PREFACE

This volume is intended for hours of devotion, and the vast storehouse of sacred poetry of the Latin Church has been put under tribute to supply the material.

If an apology should be required for the book, it may perhaps be enough to say that, while south of the Tweed Latin hymnody has had considerable attention paid to it, the subject has hitherto been all but neglected in Scotland. There may be reasons for this—we believe there are; but with these we have nothing to do here. The fact remains that, while Anglicans can point to a long list of names worthily associated with this department of Christian literature, including such well-known hymnologists as Trench, Neale, and Newman, vi we in Scotland have only two: Robert Campbell, author of the “St. Andrews Hymnal,” and Dr. Hamilton M‘Gill, author of “Songs of the Christian Creed and Life,” with the addition of Dr. Horatius Bonar, who, besides reflecting the spirit of the poetry of the Early Church in many of his own hymns, has left us also a few skilful renderings of the original. The present volume is, we believe, the first of its kind produced by Scotsmen and Presbyterians.

In making a selection, the translator has experienced no difficulty in regard to the quantity and quality of material at hand; indeed, he has laboured under an embarrassment of riches. But the choice has been made from the best, and care has been taken to use only those hymns that might be acceptable in point of doctrine to the most fastidious.

It has been the aim of the translator to give the idea and spirit of the Latin verses, vii and except in a very few instances absolute faithfulness to the original has been observed, with as much literalness as it is possible to give to work of this sort.

As a rule the original measures have been retained, and only in a few pieces, where change seemed desirable, have different measures been adopted.

For the original text, the following collections have been used:—

Daniel, H. A. Thesaurus Hymnologicus. 5 vols. Halle and Leipzig, 1841-56.

Mone, F. J. Lateinische Hymnen des Mittelalters. 3 vols. Freiburg, 1853-55.

Wrangham, D. S. “The Liturgical Poetry of Adam St. Victor.” 3 vols. London, 1881.

Newman, J. H. Hymni Ecclesiæ. Oxford and London, 1865.

Neale, J. M. Hymni Ecclesiæ. London, 1851.

Trench, R. C. “Sacred Latin Poetry.” London, 1886.

The translator desires to give expression to his sense of indebtedness to Dr. M‘Crie, viii whose share in this work is by no means confined to the Introduction and Notes. It was at his instigation that the task was at first undertaken, and his help and co-operation as the work of rendering progressed, were ungrudgingly given.

It will be cause for thankfulness to the translator if the work of some of the happiest hours of his life should meet with the appreciation and approbation of his fellow-countrymen, and awaken their interest in a department of devotional literature which has been too long neglected.