitary of the Church. This Col-
lege, however, is peculiar in its relation to the Cathedral.
By the Constitutions of Archbishop Laud, it is under the
jurisdiction, not of the Dean and Chapter, but of the
Archbishop, who appoints whom he pleases as his Com-
missioner for this purpose; that office being at present
held by the Precentor. It is a happiness to know that
by the care of the present Primate, the fabric of this
ancient Church has been so renovated as to harmonize
with the Choral worship, now brought, by the same pious
superintendence, to a degree of perfection unsurpassed
elsewhere.
The Cathedrals of Cashel, Limerick, Cork, and Cloyne,
have Colleges of Vicars, for the most part consisting of
Clergy. In all of these, however, till of late years, it
106
COLLEGES OF MINOR CANONS
was understood, as a matter of course, that the Vicars in
orders might perform their office, or those duties to which
they improperly limited their office, by deputy. And
their obligations, as members of a Choir, to chant prayers
and litanies, were altogether forgotten. In Limerick,
indeed, the present venerable Dean has revived the
personal performance of their duties, so far as these
consist of reading the daily prayers, by the Vicars, who
are all Clergymen, and are sometimes styled Minor
Canions. In that Cathedral, all parts of the Choral
Service usually sung to the organ, are duly performed on
Sundays; but the prayers are not chanted except at the
evening service, and then only when a Clergyman com-
petent to the duty is present. The daily service is
simply read throughout without organ or Choir. The
lay clerks are not a corporation, and are supported from
an independent fund. The revival of the Choral Service
in this Cathedral is due to the piety of the present Dean.
The Vicars' College has long ceased to be occupied by
its members, if indeed anything but its site now remains
to the corporation.
In the other three Cathedrals the Choral Service is
partially performed on Sundays, and occasionally at other
times. But in none have the Clerical Vicars systema-
tically discharged their rightful duties, nor is there daily
Choral Service.
In the Cathedral of Downpatrick there are three
Vicars Choral, laymen, not forming a College, and of
very modern institution. The Choral Service is but
partially performed on Sundays. The total neglect of
endowments for Clerical members in this and other
modern Choirs, is an illustration of the imperfect notions
which have obtained in later times as to the require-
ments of a Cathedral.
AND VICARS CHORAL.
107
None of the other Irish Cathedrals have now any
Choral establishments, or any means for sustaining them.
At Waterford, indeed, and Clogher, there were, and per-
haps still may be, some slender provision from unendowed
sources, for small and imperfect Choirs. Whether there
had been originally any supported out of economy funds,
which have long disappeared, cannot perhaps now be
ascertained. However, from the fact of most of these
having a Precentor, it is plain that the establishment of
Choirs was either effected or contemplated, or at least
regarded as the proper adjunct, as it unquestionably is,
of a Cathedral.
SECTION XI.
OF OTHER INFERIOR CLERICAL MEMBERS FORMERLY
EXISTING IN THE OLD CATHEDRALS.
In the Cathedral of Exeter, there were before the Refor-
mation, certain priests forming a separate College,
called Annivelars, whose duty it was to celebrate obits
and private masses, and also to attend the canonical
hours in the Choir. These were usually called Chantry
Priests. There were officers with similar duties in St.
Paul's, called Chaplains. But since the services of Chan-
tries were abolished at the Reformation, as connected
with the worst superstitions of the middle ages of Chris-
tianity, these offices ceased with them.
It may
be remarked that there are several instances abroad of
Colleges similar to those now mentioned. There is a College of
“ Cantori," for instance, in the Papal Chapel, and one in the Cathedral
of Genoa.
108
SECTION XII.
OF THE LAY MEMBERS OF THE OLD FOUNDATION.
The Lay Vicars of the old Cathedrals as already stated,
are sometimes members of the inferior Colleges, some-
times merely part of the foundation at large. They
were originally in the minor orders, at least: and it is
much to be wished that they were still required to be
less secular in their habits than is now too commonly
the case. They ought to be exemplary in their lives,
of religious and devout habits', of competent learning,
at least in the Holy Scriptures, and one indispensable
qualification they ought to possess, that of being habitual
communicants. Through a heinous and inexcuseable
neglect, the superior Clergy have suffered the art of
sacred music to be degraded into a mere secular accom-
plishment, and the lives and conversations of their lay
members, of whose souls they have unquestionably the
cure, are matters to which little regard has been paid.
1 “Bonos mores habere, exemplum honestatis ostendere;" — Dug-
DALE's St. Paul's. “Of good fame, known conversation of
competent learning."-Jones's Account of Exeter.
* The 42nd Canon requires that the Petty Canons, Vicars Choral,
and other Ministers of the Church, be urged to the study of the Holy
Scriptures, and every one of them to have the New Testament, not only
in English, but also in Latin."
3 "Is (Decanus) regimen habit animarum."-DUGDALE's St. Paul's.
But this requires no proof; the corrective and monitory power which
the Chapters have over their inferior members, in all points of external
and moral discipline, fully implies the cure of souls. Besides, by the
ancient regulation of the Church, all singing men were obliged to
attend the Divinity Lectures instituted in the Cathedrals.-STRYPE'S
Annals Ref, vol. i. ch. xxvii.
LAY MEMBERS.
109
The title of Lay Clerk is comparatively modern. In
the Cathedral of Exeter the twelve inferior (now lay)
members of the Choir are styled Secondaries; or “clerks
of the second form," that is, occupying the inferior
row of stalls. The same title we find in the Ritual
of the Church of Sarum. These were anciently of the
order of deacon, sub-deacon, or acolyte: but none were
priests. They were not admissible at a younger age than
eighteen.
In some Cathedrals the lay members are merely
deputies of the Priest Vicars, in others, stipendiaries.
Their endowments are often shamefully small, and hardly
adequate for the performance of the daily duty to which
they are bound. It is incumbent upon every Chapter to
allow these members, whom they compel to a strictness
of attendance, from which they absolve themselves,
such a maintenance, as may in some degree consist
with the sacred character which they possess. In the
early Church, every inferior member of the sanctuary
was admitted with certain solemn forms', which were in
themselves becoming, as impressing those admitted with
a sense of their holy office, and of the religious demean-
our befitting it. Hence in all probability they gradually
came to be considered as minor orders. As it is, a singing
man ought to consider himself a kind of clergyman, a
sub-deacon, or a Levite.
By an absurd anomaly, as has been already observed,
the lay members of one of the richest Choirs, that of St.
Patrick's, are absolved from their attendance except on
the evenings of Sunday and Christmas Day.
i Vide GoAr's Rit. Græc.
110
SECTION XITI.
OBSERVATIONS ON THE INFERIOR MEMBERS OF THE
OLD CATHEDRALS.
THE careful wisdom of ancient times made every pro-
vision for the effective discharge of divine offices in
the Cathedral. The performance of the higher services
of the Church, in their various kinds, was fully secured
by the constitution of the capitular members. The in-
stitution of inferior members had respect to particulars
of subordinate moment indeed, but still most important
and holy: the reverent reading of God's word, and the
setting forth his praise in a manner emulous of the times
of David and Josiah. But while these were the stated
duties of the Minor Canons and Vicars Choral, large
opportunity was given them for a learned leisure befitting
their sacred functions, which might prepare them in due
time for the higher offices of the Church. They were
placed in Colleges, resembling those of the Universities,
with this holy and honourable distinction, that whereas
the other Colleges were each more peculiarly set apart to
some particular branch of human learning, or to abstract
theology, the Cathedral Colleges were dedicated to the
furtherance of the direct worship of God, and to those
particulars of ritual and choral observance, the details of
which are matters of no easy acquirement. And though
subordinate to superior authority, their subordination was
one of dignity, because instituted in conformity to holy
analogies, to the services of the Church of Israel, of the
INFERIOR MEMBERS.
111
primitive Church Universal, of the company of heaven
itself.
Such was the beautiful theory of ancient times.
How far it was ever realized may admit of a question.
Two things are, however, certain ; that the present prac-
tice by no means corresponds to the theory, and that its
realization is not only desirable, but possible.
The present state of the Chapters has been already
considered. As to the inferior corporations and mem-
bers, the holy function of singing God's praise is now for
the most part considered as belonging chiefly to the lay
members. In some places the Priest Vicars have ceased
to profess any knowledge whatever of the Church music;
and in most, while they still continue to use the ecclesi-
astical tone in reciting the prayers, its use is regarded
rather as an accident of their office, than as one of its
essential requirements, as an old custom kept up merely
from a dislike of change, why or wherefore it is neither
cared nor known. With a few honourable exceptions,
most Cathedrals absolve the clerical members of the
Choir from their daily attendance as a body, the presence
of but one or two being required at a time, even on holi-
days. This abuse is excused on the ground of their
revenues being so small, as to make the holding of other
clerical offices necessary. In consequence, they gene-
rally hold parishes in addition, and the result is, that both
the parish and the Cathedral is inadequately served.
Hence, that most indecent custom at St. Paul's, (for
which, however, not the individual Minor Canons, but
the Chapter is to be blamed, which allows the numerous
College of Minor Canons to leave the Choir just before
the administration of the Holy Communion begins. That
very part of Divine Service, towards which all that pre-
112
INFERIOR MEMBERS OF
cedes is an introduction, which requires the largest
attendance of the Clergy, and the most solemn accom-
paniment of the fullest music, is precisely that which is
abandoned to the most cold and meagre ministration.
And yet the so called Residentiaries of that Church have
the revenues of Bishops !
The subordination to the Chapters still exists, but it
is no longer regarded as honourable. All Collegiate
discipline has ceased, and marriage is permitted to the
members. And as the offices are no longer regarded as
in any way diaconal, as preparative to higher places in
the Church, (a Vicar Choral being hardly ever advanced
to a residentiary Prebend or Dignity,) they are permitted
to struggle with all the hardships of married poverty; or
if they do obtain a competence, the source of this is
found in the accumulation of duties which are in their
nature incompatible. Indeed, (for the truth must be
spoken, and it is spoken with an indignant conviction
of the fact,) the Vicars Choral are looked upon as the
drudges of the Chapter, as an order of men inferior in
caste, though really their equals in ecclesiastical order;
for they are Priests as much as the Prebendaries, and
are frequently their superiors in years, learning, piety,
and accomplishments. The very offices they hold, so
honourable and holy in themselves, subject them to be
treated with a slight, which ought not be shown to the
humblest doorkeepers of God's house, much less to the
Presbyters of his Church. Of course to this statement
there are exceptions; but I appeal to general experience
whether it is not just: and I further appeal to the
charity of the English Church, whether such unchristian
contumely, such meanness of secular pride ought not to
be put to open shame?
THE OLD CATHEDRALS.
113
paid.
As to the Lay Clerks and Vicars, it has been already
observed, that upon them, by ill custom, rėsts the chief
burden of the Choral service; but as if to degrade this
service still further, their stipends are generally miserable
pittances: the Canon's domestic servants are better
Nor is this all: the qualifications of competent
learning and piety are disregarded. Instead of being
taught to consider themselves as the reasonable instru-
ments of God's praise, they are commonly looked upon
as if they were mere organ pipes, mere channels of sound,
not as Christian men, with souls to be saved, and the
special exemplars to the people. When they do attend
the Communion, the act is voluntary; it is not required
or expected. The Christian Hymns' are unaccompanied
by their voices; and too frequently they are suffered, in
defiance, I will not say of the Church statutes, but of
the common law of Christianity, to neglect altogether
the Table of the Lord”.
The remedies for these grievances hardly require to
be stated. But they may be briefly summed up in the
following suggestions, which have been, indeed, already
for the most part anticipated.
Constant attendance ought to be enforced on the
whole Choir, clerical as well as lay: the whole body on
Sundays and Holidays at least, and a portion, competent
to form an efficient Choir, on week days. This duty
should imply the full performance every Sunday of the
Communion office, including the singing of the Sanctus
The Sanctus and Gloria in Excelsis.
2 By the ancient regulations of Westminster Abbey, in the time of
Queen Elizabeth (STRYPE's Annals of Reformation, Appendix, No. 10,
to vol. ii. book ii.), four of the Lay Clerks were obliged to attend the
monthly Communion.
I
114
INFERIOR MEMBERS OF
and Gloria in Excelsis; all the Clergy being present at
the Communion, and so many of the others, as to secure
the attendance of each layman at least once a month.
This regulation, among other good effects, would
provide for the Prayers and Lessons being always cor-
rectly and audibly read and chanted. As it is, the mere
attendance in rotation of the Clergy often leaves these
parts of the service to a superannuated and infirm indi-
vidual.
To effect this end, of course the Priest Vicars ought
to be restrained from holding any parochial office. This
might be done in two ways: either by augmenting their
revenues from the Cathedral funds (where these are suffi-
cient), or by restoring the ancient discipline of the Colleges,
and precluding them from marriage, as at the Universities.
The former measure would of course be necessary, if mar-
riage were still allowed: indeed in any case, the revenues
of most of the Colleges are insufficient even for single
But to increase each Vicar's place so as to be
equal to an average benefice, would be generally impos-
sible, without diminishing the number of the Vicars', a
thing to be deprecated, as curtailing the Choirs, at pre-
sent not full enough: and it should be remembered that
none of these places were ever intended as a provision
for a family. No reason, indeed, could be alleged for
such an increase, which might not apply to the case of
married Curates assistant. Both hold honourable offices;
men.
| The late Church Acts propose their diminution; having, as usual,
regard to the moderate provision of as few Ministers as possible, not
to the spirit of the foundation. The writer cannot express the grief
with which he has learned that in the ancient College of Hereford the
process of this unnecessary diminution has begun. God grant it may
proceed no further!
THE OLD CATHEDRALS.
115
but such as, in all reason, ought to be made but preparatory
to some higher places in the Church. As a matter of
course, they ought to be given the option of succeeding
to certain of the Cathedral livings. Nor ought they to
be excluded from stalls and dignities. One who has
served the Church well in an inferior place, and who has
had an intimate knowledge of the Cathedral, and attach-
ment to it, is specially deserving of the place of a Resi-
dentiary.
But I must express a strong opinion, that the best
mode would be that which has been suggested as the
alternative, namely, the restoration of collegiate disci-
pline to these bodies. It adds an additional charm and
interest to our Cathedrals, to see them surrounded by
their attendant Colleges and Hospitals. The buildings,
where they exist, could be easily reappropriated, and it is
not too much to require their re-edification, where ruined.
The munificence of the Chapter might well be directed
to this end The distinctive features of the Common
Table, and the Chapel (for early or late prayers, like
those now read in the Lady Chapels), ought to be re-
established. And why should not young men of pro-
mise and of studious habits be incited to reside under
the shelter of the Cathedrals, who being Deacons at
their admission at least'; might superadd to their theo-
logical studies, the perfect study of ecclesiastical music,
so as to fit them for the efficient service of the Choir ?
To these they might join diaconal offices in the city, of
such a nature as not to withdraw them from the Cathe-
| There is no reason why they should not remain Deacons, till
they arrive at some actual presbyteral office. The Minor Canons of
St. Paul's, indeed, are required to be Priests.
I 2
116
INFERIOR MEMBERS OF
1
dral service. This would fit them for the prospective
service of the Church at large, either in a life of learned
leisure, or of active parochial ministration.
It is often objected, that Clergymen can never form
so good a Choir as laymen. But this objection would
fall to the ground, were a strict discipline kept up. And
there is no reason why a Clergyman should not be at
least as perfect in Church music as amateurs are fre-
quently in secular: and this without any hinderance to
other pursuits proper to his sacred calling. Clergymen
do not think it beneath them, or impracticable, to
become accomplished mathematicians, and critics, and to
go through a training quite as technical as that of music.
And if these offices were undertaken for the love of God,
and of his service, the strongest of all motives would be
afforded for attaining perfection in that which is a sacred
study, and, as used in the offices of the Church, one only
inferior to theology.
The notion, however, must be altogether deprecated,
of recommending these foundations to be made mere
Colleges of Deacons, irrespective of the duties of the
Cathedrals. The first object should be to make the
service in those places efficient: the next to provide for
the discharge of incidental duties, which intimately har-
monize with the purpose of the daily Liturgy.
As to the lay Vicars, every care should be taken to
make them more like what they were originally termed,
Clergy of the second form'. Not only should there be
an utter avoidance of the bad example of the Continental
1
'Why should not the singing men of Christ Church, for instance,
be as well educated and of as great esteem in the College as the lay
students? Their offices are more sacred.
THE OLD CATHEDRALS.
117
Churches, which engage the service of men, and even
women, excommunicate by the laws of the Romish
Church, but the Vicars Choral should be regarded as
removed only one step from the Diaconate, and as men
who ought to share with the Clergy the respect and vene-
ration of the people, and this, out of Church, as well as in
Church. The Chapters ought, at ANY SACRIFICE, AT ANY
EXPENSE, to rescue these their brethren from the neces-
sity (an unwilling one to many) of hiring out their
musical talents at balls, or public dinners, as a means of
livelihood. The regular exercise of their profession,
indeed, as music masters, is most respectable and honour-
able: to this there never can be an objection: but it is
an inexcusable disgrace to the Chapters, that any of their
assistant members should be suffered to act as the subor-
dinate accessories to scenes of the most secular dissipa-
tion. It would really seem as if the rulers of the
Cathedrals had been bent upon degrading the service
which they were appointed to sustain.
118
SECTION XIV.
OF THE NON-CAPITULAR MEMBERS IN THE CATHE-
DRALS OF THE NEW FOUNDATION; AND, FIRST,
OF THE SIX PREACHERS OF CANTERBURY.
BEFORE noticing the inferior members of these Churches,
it is in place to notice functionaries peculiar to that of
Canterbury, namely, the Six Preachers. These, though
not capitular members, cannot be rightly styled inferior.
They are in no respect the deputies or assistants of the
Prebendaries. They are rather the holders of certain
offices, to which rarely occurring duties are attached,
and to which an honourable status in the Cathedral is
assigned, as a distinction accorded by the Primate to
sound preachers and divines of his Diocese. Practically
their places much resemble that of the simple Prebends
in the old Cathedrals; but are inferior to these, as they
have no liturgical service to perform, and no vote in the
Chapter. The Preachers rank next after the Prebend-
aries: and documents show', that in processions and on
solemn occasions they were associated with them; and
in the records of visitations, &c., their names are given
at full length, while those of the Minor Canons are
omitted. This precedence, however, is accorded in
respect to the honorary nature of their office, not to the
Vide the account of Archbishop Parker's visitation in 1570.
(Life of Parker, vol. ii. book iv. chap. 3.) “That the Dean, Pre-
bendaries, and Preachers, do come up to the Palace to wait upon my
Lord's Grace to the Church.”
THE SIX PREACHERS OF CANTERBURY.
119
duties they have to perform: since were it otherwise,
the Minor Canons have a more important and holy office,
in the daily ministration of the Liturgy, besides their
own turns of preaching on Wednesdays and Fridays in
Lent.
Their statuteable duties consist in preaching sermons
on certain holidays and fast-days, the turn of each
Preacher recurring about three times in two years. They
have each a stall' in the Choir; and they formerly had
each a house, for which they now receive a small com-
pensation. It does not appear that they were ever
intended to supply the places of the Prebendaries as
Preachers: for these were always expected to preach in
person, each Prebendary once a quarter; and the appoint-
ment of the Chapter members being vested in the Crown
and the Primate, it is but right to suppose that men of
learning, perfectly competent to that function, were the
contemplated objects of selection: indeed we have a
proof of this in the appointment of the first members,
among whom was the illustrious Ridley. These offices
rather resemble the Lent Preacherships, which from
ancient times the Bishops have been accustomed to assign
yearly to certain Clergymen in their Cathedrals; with this
difference, that the latter are occasional, the Canterbury
Preacherships permanent". It may be that they were
| At present, only a bench. The Prebendaries only have stalls;
a vile modern arrangement of the last century; upon which remarks
will be made in a future Section.
* Archbishop Cranmer ordered the Chapter of Canterbury to
allow the Preachers “lodgings and benefits, chambers and commodities.”
-Strype's Cranmer, vol. i. book i. chap. 30.
They are a constituent part of the Cathedral body, and appear
in the Choir as such. The Dean and Chapter represented to Arch-
3
120
THE SIX PREACHERS OF CANTERBURY.
also intended to remedy, as occasion might serve, the
defect of Preachers in the Diocese at large. The appro-
priation of homes was probably in order to afford them
the advantages of occasional residence in the Cathedral
city, becoming them as scholars and divines.
bishop Parker in 1564, among other things, that "the Preachers being
at home (by which it appears they then resided), come to common
prayer on Sundays and holidays, wearing surplices and hoods."
Parker's Life, book ii. chap. 26.
121
SECTION XV.
OF THE MINOR CANONS AND LAY CLERKS IN THE
CATHEDRALS OF THE NEW FOUNDATION.
To the details and observations contained in former Sec-
tions, little remains to be added respecting the inferior
members of the new foundations.
In Christ Church, Dublin, the Vicars Choral, con-
sisting of two Priests and four laymen, form a College.
There are also six lay stipendiaries. The whole of this
noble Choir is most effective: and the service is per-
formed every day, with the exception of the evenings of
Saturday and Sunday; at which latter time the Choir
officiates at St. Patrick's. Formerly, however, the Choir
attended at a later hour, after the service at St. Patrick's,
on Sunday evenings. It is to be regretted, that the
service, so full on Sundays, should on week days be
attended by so few Vicars: but one Priest and three
laymen being required to be present. It is strange
indeed that this should be the case in a Choir so richly
endowed. In some of the very poorest the week-day
service is far more efficiently performed.
The inferior clerical members of the other Cathedrals
are styled Minor Canons, with the exception of Christ
Church in Oxford, where they are Chaplains': being
eight in number at Durham, Norwich, Worcester, and
· In the Italian and other foreign Cathedrals, Chaplain is generally
a convertible term with Minor Canon. It in fact means a Choirman;
Cappella being the Choir, both in its architectural and liturgical
sense.
122
MINOR CANONS AND LAY CLERKS
Oxford, six at Canterbury, Winchester, Bristol, Carlisle,
Chester, and Rochester; and four at Ely, Gloucester, and
Peterborough.
At Canterbury, in ancient times they were twelve
a number not too great for that Metropolitan Church.
At a visitation of Archbishop Parker', it was objected
to as an abuse that there were then only seven. Now
there are but six!
At Christ Church in Oxford, Chester, Rochester, and
Ely, and perhaps elsewhere, the chanting by the Minor
Canons has been laid aside: in some cases they are not
even musicians. This is in express violation of the
statutes*; but it is to be believed that it is a mere inno-
vation of the last century. Dr. Bisse, in his celebrated
sermon on Cathedral worship, so speaks of it, and I
believe in most instances it could be proved. But we
may confidently hope that this may be corrected, and
the more so since such pious zeal and public spirit has
been shown of late by the members of the three latter
Cathedrals, not only in the repair and restoration of the
fabric, but in the great improvement of the Choral
Service
8
· Life of Parker, book ii. chap 1, p. 74.
Denique cantandi periti, id constare volumus judicio eorum qui
in eâdem ecclesiâ Artem Musicam probe callent."-Stat. Roch. Cath.
" In tbose few Choirs where this manner has been laid aside and
saying introduced, it has raised a general wonder and expostulation,
why this thing was done; and as general a dissatisfaction that it was
done."
4 The chanting of the responses in the Litany and Morning and
Evening Prayer has lately been revived at Rochester. The Chapter,
it is to be hoped, will see the incongruity of leaving the prayers to be
said. The chanting of the prayers, (as the author was informed by the
late Mr. Banks, the organist,) was laid aside about the middle of the
last century, but he does not recollect the exact period.
.
OF THE NEW FOUNDATION.
123
In none of these Cathedrals do the Minor Canons
form a separate College. They are a part of the original
foundation, being frequently (as they ought always to be)
provided with houses. There was originally a common
table for those who chose to avail themselves of it: but
this was also open to the capitular members, and officers
of the Church,
The office of Precentor is always held by one of the
Minor Canons. The difference between the ancient and
modern foundations in this respect has been already
observed. It is therefore a flagrant abuse, when the
qualification of musical knowledge has ceased to be
exacted from one of the members at least, though its
absence in any is inexcusable'.
The other offices usually held by Minor Canons are,
that of Sacrist, to whom belongs the care of the Church
plate and furniture; to which is sometimes superadded
the performance of the sacred offices in the precinct; of
Librarian; and of Epistoler and Gospeller, the duties of
which are implied by their name. These latter duties,
however, are now frequently superseded by the Prebend-
aries, who take upon themselves, as it is right they
should, the exclusive duties of the altar. But then, the
institution of these offices proves that three ought to
officiate at the Communion, one for the service, and two
besides for the Epistle and Gospel, as at St. Paul's, and
Christ Church in Dublin, and not two only, according
to common practice.
The same observations apply to these Minor Canons as
The duty of the Precentor in Rochester Cathedral is “psallentes
in Ecclesiâ nostrâ cum decoro moderari, et vocc aliis præcinere, ac veluti
Dux esse."
124
MINOR CANONS AND LAY CLERKS
were made with respect to the inferior Clergy of the old
foundations. They are not corporate bodies, it is true,
but there is nothing to prevent the establishment among
them of a choral discipline, subject to the control of the
Chapter.
The Lay Clerks, or Lay Vicars', vary in number
from twelve to six. As to these, I need only observe,
that their number has been obviously inadequate, and
this the Chapters are beginning to perceive; their number
has, in consequence, been of late augmented in many
places. But the modern secular notions are at work; no
attempt has been made to facilitate the more numerous
attendance, or to increase, but rather to diminish the
clerical portion of the Choir, which is spoken of and
considered as a lay body; in fact, as an orchestra.
The boys of the Choir, or Choristers, are now very
generally educated with care. The efficiency of the
Choristers' School at Canterbury, in particular, both as
regards their general and musical education, is highly
creditable to the present zealous Precentor, and to the
Organist. In many Choirs they have been so brought up,
with a view to academical education. In this age of
education, it is but right that the special children of
the Church, engaged from their tender years in a holy
service, should have every advantage of sound moral and
religious instruction®.
* In Archbishop Parker's Injunction, at his visitation in 1570,
before referred to, mention is made several times of Petty Canons,
Vicars Choral, and singing men.
? At Gloucester, for instance, the four Minor Canons, a number
miserably small for so great a Church, are now reduced to three, by
the consent of the Chapter itself!
Among the injunctions of Archbishop Grindal, at his Visitation
8
OF THE NEW FOUNDATION.
125
All that has been said applies equally to the Irish,
as to the English Cathedrals. Unhappily however, in
Ireland, all trace of Choral discipline has disappeared
in many places: and the vice of the country, jobbing
in its most flagrant form, las diverted from their
original ends the offices of the great part of the Clerical
Vicars, not a particle of duty being performed by the
holders. If these abuses may be defended, so may any
breach of trust. The Irish Cathedrals, founded in
analogy with those of England, as has been already
shewn, ought to conform to them, when the means of
doing so exist. To demur to the Choral Service is to
be hostile to the Liturgy, which sanctions it, to the
authority of the Church, which in Cathedrals prescribes
it: much more to object to the daily service, suspended
in the greater part of the mother Churches of Ireland.
It is a positive sin not to restore both, at least in the
great towns. But even in those Cathedrals which have
become village Churches, the pious wishes of their
founders ought to be fulfilled, in restoring as far as
possible the Choir : in giving some outward dignity, in
conformity to ancient order, to His service, who is alike
worshipped there as in the most crowded city and
majestic fabric: in investing these Churches with some
of the preeminence which rightly belongs to them, how-
ever thin may be their congregation, or humble their
structure; for God is there, though but two or three
are tending him. But this honour is due not only
at York, in 1570, there is one directing the Precentor or his deputy,
the Master of the Choristers to provide, that the Choristers should be
virtuously brought up in the principles of religion, and be cxamined
thrice every quarter of a year in the English Catechism.--Life of
Grindal, book ii. chap. iii.
126
MINOR. CANONS AND LAY CLERKS.
to the venerable antiquity of many, to the ancient
founda:ion of all, but also to their station as the mother
Churches of the land. Their very rudeness and limited
size' are affecting testimonies to the efforts of ancient
Christianity, which established the Cross of Christ,
in the midst of poverty, barbarity, , and desolation,
with a zeal unsurpassed in the most favoured portion of
Christendom. Indeed it may be a question whether
every Chapter in Ireland is not bound to provide for the
daily service (though parochially read) of its Cathedral,
however humble it may be. The Choir, where it exists,
is itself a Congregation: but in no instance should the
opportunity be withheld of giving, were it but to two or
three, the opportunity of daily prayer, even in its most
simple and unadorned form. If the Chapters are willing
to make the experiment, they cannot fail to succeed: for
God will be with them.
1 I would instance the ancient and simple Cathedral of Killaloe,
the architectural features of which are well deserving attention.
Though ancient, it is modern in comparison with the venerable stone-
roofed Chapel, (the primitive Cathedral,) which stands by its side: and
the Cathedral of Clonfert, containing some of the most singular speci-
mens of Saxon architecture that exist in the British Isles. I little
envy that man's taste or devotion who would slight these interesting
Churches, or desire to see them replaced by modern Cathedrals
however splendid.
127
SECTION XVI.
OF THE COLLEGIATE CHURCHES IN ENGLAND
AND IRELAND.
BESIDES the Cathedrals, there are ten Churches with
Ecclesiastical Colleges attached, resembling Cathedrals
in their constitution, the poor remnant of institutions
formerly abounding in the land, and which ought still to
abound. These are not to be confounded with Monastic
establishments, from which they are totally distinct.
Of these three are of modern foundation: 1, WEST-
MINSTER, formerly a Monastery, but remodelled by
Henry VIII., and constituted a Cathedral, which dignity,
however, it soon lost: having a Dean, twelve Prebendaries,
six Minor Canons and Lay Clerks: and being a founda-
tion similar to those of Canterbury and Winchester.
2. RIPON, (lately constituted the Cathedral of a newly
formed diocese,) was newly modelled by King James the
Ist., for a Dean, seven Prebendaries, two Priest Vicars,
and a Choir: and 3, the Collegiate Church of GALWAY
in Ireland, founded, or at least re-endowed by King
Edward the VIth., for a Warden, and seven singing
Vicars'.
· A grant was made (in 1551) to the Mayor, burgesses, and com-
monalty of Galway, and their successors, of the impropriation of
certain vicarages, “towards the sustentation of Priests to minister
the sacraments in the College of Galway. And that Patrick Blake
be Guardian of the same, and Thomas French, Darby Choyssen, John
Talman, Darby Oucwain, and three more, to be singing vicars
thereof,".
sto minister the sacraments and sacramentals.”
STRYPE'S Annals of Reform. book ii. chap. ii. p. 260.
128
OF THE COLLEGIATE CHURCHES
This latter Church has lost sight altogether of its
original constitution. The seven Vicars, who were
expressly founded, among other purposes, to form a
Choir, have been long reduced to two, who are merely
Curates. And so far from there being any Choral
Service, there was not even an Organ in that venerable
Church till lately. In so ancient and important a town
as Galway, it were but fitting that divine Service should
be restored to some ancient degree of splendour. But
the Legislature, forgetful or regardless of these things,
has doomed this small remnant of a Collegiate character
to extinction.
The other Colleges are of ancient foundation. Of
these,
MIDDLEHAM retains nothing of its original consti-
tution, except the Dean. The funds being considered
inadequate for the sustentation of the Chaplains and
Choir, which formed part of its original establishment,
the whole duty is now performed by one officiating
Minister The Dean's office is retained, but as no
duties are performed, it has no real dignity. Surely
it would be better to support a Choir, or in some way
to provide for the glory of God's worship, than to
expend the diminished funds on an object of no
practical benefit.
HAYTESBURY has a Dean, and four Prebendaries, but
no Choir.
WOLVERHAMPTON is a Parish Church, and retains but
the shadow of a College, Choral Service being performed
on Sunday evenings only, in the Chancel. The Deanery
has long been united to that of Windsor. The re-
venues of the seven Prebendaries are little more than
nominal.
IN ENGLAND AND IRELAND.
129
BRECON has a Dean, and Treasurer, (both which
offices are united to the Bishopric of St. David's) a
Precentor and Chancellor, and nineteen Prebendaries,
with small and almost nominal revenues. There is no
stated foundation for a Choir.
MANCHESTER was one of the few ecclesiastical Col-
leges exempted from dissolution in the time of
Henry VIII. It has the establishment of a Warden,
four Fellows, and a Choir of two Chaplains and Lay
Clerks. By a very recent act of Parliament the desig-
nations of Warden and Fellows have been changed into
those of Dean and Canons. It is difficult to account
for this enactment; and all such changes are to be
deprecated, as weakening ancient associations. If the
change has reference to the anticipated erection of the
Church into a Cathedral, it is to be hoped that the College
may be solicitous to justify this new dignity by salutary
reformation in the discipline of the Church. How far
this may have already proceeded, the writer cannot say:
but he must be allowed to state things as they existed
a few years ago, from his personal observation. Nothing
could be more disgraceful than the slovenly mutilation of
the Service. The daily Service, performed in the Choir,
was unattended by Warden, Fellows, or Lay Clerks. The
latter he understood were present on Sundays, Wednes-
days, and Fridays only. One Chaplain and the Choristers
performed the whole. The Psalms and Canticles were
badly sung to a wretched Choir Organ; the Great Organ
being stationed in a gallery over the door of the Nave,
a modern innovation. The Prayers were not chanted,
and there was no Anthem. On Sundays a full and able
Choir, occupying, however, the Organ-loft in the Nave,
(which is pewed) was in attendance: but neither
K
130
OF THE COLLEGIATE CHURCHES
Prayers, Litany, nor Creeds were sung; the Canticles
were performed to a chant; and in the evening a showy
Anthem was the only vestige of the Choral Service,
as not even the Psalms were chanted. The whole
service, morning and evening, Ante-communion in-
cluded, was read from a desk in the Nave, by a Chaplain.
The Fellows did nothing but preach.
It cannot be
alleged in excuse, that this Church is both parochial and
Collegiate. The funds amply suffice to have separate
Services for the College and for the Parish; and at
all events it is disgraceful that the well endowed Fellows
should leave almost the whole performance of the
Liturgy to the Chaplains, on whom an inordinate weight
of Parochial duty already falls.
The Collegiate Church of SOUTHWELL has sixteen
Prebendaries: but no Dean; with a Choir. There is, as
at York, one residentiary house, occupied by each Pre-
bendary in turn, who resides for three months, each
member thus coming into residence once in four years.
This plan, which is at war with all consistant discipline,
bears every mark of modern innovation. Archbishop
Sharpe was at great pain to reduce this neglected Col-
lege to order. But now the dogmas of utilitarian
irreverence have doomed this College, (whose very fabric
seems to suggest a Collegiate establishment,) to be
degraded into a mere Parish Church. On this remarks
have been already made, and the writer cannot trust
himself to say more.
The order and discipline of the Church of Ripon is
well sustained, as far as its very scanty revenues will
allow. The daily Cathedral service, (though not chanted
throughout, at it ought to be,) is duly kept up.
The Church of WESTMINSTER, though most richly
IN ENGLAND AND IRELAND.
131
endowed, and so situated as to command every advan-
tage required by so magnificent a foundation, though
connected in a peculiar manner with the chief Estates
of the Kingdom, as the place of Royal Coronations, the
Chapel of the House of Lords, and the frequent scene
of the Councils of the Church, though made famous by
the gravest religious and historical associations, has long
claimed the pre-eminence of setting the most perfect
example that perhaps any Collegiate Church in the
Realm affords, of coldness, meagreness, and irreve-
rence in the performance of the divine offices. Of the
richly endowed Prebendaries, instead of the simultaneous
residence of at least four', as required by the ancient
regulations, but one at a time usually attended, except
during the height of the London season: the Prebends
being of course considered as mere sources of revenue
to individuals, or as appendages to Parochial incomes.
The residences, were in many instances alienated to
laymen. The Choir, till of late years, wretchedly few
in number, were permitted to perform their duties by
“The order by the statutes, devised by Dr. Bill, and so in use,
ever since the late erection, hath been, that every four in course, after
this order for their months, should be residentiaries.” Then follows
a Table, giving a course of four Prebendaries for each month, exclusive
of the Dean. “Howbeit, it is added, few keep this order and course
of residence." But then, it is worthy of remark, that " in term time
others of the Prebendaries be present, beside the Residentiaries."
Dean Goodman's Regulations in 1586. STRYPE's Annals of the Refor-
mation. Appendix No. x. to vol. ij. book ii.
2 The past tense is purposely used. It is to be hoped that these are
past, though recent abuses.
s The Choir is now augmented, and the Service much improved, but
still not what it ought to be: nor is any increased attendance of Minor
Canons, who ought to form the strength of the Choir, enforced or
attempted.
K 2
132
OF THE COLLEGIATE CHURCHES
deputy; and these were discharged in a manner which
at best. was barely tolerable, without life or energy.
The Lessons were commonly read with the same degree of
solemnity as the most ordinary document by a clerk in a
Court of Law. The service was opened in a manner
the most careless: no decent procession was made; and
the striking of a wretched clock was the signal for begin-
ning to race through the office: there was a squalid
neglect in all the accessaries of divine worship; the books
were torn and soiled, and the custom of the place appa-
rently enjoined on the Choir boys the use of surplices more
black than white. The whole aspect of the Church
plainly indicated the mechanical performance of a bur-
thensome duty. The weekly celebration of the Commu-
nion, enjoined by the Rubrics, was of course unknown:
but this is a scandal not, peculiar to Westminster. And
yet the connivers at all this disgusting and impious neglect
were considered as holding some of the most DIGNIFIED
places in the Church! To these abuses I need hardly
add the disgraceful traffic carried on at the doors,
which required payment for looking at the Nave or the
Aisles; the blocking up the whole Church except the
Choir, and a small portion of the side Aisle; the con-
verting of God's house of prayer into a place of merchan-
dize. It must not, however, be denied, that in many
respects things are changed for the better: but the
change is only begun; and to those ignorant of the
abuses now partially reformed, the state of the Church
This is a very modern abuse. Within the memory of many, the
Nave was always open. The excuse for shutting it up, (i. e. the mutila-
tion of the monuments,) is one disgraceful to this wealthy Chapter.
They could have well afforded to provide a sufficient staff of vergers
and beadles to prevent this mischief.
IN ENGLAND AND IRELAND.
133
would appear, as it indeed is, most scandalous. None
can more heartily sympathize than the writer with the
laudable zeal of many of the present Prebendaries, who are
labouring for reformation, as far as their influence, and
the obstinacy of long rooted abuse will permit: and there
is no one who more earnestly prays that they may have
their reward. But let them remember, with no ordinary
concern, how sorely and deeply the religious mind of the
public, the best feelings of the nation have been wounded
by the abominations hitherto tolerated: how the cause of
religion itself, and of Christianity has suffered by those
wicked neglects, for which, at the last day an account
must be rendered, and against which the religious voice
of this nation has for a quarter of a century been raised;
how superciliously that voice has been heard: how the
tables and the families of the Prebendaries have been
made more account of than the Church of God. It will
be of no use to wish for real reform, unless they return to
their deserted Minster, and regard it as their HOME, and
serve there diligently and watchfully, as men personally
responsible for all the holy requirements of the place; as
the brethren, not as the mere superintendents of those
inferior ministers, to whom its despised duties have been
chiefly delegated. They must no longer look down upon
the services of the Choir, with a patronizing regard, as a
topic of conversation, or matter of attention worthy of
the mere leisurely notice of noblemen and gentlemen; but
as the Priests of God, emulous of the services of the
Angels, they must give to this, and to all other circum-
stances of divine worship, their prayers, their labours, and
their lives. And if this cannot be effected without that
which the world would call a sacrifice on their parts, they
must even for the sake of the Church of God, cut off the
134
OF THE COLLEGIATE CHURCHES
right hand and cast it from them. To the Chapter of West-
minster, as the most conspicuous in the land, the Church
is looking, and expects from their hands an example of
liturgical magnificence and devotion, long denied them.
It is a debt long due to this Nation: but unless the work
be begun with uncompromising and self-denying zeal,
it is vain to hope for reformation: a reformation after
which it behoves them to endeavour with the deepest
spirit of earnest repentance.
St. George's Chapel in WINDSOR Castle is the only
instance now remaining in England of a foundation com-
bining at once the functions of a Royal Chapel and of a
Collegiate Church. The Royal Church or Chapel of
Stirling, in Scotland', and St. Stephen's Chapel in the
Palace of Westminster”, were foundations of the same
| The foundation was magnificent. It had a Dean, Sub-Dean,
Sacristan, Chanter, Treasurer, Chancellor, Archdeacon, sixteen Chap-
lains, and six singing boys.
2 The College of St. Stephen was dissolved and desecrated at the
suggestion of King Edward VI.'s puritan counsellors: and this Chapel,
one of the most exquisitely beautiful in England, with its cloisters,
(still remaining) and other appendages, was perverted to the use of the
House of Commons. It cannot be sufficiently lamented, that in the
plan for adding to the palace of Westminster, for the accommodation
of the Houses of Parliament, who are permitted, by royal favour, to
hold their sessions there, the restoration of this Chapel to its ancient
form and use, made no part of the scheme: a measure perfectly prac-
ticable, in spite of all that has been said to the contrary, though
perhaps inconsistent with the principles of the new science of legislative
architecture. But such is the spirit of modern times. All the luxury
of a most expensive architecture is now lavished upon the purposes of
Parliamentary declamation, money changing, and feasting: and though
millions are willingly expended by the national purse, and by rich
corporations and clubs for these objects, it is with difficulty that a few
thousands can be obtained for the most economical structures for God's
service. Thus while the adjoining Abbey of Westminster is despoiled,
an enormous structure, most significantly overtopping its ancient walls,
IN ENGLAND AND IRELAND.
135
kind. The constitution of this Chapel, founded by King
Edward III., is, in all its essential features, like that of
the Cathedrals of the new foundation. It has a Dean,
twelve Canons, and seven Minor Canons, with several
Lay Clerks, who have residences attached. The full
Choral Service is here admirably performed every day.
The observations and suggestions made upon the
Cathedrals will apply to these Collegiate Churches. But
I must conclude with repeating the observation, that so
far from curtailing the present establishments, the number
of these foundations ought to be increased, and that
with as ample a supply of members, as belonged till
of late to Westminster or Windsor.
is raised at a cost which might have re-endowed the English Cathe-
drals, and restored the temporalities of the Church of Ireland. All
the ancient features of Westminster are obliterated by a pile of
buildings, beautiful indeed in detail, but absurd to the last degree as
a whole, for which, however, the architect, who has to conform to
certain directions, is not responsible. Perhaps we may consider it a
fortunate influence of public opinion, which has still some regard for
what is ancient, that Westminster Hall and the cloister of St. Stephen's
were not removed altogether. Even France is putting England to
shame in this respect. The Sainte Chapelle in Paris, adjoining the
Palais de Justice, and very much analogous to St. Stephen's Chapel,
is now undergoing restoration, having been desecrated since the Re-
volution.
136
SECTION XVII.
OF THE ACADEMICAL AND OTHER COLLEGES WHICH
HAVE CHORAL FOUNDATIONS.
THE Chapels of the various Colleges of the Universities
were originally mere oratories, and their members were
required to resort to the Parish Churches for the higher
offices of religion. In process of time, however, College
after College obtained the privilege of having a Chapel
for the use of its members, in all respects entitled to
afford the full offices of the Church; till at length this
became, as it is now, the rule, and not the exception.
The greater part of these Chapels, though beautiful,
or at least solemn and ecclesiastical in their structure
and arrangements, have divine service performed in the
most simple manner, without any choral chant or music
whatsoever. The daily service is indeed kept up, though
in most instances, the rubric, enjoining weekly Commu-
nion', is violated. This has arisen mainly from the dege-
nerate habit of regarding the Colleges rather as receptacles
for boys, than as societies for learned men.
Some, however, have retained Choral establishments
since their first foundation. In both Universities the
Choral Service, whether provided for by the original sta-
tutes or not, was formerly much more frequent than now.
In Dyer's History of Cambridge, we are informed
that some of the inferior Colleges had Choirs, as well as
' In Exeter College, Oxford, the weekly Communion has been of
late revived.
ACADEMICAL AND OTHER COLLEGES.
137
Trinity, King's, and St. John's, and Peterhouse, which
now alone retain them. Vestiges of this may be traced
in the retention of organs in Christ's College, and a few
others.
At Oxford, the magnificent College of All Souls
was originally provided with a Choir. Among the quali-
fications of its fellows was one, that they should be
“ mediocriter docti in arte musica;" words, which though
discouraging that elaborate profession of the art, which
was carried to excess in the days of Chichley, yet pre-
scribed a knowledge sufficient for the due service of the
Chapel.
In the days of Archbishop Cranmer: there was
chanting in this Chapel: but the Choral Service has long
been laid aside; and in a College, where most munificent
donations have been spent upon the library and the
fabric, divine worship is celebrated in the most naked
and simple form. A discretion was entrusted by the
founder to its members to regulate the number of the
Choir, which was so liberally interpreted, that in the
early part of the last century there were but two or three
Chorister boys: but now it is perverted into a resolution
to have no Choir whatever.
At CORPUS CHRISTI College, a Choir was originally
intended; and four Choristers formed part of the founda-
tion. These are now changed into exhibitioners. There
is a tradition of an organ having been anciently in the
Chapel.
A passage in Aubrey's Letters records, that before
1 Among the injunctions given by this prelate to All Souls? College,
one was, “for the better frequenting the Chapel and singing the
service."-STRYPE's Cranmer, book i. chapter 23.
“There was anciently a little organ over the door of the screen.
2
138
ACADEMICAL AND OTHER COLLEGES
the Great Rebellion, the Choral Service was performed
in TRINITY College, Oxford. This custom has long been
disused.
NEW COLLEGE, and MAGDALEN and ST. JOHN'S
Colleges, still retain the Choirs prescribed by their
founders. They consist both of clerical and lay members,
the former being styled Chaplains', the latter Clerks.
That of New College was long one of the noblest in
England, and under the care of the present Warden, it
is re-establishing its ancient character. It consists of
ten Chaplains, most of them in orders, one being Pre-
centor, three Clerks, and sixteen Choristers. The service
is performed twice daily, all the parts being chanted,
including the Prayers and Litany (with the exceptions
to be hereafter noticed), with a solemnity perhaps
unequalled in England.
The Choir of Magdalen College consists of four
Chaplains, eight Clerks, and eight Choristers; and, like
New College, celebrates the service twice daily in the
fullest manner, in a Chapel of late restored to at least
its primitive beauty.
The Choir of St. John's is but small, consisting of a
Chaplain (who is not now regarded as a member of the
Choir), and five Clerks, with Choristers. The service
now performed is only in the evening, and the prayers
are not chanted.
Certain Choral Services are performed occasionally
till Oxford was surrendered, we sang the reading Psalms on Sundays
and holidays, and holiday eves."
· The Chaplains in the Universities are generally connected with
Choirs: and the term seems to be used in the Choral Service as on the
Continent. They are styled at Cambridge “Conducts," or Stipendi-
aries, a less honourable title. The name Conduct was sometimes used
in old times in our Cathedrals.
WHICH HAVE CHORAL FOUNDATIONS.
139
at St. Mary's, in presence of the University, which it
will be in place to mention, when treating of the Litany.
In Cambridge, the Choral Service has suffered muti-
lation in every place where it is retained. KING'S COL-
LEGE has reduced the original number of its Conduct
Chaplains from three to one; and though retaining its
sixteen Choristers (which evidently were intended to be
proportionate to a more numerous body of adult singers),
there are but a small number of Clerks, too weak for the
magnificent organ which accompanies them, and for the
unrivalled Chapel where they minister. The Choir
indeed attends twice daily; but the prayers are not
chanted (a very modern innovation), and at the Sunday
morning service the Nicene Creed is not sung.
In TRINITY COLLEGE there are Conduct Chaplains,
founded with the same view as at New College and
King's, to be a part of the Choir. There are also lay
Clerks and Choristers. But the Choral establishments
of Henry VIII. bear no comparison with those of Wyke-
ham. The Chaplains do not chant, though the
responses
are sung by the Choir. There is the same imperfection
in the Sunday service as at King's; and the Choir
officiates merely at surplice times, that is, on Sundays,
Holidays, and Eves. In the boasted magnificence of these
two Colleges, divine service too little participates: though
in Trinity a great improvement has taken place of late
years.
St. John's College has a Choir of laymen, and no
Chaplains: these officiate merely on Saturday and Sun-
day evenings, and on the mornings of Communion days.
The service is performed as at Trinity; but the responses
are not sung.
PETERHOUSE has a small Choir, who officiate on
܂
140
ACADEMICAL AND OTHER COLLEGES
Saturday and Sunday evenings, the service being as at
St. John's.
The College of WINCHESTER, dependent upon New
College, and that of Eron, dependent upon King's, has
each its Choir, forming a part of the original founda-
tion. King Henry VI.'s two Colleges were modelled
upon an avowed imitation of Wykeham's noble founda-
tions, especially in the performance of divine service'.
The foundations of Wykeham are magnificent and com-
plete in every respect: and the piety of one man in the
fourteenth century accomplished works, which that of
the whole nation would probably grudge in the nine-
teenth". At Winchester it consists of three Chaplains,
and three Clerks, with sixteen Choristers. Of the Chor-
isters, however, but four are now required to sing in the
Chapel; the rest are degraded to mere charity boys.
There is an apparent disproportion between the number
of boys and adult singers in this Choir; the latter being
commonly reckoned to consist merely of the three Clerks:
but the Choir, properly considered, ought to consist of
the three Chaplains also, and the perpetual presence of
the latter, as at New College, ought to be required, so
as to have three men's voices on each side. As the
present usage is, the Choir is imperfect, and inadequate
to the proper antiphonal performance of the service. It
is certain that the ten Priests, perpetual fellows, were
1 In the Appendix (No. 13) to Lowri's Life of Wykeham, there
are extracts from an ancient register, recording frequent visits of Henry
VI. to the Chapel of Winchester College.
2 Witness King's College in London. This admirable foundation,
which may be said to be a child of the Church of England, is disgraced
by a Chapel of most paltry architecture, with arrangements any-
thing but ecclesiastical. It looks like an afterthought. But it is to
be hoped that it is merely temporary.
WHICH HAVE CHORAL FOUNDATIONS.
141
originally designed to have some part in the Choral
Service; and thus the number of Choristers is equal to
that of the Clergy and Clerks. In this Chapel the Choral
Service is now celebrated on the mornings and evenings
of surplice days only. There is one interesting circum-
stance, which well deserves imitation, and which Wheatly
informs us was formerly the case in Merton College';
namely: that the Matins sung at eight o'clock form
a distinct service apart from the Litany and Com-
munion, at which the College boys attend at a later hour,
in the Cathedral. The Communion is performed, and
that without Choral Music, on a few occasions in the
year only, when the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper is
administered. This is contrary to the original custom, as
in the records of the Collèges it appears, that in Henry
VI.'s time the Mass was celebrated there with all due
solemnity. The Choir belongs, or did lately belong, to
the Cathedral. A Wykehamist may, perhaps, be allowed
to express a hope, in which he is encouraged by the
desire for real improvement now so wisely active in that
ancient College, that all its services may be restored to
the fulness which their founder so evidently contem-
plated. He cannot but remember with gratitude the
enjoyment afforded him when a boy, by the Choral
Service of that beautiful Chapel, even though so mea-
grely performed, or the holy effect of the quiet morning
office, when the light of the early sun streamed through
its windows, stained with the inimitable colours of the
1
1 “In Merton College in Oxford, where Morning Prayer is read at
six or seven, and the Litany at ten.” WHEATLY on the Common
Prayer, chapter iv, note.
2 In the document before referred to (Appendix 13 to Lowth's
Life of Wykeham), mention is made of King Henry VI. frequently
attending Mass as well as Matins and Vespers in the College.
142
ACADEMICAL AND OTHER COLLEGES
fourteenth century, and, harmonizing with the ancient
choral song, so awful in its most simple form, served to
impress those grateful recollections of ancient piety which
the youngest Wykehamist is taught to cherish. He must
ever prize the holy associations and, he trusts, - salutary
influences thence derived, above all the intellectual advan-
tages conferred by the discipline of the place, wise and
excellent as that is. These feelings, and what is more,
the principles of Christ's religion, without which they
would be useless, and even detrimental, it is now the
pious object of those who bear rule in the College most
sedulously to cherish, as the Church of England can
gladly testify. It is therefore impossible not to believe,
that before long the senior members of the foundation,
mindful of the duties for which they were established,
will again become a body of resident scholars and Priests,
and join in the weekly celebration of that rite which the
laws of the Church specially enjoin on all communities
instituted like theirs for the service of God's altar?.
At Eton, the Choral Service is performed on surplice
evenings only. The Choir belongs to the Chapel Royal,
1 The fellows of Winchester are allowed to marry, and are conse-
quently in general non-residents. It was never intended that their
offices should be, what are called sinecures; and there can be no good
reason why a difference should be made between them and the fellows
of the University Colleges, as far as celibacy is concerned. But there
is a strong reason why they should be resident. They are properly
speaking the Priests of the College, Chaplains of a higher grade, and
answer, (as they are practically considered to do at Eton) to the Canons
of Cathedrals.
2 It is to be hoped, that the alteration now going forward in Eton
College Chapel, so long called for, may involve arrangements more
ecclesiastical than those lately exhibited. Above all, that an utter
abolition may be effected of the precedence so prominently and impro-
WHICH HAVE CHORAL FOUNDATIONS.
143
Windsor; and it is presumed that this is the reason of
its rare occurrence. From the toleration of pluralities
by members of Choirs, it generally happens, that the
proximity of two Choral foundations impairs the efficiency
of either, or both. Both Eton and Winchester can well
afford to maintain a Choir of their own.
In all these Colleges the service of the Chapel
occupied a most prominent feature in the founder's
plan. The Chapels were, in every respect, in their
architecture, and in the full provisions for divine worship,
that part of the foundation upon which the greatest care
was expended. The school rooms were formerly but
humble chambers, not spacious halls, as at present'. But
the secular spirit of modern times has depressed the one
to exalt the other; and “godliness” and “good learning
no longer stand in the same relative position they held
originally. Under-masters and tutors (I speak with all
real respect for their truly honourable and laborious
offices) occupy a higher share in public estimation than
the ministers of the altar, and the Chaplains: and the
Choir boys are degraded, at Winchester at least, from
receiving the education in the College school which they
formerly enjoyed .
TRINITY COLLEGE, Dublin, has a stipendiary Choir,
perly given to the sons of noblemen, in a place where of all others such
distinction should be unknown.
1 Would that the incongruous school room of Winchester were
swept away! It was built in impudent defiance of the solemn
buildings which it faces and molests.
2 Contrast the manner in which the Choristers at New College,
Magdalen, and several Cathedrals, are educated. Dean Aldrich
brought in at Christ Church, the regulation of giving the Choir boys
an academical dress, and a place at the College table. This ought to
be the case in every Collegiate foundation which has a Choir.
144
ACADEMICAL AND OTHER COLLEGES
forming no part of the original foundation, and instituted
in the last century, during the time of Provost Andrewes.
There had been, however, an organ in the Chapel before
his time. Though composed of admirable musicians, it
has all the worst defects of modern Choirs. There are
no Clerical members belonging to it; no stated Chaplains ;
and not one of the Fellows is required to chant the
Service; but the Prayers are simply read by them in
turn. It is curious, however, that the weekly reader of
prayers is still styled the Chanter. Not even the re-
sponses are sung, and most anomalously even the Atha-
nasian Creed is read, not chanted. The Choir attends
merely on the mornings of Sundays and Christmas-day,
not even on Holidays, as is the general rule of the
smaller Choirs in England. Their duty ends with the
Anthem, which follows the third Collect; but though
here sung in the proper place, it is so done for the
purpose of giving the Choir time to go to Christ Church,
to which they belong; in consequence of which they
leave the Chapel (in defiance of all decency) while the
Litany is in reading. Besides this, they occupy that most
objectionable position, a gallery in front of the organ,
in
contradiction to all precedent and propriety. Hence in
the only College in Ireland, which ought to be the
example of ecclesiastical propriety, the students are
given utterly wrong notions of Church order and arrange-
ments, and are taught to regard as examples those very
particulars which ought to be most avoided. It is quite
in the power of this wealthy College to remedy these
defects. And surely such an object ought to claim some
part of that expenditure, which is willingly bestowed
upon improvements in the fabric, or the founding of
lectureships, and the encouragement of learning in all
WHICH HAVE CHORAL FOUNDATIONS.
145
its departments. In these matters the College has done
magnificently; of late years her system has nobly ex-
panded, beyond that of any College of the realm, during
the same period; it is therefore but reasonable to expect
that the worship of Him, to whom she renders homage
by her very name, may receive the fullest adornment
from her hands, the nursing mother, as she is, of the
Irish portion of the Church Universal.
My observations on these facts will be but few. It
is to be remarked, that at none of these Colleges is the
full Choral Service performed unmutilated. A license
has been assumed, in latter times, of shutting up the
Chapel, or of suspending some portion of its services dur-
ing the long vacation. At Oxford, even at the two Col-
leges where there is the most full performance, the Choral
Service, by a strange anomaly, is either suspended, or
but half performed, at the very time when the greatest
solemnity is required, that is, on Sunday morning.
Whence this arises I cannot pretend to say. But more
will be said on this head when we come to consider the
Morning Service, in a future section. At Christ Church
Cathedral, which ought to be an example to the Uni-
versity and Diocese, if not to the Church of England,
the performance is very mean; the prayers are not
chanted; there is no weekly Communion, in the very
place where, of all others, it ought to be administered ;
the laity, who have a right to resort to the Cathedral of
the Diocese, are excluded from even the distinct hearing
of the service; the Choristers are displaced from the
station which, in every regular Choir, they ought to
occupy, by commoners, who are admitted into the Col-
lege merely by courtesy, and who ought to yield to the
L
146
ACADEMICAL AND OTHER COLLEGES.
ministers of Divine Worship'; and the Cathedral is mani-
festly postponed to the College. Though an ecclesias-
tical foundation, no Sermons are delivered, except when
it is the turn of a Canon of Christ Church to preach in
the Nave before the University. Since the days of
Aldrich, the various branches of human learning have
been more in regard than the requirements of Divine
Worship; and a secular spirit has too largely given the
tone to a place, which ought to be the most distinguished
handmaid of the Church. The defects of Cambridge
and Dublin have been already noticed. I now leave
this part of the subject, in the hopeful persuasion that
these seats of learning may yet render more visible
reverence to Him who is the fountain of all wisdom.
· The same secular arrangement obtains here as in Eton Chapel.
The noblemen occupy places befitting only the Dignitaries or Clergy
of the Church: and what is worse, in a College eminently ecclesiastical,
they are not required to wear the surplice in Chapel.
147
SECTION XVIII.
OF THE ROYAL CHAPELS.
THROUGHOUT Christian Europe the Chapels attached to
the Palaces of Sovereigns have immemorially been
served with the same magnificence as the Cathedrals.
For a long time this was the case in England.
The Chapel Establishment of the English Sovereign
is not a corporate body. It has subsisted, however,
according to its present constitution for a long time
antecedent to the Reformation. Over the Chapel presides
a Dean'; next to him a Sub-Dean, then forty-eight
Chaplains, with ten Priests in ordinary, and a numerous
lay Choir, styled Gentlemen of the Chapel. The Chap-
lains' duty is confined to preaching on Sundays; they
take no part in the performance of Divine Service. The
Liturgical offices are performed by the Dean, Sub-Dean,
and Priests in ordinary. They have been often, but not
uniformly, appointed from the Minor Canons of West-
minster and St. Paul's; and it would appear as if they
were originally considered as forming part of the Choir.
They are not to be considered as inferior Clergy; in their
holy offices they are not in any sense the delegates of
· This office was of ancient standing in the Court, but was discon-
tinued in 1572, till King James's accession, when it was revived in the
person of Dr. (afterwards Bishop) Montague. Heylin's Laud,
part i. book 3.
? In the old records they are constantly mentioned together.
L 2
148
OF THE ROYAL CHAPELS.
higher functionaries. The observations already made as
to the relative position of the Preachers and Minor
Canons of Canterbury, may apply to the Chaplains and
Priests in ordinary of the Chapel Royal.
From ancient lists', it appears that formerly the
officiating members of the Chapel Royal were more
numerous than now. In Queen Elizabeth's time, thirty
were in attendance at a time, at least occasionally”.
In strictness, this establishment belongs to no fixed
place, but is bound to attend the Sovereign wherever he
may be resident.
Of this ambulatory service there are
proofs in records of King Henry VIII.th's reigns: and
in later times, King George IV. used to command the
attendance of his Choir at Brighton. But in general,
their services have been confined to the King's Palace
in London: formerly to the magnificent Chapel at White-
hall, which was destroyed by fire after the Restoration;
and since that time to the small oratory in St. James's
Palace; a place altogether too mean for its high desti-
nation.
In former times, the Chapel Royal was considered
as the exemplar of divine service to the wliole kingdom,
? In Hawkins's History of Music (vol. iii.) it appears that in
Edward the VI.th's reign, there were thirty-two gentlemen of the
Chapel: and the total expence was 4051. a-year. Also (vol. iv. p. 12)
in King James's Chapel, 1604, there was a Sub-Dean, seven Chap-
lains, and twenty-three gentlemen, besides other officers.
2 In 1561, on St. George's Day, "all her Majesty's Chapel came
through her hall in copes, to the number of thirty, singing, O God,
the Father of Heaven.'”_STRype's Ann. Reform. book i. chapter 23.
The author cannot recollect where the passage occurs, but it strikes
him as being one so commonly known, that any tolerable Church
antiquarian may easily verify it. It contains injunctions to the
members of the King's Chapel during royal progresses. Among other
things an “anthempne” is directed to be sung in the afternoon.
OF THE ROYAL CHAPELS.
149
}
and to Choirs in particular. Whether it deserves to be
so considered now, I leave to be determined from the
fact, that the chanting of Prayers and the singing of the
Nicene Creed have been long laid aside, as well as the
weekly Communion', and the daily service, in use a
hundred years ago.
The Chapel Royal in Dublin consists of a Dean, and
twenty-four Chaplains, with a Choir of Laymen. The
Dean is the only permanent resident: but the Chaplains,
when they attend to preach their turns, customarily
read the Litany, and assist at the Communion. There
is no fixed rule for the performance of the Choral
Service, which has been enlarged or curtailed (some-
times even to the omission of the Chant in the Psalms)
according to the will of different Viceroys. What
improvements or mutilations may now exist, I know not.
All the modern omissions, however, have long existed.
There is no Choral evening service; no daily prayers;
the Choir, of which Clergymen form no part, are placed
in the organ loft: a cumbrous pulpit, with a desk
beneath, facing the western organ gallery, stands in the
centre of the aisle, according to the fashion of the
eighteenth century, and in defiance of the order of all
the seventeen preceding.
In Scotland, while Episcopacy was established there,
the Chapel Royal of Holyrood, (ruined during the last
century by the ignorant interference of the civil autho-
rities“) had a full Choral establishment, who administered
1 Vide the Pietas Londinensis, to which public attention has
been lately directed. When the Queen was in London, there was an
early and mid-day Communion every Sunday.
% The Barons of the Exchequer ordered a heavy roof to be placed
upon it, which fell soon after its erection.
150
OF THE ROYAL CHAPELS.
divine service according to the English Liturgy', long
before a Liturgy was compiled for the special use of the
Church of Scotland. The same order was observed in
some of the Scottish Cathedrals.
The Chapels of the Ambassadors of the English
Sovereign, where they do exist, which is but a rare occur-
rence, are to the last degree meagre in their appoint-
ments; and this, while the second-rate sovereigns of
Europe keep up in London magnificent establishments?
though certainly unworthy of English imitation in their
operatic arrangements. As for any such appendage to
any of the Colonial viceroyalties, the thing is not
known, or even thought of.
See the orders of Charles I. to the Bishop of Dunblane, Dean of
the Chapel Royal in Scotland, (HEYLIN'S Life of Laud, part ii.
book 4.) They direct, among other things, that there be Prayers
twice a day with the Choirs, as well in our absence as otherwise,
according to the English Liturgy;".... 6that the Dean of our
Chapel como duly to prayers upon Sundays, and such Holidays as the
Church observes, in his whites, and preach so whenever he preach
there.” Copes are also ordered.
2 The Sardinian Ambassador's Chapel, for instance.
151
SECTION XIX.
OF OTHER PLACES WHICH HAVE REGULAR CHOIRS.
In former times, it was not unusual for Bishops to have
organs and Choirs in the Chapels attached to their
Palaces. In Heylin's Life of Archbishop Laud we read,
with respect to the Chapel in Lambeth Palace, “He put
himself to some cost also in repairing and beautifying
the organs, which he found very much out of tune, and
made great use of them in the celebrating of Divine
Service on Sundays and Holydays, when his leisure could
permit him to be present at it; some gentlemen of his
Majesty's Chapel assisting many times to make up the
concert, when the solemnity required it.” A Choir
had been employed in this Chapel before: for in Arch-
bishop Parker’s Register ? we are told, that at the conse-
cration of that Prelate, “the Elect of Chichester having
exhorted the people to prayer, betook himself to sing
the Litany, the Choir answering.” Of the ordering of
Archbishop Williams's Chapel when he was Bishop of
Lincoln, we are informed by his biographer, Bishop
Hackett, that “at Buckden, in his Chapel, the holy
service of God was well ordered, and served and observed
at noon and evening, with music and organs exquisitely,
as in the best Cathedrals, and with such voices, as the
kingdom afforded not better for skill and sweetness; the
Bishop himself bearing the tenor part among them often.
· Parker's Life, book ii. chapter 1.
152
OF OTHER PLACES
The concourse was great that came to the Bishop's Chapel
for devotion."
In former times noblemen had sometimes Choirs in
their private Chapels. That of the Duke of Chandos at
Cannons, of which Handel was the organist, is a memor-
able instance. The Earl of Mornington, in the last
century, an accomplished Church Musician, had a full
Choir in his Chapel at Dangan Castle, in Meath”. Per-
haps the family records of noble houses might afford
many such instances. But I believe these are not to be
found at the present day.
Of late several parish Churches and Chapels have
adopted the Choral service either partially or wholly.
At Leeds, every part of the Liturgy, on the evenings of
all week days, and at all the services on Sundays and
Holidays, is performed according to the strictest and
best Choral precedent, those parts even being sung
which are usually omitted in Cathedrals. The Clergy
duly chant their part throughout. The Church itself,
the noblest erection of modern times in England, is
strictly ecclesiastical, according to the best precedents
of the Church of England, in all its arrangements.
The
religious zeal of the people of Leeds, which established
à service so perfect, and which ought to put to shame
the ancient and richly endowed establishments, is an
encouraging instance of what the love for God's honour
and worship can do.
Of the Temple Churclı, as now restored, it is
This Chapel was destroyed many years ago. The author re-
members in his childhood to have heard of its magnificence from those
who had seen it. It had painted glass, stalls, candlesticks on the
altar, and an organ with a choir organ in front; in short, all its
arrangements were those properly belonging to a Collegiato Chapel.
WHICH HAVE REGULAR CHOIRS.
153
impossible to speak without admiration, and thank-
fulness to God that he has raised up so evident a spirit
of devotion within the two noble Societies to which it is
entrusted. So thoroughly religious are the impressions
conveyed by the general features of its restoration and
adornments, that its real or supposed defects (which are
of easy remedy and of very subordinate moment) are
matters upon which any comprehensive mind must be
unwilling to dwell. There is no Church in England
which more obviously calls for a perfect Collegiate
Choir, and the fullest resources of the Cathedral
Service. This the rulers of the Society have felt; and
no one with true ecclesiastical feelings can doubt, that
the same instinctive apprehension of what is Anglican
and Catholic which is manifest in these architectural
improvements, must incite them to such a perfection of
liturgical ministration, as may be an example even to the
first Cathedrals of the land. As it is, the Choir has
already been removed from the objectionable place it
first occupied, (the gallery,) to each side of the Church,
so as to exhibit both visibly and audibly the antiphonal
nature of the service. The Organ is very properly at
one side, according to ancient usage. The reader's
position also is that which is proper to all Choirs ;
though there is still wanting a faldstool for the Litany,
and an Eagle Lectern for the Lessons. If, however, the
perfect Choral Service is intended, it would be well for
each Society to provide a Chaplain, (over and above the
present Clerical members of the Church,) to chant the
Prayers and Litany, and to form an effective part of
the Choir, as was universally the case in former times.
154
SECTION XX.
ON TIIE UNIFORM MANNER OF PERFORMING
THE CHORAL SERVICE.
HAVING concluded our consideration of the members of
the Collegiate Churches, it is now in place to consider
the peculiar service they perform. In pursuing this
enquiry, the best course apparently will be, to take in
order the various directions and Rubrics of the Prayer
Book, at the same time noticing all usages which are
not contradicted by them, and are supported by sound
precedent.
The first passage to be considered in one in the
prefatory Section, “Concerning the Service of the
Church.” This enjoins, that “whereas heretofore there
hath been great diversity in saying and singing in
Churches within this Realm; some following Salisbury
use, some Hereford use, and some the use of Bangor,
some of York, some of Lincoln; now from henceforth
all the Realm shall have but one use."
This has reference, of course, to one uniform Liturgy,
not to the employment of one uniform tune in all
Cathedrals. In a subordinate sense, however, this
would seem to recommend an uniformity of principle
in the performance of Choral Service: an uniformity
plainly enforced by the original choral documents of the
reformed Church of England. The principle they
enforce is this, that all the parts, without exception,
directed “to be sung or said," ought to be sung in
Choirs: the apparent alternative being merely a recog-
UNIFORMITY OF CHORAL SERVICE.
155
nition of the system usually adopted in Parish Churches,
and restricted to them: besides those parts of the
Service (as the chanting of the morning and evening
prayers) about which the Rubric is silent, but which
documents prove had been chanted' in Choirs ever since
the Reformation. This principle extends to many other
circumstances of divine worship: but it does not exclude
a great variety in detail, as to the method of carrying
out the principle.
This injunction, however, has not hindered a diversity
from still existing, not only as to the mode of the
Choral performance, but as to the use of the Liturgy itself.
The modern Bangor use, for instance, in the “Order for
Morning and Evening Prayer," instead of “daily to be
said and used throughout the year,” reads, “ on Sundays,
Holidays, and Eves.” The York use omits the singing
of the Litany, and Nicene Creed. The use of St. Paul's
omits the Rubric in the Morning Service, “In Choirs
and places where they sing, here followeth the Anthem.”
And one very general use has obtained, from what
particular Church derived I know not, of omitting several
Rubrics after the Communion Service, the fourth in
particular. By what authority these several Churches
have practically altered the Prayer Book, it would be
difficult to determine. At all events these diversities
have been regarded as of authority, and have been
extensively followed throughout the kingdom.
One main object of this work shall be, to show that
there exists an authority paramount to those of indi-
vidual collegiate establishments, and to warn inferior
Churches from following the examples of those places
which ought to be their instructors, but have been
their misleaders.
156
SECTION XXI.
OF TIIE CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES OF THE CHORAL
SERVICE.
The principal feature of the Choral Service is that sort
of unmetrical song which is commonly called the Chant;
and which, though admitting of great variations, forms the
basis of the whole musical performance.
The rationale of the Chant will be examined fully in
its proper place. At present the essential parts of the
Choral Song will be briefly stated.
1. The Chanting by the Minister of the sentences,
exhortations, prayers, and Collects throughout the Liturgy,
in a monotone, slightly varied by occasional modu-
lations.
2. The alternate Chant of the Versicles and Responses
by the Minister and Choir.
3. The alternate Chant, by the two divisions of the
Choir, of the daily Psalms, and of such as occur in the
various offices of the Church.
4. The singing of all the Canticles and Hymns, in the
Morning and Evening Service, either to an alternated
Chant, or to a more intricate style of Song, resembling
Anthems in their construction, and which are techni-
cally styled “ Services."
5. The Singing of the Anthem after the third Collect
both in Morning and Evening Prayer.
6. The alternate Chanting of the Litany, by the
Minister and Choir.
OF THE CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES, ETC.
157
7. The singing of the Responses after the Command-
ments in the Communion office.
8. The singing of the Nicene Creed, the Sanctus,
and Gloria in Excelsis in the Communion Service
Anthem-wise.
9. The chanting or singing of those parts in the
occasional offices, which are rubrically permitted to be
sung
The omission of any one of the above parts, in
regular Choirs, however largely sanctioned by practice,
is an essential violation of the system, impairing its
effect, and destroying its proportions.
In Parish Churches, indeed, full license is given to
omit the Choral mode: but in all endowed Choirs, its
full observance ought to be regarded as a matter of reve-
rent obligation. We proceed now to consider the extent
of that obligation.
158
SECTION XXII.
ON THE DEGREE OF AUTHORITY WITH WHICH THE
CHURCH OF ENGLAND HAS PRESCRIBED THE
CHORAL SERVICE.
THERE are cases, in which the lawful recommendation of
a superior, however mildly expressed, will be as impera-
tive as a command, to one constrained by that law of love,
which enters into true obedience, and which, however
incapable of being uniformly felt towards the mediate
channel, is due to the source of all authority, even to
God. Such cases are eminently the recommendations
of the Church of England. And although in some
instances these may have become impracticable, for
reasons which our reformers may be considered as having
foreseen, yet in whatever particulars her intimated will
has been scrupulously acted upon, during times of strictest
and most conscientious observance, in these we
bound to restrain our private judgment, and to conform
to her gentle precepts, enforced by such authoritative
practice.
Now, if it can be proved, that the choral recom-
mendations of our Prayer Book have been the rule of
the Collegiate Churches from the beginning; that in
these the Church expresses her approbation of an order
which godly custom and grave authority had made uni-
versal: and if, besides, it can be shewn, that a consistent
harmony has been designed in this part of her discipline,
it must surely be a sign of wanton waywardness to
are
HOW FAR THE CHURCH, ETC.
159
contravene the spirit of her system in this respect, only
because there may be here wanting the stern coercion of
a direct command.
But a closer examination of the Rubrics, and a compa-
rison of the different editions of the Prayer Book, taken
in connection with the unbroken practice of the Church
of England, will shew, that something more is intended
than permission, nay, that a positive injunction is con-
veyed to our Choirs.
1. In the first book of King Edward VI. the injunc-
tions for singing the different parts of the Communion
office are imperative': and the reading of those parts is
merely a matter of permission; and that in these places
only where the compliance with the rubric would be diffi-
cult, namely, where there are no Clerks. So that the
utmost that this rubric amounts to, is in fact a permission
to Churches, which have no regular endowment for the
purpose to dispense with Clerks, that is, a regular Choir.
It absolves Parish Churches from supporting a Choir by
rates, or otherwise. But as no such dispensation is given
to Cathedrals to disobey their statutes, which require the
support of full and sufficient Choirs, this rubric enjoins
the singing of the prescribed parts in their places as impe-
ratively as the compliance with any part of the Prayer
Book.
In the office for Morning Prayer prescribed by that
book, the injunction is indeed less imperative. It there
1
1 “ Then shall the Clerks sing in English for the office, or Introit,"
&c. “ The Priest shall begin, 'I believe in one God;' the Clerks shall
sing the rest," &c. &c.
2 - Where there are no Clerks the Priest shall say all things
appointed here for them to sing."
1
160
HOW FAR THE CHURCH
ور
says, in the rubric before the Venite, “ then shall be
said or sung.” But then, there is a direct command in
the rubric for the first Lessons, “ that in such places
where they do sing, there shall the Lessons be sung in
a plain tune, after the manner of distinct reading.” The
places where they do sing, manifestly means those places
where a Choir forms part of the foundation. The rubric
then sanctions, at least, the existence and usages of these
establishments. But since, by this Book, the chanting
of the Lessons is positively enjoined in such places, it
would be inconsistent and absurd to suppose that the
chanting of the Psalms and Canticles, so much more
fitted for musical recitation, was not obviously implied.
We must reasonably imagine that their performance was
so clearly taken for granted, as an immemorial usage,
that a specific direction was thought unnecessary.
The first Book of King Edward continued but a
short time in use. In the second Book many altera-
tions were made, and many of the Choral rubrics
were omitted'. In the subsequent editions they were
partially restored. But what is remarkable as a matter
of testimony is this; that we have an uninterrupted
series of Choral services composed for our Church,
from the time of King Edward till the last revision of
the Prayer Book: and from these we ascertain, that the
Choral injunctions and recommendations were strictly
observed in all cases, that were consistent with the
alterations of the Prayer Book itself. So that the recom-
mendations of the Litany were plainly acted upon as com-
mands.
1 E. g. for the Lessons, Introit, Creeds, Sentences for the Offertory,
and Sanctus.
HAS PRESCRIBED THE CHORAL SERVICE.
161
7
Besides this, we find that those parts of the Liturgy
which are not expressly mentioned by the Rubrić, the
prayers and responses, for example, were set to music;
and that their musical recitation was the practice of the
Church, is evident from the complaints of the Puritans,
who objected to this, as well as to all other decent and
Catholic observances of the Church of England”.
But now let us proceed to our present Prayer Book,
as finally revised in 1661. Now, the only injunction in
the Common Prayer Book as to the Choral Service, which
leaves no apparent discretion to Choirs, is that very one
which modern Choirs have taken upon themselves speci-
ally to violate, namely, the performance of the Anthem
after the third Collect, both at Morning and Evening
Prayer. But it is remarkable, that this rubric occurs in
none of the former Books. Yet the spirit of our reviewers
is here plainly shewn. They hereby manifested a desire
to keep up the pious usages of the Church, which had
From the works of Marbeck, Tallis, Barnard, Lowe, Clifford, &c.,
which will be largely quoted in the sequel.
2 In 1549, the prayers were chanted in parish Churches, as appears
from Bishop Burnet, who relates that “there were two things much
complained of: the one was that the priests read the prayers generally
with the same sort of voice that they had used formerly in the Latin
service; so that it was said, the people did not understand it much
better than they had done the Latin formerly. This I have seen repre-
sented in many letters; and it was very seriously laid before
Cranmer by Martin Bucer. The course taken in it was, that in all
parish Churches, the service should be read in a plain audible voice;
but that the former way should remain in Cathedrals, where there were
great quires, who were well acquainted with that tone, and where it
agreed better with the music that was used in the anthems.” Burnet
adds some objections to the Choral mode, which however deserve little
attention, as he was notoriously prejudiced against a mode of per-
forming service, into the merits of which his education and habits
prevented him from entering. Vide his History of the Reformation,
part ii. book i.
M
162
HOW FAR THE CHURCH
been traditionally followed, securing their future observ-
ance by the express language of authority. It cannot be
imagined that they intended a more diligent observance
of an usage that had been merely traditional, that was
indeed extraneous to the Liturgy, than of those which
the former rubrics had expressly recognized, and which the
custom of the Church had strictly kept up. I apprehend,
that the universal recognition of this custom, as a law,
by all Choirs, was the very reason of positive injunc-
tions on the subject being overlooked. Let us observe
the wording of this Rubric. “ In Choirs, and places
where they sing.” That is, in places where by custom
they sing all those parts of the Service which the Rubric
directs to be said in Parish Churches, or places unpro-
vided with Clerks; to be sung in places where their
performance is practicable. The practice of the Church,
and her spirit also authorize us to interpret the words
“where they sing" thus: “in all places where all those
parts of the Service recognized by this Book as Choral,
namely, the Litanies, Psalms, Canticles, and Creeds, are
duly performed.” But besides this we find, that the
rubrical recommendations to sing certain parts of the
Service wanting in the first Prayer Book, were subse-
quently added, and stand in our present Prayer Book:
and yet documents prove, that these parts were always
sung from the first. For example, the Rubrics before
the Te Deum, the Apostles' Creed, the Evening Psalms,
the Litany, &c.
From what has been said, it must follow that no
distinctive part of the Choral Service can be rightly
omitted, unless some
some reason can be found
stringent than the will or recommendation of the
Church. Now three reasons only can be assigned for
that lamentable mutilation of the Cathedral mode
more
HAS PRESCRIBED THE CHORAL SERVICE.
163
sanctioned in some modern Choirs. The first is, inability.
This excuse is altogether inadmissible. In all the
Cathedrals and Colleges where the Choir forms a part
of the foundation, due provision is made by the statutes
as has been shewn, for the maintenance of both priests
and laymen, who should be competent musicians. If
inability exists, the fault lies altogether with the
guardians of those foundations. The second excuse is,
the undue lengthening of the Service. But the Choral
Service properly performed need not be much longer
than the Parochial; especially were all the innovations
of modern times omitted, to which the prescribed parts
of the Service too often give way. The last objection,
and this involves most serious considerations, is one
,
founded altogether upon private judgment. By many,
parts of the Choral Service are censured as unnatural, or
as unedifying: as rather hinderances to devotion, than
promoters of it. In the first place, let it be remarked,
that such opinions are not the expression of the uni-
versal judgment of any portion of the Church; they
are altogether private. In the next place, these are
generally expressed by persons who have either no
sound knowledge or no experience in the matter. But
above all, they are in express contradiction to the sanc-
tion of the Church of England. It is impossible to
reprehend too earnestly such an unwarrantable exercise
of individual opinion, especially when employed in muti-
lating the Services in those Churches, which ought to be
the exemplars to the land. The bad consequences of
such arbitrary and presumptuous proceedings are too
evident. If the worship of God be a matter of the
most deep and grave importance; if every particular
connected with it be an object that deserves the most
M 2
164
HOW FAR THE CHURCH
reverent care of those who are called upon to admi-
nister it, then how lamentable must it be, to find the
decent order, in the particular of sacred music, so
deranged, as to make the finding of any settled rule
difficult, nay, impossible, were reference made to the
present practice of the Church alone. The fact is, that
there is not wanting sanction for the omission of any
one part of the Choral Service, however essential or
characteristic: so that to say what are its essential
features would be impossible, were all the variations of
modern fancy to be our standards. But it is strange
that a liberty should be assumed of controverting the
acknowledged practice and recommendation of the
Church in some particulars, while others, which are
only tacitly permitted by her should be held inviol-
able. Thus, we have no rubrical sanction for the
alternate reading of the Psalms in Parish Churches.
