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PROSPECTUS

O F A

NEW TRANSLATION

O F T H E

HOLY BIBLE

FROM CORRECTED TEXTS OF THE ORIGINALS, COMPARED
WITH THE ANCIENT VERSIONS.

VARIOUS READINGS, EXPLANATORY NOTES, AND
CRITICAL OBSERVATIONS.

The Rev. ALEXANDER GEDDES, L.L.D.

GLASGOW:

PRINTED FOR THE AUTHOR, AND SOLD BY R. FAULDER, BOND STREET,
LONDON; C. ELIOT, EDINBURGH; AND CROSS, DUBLIN.

M.DCC.LXXXVI.

lbs '-

TO THE RIGHT HONOITRABLE

LORD PETRE.

ERMIT me, My Lord, to prefent you with the firft fruits
>H ■*■ of many years painful labour ; in the pleafing hope of being,

E;^ one day, able to lay before you the whole harveft. That the/e

* or that will be worthy of your Lordship's and the Pubx.ic's

acceptance, it would be prefumptuous in me to faV, but is ex-
tremely natural for me to wifli. Meanwhile, I have the honour
to be, with very great refped,

My Lord,

Your Lordfhip's

Ever grateful and

Moft obedient humble fervant,

n A. G.

;548255

TO THE READER.

THE following Profpedus was fairly written out for the prefs
nearly two years ago. This, it is hoped, will account for fome
things being added in the notes, which, perhaps, might have been
more properly incorporated in the text. In reading over the
printed fheets, I have obferved fome typographical errors, the prin-
cipal of which are corrected on the reverfe of this leaf: but there
is a miftake page loo line 15, that needs to be apologized for.
An edition of the New Teflament is there faid to have been men-
tioned before, although it is not mentioned till afterwards, in the
ijote, p. 131, which the reader is requefled to attend to.

TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS.

Page 3a. in the note read — Septuaginta.

36. in tlie note read — counfils.

38. 1. 10. read — a more correft.

63. 1. II. read — perfuade.

1 10. 1. 5. read — trandators.

116. 1. 9. read — Oecnmenius.

121. I. 5. read — memoirei.

137. 1. 19. read — exclude.

PROSPECTUS

O F A

NEW TRANSLATION

O F THE

HOLY BIBLE.

AVING long made the Holy Scriptures and the lan-
guages in which they were originally written, my particular fludy, I
ventured, fome years ago, to give an Idea of a new Tranflation of
the whole Bible; at the requeft: of a perfon of diftinclion, who
wifhed I would undertake fuch a work. That Iketch, imperfecfl as
it was, meeting with the approbation of fome of the moft learned
and refpedlable characflers in the kingdom, I have been fince ad-
vifcd by my friends to publifh a more ample Trofpeftus; and, for
many reafons, I find myfelf ftrongly difpofed to follow their advice.
For although it mufl be yet fome confiderable time, before the
Tranflation itfelf will be ready for the prefs, there can be no impro-
priety in letting the learned public know, that it is preparing; and
putting it in the power of thofe who choofe it, to help me with their

2 PROSPECTUS.

counfel and afllftance, in the profecution of fo laborious and ardu-
ous an undertaking.

That a new Tranflatlon of the Bible, particularly of the Old
Teftament, is ftill wanted, I fhall affume as a pofition generally a-
greed upon. T.> explore the caufes that have concurred to render
former Tranflations defedlive, and to point out the means and me-
thod by which a part of their defedls may be removed, is the inten-
tion of this Prospectus; which I now deliver to the public, with
•all that anxious diffidence, which the great importance of the fub-
jedl and the mediocrity of my abilities demand.

The firft and principal caufe of the imperfection of almoft all
modern Tranflations of the Bible is to be fought for in the imper-
fection and incorretftnefs of the originals, from which they were
made ; for, when the text to be tranflated is itfelf corrupted, the
tranflatlon mufl neceflTarily participate of its corruption: but mo-
dern tranflations of the Bible have, almoft all, been made from a
text in many places corrupted : How then could they fail to be, at
leaft, equally faulty?

It is an afl^ertion no lefs ftrange than true, that the text of fcarcely
any profane author of note has been fo incorredly publiflied as
that of the Hebrew Scriptures. To reftore Demofthenes, Tully,
Virgil, Horace, as nearly as poflible, to their firft integrity, no
human pains have been fpared : libraries have been ranfacked, nia-
nufcrlpts collated, parallel places compared, hiftory, geography,

PROSPECTUS. 3

crlticifm alternately called in to affiftance : and happy was the man
who, after a length of time, and with immenfe labour, could fill
up the fmallefl; chafm ; detedl the moft infignificant interpolation ;
redlify a fmgle tranfpofition ; alter a fingle fentence, or change a
fingle letter to the improvement of his favourite author. This fort
of labour gave celebrity, during the two laft centuries, to many
perfons of real genius and learning; and although, in thefe days of
pretended refinement and philofophy, we are too apt to call them
pedants, and to depretiate their fludies ; yet to them we certainly
owe a great part of the pleafure which we find in perufing the works
of antiquity.

But why were not the fame pains taken, and the fame means
employed, to give a corredl edition of the Bible ? and how is it,
that, of all edited books, it flill remains the moll incorred that ever
came from the prefs ? Was it accounted of lefs importance than
the refl ? Not fo : both Jews and Chriflians, the orthodox and the
feparatift, equally confldered it as the richefl treafure they could
polfefs ; as a code of laws and a fyflem of morality delivered to them
from Heaven ; the objedl of their belief and the rule of their con-
dud ; in fhort, the Book of books ; compared with which, all other
compofitions are trifling and vain.

Were the editors, then, ignorant or carelefs ? Quite the contrary :
many of them were men of uncommon erudition ; and all of them
boafted of the incredible pains they had been at, to give to their

A 2

4 PROSPECTUS.

feveral editions, as great a degree of perfedlion, as can be attained
by human induflry. This was their uniform language, from Bom-
berg to Vanderhooght ; and it muft be allowed that, in fome re-
fpedls, their diligence was, at lead, equal to their learning.

Had they exerted the fame talents, and taken the fame pains to
corre(5l the text, by fuch helps as yet remained; as they employed
to prefcrve and embellifh it, in its flate of depravation ; we might
have, long fmce, been in the poffelTion of a copy of the Hebrew
Scriptures, as nearly perfedl as, at this diftance of time, we can
reafonably look for ; and freed, at lead, from innumerable imper-
fe^lions that ftill difgrace it: but the more thofe men laboured, the
lefs they may be faid to have advanced ; and we fcruple not to ajffirm
that the celebrated edition of Amflerdam in 1705, is a lefs valuable
copy of the primitive Hebrew text, than that which was printed at
Soncino, nearly 300 years ago *.

It could not, indeed, well be otherwife. The editors, or at leaft
the corredlors of the prefs, were generally Jews ; entirely devoted to
their rabbinical prejudices. By thefe they appretiated the manu-
fcript that was to ferve as an archetype for the impreffion. The
Mafora was to thofe text-torturers the bed of Procruftes, to the exadt
length and breadth of which every word was to be fitted with the
greatefl precifion; and, this pretended ftandard being once eftabliCh-
ed as infallible, all pofterior editions were judged to be accurate

• In 1488. Sec Fabricy Titres Primtifi.

PROSPECTUS. 5

or erroneous, only as far as they agreed or difagreed with it.

To fome it may feem hard to conceive, how the learned of the
Chriftian perfualion fhould have adopted the fame ideas; and, in this
point, given implicit credit to a fet of men, whom, in almoft every
other refpedl, they believed to be the vileft impoftors. Several caufes,
however, concurred to beget and propagate this grofs delufion.

The (ludy of Hebrew, which had been but little cultivated among
Chriflians, even in the brighteft periods of Chriftianity, had now for
many ages been almoft totally neglecfled. The firll teachers of it, on
the revival of letters, were Jews, or converts from Judaifm. Thefe
failed not to imprefs upon the minds of their too credulous dif-
ciples the higheft ideas of the learning of the Maforetes, and of
their fcrupulous attention to preferve the facred records from every
fhadow of error, by means of a certain canon of divine origin,
traditionally handed down to them from their great law-giver Mo-
fes; or, at lead, from the prophet Ezra. Independent of this canon
the fcriptures were, they affirmed, a locked-up treafiire. The Ma-
fora was both a key to open, and a hedge to guard them : the very
grammar of the language in which they were written could not be
learned without it.

The fcholars of thofe pedagogues became pedagogues in their
turn ; and as we are ever apt to think that method of attaining
fcience the beft, which we have followed, efpecially if it has been
a painful one, they inculcated to their pupils the abfolute neceffity

6 PROSPECTUS.

of purfuing the fame rugged and thorny path, which they had
themfelves purfued before, as the only one that could lead, dlredlly
and infallibly, to the fandluary of holy writ. Thus, with the
firft elements of Hebrew learning, were propagated in the Chriftian
fchools the moft ridiculous notions of the Rabbins ; and no one
called in queftion their bold aflertions, becaufe no one fuppofed he
could know any thing of the matter, but through them *.

Befides, it was a flattering confideration to thofe who believed
the Bible to be from God, to think that God had provided for it a
perpetual fafeguard, which fliould fecure every word, fyllable, let-
ter, and apex from all forts of corruption or alteration, to the end of
time. They did not think of enquiring how this fame fecurity
had, for fo many ages, been itfelf fecured ; nor did they reflect,
that, if it had ever been the intention of the Deity to preferve, in a
miraculous manner, the primitive text of fcripture from fuch ac-
cidental errors, as all other writings are liable to, it would have
been more agreeable to what we know of his wifdom, to have
made the miracle accompany the text itfelf, than, leaving the text
to common rifks, have provided a feparate oral canon, by which it

* Hence it foon became a fort of axiom among theologians, that a thorough knowledge
of the Hebrew could not be acquired without the aid of the Mafora; and that none but a fkil-
ful Maforete could give a good edition of the Bible. Thefe prepofleffions were fo deeply
rooted, that they kept their ground for almoft three centuiies, and are not yet quite eradica-
ted. They were adopted, in part, even by F. Simon; in other refpedls, a critic of great acu-
men, and no way a flave to inveterate opinions.

PROSPECTUS, 7

might, from time to time, be recflified, and which fliould have the
wonderful privilege of being liable to no corruption ; a canon, too,
fo prolix, fo intricate, and fo confufed as the Mafora *.

/Nor did they call to mind, that thofe of the firfl Chriftians who
had ftudied the Hebrew, while it was yet, in fome meafure, a liv-
ing tongue, were totally ignorant of fuch a canon ; and knew of
no other rules for corredling the fcriptures, but a careful collation
of the bed manufcripts, and the ufe of a fober criticifm. They
overlooked even the obvious argument which they might have
drawn from a comparifon of the New Teflament, their own pecu-
liar code, with the Old, which more particularly appertained to
the Jews. For the former, they could not be ignorant, God had
provided no fuch fecurity ; why fhould he have done it for the
latter ? giving more to the figure than to the reality, and prefer-
ring the fon of the bond woman to that of the free ? To thefe, and
other abfurdities, connedied with this opinion, they did not at-
tend : it was enough for them that it flattered their prejudices and
favoured their belief : that alone was fufficient to give it a general
currency.

It is not, however, probable that fo bafe a metal could have
long continued to circulate, if it had not received a new degree of

* The Englifh reader, vho wiAes to have fome idea of the Mafora, may confult Simon's
critical hijiory of the Old Teflament, Prideaux's conneilions, or Kentiicott'j fccond dijfcrtation on the
Jiate of the Hebrew text.

8 PROSPECTUS.

credit from the revolution in religion that happened foon after.
The Proteftants, on feparating from the communion of Rome, feem
to have thought they could not get at too great a diftance *. Find-
ing it convenient to appeal from the decifions of a living affembly
to the dead letter of fcripture, they confidered themfelves as under
a neceflity of maintaining, that the fcripture-text was not only in-
corrupted, but even incorruptible ; and as the Maforetic fyftem
favoured this hypothefis, they adopted it without hefitation, and
If- defended it with more pertinacy than even the Jews themfelves.

To recede from it in the fmalleft degree, was, they imagined, to
open a door for Popery, by overturning this fundamental article of
Proteftantifm, " That the fcripture alone is a fufficient and infal-
" lible rule of faith."

So generally diffufed, and fo flrongly rivetted was this prejudice,
that when Capellus firfl ventured to unclinch it, in his Critica
Sacra, he was accounted a fort of apoftate from the found doflrine
of the reformed churches, and could not find a Proteftant book-
fcllcr to print his work. And, what is flill more ilrange, when

* Many other inftances could be given of this difpofition to run into extremes. " Some of
«' our reformed brethren" (fays Bifhop Berkley in the charaifler of Crito) " bccaufe the Ro-
" manifts attributed too much to the fathers, feem to have attributed too little to them, from
" a very ufual, though no very judicious oppofition." Min. Phil. Dial. vi. Sefl. 27. — Rey-
nolds thought it a fufficient reafon to rcje>5l altogether the ufe of the crofs, becaufe the Papifts
had abufedlt; and fome of the Scotch Calvinifts had fuch averfion to liturgies and fet forms
of prayer, that they would not ufe even that of our Lord.

PROSPECTUS. 9

Dr. Kennicott, not many years ago, publifhed his excellent Differ-
tations on the ftate of the Hebrew text, thofe were not wanting, even
in this country, who brought the fame charges againft him as had
been formerly brought againft Capellus ; nor did it depend on
them, that the greateft literary undertaking of this, or indeed of
any other age, was not quafhed in its very beginning, as hurtful to
Chriftianity.

It cannot be denied, that the Catholic divines in general form-
ed a founder judgment of the ftate of the Hebrew text than the
■g-enerality of Proteftants. Whether it was always a fmcere love
for the truth, or fometimes an exceflive partiality for the Vulgate
veiiion, that made them fo keen and clear-fighted in difcovering
the faults of the original, I will not take upon me to determine :
but the fadl is certain, they generally judged rightly of the then
ftate of the original ; and there are few palliiges of it impugned as
erroneous by Bellarmine, Gordon *, Morinus, &c. which are not
now acknowledged to be fo by the moft learned Proteftants.

From this, however, it is true fome Catholic writers drew con-
clufions, that were by no means fairly deducible. They argued,

* James Gordon (commonly called I/unt/aeur, becaufe of the Huntly family, to diftinguifh
him from another Jefuit of the fame name of the family of Lefmore) was one of the moft
acute and artful adverfaries of the prefent Hebrew text. It was to oppofe his little traift D^
Verba Dei, that Glafllus wrote his Phiblogia Sacra. Gordon's ftile is clear and concife ; and
his arguments generally conclufive. It muft be confefled, however, that he extols the Vul-
gate above meafure, and advances fome unfupportable propofitions.

PROSPECTUS.

that, becaufe the Hebrew text was in many places corrupted^
where the Vulgate was not ; therefare the Vulgate was, every where,
preferable to the Hebrew text. The ftrange mlfconception of a
decree of the Council of Trent gave rife, or at leaft new flrength
to this abfurd opinion. That Synod had declared the Vulgate to
be an authentic verlion of the Scripture, in the plain and obvious
fenfe we fhall fee in the fequel ; yet the word authentic became a
fubjedl of eager controverfy in the Catholic univerfities : fome af-
firming it only meant, that the Vulgate was in general a faithful
verfion, containing nothing contrary to faith or morality, and hav-
ing every thing neceflary to conftitute an authentic document;
while others contended, with more zeal than prudence, that it im-
plied an abfolute and exclufive authenticity in the ftri(5left fenfe of
the word ; which gave it a preference and fuperiority not only over
all other tranflations, but alfo over the originals themfelves. It
is to be remarked that this laft opinion was that of the moft igno-
rant, the former that of the mod learned of the Catholic theo-
logians; and that they, who were the foremoft in depreffing the
Hebrew text to enhance the value of the Vulgate, were the leaft of
all qualified to appretiate the merits of either. At prefent there
feems to be but one opinion on this fubjedl; and that is, luckily,
the right one.

With regard to the ftate of the Hebrew text, there has of late
been a wonderful revolution in the minds of men. Proteftants and

PROSPECTUS. II

Catholics feem to have changed fides ; and while many of the for-
mer, in every country, find arata in it by thoufands, there are
fome of the latter, who can hardly difcern in it any error at all.
Thus it is, and thus it always will be, where parties are concerned.
What is particularly relifhed by one, will, for that veiy reafon, be
difliked by another ; and few, very few indeed, will be found, on
either fide, to hold that golden medium, beyond which the truth is
vainly fought for. Here the truth is, at lead fo to me it appears,
that the original Hebrew text is neither fo very much corrupted as
Ibme Catholics of former, and many Proteflants of latter days af-
firm, nor yet fo void of errors as fome Catholics of this, and al-
mofl all the Proteftants of the Lift age maintained it to be. Still,
however, its moft ftrenuous advocates, whether Catholic or Prote-
ftant, will now, we prefume, be obliged to confefs, that it is evi-
dently more or lefs erroneous*; and, confequently, that it is the

* The fticklers for the abfolute integrity of the Hebrew text have fo often changed iheir
;ground, and aflumed fo many different pofitions, that it requires, if not great (kill, at leaft
much patience to continue the conteft with them. Their firft grand palladium was the Ma-
fora, under the proteiSion of which they deemed their fortrefs impregnable. Capellus did
not, like Ulyfles, rob them of their facred guardian; he (lormed their citadel in defpite of her,
and revealed to the wondering world her impotency to defend them. — Forced from this hold,
they took polTeffion of another. " Let it be granted," faid they, " that the Mafora is of rab-
" binical, not divine authority ; yet the wonderful uniformity of all the Hebrew manu-
" fcripts, and their perfeft agreement with die printed copy is the ftrongeft evidence of the
" integrity of the latter; and implies, if not a miraculous prefervation of the text, an atten-
•' tion in the copyifts that borders on a miracle." This was long a c.ipital and a favourite
argument. It was an argument founded on a matter of faft, which even Capellus did net

B 2

12 PROSPECTUS.

firfl duty of a tranflator to examine into, and afcertain its errors ;
to trace them up, if poffible, to their fource; and endeavour to re-
move them by every mean in his power.

chufe to deny; becaiife it was aflerted with fuch confidence, and becaufe he had no dlreifl
proofs of the contrary. In vain he attacked them with other weapons ; in vain he proved thai:
the ancients had frequently read otherwife than we do ; in vain he fhewed that the prelent
reading is often improbable, fometimes feemingly abfurd : flill the pretended uniformity of
all the copies was confidered as an unfurmountable obftacle, even by many of thofe who, in
other refpefls, acknowledged the full force of CapeUus's reafoning; and, thus, his opponents
infultingly triumphed, under die fecurity of a mere prefumption. When, by an aiflual exami-
nation and collation of manufcripts, they were at length driven out of this poft aUb, they
fought fecurity for tliemfelves, by trying to make their adverfaries invidious ; and held forth
to the public the dreadful confequences to religion, if it fhould be once allowed that the Scrip-
tures had not come down to us in their full original purity. In this new mode of warfare,
they employed ftratagems not much to their honour. They imputed to the defenders of the
oppofite fyftem, views which they never dreamed of, and fentiments which they openly dif-
avowed. The advantage that arofe from fuch difingenuous artifices, could not be of long
duration. The difcerning public foon perceived the weaknefs of an argument merely nega-
tive, oppofed to faifls and demonftrations ; and the popular odium, which its abettors had
endeavoured to throw on others, was turned into a ftream of ridicule againfl themfelves.
They now feem difpofed to give up the diVine authority of the Mafora, the miraculous pre-
fervation of the text, and even its abfolute integrity tlirough any means whatever : but dill
they ftrenuoufly defend the abfolute fuperiority of the prcfent printed copy, to all other co-
pies or verfions ; and maintain, that we have no right to alter or corre<5l it, even on the autho-
rity of manufcripts. Hear their reafon. " The firft editors of the Hebrew Bible had manu-
"i fcripts as well as we, and probably more ancient and coneifl manufcripts tlian now exift : the
" new critic-collators have riot yet foimd one fo correft, in the whole, as the printed copy ;
" therefore, the printed copy is not to be correfled by manufcripts confefledly more errone-
"■ ous than itfelf." Never was the abufe of logic carried to a greater excefs. We will grants
what perhaps we (hould not grant, that the prefent printed text is, in the whole, more corredl
than any fingle mamifcript : does it hence follow, that, in every particular part, it is more
correft than all the manufcripts together; or even than fome one individual manufcript,
fingly confidered? Had the firft editors accurately defcribcd the manufcripts they ufed, and

PROSPECTUS. 13.

All the corruptions, that get into the text of any writing,' are
owing either to defiga or overfight. Whether or not any parts of
the Hebrew fcriptures have been deiignedly corrupted, is a que-
flion, that was early agitated in the Chriftian church; and, for the
firfl four centuries, the afErmative feems to have been the pre-
vailing opinion, among both the Greek and Latin fathers. That
opinion, which the authority of Saint Jerom * and Saint Auguf-
tine had, in a great meafure, rendered obfolete for many ages, has,
in modern times, been revived and warmly defended by critics of
the firfl abilities, and as warmly oppofedby others of equal celebrity.

■ indicated the repofitoi ies they were to be found in ; we fhould have it in our power to compare
tliem with the printed text, and with one another, and be able to form a better judgment,
both of the fidelity of the editors, and of the refpedlive merit of their manufcripts ; or, if
tliefe no more exiftcd, we fhould know, at leaft, that they are loft. As things are, the faireft
inference we can draw, and the moft favourable judgment we can form is this, that the edi-
tors followed the beft manufcripts they could find. But fo did all other firft editors, if they
were not fools : yet it has never, I think, been affirmed that pofterior editions, of any other
book but the Bible, might not, and may not ftill, be improved by a collation of more manu-
fcripts ; fhould thefe even, taken feparately, be lefs correct and valuable than the firft that
•were ufed. But what if I fhould aflert that there are feveral fingle manufcripts cf the He-
hrtvf fcriptures ; any one of which is a more correft copy of the original, than die printed
one ? what method would tliey take to redargue my affertion ; and by what criterion could
the queftion between us be rationally decided ? By none other, I prefume, than analogy and
circumftantial evidence, examined at the bar of found and fober cricicifm.

• This father is not always confiftent with himfelf. Sometimes he pofitively charges the
Jews with having wilfully corrupted the text; at other times, he feems to exculpate them of
this grievous accufation. We will not fay, with Simon, that when he accufes them he fpeaki
againft his own fentiments ; but rather fuppofe, that he aftervrards changed them, as many
other honeft men have done.

14 PROSPECTUS.

There is this obfervable difference, however, in their refpecfkive
modes of reafoning. The former fupport their fentiment by po-
fitive arguments and indifputable fadls ; whereas the latter ground
theirs, chiefly, on negative improbabilities, and the dangerous con-
fequences which flow, they pretend, from the oppofite hypothefis.
I fhall have occalion, elfewhere, to treat largely on this fubjedl : at
prefent I fhall only fay that the truth ftill appears to be in the
middle. For although we fliould not, perhaps, eafily admit that
fo many paffages have been delignedly. corrupted, as a certain clafs
of writers would have us believe ; yet it cannot, I think, be well
denied, that there are, in fome infliances, fuch ftrong marks of wil-
ful contamination, as to leave little room for doubt.

But by far the greater part of Biblical corruptions, are to be
afcribed to the fame ordinary caufes, that produce them in all
other writings ; the ignorance, the careleflnefs, the inaccuracy of
copyiflis ; and as the number of fuch corruptions, in any writing,
is generally in proportion to the number of years it has exifled,
and the number of times it has been copied; is it to be wondered
that the Hebrew text of the Bible fliould, at this day, contain a
very great number of fuch corruptions ? It would be a wonder in-
deed, if it did not: for how could it be, with any fliew of reafon,
imagined, that a book fo old as the Bible; written in a language,
that has long fmce ceafed to be vernacular; tranfcribed by fo many
different perfons, in fo many different places ; and under fo many

PROSPECTUS. 15

different circumftances and fituations; through all that viclffitude of
fortune, that has attended the Jewilh people; Ihould have contrac-
ted no fpot nor blemifh, in the courfe of two thoufand years ? That
waters, which have rolled for ages through a thoufand different
foils and channels, fhould be ftill as pure and untainted as when
they iflued from their primitive fburce, would he far lefs wonder-
ful, than that the Hebrew fcriptures fliould have remained in their
firft integrity.

Befide thefe clrcumflantial and extraneous caufes of miftake,
that are more or lefs common to them with all old writings, there
are others which make the Hebrew fcriptures particularly liable to
chirographical errors ; and which may be called intrinfic fources
of corruption. At one period, the whole text was changed from
the Hebrew to the Chaldee charaders *. Many of the letters in
both alphabets have a ftrong refemblance to one another ; and, in,
fome of them, the diacritic marks are hardly diftinguifhable. The
invention of vowel-points, by rendering the genuine vocal elements
quiefcent, gave frequently occafion to throw them out as ufclefs ;
and that very thing, which was abfurdly looked upon as the chief
prefervative of the facred text from future errors, largely contribu-
ted to make it ftill more erroneous.

If, with all this, we take into confideration the colloquial tauto-

* This at lead is the common belief j and the arguments that have been urged againft it,
appear not fufl&cient to overturn it.

i6 PROSPECTUS.

logy of the Scripture flile, the frequent occuiTence of the fame words
and phrafes, the repetition of the fame or nearly the fame fentences,
the proximity and contiguity of the fame terminations, the conilant
return of the fame particles, pronouns and proper names, and the
deceptions continually arifing from the afFociation of ideas, fimila-
rity of founds and equivalence of meaning, we fliall be obliged to
-confefs that it was fcarcely pofllble for the moft diligent and atten-
tive tranfcriber to avoid committing many overfights.

Tliat many fuch overfights have been adually committed, and
-that a great number of corruptions have, by that means, gradually
crept into the text, are pofitions which have, of late, been fo invin-
cibly eftabliflied, that no one, we truft, will in future prefume to
call them in queflion. But let not this alarm the pious reader, as
if the authenticity of the Scriptures were thereby weakened, or their
authority rendered precarious. Were it neceffary, to conflitute an
authentic deed, that the moft recent and remote copies of it fliould
be exacftly the fame with the firfh autograph, there would be no fuch
thing in the world as any ancient authentic deed, of which the
autograph had been loft : there could be no fuch thing, without a
continual miracle. It is enough, that there is fufficient evidence of
its being eflentially the fame with the original ; and that the changes
it has undergone, whether from defign or accident, are not fuch as
can afFe(5l its authority, as a genuine record.

Such, precifely, is the cafe of the Hebrew fcriptures. Notwith-

PROSPECTUS. 17

ftanding all the various corruptions of whatfoever fort, that now
disfigure them; it is as certain, as any pofition of this kind can
poflibly be, that they are ftill eflentially the fame; and that the
whole hiftorical tenor of the divine oeconomy towards man has
been preferved in them, without any important alteration, to the
prefent time. Take the mofl modern and moft; imperfe6l tranfcript
of their originals, that now exifhs; or even the moft erroneous copy
of the moft erroneous verlion, that ever was made from them ; and
you fliall find in it every thing that is abfolutely necelTary to confti-
tute an authentic writing ; and to anfwer all the great purpofes,
for which they were intended *.

* From this acknowledgement, made by all thofe who have been the foremoft to dete(ft
flie corruptions of the Hebrew text, fome perfons have drawn this ridiculous conclufion ;
That it.is therefore unneceflary, nay unexpedient, to correft it at all. Since it is allowed, fay
they, to be ftill eflentially the fame, and to contain every thing neceiTary to falvation, what
need is there to trouble the peace of the world with collations, amendments, &c ? The a-
nonymous French author of a feries of petulant and declamatory letters, addrefled to Dr.
Kennicott, urges this argument in the following extraordinary manner: " If the great ar-
" tides of the Chriftian faith are untouched in the text which we already have, why diflurb
" the church with correftions and innovations that are of no fervice to religion? VlTiat ad-
" vantage will accrue to Chriflians from knowing, that yacob is written fometimes with a van
" and fometimes without a zau? Or that in the word David there was nojoJ before the Ba-
" bylonilh captivity? Is the incarnation of Jefus Chrift the lefs true for that, &c." No; nor
v;oald it be lefs true, if the entire book of Job or the Song of Solomon were wanting. The
chain of religion would be uninterrupted without either, yet we fhould be exceedingly forry
they were loft. We can make a fhift to do without the original text of Ecclefiafticus ; al-
though it is devoutly to be wilhcd that it flill exifted. There were once many pieces of He-
brew fcripture, of which we have not now even a tranflation: will it be faid that, becaufe
the incarnation of Chrift can be afcertained without their aid, it would be of no utilitv to

i8 PROSPECTUS.

For befide the internal marks of genuinenefs, which they fuper-
eminently pofTefs ; they are fupported by fuch a continued and
clofely connected chain of external evidence, as is not to be met
with in favour of any other compofition whatever. Who, but the
paradoxical Hardouin, ever doubted of the authenticity of Plato's
dialogues, or Demofthenes's orations ? yet they have come down,
to us with not half the number of vouchers, that accompany the
Jewilh writings ; and it would be eafier to find ingenious argu-
ments to prove that thofe were invented by the monks in the thir-
teenth century, than that thefe were fabricated at any particular period-.

