"If thou

much further us for the same purpose: although for the
signification of the Hebrew words we require no more credit,
than that which all they that be learned in the Hebrew
tongue, must be forced to yield unto us.
And seeing your
vulgar Latin departeth from the Septuagint interpretation,
even in the books of Moses, which (if any be theirs) may
most rightly be accounted theirs, because it is certain they
translated them, although it be not certain whether they
translated the rest: with what equity do you require us to
credit them, which your own vulgar translation affirmeth to
have translated amiss, as I have shewn before in the example
of Cainan's generation? Another example you have in the
4th of Genesis, Nonne si bene egeris recipies, &c.
shalt do well, shalt thou not receive? but if thou shalt do
evil, straightway thy sins shalt be present in the doors."
The Greek text hath, Οὐκ ἂν ὀρθῶς προσενέγκης, &c. “Not
if thou hast rightly offered, but thou hast not rightly di-
vided; hast thou sinned? be still." Where your translation
cometh much nearer to the Hebrew, as might be shewed in
very many examples. As for the ancient fathers' credit of
the Greek church, and the Latin that followed them, if our
judgment alone be not equivalent unto them, yet let these
ancient fathers, Origen and Jerome,-that thought them not
sufficient to be followed, and therefore gathered or framed
other interpretations,-let their judgment, I say, joining with
ours, discharge us of this fond and envious accusation.

46.

נפש בשאול

Martin. Again, we condescend to their wilfulness, and say: What MARTIN, if the Hebrew be not ambiguous, but so plain and certain to signify one thing, that it cannot be plainer? As, "Thou shalt not leave my soul Psal. xv. in hell;" which proveth for us, that Christ in soul descended into hell. Is not the one Hebrew word as proper for soul, as anima in Latin? the other, as proper and usual for hell, as infernus in Latin? Here then at the least will you yield? No, say they, not here neither; for Beza telleth us, that the word which commonly and usually signifieth soul," yet for a purpose, if a man will strain, it may signify not only "body," but also "carcase," and so he translateth it. But Beza (say we), being admonished by his friends, corrected it in his later edition. Yea, say they, he was content to change his translation, but not his opinion concerning the Hebrew word, as himself protesteth.

66

Fulke. You have chosen a text for example, wherein FULKE, is least colour (except it be with the unlearned) of an hun- 46.

[FULKE.]

6

dred. For whereas you ask, whether nephesh be not as proper for soul as anima in Latin, and sheol for hell as infernus in Latin; I utterly deny both the one and the other. For nephesh is properly the life, and sheol the grave or pit, though it may sometimes be taken for hell, which is a consequent of the death of the ungodly, as nephesh is taken for person, or one's self, or (as it is sometimes) for a dead carcase. Yea, there be that hold, that it is never taken for the reasonable immortal soul of a man, as anima is, specially of ecclesiastical writers. That Beza translated the Greek of the New Testament after the signification of the Hebrew words, although it was true in sense, yet in mine opinion it was not proper in words; and therefore he himself hath corrected it in his latter editions, as you confess : he hath not changed his opinion concerning the Hebrew: the reason is, because it is grounded upon manifest texts of scripture, which he citeth, Levit. xix. 27, and xxi. 1, and 11. Num. v. 2, and ix. 10. In the first place your own vulgar Latin translation for lanephesh turneth mortuo: you shall not cut your flesh for one that is dead. In the second place your vulgar Latin hath, Ne non contaminetur sacerdos in mortibus; and, Ad omnem mortuum non ingredietur omnino: Let not the priest be defiled with the deaths of his countrymen; and, The high priest shall not enter in to any dead

ועל כל נפשת body at all : where the Hebrew is lenephesh, and וְעַל כָלנַפְשת

מת לא יבא

מת לא

לנפש

In the third place your vulgar Latin readeth pollutusque est super mortuo, they shall cast out him that is polluted by touching a dead carcase; where the Hebrew is lanephesh. In the first place your vulgar Latin hath indeed anima, but in the same sense, that it had before mortuo : for the text is of him that is unclean by touching any dead body, which in Hebrew is nephesh. How say you now, is the Hebrew word as proper for soul as anima in Latin ?—except you will say, the Latin word anima doth properly signify a dead body. Hath not Beza good reason to retain his opinion concerning the Hebrew word, when he hath the authority of your own vulgar translation? You that note such jumps and shifts in us, whither will you leap to save your honesty? Will you say, the Hebrew text is corrupted since your translation was drawn out of it? The Seventy interpreters then will cry out against you: for they with one mouth,

in all these places, for the Hebrew word nephesh render the
usual signification vxn, adding in the xxi. of Lev. 11,
teteλeutŋkvîa, which either you must translate a dead body,
or you shall call it absurdly a dead soul.
Would any man

think to have found in you either such gross ignorance, or
shameful negligence, or intolerable malice against the truth,
that, Beza sending you to the places, either you would not
or you could not examine them; or if you did examine
them, that you would notwithstanding thus maliciously,
against your own knowledge and conscience, rail against
him? You make us to say, if a man will strain the word,
it may signify not only body, but also carcase.
What say
you? did Moses strain the word to that signification? You
said before, that we were at the jumps and turnings of an
hare before the hounds; such mighty hunters you are, and
we such fearful hares before you. I am not skilful in the
terms of hunting, but in plain English I will speak it, that if
all the traitorous wolves and foxes that be in the kennel at
Rhemes, would do their best to save your credit in this
section, nay, in this whole preface, they shall never be able
to maintain their own, with any indifferent reader.

