O praise the LORD, all ye Angels of His; praise Him, all ye virtues of His; praise Him, O ye sun and moon; praise Him, all ye stars and light. So again, on the First Sunday in Lent : Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation. Let us commend ourselves in much patience, in much fasting, by the armour of the righteousness of the virtue of GOD. Antiphona ad Commu 76. Next, in the Roman rite, we have the Antiphona ad Communionem, now generally called the Communio. This, in its full form, was as follows. I nionem, or again take the First Sunday in Advent : : The LORD shall show lovingkindness and our land shall yield her increase. : The LORD shall show lovingkindness and our land shall yield her increase. : Psalm LORD, Thou art become gracious unto Thy land: Thou hast turned away the captivity of Jacob. The LORD shall show, &c. Glory be, &c. Versus ad repetendum: Show us Thy mercy, O LORD: and grant us Thy salvation. The LORD shall show, &c. This in the present Roman book, is simply given : "The LORD shall show lovingkindness, and our land shall yield her increase." Communio. Antiphona 77. In the Mozarabic Rite, in like manner, there is an Antiphona ad Confractionem Panis, in some of the ad Confracmore important missæ; but by no means universally: this on Maundy Thursday may serve as an example : The LORD JESUs sent His disciples and said unto them, Go and prepare the Passover for us, that we may eat: for with desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. II. And while they were at supper, JESUS took bread and blessed, and gave to His Disciples, and said, Take, eat, for with desire I have desired to eat this Passover before I suffer. And also, He took the Chalice after supper, and gave to His Disciples and said, Take ye all of it: for this is My Blood of the New Testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins: I will not drink it henceforth till I shall drink it new with you in My FATHER's kingdom. Priest. For with desire I have desired, &c. tionem. Antiphona In like manner, on some Festivals, there is an Anad Acceden- tiphona ad Accedentes. Let this be an example; it is also for Maundy Thursday: tes. The Ambrosian Con . Be mindful of us, O CHRIST, in Thy kingdom, and make us worthy of Thy resurrection. Ry. With desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. y. Go and prepare the Passover for us, that we may eat. R. Before I suffer. . Behold, as ye enter into the city, there shall meet you a man bearing a pitcher of water: him follow into the house whereinto ye shall enter; and say ye to the good-man of the house, R. With desire I have desired. . The Master saith, My time is at hand: where is the guest-chamber, that I may keep the Passover with My disciples? R. Before I suffer. . And he shall show you a large upper room, furnished : there make ready. Rz. Before I suffer. . And the disciples went into the city, and found as JESUS had told them, and they made ready the Passover. Ry. With desire I have desired. . And when even was come, JESUS sat down and the twelve with Him, and He saith unto them : : R. With desire I have desired. y. For I say unto you, that I will not eat it henceforth, until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of GOD. R. With desire I have desired. 78. In the Ambrosian Office, we have the Confracfractorium, torium and the Transitorium: let these be examples: and Transitorium. The Confractorium, on the Octave of the Epiphany: The LORD hath made known His salvation. Alleluia. On Septuagesima: O LORD my GOD, in Thee have I put my trust, save me from all them that persecute me and deliver me. The Transitorium, on the Third Sunday in Advent: The kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent taketh it by force. On the Fourth Sunday in Lent: The LORD made clay of His spittle and anointed my eyes, and I departed and washed, and saw and believed GOD. These may suffice as an example of the short antiphons, composed for the most part from the Psalms, and employed in the various Liturgies of the Western Church. It would be easy to swell the examples almost indefinitely; but enough has, perhaps, been said, to give the reader a general idea of the subject; and I must remember that I am not writing on the Missal, but on the Psalter. Psalms. 79. Before concluding this Dissertation, a few Composite words remain to be said on another subject. There are but few examples of what may be called composite Psalms by which I mean, Psalms pieced together with different verses, selected from various parts of the Psalter. Yet it is too sweeping an assertion to say, as it has been said, that such compositions as those which replace the Venite in the State services. of our Church are altogether unknown. There are several such in the Mozarabic Office book: take the following from Matins, in the Office of the Dead: Unto Thee I lift up mine eyes: O Thou that dwellest in the heavens. Unto Thee will I cry, O LORD, and get me to my LORD right humbly: what profit is there in my blood when I go down into the pit? : Shall the dust give thanks unto Thee or shall it declare Thy truth? Unto Thee will I cry, O LORD my strength, think no scorn of me lest if Thou make as though Thou hearest not, I become like them that go down into the pit. Our fathers trusted in