THE BREECHES BIBLE.d

Otago Daily Times, Issue 4741, 28 April 1877, Page 2 (Supplement)

THE BREECHES BIBLE.d

■ ] jTte following'interestiug: letter,%wrifcbeQ (by 'Mr; Hi iS^Ghapman 3 ilate;jtidge o f(tb.e Supreme' Oourfy^ '.Circu'lar^qi^Ej^ruaryjTjri^i;^^ .'.\^t " /■■ "■■ .'■•.' j-i

Tp the Editqr;6fthe-Piablisherß^Circular,-' '>'< |Sir—ln,your"isßue bf % >1876,;i5% notice of ; the;sale' of-the Rev, Sir Craufurd's Jibraxy, arid in alluding to Caxtbnte translation' bi versiomof Genesis iii. 7, you observey 'Singu-^ larly, enough; GaktonhaktraiislatediGehesis iil ■ T,? "-Cheytokefigge;leaves and'sowfrd;ithem' .togyder ■ if oe to ■ cover, their membres,- in manner;6f brechea-;'? thus forestaHingithe'version-iu;the! :celebrated!Breeches.Bible;- r '- '"& *■''■ :•:;;.:; ■•>-. •>>

1 iThe.'date which.you give to Oaxton's" version, 'printed .by Wynkyn dcs Worde, is 1527; I belie ye the earliest 6f J rthe + -three; editions <■ <sf' 'the Gehevaiyersion, commonly caUed'thelßreeohe^ B^ble,iwas printed in 1560, so that you are quite Tight inivpur conclusion.:: But,' itftrut^iuaxtonwas himself fot'eßtalledby nearly'a'century 'ahda-halfi.-':n:^ >': v :rt,;:-r,:: v.« -;.,t v;r! iWi-V

;If you. will; take'thavtrbublel to' turn.'to Chaucer?s, " Persones Tale," you will ■ • find the' fallowing :paßßagei:>ii"-a£dian6nl!tUe^yeh' of* .them bothe ■openedea 'and'- whan^that' they ■knewe that| they- werei naked they' sowede of: 'fi^elevesiiiinarier of breohe's' to • hidea-here: 'membris.'.'-''.' ••■■•' il-Sul-v '■:■>-:i-.-A :)■:•.'■■ an ,ifi--r

1 i How^oainffGhaticer to hit lipdn'-this'expres-si.on 1 'Thei explanation is notdifficult. "\k iayr-. years beford -Chaiicer-publisfae'd' his Gantef-' bjary Talesj'^ Jiohnr'WyoKfle'BV.English'itransit tion-of jtheißiblßwa3' itt'the hands-of-mbst Bnglishfnen whocoiild reaidi' 'It was-completed in 1380, and it was circulated; ■■Ifo less-than ITO.'MSS;'of the' •Wycliffite versions Bfill exist, v. In this, veraioii'the word "b^qhis" oiocnrs, "Genesis 'iiiiiZi'ibeiDgjthtis 'rendere'i — " And the eiyen of both ben'-'Opeiiyd rand whanne' thef kridweftl hem" silt 't& !b'e nakld; thei sbweden togidre;loetiis"ofa figeireearid maden Hem'bredhia,?!l"? *' •>■'>■' ."5.v.3-'.>; oiw

, Now/ there' 'cap-scarcelys"be>' doubt :thafi Ghaucerj.who-was'contempora^'with'Wypliffe,' was familial with:'this version; and adopted it; in the "Pertones Tale." From Wycliffe (1380) Or Chfauc6r;(cirb,;'i4oo), riiost 'probably froia the formely it descended to Gaxtoii (1527), and the compilers'of the Geneva vers.ign idost; probably took it, .not:from Caxtoh^nor yet from 'Ghaucerj but' frbm" Wyclifte;;ther;dldest source, and tho. great'aiid accepted- authorityof the time: s-: •••'"• '■ ■• \,.".u. •■ J..1.:;1;.1:, r^.! •>/..

i TheiWycliffe ■versions;remainedI"in tMS;'y: buried in" public and!privatelibrarießj'untilthe year 1850; when-they were admirably'ediied by" Sir: Frederick:-lMai;lden''.and-the' Rfiv. Josiah Forshall, and sumptuously'printed-!at.- tn'eOxford UitiversifcyiPresi in four ybiun\es,;'imp. 4to.^ilam^&Ci,; ••--"■' V:':--;.:-',r.--.;-U: 'X-S: .:■■- '■:•>.''; Woqdside, Duneam; New Zealand,"-'1 '■■":■"■'■■ ■!•' •'■■ i '';November^3iidj 1876.;j--'/';^''^-^;^-'■!' •'=-. j 'Althbtigh this. Jetter, does^n'dt pretend.'to'raisß. aii^(jluestiqn^:^.th'e;.el^moji6gy;.of'\tue-^prd^ preecTtieSj ther editor of ''the'K'O; hMaMed tn'e" 'fipte1/' which may' tie interesting' to! some of piir readers :. —*'• ';'"': : :,' ;'";";"::" ■,'':, ! ,We thank cbrrespond&ti If'fie' iv ill go 'if price to' the. probable''jfltymioh 'of breeoheyl Front the yerb'bftßiian, tpr bretik,' he jvill seo' that itß itne'aning' is trai.sl'erred to tL'at parti'of the body' (so"saysßic'h;a;rdson 1 'f qubtirig Skiinei-'ahd Horn.y T6oke) which is-bo broken or bent.in sitting'down. -'1161106 it means the middle. ' The, rebellious'^ea, says;: Robert;,p^ Gloucester, * of' 'King Onut, ." ivax ah1 hoy (liigh] and 'w'dttS'.hys .brych all iiboute"-f Li:e. rose as in'gh es his middle.'1 Bya usuarcustom' the" name .'of the. p&Vt is'- ; traiisferred the garment, arid breeches were and'are; aprons, as; wo'll'as'ivhat some persors call •"u'nfee'ntipn-' fcbles." .Hence the apron of a. gun whicih coyferj' the breeching.has been itseli" called .by','th'e pame.. To breech is. alsp to' put oni or cjpYerWith cloths (thus we'say of a little bby,'.that he will be phortiy breeched)/*and p'er)ia|s ;wm' W

in those days,' 'when, as Cowp'er says of clothes: ■ '.'• •••■■ - ; --;'. ■ ■••h"-<- ■ :. ; !vl:

Save their own painted skins, or" sir. i ted hone As yet black brjechis were no 1. .' -

.'"■ -Ea Publishers' Circular. :; [Home Tooke's woik, with the emept titte', "The Diversions of Purley,"..is, without dbubb,. a most amusing "and not tmiustructlve, book, but he is notn'dw deemed a yery high authority in Teutonic learning:. 'Skiraer, too, Is inferior to the learned; Junius". JSlj.noloyi.iori '.Anglicarinm), arid he is n^unh ful-er^ujipn ..the word breeches, than-SkiDher. Bui -,if any of our readers arei curious',;upon thia no'- very important .point, We may^reier them to Wedgwood's "Did tionary of English Etymology," .~ei 187.2,, in which the explanations are in En^l'sh, whereas those of "Junius and Skinner are, in Latin. — Ed. 0. D. T.J -■-■ ■■.■:■■-■■■■■■ ;', :;-C.;, ...,