good men; that he laid aside the hospitality becoming a bishop, and lived without state or equipage, which gave occasion to the following satire upon his death, which happened November 2, 1610, aged sixty-six. Here lies his grace in cold clay clad, CHAP. II. FROM THE DEATH OF ARCHBISHOP BANCROFT TO THE DEATH OF KING JAMES I. BANCROFT was succeeded by Dr. George Abbot, bishop of London, a divine of a quite different spirit from his predecessor. A sound Protestant, a thorough Calvinist, an avowed enemy to Popery, and even suspected of Puritanism, because he relaxed the penal laws, whereby he unravelled all that his predecessor had been doing for many years; "who, if he had lived a little longer (says lord Clarendon*), would have subdued the unruly spirit of the Nonconformists, and extinguished that fire in England which had been kindled at Geneva; but Abbot (says his lordship) considered the Christian religion no otherwise than as it abhorred and reviled Popery, and valued those men most who did that most furiously. He inquired but little after the strict observation of the discipline of the church, or conformity to the articles or canons established, and did not think so ill of the [Presbyterian] discipline as he ought to have done; but if men prudently forbore a public reviling at the hierarchy and ecclesiastical government, they were secure from any inquisition from him, and were equally preferred. His house was a sanctuary to the most eminent of the factious party, and he licensed their pernicious writings." This is the heavy charge brought by the noble historian against one of the most religious and venerable prelates of his age, and a steady friend of the constitution in church and state. If Abbot's moderate measures had been constantly pursued, have been much wo:se than Bancroft, who by their good humour and generosity have been more esteemed when living, and more lamented at their death." Eccles. Hist. vol. 2, p. 497.-ED. * Book 1. p. 88. the liberties of England had been secured, Popery discountenanced, and the church prevented from running into those excesses, which first proved its reproach and afterward its ruin. The translation of the Bible now in use, was finished this year [1611]; it was undertaken at the request of the Puritan divines in the Hampton-court conference; and being the last, it may not be unacceptable to set before the reader in one view, the various translations of the Bible into the English language. The New Testament was first translated by Dr. Wickliffe out of the Vulgar Latin, about the year 1380, and is entitled, "The New Testament, with the lessons taken out of the old law, read in churches according to the use of Sarum." The next translation was by William Tyndal, printed at Antwerp 1526, in octavo, without a name, and without either calendar, references in the margin, or table at the end; it was corrected by the author, and printed in the years 1534 and 1536, having passed through five editions in Holland. In the meantime Tyndal was translating several books of the Old Testament, as the Pentateuch, and the book of Jonah, printed 1531; the books of Joshua, Judges, Ruth, the four books of Kings, the two books of Chronicles, and Nehemiah. About the same time George Joy, sometime fellow of Peter-college, Cambridge, translated the Psalter, the prophecy of Jeremiah, and the song of Moses, and printed them beyond sea. In the year 1535, the whole Bible was printed the first time in folio, adorned with wooden cuts, and Scripture references; it was done by several hands, and dedicated to king Henry VIII. by Miles Coverdale. In the last page it is said to be printed in the year of our Lord 1535, and finished the fourth day of October. This Bible was reprinted in quarto 1550, and again with a new title 1553. Two years after the Bible was reprinted in English, with this title, "The Holy Byble, which is all the Holy Scripture, in which are contayned the Olde and Newe Testament, truelye and purelye translated into English by [a fictitious name] Thomas Matthew, 1537." It has a calendar with an almanac; and an exhortation to the study of the Scrip ture, signed J. R. John Rogers; a table of contents and marriages; marginal notes, a prologue; and in the Apocalypse some wooden cuts. At the beginning of the prophets are printed on the top of the page R. G. Richard Grafton, and at the bottom E. W. Edward Whitchurch, who were the printers. This translation, to the end of the book of Chronicles, and the book of Jonah, with all the New Testament, was Tyndal's; the rest was Miles Coverdale's and John Rogers's. In the year 1539 the above-mentioned translation, having been revised and corrected by archbishop Cranmer, was reprinted by Grafton and Whitchurch, "cum privilegio ad imprimendum solum." It has this title, "The Bible in Englyshe, that is to say, the content of the Holy Scripture, both of the Olde and Newe Testament, truely translated after the veritie of the Hebrue and Greke texts, by the diligent study of divers excellent learned men, expert in the foresayde tongues." In this edition Tyndal's prologue and marginal notes are omitted. It was reprinted the following year in a large folio, proper for churches, begun at Paris, and finished at London. In the year 1541 it was printed again by Grafton, with a preface by Cranmer, having been revised by Tonstal and Heath, bishops of Durham and Rochester. But after this time the Popish party prevailing at court, there were no more editions of the Bible in this reign. Soon after king Edward's accession [1548—9], the Bible of 1541 had been reprinted, with Cranmer's prologue; and the liturgy of the church of England, being first composed and established, the