well-pleasing to God ; secondly, the " obla-
tions,^^ namely, the creatures of bread and
wine ; thirdly, the "prayers,'" which, accord-
ing to St. John, are offered with incense
on the heavenly altar, and of Avhich the
holy Fathers speak as a sacrifice and obla-
tion to God. — Palmer.
In a more extended sense of the word,
we mean by oblations whatever religious
Christians offer to God and the Church,
whether in lands or goods. It is probable
that the exam])le of St. Paul might incite
the primitive Christians to offer these gifts
to the Churcli ; for he appointed every one
of the Corinthians and Galatians to yield
something to GoD for the saints every
Lord's day: but this being thought too
often, therefore Tertullian tells us it was
afterwards done every month, and then ad
libitum : but it Avas always the custom for
communicants to offer something at re-
ceiving the sacrament, as well for holy
uses, as for relief of the poor, which custom
is, or ought to be, observed at this day.
In the first ages of the Church, those
deposita pietatis, which are mentioned by
Tertullian, were all voluntary oblations,
and they were received in lieu of tithes ;
for the Christians at that time lived chiefly
in cities, and gave out of their common
stock, both to maintain the Church, and
those Avho served at the altar.
But when their numbers increased, and
they were spread abroad in the countries,
then a more fixed maintenance was neces-
sary for the clergy; but still oblations
OBLATION.
OCTAVE.
541
were made by the people, wliich, if in the
motlier Chiirch, then the bishoj) had half,
and the other -vvas divided amongst the
cler<i:y ; but if ofi'ered in a parish church,
then the bishop had a third jjart, and no
more.
These oblations, Avhich at first Avere
voluntary, became after^vards, by a conti-
nual payment, due by custom.
It is true there are canons Mhich require
every one wlio approaches the altar to
make some oblation to it, as a thing- con-
venient to be done.
And it is probable that, in obedience to
the canons, it became customary for every
man Avho made a will before the lleforma-
tion, to devise something to the high altar
of the church -where he lived, and some-
thing likewise to the mother church or
cathedral ; and those who were to be buried
in the church usually gave something to-
wards its reparations.
But at the great festivals all people were
obliged to olfer something, not only as
convenient, but as a duty ; but the pro-
portion was left to the discretion of the
giver ; and we think, with great reason,
for the bounty of the Christians in those
ages was so great, that men would build
churches on their own lands, on purpose
that they might have an equal share of
those oblations with the clergy.
And this might be the occasion that
the emperors Constantine and Valentinian
made laws to prohibit such excessive gifts,
which in those days were kept in store-
houses built for that very purpose.
But in succeeding ages there Avas little
occasion for such laws, for the zeal of the
people was so considerably abated, that,
instead of those repositories, the clergy had
little chests to contain those gifts, till at
last they dwindled into so small a portion,
that now, as a quaint writer observes, they
can scarce be felt in the parson's pocket.
We have the authority of Bishop Patrick
to show that, in the prayer after the Offer-
tory, the elements are specially intended
by the word oblations. " "We humbly be-
seech God," he says, " to accept not only
our alms, but also our oblations. These
are things distinct ; and the former, alms,
signifying that Avhich was given for the
relief of the poor, the latter, oblations, can
signify nothing else but (according to the
style of the ancient Church) the bread and
wine presented unto God." — Christian
Sacrifice, p. 77. But it is no less unques-
tionable, (adds a note in Stephens's edition
of the Common Prayer Book, vol. i. p.
1 175,) that this term was also employed to
signify money, intended for the mainten-
ance of the clergy, for the service of God,
for merciful works of the more spiritual
kind, and that it sometimes even denotes
the alms for relief of tem])oral necessities ;
and numerous authorities exist to ])rove
that, ecclesiastically speaking, " oblatiims"
were not to be confined to the sacred ele-
ments cxclusirr/i/ .• although oblations are
ex])ressly distinguished from alms.
The ecclesiastical meanings of the word
oblation may be illustrated Irom the co-
ronation service of Queen Victoria. Her
"first oblation" was a pall or altar cloth of
gold, and an ingot of gold: the next a
sword : and afterwards at the Oftertory
were two "oblations ;" the first being bread
and icine for the communion, which were
"by the archbishop received from the
queen, (who Avas kneeling,) and reverently
placed upon the altar, and decently covered
with a fine linen cloth : " with a prayer,
" Bless, O Loud, we beseech thee, these
thy gifts, and sanctify them unto their
holy use," &c. " Then the queen, kneel-
ing as before, makes her second oblation,
a purse of gold ; " and then folloMS a
prayer to God " to receive these oblations."
