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. 25. Seing the Prophet regardeth not the E∣tymologie of the wordes, but vseth both for one and the same Image, no nor regardeth the matter whereof it is made, as appeareth in the nexte verse, where he calleth this Idoll wodde, and stone, which cannot be molten, e∣uery reasonable man may see, that the worde Massecah doth in this place signifie generally an Image, which is made to be a teacher of lies. And whereas you repeate, that the two wordes doc signifie each an other diuerse thing from Image, because the one signifieth a grauen thing▪ the other a molten thing, you speake with out all shame, and sense of honestie: for Pesel signifieth not eue∣ry grauen, carued, or hewen thing, but onely an Image. For who would say, that a morter, or a gutter of hewen stone were in Hebrue to be signified by the word Pesel, or a pewter pot, or a dishe, by the worde Massecah; Seing the vse of the Hebrue tongue therefore hath appropried these names onely to Images, it is great frowardnesse, & no learning to quarell about the etimologie or deriua∣tion of them. As this name building in English, is taken only for houses: as when we say here are goodly buil∣dings, which if a man would extende according to the deriuation, & shewing nothing else but walles of bricke or other matter, prayse them for goodly buildings, he should be thought to speake straungly in our tongue, & yet according to the deriuation, building may signifie a∣ny thing that is builded. But for Imaginem falsam, a false image, you charge vs to translate an other thing, with∣out any necessary pretence, either of Hebrew, or Greeke. Such affirmations will make vs thinke meanly of your knowledge, in the Hebrew tongue. For what I pray you els, cā Moreh in this place signifie, but a teacher? or where* 1.1 is it euer taken for an image, as your Latine text hath, or a fantasie, as the Greeke readeth. Turne ouer your dicti∣onarie, and Hebrew concordance, and see if you can find it vsed for an image▪ or an idoll. At least wise, giue credit to Isidorus Clarius, who thus writeth in his notes vpon

the text. Quod ait imaginem falsam, in Heb. est docen••, vel annuncians mendacium. That he saith a false Image, in the Hebrue it is teaching or shewing foorth a lie The di∣stinction you make of true and false Images, is vaine for this purpose: for all Images that are vsed in religion, are false, and teachers of falshood, which you with Gregorie say are Laye mens bookes; but what shall they teache* 1.2 saith Abacuc and Ieremie, but lies and vanitie? where note that Ieremie calleth the Image woodde, by Synec∣doche, signifying all Images made with hands, of any matter. Againe he saith, euery artificer is confounded in his Image, because it is false which he hath made, and there is no breath in it. In whiche verse it is to be obserued, that hee vseth firste the worde Pesel, saying Mippasel and afterward Nifco, for the same Image made* 1.3 by the artificer, without distinction of grauing or melting, at leastwise for the sense, though the wordes be diuerse. Euen so your vulgar Latin translator vseth Sculptile, conflatile, imaginem & simulachrum, for one and the same thing. The Scripture therfore telling vs that all Images are false, because they being voyde of life, are sette vp to represent the liuing, it is not our fantasie, but the auctoritie of Gods worde, that causeth vs to reiect your fantasticall distinction, of true and false Images.

Notes

• * 1.1

  〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉
• * 1.2

  Abac. 2. Ierem. 10.
• * 1.3

  〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