Supervisors of the Work

Several other persons were employed in various stages of the work. In a letter from the King to the Bishop of London, dated July 22nd, 1604, the monarch says,—"We have appointed certain learned men, to the number of four and fifty, for the translating of the Bible." As the authentic lists contain but forty-seven names, it is presumed the others were certain "divines" referred to in the fifteenth article of the royal instructions as to the mode of prosecuting the work. In this fifteenth article it is provided, that besides the several directors or presidents of the different companies, "three or four of the most ancient and grave divines in either of the Universities, not employed in translating, be as signed by the Vice-Chancellor, upon conference with the rest of the Heads, to be overseers of the Translation, as well Hebrew as Greek, for the better observance of the fourth rule." That rule required, that among the different meanings of any word, that one should be adopted which is most sanctioned by the Fathers, and is most "agreeable to the propriety of the place, and the analogy of the faith." It is not known who those supervisors were; but if one of the Universities designated three of them, and the other designated four, it would make out the requisite number.

When the six companies had gone through with their part of the undertaking, three copies were sent to London; one from the two companies at Cambridge, another from those at Oxford, and the third from those at Westminster. Each company also delegated two of its ablest members to go up to London, and prepare a single copy from these three. When the Synod of Dort was discussing the subject of preparing a version to be authorized for the use of the Dutch churches, Dr. Samuel Ward, one of the members, informed that celebrated body as to the manner in which that business had been conducted in England. He then stated, that this last single copy was arranged by twelve divines "of good distinction, and thoroughly conversant in the work from the beginning;" and he, as one of the Translators, must have known the number.

This oft revised and completed copy was then referred, for final revision in preparation for the press, to Dr. Smith, one of the most active of the Translators, and soon after made Bishop of Gloucester, and to Dr. Bilson, then Bishop of Winchester. These two prepared the summary of contents placed at the head of the chapters, and carefully saw the work through the press in the year of grace, 1611.

Thomas Bilson, D.D.

Dr. Thomas Bilson was of German parentage, and related to the Duke of Bavaria. He was born in Winchester, and educated in the school of William de Wykeham. He entered New College, at Oxford, and was made a Fellow of his College in 1565. He began to distinguish himself as a poet; but, on receiving ordination, gave himself wholly to theological studies. He was soon made Prebendary of Winchester, and Warden of the College there. In 1596, he was made Bishop of Worcester; and three years later, was translated to the see of Winchester, his native place. He engaged in most of the polemical contests of his day, as a stiff partisan of the Church of England. When the controversy arose as to the meaning of the so called Apostles' Creed, in asserting the descent of Christ into hell, Bishop Bilson defended the literal sense, and maintained that Christ went there, not to suffer, but to wrest the keys of hell out of the Devil's hands. For this doctrine he was severely handled by Henry Jacob, who is often called the father of modern Congregationalism, and also by other Puritans. Much feeling was excited by the controversy, and Queen Elizabeth, in her ire, commanded her good bishop, "neither to desert the doctrine, nor let the calling which he bore in the Church of God, be trampled under foot, by such unquiet refusers of truth and authority." The despotic spinster ruled with such energy, both in Church and state, as to sanction the saying, that "old maids' children are well governed!" Dr. Bilson's most famous work was entitled "The Perpetual Government of Christ's Church," and was published in 1593. It is still regarded as one of the ablest books ever written in behalf of Episcopacy. Dr. Bilson died in 1616, at a good old age, and was buried in "Westminster Abbey. It was said of him, that he "carried prelature in his very aspect." Anthony Wood proclaims him so "complete in divinity, so well skilled in languages, so read in the Fathers and Schoolmen, so judicious in making use of his readings, that at length he was found to be no longer a soldier, but a commander in chief in the spiritual warfare, especially when he became a bishop!"

Richard Bancroft, D.D.

In the Translators' Preface, which used to be printed with all the earlier editions of the Bible, there is an allusion to one who was the "chief overseer and task-master under his Majesty, to whom were not only we, but also our whole Church, much bound." This was Dr. Bancroft, then Bishop of London, on whom devolved the duty of seeing the King's intentions in regard to the new version carried into effect. Though he had but little to do in the studies by which it was prepared, yet his general oversight of all the business part of the arrangements makes it proper to notice him on these pages.

