Defense of the Translations of the Scriptures into the English Tongue, Treatise · Chapter 1 · Martins comments 1 – Martins comments 4
MARTIN.
THOVGH this shall euidently appeare thorough out this whole Booke in eueryevery place that shall be obiected vntounto them: yet because it is an obseruation of greatest importaunce in this case & which stigeth thē sore, & toucheth their credit exceedingly, in so much that one of them setting a good*Confutation of 10. Ho foreign ▪ le…. fo. 35. p. 2. face vponupon the matter, sayth confidently, that al the Papists in the worlde are not able to shew one place of Scripture mistranslated wilfully of purpose: therfore I wil giuegive the reader certein brief obseruations and euident markes to know wilfull corruptions, as it were an abridgement and summe of this Treatise.
FVLKE.
ALTHOVGH this trifling treatise was in hand two or three yeares ago, as by the threatning of Bristow, and Howlette it may appeare: yet that it might seeme new, and a sudden peece of worke compyled with small studie, you thought good by carping at my confutation of Howlet last made, and of M. Whitakers work, set forth later than it, as it were by setting on newe eares vponupon your olde potte, to make it seeme to be a newe vessell. And first of all you would seeme to hauehave taken occasion of my confident speech in my confutation of Howlets nyne Reasons, in re…earsing wherof, you vse such fidelitie, as commonly Papistes vse to beare towardes God, the Churche, your Prince, and your Countrie. For what face soeuer I set vponupon the matter: with a whorish forehead and a brasen face, you make reporte of my saying: which beeing testified by a thousande copies printed, as it were by so many witnesses, doth crie out vponupon your falshode, and iniurious dealing. For my wordes out of the place by you quoted against Howlet, are these: That some error may bee in translation (although by you it can not be shewed) I will not denye: but that any shameles translations, or wilfull corruptions, can be Such doth Hovvlet charge vsus vvithall.found of purpose to draw the Scriptures to any hereticall opinion, all the Papistes in the world shall neuer be able to make demonsiration. This was my saying, and I repeat it againe with as great confidence as before, yea and with much greater too, forasmuch as all the Papistes in the Seminarie, hauing now beaten their heades togither to find out shameles translations and wilful corruptions, of purpose to maintaine heresies ▪ can find nothing, but olde friuolous quarrels answered long before, or new trifling cauils, not worthy in deede of any learned mans answer but for satisfying of the simple and ignoraunt. Howe this my saying, differeth from your slaunderous reporte, I trust eueryevery reasonable Papist that will take paines to conferre them togither, will be enforced to acknowledge. For where I say shamelesse translations and wilfull corruptions (as Howlet chargeth vsus,) you reporte me to saye mistranslated, although in playne wordes I did confesse, that there might be some errours euen in the best and perfectest of our translations. For to translate out of one tongue into an other, is a matter of greater difficultie than it is commonly taken, I meane exactly to yeeld as much and no more, than the originall containeth, when the wordes and phrases are so different, that fewe are found▪ which in all pointes signifie the same thing, neither more nor lesse in diuers tongues. Wherefore notwithstanding any translation that can be made, the knowledge of the tongues, is necessary in the Church▪ for the perfect discussing of the …ense, and meaning of the holy Scriptures. Now if some of our translators, or they all, hauehave not attained to the best, and most proper expressing of the nature of all wordes and phrases of the Hebrew and Greeke tongues in English, it is not the matter that I will stande to defende, nor the translators them selues, I am well assured, if they were all liuing. But that the Scriptures are not impudently falsified, or willfully corrupted by them, to mayntayne anie hereticall opinion, as the aduersarie chargeth vsus, that is the thing, that I will (by Gods grace) stande to defende, against all the Papistes in the worlde. And this ende you hauehave falsely and fraudulently omitted, in reporting my saying, wherevppon dependeth the chiefe, yea the whole matter of my assertion. You plai… manifestly with vsus, the lewde parte of Procustes the theeu…sh hoste, whiche woulde make his guestes stature equall with his beddes, eyther by stretching them out if they were too short, or by cutting off their legges, if they were too long. So if our sayings be too short for your purpose, you straine them to be longer, if they be too long, you cut of their shankes, yea that which is worse, the very head, as you play with me in this place. I my selfe, and so did many hundreds beside me, heare that reuerend father M. Doctor Couerdale of holy and learned memorie, in a sermon at Paules crosse, vponupon occasion of some slaunderous reportes, that then were raysed againste his translation, declare his faithfull purpose in doing the same, which after it was finished, and presented to King Henry the eight, of famous memorie, and by him committed to diuerse bishops of that time to pervse, of which (as I remember) Steuen Gardiner was one: after they had kept it long in their handes, and the King was diuerse times sued vntounto for the publication thereof, at the last being called for by the King him selfe, they redeliuered the booke: and being demaunded by the King what was their iudgement of the translation, they aunswered that there were many faultes therein. Well said the King, but are there anye heresies maintayned thereby: They answered there was no heresies that they could finde, maintained thereby. If there be no heresies sayd the King, then in Gods name let it goe abroad among our people. According to this iudgement of the King and the Bishops, M. Couerdale defended his translation, confessing that he did now him selfe espie some faultes, which if he might reuiew it once ouer againe, as he had done twise before, he doubted not but to amend: but for any heresie, he was sure there was none maintained by his translation. After the same maner, I doubt not (by Gods helpe) so to defende all our translations, for all your euident markes to know wilful corruptions, that not one shal bee founde of purpose to maintaine any hereticall opinion, and not many errours committed through negligence, ignorance, or humaine frailtie.
