8. Slovakian Version. — This dialect is spoken in the north-west of Hungary. It approximates closelj' to the Servian, but has been greatly influenced by the Bohemian, which the Slovaks have adopted as their literary language. A translation of the Bible, made by the canon G. Palkowic, was printed in 1831.
9. Biil'/arian Version. — The lirst translation into this dialect was commenced in 1820 by the archimandrite Theoiioseos, and completed in 1822. Only the Gos- pel of JIatthew was printed at St. Petersburg in 1823. In 1827 another translation of the New Test, was com- pletetl by Sapounoff, of which the four gospels only were printed. In 1836 the British and Foreign Bible Society set an entirely new translation on foot, and the complete New Test, was published at Smyrna in 1840. Other editions have since been issued from the London press, and up to March 30, 1878, 61,918 cojiies of the New Test, had been distributed. The earnest demand for the Word of God evinced by the Bulgarian population encouraged the British and Foreign Bible Society to take steps for obtaining a translation of the entire Old Test., and this work was completed in 1858, under the superintendence of Dr. Kiggs, of the American mission. It was printed at Smyrna, and left the press in Septem- ber, 18(;3. In 1873 the re|x)rt of the British and For- eign Biljle Society stated that a new edition of the Bulgarian Bible was in course of preparation by the Rev. Dr. Long, introducing some snifiU corrections in order to make the whole Vvork uniform in style and jihraseology. Since 1875 this new edition has been in circulation.
10. Wendisk Version. — The Latin term Venedi, Ger- man Wenden, is the speeitic appellation of a Slavonic tribe located in L^pperand Lower Lusatia. Two dialects are predominant among them — tiiat of Upper Lusatia anil tliat of l^ower Lusatia, the former resembling more the Bohemian, the latter the Polish. At an early peri- od attempts seem to have been made to translate por- tions of the Bible into Wendish. In 1728 a version of the entire Scriptures in Upper Wendish appeared at Budissen, or Bautzen, in Ujiper Lusatia, which was fol- lowed i)y an emended edition in 1742. and a third edi- tion in 17'.l7. All these editions strictly follow the (Jer- iiian \-ersion of Luther. With the aid of the British and Foreign Bible Society, the Dresden society published an edition of 3000 copies of the version of 1728 in 1817. For Lower Lusatia an edition was also pniilished in 1818. New editions sf)on followed, ami in 18(i0 an edi- tion of .5000 co()ies, carefully revised by the Kev. Mr. TeHchiicr, was pul>lished at Berlin.
11. \\'>-wlitli-Hun;j(ui(in Version. — A peculiar dialect of the Wendish is spoken by about 1.5,000 Protestant Slavonians in the Szala and other districts of Hungary. The New Test, has been translated for this race by Stephen Kuznico, or Kugmits, an edition of which has been iirintcd by the British and Foreign Bible Society,
together with a version of the Psalms by the Rev. Mr. Trjilan.
12. l.etlish or Lironian Version. — The maritime por- tion of Livonia bordering on the Baltic, and also part of Courland, are occupied bj- a small nation to whom this dialect is vernacular. According to Dalton, their number amoimted in 1870 to about 900,000 souls, of whom 150,000 belong to the Church of Rome and the remainder to the Lutheran Churcli, The Livonians are indebted for their version of the Biljle to Ernest (illick, dean of the Lutheran Church in Livonia. He was a native of Saxony, and bestowed eight years u]>on this version. After it was revised by John Fischer, a Ger- man professor of divinity and general superintendent of Livonia, it was printed at the command and expense of Charles XI in 1089. This edition was so favoraltly re- ceived that a second was soon demanded, and in 1739 u second and revised edition, consisting of 9000 copies, was printed at Konigsberg, the New Test, having previously been published at Riga in 1730. In 1815 another impres- sion of the New Test., according to the received edition of Fischer, was printed by the Courland section of the St. I'etersburg Bible Society at Mittau, consisting of 15,000 copies. Numerous copies of the Lettish Testa- ment have also within a recent period been distributed in the province by the agency of the American Bible Society. An edition of 20,500 New Tests, was printed in 1854 at the expense of the British and Foreign Bible Society. In 1800 another edition, together with the Psalms, was issued, under the title Tu Jauna Derrihn muhsu Kumja Jesus Ki-ishis jeb Deewa swehti wahrdi Kas pehz ta Kiim)u Jesus Kidstus peedsiinschanas no teem swehteem preezas-mnhzitnjeem nn Ajnistiiteem irr usnikstiti. The seventieth report (1874) of the British and Foreign Bible Society stated that "a revision of the Lettish Scriptures is in progress, partly at the ex- pense of the Livonian and Courland synods, the prin- cipal reviser being Prof. Bielenstein. The committee have ordered an edition of the New Test, according to this version. It is expected that the Old Test, will also be revised shortly." Altogether, the British and For- eign Bible Society had distributed up to March 30, 1878, 158,750 New Tests, with Psalms.
13, Lithuanian Version. — The Lithuanian dialect is now spoken only by the peasantry, Polish being the lan- guage of the middle and upper classes. It is interesting that the dialect used by the Protestant Lithuanians dif- fers from that spoken by the Roman Catholic Lithuanians. This difference is not to be traced back to any confession- al (piarrel, but rather to territorial influences — the Lu- therans and Reformed living more in the northern part (Kovno, Wilna, Courland), the Catholics more in the southern part (Poland). Hence Lithuanian proper is spoken by the former, while the latter use the Shaniaitic or Samogitian dialect. See Sam(x;itian Veusion. The first translation into this dialect was made at the close oftlie Itith century by .lolni Bretkius, of Bammeln, near Friedland, and jiastor of Labiau, He afterwards became pastor of the Lithuanian Church at Konigsberg, and there he commenceil his version in 1.579, which he com- pleted ill 1590. From the ^IS., which was deposited in the Royal Library at Kiinigsberg, the New Test, was printed at Strasburg in 1700, by order of Frederick I, king of Prussia. A new translation was undertaken by Rev. John Jacob Quaiidt, at the order of Frederick \\'ill- iam, king of Prussia. The New Test, and the Psalms were completed in 1727, and the entire Bible in 1735, in which year it was also printed, with the title liiblia, ttd esli: M'issas szn-entas rdsztas, sent) ir Noiijo Testtiniento, A second edition of the Bible, with Luther's German text, W'as published at Konigsberg in 1755. In 18(10 the British and Foreign Bible Society was informed that, although tlie province of Lithuania possessed 74 church- es and 400 sciiools, the people were almost destitute of the Scriptures. An edition of3000 copies oftlie Bible was accordingly printed by the society at Konigsberg ill 1810, which was followed by other issues. The New