prosecutors; for one count of the indictment against him, presented to the king by the lords of parliament, with Sir Thomas More at their head, was, that he had been "the impeacher and disturber of the due and direct correction of heresies."

the authority of the pope, and that he was the author of the reformation in England, is founded on the grossest ignorance of history. Reform was, from first to last, the work of the people, carried on in the face of royal persecution. The best thing that Henry, or any of his successors, ever did, even for the BIBLE, was to cease to hinder -to let it alone. How well it was doing its work in 1530, is shown in a letter from the aged Bishop of Norwich.

"If," said he, "these erroneous opinions continue any time, I think they shall UNDO US ALL. The gentlemen and the commonality be not greatly infected, but merchants, and such that hath their abiding not far from the sea.

There lived in Wolsey's household a man who was said to be the son of a blacksmith, at Putney, near London. He had resided on the continent, visited Rome, had gathered wisdom from travel, and was now one of the cardinal's confidential servants. Two days before the parliament met that was to ruin his master, he said to a fellow-servant, "I intend, God willing, this afternoon, when my lord hath dined, to ride up to London, and so to the court, where I shall either make or mar, or I come again." This was Thomas Crumwell, the Now, therefore, the rulers take counsel toabolisher of the monasteries. He advised Henry gether, and here is their determination. Having to become himself "Head of the Church," by selected upwards of a hundred "errors" out of which means he could at once rescue his "prince-"Tyndale and Fryth," they say :ly authority" from the "spirituality"-" accumulate to himself great riches," and get married. Thus he cleverly appealed to Henry's three dominant passions, the love of power, of money, and of Ann Boleyn. The spiritual authority now transferred to the king's person, was delegated to this creature, for a season, and Crumwell became president of the convocation, as Vicar-General of England. Lodge human power over the conscience where you will, it is the abomination that maketh desolate set up in the holy place; and so Britain found to her cost during all the time of the Tudors and the Stuarts!

Who does not mourn over the weakness of our nature when he finds the illustrious author of Utopia the abettor of persecution, extorting confessions of heresy by torture, and consigning men to the stake for their conscientious opinions, adding the bitterness of a defeated controversialist to the bigotry of a prerogative lawyer! How few have had sufficient virtue to rise up from the woolsack the same men!

"As soon," says Burnet, "as More came into favor, he pressed the king much to put the laws against heretics in execution," as the best mode of conciliating the Court of Rome. Therefore, a proclamation was issued, the penal laws were ordered to be executed, books were seized, and reformers were cast into prison. Thus unhappily advised, Henry made heresy and treason convertible terms-a pernicious confusion of things civil and things sacred, whose effects remain to the present day. It was now ordained that no man should preach, teach, or keep a school, "contrary to the determination of Holy Church." The bishop was authorized to imprison all such offenders at his discretion; all secular officers were to aid in the execution of his sentence, and all state functionaries were sworn to "give their whole power and diligence to put away, and make utterly cease, and destroy, all errors and heresies commonly called Lollardies." The importation of religious books was also forbidden, and among these was, first and chief, Tyndale's New Testament.

In his Utopia, More had spoken against capital punishment, and inculcated perfect tolerationnow, as Lord Chancellor of England, he wrote thus concerning "heretics."-"The prelates ought temporally to destroy those ravenous wolves!" They were to be visited with "grievous punishments," and the "sparkle" was to be "well quenched."

The notion common among Catholics, that Henry VIII. became a Protestant when he cast off

"All which great errors and pestilent heresies being contagious and damnable, with all the books containing the same, with the translation also of Scripture corrupted by William Tyndal, as well in the Old Testament as in the New, and all other books in English containing such errors-the King's Highness present in person-by one whole advice and assent of the prelates and clerks, as well of the universities as of all other assembled together, determined utterly to be repelled, rejected, and put away out of the hands of his people, and not to be suffered to get abroad among his subjects."

But they could not bind the word of God. They might burn the books in which it was written, and even the hearts on which it was engraved; but truth cannot be consumed in the flames-it "endures forever." When the Bishop of London, in May this year, had the New Testaments which he had bought piled up and burned in St. Paul's churchyard, the people were indignant, and filled with a greater love for the Scriptures and hatred to the clergy than ever. Afterwards, the New Testaments printed with the money got for those now burned, came thick and threefold into England;" so that the bishops were informed that, if they wished to stop the supply, they must buy the stamps too!

