CHAPTER XXIII.

THE HE work of Rogers in the production of this Bible was, however, something more than the mechanical putting together of its various portions, and the superintending of the press. The preliminary matter is characteristic. As has been already said, besides the general preface, and dedication, and the "exhortacyon to the studye of the Holy Scripture, gathered out of the Bible," at the end of which stand the initials I. R., there follows also, on two pages, the "summe and content of all the Holy Scripture, both of the Olde and the Newe Testament," a brief system of theology. These two prefatory essays were retained in the great Bible of 1539. Then there comes a "table of the pryncypal matters conteyned in the Byble, in which the readers may fynde and practyse many commune places," and prefaced by an address to the "Christen reders," which opens, "As the bees dylygently do gather together the swete flowers to make by naturall craft the swete honey, so haue I done the pryncypall sentences conteyned in the Byble. The whych are ordened after the maner of a table, for the consolacyon of those whych are not yet exercised and instructed in the holy Scripture. In the which are many harde places, as well of the olde as of the newe Testament expounded, gathered together, concorded, compared one wyth another; to thintent that the prudent Reader (by the sprete of God) maye beare awaye pure and cleare vnderstanynge. Wherby euery man (as he is bounde) maye be made ready, stronge, & garnyshed, to answere to all them that aske hym a reason of hys fayth. Thys is also profytable for the partycular & generall exhortacyons whych we make to certayne person

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ages, or commune people: & for to answere truly to Heretykes, & to confounde the aduersaries of the worde of God. In the which also we may fynde (that which helpeth greatly the studye of the readers) the openynge of certayne Hebrewe tropes, translacyons, symylytudes, and maners of speakynges (whych we call phrases) conteyned in the Byble. And for the more easely to fynde the matters desyred (because that dysorder engendreth confusyon), I haue proceded after the order of an alphabete: to thyntente that none be depryued of so precyous a treasure: the whych ye shall vse to the honoure & glorye of God, and to the edyfyinge of hys Churche. How be it (good Reader) yf thou fynde not the thynges in thys table expressed, in the same letters of the chapters wherin they are assynged; vouchsaue to loke in the letter goinge next before or in the letter next folowynge." The table fills twentysix folio pages, and being alphabetically arranged, it forms a species of concordance and dictionary-one of the earliest in the language. Great pains were employed in drawing it up, and its scriptural fulness and accuracy are to be admired. It is not, however, original, but is taken chiefly from the French Bible of Olivetan. Texts of Scripture are uniformly given to these 220 articles, in order to illustrate, confirm, or improve practically what has been said, and the Apocrypha is freely used. Scripture is compared with Scripture. Thus, under the word Angels: The angels assyste before God, Job xxv a, and xxxviii a, Daniel vii c, Matt. xviii; and do minister to men, Ps. civ a, Heb. i. Also they do rebuke sinners, Judges ii a, and do comfort the afflycte, Genesis xxi b, Luke xxii es, Dan. vi f. Also they do teach the ignoraunte, example of ye angel which taught Elijah, what he should say to the seruantes of Ohoziah, iv Re. i a, also of Dan. ix f, also of Joseph, Matt. i. ii, d, also of Cornelius, Acts x a, also of Zechariah, Luke i By the angelles God scourgeth his people, ii Re. xxiv, iv Re. xix g, Act vii d. Aduocate-Note that I fynde not in all the Byble this word aduocate, but only in i Jo. ii a, in ye which place is said that Christ is our aduocate towarde the father." alphabet indicate the section in which the passages may be found.

1 There are, of course, no verses marked, and the letters of the

Some of the notes have a distinct reference to popery. Under Beatitude occurs, with a hand pointing to it, "blessed is Mary because she beleued," Luke i e. Masse, thys worde masse is not in the Byble translated by S. Jerom, nor in none other that we haue. And therefore, could I not tel what to note therof, but to sende the reader to the souper of oure Lorde Jesus Christe, i Corinthians xi, Act xx b c. Meryte-In lokynge ouer the Byble, as well the newe as the olde Testament, I haue not founde this word meryte. Meryte then is nothynge; for to meryt is to bynd God vnto his creatures, and not to obserue the meryte of Jesus Christ, by which only we are saued; not accordynge to oure workes or merytes, but according to his holy purpose and grace, which was geuen vnto vs before al time. ii Tim. i b, Titus iv b: It is then by grace that we are saued through fayth, and not of vs, but by the gyft of God to thyntent that none do boast hym selfe, Ephe. ii, Roma. iii, 2. For the tribulacyons of thys world, are not worthye of the glorye that shal be shewed vnto vs, Rom, viii. And if we haue pacyence in them, that cometh of God, i Cor iv. Howe then can we glorye that we do meryte that thyng which is none of ours in as much as God doth and accomplysheth in vs the good wil, Phil. ii. Religion for obseruing (not of cloister rules), but of thynges ordayned of God, Exo. xii d, Leue. viii g, Num. xix d, religion for the sect of the Pharises which were proud Ipocrites and ful of ceremonies, of which S. Paul was at the fyrste, Act xxvi b. Cornelius being captaine of the Italian's army, is called a religious man, and yet he had made no monastycall vowes, Act xa. The true religion of the Christen standeth not in the dyuersitye of habytes or of vowes; but in visitynge of the fatherlesse and wydowes in their tribulacyons and kepyng a man's selfe pure from the wickedness of this world, James i.

