BIBLES, English. The first English bi ble we read of was that translated by J. Wickliffe, about the year 1360 ; but ne ver printed, though there are MS. copies of it in several of the public libraries. J. de Trevisa, who died about the year 1398, is also said to have translated the whole bible ; but whether any copies of it are remaining does not appear.
Tindal's. The first printed bible in our language was that translated by Will. Tindal, assisted by Miles Coverdale, printed abroad in 1526 ; but most of the copies were bought up and burnt by bish. op Tunstal and Sir Thomas More. It only contained the New Testament, and was revised and republished by the same person in 1530. The prologues and pre faces added to it reflect on the bishops and clergy ; but this edition was also sup pressed, and the copies burnt. In 1532, Tindal and bis associates finished the whole bible, except the Apocrypha, and printed it abroad; but while he was after wards preparing for a second edition, he was taken up and burnt for heresy in slanders.
Matthews's. On Tindal's death, his work was carried on by Coverdale, and John Rogers, superintendent of an glish church in Germany, and the first martyr in the reign of queen Mary, who translated the Apocrypha, and revised Tindal's translation, comparing it with the Hebrew, Greek, Latin, and German, and adding prefaces and notes from Luther's bible. He dedicated the whole to Henry in 1537, under the borrowed name of Thomas Matthews ; whence this has been usually called Matthews's bible. It was printed at Hamburgh, and licence ob.
tamed for publishing it in England, by the favour of Archbishop Cramer, and the bishops Latimer and Shaxton.
Cranmer's. The first bible printed by authority in England, and publicly set up in churches, was the same Tindall's ver sion revised, compared with the Hebrew, and in many places amended, by Miles Coverdale, afterwards bishop of Exeter ; and examined after him by archbishop Cranmer, who added a preface to it : whence this was called Cranmer's bible. It was printed by Graf ton, of the largest volume, and published in 1540 ; and, by a royal proclamation, every parish was obliged to set one of the copies in their church, under the penalty of forty shil lings a month ; yet, two years after, the Popish bishops obtained its suppression of the king. It was restored under Ed
ward VI. suppressed again under queen Mary, and restored again in the first year of queen Elizabeth, and a new edition of it given in 1562.
Geneva. Some English exiles at Gene va, in queen Mary's reign, Coverdale, Goodman, Gilbie, Sampson, Cole, Whit tingltam, and Knox, made a new transla tion, printed there in 1560, the New Tes tament having been printed in 1557, hence called the Geneva bible, contain ing the variations of readings, marginal annotations, &c. on account of which it was much valued by the Puritan party in that and the following reigns.
Bishop's. Archbishop Parker resolved on a new translation for the public use of the church, and engaged the bishops and other learned men to take each a share or portion. These being afterwards join ed together, and printed with short an notations, in 1568, in a large folio, made what was afterwards called the great Eng lish bible, and commonly the bishop's bible. The following year it was also published in octavo, in a small, hut fine black letter, and here the chapters were divided into verses; but without any breaks for them, in which the method of the Geneva bible was followed, which was the first English bible where any distinction of verses was made. It was afterwards printed in large folio, with cor rections, and several prolegomena, in 1572 : this is called Matthew Parker's bible. The initial letters of each transla tor's name were put at the end of his part e. gr. at the end of the Pentateuch, W. E. for William Exon ; that is, Wil liam, bishop of Exeter, whose allotment ended there : at the end of Samuel, R. M. for Richard Msnevensis, or bishop of g.t. David's, to whom the second allotment fell : and the like of the rest. The arch bishop foresaw, directed, examined, and finished the whole. This translation was used in the churches for 40 years, though the Geneva Bible was more read in pri vate houses, being printed above 30 times in as many years. King James bore it an inveterate hatred on account of the notes, which, at the Hampton court conference, he charged as partial, untrue, seditious, &c. The Bishop's Bible, too, had its faults. The king frankly owned he had yet seen no good translation of the Bi ble in English ; but he thought that of Geneva the worst of all.