Page images
PDF
EPUB
[merged small][ocr errors][merged small]

Advertisement.

M Greek Pfalter, is effectually to filence this pretence, of our

Y intention in turning into English fo many Paffages of the

Old Tranflation being taken from that. For if it do appear by near 260 Inftances, that our old English Pfalter does differ from that of the Greek, or Seventy, then, I fuppofe, it must be own'd, that to affert, that the former was done from the latter is a very grofs Miftake. It has been granted, that our Tranflators do agree with the Vulgar-Latin, and that with the Seventy, in inferting about fixty Supplements; but it does further appear, that they depart from them in near 260 Verses, which they tranflate in fuch a manner, that they cannot be fuppofed to have follow'd the Greek, but the Hebrew; and therefore the contrary to what Mr. Calamy afferts is evidently true, namely, [That this Tranflation is more accommodated to the Hebrew than to the Greek.]

I have reafon to believe, that no Pfalter does more vary from the Seventy than this does. And I do not much question, but it would appear, upon a fcrutiny, that our laft Tranflation does agree with the Greek in as many Texts, as this Tranflation of Tindal and Coverdale, always excepting the Supplements, which have been already accounted for. And if any one, to confute this, fhould produce a Tranflation that differs from the Seventy in more than 260 places, let them not conclude, that they have difprov'd what I now fay; for this Collection was made without any nice enquiry, or fifting every Word and Phrafe: And if I were obliged to it, in my own defence, I have no reason to doubt, but that I fhould find a very plentiful gleaning of Texts in the Greek Pfalter, of the fame fort with thofe here prefented to the Reader, which are not in this Lift.

As to the Verfion of thefe places which I here offer, I will only fay, that 'tis done with as great impartiality, as if this Controverfy had not been in my Thoughts. Others may give a more nice and correct Tranflation; but no one can turn thefe Paffages from the Greek, fo as to have any regard to truth, and yet make it credible, that our Tranflation in thefe places was done from that. And I need not tell my obferving Reader, that the Quefti

[ocr errors]

on is not, whether I have turn'd the Greek exactly or not; bu whether there be a greater, agreement betwixt the Greek and our Tranflation, than is here reprefented. And I fuppofe, that the English Reader may fafely conclude, that these two Tranfla tions do differ from each other in all these Texts, 'till the Dissenters can fo turn these Greek Texts, as to reconcile them to our old English.

I have all along tranflated from the Greek, rather than the La tin, not only because the former is allowed to have been the Copy to the latter; but because the sense of the Latin oftentimes cannot be fo much as guefs'd at, but by confulting the Greek : And the differences between these two are fo Tmall and inconsiderable, that I did not think them worth taking notice of.

Some General Notes.

1.T "Is not to be expected that I should make any Defence of the Language, Grammar, or Orthography of this Pfalter. They who firft tranflated, and fince reviewed it, underflood the English of the Age they liv'd in, or elfe none did. If fome Words and Phrafes feem ftrange, let it be confidered, that what we now count correct English, may feem as odd to our Pofterity three of four Ages downward.

2. I fuppofe this Tranflation has no more been exempt from the Miftakes of Scribes, and Printers, than other Books, the Reader may obferve thefe few Words following omitted, viz. [Little] before [Lower,] Pfal. viii. ver. 5.. [Fab] before [yea,] Pfal. Ixviii. ver. 4.

[Unto foolishness, Pfal. Ixxxv. ver. 8. fotis in the Edit. of 1535. O Lord,] Pfal. Ixxiii. ver. 17.

*Matthews's Bible of 1551 has retain'd this figurative Expreffion, [are fallen afleep,] as tis in our prefent English Bibles.

And [afleep,] Pfal. Ixxvi. ver. 6. or elfe the Tranflators chofe to drop the Catachrefis, as they often do. See Note on Pfal.vi. 6. but

1. These Errata, if I may fo call them, could not proceed from the unskilfulness either of the Tranflators or Reviewers, for from whatever Bible they tranflated, whether Hebrew, Greek, or Latin, or with whatever Bibles the Reviewers compared this Tranflation, they certainly had thefe words in them.

