Chap. iii.
Internal

internal evidence it seems likely that both these texts were taken from the same corrected copy of Tyndale. History. Such a hypothesis would account equally for the discrepancies between them, since the New Testament at least is most carelessly printed, and for their agreement in errors, which can only have been derived from the original copy1.

§ 4. THE GREAT BIBLE.

The Great vision of

Bible a re

Matthew's

by Cover

dale.

Matthew's Bible was essentially a transitional work. It had hardly passed into circulation when a careful revision of it was undertaken. This, as all evidence external and internal goes to prove, was entrusted to Coverdale. It was thoroughly characteristic of the man that he should be ready to devote himself to the perfecting of another's labours; and he has left us an account of his method of procedure. 'We follow,' he Coverdale's writes, 'not only a standing text of the Hebrews, with June 23rd, 'the interpretation of the Chaldee and the Greek2; but 'we set also in a private table the diversity of readings 'of all texts...' And again when the work had made Aug. 9th. some progress he enters into greater details: 'As touch'ing the manner and order that we keep in the same 'work, pleaseth your good lordship to be advertised that

1 The Books of the Bible are arranged in the following order:

The books of the Old Testament.
Genesis-The Ballet of ballets.
The Prophets: Isaiah Malachi.
The Apocrypha: 3 Esdr. 4 Esdr.
..Baruch......1 Mach. 2 Mach.
The New Testament.

The four Gospels. The Acts.
The Epistles. ¶ Romans-Phile-

mon.

TI. 2 S. Peter.
T. 2. 3 S. John.

To the Hebrews.
TS. James.
¶ Judas.

The Revelation.

The order of the books in Taverner (1539) is the same.

2 These would be accessible in the Complutensian Polyglott. A copy of this with the autograph of Cranmer is now in the British Museum. Coverdale may have used these very volumes.

plan.

1538.

Chap. iii.
Internal
History.

Münster's edition his

the Old Tes

tament.

the mark in the text signifieth that upon the same
'in the latter end of the book there is some notable
'annotation which we have written without any private
'opinion, only after the best interpreters of the He-
'brews, for the more clearness of the text. This mark
'o+ betokeneth that upon the same text there is diver-
'sity of reading among the Hebrews, Chaldees and
'Greeks and Latinists; as in a table at the end of the
'book shall be declared. This mark sheweth that
'the sentence written in small letters is not in the He-
'brew or Chaldee, but in the Latin, and seldom in the
'Greek, and that we nevertheless would not have it
'extinct, but highly accept it for the more explanation
'of the text. This token in the Old Testament
'giveth to understand that the same text which follow-
eth it is also alleged of Christ or of some Apostle in
'the New Testament. This among our other necessary
'labours is the way that we take in this work...'

It is obvious that a man who thus describes his chief help in plan is not the mere press-corrector of another's revision, but himself the editor of the entire work1. If there were any doubt remaining it would be removed by the character of the revision. About the time when Coverdale's own Version was passing through the press a new Latin Version of the Old Testament with the Hebrew text and a commentary chiefly from Hebrew sources was published by S. Münster (1534-5). It does not appear that at that time Coverdale was able to avail himself of it. The Zurich Version was sufficient. But

a very slight comparison of Münster with the Zurich Bible could not fail to bring out the superior clearness of the former. Even a poor Hebrew scholar must feel its general faithfulness. Thus Coverdale found an obvious method to follow. He revised the text of Matthew, which was laid down as the basis, by the help of Münster. The result was the Great Bible.

One difficult passage given in full will be sufficient to shew the certainty of this explanation of the origin of the text of the Great Bible, and for the interest of the comparison the Zurich original of Coverdale's translation is added1.

Chap. iii.
Internal
History.

28-30.

MATTHEW (TYNDALE). Through a window looked Judges v. Sisera's mother and howled through a lattice Why ' abideth his chariot so long, that it cometh not? Why 'tarry the wheels of his waggons?

The wisest of her ladies answered her, yea and she ' answered her own words herself, Haply, they have found 'and divide the spoil: a maid, yea two maids, for a 'piece: a spoil of diverse colours for Sisera, a spoil of 'divers colours with brodered works, divers coloured 'brodered works for the neck of a prey.'

COVERDALE.

His mother looked out at the window, and cried piteously through the trellis, Why tarrieth his chariot out so long that he cometh not? Wherefore do the wheels of his chariot make so long tarrying?

1 The italicised words are differently rendered in the several versions, and furnish the best means of com

ZURICH VERSION.

Seyn mutter sach zum fenster ausz, vnnd Schrey mit klag durchs gätter: Warumb bleibt sein wagen so lang aussen, das er nit kompt? Warumb verziehend die reder seins wagens?

parison with the Greek and Latin.
I have kept the spelling of the Ger-
man of 1530.

The collation of a longer passage gives an exactly milar result. The fifty-first Psalm has no especial fficulty, but Coverdale (Matthew) and the Great Bible iffer in the following places. Every change it will be een can be traced to Münster, except one which is arked as coming from the Latin Vulgate1.

6 thou hast a pleasure in the truth and shewest me secret wisdom C.

thou requirest truth in the inward parts and shalt make me to understand wisdom secretly. G. B. veritatem exigis in interioribus et in occulto sapientiam me scire facies M.

7 O reconcile me with... C.

1 The initials are used for the different Bibles after the first quotation.