And yet, although we are told, upon the testimony of
Bishop Burnet, that Bishop Bedell objected to this
custom, as being unrubrical, yet no Clergyman could
now venture so far to assert his private judgment,
as to contradict the universal usage of the Church.
And unquestionably it would be presumptuous to do
This is an instance in which universal sanction,
uncontradicted by any positive rule, has become a law.
But just as strong a case, nay stronger, because for-
tified by rubrical recommendations, may be made out
for those parts of the Choral Service against which so
many cavil. Till very modern times, their observance
was as universal in all Choirs, as the practice above-
mentioned was in Parish Churches. So that exactly
the same regard, and no more, should be paid to private
views of edification, in one case, as in the other.
SO.
HAS PRESCRIBED THE CHORAL SERVICE.
165
But if we regard the practice of the Church uni-
versal, a sanction such as the Parochial mode altoge-
ther wants, is given by antiquity to all the characteristic
parts of the Choral system, as it will be the endeavour of
the following section to show. Meantime let me briefly
urge two weighty considerations against innovation. The
first is, the risk that is incurred, of contradicting the
primitive spirit of Christian worship: of attributing,
either directly or by implication, to the Cathedral Chant
the charge of superstition, or absurdity, and thereby
involving the first compilers of Liturgies, nay, apostolic
men and Apostles themselves, in this charge. The second
is, the risk of impairing the unity of effect, and the
deeply moral impression which has been systematically
intended by that mode.
Next to the careless per-
formance of the sacred offices, no more effectual method
could be devised, for impairing reverence, and hindering
a true Catholic spirit of devotion. The fabric of our
Church, both internal and external, has been built up by
master workmen. The names of its primitive architects
have been lost to us, and the full scope of the plan
traced out by their comprehensive wisdom may yet
remain to be recovered: but let us beware, lest, in
divesting the building of what may appear to be mere
subsidiary ornaments, we may be in fact marring its
integral proportions, and introducing discordancy into
those parts of the edifice yet permitted to remain : lest
in a zeal for what we may call reformation, we really
bring in the principle of revolution; and in a mistaken
endeavour for God's glory, we substitute the inevntions
of men for that which may be, for aught we know, the
teaching of heavenly wisdom.
166
SECTION XXIII.
OF THE UNIVERSALITY AND ANTIQUITY OF
THE CHANT.
In every part of Christendom, where the Apostolic order
has been recognized, the characteristic principle of Cathe-
dral worship, the Ecclesiastical Chant, has obtained.
I do not speak now, of course, of Communities which
of set purpose have rejected every characteristic of Ca-
tholic order. But it is a positive fact, that while the
Anglican Church has retained the Choral mode in her
Churches, it appears from the rituals published for the
use of the Lutheran Churches in Germany, at the time of
the Reformation, the same system was adopted by them'.
And although these rituals unhappily fell into disuse,
yet, even to the present day, the Lutheran Churches of
Sweden and of Iceland, retain, among many other primi-
tive usages, the ancient custom of chanting the prayers
during certain parts of their services.
The Eastern Churches, also, which have maintained
for a long series of ages a most jealous independence of
· Burney, in his History of Music, (vol. iii. p. 33,) says, that the
ancient Ecclesiastical tones still regulated the music of the Lutheran
Church at the time of the Reformation. He refers to one of their
“Kirchenordnungs," or Liturgies, for the Reformed Church, printed
at Basle in 1565, and another at Leipsic, in 1621.
The Author has examined several of these, particularly one printed
at Wittenburg, in 1554, and another at Luneburg, 1643. The music
is sct to the Collects, Creeds, Preface, Versicles, Canons, &c., in
German as well as in Latin.
ANTIQUITY OF THE CHANT..
167
the Western, have uninterruptedly kept up, at least in
their principal places of Worship, the Ecclesiastical Chant,
both in Prayers and Psalmody. And the constant
tradition of the Church has been, that the Chant was
derived to the Western from the Eastern portion of
Christendom.
But there is strong testimony that the practice is of
still higher antiquity. By some, the Chant is supposed
to be derived from the recitative of Roman tragedy,
which was itself borrowed from Greece. The analogy
between the two is confessedly striking. Yet I must
express more than a doubt as to the direct adoption of
any accessary of Christian worship from such a source.
When it is known how strong was the abhorrence of the
early Christians of any participation in heathen festivals,
the theatrical performances of Greece and Rome being
intimately connected with idolatrous worship, it is next
to impossible to believe, that they should have adapted
the prayers addressed to the true God to those strains
which were intimately associated with rites held by them
in utter abomination. The analogy between the reci-
tative of tragedy, and the Chant of the Church, and
the adoption of the latter, may be accounted for upon
one and the same ground, which I shall endeavour to
explain.
The musical recitation of the prayers by the Jews is
analogous to our use. Now it cannot be for a moment
held that the Jews derived any practices of their syna-
gogue from the Gentiles. This would be most abhorrent
from their national character, their religious feelings,
their rigid adherence to ancient traditionary custom.
Neither can it be supposed that they copied the
Christians.
168
OF THE UNIVERSALITY AND
: But it is quite consistent with the whole tenor of
their conduct to believe that the early Christians adopted.
such parts of the Jewish ceremonial as were not con-
nected with ordinances abrogated by the death of Christ.
It has long ago been abundantly shown, by able authorities',
that the outward government of the Christian Church.
was,' by Divine guidance, modelled upon that elder
pattern. Some of the accessaries, of Divine worship
themselves: the lights, for instance, universally placed
upon the Christian altars, were adopted from a practice
in the Synagogue; a significant emblem, borrowed from
the Temple Candlestick. The white garments, also, of
the ministers were adopted from the same source. And:
in the more spiritual parts of the worship, the early
Church imitated the example of the blessed Lord, who
formed that prayer which he enjoined on his followers
for perpetual use, out of petitions already in use among
the Jews. They continued the use of those Psalms
which formed the groundwork of their ancient Liturgy;
and this continued use became one of the chief character-
istics of Christian worship. And with the Psalms them-
selves it is not to be believed that they did not adopt
the manner of their performance also.
Now the Hebrew Psalmody, though doubtless much
debased, from the high degree of perfection which cha-
racterized it during the times of David and Josiah,
retained nevertheless its most characteristic feature,
namely, its alternate or antiphonal mode of performance.
This alternation, which is the fundamental feature of
ecclesiastical Chanting, is also that of Hebrew Poetry,
See especially the learned Sermons upon the Christian Ministry,
by the Rev. J. C. CROSTHWAITE.
ANTIQUITY OF THE CHANT.
169
and consequently of Hebrew Music. The moral anti-
thesis which is called parallelism, which enters into the
formation of all sacred songs, required of course a corre-
sponding antithesis in the music which accompanied them.
This alternate mode of recitation must be obvious to the
most careless reader in many of the Psalms. Now we
must surely admit, that the music to which the inspired
King of Israel set the Psalms, must have been strictly
appropriate, and therefore antiphonal. Indeed any other
arrangement would be obviously injurious to their effect
and meaning. But this is no matter of mere reason or
conjecture. Several passages of Scripture distinctly
show us that the sacred Songs, both of the inspired ser-.
vants of God on earth, and of his angels in heaven, bear
the antiphonal character.
The Jewish origin of the Christian Chant being thus
presumed, it remains to observe upon the analogy sub-
sisting between that Chant, and the tragic song of
Rome, or rather of Greece, whence the Roman was
borrowed. This analogy is one which prevails in many
things besides the sacred music. It obtains largely in
the most ancient poetry. There is a remarkable resem-
blance between the strophes and antistrophes of the
Choral odes of Grecian Tragedy, (which odes were
uniformly accompanied by appropriate music) and the
alternations of many of the Psalms and of the poetical
prophecies of Holy Scripture: with this difference,
indeed, that the parallelism of the Grecian odes was
generally, but not uniformly, metrical: whereas that of
the sacred poets was sentimental: the Hebrew poetry
being a metre, as it has been well expressed, not of
syllables, or words, but of thoughts. Another charac-
teristic feature of the most ancient Grecian choruses:
170
OF THE UNIVERSALITY AND
is this, that they were purely religious: celebrating some
event of ancient mythology, the achievements of their
ancient gods and heroes; in most of which strong traces
of sacred history, distorted indeed and perverted, may
be found. These sacred Odes of Greece existed in that
country beyond the reach of authentic record: far beyond
the time of Thespis, the reported founder of their
Tragedy. Now, since we find in these ancient Odes two
of the most remarkable features of Jewish lyrical poetry,
parallelism, namely, or the antiphonal principle, and a
religious character, the presumption is surely well-
grounded that the Greeks derived their poetry and music,
or the greater part of it, from that same source whence
they derived their alphabet; namely, from Palestine,
through the intervention of the neighbouring nation of
Phænicia, who in their language, and we may believe in
many of their customs, bore a family resemblance to the
Jews: both having sprung from the same Shemitic stock.
But this theory will be strengthened, if the conjecture
of Sir Isaac Newton be admitted, that the emigration
of Cadmus (whose name is obviously of Shemitic origin)
and of the Phænicians, was occasioned by the conquests
of David. The same Colonists who introduced the
Oriental alphabet (for the Greek is nothing more than a
slight modification of the ancient Hebrew, or Samaritan)
may be naturally supposed to have introduced other arts
of civilization. And when we find that the monologue
of the Grecian drama was recited in a musical tone, we
may surely believe that this practice was also taken from
the Jews, among whom it subsists to the present day.
To this source, then, we may believe that sacred
intonation, that antiphonal recitation may be referred,
which, though brought to a high degree of perfection
ANTIQUITY OF THE CHANT.
171
by the civilized Greeks and Romans, has been derived,
doubtless from the same, or rather from a patriarchal
original, to all the nations of the world. The amazing
coincidences between many particulars of the true God
in times of old, and those of more recently discovered
nations, it is beyond our present purpose to notice even
passingly. But the peculiar voice of prayer, our more
immediate subject, has been heard among the North
American Indians, and among the South Sea Islanders,
thus awfully attesting the universal influence of the
God of Shem'. And among the latter people, we have
to refer to the minute descriptions? of the observant
English navigators of the last century, to show us, that
religious songs and dances were observed among them,
bearing strong analogies in their antiphonal character, to
the most civilized Gentile copy of the sacred original.
We have therefore the strongest possible sanction of
universality as regards the human race, of catholicity as
regards the Christian world, and of special authority as
regards that portion of the Church to which we belong,
for its continuance, and for recognizing the Chant as
well in prayers as in thanksgivings, as literally the VOICE
OF THE CHURCH: and therefore of special obligation in
those places where the pious endowments of past ages
have, among other special objects, been directed to this
end.
· From this and many other circumstances, the Jewish origin of
the Americans and Polynesians has been inferred. But how can we
account for their having utterly lost the art of writing, and of civilized
habits, to say nothing of their peculiar religious rites? Their patriarchal
origin, however, in times antecedent to Moses, may sufficiently account
for the phenomena, if indeed these were not rather the characteristics
of all the descendants of Noah before idolatry had set in.
2 Vide CAPTAIN COOK's Third Voyage.
172
SECTION XXIV.
OF THE CHANT, THE BASIS OF THE CHORAL
SERVICE.
It has been already observed, that the Chant is the
basis, the very principle of Church Music. But it is
a great, though common mistake to suppose, that the
Chant is confined to those parts of the Service only
which are performed by a chorus of many voices, as the
Psalms and Hymns. It pervades the entire Service, and
is in fact, the tone of solemn exhortation, supplication,
and praise, which distinguishes the language of God's
public Service from all ordinary speech, and which
moulds together the entire Ritual into one harmonious
whole.
A common objection is made as to the unsuitable-
ness of the musical tone to prayer. Now to the idea
that music in itself is unsuited to prayer, the Psalms
give the most palpable and evident contradiction. For
what are a large proportion of those holy songs but sup-
plications and petitions, as strictly deserving the name of
prayer, and as entirely partaking of that character, as any
of the Collects of the Church? And yet none scruple
to sing these: nay, all must confess that such a scruple
would be impious, since their inspired authors themselves
appointed them to be sung in the Jewish Temple. And
in what does the sacred music of the whole Christian
world, whether the modern metrical psalmody, or the
more ancient method, mainly consist, but in the direct
use of the Psalms, or in adaptations from them?
BASIS OF THE CHORAL SERVICE.
173
That the tone of prayer used in our Choirs is
ancient and universal has been already shewn. That it
is natural, has been ably argued in a recent essay' on
the subject : being the very tone of earnest, but not
unnaturally excited feeling: which thus unconsciously
manifests itself among mankind, in the deep expression
of joy, of grief, of entreaty, or of triumph: the musical,
that is, the sustained notes, the perfect sounds of the
human voice being naturally employed on these occasions.
But a great confusion of ideas prevails as to the
use of the term natural. By some this is understood
to mean, unpremeditated: by some, familiar; by others,
unaffected: while in general an undefined notion, mixed
up of all these significations, prevails in the minds of those
who censure the more solemn recitation of the prayers.
Now the first of these meanings has obviously no place
in our Liturgy. As the form of her services has been
ordered by the most careful foresight: so the due
recitation of her offices is a matter requiring the most
reverent preparation. And as for familiarity, every
incident of her Service excludes this idea.
worship God in places of a more grave and awful archi-
tecture; if the garments of his ministers are such as to
betoken a peculiar sacredness; if the gestures used in
his service are more collected and reverential than those
rendered to the greatest earthly potentates; if our
prayers and praises are clothed in the holiest garb of
antiquity and of the most divine poetry, elevated im-
measurably far above the gravest secular discourse; what
can hinder it that the utterance of those prayers should
assume a solemn character, so as to devote to God's
If we
'An Apology for the Cathedral Service.
174
THE CHANT, THE BASIS
service, not the broken and unmusical sounds of common
conversation, but the full melody of the noblest organ
of the human frame?
But if by natural be meant unaffected, no mode of
recitation is more calculated to repress all affectation:
while it restrains within the channel of solemn tones the
voice of those whose injudicious inflections, through
want of taste or skill, would mar all decent effect, it no
less restrains the ambitious and conceited efforts of a
rhetorical declaimer'. Affectation does not mean the
assumption of a more elevated manner on proper occa-
sions : it is that indescribable offence against good taste
and propriety, which arises from a want of simplicity,
and consequently of truth and sincerity in the speaker,
who is either engrossed in self, and thus aims to create
an effect, or else who endeavours to give expression to
sentiments which he does not duly feel.
It is quite as natural to man to have awful and
serious, as familiar feelings: impassioned energy is quite
as natural as the calmest self-possession of every-day
intercourse. And all minds, cultivated or uncultivated,
if endued with the common feelings of humanity, will
instinctively give to solemn poetry a more measured and
deliberate recitation than to ordinary, unimpassioned
prose?. This principle is universally recognized : but
See DR. BISSE's Rationale on Cathedral Worship, who uses this
argument among others. The whole of his Sermon is worthy of deep
attention.
Dr. Bisse remarks that the Psalms of David, and other spiritual
songs recorded in holy writ, “ which are all poems indited by inspira-
tion, cannot well be recited without singing or an harmonious pro-
nunciation, poetry and harmony being made to go together, and to act
in conjunction."
OF THE CHORAL SERVICE.
175
the keeping of a due medium in this respect is conti-
nually marred by the influence of a vitiated, vulgar, or
grovelling taste or education.
But between the recitation and the language of
poetry itself, a strong analogy subsists. No one will
censure the verse of Shakespeare as unnatural, because
it runs in metre. Nay, no uninspired language speaks
the voice of nature more strongly. But familiar it is
not, being neither the measure nor the phraseology of
every-day life: affected it is not, as it neither exag-
gerates, misplaces, nor mistimes the workings of the
human heart.
It may be said, however, all this is granted: yet
though a more solemn modulation of the voice may be
proper, the sustained and monotonous Chant of the
Cathedral is an exaggeration of this prínciple, and is
nowhere found in nature. And no one could recite
poetry in such a tone without offence to the ear and to
the taste.
To this may be answered, that though the analogies
we have above remarked do prevail, yet a wide difference
subsists between things human and divine. . All secular
oratory or poetry, when recited, is more or less an imita-
tion.
The unpremeditated feelings of the heart are
there represented: and consequently the ordinary modu-
lation of the human voice must be to a degree imitative,
though heightened by that colouring which, while it
copies nature, yet throws a more than ordinary light
around it.
Hence, in the choral canticles, hymns, and anthems,
which partake, though in a more exalted degree, of the
character of secular poetry, the music of the Church
imitates by its modulation the several rises and falls of
176
THE CHANT, THE BASIS
these workings of the heart. And hence, also, in the
Church of England the Lessons' are not chanted, but
read. The instinctive good taste of the revisers of the
Liturgy taught them, that the Lessons being narratives,
orations, records of appeals to men, or writings of an
epistolary character, require that method of reading
which should be, within due bounds, imitative. But
with the prayers the case is far different. These are
uttered by the Minister of God, not as an individual,
but as the instrument and channel of petitions of per-
petual obligation, the supplications for all those gifts of
God's grace which are needful for all mankind while
this frame of things shall last. The prayers are not like
the Psalms and Canticles, the expression, the imitation,
or the record, of the hopes and fears, of the varying senti-
ments, of the impassioned thanksgivings, of the medita-
tive musings of inspired individuals, or of holy companies
of men or angels; they are the unchangeable voice of the
Church of God, seeking through one eternal Redeemer,
gifts that shall be for everlasting. And hence the unifor-
mity of tone in which she seeks them is significant of the
unity of spirit which teaches the Church universal so to
pray, of the unity of means by which her prayers are
made available, of the perfect unity with God her Father
which shall be her destiny in the world to come.
It has ever been the desire of enlightened devotion
to present the choicest of what man has to God, to deco-
rate his outward service; to which the highest resources
of constructive skill, and of that genius, called Wisdom
in Holy Scripture, have in the best ages of the Church
· See a subsequent section on the Lessons for further remarks on
this subject.
2 Exodus xxxv. 35.
OF THE CHORAL SERVICE.
177
been subservient'. Now it must be considered, that the
speaking tones of the voice are in themselves defective.
Whether it be from the great rapidity and perpetual
shifting of the human ideas, or from any similar cause,
it is not easy to decide, but certain it is, that every arti-
culate sound, which is not musical, is in fact, a súc-
cession of half and quarter tones, so varying and rapid,
as to give no time for the nicest ear to catch any distinct
note; and thus a confused sound is made, analogous to
the impression made upon the eye by the rapid succession
of various colours. Whenever any one tone of the voice
is perceptibly sustained, it is musical. Upon the proper
use of this sustentation, the chief skill of harmonious
recitation, whether of poetry or prose, depends.
A music
cally speaking voice is that which instinctively knows
how to diversify with such an occasional sustentation
the cadences and modulations of ordinary speech. The
whine or sing-song manner of speaking or reading, on
the contrary, is the undue predominance and unskilful
use of the sustained notes. Now, music is the very
perfection of speech. All abrupt and indistinct tran-
sitions are avoided: while the distinct succession is so
modulated, as to produce that effect which is called
melody*: and so as to express in an eminent degree, all
1 66
Chanting is a degree and advance in dignity above the distinct
reading or saying used in the Church, as that is and ought to be above
that manner of reading and speaking, which passes in common con-
versation, and intercourse among men.”
"What is singing,
but a melodious way of speaking ?”—DR. BISSE.
* “ Melody is a series of sounds more fixed, and consequently more
lengthened, than that of common speech, arranged with grace, and
with respect to time, of proportional lengths, such as the mind can
easily measure, and the voice express."--BURNEY, Preface to History
of Music, p. xvii.
N
178
THE CHANT, THE BASIS
the passions and feelings of man's nature.
But so rare
is the judgment which can regulate this modulation, so
impossible to command that presence of mind, which
upon every sudden emergency of human life, would
place each note in its proper or expressive place, that
to hope for or to attempt the common use of music,
would be as futile and ridiculous as to speak in poetry
or in rhyme; that is, always to range the most appro-
priate words in the most expressive and harmonious
order
But in the deliberate addresses to Almighty God,
whence human excitement is excluded, nothing may
hinder the employment of the unmutilated fulness of
the voice.
Having thus endeavoured to show at once the anti-
quity and the fitness of the Chant, it remains to exhibit
its principle, as recognized by the Church of England.
The analogy between poetry and music has been
already several times adverted to; and indeed it would
be impossible, in a treatise of this nature, to do other-
wise. The Choral mode is in a manner, a song through-
out, exactly as the service itself is poetry throughout,
in its most exalted and comprehensive sense. Of the
poetry of the Psalms and Hymns it is needless here to
speak: so obvious is their character in this respect. Their
poetical construction has been demonstrated by divines
of the highest learning and genius. But the prayers
themselves are essential poetry. Though not metrical, and
as such, wanting in one qualification of poetry properly
so called, yet they have a tone and spirit which raises
them above all mére human language: they have that
melodious rhythm, which is but the outward exponent
of a regular and systematic marshalling of elevated
OF THE CHORAL SERVICE.
179
thoughts and aspirations, and they awaken, but to a godly
and imperishable end, those apprehensions of the sublime,
the pathetic, and the beautiful, which it is the highest
art of poetry to command. Now if the prayers be in
this essential, yet not strictly formal sense, poetry, so
their Choral recitation may be considered essentially,
but not strictly, song. The Choral Chant recognizes
the connection subsisting between the prayers and
praises of the Church, by a cognate, and most expressive
analogy: by an unity of plan throughout, which yet
admits of the most significant and happy variety.
But here I must animadvert upon notions, unhappily,
too commonly prevalent, respecting the reading of the
service. Some conceive that because regular chanting
is generally in a monotone, therefore it is right to read
the prayers in a sort of monotonous whine. Now,
whatever the origin of common reading or recitation
may be, it is certain, that reading and singing are differ-
ent arts, and the same principle which enjoins the best
manner of using that which is most perfect in its kind,
that is, singing, in the service of God, enjoins also the
best manner of using that which is less perfect, that
is, reading. If chanting is considered proper to be used,
let it be real chanting, not a hybrid imitation; though
it must be remarked, it is absurd to chant the prayers,
if the Psalms and responses are read. But in read-
ing, it is essential that all due emphasis and intona-
tion, demanded by intelligent recitation, should be
used, not with exaggeration, but sufficiently to discrimi-
nate prayer, praise, narration, interrogation, and all the
other properties of composition, and this in a natural but
reverent manner. That most absurd and mischievous
maxim (laid down by those who either have no taste
N 2
180
THE CHANT, THE BASIS
or feeling, or will take no pains, and think that all other
persons are like themselves) that men in Divine Service
are to read as if they were mere machines, is too repug-
nant to common sense to require refutation. I must
only say that slovenly and careless reading, or what ap-
pears to be such, is quite as much a mark of affecta-
tion, as pompous declamation. But in avoiding one
extreme men commonly fall into the other'.
The musical tone being then the main feature of the
Choral Service, it remains to consider the form in which
it is developed, the true idea of the Chant. Now this
is essentially antiphonal or responsive. The alternate
characteristic of the Psalms and Hymns, pervades, though
less obviously, the Prayers. In these throughout the
Liturgy, the Priest or Minister, and the people, vocally
represented by the Choir, bear each their part: the
Choir closing each petition offered up by him: thus at
once manifesting a holy emulation, a deferential follow-
ing of the Minister of Christ, and asserting their privilege
as members of his universal body. These responses are
made either by the repetition of the same words as those
uttered by the Minister, as in the beginning of the
Litany, or by the completion of a sentence, the first
clause of which is uttered by him, as in the versicles
and suffrages, and in the Collects, which are summed up
by the congregational Amen. In the first of these cases,
the modulated Chant of the Priest is repeated, or imitated,
1 “Some, through unskilfulness in elocution, borrow a corrupt
imitation of this manner to strengthen their utterance in assemblies,
and assume a tone in their praying and preaching; not considering,
that in chanting, though this be natural and pleasing, yet in speaking
it becomes affected and offending, and that chanting misapplied, falls
under the appellation and censure of canting."-Dr. Bisse.
OF THE CHORAL SERVICE.
181
in harmony, by the Choir: in the latter case, the Choral
response forms either a cadence to the monotone of the
petition, or forms the second part of a strain begun by
him. Thus the antiphonal character is preserved through-
out the entire Prayer-Book, and enters into the combi-
nations, however diversified, of every Chant, Anthem,
and Service.
If this principle be once recognized, it will be seen
what injury it must suffer by the inconsistent practice of
discontinuing the Chant in some parts of the service,
and retaining it in others. Some Choirs lay it down as
a principle that those parts only which are usually accom-
panied by the organ should be sung. This is in effect
to erect an arbitrary and unauthorized barrier between
the spirit of David's Prayers and of the supplications of
the Church. Others, according to the modern and
degenerate practice of Christ Church in Oxford and
King's College in Cambridge, read the prayers, while
the responses are chanted: thus marring most discord-
antly the connection, the unity of the prayers themselves.
For such practices there is no ancient authority what-
And on every other ground they are utterly inex-
cusable. And if this obligation be neglected, what hope
is there that a regard for any other obligation will be
observed, whenever that most short-sighted plea, private
judgment, or that most insidious, fallible, and tyrannizing
authority, public opinion, is put in competition with
the ancient prescription, deliberate wisdom, and pro-
spective piety of the Church Universal, of which our
Collegiate foundations ought to be the conservators ?
If contempt has fallen upon those venerable institutions
in later times, the cause has not been a blind adherence
to obsolete customs, (for if we call their customs obso-
ever.
182
BASIS OF THE CHORAL SERVICE,
lete, it must follow that we shall involve the Liturgy,
and the Scriptures themselves, in the same censure,) but
rather those blind mutilations of a consistent plan, those
infringements of a decent order, which have impaired
the significancy of what yet is suffered to remain.
We now proceed to examine the successive details
of the Liturgy itself.
183
SECTION XXV.
.
THE RUBRICS BEFORE MORNING PRAYER.
The Order for Morning and Evening Prayer, daily to be said and
used throughout the year.
On this first Rubric it may be observed, that the two offices
of Morning and Evening Prayer (in which, of course, the
Litany and Communion are not included,) are placed
by our Church upon the same level, as to the frequency
with which they should be administered. To carry out
the spirit of the Church's regulations, they should be
performed in Choirs with equal fulness and solemnity.
A contrary practice, however, often prevails. In a great
many Choirs, more pains are taken with the Evensong
than with the Matins, and in some the latter is merely
performed parochially; and, as before observed, in some
places, on Sunday mornings, when, of all times, there
ought to be the greatest solemnity, there is a meagreness,
unknown throughout the rest of the week, and an absence
of any music whatever.
Now the early hours of the morning are those in
which there is an instinctive impulse, on the part of the
whole creation, to rejoice; and especially of all true
Christian hearts to bestow the freshness of their awakened
faculties, at that season when the sun is rejoicing to run
his career, on the happy business of telling God's loving
kindness early in the morning. Such was the feeling of
the primitive Church, whose offices of lauds and matins
consisted mainly of thanksgiving. And such is the
184
RUBRICS BEFORE MORNING PRAYER.
feeling of our Church, in this, as in everything else, the
conservator of the pure spirit of antiquity. Her matin
service has a character eminently jubilant; for instance,
the Venite exultemus, the Te Deum, in which the most
expanded sentiments of praise are joined with suppli-
cations for grace during the temptations of the coming
day; the Benedicite, the Benedictus, and the Jubilate;
and especially that most sublime Christian Hymn, used
when the Resurrection of Christ is celebrated. So that
on every account, it would seem that if on either service
the fulness of Choral accompaniment should be more
largely bestowed, this is due to the morning.
The present corrupt practice arises perhaps from
three causes, most reprehensible, because perfectly capa-
ble of remedy. The first is, the plurality of offices so
often permitted to members of Choirs, at the Universities
especially, and in the capital Cities. The custom being
now to unite the three morning services into one, it
would be to the last degree unreasonable to expect the
attendance of the same Choir in two places successively
for the performance of two full services; as this would
not only overtask their voices, but would imply an
arrangement of the hours of service, too early in one
place and too late in the other; or even if effected,
would prevent a performance in one place or the other
sufficiently energetic and effective. Hence the shorter
office of evening service, not liable to the same incon-
venience, is the one generally performed with most
The second cause is, the interference at the Uni-
versities, of other offices closely following, such as the
University Sermons, or the parochial duties of such
members of Colleges as have Cures. The latter
being a mere accident, and no way necessary towards
care.
RUBRICS BEFORE MORNING PRAYER.
185
academical discipline, ought to bave no weight: the
former is one admitting of an easy remedy, in many
ways; and everything ought to yield to the due per-
formance of divine worship. The third cause is, a pro-
fane notion entertained by many, that whereas the
morning is the fittest time for prayer, the evening is best
for a sort of religious relaxation or amusement: they go
to the Parish Church for devotion, to the Cathedral to
be entertained. Not a word of remark is necessary on
this false estimate of the services of the Church; for
which, however, too much occasion has been given, by
the undevotional manner of those to whom its execution
has been entrusted. However, this is but arguing
wrongly upon a principle right in itself, and with which
I set out, namely, that the morning is the fittest time
for devotion. But then I must maintain that Choral
music is its legitimate accompaniment.
It is further to be remarked, that as the Church has
enjoined the daily use of Morning and Evening Prayer,
and as she has made no material difference between their
weekday and holiday use, (except in some particulars,
that tend to edification, and such as the greater solemnity
of certain Festivals may require,) so no material differ-
ence should be made in the principle of its performance,
though of course a greater fulness should be given to the
holiday service. The unchangeable nature of things
divine is the reason of the uniformity of the Church's
ritual; the same God is worshipped, the same sin depre-
cated, the same grace prayed for, on one day as on
another. And though the weekday is not as holy as
the Sunday, yet to those whose duty or privilege it is to
attend the daily prayers, the sanctuary and the service
celebrated there are equally holy at all times. Two
186
RUBRICS BEFORE MORNING PRAYER.
great objects are regarded in all divine worship: the first
is the glory of God; the second, the edification of man.
The glory of God, being that great end which demands
the dedication of all the heart, mind, soul, and strengtlı,
requires at all times of public prayer, the greatest possible
degree of inward devotion, and all the majesty of outward
homage; and this irrespective of the worshippers. The
Holy of Holies in the Jewish Temple, though unseen by
the people, or even by any but the High Priest, was
more adorned than the more visible parts of the struc-
ture. And as to the edification of man, it is most fitting
that this good object should at all times be sought by
every legitimate means, and without any regard to
numbers. Not when two or three hundred, or twenty
or thirty, but even when two or three are gathered
together, there is Christ in the midst of them: and
if in all places, surely in a more peculiar manner in his
house. But if edification be confessedly necessary for
the multitude, it must be so for each component mem-
ber; if for the rich, then also for the poor. The
Palaces of the Church, and all their decorations, are the
inheritance of the Christian poor: and to her festivals
she summons those from the highways and hedges; and
having freely received from her Master, she freely gives
as his steward, to these his pensioners. So that there is
a reason of indestructible obligation for the maintenance
of the daily service, in all its proprieties, so far as cir-
cumstances will allow. In country parishes this is gene-
rally impossible. But in all endowed Choirs, it was
the original intention, and it is the general practice (the
exceptions are of confessedly modern date) to perform
the whole Matins and Evensong daily in the manner
which it shall be the subsequent business of this treatise
to detail.
187
SECTION XXVI.
OF THE CHANCEL, OR CHOIR.
The Morning and Evening Prayer shall be used in the accustomed place
of the Church, Chapel, or Chancel; except it shall be otherwise
determined by the Ordinary of the Place. And the Chancels shall
remain as they have done in times past.
Though it is not the object of this work to enter upon
the wide field of Ecclesiastical Architecture, it is obvi-
ously in place to make a few observations on the parts
of the Church to which the performance of Divine Ser-
vice is confined.
“The accustomed place of the Church” has reference
to Parish Churches; respecting which, in the time of
King Edward VI., liberty was given to the Ordinary to
enjoin the performance of Matins and Evensong in the
Nave, hitherto celebrated in the Chancel or Choir; to
which latter place the Rubric of the first Prayer Book
confined these parts of Divine Service'. This was an
arrangement, however, merely of convenience or neces-
sity, in cases where, as in the Churches of St. Mary's,
Oxford, or Stratford-upon-Avon, the use of the Chancel
for the audible edification of the great body of the Con-
gregation was physically impossible, without the removal
of screens, &c. The proper place was, and still is, the
Chancel; where, from the instructions of Archbishop
1 “The Priest being in the Quire, shall begin with a loud voice
the Lord's Prayer, called thc Paternoster."
188
OF THE CIIANCEL, OR CHOIR.
Grindal', it appears that the Incumbent had his stall.
Here the Clergy, at least those assistant to the officiating
Priest, ought to remain, even when the Prayers, by the
direction of the Ordinary, are read in the Nave: here the
Choir, or those assistant in divine service, ought always
to be placed; and here the Rector, or Curate, during the
former part of the Service, ought to appear in his Sur-
plice as a Priest, instead of remaining, like a layman, in a
pew. But in small Churches, and in all where the
Chancel is not actually shut out from the body of the
Church, nothing can be more absurd than the erection
of Reading Desks in the Nave. No Church, however
small, ought to be without a regular Chancel; its
omission was never known till the last century.
But in Cathedrals and Colleges, the universal practice,
as throughout Christendom, so in England, with the two
exceptions of Wolverhampton and Manchester, has been
to celebrate divine service in the Choir. Armagh was,
till of late years, a third exception, the old Choir having
been extremely small; but this anomaly has been recently
removed.
CHOIR and CHANCEL are convertible terms: the
former being more usually applied to Collegiate, the
latter to Parish Churches. The word Choir had its
origin from the chorus of singers to whose use it was at
first chiefly appropriated. The word Chancel is derived
from the Cancelli, or partitions which separated this part
of the Church from the Nave and Aisles. The word
Chapel is used in many foreign countries exactly in the
same two-fold sense as Choir is with us, that is, both for
In small Churches, “the Minister
,,
might “stand in his accus-
toned stall in the Quire."--Life, book ii. chap. 1.
OF THE CHANCEL, OR CHOIR.
189
the singers and the place where they sing, and where
the Clergy officiate. But probably in the Rubric further
allusion may be made, in the use of this latter term, to
the usage of many Collegiate Churches, (now less fre-
quent than formerly,) of having early Morning Prayer
simply read in the Lady Chapel, or in one of the side
Chapels. The Lady Chapel is so used at Gloucester.
At Westminster, the early Morning Prayer (revived of
late through the growing piety of the people, and now
read in the South Transept), was formerly performed in
Henry VII.th's Chapel'. At St. Paul's, the same service
is read in a Chapel at the north-west end of the nave.
The Galilee Chapel, that singular structure at the west
end of Durham Cathedral, is used for the same purpose.
Many like instances might be mentioned. The early
Morning Prayer, formerly said in the Choir, then in the
Chapter House, (corruptly called the Sermon House,) in
Canterbury Cathedral, is now disused. The same is the
case in Christ Church, in Dublin, the Chapel at the north
side of the Choir, formerly appropriated to this purpose,
being now desecrated to the purpose of a Chapter House
and Choristers' School. The beautiful Lady Chapel of
St. Patrick's has been used since 1820, as a Chapter
House; that of Hereford, till lately appropriated to a
library, is now in the course of restoration.
The early Morning Prayer now mentioned is not to
be confounded with the full Choral Matins, celebrated at
a later hour in the Choir. The Church of England has
1 “Daily Prayer in King Henry VII.th's Chapel at six in the
morning, and a Lecture read there on Wednesday and Friday.” The
Choral Matins in the Choir were at eight or nine. Vide the account
of Westminster, drawn up by Dr. Bill, already referred to. STRYPE'S
Annals of Reform., Appendix No. X., to book ii.
190
OF THE CHANCEL, OR CHOIR.
It was
never so far deviated from Catholic precedent, as to
perform the full services of the Church elsewhere than
in the regular Choir. In St. Peter's at Rome, and in
other Basilica of the Romish Church, the regular Chancel
is disused, except on a few occasions, and the daily
service is performed in a side Chapel.
The Choirs of the Oratories of Colleges are called
chapels; their naves or vestibules, ante-chapels.
In the primitive Church', the part corresponding to
our Cathedral Choirs, though much smaller in size, was
at first occupied by the inferior Clergy and singers only.
Here the Psalms were sung and the Lessons read.
furnished with stalls, as with us, but not closed in with
high screens; and was therefore visible to the whole
congregation, who occupied the nave and aisles. The
Choir was not open to the laity in general. It was placed
just below the steps of the Altar. The Altar was raised
by several steps, and occupied the centre of a sort of
gallery, or Eastern Transept.
A semicircle behind the Altar, called the Testudo, or
Apsis, contained the stalls of the superior Clergy. The
Bishop's Throne, slightly elevated, was at the extreme
east end. The semicircular, or polygonal termination
of the Church, is frequent in Germany and France; but
the instances of its original destination are very rare;
while in many cases, the corrupt innovations of Rome
have occasioned the placing of a second Altar at its
extreme end, as at St. Paul's, and elsewhere in Rome;
primitive practice sanctioning but one Altar in each
Church In England, the Apsis is not so common:
See the plates in Eustace's Classical Tour, and liis remarks.
Also Goar's Rituale Graecorum.
OF THE CHANCEL, OR CHOIR.
191
Canterbury, Westminster, Peterborough, and Norwich,
afford the most remarkable examples. It is to be pre-
sumed that they were originally used as in primitive
times, though now no instances are extant. The Apsis at
Canterbury has been altered by the subsequent addition
of Trinity Chapel; but its original form may be clearly
traced. And it is remarkable, that the ancient stone
chair used at the enthronization of the Primates', stood
formerly in the place of the apex of the Apsis, till in
very modern times it was removed to its present position
in the Eastern Chapel, or Becket's Crown; and here,
behind the Altar, Gervaise the Monk informs us, the
Archbishops used to sit till the consecration of the
Elements.
The proper use of the Apsis was apparently perverted
at Canterbury and Westminster, by the placing of the
shrines of Kings and Bishops in them. And this disturb-
ance of ancient order was accompanied with the encroach-
ment of a superstition, which paid more reverence to the
shrine of a human being, than to the altar of God”.
At length, both in the Eastern and Western Churches,
the Bishop and superior Clergy occupied the Choir,
hitherto reserved for the inferior Ministers only, at least
during the performance of the morning and evening ser-
vices. This custom has been, for any thing we know to
the contrary, always in use in the British Churches, since
the establishment of her Cathedrals. In Goar's Rituale
Græcorum®, the arrangement of the Patriarchal Church
· Vide the ground plan in Dart's Canterbury, and his extracts from
Gervaisc, alluded to in the text.
2 The instance of Bocket's Shrine is notorious.
3 Vide also the plates in Goar.
192
OF THE CHANCEL, OR CHOIR.
of Constantinople very much resembles, in its general
features, that of our Cathedral Choirs.
The Choir, formerly open, as in the Churches of Italy,
and most of those in the Low Countries and France, was
by degrees enclosed with high partitions of wood or stone,
forming backs and canopies of stalls. The high screen,
separating the Nave from the Choir, was an innovation,
not merely of the Monks, but of the Secular Canons, in
the Cathedrals, as we see from the instances of York,
Exeter, Lincoln, and other places. An innovation it
certainly was, unknown to the primitive Church'. It
had the effect of shutting out the great body of the
Laity from the sight of the Altar and Ministers, and
from the distinct hearing of divine worship: a remedy for
which was subsequently found, (a very imperfect one,
however, in the admission of the Laity into the part of
the Church properly belonging to the Collegiate body
only. The Rood-screens in our Parish Churches are
comparatively modern: but as these are often formed
The “holy doors” in the Greek Churches do not enclose the
Choir, but the Apsis and the Altar. Goar admits that these are inno-
vations of modern times (pp. 17, 18). At first they were only cancelli,
or κιγκλίδες, or as Eusebius styles them, δίκτυα από ξύλου, reticulated
wood work, and in fact, resembled our communion rails, which, in spite of
all that is said to the contrary, are more ancient and Catholic than the
Choir or Rood-screen. The Author must be excused if he altogether
demurs to the dogmas of a Society he much respects (the Cambridge
Camden Society,) as to rood-screens and lofts. Of course, if ancient,
they ought to be retained, as beautiful pieces of architecture: but they
are of comparatively modern invention, of local and temporary use
(for they were not generally known in Europe, and in England they
ceased with the Reformation,) and they form an unnecessary and
inconvenient barrier. He really cannot comprehend the use or
beauty or propriety of erecting one in the Temple Church, as recom-
mended by a correspondent of that Society.- Vide BINGHAM, book viii.
chapter vi.
OF THE CHANCEL, OR CHOIR.
193
of pierced lattice work, they do not constitute that sub-
stantial barrier presented by the Cathedral Choir Screen.
In all the ancient Cathedrals, there were at least
two rows of stalls on each side of the Choir: the upper
row being appropriated to the Capitular Clergy, the
lower, to the Minor Canons, Vicars Choral, and Lay
Clerks: the Choir boys being placed beneath them on
the floor. The stall of the Dean (the same being the
rule with respect to the Heads of Colleges in their
Chapels) was the first on the right, or south side of the
Choir: that of the Precentor' generally the first on the
left side. Hence the two sides of the Choir are techni-
cally styled DECANI and CANTORIS. The Dignitaries and
Prebendaries were ranged in the order of seniority on
each side. In several old Cathedrals, and almost univer-
sally in Ireland, two Dignitaries (the Chancellor and
Treasurer) occupied the last stalls on each side at the
eastern extremity of the Choir: the object of this
arrangement being to exercise a superintendance of the
conduct of those who were placed in the intermediate
stalls: a wholesome provision, now as necessary as ever.
In places where the Capitular Members were not numer-
ous enough to fill the whole upper range of stalls, some
of these were appropriated to the inferior members, as
at Exeter, according to the ancient constitutions of that
Church”. In Limerick Cathedral, the range of ancient
stalls of black oak is appropriated to both the Chapter
and the Vicars Choral. The names of the Dignities
and Prebends are, in the old Cathedrals, inscribed over
their respective stalls. At Manchester, both the Clerical
1
St. Paul's is an exception.
* Vide Jones's account, already referred to.
0
194
OF THE CHANCEL, OR CHOIR.
and Lay Members are in the same range; there being
but one row of stalls.
In the Collegiate Churches of the new foundation, as
at Winchester and Westminster, the arrangement of
Manchester is observed: but it is not universal.
The Reading Desk is a piece of furniture altogether
unknown to our ancient Choirs '. In them, as at St.
Paul's (the arrangement of that Choir being evidently
formed after an ancient model) the officiating Priest
merely read from his stall, wherever that might be.
The Reader of prayers, in all our Collegiate Churches,
officiates with his face in the position of his stall, that is,
laterally, if he occupies a lateral stall; to the East, if his
stall is on either side of the Choir door. Whatever it
may have been in some Parish Churches, the Collegiate
usage of the Church of England never has been to turn
to the East, except during the Creeds and Litany, or to
the West, except during the Lessons.
There is no ancient precedent whatever for that most
offensive arrangement in the Chapel Royal in Dublin, of
placing the reading desk for prayers in the centre of the
Choir, with its back to the Altar. This should be the
case with the Lectern for the Lessons only.
The Litany, as is still the case at Lincoln, Lichfield,
St. Paul's, Exeter, and in the Choral Chapels in Oxford,
and formerly at Christ Church in Dublin, and Westmin-
ster, was chanted at a low desk in the centre of the Choir,
towards the east end of the Stalls. Of this custom more
will be said when we come to speak of the Litany.
The Lessons were read from a Lectern, usually a
| The Reading Pew, mentioned in the Commination Service, in
which it was not inserted till the last Review, means most probably
the Lectern, or Lesson Desk.
OF THE CHANCEL, OR CHOIR.
195
brazen Eagle, in the centre of the Choir, looking west-
ward; as at St. Paul's, Lincoln, and many other Cathedrals
and Colleges. In foreign Churches, the Eagle commonly
faces the East, and is used as a desk for the Precentor,
like the ancient Ambo, to hold the large music-book, at
which the leaders of the Choir' stand. Instances occur,
however, of Eagles being used for the reading of the
Epistle and Gospel. The Eagle at Canterbury, which
formerly stood, as at York and Christ Church in Dublin,
at one side of the Choir, and was used for the Lessons,
now faces the east, and forms a Litany desk. This is
contrary to Anglican usage. The Eagle at Bristol Ca-
thedral was sold by the Chapter more than half a century
ago.
Those which still remain in some places, as at
Wells, and King's College, Cambridge, are disused and
often displaced. An Eagle has lately been placed in St.
John's College Chapel at Cambridge, through the piety
of one of the Fellows.
The Bishop's Throne was uniformly placed at the
extremity of the Stalls, nearest the altar, on the south
side. At Ely an anomaly remains which ought to be
remedied, of the Bishop having no Throne. His stall is
that appropriated to the Dean in other Churches, for an
insufficient reason, namely, that he takes the place of the
ancient Abbot. Still his place as Bishop is distinct from
and superior to any Collegiate rank or authority. At
St. Paul's there are two Episcopal Thrones, both on the
south side. The westernmost of these represents the
Called in the Greek Church útoßoneus, Suggestors, or
Prompters.
2 Vide Life of Grindal, v. vi. p. 59 (folio.) At Carlisle, the
Bishop has the Stall usually given to the Dean, but has his Throne
besides, for great occasions. STORER's Cathedrals.
O2
196
OF THE CHANCEL OR CHOIR.
inferior seat he used to occupy in old times, during the
ordinary offices of the Church; this being the Dean's
Stall: the other is reserved for great occasions, appa-
rently representing that superior seat of the Bishop, which
according to primitive use stood in the Apsis.
The Pulpit, whenever it was a fixture, was on the
north of the Choir, at the extremity of the Stalls.
Ancient pulpits are found in several of our Cathedrals; of
stone, as at Worcester; of wood, as at Winchester. In
some places, as at Ely, Exeter, and Bristol, it was placed
in the nave, or outer aisle: at Ely the sermon is there
preached still. At Canterbury, Christ Church, and St.
Patrick's, Dublin, the pulpit was moveable: at the two
latter places, within memory, it was usually kept in a bye
place, and was wheeled into the centre of the Choir when
the time for the sermon arrived.
The approach to the Altar was generally by more than
one ascent. The space between the stalls and altar,
called the Presbytery, unoccupied by Choir or Congre-
gation, was greater in the ancient than in the modern
Cathedrals: to take as an instance the old, as compared
with the modern Church of St. Paul'. This space was
parted off from the side aisles, (or from the Eastern
Transept, which, in analogy to the ancient Basilica, was
frequently placed here,) by open screen work, as at
Winchester
In the arrangement of the British Churches is often
found a Chair on each side of the Altar, for the use of
the two principal Clergymen during the intervals of duty:
and also a long faldstool on each side for the others,
when they come up from the Choir, to assist in the admi-
| Sce Hollar's Plates in DUGDALE.
OF THE CHANCEL, OR CHOIR.
197
3
nistration of the Holy Communion, or to receive it.
This seems to be a modification of the primitive apsidal
seats of the superior clergy. The recent condemnation
of these Chairs by some antiquarians, seems somewhat
precipitate. However, they ought to be used during the
intervals of the Communion Service only, not at Matins
or Evensong.
The Organ was placed on one side of the Choir,
generally the north, and towards the east end. Gervais
relates that in the twelfth century such was its position
in Canterbury Cathedral, on the north side over the
Transept Arch'. This seems to have been universal
throughout Europe: it is still the most common arrange-
ment in Italy, Spain, and Germany, and is retained in
the Cathedral and College of Winchester, the Royal
Chapels at St. James's and Hampton Court, and Christ
College, Cambridge. Within memory it was so in Christ
Church, Dublin, where it stood in a loft, over the
Peeresses' seat, towards the north-east end of the Choir:
the site of the present clumsy Organ loft having been
occupied by the Lord Lieutenant's Closet. The like
position was given to it in Chester Cathedral, as Dr.
Burney informs us: in old St. Paul's, Lincoln, Canter-
bury, and Westminster Abbey, as the engravings of
Hollar and others shew: and, according to tradition,
in St. John's and New Colleges, at Oxford, and King's,
at Cambridge. The present usual position over the
Choir Screen does not appear to have been general*
present
1 Vide DART's Canterbury, page 7.
2 But it sometimes was found there. In NEALE's Vicus of the
Churches of Great Britain (vol. ii.) there is an extract from a MS.
account of Melford Church, in Suffolk, written about the time of the
Reformation; in which the following notice occurs: “ There was a fair
198
OF THE CHANCEL, OR CHOIR.
0
till the Restoration: a contrivance, which in Parish
Churches completely blocks out the Chancel.
It now remains to make a few remarks upon the
present arrangement of our Collegiate Chancels, and to
offer suggestions for their proper restoration.
In all ancient Churches, as before remarked, the
greater number of the stalls uniformly ranged down on
each side of the Choir, north and south. When the
members of the foundation were numerous in proportion
to the size of the Chancel, there were often many stalls
on each side of the Choir door, facing eastward; but in
no instance whatever did they occupy this position only.
When the College was small in number, there was no
inferior range: and even in large Choirs, there were
frequently but one or two stalls placed on each side of
the door'. This arrangement, which made the greater
part of the members face each other, brought out visibly
the idea of the antiphonal nature of the Choral Service.
In all cases, all adult members of the foundation had
regular stalls, nor was there any difference of size
between those belonging to superiors and inferiors.
Even the Dean's stall was commonly undistinguished
from the rest.
At Canterbury, this ancient order is so dislocated, as
to completely impair the features of a Collegiate Choir.
The ancient stalls, consisting of two rows, were barba-
Rood Loft with the Rood, Mary and John, of every side, and with a
fair pair of Organs standing thereby.” In BRITTON'S Arch. Antiqu.
vol. iv. the agreement for building the Beauchamp Chapel at Warwick,
in the fifteenth century, is quoted, where the carpenter covenants to
make a parclose of timber about an Organ to stand over the West door
of the Chapel. The Organ stood over the Choir Screen in Trinity
College Chapel, Oxford, as Aubrey states in a passage already quoted.
| As in Henry VII.th’s Chapel, and St. Paul's Cathedral.
OF THE CHANCEL, OR CHOIR.
199
rously removed during the hideous “improvements” that
took place in the early part of the last century. The
only stalls are those of the Prebendaries; not in parallel
ranges on the north and south, but placed on each side
of the Choir door, so that the Capitular Members look
more like the Presidents of Divine Service, than its
Ministers: and by their position are cut off, by a wide
interval, from the rest of the Cathedral body. Ranges
of long pews, instead of stalls, are placed along the
North and South sides. The Minor Canons are stationed
in a lower row, the Lay Clerks (most anomalously,) in a
third row beneath them; whereas they ought to be
“ Clerks of the second form:” while the upper range is
occupied by laymen, and even women and children.
The Lessons are read from the Minor Canons' desk,
instead of from the Eagle, which is perverted from its
proper use.
The same modern arrangement of the Pre-
bendal stalls has place at Rochester, and elsewhere. At
Armagh, not only is this the case, but benches for the
Congregation are placed between the Chapter and the
Choir, not ranging laterally, but, contrary to all precedent,
looking eastward.
Now in all cases, there ought to be lateral stalls.
That arrangement is best, which has but one or two on
each side of the Choir door, so as to allow a wide space
between, to open the view of the Choir to the Nave.
This of course supposes the removal of the Choir Screen,
upon which a few remarks will presently be made. But
even where old stalls already exist, on each side of the
door, sufficient for the present Chapters', it would be
most in accordance with the principle of the Cathedral
· I mean as they existed in their unreduced state.
200
OF THE CHANCEL, OR CHOIR.
service, to place the Prebendaries in the lateral stalls,
the Dean and Vice-Dean occupying their present places,
and leaving those between them unallocated. In every
case, where the Capitular Members are not sufficiently
numerous to fill all the lateral stalls, part of the upper
range should be occupied by the Minor Canons or Vicars,
and perhaps by the Lay Members of the Choir. There
is a moral fitness in this. Every principle of ecclesias-
tical propriety requires a preeminent place to be given
to the Ministers of God's worship: and as the holiness
of their office is merely personal, the Prebendaries' wives
and families ought never to claim (as they do at Can-
terbury and Peterborough) a more conspicuous place
than the humblest Ministers of the Sanctuary. Every
one of these ought to have a stall, not a bench: the
confining of the stalls to the Prebendaries being a mere
modern assumption of state.
Custom has assigned as a matter of courtesy, not of
right, stalls or places in the Choir to the members of the
Corporation in cities. At St. Paul's, indeed, the Erastian-
ism of the seventeenth century went so far as to erect a
throne, exactly resembling, and fronting, the Bishop's, for
the Lord Mayor. But here, none of the municipal seats
interfere with those of the Church officers. The case is
different at Canterbury, where the Corporation ranges
on the south side of the Choir, exactly opposite the six
Preachers, who are in one row on the north: whereas
these latter, according to all analogy in such cases,
ought to be placed three on each side of the Choir, above
the Corporation.
If any extern persons occupy the stalls, or the higher
places of the Choir, all precedent and decorum requires
that they should not be women. It is a real regard for
OF THE CHANCEL, OR CHOIR.
201
the propriety of their position, which urges me to say, that
women, who are incapable of exercising any ecclesiastical
office, should have a modest and unobtrusive place in
Church. The precedence and regulations of the drawing-
room ought never to influence the ancient customs of
the Sanctuary.
The Lessons ought always to be read from an
Eagle or Lectern in the centre of the Choir, not from the
Minor Canons' place, as at Canterbury, Westminster,
and Wells.
There ought to be no regular reading-desk: the
Minor Canon or Vicar in course officiating from his
proper stall; nor should the reader be elevated above his
brethren. There is none at St. Paul's, or in the ancient
unaltered Choirs'. The arrangement at Lichfield is
very faulty; where the chanter of prayers is separated
from his brethren of the Choir, (which ought never to
be at Matins or Evensong,) and officiates at a parochial
desk, containing both Bible and Prayer Book, under the
pulpit, beyond the Choir stalls. On week days, however,
the prayers are chanted in the proper place. At Roches-
ter, (where so much has been well done, that it is un-
pleasant to criticize) the Minor Canons' desks have been
most unnecessarily and unsymmetrically raised.
The adult members of the Choir, Clerical and Lay,
ought always to be near one another, either in the same
range, as at St. Paul's, or in rows one immediately above
the other? The modern arrangements of Manchester,
&c., already alluded to, cut off the officiating clergyman
· The reading desks at Christ Church, in Dublin, are most absurdly
depressed below the lay Vicars, in a line with the Choir boys' seats.
* But is the arrangement there correct, of mingling the Minor
Canons with the Lay Vicars?
202
OF THE CHANCEL, OR CHOIR.
altogether from the rest of the Choir, and sanction the
vulgar notion, that the Choral worship is a lay business.
The organ ought never in any instance to stand over
the Choir screen. This position is modern, and never
contemplated by the original architects of our Churches.
It interrupts the view in a most unsightly manner, cuts
off the Nave from the Choir (as will be observed more
at length presently,) and occupies the most conspicuous
station in the Church, as the central object of attraction.
The Cathedral ought never to be considered such a mere
vehicle of sound, as to postpone to musical effect the
decent proprieties of Divine Service. Perhaps the evil
of this arrangement is most conspicuous in St. Patrick's
Cathedral; where the organ, an instrument of unusual
size, is certainly the most prominent object in the Choir:
while the Holy Table, deprived of all its proper decora-
tions, is suffered to remain in the most squalid state of
neglect, and even the space within the rails is open to
the crowd, in contradiction to all Christian precedent,
which had assigned this place to the Clergy alone.
Even Mahometans and savages show more respect to
their supposed holy places, than the Chapter of St.
Patrick's to the table of the true God!
There is a less objectionable practice adopted in many
Collegiate Churches abroad, of placing the organ over
the great west door. However this has the bad effect
of blocking up in part the western window. This custom
is not older than the seventeenth century, when Hol-
land was seized with the mania of building gigantic
and noisy organs. I must avow a utter distaste for these
enormous music-mills. Their barbarous crash is more
fit for Nebuchadnezzar's festival, than for that sweet
and grave accompaniment for which our best Cathedral
OF THE CHANCEL, OR CHOIR.
203
organs were fully sufficient. Unhappily the deference
to foreign authority, especially in musical matters, for
which the English nation is so remarkable, has caused
the modern improvement, as it is ludicrously called, of
the hitherto unrivalled organs of St. Paul's and the
Temple. The more modern instrument of Westminster
Abbey, whatever it may have gained in loudness, has
certainly lost in sweetness and equality of tone. The
English Cathedral organ, it should be remembered, is
intended to be an accompaniment of a Choir, not a
vehicle for Voluntaries or Concertos, as abroad, where
its Choral use is generally subordinate.
Of late the organ has been restored to its ancient
position, in the Cathedral of Canterbury, the parish
Church of Leeds, and the Temple Church in London.
In Armagh it stands in the South Transept, but too far
from the Choir.
No ancient precedent whatever can be shown for
the modern arrangement, common in Parish Churches,
and adopted in Trinity College and the Chapel Royal
in Dublin; and, on Sundays, in the Collegiate Church of
Manchester, of placing the permanent Choir in the organ
loft'. The very name of Choir, as applied to a particular
locality of the Church or Chapel”, points out the absur-
· The occasional minstrels employed on high festivals, were indeed
placed in lofts in the Nave, as at Winchester and Exeter (at which
latter place there is that unique and beautiful feature, the Minstrels'
Gallery), and sometimes over the rood-screen. In Chichester Cathe-
dral, about 1508, the high altar screen was terminated by a gallery for
musicians at High Mass, the only instance in this country, the record
adds.-(STORER's Cathedrals.) In the Royal Chapels of Versailles
and the Tuilleries, the organ and Choir (the latter without any
ecclesiastical dress whatever) were placed over the altar, in the most
obtrusive manner possible.
2 So it is called in the Statutes of Trinity College, Dublin.
204
OF THE CHANCEL, OR CHOIR.
dity of an arrangement, at war with the antiphonal
character of the Choral Service, and with the propriety
of its performance. The Lay singers are thus completely
cut off from the Clergy, and present the appearance of a
mere orchestra; as if the Liturgy and the Music of the
Church were altogether separate things. This custom is of
foreign origin. In the Roman Choirs, though the regular
Clerical members still retain their proper places in their
stalls, the secularity of more modern times has introduced
hired laymen in addition, mere stipendiaries, and often
theatrical singers, into a gallery, to execute that opera-
tic style of music, which abroad has very much super-
seded the school of Palestrina and Allegri. It is so far
well, that such profane performers, if employed at all,
should occupy a less ecclesiastical position than others:
but as our Church music and Church singers are not
yet so degenerated, there is no reason why we should
copy this bad example. At the Chapel Royal at St.
James's, the Antlem is sung in the organ loft: the
musical service, however, in the proper place. This was
till very lately the case in both the Dublin Cathedrals:
but a reform has taken place in this respect as well as in
many others: the precursors, it is to be hoped, of others
of a far graver kind, now imperatively called for. Hired
women singers ought never to be suffered in the House
of God. They may join of course in the music, as private
individuals: but to obtrude them into orchestras is at
war with the retired modesty befitting Christian women.
I must conclude this section with observations on a
matter much spoken of lately, namely, the expediency or
practicability of throwing open the Nave to the Congre-
gation during Divine Service. Undoubtedly the Choir
was originally intended for the exclusive use of the Col-
OF THE CHANCEL, OR CHOIR.
205
legiate body, as is still the case in our Colleges; but so,
țliat the Congregation could see and hear. If propriety
and primitive usage are to be regarded, it ought to be so
still, were our Cathedrals, like many of those abroad,
unencumbered by high screens, and it must be added,
were the Chancels as small (as to length,) as they were
in primitive times. As it is, necessity has obliged the
admission of the Laity into the Choir', where the accom-
modation is not only insufficient for the Congregations,
which are increasing with the revival of a Catholic spirit
of devotion, but their presence interferes with the whole
spirit of ecclesiastical order, which dictated the position
of the Clergy and the Ministers of Divine Worship to be
between the Holy Table and the Congregation. While
the people occupied the Nave, this was the case. Now
the order is totally reversed. The Nave being practi-
cally regarded merely as a vestibule, and the Choir as the
Church, the Clergy are furthest from the altar, and the
people necessarily encroach upon that space (betwen the
stalls and altar) which used ever to be kept clear in ancient
times, and ought to be so still, and formed gradual ascents
to the most holy part of the building; and are thus
improperly elevated, to the destruction not only of all
architectural effect, but of ecclesiastical propriety. Let
any one, to judge of this, contrast the east end of King's
College Chapel, with that of the Choir of Westminster,
on Sundays.
The only real obstacle in the way of the perfect
They were permitted to do so, at least during the Communion,
by the First Book of King Edward, " Then so many as shall be
partakers of the Holy Communion shall tarry still in the Quire, or in
some convenient place nigh the Quire, the men on one side, and the
woman on the other.”
206
OF THE CHANCEL, OR CHOIR.
restoration of all our Cathedrals is the existence of the
high screens on each side of the Choir, and at its west
end. But these, as at Winchester, Canterbury, and else-
where, are of ancient and beautiful workmanship, so that
their removal could be justified by nothing but the most
urgent necessity. I must confess, however, that what-
ever may be the opinion as to the present arrangement
of our Choirs, I heartily wish to see the day arrive, when
the increase of our Cathedral Congregations by thousands
may imperatively call for the removal of these barriers,
beautiful and venerable as they are. They were, after
all, but an innovation upon Catholic order. As for per-
forming Divine Service in the Nave, in order to spare
them, I hope that the proprieties of Divine Service,
immeasurably paramount to mere architectural detail,
may ever forbid such an absurd perversion.
It is to be questioned, however, whether the panneling
in many cases might not be pierced, or even, if blank,
removed, so as to still leave the tabernacle work, &c.
At all events, in every case, the organ ought to be dis-
placed from its present usurped position.
It may be urged, indeed, that even with our Choir
screens standing as they do at present, the congregation
could still worship without, as they did in times before
the Reformation, when there were the same obstacles to
seeing and hearing as now. To this it must be answered,
that the circumstances of Divine Worship, reformed and
brought back to Catholic views of edification, are mate-
rially different from those which existed, when the
worship was, contrary to the express words of Scripture,
celebrated in an unknown tongue, and when consequently
the audible recitation of the Lessons was a matter of
comparative indifference. Though the Prayers, if pro-
OF THE CHANCEL, OR CHOIR.
207
perly chanted, (and they ought never to be recited other-
wise,) might be heard outside the Choir, still the Lessons,
Epistle and Gospel, and Sermon, could not be ordinarily
heard with distinctness'. But besides this, the Clergy, the
assisting Ministers, and the Altar, would be altogether
concealed from view; and all that decent and visible
order, instituted to the end that the eye as well as the
ear might be the handmaid to devotion, would be lost to
the congregation. The aim of the Church of England, as
regards the people, is always EDIFICATION: and to hinder
this great end, by concealing what the Church intended
should be seen, or by making that inaudible which she
intended should be heard, or by making that unintelligible
which she intended should be plain, would be a betrayal
of her trust, and would induce a virtual return to that
dangerous mysticism, which, as the modern corruptions
both of the Eastern and Western Churches but too
evidently show, has been the forerunner of superstition
and idolatry. That scrupulosity might well be said to
strain at gnats and swallow camels, which, in its repug-
nance to our present confessedly irregular and inde-
corous arrangement, would shut out from the laity the
simple but holy features of Divine Worship, and danger-
ously associate with their most hallowed feelings and
prayers such objects as the imaged screen of Canterbury.
If the necessity for restoration of ancient order be essen-
1 The Author has repeatedly tried this experiment at St. Paul's,
where both Prayers and Lessons are often read with a distinctness,
skill, and propriety which he has never heard equalled.
2 There can be little doubt, but that the closing in the Altar
from sight in the Greek Church, and the subsequent introduction of
painted Saints upon the "holy doors,” materially assisted the hyper-
mysticism and practical idolatry which has tainted that portion of
the Church as well as the Roman.— Vide BINGHAM, book viii. c. 6.
208
OF THE CHANCEL, OR CHOIR.
tial, let all impediments inconsistent with its great object,
EDIFICATION, be uncompromisingly removed.
Admitting, however, these hinderances, in many
places, yet in some it must be acknowledged that resto-
ration would be comparatively easy. At Manchester,
the Choir, with a very few contrivances, could be made
perfectly available to the congregation in the Nave. At
Westminster, the stalls, wainscotting, and screen, are all
modern. Here no regard to ancient decoration need
interfere. Now what a glorious field for the most
sublime performance of Divine Worship would be opened,
were the present Choir screen and canopies of the stalls
altogether removed; the Choir being contracted to a
space just sufficient for the members of the foundation:
and stalls of antique shape substituted, but of such a
moderate height, as to afford a view of the Ministers and
Altar to the whole congregation. The space between the
Altar and the Choir ought to be left altogether free;
ample space being afforded for the people in the Nave,
the Transepts, and Aisles of the Choir'.
At York and Winchester, though the screen and
wainscotting were spared, still the side aisles of the space
between the stalls and Altar might be opened to the
people, so as to leave the part of the Choir which they
1 Of course the Choir ought still to be kept separate. But I am
at a loss to know, on what sound ecclesiastical principle the Transepts
and Aisles of the Choir ought to be unoccupied by the people. I
cannot but think that Eastern Transepts, like those at Westminster
and Canterbury, were intended for the people. At all events there is
no question but that the body of the Church in general was. William
of Malmesbury, who was contemporary with its reedification in the
eleventh century, thus speaks of the old Cathedral of St. Paul.
“Tanta Criptæ laxitas; tanta superioris ædis capacitas, ut cuilibet
populi multitudini videatur posse sufficere."--DUGDALE's St. Pauls.
OF THE CHANCEL, OR CHOIR.
209
flank unoccupied. And at Canterbury, possibly a per-
foration of the present side screens might answer the
same end.
If galleries are required, the triforia at Westminster
and Canterbury, could of themselves accommodate great
congregations, as at Nôtre Dame, at Paris. But this is
open to many, perhaps insuperable objections.
In all modern Collegiate Churches, however, (for we
must hope that many such will yet arise,) the arrange-
ment of the new Church at Leeds would be practicable.
The details of this Church (except the unavoidable
insertion of galleries') are in every respect Catholic. A
small Choir, open to the whole Church, stands below the
altar steps. There is a Lectern and a Litany desk, and
a Pulpit in the Nave; and the east end has an ample
space between Altar and Choir.
Some of our ancient Cathedrals, which have suffered
by more modern alterations, might be perhaps without
great difficulty restored. Thus, there is a tradition that
the Choir of St. Patrick's Cathedral, in Dublin, formerly
occupied the part east of the Transept only; but as this
was but sixty feet in length, it subsequently included the
cross of the Transepts, thirty feet additional. The great
increase of the congregation has been the plea for the
unsightly and theatrical addition of two tiers of galleries
over the stalls. The congregation, for which the Choir
is still too small, are admitted even within the altar rails.
Now ample accommodation could be given, were the
Choir restored to its original situation, without any
intervention of a screen, the organ removed to one side,
and the Choir confined to the Clergy and Ministers
But even these are skilfully masked with rich tabernacle work.
P
210
OF THE CHANCEL, OR CHOIR.
of Divine Service. A somewhat similar arrangement
would be well in the small, but very ancient Cathe-
dral of Limerick: its most remarkable features being
altogether lost by the galleries and pews which now
encumber it.
The Cathedral of Armagh, though small in size, yet
from its great antiquity and from the circumstances
attending its restoration, is an object of no common
interest. Several graceful architectural details, concealed
by the barbarous ingenuity of the two past centuries,
have been effectually brought to light: and the whole
has been restored to a beauty and order unequalled in
the Irish portion of the Church. The service till of late
was celebrated in a pew-encumbered Nave, without one
Collegiate feature, except a mean Episcopal Throne,
placed on the wrong side: the Lay Vicars were placed in
a gallery, the Chapter and Priest Vicars in one large
pew: while the proper Choir, separated from the Nave
by the Transept Cross, which served for a vestibule, was
used for the week-day service only, and for the adminis-
tration of the Holy Communion. Now all these anoma-
lies have been rectified. The Choir is extended, as at
Winchester, beyond the Transepts, and there the service
is performed. Still, it may be questioned whether a
better arrangement might not have been practicable.
The part east of the Transept, now appropriated altoge-
ther to the Laity, might well have been fitted up with
stalls for the Clergy and Choir, and the Congregation
might have occupied the rest of the Church, no screen
being interposed. The size and proportions of this part
of the building obviously suggest a Chancel. As it is,
the usual inversion has taken place. On the irregular
arrangement of the Chapter stalls, &c., observations have
OF THE CHANCEL, OR CHOIR.
211
already been made. The stone screen of the Choir, though
of beautiful workmanship, being disproportionate to the
size of the Church, is without majesty, and forms an
unnecessary barrier in a building too small to admit of
partitions. The same remarks may in part apply to the
recent enlargements in the Choirs of the Cathedrals of
Bangor and St. Asaph.
P2
212
SECTION XXVII.
OF THE ORNAMENTS OF THE CHURCH, AND OF THE
MINISTERS THEREOF.
And here it is to be noted, that such Ornaments of the Church, and of the
Ministers thereof, at all times of their Ministration, shall be retained,
and be in use, as were in this Church of England, by the Authority
of Parliament, in the Second year of the Reign of King Edward
the Sixth.
I WOULD willingly give this Rubric but a passing notice,
as it has been already commented upon by so many of
our ritualists and writers of the present day. But as the
discussion of these topics (the consideration of which, it
is to be feared, has occupied a disproportionate place in
many minds,) has sometimes involved dangerous prin-
ciples, either to the disregard of our Church's regulations,
as if they were trifles, or to the establishing some standard
other than she has proposed, I think it necessary to go
into some detail, though upon ground often trodden
before, for the purpose of vindicating a strict deference to
her will.
The ornaments of the Church, besides those stated
before, may be considered as chiefly consisting of the
two lights on the Communion Table, which immemorial
custom had always prescribed, at least in Cathedrals, and
Collegiate and Royal Churches and Chapels. In many of
these places they are still retained'; in many where they
1 As at the Chapel Royal, Westminster Abbey, &c., and many
Colleges. There is a curious seven-branched candlestick at Lichfield
Cathedral.
OF THE ORNAMENTS OF THE CHURCH.
213
are disused, the disuse could be shown to be modern:
and some parish Churches and private Chapels of noble-
men have uniformly retained them: they always stood
on the Altar, and were lit when the service was per-
formed by candle-light.
I cannot afford more space to this topic than to
observe, that the custom is not Popish: that the custom of
having large lights, which were lit even in the day, during
the most sacred part of places of Worship, derived perhaps
from the use of the sevenfold candlestick in the Jewish
Temple, or from the Synagogue of the Jews, was retained
universally in the Greek Church, and all over the world”.
The lights used in ceremonies by the Pagan Romans had
probably, like the use of sacrifices, a Jewish or Patriar-
chal origin. The seven lights, used in Romish Churches,
were not, it is believed, employed in England, where there
were but two, even before the Reformation. The use of
these lights, emblematical of the Light of the Gospel,
cannot surely be termed “a dark or dumb ceremony',
· For instance, at Christ Church, Dublin, within memory, where,
at least on Communion days, there were large wax tapers (as at the
Chapel Royal) fixed in them. In Neale's Views of Churches in
Great Britain, we find them represented on the altar at St. Peter's at
tle East, Oxford, and Shrewsbury Abbey. In ARCHBISHOP LAUD's
Troubles and Trials (p. 310), it is represented that Candlesticks (as all
the other Chapel furniture) were in use at Lambeth Chapel, since the
Reformation. In King James's Injunctions for the Prince's Chapel in
Spain, there were candlesticks and tapers, &c.--HEYLIN's Life of Laud,
book ii. ch. 1.
2 St. Jerome's testimony is quoted by Dr. Bisse (Beauty of Holiness
in Common Prayer), “ Per totas Orientis Ecclesias quando legendum
est Evangelium, accenduntur luminaria, jam sole rutilante: non
utique ad fugandas tenebras, sed ad signum lætitiæ demonstrandum."
-S. JEROME, adv. Vigil.
Introductory Preface to Common Prayer, “ Of Ceremonies.”
214
A
OF THE ORNAMENTS OF THE CHURCH,
but is so set forth, that every man may understand what
it doth mean, and to what use it doth serve." The
custom has never been obsolete in our Church; it is
Catholic, and approved by our formularies', and ought
therefore to be retained.
The other Church ornaments consist in the Church
plate for the administration of the Holy Communion;
the coverings and carpets of the Communion Table, and
of other parts of the Church. The Altar carpet, “of
silk or other stuff,” ought, according to the use of the
Anglican Church, to cover the whole Altar, reaching to
the ground: and to consist of silk or velvet, embroidered
with some sacred device, (as the holy Name of Jesus.)
It was anciently the custom, in Lent, to cover the Altar,
and the cushions of the stalls, &c., with stuff of a purple
or grey colour, and black during Passion Week, and times
of mourning; a custom still retained in some places.
In Lent, also, it may be remarked by the way, the
Grammar Scholars of Canterbury used to attend Church
in violet gowns (the ancient ecclesiastical colour for
mourning,) and I believe black gowns were worn either
then, or in time of mourning, by the Choristers at York.
As to ornaments of the Ministers, including the
habits, the Surplice is that which is common to all,
whether Clerical or Lay. In Colleges it is worn by all
the foundation members on Sundays, Holidays, and their
eves; and in Dublin, Cambridge, and Christ Church,
Oxford, by all members except noblemen. Why they
3 It has been conjectured that these lights were forbidden by sub-
sequent injunctions. But these injunctions are of doubtful construc-
tion, and are unconfirmed by any subsequent enactment of Church or
State, and, at all events, the custom of the Church of England has been
as here stated.
AND OF THE MINISTERS THEREOF.
215
in his gown.
are deprived of this privilege it is hard to say. On week
days it is worn by those only who are immediately engaged
in Divine Service'. In Trinity College, Dublin, indeed,
the reader of prayers on week days improperly officiates
In Cathedral and Collegiate Churches, all
the members wear surplices at all times: because all are in
these places the perpetual Ministers of Divine Service”.
Hoods are worn by all graduate members. They
differ in colour and materials, according the degree of
the wearer.
These distinctions, however, do not mark the Clerical
order. There is one part of the dress, not prescribed indeed
by any regulation, but immemorially worn by Capitular
Members, Doctors of Divinity, and Chaplains of noble-
men; by all members of Trinity College, Dublin, who
serve, or have served the collegiate office of Dean; and
now generally by all Clergymen in London, Dublin, in
many Cathedrals, and certain of the principal towns.
This is the scarf, or tippet, (the latter being the term
used for it in Ireland,) the representative of the stole,
the distinctive badge of the Clergy, both in the Eastern
and Western Church. We have the authority of a
learned Bishop*, for recommending its general use by
the Clergy; and, indeed, decency would seem to require
its adoption by those in orders, to distinguish them from
laymen. The scarf, the modern and secular ornament of
noblemen's Chaplains, &c., is supposed by some to be
properly a distinction different both as to materials and
In some Colleges by the scholars, who read the Lessons.
2 The Custors, or Vergers of Exeter Cathedral used, in ancient
times, to wear surplices.
Tippet is a sort of hood, properly speaking.
Bishop JEBB, in his Charge to the Clergy of Limerick.
3
216
OF THE ORNAMENTS OF THE CHURCH,
width, from the ecclesiastical stole. The usage of the
Church of England does not make any distinction, as
in the Greek Church, as to the manner in which this
ornament is worn by Bishops, Priests, and Deacons. The
Deacons in many Cathedrals assume it by custom. The
custom at Canterbury, and elsewhere, of depriving the
Minor Canons of this distinction, (though equally Priests
with the Prebendaries,) is one of those reprehensible
customs which would really seem to imply that capitu-
lar, or non-capitular rank, are matters of greater ecclesi-
astical moment than the Priesthood and Diaconate.
The bands, though of no ancient origin, not perhaps in
this present form dating higher than the Restoration, (as
used in the English Church), are nothing more than
a modification of the collar, common to all classes in
former times. They are not a peculiarly ecclesiastical
ornament. They are still worn by lawyers, and Clergymen
always; but often by parish clerks; and ought to be by all
graduates at least, in the Universities. Formerly under-
graduate members also wore them, as do the scholars of
some Colleges (Winchester for example) still. As long
they as are retained at all, it would be but decent that
all lay members of Cathedrals should appear in them.
The Cope, or the Vestment, specially prescribed to be
used by the Clergy administering the Holy Communion,
by the regulation referred to in the Rubric, and expressly
ordered to be used in the Cathedral Churches by the
twenty-fourth Canon, has now fallen into almost total
disuse, being retained only at Westminster Abbey,
at coronations, when all the Prebendaries are vested in
Copes, as well as the Prelates who then officiate. The
ancient Copes, used till some time in the last century,
still exist at Durham; and at Westminster, as tradition
AND OF THE MINISTERS THEREOF.
217
informs us, they were used till about the same time,
We have sufficient evidence from documents, that not
only in Cathedrals, but also in the University Colleges,
&c., they were in common use till at least the Great
Rebellion
The Vestment and Cope were ignorantly objected to
by many after the Reformation, as Popish ornaments'. It
is sufficiently well known that these as well as the other
ecclesiastical garments retained, or enjoined by our
Church, were common also to the Eastern Church, and
were as ancient as any ritual record now extant; that
they are Catholic and Anglican, and therefore ought to
be retained.
I must honestly acknowledge, that I can find no
argument to justify the disuse of these ancient vestments,
so expressly enjoined by authorities to which all Clergy-
Archbishop Cranmer, at the consecration of a Bishop, in 1550,
wore mitre and cope, and the assistant Bishops had copes and pastoral
staves, (Life, book ii. chapter 24.) There were copes in Lambeth
Chapel, ever since the Reformation, (LAUD's Troubles, page 310).
They were worn on some occasions by all present, as in Queen Eliza-
beth's Chapel, on St. George's Day, and in certain Colleges. In 1564,
(Parker's Life, book ii. chapter 26), they were worn by the officials
and the assistant Priests at Canterbury, on Communion days. Arch-
bishop Williams furnished the Chapel of Lincoln College with copes.
(Life.) In Laud's Troubles, &c., page 33, they are mentioned as being
in use at Winchester, and at Peterhouse College, Cambridge. Also
they were ordered for the Prince's Chapel, in Spain, by James I.
(HEYLIN's Laud, book ii. chapter 1.) And by Charles I., for the
Chapel Royal, in Edinburgh, (Idem, book iv. part ii.) Many other
instances could be adduced.
2 By Dean Sampson and Humphrey, in Queen Elizabeth's reign.
The gross ignorance of the assertion, that “copes were brought in by
the Papists," was ably refuted by Archbishop Parker, one of the best
diisciplinarians our Church has been blessed with.-Life of Parker,
book ii. chapter 23.
218
OF THE ORNAMENTS OF THE CHURCH,
men profess obedience, except that rule of charity, which,
as Bishop Beveridge expressed it, is above rubrics; that
loving regard for the edification of the people, to which
every rite and ceremony should tend. This, I say, is the
only argument; because I wish most carefully to exclude
all private and individual notions of propriety. It is
one, however, to which a most important weight is due.
The introduction of any obsolete custom, however
obligatóry by the letter of Church authority, without
clear explanations to the people of the grounds of the
obligation, and of the principle upon which it is resumed,
and without the due preparation and instruction of their
minds, has produced in many instances lamentable con-
sequences, and defeated the very object of edification
which the Church has ever anxiously proposed. And
surely the compliance with her spirit is as obligatory
as the observance of her letter: nay, in instances like
the present, the letter killeth, if the spirit does not
animate its observance. The return, indeed, to the
proper rubrical performance of the various parts of the
Liturgy, generally omitted or displaced, is a thing easily
explained and easily understood by the people, to whose
common sense and devotional feeling this will soon com-
mend itself. Even here, however, the exercise of a care-
ful judgment is necessary. But as to the resumption of
an outward decoration, long lost sight of, unheard of by
the multitude, and mentioned, though decidedly, yet only
by implication in the Prayer Book; there would surely be
good reason to complain of that indiscretion which should
adopt it unexplained. It would then have infallibly the
appearance of unauthorized, and perhaps superstitious
innovation; and a just dread might be entertained of an
approximation to the usages of a Church whose corrup-
AND OF THE MINISTERS THEREOF.
219
tions we have, in the most express and solemn manner,
renounced for ever. But if obedient compliance be
earnestly desired, (as it is to be hoped it is,) with all our
Church's regulations, however obsolete; then surely it is
the duty of the Clergy not to stifle, for the sake of a
selfish quietness, all consideration of matters apparently
minute, but to remember that her rules, however
subordinate some may be, are all important, because
enjoined by her grave authority; and by anxious delibe-
ration, and reference to their legitimate superiors, to the
Bishops, without which nothing should be done, and above
all, nothing implying the exercise of deliberative wisdom,
to seek the restoration of every part of her reformed, but
most Catholic system.
