Telegram-herald., 1891-12-31
A STRANGE VERSION or Trle sieLE
EsmarknSle Paraphrascs of an Edition o.
the Holy Book Ixsucd yesrs Ago.

Remarkable Paraphrascs of an Edition Of
the Holy Book Issucd Wears Ago.
Various lamcns B.bles-tnc Taverner's,
the Bishops, the Vinegar. the Breeches.
and the Wicked Eble," so csllsd ccause
of its omission of mot" from one Of the
commanimeEts-are known to tire hum
bless bioiiophile. More curious than any
OF them, and now. should think, hardly
less rare than sore, ia an extraordinary
version of the New Testament, which il
considerably less than 2oo years old. IL
owed its existence TO the Rev. Edward
Earwood, ID. d.. an Eighteenth century
Bristol divine, whose happy thought it
was Ito clothe the genuine ideas and doc
trines of the apostles with that propriety
and perspicuity in which they themselves,
apprehend, wocld have exhibited them
had they now lived and written in our Ian
gusgs."
The good doctor seems to have been
panied that ''the bald and barbarous Ian
guagc OF the old vulgar version had from
long usage 'sacq uired n venerable sacred
ness" but lrs was not withou: a hope that
an attempt to ciffnsc ever the sacred
page tire elegance Of modern Engiish"
might allure men Of cultivated and i'm
proved minds" to booS NOW, alas, too
generally neglected"
DIR. Harwood therefore proceeded TO
make the New Testament an cminently
centecl book Every word that had
dropped out Of vogue in polite circles was
rlncked away. the very plain spoken warn
ing to the L,cdicean church assuming IL:
his version this form: ''Since, therefore,
you are now in state OF Iukewarnness, n
dIsagrecablc medium between the two ex-
tremes, viii, in no long tine, eject you
from my heart with fastidiors contempt"
"Disagrecable medium ''Tassic,ous con-
tempt!'
Considered ss aeuphuis,ic paraphrase OF
the stron: Eng!ish original hy lite a-y
exquisite. ths sentences is delicious: but
when we cmc,nber who the speske is.
we flnd we are laughing al something like
blasphemy. Laugh we may AZ the descrip-
tion of Nicodemus as ''this gcutiems ;"
Of ST. Paui's Athcrian convert Damaris
as "a lady os distinction" and of the
daughter Of Herodias rs "a young lady
who danced with iuimi.able grace and
elegance" Young ledy, risc," are the
words addressed to the daughter OF Jairus.
The father Of the Proslissl is "a gentle
man" Of good, or. IA DR.. Harwood pre-
ferred Ia pu. 1t, "of splendid family" St.
Peter on the Mount of TRANSPORTATION ex-
claims, "O5, sir. what delectable resi-
dence we might nx here and St. Paui is
raised to the standard OF Bristoliau re-
spectability by having ''po-snsanfean'
conferred upon him In place OF the mere
cloak mentioned by himself a. having been
left at Troas
The apostolic statement, we shall not
all die. bat we shall Nil be changed. is Of
course too fsult.essly simple TO escape the
doctors mailing, aud after be has done
with It IL appears thus, We shall nc: all
pay the eoiafncn deb. Of nature. but we
snail. by = scf: transition. 5> changed srsr,
mortality 10 Immortality" Batcven after
resdiug these prodi2.ous Transitions we
are hardly prepared fer a meddfipg ~ith
the Nnguihcat and the N1ac Dimittis.
But D''. Hsrvood's passion for elegance
stuck 81 noshinr. ard tie "men Of culti-
vated aad Improved minds" mrst have
Harwoodian versions % the two grta.
hymns If Chr:steptiom. Here are the open.
inrs Of both:
Ny soai With reverence adores nv Gre
a.or, aad al. my fscsitses with transport
join In ceiserat:ng she goodness of God.
my Saviour. rAo hath ia 50 signal a man.
ner ecnde>csa<isd % regard sar roor Hod
humbls ststaon- Trsnec~pdest soodp>~s
every future ase viii now cosio.n In cele.
bratins my happiness.
20 sSosi' thy promise 70 ne is arapiT sul-
Glled' rev Quit the post of human i.fs
vita sasisfscsser ard fsy. sine. thon hss.
indnlesd mise eyes With 50 divine a sp-r-
taele re the Efess MESSIAH
Tbese extracts viii .~x~. "a sa.isf~f~e
exarnfies II the wsy - ~hieh the New
Tsstas~nt mar ts made eierspf skrr.n~s.
cut. spsi Os Esrwood's -srs = seei, -.
to re his own phsss>ososy, - i.a-es tns
rsess exsessre vsileifs ~ltkost srorna far
aairstsflcr SIN se Is 50 lsrgssy forvoss.r
tsss TIE gisocrd is practically free 20 Ia.
modern xsyis<t. nff-Jsccs,sn