then stroken with a leprosy to continue eight twentie yeares The text teacheth that Iotham at his fathers death was but fiue twentie yeares old So by the former note he should iudge the people afore he was born three yeres The notes to auoyd that expounde the text thus Hee was fiue and twentie yeares olde when he reigned that is when he ruled the kingdome in his fathers leprosie and he raigned sixteene yeres that is after his fathers death If this had bene done in myne owne nation I would haue blamed it more largely But I loth to disgrace a learned paynes but for infinite necessity And our trauels might haue more cleared the regentship of Azarias and the two and twentie yeares of Anarchy that earthquake of the state and the styrres called Iezreel and likewise for Ezekiels 390. yeares where the French notes returne to the right trueth against their owne particulars in all these errours wee in a fewe wordes might haue kept our nation from liking strange opinions Other matters of this Latin worke for the last Prophetes times Zorobabels house I haue written against his learned defendor therin though not here D.R. whom I name for honors sake He deserued great coÌ„mendation for hazarding his fame whether 2000. yeares errours holden almost generally ouer all Greekes and Latines Libraries could be set on flame with a fire of iudgement taken from the holy authour And I trow all of hart and our language will confesse that parte cleared by my paynes how so euer some feared to stande to an arbitrement reported that they had passed as learning would require them and all to determine Yet hearing what infinite millions were against me they thought it the safest way to haue all in suspense But I thought it a duetie vnto God and my countrey to cleare not only the cause but all the Bible by Gods helpe in our tongue and to seeke for the next kingdomes helpe if that labour at home should be blasphemed ExperieÌ„ce in Daniel the hardest booke cleared I hope in the very dedication may shewe how soone and easilie much holden past hope of achieving may be accomplished And now to leaue strangers I will returne to our owne vpon Daniel where I blame our paynes that while we make two Nebuchadnezars and misse of the Images time and fourth Monarchy and ill translate Gabriels oration for redemption and in our argument Cha. 12. taxe Daniel for obscuritie who hath the greatst plaines that euer the matter could suffer While this runneth currant all the Bible wil coÌ„plaine that we doe exceedingly darken it Neither doe I thinke it better to haue the trueth of Daniel hid then antiquity disgraced for missing But nowe I haue discoursed more largely of my two first poinctes then I well may vppon all the sixe following howe heede must be taken least the Ebrewe writt or Greeke of the newe Testament bee blamed and least in translation or exposition the holy booke be pestered thorough vs with vntruethes or haue anie one at all One errour more I would haue spoken off for a place of Daniel ill translated but it is to great to bee opened vnto the people least they want stay in moderation I did obiect it with sharpnes not the least vnto a scholer of high place and great recompence for his studie who tooke it in good part and sage moderation And so I trust hee will take all the rest Such affection will cause him selfe and others some great reast which little medling bredeth The third care in a Translatour which ought to bee as that person which Nebuchadnezar sawe by night watchful and holy is that in speaches of the Prophetes where the holy servauntes of God speake of purpose termes doubtfull where the prophane would otherwise skoph or persecute there the true cleare light with full warrant be kindled in the tongue vsed of him If he write for a natioÌ„ that professeth the trueth and not for prophane Lagidae as the â—eptuagint who liuing in those styrres of the iron clay â—egges of Daniels image not cleauing togither and of the warres of Seleucidôn and Lagidôn which the Angel vttered vnto Daniel of purpose in harde phrases for the Iewes safetie they liuing in these very times had crossed all the Angels wisedome if they had opened vnto their prophane â—art that which Gabriel hid for their good But our case â—owe is nothing like theirs in christiaÌ„ kingdomes Wherfore a Translatour should aboue all thinges be ready in all â—â—riptures where such hidinge of the minde is vsed 〈◊〉 ready Ebrician that seeth one of vnperfect studie labouringe to translate will tell almost