By the Rev. H. T. Kingdom 65 



scribble, but a beautiful piece of manuscript, carefully and elaborately 

 written by an accomplished scribe. It is no hasty jotting" down of 

 a transitory ejaculation, such as we often find, but the deliberate 

 penning of a beautifully-weighed phrasing*. This Asperslo — like 

 others — has an antiphon and the first verse of the Miserere psalm 

 with the Gloria. But there is this notable difference, that whereas 

 the Antiphon otherwise was a text of Scripture with reference to the 

 sprinkling, in the present instance it is in the form of an address to 

 the worshippers, drawing their attention to the meaning and teaching 

 of the service. Before the commencement of the most solemn 

 service of the Church, when the congregation was assembled, the 

 priest went round to remind the people of their entrance into the 

 Church by baptism, and of their consequent obligation to live a 

 godly life according to their promise; otherwise they had no right 

 to be there. I must not allow myself to be drawn into a disquisition 

 upon the interesting and edifying ceremonies connected with holy 

 water, which were at an early period adopted into the Church. I 

 will confine myself to the service in question. 



The service is as follows : first the antiphon runs thus :— • 



M Remember your promys made yn baptym. 

 And chrystys mercyfull bloudshedyng. 

 By the wyclie most holy sprynklyng. 

 Of all youre syns youe have fre perdun." 



There is a great amount of teaching in this antiphon which can- 

 not, and I hope need not, be here spoken of. Observe the use of 

 capital letters to mark the various lines of rhythm. It will be within 

 the recollection of most of those present that in the prayers which 

 are to be repeated by the congregation after the minister, the pauses 

 for repetition are marked off by capital letters. Then there follows 

 the verse of Miserere psalm : — 



the antiphon then became " I saw water issuing from the Temple on the right 

 side. Hallelujah. And all to whom that water came were made whole. Halle- 

 lujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah ; " with the first verse of the 106th psalm, 

 " 0 give thanks unto the Lord, for He is gracious, for His mercy endureth for 

 ever." 



VOL. XVIII. — NO. LII. 



