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And, therefore, they do not even attempt to finish the Psalms, which
they sing in the service, by an unbroken and continuous recitation. But
they repeat them separately and bit by bit, divided into two or three
sections, according to the number of verses, with prayers in between.
For they do not care about the quantity of verses, but about the
intelligence of the mind; aiming with all their might at this: "I will sing
with the spirit: I will sing also with the understanding." And so they
consider it better for ten verses to be sung with understanding and
thought than for a whole Psalm to be poured forth with a bewildered
mind. And this is sometimes caused by the hurry of the speaker, when,
thinking of the character and number of the remaining Psalms to be sung, he
takes no pains to make the meaning clear to his hearers, but hastens on to
get to the end of the service. Lastly, if any of the younger monks, either
through fervour of spirit or because he has not yet been properly taught,
goes beyond the proper limit of what is to be sung, the one who is singing
the Psalm is stopped by the senior clapping his hands where he sits in his
stall, and making them all rise for prayer. Thus they take every possible
care that no weariness may creep in among them as they sit through the
length of the Psalms, as thereby not only would the singer himself lose the
fruits of understanding, but also loss would be incurred by those whom he
made to feel the service a weariness by going on so long. They also observe
this with the greatest care; viz., that no Psalm should be said with the
response of Alleluia except those which are marked with the inscription of
Alleluia in their title. But the aforesaid number of twelve Psalms they
divide in such a way that. if there are two brethren they each sing six; if
there are three, then four; and if four, three each. A smaller number than
this they never sing in the congregation, and accordingly, however large a
congregation is assembled, not more than four brethren sing in the
service.
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