for euery place where a Translatour would misse And touchinge â—â—ch as in Daniel haue deceyued translatours them I haue â—â—ted in my commentationes vpon him dedicated vnto â—me of you Nobles and others of honorable Gentrie to 〈◊〉 regarded according to the sage honor of her Maiesties â—uuernement By Daniel most of anie because hee liued â—â—der the prophane these tenours of speach and wonderâ—â—ll witty hiding of the minde may be consydered soundâ—e to be had in heart readilie In such places a man worâ—hie the name of an Ebrewe professour wilbe most ready â—s in matters most weighed searched tryed and peysed by him in the golde balance of Ebrewe diligence where ordinarie plaine speaches require not to be so much thought vpon who would not looke better about him that should finde this going currant for Gods word The foure beastes are foure Kinges who shal take the kingdom of the Saints of the most high and holde the kingdome for euer euen for euer and euer This can not stande with religion anie more then Tartarus can be Paradise eternall woe blessednes Here an Ebrician would longe before he came to the place thinke vpon the rocke where others made shipwracke and marke how the Particle Vau one letter was a key to open or shut the sense So in Daniel againe Ch. 7. ver 12. As coÌ„cerning the other beastes they had their dominion taken away but their liues were prolonged for a certen time and season This speach vnspeaketh it self For the beast is the Empire and when the Empire is gone the beast is no more a beast but staÌ„deth on his feete as a man when a priuate mans heart is giuen him as in ver 4. of ch 7. Agamemnons man in Euripides beholding the Emperour writing for Iphigenia his daughter to come to bee sacrificed and by fatherly affection blotting againe writing and againe razing marveyleth at his crosse dealing This dealing iâ— more marveylous no naturall affection here caried but vnacquaintance with Daniel and with the Ebrew tongue And reason might tell that the speach crosseth it selfe And herein I must commende my L. of Canterburies grace who though he thought it not an officers parte to admitte soone a new translation and when I had presented vnto him selfe and his patronage the seauen first chapters all the Chaldy part
syllables of the former and when he changeth the phrase that change hath great vse and should be marked in a translation Such is the newe Testament whose first oration fasteneth to the last speach of the olde For Gabriel to Zacharie beginneth the newe Testament where the olde ended And this should haue made the Church to haue hid the â—idde Apogrypha according to their name and neuer to â—aue let them see the sunne of the Church They breake the chayne and make monstrous all the body of the Testament absolute without it and not admitting any word of it for laÌ„guage to any one letter nor to any wit in style articles or story Infinite much of the newe testament might haue in the margent the Ebrew which it traÌ„slateth As this Grace and peace from God Aarons blessing this God knoweth who be his from Moses speach to Coreh and God hath not forsaken his people Be thou perfect as thy Father in heauen is perfect from this Thou shalt be perfect with the Lord thy God and so infinitely A Translatour should haue all this in tables before him So the Bible should bee shorter for memorie by a quarter when the minde should see what was plaine afore and is but repeated And in facilitie ten times easier shewing no newe matter to be in handlinge but a commentarie of the old Moses song Deut. 32. might be shewed al through in the Prophetes Paul Peter Iude others Howe we haue contemned all this examples wee haue like the sande of the sea that can not bee numbred Two I could bring too haynous eyther ouerturning the one the maine of faith in a TraÌ„slation the other in a note casting out the canonical with a Semicycle as lesse profitable and drawing in Tobyes Legenda aurea made as other Iewish forbid fables to breake all the frame and honor of Gods counsel wherein we shewe that wee neuer knewe howe the families guide the holy story in a most sensible dignitie and what families might not excell the rest nor yet in any dignitie come neare the chiefe And thus fiue partes of my eight are concluded In our sixt care facilitie of phrase defended by the newe Testament the Septuagint and writers old indifferent for all nations must bee had Here studentes in Ebrew misse by curiositie as when they say He that beleeueth shall