at Neufchatel, and again, in 1540, at Geneva, with corrections by his relative, the celebrated reformer, Calvin. The so-called versions of Renat Benoist (1566), of Besse (1608), and of Frizon (1620), are merely editions of this version, with slight alterations. Several other revisions have been published; but, of these, by far the most important is the one familiarly known as the "Geneva Bible." It appeared at Geneva in 1588, after having been corrected by the College of Pastors and Professors of the Reformed Church at Geneva (Beza, Goulart, Jaquemot, Bertram, La Faye, and Rotan). The individuals engaged in this revision are said to have consulted the rabbinical writers, and the Latin versions of Munster and Tremellius, besides the sacred originals: they succeeded in imparting a greater degree of elegance and precision to the language, and corrected some of the errors of Olivetan.

1555. Castalio published a French translation of his own Latin version; but this work scarcely deserves a place in the list of French versions, as it is disfigured by serious errors, and never rose into repute. Castalio is even charged with having invented French words, for the purpose, as he thought, of expressing the full force of the Greek. In 1562, a translation was published, in French, of Diodati's Italian version.

1641. A translation of the entire Bible from the Vulgate, executed by Corbin, advocate of the

LE FEVRE'S VERSION.

1 Av commencement estoit la parolle, et la parolle estoit auec dieu: et la parolle estoit dieu. 2 Icelle estoit au commencement auec dieu. 3 Toutes choses ont este faictes par icelle et sans icelle riens na este faict qui ait este faict. 4 En icelle estoit la vie et la vie estoit la lumiere des hommes : 5 et la lumiere luyt es tenebres: et les tenebres ne lont point comprinse.

OLIVETAN'S VERSION.

1 Au commencement estoit la pa-
rolle, et la parolle estoit auec Dieu:
et Dieu estoit la parolle. 2 lcelle
estoit au commencement auec Dieu.
3 Toutes choses ont este faictes par
icelle: et sans icelle rien na este
faict, de ce qui est faict. En icelle
estoit la vie; et la vie estoit la lu-
miere des hommes, 5 et la lumiere
luyt es tenebres, et les tenebres ne
lont pas comprinse.

8

6 Ung homme fut enuoye de Dieu, qui auoit nom Jehan. Lestuy est venu en tesmoingnage, a ce quil rendist tesmoingnage de la lumiere: affin que tous creussent par icelle. Lestuy nestoit pas la lumiere, mais affin quil tesmoingnast de la lumiere. 9 Celle estoit la vraye lumiere qui enlumine tout homme venant au monde. 10 Elle estoit au monde: et le monde est faict par

6 Ung homme fut enuoye de dieu: qui estoit nomme Jehan. 7 Lestuy vint en tesmoignage, pour rendre tesmoignage de la lumiere: affin que tous creussent par icelle. 8 Lestuy nestoit point la lumiere: mais affin quil rendisse tesmoignage de la lumiere. La vraye lumiere estoit celle qui enlumine tout homme venant en ce monde. 10 Elle estoit au monde, et le monde est faict par elle: et le monde ne la point cong-elle et le monde ne la point congneue. Elle est venue es choses que estoient siennes et les siens ne lont point receue. 12 Mais tous ceulx qui lont receue, elle leur a donne puissance destre fais les filz de dieu, iceulx creans en son nom. 13 lesquels ne de sangz, ne par voulente de chair, ne par voulente dhomme : mais sont nez de dieu.

14 Et la parolle est faicte chair: et a habite en nous, et auons veu sa gloire, gloire comme de celluy qui est seul ne du pere, plaine de grace et de verite.

neue. 11 Elle est venue es choses
qui estoient siennes et les siens
ne lont pas receue. 12 Mais tous
ceulx qui lont receue: elle leur a
donne puissance destre faictz enfans
de Dieu, ascauoir a ceulx qui croyent
en son nom: 13 Lesquelz ne de sang,
ne de volunte de chair, ne de vo-
lunte dhomme: mais de Dieu sont
naiz.

14 Et la parolle est faicte chair, et
a habite en nous (et auons con-
temple sa gloire, gloire comme de
celuy, qui est seul nay du pere)
pleine de grace et de verite.

GENEVA VERSION.

