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make them to be able to say with the words of the Psalms, “As we have heard, so we have seen.”
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THEUNWILLINGNESS OFOURCHIEF ADVERSARIES, THAT THE SCRIPTURES
SHOULD BE DIVULGED IN THE MOTHER TONGUE, ETC.
Now the Church of Rome would seem at the length to bear a motherly affection towards her
children, and to allow them the Scriptures in their mother tongue: but indeed it is a gift, not deserving
to be called a gift, an unprofitable gift: [Sophecles] they must first get a licence in writing before
they may use them, and to get that, they must approve themselves to their Confessor, that is, to be
such as are, if not frozen in the dregs, yet soured with the leaven of their superstition. Howbeit, it
seemed too much to Clement the Eighth that there should be any Licence granted to have them in
the vulgar tongue, and therefore he overruleth and frustrateth the grant of Pius the Fourth. [See the
observation (set forth by Clemen. His authority) upon the 4. rule of Pius the 4. his making in the
index, lib. prohib. pag. 15. ver. 5.] So much are they afraid of the light of the Scripture, (Lucifugae
Scripturarum, as Tertulian speaketh) that they will not trust the people with it, no not as it is set
forth by their own sworn men, no not with the Licence of their own Bishops and Inquisitors. Yea,
so unwilling they are to communicate the Scriptures to the people’s understanding in any sort, that
they are not ashamed to confess, that we forced them to translate it into English against their wills.
This seemeth to argue a bad cause, or a bad conscience, or both. Sure we are, that it is not he that
hath good gold, that is afraid to bring it to the touchstone, but he that hath the counterfeit; [Tertul.
de resur. carnis.] neither is it the true man that shunneth the light, but the malefactor, lest his deeds
should be reproved
]: neither is it the plaindealing Merchant that is unwilling to have
the weights, or the meteyard brought in place, but he that useth deceit. But we will let them alone
for this fault, and return to translation.
THE SPEECHES AND REASONS, BOTH OF OUR BRETHREN, AND OF OUR
ADVERSARIES AGAINST THIS WORK
Many men’s mouths have been open a good while (and yet are not stopped) with speeches about
the Translation so long in hand, or rather perusals of Translations made before: and ask what may
be the reason, what the necessity of the employment: Hath the Church been deceived, say they, all
this while? Hath her sweet bread been mingled with leaven, here silver with dross, her wine with
water, her milk with lime? (Lacte gypsum male miscetur, saith S. Ireney,) [S. Iren. 3. lib. cap. 19.]
We hoped that we had been in the right way, that we had the Oracles of God delivered unto us, and
that though all the world had cause to be offended and to complain, yet that we had none. Hath the
nurse holden out the breast, and nothing but wind in it? Hath the bread been delivered by the fathers
of the Church, and the same proved to be lapidosus, as Seneca speaketh? What is it to handle the
word of God deceitfully, if this be not? Thus certain brethren. Also the adversaries of Judah and
Jerusalem, like Sanballat in Nehemiah, mock, as we hear, both the work and the workmen, saying;
“What do these weak Jews, etc. will they make the stones whole again out of the heaps of dust
which are burnt? although they build, yet if a fox go up, he shall even break down their stony wall.”
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Was their Translation good before? Why do they now mend it? Was it not good? Why
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