not hasten The Septuagint knowing that hastening to vnstayed thoughtes in the mind and colour of face argueth shame sayd shall not be ashamed Moses sayth The day of their destructioÌ„ is neare and the case of the things ready for them hasteneth Saint Peter translateth him most oratoriously though changing his order Their destruction sumbleth not and their iudgement of olde is not slowe The holy Ghost his traÌ„slation here should stande Many such places come where the strict propriety is too harsh As If the iust haue his payement that is doubtfull to the simple in Greeke is hardly saued very learnedly Ignorance herein caught of late two sides of striuers tardy about this God called for darknes and it came and they were not disobedient vnto his worde Therein some defend the Ebrew as they may but marked not the verbe plural put impersonallie The Greekes altered the relation of disobedience vnto the Egyptians thus As they disobeyed his worde Herein we had a very vnseasonable strife with bitter contention and extreme vnskilfulnes in the offenders and defenders The Greekes knew well what the Ebrewe had but sawe it harsh for the Greeke phrase and that made them departe from proprietie as paraphrastes may retayning the sense And here I think it good to digresse a litle vnto the Septuagintaes story for great vse of our present matter Their time is said to be in Ptolomy the second his dayes their nuÌ„ber to be exactly seauentie and two six of euery tribe Ptolemy Philadelphus desirous of a famous Library sent to Iuâ—ah for their best authours and translatours and had them â—â—nt They translated seuerall partes about fourtene chapters as nowe we distinguish them or some one might goe â—â—rough some little booke alone The copyes which they â—ad with them in Egypt were not vowelled nor acceÌ„ted â—ut as some Printes yet are without eyther Where both â—â—lpes are not none without exceeding great paynes can â—â—t vpon the trueth alwayes The want whereof lefte the â—â—ptuagint vnto infinite errours They were not all of like 〈◊〉 The Translatours of Moses were very eloquent yet â—â—e Translatour of Gods wordes to Cain either of purpose â—â—d his minde or was very simple in Ebrewe They who â—ealt with the storie were likewise eloquent and so in the â—rouerbes and the Psalmes The Grecian on Iob was a â—â—et reader and cared not to yeeld euery saying strictlie â—ut what might be to Greeks familiar The Translator of â—cclesiastes was yonger in Ebrew theÌ„ Greek he of Amoz â—ot the best he of Ezekiel very learned The diuersitie of their style and hitting nowe nowe missing farre in the same tels that all did not al. OfteÌ„times they rather abridge then translate as on Hester infinitely in the Prophetes In mysteries and hard Phrases often they deale exceeding wel But very much they hid their minde specially for the worldes age betwixt Adam and Ahraham There was no other translation but theirs in the Apostles age and it was more knowen to the Iewes then the Ebrewe ended from daily vse fiue hundreth yeares afore Therefore they vse it exceeding much In many places they leaue it translate most oratoriouslie It was often deceyued by mistakinge Characters like as Daleth and Resh be D. and V. Caph Resh where the foot of Caph wanted Inke In such places if the translatours had borowed their neighbours copies they had not missed But they saw no reason of exact care wher their labour was required only for a braue Librarie Syracides that was a childe when they translated excuseth the matter how hard it was to traÌ„slate Ebrew into Greeke Hard must it be for thos poor afflicted Iewes lothing Heathen to affoord seaueÌ„ty learned through all the Prophets Emblemes Ebrew subtilties and Greeke elegancy where the Church neuer had seaueÌ„tie or I trow seauen that spent their life in Ebrew Greeke for the explaning of the Bible Their translation was turned into Arabique though that tongue is almost Ebrew and into the neare EthiopiaÌ„ either because they had not exact Ebricians or thought it not safe to differ The vulgar Latin and all ours sauing the Geneva follow it And this is the cause why ours come so much short of the Ebrew And the defendours mynde to feede on ackornes when corne is founde out Iudgement in a sucking Babe is not weake short of a mans more then theirs which coÌ„pare ours with one able to abide triall by the Ebrewe cometh short of true learning The Genevah folowed the Ebrew though the French bragge how it folowed their the Dutch how their I trowe it is not
