[131] Chrism is the term employed for the mixture of oil and balsam employed in the rite of confirmation, and sometimes for the ceremony of confirmation itself. In the early church, this ceremony immediately followed baptism, and was performed by the laying on of hands. In the Roman church it is obligatory on all Catholics, and no baptism is theoretically complete without it. It is performed by a bishop (only exceptionally by a priest). The ceremony begins with the bishop’s rising and facing the person or persons to be confirmed, his pastoral staff in his hand, and saying: ‘May the Holy Ghost come upon you, and the power of the Holy Ghost keep you from sins’ (_Handbook to Christian and Ecclesiastical Rome: Liturgy in Rome_, London, 1897, pp. 169–171). The rite is described in Egbert’s _Pontifical_, which may be taken as representing the custom in the church of Alfred’s time. Lingard says (_Anglo-Saxon Church_, London, 1858, 1. 297): ‘According to that pontifical, the bishop prayed thus: “Almighty and Everlasting God, who hast granted to this thy servant to be born again of water and the Holy Ghost, and hast given to him remission of his sins, send down upon him thy sevenfold Holy Spirit, the Paraclete from heaven, Amen. Give to him the spirit of wisdom and understanding, Amen--the spirit of counsel and fortitude, Amen--the spirit of knowledge and piety, Amen. Fill him with the spirit of the fear of God and our Lord Jesus Christ, and mercifully sign him with the sign of the holy cross for life eternal.” The bishop then marked his forehead with chrism, and proceeded thus: “Receive this sign of the holy cross with the chrism of salvation in Christ Jesus unto life eternal.” The head was then bound with a fillet of new linen to be worn seven days, and the bishop resumed: “O God, who didst give thy Holy Spirit to thine apostles, that by them and their successors he might be given to the rest of the faithful, look down on the ministry of our lowliness, and grant that into the heart of him whose forehead we have this day anointed, and confirmed with the sign of the cross, thy Holy Spirit may descend; and that, dwelling therein, he may make it the temple of his glory, through Christ our Lord.” The confirmed then received the episcopal blessing, and communicated during the mass.’ The chrism-loosing was the ceremony of unbinding the fillet, apparently. [132] MS. _ædificia_; Stevenson, _beneficia_. [133] Chiefly from the _Chronicle_. [134] Gloucester, Worcester, etc. [135] Mostly from the _Chronicle_. [136] Mostly from the _Chronicle_. [137] See Stevenson’s interesting note. [138] From the _Chronicle_. [139] _Ibid._ [140] _Ibid._ [141] _Ibid._ [142] Mostly from the _Chronicle_. [143] Largely from the _Chronicle_. [144] Mostly from the _Chronicle_. [145] Cf. chap. 60. [146] The MS. has _dormiret_, but perhaps for _domum iret_, since the _Chronicle_ has _hāmweard wendon_ (Stevenson); so perhaps we should read ‘was on its way home.’