A defense of the sincere and true translations of the holie Scriptures into the English tong against the manifolde cauils, friuolous quarels, and impudent slaunders of Gregorie Martin, one of the readers of popish diuinitie in the trayterous Seminarie of Rhemes. By William Fvlke D. in Diuinitie, and M. of Pembroke haule in Cambridge. Wherevnto is added a briefe confutation of all such quarrels & cauils, as haue bene of late vttered by diuerse papistes in their English pamphlets, against the writings of the saide William Fvlke.

FVLK. 41. If Hebrue wordes be ambiguous, wee take that sense whiche agreeth with other places that are playne, and with out all ambiguitie, and this is no partialitie, but wisedome and loue of the truthe: not to grounde any newe doctrine vppon suche places onely, where the Hebrue worde is ambiguous, and may haue diuerse significations. As you do the redem∣ption of sinnes by almesse, vpon that place of Daniel. 4. Where you confesse that the Hebrue worde is ambi∣guous, & are not able to bring any one plain text for it, where the wordes are not ambiguous. But wee ground our refusal vpon a hundred plaine textes, that acribe the whole glorie of our raunsome & redemption frō sinnes, to the onely mercy of God. But as well this text, as the other two, that you cite in the chapters by you quoted, shall be throughly diseussed, to see if you can haue any aduaūtage at our translators of the same. But on the cō∣trarie side (you say) that at an other time we follow the determination of the Greeke for an other aduantage, as in that texte, Psalm. 89. Adore his foote stoole. be∣cause he is holy, whereas in the Hebrue it may be as in your Latine, because it is holy I answer, that we follow not the determination of the Greeke, as moued by the onely authoritie thereof, for any aduantage, but be∣cause wee learne our interpretation out of the verie Psalme it selfe. For whereas the Prophet in the 5. verse hath sayed. Exalt ••e the Lorde our God, and worshippe at the foote stoole of his feete, for he is holy: in the laste verse of the same, he repeateth againe the like ex∣hortation. Exalt ye the Lorde our God, and worshippe

him in his holy hill, for the Lorde our God is holy. In this verse for his foote stoole he placeth the holy hill, which expresseth where his foote stoole was, namely* 1.1 the holy A••ke, and for Cadhosh hu, holy is he, now he sayeth Cadosh I••houa, holy is the Lorde our God, which putteth the other verse out of ambiguitie. Where∣fore if wee take testimonie of the Greeke, we flie not to the Greeke from the Hebrue, but shewe that the Hebrue may so bee vnderstoode, hauing other more certaine arguments, than the testimonie of the Greeke. Againe it is vtterly false that you saie, we flie from both Hebrue and Greeke to the Latine, for wee neuer flie from the Hebrue, but acknowledge it as the fountaine and spring, from whence wee must receyue, the infalli∣ble truth of Gods worde, of the olde Testament, fol∣lowing the Latine or Greeke so farre, as they followe the truth of the Hebrue texte, and no farther. As for the saying of S. Augustine to Faust••s the Manichee. (You are the rule of truth,) doth moste aptly agree to you Pa∣pistes and to your Pope: for you will not aforde vnto the Scriptures them selues, any authoritie or certaintie of truth, but vpon your approbation and interpretation. Wherefore not only that which he sayth to Faustus the Manichee, agreeth aptly to you: what so euer is for you is true, what so euer is agaynst you, is not true: but that also whiche he reporteth, Tyconius the Donatist sayde of his secte (Quod volumus sanctum est, what so euer we will is holy) you your selues take vppon you. For no doctrine is good nor holy, though it be proued neuer so plainely out of the holy Scripture, except it be allow∣ed by you for catholike and holy.

Notes

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