1776 - 1848 Author of "Thy Work Is to My Feet a Lamp" Mant, Richard D.D., son of the Rev. Richard Mant, Master of the Grammar School, Southampton, was born at Southampton, Feb. 12, 1776. He was educated at Winchester and Trinity, Oxford (B.A. 1797, M.A., 1799). At Oxford he won the Chancellor's prize for an English essay: was a Fellow of Oriel, and for some time College Tutor. On taking Holy Orders he was successively curate to his father, then of one or two other places, Vicar of Coggeshall, Essex, 1810; Domestic Chaplain to the Archbishop of Canterbury, 1813, Rector of St. Botolph, Bishopsgate, London. 1816, and East Horsley, 1818, Bishop of Killaloe, 1820, of Down and Connor, 1823, and of Dromore, 1842. He was also Bampton Lecturer in 1811. He died Nov. 2, 1848. His prose works were numerous, and although now somewhat obsolete, they were useful and popular in their day. His poetical works, and other works which contain poetical pieces, are:—
(1) The Country Curate, 1804; (2) Poems in three Parts, 1806; (3) The Slave, 1807; (4) The Book of Psalms in an English Metrical Version, &c, 1824; (5) The Holydays of the Church; or Scripture Narratives of Our Blessed Lord's Life and Ministry, and Biographical Notices of the Apostles, Evangelists, and Other Saints, with Reflections, Collects, and Metrical Sketches, vol. i., 1828; vol. ii., 1831; (6) The Gospel Miracles in a series of Poetical Sketches, &c., 1832; (7) The British Months, 2 vols., 1836; (8) Ancient Hymns from the Roman Breviary, for Domestick Use. . . .To which are added Original Hymns, principally of Commemoration and Thanksgiving for Christ's Holy Ordinances, 1837: new ed., 1871. (9) The Happiness of the Blessed Dead, 1847.
Bishop Mant is known chiefly through his translations from the Latin. He was one of the earliest of the later translators, I. Williams and J. Chandler being his contemporaries. Concerning his translations, Mr. Ellerton, in his Notes on Church Hymns, 1881, p. xlviii. (folio ed.), says justly that:—
"Mant had little knowledge of hymns, and merely took those of the existing Roman Breviary as he found them: consequently he had to omit many, and so to alter others that they have in fact become different hymns: nor was he always happy in his manipulation of them. But his book has much good taste and devout feeling, and has fallen into undeserved neglect."
His metrical version of the Psalms has yielded very few pieces to the hymnals, the larger portion of his original compositions being from his work of 1837. The most popular of these is "Come Holy Ghost, my soul inspire, Spirit of," &c, and its altered forms; "Bright the vision that delighted," and its altered form of "Round the Lord in glory seated;" and "For all Thy saints, O Lord." His hymns in common use which are not annotated under their respective first lines are:—
i. From his Metrical Version of the Psalms, 1824.
1. God, my King, Thy might confessing. Ps. cxlv.
2. Lord, to Thee I make my vows. Ps. xxvii.
3. Blessed be the Lord most High. Ps. xxviii. Pt. ii.
4. My trust is in the highest Name. Ps. xi.
5. Reign, Jehovah, King supreme. Ps. xcix.
6. Thy listening ear, O Lord, incline. Ps. Ixxxvi.
7. To God my earnest voice I raise. Ps. cxlii.
8. To Jehovah hymn the lay. Ps. cxviii. Two centos in Spurgeon's Our Own Hymn Book, 1866. (1) st. i., ii., v.; and (2) "Thee, Jehovah, will I bless" from st. vii.-x.
ii. From his Holydays of the Church, &c, 1828-31.
9. Lo, the day the Lord hath made. Easter.
10. There is a dwelling place above. All Saints.
iii. From his Ancient Hymns, &c, 1837.
11. Before Thy mercy's throne. Lent.
12. Father of all, from Whom we trace. Unity.
13. For these who first proclaimed Thy word. Apostles.
14. No! when He bids me seek His face. Holy Communion.
15. Oft as in God's own house we sit. Divine Worship.
16. Put off thy shoes, 'tis holy ground. The House of God .
17. Saviour of men, our Hope [Life] and Rest. The Greater Festivals.
18. Thy House each day of hallowed rest. Holy Communion.
19. We bless Thee for Thy Church, 0 Lord. Thanksgiving for the Church.
26. We deem and own it, Lord, a proof. Divine Grace.
When all Bishop Mant's translations of original hymns, and versions of the Psalms in common use are taken into account, it is found that he is somewhat strongly represented in modern hymnody.
-- John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)
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