Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1868-06-28
EIiOt,s Indian Bible.


From the Providence Journal
The sale Of copy Of this very rare
and curious book at auction, in New
York, for S1136, deserves more THAI
the brief notice which has appeared Of
it in our columns. TIE work is re-
markable one, first, in being a transla-
ton of the whole Bible and the New
Testament into the language spoken BY
the Massachusetts Indians, and all ac-
complished by one man known as the
Apostle John Eliot, who labored as a
missionary among the Indians for a long
period.
He was many years engaged in the
labor of translation. tits at all times
a task of great difficulty to render the
Bible into foreign language, even if
the language is written one but in
such a language as that of the Indians,
which was never before written, the la
Dor was gigantic. None but religious
enthusiast, such as Eliot, would ever
have attempted it.
| This Bible has also value as typo
graphical curiosity In the year 1868
New England was still a wilderness
teeming with great Indian population,
and the struggle for existence was by no
means an easy one. To print a pam
phlet was an event of Importance, yet in
the infancy of the Commonwealth the
whole Bible was printed at Cambridge
in this strange language, a monument Of
aboriginal philology which has never
been equalled, notwithstanding all the
efforts of our missionary societies to
Christianize and ciyilize the Indians for
the last two hundred years
The printing of this Bible was begun
in 1860, and finished in September, 1863,
thus occupying three years. The edi-
ton was one thousand copies, of which
not more than fifteen are known to be
preserved in the United States. Twenty
copies were sent to England, in which
there was dedication to Charles the
Second.
But this is not all that is remarkable
about this Bible. A second edition was
called for, and the whole work was re-
printed at Cambridge, by Samuel Greene,
the printer of the first edition, in 1855.
The art of printing was still in its in
fancy. The proposition for printing
this edition was submitted to the Com
missiOners of the United Colonies of
New England for their consideration, in
1678-'79, by Mr.. Eliot, who, among his
several appeals, said that King Philip
had sent to him for books to read
The work, which was commenced the
following year, proceeded but slowly, as
there was but que man, the Indian prin-
ter, who was able to compose the sheets
and correct the proof In 1854, Mr..
Eliot, writing to the Hon. Robert Boyle,
says; " We have but few hands, one
Englishman, and a hoy, and one Indian"
1t was completed in the following year,
and two thousand copies printed.
The Indian title reads as follows
AGmasse SCURRetuPaRataBB0e APP
Bibluae God aaaees,oe NulkoHe Iesta-
n,e,ut kak tooRk ,oaskg 7sstqment," " etc.
The following is the full English IL
tie:
The Holy Bible: containing the
Old Testament and the New. Trans
lated into the English language and or
dered to be printed by the Commission
ers of the United Colonies in New En-
gland. At the charge, and with the
consent Of the Corporation in England
for the Propagation Of the Gospel among
the Indians in New England. Cam
bridge Printed by Samuel Greene and
Marmaduke johnson, MDCLXIII."
166s.l 4ta., 424 leaTes. New TRsta-
ment contains 100 leaves.
1t is well known that there is no In
dian living who can read this Bible or
even speak the language in which it is
written. The Hon. j Hammond Trum-
bull, Of Hartford, late Secretary Of the
State of Connecticut, is, We be-
lieve, the only person living who
understands the language and is
able to read this Bible He has
made it a study for many years, and has
composed dictionary Of many thousand
words from it. We are glad to learn
that fine and perfect copies OF both edit
tons of EHot's Bible and New Tesla
ment are in a private library in Provi-
dence, in which is also a little volume in
the same Indian language, called 1.-The
Practice of Piety," and " Grammar of
the Indian Language, printed at Cam
bridge in 1866, both the work Of the in
defatigable Eliot. The grammar is far
more rare than the Bible, as not more
than three copies are known in the
United States.
We cannot close our aQtiee Of these
remarkable books without adding the
following letter, a manuscript copy of
which is appended to the Manitowompae
PomantamoOnk, or Practice of Piety,
from JOAN RllQt ts the Hon. Robert
Boylei
HoxBVBF, August %, 1886,
Third raanfa q AIR OWartnrOE