Life of Matthew Parker (Strype, 1821)/Book III/Chapter VI

This is an enhanced reading edition of Chapter VI of Book III of John Strype's The Life and Acts of Matthew Parker (1821). The text has been proofread against the original print, with section headings, translations of Latin passages, and editorial notes added. See the Editorial Notes for explanations of editorial decisions.

The Geneva Bible comes forth. The Archbishop's judgment thereof. The editions of that Bible. A new translation of the Bible set forward by the Archbishop. The Bishops employed therein. Over which the Archbishop hath the chief inspection. The said Bishops' letters and advices.

The Geneva Bible

THE Geneva Bible had been once printed already at Geneva, in the beginning of Queen Elizabeth's reign; viz. in the year 1560, by Rowland Harle, in 4to. For when the English congregation came away from thence, and were gone homeward, upon the death of Queen Mary, some of them remained behind, to finish an English translation of the Bible, and some of the Psalms in metre. Which was begun by some of the godly and learned English exile preachers there, at the charge of such as were of the best ability in that congregation.

An Account of the Geneva Translation

It may not be amiss here to give some more particular account of the undertaking of this translation. These Geneva translators, who were Miles Coverdale, John Knox, W. Whittingham, Ant. Gilby, and some others, were sensible that the former English translation required to be perused and reformed:

"Divers errors therein being occasioned by the infancy of those times, and imperfect knowledge of the tongues, in respect of the ripe age, and clear light which God afterwards revealed," as they speak themselves in the preface. "Hence divers learned and godly men, by their earnest desire and exhortation, put them upon this work; being encouraged also by the ready wills of such, whose heart God had touched, not to spare any charges for the furtherance of such a benefit towards God's Church."

Another encouragement to them was the present opportunity and occasion, that God then afforded them, by the means of so many godly and learned men, where they were, and such diversities of translations into divers tongues; which they then had the liberty of consulting. And as to their carefulness and sincerity in the work, they said for themselves, that they might with a good conscience protest, that they had in every point and word, according to the measure of that knowledge which it pleased Almighty God to give them, faithfully rendered the text, and in all hard places most sincerely expounded the same. "For God is our witness," say they, "that we have by all means endeavoured to set forth the purity of the word, and right sense of the Holy Ghost, for the edifying of the brethren in faith and charity." And as they chiefly observed the sense, so they reverently kept the propriety of the words; considering that the Apostles, who spake and wrote to the Gentiles in the Greek tongue, rather constrained them to the lively phrase of the Hebrew, than mollified their language to speak as the Gentiles did.

And for this and other causes, they in many places reserved the Hebrew phrases, notwithstanding they might seem somewhat hard in their ears, that were not well practised in the phrases of holy Scripture. So at last, after the labour and study of two years and more, day and night, they finished their translation, and published it, as was said before, in the year 1560, prefixing an epistle dedicatory before it to the Queen, and another epistle, by way of preface, to the brethren of England, Scotland, and Ireland.

What Was Done in This Bible

That which was done in this Geneva Bible, beside the translation, was all this that followeth.

I. Because some translations read after one sort, and some after another, they noted in the margin the diversities of speech, and reading, especially according to the Hebrew.

II. Where the Hebrew speech seemed hardly to agree with ours, they noted in the margin, using that which was more intelligible.

III. Though many of the Hebrew names were altered from the old text, and restored to the true writing, and first original, yet in the usual names little was changed, for fear of troubling the simple readers.

IV. Whereas the necessity of the sentence required any thing to be added, whether verb, or some other word, they put it in the text with another kind of letter, that it might easily be discerned from the common letter of the text.

V. As touching the division of the verses, they followed the Hebrew examples, adding the number to each verse.

VI. The principal matters were noted; and the arguments both for each book and for each chapter.

VII. They set over the head of every page some notable word or sentence, for the help of memory.

VIII. They set brief annotations upon all the hard places, as well for the understanding of obscure words, as for declaration of the text. And for this purpose they diligently read the best commentaries, and had much conference with godly and learned brethren.

IX. They set forth with figures certain places in the books of Moses, of the Kings, and Ezekiel; which seemed so dark, that by no other description they could be made easy to the reader.

X. They added certain maps of cosmography, of divers places and countries, partly described, and partly by occasion touched, both in the Old and New Testament.

XI. They adjoined two profitable tables: the one of interpretations of Hebrew names, and the other containing all the chief and principal matters of the whole Bible.