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While Tyndale was diligently laboring for the salvation of his country, he was in constant apprehension of his life from her ungrateful rulers, whose spies were dogging his steps, intruding into his privacy, and worming themselves into his confidence, in order to betray him. On one occasion, in a secret interview with our ambassador, Vaughan, whom he almost converted to his opinions, he uttered an emphatic sentence, which affectingly betrays at once the heart of an exile and the spirit of a martyr :

"As I now am," said he, " very death were more pleasant to me than life, considering men's nature to be such as can bear no truth."

It was first an object with Crumwell to have him inveigled into England, in the hope of getting him to abjure in view of the fagots; but finding, from Vaughan's reports, that this was a vain hope, he instructed the latter not to try to bring him over, “because," said Crumwell, "if he were present, by all likelihood he would shortly do as much as in him were, to infect and corrupt the whole realm." Strange that this poor exile should so trouble the realm of England! What gave him all this power? Truth! He had ably exposed the Practice of Prelates, and triumphantly an

From 1525 to 1530, there had been six impressions ambassador in Spain, spoke of the princely and of the Scriptures in English. From that to the excellent gravity in which Henry discharged “the year of Tyndale's martyrdom, there had been very office of supreme Head of the Church of Engseven or eight editions; and during that year nine land," declaring that the bloated and blood-stained or ten more issued from the press, all opposition tyrant, who knew no law human or divine but his proving confessedly futile. The martyr had not own foul and furious will, was "the very mirror finished the Old Testament, when he died, but it and light of all the other kings and princes of was completed by his friend John Rogers, and Christendom!" published under the name of Thomas Matthews. And moreover, in 1535, there was a complete translation of the Bible published by MILES COVERDALE, employed for the purpose by persons in authority, who bore the expense. He was a competent scholar, and did his work respectably, but he followed too much the Latin version, retaining penance for repentance, &c. It was printed with the king's license, to whom there was a flattering dedication, in which Queen Anne also was mentioned with honor-an awkward circumstance; for after the printing, and before the publishing, she had been beheaded as a traitor. In some copies they altered her name with the pen into JAne.

Although the existing circumstances in high places were so favorable to this version, it was soon superseded by Tyndale's, the name of the translator being suppressed, as obnoxious to the authorities. Cranmer was much pleased with this Bible, (Matthews' so called) and used his influence earnestly, through Crumwell, to get the royal license for the printing of it-which was obtained, and which, he said, gratified him more than if he had got a thousand pounds. Thus Providence unexpectedly and wonderfully overruled all parties, the king, Crumwell, and the bishops-to adopt the work of the man whom they had so hated, denounced, and persecuted!

At this time printing was executed much better at Paris than London; and owing to a singular conjunction of circumstances, Crumwell got a license for Grafton and Whitchurch to print the Bible there. Little could Tyndale, with all his faith, foresee that in less than twenty years his translation should be reprinted at a Parisian press, at the request of his own sovereign, and with the sanction of the persecuting French king himself! The work was, however, interrupted by the Inquisition, when not only the sheets, but the types and printers were carried to England, to the great improvement of the art there. The Bible was soon finished, and a copy of it ordered to be set up in every church in the kingdom; and the priests were forbidden to hinder the people from reading it there, on pain of deprivation. Thus did God bring to nought the counsels of the wicked, and thus mightily did the word of God prevail. And thus were fulfilled the words of Tyndale the martyr, when he said, "If God spare my life, ere many years, I will cause a boy that drives the plough to know more of the Scriptures than you do.

them, if they could not themselves. Divers more elderly people learned to read on purpose; and even little boys flocked among the rest, to hear portions of the Holy Scriptures read."

"It was wonderful," says Strype, "to see with what joy this book of God was received, not only among the learneder sort, but generally all England over, among all the vulgar and common peoThe fluctuations of state policy and royal caprice ple; and with what greediness God's Word was gave the old learning party the ascendency in the read, and what resort to places where the reading king's councils once more; and it being expedient of it was! Everybody that could, bought the that Henry should retain on the continent his char-book, or busily read it, or got others to read it to acter for orthodoxy, he listened to the abettors of persecution. Having decided, infallibly of course, that baptism was necessary to salvation-and being informed that there were some Germans in the country who did not believe this dogma, and who had come hither to escape persecution, he resolved to seize on so good an opportunity of signalizing his zeal. A commission was appointed "to execute the premises, notwithstanding part of them might be contrary to the customary course and form of law." The result was, that two men and a woman were obliged to bear fagots at St. Paul's Cross, and two others were burned at Smithfield.

