Hill, and demanding many questions. And this is what then happened at the presenting of this book, which ever since hath been preserved at Gidding, and attends the happy hour to be delivered into the right owner's hand; which God Almighty grant in His due time! Amen, Amen, Amen. 137. Nicholas Ferrar, in a paper found in his study, thus writes in it :— "The king of England (he would say) had more several languages spoken by the subjects of his dominions than any king in Christendom, and therefore deserved to have a Bible of many languages, above other princes. "There are twelve spoken in his dominions. "1. English, spoken in England, and a good part of Scotland: those, I mean, that lie next to England. It is chiefly compounded of the Saxon, French, and Latin. "2. Scottish, spoken more northerly in Scotland. It retains more of the old Saxon, and is not mingled with so many French words, as English is. Bishop Douglas translated Virgil into this dialect. 66 66 3. Welsh, spoken in Wales. '4. Cornish, spoken in Cornwall. It is a dialect of the Welsh, but very various. "5. Irish, spoken in Ireland. "6. Scot-Irish, a dialect of Irish; and is spoken in the Hebrides, islands lying on the West of Scotland. "7. Hethyan. Hethy is an island of the Orcades, in which is spoken a language which is a dialect of the Gothish or Norwegian. "8. There is in Pembrokeshire in Wales, a country called Little England beyond Wales. They use a language compounded of the Dutch and Welsh. "9. In the islands of Guernsey and Jersey they speak a corrupt kind of French, somewhat like the Walloon, which the Belgæ qui non teutonizant speak. "Io. In the famous Isle of Man is spoken a language that is compounded of Welsh, Irish, Norwegian, but most Irish words. "This island deserves, and the people of it, a perpetual memorial, for many excellent things in it: which I cannot but thus briefly touch, in regard that my learned and pious uncle Nicholas Ferrar, of blessed memory, who had seen many parts of the world, would highly commend it, as a happy place to live in. For he would say, it were to be wished, and happy it were for England, that the same manner for law were here used, being a speedy and right way of justice, the soul of a kingdom, &c. That there were no beggars found in that island: that the inhabitants were most honest and religious, loving their pastors, to whom they use much reverence and respect; they frequenting duly divine service, without division in the church or innovation in the commonwealth. They detest the disorders, as well civil as ecclesiastical, of neighbour nations. And the women of this country, to their no small commendation, whenever they go out of the doors, gird themselves about with that winding-sheet that they purpose to be buried in, to shew themselves perpetually mindful of their mortality. O rare example to all! "II. The languages spoken by the savages in the Virginia plantation. These in the New World." Also there was another paper that named all the mothertongues, with their daughters, which as yet I cannot find: but hope I shall; and then will it be here underneath to be added. Sir, you know I did once shew it you in his study, with the other works before mentioned, and these that follow. 138. (8) EIGHTH WORK; prepared, but not begun. Materials only prepared, and a model drawn of it. Glory be to God on high. The New Testament of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, in twenty-six languages, with Arabic, Syriac, Greek, all interpreted, word for word, with Latin; likewise Hebrew, Chaldee, Samaritan, Arabic, Syriac and Greek, all having their several Latin translations lying opposite to them; which six languages are taken out of that most rare and accomplished Bible of the king of France, lately come forth, and as the French report, at the expense of very many thousand pounds, and great pains taken in it, and no few years spent to finish it. All these twenty-six languages are so composed and ordered, that at one view they may be seen and read, with much ease and pleasure as well as to use and benefit. The several twenty-six languages are these that follow: I. Hebrew. 2. Syriac. 3. Greek. 4. Arabic. 5. Chaldee. 12. Polonian. 13. Bohemian. 14. English-Saxon. 16. Danish. 26. Portugal. And moreover there are twelve several English translations; twenty various Latin translations; three Italian ; three Spanish; three French; three High Dutch; and three Netherlands. And all these1 also so placed, ordered, and 1 "But these several translations are since resolved to be omitted, and in the place and stead of them, some other contrived that the eye may discern them at one time, and peruse them all with great content: and for the conclusion of the work there is added at the end of the book, that of doctor Fulke, intitled, "A Defence of the sincere and true translation of the holy Scripture in the English tongue, against the manifold cavils and insolent slanders of Gregory Martin, one of the translators of the Rhemish Bible:" and theirs and ours compared together in two several columns. And the Lord's Prayer is also annexed in three-score several languages. Laus Deo. 139. Of this eighth piece the model and form was contrived to be as you have seen on the foregoing page in that manner. But these sad times coming on amain gave an obstruction to the proceedings thing of more use and consequence there placed, and more suitable to this work. 66 Since this frontispiece was contrived, and the model of the work framed, it is by the advice and counsel of second thoughts determined that in the place and stead of the twelve several English translations, the twenty various, &c. there shall be placed now either a Concordance of the Four Evangelists, according to that first pattern you have seen and read, being the first work done at Gidding, and presented to the king, and set forth with pictures; or that in that place of the several translations, if no Concordance be there placed, then doctor Hammond's, that learned man's, comments lately printed, shall be placed, and brought into this book, as a necessary and profitable jewel, to be interwoven into the book, as the model drawn doth justly declare to the eye. Glory be to God on high: Peace on earth: Good will amongst men. Amen."-Marginal note in the MS. and attempt, so that it hath lain still till this year 165-. And now it hath so fallen out' that (to the honour of those worthy learned men, that have by their great care and diligence set it on foot), the printing of the holy Bible in eight several languages is designed here in England; the which work in many respects is like to pass that Bible both of the king of Spain's, and the aforenamed king of France's: in which regard it is now thought fitting to defer this model and intended work, till that our Bible be finished. And then by the good blessing of God, and the help of some of those active hands, that are yet alive, who were instruments of the other many precedent works, as you have heard, this may in a good hour be begun, and by the help of God and good friends brought into light and finished so contriving it by that neat way of pasting upon mighty large paper, provided for the same purpose, without which it cannot be effected, that these twenty-six or twenty-eight several languages may be, upon the opening of the book, all seen and read with much profitableness and no less pleasure. A book it will be that hath not its parallel or match in the whole world, and may well : 1 "The printing of the Polyglot, an illustrious monument of zeal and learning, erected to the glory of their country by bishop Walton, and other episcopal divines, in times of great distress and persecution, began in 1653, and was finished in 1657. The first printed proposals respecting it were issued in the year 1652."-Dr. Wordsworth's note. |