Octave. The octave'is the eighth day
after any principal festival of the Church.
In ancient times it was customary to ob-
serve these days with much devotion, in-
cluding the whole period also from the
festival to the octave. It was thought
that the subject and occasion of these high
festivals called for their being lengthened
out in this manner; and the period of
eight days was chosen because the Jews
celebrated their greater feasts, some for
seven days, and the feast of Tabernacles
for eight days. Such JeM'ish institutions
being only types and shadows, the Chris-
tians thought it fit not to have their com-
memorations of shorter duration.
In our Prayer Book we retain the ob-
servance of the octaves of Christmas,
Easter, Ascension, and Whitsunday, by
using, for seven days after each of these
festivals, an appropriate " I'reface," in the
Communion Service, if that sacrament is
administered on any of these days. The
preface for Whitsunday is, however, only
to be used for six days after, because the
seventh (or octave of Whitsunday) would
be Trinity Sunday, which has a preface of
its own.
The first two days of the octaves of
Easter and AVhitsunday have special ser-
vices, and in some cathedrals are observed
with nearly the same solemnity as the fes-
tival itself. It api)ears by the Pietas Lon-
dincnsis, published in 1714, that in the
church of St. IJunstan in the West, the
542
OFFERING DAYS.
OPTION
holy communion was administered on every
day during the octaves of Christmas, Easter,
and Whitsuntide. — Jehh.
OFFERING DAYS. "The four ge-
neral offering days," Bishop Cosin says,
"in the Church of England enjoined by
convocation in luoO, [ought to be 1537,']
were Chi-istmas Day, St. John Baptist's
Day, St. Michael's Day, [Easter Day.]
Which order is in some places still ob-
served, and the king and queen in their
chapel royal, or wherever they be at church
on those days, never omit it, l3ut arise from
their seat and go in solemn manner to
present their offering upon their knees at
God's altar. And then is read by the
priest or bishop attending, the sentence
here prescribed, 1 Cor. ix." — Jehh.
OFFERTORY. So called, because it is
that part of the Communion Service in which
the offerings are made. The custom of
making oblations at the communion is cer-
tainly apostolical, as appears from 1 Cor.
xvi. 2 : " On the first day of the week let
every one lay by him in store as God hath
prospered him." AVhich custom continued
doAvn to the following ages, as appears
from different passages in Justin Martyr,
Tertullian, St. Cyprian, St. Ambrose, and
other ancient writers. Out of those offer-
ings, which were not always in money,
but in bread, wine, corn, &c., were taken
as much bread and wine as served for the
celebration of the communion at the time ;
but if any persons were under public in-
famy, by reason of any ill actions by them
committed, their offerings were not to be
received. These offerings in the primitive
times were so considerable, that they were
divided into four portions ; one for the
relief of the poor; the second the bishop
retained for his maintenance ; the third
was for the maintenance of the church
and its ornaments ; and the fourth for the
clerg}'. The office of the Offertory was
used in Walafrid Strabo's time, who' lived
in the middle of the ninth century ; and it
was so long before his time, that he could
not tell to whom to ascribe its original. —
Dr. NichoUs.'
Formerly, Mr. Palmer observes, this
anthem was probably sung in choirs. The
sentences at the Offertory are set to varied
melodies, in Marbeck's book, according to
the licence given in King EdAvard VI.'s
First Book, either to sing or say them.
This licence is withdrawn by the rubric as
it now stands, so altered in King Edward's
Second Book, since the saying of the sen-
tences by the priest is expressly enjoined.
Of the old custom a vestige is preserved in
the ceremony of the installation of Knights
of the Garter, and formerly was at coron-
ations.
OFFICIAL. The official is the person
to whom cognisance of causes is com-
mitted by such as have an ecclesiastical
jurisdiction. The official of an archdeacon
stands in like relation to him as the chan-
cellor does to the bishop.
OGEE. {Or/ire, French.) An inflected
curve ; a curve formed of two segments of
a circle, one struck from one side, and the
other from the other side of the same right
line. This curve occurs chiefly in mould-
ings, and is principally characteristic of the
I )ecorated style ; but it occurs in other
styles also, and has several variations ac-
cording to its place and date. The word
is used in French as a generic term for
pointed architecture.