Thee: they hoped in Thee and Thou didst deliver them. I will call upon Thee, when my heart is in heaviness; O set me up upon the rock that is higher than I: for Thou hast been my hope, and a strong tower for me against the enemy. Unto Thee will I cry, O LORD, and early shall my prayer come before Thee early in the morning will I direct my prayer unto Thee and will look up, for Thou art the GOD that hast no pleasure in wickedness. : Unto Thee, O LORD, will I lift up my soul; my GOD, I have put my trust in Thee; O let not mine enemies triumph over me for all they that hope in Thee shall not be ashamed. I flee unto Thee to hide me teach me to do the thing that pleaseth Thee, for Thou art my God. Unto Thee, O LORD, will I lift up my soul: deliver me from my enemies. : The LORD give thee eternal rest and light perpetual shine upon thee for ever. It must be confessed that this is rather a poor composition, though I see no reason to doubt its Psalms. Composite being coeval with the original book, and the work of S. Isidore or S. Leander. Here is another, from the same Office, and curious, from the way in which each Canticles. verse commences: Thou, O LORD, art gracious and pitiful: and of great mercy to all that call upon Thee. : Thou, O LORD, art full of compassion and mercy longsuffering, plenteous in goodness and truth. Thou, O LORD, hast holpen me: and comforted me. Thou, O LORD, art my defender: Thou art my worship, and the lifter up of my head. Thou, O LORD, shalt keep us and preserve us from this generation for ever. Thou, O LORD, be not far from me : let Thy lovingkindness and Thy truth alway preserve me. Thou, O LORD, shalt give: Thy blessing unto the righteous. Thou, O LORD, hast brought my soul out of hell: Thou hast cast all my sins behind Thy back. : Thou, O LORD, shalt destroy the wicked and shalt laugh all the heathen to scorn. Eternal rest, &c. 80. It will here be proper to say something of the Canticles, which, together with the Psalms, have been employed in the Ritual of the Church. The largest and most complete collection of these is to be found in the Mozarabic Breviary. 1. The Song of Deuteronomy. Antiphon. The LORD hath appeared from Mount Paran, and ten thousand Saints with Him. Deut. xxxiii. 2-4, 17. 2. Song of Isaiah. Antiphon. The mighty God shall sit upon the throne of David, that He may confirm it for ever. Isaiah viii. 16-ix. 7. 3. Song of Isaiah. Antiphon. The Root of Jesse, Which shall stand for a sign to the people, unto Him shall the Gentiles seek. Isaiah x. 32-xi. 10. 4. Song of Isaiah. and save us. Isaiah xxx. 18-33. 6. Song of Isaiah. LORD, make straight 7. Song of Isaiah. strong hand, and His 10-17. 8. Song of Isaiah. 9. Song of Isaiah. His people, and will 7-13. Antiphon. Prepare ye the way of the the paths of our GOD. Isaiah xl. 1–9. Behold, the LORD shall come with a arm shall rule for Him. Isaiah xl. Isaiah xlii. 10-16. Antiphon. The LORD hath comforted have mercy upon the poor. Isaiah xlix. 10. Song of Isaiah. Antiphon. My salvation shall be for ever, saith the LORD, and My righteousness from generation Canticles. to generation. Isaiah li. 4-12. 11. Song of Isaiah. Antiphon. How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of them that preach the Gospel of peace; that publish salvation; that say, Thy GOD reigneth. Isaiah lii. 1-8. 12. Song of Isaiah. Antiphon. My salvation is near to come, and My righteousness to be revealed. Isaiah lvi. 1-7. 13. Song of Isaiah. Antiphon. Say ye to the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy salvation cometh. Isaiah lxii. 8-12. 14. Canticle from the Gospel according to S. Luke. Antiphon. He that is mighty hath magnified me, and holy is His Name, and His mercy is to all generations. Magnificat. 15. Song of Isaiah. Antiphon. Let the earth be opened, and bud forth the SAVIOUR, and let righteousness rise together. Isaiah xlv. 8-25. 16. Canticle from the Gospel according to S. Luke. Antiphon. But I will glory in the LORD. I will rejoice in JESUS my GOD. Nunc Dimittis. 17. Song of Isaiah. Antiphon. Shine, O Jerusalem, for thy Light is come. Isaiah lx. 18. Song of Jeremiah. Jer. xxxi. 15-23. Here begin the Canticles to be said in Lent. 19. Song of Isaiah. Isaiah lviii. 1-9. 20. Song of Jeremiah. Lamentations v. 1-18. 21. Prayer of Nehemiah. Antiphon. Have mercy, O GOD, great and terrible, Who keepest the covenant and mercy to them that love Thee and keep Thy commandments. Nehemiah i. 5-11. 22. Prayer of Manasseh the King. 23. Song of Tobit. Tobit xiii. 1-6. 24. Prayer of Jesus the Son of Sirach. Ecclus. xxxvi. 1—17. 25. Song of Azarias. Antiphon. Whatsoever, LORD, Thou hast done unto us, Thou hast done with true judgment, and all on account of our sins. Song, 3—22. Here begin the Canticles on the Betrayal of the LORD. 26. Song of the Maccabees. Antiphon. LORD, LORD GOD, Creator of all things, terrible and mighty, just and merciful, gather together them that are dispersed; set free them that are slaves to the Gentiles. 2 Macc. i. 24-29. 27. Song of Jeremiah. Antiphon. Like a meek lamb I was led to the slaughter. Jer. xi. 18—20, and xii. 1—3. 29. Song of Jeremiah. Jer. xviii. 19—23. 30. Song of Jeremiah. Antiphon. Let them that persecute me, O LORD, be overthrown and become weak. Jer. xx. 7-12. 31. Song of Jeremiah. Jer. xxiii. 9—12. |