The Answer to the Preface of the Rhemish Testament, Part 34 – Part 35
To the next ſection, page 20.
We need not trauaile much to lay forth the ſhame of theſe men, vvho themſelues ſhevv their ovvn nakednes. Let their firſt example heere be conſidered: and ſo let all men iudge, vvhether a moſt plain ſentence of the holy Ghoſt, be ſhamefully obſcured: and not obſcured onelyonly, but made ſenſeleſſe. For the Hebrevve phraſe being rendred, it is plaine, that that vvhichwhich they turn ſpirituals of wickednes, ought to be turned ſpirituall vvickednes. And if they had any care, that the people ſhould hauehave bene made vvarie, againſt this ſpirituall craftines: they would hauehave ſaid, in the heauenly places or things, as the text conſidered in the circumſtance would beſt beare, rather then to ſay, celeſtials. But it ſhuld appeare that beſide their peeviſh affecting of obſcuritie, th'ignorance of the Hebrevv phraſe in the former part of this ſentence, and th'ignorance of the ſenſe in the latter part: droue them vponupon this vvitleſſe tranſlatiō. The ſame ignorance of the Hebrevv tongue, cauſed them to vſe ſome like dotage in the next exāple. For if they had knovvne, that it is ordinarie and vſuall for the Hebrewes to vnderſtand the verbe ſubſtantiue: & had further learned, that the verbe ſimple, hath (as the place and circumſtance requireth) the ſignification of the compound: they ſhould eaſilie hauehave vnderſtood, that this tranſlation, what is betwene me and thee, had not paſſed the meaſure of a ſimple and plaine tranſlation. The next example doth likevviſe bevvray, their ignorance in all good lavv of tranſlation. For it is vvell knovven to children, that euerie tongue hath a proper compoſition: in ſuch ſort, that he that vvill make the compoſition of one tongue, aggree vvith the compoſition of another, vtterly corrupteth the tongue, vvhichwhich he vvill conform. And is all one as in a body, vvhichwhich is diſfigured and deformed by diſplacing of the ſeuerall members thereof. In Hebrevv he that ſaith, MARA MALE, and not MALE MARA, is eaſily knovvne, not to ſpeake the tongue of Canaan. Bread white in our ſpeach woulde offend patient cares, white bread in the French language would be as offenſiue. And if ſo ſmall a change, & as it were the remoouing of a worde to the next houſe, be ſo foule: how much more, is it not to be abidden, that the word, whoſe naturall place is in the beginning, ſhould be ſet in th' end: as if it were remoued from one end of the ſtreete to th' other. And if there could be any profite in this dotage: yet hauehave not you obſerued it. For where the Greeke hathMat. 12. 20 in one verſe, a reed bruſed, & flax ſmoaking: you hauehave in the former followed th' order of the Greek, and ſay a reed bruſed; but in the latter you hauehave left th' order of the Greek, and kept the naturall order of our ſpeach, ſaying ſmoaking flax, not flax ſmoaking. And although it be no anſwer heere, to ſay that they followed their olde tranſlator, ſeing rather they ought to hauehave followed the ful conſent of the Greek copies, if ſuch an imitation had bene needfull: yet they are eaſily ſtripped of that anſwere. For ſometimes they leaue the order of th' old interpreter, and follow the Greeke: as Math. 4. 4. they ſay as the Greek bread alone, and not as the vulgar alone bread. Which alſo they doe not in phraſe only, but in whole ſentences: as Math. 4. they forſake the vulgar, which ſayeth, walked in darkenes, and take the Greeke which ſayeth, ſate in darkenes. And in Rom. 12. in ſtead of that the vulgar hath, not defending our ſelues, they hauehave cleaued to the Greeke, which is not reuenging your ſelues. Neyther can they ſay, that this was the ſlip of a pen of the writer, for beſide that there is no reſemblance of the wordes, they are ſhut from that, in that that Ierome ſo readeth. And other ſometime they forſake the order of the Greeke andMath. 4. 6. vulgar both. For where both the Greek and vulgar hauehave, to his Angels ſhal he giuegive charge of thee: they hauehave turnedIbid. ver▪ … it, he will giuegive his Angels charge of thee. And againe, where both Greeke and Latine hauehave into an hill high verie: they (as it ſhould ſeeme) aſhamed of this their apiſh and ſottiſh imitation, hauehave tranſlated it, as we doe, into a very high mountaine. So it appeareth, that as they are vtterly ignorant of all good order of tranſlation: ſo they keepe not themſelues to their owne crooked rule, but when and where it pleaſeth them. And as they make themſelues ridiculous in the profeſſiō of a ſuperſtitious obſeruation of th' order of words: ſo are they not only often ridiculous, but ſometime impious in the ſenſe, which their ſeruile obſeruation of like number of words, draweth them vntounto. Take for example one of the moſt comfortable places in al the ſcripture, which by their ſottiſh tranſlation (in ſparing a worde)Rom. 8. 