writes thus to Ennodius;

Quisque suis meritis veneranda sacraria Pauli
Ingrederis, supplex ablue fonte manus.

The _cantharus_ is mentioned by Virgil Eclog. VI, 21.

Et gravis adtrita pendebat cantharus ansa.

A large vessel of this description may be seen in the _cortili_ of S.
Cecilia and SS. Apostoli at Rome. It used to be blessed on the vigil
or festival of the Epiphany, as it is now in the Greek and even the
Roman church. When churches were built without _atria_, a vessel
of blessed water was placed inside the church: in some of the older
churches there is even a well. See Nibby, _Dissert. sulla forma, etc.
delle antiche chiese_.]

[Footnote 16: See Le Brun tom. IV, diss. 15. Super usu recitandi
silentio missae partem etc. This custom was connected with the
discipline of secrecy. The scripture itself does not mention what
words Christ used, when He "gave thanks", before He pronounced the
words of consecration; and the early church imitated this reserve.
Anciently curtains concealed the altar, during the most solemn part of
mass, as now in some Oriental churches. St. John Chrysostom (Hom. 3,
in Ep. ad Ephes.) mentions this custom; and traces of it still remain
at St. Clement's church in Rome.]

[Footnote 17: See ancient inscriptions from the catacombs, containing
prayers for the dead in Bock's Hierurgia (vol. 2, ch. 7), also in
Annali delle Scienze Religiose, Luglio 1839, as also in the well-known
works on the catacombs. Bingham admits that the eucharistic sacrifice
was offered for S. Augustine, S. Monica, the emperors Constantine
and Valentinian at their funerals. (S. Ambrose prayed for Valentinian
Gratian and Theodosius.) "In the communion service" says he "according
to the custom of those times, a solemn commemoration was made of the
dead in general, and prayers were offered to God for them". Bingham,
Antiq. l. 23, c. 2. "The custom of praying and offering up sacrifice
for the faithful departed most evidently appears to have prevailed in
the church even from the time of the apostles", says the Protestant
bishop Milles, Opera S. Cyrilli. p. 297. "In primitive times" says
Palmer "these commemorations (in the mass) were accompanied by
prayers for the departed". Origin. Liturg. vol. 2, p. 94. With these
Protestant admissions before us and many others collected in the
Annali delle Scienze Relig. Luglio 1839, we opine that the Rev. Mr.
Breeks ought to have been solicitous for his own soul rather than