S. August. confess. lib. 8. cap. 12. vtilit. cre S.Hieronym. ud Demetriad. The Tranflators word of God? what word of God (whereof we may be sure) without the Scripture? The Scriptures we are commanded to search. Ioh. 5. 39. Esa. 8. 20. They are commended that searched & studied them. Act. 17. 11. and 8. 28, 29. They are reproued that were vnskilful in them, or slow to beleeue them. Mat. 22. 29. Luk. 24. 25. They can make vs wise vnto saluation. 2 Tim. 3. 15. If we be ignorant, they will instruct vs; if out of the way, they will bring vs home; if out of order, they will reforme vs; if in heauines, comfort vs; if dull, quicken vs; if colde, inflame vs. Tolle, lege; Tolle, lege, Take vp and read, take vp and read the Scriptures, (for vnto them was the direction) it was said vnto S. Augustine by a supernaturall voyce. Whatsoeuar is in the Scriptures, beleeue S. August.de me, saith the same S. Augustine, is high and diuine; there is verily trueth, and a doctrine dendi cap. 6. most fit for the refreshing and renewing of mens mindes, and truely so tempered, that euery one may draw from thence that which is sufficient for him, if hee come to draw with a deuout and pious minde, as true Religion requireth. Thus S. Augustine. And S. Hierome: Ama scripturas, & amabit te sapientia &c. Loue the Scriptures, and wisedome will loue thee. S. Cyril. 70. And S. Cyrill against Iulian; Euen boyes that are bred up in the Scriptures, become most religious, &c. But what mention wee three or foure vses of the Scripture, whereas whatsoeuer is to be beleeued or practised, or hoped for, is contained in them? or three or foure sentences of the Fathers, since whosoeuer is worthy the name of a Father, from Christs time downeward, hath likewise written not onely of the riches, but also of the Tertul. ad- perfection of the Scripture? I adore the fulnesse of the Scripture, saith Tertullian against uers.Hermo. Hermogenes. And againe, to Apelles an Heretike of the like stampe, he saith; I doe not admit that which thou bringest in (or concludest) of thine owne (head or store, de tuo) without Scripture. So Saint Justin Martyr before him; Wee must know by all meanes, saith hee, that it is not lawfull (or possible) to learne (any thing) of God or of right pietie, saue onely out of the Prophets, who teach vs by diuine inspiration. So Saint Basill after Tertullian, It is a manifest falling away from the Faith, and a fault of presumption, either gists. to reiect any of those things that are written, or to bring in (vpon the head of them, éreo άYEI) Signpavias any of those things that are not written. Wee omit to cite to the same effect, S. Cyrill xarnyogia. B. of Hierusalem in his 4. Calaches. Saint Hierome against Heluidius, Saint Augustine contra Iuli anum. Tertul. de gos iλany. 0109 78. S. Basil. Ειρεσιώνη xa ip, καὶ πίονας ἄρτους, καὶ μέλι ἐν An oliue bow wrapped about with wooll, wherevpon did hang figs, & bread, and honie in a pot, & Joyle. in his 3. booke against the letters of Petilian, and in very many other places of his workes. Also we forbeare to descend to latter Fathers, because wee will not wearie the reader. The Scriptures then being acknowledged to bee so full and so perfect, how can wee excuse our selues of negligence, if we doe not studie them, of curiositie, if we be not content with them? Men talke much of elpeolwr, how many sweete and goodly things it had hanging on it; of the Philosophers stone, that it turneth copper into gold; of Cornu-copia, that it had all things necessary for foode in it; of Panaces the herbe, that it was good for all diseases; of Catholicon the drugge, that it is in stead of all xorúan, xal purges; of Vulcans armour, that it was an armour of proofe against all thrusts, and all ham, &c. blowes, &c. Well, that which they falsly or vainely attributed to these things for bodily good, wee may iustly and with full measure ascribe vnto the Scripture, for spirituall. It is not onely an armour, but also a whole armorie of weapons, both offensiue, and defensiue; whereby we may saue our selues and put the enemie to flight. It is not an herbe, but a tree, or rather a whole paradise of trees of life, which bring foorth fruit euery moneth, and the fruit thereof is for meate, and the leaues for medicine. It is not a