Of the numerous versions noticed in the preceding tables, those are most interesting to the reader, which have been executed in our vernacular tongue: a few particulars, therefore, respecting the different translations. into the English language, which have been made at different times, will appropriately conclude this section.

The earliest English translation, known to be extant, was made by an unknown individual, and is placed by Archbishop Usher to the year 1290: of this there are three manuscript copies preserved in the Bodleian Library, and in the Libraries of Christ's Church and Queen's Colleges, Oxford. Towards the close of the following century, John de Trevisa, vicar of Berkeley in Gloucestershire, is said to have translated the Old and New Testaments into the English tongue, at the request of his patron, Lord Berkeley: but as no part of this work appears ever to have been printed, the translation ascribed to him is supposed to have been confined to a few texts, which were painted on the walls of his patron's chapel, at Berkeley Castle, or which are scattered in some parts of his writings, several copies of which are known to exist in manuscript. Nearly contemporary with him was the celebrated John Wickliffe, who, about the year 1380, translated the entire Bible from the Latin Vulgate: the New Testament of Wickliffe was published in folio by Mr. Lewis in 1731; and was handsomely re-edited in quarto, in 1810, by the Rev. Henry Hervey Baber, one of the librarians of the British Museum, who prefixed a valuable memoir of this "Apostle of England," as Wickliffe has sometimes been called.

The first printed edition of any part of the Scriptures in English was of the New Testament, at Hamburgh, in the year 1526. It was translated by William Tindal or Tyndale, with the assistance of John Fry and

William Roye: the whole of this impression (with the exception, it is said, of a single copy,) being bought up and burnt by Tonstal Bishop of London and Sir Thomas More, Tindal put forth a new edition in 1527, and a third in 1528; and, two years after, his translation of the Pentateuch appeared at Hamburgh, with another edition of his Testament. In 1535 was published the translation of Miles Coverdale, great part of which was Tindal's; and two years after, John Rogers, martyr, (who had assisted Tindal in his biblical labours,) edited a Bible, probably at Hamburgh, under the assumed name of Thomas Matthews, whence it is generally known by the name of Matthews's Bible. A revised edition of this translation, corrected by Cranmer and Coverdale, was printed at London in 1539, by Grafton and Whitchurch, in large folio, and from its size is usually denominated the GREAT bible. No new version was executed during the reign of Edward VI.; though several editions were printed both of the Old and New Testaments.

During the sanguinary reign of Queen Mary, Miles Coverdale, John Knox, Christopher Goodman, and other English exiles, who had taken refuge at Geneva, published a new translation between the years 1557 and 1560, with short annotations, inculcating the doctrines espoused by Calvin. The New Testament of this edition was the first in English, which was divided into verses. The Geneva Bible was highly esteemed by the Puritans, and, in the course of little more than thirty years afterwards, not fewer than thirty editions of it were printed in various sizes, principally by the royal printers. This translation is allowed to possess considerable merit, for its general fidelity and perspicuity. Eight years after the completion of the Geneva Bible, a new version was published, with two prefaces,

by Archbishop Parker, now generally termed the Bishops' Bible, from the circumstance of eight of the translators being bishops: although this translation was read in the churches, the Geneva Bible was generally preferred in families.

In 1582 the Roman Catholics published in 4to. an English translation of the New Testament at Rheims, and of the Old Testament at Douay, in 1609–10, in 2 volumes 4to. It was crowded with barbarous and foreign terms, calculated to perplex rather than to diffuse the light of truth.

The last English version, which remains to be noticed, is the translation now in use, which is commonly called King James's Bible. Shortly after his accession to the throne in 1603, several objections being made to the English Bible, the King, at the Conference held at Hampton Court in the following year, commanded that a new version should be undertaken, and fifty-four men, of distinguished learning and piety, were appointed to this important labour: but, before it was begun, seven of the persons were either dead, or had declined the task. Such of them as survived till the commencement of the work, being ranged under six divisions, entered upon their labour in 1607, and completed it in 1610; it was then revised by a committee of six of the translators, and finally reviewed by Bishop Bilson and Doctor Smith; the latter prefixed the arguments, and wrote the preface. This translation, generally known by the name of King James's Bible, was first printed in 1611, and is that now universally adopted wherever the English language is spoken. The edition, generally.reputed to be the most correct, is that of Oxford, in quarto and folio, 1769, printed under the superintendence of the late Rev. Dr. Blayney: the text was carefully collated with several correct editions,

and the punctuation amended; the summaries of chapters and running titles at the top of each page were also corrected, and 30,495 new references were inserted in the margin. From the singular pains bestowed, in order to render this edition as accurate as possible, it has hitherto been considered the standard edition, from which all subsequent impressions have been executed. Notwithstanding, however, the great labour and attention bestowed by Dr. Blayney, his edition must now yield the palm of accuracy to the very beautiful and correct editions published by Messrs. Eyre and Strahan, His Majesty's Printers, but printed by Mr. Woodfall in 1806, and again in 1813 in quarto; as not fewer than one hundred and sixteen errors were discovered in collating the edition of 1806 with Dr. B.'s, and one of these errors was an omission of considerable importance. Messrs. Eyre and Strahan's editions may therefore be regarded as approaching as near as possible to what bibliographers term an immaculate text.

Of all modern versions, the present authorised English translation is, upon the whole, undoubtedly the most accurate and faithful; the translators having seized the very spirit of the sacred writers, and having almost every where expressed their meaning with a pathos and energy that have never been rivalled by any subsequent versions either of the Old or the New Testament. "Its style is incomparably superior to any thing which might be expected from the finical and perverted taste of our own age. It is simple; it is harmonious, it is energetic; and which is of no small importance, use has made it familiar, and time has rendered it sacred." *

Bishop Middleton on the Greek article, p. 328.

CHAPTER VI.

OF THE VARIOUS READINGS OCCURRING IN THE OLD AND NEW

TESTAMENTS.

I. ORIGIN and Nature of VARIOUS READINGS.

The Old and New Testaments, in common with all other antient writings, being preserved and diffused by transcription, the admission of mistakes was unavoidable which, increasing with the multitude of copies, necessarily produced a great variety of different readings.

Among two or more different readings, one only can be the true reading; the rest must either be wilful corruptions, or the mistakes of the copyist. As it is often difficult to distinguish the genuine from the spurious, whenever the smallest doubts can be entertained, they all receive the appellation of Various Readings: but, where a transcriber has evidently written falsely, they receive the name of errata.

II. Sources of Various Readings.

As all manuscripts were either dictated to copyists, or transcribed by them: and, as all these persons were not supernaturally guarded against the possibility of error, different readings would naturally be produced, 1. By the negligence or mistakes of the transcribers: to which we may add, 2. The existence of errors or imperfections in the manuscript copied; 3. Critical emendations of the text made by the copyist without any authority; and 4. Wilful corruptions made to serve the purposes of a party. Mistakes thus produced in one copy, would of course be propagated through all succeeding copies made from it, each of which might have peculiar faults of its own; so that various readings.