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uld read anything were apt to be able to read the Latin。
＇1＇ Hoare； Evolution of the English Bible； p。 39。
These centuries added to the conviction of many that the Bible ought not to become too common； that it should not be read by everybody； that it required a certain amount of learning to make it safe reading。 They came to feel that it is as important to have an authoritative interpretation of the Bible as to have the Bible itself。 When the movement began to make it speak the new English tongue； it provoked the most violent opposition。 Latin had been good enough for a millennium； why cheapen the Bible by a translation？ There had grown up a feeling that Jerome himself had been inspired。 He had been canonized； and half the references to him in that time speak of him as the inspired translator。 Criticism of his version was counted as impious and profane as criticisms of the original text could possibly have been。 It is one of the ironies of history that the version for which Jerome had to fight； and which was counted a piece of impiety itself； actually became the ground on which men stood when they fought against another version； counting anything else but this very version an impious intrusion！
How early the movement for an English Bible began； it is impossible now to say。 Certainly just before 700 A。D。； that first singer of the English tongue； Caedmon； had learned to paraphrase the Bible。 We may recall the Venerable Bede's charming story of him； and how he came by his power of interpretation。 Bede himself was a child when Caedmon died； and the romance of the story makes it one of the finest in our literature。 Caedmon was a peasant； a farm laborer in Northumbria working on the lands of the great Abbey at Whitby。 Already he had passed middle life； and no spark of genius had flashed in him。 He loved to go to the festive gatherings and hear the others sing their improvised poems； but； when the harp came around to him in due course； he would leave the room； for be could not sing。 One night when he had slipped away from the group in shame and had made his rounds of the horses and cattle under his care； he fell asleep in the stable building； and heard a voice in his sleep bidding him sing。 When he declared he could not； the voice still bade him sing。 〃What shall I sing？〃 he asked。 〃Sing the first beginning of created things。〃 And the words came to him； and； still dreaming； he sang his first hymn to the Creator。 In the morning he told his story； and the Lady Abbess found that he had the divine gift。 The monks had but to translate to him bits of the Bible out of the Latin； which he did not understand； into his familiar Anglo…Saxon tongue； and he would cast it into the rugged Saxon measures which could be sung by the common people。 So far as we can tell； it was so； that the Bible story became current in Anglo…Saxon speech。 Bede himself certainly put the Gospel of John into Anglo…Saxon。 At the Bodleian Library； at Oxford； there is a manuscript of nearly twenty thousand lines； the metrical version of the Gospel and the Acts； done near 1250 by an Augustinian monk named Orm； and so called the Ormulum。 There were other metrical versions of various parts of the Bible。 Midway between Bede and Orm came Langland's poem； 〃The Vision of Piers Plowman；〃 which paraphrased so much of the Scripture。
Yet the fact is that until the last quarter of the fourteenth century there was no prose version of the Bible in the English language。 Indeed； there was only coming to be an English language。 It was gradually emerging； taking definite shape and form； so that it could be distinguished from the earlier Norman French； Saxon； and Anglo…Saxon； in which so much of it is rooted。
As soon as the language grew definite enough； it was inevitable that two things should come to pass。 First； that some men would attempt to make a colloquial version of the Bible； and； secondly； that others would oppose it。 One can count with all confidence on these two groups of men； marching through history like the animals into the ark； two and two。 Some men propose； others oppose。 They are built on those lines。
We are more concerned with the men who made the versions； but we must think a moment of the others。 One of his contemporaries； Knighton； may speak for all in his saying of Wiclif； that he had； to be sure； translated the Gospel into the Anglic tongue； but that it had thereby been made vulgar by him； and more open to the reading of laymen and women than it usually is to the knowledge of lettered and intelligent clergy； and 〃thus the pearl is cast abroad and trodden under the feet of swine〃； and； that we may not be in doubt who are the swine； he adds： 〃The jewel of the Church is turned into the common sport of the people。〃
But two strong impulses drive thoughtful men to any effort that will secure wide knowledge of the Bible。 One is their love of the Bible and their belief in it； but the other； dominant then and now； is a sense of the need of their own time。 It cannot be too strongly urged that the two great pioneers of English Bible translation； Wiclif and Tindale； more than a century apart； were chiefly moved to their work by social conditions。 No one could read the literature of the times of which we are speaking without smiling at our assumption that we are the first who have cared for social needs。 We talk about the past as the age of the individual； and the present as the social age。 Our fathers； we say； cared only to be saved themselves； and had no concern for the evils of society。 They believed in rescuing one here and another there； while we have come to see the wisdom of correcting the conditions that ruin men； and so saving men in the mass。 There must be some basis of truth for that； since we say it so confidently； but it can be much over…accented。 There were many of our fathers； and of our grandfathers； who were mightily concerned with the mass of people； and looked as carefully as we do for a corrective of social evils。 Wiclif； in the late fourteenth century； and Tindale； in the early sixteenth； were two such men。 The first English translations of the Bible were fruits of the social impulse。
Wiclif was impressed with the chasm that was growing between the church and the people； and felt that a wider and fuller knowledge of the Bible would be helpful for the closing of the chasm。 It is a familiar remark of Miss Jane Addams that the cure for the evils of democracy is more democracy。 Wiclif believed that the cure for the evils of religion is more religion； more intelligent religion。 He found a considerable feeling that the best things in religion ought to be kept from most people； since they could not be trusted to understand them。 His own feeling was that the best things in religion are exactly the things most people ought to know most about； that people had better handle the Bible carelessly； mistakenly； than be shut out from it by any means whatever。 We owe the first English translation to a faith that the Bible is a book of emancipation for the mind and for the political life。
John Wiclif himself was a scholar of Oxford； master of that famous Balliol College which has had such a list of distinguished masters。 He was an adviser of Edward III。 Twenty years after his death a younger contemporary （W。 Thorpe） said that 〃he was considered by many to be the most holy of all the men of his age。 He was of emaciated frame； spare； and well nigh destitute of strength。 He was absolutely blameless in his conduct。〃 And even that same Knighton who accused him of casting the Church's pearl before swine says that in philosophy 〃he came to be reckoned inferior to none of his time。〃
But it was not at Oxford that he came to know common life so well and to sense the need for a new social influence。 He came nearer to it when he was rector of the parish at Lutterworth。 As scholar and rector he set going the two great movements which leave his name in history。 One was his securing； training； and sending out a band of itinerant preachers or 〃poor priests〃 to gather the people in fields and byways and to preach the simple truths of the Christian religion。 They were unpaid； and lived by the kindness of the common people。 They came to be called Lollards； though the origin of the name is obscure。 Their followers received the same name。 A few years after Wiclif's death an enemy bitterly observed that if you met any two men one was sure to be a Lollard。 It was the 〃first time in English history that an appeal had been made to the people instead of the scholars。〃 Religion was to be made rather a matter of practical life than of dogma or of ritual。 The 〃poor priests〃 in their cheap brown robes became a mighty religious force； and evoked opposition from the Church powers。 A generation after Wiclif's death they had become a mighty political force in the controversy between the King and the Pope。 As late as 1521 five hundred Lollards were arrested in London by the bishop。＇1＇ Wiclif's purpose； however； was to reach and help the common people with the simpler； and therefore the most fundamental； truths of religion。
＇1＇ Muir； Our Grand Old Bible； p。 14。
The other movement which marks Wiclif's name concerns us more； but it was connected with the first。 He set out to give the