It is from the same desire to guard important princi-
ples, that I will further notice what is a trifle in itself.
Some clergymen, desirous of accuracy in these matters,
have mistakenly copied the corrupt pattern of the
Roman Church; conceiving, that in so doing, they are
following what is primitive, though without the least
intention of sympathising with her errors; for instance,
they have been disposed to shorten the surplice, and to
narrow the scarf, &c. Now, from comparison of the
various dresses of the primitive Church' with those of
Rome, it appears that the tendency of the Western
Church has been to curtail the flowing vestments of the
East, and make up for what they want in majesty, by
the frippery and effeminate addition of lace, &c. The
long English surplice, reaching to the ground, with flow-
ing sleeves, is acknowledged by one of their own Ritual-
ists to be more primitive than the short, sleeveless
i Vide Goar.
2 Dr. Rock.
220
OF THE ORNAMENTS OF THE CHURCH,
garment of Rome. In fact, it appears that the sleeves
were by degrees looped up, or slit, for the greater
convenience of ministration, till at length they were con-
verted into pendant slips from the shoulder, resembling
the gowns of the Commoners at Oxford, which were
curtailed to their present ungraceful fashion by exactly
the same process, as ancient plates of University habits
may show. A like remark may be made upon the stole
and the vestment. Now, this disposition to resort to a
spurious authority, shown in little things, may extend to
great, and ought to be most jealously watched. Besides,
in these subordinate and circumstantial matters, we owe
obedience to the Church of England, as an authority fully
sufficient in herself.
This is all that need be said in this place of the
proper habits of the Ministers of religion, in Church.
But a few words must be added, upon the use of the
gown, which most improperly has come to be considered
as an official vesture of divine service, instead of what
it really is, nothing more than the private dress of the
Clergy: which they used formerly, and at no very dis-
tant time, to wear on all common occasions, just as the
resident members do at the Universities, but the use of
which has been gradually more and more curtailed.
At least it is now only the full dress of the Clergy. It
is however now commonly regarded as the preaching
robe: and thus, while the change of dress, prescribed by
the Church, when passing from the office of Matins or
Litany to the Communion, is altogether neglected, this
absurd practice is considered as regular and legitimate.
It has been alleged, indeed, that while preaching, the
Minister is teaching in his private capacity, and, therefore,
that he ought to wear a less official dress. But it ought
AND OF THE MINISTERS THEREOF.
221
to be remembered, that though permitted a discretion in
the sermon not allowed in the prayers, of using his own
words, this is a public official act, just as much prescribed
as any part of the office', and that, (except in Colleges, where
there is a special exemption by the Act of Uniformity)
it is as great an irregularity to omit the Sermon on the
mornings of Sundays and Holidays, as any part of the
Liturgy. Now, in Cathedrals and Colleges the surplice
is always worn when preaching? Why should it be
different in Parish Churches ? Indeed, there seems no
reason whatever why the parochial Minister, whether
Rector or Curate assistant, should not appear in his
own Church, in his surplice, even though another
should happen to be officiating at the time, on the
same principle exactly as the Cathedral Minister, namely,
because he is one of the responsible Ministers of divine
service. And this last consideration will shew the pro-
priety of wearing the surplice during the evening Sermon,
which though not prescribed by the Liturgy, is not con-
trary to its provisions, and when undertaken, becomes a
public ministerial duty. But the same principle exactly
which would justify preaching in the gown, would answer
for his discharging the same duty in the coat.
Archdeacon Sharpe, in one of his well-known Charges,
vindicates the custom of preaching in the surplice', then
common within his jurisdiction, on the ground that it is
1 But it ought to be considered, what right has a Clergymen to
perform any part of the Liturgy in his gown? He does so, when he
delivers the Benediction from the Pulpit.
2 In the Chapel Royal of Scotland the Dean was directed (hy
Charles I.'s injunction, already noticed) to preach in his surplice.
8 The Archdeacon believes it was introduced in consequence of
Bishop Cosin's opinion. It was also, in the time of Bishop Horsley,
common in the diocese of Rochester.
222
OF THE ORNAMENTS OF THE CHURCH,
the privilege of the Clergy; the surplice being of course
a garment of superior dignity to the gown. And no
Clergyman should forego anything that can give legiti-
matë dignity to his public office. It is to be feared,
however, that its use in many country parishes, though
proper in itself, has arisen from no principle, but from a
slovenly avoiding of trouble. The use of the gown, how-
ever, it is most likely, had its origin in a puritanical dis-
like to the surplice. And hence has probably arisen the
practice, not so common, however, now as formerly, that
when two Clergymen are officiating in a parish Church,
he whose business it is to perform the former part of the
Communion Service, does not put on the surplice till the
moment when he is called upon to do his part, and
divests himself of it the moment that is over, even though
he may have to resume it, after the sermon, for the cele-
bration of the remaining part of the Communion Service,
or some other office. The absurdity of this custom,
which has the indecent effect of causing the absence of
at least one of the Clergy during the singing, has been
so fully shewn by Bishop Mant, in his late Charge, that
perhaps too much has been already said about it in this
section'.
With respect to the ordinary dress of Clergymen,
when not officiating, the Canon prescribes the use of
either of two sorts of gowns: that of the academical
degree, or one peculiar to the Clergy. As to the acade-
mical gown, custom has almost exclusively adopted
that which is the proper distinction of the Master of
| The author begs to say, that the greater part of this section was
prepared long before the recent Charges of the Bishops of Down and
London appeared. He hopes that this explanation may relieve him
from the imputation of presumption.
AND OF THE MINISTERS THEREOF.
223
Arts, even though the wearer may be a Bachelor or
Doctor of Laws. The Clerical gown is described in the
Canon as having a “standing collar," that is, not falling
back in a lappet like the Civilian's gown, and “strait at
the hands," that is, with a narrow wristband: modern
custom having however tucked up the full sleeve to the
elbow, the narrow wristband no longer appearing. This
gown has been objected to as not so regular a dress as
the other; as adopted from the Puritans, and as less dis-
tinctive, since dissenting teachers use it. But in reality, it
is more regular, as marking the Clerical order, which the
academical gowns do not. It is not adopted from the
Puritans, since the Geneva gown or cloak was in fashion
altogether different: and the dissenters may rather be
regarded as having usurped an ancient Clerical dress.
Old pictures, &c. will fully bear out these observations.
It is always worn at the Court of the Sovereign. In
fact, the whole tendency of our times has been, especially
at the Universities, to mark the academical rank, rather
than the order in the Church'.
Much has been said lately as to the expediency of
reviving the use of the Cassock, as the distinct dress of
the Clergy. But not only is the recommended fashion
of this garment, but also its adoption without the gown,
contrary to all precedent in the Church of England. It
· The square cap is a regular part of the Clerical dress. At the
Universities it was not formerly worn by layınen, who used the round
cap, such as the Doctors of Law and Medicine wear on state occasions
there. The hat, worn by Clergymen with their gowns, and by most
graduates (by a very modern innovation at Cambridge), is forbidden
by Archbishop Parker, (Appendix to Life, book ii. No. 28,) and caps
are directed to be worn, except in journeys, by the Clergy: and by
the Members of Colleges, (book ii. chapter 22.) They are still worn
by the Cathedral Clergy.
224
OF THE ORNAMENTS OF THE CHURCH,
is, indeed, part of the regular full dress of the English
Clergy: yet I apprehend, though many ancient instances
exist of the Cassock being omitted, there is none of its
being worn without the gown. The latter, indeed, is
the custom very much abroad: but we have no right
to conform ourselves to customs, which imply no Catho-
licity, and which at all events, are unsanctioned by the
authority of our own Church. The Cassock, too, abroad, ,
is not exclusively a Clerical dress. At the Spanish
Universities, it was worn in many instances by the
undergraduate students. It is most vexatious that men
will distract the attention of Churchmen from more
important considerations, by insisting upon such ill con-
sidered and unsightly innovations, which after all are but
the corruptions of comparatively modern times.
To conclude this Section, it is only necessary to
observe upon the inexcusable negligence shown by
many Clergymen in the use of the accustomed vesture
of the Church, the surplice. I will just remark, the
silken material of gowns is a modern luxury among the
Clergy, introduced by Cardinal Wolsey, and complained
of by Parker, who even when Archbishop did not com-
monly wear it. And yet those who are particular even
to foppishness as to this their private garment, are utterly
negligent of their real official vestment. Many are
content to treat that badge of their holy office with a
negligence which they would be ashamed of with respect
to any part of their private dress; and in the manner of
putting it on, in its soiled or torn condition, and in its
poor and coarse materials to exhibit a slovenliness in the
courts of the Lord's House, which would not be tolerated
in the court of their Sovereign, or even in private
society. They should remember that though the Parish
OF THE MINISTERS THEREOF.
225
is responsible for the providing of this garment, they have
a right to require that it should be such in all respects as
befits God's service, and wretched indeed must be that
parsimony which would regard the little expense to be
incurred either by Parish or Incumbent as an excuse.
The same remark may be made with respect to Capitular
bodies, who really ought to pay more decent attention
than is commonly done to the habiliments of the Lay
Clerks and Choristers: not only as regards the surplice,
but as to the other parts of their dress. Coloured
clothes and handkerchiefs are quite inconsistent with the
grave nature of their employment, while in the Choir.
But the whole significance intended by the adoption of
the ecclesiastical garment is destroyed, if by the coarse
nature of its materials, so unbefitting God's temple,
and by its squalid appearance, it fails to represent that
spotless purity which is the essential characteristic of
God's service. And outward decency and purity of apparel,
have ever, both among Jews and Christians, been consi-
dered as required of all who minister in the Sanctuary.
226
SECTION XXVIII.
OF THE MORNING PRAYER.
I The Order for Morning Prayer, daily throughout the Year.
The office of Morning Prayer is also styled in the Calen-
dar of the Proper Lessons, Matins. We are therefore
justified in using this ancient designation, indifferently
with the other, in the course of the present work; and
indeed, it is preferable, for the sake of clearness, since it
defines more exactly that peculiar office, as distinguished
from the offices of Communion and Litany with which
it is usually joined.
The usual hour for the performance of Matins in
Cathedrals is about ten o'clock. In Colleges, however,
and at the Sunday Service at the Cathedrals of Win-
chester, Worcester, and Hereford, it is much earlier; at
seven or eight; and anciently the College Matins were
usually at six. This remark, however, as far as the
Cathedrals are concerned, regards only the regular Choral
Service, not the Prayers, which are often parochially
read in the smaller Chapels of those places, at an earlier
hour, as before observed.
It is to be presumed, however, that the daily service
performed at the later hour of ten, is a substitution for
1
· The Sunday Choir Service at Westminster Abbey in Queen
Elizabeth's time was at eight, on other days at nine. See the docu-
ment drawn up by Dr. Bill, already noticed. At Archbishop Parker's
Visitation, the Choir morning service was ordered to be finished by
eight.-Life, book iv. chapter 3.
OF THE MORNING PRAYER.
227
the daily Mass formerly performed in Cathedrals in the
Choir. The use of the daily Communion is recognized
by the rubrics of King Edward's First Book; nor is there
anything to prevent its use, were its revival desirable
It may be a question, whether an earlier hour for
Matins than that generally observed, would not be at
once more convenient and proper in itself; so that the
early hours of the morning should begin with God's praise,
and prayers for his grace to preserve us during its pro-
gress; and so that persons often hindered in the subse-
quent hours by the business of their callings, might have
a more convenient opportunity for the business of the
daily devotions of the Church.
The original custom of the Church, Eastern and
Western, was to celebrate the Matins and the Com-
munion at different hours. Such is still the custom at
those three Cathedrals above mentioned, and at the Col-
lege of Winchester, and, as Wheatly informs us, for-
merly at Merton College, Oxford: and tradition gives
the same account of Canterbury, and possibly of many
other places. It would appear from passages in Arch-
bishop Grindal's life?, that the same custom prevailed
in the Diocese of York, till altered by his authority.
Whether his interference in this respect was beneficial, is
more than questionable. From many circumstances of
Vide a future Section on the first Rubric after the Communion
Service.
2 The Minister is directed “not to pause or stay between Morning
Prayer, Litany, or Communion; but to continue and say Morning
Prayer, Litany, and Communion, (or the service appoiuted to be read
when there is no Communion,) together without any intermission; to
the intent that the people might continue together in prayer and read:
ing the word of God, and not depart out of the Church during all the
time of the whole divine service."-Life of Grindal, book ii. chapter 2.
Q 2
228
OF THE MORNING PRAYER.
his life, it is evident that his early foreign training had
incapacitated him from a sufficiently discriminative esti-
mate of our Liturgy.
In country parishes, indeed, where the population is
scattered, this division might have the effect of inducing
a neglect either of the Morning or the Communion Ser-
vice, since attendance on both would often be imprac-
ticable. But in towns, and in Cathedral cities especially,
this objection does not exist, from the nearness of the
inhabitants to the Churches. The division might have
the effect, in the first place, of giving to the worshippers
a more distinct apprehension of the peculiar character of
each several service: in the next place, of enabling many
to attend some one service, who now, from the extreme
length of the three conjoined offices (especially on Com-
munion Sundays) are unwillingly compelled to absent
themselves': and in the last place, of affording opportu-
nities to different members of families who now cannot
attend simultaneously, of going to Church once at least
in the morning; whereas now many are obliged to post-
pone their public devotions till the evening: besides this,
as regards the Cathedral Service in particular, all excuse
would be removed for omitting any part of the prescribed
office (as the Anthem) or for mutilating any of the cha-
racteristic features of the Cathedral mode.
A simple
recurrence to the spirit of the Church's regulation, in this
respect as many others, would supersede many of those
awkward and unauthorized contrivances which are now
often considered necessary.
1 Were the Communicants as numerous as every zealous Clergyman
assuredly desires, such a division would be imperatively necessary.
Even now,
is it not required in at least the great London Churches ?
229
SECTION XXIX.
OF THE BEGINNING OF MORNING PRAYER.
At the beginning of Morning Prayer.
In most Cathedrals, on certain of the greater festivals ";
or at least on days of ceremony, the members of the
Church enter the Choir in procession, the organ playing
till they are settled in their places.
In Christ Church, Dublin, Bristol, and perhaps else-
where, at every service, whether on week-days or Holidays,
and at Canterbury on Sundays, this custom is observed :
the junior members going first. In other places, some
of the members go in procession, while the rest enter
separately: no organ playing. Again in others, as at
Westminster, at ordinary times, the Prebendaries and
Choir drop in independently, without any procession
whatever; and the time for beginning the Service is
announced by the striking of a clock.
It is obvious, that the first of these usages is by far
the most decorous. And if any custom is known, plainly
subservient to orderly ministration, its adoption, on the
ground of edification, can never be otherwise than com-
mendable. And there can be no possible objection, but
very much the contrary, to this usage, partially adopted
in most places, and always in some, becoming universal
in all.
1 As at Westminster.
230
OF THE BEGINNING
It is a general principle, largely entering into the
various concerns of life, that the solemn or the care-
less opening of any great undertaking has considerable
influence, even in the estimation of the wisest, with
respect to its future progress. So it has fared with many
works of literature, and with the labours of the orator'.
And so it is with respect to Divine Worship. It is
therefore most fitting that the Cathedral Worship, so
perfect in all its other arrangements, should be ushered
in with all the composure and dignity, so grateful to any
sober mind, as visibly announcing the order and subordi-
nation proper to the service of the Sanctuary, and that
deliberate reverence with which the Almighty should be
at all times approached. Who can be insensible to the
passage of the Psalmist;
" It is well seen, O God, how thou goest,
“ How thou, my God and King, goest in the Sanctuary:
“ The singers go before, the minstrels follow after :
“ In the midst are the damsels playing with the timbrels.
“ Bless ye God in the congregation:
- Even the Lord, from the fountain of Israel!"
And I really believe, that few circumstances have given
more general offence, than the miserable practice usually
observed in our Cathedrals. The saving of three or four
minutes by the non-observance of the course recom-
mended, is really a plea that ought not to be listened to
for a moment.
It may be remarked, that the Choir is sometimes
1
The Sentiment of Pindar is well known : αρχομένους δ' έργου πρό-
OWTOV XP déuev tnhavyés. But is not the Poet's assertion of the principle
in his own case, his disclosure of his art, somewhat injudicious and
prosaic? Perhaps the most sublime exhibition of this principle ever
made is to be found in the Exordium of the 50th Psalın.
OF MORNING PRAYER.
231
entered by a side door at the Eastern end, instead of by
its Western door. It surely is not an over-refinement
of mysticism to insist, that there is an obvious significance
in the arrangements of our Cathedrals, analogous indeed
to that to be found in all palaces and places of ceremony.
The Nave is the majestic avenue to that part which is
the special scene of prayer and thanksgiving, the Choir:
the Choir again, is the vestibule to the Holy Table, at
which the perfective rite of Christianity is ministered.
To enter, then, by the upper part, and to proceed to the
lower part disturbs this idea. And this is one of those
particulars of observance, of easy restitution, to which
nothing but a most slovenly penuriousness of time can
object, and which, though apparently insignificant to
mention, contributes its share to the great moral effect,
aimed at by the whole of the reasonable service of the
Church.
Connected with this, I must add my individual
protest to the public voice of remonstrance long raised
against the authorities of Westminster, in shutting out
the Nave from the Congregation, who are introduced by a
side door. It is impossible to say how great injury this
vile custom has inflicted on the feelings and association
of multitudes. It is well known, that the advancing up
the long-drawn Aisle, as is still permitted at Canterbury
and Winchester, and most other places, acts as a holy
preparative to the service. But on these mean arrange-
ments of Westminster it is painful to think, much more
to speak. As the present Chapter is laudably rectifying
abuses, it is earnestly to be hoped that they may utterly
reform this, and the other more grievous ones connected
with it, at whatever cost, at whatever sacrifice to them-
selves.
232
OF THE BEGINNING
At visitations, and perhaps similar occasions, as at
Canterbury, Christ Church, Dublin, &c., an Anthem or
Hymn is sung by the Choir while in procession.
This custom, sanctioned by very ancient usage', is
not to be confounded with that presently to be censured,
of beginning Divine Service with singing. Till the pro-
cession is over, the Service cannot be said to have begun:
the members are on tbeir way to the appointed places of
their duties, not already there. The hymn ceases on
their arrival in their stalls: their private devotions are
then offered up: and after that the service begins. The
act is so obviously preparatory, that it can be no more
objected to, than the forming holy meditations while
going up the aisle; than the playing of the Organ Sym-
phony, or the ringing of the bells.
As to the Organ Symphony, it is suggested, that on
great festivals, it should be jubilant; during Lent, of a
grave and somewhat penitential character. And perhaps
on fast days it might be omitted altogether.
The practice, just now alluded to, of singing a Psalm
or Hymn, when the Minister and Congregation are in
their places, is one altogether contradicted by the Rubric,
which orders the Service to begin with reading the
Sentences. This cannot be alleged to be introductory:
it is practically considered just as much a part of the
office of the day as the prayers which follow. When the
Hymn begins, the private devotions of the Church have
already been offered up: and to enter the Church in the
midst of, or after its performance would be commonly
considered as an act of irreverence. But it is contra-
So at Archbishop Parker's Visitation. “At his entry into the
Church, the Choir went before him singing some Anthem.”
OF MORNING PRAYER.
233
dictory, as has been frequently observed, to the order
of the Service, which prescribes, first, exhortation, then
confession, then forgiveness of sins, then prayers for
enabling grace to praise God aright; then, and not till
then, praise. How absurd, then, to pray for grace for
that which has been done already, and was done without
any public prayer for God's blessing upon it! It is to
be borne in mind, that in those very places where this
unauthorized innovation is practised, the regulations of
the Prayer Book are violated in other respects, as will be
shown in their proper place: especially that the Anthem,
prescribed to be used after the third Collect, is used,
contrary to all order, here.
On the absurdity of singing Bishop Ken’s Morning
Hymn in this place, much has been said of late, and the
arguments are too well known and obvious to need repe-
tition. It may just be observed, can any man in his
senses believe that God is honoured by that improbable
assumption, which sets forth that at ten or eleven o'clock
in the morning, the congregation has just wakened and
got up, or the lazy notion that this is early rising, or the
frigid fiction that the Sun has just risen himself? Bishop
Ken composed this as a hymn for the use of the Win-
chester Scholars, to be sung at their awaking, at five or
six in the morning.
In many places the words “I will arise and go to my
Father,” &c., are sung here as an Anthem, and are adopted
on the ground that they form one of the introductory sen-
tences, and are therefore proper here. A worse reason
could not be found. Had the framers of our Church
Service thought the singing of the sentence expedient,
they would have prescribed it: but the restriction to
reading by the Minister, is express. Here, then, is a
234
OF THE BEGINNING OF MORNING PRAYER.
tacit correction of a practice which undoubtedly was
known in the Church of England, before the time of the
Reformation, of singing before the service. So that even
had the Injunctions of Queen Elizabeth and the title-
page of Sternhold and Hopkins's Psalms sanctioned this
practice heretofore, which is very questionable, at least
it was put an end to at the last Review; the amend-
ments of which received the sanction both of Convo-
cation and Parliament, and therefore are paramount to
any previous regulations, of however high sanction, which
they may contradict.
In every thing regarding the Choral Service, and the
Music of the Church, it will appear that the last Review
amended the more indefinite provisions of the former
Prayer Book.
Customs of ancient prescription, but
hitherto unnoticed by the Rubric, were then, if edifying,
expressly enforced. Had, then, the singing before the
service been of this nature, (which, as it has been shown,
it is not) the Reviewers would not have failed to have
noticed with their express approbation so prominent a
feature of divine worship: which called for, and (as I
have already intimated) received their notice, and their
decided, though indirect reprehension.
reserve for another place (the Anthem) observations
on the metrical Versions of the Psalms.
235
SECTION XXX.
OF THE MINISTER OF MORNING PRAYER.
I The Minister shall read, fc.
THE officiating Minister at Morning and Evening Service
is generally a Minor Canon, or Vicar Choral, in Collegiate
Churches and Chapels, that is, one of the Clergy of the
foundation, inferior in Collegiate rank, though not neces-
sarily so in ecclesiastical order. In the Royal Chapel, he
is a Priest in ordinary.
There are two reasons for this arrangement. One is
the due provision for the performance of these offices in
the proper Ecclesiastical tone or Chant by persons who
are required by the very nature of their office to be
skilled in music. The Communion office, indeed, ought
to be chanted by the Priest as well as Matins and Even-
song: but there the custom of the Church of England
does not prescribe the same variety of cadences and
intonation.
This reason, however, may be considered rather as
accidental. The principal reason is found in its pro-
priety, and that due subordination of offices observed
throughout Christendom in such place. The Office of
the Holy Communion, to which all other parts of divine
worship are subservient, is performed by the Bishop, and
the Capitular or superior Clergy: while the subordinate
offices devolve upon the assistant Ministers.
As has been observed before, the inferior Ministers
in our Collegiate Churches represent the Deacons,
Readers, Chanters, &c., in the primitive Church. But
236
OF THE MINISTER
if the analogy with the officers of the Greek Church
were closely kept up, the performance of the whole office
of Matins or Vespers would not be confined to them.
For in their Liturgies we find that the Priest, the Deacon,
and the Reader, &c., had each their separate office. The
Priest said the long prayers or Collects, at certain
intervals of the Service performed audibly what were
called the ékpávngels, or exclamations, corresponding to
our versicles, while the Deacon's office was to make those
continued supplications called the ovvart), to which the
people responded at intervals, and which resembled the
suffrages in our greater Litany.
Now although the construction of the inferior offices
of the Western Church, and that of the Church of
England in particular, materially differs from those of the
Eastern, still I cannot but suspect that some trace of
this ancient division is visible in our Liturgy. The word
“Minister' is prefixed in the Order both for Morning and
Evening Prayer, to those parts of the Service only where
there is exhortation, or those parts in which the people
audibly join, or are said kneeling, such as the general
Confession, Lord's Prayer, Apostles' Creed, and Lesser
Litany. “ Minister” also occurs in one of the Rubrics
respecting the Lessons, which the custom of the Church,
both Eastern and Western, has always permitted to the
inferior Ministers. The word “Priest” is prefixed to the
Absolution, and to all those prayers which the Clergymian
performs standing, such as the Versicles before the
Psalms, beginning at the Gloria Patri, and those before
the Collects. To the Collects themselves, no direction
is prefixed. The only exception to the above rule is
in the case of one of the Versicles, “O God make speed
to save us,” to which though pronounced kneeling, the
OF MORNING PRAYER.
237
word “Priest” is affixed. It may here be remarked, that
in the First Book of King Edward, this latter word was
prefixed to the Lord's Prayer at the beginning of the
Service: but while it was in that place changed into
Minister in the following edition, the second succeeding
versicle was, probably through inadvertence, left standing
as before; the preceding versicle being prefaced, “Then
likewise he shall say,” the incongruity was less apparent.
However, it is at least evident, that in the last Review,
there were some changes designedly made: one of which
is acknowledged to be a peculiar designation of the
Presbyteral Office, namely, in the Rubric before the
Absolution, where Minister was changed into Priest. In
the last versicle before the Psalms, Priest is prefixed,
where no direction existed before: and in the Rubric
before the latter Versicles, or Preces, Priest is substituted
for Minister. In the Evening Service, again, Minister
is substituted for Priest before the first Lord's Prayer.
The Rubric before the Athanasian Creed shows an
observance of the same principle, the word there, first
inserted at the last Review, being Minister. And in the
Litany, to the latter part beginning at the Lord's Prayer,
the word Priest is prefixed: the custom of the Church
of England having always assigned the performance of the
first part to inferior Ministers, as will be shown more at
large in its proper place.
In the other offices, it is to be acknowledged that the
distinction between the two words is by no means so
marked; and in many instances they seem interchange-
able. This may be perhaps accounted for on many
grounds, the discussion of which would hardly be within
the purpose of the present treatise. However, it may
bé remarked, that in the Communion, while the Con-
238.
OF THE MINISTER
fession is assigned to one of the Ministers, the Absolu-
tion is given to the Priest. In the Visitation of the Sick,
the Priest pronounces the Absolution and following
Collects, and in the Matrimonial Service, the final
Benediction.
These remarks are after all but conjectural. It does
not seem that any practice was ever founded upon them.
However it is by no means inconsistent with the deep
learning of the Reviewers to suppose that they had some
regard to the precedent of the ancient offices of the
Eastern Church, when they illustrated our Prayer Book
with directions of a more precise and definite nature than
before.
But leaving the further examination of this point,
it is at least quite clear that in certain parts of the
service, the Church of England has plainly recognised a
distinction between superior and inferior Ministers. The
Lessons and the former part of the Litany properly
belong to the latter. If, therefore, the Capitular Mem-
bers were generally capable of chanting, which unfortu-
nately is not the case, they ought, in conformity to
primitive use, to perform themselves, in the ecclesiastical
tone, the greater part of Morning and Evening Service,
leaving the inferior parts, just mentioned, to the Minor
Canons or Vicars: who, it should be remembered, have
in strictness the onerous duty of performing in addition
those parts now delegated, by corrupt usage, to the Lay
Clerks: namely the chanting of the Psalms, the Canticles,
and Anthem: and who therefore require some relief.
That this duty of right belongs to the Canons, is evident
from the original designation of Vicars Choral, who were
intended to be their deputies, as before observed. If a
Prebendary is competent to chant the Prayers, it is
OF MORNING PRAYER.
239
obvious that he but resumes a duty which it was originally
incumbent upon him to perform.
On certain great festivals, as on our Lord's Holidays,
the days which have octaves, and Monday and Tuesday
in Easter and Whitsun week, a custom generally obtains
for the Capitular Members to perform the offices of
Matins and Evensong in person. This regulation was
doubtless intended to give greater solemnity to the
Service'. But this end is often completely frustrated by
the ignorance or wilfulness of the Canons, who either
cannot, or think it beneath them to chant the prayers;
and who by their parochial mode of recitation, afford a
most incongruous contrast to the performance of the
responses, which are then accompanied by more solemn
music. In a Collegiate Church, there ought to be at
least one superior Member, competently skilled in that
noble science which anciently was part of an eccle-
siastical education, who might officiate at the greater
festivals. At all events, where all the Canons are incom-
petent, it would be better that they should take that part
of the Service in which chanting is not required, namely,
the Lessons, and leave the rest to those Vicars, or Minor
Canons, who are able to perform it as it ought to be.
The latter method is very frequently adopted in
Christ Church, Dublin, and Winchester, not only on
festivals, but at other times. And in both these places,
it is by no means unusual for some of the Capitular
Members to chant the prayers. Those who have heard
Analogous to this was the old regulation of St. Paul's, before the
Reformation, that on the greater Feasts, the greater Canons should
govern the Choir, and begin the Antiphons, Psalms, and Hymns.
? It is still enjoined by statute on the Fellows of Trinity College,
Cambridge, and All Souls', Oxford : perhaps on those of other Colleges.
240
OF THE MINISTER
the service chanted at Winchester Cathedral by its late
venerable Dean, (to speak of living examples is hardly
fitting) can testify how much this occasional practice
tends to the life and energy of the Choral Service.
On the ground of propriety it is most reasonable that
one at least of the Capitular Members should assist in the
audible performance of the daily service. When to the
whole of the laborious duty properly belonging to the
Clerical members of the Choir is superadded that of the
Prayers, Lessons, and Litany, and when this, as it fre-
quently happens, is thrown upon one individual, while
perhaps several superior Canons are present, an idea
naturally arises in the minds of the people, that the
performance of the daily service is an act of drudgery,
beneath the dignity of the Chapter. How much more
decorous and edifying would it be, if at every service of
the Church, the several parts of the office were each so
distributed among a competent number of the Clergy
present, as that all, both superior and inferior, according
to their several abilities, should visibly bear their parts:
so that the worship of God might have no appearance
of duty constrainedly performed, but of a labour of love,
the assumption of an honourable privilege.
All ceremonies, whether civil or religious, since the
beginning of the world, have been considered as being
invested with an additional solemnity, by being distributed
in the several parts among various ministers. How far
this was carried in the Temple Service, Lightfoot has
copiously shown.
In the Cathedral of Chester, where, though the
Choral Service wants some of its essential features, there
2 The chanting of the prayers, e. g.
OF MORNING PRAYER.
241
is the greatest decorum in the administration of the
Liturgy, the Dean and Prebendaries generally officiate at
the Litany or Lessons. This custom is not, however,
general in our Cathedrals. The distribution among the
Minor Canons varies at different places. At Westmin-
ster, for instance, one performs the Matins and reads a
Lesson: another reads a Lesson and chants the Litany:
in Christ Church, Dublin, it is the duty of the senior
Vicar to perform that part which is strictly Presbyteral,
namely the Matins and the latter Litany: the junior
Vicar the Diaconal part, or the Lessons and the former
Litany: and this arrangement is by far the most regular.
At Canterbury, the Lessons and Matins are read by one,
the Litany by another.
It may be as well, before closing this Section, to
remark upon the usual distribution of the service in
Parish Churches. The general custom in England
devolves the whole performance of Divine Service to the
end of the Litany, upon one clergyman, even though
two should be present, and even though the reader of
the former part should be a Deacon. The custom uni-
versal in Ireland, and prevalent in some parts of the
West of England, is far preferable, of assigning the Les-
sons (or the Litany, as in the Chapel Royal, Dublin,) to
the assisting Minister. But to assign the principal parts
to the Deacon, in presence of a Priest, is quite against
all Catholic propriety. In strictness he ought to perform
merely the former Litany and Lessons. It is neither
dignified nor decent for the superior Minister to remain
in his family pew, and in his private dress, or gown, during
the former part of the service, and to retire during the
singing of the Psalm, in order to put on the surplice, of
which he ought never to be divested when in the Church.
R-
242
SECTION XXXI.
THE LOUD, OR AUDIBLE VOICE.
I Shall read with a loud voice.
THE loud voice, or audible voice as it is elsewhere termed,
is applicable as well to reading in Parish Churches, as to
the Chanting in Choirs. This direction was intended to
guard against a practice of very ancient usage, of repeat-
ing certain parts of the service in an inaudible tone,
called secreto in the Western Church, and uvoTiks in the
Eastern. This was especially the case in the more
solemn parts of the Communion office, and in the Eastern
Church it prevailed largely throughout the other offices,
and the greater portion of the Prayers: the audible
recitation being for the most part confined to the lita-
neutical supplication, the doxologies, and the ecphonesis,
or exclamation, at the end of the Prayers. In the
Western Church, this was mostly confined, in the morn-
ing and evening service, to the Creed and Lord's Prayer.
We have no such custom in our Church: and indeed
it does not appear that its original adoption arose from
any other motive than that of a supposed expediency of
concealing the mysteries of Christian Doctrine from
the heretics and the heathen. It was forbidden by
the Emperor Justinian'. Whatever may have been its
· Bingham, book xv. c. 3, § 33, says, that in the primitive Church
the Priest performed the Consecration in an audible voice; that Ha-
bertus and Cardinal Bona acknowledged the secret recitation of the
Canon to be modern ; and the latter states that there is no trace of it
THE LOUD, OR AUDIBLE VOICE.
243
66 If
origin, evidently it were an insult to common sense to
deny that it hindered edification. It is impossible to
believe that the prayers of the Church were not originally
intended to be heard of the people; and it is only sur-
prising, that any one who has deliberately considered the
features and object of public worship, can be enthralled
by the childish mysticism which, unsupported by Scrip-
ture, or by apostolic practice, can defend a usage which
our Church in her enlightened wisdom, has deliberately
condemned.
The testimony of Archbishop Laud' is explicit.
in some principal part of the Service there be a caveat
given that the Presbyter shall speak with a loud voice,
and distinctly, it implies, that he be very careful in that
place that his voice be audible and distinct; but it
imports not that therefore in other parts of the Service
it
may be low or confused or unheard. And yet if such
a consequence were to be drawn, 'tis no new thing in
the Church of Christ, that the Minister did pray some-
times in the public assembly in a very low voice, if at all
audible. For it was ordered in the Council of Laodicea,
(can. 18,) that among the prayers which were made by
the faithful, after the hearers and penitents were gone
till the tenth century; and that Justinian checked it.
6 Jubemus
omnes Episcopos et Presbyteros non in secreto, sed cum eâ voce quæ
fideli populo exaudiatur, divinam oblationem, et præcationem quæ fit
in Baptismate sancto, facere, ut inde audientium animi in majorem
devotionem et Dei laudationem et benedictionem efferantur.”—Novel.
137, cap. 6.
The very matter of the ancient prayers themselves is internal
evidence against their mystic use being a Catholic practice.
Asseman acknowledges that the mystic recitation was not ancient
in the Greek Church.
? Troubles and Trials, p. 118.
R 2
244
THE LOUD, OR AUDIBLE VOICE.
out, that the first should be in silence: perhaps for the
Presbyter to commend himself, and his office which he
was then to execute, privately unto God. But howso-
ever in the public service that all should be public I
rather approve."
Some men, with a perversity which is vexatious,
setting all common sense at defiance, and hindering reli-
gion, read, upon principle, indistinctly, monotonously and
rapidly. When are these follies to cease?
Of the Ecclesiastical tone in general, mention has
been already made. The “ clara vox” and ékowvous of
the Eastern and Western Churches always signify this
tone. And the use of the Chant is most in accordance
with the desire of the Church, that the Service should be
audible. In a Cathedral, that tone is most plainly heard,
which is musical; and it is well known by experience,
how much further the Chant can be heard in those
places', than simple reading or preaching; and how
much easier such a practice is to the officiating Minister.
1 Vide Dr. Bisse, and the Apology for the Cathedral Service.
245
SECTION XXXII.
THE SENTENCE S.
Some one or more of these Sentences of Scripture that follow. And
then shall he say that which is written after the said Sentences.
THESE Sentences, with the Exhortation, Confession, and
Absolution which follow, were not in the first Prayer
Book. The opening of the Service, as now ordered,
resembles the Complin, or last office of the day, in the
unreformed Prayer Book, which had at its beginning
(just after the Benediction) a Lectio brevis, or sentence
of Scripture, a confession, and absolution.
The usual method in Choirs is to begin the Service,
and to continue it throughout, in a musical key.
This part of the Service was not instituted when
Marbeck's book was composed; and we have no direc-
tion in any of the earlier Choral books' as to the manner
in which it was recited. But that it was chanted in
1 As frcquent reference will be made to these books in the course
of this work, I shall here state their dates and natures.
1. The Prayer Book, noted, by JOHN MARBECK, (or rather Mer-
becke,) 1550. This is the earliest Choral Book we possess, being compiled
immediately after the appearance of the first Book of King Edward.
It contains the melody only, and embraces the whole Service, except the
Litany. The author, Organist of Windsor, was a man of piety and
learning. He was the author of the first English Concordance, and
nearly fell a martyr to Popish persecution, but was saved by Bishop
Gardiner's friendship.
2. The Harmonized Services of the famous TALLIS, of the Chapel of
King Henry VIII., Edward VI., and Mary and Elizabeth, as edited
by Dr. Boyce, containing the whole Service throughout.
3. Day's Harmonized Litany in 1560.
246
THE SENTENCES.
Choirs from the time at which it was first inserted, may
be gathered from the traditional usages of most Cathe-
drals, where the Preces and Responses are chanted to
nearly the same ecclesiastical notes as were in use at
the beginning of the Reformation, and are recorded by
Marbeck and others. And as it has been the tendency
of modern times rather to mutilate than to extend
the Choral Service, we must consider the prevalence of
this usage in such degenerate Choirs as those of St.
Paul's, Lincoln, and Westminster, a presumptive proof
of antiquity.
Formerly in the Dublin Cathedrals, the chanting did
not begin till the Confession: and at Bristol, some years
since, not till the Versicles after the Lord's Prayer, before
the Psalms. Although the custom of reading the intro-
ductory part is not sanctioned by the most ancient usage,
yet it is founded on a principle not in itself wrong, the
change of voice, namely, demanded by the different por-
tions of the Service. But it is best to follow out this
principle by a change of key, not by a method of recita-
tion which breaks in upon the unity of the Service.
The deliberate enunciation of the Sentences, and a
4. Joun BARNARD's (Minor Canon of St. Paul's) Collection of
Cathedral Music, 1641. This contains various Services and Anthems,
preces, &c. from the earliest times. The different parts were printed
separately, and it is believed that a perfect set is not now to be found.
The Author has seen but one part, in the Library of Canterbury
Cathedral.
5. JOHN PLAYFORD's Responses, Chants, and Litany, &c. 1655.
6. Low's Directions for the Performance of Cathedral Service, 1661.
This gives the melody only, except in a few harmonized Chants, and
Tallis's Responses for Festivals.
7. CLIFFORD's Directiohs, &c. 1661.
Other sources of information for particular parts of the Service will
be incidentally noticed.
THE SENTENCES.
247
proper pause before the Exhortation is proceeded with,
are essential towards distinctness and solemnity. The
vulgar custom in many Choirs, of running on smoothly
and rapidly, without any distinction between what is
declaratory, hortatory, and supplicatory, cannot be too
strongly reprehended or too carefully avoided. Abuses
like these, quietly tolerated by those who have authority
to check them, have done much towards promoting the
unmerited depreciation of our Choral Service, which
is more owing to the oscitancy of Canons, than to all
the clamours of dissenters.
As to the choice of the introductory sentences, the
Church has given no rule. Still it may be observed, that
a Collegiate body might with propriety prescribe some
regulation for the appropriation of sentences to parti-
cular seasons: for instance, those of a more penitential
character, as “I will arise,” “O Lord correct me,” to
Lent, and fasting days: « Enter not into judgment," and
Repent ye,” to Advent: and that one which more par-
ticularly speaks of God's mercy, “ To the Lord our
God," &c., to the greater festivals of Easter, Christmas,
Whitsuntide, &c.: reserving the first and last for ordi-
nary occasions.
In no part of the Service, perhaps, is a vicious style
of chanting so apparent as in the delivery of the
Exhortation. The punctuation is often utterly disre-
garded: the sentences are run into one another; and
the effect is such, that one ignorant of our language
might suppose that the Minister was reading a law
form, or acting as a town crier. This is especially
observable in the delivery of the words, “ humble,
lowly, penitent, and obedient heart,” which are often
read as if they formed but one word, and that not a
very long one.
66
248
THE SENTENCES.'
It should be a golden rule, to observe, accurately the
punctuation of the Prayer Book; giving to each. stop; ;
(the intermediate ones, as well as the comma and period)
its proportional pause. . This rule would be a corrective
to affectation on the one hand, and negligence on the
other; and I will venture to say, that, where the addi-
tional check of the Ecclesiastical tone is enforced, either
will not be very practicable. :
249
SECTION XXXII.
OF THE CONFESSION.
1 A general Confession to be said of the whole Congregation after
the Minister, all kneeling.
In Playford's notation of the Choral Service, first pub-
lished in 1655, the Confession and Absolution are pre-
scribed to be read in one continued tone. In many
Choirs, a change of note, either to a semitone or tone
above or below, is made at the Confession. The ancient
use of Winchester and Exeter prescribed the rise, that of
Bristol and Durham, the fall. At St. Paul's, West-
minster, and Canterbury, there is no variation. The
change is in itself most significant: but it is indifferent,
abstractedly considered, whether the change is made by
ascending or descending, as either is consistent with the
natural expression of penitence!
The ancient usage of the Dublin Cathedrals, still
retained at St. Patrick's, was to chant slowly each clause
of the Confession, the Choir repeating each in full har-
mony, with a close in each successive clause on the sharp
seventh. The effect is solemn and devotional in the
highest degree.
In Westminster this close is made in the second and
final clauses only: the latter being alone sung in har-
mony. The reason of this is not apparent. But nothing
can be less devotional than the mode of its performance.
The Scriptures speak of “lifting up the voice," and weeping.
250
OF THE CONFESSION.
At Gloucester, the same close is made in harmony, in
the latter clauses only, beginning at “ according to thy
promises,” &c.
In many Choirs, where for the most part the Service
is properly performed, a strange custom prevails of
enunciating all those passages which the Choir repeats
with, or after the Minister, in a manner the most indis-
tinct, and consequently irreverent. In the Confession
this is particularly offensive. The first part of the sen-
tence is made to run, or rather to race, while the con-
cluding sentence is disproportionately lengthened out,
so as to destroy all expression or meaning whatever.
In some places, a notion is permitted to exist, that
the adult members of the Choir may delegate the singing
of Responses, Confessions, &c., to the boys; as if their
own duty were merely to sing when the Organ accom-
panies them. It should be remembered, that in these
places the Choir represents the Congregation', as far as
the audible performance of the prayer is concerned, and
that therefore they are bound by the Rubric to consider
this as much a part of their duty, as any other part of
the service.
An irregularity very general in Parish Churches, and
practised in some Choirs, must be noticed: that of
repeating the Confession with the Minister, not after
him. The two things are quite distinct, as appears by
| The Congregation of course join with their lips, either in a
whisper, or in a subdued chant. But where there is a regular Choir to
give full expression to this part of the Service, it seems incompre-
hensible why the inharmonious crash of the whole congregation should
be considered necessary. It is all events quite contrary to the Choral
usage of the Church. The individual assent to each petition is as
really given the other way, and in the opinion of many persons quite
as devotionally to their own feelings.
OF THE CONFESSION.
251
the Rubrics. Those parts which are said with the
Minister are, the Lord's Prayer, except in the Post-Com-
munion Service, where it is after him, the Apostles'
Creed, and the Nicene Creed. Those which are said
with him are the General Confession, and (by analogy,
for precise rubrical directions are wanting,) that in the
Communion Service, and the Prayer,
6 Turn thou us,
good Lord,” in the Commination. Each clause of the
Confession is marked by a capital letter commencing it,
a rule which should be carefully observed, as pervading
similar places throughout the Liturgy, and ought to be
repeated in each instance, when the Minister has paused,
in the manner of the Litany. The Amen ought to be
sung here, slowly and deliberately, and in full harmony,
wherever harmony is used in the Responses. In the
Dublin Confession, it forms part of the final clause,
which in fact it is, and should be repeated both by the
Minister and Choir.
252
SECTION XXXIV.
KNEELING AT PRAYERS.
q All kneeling.
DURING this and all other prayers, the lay members of
most Choirs deliberately sit down; a practice diligently fol-
lowed by the majority of the Congregation; who naturally
conform to the example of the Ministers of the Church.
This, it is to be presumed, goes upon the assumed
principle that the Choir are not to be cognizant of any
one religious act except singing. But as human creatures
and Christian men are still the organs of divine service,
they ought to be reminded of the Rubric, as obligatory
on them, were even all religious feeling wanting. If
fatigue be pleaded, the blame rests with the guardians
of the Cathedrals and Colleges, who permit the accumula-
tion of conflicting duties in various places to exhaust the
energies, and damp the devotion of the subordinate
members. No excuse can be offered for such irre-
verence, which it is not in the power of the superiors to
correct or remedy. It would be well to recur to the
ancient construction of the stall desks, which were
extremely low, so that their occupants during the prayers
were obliged to kneel down: their music-books being
upon separate stands sufficiently elevated. The present
custom of boxing up the stalls with high wainscotted
desks, encourages a half lolling posture between standing
and kneeling, which is only one degree less irreverent
than sitting.
253
SECTION XXXV.
THE ABSOLUTION.
9 The Absolution, or Remission of Sins, to be pronounced by the
Priest alone, standing; the People still kneeling.
THE ancient Durham use was to raise the voice a note
at the Absolution, after having been depressed at the
Confession.
As Deacons are not permitted to pronounce the
Absolution, they sometimes take upon themselves an
unauthorized liberty, of substituting for it a prayer from
the Commination. And this is suffered even where one
or more Priests are officially present. Whatever rules
may be observed as to the division of the Service, it is,
to say the very least, but decent that one of the Priests
present should always pronounce the Absolution, when a
Deacon performs the rest of the office of Morning or
Evening Prayer. And yet when several Canons are
present, there is often no attempt made on their part to
take any share in the morning office whatever, as if it
were a business wholly foreign to their station.
254
SECTION XXXVI.
THE LORD'S PRAYER.
I Then the Minister shall kneel, and say the Lord's Prayer, with an
audible voice; the People also kneeling, and repeating it with him,
both here, and wheresoever else it is used in Divine Service.
THE Lord's Prayer, as remarked above, was in the
ancient office of Matins repeated in a low voice through-
out. On its use in other parts of the Service, remarks
will be made in their proper places. The Church of
England has restored its legitimate mode of recitation'.
It is here to be repeated with the Minister, not after
him. In order, however, that distinctness of recitation
may be secured, an object commonly neglected altogether
both in this prayer and in the Creed, the following rules
ought to be observed.
1. The Choir and Minister should be agreed as to
the time in which this prayer is to be repeated.
2. The Choir, in each clause, should begin after the
Minister, but keep exactly with him through the
remainder; and in order to effect this, the first syllable
ought to be sung as a note of half the length of his: the
first half of his note being a rest to them. The Minister
ought to be very deliberate in his enunciation of the
commencing syllable.
3. An equality of enunciation ought to be observed
throughout: and each syllable given its due prosodical
value.
1 The Lord's Prayer is directed to be sung to one note throughont
in Marbeck and Playford; and such is the usage of the Church.
OF THE LORD'S PRAYER.
255
4. It should be agreed as to the due distribution of
the clauses. The placing of the capital letters, indi-
cating their commencements, varies in different copies of
the Prayer Book: they vary even in the different recur-
rences of the prayer in the same copy. Thus in the
clause, “Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven;"
“As” frequently begins another clause: and in that
“Forgive us our trespasses, as we,” &c., “As we” like-
wise begins a clause. Till some authoritative standard
be issued, it would be well that some uniform rule should
be agreed to by members of the same Cathedral. It
would appear, however, that the rules of sacred composi-
tion require the distribution of the prayer into the shorter.
clauses now mentioned, in the passage “and forgive us, ”
&c. But as to the former, it ought to be at “In
earth," not at "As it is." But for this latter method
we have no authority in any copies of the Liturgy.
All that has been hitherto said as to the use of the
Lord's Prayer, is applicable to Parish Churches as well
as to Cathedrals.
It cannot be objected to these observations that they
are too minute. If decorous utterance is ever essential,
it is specially so in the enunciation of our Lord's own
words, regarding, as they do, the weightiest interests of
our present and future being; and comprehending in
them the essence, and affording the model, of all prayer
and thanksgiving. If the rulers of our Cathedrals were
but aware how much the devotions of many are hindered,
and their religious feelings wounded, by the inattention
to points apparently minute, they would assuredly be-
stow a few moments, or at least some half hour in the
course of their lives, out of their abundant leisure, upon
the correction of such discordancies. But even did
256
OF THE LORD'S PRAYER.
attention to a point of this kind involve much expen-
diture of time and trouble, it yet should be remembered
that the very least which the requirements of their
offices demand from them, is to labour to the utmost
in order that God may be reverently served, and his
people edified.
The doxological clauses were not added to the Lord's
Prayer till the last Review. The principle of our Liturgy
is to insert it in those cases only where it is immediately
connected with thanksgiving. In our service it forms a
step in that gradual ascent, of beautiful proportions, which
rises from confession of sins, to remission, and then from
prayer for enabling grace, to the confident expression of
praise, first in the ecclesiastical hymn, the Gloria Patri,
and then in the more perfect language of divinely inspired
Psalm. The ancient use of Winchester illustrates this
principle. The Lord's Prayer having been chanted upon
one note, a close is made towards the end, in the last
syllable of the word "ever," upon the minor third below:
which is the note upon which the following versicle is
made, thus indicating, not indeed immediate thanks-
giving, but humble preparation for that act.
In Marbeck, however, and in Playford, the Lord's
Prayer, in this place, is chanted throughout on one note;
its use being somewhat different here from that observed
in its subsequent recurrence, as will be remarked in its
proper place.
257
SECTION XXXVII.
OF THE VERSICLES BEFORE THE GLORIA PATRI.
Then likewise he shall say, O Lord, open thou our lips, &c.
HERE those parts of the service called VERSICLES and
RESPONSES occur for the first time. These were anciently,
and are still in the older Choral books, called PRECES;
though that term more properly belongs to the Versicles
between the Creed and the Collect for the day: the con-
tinuous prayers, called Collects, having been formerly
distinguished by the term ORATIO. The Versicles are a
more frequent and characteristic feature of the Western
than of the Eastern Liturgies; while again the Eastern
more abound in consecutive Collects and Litanies. The
Church of England has, in her services, largely availed
herself of both methods.
The Versicles are passages from the Psalms: with
three exceptions; namely,-1, the Gloria Patri, an
ancient Christian Hymn, which has been for ages iden-
tified with their use; 2, the shorter benediction, formerly
prefixed to most Collects, and found in all offices of the
Church, Eastern and Western', “The Lord be with
you,” &c.; 3, one of the Versicles after the Creed,
which will be spoken of in its proper place. The Ver-
sicle, made by the Priest, is always followed by a Re-
sponse of the people or Choir; notified in our Prayer
Book by the words “ Priest ” and “ Answer” prefixed.
1 Vide BINGIAM, book xiii., c. 6, § 5.
S
258
OF THE VERSICLES
There are other Preces, not taken from the Psalms, which
have the parts severally allocated to Minister or people
merely notified by a change of type, the responses being
in Italic letters. The intrinsic character of these is
different, as will hereafter be shown.
With these short Prayers and Responses the Psalmody,
properly speaking, begins. The essential character of
the Choral performance of the Psalms is antiphonal;
that is, there is an alternate manner of recitation regu-
larly recurring at certain intervals; either the whole
Choir answers the Priest, or one portion of the Choir
answers the other. When a complete Psalm is recited
throughout, the first verse is sung by half the Choir
stationed at one side of the Church, the next verse by
the other half, and so to the end. But when selected
verses from different Psalms are repeated consecutively,
the Priest repeats the first portion of each verse, the
Choir gives responsively the latter portion. This method
somewhat resembles the performance of the Psalms of
the day in Parish Churches, with this difference, that
there each verse, not each half verse, is so alternated by
Minister and people. A due attention to the spirit of
these two modes of Choral Psalmody would, I think,
explain some passages in ancient Christian writers, which
have given rise to misconceptions, as I shall endeavour
to show, when the chanting of the Psalms comes under
consideration.
The Versicles forming the subject of this section are
in close connection with the Psalms which follow: and
both from this circumstance, and from their intrinsic
character, the inconsistency of that practice must be
evident, which, in some Choirs, allows the simple reading
of the Versicles and Responses, while the Psalms are
BEFORE THE GLORIA PATRI.
259
chanted. The act of “reading prayers," as the perform-
ance of divine service is vulgarly called, is thus ostensibly
disconnected from the act of praise. Another practice
is perhaps still worse, because more palpably discordant;
I mean, that of reading the Versicle, and chanting the
Response; that is, half saying, half singing, certain verses
of the Psalms. This anomaly has arisen from the mis-
conception, already reprehended, which in some Collegiate
Churches disconnects the Clerical from Choral duties
altogether.
All the ancient Choral Books, those of Marbeck,
Tallis, Barnard, Playford, Low, &c., make the singing of
these Preces an essential part of the Service. And their
testimony goes to show, that this custom, begun at the
Reformation, was continued till the Great Rebellion, and
was resumed at the re-establishment of the Liturgy at the
Restoration. These documentary records are confirmed
by the traditional usages of the several Choirs, which in
most instances essentially coincide with the books above
mentioned, although in many subordinate particulars,
they have characteristic variations: which perhaps may
have been the immemorial use, in the particular churches
where they are found, antecedently to the Reformation.
And I think it probable, that Marbeck's book is merely
the record of some such particular use, though, as just
observed, mainly agreeing with that established in most
Choirs.
The most ancient books give the Responses in unison.
And in this manner they were a long time performed in
some Choirs, as at Durham and Winchester, in both
which places they have been since harmonized; at
Durham, most admirably by Mr. Penson, the present
Precentor. In most places, they are sung to traditional
S 2
260
OF THE VERSICLES
harmonies, which of course vary considerably from one
another.
In Christ Church in Dublin, the unison responses of
Winchester were adopted about seventeen or eighteen
years ago, the traditional responses of that place, similar
to those still in use at St. Patrick's, being laid aside.
The service of Tallis is celebrated for its full and
most religious liarmonies, tlıroughout all parts of the
service, the Responses included. But it is a mistake to
suppose that those usually performed in Choirs are mere
simplifications of his. The documents above alluded
to, some being more ancient than Tallis's composition,
prove that the more simple responses are the more
ancient. In Tallis, the Priest's part is retained, as found
in Marbeck : while the Responses of the Choir are fre-
quently different in the melody. It appears, both from
documents and traditionary custom, that his were not
intended to be used but upon the greater festivals, or
more solemn occasions, the ordinary responses, as now,
being usually performed. In Low's Book, Tallis's are
subjoined to the ordinary Responses, and are called
“ Extraordinary Responsals upon Festivals.” Against
this common mistake I think it the more necessary to
give a caution, because of late there have been pro-
fessed republications of Tallis, which are, in fact, a
garbled mixture of his compositions, and of the responses
in common use harmonized.
Besides those mentioned above, there are to be found
in the few parts of Barnard's work still extant, arrange-
ments of the Preces (merely, however, of those before
the Psalms) prefixed to two services of Bird, and one of
Gibbons. In these the Priest's part is the same as in
Tallis. These Preces have been altogether forgotten.
BEFORE THE GLORIA PATRI.
261
In later times, the Responses have been set by
Ebdon, and published in his score. These are in a minor
key: and the Priest's part is on one note. They do not
profess to follow the ancient model in any respect; nor
are they of a sufficiently ecclesiastical character, espe-
cially in the Gloria Patri, which is quite a canticle.
Arrangements of the Responses for local use have
been made at different times. Among these may be
mentioned those by Sir John Stevenson, for use at the
great Festivals in the Dublin Choir, now laid aside. At
the Cathedral of Durham, Responses in full harmony,
the authorship of which is uncertain, are in use every
Sunday, accompanied by the Organ, the common Re-
sponses before mentioned, being used on week days.
The Priest's part in the Sunday Versicles is upon one
note throughout.
It is to be supposed that our Versicles and Responses
were derived from the ancient services used in England.
As to those before the Psalms, I have been unable to
discover any exact prototype: but the clause, “O God
make speed to save us,” resembles the Gregorian chant
for that verse, in the rise of a tone upon the word
“speed.”
We now proceed to the manner of their performance.
In some Choirs, as formerly in Christ Church, in Dublin,
and in Canterbury, the key note was given out on the
Organ befere the Versicles began. This custom might
be justified, from the propriety of chanting the Versicles
in the same key as the Venite Exultemus, which they
introduce. The general usage, however, is to make a
fall after the Lord's Prayer in chanting, in the manner
to be observed upon presently.
On certain great festivals, the proper usage of the
262
OF THE VERSICLES
Church of England, laid aside in many places, but still
observed in some, is to sing the Responses and Litany of
Tallis's arrangement to the Organ. This ought to be
done at least on Easter, Christmas, Whitsunday, Ascen-
sion Day, Trinity Sunday, and on Monday and Tuesday
in Easter or Whitsun week. But the due reverence for
those days which have more special reference to our
blessed Lord', would also include the days of the Cir-
cumcision, the Epiphany, the Purification, and the
Annunciation. In Christ Church, in Dublin, Tallis's
Responses, but without the Organ, are now used every
Sunday. But I am bound to express an opinion, that
this service should be reserved for more solemn occa-
sions, according to the ancient practice of the Church.
The discrimination of our higher festivals has been too
much subjected to the levelling principle of modern
times. In the last mentioned Church, indeed, the
tendency has been in itself laudable, to exalt every
Sunday to the standard of a great festival: but I question
much whether this may not be carried too far, especially
in a place where the daily service is so meagrely per-
formed.
On certain fast days, and on Wednesdays and Fridays
in Lent, the chanting is often altogether suspended; and
the Service is performed parochially. The penitential
character of the season, especially during Passion week,
would be much more expressively marked, were the
Responses in a minor key, and were the Chants for the
Psalms very slightly modulated, and the Canticles sung
to single Chants, the Organ, according to ancient custom,
being altogether disused.
1 Called in the Greclk Church the εορται δεσποτικαι.
BEFORE THE GLORIA PATRI.
263
It remains to make a few observations on the Chants
to which the introductory responses are ordinarily sung.
The two Versicles succeeding the Lord's Prayer', are
introductory to the act of praise beginning at the Gloria
Patri, and are pronounced kneeling, as being prayers for
God's saving help, to enable the worthy rendering of
thanksgiving The humble character of this supplica-
tion is expressively represented by the chant: the first
Versicle, “O Lord, open thou our lips," being sung upon
a note which, according to the uses of different Churches,
is either a third, a fourth, a fifth, a tone, or semitone,
lower than that of the Lord's Prayer preceding. The
use of Winchester, which I am inclined to think the cor-
rect one, coincides with Marbeck, and that of Canterbury,
in falling a minor third. In all Choirs, this Versicle is
chanted upon one note: and in most, the following
Response is in the same unvarying strain. At Win-
chester, however, as at St. Paul's and Westminster, and
as in Tallis, the Response rises a tone upon the word
“forth;" at Canterbury, a third.
· Dr. Bisse's observations on the Versicles are so admirable, that I
make no apology for transcribing them at length.
“Now this offering of praiso is prepared and introduced by Petition,
as Confession of sins was by Exhortation: the Minister beginning, in
the language of the penitent Psalmist, O Lord, open thou our lips,
the people answering, “And our mouth shall show forth thy praise.'
A very proper introduction after Confession of sin, the sense whereof
naturally seals down our lips, and makes all flesh dumb before God.
Again the Minister prays, 'O God, make speed to save us;' to wit,
from our manifold sins we have confessed. The people proceed, “O
Lord, make haste to help us; to wit, in the great ruties we are now
cntering upon. Both Versicles proper in their measure, and vehement
in their expression, O God, make specd; O Lord, make haste; and the
language of a devout worshipper, whose prayer, darted up in these
short cjaculations, pierccth the clouds."-Beauty of Holiness in the
Common Prayer.
264
OF THE VERSICLES, ETC.
The following Versicle, “O God, make speed,” &c.,
with some immaterial variation, is chanted in the same
manner in most Choirs (resembling, as before observed,
the Gregorian Chant,) the holding note being a fifth, the
word 56
speed” a sixth, above that of the preceding
versicle. The greater confidence of religious hopes
advancing from supplication to praise, is significantly
marked by this rise.
The Response, “ O Lord, make haste to help us,” is
in Marbeck, Playford, and Low, chanted upon one note:
the holding note of the preceding Versicle. But the
Winchester use, with which Tallis and that of several
Choirsconcurs, makes the Response to coincide with the
versicle, in rising a tone upon the word “haste.” The
two divisions of the verse are exactly parallel in sense,
and therefore demand a similar musical enunciation. I
have little doubt, therefore, that the Winchester method
is the most correct.
· Durham, St. Paul's, Westminster, Canterbury, Bristol, Exeter,
and York.
265
SECTION XXXVIII.
OF THE VERSICLES IMMEDIATELY PRECEDING THE
PSALMS.
Here all standing up, the Priest shall say, Glory be to the Father, &c.
THE act of supplication being over, that of praise now
begins: signified by the posture of standing.
In the last Review of the Prayer Book, this part of
the Service has sustained a material alteration. In the
first and earlier editions there were no directions to sing
the - Gloria Patri as a Verse and Response: nor was any
prefixed to the Verse “ Praise ye the Lord.” The
Response, “The Lord's Name be praised,” did not then
exist. The only direction was the word “ Priest” prefixed
to the beginning of the Gloria Patri. From Barnard
and Low's book, and Tallis's Service, before it was
adapted to the use of our present Prayer Book,) it appears
that the whole of this part was sung throughout by the
Choir: from the ordinary responses in Low and Playford,
that it was chanted by the Priest. This uncertainty of
usage has been remedied by our Reviewers, who by
specific directions have discriminated the performance of
the several parts: and by the addition of a Response,
“ The Lord's Name be praised,” have made the character
of this part of the Service uniformly antiphonal.
These specific directions of our Prayer Book ought to
be sufficient to correct an incongruity which has been
suffered to obtrude itself into many Parish Churches: I
266
OF THE VERSICLES
mean, that of chanting the Gloria Patri in this place,
both verse and response, in Chorus, even when the cir-
cumjacent responses are read. The whole rationale of
this part of the Service is broken in upon by this unau-
thorized practice.
As the laudatory part of the Psalmody of the day
ends, so it begins with the Gloria Patri: with the dif-
ference that here it is prefatory. In the other parts of
the unreformed Service', and in the English Litany where
it occurs, there seems to have been Psalmody in the
primitive times, vestiges of which still remain.
The Gloria Patri, according to the uniform practice
of all Choirs where full Service is retained, is chanted
upon the same high note upon which the preceding
Response terminated. The Priest's part is uniformly
upon one note: that part which is now the Response is
in like manner unvaried in Marbeck, Playford, and Low.
At St. Paul's and York it has a cadence in the Amen,
on a semitone below; at Winchester, and other places?,
it is of more varied melody; but the same descent to the
semitone occurs in the middle pause of the Responses.
Since the adaptation of the Gloria Patri to a Verse and
Response, this cadence appears most appropriate, as
investing it with more of the character of a Choral Chant,
which indeed is suggested by the punctuation : it has
the colon in the middle, marking the pause in Choral
recitation.
The verse“ Praise ye the Lord,” wanting in Playford,
terminates upon the semitone below: which the uses of
Durham and York follow: while in that of Winchester,
| The Responsoria brevia, &c.
2 Durham, Westminster, Canterbury, and Exeter.
IMMEDIATELY PRECEDING THE PSALMS.
267
followed by most Choirs, upon the note above. Since
the addition of the Response, the latter seems the most
appropriate usage. In that Response all the Choirs,
except of York, (where it agrees exactly with the Versicle)
terminate upon the fourth below, with some variation as
to the immediate modulation. In Barnard's book and
in Low's, we find that in Tallis's Service, &c., the words
“ Praise ye the Lord” were twice repeated.
These words correspond to the Alleluia in use in the
unreformed Breviaries, which always preceded the Psalm,
(except at certain seasons of the year.) In the first book
of King Edward, this word was sung in addition, or per-
haps substituted, from Easter to Trinity Sunday, which was
always a season of peculiar rejoicing in the Church. The
use of the word in this place was probably suggested by
its frequent occurrence in the Psalter before Psalms of
thanksgiving; which is an additional reason for the
synonymous expression now retained being considered as
part of the Psalmody, and performed as such in all regu-
lar Choirs.
· St. Paul's, Westminster, Canterbury, Bristol, Exeter : found also
in Tallis.
268
SECTION XXXIX.
OF THE VENITE EXULTEMUS.
Then shall be said or sung this Psalın following: except on Easter
Day, upon which another Anthem is appointed: and on the Nine-
teenth Day of every Month, it is not to be read here, but in the ordi-
nary course of the Psalms.
This Psalm, of ancient use in the Universal Church, at
the beginning of the devotions of the day, occupies the
same place in the unreformed office for Matins, as in our
Morning Service. But one essential improvement was
made at the reformation of our offices, by the cutting off
from this part of the Service, as our Prayer Book expresses
it, all anthems and invitatories. In the first book of
King Edward, the rubric preceding this Psalm directs it
to be sung without any Invitatory. This Invitatory
was a verse, or part of a verse, taken from this particular
Psalm, which was sung before it began, and repeated
after every second verse; thus interrupting the connec-
tion of the Psalm, and this in a most senseless manner,
since, on its alternate occurrence, (after the 4th and 8th
verses,) it was not repeated at length.
The Anthems or Antiphons were verses from the
Psalter, or other parts of Scripture, which preceded and
followed a certain number of Psalms, sometimes each
Psalm, each service and season of year having its proper
Anthem. A few words only of the Antiphon were said
before the Psalm, but it was repeated at length at the
end. These interpolations, “as breaking the continual
OF THE VENITE EXULTEMUS.
269
course of the reading of Scripture,” and especially in this
instance, as interrupting the flow of the inspired voice of
praise, were happily removed by our Reformers: so that
from the beginning of the Versicles to the end of the
Psalms of the day, a consistent unity was restored.
Besides the interruption caused by the Invitatory to
the continuous sentiment of this introductory Psalm,
another peculiarity is observable in the Breviary: namely,
that it is not arranged for chanting, like the other
Psalms, with a pause in the middle of each verse; but
two verses are run into one, so as to form periods of
lengths disproportionate to the proper performance of
the Chant. In ancient times, accordingly, it appears
that the Venite Exultemus was sung in a different way
from the other Psalms; that is, not to one uniform chant
repeated at each verse, or every two verses, but to
variable strains', resembling the arrangements of the
Te Deum, and the other Canticles. Of the perpetuation of
this custom a vestige remains in Barnard's Church Music,
in which we find that the Venite was so arranged by the
earliest English composers, Tallis, Strogers, Bevin, Bird,
Gibbons, Munday, Parsons, and Morley. No Service in
the collection, subsequently to that of the last mentioned
composer, has this arrangement; and since Dr. Giles's
time (who died in 1633), it seems to have been discon-
tinued. Of this method of singing the Venite all trace
is lost in the Church of England, and even in Dr. Boyce's
republication of some of the above-named services, in his
Cathedral Music, this part is altogether omitted. It is
probable that it was observed on great festivals only.
But in all the other ancient Choral Books, the Venite is
| This appears from the Salisbury Breviary. .
270
OF THE VENITE EXULTEMUS.
sung to a simple Chant: in Marbeck, to one resem-
bling the eighth Gregorian tone. Such has been the use
of the Church, at least since the Restoration; and this
more simple practice is obviously more consistent with
the unity and connection of the Psalmody.
With the Psalms, the organ accompaniment in Choirs
usually begins: giving out, in the first instance, a few
preparatory notes. The half of the first verse is then
sung by the Choir unaccompanied, the organ joining at
the latter part of the verse, and throughout the remainder
of the Psalms. A better and more ancient practice,
however, would be for the Precentor or officiating Priest
to chant the first half verse, both in this instance and in
the Te Deum, the Creed, and the Gloria in Excelsis: this
being one of the peculiar offices of the Precentor. In the
peculiar instance before us, this method would more dis-
tinctly mark the invitation to praise, which is complied
with by the antiphonal response of the Choir.
I may here observe, by the way, that in Parish
Churches, where the old style of metrical Psalmody is
kept up (and I regret to say that all innovations on that
style are not improvements,) it is usual for the Clerk or
leader of the singers to chant out the first line of the
Psalm; often closing upon a minor third: precisely in
the way our old Te Deums are given out in Choirs.
· This is one of those venerable customs which ought to
be cherished: and it would be as well, for the decorum
of the service, if the Clergyman himself, when capable,
would so give out the Psalm.
The Psalms of the day, being variable in their cha-
racter and sentiments, obviously require a variety of
Chants. But the performance of the Venite being, with
the exception of one day in the year, namely, Easter
OF THE VENITE EXULTEMUS.
271
use.
Sunday, an invariable part of the Morning Service, I
would beg to offer a suggestion as to the propriety of
having it sung to an uniform Chant, changed only when
the Responses are changed, as on the great festivals, or
in Lent. The Chant in Marbeck, if properly harmo-
nized, is so grave and simple, and so peculiarly adapted
to the preceding Responses, as to be well fitted for this
When Tallis's Responses are employed, the custom
usual on such occasions of using his sublime Chant,
(which is the same as the first Gregorian tone, with the
fourth ending,) ought to be kept up. And if greater
variety should be required, Playford's seven Chants (of
which mention will be made in the next Section) might
be used in succession for this Psalm, appropriated each
to a day of the week, as he has directed.
In Parish Churches, where an imitation of some parts
of the Choral Service is professed, the Venite is often
chanted, while the Psalms are read. It is not necessary
to enlarge upon the absurdity of this practice, which
after having given the appropriate musical expression to
the invitation to praise, denies it to the act of praise
itself. Where partial chanting is used, (I speak of
course only of Parish Churches, for in endowed Choirs it
ought never to be partial,) it would be much more con-
sistent to confine it to the Canticles after the Lessons,
which have a character peculiarly their own. The
usual custom of chanting the Venite and the Jubilate,
and reading the Psalms and the Te Deum, tends to
confuse the distinctive characters of the Canticles and
the Psalms.
On Easter Day, the Anthems then substituted for
the Venite are chanted in the usual way; being pointed
for this purpose in the Prayer Book. In the first book
272
OF THE VENITE EXULTEMUS.
of King Edward, the first two verses that we now have,
were wanting; and the rest was printed in two para-
graphs, not in verses, as at present; at the same time,
however, each sentence (except the last,) had the colon
to mark the pause in the Chant. After each paragraph
was inserted Hallelujah. And a verse and response
followed. They were then, and still are styled, Anthems,
being of the character of the Antiphons in the unreformed
offices, of which mention has been already made. By
implication however, in our present book, the Venite is
also styled' an Anthem, in that more enlarged sense,
which applies the term to anything sung antiphonally.
In the first book, these Easter Anthems were sung
on that festival before Morning Service. In the second
book, when the sentences, exhortation, and confession
were prefixed, they were placed as at present: as it was
not fitting that praise should begin till the preparatory
acts of confession had been gone through, and the minis-
terial absolution pronounced. A regard for this deli-
berate alteration of the service, ought of itself to be a
sufficient correction of that most improper practice
already animadverted upon, of preceding the service of
the day by a Psalm or Hymn.
273
SECTION XL.
OF THE CHANTS FOR THE PSALMS.
1
9 Then shall follow the Psalms in order as they are appointed.
The appointment of a monthly course of Psalms is
peculiar to the Church of England. But there is no
such thing as universal consent with respect to the divi-
sion of the Psalter for the purposes of devotion. From
the earliest times of Christianity, a wide difference upon
this point prevailed between Churches that were in the
most harmonious communion, and even between the
various parts of the same diocese or province'. The
daily use of the Psalter is a Catholic principle; but
there is no Catholic rule as to the precise method of its
employment.
In the Greek Ritual', the Psalter was divided into
twenty portions, called kallowata, or Sessions, of which
the 119th Psalm formed one: each cathisma was
divided into three parts by the doxology interposed
between each part. These divisions were called otáoels,
or Stations : and between each stasis a Lesson was inter-
posed. So that these represented the Nocturns of the
Western Church.
In the Ritual of the unreformed Church of England,
(which materially agreed with that of the other Western
Churches,) the whole Psalter was gone through in a week.
The apportionment was thus made. The 119th Psalm
1 Vide BINGHAM, book xiv., ch. i., sec. 5.
GOAR, Rit. Græc.; SUICER.
3 The division of our Prayer Book is here followed.
g
T
274
OF THE CHANTS FOR THE PSALMS.
was daily said, a part being performed at each of the
short services at the first, third, sixth, and ninth hour.
The 63rd and 148th Psalms were said daily at lauds:
the 51st at the same service on all days but Sunday:
the 4th, part of the 31st, the 91st, and 134th, daily, at
compline. Then, after a selection of sixteen more
Psalms appropriated for each day of the week, for the
services of lauds and prime, the rest of the Psalms,
exclusive of all the above, were appointed in the order
in which they stand in the Psalter, for the daily
offices of matins and vespers; in this manner eighteen
Psalms were first apportioned for the Sunday matins,
then twelve for the matins of each week-day: then
followed the five Vesper Psalms, for each day. Thus the
Sunday Vespers begin with the 110th Psalm;
the
Saturday Matins concluding with the 109th.
In this arrangement there was much that is beautiful
in theory: especially in the affecting allocation of certain
appropriate Psalms to the early praises of the morning,
at lauds, and to the closing devotions of the evening, at
compline; and the daily use of the 119th Psalm, at
those intermediate hours, when, during a temporary
retirement from the wearing business of life, there is a
peculiar and soothing efficacy in the calmness of its
meditative wisdom.
But this could never, at any time, have been more
than a theory to the great body of the people. To say
nothing of the use of a dead language, which, in every
liturgical office, hindered edification, it was impossible
that any but those who, by the nature of their sacred
office, were given leisure for the purpose, could so attend
all the seven daily services of the Church, as to have the
public use of the whole Psalter. By those who could
OF THE CHANTS FOR THE PSALMS.
275
attend on the Sunday only, the greater part of that
book would be unrecited: and a considerable portion
must be of necessity omitted even by those who had
ordinary leisure to attend some of the week-day services.
But again, the office of matins was so extremely long,
even when not joined to lauds, that the attendance on it
must have been for the most part inconvenient and
impracticable, except to the inmates of Monasteries, or
of Collegiate Churches. And indeed we find, from the
Preface to the Prayer Book, that of the Nocturns, (or
portions into which the courses of matin psalms were
divided,) “now of late a few have been daily said, and
the rest utterly omitted'." And this has been generally
tlie case in the unreformed Churches of the West.
Besides this, the greatest portion of the Psalms was
read at the midnight, or matin service, when attendance
was least practicable. But even supposing the attend-
ance on each service an easy matter, still the inordinate
quantity of Psalmody would have been anything but
conducive to healthful religion, or intelligent devotion.
It would have been impossible to rightly mark, digest,
and meditate upon those holy songs: since, by such
prolonged recitation, the memory and discriminative
faculties must needs have been confused.
of the Psalter, too, bore an exaggerated disproportion
to the other parts of Scripture read in the Church,
even at Matins, for which the longest Lessons were
appointed.
These abuses the Church of England, distrustful of
mere theories, and ever mindful of practical edification,
has effectually remedied. The private devotions of the
The use
Concerning the Services of the Church.”—Book of Common Prayer.
T 2
276
OF THE CHANTS FOR THE PSALMS.
faithful at the seven periods of daily observance, derived
from the Jewish Church, are in no wise hindered, nay,
have been encouraged from time to time by those in
authority'. But as to the public service, the Psalter has
been so ordered, that a moderate portion of it being
read each day in monthly course, the most rare attendant
on divine worship must at one time or another hear each
of the Psalms repeated. And when it is considered,
that there is no one Psalm but has either a direct pro-
phetical application to our Lord, or to his Church, or is
respective of the innumerable wants and feelings of
human nature, we cannot be too thankful for that pro-
vidential ordinance, which brings each particular of
matters so all important before the frequent notice of
each member of her communion. In appointing a
monthly course, the Church sbews a regard for that
natural division of time, which, by divine ordinance to
the Church of Israel, was marked by a special com-
memoration, that of the new moon. And as the Sun
and Moon are represented in Holy Writ to be the
special emblems of God's Providence; as the everlasting
seat of Christ is like as the sun before him, and as he,
our Saviour, shall stand fast for evermore as the moon : so
by her several courses of public prayer she represents the
revolutions of both heavenly bodies: commemorating by
See the Private Devotions of Archbishop Laud and of Bishop
Cosin; the latter published by the approbation of the King, and
sanctioned by the authority of the then Bishop of London. Of this
book a beautiful edition has been published of late : (I refer to the
12th Edition; Rivingtons, 1841;) to which an admirable and succinct
Preface has been appended by its Editor. In this preface we are
properly referred to the Primers of Henry VIII., Edward VI., and
Elizabeth, the first preceding our Reformation, the last subsequent to
it; but all shewing a recognition of the ancient hours of prayer.
OF THE CHANTS FOR THE PSALMS.
277
her daily prayers, and canticles of constant daily use,
God's ordinary benefits cominon to each day; by her
monthly Psalms those seasons for which the moon was
appointed, and by her annual completion of the whole
volume of Scripture, that year, which he crowneth with
his goodness.
We now.proceed to the manner of their recitation'.
The chanting of the Psalms is an universal practice; but
as to the manner of chanting there is no universal
agreement. That which prevailed most largely in the
Church was the antiphonal, or alternate method used in
our Choirs. But this method was not adopted till the
time of Ignatius, Bishop of Antioch, the third from
St. Peter, who, as Socrates the historian relates, esta-
blished this system in the Church of Antioch, in
consequence of a vision in which he heard the angels
in antiphonal songs, liymning the Holy Trinity. To this
account Christian antiquity has given a prevailing credit:
and indeed there is good reason to believe, that a man,
intent upon holy things, solicitous for the edification of
the Church, and mindful of the ancient method of the
Church of God on earth, and of his angels in heaven,
should have a more vivid impression conveyed, and his
| The authorities by whom the references made in this and the
following paragraphs were chiefly suggested, are BINGHAM, (book xiii.
chap.5, and xiv. chap. 1;) THORNDIKE on Religious Assemblies, pp. 325
and 328; MONTFAUCON, Monitum in S. Chrysostomum, Ps. 41, (Edit.
Bened., vol. v.,) and BISHOP PATRICK's Preface to the Psalms. But
the Author has been obliged to draw his own conclusions from the
passages referred to, which the above-named authorities have not
sufficiently reconciled.
2 The instances of Miriam's responsive song, and of the Vision of
Isaiah, in which the angels cried one to another, are familiar.
Homer speaks of the antiphonal song in a passage, which by its
278
OF THE CHANTS FOR THE PSALMS.
purpose fixed and confirmed, by means of one of those
dreams, which even the heathen poet confesses are from
God. Hence, Socrates adds', this custom was derived to
all the Churches. By which we are probably to under-
stand the Churches of the Patriarchate of Antioch at
first, and then generally those Churches of the Easta
properly so called, not those of Egypt and Africa, as we
shall presently see. That it did prevail generally over
the East at least, we have the testimony of Theodoret :
though he attributes its establishment, (by which he can
mean nothing more than its regular restitution,) to
Flavianus and Diodorus, in the time of the Arian perse-
cution: adding, that this custom, which took its first rise
in Antioch, spread in all directions, and found its way to
the very ends of the world. St. Basil attests this to
have been the case in the Churches of Cappadocia“. In
the time of Constantine, Eusebius asserts there was a
regular Choir at Antioch. The Churches of Constan-
tinople adopted the same method.
exquisite melody of rhythm, relieves the puerile absurdity of the
scene with which his first Book concludes.
Ου μέν φόρμιγγος περικαλλέος, ήν έχ' 'Απόλλων,
Μουσάων θ', αϊ άειδον αμειβόμεναι όπι καλή.-Iliad, A. 693.
It cannot be doubted that Homer's judgment and taste were repugnant
to the descriptions of the heathen deities in the Elysium, so frequent
in his poems, which popular taste called for. But passages such as
the above, were probably suggested by some sacred original, derived
from Phænicia, or elsewhere.
1 όθεν και έν πάσαις ταις εκκλησίαις αύτη η παράδοσις εδόθη.
2 St. Austin calls the antiphonal mode the Oriental : in the very
passage which shews it was not universal: “Tunc Hymni et Psalmi
ut canerentur secundum morem Orientalium partium ......institutum
est."-Aug. Confess., lib. ix. cap.
3 TIIEODOR. Eccles. Hist., lib. ii. cap. 19.
και διχή διανεμηθέντες αντιψάλλουσιν αλλήλοις.--Εν. 3 ad Neoces.
OF THE CHANTS FOR THE PSALMS.
