work superseded by the circulation of its decorated competitor. From the political insinuations, and sarcastic invectives, with which the Genevan comment was artfully interwoven, sumptuous embellishments were an inadequate decoy. Such notes as that on Exodus, xv. 19, which allows disobe dience to legitimate authority; that on 2 Chronicles, xix. 16, censuring Asa for leaving his work incomplete, instead of putting his mother to death when he had deposed her; or that of Revelations, ix. 3, wherein the locusts are interpreted as signifying false teachers, monks, friars, cardinals, patriarchs, archbishops, bishops, doctors, bachelors, and masters; besides numbers of a similar import, equally directed against establishments civil and ecclesiastical, were sought for in vain in the Bishops' Bible: and their absence was deemed but poorly compensated by illustrations addressed to the understanding, or ornaments amusive to the fancy. In this reign, the Catholics employed a singular sophistry, in decrying the general dispersion of the Scriptures among the laity. Priests, they said, are nurses, who ought to chew the meat, before it is administered to the children: to which the Protestants shrewdly answered, that the meat was so tainted with poison, in passing through the mouths of these nurses, as to render it advisable for the children to make the best of it, without waiting for that previous mastication In 1582, the exiled Roman Catholics published the Rhemish Testament; to which the Old Tes→ tament was added, at Douay, in 1610;—a work of which the errors were exposed by Fulke and Cartwright. Among other matters disputed in the Hampton Court conference, the comparative merits of the Bishops' Bible, and that of Geneva, came, as might be expected, under discussion: and the Puritans and conformists railed against each other's translation, with all the jealousy of authorship, and the animosity of religious difference. By their reciprocal invectives, the royal moderator was induced to order the execution of a third translation, to be prepared with such care and labour, that it should supersede the use of both the others; and preclude the necessity of making future alterations in the church version. For the accomplishment of this laudable purpose, he required all the bishops to obtain lists of their learned clergy; for whose preferment he himself took measures. To forty-seven of these, arranged under six divisions, the pious task was committed: and its procedure was marked by so much indivi dual labour, combined wisdom, mutual assistance, and borrowed illustrations by so much attention to accuracy, united with so much respect for the popular prejudices, as to inspire all succeeding generations with the most entire confidence in its authenticity. James furnished the divines with " a body of directions for the prosecution of their undertaking, which were themselves sufficient to refute those calumniators who impeach either his worth or his wisdom. Under his auspices, and admirable provisions, the great labour of love was commenced in the year 1607, and finished with incredible diligence in three years. Scrupulously, and some may think tediously, minute as were the injunctions, the divines, neither coveting praise for expedition, nor fearing reproach for slackness, exceeded them by first examining all the English translations, at the same time with the originals; and then comparing both with Italian, Spanish, French, and Dutch copies. So exact and so complete was this arduous undertaking found, that, even amidst the subsequent changes in religious sentiments, few attempts were made to alter or improve it. In a pretended parliament, sanctioned by Oliver Cromwell, in 1656, a committee was appointed to revise the translations of the Bible; but its members, after some altercation, separated, having determined that the Bible of King James was the best extant. Highly then may we consider ourselves indebted to the learned and venerable divines, in the reign of our first James, for having bequeathed to us so rich a legacy ;-highly favoured in God's having raised up these wise, assiduous, and accurate translators, to express in our mother tongue, and in language at once plain and refined, intelligible and sublime, the mysteries of his holy word and this without any mistake of the slightest importance to salvation; without any heretical translation, or wilful corruption of the text; without any expression of the virulence engendered by temporary politics or religious controversy; and in a form so proper, so correct, so admirable, that, while most other books of the same date are becoming obsolete, and, in consequence of the changes in our language, require glossaries for their interpretation, this is now, after the lapse of two centuries, with a few inconsiderable exceptions, a standard of pure English and of chaste style, which, it is likely, our language being now settled, to continue to the latest generations. Holy band of glorified worthies! yours is now the enjoyment of a well-earned felicity, which can derive no heightening from the feeble tribute of human applause. Yet, while the world is occupied in extolling its patriots; in wondering at its terrible subduers; in remunerating its statesmen and warriors;-when statues, tablets, mausoleums are erected; and public honours liberally, I say not profusely or needlessly conferred, on those who have deserved well, by temporal services, of their country; perpetual and boundless gratitude forbids us to cease recording your illus |