If you knew, my Amyas, how kindly my grateful heart accepts and praiseth your spotless endeavour and faithful action performed in so dangerous and crafty a charge, it would ease your travail and rejoice your heart, in which I charge you to carry this most instant thought that I cannot balance, in any weight of my judgment, the value that I prize you at, and suppose no treasure can countervail such a faith." Poor Paulet could not fathom the meaning of so many honied words, but a letter from Secretary Walsingham made the Queen's meaning as clear as crystal. "We find by a speech lately made by her Majesty that she doth note in you a lack of that care and zeal for her service that she looked for at your hands, in that, you have not in all this time found out some way to shorten the life of the Queen of Scots." But Paulet refuses to do the deed, so Elizabeth signs the warrant for Mary's execution, and when Davison, her secretary, meaningly inquires: "Does your Majesty mean to proceed with the execution?" To her everlasting disgrace Elizabeth howls back the answer: "Yea, by God." The morning of the eighth of February, 1587, dawned dark and dismal upon the towers of Fotheringay Castle. Within the castle the scene was even more gloomy than without. Queen Mary's servants, hid away here and there, burst out occasionally into deep sobs, for the kindest mistress of whom history gives a record was about to spill her blood upon the scaffold. The mistress herself, calm and recollected, had spent the entire night in prayer. Elizabeth refused her the consolation of a priest, and so Mary left to her own resources has laid bare her heart before her God. The death-bell begins to toll, and Mary Stuart, dressed in her richest robes, a crucifix in her right hand, a prayer-book in her left, and a beads at her girdle, follows her conductors into the hall of execution. The hair, once chestnut, is white as snow; the hazel eyes have lost much of their lustre; the swan-like neck is bent in supplication, but the tall queenly form and stately carriage are remarkable as ever. Scarcely has she stepped upon the scaffold when Dr. Fletcher, Protestant Dean of Peterborough, begins a godly sermon, exhorting her to forsake popery and superstition, " in which continuing she must be damned." Mary, absorbed in prayer, turns her back upon the preacher, and holding the image of her Saviour before her eyes, exclaims: "As thy arms, O my God, were stretched out upon the cross, so receive me into the Then she embrace of thy mercy, and forgive me my sins." is led to the block, and after three strokes of the headsman's axe, the emancipated spirit of Mary Stuart, never again to be confined by prison bars, sprang aloft through the amber vault of heaven into the arms of that God through love of whom she had spilled her blood. THOMAS CONNELLAN, LITURGY. VOTIVE MASSES. VII.-Votive Masses of Feasts celebrated throughout the Year. We have already dealt with four classes of Masses that are Votive. But besides these there are many other Masses that may be said as Votive. We think the following to be as clear a way as is possible, of indicating the Masses that may, and those that may not be said as Votive: All the Masses celebrated throughout the year in any country may be said as Votive1 in the same country, except: (1) The Masses of Sundays and Ferias.2 (2) The Masses of those who have been Beatified but not Canonized,3 (3) The Masses of the Feasts of the B.V.M., unless special provision be made in the Missal itself for their being said as Votive. Such provision is made in the case of only two, viz., the Masses of the Seven Dolours and of the Immaculate Conception. However, within the Octave of any Feast of the B.V.M., the Mass of that Feast may be said as Votive, if the day permit a Votive Mass, and the Office be not of the Octave; in fact, no other Votive Mass of the B.V.M., is allowed to be said during the Octave.5 The Mass of the Vigil of the Assumption may be said 1 Bulls of Canonization and Common Opinion of Rubricists. Ibid. Oct. 5, 1652. Ibid. Mar. 12, 1678. See also ECCLES. RECORD of Jan. 1885, p. 48. S.R.C. Mar. 10, 1787, and passim. The same rule is extended by Rubricists to all Octaves:-If a Votive Mass is to be said of a Mystery or Saint during the Octave of that Mystery or Saint, it cannot be other than the Mass of the Feast or Octave. as Votive on August 14th, if the day permit a Votive Mass, and the Office be not of the Vigil. No other Votive Mass of the B.V.M., is allowed on that day.1 (4) Masses, the sense of which would not be true on the day on which the Votive Mass is to be said, and cannot be made true by the omission of a word or two such as hodie, annua, quam praevenimus, or by the change of a word or two, such as of natalitia, solemnitas, festivitas, into commemoratio, memoria. As far as we can see, the Masses that would be excluded by this condition are very few. It seems to be this condition that excludes the following, which are so intimately connected with their Feasts that they cannot be celebrated on other days: The Masses of Christmas Day, of the Circumcision, of the Epiphany, of the Resurrection, and of the Ascension. (5) Masses of Mysteries or Saints which have precisely the same object as the Votive Masses at the end of the Missal, such as those of Trinity Sunday, Pentecost, Corpus Christi, SS. Peter and Paul, St. Joseph, &c., &c., except during their Octaves.1 The Masses to be selected for various occasions. We think the following directions will be sufficient for nearly all the cases that can occur : 1. For the Holy Trinity, the Mass "De SS. Trinitate" at the end of the Missal. We have seen that the 2. For Feasts of Our Lord. Masses of the Nativity, Circumcision, Epiphany, Resurrection and Ascension, are not permitted as Votive. Some other Mass that may be said as Votive must be chosen, with the special intention of honouring these mysteries. For the same object as the Mass of Corpus Christi, and differing from it in no way except in those points in which a Votive Mass ought to differ from a Festive Mass, there is the Votive Mass" De SS. Eucharistiae Sacramento." 