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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
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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
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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 r