"All acts, deeds, writings, notes, and other instruments Writings to of what nature or kind soever, whether ecclesiastical or bear date according to civil, public or private, which shall be made, executed or the new style. signed, upon or after the said first day of January, 1752, shall bear date according to the said new method of suppu

tation.

"The two fixed terms of St. Hilary and St. Michael, Courts and in that part of Great Britain called England, and the meetings. courts of great sessions in the counties palatine, and in Wales, and also the courts of general quarter sessions, and general sessions of the peace; and all other courts of what nature or kind soever, whether civil, criminal, or ecclesiastical; and all meetings and assemblies of any bodies politic or corporate, either for the election of any officers or members thereof, or for any such officers entering upon the execution of their respective offices, or for any other purpose whatsoever; which by any law, statute, charter, custom or usage within this kingdom, or within any other the dominions or countries subject or belonging to the crown of Great Britain, are to be holden and kept on any fixed or certain day of any month, or on any day depending upon the beginning or any certain day of any month (except such courts as are usually holden or kept with any fairs or marts), shall from time to time, from and after the said second day of September, be holden and kept upon or according to the same respective nominal days and times whereon or according to which the same are now to be holden, but which shall be computed according to the said new method of numbering and reckoning the days of the kalendar as aforesaid, that is to say, eleven days sooner than the respective days whereon the same were before holden and kept."

be

Sect. 2. "And for the continuing and preserving the Regulations kalendar, or method of reckoning and computing the days perpetuated. of the year, in the same regular course as near as may in all times coming, it is further enacted, that the several years of our Lord 1800, 1900, 2100, 2200, 2300, or any other hundred years of our Lord, which shall happen in time to come, except only every four-hundredth year of our Lord, whereof the year of our Lord 2000 shall be the first, shall not be esteemed or taken to be bissextile or leap-years, but shall be taken to be common years consisting of 365 days and no more; and that the years of our Lord 2000, 2400, 2800, and every other four-hundredth year of our Lord from the same year of our Lord 2000 inclusive, and also all other years of our Lord which by the present supputation are esteemed to be bissextile or

P. VOL. II.

3 T

24 Geo. 2, c. 23. leap-years, shall for the future and in all times to come be esteemed and taken to be bissextile or leap-years, consisting of 366 days, in the same sort and manner as is now used with respect to every fourth year of our Lord."

Easter and

Sect. 3. "And whereas according to the rule prefixed other holidays. to the Book of Common Prayer, Easter day is always the first Sunday after the first full moon which happens next after the one and twentieth day of March, and if the full moon happens upon a Sunday, Easter day is the Sunday after; which rule was made in conformity to the decree of the said General Council of Nice, for the celebration of the said feast of Easter; and whereas the method of computing the full moons now used in the Church of England, and according to which the table to find Easter for ever (prefixed to the said Book of Common Prayer) is formed, is by process of time become considerably erroneous; and whereas a kalendar, and also certain tables and rules for the fixing the true time of the celebration of the said feast of Easter, and the finding the times of the full moons on which the same dependeth, so as the same shall agree as nearly as may be with the decree of the said general council, and also with the practice of foreign countries, have been prepared, and are hereunto annexed; it is therefore further enacted, that the said feast of Easter, or any of the moveable feasts thereon depending, shall from and after the said second day of September be no longer kept or observed according to the said method now used, or the said table prefixed to the said Book of Common Prayer; and that the said table, and also the column or golden numbers, as they are now prefixed to the respective days of the month in said kalendar, shall be left out in all future editions of the said Book of Common Prayer; and that the said new kalendar, tables, and rules hereunto annexed, shall be prefixed to all such future editions of the said book in the room and stead thereof; and that from and after the said second day of September, all and every the fixed feast-days, holidays and fast-days observed by the Church of England, and also the several solemn days of thanksgiving, and of fasting and humiliation, which, by virtue of any act of parliament now in being, are to be kept and observed, shall be kept and observed on the respective days marked for the celebration of the same in the said new kalendar, that is to say, on the same respective nominal days on which the same are now kept and observed, but which, according to the alteration by this act intended to be made, will happen eleven days sooner than the same now do; and that the said feast of Easter, and all other

moveable feasts thereon depending, shall be observed according to the said new kalendar, tables and rules hereunto annexed, in that part of Great Britain called England, and in all the dominions and countries aforesaid wherein the liturgy of the Church of England now is, or hereafter shall be used; and that the two moveable terms of Easter and Trinity, and all courts of what nature or kind soever, and all meetings and assemblies of any bodies politic or corporate, and all markets, fairs, and marts, and courts thereunto belonging, which by any law, statute, charter, custom, or usage, are appointed or used to be holden at any moveable time, depending upon the time of Easter, or any other such moveable feasts as aforesaid, shall be holden and kept on such days and times whereon the same shall respectively happen or fall, according to the falling or happening of the said feast of Easter or such other moveable feasts as aforesaid, to be computed according to the said new kalendar, tables and rules."