It is true they have been tranfmitted with many errors, and are
at this day extremely incorredl : but, here again, they have an ad-
vantage over mofl other writings ; the means of correding them are.
more obvious and abundant. What thefe are, and how they are
to be employed, it is now time to enquire.

The firft fource of emendation of any writing is the collatioa
and comparifon of manufcripts ; a fource but recently opened with
refpefl to the Hebrew fcriptures; and not yet fo deeply explored,
as we hope it will foon be.

religion, that they could ftill be recovered? Every thing mufl be of utility to religion tjiat
tends to corroborate the great charters on which it is grounded, or to reftore them to their
original purity, were it but the addition or retrenchment of a fingle letter. For the red, there
are few of the amendments propofed to be made in the Hebrew text from the collation of
manufcripts, of fo very little importance, as thofc which this flippaijt fuperficial writer has
feleiSed for theobjedl of his unfeafonable gibes.

PROSPECTUS. 19

Hebrew manufcripts are of two forts, the one written in the old
or Samaritan, the other in the new or Chaldee characters. Thefe
are two collateral branches from the fame flem; two copies of the
fame original inftrument, under the guardianfhip of two different
peoples*, jealous of one another, abominating one another; and,
therefore, altogether unlikely to enter into any collufion. Yet, as both
copies were the fame at the beginning, they ilill remain fo in all
effentials ; and reciprocally vouch for one another's authenticity.
It was the faying of St. Aug-Cifline, that the Jews, through a parti-
cular difpenfation of Providence, were the Chriftians book-keepers.
In like manner, the Samaritans may be faid to have been book-
keepers to the Jews; and I will venture to atErm, that they have
been the bed keepers of the two. The Samaritan fcriptui-e, as far
as it goes, (for it contains only the Pentateuch) muft appear to e-
very one, who examines it with any degree of attention, and void
of rabbinical prepoffeifions, a far more faithful reprefentative of
the prototype, than any Maforetic copy, at this day extant.

It is, iiadeed, only of late, that we knew the full value of this
long latent treafure. The firft edition of it was publiflied by Mo-
rinus, in the Paris polyglott, in the year 1645; and only from one
manufcript. The variations of that manufcript, from the prefent
Hebrew text, were reprinted more accurately, by Houbigant, in

* I have ventured, after B. Lowth, to ufc the plural of this word; which in feme cafes
feems to be neceflkry, and is perfeiflly analogous.

C 2

20 PROSPECTUS.

1753' Since that time, feventeen other manufcripts have been
collated, either in the whole, or in feledl paffages ; by the aid of
which, the greateft part of the errors, that are in the firft printed
copy, may be correded; and the futile objedlions of Hottinger and
his followers effedlually obviated.

Although the Jewifli manufcripts are of lefs utility, in refloring
the true text, than the Samaritan ; having been all written pofteri-
orly to the introdudlion of the Mafora ; and, for the moft part, re-
modelled by the fame examplar of it ; yet they afford many impor-
tant readings, with regard to the fenfe; and of grammatical correc-
tions a number almoft infinite. Tliis laft advantage alone defer-
ved all the labour and expence that have been beftowed in collating
them; and the world is principally indebted to the liberality of this
nation, and to the indefatigable perfeverance of the late Dr. Kenni-
cott for fo ufeful a work. The prejudices at firft ralfed againft it,
by ignorance or miftaken zeal, are daily dying away ; and its value
muft rife, in the eftimation of the learned, in proportion as it is
known and examined.

Notwithftanding Dr. Kennlcott's various readings were colleded-
from upwards of fix hundred manufcripts, and all the printed co-
pies he could procure, yet the harveft is far from being over. A
very large fupplement is promlfed by De Roffi of Parma *, from

* The firft volume was publidied laft year, 1784; and, befides a very fenfible preface,
canons and chi-jh, contains various readings on the three firft books of Mofes. The ftcond
volume will be publiflied in tlie courfe of the prefent year.

PROSPECTUS. 21

more than four hundred manufcripts, fome of which are faid to be
of the feventh or eighth century ; as well as from a confiderable
number of rare and unnoted editions : and, no doubt, there will
be ftill plentiful gleanings, even after De Roffi; efpecially, if ever
the repofitories of the Eaft happen to be freely opened, and men of
learning and enterprize be found to avail themfelves of the occafion.
Meanwhile, let us be heartily thankful for the riches we already
pofTefs, and employ them to the beft advantage.

A-kin to the various readings of Hebrew manufcripts, and of
much the fame utility in correcting the Hebrew text, are the pa-
rallel places of the text itfelf ; and the quotations made from it at
different times, whether by Jewifli or Chriflian writers *.

By parallel places, we mean thofe pafFages of Scripture, in which
the fame precept is reiterated ; the fame hiftorical fa(ft repeated ; or
the fame canticle, pfalm or prophecy, entirely or partially reinferted.
When, in any of thefe cafes, there is a manlfeft contradidion, or
glaring inconfiftency, between the two palTages, we may conclude,
that one of them, at leaft, is corrupted; and it is the province of
criticifm to determine, from circumflances, where the error and
where the truth lies. Examples, not a few, may be feen in Hou-
bigant, Kennicott, Starck, &c.

With regard to quotations ; if we were fure^ that they had aj-

* We fpeak here only of fuch quotations as have been made from the original, whetber
exhibited in Hebrew charaders, or in thofe of any othtr language.

22 PROSPECTUS.

'ways been extraded from books, they might be confidered as fo
many various readings, of equal eftimation with thofe found in
manufcripts of the fame antiquity ; but it may be fufpedled that
they were, fometimes made from memory; and, therefore, they
are to be examined with care, and adopted with caution. It can-
not, however, be denied that they are frequently of ufe in reftor-
ing the true reading ; and it were to be wilhed that a ftill more
ample colledlion were made of them than has yet been done *.

Another moft copious fource of emendation of the Hebrew text,
are the tranflations that have been made of it, at different periods,
and in different languages ; which, while they ferve, in general, to
evidence its authenticity, enable us, at the fame time, to corredl,
or even reflore many particular paffages, that are now either en-
tirely loft or ftrangely corrupted: an advantage v/hich belongs not,
in the fame degree, to any other ancient writing.

To illuftrate this by an example — It is w^ell known, that Lon-
ginus's celebrated treatife on the fublime has come down to us er-
roneous and imperfecl. But if it had been accurately tranflated in-
to Latin, while it was yet intire and uncorrupted ; and if many

* The various readings in the Talmud and other rabbinical writings were coUe<fled with
great care by Gill, and inferted in Dr. Kennicott's Bible. Montfaucon had, long before, ga-
thered what fcattered fragments of this nature he could find among the Greek and Latin fa-
tliers, or in the margin of manufcript Bibles; and publifhed them in his Hexapla in 17 13.
To thcfe feme additions were made by Bahrdt in 1769; and many more might ftill be
made, if fome new Montfaucon would arife, to ranfack old parchments with the fame induf-
try and judgment.

PROSPECTUS. 23

ancient copies of that tranflation yet remained, it would be no dif-
ficult matter to reftore by them, in a great meafure, the true fenfe,
if not always the very terms of the text of Longinus. Let us, now,
fuppofe that, inftead of one Latin tranflation, we had three or four;
and as many more in Greek, different only in dialecl from that of
the original; and that all thofe verlions were not only accurate and
faithful, but ftridlly and even fervilely literal ; in fuch a cafe, every
one mufl be fenfiblc, that it would be hard to avoid hitting upon
the true text of the author*. That this cafe is fully applicable to
the text of the Hebrew fcriptures will appear from the following
concife account of the principal ancient verlions.

The firft of thefe, both in time and dignity, is that which we
call the Septuagint or LXX. (it fhould beLXXII.) from the num-
ber of perfons, who, according to fome of the too credulous an-
cients, were employed in making it. The mofl judicious critics
now laugh, with St. Jerom, at the fible of Arifteas; yet they are
not agreed among themfelves, about many queftions relative to this
famous verfion. Without entering, at prefent, into a difcuffion of
thofe knotty points, I fliall only fay, ia very few word,s, what ap-
pears to me certain, or moft probable.

* The works of Ariftotle are much in the fame predicament with thofe of Longinus.
The bed Greek editions of them are extremely imperfeft, for want of good manufcripts.
But, if we could recover compleat copies of the Syriac and Arabic verfions, which we know
were made of them from the originals, it is not to be doubted that many of the erroneovts
and obfcure paflages of tliat ufcful author, would thereby be corresfled or illuftrated. See E,
Lowth's preface to Ifaiah.

24 PROSPECTUS.

FIrft then, That the Greek verfion, called the Septuaghit, is not
all the work of the fame tranflator or tranflators, is manifeft, from
the very great diverfity of flile and the various modes of tranllating,
that prevail in it. The arguments from authority, produced in
fupport of the contrary opinion, need no other refutation, than a
bare infpedion of the books themfelves : for who, that has ever
looked into them, will venture to affirm, that the Pentateuch, Ec-
clefiaftes, Amos, and Jeremiah were tranflated by the fame perfons ?
Not to mention that the moft unexceptionable authorities, thofe of
Jofephus and Philo, are on the other fide.

Secondly, The Pentateuch, or five books of Mofes, called em-
phatically the Law, feems to have been tranflated in the reign,
and, probably, at the requefl of Ptolomy Philadelphus, by certain
Jews of Alexandria; affifled, perhaps, by fome of their brethren
from Palefline.

Thirdly, The other books were all tranflated between that period
and the birth of Chi'ifl; or, at leaft, foon after: but where, by whom,
or at what particular aera, we can, for the moft part, form only
vague conjectures.

At whatever time, or by whatever perfons the Greek verfion was
compleated, it was certainly of great authority among the Helle-
nift Jews, and, for a time, read in their fynagogues inftead of the
Hebrew. To give it the higher degree of credit, and to juflify an
innovation which was not approved of by fome of their brethren..

PROSPECTUS. 25

the ridiculous tale of the feventy cells, &c. feems to have been in-
vented. The Chriftians, who have, in all ages, been more or lefs
the dupes of Rabbinifm, readily believed the ill-contrived ftory ; and
thence concluding, that the tranllators were infpired perfons, con-
fidered their work not as a mere verfion, but as a fecond divine
original *.

It was early tranflated into Latin, and became the text-book of
the Weflern, as well as of the Eaflern churches. It was the only
copy of the Scripture they generally ufed ; and the only one they
appealed to in all their controverfies. They particularly, and moft
advantageoufly employed it in confuting the Jews themfelves, from
whom they had received it ; proving to them from it, by the moft
irrefragable arguments, that their expecfled Meflias muft have al-
ready come, in the perfon of Jefus Chrift.

On this, even the Hellenift Jews began to entertain an unfa-
vourable idea of it ; and, at length, had it in fuch abhorrence, that
a national fall was inftituted to deplore the fame event (the anniver-
fary of its being tranflated) which they had before commemorated
by a folemn feftival. Whether this fudden change in their minds
was altogether owing to the above circumftance, and their deeply-
rooted hatred to the Chrifllans ; or whether it might not partly a-
rife from the real differences, that were now found (no matter how

* Tliis opinion was the prevailing one as late as the fifth century, and St. Jerom gave
great offence by calling it in queftion.

a6 PROSPECTUS..

they had come there) between it and the Hebrew text; or whether^
in fine, the Chriftians, on their part, had, through a miftaken zeal,
made fome Uttlc alterations in it, to make it fpeak more expUcitly
the language of Chriflianity *, it is hard, at this day, to determine:
but the fadl is indlfputable; and, even before the end of the firft
century, the Septuagint verfion was depreciated by every Jcwifh
writer, and expelled from every fynagogue.

It was to fupply its place, that Aquila of Pontus, fird a convert
from Paganifm to Chriflianity and then a profelyte to Judaifm, un-
dertook a new Greek verfion of the Bible for his new brethren. It
appeared about the year 1 29, and was fo well received by the Jews,,
that he was encouraged to give, foon after, a more correct edition
of it, accompanied with a commentary, that rendered it ftill more
palatable to them. On the other hand, the Chriftians reprobated
it as a dangerous and difingenuous attempt to overthrow the au-
thority of the Septuagint, and charged him w4th having wilfully
corrupted, or miftranflated, even his ow^n originals. The charac-
ter given of him by St. Jerom, in whofe time his verfion was ex-
tant, is not always the fame. Sometimes f he calls him a conten-
tious and captious interpreter, who affecfls to weigh words and fyl-
lables, and crowds his tranflation with unheard-of folecifms: at
other times, X ^^ praifes his diligence and exadlitude ; denies that

• Of this I think there is at leaft one example preferved by St. Jero:ii. Commtnt. in Habbacuc.
j- Ep. ad Pammach. X F-p. ad Damafum.

PROSPECTUS, 27

he is Co captious as he is called; and makes ho fcruple to prefer him
to all other tranflators. To judge from the fragments that now
remain, the firfl of thefe opinions is evidently the right one. He
is an uncouth, barbarous writer, the Arias Montanus or Malven-
da of his day ; who feems to have purpofely chofen that fervilc
mode of tranflating, to hide the malevolence of his views, and to
make his flricl adherence to the letter of the Hebrew a plaufiblc
pretext, for deviating fo widely from the old verfion. We regret,
however, that his tranflation is loft, as it would have been fingu-
larly ufeful both for difcovering the (late of the Hebrew text at that
time, and giving us the literal meaning and etymology of many
words, the lignification of which it is now difficult to afcertain ;
although, independently of thefe confiderations, it was hardly worth
the faving*.

Perhaps the Jews themfelves were fenfible of the too great fer-
vility, and confequent obfcurity, of AquiLVs verfion; and there-
fore wiflied to have another, that fhould be equally favourable to
their prejudices, without being fo unintelligible and difgufting.
This, we may fuppofe, produced the tranflation of Theodotion,

* The lofs of this verfion was chiefly owing to a caufe that feemed rather calculated to pre-
ferve it. The Emperor Juftinian, on forbidding the Talmud, now become the favourite-
book of the Jews, gave them full leave to ufe the verfion of Aquila, which they had formerly
extolled as a faithful and accurate tranflation: but a fort of obftinacy, not entirely peculiar to
Jews, urged them not only to rejeft with contempt what was thus freely offered to them; but
even, probably, to dellroy all the copies they could find of it; and which were moftly in their
own polTeffion.

D 2

28 PROSPECTUS;

which he publifhed about the year 184. This writer, who had
been firfl a difciple of Tatian, then a Marcionlte, and laftly a Jew,
retained as much of the old Alexandrian verfion, as he faw for his.
purpofej and only altered, added, or retrenched, where he found-
it differ from fuch Hebrew manufcripts, as the Jews put into his
hands. This was a fly device, and operated according to his wilh.
The Jews were well pleafed with his verfion, becaufe it was con-
formable to their ideas ; and the Chriflians were not offended, be-
caufe it fo much refembled the Septuagint, In many particular
paffages, and in one whole book *, they preferred it to the Septu-
agint itfelf ; efpeclally after Origen had made ufe of it to corredl.
the fuppofed faults of the latter ; in order to make it tally with,
what he thought, the Hebreiv verity. Hence it is, that much
more of this verfion has been preferved, than of Aquila's.

Towards the end of the fame century, or early in the next, ap-
peared another Greek tranflation, lefs literal and infinitely more
elegant, than either of the foregoing ones. It was the work of
Symmachus; who, if we may believe Eufebius, from being a Sa-
maritan, became a Jewj from being a Jew, a Chriftian; and from
being a Chriflian, an Ebionite. In this lafl communion, and for
the ufe of its members, he compofed his work, which he afterwards
fcems to have remodelled, in a fecond edition. The verfion of Symma-
chus is, often and defervedly, praifed by Eufebius and St. Jerom ;

* Daniel.

PROSPECTUS. 2.9

and the latter feems to have made it, in a great meafure, the pattern
of his Latin tranllation. It was, indeed, remarkable for its perfpi-
Guity and propriety, as well as elegance; and no good reafon can be
affigned for its not having been more generally adopted, but that
its author belonged to a fecft, who were equally hateful to both Jews
and Chriftians. Many excellent works have perifhed from a fimi-p
lar caufe.

Belides thefe Greek verfions of the Old Tellament, there are
three others mentioned by the ancient fathers ; called the fifth,
fixth, and fcventh; becaufe their refpec^ive authors or editors are
not known. They feem to have comprehended only, or chiefly,
the poetical books of Scripture. Whether they were made by
Jews or Chriftians, it is hard to fay ; although the fixth bears
ftrong marks of Chriftian extradlion ; or, perhaps, it was only an
interpolated edition of the Septuagint *.

However that be, it is certain that all thofe verfions were col-
lecfled by the indefatigable Origen, and placed, together with the
Septuagint and original Hebrew text, in his famous Hexapla: and
this, perhaps, is the laft entire copy of them that ever was made.
For the Talmudifts having gradually excluded all Greek verfions
from the fynagogues, and the Chriftians univerfally adhering to-
the old tranflation, the reft were either totally neglected ; or only
fuch parts of them copied into the margents of Bibles and com-

* This may, one day, be the fubjcift of a particular difcufllon.

30 PROSPECTUS.

mentaries, as were deemed the moft worthy of attention*. Thus
it was that the Septuagint verfion triumphed, at length, over all
its rivals, and remahied, for feveral ages after, the fole Scripture
ftandard in all the Chriftian churches f.

We are not, however, to imagine, that it was exadlly the fame
in every church, or that any church poffeired a copy of it that was
perfedlly corredl ; much lefs, that any fuch copy now exifts. It
had contracted many blemifhes in the days of Origen ; and it was
principally with a view to remove them, that he defigned and exe-
cuted the moft celebrated of all his works. No man could be bet-
ter qualified for fuch an undertaking ; to a ftrong conftitution, a
clear head and a moft prodigious memory, he had joined an im-
menfe and univerfal erudition, by the moft aftiduous and inceflant
application that, perhaps, ever was made. His infatiable thirft
for learning made him pry into every corner, for rare and curious
books ; and the liberality of his rich friends put it in his power to
pur chafe them.

With all thefe advantages, he begun, about the year 231, to
■compile his Tetrapla; which contained, in fo many feparate co-

* Of all fuch fragments Montfaitcon compofed his Hexapla; a book indifpenfibly neceflUry
to every Biblical ftudent ; and of which a new and more compleat edition is greatly wanted.

f The reader who wilhes to form a proper idea of the Septuagint verfion, will do well to
confult Hody Je itxtiiui originalibtis, &c. Voffius de 70 interpretibui, Grabe's Prolegomena to his
edition of the Alexandrian manufcript, and De variis vitii;, &c. Father Simon's Critical hijloiy
of the OldTeJianierit, Fabricy's Titres frifnitifs, and Dodor Owen's excellent DiJ/irtation pnh-
Jiflied a few years ago.

PROSPECTUS. 31

lumns, and in the following order, the four Greek verfions of
Aquila, Symmachus, the Septuagint and Theodotion. It would
have been well, perhaps, if he had contented himfelf with this firfl
laborious compilation; which was alone fufBcient to immortalize
his name, and would have been much more eafily handed down to
poflerity, than the great and over- grown work that fuperfeded it.
It would have been even more ufeful ; for as yet he had not aflum-
ed the province of corredlng the text of the Septuagint; but had
given it, jufl as he found it, from the beft manufcripts he could
procure.

But the very coniiderable differences, which he could not but
obferve, between it and the three other veriions, fo lately made
from the originals, and fo nearly agreeing with one another, made
him fufpecl that it was much more erroneous than he had formerly
thought it; and fet him on meditating a work that fliould, both
by its magnitude and importance, totally ecllpfe the former one.
This produced, in fucceflion, the Hexapla, O^apla and EnneapJaj
fo denominated from the number of columns, that each contain-
ed. In the Enneapla, which had nine columns, the three lafl con-
tained the three anonymous Greek verfions before-mentioned ; the
four, immediately preceding them, were the fame with thofe of
the Tetrapla ; and, in the two firfl, flood the original text in Hebrew
letters, with its pronounciation by its fide in Greek characflers :
both, fuch as he received them from the Jews : for his knowledge

32 PROSPECTUS.

of the Hebrew was, by far, too fcanty, to enable him to do with-
out them; and he never fulpedled, that they might, polllbly, im-
pofeupon him; any more than St. Jerom did, afterwards, on a hke
occafion.

Emboldened by his new guides, he ventured now to JlaJJj ivith
his defperate hook the venerable texture of the old verfion ; and to
patch and piece it, with the more recent manufacflure of Theodo-
tion, much in the fame manner as Clarius and fome other mo-
derns have patched the Vulgate *. This had bad confequences.
The great authority of Origen made every one, who was pofTefled
of a Greek Bible, revife his copy by the Hexaplar flandard ; and, in
a fhort time, no manufcript, that was not bridled over with afte-
rifks and obelifks, lemnifks and hypolemniflcs, was accounted of
any value.

If the autograph of Origen ftill remained, or if the art of print-
ing had then exifted, to circulate at once a great number of accu-
rate copies, we fhould have lefs reafon to complain of the confu-
lion that thence enfucd. His dlflingufliing marks, without adulte-
rating the Septuagint, would have indicated the then flate of the
Hebrew text, and put it in our power, even at this day, to appreti-
ate both f: whereas, through the carelefsnefs of ignorant tranfcri-

* SeJ, qnod majoris audaciae eft, in editione Septuaginti Theodotionls editioncm mijcuit. Hieron.
praef. in Paralip.

f El base quidcm Jlgiia, Ji Jliidiofe fimper a libraiiis ferv at ii^effent in manufcriptis , non exiguum
inde fruflum caperet Critica fucra; at mox, pro lihrariorum focordia it negUgentia^ omijfa funt; unde
maxima in libris Graecis orta ifl confiijio. Starck, Davidis Cann. vol. i. p. IJ2.

PROSPECTUS. 33

bers, or the caprice of future corredtors, the diforder grew everv
day greater and greater; until, at length, it became irremediable.

For other perfons, lefs capable than Origen or his editors Pam-
phllus and Eufebius, fet about corralling the common * copies,
after their example. The principal of thefe were Lucianus and
Hefychius, whofe authority, whatever might be their abilities, vied
almoft equally with Origen's. The exemplar corredled by Luci-
anus was ufed in all the churches from Antioch to Conftantinople.
At Alexandria, and all over Egypt, the corrections of Hefychius
were adopted ; while the Chriflians of Paleftine ftuck tenacioufly to
the Pamphilian copy of the Hexapla f ; which, in the end, feems
to have generally prevailed through all the Eaft.

From which of thofe copies, or editions, the particular manu-
fcripts, now extant in different parts of the world, are derived ;
and what manufcript deviates leafl; from the old original verfion,
it is impoffible to determine, or even to guefs, until the manufcripts
themfelves be collated and compared. This is, at prefent, the
greatefl defideratum in facred philology; and had the Author of this
Profpetflus a fortune fufficient to travel for that purpofe, he would
think it well employed, were it equal to that of Croefus: nor flioultl
his prefent undertaking, great as it is, prevent him from execut-

* The uncorrefted edition of the Septuagint was, after the days of Origen, known by the
name oi common, xoivh as we call, now, the Latin verfion cf Jerom, the Vulgate.
f Hieron. ad Chromat. cvli.

34 PROSPECTUS.

ing a proje^l fo nearly connedled with it; and from which it would,
undoubtedly, derive a greater degree of perfedlion *'. Meanwhile,
we mufb malce the bed ufe we can of the printed editions, and of fuch
various readings of manufcripts as we can procure : not neglecting
even the fecondary tranilations that have any degree of antiquity "f.

We have four different edited exemplars of the Greek verfion ;
That of Alcala or the Compluteniian, that of Venice or the AI-
dinc, that of Rome, and that of Oxford.

The firft was printed in the polyglott Bible of Ximenes in the
year 15 15, with a typothetical attention, that would put the mo ft
.patient modern compofitor in a rage. It is accompanied with an

* 1 have been told that a very learned gentleman of the ITniverfity of Cambrige had, feme
time ago, expreffeJ his readinefs to undertake fuch a work, if he fliould meet with due en-
couragement. Is it poffible that he has not, or v. ill not meet with due encouragement, in z
country, where the moft trifling novelty draws, every feafon, from the purfes of the good
people of England, a far greater fumthan would be adequate to the purpofe? With five thou-
fand pounds, I would, undertake, in lefs than three years, to collate every valuable Greek
inanufcript of the Bible in Europe.

t Great hopes are entertained of being able, in fome meafure, to reftore Orlgen's copy of
the Septuagint, together with tlie other Greek verfions that conipofed his Tetrapla ; by means
of a Syriac verfion, made from them in the feventh century ; a confiderable part of which is
preferved in the Ambrofian library at Milan. It contains the Prophets and j^giographa.
The firftpart of tliis manufcript is, with great probability, faid to have been once in thepof-
fcflion of Mafius ; and from it he drew his Hexaplar readings, in his commentary on Jofliua :
batwhat Is fince become of it, no one, it feems, can tell. Even then it had been mutilated of
the Pentateuch ; of which, however, there is an Arabic verfion, in the Bodleian library at
Oxfoid. May we not expeifl the publication of this Pentateuch, from the zeal and abilities of
ihe prcfcnt Arabic Profeffor ? That, wilhMr. Norberg's tranfcriptfromthe Ambrofian volume,
would be a moft valuable prcfent to the Biblical ftudent. See Profeffor WTiite's letter to the
Eilliop of London ; or Bp. Newcome's preface to the minor Poets.

PROSPECTUS. 25

interlineary verbal tranflation, and Is of all the Greek editions tlie
mofl confonant with the prefent Hebrew text. The editors boaft
of ancient manufcripts, and ancient nianufcripts they furely had ;
but, as they neither tell what thofe were, nor how they ufed them,
we draw little fatisfa6lion from this general information. It is even
juflly fufpeiled, that they did not fcrupuloufly adhere to fuch ma-
nufcripts as they had ; but that, to make their edition correfpond,
as nearly as pofllble, with the Hebrew and Vulgate, with which it
was clafled in the fame page, they gleaned from every quarter a
medley of a verfion, that was neither one thinfr nor another. It is
aftonifliing that fuch a copy fliould have been republillied in the
Antwerp and Paris polyglotts.

The edition of Venice was firfl publiflied in the year i j i 8, by
the heirs of Aldus. It was profeffedly printed from very old, but
undefcribed manufcripts ; with which however its editors feem not
to have taken the fame freedom, as thofe of Alcala had taken with
theirs. It is, evidently a much purer copy of the Septuagint; al-
though not without many foreign admixtures ; efpecially from Theo-
dotion. It has been often reprinted, with variations and pretended
ccrredlions ; fometimes for the worfe. The bell editions of it, be-
£de that of Venice, are thofe of Bafil and Frankfort.

The Roman edition, begun in the pontificate of Gregory XIII.
and compleated in that of Sixtus V. (who while a cardinal had pref-
(ingly urged the work) appeared in the year 1587. It was prin-

E 2

36 P R O S P. E C T U S.

cipally taken from the famous Vatican manufcript; and, where it
failed, from others of nearly the fame antiquity ; and is, by many,
thought to be the mofl genuine copy of the old Greek verfion, that
has yet been publiflaed. Had the learned editors been more at-
tentive, to exhibit their prototypes exa6lly as they found them ;
we fhould have been flill better pleafed with their labours : for it
is now certain, that they fometimes deviated from their manu-
fcripts; but uncertain, where and how much they deviated. It
has been lately propofed to the prefent Pope, to have the Vatican
iTianufcript republiflied, exadlly as it is ; and even in the fame form
and chara<5lers ; and it is with the greateft pleafure we learn that his
Holinefs has not only approved of the propofal, but has alfo taken
upon himfelf the whole expence of the impreffion. This does
great honour to Pius VI. and will contribute more to immortalize
his memory, than any other event of his reign ; his journey to Vi-
enna not excepted *.

The Roman edition, together with Nobilius's Latin verfion, firft
feparately publiilied in the. year 1588, was, by order and at the
expence of the Galilean clergy, reprinted at Paris, under the infpec-
tion of Morinus, in the year 1626; and again in 1641. We are

* We are jufl now informed, but hope the information is falfe, that tliis moft laudable de-
fign has been traverfed by the Roman inquifitors ; and that, through the councils of a Greek
bigot, the Vatican manufcripts are, in future, to lieontlieir dufty flielves, untouched and un-
explored. If this be true, Ghofts of Carafa, PafTionei, Spinelli, Aflcmanni, arife ! and drive
ihefe Gotlis and Vandals from the prccinds of your old dominion.

PROSPECTUS. 37

certainly indebted to the zeal of the French Bifliops for procuring
fo elegant and correcl an edition of a book that had become extre-
mely rare, and was hardly to be purchafed : but the obligation is
coniiderabiy diminiilied, if it be true, as Serravius and others af-
firm, that this edition prevented Ducaeus from giving the infinitely
more ufeful one he meditated *.

When Walton publiflied the London polyglott in the year 1657,
he judicioufly adopted the Roman edition of the Greek verfion,
inftead of the Complutcnfian ; and this, with other things, contri-
buted to give his polyglott a decided fuperiority over all the reft.
It was alfo republiflied at Francker by Bos in the year 1709, in
one thick quarto volume; and again at Utrecht and Amfterdam
by Millius in 172S, in two volumes, fmall oclavo, — All the other
editions of London, Cambridge, Amfterdam, Leipfick, «Scc, are
fpurious, and moft grofsly interpolated.

