TO THE READER.
there is more due respect of the Churches authoritie, rule, and discipline: yet we trust al wise and godly persons wil vse the matter in the meane while, with such moderation, meekness, and subjection of hart, as the handling of so sacred a Book, the sincere senses of God’s truth therein, and the holy Canons, Councels, reason, and religion doe require.
Wherin, though for due preservation of this divine worke from abuse and profanation, and for the better bridling of the intolerable insolencie of proud, curious, and contentious wittes, the Governours of the Church guided by God’s Spirit, as ever before, so also upon more experience of the maladie of this time then before, have taken more exact order both for the Readers and Translators in these later Ages, then of old: yet we must not imagin that in the primitive Church, either every one that understood the learned tongues wherin the Scriptures were written, or other languages into which they were translated, might without reprehension, read, reason, dispute, turne, and tosse the Scriptures: or that our Forefathers suffered every Schole-maister, Scholar, or Grammarian that had a little Greeke or Latin, straight to take in hand the holy Testament: or that the translated Bibles into the vulgar tongues, were in the hands of every husband-man, artificer, prentice, boies, girles, mistresse, maid, man: that they were sung, plaied, alleaged, of euery tinker, taverner, rimer, minstrel: that they were for table talke, for ale-benches, for boats and barges, and for every profane person and companie: No, in those better times men were neither so il, nor so curious of themselves, so to abuse the blessed book of Christ: neither was there any such easy meanes before printing was inuented, to disperse the copies into the hands of euery man, as now there is.
They were then in Libraries, Monasteries, Colledges, Churches; in Bishops, Priests, and some devout principal Lay-mens houses and hands: who used them with feare and reverence, and specially such parts as perteined to good life and manners, not medling, but in pulpit and schooles (and that moderately too) with the hard and high mysteries and places of greater difficultie. The poore plough-man, could then in labouring the ground, sing the Hymnes and psalmes either in knowen or vnknowen languages, as they heard them in the holy Church, though they could neither read nor know the sense, meaning, and mysteries of the same. Such holy persons of both sexes, to whom Saint Hierom in diuers Epistles to them, commendeth the reading and meditation of holy Scriptures, were diligent to search al the godly histories and imitable examples of chastitie, humilitie, obedience, clemencie, pouertie, penance, renouncing the world: they noted specially the places that did breed the hatred of sinne, feare of God’s judgement, delight in spiritual cogitations: they referred themselves in al hard places, to the judgement of the Ancient Fathers and their Maisters in religion, neuer presuming to contend, controule, teach or talke of their own sense and phantasie, in deep questions of divinitie. Then the Virgins did meditate vpon the places and examples of chastitie, modestie and demurenesse; the married, on conjugal faith and continencie; the parents, how to bring vp their children in faith and feare of God; the Prince, how to rule; the subject, how to obey; the Priest, how to teach; the people, how to learne.
3. Then the Scholer taught not his Maister, the sheep controuled not the Pastour, the young student set not the Doctour to Schoole, nor reproved their Fathers of errour and ignorance. Or if any were in those better daies, (as in al times of heresie such must needs be) that had itching eares, tickling tongues and wittes, curious and contentious disputers, hearers, and talkers rather then doers of God’s word: such the Fathers did euer sharply reprehend, counting them vnworthy and vnprofitable readers of the holy Scriptures. Saint Hierom in his Epistle to Paulinus, after declaration that
no handy-craft is so base, nor liberal science so easy, that can be had without a Maister (which S. Augustin also affirmeth, De Militate Cred. cap.7.) nor that men presume in any Occupation to teach that they neuer learned, Only (saith he) the art of Scripture is that which every man challengeth: this the chatting old wife, this the doting old man, this the brabling Sophister, this on every hand, men presume to teach before they learne it. Again, some with poise of lofty words devise of Scripture matters among women: othersome (sy upon it) learne of women, what to teach men, and lest that be not enough, by facilitie of tongue, or rather audacitie, teach that to others, which they understand never a whit themselves; to say nothing of such as be of my facultie: who stepping from secular
