r the festivals of the
Martyrs. The early converts, if they had been pagans, knew few or no
prayer formulae, and very little of the psalms was learned by them even
in their Christian practice. But Jews who became Christians knew psalms
and hymns and prayers. So that in the early Christian vigils, there was
no attempt made at reciting the Divine Office, and the custom of such
recitation was not introduced until about 220 A.D. and was not
obligatory (Duchesne, _Christian Worship_, Chap. VIII.).

It is difficult to speak with certainty about the hour of beginning or
the hour of ending these vigil services. Some think that the first
nocturn was said about 9 p.m. Lauds was said before sunrise and hence
was called _Laudes-matutinae_. But "after the middle of the ninth
century, we gather from contemporary documents, that the office of
vigils was, as a whole, regularly constituted and well known" (Baudot,
p.64). These vigils were held in cenacles or upper rooms of houses.
During the days of persecution these meetings were not infrequent and
were held secretly in crypts, catacombs, private houses and at martyrs'
tombs. In times of peace they were held everywhere, in churches,
monasteries, castles.

Vigils are divided into two classes, major and minor; major vigils are
the vigils of Christmas, Epiphany and Pentecost, and they are called
privileged vigils and are celebrated as semi-doubles. The vigils of
Christmas and Pentecost are privileged vigils of the first class. The
vigil of Epiphany is a privileged vigil of the second class. All others
are minor or non-privileged vigils.

TITLE VII.-OCTAVES.

_Etymology and nature_. The word "octave" is from the Latin _octavus_
(eighth) because, in the early ages of Christianity, the Church
celebrated the eighth day only after the celebration of the feast
itself; not until the twelfth century was the custom of a commemoration
on each of the eight days introduced. We have, probably, an example of
this still in our Breviaries. The feast of St. Agnes is celebrated on
21st January and on 28th it is mentioned at Vespers and Lauds only, and
the name in old Roman service books is _Octavo, S. Agnetis_. The origin
of the octave is Jewish. We read in the Old Testament that God ordered
that the Feasts of Pasch and Pentecost should be celebrated for eight
days. So, too, the Feast of Tabernacles lasted for eight days, the first
and eighth days being days of special celebration and devotion. T