to remain in force, provided the annotations or preambles were "cut or blotted out, so as not to be perceived or read;" which was also enjoined under pain of forfeiting forty shillings for every Bible retaining them. It was likewise enacted, "That no manner of person or persons, after the firste day of October then next ensuing, should take upon him, or them, to read, openly to other, in any church, or open assembly, within any of the king's dominions, the Bible, or any part of Scripture, in English, unlesse he was so appointed thereunto by the king, or by anie ordinarie. Provided, that the chauncellor of England, capitaines of the warres, the king's justices, the recorders of anie citie, borough, or town, the speaker of the parliament, &c. which heretofore have been accustomed to declare or teache any good, vertuous, or godly exhortations in anie assemblies, might use anie part of the Bible or Holie Scripture as they had been wont; and that every nobleman and gentleman being a housholder, might read, or cause to be read, by any of his familie servants in his house, orchardes, or garden, and to his own familie, anie text of the Bible or New Testament; and also every merchant-man, being a housholder; and any other persons other than women, prentices, &c. might read to themselves privately the Bible, &c. But no women, except noblewomen and gentlewomen, who might read to themselves alone and not to others any texts of the Bible, &c. nor artificers, prentises, journeymen, serving-men of the degrees of yomen* or under, husbandmen, nor labourers were to read the Bible or New Testament in English to himself or to any other privately or openly." The penalties by which the act was enforced, breathed the barbarous spirit with which the supporters of popery were then animated. For the first offence, they were to recant; for the second to bear

* "Cowel says, Yomen were officers in the king's family, in the middio place betwixt Serjeants and Groomes, See Stat. 33, Hen. VIII. c. 12.”

a faggot; and for the third they were to be burnt." Soon after the passing of this act, a treatise, called A necessary doctrine and erudition for any Christian man, was published by royal authority; in the preface to which the king tells his subjects, that "for the part of the church ordained to be taught, it ought to be deemed certainly, that the reading of the Old and New Testament is not so necessary for all those folks, that of duty they ought and be bound to read it, but as the prince and the policy of the realm shall think convenient to be so tolerated, or taken from it. Consonant whereunto, the politic law of our realm hath now restrained it from a great many.

43

After this, Grafton, the king's printer, was summoned, for printing what was called "Matthewe's Bible," in 1537. He was also questioned respecting the "Great Bible," and the notes he intended to print along with it; to which he replied, that "he added none to the Bible he printed, when he perceived the king and the clergy not willing to have any:" yet he was sent to the Fleet prison, and confined for six weeks, and only released on giving a bond of £300. neither to print nor sell any more English Bibles, till the king and the clergy should agree on a translation."

In 1544, John Day and William Seres printed the PENTATEUCH, "after the copy that the kyng's majesty had set forth," in a small 12mo. volume.45

The suppression of Tyndall's translation of the Bible, and other works, occasioned the publication of several tracts in defence of it; the following extract is from one of them, addressed to Bishop Gardiner, under a fictitious

(42) Lewis, pp. 148-150.

Henry's Hist. of Great Britain, XII. pp. 95, 96.

43) Lewis, pp. 150, 151.

Newcome, p. 57.

(44) Strype's Memorials of Abp, Cranmer, B. i. ch. xxi. p. 121. (45) Lewis, p. 152.

