Aug. 5. 1854.] 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



97 



LOKDON, SATURDAY, AUGUST 5, 1854. 



SlUG JAMES's, OR THE PRESENT VERSION OF THE 

 BIBLE. 



Prior to the publication of Lowndes's Biblio- 

 grapher's Manual, and indeed since, it has been a 

 doubtful and undecided question as to whether 

 there really were two editions of the present version 

 of the Scriptures printed in 1611 : the Manual 

 asserting that fact (vide Bible, vol. i. p. 177. 

 col. 2), but denied by the Rev. C. Anderson (vide 

 Annals of the Bible, vol. ii. Index, " List of Edi- 

 tions," p. xxii.) ; and Mr. Lea Wilson noticing 

 only one impression of that year, claiming the 

 palm for his (fine copy of the second) edition of 

 1611, instead of an earlier impression of that 

 year : neither gentleman appearing to have seen 

 a copy of that impression first pointed out to Dr. 

 Cotton by the Rev. Dr. Daly, Bishop of Cashel 

 (see Cotton's List, p. 60., edit. 1852). 



Since the appearance of the second and enlarged 

 edition of Dr. Cotton's List, in the autumn of 

 1852, I have examined all the copies of that Bible 

 bearing the dates of 1611, 1613, 1617, 1634, and 

 1640, that have fallen under notice ; and having 

 had upwards of forty copies with the titles of the 

 first three dates, and others of the two later, feel 

 assured (from matters hereafter related) that the 

 whole volume was twice printed in 1611. 



Bearing in mind the discrepancies pointed out 

 by Bishop Daly (vide Cotton's List, p. 60.), as well 

 as those noted by Dr. Cardwell (British Maga- 

 zine, March, 1833) in five copies, the following 

 other important differences in the impressions 

 occur. In the impression now considered at 

 Oxford as the first and more rare, i. e. that with 

 the lengthened verse. Exodus xiv. 10., 2 Chroni- 

 cles, chap, xxix., is in the head-line printed 

 xxxix., ; iv. Micah, head-line printed Joel ; the 

 wood-cut ornament at the commencement of 

 Micah is a zig-zag, while in the second it is a 

 running ornament, both being decorated with 

 roses, and thistles of diflFerent shape. In the edi- 

 tion of 1617 this is again changed for another 

 composed of other ornaments in type. Again, in 

 the prefatory matter to the first edition, the dedi- 

 cation commences, "to the most ;" in the second 

 (claimed as the first by Mr. Wilson, in his ela- 

 borate Catalogue) it is preceded by a distinguish- 

 ing mark % ~ " ^to the most." The leaf with 

 "The Names and Order of the Bookes" is printed 

 entirely in black; in the later impression three 

 lines are printed in i-ed on each side of the leaf. 

 After this follows the royal arms, a large wood- 

 cut occupying the entire page (in one of the five 

 copies seen this leaf was left blank) ; on the re- 

 verse the top line is "The Genealogies of the 



Holy Scripture." In the second edition this head- 

 ing is formed into a letter-press title, signed 

 " J. S." (i. e. John Speed), within a double-lined 

 border, and occupies the position of the royal 

 arms. In truth too many variations occur, both 

 in the type and in the woodcut initials and 

 borders, to resist the fact of two entirely distinct 

 editions appearing in the year 1611, although not 

 seen by the Rev. Mr. Anderson, and left unre- 

 corded by Mr. Lea Wilson in his very valuable 

 Catalogue. Of the second edition there can be 

 but little doubt but a very large impression was 

 worked oflF, so many copies of it wanting titles, 

 &c. continually appearing ; but the royal patent 

 printer (save the mark !), while correcting errors 

 in the body of the volume, committed others of a 

 most glaring nature in his second impression (e.g. 

 in the dedication, " of" is printed "oe," the name 

 of " CHRIST " is spelled " chkist." In the " List of 

 the Books of the Old Testament," "1 and 2 Chro- 

 nicles " is named " 1 and 2 Corinthians," &c. &c.). 

 That this edition came after the other is farther 

 proved by four copies now lying before me, all of 

 them having a title as of a new impression, dated 

 in 1613, the mercenary royal printer (of whom a 

 deplorable character for integrity, &c. is given by 

 Mr. Anderson in his Annals, vol. ii. p. 339., 1852) 

 having issued the unsold copies of this impression 

 by cancelling the title to the volume only, leaving 

 that to the New Testament as before, viz. 1611. 

 That this piece of trickery (stale even in those 

 days) was played by the worthy Mr. Barker, the 

 errors in the dedication and prefatory matter as 

 heretofore described, remaining uncancelled, will 

 suflSciently testify. The putting off of the unsold 

 copies of 1611 in this way by the royal printer is 

 unnoticed, although a charge is made of the sub- 

 stitution of titles dated 1611 (Query, if those in- 

 tended to be destroyed by Mr. Barker himself?) 

 to copies of the several editions of 1617, 1634, or 

 1640, to pass those off for fine copies of the highly 

 valuable and much coveted first impression, viz. 

 1611. 



It should be observed of the impressions of 

 1611, 1617, 1634, and 1640, the Psalms com- 

 mence on B b b 4 ; in that of 1613, small type, on 

 K K. It was from a copy of this edition, with a 

 title dated 1611, Mr. Lowndes fell into error 

 (vide Manual, vol. i. p. 177. col. 2.) as to the two 

 editions of 1611 being of a different sized type. 

 The New Testament of both impressions of that 

 year begins on a 2, in the others on d d d d d 2. 

 The dedication to every impression differs some- 

 what in the setting up, that of 1613 being pre- 

 ceded by a different mark before "to" (see Wil- 

 son's Catalogue) ; that of 1617 having a small 

 cut of the royal arms above the titles of King 

 James (printed "iames"), dedication ending • . • 

 The New Testament of this edition has " in- 

 FRiNTED " at the foot of the title. Edition of 



