x thousand errata,
like the false Duessa, covered their crafty deformity with a fair
raiment; for when the great Selden, in the assembly of divines,
delighted to confute them in their own learning, he would say, as
Whitelock reports, when they had cited a text to prove their assertion,
"Perhaps in your little pocket-bible with gilt leaves," which they would
often pull out and read, "the translation may be so, but the Greek or
the Hebrew signifies this."

While these transactions were occurring, it appears that the authentic
translation of the Bible, such as we now have it, by the learned
translators in James the First's time, was suffered to lie neglected.
The copies of the original manuscript were in the possession of two of
the king's printers, who, from cowardice, consent, and connivance,
suppressed the publication; considering that the Bible full of errata,
and often, probably, accommodated to the notions of certain sectarists,
was more valuable than one authenticated by the hierarchy! Such was the
state of the English Bible till 1660![276]

The proverbial expression of _chapter and verse_ seems peculiar to
ourselves, and, I suspect, originated in the puritanic period, probably
just before the civil wars under Charles the First, from the frequent
use of appealing to the Bible on the most frivolous occasions, practised
by those whom South calls "those mighty men at _chapter and verse_."
With a sort of religious coquetry, they were vain of perpetually opening
their gilt pocket Bibles; they perked them up with such self-sufficiency
and perfect ignorance of the original, that the learned Selden found
considerable amusement in going to their "assembly of divines," and
puzzling or confuting them, as we have noticed. A ludicrous anecdote on
one of these occasions is given by a contemporary, which shows how
admirably that learned man amused himself with this "assembly of
divines!" They were discussing the distance between Jerusalem and
Jericho, with a perfect ignorance of sacred or of ancient geography; one
said it was twenty miles, another ten, and at last it was concluded to
be only seven, for this strange reason, that fish was brought from
Jericho to Jerusalem market! Selden observed, that "possibly the fish in
question was salted," and silenced these acute disputants.

It would probably have greatly discomposed these "chapter and verse" men
to have informed them that the Scriptures had neither chapter nor verse!
It i