Another man who had committed himself by writing against Transubstantiation, appealed to the king-when Gardiner artfully suggested that he might win golden opinions on the continent, and silence all insinuations as to his being a favorer of "heretics," by proceeding, in this case, "solemnly and severely." Accordingly he sum moned his nobles and prelates to London. Seated on his throne, the bishops on his right, and the peers on his left, the lawyers in scarlet robes behind, the Royal Head of the Church was arrayed in white, as the emblem of spotless orthodoxy and unsullied sanctity. Several bishops in succession labored in vain to convince Lambert, the confessor, that Christ is corporeally present in the sacrament. He was burned to ashes, amidst circumstances of peculiar barbarity, exclaiming at the stake" None but Christ! none but Christ!" Crumwell, describing this scene to the English

Mr. Anderson judiciously adds,—

"The modern reader may now very naturally exclaim- Oh, could these men in power then have only been persuaded to have let such people alone! Could they have only understood the doctrine of noninterference.' Yes, and instead of encumbering a willing people with help, or tormenting them by interposition, have stood aloof in silence, and permitted these groups or gatherings to have heard the unambiguous voice of their God, and to have gazed upon the majesty and the meaning of Divine Truth!"-Annals, &c., ii. 41.

Since the edition of 1539, partly printed in Paris, there were four others of the large Bible, printed at an expense of £30,000 of our money, which was advanced by Antony Marler, a citizen of London, who obtained an order to have them set up in the churches. The price was fixed by authority at £7, 10s., and for the bound copies £9. The king, however, advanced no money, but rather made some by the fines which were levied on those who neglected to have them in the churches.

In 1543, the parliament enacted a preposterous law, forbidding all women, except gentle-womenall artificers, apprentices, journeymen, yeomen, husbandmen, or laborers, to read the Bible or New Testament to themselves or any other, on pain of one month's imprisonment. But the fierce despot

26

died at last, and the nation began to breathe freely. I presented to the queen was by far the most splen

The brief reign of Edward was marked by non-interference with the Bible, the people were left to themselves, and the demand for the Scriptures greatly increased; and with it flourished the art of printing. It was, of course, the interest of those engaged in this business to supply the popular demand, and that demand emphatically expressed itself in favor of the work of the poor hunted exile. During this reign, Tyndale's Bible was printed more than thirty times, while of that with Cranmer's revision, only half the number was called for.

Mary ascended the throne, and hastened to undo the work of reformation as far as in her lay, and had it been the work of her predecessors, she might have succeeded. But it was divinely planted, and too deeply rooted in the soil to be seriously affected by any changes of earthly sovereigns or dynasties. The storm of persecution, however, blew fiercely. From 800 to 1000 learned Englishmen, as well as multitudes of others, were obliged to fly to the continent. A'Lasco, with 157 Poles and Germans, Italians and Spaniards, French and Scotch, all of one faith, left the Than and arrived off the Danish coast; but they were not suffered to land, though driven by stress of weather, because they had not signed the Lutheran Confession of Faith!

At home, the new queen, unchastened by adversity, let slip Bishops Gardiner and Bonner, who "Men and women, began to lap blood greedily. of whatever character or condition, even the lame and blind, from the child to the aged man, who had any conscientious opinions, not in harmony with the old learning-all were appointed unto death." In less than four years, it is calculated, that 318 persons perished either by fire, or starvation, or slow torture, or confinement in noisome dungeons. This mortality was greatest in places where the. Scriptures were most read. Sometimes a lot of human beings, in one instance to the number of thirteen, was consumed on the same pile! The surrounding population assembled in thousands "to strengthen themselves in the profession of the gospel, and to exhort and comfort those who were to die." Any persons having books containing heresy, sedition, or treason," and not imme"without delay, to diately burning them, were, be executed according to martial law." At a burning in London, when proclamation had been made, strictly commanding that no one should "God speak to, or pray for the martyrs, or say, help them," a heroic minister cried out-" Almighty God! for Christ's sake, strengthen them!" Immediately with one voice, the whole multitude loudly responded, "Amen! Amen!"

