P039 The Great Bible.

P039 The Great Bible. As soon as Matthew’s Bible came into the country, in 1537, he showed a deep interest in it. No wonder, then, that he exhibited a similar interest in the Great Bible issued under the patronage of Cromwell. In April, 1540, there appeared a second edition of the Great Bible, with this title:— The Byble | in Englyshe, that is to saye, the con- | tēt of al the holy scryptures, both | of yᵉ olde and newe testamēt, with | a prologe therinto, made by | the reverende father in | God, Thomas, archbysshop of Cantor- | bury. | This is the Byble apoynted | to the vse of the churches. This Bible was printed in London by Parisian workmen, and with Parisian type. It was merely a revision of the first edition, Coverdale still being editor. The prologue was written by Cranmer, and, through Cromwell, received the approbation of the king. Hence this Bible and the five subsequent editions are known by the name of "Cranmer’s Bibles." These editions were severally issued April, 1540, July, 1540, November, 1540, May, 1541, November, 1541, December, 1541. In the edition of November, 1540, the arms of Cromwell, which had appeared under his figure in the engraving on the title-page, were removed, and a suggestive blank space tells the story of his fall. The index hands, which had been intended to refer to the notes, had they been written, were also seen no more. The editions of November, 1540, and November, 1541, have on the title-page the names of Bishops Tunstall and Heath, who were appointed by the king to oversee the work, because they belonged to the party opposed to Cromwell. Thus the credit of the book was supposed to be confirmed.(1) In May, 1540, the king, by proclamation, again commanded that Bibles should be provided for public reading, since many parish churches were still destitute of them. Bonner, who had lately been appointed Bishop of London, and who afterward became so infamously known in the persecutions under Mary, set up six Bibles in St. Paul’s, chaining them to the pillars that were by the desks on which the books were placed.

------------ (FN1)See Westcott, p. 79.

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