Select English works of John Wyclif. Vol. 3. Miscellaneous works / edited from original mss. by Thomas Arnold.

[TE DEUM LAUDAMUS.]

Te Deum laudamus, te Dominum et confitemur: We herien þee God, we knowlechen þee Lord.

It is comounly seid þat þis song was maad of Austin and Ambrose [In the ancient offices of the English Church, according to Mr. Palmer (Origines Liturgicae, I. 228), this hymn is named indifferently the 'Psalm Te Deum,' or the 'Song of Ambrose and Augustine.' No higher authority for the legend mentioned in the text is known, than that of a spurious chronicle, ascribed to Dacius, a successor of St. Ambrose, but really written five centuries later. The rudiments of a large portion of the hymn may be traced, as has been shown by Archdeacon Freeman in his ex∣cellent work, Principles of Divine Service, in Oriental liturgies. But in its actual form, a preponderance of testimony seems to trace it back to Gaul; the earliest author named for it is Hilary of Poitiers (circa 354). If so it would be not one of the least precious gifts to Christianity from the glorious church of Gaul, well and fittingly called 'the eldest daughter of the Church.'] , whanne Austin was convertid. But þis we may suppose byneþe þe bileeve; but howevere it be herof, þis song is devout. First Crist is God, and siþ he is Lord, for he is not Lord but if he have a servaunt.

Te eternum patrem, omnis terra veneratur: Al þe erþe worschipiþ þee, everlastinge fadir.

Here we seyen by partis þe heriyng of God; and first how alle men in erþe worschipen God þe Fadir, siþ al þe Trynyte is fadir to men, for it made man of nouȝt, and þerfore it is fadir. And so al þe Trinyte is fadir to man, but þe first persoone is Fadir to his Sone.

Tibi omnes angeli, tibi celi, et universe potestates. Tibi cherubyn et seraphyn incessabili voce procla∣mant:

Alle angels and hevenes, and alle powers in þis world, cherubyn and seraphin, crien bi vois and unstyntinge to þee.

Al if erþeli men be first in oure knowinge, ȝit hevene and sitesyns þerof ben first in her kynde, and specialy angels of þe two firste ordris, for þei ben schynynge wiþ kunnynge, and brennynge wiþ charite. And alle creaturis seyn to God þat he

made hem, for þis is kyndeli seiing, þat kynde techiþ Goddis creaturis; but angels crien afer bi spiritual vois, and þei may not ceese herof, siþ þei ben needly blessid.

Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus, Dominus Deus Sabaoth; Pleni sunt celi et terra majestatis glorie tue:

Þis is þe first song seid to þe Trynyte, and þerfore is þis word, holy, seid þries, and it bitokeneþ stablenes in God in bigynnynge of hise werkis, in kepinge, and eendynge. And as God is myche and glorious wiþoute mesure, and in ech part of þis world, so it is soþli seid þat he filliþ boþe heven and erþe; and al if he have in himsilf glorie of his magiste, in as myche as he is God, naþelees he schewiþ it out in mesure, noumbre, and weiȝt, as him falliþ for to do.

Te gloriosus Apostolorum chorus: Te prophetarum laudabilis numerus: Te martirum candidatus laudat exercitus: Þese þre cumpanyes of þe two testamentis herien þee God; and first, Þe glorious cumpany of Cristis apostlis, siþ, þe worschipful noumbre of prophetis; and siþ, þe oost of martirs maad whiȝt in her blood.

Siþ Crist is heed of holy Chirche, and hise apostlis sueden him next, manye supposen þat þei ben in hevene bifore oþere. And, for fadris of þe oolde lawe weren grounde [corrected; U has gronde, T groundid.] of men of þe newe lawe, bi resonable ben þei putt bitwixe, and next hem suen martirs of þe newe lawe.

Te, per orbem terrarum, sancta confitetur ecclesia: Holy Chirche knowlechiþ þee God, þoru-out al þe world.

And as þe Trinyte is heried, so holy Chirche haþ þre partis. Þe hiȝeste ben angels of hevene, þe secunde, seintis slepinge in purgatorie, þe þridde is folk þat schulen be saved, here fiȝtinge in erþe. Of þese and noone oþere is holy Chirche maad. And þis schulde be bridil in us, to booste not þat we ben of holy Chirche. And so, for mysterie of þe Trinyte, ben confessours and virgyns taken in þe þridde part.

Patrem immense majestatis [So in U; magestatis, T.] : Venerandum tuum verum et unicum Filium: Sanctum quoque paraclitum Spiritum. Þis Chirche þat þus is scaterid in þe brode world,

knowlechiþ þe fadir of majeste wiþouten eende, and knowlechiþ þe secunde persone, þi oonli worþi verri sone; and it knowlechiþ þe þridde tyme, þe Holi Goost cumfortour; and alle þes þre persoones ben o God in his kynde. And, as clerkis seyn, magiste acoordiþ to þe Fadir, for he is in sum maner first of alle þre persoones; wisdom acordiþ to þe Sone, siþ he is wis∣dom of þe Fadir, and made and bouȝte mankynde; þe Holy Goost is cumfortor, for he makiþ a parfiȝt eende of brennynge charite in alle þe seyntis þat he wolde have, boþe here and in heven, in sorowe and in joie.

