Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1883-11-10
OLD BIBLES.
4 TALK CoNCBREING VARIOUS RDI-
TIoNs OF TIE BIBLE.
The Icoverdale Bible OF 1535-cranmer's
Bible-The Latest Edition Of
the Revisors,

pretensions or however limited his means,
says the Leeds Eng. Mercury, can afford
to be without one or two old Bibles. Set
ting aside altogether the special claims of
the book of books on our reverent
esteem, there is not a book in our own or
any other language about whose history
and photography so much interest CEN
tiers as the Bible. From the days of Moses
book of stone to the last production of the
British and Foreign Bible Society, no one
work-not even Homer-has run through
such a romantic career as this book. the
most venerable of all old manuscripts are
those on which are traced, be it in the
Hebrew of the old scribes or the Latin of
the old monks, portions of Holy Writ.
The most noble relics of that twilight age
which preceded printing are Bibles, and
Bibles also are the earliest and most
splendid triumphs of "the art which saves
all arts, which, had it achieved nothing
but the multiplication of the Scriptures,
would still rank as the greatest reformer
the world has ever known.
A complete collection of printed Bibles
is an object of despair, even to the most
princely of collectors. Apart from the fab
ulous prices which the "Biblia Pauperum,
BUt N1dLAIlu6 OiOlO onu SAC
Psalter would command, were copies ever
to come into the market, the vastness of
the field to be explored is beyond any
mans capacity.
The zoo or 500 various editions exhib.
tied not long ago at the Caxton celebration
in London represented only fragment of
the whole collection and to secure these,
public libraries, learned societies, ducal
rv1A
the royal book-shelves, were called upon to
contribute.
But while anything like a universal col
lection of Bibles is hopelessly beyond any
ones reach, there are tracks within the
huge area in which Ito use the word in
strictly photographed sense) excellent
sport may be enjoyed.
A collection of English Bibles, for in
stance, is not absolutely unimsginable, and
although no library, probably, yet possesses
an unbroken set, the possibility of such an
achievement is within the range of prac-
teal hunting.
The private collector of limited means
would, of course, be pulled up short at
the very outset. For collection of Eng
lish Bibles without Coverdale to head
the list would be like the family tree of
the patriarchs without Adam. And Cover
dales are not to be picked up every day.
Indeed, not dozen copies of this venera.
BILE first English Bible are known to exist,
and of these not single copy is perfect as
it left the press of Van Meteren, in Ant
werp, in 1885.
1t must always be slight cloud on the
otherwise bright history of English print
ing, that the first English Bible was the
work of a foreign printer. Patriotism
struggled long against the conviction, and
tried to persuade itself that because two
years later Nycholsons edition of the same
Bible was produced in London, with the
identical cuts used in the 1885 copy, the
first Bible must also have emanated from
the same press. But all such delusion
broke down completely under Mr.. Stevens
discovery in 1877, while cataloguing the
Bibles for the Caxton Exhibition, which
seems to establish beyond doubt the for
eign workmanship Of this venerable book.
No Englishman can for the first time
turn the pages of a Coverdale Bible of 1885
unmoYed. OF what blessings to his native
land was not this work of the Yorkshire
scholar the herald With what wonder
must the England of that day have first
looked upon a Bible written in its own
homely langusge-shrouded no longer in
monkish Latin, but as easy to read and as
plain TO understand as its own Chaucer
With what gratitude is one even tempted
to look back on the conjugsl eceentricities
of King Henry VIII, when one remem-
bers how largely England is indebted to
that monarch's feuds with Rome in the
matter of his great divorce suit for her
first copy of the Scriptures in the vulgar
tongue
The first English Bible is dedicated to
the merry monarch, who, in the course of
one short eulogy, is likened successfully
to Moses, David, Solomon and Jehosaphat,
by his "Graces humble subjecte and day
I've oratour," the translator. The plates
and map and title pages must have ap-
peared wonderful works of art to the Gus.
toners OF NICHOLSON, the London pub
Usher of this venerable edition de luLss.
And as a proof of the eagerness with
which the book was taken up, we find
edition following edition in rapid sue.
cession.
Next to the Coverdsle Bible (which, by
the way. is even less venerable than Tyn.
dale's New Testament, first printed at
1925 at Worms) the collector will need to
possess himself of Matthew's Bible, !"
which, also printed abroad in 1877, is made
I'D partly of Tyndale's and partly of Gov.
erdaes translations The earlier books
and the New Testament are prefsced by
uortentous prologues, with notes at the
end of the chapters. The real compiler Of
this Bible was John Rogers, Queen Mary 8
first martyr, who, because his friend Tyn-
dale's work had been condemned by au-
thority, adopted the name Of Matthew in
putting forth this partial reprint of the
prohibited volume. This Bible and its
subsequent editions formed the foundation
for most Of the later regisons, and to a
large extent remains in our present Author
fzed Version. A good many pecularities,
however, have long since disappeared as,
for instance, the rsn lering of the verse,
Thou shalt not be afraid for The terror by
night" which reads " So thou shalt not
nede to be atrayd for any Bugges by night "
a popularity which has gwen Matthew's
Bible the nickname of the Bug Bible. "
Tde title % Solomon's Song IN this version
is 1.-The Ballet of Ballots Of Shannon, "
and the sacred ballad is partially drama
tizsd as if TO Justify the title. Some OF
the notes Calculating the sacred text are
rather startling, particularly that which
refers TO the verse, ''Sara obeyed Abra-
ham, and called hymn Lorde, which is as
follows And yf she be not obedient and
healpfull unto him be) endeavoureth to beat
The feare Of God into her heade, that there.
by she may be compelled to learn her du-
ties aud to doit."
Next to Matthew'S Bible comes the
Great Bible, a splendid work produced
under the auspices of Thomas Cromwell,
Henry VII q Minister, with Coverdale as
literary supervisor, and printed in Paris in
1889 The famous Bishop Bonner is said
TO have assisted with his brother Bishops
Gardiner and Tunstall IN this work. De-
spite the powerful protection Of the former
49,. ,r,n rrar thnr, In, hassa dor N, n.r;.