Te Igitur

Te Igitur (i.e. "Thee therefore"), the first two words of the canon of the Latin mass. This part of the eucharistic service is said to have been drawn up under the direction of Gregory the Great, though portions of it are doubtless of much earlier date. It was also called Obsecratio. This service, as distinct from the missal, was used, and is still used, by bishops, prelates, and other dignitaries; and as the canon is the most sacred part of the service, oaths upon the Te Igitur were regarded as especially solemn. The Te Igitur appears to have been used in the ordeal of compurgation.