of
Corbie, when he came here on a mission." On his return to France,
Amalarius went to Corbie, where he found the four volumes brought by
Wala. They contained an inscription saying that this collection was put
in order by Pope Adrian I. But he found that they differed from the books
at Metz, which were older still; so in despair he made a compilation of
his own, taking from each what seemed to him the best.

Now it has been argued that if these Antiphoners had either of them borne
the name of Gregory the Great, Amalarius would not have had the audacity
to alter them in this manner, nor would he if there had existed anywhere
in Gaul any bearing his name. But this idea has arisen from the confusion
attending the name "antiphoner." The book that Amalarius was dealing with
was not the Antiphoner for Mass, but the Antiphoner for Divine Service.
There were great variations in the latter in different localities down to
the reform by Pius V., far more than in the former. When the "famous
authentic model of Gregory" is spoken of, it is the Antiphonale Missarum
which is meant.

VII.--Amalarius, Bishop of Treves (809-814). _Liber Officiorum_, from a
MS. at Treves, quoted by Morin, _fol._ 6, _De Missa Innocentium_. "The
Mass of the Innocents begins in the Diurnal with this Rubric: '_Gloria
in Excelsis Deo_ is not sung, nor _Alleluia_, unless it be Sunday; this
day is passed in a sort of sadness.' The Holy Pope Gregory, in whom
dwelt in very truth the Holy Ghost, and to whom is due the composition
of this office, means us to share the feelings of the pious women who
bewailed and lamented the death of the Innocents. And if it is
permitted to transgress the order of so great a Father, it would
equally be lawful to chant Alleluia with the complete office of the day
on Good Friday."

It is a question here of the Antiphoner of the Mass.

(_fol._ 7.) On the day of the Epiphany "we lose one of the chants which
we have at Christmas, viz., the Invitatory. St. Gregory, the organizer
of the offices, meant by this peculiarity to recall to our memory as
strongly as he could what passed formerly at the time of the
accomplishment of the mysteries which we honour. That is why we chant
in the sixth place the psalm which we had avoided in the beginning. It
is true that certain blunderers treat this with indifference and
contempt, thinking it much better to follow the ordinary usage of each
day. But, as