Crederis esse venturus, 'art believed to be about to come.'
9. Numerari or munerari. In the Old English character it is sometimes difficult to distinguish where the seven strokes of the letters mun are to be divided into letters. A MS. at Exeter looks more like m u n, which is the reading of the two Irish MSS. referred to {73} above, and the reading of my own black letter Breviary (1524).
Heb. xi. 6 has the thought that God rewards a man who loves Him. Cf. also Jer. xxxi. 16, 'thy work shall be rewarded'[1].
The word numerari means 'to be counted, enrolled in a numerus or fellowship.' Cf. Prophetarum numerus, above.
12. Die isto, translated this day. It may be thought that the reference is to 'that day' as in 2 Tim. i. 12, 18, iv. 8, viz. the Judgment Day. Several of these lines would favour that reference.
13. "Lighten" is used in the Prayer Book in two senses, both derived from Anglo-Saxon words,—to illuminate, as in the 3rd Evening Collect, Lighten our darkness, and in the Ordination Hymn, Lighten with celestial fire:—but here, to "alight" or come down, cf. Deut. xix. 5; Gen. xxiv. 64 and xxviii. 11; 2 Kings v. 21 and x. 15, &c.
Non confundar in aeternum. This might more obviously be translated, "I shall not be confounded for ever." It is not inconsistent with the prayerful tone of this Stanza, that most of its lines express more hope than fear. That the closing words should be at once humble and confident would suit well with the character of this Hymn of praise.
On the other hand the words themselves are borrowed from two Psalms (xxxi. 1 and lxxi. 1), where they must be rendered as a prayer. It is therefore {74} preferable to take them here in the same sense. Latin scholars know that the use of non with the imperative occurs elsewhere, being apparently regarded as though compounded with it.
Note on the Doxology in Te Deum.
Te Deum is the only one of the Psalms and Canticles which is not provided with Gloria Patri at the end of it.