Here begin the Hours to be chanted or recited according to the Rule of the Great Doctor of Spain, Blessed Isidore, and the outstanding confessor, the master Ildephonsus, Bishop of Toledo. This is not as the ancient Rule was simply used, but rather in part, for in ancient times twelve Hours were accustomed to be observed in the day, as shown in the ancient books, besides certain others which the ancients used at night, namely at the beginning of the night (in principio noctis), before bed (ante lectum), at the equinox or in the middle of the night (in aequinoctio sive in medio noctis), and at rising from bed (in surrectione lecti), which have been rejected and cut off by moderns. But the manner in which moderns follow and practice it will become evident in the process. And because there are few who know how to observe and arrange the Order of these Hours due to negligence and the carelessness of many, who are concerned only with receiving the revenues of the Church, and because many good buildings easily fall into ruin after a long lapse of time unless a remedy is applied: therefore, a certain unskilled and unworthy Cleric, considering this Holy and most devout Work, and edited with divine grace by such a Bishop, lest it disappear but return to the memory of men, moved and instigated by piety, to the glory and praise of the Trinity, and Jesus, and the Mother Mary, and the honor of the Supreme Confessor, and for the illumination of present and future Clerics, according to the poverty of his knowledge and the weakness of his understanding, having invoked divine help, and with its brilliance, labored to create this Norm, as follows, and translated this Codex from Gothic lettering and brought it back.
The Hours, whether they are a feast day or not, always begin with Vespers on the eve; and the start or beginning is made by invoking Jesus Christ, with the Lord's Prayer preceding, and saying in a low voice: "Kyrie eleison, Christe eleison, Kyrie eleison. Our Father." And in a loud voice: "In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, light with peace." R/. "Thanks be to God" from those present; and the priest says: "The Lord be with you always." R/. "And with your spirit." And the Order of Vespers, whether it is a feast day or not, follows in this manner:
First, the Psalmus called the Vespertinum is said; and when it is finished, the priest says: The Lord be with you always"; R/. "And with." And immediately afterwards, the Sonus is said, if it is a Feast day; because the weekdays lack Sono, except during the time of the Resurrection, when it is said for solemnity.
When it is finished; "The Lord be with you always", as above, and immediately afterwards, an Antiphon without Alleluia is said, with a Verse attached to it, and with the Glory Be as will be shown below; Again, "The Lord be with you always", etc. And immediately afterwards, another Antiphon is said, with Alleluia, which is called Lauda, with a Verse attached to it, and the Glory Be: when these are done, the Hymn follows.
After it is finished, the Deprecation, or Supplication, etc. "Let us pray to the Redeemer"; immediately following are the Capitula, with the Lord's Prayer following, namely: "Our Father. And lead us not into temptation. But deliver us from evil", and let it be said, as it is written in the Order of the Hours.
And immediately following is the Benediction, preceded by: "Humiliate vos benedictioni": and immediately following is the Lauda with a Verse attached to it, and the Glory Be. When this is done, one Prayer from Matins should be said, whichever one desires to recite (from antiphons, sometimes prescribed), except for the first one (post psalmi), which is joined to Matins (about the psalms) and is never changed from its proper place; and immediately afterwards, the Commemorations are made, which are in customary use, or may be added anew. And know that in Vespers you should follow this Rule or Office of this Rule in the manner described.
Although there are many Vespertina, Soni, Antiphons, and Lauda in the Order of Histories, only one Vespertinum or Psalmus, which is the same, and one Lauda should be said. An Antiphon is one which is said without Alleluia; and a Lauda is one which is said with an Alleluia. And this is understood in Feasts which do not have their own characteristics; because in those that do, one must say it as ordered there; because there are some Feasts which exceed this way in Antiphons and Prayers.
In the morning, one shall begin in the same way as in the evening. Following this, one shall recite the morning prayers, and the psalm "Have Mercy on Me, O God," along with the accompanying prayer and three antiphons with their respective prayers. After this, in some festive occasions, there shall be a prayer, specifically for solemn occasions. Then, one shall recite a Canticle, followed by a Benedictus (Daniel 3), a Sono, and then a Lauda.
The Prophecy follows immediately, then a Hymn, and thereafter the Supplication, namely, "Let us prayer to the Redeemer". Following this, one shall recite the Capitula and then the Lauda that was said at the end of Vespers (for feasts, or unless prescribed otherwise). Then, one shall say the Benediction that was said in Vespers, and immediately make the commemoration according to custom, unless it is a solemn occasion.
Upon the completion of Vespers, one shall say the prayer, "At evening, morning, and noonday", along with their accompanying prayers. In the morning, one shall say "To show forth in the Morning," along with the accompanying prayer. In the Compline, one shall say "Keep Us, O Lord, as the Apple of Thine Eye," along with the accompanying prayer.
