From The International Library of Masterpieces, Literature, Art, & Rare Manuscripts, Volume I, Editor-in-Chief: Harry Thurston Peck; The International Bibliophile Society, New York; 1901; p. 300.
AMBROSE, or AMBROSIUS, SAINT, a father of the Latin Church, born at Treves, Prussia, about A. D. 340; died at Milan, Italy, in April, 394. He was Bishop of Milan from 375.
BEFORE the ending of the day
Creator of the world, we pray
That with Thy wonted favor, Thou
Wouldst be our guard and keeper now.
From all ill dreams defend our sight,
From fears and terrors of the night;
Withhold from us our ghostly foe,
That spot of sin we may not know.
Our Father, that we ask be done,
Through Jesus Christ, Thine only Son;
Who, with the Holy Ghost and Thee,
Doth live and reign eternally.
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* For a [very] little bit about St. Ambrose and his time, written by the 'first' British historian, see Nennius, translated by Marcus Gunn. — Elf.Ed.
When I put this online before Google scanned the world, I let Roger Pearse, (the incredibly nice founder of the Tertullian Project), know that it was up. On March 27, 2006, this was his reply to that e-mail:
“Ambrose’ hymn: I know it! When I was at college, we used to sing this in Gregorian chant as part of the service of compline, late at night in college chapel. (It was really something a few of us did for fun, one night a week, with candles. You know how students are! After that we would gather in one of our rooms for coffee and biscuits. I went to Oxford, you see).”