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CHAPTER XVIII: IN WHAT ORDER THE PSALMS THEMSELVES ARE TO BE SAID - Saint Benedict, The Rule of St. Benedict [1931]

Edition used:

The Rule of St. Benedict, translated into English. A Pax Book, preface by W.K. Lowther Clarke (London: S.P.C.K., 1931).

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CHAPTER XVIII

IN WHAT ORDER THE PSALMS THEMSELVES ARE TO BE SAID

First of all let the verse be said: “O God, make speed to save us; O Lord, make haste to help us” and the Gloria. Next the hymn proper to each hour. Then, at Lord’s day Prime are to be said four parts of the hundred and eighteenth psalm. And at the other hours, that is at Terce, Sext and None, let three parts of the said hundred and eighteenth psalm be said. But at Prime on Monday let three other psalms be said, namely, the first, the second and the sixth. And thus at Prime day by day up to the Lord’s day let the psalms be said in order, three each day, up to the nineteenth psalm; in such wise however that the ninth psalm and the seventeenth be apportioned to two Glorias. And so let it come to pass that at night office on the Lord’s day a beginning is always made with the twentieth psalm.

For Terce, Sext and None on Monday are to be said the nine remaining parts of the hundred and eighteenth psalm, three such parts at each of those hours. The hundred and eighteenth being thus exhausted in two days, namely, the Lord’s day and Monday, let there be sung on Tuesday three psalms apiece for Terce, Sext and None, from the hundred and nineteenth to the hundred and twenty-seventh, that is to say nine psalms. And let these psalms be repeated always in this way at these hours until the Lord’s day, a uniform arrangement of hymns, lessons and versicles being likewise observed on all days, in such wise, that is to say, that always on the Lord’s day a beginning will be made with the hundred and eighteenth.

Let Vespers be sung daily with four psalms and let these psalms be begun with the hundred and ninth and continue up to the hundred and forty-seventh, those of them excepted which are set apart for the other hours, namely from the hundred and seventeenth to the hundred and twenty-seventh; and the hundred and thirty-third and the hundred and forty-second. All the rest are to be said at Vespers. And because the psalms come short by three, therefore those are to be divided which of those enumerated above are found somewhat long, namely the hundred and thirty-eighth, the hundred and forty-third and the hundred and forty-fourth. But let the hundred and sixteenth, because it is short, be joined with the hundred and fifteenth. The order of the Vesper psalms having thus been arranged, let the rest, namely, lessons, responsories, hymns, versicles and canticles, be recited as we have above explained. But at Compline let the same psalms be repeated daily; that is to say the fourth, ninetieth and the hundred and thirty-third.

The order of the day psalmody having been thus arranged, let all the rest of the psalms that remain over be equally distributed among the seven night offices, by means of dividing those of the psalms which are somewhat long; and let twelve be assigned to each night. We particularly advise however that if haply this distribution of the psalms be displeasing to anyone he set it in order, if he judge it to be better when arranged otherwise, so long as this be in any case attended to, namely, that every week the psalter be recited to the entire number of a hundred and fifty psalms and always be begun afresh at Lord’s day night office; because monks show great sloth in their devotional service if they recite less in the course of a week than the psalter with the accustomed canticles, seeing that we read our holy fathers strenuously accomplished in one day this which oh, that we tepid ones may fulfil in a whole week!