The laft, but not the leaft important, edited exemplar of the
Septuagint, is that which was printed from the celebrated Alexan-
drian manufcript in the Britifli Mufaeum ; of equal antiquity
with that of the Vatican, and, in fome refpecls, more valuable.

• Fronto Ducaeus (Fronton le Due) a Jefuit of Bourdeaux, the moft learned editor of
the firft Greek and Latin Chryfoftome, and one of the beft critics of his age, had planned, it
feems, a new edition of the Septuagint; in which it was his intention to reftore, if pofilble,
the genuine exemplar of Origen, with all its diacritic marks : but the Parifian editors of the
Roman exemplar, alarmed at the projeft, which would in effeft have impeded the fale of their
copies, did all they could to counteraft it, and were unluckily but too fuccefsful. The ma-
terials which he had prepared were ordered to Rome, and have never fince been heard of.

38 PROSPECTUS.

It was prepared for the prefs by Grabe, with a care and candor
that have not often been equalled, never furpalled ; but which, we
trufl, will be henceforth faithfully imitated by every editor of
manufcripts. The firfl: and fourth volumes were, by Grabe him-
felf, publillied at Oxford in folio and odlavo in the years i 707 and
1 709 ; the fecond and third by Lee and Shippen, with the affiftance
of "Bifhop Potter in 171 9 — 20. It was immediately republiflied
atLeipfick by Reineccius, in 171 2, &c; but the rnofl commodious
edition of it is that of Zurick, by Breitinger, in 1730. Until the
Romans are pleafed to give us more correal copy of their manu-
fcript, this edition muftbe our text-book of the Greek veriion ; and all
future collations of manufcripts fliould be made relatively to it *.
With regard to the various readings already collated, the great-
eft part of which have been crowded together in the lower margin
of Bos's edition, they are not implicitly to be depended on ; even
when extratfted from printed books. In every dubious paflage,
the editions themfelves are to be confulted, and the typographical
errors of thefe always taken into confideration. Of manufcripts,
indeed, few general and continued collations have yet been made.
The variations of the very ancient Cottonian fragment, now loft,
were carefully collated by Grabe, and accurately publillied by Dr.

* ProfefTor "White of Oxford, fo well knowii by his elegant and affecling leftures, has in a
letter to the Bifhop of London, in 1779, laid down fome excellent rules for having a good
new edition of the Septuagint; a work very much wanted ; and which we wifh the learned
profcflbr's other avocations would permit him to undertake.

PROSPECTUS. 39

Owen in the year 1778: Dr, Kennicott had collated for his own
ufe feveral parts of the principal manufcripts at Oxford, and of an
old Pfakery at Eton : it is hoped they are not loft *. Mr. Woide,
at the requeft of Bilhop Lowth, collated, through the bookof Ifaiah,
t\Vo valuable manufcripts in the Britilh Mufaeum ; one of them,
through Jeremiah, for Mr. Blayney ; and through the minor Pro-
phets, for B. Newcome. The Author of this Profpedlus hopes to
procure, both at home and abroad, fome fimilar afliftance f; and
we expecl foon to hear of Birch and Adler having publiflied their
copious colleclions.

It has been faid, that we ought not to neglecft the ancient ver-
fions, that have been made from the Septuagint. Of thefe the moft
celebrated is the Latin Italic, which chiefly prevailed in all the
Weftern churches during the five firft centuries. If an entire and
nnadulterated copy of this verfion exifted, it would be little lefs
valuable than the Septuagint itfelf. What parts of it could be
found have been colledled by Nobilius, Blanchini and Sabbatier.

There are alfo Syriac, Samaritan, Ethiopic, Arabic and Arme-
nian tranflations from the Greek, partly printed, but chiefly in

* I have, fince writing this, been affured by the Bifhop of Salifbury, to whom and the
Dean of Chrift-church Dr. Kennicott left his papers, that no fuch coUeiflions are found
among them.

\ While thefe fheets are printing, I am a<5hially employed in collating a valuable and well-
prefcrved Oftateuch, belonging to the Univerfity of Gbfgow ; a particular account of which
(hall in due time be given to the public.

40 PROSPECTUS.

manufcript; which have their refpeclivc ufes, towards the fame
purpole, according to their antiquity and accuracy, and certainly
deferve to be made known and appretiated.

But of all the verfions made from the Septuagint the Coptic is
by far the moft ufeful ; both becaufe it is a ftridlly verbal tranfla-
tion, and becaufe it is of great antiquity. Wilkins publiflied the
Pentateuch from three manufcrlpts in the year 1731. But much,
much yet remains to be done ; and the arduous tafk feems to be
referved for Mr. Woide. He is, perhaps, the only man in Europe,
who is fully equal to it; and when he has compleated the fingular
work he has now in hand *, he will, no doubt, be encouraged to
fet about it f.

Having faid this much on the different Greek verlions of the
Bible :}:, and of their utility in refloring the true readings of the
original text, we proceed to the other ancient tranflations ; at the
head of which is to be placed the Syriac.

That the Syrians had a verfion of the fcripture, at a very early

* A Fac-ftmile of the New Teftament of the Alexandrian manufcript ; the moft curious
piece of workmanfliip that ever came from the prefs, now happily compleated.

f He has, with(.iinremitted indullry, already procured feveral Coptic fragments; and ex-
peifls more from the friendlliip of the prelate Borgia, the prefent moft learned and amiable
prefefl of the Propaganda; whofe zeal to difcover, and readinefs to communicate ufeful old
writings of every kind, are perfeflly congenial to Mr. Woide's own difpofition.

\ Mr. Vilhoifon dlfcovered lately a Greek verfion of the Bible, in St. Mark's library at Ve-
nice, entirely diiferent from that of the Septuagint; but, as it has not yet been publilhed,
we cannot form a proper judgment of it. It has, however, all the appearance of being a
much more modern tranflation, than even that of Symmachus.

PROSPECTUS. 41

period, is indifputable; although the tradition, that carries it back
to the reign of Solomon, deferves no credit. As it is mentioned by
the Greek writers of the fecond century, it mufl: have been then
generally known ; and may, therefore, without temerity, be afcri-
bed to the apoflolic age. Hence it is evident, that a genuine copy
of it would be highly valuable ; as it would, not only point out the
changes which the Hebrew text may have undergone, from the
time it had been firft tranflated into Greek; but, alfo, ferve to cor-
roborate many good readings, and corredl many bad ones, of both
the Greek tranflation, and the Hebrew original. In this lafl refpecl,
it would be more ufeful than any other verfion. Of all the Oriental
dialedls, the Syriac approaches the nigheft to the Hebrew ; and the
Syriac tranflator follows his text fo clofely and literally, that he
may be faid to give a tranfcript, rather than a tranflation. But
his work has had the fate of all ancient books : it has come down
to us greatly disfigured, by the negligence of copyifts, and the au-
dacity of pretended corredlors. It was publiflied, not very faithfully,
by Gabriel Sionita, in the Paris polyglott, from a manufcript in the
French king's library. The editors of the London polyglott had
it partly corredled on three other exemplars : but it is ftill exceed-
ingly faulty *, and a collation of it with all the manufcripts that can
be found, and with the writings of the ancient Syriac fathers, is ex-

* Several letters of tlie Syriac alphabet are more eafily miftaken for one another, than
even thofe of the Hebrew; and this has been one moft fertile fource of errors.

42 PROSPECTUS.

tremely defirable. I have hopes, that the gentlemen of the Maronite-
college at Rome maybe prevailed upon to undertake a confiderable
fhare of fo ufeful a work *.

Of much the fame affinity of idiom to the Hebrew with the Sy-
riac, are the Chaldee verfions ; made for the ufe of the Jews, after
the Hebrew had ceafed to be a living language. Thefe are of vari-
ous forts and different qualities, from the fervile tranflation to the
loofeft paraphrafe; and from an almoft pure Babylonifla diale(fb to
the moil barbarous rabbinical jargon. They are not, confequently,
all of the fame utility : yet the very worfl of them will be found to
have its ufe; and, even from the dunghill of the Jerufalem Targum,
a pearl may be here and there picked up. The moft ancient and
accurate is that of Onkelos, who tranflated only the Pentateuch.
From a refemblance of name, he has been confounded with Aquila,
the author of the Greek verfion. The Rabbins, indeed, will have
their Onkelos to be much more ancient; but there is fome reafon
CO think he muft have been of a flill latter date. Be that as it may,
he fticks clofely to his text ; which, it is evident, could not, in ma-
ny places, be the fame with our prefent Maforetic copies. Next
to him in rank, but at a great diftance, (lands Jonathan with his
Targums. The reft are an obfcure and anonymous herd ; whofeem
to vie with one another, which fhall advance the greateft abfurdi-

• See the note f page 34.

PROSPECTUS. ^

ties. The leafl ridiculous among them are they, who paraphrafed

the Pfalms and Proverbs.

Although the Arabic verfions, at lead fuch of them as have been

made from the Hebrew, are of a much latter period than the other
Oriental tranflations ; and, therefore, not of the fame utility for cor-
reifling the originals ; yet we cannot fubfcribe to the opinion of thofe,
who think them of little or no ufe at all, for that purpofe. The
verfion of Saadias * is as old as the tenth century ; and exhibits a
faithful though not verbal tranflation of the Hebrew copies he worked
tipon. I have found fome excellent readings in it; and I wonder
that Houbigant fliould have preferred to it the novel and bar-
barous African verfion publifhed by Erpenius. The African
verfion, however, is not without its ufe. Being extremely literal,
it gives us a good idea of the flate of the Hebrew text, at the time
of its being made ; and furnifties us with many etymological helps
to difcover the meaning of obfcure Hebrew words. But a more
valuable Arabic verfion than cither of thefe, made from the Sama-
ritan Pentateuch, lies yet in manufcript ; of which a fpecimen from
the Barberini triglott was publifhed by Hwiid in the year i 780.

* I do not here enter into a difcuffion of thofe much agitated queftlons. Whether the
Arabic verfion in our polyglotts be a primary or a fecondary tranflation? whether Saadias-
Gaon be the fume with Said of Fiumi? or wliether he tranflated only the Pentateuch? Thefe
points will probably be the fubjeft of a particular differtation. It is enough for me at prefent,
that the Arabic verfion has, partly at leaft, been certainly either made from, or retouched
upon the originals.

F 2 -

44 PROSPECTUS.

There are feveral other copies of it in Europe; and we join our
warmefl wiilies to thofe of F. Georgi *, that the joint labours of the
learned of all countries and communions may foon give us a com-
pleat edition of it. Let F. Georgi himfelf fet the example by pro-
curing a collation of the manufcripts of Italy ; which in his pre-
fent ftation, he can eafily dof. The reft feems to be deflined for
Woide or Maldenhover X-

We come now to the famous Latin Vulgate, which, for eleven
hundred years, was the general text-book of all the Weftern
churches ; and is ftill the public Scripture ftandard, in thofe of the
Roman communion. The firft Latin vernons of the Bible wera
made from the Greek of the Septuagint, and as the Greek copies
greatly varied, the Latin verfions varied ftill more ; becaufe they
were not only done from different architypes, but alfo by many
different hands : for every one, fays St. Auguftine, who had got a
tindlure of Greek learning, fell to tranflating for himfelf; fo that
before the end of the fourth centviry, the traiiflations had become
innumerable j|.

To remedy this glaring inconvenience, St, Jer.om undertook to

* See his elegant letter to Hwiid, printed with tlie above fpecimen.

f I believe he is now General of the order of Dominican Friars.

J I am juft now told that this gentleman, well known for his German tranflalion of Job,
has already collated fome of the Arabic manufcripts at Oxford; and continues to enrich his
colleftion from other libraries, particularly thofe cf Spain.

11 See St. Auguftine Dc dodrina Chrijiiana, lib. ii. cap. 2.

PROSPECTUS. 45

revife that which was chiefly ufed, and known by the name of
Italic, on the mofl: corredl copies of the Greek. Having now oc-
cafion to confult the works of Origen he foon perceived that the
Greek itfelf was in many places corrupted ; or, at leafl, that it dif-
fered widely from the Greek verfions, that had been more recent-
ly made from the Hebrew ; and this it probably was, that gave
him the firft idea of the neceffity of a new tranflation. For that
purpofe, he applied eagerly to the fludy of the Hebrew language,
confulted the mofl learned of the Jewilh docflors, compared all the
Greek verfions with one another and with the original ; and, at
length, convinced of the infufficiency of the old Latin verfion,
even with all his own corre(5lions and improvements, he ferioufly
fet about making a new one, from the beft Hebrew copies he could
procure. This he accomplifhed at different intervals, and rather
by ftarts than a continued labour, in the fpace of fifteen years ; a-
midft: many contradi(fl:ions, reproaches, and the mod bitter invec-
tives.

For fcarcely had his firft effays made their appearance, when
the cry from every quarter was fet up againft them, as a daring
and dangerous innovation; that tended to difcredit a verfion fo long
ufed in the Latin church, and made from one generally believed
to have been the work of the Holy Ghoft.

Although Jerom, confcious of the redlitude of his intentions
and of the goodnefs of his caufe, defpifed, at firft, the unjuft and

46 PROSPECTUS.

invidious cavils of his adverfaries; yet they were fo often re-
peated, and countenanced by fuch high charadlers in the church,
that he w2iS fain to yield to the neceffity of the times, and to make
apology after apology for his condudl. Still, however, he con-
tinued to tranflate, without following any other order than what the
requefts of his particular friends occafionally fuggefledtohim. The
four books of Kings were firft publiflied in the year 391 ; foon af-
ter followed the Prophets ; then the books of Solomon, Job, the
Pfalms, Ezra, Nehemiah, Chronicles; and, lad of all, the 0(5la-
teuch *, about the year 405. By this time, the ftorm, that had
been raifed againft him, was nearly blown over; and he lived to
fee his labours applauded by fome of thofe who had been the firft
to condemn them. In lefs than a century after his death his ver-
fion had become of equal authority with its now only rival, the
Italic ; and gradually grew in eflimation, till, at length, it was,
with fome limitations, univerfally adopted by the Latin churches.
In many refpedls it deferved that preference. It had been made
immediately from the original, by one who had every neceffary
qualification for fuch an undertaking. His learning, whether fa-
cred or profane, was not lefs extenfive than Origen's; his judgment
and tafte were more corredl and exquifite. He had a perfetfl know-
ledge of the Greek and Latin languages ; and was fufficiently ver-

* The five books of Mofes, Jofliua, Judges and Ruth.

PROSPECTUS. 47

fed in the Hebrew *. He had corre(5\ copies of the Hexapla, if
not the autograph itfelf, before him. He was at no great diftance
from a famous fchool of Jewifii Rabbins, whom he might confuk
as he faw occafion. He had traverfed the land with his own feet,
and feen with his own eyes the principal places mentioned in fa-
cred hiftory. He was acquainted with the manners and c\ifl:oms
of the country. He knew its plants, its animals and its other
produdlions. With all thefe advantages, and his fuperior talents, it
was impoflible he Ihould not fucceed. He adopted, in general, that
mode of tranllating, which had been before fo much admired in
Symmachus ; and which, indeed, is the beft calculated to exprefs
the full meaning of the original, without either hurting its inte-
grity, or transferring its idiotifms. His flile is plain, eafy and un-
affecfted; and, although his Latinity is not that of the Auguflan
age, it is neither barbarous nor inelegant. In his didion and phra-
feology there is a peculiar grace and noble hmplicity, which it is
not eafy to imitate ; and which no other Latin verfion, except that
of Houbigant, in any degree pofTefTes.

The work of St, Jerom is not, however, completely perfeift ; alas !
what work of man ever was ? He frequently renders not all his text,

* St. Jerom's great knowledge of the Hebrew has been called in queftion by Lc Clerc,
and warmly aflerted by Martianay and others; who, in tlieir zeal for the honour of the holy
doftor, forgot, fometimes, the rules of good breeding. Le Clerc's alTertions were to be
combated by reafonings, not by injuries. St. Jerom certainly knew more of the, Hebrew
language than any other Weftern Chriftian of his day: he knew much more than Origen;
but he was inferior, in that refped, to many moderns.

4« PROSPECTUS,

he fometimes gives more than it contains, and he not feldom mif-
takes its meaning. For the fake of perfpicuity he is often too dif-
fufe, and for the fake of brevity he is fometimes obfcure. He
changes proper names into appellatives, and appellatives into pro-
per names. He makes improper divifions of colons and periods ;
and, on fome occafions, he is either carelefs or hally *. Add to
this, that he feems not to have been always guided by the fame
rules of tranflating. Hence, there is a remarkable want of uni-
formity throughout: fome parts being tranllated more, others lefs
literally ; and fome even bordering on paraphrafe. But flill the
greateft imperfedlion of St. Jerom's verfion arifes from too great
a confidence in his Jewifli guides, and from his being prepofleft
with an idea, that the Hebrew copies were then abfolutely fault-
lefs. This leads him to blame the Septuagint in many places,
where they are not blameable, and where they read and render
better than he. But whatever little original flaws may be in
this jewel, it is ftill a gem of great value; and we are perfedlly
agreed with F. Fabricy, as to die propriety and importance of hav-

* It is aftonifliing wiili what rapidity he (Inick off his tranflations. The three books of So-
lomon he calls " the works of tliree days." That of Tobias he finilhed in one, although he
liad it to tranflate out of a language he did not well know, through the medium of another
that was more familiar to him. Such difpatch in a modem tranflator would be deemed
downright precipitation. But this circumftance, while it accounts for fome negligences and
overfights, is the flrongeft proof of his comprehenfive genius, quick conceptions, and the moft
wonderful facility in writing that has ever been known, Erafnius, perhaps, came the nigheft
to him in all thcfe refpeifls.

PROSPECTUS. 49

ing the dirt and ftraws, that have in the courfe of time ftuck to it
and obfcured its luftre, efFedlually wiped away. This can be done
only by a collation of manufcripts, and I know no body of men
more proper to undertake the work, than the learned of F. Fabri-
cy's own order.

When the Weflern churches adopted St. Jerom's verfion, they
did not adopt it without referve. Many particular parts and fome
whole books of the Italic were ftill retained ; and feveral correc-
tions from Aquila, Theodotion and Symmachus, as well as from
the Maforetic Hebrew were occafionally introduced. This medley
obtained, from its general reception, the name of Vulgate.

It has undergone many corredions and alterations at different
periods. Towards the end of the eighth century it was re vi fed by
Alcuin at the defire of Charlemagne. In the twelfth it was, with
the affiflance of fome Jews, made more conformable to the Hebrew
by Stephen abbot of Citeaux *. It was again, in the next age,
corredled with great care and labour by the French Dominicans ;
and enriched with a number of various readings, not only from
Latin manufcripts, but alfo from the Hebrew and Greek copies f ,
This mod ufeful work, by that conjunflLve and fabordinate induf-

* Ciftertium.

f The autograph of this correSlorium is to be feen in the library of the Dominicans, rue St,
y acquis, Vaus. A good account of it is given by Fabricy (Titresprimitifs torn. ii.p. 132^)
It is to be regretted that the projei5l of making a f;iir copy of it, formed in 1 749, did not take
place; though it is not doubted but it will be refumedand executed in the bed manner.

50 PROSPECTUS.

try that diftinguiilies religious focietles, was foon multiplied or a-
bridged over all the Order ; and was confidered as a fort of canoa
to correifl other manufcripts by.

Whether they, Avho gave the firfl printed edition at Mayencc
in the year 1462, ufed it; or what manufcript ferved them for an
architype, it is not known. One thing is certain ; the firft printed
editions are extremely faulty. That which was publiflied in the
year 1515, in the Complutenfian polyglott, is more correal than
any that preceded it ; but as the corredlions were not always made
on the authority of manufcripts, and as the editors have not told
us what other fources they drew from, we read it with doubt and
diftruft. The firft who gave a good copy of the Vulgate was the
celebrated Robert Stevens. All his editions are correcl and beau-
tiful; but that of 1540 Is fuperlatively fo. It was made from
fourteen defcrlbed manufcripts, and the three principal printed e-
ditionsof Mayence, Bafil and Alcala. It was rcpubllflied with fome
alterations by Hentennius in 1547; with various readings from
thirty manufcripts ; which are accurately defcrlbed. Henten-
nlus's edition was Improved by Lucas Brugenfis; and publlfhed,
with his long promlfed annotations, in 1580; and again, more
fplendidly, in 1583 *.

Seventeen years were now elapfed fince the Council of Trent had

• Of the fame year, there is an elegant ajid commodious edition of it in fmall oftavo.
Both are by Plantin.

PROSPECTUS. s\

decreed the Vulgate to be an authentic copy of Scripture; and or-
dered it to be henceforth (exclufively of all other Latin verfions)
univerfally ufed and appealed to. The charge of having it care-
fully corredled, and accurately printed, was committed to the Ro-
man Pontif ; but little had been done during the troublefome reigns
of Pius IV. and Pius V. fo that Sixtus V. who was born for great
things, had the honour of executing the great commiflion. He
had already, as has been faid, given an excellent edition of the
Greek verfion of the Septuagint, in 1587; and he now gave, in
1590 * the firft entire Latin Bible that was publiflied by papal au-
thority.

But neither papal authority itfelf, nor the anathemas denounced
againfl thofe who fhould prefume to alter the fmalleft particle of
it, could procure it a long duration. The imperious and unpopu-
lar Sixtus was hardly cold in his grave, when the copies of his e-
dition were called in and fupprefled f ; and a new one, with above
two thoufand alterations, was publiflied, in 1592, by Clement VIH.
of which all the other editions, that have fince been made, are
literal copies if.

* The bull of publication is dated in 1 589, but the book was not made public till the year
after.

•j- It was pretended that Sixtus himfelf had refolved on the fuppreflion; but of this there is
ao proof, and little probability.

X When 1 lay literal copies, I do not mean that there have been no changes made in the
Vulgate, fince the Clementine edition. It is well known that many little correftions, and

G 2

PROSPECTUS.

As to the refpedlive merits of thofe two'editions, the laft is cer-
tainly more corredl and more agreeable to the prefent copies oJj
the originals ; but the firft feems to retain more of the old Vulgate,
and to be better flipported by the authority of manufcripts *.
This was probably one of the reafons that induced the Clementine
editors to exclude all various readings. Bellarmine was for giving
them; but he was over-ruled by his fellow- labourers "f. The c-
miffion was partly fupplied in fome pofterior editions; but the

amendments that had been pwinted'out by Bellarmine and othei-s, have from time to time
been admitted, even into the Vatican imprefHons ; and thence have found their way into moll
other pofterior editions.

* Dr. James, in his Bdlujn Papale, made a minute and invidious collation of the two e-
ditions of Sixtus and Clement ; from which he and others have drawn conclufions not very
favourable to the Roman See. But when the very moft they a(k is granted them, and
when it is allowed that neither of the editions are faultlefs, does it follow that the Vulgate
is not ftill a moft refpeftable tranflation ; or that the council were in the wrong to prefer
it to all other Latin verfions, that had yet appeared ? I fhall have frequent occafions to
juftify it againft the cavils of Amana and other fuch fupercilious and contentious critics; and
to fhew that it is, in many particular paflages, a more genuine copy of Scripture than the
prefent Maforetic text. Indeed the outragious attacks, made on this famous verfion by fome,
not the moft judicious, Proteftant writers, may have, partly, arifen from a defire of retorting
©n fuch indifcreet Catholics, as had thrown unmerited abufe on the original. At prefent,
the learned of both fides are in a fair way of being reconciled, in this one point at leaft ; and
fcem willing to make mutual conccffions. The Catholics are ready to own that the Vulgate
is not fo pure a rivulet, as fome of their too zealous predeceflbrs maintained; and the Prote-
ftants as readily acknowledge that the prefent Hebrew text is not fo untainted a fource as was
long believed- Thus both contribute, in different ways, towards a reeftablifhment of tba
true text. Thofe without hefttation corredl the Vulgate by the original, where tlie Vulgate
is evidently faulty ; and thefe make no fcruple to make ufe of the Vulgate in reftoring the true
text of the original, when the original is evidently or probably corrupted.

j- See his letter to Lucas Brugenlis. , .

F^ R O S P E C T U S; S3

mod ample and valuable colIc(51:ion was publillved at Antwerp by
Lucas Brugenfis in the year 1 6 1 8 : and has finee been fi-equently
republifhed, although never fo correclly. Of latter years, fince
the collation of manufcripts has been revived, fome of the bed Bi-
blical critics have occafionally had recourfe to thofe of the Vulgate ;
and many good readings have been fele(fled from them in particu-
lar books and pafTages. But a more general collation is flill wanted.
When that has been accompliflied, we doubt not but fome zealous
pope will fee the expediency of having the Clementine edition again
revifed, and made more ftriclly conformable to the originals,
wherever there is no well grounded fufpicion of their being cor-
rupted.

A third fource of emendation of the Hebrew text of the Old Tef-
tament, are the quotations from it in the New. Thefe by fome are
ranked with the parallel places above-mentioned, to which indeed
they have a great affinity. They differ, however, in the following
refpedls. Firft, they are in a different language. Secondly, they
are not always made from the original ; but more frequently from
the Septuagint ; and often, probably, from other early verfions.
Thirdly, they are fornetimes qiTOted in fo vague a manner, that we
are at a lofs to know whence they were taken ; or whether they
were meant as flri(5l quotations, or iimple inferences. As a fource
of emendation, therefore, they are to be ufed with great circum-
fpedllon; and the various readings, thatm.ay feem to arife from them.

PROSPECTUS.

are rarelv to be adopted ; and not till every circnmflance has been
weighal with an equal and patient hand. With thefe precautions',
they may be of confiderable ufe ; and we are greatly obliged to
Dr. Randolph, for giving us fo accurate a collation of them with
the Hebrew text and Septuagint vcrfion. It was publifhed at Ox-
ford, with his learned annotations, in the year 1782.

The writings of Philo and Jofephus, the two principal Jewifk
authors of antiquity, after thofc of the Scripture, have alfo been
reckoned among the fources from which fome corredlions of the
Plebrew text may be drawn. The former, who was cotemporarj
with Jefus Chrift, cites, indeed, many pafl'ages of Holy writ ; but
as he was an Hellenifb of Alexandria, and evidently but little ac-
quainted with the Hebrew diale6l, we may fuppofe he followed
the Septuagint ; and therefore, although his quotations are ufeful,
for corroborating or corre<fting the readings of that veriion, they
can be but of fecond hand utility towards the amendment of the
original.

Not fo with regard to Jofephus. He has given us a continued
hiflory of the Jews, extracted from the Hebrew copies of their own
canonical books ; and, at firft, partly written by him in the He-
brew language. Now, although it is not Improbable that he had alfo
before him the Septuagint verfion, when he compofed his Greek
hiftory, we cannot fuppofe that he would, on any account, prefer
it to his originals; and the only fair conclufion we can draw from

PROSPECTUS. £c

his dilagreeing with our prefcnt Hebrew text, where he agrees with
the Septuagint, is that our prefcnt Hebrew text and his Hebrew
text are iiot the fame : confequently, where he depofes againft the
prefent text in favour of the Septuagint, there is great reafon to
fufpecl that the former is corrupted. I fay, reafou to fufped ; for
it by no means amounts to a certain proof; both becaufe the texts
of Jofephus and of the Septuagint have their corruptions too ; and
becaufe there is a probability, at leaft, of fach copies, as we now have
of the one having been in fome places retouched, and made agree-
able to thofe of the other. It is pretty plain, however, that this
is not always the cafe ; and it has been clearly fhewn by Kennicott
and others that the work of Jofephus is often a ufeful commentary,
fometimes a good correHonum of the Hebrew fcriptui^es — Let me
add, that it forms a precious link in the long chain of evidence,
that fupports their authenticity.

In fine, when the corruptions of the text cannct be removed,
either by the collation of manufcripts, or the aid of verfions, inter-
nal analogy or external teflimony ; the lad refource is conjectural
criticifra. — " Conje^lural criticifm !" exclaims the fcripture- zealot,
" are we then to mend the word of God by conjedlure, and fubfli-
" tute our own ideas for the didlates of the Holy Ghoil: ?" Have
patience for a moment, and hear at leaft what may be urged in
favour of the conjedlural critic. Let us firft ftate the queftion as it
ought to be. The conjectural critic does not affume the province

j6 PROSPECTUS.

6f mending the ivord of God: his aim is to purify it as much as pof-
fible from all human admixture: he wifhes not to fubftitute his own
ideas for the di(flates of the Holy Ghoft;, but to reflore thofe dic-
tates to their firft integrity. His wilh is certainly pious, and his
aim commendable ; it remains to be feen, how far he is likely to be
fuccefsful.

I fay then that there are cafes in which the text of an author
may be correcSled and reftored by mere critical conjedlure; fome-
times with the utmofl certainty, fometimes with great appearance
of it, and fometimes only with probability. A few examples from
the firft Englifh book that comes to hand will put this out of all
doubt.

If you fliould read in fome faulty copy of Addifon's firft dialogue
on medals, " Cynthio, Eugenius and Philander had /m/^^f together
" from the town" (which might very eafily happen from the ftrong
refemblance in print of the letters r and /) would you wait for the
authority of a manufcript to reftore thefe letters to their proper
places and read retired? Again, if you read, " Their defign was to
" pafs away the heats fummer," would you hefitate a moment to
fupply the words of tke, or at leaft the word of between heats and
fummer? Once more, if the following words in the fame dialogue
were thus printed, " among the frefti breezes that from rife the
" river," would you deem it any temerity to put rife before from^
where it evidently fliould be placed.