1 Av commencement estoit la Parole, & la Parole estoit auec Dieu : & icelle Parole estoit Dieu. Elle estoit au commencement auec Dieu. 3 Toutes choses ont esté faites par elle: & sans elle rien n'a esté fait de ce qui est fait. 4 En elle estoit la vie, & la vie estoit la lumiere des hommes. 5 Et la lumiere luit és tenebres, & les tenebres ne l'ont point comprise.

8

6 Il y eut vn homme enuoyé de Dieu, qui auoit nom Iean. Cestuy-ci vint pour porter tesmoignage, à ce qu'il rendit tesmoignage de la Lumiere, à fin que tous creussent par luy. Il n'estoit pas la Lumiere, mais estoit pour tesmoigner de la Lumiere. 9 La vraye Lumiere estoit celle qui illumine tout homme venant au monde. 10 Il estoit au monde, & le monde a esté fait par luy, & le monde ne l'a point cognu. Il est venu chez soy: & les siens ne l'ont point receu. 12 Mais à tous ceux qui l'ont receu, il leur a donné ce droict d'estre faits enfans de Dieu, à scauoir, à ceux qui croyent en son Nom. 13 Lesquels ne sont point nais de sang ne de volonté de la chair, ne de volonté de l'homme: mais sont nais de Dieu.

14 Et ceste Parole a esté faite chair, & a habité entre nous auons contemplé sa gloire: gloire, di-ie, comme de l'vnique issu da Pere) plein de grace & de verité.

Parliament of Paris, and published with the approbation of the Faculty of Theology of Poitiers. The modes of expression adopted in this translation are rude and barbarous, and it has long sunk into disrepute.

1649. De Marolles published a New Testament, professedly translated from the original; but, as he did not understand the Greek language, it is believed that he merely made a translation of Erasmus's Latin Testament, which was drawn immediately from the Greek text. In some places he seems to have conformed to the Vulgate.

1666. Father Amelotte published a translation of the New Testament, which is well known to have been executed from the Vulgate, although he pretended that he had consulted Greek MSS. of the highest antiquity. This version is far from being faithful or accurate: he often uses great circumlocution, and in many instances inserts words which are not in the original, without writing them in Italics.

OSTERVALD'S VERSION.

DE SACY'S VERSION. 1 Au commencement étoit le Verbe, & le Verbe étoit avec Dieu, & le Verbe étoit Dieu. 2 Il étoit au commencement avec Dieu. 3 Toutes choses ont été faites par lui: & rien de ce qui a été fait n'a été fait sans lui. 4 Dans lui étoit la vie, & la vie étoit la lumière des hommes: 5 & la lumière luit dans les ténèbres, & les ténèbres ne l'ont point comprise. 6 11 y eut un homme envoyé de Dieu, qui s'appelloit Jean. Il vint pour servir de témoin, pour rendre témoignage à la lumière, afin que tous crussent par lui. Il n'étoit pas la lumière mais il vint moyen. : pour rendre témoignage, à celui qui étoit la lumière. 9 Celui-là étoit la vraie lumière, qui illumine tout homme venant en ce monde. 10 Il étoit dans le monde, & le monde a été fait par lui, & le monde ne l'a point connu. 11 Il est venu chez soi, & les siens ne l'ont point reçu. 12 Mais il a donné à tous ceux qui l'ont reçu, le pouvoir d'être faits enfans de Dieu, à ceux qui croyent en son nom : 13 qui ne sont point nés du sang, ni de la volonté de la chair, ni de la volonté de l'homme, mais de Dieu même. 14 Et le Verbe a été fait chair, & il a habité parmi nous: & nous avons vû sa gloire, sa gloire, dis-je, comme du Fils unique du Pere, étant plein de grace & de verité.

1667.

SWISS VERSION.

