the little hours

Some explanation is in order. Below I have posted Anglican versions of two of the "Little Hours," Terce and Sext. The Little Hours are the three prayer offices, Terce, Sext, and None, which are prayed traditionally around 9:00 a.m., Noon, and 3:00 p.m. respectively. They are a part of the broader "Liturgy of the Hours" which mark each day with fixed prayer in religious communities. There are seven daily "Hours" altogether: Lauds, Prime, Terce, Sext, None, Vespers, and Compline, which together with the night office, Vigils or Matins, compose the "Divine Office" or "Cursus." The "Little Hours" are so called because they are comparatively short, and are fixed as to content. Anglican Morning Prayer, as in the BCP, is an amalgam of elements from Matins, Lauds, and Prime. Evening Prayer corresponds roughly to Vespers. Compline (in the 1979 BCP) is, well, Compline. The Little Hours are therefore what are missing. These verions are taken from The Primer of 1559 and are English variations on pre-reformation Latin rites.