Rhemish. After the translation of the Bible by the bishops, two other private versions had been made of the New Tes tament: the first by Laurence Thomson, made from Beza's Latin edition, together with the notes of Beza, published in 1582, in 4to., and afterwards in 1589, varying very little from the Geneva Bible ; the se cond by the Papists at Rheims, in 1584, called the Rhemish Bible, or Rhemish translation. These, finding it impossible to keep the people from having the Scrip tures in the vulgar tongue, resolved to give a version of their own, as favourable to their cause as might be. It was print ed on a large paper, with a fair letter and margin. One complaint against it was, its retaining a multitude of Hebrew and Greek words untranslated, for want, as the editors express it, of proper and ade quate terms in the English to render them by, as the words azymes, tunike, rational, holocaust, prepuce, pasche, Fie.
However, many of the copies were seized by the Queen's searchers, and confiscated; and Thomas Cartwright was solicited by Secretary Walsingham to refute it: but, after a good progress made therein, Archbishop Whitgift prohibited his fur ther proceeding therein, as judging it im proper that the doctrine of the Church of England should be committed to the de fence of a Puritan, and appointed Dr. Fulke in his place, who refuted the Rhe mists with great spirit and learning. Cartwright's refutation was also after wards published in 1618, under Arch bishop Abbot. About 30 years after their New Testament, the Roman Catholics a translation of the Old at Do way, in 1609 and 1610, from the Vulgate, with annotations ; so that the English Ro man Catholics have now the whole Bible in their mother though it is to be observed, they are forbidden to read it without a Accuse from their stiperiers; King James's. The last English was that which proceeded from the Hamp ton-court conference, in 1603, where ma ny exceptions being made to the Bishop's Bible, King James gave orders for a new one ; not, as the preface expresses it, for a translation altogether new, nor yet to make of a bad one a good one ; but to make a good one better, or of many good ones one best. Fifty-four learned persons
were appointed for this office by the king, as appears by his letter to the archbi shop, dated in 1604; which being three years before the translation was entered upon, it is probable seven of them were either dead, or had declined the task, since Fuller's list of the translators makes but 47 ; who, being ranged under six di. visions, entered on their province in 1607. It was published in 1613, with a dedica tion to James, and a learned preface, and is commonly called King James's Bible. After this, all the other versions dropped and fell into disuse, except the Epistles and Gospels in the Common Prayer Book, which were still continued according to the Bi shop's tran slati on till the alteration of the liturgy in 1661, and the Psalms and Hymns, which are to this clay continued as in the old version. The judicious Sel den, in his Table Talk, speaking of the Bible, says, "The English translation of the Bible is the best translation in the world, and renders the sense of the ori ginal best, taking in for the English trans lation the Bishop's Bible as well as King James's. The translators in KingJames s time took an excellent way. That parb of the Bible was given to him who was most excellent in such a tongue, (as the Apocrypha to Andrew Downs,) and then they met together, and one read the translation, the rest holding in their hands some Bible, either of the learned tongues, or French, Spanish, Italian, &c. If they found any fault, they spoke ; if not, he read on." King James's Bible is that now read by authority, in all the churches in Britain.