די

2. That these Omiffions are fo fmall, that the fence is scarce affected by them.

Further, Pfal. cxxxvi. ver. 13, we have [in two in ftead of [into as I have feen it printed in a Bible of Henry the Eighth's Reign. See alfo Pfal. lxxvii. 46.

3 Nor need any excufe be made for our Tranflators, when they don't turn Verbs in the same Mood or Tense that others do; for inftance, When they turn that imperatively, be thou, or ye, let him or they be ;] or optatively, [O let me, them, him, &c. be,] which others turn in the future Tenfe, [I, thou, &c. shall, or will be; or when fome Tranflators turn that in the perfect paft Tenfes, which others turn in the prefent or future Tenfe, or Vice verfà: For the Hebrews use the Future Tenfe for the Optative and Potential Mood, which they want; and for the Imperative Mood, which, with them, has only the fecond Perfon fingular and plural; and tho' they have two Tenfes, the Preterperfect and Future, yet 'tis allow'd, that one is often put for the other; and therefore it muft, in a great measure, be left to the difcretion of Tranflators, when to turn these Tenfes [properly,] and when otherwise.

4 Nor do I make an Apology for our Tranflators, because they fometimes conceal an Enallage of Number, Perfon, or Gender, which are very frequent in the Hebrew. Some Translators take that for an Enallage, which others do not; and this fometimes makes a difference between the two Tranflations: But the laft Translation, as well as the Old One, does frequently conceal fuch Enallages, tho' rarely in the fame place of the Pfalter where the others have done it. They conceal two Enallages of Number in one Verse, Prov. xxviii. 1. for [wicked] in the Hebrew is fingular, but fee plural; but [righteous] is plural, and [bold] fingular. And they conceal two fuch Enallages in one other Chapter, Efther ix. 6, 23. for [undertook] in both Verfes is fingular; but [Jews,] the Nominative Cafe in both Verfes, is plural.

5. Nor is there any occafion to make Defences for their fometime neglecting the Regimen and Accent; for all other Tranflators, when they think fit, do the fame.

6. Nor is it any fault, that they, when they thought it neceffary, fupply'd any part of Speech; for this is no more than what is done by those, that are commonly called our beft Translators, I mean they who were the last, and to whom we owe our present English Bible; for they

Supply two Subftantives in one Verfe, Job xix. 26. [Worms]
and [Body.]

Verbs, Job xxxix. 13.[thou gavest.] xix. 29.[bringeth.
XXXV. 8. [may burt,] and [may profit.]

Adjectives, Micah vii. 4, harper,] Pfal. Ixii. 9.
[lighter.]

Oblique Cafes with Prepofitions, Pfal. xvii. 7. [ against
them,] Prov. xvi. 8. [against me. And in fome
places, a Subftantive, Pronoun, and Prepofition all
together, Amos v. 12. [from their right.]
Upon occafion they fupply an Adverb, Job xii. 6.
[abundantly; ] and ver. 24. of the fame Chapter,
[where.]

[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]
[ocr errors][ocr errors]

At other places a Participle, as Hab. i. 11. [imputing.] I think they have nowhere in the Pfalms taken greater liberty, than in the xxxviii. 16. where they fupply, Hear me, otherwise, themselves,] all in one Verfe. And Iviii. 7. where again they fupply, [which, when, his bow to shoot, all in the compafs of one Verfe. For all intelligent Readers cannot but know, that none of thefe words are in the Hebrew.

7. Nor is it to be reckon'd a mif-translation, if, when two Verbs in the fame Mood come together, one is turn'd adverbially; for thus again our laft Tranflators, for [make hafte, hear me,] render, [hear me speedily,] Ixix. 17.

i.