PROSPECTUS. 57

In the above examples, the emendations would be all of the ut-
moft certainty. I will now produce fome that would be the next
thing to certain, Suppofe we read, in the fame place ; " and the
" agreeable /«r(f of fliades and fountains," wemuil perceive that fome-
thing is wanting before tiire, and we Ihall have little doubt that it is mix.
Again; " in which the whole country naturally" — naturally^ what?
why, moft probably, "abounds:" though, abfolutely, it might per-
haps be fome other fynonymous word.

But there are cafes where the emendation would be but barely
probable, as in the following example : " They were all three well
«< verfed in the politer of learning, and had travelled into the moft
" nations of Europe." We know fome word is wanting after pO'
liter, but we can only form a probable conjeclure what word it is.
It is probably parts, it may be bratiches; but fome fuch word it mufl
be. It is ftill harder to fay what word fliould precede nations, or
whether there is not a word too much in this part of the fentence :
for we may fill it up by inferting the word refined between mojl and
nations ; or by throwing out the word the before moji : and both
emendations would be almoft equally probable.

It would be eafy to bring fimilar and flill more flriking inftances
from the Latin, Greek and other dead languages .; but thefe, I
prefume, are more than fufficient to evince, that the text of an au-
thor may be corrected, fometimes with certainty, and fometimes
with probability, from conjeclure alone.

This, indeed, will be readily allowed with regard to other writ-

58 PROSPECTUS,.

ings ; but the Bible ! the Bible ! Is the original text of the Brble
to be corrected in the fame manner ? With a proper deference and
due diftincfllon, I anfwer, undoubtedly it is. If in Ben-chaim's
edition of the Hebrew text, for example, one of the commandments
had been thus exprcffed; " Thou Ihalt commit adultery," as it is
faid to have been once printed in an edition of the Englifh Bible :
muft pofterior editors have waited for manufcript authority to re-
flore the negative particle ? Or if, in the example adduced by Hou-
bigant, it were written in our prefent text, through a miftake not
unfrequent with the Maforetes, " Thou flialt adore thy God, and
*' not ferve him." Mufl that wicked not remain there, becaufc we
have no manufcript at hand to corredl it by ^ Surely, furely, he
mud be fcrupuloufly fearful of profaning the Scripture, who would
reje6l an emendation, that refcues the Scripture itfelf from evident
impiety; under pretext, that it is but a conjecflural correiftion *.

" * To make this matter ftill more eviJent, ar.d to e?:pofe the abfurdity of thofe who main-
tain, that no conjeftural emendations of the Hebrew text are admiffible; let us put the cafe,
that our Englifli Bible were the original Scripture; and that in all the copies of it, whether
printed or manufcript, the fixth verfe of the fecond chapter of Ezekiel run thus (ns it a(5lu-
ally does in an edition I have feen:) " Though briars and thorns be with thee, and though
" thou deft -well among fcorpions ; be not afraid, &c." Let us alfo fuppofe that this reading
were prior to all tranflations made from the fuppofed original, and could not, confequently,
be reifllficd by their means; would a critic of the fmalleft penetration, fufficiently acquainted
with the '3'rammar and genius of the Englifli language, and who had maturely confidered the
context and the fcope of the prophet's words, be at a lofs to perceive, or unwarranted to af-
firm, that a li had been dropt out of the text, and that the original reading muft have been
diuell? Or, {liould he find (as Archbifliop Seeker found in the edition he ufeJ) in Philip. I.

PROSPECTUS. 59

It is true, however, that all criticifm, and particularly facrcd
criticifm, has its due bounds; and nothing is more eafy or more
common, than to exceed them. A young man of genius and ap-
plication, who has got a certain tindure of Greek and Hebrew
learning; and is able, with the help of a Lexicon, to read his Bible
in the original, is but too apt to think he has made wonderful dif-
coveries; and fancies he has hit on the genuine meaning of a thou-
fand obfcure paflages, that had efcaped every prior tranflator. But
if he poflefs but a fmall fhare of good fenfe, and be not too eager
to publifli his crude efTays, he will foon begin to percieve that he
has been precipitate in his march, and will tread the ground over
again with a more fleady and cautious flep. He will not, now,
cry out Eureka at the firfl appearance of a difcovery, however fpe-
cious. He will carefully examine it in every point of view, fug-
geft to himfelf every obje6lion that is likely to be made againft it,
and adopt it only after mature difcuflion and full conviction. By
proceeding in this manner, he will certainly make fewer difcover-
ies; but thofe he makes will be more to the purpofe. In propor-
ti"bn as he advances in this difficult and dangerous career, he will
move with ftill greater warinefs ; become every day more diffident

16. " to ad dafHi(fticn to my bonds;" or in Pfalm xixi. 10. " my life isfpent with grief and
my ears witli fighing;" or i Timothy i. 2. Grace, mercy, peace from God our Father and
Jefus Chriil of L,ord;" would he be rafh in conjefluring that ofiho\x\dht our; ears, years ; and
ad daffliaion, add affliction? I hardly think that any one in his right fenfes, would find fault
with fuch emendations-, though made without the authorityof either manufcript or verfion.

H 2

6o PROSPECTUS.

of his critical acumen j doubt of many of his former affumptions;
often find himfelf conflrained to admit as highly plaufible, what
he had once rejedled as abfurd; and be contented with offering an-
opinion, where he had before uttered a decifion. Such is the pro-
cedure of the fage and fober critic, whether he has to corre<5l his
text, or to explain it when corredled.

To give a minute detail of all the rules, and exceptions from
the rules, that ought to guide him as he goes along, and which he
never ought to lofe fight of, would alone make a volume as large
as Defpauter. But they are all ultimately reducible to the four
following general and comprehenfive canons, the ufe of which is
not limited to conjectural criticifm only; bvit extends to every o-
ther fovirce of emendation.

The firfl canon is, never to fuppofe that the text is corrupted,
without the mofl cogent and convincing reafons. For if, as the
judicious Rollin remarks, when' altering the text of any author is
in queflion, one muft be, as it Vv-ere, compelled to it by a fort of
abfolute necefTity, and have almoft an evidence of the corruption ;
how miich more flriclly is this rule to be obfervcd, with regard to
the text of Scripture ? ,

The fecond canon is, never to have rccourfe to conje<5lural criti-
cifm, until every other fource has been tried and exhaufled; for it
would be ridiculous to exert even the greatefl ingcnviiry, in gucf-
fing, when we may attain our end, by readier and lefs deceptious
means.

PROSPECTUS. 6i

The third — Let all coiTe<5lions be confiftent with the text and
with one another ; that is to fay, let there be nothing in the cor-
recSlion that does not perfectly agree with what precedes and fol-
lows, and that is not fupported by grammatical analogy.

The fourth — Infert no corre(5lion, however plaufible or even cer-
tain, in the text, without warning the reader, and diftingiufliing
it by a proper note.

Thefe canons ftridlly adhered to, and dlfcreetly ufed, we fee no
danger in correcling the Hebrew text. Nay, vintil it be thus cor-
rected, we fliall never have a good tranflation of it.

Bat the corruptions of the prefent text are not the fole difficulty
the tranflator has to furmount. To afcertain the true meaning is
often as hai'd as to afcertain the true reading ; and this has been a-
nother great caufe of the imperfection of modern tranflations : a
caiife which, perhaps, will never be w^holly removed.

There is no language fo compleatly copious and diflindlive as to
have a different "jocable for every diirerent idea. Our own, after
aJl the refinement it has received, is wonderfully defedlive in this
rcfpedl ; and we yet want a great number of terms to exprefs the
vafl variety of our conceptions. Hence it requires no fmall fkill in
the Art of writing, to avoid, at all times, equivocation or amphibo-
logy.

But this is much more fenfibly perceived in the Hebrew than,
perhaps, any other language. The paucity of its compounds, the

62 PROSPECTUS,

uncertainty of its derivations, the frequent coincidences and confi-
milarities of its inflexions, an almoft: total want of ab{lra<5ls and
modifiers, the many and multifarious fignifications of the fame
particle — thefe and other fimilar obftacles impede the tranllator's
progrefs at every ftep, and oblige him to grope his way with great
caution and diffidence.

Befides, even the radical fignification of many words is extremely
uncertain : nor needs this at all to furprize us. If there are terms
and phrafes in Shakcfpeare, who wrote in our own language and
touched almoft on our own days, already become unintelligible to
our beft gloflarifts ; how difficult muft it be to decypher the words
of a language, that has ceafed to be a living one for two thoufand
years ; is all contained in one not bulky volume ; and of which fe-
veral words and modes of expreffion occur but feldom, or only once ?

Add to thefe the difficulties that arife from the great diverfity
of ftile in the different Hebrew writers, from references to monu-
ments that no more exift ; from frequent allufions to fadls that are
not recorded or but barely hinted ; from proverbial fayings, poeti-
cal licences, uncommonly bold metaphors, and obfcure allegories :
not to mention the very great difference of laws, manners and local
ufages ; which are well known to have great influence on the lan-
guage of a nation, and mull: have particularly aflre(fted that of the
Jews, who, in thofe refpe(5ls, fo widely differed from all other nations.
Whoever confiders all this duly, will be convinced, even without

PROSPECTUS, 63.

the light of experience, that the route of the Bible-tranflator is nei-
ther finoorh nor even ; and that it behoves him to walk in it with,
the utmoft wariiief*.

It may, neverthelefs, be coniidently affirmed, diat the greatefl
part of thofe who have entered into it for thefe laft three hundred •
years, have voluntarily put out their own eyes, and allowed them-
felves to be led on by the word of guides. The fame impofing fet
of men, who had the audacity and art to make the Chriftian world
believe that they had preferved the text of their Scriptures in its ori-
ginal integrity, by a pretended enumeration of every word and let-
ter, found it equally eafy to perfwade them, that the true reading,
and meaning had alfo been preferved by the pundluation of every
fylliible, and the diftindlion of every paufe. This was a fecond part
of that wonderful Masora, without which the Hebrew text was
fuppcfed to be a mere dead letter, a nofe of wax, a body without
a foul *.

I will not here engage in the much agitated controverfy about
the antiquity and authority of the vowel points. Capelkis, Maf-
clef, Houbigant and Sharp have nearly exhaufted the fubjedl; and
the efforts, that have been made to refute their arguments, have
only fliewn more clearly how invincible they are. The vowel
points, whether they be the fruit of the fifth or of the tenth cen-
tury, are certainly a rabbinical, and, in many refpedls, but a pue-

* Nafum cereum, corpus expers ai:imae. Guarin. pi aefy.t. in Gram. Heb.

!64 PROSPECTUS.

rile produ<ftlon *. Confidered, indeed, as a mere human work
they may be allowed to have Ibme little utility. They fhew us
how the Hebrew was pronounced at the time of their invention.

* To give the reader, who is not acquainted with Hebrew grammar, fome, not un-
favourable, idea of Maforetic punduation, let us fuppofe that tlT£ prefent Englffh verfion oi
the Bible were the original ; and written, as die original formerly was, in one uniform cha-
racter, and without any of our modern marks of (iiilindlion. In this fuppofition, the text
would run thus :

INTHEBEGINNINGGODCREAT
EDTHEHEAUENANDTHEEARTH

Let us next fuppofe that fome ingenious pedagogue, remarking the great diflPerencc be-
tween this orthography and the prefent orthoepy; and obferving, alfo, that fo clofe and
conneded an arrangement of words and letters is attended with fome difEculty to unpraflifed
readers; fliould fet himfelf to contrive expedients,' to remove thofe inconveniences; and, for
that purpofe, ftiould reafon in tlie following manner : " Our alphabet has but five vowels to
" exprefs fifteen vocal founds; — Some of our confonants vary their powers according to their
'< fituatlon; and fome of them have occafionally no power at all. The fame letter is fome-
" times an afpirate and fometimes not. Many words have more than one fignification with
" out any difference in the mode of utterance. Our written language has no paufal marks,
" and our profody is not regulated by any tonic diftinftions. To remedy thefe evils, and to
" fix the true Englifh pronunciation for all time to come, let our fifteen vowel founds be re-
«' prefented by as many different fymbols.

" A open by T E Ihort by • • O long by •

" A clofe by ■• E obfcure by , O Ihort by .^ •

" A broad by f\ I long by _, U long by «

" A flender by _, I fliort by . U Ihort by •

" Elong by , , I French by • U Englilh .

•

" Then, let the hard founds of C and G, I and V confonants, and all quiefcents be marked
" with a dot above, and the afpirate H and hiffing S with a fmall horizontal line. — Let all
" words be feparated by proper fpaces, and diftinguifhed by proportionate paufes. Let

• TheJymhoU of I Jhort, hug, and U long, are tbt fame; but thi jirjl h placed below the line, the feeottd above,
tiii the lift in the middle.

PROSPECTUS.^ 65

They diftinguifli, although not always juftly, the different accep-
tations of the fame or nearly limilar words. In our prefent faulty
text, they often fupply the want of many formative letters ; and,

" A full paufe be marked thus

/I tuu pauie De marKea tnus • -»

A fmaller paufe thus ^ C ^'^^^ below the line.

" A (till fmaller paufe thus • ? 1 .1 1 1 i- »

•^ ^ both above the line.

" And the fmalleft of all thus K J

He faid, and (Iraightway fell to work: and lo! the whole Bible, in his induflrious hands,
aiTumed in due time this rare appeal ancc.

IN THE BEGINNING GOD CREA

• • • •A* •• •• •

TED THE HEAUEN AND THE EARTH
• • •»• •• • — • ••• •■••

» •♦ • • ■ •• •»!••

It is of no importance, whether thefe fymbols, which are indeed the very rabbinical points,
are as accurately combined, and adapted to our language, as they might be: they are fuffi-
clently fo to exprefs the idea that is meant to be conveyed; and now, my good reader, what
think you of this improvement? " The diftinftion of words, you will fay, is well enough: tlie
«< marks of paufalion, though multiplied without neceflity, may alfo have their ufc : but to
" attempt to fix a pronunciation that is ever fladluating, and tones that are continually
" changing, by any other rules than the prefent ufage, and the pracftice of the befi; fpeakcrs,
" is a foolilh and fruitlefs attempt. For how are the powers of thefe very fymbols afcertain-
" ed, but by an immediate appeal to living founds and the now prevailing modes of utterance ?
" If thefe happen to change, as we know they imperceptibly do, what will be the ufe of your
«• boafted fymbols at any future period? and by what canons will the'tr refpedlive powers be
" afcertained? Granting even, that they had, like Ezekiel's myftic wheels, a living and felf-in-
" terpretating fpirit within them, that could effeiftually and for ever arreft fo iieeting a thing
" as vocal air; why is their pofition in the text fo awkward and unnatural ? Why are they ge-
" nerally placed, not beneath tlie vowels, the various powers of which tliey are fuppofed
•< to denote, but beneath the preceding or following confonant?" Stop, my lioneR friend;
you are now quite miftaken: there are, no more, any vowels in the Englilh alphabet.
" What? a, e, i, 0, ti, not vov.'els?" By no means: they are all confonants ; muteconfonants! —
Have you any thing more to objeiS? — " I have: Such a motley multitude of pricks and points

66 PROSPECTUS.

thereby, ferve to more readily difcriminate genders, numbers, per-
fons, moods and tenfes ; although here, too, the difcrimination is
often arbitrary and fometimes manifeftly Avrong. In Ihort, they
are a kind of grammatical comment on the text ; and, if they had
never been puflied forward in any other light, they might have
been permitted to hold a fubordinate rank among works of the fame
nature: but to impofe them upon us as of divine authority, was
the height of impudence, and to receive them as fuch the height
of credulity.

As fuch, however, they were generally received by almoft all

" disfigure the beauty and fymmetry of the text, and often confufe the mind, as much as they-
" bewilder the eye; andl diflike every thing that produceth confufion." Good! But what if
our pedagogue had crowded the fcene with a whole hoft more of regal and miniflertal atten-
dants (for fo the Hebrew grammarians denominate their accents) with fakeph-katons and
fakeph-gad'Ji ; pajhtas znd karr.eparas ; JJy.ilJljalctb TiXid mercakephalas, and twenty other fuch
barbarous names ; of which, although it requires a little code of laws to marfhal them, and
although Bohlius is faid to have in vain employed feven long years for diat laudable purpofe,.
yet neither he nor any one clfe could ever point out the ufes? What, if inftead of the true En-
glifh pronunciation, he had given, you a Scotch or Iriih one? What if even his divifion of words
and fenlences were often not only trifling but palpably erroneous ? What if other pedagogues,
improving on his improvements, had thrown out, by degrees, the original vowels, now be-
come ufelefs lumbsi; and if inftead o( GOD, HEAVEN, EARTH, you were prefcnted
with GD, HVN, ERTH, befpattered with pricks and patches as above ? What if fuch ellfions
were called natural anomalies of Englifh grammar? What — " Sweep all that traOi away,"
you would undoubtedly exclaim, "and give me again the plain old unpointed text of myBible."
Such trafh is the greateft part of the Maforetic points, which rabbinical pedagogues would
impofe upon us as tlie only fure interpreter of the Hebrew fcripturc! Whoever wifhes to fee,
to what degree of abfurdity.or infanity,cven Chriftian writers have been led by this impofition,
may read Wafmuih's Iiiflitulions; Oufcl dc accsntuat'nnt Hehraka; or Walter Crofs's Tagh-
mica! art, publiflied at London in the year 1698.

PROSPECTUS. 6?

Proteflant communions *, from this ridiculous notion, that if they
were once allowed to be a human invention, the infallibility of the
Scripture, as a rule of faith, would be precarious; and the funda-
mental article of Proteftantifin be overturned at one blow. This
blow, neverthelefs, a Proteftanc divine f was not afraid to ftrike;
and he flruck it fo effedlually, that all the rabbinical learning and
dialeclical Ikill of the Buxtorfs were not able to ward it.

But what could not be done by fklll or learning, was done by
dint of authority. In the year 1679 a fpecial canon was framed
at Geneva and adopted by all the Helvetian churches ; by which it
was decreed that no one Ihould in future be admitted to the facred
miniflry, who did not publicly acknowledge the Maforetic text to
be divine and authentic ; both as to coiifonantsX and votvels. They
had only one flep further to go ; and that v/as, to decree the my-
fteries of the Cabbala to be of divine origin.

Although the Geneva canon, backed by reams of annual thefes
from the Dutch univerfities, fufpended for a while the fate of the

* This is the more remarkable, as the firfl Reformers and their dilciples, for nearly a cen-
tury, were of a very different opinion (fee Hody d^ ttxt. original, p. 553.) But there is a caufe
for every thing. The difpute about the yiidge of controverfies had been warmly agitated be-
tween tiiem and the Catholic party; and they thought they could not batter anfwer feme
troublcfome obje^ions of the latter, than by maintaining that the vowel points were of divine
origin. What is ftill more ftrange, there were fome few Catholics of the fame opinion. Even
Arias Montanus leans that way ; and Poftellus vs-ent further than ever did Jew or Proteftant ;
he affirmed that God himfelf had made a prefent of the Mafora to Adam.
■ -j- Louis Cappel a French Calvinift and profeflbr of the Hebrew at Saumur.

J In the language of that time, all the letters of the Hebrew alphabet were called confonants.

I 2

68 PROSPECTUS.

Maforetic Dagon, it could not long prevent its downfal. The moft
learned of all countries were generally on the fide of Capellus ; and
their auxiliary attacks were the more fuccefsful, as fome of them
were deferters from, the other party and knew its weakefl holds.
Still fome feeble efforts were made, from time to time, to fupport
the tottering idol : but he now feems tO: lie proftrate on the threfh-
old of his own temple, never, we apprehend, to be raifed again*.
But if we rej^iSt the Maforetic points and accents, what fliall we
fubftitute in their place ? Mufl we dived the text of every .thing
but the bare elements, and divide and explain it as we pleafe ? Not
as we pleafe but as we ought, and in the fame manner we fhould
divide and explain any other author. The firft part of this taflc
will indeed be eafy, if we have accompliflied the latter. The true
meaning once afcertained, the neceffary divifions will readily pre-
fent themfelves : nor is it material whether they be always the mod
proper that might be found, or not. It is fufficient that they cre-

* The lad publication in this conntiy in favour of die Maforetic fyftem is, 1 believe, Uie
fecond edition of a Hebrew grammar, in Latin, by Dr. James Robertfon, profefibr of the ori-
ental languages in the Univerfity of Edinburgh; printed tliere in 1783. In the preface, notes,
and appendix to this viork, the learned profelTor has coUefted from the Buxtorfs, Leufden^
Schultens, Guarin, the French encyclopedifts, Memoires de literature, &c. the moft plaufible
arguments that have been urged by the puniftuifts fince the beginning of the controverfy.
The appendix and part of the notes are chiefly intended to combat the oppofite fyftem as a-
dopted and defended by profelTor Wilfon of the Univerfity of St. Andrews; who had, the yc;ir
before, publiflied, for the ufe of his own clafs, Eletmnts of Hcbretxi Grarm/uir; which, confidered
as an elementary book, wants nothing to recommend it to the public but a better litbiew type.
His ahtagonift has been far more fortunate in his printer.

PROSPECTUS. 69-

ate no embarraiTment or confufion, by disjoining what ought to be
Gonnedled ; or by connedling what ought to be disjoined, as the
Maforetic divifions not leldom do *.

The great objedl, then, is to come at the true fignliicatlon of e-
very word and fentence ; and this, I affirm from experience, we flialL
better acconiphfli with an unpointed text before us, than with a
pointed one: efpecially if, in the latter cafe, we fit down to traa-
flate, prepoffefled with an idea, that the points are to be our only
guides.

I fay, " only guides:" for I would not exclude them from the
tranQator's notice. They may occafionally be confulted, not as

* This, indeed, ouglit to be reckoned among the caufes of the imperfeftion of modern ver-
frons. For there is hardly a modern tranflator, who has not, more or lefs, been led aftray by
tlie prefcnt divifion and punauationof the Hebrew text; even when the text itfelf is fufficiently
clear and obvious, to make any deviation from it unexcufable. The divifion of the chapters is
often improper, but that of the verfes is infinitely more fo. We are in many places prefcnted
with a full periodical diiiinflion, where there fiiould not be fo much as the fmalkft paufc ; no-
minatives are feparated from their verbs, adjcdlives from their fubftantives, and even letters
and fjllables are cruelly divorced from the words they naturally belong to. " Nothmg," fays
a fenfible writer in the Critical Review (vol. xviii. p. 188.) "has been more injurious lollicfa-
" cred writings, than the common method of dividing them into chapters and verfes ; by which
" means the chain of reafoning is frequently broken, the fentences mangled, the eye mifguid'
" ed, the attention bewildered, and the meaning loft." This is, indeed, high colouring ; but
ftillthe likenefs is true: and there are many inftances, both in the Old and New Tcftament,
ef miftakes and miftranllations from this caufc. Abfurd as the prefcnt divifions often are,
there is yet an almoft abfolute neceffity of retaining them, in feme fliapeor other. According
to them our Concordances and Indexes have been formed; and references and quotations
made for two hundred years back ; it would therefore create much confufion to remove fuch
land-marks. Bui we m.iy remove the evils which they have caufed.

70 PROSPECTUS.

oracles, but as opinions; which we may adopt, or rejecfl, as we
judge it expedient : but, I believe, we Ihall rarely, by their affift-
ance, overcome a real difficulty, which we could not have overcome
without it. Even their greatefl pretended utility, that of fupply-
ing a number of fervile letters which are wanting in our printed
Hebrew Bibles, is in a great meafure fuperfeded by the collation of
manufcripts ; in which we luckily find thofe very letters, which the
pundluifts would have us ridiculoufly believe, were originally want-
ing in the autographs; although the want of them leaves fuch
grammatical irregularities in the text, as no written langxiage ever
acknowledged.

And here I cannot help remarlving, that the Maforetic punctua-
tion has been producftive of the greatefl evil, where it has been cre-
duloufly fuppofed to be the moft produ6tive of good. The real
vocal letters, being once flript of their vocal powers and deemed
quiefcent confonants, were gradually thrown out as iifelefs, or o-
mitted as unnecell'ary ; according to the negligence or caprice of
tranfcribers : for what need is there (they proba'-^y faid) fcrupu-
loufly to retain a 'uau, when a hokm or kibbutz performs its func-
tions ; or ajWwhen its place is fo well fupplied by a hink-katon^
izcre or JegolF* Hence we do not meet with any tv/o manufcripts,

'* The yW and vau are important Hebrew formatives. The firft is the chnra<5tcriruc of the
mafculine plural of noans and of the tranfitivc voice of verbs, not to mention other purpofes
vhich it formerly feems to have ferved; the tnu is the cliaraifleriHic of feminine pluials and

PROSPECTUS. 71

that are alike in thefe particulars ; and by far the greatefl number of
various readings arife from the accidental or intentional omiflion
of thofe two letters.

But if the Mafora is confidered as an unfure and infufficient
guide, to lead us to the true meaning of the Hebrew fcriptures,
what other methods lliall we take to attain our end ? The very
fame we take to underlland the Greek and Latin authors. We
muft, firft of all, learn the grammar and vocabulary of the lan-
guage; we mull (ludy its peculiar ftru(5lure and genius; obferve its
fingularities, anoinalies, and analogy with other tongues ; confult
the beft lexicons, concordances * and grammatical commentaries ;
confider attentively the fcope, flile and phrafeology of every

of two of the participles: but in all thefe refpefts they are both wanting, in an infinite num-
ber of places, in the prefent printed text; and this want is urged by punfluifts as a proof of
the utility, not to fay neceffity, of the vowel-points. Ye are in the right, Gentlemen ! When
ye have undermined a building by taking away fome of its chief fupports, ye muft (lay it
with fuch materials as ye have; and ye may then infift on their being neceffary : but if we can
by any means replace the original ftone pillars, we fhall have no further ufe for your wooden
props.

* Of all the helps towards underftanding the Hebrew fcriptures a good concordance is un-
doubtedly die moft ufefiil. But we yet wnnt a good concordance ; and the man who fliould
devote five or fix years to the compiling of one from Buxtorf, CalaCo, Noldius, Taylor,
Kircher, Montfaiicon and Trommius, would do a fingular fervice to Biblical ftudents. Bux-
torf's method of aiTangement, with very little improvement, (bould be ftridly followed; tlie
errors of orthography reftified from the authority of manufcripts and other fources of emen-
dation; and the various acceptations of the fame word in the ancient verfions e.\a<£tly noted
and methodically diilinguifljcd. Such a work would be worth all the commentaries that ever
have been made.

72 PROSPECTUS.

tlifferent writer; carefully diflingiiifli the natural from the figura-
tive, poetical from profaic compofition ; compare author with au-
thor, paflage with pafTage, image with image, trope with trope ; io
as that all the parts of the whole text may mutually throw light on

one another: and, becaufc the whole text together makes but an

ordinary volume, and contains many words and phrafes, that oc-
cm* but once or extremely feldom, we muft, for the better under-
flanding of thefe, call into our aid the other Oriental kindred dia-
lecls ; the Chaldee, Syriac, Samaritan, Ethiopic and Arabic. The
three firfl have fo great an affinity of idiom with the Hebrew, that
they may be coniidered as ccufin-germans of the fame family;
and though the other two are not quite fo near a-kin, their rela-
tionfliip is not lefs evident *. From all of them, therefore, may
be derived helps towards inveffcigating the radical fignification of
obfcure words, and illuftrating modes of expreffion that would,
elfe, be inexplicable. A comparative di^flionary of all thofc dia-
lects would be a mod vifeful work. With half the bulk of Caf-
tel's, it might be made mueh more copious and correcT: ; and, to
render the analogy more llriking, it lliould, I think, be all in the
Hebrew characfler, like Schindler's pentaglott lexicon. Such a

* The Arabic has one advantage which the other dialeds do not, in the fame degree, pof-
fefs. It is ftill a living language, tlie mod extenfively fpoken, and, in fome refpeiSls, the moft
copious of all languages. There are extant in it a great many elegant compofitions on all forts
of fubje^s, both in profe and poetry; and the ftudy of il has, of late years, been greatly pro-
moted by fome of the moll learned men of the age.

PROSPECTUS. 73

work I have long had in contemplation * : but alas ! Iter longuvi,
brevis actas : We may grafp at immenfity in idea ; but our fpan is,
in reality, the fpan of a pigmy.

Until fome literary drudge be found, with patience and fufEcient
leifure to go through fo tedious a labour, we mufl be content with
picking froniBuxtorf, Schaaf, Crinefms, Ludolf, Mininfki, Golius
and Richardfon, fuch information as we can get ; though we fhall be
frecpently difappointed, and obliged to confefs, that the fuccours,
we draw from fuch fources, are but fmall, in proportion to the
pains they coft us. Etyrnological conjedlures are of all the mofl
fallacious ; and it requires much penetration, a nice difcerning
tafte, and a long and ferious ponderation of circumftances, to
be able, amidfl a number of almoft equally probable derivations,
to determine which is likelieft to be the true one. When we have
toiled, for example, through Schultens's tedious and difgufling
book of Hebrew origins, we have only learned, how little we can
learn from fuch fort of difcufllons ; and are vexed that we fpent fo
much time to fo little purpofe.

