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pronunciation. During his past life, also, he had collected a large mass of critical exposition; and now, impressed with a conviction of the supreme importance of the work he had undertaken, he pursued it with unwearied diligence. "He thought," says his biographer, "the use of the Scriptures was the only way to let the knowledge of religion in among the Irish," and he used to repeat a passage of a sermon that he had heard at Venice by Fulgentio, with which he was much pleased. It was on these words of the Saviour, "Have ye not read in the Scriptures ?" and so the preacher took occasion to tell the auditory, that if Christ himself were now to ask this question, "Have ye not read in the Scriptures ?" all the answer which they could make to it was,-No; for they were not suffered to do so.†

Bedell, however, though so meritoriously employed, was now about to witness in Ireland the effects of a blind and misguided policy, which, indeed, has long survived him. In a convocation held at Dublin, in 1634, the fifth year of his incumbency, amongst other subjects, the version of the Scriptures and Prayer-Book for the use of the Native Irish was introduced, when no small debate ensued. Bramhall, Bishop of Derry, stood forth in opposition, while Bedell appeared for the affirmative; the former grounding his argument on politics and maxims of state, and especially on the act of King Henry VIII., and the latter founding his on the principles of theology and

* With this Rabbi and his brethren Bedell had frequent discussions respecting the Messiahship of Christ, and the only escape they could find from his arguments used to be, that they expounded the Scriptures according to the tradition of their fathers. It was by means of this Rabbi, if not from him, that he procured that beautiful manuscript of the Old Testament, which he afterwards presented to Emmanuel College. It is said to have cost Bedell, or Sir Henry Wotton, its weight in silver; and let it not be forgotten, that it is to a Native Irishman we owe its present existence. In the rebellion of 1641, Bedell's critical expositions, which filled a large trunk, had been forcibly carried away, when a Native Irishman, to whom he had been useful, went among his countrymen, and succeeded in bringing to him the Hebrew manuscript and several other volumes. This MS., which consists of three folio volumes, in pages of two columns, with an illumination round the first page of each volume, and some letters gilt, has the vowel-points and the Masora.-See Bedell's Life by Burnet, and Dyer's Univ. of Cambridge, pp. 375, 376.

This was a period of great discussion, and even liberty of action, at Venice In another sermon, from Pilate's question,-"What is truth ?" Fulgentio told them," At last, after many searches, I have found it out," and, holding out a New Testament, said, "There it is, in my hand;" then, putting it in his pocket, he added coldly," but the book is prohibited." The auditory, so far from being offended, is said to have been mightily taken with such boldness.

the good of souls. Bedell, seconded by Ussher, prevailed, and the convocation passed the following canons :—“ Where most of the people are Irish, the churchwarden shall provide, at the charge of the parish, a Bible and two Common PrayerBooks in the Irish tongue.”—“ Where the minister is an Englishman, such a clerk may be chosen as shall be able to read those parts of the service which shall be appointed to be read, in Irish."

In following up these canons, no one exerted himself with so much zeal as Bedell. Already he had composed a short catechism, which he had printed, in one sheet, English and Irish, in parallel columns, containing the elements of Christianity, several forms of prayer, and some of the most instructive passages of Scripture. These he widely dispersed, for they were received with joy by the Irish, many of whom now seemed to be hungering for the bread of life. The Irish Bible required by the canon was not yet, of course, in existence; but the Prayer-Book in Irish he ordered to be read in his cathedral every Sabbath, for the benefit of his Irish countrymen who now assembled there, while he himself never failed to attend. His clergy he engaged to institute schools in every parish, and proceeding vigorously with his translation, he at last completed it, resolving to print it at his own expense.

At this advanced period of his life, however, probably the most interesting to himself during his whole existence, Bedell was called to the endurance of trials which demanded all the fortitude and piety of his character. It was about the very season in which he had been deprived of his esteemed partner in life, when he was to find himself standing literally alone on behalf of the Native Irish !+ To the publication of his Irish translation, on which his very heart was set, an opposition began to discover itself, more formidable than that which he had so successfully overcome in the convocation, four years before this. His opponents, too, on this occasion, let it be remembered, as well as on the former, were neither Irishmen nor

* Letter from Bishop of Meath to Boyle.-See his Works, vol. V. p. 116. + Mrs Bedell died three years before the rebellion broke out, and the Bishop himself preached her funeral sermon from these words :-" A good name is better than precious ointment, and the day of death than the day of one's birth." His whole discourse on this occasion was such as deeply affected all who were present.

The pretext

Catholics of any description, native or foreign. which individuals employed at this juncture was, that this able man, Mr King, was incompetent for the undertaking, and that the knowledge of his having been engaged in the translation would expose the work to general contempt. In 1633, Laud, Archbishop of Canterbury, had been chosen Chancellor of Trinity College, Dublin, and now he, as well as the Earl of Strafford, were induced to join the opposing party. It was by the advice of Primate Ussher, and other eminent characters, that Bedell had first engaged Mr King, whom he had provided with a living, for which King was peculiarly fitted, by his perfect familiarity with the Irish tongue. Yet now, on the ground of some trivial ecclesiastical delinquency, was this aged and worthy man, without a hearing, deprived of his situation by the surrogates of the Archbishop, and even imprisoned; while his place was bestowed on the informer, a man entirely ignorant of the Irish language. For the unjust sufferings of his aged friend, Bedell expressed great sympathy; but the insinuations against the Irish translation he felt bound to expose; yet, with Strafford and Laud in opposition, and even Ussher afraid to befriend him, what wonder if he had sunk? In these peculiar circumstances, he addressed the following letter to the Lord Lieutenant, at once illustrative of the nature of the opposition with which he had to contend, and of the noble Christian spirit which he maintained under it :

