THE MEANING OF THE RITUAL.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1160, 22 June 1911, Page 10

THE MEANING OF THE RITUAL.

Series of Inteasely Symbolic Ceremonies. The meaning of a coronation may Iks concisely stated. After the King's "election" in the Abbey, he enters into, a solemn compact wit.ii his subjects by cath to maintain their rights on all occasions. Tho service is a series ■ of intensely symbolic ceremonies. For instance, the investiture of the ring signifies an espousal of the King to his people—thus it is partly a wedding service; and the presentation of the spurs signifies a bestowal of knighthood. It recalls the form and manner of making, ordaining, and consecrating the clergy, as at ono point of the ritual the King is temporarily vested in a dalmatic, with maniple and stole worn deacon-wise. It is an elaborate celebration of tho Holy Communion, and it is also an anointing, like that of tho high priests and the kings of Israel. Temporal power and dignity are bestowed upon the King by the presentation of various inanimate objects previously consecrated, to all of which a deep meaning is attached. He receives his crown from off the altar, thus acknowledging tho source of all earthly power. Crownless he kneels before it, as an act of devotion on receiving the Eucharistic elements, and his coronation as a whole is intended to be typical of, the spiritual homage' and obedience duo from all to the King of Kings. The service, which is rich, intricate, and, expressive, is not-sanctioned by any Act of Parliament, and is purely a creation of the Church, which thus by immemorial, custom consecrates the State in the person of the Sovereign. The King of this realm is one of the-, few occuponts of the Throne who still at their, inauguration receive the sacred unction. The most important part of the service is tho anointing of the King with holy oil, a custom which is undoubtedly of Scriptural origin, as is shown by the following verses:— "Then Samuel took a vial of oil, and poured it upon his (Saul's) head, and kissed him, and said, Is it not because the lord hath anointed " thee to be captain over His inheritance?" "And tho Lord said unto Samuel, How long wilt thou mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? 'Fill-thine-horn . with oil, and go, I will send theo to Jesse, tho Betlilemite, for I have provided Me a King among his sons." "Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him (David) in tho midst of his brethren: and the spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward." "And Zadok tho priest took tho' horn of oil out of the tabernacle, and anointed Solomo'j. And they blew tho - trumpets; and all the people said, God save King Solomon." - First King of the English. The rite of -a'n'oiuting Kings can be traced farther back in the history of our land than of any other country. Gildas, the historian of the British people, during tho existence of tho .British Church, states .that Kings were then anointed with oil. In the pontifical of Egbert, Archbishop of York, A.D. 73G, tho rito of unction formed part of tlio ceremony of coronation. Egbert, first King of tho English, was crowned with fjreat solemnity, tho Saxon chronicle stating that 1 by the use of holy oil Egbert was "hallowed to King." With reference to tho manner in which this rite was performed it is probablo that Kings like priests knelt to receive the holy unction. It is recorded of the coronation of Henry .VII, "the Cardinal sitting shall anoint the King kneeling," arid in - tho directions for the coronation of Henry VIII it is ordered: "Tho saitl Cardinal, sitting, shall anoint the King, kneeling on .cushions." The u-so of holy oil in the - Divine offices being symbolical of the.inward anointing of the soul with the unction of the Holy Spirit, the' employment of it in the coronation scrvico has ever..been,-.hold to. confer a of the Sovereign. Robert Grossetest, .Bishop of Lincoln, in writing to Henry 111, informs him that .the oil used upon Kings is an outward sign whereby-is received the sevenfold gifts of the Holy Spirit. It was from having been anointed with the sacred oil that our Kings-have, received the style, "Dpi. Gratia," as-an old'writer" of the fourteenth century tells us. Having received- the holy'.'.'unction the Sovereign . is next ,:arra.veit 'in the regal vestments peculiar to. his-'. Divine office. Upon his head is placed a piece of square linen,_ called an amice, from the word amicrire, "to cover," originally intended as -a protection of -the neck against tho snn. It was first put on. over the head, and let down over the ears and neck, after the next vestment, the alb, was put on. It is recorded of the coronation of William IV that a "coif of lawn was delivered by the Lord Great Chamberlain to tho Archbishop, and by him placed on . the King's head." After this came ail alb, with short sleeves, tho nib being an ecclesiastical vestment of great antiqiiity,- from which tho surplice is probably derived. This vestment, reaching to the heels, is fastened round the waist with a girdle of . tho same material as 1 10 lb. Although usually made of linen, these albs were composed sometimes of silk, or oven richer material, differing in quality according to. the degree ortho wearer. At William IV's coronation the Dean of Westminster- received from tho officers of the Wardrobe the supertunica of cloth of gold and a girdle of the same with wmch the Dean arraved his Majesty. _ A narrow strip of silk, called a stole, is then placed upon the King's shoulders, reaching on both sides to his waist. This stole is a vestment appropriate to tho deacon or priest, and worn in Sacramental offices. And then', in order to further accentuate the fact that tli* Ivmg has now. by unction, been admitted to a Divine office, he is invested with the Royal dalmatic, or pall. This vestment is peculiar to the office of deacon, and w-orn by him in his ministrations at tho altar; it is worn also by a Bishop under tho chasuble when he celebrates the Holy .Eucharist in ecclesiastical vestments. This dalmatic is a loo»e robe going down to a little' below the knees, open at the sides from a few inches below tho armpit. It will be oilServed from this brief description that these vestments used at the Coronation of' tho Sovereign, although differing more or less in detail from those worn by men in Holy Orders at Sacramental services, are essentially ecclcsiastical. To the observant spectator the King appears by his dress to bo one holding an ecclesiastical office, as the following extract from the account of the Coronation of Henry VI will show:— ' "They rayed hymn lyko as a bysshop should say masse, with a dalmatyk and a stole about his neeke. And also as tosyn and shone and copys and gloves lyko a bysshop. ■ And then agon they set "Seynt Edward's crowns on ho liede." Yes, a I crown instead pf a mitre, and with this tho actual Coronation is completed. Sources of the Service, The service is for the main part identical with that prescribed for the Coronation of Richard I, and, in fact, it can bo traced as far back as tho eighth century, the pontificial of Egbert, Archbishop of York, a.d. 795. It is also adopted and included in the pontificals of Salisbury, Winchester, and Exeter. Theso churches adopted and included it in their bishop book because this office formed ono of ithc chief duties of the bishops of the Church.At tho same time it was not described, as being of the use of Saruin, or any other diocesan use, but "according to tho use of tho Church of England." This appears to indicate that there was but ono authorised' copy of the service for uso at the Coronation of the Sovereigns of England, from which the office in each of these pontificals was derived, and this authorised copy is doubtless "tho Royal Book," or "Liber Rcgalis," being tho "Book of the Royal Ofiioo ito bo performed and observed according to tho uso of the Royal Church of Westminster." This book remains in the custody of the Deaa of Westminster. It is a most valuable volume, "a thin folio of [IS leaves of vellum." There are four illuminations in it, each occupying nearly a page, prefixed to the offices which correspoml—(l) of a King being crowned; (2) of a King and Queen crowned together; (.1) of a Queen alone; (1) of a King lying in Slate. These illuminations are executed upon a very rich ground of highly-burnished gold; with scrolls, according to the fashion of that time, represented by minuto punctures upon the surfaces. Tho date of the manuscript cannot be later than the reign of Richard 11, for whose Coronation it

