Portland gazette and Maine advertiser., 1816-05-28
The BlbL ts..N0. XXTL.


In the discourse OF the kev. 4. noines before
tile iSiBLE ooCitTi or N AssACHUsEiTs. he ave
sketch OF The english transia,ions "a tue bible,
AID afterwards enlarged II tor publication IN the
christian DISCIPLE A short account OF il may
aord original Information 10 some OF your readers.
.Inglo SaIo,r.c Iransiaitoa.-About the y ear TOO
.-EDaAnM, the hrst bishop oi onerborn, Is saId ~
nave translated The psatcr into Tie oaxon tongue.
BE4E, who nourIshed at the beginning OF the
same century Is said 10 nave translated the whole
bIble into the same language.
Ains Alfred, III the Dinth century, caused II to
oe Translated into The anglo oaxonic tongue.
About thirty years afie, his death Ains AraEL-
STAN caused the scriptures 10 be translated oal Of
Hebrew into the Anglo saxon tongue ny some
Jews who, it is probable had been converted W
christianity.
towards the close Of the .ame Century A1I-
PRICK, abbot OF dalnsbary, afterwards archbishop
Il Canterbary, translated from the Latin INTO the
saxon language, most OF the books of the Old es-
lament.
On the change Of the civil go eminent in Eng
land by the Norman conquest A. ID 1900, every
thing was done to abolish the native Language ii
the lnhsbitants, and 10 introduce tie Preach.
Hence the Saxon language became altered tnai
the Saxon inhabitants could understand very iIte
or nothing, of what had been their mother tongue,
or at teas, of their English ancestors twas there-
fore OF little or no to the subjects OF Lusan
at least to the common people.
The Bible was now in Latin only and copies oi
il not very common in this language. Indeed An
oPinien seems TO have prevailed that the knool
edge oil the scriptures was unnecessary, and that II
was not lawful for private Christians To read them
IN their native language.
English IransLaiie,s --One of the 6rst no at
tempted an Engl,sh Translation seems 10 ha, been
RICHARD RoLLE, an Hermit OF iiampo!e. IN FORK
shire, who died A. ID. 1919, but he translated only
the Fsaus, which he wrote x oss upon, aud winch
was commented upon by several hands, Some
parts, if not all, the New Testament were, by diff
ieient persons, resdered into English then spoken
aud CLOSED or explained in the same manner.
HsckAd's Bibte-abom l370.-ihe first English
bible oil Which we have any account was traGsla-
Ted by the famous JoHx WIUKLIfr, who Was
born IN orkshire and educste nj the university
81 oxford, where,he was for soue years professor OF
divinity. This tran.stion gave such offence
(sone observing that by this means the gospel Was
made vulgar, aud laid more open TO the lalety,
aud evca TO women who could read. that il used TO
be confined 20 the most learned OF the clergy, and
So the gospel Jewel or evangelical pearl was thrown
about, and troddcn under foot ol swine,) that bi
was brought into the English house Of lords III
the reign OF Richard IL. A. ID. $780, for prohibiting
all Bibles in the English language; but it was re-
jected.-But
About - years after Week.-Mrs. death, ii wa. de-
creed by bishop Arundel, :. That no one should
thereafter translate any text of Holy Scripture into
the English, by way ola book, little book or
tract, and that book OF this kind should be read
that was composed in the time OF john Wickiiff, or
since his death.n
For disregarding this decree, several men and
women were afterwards condemned to be burnt.
In 1A1A, the printing art was brough, into Eng
land by William Caxton, a native of that country
who set up press at Westminster. Auspicious as
was this invention 10 the interests OF learning, hu-
man and divine, 1t alarmed the ignorant aud iliite
rate monks, and called forth their scverest invec-
lives. Even in England, Erasmus informs us that
his publishing the New Testament In its original
language met with much Glamour and opposition /;
and in particular, that college in the Universe
ty OF Cambridge absolutely forbade the use OF IT,
I'yndaps Neu Testament, t52S.-On the prors-
CATION of Lu,her's doctrine, in the reign of Henry
VIII. Htifiam Iyndai who had been forced IL
leave the English realm, account OF his rtlgon,
felt soicous THAT his countrymen should come 10
the same knowle ledge of divine truth which he had
attained" and believing means so conducive TO
that end, as the translation of the scriptures iuto
the vulgar tongue " that the poor people might sl-
so read and the plain word Of God" he with the
assistance Of the learned John frye ard William
the original Greek, into the English, which was
printed at Antwerp or Hamburger IN 1896 Many
copies of hi, translation found their way into Eng
land where they were very indusrousIy dispersed
and eagerly read. Archbishop Wsrham and ION.
stall. bishop of London 500 " issued out their
r"etive orders and moni,ions 10 bring il, all the
Iestaments translated into the Vulgar ugue
iat they might he burnt, and to 70 ~ il he read
ug of them" Accordingly all tina, could be col
leeted from p'ivate ands, with the 70 naiang cop
les purchased by the bishop and sir | homas More,
were burnt at II. Paui's cross.
Two other large editions however were soon af-
ter published in Roland--but tie copies imported
into England were ordered to be burnt. BIT not
withsanding this burning of the word of GOD"
fourth edition was pruted in Holland, and Iyndal
was busy at Hamburger in trans!ating from the He
brew into English the five books Of Moses--but on
ms return to Antwerp in 1891, by order of the
hing seized aud imprisoned, and at,era long con-