a study of bible-第7部分

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　it。　Back　of　it　was　the　Puritan　influence。　It　asked　for　reforms　in　the　English　Church；　for　the　correction　of　abuses　which　had　grown　under　Elizabeth's　increasing　favor　of　ritual　and　ceremony。　It　asked　for　a　better…trained　ministry；　for　better　discipline　in　the　Church；　for　the　omission　of　so　many　detailed　requirements　of　rites　and　ceremonies；　and　for　that　perennially　desired　reform；　shorter　church　services！

Very　naturally　the　new　King　replied　that　he　would　take　it　up　later；　and　promised　to　call　a　conference　to　consider　it。　And　this　he　did。　The　conference　met　at　Hampton　Court　in　January；　1604；　and　it　was　for　this　that　the　men　were　coming　from　many　parts　of　England。　The　gathering　was　held　on　the　14th；　16th；　and　18th　of　the　month。　Its　sole　purpose　was　to　consider　that　Miliary　Petition；　but　the　King　called　to　it　not　only　those　who　had　signed　the　Petition；　but　those　who　had　opposed　it。　He　had　no　notion　of　granting　any　favor　to　it；　and　from　the　first　he　gave　the　Puritans　rough　treatment。　He　told　them　he　would　have　none　of　their　non…　conformity；　he　would　〃make　them　conform　or　harry　them　out　of　the　land。〃　Someone　suggested　that　since　this　was　a　Church　matter　there　be　called　a　Synod；　or　some　general　gathering　fitted　to　discuss　and　determine　such　things；　rather　than　leave　it　to　a　few　Church　dignitaries。　For　the　purposes　of　the　petitioners　it　was　a　most　unfortunate　expression。　James　had　just　come　from　Scotland；　where　the　Presbyterians　were　with　their　Synod；　and　where　Calvinism　was　in　full　swing。　He　was　much　in　favor　of　some　elements　of　Calvinism；　but　he　could　not　see　how　all　the　elements　held　together。　Predestination；　for　example；　which　offends　so　many　people　to…day；　was　a　precious　doctrine　to　King　James；　and　he　insisted　that　his　subjects　ought　to　see　how　clearly　God　had　predestined　him　to　rule　over　them！　But　he　could　not　tolerate　the　necessary　logical　inference　of　Calvinism　that　all　men　must　be　equal　before　God；　and　so　men　can　make　and　unmake　kings　as　they　need　to　do　so；　the　matter　of　king　or　subject　being　purely　an　incidental　one。　He　remembered　the　time　when　Andrew　Melville；　one　of　the　Scotch　ministers；　had　plucked　him　by　his　royal　sleeve　and　called　him　〃God's　silly　vassal〃　right　to　his　face。　So；　when　some　one　said　〃Synod〃　it　brought　the　King　up　standing。　He　burst　out：　〃If　that　is　what　you　mean；　if　you　want　what　the　Scotch　mean　by　their　Synod　and　their　Presbytery；　then　I　tell　you　at　once　that　I　will　have　none　of　it。　Presbytery　agrees　with　monarchy　very　much　as　God　agrees　with　the　devil。　If　you　have　no　bishop；　you　will　soon　have　no　king。〃　He　was　perfectly　right；　with　reference　to　the　kind　of　king　he　meant。　These　things　were　to　be　settled；　he　meant；　by　authority；　and　not　by　conference。　That　is　the　point　to　which　Gardiner　refers　when　he　says　that　〃in　two　minutes　James　sealed　his　own　fate　and　that　of　England　forever。〃＇1＇


