CHAPTER XIX. BENEDICTION OF MILITARY 66 As the Anglo-Catholic Church declares that "it is lawful for Christian men, at the commandment of the magistrate, to wear weapons and serve in the wars," (Art. xxXVII.) and as she prays for the victory" of the temporal sovereign "over all his enemies," it is fitting that the sanction of religion should be given in a more especial manner to the military profession, by the benediction and consecration of the ensigns under which armies and their component divisions are marshalled. Hence it has been long customary in England, to consecrate standards and colours previously to their presentation to their respective regiments. This custom may be traced to a considerable antiquity in the western Church (we find no trace of it in the Oriental rituals). A standard was sent by pope Leo III. to the emperor Charlemagne A. D. 796. The Oriflamme or banner of the abbey of St. Denis was taken by the kings of France, on occasions of great emergency, from the altar of that abbey, and on such occasions it was always consecrated and blessed. Louis VI. received the Oriflamme A. D. 1119 and 1125, and a writer of that period speaks of this as an ancient custom of the French kings. In the Ordo Romanus, taken from manuscripts of about the tenth century, we find the form of consecrating the banner of a knight, and the same form is comprised in a manuscript Pontifical of Durandus, written about the thirteenth century, and in the Roman Pontifical of later times. The consecration of a knight's pennon or gonfanon was indeed an essential feature in the solemn religious ceremonial by which he was elevated to the rank of knighthood in those ages. The consecration of standards for an army or a regiment is merely a different form of the same general idea. a " The office for the "consecration of regimental standards and colours commences with the Lord's Prayer, after which two collects are repeated, which I shall compare with the form of consecrating a knight's banner in the ancient Ordo Romanus. Almighty and most merciful ORDO AD ARMANDUM ECCLE Father, our shield and buckler, our protector and preserver, the strength of all that put their trust in thee; with profound reverence and humility, and under a deep sense of our unworthiness, but in an entire dependence upon thy compassion and loving kindness, we prostrate ourselves at thy footstool. Justice and judg a For a correct copy of this office, as at present used, I am indebted to the kindness of the SIÆ DEFENSOREM VEL ALIUM MILITEM. Inprimis benedicat episcopus vexillum ejus hoc modo. Oremus. Omnipotens sempiterne Deus, qui es cunctorum benedictio et triumphantium fortitudo, respice propitius ad preces humilitatis nostræ, et hoc vexillum, quod bellico usui est præ Chaplain-general of her Majesty's forces. ment are the habitation of thy seat, and mercy and truth go before thy face. We approach thee, O Father, and pray unto thee for the light of thy countenance upon us; and we beseech thee to incline thine ear unto our petition, and to hearken to the voice of our humble supplications. We implore thy blessing upon the standard to be presented this day by to, and with all lowliness of mind and humility of spirit we now consecrate it in thy holy name, to the cause of peace and happiness, truth and justice, religion and piety. We pray that it may be always borne by this regiment as a token and pledge of their duty, fidelity, and honour; of their loyalty and zeal, their fortitude and valour in the service of our most gracious queen; and in the maintenance of our holy religion, our constitution and laws; and we beseech thee, O Father, that it may be as the ensign and banner of their Christian profession; and that they may put their hope, and trust, and confidence in thee the Lord of hosts, without whose aid vain is the help of man. Finally, we pray that thy servants now before thee, and that all the forces of our queen, throughout her dominions, for whom we are also paratum, cœlesti benedictione sanctifica; ut contra adversarios et rebelles nationes sit