Page:Brief historical relation of the life of Mr. John Livingston Minister of the Gospel.pdf/63

( 63 ) much of the French, the Italian, and after that of the low Dutch, that I could make use of ſundry of their books, and of the Spaniſh and high Dutch, that I could make uſe of their bibles.

It was once or twice laid on me by the general aſſembly, to write the hiſtory of the church of Scotland, ſince the late reformation 1638. but beſide my inability for ſuch an undertaking, and my laſy diſpoſition, I could by no means procure the materials fit for ſuch a work.

Now ſince I came to Holland, and ſo had more leiſure than before, when I was deviling how to employ my time to ſome advantage; I remembred that I had ſpent ſome of my former years in the ſtudy of the Hebrew language, and had a great deſire that ſome means might be uſed, that the knowledge of the only true God might be yet more plentifully had, both by miniſters and profeſſors, out of the Original text, and for that cauſe, in as ſmall a volume as might be, the original text of the Bible might be printed in the one column, and the ſeveral vulgar tranſlations thereof, in the other column in ſeveral Bibles. Therefore when I thought what Latin tranſlation would be fit to join with the original text, for a Latin Bible, I found that for the old testament, Juniuss verſion varies much from the native phraſe, and order of the Hebrew, and Pagnins verſion as Montanus hath helped it, comes indeed near the Hebrew; but if printed and read alone, in many places it yields almoſt no ſenſe; therefore I thought Pagnins own tranſlation, would be fitter to put in a column over againſt the Hebrew, only that it were needful, that in ſeveral places it might be amended out of later and more I accurate tranſlations. For this cauſe much of my time in Holland I ſpent, in comparing Pagnins verſion with the original text, and with the later tranſlations, ſuch as Munſters, the Tigurine, Junius, Diodate, the Engliſh, but eſpecially the Dutch, which is the lateſt and moſt accurate tranſlation; being encouraged therein, and having the approbation of Voetius, Eſſenius, Nethenus and Leuſden; and ſo through the whole old teſtament wrote ſome endations on Pagnin's tranſlation. I alſo took ſome time