in ANTHONY PURVER'S BIBLE 27 



the issue of not a few books of scientific, topographical, 

 or religious character. He initiated some of these, he 

 gave his counsel to their authors, he revised the proofs, 

 and in several instances he supplied a part or the whole 

 of the expense. Amongst the works thus aided may be 

 counted the large volume of Illustrations of the Sexual 

 System of Linnceus, by John Mueller, drawn chiefly from 

 the originals in Fothergill's garden ; Edwards' Birds of 

 Great Britain, and Drury's Entomology. Other volumes, 

 connected with his own Society, included the writings of 

 William Penn, and the Baskerville edition of Barclay's 

 Apology. He was most unwilling to have books dedicated 

 to himself, but all his efforts could not always prevent it. 

 Fothergill's part in the issue of Purver's Bible must 

 have a fuller notice. Anthony Purver was a poor school- 

 master of Andover, who had spent thirty years in making 

 a new translation of the Bible, but could not get it pub- 

 lished. Fothergill examined the work and approved it, 

 paid the author 1000 for the copyright, and had it 

 printed at his own expense, revising the sheets himself. 

 Purver was a man of uncommon memory and great 

 industry, rising at four o'clock daily, and devoting his 

 days to study. He taught himself Greek, Hebrew, and 

 several other languages, and read his sources well, in- 

 cluding Rabbinical and classical writers. A blameless 

 man and a lover of truth, his manners were simple and 

 his spirit reverent. In his translation he tried to keep 

 close to the text, but to give the sense in plain modern 

 speech, pleading that the Scriptures needed fresh render- 

 ing from time to time in the growing living language of 

 men. This was somewhat daring doctrine, since the 

 recognised versions were accounted almost sacred, and 

 Purver, who had joined the Friends, had no church or 

 collegiate standing. Following his own principle he 

 discarded many old-fashioned words, such as ye, yea and 

 nay, verily, twain, bondman, apparelled, etc., giving 

 instead their modern equivalents. It is curious to note 

 that our Revisers of 1884, coming more than a century 

 later, have nevertheless retained these older forms. In 



