offered.

private chapels, in chantries',. in collegiate churches, and in cathedrals, day by day the sacrifice of the mass was Chanting priests were bound by their office to celebrate daily-in ....Not only the

many cases it was their soul duty 2.... nobility, but also many of the lesser county families, and even rich members of the rising merchant class, boasted their own chapels. The plans for new country houses began to include provision for a chapel, and it became evidence of breeding for a man to be able to say that his ancestors had possessed such a privilege. It was a privilege, for every such chapel was under the control of the Bishop of the diocese, and generally he looked with suspicion on attempts to obtain his license to allow the sacraments to be celebrated therein. Anyone could build himself a chamber in which he might gather his family for prayer and devotion; but unless he had the Bishop's license, he could not have mass said there."3

In this account of the Medieval Christian funeral prayers, we mark the following customs and usages :—

(a) The offering of daily or frequent masses.

(b) People left money for the purpose.

(c) Special chapels and chambers provided by rich people for the ceremonies.

(d) Engaging of special honest priests for the purpose. (e) Besides enjoining such prayers for themselves, they enjoined them for their parents and other ancestors.

(f) Poor people enjoined these ceremonies for various short periods.

(g) Special solicitude for the services on the 30th day, known as the 30th day or month-mind.

(h) The ceremony on the anniversary or the year-mind.

1 Chantry was an endowed chapel where one or more priests daily sing or say mass for the souls of donors or such, as they appoint

(i) Complaints about some priests neglecting their duty.

) Houses of the rich and middle classes, specially provided with places for these ceremonies.

(k) Such places under the control of a Bishop.

(a) All these customs and usages prevail among the Parsees. Substitute the word "Myazd" for "Mass," and you can say, that all that is said above of the medieval Christians of the England of the 15th Century is true of the modern Zoroastrians of India. Bâj rozgâr is another expression of the word Myazd. The former is a later word, and Myazd 1 an older word. Some rich Parsees perform the myazd or bâj-rozgâr ceremonies in honour of the dead daily. Others for the first year or for the first few years. Again, others perform this for the first month or for the first few months, three or six.

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1 The word "Mass” is derived by some from the word "Missa in the latin phrase, Ite missa est i.e., "Go, it is dismissed." But this derivation is held by others to be incorrect. The word is connected with "meat", which is said to be the initial conception of the word. The word is older than the Christian era, and is said to have been connected with older non-christian mysteries, from which the ceremony is said to have been incorporated in Christianity. According to some, the non-Christian mysteries, referred to above, were the Elusian mysteries, and so, Mass had a Greek origin. The word Mass" is said to be maz, which, in Old German, meant meat.' In Goth it is malz. It is masa in Pali and mâs HH in Sanskrit, meaning meat' The word massacre "is connected by some with this word 'mass,' and is said to be something like mass khânâr i.e., flesh eater; hence, a general killing. Massacre was orginally a killing of victims for sacrifice. But the food offered was not meat alone. The latin Mansa i.e., a table for food is connected with this word. Persian mez for table (as in ) has a similar connection. The word Mensa has come to mean a course of food, e.g., "second menses" meant "second course.' ." The Avesta word myazda is supposed to have originated the word mass at the time, when the worship of Mithra entered into Europe and when it influenced Christianity. To withstand the influence of Mithraism, the early fathers took and adjusted a good deal from Mithraism. They adopted Mithraic holidays, some dress of the Mithrai priests, and among it, the mitre which was at first said to be the head dress of a Mithraic priest. The word metre is said to be a form of Mithra or Mitra.

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(b) Among the Parsees also, people left money by their wills for the Myazd or Bajrozgâr ceremonies to be performed perpetually. We know of cases in which they are still so performed in Fire temples for these last 70 or 75 years or more after the death of the Testators.

(c) Some rich Parsees have built fire temples and have provided that the ceremonies may be performed there in perpetuity.

(d) Some rich Parsees engage separate full time priests to perform the daily myazd and other ceremonies at their places every day.

(e) Parsees also enjoin that such ceremonies may be performed not only for their soul but also for those of their parents and their ancestors.

(f) Some provide that these ceremonies may be performed daily for short periods, say 10 or 30 days and then monthly or yearly.

