Page:The seven great hymns of the mediaeval church - 1902.djvu/67

Rh as not eaily to be matched by any mediæval compoition on the ame ubject. Dean Trench, in his 'Sacred Latin Poetry,' gave a very beautiful cento of ninety-five lines from the work. From that cento I tranlated the larger part in the firt edition of the preent book, following the arrangement of Dean Trench, and not that of Bernard. The great popularity which my tranlation, however inferior to the original, attained, is evinced by the very numerous hymns compiled from it, which have found their way into modern collections; o that in ome hape or other the Cluniac's veres have become, as it were, naturalized among us. This led me to think that a fuller extract from the Latin, and a further tranlation into Englih, might not be unacceptable to the lovers of acred poetry."

"It would be mot unthankful did I not expres my gratitude to God for the favor He has given ome of the centos made from the poem, but epecially Jerualem the Golden. It has found a place in ome twenty hymnals; and for the lat two years it has hardly been poible to read any newpaper, which gives prominence to eccleiatical news, without eeing its employment chronicled at ome dedication or other fetival. It is alo a great favorite with dienters, and has obtained admiion to the Roman Catholic ervices. 'And I ay this,' to quote Bernard's own preface, 'in no wie arrogantly, but with all humility, and therefore boldly.'

"But more thankful till am I that the Cluniac's veres hould have oothed the dying hours of many of God's ervants, the mot triking intance, of which I know, is related in the memoir publihed by Mr. Brownlow, under the title, A Little Child hall lead them; where he ays that the child of whom he writes, when uffering agonies which the medical attendants declared to be almot unparalleled, would lie without a murmur or motion, while the whole four hundred lines were read.