A defence of the Apologie of the Churche of Englande conteininge an answeare to a certaine booke lately set foorthe by M. Hardinge, and entituled, A confutation of &c. By Iohn Iewel Bishop of Sarisburie.

The B. of Sarisburie.

Ye can vouchesaue to allowe vs the Scriptures in the three Learned Tongues, Greeke, Hebrevve, and Latine: that is to saie, in sutche sorte, as the simple peo∣ple maie in no wise touche them. But where did God euer sanctifie these three tongues, and cal them Learned? Or, where were they euer so specially Canonized, and allowed, aboue al other tongues, to the custodie of the Scriptures?

S. Augustine saithe,* 1.1 Scriptura Canonica tot Linguarum Literis, & ordine, & successione Celebrationis Ecclesiasticae custoditur: The Canonical Scripture is keapte in the Letters of so manie tongues, and by the order, and succession of Ecclesiastical publi∣shinge. Againe he saithe,* 1.2 Scriptura Diuina ab vna Lingua profecta, per varias interpretum Linguas, longè, laté{que} diffusa, innotuit Gentibus ad Salutem: The Holy Scriptures, passing from one Tongue, and beinge published abroade, fane and wide, (not only by three learned Tongues, but also) by sundrie Tongues of Interpretours, haue comme to the knowledge of Nations, and people, to their Saluation. Againe he saithe, Habemus Dei beneficium,* 1.3 qui Scripturas suas in multis Linguis esse voluit: We haue the benefite of God, that woulde haue his Scriptures to be (not onely in Three, but) in many Tongues.

S. Chrysostome saith,* 1.4 Syri, Aegyptij, Indi, Persae, Aethiopes, & innumerae aliae Gentes, Dogmata ab hoc introducta, in suam transferentes Linguam, hommes Barbari, Philosophari didicerunt: The Syrians, the Egyptians, the Indians, the Per∣sians, the Ethiopians, and other nations innumerable, translatinge into theire ovvne tongues the Doctrine,* 1.5 that they had receiued of S. Iohn, being Barbarous people, endenvoured them selues to learne wisedome. S. Hierome saithe, Scriptura Sancta populis omnibus legitur, vt omnes intelligant: The Holy Scripture is readde to al Nations, that al maie vnderstand it. It were harde to saie, that al the Nations of the worlde readde, or hearde the Scriptures in Gréeke, Hebrewe, or Latine, to the in∣tent, thei might the better vnderstande thē. If these Authorities séeme not plaine, and sufficiente,* 1.6 Theodoretus saithe further, Hebraici Libri, non modó in Graecum idioma conuersi sunt, sed in Romanam quoque Linguam, Aegyptiam, Persicam, Indicam, Armenicam, & Scythicam, at{que} adeó Sauromaticam: semel{que} vt dicam, in Linguas omnes, quibus ad hanc diem Nationes vtuntur: The Hebrewe Bookes of the Scriptures are translated, not onely into the Greeke, or Latine tongue, but also into the tongues of Egypte, Persia, India, Armenia, Scythia, and Sarmatia: and, to be shorte, into al the tongues, that vntil this daie are vsed in the worlde. This, I trowe, is sommewhat more, then Greeke, Hebrevve, and Latine. This whole matter, in my Former Replie to M. Hardinge,* 1.7 is further answeared.

Notes

• * 1.1

  August. Epist. 48.
• * 1.2

  August. De Do∣ctrina Christia∣na. li. 2. ca. 5.
• * 1.3

  August. In Psal. 105.
• * 1.4

  The Scri∣ptures in the vul∣gare ton∣gues.
• * 1.5

  Chrysost. in Io∣han. Homil. 1. Hieronym. in Psalm. 86.
• * 1.6

  Theodoret. De corrigend. Grae∣corum affectib. Lib. 5.
• * 1.7

  Articulo. 15.