279
But it does not appear that the antiphonal mode
became universal. That it was partially adopted in the
Churches of Africa appears, among other instances, from
the custom of the Ascetics in the Churches of Alex-
andria, who at their vigils sung alternately in two Choirs,
one of men, and another of women. But the primitive
method of the African Churches seems rather that which
may be called acrostical: that is, the Chanter or Reader
sung the Psalm throughout, or in part, and the people
answered either at the end or at certain intervals. Such,
according to Cassian', was the custom of the Egyptian
monasteries, where, to relieve the monks from their long
fatigue, they sat, except at the congregational termina-
tion. St. Augustine and St. Athanasius' mention the
Psalm being chanted by one: and the former says it was
by the Lector or Reader: “cantari a Lectore." Philo
bears witness to the same custom being practised by the
Essenes of Alexandria ; the people listening in silence,
and joining in the recurring anthems or burdens, as we
may call them“. It
It may be presumed from a passage in
St. Austin that the ecclesiastical music of this portion
of the Church was simpler and less expressive than
elsewhere. Pleraque in Africâ Ecclesiæ. membra
pigriora sunt: ita ut Donatistæ nos reprehendant, quod
sobrid psallismus,” &c. And again, he says of St.
Athanasius, that in his time the Psalms, at Alexandria,
were sung with so small an inflexion, that it was more
like speaking than singing; which is hardly applicable to
the Gregorian Chants, simple as they are.
For this acrostical manner, however, high antiquity is
2
| Instit. lib. ii. cap. 12, as quoted by Bingham.
Pref. in Psalm 31.
: ATIAN. Apol. ii. 717.
+ épúuvia and åkpoteleútia.--THORNDIKE, page 328.
280
OF THE CHANTS FOR THE PSALMS.
3
claimed. In the documents called the Apostolical Con-
stitutions, (which, however, are well known to be of much
later date than the Apostolical times,) one person is
ordered to sing the Psalms of David, and the people to
respond the acrostics, or burthens. However, this
method was less perfect than the antiphonal, and pro-
bably was instituted at a time when the people were too
ignorant to form efficient Choirs, or to join in all the
verses, in order to keep up and fix their attention upon
occasional parts of the psalmody. Bingham considers
that the ecclesiastical singers called útoßolêts, or sug-
gestors, took their origin from thus prompting the
people, as it were.
Before we pass on to the more perfect mode of
chanting, I would offer a few conjectural remarks on that
now under discussion. In Churches where the antiphonal
chanting was fully adopted, traces remained of the former
mode, the germs of some permanent parts of our service.
Thus Chrysostom, in his Homily on the 41st Psalm, (or
as we account it, the 42nd) speaks of a burthen which
was sung', not once, or twice, or thrice, but often in the
course of the service: which consisted of that verse,
“ Like as the lart desireth the water-brooks, so longeth
my soul after thee, O God.” And again, in his Com-
mentary on the 117th Psalm (or the 118th) he notices
the same use of the verse, “ This is the day which the
Lord hath made,” &c., and adds that the Fathers had
appointed this verse, which he calls the verse of the
response', to be sung by the people, “as containing a
high sounding and lofty sentiment.” Now this regulation
2
| Book iii. chap. vii. sect. 3.
3 στίχον της υπηχήσεως.
υπακοή. .
OF THE CHANTS FOR THE PSALMS.
281
ever.
of the Church, adopted for the edification of the people,
a remnant of the ancient and less perfect method, was
evidently suggested by those Psalms which have recurring
burthens either at intervals, as in the 107th, or at the
end of every verse, as the 136th. Thus Athanasius at
Alexandria commanded the Deacon to read the Psalms,
and the people to answer, “For his mercy endureth for
And hence the Antiphons of the Western
Church, that is, the short verses which precede and follow
the Psalms, and the Invitatories of the 95th Psalm,
already mentioned. But these have degenerated much
from their original significancy, and have often but a
very
obscure relation to the Psalms which they accom-
pany'. Even when there was an Antiphonal Choir, these
verses were probably sung by the whole Choir, or people
in full chorus: and hence also the origin of the Responses
in our service; and more particularly of the often
repeated Kyrie Eleison of the Greek Church, which
forms one of the most prominent features of the Ritual.
These burthens were called by various names, which give
one generic meaning, while they seem to discriminate
their several particularities, whether as a mere assenting
answer', an audible response, a response in song, the
latter part of a verse (such as “for his mercy endureth
for ever,") the antiphon at the end of a Psalm (like the
Gloria Patri or Hallelujah) or of a Hymn.
In the passage of St. Basil, already noticed, after
speaking of the alternate singing, he mentions the
responsorial mode. “At one time, being formed into
1 Montfaucon (Monitum in Psalm 41) considers that ünnyelv,
únoyale, ÚTOKOVELV, mean all "recitanti respondere, vel canenti
succinere.
2 υποκοή, υπηχήσεις, υποψάλμα, ακροστίχιον, ακροτελεύτιον, and εφύμνιον.
282
OF THE CHANTS FOR THE PSALMS.
two divisions, they sing antiphonally: then again, leaving
it to a single voice to begin the melody, the rest
respond'." It is probable that allusion is here made as
well to the performance of versicles and responses, as to
the intonation of the Psalms and Hymns.
We now pass to the antiphonal mode used from very
ancient times in Western Christendom. The nature of
the subject demands some notice of its origin: but this
is so well known, and has been so amply and ably stated
by many of late years, that it must suffice to be very
brief. St. Ambrose, Bishop of Milan, in the fourth
century, introduced into his Church the ancient anti-
phonal Chant of Antioch, derived, as it was believed,
from St. Ignatius. The strong resemblance between the
general character of the ancient ecclesiastical music and
what remains to us of the Greek melodies", makes this
tradition of the people of Antioch a matter of high
probability. Antioch was a place of great refinement,
where all the Grecian arts were in high perfection.
In the seventh century, Gregory, Bishop of Rome,
renowned for his labours in the reformation and comple-
tion of the Occidental Liturgy, was the author of a
signal improvement in the Ecclesiastical music. The
ancient system, adopted, though modified, from that of
Greece, was very imperfect. The Chants, and the other
music of the Church based upon them, consisted of four
TONES, as they were termed; that is, four modes, or
scales, somewhat similar to our modern keys; the scale
of the first reaching from D, of the second from E, of the
third from F, and of the fourth from G, to their respec-
1 έπειτα πάλιν επιτρεψάντες ενι κατάρχειν του μελούς, οι λοιποί υπηχούσιν.
2 Vide the curious specimens of ancient Greek music given by
Dr. Burney in the first volume of his History of Music.
OF THE CHANTS FOR THE PSALMS.
283
tive octaves above: but each of these was imperfect, as
the natural scale alone was then known. To each of
these tones a chant was appropriated, whence all the
Ecclesiastical hymns were derived. Gregory enlarged
the system by adding four other tones, each of which
bore a relation to one of those already existing, being in
the same key, or its relative. The ancient tones were
called the authentic, those added by him, the plagal; the
difference between these, according to Dr. Burney, being
chiefly this, that whereas “in the authentic modes the
melodies are generally confined within the compass of
the eight notes above the key note, in the plagal modes
they are within the eight notes below the fifth of the
key.” Hence rose the eight tones of the Western
Church, commonly called the Gregorian Chants, to which,
in later times, another was added, called the Irregular
tone, and but of rare use. The authentic tones were
the first, third, fifth, and seventh : the plagal were the
second, fourth, sixth, and eighth.
Most of these Chants, however, have modifications of
considerable antiquity, the melody being considerably
varied in the second strain : and these variations are
styled “endings.” Thus, the first tone has six endings,
the third tone four, the fourth tone four, the fifth tone
two (one of these is comparatively modern), the seventh
tone five, and the eighth tone two; the second and sixth
tones have each but one ending: so that in fact there
are twenty-six Gregorian Chants for the Psalms, including
that called irregular. The melodies of the first parts are,
in many instances, more varied in their modulation,
according to present use, than they are found in the
ancient Manuscripts and Breviaries.
These melodies resemble in their structure those
284
OF THE CHANTS FOR THE PSALMS.
Chants used in the Church of England, which are deno-
minated single; that is, they are each commensurate
with but one verse in the Psalm, not with two, like the
modern double Chants. Each Chant is divided into two
strains, by the pause which is made in the middle of
each verse, and signified in our Prayer Book by the
colon. Each of these two strains, again, consists of the
Recitation and the Melody: the recitation being one
sustained note upon which the greater part of the words
of each verse is sung: the melody consists of two or
more bars, appropriated to the concluding syllables.
The number of these bars varies considerably in the
different tones. It is difficult to ascertain, from the
ancient Breviaries, the exact time of the different Chants :
the value of the notes, notwithstanding the definitions
which have been made by musicians, not appearing to
be very accurately discriminated. Thus, in the first part
of the Chant, we sometimes find two bars of melody,
(exclusive of the reciting note,) sometimes three, some-
times but one; and in the second part, they vary from
two to four. Besides these essential parts of the Chant,
two or three notes, called the intonation, precede the
recitation of the first part. We find from ancient manu-
scripts, that to the intonation the first two or three
syllables of the Chant were always sung, at least in the
first verse, but often throughout the Psalm. The modern
use of the Church of Rome omits it, except in the first
verse.
In the ancient Breviaries and Missals no other Chants
than the Gregorian are used for the Psalms. From their
extremely ancient and continued use in the Western
Churches, many have insisted that they ought to be sung,
to the exclusion of all others, in the performance of our
OF THE CHANTS FOR THE PSALMS.
285
Liturgy. To this dogma, however, of novel assumption
in the Church of England, many objections may be made.
In the first place, the implied assumption of their
Catholicity, as the argument for their exclusive use, is
untenable. The utmost that can be affirmed of the
Gregorian Chants, as they at present exist, is, that they
have been of ancient use throughout the Western portion
of the Church. But the Church of England has never
bound herself down to the employment of Western
forms only: in her Liturgy, she has, since the Reforma-
tion, taken large advantage of the Eastern Ritual. She
is far from confounding that agreement in matters cir-
cumstantial, which she long preserved with the other
Churches of the West, and which was enforced by the
unlawful authority of the Bishop of Rome, with that
agreement in matters essential, which she continues to
maintain with all Churches throughout the world, and
this in many important particulars, wherein the other
Western branches have broken through the requirements
of primitive and Catholic consent. Now, in the details
of ecclesiastical music, we have already seen that Catholic
consent does not exist. The Greek Church, (or at least
that portion of it which adopted the system of Ignatius,)
rejects the four plagal tones of Gregory. If, then,
according to the judgment of the Church of England,
greater edification may be promoted by the superaddition
of the expressive and varied resources of a more scientific
music to the melodies of ancient times, the Ministers of
her communion have been acting in strict accordance
with their duty, in taking advantage of the providential
improvements of art, to adorn and illustrate the service
of God.
The paucity of the Ecclesiastical Tones is owing to
286
OF THE CHANTS FOR THE PSALMS.
the imperfection of musical knowledge in the age when
they were arranged. In the infancy of every art, the
efforts must of necessity be timid and of limited extent;
and the ancient musical scale was so extremely defective,
that it was impossible to take a wide range. Besides,
the laws of harmony, unknown to the Greeks', were not
discovered till ages after the time of Gregory, and were
long in advancing to perfection. The Chants were con-
sequently sung in unison. It has been sometimes urged
of late, not only that the Gregorian Chants ought to be
exclusively used, but that they ought also to be sung
in unison. Those who require this, ought also in con-
sistency to require the rigid adherence to the defects of
their melodies, and the rejection of the B flat, which
was not introduced till the middle ages, and of acci-
dental sharps, which never occur in the Breviaries. But
is this scrupulous regard, not to the excellencies, but to
the defects of antiquity, worthy of God's Service, to
which the perfection of every art, that can be legitimately
employed, ought to be dedicated? If the laws of har-
mony and modulation, which suggest, (as every musician
knows they do) a variety of melody unattainable in the
time of Ignatius, Ambrose, or Gregory, are founded in
nature, is it not most right that the sublime art, which,
since the creation, has been dedicated to the praise of
God, should receive all the aid which the obedience to
| The Greeks appear to have been but feeble musicians. They
had an exquisite ear for rhythm, and tune; but from their ignorance
of harmony, and from the limited scale of their instruments, the art
with them must have been meagre indeed. The Egyptian and Jewish
instruments appear to have been not only more numerous, but of far
greater compass.
Vide the Plates in WILKINSON'S Egypt, where we
may remark the players on the harp using both hands, and, if I
mistake not, striking thirds and fifths.
OF THE CHANTS FOR THE PSALMS.
287
those laws produces? What would be said, if our Churches
were restricted, in their architecture, to the debasements
of the age of Constantine, and the sublime inventions of
later times were forbidden, because unknown to the
ancient architects of Antioch, Milan, or Rome, or if the
decorations of painting and sculpture were to be deprived
of the graces arising from the observance of the laws of
proportion and perspective? We point to our mediaeval
Minsters as models of a religious architecture, and
actually censure the adoption of the Romanesque style
(which is that of Christian antiquity,) although their
details and even characteristics are comparatively modern;
yet at the same time are called upon to discourage
the analogous improvements in a sister art, (equally
ancient indeed in its origin, but much slower in advancing
to perfection,) only because these improvements were
unknown to ancient times. I confess I am ashamed to
use so many words upon such an obvious argument, in
which I dare say my reader has long anticipated me:
but unfortunately it has become necessary, from what
I must call the narrow and partial reasonings of many in
the present day, which in fact involve principles fraught
with danger, when applied to matters of higher moment.
Why should so much be said of the example of Rome?
That Church has heinously transgressed ancient practice
in grave matters: whilst in this particular of sacred
music, she has sinned against the decorum of public
worship more grievously than any Church upon earth.
And if she has held to ancient custom with respect to
Psalmody, this may perhaps be one among the many
usages which she has kept up in a pertinacious scrupu-
losity for the defects of antiquity; while in other respects
she has disregarded its real virtues.
288
OF THE CHANTS FOR THE PSALMS.
It was not the office of the ancient Church to carry
any human art to perfection. Her function was, to bear
witness to the truths of the Gospel, to preserve them
inviolate, and to be the Minister of Divine Grace. It
was the will of Divine Providence, that she should take
as she found them those arts, which, from being the
ministers of secular life, were advanced to the dignity of
being the heralds of the life to come.
Thus architecture
and music, much debased from what they had been in
former times', were borrowed from Greece and Rome,
unimproved by those who adopted them; for the age
for their advancement was not yet arrived. An edifica-
tion of a more essential kind was to engage all the
energies of the newly founded Church: a voice of more
eternal efficacy was to go out into all lands, and the
words that proceeded from the mouth of God, unto the
end of the world. And as in architecture, the various
species which have in different countries acquired a local
character of peculiar sanctity, the Gothic in the west of
Europe, the Palladian in Italy, the Romanesque in the
Oriental portion of the Church, all derive their source
from Grecian and Roman originals, so it is not to be
doubted that our music was immediately derived from the
Dorian®, and Phrygian, and Lydian melodies of Greece:
· The perfection of the Jewish music was altogether lost. Lest
this statement of obligation to Greece and Rome should seem incon-
sistent with what has been said in a former section (on the Chant), I
must observe, that all I argued for there was the principle of the
Chant being patriarchal or Jewish in its origin. This was still kept
up by them; while the details of musical science were borrowed by
the early Christians from the Greeks and Romans.
2 Indeed they were given the names of these melodies by the
ancient Church musicians.
OF THE CHANTS FOR THE PSALMS.
289
though these owed their origin, as before observed, to
Palestine.
But in later times, when the Faith had been long
firmly planted, it was permitted to the Church herself to
improve the music and the architecture thus derived.
Now, for the sake of vindicating our Church system, let
us run the parallel between the two arts a little further.
Why, then, do we without hesitation admire and applaud
that glorious innovation in Church architecture, which,
three hundred years before the Reformation, superseded
the style that had essentially existed for eight hundred
years, and which, during those three hundred years, went
on with new inventions to the last, and yet at the same
time condemn the innovations in the Choral Chant,
which, three hundred years ago, the Church of England
superinduced upon a musical system of not much longer
duration ? Had England less moral right or liberty. to
use her expansive invention, now freed from Popish
thraldom, than she, or France, or Germany had in the
middle ages, when, it might be urged, they went against
a system that was Catholic? We must remember, as
before remarked, that music has ever been more slow of
coming to perfection than her sister art, and that in
places where the one is in a state of maturity, or even
decay, the other is frequently but in her infancy.
But here again, the system of England has been
improvement, not organic change. As the religious
architecture of Northern Europe taught indeed new
principles of construction, but carefully regarded all the
ancient features of ecclesiastical arrangement, the chancel,
| That is, the Romanesque, Norman and Saxon, which were mere
corruptions or modifications of the later Roman style. Vide Mr.
Whewell's work on German Churches.
U
290
OF THE CHANTS FOR THE PSALMS.
the nave, the aisles, and the clerestory; so the religious
voice of England (in which Europe would have joined,
had it consented to a Catholic system of reformation)
retained the ancient features of the Choral song: the
recitation, the pause, the alternation. Unlike Geneva,
she invented no new method, but confined the newly
invented resources of harmony and melody within the
ancient channels. But further : she not only added to
the ancient music of the Church, but carefully retained
it, as will be presently shown: herein dealing more
reverently with antiquity than did the Wykehams of the
middle ages, who, in the exercise of the sister art, not
only invented, but destroyed. The more simple notes of
the ancient Church were still heard, while their number
was swelled by such melodies of Farrant, Bird, and Mor-
ley, as would assuredly have brought tears to the eyes
of St. Augustin, and would have been bequeathed by
St. Ambrose to all the Churches of the West.
It is time, however, to end these remarks, protracted,
it is to be feared, to a tedious length, and to proceed to
the actual system of the English Choral Chants.
The Chants for the Psalms consist of two kinds,
single and double. The first are the most ancient; and
of these we will speak in the first place. They are
essentially the same in their construction with those of
the Gregoriantnote, already mentioned: but the intona-
tion is not used, and they consist of a regular number of
bars; in the first part of two, in the second part of three,
besides the reciting notes, of indeterminate length in
each. I am now speaking merely of the Chants for the
Psalms; those for the Canticles have peculiar features,
which will be considered in their proper place.
It is not commonly known, that several of our oldest
Chants are identical, or nearly so, in their melody, with
OF THE CHANTS FOR THE PSALMS.
291
the Gregorian. Thus, Marbeck's Chant for the Psalms,
and Introit, is that of the eighth tone. Tallis's famous
Chant, published by Boyce in the course of his celebrated
service', is the first tone, sixth ending. Playford's Chants,
one for each day of the week, very nearly correspond
with the first tone, sixth ending; the fourth tone, second
ending; the fifth tone, second ending; the sixth, and
the seventh tone: neither the second nor eighth tones
being adopted by him: and the same Chant being
repeated for Monday and Wednesday. As this work of
Playford's, first published in the year 1655, went through
several editions>, and was in use long after the Restora-
tion, we have here a distinct proof of the long continuous
use of the Gregorian Chants in our Church. Besides
these works, Low's Directions, published immediately
after the Restoration, contains three Chants, two of them
harmonized, corresponding to the first tone, sixth ending;
the fourth tone, fourth ending; and the eighth tone.
Clifford's Introduction, published in 1664, has thirteen
Chants, from the Gregorian, but varying from them more
than those of Playford. Those of Tallis are harmonized ;
but of all the others, with the exception of the two just
mentioned, the melody only is given, as in the Breviaries.
In Barnard's book of Selected Church Music, published
in 1641, there are singular arrangements of some of the
Psalms, or parts of Psalms, not to Chants, but to varied
melodies resembling our Services. Thus after Tallis's
| In the Author's Lectures on the Cathedral Service, (Leeds, 1841,)
it was remarked that this Chant resembles the Sixth Gregorian Tone,
which it does; but its exact coincidence with the Tone here mentioned,
had not then been observed by him.
* The copy which I have consulted is dated 1700, and is the four-
teenth edition.
U 2
292
OF THE CHANTS FOR THE PSALMS.
Preces (the same as those given by Dr. Boyce) follow the
second, third, and fourth parts of the 119th Psalm, set
in this manner, with the notice, “ These Psalms follow-
ing are to be sung on the twenty-fourth day of the month
at evening prayer.” After Bird's Preces, in like manner
the 47th and 54th Psalm. But after a second set of his
Preces, and after one by Gibbons, follow certain selected
verses from Psalms. What was the intention or use of
these anomalous compositions, I am unable to determine.
Almost coeval with our Reformation, however, we have
other single Chants by the most eminent English musi-
cians. Of these there is one especially by Farrant, which
for gravity and solemnity both of melody and harmony,
is at least equal in religious effect, I do not hesitate to say,
to any of the Gregorian. The compositions in this kind
have been numerous: almost every eminent Church musi-
cian having contributed. To specify them would involve
a minuteness of musical criticism for which this work
was not designed. It will be sufficient to remark that
while in general they sustain the gravity of the ancient
style, they are better adapted than the Gregorian for the
varying expression of the Psalms, frequently admitting of
a graceful change from major to minor, and the expression
of joy as well as of penitence. Even in later times, some
of the single Chants of Aldrich and of Purcell', (the latter
in his other compositions is less chaste and religious,)
yield to none in the true ecclesiastical character. They
have a strength and decision, chastened by a sentiment of
religious awe, which seem to be the characteristics of
true Church of England devotion?
Some Chants, however, attributed to Purcell, (especially the
famous Dead Chant,) are probably much older than his time, and were
perhaps by his uncle, Thomas Purcell.
% In Marshall's Collection, (the most complete that has been pub-
OF THE CHANTS FOR THE PSALMS.
293
The Gregorian Chants seldom end upon the same note
with which the recitation begins: those of the Church of
England generally do.
The double Chants are peculiar to the Church of
England, and date no higher than the end of the seven-
teenth or beginning of the eighteenth century. There
is one attributed to Morley; but this was not Thomas
Morley of Queen Elizabeth's Chapel, a profound musi-
cian both practically and theoretically, but a composer
subsequent to the Restoration. This species has come
to be most commonly adopted in the Church, to the
almost total exclusion in many Choirs, of the ancient
and regular style. This may have arisen from the
extreme difficulty of composing within such a limited
compass, a melody free at once from monotony, like
those of Blow, or from levity, like those of Battishill, a
composer who in his admirable Anthems is certainly free
from this fault. The double Chant extends to two
verses; each part of the chant is divided into the same
number of bars as the single.
The best kind of double Chant is that, in which the
first division of each part is the same, so as in fact to
resemble two Chants of the same Gregorian tone, with
different endings. Thus a sufficient variety (the object
of their adoption) is secured, while at the same time the
lished,) most of the single Chants of our Church now extant are given.
It also contains a copious collection of double Chants, ancient and
modern. In BOYCE's Cathedral Music, there are a few of the best, at
the end of the volumes, and also in Arnold's work : but in the latter
they are scattered through the volumes without any method. The
first regular collection was, I believe, by Beckwith, in the last century,
who gives one for every Psalm. A very good selection was published
some years since (in two small volumes) by Dr. John Clarke of Cam-
bridge.
294
OF THE CHANTS FOR THE PSALMS.
antiphonal correspondence of the two parts is preserved:
whereas the usual method of making the two parts
different, gives them too much the character of a
common air.
There can be no question but that the single Chants
are both more grave and ecclesiastical in themselves, and
best fitted to the antiphonal character of the Psalms,
in which verse generally answers to verse.
In some
instances, indeed, where the two verses are parallel to the
two which follow, the double Chant may be most appro-
priately used. Thus, in the 114th Psalm, " When Israel
came out of Egypt,” this mode of alternation is distinctly
and beautifully exhibited throughout. But the single
Chants ought to form the rule and not the exception, as
they do at present, in the Choral performance of the
Psalter.
One species ought to be specially avoided, in which
the first part is generally in unison, the second in har-
mony. There is too much appearance of contrivance,
and aim at effect, in a composition of this kind: and its
frequent recurrence is wearying to the ear, and destroys
the effect it is intended to produce. If employed at
all, it should be only in short jubilant Psalms, as the
100th.
As a general rule, in the composition of Chants, no
bar ought to consist of more than two notes.
of crotchets and dotted minims reduces the character of
a Chant, which, to be tolerable ought to be slow and
dignified, to that of a sing-song ditty. The divisions
upon syllables which it necessarily requires, destroy the
effect of solemn enunciation.
The use
295
SECTION XLI.
OF THE PERFORMANCE OF THE CHANT IN THE
PSALMS.
It is the universal custom in Parish Churches for the
Minister to give out the day of the month, and the
number of the Psalm, before he proceeds to reading
those appointed for the day. This is not the regular
system of Choirs; in those places where it is now
adopted, it is comparatively modern. There is not the
slightest ground for it in the Rubric. How far it may
have been suggested by the intonation, or the antiphon
which anciently preceded the Psalm, I cannot determine.
No very good reason can be given for its adoption. The
congregation ought to be aware of the day of the month,
just as much as of the weekly collect; and if their daily
devotions do not serve to make them familiar with the
course of the month, at least their daily business ought.
This notice is no help to those who cannot read: it is
unnecessary to those who can. But in the Choral
performance, it mars the order of the service. In the
morning service it interrupts the connection of this part
of the service, being interposed between the Venite and
the Psalms for the day: and in the evening service, it
makes a break between them and the introductory
1
Upon this point the Author has modified an opinion, or rather
resolved a doubt, expressed in his Cathedral Lectures. His attention
was called to its consideration by the present respected Precentor of
Canterbury, to whom he owes many obligations.
296
OF THE PERFORMANCE OF
versicles, which, as shewn before, are properly to be
considered as psalmody. It would be just as reasonable
to interpose the words, “Here endeth such or such a
Psalm,” before the Gloria Patri.
The Psalms can never be properly chanted, except
by alternate Choirs. If otherwise, the effect must either
be heavy, when sung in Chorus, or meagre when chanted
by a Choir too thin to admit of division. The essential
character of Choral Psalmody is alternation, and where
this cannot be commanded, it is much better to read
them parochially. Not only is the effect of the simul-
taneous chorus monotonous and wearying, but despite is
done to the character of the divine poems themselves
which the Chant accompanies.
'The two divisions of the Choir are technically called
DECANI and CANTORIS, from the two Dignitaries, the
Dean and Precentor, whose stalls are placed at the
two opposite sides. This ancient designation sufficiently
shows the origin of our Choirs not to be monastic: since
the title of Dean belonged to secular Colleges: and the
Precentor was not the second in rank in Monasteries.
Every regular Choir ought to consist of at least three
adult voices, a bass, tenor, and counter-tenor, on each
side, with a proportionate number of Choir boys. But
this is the very lowest number, and such as ought to be
tolerated in the smaller Colleges only. If all the Clerical
members were made to reside constantly, no Cathedral
would be without a much larger force; which would
generally consist of a double Choir, and sometimes of
eighteen or twenty men.
The gallery system, like that adopted in Trinity Col-
lege, Dublin, and Manchester, is one destructive of all
Choral propriety. It is true an alternation may here be
THE CHANT IN THE PSALMS.
297
made; but then the voices ought to be oppositę, at some
distance from one another, to give the proper effect,
which, since the visible worship of God is concerned,
ought to be evident to the eye as well as to the ear.
Besides the sacred office of the Choir is injured by their
removal from the Chancel, the proper place of the
ministers of divine worship, and they are dissociated from
the Clergy, of whom they ought ever to be considered as
the assistants. Indeed, as before stated, all properly
organized Choirs consist partly of Clergymen.
There is a custom of partial adoption in Romish
Churches, of giving the chanting of the alternate verses
to the Choir and the Congregation. This has never been
the custom of the Church of England. It is opposed to
the nature of the Chant itself. The parallelism of the
poetry and of the music requires a strictly antiphonal
mode of performance, a correspondence, not a contrast.
The alternation of Chorus and Verse is totally destructive
not only of the poetical, but of the moral effect of the
Psalms: a consideration too often overlooked altogether,
in the prevalent love of abstract theories, and the dis-
regard so generally paid at the present day to sound
scriptural criticism. If edification be the object of divine
worship, and if Choral Music assists this object, then let
it be perfect and cousistent, which it cannot be, if this
foreign innovation be adopted. It may be objected, that
Hebrew parallelism is gradational, and therefore that each
alternate verse should be performed in a manner more
full than the preceding. But this gradation is very
refined and minute, such as, if represented by music,
would at the utmost require a gentle swell of the voice
or instrument, in the responsive verse, not an alternate
whisper and crash. Besides, it may happen that the
298
OF THE PERFORMANCE OF
verse which falls to the congregation is the very one
which requires to be most subdued. Let any one apply
these observations to the reading of Psalms in our parish
Churches; where such incongruities must continually
strike any one, who regards the Psalms not as a mere
mechanical duty, but as a reasonable service.
Much has been said of Congregational Chanting.
If by this be intended, the undersong of such of the
congregation as really understand how to chant, the
regular Choir forming the nucleus, and the choral har-
mony being audibly predominant, there can be no
objection to the practice. But if it be meant, that the
congregation is to form the Choir; that every one, how
unskilled or ill endowed by nature soever, ought, as a
matter of duty, audibly to join, and that the Choral
Chant is to be a confused buz, or crash, and all expres-
sion, discrimination, and proportion of harmony (the pro-
per attribute of Choral Chanting) are to be sacrificed, in
order to support a supposed Christian principle, or privi-
lege, in order to give an audible testimony to their faith,
then I can only say, that our musicians ought to give
themselves no further trouble about harmony; that it
ought to be suppressed altogether: that the melody may
as well be abandoned too; in short, that it would be
better to drop all pretence to Choral music. Indeed,
the Congregational Chant can be but a pretence. Every
musician knows that in order to give the proper effect
to harmony, the parts must be nicely balanced, that the
due proportion of voices must be scientifically mixed.
And if this is necessary in all music, it is specially so in
the Chant. Besides, to those who have had any expe-
rience in the matter, it is notorious (and the conviction
increases with more intimate knowledge) that while
THE CHANT IN THE PSALMS.
299
nothing is so easy as to chant badly, no part of Choral
music is so difficult to do, I will not say well, but even
tolerably. It is unlike the Parochial metrical Psalm tune,
where every syllable is determinately fixed, and where
ordinarily no more expression or variation of tone is
required from the congregation than from a barrel organ.
But in the Choral Chant, the nicest discrimination, to
be attained only by constant daily practice, is necessary,
not only to fix the words to the melody, or tune of the
Chant, but to give the recitation properly. And when
it is considered that not the words of Sternhold and
Hopkins, or of Tate and Brady, but of the inspired Pro-
phets themselves form the subject matter of the song,
full of variations of sentiment of the most delicate and
subtle kind, requiring in general the softest flow of most
distinct but at the same time free recitation, and a
certain subdued and tranquil tone befitting the medita-
tive nature of devotion, not only must the roar of the
congregation be felt to be most opposed to all propriety,
but the wisdom of the Church must be acknowledged,
in having during the early, but not most primitive ages,
recurred to the elder pattern of the Jews, in establishing
a Choir, regularly trained and disciplined for this holy
duty: a duty which does not supersede the intelligent
and mental consent of the congregation, and even their
actual assent with their lips. There are many to whom
the Choral Service has been a matter not of excite-
ment, but the best auxiliary of a tranquil devotion, who
feel and fully believe that they are really joining in
the service of the Church, when contributing only in a
whisper to the voices of the Choir. They believe that
the best of every thing ought to be given to God. They
give the best they can: the internal worship of their
300
OF THE PERFORMANCE OF
hearts, the outward homage of their bodies: but believ-
ing their audible voices would but mar that harmony,
which has its place in his Service, as being a system of
his own ordaining, they are content not indeed to be
silent, (to Him they are not silent,) but to be still’.
I know it may be said, that in the early Fathers the
recognition of the congregational voice and the exhorta-
tion to congregational singing is frequent. But it must
be considered, first, that the Choral system was not then
brought into method; to perfection it could not be
brought, till the invention of harmony. Their observa-
tions bad reference to a different system.
Let one
system or another, then, be chosen, but if the Choral
Service is adopted, let it be really such. If the congre-
gational, then let metrical Psalms and Hymns alone be
sung, (which admit more properly of the sustained and
indiscriminate Chorus, though even this is a question)
but let Chants be laid aside, and the Psalms be simply
recited.
But besides, the exhortations of the Fathers do not
of necessity mean an audible and loud voice of song
from each individual. St. Chrysostom, in a homily
where he is most urgent upon the people to sing, admits
that it is not necessary to do so audibly: EcoTi kal
χωρίς φωνής ψάλλειν, της διανοίας ένδον ηχούσης 2. He
| How applicable are the words of one who has done more,
perhaps, than any of his generation towards fostering a love for our
Liturgy;
We the while, of meaner birth,
Who in that divinest spell,
Dare not hope to join on earth,
Give us grace to listen well.- The Christian Ycar.
(11RYSOSTOM in Psalm 41.
THE CHANT IN THE PSALMS.
301
insists more upon the earnestness of the spirit of prayer,
than upon its palpable and mechanical exhibition.
The Council of Laodicea, which though an early one',
I do not of course cite as binding upon us, saw the
fitness of restricting the Choral performance to the Choir.
If the system of antiphonal and melodious chanting
(not mere reciting) of the Psalter was to be adopted,
that method surely ought to be followed, which was
instituted by the composer of the principal part of the
Psalms themselves. The early Church, as before ob-
served, did not pretend to perfection in this part of her
ritual. She was engaged with essentials, not with cir-
cumstantials. But when Ambrose and Gregory, and of
later times the Church of England, were permitted to
seek for a more perfect illustration of these holy songs,
they recurred, each more or less accurately, to the
system laid down in the time of David. He instituted
Choirs, which we find served by courses of twelve; how
far this number was multiplied in each course it may be
difficult to determine; but a hint is here given us of the
proper proportions of a double Choir. And there is
nothing against the supposition, but much to support it,
that harmony, lost to the early Church, was known to
David. Besides the internal presumptive evidence in
favour of this supposition, it is reasonable to believe that
this as well as the inflatus of the Poetry which it
accompanied, as the architecture of the Temple in which
it was celebrated, was of Divine inspiration; and that it
perished subsequently from the Jewish nation, as did
this peculiar character of their poetry and of their archi-
tecture. The Choirs of Israel were not congregational,
? A.D. 319 or 365.-BINGHAM.
302
OF THE PERFORMANCE OF
we know: they were selected bands, set apart for the
purpose: nor were they, as has been hastily imagined,
immense choruses, overpowering, or overpowered by harsh
orchestras of noisy instruments. The immense area of
the Temple, in the open air, required a large Choir of
voices and instruments to fill it. Yet when the details
are carefully considered, it will be found that the
numbers of neither were immoderate, and that there
are strong marks of a careful balancing and distribution
of the various parts, such as we now see observed in all
well constituted Choirs, whether vocal or instrumental.
But objectionable as is the full Congregational Chant,
it is perfectly absurd to suppose that either God can be
honoured, or man edified, by the compulsory scream of a
whole school of children, bad enough in parochial music,
but perfectly intolerable in the Chant. In their proper
place, nothing can be more affecting than the voices of
children, either as a selected and well proportioned band
of trained choristers, or as joining in a voluntary song,
by the side of their parents. But our parish system has
been to compel all our school children to sing, and that at
the very top of their voices, without the slightest regard
to the antiphonal system, in such numbers as effectually
to drown such of the congregation as attempt to throw
in a harmony. The same remark may be made as to
the reading of the Responses and Psalms, which they are
taught to do at full pitch. The manner in which the
children of our parish schools are treated really acts as
a hinderance to devotion.
They are compelled to
represent the Congregation in their most important
duties, and while the adults are either excused or un-
warmed, they are overtasked on the Sunday by real hard
work, the protracted confinement to a school, though
:
THE CHANT IN THE PSALMS.
303
they may have been in attendance there all the week;
they are marched to both the long Sunday services in
addition, and to all the weekly services which may
occur; during the whole Sunday they are on drill; and
they are considered not as the children of Christian
parents, and as members of families, but as No. 1, 2,
or 3, in such a Class in the School. No attempt has
been made to encourage a recurrence to the natural and
social, and real Christian system. When do we see the
child of a poor person kneeling by her mother's side at
Church, and enjoying the religious rest and recreation
of the Sunday at home? I am not opposing Sunday
Schools, far from it, or denying the necessity for school
discipline, a matter of urgent moment among our manu-
facturing population especially: but I do object to
regarding this undomesticating system, which an un-
happy state of society has rendered expedient for some,
as a method intrinsically excellent, and suited to all the
children of the poor. I do object to forcing upon them
indiscriminately a method of treatment the very reverse
of that allowed to the children of the rich. I heartily
wish we heard less of classes, and more of families.
The real study of human nature has been compara-
tively overlooked, in the indiscriminate zeal for school
mechanism. But this is an age of mills: and education
mills, on enormous scales, are now the fashion.
To proceed now to the genuine antiphonal method.
Each verse ought properly to be alternated: but some-
times, as at St. Patrick's, in Dublin, (the Christ Church
usage is different,) when a double Chant is used, two
verses are sung at a time by each side; that is, the
whole of the Chant is gone through. This method is
301
OF THE PERFORMANCE OF
ņ
certainly more favourable to the double Chant, but it
cannot be considered as regular.
In Psalms like the 107th, the regularly recurring
burthen such as, “O that men would therefore praise
the Lord for his goodness," &c., might perhaps be most
appropriately sung in chorus by both sides.
The same
may be said of the Gloria Patri.
The correct recitation of the Chant, that is, the
singing of the words upon the holding note, is a matter
of considerable difficulty. It is essential that a good
chanter should be a good reader also.
No mechanical
rule can be given for its performance. But decorum,
gravity, and due expression will be best secured, by
attending strictly to the punctuation of the Psalter, not
merely to the colon which marks the pause, but to
all the other stops, and to the emphatic words of the
sentence.- But the accentuation ought to be very slight,
just sufficient to mark the sense. Anything like decla-
mation in the recitation not only sins against good
taste, but causes indistinctness; since it cannot be ex-
pected that any two men can exactly agree in their
emphasis: and bad taste defies all rules, and varies in
each individual.
A great anxiety is often shown, so to regulate the
recitation, as that each word and syllable may be pro-
nounced at the same time by the whole Choir. It would
be impossible, or at least a work of extreme difficulty, to
make or enforce any such rule. But it is not, in fact,
desirable. A certain degree of license ought to be
permitted, in this part of the Chant, to each singer, so
as to allow of that devotional freedom and elasticity,
which gives such life to the Chant, and which distin-
Page Missing
in Original
Volume
Page Missing
in Original
Volume
THE CHANT IN THE PSALMS.
307
1
2
3
3
4
5
Now by this system the rhythm of the words, and
what is far worse, the parallelism is altogether lost.
By the other method, which may be called the
accented, the division is altogether regulated by accent:
that is, the last notes are assigned to the last three or
five accented syllables. For example:-
1 2
O come let us sing un to the Lord || let us heartily re joice in the |
| strength of our salvation.
By this method attention is doubtless paid to the
sense, and the Chant is made intelligible. But it may
be carried too far; and by crowding in so many words
into each note, the solemnity of the Chant is impaired,
and the harshness of a language, already abounding in so
many consonants and close vowels, is exaggerated.
The proper method lies between these extremes.
Due attention being paid to the sense and rhythm, regard
at the same time should be had to the more delibe-
rate and solemn enunciation of certain syllables, which
from the proneness to abbreviate incident to all languages
we have been taught to slur over, to the great detriment
of melody. For example, while it is quite right to give
but one long note to the last two syllables of such a
word as salvation, or indignation, it may be questioned
whether our Choirs do well in making a harsh tribrach,
assigned to be one note, of such a word as righteousness,
or Israel.
In ancient poetry, these would have each
claimed a long syllable: nor would such an occasional
archaism be ungraceful in modern poetical composition.
The same may be said of such a word as enemies.
Nor should the lesser words be always slurred over :
for example:
Such as be foolish shall not stand in thy | sight: ||
X 2
308
OF THE PERFORMANCE OF
Here each word, if properly considered, has a sub-
stantive gravity of its own.
In this matter, however, common sense, united to a
devotional estimate of the Psalms themselves, is the best
guide. It is one altogether deserving the minute atten-
tion of a religious and learned Precentor; whose main
business upon this point should be to enforce frequent
practisings, to superintend them himself, and to suggest,
pro re natâ, the proper method of so enunciating parti-
cular passages, that the poetry of the Psalms may be
correctly exhibited.
In the ancient Breviaries the Psalms and Church
Hymns are occasionally noted, syllable by syllable. The
rule appears to have been rigidly syllabic; nor can much
be said for the judgment or discrimination of the system.
However, it must be remembered, that the Latin is a
much more sonorous language than the English, and that
there are few syllables in it which will not bear a prolon-
gation, which in English would be intolerable.
In the moderu performance of the Gregorian Chants,
the notes of the melody are not prolonged, as with us,
so that with them the syllabic method admits of more
easy accomplishment. But it is much to be doubted
whether this is the ancient method. It is certainly not
that of the English Church, to which it is far inferior in
solemnity.
In Marbeck’s noted Prayer Book, some of the Psalms
and Canticles have each syllable thus noted. In general
a breve, or square note is assigned to each: but to some
a semibreve: for example; (the semibreves being marked
by the short prosodial mark) lịftěd: ... sālvātion':
· This is the Shakespearian prosody of similar words.
THE CHANT IN THE PSALMS.
309
promísēd: bēžng: ... dělivěrěd: rīghtěoŭsnēss, rēmission,
&c. The word Highest is a monosyllable. Cõvenānt a
dissyllable. Each syllable in the words Israel and people,
and such like, is long. In general each monosyllable,
however unimportant, is given its long note: though
sometimes it is absorbed in the following long syllable:
for example:
And to guide our feet in to the way of peace.
Words which are now almost universally regarded as
trochées, are noted as spondees: e. g. the word people:
For he hath visited and redeem / ed his peo i ple.
The same with the word scornful, and the last two syl-
lables of ungodly.
In Marbeck the penultimate bar is often assigned
to one syllable, a long, or double breve, in length, e. g.
And from the hand of all that hate us.ll
The Psalms, it must be observed, are “pointed,” that
is, marked with the colon in the middle of each verse,
not only as they are to be sung, but as they are to be
said in Churches. It is therefore imperative on the
Clergy and the Congregation to make the pause, prac-
tised in all Choirs, even in the parochial recitation. If
this were done, much of that indistinctness now so
observable in parish Churches, would be avoided. At
all events, the regulation is imperative.
The Organ is of daily use in all regular English
Choirs. Abroad, it is not in general used except on
Festivals and their eves: the plain chant being kept up
without the Organ. It is unknown to the Greek Church:
in the Western it was employed first about the ninth
century, earlier than some historians have supposed.
It ought to be remembered, that one of the greatest
improvements in the Organ, that of the swell, was made
310
OF THE PERFORMANCE OF
by an English artist: and there is nothing which more
contributes to the life and expression of the Chant, than
its moderate use. The instrument, however, is now
mentioned with especial reference to this part of the
service. It should be played in a slow, flowing, and
even manner, the melody as well as the recitation being
given deliberately, and all jerking avoided. The prin-
cipal and stopped diapason ought to be chiefly used: the
noisy stops, such as the trumpet, cornet, and sesquialtera
very rarely: the Choir Organ being chiefly used in the
verses, the Great Organ in the Gloria Patri and such
parts as ought to be sung in Chorus, but never so as
to overpower the voices.
When the swell is employed,
the verse in which it occurs ought to be preconcerted
with the Choir, that their voices may swell with it: a
precaution too much neglected in our Choirs. The first
verse of the Psalm, is sometimes performed with a crash
upon the full organ: even though it may be deeply peni-
tential. This ought to be carefully avoided, and the
character of the Psalm be diligently consulted.
If the judicious but not too frequent changes of stops
were attended to, and made a matter of study bị the
organist, the alleged monotony of the single Chants
would be obviated. For instance, if similar combinations
were given to verses strictly parallel: to the recurring
burthens, and to such passages as that in the 24th Psalm:
“ Lift up your heads, 0 ye gates, &c.," where the seventh
and ninth verses require a similar mode of performance,
as do the eighth and tenth. Of this method Handel
has afforded a noble instance in the famous passage in
his Messiah; “Since by man came death,” &c.
The Chant is sometimes slowly played over, unac-
companied by the voices, at the beginning of the Psalm.
THE CHANT IN THE PSALMS.
311
This is a remnant of the ancient intonation, which it has
superseded in many Roman Catholic Choirs. Its advan-
tage is not very apparent: and it is most desirable that
the real intonation by the Precentor, at the beginning of
the Venite, and of the Evening Psalms, should be
revived.
The Chant ought not often to be changed in the
course of the Psalms for the day. The ancient and the
best practice is to have the same throughout. But when
the nature of the Psalms requires it, a change from
Major to Minor, (of the same chant, however, if possible)
is most appropriate, and heightens inexpressibly the moral
effect of the Psalm. This ought to take place, not only
at the beginning of any particular Psalm, but at any
verse, where the nature of the sentiment requires it.
For example at the 35th verse of the 89th Psalm, “But
thou hast abhorred and forsaken thine Anointed,” where
the flow of prophetical benediction is suddenly stopped,
and the complaint of the afflicted Israelites begins, this
penitential strain is demanded by the very nature of the
subject. The Choir of Canterbury exhibits this contrast
in perfection: and it was at that Cathedral that the
author had first the advantage of hearing this beautiful
change in the course of the same Psalm, adopted. In
the chanting of the Psalms there both the Choir and
organist shew a most religious discretion.
It is obvious that the double Chant, among its other
disadvantages, is often unfit for exhibiting this change;
as the penitential or triumphant strain frequently begins
upon a verse which must be sung to the second part of
the Chant, which of course cannot then admit of change.
The single Chants of Purcell, Croft, Turner, and Hum-
312
OF THE PERFORMANCE OF
phreys, and some of the Gregorian, are admirably sus-
ceptible of this effect.
There is something in the human touch, which upon
a musical instrument becomes an undefinable index to
the mind and feelings of the performer. It is surprising
how great a difference is perceptible in the performance
of the Chant between organists of equal skill and genius,
but of greater or less devotional feeling. It has been
well observed, that the organist who really reads the
Psalms, and enters into them, as he accompanies them,
will produce, unconsciously to himself, an effect which
not the most studied performance of the mere musician
can command. Would that this was generally considered
a religious office, and one requiring a devoted mind!
But to those organists who have really felt the responsi-
bilities of their situation, and have studied for it as
Christian men, as the Ministers of the Church (and such
men, God be praised, are on the increase), deep gratitude
is due, as to those who have contributed towards illus-
trating the word of God, and bringing home its deep
meaning to the hearts and understandings of the wor-
shippers in his most solemn temples.
In several foreign Churches, in Italy especially, as at
the Duomo of Milan, the idea of the antiphonal service
is further carried out, by the use of an organ on each side
of the Choir. This has never been adopted in England.
It is obvious, that many circumstances must concur to
favour such an arrangement. The Choir must be of
sufficient breadth; the echo must not be great; the
organs must be of perfectly equal tone, and kept in
constant and exact tune. How far the antiphonal effect
would be perceptible, I have no means of knowing or
THE CHANT IN THE PSALMS.
313
judging; but there seems something attractive in the
idea. In this case they ought not to play together, but
alternately; and while one organ contained the greater
stops for choruses, &c., the other might be merely a
Choir organ with a swell (with perhaps a few of the
greater stops for occasional use), to play the cantoris
verses in the Psalms and Services.
Before concluding this Section it remains to observe,
that according to the universal, at least very general
custom of Europe, the organ is silent during the whole
of Passion Week, and in some Cathedrals, during Wed-
nesdays and Fridays in Lent. It were to be wished
that this most expressive usage were general in parish
Churches. But it is too much the habit to neglect all
decent usages which may make a distinction between one
season and another, or between common days and festi-
vals. The custom of covering the altar, &c., with black
during Lent, and of wearing mourning during that season,
common during the latter part of the last century, is
now very much disregarded, and in some places forgotten.
But at the same time in Choirs, while the organ is rightly
silenced during these periods, the Choral Service is most
inconsistently suspended. The Chant will better speak
the language of penitence, and more strikingly exhibit
it, than simple parochial reading. The unaccompanied
Chant has been often successfully practised, with excel-
lent effect, as at Canterbury and Winchester, when the
Choirs at these places were undergoing repairs; and all
the usual parts, including the Services and Nicene Creed,
have been correctly sung. There is therefore no prac-
tical difficulty in adopting the course recommended.
The Responses and Litanies might be sung in a minor
314
OF THE PERFORMANCE OF THE CHANT.
key, and the Psalms to one of our noble single Chants,
and the Venite and Canticles to a slightly inflected reci-
tation, like Tallis's Chant for the Athanasian Creed; for
a penitential Chant in the Te Deum or Venite would be
obviously absurd. And perhaps on these occasions the
simple notation of Marbeck for the Hymns might be
appropriately used.
315
SECTION XLII.
OF THE GLORIA PATRI.
1 And at the end of every Psalm throughout the year, and likewise at
the end of Benedicite, Benedictus, Magnificat, and Nunc Dimittis,
shall be repeated, Glory be to the Father, &c.
The doxology, as Dr. Bisse remarks, is a Creed contained
in a hymn. And it owes its enlargement to the same
causes which dictated our larger creeds. The Arian
perversion of “by the Son,” and “ in the Holy Ghost"
was restored to that uniform ascription of praise which
now stands. The original conclusion, still used in the
East, ran thus: “Now and ever world without end;"
which the Western Church, in the fifth century amplified
by the words “as it was in the beginning.” The Greek
Church does not use it with the Psalms, as the Western
do: but only an Antiphona, as they call it, which is one
of the Psalms that has Alleluia prefixed.
The unreformed Western Church omits the Gloria
Patri after certain Psalms, and during certain penitential
services. Our Church uniformly retains it: and with
good reason. God is to be glorified under every dispen-
sation of his, and whether he makes glad or sorrowful,
whether he gives or takes away, the name of the Lord is
to be blessed. It may, therefore, be a matter of doubt,
whether, in giving vocal expression to this Hymn, there
is an uniform propriety in performing it in a major key,
when the Psalm which precedes it is in the minor. The
moral lesson is less obviously exhibited, if the voice of
316
OF THE GLORIA PATRI.
sorrow and the sentiment of praise are thus dissociated:
whereas they ought to be inseparable, if our sorrow be
really that which He who sends or permits it has pro-
mised to turn into joy.
In some parish Churches the Gloria Patri is chanted,
while the Psalms are read. In this there is nothing
abstractedly wrong; since the Gloria Patri is a separate
hymn. Still, for a reason analogous to that just now
stated, it seems improper to dissociate the Psalms by so
different a manner of performance, from that hymn,
which so markedly stamps them with the character of
Christian songs.
The prophecies of David being now
converted into the praises of the Church, we ought to aid
the Church, not hinder her, in the assimilation which she
designed.
When the Psalms are read, if the last verse of the
Gloria Patri falls to the Clergyman, the Congregation
often say the final Amen as a response. This is quite
wrong. The Amen is an integral part of the verse, and
is so printed in our Prayer Books. A like vicious method
obtains in some places where the Psalm or Gloria
Patri is chanted, Amen being sung to a long protracted
cadence; whereas it properly forms but the two last
syllables of the verse.
317
SECTION XLIII.
OF THE VOLUNTARY AFTER THE PSALMS.
A CUSTOM, formerly very general, still obtains in some
Cathedrals', of playing a piece of music on the Organ
after the Psalms. This is called a Voluntary, as the
choice of the music is left to the discretion of the
organist. Playford observes that “after the Psalms a
short Voluntary is performed on the organ.” In Clif-
ford's account of the manner of performing Divine Ser-
vice at St. Paul's, published shortly after the Restora-
tion, it appears that the Voluntary was then used in
that Cathedral. But in this and many other instances,
the Service there has been much curtailed in inodern
times. The sanction of old custom is, perhaps, the
only argument that can be used in favour of the Volun-
tary, which, at least on Sunday mornings, unnecessarily
lengthens and interrupts the Service; while in those
very places where it is used, some of the essential
parts of the Choral Service, especially in the Commu-
nion office, are generally omitted, and this often on the
plea of their protracting the Service. If used at all,
however, due regard should be had to the time and
place, in the selection of them, and all shewy gavots,
and noisy trumpet pieces, carefully avoided. It should
be a short, slow movement, chiefly upon the diapasons
York, Lichfield, &c., and formerly in the two Dublin Cathedrals.
In many parish Churches it is still used in this place.
318
OF THE VOLUNTARY AFTER THE PSALMS.
and unisons'. The vices of Organ Voluntaries are, or
were, to be heard in their perfection in France, where
opera tunes, and jigs, without the slightest pretence to
anything religious in their character, were performed
during the most solemn part of the service. But indeed
the Organ in that country is used much more during the
intervals of Divine Service, than as an accompaniment
to the voice
In Churches where the Lessons are read from an
Eagle in the centre of the Choir, it might be well to
play a few bars on the organ while the Minister is
going from his Stall to the Lectern, so as to avoid the
indecorum of moving about while any part of the Liturgy
is in performance. At St. Paul's, where in other respects,
great decorum prevails during this part of the Service,
it is the custom for the Minor Canon who reads the
Lesson to leave his Stall, while several verses of the con-
cluding Psalm remain to be sung: a custom for which
there is no very apparent reason.
1 This was Dr. Boyce's practice, as appears in his Life, prefixed to
his Cathedral Music.
319
SECTION XLIV.
OF THE LESSONS.
9 Then shall be read distinctly, with an audible voice, the First Lesson,
taken out of the Old Testament, as is appointed in the Calendar,
except there be proper Lessons assigned for that day.
One of the most prominent features of the reformed
Liturgy of England is, the ample means for the instruc-
tion of the people afforded in every service. This is
evident in her frequent exhortations, but more especially
in the large portions of Scripture she has appointed to
be read in the Church; in this respect recurring to the
practice of primitive times.
By those but superficially acquainted with the sub-
ject, it may perhaps be imagined that the quantity of
Holy Scripture appointed to be read in the Breviaries is
equal to that prescribed by our Prayer Book, since there
are nine Lessons appointed to be read at Matins on
Sundays, and three on every week-day: besides a Chapter
(Capitulum) or Lesson (Lectio brevis) at each of the
other six daily services. But the fallacy of this pre-
sumption will soon be seen on examination. In the
first place, of the nine Sunday Lessons, but three are
from Scripture, the six others being extracts from
Homilies or Martyrologies. In the next place, at
Matins only is there anything like a continuous Lesson
read. The Capitula at five of the other services,
and the Lectio brevis at Prime and Compline, are
each nothing more than one verse (very rarely two
320
OF THE LESSONS.
short verses) from Scripture; and these are so far from
being varied with each service, that the same verse is
uniformly read at Compline throughout the year: and
the other Capitula are varied weekly: that for Vespers
serving also for Lauds and Tierce. The short sentences
at the beginning of our Matins and Evensong may just
as fairly be considered Lessons, as these Capitula of the
unreformed offices. Then as to the Lessons at Matins.
Each Lesson does not on an average consist of more
than three verses. For though the three Lessons are
generally in sequence, the sense is interrupted by the
interposition between each Lesson of a Responsory, or
short Anthem, (generally selected from Scripture,) with
certain versicles, and the Gloria Patri; so that edification
is hereby effectually hindered, as is remarked in the
Preface to our Prayer Book, “Concerning the Service of
the Church.” The length of the Lessons is regulated
by one uniform measure, utterly irrespective of the
sense of the context; so that even supposing the Re-
sponsories removed, the Chapter is frequently cut off in
the middle of a sentence, and the part of the greatest
importance, to which the appointed portion is intro-
ductory, is left unread. Nor is this all. These Lessons,
such as they are, are inaccessible to the people; for even
if they were read in the vernacular tongue, they are
assigned to the office of Matins, or the midnight service,
not to any at which a lay congregation could be reason-
ably supposed to attend.
The reformed Church of England has not only cut
off all those Responsories, the interpolations of later
times, but reads at eachi of her services a larger portion
of Holy Scripture than was appointed for the whole
week, before the Reformation. To give some idea of
OF THE LESSONS.
321
the difference of the two systems: let us take the
whole series of Lessons (including Capitula and Lec-
tiones breves on all days of the week) read by the
Roman Church and that of England during the entire
season of Advent, and on Christmas Day, which we will
suppose to fall on a Sunday. The Breviary appoints at
Matins between two and three hundred verses from
Isaiah, and at other services between thirty and forty
verses from other parts of Scripture. The Prayer Book
appoints between nine hundred and a thousand verses
from Isaiah, and between seventeen and eighteen
hundred verses from other parts of Scripture. This
computation excludes of course the sentences read at
Morning and Evening Prayer, and the Epistles and
Gospels, the Communion Service not being taken into
account.
But even this is the most favourable view of the
Breviary. For there is a perpetual interruption of the
order of the Church by the intervention of a multitude
of holidays, on which superstitious legends are substi-
tuted for Holy Scripture. Now when all these things
are considered, and when it is so plainly seen how much
the Church of England has done for the instruction of
her children, by opening to them the unmutilated page
of those Scriptures which were written for their learning,
it is afflicting to see men of our generation so under-
valuing these advantages, these restorations of primitive
and catholic order, as to dwell upon some points of very
subordinate moment, in which our Church is supposed to
be deficient, and to indulge themselves in sighing after
what at best is a beautiful, though inadequate and unreal
theory. The fact is, the men who thus cavil are but
crudely and half informed.
Y
322
OF THE LESSONS.
However, excellent as is the Church of England
system, there is no part of it which has been so marred
by the perversity, irreverence, and folly of her members
as this important function of reading God's Word. By
some, the end of edification is altogether forgotten, and
it is almost considered a sin to use the slightest cadence
or inflexion of the voice, so as to make the sense dis-
tinct, so as to discriminate exhortation from narrative.
By others no pains are taken to make the Lesson
audible. Those who thus err, either through a false
principle, or through carelessness, are virtually non-
conformists to the Liturgy of the Church of England, to
which they have promised adherence; since they contra-
vene her express direction to “read distinctly,” (that is,
surely, with such discrimination as to make the sense
intelligible,) and “ with an audible voice.”'
For the purpose as well of correcting these vitiated
notions and habits, as of illustrating the meaning of the
Prayer Book, let us now proceed to consider these
phrases, " distinctly, and with an audible voice.”
Till the last Review, this Rubric ran thus: “And,
(to the end the people may the better hear,) in such
places where they do sing, there shall the Lessons be
sung in a plain tune, after the manner of distinct reading,
and likewise the Epistle and Gospel.”
This direction may appear unintelligible at the
present day: a plain tune and distinct reading being
now considered modes of enunciation altogether dif-
ferent. But in ancient times the musical tone, (as in
the modern opera recitative, and as in the recitation of
Roman tragedy,) was used not only in the Prayers but
in all Lessons of the Church. The “distinct” reading
means the inflexions by which this tone was varieil,
OF THE LESSONS.
323
which were fixed by stated rules, the interrogations,
exclamations, pauses, &c., being marked by correspond-
ing rises and falls. For these inflexions very exact
rules are laid down in the ancient treatises on Church
Music. So that those who justify a monotonous mode
of reading the Lessons by the alleged inflexibility of the
ancient tone, are altogether mistaken. If they chant,
the inflexions of the Chant, the end of which is due
expression, ought to be used: and on the same principle,
if they read, they ought to use the due varieties of
ordinary speech. To those who whine out the Lessons,
Cæsar's remark is justly applicable : “Are you speaking
or singing ? If singing, you sing badly.” And as for
those who read monotonously, like ill-taught schoolboys,
it were well if the Church compelled them to go to school
again, or to take some method, if possible, of acquiring
common sense.
This manner of chanting the Lessons was objected
to by the Puritans at the Savoy Conference'. But the
Commissioners answered, “ That the Rubric directs
only such singing as is after the manner of distinct read-
ing, and we never heard of any inconvenience thereby,
and therefore conceive this demand to be needless.
However, the Rubric was so altered at the last Review,
as at least to contain no formal recognition of chanting.
It may be a question how far this method may still be
tacitly implied by the expression “ with an audible
voice :” since the same expression is applied to the
recitation of the Lord's Prayer, which has always been
chanted in regular Choirs.' It may be that the old Rubric
was altered, as being no longer intelligible; the ordinary
! DR. BISSE.
Y 2
324
OF THE LESSONS.
character of distinct reading having ceased to be a reci-
tative. Still, the custom of the Church of England,
since the last Review, has apparently been to read the
Lessons in the speaking tones of the voice: and the
reasons in favour of this practice have been already stated
in a former Section, where the principle of the Chant
was discussed.
We are
not to suppose that the
Reviewers abstractedly disapproved of the ancient mode,
though they might have thought its retention inexpe-
dient: since in their Preface they expressly declare that
“such alterations as seemed to us in any degree requi-
site or expedient, we have willingly, and of our own
accord assented unto: not enforced so to do by any
strength of argument, convincing us of the necessity of
making the said alterations: for we are fully persuaded
in our judgments, the Book, as it stood before established
by law, doth not contain in it any thing contrary to the
Word of God, or to sound doctrine, or which a godly
man may not with a good conscience use and submit
unto," &c. Dr. Bisse, after shewing that chanting was
a restraint on careless or affected reading, remarks, that
the old Rubric was “struck out for reasons unknown,
and therefore not to be judged. Notwithstanding,” he
adds, “I must be excused if I commend the former
appointment of it, though I condemn not the abroga-
tion.
For in the worship of God, which ought to be
perfect as He is perfect, since nothing ought more
to be avoided and provided against than improprieties
and mistakes; therefore in framing rules preventive of
such, the probability of an offence ought to weigh much
more than the possibility of excellence.”
To resume the chanting tone in this part of the
Service would now hardly be tolerated: nor indeed is
OF THE LESSONS.
325
it to be desired. At the same time, those who are
capable of managing their voice (and this ought to be a
matter of study to all) ought, even in ordinary reading,
so to pitch it, as to lay the prevailing stress upon one
of its strongest tones; not straining it upon a high
key, after the manner of inexperienced readers, but
dwelling upon that tone which is most natural to them,
whether it be bass or tenor, so that the voice may come
from the chest, and not from the throat, and may admit
of that elastic swell, which makes even a low voice
audible throughout the largest building. A judicious
mixture of the musical tones ought to be observed, and
the conversational quarter tones as little dwelt upon as
possible. The contrary practice is but too general: and
the reading of the Lessons, even by those who can
chant admirably, is degraded to the indistinct and hur-
ried cadences of the most ordinary conversation. The
tone ought to be slightly elevated above that of common
speech, so as to partake somewhat of the character of a
Chant, just in that degree which a judicious reader of
solemn poetry ordinarily assumes. But to lay down any
precise rules on this matter is impossible, so much
depends upon taste, judgment, and devotional reverence.
Where there is affectation, or a love of display, on
the one hand, or irreverence on the other, the case is
hopeless.
In conclusion, it may be observed, that a good reader
will preserve some of the archaisms of pronunciation
which the best precedents have made customary; such as,
the making a distinct syllable of the termination of the
past tense or participle, “ed,” as err-ed, and stray-ed,
instead of err’d and stray'd, and the like. In a paper
of the Spectator, the affectation of some young readers,
326
OF THE LESSONS.
who even then curtailed these syllables, is remarked
upon. In solemn poetry, and in the speech of the com-
mon people in many parts of England, this more ancient
and harmonious mode of pronunciation is kept up;
and the dignity of Holy Scripture, and its matchless
rhythm demands it. It may also be remarked that the
word “wind” ought in Lessons of Scripture to be pro-
nounced as it is in poetry, “wīnd.” How the anomalous
and inharmonious pronunciation of this word now natu-
ralized in England crept in, it is difficult to say. The
ancient method is still retained in the common speech
of Ireland, which in this particular, as in many others
both of prosody and grammar, has been preserved from
the degrading barbarisms of English colloquial idioms.
327
SECTION XLV.
OF THE READER OF THE LESSONS.
4 He that readeth so standing and turning himself, as he may best be
heard of all such as are present.
By the words “he that readeth,” an intimation is given,
that the reading of Lessons is not necessarily assigned to
the Minister of morning prayer. The Church in ancient
times had special officers for this purpose, called Readers,
who were in process of time specially set apart for this
purpose by ordination. But these minor orders are not
to be confounded with the Diaconate: and in the primi-
tive Church the Readers were accounted laymen. In
later times laymen have been permitted to read the
Lessons in the East. In King's History of the Greek
Church, we are informed that Peter the Great used
occasionally to read in his Chapel. The Church of
England has sanctioned this custom. In the University
Colleges the Lessons are generally read, at least on
week days, by the Scholars. The junior Fellows, in
many Colleges, whether laymen or not, read on Sundays
and Holidays. In the Cathedral of Lichfield the first
Lesson on week days is read by one of the Lay Clerks,
the second Lesson, and both on Sundays, by the Clergy.
An injunction of Archbishop Grindal in 1571', requires
Parish Clerks to be competent to read the first Lesson,
Life of Grindal, book ii. chap. 2.
328
OF THE READER OF THE LESSONS.
the Epistle, and the Psalms. And till very lately, if
not still, in some Parish Churches in London and else-
where, the Parish Clerk, habited in a surplice, discharged
this duty.
On the propriety of dividing the different parts
of the morning and evening service in Cathedrals,
among the Clergy present, remarks have already been
made. In Choirs it is peculiarly expedient, for the sake
of giving the Vicars Choral and Minor Canons some
rest, after chanting the Psalms and Canticles, in which,
right, they ought to take a prominent part. And
few things appear more preposterous, than that unseemly
system of devolving the whole office of Matins upon
one person, in establishments to which there is a numer-
ous body of Clergy attached, who were instituted for
this very end among others. And it would appear that
the very institution of the offices of Chancellor and
Precentor would imply the full recognition of the
principle of distribution.
In many Cathedrals this division is made: and as
it has before been remarked, it is all but universal in the
Irish parish Churches (when more than one Clergyman
is present,) as well as in the Cathedrals.
The Clergy of superior Collegiate rank have of course
a right to assume, as they frequently do, this duty, which
even Bishops in ancient times used occasionally to take
upon themselves. Of course there is no part of the
Church Service which it is not a high privilege for the
most dignified ecclesiastic to perform: and if particular
parts are usually assigned to subordinate members, this
practice should not be considered as assigning to them
the drudgery of an inferior service, but as the exalting
them to a high privilege; for surely the permission to a
OF THE READER OF THE LESSONS.
329
layman to officiate in God's house ought to be considered
such. And so it was regarded in the primitive times.
As to the position of the Minister. In ancient
times the Lessons were read from two Pulpits or Ambos
placed on each side of the Choir, facing north and south,
which however, unlike those monstrous pulpit desks in
modern London Churches, were never used for reading
prayers. The Eagle desk in our Choirs is the modified
representative of the ancient Ambo.
The regular
position is in the centre of the Choir facing westward.
In many old Parish Churches, as at Redcliffe Church,
Bristol, &c., the Eagle desk still exists, though not
always used. In other places, as our Ritualists observe,
the lesson desk faced westward, and that for prayers
eastward, or laterally. Till after the Restoration there
was no instance, it is believed, of the desk for prayers
facing westward. Those cumbrous pieces of carpentry
which block up the Church and contain both Bible
and Prayer Book, so that no visible change is marked
from the acts of praise and prayer to that of instruction,
were the innovation of the last century. In Dublin they
are carried to their height, where they stand in the
midst of the Aisle, in the front of an enormous pulpit,
and are large enough to hold three or four Clergymen,
a clerk's desk, auctioneer-fashion, being placed beneath:
and, as in St. Mary's in Dublin, with the Font beneath
that again.
The usual position of the Lectern in Cathedrals
carries out the direction and spirit of the Rubric. Now,
how can those who would exclude the Laity altogether
from the Choir, make their proposed scheme consist with
the arrangements of our Choirs, or with the great object
of edification which our Church proposes? The lateral
330
OF THE READER OF THE LESSONS.
position of the Eagle, as at York, and Christ Church,
Dublin, is obviously less conducive to this end than the
usual central position.
When the Capitular Members read the Lessons, they
usually do so from their stalls. But what is there to
prevent them from going to the regular Lectern? a place
surely of superior dignity in itself, and better fitted
for audible recitation. It may be said, that according
to the ancient regulations of St. Paul's, before the
Reformation, the Lessons were read by the Prebendaries,
when they officiated, from their respective stalls. But
it ought to be remembered, that not only was there then
no regular Lectern, but that the edification of the people,
such a main feature of the reformed Ritual, was not then
systematically sought; nor was it attainable, while the
use of a dead language prevailed.
Many modern readers do all they can to frustrate
this rubric, not only by their colloquial tone of voice,
and rapid articulation, but by their position; lolling on
their desk, leaning on their elbow, &c. But what are
the Canons about, who suffer such indecencies to pass
unchecked? What is the use of governing members in
a Church, if either fear or indifference prevent them
from administering the severe rebuke merited by such
profaneness? In this, as many other like iniquities,
the Chapter of Westminster in particular has much to
answer to the Church, and to God.
331
SECTION XLVI.
OF THE MANNER OF GIVING OUT THE LESSONS.
1 Note, that before every Lesson the Minister shall say, Here beginneth
such a Chapter, or Verse of such a Chapter, of such a Book :
And after every Lesson, Here endeth the First, or the Second
Lesson.
>>
It is only necessary to quote this Rubric, in order to
show the impropriety of a frequent usage, that of an-
nouncing the Lessons in these terms, “The first (or
second) Lesson appointed for this morning's Service,'
&c., which is not only wrong in itself, as contradictory
to an express injunction, but unnecessary; since every
one present must know whether the Lesson is the first or
second, and whether the Service is morning or evening.
It is also needlessly long. Two other irregularities are
frequent, which, however, may arise from inadvertence:
the first is, that of saying, “Here beginneth such a
Chapter at such a verse;" instead of “Here beginneth
such a verse of such a Chapter:" the second, that of
mentioning the verse at which the Lesson terminates
(in cases where the whole Chapter is not read), for which
there is no authority whatever. As for the termination
of the Lesson, in some Choirs, (I regret to say I have
observed it sometimes in Canterbury Cathedral, where,
for the most part, there is the greatest regularity,) there
is no announcement whatever of the termination of
the Lesson. In many places “Thus endeth” is said
instead of “ Here endeth." It may be said, these are
trifles. So they are in themselves. But since the Church
332
GIVING OUT THE LESSONS.
makes certain orders, it is but right to observe them,
especially since it is so easy to do so; and their trans-
gression implies either an ignorance or inattention to
the Rubric, with which every Clergyman ought to be
familiar; and which, if disregarded in smaller matters,
is sure to be violated in those of the greatest moment.
333
SECTION XLVII.
OF THE TE DEUM.
And after that, shall be said or sung in English, the Hymn called
Te Deum Laudamus, daily throughout the year.
FROM very early times it was the regulation of the
Church to alternate the two or three Lessons which
were read with Psalmody. It was expressly ordered by
the Council of Laodicea, as Thorndike remarks', that
the Psalms in the assemblies should not be read conti-
nuously, but that a Lesson should be interposed between
each Psalm. Of this custom a vestige is still preserved
in the Breviary, where between each Lesson occurs a
Responsory, which is a short passage from a Psalm or
another part of Scripture, followed by the Gloria Patri
and a versicle. This short passage seems a remnant of
Psalmody, as the performance of the Gloria Patri would
indicate: as those few verses, called Lessons, are the
representatives of the longer Lessons of primitive times.
The method of the Church of England is a correction
of the more modern and corrupt practice of the Western
Church, and a return to the primitive method of having
Lessons both from the Old and New Testament at each
service, between which she interposes certain Christian
Hymns, called Canticles, allowing in some parts of the
Service the alternative of stated Psalms. We are not,
however, properly to consider the Te Deum, Benedictus,
περί του μη δείν επισoνάπτειν εν ταις συνάξεσι τους ψαλμούς, αλλά διά
μέσου καθ' έκαστον ψαλμόν γίνεσθαι ανάγνωσιν.
334
OF THE TE DEUM.
&c., as the representatives of the Responsories, but
rather of the various Canticles used at those different
Services of the unreformed Churches, which are conso-
lidated in our Prayer Book. Thus, after the last Lesson
of the Breviary, the Te Deum follows, with which Matins
terminate. Now we are to consider our Morning Ser-
vice, as far as the end of the Te Deum, as representing
the ancient office of Matins, the subsequent part that
of Lauds and Prime. The Church of England has abo-
lished the Responsories, and thus thrown into one three
Scriptural Lessons, omitting the remaining Lessons, which
consisted of homilies and legends.
The Te Deum, used before the Reformation only on
Sundays and at certain other times, is now of daily obli-
gation with us: so that there is a daily exhibition of its
sentiment, “Day by day we magnify Thee, and we worship
thy Name ever, world without end;" a daily hymning
of the Blessed Trinity, and a daily petition for preserva-
tion against sin. Of the origin of the Te Deum, so well
known to all Churchmen, it is unnecessary to speak.
But it may be remarked, that St. Ambrose, its reputed
composer, seems to have been imbued with an intimate
perception of the peculiarities of sacred poetry, as it is
found in Holy Scripture. The parallelism of this hymn
is most exact, and the order and sequence of its senti-
ments exhibit that exquisite symmetry so visible in the
Canticles of the Church of Israel'. It cannot be doubted
that its composer was specially inspired from above.
The method of singing the Te Deum was, from very
ancient times, different from that of the Psalms, as will
· In some of the old editions of the LXX., the Te Deum is appended
stichometrically arranged. Vide GRABE's Sepiuagint.
OF THE TE DEUM.
335
be presently shewn. The music to which it was anciently
set has been long of use in the Western Church; and
Meibomius asserts, that it is as old as the time of its
composer himself'; remarking that Boethius, who was
a whole century posterior to that time, uses the notes of
which he gives a specimen, and which mainly coincide
with those in the Roman and Sarum Breviaries. With
these the notation of Marbeck, who gives the music
of the Hymn at length, essentially coincides, though
somewhat simplified. The music cannot be strictly called
a Chant: it is rather a succession of Chants. The melody
of the Hymn is essentially the same throughout the first
part, to the end of the verse, “ Also the Holy Ghost :
the Comforter:" but it is more or less varied according
to the length of the several verses. After this the air
changes, and the new strain is continued, with similar
variations, to the end of the verse, “ We believe that
thou shalt come : to be our Judge.” The remaining part
is more varied in its construction. This irregular Chant
was the germ of those arrangements of the Canticles,
peculiar to the Church of England, technically called
“ Services,” consisting of a series of varied airs, partly
verse and partly chorus, to which the Canticles in all
regular Choirs are sung.
Much has been said against
these Services of late, by those who have but partially
studied the antiquities of our Reformation, or who, in a
narrow devotion to the less perfect music of antiquity,
have thought proper to regard every improvement made
*Notarum usum in solemni hymno divorum Ambrosii et Augustini
monstrabo. Neque vero ullum dubium, quin, si hâc melodiâ, quamvis
forsan paullum, ut adsolet, immutatâ, usi fuerint illi patres, etiam his
notis, nempe superioribus, cantum signaverint: quippe Boethius, qui
integro sæculo Augustino fuit posterior, solas has notas recenset.
336
OF THE TE DEUM.
by the Church of England, as a profane innovation.
The fact is, that the singing the Te Deum and other
Canticles to Psalm Chants, was never the custom in full
Choirs, since the Reformation. All the Church musicians,
whose harmonized compositions remain to us, from the
time of Edward VI. to the present day, have set the
Canticles Anthem-wise to Services : and such has been
both the recorded and traditional practice. It will ever
be found that in those places where the other practice
prevails, either the Choir is small, or else some of the
essential parts of the Choral Service are omitted : it is
always a sign of inefficiency or degeneracy. It is true
that Chants for the other Canticles (not for the Te
Deum) are found in Marbeck. Upon those for the
Evening Service remarks will be made in their proper
place; but as for the others, it must be observed, that
Marbeck's book, being in unison, was merely elementary;
and that contemporary authors shew by their harmonized
services the more perfect system of the day. It is also
true that Chants for the Te Deum are found in the works
of Playford and Low. But as for the former, it must
be observed, that he makes the Chant the exception,
and not the rule. His words are these. The Te Deum
“is composed usually in four parts for sides, by several
authors. Sometimes it is sung by one of these following
tunes,” that is, Chants, “ of four parts, with the Organ or
without it.”. .. “Jubilate or Benedictus is sung by
the Choir, as they are variously composed, or else to one
of the following tunes of four parts.” It is plain from
the internal evidence of this book, that it was intended
for the use of small and imperfect Choirs, which then
probably abounded much more in England than they
have done in our time.
OF THE TE DEUM.
337
These remarks are confirmed by Low's work. After
giving three, or rather two Chants for the Canticles, he
adds this note: “When Quiremen are well skilled in
song, and can perform the variations composed for this
service, then either of these tunes may serve for the
Psalms on festival days.” Now the very title of Low's
book shews that it was merely elementary: “A short
Direction for the Performance of Cathedral Service.
Published for the information of such persons as are
ignorant of it, and shall be called to officiate in Cathedral
or Collegiate Churches, where it hath formerly been in
use.” It was published after the Restoration: when it
was extremely difficult to get competent singers or
organists for the performance of a mode of worship which
had been suppressed during the Great Rebellion.
The Service of the celebrated TALLIS is the earliest
of those which have been published, or practically known
in our Choirs. Those persons must have peculiar ideas
indeed as to the requirements of solemn devotional
music, who can object to the Service of this admirable
composer. The resources of his most religious
harmo-
nies are unrivalled: there is a chastened gravity through-
out, the effect of which not the most dead and careless
performance can altogether destroy: and there is the
most evident recognition of the devotional spirit of
antiquity. Tallis's Te Deum is not an adaptation of the
ancient arrangement: but it is evidently an imitation
of it. There is a frequent recurrence of the same strain,
varied by being sung in the different parts of the key,
but it is far from being uniform throughout. The
variations in the sentiment are expressively, but not
obtrusively marked by appropriate rises and falls: and in
the most jubilant parts of the song there is a noble
Z
338
OF THE TE DEUM.
sustentation of the melody, and a peculiar richness of
harmony. The same characteristics are yet more evident
in the Benedictus; especially in the verses “ To perform
the mercy,"_“And thou, Child,"&c. The music through-
out expresses at once the dignity and gravity of prophecy,
and the sober, but joyful recognition of the benefits of
which this inspired hymn is the harbinger.
Objections are frequently made to the monotony of
Tallis's Service. This objection is much owing to the
dead and monotonous manner of its general perform-
ance.
As it has no passages which are written ad
captum, with obvious brilliancy, or exaggerated expres-
sion, the Organists are in general neglectful of any
change of stop, or variation in the time of the different
strains, and the Choir seem to forget that the notes
are but the auxiliaries of the sentiments. It is either
drawled out heavily, or performed with an unfeeling
rapidity. Whereas in truth, no service in our Church
collections deserves deeper study, or would be more
advantaged by that varied mode of performance which
is amply lavished upon the thin and showy compositions
of more modern times.
The antiphonal character is closely preserved: the
verses being sung by alternate sides, interspersed with
occasional Choruses. This is a characteristic much
neglected in the later Services.
As this work does not profess to be a manual of
musical criticism, the remarks upon the Services of other
composers must be few and passing. Of the earlier
Services but comparatively few have been published, or
are in use. These are principally found in the works of
Dr. Boyce and Arnold; and there are some used by
particular Choirs which have never been printed. In the
OF THE TE DEUM.
339.
Musical Library of Christ Church, many exist, which are
practically unknown to the Church, and which it is much
to be wished the University of Oxford, or some learned
Society would publish : those of Tye, for instance, whose
works, if we may judge from the few published speci-
mens, must be valuable indeed. The Services of Bird
and Farrant, inferior indeed in harmony to Tallis, but
each with their peculiar excellencies, and fully partaking
of the character of devotional gravity, are well known.
It is a mistake to suppose that the Church of England
is indebted to the influence of Palestrina for these
characteristic excellencies of her early Services: as
Bird and Tallis are evidently of the school of an
English composer, anterior to Palestrina, Robert White',
whose works are
are in the Library of Christ Church,
Oxford. It is rather to be believed that Palestrina
was co-ordinate with the musicians of England in sus-
taining the gravity of the ancient ecclesiastical style,
which in subsequent times, degenerated on the Con-
tinent much more than in England. And with all
the admiration which I feel for the reformer of the
Roman music, I must avow a conviction that the early
composers of England, Bird, Farrant, and Gibbons, are
at least his equals in every essential quality. But this is
not the doctrine of the present day. As Archbishop
Laud wisely remarked”, “This has been the common
error, as I humbly conceive, of the English nation, to
entertain and value strangers in all professions of learning
beyond their desert, and to the contempt or passing by,
at the least, of men of equal worth of their own nation;
· BURNEY's History of Music.
Troubles and Trials, p. 120.
z 2
340
OF THE TE DEUM.
which I have observed, ever since I was of ability to
judge of these things.” It would be well if this too
indulgent deference to foreign authority did not obtain in
matters of more importance than music.
I am persuaded, that in the whole range of sacred
compositions of this kind, a more truly ecclesiastical and
majestic Service than the celebrated one of Gibbons
cannot be found. But with this passing notice I must
content myself, as the limits of this work will not admit
of the grateful task of specifying his excellencies in
detail. “A host of composers, many of whose works are
now known but by name, arose between the time of the
Reformation and the Rebellion, Many of their com-
positions are constructed upon a similar plan: and though
correct in harmony and devout in expression, are in no
way remarkable.
Among these may be classed such
compositions as Dr. Child's, to whose works, lowever, a
peculiar interest is attached, as being favourite compo-
sitions with King Charles I., his Service in F# especially.
