P037 The Great Bible.

P037 The Great Bible.

It had no dedication, unless the remarkable wood-cut surrounding the title can be considered such. In this the king is represented as sitting on his throne, and giving the Bible to Cromwell and Cranmer, and they, in turn, giving it to clergy and laity, who surround them. At the bottom is a preacher addressing a crowd. From the mouths of the chief personages are labels with various brief speeches, while from many in the crowd comes the shout,"Vivat Rex." Above the king is a representation of the Almighty speaking from the clouds. This cut is said to have been designed by the celebrated Hans Holbein. In the center of this engraving is the title, as follows:— The Byble in | Englyshe, that is to say the con- | tent of all the holy Scrypture, bothe | of yᵉ olde and newe testament truly | translated after the veryte of the | Hebrue and Greke textes, by yᵉ dy- | lygent studye of dyuerse excellent | learned men expert in the forsayde | tongues. | Prynted by Rychard Grafton & | Edward Whitehurch. | Cum priuilegio ad imprimen- | dum solum. | 1539. | The books are arranged in the order to which we are accustomed in the "Authorized Version."

It was originally intended to have notes, or "certen godly annotacyons," in an appendix, and the texts thus to be annotated were indicated by a ☞; but as there was not time for the "oversyght and correccyon of the sayde annotacyons," they were omitted until "more convenient leysour" was found for their preparation; but the "leysour" never came. To denote words which were rendered from the Vulgate, but which were not in the original, smaller type was used. By the authority of the king an injunction was issued to the clergy requiring that each parish should be provided with a copy of the Bible to be set up in a convenient place within the church, and the people were to be urged to read it.

2. The Subsequent Editions.

Thomas Cranmer, Born 1489, Died 1556. For principal contemporaries seeunder Coverdale, page 28.

Cranmer was born in Aslacton, Nottinghamshire, July 2 1489. He was educated at Oxford, where he stood high in scholarship, and in 1510 was made a Fellow. In 1523 he took the degree of Doctor of Divinity, and became a lecturer in the college.