inferiour to any of theirs as D. Trelcatius often confesseth at Leyden And I thinke the BB. reuiued the folowers of the vulgar Latin and the Greeke least our people should bee too much amazed at the first by the great diuersitie But to returne conclude as memorie to marke howe the laâ—er folowe the former for light and delight so a learned â—acilitie is of vnspeakeable force Nowe commeth in the â—eauenth poinct the braue Greke termes either of the Seaâ—entie or of the Apostles better vsage Their marking is of great importaÌ„ce And this should not only be a great help â—o shew still through the margeÌ„t Gods handlingl al his old â—â—ories but a matter of certaintie in difficulties Some here â—â—iding amisse disgrace all For example this may be taken â—aul sayeth We must giue more heede to that which hath bene â—ard least we flowe our common translation hath least at â—lie time we should let them slippe Saint Paul had bene a â—abe if he had thought that all Ierusalems Rabbines could â—â—rget vpoÌ„ what principles Paul disputed or thoght that 〈◊〉 the Rabbines had embracest the rules principles they â—â—â—uld soone forget them Here the Arabiques translate eleâ—â—ntlie Naskitu WE FALL The Syriaque Naebed WE PEâ—â—SH Saint Pauls metaphore was taken from Ieremies laâ—â—ntations 4. in Teth. They are in better case whiche died 〈◊〉 the sword then which died by hunger which flowed 〈◊〉 perced by wanting the fruite of the fielde This trope â—â—lled into the Iewes mynde Sedekias kingdomes fall and â—â—arned of a farre greater which soone fell vpon coÌ„tempt 〈◊〉 this warning Of that Ierusalemy hath a comon treatise 〈◊〉 whole booke vpon this which all Paul warned in one 〈◊〉 terme that might not be turned to a base meaning beâ—â—lling no men of grauitie in any religioÌ„ or reason In this place the bare worde should haue bene kept or an other warranted He that could not come to Saint Pauls reach yet should haue marked how from Pro. 3. his Greke word was takeÌ„ for a froward departing the word two wayes terrible each leading to destruction and both meeting togither would be twise tres-excellent The brightnes of glorie Eb. 1.3 expoundeth Zemach or day-spring Esa 4. to cleare all the Prophets all Paul and the Chaldy vpon Esai 4 a rare place of old Ionat. a Rab of old Simeons age or neare speaking clearly of Christ Now to teach vs that The Syriaque hath Zimcha Esaies When thousands of these come in singular great matters better then commentaries to lighten eyes all togither will make a mountayne of golden learning and haue great force Here a translatour should haue all that the newe testament translated noted in his Ebrew Bible to be plentiful in the vse of that helpe So for this sentence He maketh his Angels spirites and his ministers a flame of fyre not onely the Septuagint and the Apostles but also the Zoar in many places sawe that God spake of the Angels made like windes and flames Wherein the facilitie of the matter should bee warranted for better satisfaction of all by all of indifferent affections In this all translations of learned tongues olde and ancient will much delite and strengthen the Arabique and the Syriaque the Chaldy paraphrastes Onkelos Meturgeman Ierusalemy Ionothan Ioseph the Blind Aquilas the Septuagint Yea the fragmentes of Aquilas Symmachus Theodotion As when Iacob sayth the Scebet shall not depart from Iudah till Shiloh come Aquilas sayth by Scebet in Greke Sceptron he meaneth the tribe He sayd truely Learnedly and to infinite good vse Ierusalemy and Barbinel check vs rightly for Malachy Thus they say For he hateth diuorcements The Eternall is the speaker Here their authoritie is the strongest of all humane for vs against them selues The Babylonian Talmud is no lesse construing Ezra 1. Chron. 3. That Iechonias Assyr in strait prison made Salathiel his sonne here the Talmud for this one poinct is much worth Most pleasant â—re the Prophets words turned by the Apostles as Sechi Maos in Ierem. and Peripsema and Scybala in Saint Paul â—n this sorte all the Greeke Testamentes wordes might be â—rought into euery Bibles table yea and the Ebrew two with one leafe of Grammer introduction whereby a few â—oures would yeeld a methode to iudge and studie as ocâ—asion and leasure serued A Linguist would as easilie perâ—orme this as these his couÌ„trey laÌ„guages And this must be â—olden that Libanus affoarded not more timber trees to â—â—lomons house then the Greeke Septuaginta doeth to the â—ewe Testament and