The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1908-07-28
A RARE OLD BIBLE
ONE copy PRINTED AT MAYEhCE
IN THE YEAR 1850
Now One of the Greatest Blbltoaraph.
ic uriosties--Vulgate Prepared
In ENGLAND in the Neighbor-
hood of the Year 668.

The first attempt at printing, at
Mayenee, in l450 was a copy Of the
Vulgate, wood characters being used,
which contained only the principal
parts of the Old aud New Testaments,
This is the so-called "Biblia Pauper-
um," one of the rarest photographic
curiosities copy of which was bought
by the duke of Devonshire in 1919.
who paid only e201 for 1t,
England occupies a prominent place
In the history of the Vulgate and in It's
preservation, as. the purest text being
In Milan. Naples and in the southern
provinces. Archbishop Theodore and
his companion, Hadrian, abbot OF
monastery near Naples, went to Eng
land in 66S. taking with them some
OF these Bibles Besides, just at that
time Benedict Biseop and Ceolfrid,
travelling between Rome and England,
brought in other pure Nulgate texts,
which were copied and reproduced IN
the monasteries of Wearmouth and
Iarrow. not only for local use, but to
be spread by missionaries in foreign
countries. especially Germany France
and Switzerland, and, strange as II
may seem. even back TO Italy But
what is stranger still is that these
copies. known under the name OF
Northumbrian texts. had been tran
scrihed with such exactness that when
they returned to Italy they were found
10 be purer than the Italian copies,
which meanwhile had degenerated.
One Of the attempts to revive the Nul-
gate was made by Charles the Great
who intrusted the work to an Eng
Iishman. Alcuin, who finished 1t in
sol.
In the century after the invention of
printing the circulation Of faulty III
hles assumed such proportions that the
necessity was felt of establishing an
official edition. A handsome volume
| in 1890. took the name of the Sixtine
! Bible. from Sixtus V. and had as
preface the famous Bull, "Aeternus
! lie" establishing that this Bible be
! considered as true. lawful, authentic
and unquestioned. Sixtus V died al
most Immediately after and only two
years later Clement VIII. ordered that
every copy OF the Sixtine Bible be de
stroyed, and published another called
the "Clemendne" 1t seems that SiXtus
V had himself revised the work OF the
commission. hurting the feelings OF the
members and offending the Jesuits
who nevar rested until they obtained
the suppression of the Sixtine Bible
now one of the rarest books in the
world
Leo XIII. created the commission
"De Re Bibnca," presided over by
Cardinal RaInpolla, for the study OF
the Scriptures, but it remained al
academic body. while Plus y desired
10 transform 1t into an institution fol
1 practical work So, on April 30. 1907
Cardinal Rampolla wrote letter Il
Dom, Hildebrand de Hemptinne, alb
bot prirnate of the Benedictines, who
used to live in England, intrusting the
new revision of the Nulgate TO them
and straightway appointing Abbot Gas
quet as head Of the committee. Th'
English abbot admirably fuliills The
requirements of so responsible po
sltion. TO vast profound culture HI
adds the temperament OF grea
worker and love for accuracy an'
detail.-Pall Mall Magazine.