that, in every point and word, they had faithfully render'ed the text to the best of their knowledge." But the marginal notes having given offence, it was not suffered to be published in Englandt 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 bishop's 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 afterwards 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 authentie 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 Rhemes. 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 1640, 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 Martyn, of St. John's college. The annotations were made

+ 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 66 quarto, in 15.2." Lewis' History of the translations of the Bible, in Svo, p. 264, 2d edition, 1739. Ed.

by Thomas Worthington, B.A. of Oxford; all of them exiles for their religion, and settled in popish seminaries beyond 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 Revela

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. x. p. 46. Ed.

The translations pointed out by name, as Dr. Grey remarks, were those of Tyndal, Matthew, Coverdale, Whitchurch, and Geneva. Ed.

tions; and the sixth the canonical Epistles. The whole being finished and revised by learned men from both univesities, the publishing it was committed to the care of bishop Bilson and Dr. Miles Smith, which last wrote the preface that is now prefixed. It was printed in the year 1611, with a dedication to king James, and is the same that is still read in all the churches.

Upon the death of Arminius, the curators of the univer sity of Leyden chose Conradus Vorstius his successor.This divine had published a very exceptionable treatise* concerning the nature and properties of God, in which he maintained that God had a body; and denied his proper immensity and omniscience, as they are commonly understood. He maintained the Divine Being to be limited and restrained, and ascribed quantity and magnitude to him. The clergy of Amsterdam remonstrated to the states against his settlement at Leyden, the country being already too much divided about the Arminian tenets. To strengthen their hands, they applied to the English ambassador to represent the case to king James; and prevailed with the curators to defer his induction into the professorship till his majesty had read over his book ;† which having done, he declared Vorstius to be an arch-heretic, a pest, a monster of blasphemies; and to shew his detestation of his book, ordered it to be burnt publicly in St. Paul's church-yard, and at both universities; in the conclusion of his letter to the states on this occasion he says, "as God has honored us with the title of Defender of the Faith, so (if you incline to retain Vorstius any longer) we shall be obliged not only to separate and cut ourselves off from such false and heretical church

It may be wished that Mr. Neal had rather said, "a Treatise against which great exceptions were taken." His mode of expression intimates that those exceptions were justly grounded; this Vorstius himself denied, and solemnly declared his belief of the immensity and omniscience of the Divine Being, and ascribed the imputations cast on him to wresting his words to a meaning contrary to the scope and connexion of the discourse. His abilities, learning, and virtues, were highly esteemed by those who differed from him. Præstantium ac Eruditorum Virorum Epistolæ. Amsterdam 1660; p. 350, &c. and p. 385; and the Abridg ment of Brandt's History, vol. ii. p. 727, 728. Ed.

+ Brandt's History, vol. ii. p. 97, or the Abridgment, vol. i. p. 318,

'es, but likewise to call upon all the rest of the reformed 'churches to enter upon the same common consultation, 'how we may best extinguish and send back to hell these 'cursed [Arminian] heresies that have newly broken forth. 'And as for ourselves, we shall be necessitated to forbid 'all the youth of our subjects to frequent an university that 'is so infected as that of Leyden."* His majesty also sent over sundry other memorials, in which he stiles Vorstius a wicked atheist; Arminius, an enemy to God. And Bertius having written that the saints might fall from grace, he said the author was worthy of the fire.

At length [1612] the king published his royal declaration in several languages,† containing an account of all that he had done in the affair of Vorstius, with his reasons; which were, his zeal for the glory of God, his love for his friends and allies, [the States] and fear of the same contagion in his own kingdom; but their High Mightinesses. did not like the king of England's intermeddling so far in their affairs. However, Vorstius was dismissed to Gouda, where he lived privately till the synod of Dort, when he was banished the seven provinces; he then retired to Tonninghen, in the dukedom of Holstein, where he died a professed Socinian, Sept. 19, 1622. ||

"Nothing," it is well observed by Gerard Brandt, " can be less edi'fying, than to see a protestant prince, who, not contented to persecute the heterodox in his own kingdom, exhorts the potentates of the same ' religion to imitate his conduct." Brandt abridged, vol. i. p. 319. Ed.

It was printed in French, Latin, Dutch, and English; on which Dr. Harris, well remarks, that "consequently his monstrous zeal, his unprincely revilings, and his weak and pitiful reasonings, were known 'throughout Europe." Yet it was not held in any high reputation; for Mr. Norton, who had the printing of it in Latin, swore he would not 'print it, unless he might have money to print it.”.

Harris' Life of James I. p. 120. His sickness was a short one; but long enough to afford him an opportunity to teach his physician and other friends,how a Christian ought to die. He was wholly intent upon prayer, and scarcely repeated any thing but passages out of the scriptures. At his request, Acts ii, and 1 Cor. xv. as mentioning the resurrection, were read to him: and this doctrine was much the subject of his last discourses. He expired, recommending his soul to GoD and JESUS CHRIST his Saviour. And it is said, that the piety, holiness, faith, and resignation, which he shewed, and the fervency of his prayers, cannot be well expressed.

Brandt abridged, vol. ii. p. 722, 723. Ed.

His majesty had a further opportunity of discovering his zeal against heresy this year, upon two of his own subjects. One was Bartholomew Legate, an Arian ;* he was a comely person, of a black complexion, and about forty years of age, of a fluent tongue, excellently well versed in the scriptures, and of an unblamable conversation. King James himself, and some of his bishops, in vain conferred with him, in hope of convincing him of his errors. Having lain a considerable time in Newgate, he was at length convened before bishop King in his consistory at St. Paul's, who, with some other divines and lawyers there assembled, declared him a contumacious and obdurate heretic, and certified the same into chancery by a significavit, delivering him over to the secular power; whereupon the king signed a writ† de heretico comburendo to the sheriffs of London, who brought him to Smithfield, March 18th, and in the midst of a vast concourse of people, burnt him to death. A pardon was offered him at the stake if he would recant, but he refused it.

* Fuller, b. x. p. 63.

The reader will perhaps be curious to see the form of the king's writ for burning Legale; the latter part of which is as follows:

"Whereas the Holy Mother Church hath not further to do and 'to prosecute on this part; the same reverend father has left the aforesaid, Bartholomew Legatt, as a blasphemous heretic to our secular 'power, to be punished with condign punishment, as by the letters patent of the same reverend father in CHRIST, the bishop of London, in <this behalf above made, hath been certified to us in our chancery. We, 'therefore, as a zealot of justice, and a defender of the catholic faith, and willing to maintain and defend the holy church, and the rights and liberties of the same, and the catholic faith: And such heresies and errors every where what in us lieth, to root out and extirpate, and to punish with condign punishment such heretics so convicted, and 'deeming that such an heretic in form aforesaid convicted and condemned according to the laws and customs of this our kingdom of England in this part accustomed, ought to be burned with fire; We do command you that the said Bartholomew Legatt, being in your custody, 'you do commit publicly to the fire, before the people, in a public and open place in West-Smithfield, for the cause aforesaid; and that you 'cause the said Bartholomew Legatt to be really burned in the same "fire, in detestation of the said crime, for the manifest example of other Christians, lest they slide into the same fault; and this that in no' wise you omit, under the peril that shall follow thereon. Witness, &c. A Narration of the burning of Bartholomew Legatt, &c. in Truth brought to Light, 1692, as quoted by Mr. Lindsey in his Conversations on Christian Idolatry, p. 119, 120. Ed.