pot of Manna, or a cruse of oyle, which were for memorie only, or for a meales meate or two, but as it were a showre of heauenly bread sufficient for a whole host, be it neuer so great; and as it were a whole cellar full of oyle vessels; whereby all our necessities may be prouided for, and our debts discharged. In a word, it is a Panary of holesome foode, against fenowed traditions; a Physions-shop (Saint Basill calleth it) of preseruatiues against poisoned heresies; a Pandect of profitable lawes, against rebellious spirits; a treasurie of most costly iewels, against beggarly rudiments; Finally a fountaine of most pure water springing vp vnto euerlasting life. And what maruaile? The originall thereof being from heauen, not from earth; the authour being God, not man; the enditer, the holy spirit, not the wit of the Apostles or Prophets; the Pen-men such as were sanctified from the wombe, and endewed with a principall portion of Gods spirit ; the matter, veritie, pietie, puritie, vprightnesse; the forme, Gods word, Gods testimonie, Gods oracles, the word of trueth, the word of saluation, &c. the effects, light of vnderstanding, stablenesse of perswasion, repentance from dead workes, newnesse of life, holinesse, peace, ioy in the holy Ghost; lastly, the end and reward of the studie thereof, fellowship with the Saints, participation of the heauenly nature, fruition of an inheritance immortall, vndefiled, and that neuer shall fade away: Happie is the man that delighteth in the Scripture, and thrise happie that meditateth in it day and night. κοινὸν ἰα- S. Basil, in mum. 1. Cor. 14. But how shall men meditate in that, which they cannot vnderstand? How shall Translation they vnderstand that which is kept close in an vnknowen tongue? as it is written, necessarie. Except I know the power of the voyce, I shall be to him that speaketh, a Barbarian, and hel The transla tion of the ment out of into Greek olde Testa the Hebrew To the Reader. 2. Tom. jhe that speaketh, shalbe a Barbarian to me. The Apostle excepteth no tongue; not Crab. gust. lib. 12. While God would be knowen onely in Iacob, and haue his Name great in Israel, and in none other place, while the dew lay on Gideons fleece onely, and all the earth besides was drie; then for one and the same people, which spake all of them the See S. Aulanguage of Canaan, that is, Hebrewe, one and the same originall in Hebrew was contra sufficient. But when the fulnesse of time drew neere, that the Sunne of righteous- Faust. c. 32. nesse, the Sonne of God should come into the world, whom God ordeined to be a reconciliation through faith in his blood, not of the Iew onely, but also of the Greeke, yea, of all them that were scattered abroad; then loe, it pleased the Lord to stirre vp the spirit of a Greeke Prince (Greeke for descent and language) euen of Ptolome Philadelph King of Egypt, to procure the translating of the Booke of God out of Hebrew into Greeke. This is the translation of the Seuentie Interpreters, commonly so called, which prepared the way for our Sauiour among the Gentiles by written preaching, as Saint John Baptist did among the Iewes by vocall. For the Grecians being desirous of learning, were not wont to suffer bookes of worth to lye moulding in Kings Libraries, but had many of their seruants, ready scribes, to copie them out, and so they were dispersed and made common. Againe, the Grecke tongue was well knowen and made familiar to most inhabitants in Asia, by reason of the conquest that there the Grecians had made, as also by the Colonies, which thither they had sent. For the same causes also it was well vnderstood in many places of Europe, yea, and of Affrike too. Therefore the word of God being set foorth in Greeke, becommeth hereby like a candle set vpon a candlesticke, which giueth light to all that are in the house, or like a proclamation sounded foorth in the market place, which most men presently take knowledge of; and therefore that language was fittest to containe the Scriptures, both for the first Preachers of the Gospel to appeale vnto for witnesse, and for the learners also of those times to make search and triall by. It is certaine, that that Translation was not so sound and so perfect, but that it needed in many places correction; and who