are some of the oles of Gregory of Nazianzen and Sophronius of Jerusalem, has impressed scarcely any traces on the Greek office books. The flourishing period of Greek poetry coincides with the period of the image controversies, and the most eminent poets were at the same time advocates of images; pre-eminent among them being John of Damascus, who has the double honor of being the greatest theologian and the greatest poet of the Greek church. The flower of Greek poetry belongs, therefore, in a later division of our history. Yet, since we find at least the rise of it in the fifth century, we shall give here a brief description of its peculiar character. The earliest poets of the Greek church, especially Gregory Nazianzen, in the fourth, and Sophronius of Jerusalem in the seventh century, employed the classical metres, which are entirely unsuitable to Christian ideas and church song, and therefore gradually fell out of use.' Rhyme found no entrance into the Greek church. In its stead the metrical or harmonic prose was adopted from the Hebrew poetry and the earliest Christian hymns of Mary, Zacharias, Simeon, and the angelic host. Anatolius of Constantinople (†458) was the first to renounce the tyranny of the classic metre and strike out a new path. The essential points in the peculiar system of the Greek versification are the following:' The first stanza, which forms the model of the succeed ng ones, is called in technical language Hirmos, because it draws the others after it. The succeeding stanzas are called Troparia (stanzas), and are divided, for chanting, by commas, without regard to the sense. A number of troparia, from three to twenty or more, forms an Ode, and this corresponds to the Latin Sequence, which was introduced about the same time by the monk Notker in St. Gall. Each ode is founded on a 1 See some odes of Gregory, Euthymius and Sophronius in Daniel's Thes. tom. ii. p. 6 sqq. He gives also the hymn of Clement of Alex. (μvos Toû owτĥpos Χριστού), the ὕμνος ἑωθινός and ὕμνος ἑσπερινός, of the third century. See the details in Neale's works, whom we mainly follow as regards the East ern hymnology, and in the article above alluded to in the "Christian Remem wancer" (probably also by Neale). hirmos and ends with a troparion in praise of the Holy Virgin. The odes are commonly arranged (probably after the example of such Psalms as the 25th, 112th, and 119th) in acrostic, sometimes in alphabetic, order. Nine odes form a Canon. The older odes on the great events of the incarnation, the resurrection, and the ascension, are sometimes sublime; but the later long canons, in glorification of unknown martyrs are extremely prosaic and tedious and full of elements foreign to the gospel. Even the best hymnological productions of the East lack the healthful simplicity, naturalness, fervor, and depth of the Latin and of the Evangelical Protestant hymn. The principal church poets of the East are Anatolius († 458), ANDREW OF CRETE (660-732), GERMANUS I. (634-734), JOHN OF DAMASCUS († about 780), COSMAS of Jerusalem, called the Melodist (780), THEOPHANES (759-818), THEODORE of the Studium (826), METHODIUS I. (846), JOSEPH of the Studium (830), METROPHANES of Smyrna († 900), LEO VI. (886–917), and EUTHYMIUS († 920). The Greek church poetry is contained in the liturgical books, especially in the twelve volumes of the Menæa, which correspond to the Latin Breviary, and consist, for the most part, of poetic or half-poetic odes in rhythmic prose.' These 1 Hence this last troparion is called Theotokion, trom SEOTÓKOS, the constant predicate of the Virgin Mary. The Stauro-theotokion celebrates Mary at the cross. Kavúr. Neale says (Hymns of the East. Ch. Introd. p. xxix.): “A canon consists of Nine Odes-each Ode containing any number of troparia from three to beyond twenty. The reason for the number nine is this: that there are nine Scrip tural canticles employed at Lauds (eis тdv "Op&pov), on the model of which those in every Canon are formed. The first: that of Moses after the passage of the Red Sea -the second, that of Moses in Deuteronomy (ch. xxxiii.)—the third, that of Hannan-the fourth, that of Habakkuk-the fifth, that of Isaiah (ch. xxvi. 9–20)—the sixth, that of Jonah-the seventh, that of the Three Children (verses 8-34, our "Song" in the Bible Version)—the eighth, Benedicite-the ninth, Magnificat and Benedictus." 