so far from only six editions of the New Testament, there were nearly thirty more; instead of eleven editions of the Bible entire, there were at least fourteen; and all these within the space of less than six years and a half, for Edward reigned no longer. In other words, instead of only nineteen distinct issues of the Scriptures, including Erasmus, as often so erroneously reported, we have ascertained about fifty; and as for the Bibles, all these editions issued from the press in less than four years, or from August 1549 to July 1553.

Such a period, therefore, well deserves a better survey, furnishing, as it does, several instructive and memorable results. With regard to the printing and circulation of the Sacred Volume in the days of Henry the Eighth, we have seen that it was throughout, at best, but a troubled scene, and distinguished for bitter persecution; the days of Edward the Sixth, when properly examined, stand altogether unrivalled, even by any subsequent reign, for non-interference with the Scriptures. Nay, the truth is, that in the history of England, it so happens that we have not another reign of a similar character to exhibit; it stands alone. It is, however, curious enough, that the reign of the most youthful sovereign that has ever since reigned in Britain, should have made the nearest approach, and promises before long to equal, and, it may be, far excel it. We refer to the absence of monopoly, and of course to our present benignant Queen Victoria. Meanwhile, even the present age would do well to look back and acquire a little wisdom from this early period; for, although a strict regard to impartiality has left us no choice but to record other things of Cranmer, which must ever be condemned, he will now be entitled to a meed of praise, which his most partial admirers have either never observed, or, at least, never marked, as they might have done.

As there was none of that arrogance and impiety on the part of the Crown, with which Henry was ever insulting his subjects; talking to them, at one moment, as if they were children, or were to have no mind of their own; and at another, as if they had no right to form any opinion whatever for themselves; so, on the contrary, great liberty now prevailed in printing any one translation already made. No change for the better, could then be greater. The last act of the father was to brand the name and memory of Tyndale:

in the first Parliament held by his son, that act was repealed, and declared to be "utterly void and of none effect;" nay, the portrait of Edward will soon be seen and sold, in immediate conjunction with the name and translation of Tyndale.

Possessed of such power of control as Cranmer now enjoyed, one might have imagined that he would have pressed forward his own correction of Tyndale's version, and in superiority to all others. But there is no such personal leaning to be discovered quite the reverse. The people had been left freely to make their choice, or declare their preference, and we shall soon see the result. Here, then, was one trait in Cranmer's character, and one which has never been pointed out, even by those who have sought to justify other steps which cannot be defended. True, it may be said that he was altogether engrossed with "his Book of Homilies and his Catechism, with King Edward's Service Book, his Book of Articles, and the Reformatio Legum," to say nothing of his Parliamentary and official engagements. This is granted, for such indeed. was the course he chose to pursue; but still, had Cranmer been disposed to have interfered with the printing of the Scriptures, he certainly could have found time to have both discovered and exerted his power. On the contrary, with his name at the head of the Regency, and on such a subject possessing great sway, he appears to have acted with a degree of candour and liberality which has never been surpassed, nay, never equalled by any man in power ever since.

One important consequence has been, that we are able now to see at once what was the popular taste. Twenty-one years after the New Testament of Tyndale had been sent into England, an opportunity had at last presented itself, for the people as such to speak out, and say what they wanted. The printers were ready to print, and the stationers, as they were called, to sell; but, of course, they would not press any one translation except that which they knew beforehand was most likely to remunerate them. As all the editions were individual undertakings by men engaged in business, they, it must be evident, would print chiefly that book which was most frequently and eagerly sought after.

That zeal for the art of printing which burst forth instantaneously after Henry's death, will prepare us for the numerous editions of the Scriptures which immediately fol

lowed. This noble art had been introduced into England under Edward IV., when there were three or four printers; under Henry VII. there were five; and four of these survived to print under his son: but during his long reign of nearly thirty-eight years, not fewer than forty-one printers had commenced business in London, or forty-five in all. Now, the first importation of Tyndale's New Testament into England had taken place, not till more than eighty years after the invention of printing, and about fifty-eight after the art had been introduced into the country; but it is worthy of notice, that from that period, of these forty-five printers not fewer than thirty-three had started in business, and that eight of them were ultimately connected with printing the Sacred Volume.5

Let us then now observe what ensued, as soon as Henry had ceased from troubling," and Gardiner, Bonner, and Tunstal, were bereft of the power. Of the forty-five printers under Henry, fourteen survived when Edward came to the throne. While his father, the subject of loathsome disease, was sinking into the grave, and in less than twelve months after his death, as many as eight new men had started in business as printers. Next year, however, there were not fewer than eleven more, and in the next two, eighteen, besides six others in 1551 and 1552, or forty-three in all; raising the number of printers under this youthful monarch to not fewer than fifty-seven, in the brief space of six years! Now if it be inquired, what connexion had all this with the diffusion of the Divine Record? it was no less than this-that out of these fifty-seven printers, more than the half, or not fewer than thirty-one, and these the most respectable, were engaged either in printing or publishing the Sacred Scriptures.