had bene so sufficient for this worke as the Apostles or Apostolike men? Yet it seemed good to the holy Ghost and to them, to take that which they found, (the same being for the greatest part true and sufficient) rather then by making a new, in that new world and greene age of the Church, to expose themselues to many exceptions and cauillations, as though they made a Translation to serue their owne turne, and therefore bearing witnesse to themselues, their witnesse not to be regarded. This may be supposed to bee some cause, why the Translation of the Seuentie was allowed to passe for currant. Notwithstanding, though it was commended generally, yet it did not fully content the Epiphan. de learned, no not of the Lewes. For not long after Christ, Aquila fell in hand with a mensur. & new Translation, and after him Theodotion, and after him Symmachus: yea, there ponderibus. was a fift and a sixt edition, the Authours wherof were not knowen. These with the 20.de doctrin. Seuentie made vp the Hexapla, and were worthily and to great purpose compiled Christian. c. together by Origen. Howbeit the Edition of the Seuentie went away with the diatax. 146. credit, and therefore not onely was placed in the midst by Origen (for the worth and s excellencie thereof aboue the rest, as Epiphanius gathereth) but also was vsed by the Greeke fathers for the ground and foundation of their Commentaries. Yea, Epiphanius aboue named doeth attribute so much vnto it, that he holdeth the Authours thereof See S August 15°. Nouell. exag τος περιλαμ ψάσης αυτ τούς. Esa. 31. 3. S. Hieron. de optimo genere interpret. 2. cap. 11. The Tranflators thereof not onely for Interpreters, but also for Prophets in some respect: and Iustinian S. Augustin. were infinite (Latini Interpretes nullo modo numerari possunt, saith S. Augustine.) Marcell. S. Hieron. præf. in 4. Euangel. Sophronio. brew and Latine. ting of the tongues. Now though the Church were thus furnished with Greeke and Latine Transla- The translations, euen before the faith of CHRIST was generally embraced in the Empire: (for Scripture inS.Hieronym. the learned know that euen in S. Hieroms time, the Consul of Rome and his wife to the vulgar were both Ethnicks, and about the same time the greatest part of the Senate also) yet for all that the godly-learned were not content to haue the Scriptures in the 2. King. 7.9. Language which themselues vnderstood, Greeke and Latine, (as the good Lepers were not content to fare well themselues, but acquainted their neighbours with the store that God had sent, that they also might prouide for themselues) but also for the behoofe and edifying of the vnlearned which hungred and thirsted after Righteousnesse, and had soules to be saued aswell as they, they prouided Translations into the vulgar for their Countreymen, insomuch that most nations vnder heauen did shortly after their conuersion, heare CHRIST speaking vnto them in their mother tongue, not by the voyce of their Minister onely, but also by the written word translated. If any doubt hereof, he may be satisfied by examples enough, if enough wil serue the turne. First S. Hierome saith, Multarum gentiu linguis Scriptura ante translata, docet falsa esse quæ addita sunt, &c. i. The Scripture being translated before in the languages of many Nations, doth shew that those things that were added (by Lucian or S. Hieron. Hesychius) are false. So S. Hierome in that place. The same Hierome elsewhere affirmeth that he, the time was, had set forth the translation of the Seuenty, suæ linguæ hominibus. i. for his countreymen of Dalmatia. Which words not only Erasmus doth vnderstand to purport, that S. Hierome translated the Scripture into the DalSir.Sen.lib.4. matian tongue, but also Sixtus Senensis, and Alphonsus à Castro (that we speake of Alphon. a no more) men not to be excepted against by them of Rome, doe ingenuously confesse as much. So, S. Chrysostome that liued in S. Hieromes time, giueth euidence with S. Chrysost. him: The doctrine of S. Iohn (saith he) did not in such sort (as the Philosophers did) cap.1.hom.1. vanish away but the Syrians, Egyptians, Indians, Persians. Ethiopians, and infinite other nations being barbarous people, translated it into their (mother) tongue, and haue Theodor learned to