efteemed, and of low price; it is found entire in Walton's Polyglot.*

10. Next to a good Polyglot muft be claffed the other beft editions of the Holy Scriptures, in the original Hebrew and Greek. Among the best editions of the Old Teftament in Hebrew are the following:

KEN

*For a more particular account of WALTON's, and other Polyglots, as well as the various editions of the Hebrew Bible, fee WOLFII Bibliotheca Hebræa, vol. ii. p. 338, et fequent.

Bishop WILKINS remarks, That the Chaldee Paraphrafes, commonly called the Targum, in the historical books, do, for the most part, render the true fenfe of the original; but that of the Hagiographa is exceeding full of mistakes, and feldom comes near the right meaning. The Arabic tranflation hath been formerly publifhed only for fome parts of the bible, as the Pentateuch, and the Pfalms, (though fince published for the whole bible, in the French Polyglot) and is by fome learned men rejected, as being ignorantly done, not from the original, but out of fome other tranflation, and by fome.corrupt copy.-The Syriac hath been esteemed as genuine and faithful;-that of the New Teftament is of good antiquity and efteem; but was heretofore defective in fome books, which have been supplied by Dr. Pocock. "The Latin Vulgate,' continues the fame author, commonly, but without foundation, afcribed to St. JEROME, is unreafonably extolled by the catholics; but others are more esteemed by proteftants, as that of Pagninus, 1523, altered by Arias Montanus, in the interlineary bible. And especially what is in most common ufe amongst us is that of Junius and Tremelius, which is executed with great fidelity and judgment. And thofe of ERASMUS and BEZA on the New Teftament are of good repute. That

of

KENNICOTT's Vetus Teftamentum Hebraicum cum varius lectionibus, 2 vol. fol. 1780,—and HOUBIGANT'S Biblia Hebraica, cum notis criticis, in 4 vol. fol. are expenfive works, and are chiefly fought and valued by profeffed critics, for the fake of the Varia Lectiones. EVERARD VANDER HOOGHT's Biblia Hebraicavariis notis illuftrata, 2 vol. 8vo. Amftel. & Ultraj. 1705, is generally esteemed the standard of correctness. The steps taken to fecure this important point are mentioned in the preface, which is well calculated to make a favourable and pleasing impreffion on a mind in love with critical accuracy. This ought not to be fuperfeded, if poffible, by any Polyglot.

Biblia Hebraica, fecundum

editionem Belgicam.

EVERARD VANDER HOOGHT, collatis aliis bonæ notæ Codicibus, una cum verfione Latina SEBAS

of Caftalio, first published 1551, though elaborate, has too much affectation of elegance.

The English translations by TINDALL and MATTHEWS, in the reign of Henry VIII. were not fo much from the original Hebrew and Greek, as from fome Latin verfion, and therefore are not efteemed of any great authority. Thofe of greatest repute are,―The Geneva tranflation, finished there by fome English exiles, in Queen Mary's time, and published 1560:-The Bishop's Bible, in the beginning of Queen Elizabeth's reign, by Archbishop PARKER and others :That, which is now in common ufe, called the King's Bible, because executed by order of the king, James I. is, upon the whole, in high and deferved eftimation.'

TIANI SCHMIDII, 4to. Lipf. 1740, may be confidered as the best substitute for the preceding ones. Or,

Biblia Hebraica, ad optimas quafque editiones expreffa, cum notis maforethicis, et Capita, et verfus, necnon fingulorum Capitum, fummaris Latinis; by CHRISTIAN REINECCIUS, 4to. Lips. 1739.

Various editions of the Hebrew text have been published by PLANTINE, in fol. 4to. and 8vo. with and without points;-R. STEPHENS, in 4to. and 16mo. the first a fair, large character, the other very elegant and correct-HUTTER, Hamb. 1587, in a fair and elegant character, diftinguishing the radical and fervile, the deficient and quiefcent letters -Buxtorf, 1618, with rabinical notes and comments. ATHIAS, LEUSDEN, and SIMON, have published efteemed editions. BAYLEY, 4 vol. 8vo. with the English on the oppofite page.

§ 11. As the apoftles and evangelifts made much ufe of the Greek Septuagint, it has ranked high among the ancient verfions. Some of the best editions of it are the following:

GRABE's edition of the Septuagint, in 4 vol. thin fol. often bound in 2, Oxon. 1707, is in great repute. It was also published in 8 vol. 8vo. BREITINGER's Edition of the fame work, in 4 vol. 4to. Tiguri, 1730.

Bos's

Bos's Edition of the Septuagint, in 2 vol. 4to. commonly bound in one, Franc. 1709. This contains learned Prolegomena, the Scholia of the Vatican edition, variæ lectiones, and the apocrypha. DANIEL's edition, which is much efteemed, 8vo. Lond. 1653-Or, MILLS's, 12mo. Amftel. 1725.--Or Bishop PEARSON'S, printed by Field, 12mo. Cantab. 1665, may be admitted as a substitute.

12. Among the beft editions of the Greek Teftament are the following:

MILII Novum Teftamentum Græcum, cum lectionibus variantibus MSS. with very elaborate prolegomena, &c. fol. Oxon. 1707; or, the fame by KUSTER, Roterod. 1710, revised and improved. WETSTEINI. Novum Teftamentum Græcum, editionis receptæ cum lectionibus variantibus codicum MSS. &c. 2 vol. fol. Amftel, 1752.-These two works are fplendid and expenfive. The following are more within the reach of common libraries. BENGELII Novum Teftamentum Græcum, with va rious readings, a critical apparatus, parallel places, &c. 4to. Tubingæ, 1734. This text, without the apparatus, but with the var. lect. and parallel references, was republifhed in 8vo. Stutgard, 1734, with only one erratum, and that a wron g

accent.

ELZIVIR'S editions in 12mo. are in great repute, efpecially that of 1624.

WETSTEIN'S Novum Teftamentum, 1711 — 1735, are valuable, not merely for beauty and correctnefs, but also for the Canones Critici, prolegomena, Nota Critica, various readings, and fcriptural references.

SMYTECELT's edition, 1675, is beautiful, and small for the pocket.

The curious, who wish to see a fyllabus of almost all the editions of the Holy Scriptures in the criginals, and principal verfions, to the beginning of this century, may confult Le LONG'S BIBLIOTHECA SACRA, 8vo. Lipfix, 1709.

13. It would be tedious and unneceffary to enter into a detail of tranflations and editions of the English Bible. As an inftructive and entertaining fubftitute for this, the reader is referred

to,

LEWIS's Complete hiftory of the feveral translations of the Holy Bible and New Teftament into English, both in MSS. and print; and the moft remarkable editions of them since the invention of printing,' Lond. 1739.

Since the publication of that work, several tranflations have been made of feparate parts of the facred fcriptures, by DODDRIDGE, LOWTH, BLAYNEY, NEWCOME, BATES, HARWOOD, CAMPBELL, WAKEFIELD, HAWEIS, GEDDES,

&c.