Defense of the Translations of the Scriptures into the English Tongue, Response to preface · Martins comments 25 – Martins comments 32
MART. 25. But in this Catalogue of dissentions falsifiers and disagreeing translatours, I will not greatly rippe vp oldAct. 1. 14. & 2: 23. Act. 3. 21. The German, French, and English corruptions of the nevv Testament. faultes, neyther abroad, nor at home. I leaue Luthers false translations into the Germaine tongue, to the credite of Staphylus, Apolog. part. 2. and Emserus, praef. Annot. in no. Test. Luth. and other Germaine writers of his owne time, that saw them & read them, and reckoned the number of them in the new Testament only, about *See Lind. Dubit. p. 84. 85. &c.1400. hereticall corruptions: I leaue Caluines and Bezas french corruptions, to so many worthie men as *Vigor and the rest.hauehave noted them in their french bookes against the said heretikes: Tindals and his companions corruptions in their first English Bible, to our learned countreymen of that age, and namely to the right reuerend Father and Confessor Bishop Tonstal, who in a sermon openly protested, that he had foūd in the new Testament onelyonly, no lesse than two thousand. If wee know it not, or wil not beleeue it, *Lind. Dub. p. 98.strangers in their Latine writings testifie it to the world.
FVLK. 25. We are muche beholding to you, that you will not rippe vp olde faultes abroad, nor at home: and leaue Luthers Dutch translation with a 1400. hereticall corruptions in the new Testament only, with Caluins & Bezaes French corruptions noted by Vigor, and the rest. Also Tyndals & his companions corruptions in their first English Bible, in whose translation of the new Testament Bishop Tonstal professed openly in a sermon that he found no lesse than 2000. corruptions. This you know he protested with the same tongue, with which he forsware the Pope, & sware to the kings supremacie, and with which he preached a solēne sermō, which is in print before the King, against the Popes vsurped tirāny, pride, false doctrine, couetousnesse, crueltie, treason, peruerting of Scriptures, as in the same Sermon more at large it appeareth: and therefor we neede not Lindanus writing to testifie of his credit. But thankes be to God that when you hauehave scraped all that vntounto you seemed to hauehave any shewe of corruption, you can not finde 200. faultes in the translation of the whole Bible, nor in three seuerall translations of the same, which pointes you are faine to dilate, with such vaine tautologies, and repetitions, that all learned men are ashamed of your tedious writing and yet to make your booke to be of some tollerable lēgth, you had no better shift, than to note a sort of Bezaes corruptions in his Latine Testament. Who if you woulde write against him in Latine, any thing worth the noting, woulde thanke you for your paynes. and reforme his errours, but if you brought nothing but cauils, woulde so shake you vppe, as you shoulde hauehave small ioy of your insolent inuectiue: but you prouided well for that, by writing against a Frenchman, in Englishe. And as for the number of errours, or coruptions that you woulde hauehave the ignoraunt beleeue to bee in our Englishe translations, you thinke is so greate, as must needes make the simple abhorre it. But looke homewarde a litle vntounto your authenticall vulgar Latine translation, howe manye faultes bee in that, which your Tridentine Councell hath authorised. And here I will not charge it with the aduersaries thereof, as you doe ours; but with great friendes of it, and your doctrine. Lindanus Bishoppe of Ruremonde, and Isidorus Clarius Monke of Casine, and Bishoppe Fulginatensis, of whiche the former writeth a whole booke, discussing howe he woulde hauehaveDe opt. Gen. interpr. lib. 3. the errours, vices, corruptions, additions, detractions, mutations, vncertaynties, obscurities, pollutions, barbarismes, and soelecismes of the vulgar Latine translation corrected and reformed: bringing manye examples of euerie kinde, in seuerall chapters and sections. The other Isidorus Clarius giuingIn his Epistle to the reader printed at Venice apud Iuntas. …557. a reason of his purpose in castigation of the sayed vulgar Latine translation, confesseth that it was full of errours, almost innumerable, which if he shoulde hauehave reformed all according to the Hebrue veritie, he could not hauehave set forth the vulgar edition, as his purpose was. Therefore in many places he retayneth the accustomed tanslation, but in his annotations admonisheth the reader, howe it is in the Hebrue. And notwithstanding this moderation, he acknowledgeth that about 8000. places are by him so noted & corrected. This Epistle the Deputies of the Councell of Trent could not abide, and therefore in the later edition of this Bible, set forth with obseruation of their censure 1569. it is cleane left out, as also a godly collection of the same Isidorus, of places of Scripture, exhorting to the studie of holy Scripture, and a like sound confession of those thinges which the Scriptures teach, &c.