47.

Martin. Well then, doth it like you to read thus, according to MARTIN, Beza's translation, "Thou shalt not leave my carcase in the grave ?" No; we are content to alter the word carcase, (which is not a seemly word for our Saviour's body,) and yet we are loth to say soul; but if we might, we would say rather "life," "person," as appeareth in the margin of our bibles; but as for the Hebrew word that signifieth hell, though the Greek and Latin bible throughout, the Greek and Latin fathers in all their writings, as occasion serveth, do so read it and understand it, yet will we never so translate it; but for "hell" we will say "grave," in all such places of scripture as might infer limbus patrum, if we should translate "hell." These are their shifts, and turnings, and windings, in the Old Testament.

47.

Fulke. I have shewed you before, that in the New FULKE, Testament we like better to translate according to the proper and usual signification of the Greek word. But the Hebrew word in the Old Testament may be translated, according to the circumstance of the place, life, person, self, yea, or dead body, and in some place perhaps carcase. follow us very near, to seek advantage of the English word carcase, which commonly is taken in contempt, and therefore

You

we would not use it, speaking of the body of our Saviour Christ, when it was dead. But you hunt yourself out of breath, when you would bring the same contempt to the Cadaver. Latin word cadaver, which Beza used. For cadaver signifieth generally a dead body of man or beast, and by your vulgar Latin translator is used for the dead bodies of sacrifices, of saints and holy men, as indifferently as for carrion Tỏ Tтŵμα. of beasts, or carcases of evil men: namely, in Job xxxix. 33, "Wheresoever the dead body is, thither will the eagle resort;" which similitude our Saviour Christ applieth to himself, Matt. xxiv. 28, "Wheresoever the dead body is, thither will the eagles be gathered;" where he compareth himself to the dead body, and the faithful to the eagles.

MARTIN, 48.

Now concerning the other Hebrew word, which you say signifieth hell, because the Greek and vulgar Latin interpreter do so translate it: when just occasion shall be given afterward, cap. vII., I will shew that it properly signifieth a grave, pit, or place for dead bodies; and that in this place of the xvi. psalm it must needs so signify, not only the latter part of the verse, expressing in other words that which was said in the former, but also the apostle's proving out of it the resurrection of Christ, do sufficiently declare. If you have no place therefore in the scriptures, to prove your limbus patrum, but where the Holy Ghost speaketh of the death and burial of the fathers, no marvel though you must strain the Hebrew word, which properly signifieth grave, and the Greek word, which properly signifieth a dark place, and especially the Latin, which signifieth generally a low place: none of all the three words signifying hell, as we commonly understand the word hell, properly and only, but by a figure, where mention is made of the death of the ungodly, whose reward is in hell. These be the poor shifts, turnings and windings, that you have to wreath in those fables of limbus patrum and purgatory, which the church of God from the beginning of the world unto the coming of Christ never heard of, nor many hundred years after Christ, until the Montanists, or such like heathenish heretics, brought in those fantasies.

Martin. In the New Testament, we ask them, will you be tried by the ancient Latin translation, which is the text of the fathers and the whole church? No; but we appeal to the Greek. What Greek?

say we; for there be sundry copies, and the best of them (as Beza confesseth) agree with the said ancient Latin. For example, in St Peter's words, "Labour that by good works you may make sure your vocation 2 Pet. i. and election," doth this Greek copy please you? No, say they; we appeal to that Greek copy which hath not these words, "by good works;" for otherwise we should grant the merit and efficacy of good works toward salvation. And generally, to tell you at once, by what Greek we will be tried, we like best the vulgar Greek text of the New Testament, which is most common and in every man's hands.

48.

Fulke. We need not appeal to the Greek, for any FULKE, thing you bring out of the vulgar Latin against us. As for that text, 2 Pet. i. "Labour that by good works," &c., I have answered before in the 36th section. We like well the Latin, or that Greek copy which hath those words, "by good works;" for we must needs understand them where they are not expressed and therefore you do impudently believe us to say they do not please us. Calvin upon that text saith: Nonnulli codices habent bonis operibus; sed hoc de sensu nihil mutat, quia subaudiendum est etiam si non exprimatur. “Some books have, 'by good works'; but this changeth nothing of the sense, for that must be understood although it be not expressed." The same thing in effect saith Beza: "that our election and vocation must be confirmed by the effects of faith, that is, by the fruits of justice, &c.; therefore in some copies we find it added, 'by good works." So far off is it, that Beza misliketh those words, that he citeth them to prove the perpetual connection of election, vocation, justification, and sanctification. This is therefore as wicked a slander of us, as it is an untrue affirmation of the vulgar Latin, that it is the text of the fathers and the whole church; whereby you shew yourself to be a Donatist, to acknowledge no church, but where the Latin text is occupied so that in Greece, Syria, Armenia, Ethiopia, and other parts of the world, where the Latin text is not known or understood, there Christ hath no church by your unadvised assertion. That we like best the most common Greek text, I am sure that we do it by as good reason, if not by better, than you in so great diversities of the Latin text, who like best of that which is most common and in every man's hands.

:

49.

Martin. Well, say we, if you will needs have it so, take your MARTIN, pleasure in choosing your text. And if you will stand to it, grant us that Peter was chief among the apostles, because your own Greek