WE have spoken of French Bibles as largely as is necessary in the Dictionary, under the Article relating to them: For which Reason we shall here take notice only of the principal Editions of them.
Bible Historiale, two Vols. in fol. Paris, about the Year 1488. This Translation is by Guiart des Moulins, with Notes taken from Peter Comestor’s Historia Scholastica. It was printed by Order of Charles VIII. King of France, after it had been corrected and revised by John de Rely Doctor of Divinity, and Confessor to this Prince. This is one of the first French Translations; for Guiart des Moulins lived in 1294. There were Manuscripts of it in Libraries, as may be seen in F. le Long’s Bibliotheca Sacra, p. 315. in fol. We are not to be surprized therefore if this Version is altogether barbarous, and there were Grotesque Figures in the Edition of 1541; such as are to be seen in the Copy lodged in the Abby of St. Michael in Louvain. John de Rely, who by Order of King Charles III. revised Guiart des Moulin’s Translation, was a Fleming of Artois. He was esteemed the most eminent Philosopher and Divine of his Time. The Innocency of his Life gave new Lustre to the Nobility of his Descent. He was made Bishop of Angers, and died in 1498. Picus of Mirandola wrote a Letter to him, which is the ninth of the third Book. See M. De Sainte Matthe’ Gallia Christiana.
The French Bible translated by James le Févre of Estaples, 4 Vols. in 8vo. at Antwerp, 1528, 1530, 1534, and since reprinted often. That of Antwerp, for Martin l’Empereur, in 1534, is the most accurate and correct. It was revised and corrected by Nicholas de Leuse and Francis de Larben, Louvain Doctors, and is the first French Bible which seemed to be any thing elaborate and correct. In the Antwerp Editions of 1528, and 1530, in 4to. 4 Vols. there is neither the Psalter, nor the New Testament: The want of these Books has been supplied in the following Editions.
The Bible, translated into French by the Doctors of Louvain and printed in fol. at Louvain, in 1550. It is maintained, and with good Reason, that this is the same in Substance with that of Antwerp, 1534. but revised and amended in some Places. Another Edition of it was published at the same Place in 1578, since which time it has been reprinted in many others.
The Holy Bible in French and Latin, according to the Version of the Louvain Doctors, revised & corrected by some Doctors of the Divinity Faculty, at Paris, in fol. with a Dedication to Henry IV. 1608. This Edition was reprinted at Paris, in 1608, and 1615.
The Louvain Bible, published by Frizon, Penitential and Canon of Rheims, with Summaries of the Chapters, taken from Baronius, together with some Means proposed for distinguishing the French Catholick from the Hugonot Bibles, in fol. at Paris, 1621. ‘Tis said, that this Bible is not well cleared from the Errors of Calvinism, Frizon wanting both Judgment sufficient to discover them, and Exactness to correct them. Peter Frizon was of Rheims: He was sometime a Jesuit; and having taught Humanity in this Society, he left it before he had made his Vows. In 1642 he was admitted into the Society of the Royal College of Navarre, whereof he was Grand-Master from 1633 to 1635. As he often changed Employment, this made him pass for a Man of an inconstant Spirit. He died in 1651. Launoi speaks of him in his History of the College of Navarre, tom. 2. p. 833.
The Holy Bible translated into French by Renatus Benoit, in fol. at Paris, 1566, with Marginal Notes for the Explanation of difficult Places. This Bible was censured by the Doctors of the Divinity Faculty at Paris, in 1667. They confirmed the Censure in 1668, and Gregory XIII. approved it by a Bull dated the 3d of October, 1675. Renatus Benoit, instead of publishing the pure Translation of Louvain, vain, published imprudently that of Geneva, which he thought he had well purged of Calvinism, wherewithal notwithstanding it abounded. Cardinal Perron, in his Answer to the King of Great-Britain, James I. l. 6. ch. 8. is the Person from whom we learn the Occasion of this Bible’s being censured by the Divines of Paris. He says it was not because they disapproved of Benoit’s translating the Bible, but because the Version published by him was, as has been mentioned, that of Geneva uncorrected; for which Reason M. Simon reckons it among the Heretical Bibles, as does Father Verron, in his Preliminary Discourse on the New Testament.
Renatus Benoit was born at Antwerp, of poor, but virtuous Parents, and came to Paris with an Intention to follow his Studies there. He applied himself to Philosophy and Divinity, and was admitted into the Society of Navarre in 1556. In 1560 he went into Scotland with Mary Stuart to be her Confessor. Upon his Return to Paris, he was made Curate of St. Eustache in 1569, and was afterwards nominated to the Bishoprick of Troyas, which he could not possess, because his Bulls were refused him at Rome. His whole time was spent in preaching, writing, and disputing against Hereticks. He had a great Share in the Conversion of Henry IV. Lastly, he died in 1668.
The French Bible, by James Corbin, 8 Vols. in 16 at Paris. This Version was first published in 1647, and a second time in 1661, without any Alteration. F. Verron thought it too literal, and Vossius in his Critical Enquiries, ch. 31. says that the Style of it is altogether barbarous. It was however approved by the Doctors of Poictiers.
Michael Marolles’s French Bible. It was never finished. The twenty-third Chapter of Leviticus was printing, when Chancellor Seguier suppressed it in 1671. F. le Long in his Bibliotheca Sacra, produces the Reasons for this Suppression. Marolles has however published some Essays of this Bible. See his Title in the Index.
The French Bible of le Maitre de Sacy’s Translation, with the Explanation of the literal and spiritual Meaning, printed several times since the Year 1672. It has been often revised and corrected. It has been published in all sorts of Sizes, sometimes with the spiritual Sense of it, sometimes with the Annotations abridged; and again at other times with the Text alone. This great Work has been very much esteemed; but the learned have not thought it to be altogether so accurate and well connected as might be. Abbot Beaubrun took the Pains to revise it as we find it printed in 1717, 3 Vols. in fol. at Paris, for Desprez. There has been a fourth Tome added to it, containing the Apocryphal Books of the Old Testament, the Writings of the Apostolical Times, St. Jerome’s Prefaces, Dissertations upon the Holy Scripture, and several other curious and important Pieces.