MART. 26. But I omit these as vnknowen to our countrie,The authors intent in this booke. or to this age, and will deale principally with the English translations of our time, which are in eueryevery mans handes within our country, the corruptions whereof, as they are partly touched here and there in the annotations vponupon the late newe English Testament Catholikely translated and printed at Rhemes so by occasion thereof, I will by Gods helpe, to the better commoditie of the Reader, and euidence of the thing, lay them closer togither, and more largely display them, not counting the number, because it were hard, but esteeming the weight and importance of so many as I thought good to note, specially in the new Testament. Where I hauehave to aduertise the Reader of certaine speciall things, which he must obserue.
FVLK. 26. You should rather omit them as vntrue, for albeit it can not be denied, but some faults may escape the most faithfull and diligent translator, yet so many heretical corruptions, either in the Dutch, or English are incredible, and turne rather to the discredit of the accuser in all wise mens iudgement, than to the parties so charged. In like maner as Surius noteth no lesse than 11000. lyes in Sleidan, more to his owne reproche, than to the defacing of Sleidans credit. You professe wisely therefore, not to count the number, but to esteeme the weight and importaunce of suche faultes as you thought good to note: if there were as great faithfulnesse in your performance, as there is wisedom in your profession. But now to your nine aduertisements to the Reader.
MART. 27. First, that in this booke he may not looke forCertaine aduertisements to the Reader. the proofe or explication and deciding of controuersies, Which is done in the Annotations vponupon the new Testament, but onelyonly therefuting or controlling of their false translations concerning the said controuersies, which is the peculiar argument of this …reatise.
FVLK. 27. I thinke their is no wise reader woulde loke for the deciding of so many cōtrouersies in so smal a booke, & he that shal seeke them in your Annotations, shall find euen as litle to the purpose, except he will take your determinatiō without proofe for a sufficiēt decisiō. As for the doctors you quote without iudgment, fraudulently, falsly, truncately, and otherwise abusiuely, hauehave all or the most bene answered long agoe. And if neede shal be, with litle labour may be answered againe.
MART. 28. Secondly, that we refu…e sometime one of their translations, sometime an other, and eueryevery one as their falshood giueth occasio. Neither is it a good defense for the falshood of one, that it is truely translated in an other: the reader being deceyued by any one, because commonly he readeth but one. Yea one of them is a condemnation of the other.
FVLK. 28. That sheweth your malice, rather than either wisedome or honestie. For if we our selues in our later translations, hauehave corrected some small and few errours, that hauehave ouerslipped vsus in our former trāslatiōs, we hauehave shewed our sinceritie and care of setting out the truth by al meanes. And where you say, it is no good defence, the reader being deceiued by any one, because cō mōly he readeth but one. I answere you, first there is not in the worst translation any fault escaped, that may of it selfe lead him into a damnable errour. Secondly, he hath the word of God expounded, by catechizing, sermons, & lectures, in which he may learne the substance of Christian religion. Thirdly, he hath at hand eueryevery where learned Diuines, vntounto whose counsell he may resort, if he be offended with any thing that he readeth in his Bible, soū ding contrarie to the publikely receiued doctrine of the Church. In that you say the one of our translations condemneth the other, it had bene sufficient to hauehave said, reproueth: which is only, where there is a manifest error in the one: for otherwise the diuersities of trāslations (as S. Augustin teacheth you) may much profit the simple readers: & they that be diligent studēts of the Scriptures in the English tongue, will not satisfie them selues with eueryevery translation, but wil seeke for the best approued.
MART. 29. Thirdly, that we speake indifferently against Protestants, Caluinists, Bezites, and Puritans, without any curious distinction of them, being all among themselues brethren and pewfellowes, & sometime the one sort of them, sometime the other, more or lesse corrupting the holy Scriptures.
FVLK. 29. A wise aduertisement. But this is to be noted, that now you acknowledge them to be all brethren among them selues, and pewfellowes. But when you list, they shall be at deadly feude one against an other, and no communitie or fellowship betwene them.
