Tindal put forth a new edition in 1527, and a third in 1528; and, two years after, his translation of the Pentateuch appeared at Hamburgh, with another edition of his Testament. In 1535 was published, at Zurich, in Switzerland, the translation of Miles Coverdale, great part of which was Tindal's; and two years after, John Rogers, martyr (who had assisted Tindal in his biblical labours), edited a Bible, probably at Hamburgh, under the assumed name of Thomas Matthews, whence it is generally known by the name of Matthews's Bible. A revised edition of this translation, corrected by Cranmer and Coverdale, was printed at London in 1539, by Grafton and Whitchurch, in large folio, and from its size is usually denominated the GREAT bible. No new version was executed during the reign of Edward VI.; though several editions were printed both of the Old and New Testaments.

During the sanguinary reign of Queen Mary, Miles Coverdale, John Knox, Christopher Goodman, and other English exiles, who had taken refuge at Geneva, published a new translation between the years 1557 and 1560, with short annotations, inculcating the doctrines espoused by Calvin. The New Testament of this edition was the first in English which was divided into verses. The Geneva Bible was highly esteemed by the Puritans, and, in the course of little more than thirty years afterwards, not fewer than thirty editions of it were printed in various sizes, principally by the royal printers. This translation is allowed to possess considerable merit, for its general fidelity and perspicuity. Eight years after the completion of the Geneva Bible, a new version was published, with two prefaces, by Archbishop Parker, now generally termed the Bishops' Bible, from the circumstance of eight of the translators being bishops: although this translation was read in the churches, the Geneva Bible was generally preferred in families.

In 1582 the Romanists published in 4to. an English

translation of the New Testament at Rheims, and of the Old Testament at Douay, in 1609-10, in 2 volumes 4to. It was crowded with barbarous and foreign terms, calculated to perplex rather than to diffuse the light of truth.

The last English version which remains to be noticed, is the translation now in use, which is commonly called King James's Bible. Shortly after his accession to the throne in 1603, several objections being made to the English Bible, the King, at the Conference held at Hampton Court in the following year, commanded that a new version should be undertaken, and fifty-four men, of distinguished learning and piety, were appointed to this important labour; but, before it was begun, seven of the persons were either dead or had declined the task. Such of them as survived till the commencement of the work, being ranged under six divisions, entered upon their labour in 1607, and completed it in 1610; it was then revised by a committee of six of the translators, and finally reviewed by Bishop Bilson and Doctor Smith; the latter prefixed the arguments, and wrote the preface. This translation was first printed in 1611, and is that now universally adopted wherever the English language is spoken. The edition generally reputed to be the most correct, is that of Oxford, in quarto and folio, 1769, printed under the superintendence of the late Rev. Dr. Blayney: the text was carefully collated with several correct editions, and the punctuation amended; the summaries of chapters and running titles at the top of each page were also corrected, and 30,495 new references were inserted in the margin. From the singular pains bestowed, in order to render this edition as accurate as possible, it has hitherto been considered the standard edition, from which all subsequent impressions have been executed. Notwithstanding, however, the great labour and attention bestowed by Dr. Blayney, his edition must now yield the palm of accuracy to the very beautiful and

correct editions published by Messrs. Eyre and Strahan, His Majesty's Printers, but printed by Mr. Woodfall in 1806, and again in 1813 in quarto; as not fewer than one hundred and sixteen errors were discovered in collating the edition of 1806 with Dr. B.'s, and one of these errors was an omission of considerable importance. Messrs. Eyre and Strahan's editions may therefore be regarded as approaching as near as possible to what bibliographers term an immaculate text.

Of all modern versions, the present authorised English translation is, upon the whole, undoubtedly the most accurate and faithful; the translators having seized the very spirit of the sacred writers, and having almost every where expressed their meaning with a pathos and energy that have never been rivalled by any subsequent versions either of the Old or the New Testament. "Its style is incomparably superior to any thing which might be expected from the finical and perverted taste of our own age. It is simple, it is harmonious, it is energetic; and, which is of no small importance, use has made it familiar, and time has rendered it sacred."*

* Bishop Middleton on the Greek Article, p. 328.

SECTION I. On the Hebrew Manuscripts of the Old Testament.

I. HEBREW Manuscripts are divided into two classes, viz. autographs, or those actually written by the inspired penmen, and apographs, or copies made from the originals, and multiplied by repeated transcription. The manuscripts still extant are of two descriptions; viz.

1. The Rolled Manuscripts used in the synagogues, which are transcribed with great care, and under various minute regulations designed to secure the purity of the sacred text. The form of one of these rolled manuscripts (from the original among the Harleian MSS. in the British Museum, No. 7619.) is given in the vignette at the head of this section. It is a large double roll, containing the Hebrew Pentateuch; written with very great care on forty brown African skins. These skins are of different breadths, some containing more columns than others. The columns are one hundred and fiftythree in number, each of which contains about sixty

three lines, is about twenty-two inches deep, and generally more than five inches broad. The letters have no

points, apices, or flourishes about them. The initial words are not larger than the rest; and a space equal to about four lines is left between every two books. Altogether, this is one of the finest specimens of the synagogue-rolls that has been preserved to the present

time..

2. The Square Manuscripts, which are in private use among the Jews, are written, after the manner of our printed books, on vellum, parchment, or paper of various sizes.

II. Among the Jews, five exemplars or standard copies have been particularly celebrated for their correctness ; and from them all subsequent copies have been made. These are,

1. The Codex of Hillel, a manuscript seen by Rabbi Kimchi, in the 12th century, at Toledo.

2, 3. The Codices of Aaron Ben Asher, President of the Jewish Academy at Tiberias, and of Jacob Ben Naphtali, President of the Jewish Academy at Babylon; who, in the eleventh century, respectively collated the Manuscripts of the Oriental and Occidental Jews.

4, 5. The Codex of Jericho and the Codex of Sinai are both in high repute for their correctness. Of the Codex Sanbouki nothing certain is known.

III. Various criteria, furnished by external testimony as well as by internal marks, have been laid down by learned men, for ascertaining the AGE of Hebrew Manuscripts but these criteria have been questioned by other distinguished critics, who have advanced strong reasons to prove that they are uncertain guides in determining the age of manuscripts.

IV. The ORDER in which the Sacred Books are arranged varies in different manuscripts. Few of those which have been preserved contain the Old Testament entire; the greater part, indeed, comprise only particular