Aberdeen Breviary: the Office of the Dead (printed at Edinburgh, 1509–10, for Bishop William Elphinstone)

When the Vigils of the Dead are Said

The Vigils of the Dead are said throughout the year, except on double feasts, in the octaves of the Epiphany and of other octaves, unless a body be present. They are said with nine psalms, nine antiphons and nine lessons whenever a body is present, or an anniversary or a thirtieth day falls, except in Eastertide. In Eastertide three psalms and three lessons are said, with three antiphons over the psalms.

In the daily obsequies of the dead, that is, when there is no body present and no anniversary or thirtieth day, the Vigils are said with three lessons only and nine psalms, with one antiphon over all the psalms at Vespers, which shall be "Placebo", and with this antiphon, "Dirige", over all the psalms before the lessons.

Vespers of the Dead (Placebo)

Antiphon: I will please the Lord in the land of the living. Psalm 116 (Dilexi).

Antiphon: Woe is me, that my sojourning is prolonged. Psalm 120 (Ad Dominum cum tribularer).

Antiphon: The Lord keep thee from all evil; may the Lord keep thy soul. Psalm 121 (Levavi).

Antiphon: If thou, Lord, wilt mark iniquities, Lord, who shall abide it? Psalm 130 (De profundis).

Antiphon: Despise not, O Lord, the works of thy hands. Psalm 138 (Confitebor).

V. From the gate of hell R. Deliver, O Lord, their souls.

Antiphon: I heard a voice from heaven saying, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord. The Magnificat.

Kyrie eleison. Christe eleison. Kyrie eleison. Our Father, and Hail Mary, without saying them aloud. And lead us not. Psalm 146 (Lauda, anima mea).

V. Rest eternal. R. And light perpetual. V. From the gate of hell. R. Deliver. V. I believe to see the good things of the Lord. R. In the land of the living. V. The Lord be with you. R. And with thy spirit.

When the body is present, this greater prayer is said at Placebo and at Dirige: O God, whose property is ever to have mercy and to spare, we humbly entreat thee for the soul of thy servant (or thy handmaid), whom thou hast commanded this day to pass out of this world: that thou deliver it not into the hands of the enemy, nor forget it at the last, but bid it be taken up by thy holy angels and brought to the country of the living; that, since it hoped and believed in thee, it may be found worthy to rejoice in the fellowship of thy saints. Through our Lord.

On the thirtieth day, for whomsoever it be: O God, whose property is ever to have mercy and to spare, be gracious to the soul of thy servant (or thy handmaid), and forgive all its sins; that, loosed from the bonds of death, it may be found worthy to pass to life.

On an anniversary: O Lord God of pardons, grant to the soul of thy servant (or thy handmaid), the anniversary of whose burial we keep, a seat of refreshment, the blessedness of rest, and the brightness of light.

For bishops departed: O God, who among the apostolic priests hast caused thy servants to be reckoned in the dignity of bishops: grant, we beseech thee, that they who for a time bore their office on earth may rejoice in their everlasting fellowship in heaven.

For brothers and sisters: O God, giver of pardon and lover of man's salvation, we beseech thy mercy that the brothers and sisters of our congregation who have passed out of this world may, by the intercession of blessed Mary ever virgin, of blessed Michael the archangel and of all thy saints, come to the fellowship of everlasting blessedness.

The general prayer: O God, the creator and redeemer of all the faithful, grant to the souls of all the faithful departed the remission of all their sins; that through our devout supplications they may obtain the pardon which they have always desired. Who with God the Father and the Holy Spirit livest and reignest God, world without end. The Lord be with you is not said, nor May they rest in peace.

Matins of the Dead (Dirige): the First Nocturn

Antiphon: Direct, O Lord my God, my way in thy sight. Psalm 5 (Verba mea).

Antiphon: Turn thee, O Lord, and deliver my soul: for in death there is none that is mindful of thee. Psalm 6 (Domine, ne in furore).

Antiphon: Lest he snatch my soul like a lion, while there is none to redeem nor to save. Psalm 7 (Domine Deus meus).

V. From the gate of hell R. Deliver, O Lord, their souls. Our Father. And lead us not is not said.

The first lesson (Job 7.16–21). Spare me, O Lord, for my days are nothing. What is man, that thou shouldest magnify him, or why settest thou thine heart upon him? Thou visitest him in the morning, and suddenly thou provest him. How long wilt thou not spare me, nor let me alone till I swallow down my spittle? I have sinned; what shall I do unto thee, O keeper of men? Why hast thou set me against thee, so that I am a burden to myself? Why dost thou not take away my sin, and why dost thou not remove mine iniquity? Behold, now I shall sleep in the dust; and if thou seek me in the morning, I shall not be.

R. I believe that my Redeemer liveth, and that I shall rise out of the earth at the last day: and in my flesh I shall see God my Saviour. V. Whom I myself shall see, and not another, and mine eyes shall behold. And in my flesh.

