The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1889-03-27
Our 8ops ano Girls.
The Scribe's Report.


Cloverpatch speaks of a retransla-
ton of Virgil which Caxton made, and
states the following in regard to Cax-
toms manner as introducing the book
to his readers
After stating that there came to his
hand little book in French which was
translated out of the Latin by some
noble French clerk, he goes on:
Which book is named Eneydos and
made in Latin by that noble poet and
great clerk, Vergyl, in which book |
had great pleasure by reason of the fair
and honest termes and wordes in
French which never saw to-fore-like,
none so pleasant, nor so well ordered,
which book as me seemed should be
muche requisite for noble men to see,
as well for, the eloquence as the his
tories; and when had advised me to
this said book deliberated and con-
Guided to translate it into English. and
forthwith took a pen and ink and wrote
leaf or twain"
Wouldn't it amuse a Rugby or Elton
school-boy of to-day to learn that his
ancestors knew so little of Virgil as to
need this introduction to him? The
Scribe must confess to not having been
sufficiently explicit in stating the third
question of that date. 1t should have
read, What translations of the Bible
into English were made before that of
our Authorized Version?n Because of
the omission of those two words, some
of the answers received have given the |
translations made into various other |
languages before there was an English |
tongue. 1t seems pity that the club |
should not have the benefit of the in
formation thus gained; so we will give |
the following from the answer of
"P. G. X" although it is outside the
intent of the question.
Within one hundred seventy wears
after the death of Christ the whole |
Bible was translated into Latin by |
some unknown author in what is now |
known as the Old Italic Version: and |
the New Testament had been added to
the existing Syriac Old Testament: so
that by the year 200 the whole Bible
was eXtant in Greek, Syriac and Latin.
1t was translated into Ethiopic in the
fourth century; into Gothic by Ulphilas
between 34S and 3SS; into Egyptian or
Coptic before $50. Between $50 and
400, Jerome executed the Vulgate. so
long the " Authorized Version" Dur
ing the dark ages, A. ID. 500 to 1900,
several TRANSACTIONS were made, but the
tendency of the principal Christian
church Ohe Roman Catholic was to
keep the Bible away from the people.
The Bible thus passed into comparative
obscurity. With the Reformation and
the invention of printing and translat-
ing the Bible was renewed Wiclif
completed the first English Version as
early as a. ID. 1890 The very first
book printed was Gin Latin) the famous
Mentor Mazarin Bible. The reform
ers at once began translating it-Luther
in Germany, Tyndae and Coverdale in
England, and Olvetan in France, dur
ing the sixteenth century - placing
German, English and French versions
within the reach of people of moderate
means.
M. r. d. D." has also mentioned
the translation into Saxon of the Psalms
by Cuthlac, a Saxon hermit, and that
OF the Psalms and Gospels by the Ven
cradle Bede; and, after abiding to
Wiclif's translation, gives the following:
Tyndale was the first to translate
from the original tongues, the others
having translated from the Latin Yer
sion. The New Testament was printed
at Cologne in 1926. Miles Coverdale's
translation was printed in 1885. In
1887 Archbishop Cranmer supervised
the translation known as the " Cranmer
Bible" 1.-THE Great Bible,' so-called
from the size of the volume, was trans :
lated by Thomas Cromwell, Coverdale
and others, and printed in 1910. 1t
was commanded by royal authority to be !
set up in the churches. In 1860 the ..
" Genevan Bible" appeared 1t was the
work of English scholars who had found ,
refuge in Switzerland during the reign
of " Bloody Mary" "The Bishops :
Bible " eight of the translators were !
bishops) was published in 1865 and !
reached twenty-nine editions. !
Others have mentioned Matthewe's, {
Tavemer's and the Douay versions. !
The two former are not always reckoned :
as distinct versions, although some au- t
thorities so give them. Concerning '
the Douay Version, Cloverpatch - |
has this:
The Rhemish or Doway Bible was '
Roman Catholic version made in 1909 (
and is still used in that church. 1t is t
very corrupt, having been translated /
from the corrupted Latin edition of t
Jerome, and so clumsily that it is often h
difficult to make sense. For instance. a
they render the last of Ephesians vi: u, Q
- Against the spirituals of wickedness i
in the celestials." n
If any one is troubled to remember e
which version the Romanists use, he :
may recall the remark of bigoted I
Irish-woman who would not allow her t
child to listen to the reading of the S
Protestant Bible in school, because she y