To the Learned Nobility of England Touching Bible Translation, Letter 2
❧ A requeſt to the Arch. of Cant. to call in a corruption of a late Engliſh Cōmentation vponupon Daniel, dedicated to the right H. Lordes.
YOVR Grace, overſeer of all learned matters in our Nation, and I, hauing a right in thinges of my owne trauel, and all our nation, as cōtemned or deceyued, …aue bene iniuried by a Printer, who hath corrupted my …ommentaries vponupon Daniel, ſpeciallie in the Ebrew: to the …iſgrace of all the worke: and of all our ſtudentes. In the …brewe verſes of Rabbi Sadaias the letters which begin the …erſes wordes, commonly fiue in eueryevery rowe (beſides the …lphabet letter) ſtand for the Arithmetique, how often the …tter entreated vponupon, is vſed in the Ebrew tongue, and the …ripture textes agree in number: where, if any one letter …amiſſe, all the frame of the worke is marred. Moreouer … the Ebrewe textes all Printers and Writers thinke it a …y groſſe part, euer to corrupt any Scripture text: as the …wes glorie that in neither Talmud, nor any commentarie …heirs euer any text is corrupted by the citer. And they …e this a common ſaying: That to miſſe in one letter is …orruption of the whole worlde. Now when Iewes and …riſtians ſee that thinges in Ebrew corrupt, ouerthrow… that preſent argument, ſtayning holy Scripture, and …th ſkill rather of Balams Aſſe, then of learning, come …th, in England, where men ſhould be learned, & things …ered vntounto our Honourable Lordes, they will thinke ve… baſely of all the Studentes of our nation. Thoſe verſes a matter of ſo great importance, that a Profeſſour of …bridge offered an Angell to hauehave one copye in written …de: and after myne came forth: two ſtudentes one of Cambridge an other of Oxforde, deſired me to put thē f…rth in fayrer and more diſtinct letters: and they would each vndertake copyes to fiue poundes: both ten. Herevpon I cauſed M. Fr. Raphelengius, the beſt of Printers, to print me a thouſand: which I hauehave ſent to Englande, to make our Diuines readier in great matters. Maiſter Ioſeph. Scaliger, a Gentleman of rare learning, and Maiſter Raphelengius had neuer ſeene them before I ſent them to Leyden: Both as good Linguiſtes, as any in the world: and learned men: to whom I am very much beholding for ſingular gentlenes in lending me bookes rare and of rare commoditie: ſuch as our nation, I trowe, neuer yet ſawe. A certen Engliſh man here, had by my gyft but one copy, and was ſhewed the vſe of it: of whom I demaunded in ſadnes to record it in print, what he eſteemed of the matter: and he ſayd that of trueth, he would not for twentie poundes bee without the copye and the matter. The caſe ſtanding thus, I can not chuſe but be grieued to ſee my Ebrewe ſtudies ſo defaced, a good old worke and a rare monument, marred, & occaſiō offered to hauehave our natiō for learning much contemned. The certeintie of the holy text in Ebrew, is a matter, as all called to grace, will confeſſe to be gracious. And that rare piece of worke of Sadaias, will ſeeme, to all, voyde of Papiſtrie, and endued with reaſon, to confirme much the certeintie of Scripture. Wherfore proceeding from an enemie, for the trueth, & grounds of faith, the corrupting of it ſhould ſeeme a worke farre from grace. Beſides theſe verſes of Sadaias, a piece of the Ieruſalemy Talmud, very pleaſant and learned with Gentlemē learned in Ebrew, is corrupted in this Printers edition: whereas no open aduerſarie could ſo much diſgrace, as ſuch a corrupter of matters brought about not without great paynes, pretending reuerence to the authour. I hauehave felt griefe in this kinde alreadie not a litle: by a booke collected from ſundry fragmentes by a ſeruingman: and falſely reported to be notes from me. As that booke was in printing, I did cauſe the ſeruingman to ſhewe your grace of it, that the Printer had no authour for his worke: and, as he tolde me, the Printer was bound in fiue hundred poundes not to proceede: but by a bribe, ventured againſt his band, and vponupon complaint anſwere was returned, that the Printer would noyſe how he was vndone: So againſt all that I could doe, forged ware, ſome ſtollen from me, ſome from others, and more kindes then Labans ſheepes coloures, were ſolde deare in London, and Sturbridge fayre, and ſtill fathered vponupon ſuch as moſt loth it. As all trueth ſhould be trueth: ſpeciallie in diuinitie it ſhould be ſo. And the befooling of an whole nation ſhould not be counted a light faulte: in forging authours, by pieuiſh printers, & greadie of vnhoneſt gaynes. I was minded neuer to hauehave printed anie thing. But forgers of matters to be as mine, which I lothed, they forced me to leaue in print the whole veyne of my iudgement in Diuinitie, in the booke of Scripture concent. That any might knowe myne from forged ware. Nowe at my firſt printing much anger I had. When it came furth: the great Lord Chauncelour tolde the Queene, as he bragged, that in no caſe any countenance might be ſhewed me: & thervpon a Noble Earle, who had named vntounto me a fine recompence of my ſtudy, hearing of the L. Chauncelours ſpeach, altered. And I to pay the L. Chauncelour, mynded to hauehave liued in Germanie: till I heard the Queenes aunſwere: That he commended, whom he condemned. For that the booke was ſchollerlike & all for the States good: where to knowe howe to ouerreach others, & not to doe it, argueth a minde bent to quietnes. Another gaue out wordes alſo to the Queene: vnlearned and malicious: of whom I will yet ſpeake nothing. Your Grace I muſt now commend for much humanitie, that tolde one, ſent in my cauſe: that whatſoeuer you could doe for me, you would: So that I would acknowledge my friends. In trueth my L. touching preferments I was thus minded hitherto: that if my worthier in the common eſtimation ſtept before me: I would reioyce. But when two hundreth thouſande poundes a yeere is ſpent by the Church vponupon ſuch as can not reade a line of the Bible: and I could not liue in Englande vnſollicited ſtill to preach: and was commended by the Queene, whom I trowe you will not checke, I ſee not why I may not require my recompence: as the Realme hath put the Queene in truſt to deale: and require it with as good a conſcience, as you may receyue one pennie of your tenantes. You gaue me counſell to be toward ſome Biſhop or ſome Lord as one ſayde to whom it ſhould bee tolde. The Queene or a Prince ſhould bee the onelyonly Patron for one of my yeares ſpent in hard ſtudies. And the Counteſſe of Warwicke tolde that the Queene would not for all the prefermentes in the Realme, I went out of the Realme. In the time of deliberation, I pray your Grace, that Printers be not allowed to diſgrace my ſtudies.
Your Graces to commaunde, H. BROVGHTON.
End of the text · Hugh Broughton, To the Learned Nobility of England Touching Bible Translation (1597)