churches of Lyons, Vienne, Tours, Rouen, and all the other principal churches of France, in former ages, the collect of the day was immediately followed by prayers termed lauds, which were short petitions in the form of a litany for the king, queen, bishops, judges, army, &c. which were also found in the ancient German liturgy). The same custom is said to have prevailed formerly at Rome, and even so far back as the time of Gregory the Great, A. D. 600k. If any thing were wanting to shew the propriety of our collect for the king in this place, these would be sufficient warrants for our practice.

In our liturgy the collect is preceded by the words "Let us pray." In primitive times the deacon generally made this proclamation, and he not only directed the people to pray, but informed them what they were to pray for. Thus, in the liturgy of the orthodox of Alexandria, the prayer which corresponds to our collect for the king was thus introduced. The deacon proclaimed aloud, "Pray ye for the emperor," on which the whole people prayed three times, crying aloud, "Lord have mercy upon him." And then the priest or bishop summed up or collected their devotions in the following collect, to which all the people responded Amen1.

O Lord God our Governor, Father of our Lord God and Saviour Jesus Christ, we pray and beseech thee to preserve our emperor in peace, strength, and righteousness. O Lord, subdue before him every enemy and foe; take thine arms and shield, and arise to help him. O Lord, grant him victory, that he

i Martene, de Antiq. Eccl. Rit. lib. i. c. 4. art. iii. p. 363. j Goldastus, Alamann. Antiq. tom. ii. pars 2. p. 175.

k Bona, Rer. Lit. lib. ii. c. 5. §. 8. p. 358.

1 Liturgia Marci, p. 132. Renaudot, Lit. Oriental.

may have a peaceful mind towards us and thy holy name; that so, in the tranquillity of his days, we may lead a calm and quiet life, in all piety and godliness; through the grace, mercy, and love of thy only-begotten Son. Through whom, and with whom, to thee, and the most holy, good, and lifegiving Spirit, be glory and dominion now, and ever, and world without end."

In the very ancient liturgy of the monophysites of Alexandria, which bears the name of Cyril, we find in the Anaphora, or solemn prayers, which include the consecration, forms which were probably the originals of those now cited m. But it is sufficient to have directed the attention of the reader to this; to cite them in this place would be inconvenient. Some expressions in our collects for the king are found in ancient prayers of the English church.

Almighty and everlasting God, we are taught by thy holy word, that the hearts of kings are in thy rule and governance, and that thou dost dispose and turn them as it seemeth best to thy goodly wisdom: we humbly beseech thee so to dispose and govern the heart of N. thy servant our king and governor,

that in all his thoughts, words, and works, he may ever seek thy honour and glory,

and study to preserve thy people committed to his charge, in wealth, peace, and godliGrant this, &c.

ness.

m Liturgia Cyrilli, Renaudot, Lit. Oriental, tom. i. p. 41.

n Missale Sarisbur. Commune, fol. 26.

Deus in cujus manu sunt corda Regum, qui es humilium consolator, et fidelium fortitudo, et protector omnium in te sperantium, da Regi nostro N. et Reginæ nostræ N. populoque christiano, triumphum virtutis tuæ scienter excolere,

ut-semper rationabilia meditantes, quæ tibi placita sunt, et dictis exequantur et factis".

ut plebem sibi commissam, cum pace propitiationis, et virtute victoriæ, feliciter regere,

mereatur.

o Benedictio super Regem noviter electum, MS. Leofr. Exon.

COLLECTS FOR THE DAY.

What has been already remarked with regard to the antiquity of collects as used in this part of the liturgy, applies to the collects of the day. It is only in the church of Alexandria, and in the west, that collects ever appear to have been used in this place in primitive times. There is nothing like our collects in the Oriental, Greek, and Russian liturgies at the present day. The church of England, however, has now for above 1200 years used collects in the place which our liturgy assigns to them. Augustine, first archbishop of Canterbury, brought the sacramentary of Gregory the Great into England, and that sacramentary prescribed collects at this place. In Ireland they may have been used at an earlier period; for Patrick probably brought the primitive Roman liturgy thither; and Columbanus, in the sixth century, appears to have recited several collects in this part of the liturgy P.

The antiquity of the collects themselves which we use is generally very great. They have been read in the liturgies of the church of England from the most remote period. Not only do we find them in the liturgies of the English church before the reformation, but in those of the Anglo-Saxon church long before the conquest". Most of these collects can, in fact, be traced back to the very beginning of the Anglo-Saxon church; and by that church they were originally derived from the liturgy

P Agrestius objected to this custom in the synod of Matiscon, A. D. 624. See vol. i. p. 182.

q As in the missale Sarisburiens. Hereford. Eboracens. r As in the MS. of Leofric, Bp. of Exeter.

of the Roman patriarchate in primitive times. We are thus in many instances enabled to trace them back to the fifth century. So that our collects, with some exceptions, have been used for fourteen hundred years in the church of God; and their origin lies in the distant glory of primitive Christianity.

Only one collect is appointed at this place in each distinct office for Sundays or other holydays in the English ritual; but the number in practice may sometimes be enlarged. Besides the collect for the king, and that of the day, it is sometimes necessary to repeat others. For instance, in Advent and Lent a collect is appointed to be said during the whole season after the collect of the day. Thus three or four collects may sometimes be said at this place. On Good Friday five collects are appointed to be said, videlicet, one for the king, three for the day, and one for Lent. It appears that several other collects may also be added.

OCCASIONAL COLLECTS.

It is permitted by the rubric of the English liturgy to use one or more of six collects after those of the communion. These six collects are placed at the end of the liturgy or communion office. They are preceded by the following rubric: "Collects to be said after the offertory, when there is no communion, every day one or more; and the same may be said also, as often as occasion shall serve, after the collects of morning or evening prayer, communion, or litany, by the discretion of the minister."

The second of these collects was formerly used as

In the sacramentaries of Gregory, A. D. 590. Gelasius, 494. Leo, 483.

66

a special prayer for those who were about to enter on a journey P. This induces me to notice an ancient custom of many of the western churches. In the time of war or tumult, famine or pestilence, storms or rain, or any other evil; whenever calamities were to be specially deprecated, or blessings specially implored, appropriate collects were added to the communion-service at this place. This custom is mentioned in an ancient ritual of the church of Soissons in France, where it is remarked, that only one collect is said at communion, contrary to the custom in many other places, unless some commemoration of a feast is to be made; or, urged by necessity, we cry to God for peace, or fine weather, or for rain, for the sick, or for those that are going on a journey, or other things of the same kind 9." The same custom prevailed in England, as appears by the liturgy of the church of Salisbury and others, and is worthy of commendation. We find the principle of this custom adopted in the English ritual at this day, since several collects of the same kind are appointed to be said after the collects of morning or evening prayer, or before the two last prayers of the litany.

p Miss. Sarisb. commune, fol. xxx. Gelasii Sacramentarium. Muratori, Lit. Vet. Rom. tom. i. p. 703.

q“Ad magnam missam numquam consuevimus post primam collectam ullam aliam dicere, sicut multis in locis plures consueverunt, nisi fecerimus memoriam de festo alicujus sancti, vel octavæ, vel necessitate agente, clamaveri

r

mus ad Deum, pro pace videlicet, aut aëris serenitate, pro pluviæ postulatione, pro infirmis, pro iter agentibus, et aliis hujusmodi, pro quibus sancta mater ecclesia orare consuevit." Rituale MS. Eccl. Suessionens, citat. a Martene, De Antiq. Eccl. Rit. lib. i. c. 4. art. 3. p. 362.

r Miss. Sar. commune, fol. 22. 24. 33, &c.