Our next great refources, therefore, after a long analytical and
comparative ftudy of the Hebrew language itfelf, are the ancient
verfions; which not only afford the befl helps for corredling the

• As a proper introduiflion to fuch a work, I formed, many years ago, the plan of a Com-
parative Grammar of the principal Oriental diahlis ; which, by way of relaxation from more ferious
ftudies, I am now compleating, and preparing for the prefs— -not doubting but the fmallell
attemptjto facilitate the ftudy of thofe languages, and thereby to promote Biblical knowledge,
will be favourably received by the ferious part of the public.

* K

74 PROSPECTUS.

text ; but are alfo, in general, the bed interpreters of its genuine-
meaning. I will not fay, with Voffius, that, if we had not thofe ver-
fions, particularly that of the Septuagint, we fhould be able to make
no tranflationatall; but I think it maybe confidently affirmed that a
tranflation, made without their aid, would, in many places, be ex-
tremely imperfecfl and uncertain; and that it has happened, by a
mofl fingular providence, that they have been tranfmitted to us in
fo many different forms ; as if for that very purpofe. Yet we are
not implicitly to follow them, any more than the Mafora. "We are
ever to remember that they likewife have their faults and corrup-
tions ; and that nearly the fame precautions are neceffary, when
we confult them as interpreters ; as when we employ them as cor-
re^loria. What has been already faid of them, in the one refpe<5t„
is applicable in the other.

Neither are we to negle<5l the modern verfions, whether Latin or
vernacular, that have been made fince the revival of letters. For
although they are almofh all made from the prefent Maforetic text,
and confequently participate of all its defedls ; there are few of them
from which a diligent and judicious tranflator may not draw fome
advantage : let us here take a fhort review of them ; beginning by
thofe in Latin.

The mofl ancient *, and, in a great meafure, the model of all

* I omit mentioning, fuch modern Latin tranflations as are only in manufcript, feveral
of which are faid to be extant in different libraries ; as alfo fuch party-coloured verfions as
thofe of Ofiander, Clarius, Sec, which are only interpolated editions of the Latin Vulgate.

PROSPECTUS. 75

the reft, was that of Santes Pagnhius, printed firft at Florence in
the year 1528. It was the work of twenty five years, and has been
greatly extolled both by Jews and Chriftians, as the beft Latin
verlion that ever w^as made from the Hebrew ; that of Jerom not ex-
cepted. It is, for all that, a barbarous compofition, defpicable in al-
moft every point of view, but that of a grammatical glofTary : as fuch
it may be of confiderable ufe in giving an idea of the Hebrew idiom,
and a fuperficial knowledge of the language to grown vip Biblical
ftudents, who are too idle to turn over the leaves of a lexicon, or
con their Buxtorf. It was made yet more horridly uncouth by
Arias Montanus, who interlined it in his edition of the Hebrew
text of the Antwerp polyglott, from which it unaccountably found
its way into that of London.

Next, in priority of time, is the verfion of Munfler, which ap-
peared about the year 1534. It is little lefs literal, but more per-
fpicuous and elegant than that of Pagninus. The rabbins were his
chief guides ; and his annotations are compiled with no fmall dif-
cernment from their beft works.

Of a ftill purer Latinity and greater perfpicuity is the tranflation
of Leo-Juda, commonly called the Tigurine Bible; becaufe it was
publifhed by the divines of Zurich. The firft edition is of 1543.
It has been fince frequently republilhed in different kingdoms; and
with fome fmall alterations, even by the Catholic Univerfity of Sala-
manca, in 1584.

K 2

76 PROSPECTUS.

Hitherto the new tranflators of the Bible had moved nearly in
the fame track; all pm^fuing, with more or lefs attention and fide-
lity, the route which the rabbins had marked out for them ; and
making the Mafora the pole-ftar by which they fleered. Caftalio
had the courage to ftrike out a path for himfelf. He tranflated,
. indeed, from the prefent Hebrew text, but he did not Judaically
defpife the ancient verfions. The principal, and often neceffarv,
fupplements which are found in them, but wanting in the Mafore-
tic copies, he inferted with proper diflindlions *: nor did he rejedl
thofe ufeful and excellent books, which moft Proteftants have, after
St. Jerom and his Hebrew preceptors, too rafhly thrown out of
. the canon and branded with the name of Apocrypha ; but which,
in the moft ancient copies of the Greek, Syriac and Latin verfions,
are intermixed and rank with the other books : and, to conne<fl the
Old Teftament with the New, he inferted two excellent fupplements,
abridged from Jofephus ; the one after the fourth book of Efdras,
and the other at the end of the Machabees.

Caftalio deviated no lefs from his predecelTors in his mode cf
tranflating. They had crept, like timid and ignoble flaves, after
an imperious mafler ; he claimed the privilege of walking fide by
fide. His verfion is bold and free, his flile clear and concife, his
didlion pure and perhaps fcrupuloufly elegant. It was reprobated,

* To additions from the Greek he prefixed a G; to thofe from the Latin an L; when
from both, G. L. An H denoted the end of the addition.

PROSPECTUS. 77

however, in general by Jews and Chrifllans, by Catholics and Pro-
teflants, as a temerarious, infolent and even impious burlefque of
Holy writ. The theologians of Geneva, with Beza at their head,
were particularly harfh in their cenfures of it. But more cool and
candid eftimators have given a very different judgment. Slmler,
Huetius, Buxtorf, Duport, and, above all, Epifcopius have borne
honourable teilimony in its favour ; and whoever reads it without
prepoffeffion, and compares it carefully with the originals, will, we
.doubt not, be of the opinion of Dr. Mead, that it is not only a
mod elegant but alfo a mod faithful verfion *. Had the author
worked upon a better text, retained a little more of the idiomatical
fimplicity of his originals, and been fomewhat lefs lavifh of his ora-
torial graces and claffical refinements, his tranflation would, alto-
gether, be the firft of modern times. As it is, I make no hefitation
to give it as my opinion, that a more compleat, more impartial or
more faithful verfion will not eafily be found. The beft edition
is that of Bafil, in folio, in 1573.

About two years after, was publifiied a new Latin verfion of the
Old Teftament, by Junius and Tremellius ; to which, in the fecond
and all pofterior editions, was added Beza's tranflation of the New
Teftament. It has been often retouched and reprinted, both in

• Quam,habita multls in locis collatione.nonmodo Latinifllmam, fed etiam accuratifllmani
et ad fenfum mentemque diflorum, tam in Hebraeis quam in Graecis, maxime accomoJa-
tam deprehendi. Praefat. in Medicam. Sacr.

7B PROSPECTUS.

Germany and in England ; and was long in high eftimation among
Maforetic Proteflants ; yet it never entirely recovered from the dif-
credit thrown upon it by Drufius, and is now almoft funk into o-
blivion. It muft be confefled, however, that it merited a better
fate : and although it deferves not the exceflive eulogiums of Poole,
it is neither fo unfaithful nor fo arbitrary as fome critics pretend.
The reproach of its being a paraphrafe rather than a tranflation,
is the worft founded of all reproaches. It often runs into the other
extreme, and is, in fome refpedls, more fervilethan that of Pagninus.
To me its chief defedls appear to be an impure and barbarous La-
tinity, an affefted mode of conftru<5lion, and a ftrange disfigure-
ment of the Hebrew names, to make them agreeable to the Mafo-
retic pundluation.

The famous Cardinal de Vio Cajetan, who, amidfl a multiplicity
of ftate affairs, found means to devote a part of every day to feri-
ous ftudy, left behind him, among other laborious produdlions, a
tranflation of a great part of the Bible. As he was totally igno-
rant of the Hebrew, he employed two learned Rabbins, a Jew and
a Chriftian, as his interpreters ; and having a found judgement
and difcerning tafte, he fucceeded much better than could be ex-
pected. But his veriion was formed on this erroneous principle, that
a tranflation of the Scripture cannot be too literal ; fliould it even,
for that reafon, be unintelligible. This prepoffeflion made him
judge unfavorably of the Vulgate; which he often cenfures without

PROSPECTUS. 79

realbn: for which caufe fome zealots have unjuftly taxed him with
herefy. His tranflation has much the fame faults with that of Pag-
ninus ; and may be of much the fame ufe to the Hebrew fludent»
It was printed, with his commentary, at Lyons in the year 1639.

At the fame place, in 1650, was publifhed another Latin verfion
of the Bible, as far as Ezekiel, with a tedious commentary, by Mal-
venda, a Spanifli Dominican. He did well to add a commentary ;
for, without it, his tranflation would be often perfeiflly unintelli-
gible: fo barbarous is his flile, and fo unhappy his choice of ex-
prefTions. "^ If any one, fays F. Simon, wifhes to have a tranfla-
" tion of the Scriptures purely grammatical, let him ufe that of
" Malvenda." I fhould rather fay, is any one madly fond of a
verfion fervilely literal ? Let him read Malvenda's ; and I fliall won-
der much, if he be not foon cured of his phrenzy.

A new Latin verfion of the whole Bible, by Sebaflian Schmidt,
was publKlied at Strafburg in the year 1696. It is faid to have
been on the anvil near forty years, and is evidently, laboured with
great care and pains. It is clear, concife and not inelegant ; and if
the author had been poiFeft of a better text, and had paid fome more
attention to the ancient verfions, his work would have been a valu-
able acccTion to the Biblical library. A more corre<fl edition of
it was given by the divines of Strafburg, in the year 1 708 : and it
has been fmce republiflied, in Germany, along with the Hebrew
text.

So PROSPECTUS.

John Le Clerc, profeflbr of philofophy, belles lettres and Hebrew
in the college of the Remonflrants at Amflerdam, and one of the
mofl univerfal fcholars of his time, publifhed a new Latin verfion
of the Pentateuch in 1 7 lo. The reft of his tranflation, which com-
prehends the greateft part of the Holy Scriptures, appeared at dif-
ferent periods and places ; and a compleat edition of the whole was
printed at Amfterdam in 1731. Though this verfion has little in
it to claim a diftinguiflied fupfiriority over thofe that preceded, it
does not deferve the contempt, with which it is treated by Houbi-
gant, who feems to have inherited all Simon's prepoffeffions againft
the author, and omits no opportunity of depretiating his labours.
Had Le Clerc lived in our days, and been convinced of the neceffity
of corre<fling the text, before he attempted to tranflate it, he was
certainly capable of producing a much better work; efpecially if he
had learnt to write with a little more difficulty, and kept the ope-
rofa carmhia Jingo of Horace always in mind. But he wrote in too
great a hurry, and on too many fubjedls, to write excellently on any
fubjedl ; and, although extremely confident of his own abilities and
bold in his afTertions, yet was unaccountably, more or lefs, a flave
to rabbinical prejudices.

To fhake of thefe entirely, and to open a new and rational career
to the Biblical critic, was referved for Houbigant. That truly
learned man, who died only in 1783, in the ninety eighth
year of his age, had early applied to the ftudy of the Oriental Ian-

PROSPECTUS. 8i

guages, in a foclety where they have long been cultivated with great
fuccefs. Having learned the Hebrew according to Malclef 's new
method, and compiled an excellent little dictionary, on the fame
principles, under the title of Racines Hebraiques fans point s-'voy elks,
he formed the plan of a new verfion of the Old Teftament; not
from the prefent printed Maforetic copies, which Capellus and
others had fo invincibly proved to be erroneous; but from a copy
corrected by fuch means, and from fuch fources of emendation, as
he conceived the moft likely to anfwer the purpofe; and which are,
in general, the fame that have been fpecificd in the former part of
this Profpeclus. With what ingenuity and judgment he has exe-
cuted the great deiign, is well known to thofe who have perufed his
work. Nothing can exceed the purity, fimplicity, perfpicuity and
energy of his tranflation; and if he has not always been equally
happy in his conjedlural emendation of the text, it cannot be de-
nied that he has, at leaft, carried away the palm from all thofe who
preceded him in the fame career. The clamors that have been
raifed againft him are the clamors of illiberal ignorance, or of par-
tiality to a fyftem which he had turned into ridicule. While his
mode of interpreting is approved and imitated by a Lowth, a
Kennicott, a Mlchaelis and a Starck, the barkings of inferior critics
will not much injure him. Houbigant's verlion, accompanied
with the Hebrew text of Vanderhooght, prolegomena and critical
notes, was publifted in the moft fplendid manner at Paris, between

82 PROSPECTUS.

the years 1747 J^nd ^753^ "'^ ^'^"^' folio volumes; and is already be-
come a rare and coftly book *.

Befides thofe general Latin verfions, we have a great many others
of fome particular books or parts of books, by Zuinglius, Oecolam-
padius, Melanchton, Drufius, Pifcator, Mufculus, Mafius, Terfer,
Brentius, Bolducius, Juftiniani, Felix Pratenfis, Pellicanus, Gene-
brard, De-Muis, Ferrandus, Cocceius, Leufden, &c. of all which
the induftrious tranflator will avail himfelf, as far as he has it in
his power ; and from all which he may adually gather fome grains
of fterling ore.

What has been fald of modern Latin, is equally applicable to
modern vernacular tranflations. They are all caft, as it were, in
the fame mould; all fcrupuloufly literal verfions of the fame faulty
originals, and, almoft always, under the guidance of Pagninus.
The moft diflinguilhing chara6lers of thofe we are acquainted with
fhall be given in very few words.

The firft vernacular verfion made in Europe from the originals,
is the German of Luther. It was publifhed, in parts, between the
years 1522 and 1533; and, for the firft time, all together in 1535.
Since that time it has been often reprinted, with various corredlions
and interpolations, to adapt it to the different communions in Ger-
many ; and even tranflated, as an architype, into other Teutonic

* The verfion was publifhed feparately in feven volumes large oftavo ; and there is a third
edition of the Pfalms in twelves, along with the Vulgate, of the year 1755.

PROSPECTUS. 83

dialecfls. It is certainly a wonderful produ(5lion. If it be confi-
dered in what turbulent times, and amidft what variety of other
avocations it was made, we are at a lofs to comprehend how one
man, who had no model to follow, (for Ulenberg's barbarous ver-
sion from the Vulgate cannot be fo called) could, in fo fhort a fpace
and with fuch fcanty helps, accomplifhfo great a work. The Catho-
lics and Calvinifts have often decried it without reafon ; and more,
perhaps, out of odium to its author than from a regard for truth.
There are, indeed, fome paflagesin the firfl editions, which hefeems
to have wrefted a little, to make them fpeak more explicitly his fa-
vorite tenet of juflification by faith alone. But thefe were few in
number, and were redlified in pofterior editions. That of the year
1542 was carefully revifed by himfelf, with the affiftance of fome
of the mod learned men of that age ; * and again juft before his
death in 1545.

Althougli the language of Luther's verlion had already in i 6 84
become fo obfolete, that a glolTary was found necefTary for under-
ftaading it; and although it may be eafily fuppofed, that a cen-
tury more, in tlie prcfent progrefs of the German tongue, has gi-
ven it a ftlil more antique mien ; yet it retains, in a great meafure,
its firll celebrity ; and has not only triumphed over all former at-

* Melanchtnn, Julius Jonas, Cruciger, Bugenhafius, Zcigler, Fordenius, Rorarius. By
tlicfe it was collated not onh' with the Hebrew text, but alio with tlie Chaklec paraphrafes
and tlie Greek and Latin verfions : for we liave already obferved that the abfurd idea cf
Maforetic infallibility had not yet been adopted by the reformers.

L 2

84 PROSPECTUS.

tempts to fuperfede it, but is, at this day, preferred by many Ger-
mans to their latcefl verfions.

This, however, cannot, I think, be long the cafe : for if any man
be eqvial to a good tranflation of the Bible, it is furely Michaelis.
His erudition, tafte and judgment are well known in the literary
world by his numerous and various produ(flions ; and his verfion
of the Old Teflament, w^hich is now happily concluded, muft ap-
pear to thofe, who can relifla all its beauties, one of the bell that
ever was made. He has, I know, been blamed for deviating too
widely from the letter of his text. But his apology is obvious : he
tranflated to be underftood ; and if he cannot be convitfled of hav-
ing miflaken or mifreprefentcd the meaning of his author, he can^
not furely be, withjuftice, cenfured for confulting the pleafure and
profit of his reader. But it is impoffible to pleafe fome critics,
becaufe they will not be pleafed. Michaelis is not a blind admirer
of the IMafora, and cannot be brooked by thofe who are.

The Belgic and other northern churches had, for fome time, no
other verfion of the Scripture, but that of Luther; tranflated into
their refpeiftive tongues, and altered, from time to time, by every
new editor. But the States General of Holland, in confequence
of a decree of the Synod of Dort, ordered a new Dutch tranflation
to be made from the originals ; which was publiflied in the year
1636. A particular account of it may be read in Leufden *, who
gives it much mere than due praife.

• Fhilol. Hcbr. miit. diflVrt. si.

PROSPECTUS. ' 8-5

In like manner, a new Danifli verfion, by Refenius Bilhop of
Seelandt, was publiflied by the authority of Chriftian IV. in 1607.
But the Swedes, I beUeve, have yet no other tranflation than that
from Luther's, again and again corredled by different hands *.

The French tranflation, pubUfhed at Neufchatel in the year 1535,
was the hafty produdlion of OUvetan, aflifted by Calvin ; but it
was, afterwards, fo often revifed and patched by different perfons,
that it fcarcely retains any part of its firft texture. After all, it
is but an indifferent verfion, and very far from that perfedion
which might have been expelled from the labours of fuch learned
men as Bertram, Beza, Jaquemot, Goulart, Marez, Martin, &c.
Some particular paffiges, however, I have found better rendered in
it, than in any other Maforetic verfion.

Another French tranflation, by Diodati, was publiflied at Gene-
va in 1644, and was well received by the Calvinifls. It is not fo
literal as that of OUvetan, but much more elegant and perfpicuous ;
which is the more to be wondered at, as the author was an Itali-
an, and the fame perfon who had, fome years before, given a
moft elegant Italian tranflation ; of which, in the fequd.

In fine, Le Cene's verfion, after a new plan of his own, appear-
ed in 1707, but did not meet with the reception he expe(fi:ed. His
Trojet, which was tranflated into Englilli by Hugh Rofs, and

* I am informed by Mr. WoiJe that a new Swedifli verfion of the Bible has been lately
made; and that it is a very good one.

86 PROSPECTUS.

bafely publifhed as an original work, contains many good obfer-
vations, and fome excellent rules for tranflating well : but to thefe
he fecms not to have always paid due attention himfelf ; and his
tranflation may be faid, like Pope's woman, to have no uniform
character at all. He is, fometimes, too fcrupuloufly literal ; and,
fometimes, too free a paraphraft. His ftile is incorredl, his didlion
impure, his expreffions often trite and ill-chofen, and as often af-
fecfledly neoterical. It muft, however, be allowed, that he has
more frequently hit on the true meaning of his original, than any-
French tranflator that went before him ; that he is never, or rare-
ly, obfcure; and that he is very feldom biafTed by party prejudices.

Since Le Gene's verfion, feveral particular parrs of the Bible have
either been newly tranflated, or improved on the Geneva verfion,
by Le Clerc, Saurin, Beaufobre, Chais and other French Calvinifts
in Holland.

Bruccioli's Italian verfion from the originals, or rather from the
Latin of Pagninus, was firft publiflied at Venice in 1532 ; but the
/. btfh edition is that of Zanetti in 1540'. This verfion was interpo-
lated, and adapted to the Vulgate, by Marmochini ; whofe edition,
dedicated to the Bifliop of Rodez, appeared in 1538. It was alfo
corre.dled and improved by Ruflicius, and publiflied at Geneva in
I 562. With all thefc pretended alterations, corrections and im-
provements, it is itill but a poor tranflation, compared with, that
■of Diodatl, which was firfl: publifhed at Geneva in 1607, There

PROSPECTUS, Sj

is an elcgaace and eafe in this tranflation that are extremely plea-
fant to the reader, joined with a concifenefs, which one fhould
think hardly compatible with eafe and elegance. F. Simon great-
ly injures him, when he iays, he is rather a paraphraft than a
tranflator ; but this is not the only rafh aflertion, which that Father
has made.

Although the Spanifli be, perhaps, of all the European tongues, .
that in which the Scriptures would appear in their greateft dignity;
we have, as yet, no Spanifli verfion of them that deferves much
notice. Thofe made by the Jews are barbarous beyond conception *,
and that of De Reyna, with all De Valera's improvements, is little
more than a fervile verfion from the Latin of Pagninus and Leo
Juda.

But to what degree of perfe«5llon a Spanifli verfion is capable
of being carried, is evident from a tranflation of the book of Job,
made, near two hundred years ago, by F. Luis de Leon.f I know

* The only compleat Spanifh verfion of the Hebrew Bible, made by Jews, is that publiflied
atFerrara in 1553; of which the Pentateuch -had before been printed at Conftantlnople, in
rabbinical Hebrew charadlers. From thefe, the Pentateuch and Aptharoth of Manaffeh-ben-
Ifrael, differ but very litde. They are ufeful only as gloflaries.

f Luis de Leon was an Auguflinian friar, and interpreter of the Scripture in the Unlverlity
of Salamanca. He publifhej, in his own life time, or rather his friends publifhed without
his knowledge, an excellent Spanifh tranflation of tlie Song of Solomon ; for which he fuffered
five years imprifonment, in the dark and inaccefEble dungeons of the Inquifition. But thofe
miferable times are happily over ; and his Job, which had been long known in manufcript,
was printed at Madrid, with all neceflary privileges in 1779 ; together with his learned com-
mentary, and another poetical verfion, which in many places rivals the fublimity of the origi-
nal. There is a tolerable Spanifh tranflation of Pindar by the fame author.

&3 PROSPECTUS.

not if there be, in any language, a verfion that, to the (Irideft fide-
lity, joins fo much elegance, precifion and perfpicuity.

I can fay very little of the tranflations that have been made into
other European dialecls ; becaufe I am not in the leaft acquainted
with the languages in which they are written. But I am informed
by thofe who are, that they differ not much from our Englilli ver-
iion ; which to fome of them ferved as a model. They are all
flritflly Maforetical ; except that which was made, fome years ago,
into Manks; in the forming of which, I have been told by one of
the tranflators *, attention was paid to the various ledions of ma-
nufcripts and other fources of emendation.

As Lewis has given a detailed, though confufed, hiftory of Eng-
lifli Bibles, down to the year 1730; I fliall only make a few re-
marks on the principal verfions; and add a catalogue of luch whole,
or partial tranflations, as have fince been attempted.

The firfl compleat edition of an Englifh vei^fion of the whole
Bible, from the originals, is that of Tyndal's and Coverdale's to-
gether f. It was printed abroad in 1537, and known by the name
of Matthew's Bible. The violent oppofition, it had met with at
home, feems to have arifen more from the injurious reflections,
.contained in the prologues and notes, on the then eftabliflied reli-
gion, than from any capital defedls in the verfion itfelf. It was

* The reverend Mr. Kelly of Windfor.

f From Gencfis to the end oi' Chronicles, and the book of Jonah, are by Tyndal; the reft
of the Old Tellamcnt by Coverdale. The whole New Teltament is Tyndal's.

PROSPECTUS. 89

far from being a perfedl tranflatlon, it is true; but it was the firfl
of the kind; and few firft tranflations will, I think, be found pre-
ferable to it. It is, aftonifliing how little obfolete the language of
it is, even at this day; and, in point of perfpicuity and noble fim-
plicity, propriety of idiom and purity of flile, no Englifli verfion
has yet furpafTed it. The criticifms of thofe who wrote againft it
(we are forry to find Sir Thomas More among them) are generally
too fevere, often captious and fometimes evidently iinjuft. Of
terms nearly fynonymous, Tyndal may have poflibly chofen thofe
that wcremoft favourable to his own religious notions ; and, when his
original admitted a double fignification, preferred that which feem-
ed the lead favourable to the tenets he had renounced. This was,
doubtlefs, a partiality which every tranflator ought carefully to a-
void ; but how few tranflators have always been fufficiently on
their guard againft its influence.

It was an idle affeclation in Tyndal to tranflate Q'uerfect\
elder, congregation, inflead of biJJjop, priejl, church ; as the latter, al-
ready become familiar Englilh words, are, in reality, of the fame
import with thofe he fubftituted in their place; and there is no
more diverfity between the terms, (to ufe an expreflion of Cover-
dale) than httwQQn four-pence and a groat. It was unfair, and per-
haps infidious, in him, to put image for idol, ordinance for tradition,
fecret for myjlery or facrament : but thefe, and fuch like offenhve
terms, might have been eafily correcfted ; nor was it, for that, either

90 PROSPECTUS.

neceffarv or expedient to commit the whole work to the flame- :
which ferved only to enhance its value, and gave it a greater cur-
rencv. Burning fufpicious books is the readiefl way to multiply
them; as perfecuting for religion is the furell mean of propagat-
ing it.

Cranmer's great Bible, and all the other Bibles that were pu-
blilhed during the reigns of Henry VIII. and Edward VI. are only-
ib many improved copies of Tyndal's and Coverdale's tranflation.
In fome of them the additions that are found in the Greek or in
the Latin Vulgate, though not in the prefent original, were judici-
oufly inferted ; either in a fmaller characfler, or with fome diftin-
guiiliing mark. Tyndal's prologues and notes were alfo generally
omitted ; and fome of the moft exceptionable words altered. The
editions revifed by Taverner recede the fartheft from their proto-
type, and are, therefore, the worft.

In Mary's days, the Englifli refugees at Geneva fet about making
a new tranflation, the model of which feems to have been the French
one of Olivetan, lately revifed by Calvin and Beza. Hence, and
becaufe it was accompanied with marginal notes of the lafl men-
tioned author, it is known by the name of Beza's Bible. It be-
came the favorite verfion of the puritan party, and went through a
great many editions, during the reigns of Elizabeth and James ;
fome of which are pofterior even to the laft revifion of the Bible.
But as the quarter it came from, and the perfons who were con-

PROSPECTUS. ^i

cerned In it, made it obnoxious to the Epifcopalians, it was never
received as a public ftandard. King James, in the famous con-
ference at Hampton Court, pronounced it to be the worft of all
Englifh tranflations ; yet his own tranilators borrowed more plen-
tifully from it, than from any other; and, to fay the truth, as a
mere Maforetic verfion, it has confiderable merit.

In 1586 was publifhed Parker's, or the Bifliops Bible, which
was appointed to be read in churches, as Cranmer's had been be-
fore. The greatefl objedlion made to this tranilation was, that it
deviated too much from the original, in favour of the Greek and
Latin veriions. This, we apprehend, would not, at prefent, be
accounted a great defe<5l; for the deviations from the original are
rarely unwarranted ; or, rather, they are only deviations from cor-
rupted copies, or rabbinical comments. But, at that time, the idea
had begun to prevail, that the Maforetic text was inviolably to be
adhered to; and this was, probably, the chief caufe, why the Bi-
fliops Bible was fo little prized, and fo foon fuperfeded *.

For, on King James's acceflion to the throne of England, a new
tranflation was immediately projedled, and finifhed in the fpace of
three or four years; although it was not publifhed till 161 1, when,
bj/ his Majeftys fpecial command, it was appointed to be read in

* This tranflation having become extremely rare, a new edition of it was announced by
Hogg in the year 1778: but tliis edition is a mere counterfeit; being an exaft tranfcript of
the Geneva Bible.

M 2

92 PROSPECTUS.

churches; and has continued, ever fince, to be the public authori-
zed verfion.

The means and the method employed to produce this tranllation,
promifed fomething extremely fatisfa<5lory ; and great expecftations
were formed from the united abilities of fo many learned men, fe-
ledled for the purpofe, and excited to emulation by the encourage-
ment of a munificent Prince, who had declared himfelf the patron
of the work. Accordingly, the highefl eulogiums have been made
on it, both by our own writers and by foreigners * ; and, indeed,
if accuracy, fidelity and the flridleft attention to the letter of the
text, be fuppofed to conflitute the qualities of an excellent verfion,
this of all verfions muft, in general, be accounted the moft excel-
lent. Every fentence, every word, every fyliable, every letter and
point feem to have been weighed with the niceft exadtitude, and
cxpreffed, either in the text or margin, with the greatcft precifion.
Pagninus himfelf is hardly more literal, and it was well remark-
ed by Robertfon, above a hundred years ago, that it may ferve for
a lexicon of the Hebrew language, as well as for a tranflation.

It is, however, confcffedly not without its faults. Befide thofe^
that are common to it with every verfion of that age, arlfing from

* F. Simon's Critique of this verfion is little to be regarded. He owns he had no other
way of judging of it, but from fome fcraps tranflateJ into Latin or French. It was thus the
younger Racine criticized Milton; and thus that Voltaire, from whom better might have
been e.xpeded (as he had atoleiabk knowledge of the Englifli) criticized a writer he was not
able to imitate.

PROSPECTUS. 93

faulty originals and Maforetic prepofTeffions, its own intrlnfic and
peculiar blemifhes appear to be the following.

