Images de page
PDF
ePub

'The bishops and prelates attending upon the coming of
Crumwell, as he was come in, rose up and did obeisance
'unto him as to their vicar-general, and he again saluted
'every one in their degree, and sat down in the high-
'est place at the table, according to his degree and
'office......' Thereupon Crumwell opened the discussion
by sketching in a short speech the king's purpose and
commands. ['He will not] admit' he said 'any articles
'or doctrine not contained in Scripture, but approved
'only by continuance of time and old custom, and by
'unwritten verities as ye were wont to do......His
'majesty will give you high thanks if ye will act and
'conclude a godly and perfect unity, whereunto this
'is the only way and mean, if ye will determine all
'things by the Scripture, as God commandeth you in
'Deuteronomy; which thing his majesty exhorteth and
'desireth you to do.' On this 'the bishops rose up alto-
'gether giving thanks unto the king's majesty......for
'his most godly exhortation......' There was less un-
animity afterwards. The discussion turned upon the
Sacraments. Cranmer wisely urged moderation and
accuracy of definition. Ales, at the invitation of Crum-
well, proceeded to investigate the meaning of the word.
Stokesley, bishop of London, interrupted him as he was
examining the opinions of the fathers, and was in turn
checked by Fox of Hereford, who reminded both that
'they were commanded by the king that these con-
'troversies should be determined only by the rule and
'judgment of the Scripture.' Then specially addressing
the bishops he continued......' The lay people do now
'know the holy Scripture better than many of us; and
'the Germans have made the text of the Bible so plain
'and easy by the Hebrew and Greek tongues that now
'many things may be better understood without any

F

Chap. ii.
External
History.

Chap. ii. External History.

The second edition of Coverdale's Bible authorised 1357.

'glosses at all than by all the commentaries of the 'doctors. And moreover they have so opened these 'controversies by their writings, that women and children may wonder at the blindness and falshood that have 'been hitherto......Truth is the daughter of time, and time 'is the mother of truth; and whatsoever is besieged of 'truth cannot long continue; and upon whose side truth 'doth stand, that ought not to be thought transitory 'or that it will ever fall...' But Stokesley, hard pressed in the argument, replied to Ales with inconsiderate warmth......'Ye are far deceived if ye think that there 'is none other word of God but that which every souter 'and cobbler doth read in his mother tongue. And if 'ye think that nothing pertaineth unto the Christian 'faith, but that only which is written in the Bible, then 'are ye plainly with the Lutherans ...... Now when the 'right noble lord Crumwell, the archbishop with the 'other bishops who did defend the pure doctrine of the 'Gospel, heard this, they smiled a little one upon an'other, forasmuch as they saw him flee even in the very 'beginning of the disputation unto his old rusty sophis'tries and unwritten verities......' Thus through the 'industry of Crumwell the colloquies were brought to 'this end, that albeit religion could not wholly be re'formed, yet at that time there was some reformation 'had through England'.'

In the meantime the first edition of Coverdale's Bible was exhausted. The fall and death of Queen Anne, which had seemed likely to be fatal to the cause of the reformers, had not stayed the desire for the vernacular Scriptures which sprang from popular and not from political impulses. The feeling of the clergy and the

1 Foxe, Acts and Monuments, V. 378 ff.

bishops was indeed divided on the question, but even among them the king could find sufficient support to justify a decided step in directly authorising the publication of the English Bible'. Two editions of Coverdale's translation 'overseen and corrected' were published by Nycolson in Southwark in 1537, and for the first time 'set forth with the king's most gracious license.' The name of Queen Jane was substituted for that of Queen Anne in the dedication without further change, and at length the English Bible was not only tacitly overlooked but distinctly allowed to circulate freely. Coverdale, through Crumwell's influence, had established a precedent, and successors were found at once to avail themselves of it.

Chap. ii.
External
History.

fore read

Scriptures.

The revised edition of Coverdale differs slightly in Prayer betext and arrangement from that of 1535. One signifi-ing the cant addition is worthy of notice, 'A prayer to be used 'before reading the Bible: Because that when thou 'goest to study in Holy Scripture thou shouldest do it. 'with reverence, therefore for thine instruction and lov'ing admonition thereto, the reverend father in God 'Nicholas, Bishop of Salisbury, hath prescribed this 'prayer following, taken out of the same.