8. Nor can it be thought a faulty omiffion, by competent Judges, if a Pronoun or Particle be fometimes left untranflated. The -Hebrew Tongue does often abound in Pronouns; and Mr. Ainsw. does but trifle, when he fo punctiliously tranflates them; as for Inftance, Pfal. 1. 4. which he thus renders, [Not fo the wicked; but as the Chaff which the Wind driveth it away.] 'Tis true, [it] is in the Hebrew, but our Tongue will not bear the Tranflation of ir, when [which] goes before: but even Mr. Ainsworth himself is forced to leave a Pronoun untranflated, Gen. xii. 1, and xxi. 5. in the former of which Texts, after [g] or [get you gone there is in the Hebrew 7 [to you;]and in the latter, after [fit you here] to your felves; and yet I don't know but that he might have, in as good fence tranflated thefe Pronouns as that before, but the Reader is to remember, that he tranflated his Pfalter in oppofition to ours, or elfe probably he would never have tranflated fo many Pronouns, in contradiction to plain English, as he has done throughout the Pfalms. The fame may be faid of the Hebrew, which fignifies no more than the former of two que's in Und eurufque notufque, and fure he conftrues it as fully to its fence, who fays, [the Eaft-wind and South-wind,] as he that is more nice, and fays, [Both the Eaft-wind and South-wind, &c.] The fame may be faid of feveral other words, and particularly

[ocr errors]

[all; for, I fuppofe, if in ftead of [all his bed ] our Tranflators had thought fit to fay [his bed] only, no wife and good Man could have been offended at it, Pfal. xli. 3.

9. Tho' Divines do not commonly think it juftifiable to follow the Seventy when they differ from the Hebrew, yet most do allow, that a regard is to be paid to them on account of their Antiquity. Mr. Ainsworth himself declares, [That he did much refpect them, and often follow them: And furely, if they may reafonably be follow'd in any thing, 'tis in turning fome words, as they have done, when there is no cogent reason to the contrary. This is what our Tranflators have fometimes done; And, in fuch cafes, I think it a fufficient Defence of our Tranflapors, to fay, that they turn fome few words, as the Seventy did

many

nany Ages ago. And I fuppofe no unprejudic'd Reader will ueftion but that this is enough, when there is nothing to weigh gainft it, but the Authority of here and there a modern Translacor: But there are very few Inftances of this nature in this Pfalter.

Notes in Defence of this Tran flation of the Pfalter.

Pfals II. 4.Welleth, fo Dr. Hammond mends our laft Tran

flation.

IV. 8. Since the time that their corn and wine, &c. increafed.] Juft thus Munfter tranflates, [à tempore quo frumentum eorum, And both Pagnine and Caftellio As for the addition of [Oyle,]

vinum multiplicata funt. much to the fame purpose. fee the Gen. Def. p. 8,9.

VI.3. Wilt thou punish me.] Munfher ufes here the fame Supplement, viz. affligis me. Mr. Ainsworth, in his Annotations, allows this to be the meaning of the Pfalmift.

6. Wash I my bed,] fo our Tranflators foften the Hyperbole, of Emaking the bed to fwim,] as they often do, fee Pfal. Iviii. 8. xcvii.II. cxix. Pe. 8. cxxi. 6. cxxv. 3. Munster, in ftead of, I make to fwim, has only hume&to, I moiften. Tate and Brady, tho' they tranflate in Verfe, where Hyperboles are more ufual, yet drop this, by turning the words thus: Quite tir'd with pain, with groaning faint, no hopes of eafe I fee, The night that quiets common griefs, is spent in tears by me. VII. 5. 37 may fignify to carry, or deliver up as a prey And fo

:

de Dieu takes it in this place: And thus the fence goes on clearly, and there is no occafion for a Parenthefis, only re•peat [if] ex communi, yra, if I have deliver'd up as a prey, or betray'd him, &c.

7. Lift up thy felf again.] This Expreffion, and that in the laft Tranflation [return thou on high fignify the very fame thing only this is plain English, the other a literal rendition of a Hebrew Phrafe.

7. Give fentence with me.] Judica miki, Ar. Montanus. Secun
dum me, Vatablus.

9. Guide thou,] Diriges, Munster. See Gen. Note 3d.
12. God is a righteous judge.] So Dr. Hammond amends our
laft Tranflation Munster turns the Verle thrus, Dew Justus
judex, Deus commovetur quotidiè, As for the Supplement,
[ftrong and patient,] fee the particular account of this, and

[ocr errors]
« PreviousContinue »