HORÆ, in the ancient mythology, were certain goddesses, the daughters of Jupiter and Themis; at first only three in number, Eunomia, Dice, and Irene, to which were afterwards added two more, Carpo and Thallo.

Homer makes them the doorkeepers of heaven. Ovid allots them the employment of harnessing the horses of the Sun:

Jungere equos Titan velocibus imperat Horis.

And speaks of them as standing, at equal distances, about the throne of Sol:

—et, posite spatii equalibus, Horæ.

The poets represent them as dressed in fine coloured or embroidered robes, and gliding on with a quick and easy motion.

HORÆ, in the Romish church, are certain prayers performed at stated times of the day; as matins, vespers, lauds, &c. The lesser hours are, prime, tierce, sixth, and none. They are called hours, or canonical hours, as being to be rehearsed at certain hours prescribed by the canons of that church, in commemoration of the mysteries accomplished at those hours. These hours were anciently also called cursus, cursus: F. Mabillon has a dissertation on them, entitled, De Cursu Gallicano.

The first constitution enjoining the observation of the canonical hours is of the ninth century, being found in a capitular of Heito bishop of Bafil directed to his curates, importing that the priests shall never be absent at the canonical hours either by day or night.

HOUR-Glafs, a popular kind of chronometer or clepsydra, serving to measure the flux of time by the descent or running of sand out of one glass vessel into another. The best hour-glasses are those which, instead of sand, have egg-shells well dried in the oven, then beaten fine and sifted.—Hour-glasses are much used at sea for reckoning, &c.

HOURIS, in modern history, is a name given by the Mahometans to those females that are designed for the faithful in Paradise. These are not the same with whom they have lived on earth, but formed for this purpose with singular beauty and undecaying charms.