1895-96.1 WALES AND ITS LITERATURE. 73 



Success attended Morgan, for in 1 594 he was elected Bishop of Llandafif^ 

 and in 1601 he was translated to the Bishopric of St. Asaph. He died 

 in 1604. It appears that few efforts were made before the time of 

 Morgan to translate any portion of the Bible for the benefit of the 

 Welsh people. There was published in 155 1 by William Salisbury, a 

 lawyer, a translation of the portions of Scripture that were appropriate 

 to the communion service. In 1567 he published an entire version of the 

 New Testament into Welsh, in the preparation of which he was aided 

 by the Bishop of St. David's, Dr. Richard Davies, and by the Rev. 

 Thomas Huet, a precentor of St. David's. There is reason for believing 

 that before this time a translation was made of the Pentateuch into 

 Welsh which was never published. 



Singular to relate, an Act of Parliament was passed in 1563, in the fifth 

 year of the reign of Queen Elizabeth, directing that a Welsh version of 

 the Old and New Testament should, under the superintendence of the four 

 Welsh bishops and of the Bishop of Hereford, be prepared for general 

 use in the Welsh churches on the first of March, 1566, and in the event 

 of a non-compliance with that enactment a penalty of forty pounds was 

 to be inflicted on each prelate. Assistance was given to Morgan in 

 the preparation of his translation of the Holy Scriptures by a number 

 of eminent Welsh scholars. The version of the New Testament which 

 was prepared and published by William Salisbury, was adopted by 

 Morgan with some alterations. The Welsh Bible has always been 

 regarded, even from a literary point of view, as the most valuable work 

 in the language. It has been said of it that, after full admission has 

 been made of all its imperfections, it must be regarded as among the 

 noblest attempts to familiarize modern nations with the truths of revela- 

 tion, and as an imperishable monument of the zeal, learning and industry 

 of its author. 



