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CHAP. IV.

The ANGLO-SAXON Te Deum; Jubilate; Magnificat; and
Specimens of their Prayers.

BOOK Tрe, God, pe hepath, the, Ðɲihten, pe andettah.
The, æcne fæbep, eal eopth epunthath.

X.

Their

Te Deum.

The, ealle englar, the, heofenar and ealle anpealdum.

The, chepubim and repaɲhim unablınnendlice sterne clypath
Paliz! Dalig! Paliz! opihten, Lod pepeda!

Fulle rýnt heofenar and eopthe mæzenthpýmmes þuldnes thiner.

The, pulsoppul epnspacena pened,

The, pitizena hepgenblic zetel,

The, cýchpa rcyned hepath heɲe,

The, embhpуpft eonthena halig andet zeromnung,

Fædep, opmæter mæzen-thpýmmer!

Appupchne thinne rothne and anlicne sunu;

Paligne pitodlice ƑpeƑnizendɲe Last.

Thu, cynz pulsner cyninger' Lhpiste,

Thu, fædener ece thu eapt sunu,

Tha to alyjenne thu anfenge mann, thu ne ascunedosc fæmnan innath.

Thu ofeprpithedum deather anzan; Thu onlyrbest zelyfedum picu heopena.

Thu on tha spithpan healfe Loder jetst on puldɲe fæderes.
Dema thu eapt zelyfed pesan topeand,

The eopnortlice pe halpiach thinum theopum gehelp, tha of seoppуnthum blode thu alysbert.

Ece do mid halgum thinum pulbon beon fopzуfen.

Pal do role thin; and blerja yppeрeaponýrre chine.
And geɲece hŷ and upahoy hý oth on ecnecnýrre.
Thuph rýnonize dagar pe bletriath the

And pe hepiach naman thinne on populse and a poruld.
Lemedema dæze thirum buton sýnne ur zehealsan.
Lemiltja upe, Lemiltra.

Sy mildheopenýr chin open ur spa rpa pe hyheath on the.
On the ic hihte; ic ne beo zercỳnd on ecnýsse. 1

1 MS. Cott. Lib. Vespasian, A. 1.

THE JUBILATE.

late.

CHAP.

IV. Đpymath brihtne ealle eorthan; theopiath Spihtne on blisse; Inyath on gesıhthe his on blithnesse.

The Jubi, Witath fortham the Opıhten he is Lod; he pophte us, and na pe rýlfe us; folc his and sceap fostopnother his.

Ingath satu his on anddetnesse, cafeptunas his on ýmenum anddettath.

Depiath namam his; fortham the pýnsum if Srihten, on ecnesre mildheoptnes his, and oth on cynrene and cynpene sochfæstness his. 2

THE MAGNIFICAT. Min papel mensath Đpıhten y min gast zeblissude on Code The Mag

nificat. minum Dælende.

Fortham the he gereah his thinene ead-moonesse, sochlice heonun-forth me eadige seczach ealle cneopessa.

Fortham the me mycele thing byde se the mihtig is j his nama is halız.

j his mild-heoptnes of cneopesse on cneopesse hine onbræbendum.

De pophte mægne on his earme. De to-bælde tha ofermodan on mode hýra heoptan.

De apeapp tha pican of setle and tha ead-modan upahof.
Dingpigende he mid zodum gefylde j ofer-mode idele roplet.
De afeng irrahel his cniht j zemunde his mild heortnesse.


Spa he spræc to upum fædenum Abrahame and his sæde on
à peopulo.3

The following addresses to the Deity are selected from the Anglo-Saxon remains, to complete the picture of their minds; and to show that, notwithstanding the illiterate age in which they lived, , and the superstitions which prevailed, yet that the language of their devotion was not discreditable to their general intellect. These instances will indi. cate that they studied to connect it both with their feelings and their reason. They are in a poetical form :

2 MS. Cott. Vitell. E. 18. Another version from Vespas. A. 1. may be seen in Wanley's excellent Catalogue of the Saxon MSS. p. 222.

3 Saxon Gosp. Luc. c. 1. VOL. III.

L L

BOOK

X.

AngloSaxon prayers.

Oh Lord beloved !

3. Oh God our judge 1

O Light of light!
hear me:

Oh joy of life!
Everlasting Ruler!

grant it to me.
I know that my soul

Blessed King of Glory! with sins is wounded.

what I for my soul Heal thou it,

pray of the heavens O Lord of heaven!

for the eternal honour. And restore thou it,

Thou art the benign God; O Governor of life!

thou hast and rulest For thou most easily may, One over all. Physician of us all!