The author was a pious and munificent royalist, who
suffered during the Rebellion, and died at a good old age
after the Restoration. The most eminent composer of
Services after that time was the celebrated Dr. Aldrich,
Dean of Christ Church, a man who excelled in the most
varied accomplishments, and in sound scholarship. To
his superintendence the Choir of that Cathedral owed
much, and attained an excellence, from which in later
times it has most disgracefully degenerated. The shorter
(or as they are technically called the full) Services of
Aldrich preserve the gravity of ancient times, while they
adopt with due moderation, the more modern graces of a
more varied and expressive melody. His longer or verse
Service in A is the best of this kind, probably, that the
OF THE TE DEUM.
341
Church possesses. The chastened pathos of the verses,
and the jubilant expression of the Choruses are tempered
with a judgment unequalled by any of our musicians.
This observation, however, does not apply to his Cantate,
or Evening Service, which is too brilliant and noisy,
And his Jubilates are far inferior to his Te Deums.
In his adaptations from Palestrina, he was less happy;
having miserably curtailed his motets, so as to impair
their unity, and indeed to repress some of their most
characteristic features. But in his original compositions
(his Services) he is eminently happy, and shows the
masterly skill of the musician combined with the dis-
criminating piety of the divine.
Most of the other composers of that age, however
successful in their Anthems, are less so in their Services.
There is too evident an aim at effect, too great an
infringement of the antiphonal character, and a total
dereliction of the features of the Chant. This is emi-
nently the case with the Services of Blow and Purcell.
There are, however, many exceptions: and among them
must be specially noticed the full Services of King.
In the last century a feeble and effeminate style set
in, and has continued, with few exceptions, to the present
day. The richness of the ancient harmony was aban-
doned; and everything sacrificed to the meretricious
effect of a sing-song melody. Among these vitiated
compositions are those of Nares, Kent, (a noted plagia-
rist from Croft) and of some other names of inferior
note. The tedious length to which they protracted the
Services, and the needless repetitions in which they
indulged, have caused much of that censure which has
been cast upon the English musical Service, by those
half-informed persons, who have been influenced in their
342
OF THE TE DEUM.
opinions by such popular but vicious compositions. To
these, however, one worthy exception must be made,
that of Dr. Boyce, the celebrated editor of the Cathedral
Music, which he left for publication; one of the ablest
and most modest of the musicians who have benefited
the Liturgy of the Church of England. His well known
Morning Service, for simplicity, and well tempered
expression, deserves the highest approbation.
This brief notice of composers must suffice. It
remains to speak of the characteristics of the musical
Services in general.
These are divided into two classes: Full and Verse
Services. The Full Services are such as exclusively
prevailed at the earlier times of the reformed Church of
England. These preserve more of the character of the
Chant: have no repetitions, and are sung, with a tolerably
regular alternation, by the two sides of the Choir. This
is the genuine style of Church composition. The Verse
Services are more intricate compositions: have frequent
repetitions, preserve no regular alternations, and are full
of verses, that is, of passages sung in slower time, not by
all the voices on one side of the Choir, but by a selected
number, sometimes in trios, sometimes in duets. In the
later Services solos occur. Now whatever may be
thought of duets, (which in the Canticles are hardly
legitimate) the solos ought to be altogether avoided, as
destroying the Choral character, and making that the
prayer of the individual, which ought to be the voice of
the Church. Solos ought to be confined to the Anthem;
and in the Service should be heard in the intonation of
the Precentor or Priest alone.
In all the old Services, indeed in most down to the
time of the Restoration, the Te Deum was uniformly
OF THE TE DEUM.
343
intoned by the Priest, on the words, “We praise thee, O
God.” This ought to be uniformly the case, and the
intonation ought never to be assigned to Laymen.
Before we proceed to make some special remarks on
the Te Deum, it remains to observe, upon the singing
of that Hymn to a Chant. When the imperfection of a
Choir renders this necessary, there should be a strict
observance of the pointing of the Prayer Book, which
divides each verse by the same pause, (the colon) that
is appointed for the Psalms. The same observation
applies to all the other Canticles. This intimation of
the Church is frequently transgressed, by running two
verses of the Te Deum into one, and dividing one verse
of the Jubilate into two. The author has noticed this
vicious practice at Westminster Abbey, on occasions
when the organ was under repair, and the Choir sang
the Canticles to a Chant. It ought to be remembered
that the pointing is an essential part of the Prayer Book,
and is one of the rules implied in the promise of con-
formity to the Liturgy.
During all ages of the Church, since the adoption of
the Te Deum in Western Christendom, it has been occa-
sionally used as a separate Service, or in addition to the
usual Service of the day, at times of special rejoicing.
St. Ambrose, it is believed, had it sung for the first time
at the Baptism of St. Augustine. The times of such
occasional performance in the Church in general are too
obviously known to require instances. In the Church of
England, it was so used, with a Procession, or Litany, at
a thanksgiving at St. Paul's for the victory at Mussel-
burgh, in 1547. At the Installation of Ridley, as
Strype's Cranmer, vol. i. book ii. chapter 3.
344
OF THE TE DEUM.
Bishop of London, in 1550, the Te Deum was sung after
the ceremony'. At the Coronations of our Sovereigns it
still concludes the Service. But in times of general
thanksgiving, it has been used in England merely in the
course of the Morning Service. A longer and more
ornate composition than those ordinarily used, with sym-
phonies, solos, &c. and adapted for a numerous band, is
employed on these occasions: analogous to the style of
the Te Deum used abroad, as that of Graun. For some
time Purcell's was thus used: but was superseded by
the celebrated Dettingen Te Deum of Handel, which is
still annually performed at the festival of the Sons of
the Clergy, at St. Paul's. At this Service the fullest
Choral Service, accompanied by an orchestra, is used.
Of late years, however, instead of taking place in the
morning, it is postponed to the afternoon, in deference to
the lazy habits of modern times: and the Te Deum,
instead of being sung in the course of the Service, is
added at the end. This occasion is the only one at
which other instruments besides the organ is employed
at the English Cathedral Service. And however justi-
fiable may be their occasional use, the general adoption
of such a practice is far from being desirable.
STRYPE's Annals of Reform. vol. ii. book i.
345
SECTION XLVIII.
OF THE BENEDICITE.
1 Or this Canticle, Benedicite, omnia opera.
THE Benedicite was used at Lauds on Sunday in the
unreformed offices. In the first book of King Edward it
was appointed to be used in Lent. At present there exists
no rule as to its adoption, which is left to the discretion
of the Clergy. There is nothing, however, to prevent its
use in Lent; and this practice seems to be advisable, in
order to mark that peculiar season, the observance of
which, whether in Church or out of it, the corrupt prac-
tice of modern times does not sufficiently discriminate.
The dullest uniformity in the method of performing divine
Service, directly contrary to the spirit of the Church of
England, has in general prevailed, through the somnolent
influence of the last century. In many Churches a very
proper custom obtains of using this Hymn whenever the
first chapter of Genesis, or the third of Daniel is read.
But on Trinity Sunday it is obviously more proper to
perform the Te Deum, both as being suited to a high
Festival, and as being specially laudatory of the three
Persons of the Godhead.
The Chant for the Benedicite in Marbeck is essen-
tially the same as that to which the same Hymn is set in
the Salisbury Breviary, but more simple; and is a slight
modification of the irregular Gregorian Tone.
There are very few arrangements of this Hymn as a
Service. That which is best known, by Purcell, ought
346
OF THE BENEDICITE.
to be specially avoided. The words of the Hymn are
mutilated, several verses being run into one, by the omis-
sion of the burthen “ Praise him, and magnify him for
ever," which is retained, according to his arrangement, at
intervals only. Not only is the characteristic feature of
the Hymn thus essentially impaired, but integral parts of
the Liturgy are omitted. Sometimes but a few of the
commencing and final verses are sung anthem-wise. The
sanction of Collegiate Churches, however prevalent, can
never excuse the contravention of a higher authority,
that of the Church of England, as declared in the Prayer
Book. The antiphonal character of this Hymn makes it
more suitable for a Chant than for a Service.
347
SECTION XLIX.
:
OF THE RUBRIC BEFORE THE BENEDICTUS AND
JUBILATE.
I Then shall be read in like manner the Second Lesson, taken out of the
New Testament. And after that, the Hymn following ; except when
that shall happen to be read in the Chapter for the Day, or for the
Gospel on St. John Baptist's Day. Benedictus. St. Luke i. 68.
Or this Psalm, Jubilate Deo.—Psalm c.
THE adaptation of the ancient Matins to our Liturgy
comprises the former part of the Morning Prayer, ending
with the Te Deum: that of Lauds includes the Second
Lesson, which represents the Capitulum, and the Bene-
dictus, which was of daily use in the unreformed Church.
The intervening Hymn and Responses are omitted.
Nothing remains to be said of the Second Lesson,
except that preeminence over the first is assigned to it:
since in Cathedrals where Laymen read the first Lesson,
the Clergy read the second: and at Winchester, when
the Prebendaries read, this is assigned to them, and the
first Lesson to the Minor Canons.
By the Rubric of the present Prayer Book, the
Benedictus is given the precedence above the Jubilate.
And indeed it will be seen that throughout Morning and
Evening Prayer the same is the case with the Hymns of
the Gospel, alternating with the Lessons which they
peculiarly illustrate; the Psalms, now used as Canticles,
being merely their permitted alternatives. In the first
edition of the Prayer Book, these Psalms were wanting.
348
OF THE RUBRIC BEFORE THE
On every account it is to be wislied that the preference
of the Evangelical Canticles were made the rule of the
performance, not the exception, as is now the case with
the Benedictus. The occasional substitution of the
Jubilate is indeed a wise provision of the Church, for
the purpose of avoiding a repetition of the same portion
of Scripture in sequence.
But except upon the days
mentioned in the Rubric, it seems most desirable that
the Jubilate should never be used. The Hymn of Zacha-
rias is so eminently prophetical, is so full a summary of
the blessings consequent upon His coming, the records
of whose life have just been read, is so full of religious
hope and joy, and of that freshness of devotion so fitted
to the Service of the morning, where it speaks of the
Day-spring from on high, and the light of the Gospel,
typified by the light of the early sun, and forms such a
noble and inspiriting climax to what has gone before,
that its omission materially impairs the significancy and
unity of the Matin office. The Canticles, too, as they
occupy a different place, so they discharge a different
office from the Psalms. The Psalms are prophetical of
Christ's coming in the flesh: the Canticles are the wit-
nesses of his actual abode among men, and the heralds
of those graces consequent upon his Incarnation.
An unworthy reason, it is to be feared, exists for
the contrary course being generally adopted. This is,
the unwillingness to lengthen the Service. This reason
would not have place, were there none of the ordinary
interpolations of metrical Psalmody before the Service
and the Sermon; were the Te Deum and Morning
Anthems, and Voluntaries of less inordinate length,
than is generally the case. The correction, however, of
these incongruities is at present happily gaining ground.
BENEDICTUS AND JUBILATE.
349
none.
There are two Chants for the Benedictus in Mar-
beck, one being the fifth Gregorian tone, with the first
ending: the second being the eighth tone, first ending:
melodies, which for majestic gravity are exceeded by
There is something very peculiar in his arrange-
ment of the Chant; each verse of which is noted at
length in his book. The Intonation is preserved
throughout: the melody in some verses is more varied
than in others, in his second Chant; and in both, the
pause of the Chant falls sometimes upon its regular
note, sometimes upon the dominant, or prevailing note. .
The latter is generally, but not uniformly the case,
when the word is a trochee. The same observations
apply to his settings of the Magnificat and Nunc
Dimittis, as will be shewn in their place. Those varia-
tions from the regular structure of the Chant suggest
the notion of the more varied arrangement, technically
called the Service: and indeed, as before remarked,
with respect to the Te Deum, the ancient Services pre-
serve a good deal the character of the Chant. Nor is
this without ancient precedent. Several eminent musi-
cians of old time, and of the unreformed Churches,
have adapted the Canticles to the descant, as it is called,
upon the plain song, or Gregorian Chant, making varia-
tions somewhat after the manner of our Services, through
less free in their departures from the original structure
of the melody.
The notion now often assumed with more dogmatism
than befits those who have evidently been but partial
students of our Choral system, that the usual arrange-
ment of our Services is the adoption of a modern prin-
ciple, is fully contradicted by facts such as those I have
now stated. In the simplest form of arrangement, the
350
OF THE RUBRIC BEFORE THE
Canticles are set in a different manner from the Psalms:
and if by later authorities, such as Playford and Low,
countenance may be apparently given to the notion just
reprehended, I need only repeat what has been asserted
in a former section, that the manuals of those two musi-
cians were evidently intended for imperfect or small
Choirs; while the uninterrupted testimony afforded by
the works of our Church composers from the time of the
Reformation till our day shews us what the actual prac-
tice of the Church has been; that is, to sing the Hymns
of the Gospel to a more varied strain, which brings out
into full relief, the distinctive nature of their function
in the service of the Church.
The Benedictus of Tallis and of Gibbons are perhaps
the noblest our Church possesses, and are in the best
style of the respective composers. The rare perform-
ance of these is indeed a loss to the Church. And
unfortunately the setting of the Jubilate, even by the
best musicians (as Aldrich), is seldom happy. It is
in general too light and noisy, and wanting in that
meditative repose with which the Benedictus is so nobly
tempered. It is, however, suited to the noisy stops,
trumpets, and reeds, of which organists are commonly
fond, and affords scope for shewing execution. The
rulers of Cathedrals would do well to consider this,
among the many other particulars upon which they too
commonly never think of bestowing half an hour's
notice. To them the Canticles are often but mere
interludes.
I have already observed upon the corrupt practice
of breaking up the Jubilate when it is sung to a
Chant, into more verses than the Prayer Book enjoins.
In the second verse, some ambiguity prevails as to
BENEDICTUS AND JUBILATE.
351
the pause; in some prayer books it is made after the
words, “the Lord he is God,” in others after “we
ourselves.” Whatever may be the proper reading, at
least the members of the same Choir or Congregation
ought to be agreed as to the manner in which they are
to recite it.
352
SECTION L.
OF THE APOSTLES CREED.
Then shall be sung or said the Apostles' Creed by the Minister and
the people, standing: except only such days as the Creed of St.
Athanasius is appointed to be read.
us.
THE remaining part of the Morning Service is a modifi-
cation of the latter part of the office of Prime, or of
Lauds, as used on week days of Advent and Lent, &c.
In our first Prayer Book, the order of the Breviary was
nearly followed. Thus, immediately after the Canticle
followed the Lesser Litany, or “ Lord have mercy upon
Then the Lord's Prayer and Creed: then the
Versicles: the Benediction, “ The Lord be with you,"
&c., and after that the Collects. This order was subse-
quently modified, and more systematically arranged. The
confession of faith is not mixed up, as before, with the
act of prayer; but the Creed follows the reading of
Scripture; the Church's summary of Christian Doctrine
following the teaching of divine inspiration, as in the
Communion Service, where the Nicene Creed follows
the Gospel. The lesser benediction, and “ Let us pray,”
thus precede the act of prayer, beginning with the
Lesser Litany which follows the Creed, and which is the
preparative for the Lord's Prayer.
The Apostles' Creed occupies somewhat the same
place in our Service that the Creed of St. Athanasius
did in the unreformed office for Prime, where it pre-
OF THE APOSTLES' CREED.
353
!
ceded the Preces, but with the intervention of a Capi-
tulum, Antiphon, &c.
There is something remarkable in the direction pre-
fixed to it in our present Prayer Book. It is directed to
be “sung or said.” The direction as to singing occurs
first in the Scotch Liturgy, where “said” precedes
“sung;” it was altered to its present form at the last
Review, the direction in all the preceding editions being
simply " said.” There is no other instance of the word
sung” being applied to any part of the Service except
those which are usually sung to the Organ, as the Psalms,
Canticles, Nicene Creed, and Hymns; or occasionally, as
the Litany; or which, like the latter, are set to an air.
Now there is no record of the Apostles' Creed being
so performed in the Church of England. It is simply
recited on one note; and the only inflexion is the cadence
on Amen, adopted in some Choirs, but not found in the
most ancient Choral books. The Hymn is not con-
structed for chanting, not being divided into verses. It
is, however, divided into three paragraphs, as the Nicene
Creed: the first relating to the Father, the second the
Son, the third to the Holy Ghost, and to those parti-
culars of the Christian faith which have reference to
the dispensation of the Spirit.
Hardly any part of divine service is usually per-
formed in Choirs with greater carelessness or confusion
than the Creed: to which the same rules already given
for the recitation of the Lord's Prayer will apply. It
would be well if, in repeating it, a slight pause were
made between each of the paragraphs above mentioned,
sufficient to discriminate the subject-matter. This,
indeed, seems to be hinted at by the manner in which it
is printed.
I
2 A
354
OF THE APOSTLES' CREED.
The custom of turning to the East during the Creed,
immemorial in many parish Churches, in the country
especially, and universal in Cathedrals and Colleges, is as
ancient as any ceremony of the Church. It has been
disputed whether it is towards the East or the Altar that
we are intended to turn.
Dr. Bisse says it is “the Altar
or the East;" and quotes Epiphanius as an authority;
observing that the Altar is the most honourable place in
the House of God, answering to the Holy of Holies
among the Jews, who worshipped towards the mercy
seat, and thus did the primitive Christians towards the
most holy part of their Churches. The Christian
Churches are generally placed with the Altar end to
the East, as to the place whence the Day-spring from
on high visited us. But this is not universal: and it is
remarkable that in Churches which are placed North
and South, the custom of turning to the Altar during
the Creed has immemorially prevailed. Some expressive
posture or gesture has ever been assumed, during the
confession of faith. Thus we are told that in old times,
the noblemen in Poland were accustomed to draw their
swords while they repeated it, as if willing to jeopard
their lives in its defence. We turn to the Altar, to
express more strongly our Faith in Christ, whose death is
there specially commemorated, and whence those holy
elements are dispensed, which are peculiar means of
grace, to refresh our souls, and to strengthen our faith.
At the name of Jesus in the Creed, the universal
custom of the Church has been to bow the head. This,
however, is more than a custom. It is a positive injunc-
tion of the Canons of the Church of England, extend-
ing, however, to every occasion on which that name
of our Blessed Lord is repeated, which designates his
OF THE APOSTLES' CREED.
355
human nature; the prescribed act of adoration thus
marking the indissoluble union of that nature with the
divine. The same act is not prescribed when the desig-
nation of his office, Christ, is employed. In very many
country Churches, the congregation have been long
accustomed to act in obedience to this Canon, in all
instances; and there can be no excuse for the neglect of
the Clergy in its uniform observance.
The Creed of St. Athanasius is used by the Church
of England on the great Festivals, and at other times,
so as to secure its repetition about once a month. In
the office of Prime it was sung after the Psalms as
a Canticle, and indeed it is styled in the Breviary the
Psalm Quicunque Vult. It retains with us, in the mode
of its performance, the character of a Hymn; being
divided into verses, with the mark of the choral pause,
the colon: and, like the Psalm, is repeated in parish
Churches alternately by Minister and people; in Choirs,
is sung alternately to a Chant. The structure of the
Hymn is most artificial, and in strict accordance with the
rules of Hebrew composition, so as to present a poetical
character, fit for choral recitation.
The Chant usually employed for this Creed is that
to which it was set by Tallis. It is by far the simplest
of any in use in the Church of England, consisting, in
the melody, of two notes, so as to be little more than a
solemn recitation. It somewhat resembles the fourth
Gregorian tone, and is almost identical with Low's
harmonized Chant, called the Canterbury Tune. Playford
has set it to the seventh tone, second ending, and Mar-
beck to the eighth, first ending. But Tallis's is most
appropriate. In Christ Church, Dublin, formerly it was
sung to an ornate double Chant of Sir John Stevenson's:
2 A 2
356
OF THE APOSTLES' CREED.
but this absurd arrangement has long been reformed,
and the usual Chant is employed.
In some Choirs, where the Responses are not sung, as
at Trinity College, Dublin, the Athanasian Creed is paro-
chially read: but this is most anomalous, and arises from
the false notion that Creeds are not Hymns, contrary
to the universal acceptation of the Church.
357
SECTION LI.
OF THE PRECES, ETC., AFTER THE CREED.
And after that, these Prayers following, all devoutly kneeling; the
Minister first pronouncing with a loud voice, The Lord be with
you, &c.
1 Then the Minister, Clerks, and people, shall say the Lord's Prayer
with a loud voice.
9 Then the Priest standing up shall say, O Lord, shew thy mercy, &c.
On this part of the Service Dr. Bisse remarks that, “as
before the Psalms there was a mutual exhortation
between Minister and people, the Minister exhorting
the people, “Praise ye the Lord,' and the people answer-
ing, “The Lord's Name be praised ;' so here, before they
begin their petitions, the Minister blesseth the people
for their holy work, saying, “The Lord be with you,' and
the people pray for him in the discharge of it, replying,
‘And with thy spirit.' These forms, saith an ancient
ancient Council (Bracarense, A.D. 563), all the East
retains as delivered down by the Apostles.
The form “Let us pray," as before observed, was
formerly used before the Collects, when the change
from the litaneutical or versicular form of prayer was
made to that of the continuous Oratio; and this dis-
crimination is still made elsewhere, as in our Litany: but
in the part of the Service under consideration, this
form is now made to precede the whole office of prayer;
the transition from the Canticle to the petition having
appeared too abrupt without some such introduction'.
w
1
Bishop Sparrow, in his Rationale, styles the Dominus vobiscum
a sort of Introit.
358
OF THE PRECES, ETC.,
This introductory verse and response are now uniformly
chanted upon one note, the response being harmonized
in most Choirs. In Marbeck, Playford, and Low, the
first word of the verse is chanted upon the minor third
below, according to the frequent use of the Breviary, as
also the response, in Marbeck and Low. This ancient
practice is not now retained in any Choir.
The Lesser Litany, as it is called, which follows, is
of very ancient use in the Universal Church. The Latin
use of it denotes its Oriental origin, as it is expressed in
Greek words, slightly modified, “Kyrie Eleison, Christe
Eleison, Kyrie Eleison.” It is, like the commencement
of the Greater Litany, an invocation of the three Persons
of the Trinity; and in the Roman and Salisbury use, it
precedes that office. According to the uniform use of
our Choirs, it is chanted upon one note, with a cadence
in the last response.
In the first Book of King Edward, there is no direction
as to the persons by whom the Lesser Litany is to be
repeated, or as to its distribution between Minister and
people. The clauses are printed without any difference of
type. In our present Book, the second clause is printed
in Italics, which intimates that this falls to the people or
the Choir. The same principle is observed throughout
the Greater Litany, and in other places where the Lesser
Litany occurs. The versicles, (including the benediction,
“ The Lord be with you,”') are not distinguished by a
difference of type, but by the words “Priest” and
“ Answer” prefixed. These are, in most instances, pas-
sages from the Psalms, and are thus distinguished from
the other suffrages, which are neither verses from the
Psalms, nor form in each petition and response a con-
tinuous sentence. On this point further observations will
AFTER THE CREED.
359
be made when we come to treat of the Versicles in the
Litany.
The almost universal practice of Choirs does not
indeed contradict any rubric, but is opposed to the typo-
graphical intimation of the Prayer Book. The Minister
usually chants the first clause only, the Choir the two
others. In Tallis's Service a different arrangement takes
place. The whole three clauses are sung in harmony
by the Choir: the Priest merely saying “ Let us pray.”
Abstractedly considered, this seems the better mode.
As each person of the Trinity is addressed, a similar
and equal mode of performance as in the Greater Litany,
is adopted, with this difference indeed, that whereas
each invocation with which the former part of the
Greater Litany is both begun and ended' is first uttered
by the Minister, and then repeated in the same words
by the Choir, in the passage before us each invocation
occurs but once. It may be fairly questioned whether
the ancient and uninterrupted usages of Choirs, where
they contradict no positive rubric, may not be as autho-
ritative as the mere typography of the Prayer Book; the
intention intimated by the change of type being a matter
of inference, not of positive direction. Possibly these
petitions may be regarded like the Psalms; to be read
alternately by Priest and people in Parishes, to be chanted
continuously in Choirs.
Tallis's arrangement of the Kyrie Eleison is altogether
different from Marbeck's. Both in the manner of its
performance, and in its varied melody, it seems to
resemble, though in the latter not very closely, the
· That is, it is begun with “O God the Father of Heaven;" it is
ended with “ Lord have mercy upon us,” &c.
360
OF THE PRECES, ETC.,
ancient Kyrie formerly used in the Communion Service,
from which he probably adopted it, on its suppression in
that part of the Liturgy.
The Lord's Prayer, which follows, was in ancient
times said secretly, except in the last two clauses, “ And
lead us not, &c., But deliver us, &c.," which were chanted
as Versicle and Response, with the usual cadences. In
Marbeck's Book, this Verse and Response are preserved.
But this ancient use is not now kept up in any Choir.
It is chanted uniformly upon one note, sometimes in
harmony, and with a cadence on the word Amen.
The versicles following have been selected and ar-
ranged by the Reformers of our Liturgy with a singular
discretion, so as to exhibit a harmony and proportion
unknown in the ancient offices. Dean Comber has beau-
tifully shown the carefulness of their structure, observing
that they are as it were prefaces to the Collects which
follow, and form compendious summaries of their con-
tents. Thus the first, “O Lord, shew thy mercy upon us,
And grant us thy salvation,” corresponds to the weekly
Collect, which is a general prayer for God's mercy and
salvation: the following, “O Lord, save the King,” to the
prayer for the King: the next, “Endue thy Ministers
with righteousness,” to the prayer for the Clergy; while
the last two, “Give peace in our time, O Lord,” and “O
God, make clean our hearts within us,” correspond to the
two Collects at Morning Prayer for peace and grace.
These are all extracts from the Psalms, with the
exception of one, “Give peace in our time,” &c., which,
with its response, corresponds to the Antiphon for peace
at Lauds in the unreformed Breviary, and seems a sub-
stitute for “ Peace be within her walls, and plenteous-
ness within her palaces,” formerly used among the Versi-
AFTER THE CREED.
361
cles of Lauds and Prime. The other Responses are found
in the different offices of the Breviary, but in an order
and arrangement different from that of our Prayer Book,
and far inferior in significancy.
The musical arrangement of the Versicles is much
the same in all Choirs, varying, however, in their harmo-
nies, when these are used, some of them being traditional,
and some of modern arrangement. As the Preces in
this part of the Service differ somewhat from those at
the beginning, being here rather to be regarded as
litaneutical, while there they form a part of the Psal-
mody, so they differ in their musical notation. In the
present instance, they are regulated according to the:
ancient fixed laws of recitation, which assigned a differ-
ent cadence to the sentences, according as they ended
upon a monosyllable or polysyllable. In the former
instance it descends to the minor third below, and ends
upon the sharp seventh: in the latter, it ends upon the
minor third below. There are other cadences observed. .
in the Breviary which are not used in our Service,
especially one upon the fifth below. These cadences are
called accents, and are probably analogous to the recita-
tive of classical declamation. The intonation used at pre-
sent by the Chinese and other oriental nations, and by the
Masoretical authorities in the Hebrew Scriptures, seems
attributable to the same principle. The rules for the
use of these accents, which are applied to the reading of
Scripture in Church, may be found in the numerous
treatises upon the Gregorian Chant, some of which are
appended to the Roman Breviaries and Processionals'
| The authorities which the Author has chiefly consulted are-1,
the Breviarium Romanum, noted; 2, Gaffurius, Practica Musicæ,
1502; 3, Nivers, Dissertation sur le Chant Gregorien, 1603.
362
OF THE PRECES, ETC.,
The notation of the Versicles and Responses is of rare
occurrence in the Manuscript Breviaries.
The reason
is plainly to be found in the existence of these fixed
rules, which were well known by the practised Choristers,
in Cathedrals, and Convents. However, in the Office of
Compline, and in the “Exurge Domine” which precedes
the invocation in the Lenten Litany, according to the
Use of Salisbury', the notation is given, corresponding
exactly in principle with that employed in our Versicles
and Responses.
In many Cathedrals, the ancient principle is not
strictly observed, the cadence on the minor third, or
middle accent, being given to a monosyllable, the
moderate accent, or cadence on the sharp seventh, to a
polysyllable. The collation, however, of the various
Uses will shew that in all instances, these departures from
the ancient mode are local exceptions, and not of general
observance. Thus Canterbury alone has the middle
accent upon, “O Lord, shew thy mercy upon us.” Win-
chester and York alone are irregular upon the corre-
sponding response. The use of Bristol is irregular in
four instances, contrary to general use. These instances
might be multiplied. In one clause, however, “O God,
make clean,” &c., Marbeck is incorrect, but his reading
is rectified by Playford, Low, and all the traditional
authorities, excepting only Westminster which follows
him?
Salisbury Processional, Rheims, 1555.
? In this remark, as well as in that of a preceding section, upon the
origin of Playford's and Marbeck's Chants, the Author finds he is in
accordance with Mr. Dyce, in the Preface to his musically noted
Prayer Book, which is an adaptation of Marbeck to our present
Ritual. If these pages should meet the eye of the learned Editor of
AFTER THE CREED.
363
To the notation of the Versicles as found in Marbeck,
&c., various passing notes are added, by the use of
different Choirs, and in some instances, as at Winchester
and York, the melody is varied. How ancient these
uses may be it is impossible now to determine. In many
instances the passing notes, and those which form the
cadence, have been so prolonged, as to form in fact a
melody of totally different effect, like the air of a Chant.
All these varieties are well worthy of notice, and possibly
may be equal authority. And even as to the apparent
irregularities of the accentuation, these must not be
dogmatically assumed as corruptions. The alteration, for
aught we know, may have been deliberately made; and
even in the system of the Breviary their adoption is not
uniform, as we shall have occasion to observe when the
Litany comes under consideration,
that work, the Author begs to assure him, that he had not seen it, or
been aware of its details, till the sheet preceding the present had been
printed off; and till then he did not know that the peculiarities which
are alluded to in this note had been observed upon by any one besides
himself. They had been suggested to him solely by a collation of the
different choral usages of England and a reference to the ancient
Breviaries and Musical Treatises. Such undesigned coincidences,
however, are often valuable; and he trusts that so it may prove in
the present instance.
364
SECTION LII.
OF THE COLLECTS AT MORNING PRAYER.
ر
9 Then shall follow three Collects; the first of the Day, which shall be
the same that is appointed at the Communion : the second for Peace;
the third for Grace to live well. And the two last Collects shall
never alter, but daily to be said at Morning Prayer throughout all
the Year, as followeth; all kneeling.
MUCH difference of opinion exists as to the meaning of
the word Collect, for which Wheatly and other autho-
rities may be consulted. The opinion of Walafridus
Strabo, quoted by Wheatly, seems the most reasonable,
namely, that it means the collection of the petitions into
one comprehensive form : “Sacerdos omnium petitiones
compendiosâ brevitate colligit.” This is confirmed by Dr.
Bisse's judgment, on all occasions so admirable: who says
that it is so called, because the Priest collects into one
prayer the petitions which were anciently divided between
him and the people by Versicles and Responsals. The
whole passage which follows, as to the superiority of
these compendious forms over the long tedious prayers
used in other communities, and in which modern com-
pilers are wont to indulge, is worthy of deep attention.
The word Collect somewhat resembles the term
ouvant), used in the Oriental Liturgies, and which signi-
fies a connection. It does not, however, mean precisely
the same thing as our Collect, since the synaptè is the
continuous supplication of the Deacon, at intervals of
which the Kyrie - Eleison of the people is repeated,
resembling our Litany. The ouvantkaborun, or general
OF THE COLLECTS AT MORNING PRAYER.
365
prayer, corresponds to the prayer for the Church Militant
and Prayer of Consecration in our Communion Service.
Still the idea is the same: a connected prayer, as con-
tradistinguished from ejaculation, or versicles.
The place of the Collects in the ancient Breviary
somewhat resembles that in ours. Thus the Collect for
the day at Lauds, during Lent, &c., followed the Versi-
cles: and the Collect at Prime, the same as our third at
Morning Prayer, occurred in the same place.
In this, as in all other respects, our Matin Service
observes a most harmonious proportion. Thus these
Collects balance, as it were, the versicular petitions which
preceded, and give a variety to the Service, sufficient to
keep up the attention, and to bring out in due relief the
different modes of devotion. The Collects preceding
the Anthem are respective of the Church at large;
those which follow it, of the various degrees and
orders of men within the Church. But all this beau-
tiful order is marred by the common indiscriminating
method of performing the service, as will be presently
observed more in detail.
The rhythm of our Collects is a matter of admiration
to all who understand our language. A careful com-
parison of the various revisions of the Prayer Book will
shew that this has been much improved by the suc-
cessive additions and alterations. The rhythm is,
however, largely influenced by the sentiment, and is
in exact harmony with it, as is ever the case in sacred
composition. The Collects are all constructed upon
one uniform rule; consisting of three parts: the first
being the commemoration of some special attribute
of God: the second, a prayer for the exercise of
that attribute in some special blessing : the third for
366
OF THE COLLECTS AT MORNING PRAYER.
the beneficial and permanent consequences of that
blessing. The punctuation of the Prayer Book most
accurately brings out the meaning of the Collects;
and it is much to be desired that it was diligently
observed in chanting: the too common practice being
to slur over the prayers, as if there was not a single
point throughout. The apodosis of the sentence is
always begun by a capital letter, which seems an inti-
mation to the reader to mark its commencement by a
slight swelling of the voice. The want of the observance
of some such rules has detracted immeasurably from the
due effect of the Choral Service.
The Collects are uniformly chanted upon one note
throughout. In Marbeck, the notation is distinctly
assigned to them. Dr. Bisse remarks, that “at the
close of each prayer a certain moderate inflexion or
change of voice, upon that constant close, through
Jesus Christ our Lord,' or the like,” was commonly
made. Though its use may have formerly been tra-
ditional in Choirs, this is not now the custom; nor have
we any trace of it in Marbeck, or the ancient Choral
authorities. It is used, however, occasionally in the
Breviary upon the words, “Dominum nostrum ;” and
occurs, as will hereafter be observed, in the Litany.
The Latin Prayers, used at the Graces at New College,
retain it.
The Amen is frequently sung upon a cadence closing
on the sharp seventh. This is not found in Marbeck :
and though a most appropriate and solemn conclusion,
is to be considered as an improvement of later times:
this cadence not having been in use in the ancient
Breviaries. Tallis has harmonized the Amen, in a dif-
ferent manner for each Collect, the effect of which is
most sublime and devotional.
OF THE COLLECTS AT MORNING PRAYER.
367
With the third Collect the Matins ended, according
to the letter of the Prayer Book, till the last Review.
But it is the opinion of our Ritualists that the practice
was then as now, to read, except on Litany days, the
concluding prayers for the King, &c., as they now
stand; and that the Reviewers, in this instance, as in
many others, confirmed the practice of the Church by
specific Rubrics.
368
SECTION LIII.
OF THE ANTHEM.
In Quires and Places where they sing, here followeth the Anthem.
The word Anthem is a corruption of the ancient word
Antiphona, which was a term of very extensive use.
It meant originally any thing sung antiphonally: but
gradually its use became restricted to those responsories
made by the Choir or people, at the conclusion of the
Psalms or Lessons, or at intervals of the Service. In
the Greek Church, as before remarked, it was more
particularly applied to one of the Alleluia Psalms, sung
at the conclusion of those of the day. In the Breviary,
it has several significations. It is ordinarily applied to a
short sentence, generally from Scripture, sung before
and after one or more of the Psalms for the day; which
custom seems to be derived, as before remarked, from
the burthens and Alleluias of frequent occurrence in
the Psalms. The same name is given to the prayers
or ejaculations in the Commemoration used at the end
of the various Services; and also to the metrical
Hymns used at the end of Compline, and other offices.
The Anthem being generally a text from Scripture,
the term is sometimes, in old records, applied to the
texts of sermons!.
* In STRYPE's Annals of the Reformation, vol. i. chap. ix., in 1559,
Bishop Scory's text for his serinon at St. Paul's Cross, is called his
Anthem.
OF THE ANTHEM.
369
In the First Book of King Edward, the word occurs
in the following instances: 1. the Hymn for Easter Day:
2. the Sentence, “Remember not,” &c., in the Visitation
of the Sick: 3. the Sentence, “O Saviour of the world,"
in the same Service: and, “Turn thou us, good Lord,”
&c., in the Commination Service.
In our present Prayer Book, it occurs only in the
notice of the Easter Day Hymn, sung instead of the
Venite, (where the Venite is likewise so called by impli-
cation,) in the present Rubric, and in the corresponding
one at Evening Service.
According to the use of the Church of England, the
word Anthem, as employed in this place, means a text
or passage from Scripture, or from the Liturgy, or a
metrical Hymn, set to ornate music, not after the manner
of a Chant, but to varied melodies; the choice of the
words being left to the discretion of those in authority in
the various Choirs.
The place of its performance seems suggested by that
which the Antiphons occupy in Commemorations, and
concluding parts of the Service of the Breviary already
mentioned. It was usually performed in a similar place
before the Reformation, and we have distinct notice of its
being used after the Reformation in the place now
assigned to it, (that is, at the end of the Service, or after
the third Collect,) in the Queen's Chapel and else-
where: besides traditional statements that this was cus-
tomary. Anthems have been composed, ever since the
Reformation, by all the Church musicians, as stated parts
of the Choral Service.
Strype, Annals of Reform. vol. i. c. 16. Also vol. iii., Appendix
to book i., No. 62,
2 B
370
OF THE ANTHEM.
The Anthem, according to present custom, is usually
taken from Scripture or the Liturgy. This has always
been most usual, as it is most regular. Still we have
several instances in old times of metrical composition
being so entitled, and used. This was the case, as before
remarked, with the Antiphons sung at Compline in the
Breviary. There are metrical Anthems still in use in
our Choirs. One by Henry VIIIth. (as is commonly sup-
posed,) “O Lord, the Maker of all things,” the transla-
tion of an ancient Hymn: that sublime Anthem of Tallis,
“I call and cry,” &c. In 1585', a metrical Hymn, styled
an Anthem in two parts, was composed for the 17th day
of November, and sung after a prayer of thanksgiving
used on that day. The same record which gives this
information, adds an Anthem, or metrical prayer for the
preservation of the Church, to be sung after Evening
Prayer at all times. At the Consecration of the Bishops
in St. Patrick's Cathedral, after the Restoration, a metrical
Hymn, called an Anthem”, was sung. And at the pre-
sent day the use of metrical Hymns is occasionally
allowed; though, it must be acknowledged, this is an
exception to that which is very properly the general
practice.
These remarks have been made for the purpose of
shewing that the metrical Psalms commonly used in
parish Churches may properly be considered in those
places as Anthems, and ought to be performed after the
third Collect. But even supposing this Rubric not obli-
gatory in parish Churches, where there is singing, still
i Vide the passage of STRYPE just referred to, vol. iii., Appendix
to book i. No. 62.
2 Vide Mason's Hibernia.
OF THE ANTHEM.
371
propriety, and the rationale of the Liturgy, ought to
recommend its adoption. That Psalmody ought not to
precede the morning or evening Service has been already
shewn; and the structure of the Service shews that
before the Litany at least its use is most proper, as dividing
the two offices. In this opinion I am fortified by Dr.
Bisse. “ Since the singing Psalms are only permitted
in our Church, this seems the most proper place for
singing a Psalm, rather than after the second Lesson?:
and thus I have known it practised in some Parishes;
and it were to be wished it were done so in all, especially
where they so far resemble Quires, as to have Organs.
By singing it where the Anthem is appointed, you con-
form to the appointment of the Church, and to the
practice of Cathedral Churches: and moreover do honour
to the singing Psalms themselves, by making them as
Anthems, as they may not improperly be accounted, and
to come in as such; for hereby you give them the same
establishment as Anthems, which if sung elsewhere, is
only by connivance.” He adds, “ The Church thinking
this the most proper place for it, where there is a sort
of division in the Service. For the foregoing Collects
respect ourselves: those following respect others: the
former are petitions; the following, intercessions.”
To these excellent observations little need be added.
But unfortunately it is necessary here to reprehend the
contravention of this Rubric, in the great majority
of Choirs, where, on Litany days at least, the Anthem
is altogether omitted, (as at St. Paul's and Westminster,)
or is postponed till after the Sermon, as at Christ Church,
Dublin, Wells Cathedral, and the Chapel Royal. This
ور
This absurd practice is now, I believe, universally disused.
2 B 2
372
OF THE ANTHEM.
Rubric is more stringent than any with respect to
Choral performances: and in Choirs, the Anthem is a part
of the Liturgy; so that it would be less irregular to omit
even the chanting of the Psalms, than this prescribed part
of the Service. But this unauthorized omission not only
mars the effect of the Liturgy, by running into one, two
Services, which are distinct, or two parts of the Service,
which have a different character, but also causes great
practical inconvenience to the Congregation.
Many complain of the great weariness occasioned
by the length of time they are obliged to kneel, from
the prayers after the Creed, to the end of the Litany
inclusive: a complaint which in the case of the infirm
and delicate, is not without foundation. For this, how-
ever, the Liturgy is not to blame, but those who set
at nought its provisions. If the Anthem were inter-
posed, the desired relief of posture would be afforded:
a relief in which the mind would also participate.
But in truth, all has been done that was possible, by
the oscitancy and dulness of modern innovation, to
defeat the provisions of the Liturgy. In every respect
monotony and a stupid sameness has been the rule
of modern arrangements: whereas the genius of the
Church has obviously been variety, visible not only in
her traditional observances, but in the letter of the
Prayer Book. Though ancient practice recommends, and
the Rubrics suggest a distribution of the various parts
of the Morning and Evening Service among the Minis-
ters, the present degenerate custom, even in some
Choirs, assigns them all to one, though many Priests
may be present. The same is observable as to the place
and posture.
Instead of the lateral desk for prayers,
the Lectern for the Lessons, and the Faldstood for the
OF THE ANTHEM.
373
Litany, the rule of monotony is carried out by the sub-
stitution of a great reading pulpit, generally turned to
the people, against all ancient precedent. And although
the posture of the Priest perpetually varies, at short
intervals, throughout the Service, the structure of these
hideous pulpits defeats as far as possible the rubrics:
so that to the congregation it is hardly perceptible
whether he stands or kneels. And the omission of the
Anthem promotes still further the design of making the
Service appear to be one long continuous prayer, or
rather, lesson. It is well that the Responses are still
permitted to be made, and that any variety or change
of voice whatever is allowed.
It may be objected that the Anthem in the Sunday
Morning Prayer must inordinately lengthen the Service.
This would not be, were such interpolations omitted
as the Psalm before the beginning of the Service, and
after the Nicene Creed, or the Voluntary. In Christ
Church, Dublin, and in the Chapel Royal, long Verse
Anthems are sung after the Sermon. Now, if instead of
this irregular practice, a short Full Anthem, which need
not take more than two or three minutes in performance,
were sung, the Service would be abbreviated, not length-
ened: and then, (which is an important consideration,)
time would be given for the singing of those Sacramental
Hymns, the Sanctus and Gloria in Excelsis, which are
now but rarely performed as they ought to be. In the
Cathedrals of Durham and Canterbury the Anthem is
performed in this place: and on Litany days a very short
one, of a penitential character, is chosen, which thus
forms a fitting introduction to the deep supplication
which follows. It were well if every Choir would follow
these examples.
374
OF THE ANTHEM.
1
In St. Patrick's Cathedral the place of the Anthem has
been frequently shifted within the author's recollection;
but it has seldom been sung in the right place. At one
time it was performed just before the Benediction, and
lately after the Sermon, where perbaps it is still. The
reason assigned for its postponement, is the desire to
prevent the Congregation from leaving the Church
before the Service is concluded. This reason is in itself
altogether inadmissible; besides, it would be quite within
the power of the Chapter to obviate the careless behaviour
too visible in that Church, by stringent regulations, which
indeed they have of late in part adopted.
While speaking of St. Patrick's, it may be well to
observe upon a custom that formerly existed in that and
in the sister Cathedral, of placing the verse singers of
the Anthem in the Organ Loft. This custom has been
reformed there, but it still obtains in the Chapel Royal.
It was most indecent, not only as operatic in appearance,
and contrary to all the proprieties of the Choral system,
but as making an interruption in the Service: since the
singers left their places after the Creed to move up to
Organ Loft, being generally absent in the evening, during
the Preces, and in the morning, during the Sermon. In
consequence the Responses were sung in a most meagre
manner; being delegated to secondary singers and boys.
The choice of the Anthem is discretionary with the
rulers of the Choirs. Ancient authorities shew that an
analogous discretion was frequently used by the Bishop
or principal Minister in the Eastern and Western
Churches'. It is very much to be desired, however, that
in our Choirs some more consistent rule were generally
| ATIANAS. Apol. xxvii. 17. S. AUGUSTIN. Pref. in. Ps.3.1. Both
cited by Bingham.
OF THE ANTHEM.
375
adopted as to their selection than is now to be found.
In most of them, it is true, there is a weekly table of
Services and Anthems appointed by the Precentor, under
the correction of the Dean and Canons in residence.
This order is, however, frequently interrupted by the
solicitations of amateurs or others, who desire some
favourite Anthem, however inappropriate to the season,
or inconsistent with the tenor of the Service of the
day. It ought to be a fixed rule in all Choirs, that
the Service-table for the week should never be altered,
on any pretence whatever, and to this regulation the
Capitular Members should bind themselves. Few things
are more calculated to discourage a zealous Precentor,
or Choirmaster, than such an interruption of an arrange-
ment, towards the due accomplishment of which consider-
able pains may have been taken during the week. But
the choice of the Anthem ought to be a matter of
deliberate and religious study. Since it is a prescribed
part of the Service, every notion of ecclesiastical pro-
priety dictates that it should harmonize with some
portion of the Service of the day, the Lessons, or the
Collect, or the Psalms, or the Epistle or Gospel. At
each of the particular seasons of the year, as Lent,
Advent, the Octaves of the great Festivals, and indeed
the whole season from Easter to Trinity Sunday inclu-
sive, it would be well to have in every Cathedral a fixed
Canon as to the Anthems from which a selection should
invariably be made: and perhaps on the greater Festivals
the particular Anthem should be designated. Though
the music might vary, still the words of the Anthem
ought to be unchangeable. For instance, during all the
days of Easter week, the words of the Anthem might
appropriately be limited to the passage from the six-
376
OF THE ANTHEM.
teenth Psalm, “I have set God always before me, ”
latitude of choice being given between the music of
Blake, or (which is much preferable,) of Goldwin. A
rule like this is indeed adopted in some Choirs, where at
the Festivals of Easter and Christmas, the same selec-
tions are uniformly made from the Messiah of Handel :
and I must express an earnest hope, that this practice
may never cease; for if human art was ever inspired,
it was so in those sublime passages, now identified with
the Choral worship of England, to which millions of
religious hearts have responded.
In this respect the system of the Breviary is in some
respects worthy of notice. For instance, during the
nine days preceding Christmas Day, there is a fixed
series of Anthems sung at the evening commemorations,
one for each day: that sung on the 16th of December
beginning, “O Sapientia;” (the record of which is pre-
served in our Calendar.) Each of these is a pious
sentiment or ejaculation appropriate to the season. I
am far from recommending an exact adoption of this
practice: but the principle is beautiful: and if the rulers
of our Cathedrals would select the Scriptural words
which were to be invariably sung at certain seasons, the
choice of the music (for which there are ample means
of selection among our Church composers,) might be
left to the Precentor.
When the Psalms, Lessons, or Musical Services of
the day are long, the Anthem ought to be short, and
vice versâ; at least at evening service. But on the morn-
ings of Sundays and Litany days, full and very short
Anthems ought alone to be used. The exquisite Anthems
of Bird and Farrant, of a penitential, but not lugubrious
character, are admirably suited to this purpose.
OF THE ANTHEM.
377
The terms Full and Verse Anthems will be understood
by what has been already said of the Services. The Full
Anthems, however, are divided into two kinds: those
properly so called, which consist of chorus alone, and the
Full Anthem with verses: these verses, however, which
form a very subordinate part of the compositions, do not
consist of solos or duets, but for the most part of four
parts, to be sung by one side of the Choir. In the
Verse Anthems the solos, duets, and trios have the
prominent place: and in some the chorus is a mere
introduction or finale. This is certainly the case in many
of those by Greene. The style of the modern Verse
Anthem did not become general in England till the time
of the Restoration; though there are several by Gibbons
of this character. In most Choirs, the Verse Anthems
are so systematically preferred to the Full, that the latter
are seldom or never heard at those times when the Choir
attends in greatest numbers, as on Sunday mornings or
evenings. The consequence of this rule is, that there
never is choral strength sufficient to perform compo-
sitions like that matchless one of Tallis, “I call and
cry,” or like the “Hosanna,” and “God is gone up,” of
Gibbons: compositions for which it would be in vain to
seek for an equal, much less for a superior, among the
works of the ablest continental writers. The avowed
object is, to show off the individual voices of the Choir:
and to such an extent has this principle been carried,
that in many places where the solo singing is admirable,
the choruses and full verses are wanting altogether in
precision and scientific effect.
I am far, however, from desiring to exclude the
Verse Anthems from our Service. On the contrary, I am
persuaded, that the more discriminating expression which
378
OF THE ANTHEM.
those of the best composers contain, is a feature well
befitting the service of God; and that it was from the
progress of taste, which is a plant of slow growth, not
from the encroachments of a secular spirit, that the graces
unknown to the more ancient music of Europe, were
adopted into the Church. The more ancient Anthems,
just like the more ancient secular songs, expressed
general, not individual feelings and sentiments: but with
the progress of real civilization, and of intellectual dis-
crimination, it was more clearly discovered, how the
songs of Holy Scripture appeal in a twofold manner to
the hearts and understandings of men: in the aggregate,
as to the body of Christ's Church militant; and in par-
ticular, as to those constituent members, who commune
with their own hearts, who muse and meditate on all
God's works, and make it their pleasure to seek them out.
And nothing can dissuade me from the notion, that many
of the Psalms of David' were, at least during the life of
their inspired composer, often sung after the manner
of our Verse Anthems; that there was the alternation
of solo, verse, and chorus; the internal structure of the
Psalms themselves, and the names of the instruments
employed for their accompaniment, suggesting this idea.
The improvement in our Church music in times subse-
quent to the Restoration, (for I do not hesitate to call
the general system an improvement,) was the instinctive
recurrence to a mode of performance which the nature
of the subject suggested to inspired genius, and to
1 I would here be understood as distinguishing the Psalms of
David properly so called, from the others in the Psalter, which the
traditions of the Church, supported, or probably suggested by internal
evidence, would lead us to believe are anterior or subsequent to his
time.
OF THE ANTHEM.
379
which the devotional feelings of thousands, who have
been endued with the truest Catholic feelings, and the
most religious taste, have cordially responded. This is
said from a conviction of its truth : from a persuasion
grounded on a very careful experience, that these later
compositions of the Church, against which contemptuous
cavils are made by many who justly, but too exclusively,
reverence the more ancient strains, have materially pro-
moted and matured the devotions, nay have been auxi-
liary to the Catholic feelings of some of the Church's
most eminent and holy children. Of course upon topics
like this, there must be wide differences of opinion.
But I protest against the notion that these differences
are to be made the measure of genuine devotional
feeling. They are mere matters of taste. In the de-
partment of Sacred Music, Wisdom is justified of all
her children: whether the taste of some be for severe
simplicity, or of others be for a more expressive and dis-
cursive melody, it is the part of comprehensive charity,
nay of that reverence which acknowledges the Providence
of God as watching over our Ritual, to allow that there
is a just toleration by the Church of England of styles
as different as those of the Psalms which her Anthems
illustrate: and no careful reader of the Psalter, no one
who does not regard scriptural criticism as a sin, can
have failed to observe the marked and wide differences
between the various Psalms, requiring, for just musical
illustration, melodies and harmonies of styles diametri-
cally opposite.
But this discussion cannot be pursued further in a
work like the present. Indeed it is with hesitation I
venture to make any of these passing criticisms on
music which the nature of my subject seems in some
380
OF THE ANTHEM.
limited degree to demand : as I feel that these are but
the opinions of an individual, who on his part does not
acknowledge the existence of any infallible standard of
taste, or the definition of any period to which the
style of our Church Music ought to be conformed. But
I felt it a duty to enter a protest against those unme-
rited censures upon our more modern Church Music
which have of late been dogmatically put forth by some,
whose standard after all must be referred to the mere
dictates of private opinion.
To return to our subject. Though Verse Anthems
are not to be excluded, yet the ancient full ones ought to
claim at least an equal share of attention as well on the
Sundays as on the week days. Now from the observations
which have just been made upon the diversified character
of the Psalms, it may justly be deduced, that the Anthem
may serve a twofold purpose; one being, like the 100th
Psalm, a more general, the other, like the 119th, a more
individual expression of devotion: and to the former a
fair proportion ought to be allowed. Besides, whatever
may be said in favour of the Verse Anthems, there must
be few indeed who can deny that, for majesty and subli-
mity, none of the more modern schools have come near
those elder masters already named, with whom some
of their contemporaries may be worthily associated.
The Anthem, of whichever species, ought to be re-
garded either as a prayer, a thanksgiving, or a meditation:
not as a narrative or a dialogue. The latter incorrect
notion has often led to the substitution of a composition
of the nature of an Oratorio for the genuine Anthem.
As an instance, the words of the Epistle for Monday in
Easter week, “Who is this that cometh from Edom?"
have been so adopted. The same may be said of extracts
OF THE ANTHEM.
381
from several of Handel's Oratorios; for example, “The
Lord is a Man of War," from his Israel in Egypt: which
can only by a circuitous kind of inference, be esteemed
a song of praise, suited to the service of the Church.
In this remark, however, I would not include the songs
and choruses from the Messiah usually sung in our
Choirs: though such a passage as “He trusted in God”
would be justly liable to the censure now expressed.
Kent's Anthem of “ When the Son of man shall come
in his glory,” which resembles in its idea one of the
chanted Gospels as performed in the Roman Churches
during Passion Week, is open to the same objection.
There seems something very offensive, if not profane,
in making a solo of the words of our Blessed Lord,
which are responded to by the Choir, so as to convert
this passage of Scripture into a religious drama.
Collects have frequently been set to music, and used
as Anthems. To this there is no abstract objection. .
Still as the Collects of the Church precede and follow
this part of the Service, it would seem most in accord-
ance with the spirit of our Prayer Book to vary the
character of that which is interposed. If it be a prayer,
one of David's prayers in the Psalms, or one chosen from
another part of the Liturgy would be most appropriate.
It is obvious that Metrical Anthems had better be
avoided. The very words of Holy Writ, or of the offices of
the Church, are of course immeasurably superior to those
of any rhyming composition of modern times; which,
even in former ages of our Church, before the scriptural
translations had been definitively settled, were but seldom
admitted, and which, in later times, have formed a very
rare exception indeed to the general rule of confining the
Cathedral Anthems to the words of our authorized trans-
382
OF THE ANTHEM.
lations and ritual. There can be no excuse, however, for
a custom prevalent in some Cathedrals, of singing a
metrical Psalm to a Psalm tune either in place of the
Anthem, or in an unauthorized place, as before Morning
or Evening Sermon. This custom never obtained in
the London or Dublin Choirs. At York, where we learn
from a contemporary writer', that it was an observance
peculiar to that Choir in the time of Charles Ist., it is
still kept up; but then, it must be observed, the Nicene
Creed is left unsung. At Canterbury, where it was
introduced but a few years since, it is now properly
disused.
Before we proceed to observe upon the singing in
parish Churches, a few remarks may be made upon the
principal composers of Anthems: the limits of this work
allowing but a cursory notice of a few.
Of some of the principal composers before the Rebel-
lion mention has already been made. Of those subsequent
to that time, the names most obvious to all who know
anything of Cathedral Music, are Blow and Purcell: two
masters, whom the hypercriticism of our day would desire
to banish altogether from our Choirs. Yet masters they
unquestionably are, and will continue to be so regarded,
long after the purism of the present hour, (a feature
ever incidental to the revival of anything intrinsically
good) has passed away. It is not to be denied that both
had their faults, grave in themselves, and exercising a
sinister influence upon their generation, and that which
followed. Thus Blow had his eccentricities in composition,
which, though some, like Dr. Burney, (a very superficial
critic of ecclesiastical composition,) have unjustly cen-
1
MACE.
OF THE ANTHEM.
383
sured as errors of ignorance or carelessness, are yet
daring licenses, hardly redeemed by the occasions which
suggested their adoption. Besides this, his taste is not
equal to his genius, so that in some passages, as in his
sublime Anthem, “I beheld and lo;" the effect is almost
ludicrous. Notwithstanding, I must be excused in
avowing a grateful admiration of the works of this com-
poser, as one who is eminently successful in lifting up
the heart, and in bringing all heaven before our eyes.
Purcell, unfortunately for himself, lived in a dissipated
and secular age, and was induced to lend the aid of his
unquestionable genius, to which Handel bore the highest
testimony, to the debasing service of the theatre. By
this unworthy association his sacred compositions have
been evidently tainted; yet not so as to destroy, as has
been unjustly asserted, their religious character. It
may be a question, indeed, in his case, as in Handel's,
whether in many instances, he did not rather bring to
the theatre strains fitted for the Church, than lower the
music of the Church to a secular standard. After making
every deduction for the admission of meretricious orna-
ments, exaggerated divisions, and abrupt intervals, the
end of which is evidently effect, still an unbiassed judg-
ment must admit that his Anthems are of a character far
superior in elevation and gravity to his songs; and that
neither in his case, nor in that of the subsequent com-
posers of eminence, presently to be mentioned, was the
music of the theatre and the Church identified, as it has
been by modern continental composers. His great fault
(apart from his secularity) is mannerism; and in this he
has found a host of imitators, among them especially an
author of great merit, Weldon; and some of these have
done nothing more than copy his faults. There are two
384
OF THE ANTHEM.
Anthems of his which I would especially notice with
commendation. The one is, “O give thanks,” for the
sake of its counter-tenor solo, “That I may see the
felicity,” and of its sublime closing chorus, “Blessed be
the Lord God of Israel."
Its commencing chorus is,
however, too light and puerile, and full of his worst
faults. The other is, “I was glad when they said unto
me,” which throughout is of a character eminently
religious, with a due intermixture of chastened hilarity
and gravity.
Dean Aldrich was not the founder of any school of
music, and was himself rather a disciple than a master;
but as a correct and judicious, and truly learned harmo-
nist, he was not excelled by any of his English contem-
poraries. His chief merit, however, consists in his
Services. He deserves the high praise of having revived
in England, or rather having endeavoured to revive, the
study of Palestrina. It is unfortunate, however, that
either his own judgment, or a diffidence of the taste of
his day, induced him to give but mutilated adaptations
of the Motets of that illustrious composer. It is much
to be wished that the influence of the Motet Society,
lately established in London, might induce a larger
adoption of the works of Palestrina in our Shoirs, not
however to the exclusion of our own composers. To this
end, a skilful adaptation of his music to English words,
and to good English, a matter of no small difficulty, is
essential. The effect of foreign adaptations is continu-
ally marred by the awkward collocation of unsuitable
words; so that sound and sense, or at least musical
expression and sentiment, are dissociated.
Belonging to this age, when Dignitaries were found
mindful of their peculiar duties, was another clerical
OF THE ANTHEM.
385
composer, also the capitular member of a Cathedral, Dr.
Creyghton, the Precentor of Wells. He was the author
of that celebrated Full Anthem, “I will arise and go
to my Father.” Of his works, there are but few pub-
lished remains. But his compositions, in use in our
Choirs, are of the best ecclesiastical style of the age'.
The works of Wise and Jeremiah Clark, though
possessing characteristic differences, are both remark-
able for a deeply elegiac and plaintive strain. Those
of the latter are exclusively so. Wise had the more
comprehensive genius; Clark, the greater delicacy of
feeling, which unhappily was carried to such a morbid
excess, as to occasion a derangement of intellect, the
cause of his death. But the depth of his meditative
devotion in his saner moments, cannot be doubted by
those who have studied his inimitable Anthem, “I will
love thee, O Lord;" than which none in the English
language brings into more expressive relief the skilful
contrasts of divine poetry, whether we regard the verse,
the chorus, or the symphony.
The Author must avow
his deliberate conviction, that no commentary which he
has ever read, has to him so brought out or illustrated
the meaning of that wonderful Psalm as this composition.
Nor can he doubt that the good Providence of God has
often exercised an influence even over composers of a
secular mind, (among whom, however, the one now
Since this work was put to press, the Author has seen the first
number of Mr. RIMBAULT's Cathedral Music, a work of great value,
and it is to be huped, of great future utility. In this, some of Creygh-
ton's music is published; and there is, besides, the exhibition for
the first time of the compositions of one of our earlier masters, Tye,
an undertaking which was represented in a foregoing page as a
desideratum.
2 C
386
OF THE ANTHEM.
mentioned is not included) when engaged in the service
of his sanctuary; so that when present in the assembly
of the faithful, Saul is often to be found among the
prophets.
Two composers of somewhat later date, Croft and
Greene, are often classed together. Their works have
many characteristic resemblances, and their popularity
has generally been coincident. But their specific differ-
ences are great. Croft has greater genius, vigour, and
majesty; but has less taste, and is inferior in expression.
His symphonies (in which some consider him to have
indulged too freely) are bold and masterly; and in his
fugues and choruses he shows a strength and elasticity,
that require only the tempering of gravity, in which he
is perhaps often deficient, to equal the ablest produc-
tions of ancient times. But it is a common, thoughi
great misapprehension, to value him chiefly for his Verse
Anthems. There are some of his full ones far superior, and
well worthy of more prominent exhibition in our Choirs.
And whatever objection may be made to the levity of
the former (an objection in which, with some particular
exceptions, I cannot join) the character of true choral
solemnity cannot be justly denied to the latter'.
Greene was a man of more secular habits, which
evidently influenced his compositions. He avowedly
resorted to the operas and secular concerts of foreign
music " for improvement.” In consequence, his natural
abilities were considerably enervated and enfeebled by the
· Dr. Burney seems to have been strangely ignorant of Croft. How
anything but superficial knowledge could have induced his slighting
estimate of that exquisite Anthem, “Thou, O God, art praised in
Sion," I cannot imagine.
OF THE ANTHEM.
387
cultivation of that abominable exotic, the Italian opera,
the encouragement of which is, on many most serious
grounds, a disgrace to the English nation. But allowing
for all his defects, his solos and duets are in general most
accurate in their appropriate expression. To instance no
others, the opening of his Anthem, “ O Lord, give ear
unto my prayer,” breathes the very language of the most
earnest and heartfelt supplication. In general, his
choruses are altogether subordinate to his verses, whiclı
is a great and serious fault, and has subsequently found
numerous imitators: but at times they are composed
with true vigour and scientific skill, a merit too seldom
accorded to him.
But unhappily with Greene seems to have set in a
host of composers, most of them of small and ephemeral
fame, of secular minds and habits: and the study and
composition of sacred music was largely abandoned by
the clerical members of Choirs. To this, indeed, laud-
able exceptions have occurred, as in the well-known
instances of Dr. Blake, Prebendary of Salisbury, and
Mason, the celebrated Poet, Precentor of York. Blake
was the author of that well known Anthem, “I have
set God always before me:” a composition not indeed of
the highest order, yet full of gravity and sweetness, and
eminently harmonizing with calm and hopeful medita-
tion. Mason was laudably diligent in the discharge of
his office. But his views of Church music were narrow
and confined; nor was his knowledge of the subject, if
we may judge from his published Essay, of great extent.
He did great disservice to the cause of Choral music by
his undue depreciation of elaborate harmony; and, as
appears from his well known full Anthems, would have
lowered the. Choral system to a parochial standard. At
2 C2
388
OF THE ANTHEM.
the same time, he brought a true religious feeling to the
duties of his office; and in this respect we must believe
that his influence was salutary, in an age when the
Ritual of the Church was looked upon, even by her
highest dignitaries, with an apathy, which to those of our
generation must appear marvellous,
One of the most noted composers of the last century
was Kent: a man of limited talents, and no originality,
who in fact avowed himself to be an imitator of Croft.
There are indeed prettinesses in his works, and some
passages, which if they were not obvious plagiarisms, would
deserve commendation. But both his Services and
Anthems are in general shewy and flimsy, very much
depending for their effect upon the reed stops of the
organ, and clear and flexible voices. There is an Anthem
of his, admired beyond its merits,
« Hear my prayer,"
which is far inferior to one of Stroud's to the same words,
but little known to most amateurs of music. The Chorus
of this Anthem of Kent's is very poor, and a mere finale.
He has now nearly sunk to his proper level in the esti-
mation of musicians.
I must pass over names of a later date, such as
Ebdon, Jackson, and Nares, with a very brief notice.
The former was but a feeble composer. There is much
grace and beauty in some of his Services, but they have
nothing whatever of the grave character of the older music.
Jackson, so eminent as a secular musician, is very vicious
in his ecclesiastical style. A frightful Service of bis,
which aims at simplicity, but in the attempt has failed
in both harmony and melody, is a great favourite in the
midland counties, where I have heard it performed by
charity children at full scream. I regret to say, that at
the Cathedral of Lichfield, where the Choral perform-
OF THE ANTHEM.
389
ances are usually most exemplary, and at all times con-
ducted with edifying decorum, this Service was or is in
frequent use.
There is another Service of his which errs
in the contrary extreme, but in equally bad taste.
Dr. Boyce did much to redeem the low musical
character of his generation. Indeed there is not one
composition of this admirable composer and excellent
man, but is worthy of the highest praise. They are all
dictated by the best ecclesiastical instinct; the gravity
of ancient times being tempered by the due expression
of a later age. Of his Anthems, the space will allow
me to mention but two, each admirable in their several
styles, which are quite distinct; namely, “By the waters
of Babylon,” constructed with masterly science in the
chorus, and the tenderness of an exquisite taste in the
verses; and “Where shall wisdom be found ?” perhaps
one of the simplest and most judicious Full Anthems in
our language.
The Anthems of Battishill possess great merit, though
not of the highest, order. Had the author lived, it is
supposed he would have arrived to considerable eminence,
of which indeed his works gave great promise. Though
wanting in the elevation of ancient times, they were for
the most part free from the meretricious taste, on the one
hand, and from the coldness on the other, which charac-
terized the two classes of sacred composers of his age.
With this brief review, my remarks on the English
composers of Anthems must conclude. I am perfectly
aware that many names, worthy of note and of reprehen-
sion, are omitted: but in a work of this kind it was
impossible to do more than to seize upon a few of the
salient points which present themselves to the notice of
the musical ritualist. From criticism on foreign com-
390
OF THE ANTHEM.
posers of Motets I have purposely abstained, except where
their incidental mention was necessarily interwoven
with my design. But it is now in place to make a few
remarks on three names of note, whose works have
been introduced into our Choral Service. The first is
Marcello: one of the best and most honourable names
which is to be found among the records of Christian
gentlemen. He was a noble Venetian, who successfully
served his country for many years in her councils and
tribunals, and who alternated the active duties of his
station with works of charity and religious exercises; the
fruits of his pious leisure being those fifty Psalms, which
have become the delight of Western Christendom. These
are remarkable for their exquisite evenness, melody, and
pathos: the modulation and expression are faultless:
but they rarely rise to sublimity, or even grandeur, and
being mostly written in triple time, have a somewhat
monotonous mannerism. They are better adapted for
the chamber than the Church, and indeed from the very
system of their structure, being in fact arrangements of
entire Psalms in metre, and therefore for the most part
very lengthy, are ill suited for Anthems. They have
been translated into English, and some are occasionally
used in our Choirs. But there are perhaps no composi-
tions which lose more by transplantation into a foreign
language. The translation, at best, must be awkward:
and Marcello's Melodies are peculiarly adapted to the soft
flow of the Italian language, and to the version which
was written by a friend, for the express purpose of being
set to music by this composer.
The next foreign name is Mozart. Whatever merit
there may be in his music, and this is of a high order
indeed, the same objection applies with respect to the
OF THE ANTHEM.
391
awkwardness of transplantation into English, as the
notice of Marcello has suggested. His sacred music is
peculiarly adapted to the Latin language. Besides this,
however, it is a style neither ecclesiastical nor English.
It is the genuine offspring of the Opera, though trained
by a hand of greater strength and originality than is to
be found in the modern Italian schools, and deeply
versed in the most hidden resources of an exquisite
melody. But there is an exaggerated expression of
sentiment, foreign to our national character, and incon-
sistent with its manly strength; and there are graces
which not the most latitudinarian critic can deny owe
their origin to a secular source.
If, however, this be true of Mozart, it is much more
applicable to a composer of more glittering and lively
talents, but of far inferior ability, I mean Haydn. The
influence this showy composer has exercised on our
religious music would probably have been more injurious,
but for the strong mastery which the genius of Handel
retained (and may it ever retain !) over the English
mind. His famous “Creation” is from beginning to end
a dazzling succession of surprises, and gaudy phantasms,
which excite, but neither elevate nor inform the imagi-
nation. I do not deny its merits of originality, genius,
and fire; but its performance could never suggest to me
the music of the spheres, the singing of the morning
stars, the joyful shouting of the sons of God, or the hal-
lelujahs of the world to come. Those noisy Anthems
which have been selected from this work, have ever, to
my ear, (and I believe I speak the sentiments of many)
been singularly discordant with the Services of the
Church. Add to this, the ridiculous nonsense to which
they are adapted, by way of a translation, and which is
392
OF THE ANTHEM.
really a parody upon Scripture, not a paraphrase from it.
It is impossible to sing the words of the Creation to any
passage of our authorized translation without marring
the effect either of the words or the music.
Haydn has found many imitators. Among them
was one of considerable eminence in his day, Sir John
Stevenson, whose Anthems for a long time were of high
repute in one of our most celebrated Choirs, that of
Dublin. He was an avowed disciple of Haydn: yet
justice must be done him, in allowing that for the most
part he was far more ecclesiastical in his style. Had he
been trained in a better school, and had he trusted less
to his great facility in composition, Stevenson might have
earned high reputation. But unhappily in that Choir a
most secular taste long prevailed, from which, however,
by the laudable influence of many of its present members,
men of first-rate ability, it is now recovering, and it is
to be hoped, will eventually be rescued altogether. In
some of his verses there is real merit of a high order: as
an instance, in the opening of his Anthem, “ Lord, how
are they increased that trouble me," the exquisite
rhythm of the original is accurately exhibited, and
there is a purity of taste and simplicity preserved
throughout, till the Chorus, where Haydn appears in all
his noise and glitter. With all his faults, however, this
composer is far superior to many trashy and flimsy con-
temporaries, who have in England obtained a much wider
fame.
It now remains to observe upon Anthems in parish
Churches. As remarked in a former section, in those
places where popular Anthems are sung, the Rubric
positively enjoins their use, if used at all, after the third
Collect, not at the beginning or termination of the
OF THE ANTHEM.
393
Service. Where there is metrical Psalmody, this is the
place for it. On no point, however, does a greater
difference of practice and opinion exist, than upon the
selection of Psalms and Hymns. Some Churches use
the latter exclusively; some have a mixture of both;
while a large body of the Clergy hold, that Hymns are
altogether unlawful. Upon the expediency of any par-
ticular custom in this respect, it is easy to offer plausible
suggestions: but upon the real principle and right of the
question it is more difficult to speak. As to the right:
it is not very plain, how it can be asserted, that the use
of Hymns is unlawful. On the subject of Anthems, or
their substitutes, the Church has given no rule whatever:
nor has the practice of her Ministers established any
consistent principle. The use of the metrical version
of Sternhold and Hopkins has had as strong a stamp
of authority as can be claimed for any custom not rubri-
cally prescribed; the license of the Crown, the express
recommendation of some Bishops, and the tacit sanction
of the rest, ever since the Reformation. The more modern
version of Tate and Brady has also a strong claim of
prescription: but not nearly so strong as the older one;
since its first adoption was a mere permission from the
Crown, with the sanction of an individual Bishop; against
its use one eminent Prelate, Bishop Beveridge, strenu-
ously reclaimed, but unhappily without success; and it has
not been of universal adoption in the Church, many places
habitually using the version of Sternhold and Hopkins.
All this is generally conceded. But on the question of
Hymns there is not the same unanimity. However,
I must acknowledge I cannot see how they can be
objected to in the abstract. That the consent of the
Diocesan ought to be had in every matter for which there
+
394
OF THE ANTHEM.
is neither rubrical direction, nor prescriptive use unop-
posed to the Rubric or Prayer Book, is a principle which
every sound Churchman must acknowledge. So that to
introduce a Hymn that has not been universally adopted,
(and with the exception of the Veni Creator, perhaps none
such exists) is an act of presumption. But that it is
competent to the Diocesan to permit the use of Hymns,
can be inferred from the frequent use of metrical com-
positions from time to time, as before shewn, not only
in parish Churches, but in Choirs. It may be said that
there are some Hymns which have a prescriptive sanc-
tion: as Bishop Ken's Morning and Evening Hymns,
the Easter Hymn, “ Jesus Christ is risen to day,” the
Christmas Hymn, “When Shepherds watched their
flocks by night,” &c. These indeed are very generally
known; but their use or sanction has never been
universal. It might be well to obtain a sanction for
them in each individual diocese, from their deserved
popularity, and frequent reception; still they do not
stand on the same ground with the metrical Psalms.
By what authority they are printed with the latter I
am at a loss to discover. The same doubt applies to
those ridiculous rhyming parodies of the Creed, Lord's
Prayer, and Commandments, so truly worthy of the
Puritan Dean Whittingham, who superseded the use
of the Choral Service in his Cathedral of Durham by
monstrous impertinencies of this kind.
But after every due sanction has been carefully
obtained, one rule should be strictly observed, that of
using no Hymns but those of the kind now mentioned,
which are generally known. The use of any which are
distinctive of a religious party, (and there are many such,
some borrowed from the Dissenters) is carrying into the
OF THE ANTHEM.
395
Church a principle of dissent. It is also a contravention
of the spirit of the Prayer Book, which in the text of
the Liturgy abolished the uses of particular Cathedrals,
and established one uniform use. The selection of the
words should be from sources known to all. Otherwise
a stranger without a book, or unacquainted with the
usages of the particular congregation, cannot join either
audibly or mentally in that part of the service which
ought, like every other part, conduce to edification. I
know not a practice more essentially redolent of the
conventicle, than the notice drawled out by the Parish
Clerk in so many Churches, “Let us sing, &c., Hymn
57, page 24.” A notice which is a dead letter to the
ignorant; and which indeed announces in no unintelli-
gible manner, that of the matter about to be sung, the
Church has no knowledge or memory.
Before dismisssing the subject of Hymns, remarks
must be made upon one, (of no universal sanction or
use,) frequently sung on Communion Sundays: beginning
with, “My God, and is thy table spread.” I will make
no remarks upon the character of the Hymn itself. But
its use is obviously unsuited to non-communicants. True,
that the Church charitably supposes that all adults are
communicants : but how is it that children, who, from
the heinous system so generally popular, form for the
most part the Parochial Choir, can join in singing this
Hymn? their use of it is a profane mockery. The same
remark may be made of Hymns sung at Charity Sermons,
when sentiments are often put into the mouths of the
congregation in which the objects of the Charity alone
can properly join.
Of the two versions commonly used, as that of
Sternhold and Hopkins has the strongest sanction, so
396
OF THE ANTHEM.
does it possess the greatest intrinsic excellence. This
has been shewn so fully by Bishop Beveridge, in his
vindication of the old singing Psalms, that I shall con-
tent myself with referring to his Treatise, in which he
asserts the superior fidelity of that version, made as it
was from the Hebrew, above that of Brady and Tate,
(the latter a playwright,) which for the most part is a
feeble and mawkish paraphrase.
It is much to be lamented that this new version is
commonly bound up with the Prayer Book. If the later
version is so honoured, surely the earlier one ought to
share in the honour: but neither deserves so high an
association. This creates in the mind of the people a
notion, that the rhymes of our poetasters are equal in
authority with the Ritual of the Church: a notion which
has exercised an influence far from salutary. And this
abuse was tolerated, while some of the Services of the
Church itself (those of Consecration and Ordination) were
excluded from the popular editions. This defect is indeed
now remedied. It is to be hoped that the disjunction
of the rhymes from the Ritual may follow.
There is no desire connected with our Service more
universally expressed by all parties, than that for an au-
thoritative Hymn Book, sanctioned by the whole College
of Bishops of England and Ireland.
In the present
state of the religious mind, it would be difficult to deter-
mine from what sources this should be derived. But
it would seem to be most in accordance with the course
pursued by our Reformers, to seek them from no modern
compilations or compositions, but from ancient authori-
ties, analogous to those whence our Liturgy was derived;
the Hymns of the Eastern and Western Churches, as far
as these can be discovered. Surely there could be no
OF THE ANTHEM.
397
just suspicion of Popery, were those noble Hymns,
which have been so ably translated by many of our
day, adopted and revised by the Fathers of the Church,
upon the same principles as guided their predecessors
in their purgation of the Collects and Services taken
from Oriental and Occidental repositories, their supersti-
tious and doubtful passages carefully expunged, and
their majestic and simple expression of a fervent, but
calm devotion faithfully exhibited. How gladly would
the Christian heart of this nation respond to those
ancient morning and evening songs, which hymn Jesus
Christ as the Light of the world, of whom the rising
and the setting sun is the perpetual type; which speak
of the freshness of the morning, so congenial to the joyful
hopefulness of newly awakened devotion; and of the
calm tranquillity of the approaching hours of rest, typi-
fying the peace of God which is in Christ Jesus our
Lord: which, in no exaggerated strain of sentiment, and
by the use of the simplest and most obvious imagery,
speak to the inmost heart with an unction altogether
wanting in the devotional poetry of modern times'. To
1
The Author feels it to be in place to quote the ancient Evening
II ymn, used in the East, as translated by one, to whom reference las
been already made, and who has benefited the Church by the holiest
strains that have been heard for ages.
IIail, gladdening Light, of His pure glory pour’d,
Who is the Immortal Father, heavenly, blest,
Holiest of Holies, Jesus Christ our Lord!
Now are we come to the Sun's hour of rest:
The lights of evening round us shine:
We hymn the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit Divine.
Worthiest art Thou at all times to be sung
With undefiled tongue,
Son of our God, Giver of life alone:
Therefore in all the world, thy glories, Lord, we own.
398
OF THE ANTHEM.
recur to these archetypes is the only safe or indeed fea-
sible method which the Church can now adopt, because
here is a safe, intelligible, and consistent principle, which
the Church herself points out. Any other system must
infallibly exasperate those controversies which are now
distracting our peace, and must induce discussions, which,
to all human appearance, may be endless.
In concluding this section it may be observed, that
according to the usage in Ireland, till of late at least
universal, the metrical Psalm was uniformly terminated
by the Gloria Patri : upon a principle analogous to its
use after each of the daily Psalms. It is to be pre-
sumed that such was the custom in England formerly;
since we have the authority of Whiston, that Dr. Clarke
discontinued its use in the parish Church of St. James's,
Westminster, and that this measure was considered an
innovation. How far the Arian and Socinian leaven
may have spread, and influenced the timid or the
careless, it is impossible now to conjecture. At all
events it is surely to be wished, that the use of the
Doxology were restored.
399
SECTION LIV.
OF THE CONCLUSION OF MORNING PRAYER.
Then these five Prayers following are to be read here, except when the
Litany is read; and then only the two last are to be read, as they are
there placed.
Here endeth the Order of Morning Prayer throughout the year.
Of these five prayers the last two form in their sentiment
a conclusion to the whole office; the others are suppli-
cations for the three component Estates of the Realm,
the Sovereign, the Clergy, and the People; thus differing
in their general character from the Collects; so that
the Anthem is fitly interposed between these distinct
portions of the Service. This part resembles the final
Commemorations in the Breviary, which occupy a like
place, but are interpolated with superstitious matter, and
have not the same systematic order. To these prayers,
which formerly were appended to the Litany, others
were added at the last Review, some for occasional,
others for stated use. The stated prayers consist of
that for the Parliament, to be used during its session,
and that for all conditions of men, to be read on the four
days of the week when the Litany is not appointed to
be said. Universal custom now introduces this latter
prayer at the daily Evening Service. But custom is the
only authority that can be pleaded in its defence; since
the prayer is merely a substitute for the Litany, which
was never intended to be read after the third Collect of
Evening Prayer. It might just as properly be read in
the course of the Communion Service (when separated
400
OF THE CONCLUSION
its use.
from Matins), or at any of the occasional Services, when
performed alone. Bishop Gunning, its reputed author,
as Dr. Bisse informs us, would never suffer it to be read
in the Chapel of his College at Evening Prayer.
The General Thanksgiving is also by universal con-
sent read in this place, but no rubric whatever enjoins
In fact, it interrupts the order of the Service.
When universal custom has established a rule not plainly
contradictory to the Rubric, of course it would be most
presumptuous in any but one of the Rulers of the
Church to contravene it; but it may be remarked, that
when complaints are made of the length of the Service,
it will be found that this is occasioned by the intrusion
of customs unsanctioned by the Rubric: and surely, if, for
the sake of brevity, any omission is to be made, it ought
rather to be of something which the Prayer Book has
not enforced, than of one which, like the Anthem, is a
matter of express injunction.
When the Litany is read, then “the two last” prayers
are to be read as they are there placed:” that is, at the
end of the Litany: and the meaning is, that two prayers
the same in substance are to be there read. By which it
plainly appears, that when the Litany is read, the Morn-
ing Prayer ends with the Anthem. For after the Litany
we read “ Here endeth the Litany,” that is, at the end of
these very prayers. And the Litany, as will hereafter be
shewn, is a separate service. This notion may appear to
be contradicted by the concluding Rubric, “Here endeth
the Order of Morning Prayer throughout the year."
