“Easdem indulgencias et peccatorum remissiones ... quas Celebrantes pro Defunctis in Capella Scala Coeli nuncupata in Ecclesia Trium Fontium extra muros Urbis Cisterciensis Ordinis ... consequuntur.”

This indulgence of Pope Julius was dated in the year 1504; and its intention of drawing thither pilgrims and offerings was fully realised, we may believe:  for in the year 1519 we find the brotherhood of St. Mary of Rouncevall by Charing Cross paying:—­

    “To the keper of Scala Celi in the Abby ... vjd.”

(See Rymer’s Foedera, tom. v. pt. iv.; and Dugdale’s Monasticon, vol. i. p. 320.)

MACKENZIE WALCOTT, M.A.  Oxon.

Sitting during the Lessons (Vol. ii., p. 46.).—­With respect to L.’s Query respecting sitting during the Lessons, I can venture no remarks; but the custom of standing during the reading of the Gospel is very ancient.  In the mass of St. Chrysostom the priest exclaims, “Stand up, let us hear the holy Gospel.” (Goar, Rituale Graecorum, p. 69.) The same custom appears in the Latin Liturgy of St. Basil:—­“Cumque interpres Evangelii dicit ‘State cum timore Dei’ convertitur Sacerdos ad occidentem,” etc. (Renaudot, vol. i. p. 7.  Vide also “Liturgy of St. Mark,” Ren. vol. i. p. 126.) The edition of Renaudot’s Liturgies is the reprint in 1847.

N.E.R. (a subscriber).

Sitting during the Lessons.—­There is no doubt, I believe, that in former times the people stood when the minister read the Lessons, to show their reverence.  It is recorded in Nehemiah, viii. 5.: 

    “And Ezra opened the Book in the sight of all the people (for he
    was above all the people), and when he opened it all the people
    stood up.”

Why this practice should have been altered, or why our Rubric should be silent on this head, does not appear quite clear, though I find in Wheatley (On the Book of Common Prayer, chap. vi. sec. vi.) that which seems to me to be a very sufficient reason, if not for the sitting during the Lessons, certainly for the standing during the reading of the Gospel, and sitting during the Epistle:—­

“In St. Augustine’s time the people always stood when the lessons were read, to show their reverence to God’s holy word:  but afterwards, when this was thought too great a burden, they were allowed to sit down at the lessons, and were only obliged to stand at the reading of the Gospel; which always contains something that Our Lord did speak, or suffered in His own person.  By which gesture they showed they had a greater respect to the Son of God himself than they had to any other inspired person, though speaking the word of God, and by God’s authority.”

WALTER MONTAGUE

Aerostation, Works on (Vol. ii., p. 199.).—­To the numerous list of works on Aerostation which will no doubt be communicated to you in answer to the inquiry of C.B.M., I beg to add the following small contribution:—­