Annexed to this act is the kalendar with the rules for finding Easter, and the table of lessons then in use.

This table of lessons remained unaltered till the passing of the act here following; and may still be used in lieu of the new table till January 1, 1879.

In the year 1871 an act was passed "to amend the law 34 & 35 Vict. relating to the Tables of Lessons and Psalter contained in c. 37. the Prayer Book" (34 & 35 Vict. c. 37), which recited: Statute "Whereas commissioners were appointed by her Majesty Tables of amending to inquire and consider (amongst other matters) the proper Lessons and lessons appointed to be read in morning and evening prayer Psalter. on the Sundays and holy-days throughout the year, and Preamble. the table of first and second lessons contained in the calendar in the Book of Common Prayer according to the use of the united church of England and Ireland, with a view of suggesting and reporting whether any and what alterations and amendments might be advantageously made in the selection of lessons to be read at the time of divine service:

"And whereas the said commissioners have made a report recommending that the revised tables of lessons proper to be read on Sundays and holy-days, and the revised table of daily first and second lessons set out in the schedule to that report and in the schedule to this act, should be adopted in lieu of the table of proper lessons to be read at morning and evening prayer on the Sundays and other holy-days throughout the year, and the table of daily first and second lessons in the calendar prefixed to the said Book of Common Prayer:

34 & 35 Vict. c. 37.

Preamble.

Short title.

Substitution

Lessons in schedule for old tables.

"And whereas it is expedient to authorize the use of the said revised tables of lessons, and to make such consequential alterations as may be necessary in the directions contained in the said Book of Common Prayer respecting 'the order how the rest of Holy Scripture is appointed to ́ be read:' and proceeded to enact as follows:"

6

Sect. 1. "This act may be cited as The Prayer Book (Tables of Lessons) Act, 1871.””

Sect. 2. “After the first day of January, one thousand of Tables of eight hundred and seventy-two, the directions respecting the order how the rest of Holy Scripture is appointed to 'be read,' the table of proper lessons, and the table of daily first and second lessons contained in the second part of the schedule to this act shall be substituted for the following parts of the Book of Common Prayer of the Church of England respectively; that is to say,

(1.) “The said directions for the directions respecting 'the order how the rest of Holy Scripture is ap'pointed to be read,' set out in the first part of the said schedule;

(2.) "The said table of proper lessons for the table of proper lessons to be read at morning and even

ing prayer on the Sundays and other holy-days throughout the year;'

(3.) "The said table of daily first and second lessons for the corresponding portion of the table of daily first and second lessons contained in the calendar with the table of lessons:'

And all acts relating to the Book of Common Prayer of the Church of England shall be construed to refer to such book as altered by this act, and after the first day of October, one thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, the directions and tables of lessons contained in the second part of the schedule to this act shall be printed and published in all editions of the said Book of Common Praver and (so far as necessary) of the said acts in lieu of the directions and tables of lessons for which they are by this act substituted: provided that the table of lessons hitherto in legal use may at any time prior to the first of January, one thousand eight hundred and seventy-nine, be followed in lieu of the table hereby substituted therefor; and provided that the occasions whereon power to alter the appointed psalms and lessons is, by the schedule to this act, pointed psalms committed to the ordinary, shall be all occasions whereon the ordinary shall judge that such alteration will conduce to edification."

Old tables may be used

until 1st Jan, 1879.

Proviso re

specting power

to alter ap

and lessons.

"SCHEDULE.

"FIRST PART.

"Existing Directions prefixed to the Prayer Book to be omitted in future.

"THE ORDER HOW THE REST OF HOLY SCRIPTURE IS APPOINTED TO BE READ.

"The Old Testament is appointed for the first lessons at morning and evening prayer, so as the most part thereof will be read every year once, as in the calendar is appointed.

"The New Testament is appointed for the second lessons at morning and evening prayer, and shall be read over orderly every year thrice, besides the epistles and gospels, except the Apocalypse, out of which there are only certain proper lessons appointed upon divers feasts.

And to know what lessons shall be read every day, look for the day of the month in the calendar following, and there ye shall find the chapters that shall be read for the lessons, both at morning and evening prayer, except only the moveable feasts, which are not in the calendar, and the immoveable, where there is a blank left in the column of lessons, the proper lessons for all which days are to be found in the table of proper lessons.

"And note that whensoever proper psalms or lessons are appointed, then the psalms and lessons of ordinary course appointed in the psalter and calendar (if they be different) shall be omitted for that time.

"Note also that the collect, epistle, and gospel appointed for the Sunday shall serve all the week after where it is not in this book otherwise ordered.

SECOND PART.

"Directions to be prefixed to the Prayer Book in lieu of the Directions in the First Part of this Schedule.

66 THE ORDER HOW THE REST OF HOLY SCRIPTURE IS APPOINTED TO BE READ.

"The Old Testament is appointed for the first lessons at morning and evening prayer, so as the most part thereof will be read every year once, as in the calendar is appointed.