OPHIT-^ (from ufig, a serjyent) ; also
called Scrpentinians. A ridiculous sort of
heretics, who had for their leader a man
called Euphrates. They entertained al-
most the same fantastic opinions that were
holden by the other Egyptian Gnostics
concerning the ceons, the eternal matter, the
creation of the ivo7'ld in opposition to the
will of God, the I'ltlers of the seven planets
that presided over this Avorld, the tyranny
of De)niurge, and also concerning CiiiiiST
united to the man Jesus, in order to
destroy the empire of this usurper. But
besides these, they maintained the follow-
ing particular tenet (whence they received
the name of Ophites) : " That the Serpoit
by which our first parents were deceived,
was either CnrasT himself, or Sojjhia,
[ Wisdom,'] concealed under the form of that
animal ; " and in consequence of this
opinion they are said to have nourished a
certain number of serpents, which they
looked upon as sacred, and to which they
offered a sort of Avorship, a subordinate
kind of divine honours. There is some
curious information about the Ophitse in
the lately discovered Avork of Hippolytus.
OPTION. An archbishop had the choice
or option of any one dignity or benefice
in the gift of every bishop consecrated or
confirmed by him, which he may confer on
his chaplain, or Avhom else he pleases.
This Avas styled his oiition. The privilege
has been relinquished by English arch-
bishops since 1845, in consequence of a
construction put on some Avords in the
cathecb-al act (3 & 4 Vict. c. 113, sect. 42).
" That it shall not be laAvful for any spi-
ritual person to sell or assign any patron-
age or presentation belonging to him by
virtue of any dignity or spiritual office
held by him."
Bishop Sherlock, on his appointment to
OPUS OPERATUM.
ORATORY, PRIESTS OF THE. 543
the sec of London in 1749. liad a dispute
with Archbishop Herring as to the right of
option. A compromise took pLice : hut
the bishop printed a j)amphk't on the sub-
ject in 11 oo. It never Mas })ublished, and
but 50 copies were printed. — Ilei/liii's
Life of Bishop Sherlock, prefixed to his
Works, voh i. Ix.
OPUS OPEUATU^r. An expression
frequently occurring in discussions respect-
ing the ethcacy of the sacraments, &c.,
importing a necessary spiritual eflect flow-
ing from the outward administration, (from
the thing done,) irrespective of the moral
qualities of the recipient. This doctrine
is alleged as one of the corruptions of the
Church of Rome, and, if carried out, would
obviously equalize, in a great measure, the
benefits received by the worthy and the
unworthy who approach the altar, and
would justify the administration of baptism
to the heathen. S:c., not only on consent,
but by the application of physical force.
In a certain sense it is unquestionably
true, that all the appointed means of grace
have an eftect ex opere operato, inasmuch
as the act itself, though inefficacious in its
own nature, is a,n institution of God, and
consecrated by him as an instrument not
to be made void at the caprice of man.
Thus, the preaching of the gospel is in-
evitably a savour of life or of death. The
administration of baptism is invariably an
admission into the Church. But that the
use of an appointed ordinance goes beyond
this, and results in all cases in a moral
efi'ect on the individual, and in the insuring
of higher portions of Divine grace ex ne-
cessitate, is contrary to the views of the
Church, the doctrine of Scripture, and the
preservation of man's free agency.
ORARIUM. (Sec Stole.)
ORATORIO. In Church music, a mu-
sical drama, of which the subject is always
sacred, and intended to be performed in a
church. The origin of this kind of spi-
ritual and musical drama, which has now
run into great excesses, is found in the plan
of Filippo Neri, in the early part of the
sixteenth century, to arrest the attention
of those to whom he preached, by procur-
ing the execution of pieces of sacred music
of more than common interest before and
after his sermon. This custom, which
commenced in the congregation of the
Oratory, (whence the name Oratorio,) was
imitated by all the societies of the same
foundation, and soon became so popular,
that the best masters, ])oth in composition
and in execution, were found to take a
part in it. The performance in the time
of Filippo Neri himself was scarcely more
than a cantata, but it soon after assumed
a more perfectly dramatic form, being dis-
tributed between several persons, and ac-
comjianied with action and scenic repre-
sentation, so as to present much of the
character of a musical mystery. (See Moral-
ities.) In this way many sacred subjects
were performed, such as Job and his
friends, the Good Samaritan, and the Pro-
digal Son.
Oratorio derived its name from the
Oratorio, or chapel in the church of St.