*

*What a pity that the conduct of Ussher on this occasion should have been so unworthy of his uniform principles and sagacity! For some time, however, he had suffered his mind to be alienated from Bedell, and for no other reason than that he now shewed the unshaken courage and constancy of a primitive martyr, in the pursuit of his judicious plans for the benefit of the Native Irish, and because he had openly condemned the unjust and violent proceedings of the Archbishop's surrogates. Before this, indeed, Ussher had said, that the tide ran so high against him, in reference to pluralities and non-residence, that he could assist him no more; but Bedell, not disheartened, thanked him for his assistance hitherto, and added, "that he was resolved, by the help of God, to try if he could stand by himself." "Ussher was too gentle," says Bishop Burnett, "to manage the rough work of reforming abuses;" but this apology will not suffice. There are spots in the sun; and his conduct, in this instance, will not bear rigorous examination. Besides, few men could be more gentle than Bedell, when gentleness was incumbent. Witness his patient continuance in well-doing amidst various provocations, and his fine remarks in a sermon from "Learn of me, for I am meek and lowly." "Finally," he says, " he that, in matters of controversy, shall bring meekness to his defence, undoubtedly he shall overcome in the manner of handling; and, if he bring truth also, he shall prevail at last in the matter."

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"Right Hon., my good Lord,-That which I have sometimes done willingly, I do now necessarily, to make my address to your honour by writing. The occasion is not my love of contention, or any other matter of profit, but God's honour and (as he is witness) your's. I have lately received letters from my Lord of Canterbury, whereby I perceive that his Grace is informed that Mr King, whom I employed to translate the Bible into Irish, is a man so ignorant, that the translation cannot be worthy of public use in the church, and besides obnoxious, so that the church can receive no credit from any thing that is his. And his Grace adds, that he is so well acquainted with your Lordship's disposition, that he assures himself you would not have given away his living, had you not seen just cause for it.' I account myself bound to satisfy his Grace herein, and desire, if I may be so happy, to do it, by satisfying you. I do subscribe to his Grace's assured persuasion, that your Lordship, had you not conceived Mr King to be such as he writes, would not have given away his living. But, my Lord, the greatest, wisest, and justest men do, and must take many things upon the information of others, who themselves are men, and may sometimes, out of weakness or some other cause, be deceived. Touching Mr King's silliness, (which it concerns me the more to clear him of, that I be not accounted silly myself,) I beseech your Lordship to take information, not by them which never saw him till yesterday, but by the ancient churchmen or statesmen of the kingdom, in whose eyes he hath lived these many years,-as the Lord Primate, the Bishop of Meath, the Lord Dillon, Sir James Ware, and the like. I doubt not but your Lordship shall understand, that there is no such danger that the translation should be unworthy, because he did it; being a man of that known sufficiency, for the Irish especially, either in prose or verse, as few are his matches in the kingdom. And shortly, not to argue by conjecture and divination, let the work itself speak, yea let it be examined rigoroso examine; if it be found approvable, let it not suffer disgrace from the small boast of the workman, but let him rather (as old Sophocles accused of dotage) be absolved for the sufficiency of the work. Touching his being obnoxious, it is true that there is a scandalous information put in against him in the High Commission Court by his despoiler,

Mr Baily, (as my Lord of Derry told him, in my hearing, he was,) and by an excommunicate despoiler as myself, before the execution of any sentence, declared him in the Court to be. And Mr King being cited to answer, and not appearing, (as by law he was not bound) was taken pro confesso, deprived of his ministry and living, fined an hundred pounds, and decreed to be attached and imprisoned. His adversary, Mr Baily, before he was sentenced, purchased a new dispensation to hold his benefice, and was, the very next day after, as appears by the date of the institution, presented in the King's title, (although the benefice be of my collation,) and instituted by my Lord Primate's vicar, and shortly after inducted by an archdeacon of another diocese. A few days after, he brought down an attachment, and delivered Mr King to the pursuivant. He was trailed by the head and feet to horseback, and brought to Dublin, where he hath been kept, and continued under arrest these four or five months, and hath not been suffered to purge his supposed contempt by oath and witnesses; that, by reason of his sickness, he was hindered, whereby he was brought to death's door, and could not appear and prosecute his defence; and that, by the cunning of his adversary, he was circumvented,— entreating that he might be restored to liberty, and his cause to his former state. But this hath not availed him. My reverend colleagues of the High Commission do some of them pity his case. Others say the sentence passed cannot be reversed, lest the credit of the Court be attached. They bid him simply submit himself, and acknowledge his sentence just. Whereas the bishops of Rome themselves, after most formal proceedings, do grant restitution in integrum, and acknowledge that sententia Romana sedis potest in melius commutari. My Lord, if I understand what is right, divine or human, these be wrongs upon wrongs, which, if they reached only to Mr King's person, were of less consideration. But when, through his side, that great work, the translation of God's book, so necessary for both his Majesty's kingdoms, is mortally wounded— pardon me, I beseech your Lordship, if I be sensible of it. I omit to consider what feast our adversaries make of our rewarding him thus for that service, or what this example will avail to the alluring of others to conformity. What should your Lordship have gained if he had died, as it was almost a miracle he did not, under arrest, and had been at once deprived of living, liberty,

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