QUEEN MARY, JAMES VI., TO THE FROM 1543 TO 1650-SINGULAR HISTORY OF THE SCRIPTURES IN SCOT- ROM the year 1543, and for more than three successive generations, the history of the English Bible north of the Tweed, is of a very marked or memorable character, and peculiar to Scotland among all the other nations of Europe. Certainly not one of them has the same story to tell. Throughout, it forms a remarkable continuation of that independence of human patronage, which has been so steadily repudiated from the beginning; while no country has been more signally indebted to the gracious providence of God. In 1543, when it was first proclaimed to be lawful to peruse the Scriptures, although they had been reading in secret for fully sixteen years, it is to be observed that no edition of the Bible entire, or of the New Testament separately, was ordered to be printed. Cardinal Beaton having immediately regained his authority, such a proposal was not to be whispered for a moment. But as he was removed by death only three years after, this will not account for its being, not three, or five, but thirty-five years, before any Bible was issued from the Scotish press! This, too, was in folio, nor did a second edition follow, and of the same unwieldy character, till 1610, or above thirty years more had passed away. Nay, only the third edition, and at last in the octavo size, did not appear till the year 1633; or ninety years from the day on which it was said to be lawful to have and to read the Bible in English! There was then also a fourth edition, in 1637, and one in duodecimo next year. Thus it was, that for more than a hundred years, or a space of time equal to that of three generations, there were no more than five editions of the Bible issued from the printing presses in the country; not to say that two of these were in folio, no size even approaching to that which the people required, having made its appearance till so late as 1633. The first pocket Bible was not printed till 1638. Such then was the condition of our Scotish ancestors, so far as their own native press was concerned. No Bible, even so convenient as that of an octavo size, had been printed in Scotland, for the use of the community, till one hundred and seven years after the New Testament of Tyndale had been first conveyed to Edinburgh and St. Andrews, as well as other ports.' What then had become of the people at large? Had they been left destitute of the book of life to such an extent as this, and for an entire century after it first reached their shores? Far, very far from it. In proportion to its population, perhaps in no other country had it been more generally possessed, if not eagerly perused; and the explanation will afford us now in review, one of the most signal displays of the goodness of God to our northern ancestors. Once pointed out, it certainly will be difficult for the present generation to escape from the obligation to send the Sacred Volume over sea and land to other nations. The very commencement of this long period was auspicious for Scotland. It should not be forgotten, that, as soon as the Earl of Arran was overruled to make his proclamations throughout the country, no trifling display was given of the Scriptures having been already there, and to an extent which could not have been imagined. But at the same moment, Henry in England had frowned on the general perusal of the Sacred Volume, because, as it has been said, "he being now to go abroad, upon a weighty expedition to France, thought it convenient to leave his subjects at home as easy as might be." This frown, though it was disregarded by many, even in England, must have been quite in favour of Scotish usage. Whatever supernumerary copies there were, might have been sent down to the north, where Henry had no objection that the subjects should be as little at ease as possible. The printers in England must have been perfectly aware of the crooked One edition had been printed, it is true, but at Dort, by Hart and Charteris, expressly for Scotland, in 1601, to be afterwards mentioned, but this ranks with the other imported editions. 1 66 policy of their Sovereign, and, from self-interest, would act accordingly. Not only the Bible, but what Sadler styles his Majesty's books of religion," Henry was eager should now be read in the North, and by the month of August, or just before the Regent had turned his coat, his Majesty had been personally anxious to know how they were "liked” there. The distinction drawn, in reply, between them and the Scriptures, should not be overlooked. Although the gentlemen of the old learning were, says Sadler, "well pleased with the restraint of the Scriptures in England, and yet would have liked it much better, if it had been generally restrained from all sorts," there was another class "much offended with the same;" while, at the same moment, the "books of religion," so called, the ambassador confesses were "not much liked by any party," and as for the Governor or Regent, he did not desire" to have any more of them." Beaton, it is granted, might prevail with the Regent to discountenance the circulation of the Scriptures, but Providence soon found him enough to do, whether in maintaining his seat, or providing for his own safety. Besides, he died in the short space of three years; and as the first Bible printed on Scotish ground was not published till the year 1579, or seven years after the death of Knox; not to say that this was in folio, and appointed to be sold for the sum of £4, 13s. 4d., or seven marks; how, all this time, had it fared with the people, or the thousands who, even now, could afford no such sum? It may indeed appear scarcely credible, but by even this early period it comes out, that the Sacred Volume in the vulgar tongue, was almost in every house! A better testimony to the truth of this fact could not be desired, since it is to be found in the Dedication to James VI. of this first Bible. After acknowledging the "great occasion" they had "to glorify the goodness of God towards their country," the Assembly addressing the King exclaims "O what difference may be seen between these days of light, when almost in every private house the Book of God's Law is read, and understood in our vulgar tongue, and that age of darkness, when scarcely in a whole city, (without the cloisters of monks and friars,) could the Book of God once be found, and that in a strange tongue of Latin, not good, but mixed with barbarity; used and read by few, and almost understood or exponed by none; and when the false named clergy of this realm, abusing the gentle nature of your Highness' most noble goodsire, of worthy memory, made it a capital crime, to be punished with the fire, to have or read the New Testament in the vulgar language; and to make them to all men more odious, as if it had been the detestable name of a pernicious sect, they were named NEW TESTAMENTERS."