LA Parole étoit au commencement, 1 Au commencement était la Pala Parole étoit avec Dieu, et cette role; et la Parole était auprès de Parole étoit Dieu. 2 Elle étoit au Dieu; et la Parole était Dieu. 2 Elle commencement avec Dieu. 3 Toutes était au commencement auprès de choses ont été faites par elle, et Dieu. 3 Toutes choses ont été faites rien de ce qui a été fait, n'a été fait par son moyen, et rien de ce qui a sans elle. 4 C'est en elle qu'étoit été fait n'a été fait sans elle. 4 En la vie, et la vie étoit la lumière des elle était la vie, et la vie était la luhommes. 5 Et la lumière luit dans mière des hommes. 5 Et la lumière les ténèbres, et les ténèbres ne l'ont luit dans les ténèbres, et les ténèbres point reçue. 6 Il y eut un homme, ne l'ont point reçue. 6 Il y eut un appelé Jean, qui fut envoyé de Dieu. homme envoyé de Dieu; son nom 7 Il vint pour être témoin et pour était Jean; 7 Il vint en témoignage, rendre témoignage de la lumière, pour rendre témoignage de la lumiafin que tous crussent par lui. Il ère, afin que tous crussent par son n'étoit pas lui-même la lumière, 8 Lui n'était pas la lumière, mais il étoit envoyé pour rendre té- mais il était pour rendre témoignage moignage à la lumière. 9 C'étoit la de la lumière. 9 La véritable lumivéritable lumière qui éclaire tous ère qui éclaire tout homme était veles hommes, en venant au monde. nue dans le monde. 10 Elle était 10 Elle étoit dans le monde, et le dans le monde, et le monde a été fait monde a été fait par elle; mais le par son moyen, et le monde ne l'a monde ne l'a pas connue. 11 Il est pas connue. 11 Elle est venue chez venu chez soi et les siens ne l'ont soi, et les siens ne l'ont point reçue. point reçu. 12 Mais à tous ceux qui 12 Mais, à tous ceux qui l'ont reçue, l'ont reçu, il leur a donné le droit elle leur a donné le droit de devenir d'être faits enfans de Dieu, savoir, à enfants de Dieu, à ceux qui croient ceux qui croient en son nom; 13 qui en son nom, lesquels ont été enne sont point nés du sang, ni de la gendrés non du sang, ni de la volonté de la chair, ni de la volonté volonté de la chair, ni de la volonté de l'homme, mais qui sont nés de de l'homme, mais de Dieu. 14Et la Dieu. 14 Et la Parole a été faite Parole a été faite chair, et elle a chair, et a habité parmi nous, et dressé sa tente parmi nous, pleine nous avons vu sa gloire, une gloire de grâce et de vérité, et nous avons telle qu'est celle du Fils unique du contemplé sa gloire, gloire comme Père, pleine de grace et de vérité. du fils unique de la part du Père.

The celebrated version of the New Testament from the Vulgate, by De Sacy and other Port-Royalists, was printed by the Elzevirs, at Amsterdam, for Migeot, a bookseller of Mons; whence it is often called the Mons Testament. It appeared under the approbation of Cardinal Noailles, and it is still held in high repute, and has passed through many editions. De Sacy was confessor to the Society of Port Royal; he was involved in the persecution raised against that Society by the Jesuits, and was thrown into the Bastille

in 1666. It was here, during his confinement for two years and a half, that he undertook his translation of the Bible. He finished the entire version of both Testaments on the Eve of All Saints, 1668, the day of his liberation from imprisonment. His version has often been condemned by the Jesuits as too favourable to Protestantism, but in France it is generally regarded as "the most perfect version in French, or in any other tongue." De Sacy's character as a translator has been thus drawn:-" In a critical knowledge of the sacred text, he may have had many superiors; but none in that exquisite sensibility to the grandeur, the pathos, the superhuman wisdom, and the awful purity of the divine original, without which none can truly apprehend, or accurately render into another idiom, the sense of the inspired writers."

1668. Godeau, bishop of Vence, published at Paris another version of the New Testament from the Vulgate: it is neither a literal translation nor a paraphrase, but partakes of the nature of both.

1671-1680. Quesnel executed a translation of the New Testament from the Vulgate, taking as a basis that of De Sacy, and appending Moral Reflections, which have been translated and published in English.

1686. A New Testament, wilfully falsified to agree with Roman Catholic dogmas, was published at Bordeaux, by the Jesuits, and was intended for those Protestants who, after the revocation of the edict of Nantes, in 1685, had been compelled, by torture and other means, to embrace the Roman Catholic religion. Nearly the whole of this edition is supposed to have been destroyed, yet no fewer than nine copies are known to be still in existence in England and Ireland.

1696-1707. Martin revised the Geneva Bible, and rendered it more conformable in point of style to the modern idiom. Martin was a native of Languedoc, and exercised the duties of pastor in that part of France, till he was exiled by the revocation of the edict of Nantes. He then settled in Utrecht, as the pastor of the Walloon church in that city; he died in 1721. A revision of Martin's Bible was executed by Pierre Roques, pastor of the French church at Basle: it was published in 1772: other editions have been given elsewhere, and in 1820 this version was again carefully revised at Paris, and afterwards stereotyped at the expense of the British and Foreign Bible Society. 1697-1703. The Jesuits Bouhours, Tellier, and Bernier, published another version of the New Testament from the Vulgate; but this version, together with that of Hure (also from the Vulgate, and printed in 1702), has long sunk into oblivion.

