Magnae Deus potentiae, Qui fertili natos aqua Partim relinquis gurgiti, Partim levas in aera,

5 Demersa lymphis imprimens,
Subvecta caelis erigens,
Ut stirpe ab una prodita
Diversa repleant loca.

Largire cunctis servulis, 10 Quos mundat unda, sanguinis, Nescire lapsus criminum Nec ferre mortis taedium,

Ut culpa nullum deprimat, Nullum efferat jactantia, Is Elisa mens ne concidat,

Elata mens ne corruat.

Hymn 26 Thursday Vespers

Most powerful God, You leave in the deep some of those born of the fruitful water and raise others into the air. You set down in the sea those plunged in the waters and raise up to the heavens those that have been brought up from below and so, though they own one common element, they find their home in sea or sky. Grant to all Your servants whom water and blood have cleansed, not to suffer any fall into sin or to experience sin's loathsomeness. So may it come to pass that none be depressed by his guilt or exalted by pride, that the despondent does not lie defeated or the proud fall headlong to destruction.

Hominis superne conditor, Qui cuncta solus ordinans, Humum jubes producere Reptantis et ferae genus,

5 Et magna rerum corpora, Dictu jubentis vivida, Per temporum certas vices Obtemperare servulis,

Repelle quod cupidinis 10 Ciente vi nos impetit, Aut moribus se suggerit Aut actibus se interserit.

Hymn 27 Friday Vespers

Heavenly creator of mankind, to whom alone belongs the ordering of the universe, Your decree is that the earth bring forth reptiles and beasts and that the mighty animals, called into life by Your word, obey Your servants at the fixed changes of time and season. Drive away the violent assaults of passion which assail us, whether as an idea which seeks a place in our way of thought or as an act which finds

Author. As 22.

20. Dixit etiam Deus: Producant aquae reptile animae viventis, et volatile super terram sub firmamento caeli. 21. Creavitque Deus cete grandia, et omnem animam viventem atque motabilem, quam produxerunt aquae in species suas, et omne volatile secundum genus suum. 22. Benedixitque eis, dicens: Crescite et multiplicamini, et replete aquas maris; avesque multiplicentur super terram. Gen. 1, 20–2.

2. Fertili, because water is the common source of fishes and birds; natos, obj. of the two verbs through the restricting adverb partim. Original: qui ex aquis ortum genus; cf. Gen. 1, 20. Relinquis in 3 is a colourless substitute for remittis.

5-6. Lymphis and caelis, datives with imprimens and erigens (for the original irrogans, assigning, which better explains the dative), but also to be taken with demersa and subvecta. Line s explains line 3, and 6 explains 4.

7. stirpe ... prodita, coming from, owning, one common element, cf. line 2; prodita from prodire. 10. sanguinis is probably the equivalent of sanguis,

i.e. whom water and blood cleanse. For a case other than the nominative used, metri gratia, as a nominative, cf. vincis sapore nectare (for nectar), 52, 26. For the sense, cf. unda manat et cruor (original: sanguis, unda profluit), 53, 20—where a double subject has, as here, a singular verb. The reference here and in 53 is to John 19, 34. If sanguinis is a genitive, it excludes the idea of water, which one would expect to be mentioned in a hymn about things born of water. II. nescire; cf. nesciat, 12, 20; lapsus, falls; cf. 11, 27,

note.

12. taedium, i.e. loathsomeness; or perhaps, malice.

13. ut... nullum; final, and equals ne quemquam; deprimat, submerge, and cf. imprimens in 5. 14. efferat, exalt; cf. erigens of 6.

15. elisa, the crushed, despondent, soul, and cf. demersa of 5; for elisos cf. Dominus... erigit elisos, Ps. 145, 8.

16. elata; cf. subvecta of 6; ne in superbiam elatus, in judicium incidat diaboli, 1 Tim. 3, 6.

Author. As 22.

24. Dixit quoque Deus: Producat terra animam viventem in genere suo, jumenta et reptilia, et bestias terrae secundum species suas. Factumque est ita... 26. Et ait: Faciamus hominem ad imaginem et similitudinem nostram; et praesit piscibus maris, et volatilibus caeli, et bestiis, universaeque terrae, omnique reptili quod movetur in terra. 27. Et creavit Deus hominem ad imaginem suam. ... 28. Benedixitque illis Deus, et ait: Crescite, et multiplicamini, et replete terram, et subjicite eam, et dominamini piscibus maris, et volatilibus caeli, et universis animantibus, quae moventur super terram. Gen. 1, 24-8.

4. reptantis... genus, the race of creeping things and that of beasts. Reptantis and ferae, sing. for plur., and reptilia and bestiae of Genesis.

5. magna corpora, (and orders) the mighty

E

...

smallness in relation to the magna rerum corpora; cf. 89, 3, note. Cf. Gen. 1, 26 and 28, and Ecclus. 17,

4.

9. repelle. Drive away from us whatever, quod, attacks, impetit, us ... Or, according to others,

cupidinis as genitive after quod, i.e. any evil desire.

10. ciente vi, i.c. violent, vi, emotion (or even, invitation, incitement) of passion, cupidinis. Ciente, cf. 13, 9, note, carries the idea of calling, summoning. The idea of the force of passion is derived from the overpowering strength of the magna rerum corpora. Original of 9-10: Repelle a servis tuis/Quidquid per

immunditiam. This fits into the construction of the next two lines, but unkindly confuses size and immunditiam.

16. astringe, draw closer; or perhaps, confirm, secure. Pacis foedera, bonds of peace, B; better, promise of peace; cf. foedus pacis meae non movebitur, Is. 54, 10, and percutiam illis foedus pacis, Ezech. 37, 26.

Author. Unknown, though it has been ascribed to St Ambrose. The fact that it has not been received into the Ambrosian use, the constant use of rhyme and, one would think, its length seem to indicate that it was not written by St Ambrose. (For arguments on either side, cf. W, Julian and Daniel IV, 48). The fact that the hymn is so short has been the source of many interpolations in the MSS.

The unrevised text makes it clear that the hymn is addressed to the Blessed Trinity. The first verse is:

O lux beata Trinitas,

Et principalis Unitas, Jam sol recedit igneus, Infunde lumen cordibus.

5. A verb must be supplied out of deprecamur, such as worship; laudum; this word is 'at least on its way to becoming "Lauds"', W.

6. deprecamur, pray, rather than pray that something be averted. In the revised text it governs ut in the next line.

8. laudemus, the continuation in eternity of the laudum carmine. It echoes the sentiments of the Saturday Lauds hymn, 17, 9-12. The prayer of petition, deprecamur, will eventually give way to that of praise, laudemus.

Author. Unknown, probably of the seventh century.

The hymn is in daily use at Compline, and displaced the older and longer Christe qui lux es et dies. This latter hymn is still in use among the Dominicans for Compline during Lent (cf. intro. to Lent). 3. pro, according to, by virtue of.

4. praesul, leader, protector, cf. 88, 2.

5. procul, cf. 14, 4, note. The body is thought of as

a temple, in which uncleanness has no place. 6. noctium phantasmata, cf. 17, 5, note.

7. hostem, the devil; the invidi of 12, 14 and the diabolus of 1 Peter 5, 8-the passage with which Compline begins.