? And certainly, with the exception of Christian itself, a more honourable appellative, by way of reproach, was never bestowed on the people of any country. The fact was, that the folio Bible now published was intended chiefly "to the end, that in every parish kirk there should be at least one kept, to be called the common book of the kirk,' as a most meet ornament for such a place, and a perpetual register of the Word of God, the fountain of all true doctrine, to be made patent to all the people of every congregation, as the ONLY right rule to direct and govern them in matters of religion, as also to confirm them in the truth received, and to reform and redress corruptions, whensoever they may creep in.' But still the question returns-How had the Sacred Volume found its way into so many private families? There was no word of command from rulers, no voice of human authority, and yet still, from the beginning, or for fifty years past, from time to time, the Word of God had, it is evident, come into the country. There was no such thing once thought of then as gratuitous distribution. The people desired to have the Book of God, and must have gladly paid the price, but it came to them actually terrâ marique, over land, nay, and over sea. They were supplied not only from England, but from the printing presses of Holland, as they continued to be from both countries, for more than half a century to come. Hence the next edition executed in Scotland was still a folio, and not printed till 1610, or only a few months before our present version; the first edition of that version not appearing till 1633, and the first pocket Bible not till five years later. In 2 See the dedication to what is commonly styled Bassandyne's Bible, for the original orthography. While this Bible was printing, or in 1578, the Assembly had come to the following among other conclusions, which were inserted in their records the second year after it was published, or in 1581.-" The power ecclesiastical floweth immediately from God and the mediator Jesus Christ, and is spiritual, not having a temporal Head on the earth, but only Christ, the only spiritual King and Governor of his Kirk."-" Therefore this power and policy of the Kirk should lean upon the Word immediately, as the ONLY ground thereof; and should be taken from the pure fountains of the Scriptures, the Kirk hearing the voice of Christ the only spiritual King, and being ruled by his laws."-" It is proper to Kings, Princes, and Magistrates, to be called lords and dominators over their subjects, whom they govern civilly: but it is proper to Christ only to be called Lord and Master in the spiritual government of the Kirk; and all others that bear office therein, ought not to usurp dominion, nor be called lords, but only ministers, disciples, and servants. For it is CHRIST's proper office to command and rule his Kirk universal, and every particular Kirk, through his Spirit and Word, by the ministry of men. this point of view, certainly no other people in Europe can look back to such a century. After this we need not repeat that the course pursued by an indulgent Providence was one, in no sense relying on the patronage or power of the authorities in Scotland; but this fact will become still more striking if we now glance at the history of these two folio Bibles, printed in the country itself. The first intimation of any printer in Scotland obtaining a direct license to publish any part of the Scriptures in the vernacular tongue is dated 22d March 1564. This license was nothing more than what was customary with relation to every other book, but there is not even the shadow of proof that any part was ever put to press, a circumstance rendered next to certain from what followed. Four years after this, or 14th April 1568, Robert Lekprevik, the printer referred to, was licensed to print the translation commonly called the Geneva Bible; and as this right was declared to be for twenty years, although importation was not prohibited, since, from printing the Bible, every other person in Scotland was, what hope was there that there would be an edition by Lekprevik, or by any other man, before the year 1588? Certainly none. Lekprevik, too, let it be observed, had been constituted "King's Printer" three months before his license; and in the course of business printed 3 How many editions of the English Bible were thus printed beyond seas, whether for South or North Britain, it is impossible to say, as, with a few exceptions, they had the London imprint, and can only be detected by an experienced eye, but that there were many thousands is well known. At first, some of these editions may have been undertaken with the concurrence of the English patentee, if not at his expense, but, in the end, the Dutch were reading a severe lecture to this country, on the superiority of competition to monopoly. The workmanship in Holland had become of a superior character, and threatened to carry the printing of Bibles out of the kingdom. Hence the language of Laud already quoted:-" the books that came from thence were better print, better bound, better paper, and for all the charges of bringing, sold better cheap." A free press at home would have effectually met this grievance, while at the same time the course pursued by Holland, in this, as in every other department, may well serve as a warning to any people against avarice. The object of her people was to acquire, never to dispense; and they sought to gather wealth in every possible direction. Though they grew no timber, yet they, at last, used more ships than almost all the rest of Europe put together, and certainly never any country traded so much, and consumed so little. They had no flax of their own growth, yet made the finest linen in the world; grew no wool, yet made immense quantities of good cloth. "They are," said Sir William Temple, "They are the great masters of Indian spices and Persian silks, yet wear plain woolen, and feed on their own fish and roots. They sell the finest of their own cloth to France, and buy coarse cloth out of England for their own wear. They send abroad the best of their own butter, and buy the cheapest out of Ireland and the north of England for their own use. In short, they furnish infinite luxury, which they never practise, and traffic in pleasures which they never taste." And what ensued after all? Why should the " High and Mighty," as they styled themselves, ever come to petition as “the poor and oppressed States of Holland?" Let a nation fall into the parsimonious and hoarding course of the solitary miser, its downfall is certain. Of nations, as well as individuals, it is true that "there is that scattereth, and yet increaseth; there is that withholdeth more than is meet, and it tendeth to poverty." If the eyes of ENGLAND, as a nation, therefore, be open, she must see that her only safety Now depends upon her being not only just, but generous-generous as a nation towards other nations. Sympathy is a talent, and when possessed by a nation, one of the strongest guarantees for its own prosperity and peace, when laws, and human policy, or grasping avarice, are alike in vain. |