nal was transferred to the Romish bishops | omitted in the seventh commandment.

in general. Perhaps not more than half a dozen copies of the original edition are in existence; one of these is in the Grenville Library in the British Museum.

An omission of precisely the same character is to be found in a German Bible printed at Halle in 1731. This discovery led to a further examination of the edition, In June 1530, the King took the first which Laud * tells us brought to light not public notice of these translations, in- less than 1,000 mistakes in this and ancited no doubt thereto by a memorial of other edition of these printers. They the House of Commons which declared were cited accordingly before the High that the Acts against errors given by oc- Commission, fined 2,000l. or 3,000l., and casion of frantic seditious books compiled, the whole impression destroyed. Two published, and made in the English copies, however, were known to the late tongue were badly administered and re- Mr. G. Offor, one of which was about to quired more strict laws to be made. Ac- be sent to America; another is in the cordingly, he issued a proclamation, a Bodleian. copy of which was discovered some years ago in the Chapter House at Westminster, in which every person "whiche hath the new testament or the olde translated in to Englysshe, or any other boke of holy Scripture so translated, beynge in printe, or copied out of the bokes nowe beinge in printe," is commanded to give them up within fifteen days, "as he wyll avoyde the Kynges high indignation and displeasure." Bishop Stokesley presided at the burning of the Bibles on this occasion. The first version of the Bible "set for th wyth the Kynges most gracious licence" was that of Coverdale, but it soon was practically superseded by that issued by "Matthew " and revised by Cranmer, but based upon that of Tyndal. The question, however, about the version was finally settled by a proclamation, issued July 8, 1546, which orders that "no man, woman or person of what estate, condition, or degree soever they be, shall after the last day of August next ensuing receive, have, take, or keep in his or their possession the text of the New Testament of Tyndal's or Coverdale's translation in English, nor any other than is permitted by the Act of Parliament, made in the Session of Parliament holden at Westminster in the 34th and 35th year of his Majesty's most noble reign."

When the Scriptures were no longer interdicted, printers themselves began to supply only too satisfactory reasons why many of their editions should be suppressed. In the year 1631 in a Bible and Prayer Book printed by R. Barker and the assigns of John Bill, the word "not" was

A story told about Dr. Usher illustrates very forcibly the extent to which ignorant and inefficient men must have been employed in correcting the press. The Bishop of Armagh "one day hastening to' preach at Paul's Cross, entered the house of one of the stationers, as booksellers were then called, and, inquiring for a Bible of the London edition, when he came to look for his text, to his astonishment and horror he discovered that the verse was omitted in the Bible! This gave the first occasion of complaint to the King of the insufferable negligence and incapacity of the London press, and, says the manuscript writer of this anecdote (Harl. M.S. 6395), bred that great contest which followed between the University of Cambridge and the London stationers about the right of printing Bibles."†

One cannot help contrasting this negligence with the care employed over that rare treasure, Coverdale's Bible of 1535, where the reader's attention is called to a "faute escaped in pryntyng the New Testament. Upon the fourth leafe the first syde in the sixth chapter of St. Matthew, 'seke ye first the kingdome of heaven,' read 'seke ye first the kingdome of God.'" A New Testament, however, a revision of that translation, printed by J. Nicholson in 1538, was found to be so full of errata that Coverdale ordered the printer to recall as many copies as possible and destroy them. The edition consequently is a very rare one now.

* Works, vol. iv. p. 165. Oxford edition. ↑ Disraeli's Curiosities of Literature, vol. iii. p. 428. Ed. 1863.

stigation of the Assembly of Divines, destroyed all copies that could be obtained, and forbade all further importations. The assembly desired to find an English printer who would undertake the work; but no one ventured to do so, till Mr. Bentley, of Finsbury, brought out an impression in 1646. In 1655 Hills and Fields attempted to monopolize the printing "by abusing the authority of the State;" but, by Kilburn's account, they were as grievous offenders as any others. After mentioning one of their editions, printed in 1655, which was seized and prohibited, he loses all grammatical propriety in speaking of an edition brought out the following year.

