378 CHAPTER XIX. FRENCH AND OTHER HYMNS. OUR English Hymnals owe comparatively little to any of the continental nations except the German. This is probably due in part to the fact, that all the Latin races are under the sway of the Roman See, whose doctrine differs largely from ours, whilst in their church worship little space is left for the use of hymns. Had France been Protestant, and therefore psalm-singing, as her lyric gift is quite as strong, if not stronger than that of Germany, she would probably have furnished us with as large, if not a larger, proportion than we have drawn from Germany, especially if her Protestantism had been of the Lutheran rather than the Calvinistic type. Even the hymns we have taken from France were chiefly written in the Latin tongue for use in French Breviaries. Of some of these I have spoken in earlier chapters of this book in my account of the hymns of Adam of St. Victor, the Bernards, and King * *"In Switzerland, in the Protestant Church of France, and to some extent in Holland, the spread of the German hymns has been checked by the influence of the Calvinistic churches, which have always feared to give a prominent place to Art of any kind in the worship of God-rather, indeed, have allowed it to creep in on sufferance, than delighted to introduce it as a freewill offering of beauty."-Winkworth's "Christian Singers of Germany,' p. 4. Robert of France; but to later times belong the following, from whose Latin hymns, translations have passed into some of our English Hymnals :-- From Claude de Santeüil, otherwise known as Santolius Maglorianus (1628-1684) we have "Thrice Holy God, of wondrous might" (Ter sancte, ter potens Leus); whilst from his brother, J. B. de Santeüil (Santolius Victorinus), (1630-1697), we have "In stature grows the Heavenly Child" (Divine, crescebas, Puer), "O Christ, who hast prepared a place" (Nobis, Olympo redditus), "Long time the fallen human race" (Pulsum supernis sedibus), translated by J. Chandler; and "Not by the Martyr's death alone" (Non parta solo sanguine), translated by Isaac Williams. To Charles Coffin (1676-1749), we owe "God from on high hath heard" (Jam desinant susperia), translated by Bishop Woodford; "Great Mover of all hearts, whose hand" (Supreme Motor cordium), translated by Isaac Williams; and "As now the sun's declining rays' (Labente jam solis rota), “On Jordan's bank the Baptist's cry" (Jordanis oras prævia), "What star is this, more glorious far" (Quae stella sole pulchrior), "O Lord, how joyful 'tis to see" (0 quam jurat fratres, Deus), translated by John Chandler. From Nicolas le Tourneaux, of the latter part of the 17th century, we have "Morn's roseate hues have decked the sky" (Aurora lucis dum novae), translated by W. Cooke. William Cowper translated certain of the Cantiques Spirituels of Madame Guyon, which contained about 900 pieces, mostly written to popular ballad tunes. The finest of these is the following, touched with the peculiar Could I be cast where Thou art not, But regions none remote I call, Then let me to His throne repair, And peace and safety my reward. Most of the hymns drawn from and written in the French language come to us, as was to be expected, from Protestant sources in Switzerland. Cæsar Malan (17871864) was a voluminous hymnist, exceeding Dr. Watts in the number of his compositions, but being more akin to Charles Wesley in their character. He is said by his biographer to have written at least a thousand hymns! They were translated into English in 1825 by Ingram Cobbin ("Hymns by the Rev. Cæsar Malan translated into English verse"); and in 1866 by Miss Arnold (Lyra Evangelica). The best known is the following, translated by G. W. Bethune : : It is not death to die To leave this weary road, And 'midst the brotherhood on high, To be at home with God. It is not death to close To spend eternal years. It is not death to bear The wrench that sets us free From dungeon-chain to breathe the air It is not death to fling Jesus, Thou Prince of Life, Thy chosen cannot die: Like Thee they conquer in the strife, Malan was also a musician, and set his hymns to music. To Jean Frederic Oberlin (1740-1826) is usually ascribed the fine hymn (translated by Lucy Wilson) " O Lord, Thy heavenly grace impart "; but there is reason to believe that it was neither Oberlin's composition nor translation. The religious movement started by Robert Haldane in the earliest years of the present century gave rise to a School of Swiss Hymnody, to which Dr. Merle D'Aubigne, Felix Neff, and others contributed. At a somewhat later period (1834) the "Chants Chretiens were published in Paris by Henri Lutteroth, in which were included extracts from Racine, Corneille, and Pictét, and hymns by Adolphe Monod, Alexander Vinet, and others. This is still the most popular Hymnal in the Reformed Church. To Adolphe Monod (1812-1856), the saintly and accomplished Pastor of Paris, we owe the striking hymn, "Oh, the bitter shame and sorrow," which has found its way into certain English Hymnals. The following translation of his "Que ne puis-je, ô mon Dicu," by Mr. Downton, deserves notice : God of my health! I would Thy praise proclaim Blest-when I hear Thee speak, and when that word Blest-when I speak to Thee, and though but dust, Blest, when Thy day, which saw from Chaos' mount Blest-when, beneath Thy strokes, my faithful God, Weeping, but waiting Thy returning smile, Blest-when, assaulted by the tempter's power, Blest-ever blest! my Brother, He who died; Alexander Vinet (1797-1867), the devout and thoughtful Professor of Theology at Lausanne, wrote many hymns, most of which appeared first in the "Semeur," a paper to which he often contributed. They are marked by the devout thoughtfulness and delicate phrasing which are characteristic of his discourses. Seven of these have been translated by the Rev. Henry Downton, M.A., for many years the English Chaplain at Geneva, and included in his "Hymns and Verses: Original and Translated," 1873. The following is a specimen. It is a translation of his "Roi des Anges": |