THE PREFACE
at al. The other, to whom Christ hath given charge of our soules, the dispensing of God's mysteries and treasures (among which, holy Scripture is no final store) and the feeding his familie in season with food fit for euery sort, haue neither of old nor of late, ever wholly condemned al vulgar versions of Scripture, nor haue at any time generally forbidden the faithful to reade the same: yet they haue not by publike authoritie prescribed, commanded, or authentically euer recommended any such interpretation to be indifferently vsed of al men.
The Armenians say they haue the Psalter and some other peeces translated by S. Chrysostom into their language, when he was banished among them: and George the Patriarch, in writing his life, has signifieth no lesse. The Slavonians assume they have the Scriptures in their vulgar tongue, turned by S. Hierom; and some would gather so much by his owne wordes in his epistle to Sophronius, but the place indeed proveth it not. Vulpilas surely gaue the Scriptures to the Goths in their owne tōgue, & that before he was an Arrian. It is almost three hundred yeares, since Iames Archbishop of Genua, is said to have translated the Bible into Italian. More than two hundred years agoe, in the daies of Charles the fifth, the French King, was it put forth faithfully in French, the sooner to shake out of the deceiued peoples hands, the false heretical translations of a Sect called Waldenses. In our owne countrie, notwithstanding the Latin tongue was euer (to vse Venerable Bede's wordes) common to al the Provinces of the same for meditation or studie of Scriptures, & no vulgar translation commonly vsed or occupied of the multitude, yet they were extant in English euen before the troubles that Wicleffe & his followers raised in our Church, as appeareth, as wel by the testimonie of Malmesburie recording that V. Bede translated diuers partes into the vulgar tongue of his time, & by some peeces yet remaining; as by a provincial Constitution of Thomas Arundel Archbishop of Canterburie, in a Councel holden at Oxford: where strait prouision was made, that no heretical version set forth by Wicleffe, or his adherents, should be suffered, nor any other in or after his time be published or permitted to be read, being not approved & allowed by the Diocesan before: alleaging S.Hierom for the difficultie and danger of interpreting the holy Scripture out of one tongue into another, though by learned & Catholike men. So also it is there insinuated, that neither the Translations set forth before that Heretikes time, nor other afterward being approved by the Lawful Ordinaries, were euer in our countrie wholy forbidden, though they were not (to say the truth) in quiet and better times (much lesse when the people were prone to alteration, heresie, or noueltie) either hastily admitted, or ordinarily read of the vulgar, but vsed only, or specially, of some devout religious & contemplatiue persons, in reuerence, secrecie, and silence, for their spiritual comfort.
Now since Luther's revolt also, diuers learned Catholikes, for the more speedy abolishing of a number of false and impious translations put forth by sundry Sects, and for the better preservation or reclaime of many good soules endangered thereby, have published the Bible in the seueral languages of almost al the principal Provinces of the Latin Church: no other books in the world being so pernicious as heretical translations of the Scriptures, poisoning the people under colour of divine authoritie, & not may other remedies being more soueraigne against the same (if it be vsed in order, discretiō, & humilitie) then the true, faithful, and sincere interpretations opposed therevnto.
2. Which causeth the holy Church not to forbid vtterly any Catholike translation, though she allow not the publishing or reading of any absolutely & without exception, or limitation: knowing by her diuine and most sincere wisdom, how, where, when, and to whom these her Maisters and Spouses gifts are to be bestowed to the most good of the faithful: and therfore neither generally permitteth that which must needs doe hurt to the unworthy, nor absolutely condemneth that which may doe much good to the worthy. Wherevpon, the order which many a wise man wished for before, was taken by the Deputies of the late famous Councel of Trent in this behalfe, and confirmed by Supreme authoritie, that the holy Scriptures, though truly and Catholikely translated into vulgar tongues, yet may not be indifferently read of al men, nor of any other then such as have expresse licence thereunto of their lawful Ordinaries, with good testimonies from their Curates or Confessors, that they be humble, discrete, and devout persons, and like to take much good, and no harme thereby. Which prescript, though in these daies of ours it cannot be so precisely observed, as in other times and places, where