"I am confident, if the number of the impression was (as I am informed) 20,000, there were as many faults therein. . . It is the worst of all the rest." The sale of this edition was prohibited by Parliament, but with little effect, as the petty chapmen managed to find customers for them at country fairs and markets.

The word "not" was again omitted in a pearl Bible, printed by Field in 1653; 1 Cor. vi. 9, reads, "Know ye not that the unrighteous shall inherit the kingdom of God." Strange, indeed, must be the perversity that could take advantage of so manifest an error. Yet Kilburn, in a little book to be mentioned presently, declares, This is the foundation of a damnable doctrine; for it hath been averred by a reverend Doctor of Divinity to several worthy persons that many libertines and licencious people did produce and urge this text from the authority of this corrupt Bible against his mild reproofs, in justification of their vicious and inordinate conversation." The printer was examined before the sub-committee for religion of the House of Commons, and acknowledged that he had printed off 2,000 copies. The committee, however, succeeded in securing no less than 7,900 copies. Another of Field's Bibles printed at Cambridge in 1638, contained a famous alteration of the original text. Acts vi. 3, was made to run thus, "whom ye may appoint." It was said that the Independents bribed the printers for the sum of 1,500l. to make the alteration. The re-instance, that of Reginald Peacock, the port, however, is most improbable, and appears to rest on no good authority. Of another edition, printed in King Charles's time." Noye says in his "Defence of the Canon of the New Testament" (p. 86), that Psalm xiv. 1, was, "The fool hath said in his heart, there is a God"; he adds that the printers were fined 3,000l., and all the copies suppressed. An opposite error occurs in Dr. Conquest's edition of the Bible, "with 20,000 e nendations," (Lond. 1811), where Job v. 7, is, " Man is not born to trouble as the sparks fly upwards.

Of English works committed to the flames before the invention of printing, we must allude, and that briefly, to only one

author of "Precursor," which Dean Milman characterizes as the greatest work, certainly the greatest theological work, which had yet appeared in English prose. In the Dean's" Annals of St. Paul's Cathedral," may be read the story, very graphically told, how "the greatest intellect of his age, the most powerful theologian in England, disgraced himself by miserable cowardice," in casting his voluminous works with his own hands into the fire.

On June 19, 1520, was issued the Papal bull for the destruction of all Luther's publications. Wolsey declined to enforce it Kilburn had then only too many reasons in England, saying it gave him no power for the pamphlet he published in 1659, en- to do so; and there is little doubt but titled " Dangerous Errors in several late that if the Cardinal had been left to himprinted Bibles, to the great scandal and cor- self, none of the cruel proceedings which ruption of sacred and true religion." He disgrace the reign of Henry VIII. would describes it as "an animadversion to all have been set on foot. It is in this point good Christians of this Commonwealth, dis- he contrasts so favourably with the Lord covering among many thousands of others, Chancellor. "With Wolsey," says Froude, some pernicious, erroneous, and corrupt "heresy was an error, with More it was erratas, escapes and faults, in small impres- a crime." A special request, however, sions, of the Holy Bible and Testament, from the Pope himself to have the bull within these late years, commonly vented published in England left him no longer and dispersed, to the great scandal of religion, but more especially in the impressions of Henry Hills and John Field." The suppression of the office of King's Printer led, he says, to the importation of impressions from abroad, which were so full of errors that in 1613 Parliament, at the in

free in the matter. A large number of books accordingly was secured: Wolsey goes in state to St. Paul's; the Bishop of Rochester, at the Pope's command, preaches against Luther, and denounces those who kept any of his writings, and there "were many burned in the said

church-yard of the said books during the | to which this order was carried out may

sermon."

