Omnes sollemnitates beate Marie cum pannis et vestibus nigris. A Dominica septuagesime usque in passione domini sicuti et adventu cum vestimentis nigris.

A Dominica passionis usque ad Sabbatum pasche diaconus et subdiaconus casulas excepto dominico die in ramis palmarum et ad evangelium et prophetias ubi habet dalmaticam . . . casula rubea tantum et ad crucem representandam cappis rubeis.

In Sabbato pasche ante altare pannus rubeus usque ad Kirie eleison et tunc ponatur albus pannus et de cetero usque in ascensione Domini cum albis vestibus omnes nisi aliqua festivitas occurrerit, et in ascensione domini ante altare pannus celestis et omnia vestimenta eiusdem coloris sicut in Epiphania domini.

In sancto die pentecostes pannus rubeus ante altare et omnes induuntur vestibus rubeis et in die trinitatis similiter. Et in nativitate beati Johannis cum vestibus albis et pannus albus ante altare et per totas octavas. Et in festivitate Apostolorum Petri, et Pauli cum panno rubeo et vestimentis eiusdem coloris. Et in festivitate sanctae crucis in inventione, et in exaltatione cum panno rubeo, et vestibus rubeis et crux sancta super altare ad missam. In festo S. Michaelis cum panno celesti et omnibus vestimentis eiusdem coloris sicuti in Epiphania et ascensione. Festivitas omnium sanctorum omnium colorum pannus altaris, albus et rubeus deauratus.

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It will be seen that the colour for the last fortnight of Lent is here wanting, but it is given incidentally in a rubric for Passion Sunday at p. 34 of Giovene, note rubicundis infulis, and for Palm Sunday also on p. 34 of Giovene for Mass, casulis coccineis, that is, red; and this colour might be expected from analogy with many dioceses of Western Christendom.

The first point that strikes the ritualist in looking over this sequence is the strange fact that black is assigned to feasts of the Blessed Virgin. Now in all the liturgical books that I have come across, white is invariably given as the colour of Blessed Mary. To this there is no exception; but it appears that by a special licence the Spanish dioceses, and also some churches of Naples, are allowed to wear blue for feasts of the B. V. M.1

Berrisch tells us also that in the diocese of Köln (Colen in English, Cologne in French) blue is not looked upon as a substitute for violet, but is allowed to be used instead of white, especially on feasts of the B. V. M.2 It is called MutterGottes-Farbe. (Colour of the Mother of God.)

1 Nic. Gihr, Das heilige Messopfer, 3te Auflage, 1884, p. 282 note 3. Daniel Rock, Church of our Fathers, 1849, ij. 259. 2 E. Berrisch, Die Stola, Köln, Rommerskirchen, 1867, p. 69 note.

Now, from a liturgical point of view, black, violet, and blue are the same, that is they may be used one in place of the other. Thus the Jerusalem sequence throws light on the custom in Naples and Spain, and no doubt the use of black for the Blessed Virgin will be thought to be an allusion to the nigra sum sed formosa of the Canticles.

It has been said that black and violet are identical from a liturgical point of view, and therefore the use of black for Advent at Jerusalem corresponds with the ordinary violet of to-day. It may also be noted that black is used throughout Christmas Eve, through the first vespers of Christmas, and at mattins on Christmas Day. The first mass of Christmas at the Holy Sepulchre was also in black, the second in red, the third and chief mass in white. This was a common medieval custom. It is spoken of by Durandus, and was practised at Paris and Lyons even in the nineteenth century. The same three colours were also used in succession at Easter, one being changed for the other at the end of each lesson at Mattins.

For the Circumcision red is by no means an uncommon colour, but I have never before seen black ordered, though at Mentz an analogous

colour, blue, was used. Blue for the Epiphany is also very rare. I only know of one instance where a like colour is used, and that is violet at Soissons.

Black from Septuagesima to Passion Sunday and red thence to Easter is so common that it needs no comment, and the same may be said of white at Easter and red at Whitsuntide. But for blue at Ascensiontide I have found no precedent. Blue was used at Wells and Westminster as well as at Jerusalem on Michaelmas Day, and divers colours for All Hallows were not unknown. The ferial colour at Jerusalem is not given. It is very likely that it was red, if we may infer so much from its likeness to other rites which have red for their ferial colour.

THE LENTEN VEIL IN SPAIN AND SICILY TO-DAY

Survival of the Use in Sicily of the Lenten

Veil hung between the Quire and Presbytery in the First Decade of the Twentieth Century 1

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HE Church Antiquaries tell us that in England in the Middle Ages there was hung a great veil between the quire and the presbytery during the season of Lent, that is from the first Sunday in Lent to Easter, and that traces of this custom continue into the reign of Elizabeth.

With the nineteenth-century revival of medieval customs the great Lenten veil has not been brought into much use in England. There is one instance that I know of at the Church of St. Mary, Southtown, Great Yarmouth, where it was in use in 1903, but I understand that it is no longer retained.

1 Notes taken in the Lent of 1908, published in Church Times, March 1909, p. 354.