Rogers did not translate, nor did he attempt a thorough revision. But he went over the whole carefully, making a few unimportant changes, and adding several alternate renderings, found among the notes, and introduced by the formula, "Some reade "-thus, in Isaiah iii, 3, the text has "master of craftes," and the notes have, Some reade "exactours or extor

xxm.]

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tioners." Isaiah viii, 14, text, "to stumble at, the rock to fall upon, a snare and net to both the houses to Israel, and the inhabitours of Jerusalem." Notes, Some reade, "and as the rock to fall upon the two houses of Israel, a snare and net to the inhabitours of Jerusalem," after Luther. In Prov. i, 1, Coverdale has "These are the Proverbes of Salomon," and in Isaiah i, 1, This is the Prophecy of Esay," both after Luther; but Rogers gives more literally, "The Proverbs of Solomon,"" The Prophecy of Esay," after the Vulgate and Pagninus. The change, however, in these places is accidental, for similar diction is found in the beginning of other books, as in the opening words of Jeremiah, Hosea, Joel, Amos, &c., where Luther's usual formula, repeated in the Zürich Bible, and translated by Coverdale, remains unchanged. Coverdale had followed the numeration of the Psalms as given in the Vulgate, noting at the head of the tenth Psalm, "here the Hebrues begine the x Psalm," making the next as the x also; but in this Bible the numeration corresponds generally with the Hebrew. Rogers omits three verses in Psalm xiv, which, "not being in the Hebrew," according to Coverdale's marginal note, were yet inserted by him. Coverdale does not translate the word given in our version, "to the chief musician," but Rogers always renders it, "to the chaunter." Coverdale at the beginning of a book, such as Isaiah, gives the contents of all the chapters together; Rogers prefixes them to each separate chapter, and at the end of the chapter come the annotations, headed as "the notes." He ends 2 Kings with the conclusion of the reign of Jehoshaphat, in our version xxii, 50. In the "Ballet of Ballettes of Salomon," he gives an interpretation of the poem, and the various scenes are distinguished as "the voyce of the Churche," "the spousesse to her companions," "the voyce of the Churche in persecution," "Christ to the Synagogue," "the voyce of the Patriarch speaking of Christ," &c., shorter notes occurring on the margin of Olivetan. In the use of such notes on Canticles, Matthew had been preceded by Hereford, the early colleague of Wycliffe "the Churche of the comynge of Christ speketh, the voice of the Fader, &c."; but Purvey removed such headings. The title to the Apocrypha, adorned with fifteen woodcuts,

as

is, "The volume of the bokes called Apocrypha conteyned in the comen translation in Latyne, which are not found in the Hebrue, nor in the Chalde." Coverdale had omitted the prayer of Manasses, but Rogers inserted it before 1 Maccabees, from Olivetan's French version, such terms and phrases ornament," "laudable," "vertu," "importable," "requiring goodness of thee," "knowing iniquity," "all the vertue of heaven," being directly transferred from the French text. Baruch was placed next to Jeremiah by Coverdale; but here it is inserted between Ecclesiasticus and "the Song of the Three Children in the Oven." Though there are headings, there are no continuous notes to the Apocrypha; and his first and general preface, which is translated from Olivetan, is a distinct and positive protest against the reception of the books of the Apocrypha as an inspired collection-as follows:

"In consyderacyon that the bokes before are founde in the Hebrue tonge, receaued of all men : & that the other folowyng, which are called Apocripha (because they were wont to be reade, not openly & in comen, but as it were in secret & aparte) are nether founde in the Hebrue nor in the Chalde: in which tonges they haue not of longe bene written (in lesse then it were happly the boke of Sapience) wher vpon it were now very harde to repayre & amende them: And that also they are not receaued nor taken as legyttymate & leafull, as well of the Hebrues as of the whole Churche, as S. Hierome sheweth: we haue separat them, & sett them asyde, that they may the better be knowen: to thintent that men may knowe of which bokes witnes ought to be receaued, & of which not. For the sayde S. Hierome speakinge of the boke of Judith (which is Apocriphe) sayth, that the autory tye therof is not esteamed worthy & suffycyent to confyrme & stablysh the thynges that lyght in disputacyon. And generally of all the bokes called Apocripha, he sayth, that men maye reade them to the edyfyinge of the people: but not to confyrme & strengthen the doctryne of the Churche. I leaue oute here the lawe (as they call it) of Canon. c. Sancta Romana. XV. distinc. where he sheweth his iudgement. Lykewyse the Glose of c. Canones. XVJ. distinc. which sayth, that men reade them, but not in