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HISTORY OF PRINTING.
and Scarce Books, has furnished the following curious information : " It is in duodecimo, and is lettered on the back, 'New Tettament by Tyndall, first edition, 1526.' It has no title page. There is a portrait pasted to the first leaf. On the opposite leaf is a printed paper which says, that ' On Tuesday evening, (13tn of May, 1760,) at Mr. Lanribrd's sale of Mr. Ames's books, a copy of the translation of the Neto Tettament, by Tyndall, and supposed to be the only one remaining which escaped the flames, was sold for fourteen gfuineas and a half. This very book was picked up by one of the late lord Oxford's collectors, (John Murray, written in the margin,) and was esteemed so valuable a purchase by his lordship, that he settled £20 a year for lue upon the person who procured it. His lordship's library being afterwards purchased by Mr. Osbume, of Gray's Inn, he marked it at IS shillings, for which price Mr. Ames bought it This translation was finished in the reign of Henry VIII. an. 1526, and the whole impres- sion, as supposed, (this copy excepted,) was purchased by Tonstall, bishop of London, and burnt at St. Paul's cross, that year.' On the other side of the leaf, in manuscript, is this, ' N.B. This choice book was purchased at Mr. Langford's sale, 13th of May, 1760, by me, John White, and on the 13th day of May, 1776, I sold it to die Rev. Dr. Gifford, for 20 guineas, the price first paid for it by the late lord Oxford.' Then follows a print of the Earl of Oxford, formerly the owner of the book, who died in 1741. At the end of the book is the following note in manuscript by J. Ames. ' This singular English translation of the New Tettament ap- pears perfect to a person understanding printing, although it bears no date, which many books about uiat time wanted also, the subject at that time so dangerous to meddle with. The place where printed is generally supposed to be Ant- werpe, where persons in those aays had the press, and greater liberties than in their own countries. The manner in which this book is done tkow it very early, as the illuminating ol the great or initial letters, early used in the finest of our old manuscripts when they had a set of men called illuminators, for such purposes. Besides, the marginal notes being done with the pen, which were afterwards printed, show it prior to others printed with them. The person who did Ktihmo a fine free hand scarce now to be exceeded. These considerations put together, incline me to subscribe to this being the first printed edition of the English New Tettament. J. Ames.' Un- derneath this is written, ' And what puts it out of all doubt that it is prior to all other editions, are his own words, in the second page of his address to the reader. A, Gifford, Sept. 11, 1776." The address 'to the Reder,' alluded to here, is at the conclusion of the book. It is to this efiiect, ' Them that are learned christenly, I beseeche for as moche as I am sure, and my conscience beareth me recorde, that of a pure intent, singilly and faythfully, I have interpre- ted itt, (the Gospel,) as farre forth as God gave
me the g^ffte of knowledge and understondynge, so that thcJTudness of the worke now at the firtt tyme offende them not : but that they con^der howe that I had no man to counterfet, neither was holpe with englysshe of any that had in- terpreted the same, or soche lyke thinge in the Scripture before tyme, &c.' After this foUow, ' the errouis committed in the prentynge.'"
The Dutch printers pirated Tyndall's New Tettament; ana in the following year they pub- lished two editions, of five thousand, in a small form, which wer^ sold by the Dutch booksellers at the rate of It. \d. each, or three hundred for £16 5>. George Joye, an English refugee, who corrected the Dutch editions, received only A^. a sheet, or \At. for the whole of his labour. — In England they were sold singly for about 2(. 6d. Tyndall's own edition was sold at about 3<.
The publication of this New Tettament occa- sioned the bishop of London to issue the follow- ing prohibition : — " Cuthbert, by the permission of God, bishop of London, unto our well beloved in Christ, the archdeacon of London, or to hys officiall, health, grace, and benediction. By the duety of our pastorall ofiice, we are bounde dili- gently with all our power to foresee, provide for, roote out, and put away all those thynges, which seem to tend to the peril, and daunger of otir subjects, and especially to the destruction of their soules. Wherefore we hauyng understand- yng, by the report of divers credible persons, and also by the evident apparaunce of the mat- ter, that many children of iniquitie, maintayners of Luthers sect, blynded through extreame wick- edness, wandrying from the way of truth, and the catholicke &yth, crailely have translated the New Tettament into our English tongue, enter- medlyng therewith many hereUcall articles, and erroneous opinions, pernicious and offensive, se- ducyng the simple people attemptyng by their wicked and perverse interpretations, to propha- nate the majesty e of the scripture, which hitherto hath remained undefiled, and crieiftely to abuse the most holy word of God, and the true sense of the same, of the which translation there are many bookes imprinted, some with gloses, and some without, contayning in the EngUshe tongue that pestiferious and most pernicious poison, dis- persed throughout all our diocesse of London in great number; which truly, without it be speed- ily foreseene, wythout doubt will contaminate, and infect the flock committed to us, with most deadly poyson and heresie, to the grieuous peril and danger of the soules committed to our charge, and the offence of God's divine majes- tie : wherefore we Cuthbert the bishop aforesaid, grevously sorrowyng for the premisses, willyng to withstand the crafte ana subtletie of the ancient enemy, and hys ministers, which seek the destruction of my flock, and with a diligent care to take hede unto the flock, committed to my charge, desiring to provide speedy remidles for the premises; we charge you jointly and severally, and by vertue of your obedience strsughtly enjoyn and commaunde you, that bv our authority, you warn, or cause to be warned.
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