Girolamo della Carita at Rome, where Fi-
li])po Neri's confraternity assembles. (See
Priests of the Oratory.)
In England, oratorios have been much
used in our catheckals. Among the most
celebrated oratorios are the Messiah of
Handel, and the Crea/wn of Ilaydn.
ORATORY. A name given by Chris-
tians to certain places of religious worship.
In ecclesiastical antiquity, tlie term
houses of prayer, or oratories, is frequently
given to churches in general, of which
there are innumerable instances in ancient
Christian writers. But in some canons the
name oratory seems confined to private
chapels, or places of worship set up for the
convenience of private fiimilies, yet still
depending on the parochial churches, and
differing from them in this, that they were
only places of prayer, but not for cele-
brating the communion ; or, if that were
at any time allowed to private families,
yet, at least, upon great and solemn festi-
vals, they were to resort for communion to
the parish churches. — Brouqhton.
ORATORY, PRIESTS OF THE.
There are two congregations of monks,
one in Italy, the other in France, which
are called by this name.
The priests of the oratory in Italy had
for their founder, Philip de Neri, a native
of Florence, who, in the year 1548, founded
at Rome the Confraternity of the Holy
Trinity. This society originally consisted
of but fifteen poor persons, who assembled
in the church of St. Saviour /« camjyo,
every first Sunday in the month, to prac-
tise the exercises of piety prescribed by
the holy founder. The {)ope gave leave to
assemble in the church of St. Girolamo
dell Carita, from the Oratorio or chapel in
which church they derived their name.
Afterwards, their number increasing, by
the addition to the society of several per-
sons of distinction, Neri proceeded to
estal)lish an hos])ital for the reception of
poor pilgi-ims, who, coming to Itome to
visit the tombs of St. Peter and St. Paul,
were obliged, for want of a lodging, to lie
in the streets, and at the doors of the
o44 ORATORY, PRIESTS OF THE.
ORDEAL.
churches. For this charitahle purpose,
Pope Paul IV. gave to the society the i)a-
rochial church of !St. Benedict, close by
which church was built an hospital so large,
that, in the Jubilee year, 1600, it received
44,500 men, and 25,600 women, who came
in ])ilgrimage to liome.
Phili)) Neri, besides this charitable found-
ation for pilgrims, held spiritual confer-
ences at Pome, in a large chamber accom-
modated in the form of an oratory : in
which he was assisted by the famous Caro-
nius, author of the " Ecclesiastical Annals."
Here were delivered lectures of religion
and morality, and the auditors were in-
structed in ecclesiastical history. The
assembly always ended with prayers, and
hymns to the glory of God ; after which,
the founder, and his companions, visited
the churches and hospitals, and took care
of the sick. And now it was that this
religious society began to be called Priests
of t/ie Oratory.
In 1574, the Florentines at Rome, with
the permission of Pope Gregory XIIL,
built a very spacious oratory, in which
Xeri continued his religious assemblies.
The pope likewise gave him the parochial
church of Vallicella, and, the same year,
approved the constitutions he had drawn
up for the government of his congregation,
of which St. Philip himself was the first
general.
This new institute soon made a great
progress, and divers other establishments
were made on the same model ; particu-
larly at Naples, Milan, Fermo, and Pa-
lermo. The founder having resigned the
office of general, he was succeeded therein
by Baronius, who was afterwards pro-
moted to the dignity of a cardinal. Neri
died the 25th of May, 1595, and was ca-
nonized in 1G22 by 'Pope Gregory XV.
After his death, this congregation made a
further progress in Italy, and has produced
several cardinals and eminent writers, as
Baronius, Oderic Hainaldi, and others.
The priests of the Oratory in France
were established upon the model of those
in Italy, and oM'e their rise to Cardinal
Berulle, a native of Champagne ; who re-
solved upon this foundation, in order to
revive the splendour of the ecclesiastical
state, v.hich Avas greatly sunk through the
miseries of the civil wars, the increase of
heresies, and a general corruption of man-
ners. To this end he assembled a commu-
nity of ecclesiastics, in 1611, in the suburb
of St. James, Avhere is at present the
famous monastery of Val-de-Grace. They
obtained the king's letters patent for tlieiV
establishment ; and, in 1613, Pope Paul V.
ai)provcd this congregation under the title
of the Oratory of Jesus.