translation of the Psalter, commonly called the old translation, in use at this day, was taken from this edition. Next year, Coverdale's Testament of 1535 was reprinted, with Erasmus's paraphrase; but there was no new translation. In the reign of queen Mary [1555], the exiles at Geneva undertook a new translation, commonly called the Geneva Bible; the names of the translators were, Coverdale, Goodman, Gilby, Whittingham, Sampson, Cole, Knox, Bodleigh, and Pullain, who published the New Testament first in a small twelves, 1557, by Conrad Badius. This is the first that was printed with numerical verses. The whole Bible was published afterward with marginal notes, 1559, dedi cated to queen Elizabeth. The translator's say, "they had been employed in this work night and day with fear and trembling-and they protest from their consciences, that, in every point and word, they had faithfully rendered the text to the best of their knowledge." But the marginal notes having given offence, it was not suffered to be published in England till the death of archbishop Parker, when it was printed [1576] by Christopher Barker, in quarto, "cum privilegio," and met with such acceptance, that it passed through twenty or thirty editions in this reign. Cranmer's edition of the Bible had been reprinted in the years 1562 and 1566, for the use of the churches. But complaint being made of the incorrectness of it, archbishop Parker projected a new translation, and assigned the several books of the Old and New Testament to about fourteen dignitaries of the church, most of whom being bishops, it was from them called the Bishops' Bible, and was printed in an elegant and pompous folio, in the year 1568, with maps and cuts. In the year 1572, it was reprinted with some alterations and additions, and several times afterward without any amendments. In the year 1582, the Roman-Catholic exiles translated the New Testament for the use of their people, and published it in quarto, with this title, "The New Testament of Jesus Christ, translated faithfully into English out of the authentic Latin, according to the best corrected copies of the same, diligently conferred with the Greek and other editions in divers languages; with arguments of books and chapters, annotations, and other necessary helps for the better understanding of the text, and especially for the discovery of the corruptions of divers late translations, and for clearing the controversies in religion of these days. In the English college of Rheims. Printed by John Fogny." The Old Testament of this translation was first published at Doway in two quarto volumes, the first in the year 1609, the other 1610, by Lawrence Kellam, at the sign of the Holy Lamb, with a preface and tables; the authors are said to be cardinal Allen, sometime principal of St. Mary-hall, Oxford; Richard Bristow, fellow of Exeter-college; and Gregory * Here Mr. Neal, as Dr. Grey observes, appears to be mistaken; as Lewis says, "that the Geneva Bible was printed at London, in folio and quarto, in 1572." Lewis's History of the Translations of the Bible, in 8vo. p. 264, second edition, 1739.-Ed. VOL. II. G Martyn, of St. John's college. The annotations were made by Thomas Worthington, B. A. of Oxford; all of them exiles for their religion, and settled in Popish seminaries beyoud sea. The mistakes of this translation, and the false glosses put upon the text, were exposed by the learned Dr. Fulke and Mr. Cartwright. At the request of the Puritans in the Hampton-court conference, king James appointed a new translation to be executed by the most learned men of both universities, under the following regulations, (1.) That they keep as close as possible to the Bishops' Bible. (2.) That the names of the holy writers be retained according to vulgar use. (3.) That the old ecclesiastical words be kept, as church not to be translated congregation, &c. (4.) That when a word has divers significations, that be kept which has been most commonly used by the fathers.* (5.) That the division of chapters be not altered.† (6.) No marginal notes but for the explication of a Hebrew or Greek word. (7.) Marginal references may be set down. The other regulations relate to the translators comparing notes, and agreeing among themselves; they were to consult the modern translations of the French, Dutch, German,‡ &c. but to vary as little as possible from the Bishops' Bible. The king's commission bears date 1604, but the work was not begun till 1606, and finished 1611. Fifty-four of the chief divines of both universities were originally nominated; some of whom dying soon after, the work was undertaken by forty-seven, who were divided into six companies; the first translated from Genesis to the First Book of Chronicles; the second to the prophecy of Isaiah; the third translated the four greater prophets, with the Lamentations and twelve smaller prophets; the fourth had the Apocrypha; the fifth had the four gospels, the Acts, and the Revelations; and the sixth the canonical epistles. The whole being finished and revised by learned men from both universities, the publishing it was committed to the care of bishop Bilson and Dr. Miles Smith, which last wrote the preface that is now * Dr. Grey states more fully and accurately these rules from Lewis and Fuller, "used by the most eminent fathers, being agreeable to the propriety of the place and the analogie of faith."-ED. + The division of the chapters to be altered either not at all, or as little as may be, if necessity so require." Lewis, p. 317. Fuller's Church Hist. b. 10. p. 46.-ED. The translations pointed out by name, as Dr. Grey remarks, were those of Tyndal, Matthew, Coverdale, Whitchurch, and Geneva.-ED. |