Queries which I have heard at various times lead me to think that a Note on
this interesting volume may be acceptable to many readers who possess or
have access to it; and especially to those whose copies may be (as too many
are) imperfect at the beginning and end. Under this impression I send you
an extract from the late Mr. Lea Wilson's catalogue of his unrivalled
Collection of English Bibles. As very few copies of this curious and
beautiful work were printed, and not one, I believe, has been sold, it is
probable that few of your readers are aware of the criteria which that
gentleman's ingenuity and industry have furnished for distinguishing
between the {120} various editions which are known under the title of _The
Great Bible_, or _Cranmer's Bible_. He begins his description of the
edition of April, 1539, thus:
"As this volume is commonly called the First Edition of Cranmer's or
the Great Bible, I class it with the Six following; although in fact
the Archbishop had nothing whatever to do with either the translation
or publication. It was put forth entirely by Thomas Lord Cromwell, vide
Herbert's _Ames_, p. 1550. vol. iii., who employed Coverdale to revise
the existing translations. The first wherein Cranmer took any part is
the large folio of April 1540, the text of which differs from this
edition materially. The pages of this volume and of the four next
following begin and end alike; and the general appearance of the whole
five is so very similar that at first sight, one may be mistaken for
another by those ignorant of the fact that they are all separate and
distinct impressions: the whole of the titles, of which there are five
in each Book, and every leaf of kalendar, prologue, text, and tables
being entirely recomposed, and varying throughout in orthography, &c.
The desire to make perfect copies out of several imperfect, has also
caused extreme confusion, by uniting portions of different editions
without due regard to their identity. These remarks apply equally to
the editions of Nov. 1540, and Nov. 1541, of which, in like manner,
each page begins and ends with the same words. Although the distinctive
marks are very numerous, yet being chiefly typographical ornaments or
arrangement, it is impossible to give here sufficient guides to ensure
the integrity of each volume."--Page 12.
On the next page but one is added:
"The following lines of the forty-first chapter of Job differ in
composition in all the seven volumes, and for the purpose of
distinguishing the edition I have given them to each."
_No. 1. April, 1539._
No m[=a] is so cruell, that is able to stere him up. *Who is able to
stande before me? Or ++who hath geu[=e] me anything afore hande, that I
maye rewarde him agayne? All thynges un-
_No. 2. April, 1540._
No man is so cruell, y^t is able to stere h[=i] up. *Who is able to
st[=a]de before me? Or ++who hath geuen me any thyng afore h[=a]de, y^e
I maye rewarde him agayne? All thynges
_No. 3. July, 1540._
No man is so cruell, y^t is able to stere hym up. *who is able to
stande before me? Or ++who hath geuen me any thynge aforehande, that I
maye rewarde him agayne?
_No. 4. May, 1541._
No man is so cruell, that is hable to styrre hym up. *Who is hable to
stande before me? Or ++who hath geue me any thing aforehande, that I
maye rewarde hym agayne? All thyn-
_No. 5. December, 1541._
No m[=a] is so cruel, that is able to styrre hym up. *Who is hable to
stand before me? Or ++who hathe gyuen me anye thynge afore hande, that
I maye rewarde hym agayne?
_No. 6. November, 1540._
No man is so cruell that is able to styr hym up. *Who is able to stande
before me? Or ++who hath geuen me any thynge afore hande, that I maye
re-
_No. 7. November, 1541._
No man is so cruell that is hable to styrre hym up. *Who is able to
stande before me? Or ++who hath gyuen me any thyng afore hande, that I
maye rewarde hym agayne? All
I believe the foregoing to be an exact copy of Mr. Wilson's catalogue, but,
of course, I cannot be responsible for the accuracy of his transcripts.
Perhaps none but those who were admitted to his library ever had an
opportunity of comparing together all those editions; and nobody would have
done it with more care and fidelity than himself.