From which it might be argued, that these two prayers
form the universal termination of Morning Prayer: and
therefore that the Litany is to be considered as a part of
that office. Whereas the real meaning of the sentence
66
MORNING PRAYER.
401
is this, “Such is the prescribed form of Morning Prayer,
to be used throughout the year according to the direc-
tions contained in it; from which it is never to vary;"
there being among these directions one, to terminate the
morning office, properly so called, with the Anthem on
Litany days. The words are not “ daily throughout the
year,” which expression might favour the other con-
struction, but “ throughout the year,” that is, throughout
every week of the year, with the accustomed variation
on three days in each.
Assuming the propriety of performing Matins and
Litany at different hours, it has been a question with
some, whether the five prayers after the Anthem ought
to be read at the conclusion of Matins. The wording of
the Rubric seems to forbid their use. If the Litany is
to follow Matins, the custom of the Church has not
interpreted this to mean that it is to follow it without
an interval of time, but merely, that the Matin Service
is to be the first in order, and that it is not to be omitted
on Litany days. It does not appear on what principle
the interposition of a pause is to justify the use of
prayers which are in fact tautological when the Litany
is used. It has also been a question, low, on such
occasions, the Matin service is to terminate. Clearly
with the Anthem, if there be a Choir; with the third
Collect, if there be none. And this is analogous to the
use of the Breviary, in which, according to primitive
use, before Matins were customarily joined to Lauds, a
song of praise, the Te Deum, (on days when it was used)
terminated the office of Matins. But if this be thought
too abrupt, ample licence is given by one of the Rubrics
at the end of the Communion Service, to make use of
one of the six occasional Collects there placed.
2 D
402
SECTION LV.
OF THE EVENING PRAYER.
The Order for Evening Prayer daily throughout the Year.
THE Rubrics of Evening Prayer have been for the most
part anticipated in the preceding Section on the Morning
Office. Only those, therefore, shall be noticed, which
require specific observation.
On the lazy preference given in most Choirs to the
Evening Service above the Morning, strictures have been
already made. In country parishes, this has been con-
nived at to a great extent: and, in order to meet the
degenerate notions of the people, the Morning Service has
actually been curtailed, by the omission of the Sermon;
and this, with every office that can be transferred, is thrown
into the Evening, or as it is vulgarly called, the Afternoon
Service. The habits of society, both among rich and
poor, have much to do with this; but the habits of the
rich ought to be rebuked and withstood by the Clergy;
and as to the poor, the rich are to be blamed for that
iniquitous overtasking of their bodies, which often renders
a total rest, even from Church-going, on Sunday mornings,
a matter not of choice, but of necessity. For these and
other offences against our poorer brethren, God will call
the wealthy of this nation to judgment.
On the evenings of Saturdays, and of those days
preceding Holidays which have vigils and eves, surplices
are worn in Collegiate Chapels, and in most of those
Colleges which have Choirs, there is Choral Service,
OF THE EVENING PRAYER.
403
although it may be omitted on other days.
In Bangor
Cathedral, this rule of the smaller Choirs is observed.
To this, Trinity College, Dublin, is a notable exception,
as is also the Cathedral of St. Patrick, and generally those
of Ireland which retain the Sunday Choral Service.
It is difficult exactly to determine what analogy these
Evening Services, preceding Sundays and Holidays, bear
to those of the unreformed Church of England. The
Vigils of the Breviary and of the Prayer Book coincide,
with the following exceptions. The Epiphany in the
Breviary has a Vigil; we have none. The Purification
and Annunciation have Vigils with us, but not in the
unreformed Calendar. But the Service for the Vigil, in
the Breviary, is not at Vespers. There is a distinct
Service for the Vigil from Matins to Nones inclusive,
which has Collects, &c., different from that of the Sunday
or Holiday which it precedes. Ordinary Sundays have
not Vigils, either in our Church or in the Roman, except
at Easter and Pentecost. By our Calendar, therefore,
the Eve of the Sunday is plainly a different matter from
the Vigil.
The Service for the Sunday, or Holiday, is considered
in the Roman Breviary to begin at the Vespers preced-
ing. Now the Evening Service which precedes Sundays
and certain Holidays with us, resembles the first Vespers
of the Duplicia and Semiduplicia of the unreformed
system, since on the former, as on the latter, the Collect
for the Evening Service is read. The Duplicia in
general correspond very much to the Saints' days and
other Holidays of the Church of England: and the pre-
ceding Evening Service of those days is accounted part
of the festival, and is therefore called the first Vespers.
But with us, though the Collect for the Sunday is
2 D2
404
OF THE EVENING PRAYER.
uniformly read on the preceding Saturday evening, it is
not read when the Holiday has no Vigil or Eve. If then
an analogy be sought between our observances and that
of the unreformed Liturgy, it can only be said, that
according to our system, those Holidays which have no
Vigils are not Duplicia in the sense of having two Ves-
-persł. By many it is supposed that our preceding Evening
Service is a modification of the Roman rule, and that it
is properly to be considered as a Vigil Service. But the
Saturday Evening Service, I apprehend, is at all events
rather to be considered as an introduction to that of
Sunday. That this Service and the Vigil are not
identical is plain from the fact, that Easter Day and
Pentecost are the only two Sundays which have Vigils,
according to our Calendar.
The want of distinct rules respecting these observ-
ances, has caused a doubt in the minds of some Clergy-
men, whether, in case of a Holiday with a Vigil or Eve
falling on a Monday, the Collect for that Holiday is to
be read on the Sunday Evening or on the Saturday.
That the “ Vigil or fast day" must be kept on the
Saturday, and not on the Sunday, is plain from the
Calendar But whether this keeping of the Vigil
includes the commemoration of the Holiday by reading
the Collect, is not so evident. The question must first
be solved, whether the Service of the preceding evening
is a Vigil Service, or the first Vespers. It is one for
which I do not pretend to offer a solution. This much is
said, however, to excuse the apparent negligence in the
1
The Duplicia were so called both from having two Vespers, and
from having all the Antiphons doubled, that is, repeated at length both
in preceding and following the Psalms which they accompany. The
Semiduplicia had two Vespers, but the Antiphons were not doubled.
OF THE EVENING PRAYER.
405
practice of some, who after all have been influenced by
an earnest desire of strict rubrical regularity'.
The reason for the want of Vigils on certain Holidays
is to be found in the usual occurrence of those days
during seasons of special rejoicing to the Church. Thus
the Circumcision occurs during the octave, and the Epi-
phany during the season, of Christmas: the days of St.
Mark, St. Philip and St. James, and St. Barnabas, usually
during the seasons of Easter and Whitsuntide. The
three Holidays of St. Stephen, St. John, and Innocents,
have obviously none because they are all in sequence,
the first following Christmas Day. There is none on
St. Michael's Day, because, as Dr. Bisse remarks, the
saints entered into joy through sufferings, and therefore
their festivals are preceded by fasts: which circumstance
is not applicable to the Angels of God. For the want
of Vigils on the days of St. Paul and St. Luke, I am
unable to assign any satisfactory reason, though some
plausible conjectural ones have been alleged, derived
from the ancient Breviaries.
While on this subject, it may be as well to notice
the difficulty which is generally felt, as to the adoption
of any rule with respect to the concurrence of Sundays
and Holidays. On this point the Church of England
has neither given any direction, nor recommended any
principle. The rules of the Breviary are exceedingly
complicated, as they must necessarily be, from the mul-
tiplication of Holidays of different classes, of which our
Church knows nothing. But as far as they are appli-
In the Breviary, when there is this sequence of Sundays and
Holidays of equal solemnity, the rule is to make a commemoration, as
it is called, of the following Holiday; that is, to perform a part of the
Service proper to.it, resembling our reading of the Collect.
406
OF THE EVENING PRAYER.
cable to our festivals, they may be briefly stated as
follows.
When a Greater Sunday' concurs with a Double
festival, (as for instance, Easter Sunday with the Annun-
ciation,) the latter is translated, as it is called: that is,
its observance is transferred to the first open day, not
being a festival. When a Double festival concurs with
a Sunday, (as St. Barnabas's day with one of the Sundays
after Trinity) the office for the Double festival is to be
performed, the Sunday being always commemorated,
that is, the Collect is read, with a certain portion of its
proper service. When two Double festivals concur, the
lesser yields to the greater, and is translated; as that of
St. Philip and St. James to Ascension Day. When a
Occurs.
The Greater Sundays of the First Class are Easter, Whit Sunday,
Trinity Sunday, First Sunday in Advent, First in Lent, Fifth and
Sixth in Lent, First after Easter. Of the Second Class; the Second,
Third, and Fourth in Advent; Septuagesima, Sexagesima, and Quin-
quagesima; the Second, Third, and Fourth in Lent. The only dis-
tinction between the two Classes is, that of those of the Second Class
are only “commemorated,” when the Festival of the Patron Saint
Those of the First Class are always performed at length.
The Duplicia are divided into two Classes, the distinctions between
which cannot hold in our Church; but those of Second Class yield to
the First. Those of First Class retained by us are Easter, Whit Sunday,
Christmas Day, Epiphany, the threc days before Easter; Easter and
Whit Monday and Tuesday; Ascension Day, St. John the Baptist, St.
Peter, All Saints. These, with a few exceptions, correspond to the
Precum Days, as they are called, at Canterbury, when the Prebendaries
read the Morning and Evening Prayers, and the Responses are sung to
the Organ. Of the Second Class are the Circumcision, Purification,
Annunciation, and the other Holidays retained by us.
The Semiduplicia are all ordinary Sundays, and certain other days
of which we have retained none but the days within the octaves of the
great festivals.
The Feriæ majores retained by us are the week days of Lent,
Advent, the Ember Days, and Sccond Rogation Day.
OF THE EVENING PRAYER.
407
Double of the Second Class concurs with a Feria major,
or week day of greater observance, (as St. Matthias
with a week day in Lent) the latter day is commemo-
rated. And this is the case with us: since during Lent
and Advent, and the Ember days (the Feriæ majores), a
special Collect is always read.
These rules being founded for the most part on obvious
and sound principles, attention to them may be of some
use towards establishing a canon, which it would be well
that each Collegiate Church should fix, with the authority
of the Diocesan, of course due latitude being given to
the liberty which the Church of England allows to her
members. It would seem fitting, as Wheatly recom-
mends, that all our Lord's Holidays should be treated as
Duplicia of the First Class, and regarded with the same
reverence as the SECTOTUKà" of the Greek Church, by
taking precedence of the Sundays with which they
may concur. There is no sound reason why, as in the
Roman Church, the festivals of St. Peter and St. John
the Baptist should be exalted above the other Saints'
days. In order to give some suggestion towards a con-
sistent rule, the following arrangement, liable, of course,
to correction, is proposed.
On the concurrence of all Holidays, it is suggested
· These were the Annunciation, Nativity, Presentation, our Lord's
Baptism, Transfiguration, Resurrection of Lazarus, Palm Sunday,
Crucifixion, Resurrection, Ascension, and Pentecost, two of which,
(the Transfiguration, and Resurrection of Lazarus) we do not observe.
That of our Lord's Baptism is represented in the Western Church by
Trinity Sunday. Fidelius (vide Goar, p. 12), enumerates these Holi-
days in the following verses:
Το χαίρε, γέννα, Συμεων, και Ιορδάνης
Θαβώριον, Λάζαρος. τά βαΐα, ξύλον,
Έγερσις, άρσις, Πνεύμα.
408
OF THE EVENING PRAYER.
that the Collect for the day of inferior observance should
be read in addition to that of the day. The Apocryphal
Lesson should in all cases be postponed to that from
Canonical Scripture. In other respects, the whole ser-
vice of the superior Festival should be performed. In
the following Table the Festivals which should have
the precedence are given in Roman letters: those with
which they can possibly concur, and which yield to them,
in Italics.
1
Advent Sunday, and 4th Sunday in} St. Andrew and St. Thomas,
.
St. Stephen, St. John, Innocents,} 1st Sunday after Christmas.
Circumcision
Epiphany, Conversion of St. Paul 2d Sunday after Christmas,
and Sundays after Epiph.
Purification
3rd Sunday after Epiphany,
Septuag. Sexag. and
Quing. Sunday.
Septuagesima, Sexagesima, andy Conversion of St. Paul. St.
Quinquagesima Sunday
Matthias.
Ash Wednesday
St. Matthias.
Sundays in Lent
St. Matthias.
Annunciation
Sundays in Lent.
Days in Passion Week
Annunciation.
Sunday before Easter, and Easter
Easter} Annunciation. St. Mark.
Day
2
In the ancient Calendar, the Purification was postponed to the
three Sundays preceding Lent. But as one of our Lord's Holidays, i
would seem to claim a precedence. Those three Sundays, however,
were considered superior to other concurrent Holidays, as introduc-
tory to Lent, the season specially commemorative of our Lord's
miraculous fasting.
2 The Annunciation, though a high festival, was postponed to these
days, because not only would such a joyful feast be incongruous with
that season of deepest mourning, but because everything should yield
to the commemoration of our Lord's meritorious sufferings. The Bre-
viary, however, makes a distinction between Monday, Tuesday, and
Wednesday, and the other days in Passion Week; the latter super-
seding the Annunciation, the former yielding to it.
OF THE EVENING PRAYER.
409
First Sunday after Easter
St. Mark, St. Philip and
St. James.
St. Mark, St. Philip and St. James - Sundays after Easter.
Whit Sunday and Trinity Sunday
St. Barnabas.
St. Barnabas, and other Holidays, The Sundays after Trinity.
'
till All Saints' Day, inclusive
Easter Monday and Tuesday
Annunciation. St. Mark.
Ascension Day
St. Philip and St. James.
Whit Monday and Tuesday
St. Barnabas.
1
C
We now return to the consideration of the Evening
Service. And first, it is to be observed, that the intro-
ductory part to the end of the Absolution, was not adopted
till the compilation of the Scottish Liturgy, in King
Charles the First's time; and they first appeared in the
English Prayer Book at the last Review. Besides this,
the Preces before the Psalms originally wanted the com-
mencing versicle and response, “O Lord, open thou our
lips, And our mouth, &c.” This was according to the
Breviary, in which the “Domine labia” is in the Matin
office only, the offices of all the other hours beginning
with, “Deus in adjutorium meum intende.” Our Re-
viewers having thus studiously assimilated the Evening
Service to the Morning, it ought to be the endeavour of
Collegiate bodies to follow out the spirit of their provi-
sions, by a similar mode of performance, so that one
service should not be less solemn and full than the other.
In this respect, indeed, the Choirs of England have
• The circumstances attendant on our Lord's Resurrection, seem to
require a more special commemoration than the Annnnciation of his
birth. The latter was merely prophetical of his coming in the flesh;
the former were connected with his actual presence and glorification.
In like manner, the supernatural influence of the Holy Ghost on the
Church at large, celebrated on Whit Monday and Tuesday, is an
incomparably grcater object of commemoration than the designation of
an individual Apostle.
410
OF THE EVENING PRAYER.
generally a better system of observance than those of
the unreformed Communion. In the latter, the Matin
offices are rarely, except in some Convents, performed
with the same fulness as the Vespers: indeed, for the
most part, the full Choral Service is restricted to Vespers
and to the Mass.
The next objects of consideration are the Canticles.
The same remark is to be made with respect to them, as
to the Canticles at Matins: namely, that the preference
is plainly given to the Scriptural Canticles, the Magni-
ficat and the Nunc dimittis, above their permitted
alternatives, the ninety-eighth and sixty-seventh Psalm,
which are not found in the original Order for Evening
Prayer. The same reason, as that before alleged, is to be
found for their preference, which indeed is usual, as well
in Choirs as in parish Churches : but it is to be feared,
on the unworthy ground of their being shorter. The
Cantate and Deus misereatur might perhaps be reserved
for occasions of great national rejoicing, and for the even-
ing of Easter Day; when the ninety-eighth Psalm comes
in with magnificent effect, as a triumphal song, after the
fourteenth chapter of Exodus, commemorating the over-
throw of Pharaoh and his host, the whole being typical of
Christ's benefits; who, by his Resurrection, has at the
same time made the waters of Baptism available to us,
and has overcome for us our strongest enemies.
With some Choirs, however, noisy Cantates are great
favourites, and are performed to the almost total exclusion
of the Magnificat. And it often happens, to the disgrace
of the Capitular anthorities, that the Rubric is altogether
overlooked, and the two Psalms performed on the nine-
teenth and twelfth days of the month. This the Author
has often witnessed in St. Patrick's Cathedral, where,
OF THE EVENING PRAYER.
411
indeed, real ecclesiastical control was greatly wanting,
and where the music seemed to be considered a matter
altogether independent of rubrical ordinance.
In Marbeck's book, two Chants are given for the
Magnificat. The first is, the Gregorian Chant, sixth tone:
the second is the eighth tone, first ending, the same as
the second Chant for the Benedictus. The Nunc
dimittis is set to the fifth tone, (which is the first Chant
for the Benedictus,) and to a Chant resembling that of
the seventh tone, being the same as Playford's Saturday
Chant. The same irregularity prevails, as that already
noticed in the structure of the Morning Canticles. In-
deed, the reciting note is sometimes altogether omitted,
and the melody undergoes so many variations, as plainly
to give the idea of a descant, or service. On the subject
of Services, nothing remains to be added to what has
been already said.
The Evening Service being a compilation of two of
the ancient Services, the First Lesson and the Magnificat
were suggested by the Capitulum, (which is merely a text)
and the same hymn at Vespers; the Second Lesson and
Nunc dimittis, by the Lectio brevis, and the same hymn at
Compline.
As to the rest of the Service, no further remarks
remain to be made, most of those proper to this section
being anticipated in the observations on the Morning
Service, except as to the strange irregularity permitted
in the Cathedral of Chester, of omitting the Evening
Anthem, as a stated rule, on certain days. This, and the
shifting the place of the Anthem practised at St. Patrick's,
are altogether unjustifiable.
A few words, however, must be said respecting the
Evening, or Afternoon Sermon
This, till of late years,
412
OF THE EVENING PRAYER.
was an addition to the Service unknown in most Cathe-
drals. It has been made at St. Patrick's, in Dublin ; at
Rochester, and other places. However expedient this
measure may be, it is much to be desired, that the real
imperfections in those places were first reformed, and
the statutes and the Rubric strictly complied with, in
some of their most important provisions ", before anything
extraneous to the Liturgy was taken into consideration.
The natural impression on the minds of the people must
be, that the Evening Sermon, about which the Prayer
Book is silent, is a thing of greater importance than those
regulations which it strictly enjoins.
But we must not consider the Evening Sermon as a
thing contrary to the Prayer Book. It is not enjoined,
indeed; but in some places its use has been constant since
the Reformation. Thus, the Evening Sermon at St.
Paul's, constantly kept up there, has ever been the proper
duty of the Residentiaries: the Sunday Morning Sermon
being the representative of the ancient Sermons at the
Cross, the preachers of which were appointed by the
Bishop of London, as the Morning Preachers still are,
being altogether irrespective of the Chapter. The Even-
ing Sermon in Exeter Cathedral has been kept up, at
least since the Restoration. In the Royal Chapel, we
find that in Queen Elizabeth's time the Sermon was
originally preached in the afternoon, in order that it might
Such as the appointment of Minor Canons, skilled in the eccle-
siastical Chant, and the restoration of the Weekly Communion, at
Rochester; and the re-establishment of the Choral Service every week
day, and on Sunday mornings, with a stricter observance of the Rubric,
and some stated system of residence, at St. Patrick's. But in the former
Cathedral so many laudable reforms have been made, that it is impos-
sible not to hope that the others must follow.
2 STRYPE, Ann. Ref., book i. chap. xxiii. Anno 1561.
OF THE EVENING PRAYER.
413
In many
not interfere with that at St. Paul's; the first preachers
in the country being generally selected for both duties,
which were often coincident on the same day.
Churches, the Evening Sermon has been kept up since the
Reformation: and therefore being a regulation of which
the Church has been cognizant, and which the Prayer
Book does not contravene, cannot be justly objected to.
But in no parish Church ought the Evening Sermon
to supersede the duty of public catechizing, for which,
uphappily, the teaching in Sunday Schools is often consi-
dered as the substitute; and, for the omission of which, an
excuse is found in the time occupied by an unauthorised
Sermon. If the one thing is to be done, at least the
other ought not to be left undone. From no neglect, pro-
bably, has the Church of England suffered more, than
from the suspension of public catechizing, and public
baptism, in their proper places. But these remarks
apply only to parish Churches, not to Choral founda-
tions; except, indeed, in cases where the Cathedral is
also a parish Church.
The place of the Evening Sermon depends upon
custom. The analogy of the occasional offices would
seem to point out the propriety of having it after the
Second Lesson, where the Church enjoins the instructive
function of Catechizing, and the performance of Baptism,
in which office the people are specially instructed by
some of the noblest Sermons that man has been inspired
to pen. But for this practice no precedent, I believe,
can be found.
At Westminster Abbey, the Sermon follows the
Anthem, which is performed after the third Collect.
To the system there pursued there can be no further
objection than this, that by a most irreverent custom,
414
OF THE EVENING PRAYER.
the Preacher leaves the Choir after the third Collect, and
goes to the Pulpit during the singing of the Anthem, as
if that was a mere interlude, and not a part of the
Service, to which the Capitular Members, if they are
incapable of joining in it, ought at least to pay atten-
tion. When the Anthem is over, a short Voluntary
ought to be played, while the Prebendary moves to the
Pulpit. But the miserable desire to economize two
minutes, so prevalent in that Church, sets at defiance
the plain rules of decency and order. A similar abuse
is observable at the Morning Sermon there, as will be
observed in its place.
In Queen Elizabeth's time, the Sermon in her Chapel
was preached before the Service began', as is now the
custom in Winchester College Chapel; to which place
the Afternoon Sermon, formerly preached for the benefit
of the boys, at the Cathedral, has been of late years
transferred, through the judicious piety of the present
Warden? In most Churches, however, the Sermon
follows the Service.
In concluding this section, I will notice a remark
made by Heutzner, a foreigner, in his Journey into
1 Ann. Ref., vol. i. chap. ix., 1559.
2 This Sermon was formerly detached, as at the Universities, from
any Service. The boys went twice to the Cathedral, first for the
Litany, Ante-Communion Service and Sermon, and then for the
Afternoon Sermon; besides twice to their Chapel for Matins and
Evensong. The hurry incidental to these frequent and inconvenient
movements, has been now wisely remedied. The Sermons preached
of late in Winchester College Chapel have acquired a deserved cele.
brity in the Church of England: and it must be the affectionate wish
of every true Wykehamist, that these, and all other labours now so
zealously pursued in that College for the furtherance of godliness
and good learning, may have their full effect, to the benefit, I will not
say merely of Church and State, but of Christendom at large.
OF THE EVENING PRAYER.
415
England, in 1598'. He says that in the Queen's Chapel
was excellent music, and that the Service scarce exceeded
half an hour. This shortness of the Choral Service is
accounted for by the fact that the introductory parts
were then wanting to the Evensong, and that the
Anthems were probably shorter than they are at present.
That the Anthem concluded the Service, that is, followed
the third Collect, is known from contemporary documents”;
but it is not clear whether the Prayers for the Queen
were not, in other places at least, then customarily read
as now. With this statement a document in Strypes may
be considered at variance; since that states that “the
daily Service in the Chancel of the Great Church” (West-
minster Abbey) was celebrated according to the order of
Her Majesty's Chapel, at the usual hours; that is, upon
Sundays from 8 to 11 A.M.; on Wednesdays and Fridays,
and other Holidays, from 9 till 11: and on other days
from 9 till almost 11: and in the afternoon from 4 till 5,
or after 5." This computation must, I think, include
the time at which the bells began to chime, which rang
probably from half an hour to an hour: otherwise it is
impossible to imagine how the daily Service, shorter
both in its rubrical appointments and Choral Music
than at present, could have occupied so long a time.
1
Retrospective Review, vol. i.
2 Vide the reference in the last note but two.
3 STRYPE'S Annals Ref., vol. ii. book ii., Appendix x.
416
SECTION LVI.
OF THE LATIN SERVICES, AND COMMEMORATIONS
IN COLLEGES.
In the Preface to the Prayer Book, concerning the
Service of the Church, it is declared, that “though it
be appointed, that all things shall be read and sung in
the Church in the English tongue, to the end that the
Congregation may be thereby edified; yet it is not
meant, but that when men say Morning and Evening
Prayer privately, they may say the same in any language
that they themselves do understand.”
Analogous to this declaration is the permission given
by the Act of Uniformity to Colleges in the Univer-
sities to perform the Divine Service in Latin.
In Queen Elizabeth's time', in consequence of a
petition from the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge,
and of the Colleges of Eton and Winchester, the Queen's
letters patent were issued, granting the use of Latin
Prayers, declaring how she had also taken care that her
printer should print the same in Latin, agreeing with
the English Book of Public Prayer; at the same time
enjoining that in Colleges to which parishes of the laity
were annexed, and also in the rest to which the lay
servants and ministers of their Colleges must resort, some
reasonable hours should be assigned for these, in which,
at least on festivals, Morning and Evening Prayers
· Annals of Reform., book i. chap. xviii., A.D. 1560.
OF THE LATIN SERVICES, ETC.
417
should be read, and the Sacraments administered, to the
edification of the laity.
The Latin Prayers were formerly read in several Col-
leges, the English Service being performed at other hours.
This custom is still kept up at Christ Church, Oxford,
where the Latin Prayers are read without chanting, morn-
ing and evening, and the Cathedral Service in English at
intermediate hours: except at surplice times, when the
whole College attends the Cathedral Service'. In the
Prayer Books printed for the use of the College, the
Canticles and directions for reading the Lessons are
omitted; the custom being, at these Latin Services, to
proceed at once from the Psalms to the Creed. On
Wednesdays and Fridays the Litany alone is read. How
far this custom accords with the sixteenth Canon, or
with the Act of Uniformity, it may be difficult to
determine. The words of that Canon are, « In the whole
Divine Service, and Administration of the Holy Com-
munion, in all Colleges and Halls in both Universities,
the Order, Form and Ceremonies, shall be duly observed
as they are set down and prescribed in the Book of
Common Prayer, without any omission or alteration.”
The Act of Uniformity limits the Latin Service “ to the
Morning and Evening Prayer, and all other Prayers and
Services prescribed in and by said Book,” (sc. of Com-
mon Prayer). But then, in a preceding passage it
.
1
Upon this subject the Author has but very insufficient informa-
tion. He never saw the Latin Prayer Book authorized by Queen
Elizabeth, nor does he know how far it coincides with that of Christ
Church, which cannot be procured out of the College, and which he
had but once an opportunity of looking at, before Divine Service, in
the Choir of the Cathedral. The whole subject of this paragraph is one.
well deserving the attention and discussion of Ritualists.
2 E
418
OF THE LATIN SERVICES, AND
ܕܕ 1
expressly says, “that no Form or Order of Common
Prayers, Administration of Sacraments, Rites or Cere-
monies shall be openly used in any Church, Chapel, or
other public place of or in any College or Hall in
either of the Universities, the Colleges of Westminster,
Winchester, or Eton, or any of the others, than what is
prescribed and appointed to be used in and by the said
Book!" It is possible that these passages may refer to
the more public English Service only; and that the
Latin Service, long allowed by authority, may not come
within the rule. But this seems very doubtful. At all
events, if curtailed modes of Service be allowed, at
certain times of the day, these should never be consi-
dered as the substitutes for the full Offices of the Church.
In Trinity College, Dublin, where a curtailed form of
early Morning Prayer was statuteably performed, a dis-
graceful rule was introduced a few years ago, of omitting
the regular Morning Service, performed at a later hour.
This irregularity, the sanction for which was supposed to
be found in a statute of modern injunction, was checked
by the authority of the Visitor.
A like apparent irregularity prevails at the early
Service in the Queen's Chapel Royal, where one or
both Lessons are omitted.
At the end of the Latin Prayer Book of Queen
i
It may be said, that the Act of Uniformity is not an Act of the
Church. But it was passed while Convocation was sitting; was con-
firmatory of their Acts, and of the authorized practices of the Church,
as the University Sermons, &c. It was auxiliary to the authority of
the Church: and therefore stands upon a far different ground from
modern Acts of Parliament affecting her interests, which are passed
without an opportunity being afforded to the Clergy to give a legitimate
and regular assent. But more will be said on this subject when we
come to consider the State Services.
COMMEMORATIONS IN COLLEGES.
419
Elizabeth was a form for the commemoration of Bene-
factors, to be read at the end of every term in Colleges.
It began with the Lord's Prayer. Then Psalms 144,
145, and 146. Then the Lesson, Ecclus. iv. 44. These
ended, a Sermon. Then Benedictus.
Then Benedictus. Then these Ver-
sicles:
Min. The just shall be had in everlasting remembrance.
Ans. He shall not be afraid of evil tidings.
Min. The souls of the righteous are in the hands of God.
Ans. Neither doth any torment trouble them.
Then a Collect, giving thanks for Benefactors.
This form is substantially that which is still observed
in most Colleges on the commemoration days of their
respective founders: the usual Services being performed,
with the substitution of the Psalms and Second Lesson
now mentioned, and with the addition of the Versicles,
and of the Collect, to those prescribed by the Prayer Book.
In Choirs, the responses on those days are usually sung to
the Organ. This custom is one which has so markedly
and continuously received the sanction of the Church
of England, that it cannot be deemed irregular: nor
can it be rightly considered as being censured by the
sixteenth Canon. Those, however, who may object to
it, ought on much stronger grounds to object to the four
Services appended to the Prayer Book, the observance
of which rests upon a much more slender authority, as
will be shewn hereafter.
1 Bishop SPARROW's Collections,
2 E 2
420
SECTION LVII.
OF THE LITANY.
The whole texture of the Litany confirms by internal
evidence the historical testimony of its Oriental origin.
Bishop Cosin says, that Litanies were wont to be said
in the celebration of the Lord's Supper. In all the
principal Services of the Greek Church'a form of con-
tinued supplication, resembling the Intercessions in the
former part of our Litany, constitutes a conspicuous
feature. Thus, after the seven commencing Prayers at
Vespers and the introductory Psalm which follows them,
one of these occurs, and after the Psalms a shorter form.
The same system is pursued at the Morning Service.
The longer Litany is styled the μεγάλη συναπτή. The
Liturgies, that is, the Communion Services, of St. Basil
and St. Chrysostom, have Litanies like those at Matins
and Vespers, bearing out Bishop Cosin's remark.
To show the correspondence of these with our's, a
specimen of the great Synapte follows:
“ In the peace of the Lord let us pray. Lord, have mercy upon us.
“ For peace from above, and the salvation of our souls, let us
beseech the Lord. Lord, have mercy, fc.
“ For the peace of the whole world, the stability of the holy
Churches of God, and the concord of all, let us beseech the Lord.
Lord, have, fc.
i Vide Assemann, and Goar. The whole chapter on this subject in
Mr. Palmer's most learned Origines Liturgica, descrves the closest
attention. See also the Preface to Bishop Cosin's Devotions,
OF THE LITANY.
421
“For this holy house, and for those who enter therein with faith,
reverence, and the fear of God, let us beseech the Lord. Lord,
have, hc.
“For our Bishop N., the reverend Priesthood, the Diaconate which
is in Christ, the whole Clergy, and the people of the Lord, let us beseech
the Lord. Lord, have, fc.
“For this holy habitation, and for every city and country, and for
those who in faith dwell therein, let us beseech the Lord. Lord,
kave, fc.
“For temperate weather, abundance of fruits of the earth, and
mild seasons, let us beseech the Lord. Lord, have, fc.
“ For those who travel by water or by land, for those who are
sick, in trouble, and in captivity, and for their salvation, let us beseech
the Lord. Lord, have, fc.
“For our deliverance from all tribulation, wrath, and need, let us
beseech the Lord. Lord, have, fc.
Succour, save, have mercy and keep us, O God, of thy goodness.
Lord, have mercy upon us.”
The other Litany somewhat resembles this, having
the same recurring response, Lord, have mercy upon us.
The beginning of this second Litany has some resem-
blance to the Invocation in the Western form.
Almighty God, the God of our Fathers, we pray thee hear us
and have mercy upon us.
Lord, have, fc.”
The response of the people or Choir does not, it is
observable, form a part of the sentence, as in an inter-
cession; and each suffrage of the Deacon is rather a
bidding of prayers, than a prayer. The superstitious
invocations with which these Litanies conclude, are not
universally found in the ancient Litanies, and are justly
held to be interpolations.
The germ of the present Litany was introduced into
the Western Church by St. Ambrose, or by Mamercus,
Bishop of Vienna, A. D. 460, and was enlarged by
Gregory the Great in 600.
It is believed that the Litany was first adopted as
a processional Service in the year 400. Gregory the
422
OF THE LITANY.
Great, two hundred years after, in the time of a great
pestilence, instituted a service called the Septiformis
Litania: a Procession to different Churches, composed
of seven companies of clergy, of laymen, of monks, of
virgins, of married women, of widows, and of children.
The processional performance of a part of the Litany,
beginning and terminating at certain suffrages, is still
kept up in the Roman Church, as it was in the English
Rituals before the Reformation. This peculiar feature
has ceased, as a general authorized practice, since the
Reformation. However traces of the old custom may
be found. Thus in 1561, on St. George's day', a passage
already cited informs us, that the members of Queen
Elizabeth's Chapel went in procession through her Hall,
singing, “ O God the Father of Heaven.” And in the
thanksgiving at St. Paul's in 1547 for the victory at
Musselburgh there was a “procession” in English with
the Te Deum. This was probably a Litany.
The Litanies in the Roman and English unreformed
Church were said on Easter Eve, St. Mark's Day, the
three Rogation days, and Wednesdays and Fridays in
Lent: and on some occasions were of greater length than
on others, and were performed by different orders of
Ministers, according to the seasons: sometimes preceding
Mass, and sometimes preceded by the Penitential Psalms
or Psalms of Degrees.
The Litany of the Church of England, as well in its
structure, as in its use, has borrowed from both the East
and the West. It is used on Wednesdays and Fridays,
as was the Lenten practice of the West, and its Sunday
| Annals of Ref., vol. i. page 23, A. D. 1561.
Life of Cranmer, vol. i, book ii. chap. iii.
2
OF THE LITANY.
423
use is in conformity to the Oriental prayers resembling
it, which are found at the beginning of their Communion
offices. As for its matter, it is a most careful, luminous,
and comprehensive collection of the scattered treasures
of the Universal Church; contained in the Oriental
originals of the Apostolical Constitutions, the Liturgies
of Jerusalem, Constantinople, and Cæsarea; the Western
Rituals of the Roman and Ambrosian rite, the African
Liturgies of St. Mark and of St. Cyril, and in the
ancient English Litanies of York and Sarum.
From these various sources a well-proportioned struc-
ture has been raised, which fully merits the eulogy of
Bishop Cosin, who speaks of the Litany “having been
lately brought into that absolute perfection, both for
matter and form, as not any Church besides can show
the like, so complete and full;" so that “needs must
they be upbraided either with error, or somewhat worse,
whom in all parts this principal and excellent prayer
doth not fully satisfy.”
For the purpose of illustrating more fully the pro-
priety of its regular Choral performance, I would desire
to justify this remark of Bishop Cosin, by exhibiting its
general structure, and showing in what particulars it has
improved upon the ancient model, afforded by the
Western Church.
The Litany consists of two distinct parts, between
which there is an obvious difference in their structure,
and mode of performance. On the mode of perform-
ance observations will be made in the following Section.
As to the structure of the first part, which extends to
the end of the Kyrie Eleison preceding the Lord's
Prayer, it consists of six divisions.
The first is the Invocation, in four distinct clauses,
424
OF THE LITANY.
of the Blessed Trinity; each clause being answered
by the people or Choir, in the same words as the
Minister.
The next is the Deprecation; of which the first suf-
frage, (taken from an Antiphon in the ancient offices at
the end of the Penitential Psalms) is of a peculiar con-
struction: being, like the Invocation, a perfect sentence
in itself; the response of the Choir,“ Spare us, good
Lord,” being neither, as before, the repetition of the
whole sentence, nor, as in the following suffrages, an
essential part of it, necessary to complete the sense. As
this clause deprecates the punishment due to our sins
in general, assigning the shedding of Clirist's blood as
the meritorious cause of forgiveness, so, in the following
clauses, deliverance from the particular sins which pro-
voke his wrath, and call for his divine expiation, is
implored. These clauses, as well as those throughout
the Obsecration and Intercession, are sentences com-
pleted by the Choir, after the Oriental manner, in one
uniform response.
The Deprecation is followed by two sentences, closed
by the same response as before, which are called the
Obsecrations, calling upon our Lord, by the efficacy of all
his gracious acts, to deliver us: forming thus an Epanodos
to the initiatory sentence, “Remember not,” &c.
Then follows the Intercession, or general prayer for
all estates of men, for the wants, whether political or
religious, temporal or spiritual, of the whole Church,
and of the particular branches of the same.
The whole is concluded by two remaining divisions :
the first being an invocation of the Son of God, the
second of the Holy Trinity. Here again, an Epanodos
takes place in this part of the Litany, upon which
OF THE LITANY.
425
Dr. Bisse has justly remarked, that "all these petitions,
from the beginning of the deprecations to the end of the
intercessions, are directed to the Son, the second Person
in the Trinity, as the true and proper object of our
worship; which appears from these expressions, Spare
thy people, whom thou hast redeemed with thy most precious
blood : By thy holy incarnation, by thine agony, 8c., Good
Lord deliver us, and so likewise, We beseech thee to
hear us, Good Lord; so in the close, Son of God, we
beseech thee to hear us; O Christ, hear us. And then, as
the Litany began with the Trinity, going on to the Son;
so at the close, from the Son it returns again to the
Trinity, again saying, Lord, have mercy upon us, &c.”
As the concluding Invocation, or Kyrie Eleison, re-
sembles the commencing Invocation in matter, so does
it in the manner of its recitation; each of the three
clauses being repeated at length by Minister and Choir
successively, not as in Morning and Evening Prayer,
where they are each said but once.
The second part of the Litany begins with the
Lord's Prayer. This part again has four subdivisions, of
a character essentially different from any in the former.
Each of these subdivisions has a versicle interposed:
namely, “O Lord, deal not with us after our sins," with
its response: the Gloria Patri: and “O Lord, let thy
mercy be shewed upon us,” with its response. These
versicles and responses are distinguished from the other
suffrages by having the words “Priest” and “ Answer"
prefixed; (except in the Gloria Patri, which wants the
word “ Priest," but has « Answer,") and by being each
a verse from the Psalms, or that hymn which always
accompanies Psalmody, hemistichally recited. The first
subdivision consists of the Lord's Prayer: the second of
426
OF THE LITANY.
two Prayers like Collects, (the latter being a verse from
the 44th Psalm,) each of which, instead of Amen, has a
response, a sort of Antiphon, taken also from the 44th
Psalm. From the occurrence of the Gloria Patri here,
I cannot but think that these prayers and responsals, or
Antiphons, peculiar in their structure to this part of the
Litany, are vestiges of the Psalmody which anciently
accompanied the Litanies: as in the Roman Greater
Litany, where the 69th Psalm is used'. This is con-
firmed by the use of the earlier Prayer Books, where the
Gloria Patri was repeated as in the Psalms; not as now,
by verse and response.
As before observed, the occurrence of the Gloria
Patri in the Responsoria Brevia of the Roman offices
indicates a like vestige of Psalmody, which formerly was
used in these places.
The third subdivision consists of suffrages and re-
sponses, different from the versicles. They each form
a complete sentence: the part of the Priest and people
not being necessarily continuous. They are not taken
from the Psalms, and are special addresses to our Saviour.
2
2
The Roman Litany, on Rogation days, begins with the Exurge
Domine, and is followed by the Psalm Deus auribus.
Bishop Sparrow gives a different reason for the adoption of the
Gloria Patri here. “ Here in the Litany, it is said in a way some-
what different: for after that the Priest and people have, in the sup-
plications aforegoing, besought God that he would arise, help, and
deliver them for his honour, the Priest does collect-wise sum up this,
praying, that by such deliverance all glory may redound to God the
Father, Son, and Holy Ghost; the people answering only Amen, as
it were after a Collect, and continuing kneeling, because both this, as
it is here used, and other parts of the Litany, before and after, are
matters of humble supplication, and so most fit to be tendered to God
in that posture.” The use of the Gloria Patri here was, at the time
Bishop Sparrow wrote, after the manner noticed in the text.
OF THE LITANY.
427
They are printed in a different manner from the versicles;
the people's part being distinguished from the Priest's
solely by a variety of type. This subdivision, which is
again peculiar to the Litany, is taken from the part of
the Salisbury Litany used in the Rogation Days in time
of war, where they were not said alternately, but repeated
each at length by both the Ministers and Choir, like the
Invocations.
The last subdivision comprehends the Collects and
prayers, analogous to the conclusion of the larger Western
Litanies.
The Versicles of the Litany thus accurately discri-
minate the several characteristic changes: and their func-
tion in this respect is analogous to their frequent use in
the Breviary, and to that of the ecphonesis in the Orienta
forms, being generally an announcement of a change in
the form of prayer.
Such is the outline of our Litany. It remains to
shew how it has improved upon its archetypes.
1. In the Invocation, the words “ Miserable Sinners”
have been added, in the true spirit of the Reformed
Liturgy of the Church, which in all her services lays a
due stress upon the sinfulness of man's nature.
2. The unjustifiable and superstitious in vocation of
Saints is omitted; a practice which Walafridus Strabo',
as Bishop Cosin remarks, confessed to be a novelty.
These invocations were carried to such an extent, as to
form the great bulk of the unreformed Litany. The
injunctions of Cromwell, in 1538", prescribe the omission
“in the processions of the 'ora pro nobis' to so many
1
De Rebus Ecclesiast. Cap. de Litaniis.
2 STRYPE, Eccl. Mem., vol. i. chap. 42.
428
OF THE LITANY.
saints; whereby they had no time to sing the good
suffrage, Parce nobis, Domine, Libera nos, Domine.'
Indeed, these suffrages were considered as matters of
very inferior moment.
3. The ancient Anthem, “Remember not,” is adopted
into this part of the office. Its propriety here has been
already shewn.
4. In the suffrages which follow, to the end of the
Intercessions, the Church of England has in so many
ways improved upon the ancient models, as almost to be
justified in claiming the character of an inventor. She
has reduced to a far more regular sequence and order
the topics adopted from ancient Litanies. This order
varies very much in the old English Litanies of Sarum
and York from that of Rome: but neither can be com-
pared in this respect to that which we now use. And
instead of interposing a response between each particular
prayed for, or deprecated, according to the Occidental
method, she has followed the example of the Oriental
forms, by uniting a number of topics into one suffrage.
By this method, not only is the rhythm immeasureably
improved, but the moral effect is heightened; the causes,
progression, and consequences of each particular sin, are
strikingly classified; the saving benefits of Christ are
brought into awful juxta-position; and the exigencies of
the Church Universal, and of each individual member
of the same, are grouped together in such an orderly
method, as to assist the memory, keep up the atten-
tion, and impart that due discrimination so essential to
healthful piety.
But the wisdom of our Reformers is most eminently
shewn in the additions they have made to these suffrages.
Thus, they took from the Oriental and African rituals,
OF THE LITANY.
429
the following particulars, not to be found in the Western
Litanies: namely, the petitions against plague, pestilence,
famine, and battle; the prayer for the Sovereign, that
God may be her defender and keeper; that for the
strengthening of such as do stand; for the succour of
those in tribulation; for travellers; for forgiveness of
enemies. From the Ambrosian Missal, and other Western
forms, the prayers for the Royal Family; for unity, peace,
and concord; for increase of grace; for those who have
erred and are deceived; and for the grace of God's Holy
Spirit. While they have added what are found in no
other rituals, namely, prayers against hypocrisy and envy;
against sedition, privy conspiracy, and all that is con-
tained in that particular clause; the obsecrations, by our
Lord's temptation, agony, and bloody sweat; and that
most awful clause, which places in juxta-position the
time of tribulation, and the time of wealtlı '.
Again, from the Roman Litany they have adopted two
petitions omitted in the unreformed offices of England;
those, namely, for the increase of the fruits of the earth,
and for true repentance. While on the other hand they
have retained some which are peculiar to the ancient
Church of England. And it is interesting to observe
that in this respect the Litanies of Salisbury and York
give evidence of a more acute and penetrating sense of
subtle and corroding sins, and a more internal character
1 “ It also deserves serious consideration, that, in enumerating the
most critical periods of our being, the time of our wealth' is repre-
sented as more alarming than the time of our tribulation, and as
inferior in awfulness, only, to the hour of death, and to the day of
judgment. A most awaking comment on our Lord's declaration ;
that it is a hard thing for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of
Heaven.' ”-Bishop JEBB, Practical Theology, vol. i. p. 60.
430
OF THE LITANY.
of devotion, than that of Rome: the evidence we may
believe, of that germinant spirit of Reformation, which
at a very early period had taken root in the Church of
England. Thus, while the Roman Litany had a prayer,
omitted both in the unreformed and reformed English
offices, for the humiliation of the enemies of the Church,
it had no mention of some particulars enumerated in
that of Sarum: namely, blindness of heart; vain glory;
the hour of death; the petition for “an heart to love
and dread thee;" and the prayer for the fatherless; nor
did it contain the prayers found in the Litany of York,
against pride and deadly sin, and for forgiveness of sins,
negligences, and ignorances.
The conclusion of the first part forms, as before
observed, an Epanodos to the commencement. This
feature is more strikingly exhibited by the omission of
the introductory Kyrie Eleison, found in the unreformed
Litanies, which is there redundant.
Having thus endeavoured to show the structure of
the Litany, an object which on reflection will be found
far from irrelevant to the peculiar tenor of this work,
let us now proceed to consider the method of its Choral
performance.
431
SECTION LVIII.
OF THE FORMER PART OF THE LITANY.
Here followeth the LITANY, or General Supplication, to be sung or
said after Morning Prayer upon Sundays, Wednesdays, and
Fridays, and at other times when it shall be commanded by the
Ordinary.
THE word “here” is demonstrative, as in the announce-
ment of the Lessons, indicating that which follows.
That it does not denote the order of sequence, is evi-
dent; since otherwise the Litany ought to be said or
sung immediately after the Athanasian Creed, next to
which it is placed in the Prayer Book.
The Rubric places “sung” before “ said;" hereby, as
Dr. Bisse remarks, giving a preference to singing over
saying. As will be presently shewn, the Litany is ex-
pressly adapted for singing: and therefore it is most
absurd to discontinue its musical performance in Choirs,
where the Responses to Morning and Evening Prayer
are sung, as at York.
It was sung when first used in the Reformed Church
of England. “On the 18th day of September, 1547,"
Heylin relates', “the Litany was sung in the English
tongue in St. Paul's, between the Quire and the High
Altar, the singers kneeling half on the one side, and
half on the other.” It was more frequently sung in
ancient times than now. Thus, at the Consecration of
Archbishop Parker, “ the elect of Chichester having
· Hist. Ref., p. 42.
432
OF THE FORMER PART
exhorted the people to prayer, betook himself to sing
the Litany, the Choir answering?." In the same
Archbishop's regulations for Eastbridge Hospital, it
is directed that the children there educated should
in the Hospital Chapel three days in the week sing
with a loud voice the Litanyº. At the Convocations
in old times it was sung”, whereas it is now simply
read. And at the Coronations of our Sovereigns, as at
that of King George III.*, it was sung by two Bishops,
the Choir making the Responses to the Organ. This
practice was discontinued at the last three Coronations,
and the ancient Church of Westminster, at the celebra-
tion of the greatest national solemnity, was disgraced by
the adoption, in this respect and in others, of the modern
Parochial mode.
It is to be said after Morning Prayer. That is, the
Morning Prayer is to be the first in order of time: but
nothing warrants us to suppose that the Litany is to be
read in immediate sequence. On the contrary, the
strongest authorities exist for the dissociation of the two
Services, when expedient. Thus, at Archbishop Parker's
Visitation, in 1560, Matins were to be done in the
Choir by eight o'clock: and then, there is a direction for
the Litany to be sung at a later hour, when all should
have been placed in the Choir. The Universities perform
it at stated times as a distinct Service, Matins having
been said at an earlier hour in the College Chapels. It
· Life of Parker, book ii. chap. i.
2 Life of Parker, App., book iii. No. 58.
3 As at the Convocation of 1562. Life of Parker, book ii.
chap. xii.
4 Vide the Chronicle of DODSLEY'S Annual Register for the year 1761.
Life of Parker, book ii. chap, ii.
5
OF THE LITANY.
433
is also a separate Service at Convocations. At Corona-
tions it begins the ceremonial, preceding the Commu-
nion. It frequently in like manner precedes the office
of Confirmation. In the Cathedrals of Winchester and
Worcester it is so used, as it was formerly in Merton
College, Oxford, and in other places, as Canterbury.
The fifteenth Canon enjoins the reading of the Litany
on Wednesdays and Fridays, in all parish Churches,
making no mention of the Morning Prayers. And the
very nature of the Service, and the known use of an
analogous form in the Eastern and Western Churches
before the Communion, and as a separate Service,
confirms the ancient and approved examples of the
Cathedrals and Choirs above mentioned, and the opinion
of some of our Ritualists, as to the rightfulness of the
practice. Nothing can be argued from the practice of
our parish Churches in this respect. Convenience, or
what is esteemed such, in some instances, and a love for
unvarying monotony in others, has very generally caused
the junction of the Services. That their dissociation
would be inconvenient in most country Parishes, is
evident. But the argument is not against the lawfulness
of combining the Services, but for the lawfulness of
separating them.
In the former Section the precedent for its use on
Sundays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, has been stated.
The other times when it may be used, rest of course with
the Ordinary, who in this instance, as in that of the
Lenten prayers, has an absolute discretion. The Litany
has long been used as a distinct Service in the Chapel of
the Archbishop of Canterbury at Lambeth, on certain
public days. Instances have occurred of its being
enjoined on the Rogation days, as by Cox, Bishop of Ely,
2 F
434
OF THE FORMER PART
season.
in 1559', when it was employed in a procession, and
followed the Psalm, Benedic anima mea. Its adoption
on the Rogation days would be in strict accordance with
ancient precedent, and with the peculiar character of the
As it is, though the Rogation days are men-
tioned in the Calendar, no stated service is assigned to
them.
As the structure of the former part of the Litany
differs from the latter, so does its mode of performance,
in regular Choirs, as regards the place, the ministers,
and the music to which it is set. These particulars now
remain to be considered.
First, then, as to the place. A distinct place for the
performance of the Litany is intimated by the letter of
the Prayer Book, in a rubric of the Commination Service:
“ The Priest and Clerks kneeling (in the place where they
are accustomed to say the Litany) shall say this Psalm.”
This intimation is borne out by the injunctions of the
Sovereign at different times, the testimony of Ritualists,
and the practice of the Church.
The injunctions of Queen Elizabeth direct that
Immediately before Communion the Priests and others
of the Choir shall kneel in the midst of the Church, and
say or sing plainly and distinctly the Litany in English
with all the suffrages.” Again, those of King Edward,
and of Queen Elizabeth, in 1559, direct it “to be sung
in the midst of the Church before the Chancel door, at a
low desk, anciently called the falled stool.”
Playford's book records that “upon the usual days
that the Litany is appointed to be sung, it is sung by
66
· Ann. Reform., vol. i. c. 17.
SPARROW's Collections.
2
OF THE LITANY.
435
two of the Choir in the middle of the Church near the
Bible Desk," as now at St. Paul's. To these authorities
many more might be added.
As to the practice of the Church, it has been already
seen, that when originally performed at St. Paul's, it was
sung between the Choir and the Altar; that is, exactly
in the same place as at present, at the eastern end of
the stalls, at the commencement of the Presbytery.
This was in accordance with the ancient practice of
the English Church, since the Sarum Processional directs
it to be said in the midst of the Choir: and the Roman,
on Rogation days, before the Altar.
It is still performed at the Cathedrals of St. Paul and
Lichfield, at Magdalen College, and perhaps elsewhere,
at the extremity of the stalls. Forinerly, it was so read
at Christ Church, in Dublin: but the Faldstool had been
many years disused there, on the insufficient plea that the
Choir is too narrow to admit of its use without inconve-
nience. At Canterbury, York, Lincoln, and Oxford, the
Faldstool is placed nearer the west door, but in all cases
in the midst of the Choir, facing eastward. Exeter
Cathedral, and New College, and possibly other places,
retain the Faldstool. That it was more commonly used
formerly, is inferred from the well known frontispiece
to Sparrow's Rationale, which evidently represents a
parish Church. Whether it ought to be near the Altar,
or in the midst of the Congregation, has been a matter
of dispute. Our Cathedrals sanction both positions:
and this is a question for the Ordinary to decide, as
shall best conduce to edification. It is placed eastward
of the Lectern at St. Paul's, which seems a better posi-
tion than that of Lincoln, where the Lectern is near the
Altar, and faces the Faldstool.
2 F 2
436
OF THE FORMER PART
The Faldstool, according to the best precedents,
ought to be a low desk, merely high enough to kneel at:
not like the Eagle at Canterbury, which is improperly
used for the Litany, contrary to all Choral precedent in
England.
Our Ritualists agree that this posture of saying the
Litany is adopted from the passage in Joel, which speaks
of the Priests, the Ministers of the Lord, when making
their special Litanies for the sins of the people, weeping
between the Porch and the Altar.
Next, as to the Ministers by whom it is to be
performed. The regular Choral use assigns this to two
of the inferior Clergy. Bishop Sparrow says, that the
Litany used to be sung by Deacons, in Collegiate Churches
and Chapels. Playford and Low both mention two of
the Choir. This is in accordance with the use of the
Greek Church, which assigned the Synaptè to the
Deacons. The Sarum Litany, used on Wednesdays and
Fridays, and on Rogation days, and in the procession of
peace, is directed to be sung by two Clerks of the second
form; and the Roman Litany is assigned to two Clerks.
The former Litany is regularly sung at St. Paul's by
two Minor Canons, and at New College by two Chap-
lains. But at Lichfield and Exeter an apparently ano-
malous custom prevails, of assigning it to a Priest and
a Lay Vicar, and at Lincoln to two Lay Vicars. This
latter custom seems to have been more prevalent for-
merly than now. In the Cathedral of Lincoln, two
Laymen still chant this part of the Litany; at Lichfield
and Exeter, a Priest and Lay Vicar are associated in
this duty: a Priest in all instances performing the latter
part, which begins at the Lord's Prayer.
This anomalous custom is apparently justified by
OF THE LITANY.
437
ancient formularies. In the Saruin Processional, the
Ministers of this Service are usually called Clerks of the
second form: and the Septiform Litany, used on Easter
Even, is appointed to be sung by boys: so that it was
clearly not restricted to the Clergy. And in our ancient
Choral books, as those of Playford and Low, it is
expressly said, that the Litany is sung by two of the
Choir. But none of these directions imply a restriction
to, or a preference of Laymen. Under the term Clerks
of the second form, were included Deacons, as appears
not only from the ancient constitution of Cathedrals, as
stated in a former section, but from the rubrics of the
Ritual of Sarun itself: since the Quinquepartite Litany
is there directed to be sung by five Deacons of the
second form. The mode of performing the Septiform
Litany cannot be urged as a precedent: since this was
an office peculiar to one special season, not the per-
manent Litany of the Church; and the seven boys by
whom it was repeated in the Ritual of Sarum were the
representatives of one of those seven classes of the
people by whom respectively it used to be sung on days
of solemn humiliation in ancient times. And as for the
notices in our Choral books, it is evident that the
inferior Clergy are comprehended under the term Choir:
indeed, in Playford, the word “ Priest” is prefixed to the
suffrages which follow the Invocation. Against the
singing by laymen most of our Ritualists have strongly.
reclaimed: and though Dr. Bisse shows that it is not
irregular, (being, indeed, contrary to no rubric) yet his
argument is rather an apology, than an approval'. The
· I give Dr. Bisse's words :-“Now though this practice may seem
to have a wrong appearance, when Priests are present, and for that
reason hath been abridged in these later days; yet in vindication of
438
OF THE FORMER PART
allocation of the Litany to Deacons is plainly the most
primitive custom: the analogous Service in the old
Liturgies being assigned to that order. Though it be
true, as Dr. Bisse states, that the former Litany in
its very structure, is a more strictly congregational
form than the prayers at Matins and Evensong, so
that the Ministers in its performance are rather Pre-
centors or imoborers, (prompters, or suggestors,) yet
there seems no reason why the ordained Minister of the
Church should not lead in this congregational suppli-
cation: nay, the whole analogy of our Service, and all
our notions of propriety are repugnant to the practice
of giving the lead in any act of prayer to Laymen, and
actually assigning a subordinate place to the Clergy, who
then merely respond with the Congregation. But when
the solemn nature of the supplication is considered, as
comprising the most awful invocations of her God which
the Church, which admits of no irregularity, it is proper to show this
offence to be grounded on a mistake. For in the present case, the
voice of the singer, whether ecclesiastic or laic, is to be considered not
as of a Priest, but precentor, vox præcurrens, going before, and leading
on the Congregation; which in general Confessions, as well as suppli-
cations or Litanies, has been allowed. Insomuch that in the Confession
in the Communion Office, surely the most solemn, and upon the most
solemn occasion, the old rubric directed it to be said either by one of
the Communicants in the name of the rest, or else by the Minister
himself. In both cases, the Priest becomes as one of the congre.
gation," &c. ...“But further, in the Litany, the several deprecations
and intercessions contain each but one petition, though divided in such
a manner as separately to be said between the Priest and people in
parish Churches, or sung between the Chanters and Choir in Cathedrals.
Now the petition being but one, though thus distributed, it imports
not which begins, or which ends. And the old objection has been the
reverse of the present, that the petitionary part has been allotted to
the people; though without its correspondent it cannot indeed be
called a petition."
OF THE LITANY.
439
the Church has framed, and prayers of the deepest
urgency, and most comprehensive fulness, it seems a
most lamentable perversion to continue a custom, which
is after all founded upon ambiguous usages and directions,
and which the religious feelings of the sober-minded
must naturally resent. The very idea of the Litaneutical
supplication is frustrated; that of the Priest, the
Minister of the Lord, weeping between the Porch and
the Altar. The position is preserved, but not the
ministration itself. If the Deacons are permitted to
perform this part of the Service, the permission is to
them a privilege, of which they ought not to be deprived.
But even were the license to laymen to perform it
clearly recognised by the Church at large, still nothing
would prevent those in orders from undertaking this
subordinate duty, and thus removing the scandal which
certainly has ever attached to this strange practice. The
Priest Vicars and Minor Canons, as before observed,
represent the Deacons of the primitive Church. And
thus at St. Paul's the former Litany is properly sung
by two Minor Canons; at Christ Church, in Dublin, by
the Junior Vicar: the Senior Vicar in the latter place
performing the concluding part. However, should any
good reason really exist for the practice now reprobated
being kept up at Lincoln Cathedral, none at least can be
found for the irreverent mode of its performance there,
where it is often sung with a coarseness and want of
feeling which totally impair the effect of the Service'.
| Till I heard the Choir at Gloucester, I imagined that the acme
of irreverent and careless chanting was to be found at Lincoln. At
Gloucester half the words of the Psalms were inaudible: I doubt
whether they were uttered at all. It is said the Service is better
performed on Sundays. However that may be, I have been most
unfortunate in my week-day experience.
440
OF THE FORMER PART
One of the Litanies on Easter Even in the Church of
Sarum was sung by five Deacons. On the Rogation
days, if concurrent with double Festivals, three of the
Superior Clergy officiated at this Service. Our Cathe-
drals might well take a hint from this practice, and assign
the Litany to the Canons, should any be found competent
to chant, on the greater Festivals of Easter and Whitsun-
day, and on Christmas Day, when the latter falls on a
Litany day.
The Music to which the Litany is usually sung is a
very ancient Chant, almost identical, in the Invocation at
least, with that appointed for use on the Rogation days
in the Roman Processional, and that found in the Salis-
bury Ritual for the Procession of Peace, and other times.
It is supposed to be as ancient as any Chant possessed
by the Western Church. The Litany is not found in
Marbeck: since it had been published many years before,
in the reign of Henry VIII., adapted to the ancient
notation by Archbishop Cranmer. The original is to be
found in the Library of Brasenose College, Oxford; and
it essentially corresponds with that in general use in our
Choirs.
This notation is dissimilar in principle to that of the
versicles and responses. The latter are constructed upon
a certain rule, which varies the cadences, as before shown,
according as the terminating word consists of one or more
syllables. But the music of the former Litany is a regular
Chant, in its structure exactly resembling that of the
Psalms: and in its mode of recitation following in some
instances the Western use of chanting the Psalter by
verses, in others, the Oriental use by hemistichs. The
Invocation, for instance, and the suffrage, “Son of God :
we beseech thee to hear us,” are sung throughout like a
OF THE LITANY.
441
verse of the Psalms: the suffrage has a colon in the
middle to mark the Choral pause; there is the middle
and the final cadence, and the recitation in each division.
In the other suffrages, the Ministers sing the first hemi-
stich: the Choir the second, as in the responses, “Good
Lord, deliver us," “ We beseech thee to hear us, Good
Lord.” While in the concluding suffrages, “ Lord, have
mercy upon us,” an abbreviation of the Chant is used.
The structure of the Litany, as shown in the pre-
ceding Section, is fully carried out by the choral per-
formance. Thus, the Invocation, and Kyrie Eleison,
which is parallel to it, as also the clause, “O Christ, hear
us," are successively sung, in the same notes, by both
Ministers and Choir. And here it is in place to remark
upon an abuse tolerated in some Churches; the simul-
taneous recitation of these parts by Priest and people,
like the Confession, Creed, and Lord's Prayer. This
practice impairs the whole rationale of the service, and
the express letter of the Prayer Book, in which the same
words are repeated in a different type, to show as distinctly
as possible that the people or Choir are not to begin their
part till the Minister has finished his. It would be quite
as correct to repeat the words, “Good Lord, deliver us,"
while he is reading the suffrage which precedes them.
In this respect the usage of the reformed Church of
England is different from what it used to be formerly,
and is still in the Church of Rome. Thus, in the Pro-
cession for peace, in the Salisbury Ritual, and in the
Greater Litanies of Rome, each suffrage throughout, with
its response, is said, like the Invocation, successively by
Minister and Choir, should the procession be long: if
otherwise, the responses are made as with us; except in
the Invocation, where, “ Have mercy upon us” is sung as
442
OF THE FORMER PART
a Response. In the Litany performed after Mass on the
second Rogation day, the Sarum use prescribes the repe-
tition of “Kyrie Eleison” after each Invocation and
Suffrage: a custom obviously of Oriental derivation.
How much more consistent and beautiful our order is, it
is unnecessary to show.
In the Invocation, the Salisbury Chant is somewhat
more simple than the Roman, as its cadence is on the
minor third, followed by the key note, without the inter-
vention of the sharp seventh, which, according to the use
of the Roman Ritual, all the English Choirs retain. The
first part of the Chant does not, either in the use of Rome
or Sarum, terminate as with us upon a tone above the
reciting note, but returns in the last syllable to that note;
except in instances where such words occur as “ Michaēl,"
“Gabriēl,” &c. This is analogous to the peculiarities
already observed in Marbeck's arrangement of the Can-
ticles, which is derived from a frequent practice in the
use of the ancient Gregorian Chant.
The use of Winchester, which is followed by that of
St. Paul's, Exeter, Bristol, and other places, sings the
word “miserable" upon four short notes, the first and last
syllables being on the sharp seventh of the key, the inter-
mediate ones upon the minor third below. The first of
these notes is an interpolation: and the consequence is,
that the solemn cadence of the ancient Litany is con-
verted into a melody, which, if not deliberately performed,
has the effect of a turn. The use of Westminster, which,
in the rejection of the first sharp seventh, is conformed to
the exemplar of Cranmer's, Playford's, Low's, and Day's
Litanies, recognises the accented, not syllabic method,
the last six syllables being deliberately sung to the three
notes of the cadence.
OF THE LITANY,
443
The suffrage, “Remember not,” being peculiar in its
structure, would seem to require a different mode of
notation from those which follow. It is a sentence com-
plete in itself: the reciting pause is marked in the middle
by a colon, and it is finished by a full stop. The words
Spare us, good Lord,” are rather an abbreviated repe-
tition of the preceding petition, than a response; the
sentence being complete without it. I suspect the proper
mode of the recitation of the clause itself would be to
sing it to the entire Chant, as the Invocation: the Choir
reiterating the second part of the Chant in the words
which follow it. For this, however, no authority exists
in any of our Choirs: except in that of York: where, in
the Litany presently to be mentioned, (altogether dif-
ferent from those in common use,) this method is adopted
with respect to the clause in question.
The Chants for the “Propitius esto” and “Parce
nobis Domine," in the unreformed Litanies, are different
from those to the corresponding suffrages in the English
form.
The Bristol use differs from all the others in singing
all the Responses from “Spare us, good Lord,” to the
end of the Intercession inclusive, upon one note, har-
monized: the former part of the Chant, however, sung
by the Ministers, being varied as usual.
The Ministers' part, throughout the Litany, after the
Invocation, is uniformly chanted in all Choirs which
follow the ancient form, with a cadence more varied
than that used in the first part of the Chant; that is,
between the recitation and the final note, (which is a
tone above the key note,) it interposes the sharp seventh
and minor third below. The ancient form is different,
falling only a semitone, and ending on the second, and
444
OF THE FORMER PART
major third above. The ancient Response, “Te rogamus
audi nos," resembles ours, but falls to a fourth below.
It is to be remarked, that in this Response, Tallis has
varied altogether from any known authority.
With respect to the two suffrages at the end of the
Litany, a peculiarity is to be remarked in Tallis, which
some have considered an irregularity. By his arrange-
ment, the whole clause, with its Response, “O Lamb of
God, that takest away the sins of the world, Grant us
thy peace,” is said throughout first by the Minister, and
then is repeated at length by the Choir, like the Invoca-
tion. And so with the corresponding clause which
follows. Now the structure of this part of the Litany
seems to vindicate the propriety of this arrangement.
All the other clauses, from “Son of God” to the end of
the Kyrie Eleison inclusive, are repeated exactly as the
Invocation, not as Versicle and Response; and there
seems no reason why these clauses should be so recited
as to interrupt this order. The pointing of the Prayer
Book is certainly against this method: nor have we any
authority for it in the earlier editions, or in Cranmer's
Litany. However, it apparently exhibits a principle
which it is interesting to observe. The music of these
clauses was taken by Tallis from the ancient Agnus Dei
formerly used in the Communion Service: to which
that given by Marbeck bears some resemblance, in its
general idea.
The Bristol adaptation of the Agnus Dei is in strict
conformity to the punctuation of the Prayer Book: since
the Minister's part is sung to the entire Chant, the
reciting colon following the words, “O) Lamb of God,"
evidently prescribing this method, which, however, is
followed by no other Choir.
OF THE LITANY.
445
Other adaptations of the Litany, in occasional use
according to the unreformed rituals, as the Roman one
for Easter Eve, that of Sarum for St. Mark's day, &c.,
have not been transferred to our Choirs. In later times
there have been very ornate musical arrangements of it
made, as by Mozart, &c., which altogether impair its
character.
Those in use in the Churches of our Communion
remain to be mentioned. In Christ Church, Dublin, the
ancient method, now many years superseded by the
Winchester mode, was to chant the former Litany upon
one unvaried note throughout. In York Cathedral an
admirable Litany, attributed to a composer of the name
of Wanless, was in use till within the last half century.
It was composed upon the bass of a Chant commonly
attributed to Purcell, but apparently much older than
his time, and most solemnly harmonized. This interest-
ing composition, which narrowly escaped destruction in
the fire of 1829, has long been disused, and is now
almost forgotten. The Litany in that Church is at
present read, as in parish Churches. Nor is this the only
mutilation which the Choral Service has there sustained.
In a publication by Day, in 1565, the Litany, as far
as the Lord's Prayer inclusive, is harmonized. The
tenor part is nearly identical with the melody of that
commonly in use'.
The famous Litany of Tallis, one of the most
perfect pieces of harmony in the world, is based upon
that in common use. The Priest's part throughout,
* This fact was pointed out to me by one whose friendship is an
honour, the Rev. J. C. Crosth waite, Dean's Vicar of Christ Church, in
Dublin.
446
OF THE FORMER PART
with the exception of the Agnus Dei, and- Kyrie
Eleison, is exactly the same: but the Responses vary
considerably. Nothing can be more deeply religious
than the effect of this sublime composition. The proper
tiines for its use are the great Festivals, when, like the
Responses, it is sung to the Organ, as far as the Lord's
Prayer, where Tallis's adaptation terminates. It is now
used (without the Organ) every Sunday in Christ Church
Cathedral, in Dublin. But it is to be doubted whether
it is fitted for constant use: and it seems most consistent
with the practice of the Church of England to reserve,
these more solemn and prolonged strains for the great
Festivals.
Most Choirs have harmonized the ordinary Litany,
as the Responses, either by traditional custom, or, as
at Durham, by the special care of some known musician.
At Lichfield, the Litany, as often as it occurs, is ac-
companied by the Organ, being set to a harmony of the
ordinary Chant.
Tallis's Litany, with some modifications, has been
adapted to Latin words, and been constantly used on
certain occasions, in the University of Oxford; as on
the Friday preceding each term. Formerly it was also
sung in the Chancel of St. Mary's', by the Choir, two
Priests chanting the Suffrages, on every Saturday in
Lent, the congregation being formed by the determining
Bachelors. But this latter custom has been altogether
forgotten, and even in its terminal use, the Litany has
i This is related in the Preface to a collection of Cathedral Music
by Clarke, Organist of Trinity College, Cambridge, in the last century.
He also mentions the resumption of the chanting of the Prayers and
Responses at New College, in Oxford, through his influence.
OF THE LITANY.
447
suffered mutilation, since the Suffrages are no longer
chanted by the officiating Clergymen, and even the
Responses are but meagrely sung. So little indeed was
the sustentation of solemn Liturgical observances re-
garded, at least some few years ago, that, to my surprise,
I have found even resident members of the University
altogether ignorant of this custom, when I mentioned
it to them. But now that the growing piety of the
members has required the revival of the terminal Com-
munion at St. Mary's, it is surely but reasonable to
expect that the accompanying Services may be restored
to their original fulness. The dignity of the University
does not consist merely in intellectual exercises, in feasts,
processions, or commemorations?: and if “ Dominus illu-
minatio mea” be her real sentiment, the true principle
of her strength, it becomes her to set forth his glory, by
the most solemn outward manifestation.
The Latin Litany, as before remarked, is no longer
sung at Convocations: on which occasions the Bishop of
Salisbury, as Precentor of the College of Bishops, was
expected in ancient times to officiate.
It remains to offer a few words on the mode of reci-
tation, whether in saying or singing the Litany. These
must simply consist in again referring to the punctuation
of the Prayer Book, which in this part of the Service is
done with particular care. For instance, a due attention
to the semicolons, especially in the clauses of the Depre-
cation and Obsecration, will bring out the peculiar beauty
and force of the grouping already alluded to: thus,
1 Why has the University condescended to give such a secular and
operatic character to these Commemorations, while she has altogether
laid aside the solemn observance of the Act?
448
FORMER PART OF THE LITANY.
lightning and tempest, two cognate visitations, sare so
defined, by this particular stop; so also plague, pesti-
lence, and famine; so also battle, murder, and sudden
death. The neglect of this rule, in which every school-
boy ought to be versed, is much too frequent; in Choirs
especially, where the general principle seems to be to
make the recitation as monotonous as possible, and to
sacrifice everything to the cadence.
449
SECTION LIX.
OF THE LATTER PART OF THE LITANY.
Then shall the Priest, and the people with him, say the Lord's
Prayer.
THIS Rubric, added at the last Review, is confirmatory
of the ancient practice of the Church, which, as before
observed, assigned the performance of the latter part of
the Litany to the Priest or Superior Minister. The
usage of Christ Church, in Dublin, in this respect, has
been already noticed. In Lichfield and Lincoln, &c.,
the Priest here officiates. And at Oxford and Cam-
bridge, on those days when the Litany is performed
before the University, the Vice-Chancellor, if in orders,
reads the Lord's Prayer, and the remaining parts. The
rationale of this whole division is different; the petitions
of the Priest being complete in themselves, and more
resembling (but with characteristic differences) the gene-
ral tenor of the Morning and Evening Prayer.
As in the style of this division of the Litany, so in
the mode of its Choral recitation, there is a marked
difference from that which precedes. The Litany chant
is discontinued; and the rest is sung with the ordinary
cadences, upon the same principle as that which regu-
lates the versicles and responses of Matins and Even-
song Hence it is, that the harmonized Litanies of Tallis
and Day, and that for the use of York, terminate with
the Kyrie Eleison before the Lord's Prayer. And in the
old Dublin Litany, sung upon a monotone, thus far, the
usual cadences were in this place resumed.
2 G
450
OF THE LATTER PART
The Lord's Prayer is now universally chanted upon one
note. In Lichfield, a custom is observed, very proper in
itself, as marking the change, of chanting it some notes
lower than the preceding supplications. In Playford's
book, it is sung a fourth below: and then in the remaining
part of the service there is a rise of a minor third above
the key note. This is also the Lichfield mode. In Low's
book also there is a direction to say the Lord's Prayer
“either in the last single tone, or four notes lower.”
Marbeck has the same cadences on the two last clauses
as are found in the former occurrence of the Lord's
Prayer after the Canticles at Matins. In Day's Litany a
feature occurs altogether singular; namely, the setting
of this prayer to a harmonized melody, resembling the
Litany Chant. This is an imitation of the manner in
which the Lord's Prayer was formerly sung in the Com-
munion Service; and it much resembles the arrangement
which is found in Marbeck's Communion office.
As to the remaining versicles, suffrages, and responses,
but few remarks remain to be made. In the first place,
in the old English Litany, published in Henry VIII.th's
reign, and also in Playford and Low, the prayer,
6
God, merciful Father," is terminated without the cadence
which is now usual in Choirs. A distinction thus seems
to be made between this prayer, which is like a Collect,
and the following suffrage, “ O God, we have heard with
our ears," which is more like a versicle, and is intoned
as such, being, I apprehend, a vestige of Psalmody. In
the next place, the Gloria Patri is set to a great variety
of cadences: according as it was regarded at different
epochs, as a versicle and response, or as a verse, like
that in a Psalm. Thirdly, the principle upon which the
cadences are generally made, is violated in so many
OF THE LITANY.
451
instances, by documents of the best authority, as to
induce a belief that this was done intentionally, and
that the old rules, which after all were merely conven-
tional, were not intended to be rigidly observed. Thus
the cadence after “O God, we have heard,” &c.,' as given
in Cranmer's Litany, which is wrong according to the
In Mr. Dyce's edition of the noted Prayer Book, these apparent
irregularities have been corrected. But I must beg to express a doubt
whether this correction is advisable, for reasons which are stated in
the text. The originals of our Choral service ought to be jealously
preserved from alteration, especially where passages occur which are
confirmed by ancient documents. While on the subject of this Prayer
Book, I cannot in honesty abstain from some strictures which a
closer perusal of it obliges me to make, and which I do with real
regret. It is a great disappointment to find that a book so beautifully
and expensively got up, and so long expected, has failed in giving a
faithful exhibition either of the ancient originals, or of the actual
practice of the Choirs. The Editor has relied too much upon his own
judgment, and has ventured to modify the original, and in his adap-
tation of the old chant to our present Prayer Book, to introduce in
some instances a notation practically unknown to our Choirs. For
instance, the chants for the Canticles are not given to each verse, and
thus one of the most interesting features of Marbeck is lost. The
Intonation of the Preface, instead of being on one note, as in Marbeck,
is set to a melody. The cadences of the Minister's part in the Inter-
cessions of the Litany are simplified in a manner for which there is no
precedent (except possibly some very obscure one) in our Choirs. And
then, the introductory sentences of Morning and Evening Prayer, and
the Exhortation, are set to varied cadences, for which there is no
authority whatever; and the grave cadence, unknown to our Choral
responses, is used. I heartily hope that no Dean or Head of a College
may authorize the adoption of such an innovation. The Editor ought
to have given his originals faithfully, as far as they are adapted to our
present Service, and as to those parts which were inserted or altered
since Marbeck's time, he ought to have adopted the best usages of the
most authoritative Choirs. As it is, the book is imperfect as a docu-
ment of ancient practice, and is unfit for an exemplar to any modern
Choir. We have no right to act upon our individual judgments in
introducing choral principles unknown to the reformed Church of
England.
2 G 2
452
OF THE LATTER PART
ancient rules, is supported by Playford and Low, and by
the uses of St. Paul's and Exeter. The same authority
gives also an irregular accent in the suffrage, “O Son of
David, have mercy upon us," which is supported by
Westminster, and “O Lord, let thy mercy be showed
upon us,” which is supported by Bristol. The Bristol
use, indeed, varies very considerably from most others,
and disregards the usual rules. For example, in the
suffrages, “From our enemies defend us, O Christ," and
those which follow, one cadence is uniformly adopted
throughout for the Priest's part, and another for the
Choir. But I suspect there may be a good principle in
this. The suffrages here are essentially different from
the versicles, and therefore ought properly to be chanted
in a different way, so as to shew that they are not hemi-
stichs, but independent sentences; an object which is
attained by the Bristol use. It is to be remarked, that
these suffrages are repeated for the third Rogation day
in the Salisbury Processional, are there each repeated,
first by the Minister, then by the Choir, and are all set
to the same melody, not to the usual intonations. In
fact, I very much doubt whether the ancient principle of
the versicles and responses is a sound one, and whether
it is well adapted to the genius of the English language,
however it may be to the Latin. The versicles and
responses ought apparently to be so arranged as to give
the idea of an hemistichal Chant, like the melody of the
Litany. A different principle should regulate those of
the Litany. Not that I would by any means recommend
the disuse of the ancient responses: quite the contrary.
But I would infer from what has been said, first, that the
uses of the different Cathedrals ought to be religiously
retained, and preserved from any alterations which a
OF THE LITANY.
453
deference to the ancient principles may suggest, as it
is very possible that their supposed irregularities may in
fact be the assumption of some new and sound principle:
in the next place, that those composers ought not to be
condemned, who, like Dean Aldrich, have set the latter
part of Tallis's Latin Litany to music on a different
principle from that of the ancient notation, for occa-
sional use.
Besides these harmonies of Aldrich, the latter part
of Tallis's English Litany has been harmonized of late
by various hands. I may mention in particular an
admirable adaptation of his harmonies by the Rev. Mr.
Finlayson, of Christ Church in Dublin.
Before concluding this section, it may be observed
that the setting of the clause, “ Favourably with mercy
hear our prayers,” contains a curious evidence of the
changes which have taken place in the pronunciation of
the concluding word. In the ancient books it has the
cadence proper to a dissyllable, as it was formerly pro-
nounced, while in the uses of Winchester, Durham, and
Westminster, that proper to a monosyllable, as it is now
sounded, is observed.
The final cadence of the prayers on the semitone
below, used in many Choirs, is not found in the old
books, but is fortified by the authority of the Sarum use,
where it is of frequent occurrence.
454
SECTION LX.
OF THE COMMUNION SERVICE.
I The Order of the Administration of the Lord's Supper",
or Holy Communion.
We now approach the most solemn part of divine
worship, towards which all the others tend as to a
centre, and which was held in such high reverence by
the ancient Church, as to have assigned to it more
peculiarly, if not exclusively, the title of Liturgy. The
Communion is eminently the Church's song of praise,
accompanying her highest act of Faith. In it she
more especially acknowledges the present influences of
Christ among his people, and in songs taught her by
those angels who glorify Him in heaven, commemorates
not only his sacrifice once offered, but the everlasting
triumph over death which was its consequence, and
that eternal life, which He communicates through the
Holy Spirit to the Church; and which, in the full
assurance of faith, she here seeks in a more peculiar
manner through the ordinance of his own institution.
This seeking for his special grace being in itself an act
of praise and thanksgiving, and of most perfect com-
memoration, has therefore been from ancient times
called the Eucharist. And though prayer and confes-
sion rightly find their place in the office, yet these are
but preparatory acts, and subordinate to that joyful
confession of Faith, and that expansive voice of hope,
which predominate throughout.
OF THE COMMUNION SERVICE.
455
It is difficult, in an essay like the present, to enter
upon any discussion respecting even the circumstantials
connected with these holy mysteries, without an appear-
ance of irreverence, and of a profane intrusion into holy
ground. Yet while it is my desire to confine myself
as closely as possible to these circumstantials, I would
fain hope that fair consideration may be had of the
religious object of this work, which throughout has
endeavoured to shew how the subordinate but important
particulars of external worship may best be ordered
according to the will of the Church, and therefore
towards the edification of man, and the glory of God.
As to the high doctrines involved in the Communion
Service of the Church of England, let me be allowed
to say this much, (more would be out of place,) that
it is my desire neither to exceed nor to fall short of
what she has expressed in her Articles, Catechism, and
Liturgy: neither, on the one hand, coldly regarding
this holy rite as a mere commemoration, nor, on the
other, perverting into a gross and idolatrous superstition
that primitive and Catholic belief of a mysterious in-
fluence then specially present, which baffles all human
speculation, and the attempt to define which is dan-
gerous, as infallibly leading to one or other extreme
of error.