Firfl:, from a fuperftitious attention to render the Hebrew and
Greek into literal Engliih, its authors adopted modes of exprefficn,
which are abhorrent from the Engliih idiom ; and, perhaps, from
that of all other modern tongues. Our ears, indeed, are now ac-
clillomed to this phrafeology ; and the language is become familiar
to \is, by being the language of the national religion : but a proof
that many of thofe exprelTions are neither natural nor analogous^ is,
that they have never yet been able to force their way into common
ufage, even in converfation ; and he, who ihould employ them,
v/ould be fuppofed to jeer at Scripture, or to affect the language of
fanaticifm. In fhort, what Selden faid of it is flri^ly true. " It
" is rather tranflated into Engliln words, than into Englifh phrafe."
From the fame caule, it is, in many places, obfcure and ambigu-
ous, where a fmall variation in the arrangement of the words,
would, have made it clear and unequivocal.

Secondly, there is a manifefl want of uniformity in the mode of
tranflating *. This was, indeed, unavoidable. The different parts
of the Bible were afligned to fo many different perfons, or at le.ifl

* Dr. Myks Smith, who wrote tlie preface, feems to have been lenfible of this, when he
apologizes, in a certain manner, for a want of " Identity of phrazing." This diiference is
obfervable, not only in the different portions of Scripture affigned to the different claffes; but
oftf n in the fame portion, not fcldom in the fame book, and fometimes even in the fame chi'.p-
ter, and fame verfe.

94 PROSPECTUS,

to fo many difFerent forums ; and although the whole was ulti-
mately committed to the revifal of fix perfons, affembled for the
purpofe, it does not appear, that they made any great change in
its firft texture. When we confider, that they were only nine
months about this revilion, we cannot well look for a rigorous ex-
-amination of the fidelity of the verfion ; much lefs, for a reduction
of its flile to the fame colour and complexion *. The books cal-
led Apocrypha are, in general, I think, better tranflated than the refl
of the Bible ; for which one reafon may be, that the tranflators of
them were not cramped by the fetters of the Mafora.

Thirdly, Kiiig James's tranflators iniftook the true meaning of
a great many words and fentences by depending too much on mo-
dern lexicons, and by paying too little attention to the ancient ver-
flons. Many of thofe miflranflations have been noted and rectified
by different commentators, but m.any ftill remain unnoticed, and
feem to cry for amendment.

Fourthly, in compliance with a novel opinion, that not a word
nor particle fhould be in a vernacular verfion, that has not another
word and particle, exadlly correfponding with it, in the Hebrew ;
and, at the fame time, to prevent an obfcurity, which would be the
neceffary confequence of that mode of tranflating ; perhaps, alfo,
to obviate the reproaches of want of fidelity, that had been thrown

* It was again revifed by Bifhop Bilfon and Dr. Smith ; but what they did, or how long they
were employed in this revifal, I have not been able to learn.

PROSPECTUS. 9j

out againfh the Biihops Bible, both by the Catholics and the Pu-
ritans ; they encumbered their verfion with a load of ufelefs Italics i
often without the lead neceflity, and almoft always to the detri-
ment of the text. In facft, either the words in Italics are vir-
tually implied in the Hebrew, or they are not. In the for-
mer cafe they are a real part of the text, and fhould be prin-
ted in the fame charader : in the latter, they are generally ill af-
forted and clumfy ekes, that m.ay well be fpared ; and which often
disfigure the narration under pretence of connecfling it *.

Fifthly, King James's tranflators, like all the tranflators of their
day, were too much guided by theological fyftera ; and feem, on
fome occafions, to have allowed their religious prejudices to have
gotten the better of their judgment. To point out examples, would
he an invidious tafic : but it is extremely proper that every tranfla-
tor fhould have them conftantly in view, as fo many cautionary me-
mentos to himfelf.

In fine, through the ccnftant fluduation and progrefs of ILving^
languages, there are many words and phrafes, in the vulgar verfion,
now become obfolete ; a fpecimen of which may be feen in Pilking-
ton's judicious Remarks, publiflied at Cambridge in i759f. The

* Since writing the above, I am happy to find that the late Archbifhop Seeker was of the
fame opinion. In his valuable manufcript notes on the Bible, to which, through tlie libera-
lity of his prefeni worthy fucceffor, I have had the moft free and convenient accefs; he has
dafhed over many thoufands oi Italia, in the copy of the Englifh Bible he ufed; and, hardly
ever without fome improvement to the paflage.

f There is in the Critical Review (vol. xviii. page loi) a lift of words and phrafes, which

t;6 PROSPECTUS.

coaftrudllon, too, is frequently lefs grammatical, than the prefent
ftate of our language feems to require; and thearrangement of words
and fentences is often fuch as produces obfcurity or ambiguity.

Literal as James's tranllation is, it did not appear fo to Gell,
Canne and Ainfworth, The two firfl projected, and the lall partly
executed a new verfion, which was publiilied in a folio volume in
1639*, It w^as formed, like Cajetan's Latin verfion, on this ab-
furd principle, that the Scripture cannot be tranflated too literally ;
that every word and particle, nay the very arrangement of words
and particles are full of myftery, and ought to be preferved with
the greatell attention. We are aftoniihed to find in a book writ-
ten by a man of learning this flrange pofition; " The Holy Spirit
*' of God often intends a myftery, and fo leaves the letter feem-
" ingly abfurd: fuch feeming abfurdities are left for the honour of
"■ God's Spirit, which clears the diiEculties and fets all right f.

But what fhall we fay of thofe, who, at a much more enlightened
period, have adopted the fame fervile plan? In the year 1773, was

the authors deemed obfolete or improper ; fome of which, however, are ftill ufed by good
writers. As.for the long catalogue of words in Purver's appendix, there are at leaft two tliirds
of them not only not obfolete, but often more proper than thofe he would fubftitute in their
place. Indeed, we ought not eafily to rejedl a term, becaufe it is not, perhaps, of the firft fa-
fliion; efpecially if itbe exprelTive, euphonic, and fufficLently removed from vulgarity. The
nomenclature of our language is not yet fo very copious, as to need to be diifliniflied.

* It contains only the Pentateuch, the Plalms and the Song of Solomon. They had been
fepar.ttely publifhed before.

t Dr. Cell's preface to an Elfay toward the amendment of the lad Englilh iranCation of
the Bible; printed at London in the year 1569.

PROSPECTUS. 97

pitbllllied a new verfion of the Pentateuch, Jofliua, Judges, and the
four books of Kings. It was a pofthumous work of Julius Bate,
and is faid, in the editor's preface, to have been the refult of " more
" than thirty years indefatigable application to the ftudy of the
*' Hebrew fcriptures." He was undoubtedly well verfed in the
Hebrew language, though he feems to have paid too little regard
tc the kindred dialers * : but his learning was deeply imbued
with enthufiafm; and, on running from one ridiculous fyftem, he
eagerly embraced another. He defpifed the rabbinical but ad-
mired the Hutchinfonian Cabbala! It mull, however, be confefled
that he has tranflated many particular words and fentences with
great propriety ; and his divifions are frequently more natural than
thofe of the Maforetes.

In the year 1 764, Anthony Purver publifhed his Nenv and lite-
ral tranjlation of all the books of the Old and Neiv Tejlament^ iv'xth
notes critical and explanatory. This is faid to have been the work of
thirty years ; and, indeed, it carries on the very face of it undeni-
able proofs of much reading and infinite labour. After all it is
but a rude, incondite and unfhapely pylej without order, fymme-
try or tafte. It has not even that fingle indifferent quality which
the Critical Reviewers too indulgently allow it to poflefs ; that of
exhibiting a faithful copy of the Maforetlc text ; which, I aver, is
much more accurately reprefented by the common tranflation. I

* See preface to his Hebrew diiflionary.

98 PROSPECTUS.

have pafled this judgment on the honeft, but not too modeft Qua-
ker the more freely, becaufe he hunfelf is a mofl defperate critic
who fpares no one, and dares his competitors to enter the Ufts with
him. The beft we can fay of him, is what Ovid fays of Phaeton.
He attempted what was above his forces, and bravely failed in
the attempt — magnis tamen excidit avfis. Bad as this verfion is, a
tranflator muft not think it beneath his notice: it may occafionally
be ufeful to him. He will very often fee by it, what he is to Ihun ;
and fometimes what he may imitate. In a field over-nm with coc-
kle, he may, now and then, find an ear of good wheat.

Befide thofe general tranflations, we have fmaller portions of
Holy writ, tranflated by different hands, fince the beginning of
this century, which it may not be here improper to mention.

A tranflation of the book of Genefis, by John Lookup, Efq.
was publiihed in the year 1 740, and dedicated to the Archbifhop
of Canterbury. He feems to have ftudied, with attention, the
genius of the original; and, in fome places, has well expreffed its
meaning: but there is a ftrange Angularity in his choice of terms,
that often excites furprifc, and fometimes rifibility.

A new verfion of the three firfl chapters of Genefis with margi-
nal illuflrations and critical notes, was given by Abraham Dawfon
in 1763 ; and foon after a verfion of the fourth and fifth chapters.
Why the Critical Reviewers ftiould think this eflay the work of a
Deift, I cannot well conceive. The author is certainly a learned

PROSPECTUS. 99

man, and a judicious crick; and we wifli he had proceeded in the
fame career.

Mr. Green of Cambridge pubUilied in 1762, his new tranflation
of the Pfalms, and in 1781 the poetical parts of the Old Tefta-
ment: in both which works he has difplayed much learning, judg-
ment and tafte. We have only to regret that he paid fo much
deference to the Harian fyftem of Hebrew metre.

Still a model was wanting that fhould claim every fuffrage, and
merit univerfal applaufe. Need I inform my intelligent rea-
der that fuch a model at length appeared in the year 1779; when
Bifliop Lowth favoured the public with his new tranflation of I-
faiah ? never did facred criticifm appear with greater dignity than
in this invaluable work. Never were the gentleman, the fcholar,
the grammarian and the theologue more happily united.

So rare an example, fet by fuch a chara(5ler, could not fail to
be copied. Mr. Benjamin Blayney, Riedlor of Polfhott in Wilts,
has lately publifhed a tranflation of Jeremiah, on the fame plan ;
and with great fuccefs. I trufl: he is now employed in fome other
fimilar work.

On the fame plan Bifliop Newcome is labouring on the Minor
Prophets ; and great expedations are juftly formed, from his well
known abilities and acumen *.

* Bifhop Newcome's tranflation has appeared ; a moft learned and valuable worlc, of which
I am happy torhave it in my power to avail myfelf, and from which, I forefee, I fhall derive

N 2

loo PROSPECTUS.

Mr. Hopkins, Vicar of Bolney, has given a corredled edition cf
the vulgar verfion of the book of Exodus ; in which he has judicir
oufly inferted the Samaritan and Septuagint fupplements ; when he
had reafon to think them genuine. His notes are fliort but gene-
rally appofite. May neither " age nor infirmity" prevent him
from " profecuting fuchufeful ftudies *."

We have feveral Englifli tranflations of the Song of Solomon ;
fome in verfe and feme in profe ; and mod of them have confider-
able merit. We have, likewife, poetical verfions of Job, the Pfalms,
and other detached parts of Scripture ; which may be occafion-
ally ufeful to a profe-tranflator : and there are a number of par-
ticular paflages, throughout the whole Bible, well rendered and ex-
plained, in various critical Commentaries, EiTays, LecSlures and
Sermons ; of which a general coUcdlion would be of great utility.

Of the New Teftament, beiide the verfion, already mentioned,
of 1729^; we have, fince that, three compleat new tranflations by

great advantages. I am only forry that I fljould happen to differ from his Lordfliip about
fome of his Rules of tranflating; or rather about fome of the more remote corroUaries he de-
duces from them: while, at the fame time his great judgment and taftc, and his eftabhfhed
charafter as a writer, make me he£tate and doubt about the propriety of fome of my own.
I fhall confider both at more leifure and with new attention j and weigh his Lordfliip's reafons
with all poflible care and impartiality. In one rule, at leafti we are perfedtly agreed: " The
" critical fenfe of paflages fhould be confidered, and not the opinions of any denomination of
" Cliriftians. The tranflators fhould be philologills, not controverfialifts."
• • See his preface, p. xv.

PROSPECTUS-. lai

Wynne, Woi fley and Harwood ; two of St. Matthew by Scott and
Wakefield ; and we foon exped, from the pen of Dr. Campbell, a ca-
pital work on the four Gofpels. But of all thefe I fhall have occa^
fion to fpeak, more at large, in proper time and place.

A fociety lately formed for promoting the kwwledge of the Scrip'
tures have already publlfhed fome numbers of Commentaries and Ef-
fays ; in which, among other things, they propofe to give " an ac-
" curate tranflation of the paflage to be explained, with proper di-
" vifions into paragraphs and fentences, and pointed with the ut-
" moft correcftnefs." We applaud the plan, and heartily wifh them
fuccefs : may we take the liberty to beg of them, to beware of ^y^
ftem *.

From the above review of the principal verfions made by Pro-
teflants, it will, I prefume, appear, that their chief and peculiar im-
perfe6llon is owing to the tranflators having followed too impli-
citly the Maforetic text, and paid too little regard to the ancient
verfions. Let us next fee what are the fpecial defed:s of the tran-
ilations, that have been made by Catholics.

The number of thefe, indeed, is comparatively fmall j an idea
having long prevailed, that the Scripture fhould not be tranflated
into vulgar tongues. It is hard to reconcile this idea with any
principle of reafon, religion, or found policy; and we muft afcribe

* The numbers of this work, which are publiflied occafionallf, are fold by Johnfon, in St.
Paul's church-yard.

103 PROSPECTUS.

it, with fome other abfurdities, to the ignorance and prejudices of
a barbarous age. The firft pofitive decree on this fubjecl was for-
med, I believe, in a diocefan fynod at Thouloufe, in the year 1229;
and is not the only exceptionable canon devifed by that alTembly.
In the brighter days of Chriftianity it was not fo. The works of
Chryfoftome, Bafil, Ambrofe, Jerom, Auftin, are full of the mod
prefTing exhortations to read the Scripture ; and the reafons that
have, in latter times, been urged againft that pradice by Mallet
and other fuch writers * deferve not a ferious anfwer. The pro-
hibition was fo far from anfwering the end propofed by it ; that it
had a quite contrary cfFedl. The feparatifts from the church of
Rome have ufed no weapon with more fuccefs againft her, than this
one, that was intentionally, but indifcreetly, forged for her parti-
cular defence.

It is remarkable, that this dodlrine has chiefly obtained in thofe
countries, where the Inquifition has been eftabliflied. In France and
Germany a different fyftem has at all times, more or lefs, prevailed,
in fpite of the endeavours of fome pragmatic zealots to introduce
a lefs liberal difcipline. Not to mention a number of manufcript
verlions, that were in ufe before the invention of typography ; there
are, at leaft, twelve printed editions of a French Bible prior to that
of Olivetan, and feveral German ones before Luther's. Nor was
the prohibitory doctrine always countenanced in Italy. We meet

* See a book entitled Colk^io auUorum vulgarii verjiones damnantium. Paris 1661.

PROSPECTUS. io:5-

with thirteen editions of De Malermi's verfion, in the fpace of lefs
than half a century ; and all anterior to the aera of the Reformation.
From the difpoiition of the prefent intelligent Pontiff, and from his
exprefs declai'ation, That the Scriptures " are fources to which all
" ought to have free accefs, in order to draw from them, both a
*' found do(5lrine and a pure morality," * we have reafon to expedl,
that Italian Bibles will foon be as common on the other, as French
Bibles are on this fide of the Alps.

Another general prejudice among the Catholics was, that they
mud tranflate from the Latin Vulgate. This, indeed, was at one
time neceffary : for there were few or none capable of tranflating
from the originals : but why the fame pradlice was continued, after
the revival of Greek and Hebrew learning, is harder to account for;
though the following probable caufes may be afligned.

One, perhaps, was, that they might not be thought to imitate
the new reformers ; who affecled to cry up the originals, in propor-
tion as they cried down the Vulgate. Oppofition, we know, .be-
gets oppofition. 1 have read a book written by a Neapolitan Jefuit,
in which he gravely returns thanks to Heaven, that he was ignorant
of Greek and Hebrew ; for that the knowledge of thefe. tongues,
was a fure fign of herefy.

* Optim\ fenti!,Ji Ckriji't fidcla ad ItSlionem divinarum Httrarum magnopere excitandcs exiftimes.
llli enim funt fontes uberrimi, qui cuiqu: pascre dehtnt, ad hauriendam et morwn et dodrinae fandita-
Urn. From the Pope's letter to Abbate Martini in 1778,

1(54 PROSPECTUS.

But another more fpecious, though not more folld reafon, for
tranllating from the Latin, was derived from the Council of Trent s
having declared it to be an authentic verfion. This, as I have al-
ready faid, was by many conflrued into an abfolute and exclufive
authenticity; which gave the Vulgate a preference to the Originals
themfelves. It is plain, however, from the very tenor of the de-
cree, that nothing could be farther from the meaning of the Coun-
cil : and it has been always allowed by the moft learned of the Ca-
tholic party, that the Vulgate received no other additional autho-
rity from the Synod's declaration, but that of being appointed the
fole public Latin verfion. The Synod did not, could not, give it
the fmalleft degree of intrinfic value which it had not before : for if
it was not, before, an authentic verfion, there had been no authen-
tic verfion in the Latin church for a thoufand years.

The decree of the Council, then, did nothing more than what has
been done in moft Proteftant countries : it eftabliflied one particular
Latin verfion, as a public ftandard ; to be ufed in the church-office
and in the fchools of divinity : and furely of all Latin verfions, then
extant, the Vulgate, in every refpedl, deferved the preference. But
never did it enter into the minds of that or any other council to
ordain, that any verfion, however excellent, fhould fupplant the
originals ; or that no other tranilation fhould be made from them.
The only plaufible reafon that can be offered for tranflating
from the Latin, rather than from the originals is, that, the Vulgate

PROSPECTUS. 105

having been once adopted as the public Latin verfion, uniformity
feemed to require that all vernacular verlions fliould be confonant
thereto. But if this motive had unluckily influenced St. Jerom,
we Ihould at this day have no Vulgate : for, from the fame principle,
he would have been obliged to tranflate from the Greek ; which
had been much more generally received, as a public Ilandard, than
ever the Latin was.

It is well known, that there are many pafTages in the Vulgate
badly rendered. It is alfo allowed that other faults have crept into
it, fince the days of its author; many of which were not corredled,
even by the lafl revifors : are we to tranflate thefe faults, and re-
tain thofe renderings, for the fake of uniformity ? When the Vul-
gate and the originals agree, which is generally the cafe, a tranfla-
tion, made from the latter, will neceffarily be confonant with the
former; and, at the fame time, vouch for its fidelity. Where the
originals are manifeflly, or probably, corrupted, whilft the Vulgate
manifeftly, or probably, reads right ; ftill a good tranllation will
agree with the Vulgate : but is it in the leafl reafonable that, where
the Vulgate is manifeflly, or probably, erroneous, the tranllation
ihould be erroneous too ? He muft be a llurdy Viilgatift indeed,
who maintains fo ridiculous a pofition.

The very idea of tranflating from a tranflation is a ftrange idea.
We have an excellent French verfion of Plutarch, by Amyot: but
would any Englifhman fit down to tranflate Plutarch through the

io6 PROSPECTUS.

medium of Amyot's verfion? Or could we bear a tranflation of
Q. Curtius, even from the admired verfion of Vaugelas ? In the
very firft transfufion, from one idiom to another, fome part of the
author muft necefTarily evaporate : how much more muft he lofe,
on a fecond or third operation * ?

But moft Catholic tranflators have not only tranflated from the
Vulgate, but made their verfions more fervilely literal than was ne-
cefTary, even If they had tranflated Immediately from the originals.
This is the more aftonifliing, becaufe the Vulgate is a free and liberal
verfion; and, as flir as Jerom is concerned, not altogether inelegant:
whereas the tranflations that have been made from It, if we except
one or two, are ftiff and barbarous beyond conception. Hence
they are often unintelligible "j". It would be, moreover, eafy to
fhew that the greateft part of thofe, who have tranflated from the
Vulgate, have very often miflranflated it, from not underllanding
or not attending to the originals. The words of the Vulgate are
Latin words, it is true ; but they have fometlmes fo uncommon
acceptations, and are fo peculiarly phrazed, that it requires a
thorough acquaintance with the Oriental ftile and knowledge of

* Some parts of the VvJgate are tranflations, from tranflations.

f «' A clofe tranflation made at fecond hand from a free one muft carry with it a ftrong
" tinflure of the, medium through which it has pafFed; at the fame time that it has no chance of
" recovering any thing that may have been loft of the native and genuine colour of the firft
" compofition." See a fenfible letter totlie Critical Reviewers, vol. xxix. page 78.

PROSPECTUS. 107

the Oriental tongues, to comprehend their meaning ; particularly in
the poetical books.

It is evident, I think, from what has been faid, that a tranflator,
who works on the originals, can derive but little help from verfions
made from the Vulgate : and therefore I will not detain the reader
with a long enumeration of them.

I have feen but four French tranflations made from the Latin :
that of Louvain, that of Benoit, that of Corbin, and that of Safi.
The firft two are little more than the Geneva verfion accommodated
to the Vulgate: the third is beneath criticifm : the lafl is an elegant,
fecondary, verfion ; and has, with very little variation, been a text-
book to all the French commentators for a century pad. It appears,
however, to be too much a paraphrafe ; and feldom retains the
limplicity and dignity, even of the Vulgate verfion *.

Until the year 1 750, the German Catholics had no tolerable ver-
fion of the Bible. That of Dietenberg is a bad tranfcript, or ra-
ther miferable interpolation, of Luther's; and Ulenberg's is difguft-
ingly literal and obfcure. But, at the forementioned period, a new
tranflation was publiflied by the Benedi<5lines of Ettenheim-Mun-
fter, under the dire(5lion of F. Cartier, which is, I think, the beft
tranflation from the Vulgate, that has yet been made. The reafon

* Sa5y's verfion was revifeJ and republifhed by F. Carrieres, with fhort notes inferted in
the text, in Italics ; which give it a ftill more rambling, and often even a ludicrous air.

O 2

io8 prospectus:

is obvious: the authors had recourfe to the originals, in all dubious}
cafes ; and did not ftridlly adhere to the letter of their text*.

The Flemings have two tolerable verfions, the one by De Witt,
and the other by Vander-Schuren : but the French language has^
for fomc time part, been fo much cultivated by them, that Safi's^
Bible is almoft as frequently to be met with in the French Nether-
lands as in France itfelf.

There are two or three old Italian tranflations made from the
Vulgate f ; or adapted to it, from Pagninus's Latin verlion : but
they have not been reprinted for many years back ; and have, in
leality, little to recommend them, I have not feen Martini's re-
cent verfion, but I am informed it is very elegant.

In Spain there is not, I believe, at this day a fingle edited verfion
of the whole Bible. That, which was printed in 151 6, was fo
totally deftroyed, that hardly a copy of it is to be found. Some
particular books have been lately publilhed ; and it is not to be
doubted but the reft will foon follow. The torch of learning is
but newly lighted up in that ingenious nation : but, if we are not

* Notatidum quod illi viris erudith non falls prohentur qui verfionem Vulgatae iwjirae de verho ad
verbum adornandam cjfe antumaiii. N'am fraeterquam quod inde facri textus obfcuritaj mimme tol-
latur, alienum infuper fenfu?}!, fpeBato verlorum tenore, faepius did monifejium eft. Fraefat. in
Biblla Latino-Germanica. Conftantiae, 1763.

f That of De Malermi, firft publiflied In the year 1471; that of Marmochini in IJ38,
and, perhaps, another whofe author is not kno-\vn. See Le Long.

PROSPECTUS. 1C9

greatly miftaken, it will foon break forth into a blaze of uncommon
fulendor *.

Our Saxon anceflors had vernacular verfions of the Scripture as
early as the reign of Alfred, who is, himfelf, faid to have been one
of the tranflators. Some parts of Aelfric's verfion of the Old
Teflament were publiflied by Thwaites in 1698. And we have
two different editions of a Saxon New Teftament. All thefe were
made from the Vulgate. Hampole, Wiclif and Perry tranflated alfo
from the Latin; though, in fome of their verlions, they noted the
differences of the Hebrew and Greek, from St. Jerom, Bede and De
Lyra f..

. From the days of Wiclif there was no verfion made from the
Vulgate until the year 1582; when the Englifli Catholics, who had,
in. the beginning of Queen Elizabeth's reign, taken refuge in Flan-
ders, and were now removed to Reims on account of the war,
publiihed a tranflation of the New Teflament only, in one quarto
volume. The publication of the Old did not take place till after
their return to Douay in 1609. Hence the whole verfion, which

* I am jufl now informed by a gentleman, lately an ived from Spain, that a new Spanifh
verfion of the whole Scriptures is adua.lly preparing for the prefs; and that, in the mean time,
De Valeras' tranflation is permitted to be read ; the copies of which are fought with avidity
and bought up at any price, at Paris, Amfterdam and other places they can be found in.

f It is a pity the various manufcripts of Wiclif 's tranflation, as well as the more ancient
Saxon ones, are not carefully collated and publifhed. We fhould, by their means, fee the
ftateof the Vulgate at different periods, and be able to trace with more certainty the progrefs
of our language.

no PROSPECTUS.

is in three volumes, is known by the name of the Douay Bible, It
is a literal and barbarous tranflation from the Vulgate, before its
laft revifion; and accompanied with acrimonious and injurious an-
notations. Their refidence in a foreign country, and what they
deemed a cruel exile from their own, had corrupted the tranflator's
language, and foured their tempers; and it was, unhappily, the
common cuflom of thofe lamentable times, to feafon every religious
controverfy with gall and vinegar. We do not find that Withers,
Fulke and Cartwright, who drew their quills againft the Douay an-
notators, were a bit more courteous in their retorts.

The late moft pious Dr. Chaloner revifed the Douay verfion, on
the Clementine edition of the Vulgate ; greatly curtailed the anno-
tations J and corre<5led the ftile, chiefly from King James's tranfla-
tion. There are two editions of this revifion; one in the year 1750,
and the other in 1 7 64 ; both in five volumes, fmall odtavo. I am
told another edition is preparing by the gentlemen of the Englifli
college at Douay; and propofals for republifliing it at Dublin, in
one quarto volume, are now handed about in London.

Mr. Caryl, a gentleman who had followed the fortune of King
James II. publiflied, at St. German's, a new verfion of the Pfalms in
I 700; in which, taking Bellarmine for his guide, he has often ex-
prefled the meaning of the Vulgate, much better than the Douay
tranflators.

In 1719 Dr. Cornelius Nary publiflaed his New Teftament at

PROSPECTUS. HI

Dublin, in one volume 0(5lavo ; and Dr. Witham's appeared in 1 730,
in two volumes oClavo. There are many good renderings in both
thefe verlions.

Mr. W. Webfler, curate of St. Dunflan's in the vsreft, tranflated the
New Teflament from the Vulgate, througli the medium of F, Si-
mon's French verfion, and publifhed it at London, in two volumes
in quarto, in 1730*-

I have in my poffeflion. a manufcript New Teftament prepared
for the prefs, by the late Mr. Robert Gordon of the Scotch college
at Paris ; in which fome confiderable millranflations of all the pre-
ceding verfions are noted and recflified *.

But although the Catholics, in general, have made their verna-
cular verfions of the Bible from the Vulgate ; they have not done (6^
without exception. Two of the forementioned Italian tranflations,
are profelTedly made from the originals. In France, befides Co-
durc's verfion of Job, Proverbs, Ecclefiaflicus and the Song of So-
lomon , we find a tranflation of the Pfalms by Rodolphe le Maitre ;
another by Ifaac le Maitre, and another by Dupin ; all made from
the Hebrew in the laft century ; not to mention two compleat ma-
nufcript verfions of the whole Bible ; one by Dom. Loubineau, a Be-
nedidline monk ; and the other by F. Feraud of the Oratory *.

* 1 owe tills verfion to Mr. Marmaduke, an ingenious but not very fortunate bookfeller
in London ; who has alfo favoured me with his own curious manufcript remarks on the
Douay Bible, and on Dr. Chaloner's revifion of it.

f See Le Long, append, ad Blblioth. facram.

112 PROSPECTUS.

In the year 1737 a new verfion of the Pfalms was publiihed by
Bom. Maur d'Antine; and in 1739 appeared Le Gros's firft edi-
tion of The Holy Bible tranjlated from the original texts, with the
various readings of the Vulgate, &c. printed on a very fmall type, and
in one thick oiflavo volume. It was republlflied, with the author's
lafl corredions, at Cologne, in 1753, in fix volumes in twelves.
In this tranflation the additions of the Vulgate are inferted in the
fame charaders with the text ; but within crotchets. What is ad-
ded from other ancient verfions is alfo within crotchets, bvit in Ita-
lics ; and the fupplements, deemed necefl'ary to correct or illuflrate
the text, are in Italics, without crotchets.

About the middle of this century, a fchool of Capuchins was
formed at Paris, under the dire<5lion of Abbe de Villefroi, for the
laudable purpofe of elucidating the original Scriptures. The Popes
Benedict XIV. and Clement XIII. were fo well pleafed with the de-
fign, that they both teftlfied their approbation by fpecial briefs;
and the latter honoured the little fociety with the title of Clemen-
tine. Befides an elegant tranflation of the Pfalms and fome other
books of the Old Teflament, they have already publifl^ed a great
many volumes of Trincipcs dijcutes, in which there is much in-
genuity and coniiderable erudition : but a flrong tin(fi:urc of rab-
blnifm imbibed from their mauer, and a violent attachment to a
.Ipecious but deluiive and dangerous lyllem of interpretation, have
often led them afide from the riffht road, and exnofcd theni to

PROSPECTUS. 113

the too fevere though juft animadverfions of more rational critics *.
We have alfo a curious and fanciful French verfion of the Pfalms
from the Hebrew by Laugeois ; in which, although he has certain-
ly taken by far too great liberties with his original, and given
novel and arbitrary fignifications to a number of Hebrew words,
there are, neverthelefs, many elegant and fome uncommonly happy
renderings.