1 S.R.C. Sept. 3, 1661. From this, and a Decree of Jan. 26th, 1793, is deduced by Rubricists the general rule that on the day of any feast having reference to a mystery or saint, no Votive Mass can be said of that mystery or saint except the Mass of that feast. 2 S.R.C. Dec. 22, 1753. 3 Vavasseur. The rule seems to be taken for granted by Guyetus. It seems to follow necessarily from the institution of special Votive Masses. If the festive Masses could be said, what could be the object of instituting the special Votive Masses? See note (5) p. 397. In the case of some of the Masses of Our Lord's Feasts, special provision is made in the Missal itself for their being said as Votive. These are, as they appear in the Missal, which we have consulted: In Festo SS. Nominis Jesu-Dom. ii. post Epiph. In Festo SS. Cordis Jesu-Feria vi. post Oct. SS. Corporis Christi. In Festo Pretiosissimi Sanguinis D. N. J. C.-Dom. 1 Julii. In commemoratione SS. Passionis D. N. J. C.- Feria iii. post Dom. Sexag. (Votive Mass "De Passione.") In Festo SS. Spineae Coronae D. N. J. C-Feria vi. post Cineres. In Festo Lanceae et Clavorum D. N. J. C.-Feria vi. post Dom. 1. Quadrag. In Festo SS. Quinque Plagarum D. N. J. C.--Feria vi. post Dom. iii. Quadrag. (Votive Mass "De Passione."). Other Masses, which may be regarded as Masses of Feasts of Our Lord, make no express provision for their being said as Votive. These are: In Festo Inventionis S. Crucis.-May 3. In Festo Exaltationis S. Crucis.- Sept. 14. In Festo Orationis D. N. J. C.-Feria iii. post Dom. Septuag. In Festo SS. Sindonis D. N. J. C.-Feria vi. post Dom. ii. Quadrag. In Festo Transfigurationis D. N. J. C.-Aug. 6. In Festo SS. Redemptoris-3rd Sunday of July and Oct. 23. Any changes that the different periods of the Ecclesiastical year may require to be made in the first four must be made from the Votive Masses "De Cruce" or "De Passione." We think that for the last two the same changes may be made from the Masses of the Sacred Heart and Precious Blood.: 3. In honour of the Holy Ghost. The Votive Mass "De Spiritu Sancto" among the twelve first must be selected. 4. In honour of the Blessed Virgin. Provision is made in the Missal for two Masses-of the Seven Dolours, and of 'De Herdt. The most convenient course would be to say the entire Votive Mass "De Cruce " or " De Passione." Or better still, say the entire Votive Mass of the Sacred Heart or Precious Blood, with the special intention of honouring these events. the Immaculate Conception. If a priest wish to say a Votive Mass in honour of the Assumption, Purification, or any other Feast of the B.V.M., the Mass to be said is that one of the five Votive Masses of the B.V.M., at the end of the Missal, which is suitable to the period of the year.' We must except (a) the entire Octave of these Feasts, when the Votive Mass must be the Mass of the Feast. It is scarcely necessary to remark that if the office be of the Octave, the Mass cannot be Votive at all. (b) We must except also the 14th of August. If a Votive Mass of the B.V.M., be required for that day, the mass of the Vigil of the Assumption must be taken.3 5. In honour of the Angels. Provision is made for all periods in the Masses of the Guardian Angels and St. Raphael. With regard to the Mass of St. Michael, we find at the end of the Mass "De Angelis," the following rubric: "Alia Missa Votiva de Sancto Michaele Archangelo dici potest, prout in ejus Dedicatione, die xxix Septembris." And yet there is no provision made for the case in which it is to be said post Septuagesimam. The Tract in this case is to be taken from the Mass "De Angelis," which is, in a manner, a Commune Angelorum. There is also in the Mass of St. Gabriel the omission of the Alleluias and verse which are to be said from the end of Paschal time to Septuagesima Sunday. These are to be supplied from the Mass "De Angelis," or the first verse from Paschal time may be retained, the second being omitted. In every other case the Votive Mass must be that "De Angelis." 6. In honour of St. John the Baptist. Mass as on the Feast of his Nativity, with the prayers of his Vigil, the Tract for post Septuag. to be taken from the Commune Conf. non Pont. In Paschal time the 2nd verse is from the same, or it would be better still to say the entire Mass of May 6, "S. Joannis ante Portam Latinam." 7. In honour of St. Joseph. Among the Six Votive Masses granted July 5th, 1883, the 3rd (for Feria iv.) is assigned to St. Joseph. 8. In honour of SS. Peter and Paul. The Votive Mass of these Saints among the twelve first at the end of the Missal. 'S.R.C., March 12, 1678. 3 Note (1) p. 398, above. 2 See note (5) p. 397, above. 4 De Herdt. Guyetus gives the Tract " Desiderium," and Verse "Justus germinabit.” HE |