eat price. St. Stephen, the proto-martyr,
prayed "Lord Jesus receive my spirit." "Into Thy hands I commend my
spirit," prayed St. Basil in his death agony. "Into Thy hands I commend
my spirit," prayed thousands of God's servants, heroes and heroines,
e.g., Savanarola, Columbus, Father Southwell, the martyr Mary, Queen of
Scots, and countless other servants of God.

_Nunc Dimittis_. The canticle _Nunc dimittis_ is the last in historical
sequence of the three great canticles of the New Testament. It was
spoken at the presentation of Christ, by Simeon, "This man was just and
devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel; and the Holy Ghost was in
him. And he had received an answer from the Holy Ghost, that he should
not see death before he had seen the Christ of the Lord. And he came by
the spirit into the temple. And when His parents brought the child Jesus
to do for him according to the custom of the law. He also took Him in
his arms and blessed God and said 'Now thou dost dismiss thy servant, O
Lord, according to thy word in peace....'" (St. Luke ii. 29-33). This
sublime canticle uttered by the holy old man at the close of his days is
placed fittingly in the priest's Office at the close of the day. It
breathes his thanks, expresses his love and his wish to die, having seen
the Saviour.

Before the canticle are said the opening words of the antiphon, "Salva
nos"; and it is repeated in full at the end. "Save us, O Lord, while we
are awake, and guard us when we sleep, that we may watch with Christ and
rest in peace."

The prayers, Kyrie eleison, Christie eleison, etc., are said always
except when a double office or a day within an octave has been
commemorated at Vespers. The prayer, _Visita quaesumus_ is found in
Breviaries of the thirteenth century and was introduced probably by the
Friars Minor. The words _habitationem istam_ are said to indicate that
it is a prayer not only for the chapel of the friars, but for their
dwellings on journeys. It was said in choir by the abbot or presiding
priest. Like all prayers for Compline it begs God to drive far away the
snares of the enemy; it begs Him to let His angels dwell in that house
to keep the dwellers therein, in peace; and finally, it begs Him to "let
Thy blessing be always upon us. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord,
Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God,
world without end. Amen."

After the Dominus vobiscum and its response, the ab