be (true) Philosophers, he meaneth Christians. To this may be added P. Diacon.li. Theodorit, as next vnto him, both for antiquitie, and for learning. His words be 12. Isidor. in these, Euery Countrey that is vnder the Sunne, is full of these wordes (of the Apostles Sozom. li. 6. and Prophets) and the Hebrew tongue (he meaneth the Scriptures in the Hebrew tongue) is turned not onely into the Language of the Grecians, but also of the Romanes, Chron and Egyptians, and Persians, and Indians, and Armenians, and Scythians, and Sauromatians, and briefly into all the Languages that any Nation vseth. So he. In like maner, Virg. 5. his- pilas is reported by Paulus Diaconus and Isidor (and before them by Sozomen) to tor. Anglo- haue translated the Scriptures into the Gothicke tongue: Iohn Bishop of Siuil by idem de Alu-Vasseus, to haue turned them into Arabicke, about the yeere of our Lord 717: Beda redo nostro. by Cistertiensis, to haue turned a great part of them into Saxon: Efnard by Trithemius, to haue abridged the French Psalter, as Beda had done the Hebrew, about the Castro lib. 1. ca. 23. in Iohan. Therapeut. Chron. Goth. cap. 37. Vaseus in Hispan. rum testatur Auentin. lib. 4. yeerel The vnwillingnes of our chiefe that the uulged in the To the Reader. annum 900. man. lib. 2. yeere 800: King Alured by the said Cistertiensis, to haue turned the Psalter into Psal. 48. 8. Sophocles. C Now the Church of Rome would seeme at the length to beare a motherly affection towards her children, and to allow them the Scriptures in their mother tongue: but Aduersaries, indeed it is a gift, not deseruing to be called a gift, an vnprofitable gift: they must Scriptures first get a Licence in writing before they may vse them, and to get that, they must dagov dwshould be di- approue themselues to their Confessor, that is, to be such as are, if not frozen in the gooúz óvýmother dregs, yet sowred with the leauen of their superstition. Howbeit, it seemed too tongue, &c. much to Clement the 8. that there should be any Licence granted to haue them in see the obthe vulgar tongue, and therefore he ouerruleth and frustrateth the grant of Pius the seruation fourth. So much are they afraid of the light of the Scripture, (Lucifugæ Scriptura- (set forth by rum, as Tertullian speaketh) that they will not trust the people with it, no not as it is authority) set foorth by their owne sworne men, no not with the Licence of their owne Bishops rule of Pius and Inquisitors. Yea, so vnwilling they are to communicate the Scriptures to the the 4. his peoples vnderstanding in any sort, that they are not ashamed to confesse, that wee the Index, forced them to translate it into English against their wills. This seemeth to argue a lib. prohib. bad cause, or a bad conscience, or both. Sure we are, that it is not he that hath pag. 15. ver. good gold, that is afraid to bring it to the touch-stone, but he that hath the counter-Tertul. de feit; neither is it the true man that shunneth the light, but the malefactour, lest his resur.carnis. deedes should be reproued: neither is it the plaine dealing Merchant that is vnwilling to haue the waights, or the meteyard brought in place, but he that vseth deceit. But we will let them alone for this fault, and returne to translation. sons, of The speach- and of our worke. making in 5. Ioan 3. 20. cap. 19. milke with lime? (Lacte gypsum male miscetur, saith S. Ireney,) We hoped that we S. Iren.3.lib. c Ruffin. Arist. 2. metaphys. cap. 1. loco ante citato. lib. 19. de ciuit. Dei c. 7. 18, 19. in Ezech. cap. 3. The Tranflators priorum studia in domo Domini quod possumus laboramus. That is, Doe we condemne tion to our And to the same effect say wee, that we are so farre off from condemning any of A satisfactheir labours that traueiled before vs in this kinde, either in this land or beyond sea, brethren. either in King Henries time, or King Edwards (if there were any translation, or correction of a translation in his time) or Queene Elizabeths of euer-renoumed memorie, that we acknowledge them to haue beene raised vp of God, for the building and furnishing of his Church, and that they deserue to be had of vs and of posteritie in euerlasting remembrance. The Iudgement of Aristotle is worthy and well knowen: If Timotheus had not