THE NINTH.

The Versicle.

ORD, by Thy sweet and saving sign,

The Responsor.

Defend us from our foes and Thine.

Ver. Thou shalt open my lips, O Lord;

Res. And my mouth shall declare Thy praise.
Ver. O God, make speed to save me.

Res. O Lord, make haste to help me.
Ver. Glory be to, &c.

Res. As it was in, &c.

The Hymn.

The ninth with awful horror hark'ned to those groans
Which taught attention even to rocks and stones.
Hear, Father, hear! Thy Lamb, at last, complains
Of some more painful thing than all His pains.
Then bows His all-obedient head, and dies,

His own love's and our sin's great sacrifice.

The sun saw that, and would have seen no more;

The centre shook, her useless veil th' inglorious temple

tore.

The Antiphon.

O, strange mysterious strife
Of open death and hidden life!

When on the Cross my King did bleed
Life seem'd to die, death died indeed.

The Versicle.

Lo, we adore Thee,
Dread Lamb! and fall

Thus low before Thee;

The Responsor.

'Cause by the covenant of Thy Cross Thou hast saved at once the whole world's loss.

The Prayer.

O, my Lord Jesu Christ, Son of the living God! interpose, I pray Thee, Thine own precious death, Thy Cross and Passion, betwixt my soul and Thy judgment, now and in the hour of my death. And vouchsafe to grant me Thy grace and mercy; to the living and dead, remission and rest; to Thy Church, peace and concord; to us sinners, life and glory everlasting. Who livest and reignest with the Father, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

EVENSONG.

The Versicle.

ORD, by Thy sweet and saving sign,

The Responsor.

Defend us from our foes and Thine.

Ver. Thou shalt open my lips, O Lord;
Res. And my mouth shall declare Thy praise.
Ver. O God, make speed to save me.

Res. O Lord, make haste to help me.
Ver. Glory be to, &c.

Res. As it was in, &c.

The Hymn.

But there were rocks would not relent at this.
Lo, for their own hearts they rend His !
Their deadly hate lives still, and hath
A wild reserve of wanton wrath;

Superfluous spear! but there's a heart stands by
Will look no wounds be lost, no death shall die.
Gather now thy grief's ripe fruit, great Mother-maid!
Then sit thee down, and sing thy evensong in the sad
tree's shade.

The Antiphon.

O sad, sweet tree!
Woeful and joyful, we

Both weep and sing in shade of thee:
When the dear nails did lock

And graft into thy gracious stock

The hope, the health,

The worth, the wealth

Of all the ransom'd world, thou hadst the power,

And

prove

In that propitious hour,

To poise each precious limb,

how light the world was when it weigh'd with Him.

Wide may'st thou spread

Thine arms; and with thy bright and blissful head
O'erlook all Libanus! Thy lofty crown

The King Himself is; thou His humble throne.
Where yielding, and yet conquering, He
Proved a new path of patient victory,
When wond'ring death by death was slain,
And our captivity His captive ta'en.

The Versicle.

Lo, we adore Thee,

Dread Lamb! and bow thus low before Thee;

The Responsor.

'Cause by the covenant of Thy Cross Thou hast saved the world from certain loss.

The Prayer.

O, my Lord Jesu Christ, Son of the living God! interpose, I pray Thee, Thine own precious death, Thy Cross and Passion, betwixt my soul and Thy judgment,

N

now and in the hour of my death.

And vouchsafe to

grant me Thy grace and mercy; to the living and dead, remission and rest; to Thy Church, peace and concord; to us sinners, life and glory everlasting. Who livest and reignest with the Father, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

COMPLIN.

The Versicle.

ORD, by Thy sweet and saving sign,

The Responsor.

Defend us from our foes and Thine.

Ver. Thou shalt open my lips, O Lord;

Res. And my mouth shall declare Thy praise.

Ver. O God, make speed to save me.

Res. O Lord, make haste to help me.

Ver. Glory be to, &c.

Res. As it was in, &c.

The Hymn.

The complin hour comes last, to call

Us to our own life's funeral.

Ah, heartless task! yet hope takes heed,
And lives in Him that here lies dead.
Run, Mary, run! bring hither all the blest
Arabia, for thy royal phoenix' nest;