§ 5. TAVERNER.

СНАР.

III.

HISTORY.

the Old

superficial.

The work of Taverner is very different from INTERNAL that of any of the revisers noticed before, and Taverner's stamped with a very distinct individuality. Its revision of character might be anticipated from the descrip- Testament tion of the man himself which has been already quoted'. Throughout he appears to aim at vigorous and idiomatic language, and his New Testament at least deserves more attention than has yet been paid to it. Probably he undertook this part of the work, for which his scholarship fitted him, first, and only afterwards extended his labours to the Old Testament, for which he had no special aptitude. As far as I have observed he used no help but the Vulgate in the Old Testament, and this only partially. But scarcely a page perhaps will fail to shew changes which are made for the sake of clearness and force. Thus the child of death' becomes worthy of death' (2 Sam. xii. 5): 'of mine own mind' is altered to 'of mine own head' (Num. xvi. 28): 'but and if' is made simply 'but if': 'like as a branch' simply 'like a branch', and so on. But in a passage like Is. liii. 1—5,

1 See supr. p. III.

2 A good example occurs Josh. xxiv. 27, 'lest that after this time

'ye will deny and lie unto your
'God.'

CHAP. where Coverdale is greatly at fault, he introduces no real change in the text before him'.

III. INTERNAL HISTORY.

His re

In the New Testament Taverner aims equally vision of at compression and vividness, but he was familiar Testament with the original, and therefore could deal more

the New

more im

portant.

happily with the translation of Tyndale, which still, like Coverdale, he followed very closely. A few verses will shew the method which he followed. Thus in the beginning of St John's Gospel for the same' he reads 'this' (i. 2, 7), for to bear witness' simply 'witness' (7, 15); for Tyndale's 'verity' he writes 'truth' (14); for Tyndale's 'confessed and 'denied not, and said plainly' he repeats the first word as in the Greek 'confessed and denied not 'and confessed' (20). Sometimes in his anxiety to keep to the Greek text he becomes even obscure or inaccurate, as 'all were made by it' (2), 'to be 'made the sons of God believing on his name' (12), 'into his own' (11), 'he was first ere I was' (15). But he introduced substantial improvements into

1 In Mr Offor's MS. collections for a history of the English Bible (Brit. Mus. 26,670-3) there is a collation of Tyndale's Pentateuch (1537, 1549) with Taverner (1539, 1551), Vol. 11. pp. 153-158. The same MS. contains also a collation of

Tyndale's Pentateuchs of 1530, 1534 with one another and also with Matthew and Coverdale. Matthew appears to follow the edition of 1530 almost without exception: Coverdale, generally that of 1534. I have not however verified the collations.

III.

HISTORY.

the translation by his regard for the article: 'that CHAP. 'was the true light (a tr. 1. Tynd.) which...coming INTERNAL 'into...' (9): 'Art thou the Prophet?' (21, 25): 'I 'am a voice of one crying...' (23). Two consecutive verses of the first Epistle of St John furnish good examples of his endeavour to find English equivalents for the terms before him. All the other versions adopt the Latin 'advocate' in I John ii. 1, for which Taverner substitutes the Saxon 'spokesman.' Tyndale, followed by Coverdale, the Great Bible, &c. strives after an adequate rendering of ixaoμòs (1 John ii. 2), in the awkward periphrasis 'he it is that obtaineth grace for our sins': Taverner boldly coins a word which if insufficient is yet worthy of notice: 'he is a mercystock for our sins.'

It would be tempting to dwell longer on this version, but it appears to have exercised no influence whatever on the later revisions. It remains simply as a monument of one man's critical power, and in the very sharp personality of its characteristics is alien from the general history of the English Bible.

§ 6. THE GENEVAN BIBLE.

The cha

The foundations of the English Bible were laid racter of the by exiles in a strange country; and exiles contri- revision.

Genevan

III.

HISTORY.

CHAP. buted the most important revision which it underINTERNAL went before the final settlement of the received text. Under the influence of Calvin, Geneva had become the seat of a society of devoted Biblical students, and the results of their labours were made available for the review of the English version by the Marian persecution. The more conservative party among the refugees might have scrupled to use them without reserve, but no such feeling could hold back the seceders from Frankfurt. For the first time the task of emendation was undertaken by men who were ready to press it to the uttermost. They spoke of their position as providential, and in looking back upon the later results of their Bible we can thankfully acknowledge that it was so. They enjoyed, as they say in their preface, many advantages over earlier labourers whose renderings 'required greatly to be perused ' and reformed.' 'Not,' they add, 'that we vindi'cate anything to ourselves above the least of our 'brethren, for God knoweth with what fear and 'trembling we have been now (April 1560) for the 'space of two years and more day and night occu'pied herein, but being earnestly desired. ...and 'seeing the great opportunity and occasions which 'God presented unto us in this Church, by reason of