356 Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts, and Letters. 
SERUAnT UENIEnTES AN^<3 ALTARE DICANT ANT ipJlOnam 
Pastores, dicite, qnidnam uidistis, et annunciate Xpis£i na 
tiuitatem. 
ET PUERI STAnTES RETRO AETARE DICAWT: 
Infantem uidimns pannis inuolutum, et chores angelorum 
laudantes Saluatorem. 
Anriphona: Parunlns films hodie natus est nobis, et uoca- 
bitnr Dens fortis, alleluia. 
Psalmus: Laudate <cxlviii, et Cantate Domino (cxlix) 
et Land ate (cl)>. 
Quo EINITO ET ANTiphona EI US CAUTATA , ILLE QUI MlSSAM CAU - 
tat stans ad altare incipit ant iphonam super B enedictus, 
ET TOTAm CANTAT QUAm EI DEFERT UNUS CUSTODUm CHORI. 
Ad ~Benedictus Antiphona: Gloria in excdLsis Deo, et in terra 
pax hominibus bone uoluntatis, alleluia. 
Psolmus: Bened ictus. 
<fol. 176 V > 0 ratio: Da nobis, quesumus, Domine, Dens 
nosier, nt qni natiuitatem Domini no>stri Ihesu Xpis/i nos fre- 
quentare gaudemus, dignis conuer sationibus ad eins mereamur 
pertingere consorcium. Per eundem. 1 * 
In this eaJse the familiar dialogue is merely inserted before the 
fifth antiphon, the psalmody being otherwise uninterrupted. 
The rubrics are only nieagerly suggestive as to misc en scene. 
The expressions ante altare and stantes retro altare may indicate 
either that the altar is conceived of as Prcesepe / or that a struc¬ 
tural Prcesepe. of some sort is placed near the altar. 
Another use of the dialogue is shown in the folowing: 
<AD LAUDES IX XATIVITATE DOMIXI> 3 
<fol. 112 r > In I midibus. 
Antiphona: Quern uidistis, piastores, dicite? Annunciate 
nobis in terns qnis apparuit. Xatum uidimns in choros ange- 
lorum collaudantes Dominnm, alleluia, alleluia. 
i Followed immediately by the rubric: Ad horas ant iphonce .... 
* 'See above, pp. 306-311, 336-7. 
* Rome, Vatican, MS. Ottobon. 672, Breviarium Bisuntinum saec. xv, 
fol. 112r-112v. 
