ment of their psalmody at Constantinople in their morning processions, says, "they divided themselves into parts, and sung after the manner of Antiphona, or alternate song, adding in the close their acroteleutics, framed and modelled after their own way of glorification." Where, as Valesius rightly observes, it is plain acroteleutic, is but another name for the Gloria Patri, which they added at the end. of the psalms, but perversely modelled to favour their own heresy; not saying, "Glory be to the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost;" but " Glory be to the Father, by the Son, and in the Holy Ghost." Again Sozomen, speaking of the psalmody, with which the Christians brought the body of the Martyr Babylas from Daphne to Antioch, in the time of Julian, says, they, who were best skilled, began the psalms, and the multitude answered them with one harmonious consent, making these words the Epode of their psalmody,2 "Confounded be all they that worship graven images, and boast themselves in images or idol-gods." Meaning that this sentence was frequently repeated in the several pauses of their psalmody; which the Ancients, we see, sometimes called an epode or diapsalm, like that of the cvii Psalm, "O that men would therefore praise the Lord for his goodness, and declare the wonders that He doth for the children of men!" Which in the distinct parts of that one psalm is four times repeated.

SECT. 13.-An Answer to an Objection made against the People's bearing a Part in the Psalmody.

From all this, it is as clear as the sun at noon-day, that the people generally had a share in the psalmody of the ancient Church; and that this was not an exercise strictly confined to the canonical singers, or any particular order in the Church; but that men, women, and children were all allowed to bear a part in it, under the direction and conduct of precentors, or those who presided in this and all other

1 Sozom. lib. viii. cap. 8. Κατὰ τὸν τῶν ἀντιφώνων τρόπον ἔψαλλον, ἀκροτελεύτια συντιθέντες πρὸς τὴν αὐτῶν δόξαν πεποιημένα.

* Sozom. lib. v. cap. 19. Ξυνεπήχει τὸ πλῆθος ἐν συμφωνία, και ταύτην τὴν ῥῆσιν ἐπῇδεν. &c.

VOL. V.

offices of the Church. Therefore the reflection,' which I have formerly made upon Cabassutius, I cannot chuse but here again repeat, who charges this way of singing as a mere novelty and protestant whim, because it differs from the present practice of his own Church; though it be exactly agreeable to the practice of the ancient Church in all its several methods, and in all ages since the Apostles. Neither is there any one thing can be objected against it, save a single canon of the Council of Laodicea, which forbids all others to sing in the Church, except only the canonical singers, who went up into the ambo, or reading desk, and sung out of a book. This I have explained to be only a temporary provision of a provincial Council, designed to restore or revive the ancient psalmody, when it might be in some measure corrupted or neglected, and not intended to abridge or destroy the primitive liberty of the people. Or if any thing more was intended by it, it was an order that never took place in the practice of the Church: it being evident, beyond all contradiction, from what has now been said, that the people always enjoyed their ancient privilege of joining in this divine harmony, and were encouraged in it by the greatest luminaries of the Church.

SECT. 14.-Psalmody always performed in the standing Posture.

To proceed then: we are to consider further, that psalmody was always esteemed a considerable part of devotion, and upon that account was usually, if not always, performed by those, that were engaged in it, in the standing posture. Cassian indeed seems to make an exception in the way of the monasteries of Egypt: but his exception helps to clear the contrary rule, and shews also that their devotion was in the main performed in the standing posture. For he says, though by reason of their continual fastings and labour night and day, they were unable to stand all the time, while twelve psalms were reading, yet they, that read in course, always stood up to read:3 and at

2 Con. Laodic. can. xv.

Book iii. chap. vii. sect. 2. Cassian. Instit. lib. ii. cap. 12. Absque eo qui dicturus in medium Psalmos surrexerit, cuncti sedilibus humillimis insidentes, &c.

the last psalm, they all stood up and repeated it alternately, adding the Gloria Patri at the end. In other places it was always the custom, as is plain not only from this exception, but from the testimony of St. Austin, who speaks of the psalmody as an act of devotion, which all the people performed standing in the Church.

SECT. 15. Of the Use of plain Song, and its Commendation among

the Ancients.

As to the voice or pronunciation used in singing, it was of two sorts, the plain song, and the more artificial and elaborate tuning of the voice to greater variety of sounds and measures. The plain song was only with a little gentle inflection, and agreeable turn of the voice, with a proper accent, not much different from reading, and much resembling the musical way of reading the psalms now in our cathedral churches. This was the way of singing at Alexandria in the time of Athanasius. For St Austin says, he ordered the reader to sing the psalm with so little inflection or variation of the tone, that it looked more like reading than singing. And this, St. Austin seems to intimate to have been the common way of the African Churches, as most agreeable to the slow genius of the African people. Whence some of the warmer Donatists made it a matter of objection," that the Catholics sung the divine hymns of the Prophets soberly in the Church, whilst they sung their own psalms of human composition in a ranting way, and even trumpeted out, like men that were drunk, their own exhortations." St. Austin does not speak this, as if he wholly disapproved the other more artificial and melodious way of singing, but only as it was intemperately abused by

