The liturgical richness of the Roman Church, the symbolic depth
and beauty of its ancient ceremonies is nowhere more abundantly displayed than in those special rites which belong to the functions of Bishops : the sacraments of confirmation and ordination, the consecration of Churches and the sacring of kings. Some of these ceremonies are seldom seen, and when they are, for want of knowledge much of their historic interest and significance is missed. Those therefore who care for liturgical studies will appreciate the scholarly and readable account of the Roman Pontifical (Longmans, 10s. 6d.) and its constituent parts which has been translated by Miss M. Vernon Harcourt for the learned Benedictine nuns of Stanbrook. It contains a historical study of the stages through which the Pontifical has passed, a chapter on con- firmation, and a detailed account of the various ordination rites. The author is a Benedictine of the Dutch Abbey of Oosterhout, a notable centre of ecclesiastical scholarship.
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