260 MEMORIALS OF MYLES COVERDALE. There is a work seemingly by Coverdale, which we have however hesitated to set down in the foregoing list. It is thus entitled: “A Brieff "discours off the troubles begonne at Franckford in Germany Anno "Domini 1554. Abowte the Booke off off common prayer and Ceremo"nies, and continued by the Englishe men theyre, to thende off Q. "Maries Raigne, in the which discours, the gentle reader shall see the "very originall and beginninge off all the contention that hathe byn, and "what was the cause off the same. by M. C." A text from "Marc. 4." fol. Liter. Goth. "R. G." with his mark. "M.D.LXXV.” Then comes a preface signed "M. Couerdale." Great part of this work might have been written by our bishop, and is very much in his style, and the subject matter is such as he might be supposed to be well acquainted with; but then other parts are obviously by third parties, for at the end, there is this concluding paragraph: “And it maie here also be noted, "that the moste auncientest fathers of this oure owne countrie, as "maister Couerdale, maister D. Turner, maister Whithead, and many "others, some dead some yet liuinge from whose mouthes and pennes, the 66 vrgers of theis receiued first the light off the gospell could neuer be 'brought to yelde or consent vnto such thinges as arenow forced with 66 so greate extremitie. Finis." The first and sometimes the third person are used by the writer. If we suppose that it was written by Coverdale, and published after his death, and perhaps edited by one or two of his friends, who interspersed their own remarks, and added to his unfinished MS., we shall yet find a difficulty in this; that in the preface signed by Coverdale, allusion is made to things occurring in 1573, four years after his death. If we suppose that he did not write it, and that his name was put to it merely to obtain credit, it was but a shallow device to insert a preface to which his name was affixed, and which it was very clear he could not have written. We may then assume that this M. Coverdale is a different person from our bishop, but we have not the slightest grounds to support such an opinion, if we except a paragraph in Lewis's history of the English translations of the Bible, in which he states, that one of the same name was made a bachelor of canon law in 1530; but he quotes no authority, and we are inclined to think, from the search we have made for one without success, that Mr. Lewis made a mistake in this assertion. We must leave this matter with the reader, confessing ourselves unable to offer any satisfactory explanation. It is rather curious that neither Strype nor any other, who have referred to this book, have in any way alluded to the author, but have treated it apparently as if it were anonymous. J. Rider, Printer, 14, Bartholomew Close, London. |