2"'>S.No87.,Auo.29.'57.] NOTES AND QUEKIES. 



179 



ment, with Apocrypha and Booke of Psalmes ia metre. 

 Woodcuts. Rare, but dedication mutilated and wants 

 title, last leaf of Calendar and List of Faires in the com- 

 mencement, and also wants fol. 60, 67. 80, and 81. in the 

 Catechism, &c., printed at end of Psalmes in metre. Red 

 morocco super extra, gilt edges, by F. Bedford. Geneva, 

 bv John Crespin. 1569. 4/. 18s. 

 'No. 35. of Lea Wilson. The New Testament is dated 

 1568. 



222. Bible. The Golden Legende, conteynynge the 

 Lyves and Hystoryes taken out of the Byble, and 

 Legendes of the Saintes. 2 parts in 1, woodcuts, black- 

 letter, ver3' rare, fine large copv, but wanting six leaves 

 in the second part (folio 40, 41," 42, 43. HI. and 258. con- 

 taining colophon), splendidly bound in morocco, super 

 extra, gilt edges, tooled in the antique style, by Hayday. 

 Julian Notary. 1503. 21/. 



This extraordinary work exhibits the earliest pnnted 

 specimen of an English translation of the Bible, or 

 rather portions, as it confines itself chiefly to the 

 historical Books and Gospels. A very curious fact is, 

 that the editor and translator, William Caxton, has 

 used the word " breches " in his rendering of Genesis 

 iii. 7. " And thenne they toke fygge levys and sewed 

 theym togyder for to cover theyr membres in the 

 maner of breches," showing that the Genevan Ver- 

 sion is not the original of this quaint expression. 



223. The Bible, that is the Holy Scripture of the Olde 

 and New Testament, faithfully and truly translated out 

 of Douche and Latvn into Englishe (by Miles Coverdale), 

 Woodcuts by H. h. Beham (No. 1. of Lea Wilson). Black 

 letter (Angular Swiss or German), quite perfect, with the 

 exceptions mentioned in the note, bound in rich brown 

 morocco super extra, tooled edges and sides, by F. Bed- 

 ford. First English Bible printed, extremely rare. 1535. 

 190/. 



This first Protestant translation of the whole Bible into 

 English, and probably one of the rarest books in the 

 language, is considered as the joint production of 

 Tyndale and Coverdale, but is usually termed " Co- 

 verdale's Bible." The possession of a fragment only 

 of our earliest Bible has always been deemed a sine 

 qua non with Biblical collectors, and the prices paid 

 for such fragments ranging from 30/. to 150/., is the 

 surest test of the difficulty experienced in procuring 

 even these. The present is a most desirable copy, but 

 having the preliminary leaves, folios 1, 2, 5, 6 in 

 Genesis, the last seven leaves of Revelations, and the 

 map in wonderful facsimile by Harris. When it is 

 remembered that no perfect copj' as yet is known, and 

 that the Earl of Leycester's is the onl^' one with the 

 title, we need not be surprised at the late Mr. Lea 

 Wilson, who possessed one with title and first leaf of 

 dedication in facsimile, ofiering 100/. to any person 

 furnishing him the original title, and the like sum 

 for the next leaf, or that he did not live to see the 

 accomplishment of his earnest desire to be the owner 

 of the first complete copy. At his death his copy 

 passed into the hands of Air. Dunn Gardner, at whose 

 sale on July 7, 1854, despite the facsimiles, it pro- 

 duced 365/. Mr. Henry Stevens, in his forthcoming 

 account of English Bibles, has the following interest- 

 ing note with regard to the printing of the work : 