"O Lord God Almighty which long ago saidst by "the mouth of James thine Apostle: If any of you lack "wisdom, let him ask it of God......Hear my petition "for this thy promise sake...... Have mercy upon me "and graciously hear me for Jesus Christs sake our

1 According to Foxe Crumwell, as Vicegerent, issued in 1536 an injunction that by Aug. I every church should be provided with a book of 'the whole Bible in Latin and also 'in English...for every man that will 'to look and read therein...' (Foxe,

Acts and Monuments, v. 167.) It
is however certain that this injunc-
tion was not published. The original
draught may have contained the pro-
vision, which is the more likely as
it is not similar in form to the corre-
sponding injunction of 1538.

Chap. ii.
External
History.

The composition of Matthew's Bible.

[ocr errors]

Lord, which liveth and reigneth with Thee, His Father "and the Holy Ghost, world without end. Amen."

'After the end of any Chapter (if thou wilt) thou 'mayest say these verses following.

"Lead me O Lord in thy way, and let me walk in Thy "truth. Oh let mine heart delight in fearing thy name. "Order my goings after Thy Word that no wicked"ness reign in me.

[ocr errors]

'Keep my steps within thy paths, lest my feet turn "into any contrary way."

[ocr errors]

§ 3. MATTHEW (ROGERS).

Coverdale, we have seen, looked earnestly for the displacing of his own work by another. His prayers and the prayers of his readers were answered sooner than he could have hoped. Tyndale, at the time of his martyrdom, had published of the Old Testament the Pentateuch and book of Jonah, with a few detached pieces, being 'Epistles from the Old Testament according to the use 'of Salisbury,' including Lessons from Ecclesiasticus and Wisdom. But he had left in manuscript, according to universal belief, a version of the books from Joshua to 2 Chronicles inclusive, which came into the hands of his friend John Rogers. This work was not to be lost; so Rogers, by the help of an unknown fellowlabourer Thomas Matthew, or simply under this assumed name, put together a composite Bible made up

1 Coverdale's Bible of 1535 has been reprinted by Bagster, London, 1838; and, as far as I can judge, the reprint has been very well executed.

2 This alone is sufficient to refute Anderson's supposition that Tyndale, if he had lived, would not have been guilty of printing the Apocryphal with the Canonical Books.

8 In the former edition I expressed myself strongly against the identifi cation of John Rogers and Thomas Matthew. The name Thomas Matthew stands at full at the end of the dedication and the initials I. R. at the end of the Exhortation to the study of Scripture. In the official sentence Rogers is described as 'Johannes

of Tyndale's translation from Genesis to 2 Chronicles, and his revised New Testament of 1535 (or 1534 G. H.)1, with the remainder of the Old Testament including Jonah', and the Apocrypha from Coverdale. The expense of the work was defrayed by two citizens of London, R. Grafton and E. Whitchurch, and it was printed abroad. It was ready for publication in 1537,

'Rogers alias Mathew, presbyter se'cularis' (Foxe, Acts, ed. 1563, p. 1029), and the earliest writers assume the identity of Rogers and Matthew. Compare Strype, Mem. III. 1, p. 288. It is of course quite possible that the identification simply expressed the known responsibility of Rogers for the Bible called Matthew's. Compare Chester's Life of J. Rogers (London, 1861), pp. 47 f., 55 f., 113. At the same time it must be observed that the Christian name as well as the surname is changed, and the earliest evidence does not recog

[blocks in formation]

nize this change.

1 This will be shewn afterwards, c. II. § 3.

2 A copy of Tyndale's translation of Jonah was found in 1861 by Lord A. Hervey, bound up in a volume of tracts. It has been published with the Prologue and Coverdale's version by Mr F. Fry in facsimile (1863). As some writers still venture to say that Matthew gives Tyndale's and not Coverdale's version, it may be worth while to indicate the various readings of one chapter (chap. ii.).

[blocks in formation]

Chap. ii.
External
History.

« PrécédentContinuer »