4. AVhat has been stated practically disposes of the claim which has sometimes been made for tliis version of Coverdale's, as though it had been made from the original text (Anderson, i, oG4; Whitaker, Hist, and Crit. Inquiry, p. 58). It is not improbable, liowever, that as time went on he added to his knowledge. The letter addressed by him to Cromwell (Remnins, p. 492, Parker Soc.) obviously asserts, somewhat ostentatious- ly, an acquaintance " not only with the standing text of the Hebrew, with the interpretation of the Clialdee and the Greek," but also with "the diversity of read- ing of all sects." He, at any rate, continued his worlc as a pains-taking editor. Fresli editions of his Bible were publislied, keeping their ground in spite of rivals, in 1537, 1539, 1550, 1553. He was called in at a still later period to assist in the Geneva version. Among smaller facts connected with this edition may be men- tioned the appearance of Hebrew letters — of the name Jehovah— in the title-jiage (rT^IT^), and again in the margin of the alphabetic poetry of Lamentations, though not of Psa. cxix. The plural form "Bildia" is retained in tlie title-page, possibly, liowever, in its later use as a singular feminine (conip. Bible). There are no notes, no chapter-headings, no divisions into verses. The letters A, B, C, D in the margin, as in the early cditious of Greek and Latin authors, are the onlv helps for finding places. ^Marginal references point to parallel passages. The O. T., especially in Genesis, has the attraction of wood-cuts. Each book
ENGLISH VEKSIOXS
213
ENGLISH VERSIONS
has a taljlc of contents prefixed to it. A careful re- print, though not a fac-simile, of Coverdale's version has been published by Bagster (Lond. 1838).
V. Matthkw. — 1. In the year 1537, a large folio Bible appeared as edited and dedicated to the king, by Thomas Matthew. No one of that name appears at all prominenth' in the religious history' of Henrj' VIII, and this suggests the inference that the name was pseudonymous, adopted to conceal the real translator. The tradition which connects this Matthew with John l.'ogers, the protoniartyr of the Marian persecution, is all but undisputed. It rests (1) on the language of the indictment and sentence which describe him (Foxe, Acfs and Monuments, p. 1029, 15G3; Chester, L'>J'e of Rogers, p. 41S-423) as Joannes Kogers, alias Matthew, as if it were a matter of notorietj'^ ; (2) the testimo- ny of Foxe himself, as representing, if not personal knowledge, the current belief of his time ; (3) the oc- currence, at the close of a short exhortation to the study of Scripture in the preface, of the initials J. R. ; (4) internal evidence. This last subdivides itself, (a.) Rogers, who had graduated at Pembroke College, Cambridge, in 1525, and had sufficient ftime to be in- vited to the new Cardinal's College at Oxford, accept- ed the office of chaplain to the merchant adventurers of Antwerp, and there became acquainted with T^'n- dale two years before the latter's death. Matthew's Bible, as might be expected, if this hypothesis were true, reproduces Tj'ndale's work, in the N. T. entire- ly, in the O. T. as far as 2 Chron., the rest being taken, with occasional modifications, from Coverdale. (&.) The language of the Dedication is that of one who has mixed mucii, as Rogers mixed, with foreign reform- ers ("the godlie in strange countries").
2. The printing of the book was begun apparently abroad, ann was carried on as far as the end of Isaiah. At that point a new pagination begins, and the names of the London printers, Grafton and Whitechurch, ap- pear. The history of the book was probably some- thing like this : Coverdale's translation had not given satisfaction — least of all were the more zealous and scholar-like reformers contented with it. As the only complete English Bible, it was, however, as yai, in possession of the field. Tyndale and Rogers, there- fore, in the year preceding the imprisonment of the former, determined on another, to include O. T., N. T., and Apocrj'pha, but based throughout on the original. Left to himself, Rogers carried on the work, probablj' at the expense of the same Antwerp merchant who had assisted Tyndale (Poyntz), and thus got as far as Isaiah. The enterprising London printers, Grafton and Whitechurch, tlien came in (Chester, Life of Rog- ers, p. 29). It would be a good speculation to enter the market witli this, and so drive out Coverdale's, in which they had no interest. The}^ accordingly em- bai-ked a considerable capital, £500, and then came a stroke of policy which may be described as a miracle of audacit}'. The name of Rogers, known as the friend of Tyndale, is suppressed, and the simulacrum of Thom- as Matthew disarms suspicion. The book is sent by Grafton to Cranmer. He reads, approves, rejoices. He would rather have the news of its being licensed than a thousand pounds (Chester, p. 425-427). Appli- cation is then made both by Grafton and Cranmer to Cromwell. The king's license is granted, but the pub- lisher wants more. Nothing less than a monopoly for live years will give him a fair margin of profit. AVith- out this, he is sure to be undersold by piratical, inac- curate editions, badly printed on inferior paper. Fail- ing this, he trusts that the king will order one copj^ to be bought by everj' incumbent, and six by every ab- bey. If this was too much, the king might, at least, impose that obligation on all the popishly- inclined clergy. That will bring in something, besides the good it may possiblj' do them (Chester, p. 430). The application was to some extent successful. A copy was ordert^d, hy royal proclamation, to be set up in