Of divers Ceremonies of the Church of Rome.
ST. Gregory having appointed certain new Rites in the Church of Rome, was reprov'd for it by some of his Friends, who were disgusted with him for following the Customs of the Church of Constantinople, which he design'd to humble in every thing. They blam'd him chiefly for four things: 1. For saying Hallelujah at Mess on other days besides Whitsunday. 2. That the Sub-deacons were not in their Habit when they perform'd their Office. 3. For singing Kyrie Eleison, Lord have mer∣cy upon us. 4. For ordering the Lord's Prayer to be repeated, immediately after the Canon of the Mess. St. Gregory answers in general, That in none of these Heads he had follow'd the Custom of any other particular Church: That as to the Hallelujah, it came from the Church of Jerusalem, from which St Jerom took it and introduc'd it into the Church of Rome in the time of Pope Damasus: That in obliging the Sub-deacons to minister without their Habit, he had renew'd an ancient Custom, that had been abrogated by a Pope, whose name be knew not; That the Sub-deacons do only wear Linen Albes in the Church of Syracuse, which has receiv'd the Customs of the Roman Church its Mother, and not in the Greek Church; That formerly, Kyrie Eleison, was not wont to be said, and at present it is not said after the manner of the Greeks, who repeat it altogether, whereas at Rome the Clergy begin it, and the People respond to it, and as often as they do, Christe eleison is said; which Practice is not us'd among the Greeks: That in the daily Messes something is omitted of what us'd to be said at Mess, but then Kyrie eleison, and Christe eleison, is sung for a much longer time. As to what concerns the Lord's Prayer, he adds, That it is us'd immediately after the Canon, (post Pre∣cem) because the Apostles had a custom of Consecrating the Sacrifice of Oblation with this Prayer only, (ad ipsam solummodo Orationem) and that it did not appear to him proper, to repeat over the Oblation, a Prayer which had been made by a Civil Lawyer, and not to repeat over the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ, that Prayer which himself compos'd: And besides, that among the Greeks the Lord's Prayer is pronounc'd by all the People, but at Rome the Priest only says it, B. 7. Ind. 2. Ep. 64.
The Clergy of Rome would not have the Clergy men of the Church of Ravenna to wear the Map∣pulae: St. Gregory grants the use of them to the Deacons only, while they are administring their Of∣fice. The Bishop of Ravenna maintains, that all the Clergy-men ought to wear them, B. 2. Ind. 11. Ep. 55.
A Song was sung in the Church of Ravenna on the Easter Wax-Candle, B. 9. Ep. 28.
St. Gregory ordains Processions or Letanies in the time of War, B. 9. Ep. 45.
He permits Messes to be said in Houses, B. 5. Ep. 42 & 43. The Roman Church had not in his time any other History of the Martyrs but what is in Eusebius. She us'd only a Catalogue of the holy Martyrs for every day of the year, which noted barely the time and place of their Martyrdom, B. 7. Ind. 1. Ep. 3.
He forbids to travel on Sunday, but he does not think it unlawful to bathe on that day, when it is done for health, and not for pleasure, B. 11. Ep. 3.