Such dreadful deeds passed not without retribution, even in this life. During Mary's reign the Bench of Bishops had put to death five of their own number, including Cranmer. But, in a little more than the same time, thirty of themselves died "by the visitation of God;" and such was the mortality among the priests generally, that "in divers parts of the realm, no curates could be got'ten for money."

In 1568, the tenth of Elizabeth, the first edition of the Bible, superintended by Parker, Archbishop of Canterbury, was published. It was revised from the preceding versions by him, in conjunction with certain brethren of the bench and others, and 'hence called "the Bishops' Bible." "It was a decided improvement on the whole. The copy

did that had ever been published." It is quite clear, from the circumstances connected with this publication, that it was not undertaken by royal command, and that Elizabeth had no property in it whatever. It did not cost her a shilling, nor was the printing of the sacred volume any exclusive privilege in the crown printer for the time being.

The history of the Bible-printing patent is not the least curious or valuable part of Mr. Anderson's work.

Elizabeth was economical in her expenditure, and unwilling to call often on the commons for supplies; but, in order to have money to reward her favorites, or rather to put them in the way of getting it themselves, she hit upon the unfortunate expedient of granting monopolies by patent to certain parties, who then farmed or sold them. This evil grew to such an extent that parliament was obliged to interfere. Salt, coal, leather, cloth, steel, lead, tin, glass, Spanish wool, and Irish yarn, were thus converted into monopolies for the benefit of individuals. Sir Thomas Wilks was the first who obtained a patent as queen's "printer of the English tongue.'

This naturally alarmed the Stationers' Company, who complained, "that it would be the overthrow of the printers and stationers within the city, in number 175, besides their wives, children," &c., causing "an excessive price of books, and false printing of the same:" and farther, "John Jugge, besides the being her Majesty's printer, hath gotten the privilege for the printing of Bibles and Testaments, the which was common to all the printers."

On the 28th September, 1577, one Barker obtained the extensive privilege of printing the Old and New Testament, of whatever translation, with all notes and comments! In eighteen months, this gentleman expended £30,000 on issues of the Scriptures, so great was the demand. From 1560 to 1603, there were 130 distinct editions of Bibles and Testaments. All this time, the crown did nothing except impose a heavy tax on the purchaser of the Word of God.

We have now arrived at the accession of James, who became the first king of "Great Britain." Before noticing his connexion with the English Bible, we may as well glance for a moment at the progress of the cause in Scotland.

As

This country came in for its share of the early importation of Tyndale's New Testament, through the instrumentality of “divers merchants." usual, the printed word was soon followed by the living voice. Nowhere were the laity more ready Hence a series to receive the truth, and nowhere was the hierarchy more embittered against it. of persecutions, whose history is full of the deepest interest, but so well known that we need not attempt to detail any portion of it here, even if our space allowed. The last words of Patrick Hamilton at the stake were-" How long, O Lord, shall darkness cover this realm! How long wilt Thou suffer this tyranny of man!"-He did not suffer it long. In 1535, the Scottish parliament passed an act, requiring all persons having the Scriptures to give them up to their ordinary, under the penalty of confiscation and imprisonment. The prohibition was renewed by proclamation in May, 1536. But parliaments, however chosen, must ultimately obey the popular voice. A few more martyrdoms, and Scotland will be free.

On the 1st of March, 1539, the inhabitants of

Fife and Mid-Lothian saw a large fire blazing on the king nor the bishops paid anything for the acthe esplanade of the castle of Edinburgh. Five complishment of this great work. Forty-seven of of the best subjects in Scotland were then con- the most learned men in the kingdom were ensumed in that fire, in the presence of their king, gaged on it four years; the revision of the translasolely because they had read "the book of here- tion by twelve of their number, occupied them sy," which, as one of their executioners said, had nine months more; and the sheets were two years "made all the din in the kirk." But Beaton and in passing through the press. The twelve revisers his party labored in vain that "the New Testa- had 30s. a week each while at work in London; ment in the vulgar tone should not go abroad ;"- but "before they had nothing." for in 1543, the parliament enacted "that the Scriptures might be read by all, without any limitation," the prelates, of course, protesting, since they could do no more.

The AUTHORIZED BIBLE was finished and first issued in 1611.

