"LA LITURGIE ANGLOISE. Ou Le Livre des Prieres Publiques, de l'Administration des Sacremens, & autres Ordres & Ceremonies de l'Eglise d'Angleterre. Nouvellement traduit en François par l'Ordonnance de sa Majesté de

I

Earlier version, partly copied by Durel.

la Grande Bretaigne." This retention of the words of the earlier version we regard as very unfortunate, insomuch as such portions of the book cannot furnish us with so conclusive a proof of the views held at the time of the last revision of the English Book as we should have derived from an entirely new translation. An example of the mistakes which may result from taking previously existing materials is given by Mr. Clay ("Liturg. Services of Q. Elizabeth." Parker Society. 1847. Pref. xxxii.), who shows how the misprint of "postridie " for "pridie," " ouer night," in the Second Rubric before the Communion of the Sick, originated in Aless's version of 1551, and was perpetuated by Haddon and his followers throughout the reign of Elizabeth.

Welsh and

Latin Prayer

Books required by Act of Uniformity.

By the "Act for the Uniformity of Publick Prayers," etc., 14 Carol. II., two other translations of the Prayer Book were required, one into the Welsh, the other into the Latin tongue. We are tempted to digress here from the main thread of our subject to consider for a moment the former of these versions. We do so for two reasons. In the first place, because it gives an instance of the care of Charles II. for the welfare of all his subjects; and affords a proof of a praiseworthy desire on the monarch's part to per- Prayer Book. petuate, by a provision for its liturgy, the ancient Cymric tongue, which has well been termed the only living link uniting Cæsar and Agricola with ourselves: just as further on in the Act an English Prayer Book is ordered also to be placed in the churches for the promotion of the knowledge of the English language, which would. tend to increase the external intercourse, commerce, and prosperity

The Welsh

1 The imprint of the copy in the Bodleian Library which we have inspected is, "A LONDRES, par IEHAN BILL, Imprimeur du Roy. M. DC. XVI. Avec privilege de sa Majesté." In the above transcript" and V " have occasionally been changed, as "Nouvellement" for "Nouuelle

ment."

of the Principality. And secondly, because we shall have occasion to refer to the Welsh version in our notes on the Catechism and elsewhere, and shall, we fear, be compelled to point out that such care was not always taken by its authors as we might have desired and expected; in fact, they compiled largely from the book in use before the revision, and did not translate "truly and exactly" from the Revised English Prayer Book, as the Act of Uniformity ordered them to do; nor can we plead for them shortness of time and pressing necessity, as we did in the case of Durel's French Prayer Book, for the Act gave them three years for the completion of their task.

In 1546 William Salesbury published the first Welsh Book ever printed: it contained the Alphabet, Calendar, Creed, Lord's Prayer,

History of it.

and Ten Commandments. In 1551 he followed it up with the translation of the Epistles and Gospels for the year, and in 1567 a joint translation of the Prayer Book was issued by William Salesbury and Bishop Richard Davies at their own expense. This was in the same year in which their translation of the New Testament was published. It is said that Queen Elizabeth gave William Salesbury a patent for seven years for printing in Welsh the Bible, Common Prayer, and Administration of the Sacraments. There is, however, no authority in the Act of Uniformity of I Eliz. for a Welsh translation of the Prayer Book, though it is ordered that the Book of Common Prayer shall be used by “all, and singular ministers in any Cathedral, or Parish-Church, or other place within the Realm of England, Wales, and the Marches of the same, or other of the Queens dominions," etc.

In the Act of Uniformity of Charles II., however, due provision for such a translation is made; the clause referring to 14 Car. II. Provision for it runs as follows:-" Provided always, and be it Enacted by the Authority aforesaid, That the Bishops of Hereford, Saint Davids, Asaph, Bangor, and Landaff and their Successours shall take such order among themselves, for the

Welsh Prayer Book.

I See next note.

souls health, of the Flocks committed to their Charge within Wales, That the Book hereunto annexed be truly and exactly Translated into the Brittish or Welsh tongue, and that the same so Translated and being by them, or any three of them at the least viewed, perused, and allowed, be Imprinted to such number at least, so that one of the said Books so translated and Imprinted, may be had for every Cathedral, Collegiate, and Parish-Church, and Chappel of Ease in the said respective Dioceses and places in Wales, where the Welsh is commonly spoken or used before the first day of May, One thousand six hundred sixty-five; etc.

" I

This Act also, as we have said, necessitated the preparation of a new Latin version. The clause referring to the use of the Latin Prayer Book runs as follows: "Provided always, That

Latin trans

lation required by

14 Car. II.

it shall and may be lawful to use the Morning and Evening Prayer, and all other Prayers and Service prescribed in and by the said Book, in the Chappels or other Publick places of the respective Colledges and Halls in both the Universities, in the Colledges of Westminster, Winchester, and Eaton, and in the Convocations of the Clergies of either Province in Latine; Any thing in this Act contained to the contrary notwithstanding."

This Latin version Dr. Durel published in 1670. In succeeding chapters we shall have to speak more fully of the circumstances attending its preparation and publication, of its character and value, and of the impress of authority which it bears. We shall see the labour and the length of time devoted to the work, and the assistance Durel enjoyed from other learned and prominent men of his day. We shall see that, as a result of this, his Latin version differs somewhat from his French translation in being deliberate and mature, and expresses in careful and studied language the opinions of himself and his colleagues, or rather, we should say, the opinions of the Established Church of his day. In short, we shall find that, as Mr.

I These quotations from the Acts of Uniformity are taken from the Book of Common Prayer, "Printed by John Field, Printer to the University of Cambridge, 1662." The copy inspected is at the Bodleian Library.

Blunt remarks, "Dean Durel's Latin Version is a most excellent one, whether it is viewed as to scholarship, theology or loyalty to the Church of England."

I

1 "The Annotated Book of Common Prayer," p. 586. App. IV. Rev. J. S. Blunt, M.A., F.S.A. Rivingtons, 1866.

CHAPTER II.

HISTORY OF THE LATIN TRANSLATION OF THE REVISED PRAYER BOOK.

"The genuine sense, intelligibly told,

Shows a translator both discreet and bold."-RoscoMMON.

N his first edition of 1670 Dr. Durel calls himself the "Editor "

I not the Translator of Latin Prayer Book. The chief reason

Dean Durel

the Editor.

for his adoption of this title appears to be that the translation was not originally committed to his care, but that he was appointed to carry on and complete the work of previous translators, who for various causes had been compelled to relinquish the task. In the account in Latin of the Sessions of Convocation we find as follows:-"Session LXXX Saturday April 26, between the hours of 8. and 10. in the forenoon of Appointment the same day, etc. And a debate having been held and by Convocamade among them concerning a translation of the book tion of Earle of public prayers into the Latin tongue, the lord bishop for preparing of London.1 etc. from and with the consent of his brethren, etc. committed the care of the same translation to the reverends John Earle Dean of the Blessed Peter Westm' and John Peirson professors respectively of sacred theology. And this having been done and said the lord, etc. continued, etc. according to the schedule, etc.2"

and Peirson

Latin Version.

This was in 1662, two months after the approval of the English Book by the king in council, and sixteen days after the Act of Uniformity, which necessitated a Latin translation, had passed the House of Lords. We see, therefore that Convocation lost no time

1 This was Gilbert Sheldon, who was raised to the Primacy in the next year. See App. D. 2 See Cardwell's Synod. ii. 671.