1702. Father Simon, the celebrated author of some critical histories of the text and versions of Scripture, made a translation of the New Testament from the Vulgate: it was translated into English by Mr. Webster, in 1730.

1709. The Bible, translated chiefly from the Vulgate, but with corrections from the original Hebrew, and from some of the more ancient versions, was published by Le Gros, at Cologne, It was reprinted at Brussels in 1759, and at Paris in 1819.

1718. A Protestant version of the New Testament, remarkable for its closeness and accuracy, was executed from the original text by Beausobre and L'Enfant, and published at Amsterdam. An English translation of the preliminary dissertation and of the gospel of Matthew, belonging to this version, was printed at Cambridge in 1779.

1724. Ostervald, a pastor of the Lutheran church at Neufchatel, published an edition of the Geneva Bible, with notes: in 1744 he published another edition, with many corrections and emendations. His corrections, it has been observed, "have so far modernised the style, as to render this version far more elegant and idiomatic than that of Martin; but it is rather paraphrastical, and not so rigidly conformed to the originals.”

1741. A translation of the entire Bible, by Le Cene, was published by his son, a bookseller of

Amsterdam; but, on account of its Socinian tendency, it never rose into much repute. The same may be said of Le Clerc's version of the New Testament, which was also published at Amsterdam.

1820-1824. Genoudé published a translation of the Bible, executed mainly from the Vulgate, and written in pure and elegant language. This is a Roman Catholic version, and is in every respect conformed to the dogmas of that church.

1822. The Bible Society for the Canton-de-Vaud, after an uninterrupted labour of four years, published a revised edition of 10,000 copies of the entire French Scriptures. The revision was conducted by four clergymen, who availed themselves of the researches of oriental scholars, and of various critical aids that did not exist when Martin (and, after him, Ostervald) revised the old version of Olivetan. Many errors, however, crept into this version, which were pointed out by Mr. Haldane, and in consequence of these inaccuracies, and of notes appended to it, it was repudiated by the parent Society. 1839. The Lausanne revision of the Scriptures was published by an association of Swiss ministers of the gospel at Lausanne. The object of this revision was partly to accommodate the obsolete style of older editions to the modern idiom; but many of the emendations partake of the character of a paraphrase.

A revision of former versions, so carefully corrected as to be essentially a new version, was published, (the New Testament in 1842 and the Old Testament in 1850), at Paris, by the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge. The Society was induced to undertake this revision chiefly in consequence of a statement laid before them in 1835, by which it was shown that no less than four different versions of the Holy Scriptures were used indiscriminately in the Channel Islands; and that at least ten distinct versions were in use among French Protestants, occasioning much confusion, not to say evil, in their churches, schools, and families. Martin's revision was selected by the Society as the basis of the new edition, because it approaches the nearest to the English version.

Many other corrected editions and re-publications of the French Bible, several of which were executed, more or less, at the expense of the British and Foreign Bible Society, might be here enumerated, did our limits permit. The above list, however, may suffice to indicate the revisions in which the emendations are of sufficient importance to claim for them in any degree the character of new versions. The only texts circulated by the British and Foreign Bible Society are those of Martin, Ostervald, and De Sacy; the latter for the use of Roman Catholics. Ostervald's version is in general use among the French Protestants of Switzerland, while the Protestants in the south of France, and those of Holland and Belgium, prefer Martin's revision.

The following specimens, illustrating some of the various provincial dialects of France, will be found interesting:

NORMANDIAN DIALECT.-1 SAMUEL, CHAP. I. v. 1 to 6.