This congregation consisted of two sorts
of persons ; the one, as it were, incor-
porated, the other only associates. The
former governed the houses of this insti-
tute ; the latter were only emjiloyed in
forming themselves to the life and manners
of ecclesiastics. And this was the true
spirit of this congregation, in which they
taught neither human learning, nor the-
ology, but only the virtues of the eccle-
siastical life.
After the death of Cardinal Berulle,
which happened the 2nd of October,
1629, the priests of the Oratory made a
great progress in France and other coun-
tries. This order had eleven houses in the
Low Countries, one at Liege, two in the
county of Avignon, and one in Savoy,
besides fifty-eight in France. The first
house, which was, as it were, the mother
of all the rest, was that of the street St.
Honore, at Paris, where the general re-
sided. The priests of this congregation
were not, properly speaking, monks, being
obliged to no vows, and their institute
being purely ecclesiastical or sacerdotal. —
Broughton. The Oratorians have lately
appeared in England.
ORDEAL. An appeal to the judgment
of Almighty GoD, in criminal cases, when
the innocence or guilt of the accused rest-
ed on insufficient evidence.
Among the Saxons and Normans, if
any person was charged with theft, adul-
tery, murder, treason, perjury, &c., in these
cases, if the person neither pleaded guilty,
nor could be convicted by legal evidence,
it was either in the prosecutor's or judge's
power to put him upon the ordeal ; and
provided he passed through this test un-
hurt, he was discharged ; otherwise he
was put into the hands of justice, to be
punished as the law directed, in case he
had been cast by the ordinary forms of
prosecution. For we are to observe, that
this trial by ordeal was not designed for
the punishment of those in whose cases the
ordinary forms had miscarried ; the inten-
tion of it was rather to clear the truth,
where it could not be otherwise discover-
ed, and make way for the execution of
the law.
There are several sorts of this inquiry ;
the trial was sometimes made by cold, and
sometimes by scalding, water ; sometimes
by ploughshares, or bars of iron, heated
burning hot; sometimes the accused purged
their innocence by receiving the sacrament ;
and sometimes by eating a piece of barley
bread called the corsned.
ORDEAL.
545
In the trial by cold ^vater, tlie persons
suspected were thrown naked into a pond,
or river : if they sank tliey were acquitted,
hut if they iloated upon the river without
any swimniinp^ postures it was taken for an
evidence of guilt.
AVhen scaldinfj^ water Avas the test, they
were to plun<;e their arm in a tub, or
kettle, to the elbow ; if this was done
without any signs of pain, or marks of
scalding, the person was discharged ; but
if there was the least complaint under the
operation, or any scar or impression to be
seen, it was taken for proof against him.
Slaves, peasants, and people of mean con-
dition, were put upon this water ordeal.
Persons of figure and quality were
generally tried by the burning iron. This
ordeal had different circumstances in pro-
portion to the crimes objected. If the
person was only impeached for a single
crime, the iron was to weigh but one
pound : but if he was prosecuted upon
several articles, the weight of the iron was
to increase proportionably ; and here the
l)erson impeached was either to hold a
burning ball of iron in his hand, and
move with it to a certain distance, or else
to walk barefoot upon heated plough-
shares, placed about a yard from each
other. If after this trial his hands and
feet Avere untouched, and he discovered
no signs of feeling any pain, he was dis-
cliarged by the court ; but if the matter
fell out otherwise, he Avas remitted to the
punishment of the law.
Before the person accused Avas brought
to the ordeal, he Avas obliged to sAvear his
innocence, and sometimes receive the holy
eucharist.
The Christians of this age had a strong
reliance upon this Avay of trial, not in the
least doubting but that God Avould sus-
pend the force of nature, and clear the
truth by a supernatural interposition. If
Ave may believe the records of those times,
Ave shall find that innocent persons Avere
frequently rescued, in a surprising man-
ner, perhaps by some skilful management
on the part of the authorities aAvare of the
fact.
To proceed to some of the preliminaries
of the ordeal. After the charge Avas
legally brought in, the person impeached
Avas to spend three days in fasting and
prayer. At the day of the trial, Avhich
Avas' made in the church, the priest, ap-
pearir.g in the habit of his function, took
up the iron Avhich lay before the altar,
and, repeating the hymn of the Three
Children, put it into the lire. This lieing
done, he proceeded to some forms of bcne-
2 N
diction over the fire and iron ; after Avhich,
he si)rinkled the iron Avith holy Avater, and
made the sign of the cross in the name of
the Blessed Trinity : upon Avhich the per-
son accused passed through the test.
The ceremony of the scalding Avater