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. 24. But you vse (you say) the ambiguity of the Hebrew. Take heede that your libertie in taking all aduanta∣ges, against the common and approued interpretation of the whole Church, be not very suspicious. For if it doe signifie also reward, as (you know) it doth very commonly, and your selfe so translate it, (Psal. 18. v. 11.) when you can not choose: and if the Septuaginta do here so translate it in Greeke, and * 1.1 S. Hie∣rome in his Latine translation, according to the Hebrew, & the auncient fathers in their commentaries: what vpstart new mai∣sters are you that set all these to schoole againe, and teach the world a new translation? If you will say, you follow our owne great Hebrician, Sanctes Pagninus. Why did you follow him in his translation, rather than in his Lexicon called The saurus, where he interpreteth it as the whole Church did before him? Why did you follow him (or Benedictus Arias either) in this place, and doe not follow them in the selfe same case, a litle before transla∣ting that very Hebrew word, which is in this place, propter re∣tributionem,* 1.2 for reward? So that you followe nothing, ney∣ther* 1.3 iudgement, nor learning, in Hebrew or Greeke, but onely your owne errour and heresie, which is, that we may not doe well in respect of reward, or, for reward, and therefore because the ho∣ly Prophet Dauid sayde of him selfe the contrary, that he did bende his whole hart to keepe Gods commaundements for re∣ward, you make him say an other thing.

FVLK. 24. If Sanctes Pagninus, Benedictus Arias, and Isidorus Clarius, be vpstart newe Maisters in your iudgement, because they depart here from the Septua∣ginta, and Saint Hierome, we poore men must looke for small fauour at your handes. But because you say we fol∣lowe nothing, neither iudgement nor learning, in He∣brew or Greeke, but onely our owne errour and here∣sie: I will set downe the iudgement of Isidorus Clarius,

vpon this place, who translateth it, as all the Hebritians of this age doe, and yeldeth his reasons in these wordes. Inclinaui cor meum.\]

Accommodaui animum meum, vt opere praestem praecepta tua, &c. I haue inclined my hart.\] I haue applied my minde, that in worke or deede, I might per∣forme thy commaundements, euen vnto the ende of my life. For that worde, propter retributionem, for reward, the Hebrew wordes haue not: and truely it is to be taken a∣way, for it is too seruile a thing, and not worthy of so great a Prophet, to giue diligence to Gods commaun∣dements for reward, and hope of retribution. For that is the part of an hyreling, and of him which is vnworthye the name of a sonne: neyther can he be worthily called a Christian man, that serueth Christ with this minde. For what? if God should say so, that he would not rewarde vs with any other retribution, seeing for this one thing, that we are created by him, we can neuer satisfie this debt, shal we refuse to serue him. Therfore we are bound to serue him with our whole minde, although he had decreed to thrust vs into hell fire, both for that which we owe him, and for that we liue onely that time which we bestow in well doing, for they which giue ouer them selues to all wicked works, by no meanes can be sayd to liue. Yet there may be an interpretation of the Hebrew wordes, without such offence, so that it may be sayde, for euer is the rewarde, as else where we reade, in kee∣ping of them is great rewarde. For by this meanes it is signified, that the fruite in deede of keeping Gods law is very great, but yet that retribution is not the ende and scope, but the loue of God. Let all indifferent Readers iudge by this,

what iust cause you haue thus to rayle, not only vpon our translators, but also vpō al learned Pa∣pistes, that haue translated euen so. And let the ignorant iudge, what knowledge you haue in the Hebrewe tongue, which vrge the false translation of the Seuen∣tie, against the opinion and translation of all the learned Hebritians of this age, both Papistes and Protestantes:

although it were no hard thing to proue, that the Greeke text of the Psalmes, which nowe we haue, is none of the Seuenties translation, as euen Lindanus might teach you, de opt. gen. l 3. ••. 6.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Propter aeter∣nam retributio∣nem sez. vitae ae∣ternae, vt eam merear percipere. in comment.
• * 1.2

  Psalm. 118. v. 112.
• * 1.3

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