AN AGED BIBLE

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXII, Issue 152, 13 June 1932, Page 5

AN AGED BIBLE

OWNED BY CANADIAN PURCHASED FOR SIXPENCE. NEARLY 400 YEARS OLD. An exceptionally old Bible has recently been “discovered” in Canada It is a perfectly preserved volume, dated 1014, done in Italian by one Gabriel Simeoni, and it is owned by Mr. Louis A. Breun, pathologist at the Royal Columbia Hospital, New Westminster. He bought it for sixpence from a stall on the streets of London nearly thirty years ago.

The chief value of the volume, in addition to its age, lies in the beautiful woodcuts which adorn every page. In the New Testament portion every woodcut is surrounded by a border artistically worked, and every border is different. The woodcuts are so fine that they might have been from the hand of one of the early masters.

Mr. Breun, who made a hobby of collecting ancient volumes, manuscripts, maps and coins, considers it one of his outstanding possessions, though, he also has a copy of Hollingshead’s Chronicles dated 1575, one year later. The 1574 Bible does not contain the full text of Holy Writ, but on each page under the woodcut is a verse of twelve lines which summarises Dm story contained in a chapter. VALUE AT LEAST £lOOO. Some previous owner of the volume has coloured the woodcuts which tell the story contained in the Old Testament. Mr. Breun submitted the book to the British Museum and it was found that this colouring can be removed if desired. The day after Mr. Breun bought the Bible for sixpence he was offered £l3O for it. He thinks its present value is at least £lOOO. Mr. Breun has many valuable documents and books at his home in New Westminster, while others are kept at the family home in London. The latter include a genuine Luther Bible of which lie is very proud. He has a diary dated 1666 which tells of the plague of London. He has also a number of Roman coins and some valuable manuscripts, including a Privy Council document of the days of George HI- Mr. Breun has been in Canada for twenty years and in New Westminster for ten. He says that he was examining goods offered for sale at a market when he discovered an old man selling a number of books at threepence each. He noticed the Simeoni Bible being used to prop up one leg of the stall and expressed a desire to buy it. The old man was not at all enthusiastic, however, for he needed a book of that size to balance the stall. Mr Breun offered him double the price to get it. OLD MAN DISAPPEARS. When it examined it and became convinced of its authenticity Mr. Breuu returned to the stall to offer the man something more, but ho had moved on and could not be found. Another of the oldest Bibles in Canada is one belonging to Mr. D. M. McLeod, of Vancouver, which is an English version printed in 1599. An English Bible printed in 1626, and an Irish-Gaelic printed in 1681-S5, also belong to Mr. McLeod.

Other noteworthy Bibles owned in Vancouver or vicinity are as follows: The “Breeches” Bible, printed in 1608, the property of Mr. Ernest J. Wood; a Bible published in 1623 by Bonham, Norton and John Bill in London, owned by Mr. F. L. Elkin, of Mission City; a copy of tho 1628 edition of the same volume owned by Mrs. Aline K. Cochrane.

Mr. W. W. Shipman, of Salmon Arm, has a Cambridge publication of 1630 and K. Charlton, of New Westminster, possesses a seventh edition of the Assembly Shorter Catechism printed in Edinburgh by Gavin Alston in 1648.

Mr. Justinian Felly, of Chilliwack, has a volume which was printed in 1626, a quarter of a century earlier than the Ontario edition. It is a combined Bible and prayer book.