＇1＇　History　of　England；　1603…42。


After　that　there　was　only　a　losing　fight　for　the　petitioners。　They　had　touched　a　sore　spot　in　James's　history。　But　it　was　when　they　touched　that　sore　spot　again　that　they　started　the　movement　for　a　new　version　of　the　Bible。　It　was　on　the　second　day　of　the　conference；　January　16th；　that　Dr。　Reynolds；　president　of　Corpus　Christi　College；　Oxford；　who　represented　the　moderate　Puritan　position；　and；　like　many　moderate　men；　was　rather　suspected　by　both　extreme　wings；　instanced　as　one　of　the　hardships　of　the　Puritans　that　they　were　compelled　to　use　the　prayer…book　of　the　time；　and　that　it　contained　many　mistranslations　of　Scripture；　some　of　which　he　quoted。　Now；　it　so　happens　that　the　errors　to　which　he　referred　occur　in　the　Bishops'　and　the　Great　Bible；　which　were　the　two　authorized　versions　of　the　time；　but　are　all　corrected　in　the　Genevan　version。　We　do　not　know　what　point　he　was　trying　to　make；　whether　he　was　urging　that　the　Genevan　version　should　supplant　these　others；　or　whether　he　was　calling　for　a　new　translation。　Indeed；　we　are　not　sure　that　he　even　mentioned　the　Genevan　version。　But　James　spoke　up　to　say　that　he　had　never　yet　seen　a　Bible　well　translated　into　English；　but　the　worst　of　all　he　thought　the　Genevan　to　be。　He　spoke　as　though　he　had　just　had　a　copy　given　him　by　an　English　lady；　and　had　already　noted　what　he　called　its　errors。　That　was　at　the　very　least　a　royal　evasion；　for　if　there　was　any　Book　he　did　know　it　was　the　Genevan　version。　He　had　been　fairly　raised　on　it；　he　had　lived　in　the　country　where　it　was　commonly　used。　It　had　been　preached　at　him　many　and　many　a　time。　Indeed；　he　had　used　it　as　the　text　for　that　paraphrase　of　the　Revelation　of　which　we　spoke　a　moment　ago。　And　he　knew　its　noteswell　he　knew　them　knew　that　they　were　from　republican　Geneva；　and　that　kingly　pretensions　had　short　shrift　with　them。　James　told　the　conference　that　these　notes　were　〃very　partial；　untrue；　seditious；　savoring　too　much　of　traitorous　and　dangerous　conceits；〃　supporting　his　opinion　by　two　instances　which　seemed　disrespectful　to　royalty。　One　of　these　instances　was　the　note　on　Exodus　1：17；　where　the　Egyptian　midwives　are　said　to　have　disobeyed　the　king　in　the　matter　of　destroying　the　children。　The　note　says：　〃Their　disobedience　to　the　king　was　lawful；　though　their　dissembling　was　not。〃　James　quoted　that；　and　said：　〃It　is　false；　to　disobey　the　king　is　not　lawful；　and　traitorous　conceits　should　not　go　forth　among　the　people。〃

Some　of　the　High　Church　party　objected　that　there　were　translations　enough　already；　but　it　struck　James's　fancy　to　set　them　all　aside　by　another　version；　which　he　at　once　said　he　would　order。　It　was　to　be　made　by　the　most　learned　of　both　universities；　then　to　be　revised　by　the　bishops　and　other　Church　dignitaries；　then　presented　to　the　Privy　Council；　and　finally　to　be　passed　upon　by　himself。　There　is　the　echo　of　some　sharp　Scotch　experiences　in　his　declaration　that　there　were　to　be　no　marginal　notes　in　that　new　version。

When　they　looked　back　on　the　conference；　the　Puritans　felt　that　they　had　lost　everything；　and　the　High　Church　people　that　they　had　gained　everything。　One　of　the　bishops；　in　a　very　servile　way；　and　on　his　knee；　gave　thanks　to　God　for　having　given　the　country　such　a　king；　whose　like　had　never　been　seen　since　Christ　was　on　earth。　Certainly　hard　times　were　ahead　for　the　Puritans。　The　King　harried　them　according　to　his　word。　Within　sixteen　years　some　of　them　landed　at　Plymouth　Rock；　and　things　began　to　happen　on　this　side。　That　settlement　at　Plymouth　was　the　outcome　of　the　threat　the　King　had　made　at　the　Hampton　Court　conference。

