VESPERS: The principal evening service of the Breviary (q.v.). - In signification it was held to correspond to the evening sacrifice of the Old Testament, and also to commemorate the descent from the cross, the interrelation of the canonical hours being given in the mnemonic verses:

" Matins bindeth Christ, who purgeth our evil away;

Prime sees him spat upon, and terce condemns him to death; Sext him doth crucify, nonce pierceth his aide;

Vespers takes him from the cross, at compline he rests in the tomb.'.'

And a third mystic meaning is given vespers by the fact that it is recited about the hour of the day when the Last Supper was celebrated.

Vespers was the first canonical hour to be added to the original three, terce, sext, and nonce (Dan. vi. 10; Acts ii. 15, iii. 1, x. 9), which alone were known to Clement of Alexandria, Tertullian, and Cyprian, while vespers and matins were known by the time of Chrysostom. By the time of Jerome there were six hours, three in the day and three in the night. In the course of the fifth century compline, originally recited about nine in the evening, was added, thus making the complete number of seven canonical hours, which later became eight when the first hour was divided into matins (about 3 A.m.) and prime (about 6 A.M.), as is found in the rules of Benedict of Nursia, Columban, Isidore, and the majority of monastic writers of the sixth and seventh centuries. From that time vespers was recited about 6 P.m., which is the present usage in the Roman Catholic Church. Until compline became a distinct hour, twelve psalms were usually sung at vespers, but later this number was reduced to seven, four being sung at vespers and three at compline. Benedict required also the reading of a chapter of the Bible, a responsory, the hymn of St. Ambrose with the versicles, the Magnificat, Kyrie eleison, Lord's Prayer, and collects.

Many of the older Lutheran liturgies retained matins and vespers, but these all proved unsuccessful. In the nineteenth century, however, many successful efforts were made for the restoration of vespers on Sundays and festivals. [In the Anglican Church the ancient hours of vespers and compline are combined in the service for daily evening prayer

Vermigli Vessels, Baored (cf. J. H. Blunt, Annotated Book of Common Prayer, pp. 17-18, 178, New York, 1903).] See Breviary; Canonical Hours..

(O. Zöckler†.)

Bibliography: Besides the works of BBUmer and Batiffol named under Breviary,consult: H. M. Sengelmann, Yesperglocke, Leipsic 1855; I. Hengstenberg, Ueber Yea pergottesdienste, Berlin, 1881; Evangeli the Ifirchenzeil ung, 1860, pp. 349 sqq., 487, sqq.; M. Herald, Yesperale oder die Nachmittage unarer Feste and Are gottesdienatliche Bereicheruag, Nördlingen, 1875; Ii;. von Liliencron, Lit-

terarisch-musikalische Geschichte der evangelischen Gottesdienste, pp. 1523-1700, Sleawiek, 1893; KL, zii. 889-871.