has been supposed to have been written. As to tho authority by which the Coronation service is from lime to liino revised an order is made by tho King-in-C'ouncil directing the Archbishop of Canterbury to prepare a "form and order," due attention being given to the wishes of the Sovereigns on points of detail. But the Archbishop has also a duty to perform to the Church that nothing shall lie omitted which through many generations has been held as essential to the service. No other country in tho world can show a Coronation service so old as ours. Isext to it would come tho French service, were it still in use. But no Kings of l'rance are now crowned at Rheiins. The earliest forms of the English service after certain preliminaries begin with the office of tho Holy Communion, and presently comes a collect, which has been used ever since. "0 God, who providest for Thy people by Thy power, and rulost over them in love," a collect which, with a few words changed, was taken from a yet more ancient service, for tho consecration of a bishop. Then next, when tho Archbishop pours the oil on tho head of tho King, the choir sings the words which Handel's music has made now so familiar to uj. "Zadok the -priest and Nathan the prophet anointed Solomon King, and the people rejoiced, and said, 'God save the King, Long live the King,-may tho King live for ever.'" Then comes a prayer of which a portion still survives; and again, fifteen short blessings, each followed by its loud "Amen." Then a sceptre is placed, with a prayer, in the hands of the King. Then tho bishops place the crown on his head, and the whole assembly shout, "May tho King live for ever" three times, with a threefold "Amen." And so the service proceeds, and the King receives the Holy Communion. Here wo have all tho essential parts of tho service.