Besides the Bibles which were prohibited by the proclamation already mentioned, which was issued in 1530, several other books were laid under similar penalties. Those mentioned by name are: "The Wicked Mammon," "The Obedience of a Christian Man," "The Supplication of Beggars," "The Revelation of Antichrist," and "The Summary of Scripture," which, "imprinted beyond ye see, do conteyne in them pestiferous errours and blasphemies, and for that cause shall from hensforth be reputed and taken of all men for books of heresie, and worthy to be dampned and put in perpetuall oblivion." "The Supplication of Beggars" was the production of Simon Fish, a student of Gray's Inn. Soon after entering, an interlude was performed, written by a member of the Inn, Mr. Roo or Roe. In it there was a consideral amount of abuse of Cardinal Wolsey, and no one else venturing to play the character to which the abuse was assigned, Fish professed himself ready to do so. That night the Cardinal attempted to apprehend him, but Fish escaped to Germany, where he fell in with Tyndal. It seems to have been soon after this that he wrote the book. The British Museum possesses a unique copy of what is probbaly the first edition. Of the other works mentioned, "The Summary of Scripture" was a translation by Fish from the German. "The Wicked Mammon" and "The Obedience of a Christian Man" were by Tyndal. Another of Tyndal's publications was 66 The Practyse of Prelats; whether the Kynges Grace may be separated from hys Queene because she was hys brothers wyfe:" 1546. It is often mentioned by Foxe among the books that were forbidden under heavy penalties to be read or possessed. Frith's writings, too, by which Cranmer is said to have been converted, were among the prohibited books.

be inferred from the fact that four treatises attributed (but erroneously) to Wyclif, printed by R. Redman, in 1527-1532, fetched at Mr. James Dix's sale, in February last, no less than 100l. a-piece. In each case the copy was presumed to be unique. The treatises are really parts of a book, a more perfect copy of which is to be found in the Lambeth Library.

A vast number of curious books perished in consequence of "An Act for the abolishing and putting awaię of diverse books and images," passed 3rd and 4th Edward VI.

"The Booke of Common Prayer having been set forth, it is enacted that All bookes called antiphoners, myssales, scrayles, processionales, manuelles, legends, pyes, portuyses, prymars in Lattyn or Inglishe, cowchers, iournales, ordinales, or other bookes or writings whatsoever, heretofore used for service of the churche, written or prynted in the Inglishe or Lattyn tongue shalbe.... clerelie and utterlie abollished, extinguished, and forbidden for ever to be used or kepte in this realme or elles where within any of of such books are immediately to give them up the King's dominions.' Persons in possession

to the authorities, who within three months are

to deliver them to the archbishop or bishop of the diocese, to be openlye brent or otherwayes defaced and destroied.' Persons found with such books in their possession after the time specified are, for the first offence, to pay a fine of twenty shillings, for the second, four pounds, and for the third, to be imprisoned at the King's will. If the civil or ecclesiastical authorities fail to carry out their instructions within forty days, they are to be fined 401.

"Provyded alwayes and be it enacted by thauctoritie aforesaide, that any person or persons may use, kepe, have, and reteyne any prymars in the Englishe or Lattyn tongue, set forthe by the late Kinge of famous memorie, Kinge Henrie theight, so that the sentences of invocation or prayer to saintes in the same prymars be blotted or clerelye put out of the same, anie thinge in this Act to the contrarye notwithstandinge.' ""*

Hearne believed that the King, if he had lived, would have repented of this extravagant Act and lays the blame of it on Cranmer.

In 1546, in the proclamation already mentioned, came the sweeping order that no person whatever should possess "any manner of bookes, printed or written in the English tongue, which shall be set Only three proclamations were issued forth in the names of Frith, Tyndal, Wick- by Queen Mary against books: the first liff, Joy, Roye, Basil, Bale, Barnes, Cover- of August 18, 1553, which, amongst other dale, Turner, Tracy, or by any of them; things, forbad the public reading and interor any other booke or bookes containing preting of the Scriptures; the second, matter contrary to the Act made in the June 13, 1555; and the third, June 6, 1558. With reference to the second, in year 34 or 35." All such books are to be delivered to the bishop, chancellor, commissary, or sheriff, who shall cause them incontinently to be burned. The extent

* Statutes of the Realm, vol. iv. pp. 110, 111. Peter Langtoft's Chronicle, vol. ii. p. 550 (ed.

