Accordingly in the same year he published his (2) ‘Middle Catechism,’ with the title ‘Christianæ Pietatis prima Institutio ad usum Scholarum.’ It was dedicated to the archbishops and bishops, is written in Latin, and was translated into Greek by Whitaker, and into English by Norton. The frequent editions of the seventeenth century testify to the importance attached to it by the puritan divines; those that are known are: (1) 1570, 4to, no copy traced (Lowndes, Jacobson); (2) 1575, John Day with Whitaker's Greek translation, 8vo, in Brit. Mus., B. N. C., Chetham, and imperfect, Trin. Coll. Camb.; (3) 1577, J. Day, with Greek translation, 8vo, Brit. Mus., Bodl., B. N. C.; (4) 1578, J. Day, with Greek translation, 16mo, Bodl., B. N. C.; (5) 1581, J. Day, 12mo, Brit. Mus.; (6) 1586, John Wolf for Richard Day, 12mo, B. N. C.; (7) 1595, John Windet, 12mo, Bodl.; (8) 1598, J. Windet, 12mo, B. N. C.; (9) 1610, 8vo, Bodl.; (10) 1615, 8vo, Bodl.; (11) 1625, 8vo, Brit. Mus.; (12) 1626, Cambridge, 8vo, Chetham; (13) 1630, 8vo, Brit. Mus.; (14) 1633, Cambridge, 12mo, B. N. C.; (15) 1636, Cambridge, 8vo, Brit. Mus.; (16) 1638, ‘pro societate stationariorum,’ with Greek, 12mo, B. N. C.; (17) 1673, with Greek, 12mo, Brit. Mus.; (18) 1687, with Greek, Bodl., Magd. Coll. Oxf.; (19) 1701, ‘pro societ stationar.,’ with Greek, 12mo, Brit. Mus., B. N. C.; (20) 1795, Oxford, edited by Dr. W. Cleaver, 8vo; (21) 1817, edited by W. Wilson, for use at St. Bees, 12mo.
Norton's translation of the ‘Middle Catechism,’ with title ‘A Catechisme or Institution of Christian Religion to be learned of all youth next after the little catechisme appoynted in the Booke of Common Prayer,’ has a special dedication by Nowell to the archbishops and bishops. It was published: (1) 1572, John Day, 12mo, Bodl., also a copy without date B. N. C.; (2) 1577, J. Day, 8vo, Bodl.; (3) 1579, J. Day, 8vo, B. N. C.; (4) 1583, J. Day, 8vo, Bodl.; (5) 1609, 8vo, Bodl.; (6) 1614, ‘for the companie of the stationers,’ 12mo, B. N. C.; (7) 1638, 8vo, Brit. Mus., Bodl.; (8) 1715, an independent translation with title ‘The Elements of Christian Piety, being an Explanation of the Commandments,’ &c., 12mo (Churton, pp. 193, 194); (9) 1818, Bristol, in ‘Church of England Tracts,’ No. 30, bound in collected tracts, vol. ii., 12mo; (10) 1851, by Prayer-book and Homily Society, 8vo.
Nowell's third or ‘Small Catechism’ is believed by Churton to be referred to in the king's letter prefixed to the catechism of 1553, as ‘the other brief catechism which we have already set forth.’ Churton does not consider it probable that these words refer to the catechism in the Book of Common Prayer, but his reason for this opinion does not seem obvious. An examination of Nowell's ‘small’ catechism in the edition of 1574 shows, as Churton himself, who had seen a later edition, points out in his appendix, that it is in no way different from the church catechism save that after each commandment it has the words ‘miserere nostri,’ &c., that after the ‘Duty to your neighbour,’ are inserted several questions and answers on the duties of subjects, children, servants, parents, &c., and that the part on the sacraments is much longer. The ‘small’ catechism has a preface signed A. N., and in Whitaker's dedication of the Greek version of the ‘middle’ catechism to Nowell, 1575, he says that Nowell had composed three catechisms, and that having already translated two he was now presenting the author with a translation of the third. All three catechisms are therefore treated by Whitaker and by Nowell himself as alike Nowell's work. Isaak Walton, moreover, speaks of Nowell (circa 1653) as ‘the good old man’ who made ‘that good, plain, unperplexed catechism printed in our good old service-book.’ It seems clear then that Nowell was the author of the first part of the church catechism now in use, which was first published in the prayer-book of 1549 as part of the rite of confirmation, the later portion on the sacraments afterwards (1604) added, as is generally held, by Bishop Overall having been reduced and otherwise altered from Nowell's ‘small’ catechism. This small catechism was translated like the two others, into Greek and English, and was published in Latin with the title ‘Catechismus parvus pueris primum Latine qui ediscatur, proponendus in scholis:’ (1) 1572, not known (Churton); (2) 1574 (by John Day), on the back of the title-page a woodcut of boys at school, and a quotation from Isocrates, with Whitaker's Greek version, 12mo, in Balliol Coll.; (3) 1578 (by J. Day, 8vo), not traced (AMES, ed. Herbert and Dibdin, iv. 130 n.); (4) 1584, with Whitaker's Greek, 8vo, Bodl.; (5) 1619, 12mo, B. N. C.; (6) n. d. Latin only, part of title-page torn away (by T. C. Lond., 8vo), Balliol Coll.; (7) 1633, with Greek, 8vo, Bodl.; (8) 1687, for the use of St. Paul's School, 8vo (Churton, App. viii.). Norton's English translation with title, ‘The Little Catechisme:’ (1) 1577, 12mo, not traced (Tanner); (2) 1582, Richard Day, 12mo, Bodl.; (3) 1587, 8vo, not traced (Tanner; Wood).
