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.

MART. 8. And if you will yet say, that our vulgar La∣tine translation hath here the worde, tradition: we graunt it hath so, and therefore we also translate accordingly. But you professe to translate the Greeke, and not the vulgar Latine, which you in England condemne as Papisticall, and say it is* 1.1 the worst of all, though Beza your maister pronounce it to be the very best: and will you notwithstanding followe the sayde vulgar Latine, rather than the Greeke, to make traditions odi∣ous? Yea such is your partialitie one way, and inconstancie an other way, that for your hereticall purpose you are content to followe the olde Latine translation, though it differ from the Greeke, and againe another time you will not follow it, though it be all one with the Greeke most exactly. as in the place before alledged, where the vulgar Latine translation hath nothing of traditions, but, Quid decernitis, as it is in the Greeke: you* 1.2 translate, Why are ye burdened with traditions?

FVLK. 8. You may be sure we will saye, that we know to be true, and sufficient to discharge our transla∣tion from your foolish and malicious quarrelling. But we professe (you saye) to translate the Greeke, and not the vulgar Latine. And I pray you, what doth your vulgar Latine Interpreter professe to translate, but the Greeke? if he then translating out of Greeke, could finde traditi∣on in the Greeke worde, why shoulde not we finde the same, especially being admonished by him: who if he translated truly, why are we blamed for doing as he did: if his translation be false, why is it allowed as the onely authenticall text. We follow not therefore the Latine translation, but ioyne with it wheresoeuer it followeth the Greeke, as we doe in ten thousand places more than

this, and willingly depart not from it, but where it de∣parteth from the Greeke, or else vseth such wordes as would be offensiue, if they were translated into English, or occasion of errour, as you doe likewise, when you de∣part from the proper and vsuall signification of wordes, which your Latine translator vseth: as when you call foenerator, a creditor, which signifieth an vsurer, Luc. 7. Sta∣bulum, an Inne, and stabularius, an host, Luc. 10. Vna Saba∣thi, the first of the Sabaoth, Iohn. 2. Ecclesia, the assembly, Act. 7. Baptismata, washings, Marc. 7. and such like. But we in England (you say) condemne the Latine translation, as papisticall. We accuse it as not true, in many places, & we saye it is the worst of all, though Beza, our maister, pronounce it to be the very beste. This toucheth me somewhat, for in the margent is noted Discouerie of the Rocke, pag. 147. where in deede speaking of the Hebrew text, of the olde Testament, and the Greeke of the newe, the Greeke translation of the Septuaginta, and the com∣mon Latine translation, I saye the Tridentine Councell alloweth none for authenticall, but the common Latine translation, that is, the worst of all. Now what sayth Be∣za contrary to this? speaking of the diuerse Latine tran∣slations of the new Testament onely, he sayth of the vul∣gar Latine, that he followeth it for the most part, & pre∣ferreth it before all the rest, maxima ex parte amplector & caeteris omnibus antepono. So that I speake of the whole Bi∣ble, Beza of the new Testament only. I speake of the vul∣gar Latine text, in comparison of the originall Hebrew and Greeke, and the Septuagintaes translation: Beza of the Latine translation of the new Testament, in compa∣rison of all other Latine translations, that were before him, as Erasmus, Castallion, and such like. According to your olde maner therefore, you rehearse out of my wri∣tings, either falsifying the words, or peruerting the mea∣ning. These things considered, you haue no cause to ac∣cuse vs of partialitie and inconstancie, for following, or leauing your Latine text, which we neuer did but vpon

good ground, and reason sufficient.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Discouer. of the Rocke. pag. 147. Fraefat in nou•••• Test. 1556.
• * 1.2

  Col. 2. 20.