CHAP

X

Authorized

projected

consisting of the two archbishops, "and also a sufficient number of discreet, virtuous, and welllearned personages in divinity, as well of either of the universities, Oxford and Cambridge, as also Version chosen and taken out of other parts of his realm, A.D. 1530 giving unto them liberty to speak and declare plainly their advices, judgments, and determinations," respecting books imported from abroad, and containing doctrine contrary to that of the Church of England; and also as to "the admission and divulgation of the Old and New Testaments translated into English." This commission was called, says the subsequent proclamation, because it had-

"Come to the hearing of our said sovereign Lord the King, that report is made by divers and many of his subjects, that it were to all men not only expedient, but also necessary to have in the English tongue both the New Testament and the Old." It was decided

for not at

once un

it.

"By them all, that it is not necessary the said Scripture to Reasons be in the English tongue, and in the hands of the common people; .. and that having respect to the malignity of this dertaking present time, with the inclination of the people to erroneous opinions, the translation of the New Testament and the Old into the vulgar tongue of English should rather be the occasion of continuance or increase of errors among the said people, than any benefit or commodity towards the wealth of their souls."

But the document continues to the effect that when the dangers arising from these heretical opinions have passed away—

"His Highness intendeth to provide that the Holy Scripture shall be by great, learned, and Catholic persons, translated into the English tongue, if it shall then seem to His Grace convenient to be."8

8 Wilkins' Concil., iii. 740.

CHAP

X

Members of the Commission of

A.D. 1530

Immediately after this proclamation Archbishop Warham set forth a paper stating in detail what had been determined, and the particular errors condemned in "The Wicked Mammon," "The Revelation of Antichrist," the "Sum of Scripture," "The Supplication of Beggars," and some other books; which ended with a "bill in English to be published by the preachers," a kind of homily in which the clergy were made to endorse the royal proclamation. In this are words confirming the intention expressed in the proclamation, as follows:

Exhorting and moving you, that in consideration his Highness did there openly say and protest that he would cause the New Testament to be by learned men faithfully and purely translated into the English tongue, to the intent he might have it in his hands ready to be given to his people, as he might see their manners and behaviour meet, apt, and convenient to receive the same, that ye will so detest these pernicious books, so abhor these heresies," &c. &c.

From this last document and the one preceding it appears that the commission consisted of

With many more learned men of the said universities in great number assembled then and there together."

9

The signatures of so many grave and wise men to such a document (not forgetting that Bishop Latimer and his reforming relative, William Latimer, the friend of Bilney, were among them), show that it was promulgated in good faith, under a conviction that at the moment it was desirable to delay the publication of an English authorized version, but that it would be shortly undertaken.

tion revives

A.D. 1534

The matter was officially revived at the end of the Convocayear 1534, when-on December 19th-Convocation the project presented an address to the King petitioning him to exercise a censorship over the noxious publications which were streaming out from the abundant fountain established by the printing-press. They also petitioned him "that his Majesty would vouchsafe to decree, that the Scriptures should be translated into the vulgar tongue by some honest and learned men, to be nominated by the King, and to be delivered to the people according to their learning." Whether the King granted this petition is uncertain, but it is known that, with or without the royal license, the Cranmer Archbishop shortly after took measures for comply- the work ing with the earnest wish of the clergy. What among the measures he took are recorded by his secretary, Ralph Morrice :

1

distributes

bishops

CHAP

X

'First, he began with the translation of the New Testament; taking an old English translation thereof, which he A.D. 1534 divided into nine or ten parts, causing each part to be written at large in a paper book, and then to be sent to the best learned bishops and others, to the intent that they should make a perfect correction thereof. And when they had done, he required them to send back their parts so corrected unto him at Lambeth, by a day limited for that purpose; and the same course, no question, he took with the Old Testament."

Coverdale's

3

"2

As early as June 10, 1535, Gardiner, Bishop of Winchester, writes to Cromwell that he has translated St. Luke and St. John for his portion of the work, and that he has expended great labour upon them. Stokesley, Bishop of London, refused to cooperate, and sent his "paper-book”—the Acts of the Apostles-back to Cranmer, with an uncivil message. With that one exception the bishops all complied with the wishes of Cranmer, and "when the day came," says Morrice, "every man sent to Lambeth their parts corrected."

4

The King's proclamation and promise had, howtranslation ever, tempted private speculators; and at the very A.D. 1535 time the bishops were engaged on their work, an English Bible was being printed abroad from the translation in which Tyndale, Coverdale, and Rogers had each had a share. It was published on October 4, 1535, with a dedication to the King, signed by Coverdale, and is probably that referred to in one of the Injunctions issued by Cromwell in 1536, which ordered that there should be provided "one book of the whole Bible, of the largest volume, in English, and the same set up in some convenient place within the

English up in

Bible set

churches

A.D. 1536

2 Nicholls' Narratives of the Reformation, Camd. Soc., p. 277.

State Papers, i. 430.

It is almost impossible to dis

tinguish their respective shares. There are also copies of the same edition, but with a different title page, which is dated 1536.

X

said Church that ye have care of, whereas your CHAP parishioners may most commodiously resort to the same and read it."5

Bible

Another such bookseller's speculation appeared in Matthew's the following year under the name of Thomas A.D. 1537 Matthew, which is suppposed to be an "alias" of John Rogers. This was printed by Grafton and Whit church, the King's printers, from whose press the Reformed Breviary also proceeded about the same time. Some letters of Cranmer's are extant, in the first of which he writes to Cromwell to the effect that this is "both of a new translation and a new print," and requests the King's license "that the same may be sold and read of every person, without danger of any act, proclamation, or ordinance heretofore granted to the contrary, until such time that we the bishops shall set forth a better translation, which I think will not be till a day after doomsday." These rather impatient words do not explain the delay in the publication of the Bishops' translation, but it was probably undergoing repeated revision: and in his sanguine way the Archbishop thought it best to adopt the one ready to hand as one not likely to be improved upon by the bishops. He changed his opinion about this as he did about many other novelties which he was sanguine about at their first appearance.

"6

The letter just quoted was written to Cromwell on August 4, 1537. On the 13th the Archbishop wrote another telling Cromwell that he understood his request had been granted; and on the 28th he sends him "the most hearty thanks that any heart can think, and that in the name of them all which favoureth God's Word, for your diligence at this 3 › Wilkins' Concil., iii. 815. 6 State Papers, i. 561. 7 Jenkyns' Cranmer, i. 199.