(g) Among the Parsees, the service on the 30th day is known as si-rouzo (2) i.e., lit. 30 days. That for the monthday of the date of death is known as māsisō (HHA) i.e., the month day. It corresponds with the above month-mind of the Christians.

(h) The day proper of the anniversary is spoken of as varsi (q) i.e., the day of the year.

(i) Complaints like those about some medieval priests to the effect, that they neglected at times the performance of the mass, are not rare among the Parsees of to-day.

(j) Rich people generally provided in their own houses, places like the Chantries of the Christians for the performance of the myazd ceremonies. Many a house of the old Parsee families, like those of Sir Jamsetji Jejeebhoy, Jejeebhoy Dadabhoy, Patel, Albless, Readymoney etc., have a place built or set apart for the performance of these ceremonies.

The account of the funeral ceremonies of a Medieval Christian refers to the services of the Vespers and Matins as essential on the occasions of the Mass on the 30th and the anniversary days. These and others are the special services of the different periods of the day. These periods correspond to a certain extent to the five gâhs or periods of a Parsee day. During the first three days after death, the recital of prayers by a few priests at the house of the deceased during the different five gâhs is considered necessary. The common name for the Christian service, Placebo, 1 reminds us of a similar word among the Parsees. The Vespers formed the first service. As the word Vesper meant, it was the Evening service. "This was said during the evening before the funeral," The service was commonly called "Placebo " because it began with the Antiphon 2. Placebo Domino in regione vivorum' i.e., "I will please the Lord in the land of the living." These words remind a Parsee of his oft repeated prayer formula Khshnaothra Ahurahe Mazdâo i.e. Ahura Mazda be pleased.

The Clergy.

The clergy of a country play a very prominent part in the social life of tss people. We find this also in the case of Medieval Englanders and modern Parsees. I will, at first, speak of the old English clergy on the authority of the above book. 1 will then speak of the present day clergy of the Parsees of India and point out the points in which they present a parallel. Hindus also will see in the picture some features of their Brahmin clergy. From the standpoint of modern civilization, the clergy of the Parsees as a body are spoken of as illiterate. Many a layman have now and then found faults with their present position. But a glance at the picture of the priesthood of medieval England shows, that there is not much of a difference between the two.

Ibid. p. 197.

2 Antiphon is an anthem sung alternately by a choir or congregation divided into two parts." It contains parts serving as a response. It reminds a Parsee of his Afringân, wherein also, there is a kind of response. Cf. Yathâ Ahu Vairyô Zaotâ. &c.

From what I heard in my travels in Europe, I find, that even now, there are some remote and out of the way Christian parts of Europe, for example, Russia, where the clergy are no better than the clergy among the modern Parsees.

The Clergy of Medieval England "embraced, altogether, seven classes of men; four in Minor Orders and three in Major Orders."1 "The Major order consisted of Sub-deacons Deacons and Priests." "England in the fifteenth century swarmed with masses of men who were in Minor and Major orders. Strictly speaking, no one could claim to be in Minor. Orders who had not received the " 'first tonsure "2 at the hands of the Bishop of the diocese; but, in practice, it seems probable that men who were sufficiently closely connected with the clergy, in one way or another, often assumed or received the title of cleric; just as nowadays the title of "esquire" which once had a fairly welldefined meaning, is used indiscriminately as a matter of courtesy. Apart from this somewhat uncertain class, we find that doctors, lawyers, scribes, clerks in the King's household and many others were usually in Minor orders, and therefore came under the legal definition of cleric' and could claim 'benefit of clergy'."3

The clergy of the Major order were divided into two great classes; (1) The Regular Clergy and (2) the Secular Clergy. "The Regular Clergy were so called because they lived according to a rule (regular) and were always members of a community and often segregated from the world. The secular clergy spent their lives in the world (in seculo) serving as individuals in parishes in great churches and in other ways."4 The regulars included the monks and nuns. The Archbishops, Bishops, Archdeacons, Vicars, and Parish priests fell under the class of secular clergy. "Many persons were strongly influenced by

1 Pastons p. 212.

2 Tonsure is the shaving of the head in a circular form at the top, at the hands of a bishop with the recitals of benedictions and prayers. 3 The Pastons and their England p. 212.

Ibid pp. 212.13.