Here that most stupendous fabric that was ever raised by ink and paper, termed well by a learned man, " Magnificentissimum illud, quod post homines natos in lucem prodiit unquam, opus biblicum,"' — I mean the Parisian Bibles, — is prefaced by a discourse of its erector, Michael Le Jay, wherein he denies the Hebrew text, prefers the Vulgar Latin before it, and resolves that we are not left to the Word for our rule, but to the Spirit that rules in their church : " Pro certo igitur atque indubitato apud nos esse debet, vulgatam editionem, quae communi catholicse eccle- sise lingua circumfertur verum esse et genuinum sacraj Scripturae fontem ; banc consulendam ubique, inde fidei dogmata repetenda; ex quoinsuper consentaneum est, vera ac certissima fidei Christianae autographa in Spu'itu ecclesise residere, neque ab ejus hostium manibus repetenda.
" Et certe quamcunque pietatis speciem praetexunt, non religione quapiam, aut sincera in Scripturam sacram veneratione aguntur, dum eam unicam, quasi ine- luctabilem salutis regulam, usurpant, neque spiritus evangelici veritatem investi- gare decreverunt ; dum, ad autographa curiosius recurrentes, ex quibus, praeter perplexa qusedam vestigia, vix aliquid superest, vel capitales fidei hostes, vel eos qui ecclesiae minus faverint, de contextuum interpretatione ac germano sacrorum codicum sensu consulunt. Scilicet non alia est opportunior via a i-egio illius itinera secedendi, neque in privatarum opinionum placitis blandius possunt acquiescere, quas velut unicas doctrinfe suae regulas sectari plerumque censuerunt. Apage caecam animorum libidinem ! Non jam in institutionem nostram subsistit litera, sed ecclesiae spiritus ; neque e sacris codicibus hauriendum quidquam, nisi quod ilia communicatum esse nobiscum voluerit."^
So he, or Morinus in his name. And if this be indeed the true state of things, I suppose he will very hardly convince men of the least usefulness of this great work and undertaking. To usher those Bibles into the world, Morinus puts forth his Exercitations, entitled, " Of the Sincerity of the Hebrew and Greek Texts" — indeed to prove them corrupt and useless. He is now the man amongst them that under- takes to defend this cause; in whose writings whether there be more of Pyrgopo- lynices or Rabshakeh is uncertain. But dogs that bark loud seldom bite deep ; nor do I think many ages have produced a man of more confidence and less judgment. A prudent reader cannot but nauseate at all his leaves, and the man is well laid open by a learned person of his own party.' By the way, I cannot but observe, that in the height of his boasting he falls upon his mother church, and embraces her to death. Exercit. i. cap. i. p. II, that he might vaunt himself to be the first and only discoverer of corruptions in the original of the Old Testament, with the
» Edm. Castel. Praef. ad. Animad. Samar. in Bib. Toly. 2 Mich. Le Jay, Pra?fat. ad opus Bibl. 3 Simeon de Muis, Assertio Verit. Heb.
THE EPISTLE DEDICATORY. 287
causes of them, he falls into a profotind contemplation of the guidance of his church, which being ignorant of any such cause of rejecting the originals as he hath now informed her of, yet continued to reject them, and prefer the Vulgar Latin before them. " Hic admirare lector," saith he, " Dei Spiritum ecclesise prae- sentissimum, illam per obscura, perplexa, et invia quseque, inoffenso pedeagentem: quanquam incognita esset Rabbinorum supina negligentia, portentosa ignorantia, fcedaque librorum Judaicorum corruptela, et Haretici contraria his magnd ver- borum pompa audaeter jactarent; adduci tamen non potuit ecclesia, ut versio, qua sola per mille fere et centum annos usa fuerit, ad noi-mam et amussira Hebraei textus iterum recuderetur." But is it so indeed, that their church receives its guidance in a stupid, brutish manner, so as to be fixed obstinately on conclusions without the least acquaintance with the premises? It seems she loved not the originals, but she knew not why ; only she was obstinate in this, that she loved them not ! If this be the state with their church, that when she hath neither Scrip- ture, nor tradition, nor reason, nor new revelation, she is guided she knows not how, as Socrates was by his demon, or by a secret and inexpressible species of per- tinacity and stubbornness falling upon her imagination, I suppose it Avill be in vain to contend with her any longer. For my own part, I must confess that I shall as soon believe a poor, deluded, fanatical Quaker, pretending to be guided by an in- fallible Spirit, as their pope with his whole conclave of cardinals, upon the terms here laid down by Morinus.
But, to let these men pass for a season, had this leprosy kept itself within that house which is thoroughly infected, it had been of less importance ; it is but a fur- ther preparation of it for the fire. But it is now broken forth among Protestants also ; with what designs, to what end or purpose, I know not, — Qiof oT^i, " God knows," and " the day will manifest." To declare at large how this is come about, " longa esset historia," — too long for me to dwell upon ; some heads of things I shall briefly touch at. It is known to all that the reformation of religion and restoration of good learning were begun and carried on at the same time, and mostly by the same persons. There was, indeed, a triumvirate among the Papists of men excellently skilled in rabbinical learning before the Reformation. Ray- mundus Martinus, Porchetus de Sylvaticis, and Petrus Galatinus, are the men ; of the which the last dedicated his book to Maximilian the emperor, after that Zuinglius and Luther had begun to preach. Upon the matter, these three are but one : great are the disputes whether Galatinus stole his book from Raymundus or Porchetus, saith Morinus, and calls his work ."Plagium portentosum, cui vix simile unquam factum est." (Exerc. i. cap. 2.) From Raymundus, saith Scali- ger (Epist. ii. 41), mistaking Raymundus Martinus for Raymundus Sebon, but giving the first tidings to the world of that book. From Raymundus also saith Josephus de Voysin, in his prolegomena to the Pugio Fidei ; and from him Horn- beck, in his proleg. ad Jud. I shall not interpose in this matter. The method of Galatinus and his style are peculiar to him, but the coincidences of his quotations too many to be ascribed to common accident. That Porchetus took his " Victoria adversus impios Judreos" for the most part from Raymundus, he himself confesseth in his preface. However, certain it is Galatinus had no small opinion of his own skill, and, therefore, — according to the usual way of men who have attained, as they think, to some eminency in any one kind of learning, laying more weight upon it than it is able to bear, — he boldly affirms that the original of the Scripture is cor- rupted, and not to be restored but by the Talmud ; in which one concession he more injures the cause he pleads for against the Jews than he advantageth it by all his books beside. Of his n^^I"^ "hi of Rabbi Hakkadosh there is no more news as }'et in the world than what he is pleased to acquaint us withal. At the same time, Erasmus, Reuchlin, Vives, Xantes Pagninus, and others, moved eftectually