A Differtation on the Ancient Versions of the Bible; shew-
ing why our English Translation differs so much from
them, and the excellent Use that may be made of them to-
wards attaining the true Readings of the Holy Scriptures
in doubtful Places. In a Letter to a Friend. The
second Edition, prepared for the Press by the Author
before his Death, and now printed from his own
Manuscript. By the late Rev. Dr. THOMAS BRETT.
Lond. 1760.
p. 1.
In the Year 1729, Doctor Brett published a Chronological Effay in
Defence of the Computation of the Septuagint. In that Tract he ob-
serves, that if the Reader "compares the xivth Pfalm in his Bible, which
is translated from the Hebrew, with the same Pfalm in his Common-
Prayer-Book, translated from the Septuagint, he will find that in his
Common-Prayer-Book, there are four whole Verses more than are in
his Bible, viz. ver. 4, 5, 6, 7. Yet these Verses are every one of them
cited by St. Paul in the same Words, Rom. iii. 14, 15, 16, 17, 18." For
the clearing up of this and fimilar Difficulties, he wrote, in the fame
Year, the Eflay which is here republished; the first Edition of it came
out in 1742, several Years after it had been composed. It is an excel-
lent Differtation, and cannot fail of being very useful to such as have
not Leifure or Opportunity to confult Dr. Hody's Book de Bibliorum
Textibus; Bishop Walton's Prolegomena to his Polyglot; Du Pin's
Canon of Scripture; Dean Prideaux's Account of the Hebrew Scrip.
tures in the 2d Vol. 8vo. of the Old and New Testament connected;
the 2d Book of Lamy's Apparatus Biblicus; Lewis' Origines Hebrææ;
and other Works of a like Nature. Dr. Owen's Inquiry into the
present State of the Septuagint Version, Lond. 1769, is very deserving
of the Reader's Attention.
An Hiftorical Account of the feveral English Translations of
the Bible, and the Oppofition they met with from the Church
of Rome. By ANTHONY JOHNSON, A. M. Lond.
1730.
p. 60.
In the Preface to Poole's Annotations on the Bible, there is a short
Account of the English Translations of it; and a Tract was printed in
London, 1778, intitled, A List of various Editions of the Bible, and
Parts thereof, in English, from the Year 1526 to 1776. If the Reader
wishes to make a deeper Inquiry into this Subject, he will find full
Information, not only with respect to various Translations of the Bible
into English, but into a great many other Languages, in Mr. Le Long's
Bibliotheca Sacra.