The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1893-07-08
you don't catch him at it any more.'"-
IN ONE FAMILY 800 YEARS
A Curious Bible Now Owned by Mrs.
Sarah Barker, of Bangor. Me.

A Curious Bible Now Owned by Mrs.
Sarah Barker, of Bangor, Me.
F; G. Tobey of Springfield, Mass. has
IN ms possession an old family Bible of
considerable value as photographic
treasure as well as for its family associa-
tions. 1t is one of those famous quarto
Bibles published by authority of Arch
bishop Parker, and known as the
"breeches Bible" on account of the rem
dering OF Genesis ill.,, Z, which is trans
lated SO as to read that they made them
selves breeches instead OF aprons. In
this the translators, however, only fol-
lowed Wyclif. Unfortunately this dis
tlnctive mark is missing, as the portion
between the beginning of Genesis and L.
Kings is lost. The remainder, however,
Is in excellent preservation, and can
readily be identified from photographic
manuals. The date is probably 1897 or
1893, and it was undoubtedly published
/ by Christopher Bankers deputies in Lon
don. The Old Testament is in the famous
! Geneva version, and the New Testament
IS Iomson's translation. The title page
OF the New Testament runs as follows:
The new testament Of our Lord Jesus
| Christ, translated out OF the Greeke by
Theod. With brief summaries and eX-
positions upon the hard places by the
said author, Joach, Gamer and p. Loseler
NiIlerius. Englished by l.. Tomsou, to-
/ u
upon the Revelation of ST. John"
The title page Of the old testament is
lost, but the Republican thinks that
judging from the close resemblance of
the volume to copy of 1898 which is
among the treasures of our city library,
1t probably ran:
The bible, that is, the holy scriptures,
contained i'll the old and new testament,
translated according to the Ebrew and
Greeke, and conferred with the best
translations in divers languages, and
with most profitable annotations upon
all hard places and other things OF great
importance. Imprinted at London by
the deputies of Christopher Barker,
printer to the Queens most excellent
majestic. Ammo 1898. Cum privllegio."
An interesting feature in this edition is
the notes, which did great deal to estab
llSh the wonderful popularity of the
Geneva Bible, or family Bible, as it was
called, which held the warmest place in
the hearts OF the people for many years,
only slowly giving room to the King
James or common version, which APP
peared in 1911. The Geneva Bible was
the one that Shakespeare, Bacon, jon
son ana the other great men of the Eliza
bethan age knew, and it eXerted power
tuI influence upon the generation that
read 1t. 1t was really notable translation,
much more scholarly than the bishops
Bible with which the Church of England
vainly tried to supplant it. For many
years it stood for puritanism, principally
because the translation was made by
band of Puritan eXiles in Geneva, and Its
influence was greatly dreaded by the
hierarchy. 1t had potent effect on the
oIOgy, because it was the first edition to
introduce the vicious system of dividing
the books into chapter and verse, which
has endured ever since. These arbitrary
divisions are chiefly useful for the pur-
pose of furnishing CARRIED proof texts, an
opportunity of which the Puritans took
full advantage.
The English Of the translation is noble
and dignified, and scarcely more anti
quated than that of the King James YER
sion, except for the use Of few obsolete
words, such as "cratch' for manger,
''taldels" for goods, "herberous" for hos
pit&ble, lakes" for dunghill, plight" for
pitched, 'pilp' to make gain OF, "trade'
for path, "greunes" for traps.
The Bible was brought from England
by Thomas Tohey first, who came to
America in 1855 and married Martha
Knott of Sandwich, Mass, in 1850. 1t
was given by him to his granddaughter,
Desire Stuart, and has the following in
his handwriting:
Desire stuart, Hur Booke.
God give hur grace herein to locke.
From which it may be inferred that
Desire was not fond of searching the
Scriptures. 1t was handed down in the
family in unbroken succession and is
now owned by Mrs. Sara Barker Of
Bangor, Me-, returning, oddly enough,
| to an owner of the same name as the pub
Usher