1810).

which twenty-three authors are denounced favour of the children of his younger sisby name, twelve foreign and eleven Eng- ter Mary Duchess of Suffolk, and the claims lish, Strype tells us that the occasion of it of Mary, Queen of Scots, as the reprewas a book sent from abroad, called "A sentative of the King's elder sister MargaWarning for England,” which put English-| ret, all concurred to render the question men on their guard against Spain, and of the future descent of the Crown a subgave information of a plan that was on ject of most perilous import to those who foot for regaining possession of the lands ventured to discuss it. formerly belonging to monasteries. And, with regard to the last, he gives the following explanation:

"There was one book indeed that came out this year, which the proclamation might have a particular eye to, viz., Christopher Goodman's book. It was entitled How superior powers ought to be obeyed of their subjects, and wherein they may lawfully by God's law be disobeyed and resisted; wherein is declared the cause of all this present misery in England, and the only way to remedy the same. Printed at Geneva by John Crispin, mdlviii.' The preface is writ by Will Whittingham, then also at Geneva. Though a little book in decimo-sexto, it is full of bitterness, and encourageth to take up arms against Queen Mary, and to dethrone her; and that upon this reason among others, because it is not lawful for women to reign. As it had Whittingham's preface at the beginning of it, so had it William Kethe, another divine at Geneva, his approbation in verse at the end, which verses will show the intent of the book."

Then follow four verses, the third of which will be enough to quote here:"A public weal, wretched and too far disgraced, Where the right head † is off cut and a wrong instead placed :

One person, however, John Hales, Clerk of the Hanaper, published a book in 1563,

entitled "A declaration of the succession the marriage and the claims of Lord Hertof the crown of England," in support of ford's children by the Lady Catherine Grey. The Queen was so angry at its appearance that the author was committed to the Tower, and Bacon himself, the Lord Keeper, who was suspected of having had a hand in its appearance, fell considerably in his mistress's favour.

In 1594, seven years after the execution of Mary Queen of Scots, appeared "A conference about the next Succession to the Crowne of Ingland, published by R. Doleman. Imprinted at N. with licence." This work supported the claims of Lord Hertford's second son, or the children of the Countess of Derby, amongst English persons; or, if these are set aside, "of any one foreyne Prince that pretendeth, the Infanta of Spayne is likest to bear it away." The authors of the book were R. Parsons the Jesuit, Cardinal Allen, and Sir Francis Englefield. The unfortunate printer is said to have been hanged. drawn, and quartered; and the book itself so rigorously suppressed, that it was made high treason to possess a copy of it. Herbert, however,* contradicts this last assertion. It made little difference, however, which side in the controversy any author might take; the fact of his daring to express his sentiments on the point was a sufficient reason for his being told to hold his tongue. Accordingly, when in 1593, hortation to her Majestie for establishing Peter Wentworth published " A pithie exher successor to the crown; where unto is added a discourse containing the author's opinion of the true and lawful successor We come now to the reign of Elizabeth, ment his audacity. A printed slip in the to her Majesty," he soon had reason to lawhen several works on various subjects Grenville copy of his book informs us were very summarily dealt with. The first we will mention was on a subject that caused great anxiety during this reign; that of the Succession. The doubtful legitimacy of the Queen herself, the testamentary dispositions of Henry VIII. in

A brute beast untamed, a misbegotten, More meet to be ruled than rule among men. "Such treatment of the Queen as this was did, no question, irritate her much, and provoke her to issue ont such angry declarations of her mind and resolutions of taking vengeance of all such-like book-writers and bookreaders."