MART. 30. Fourthly, that we giuegive but a taste of their corruptions, not seeing so farre, nor marking all so narrowly and skilfully, as them selues know their owne subtilties & meanings, who will smile at the places which we hauehave not espied.
FVLK. 30. He that considereth your quarrels pickt to words of one signification, as Church & Congregation, iustice and righteousnes, Elder and Priest, Image and Idol, workes and deedes, and such like, will not thinke that you hauehave past ouer any great matters worth the writing of: but that you would set a vaine bragge of the case, as though there were much worse matter, than you hauehave witte to conceiue. Yet you say confidently, that we as guiltie of our owne subtilties and meanings, will smile at the places which you hauehave not espied. You are like to those southsayers mentioned in Tullie, of whom one sayd, that he maruailed, if when they mette togither, one of them did not smile vppon another, because they deluded the cittie, & got themselues much honour with such vaine superstitions. So you beyng newly become, subtill and partial translaters, thinke other men to be like your selfes. But euen as the head of your Church once iested with his Cardinall, how great wealth & honour that fable of Christ (so the beast called the Christian religion) had brought them: euen so you his lewde limmes, make sporte among your selfe of the holy worde of God, which you hauehave corrupted, somewhat with your blinde translatiōs, but much more with your hereticall Annotations. So said your great friend Campion, in open audience, that he could make as good sport vponupon the incarnation of Christ. According to your owne affection therefore you iudge of vsus, and not according to the truth, as the day will trie, when the secretes of all hartes shall be made manifest.
MART. 31. Fifthly, that the very vse and affectation of certaine termes, and auoiding other some, though it be no demonstration against them, but that they may seeme to defend it for true translation, yet was it necessarie to be noted, because it is and hath bene alwayes a token of hereticall meaning.
FVLK. 31. When our translation is true, I doubt not but we shall defende the vse of some termes, and the auoiding of other some, by as good reason, as you shall defende the like in your translations, especially where you affect new termes vnused, or not vnderstoode, and auoide common and vsuall termes of the same signification, as Euangelizing for preaching the Gospel, aduēt of Christ, for the cōming of Christ, scandalizing, for offending, scandale, for offense, &c. Which if it be, as you say, alwayes a token of hereticall meaning, first plucke your selfe by the nose, and then see if we can not defend our doings.
MART. 32. Sixtly, that in explicating these things, we hauehave endeuoured to auoide (as much as was possible) the tediousnesse of Greeke and Hebrue wordes, which are only for the learned in these tongues, and which made some litle doubt whether this matter (which of necessity must be examined by them) were to be written in Englishe or no. But being perswaded by those (who them selues hauehave no skill in the sayd tongues) that euerie reader might reape commoditie thereby, to the vnderstanding and detesting of such false & Hereticall translations, it was thought good to make it vulgar and common to all our deere countrie men, as the newe Testament it selfe is common, whereof this Discouerie is as it were a handmaide, attending therevpon for the larger explication and proofe of corruptions there brie…ly touched, and for supply of other some not there mentioned.
FVLK. 32. He that seeth your margent painted with Greeke and Hebrewe wordes, in so many places, may guesse whether it were possible for you to hauehave auoided the tediousnesse of them, when in diuerse places the Greeke and Hebrew wordes are set without all neede of them, and sometimes where there is no controuersie about them: as in the 5. section of this Preface, where you shew the corruptions of the Arrians and Pelagians, and in the 19 section, where you would shew the difference of the new Testament from the olde, in citing of testimonies. But the Hebrewe word in the Psalme 21. or 22. which you falsly say, signifieth no such thing, as pearcing, you set not downe, lest your falshood by them that hauehave skill, might be conuinced. And if you had cared as much to finde out the truth as to shewe your skill in both the tongues, you would hauehave written in Latine, especially against Beza, which neuer wrote in English. And vaine it is that you pretend to make the matter common to your deare countrimen, that be vnlearned, for the iudgement muste reste in them that hauehave knowledge in the tongues, albeit you had written in Latine. It is all one therefore to the vnlearned, as if you had onelyonly said, there are many faults or corruptions, which in a Latine booke shall be discouered to the iudgement of the learned▪ seeing the ignorant can not vnderstand your demōstratiōs.