66
FROM A BOOK ENTITLED, LES QUATRE LIVRES DES ROIS."

UNS bers fu jà, en l'antif pople Deu, e out num Helcana; fiz fud Jeroboam, le fiz Héliud, le fiz Thaïr, le fiz Suf; e fud de Effrata. 2 Muillers out dous, la plus noble fud clamée Anna, e l'altre Phenenna. Phénenna out enfanz plusurs, mais Anna n'en out nul. En cel cuntemple, fud une cité Sylo, de part Effraïm, que Deu out à sun oës saisie e sacrée. Icest lieu seintefied fud li bers Helchana acustumiers à visiter, pur Deu dépreier, oblatiuns faire, e sacrifier as jurs asis e par la lei establiz. A cest lieu servir furent dui pruveire atitelé, Ofni Phinées. Fiz furent Hély, ki dunc ert évesche et maistre principals. E à un jur avint que Helchana fist sacrefise, e, sulune lu lei, à sei retint partie, partie dunad à sa cumpaignie. 5E a Anne sa muiller, que il tendrement amad, une partie dunad, ki forment ert déshaitée, kar Deu ne li volt encore duner le fruit désired de sun

ventre.

BURGUNDIAN DIALECT.-RUTH, CHAP. I. v. 1 to 5.

DAN le tam voù c'étoo dé Juge qui gouvanein le peuple jui et ansin qu'ein de lo étoo an plaice, ai vin dan lai Judée éne si tarbe fameigne que c'étoo pei qu'antan, et qu'ein haibitan de Betléam s'an-ali d'airô sai fanne et sé deu fi mâle, ché lé Moaibite por y passai ein pechô de tam. 2Stu-lai s'aipeloo Elimelai, et sai fanne Noëmi. Sé fi aivein nom Maalon et Chélion; Nel étein de Betléam qu'at an Juda. Étan don venun dans le paï de Moaibite el y restire. 3 Elimelai, mairi de Noëmi, vin depeù ai meuri. Noëmi resti d'aivô sé deu garçon. 4 Ai priure po lo fanne dé fille du paï, don l'éne aivoo nom Ruth, et l'autre Orpha. Aipré aivoi vicu diz an aivô lei, 5 Maalon et Chélion meurire tô deu; et Noëmi se trovi tôte seul, porce qu'elle aivoo antarri son homme et sé deuz anfan.

IV.-RESULTS OF THE DISSEMINATION OF THE FRENCH VERSION.

Copies of the French Scriptures, almost too numerous to be within the limits of calculation, have been issued, within the last half-century, by the French and Foreign Bible Society, by the Swiss Societies, and by other Continental Bible Societies, which have originated from the example, and have been assisted by the grants, of the British and Foreign Bible Society. From the Paris depôt of the British and Foreign Bible Society, there had been issued, up to the year 1860, a total of 3,695,062 copies of the Scriptures; and nineteen-twentieths of the number had been distributed among the Roman Catholic portion of the population. The result of these extensive distributions, as collected from the details of colporteurs, is a vast accumulation of facts, which could scarcely be comprised within the compass of a single volume; and for which, therefore, we must refer our readers to the pages of the Reports of the British and Foreign, and other Bible Societies. A late report of M. de Pressensé, the agent of the British and Foreign Bible Society in France, is couched in the following terms:-"The Lord only knows what amount of good has been produced by so large a circulation of his holy Word. What we ourselves have witnessed appears to me to be sufficient to convince us that it must be immense. Have not our colporteurs frequently discovered, in localities the very names of which were scarcely known, and even in solitary houses, scattered on heaths and moors, or buried in the midst of forests, individuals who proved themselves to be awakened and converted— true disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ-rendered such by the power of the Holy Ghost, infusing life and vigour into his written word? Have we not before us a sufficient array of facts to assure us that much of the divine seed has not fallen by the wayside, or among thorns and briars? And may we not, without exaggeration, declare, to the praise and glory of God, that the work of distributing the Scriptures in France has been carried on with the most visible and the most encouraging success?"

More recently, among other gratifying testimony to the progress of the good work from the same quarter, we meet with the following:-"One of our colporteurs writes to me respecting difficulties he has to encounter in a certain canton, difficulties of rather an uncommon character. The fact is, the people will scarcely allow of his going from house to house from the fear of being altogether deprived of his visits; indeed they seem almost inclined to keep him as a kind of prisoner. There are in the parishes comprising the district in question, at least a thousand persons, who, in consequence of the visits of the colporteurs, will have nothing further to do with popery. The greater number of these persons belong to the class of agriculturists, who are in easy circumstances, and they have made up their minds to incur sacrifices for the purpose of erecting a Protestant chapel. They already occupy a hired room, situated in the most central position. A pastor residing in the neighbourhood occasionally visits them, and the meetings which he holds are attended by from 200 to 300 persons, who appear to be increasingly growing in their attachment to the Bible."