a study of bible-第7节

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men；　and　those　who　hoped　most　from　the　conference　were　doomed　to　complete　disappointment。　Not　one　among　them；　not　the　King；　had　the　slightest　purpose　that　the　conference　should　do　what　proved　to　be　its　only　real　service。　Some　of　the　men；　grave　and　earnest；　were　coming　to　present　their　petitions　to　the　King；　others　were　coming　to　oppose　their　petitions；　the　King　meant　to　deny　them　and　to　harry　the　petitioners。　And　everything　came　out　as　it　had　been　planned。　Yet　the　largest　service　of　the　conference；　the　only　real　service；　was　in　no　one's　mind；　for　it　was　at　Hampton　Court；　on　the　last　day　of　the　conference　between　James　and　the　churchmen；　January　18；　1604；　that　the　first　formal　step　was　taken　toward　the　making　of　the　so…called　Authorized　Version　of　the　English　Bible。　If　there　are　such　things　as　accidents；　this　great　enterprise　began　in　an　accident。　But　the　outcome　of　the　accident；　the　volume　that　resulted；　is　〃allowed　by　all　competent　authorities　to　be　the　first；　＇that　is；　the　chief＇　English　classic；〃　if　our　Professor　Cook；　of　Yale；　may　speak；　〃is　universally　accepted　as　a　literary　masterpiece；　as　the　noblest　and　most　beautiful　Book　in　the　world；　which　has　exercised　an　incalculable　influence　upon　religion；　upon　manners；　upon　literature；　and　upon　character；〃　if　the　Balliol　College　scholar　Hoare　can　be　trusted；　and　has　〃made　the　English　language；〃　if　Professor　March　is　right。　The　purpose　of　this　study　is　to　show　how　that　accident　occurred；　and　what　immediately　came　from　it。


With　the　death　of　Elizabeth　the　Tudor　line　of　sovereigns　died　out。　The　collateral　Stuart　line；　descending　directly　from　Henry　VII。；　naturally　succeeded　to　the　throne；　and　James　VI。　of　Scotland　made　his　royal　progress　to　the　English　capital　and　became　James　I。　of　England。　In　him　appears　the　first　of　that　Stuart　line　during　whose　reign　great　changes　were　to　occur。　Every　one　in　the　line　held　strongly　to　the　dogma　of　the　divine　right　of　kings；　yet　under　that　line　the　English　people　transferred　sovereignty　from　the　king　to　Parliament。＇1＇　Fortunately　for　history；　and　for　the　progress　of　popular　government；　the　Stuart　line　had　no　forceful　figures　in　it。　Macaulay　thinks　it　would　have　been　fatal　to　English　liberty　if　they　had　been　able　kings。　It　was　easier　to　take　so　dangerous　a　weapon　as　the　divine　right　of　kings　from　weak　hands　than　from　strong　ones。　So　it　was　that　though　James　came　out　of　Scotland　to　assert　his　divine　and　arbitrary　right　as　sovereign；　by　the　time　Queen　Anne　died；　closing　the　Stuart　line　and　giving　way　to　the　Hanoverian；　the　real　sovereignty　had　passed　into　the　hands　of　Parliament。


＇1＇　Trevelyan；　England　Under　the　Stuarts。


But　the　royal　traveler；　coming　from　Edinburgh　to　London；　is　interesting　on　his　own　accountinteresting　at　this　distance。　He　is　thirty…seven　years　old；　and　ought　to　be　in　the　beginning　of　his　prime。　He　is　a　little　over　middle　height；　loves　a　good　horse；　though　he　is　an　ungainly　rider；　and　has　fallen　off　his　horse　three　or　four　times　during　his　royal　progress；　is　a　heavy　drinker　of　the　liquors　of　the　period；　with　horribly　coarse；　even　gross　manners。　Macaulay　is　very　severe　with　him。　He　says　that　〃his　cowardice；　his　childishness；　his　pedantry；　his　ungainly　person　and　manners；　his　provincial　accent；　made　him　an　object　of　derision。　Even　in　his　virtues　and　accomplishments　there　was　something　eminently　unkingly。〃＇1＇　It　seemed　too　bad　that　〃royalty　should　be　exhibited　to　the　world　stammering；　slobbering；　shedding　unmanly　tears；　trembling　at　the　drawn　sword；　and　talking　in　the　style　alternately　of　a　buffoon　and　of　a　pedagogue。〃　That　is　truly　not　an　attractive　picture。　But　there　is　something　on　the　other　side。　John　Richard　Green　puts　both　sides：　〃His　big　head；　his　slobbering　tongue；　his　quilted　clothes；　his　rickety　legs　stood　out　in　as　grotesque　a　contrast　with　all　that　men　recalled　of　Henry　and　Elizabeth　as　his　gabble　and　rhodomontade；　his　want　of　personal　dignity；　his　buffoonery；　his　coarseness　of　speech；　his　pedantry；　his　contemptible　cowardice。　Under　this　ridiculous　exterior；　however；　lay　a　man　of　much　natural　ability；　a　ripe　scholar　with　a　considerable　fund　of　shrewdness；　of　mother　wit　and　ready　repartee。〃＇2＇