The Intended Reprinting

But this year, 1565, the Bible was preparing for a second impression. So earnestly did the people of the nation thirst, in those days, after the knowledge of the Scriptures, that that first impression was soon sold off. As this Bible had been set forth before by a joint company of men, (the name of one whereof, and I think the chief undertaker, was John Bodleigh), so about the beginning of March they had finished a careful review and correction of this translation, in order to the reprinting it. Bodleigh had applied himself unto the Queen's Secretary Cecyl, for the renewing of his privilege with longer term of years than was at first granted them, for the new printing of this Bible, that had been by him and his associates before published. But the Secretary suspended giving his furtherance, until he had heard the advice of the Archbishop, and Bishop of London. Whereupon Bodleigh repaired unto them, and signified the charge that he and the rest had been at, by the last impression, and by the late review, desiring their letter to the Secretary. The Secretary, I suppose, might make some scruple at the encouragement of this new impression, because the Bishops had intended themselves speedily to publish a fair and accurate English translation. But both the Archbishop and Bishop willingly gave their letters to the Secretary in Bodleigh's behalf.

The Archbishop's Letter for Bodleigh

Writing to him, "That they thought so well of the first impression, and the review of those who had since travelled therein, that they wished it would please him to be a means, that twelve years longer term might be by special privilege granted him, in consideration of the charges by him and his associates in the first impression, and the review sithence sustained. And that though one other special Bible for the churches were meant by them to be set forth, as convenient time and leisure hereafter should permit; yet should it nothing hinder, but rather do much good, to have diversity of translations and readings. And, that if the licence hereafter to be made, went simply forth, without proviso of their oversight, as they thought it might so pass well enough; yet they told the Secretary, they would take such order with the party, in writing [under his hand,] that no impression should pass but by their direction, consent, and advice." This was writ from Lambeth, signed by the Archbishop, and Bishop of London, March 9th.

Not Reprinted

I am not able to say, whether this Bible was soon after reprinted, upon this allowance and recommendation of these Prelates. I am apt to think it was not. For I find the author of the Treatise of the troubles at Frankford, which was not published till nine or ten years after this, makes this complaint: "If that Bible be such, as no enemy of God could justly find fault with, then may men marvel, that such a work, being so profitable, should find so small favour, as not to be printed again."

Whatever the cause were, it was not surely from any discouragement the translation found from the Bishops. For they do, by the forequoted letter under their hands, like and approve it, and recommend the undertakers to the Secretary, to procure for them the Queen's licence to reprint it. Unless the reason were, that the undertakers were loath to subscribe to the terms that were demanded by the Bishops, that the impression should not pass without their direction, consent, and advice. Yet in the year 1576 I find it was reprinted, and again three years after, viz. 1579.

The Bishops' Bible

From the former letter it appears, that the Archbishop and Bishops had not yet prepared and published their Great Bible: though the Bishop of Sarum supposed it came forth in the year 1561, or soon after; because the calendar, prefixed for the moveable feasts, began with that year. There was indeed a large Bible printed anno 1562, but that was the old translation by Coverdale; which having been printed in King Edward's days, after his last review, was printed again that year. Out of which translation, Gregory Martin, of the College at Rheims, picked several words, as he pretended, badly translated, to serve the Protestants' own ends: as, instead of schism and heresy, that translation read division and sect: instead of heretic, an author of sects. So they translated temple instead of altar, and congregation instead of church: and instead of to the King, as supreme head, they read, to the King, as having preeminence. I leave the reader to Dr. Fulke's Apology for those readings, against the exceptions of that Popish writer. But those readings are not found in that which was called the Bishops' Bible, but schism, and altar; and Church, and King as supreme.

The Archbishop Sets Forward a New Translation

Whensoever this Bible was first printed, already many hands were at work about it: which I will proceed now to give some account of. Among the noble designs of this Archbishop, must be reckoned his resolution to have the holy Bible set forth well translated into the vulgar tongue, for private use, as well as for the use of churches; and to perform that, which his predecessor, Archbishop Cranmer, endeavoured so much to bring to pass, but could not, (the Bishops in his days being most of them utterly averse to any such thing,) that is, that the Bishops should join together, and take their parts and portions in reviewing, amending, and setting forth the English translation of those holy books.

This our present Archbishop's thoughts ran much upon. And he had about this time distributed the Bible, divided into parts, to divers his learned fellow Bishops, and to some other Divines that were about him: who cheerfully undertook the work. As for the Bible commonly used, it was not only very ill printed, but the translation in many places bad, and such as gave offence; and the translator had followed Munster, who was very negligent, and mistook sometimes the Hebrew, as Bishop Sandys observed. The Archbishop took upon him the labour to contrive, and set the whole work a going in a proper method, by sorting out the whole Bible into parcels, as was said, and distributing those parcels to able Bishops, and other learned men, to peruse and collate each the book or books allotted them; sending withal his instructions for the method they should observe; and they to add some short marginal notes, for the illustration or correction of the text. And all these portions of the Bible being finished, and sent back to the Archbishop, he was to add the last hand to them, and so to take care for printing and publishing the whole.