But by those even who take the very lowest view
of the Holy Communion, the awfulness of the rite
itself, its preeminence above all other religious exercises,
and the imperative obligation of its observance, enjoined
by a divine command, are fully confessed. To all religious
minds, therefore, it must be a matter of the deepest
shame and reproach, to reflect into what neglect it had
fallen, during at least the past and preceding generation.
456
OF THE COMMUNION SERVICE.
How subordinate a part was assigned to this service is
a matter of notoriety; and the effects of these fearful
neglects are bitterly felt by those whose place it has
been to revive among the people a sense of this their
most bounden duty and service. As respects our Colle-
giate foundations, the very desuetude, in so many, of the
Choral voice of praise in this place, gives an intimation
but too significant of the subordinate regard paid to that
rite, the full and frequent celebration of which was one
chief end proposed in the establishment of a numerous
body of Clergy and Ministers. Thus the Nicene Creed
is often left unsung, because men's apprehensions, en-
feebled by the apathetic training of later times, have
been unable to understand how the confession of God's
Name, attributes, and acts, is a song of praise, a Te
Deum, a Gloria Patri in another form, and how its
peculiar position in the Communion Service exalts it
to a character more specially eucharistic, as the Western
Church for above eight hundred years had practically
held. And alas! those two angelic hymns, the Sanctus
and Gloria in Excelsis, which surely, of all others, require
the voice of the holiest music, are all but universally aban-
doned to a mode of recitation, adapted only to the most
humble sanctuaries, and to the most penitential occasions.
To the inexcusable disgrace of our Chapters and Colleges,
it has been forgotten that the members of our Choirs,
whether lay or clerical, are living stones of the Temple,
are Ministers of sacred things, and have an interest in
every part of the Ritual, as members of Christ's body,
and as the examples of his people. The ways of Sion
do mourn because none come to her solemn feasts: and
no wonder that the Church's voice is husled, on the
very occasion when of old her heart and tongue made
OF THE COMMUNION SERVICE.
457
the fullest and most joyful confession unto salvation,
since her Ministers themselves have actually repressed
and discouraged the weekly approach to the Table of the
Lord. I speak nothing new. The scandal is notorious.
And if some of the Chapters and Colleges of late have
awakened to their duty, it is a fact palpable to the
whole Church of Christ, that others have obstinately
clung to their inveterate neglect of the explicit statutes
of the Church, and still deliberately offend against the
plain and obvious common law of Christianity.
That part of the Communion Service, which from
the indevotion of later times is enjoined to be kept
up as a small remembrancer of the weekly communion,
is so performed in many places, as to be popularly con-
sidered a mere appendage to the Morning Service, a
conclusion to a more essential and edifying office. Thus
the performance of that part of the Liturgy preceding
the Sermon is commonly spoken of as “reading the
Commandments:" as if the recitation of these, (a mere
accident, no essential part of the Service) were the chief
object for which the Ante-Communion was retained.
Whereas the true intent of this regulation is, the keep-
ing up, in some degree, a weekly remembrance of the
sacrifice and death of Christ, of the table of the Lord, of
that rite the celebration of which ought to be the prin-
cipal religious act of every Lord's day; the impressing on
the minds of the people at once a sense of their neglects,
and an intimation of the Church's charitable desire. But
this end is frustrated, as far as man's dull ingenuity
can devise, in many parish Churches, as will hereafter
be shewn, when the Holy Table comes under con-
sideration.
It is plain from the very nature of the case, that no
458
OF THE COMMUNION SERVICE.
part of Divine Service ought to be celebrated with
greater Choral fulness, than the office of the Holy
Communion. And when the spirit of primitive devotion
has returned to us, so it will be practically acknowledged.
If the use of music be in any case allowable, all argu-
ments in its favour have tenfold cogency when con-
sidered in connection with this Christian feast. All
evidence is for it, whether the example of the Jews in
analogous rites be sought, or the example of our Lord at
the institution of his perfective rite, or of his Apostles,
or of the Church Universal. The Churches of the
Roman Communion, in this respect, have gone into an
opposite extreme from ourselves. I merely speak of
their usages as regards the Choral music. For as to
frequency of the communion of the laity, (if that can be
called real communion in which the cup is withheld,) the
Church of England far exceeds them. And in their
Mass, they have perverted the feast of the faithful into
a vicarious sacrifice offered up, and for the most part,
received for them, by the Priest. But they so far act
upon a right principle, that the full majesty of ritual
observance is specially bestowed upon the most eucharistic
Service of the Church, in so far as it is a commemora-
tion; for such alone, upon the most charitable construc-
tion, can one of our Reformed communion consider the
Mass to be to the great body of the people. They have
however, as remarked just now, gone into an extreme.
Even in places where the other offices are performed in
the most rigid simplicity of the Gregorian Chant, the
Mass is accompanied with all the most modern resources
of harmony and melody, forming a complete and glaring
contrast to the ancient music of the Church, and both in
this respect and in the performers, exhibiting a character
OF THE COMMUNION SERVICE.
459
essentially secular and even theatrical". Now we have
within ourselves the means of restoring a due ecclesias-
tical gravity to this neglected office, if we would but
recur to the originals which yet remain among us, and
would consult the true spirit of our Liturgy.
Although, however, the Communion Service ought
to have the pre-eminence in the manner of its perform-
ance, as it has in its intrinsic solemnity, less remains to
be said upon its Choral details than upon those of the
subordinate Services. The character of its music is
more uniform. In our office there are but two Versicle:
and Responses, namely, those before the Preface, called
the Sursum Corda. The Chant does not enter into our
stated Communion Service, neither the Introit, Gradual,
or Tract of the unreformed office being now retained.
There is no prescribed Anthem. With the exception of
the Responsals after each Commandment, and the Glory
customarily sung before the Gospel, the music is set
to Christian Hymns, those three already mentioned, the
Creed, Sanctus, and Gloria in Excelsis.
These are sung
in the same manner as the Canticles in the Morning and
Evening Prayer, and being set for the most part by the
same composers, the observations made upon the Can-
ticles in our former sections will apply to the Communion
Hymns. There is, however, this difference between
| Any candid inquirer may see the growth of this secular Style in
the foreign Masses of the seventeenth century. Even in times before,
the Latin Services were infinitely more intricate than those of the
English Ritual. We have nothing so secular as the Masses of Haydn
and Mozart. How any unprejudiced mind can regard the High Mass
of the foreign Churches, which has degenerated into a mere spectacle,
as more impressive or religious than our Communion Service, when
administered with common decency, even in its simplest form, I am at
a loss to conceive.
460
OF THE COMMUNION SERVICE. .
them, that unlike the Canticles, the latter are in no
instance adapted to be sung, as the Psalms, to alternate
Chants. The practice of the Western Church has ever
been to sing them to variable modes, or varieties, (as our
older Church musicians term then) not to the fixed
modes, or canto fermo, to which the Psalms were set.
It is therefore an unauthorized innovation, contradictory
indeed to the provisions of the Prayer Book, to divide
these hymns by the colons proper only to the Psalms,
Canticles, and the Athanasian Creed, and to sing them to
common chants, as I have observed in some recent
Manuals. Such an arrangement is in direct opposition
to the character of this part of the service, and one
with which the structure of the Hymns themselves is
altogether inconsistent.
Reserving for their proper place observations upon the
specific Rubrics, it is now in place to remark upon the
music usually performed before the Communion Service.
I do not say, between the Morning Service or Litany and
the Communion, because the usage of those places must
be taken into account, where the Services are performed
at separate hours, on the holidays especially which are
not Litany days, and on which, consequently, the Com-
munion Office commences by itself at a later hour.
In King Edward's first Book, the Introit, of ancient
use in the Western Church, was prescribed to be sung.
This, however, for a reason not now discoverable, was
omitted in the subsequent editions, and there is no rubrical
direction for the manner in which the Office is to be
ushered in. Wheatly has remarked upon an ambiguity
in the old Rubrics as to the use of the Introit. One
Rubric directs the Clerks to sing it before the Lord's
Prayer: another directs the Priest to say it after tlie
OF THE COMMUNION SERVICE.
461
Collect for purity following the Lord's Prayer. It may
have been intended that in Choirs the former method, in
other places the latter should be observed. In Marbeck's
book, a Chant for the Introit is given, the same as that
for the Psalms, but without any Intonation. In this
respect the English use is more simple than that of the
foreign Churches, in which the Psalms of Introit have an
intonation both in the first and second parts, and are
sung in a more ornate manner than at the other Services.
The Introit, according to the use of these Churches, is
properly an Antiphon preceding the Psalms that are
chanted before Mass. Of this Antiphon the Church of
England never retained any vestige.
In Clifford's book, published shortly after the Restora-
tion, it appears that a Voluntary preceded the Communion
Service at St. Paul's. Shortly after this time, the custom
arose, now universal in Choirs, of singing a Sanctus in
this place: St. Paul's, Westminster, and Canterbury were
the first to adopt it'. To this there can be no objection,
the Sanctus here having a peculiarly solemn effect, ,
and its use being contrary neither to the Rubric, to the
rationale of the Service, nor to primitive and Catholic
custom. But then its adoption here ought not to super-
sede its choral performance again in its proper place.
There is as much propriety in the repetition of the
Sanctus as of the Gloria Patri. It may, however, be
remarked, that the Sanctus set to music by Rogers, of
very general use, is not exactly the same hymn as that
· HAWKINS'S History of Music, vol. iji. p. 351. He mentions that
there was in his time a Voluntary between the Services at the Temple
Church, but at no other in London. It is confidently hoped that the
best precedent in every choral usage may now be set by the newly-
established Choir of that Church.
462
OF THE COMMUNION SERVICE.
which occurs in the Communion Office, since it is thus
amplified, “Heaven and earth are full of the majesty of
thy glory;" the words “ of the majesty” being inter-
polated. Care ought to be taken how this setting of the
hymn, without the proper alteration of the words, is
introduced after the Preface.
In parish Churches, a Metrical Psalm is usually sung
in this place, and very properly. It is suggested, that as
a Psalm of a more penitential character is best suited for
performance before the Litany, so before the Communion,
ought it to be in a more eucharistic strain, with special
reference to the Festival. The words ought not to be
varied too frequently, but such a limited selection made
as may be readily familiarized to a plain or unlettered
congregation. This consideration is the chief obstacle to
a practice, in itself commendable, which some clergymen
are disposed to adopt, that of selecting such a part of the
metrical version as may correspond to the ancient Introit
for the day. It is possible, indeed, that the desuetude of
the Introit may be assignable to this cause.
A practice has of late been adopted in a London
Church', which to the Author has appeared very affecting
and appropriate, as marking in a most significant manner
the distinction between the Services, and the unity of the
Communion Office. A total silence is observed for some
1 The Chapel in Margaret Street, Cavendish Square. This is the
only Church in London where the full Communion Service is sung
every Sunday. It is a reproach to Westminster and St. Paul's that
the piety of an individual should have done more, in an humble and
unendowed sanctuary, for the solemn service of God, than has been
attempted by either of the rich Collegiate Foundations of the capital:
his being a voluntary labour of love; their neglects being transgressions
of the Church's express commands. This sentiment, however, is one
which that excellent individual would be the very last to express.
OF THE COMMUNION SERVICE.
463
minutes at the conclusion of the Litany, and the pre-
cursory Sanctus does not begin till the officiating Clergy-
man has gone within the Communion rails. This is
certainly in strictest accordance with the ancient usage,
which prescribed the singing of the Introit to begin when
the Clergy had entered the Septum, or enclosure of the
Holy Table. It is to be wished that some such practice
were adopted in our Choirs; or that at least a low sym-
phony were played till the Clergy had approached the
Altar rail, when the Sanctus might begin. No regulation
or prescriptive usage of the Anglican Church opposes
such a practice; and in all such matters, indifferent in
themselves, it never can be wrong to adopt those methods
which tend best to edification.
464
SECTION LXI.
OF THE HOLY TABLE.
The Table, at the Communion time, having a fair white linen cloth
upon it, shall stand in the Body of the Church, or in the Chancel,
where Morning and Evening Prayer are appointed to be said.
THE Rubrics preceding this regard the pastoral office,
not liturgical ministration, and therefore do not come
within the scope of this treatise.
Much controversy has arisen of late years as to the
designation of the Communion Table. By some the
use of the word Altar has been regarded as the badge
of a party : but most unjustly; since either word has long
been indifferently employed by many, according to the
practice of our best and soundest divines. The exclusive
adoption of either designation might indeed justly incur
the suspicion of party feeling. The Author, therefore,
must claim the right which the Church has plainly con-
ceded, of using either term, taught as he has been from
childhood to do so, by the example of those who, long
before the controversies of the present hour began, kept
to the true via media of the Church of England. That
the terms Holy Table and Altar were interchangeably
used from the most ancient time, is a matter of notoriety;
and though Origen and others declared that Christian
men had no Altars, it is plain from the context, that
they meant the heathen sense of the word only, since
material sacrifices make no part of the Christian worship.
Though the Common Prayer Book does not now retain
OF THE HOLY TABLE..
465
the word Altar, yet it is employed in the Coronation
Service; a ceremonial to which the fullest sanction of
the Church has been given, by the presence of all the
Estates of the Realm at its celebration, and which, there-
fore, is a coordinate authority with the Prayer Book on
all matters in which ritual principle is concerned. An
Altar, considered in its literal sense, is properly a table
on which offerings are made: and on the Christian Altar
there are oblations of alms, and of bread and wine, on
which the blessing of God is implored to sanctify them
to our spiritual good'. Still, as the word Table is alone
used in our Communion Service, it shall be for that
reason here most frequently employed, the word Holy
being prefixed to it, as in the Rubric after the Offertory.
The wording of this part of the Rubric may appear
ambiguous: but it is explained by the provisions of the
eighty-second Canon, which directs, that when the “Holy
Communion is to be administered, the Table shall be
placed in so good sort within the Church or Chancel, as
thereby the Minister may be more conveniently heard of
the Communicants in his prayer and ministration, and
the Communicants also more conveniently and in more
number may communicate with the said Minister.” This
license has been rarely, if ever, acted upon. Happily for
the Church of England, our Ordinaries have deemed fit
to let the Holy Table remain in its ancient place, hallowed
by the precedent of ages, and by the universal practice
| So thought Bishops Sparrow, Patrick, and Taylor. The two
former were among the revisers of our Prayer Book, and therefore their
authority has great weight. This fact should be borne in mind, when
we find Bishop Sparrow using the word Altar, as he continually does,
and asserting the lawfulness of having the Morning Prayer, Litany, and
Communion, at different hours.
2 H
466
OF THE HOLY TABLE.
of the Church. Were the numbers of our Commu-
nicants what they ought to be, hinderances indeed might
exist to the present universal arrangement, in some
Churches, from the intervention of a belfry, or solid
screen, as at St. Mary's, at Oxford, and lately at Stratford-
upon-Avon. But these barriers ought to be removed;
and then, if the proper management of the voice were
attended to as it ought, very few Churches indeed would
present any real impediment to the regular performance
of this service. And it is to be earnestly hoped that no
attempt may be made to disturb an arrangement which
accords with our best associations, and with the unvaried
usage of the universal Church in ancient times.
The restoration by Archbishop Laud of the Holy
Table to the position which it now uniformly occupies,
and which all ancient precedent prescribed, is well
known. To this no more than a passing allusion need
be made. It should, however, be borne in mind, that
the strict requisitions of that Prelate were merely endea-
vours towards a restoration of a prescribed order, which
had been infringed during a most innovating and care-
less age; and he well knew the importance of order and
strictness even in matters of subordinate detail; matters
which in every age of the world have exercised an
influence over the best feelings, nay, even the religious
faith of men'!
| The removal of the Altar at Salisbury from its ancient place in
the Choir to the end of the Lady Chapel, in the last century, has been
justly censured. The consequence is that the Holy Table occupies the
most obscure, instead of the most conspicuous place in the Church.
To remedy the practical inconvenience of the position, the Ante Com-
munion Service is performed at a Table placed in the old position,
which is not however a Communion Table, since the Offertory is not
OF THE HOLY TABLE.
467
At other times, the eighty-second Canon directs the
Table to be covered with a carpet of silk, or other decent
stuff thought meet by the Ordinary of the place, if any
question be made of it. It may be remarked, that while
the white linen cloth is to be “upon it,” the carpet is to
“cover it.” Whence it may be inferred, that the linen
cloth need only extend over the horizontal surface, while
the ordinary covering is to reach to the ground. And
this is in accordance with the best precedents. There is
no authority for the practice now frequently adopted, of
leaving the stone or wooden front and side of the Altar
exposed; nor are the precedents which may be urged
from the practice of the unreformed Church (which, how-
ever, cannot outweigh the Canon) of great antiquity'.
As to the controversy respecting stone or wooden Altars,
the Author must express at once his unwillingness and
inability to enter into it. The general usage of the
Church of England favours the wooden table; but the
sanction of some of our Bishops has allowed the alterna-
tive; and the historical evidence appears doubtful. It
is, however, to be hoped that no principle may be con-
sidered as involved by the adoption of either.
made, nor the elements consecrated upon it, but upon the real Altar
in the Lady Chapel. It is to be hoped that this anomaly may be
remedied, and that the Chapters of no other Cathedral may be tempted
to follow this wretched precedent.
The want of such a covering at Westminster Abbey and New
College Chapel, has the effect of making the stone Altars in those
places hardly distinguishable from the Altar Screen, at a little distance.
2 H 2
468
SECTION LXII.
OF THE PLACE AND MINISTER OF THE COMMUNION
SERVICE.
the
Lord's Prayer, with the Collect following, the people kneeling.
WHATEVER license may be given to the Ordinary to
change the place of the Holy Table, during the adminis-
tration of the Communion, no license whatever is given
to the Minister by the letter, and I will add, by the
spirit of the Prayer Book, to say any of the prayers
of that Service, even on non-Communion days, in any
other place than at the Holy Table itself. All the
Rubrics imply and suppose the use of the Table. And I
cannot see why there is not as strong a ground for
violating the Rubric directing the weekly use of the
Ante-Communion Service, as for transgressing these. It
may be said, indeed, that the Canon sanctions the
removal of the Table at the Communion time only, and
therefore that it is not only physically impossible in
many places for the Minister to read the Ante-Communion
in the Chancel, but that he has no option to do otherwise
than read it in the desk, if he is to be heard. To this
it may be answered; it is far from clear whether the
Church contemplates the non-administration of the Holy
Communion on Sundays, except as an unhappy accident.
She fixes, indeed, the minimum of days on which it
may be administered in- parish Churches, but she has
named no maximum: she has not even limited it to
Sundays and Holidays. On the contrary, our best
q And the Priest standing at the North side of the Table shall say
THE PLACE AND MINISTER, ETC.
469
Ritualists have held that the theory of the Church is to
give an opportunity at least to all, every Sunday':
and the Communion Service is to be read to as far
as a certain place, to terminate there, should no per-
sons have signified their intention of communicating.
On the supposed physical impossibility, remarks have
been already made. These causes are much fewer than
are generally imagined. As to the plea often urged,
that in long Chancels the Minister is not seen, this can
apply to a part of the Congregation only: and in large
Churches, there is no position whatever where he can be
visible to all: besides, the Church has laid a stress upon
his being heard, not upon his being seen.
But whatever necessity may in some few instances
exist, for reading the Ante-Communion from the desk, it
is in all instances to be deeply deplored. There is,
perhaps, no one external practice, next to irreverence or
apathy, which is more repugnant to all Christian pre-
cedent, and which has more injured the real edification
of the people, as keeping out of remembrance the Table
of the Lord, the recollection of his death, and the
special obligations of the Sunday Communion, in which
the devotion of the faithful ought mainly to consist. A
thousand times more is lost to the cause of edification
by the non-observance of this significant ceremony, than
is gained by the more audible recitation of the Ante-
Communion prayers. A feeling is often the exponent of
a principle: and the strong feeling of repugnance which
many have avowed, and in which the Author fully partici-
pates, to the practice adopted in many places where there
can be no possible excuse for it, is based upon a principle,
· Upon this subject, see Bishop Beveridge's inestimable Sermon on
the Necessity and Advantage of frequent Communion.
470
THE PLACE AND MINISTER
which is connected with the vital interests of Christianity.
No pains should be spared to obviate a custom so essen-
tially uncatholic. To this abuse Archbishop Laud was
strenuously opposed: and in its rectification he merely re-
stored a custom which had been infringed during his own
lifetime by Puritanical irreverence. There is a passage
in the life of his predecessor, Archbishop Parker, which
shows how opposed he was to the practice now animad-
verted upon'. In the year 1563, Grindal, then Bishop
of London, whose tendencies were towards Geneva, had
drawn up a special form of prayer and fasting, which
was appointed to be said, the Ante-Communion prayers
inclusive, in the body of the Church. The Primate, to
whom the form was submitted, disapproved of this
provision, “ which being once in this particular order
devised, he judged they abolished all Chancels.” The
second service, Strype adds, he approved to be celebrated
in the Chancel.
In consequence of this confounding of the Com-
munion with the Morning Office, an irregular custom
has obtained in some Churches, where the early Com-
munion is celebrated as a separate Service, before
the ordinary office of the day, of beginning with the
Offertory and not with the Lord's Prayer. Whereas the
Prayer Book distinctly includes that part from the Lord's
Prayer down to the end of the Nicene Creed, under the
title, “ The Order for the Administration of the Lord's
Supper, or Holy Communion.” These must, according
to the Church's unalterable rule, precede the Offertory,
to which they are an introduction. But even at times
when the Communion is administered, every pains seem
to be taken, in many places, to dissociate the former
Life, vol. i. book ii.
OF THE COMMUNION SERVICE.
471
division from the latter, by performing the part pre-
ceding the Sermon in the desk.
Before leaving this part of the subject, some atten-
tion is due to a passage in the life of Archbishop
Parker, from which it might appear, that the Matins or
Evensong were customarily read in Canterbury Cathedral
at the Communion Table, an usage altogether anomalous,
at least in Collegiate Churches, where during these
offices the Minister usually read from his stall. His
commissary certifies', that “the Common Prayer, daily
throughout the year, though there be no Communion,
was sung at the Communion Table standing North and
South, where the High Altar did stand. The Minister,
when there is no Communion, useth a surplice only,
standing on the East side of the Table, with his face
toward the people.” Now the expressions, “ though,” or
“when there be no Communion,” has no relevancy with
respect to Matins or Evensong. I therefore infer that
the Ante-Communion was daily performed, as it is still
in St. Patrick's, on Wednesdays and Fridays in Lent:
being a representation of the ancient daily Mass, and of
the daily Communion, recognised by one of the Rubrics
of our first Prayer Book.
Doubts have arisen with regard to the meaning of
the term “north side,” into which the Author must avow
his incapacity to enter. It seems a very plain matter, that
the Church intended merely that which universal custom
exhibits; not an angle, but an end, or shorter side, of the
table, placed as it is now, altarwise. So the Church
has interpreted it by the uniform position both of the
Table itself, and of her Ministers, at least ever since the
last Review. But really such questions seem a mere
· Life of Parker, book ii. ch. 26.
472
THE PLACE AND MINISTER
waste of time; and a deviation from the established
method, šo decorous and so reasonable, is worse than
childish. The Rubric implies that the Chancels ought to
be, according to ancient British practice, East and West:
the modern exceptions not being contemplated.
The Minister of the Communion Service now comes
under consideration. The twenty-fourth Canon directs,
that “in all Cathedral and Collegiate Churches, the holy
Communion shall be administered upon principal Feast
days, sometime by the Bishop, if he be present, and
sometime by the Dean, and at sometime by a Canon or
Prebendary.” The primitive and essential right of the
Bishop to officiate in his own Cathedral, is here fully
recognised. By many Bishops it is customarily asserted:
but it is devoutly to be wished, that it were the rule
and not the exception, for the Bishop habitually to appear
as the Chief Pastor of his diocese in his own peculiar
Church, and weekly administer to his Clergy and people
the bread of life, and the cup of salvation.
The universal custom of the Church assigns, in Col-
legiate Foundations, the office of the Communion to the
Senior Member present, that is, to the Bishop or the Dean;
and next to them, to the first in rank either by tempo-
rary office, as Vice-dean in the Cathedrals of new founda-
tion, or by permanent place in the Chapter, as in those of
old. Of the assistant ministers distinct mention will be
made hereafter. This Collegiate rule, however, would
seem to be the proper one to adopt in parish Churches.
As it is, the Rectors or Vicars in those places, by a very
general, if not universal custom, yield to their Bishops
alone in the administration of the Holy Communion,
taking upon themselves the performance of that part of
the Service which follows the sermon.
To the preacher,
however, whether a stranger or a curate, is, by an anoma-
OF THE COMMUNION SERVICE.
473
lous courtesy, assigned the principal part at the Ante-
Communion. To this arrangement there are two objec-
tions. The first is, the impropriety of making the Sermon
the standard by which the distribution of the sacred
offices among the ministers is to be regulated: the second
is, the effect it has in breaking the unity of the Service.
The minister who performs the principal office of the day,
that is, the consecration of the Elements, ought to begin
the Communion Service at its proper place. Besides,
the incumbent of the Parish ought always to take this
principal part, as the Persona Ecclesiæ, and it is not
seemly that he should compliment away this station,
assigned to him by his Bishop. The impropriety of suf-
fering a Deacon to read the Ante-Communion Service in
the presence of a Priest, is too obvious to require comment.
By those who are capable of pitching their voices, the
Ecclesiastical tone ought to be used in the Communion
Service. This usage is kept up, when practicable, in
Christ Church, Dublin, Winchester Cathedral, New
College, and perhaps other places. In most places, how-
ever, it is systematically neglected. There is reason to
believe it used formerly to be much more general. Low,
in his Directions, says, “ the second Service is begun by
the Priest, who reads the Lord's Prayer in a grave tone,
the deeper, if strong and audible, the better.” In the
preface to the Anthem Book of the Chapel Royal, (London,
1769), the Editor remarks, “Still much easier is it, and
more agreeable, to chant the Service at the Altar in one
tone, than to read it in a variety of dissonant sounds. For
the chant, though a monotony, is capable of all the graces
of accent, emphasis, and pause; it is also more audible
and more striking, and, upon the whole, produces a
The Rev. Anselm Bayley, LL.D., Sub-Dean of the Chapel.
474
OF THE COMMUNION SERVICE.
greater effect. than can the best cadences of speaking.”
Still the performance of this Service stands upon a very
different footing from that of the Matins and Vespers.
It of right belongs to the Capitular Clergy, who ought
not to delegate their office in this most solemn Service
to inferiors, and therefore the chanting cannot always be
secured. But the choral parts of the Communion Ser-
vice are less connected with those assigned to the Priest
than in the preceding offices, since they do not follow
as Responses to Versicles, or Suffrages, nor constitute
any species of Psalmody. The Priest's intonation of the
Communion Office, according to the reformed custom of
England, is a monotone throughout; nor is any use made
of the varied cadences employed in the Preface by the
other Western Churches.
In some Cathedrals, the Ecclesiastical tone is not
assumed till the Commandments. This may possibly be
a vestige of the ancient custom of repeating the Lord's
Prayer secretly. And, indeed, the first Book of King
Edward seems to regard this prayer and the Collect for
purity as having a more subdued and introductory cha-
racter, as they precede the Kyrie Eleison, and Gloria in
Excelsis. But this is mere conjecture.
In most Churches, whether Collegiate or Parochial,
by custom the people or Choir do not audibly join the
Priest in the Lord's Prayer till the Amen. It is true,
there is no direction for this purpose in the Rubrics now
under examination: but that in the Morning Service is
explicit: “The people ... repeating it with him, both
here, and wheresoever else it is used in Divine Service.”
It may be said, that Divine Service does not here include
the Communion Office: but this argument looks like
special pleading
475
SECTION LXIII.
OF THE COMMANDMENTS AND THEIR RESPONSALS.
1 Then shall the Priest, turning to the people, rehearse distinctly all the
TEN COMMANDMENTS; and the people still kneeling shall, after every
Commandment, ask God mercy for their transgression thereof for
the time past, and grace to keep the same for the time to come, as
followeth.
THE insertion of the Ten Commandments in this place,
peculiar to the Church of England, is, as Mr. Palmer has
ably shewn, analogous to the primitive order, which en-
joined the reading of a lesson from the Old Testament, in
addition to the Epistle and Gospel. The Commandments,
in fact, form a permanent Lesson from Scripture, inter-
calated, like the ancient Lessons at Matins, by Responsals,
or Antiphons. The Kyrie Eleison and Gloria in Excelsis,
in the first Book of King Edward, occupied this place,
according to the usage of the Western Church. The
Gloria now forms the Hymn terminating the Service:
and the Responsals after each Commandment may be
said to represent the ancient Kyrie Eleison. The Church
of England is eminently distinguished for her frequent
and careful calls to repentance and examination of the
heart; and if she prefaces the Holy Office by more
stringent warnings than had been usual in ancient
Liturgies, it cannot surely be said that the great body of
professing Christians were ever too pure not to stand in
need of remembrancers like these.
According to the usage of regular Choirs, the key
476
OF THE COMMANDMENTS
note of the Responsals is given out on the Organ, before
the Commandments are begun, in order that the Priest's
voice may accord with the Choir. The Responsals are
sung to the Organ, and have uniformly formed a part
of the musical services for the Communion, from the
time of the establishment of King Edward's second
Book, down to our day. In Low's book, indeed, an
alternative is given: “the Quire (if not singing to the
Organ) answering, Lord have mercy upon us, &c., after
each Commandment, in the same tone.” But, as it has
been observed before, Low's book was intended for
inexperienced Choirs, not yet capable of singing Services.
It is true, indeed, they are not expressly enjoined to be
sung by the Rubric: nothing, however, forbids the
practice: and the whole analogy of the Choral Service
requires that every part allotted to the Choir or Con-
gregation should be chanted or sung. Still, there is
more direct rubrical sanction for the singing of the
Creed than of the Kyrie; and therefore those Choirs who
merely say the former and sing the latter, reverse the
proper alternative, if indeed any is necessary. The
regular Choral usage prescribes the singing of both.
In the Responsals the same air is repeated after each
Commandment, with a slight variation, as the change of
words requires, after the last. They are not Chants,
but rather short Anthems: they are not pointed for
chanting, nor are they arranged by any of our Church
musicians like the verses of the Psalms: having neither
a reciting note, nor any stated number of bars, but being
set to a varied melody. It is altogether irregular to
sing them to Chants, and quite inconsistent with their
intrinsic character. In some parish Churches, only the
last is sung, a practice which interrupts the unity of this
AND THEIR RESPONSALS.
477
part of the Service. It is strange that many who gladly
tolerate or encourage the musical performance of these
solemn supplications, should at the same time object to
the chanting of the Litany or Collects, on the ground
that it is wrong to sing prayers.
478
SECTION LXIV.
OF THE COLLECTS, EPISTLE, AND GOSPEL.
9 Then shall follow one of these two Collects for the Queen, the Priest
standing as before, and saying, Let us pray, &c.
Then shall be said the Collect of the Day. And immediately after
the Collect the Priest shall read the Epistle, saying, The Epistle,
[or, The portion of Scripture appointed for the Epistle] is written
in the - Chapter of beginning at the
And the
Epistle ended, he shall say, Here endeth the Epistle. Then shall
he read the Gospel, (the people all standing up) saying, The holy
Gospel is written in the Chapter of beginning at the
verse.
verse.
The words “standing as before” refer of course to the
position of the Priest during the Lord's Prayer and
Collect; that is, not turning to the people, but to the
North side of the Table. Were it meant that he should
still remain as when he read the Commandments, the
wording would be, “still turning to the people.” The
word “standing” obviously recalls us to the Rubric just
preceding the Service, where it had occurred. The reason
of the matter must show us, that a different position
is required for a lecture and for a prayer, as in all the
other services and offices, and so the general usage of the
Clergy has interpreted it.
At the conclusion of each Prayer, it is usual, in
many Choirs, to sing the Amen to the Organ. This
marks with a distinctive solemnity the Communion
Service. And when the Canon or Prebendary cannot
chant, the Organ is a guide to the Choir.
It has been already shown, that by the constitution
OF THE COLLECTS, EPISTLE, AND GOSPEL.
479
of the Cathedrals of Henry VIII.th's Foundation, an
Epistoler and Gospeller were generally established in
each. In some Cathedrals the designations alone are
kept up; the duties have been transferred to the Canons,
who have an unquestionable right to officiate when they
please, and it is but becoming that the Capitular Mem-
bers should divide among them the ministrations at the
Table of the Lord. Three ought always to be in attend-
ance: one as principal Priest, another as Epistoler, and
another as Gospeller, according to the ancient usage still
kept up at Christ Church, in Dublin, where the three
senior members always officiate, at St. Paul's, the
Chapel Royal, &c. At Canterbury, but two Pre-
bendaries now officiate : whereas in Archbishop Parker's
time there was always both an Epistoler and Gospeller
assistant to the chief Minister at the Communion
time. The service for the consecration of Bishops en-
joins the ministration of three Bishops, according to
ancient order.
The Rubric mentions the Priest as the Minister for
the Epistle and Gospel. But by our Ordination Service,
the reading of the Gospel is expressly assigned to Deacons
as their proper office. By Archbishop Grindal's injunc-
tions, in 1571, it was required that the Parish Clerks
should be able to read the First Lesson and Epistle”.
But the Rubric, which before the last Review designated
the reader as the Minister, is now so altered, as to
deprive the laity of this privilege, which in the unre-
formed Church belonged to the Subdeacon. The old
1 “The Priest which ministereth, the Pystoler and Gospeler, at
that time wear copes.”—Life, book ii. ch. 26.
2 Life, book ii. ch. 2.
480
OF THE COLLECTS, EPISTLE, AND GOSPEL.
Rubric assigned the Gospel to the Priest or Deacon, in
accordance with the universal custom of the Eastern
and Western Churches; in both of which, however, the
superior Clergy used frequently to take this subordi-
nate office upon themselves.
The place for reading the Epistle and Gospel is
undetermined by the Rubric. Ancient custom assigns
to the Gospeller a place near the principal Minister
at the North side, and to the Epistoler the South side of
the Altar. In many of our Choirs, however, both these
assistant Ministers stand at the South side, for which no
authority but local prescription exists. In some foreign
Churches they read these Lessons at an Ambo, or eagle.
In ancient times they were read from the Ambos on
each side of the Choir. Archbishop Grindal's injunc-
tions in 1571 direct “the Prayers and other Service
appointed for the ministration of the Holy Communion,
to be said and done at the Communion Table: except
the Epistle and Gospel, which should be read in the said
pulpit [i. e., where reading was before appointed] or
stall; and also the Ten Commandments, when there
was no Communion.' But such custom now
exists: except, indeed, in those Churches where the
whole Service is indiscriminately performed in a reading
pulpit.
The Epistle and Gospel were prescribed to be sung
to a plain tune, like the Lessons, by the Rubric pre-
ceding the Lessons in King Edward's first Book. This
order is now abrogated, nor does any instance of the
custom remain. In the unreformed Churches it is still
kept up; the intonations, as before observed, being
regulated by fixed laws. But, what must appear very
strange to us, not only the Lessons themselves, but
no
OF THE COLLECTS, EPISTLE, AND GOSPEL.
481
their announcements, for example, "Sequentia Sancti
Evangelii secundum Matthæum," are chanted to modu-
lated tones. During Passion week, the Gospel is
chanted at Rome, and in certain great Choirs, in a
manner eminently dramatic. Three chanters, a bass,
tenor, and counter-tenor, severally perform the dif-
ferent passages of the Lesson: one reciting the words
of our Lord, another those of the several interlocutors,
and another the narrative: while the speeches and cries
of the multitude or of more than one person are sung
in duet or chorus, as may be required. Some account
the effect of this to be very solemn: but I cannot
understand how a system so artificial, and theatrical,
which bears all the marks of a comparatively modern
innovation, can be otherwise than revolting to a really
devout and unsophisticated mind. But the services of
Passion week at Rome have notoriously degenerated
into a mere spectacle, which people go to hear and see
from exactly the same motives that send them to the
Opera or the Corso.
The Glory before the Gospel is a short Anthem,
customarily kept up in all Churches, and forming part
of the Choral system universally, though enjoined by no
present Rubric. It is to be found, however, in all the
editions of the Prayer Book before the last Review, and
is supposed to have been omitted through inadvertence.
No direction exists for announcing the termination of
the Gospel, which may be accounted for by the ancient
custom, enjoined in the Scotch Prayer Book, and pre-
valent in many country Churches in England, though
sanctioned by no Rubric, of saying or singing “Thanks
be to thee, O Lord,” when the appointed portion has
been read.
2 I
482
OF THE COLLECTS, EPISTLE, AND GOSPEL.
For the correction of errors often made in the
announcement of the beginning and ending of the
Epistle and Gospel, I must refer to the observations
already made on the reading of the Lessons. The
word “ thus” is often erroneously used instead of
66 here."
483
SECTION LXV.
OF THE NICENE CREED.
And the Gospel ended, shall be sung or said the Creed following,
the people still standing, as before.
This is the first stated Hymn in the Communion
Service. I call it a Hymn, for reasons which have
been already more than once alluded to. I shall
now enforce those reasons by the excellent words of
Dr. Bisse, who vindicates the singing of this Creed.
“What so proper a subject of song and joy, as triumph
and victory, and that over the world? What is the
victory that overcometh so great an enemy? It is even
our faith, which is proclaimed before the Altar in the
rehearsal of our Creeds. Besides, this recounts the
grand Articles of our Faith, of the ever-blessed Trinity,
particularly of the Incarnation, the Nativity, the Cruci-
fixion, the Resurrection, the Ascension of our Lord;
all which are the subjects of the greater Festivals of
our Church. And since the celebration of each of these
is attended with an anniversary feast-day, the public
rehearsal of them, though made every day, may justly
be accompanied and expressed with the concurrent joy
of the congregation.” Bishop Beveridge says,
stand at the Creeds; for they being confessions of our
faith in God, as such they come under the proper notion
of Hymns or songs of praise to Him."
In order to establish the propriety of singing this eucha-
66 We
2 1 2
484
OF THE NICENE CREED.
ristic Creed, it would be sufficient to refer to the Rubric,
which sanctions, that is, enjoins in Choirs, the custom, and
to the usage of most Choirs from the time of the Reforma-
tion: an usage kept up throughout the Western Church,
according to Mr. Palmer, since the year 1012. But
upon the highest religious grounds, I feel that there is no
one incident of the Choral Service which more requires
strenuous defence, or which should be more solicitously
guarded against the novel objections of modern times, that
have occasioned in some Choirs, the laying aside of this
godly and significant practice. We require, especially
in an age of presumption and conceit, when the licence
of individual opinion continually innovates upon the most
grounded axioms of immemorial wisdom, that the expres-
sion of Catholic Faith should be endued with an ear-
nestness and vigour, such as may manifest a healthy
vitality, and palpably exhibit the great Christian prin-
ciple of JOY IN BELIEVING: that principle which animated
the ancient Fathers, when, in their more expanded Creeds
they opposed these bulwarks against encroaching heresies,
and in so doing, felt that they were singing a song of
triumph while fighting under the banners of the God
of their salvation: knowing that to confess Christ, was
to glorify him, that to glorify him was to rejoice in him,
to hope in him, to look for life in him for ever. They
knew that theirs were no cold and abstract definitions:
but that each word whereby they laboured to strengthen
the faith of the Christian world, was itself a theme for a
hymn, which not the most excursive ability of man can
sufficiently expand, which not eternity itself can exhaust
But the very expressions of this Creed themselves, shew
how eminently fitted it is for usliering in the Eucharistic
feast: how it rises in sentiment and expression above
OF THE NICENE CREED.
485
that used in the subordinate office which preceded'. Here
we are not merely reminded of this visible creation, but
of the unseen world; "all things visible and invisible:”
not only of Jesus Christ our Lord, but of Christ, the
brightness of God's glory, the express image of his Person,
the Light of the world; “ God of God, Light of Light,
very God of very God;” not merely of the achievements
of our Lord, but of the cause of those achievements, for
which we must be ever thankful ; “who for us men, and for
our salvation, came down from heaven:" not merely of the
judgment seat of Christ, but of his everlasting throne,
before which the faithful shall stand rejoicing for ever ;
“whose kingdom shall have no end." And in like
manner we sing of the comforting influence of the Holy
Spirit on each individual and on the Church at large,
now more specially sought at the Holy Table; “the Lord
and Giver of Life," “ who with the Father and the Son
together is worshipped and glorified.” The terms are
specially eucharistic. And then the sublime conclusion,
which enumerates the sum of all present benefits and
future hopes: one Catholic and Apostolic Church;"
Baptism for the remission of sins;" “ the Resurrection
of the dead,” “the life of the world to come." And
who is there but must acknowledge that the concluding
Amen in very truth signifies, Even so come, Lord Jesus!
| The American Prayer Book, among its many lamentable alter-
ations, has given the Minister the option of using either the Apostles' or
the Nicene Creed here. The improved state of Church feeling in America
would not now suffer such alterations, made at a time when the spirit
of the Liturgy was imperfectly understood there; and it is well known
that several of the most eminent members of that branch of the Anglo-
Catholic Communion are desirous to repair these innovations. May
they succeed in this, and every other good object to which their
godly zeal is now so energetically directed !
486
OF THE NICENE CREED.
the climax to an acknowledgment of past benefits, and
to an aspiration for those which are to come. Alas, that
the apathy of a careless generation should have caused
a doubt that the confession of all the most glorious truths
which have ever been revealed is not a song of Praise!
In the Queen's Chapel, and in the Metropolitan
Church of York, the singing of this Creed has been for
some time laid aside. That it was formerly sung in the
former place may be collected from the two facts, that
the Royal Choir used to be the exemplar to others, and
that the most eminent Church composers, among whose
works the setting of this Creed is uniformly found, for the
most part belonged to that Chapel. Its disuse at York
may possibly be ascribed to the influence of Mason, who,
in his preface to the York Collection of Anthems, thought
proper to lay down as an axiom, that Creeds ought not
to be sung.
The opinion of an individual, however
eminent, is not to be weighed against the judgment of
the Church of England. In St. Paul's Cathedral, the
singing of the Creed, suspended for the last few years,
has of late been happily restored, as it ought to be in
every regular Choir.
The Creed, as before observed, is not adapted for
chanting, like the Psalms. In our Prayer Book, it is
divided, like the Apostles' Creed, and the Gloria Excelsis,
into three paragraphs, of which the central one has
special reference to God the Son. And each of these
paragraphs bears a distinct character in the Choral
adaptations of our best musicians.
The music to which it is set in Marbeck, derived,
with some modifications, from ancient sources, will at
once be seen on examination, to have a much more
melodious and expressive air than that to which the Te
OF THE NICENE CREED.
487
Deum is arranged, and such as well suits its eucharistic
character. The arrangements by the more eminent
musicians are cast in a mould strongly resembling that
of Marbeck, not as to the melody, but as to the general
idea: and I am much mistaken, if these are not the
finest parts of their Services. I would instance parti-
cularly those of Tallis, Gibbons, Aldrich, Rogers, and
King. There is one by Wise which is admirably suited
for Lent. That by Tallis resembles the Gregorian des-
cants of the Creed, (I allude particularly to that in the
Mass de Angelis) in the frequent recurrence of the
same strain, but he rises far above them; and I do not
know compositions with more glorious Antiphons,
especially in the passages, God of God, Light of Light,
Very God of very God. The latter clauses, beginning
with “ who with the Father and the Son together is
worshipped and glorified,” are nobly set by Aldrich.
The first words of the Creed are given out by the
Priest in a monotone. At Westminster (as was formerly
the case at St. Paul's), immediately after this has been
done, the officiating Prebendary, if he be the Preacher,
leaves the Altar, and goes to the Pulpit, thus treating
the Creed like a mere metrical Psalm, or symphony.
On the gross impropriety of this custom it is needless to
expatiate. This is done, in order to save the few
minutes which the transit from the Altar to the Pulpit,
at its termination, would occupy. At Christ Church, in
Dublin, the procedure is most decorous. The Clergy
remain at the Altar till the termination of the Creed,
and then a soft symphony is played, ending when the
Preacher has ascended the Pulpit.
488
SECTION LXVI.
OF THE NOTICES AFTER THE CREED.
و
Then the Curate shall declare unto the people what Holidays, or
Fasting days, are in the week following to be observed. And then
also (if occasion be) shall notice be given of the Communion ; and
Briefs, Citations, and Excommunications read. And nothing shall
be proclaimed or published in the Church, during the time of Divine
Service, but by the Minister : nor by him any thing, but what is
prescribed in the Rules of this Book, or enjoined by the Queen, or
by the Ordinary of the place.
The notice of Holidays is always given in Choirs; but
that of the Fasting days, as of the Vigils of certain Fes-
tivals, is commonly neglected. Whether there be service
in the Church or not on ordinary Holidays, it would
seem that the people ought always to be reminded of
the Church's fasts and feasts: and it may be for want of
these warnings that they are so generally neglected.
As to the notice for the Holy Communion, it does
not appear what rule is to be observed in those places
where it is celebrated weekly. It might seem as if the
notice was there superseded. Some have supposed tha
a contradiction exists between this Rubric and that
preceding the long exhortation, the use of which is
prescribed after the Sermon or Homily is ended. But
both may be reconciled, if notice in a few words be given
before the Sermon, and the long exhortation be read
after it. In University Colleges, in which the Act of
Uniformity permits the omission of the Sermon, the
exhortation of course comes in here.
In the editions of the Prayer Book before the passing
OF THE NOTICES AFTER THE CREED.
489
of the Marriage Act in the last century, there was a direc-
tion for publishing the Banns of marriage in this place.
In order to comply, as it was supposed, with a clause in
that Act, (which, however, admits of another construc-
tion,) this notice was omitted, without any lawful sanction
of the Convocations. It does not appear what right the
King's Printers, or the Universities have to alter the
Prayer Book; and in spite of all the respect due to the
high authority of Bishop Horsley, who, in one of his
Charges, prescribes an obedience to the altered Rubric,
the Act of Uniformity demonstrates, how, since the last
Review, even the power of the Crown is circumscribed in
making alterations, which by it are limited to the necessary
changes occasioned by the birth and death of any of the
Royal Family. And since that Review, when the Prayer
Book was finally settled by the united authority of the
Convocations and Parliament, no argument for the inde-
pendent legislation in ecclesiastical matters of the Sove-
reign or Parliament can be drawn from the precedents
of antecedent times. In Ireland, the Prayer Book is
still unmutilated in this respect, and the Banns are
always published in this their proper place.
The latter part of this Rubric was frequently trans-
gressed till of late years in England: and the Parish
Clerk was the usual organ of all manner of heterogeneous
notices, besides of those which were legal. This bad
custom has now been considerably abated. In Ireland
it never has obtained. In the Irish Churches, a collec-
tion is customarily made every Sunday in this place, the
Priest at the conclusion of the Creed using the words,
Pray remember the poor.” For this custom there is no
rubrical authority: and the collection ought of course to
be made after the Sermon, during the Offertory.
490
SECTION LXVII.
OF THE SERMON.
I Then shall follow the Sermon, or one of the Homilies already set
forth, or hereafter to be set forth, by authority.
It is very usual in parish Churches, and even in some
Cathedrals, to precede the Sermon by a Psalm or Anthem.
There is not only no authority for this, but it disturbs
the order of the Service. The Apostolic Scriptures are
followed by the words of our Lord himself, the teaching
of Holy Writ is succeeded by the teaching of the Church
in the Creed, and this by the instruction of the Ministers
of the Church. Besides, it is preposterous to leave a
prescribed Hymn of the Church (the Creed) unsung, and
to sing immediately after its simple recitation a Hymn
that is unauthorized. The Anthem is omitted in its
proper place, and is inserted in the very part of the
Service where it is most inappropriate. The effect of the
practice is to exalt unduly the importance of the Sermon,
which is thus ushered in, as it were with an Introit.
The Sermon, however, though improperly considered
by some as one of the two great branches of public
ministerial duty, (whereas it is only one of many equal in
importance,) is by others unduly depreciated. On the great
importance of preaching', limited as that word now gene-
rally is to the delivery of Sermons, it is out of place to
1 Archbishop King, in his able Essay “On the Inventions of
Men," fully proves how much more comprehensive is the Scriptural
and primitive sense of the word.
OF THE SERMON.
491
descant here: it is enough to observe, that the great
standard English Theology is to be found in the Sermons
of our Divines, as that of the Eastern and Western
Church is in the Homilies of the Fathers. But putting
aside its intrinsic importance, the duty of preaching at
the Communion Service is expressly enjoined by the
Rubric: nor can conformity to the Liturgy be justly
pleaded, when, on any Communion day, whether Sunday
or Holiday, this duty is neglected. It has been urged,
indeed, that the meaning of the Rubric is, “here is the
place for a Sermon, if it be expedient or customary to
preach one."
But surely the same mode of interpreta-
tion may just as fairly be claimed for the Psalms,
Collects, or Scripture; and then what becomes of the
Prayer Book? No command is more explicit. The
authority of the more ancient times of our reformed
Church cannot be pleaded, when certainly the weekly
preaching of Sermons was far from universal, because
the less definite system of the Church was corrected, and
her usages made more stringent and authoritative, both
by Rubrics, and by the Act of Uniformity, after the
Restoration.
It may be that the omission of the Morning Sermon,
customary in many country parishes, is sought to be justi-
fied by the practice of the Universities. But the Univer-
sities are specially excepted from the operation of the
Rubric by the Act of Uniformity', wbich sanctioned an
· Provided nevertheless, that this Act shall not extend to the Uni-
versity Churches in the Universities of this Realm, or either of them,
when or at such times as any Sermon or Lecture is preached or read
in the same Churches, or any of them, for, or as the public University
Sermon or Lecture; but that the said Sermons and Lectures inay be
preached or read in such sort and manner as the same have been
heretofore preached or read.
492
OF THE SERMON.
And as
ancient and immemorial custom. If it is done in deference
to the corrupt and slothful habits of society both high
and low, who prefer the afternoon for their devotions,
a worse reason cannot be found. But it is sometimes
justified on Sacrament Sundays at least, on the ground
of the extreme length of the Service, or of the great
labour that is then thrown, in a populous parish, upon a
single clergyman. As to the length; the Psalmody, often
so immoderately long, and introduced too in improper
places, might be well shortened; and the Sermon need
not occupy, on these occasions, many minutes.
to the labour to the Clergyman; he is at liberty to avail
himself of lay assistance in the reading of the Lessons,
which is a material aid.
The Sermon is omitted on many Holidays in Can-
terbury, and other Cathedrals. For such omission there
ought to be no excuse in Cathedrals, which are provided
with an ample body of Clergy. Indeed there is every
reason for the Sermon in those places being at least as
frequent as in any parish Church º.
All Catholic precedent assigns the office of preaching
as a matter of right, to be exercised as frequently as he
pleases, to the Bishop, in every Church of his Diocese,
and à fortiori, in his own Cathedral. In primitive
times, it was unusual for a Presbyter to preach in the
presence of the Bishop. The jealousy of the Bishop's
privileges, sometimes shewn by the Chapters, is a symp-
· Many of Ogden's Sermons, we are told, did not take more than
six or seven minutes in delivery. And yet they are admirable of
their kind.
2 In the Church of Leeds there are three Sermons on every
Sunday, besides two on every Holiday, every day in Passion week,
and other times,
OF THE SERMON.
493
among all.
tom of Erastianism which cannot be too strongly
condemned.
Subordinate to the Bishop, the Capitular Members
are bound to discharge in turn the office of preaching
in the morning. In general this duty is equally divided
But in St. Paul's Cathedral the Pre-
bendaries at large preach on the Holidays, and the
Residentiaries on Sunday evenings; while the Sunday
morning turns, the representatives of the Cross Sermons,
are assigned to whatever persons the Bishop of London
may
think proper to select. At Exeter, the Residen-
tiaries preach in the morning, the other Prebendaries
in the evening of Sundays. As to the Cathedrals of
the new foundation, the ancient rule at Canterbury' and
Westminster prescribed a quarterly Sermon to each of
the twelve Prebendaries; but at present they generally
preach on the consecutive Sundays during their respec-
tive residences, for a month. The Preachers at Can-
terbury, as before observed, make Sermons on certain
Holidays and fasts: the Minor Canons, on Wednesdays
and Fridays in Lent. On the delegation of the duty of
preaching to subordinate members strictures have been
already made.
The place of preaching is usually the Choir. And
that this usage is not modern is evident from the exist-
ence of ancient pulpits in the Choirs of Winchester and
Worcester. In some places, as Exeter, Bristol, and
Ely, the Pulpit is outside the Choir, in the Nave, or
in the intersection of the Nave and Transepts. At Ely
1 Life of Parker, vol. ii. book iv. chapter 39.
2 In Archbishop Laud's Diary, we find that he preached once
quarterly, not on consecutive Sundays, at Westminster, while Pre-
bendary there.
494
OF THE SERMON.
the Sermon is preached there still. At Canterbury
it used formerly to be preached in the Chapter House.
The inconvenience and indecency of leaving the Choir, for
the Sermon, must be felt by those who have witnessed
the effect at Ely. Whether the case is altered now, I do
not know; but a few years ago, at least, the greatest
confusion prevailed during the singing of the Nicene
Creed: the congregation leaving their places in the
Choir, to move into the Nave, (regarding that Hymn
as a mere interlude,) and the congregations from other
Churches, besides many who had attended no Service
whatever, thronging into the Church, and disturbing
the office. If Sermons in the Nave be expedient,
they ought to be preached in the afternoon, before the
Evening Service, as we have reason to believe was the
custom in ancient times. At St. Paul's, besides the
preaching at the Cross, there were regular Sermons in
the Choir at other hours, during Service.
The Bidding of Prayers is read in most Cathedrals.
The words of the Canon enjoin its use before all Sermons
and Homilies: and therefore it does not appear on
what ground the substitution of a Collect, or the omis-
sion of the substance of this form (which, however, is
not a prayer, but the bidding of prayers) is justifiable.
The Canon expressly permits the abbreviation of the
form it sets forth, so that its length cannot be pleaded
To the alleged objection, that it is much
the same in substance as the prayer for the Church
Militant, it must be replied, that if the Church has
thought proper to enjoin repetitions, her individual
members have no authority to curtail them.
In Christ Church, Dublin, and the Chapel Royal,
an Anthem has immemorially followed the Sermon.
as an excuse.
OF THE SERMON.
495
This corresponds to the Motet used at the Offertory in
foreign Churches. Such was also the custom at St.
Paul's after the Restoration, as Clifford informs us.
But in that Cathedral the regular Anthem was also
performed after the third Collect, in which respect the
two places above mentioned disobey the Rubric. It is
melancholy to contrast the neglect of St. Paul's in its
present state with the fulness of its ancient Service.
There is now no Voluntary, nor any Anthem whatever,
on Sundays, in the Morning or Communion Service, and
till lately the Nicene Creed was left unsung. There is
no abstract impropriety in having an Anthem in this
place: nor do the same objections apply to its use after,
as before the Sermon.
496
SECTION LXVIII.
OF THE OFFERTORY.
1 Then shall the Priest return to the Lord's Table, and begin the
Offertory, saying one or more of these Sentences following, as he
thinketh most convenient in his discretion.
Whilst these Sentences are in reading, the Deacons, Churchwardens, or
other fit person appointed for that purpose, shall receive the Alms
for the Poor, and other Devotions of the people, in a decent bason to
be provided by the Parish for that purpose; and reverently bring
it to the Priest, who shall humbly present and place it upon the
holy Table.
9 And when there is a Communion, the Priest shall then place upon the
Table so much Bread and Wine as he shall think sufficient. After
which done, the Priest shall say, &c.
SINCE the Offertory is enjoined, by the Rubric after this
Service, to be read every Sunday and Holiday, it is
plain by the very wording of the first of the Rubrics
heading the present section, that it is incumbent on the
Priest to read the Ante-Communion at the Holy Table,
being enjoined to return thither after the Sermon.
The sentences of the Offertory are set to varied
melodies, in Marbeck's book, according to the license
given in the first Book of King Edward either to sing
or say them. This license is withdrawn by the Rubric
as it now stands, since the saying of the sentences by
the Priest is expressly enjoined. He is not of course
prevented from using the ecclesiastical tone; but the
custom of the Anglican Church restricts this to a
monotone.
Of the old custom a vestige is preserved in the
OF THE OFFERTORY.
497
ceremony of the Installation of the Knights of the
Garter, where the first sentence, “Let your light,” &c.,
is sung to the Organ. The same used formerly to be
observed at Coronations; which being a Special Service,
is not tied down by the ordinary Rubrics.
In the Church of Leeds, the Sentences of the Offertory
are repeated antiphonally by the two principal Clergymen
officiating. This custom imparts great life and energy to
the Service.
The Alms are collected from the laity in most Colle-
giate Churches by the junior Clergymen present, generally
the Vicars Choral or Minor Canons, who thus represent
the Deacons in one of their most distinctive liturgical
functions. In some Cathedrals, the two junior Clergy-
men, though one may be of Capitular rank, uniformly
undertake this office. The Church-wardens too often
neglect this duty in parish Churches, and the Collection
is left to the Clerk and Sexton.
According to regular Collegiate usage, the Clergy
present their Alms severally themselves, kneeling in front
of the Altar while making their offering. This custom is,
I believe, unknown in Ireland, but it is one so reverential,
and one which so distinctly exhibits the holy nature of
almsgiving, and the purposes of God's Altar, that its
revival were much to be wished. In some Colleges, all
the lay members advance to the Altar rails, and there
offer, one by one.
A reverential mode of presenting the Alms “offered
to” God's “Divine Majesty,” is distinctly prescribed by
the Rubric. Many interpret this to mean kneeling; and
certainly the traditional practice of the Church, in the
custom noticed in the last paragraph, would seem to
justify the same posture in presenting the devotions of
2 K
498
OF THE OFFERTORY.
the people at large which was observed with respect to
those of individuals.
Under the words, “other devotions of the people,”
may be included all contributions for the support of the
Clergy, or the fabric, or for the supply of the Sacramental
Elements, or for the general purposes of religion and
charity.
The Priest is expressly enjoined not to place the
Bread and Wine upon the Table till after the Alms are
collected; as is evident by the words, “after which done,
the Priest shall say," &c. He is also enjoined to do this
himself. And such was the ancient custom of the Church.
The bread and wine was brought out from a side Chapel,
from the table of prothesis, by the Deacons, and then
placed on the Altar by the Priest. From Archbishop
Laud's testimony, it appears that in his time, "in
Lambeth Chapel, the Elements were fetched from a
Credential, (a little Side Table, as they called it), and set
then reverently upon the Communion Table.” And he
adds, that “Bishop Andrewes and some other Bishops
used it so all their time, and no exception taken.” The
Author was informed some years ago, that a Credential,
used for this purpose, formerly stood in Salisbury Cathe-
dral. The occurrence of one, however, is very rare.
And it is to be doubted, whether there is not a closer
analogy to primitive practice observed by bringing the
Elements from the Vestry, which answers to the ancient
Chapel of Prothesis. This is no trivial matter: since
the presenting the bread and wine, signified by the word
“oblation” in the following prayer, is a solemn offering to
God, and a very important part of Divine Service.
499
SECTION LXIX.
OF THE FIRST EXHORTATION.
I When the Minister giveth warning for the celebration of the holy
Communion, (which he shall always do upon the Sunday, or some
Holiday, immediately preceding,) after the Sermon or Homily ended,
he shall read this Exhortation following.
Or, in case he shall see the people negligent to come to the holy Com-
munion, instead of the former, he shall use this Exhortation.
AFTER what has been said before, it is only necessary to
observe upon these Exhortations, that they are seldom
read at length: the usual custom being to read, before
the Sermon, the first sentence of the former. How much
is lost by this neglect of one of the most complete, heart-
searching sermons in our language, composed with a
freedom and melody of rhythm unequalled perhaps in any
human composition, it is impossible to say. The Author
remembers an instance of a Presbyterian being brought
to conformity with the Church of England, in consequence
of the impression made on him by this Exhortation read
at length, which led him to consider the whole question
of Communion in a light that was new to him. The
Clergy lament the hinderances which exist to the influence
of the Church; and yet are they not themselves to blame
for the neglect of the means placed by Divine Providence
in their hands?
Bishop Beveridge remarks, that in the second of
these Exhortations, “it is not said on such a Sunday,
with a blank, to show that the Minister
may appoint the Communion on any day of the week,
but on
2
2 K 2
500
OF THE FIRST EXHORTATION.
when he can have a sufficient number to communicate
with him; and so it is in the other Exhortation, only
there is ‘day' put in, which may be understood of Tues-
day, or Wednesday, or any other day, as well as Sunday,
for the same reason."
In the Cathedral of Christ Church, in Dublin, the first
of these Exhortations is duly read at length every month,
and before the great Festivals.
501
SECTION LXX.
OF THE EXHORTATION AND CONFESSION AT THE
COMMUNION SERVICE.
1 At the time of the celebration of the Communion, the Communicants
being conveniently placed for the receiving of the holy Sacrament,
the Priest shall say this Exhortation.
1 Then shall the Priest say to them that come to receive the holy Com-
munion, &c.
| Then shall this general Confession be made, in the name of all those
that are minded to receive the holy Communion, by one of the
Ministers; both he and all the people kneeling humbly upon their
knees, and saying, &c.
I Then shall the Priest (or the Bishop, being present,) stand up, and
turning himself to the people, pronounce this Absolution.
ACCORDING to the spirit of the Rubric, it would appear
that the place for the departure of the non-communicants,
is after the Prayer for the Church Militant, since that is
appointed to be read on all Sundays and Holidays, even
when there is no Communion. It has been urged,
indeed, that in the primitive Church, none but communi-
cants were present at the offering of the Elements. Įt
must, however, be considered, that, in the first place, the
ancient prayer corresponding to ours for the Church
Militant included the consecration also; in the next
place, that we may not oppose any custom, however
ancient or universal, to the practice of our Church, if we
profess obedience to her. The Church of England, how-
ever, has done wisely in securing the alms, if she cannot
secure the most solemn devotions of the whole congrega-
tion; she at least keeps alive their charitable sympathies
502
OF THE EXHORTATION AND CONFESSION
66
for their poorer brethren, which is often the germ of that
love of God, openly manifested in the attendance on his
life-giving ordinances. It is impossible to say how far
the neglect of the Offertory, one of the most wilful and
universal for which the past generation have to answer,
may have chilled the devotions of the people, and dis-
couraged them from the Communion.
In some Colleges, Winchester, for instance, the non-
communicants withdraw after the shorter address, “ Ye
that do truly,” &c. But the former appears the more
regular mode: since the placing of the Communicants
is mentioned at the beginning of the longer address,
Dearly beloved in the Lord,” &c., which is obviously
unsuited to a mixed congregation.
The ancient books of devotion show that it was
customary for the Communicants to enter the Chancel
or Choir at this part of the Service. This custom is
kept up in many Churches. Sometimes, when they are
few in number, they stand about the Altar rails.
The Confession is divided into clauses, each beginning
with a capital letter, as in the Morning Prayer. And
analogy would lead us to think that it is to be repeated
in the same way, after the Minister. In the first Prayer
Book, this prayer might be said by even one of the
Congregation as a leader; but this license has been very
properly removed by the Rubric as it now stands: since
both Minister and people stand equally in need of con-
fession.
The direction as to the Absolution in strictness regards
the Bishop of the Diocese only. But by a becoming
courtesy, which, indeed, it would be indecorous to with-
hold, the Absolution is assigned to any Bishop who may
be present, if he has assisted in Divine Service. In the
AT THE COMMUNION SERVICE.
503
Scottish Church, a Bishop, though he may be present
in his private dress only, is customarily invited to pro-
nounce the Absolution both in the Morning and Evening,
and the Communion Service. The same observations
hold as to the Benediction.
504
SECTION LXXI.
OF THE SURSUM CORDA, PREFACE, AND SANCTUS.
I Then shall the Priest say, &c.
| After which the Priest shall proceed, saying, Lift up your hearts, &c.
I Then shall the Priest turn to the Lord's Table, and say, It is very
meet, right, &c.
1 Here shall follow the Proper Preface, according to the time, if there be
any specially appointed : or else immediately shall follow, Therefore
with Angels, &c.
After each of which Prefaces shall immediately be sung or said,
Therefore, &c.
AFTER the short Lessons from Scripture read by the
Priest, follows that most awful and sublime portion of
the Service which forms the subject of this Section. It
is so ancient and universal, as to be deemed by all
learned Ritualists, following a consistent tradition, of
apostolic origin. At the Sursum Corda, as the versicles
introducing the Preface are commonly named, the
Eucharistic Service properly begins: and cold indeed
must be that heart which has not been thrilled by the
inspiring and heavenly exhortation, Lift up your hearts !
In all Choirs, the chanting ought here to be resumed.
But unhappily, through the coldness of these latter
times, the choral accompaniment has ceased in all but a
few of our Collegiate Churches, as Durham, Exeter, and
Worcester, and there is reason to suppose that it has
not been general at least for the last hundred and
fifty years. The full Choral usage of Durham, where
the Communion Office is administered with the utmost
!
THE SURSUM CORDA, PREFACE, AND SANCTUS.
505
solemnity, is doubtless owing to the influence of Bishop
Cosin, who restored the Service to the holy magnificence
which becomes it. But even there, though the Com-
munion is weekly, the singing of the Sacramental
Hymns is but monthly. Leeds was the first parish
Church in England to give choral utterance to these
Hymns. This is done once a month, and on great
Festivals. Under God, the flame of devotion has there
been enkindled by one who has infused a new vitality
into our Parochial system, and who has eminently shown,
above any of his generation, how it is that the Church
of England would have us worship God, and carry the
influence of his service into every incident of our
lives.
The compositions for this Service are but few; and
besides those of Tallis, Croft, Jeremiah Clarke, Ebdon,
and Blow, I know of none by any, standard authors. Nor
are they set in the best manner of those composers.
It would be well worth the attention of some skilful
and religious musicians, to complete the Communion
Services of Gibbons, Farrant, and Aldrich, in the style
of those several masters. And here, I would observe
upon a mistake committed in a late republication of
Tallis's Service, in which his Sanctus, instead of being
placed after the Creed, precedes the Commandments;
a mistake evidently arising from the present incomplete
state of our Choral Services. All that has been said of
the Sanctus, applies also to the Gloria in Excelsis.
The Versicles, according to the Durham use, are
chanted upon one note; the Responses are in harmony,
with a slight modulation. The key note ought to be
given out on the Organ before the Versicles; a most
expressive intimation, and in exact accordance with the
506
OF THE SURSUM CORDA,
elevation of heart to which the raising of the song gives
utterance.
With respect to the Preface itself, there is an
ambiguity in our Rubrics, but none whatever in the
Choral usage, which is in accordance with the universal
practice of the Church. The Preface is that part recited
by the Priest, beginning with “It is very meet, right,”
&c., and ending with “evermore praising thee and
saying.” It is commonly imagined that the Choir or
Congregation are to repeat with the Priest the words
“Therefore with Angels and Archangels,” &c.; but this
is contrary to all precedent. The Choral Communion
Services, and the use of Durham, all agree in beginning
the Hymn at the words “Holy, Holy, Holy,” &c. The
Rubric merely says, “after each of which Prefaces shall
immediately be sung or said;" it does not say by whom.
The direction is as indeterminate as that for the Litany,
which, like the passage in question, is sung distributively
between Minister and people in sequence. Mr. Palmer
is of the opinion here expressed; and indeed the doubt-
fulness of the Rubric is quite explained by the uniform
testimony of the ancient Churches and our own Choirs.
In the Missal, the recitation of the Preface by the
Priest is to a varied melody, changing with each of the
principal Festivals. Some of these are very florid. The
custom of the Church of England has been to preserve a
monotone throughout the Communion Service, as before
observed.
Many have doubted as to the propriety of the attend-
ance of the Choir boys during the Communion Office.
The custom of Durham sanctions it: and there does not
seem any good reason why these ministers of divine wor-
ship should not be in attendance on the sacred rite,
PREFACE, AND SANCTUS.
507
though not yet of years sufficiently matured to partake of
it. No authority can be shewn from the practice of the
primitive Church for excluding Christian children from
the holy Mysteries, and it cannot be thought displeasing
to God that out of the mouths of babes and sucklings
his praise should be set forth, for those benefits of which
children are, to a degree, partakers, and the full enjoy-
ment of which is to them prospective.
The assignment of proper Prefaces to certain days is
a regulation which must give rise to unpleasant reflec-
tions in all true sons of the Church, as forcibly reminding
them of the neglects from which we have so long
suffered. The day of the Ascension, though so pre-
eminently distinguished as one of the highest Festivals
of the year, having its proper Preface, and its Octave,
was not, till of late, observed as a Communion day, even
in the principal Choirs. And yet even this is not the
extent of our apathy. The Church has expressly sup-
posed the administration of the Holy Communion,
according to primitive practice, throughout the Octaves,
or weeks following the respective Festivals'. Nor was
this a mere theory. A document lately republished,
the Pietas Londinensis, shews, that above a century
ago, the Holy Communion was actually administered
in some London Churches, throughout the Octaves.
Where is such piety now to be found? Can it yet be
said, that this nation does in truth lift up its heart unto
the Lord ?
Scc Bishop Beveridge's remarks upon this head in his Sermon
on frequent Communion, clsewhere referred to.
508
SECTION LXXII.
OF THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE COMMUNION.
In this Section I purposely abstain from quoting the
Rubrics. The subject matter is too deeply sacred to
allow of any but the most reverent notice; and I feel
apprehensive of doing despite to that which is most
internal and spiritual, while speaking of what is external.
My observations therefore here must be as few as the
nature of the subject will admit.
As to the position of the Priest during the Prayer
of Consecration, (a matter surely of indifference in itself,)
diversities of opinion have existed. The words “standing
before the Table,” are by some limited to the following
clause, “hath so ordered the Bread and Wine, that he
may,” &c. By some they are considered to extend to the
whole section. The Rubric is of doubtful construction.
Still, if we look to the principle which generally guided
our Reviewers, namely, that of fixing, by special direc-
tions, the traditional practice of the Church, in instances
like the present, where Rubrics before were wanting,
it would seem that the posture of standing before
the Table during the whole act of consecration was
intended. In Archbishop Laud's time, the Puritans
objected to this practice, and maintained it might as
well be done at the North end, and be seen of all. The
Archbishop defended the practice, (which by his account
seems to have been customary) on the ground that it is
OF THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE COMMUNION. 509
more decent and convenient'. He adds that it is not
any end of the administration of the Sacrament to have
the Priest better seen of the people. Now Laud derived
his practice, as he avows, from Bishop Andrewes, one
of the most eminent Ritualists of our Church, who was
himself contemporary with the earlier revisals of the
Prayer Book. The words “ before the people,” in this
Rubric may seem to favour the views of the Puritans.
But they only imply that the Priest is before the people,
that the act is done in their presence. As to the
superior readiness and decency of the mode practised
by Laud, few can doubt, who have been called upon to
administer the Holy Communion.
It has been doubted whether Bishops, Priests, and
Deacons who may be present, but who do not officiate,
are intended by the Rubric which assigns precedence of
administration to the Clergy. Though the Rubric in
the former books favours this doubt, yet as corrected at
the last Review, it seems to bring back the custom of
the Church to Catholic precedent, which ever allowed this
1 “In that place," (the North side,) “ 'tis hard for the Presbyter to
avoid the unseemly disordering of something or other that is before
him, perhaps the very elements themselves."..... He denies any
mystical meaning in the posture; and adds, that the stretching out
the arms, supposed to have reference to the extension of Christ on the
Cross, was not ordered or practised in the Church of England.
Durandus he contemns. “For myself, I was so poorly satisfied with
the first sheet I read of him, that I never meddled with him since.”
(The Author heartily wishes he had read as little of him; for more
wearisome or childish hypermysticism does not, he hopes, exist in the
works of any Christian author.) This testimony of Laud is on many
accounts most valuable.
*“And next deliver it to other Ministers, if any be there present,
(that they may be ready to help the chief Minister).” First and
Second Books of King Edward.
510
OF THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE COMMUNION.
precedence to the Clergy, though present as strangers. In
the East, the Clergy of foreign Churches that have inter-
communion, are admitted within the Septum, or chancel
doors. Whenever a Clergyman is known to be such by
the officiating Minister, he has a right to claim the
privilege.
As to the administration to the laity, the Prayer
Book distinctly prescribes the repetition of the words,
severally to each individual. Upon this point it is
unnecessary to enlarge. It has been shewn so unan-
swerably, both in the way of historical proof and of argu-
ment, by Mr. Crosthwaite, in his Communio Fidelium,
that it must be impossible for any one who has paid
attention to his most complete and learned Treatise,
either to doubt the fact, or to underrate the importance
of the principle which it sustains.
511
SECTION LXXIII.
OF THE POST COMMUNION.
Then shall the Priest say the Lord's Prayer, the people repeating after
him every petition.
After which shall be said as followeth. O Lord and havenly Father,
&c. Or this, Almighty and everliving God, &c.
Then shall be said or sung, Glory be to God on high, &c.
Then the Priest (or Bishop, if he be present) shall let them depart
with this Blessing, The peace of God, &c.
>>
In the first Book of King Edward, the ancient custom
of the Western Church was preserved, of singing, during
the administration of the Elements, these words, com-
monly called the Agnus Dei: “O Lamb of God, that
takest away the sins of the world; Have mercy upon us:
O Lamb of God, that takest away the sins of the world;
Grant us thy peace.
This was altered in the last revi-
sion. It was the primitive usage to sing a Psalm, the
34th, during the administration. Some resemblance to
this custom is still preserved at Durham Cathedral, where
a soft symphony is then played on the organ.
The Post Communion, in the first Book, began with
certain sentences of Scripture, “to be said or sung, every
day one, after the Holy Communion.” In our present
Book, it begins with the Lord's Prayer, which is in this
place used eucharistically, as intimated by the doxology
appended to it here for the first time at the last Review.
Anciently the Lord's Prayer was inserted in the prayer
of oblation. In Marbeck's book, it is here set, as in the
same place in the Roman Missal, to a varied descant.
512
OF THE POST COMMUNION.
But this manner of chanting it has fallen into utter desue-
tude in the Church of England.
The first of the two eucharistical prayers following
is the same in substance, and to a considerable extent
in terms, with part of the prayer of oblation in the first
Book. The second prayer is not so generally used as it
deserves to be.
The Gloria in Excelsis had been almost universally
used by the Liturgies of the West, as it was in the first
English Prayer Book, at the beginning of the office, not
at the end. But to its present position no intrinsic ob-
jection can be made. A more glorious termination to
the Service cannot be conceived, nor one which so fully
expresses the joy, tempered and restrained by a religious
awe, that befits those who have partaken of the highest
means of grace. It is unnecessary to repeat the remarks
already made on the disuse of Choral Music in the reci-
tation of this Hymn. In some parish Churches, however,
a metrical Psalm or Hymn is here sung, to which of
course the same objection is obvious, as to psalmody
after the Nicene Creed.
The Choral performance of these Christian Hymns
in the Church of Leeds has been already noticed. The
example of that place has been followed elsewhere, and
must widely spread, as the real influence of the Church
increases. I must here, however, do justice to the
memory of a faithful servant of the Church, for some
years gone to his reward, who observed this particular
| The Author understands there is an exception in one ancient
Liturgy, but he is unable to speak from his own knowledge.
2 The Rev. John Fitzgibbon, Vicar of St. John's, and Prebendary
of Donoghmore, in the Cathedral of Limerick.
OF THE POST COMMUNION.
513
custom, long before the revival of ancient practices had
become a matter of general attention, and when public
opinion took a contrary direction. In the midst of an
extensive and impoverished parish, in the heart of the
city of Limerick, where the small endowment of the
benefice rendered the employment of a Curate impossible,
though oppressed with toilsome duties, and afflicted with
a broken constitution, he kept up the Services of thé
Church with a rubrical exactness and propriety, which
might well be an example to the most richly endowed
foundations. He instituted a small Choir of men and
boys, who sung the usual parts, (as far as was practicable),
and were habited and arranged according to the best choral
precedent. The Author must say this much, both in
grateful recollection of one to whose pious example he
owes deep, and, he trusts, not altogether unprofitable
obligations, and as one proof among many which might
be adduced, that the recurrence to the best usages of the
Church of England is not a project of yesterday, but has
been a matter long desired and sought after, by independ-
ent minds, in the most distant parts of her communion.
The final Benediction is in perfect harmony with the
preceding Hymn. And rightly does the Church make
the Peace of God, the climax of her most joyful Service,
that being the consummation of the blessing which Christ
promised to the faithful. There is no Ritual upon earth
which ministers so effectually as ours to that glad
serenity of mind and temper, that “peace, which rests
on no presumptous confidence, no visionary illusion; it
arises out of that wisdom from above, which is first pure,
then peaceable; it is founded on a heart set to obey God's
commandments; and, as the earliest result of this righte-
ousness is peace, its maturer fruit can be no other than
2 L
514
OF THE POST COMMUNION.
quietness and assurance for ever. ... And what is this;
but that perfect love of God, which casteth out fear;
which endears every pure enjoyment, and fills up every
calm interval of life, and which, whether at the close of
the day, or at the close of this mortal existence, will,
alike, enable us to lie down in peace, and take our rest;
assured that our ever-present God maketh us to dwell in
safety."
1 BISHOP JEBB, Practical Theology, vol. ii. discourse iv.
515
SECTION LXXIV.
OF THE RUBRICS AFTER THE COMMUNION SERVICE.
Upon the Sundays and other Holidays, (if there be no Communion,)
shall be said all that is appointed at the Communion, until the end
of the general Prayer [For the whole state of Christ's Church
Militant here in earth] together with one or more of these Collects
iast before rehearsed, concluding with the Blessing.
And there shall be no celebration of the Lord's Supper, except there be
a convenient number to communicate with the Priest, according to
his discretion.
And if there be not above twenty persons in the Parish of discretion to
receive the Communion; yet there shall be no Communion, except
four (or three at least), communicate with the Priest.
And in Cathedral and Collegiate Churches, and Colleges, where there
are many Priests and Deacons, they shall all receive the Communion
with the Priest every Sunday at the least, except they have a reason-
able cause to the contrary.
And to take away all occasion of dissension, and superstition, which
any person hath or might have concerning the Bread and Wine, it
shall suffice, that the Bread be such as is usual to be eaten; but the
best and purest Wheat Bread that conveniently may be gotten.
THE first of these Rubrics has never become what is called
obsolete in the Church. The neglect of it cannot be
excused by the plea of universal desuetude; since, not
only in most Cathedrals and Colleges, but in many parish
Churches, it has been uninterruptedly obeyed. In St.
Mary's in Dublin, within the Author's recollection, the
Offertory was always read ou non-communion Sundays,
and the collection was then made. But no prescription
can overrule a Rubric; and after all, the prescription
alleged for this and similar neglects cannot be proved to
be more ancient than the last century, a time of all others
2 L 2
516
OF TIIE RUBRICS AFTER
the most lax and apathetic. But the authority of some
of our Bishops has of late enforced the renewed observance
of this Rubric, which it is to be hoped may before long
be universal. And this implies a restoration of the
weekly collection of alms; a primitive, nay Apostolic
custom, the neglect of which has had a deadly effect
upon the people; so that the obligation of almsgiving
has well nigh ceased to be considered as one of the most
stringent practical duties of Christian men.
The second Rubric plainly allows to the parochial
Minister a discretion as to the administration of the
Communion. He is constituted a judge as to the maxi-
mum of persons who may be considered as forming a
convenient or proper number: the minimum being fixed
by the succeeding Rubric to three. Of course this
discretion is subject to the authority of the Bishop: and
common sense must shew that it is also likely to be
controlled by the religious feeling of the parishioners,
should frequent or weekly Communion be demanded by
such a number as obviously comes within the notion of
the term “convenient.” Every parochial Clergyman is
bound to administer the Communion three times in the
year at least, of which Easter is to be one: but it is the
evident intention of the Church, as borne out by the
testimony of those who lived at the time when her
Rubrics were framed or revised, some of whom bore a
part in the revision, that the administration should be as
frequent as the piety of the times will allow. Hammond,
when he introduced a monthly Communion into his
Church at Penshurst, considered this but an approxima-
tion towards a greater and more primitive frequency,
which doubtless he would have adopted, had the circum-
stances of the times, admitting of gradual improvement
THE COMMUNION SERVICE.
517
only, permitted him. But we have the plainest evidence,
that a weekly Communion was, in times not long subse-
quent, by no means unusual in parish Churches. This
is confirmed by the well known document, already
referred to, the Pietas Londinensis: which shews, that it
was administered not only on all the Sundays, but even
on many Holidays, and days within the Octaves. Bishop
Beveridge, one of the most diligent Pastors whose
labours have blest the Church, while Rector of a London
Parish, administered the Communion weekly to as many
as he and his two Curates could well serve. And doubt-
less from his example, the custom became general in
London at that time. And the revisers of our Common
Prayer, such men as Cosin, Sparrow, and Thorndike,
were equally stringent in their recommendation of this
frequent observance; as have been our most eminent
Ritualists, as Wheatly and Comber, the latter having
been instrumental in its revival in more than one Cathe-
dral. In later times, Waterland, one of the giants of
the last age, has most learnedly and convincingly shewn',
how frequent Communions were enjoined by the Church
in all ages; and how even its weekly reception was con-
sidered infrequent in primitive times; and has manifested
an anxious desire that the minds of the people might be
so prepared, as to admit of a recurrence to that holy prac-
tice. So that if we are to look for precedent and autho-
rity for that return to the weekly celebration of the
Eucharist, now so earnestly desired by many, we shall
abundantly find it, in the precept and example of those
who lived in the best ages of the Church, before indif-
| Review of the Doctrine of the Eucharist, chap. xiv.
