The time of reading the Martyrology according to the rubric of the present Roman breviary, is daily in choir at prime (of which however it is not a part, but an addition) before the verse "Pretiosa in conspectu Domini." But anciently in England, whatever may have been the practice in parish churches, I believe that the Martyrology was read in the chapter-house of the cathedral or monastery. In the Sarum missals, the first rubric commonly is of the benediction of water and salt and begins, "Omnibus dominicis post primam et capitulum." It was at this Capitulum, which was held daily after prime, that the Martyrology was read, and the portion which related to any one day, was appointed for the day preceding. I shall first cite as an authority the consuetudinary of the Church of Lichfield, cap. 1. "Pulsata vero Prima, statim dicatur ipsa hora in choro. Qua finita, chorus capitulum intret, et ibi legatur martyrologium. Post sequatur "pretiosa" cum suis orationibus." 53

53 I must here add from the same consuetudinary, so much of the order of the proceedings "in capitulo" as has reference to the Martyrology: which may be compared with the extract, p. cxlvij, from the Sarum MS. After orationibus in the text, follows: "Deinde dicatur psalmus, Deus misereatur nostri, cum Gloria Patri, Kyrie eleyson, Christe eleyson, Kyrie eleyson, Pater noster, Et ne nos, Salvos fac servos tuos et ancillas tuas, Ostende nobis, Deus, misericordiam tuam, Mitte eis Domine, Dominus vobiscum, Oremus,

Ecclesiæ quæsumus, Domine, preces. Et in fine orationis, Et nos famulos tuos ab omni adversitate custodi per Dominum nostrum. Si non sequatur memoria vel oratio, tunc finiatur cum, Per Christum Dominum. Si vero memoria pro vivo sequatur, statim post pronunciationem dicatur psalmus Levavi cum Gloria Patri, Kyrie eleyson, Verba, Salvum fac, Mitte ei, Nihil proficiet, Dominus vobiscum, Oratio, Prætende, Domine, faciem, Per Dominum nostrum, nisi sequatur oratio. Post cujus pronunciationem dicatur, De profun

"954

And another; from an ancient body of statutes, temp. Edward I. drawn up for the hospital of S. Leonard, York. "Pulsata vero Prima, ingrediantur omnes chorum et dicta Prima ingrediantur capitulum, puero turribulario cum tabula præeunte, qui ibidem legat lectionem Martilogii; qua lecta, legat tabulam : postea ebdomadarius dicat Pretiosa est in conspectu Domini, &c." Again the following from the very valuable MS. Ordinale already spoken of (p. xliij) of Bishop Grandisson. At the end of Prime, follows: "Hiis dictis eant clerici in capitulum processionaliter. Et omnibus in locis suis sedentibus-quidam puer de prima forma indutus superpelliceo— paratus ad legendum lectionem de martilogio, absque, Jube domine: sed pronunciando primo loco numerum nonarum, iduum, kalendarum, et ætatem lunæ, qualis erit in crastino. Secundum quod dies videbitur exigere. Et finiatur lectio sine Tu autem.-Statimque sacerdos post lectionem martilogii, si quis obitus tunc pronuncietur, respondeat, Anima ejus et animæ omnium fidelium defunctorum per misericordiam Dei in pace requiescant. Chorus respondeat, Amen." &c.5

dis, Kyrie eleison, Pater noster, Et ne nos, Requiem æternam, A porta, Credo, Dominus vobiscum, Oremus, Deus indulgentiarum. Si anniversarius dies non fuerit, tunc Fidelium Deus omnium, et oratio pro benefactoribus et pro fratribus, finiendo Per Dominum nostrum Jesum Christum. Deinde legatur tabula, quæ non legatur nisi in sabbatis, vel in vigiliis duplicium festorum. Quibus peractis sileant omnes, donec dignior persona, quæ in capitulo

fuerit, dicat Benedictus, et respondeant Dominus. Et sic negotia tractentur, quæ in capitulo fuerint tractanda." Wilkins. Concilia. Tom. 1. p. 496.

54 Dugdale. Monasticon Anglic. Vol. 6. p. 610.

55 Folio. xviij. I cannot too strongly recommend to the reader, who wishes to examine further into the history and character of the Martyrology, that of the Cathedral Church of Dublin, which

