|
|
|
|
|
William SalesburyWilliam Salesbury (c. 1520 - c.1584) was the leading Welsh scholars of the Renaissance and the principal translator of the 1567 Welsh New Testament. Salesbury was born in about 1520 in the parish of Llansannan, Conwy. He was educated at Oxford University, where he studied the Hebrew, Greek and Latin languages, and also became familiar with the (banned) writings of Martin Luther and William Tyndale as well as the technology of printing. In 1547, he produced an English-Welsh dictionary, A dictionary in Englyshe and Welshe and in 1550 A brief an a playne introduction teaching how to pronounce the letters in the British tong (now com'enly called Welsh).... Both of these books have become important sources for information about the spoken English of the sixteenth century. He also published Welsh books at the same time. In 1547 he published a collection of Welsh proverbs made by Gruffudd Hiraethog (d. 1564), Oll synnwyr pen Kembero ygyd and in 1551 a translation of the epistle and gospel readings from the 1549 Book of Common Prayer in Kynniver llith a bann. As a convinced Protestant, he was obliged to spend most of the reign of Mary I, 1553-1558, in hiding. As a consequence his writing and publishing came to a stop. The belief of Erasmus and Luther that the Bible should be available to all in their native language was firmly advocated by Salesbury. With the succession of Elizabeth I, Salesbury went to work on this. In 1563, he helped instigate an act of parliament under which the translation of the Bible became a priority for the bishops of Wales and Hereford. Salesbury worked with the Bishop of St. David's, Richard Davies (1501?-1581), and Thomas Huet, to prepare a translation of the New Testament from the original Greek into Welsh. This was published on 7 October, 1567. He also translated the English Book of Common Prayer into Welsh, which was also published in 1567 as Y Llyfr Gweddi Gyffredin). See also Sources - 'Salesbury, William (c.1520-1584?)'. In Meic Stephens (Ed.) (1998), The new companion to the literature of Wales. Cardiff : University of Wales Press. ISBN 0708313833.
- Parry, Thomas (1955), A history of Welsh literature. Translated by H. Idris Bell. Oxford : Clarendon Press
Salesbury, William Salesbury, William Salesbury, William
|
 |
|
| Copyright 2005-2009 OnPedia.com. All Rights Reserved |
|
|