The amiable and pious author of Spe^lacle de la nature left be-
hind him a French verfion of the Pfalms and fome other fmall por-
tions of Scripture, which, though profeffedly made from the Vul-
gate, has a conflant allufion to the Hebrew, and contains fome
valuable elucidations, efpecially in the notes.

The laft publiflied French verfion of the Pfalms is that of my
old condifciple the Abbe Conflant, which appeared in 1783, in four
volumes in 1 2mo, and has, I am told, confiderable merit.

But a ftill more important work has been recently announced :
a French tranflation of the whole Bible by the late F. Houbigant ;
the publication of which is committed to his learned colleague F.
Lalande; and will not, we hope, be long delayed.

Having thus feen Avhat helps a tranflator may derive from for-
mer verfions, whether in his own or other languages ; let us next
fee what alfiftance he is likely to receive from interpreters and com-

* See yugement fur qu:lques traiiu^ioni des Pfcauvies, par L'Advocat. Exa^/ien du Pfeau-
Skr Ftanfoij dss Peres Capucins, par Houbigant.

,14 p Tx O S P E C T U S.

mentators. Indeed if the light thrown upon the Sacred Writing?,
were in proportion to the number of thofe, who have attempted to
iUuftrate them, there would not, at this day, remain the leaft fliade
of obfcurity: all would be obvious, plain and eafy. But of above
a myriad of names that appear in the long lift of interpreters, nine
thoufand and nine hundred may, without much detriment, be
ftruck off; and, even of the remaining hundred, there are hardly
fifty v/ho are not mere compilators, or fervile copylfts of one ano-
ther.

One, who has not read the Fathers, might be apt to imagine
that great refources were to be found in their writings. But who-
ever looks for that, will be miferably difappointed. The Chrlftiaix
writers of the firft two centuries were men of great probity ; but,
generally, of little learning and lefs tafte. They tranfmitted to
pofterity the Depofiium^ which they had received from the Apoftles
and their immediate fuccelTors, with great honefty, earneftnefs and
fimplicity ; and recommended the do(5lrines they taught more by
the fandlty of their lives than by the depth of their erudition.
They form fo many invaluable links, in the golden chain of uni-
verfal and Apoftolical tradition ; but they afford very little help to-
wards clearing up the dark paffages of Scripture.

The following ages produced a confiderable number of truly
learned, and of fome very eloquent men ; but few of them had the
qualifications necefTary to form a good Bible-interpreter. There are

PROSPECTUS. 115

many excellent homilies on almofl every part of Holy Writ, and
the jufl: application of an infinite number of particular texts to the
moft falutary purpofes of injlru^ing, exhorting and reproving^ in the
volumes of Clement, Cyprian, Cyril, Athanafius, Bafil, Ambrofe,
Auguftine, Leo and the Gregories of Nazianzum, NifTa and Rome;
and, in thefe the preacher will always be fure to meet with the bcfl
•models of true Chriftian eloquence, joined with the foundefl: mo-
rality. But, if we except Ephrem the Syrian, Origen, Eufebius,
Theodoret, Chryfoflome, Procopius and Olympiadorus among the
Greeks ; and Jerom alone among the Latins ; I will venture to fay^
that we fhall not eafily find, in all the reft, a thoufand lines that
one would chufe to copy over, in a modern work of Scripture cri-
ticifm. They generally contented themfelves with quoting fuch
copies of the Greek or Latin tranflations as they had at hand; or,
perhaps, often with quoting fuch parts of them as they could re-
colledl from memory ; without ever comparing, or being indeed
able to compare them with the originals : and when they could not
find a plaufible literal explanation of the text thus quoted, they
had recourfe to figure and allegory *.

* This difpofition to allegorize, which has more or lefs prevailed in every age, ought alfo
to be numbered amongft the caufes of imperfeft tranflations: in as much as it evidently deter-
mined tranflalors to a(!opt, of tv\0 or more probable renderings, that vhicli moft favoured
thiir own propenfity. The example and authority of Origen ferved greatly to propagate this
pernicious cuftom ; from the contagion of which few of the fucceeding Fathers efcaped. The
works of Ambrofe, Auguftine and the Roman Gregory are full of fuch puerile interpretations:

ii6 PROSPECTUS.

In the fucceeding degenerate and dark period, the ftudy of the
Scripture was much neglecfled ; and more commentaries were mads
on the Decretals and the Mailer of Sentences, than on Mofes and
the Prophets : yet the firfl part of this period, which we may call
the brazen age of Chriftianity, produced a Bede, an Alcuin and a
Rabanus ; in whofe commentaries, if we find little original, we have,
at leaft, a tolerable feledlion from prior commentators. But from
the end of the ninth, to the beginning of the fifteenth century,
Oecomonlus, Theophyladlus and De Lyra are almoft the only wri-
ters on this fubje(ft, whofe works deferve a perufaL

On the revival of letters, a whole legion of glofTarifts, commen-
tators, and paraphrafts arofe; but not many of them added to the
former flock of Scriptural knowledge. The conteft was, who
fhould write the largeft volumes, crowd their pages with the great-
eft number of quotations, and fay the moft ill-natured things of
thofe who happened to be of a different opinion. Not only did the
Catholic and the Protcftant write commentaries for the purpofe of
confuting one another ; but the Scripture became a common ar-
fenal, whence the Dominican drew arms againft the Jefuit, the Je-

but it is aftonifhing to find the acute and rational Jerom fometimes carried away in the comraon
vortex. Although both the context and the example of the Septuagint fhould have led him
to tranflate Gen. xxvi. 1 7. " in the valley of Gerar", yet he prefers «' in the torrent of Gerar;"
for this fine reafon; that Ifaac, after having been ralfed to fuch a pitch of greatnefs, could
not poffibly have dwelt in a valley. Kiquc aiitn Ijaac, p^Jfquam magnifaatui eP,, in lalle iabi-
iare potuit.

PROSPECTUS. n;

;fiiit againft the Dominican, and the Auguftlnian againft both :
while, on the other hand, it fupplied various weapons to the Lu-
tlieran, the Calvinift, the Socinian, the Anabaptifl, and cverj' other,
denomination of pretended Reformers *..

But though fcarcely two interpreters agreed in their explana-
tions, one thing was common to them all. Inftead of endeavour-
ing to free the text from the adventitious rubbifh, that time and
blundering tranfcribers had heaped upon it ; they applied their
whole art and induflry, to convert that rubbifn into genuine ore ;
or, at leaft, into fuch mixt metal, as was current in their own
communion. If a few candid and impartial meii, fuch as Eraf-
nrras, Drufius, Pifcator, Vatablus, Mercerus, Cajetan, Grotius, Ca-
pellus, &c. had the courage to deviate from the common track, they

* To this we owe yet another caufe of the imperfeftion of modern tranflations. Not fa-
tisfied with eflablifhing tlieir refpeftive tenets, from the fuppofed meaning of tlie words; they
fometimes ventured to fit the words themfelves to the meaning they wilhed them to have;
and waving, as Gill obferves, whatever fcemed to make againft them, they chofe fuch terms as
fuited beft with their own intereft, opinions, and prejudices. Many, and I fear too juft, ftiu-
tual reproaches have been made on this head. I make little account of the invefiives of fuch
violent and cavilling writers as Frizon, Veron, Martyn, and Ward; or of the angry retalia-
tions of Amana, Cartwright, Withers, James, and Fulke. They often, on both fides, eatch-
ed at mere fhadows, and found defigned miftranflations, where there was no miftranflation at
all. But ftill I believe there was more or lefs ground for reciprocal impeachment ; and I
have hardly feen a modern verfion, in which I could not difcern feme vifible marks cf party-
zeal. The age of polemical fcurrility is, or ought to be, now over; and writers of every
perfuafion will henceforth, we truft, reciprocally adift one another, towards difcovering the
genuine fignification of fuch texts or terms as admit of ambiguity; v^■ithout iiifidioufnefs or
rancour.

ii8 PROSPECTUS.

were pointed out by all parties as fufpicious and dangerous writers ;
loaded with injuries and maledi<5lions ; and fometimes obliged, ac-
cording to the teftimony of Mariana, to plead their caufe in chains.
Yet it is chiefly in their works that we are to look for almoll all
that is truly valuable in the commentaries of the lall and preceding
centuries.

The young eager Biblical fludent, who fets out with a rcfolu-
tion of reading whatever has been written on the fubjedl, is fright-
ened, on opening his Le Long, at the formidable hoft of authors
he has to encounter ; and, if he be not very fteady in his purpofes,
will be apt to recoil, and decline the enterprife: but let him not
defpair ; I will venture to aiTure him that the quinteffence of all
he feeks for is to be found, judicioufly colledled, and methodically
arranged, in Poole's Synopfts. Had I always been convinced of this
truth, I fliould have fpared myfelf much fruitlefs labour, and faved
a great deal of loft time : but experience, although a fure, is a
flow teacher, et longo poji tempore -venit. Let us hufband the mo-
ments that yet remain, and endeavour to employ them more ufe-
fully.

For, within thefe laft hundred years, things have taken a differ-
ent turn ; and fince Capellus pointed out the right way, a number
of critics have trodden it with fuccefs. Bv their continued and con-
curring efforts, the avenues to the fani5luary have been gradually
cleared; Maforetic prejudices have been removed; religious animo-

PROSPECTUS. 119

fity has in a great meafure fubfidcd ; and the learned, of all perfua-
fions, can now bear to walk in the fame path, without juftling one
another.

This, like mon other branches of critical learning, begun to
flourilh firft in France : thence it found its way into Britain ; and
is, now, making a rapid progrefs over all Europe, efpecially among
the northern nations.

To enumerate all the ufeful books and tracts, that have been
written on this fubjecl, during the foremcntioned period, would
lead me beyond the bounds I have prefcribed to myfelf : but as
fome of my readers may, poffibly, willi to know, by whom this
important revolution, in facred literature, has been principally ef-
fecled; I will juft mention fuch of them, as appear to me to have
" laboured more abundantly" than the reft; without meaning to
throw any fort of reiledlion on thofe I may omit.

The works of Capellus, the founder of this Neiu Academy^ will
always claim a particular attention. There are, in all his writings,
a clearnefs, a method, and a force that fliould provoke the emula-
tion of every Biblical critic : though few, I fear, will be able to at-
tain them in the fame degree. A new edition of his Critica Sacra
was publiilied by Vogel at Leipfic in 1777. — Although Bochart
be a tedious writer, and although many of his conjedures be ex-
tremely dubious, he will feldom be confulted without advantage. —
The Exercitations and fome other works of Morinus contain a great

I20 PROSPECTUS.

number of judicious obfervations, blended with feme paradoxes.—
F. Simon's Critical Hiftory is, notwithflanding its few oddities, a
mofl capital work; and the firft;, we believe, in which are laid
down jufl and rational principles, for having a good vernacular
tranflation of the Bible. — Much juft criticifm is found difperfed in
the works of Huet, Renaudot, Natalis Alexander, Lamy, Thomaf-
fin ; the DifTertations of Dupin ; the Differ tations, Prefaces, Com-
mentary, and Biblical Didlionary of Calmet; the additional Differ-
tations and notes of his abrldgers ; Father Tournemlnes T rolegomena
to his edition of Menochlus ; Menochius's own Annotations, and
the fliort but excellent Notes of Emanuel Sa ; Pezron's yfntiquite
des terns, with its defence againft Martianay; Martianay's own
pieces on the fame fubje6l, and his Preface and Notes to his edition
of St. Jerom ; Le Quien s and Souclet's anfwers to Pezron ; Mont-
faucon's Preface and Notes to Origen's Hexapla, with many fcat-
tered remarks in his other works ; Houblgant's excellent Prolego-
mena, Prefaces, and Notes to his Latin verfion of the Bible ; the
work of the Capuchlnes already mentioned j the Thefes and little -
•pofthumous pieces of L'Advocat * ; Conftant's Commentary on

* Firft Hebrew profefTor in tlie chair of Sorbonne, erecleJ in the year I 75 i by llie Duke
of Orleans, for the p'.irpofe of reviving Oriental learning in the Univerfity of Paris, and of ex-
.plaining the Hebrew fcriptures. No man was more capable of fulfilling this double objeft
than L'Advocat. He had a penetrating genius, an aftonilhing memory, a correct judgment,
and an exquifite tafte. He was the moll univerfal fchnlar, the mod: pleafant teacher, the moft
■beiievolent man and the moft moderate theologian I ever knew. Had he lived a little longer

PROSPECTUS. 121

the Pfalms, lately publiflied ; befides a number of memolres, dif-
fertations, and occafional remarks, in the feveral journals of Paris,
Trevoux, Verdun, Amfterdam, the Hague, and Geneva — all which
are deferving of the tranflator's notice , and will all afford both in-
formation and entertainment. Nor are the works of the French
Refugees in Holland to be negle<5led ; particularly thofe of Le
Clerc, Le Cene, Spanheim, Bafnage, Beaufobre, Martin, Chais,
Roques, Saurin ; moft of whom were extremely capable of carry-
ing facred criticifm to a great degree of perfedion ; had they been
lefs wedded to old prepofTefEons, and lefs addidled to theological
fyflem.

Among the facred critics of Italy, the moft diftinguifhed are
Bartolocci, Cardinal Thomafi, Bianchini, Diodati*, Ugolini, Fa-
bricy, De Magiftris, De Rofli, Georgi, Poch, Setaro, Borgia, An-
faldi; many of whom are yet alive; and, I doubt not, heartily la-
bouring in the fame vineyard.

In Germany a conftellation of writers have lately arifen j who
have difpelled more clouds, and cleared up more obfcure paflages
of Scripture, than perhaps the writers of any other nation; our

and enjoyed more leifure to accompllfli the work he meditated on the Scripture, we fhould
now polFefs a treafure of great value; but a weakly conftitulion and too conftant an applica-
tion to his profeffional duties hurried him away in his 56th year, to the great regret of all who
knew him, but of none more than of him who dedicates thefe lines to his memory.
* Not the fame with the tranflator of the Bible.

ua PROSPECTUS.

own not excepted : although they are not yet arrived at the zenith.
they fairly promife to attain. At the head of thefe we place the
venerable Michaelis, one of the mod learned and judicious mo-
dern critics: nor will Biorn-Sthal, Bruns, Fifcher, Hafencamp^
Gottfried, Lilienthal, Schulze, Oberlin, Storke, Outhovius, Schoet-
genius, Starck, Koppe, Schnurrer, Eichorn, Cramer, Teller, Schei-
dius, Biel, Knappe, Doederleim, Dathe, Rare, Griefbach, Velthu-
fen, Woide, Maldenhover, Adler, Birch, and other refpe<5lable:
names, grudge the veteran this honour of precedence ; when it is
allowed, that every one of themfelves will be a precedent and a
model in his turn. There are alfo many pieces in the literary
diaries of Leiden, Leipfic, Goetingen, Saxa-Gotha, and Berlin,
which the curious and inquifitive indagator will be glad to have
difcovered and perufed *.

It may feem an unneceiTary affedlation to give a catalogue of
Englifh writers ; who, fince the beginning of this caitury, have fo
largely contributed to emancipate facred criticifm, from the fet-
ters forged by credulity and fuperftition ; as the greatefl part of
my readers may be fuppofed to be, at leaft, as well acquainted
with them as myfelf : but, befides, that I cannot, without ingrati-
tude, fupprefs the obligations I lie under to thofe of my country-

* The Biblical ftudent will alfo be glad to know that Mr. Maty's new Review contains the
earlieft intelligence of foreign publications of every kind ; and particulary thofe that relate to
facred criticifnt.

PROSPECTUS. 123

men who have walked before me in the fame career, and fmooth-
ed fo many places of the rugged path; I obferve, with concern,
that there are others, who endeavour to throw obftacles in the
way ; and deter many from entering into it, who might be capable
of making uncommon progrefs.

It is not eafy to root out old prejudices even from the minds of
the learned. The belief of an immaculate original is not yet uni-
verfally exploded ; and there are who think religion is in danger,
if but a fingle letter or point be altered or expunged. As long as
this idea obtains, little more will be done among us towards clear-
ing up the Hebrew writings, than has been done already. Poole,
Prideaux, Patrick, Pearce, Hammond, Henry, Whitby, Wells, Wall,
Waterland, Clarendon, Clarke, Locke, Sale, Sykes, Stackhoufe,
Dodd, Watfon, and fome others of Icfs note have correcled many
miftranflations of our prefent verfion ; and we are greatly indebted
to them for their learned labours ; but fome of them would have
laboured much more fuccefsfuUy, if they had raifed their fuper-
flrudlures on a better foundation than the fuppofed integrity of
the Maforetic text.

We are not, then, to conclude from the great number of expo-
sitors, that therefore the Scriptures are thoroughly expounded.
The generality of our commentators, like thofe of other nations,
are either blind followers of fome particular theological fyftem ;
or drudging compilators from difierent fyftems. The huge mafles

(^2

124 PROSPECTUS.

of indigefted matter, that ifHie yearly from the prefTes of Fleet-
Street and Pater-Nofter-Row, are generally better calculated to
throw ridicule on the facred text, than to explain it ; and oftener
furnifh the infidel with fpecious pretexts, for queftioning the
truths of religion, than the believer with folid arguments to fup-
port them. Expunge from thofe motly performances the unmean-
ing myftic jargon, the naufeous cant of enthufiafra, and the trite
and tedious maxims of a common-place morality ; all that is left
behind of any value may be comprefl into a nut-fliell. Yet thefe
are the guides that diredl the people in their Biblical refearches.
By thefe the minds of the vulgar are early tincfhired with that fa-
natic zeal, that religious rancour, that horrid intolerantifm 5 the
fatal efFe(5ls of which we fo lately experienced ; but which could
not have happened in a free and liberal nation, like ours, without
fuch potent incitements, as arife from religious prejudices.

To prevent fuch dangerous confequences, and to refcue the
Scriptures from the hands of fuch empyrics, ought to be the aim
and endeavour of every rational theologift. The falutary waters
of life fhould be prefented to the people as free of every foreign
admixture as poffible ; and nothing fhould be prefented along with
them, that has the leaft tendency to foment bigotry or create
party-rage. Let profound myftics and fubtle cafuifls be, if they
will, employed in difcovering allegorical, anagogical, and moral
meanings j let profefTed polemics torment the text, to make it a-

P R O S P E C T U S. 125

gree with their favourite hypothefis ; it is the bufinefs of tlie mere
interpreter, much more of the tranflator, to give the obvious lite-
ral fenfe of his author ; with a view to no particular fyflem, and
without regard to parties or principles;

Luckily this mode of interpreting has been already adopted by
our beft writers ; and we have only to follow and improve their
plan. Whoever has read, with attention, Whifton's EfTays on the
true text of the Old Teftament, Hallett's notes on feveral texts of
Scripture, Mudge and Merrick on the Pfalms, Coftard's Obferva-
tions and DiiTertations, Pilkington's Remarks, Heath and Peters on
Job,^ Hunt on Proverbs, Defvoeux on Eccleiiaftes, Arnold on the
Apocrypha; above all Dr, Kennicott's DiiTertations on the flate of
the Hebrew text, and Bifhop Lowth's admirable Preface to his
tranflation of Ifaiah *, muft, we think, be convinced that facred
criticifm can never be brought to the perfeclion of which it is fuf-
ceptible, but by the method they have pointed out and pradllfed :
and his conviclion will be ftill more compleat, if he read the feve-
ral pieces that have been written on the other fide of the queftion f.

* Add to thefe the Prefaces and Annotations of Blayney and Bifhop Newcome, fome pa-
pers in the Theological Repofitory, feveral of Biihop Watfon's Theological Tra>f>s, and many
excellent occaflonal remarks in the Monthly and Critical Reviews, and Gentleman's Ma-
gazine.

f See Rutherforth's, and the French Abbe's Letters to Kennicott, Robertfon's Analyfis of
the Pentateuch, Baruh's Critica Sacra examined — Durel on the Hebrew text, Home's View,
Purver's Annotations. See alfo different works of Schmld, Eichorn, Tychfen, Razenber-
ger, &c. &c.

126 PROSPECTUS.

Having thus pretty copioufly treated on the principal caufes of
the imperfe(5lion of modern verfions, and pointed out what I deem-
ed the fureft means of removing them, I will now venture to give
my opinion of the diftinguifhing characlers of a good tranflation^
and of the chief qualifications necefTary for a tranflator.

Firflof all then, a tranflation of the Bible ought to be faithful;
that is, ought to exprefs all the meaning and no more than the
meaning of the original. But though this is unlverfally allowed
to be the firft quality of a good verfion, it is not eafy to determine
how it is to be attained : and one of the greateft difficulties I have
met with, was to fix vipon that precife mode of rendering which
fhould be the befl: calculated to give a genuine copy of the Scrip-
tures, in intelligible Englifli ; without prejudice to the fimplicity
and dignity of the originals. Two oppofite extremes were, I
knew, to be equally avoided, a wild paraphrafe and a fervile ver-
fion ; but in what particular point between them I fhould refl, or
■how the happy medium was to be always preferved, were problems,
of which, the more I revolved them in my mind, the more hard I
experienced it to find a fatisfaclory folution,

I confulted my learned friends ; but they differed fo widely in
"their fentiments, that I was more perplexed than before j and, af-
ter all, obliged to rely on my own judgment, fuch as it is; and to
prefcribe for myfelf one uniform route, that feemed the mofl likely
to lead me on, with the leafl danger, to the intended goal. I en-

PROSPECTUS. 127

tcred into it with the greater confidence, becaufe it had been trod-
den before by Symmachus and Jerom ; and recommended by the
befl critics of every age, as the fureft way to fucceed.

My tranllation, then, is neither literal nor verbal; but, if I may
ufe the term, fb'i^lly fentential ; that is, every lentence of the Eng-
lifh correfponds as exa(5lly to the Hebrew, as the difference of the
two idioms will permit; and although I have not made myfelf fo
much a flave to the original, as to adopt its peculiar phrafeology
and conftrucflion, where they greatly differed from our own, I have
always kept as clofely to it as was compatible with the ideas I had
formed to myfelf of a good tranflation *.

I am not ignorant of the arguments that are urged in favour of
a fervilely literal verfion. I have long and fcrioufly pondered them,
and found them to be light as air. The chief, and indeed the only
fpecious one, is that in a free tranflation, there is no fmall danger
of fubftituting the tranflator's ideas, in the room of the author's ;
and confequently of mifleading the reader: but it would be eafy to
prove that this danger is greater in literal verfions ; and that Pagni-
nus and Montanus are lefs faithful guides than even Caftalio, Mi-
chaelis or Wynne. It is indeed abfolutely impoffible to tranflate
literally from any language whatever, without being often barba-

* Tranflatio vera cjl cujiu fenfus a fuo fonte non deviat, fed fentcntiai reddit et lafdtm cl ae-
quales. Greg, de Valentia apud Walton.

1^8 PROSPECTUS.

rous, obfcure and equivocal ; and this alone is a fufEcient reafon
for tranflating freely *.

For perfpiculty is the fecond moft eflential quality of a good
tranllation ; nor need we the authority of Horace or Ariftotle to
eftabllfla a propofition fo agreeable to common fenfe. The Jewifh,
like all other writers, certainly wrote to be underftood. The poets
■and prophets themfelves are not obfcure on account of their ftile ;
which, though bold and figurative, mufl have been perfedly intel-
ligible when they wrote ; but from our imperfect knowledge of the
Hebrew idiom and of the cuftoms and manners of thofe times. A
tranllator, therefore, who, under the pretext that his originals are

* From this the reader muft by no means infer that my tranflation is not a clofe one. Be-
. tween loofe and liberal the diftance is great ; and even of liberal tranllations there are many va-
rious kinds ; feme of which are little different from what is often, though improperly, called
a literal verfion. Wlial I mean is, that perfpicuity and the other qualities of a good tranflation
. ought never to be facrificed to a fcrupulous adiierence to tlie letter of the original : and, in-
deed, an Englifh tranflator will not often have occafion to make fuch facrifices. Our lan-
guage eafily moulds itfelf into the Hebrew form; and it rarely happens that we are under any
neceffity of having recourfe to paraphraze or circumlocution, to exprefsthe full meaning of
the text. Even when the fyntaclieal arrangement is different, there is a ftriking equipollence
of fimplicity, concifenefs and energy to be attained; which, perhaps no other modern lan-
guage can boaft of; and which is not found in ours, with regard to any other language, btt
the Hebrew. With this natural advantage, I flatter myfelf I (hall be able to give a verfion
in nearly as few words as are in the original ; and, at any rate, lefs vcrbofe than even our pre-
fent vulgar tranflation. The very few liberties I have taken with the text, to render my ver-
fion more intelligible, and I flatter myfelf more encrgic; and the fmall deviations I have
made from the track of my anteceflbrs, for the fake of a more eafy and unembaralTed march,
ihall be noted and examplified, in my General preface. :•

PROSPECTUS. 129

obfcure, afFedls to give an obfcure tranflatlon, betrays either his
idlenefs or his ignorance ; offers an infult to his reader ; and throws
an oblique ridicule on the author he pretends to interpret. If the
Scriptures are at all to be tranflated, of which we can have no doubt,
they fliould certainly be made as plain and perfpicuous as poffible ;
and not a fingle ambiguity fliould be left in them that can be by any
means removed. That there arc certain myfterious words of the
originals, which fliould not be rendered, may be a pious, but is not
a rational notion. The Greek and Hebrew are not, of their own
nature, more facred languages than the Welch or Wallachian : and
furely, to a mere Englifli reader, pafs-over and praife ye the Lord,
are not lefs fignificant and far more edifying founds than pafch^ and
hallelujah.

A third quality of a good verfion is elegance ; but an elegance
of a fpecial kind, and of peculiar charatflerifticks. That an elegant
tranflation of the Bible has a great advantage over a barbarous one,
is ftrongly verified by that of Luther ; which would never have
been fo well received at firft, nor continued fo long the favourite
of the German nation ; if it had not, in an eminent degree, poffeffed
the charms of an inchanting (lilc, and all the graces of a corredl
and elegant didlion. The idle fneer of F. Simon, " that Luther
" feemed to have only in view to make the Holy Ghoft fpeak good
" German," is in reality a great panegyric; and the aim of Luther
ought to be that of every other tranflator. It is an odd manner of ■

130 PROSPECTUS.

conciliating the tafte and fixing the attention of the reader, to tell,
him, you defpife elegancy of compolition.

But how is this elegancy to be acquired? Perhaps, it is not
entirely to be acquired. It muft be, in part, the gift of nature; but
the talent may certainly be cultivated and improved ; and the ob-
fcrvation of the following rules, I apprehend, will be found contri-
hutive to that purpofe.

In the firft: place, a tranflator of tafte will be careful to make ae
jufl and proper feledion of terms. Secondly, he will arrange them,
in the moll natural order. Thirdly, he will rejedl all meretrici-
ous ornaments. Let us illuftrate thefe rules by a few examples.

A proper choice of terms is the firft and perhaps the hardefl
duty of a tranflator. It is even harder for him, than for an ori- *
ginal compofer. The latter may accomodate the fentence to his
v/ords ; but the former is under an abfolute neceflity of adapting
words to fentences. Now as there is, in no language, a perfed:
Jynonymity of any two terms, it becomes a matter of great difficulty
to make always a jufl diftin(5lion. The fame Hebrew word, Ge-
nefis i. i6. has been rendered lights, luminaries, and illuminations.
The firfl was the term adopted by our laft tranflators; the fecond is
ufcd by Wells, Stackhoufe, and Doddj and the third by Lookup:
but whoever examines the analogical propriety of the three terms,
and compares them with the original, will clearly perceive, that
lu7ninaries is here a more luitable term than lights, and lights thaai

PROSPECTUS. 131

illuminations — To divide, to feparatc, and to dijlinguijjj arc words of
nearly the fame fignification ; yet I lliould fay, " to divide a vic-
*' tim, a portion, an inheritance, the land, the fpoil; to JeparateY\Q\\t
" from darknefs, waters from waters, the fons of Levi from the
" other tribes ; to dijlingui/h the clean from the unclean, the holy
*' from the profane, the children of Ifrael from the Egyptians."

It may, however, happen that a word fhall properly enough ex-
prefs the meaning of the original, and yet be inelegant and inad-
miffible ; either, becaufe it is altogether obfolete, or is of low and
trite ufage, or has fome ludicrous idea annexed to it, or, in fine,
favours of afFecflation and pedantry. In all thefe cafes a judicious
tranflator will fubftitute fome more modern, more noble, more de-
cent, and more unaffeded term ; though, perhaps, it fhould not be
quite fo fignificant and emphatical. Albeit^ fet, hofeny leafing^ Jith^
feeth, fod were in the days of our forefathers as exprellive and con-
gruous words, as thofe we now ufe inflead of them ; yet no tran*-
flator, who ftudies elegance, will admit them into his verfion ;
much lefs will he admit fuch indelicate vulgarifms, as we find in
almofl every page of Purver's tranflation ; or fuch quaintnefs of
exprellion, as is too often chargeable on Le Cene *.

