sitive reliance cannot be placed upon it in all its parts, there being numerous erasures and substitutions in it. Hence it is not improbable, that had it come down to us exactly as the original scribe left it, we might find in it even more testimonies against Romish innovations than it now supplies. Another reason for conjecturing that individuals first used the invocation of saints in their private devotions appears to flow from the following conclusion of a penitential prayer. (Brit. Mus. MSS. Cotton. Tiberius, A. 3. f. 46.) Nu ic bidde halsize þa heofonlican Fæmnan Sancta maɲian rpilce ic michael· 7 gabriel. Raphael. Iohanner· 7 Petur. 7 Paulur. J Andreas· Iohanner· 7 Iacobur· Matheur Philippur 7 Bantholomeur Thomar. Iacobur Simon 7 Taddeur. Nu ic halsize pa cristes þegnar for heoɲa ealdoplıcan retle Þze me rýnfulne man ne rceadon on þa earmfullan þýrtna for minum ýfelum peopcum. Now I pray, beseech the heavenly virgin, St. Maria; as I (do) Michael, and Gabriel, and Raphael, Iohannes, and Petrus, and Paulus, and Andreas, Iohannes, and Iacobus, and Matheus, and Philippus, and Bartholomeus, Thomas, and Iacobus, Simon, and Taddeus. Now I pray the servants of Crist, through their princely seat, that ye repel not me, a sinful man, into miserable darkness, for my evil works. 236 Ave Rex gentis Anglorum, Milesque Regis angelorum, Pro salute fidelium." (Bibl. C. C. C. Oxon. MSS. 1601. S. Reg. et Mart. Oswini Vita cum Officiis.) f. 77. As this MS. has no appearance of very high antiquity, there can be little doubt that the offices were transcribed from some older volume or volumes. The hymns, therefore, are very likely to be less ancient than the prayers. The latter, indeed, as being portions of established rituals, were not very readily susceptible of innovation. But a superstitious fancy might esteem it perfectly lawful to introduce among them some metrical embellishments according to its own taste. 24 The following may be taken as an example of this innovation in its greatest excess. "De Omnibus Sanctis. Ad Vesperum. Ave Maria gra. Beata mater, et innupta virgo, gloriosa regina mundi, intercede pro nobis ad Dominum. O post partum virgo inviolata. Sancte Michael, archangele, defende nos in prælio, ut non pereamus in tremendo judicio. In conspectu angelorum psallam tibi. Inter natos mulierum.—Fuit homo missus a Deo cui nomen.-Tu es Petrus, et super hanc petram. Sancte Paule, Apostole, prædicator veritatis, et doctor gentium, intercede pro nobis ad Deum qui te legit. Andreas, Christi famulus, dignus Deo Apostolus, germanus Petri, et in passione socius. In omnem terram exivit sonus eorum. Sacerdos Domini, Martine, pastor egregie, ora pro nobis Deum. Ora pro nobis, beate Benedicte, ut digni efficiamur promissione Christi. Sancte Cuthberte, confessor Christi venerande, adesto nostris precib. pius et propitius. Beate Birine, prædicator egregie, succurre nobis tua sancta intercessione. Sancte Swithune, gloriose confessor Christi, ora pro peccatis nostris ad Dominum. a, O beate Judoce, magne fidestua a, intercede pro nobis ad Deum qui te elegit. Beata Ætheldryd, virgo Dei electa, intercede pro peccatis nostris, omniumque populorum. Offerentur regi virgines.-Exultent justi.-Latamini in Domino, et exultent justi.—OREMUS. Tribue, quæsumus, Domine, omnes sanctos tuos jugiter orare pro nobis, et semper eos clementer audiri per." (Brit. Mus. MSS. Cotton. Tiberius, A. 3. f. 55.) In note 5 to this sermon may be seen a prayer desiring the intercession of St. Laurence. A Homily in the Bodleian Library (MSS. Junii 24. In Pass. S. Laur. Mr. p. 92.) contains the following exhortation to invoke him. Uton nu biddan mid eadmodre stemne pone halzan zoder cydere larentium þær freols-tÿd zesputelað þer andpeaɲda dæz ealɲe gelearulne zelapunze he ur pinzie pið þone heofonlıcan cỳning foɲ þær naman he a Perhaps, magna est fides tua. Judocus, we are told by Surius, (tom. VII. p. 1008.) was son of Rathaël, king of the Britons, and a contemporary of Dagobert, king of the Franks. He had an opportunity, it is also said, of ascending the throne of his elder brother, who desired to abdicate. But he chose, in preference, the life of a pilgrim and a hermit, alternately, upon the continent. Among his miracles, he fixed his staff into the dry ground, and the water immediately gushed upwards. Thus it seems that aquatic diviners with hazel rods belong to a class of some antiquity. propode mid cenum mode manifealde tintɲezum mid þam he orroɲhlice on ecenesse puldrað. AM. Come, now, pray with humble voice the holy martyr of God, Larentius, whose festal tide of all the believing congregation this present day declares; that he intercede for us with the heavenly king, for whose name he suffered, with resolute mind, manifold torments: with whom he is securely glorified in eternity. Am. As the beautiful MS. from which this extract was made is written in a hand making considerable approaches to the black letter church text, of an age posterior to the Saxon period, it is most probably a volume transcribed, before the Saxon tongue had become obsolete, from one of higher antiquity. If such be the fact, and the case is hardly doubtful, additions would be not unlikely to be made, in compliance with prevailing habits and opinions; and such could be made no where so conveniently, as at the conclusions of the several pieces. There are, however, very few appearances of such liberties; the volume bearing, for the most part, very plain negative testimony against the invocation of saints, by its general abstinence from such suspicious conclusions. 25 Confiteor Domino Deo cœli, et omnibus sanctis ejus, et tibi, castissima ac beatissima virgo Maria; quia peccavi nimis in factis, in verbis, in cogitatione, in locutione, in pollutione mentis et corporis, et omnibus operibus pravis, quibus homo mortalis peccare potest. Ideo precor te, sanctissima Dei genetrix Maria, omnesque sanctos et electos Dei, ut oretis ad Deum pro me miserrimo, et peccatore. Brit. Mus. MSS. Cotton. Tiberius, A. 3. f. 107. 26 In S. Mich. Archang. Orat. Adesto plebi tuæ misericors Deus, et ut gratiæ tuæ beneficia potiora percipiant, beatis Michaelis archangeli fac supplicem deprecationibus sublevari. per:" (Bibl. C. C. C. C. Portif. Osw. MS.) In f. 7. of Leofric's Missal, in the Bodleian Library, are also four prayers to God, supplicating for his aid, through the intercession of St. Michael. But these contain no address to the archangel personally. 27 God's saints are angels and men. Angels are spirits without bodies. Concerning them we fear to speak many things; because it (belongs) to God alone to know how their invisible nature, without any contamination or diminution, continueth in eternal purity." Wheloc. in Bed. p. 313. 28 Egwin, who became bishop of Worcester towards the close of the seventh century, has been charged by Bale, and the Centuriators of Magdeburg, with the introduction of image-worship into England. This prelate is said to have seen, in a dream, three female figures, one of whom he took for the Virgin Mary, and by whom he was enjoined to erect a monastery, and to place her image in it. Egwin built, in consequence, the monastery of Evesham; that place being the scene of his vision. He then went to Rome, obtained there a ratification of the privileges of his monastery, an approbation of his dream, and a promise of a legatine council in England, for naturalizing the worship of images. The story goes on to say, that the promised council was holden in London, in the year 710, and that it agreed, of course, to the wor |