Specimens of
TYNDALE’S VERSIONS “m OF DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE HOLY SCRIPTURES.. I. A specimen of his earliest production as a translator of Hebrew; copied from the second edition of his version of Genesis, as printed at Marburg in Hesse, by Hans Luft, and carried through the press in 15341.
Genesis 3
AN it fortuned in processe of tyme, that Cain brought of the frute of the erth, an offeringe vnto the lorde. And Abel, he brought also of the firstlynges of his shepe àd of the fat of them. And the lorde loked vnto Abel and to his offeringe: but vnto Cain and vnto his offeringe, loked he not. And Cain was wroth exceadingly, and loured. And the lorde sayde vnto Cain: why arte thou angry, and why loureste thou? wotest thou not yf thou do well thou shalt receave it? But and yf thou do euell, by and by thy sinne lyeth open in the dore: notwithstondinge let it be subdued unto the, and se thou rule it?. And Cain talked with Abel his brother.
And assoone as they were in the feldes Cain fell vpon Abel his brother and slewe him. And the Lorde sayd vnto Cain: where is Abel thy brother? And he sayd: I can not tell, am I my brothers keper? And he sayde: What haste thou done? the voyce of thy brothers bloud cryeth vnto me out of the erth. And now cursed be thou as pertayn-
[1 See Biog. Notice, p. xl, and Anderson’s Annals, Vol. 11. App.]
[p. viii. for aecounts of this translation, and of the copy in the library]
[of the Baptist College, Bristol, of which the text is a transcript. ] [2 In thus rendering verse 7, Tyndale has neither followed the]
[LXX.,the Vulgate, nor Luther. The want of a distinction between]
[the masculine and neuter of the pronoun, a defect observable in the]
[Greek and Latin genitives and datives, as well as in the Hebrew,]
[prevents our being able to affirm with positiveness that Tyndale’s]
[translation of the last part of the verse js inadmissible; but though]
[the Vulgate agrees with Tyndale in introducing the word thy before]
[sin, the Hebrew text gives no countenance to its introduction. ]]
inge to the erth, whiche openned her mouth to receaue thy brothers bloud of thine hande. For when thou tyllest the grounde she shall henceforth not geue hyr power vnto the. A vagabunde and a rennagate shalt thou be vpon the erth.
And Cain sayd vnto the Lorde: my synne is greater, then that it maye be forgeuen. Beholde thou castest me out this daye fro of the face of the erth, and frome thy syght must I hyde my selfe, and I must be wandringe and a vagabunde vpon the erth. Morouer whosoeuer findeth me, will kill me. And the lorde sayd vnto him. Not so but whosoeuer sleyth Cain, shalbe punysshed. vii. folde. And the Lorde put a marke vpon Cain that no man that founde hym, shulde kyll him. And Cain went out from the face of the Lorde and dwelt in the lande Nod, on the east syde of Eden. IL. A specimen of Tyndale’s latest labours as a translator of Hebrew; copied from his version of the historical books of the old Testament, as incorporated by Rogers into the Bible called Mat-thew’s, and first published by Grafton the printer in 1537, about ten months after the translator’s martyrdom?.
2 Samuel I. 17
And Dauid sang thys song of mournyng ouer Saul and ouer Jonathas hys sonne, & bad to teache the children of Israel y staues therofí, And Beholde it is wrytté in the? boke of
[3 See Biographical Notice, p. Ixxiv., and Anderson’s Annals,]
[Vol. 1. 14. The original edition from which the text has been copied]
[is that in the Baptist College, Bristol, noticed by Anderson, Vol. 1r.]
[App. p. ix., where the date is misprinted 1573.] [ John Gregorie of Oxford, a learned orientalist of the seven-]
[teenth century, whose notes upon some difficulties of scripture went]
[through several editions, has referred in them to Tyndale’s translation]
[of this clause, as in his opinion the best; and he has defended its]
[correctness by arguments in proof that np; the bow, was the title of]
[this elegiae composition, But had Tyndale thought so, he would]
[probably have rendered [wp this psalm, or this song. It seems more]
[probable, that perceiving [yz to be a derivative from wp, conqui-]
[sivit, collegit, as now acknowledged by the best lexicographers, he]
[reasonably regarded it as equivalent to the Latin fasciculus, and as]
[meaning here the separate divisions, stanzas, or in older language, the]
[staves of the song.] [5 Marg. note. Some thynke that thys boke remayneth not other]
[some understande by it the fyrst boke of Moses. ]]
the ryghtwes. The glorye of Israell is slayne upo y hie hilles: Oh how were y mightye ouerthrowé? Tell it not in Geth: nor publyshe it in the streates of Askalon: lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoise, & that y daughters of y uncirciicised triüphe therof. Ye mountaynes of Gelboe, upon you be nether dew nor raygne, ner feldes whence heaue offeringes come. For there the shildes of y myghtie were cast from them: the shilde of Saul, as though he had not bene anoynted wyth oyle. The boowe of Jonathas and the swerde of Saul turned neuer backe agayne emptie, from the bloud of the wounded and from the fatte of the mightie warryowres.