＇1＇　History　of　England；　chap。　i。

＇2＇　Short　History　of　the　English　People；　chap。　viii；　sec。　ii。


Some　good　traits　he　must　have　had。　He　did　win　some　men　to　him。　As　some　one　has　said；　〃You　could　love　him；　you　could　despise　him；　you　could　not　hate　him。〃　He　could　say　some　witty　and　striking　things。　For　example；　when　he　was　urging　the　formal　union　of　Scotland　and　England；　and　it　was　opposed；　he　said：　〃But　I　am　the　husband；　and　the　whole　island　is　my　wife。　I　hope　no　one　will　be　so　unreasonable　as　to　suppose　that　I；　that　am　a　Christian　king　under　the　Gospel；　should　be　a　polygamist　and　husband　to　two　wives。〃＇2＇　After　the　conference　of　which　we　have　been　speaking；　he　wrote　to　a　friend　in　Scotland：　〃I　have　had　a　revel　with　the　Puritans　and　have　peppered　them　soundly。〃　As　indeed　he　had。　Then；　in　some　sense　at　least；　〃James　was　a　born　theologian。〃　He　had　studied　the　Bible　in　some　form　from　childhood；　one　of　the　first　things　we　hear　of　his　doing　is　the　writing　of　a　paraphrase　on　the　book　of　the　Revelation。　In　his　talk　he　made　easy　and　free　use　of　Scripture　quotations。　To　be　sure；　his　knowledge；　on　which　he　prided　himself　unconscionably；　was　shallow　and　pedantic。　Henry　IV。　of　France；　one　of　his　contemporaries；　said　that　he　was　〃the　wisest　fool　in　Christendom。〃


＇2＇　Trevelyan；　England　Under　the　Stuarts；　p。　107。


Now；　it　was　this　man　who　was　making　his　royal　progress　from　Edinburgh　to　London　in　March；　1603；　nearly　a　year　before　the　gathering　of　men　which　we　were　observing　at　the　opening　of　this　study。　Many　things　happened　on　the　journey　besides　his　falling　off　his　horse　several　times；　but　one　of　the　most　significant　was　the　halting　of　the　progress　to　receive　what　was　called　the　Miliary　Petition；　whose　name　implies　that　it　was　signed　by　a　thousand　menactually　somewhat　less　than　that　numbermostly　ministers　of　the　Church。　The　Petition　made　no　mention　of　any　Bible　version；　yet　it　was　the　beginning　of　the　events　which　led　to　it。　Back　of　it　was　the　Puritan　influence。　It　asked　for　reforms　in　the　English　Church；　for　the　correction　of　abuses　which　had　grown　under　Elizabeth's　increasing　favor　of　ritual　and　ceremony。　It　asked　for　a　better…trained　ministry；　for　better　discipline　in　the　Church；　for　the　omission　of　so　many　detailed　requirements　of　rites　and　ceremonies；　and　for　that　perennially　desired　reform；　shorter　church　services！

Very　naturally　the　new　King　replied　that　he　would　take　it　up　later；　and　promised　to　call　a　conference　to　consider　it。　And　this　he　did。　The　conference　met　at　Hampton　Court　in　January；　1604；　and　it　was　for　this　that　the　men　were　coming　from　many　parts　of　England。　The　gathering　was　held　on　the　14th；　16th；　and　18th　of　the　month。　Its　sole　purpose　was　to　consider　that　Miliary　Petition；　but　the　King　called　to　it　not　only　those　who　had　signed　the　Petition；　but　those　who　had　opposed　it。　He　had　no　notion　of　granting　any　favor　to　it；　and　from　the　first　he　gave　the　Puritans　rough　treatment。　He　told　them　he　would　have　none　of　their　non…　conformity；　he　would　〃make　them　conform　or　harry　them　out　of　the　land。〃　Someone　suggested　that　since　this　was　a　Church　matter　there　be　called　a　Synod；　or　some　general　gathering　fitted　to　discuss　and　determine　such　things；　rather　than　leave　it　to　a　few　Church　dignitaries。　For　the　purposes　of　the　petitioners　it　was　a　most　unfortunate　expression。　James　had　just　come　from　Scotland；　where　the　Presbyterians　were　with　their　Synod；　and　where　Calvinism　was　in　full　swing。　He　was　much　in　favor　of　some　elements　of　Calvinism；　but　he　could　not　see　how　all　the　elements　held　together。　Predestination；　for　example；　which　offends　so　many　people　to…day；　was　a　precious　doctrine　to　King　James；　and　he　insisted　that　his　subjects　ought　to　see　how　clearly　God　had　predestined　him　to　rule　over　them！　But　he　could　not　tolerate　the　necessary　logical　inference　of　Calvinism　that　all　men　must　be　equal　before　God；　and　so　men　can　make　and　unmake　kings　as　they　need　to　do　so；　the　matter　of　king　or　subject　being　purely　an　incidental　one。　He　remembered　the　time　when　Andrew　Melville；　one　of　the　Scotch　ministers；　had　plucked　him　by　his　royal　sleeve　and　called　him　〃God's　silly　vassal〃　right　to　his　face。　So；　when　some　one　said　〃Synod〃　it　brought　the　King　up　standing。　He　burst　out：　〃If　that　is　what　you　mean；　if　you　want　what　the　Scotch　mean　by　their　Synod　and　their　Presbytery；　then　I　tell　you　at　once　that　I　will　have　none　of　it。　Presbytery　agrees　with　monarchy　very　much　as　God　agrees　with　the　devil。　If　you　have　no　bishop；　you　will　soon　have　no　king。〃　He　was　perfectly　right；　with　reference　to　the　kind　of　king　he　meant。　These　things　were　to　be　settled；　he　meant；　by　authority；　and　not　by　conference。　That　is　the　point　to　which　Gardiner　refers　when　he　says　that　〃in　two　minutes　James　sealed　his　own　fate　and　that　of　England　forever。〃＇1＇


＇1＇　History　of　England；　1603…42。


After　that　there　was　only　a　losing　fight　for　the　petitioners。　They　had　touched　a　sore　spot　in　James's　history。　But　it　was　when　they　touched　that　sore　spot　again　that　they　started　the　movement　for　a　new　version　of　the　Bible。　It　was　on　the　second　day　of　the　conference；