of our own day, but the technical language of the times
at which they were respectively written.

The first section, headed "The Preface," was added in 1662 to the
second, entitled "Concerning the Service of the Church," which is
the original Preface to the Prayer-Book of 1549, with some important
additions and slight omissions made in 1552.

The "Order how the Psalter is appointed to be read," dates mainly
from 1549.

The "Order how the rest of Holy Scripture is appointed to be
read," with the Tables of Proper Psalms, and Lessons, and the
Calendar--originally forming part of the book of 1549--was adopted
with slight alteration in 1662, but was much varied in 1871.

_CONCERNING THE SERVICE OF THE CHURCH_.

2. There was never any thing by the wit of man so well devised, &c.

It seems that, having regard to the circumstances under which this
rubric was framed, the 'diversity to be appeased,' and the 'doubts
to be resolved,' concerned only the manner of saying and singing
the Morning and Evening Prayer, not the manner of administration
of the Sacraments or other Rites and Ceremonies of the Church. Nor
were any 'parties' contemplated as likely to 'doubt, or diversely
take anything,' except the clergy. The contemporaneous Latin
translation of the English Prayer-Book expressly confines this
provision of resort to the Bishop of the diocese to questions
arising _inter ministros_. The Bishop of the Diocese was the proper
person to resort to, both on account of his sacred office, which
gave him authority, and also as being at that time the person
likely to be best informed on questions of this kind, as the
Epistle, and Gospel for Quinquagesima Sunday (with the addition of
the Collect of Ash Wednesday), but the Scotch Prayer-Book directs
the use of the Collect, Epistle, and Gospel for Ash Wednesday only;
and Bishop Cosin directed the Collect, Epistle, and Gospel for
Quinquagesima Sunday to serve only until Ash Wednesday.

When more than one Collect is appointed for the day, by reason of
the coincidence of Holy Days, the question arises which Holy Day
should take precedence.

Coincidence includes (_a_) occurrence (i.e. the falling on the
same day of two occasions having special services), and (_b_)
concurrence, when the one falls on the morrow of the other.

By taking precedence is meant, that when two Holy Days occur, the
Collect, Epistle, and Gospel, the Proper Psalms and Lessons (if
any) of the superior day sho