Cassian, instit. lib. ii. cap. 8. Aug. Serm. iii. in Psal. xxxvi. p. 122. Certè verum est quod cantavi, certè verum est quod in Ecclesiâ stans tam devotâ voce personui, &c. 9 Aug. Confes. lib. x. cap. 33. Tam modico flexu vocis faciebat sonare lectorem Psalmi, ut pronuncianti vieinior esset quàm canenti. * Aug. Ep. 119. ad Januar. cap. xviii. Pleraque in Africa Ecclesiæ membra pigriora sunt: ita ut Donatistæ nos reprehendant, quod sobriè psallimus in ecclesiâ divina cantica Prophetarum. cùm ipsi ebrietates suas ad canticum psalmorum humano ingenio compositorum, quasi tubas exhortationis inflamment.

many, and particularly by the Donatists. For otherwise he commends this way of singing," as very useful to raise the affections, when performed with a clear voice and a convenient sweetness of melody" and says, "it was that, that melted him into tears," when he first heard it in the beginning of his conversion, in the church of St. Ambrose.

SECT. 16.-Artificial and melodious Tuning of the Voice allowed in Singing, when managed with Sobriety and Discretion.

"Ut

This plainly implies, that the artificial and melodious way of singing, with variety of notes for greater sweetness, was used and allowed, as well as plain song, in the Italic Churches: and they mistake St. Austin, who think he speaks in commendation of the one, to the derogation of the other. For he professes to admire both ways for their usefulness, and particularly the more melodious way, for this, " Ut per oblectamenta aurium infirmior animus in affectum pietatis assurgat, that weaker minds may be raised to affections of piety, by the delight and entertainment of their ears." And whilst it kept within due bounds, there is nothing plainer than that it had the general approbation of pious men throughout the Church.

SECT. 17.-No Objection made against Psalms and Hymns of human Composition, barely as such.

Neither was it any objection against the psalmody of the Church, that she sometimes made use of psalms and hymns of human composition, besides those of the sacred and inspired writers. For though St. Austin, as we have just heard before, reflects upon the Donatists for their psalms of human composition, yet it was not merely because they were human, but because they preferred them to the divine. hymns of Scripture, and their indecent way of chanting them to the grave and sober method of the Church. St.

Aug. Confess. lib. x. cap. 33. Veruntamen cùm reminiscor lachrymas meas, quas fudi ad cantus Ecclesiæ tuæ--Et nunc ipso commoveor-Cum liquidâ voce et convenientissimâ modulatione cantantur, magnam instituti hujus utilitatem agnosco.

Austin himself made a psalm of many parts, in imitation of the cxix Psalm, as has been observed above in this chapter, sect. 12. And this he did for the use of his people, to preserve them from the errors of Donatus. And it would be absurd to think, that he, who made a psalm himself for the people to sing, should quarrel with other psalms merely because they were of human composition. It has been demonstrated in the fifth chapter of the last Book, that there were always such psalms, and hymns, and doxologies composed by pious men, and used in the Church from the first foundation of it; nor did any, but Paulus Samosatensis, except against the use of them which he did not neither because they were of human composition, but because they contained a doctrine contrary to his own private opinions. St. Hilary and St. Ambrose made many such hymns, which when some muttered against in the Spanish Churches, because they were of human composition, the fourth Council of Toledo1 made a decree to confirm the use of them, together with the doxology," Glory be to the Father, &c." and "Glory be to God on high :" threatening excommunication to any that should reject them. The only thing of weight to be urged against all this, is a canon of the Council of Laodicea, which forbids all "idiorus's faλues, private psalms, ἰδιοτικὲς ψαλμες, and all uncanonical books to be read in the Church." it might seem, that, by private psalms, they mean all hymns of human composition. But it was intended rather to exclude Apocryphal psalms, such as went under the name of Solomon, as Balzamon and Zonaras understand it; or else such as were not approved by public authority in the Church. If it be extended further, it contradicts the current practice,

For

Con. Tolet. iv. can. 12. Quia à nonnullis hymni humano studio compositi esse noscuntur in laudem Dei, et Apostolorum ac martyrum triumphos, sicut hi quos beatissimi Doctores Hilarius atque Ambrosius ediderunt, quɔs tamen quidam specialiter reprobant, pro eo quod de scripturis sanctorum canonum, vel apostolicâ traditione non existunt. Respuant ergò et illum hymnum, quem quotidiè publico privatoque officio in fine omnium psalmorum dicimus, Gloria et honor Patri, &c.'---Sicut ergò orationes, ita et hymnos in laudem Dei compositos nullus nostrâm ulteriùs improbet, sed pari modo in Galliciâ Hispaniâque celebrent, excommunicatione plectendi, qui hymnos rejicere fuerint ausi, 2 Con. Laodic. can. lix.