The Bishop of Worcester's Letter

Edwin, Bishop of Worcester, who, as he was an excellent preacher, so a man well skilled in the original languages, was one of the Bishops appointed to this work. His part being finished, he sent it back to the Archbishop, with his letter dated from Worcester, Feb. 6. Which, because it may give us some light into this good design, I will here set down.

"My duty remembered; According to your Grace's letter of instruction, I have perused the book you sent me, and with good diligence: having also, in conference with some other, considered of the same, in such sort, I trust, as your Grace will not mislike of. I have sent up with it my Clerk, whose hand I used in writing forth the corrections and marginal notes. When it shall please your Grace to set over the Book to be viewed by some one of your Chaplains, my said Clerk shall attend a day or two, to make it plain unto him, how my notes are to be placed. In mine opinion, your Grace shall do well to make the whole Bible to be diligently surveyed by some well learned, before it be put to print; and also to have skilful and diligent correctors at the printing of it, that it may be done in such perfection, that the adversaries can have no occasion to quarrel with it. Which thing will require a time. Sed sat cito, si sat bene. The setters forth of this our common translation followed Munster too much, who doubtless was a very negligent man in his doings, and often swerved very much from the Hebrew. Thus, trusting that your Grace will take in good part my trifles, wherein wanted no good will, I commend the same to the grace of Almighty God. From my house at Worcester.

"Your Grace's in Christ at commandment, "Ed. Wigorn."

The Bishop Excites the Archbishop

And in another letter, the same pious Bishop put the Archbishop in mind of this great work, to proceed earnestly forward in it. "Your Grace," said he, "should much benefit the Church, in hastening forward the Bible which you have in hand: those that we have be not only false printed, but also give great offence to many, by reason of the depravity in reading."

Bishop Guest and the Psalms

To Guest, Bishop of Rochester, the Archbishop sent the Book of Psalms to revise: and he sent it back again with his notes and advertisements, as the Bishop of Worcester had done. In his letter to the Archbishop he said, "he had not altered the translation but where it gave occasion of an error. As at the first Psalm, at the beginning, I turn the preterperfect tense into the present tense; because the sense is too harsh in the preterperfect tense. Where in the New Testament one piece of a Psalm is reported, I translate it in the Psalms according to the translation thereof in the New Testament, for the avoiding of the offence that may rise to the people upon divers translations. Where two great letters be joined together, or where one great letter is twice put, it signifieth that both the sentences or the words be expounded together."

Bishop Parkhurst

To Parkhurst, Bishop of Norwich, the Archbishop sent another part of the Bible, to make his notes and advertisements upon. Who wrote back to the Archbishop, that he would travail therein with such diligence and expedition as he might.

Bishop Davies and the Welsh Bible

Davies, Bishop of St. David's, had another portion. And he wrote to the Archbishop, that he was in hand with that part of the Bible he sent him. And again, not long after, in the year 1566, he wrote the Archbishop, that he would finish it with as much speed as he could; and that he bestowed, for his performance of the same, all such time as he could spare.

This Bishop was now very busy in translating the Bible into Welsh, together with William Salisbury, Bishop of Man, a man very learned in the British antiquities.

Bishop Cox's Advice

This business in correcting the former translation of the Bible went forward along the next year 1566. Cox, Bishop of Ely, who seems to have had another part of the holy Scripture committed to him, in a letter dated May 3, 1566, had these words concerning this noble work; "I trust your Grace is well forward with the Bible by this time. I perceive the greatest burden will lie upon your neck, touching care and travail. I would wish that such usual words as we English people be acquainted with might still remain in their form and sound, so far forth as the Hebrew will well bear; ink-horn terms to be avoided. The translation of the verbs in the Psalms to be used uniformly in one tense, &c. And if ye translate bonitas or misericordia, to use it likewise in all places of the Psalms, &c. God send this good travail a blessed success."

The Archbishop's Care About This Bible

We shall hear more of Archbishop Parker's care and pains in this translation under the years 1568, 1569, and 1572, when it seems first to have been printed in the largest folio, according to Dr. Fulk, in his Defence of the English Translations against Gregory Martin. Where he speaks of the Bible revised by divers Bishops to be first printed in the large volume, and authorized for the Churches, about ten or twelve years before he wrote his book; which fell in with or about the said year 1572. In which year I have it very fairly printed by Jugg. But by other authentic notices it appears, that this English Bible was reviewed, and had an edition or two before. Therefore I shall say no more of it here, till we come to the years aforesaid.

Editorial Notes

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Source: John Strype, The Life and Acts of Matthew Parker, the First Archbishop of Canterbury in the Reign of Queen Elizabeth (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1821), Vol. I, Book III. Enhanced reading edition: section headings, Latin translations, verified internal links, and editorial notes added per the AnglicanWiki Editorial Guidelines for Historical Texts. Strype's text faithfully transcribed from the Google Books scan; spelling and substance as in the original.