As neither London itself, or the broad surface of England, has ever since exhibited any thing similar to this state of things, it would be unpardonable to withhold the names of those printers and publishers, who so adorned this reign, by their zeal and assiduity in forwarding the interests of Divine Truth. The fourteen men first mentioned belonged to Henry's reign, with four of whom we are already familiar, but seven more of these now found employment in connexion with the Scriptures.

4 Into Oxford 1468; Westminster about 1474; London and St. Albans 1480. See Cotton's Typographical Gazetteer, second edition.

5 These were Berthelet, Nycolson, Grafton, Whitchurch, Redman, Treveris, Petyt, and Byddle.

To these eleven we are now to add twenty more, or at the least thirtyone, so engaged. We give the year of their commencing business, and the names in italic mark the men who are known to have been employed in either printing or selling, in whole or in part, the Sacred Volume in our vernacular tongue. Indeed many, if not most of them, both printed and sold.

Had Edward lived, or the same course been pursued, it is impossible to calculate what must have been the consequences. Of the men now mentioned, three had already carried the art to Canterbury, Ipswich, and Worcester, and a fourth to the capital of Ireland. In 1549, Mychell at Canterbury was printing the Psalter; at Worcester, Oswen was printing the New Testament in 1548 and 1550; Humphrey Powell, after printing the Psalter for Whytchurch, had commenced business in Dublin by the year 1551; while not fewer than twenty-eight other substantial men were concerned with the Scriptures in the metropolis itself. Though the printers in London may now amount to five hundred in number, nothing wearing the most distant approach to this state of things, has ever been exhibited since.6

But the editions of the Scriptures themselves will now furnish us with another view of this memorable period. For Bibles in folio, there may have been not so much need as yet, considering the number which had been printed in 1540 and

6 One of the first printers who commenced business in prospect of Edward mounting the throne, very well serves to mark the crisis. This was John Day, and his first publication, immediately after the King's death, in 1547, was-" The sum of Holy Scripture, imprinted by John Day, dwelling in Sepulchre's parish, at the sign of the Resurrection;" alluding to the rebus or device he had adopted and often employed, viz. one youth awaking another out of sleep, at the moment of sunrise, with this motto-" Arise, for it is DAY." Another man was Richard Jugge; or two printers, with whose names so many editions both of the Bible entire, and the New Testament, were now to be associated. The latter will soon print two of the smallest and most beautiful editions of Tyndale's New Testament, in 24mo, with the portrait of Edward himself prefixed!

1541; for although Henry had licensed Anthony Marler to print for five years longer, he was then over-stocked, and the sale must have flagged, as the wayward monarch only frowned on the undertaking ever after. New Testaments, however, were in great request, and the people will now discover which translation they preferred.

To our List of editions at the close of this history we are now under the necessity of referring, both for illustration and proof. Should therefore any slight discrepancy be discovered, between any general statement, and the editions there put down, though in no case will it affect our argument on the whole, the reader will find it safe to abide by the List. At the same time should any instance occur it will be there noted. At present we confine ourselves to a cursory survey. Looking at the entire period of six years and a half, there appear to have been about fifty distinct publications, whether of the Sacred Volume entire, or the New Testament separately; that is, fifteen of the former, and thirty-five of the latter; though it is not improbable that one or two more may yet be discovered.

Of

Of Coverdale's version there was one edition though in two issues, first in 1550 by Andro Hester, and in 1553 by R. Jugge. Of Taverner's version there was one, in five volumes in 1549, and another, though this has been questioned, in 1551. Of Cranmer's Bible there seem to have been seven editions. Matthew's there were at least five; but then one of these, about to be mentioned, was so large an impression that it has been mistaken frequently for a number of distinct editions. Allowing to each separate individual embarked, his own Bibles, there were not fewer than eight distinct issues of this one edition. This would make twelve in all, of Matthew's.

With respect to the New Testament, besides the English translation inserted in the paraphrase of Erasmus in 1548, of which there was a second edition, at least of the first volume, in 1551, and one edition generally ascribed to Sir John Cheke; of Cranmer's Testament there appear to have been eight editions, but then of Tyndale's, whether under his own name or that of Matthew, there were not fewer than twenty-four, besides one of Coverdale corrected by Tyndale's version.7

On the whole, therefore, if the public demand had called for Cranmer's correction of Tyndale, fifteen times, it had done so for Tyndale's version, as it stood, fully double that number; and if six men were concerned in the former, eighteen, at least, were in the latter.

The edition to which we have alluded, of Tyndale's or Matthew's translation in May 1551, is worthy of special notice, as indicative of the zeal now abroad, so unfettered by interference. In this Bible not fewer than nine different respectable men, printers and booksellers in London, were concerned, and the impression, therefore, must have been

7 The first Testament of Cranmer, though dated in 1546, as their year ran on to the 25th of March, we place under Edward, as it was most probably not published till after Henry's death. So scarce is it, that we have known of thirty-five guineas being offered for a copy. Unfortunately for Cranmer's next Testament, by Whitchurch as printer, not fewer than eleven verses were omitted in one chapter, viz. Rev. i. 9-20. It has been surmised that the book had been called in, but at least one copy now exists in London, in the collection of Mr. Offor.