33 34. they hauehave turned into deadly poyſon, and bitter wormwood. For vntounto this queſtion, who ſhall accuſe againſt the elect of God? They hauehave added for anſwer, God which iuſtifieth: as if god ſhuld accuſe his elect. And to another queſtion, who is he that ſhall condemn? They ad for anſwer, Chriſt Ieſus that died, &c. Cleane contrarie to the meaning and phraſe of th' Apoſtle: alſo contrarie to their meaning; but yet their words can beare no other ſenſe, where th' Apoſtle keeping the Hebrew phraſe, left out the verbe ſubſtantiue; which being alwaies in that phraſe vnderſtood of it ſelfe, is not ſo in our tongue; vnleſſe it be expreſſed. Now yt we ſe their peruerſe imitation of wordes, is not religious, but ſuperſtitious, and ſometime impious, ſometime obſerued, and ſometime not, at their pleaſure: it wilbe alſo eaſie, to ſee in diuers examples, that they riot and play the wantons in their tranſlation. Albeit it hath alreadie bene performed, and that in three or foure of thoſe examples, which they hauehave alledged, to teſtifie their great frugalitie in tranſlating: yet there are others whereby the ſame is conuinced.foreign prohibebat. As Math. 3. 14. where the Greek hath he vtterly forbade him, and the vulgar forbad him they leauing both the Greek and the vulgar, tranſlate ſtaied him, and in the ſame chapter verſe they tranſlate praeſented, and yet 8. chap. 16. offered: th' olde tranſlator hauing obtulerunt, in both places. Mark. Rom. 12.9. 49. they tranſlate victimae. Hebr. 5. 1. they tranſlate ſacrifices, and Hebr. 13. 16. they turn hoſtes: the word with full conſent of the Greeke copies, being one, and the ſame in all. Ordinarilie they tranſlate prepuce and prepuced: yet Act. 7. 51. they ſay vncircumciſed. Mark. 10. 42. they tranſlate ouerrule Domin…ntur.them, contrarie to the meaning of our Sauiour, contrarie to Saint Luke which vſeth the verb ſimple, as of the ſame value as the compound, and contrarie to their own vulgar, who vſeth an indifferent word, which hath not ſo great exceſſe of rule adioyned with it: thereby to help the Lordſhip of their clergy. To ſtand vponupon the reſt of their examples, whereby they glory in their owne ſhame, would be ſo ſmall profite of the reader: eſpecially cōſidering that the places of anie importance, are other-where debated, ſome of them being ridiculous as a word done, hell of fire &c. yet can we not paſſe ouer, one open impudent, willfull and ſauſie corruption, which they hauehave vſed throughout their whole tranſlation: which alwaies in ſtead of the Lord hauehave ſet (and that text-wiſe) our Lord, contrarie to the faith both of all the Greeke examples and the vulgar tranſlation: hauing therefore taken from, and put to: you hauehave all the curſes ſtanding at your doores, which are threatned, againſt falſifyers of the publick recordes of the church: whether they be conſidered as they are in deed, or as they are in your opinion. For notwithſtanding you hauehave laide vp the vulgar tranſlation, in the holy ark of the Lord, hurling out from thence th' originall, as it were the two tables, written by the finger of God; when ſuch dealing may ſerue your turne: yet bear you ſo little reuerence vntounto it, as that in a matter of ſmall importance, which can neither hinder vsus, nor help you, you hauehave put out, and put in at your pleaſure. And although the former fault, may happily be imputed to your ouerſight yet the latter of adding, vvherein you fall ſo often and continually, can argue nothing els, but a challenge of maiſterſhip and Rabbiniſme in the Church of Chriſt, and of a chaire aduanced ſo high, as that the chaire of our Sauiour, may ſcarce ſeeme to be a foot-ſtoole vntounto it. And if you could ſhew but one ſuch boldnes of ours, through-out the tranſlation of the vvhole body of the Bible: vve vvould couer our faces, and our anſvver ſhould be in ſilence. We ſee eaſily vvhat a ſmall gale of vvind, hath driuen you vponupon theſe ſands. Only for that vve according to the moſt accuſtomable phraſe of the Scripture, do ſo ſpeake: you hauehave choſen toHeb. 7. 