THE PREFACE
Scriptures as profanely cited as heathen poëtes.
Scriptures erroneouſly expounded according to euery vvicked mans priuate fanſie.
Al Heretikes pretend Scriptures.
The Scriptures haue been falſely and heretically tranſlated into the vulgar tongues, and ſundrie other vvaies ſacrilegiouſly abuſed, and ſo giuen to the people to reade.
Al this their dealing is noted (as occaſion ſerueth) in the Annotations vpon this Teſtiment: and more at large in a booke lately made purpoſely of that matter, called, A DISCOVERIE &c.
the Prieſt. Looke vvhether the moſt chaſt and ſacred ſentences of Gods holy vvord, be not turned of many, into mirth, mockerie, amorous ballets & deteſtable letters of loue and leudnes: their delicate rimes, tunes, and tranſlations much encreaſing the ſame.
This fall of good life & prophaning the diuine myſteries, euery body ſeeth: but the great corruption & decay of faith hereby, none ſee but vviſe men, who onely knovv, that, vvere the Scriptures neuer ſo truely tranſlated, yet Heretikes and ill men that follovv their ovvne ſpirit and knovv nothing, but their priuàte fantaſie, and not the ſenſe of the holy Church and Doctors, muſt needes abuſe them to their damnation: and that the curious ſimple and * ſenſual men vvhich haue no taſt of the things that be of the Spirit of God, may of infinite places take occaſion of pernicious errors. for though the letter or text haue no error, yet (ſaith S. Ambroſe) the Arrian, or (as vve may novv ſpeake) the Caluinian interpretation hath errors. lib. 2 ad Gratianum ca. 1. and Tertullian ſaith, The ſenſe adulterated is as perilous as the ſtyle corrupted. De Praeſcript. S. Hilarie alſo ſpeaketh thus: Hereſie riſeth about the vnderſtanding, not about the vvriting: the fault is in the ſenſe, not in the vvord. lib. 2 de Trinit. in principio. and S. Auguſtine ſaith, that many hold the ſcriptures as they doe the Sacraments, ad ſpeciem, & non ad ſalutem: to the outvvard ſhevv, and not to ſaluation. de Baptiſ. cont. Donat. lib. 3 ca. 19. Finally all Sect-maiſters and rauening vvolues, yea * the diuels them ſelues pretend Scriptures, alleage Scriptures, and vvholy ſhroud them ſelues in Scriptures, as in the wooll and fleeſe of the ſimple ſheepe. Vvhereby the vulgar, in theſe daies of generall diſputes, can not but be in extreme danger of error, though their bookes vvere truely tranſlated, and vvere truely in them ſelues Gods ovvne vvord in deede.
But the caſe novv is more lamentable: for the Proteſtants and ſuch as S. Paul calleth ambulantes in aſtutia, vvalking in deceitfulnes, haue ſo abuſed the people and many other in the vvorld, not vnvviſe, that by their falſe tranſlations they haue in ſteede of Gods Lavv and Teſtament, & for Chriſtes vvritten vvill and vvord, giuen them their ovvne vvicked vvriting and phantaſies, moſt ſhamefully in all their verſions Latin, Engliſh, and other tonges, corrupting both the letter and ſenſe by falſe tranſlation, adding, detracting, altering, tranſpoſing, pointing, and all other guileful meanes: ſpecially vvhere it ſerueth for the aduantage of their priuate opinions, for vvhich, they are bold alſo, partly to diſauthoriſe quite, partly to make doubtful, diuers vvhole bookes allovved for Canonical Scripture by the vniuerſal Church of God this thouſand yeres and vpward: to alter al the authentical and Eccleſiaſtical vvordes vſed ſithence our Chriſtianitie, into nevv prophane nouelties of ſpeaches agreable to their doctrine: to change the titles of vvorkes, to put out the names of the authors, * to charge the very Euangeliſt vvith follovving vntrue tranſlation, to adde whole ſentences proper to their ſect, into their pſalmes in meter, * euen into the very Creede in rime. al vvhich the poore deceiued people ſay and ſing as though they vvere Gods ovvne vvord, being in deede through ſuch ſacrilegious treacherie, made the Diuels vvord.
To ſay nothing of their intolerable liberty and licence to change the accuſtomed callings of God, Angel, men, places, & things vſed by the Apoſtles and all antiquitie, in Greeke, Latin, and all other languages of Chriſtian Nations, into nevv names, ſometimes falſely, and alvvaies ridiculouſly and for oſtentation taken of the Hebrues: to frame and fine the phraſes of holy Scriptures after the forme of prophane writers, ſticking not, for the ſame to ſupply, adde, alter or diminiſh as freely as if they tranſlated Liuie, Virgil, or Terence. Ha-
uing
1 Cor. 2.
Mat. 4.
2 Cor. 4.
Bezaan not. in c. 1. Lu. v. 78.
See the tenth article of their Creede in meter.