The second lesson (Job 10.1–7). My soul is weary of my life; I will let loose my speech against myself, I will speak in the bitterness of my soul. I will say unto God, Do not condemn me; show me why thou judgest me so. Doth it seem good unto thee that thou shouldest oppress me, the work of thine own hands, and help the counsel of the wicked? Hast thou eyes of flesh, or seest thou as man seeth? Are thy days as the days of man, and thy years as the times of men, that thou searchest after mine iniquity and enquirest after my sin, and knowest that I have done no wickedness, since there is none that can deliver out of thy hand?

R. Thou who didst raise up Lazarus from the tomb when he stank, do thou, O Lord, grant them rest and a place of pardon. V. Thou who art to come to judge the quick and the dead, and the world by fire. Do thou.

The third lesson (Job 10.8–12). Thy hands have made me and fashioned me wholly round about, and dost thou so suddenly cast me down? Remember, I beseech thee, that thou hast made me as the clay, and wilt bring me into dust again. Hast thou not milked me out as milk, and curdled me like cheese? Thou hast clothed me with skin and flesh, and hast knit me together with bones and sinews. Thou hast granted me life and mercy, and thy visitation hath preserved my spirit.

R. Lord, when thou comest to judge the earth, where shall I hide me from the face of thy wrath? For I have sinned exceedingly in my life. V. I tremble at my misdeeds, and blush before thee: when thou comest to judge, condemn me not. For I have sinned. This responsory is repeated only when the body is present, for whomsoever it be, and on the anniversaries of bishops; and so also with the sixth and ninth.

Dirige: the Second Nocturn

Antiphon: In a place of pasture there hath he set me. Psalm 23 (Dominus regit me).

Antiphon: Remember not, O Lord, the sins of my youth and my ignorances. Psalm 25 (Ad te, Domine, levavi).

Antiphon: I believe to see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living. Psalm 27 (Dominus illuminatio).

V. The righteous shall be in everlasting remembrance; R. he shall not be afraid of evil tidings.

The fourth lesson (Job 13.23–28). How many are mine iniquities and sins? Show me my transgressions and offences. Why hidest thou thy face, and holdest me for thine enemy? Against a leaf that is driven by the wind thou showest thy power, and thou pursuest the dry stubble. For thou writest bitter things against me, and wouldest consume me with the sins of my youth. Thou hast put my feet in the stocks, and hast watched all my paths, and hast marked the prints of my feet; and I, as a rotten thing, shall be consumed, and as a garment that is eaten of the moth.

R. Woe is me, Lord, for I have sinned exceedingly in my life. What shall I do, wretch that I am? Whither shall I flee but to thee, my God? Have mercy upon me when thou comest at the last day. V. My soul is sore troubled; but thou, Lord, succour it. When thou comest.

The fifth lesson (Job 14.1–6). Man that is born of a woman liveth but a short time, and is filled with many miseries. He cometh forth like a flower and is trodden down, and fleeth as a shadow, and never continueth in one state. And dost thou think it meet to open thine eyes upon such a one, and to bring him into judgement with thee? Who can make him clean that is conceived of unclean seed? Is it not thou, who only art? The days of man are short, and the number of his months is with thee; thou hast appointed his bounds, which cannot be passed. Turn away from him a little, that he may rest, until his wished-for day come, as the day of an hireling.

R. Remember not my sins, O Lord, when thou comest to judge the world by fire. V. Direct, O Lord my God, my way in thy sight. When thou comest.

The sixth lesson (Job 14.13–16). Who will grant me this, that thou wouldest protect me in hell, and hide me until thy wrath be past, and appoint me a time when thou wilt remember me? Shall a dead man, thinkest thou, live again? All the days in which I now am at warfare I wait, until my change come. Thou shalt call me, and I will answer thee; to the work of thy hands thou shalt reach out thy right hand. Thou indeed hast numbered my steps; but spare my sins.

R. Lord, judge me not according to my deeds; I have done nothing worthy in thy sight: therefore I beseech thy majesty that thou, O God, wouldest blot out mine iniquity. V. Wash me yet more, O Lord, from mine unrighteousness, and cleanse me from my sin, for against thee only have I sinned. Therefore I beseech.

Dirige: the Third Nocturn

Antiphon: Be pleased, O Lord, to deliver me; look upon me to help me. Psalm 40 (Expectans).

Antiphon: Heal my soul, O Lord, for I have sinned against thee. Psalm 41 (Beatus qui intelligit).

Antiphon: My soul is athirst for God, the living fountain: when shall I come and appear before the face of the Lord? Psalm 42 (Quemadmodum).

V. Rest eternal R. And light perpetual.

The seventh lesson (Job 17.1–3, 11–15). My spirit is wasted, my days are shortened, and only the grave remaineth for me. I have not sinned, and yet mine eye abideth in bitterness. Deliver me, O Lord, and set me beside thee, and let any man's hand fight against me. My days are past, my thoughts are scattered, tormenting my heart. They have turned night into day, and after darkness again I hope for light. If I wait, the grave is mine house, and I have made my bed in darkness. I have said to corruption, Thou art my father; to the worms, my mother and my sister. Where then is now my hope, and my patience? Thou art my Lord God.

