A large portion of Prayer Book Version of the Psalms is the work of Coverdale; e. g., "My flesh and my heart faileth, but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion forever. "Enter not into judgment with thy servant, for in thy sight shall no man living be justified.” "Thou Lord in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of thy hands. They shall perish but thou shalt endure; they shall all wax old as doth a garment; and as a vesture thou shalt change them, and they shall be changed. But thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail.”

Coverdale wrote quite a number of "Ghostly Psalms," which strangely enough are often as unmusical, as his prose translation is musical. A single stanza may serve as a specimen to mark the contrast:

DEUS MISEREATUR NOSTRI, PS. LXVI. (LXVII.).

"God be mercyfull unto us,

And sende over vs his blessynge;

Shewe us his presence glorious,

And be ever to us lovynge;

That men on earth may knowe thy waye,

Thy savyng health and ryghteousnesse;
That they be not led by nyght nor day,
Throwe the pretexte of trewe justice,
To seke saluacyon where none is."

A few brief examples from the New Testament with reference to Tyndale's version, very characteristic and suggestive, may conclude this general survey of Coverdale's translation.

The first two are literal reproductions of Tyndale's version: Rom. viii. 3, And sent his Son in the similitude of synfull flesh, and by synne damned synne in the flesh.

Heb. ii. 16, For he in no place taketh on him the angels, but the sede of Abraham taketh he on him.

The second two give the two versions in parallel columns, Coverdale's alterations in italics.

The following specimens show the nature of the differences and agreements in Tyndale's original edition of 1526, and Coverdale's, 1535.

2 and fassion nott youre selves lyke vnto this worlde: But be ye chaunged [in youre shape,] by the renuynge of youre wittes, that ye maye fele what thynge that good, that acceptable, and perfaicte will of God is.

And fashion not youre selues 2 like vnto this worlde, but be chaunged thorow the renewynge off youre mynde, that ye maye proue, what thinge that good, that acceptable, and perfeck wil of God is.

The differences between the editions of 1535 and 1537 are very slight. The following prayers before and after reading the Scriptures were added in the edition of 1537.

A prayer to be used before reading the Bible: because that when thou goest to study in Holy Scripture thou shouldest do it with reverence, therefore for thine instruction and loving admonition thereto, the reverend father in God Nicholas, bishop of Salisbury, hath prescribed this prayer following taken out of the same:

Have mercy upon me

O Lord God Almighty which long ago saidst by the mouth of James thine Apostle: If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask it of God. Hear my petition for this thy promise sake and graciously hear me for Jesus Christ's sake our Lord, which liveth and reigneth with Thee, His Father, and the Holy Ghost, world without end. Amen.

After the end of any chapter (if thou wilt) thou mayest say these verses following:

Lead me, O Lord, in thy way, and let me walk in thy truth. Oh let mine heart delight in fearing thy name.

Order my goings after Thy Word that no wickedness reign in me. Keep my steps within thy paths, lest my feet turn into any contrary way.

The order of the books in Coverdale's Bible is as follows:

It will be remembered that Coverdale's Bible was published in A. D. 1535, and the last edition of Tyndale's New Testament, printed in England, about the time he suffered martyrdom at Vilvorde in 1536. In the next year appeared a folio volume containing the Bible, of which the Title, and a brief account are here given. Title: The Byble, which is all the Holy Scriptures: in which are contayned the Olde and Newe Testament truely and purely translated into Englysh. By Thomas

Matthewe.-Esaye I. "Hearken to ye Heavens, and thou earthe geave eare: for the Lord speaketh," MDXXXVII.-Set Forth with the Kinge's most gracyous lycence.--(The royal imprimatur is printed in red letters). Next to the title-page follows, A Dedication to Henry viii., subscribed by "His grace's faythfull and true subject, Thomas Matthew," three pages; and A Preface to the Christen Reders. Then follows: A Callender and Almanac for 18 years, beginning 1538, in which are continued as holydays St. Nicholas, St. Lawrence, The Invention and Exaltation of Holy Cross;-An Exhortacyon to the studye of the holy Scrypture, gathered out of the Bible, with the two large flourished initials I. R. at the end; -The Summe and Content of all the Holy Scrypture of the Olde and Newe Testament, and a brief rehearsal of the years passed since the begynnynge of the world, unto this yeare of our Lord, MDXXXVII.—“Genesis to Salomon's Ballet," fol. i.-ccxlvii. "The Prophetes in Englysh "; on the reverse of this title is a large wood-cut between the initials R. G. and E. W.-"Esay to Malachi"-fol. i.-xciiii., and at the end of Malachi the initials W. T. in large flourished capitals.The Apocrypha, taken from Coverdale, with the omission of the third book of Maccabees, followed by the New Testament with this title: The Newe Testament of our Sauyour Jesu Christ, newly and dylygentlye translated into Englishe, with annotacions in the margent to helpe the Reader to the understandynge of the Texte. Prynted in the yere of our Lorde God, M. D. XXXVII. Matthew to Revelation, fol. ii.-cix.-Tables, etc., fol. cx.cxi. On the last leaf is printed: "The ende of the Newe Testamente and of the whole Byble.-To the honoure and prayse of God was this Byble printed and fyneshed in the Yere of our Lorde God a M. D. XXXVII.-The wood-cuts in the Apocalypse are the same as those used "in the second Dutch (?) edition of Tyndal's New Testament," and other engravings were taken from the blocks, which had already