Saul and Jonathas louely and pleasaüt in their lyues, were in their deethes not deuided, men swiftter then Egles and stronger then Lyons. Ye daughters of Israel, wepe ouer Saul, whych clothed you in purple & garmentes of pleasure, and! bordered youre rayment with ornamentes of goulde. How were y mightye slayne in battell? Jonathas on the hie hilles was wounded to deeth. Woo is me for the my brother Jonathas: delectable to me wast thou excedyng. Thy loue to me was wonderfull, passing y^ loue of wemé. How were thy? myghtie ouerthrowen, & how were the wepons of warre forloren. III A specimen of Tyndale’s labours as a translator of Greek; from the earliest edition of his version of the new Testament printed at Worms, in 1525, and now in the library of the Baptist College, Bristol3,
1 Corinthians XIII
Though I speake with the tong of men àd angels, and yet had no love, I were evé as soundynge brasse: and as a tynklynge Cynball and though I coulde prophesy, and vnderstode all secretes, and all knowledge: yee, if I had all fayth so that I coulde move mountayns oute of there plac, [! Marg. note. That is, decked you wyth golden ornamétes.]
[2 Apparently an error of the press. In Matthew’s Bible, 1549, it is £he.]
[3 See Biog. Notice, pp. xxx. xxxi., and Anderson’s Annals, Vol. 1. 2, and Vol. rt. App. p. vii. The editor has to thank the Rev. F. W. Gotch for collating these specimens with the originals in the library of the Baptist College. ]
and yet had no love, I were nothynge. And though I bestowed all my gooddes to fede the povre, and though I gave my body even that I burned, ad yet have no love, it pro-. feteth me nothynge.
Love suffreth loge, and is corteous. love envieth nott. Love doth nott frawardly, swelleth not, dealeth not dishonestly, seketh nott her awne, is not provoked to anger, thynketh not evyll reioyseth not in iniquite: but reioyseth in the trueth, suffreth all thynge, beleveth all thyng hopeth all thyng, endureth i all thyng. Though that prophesyinge fayle, other tonges shall cease, or knowledge vanysshe awaye: yet love falleth never awaye.
For oure knowledge is vnparfet, and oure prophesyige is vnperfet: but whé thatt which is parfet is come: the that which is vnparfet shall bedone awaye. When I was.a chylde, I spake as a chylde, I vnderstode as a childe, I ymmagened as a chylde: but as sone as I was a man I put awaye all childesshnes. Nowe we se in a glasse even in a darke speakynge: but then shall we se face to face. Nowe I knowe vnparfectly: but then shall I knowe even as I am knowen. Nowe abideth fayth, hope, and love, even these thre: but the chefe of these is love. IV. Specimen of that edition of his version of the new Testament in which Tyndale adjusted the spelling to the pronunciation of the peasantry of his native county; for whose use it was printed in 1535, when his labours were coming to their close.
1 Corinthians XIII
Though I spaeke with the tonges of men and aengels, and yet had no loue, I were euen as soundynge brasse, or as a tinklinge cimball. And though I coulde prophesy, and vnderstoede all secretes, and all knowledge: ye yf I had all faeyth, so that I coulde moue mountayns oute of thear places, and yet had no loue, I were nothinge. And though I bestowed all my gooddes to feade the povre, and though I gaue my body euen that I burned and yet had no loue, it
[4 See Biographical Notice, p. Ixxiii., and Offor’s Mem. of Tyndale,]
[p. 81, also Anderson’s Annals, Vol. 1. 12, p. 455, and Vol. 11. App.]
[p. viii. No. 14. The text has been copied from the edition in the]
[Cambridge university library.]]
propheteth me nothinge. Loue suffreth longe and is corteous. Loue enuyeth not. Loue doeth not frowardly, swelleth not, dealeth not dishonestly, seketh not her awne, is not prouoked to anger, thinketh not euyll, reioyseth not in iniquite: but reioyseth in the trueth, suffreth all thinge, beleaueth all thinges, hoepeth all thinges, endureth in all thinges. Though y^ prophesyinge faele, other thonges shall cease, or knowledge vanysshe awaye, yet loue falleh newer awaye. For oure knowledge is vnparfect and oure prophesynge is vnparfect. But when that which is parfect, is come, then that which is vnparfect, shall be done awaye. When I was a chylde, I spaeke as a chylde, I vnderstoede as a chylde, I ymagined as a chylde. But assoen as I was a man, I put awaye chyldeshnes. Now we se in a glasse, euen in a darke speakinge: but then shall we se face to face. Now I knowe vnparfectly: but then shall I knowe euen as I am knowen. Now abydeth faeyth, hoepe and loue, euen these thre: but the chefe of theese is loue.
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