Whoever wishes to examine this curious point, may have proof at large in Wickliffe's Translation of the New Testament, which is about the date of 1370: the Translation of the whole Bible was completed a few years after.

The doctrines of Wickliffe affected the literature of the country in various ways. To the Pope's domineering pretensions of interfering with ecclesiastical benefices, they opposed the ancient rights of our King and the Clergy; to his claims on civil government, the acknowledged rights of the kings of England; to the accidental powers of civilians and canonists, the paramount principles of the common law; and to the dogmas of schooldivines, the supreme authority of the scriptures. Wickliffe's Translation, too, of the Bible had, a considerable influence on our language".

a One of our oldest Saxon (our old English) MSS. of the Gospel, is supposed to be that in the Bodleian at Oxford. It was published by the martyrologist, Fox, in 1571. The venerable Bede, who lived to a great age, and flourished in 731, amidst his other numerous labours, translated the Scriptures into Saxon, and wrote Commentaries on them. Ballarmin. de Scriptor. Eccles. p. 25. Abbot Ælfric, as appears by his Facts, written in the Saxon Language, in 950, translated a great part of the Old Testament; (see a curious Saxon Treatise, published by de L'Isle, in 1623) and our excellent King Alfred, as we are told by Fox, translated both the Old and New Testament into his mother-tongue. Rolle translated the Psalter, of which, with several canticles from the Old Testament, there is a copy in Sidney College Library. Wickliffe translated the whole Bible into English. He died in 1384. Mr. Lewis, minister of Margate, published a complete edition of Wickliffe's Translation in 1731.

In the University Library of Cambridge there is a Saxon translation of the Gospels, in MS. prefixed to which is, written in Latin and Saxon, these words: "These books gave Leofric, Bishop of the church of

Wickliffe, being but little acquainted with either Hebrew or Greek, his version was from the Latin, called the Vulgate, or Latin manuscripts, somewhat differing from the Vulgate. There are various copies of it in the libraries of Cambridge: two old translations are in Emanuel College library; but only one of them is Wickliffe's; for before, and a little after Wickliffe's time, translations were made of different parts of the scriptures into English; and particularly by Richard Rolle, Hermite of Hampole: these translations are often mistaken for Wickliffe'sb.

St. Peter's, in Exeter, for the use of his successors; and that Leofric died in 1071 or 1073."

a This appears in what regards the first leading doctrine in Matthew's Gospel, Baptism. Had Wickliffe translated from the Greek, he would probably have translated o Bawrins, the Baptist, as our translation does but finding Joannes Baptistes in the Vulgate, he translates it Jon Baptist; so again, finding lavabantur, Matthew iii. 6, in the Latin Vulgate, he translates it, thei weren waischen of hym in Jordan-and I waishe ghou in water. Mr. Robinson, Hist. of Bapt. ch. 11. correctly observes, "The English translators did not translate the word Baptize, and they acted wisely, for there is no word in the English language which is an exact counterpart of the Greek word," for it relates both to the ceremony and the character of the person. This is one of the ecclesiastical words, King James ordered to be kept. See Lewis's History of the several Translations, prefixed to his edition of Wickliffe's Translation, ch. v. It is remarkable that the German translation has, o ßawlıçns, der Tauffer; the Dutch, een Dooper, whence ours, Dipper.

b It is common, too, to speak of the different copies of Wickliffe's translation, lodged in different libraries, as being penued by him Thus at St. John's College, Oxford, it is intimated at the beginning of one of Wickliffe's Bibles, though in a different hand from the version itself, that it was written by Wickliffe; and certainly Archbishop Laud (who gave the College a fine collection of MSS.) was as likely to pos

Let us not say, because Dr. Wickliffe was a Professor of Oxford, that his doctrines do not concern Cambridge. His doctrines were soon spread over England; and being so searching, so interesting to theologists, could not fail, we may be sure, to engage seriously this University. The first public documents about Wickliffe prove, that his writings were read and publicly taught here: and though we have instances of recantations of Lollardism, and persecutions of some who avowed its more obnoxious doctrines, as we have shewn already, both in the Univer

sess Wickliffe's own copy as any man; though, to speak freely, from its great elegance, it wears the appearance of having been written ra~ ther by a professional scribe, than a laborious student. It has been observed, too, that it is incorrectly dated. In Worcester Cathedral Library is a much smaller copy, and in a different hand from Laud's MS. this also is said to have been Wickliffe's penmanship, together with a copy of the Vulgate, corresponding to it, the copy, it is said, from which Wickliffe translated, and written in the same hand with the translation.

Wickliffe, it will be recollected, had a prebend in Worcester Cathedral. Observations of this kind having fallen in my way are occasionally introduced, as interesting to Bibliographers: but be the matter as it may, Lewis's edition of Wickliffe's Translation of the New Testament, and Chaucer's Works, as published in Harry VIII.'s reign, may be considered as the most valuable specimens we possess of the old English, in its departure from the Saxon.

a As the following authorities were not quoted before, in the passages alluded to, they are quoted here. Constitutio Archiepiscopi cantuar : ne Libellus sive Tractatus compositus per Johannem Wickliffe, legatur vel doceatur, in locis quibuscunq. nisi primitus approbatus fuerit per alteram Academiam. A. D. 1408. Hare's MS. Index.

b Abjuratio Nich. Hereford Artium Bacalaurei de omnibus opinionibus et conclusionibus Joannis Wickliffe coram Cancellario in plena congregatione. A. D. 1412,

sity and neighbourhooda, still it became intermingled with the literature of the place, and was silently working, in its progress to a more permanent reformation.

a Reg. Eliens. Gul. Gray. MSS. as quoted by Mr. Robinson, in a Brief Dissertation on Preaching the Word, p. 54. Pref. to Mons. Claude's Essay on the Composition of a Sermon, Vol. 2.

CHAP. III.

THE REVIVAL OF LITERATURE- ERASMUS, AND OTHER EMINENT MEN, CLASSICAL SCHOLARS.

NEXT we come to the age of classical literature: and here we must begin with Erasmus Roterodamus. This learned man was contemporary with Fisher, Bishop of Rochester, Master of Queen's College, and Chancellor of the University in 1504. At his invitation, Erasmus came to Cambridge, and resided there about seven years, being the first who taught Greek publicly in the University. Some of its best scholars were proud to become his disciples, and Fisher himself was prevented only by age from being of the number.

Erasmus took the degrees of B. D. as incipient in Theology, 1506a; and in 1510 was made Lady Margaret's Professor of Divinity. He wrote upon all subjects, and in all styles, but always in Latin, and always well; his powers of composition being proportioned to the vast

a Concessa erat hoc anno, 1506, D. Erasmo Roterodamo facultas incipiendi in Theologia, Cantebrigiæ: Archbishop Parker's Acad. Cantab. Hist. p. 47; and the same in Dr. Richardson's List of Gra. duates, which is in the possession of the University Registrar, where Erasmus's name appears for only one degree. I am thus particular, because I have seen Erasmus's name put down as graduating in another year, and because it is stated very indeterminately by Dr. Fuller, History of Cambridge, p. 87.