All this, I think, will be readily granted by thofe who are in
the leaft acquainted with the laws of good writing. But, in the

* Both thefe vices are wonderfully united in a ridiculous and. profane verfion of the New
Teftament, publilhed with the Greek, in two volumes oflavo, in the year 1729.

R 2

13a PROSPECTUS.

courfe of my laDours, a doubt has occurred, relative to this fubjedl;
which I wifh to propofe to the confideration of the learned. It has
been, I believe, a generally received idea that a tranflator fhould
prefer words that are originally of the language into which be tran-
llates, to words that have been adopted from other languages; and,
Iconfefs, I was once ftrongly prepofTefFed with this idea. For why,
faid I, fliould we have recourfe to Greek and Latin, when we can
find equivalent terms of good Saxon etymology ? I am now convinced
I was in the wrong; and that words of a foreign extra(5lion are,
not feldom, preferable to thofe of our own growth. I will give my
reafons, and fupport them by examples.

It will not, I think, be denied, that, of words equally fignifi-
cant, thofe are the moft eligible, which are the leaft produ(5live of
ambiguity, the leafl liable to receive new and accefTary meanings,
and the leafl likely to deviate into tritenefs and vulgarity *. But
to me it appears evident, that words, which we have adopted from
other languages, have generally all thofe qualities in a greater de-
gree than the' original terms of our own. They are therefore ge-
ri,erally to be preferred. For this reafon I fhould rather fay to " ejl-
'* hhjh''' than ' ' X-ofet up a covenant ;" "to regulate'' rather than " to rule
*' the day and the night ;" ahyfi rather than deep ; difmifs rather than
fend aivay; parad'ife rather xXxSlW garden; deludge rather thzn food;
conflux or affejnblage of waters rather than gathering together of wa-
ters; genealogy rather than book of the generations^ &c,

* See Michaclis's DiiTertation on the inffucncs of opinions on language. Sz€t. z.

PROSPECTUS. ^33

This rule, however, admits of very many exceptions ; and great
difcretion, is required in the ufe of it. A word of foreign deriva-
tion, though fully naturalized, is often lefs proper than another
aboriginal one of the fame fignification. Thus, there is no doubt
but that the common verfion of Geneiis xi. 8. "The Lord/catiered
•' themj" is preferable to Lookup's: " The Lord dijfipated themj"
although perhaps, d'lfperfed would here be better than either. In like
manner, I fhould prefer cm ijfue of blood or a blood ijjhe to a fanguinary
Jlux ; after thefe things to after thefe tranfaflions ; nakednefs to nudity ;
pO'wer to ability ; foolijlmefs to infatuation, &c.

It may fometimes even happen, that a word of our own growth
and an exotic one of the fame force, are of fuch a nature as to be,
xefpeclively, more proper in one circumflance, and lefs fo in another.
Thus, of the terms drunk and inebriated, I fhould ufe the firfl, Job
xii. 1^, " he maketh them to ftagger, like a drunk man :" but the
latter Gen. ix. 21. " and he drunk of the wine until he was inebri-
" ated;^^ forreafons which, I think, willbe obvious to every intelli-
gent reader. I would not in the laft inftance tranflate intoxicated
with Lookup ; becaufe intoxication does not properly denote drunk-
ennefs, in as far as it proceeds fromexcefs in drinking; but from
a poifonous quality fuppofed to be in the drink. Again, though
cq/l out and expel be both good words, yet, if I am not deceived, the
laft v/ould be the moft proper word Gen. iii. 24. " So he expelled the
*' man," &c. but, in the mouth of Sarah, Gen. xxi, 10. "Crt,/?ott/that

134 PROSPECTUS.

" bond woman" feems to be a more eligible rendering. In fliort,
that term is ever to be preferred, which is the mod difcriminateljr
cxpreflive of the particular idea, it is meant to convey.

Our lalt tranflators paid great attention to this fort of propriety;
which gives uncommon beauty and energy to their fliie. They
generally, indeed, preferred old Englifh terms to recently imported
ones * ; and, at this day, they may appear to have fometimes car-
ried that preference beyond due bounds : but we fliould confider,
that 1 74 years are pafTed fince their tranflation was made ; and that
many words are now grown familiar to us which were not then at
all in ufe ; while many others, that were then of the bell ufage, have
gradually gone into defuetude.

But it is not enough that the words be properly chofen ; they
muft alfo be properly arranged, we are told that Addifon was fo
fcrupuloufly nice in this particular, that he would often alter a
whole paper for the fake of a few niifplaced particles. Be this as
it may, it is certain that nothing contributes more to elegance than
the appofite arrangement of words. " In the beginning God cre-
ated the heaven and the earth," and *' God created the heaven and
*' the earth in the beginning," are in reality compofed of the fame
terms : but how flat is the lall, which is Purver's tranflation, com-

* Sometimes, howe%'er, they abandoned this mode of rendering without necefllty, and even
to the detriment of their verfion. Ezek. ix. 1 1. They tranflate " the Ta?ia reported the matter"
inllead of " the man brought back word"; tliough the laft be not only a more Enghfh, but
alfo a more literal tranflation.

PROSPECTUS. r^c

pared with the firft, which is the common one ? It is equal, as to the
meaning, whether we fay with Lookup : " They had ferved Che-
*' dorlaomer twelve years, and rebelled in the thirteenth," or with
King James's tranflators, " Twelve years they had ferved Chedorla-
*' omer, but in the thirteenth year they rebelled ;" yet it will not,: ^
we prefume, be denied that the latter is by far the mofl elegant
mode of arrangement *.

With regard to meretricious ornaments, the flrid mode of ren-
dering which, thofe who have translated the Scriptures have ge-
nerally prefcribed to themfelves, has luckily preferved them from
falling into tliat defed : and this is, perhaps, the ftrongcft argu-
ment that can be urged in favour of literal verfions. The flile of
Pliny, Seneca, or even of Cicero might be clothed, with fome de-
gree of feeming propriety, in the Englifh drefs of a Stanhope, or
Leftrange; but Caefar, Sallufl, or Demofthenes would appear
ftrangely metamorphofed in fuch a garb. Lefs ftill does the facred
Scripture admit of this fort of embellifhment. The elegance that

* From an improper arrangement of words arifes, not only inelegance, but often obfcurity
and fometimes a mifapprehenfion of the tranflator's meaning. Inftances of this are extremely
frequent in Purver. But I (Lall prefent the reader with one from the common verfion. In
Ezek. vi. 12. we find thefe words: "And thou flialt eat it as barley- cakes, and thou flialt
" bake it with dung that cometh out of a man, in their fight." By this arrangement it fhould
feem, as if the dung were to come out of the man, in the fight of the people; nor does the com-
ma after nutn, entirely remove the ambiguity : whereas, tranfpofe the words thus, as tliey
indeed ftand in the original: •' As barley-cakes thou fhalt eat it, and with dung, that cometh
*' from man, thou (halt bake it in their fight." The fenfe is plain and obvious, the turn, if I
am not miftaken, lefs profaical, and yet the tranflation more literal than before.

156 PROSPECTUS.

fuits it is fimple and unafFeded ; not the elegance of a court-lady
decked out for a ball or birth-day, but that of rural beauty in her
Sunday's apparel, modeftly decorated with fuch flowers as grow in
her native meads. The example of Caflalio, whofe greateft and
almoft only fault was an affedlation to adorn his verfion with ex-
otic finery, fliould be a powerful warning to all future tranflators,
to avoid repeating an experiment that proved unfuccefsful even in
his hands. Compare his Latin verfion with that of Houbigant, or
Harwood's Englifla New Teftament with the vulgar tranllation, and
you will have a flriking illuftration of what I have here advanced.
A fourth quality of a good tranflation is as ftridl a uniformity
of flile and manner as is confiftent with the other foregoing pro-
perties. It fliould not be clofe in one place and free in another ;
fometimes corre(5l, and at other times carelefs ; here, arrayed in the
robes of a fafliionable tafte, and there, only covered with the rags of
rufticity ; much lefs mufl: it appear a piece of patch work by diifer-
ent hands.

fer'uelur ad imum
^alis ab incepto procejferit, et j%i conjlet.
It does not, however, hence follow, that the fame words or even
the fame phrafes fliould always, and without the leafl; variation,
be rendered in the fame manner. Thofe critics, who have required
this, have reqviired too mvich. A compliance with fo rigorous a
law would often produce a tranflation not only unintelligible but

PROSPECTUS. 137

extremely erroneous. "When Lookup, Gen. v. i. tranflates "This
*' is the roll of the hiflories of Adam," he tranflates with fome fort
•of propriety, becaufe the Hebrew word there fignifies a narrati've^
and narratives were commonly written on rolls: but when. Gen.
XV. 5. he renders the fame Hebrew term by the fame vernacular
one: " Look toward the roll oi the ftars," he gives to the word
roll an acceptation of which it is not fufceptible; and, perhaps, im-
prelTes a falfe idea on the mind of his reader. For who would ima-
gine that roll here were the fame as number ; and not rather that it
meant rolling or rotation ? not to mention that the original word is
in this place a verb, and well rendered in the common verfion,
■tell; ft ill better by Bate, number.

It is, then, enough that the fame word or phrafe be, in the fame
=circumftances and in the fame acceptation, tranflated in the fame
manner: nor can this be confidered as a hard reftridion on the tran-
flator ; for if he has once hit on a good term or mode of expreffion,
why would he feek to change it merely for the fake of variety, at
■the rifk of ftumbling on a worfe ?

Yet this general uniformity in tranflating fhould not preclude a
particular attention to that diverfity of ftile which characterifes the
different Scripture-writers. This is a fifth quality of a good tran-
flation, which, however difficult to attain, ought certainly and by
all means, to be aimed at. The hiftorical parts of the Bible are not
to be rendered in the fame manner, as the poetical ; nor thefe, as the

138 PROSPECTUS.

fentential. The ftile of the book of Job is not the ftlle of Ifaiah,
nor the flile of Ifaiah that of any other prophet. Every writer, whe-
ther facred or profane, has fomething peculiar to himfelf, and it
ought to be the endeavour of a tranflator to retain as much as pof-
fible of that pecuharity. He muft, as Bifhop Lowth finely ex-
prefles it, *' imitate his features, his air, his gefture, and, as far as
" the difference of language will permit, even his voice."

By this time the reader will be fufficiently prepared to draw this
inference — That a good tranflation of the Bible is a moft arduous
tafk ; and he will, probably, wonder at the refolution, or rafhnefs,
of that individual, who ventures fingly to undertake it. Nor will
his aftonifhment be IclTened by viewing the following fketch of the
neceffary qualifications of a tranflator ; which with a trembling
hand I now venture to delineate.

A tranflator, then, mufl in the firfl place be well acquainted
with the language from which, and the language into which he
tranflates; and, for that purpofe, mufl have made a long and fe-
rious ftudy of both. It is even hard to fay, to which of them he
ought to have paid the greatefl attention : fo nearly balanced are
the inconveniences that would enfue from inattention to either.

It is indeed natural enough to fuppofe that a due knowledge of
that language, which we have been accuflomed to fpeak from our
infancy, would be much more eafily acquired, than that of one,
which we are obliged to learn, by the dint of memory, from books.

PROSPECTUS. 139

But that very facility with which we attain our mother-tongue in
a certain degree of Idiomatical propriety, is a real obftacle to our
attaining it in perfecllon. We are too apt to imagine that he, who
readily exprefTes himfelf, cxpreffes himfelf well ; and the negligen-
ces and even the folecifms of a familiar or provincial flile, will
fometimes imperceptibly fteal into our mofl elaborate compofitions.
There is no colloquial dialedl perfectly pure : not that of the capi-
tal, not that of the court, not that of the college ; and many expref-
iions iffue daily from the mouths of our mod accurate and polite
ipeakers, that would not bear the tell of a fevere criticifm. A
writer mud, therefore, be continually on his guard againft the ob-
trufion of a low and vulgar phrafeology, and weigh every word
and fentence with grammatical Ikill and logical precilion.

On the other hand the difficulty of learning a dead language is
evident ; efpecially of fuch a language as the Hebrew. The com-
pofitions in it are few, and incorredly tranfmitted to us : the belt
lexicons are yet very imperfecl : the fignification of many words is
extremely dubious, and their etymology very often equivocal.
Hence he, who afpires at but a competent knowledge of it, mufl
frequently have recourfe to the other Oriental diale<f\s ; the gram-
mar, vocabulary and genius of which he muft, confequently, be
,well acquainted with.

All this is undoubtedly requifite in a tranllator of the Bible ;
but it is not all that is requiiite. He muft, moreover, be conver-

S 2

140 PROSPECTUS.

fant in Greek and Roman learning ; by means of which, many paf-
lages of Scripture may be illuflratcd. Poets, philofophers, hifto-
rians, philologifts, geographers, naturahfts — all ought to enter inta
his plan of reading; becaufe from all he may, occalionally, derive
advantage. Nor flaould modern travels, voyages and topographi-
cal defcriptions efcape his notice. In fhort he mud be as much as
pofTible a univerfal fcholar; and if he be not fo capacious a living
library, as to retain all he has read ; he fliould, at lead, be able tcr
recoUecl, vv'here to feek what he immediately wants.

Yet the moft profound erudition will not fecure him fuccefs, if
he be not alfo pofTelTed of an acute penetration, a nice difcernment,
and a fure and delicate tafte, formed on the beft models of antiqui-
ty. The moft of thofe who have given tranflations of the Bible
were, as Michaelis obferves * mere fcholaftlc theologians ; who ex-
plained the Scriptures according to the fame dry methodical rules,
by which they would have explained the Categories of Ariftotlc.
They were even perfwaded that philology had nothing to do with
either logic or divinit)% ^lanto eris melior grammaticus, faid they,
tantopejor diakdicus et theologus. This ridiculous maxim was flrong-
ly urged againft Reuchlin, Valla, Vives, Faber, Erafmus; and
had, before, been urged, with equal ignorance and zeal, againft
St. Jerom. With regard to the interpretation of the Scriptures, the
maxim might, perhaps, be inverted: ^lanto tjielior theologus, tatito

* Praefat. in notas ad Lewth.

PROSPECTUS. 141

fejor interprcs. At any rate, one of the mofl eflential qualifications
of a good tranflator is to be a good grammarian ; without which^
ill the theology of the Sorbonne will be of little ufe.

From what has been now faid, it follows, as a neceflary corrol-
tary; that a tranflator of the Bible fhould have a conflitution to
bear, and an inclination to undergo, afliduous and perfeverant
labour; a qualification too rarely conjoined with quicknefs of appre-
henfion and elegance of tafte. He muft profecute his always fe-
rious, often unengaging ftudies, with all the w^arm enthufiafm o£
a poet or painter ; and yet with all the patient drudgery of a la-
borious mechanic. To pore, from morn to eve, on fuch a num-
ber of books, diverfity of tongues and variety of figures, is enough
to confufe the cleareft Intellecfts ; and to deaden the perfpicacity of
the mental, as well as of the corporeal eye. If writing the dictio-
nary of a fingle language be, as Scaliger thought, an adequate pu-
nilhment for parricide ; what crime may not be atoned for, by
cranflating the Hebrew fcriptures ?

The laft, but not leaft necelTary, qualification of a tranflator \^
an honeft impartiality. Whether that be abfolutely attainable by
any mortal, may be reafonably queftioned : but no one will deny,
that every poflible endeavour fhould be made to attain it. Un-
wedded to fyflems of any kind, literary, phyfical or religious ; a
tranflator of the Bible fhould fit down to render his author, with
the fame indifference he would fit down to render Thucvdides or

142 PROSPECTUS.

Xenophon, He fhould try to forget, that he belongs to any parti-
cular fociety of Chriflians ; be extremely jealous of his moft rational
prepofTefllons ; keep all theological confequences as far out of his
fight as polTible ; and inveftigate the meaning of his original, by the
rules only of a found and fober criticifm ; regardlefs of pleafing or
difpleafing any party.

Some reader may here be difpofed to afk : Are you poflTefTed of
all thefe qualifications ? To this not unnatural queflion I beg leave
to give an anfwer, fomewhat fimilar to that which Cicero gives on
a fimilar occafion ; though on a diffei-ent fubjed. Having defcribed,
with inimitable eloquence, the qualities of an accompliihed orator,
he modeftly declares that he has given, rather an idea of what he
conceived to be pofTible, than of what he ever expected to fee. How
much greater reafon have I to acknowledge that my ideal portrai-
ture of a good tranflatcr of the Bible is far beyond the reach of my
own abilities.

To be flill more explicit and ingenuous ; although I have long
endeavoured after the qualifications aboveraencioned, to affirm po-
fitively that I have actually acquired them all, or any one of them
in an eminent degree, would be an unconfcientious and rafli aflcr-
tion. In learning, genius and judgment I know myfelf to be infe-
rior to many ; fome few may exceed me in diligence, affiduity and
laborioufnefs ; but in candor, impartiality and uprightnefs of in-
tention I will yield to none.

PROSPECTUS. 143

It is on thefe more humble and fubordinate qualifications that
I principally reft my hopes of fuccefsj and it is, no doubt, chiefly
owing to this part of my known characfler that my fcheme has been
fo generally approved of. For although I belong to a religion that
had been long profcribed, and is yet far from being popular in this
country ; and although my primary intention was to procure a to-
lerable verfion of the Holy Scriptures for the ufe of the Britilh Ca-
tholics, the flattering and unexpedled applaufe I have met with, in
every part of the kingdom, from the learned of all communions,
makes mc hope that my work may be of more general utility than I
at firft imagined ; and contribute more or lefs to promote Biblical
knowledge over all the land.

To thofe who have encouraged me with their approbation, or
aided me by their counfel ; or who may, hereafter, be induced to
do me the like good offices ; I fliall, in due time and place, make my
thankful acknowledgments : but I cannot refrain, at prefent, from
mentioning two or three perfons, to whom I have had particular
obligations.

The late Dr. Kennicott, on whofe tomb evei*}' Biblical fludent
ought annually to ftrew the tributary flower, has a peculiar claim
to my grateful remembrance. I had hardly made known my de-
fign, when he anticipated my wiflies to have his advice and aflifl:-
ance towards the execution of it, with a degree of unreferved
franknefs and friendfliip, which I had never before experienced in

144 PROSPECTUS.

a ftranger. Not contented with applauding and encouraging him-
felf, he pufhed me forewards from my obfcurity to the notice of
others: he fpoke of me to Barrington ; he introduced me to
LowTH. The very flaort time he lived, after my acquaintance
v/ith him, and the few opportunities I had of profiting from his
oonverfation, are diftrefllng reflexions ; but ftill I count it a happi-
nefs to have been acquainted with a man, whofe labours I have
daily occalion to blefs, and whofe memory I mxuft ever revere.

Another perfonage, to whom, if my work fliall have any merit,
the world will ftand principally indebted for it, is the Right Hon-
ourable Lord Petre; at whofe requeft it was undertaken, and un-
der whofe patronage it is carried on. For although the plan itfelf
is a plan of twenty years ftanding ; and although the author had
never any thing fo much at heart as its accomplifliment ; yet his
circumftances in life were fuch, as mufl have rendered that im-
pofTible, without the providential interpofition of fuch a patron.
But Lord Petre is not only the Author's patron; he is in fome re-
fpedls the author. It was his great love for religion, and his ex-
t5"eme defire of feeing Scriptural knowledge more generally promot-
ed among thofe of his own communion ; that fuggfted to him the
idea of procuring a new tranflation, before he knew that I had
ever entertained a fimilar idea, and at a 'time when I had almoft
defpaired of feeing it realized. His Lordfliip, I trull, will pardon
me for inferting, without his knowledge, this public teflimony of

PROSPECTUS. €45

his piety and munificence ; which I could not fupprefs without violence
to my own feelings; and which the public has, in feme fort, a
right to know.

Bp. Geddes of Edinburgh will, likewife, permit me to fay, that
his early and warm approbation of my plan made me undertake
it with more alacrity and purfue it with greater ardour. His pru-
dent advices and feafonable encouragement have often given a new
Himulus to my fpirits in the midft of my labours, and fometimes
fupported me under their almofl oppreflive load. I truft, from his
long uninterrupted friendfliip, that he will continue the fame good
offices, until I fhall have fairly difcharged myfelf of the heavy bur-
then ; and I forefee I flaall yet (land in need of fuch good offices.

For although I can with pleafure affirm that all thofe who have
hitherto taken the trouble to enquire into the nature of my defign,
and done me the honour to read my Profpeclus while yet in
manufcript, have approved of it, without referve * ; yet I am not fo
vain or foolifla as to expe6l that I ffiall meet with no contradidion
in the execution of it. That would be a fate more favourable than
befel any of my predeceffors in the fame career : and I Ihould think
my work of little importance indeed, if it totally efcaped cenfure.

• I take tliis occafion to return my -warmeft thanks to the Bifhops of London and
Sal^fbury, Dr. Goflet of London, Principal Roberlfon of Edinburgh, and Drs. Reid and Find-
lay of Glafgow ; not only for the very favourable manner in which they have been pleafed to
fpeak of this Profpedus ; but alfo for fome valuable hints of improvement, to which, they
will fee, I have paid all due regard.

146 PROSPECTUS.

The fyftematic. theologian, andfuch theologians there are in all com-
munions, can relilh no other mode of interpreting Scripture than that
which fuits with his o.wn partial ideas ; and every deviation from
thefe will be by him accounted an unpardonable crime. Bigotry
and zealotifm will probably roar aloud at my moderation : the fcio-
lift will write to fhew that he can write; and envy, malignant en-
vy, has fometimes been feen purfuing objedls even as mean as me.

I hope I have a fufficient ftock of philofophy and religion to bear
even the difappointments that arife from unfuccefsfulnefs in literary
purfuits ; which I believe to be among the moft fevere of all difap-
pointments. I only willr not to be judged and condemned with-
out a fair trial. When my tranflatlon jfhall be once publifhed, it
will be the Public's as much as mine, and every one will have a
right to form what judgment he pleafes of it : but until then I
earneftly requeft all Chriftians in general, and thofe of my own
perfuafion in particular, " Not to judge before the time ;" nor
even then without due examination. My plan is now before them^
Let critics point out its defe^fls, and fuggeft improvements with
candor and charity. I will pay attention to their remarks, theii*
admonitions, their llridures ; and I promife to
Make ufe of cury friend and evry foe
towards the rendering of my work lefs unworthy of the public favour.

For the reft, I am not only well pleafed to have it thought, but
extremely anxious to have it faid and known, that, as a tranflator,

PROSPECTUS. 147

I am addided to no particular fyftemj nor guided by any principles
but the rules of ti'anflating well.

If to future tranflators I may not be able to exhibit a model of
tafte and elegance, I flatter myfelf I fliall fet them no common ex-
ample of religious moderation. It is certainly the intereft, and
ought to be the concern, of both Catholics and Proteftants, to have
their common Code as pure and genuine as poflible ; and their only
conteft, in this refpecl, fhould be, which fhall do moft to clear it
from every fort of corruption. To defpife the labours of another,
becaufe he is of a different country or creed, is unworthy of a ra-
tional being; and contrary to the practice of the bed Chriflian
writers of antiquity. Origen was fo far from depretiating the
works of thofe, who were not of his own communion, that he
joined, in the fame volume, the verfions of Jews and reputed Here-
tics, with that which the Church ufed : and St, Jerom, profiting
of his colledlion, made no fcruple to borrow from all of them, as
he faw occafion.

It is, indeed, from the united ftudies of the learned of all com-
munions, that we can ever hope to bring the Scriptures to that de-
gree of purity and perfecflion, of which they are yet fufceptible ;
and it is with infinite pleafure we perceive that the learned them-
felves begin to be of this fentiment. The labours of a Houbigant,
a Villhoifon, a Georgi and a Rofli are as much prized and ap-
plauded at London, Leipfick and Goettengen, as thofe of a Lowth,

T 2

14S PROSPECTUS.

a Kennicott and a Michaelis are at Paris, Parma and Rome : and
if the prefent tafte for Oriental learning continue to be diffufed,
we may foon reafonably look for, at leafl, as perfect and impartial
editions and tranflations of the Hebrew claffics, as we already have
of the Greek and Latin.

I have laid before the Public the nature and end of my under-
taking, the difficulties I had to encounter and the means I have ufed
to overcome them, the dangers I had to fear and the cautions I have
taken to fhun them, the helps I have had, the guides ! have chiefly
followed, the mode of tranflation I have adopted, the method I
have purfued, and the rules I have prefcribed to rayfelf in the pro-
fecution of my plan : and, now, I look forward, with no fmall an-^
xiety, to that critical day, when the work itfelf mull be fubmitted-
to the examination of the fame formidable tribunal, from whofe
decrees it is in vain for any author to appeal. To be fure of fue-
ceeding, would be arrogance ; to defpond, puiillanimity. My
hopes are at leafl equal to my fears; and as long as the balance
is but equally poized, I will perfevere in holding it.

Should I even fail in the execution of fo vail a projecl, there is-
fome confolation in thinking that I have, in the opinion of good
judges, pointed out the right way to fuccefs. My Profpeclus, I am
told, may ferve as a general chart to younger and more unexperi-
enced ftudents in divinity, who may chufe to embark in the fame
perilous voyage. I have delineated with precifion the track which

PROSPECTUS-. 149

I judged thefafefV for them to purfue, indicated the principal landr-
marks that fhould diredl their courfe, fixed buoys and beacons
wherever I thought there was need, and warned them of fuch rocks
and fhallows as they run the greatell rifk of making fhipwreck
upon. Should my own little vefTel be, notwithftanding, dalhed
to pieces, let it be imputed to the unfkllfulnefs of the pilot, not to
the impradlicability of the paflage; and ferve only to encreafe the
warinefs and vigilance of the next navigator, without diminifliing
his intrepidity and fpirit of enterprize.

By fome, perhaps, it may be expected that I fhould here give a
fpecimen of my tranflatioa and of the form it is to appear in. Bur,
belldes that this laft is not yet exactly determined, a fketch of the
verfion itfelf would be but a fallacious criterion, by which to pafs
a judgment either favourable or unfavourable. I flaall be always
ready to comm.unicate my ideas and labours to the learned of every
denomination, who may do me the honour to intereft themfelyes
in my undertaking, and fliall pay every fort of due attention to
their obfervations or advice : but I fee no reafon for gratifying idle
curiofity, or m^alignant cenforioufnefs, by a premature and partial
publication. I will, however, fubjoin a fliort notice of the general
oeconomy of the work, and fo conclude a Profpeiflus, that by fome
may, polfibly, be deemed already too long.

Although the new verfion he made from a corre^fled text of the
originalj, die prefent printed copies are never departed from, with-

ijo PROSPECTUS.

out a fpecial notation. The additions, omiffions, tranfpolitions and
variations are all didinguifhed by refpedlive fymbols, and llipported
by correfponding authorities.

The text of the verfion will be divided into new and more natu-
ral fedlions, the number and contents of which will be printed on
the outer margin : but the old divilion of chapters and verfes will,
for the reafons abovcmentioned, be retained, and marked in the
inner margin.

The corrcdlional references, various readings, and explanatory
notes, will be at the bottom of the page ; the critical annotations at
the end of the volume,

A new comparative Chronology will accompany every principal
tranfadlion, and be exprefled in years before Chrift, at the top of
the page.

"With regard to the concordantial references, or parallel paf-
i'aq:es, with which the margins of our Bibles are crowded ; thofe of
them only will be retained that are manifeftly real : for the greater
number are only diftant, and often arbitrary, allufions.

To every Volume, and for the mofl part to every Book, will be
prefixed a particular Preface; in which a compendious critical ac-
count will be given of its real or fuppofed author, its fubjedt, ftile
and chara(5ler, and the rank it holds among the Hebrew fcriptures
in the Jewifh and Chriftian canons.

The whole of the Old Teilament will, as far as can be yet con-

PROSPECTUS. 151

jedlured, be compriled in four volumes. The firfl will contain the
Pentateuch and its fupplement the Book of Jofhua; the fecond, the
reft of the Hiftorical Books in their natural order ; the third, the
Hagiographa; and the fourth, the Prophets. To thefe it is intended
to add a fifth, which, if properly executed, would be an ufeful in-
trodudlion to the other four. Befide a general Preface and Indexes,
it fhould contain the difcuffion of a great number of queflions re-
lative to the Hebrew fcriptures ; their antiquity, authenticity, in-
fpiration, &c. many of which ftill appear to be fufceptible of far-
ther elucidation.

As foon as the Firfl Volume fliall be ready for the prefs, due
notice will be given of the time and teniis of publication j as like-
wafe at what particular periods the following volumes may be ex-
pelled.

I have now only to requefl the learned, into whofe hands this
Profpedlus may come, to favour me with their remarks and ilridlures
on fuch parts of it as they may think defecflive or improveable.
And if they will, moreover, be fo kind as to tranfmit to me their
own obfervations on any difficult pafTage of Scripture, I fhall con-
fider it as a fingular obligation, and make a public acknowledge-
ment of it. Any communications of this kind may be diredled.
to the Author in Maddox Street, or to his Bookfeller, R. Faulder,
in Bond Street, London.

THE END,

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT LOS ANGELES

THE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY

This book is DUE on the last date stamped below

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