William Roye's An exhortation to the diligent studye of scripture ; and, An exposition in to the seventh chaptre of the pistle to the Corinthians

according to Daniell, is 'loosely based on a sermon by Luther about the puzzling "wicked mammon" parable in Luke 16' (156), and his 'Prologue' to Romans, which is also indebted in some degree to Luther (PS 1, 483ff.), Roye's translation of Luther is the first full-scale English rendering of a Luther work. But perhaps most important, the present work is crucial to the history of Reformation literature, history, and theology because for the first and last time it yokes together, between the covers of the same book, Erasmus and Luther, thereby suggesting to the unsuspecting reader a compatibility and harmony of thought and ideology that neither figure would have been prepared to credit. 2 This yoking -a yoking by violence, each man must have thought -probably would have pleased neither of them; on the other hand, it would have delighted English reformers intent on seeking substantive authority -wherever they might find it -for their own reformist agenda. 3 A considerably altered version of Roye's translations appeared from the press of the English printer Robert Wyer in or around 1534 (STC 10493.5). 4 This text, and all subsequent editions in the sixteenth century, appear without Roye's translation of the lengthy Luther commentary on 1 Corinthians 7. It is replaced by another Erasmus work entitled 'An exhortacyon to the study of readynge the gospel.' Another edition minus Luther and also from Wyer's press appeared as well in 1534 (STC 10494), and a final edition from the workshop of T. Ranalde and W. Hyll saw the light of day in about 1548. It is interesting to speculate why the first edition -and only the first edition -contained the Luther text, which was then expunged without comment from all subsequent editions. From the point of view of content, one might see a greater compatibility between two works written by the same author that dealt with a similar topic, as Paraclesis and 'An exhortacyon to the study of readynge the gospel' clearly do, than between two works by different authors, one dealing with the gospel, the other an exegesis of a Pauline epistle dealing largely with marriage and chastity. But the real reason why Luther was dropped from all editions of the work published after 1529 must have been simply because he was the great European arch-heretic, a hated figure in orthodox England, against whom, as Richard Rex makes clear, a concerted English conservative campaign was launched in the 1520s, a campaign whose 'linchpin' ## Bibliographical Descriptions Black-letter type in the original appears here in bold face.

Douglas Parker presents an old-spelling, critical edition of William Roye's English translation of Erasmus' "An exhortation to the diligent studye of scripture (or Paraclesis)", and Martin Luther's "An exposition in to the seventh chaptre of the pistle to the Corinthians" (his commentary on St. Paul's 1 Corinthians 7), first published together in 1529.

Roye's translation of Erasmus' Paraclesis was momentous because it underscored the reformers' call for a vernacular Bible, thereby providing them with a voice of authority that conservative forces could not ignore. Roye's translation of Luther was the first full-scale English rendering of a work by the great arch-heretic, and its subject matter (the iniquities of the unmarried clergy) suggested a unity of vision between European and English reformers. Most importantly, these two tracts were published together, ironically enough, thereby suggesting a unity of vision that neither Erasmus nor Luther would have been prepared to countenance.

Parker's thorough volume includes: a literary/historical introduction situating the text and explaining its importance for the English reform movement; an essay on the fidelity of Roye's English renderings of the original Latin and German texts; commentary that glosses difficult readings, identifies all biblical and secular references, provides analogues from early English reformation tracts and from some of Erasmus' and Luther's other writings. This is a critical work for scholars of the English reformation movement.

"Parker's thorough volume includes a literary/historical introduction that situates the text and explains its importance for the English reform movement; and essay on the fidelity of Roye's English renderings of the original Latin and German texts; and a commentary that glosses difficult readings, identifies all biblical and secular references, and provides analogues both from early English reformation tracts and from some of Erasmus's and Luther's other writings. This is a critical work for scholars of the English reformation movement."--Résumé de l'éditeur Contents 7 Acknowledgments 9 Introduction 11 An exhortation to the diligent studye of scripture and An exposition in to the seventh chaptre of the pistle to the Corinthians 81 An exhortation to the diligent studye of scripture and An exposition in to the seventh chaptre of the pistle to the Corinthians 81 Commentary 173 Emendations and Variants 226 Glossary 230 Appendix 239 Bibliography 241 Index 247 "Douglas Parker presents an old-spelling critical edition of William Roye's English translation of Erasmus's An exhortation to the diligent studye of scripture (or Paraclesis), and Martin Luther's An exposition in to the seventh chaptre of the pistle to the Corinthians (his commentary on St. Paul's I Corinthians 7), first published together in 1529." An old-spelling critical edition of William Roye?s 1529 English translations of works by Erasmus and Martin Luther. Parker?s thorough volume includes an introduction that situates the text and explains its importance for the English reform movement. This is a critical work for scholars of the English reformation movement."--Jacket