name: "Willyam tyndale wrote many bookes where in ar many true and godly sentences, and saynges, whiche he had taken out of the holy scripture, and the hole new testament, whiche is the undouted word of god, cam out of hys pen into our englishe tong. Willyam tyndale was bannisshed out of Englond, and burnt as an heretike in brabant; whether is it well and wisely don or no, that hys bookes, whiche conteyn so miche godly learnyng, and the hole new testament, which cam thorow hys pen, are forbidden to be red, and so bannisshed for an heresi or ij that ye say ar in hys bookes, and for half a dosen fautes that ar in hys translation? If it be euel don why do ye not amend your doyng, and whi suffer ye not hys bookes to be red, whi blot ye out the fautes of hys translation, and condemne no more Christis learnyng because it cam thorow W. Tyndalles pen? If it be well don that W. Tyndalles bookes and the new Testament of hys translation ar forbidden to be red, and ar bannisshed away withe.hym because they have sum fautes or an heresi or ij in them, and ar cummed out of hys pen, then all the hole doctrine that enter the pope taught, withe all hys traditions and bookes whiche are so full of heresies and superstitiones, and have so little scripture in them, ought to be miche more bannisshed away with the pope, and ought to be forbidden to be red then tindalles bookes and the Testament of hys translation ought now to be bannisshed and forbidden. Is there any holyer doctrine in the popis law, and in hys ceremonies and traditiones, then in the new Testament of tyndalles translation? ar there not as many hereses in the popis bookes as in tyndalles? What reson is it then that tyndalles bokes and the new Testament of hys translation shall be bannisshed away withe tyndal, and be forbidden to be red, and that the popis doctrine and ceremonies, withe his bookes, shall not be bannisshed withe the pope, but shall be kept still and red in the chirche as a new gospel in the mother tong, that

all the hole chirche may under stande his doctrine, and learn it when as Christis doctrine must be sayd and song in such a tong as not one among an C. understandethe because as it apperethe that few should learn it? Whether hathe tyndal now or the pope more fauor shewed unto hym in Englond? tyndall which is bannisshed bothe bodely and withe all hys bokes and doctrine both good and bad or the pope, whos doctrine and bookes ar red and alowed, after that he is commanded of the hiest pouer under god to be bannisshed out of Englond for his heresie and treson? If the pope haue not more fauor, then Christe hathe in Englonde, why may the popis gospel be red of all men in English, and Christis gospel is forbidden to be red in english, and only a few of gentle and rich men may rede it?" 46

The disputes which arose between those who were termed Gospellers and others, produced most unhappy effects; for the Gospellers, as they were called, taunted at the ignorance and errors of the priests, and the others "made it their business to derogate from the Scripture, to deal with it irreverently, and to rhyme, and sing, and make sport with it, in alehouses and taverns. Henry therefore, on the dissolution of his last parliament in 1545, thus addressed the members of it :-"What' signs of charity are these, when one calls another heretic and anabaptist, and the other returns the language of papist and hypocrite? The occasion of these animosities is partly to be charged upon you, who are the spiritual guides and fathers of the church: For if I know a man who lives in adultery, I must conclude him a liber

(46) "The rescuynge of the Romish Fox, otherwise called, The examination of the Hunter devised by Steven Gardiner. The Second Course of ye Romish Fox and his advocate and sworn patron Steven Gardiner, doctor and defender of ye popis canon Law and his ungodly ceremonies." Dedicated to King Hen ry VIII. by William Wagron. Emprinted," 1545, by Hanse Hitprick, 12mo. sheet L.

tine, and a debauchee. If I see a man brag of any advantage, I cannot help thinking him tinctured with pride. I am every day informed that you of the clergy are declaiming against each other, in the pulpit: and here your charity and discretion is quite lost in vehemence and satire: some are too stiff in their old mumpsimus, and others too busy and curious in their new sumpsimus. Can I suppose you governed by principles of charity while you manage thus? That is impossible;-alas! How can we expect the poor people should live friendly with their neighbours, when they have such unhappy precedents of discord and dissention in those that teach them."

"And, though the spirituality are in some fault for breaking into parties, and living upon ill terms with those of their own business, yet you of the temporality don't stand clear of envy and ill-nature. For you rail on the bishops, defame, and misreport the priests, and treat the preacher with contumely and ill-language. -Tis true you are allowed to read the Holy Scriptures, and to have the Word of God in your mother tongue. But then, this permission is only designed for private information, and the instruction of your children and family: 'Twas never intended for mooting and dispute, nor to furnish you with reprimanding phrases and expressions of reproach against priests and preachers. And yet, this is the use a great many disorderly people make of the privilege of having the Scriptures. I am extremely sorry to find how much the Word of God is abused; with how little reverence 'tis mentioned, both with respect to place and occasion; how people squabble about the sense. How 'tis turned into wretched rhyme; sung and jangled in every alehouse and tavern; and all this in a false construction, and countermeaning to the inspired writers. I am sorry to perceive the readers of the Bible discover so little of it in their practice. I must therefore recommend to you the same duty I men