5. The institution of a new form of common office for confessors and for
virgins to facilitate the lessening of the number of feasts of saints,
without diminishing the honour due to them (Burton and Myers, _op.
cit._, p. 144).

We may sum up, then, all that has been said in this long section by
stating that from Apostolic times there was public prayer, thrice daily.
The Jewish converts, having the psalms committed to memory needed not,
nor could they have in those bookless days, a psalter script. In the
third century, morning, evening, and night offices are mentioned.
Compline was in existence in the time of St. Benedict. "From the seventh
century onwards, ecclesiastical writers, papal decrees and conciliar
decrees recognise the eight parts of the office, which we have seen took
shape during the sixth century, and regard their recitation by priests
and monks as enjoined by positive law. During this period, or at least
at its commencement, Lauds and Vespers alone had a clearly defined
structure and followed a definite arrangement. As far as we can see, St.
Gregory arranged the little hours for Sunday only, and their arrangement
for week days was left to the care of the bishops and metropolitans, or
even of abbots. This was also the case, in many instances, with regard
to Matins, for the number of psalms to be recited thereat was not
definitely fixed. As regards the little hours--Prime, Terce, Sext, None
and Compline--the freedom of the competent ecclesiastical authorities
was as yet unconfined by canonical restrictions. Chrodegang (766) was
first to follow the usages of the Benedictines of the Roman Basilica,
in prescribing for secular clergy the celebration at Prime of the
_officium Capituli_ (_i.e._, the reunion in the chapter for
reading the rule or, on certain days, the writings and homilies of the
Fathers). The rest of the chapter--_i.e._, all that follows the
_confiteor_ in Prime as a preparation for the work of the day,