R.

O Lord, make haste to help me!

V. Glory be to, etc.

R. As it was in the, etc.

THE HYMN.

Now is the noon of Sorrows night:
High in His patience, as their spite,

Lo, the faint Lamb, with weary limb

Bears that huge tree which must bear Him.
The fatal plant, so great of fame,

For fruit of sorrow and of shame,

Shall swell with both, for Him; and mix

All woes into one crucifix.

Is tortured thirst itself too sweet a cup?

Gall, and more bitter mocks, shall make it up.

Are nails blunt pens of superficial smart?

Contempt and scorn can send sure wounds to search the

inmost heart.

The Antiphon.

O dear and sweet dispute

'Twixt Death's and Love's far different fruit !
Different as far

As antidotes and poisons are

By that first fatal tree

Both life and liberty

Were sold and slain;

By this they both look up, and live again.

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 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 unto me Thy grace and mercy; unto all quick 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.

THE NINTH.

The Versicle.

LORD, by Thy sweet and saving sign,

The Responsor.

Defend us from our foes and Thine.

V. Thou shalt open my lips, O Lord,

R.

And my mouth shall shew forth Thy praise.

V. O God, make speed to save me!

R. O Lord, make haste to help me!

V. Glory be to, etc.

THE HYMN.

The ninth with awful horror hearkened 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 sins' 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,

Dear 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 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 unto me Thy grace and mercy; unto all quick 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.

EVEN-SONG.

The Versicle.

LORD, by Thy sweet and saving sign!
The Responsor.

Defend us from our foes and Thine.

V. Thou shalt open my lips, O Lord!

R. And my mouth shall shew forth Thy praise.

V. O God, make speed to save me!

R. O Lord, make haste to help me!
V. Glory be to, etc.

R. As it was in the, etc.

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 thine even-song 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 ransomed World, thou hadst the power

(In that propitious hour)

To poise each precious limb,

And prove how light the World was, when it weighed with Him.

Wide mayest 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 Wondering 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.