 " Nothing whatever is known as to where, or by 

 whom it was printed. Since the time of Humphry 

 Wanley it has generally been ascribed to Christopher 

 Froschover, of Ziirich, who printed the quarto edition 

 in a similar, though smaller type, in 1550 ; but Chris- 

 topher Anderson, in his 'Annals of the English 

 Bible,' says, in his Historical Index, p. xxxi. that 

 Froschover ' was certainly not the printer of Coverdale's 

 Bible in 1535, as ascertained by the present author 



when at Ziirich.' Anderson does not give the 

 grounds of his conclusion, but he is probably correct, 

 as no conclusive evidence has yet been adduced in 

 favour of the Ziirich printer. My late and lamented 

 friend Mr. Wm. Pickering had as early as August, 

 1851, completed a series of investigations, by which 

 he came to the conclusion that the book was printed 

 by Christian Egenolf, of Frankfort. He based his 

 argument upon the similarity of the woodcuts and 

 the type of Coverdale's Bible, and a German Bible of 

 the same sized page printed by Egenolf in 1534; and 

 upon a little volume of Bible plates by H. S. Beham, 

 first printed by Egenolf in 1533, and again in 1536, 

 1539, and 1551, with some additions." Mr. Stevens, 

 however, after examining the works mentioned by 

 Pickering, came to precisely the opposite conclusion, 

 for he found that although the woodcuts and type 

 closely resembled each other, they were not identical, 

 and therefore naturally observes, "as it is unlikely 

 that any printer of that day would have in his office 

 two sets of woodcuts aiid two founts of type so nearly 

 alike yet different, we may, I think, fairly conclude that 

 Egenolf was not the printer." Mr. Stevens seems to 

 have taken great pains to solve the myster^v, but 

 after many fruitless comparisons of his Coverdale with 

 works from the presses of coeval printers, candidly 

 confesses " I have found no clue." A leaf of Egenolf 's 

 German Bible of 1534 is inserted in the present copy, 

 so as to enable every beholder to judge this knotty 

 point by comparing the one with the other. 



224. Byble, which is all the Holy Scripture, in whych 

 are contayned the Olde and Newe Testament truly and 

 purely translated into Englysh by Thomas Matthew. 

 Woodcuts. Black-letter, very rare (No. 4. of Lea Wil- 

 son), a desirable volume, but has the title and next five 

 leaves in admirable facsimile, and wants the first and last 

 of the 13 leaves of table, the list of Books, the title to the 

 New Testament, O 1 in Revelations, the last leaf of the 

 New Testament, and the two following leaves of table. A 

 few leaves mutilated are mended. No other defects are 

 known, but the volume will be sold not subject to colla- 

 tion, good copy in old calf. 1537. 23/. 



This edition was apparently printed abroad for Grafton 

 and Whitchurch, and although the version is styled 

 Matthew's, it varies but little from Tyndal and Co- 

 verdale's translation, the few emendations and addi- 

 tions it contains having been furnished by John 

 Rogers, the first martjT in Queen Mary's reign, who 

 under the assumed name of Matthew superintended 

 the publication. The work is beautifully printed, but 

 a few important errors occur in the text, e. g. John 

 20, " and put my finger into the holes of the nails," is 

 omitted, and so is in 1 Cor. 1 1., " This cup is the new 

 testament in my blood." In Hebrews 6., " Let us love 

 the doctrine " is printed for " Leave the doctrine." 

 The disputed verse in 3 John v. is in smaller type. 



225. Bible (The most sacred) which is the Holy Scrip- 

 ture, conteyning the Old and New Testament, translated 

 into English, and newly recognized with great diligence 

 after most faythful exemplars by Rychard Taverner. 

 Black-letter (No. 5. of Lea Wilson), fine copj', quite com- 

 plete, with the exception of having the title in beautiful 

 facsimile by Harris, and wanting the three leaves of table 

 at end. Morocco extra, gilt edges, by F. Bedford. John 

 Byddell for Thomas Barthlet. 1539. 36/. 



This is the first edition of Taverner's Bible, and is of 

 great rarity. In it the disputed text, 1 John v., is*' 

 printed in smaller tj'pe. The word peace is uniformly 

 printed peax, thus showing its transition from the 

 Latin. Mr. Lea Wilson not having been fortunate 

 enough to secure a perfect copy, fell into some errors 

 in giving his collation. 