Earth and heaven, of all that exist

of their various creatures, far or wide.

Thou art the true Creator ;

One over all 2.

those living on the earth, O Sovereign of radiance ! as in heaven above; Creator of man!

thou art the Saviour God. benign be thy mind

Nor may any man to me for good.

profit thee Give me thy pardon,

that are collected together
and thy pity.

over the wide ground;
May he be merciful, men on the earth,
that on earth here

over all the world.
we may resist the devil,

Nor can we ever say,
and work his will !

nor indeed know,
Woe to him for his jollity how noble thou art,
when he the retribution Eternal Lord !
shall have and see,

Nor though the host of anunless he from the evil

gels has previously ceased.

up in heaven, But happy will he be in their assembled wisdom, who here on earth,

should begin to say it, day and night,

might they ever narrate, obeys the Lord,

nor the number know, and always works his will. how great thou art, Well to him will be this work Mighty Lord ! when he the retribution But vast is still the wonder, shall have and see,

Governor of Angels, if he continues it

if thou thyself should excite to a good end.

them.

CHAP.

IV.

Chief of Victory,

of all creatures; how glorious thou art,

and I am mighty and strong in power! one of little worth, King of all kings !

and a depraved man, the living Christ;

who is sinning here Creator of all the worlds !

very nearly Ruler of angels,

day and night. Noblest of all nobility, I do as I would not ; Saviour Lord !

sometimes in actions, Thou art the Prince

sometimes in words, that on former days,

sometimes in thought, the joy of all women,

very guilty fair was born

in conscious wickedness at Bethlehem,

oft and repeatedly. that city,

But I beseech thee now, a comfort to mankind ! Lord of heaven an honour to all

And

pray to thee, the children of men !

best of human-born, To them that believe

that thou pity me, on the living God,

Mighty Lord ! and on that eternal ligh High King of Heaven! up in the skies.

and the Holy Spirit ; Thy power is so great, and aid me Mighty Lord!

Father Almighty ! so that none truly know it, that I thy will nor the exaltation

may perform, of the state of the angels before from this frail life of the King of heaven. I depart. I confess thee,

Refuse me not, Almighty God!

Lord of Glory! I believe on thee,

But grant me, beloved Saviour !

blessed, illustrious King! that thou art

permit me, with angels, the great one, and the strong in power,

to sit in the sky; and the condescending and praise the God of heaven of all gods,

with the tongue of the holy and the Eternal King

world without end.4 Amen. Of the Latin prayers at the end of every psalm in the Saxon and Latin Psalter, the following may

up to ascend

4 See the original Saxon in Cedmon, App.

BOOK be selected as specimens of the Anglo-Saxon pri

vate devotions in prose:

X.

“O Lord! our King, and our God i propitious, hearken unto the voice of thy petitioners. Deign to hear them devoutly approaching thee in the morning hour, that through the greatness of thy mercy, and cleansed from all the stain of sins, we may enter thy house, and every where sing thy praises in thy fear.”5

“ What is man, O Lord! that thou art mindful of him, or the son of man, unless thou shouldest redeem him that he may not perish for ever? Impart therefore to us the help we need; Thou who hast given thy precious blood for us! Oh, grant that those whom thy death has redeemed may glorify thee in their lives."6

“Regard and hear us, O Lord, our God! and illuminate, by the contemplation of thy presence, the eyes of our mind, that we sleep not in death : assist these our endeavours to please thee, which thou thyself hast afforded to us. Give us the full accomplishment of that good work, who hast given us its first principle, the will to do it. Grant that we may be able to complete it, Oh, thou who hast imparted the wish to begin it."7

“ Make known to us, O Lord! the ways of life, and fill us with the delights of thy right hand. Place thy yoke upon us, which is so sweet under thy direction, and grant to each of us that he may bless thee with the affection of his heart, and glorify thee by his intellect, through," &c. 8

“Oh Lord! our strength, and the liorn of our salvation ! impart to us the fervour of thy love, that our minds may love thee with unwearied affection; and by the effect of this attachment to thee may be turned towards our neighbour with benignity, through," &c. 9

“ Govern us, O Lord! and then we shall want nothing ; for what is there to be desired under thy government but thyself alone ? What is there to be sought for while thou sparest us, but thy glory ? Lead us then through the path of justice, and convert our souls from every evil action to virtue. May we, under thy protection, neither fear the adversities that may

5 Spelman's Anglo-Saxon Psalter, addit. to psalm v. 6 Ibid. ad. ps. viii.

7 Ibid. ad. ps. xii. 6 Ibid. ps. xv.

9 Ibid. ps. xvii.

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