The Answer to the Preface of the Rhemish Testament, Part 19
To the next ſection.
The Ieſuites in knocking their heades againſt the originall copies, hauehave loſte euen the common ſenſe & vnderſtanding of a man. For to proue that we (in many places) hauehave left the Greeke to followe the vulgare tranſlation: they hauehave not brought ſo much as one place, wherein Maiſter Beza hath not ſhewed that hee followed better …ight, then that which he had of th'old tranſlator. In ſome places manye Greeke copies, in eueryevery place ſome one or other Greeke copie, and that of ſingular note: beſide the Syrian paraphraſt auncienter then th'old tranſlator. And if Maiſter Beza being but one man, was able (by the prouiſion he had made of copies) to warrant his interpretation by one Greeke booke at the leaſt: it is euident, that if it had beene poſsible for him to hauehave gotten all the Greeke copies in his ſtudie; he ſhuld hauehave bene able to hauehave performed it more plentifully. Touching the firſt place Heb. 9. 1. It is falſe, that eyther M. Beza, or we hauehave followed the vulgare, who trāſlateth that place doubtfullie. For his word former may aſwell aggree with the copies, which reade the firſt Tabernacle, as with the firſte couenant. And Maiſter Beza ſheweth that both Photius the Greek interpreter, and the Syrian Paraphraſt, as alſo the Greek copie of Cleremont reade as the copie which the vulgar followed. And becauſe both the diſcourſe of the former chapter, and the direction of the verſe next going before, argueth that this word former is referred to the couenant. Therefore (for more plainneſſe) we put couenant in ſmal letter▪ Which was ſo much more needefull to be done, as certaine readings ioine this word with Tabernacle. And yet becauſe wee are entred into queſtion of this place, wee will not feare to ſet downe what wee thinke in this caſe. Which is that (ſauing ryper iudgement) the conſent of the Greeke copies in the word foreign may well and ought to bee retained: not in proper ſignification, but in a Trope of the part for the whole outward and ceremoniall worſhip of God: euen as the writer of the Hebrewes doeth afterwarde vſe it, where he ſaieth, that weHeb. 13. 10 hauehave an aultar, whereof they hauehave no authority to eate, which ſerue the Tabernacle: that is to ſay, which retaine the ceremoniall worſhip. Rom. 12. 11. they ſay, that the Greeke hath ſeruing the …me, for ſeruing the Lord. Wherein they doe nothing but dallie with the truth. For manie Greeke and auncient copies, hauehave ſeruing the Lord. So hath the Greeke Scholiaſt, Chryſoſtome, Theophilact, Baſil defi. nit. 6 9and Baſile. And the cauſe of this diuerſity Maiſter Beza noteth to hauehave the ſhorte writing by foreign which was taken of ſome for foreign where they ſhoulde hauehave taken it for foreign. Apoc. 11. 2. they affirm that the greek hath, the Court within the Temple, the La…e hauing (and truely) the Court without the Temple. We anſwere, that that reading is found in Greek both ſcholiaſt and copie. Wherfore herein we had more certaine guides, then is the olde tranſlator.
2. Timoth. 2. 14. we read (but) as th' old interpreter. But th' olde tranſlator and we both, read ſo without any word of that ſignification in the Greek: onelyonly to lay open to the reader, that which the ſhort ſpeach of the holy Ghoſt, might hauehave made harder to be vnderſtood in our language. And therefore this is meere dotage to bring this example, to proue that we hauehave forſaken the Greek to follow th' olde tranſlator. And as for vsus; we hauehave put our (but) in a ſmall letter, to note it an addition aboue the wordes which are in Greek, yet needfull to cleare the ſenſe vntounto the reader, and to make plain th' Eclipſe that is in the Greeke: wheras the vulgar hath not de…t ſo ſincerely, who hath put it in the ſame letter with the text. And beſid that ſome of your copies make no ſupplye of the Eclipſe which is in Greek in thoſe copies of yours, where there is in any ſupply, it is fondly made by niſi; which is not an aduerſitiue anſwering to our but, which you allow of, but a note of exception. And therefore wee hauehave bettered your tranſlator herein.
They ſay that in Iames 5. 12. we hauehave left the Greek and followed the Latine: which is moſt falſe. For there is ſhewed forth, for warrant of that reading, a moſt excellent Greek copie, beſide the Syrian paraphraſt tranſlating the Greek before the Latine did. Hereby the reader may eaſily vnderſtand, that where our tranſlations aggreed with th' olde tranſlator: it is …ot in following him but through warrant of the Greek copies, which are extant at this day. And that the Thraſonicall Ieſuites of th' infinite examples, wherein they would make the world beleeue, that we …aue forſaken the Greeke to followe the vulgar: are not able to ſhew, ſo much as one poore example.