'Neale, 1. c. p. xxxviii., says of the Oriental Breviary: "This is the staple of those three thousand pages-under whatever name the stanzas may be presentedforming Canons and Odes; as Troparia, Idiomela, Stichera, Stichoi, Contakia, Cathismata, Theotokia, Triodia, Stauro-theotokia, Catavasiai-or whatever else. Nine-tenths of the Eastern Service-book is poetry." Besides these we find poetica pieces also in the other liturgical books: the Paracletice or the Great Octoechus, in eight parts (for eight weeks and Sundays), the small Octoechus, the Triodion (fo treasures, on which nine centuries have wrought, have hither to been almost exclusively confined to the Oriental church, and in fact yield but few grains of gold for general use. Neale has latterly made a happy effort to reproduce and make acces sible in modern English metres, with very considerable abridg ments, the most valuable hymns of the Greek church.' We give a few specimens of Neale's translations of hymns of St. Anatolius, patriarch of Constantinople, who attended the council of Chalcedon (451). The first is a Christmas hymn, commencing in Greek: Μέγα καὶ παράδοξον θαῦμα. "A great and mighty wonder, The festal makes secure: The Word is made incarnate, And we with them triumphant 'To GOD on high be glory, And peace on earth to men!' While thus they sing your Monarch, the Lent season), and the Pentecostarion (for the Easter season). Neale (p. xli.) reckons that all these volumes together would form at least 5,000 closely-printed, double column quarto pages, of which 4,000 pages would be poetry. He adds an expression of surprise at the "marvellous ignorance in which English ecclesiastical scholars are content to remain of this huge treasure of divinity—the gradual completion of nine centuries at least." Respecting the value of these poetical and theological treasures, however, few will agree with this learned and enthusiastic Anglican venerator of the Oriental church. 'Neale, in his preface, says of his translations: "These are literally, I believe, the only English versions of any part of the treasures of Oriental Hymnology. There is scarcely a first or second-rate hymn of the Roman Breviary which has not been translated: of many we have six or eight versions. The eighteen quartc volumes of Greek church-poetry can only at present be known to te English reader by my little book." Since all He comes to ransom, The Saviour and the LORD! Now idol forms shall perish, All error shall decay, And CHRIST shall wield His sceptre, Our LORD and GOD for aye." Another specimen of a Christmas hymn by the same, com mencing ἐν Βηθλεέμ: 1 "In Bethlehem is He born! Maker of all things, everlasting God! He opens Eden's gate, Monarch of ages! Thence the fiery sword The severing mid-wall overthrown, the powers Angels and men renew their ancient league, In happy union! Now the Virgin-womb Containeth Him, the Uncontainable: Bears Him, whom while they bear The seraphs tremble! bears Him, as He comes To shower upon the world The fulness of His everlasting love!" One more on Christ calming the storm, ζοφερᾶς τρικυμίας, as reproduced by Neale: "Fierce was the wild billow Dark was the night; Oars labor'd heavily; Foam glimmer'd white; Mariners trembled; Peril was nigh; Then said the God of God -Peace! It is L.' Ridge of the mountain-wave, Lower thy crest! From the "Christian Remembrancer," 1. c. p. 302. Comp. Neale, Hymns of the Eastern Church, p. 13. Wail of Euroclydon, Be thou at rest! Sorrow must fly Where saith the Light of Light, -Peace! It is I.' JESU, Deliverer! Come Thou to me: Soothe Thou my voyaging Over life's sea! Thou, when the storm of death Roars, sweeping by, -Peace! It is I.'" § 115. The Latin Hymn. More important than the Greek hymnology is the Latin from the fourth to the sixteenth century. Smaller in compass, it surpasses it in artless simplicity and truth, and in richness, vigor, and fulness of thought, and is much more akin to the Protestant spirit. With objective churchly character it combines deeper feeling and more subjective appropriation and experience of salvation, and hence more warmth and fervor than the Greek. It forms in these respects the transition to the Evangelical hymn, which gives the most beautiful and profound expression to the personal enjoyment of the Saviour and his redeeming grace. The best Latin hymns have come through the Roman Breviary into general use, and through translations and reproductions have become naturalized in Protestant churches. They treat for the most part of the great facts of salvation and the fundamental doctrines of Christianity. But many of them are devoted to the praises of Mary and the martyrs, and vitiated with superstitions. In the Latin church, as in the Greek, heretics gave a wholesome impulse to poetical activity. The two patriarchs of Latin church poetry, Hilary and Ambrose, were the champions of orthodoxy against Arianism in the West. The genius of Christianity exerted an influence, partly liberating, partly transforming, upon the Latin language and |