TO THE ENGLISH READER.
we shal repete the summe of al, that is there more largely
discussed. To this first question therfore we answer, that
both iust reason, & highest authoritie of the Church, iudge
it not absolutly necessarie, nor alwayes conuenient, that Scriptures being hard are not to be read of al.
holie Scriptures should be in vulgar tongues. For being as
they are, hard to be vnderstood, euen by the lerned, reason
doth dictate to reasonable men, that they were not written,
nor ordayned to be read indifferently of al men. Experiēce
also teacheth, that through ignorance, ioyned often with Manie take harme by reading holie Scriptures.
pride and presumption, manie reading Scriptures haue
erred grosly, by misunderstanding Gods word. Which
though it be most pure in it self, yet the sense being adulterated lib. de Prescrip.
is as perilous (saith Tertullian) as the stile corrupted. S. Ambrose
obserueth: that vvhere the text is true, the Arrians interpretation lib. 2, ad Gratian. c. 1. Tract. 18 in Ioan.
hath errors. S. Augustin also teacheth, that here sies and
peruerse doctrines entangling soules, and throvving them dovvne
headlong into the depth, do not othervvise spring vp, but vvhen
good (or true) Scriptures are not vvel (and truly) vnderstood, and
vvhen that which in them is not vvel vnderstood, is also rashly
& boldly auouched. For the same cause, S. Ierom vtterly disallowed, Epist. 103. c. 6.
that al sortes of men & wemen, old & yong, presumed
to read: & talke of the Scriptures: wheras no articene,
no tradsman dare presume to teach anie facultie, which he hath not
first lerned. Seing therfore that dangers, & hurtes happen in
manie, the careful chief Pastores in Gods Church, haue alwaies Reading of Scriptures moderated.
moderated the reading of holie Scriptures, according
to persons, times, and other circumstances; prohibiting
some, and permitting some, to haue and read them, in
their mother tongue. So S. Crysostom trāslated the Psalmes
& some other partes of holie Scriptures for the Armenians, Scriptures translated into diuers tongues.
when he was there in banishment. The Slauonians Bibl. Sanct. lib. 4.
and Gothes say they haue the Bible in their languages. It
was translated into Italian by an Archbyshop of Genua.
Into French in the time of king Charles the fift: especially
because the waldensian heretikes had corruptly translated