The proclamation was, indeed, a very strong one; it commands all wicked and seditious books to be delivered up on pain of death, without delay, by martial

law.

of James I. were ably refuted in this vol"Doleman's objections to the succession ume, and the claims of the Scottish King set forth by sound argument; yet for daring to advise his Sovereign, the author

was committed to the Tower, where he shortly afterwards died, and his book

Ames, vol. iii. 1726.

ordered to be burnt by the hangman." This last assertion, is, we shall see presently, somewhat questionable.

the persecutor of God's saints, and declares that it would be an act of virtue, to be repaid with plenary indulgence and forgiveWhether Elizabeth was ever really in ness of all sins, to lay violent hands on her earnest in any of her numerous love and deliver her into the hands of her eneaffairs, it is impossible to say; but perhaps mies. Philip of Spain is the rightful King her first admirer, Thomas Seymour, did of England, the Defender of the Faith: succeed in gaining her affections; and it he is the head of the league formed for seems hard to believe but that the Earl of her destruction, and Alexander Duke of Leicester had ample reason for supposing Parma is commander-in-chief. The Bull his passion to be returned. There can be was translated into English, and printed in no question, however, about her unqueen- large numbers at Antwerp. At the same ly behaviour towards some of her suitors, time, Dr. Allen, just made a Cardinal, particularly the Archduke Charles in whom the Queen describes as a "lewd-born 1564; or again still more unpardonably, subject of ours, now become an arche traithe young Duke of Anjou in 1579, when tor," wrote a pamphlet, which she charshe was forty-six years old. The general acterizes as a "vile, slanderous, and blasbelief that this marriage would take place phemous book, containing as many lies as roused some vehement feelings, which lines," under the direction of the Duke of found expression in a book by John Parma. This pamphlet was translated Stubbes, "The discovery of a gaping gulf into English, and a large edition printed whereinto England is like to be swallowed for distribution in England, when the by another French marriage, if the Lord forbid not the Banes, by letting her Majestie see the sin and punishment thereof." Hallam assures us that the book was very far from a virulent libel, and written with great affection." If so the author was very unfortunate in the choice of his title. On the 27th of September appeared the proclamation for its suppression, where it is described as a "fardell of false reportes, suggestions, and manifest lies;" and directions are given that it should be destroyed "in open sight of some publique officer." The author himself, and Page the distributor, were brought into the market-place at Westminster, and there had their right hands cut off with a butcher's knife and a mallet. Stubbes took off his cap with his left hand and cried "Long live Queen, Elizabeth." On October 5, 1579, a circular was prepared by the Council to give notice to the clergy and others that the seditious suggestions set forth in Stubbes's book were without foundation, and that special noted preachers should declare the same to the people. Eleven copies of this circular are in the State Paper Office unfinished, some signed, others pe fully signed, and some not signed at all; from which it would appear that none were sent, and that the matter dropped. *

Sometime before this, on February 25, 1570, Pope Sixtus V. issued his famous Bull against Queen Elizabeth, a copy of which was nailed on the door of the Bishop of London on May 15. The Pope describes her as a bastard and usurper,

• Calendar of State Papers, 1547-1580, p. 634.

enemy should set foot in it. It was entitled "An Admonition to the Nobility and People of England and Ireland concerning the present Wares, made for the execution of His Holines Sentence by the highe and mightie King Catholike of Spain." "The Admonition,'" says Mr. Motley,* “accused the Queen of every crime and vice that can pollute humanity, and it was filled with foul details unfit for the public eye in these more decent days." A copy of this very rare work is in the Grenville Library.

Along with these was prepared a broadside for yet wider distribution. It was to have been posted up in every conspicuous place if the Armada had been successful. The heading was: "A Declaration of the Sentence and Deposition of Elizabeth the Usurper and pretended Queene of England." R. Parsons is supposed to have been the author of it. On the failure of the expedition the broadside was so studiously suppressed, that its very existence has been questioned. Two copies, however, at least have come down to us - one sold at the sale of Canon Tierney's library in 1862, when it fetched the sum of 31, the other is in the Bodleian at Oxford. It will be found printed at length in the Canon's edition of Dodd's "Church History," vol. iii. At the time when these libels were being prepared for distribution Elizabeth was in negotiation with the Duke of Parma. The Queen naturally requests her Commissioners to inquire of the Duke concerning these publications. The

History of the United Netherlands, vol. ii. p. 379. Ed. 1869.