And lastly the high authority, though the extract may be long, of the Sarum consuetudinary. "De Ordinatione Clericorum in Capitulo. Sedent autem in capitulo clerici hoc ordine. Proximus Episcopo a dextris sedet decanus, dehinc cancellarius, deinde archidiaconus Dorset, dehinc archidiaconus Wiltesir, deinde subdecanus: a sinistris autem cantor, thesaurarius, archidiaconus Berkes, alius archidiaconus Wiltes, succentor. Proximi autem ipsis personis sedent canonici Presbyteri, deinde canonici Diaconi, subdiaconi, hinc inde, deinde vicarii, presbyteri, postea cæteri de superiori gradu, vicarii. Deinde canonici de secunda forma: deinde diaconi, subdiaconi, minorum ordinum clerici de eadem forma. Pueri vero, sive fuerint canonici sive non, stent ante alios in area ex utraque parte pulpiti, suo ordine dispositi. In primis, puer quidam legat lectionem de Martirlegio, sine 'Jube domne,' et sine, Tu autem, Domine,' in superpelliceo. Finita lectione, obitus si qui fuerint, pronunciet. Sacerdos vero stans post lectorem: si qui pronuncientur obitus, respondeat: 'Animæ eorum et animæ omnium fidelium defunctoper Dei misericordiam requiescant in pace.' Deinde dicat: Pretiosa est in conspectu,' et cætera quæ ad illam horam pertinent. Quibus finitis, puer lector aliam lectionem cum 'Jube domne' incipiat; et eandem cum 'Tu autem, Domine,' finiat. Sacerdos autem, facta benedictione ad lectionem, in loco suo se recipiat. Puer vero, finita lectione, a pulpito descendat, et tabulam legat."

"56

has been excellently edited from the original by the Rev. J. Crosthwaite, for the Irish Archæological Society: to which a very learned

introduction has been written by the Rev. Dr. Todd.

vj.

56 Registrum S. Osmundi. Fol.

And here is the proper place to speak of the "Liber Graduum," which was occasionally read in some churches every day together with the martyrology. It is sometimes found bound up at the end of the same volume with the martyrologium. Of which a most noble manuscript of Salisbury Use, (Harleian 2785) in the British Museum, is an example. This is lettered Missal, but it is a breviary, with a calendar in the middle, and a martyrology, and at the end, the "Gradus." And, again, in the Bodleian, a MS. (Bodley 893) is of the same kind: martyrology and "Liber de gradibus.” But the rubric prefixed to this last, in the copy just named, so fully explains its contents and the manner in which it was used, that I shall extract it.

"Incipit liber de gradibus virtutum, a Sancto Ambrosio ordinatus, quibus ad cœleste Jerusalem item ad patriam angelorum supernam itinere recte ascenditur ab omni perseverante, et potest legi ad primam post martilogium, itaque quando luna est prima legatur primus gradus scalæ, et sic deinceps. Tamen in ecclesia Sarum legitur Hamo, sed qui illum non habet potest legere gradus scalæ virtutum a sancto Ambrosio compositæ, et sic debent legi: cum luna prima, primus gradus, cum luna secunda, secundus gradus, et sic semper usque ad aliam lunam primam et tunc reincipiatur. Primus gradus.

Primus gradus hujus sanctissimæ scalæ est fides recta cum operibus justitiæ, etc." Although a very

57 Another copy of this "Liber de gradibus" which I have examined (Harleian MS. 2785), gives a somewhat different order how it was to be read. After reincipiatur

57

it continues: "sic dicens, Jube domne benedicere. Sacerdos dicat benedictionem: sed quando chorus regitur, simpliciter: Ille nos benedicat qui sine fine vivit

uncommon book at present, the "Liber graduum" is not unfrequent in the old catalogues. For instance, it occurs among the Peterborough books.58

The Martyrology must not be confounded with a volume, also so called, portions of which were occasionally, if not daily, read at the capitulum: and which more properly was the Necrology, "Necrologium." In this, were written the names of benefactors and illustrious members of the Church, for whom prayers were to be offered or commemorations made. Such was the book which Bede mentions, "Quærant in suis codicibus, in quibus defunctorum est annotata depositio, et invenient illum hac, ut diximus, die raptum esse de sæculo." 59 From what follows, this book seems then to have been called Annalis. "Credidit ergo presbyter, ac statim egressus requisivit in Annali suo." &c. The person whose death is intended, was S. Oswald, who afterwards was enrolled in the Martyrology. The Necrologium is that which Ingulph of Croyland means: "Quam sibi concessimus," he says, (speaking of a favour granted by the monastery to one of a class which in those days as in later ones oftener took without asking from the Church) "et nomen ejus et uxoris ejus fratrum nostrorum martyrologio inscribi consensimus.” 60 And, again, it

et regnat. In festis duplicibus: Omnipotens Deus sua gratia nos benedicat. Et tandem lectio finiat cum, Tu autem. Et hæc lectio semper legatur post orationem, Omnipotens sempiterne Deus vel Dirigere et sanctificare. In omnibus profestis diebus videlicet ante ps. Levavi, quando dicitur: et

quando non dicitur, Levavi, tunc dicatur, Benedic Domine."

58 Gunton. p. 180.

59 Beda. Hist. Ecclesiastica. Lib. iv. Cap. 14.

60 Historia Croylandensis. p. 78. Du Cange tells us, which