the termes called into question for â—iuinitie being in it are best expounded by it Examples I â—eede none infinite experience of daily striuers shewe eâ—â—ugh And nowe comes the last poinct to comment by â—â—ripture so all Salomons Prouerbes may be set on the fitt â—â—ories so the stories with their Prophecies the Psalmes â—on the lawe the Epistles vpon the Ceremonies much â—â—ch on all The helpe herein would make the newe Teâ—â—â—ment and the former Prophetes as Daniel Esaie and â—h easie before the Reader commeth to them And â—we I haue ended all partes touched in my entrance of â—â—ch Ornamentes aboue these I haue else-where conâ—â—ed into one woorke manie alreadie To conclude â—s I had to say touching translation The rare Honoâ—â—â—le Earle H. Huntingdon many yeares togither vrged my â—â—ll this way whom one Earle of you Nobles of neare â—initie succeeded in willingnes so liberallie towarde â—arges that vpon that according to these eightfold obâ—â—â—uations somewhat if God will shall come to light And one of you Lordes requested me to write a common Epistle to you all that you might so better knowe howe in time to agree for execution of good will this way That request I haue as ye see accomplished And I hope your Noble learning will not expect an inflaming peroration The dignitie of the matter is greater then any Oratour can match And for personnages none be so fitt as your selfes to vrge it Professed Scholers who studie to liue and not liue to studie are commonly being advaunced hinderers of all that passeth the common base course And as my furtherance for honorable wordes workes charges and all tendring hath bene from the Nobilitie from what side the contrarie I will yet see and nothing say so I am free to chuse whom I would honour in this motion Vnder the terme of Nobilitie as we here towards Germanie do I conteyne all the ancient and good Gentry of the land whom all I wish to haue a care portion about the book of life The deliberation should be quick The King of our language hath dealt very royally for his part with a willingnes very readie Yet my great desire was that English Nobilitie might be moued to be at the charges of this trauell And so I leaue the matter to your learned Honorable and Worshipfull consideration From MIDDELBVRGH in Sea-land This 29. of May 1597. Your Honours to
commaunde H. BROVGHTON ⧠A request to the Arch. of Cant. to call in a corruption of a late English CoÌ„mentation vpon Daniel dedicated to the right H. Lordes YOVR Grace overseer of all learned matters in our Nation and I hauing a right in thinges of my owne trauel and all our nation as coÌ„temned or deceyued â—aue bene iniuried by a Printer who hath corrupted my â—ommentaries vpon Daniel speciallie in the Ebrew to the â—isgrace of all the worke and of all our studentes In the â—â—brewe verses of Rabbi Sadaias the letters which begin the â—erses wordes commonly fiue in euery rowe besides the â—lphabet letter stand for the Arithmetique how often the â—tter entreated vpon is vsed in the Ebrew tongue and the â—â—ripture textes agree in number where if any one letter â—amisse all the frame of the worke is marred Moreouer 〈◊〉 the Ebrewe textes all Printers and Writers thinke it a â—y grosse part euer to corrupt any Scripture text as the â—wes glorie that in neither Talmud nor any commentarie â—heirs euer any text is corrupted by the citer And they â—e this a common saying That to misse in one letter is â—orruption of the whole worlde Now when Iewes and â—â—ristians see that thinges in Ebrew corrupt ouerthrowâ— that present argument stayning holy Scripture and â—th skill rather of Balams Asse then of learning come â—th in England where men should be learned things â—ered vnto our Honourable Lordes they will thinke veâ— basely of all the Studentes of our nation Those verses a matter of so great importance that a Professour of â—bridge offered an Angell to haue one copye in written â—de and after myne came forth two studentes one of Cambridge an other of Oxforde desired me to put theÌ„ fâ—rth in fayrer and more distinct letters and they would each vndertake copyes to fiue poundes both ten Herevpon I caused M. Fr. Raphelengius the best of Printers to print me a thousand which I haue sent to Englande to make our Diuines readier in great matters Maister Ioseph Scaliger a Gentleman of rare learning and Maister Raphelengius had neuer seene them before I sent them to Leyden Both as good Linguistes as any in the world and learned men to whom