bene, we had not had much sweet musicke; but if Phrynis (Timotheus his master) had not beene, wee had not had Timotheus. Therefore blessed be they, and most honoured be their name, that breake the yce, and giue th onset vpon that which helpeth forward to the sauing of soules. Now what can bee more auaileable thereto, then to deliuer Gods booke vnto Gods people in a tongue which they vnderstand? Since of an hidden treasure, and of a fountaine that is sealed, there is no profit, as Ptolomee Philadelph wrote to the Rabbins or masters of the lewes, as S. Epiphan. witnesseth Epiphanius: and as S. Augustine saith; A man had rather be with his dog then with a stranger (whose tongue is strange vnto him.) Yet for all that, as nothing S. Augustin. is begun and perfited at the same time, and the later thoughts are thought to be the wiser: so, if we building vpon their foundation that went before vs, and being holpen by their labours, doe endeuour to make that better which they left so good; no man, we are sure, hath cause to mislike vs; they, we perswade our selues, if they were aliue, would thanke vs. The vintage of Abiezer, that strake the stroake: yet Iudges 8. 2. the gleaning of grapes of Ephraim was not to be despised. See Iudges 8. verse 2 Kings 13. 2. Ioash the king of Israel did not satisfie himselfe, till he had smitten the ground three times; and yet hee offended the Prophet, for giuing ouer then. Aquila, of whom wee spake before, translated the Bible as carefully, and as skilfully as he could; and yet he thought good to goe ouer it againe, and then it got the credit S. Hieron. with the lewes, to be called kaτà àкpíßelay, that is, accuratly done, as Saint Hierome| witnesseth. How many bookes of profane learning haue bene gone ouer againe and againe, by the same translators, by others? Of one and the same booke of Aristotles Ethikes, there are extant not so few as sixe or seuen seuerall translations. Now if this cost may bee bestowed vpon the goord, which affordeth vs a little shade, and which to day flourisheth, but to morrow is cut downe; what may we bestow, nay what ought we not to bestow vpon the Vine, the fruite whereof maketh glad the conscience of man, and the stemme whereof abideth for euer? And this is the word Ierem.23.28. of God, which we translate. What is the chaffe to the wheat, saith the Lord? Tanti Tertul. ad vitreum, quanti verum margaritum (saith Tertullian,) if a toy of glasse be of that Sitanti vilis- rekoning with how ought wee to value the true pearle? Therefore let no mans simum vi- eye be euill, because his Maiesties is good; neither let any be grieued, that wee haue trum, quanti a Prince that seeketh the increase of the spirituall wealth of Israel (let Sanballats and simum Mar- Tobiahs doe so, which therefore doe beare their iust reproofe) but let vs rather blesse garitum: God from the ground of our heart, for working this religious care in him, to haue the translations of the Bible maturely considered of and examined. For by this meanes it commeth to passe, that whatsoeuer is sound alreadie (and all is sound for substance, in one or other of our editions, and the worst of ours farre better then their autentike vulgar) the same will shine as gold more brightly, being rubbed and polished; also, if any thing be halting, or superfluous, or not so agreeable to the originall, the same may bee corrected, and the trueth set in place. And what can the King command to bee done, that will bring him more true honour then this? and wherein could they that haue beene set a worke, approue their duetie to the King, yea their obedience to God, and loue to his Saints more, then by yeelding their seruice, and all that is within them, for the furnishing of the worke? But besides all this, they were the principall motiues of it, and therefore ought least to quarrell it: for the very Historicall trueth is, that vpon the importunate petitions of the Puritanes, at his Maiesties comming to this Crowne, the Conference at Hampton Court hauing bene appointed for hearing their complaints: when by force of reason they were put from all other grounds, they had recourse at the last, to this shift, that they could not with good conscience subscribe to the Communion booke, since Martyr. pretiosis Hieron. ad vs, |