the subject of a revision of the metrical psalms fore every assembly. Sir Walter Scott, when applied to, was wisely against the project; "for the Psalms," said he. -often possessed a rude sort of majesty, which would be ill exchanged for mere elegant . I addition to a collection of paraphrases was published by My. The Relief Synod published a hymn-book for their churches in 17'.'4. and en
The Burgher branch of the Secession had. in !. dph F.rskine. the author of tl
to undertake the duty of enlarging the psal- mody, but the proposal led to no result. '1 i Presbyterian Church, after some years' preparation,
PSALMODY
743
PSALMODY
published, in 1851, a hymn-book for the use of their ' churches. The most of the paraphrases are incorpo- rated into it. In addition to what is stated in the pre- vious portion of this article about psalmody in Scotland, it may be mentioned that there was published at the pe- riod of the Reformation a Corn}
and SpiritudQ, Songs. Many of these are satires on the Romish clergy, and many are profane 9ongs sangis) metamorphosed. The Romish clergy published a canon against this book — such was its popularity— and the fifth Parliament of queen Mary passed an act against such rhymes.
The first song of praise to Almighty God in the Eng- lish language, on our New -England coast, was raised by the Pilgrim fathers when they landed on Plymouth Rock. Cold, ice-bound, without a roof over their heads. they remembered their first Sabbath-day to keep it holy — •• 10 of December, on the Sabbath day. wee rested," is the simple and impressive record of their journal. "Amid the storm tbey sang.
And the stars heard, and the sea. And the sounding aisles of the dim woods rang With the anthem of the free."
As the first book ever printed with movable metal types was the Bible, so, as if to keep up the sacred paral- lel on this continent, the first book printed here was a portion of the inspired volume -done into metre." The first press was put up at Cambridge in 1639, by Stephen Day. His first book was The Psalms in Metre, faithfully translated for the use and ■ saints in public and private, especially in New England (printed at Cambridge in 1640). This version was made from the Hebrew by Thomas Welde. of Roxbury ; Rich- ard Mather, of Dorchester: and John Eliot, the Apostle of the Indians. They were a committee appointed by the Congregational or Independent churches as early as 163G. In their preface they say. " "We have - rather a plain translation than to smoothe our verses with the sweetness of any paraphrase, and so have at- tended to conscience rather than to elegance, and fidel- ity rather than poetry, in translating Hebrew words into English language and David's poetry into English metre." Three hundred acres of land were granted to Stephen Day. " being the first that set up printing." Eliot's Indian Bible, in the Nipmuck language, was printed at Cambridge in 1663, the whole of the type be- ing set up by an Indian, and the Psalms " done in com- mon metre" — of which the first verse from the 19th Psalm may suffice as a specimen —
"Ke=uk knkootnmnsheaumon God wussosumoouk Mamahehekesnk wnmatuhkon Wuiana kausnonk." In 1718 Dr. Cotton Mather issued his Psalterium Amer- icanum : the Book of Psalms in a translation exactly con- formed unto the original, but all in blank verse, fitted unto tunes commonly used in our churches. From this curious book we extract a few lines, as printed :
"PSALM XXIII. — A PSALM OF PAVITl.
"1. My Shepherd is th' eternal God I shall not be in [any] want :
"2. Iu pastures of a tender grass | He [e\er] makes me to lie down : | To waters of trauquillities j He sreutly car- ries me .alone] :
"3. My feeble and my iranderijio soul | He [kindly] does fetch back again : In the plain paths of righteous- ness 1 He does lead [and snide] me along ; of the regard he has [exer] unto his glorious Name." |
In an Admonition concerning the Tunes. Dr. Mather states that •• the director of psalmody need only say. • Sing with the black letter." or ' Sing without the black letter." and the tune will be sufficiently dm Belcher. Historical Sketches of Hymns and Hymn-writ- ers, p. 47. 48 — a work which contains much interesting information on the whole subject of Church psalmody. hymnology. and music). These and other primitive ef- forts to furnish an American psalmody and hymnal were not followed with success. Between the years 1755 and 1757 the version of the Psalms of 1640 was carefullv re-
vised by the Rev. Thomas Prince, M.A., and published In 17*3 Mr. Joel Barlow, an American states- man and poet, published a corrected and enlarged edi- tion of Dr. Watts's version of the Psalms, and a tion of hymns, with the recommendation of the General Assembly of the Congregational Ministers of Connecti- cut, at whose request the work had been undertaken. Many of the psalms were altered, several wer- anew, and several, which had been omitted by Dr. Watts, were supplied. This collection was in general ' use in that state until the bad character of the author (who died a wretched infidel) brought them into dis- repute: and in the year 1800, die Rev. Timothy Dwight. D.D.. president of Yale College, published a revised edi- tion of Dr. Watty's version of the Psalms ^in which he versified upwards of twenty psalms omitted by Watts i. with the approbation of the General Assembly isters in the state of Connecticut, at whose r • I I had originally been undertaken. This edition, with the contributions of Dr. Dwight. has never been adopted by the Congregationalists of this country. Many of the leading denominations in the United States of America now have their own separate psalm- and hymi-