R. Sinning daily and not repenting, the fear of death troubleth me: for in hell there is no redemption. Have mercy upon me, O God, and save me. V. Save me, O God, by thy name, and deliver me in thy strength.

The eighth lesson (Job 19.20–27). My bone cleaveth to my skin, my flesh being consumed, and only my lips are left about my teeth. Have pity upon me, have pity upon me, at least ye my friends, for the hand of the Lord hath touched me. Why do ye persecute me as God, and are not satisfied with my flesh? Who will grant me that my words may be written? Who will grant me that they may be graven in a book with an iron pen, or on a plate of lead, or cut with a chisel in the rock? For I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that at the last day I shall rise out of the earth; and I shall be clothed again with my skin, and in my flesh I shall see God my Saviour, whom I myself shall see, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another. This my hope is laid up in my bosom.

R. Rest eternal grant them, O Lord, and let light perpetual shine upon them. V. Thou who didst raise Lazarus, when he stank, from the tomb, grant them, O Lord, rest.

The ninth lesson (Job 10.18–22). Why didst thou bring me forth out of the womb? O that I had been consumed, that no eye had seen me! I should have been as though I had not been, carried from the womb to the grave. Shall not the fewness of my days be ended shortly? Let me alone therefore, that I may lament my sorrow a little, before I go, and return not, to a land that is dark and covered with the mist of death; a land of misery and darkness, where the shadow of death is, and no order, but everlasting horror dwelleth.

R. Deliver me, O Lord, from eternal death in that dreadful day, when the heavens and the earth shall be moved, when thou shalt come to judge the world by fire. V. That day is a day of wrath, calamity and misery, a great day and exceeding bitter, when the heavens and the earth shall be moved. V. What then shall I, most wretched, say or do, when I shall bring nothing good before so great a judge? V. Now, Christ, we pray thee, have mercy, we beseech thee: thou who camest to redeem the lost, condemn not the redeemed. Deliver me is then repeated.

The responsory which is kept throughout the year at the Vigils of the dead with three lessons: R. Deliver me, O Lord, from the ways of hell, who didst break the gates of brass and visit hell, and gavest them light that they might see thee, who were in the pains of darkness. V. Crying and saying, Thou art come, our Redeemer. Who didst break. Before Lauds: May they rest in peace. Amen.

Lauds of the Dead

Antiphon: The bones that were humbled shall rejoice in the Lord. Psalm 51 (Miserere).

Antiphon: Hear my prayer, O Lord; unto thee shall all flesh come. Psalm 65 (Te decet).

Antiphon: Thy right hand hath upheld me, O Lord. Psalm 63 (Deus, Deus meus).

Antiphon: From the gate of hell deliver, O Lord, my soul. The Song of Hezekiah (Ego dixi).

Antiphon: Let every spirit praise the Lord. Psalm 148 (Laudate). V. Rest eternal.

Antiphon: I am the resurrection and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live; and whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. The Benedictus.

Kyrie eleison. Christe eleison. Kyrie eleison. Our Father, without saying it aloud. And lead us not. Then Psalm 30 (Exaltabo). V. Rest eternal. R. And light perpetual. V. From the gate of hell. R. Deliver, O Lord. V. I believe to see the good things of the Lord. R. In the land of the living. V. The Lord be with you. R. And with thy spirit.

With the body present, at Lauds is said the greater prayer "O God, whose property". On anniversaries two prayers are said, the lesser "O God, whose property". Within the thirtieth day two prayers are said: Almighty and everlasting God, who art never besought without hope of mercy, be merciful to the soul of thy servant (or thy handmaid); that, as it departed this life in the confession of thy name, thou mayest cause it to be joined to the number of thy saints.

For bishops departed, at Lauds: O God, whose mercy is without number, receive our prayers for the souls of thy servants our bishops. [The prayer continues as in the Sarum use.]

The Commendation of Souls

Be it noted that whenever a body is present, or an anniversary or thirtieth day falls, throughout the year the Commendation of souls is said with chant immediately after Prime, before the Mass for the dead. The psalms are begun by a clerk of the upper rank, with this antiphon: Rest eternal grant them, O Lord, and let light perpetual shine upon them. Psalm 119 (Beati immaculati), as far as the beginning of Psalm 120 (Ad Dominum cum tribularer), without Gloria Patri; then the whole antiphon is repeated.

Kyrie eleison. Christe eleison. Kyrie eleison. Our Father, without saying it aloud. And lead us not. Then Psalm 139 (Domine, probasti) without chant, ending without Gloria Patri. And the Commendation is always said seated, in the manner described, as far as the antiphon said over the psalms.

V. Rest eternal grant them, O Lord. R. And light perpetual shine upon them. V. From the gate of hell. R. Deliver, O Lord, their souls. V. I believe to see the good things of the Lord. R. In the land of the living. V. The Lord be with you. R. And with thy spirit. Let us pray.

Unto thee, O Lord, we commend the souls of thy servants and handmaids, and of all the faithful departed, that, being dead to the world, they may live unto thee; and whatever sins they have committed through the frailty of their life in the world, do thou wash away by the pardon of thy most merciful goodness. Through Christ our Lord. Amen. May they rest in peace. Amen.