142 



BIBLIOGRAPHY OF THE 



Eliot (J.) — Continued. 



that upon consideration you will Judge tlie 

 Artificer worthy of Ms wages, I shall not 

 farther trouble you, hut expecting your favour- 

 able concession thereto for the better carrying 

 on of the work and for my Incouragement 

 therein, prayeing for your Worships' Prosper- 

 rity subscribe myselfe. Your Worships' humble 

 servant John Eatlife. Boston, Aug. 30, 1664." 

 Indorsed: "Massachusetts, Jno. Katlilf 'a Let- 

 ter to Comissioners at Hartford, August 30th, 

 1664." 



Seven varieties of the Indian bible of 1663, 

 with the English general title, are described 

 below. These differ in the number of certain 

 preliminary leaves, namely: the dedication of 

 the whole bible, the Indian general title, the 

 leaf of contents, the English new testament 

 title, and the dedication of the new testament, 

 one or more of which are generally omitted ; 

 also in the Indian new testament title, which 

 sometimes does not contain the diamond 

 shaped figure. For an account of the varia- 

 tions in different copies of the new testament 

 portion, see the notes to the separate issues of 

 the new testament in 1661. The bible with 

 Indian titles only is described under a separate 

 title. 



Copies of the first variety : Containing the 

 English general title, the dedication of the 

 whole bible, the Indian general title, the leaf 

 of contents. Genesis to Malachi, the English 

 new testament title, the dedication of the new 

 testament, the Indian new testament title with 

 the diamond shaped figure, Matthew to Revela- 

 tion, and the metrical psalms with the final leaf 

 of rules. 600 printed leaves, and 4 blank leaves. 



(1) Mr. Theodore Irwin, Oswego, N. Y. It 

 remained in the original leather binding until 

 1879, when it was cleaned and rebound in 

 brown levant morocco by F. Bedford, preserv- 

 ing three of the original blank leaves. Size of 

 the leaf, 7^5 by 5| inches. The Indian newtes- 

 tament title contains the diamond shaped fig- 

 ure. On the recto of the leaf of contents is 

 written, " Thomas Shepard's Book. 2. 6°. 1666. 

 ye gift of ye Rev** Translator." This was the 

 son of the Eev. Thomas Shepard, minister of 

 Cambridge, who died in 1649. He was born in 

 1635, graduated at Harvard College in 1653, 

 and was minister of Charlestown from 1659 un- 

 til his death in 1677. His library, probably 

 including the Indian bible, was bequeathed to 

 his son, also named Thomas Shepard (born 

 1658, died 1685), who was minister of the same 

 church from 1680 until his death. A memo- 

 randum on a blank leaf at the front sho\. s that 

 it was once owned by Thomas Nixon of Fram- 

 ingham, afterwards of Southborough, Massa- 

 chusetts (born 1736, died 1800), who was an 

 ensign in the French and Indian war of 1756, 

 and colonel of the sixth Massachusetts regi- 

 ment during the revolution. From him it 

 passed to his son. Thomas Xixon junior (born 

 1762, died 1842), who left it to his son, Warren 

 ITixon. At the end of the volume is the foUow- 



Eliot (J.) — Continued. 



ing note in manuscript: "This edition of 

 Eliot's Indian Bible owned by Mr. Nixon of 

 Framingham is more valuable on account of its 

 having the epistles dedicatory, than either of 

 the two copies of this work now in the posses- 

 sion of Harvard College. It is the same edition 

 it would seem as the copy of the Eev. Doctor 

 Harris, which was purchased by Mr. Crown- 

 inshield after the Doctor's death for fifty 

 dollars, ... If the owner of this volume 

 should ever feel willing to part with it we are 

 assured that the donation would be thankfully 

 acknowledged by the College at C[ambridge]." 

 The bible was afterwards deposited in the libra- 

 ry of the American Bible Union of New York, 

 and in ] 877 or 1878 was offered for sale to the 

 Astor Library a-nd other institutions for about 

 $500. It was purchased by Mr. J. W. Bouton, 

 the New York bookseller, who priced it at $750. 

 From him Mr. Irwin bought it and sent it to 

 London to be rebound. See the privately 

 printed Catalogue of the Library . . . belong- 

 ing to Theodore Irwin (New York, 1887), no. 168. 

 Additional information furnished by Mr. Irwin, 

 in letter of April 25th, 1889. 



It is related in Francis's life of Eliot, that 

 the Eev. Thaddeus Mason Harris of Dorches- 

 ter "discovered in a barber's shop Eliot's In- 

 dian Bible of the first edition, in a mutilated 

 state, which was in the process of being used 

 for waste paper. It was found to contain both 

 of the dedications to the King ; and Dr. Harris 

 seized upon it with all the interest belonging 

 to the discovery of a long-lost treasure. He 

 transcribed the addresses, and published themi 

 in the Collections of the Massachusetts His- 

 torical Society." Dr. Harris himself, in his 

 reprint of these dedications {Mass. Hist. Soc, 

 Coll. vii. 222-228), says: " Of six copies of the 

 Indian bible, which I have seen, no one pos- 

 sessed these dedications. The following were 

 taken from a mutilated copy, used in a barber's 

 shop for waste paper. From this intended 

 de&truction they were eagerly snatched, by the 

 hand which writes this, as truly valuable relicks.^' 

 It has not been ascertained what became of this 

 copy. The writer of the manuscript note in 

 Mr. Irwin's bible probably had the above ac- 

 count in jnind when he mentioned Dr, Harris's 

 copy ; but the only one sold at the Doctor's sale 

 in January, 1843, was of the edition of 1685, 

 which was purchased by Mr. Crowninshield 

 for $39, and is now in the possession of Mr. Gun- 

 ther of Chicago. Mr. Thomas, in his account of 

 the two dedications in the Indian bible (His- 

 tory of Printing in America, Worcester, 1810, 

 vol. 1, p. 475), says: "I recollect to have seen, 

 many years since, a copy that contained them ; 

 that which I possess is without them, as- are 

 all others which I have lately examined." 



Copies of the second variety : Containing the 

 English general title, the dedication of the 

 whole bible, the Indian general title, the leaf of 

 contents, Genesis to Malachi, the Indian new 

 testament title with the diamond shaped figure, 



