daily office, or book of divine service, in the Roman church. It is composed of matins, lauds, first, third, sixth, and ninth vespers, and the compline or post communion.

The breviary of Rome is general, and may be used in all places; but on the model of this various others have been built, appropriated to each diocese, and each order of religious.

The breviary of the Greeks is the same in almost all churches and monasteries that follow the Greek rites: the Greeks divide the psalter into 20 parts. In general, the Greek breviary consists of two parts: the one containing the office for the evening, the other that of the morning, divided into matins, lauds, first, third, sixth, and ninth vespers, and the compline; that is, of seven different hours, on account of that saying of David, Septes in die laudem dixit tibi.

The institution of the breviary is not very ancient; there have been inserted in it the lives of the saints, full of ridiculous and ill-attested stories, which gave occasion to several reformations of it, by several councils, particularly those of Trent and Cologne; by several popes, particularly Pius V. Clement VIII. and Urban VIII.; and also by several cardinals and bishops, each lopping off some extravagancies, and bringing it nearer to the simplicity of the primitive offices. Originally, everybody was obliged to recite the breviary every day; but by degrees the obligation was reduced to the clergy only, who are enjoined, under penalty of mortal sin and ecclesiastical censures, to recite it at home, when they cannot attend in public. In the 14th century, there was particular reserve granted in favour of bishops, who were allowed, on extraordinary occasions, to pass three days without rehearsing the breviary.

This office was originally called cursus; and afterwards, the breviarium: which latter name imports that the old office was abridged; or rather, that this collection is a kind of abridgement of all the prayers.

The breviaries now in use are innumerable; the difference between them consists principally in the number and order of the psalms, hymns, paternosters, ave-Maries, creeds, magnificates, cantemus's, benedictus's, canticamus's, unicam dimittis's, miserere's, hallelujahs, gloria patri's, &c.

Roman antiquity, a book first introduced by Augustus, containing an account of the application of the public money.