2.
In the next place concerning the Translation, The first part of my task was to prepare a new one out of the Original Greek, such as seemed to me most agree∣able, and on which my present understanding of the Text is founded; and to authorize or give confidence to such an undertaking, I had in my prospect not only the two English Translat. the one in the Book of Luurgie, the other in the Bibles, but the examples also of many learned men, as well those that live in the obe∣dience of the Bishop of Rome (whose great, I shall adde,* 1.1 just value of the Vul∣gar, is notwithstanding sufficiently known) as others of the Reformed Churches: Such of both sorts are Cardinal Cajetane, Mr Calvine, who translate from the Ori∣ginal what they comment upon. So doth Oleaster, and Mercer, and Forerius, and Erasmus, and Malvenda a late Spanish Frier, in his seven Volumes of Comments on the Bible. I need not adde Junius, and Tremellius, and Beza, and Castellio, the Authors of the Spanish, the Italian, the French Translations, and many more, who have all made use of that liberty. Yet considering my own great defects, the incompe∣tencie and disproportionableness of my strength and few years consideration to the length and weight of this work, and knowing that as oft and as farre as I differed in my sense from other men, so often and in the same distance did other men differ from me; and having before my eyes, from the fate of other men's attempts in this kind, (which I could not induce my self to approve of) great reasons to forecast and foresee mine own hazards, and (though not to discern, yet) to fear and suspect many misadventures therein, and so to passe that more early censure on my self which from others, which saw not with my partial eyes, I had cause to look for; Upon these, I say, and some store of other considerati∣ons, I made choise of the course which now is taken, in stead of obtruding a new, retaining the known Translation of our Bibles, and (after the manner which was formerly used in our Bibles of the larger impressions, of noting some other rendrings in the Margents) annexing, where it seemed usefull, another Trans∣lation of some words or phrases, with this * or †, or other like marks of reference to the words in our vulgar Text: And this is done also in the inner Margent. And where the matter is of any difficulty or weight, the reasons of the change are more largely offered, and are to be found in the Annotations, referred to by some letter of the Alphabet, a. b. c. &c. set over the top of the word in the Text. But when the matter is more perspicuous, or lesse weighty, so that the bare af∣fixing of the Greek words is a sufficient reason for the rendring them, then that only course is taken, and the Greek being affix'd to the English in the margent, the Reader is left to judge of it, and to make that advantage of the change which he sees cause for, without any prejudice to other rendrings.