1893-94. J A REVIEW OF CARVALYN GAILCKAGH OR MANX CAROLS. 85' 



believincy that any translation of the Scriptures into Manx was made 

 until long after the time of Bishop Phillips. Bishop Wilson was 

 appointed Bishop of Sodor and Man in 1697. " The Principles and Duties 

 of Christians " — the first book that was ever printed in the Manx language, 

 was published by Bishop Wilson in 1699. He was actively engaged 

 along with the Rev. Philip Moore in the translation of the Bible into 

 Manx when he died in 1755. Dr. Mark Hildesley, his successor in the 

 Bishopric of Man, undertook with laudable earnestness the completion 

 of the translation of the Scriptures into Manx. He was frequently heard 

 to say that he wished merely to see the completion of his translations. 



On the 28th November, 1772, he received the last part of the transla- 

 tion of the Bible, and on the 5th December of the same year his earthly 

 career terminated. It is manifest that the translators of the Holy Scrip- 

 tures into Manx went on the principle of spelling the words phonetically, 

 and with as near an approximation as was possible to the manner in 

 which they were wont to be spoken. The expense of printing the Manx 

 translation of the Bible was generously borne by the Society for Promo- 

 ting Christian Knowledge. In the report of that Society for 1764, state- 

 ments are made from which the inference is deducible that it was the 

 intention to extend the distribution of the Manx Bible "so far as that 

 no one person of the 20000 natives of the Isle of Man may be destitute 

 of a Bible and a Common Prayer Book in his native tongue, in which they 

 never appeared before." J^y the publication of the Holy Scriptures in 

 their own language, Manksmen had henceforth a literary guide and 

 standard of which they naturally were glad to avail themselves. The 

 surmise has much to support it, that the authors of the Carols were gener- 

 ally indebted to the Bible for their thoughts as well as for the diction by 

 means of which their thoughts found expression. Mr. Moore correctly 

 states that "by far the greater number of the Carols are devotional rhap- 

 sodies which exhort the sinner to repent, by picturing with terrible realism 

 the agonies of hell. . . Old Testament history also received much 



attention, the fall of Adam, and the lives of Joseph, Jacob, Jonah and 

 David being favourite subjects." As those Carols were held in high 

 esteem, and were wont to be sung by the peasantry of Man, the moral 

 character of the people must have thus been beneficially affected. 



I shall make a few quotations from the English version of the Carols — 

 a version which as a rule does no feeble justice to the original. 



In Carval Yn Ullick, or Christmas Carol, these words occur : 



"This is the day that Christ was born, 

 Why don't I praise his name ? 

 Why don't I glory give to God? 

 Kor evermore the same. 



