TILL THE TIME OF WICLIF

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When Sir Thomas More asserted that it was not the case that Wiclif was the first who carried through a translation of the whole Bible into English for the use of the laity, he added that he himself had seen beautiful manuscripts of the English Bible which belonged to a date long prior to that of Wiclif. This was not only accepted later by a man so learned as Archbishop Ussher, but Henry Wharton his editor, in turn credited John of Trevisa with having been the translator of one of those pre-Wiclifite manuscripts which they also had both seen. By-and-by, however, Wharton came to see that both he and Ussher, as well as More, had been wrong, and that what they had all seen were nothing more than copies of Wiclif's version. There is documentary proof that at the time of the Reformation there were several of these Wiclif manuscripts in the hands of Roman Catholic prelates. Certain it is that neither Wiclif nor the men of his generation knew anything about any predecessor in this field. Had there been earlier versions of the whole Bible in existence, the wrath of the Reformer's enemies because of what he did would have been altogether unmeaning.

For the whole period prior to Wiclif, who first rendered the whole Bible into English and made it the people's book, the state of the case cannot be better summarized than has been done by Professor Lechler of Leipzig, with whose statement this chapter may be brought to a close. The whole result for this period, ' as well of the Anglo-Saxon as of the Norman and Old 'English tongue, stands as follows:

I. A translation of the entire Bible was never 'during this period accomplished in England, and was I never even apparently contemplated.

2. The Psalter was the only book of Scripture which was fully and literally translated into all the three languages Anglo-Saxon, Anglo-Norman, and Old English.

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3. In addition, several books of Scripture, especially ' of the Old Testament, were translated partially or in select passages, as by Elfric, leaving out of view 'poetical versions, and the translation of the Gospel of

'John by Bede, which celebrated work has not come I down to us.

4. Last of all-and this fact is of great importance -in none of these translations was it designed to make 'the Word of God accessible to the mass of the people, ' and to spread Scriptural knowledge among them. The only object which was kept in view was partly to 'furnish aid to the clergy and to render service to the 'educated class.'

CHAPTER II

THE MORNING STAR OF THE ENGLISH REFORMATION

'Holy Scripture is the faultless, most true, most perfect, and most holy law of God, which it is the duty of all men to know, to defend, and to observe, inasmuch as they are bound to serve the Lord in accordance with it, under the promise of an eternal reward.'-John WiCLIF.

CHAPTER II

THE MORNING STAR OF THE ENGLISH

N°

REFORMATION

O name in all the long history of the English Bible occupies a more honourable place than that of John Wiclif. To him belongs the unique honour of being the first to give the English peoples the whole Bible in their own tongue. He was a great pioneer of

freedom alike in Church and State. A scholar and a thinker, he had great influence in all the upheavals of his time; but above all else, he was a Christian patriot who wished all men to hear the Word of God for themselves and to be free in Christ. It is hardly possible to over-rate the significance of his work, at once for the English people and for the English language. More than aught else, it kept alive in the hearts of the people that irrepressible spirit of free inquiry which led to the Reformation in the sixteenth century. Many are of opinion that Chaucer's 'parsoun of a toune,' so winsome and faithful, was no other than Wiclif, whose teaching the great poet had embraced; and from many points of view there are few, if any, English workers and writers who more deserve the gratitude of the whole nation.

Wiclif was a great scholar and an ardent patriot, a lover of the Gospel and intensely brave; but most of all he was a loyal, growing, Christian man. He was a true statesman and man of affairs, wise and conciliatory in all his ways. But he was altogether unyielding where principle and truth were involved; and modern historical research is showing that his work was vastly more fruitful than has sometimes been supposed.