our charity to them superabound, than be defective."-Rational. divin. Offic. lib. vi. cap. 35.

"And if this anniversary day for the dead fall upon a Sunday, or any great festival, it must not be put off till the next day, as the festivities of saints are, but be observed the day before; that the pains, which the deceased suffer in purgatory, may be sooner mitigated."-Durand. ibid.

The Church of Rome hath appointed a particular office for these anniversaries, in which we have several prayers; take one of them.

"Grant, we beseech thee, O Lord, that the souls of thy servants, (when it is kept for more than one,) the anniversary day of whose decease we commemorate, being purged by these sacrifices, may obtain indulgence and eternal rest. Through our Lord," &c.-Missale parvum in anniversario defunctor.

CHAPTER XIV.

CONSECRATION OF BELLS.

THE heathen had trumpets for religious uses.Rosinus Antiq. Rom. lib. ii. cap. 4.

1. These they purged and hallowed at the feast of Minerva, called Quinquatria; and at the

feast of Vulcan; and for this reason they were called Tubillustria: of which Ovid writes thus:

Again:

Summa diese quinq. tubas lustrare canoras
Admonet, et forti sacrificare Deæ.

Proxima Vulcani lux est, quam Lustria dicunt;

Lustrantur puræ, quas fecit ille, tubæ.

Hospinian de Origine Festor. Pagan. p. 73 et 95.

And Rosinus, out of Varro, informs us where these trumpets for holy uses were consecrated.— Antiq. Rom. lib. iv. cap. 7.

2. They taught that these consecrated trumpets were sovereign antidotes against magical conjurations, apparitions, thunder, tempests, &c. So much is affirmed by Ovid. Fast. lib. 5.

Rursus aquam tangit Temisæaq. concrepat æra,
Et rogat, ut tectis exeat umbra suis.

And the words of Arnobius import some extraordinary virtue (according to the judgment of the heathen) in these mystical instruments: "Etiamne æris tinnitibus, et quassationibus cymbalorum? Etiamne tympanis? quid efficiunt crepitus scabillorum?"-Adv. Gentes, lib. 7. Thus do papists consecrate bells appointed for religious uses, and attribute the same virtues to them. Take the form of this consecration as it is prescribed in their Pontifical.

"The bell ought to be blessed in this manner before it be hung in the belfry. First, it must be so hung, or placed, that it may be conveniently touched, and handled within and without: then near unto the bell must be prepared a seat for the bishop, a vessel of water, an aspersory, a vessel with salt, clean linen cloths to wipe the bell when there shall be occasion, a vessel of oil, holy chrism, frankincense, myrrh, a censer with fire," &c.

"These things being prepared, the bishop in the vestry, or some other convenient place, puts on his robes, and coming unto the bell, placeth himself in the seat, and saith with the ministers these following Psalms, viz. 50, 53, 56, 66, 69, 85, 129. After this, the bishop riseth up, and standing without his mitre, blesseth the salt and water, and mixeth them. Then he begins to wash the bell with holy water, the ministers assisting him, within and without; and afterwards they wipe it with a clean linen cloth. Then they say, or sing these psalms, viz. 145, 146, 147, 148, 149, 150. These being ended, the bishop riseth up, and having dipped the forefinger of his right hand in the holy oil, he makes the sign of the cross on the outside of the bell; which being done, he saith this prayer.

"O God, who didst command silver trumpets to be made by blessed Moses thy servant, which whilst the Levites should sound in the time of sacri

fice, the people being excited by the sound of sweetness, might prepare themselves to worship thee, &c. Grant, we beseech thee, that this vessel prepared for thy holy church, may be sanctified by the Holy Ghost, that the faithful may be invited to the reward by the sound of it. And when the melody of it shall sound in the ears of the people, the devotion of faith may increase in them; all the conspiracies of the enemy, the noise of hail, the danger of tempests, and violence of storms, may be driven away; the blasts of winds may be wholesome and moderate; hurtful thunder may be tempered: that the powers of the air may fall down by the right hand of thy strength; that they hearing this bell may tremble, and fly before the ensign of the holy cross of thy Son: to whom every knee boweth, of things in heaven, of things on earth, and of things under the earth, and every tongue confesseth, that our Lord Jesus Christ, having conquered death, by the cross reigneth in the glory of God the Father, with the same Father, and the Holy Ghost throughout all ages. Amen.'

"Then the bishop stands up, and makes seven crosses on the outside of the bell with holy oil, and within the bell four crosses with chrysm at an equal distance: and at every one he saith:

66 6

"O Lord, let this bell be sanctified, and consecrated in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost; in the honour of S. N.

"After this the bishop puts off his mitre, and saith this prayer:

666

Omnipotent, everlasting God, who before the ark of the covenant didst cause the walls wherewith the enemy was environed to fall down by the sound of the trumpets; pour upon this bell thy heavenly benediction: that at the sound of it the fiery darts of the enemy, the percussion of thunderbolts, the violence of hail-stones, the hurt of storms,may fly away,' &c.

Then the bishop sits, and puts frankincense and myrrh into the censer, and that into the bell, that it may receive the smoke and perfume thereof. And then (to pass by the rest) he adds this prayer:

"O Christ, omnipotent ruler, who sleeping in the ship according to the assumption of the flesh, whilst a storm troubled the sea; but awaking, upon thy command did presently cease; do thou graciously supply the necessities of thy people; pour upon this bell the dew of thy Holy Spirit, that the enemy of the faithful may fly before the sound of it; that Christian people may be invited to faith; that the hostile army may be affrighted; that thy people assembled, may be comforted by it in the Lord; and that the Holy Spirit, as delighted with David's harp, may descend from above; and as Samuel killing a sucking lamb for an holocaust of the King of an eternal empire, the noise drove away all danger of the air;