validum, tuoque numine circumseptum, sitque inimicis Christiani populi terribile, atque in te confidentibus solidamentum et certa fiducia victoriæ. Tu es namque Deus qui conteris bella, et cœlestis præsidii sperantibus in te præstas auxilium, per unicum Filium tuum Dominum nostrum, qui tecum vivit et regnat. Post benedicat lanceam. Domine Deus omnipotens, lux et vita fabricæ mundi, qui per manus Tubalcain ad usus hominum fabrilia opera instituisti, respice propitius nostri deprecationem officii ad benedicendam hanc lanceam militaris instrumenti, qui a milite latus Filii tui Domini nostri Jesu Christi, pro nostra salute in cruce pendentis, permisisti lancea perforari; et per nomen ejusdem Filii tui eam sic consecrare et benedicere digneris, ut is qui eam tulerit, des ei prosperum signum tuæ defensionis, sicut dedisti Gedeoni, Sauli, David quoque regi; ut tuis semper fultus auxiliis, congaudeat et lætetur in te in omnibus prosperitatibus suis. Per eundem Dominum. Deinde alligetur vexillum lanceæ, et tenente eum milite aspergat eam episcopus aqua : bound to offer up prayers and supplications, may follow the example of the devout centurion, who, amidst the tumult of arms, feared Thee with all his house; and may not, at any time, be led aside from the path of duty but that in all their words and actions, and in their different ranks and stations, they may continually set Thee before them, and bear in mind the solemn injunction to honour all men, to love the brotherhood, to fear God, and honour the queen. All this we ask through the merits of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. benedicta, et dicat: Oremus. Inclina, Domine Jesu Salvator omnium, ac redemptor animarum, aures tuæ pietatis ad preces nostræ humilitatis, et per interventum B. Michaelis archangeli tui omniumque cœlestium virtutum, præsta huic viro auxilium dexteræ tuæ, et sicut benedixisti Abraham adversum quinque reges triumphantem, atque David regem in tui nominis laude triumphales congressus exercentem, ita et hunc benedicere et sanctificare digneris contra hostilem rabiem, ob defensionem sanctæ ecclesiæ vexillum istud deferre cupientem, quatenus in nomine tuo fideles, et defensores populi Dei illud sequentes per virtutem sanctæ crucis triumphum et victoriam se de hostibus adquisisse lætentur; qui cum Deo Patre et Spiritu Sancto vivit ". Another prayer follows, which contains petitions for the sovereign. It may be added, that this form is not always strictly attended to. The bishop of Winchester (Dr. Sumner) recently consecrated banners in his diocese with prayers somewhat differing from those of the above formulary. bOrdo Romanus, apud Hit- Ecclesiæ Ritibus, lib. ii. cap. torp. De Officiis Divinis, p. xii. 178; Martene, De Antiquis CHAPTER XX. CEREMONIES ON HOLY THURSDAY. THE ancient rites of the "mandatum" or "maundy,' on Holy Thursday, or "Coena Domini," were in remembrance of the humility of our blessed Lord, who on the night that he was betrayed, washed the feet of his disciples. Hence it was customary in many churches to wash the feet of the poor. Ambrose and Bernard speak of this rite as a sort of sacrament; but it was not originally in use in the Roman church. It was practised on Holy Thursday in the eighth century, as Alcuin, in his book of offices, gives the form of celebrating the rite. It also appears in the ancient Ordo Romanus; in the sacramentary of Gregory, published by Pamelius; and in an ancient MS. Pontifical of the English Church, of the tenth century. This rite, a Ambros. de Sacramentis, lib. iii. cap. 1; Liber de Mysteriis, cap. vi.; Bernardus, Sermo in Cœna Domini, cui titulus est De Baptismo Sacramenti Altaris, et Ablutione pedum, tom. i. p. 890-892. See also Gavanti, Thesaurus à Merati, t. i. p. 429, 430; Du Cange, Glossarium, voce Mandatum. b Ambros. ubi supra. Alcuin. De Officiis, apud Hittorp. p. 248. d Ordo Romanus, apud Hittorp. p. 68. e Pamelii Liturg. Latin. t. iii. p. 549. f In the British 'Museum, Tiberius, c. i., Bede mentions the ablution of feet on Holy Thursday. Vita S. Cuthberti, c. 18. |