14. ſpeake othervviſe then the Scripture, rather then you vvould ſpeak as vve doe. Ywiſſe you ſee it othervviſe in vsus; vvhichwhich bank not your phraſe of ſpeaking, vvhereſoeuer the texte of Scripture doth offer it vsus. You hauehave made the vvall of your ſeparation from vsus, high othervviſe: and you might hauehave made it higher, with much leſſe apparance of your contempt of the worde. Sauing that the Lorde would thus diſcouer you: to a hatefull abhomination of your malapertnes, in handling his worde. Beſide that, as you hauehave deuided your tongues, from the tongue of the holy Ghoſt; ſo you hauehave deuided it, from your owne harts. For neyther in deed, nor by your own doctrine, can you ſay our God, or our Lord: which ſtand in a continuall mammering, whether he be louingly affected towards you or no. You hauehave preſumed further herein, then durſt your good maiſters and betters. For the whole vniuerſitie of Louaene, tranſlating the Bible into French, as you doe the new Teſtament into Engliſh: kept themſeluesLe Seigneur. herein praeciſely to the old tranſlator, turning the Lord, and not our Lord. Where if the weight of authoritie be asked after: the vniuerſitie of Louane, is of better mark then the vniuerſitie of Rhemes: the Doctors and Diuines of Louane, then the Nouices and Queſtioniſts of Rhemes: the whole vniuerſitie of Louane of greater credite, then one ſmall Colledge of the vniuerſitie of Rhemes. And if to all theſe we had (for anſwer) only returned; in ſuch and ſuch places, we tranſlate thus and thus, not as the Ieſuites doe; as they ſay that they tranſlate not as the Proteſtants doe: we feare not, but al indifferent iudgment wil be conſtrained to giuegive the praeheminence of a true and plaine tranſlation vntounto vsus, eſpecially in reſpect of theirs. As euen in the next example, where the Greeke word is different, eyther to the holy Ghoſt, or to the wind; foraſmuch as it is moſt euident by vndoubted arguments, that the wind is to be vnderſtood: we holde it for a grace of our tranſlation, which hath appropriated the ſpeach to the meaning of the Scripture. And therfore we may iuſtly condemne their tranſlation; which, where one thing is intended and marked out of the Scripture, vſeth that worde, which is common to both ſignifications. Albeit we know neither generall ſpeach of the whole land, nor particular language of any ſeuerall ſhire: where the word ſpirit, doth ſignifie wind. So that if it were a vertue for your tranſlation, ſo to hault of both ſides, that the certaine meaning coulde not bee knowne: yet hauehave you not here, attayned vntounto it.
To the next ſection, page 21.
That the Greeke neuer fauoreth you, it ſhall euidently appeare, that there is no corruption vſed of Maiſter Beza in either of theſe verſes: let the reader looke in their ſeuerall places. To the reſt we anſwer nothing: as we doe not vntounto the next ſection, nor the next to it. For firſt, it is knowne to all the world, that in both th' Epiſtles to the Hebrewes, & Saint Iames: we acknowledg the holyeſt and higheſt authoritie that can be. Secondly, it ſhall appeare in the place, that we keepe the boundes of modeſtie, in abſtaining to name the writter of the Epiſtle to the Hebrewes, whoſe name the holie Ghoſt hath concealed. Thirdly, not ſticking to name Saint Iames Epiſtle in our beſt tranſlations, Generall: it is well knowen, that both that title, is not giuen of the holy Ghoſt, but of the ſcholiaſt, which tooke it of Euſebius, and is not giuen, for a mark of further degree of holynes aboue other Epiſtles, but only to note the difference of th' other Epiſtles, writtē with greater reſtraint of perſon or place. Where theſe latter Epiſtles of Saint Iames, Peter, Iohn, and Iude, were directed to the Iewes, ſcattered in diuers countries & prouinces, whither they had bene carried captiue: and therefore are called generall. Beſide that it were good for you, not to be bould with Euſebius in the title of Catholike: Euſeb. lib. 4. hiſtor. eccleſ. c. 22. 23.vnleſſe you will matche Saint Iames moſt holy Epiſtle, with the Epiſtles of Denys Biſhop of Corinth, which Euſebius calleth Catholike, as he doth Sainte Iameſes. Euſebius therfore was not a fitEuſeb. 2. lib. hiſt. eccleſ. …. 23. author for this: eſpecially, if you had remembred, his raſh iudgement of Saint Iameſes Epiſtle. To the three next ſections, vve anſvvere nothing.
In the laſt, let (hardly) the reader iudge how they help his vnderſtanding euerie way, which make plaine places rough, darken that which is lightſom, by diſorder of ſentences, by vnwonted phraſe, by wordes fetched from far countries, which their owne countrie doeth affoard them off. And finallie, by doubtfull ſpeache, inclyning as well to that, which is not the meaning of the Scripture, as to that which is. And the way which is ſo plaine and lightſome, that they can neuer make rough nor dark by their tranſlation: they doe by their annotations vtterly peruert. And therefore we comfort our ſelues with this ſaying of th' Apoſtle, that you ſhal proceede no further, 2. Tim. 5. 9.for aſmuch as your madnes ſhall be knowne to all men.
FINIS.
End of the text · Thomas Cartwright, The Answer to the Preface of the Rhemish Testament (1602)