516 History of the Autliorized Version of the Bible. [November, 



A "Brief History of our Present Version" is given in a little 

 pamphlet just published by the Rev. Francis Trench, Perpetual Cu- 

 rate of St. John's, Reading. 



At the accession of James the First to the throne, in 1603, there 

 were two versions of the Scriptures commonly employed in this 

 country, namely, that of "Geneva," and "The Bishops." Much dif- 

 ficulty and inconvenience arose from the fact, that while the latter 

 was the authorized, the former was the popidar version. The king 

 wrote to Bancroft, Archbishop of Canterbury, mentioning that he 

 himself had selected fifty-four able men to be employed on a fresh 

 translation of the Bible into the English tongue. Through him he 

 also called upon the Bishops to encourage the learned men in their 

 respective dioceses to send in their notes on any difficulties which 

 they found in the Scripture to the two Hebrew readers in Oxford 

 and Cambridge respectively, or to the Dean of Westminster, that 

 they might be considered by the translators. Nothing is known 

 with any accuracy as to the appointment of translators by the two 

 Universities of Oxford and Cambridge; but that such an appoint- 

 ment was made, there is no doubt, as the king issued his command 

 for this purpose. The king also arranged for their maintenance. 

 Fifty-four persons were originally mentioned as the number appoint- 

 ed by the king for the translation. However, the names of forty- 

 seven only are known as actually employed in it. The translators 

 finally met at Oxford, Cambridge and Westminster, and were divided 

 into two companies at each place, so that there were six in all. The 

 following were the chief of the instructions given to direct their pro- 

 ceedings: 



I. The Bible ordinarily read in Church, and generally called the 

 Bishops' Bible, was to be the basis of the new version. 



II. Proper names in the text and the old ecclesiastical words were 

 to be kept as much as possible. 



III. No marginal notes were to be allowed, further than to explain 

 those Greek and Hebrew words which could not be conveniently ex- 

 pressed with their full meaning in the text. 



Thus much for the contents of the new version. As to the mode 

 towards effecting it, the following plan was adopted: 



I. Each translator of each company was first to take the same por- 