"This venerable translation," says Greenfield, "which has been universally admired for its genIt is remarkable, that "no Bible even so conve- eral fidelity, perspicuity, and elegance, was cornient as that of an octavo size, had been printed in rected, and many parallel texts added, by Dr. ScatScotland till 107 years after Tyndale's New Tes- tergood in 1683; by Bishops Tenison and Lloyd tament had been first imported.' The Bible, in 1711; and afterwards by Dr. Paris at Camprinted on Scottish ground, was not published till bridge. But the latest and most complete revision seven years after the death of John Knox.-(It is is that made by Dr. Blayney in 1769, in which the little more than sixty years since the first Bible errors found in former editions were corrected, and was printed in America.)-The first Scottish edi- the text reformed to an unexampled standard of tion of the Scriptures was published at £4, 13s. purity." 4d., and yet the Bible was in almost every house! The fact was, that the English monopoly led to constant importations from Holland; and the superiority of those printed there, is attested by no less an authority than Laud. He said, "the books which came from thence were better print, better bound, better paper, and for all the charges of bringing, better cheap." Such was the working of the patent!

James' characteristic progress from Edinburgh to London, furnished no favorable omen of the spirit in which he was about to assume the awful responsibilities of his office as the vicegerent of God in church and state; in which light he himself regarded it. He hunted most of the way, conferring honors so profusely, that when he reached the capital, he had dubbed 150 knights. During the ensuing summer, the plague broke out, and 6385 persons died in London alone; and ere the year ended, the mortality reached 30,000. Yet James and his merry party kept hunting all the time, and as he and his retainers proceeded from place to place, they brought the plague with them wherever they came.

The cost of the revision in 1611 was £3500, which was paid neither by the church nor the state, but by Barker, the patentee, whose family and their offspring enjoyed this vast monopoly for 132 years, down to the 8th of Anne in 1709, during which time they had a pecuniary interest in every copy of the Word of God printed in England. Thus the public were heavily taxed, with the disadvantage of bad and incorrect printing into the bargain. In a number of impressions they left the word "not" out of the seventh commandment, for which they were fined by Laud.

The monopoly, however, has been defended by lawyers, and even judges, on the plea that the copyright of the Bible was in the crown; because, as they alleged, the translation was made at the king's expense; which notion Mr. Anderson has shown to be a pure historical fiction. The present admirable, though not perfect version, made its way without any act of parliament, proclamation, or canon in its favor; and, in about forty years, gradually superseded all others. This result was accomplished by no human authority, no king, parliament, church, sect, or party. To none of these The king's expenses were extravagant in the does the Bible belong. "It is the property of the extreme. His journey to London and coronation people"-their book. Royal authority, whether cost £30,000, an immense sum in that day. He for or against it, has proved utterly impotent. God spent £40,000 in feasting ambassadors; and himself worked with it, and none could effectually though he sold a number of peerages for consid- hinder. Even the London Polyglot, "the most erable sums, and created an order of hereditary complete collection of the Scriptures ever pubbaronets, for which he got £1000 a piece, yet he lished, and far surpassing all former works of the was plunged so deeply in debt, that the very shop- kind, was published by the people and for the keepers would not give credit to the palace. "My people." lord-treasurer was much disquieted to find money to supply the king's necessities, and protested he knew not how to procure money to pay for the king's diet!" In these circumstances, his majesty. was not likely to advance funds for the translation of the Bible.

The number of Bibles and Testaments printed in English from 1800 to 1844 has been estimated as follows:

9,400,000

4,000,000

9,000,000

The British and Foreign Bible Society has
issued
Printed in Scotland independently,
General sales besides these,
Or, in round numbers, 22 millions.
The British and Foreign Bible Society, up to
May, 1844, received £3,083,436, 18s. 3id., and
expended £3,036,698, Os. 3d.

He has, however, the merit of acceding to the proposal for a fresh revision of the Bible, made by Dr. Rainolds, a man of high character, and the most eminent for learning in the kingdom; with whom also, and not with the king, originated the determination to exclude marginal notes from the Since the year 1800, four millions sterling have new version. His majesty approved also of the been spent on the sacred volume in the English selection that had been made of translators, and tongue. It appears now that nearly one million of ordered the bishops to promote the poorest of them this has gone into the pockets of the privileged to livings as soon as they could, and also to contri- printers, over and above the fair profits of their bute money for the expenses of the work ;-which trade! When the patent expired in Scotland, last request they all totally neglected! Neither Bibles became very cheap, and the British and