Three Months after this Vifitation, provide of his own, the New Teftament in Latin and English, with Erafmus's Paraphrafe thereon, for their better Inftruction, in the Senfe and Knowledge of the Scriptures. And that in the Time of High Mafs, he that fayeth or fingeth a Pfalm, fhall read the Epiftle and Gofpel in English, and one Chapter in the New Teftament at Mattins, and another out of the Old, at Evenfong.

Gardiner Bishop of Winchester refufed to accept the Homilies and In= junctions, thinking them contrary to the Word of God, fo that his Confcience would not fuffer him to obferve them. He faid, Erasmus's Paraphrafe was bad enough in Latin, but worse in English, for the Tranfla tor had oft out of Ignorance, and out of Defign, mifrendred him papably, and was one that neither underflood Latin nor English well; and that this and the Homilies were contrary in feveral Things to one another, and therefore could not both be received; and that there were Errors in each, and fo neither ought to be admitted: Upon this he was committed to the Fleet.

During the Time that the Visitors were occupied abroad in the Execution of their Commiffion, the King appointed a Parliament to be fummoned against the 4th of November 1547, which met at the Time appointed, and with it a Convocation was held, in which the Archbifhop bore the greatest Sway; and what Things were agitated therein, were chiefly by his Motion and Direction, fome whereof were turned into Laws by the Parliament, through his Activeness and Influence, as particularly that Repeal of the Statute of the Six bloody Articles. The Act alfo, inhibiting the reading the Old and New Teftament, in the English Tongue, and the printing, felling, giving, or delivering of any fuch other Books, or Writings, as are therein mentioned and condemned 34th, 35th Hen. VIII. cap. 1. together with all and every other Act and Acts of Parliament, concerning Doctrine, or Matters of Religion; and all and every Article, Branch, Sentence, Matter, Pains, Forfeitures contained therein, were repealed, and utterly made void. 1 Edward the VIth, cap. 12. by which Repeal all People had the Liberty of reading the Scriptures, and being in a Manner their own Expofitors.

In the Year 1548, the Archbishop held a Vifitation, in divers Places throughout his Diocefe; wherein Enquiry was to be made concerning the Behaviour, both of the Priefts and of the People, in Eighty Six Articles, one whereof was concerning having the whole Bible in the largest Volume in every Church. In another Enquiry was made concerning all Priefts, under the Degree of Batchelors in Divinity, whether they had the New Teftament in Latin and English, and Erafmus's Paraphrafe. And in another, concerning the Letters or Hinderers of the Word of God, read in English, or preached fincerely.

In the Year 1549, the Commons broke out into a dangerous Rebellion, chiefly in Devonshire, where they were very formidable for their Numbers. Thefe laying their Heads together, agreed upon certain Articles, to be fent up to the King. In the tenth Article they require the Bible, and all Bocks of Scripture in English, to be called in again; that unless this was done, the Clergy would have a difficult Task to

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over-bear the Hereticks; they would alfo have the Mafs in Latin, as formerly. To their Demands, the Archbishop draws up an excellent Answer at length, wherein he vindicates the English Service, and the Ufe of the Holy Scriptures in the Vulgar Tongue, and other Mat, ters relating to the Reformation. He charged them with Ignorance, and told them, they asked they knew not what; but were impofed upon by fome Priests and Papifts. Wherefore did the Holy Ghoft (faid he) come down in fiery Tongues, and give the Apostles Knowledge of all Languages, but that all Nations might hear, speak, and learn God's Word, in their Mother Tongue? Can you name any Chriftians in all the World, but they have, and ever had, God's Word in their own Tongue? And will you have God further from us, than from all other Countries? that he shall Speak to every Man in his own Language, that he understandeth, and was born in, and to us fhall speak a frange Language, that we understand not? And will you, that all other fall laud God in their own Speech, and we fball fay to him we know not what? If you lift not to read his Word your felves you ought not to be fo malicious and envious, to let them that would gladly read it to their Comfort and Edification. And as for confounding that which is really Herefy, their having the Scriptures in their Mother Tongue, was the beft Expedient for that Purpofe.

Anno 1550, there were certain Articles drawn up, figned by the King and Council, for Bifhop Gardiner to fubfcribe, one of which was, It is convenient and godly, that the Scriptures of the Old and New Teftament, that is, the whole Bible, be had in English and publifhed, to be read of every Man; and that whofcever doth repel and dehort Men from reading thereof, doth evil and damnably; likewife that Erafmus's Paraphrafe, had been upon good Confiderations ordered to be fet up in Churches. But he refufing to fign the Articles, his Benefice was firft fequeftred for Three Months, which Time being expired, and he continuing obftinate, he was at last deprived.

Fuller tells us, there was another Tranflation of the Bible, fet forth in this King's Reign, and not only fuffered to be read by particulaț Perfons, but ordered to be read over yearly, in the Congregation, as a Part of the Liturgy, or Divine Service. He fays, he had seen two several Editions thereof, one fet forth Anno 1549, the other 1551, but neither of them divided into Verfes.

