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shipp, (that came into the Land to fish upon the Coast,) that landed him safe in England at Plimmouth: and hee stayed in England untill the ordinary time for shipping to set forth for these parts, and then retorned: Noe man being able to taxe him of any thinge.

But the Worthies, (in the meane time,) hoped they had bin ridd of him.

"THE BAY PSALM BOOK"

[The extreme punctiliousness of the early New England Puritans in all matters pertaining to worship led many of them to take offence at the lack of literalness in Sternhold and Hopkins's version of the Psalms, which was at first used in the churches of Massachusetts Bay. Accordingly "the chief Divines of the Country" undertook a new and more faithful metrical rendering. The greater part of the work was done by Richard Mather, who probably wrote the preface, Thomas Welde, and John Eliot. The result of their labors was published at Cambridge, in 1640, and has the distinction of being the first book printed in America. The title-page reads "The Whole Booke of Psalmes Faithfully Translated into English Metre. Whereunto is prefixed a discourse declaring not only the lawfullnes, but also the necessity of the heavenly Ordinance of singing Scripture Psalmes in the Churches of God." The work seems always to have been known, however, as "The Bay Psalm Book." It was generally used in New England churches until it was supplanted by Watts's "Psalms and Hymns" in the middle of the eighteenth century; and it attained some use in England and Scotland.

The modern reader finds it hard to understand how our forefathers could have endured so rough and barbarous a rendering of the Hebrew poems. It must be remembered that the sense of form in English verse was not high, as is shown by other poetic attempts of New England divines; that extreme reverence for the Bible blinded Christians to its literary excellences, so that they failed to see the contrast between this rendering and the sonorous grandeur of the King James version; and that the one test imposed on this work, as a matter of sacred principle, was that of literal

exactness.

The selections follow the facsimile reprint of the first edition edited by Wilberforce Eames in 1903.]

METRICAL TRANSLATION OF THE PSALMS DE

FENDED

[From the "Preface"]

As for the scruple that some take at the translation of the book of psalmes into meeter, because Davids psalmes were sung in his owne words without meeter: wee answer First. There are many verses together in several psalmes of David which run in rithmes (as those that know the hebrew and as Buxtorf shews

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Thesau. pa. 62.) which shews at least the lawfullnes of singing psalmes in english rithmes.

Secondly. The psalmes are penned in such verses as are sutable to the poetry of the hebrew language, and not in the common style of such other bookes of the old Testament as are not poeticall; now no protestant doubteth but that all the bookes of the scripture should by Gods ordinance be extant in the mother tongue of each nation, that they may be understood of all, hence the psalmes are to be translated into our english tongue: and if in our english tongue we are to sing them, then as all our english songs (according to the course of our english poetry) do run in metre, soe ought Davids psalmes to be translated into meeter, that soe wee may sing the Lords songs, as in our English tongue soe in such verses as are familiar to an english eare which are commonly metricall: and as it can be no just offence to any good conscience, to sing Davids hebrew songs in english words, soe neither to sing his poeticall verses in english poeticall metre: men might as well stumble at singing the hebrew psalmes in our english tunes (and not in the hebrew tunes) as at singing them in english meeter, (which are our verses) and not in such verses as are generally used by David according to the poetry of the hebrew language: but the truth is, as the Lord hath hid from us the hebrew tunes, lest wee should think our selves bound to imitate them; soe also the course and frame (for the most part) of their hebrew poetry, that wee might not think our selves bound to imitate that, but that every nation without scruple might follow as the grave sort of tunes of their owne country songs, soe the graver sort of verses of their owne country poetry.

Neither let any think, that for the meetre sake wee have taken liberty or poeticall license to depart from the true and proper sence of Davids words in the hebrew verses, noe; but it hath beene one part of our religious care and faithfull indeavour, to keepe close to the originall text.

As for other objections taken from the difficulty of Ainsworths tunes, and the corruptions in our common psalme books, wee hope they are answered in this new edition of psalmes which wee here present to God and his Churches. For although wee have cause to blesse God in many respects for the religious indeavours of the translaters of the psalmes into meetre usually annexed to our

Bibles, yet it is not unknowne to the godly learned that they have rather presented a paraphrase then the words of David translated according to the rule 2 chron. 29. 30. and that their addition to the words, detractions from the words are not seldome and rare, but very frequent and many times needles, (which wee suppose would not be approved of if the psalmes were so translated into prose) and that their variations of the sense, and alterations of the sacred text too frequently, may justly minister matter of offence to them that are able to compare the translation with the text; of which failings, some judicious have oft complained, others have been grieved, whereupon it hath bin generally desired, that as wee doe injoye other, soe (if it were the Lords will) wee might injoye this ordinance also in its native purity: wee have therefore done our indeavour to make a plaine and familiar translation of the psalmes and words of David into english metre, and have not soe much as presumed to paraphrase to give the sense of his meaning in other words; we have therefore attended heerin as our chief guide the originall, shunning all additions, except such as even the best translators of them in prose supply, avoiding all materiall detractions from words or sence. The word which wee translate and as it is redundant sometime in the Hebrew, soe somtime (though not very often) it hath been left out and yet not then, if the sence were not faire without it.

As for our translations, wee have with our english Bibles (to which next to the Originall wee have had respect) used the Idioms of our owne tongue in stead of Hebraismes, lest they might seeme english barbarismes.

Synonimaes wee use indifferently: as folk for people, and Lord for Jehovah, and sometime (though seldome) God for Jehovah; for which (as for some other interpretations of places cited in the new Testament) we have the scriptures authority ps. 14. with 53. Heb. 1. 6. with psalme 97. 7. Where a phrase is doubtfull wee have followed that which (in our owne apprehension) is most genuine & edifying:

Somtime wee have contracted, somtime dilated the same hebrew word, both for the sence and the verse sake: which dilatation wee conceive to be no paraphrasticall addition no more then the contraction of a true and full translation to be any unfaithfull detrac

tion or diminution: as when wee dilate who healeth and say he it is who healeth; soe when wee contract, those that stand in awe of God and say Gods fearers.

Lastly. Because some hebrew words have a more full and emphaticall signification then any one english word can or doth somtime expresse, hence wee have done that somtime which faithfull translators may doe, viz. not only to translate the word but the emphasis of it; as 7. mighty God for God. humbly blesse for blesse; rise to stand, psalm 1. for stand truth and faithfullnes for truth. Howbeit, for the verse sake wee doe not alway thus, yet wee render the word truly though not fully; as when wee somtime say rejoyce for shout for joye.

As for all other changes of numbers, tenses, and characters of speech, they are either such as the hebrew will unforcedly beare, or our english forceably calls for, or they no way change the sence; and such are printed usually in an other character.

If therefore the verses are not alwayes so smooth and elegant as some may desire or expect; let them consider that Gods Altar needs not our pollishings: Ex. 20. for wee have respected rather a plaine translation, then to smooth our verses with the sweetnes of any paraphrase, and soe have attended Conscience rather than Elegance, fidelity rather then poetry, in translating the hebrew words into english language, and Davids poetry into english meetre; that soe wee may sing in Sion the Lords songs of prayse according to his owne will; untill hee take us from hence and wipe away all our teares, & bid us enter into our masters joye to sing eternall Halleluliahs.

PSALME I

O Blessed man, that in th' advice
of wicked doeth not walk;
nor stand in sinners way, nor sit
in chayre of scornfull folk,

2 But in the law of Jehovah,
is his longing delight:
and in his law doth meditate,

by day and eke by night.

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