Chapter 11
ELEVENTH CHAPTER
How the Night Office is to be said on Sundays On Sundays the monks shall rise somewhat earlier for the Vigils.1
At these night-watches, let a moderated arrangement be ob served, that is, after the six psalms and the versicle have been chanted, as we have regulated matters above, let the brethren be properly seated on the benches in the order of their rank,2 and let one monk read four lessons with their responsories from the book,3 as said before, whereupon at the end of the fourth responsory let the Gloria Patri, etc., be sung by the chanter, at the beginning of which all shall at once rise to their feet in reverence.
After these lessons there shall follow in their order the other six psalms with their antiphons and versicle, in the same man ner as the preceding ones. After them four (more) lessons with their responsories shall again be read in the same order as be fore.
Close upon the preceding nocturne three canticles from the prophets, as stipulated by the abbot, shall be chanted. These canticles shall be chanted with allelujas (— as an antiphon).
Then, after the versicle has been sung, four more lessons, the abbot's blessing preceding each, shall be read from the New
Testament in the same order as the foregoing.
1 On account of the greater length of the service on such days. Whereas the night office on ordinary days had only two nocturnes and three lessons (cf. chaps, ix & x), the Sunday office had three nocturnes in the following arrangement: in the first nocturne there were six psalms and four lessons (from Scripture) with their responsories; in the second nocturne six psalms also and four lessons (from the Church Fathers) with their responsories; and in the third nocturne three canticles
(from the Old Testament) and four lessons (Homilies on the Scriptures also from the Fathers) with four responsories. Before each lesson the reader asked the abbot for a blessing, which was given in a short formula that varied with each lesson (cf. chap. ix).
2 The order of rank on the benches was strictly regulated.
3 The responsories were sung presumably at the same lectern.