Anno 1553, Queen Mary coming to the Crown, defigned to reduce all Matters Ecclefiaftical to the fame State in which they stood in the Beginning of the Reign of the King her Father. All the Matters of the Church the left wholly to the Management of Gardiner, whom the advanced from a Prisoner in the Tower, to be Lord High-Chancellor of England. He ruled Matters as he would, and the Confent of the Parliament and Convocation followed his Head and his Will, and what he could not do at one Time, he did at another. The Parliament met in October, when an Act was paffed for repealing King Edward's Laws about Religion. The Preamble of it fets forth the great Disorders, that had fallen out in the Nation, by the Changes that had been made in Religion, from that which their Fore-fathers had left them, by the Authority of the Catholick Church; thereupon all the Laws that had been made in King Edward's Time about Religion, were now repealed;

and

and it was enacted by this Statute of Repeal, That after the 20th of December next, there fhould be no other Form of Divine Service, but what had been used in the last Year of King Henry the VIIIth, leaving all Clergy-men at Liberty in the mean Time, to ufe either the Old or New Service; by which was rooted up all the Reformation, which had been planted for Seven Years before.

At a Convocation held in November 1554, an Addrefs was made by the Lower House, to the Upper, wherein they petitioned for divers Things in Twenty Eight Articles meet to be confidered for the Reformation of the Clergy; one whereof was, That all Books, Latin and English, concerning any heretical, erroneous, or flanderous Doctrines, might be deftroyed throughout the Realm and burnt. Among thefe Books, they fet the fchifmatical Book (as they called it) the Common-Prayer Book, and all fufpected Tranflations of the Old and New Teftament, the Authors whereof are recited in a Statute made in the Reign of Henry the VIIIth. (So that the Common-Prayer Book was burnt with very good Company, the Holy Bible.) And that fuch as had thefe Books should bring the fame to the Ordinary by a certain Day, or otherwife to be taken and reputed as Favourers of thofe Doctrines. And that it might be lawful for all Bishops to make Enquiry, from Time to Time, for fuch Books, and to take them from the Owners. And for the better fupprefling of fuch peftilent Books, it was defired, that Order may be taken with all Speed, that none such fhould be printed, or fold within the Realm, nor brought from beyond Seas upon grievous Penalties. And the next Year 1555, a Proclamation was published against importing, printing, reading, felling, or keeping heretical Books.

The Gofpellers being perfecuted with much fiercenefs, by those of the Roman Perfuafion, chiefly headed by two moft cruel natured Men, Bifhop Gardiner, and Bishop Bonner; feveral both of the Clergy and Laity, made their Flight from thefe Storms at Home into Foreign Countries, to Strafburgh, Francfort, Bazil, Zurich, Geneva, and other Places, where they were received with much Kindness, and had the Liberty of their Religious Worship granted them. In these Places fome followed their Studies, fome taught School, fome wrote Books, fome affifted at the Prefs, and grew very dear to the learned Men in thofe Places.

At Geneva a Club of them imployed themselves, in tranflating the Holy Bible into English, intending to do it with more Exactness than hitherto had been done, having the Opportunity of confulting with Calvin and Beza in order thereunto. Thefe were Miles Coverdale, Chrif topher Goodman, Anthony Gilby, Thomas Sampfon, William Cole of Corpus Chrifti College Oxon, and William Whitingham, all zealous Calvinifts, both in Doctrine and Difcipline. What they performed may be perceived by the Bible that goes under the Name of the Geneva Bible at this Day. It was in those Days, when it first came forth, better esteemed of, than of later Times; but for a long while was much valued, by the Puritans, chiefly for the Sake of the Calvinistical Annotations, and had several Impreffions.

When Queen Elizabeth came to the Crown, the applied her first Care to the restoring of the Proteftant Religion, and therefore in De

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cember Anno 1558, fhe allowed by Proclamation, the Liberty of reading the Epistles, Gofpels, and Ten Commandments in English, the Lord's Prayer, the Creed, and the Litany might likewise be faid in the fame Language. As to the reft of the Service, 'twas to go on by the Rubrick of the Miflals and Breviaries, and no Innovations to be made, in any of the Rites and Ceremonies thereunto belonging, 'till 'twas otherwife ordered.

When the Queen paffed through the City from the Tower to her Coronation, in a Pageant erected in Cheapfide, an old Man with a Scythe and Wings, reprefenting Time, appeared, coming out of a hollow Place or Cave, leading another Perfon all clad in white Silk, gracefully apparelled, who reprefented Truth, (the Daughter of Time) which Lady had a Book in her Hand, on which was written Verbum Veritatis, the Word of Truth. It was the Bible in English, which, after a Speech made to the Queen, Truth reached down towards her, which was taken and brought by a Gentleman attending, to her Hands. foon as the received it, the kiffed it, and with both her Hands held it up, and then laid it upon her Breaft, greatly thanking the City for that Prefent, and faid, he would often read over that Book.