I am very much beholding for singular gentlenes in lending me bookes rare and of rare commoditie such as our nation I trowe neuer yet sawe A certen English man here had by my gyft but one copy and was shewed the vse of it of whom I demaunded in sadnes to record it in print what he esteemed of the matter and he sayd that of trueth he would not for twentie poundes bee without the copye and the matter The case standing thus I can not chuse but be grieued to see my Ebrewe studies so defaced a good old worke and a rare monument marred occasioÌ„ offered to haue our natioÌ„ for learning much contemned The certeintie of the holy text in Ebrew is a matter as all called to grace will confesse to be gracious And that rare piece of worke of Sadaias will seeme to all voyde of Papistrie and endued with reason to confirme much the certeintie of Scripture Wherfore proceeding from an enemie for the trueth grounds of faith the corrupting of it should seeme a worke farre from grace Besides these verses of Sadaias a piece of the Ierusalemy Talmud very pleasant and learned with GentlemeÌ„ learned in Ebrew is corrupted in this Printers edition whereas no open aduersarie could so much disgrace as such a corrupter of matters brought about not without great paynes pretending reuerence to the authour I haue felt griefe in this kinde alreadie not a litle by a booke collected from sundry fragmentes by a seruingman and falsely reported to be notes from me As that booke was in printing I did cause the seruingman to shewe your grace of it that the Printer had no authour for his worke and as he tolde me the Printer was bound in fiue hundred poundes not to proceede but by a bribe ventured against his band and vpon complaint answere was returned that the Printer would noyse how he was vndone So against all that I could doe forged ware some stollen from me some from others and more kindes then Labans sheepes coloures were solde deare in London and Sturbridge fayre and still fathered vpon such as most loth it As all trueth should be trueth speciallie in diuinitie it should be so And the befooling of an whole nation should not be counted a light faulte in forging authours by pieuish printers greadie of vnhonest gaynes I was minded neuer to haue printed anie thing But forgers of matters to be as mine which I lothed they forced me to leaue in print the whole veyne of my iudgement in Diuinitie in the booke of Scripture concent That any might knowe myne from forged ware Nowe at my first printing much anger I had When it came furth the great Lord Chauncelour tolde the Queene as he bragged that in no case any countenance might be shewed me thervpon a Noble Earle who had named vnto me a fine recompence of my study hearing of the L. Chauncelours speach altered And I to pay the L. Chauncelour mynded to haue liued in Germanie till I heard the Queenes aunswere That he commended whom he condemned For that the booke was schollerlike all for the States good where to knowe howe to ouerreach others not to doe it argueth a minde bent to quietnes Another gaue out wordes also to the Queene vnlearned and malicious of whom I will yet speake nothing Your Grace I must now commend for much humanitie that tolde one sent in my cause that whatsoeuer you could doe for me you would So that I would acknowledge my friends In trueth my L. touching preferments I was thus minded hitherto that if my worthier in the common estimation stept before me I would reioyce But when two hundreth thousande poundes a yeere is spent by the Church vpon such as can not reade a line of the Bible and I could not liue in Englande vnsollicited still to preach and was commended by the Queene whom I trowe you will not checke I see not why I may not require my recompence as the Realme hath put the Queene in trust to deale and require it with as good a conscience as you may receyue one pennie of your tenantes You gaue me counsell to be toward some Bishop or some Lord as one sayde to whom it should bee tolde The Queene or a Prince should bee the onely Patron for one of my yeares spent in hard studies And the Countesse of Warwicke tolde that the Queene would not for all the prefermentes in the Realme I went out of the Realme In the time of deliberation I pray your Grace that Printers be not allowed to disgrace my studies Your Graces to commaunde H. BROVGHTON What poinctes a syncere translation ought to haue mo theÌ„ yet oure haue 1. care that the holy Ebrew or holie Greeke text bee not disannulled An holy 21.