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ROBERT, LORD BISHOP OF OXFORD,

THESE CRITICAL REMARKS

ON THE POETICAL BOOKS

OF THE OLD TESTAMENT,

WHICH HIS LORDSHIP HAS MOST EMINENTLY

ILLUSTRATED

IN HIS ACADEMICAL LECTURE S,

ARE, WITH THE GREATEST RESPECT,

HUMBLY INSCRIBED

BY THE AUTHOR.

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PRE FACE.

THE Books which are bere examined are all in Metre; whence fome Difficulties naturally arife. Befides which many great Obfcurities in them owe their Being to enigmatical and proverbial Expressions; or to Allufions to local Usages and popular Sentiments. But the chief Perplexities are derived I am perfuaded from the Hafte and Ignorance of Tranf cribers, who have not given us true Copies of the original Text. To correct thefe Errors, has been my chief Aim; and I flatter myself that not a few Pallages will be found to be restored to their primitive Genuineness To this End, a Method is frequently pursued, which feems to carry with it the frongest Conviction, viz. the Investigation of the natural Limits of each Word and Sentence. In Confirmation of thefe new Lections I cannot alledge the Authority of any MSS. for I have confulted none. That Trouble I thought might be spared, as Dr. Kennicott was preparing bis Collations for the Prefs: but I doubt not but that it will be found, on the Publication of his Work, that fome of his MSS. establish feveral of my various Lections; the fame Thing having already happened in regard to The Parallel Prophecies, as the Dr. has informed me Befides, MSS. can, at moft, but give a better Senfe than that which is found in the Text if that Text, wherever it is erroneous, can be fa improved by a new Combination of the very fame Letters, without the leaft Addition, Tranfpofition, or Alteration whatever, from which emerge other Words perfectly clear and confiftent; in that cafe, I fay, MSS. are not very effential; for we may rationally conclude that, without their Assistance, we have attained to the VERY TEXT. O

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1955 of 2511 12 ་། Befides that Poetry is more terfe, concife, and lefs fubject to the Rules of Grammar than Profe, it abounds more in all Kinds of Enallages and other Figures of Rhetoric; more frequently wants a Subject to the Sentence, as well as the Prepofitions, the Signs of Cafes, and. N.B. In all, the References here adduced I fhall confine other neceffary Implements myself to the XXX Rrit Chapters that occur: Jpb.X. 21, 22 XIII.14. XV. 19. XVII. 6. XXI. 4. VI. 6. 33. XXIV. 18, 19 XXV58.191..16.. VIII. 17 IX 3. XIII. 25, 27. XIV. 18. XVÍ.. 8.4, VIIX 4. 26 VI. 19. WIĘsig .IX, 330 XV. 26. XXX. IX 9 XL 6, 12. XIV. 4. XXVII. 21. XXIX 124 IV. V. 5. VI. 14. VIII. 12.. IX. XVIKX2 16a XXX3 op 1XXIXX5,65 1Ì1⁄4X ... JA QAT

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and

In determining the Signification of the Words, I have made the English

Verfion, now in Ufe, the Standard. In the principal Places which I

judged to be faulty, I have taken the Liberty to correct it, or to prefer

fome of the other old English Verfions. Thefe I have chiefly fed are

Arch-Bishop Parker's Bible, generally known by the Name of the Bishop's

Bible, a Folio, dated 1568; and that 4to Edition of the Geneva Tranf-

lation, printed by Barker in 1599: which laft, it ought to be noted, is

meant when 1 fpeak of the Old Verfion, without Specification. Thefe

three Verfions have doubtless their peculiar Merit and Demerit; the two

latter ones especially but which of these claims upon the whole the Pre

ference, I shall not presume abfolutely to determine. One bould naturally

expect that the Version now in Use begun under the Aulpices of James 1.

would be entitled to this Diftinction: abben we find that near fifty of
the most learned Men of this Kingdom were commiffioned to undertake the
Works; bad, for their Encouragement, Affurances of Preferment";
took due Time for the Execution revifing," as they fay, what they
*had done, by bringing back to the Anvil that which they had hammered
"and, having used as great Helps as were needful, feared no Reproach
«for Slowness, nor coveted Praise for Expedition" The chief Excel-
Yency of this Verfion confifts in being a clofer Tranflation than any that
had preceded in using the propereft Language for popular Ufe, without
Affectation of Sublimity, nor yet liable to the Charge of Vulgarity of
Expreffion. It has likewife obferved a due Medium between the Genevele
and Romish Verfions; equally avoiding on the one Hand the Scrupulofity
fuch as and
Congregation to the old ecclefiaftical ones, Baptifm and Church; and
the Papists, in not tranflating fuck
Words as Azymes, Holocauft, Prepuce, Pafche, &c. But, not with-
Standing thefe Conceffions in it's Favour, it certainly does not exhibit in
many Places the Senfe of the Text fo exactly as the Verfion of $599'
and mistakes it befides in an infinite Number of Inftances. Frequently it
expreffes not the proper Subject of the Sentence and adheres at other
Times fo clofely to the Letter as to translate Idioms. It arbitrarily
gives new Senfes to Words; omits or supplies them without Necessity a:
thefe laft are indeed diftinguished by another Character; but very unfa-

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of the Puritans, who prefer their new Terms, and Church; and
on the other Hand the Obscurity of Baptifm

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