As

In the Beginning of the next Year 1559, the Queen appointed a Conference about Religion, between the Papifts and Proteftants, when three Points were to be argued. The firft was, Whether 'tis against the Word of God, and the Cuftom of the Ancient Church, to officiate and adminifter the Sacraments in a Language unknown to the People? Dr. Cole Dean of St. Paul's was appointed to deliver the Senfe of the Papifts, who taking the Negative of the Queftion, endeavoured amongst other Arguments, to fortify his Reafoning, with one drawn from the ill Translation of the Bible; If we should (fays he) confent to the English Service, we must be obliged to King Edward's Common-Prayer Book; now this Book confifts of Versions of the Pfalms, and other Parts of the Scripture, in which are feveral plain Miftakes and Deviations from the Original; now this, continues he, is downright depraving the Holy Scriptures, and if the Liturgy must be regulated upon this falfe Tranflation, we may be faid to ferve God with Lyes.

The Papifts would not be kept to the Conditions of the Conference, but broke the Method agreed upon, and fell to wrangling and fhifting, fo the Affembly was difmiffed. The Popish Difputants thought it their wifeft Courfe to prevent any farther Proceeding, left they might have been too closely pinched in their Caufe, and the Weaknefs of their Arguments too openly appear to all. However it occafioned two Things to be done, 1ft. To fet out the Doctrine of the Church, in feveral Articles; and 2dly, To review the Tranflation of the Bible.

For the Tranflation of the Bible, the Sees being all filled, the most learned Bifhops were by the Queen's Commiflion appointed thereunto, whence it took the Name of the Bishops' Bible. To each his Part and Portion was affigned, with Orders to add fome Marginal Notes, for the Illuftration of the Text, where they found it obfcure or difficult. The Pentateuch was committed to William Alley Bishop of Exeter ; Ffbua, Judges, Ruth, and the two Books of Samuel, were given to

Richard

Richard Davis, who was afterwards made Bishop of St. David, when Young was tranflated to York; all from Samuel to the fecond Book of Chronicles, was aligned to Edwyn Sandys, then Bishop of Worcester; from thence to the End of Job, to one whofe Name is marked A. P. C. which Collier fays, might probably stand far Andrew Perfon Cantuarienfis, one of the Archbishop's Chaplains, and Prebendary of Canterbury; the Pfalms were given to Thomas Bentham Bishop of Coventry and Litchfield; Collier thinks this was more probably Thomas Beacon Prebendary of Canterbury; the Proverbs to one that is marked A. P. here is a Ć standing at fome Distance, probably (says Collier) to diftinguish the Perfon from the former A. P. C; the Song of Solomon, to one marked A. P. E. thefe Collier fays, ftand or Andrew Pern Elienfis, he being at that Time Prebendary of Ely; all from thence to the Lamentation, was given to Robert Horn Bishop of Winchester; Ezekiel and Daniel, to Bentham; from thence to Malachi, to Edmund Grindal Bishop of London; the Apocrypha, to the Book of Wisdom, to Barlow Bifhop of Chichester; and the reft of it to John Parkhurst Bishop of Norwich; the Gospels, Acts, and the Epistle to the Romans, to Richard Cox Bishop of Ely; the Epiftles to the Corinthians, to one marked G. G. which Collier fays, probably may stand for Gabriel Goodman, then Dean of Westminster: To whom the rest of the New Teftament was affigned is not known, there being no Capital Letters fubjoined. All these Allotments may be gathered from the Bible itfelf, as it was afterwards fet out by Archbishop Parker; for at the End of every Section or Portion, the initial Letters of his Name or Title that had tranflated it, were printed.

Upon the Death of Queen Mary the English Exiles at Geneva returned home, except fome few, Wittingham, and one or two more, who ftaid behind to finish their Tranflation of the Bible, wherein they had proceeded a good Way already. They congratulated the Queen's Acceffion to the Crown, by prefenting her with the Book of Pfalms in English, which they had printed at Geneva in a little Volume, with Notes in the Margent, (being Part of the Work they were about) and dedicated to the Queen; the Dedication dated from Geneva, February the ioth, 1559, (Anno ineunte) exhorts her now in her Entrance on her Government, to go on with Refolution in reforming Religion, from the Corruptions of Papiftry. That in the mean Seafon, they, according to the Talents God had given them, thought it their Duty, with the most convenient Speed, to further, even with the utmoft of their Power, her godly Proceedings. And albeit they had begun more than a Year ago, to perufe the English Translation of the Bible, and to bring it to the pure Simplicity and true Meaning of the Spirit of God; yet when they heard that Almighty God had miraculously preferved her to that most excellent Dignity, with moft joyful Minds and great Diligence, they endeavoured themfelves to fet forth this most excellent Book of the Pfalms, unto her Grace, as a fpecial Token of their Service and good Will, 'till the rest of the Bible, which was in good Readinefs, fhould be accomplished and prefented.

And now Care was taken by thofe in Commiffion for Religion, to fupply vacant Churches, and that fit Men might be provided to officiate in them. For that purpose thofe that were admitted to Curacics, were

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