Tyndale’s translation of Jonah (1531) with his prologue, in the original spelling, from Edward Arber’s 1871 reprint of the unique surviving copy.
There are two places in the original where paragraphs start with a decorative initial capital letter, instead of the usual ¶ sign. These paragraphs are preceded in this etext with a row of asterisks.
Several contractions are used in the original.
- Vowels with a line over them, usually indicating an omitted m or n,
are represented in this etext by ā, ē, ī, ō, ū.
- The words “the” and “that” are often printed in the original as a y
with a very small e or t over the top. These contractions are represented in this etext by “[the]” and “[that]”.
- The word “with” is sometimes printed in the original as a w followed
by a superscript t. This contraction is represented in this etext by “[with]”.
- The word “thus” is once printed in the original as a y followed by a
superscript s. This contraction is represented in this etext by “[thus]”.
} ¶ The prophete Ionas/ with an introducciō before teachinge to vnderstōde him and the right vse also of all the scripture/ and why it was written/ and what is therin to be sought/ and shewenge wherewith the scripture is locked vpp that he which readeth it/ can not vnderstōde it/ though he studie therin neuer so moch: and agayne with what keyes it is so opened/ that the reader can be stopped out with no sotilte or false doctrine of man/ from the true sense and vnderstondynge therof.
W. T. vn to the Christen reader.
As [the] ēvious Philistenes stopped [the] welles of Abraham ād filled them vpp with erth/ to put [the] memoriall out of mīde/ to [the] entent [that] they might chalenge [the] grounde: even so the fleshly mīded ypocrites stoppe vpp the vaynes of life which are in [the] scripture/ [with] the erth of theyr tradiciōs/ false similitudes & lienge allegories: & [that] of like zele/ to make [the] scripture theyr awne possessiō & marchaundice: and so shutt vpp the kingdome of heven which is Gods worde nether enterīge in thē selues nor soferinge them that wolde.
¶ The scripture hath a body with out/ ād within a soule/ sprite & life. It hath [with] out a barke/ a shell ād as it were an hard bone for [the] fleshly mynded to gnaw vppon. And within it hath pith/ cornell/ mary & all swetnesse for Gods electe which he hath chosen to geve them his spirite/ & to write his law & [the] faith of his sonne in their hertes. ¶ The scripture cōteyneth .iii. thīges in it first [the] law to cōdemne all flesh: secōdaryly [the] Gospell/ [that] is to saye/ promises of mercie for all [that] repent & knowlege their sinnes at the preachīge of [the] law & cōsent in their hertes that the law is good/ & submitte them selues to be scolers to lern to kepe the lawe & to lerne to beleue [the] mercie that is promised thē: & thridly the stories & liues of those scolars/ both what chaunces fortuned thē/ & also by what meanes their scolemaster taught thē and made them perfecte/ & how he tried the true from the false.
¶ When [the] ypocrites come to [the] lawe/ they put gloses to ād make no moare of it then of a worldly law which is satisfied with [the] outwarde worke and which a turke maye also fulfill. Whē yet Gods law never ceaseth to cōdemne a man vntill it be written in his herte and vntill he kepe it naturally without cōpulsion & all other respecte saue only of pure love to God and his neyboure/ as he naturally eateth whē he is an hongred/ without cōpulsiō & all other respecte/ saue to slake his hongre only.
¶ And whē they come to the Gospell/ there they mīgle their leuen & saye/ God now receaueth vs no moare to mercie/ but of mercie receaueth vs to penaunce/ that is to wete/ holy dedes [that] make them fatt belies & vs their captiues/ both in soule and body. And yet they fayne theyr Idole [the] Pope so mercifull/ [that] if thou make a litle money glister in his Balams eyes/ there is nether penaunce ner purgatory ner any fastīge at all but to fle to heven as swefte as a thought and at the twinkellynge of an eye.
¶ And the liues stories and gestes of men which are cōtayned in the bible/ they reade as thīges no moare perteynīge vn to thē/ then a take of Robī hode/ & as thīges they wott not wherto they serue/ saue to fayne false discāt & iuglinge allegories/ to stablish their kingdome with all. And one [the] chefest & fleshliest studie they have/ is to magnifie [the] sayntes aboue measure & aboue [the] trueth & with their poetrie to make them greater then euer God make them. And if they finde any infirmite or synne asscribed vn to [the] saintes/ that they excuse with all diligēce/ diminushīge the glorie of [the] mercie of God & robbinge wretched sinners of all theyr cōforte/ & thinke therby to flater the sayntes and to obtayne their fauoure & to make speciall aduocates of thē: even as a man wold obtayne [the] fauoure of wordely tirantes: as they also fayne the saintes moch moare cruell then ever was any heathē man & moare wrekefull and vengeable then [the] poetes faine their godes or their furies [that] torment [the] soules in hell/ if theyr euēs be not fasted & their images visited & saluted wyth a Pater noster (whych prayer only oure lippes be accoynted with oure hertes vnderstōdinge none at all) and worsheped [with] a candell & [the] offerīge of oure deuociō/ in [the] place which thei haue chosen to heare [the] supplicaciōs & meke peticiōs of their clientes therin.