But　looking　back　one　can　see　that　the　conference　was　worth　while　for　the　beginning　of　the　movement　for　the　new　version。　The　King　was　true　to　his　word　in　this　line　also；　and　before　the　year　was　out　had　appointed　the　fifty…four　best　Bible　scholars　of　the　realm　to　make　the　new　version。　They　were　to　sit　in　six　companies　of　nine　each；　two　at　Oxford；　two　at　Cambridge；　and　two　at　Westminster。　The　names　of　only　forty…seven　of　them　have　come　down　to　us；　and　it　is　not　known　whether　the　other　seven　were　ever　appointed；　or　in　what　way　their　names　have　been　lost。　It　must　be　said　for　the　King　that　the　only　principle　of　selection　was　scholarship；　and　when　those　six　groups　of　men　met　they　were　men　of　the　very　first　rank；　with　no　peers　outside　their　own　numberswith　one　exception；　and　that　exception　is　of　some　passing　interest。　Hugh　Broughton　was　probably　the　foremost　Hebrew　scholar　of　England；　perhaps　of　the　world；　at　the　time；　and　apparently　he　was　not　appointed　on　the　committee。　Chiefly；　it　seems　to　have　been　because　he　was　a　man　of　ungovernable　temper　and　utterly　unfitted　to　work　with　others。　Failure　to　appoint　him；　however；　bit　and　rankled；　and　the　only　keen　and　sharp　criticism　that　was　passed　on　the　version　in　its　own　day　was　by　Hugh　Broughton。　He　sent　word　to　the　King；　after　it　was　completed；　that　as　for　himself　he　would　rather　be　rent　to　pieces　by　wild　horses　than　have　had　any　part　in　the　urging　of　such　a　wretched　version　of　the　Bible　on　the　poor　people。　That　was　so　manifestly　pique；　however；　that　it　is　only　to　be　regretted　that　the　translation　did　not　have　the　benefit　of　his　great　Hebrew　knowledge。　John　Selden；　at　his　prime　in　that　day；　voiced　the　feeling　of　most　scholars　of　the　times；　that　the　new　translation　was　the　best　in　the　world　and　best　gave　the　sense　of　the　original。

We　do　not　know　much　of　the　personnel　of　the　company。　Their　names　would　mean　very　little　to　us　at　this　distance。　All　were　clergymen　except　one。　There　were　bishops；　college　principals；　university　fellows；　and　rectors。　Dr。　Reynolds；　who　suggested　it　in　the　first　place；　was　a　member；　though　he　did　not　live　to　see　the　work　finished。　This　Dr。　Reynolds；　by　the　way；　was　party　to　a　most　curious　episode。　He　had　been　an　ardent　Roman　Catholic；　and　he　had　a　brother　who　was　an　equally　ardent　Protestant。　They　argued　with　each　other　so　earnestly　that　each　convinced　the　other；　the　Roman　Catholic　became　a　Protestant；　and　the　Protestant　became　a　Roman　Catholic！　Dr。　Lancelot　Andrewes；　chairman　of　one　of　the　two　companies　that　met　at　Westminster；　was　probably　the　most　learned　man　in　England。　They　said　of　him　that　if　he　had　been　present　at　the　tower　of　Babel　he　could　have　interpreted　for　all　the　tongues　present。　The　only　trouble　was　that　the　world　lacked　learning　enough　to　know　how　learned　he　was。　His　company　had　the　first　part　of　the　Old　Testament；　and　the　simple　dignity　of　the　style　they　used　shows　how　scholarship　and　simplicity　go　easily　together。　Most　people　would　consider　that　the　least　satisfactory　part　of　the　work　is　the　second　section；　running　from　I　Chronicles　to　Ecclesiastes。　A　convert　from　another　faith；　who　learned　to　read　the　Bible　in　English；　once　expressed　to　a　friend　of　my　own　his　feeling　that　except　for　the　Psalms　and　parts　of　Job；　there　seemed　to　be　here　a　distinct　letting…down　of　the　dignity　of　the　translation。　There　is　good　excuse　for　this；　if　it　is　so；　for　two　leading　members　of　the　company　who　had　that　section　in　charge；　both　eminent　Cambridge　scholars；　died　very　early　in　the　work；　and　their　places　were　not　filled。　The　third　company；　sitting　at　Oxford；　were　peculiarly　strong；　and　had　for　their　portion　the　hardest　part　of　the　Old　Testamentall　the　prophetical　writings。　But　they　did　their　part　with　finest　skill。　The　fourth　company；　sitting　at　Cambridge；　had　the　Apocryph