Tu rex glorie Criste: Tu patris sempiternus es Filius: Tu ad liberandum suscepturus hominem non horruisti virginis uterum: Tu devicto mortis aculeo aperuisti credentibus regna celorum: Tu ad dexteram Dei sedes, in gloria patris: Judex crederis esse venturus: Þou, Crist, art Kyng of glorie, and hast take mannys kynde; Þou art everlastynge sone of þe fadir. Þou, to take mankynde for to de∣lyvere it, hidousist not þe virgyns wombe to be closid in it. Þou, for þou overcamest þe scharpenes of deeþ, openedist to men þat bileeveden in þee þe kyngdoms of hevenes. Þou, aftir þin assen∣cioun, sittist on Goddis riȝt side. And siþ þou art God bi þi hiȝer kynde, and best man bi þi oþir kynde, þou art bileeved to come for to juge at þe laste day.

And in þes articlis of bileeve is myche fair clergie, but we schulden not bileeve of þe Fadir of hevene þat he haþ a riȝt side, or partis, as a man haþ, but þat þe manheed of Crist is blisful in hevene, and next his Godheed in glorie among alle creaturis.

Te ergo quesumus, famulis tuis subveni, quos precioso sanguine redemisti: Eterna fac cum sanctis tuis in gloria munerari: Salvum fac populum tuum, Domine, et benedic hereditati [corrected from U; hereditatis, T.] tuae. Et rege eos, et extolle illos usque in eternum. By þese two kyndis in Crist ben we hardy to preie him, and þerfore we preien þee, helpe þou þi servauntis, whiche þou hast bouȝt wiþ þi precious blood. Do þis grace wiþ þi seintis, þat þei be rewardid in blis wiþ ever∣lastinge

glorie. Lord, make þi peple saaf, and blesse to þin eritage; and governe hem here, and hiȝe hem into þe blis wiþouten eende.

Cristen men schulden take þe wordis of Goddis lawe, as Ambrose and Austin and oþere bifore us han do, and drede not to graunte þat Crist was deed, and lesse þan his fadir, and herwiþ was God. But heretikis seyn here þat auctor of Goddis lawe was rude in his logiik, and ofte spak fals, and so þei wolen neþir holde hym ne sue him. But sey we booldly to þes eretikis, þat þei cannot amende þis auctor, ne reprove noone of hise wordis bi her newe logyk, and but if þei holden þis auctor þei schulen not be saved.

Per singulos dies benedicimus te: Et laudamus nomen tuum in seculum et in seculum seculi. We ben maad to serve God, and in þat have blis, and herfore we syngen to God and seien, þat we blessen him bi ech daies þat we lyven in þe world, and we herien his name bi lastynge of þis world and of þe toþir boþe.

Whanne oure soule was maad, þanne God made a newe world, and by al þis world we schulden herie God, on o maner þe while we lyven here, and on anoþir aftir. As þere ben two lastingis þat God ȝeveþ to þis world, oon is wiþout-forþ, þat men clepen tyme, anoþir is wiþinne, betere þan þis tyme, and þis is clepid often tymes world of world.

Dignare, Domine, die isto sine peccato nos custodire: Miserere nostri, Domine, miserere nostri: Fiat miseri∣cordia tua, Domine, super nos, quemadmodum speravi∣mus in te: In te, Domine, speravi, non confundar in eternum. Here we preien to oure God by hope þat we han gaderid in hym, and seyn, Lord, vouchesaaf to kepe us þis day wiþouten synne. Lord, have mersy on us. Lord, be þi mersy maad upon us, as we han hopid in þee. Lord, I have hopid in þee, be I not schent wiþoute eende.

In þese foure versis ben manye faire truþis. In þe firste vers we preien God to kepe us fro greet synne þat nevere schal have eende; and ech day we han nede to preie herfore; and so Crist techiþ us to sey in oure Pater noster þat, and God delyvere us fro þis yvel. Þus we han nede ech day to preie þis; but, as seint Joon seiþ, if we seyn þat we han no synne, we disseyven

us silf, and truþe is not in us. But as longe as we dwellen here, we asken Goddis mersi for oure mischevous bodi, but moost for oure soule; but in þe toþir world þis myscheef gooþ awey. And, for ech man schulde wyte þat he haþ ful hope in God, þerfore in þe þridde word we preie to God of his mersy as we hopen in him, and moore may we not axe. In þe fourþe word we turnen us in o persoone, of þe Chirche, and seien in persoone of þis Chirche, þat we han hope in þis Lord, and for þis hope we axen to be not schent wiþouten eende. For as Crist techiþ us to axe generali, so þese seyntis casten to close þer preier in charite, and to aske þis eende in þe name of holy Chirche. And þis is eende of oure asking þat mai falle in þis world. For þis yvel and þis scheending is moost of alle oþere, and so þis is a grete grace to wante þis scheendyng wiþouten eende; for þanne we schal not come to helle, but algatis go to heven. And no peyne is yvel but þis, or to regarde of þis, as no joie is good but blis, or ellis wey to blis. Þis witt schulde men undirstonde of þis holy song, and leve worldli chauntynge þat here is usid wickidly, for it distractiþ often tymes fro joie of þe toþir world. And it is hard þat it profite evene as myche to mennys soule as it likiþ to mennis eeris; and certis ellis it profitiþ not, for, as Austin knowlechiþ, he synneþ grevousli whanne evere þe song likiþ him more þan dooþ þe witt of þe song [S. Aug. Confessiones, Lib. X. cap. 33.] .