He was born near Manchester, and educated at Jesus College, Cambridge. He was chaplain to Queen Elizabeth, under whom he became Bishop of London in 1597. On the death of Whitgift, in 1604, he succeeded to the archbishopric of Canterbury. In one year thereafter, such was his fury in pressing conformity, that not less than three hundred ministers were suspended, deprived, excommunicated, imprisoned, or forced to leave the country. He was indeed a terrible churchman, of a harsh and stern temper. Bishop Kennett, in his history of England, styles him "a sturdy piece;" and says "he proceeded with rigor, severity, and wrath, against the Puritans." He was the ruling spirit in that infamous tribunal, the High Commission Court, a sort of British Inquisition. Nicholas Fuller, an eminent and wealthy lawyer of Gray's Inn, ventured to sue out a writ of Habeas Corpus in behalf of two of Bancroft's victims in that Court, and argued so boldly for the liberation of his clients, that Bancroft threw him also into prison, where he lingered till his death. Fuller gives the following picture of this prelate:—"A great statesman he was, and a grand champion of church-discipline, having well hardened the hands of his soul, which was no more than needed for him who was to meddle with nettles and briars, and met with much opposition. No wonder if those who were silenced by him in the church were loud against him in other places. David speaketh of 'poison under men's lips.' This bishop tasted plentifully thereof from the mouths of his enemies, till at last, (as Mithradates,) he was so habituated unto poisons, they became food unto him. Once a gentleman, coming to visit him, presented him a libel, which he found pasted on his door; who nothing moved thereat, 'Cast it,' said he, 'to an hundred more which lie here on a heap in my chamber.'" Peremptory as his proceedings were with all sorts of Dissenters, whether popish or puritan, he seems sometimes to have had a relenting fit. It is but fair to relate the following incident. Fuller tells of an honest and able minister, from whom he derived the statement, who protested to the Primate, that it went against his conscience to conform to the Church in all particulars. Being about to be deprived of his living in consequence, the Archbishop asked him,—"Which way will you live, if put out of your benefice?" The minister replied, that he had no way except to beg, and throw himself upon Divine Providence. "Not that," said the Arcbishop, "you shall not need to do; but come to me, and I will take order for your maintenance." Such instances of generosity, however, were "few and far between."

Imperious as Bancroft was to his inferiors, he set them an example of servility to himself, by his own cringing to his master, the King. In a despicably flattering oration, in the Conference at Hampton Court, he equals King James to Solomon for wisdom, to Hezekiah for piety, and to Paul for learning! Scotland owes his memory a grudge for his unwearied endeavors to force Episcopacy upon that people. He was equally strenuous for the divine rights of kings and of diocesan bishops. He vigorously prevented the alienation of church-property; and succeeded in preventing that most greedy and villainous old courtier, Lord Lauderdale, from swallowing the whole bishopric of Durham!

Dr. Bancroft died in 1610, at the age of sixty-six years, and was buried at Lambeth Church. He canceled his first will, in which he had made large bequests to the church, and so gave occasion to the following epigram: —

"He who never repented of doing ill,
Repented once that he had a good will."

In his second testament, he left the large library at Lambeth to the University of Cambridge. Although in his time, the political sky was clear, he is said to have had the sagacity to foresee that coming tempest, which Lord Clarendon calls "the great rebellion," and which burst upon England in the next generation.

In his general supervision of the translation work, he does not appear to have tampered with the version, except in a very few passages where he insisted upon giving it a turn somewhat favorable to his sectarian notions. But, considering the control exercised by this towering prelate, and the fact that the great majority of the Translators were of his way of thinking, it is quite surprising that the work is not deeply tinged with their sentiments. On the whole, it is certainly very far from being a sectarian version, like nearly all which have since been attempted in English. It is said that Bancroft altered fourteen places, so as to make them speak in phrase to suit him. Dr. Miles Smith, who had so much to do with the work in all its stages, is reported to have complained of the Archbishop's alterations. "But he is so potent," says the Doctor, "there is no contradicting him!" Two of those alleged alterations are quite preposterous. To have the glorious word "bishopric" occur at least once in the volume, the office is conferred, in the first chapter of Acts, on Judas Iscariot! "His bishopric let another take." Many of the Puritans were stiffly opposed to bestowing the name "church," which they regarded as appropriate only to the company of spiritual worshippers, on any mass of masonry and carpentry.¹ But Bancroft, that he might for once stick the name to a material building, would have it applied, in the nineteenth chapter of Acts, to the idols' temples! "Robbers of churches" are strictly, according to the word in the original, temple-robbers; and particularly, in this case, such as might have plundered the great temple of Diana at Ephesus. Let us be thankful that the dictatorial prelate tried his hand no farther at emending the sacred text.