Thus, the aforementioned hours are completed, except on Sundays, where the order at the beginning of Matins is different. This is because, with the prayer of Sunday (unclear what this refers to), and "In the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ," etc., we begin and say the hymn "Eternal Maker of All Things," along with its accompanying prayer. Immediately following this, one shall recite three psalms, namely "Why, O Lord, Are They Multiplied?" "Have Mercy On Me, O God, According To Thy Great Mercy," and "Have Mercy On Me 56," along with their antiphons and accompanying prayer, followed by all other prayers as in other Matins.
And if on the principal Sundays, which are considered historical, such as in Advent, or in Lent, or in such things that cannot be changed, some Feast happens, let the Feast be changed (transferred), and let it be celebrated on the following day. And if by chance on the following day there is another more solemn Feast, let it be said of that Feast, and let another be celebrated on the next day.
And if that Feast, which is being celebrated at present, is more powerful or of greater solemnity than that which the celebration of this principal Feast should be made, let Vespers (of the great feast) be said, so that the last Lauda, with its Morning Prayer, is about the future Feast to be celebrated, or about the one that is to be celebrated on the following day (ie, all but last Lauda).
And if such Feasts occur, which have an Octave according to the Gregorian Rule, such as the Feast of St. Mary, and St. John, and the Apostles Peter and Paul, and the like, out of reverence for them, it is necessary to celebrate the Hours on those private days of solemnity; although not so solemnly; except on the eighth day.
And if there is a Feast of equal or almost equal importance on the same day, such as the Feast of Philip and James, the Feast of St. Torquatus, or the like; the Feast of which there is a Propriety should be celebrated, unless there it is the Title of that Feast in that Church; for that should be solemnized, of which there is a Title; and on the next day, the other should be celebrated.
And if Festivals coincide with the Sundays, let the Sundays be omitted; because it will have a place sufficiently throughout the year, and let the Feast itself be celebrated on that day.
Also, you will see about Fasts in their places.
The Mozarabic Office begins its Prayers with Vespers, and consists of the following Hours: Vespers, Compline, Matins, Lauds, Aurora, Prime, Terce, Sext, and None; In Vespers there are no Psalms, but only two Lauds and a Sounding, as it is called, an Antiphon, Hymn, Supplication, where the Priest exhorts the people to ask of God what is pleasing to him, an Oration with three Our Father Petitions, and Blessing, which concludes all the hours except for Matins.
Compline begins with the Psalm The light of thy countenance O Lord, is signed upon us with three Alleluia's; another Psalm follows with a triple repetition of Alleluia, another with a Hymn and Verse then Psalm He that dwelleth in the aid of the most High; then follows another Psalm, then another Hymn, Verse, Supplication, Chapter, Our Father and Blessing; thus Compline consists of five Psalms, two Hymns, Verses, a Supplication, Chapter, Our Father and Blessing.
The Prayer of Matins is brief, and consists of an Our Father, Angelic Salutation, the Antiphon Ave Regina Cœlorum with Verse and Oration of the Blessed Virgin, where the Priest says, In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, light with peace.; these words begin all Hours except Compline, and they correspond to, O God, come to my assistance. in the Latin Office; then follows an Antiphon, the Psalm Miserere, then three other Antiphons with one Responsory, and after each Antiphon, an Oration is said.
Lauds begins with an Antiphon, which is followed by some Canticle from the Old or New Testament: the Canticle Benedictus Dominus, and is said only on the Feast of Saint John the Baptist, and the Magnificat only on Feasts of the Blessed Virigin Mary, and the night of the Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ: at the end of the Canticle and Antiphon another Antiphon is said, where follows the Psalm Benedictus es Domine Deus Patrum nostrorum, then is is said a Sounding, another Antiphon, Psalm Praise the Lord, a Prophecy, Hymn, Supplication, Chapter, Our Father, Lauds and Blessing.
Aurora, is one of the types of Prayers, where it was formerly said on Ferias in the early morning before Prime, and and therfore Mozarabic Chaplains rarely use it except on the Eve of the Nativity of the Lord, Epiphany, and on Ash Wednesday; it consists of one Antiphon, four Psalms, a Laud, Hymn, Verse, an Our Father without a Chapter, and some Prayers.
Prima consists of one Antiphon, seven Psalms, a Responsory, Prophecy, Epistle, Laud, Hymn, Verse, and finally is said a Te Deum laudamus, Gloria and Credo: When due to Sacredness the Gloria is not said, in place of the Te Deum is the Apostles' Creed, Supplication, Our Father and Blessing.
Terce consists of an Antiphon, four Psalms, a Responsory, Prophecy, Epistle, Laud, Hymn, Clamoring, where God is called upon to not judge according to sins, a Supplication, Chapter, Our Father, and Blessing.
Sext and Nones are similarly recited to Terce, with the order and number of Psalms, but different in substance: At the end of all Mozarab Prayers it is said In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ let us complete this with peace, to which the response is: Thanks be to God; these words are congruent to Latin Office: Let us bless the Lord. Let us proceed to the Mass.