them to his lady, that aged dame, the lady of the place, who all this while was busy at her prayers.

When she had ended, she rose up with seemly grace, and came toward them; she came in matronly guise. When she beheld the fairest Una, whom she well knew to spring from heavenly race, her heart swelled with unwonted joy, as feeling wondrous comfort in her weaker age, and embracing her, she said,—

"O happy earth,
Whereon thy innocent feet do ever tread!
Most virtuous virgin, born of heavenly birth,
That, to redeem thy woeful parents' head
From tyrant's rage and ever-dying dread,
Hast wander'd through the world now long a day,
Yet ceasest not thy weary soles to lead!

What grace hath thee now hither brought this way?
Or do thy feeble feet unweeting' hither stray?

Strange thing it is an errant2 knight to see
Here in this place, or any other wight3
That hither turns his steps; so few there be
That choose the narrow path, or seek the right;
All keep the broad highway, and take delight
With many rather for to go astray,

And be partakers of their evil plight,
Than with a few to walk the rightest way.

O foolish men! why haste ye to your own decay?"

"To see thee, and to rest my tired limbs, O wise matron," answered Una, "I came hither; and this good knight came with me, led by thy praises and thy fame, which is spread far abroad."

The aged lady greeted him kindly in her modest guise, and entertained them both, as became her, with all the courtesies she could think of, shewing herself in all respects wise and bounteous.

"Thus as they gan of sundry things devise,* Lo, two most goodly virgins came in place, Ylinked arm in arm, in lovely wise;

With countenance demure and modest grace, 1 unknowing.

2 wandering. 4 began to discourse of sundry things.

3

person.

They number'd even steps and equal pace;
Of which the eldest, that Fidelia hight,'

Like sunny beams threw from her crystal face,
That could have daz'd the rash beholder's sight,

And round about her head did shine like heaven's light.

She was arrayed all in lily white,

And in her right hand bore a cup of gold,
With wine and water fill'd up to the height,
In which a serpent did himself enfold,
That horror made to all that did behold;
But she no whit did change her stedfast mood;
And in her other hand she fast did hold

A book, that was both sign'd and seal'd with blood, Wherein dark things were writ, hard to be understood.

Her younger sister, that Speranza2 hight,
Was clad in blue, that her beseemed well;
Not all so cheerful seemed she of sight
As was her sister; whether dread did dwell,
Or anguish, in her heart, is hard to tell:
Upon her arm a silver anchor lay,
Whereon she leaned ever as befell;
And ever up to heaven, as she did pray,
Her stedfast eyes were bent, nor swerved other way."

COMMENT ON THE CHURCH-SERVICE.
[Continued from p. 202.]

LORD, HAVE MERCY UPON US-CHRIST, HAVE MERCY UPON
US-LORD, HAVE MERCY UPON US.

THIS short Litany (as it was called by some ancients), this most humble and piercing supplication to the blessed Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, was often used in ancient liturgies. It was then called "the earnest or ve hement supplication;" because it is a most touching petition for mercy to each Person of the blessed Trinity; and so those good men of early times uttered it with much earnestness of spirit, as knowing that they were in danger 1 was called Faith.

2 Hope.

of sinking into endless destruction, without the mercy of the blessed Trinity.

Therefore, with no less earnestness than St. Peter cried, "Master, save," when he was sinking into the sea, did they cry out, Lord, have mercy; God the Father, have mercy; God the Son, have mercy; God the Holy Ghost, have mercy. Have mercy upon us in pardoning our sins, which make us worthy to be cast out of Thy favour, and unworthy to serve Thee. Have mercy in helping our weakness and unfitness of ourselves to serve Thee. Many are our dangers, many are our wants, many ways we stand in need of mercy; therefore, Lord, have mercy.

This short and excellent Litany is seasonable at all times and all parts of the service; after our singing of hymns and psalms, after our hearing and confession of faith; such is our unworthiness, such our weakness, that it cannot be thought amiss to beg God's mercy after we have prayed; such is our coldness and dulness in our prayers, that we had need pray, "Lord, have mercy upon us."

