1809.] 
othe Editor of the Monthly Magazine. 
SIR, 
AVING the honour to be entrusted 
H with the superintendance of the text- 
part of Mr. Hewlett’s Bible, in its pro- 
gress through the press, an anxious desire 
that its character, in point of accuracy, 
should not disgrace its other recommen- 
dations, has led me to such an inspection 
of different English editions and transla- 
tions of the scriptures, as confirms a 
suspicion I had long entertained, of the 
incorrect state in which the sacred vo- 
lume generally appearsamongus. Every 
body, acquainted with the, business of 
printing, knows that it is almost impossi- 
ble, except by the most extreme caution, 
that a book should passthrough a multi- 
tude of successive impressions without an’ 
accumulation of errors; the ordinary copies 
of the classics shew this in a striking 
manner: but surely the Bible ts an ev- 
treme case: and though we cannot ex~ 
pect the university presses, more than 
any others, to have angels for their cor- 
rectors, (for those who are engaged in 
correcting, know there is nothing heaven- 
lyin the employment,) yet the exclusive 
privilege, which enables them to make 
their editions so very large, imposes on 
them the duty, and at the same time 
makes it very well worth the while, to 
bestow an extraordinary degree of care 
in. that respect. With no invidious 
view, therefore, butin the hope of rousing 
the University editors to an active atten- 
tion to this subject (which appears the 
more desirable at a time when a stereo- 
type edition of the Scriptures is said to be 
in contemplation), and of supplying a 
detail, which perhaps some of your rea- 
ders may peruse with interest, I offer 
you, even in this early stage, the results of 
my examination, as far as it has as yet ex- 
tended, being however (except incident- 
ally) but little beyond thebook of Genesis. 
‘The authorities which I have used in 
the execution of my task, are as follow : 
1. A Quarto University Bible (Oxford, 
1802); 2. An Octavo University Bible 
(Oxford, #801); 3. A Duodecimo Uni- 
versity Bible (Oxford, 1789); 4. The 
Rible which passes under the name of 
Bishop Wilson; 5. Dr. Geddes’s Trans- 
lation; 6. Cruden’s Concordance (Edin- 
burgh, 1804).* The text and marginal 
* I suppose it is impossible to ascertain 
what edition of the Bible Cruden used in ma- 
King his compilation. It seems to have been 
On the Incorrectness of our printed Bibles. 
37 
matter of Mr. Hewlett’s Bible are col- 
lated with both the University Quarto 
editions, and Bishop Wilson’s, and the 
text 1s compared strictly with Dr. 
Geddes’s: the other three authorities are 
only consulted occasionally. — [shall not 
confine my lists of errors to the Univer- 
sity editions: as Bishop Wilson’s has a 
high reputation for accuracy, in conse- 
guence of having been edited by the inde- 
fatigable Cruttwell; and the character of 
Dr. Geddesis far beyond my power of ap- 
preciation. With respect to Cruden’s Con- 
cordance, however, I shall merely observe 
here, once for all, that though a work of 
vast utility, yet any body who may un- 
fortunately have occasion to inspect it 
with minuteness, even strictly according 
to the authoi’s plan, will experience, I 
say it with confidence, perpetual feelings 
of disappointment and disgust :—I do 
not now speak of typographical errors but 
of omissions. The corrections in each 
of the following lists are made on the au- 
thority of ail the rest of the six sources 
above mentioned (or withoat the oppo- 
sition of any of them) except where 
otherwise expressed. 
Quarto University Bible.—Genesis, 
chap. il. ver. 19, owt it for owt of tt; v. 
22, margin, Mac. (Maccabees) for Mic. 
(Micah); vil. 11, fowndutions for foun- 
tains ;* xv. 18, the first the should be 
that ;¢ xix. contents, the second zs should 
be becomes ;} xxx. 23,8 take for taken; 
Xxx1. 33, Ais for the ; xxxvi. 4, Adar tor 
Adah ; xxxviti. 23, send for sent; xxxix. 
contents, mistresses’s for mistress’s 3 xxxix 
14; hum for them ; xlu.2, ye for we; x!vi. 
24, Gezer for Jezer ; xlix. 6, thou not for 
not thou; xlix. 26, the second thy should 
a pretty old one, as he has the spelling ““Yce” 
alone (and not Ice) in his alphabetical ar- 
rangement. Perhaps he employed more.thaa 
cne copy. 
* Girgashite in x. 16, is supported also by 
Cruden, but my other authorities have it here 
site. In every other passage of Scripture, 
where I find the name, they all have the sk 
except Geddes, who constantly writes—=si/e. 
+ The Octavo also has the. 
} As in the Cambridge Quarto edition; 
or else something (as:turned into) is omitted 
after s. 
§ Endued in verse 20 of this chapter is 
given also by the Octavo edition and by Cru- 
den: the other three have endowed. We 
should certainly at present call a woman hav- 
ing a large marriage portion, richly endowed, 
rather than endued. 
be 