MARTIN. 2. The first marke and most generall is: If they translate elsewhere not amisse, and in places of controuersieEuident markes or signes to knovvvv… full corruptions in translating. betwene them and vsus, most falsely: it is an euident argument that they doe it not of negligence, or ignoraunce, but of partialitie to the matter in controuersie. This is to be seene through the whole Byble, where the faultes of their translations are altogither, or specially, in those Scriptures that concerne the causes inquestion betwene vsus. For other small faultes, or rather ouersights, we will no further note vntounto them, than to the ende, that they may the more easily pardon vsus the like, if they finde them.
FVLKE. 2. This marke is too generall, to knowe any thing thereby: when you doe exemplifie it in speciall, you shall easily be answered: in the meane time, it is sufficient to deny generally, that wherwith you so generally charge vsus; that we hauehave in places of controuersie translated any thing falsely. If one worde be otherwise translated in any place of controuersie, than it is in other places out of controuersie: there may be rendred sufficient reason of that varietie, without that it must needes come of parcialitie to the matter in controuersie, but rather of louelove of the truth, which in all matters of question betwene vsus, is confirmed by plaine text of Scriptures, or necessary collection out of the same, so that if the translation in those places were the same that yours is, of the newe Testament, it should neither hinder our truth, nor fortifie your errour. As for small faultes, and ouersightes, reason it is (as you say) they should be pardoned on both sides.
MART. 3. If, as in their opinions and heresies, they forsake the auncient fathers: so, also in their translations, they goe from that text and auncient reading of holy Scriptures, which all the fathers vsed and expounded: is it not plaine that their translation followeth the veine and humor of their heresie? And againe, if they that so abhorre from the auncient expositions of the fathers, yet if it seeme to serue for them, sticke not to make the exposition of any one Doctor, the very text of holy Scripture: what is this but hereticall wilfulnesse? See this 1. chap. num. 43. chap. 10. num. 1. 2. chap. 18. num. 10. 11. and chap 19. num. 1.
FVL. 3. We neuer goe from that text, and auncient reading, which all the fathers vsed & expoūded, but we translate that most vsual text, which was first printed out of the most auncient copies, that could be found. And if any be since found, or if any of the auncient fathers▪ did reade otherwise, than the vsual copies in any word that is any way material, in annotation, commētaries, readings & sermons, we spare not to declare it as occasiō serueth: but that we sticke not to make the exposition of any one Doctor, the very text of holy Scripture, it is a very hainous slaunder, neither can it be proued in any of the places of your booke, which you quote for that purpose.
MART. 4. Againe▪ if they that professe to translate the Hebrew and Greeke, and that because it maketh more for them (as they say) and therefore in all conferences and disputations appeale vntounto it as to the fountaine and touchstone, if they (I say) in translating places of controuersie, flee from the Hebrew and the Greeke, it is a most certaine argument of nilfull corruption. This is done many wayes, and is to be obserued also throughout the whole Bible, and in all this booke.
FVLK. 4. We neuer flee from the Hebrewe and Greeke in anie place, much lesse in places of controuersie: but we alwaies hold as neare as we can, that which the Greeke and Hebrew signifieth. But if in places of controuersie, we take witnesse of the Greeke, or vulgar Latine, where the Hebrew or Greeke may be thought ambiguous. I trust no wise mā wil count this a flight frō the Hebrew, and Greeke, which we alwaies translate aright, whether it agre with the 70 or vulgar Latin, or no.