 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||
|
 |
14 January 1604
The Hampton Court Conference opens. In response to the Puritans' Millenary Petition, which argues that the Anglican Church has too many vestiges of Roman Catholicism, James I summons a conference of bishops and Puritan divines. Although there is agreement on minor matters between orthodox Anglicans and radical Puritans, the main achievement of the meeting is a new translation of the Bible. Called the Authorised Version – or, more commonly, King James Bible – it aims to replace the several other English translations of the Bible – originally set down in Greek, Hebrew and Latin – which have been in circulation since the Reformation of the 1530s. It takes seven years to complete, is published in 1611 and becomes the standard version for the next 350 years. Its poetic, solemn language is echoed by much of English literature. — • — [James I] acceded to some Puritan requests, but his sympathetic broad-mindedness was momentarily obscured when he lost his temper at Dr Reynolds' injudicious use of the riling word 'synod': 'A Scottish Presbytery ... agreeth as well with a monarchy as God with the Devil. The Jack and Tom and Will and Dick shall meet, and at their pleasures censure me and my Council ... Stay, I pray you, for one seven years, before you demand that of me; and if then you find me pursy and fat, and my windpipe stuffed, I will perhaps hearken unto you.' From A Century of Troubles by Stevie Davies (Channel 4 Books) |
|