It may be observed, that this earnest and humble supplication was commonly in old services, and so it is in ours, set immediately before the Lord's Prayer, as a preparation to it; and this is very fitly done, for we cannot more suitably prepare ourselves to pray than by humbly asking God's mercy and confessing our misery; and there is no prayer for which we more need to prepare ourselves than that which was sanctified by our Lord's own lips, and in which we call God "Our Father."

An ancient writer of the Church advises us when we say this prayer to be careful to prepare ourselves, that we may be in some measure worthy of our adoption to be sons of God; lest if we unworthily call Him Father, He will reprove us as He did the Jews, "If I be a Father, where is mine honour ?" (Malachi i. 6.)

The holiness of the children is the honour of the Father. Indeed it is so great an honour to call God "Our Father,"

that we had need with all humility beg pardon of His Majesty, before we venture on so high a title. Therefore our mother the Church has been careful to prepare us for this divine prayer, sometimes by a confession of our sins and absolution, as at the beginning of the morning and evening service; but most commonly by this short Litany: first teaching us to lament our unworthiness, and pray for mercy; and then with an humble boldness to look up to heaven and call God our Father, and beg further blessings of Him.

VERSICLES AND RESPONSES.

After the Lord's Prayer follow short versicles and answers taken out of holy Scripture (Psalm lxxxv. 9; xx. 9; cxxxii. 9; xxviii. 9; 2 Kings xx. 19; Ps. li. 10, 11).

The priest begins, and the people answer, each devoutly sending up these short but fervent ejaculations, like darts, to heaven.

Such short ejaculations [dartings] were much used by the devout brethren of old time; and St. Augustine commends them as the most piercing kind of prayer.

Such as these were that of the leper, "Lord, if Thou wilt thou canst make me clean" (Matt. viii. 2); and that of the disciples, "Master, save us, we perish" (Matt. viii. 25). Short but powerful, as we may see by our Saviour's gracious acceptance of them.

And here we ought to observe the order of answers of the people in all places of the service where it is appointed.

It is of use in refreshing their attention, and it teaches them that they have a part to fulfil in the public prayers, that they are not merely listeners whilst the clergyman speaks. It unites them also together in affection. For if David thought that the very meeting together in the house of God should join them in a bond of love not to be broken (Ps. lv. 14), how may we hope for such a bond of love and concord between the people, one to another, in

them all towards the priest, and in the priest towards them! Since daily in the hearing of God Himself, and in the presence of His holy angels, there pass between them so many heavenly rejoicings, petitions, songs of comfort, psalms of praise and thanksgiving.

In some of these the priest offers their prayers, and they with one voice say Amen. In others, he joyfully begins, and they with like readiness follow, dividing the sentences between them, so that they each shew their own zeal and stir up each other's, to give glory to God, as is done in the Psalms and Hymns.

In other places they pray each for the other-the priest for the people, and the people for him, as in the versicles just before the Morning Collects.

Sometimes the priest represents to God the needs of the people; and they offer their own requests for relief, as in the Litany. Elsewhere he proclaims to them the law of God, as in the Ten Commandments; and they add a humble confession of sin and weakness, with the request for grace to perform the things commanded: "Lord, have mercy upon us," &c., at the end of each Commandment.

In all these forms of praise and prayer, the priest and people bear their part in such manner as to shew their piety to God, and to increase it.

The priest, when he begins these short prayers, is directed by the rubric to stand.

We may notice, that in these holy services the priest is sometimes appointed to kneel, sometimes to stand.

The priest or minister, being a man of like infirmities with the rest of the congregation,-a sinner, and so needing grace and pardon as well as the rest,-is directed in all confessions of sin and penitential prayers, such as the Litany, to beg his pardon and grace upon his knees.

But he is, besides, a priest or minister of the most high God, and has received from God an office and authority.