518
OF THE RUBRICS AFTER
.
ference and secularity had set in, and well nigh extin-
guished the flame of Catholic piety amongst üs.
As to Cathedral Churches, the case is clear. Being
exemplars to the respective Dioceses in which they are
placed, the obligation of a weekly celebration would be
stringent on each of them, were there even no Rubric
enjoining it. The precedent afforded by the constant
usage of the Church Universal would prescribe it. How
then can we account for that heinous sin of neglect in
this particular which must be laid to the charge of so
many of our Cathedrals? Can we deny that it is a sin?
Can this neglect be excused by any argument even
of specious expediency? Would that it might, and that
thus we were spared the pain of blushing for very shame
at the miserable pleas which Chapters and Colleges have
dared to make for their supercilious neglect of the
call made upon them during so many years, for the
effectual recognition of one prime object of their insti-
tution! The Cathedrals are Colleges for God's most
solemn service. What then can be said of that mon-
strous perversion which dismisses the Ministers of
Divine Worship at the very time when their presence
should be required, in the greatest frequency, round the
Table of the Lord? What voice of indignation can be
too strong, in answer to that ungodly plea, that Minor
Canons and Vicars, the Priests of the Sanctuary, are to
be excused from their highest duty, because their stipends
are so small as to require the addition of some office to
which conflicting duties are attached? What! are the
Canons and Prebendaries to live sumptuously, with
houses to eat and to drink in, and yet is the Church of
God to be despised, and those who have none, to be
shunned; is the Table of the Lord to be neglected and
THE COMMUNION SERVICE.
519
abandoned; because, through the parsimony of the supe-
rior members, the inferior brethren of the foundation are
too poor to discharge their proper service at the Altar?
What! and is this contemptible argument of pounds
and pence to be considered as the “reasonable cause "
hindering the godly provision of the Church, that they
shall all receive the Communion with the Priest every
Sunday at the least? But where, among all the recent
ecclesiastical arrangements, is one to be found, tending
to restore our Cathedrals to their real dignity and holi-
ness? When is this mere monetary legislation to cease,
the sole aim of which is to make a comfortable” provi-
sion for individual Clergymen, but which has not the
slightest tendency towards reassembling the Clergy even
in the most moderate number round those altars, the
service of which was the express end of the Collegiatè
endowments. But if the Legislature is to blame, much
more are the Canons and Chapters themselves. The
remedies for these unhallowed grievance were in their
own hands: and if our Cathedrals have been humbled
and contumeliously despoiled, we have to thank the
secularity and apathy of their modern occupiers, who,
with a hundredfold more advantages of enlightenment,
are a hundredfold inferior in real zeal and piety to the
monks whom they affect to despise. I know that this
is strong language: and yet I appeal to the religious
heart of the English Church, whether it is not much too
indulgent.
It may be said, that in former times, after the Refor-
mation, the Communion was generally of not more than
monthly observance. But we must consider, that the
times were then unsettled; the Church was but half
edified, and ignorance and irregularities, such as would
520
OF THE RUBRICS AFTER
now astonish the most indifferent, then abounded. After
the last Review, however, we find that by such men as
Bishop Cosin and Dean Comber, to speak of no others,
strenuous, and in many instances successful endeavours
were used to restore the weekly Communion. But now,
no excuse remains. Such is the general information,
and general correctness of life and doctrine of the
Clergy, and the increasing piety of the Laity, and the
light of religious information shining, through God's
Providence, throughout the remotest corners of the
land, that we are called upon to act up to that high
standard of ritual observance, and of religious life,
which our Church so plainly points out to us.
And if
the Laity cannot be brought to the weekly Communion,
the Clergy, at least in our Collegiate Churches, are now
imperatively warned to exhibit a primitive example, and
themselves to seek for a greater measure of that grace,
which may inspirit and direct their energies in the more
vigorous service of the Church, now arming for more
extended and holy enterprises.
But these expressions of regret must be restrained.
May it please God's good Providence to extend to the
other Cathedrals and Colleges of the land that salutary
influence already manifested in her two principal
Churches of Canterbury and York, in which the weekly
Communion has of late years been restored, in the former
place by the awakened and spontaneous piety of the
Chapter, in the latter, by the paternal admonition of the
Metropolitan. It cannot be, that a like reformation
can long be wanting to the most conspicuous Cathedral
in the land, that of St. Paul; but that the numerous
College of Minor Canons there may be enabled to
fulfil the prescription of the Church, and to accompany
THE COMMUNION SERVICE.
521
this weekly rite with the fullest song of praise. To the
intolerable scandal suffered for so many years to exist
in that Cathedral, it is painful to allude: and against it
earnest remonstrances, both private and public, have so
long been made, that it needs no more than a passing
notice. It is difficult to remove an inveterate abuse;
and in Collegiate bodies, the most zealous individuals
are frequently unable to effect the most obvious reforms.
But surely the Chapter of St. Paul's must at length per-
ceive how sacrilegious a mockery they have long sanc-
tioned: suffering a pretence to be made of weekly
Communion, the Holy Table being arranged for that
feast, so as thereby to invite communicants, the Clergy
being in numerous attendance; and then when the
time arrives for its celebration, the Clergy are dispersed,
the Altar is forsaken, and the expectant worshippers
dismissed by the notice of a Verger, without even a
diaconal benediction'! They have forgotten that the
Cathedral Clergy, by the very wording of the Rubric,
form of themselves a congregation, and that, altogether
irrespective of the Laity, they are bound to communi-
cate weekly, unless some reasonable cause exist, that
may excuse some of them: for surely the simultaneous
absence of the whole body cannot have been contem-
The Author here begs leave to say, that he has neither written
nor suggested any of the representations on this subject which have
from time to time appeared in newspapers and reviews; and he neither
knows, nor wishes to know, who their writers may be, as he utterly
deprecates anonymous publications, on so grave a subject, conveyed
through such channels. But he had the unhappiness of being sub-
jected to a repulse of the kind mentioned above, some years ago : and
such was the deep pain inflicted in consequence on his mind, that he
has never since ventured to attend the Sunday Morning Service at
St. Paul's.
532
OF THE RUBRICS AFTER
plated. What cause can be alleged, which does not
reflect discredit on that wealthy Chapter, or which can
be accounted reasonable? And what a disgrace is it,
that out of the resident body of Clergy, four of Capitular
and twelve of inferior rank, the representatives, be it
remembered, of a much larger body, not half, or a
quarter of the number can be found to celebrate the
weekly commemoration of our Lord's death; and this
in one of the most conspicuous Churches in Christendom,
the very central spot of the Anglo-Catholic Com-
munion!
To return, however, to the Rubric. This mentions
the Sunday Communion as the minimum of Collegiate
observance. It is plainly intended that it should be
administered on Holidays also: as appears by the words,
“if there be no Communion,” in the first Rubric. The
Rubrics of the Proper Prefaces, as before observed,
intimate the same of the days within the Octaves: and
as these were formerly, according to existing records,
observed as Communion days in certain London parishes,
it cannot be supposed that the Cathedrals were intended
to fall short of their daughter Churches in this respect.
The first Book of King Edward supposes daily Com-
munion in Cathedrals and other places, according to the
practice of the primitive Church. Whether such a fre-
quency would now be desirable may be justly doubted:
still, how very far indeed are we from acting up to the
requisition of our Church, when even the Sunday Ser-
vice in our chief sanctuaries is deprived of its most
distinctive feature! And this is the more disgraceful,
when in many parish Churches, the Clergy, already
burthened with most engrossing duties, have cheerfully
and voluntarily undertaken the administration of this
THE COMMUNION SERVICE.
523
rite on every Sunday and Holiday of the year, in
ad lition to the daily service, and to all the offices of the
Church in their fulness.
On the last Rubric, as to the Bread and Wine, a few
observations remain to be made. For some time after
the Reformation, wafers were used at the Communion',
as at Westminster Abbey, and Prince Charles's Chapel,
in Spain, in the time of Archbishop Laud. Archbishop
Parker prescribed their use in Colleges. This custom
is now altogether obsolete ; and the spirit of the
Rubric would plainly forbid its revival; since that
Rubric was framed in order to take away all occasion
of dissention, and superstition, which any person might
have. . It is true, that the words are, “it shall suffice
that the Bread be such as is usual to be eaten :" but the
rule of charity would now construe this permission into
a restriction. It is essential that the people should
recognise the Elements to be actual bread and wine.
The order of the Church, however, is now frequently
transgressed in another way, utter disregard being had
to the quality of the bread. Every thing in God's
Service ought to be the most excellent of its kind, and
the neglect shewn in this particular in many parish
Churches, as respects both the Bread and Wine, is con-
trary not only to law, but to the plainest dictates of
religious reverence.
· LAUD's Troubles and Trials, chap. XXXV. p. 340. HEYLIN's Laud
book ii. part i.
? Life, book ii. chap. xxii.
524
SECTION LXXV.
OF THE OCCASIONAL SERVICES.
It might be thought, that the subject-matter of this
Treatise had found its limit in the preceding Section.
But the Choral Service has, in strictness, reference to
those offices of the Church which are called Occasional,
as well as to its stated ritual. It will be necessary,
however, to include these under one Section, and to give
them as brief a consideration as possible.
In no respect has a more in vidious distinction been
made between rich and poor, than in the administration
of these Services. They have been very generally dele-
gated to the Curates, the Minor Canons, and inferior
Clergy, as if they were beneath the notice of the supe-
rior; (and this even with respect to the Sacrament of
Baptism,) except when persons of rank or consequence
are concerned, when so much ostentatious ceremony is
observed, as to create an idea that the Church is
honoured by their presence. This holds especially in
Choirs. The solemnity of Choral music, due to the
obsequies of the humblest child of Christ who has died
in the Lord, due to everyone whom the Church
charitably supposes to have departed this life in his
faith and fear, is withheld, except when some prince, or
nobleman, or politician, how secular or ungodly soever
may have been his life, is to be consigned to a con-
spicuous tomb, or Pagan Mausoleum. The voice of the
Choir is silent, nay, the ecclesiastical congregation is
OF THE OCCASIONAL SERVICES.
525
absent, when the heavenly benediction is sought upon
those now entering into the estate of Holy Matrimony,
and when by water and the Holy Spirit the children are
admitted into the family of Christ. Of these things the
Chapters and inferior Ministers, as representing the con-
gregation of Christ, ought to be the stated witnesses;
and these solemn rites, instead of being done in a
corner, ought to be exhibited, as often as they are per-
formed, in all their fulness, with every accompaniment
wherewith the more ample resources of the Collegiate
system can invest them, as the public Service of the
Church.
The office of PUBLIC BAPTISM, by the recommenda-
tion of the Church, is properly administered in parish
Churches after the Second Lesson of Morning or Even-
ing Prayer. The compliance with this rule is, however,
impossible in most Cathedrals, from the great distance
of the Font from the Choir. The Rubric, it is to be
observed, is not so stringent upon this point as some
suppose. Though it implies its performance after the
Second Lesson as a thing desirable, it does not posi-
tively enjoin it. The people are to be ready at the
Font, after the last Lesson; but it does not say expli-
citly that the Service shall then begin. In the primi-
tive times, indeed, the Baptistery, as is still the case at
Milan and elsewhere, was a separate building from the
Church, and the Service of Baptism was, in consequence,
distinct from the stated offices.
It were greatly to be desired, that at the season of
Easter and Whitsuntide, this holy rite were administered
by the Bishops in their Cathedrals, to as many as might
desire to claim the ministration of the Chief Pastor of
526
OF THE OCCASIONAL SERVICES.
the Diocese. The moral
The moral effect consequent upon the
revival of a custom so primitive, might be most salutary
both to Clergy and to Laity.
The Baptismal office is the only one in our Prayer
Book which has neither Psalmody, nor suffrages. The
only parts to which Choral Music could be applied are
the Amens: which were accordingly sung at the Baptism
of the present Prince of Wales. The ecclesiastical
intonations of the prayers would eminently befit this
Service, the most perfect perhaps in our Liturgy, whether
as regards the fulness of doctrine which it comprehends,
or the unction and earnestness of its unrivalled exhorta-
tions and supplications.
The CATECHISM, or rather the Catechetical Institu-
tion, hortatory and explanatory, prescribed to be used
after the Second Lesson of Evening Prayer, is never
used in Cathedrals. But though these Churches are not
Parochial, it ought not to be forgotten, that the Chapters
have cure of souls over the boys of the Choir: and it is
but fitting, that occasionally at least, these should have
the same advantages of public instruction afforded to the
children of inferior Churches. The observance of the
Rubric in this respect, now largely revived in Parishes,
is of equal obligation in Choirs. In some College
Chapels, (that of Balliol in Oxford deserves especial
mention) this most edifying observance has been strictly
enforced.
On the Order of CONFIRMATION nothing requires to
be said, except that, as an Episcopal Act, it is adminis-
tered in Cathedrals as well as in parish Churches, as
occasion may serve. I am not aware that the responses
are ever chanted. But if they should be, the ordinary
OF THE OCCASIONAL SERVICES.
527
rules of recitation might be observed. And this holds
with regard to the responses in the other occasional
Services.
The Form of Solemnization of MATRIMONY is a ser-
vice which above all others is disgraced by a secular
ostentation, and by an almost total disregard to those
holy ceremonies which the Rubric recommends as its
accompaniment. The administration of the holy Commu-
nion never takes place at the time of marriage; and per-
haps, in the present state of society, to require it generally
would almost be a profanation. But except on occasions
of Royal Marriage, the whole splendour of the ceremony
is confined to dress and feasting, and Choral Music,
which the Rubric plainly recommends, is never heard.
It is evident, from the Rubric, that the first part of
the ceremony ought to be performed in the body of the
Church. In ancient times this used to take place in the
porch. A change of place is clearly pointed out before
the recitation of the Psalm: “ Then the Minister and
the Clerks, going to the Lord's Table, shall say or sing
this Psalm following." Which is explained by the
Rubric of the first Prayer Book; “ Then shall they go
into the Choir.” This significant distinction has always
been kept up in some distant parish Churches, and
ought to be in Cathedrals, at least.
The approach to the Lord's Table is intended as a
remembrancer of the Holy Communion. In fact the
Psalm is an Introit, such as used formerly to precede the
Communion Office: and the rationale of that part of
the Service it precedes is shewn by the First Book: in
which after the second benediction, occurs this Rubric;
“Then shall be said after the Gospel a Sermon,” &c.
In the Second Book, this was more clearly explained by
528
OF THE OCCASIONAL SERVICES.
these words: “Then shall begin the Communion, and
after the Gospel shall be said a Sermon.” Provisions
which are by no means contradicted by our Prayer Book
as it stands at present.
This Psalm is sung at Royal Marriages, as a Service.
And after the second Benediction an Anthem is sung.
This, with the chanting of the Responses, ought to be
the rule of Choirs on all occasions.
The order for the BURIAL OF THE DEAD is the only
occasional Office for which special Services have been
composed by our Church musicians. There are two of
most general use; one by Morley, of an eminently solemn
character, and another by Croft, the latter part by Purcell,
an admirable composition, but inferior to Morley's in
chastened simplicity. This Office in Marbeck is noted
throughout.
The Clerks are mentioned in conjunction with the
Priest in the second Rubric: meaning the Clerical and
lay members of Choirs in Cathedrals, and the assistant
ministers in Parishes, as in the office of Matrimony, and
in the Rubric preceding the Lord's Prayer, during its
second occurrence in the Morning Service. In ancient
times Choirs of Clerks frequently officiated at funerals:
and of this custom we find a vestige in the year 1566.
At the Church of St. Giles, Cripplegate, “divers Clerks
were in their surplices attending, to sing as accustomably
they used, and as my Lord of London had prescribed,
namely, to wear surplices within the Churches '." These
are subsequently in the same narrative called singing men.
It would appear by the wording of the Rubric, that
when the introductory sentences or Anthems are not sung,
· Parker's Life, book iii. c. x. p. 218.
OF THE OCCASIONAL SERVICES.
529
they ought to be repeated alternately or simultaneously,
by Priest and Clerks. In this respect they differ from the
Anthem after the Lesson, which is to be said by the
Priest, where there is no Choir, but sung by him and the
Clerks, when there is.
These sentences are called Responsories in Marbeck.
They are of the nature of Anthems, being so arranged in
the Choral Service, and are not pointed or adapted for
chanting
Those who say that processions are forbidden in our
Church, forget this introductory part of the Burial Ser-
vice, and the procession to the Holy Table in the Mar-
riage Service. The processions that are really forbidden
are those of a superstitious nature, such as formerly accom-
panied the litaneutical invocations of Saints, the public
exhibition of the Host, &c.
No Rubrical direction exists for the chanting of the
two Psalms following. But the word “read” does not
exclude it: and the custom of the Church has been to
do so, whenever the Choral Service is used. There is
the same Chant for the Psalms in Marbeck as that to
which the Venite and Introit are set by him.
Edward's first Book these Psalms were the 116th and
139th. Those now used are of a more penitential
character, but still not without the strong expression of
religious hope. In this, as in many other respects, our
present Burial Service is less eucharistic than anciently.
The change, however, is one which the thoughtful wisdom
of the revisers, mindful of the need of repentance and
of godly sorrow to the survivors, has rightly deemed
expedient.
Doubts have been felt as to the license given by the
Rubric to vary the order of the service according to
In King
2 M
530
OF THE OCCASIONAL SERVICES.
circumstances. Thus the Priest and Clerks may go either
direct to the grave, or into the Church. The former
method is often necessary in cases of infection. But it
is questioned whether it is then right or lawful to go
into the Church at the conclusion of the prayers at
the grave, and there read the Psalm and Lesson.
No present Rubric forbids this: and it is directly
sanctioned by the first Prayer Book, which directs
“ these Psalms, with other suffrages following, to be
said in the Church, either before or after the burial of the
corpse.” An execrable custom prevails in many parishes
of reading the Psalm and Lesson in those cases only
where extra fees are paid for this service: and thus the
relations of the poor are deprived of half of the Church's
most comforting office.
In St. Paul's Cathedral the Burial Service is inter-
woven with the office of Evening Prayer; the Sentences
being sung before the Service begins, the two Psalms
being substituted for those of the day, and the Lesson
for the regular Second Lesson. In other respects the
Evening Service is gone through as usual, at the end of
which, the remainder of the Funeral office is performed.
It is probable that this order is in conformity to the
intention of the Church; but no Rubric sanctions it;
and the prescript order of Divine Service would rather
seem to contradict it. At the commemoration of the
obsequies of Henry II. of France, at St. Paul's, in 1559,
this junction of the Services was made'.
The two Anthems after the Lesson, “Man that is
born of a woman,” and “I heard a voice," are sung to
varied melodies, as those at the beginning of the office.
The Lesser Litany has, in Marbeck, the usual intonations,
STRYPE, Annals of the Reformation, vol. i. c. 9.
OF THE OCCASIONAL SERVICES.
531
and the Lord's Prayer the last two sentences chanted in
cadence, as Verse and Response. The Versicles which
followed the Lord's Prayer in the first Prayer Book,
according to the analogy of most of our Services, have
been omitted in all subsequent editions, as they were
direct prayers for the dead. Of the two Prayers which
follow, the first is modified from one occurring in an
earlier part of the service in the first Book. The second
is termed the Collect; it is so called because one of
similar import was prescribed for the Communion, in
ancient times performed after Funerals. For this office
an Introit, Epistle and Gospel, were appointed, and in
Marbeck, the Introit, Kyrie, Sanctus, and Agnus Dei
are set to a notation. It is to be observed that in two
prayers in this Service, Marbeck preserves the grave
cadence, a fall to the fifth below; of which I am not
aware that another instance occurs in our Choral Service.
It has now fallen into total disuse.
The use of the Communion Service, however, was
kept up after the alterations of the Prayer Book. Thus, ,
in 1559, it was performed at the funeral of the Countess
of Suffolk in Westminster Abbey, at which Bishop Jewel
preached: the Communion was chorally celebrated by
the Dean and two assistants; and two of the daughters
of the deceased communicated'. In 1560°, the Queen
appointed certain peculiar forms in Latin to be used
when the friends of the deceased were minded to cele-
brate the Lord's Supper: “a custom then,” adds Strype,
but now wholly disused.” By her injunctions, the Com-,
munion Service was commanded to be used at funerals.
60
STRYPE, Annals of the Reformation, book i. ch. 15.
Ibid, book i. ch. 18.
2
3 Ibid.
2 M 2
532
OF THE OCCASIONAL SERVICES. .
An Anthem is usually performed at state funerals.
Perhaps its most proper place would be after the Lesson,
where an interval must occur, between its termination
and the moving to the grave.
The proclamation of the style, customary at the
funerals of Princes, was originally a substitution for the
“Orate pro animâ” said before the Reformation, as we
are informed by ancient documents, giving an account of
the commemoration of obsequies of Henry II. of France,
before referred to.
There is no direction as to the place of the Service in
which the Office for the CHURCHING OF WOMEN is to be
inserted. It is to be presumed that this, as well as the
place where the woman is to kneel, is to be regulated by
custom, or by the direction of the Ordinary. It is usually
read just before the General Thanksgiving. In cases
where no custom exists, or Episcopal direction has been
given, (as when a Church is built in a new district) it
would seem most proper to perform this Service at the
time of the Offertory, when offerings are made at the
Holy Table. The woman's offerings ought, at all events,
to be presented there, instead of being degraded, as they
usually are, into a fee, paid into the hands of the clerk.
The Psalm is sometimes incorrectly read, like the
daily Psalms, alternately by Priest and people. This
is the individual prayer of the woman, taught her by the
Priest, not of the congregation.
The remaining occasional Office is that commonly
called the COMMINATION. But this title, as before ob-
served, strictly belongs to those sentences and exhorta-
tions only, which cannot properly be used except on the
first day of Lent, as appears by the commencing address:
not to the Psalm and subsequent Office, which are termed
v
OF THE OCCASIONAL SERVICES.
533
“ certain Prayers, to be used on the first day of Lent, and
at other times as the Ordinary shall appoint.” Like the
former and latter Litany, the structure of these two parts
of the Office, as well as the place of their performance, is
different. The exhortations are read either in the Read-
ing Pew, that is, the Lesson Desk, not the place where
prayers are read, or in the Pulpit: the latter parts are to
be said at the Faldstool, or place where the Litany is
customarily said.
There is no Choral precedent for this Service, which
is usually said parochially. But nothing can hinder its
choral recitation to a penitential Chant. It is not clear
how the Commination should be said: by the Priest and
Clerks, the Rubric directs: but it does not appear
whether simultaneously, or alternately like a Litany.
The analogy of the other Psalms would lead us to
suppose that it ought to be sung to a Chant. One of
a very slight inflection, in the minor key, without the
organ, would be most appropriate. The Anthem, “Turn
thou, us,” ought to be said, like the Confession, clause
by clause after the Minister. The first Book directed it
to be said or sung.
In concluding this Section, it may be observed that the
three occasional Services of Matrimony, Churching, and
the Lent Prayers, are all cast in a similar mould. A
Psalm is followed by the lesser Litany, which, as usual,
precedes the Lord's Prayer; then follow certain Ver-
sicles and Responses, with Collects: analogous to that
part of Matins or Evensong which follows the Canticles.
The structure of the Confirmation Service is different.
534
SECTION LXXVI.
OF THE ORDINATION AND CONSECRATION SERVICES.
ORDINATIONS are now very generally performed in the
Cathedral Churches, to which these Offices, above all
others, more peculiarly belong. And there are none
which deserve to be celebrated with fuller choral solem-
nity. It is long since the Bishops of the Province of
Canterbury have been consecrated elsewhere than in the
Chapel of Lambeth Palace, which is thus hallowed by
the most solemn associations. The metropolitan Cathe-
drals of Armagh, York, St. Patrick's in Dublin, and,
till their sacrilegious degradation, those of Cashel and
Tuam, were usually employed for the consecration of
suffragans.
On these Services but few peculiar remarks remain
to be made. The Litany is enjoined to be used, at
ordinations, in a place analogous to its position in the
Greek Liturgies, in conjunction with the Communion
Service after the Sermon. It is directed to be sung or
said by the Bishop and Clergy. On no occasion could
Tallis's Litany be more properly used. It is remark-
able that the Rubric introducing the latter Litany is
worded, as usual, “then shall the Priest,” &c, not the
Bishop. By this it might appear that the Bishop may
delegate this introductory service to a Priest.
The Veni Creator is prefaced by one of the most
affecting directions in the Prayer Book.
66 After this,
that is, after the vows of the Clergy, and the Bishop's
ORDINATION AND CONSECRATION SERVICES.
535
prayer for grace to enable the performance of those
vows, “the Congregation shall be desired, secretly in
their prayers to make their humble supplications to
God for all these things: for the which Prayers there
shall be silence kept for a space.”
And this deep pause, that o'er us now
Is hovering, comes it not of Thee?
Is it not like a mother's vow,
When, with her darling on her knee,
She weighs and numbers o'er and o'er
Love's treasure hid in her fond breast,
To cull from that exhaustless store
The dearest blessing and the best?
And where shall mother's bosom find,
With all its deep love-learned skill,
A prayer so sweetly to her mind
As, in this sacred hour and still,
Is wafted from the white-robed Choir,
Ere yet the pure high breathed lay,
“ COME, Holy Ghost, OUR SOULS INSPIRE,
Rise floating on its dovelike way'.
The Veni Creator, the only one of those ancient
hymns of the Western Church which we have retained,
is appointed to be sung or said: the intonation by the
Bishop, and the antiphonal mode, whether it be said or
sung, being expressly enjoined. There is an ancient
setting of this Hymn by Tallis. To deprive it of Choral
music is repugnant to every sentiment of enlightened
devotion.
1 The Christian Year.
536
SECTION LXXVII.
OF THE SERVICES FOR THE STATE HOLIDAYS.
The four forms of prayer, annexed to the Prayer Book
by royal authority, are here noticed, only for the purpose
of deprecating the notion that they form any part of it,
or are obligatory on the Clergy. Since the last Review,
and the passing of the Act of Uniformity, the power of
the Crown and of the temporal Legislature has been in
this respect definitively restrained: and now, when Con-
vocation no longer sits, its tacit approbation of measures
passed without its express authority, can be no longer
presumed. It is foreign to the purpose of the present
work to discuss this question: which indeed is unnecessary;
since Mr. Perceval has incontrovertibly shewn, by his
exhibition of, and observation on, the original documents,
that for one of these Services, that for the Queen's Acces-
sion, no authority exists beyond the mere mandate of
the Crown; that the other three Services have been
altered by the same authority from the original forms
sanctioned by the Convocation; and that the Acts of
Parliament recognising the observance of the State
Holidays, by no means enjoin the use of those forms now
appended to our Prayer Book. This view of the case
was taken by Bishop Jebb. On one occasion when a
state holiday was concurrent with a Sunday, the Author
The Original Services for the State Holidays, with Documents
relating to the same. Collected and arranged by the Hon. and Rev.
A. P. PERCEVAL, B.C.L., &c. London, Leslie, 1838.
SERVICES FOR THE STATE HOLIDAYS.
537
remembers that he was silent during all the extra
responses and verses, making the accustomed ones most
audibly, as was his habit: and after the Service was
over, he gave as his reason, that these forms were
unauthorized, as they emanated merely from the Crown.
In his own diocese he never enjoined their use, nor were
they performed in his Cathedral.
I therefore make no observations on the peculiarity
of their structure, since they do not come within my
design.
538
SECTION LXXVIII.
OF THE CORONATION SERVICE.
THE ordinary Ritual of the Church has now been gone
through A rite remains to be considered, which,
though constituting no part of the Book of Common
Prayer, is part of the ceremonial of the Church, and of
her Choral Service. This is the Coronation Service: a
form of immemorial prescription, substantially the same
as that used at the inauguration of our Christian monarchs
in Saxon times, and sanctioned by the solemn approval
of all the Estates of the Realm, the Nobility, the Clergy,
and the People, assembled at its celebration'.
That none of the present generation may witness the
recurrence of this rite, must be the hearty desire not only
of all loyal subjects in this realm, but of all, who, through-
out the whole extent of Christendom, can duly esteem
the hereditary endowments of a royal magnanimity and
courage, and rejoice in the happy influence of the
purest domestic virtues. But its last occurrence ought to
be among our holiest recollections; and it is our pri-
vilege to hope for the perfect realization of the blessings
then invoked with the fulness of a most Catholic suppli-
cation, so that in her days, “ Mercy and Truth may meet
together, and Righteousness and Peace may kiss each
· For full information on the subject of this Service, see a very
interesting and learned work by Dr. Silver, of St. John's College,
Oxford.
OF THE CORONATION SERVICE.
539
“When you
other; that Wisdom and Knowledge may be the sta-
bility of her times, and the Fear of the Lord her
treasure."
The prayers are framed in the best spirit of antiquity,
with the rhythm so characteristic of primitive forms, and
with an elevation and majesty of sentiment unsurpassed
in any part of our Liturgy. The Service is, however,
peculiarly valuable, as recording certain high religious
and political principles, which of course must be con-
sidered as receiving the full sanction of this Church and
Nation. Thus, there is an acknowledgment of the
Sovereignty of Christ over the whole world, and the
derivation of all kingly power from Him.
see this orb set under the Cross, remember that the
whole world is subject to the power and empire of
Christ our Redeemer. For He is the Prince of the
kings of the earth, King of kings, and Lord of lords:
so that no man can reign happily, who derives not
his authority from Him, and directs not all his actions
according to his laws." It is declared that Christian
Sovereigns, like the Jewish kings of old, are consecrated
to the fulness of their office by the religious rite of
unction, and that their function is not merely secular.
“Bless and sanctify thy chosen servant Victoria, who by
our office and ministry is now to be anointed with this
oil, and consecrated Queen of this Realm." There is a
distinct recognition of the holy prerogative of the Clergy,
empowered, as the Ministers of Christ, to assert the
dominion of our Lord, who exalts her to her holy
dignity: “Stand firm, and hold fast from henceforth the
seat and state of royal and imperial dignity, which is
this day delivered unto you in the name, and by the
authority of Almighty God, and by the hands of us the
540
OF THE CORONATION SERVICE.
Bishops and servants of God, though unworthy: and as
you see us to approach nearer to God's Altar, so vouch-
safe the more graciously to continue to us your royal
favour and protection. And the Lord God Almighty,
whose Ministers we are, and the stewards of his mys-
teries, establish your throne in righteousness, that it may
stand fast for evermore, like as the sun before Him, and
as the faithful witness in heaven."
These and such like high principles, so opposed to
all utilitarian and republican notions, and sealed as they
are, by the highest ecclesiastical and national authority,
no one who acknowledges either can rightly gainsay.
As a liturgical record also, of collateral authority with
the Prayer Book, the Coronation Service is extremely
valuable. The Holy Table is distinctly called the Altar:
as the place where offerings are made. So that no English
Churchman can rightly censure those who use this word,
or who consider that every gift to God's Service is
hallowed by being presented there; since the Sovereign
offers oblations of an altar-cloth of gold, and other precious
gifts, and presents to God, also, the ensigns of her royal
dignity, (which she redeems by an equivalent) in token
of the homage she owes to Christ her King.
The elements of bread and wine are also offered by
the Sovereign, with a special prayer, like that which
was in our first Liturgy, and is restored in the Scotch
and American Prayer Books. So that hence we learn
two things: first, that the placing of the bread and wine
1 “Bless, O Lord, we beseech thee, these thy gifts, and sanctify
them unto this holy use, that by them we may be made partakers of
the body and blood of thine only begotten Son Jesus Christ, and fed
unto everlasting life of soul and body."
OF THE CORONATION SERVICE.
541
on the Holy Table is an oblation: and secondly, that
from whatever cause the invocation of the Holy Spirit
upon the elements has come to be omitted in our
Prayer Book as it now stands, it is not because the
Church of England has thought the altered practice
abstractedly wrong'.
Some matters of a very subordinate kind in this Ser-
vice remain to be considered. Thus Copes, the authorized
and ancient garment of the Church, are worn by the
officiating Bishops, and by the Dean and Prebendaries of
Westminster. The Communion Service is administered
by three, the Celebrant, the Epistoler, and the Gospeller.
The Litany is read by two from a Faldstool, and is sung
as a Service separate from Matins. The Te Deum is
sung after enthronization as a song of thanksgiving,
according to the custom of ancient times.
The Choral performance of this Service, though
guided by ancient precedent, is of course subject to
no settled rule, since from time to time the rite has
been altered in some details by authority which imme-
morial prescription has declared competent. On the
last occasion it is to be remarked, that the strictly Litur-
gical parts were not chorally sung. The Ecclesias-
tical chant formed no feature of the solemnity. The
Litany, sung to the organ by two Bishops and the Choir
at the Coronation of George III., was simply read: as
were the Creed, and Sacramental Hymns. The music
consisted of four Anthems, the words of which, how-
| This alteration is the most unaccountable of any in our Liturgy.
But I do not venture to question its wisdom, or the mercy of that
overruling Providence which for unknown purposes may have so
ordered it.
542
OF THE CORONATION SERVICE.
ever, had formed for the most part a stated and imme-
morial part of the ceremonial, the Sanctus, the Veni
Creator, and the Te Deum. But while this may possi-
bly be regretted, as affording an injurious precedent
to our Choirs, it must be admitted that no external
circumstances could have heightened the deep senti-
ment of loyal devotion, that thrilled through the
hearts of those, who, at the last Coronation, went thither
as to a religious ceremony, which sealed a solemn covenant
between the Sovereign and her God, the harbinger of
long protracted peace, and the earnest of a crown of
immortality.
543
SECTION LXXIX.
CONCLUSION.
The design of this work, protracted, it is to be feared,
to an immoderate length, is now accomplished. The
Author is fully sensible, that he has been standing but
on the threshold of the sanctuary. Yet to be but a
doorkeeper in the house of God, is a privilege which
no man may despise. And he will indeed have occasion
to rejoice, if that same divine goodness, which has of
late blessed him with abundant leisure, shall enable him
to do the Church some service, by the exhibition of
such a settled and consistent rule, as may remove some
of the perplexities, and abridge those lengthened dis-
cussions upon matters circumstantial, which often hinder
the furtherance of essentials: if these subordinate
labours shall have cleared the way for those who would
enter the Temple, and rejoice in that Presence which
illuminates the Holy Place.
But, with all due regard to higher ends, no just and
conscientious mind will presume to hold, that any point
of prescribed observance, especially when respective of
holy things, is a matter of no intrinsic importance: nor
can it rest contented till the line of duty is ascertained.
Nor will it satisfy such a mind, to say, that there is a
wide difference between things spiritual and external;
and that the former alone deserve our exclusive or chief
regard. Men often speak as if the one were divine, the
other human; as if the one were of necessity opposed to
the other; as if the former were eternal, the latter perish-
able; as if all spiritual things were necessarily impal-
544
CONCLUSION.
pable to sense; as if the operations of the bodily
faculties could be always abstracted from those of the
mind, or the boundary between what is intellectual and
sensible could be clearly ascertained. Now throughout
the whole range of the divine dispensations, there is the
provision of a visible order, the exponent, the preserva-
tive, nay, for aught we know, the inseparable accom-
paniment of an inward essence.
It is but little to say,
that human nature is influenced by external impressions :
this may be the unalterable condition of all created
beings, even in heavenly places. To what degree this
constitution of things may be eternal, cannot here be
known. But that it will exist to a certain extent we are
assured. It is revealed to us, that in the courts of heaven,
the everlasting service of God shall be rendered with
an external homage, analogous, though immeasurably
superior to that ceremonial of the Church Militant,
which many, unwisely bent upon an impossible abstrac-
tion, would censure as indifferent or trivial. In heaven
will be seen and known hereafter, that which formed the
dying meditations of one of God's most eminent saints',
“the number and nature of Angels, and their blessed
obedience and order, without which peace could not be
in Heaven;" and as to their eucharistic services we are
in part instructed by the words of prophecy.
Thus much may be said as to the eternity of external
worship. But as to the definition of that which is called
spiritual, let us consider, how can we tell whether the
use of language may not be essential towards the com-
munication of certain ideas, incapable of any other
exponent; whether the articulate inflections of the voice
1 Hooker.
Vide VALTON's Lives.
CONCLUSION. .
545
may not minister to some intellectual use, otherwise
unattainable; whether the orderly marshalling of words
prescribed by the laws of sacred composition may not
promote ends such as we call spiritual ? Granting these
means to be external, yet not so are the ends which
they seek. Is it not most certain, that ideas allowing
of no verbal expression are communicated to the mind
by music, so as to be auxiliary either to good or evil;
conveyed indeed by the sense, but not themselves sen-
sual, because they are abstract conceptions of the mind,
though ministering to the senses, in those unhappy cases
when the soul is in subjection to the body. The same
may be said of many impressions conveyed through the
eye. The senses are each an independent channel of
some peculiar instruction to the human soul; of which,
perhaps, even in her glorified state she may be incapable
except through them; for even in heaven she will be
clothed with a body.
When we consider this, it cannot be, that the ex-
ternal homage of Almighty God, to which He himself
has assigned certain ceremonies, is a matter beneath the
notice of those who minister at his Altar. And those
of the Anglican Communion who think slightingly
of such holy things, are the less excusable, because
their Church has set before them a method of ritual
observance, resembling, be it said with reverence, the
works of her Divine Master in this respect, that,
while her general plan is most fair and symmetrical, the
details, unlike those of human works, will admit of the
nearest and most microscopic scrutiny; so that beauty
and order will be found in the smallest leaf and blossom
of the tree which expands toward heaven. It is their
part and bounden duty to complete the plan designed
2 N
546
CONCLUSION.
by their Church, which has suffered mutilation, through
no authoritative prescription, but through the indo-
lence and timidity of an age, the most somnolent and
secular of any since the days of the Reformation. If
the example of that age be allowed as prescriptive,
though contradictory to a higher authority, the plain and
unaltered precepts of the Church, then we must allow
also as justifiable and worthy of imitation, its more
essential deviations from the ancient standards of Catho-
licity, of zeal, of energy, of piety: we must remain con-
tented with that apathetic neglect, the precursor of a
virtual heathenism in the dark places of our land; with
a feeble and debased theology, the nurse of Socinianism,
of dissent, of rationalism, of utter irreligion; with that
prostitution both of the learning and of the labours of
the Clergy to purposes mainly secular and political; we
must suffer the Church to remain the timid minion
of what is called the State: for all these appalling
sins of omission and commission were the character-
istics of times, when the salutary ordinances of the
Church were mutilated, the choral voice of praise, here-
tofore emulous of angels, was enfeebled, the Table of the
Lord forsaken, and his Courts untrod. And are there
really any who would now urge an example so degrading,
and chill the growing zeal, and heavenly aspirations of
the people of God, by telling them of the authority of
Custom, when the authority of the Church' has been all
the while denouncing and forbidding these perversions;
The authority of the Church is found in her Prayer Book,
Articles, and Canons. These no individual Ordinary, much less any
individual Clergyman, can supersede. And yet a few men of one
century are spoken of as if they were the Church! Nos duo turba
sumus!
CONCLUSION.
547
when the instructed piety of our ingenuous youtli. is
reverting to the Fathers of the sixteenth and seventeenth
centuries, the framers and revisers of our Prayer Book,
the companions and disciples of her martyrs and confes-
sors, who, well knowing the spirit of the Church of Eng-
land, by their writings and example enforced, explained,
and illustrated her will? By their fruits ye shall know
them, is the rule of Holy Writ. We see the fruits of
better times : we see also the fruits of the century that
is past; or rather we see the thorns and thistles whichi
it has suffered to grow up, so as well nigh to choke
every plant of use or beauty in the garden of the Lord.
It may be said, indeed, that the good men of the past
generation were regardless of the matters now urged as
necessary to be repaired or restored.
Without granting
this to the extent that is generally supposed', it may be
answered, that if this be true, to a certain extent, of those
few men who did conspicuous service for the Church
during the age of her degradation, it must be considered,
· Bishop Butler is an illustrious instance to the contrary. We are
told of Dr. TOWNSON, one of the best men whom the Church of
England has nurtured, who, for purity of life and doctrine, would
have adorned the best ages of Christianity, that divine Service
was no where performed with greater decency and solemnity, and
rubrical exactness, than in his Church at Malpas: to which order he not
a little contributed. One recorded improvement of his, however, while
it marks his just solicitude for God's honour, shews the laxity of the
general practice of the times. It is mentioned as a remarkable circum-
stance, that he himself introduced the custom, that two Clergymen
should officiate at the Altar on Sunday. This is now all but universal.
We are not, however, to suppose that Dr. Townson's pious care, though
rare, was singular. Instances may be found, often in quarters least
expected, of a traditionary respect for usages which had been gene-
rally neglected.-Vide Archdeacon CIIURTON's Life, prefixed to Town-
son's Wcrks; also Bishop JEBB's Preface to the same divine's Practical
Discourses.
2 N 2
548
CONCLUSION.
in the first place, that those matters which have become
axioms to one generation, are forgotten even as prin-
ciples in another, and this by minds of the first eminence,
when public opinion has suffered those principles to be-
come dormant; although of so palpable a nature, that it
would seem hardly possible for them to escape observation.
This fact has been remarkably proved by our own expe-
rience within the last few years. The very proximity of
a known object induces a disregard of it. It must be
considered, in the next place, that while these eminent
men were engaged in infusing vitality into the exhausted
energies of the Church, while defending her very life
against her most potent enemies, who had invaded her
palace itself, they could ill bestow attention upon the
decorations of her court, or teach her the song of praise,
or provide her with beautiful and royal garments. But
we of this generation are without excuse. The know-
ledge of the Church's directions is now a matter of easy
acquisition, and one to which attention is demanded.
The requisitions of her excelling dignity are fully ascer-
tained. The wealth, the knowledge, the accomplish-
ments of this nåtion have increased an hundredfold;
and the Church, in reminding us with what honour
the piety of ages less abundantly endowed had invested
her, reproaches the present generation, as contemming,
through their neglect of the Spouse of Christ, the
Majesty of God.
Never yet did real and earnest religion flourish, apart
from an attention to these neglected particulars of out-
ward service. A self-willed and fanatical excitement,
indeed, an indevotional idolatry of dogmas, may have
existed without it: but a zeal for God's glory, a solicitude
for the integrity of the Faith, an enlightened and active
CONCLUSION.
549
Charity, earnest for the universal Church of God, and for
the coming of his Kingdom, have ever coexisted with an
instinctive feeling, that a worship must be paid Him by
the Church Militant, imitative, in its frequency and
magnificence, of the perpetual Service of the Church
that is above. So the Church of England has plainly
taught her children. And if we would desire to preserve
the integrity of her faith, we must pray that their charity
may not wax cold, or rather that it may be again re-
kindled, and ascend, as the incense, to the highest
heaven.
A thousand signs are warning us on every side.
.
The recollections and examples of past times, now
rescued from forgotten annals: the requirements of the
present times, demonstrated by means of the most
minute statistical scrutiny: the appliances of wealth un-
paralleled, committed to our stewardship by Him who
will require an account at our hands; the awful exi-
gences of a widely-spread dominion; the welfare of half
the globe; the well-being of ages that are to come; the
eternal interests of the illimitable Kingdom of Christ;
the glory of the Ruler of the Universe : all these
motives call upon this Queen of the nations to worship
her God in the beauty of holiness, to approach Him with
gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh, and to shew to
mankind in all places of his earthly dominion, how
above all worldly honour it is the privilege of this nation
to be the handmaid of the Lord; and that, replenished
with the truth of Christ's doctrine, and adorned with
innocency of life, it is her highest function to set
forth God's glory, and to set forward the salvation of all
men, even to the end of time.
THE END.
LONDON:
HARRISON AND Co., PRINTERS,
St. MARTIN's LANE.
MOS JUNE, 1843.
New Works and New Editions
printed for
JOHN W. PARKER,
West Strand, London.
The Choral Serbice of the United Church
of England and Ireland; being an Enquiry into the Liturgical
System of the Cathedral and Collegiate Foundations of the Anglican
Communion. By the Rev. JOHN JEBB, A.M., Prebendary of Limerick.
Nearly Ready.
ARUNDINES CAMI, sive Musarum Cantabrigien-
sium Lusus Canori, collegit atque edidit HENRICUS DRURY, M.A.
New Edition. 12s.
A SYSTEM of LOGIC, Ratiocinative and Inductive;
being a Connected View of the Principles of Evidence, and the Methods of
Scientific Investigation. By JOHN STUART MILL. Two Vols., Oct. 30s.
THE
PHYSIOLOGICAL ANATOMY & PHYSIOLOGY
of MAN. By R. B. TODD, M.D., F.R.S., and W. BOWMAN, F.R.S., of
King's College, London. With Numerous Original Illustrations. Part I.
price 7s. To be completed in Tliree Parts.
A MANUAL FOR TEACHING
MODEL-DRAWING, from SOLID FORMS, com-
bined with a Popular View of Perspective, and adapted to the Elementary
Instruction of Classes in Schools and Public Institutions. Octavo, with shaded
Engravings of the Models, and numerous Wood-cuts. 15s.
II.
INSTRUCTIONS in DRAWING, for the use of
Elementary Schools, abridged from the foregoing “MANUAL." With
numerous Illustrative Wood-cuts, and Outline Figures of the Models. 3s.
By BUTLER WILLIAMS, C.E., F.G.S.;
Director of Drawing Classes at Exeter Hall; Professor of Geodesy in the
College for Civil Engineers; and Author of Practical Geodesy.
Published under the Authority of the Committee of Privy Council on Education.
2
NEW WORKS AND NEW EDITIONS,
A HISTORY of CHRISTIANITY, from the Birth
of Christ to the Destruction of the Western Empire, including the Rise and
Progress of the early Christian Churches, and the Causes that led to their
Corruption. By W.C. TAYLOR, LL.D., Trin. Coll. Dublin, Under the super-
intendence of several distinguished Church of England Divines. In the Press.
HISTORY of the CHRISTIAN CHURCH, from
the Ascension of Jesus Christ to the Conversion of Constantine. By the late
EDWARD BURTON, D.D., Reg. Prof. Oxon. The Fourth Edition. 6s. 6d.
A MANUAL of CHRISTIAN ANTIQUITIES;
ån Account of the Constitution, Ministers, Worship, Discipline, and Customs of
the Early Church: with a complete Analysis of the Works of the Antenicene
Fathers. By the Rev. J. E. RIDDLE, M.A. New Edition. Octavo, 18s.
PRIMITIVE CHRISTIANITY, Exemplified and
Illustrated by the Acts of Primitive Christians. Octavo, 125.
II.
HISTORY of the CHURCH OF IRELAND. Two
large Volumes, 34s.
By the Rt. Rev. RICHARD MANT, D.D., Lord Bishop of
Down and Connor.
HISTORY of
of the CHURCH of ENGLAND;
Embracing Copious Histories of the Thirty-Nine Articles, the Translation of
the Bible, and the Book of Common Prayer. Third Edition, 16s.
II.
PAROCHIALIA; consisting of Papers printed for
the use of St. George's, Bloomsbury. Foolscap Octavo, 4s.
By THOMAS VOWLER SHORT, D.D., Lord Bishop of Sodor and Man.
The SCRIPTURAL CHARACTER of the ENG-
LISH CHURCH. By the Rev. D. COLERIDGE, M.A., Principal of St.
Mark's College, Chelsea. Octavo, 12s. 6d.
The series of Sermons, bearing the above title, were written exclusively for perusal,
and are arranged as a connected whole. The Author has adopted this form to avail
himself of the devotional frame of mind, presupposed on the part of the reader, in this
species of composition; but he has not deemed it as necessary to preserve with strict-
ness the conventional style of the pulpit, for which these discourses were never intended:
they may, consequently, be taken as a series of Essays, or as the successive chapters
of a general work.
PUBLISHED BY JOHN W. PARKER.
3
ON THE NATURE OF
THUNDERSTORMS, and on the Means of Pro-
tecting Buildings and Shipping against the Destructive Effects of Lightning.
By W.SNOW HARRIS, F.R.S., &c. Oct., with many Illustrations. 10s. 6d.
A CYCLE of CELESTIAL OBJECTS; for the use
of Naval, Military, and Private Observers. By CAPTAIN W. H. SMYTH,
R.N., F.R.S., F. Astron. Soc., &c. Octavo, with Illustrations. In the Press.
PRACTICAL GEODESY; comprising Chain Sur-
veying, the Use of Surveying Instruments, together with Levelling, and
Trigonometrical, Mining, and Maritime Surveying. Adapted to the use of
Land Surveyors, and for Students in Civil, Military, and Naval Engineering.
By BUTLER WILLIAMS, C.E., F.G.S.; Director of the Drawing Classes at
Exeter Hall; Professor of Geodesy in the College for Civil Engineers. Octavo,
with numerous Illustrations. 12s. 6d.
AN INTRODUCTION TO THE STUDY OF
CHEMICAL PHILOSOPHY; being a preparatory
View of the Forces which concur to the production of Chemical Phenomena.
By JOHN FREDERICK DANIELL, F.R.S., Professor of Chemistry in
King's College, London. With numerous Illustrations. New EDITION. 21s.
PRACTICAL CHEMISTRY for FARMERS and
LANDOWNERS. 55.
II.
PRACTICAL GEOLOGY and MINERALOGY,
and the CHEMISTRY of METALS. With an INTRODUCTORY DISCOURSE on
the Nature, Tendency, and Advantages of Geological Pursuits. Octavo, with
Two Hundred Illustrations. 12s.
By JOSHUA TRIMMER, F.G.S.
The PHILOSOPHY of LIVING. Second Edit.8s.6d.
On the Diversities of Constitution. Of Digestion. Of Exercise. Physical
Education of Girls; Spinal Curvature. Of Sleep. Of Bathing. Of Clothing. Of
Air and Climate. Health of Mind; Self-control; Mental Culture,
II.
MANAGEMENT of the ORGANS of DIGESTION
in HEALTH and in DISEASE. New Edition, 6s. 6d.
Rules of Diet for different Constitutions. Treatment of Indigestion; of: Loose-
ness; of Costiveness. Local Diseases of the Lower Bowel, and their Treatment.
By HERBERT MAYO, Esq., F.R.S., late Surgeon of Middlesex Hospital.
4
NEW WORKS AND NEW EDITIONS,
A PLEA for CHRISTIAN PEACE an 1 UNITY,
and against the prevailing SPIRIT of CONTROVERSY. By ROBERT
C. JENKINS, B.A., of Trinity College, Cambridge; Curate of Willesden.
FIVE SERMONS, preached before the University
of Cambridge in January, 1843. "By RICHARD CHENEVIX TRENCH,
M.A. Octavo, 2s. 6d.
SERMONS preached at READING, by the REV.
FRANCIS TRENCH, M.A. Octavo, 10s. 6d.
A THEOLOGICAL ENQUIRY INTO THE
SACRAMENT of BAPTISM, and the Nature of
Baptismal Regeneration. By CHRISTOPHER BENSON, M.A., Master of
the Temple. Octavo. SECOND EDITION, 48.
A TREATISE OF THE
CORRUPTIONS of SCRIPTURE, COUNCILS,
and FATHERS, by the Prelates, Pastors, and Pillars of the Church of Rome,
for the Maintenance of Popery. By THOMAS JAMES, Student in Divinity,
and Chief Keeper of the Bodleian Library, Oxford. Revised and Corrected
from the Editions of 1612 and 1688. By the Rev. JOHN EDMUND COX,
M.A., of All Souls' College, Oxford, Minister of St. Mary's Church, Great
Yarmouth. In the Press.
COMMENTS, EXPLANATORY AND PRACTICAL, UPON THE
EPISTLES for the SUNDAYS, FASTS, and HOLI-
DAYS throughout the Year; for the Use of Families. By the Rev. J. F.
HONE, M.A., Vicar of Tirley. 6s.
ECTURES on DIVINITY, delivered at the Uni-
versity of Cambridge, by JOHN HEY, D.D., as Norrissian Professor, from
1780 to 1795. New Edition, Revised, from the University Press, Cambridge.
Two Large Octavo Volumes, 30s.
The WORKS of DOCTOR DONNE, Dean of St.
Paul's in the time of James I. and Charles I. With a Memoir. By HENRY
ALFORD, M.A., late Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge. Six Volumes,
Octavo, with a fine Portrait. 31. 12s.
We cannot forbear repeating Mr. Coleridge's question, "Why are not Donne's
Volumes of Sermons reprinted at Oxford ?" Surely the character of some of his
juvenile poems cannot be the reason. Donne's Life is placed in a cheap form in the
Catalogue of the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, aud deservedly so, in
every respect. Why does Oxford allow one hundred and thirty Sermons of the
greatest preacher, at least of the seventeenth century, the admired of all hearers, to
remain all but totally unknown to the Students in Divinity of the Church of England,
and to the literary world in general ? Quarterly Review, vol. Lix. p. 6.
PUBLISHED BY JOHN W. PARKER.
5
The FIRST PART, Octavo, 4s., of
THE CLASSICAL MUSE U M.
CONTENTS. I. Investig
I. Investigations on Ancient Weights, Coins, and Measures. By
GEORGE GROTE, Esq.-II. Hymn to Isis. By Dr. L. SCHMITZ.—III. Greek
Topography. By the Rev. A. P. STANLEY, A.M.-IV. Herodotus. By Dr. L.
SCHMITZ and Professor G. LONG.-V. A Dissertation on a Second Bosporus Cim-
merius, and several Rivers of the Palus Mootis. By Dr. W. PLATE.- VI. Com-
parative Etymology. By Dr. W. Smith.VII. On the Meaning and Origin of the
Verb To Tiri, By G. C. Lewis, Esq., A.M.–VIII. Notices of Recent Publica-
tions.—IX. Foreign Intelligence.-X. Universities. XI. List of Recent Pub-
lications.
A CLASSICAL LEXICON, for the Use of Students,
containing an Account of all the Proper Names, Mythological, Historical, and
Geographical, that occur in the Principal Writers of Greece and Rome. By
LEONHARD SCHMITZ, Ph.D., late of the University of Bonn.
Several years lave elapsed since this Work was first projected by a learned
foreigner, and announced by the present publisher, but from an earnest desire to render
it both correct and complete, its appearance has been from time to time deferred. The
main difficulties have, however, at length been overcome, and such arrangements made
with Dr. Schmitz as will ensure its publication at the earliest possible period.
The PUBLIC ECONOMY
ECONOMY of ATHENS, by
Professor BOECKH, of Berlin. Translated from the German by G. CORNE-
WALL LEWIS, Esq., A.M., late Student of Christ Church, one of the
Translators of MULLER'S Dorians. New Edition, Revised. Octavo, 185.
GALLUS; or, ROMAN SCENES of the AGE of
AUGUSTUS: illustrative of the Manners and Customs of the Romans;
from the German of Professor BECKER, of Leipsic. In the Press.
CHARICLES; or, Illustrations of the Private Life
and Manners of the Greeks. From the German of Professor BECKER. To
follow the publication of GALLUS.
PINDAR'S EPINICIAN ODES, and the FRAG-
MENTS of his LOST COMPOSITIONS, revised and explained. With
Copious Notes and Indices. Octavo, 16s.
II.
The NEW CRATYLUS; or, Contributions towards
a more accurate Knowledge of the Greek Language. Octavo, 178.
By Rev. JOHN WM. DONALDSON, M.A. Head Master of the Bury School.
6
NEW WORKS AND NEW EDITIONS,
A HISTORY of the ROMAN CONSTITUTION,
from the Earliest Times down to the Age of Justinian, by Professor WALTER,
of Bonn. Translated from the German by LEONHARD SCHMITZ, Ph.D.,
and WILLIAM SMITH, Ph.D. In the Press.
The SPEECHES of DEMOSTHENES, against
Aphobus and Onetor; translated, with Notes explanatory of the Athenian Laws
and Institutions, by C. R. KENNEDY, M.A., Fellow of Trin. Coll., Camb. 98.
The BOOK of PSALMS, newly Translated from
the Hebrew, with Critical and Philological Notes. By WILLIAM FRENCH,
D.D., Master of Jesus College, Cambridge.; and Rev. GEORGE SKINNER,
M.A., late Fellow and Tutor of Jesus College. New Edition, revised, 125.
The MISSION of the COMFORTER, and other
Sermons, by ARCHDEACON HARE, M.A. In the Press.
CHRISTMAS DAY, and other SERMONS.
Octavo, 10s. 6d.
II.
THREE LETTERS to the Rev. W. PALMIER,
on the Name Protestant; on the Character of the English Church; and on the
Bisloprick at Jerusalem. Second Edition with Additions. 38.
By FREDERICK DENISON MAURICE, M.A., Chaplain of Guy's Hospital,
and Professor of English Literature in King's College, London.
SHORT SERMONS for CHILDREN, illustrative
of the Catechism and Liturgy of the Church of England. Preached in the
National Society's Central School, Westminster, by the Rev. C. A. JOHNS,
B.A., F.L.S., Chaplain of the Central School. 38. 6d.
The CHURCHMAN'S GUIDE; a Copious Index of
Sermons and other Works, by eminent Church of England Divines ; arranged
according to their subjects. By JOHN FORSTER, M.A. Octavo. 78.
INSTRUCTIONS for READING the LITURGY;
by DAVID GARRICK, with Notes, and a Discourse on Public Reading, by
RICHARD CULL, Tutor in Elocution. Octavo, 5s, 6d.
PUBLISHED BY JOHN W. PARKER.
7
PRACTICAL REMARKS ON
GOUT, RHEUMATIC FEVER, and CHRONIC
INFLAMMATION of the JOINTS. Being the Croonian Lecture for 1843,
delivered at the Royal College of Physicians, by R. B. TODD, M.D.,
Fellow of the College of Physicians, Physician to King's College Hospital,
and Professor of Physiology in King's College, London. 7s. 6d.
LECTURES ON THE
PRINCIPLES and PRACTICE of PHYSIC, deli-
vered at King's College, London, by THOMAS WATSON, M.D., Fellow of
the Royal College of Physicians; Physician to the Middlesex Hospital, and
formerly Fellow of St. John's College, Cambridge. In the Press.
ON THE
SANATIVE INFLUENCE of the CLIMATE of
PAU, and of the Mineral Waters of the Pyrenees, on Disease. By A.
TAYLOR, M.D. 10s. 6d.
On SPASM, LANGUOR, PALSY, and other Dis-
orders termed Nervous, of the Muscular System. By JAMES ARTHUR
WILSON, M.D., Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians, and Physician
to St. George's Hospital. 78.
A MANUAL of CHEMISTRY; the Fifth Edition,
thoroughly revised and greatly enlarged, and containing all New Facts and
Discoveries in the Science. 1,500 pages, with numerous Wood-cuts. 358.
II.
A DICTIONARY OF THE
MATERIA MEDICA and PHARMACY; including
the Elements of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, and a Translation of the London
Pharmacopoeia. 15s.
By WILLIAM THOMAS BRANDE, F.R.S., of Her Majesty's Mint;
Professor of Chemistry at the Royal Institution.
POPULAR PHYSIOLOGY; familiar Explanations
of interesting Facts connected with the Structure and Functions of Animals,
and particularly of Man. By the late Dr. PERCIVAL B. LORD, of the
Hon. E. I. C, Service. Many Engravings. Second Edition, revised. 7s. 6d.
89
NEW WORKS AND NEW EDITIONS,
MENS CORPORIS; a Treatise on the Operations
of the Mind in Sleep. By FOUNTAIN HASTINGS ELWIN, Esq., Lincoln's
Inn. Post Octavo. 10s.
BIOGRAPHIA BRITANNICA LITERARIA, a
Literary History of the United Kingdom, arranged in Chronological Order.
Vol. I. The ANGLO-SAXON PERIOD. Published under the Superin-
tendence of the ROYAL SOCIETY OF LITERATURE. Octavo. 12s.
THE
PHILOSOPHY of the INDUCTIVE SCIENCES,
founded upon their History. Two Volumes, Octavo, 30s.
II.
A HISTORY of the INDUCTIVE SCIENCES,
from the Earliest Times to the Present. Three Volumes, Octavo, 21. 2s.
By the Rev. WILLIAM WHEWELL, B.D., F.R.S., Master of Trinity Coll.,
Cambridge, and Professor of Moral Philosophy in the University.
The UNDULATORY THEORY, as applied to the
DISPERSION of LIGHT. By the Rev. BADEN POWELL, M.A., F.R.S.,
F.R.A.S., F.G.S., Savilian Professor in the University of Oxford. Octavo, 9s.,
with a Coloured Chart of the Prismatic Spectra.
ELEMENTS of SYRIAC GRAMMAR, by the Rev.
G. PHILLIPS, M.A:, Fellow and Tutor of Queen's College, Cambridge. 10s.
وه
A PRACTICAL ARABIC
DUNCAN STEWART. Octavo, 16s
GRAMMAR.
By
The JOURNAL of the ROYAL ASIATIC SOCIETY
of GREAT BRITAIN. Nos. I. to XII. (To be continued.) 6s. each.
The JOURNAL of the STATISTICAL SOCIETY
of LONDON. Published Quarterly, price 2s. 6d.
A STATISTICAL COMPANION to the POCKET
BOOK, consisting of a variety of Tables and Statements from the highest
official and other sources. By C. R. WELD, Secretary to the Statistical
Society of London, 1s. stitched; or Is. 6d. in roan gilt.
PUBLISHED BY JOHN W. PARKER.
9
ARCHITECTURAL NOTES ON GERMAN
CHURCHES, with Notes of a Tour in Normandy and Picardy. By the
Rev. WILLIAM WHEWELL, B.D., F.R.S., Author of The History of the
Inductive Sciences, &c. A THIRD EDITION, with Additions. 12s.
The HISTORY of HOLLAND, from the beginning
of the Tenth to the end of the Eighteenth Century. By C. M. DAVIES.
Volumes the First and Second. 12s. each. To be completed in Three Volumes.
RECOLLECTIONS of SIBERIA, in the Years
1840 and 1841. By CHARLES HERBERT COTTRELL, Esq. Octavo,
with Map, 12s.
The WAR in SYRIA, by SIR CHARLES
NAPIER, M.P., K.C.B. Two Volumes, 183,
TRAVELS and RESEARCHES in ASIA MINOR,
MESOPOTAMIA, CHALDEA, and ARMENIA; by WILLIAM FRANCIS
AINSWORTH, F.G.S., F.R.G.S., in charge of the Expedition sent by the
Royal Geographical Society, and the Society for Promoting Christian Know-
ledge, to the Christian Tribes in Chaldea. Two Volumes, with Maps and
numerous Illustrations. 24s.
RAMBLES and RESEARCHES in SAXONY,
comprising Visits to the Courts of Gotha and Weimar; Manners and Customs
in Thuringia; and Specimens of the Legends of the Forest. By JOHN
FREDERICK STANFORD, Esq., M.A. Octavo, with Illustrations. 10s. Od.
SALOPIA ANTIQUA; an Enquiry from Personal
Survey, into the Early Remains in Shropshire and the Welsh Borders. With
a Glossary of Words used in Salop. By the Rev. CHARLES HENRY
HARTSHORNE, M.A., F.S.A. Royal Octavo, ll, 4s. Imperial, 21. 2s.
The CAMBRIDGE PORTFOLIO; Papers illustra-
tive of the Scholastic and Social State, the History, Antiquities, and Literature
of the University. Contributed by Members, and Edited by the Rev. J. J.
ŞMITH, M.A., Fellow and Tutor of Caius College. Two handsome Volumes,
Royal Quarto with numerous Illustrations. 41. 45.
10
NEW WORKS AND NEW EDITIONS,
The SPIRIT of MATHEMATICAL ANALYSIS,
and its Relation to a Logical System. By Dr. MARTIN OHM, Mathematical
Professor at Berlin. Translated from the German, by ALEXANDER JOHN
ELLIS, M.A., Trinity College, Cambridge. Octavo, 4s.
PRINCIPLES of ENGLISH UNIVERSITY EDU-
CATION. Octavo, 5s.
II.
The DOCTRINE of LIMITS, with Applications ;
viz., Conic Sections, the first three Sections of Newton, the Differential
Calculus. Octavo, with Illustrations. 9s.
III.
The MECHANICS of ENGINEERING; for use
in Universities and Colleges of Engineers. Octavo, with Illustrations. Is.
By the Rev. W. WHEWELL, B.D., F.R.S., Master of Trin, Coll., Camb.
PRINCIPLES of MECHANISM, by R. WILLIS,
M.A., F.R.S., Jacksonian Professor of Natural and Experimental Philosophy
in the University of Cambridge. For the Use of the Universities, and for Stu-
dents of Engineering generally. With 250 Wood-Cuts. Octavo, 158.
ON THE
DIFFERENTIAL and INTEGRAL CALCULUS.
Third Edition, enlarged. 128. 6d.
II.
ELEMENTS of DESCRIPTIVE GEOMETRY,
chiefly intended for Students in Engineering. With 80 Illustrations. 6s. 6d.
III.
ELEMENTS of ALGEBRA, chiefly intended for
Schools and the Junior Classes in Colleges. 6s. 6d.
By Rev. T. G. HALL, M.A., Prof. of Mathematics in King's Coll., London.
MATHEMATICAL TRACTS. By GEORGE BID-
DELL AIRY, M.A., F.R.S., Astronomer Royal. Designed for the Use of
Students in the Universities. Octavo, Third Edition, corrected. 158.
EXAMPLES of the PROCESSES of the DIFFE-
RENTIAL and INTEGRAL CALCULUS. Collected by D. F. GREGORY,
M.A., Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge. Octavo, with Plates, 188.
PUBLISHED BY JOHN W. PARKER.
11
mi
WOMAN'S MISSION. The Tenth Edition. 3s. 6d.
WOMAN'S RIGHTS and DUTIES, considered
with reference to their Effects on Society and on her own Condition. By a
WOMAN. Two Volumes, Post Octavo. 14s.
RECREATIONS in ASTRONOMY; with a Glossary,
and 50 Illustrations. By the Rev. L. TOMLINSON, M.A. New Edition. 4s. 6d.
RECREATIONS in CHEMISTRY. By THOMAS
GRIFFITHS, Chemical Lecturer at St. Bartholomew's Hospital. 4s. 6d.
THE
WORLD of WATERS; or, RECREATIONS in
HYDROLOGY. With numerous Illustrations. 6s.
II.
RECREATIONS in GEOLOGY; with a Glossary,
and various Illustrations. New Edition. 4s. 6d.
III,
RECREATIONS in PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY;
or, THE EARTH AS IT IS. With numerous Cuts, Maps, &c. Second
Edition. Os.
By Miss R. M. ZORNLIN.
The CIVIL HISTORY of the JEWS, from Joshua
to Adrian; with Incidental Notices of Manners and Customs, Geography and
Antiquities. By the Rev. O. COCKAYNE, M.A., King's Coll. Lond. 4s. 6d.
THE
STUDENT'S MANUAL of ANCIENT HISTORY;
containing the Political History, Geographical Position, and Social State of
the Principal NatioNS OF ANTIQUITY; carefully Digested from the Ancient
Writers, and Illustrated by the Discoveries of Modern Scholars and Travellers.
THIRD EDITION, Revised and Enlarged. 10s. 6d.
II.
THE
STUDENT'S MANUAL of MODERN HISTORY;
the Rise and Progress of the Principal European Nations, their Political
History, and the Changes in their Social Condition; with a History of the
COLONIES founded by Europeans, and General Progress of Civilization, SECOND
EDITION, Enlarged. 10s. 6d.
By W. C. TAYLOR, LL.D., M.R.A.S., Trinity College, Dublin.
12
NEW WORKS AND NEW EDITIONS,
The LIFE of SIR ASTLEY COOPER, BART, from
Documents and Correspondence bequeathed by him for the purpose. By
BRANSBY COOPER, F.R.S. Two Volumes, with a Portrait after Sir
THOMAS LAWRENCE. 218.
The LIFE of ARCHBISHOP SANCROFT, to which
are added, Three Sermons, and the Tract on Modern Policy. By GEORGE
D'OYLY, D.D., F.R.S., Rector of Lambeth. New Edition, Revised. Octavo, 9s,
The LIFE of BISHOP BUTLER, the Author of
,
The Analogy. By THOMAS BARTLETT, M.A., one of the Six Preachers of
Canterbury Cathedral. Octavo, with Portrait. 12s.
An INDEX to BUTLER'S ANALOGY, prepared
by Dr. BENTHAM, Reg. Prof. of Divinity at Oxford, corrected by BISHOP
BUTLER, and now adapted to the early and the Oxford editions. By Rev. T.
BARTLETT, M.A., Author of the Life of Bishop Butler. 2s.6d.
The LIFE and SERVICES of GENERAL LORD
HARRIS, G.C.B. By the Right IIon. S. R. LUSHINGTON, late Governor
of Madras. Octavo, with Portrait, &c. 135.
The LIFE of SIR WILLIAM JONES. By LORD
TEIGNMOUTH; New Edition, Revised, and with a Life of the Noble Author,
by the Rev. S. C. WILKS, M.A. Two Volumes, 10s, 6d.
LIVES of ENGLISH SACRED POETS, from
CHAUCER to HEBER. By the Rev. ROBERT ARIS WILLMOTT, of
Trinity College, Cambridge. Two Volumes, 4s. 6d. each.
LIVES of EMINENT CHRISTIANS, by the Rev.
R. B. HONE, M.A., Vicar of Hales Owen. Four Volumes, price 4s. 6d. each.
The FOURTH VOLUME, containing the Lives of JOHN BRADFORD,
ARCHBISHOP GRINDAL, and JUDGE HALE, is now Ready.
The FIRST VOLUME contains the Lives of Archbishop Usher, Dr. Hammond,
Jolu Evelyn, and Bishop Wilson. The SECOND VOLUME, Bernard Gilpio,
Philip de Mornay, Bishop Bedell, and Anthony Horneck. The THIRD VOLUME,
Bishop Ridley, Bishop Hall, and Robert Boyle.
PUBLISHED BY JOHN W. PARKER.
13
win
The PRACTICAL BEE-KEEPER; or, Concise
and Plain Instructions for the Management of Bees and Hives. With copious
Gleanings from Ancient and Modern Writers on Bees and Bee-keeping. By
JOHN MILTON. With Illustrations. 4s, 6d.
The PHYSICAL and MORAL CONDITION of
the Children and Young Persons employed in Mines and Manufactures. 2s.
PUBLISHED BY AUTHORITY.
On the EMPLOYMENT of WOMEN and CHIL-
DREN in AGRICULTURE; being the Report of Special Poor Law Commis-
sioners presented to Parliament by Command of Her Majesty. Octavo, 3s. 6d.
PUBLISHED BY AUTHORITY,
The HANDMAID; or, the Pursuits of Literature
and Philosophy, considered as subservient to the Interests of Morality and
Religion. By the Rev. JOHN DAVIES, B.D., Rector of Gateshead, and
Author of An Estimate of the Human Mind. 4s.
GEMS of SACRED LITERATURE; a Series of
beautiful Pieces, from the works of eminent Writers, commencing at an early
period, and brought down to the present time.
II.
GEMS of SACRED POETRY; choice Selections
from the best Writers, between the middle of the Sixteenth Century and the
present time; exhibiting a connected view of the Character and Progress of
English Sacred Poetry.
The above works, comprised in four volumes, ornamentally printed and handsomely
bound, are peculiarly adapted for presents, as well as for the drawing-room table. The
price of the four volumes is 16s., but either of the works, being complete in itself, may
be had separately, in two volumes, for 8s.
NATIONAL PROVERBS, in the principal Lan-
guages of Europe. Printed line for line in English, French, Italian, Spanish,
and German. By CAROLINE WARD. Bound and gilt, 3s. 6d.
The ROYAL PROGRESS in SCOTLAND. Dedi-
cated, by permission, to Her Most Gracious Majesty and His Royal Highness
Prince Albert. The literary department by Sir THOMAS DICK LAUDER,
Bart.
Handsomely printed in Quarto, with Representations, external and internal, of
the various Palaces and Noble Residences honoured by the presence of Her Majesty,
together with delineations of all interesting scenes, ceremonial and picturesque, to
which the Royal Visit has given rise. Price Two Guineas; a limited number of
Copies on Large Paper, with Proof Impressions of the Plates, Four Guineas.
14
NEW WORKS AND NEW EDITIONS.
maanan
Sacred Minstrelsy;
a Collection of SACRED MUSIC from the FINEST WORKs of the GREAT MAS-
TERS, BRITISH and FOREIGN; arranged as Solos, and Concerted Pieces, for
Private Performance, with Accompaniments for the Piano-Forte. Two hand-
some Folio Volumes, Half-bound, Price Two Guineas.
The Bible Cyclopedia,
a Comprehensive Digest of the Civil and Natural History, Geography, Sta-
tistics, and General Literary Information, connected with the Sacred Writings;
illustrated by Several Hundred Wood Cuts. Complete in Thirty Parts, at
1s. 6d. each, or two Volumes, at 25s, each.
Bible Maps;
a Series of New and Accurate Maps, constructed on the best Authorities, and
verified by collation with the Discoveries of Modern Travellers; forming a
complete HISTORICAL and DESCRIPTIVE ATLAS of SCRIPTURE GEOGRAPHY. By
WILLIAM HUGHES, F.R.G.S. Small Folio, 7s. 6d., coloured, and bound.
Original Family Sermons,
Contributed by upwards of ONE HUNDRED and FITTY COTEMPORARY DIVINES of
the ESTABLISHED CHURCH; and published under the direction of The Committee
of General Literature and Education of the Society for Promoting Christian
Knowledge, Five Volumes, at 6s. 6d. each.
Scriptural Breviates;
Short Compendiums of Scriptural Instruction, according to the
Doctrines and Discipline of the United Church of
England and Ireland.
These BREVIATES are strictly applicable to all the purposes for which Tracts
are generally employed, while, from their uniform orthodoxy, and the progres-
sive style of their contents, they will be found greatly to assist the Parochial
Clergy in their visitations and ministry. Several portions of the Series will
also be found highly useful in National and other Schools. The following are
already published, and others of the Series are preparing for the press.
AN INTRODUCTORY MANUAL TO THE
READING and STUDY of the HOLY SCRIP-
TURES; comprised in one hundred Numbers of the SCRIPTURAL BREVIATES,
and forming Class A. of the Series. Price 4s, bound in a Volume, or the hundred
Breviates for distribution, 3s.
SHORT COMPENDIUMS OF
FAITH and PRACTICE for the SICK; comprised
in fifty Numbers of the SCRIPTURAL BREVIATES, forming Class K. of the Series.
Price 2s. bound in a Volume, or the fifty Breviates for distribution, 1s.
Published by Authority.
ハル
​VVV
S. d.
OFFICIAL INFORMATION on CHARITIES.
ANALYTICAL DIGESTS of the REPORTS made by the COMMISSIONERS
of INQUIRY into CHARITIES. Arranged in Counties from the Returns
presented to Parliament, by Command of Her Majesty, and Issued in a
detached Form, with a view to Local Circulation,
s. d.
s. .
s. d.
S. d.
Bedford 09 Durham 10 Middlesex,
Rutland 0 9 Sussex ... 1 0
Berks .I 6 Essex ..., 2 0 including 4 6 Salop
16 Warwick 1 6
Buckinghaml 0 Gloucester 16
Somerset, in
Westmoreland 1 0
2 6
Cambridgo 1 0 Hereford ....1 6 Monmouth 0 9 clud. Bristol
Wilts
16
Chester 1 6 Hertford ....1 0 Norfolk ..... 2 0 Southampton 1 0 Worcester 1 6
Cornwall ..0 9 Huntingdon.. O 9 Northampton 16 Stafford ...... 2 0 York, E. Rid. 1 0
Cumberland i 0 Kent
2 6 Northun-
2 0
N.
16
09
Derby. 16 Lancaster.... 26 berland
Surrey, inclu-
3 0
Devon .... 2 6 Leicester ....16 Nottingham.. 1 0 ding South- 1 6 North Wales 2 0
Dorset i 0 Lincoln 2 6 Oxford ......16 wark.
South Wales 1.6
General Charities, and Summaries of Charity Property and Income. Od.
Suffolk ......
Under the Sanction of the Cominittee of Council on Education.
MINUTES of the COMMITTEE of COUNCIL on
EDUCATION; for the years 1841-2; with APPENDICES. 35. 6d. Also,
THE MINUTES for the years 1839-40, and 1840-41. 38. 6d. each.
WILHEM'S METHOD OF TEACHING SINGING ADAPTED
TO ENGLISH USE BY JOHN HULLAH.
The Manual. Parts I. and II., taining the Exercises and figures in bola
Characters on Sheets Three Feet Six inches
2s. 6d. each ; or the Two Parts bound together long. Ten Parcels of Ten Sheets each (Nos. I.
in cloth, 6s.
to X.; XI. to XX.; XXI. to XXX., &c.), price
78. 60.
The Exercises and Figures for
per
Parcel.
the Use of Pupils. Three Books, Bd. each. Singing Tablets for Elementary
Schools. Price, Sheets, 10s.; Mounted on
Hullah's Large Sheets, con- Millboard, 25s. ; 'in Box, complete, 30s.
Tor HULLAH's Grammar of Vocal Music, see page 16.
MODEL DRAWING AND PERSPECTIVE.
For WILLIAMS' Manual of Model Drawing, and Instructions in Drawing for the use of
Elementary Schools, see page 1.
** A CATALOGUE, with Figures, of the Models and Materials used in the Drawing Classes
on this Method, may be had of the Publisher, on application post paid, and enclosing two Penny
Postage Stamps.
MULHAUSER'S METHOD OF TEACHING WRITING,
ADAPTED TO ENGLISH USE:
A Manual of Writing; in Two Parts. Part I. Analysis of
the 'Method, with Directions for its application to Monitorial Schools. Part II. Application
of the Method; Arrangement of Classes; Duties of Monitors; Duties of Masters; Individual
Instruction ; Lessons and Rules; Simultaneous and Monitorial Instruction; the Mixed Method;
illustrated throughout by Practical Observations and Instructions. With Forty Plates of
Writing Models, accompanied by Tablets of Explanatory Rules. 2s. 6d.
Writing Models, (the Set of Forty,) mounted, for the Use of
Pupils. 2s. 6d.
16
NEW WORKS AND NEW EDITIONS.
A Grammar of Vocal Music for the
Use of Schools and Classes of Adults. Founded on the Method of
Wilhem, and adapted to English use, under the Sanction of the
Committee of Council of Education, by JOHN HULLAH. Large Octavo,
73. bound.
The GRAMMAR OF VOCAL Music is, in its plan and general details, the same work
as the MANUAL of WILHEM'S METHOD OF TEACHING SINGING; but the words of the
Songs are more particularly fitted for the use of Adult Classes, and considerable addi-
tions have been made both to the theoretical and practical portions. The Illustrations
are comprised in Thirty Forms, (size 3 ft. 8, by 2 ft. 6,) Price £2.
The Psalter; or, Psalms of David,
in Metre, with APPROPRIATE TUNES. Edited by
JOHN HULLAH.
This Work is preparing for publication on the same plan as the Editor's Part
Music. It will appear in separate Parts, for the different Voices, as well as in Score ;
besides which, there will be à Folio Edition, with a compressed Accompaniment for
the Organ or Piano-Forte.
Of the separate Voice Parts and the Score, Cheap Editions will be issued, in
order that a UNIFORM VERSION of the Psalter, with Music, may be brought within the
reach of even the humblest classes of society.
.
art Music, edited by JOHN HULLAH
Part
HULLAH'S PART MUSIC is Published Monthly, in SCORE and
in SEPARATE VOICE PARTS; each Monthly Number con-
taining an equal portion of Sacred and Secular Music.
Class A., SACRED MUSIC for FOUR VOICES. The Score, bound
and lettered, price 9s. The Separate Voice Parts, (Soprano, Alto, Tenor, and
Bass,) 3s. each, bound and lettered.
Class A., SECULAR MUSIC for FOUR VOICES. The Score, price
9s., bound and lettered. The Separate Voice Parts, (Soprano, Alto, Tenor, and
Bass,) 3s. each, bound and lettered.
CLASS A, may also be had as published in Numbers, containing each an equal
portion of both Sacred and Secular Music. Price, of the Score, 2s. 6d. per Number,
and of the SEPARATE VOICE PARTS, 8d, each. In every case, the Separate Voice Parts
and the Score of the same Number or Volume, exactly correspond. Nos. I. to VII,
are already published, and a new Number appears on the 1st day of every second
Month, alternately with Classes B. and C.
Class B., MUSIC in SCORE for the VOICES of WOMEN and
CHILDREN. Price 8d.
Class C., MUSIC IN SCORE for the VOICES of MEN. Price 8d.
A new Number of each of the Classes B. and C., is published every second
Month, alternately with CLASS A.
LONDON : JOHN W. PARKER, PUBLISHER, WEST STRAND.
I
THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
!
Univ. of Mich.
Music Library
RESEARCH
COPY
1
RESEARCH
DATE DUE
COPY
DO NOT CRCULATE
1
i
UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
3 9015 00942 9773
be
1817
ARTES
SCIENTIA
VERITAS
LIBRARY
OF THE
UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
PLURIDUUMUN
TIETOR
SI QURISPONISULAM, AW'in
CIRCUMSPICE
WWA,
::::
4 tf是​”,
S***