Scottish Text Society publications > Old series > Richt vay to the Kingdome of Heuine

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INTRODUCTION.
“There are two copies of this book in the Royal Library at Copen¬
hagen—one of them imperfect. A defective copy is also found in the
University Library at Copenhagen, and there is a copy in Karen
Brahe’s Library. It was reprinted by C. J. Brandt in 1854, and forms
pp. 211-332 of vol. iv. of ‘Pedersen’s Danske Skrifter,’ and is the
third in order of his ‘ Smaaskrifter.’ ” Brandt has since published a
life of Pedersen in Danish.
I subjoin to this note the entry respecting the old copy of Gau’s
book in the third part of the catalogue of the library of George
Chalmers, F.R.S., F.S.A., 1842 :—
“278. Gau’s (Jhone) Richt Way to the Kingdome of Hevine is
techit heir in the Commandis of God, in the Creed of Pater Noster.
In the quhilk al Chrissine Men sal find al thing yat is neidful to the
Saluation of the Soul. With an Epistle to the Lordis and Barons of
Scotland, excessively rare, Part of a line on two leaves at the
bottom cut through, but legible.
“ P rent it in Malmw {Marlborough) By me Jhone Hochstraten, xvi
day of Oct. 1533.
*** “The Author had been a Catholic Priest, but embraced Pro¬
testantism. Mr Chalmers says, 'He was a native of Perth.' Pie adds,
‘ This Book was the First Work for the Reformation Printed and
Published by any Scotchman. After every inquiry for 30 years, no
other copy has been discovered in Scotland or Ireland.' ”
Mr Law, who drew my attention to this, adds that in Dr Laing’s
copy of the Catalogue it is entered “that the book was purchased by
Thorpe for W. H. Miller, Esq., at the price of ,£10, 15s. The Con¬
fession of Faith, . . . ‘ Imprented by me, Ihone Scott,’. . . 1561, just
before it, sold for ^11,—good prices, seeing that in the same sale the
Kilmarnock edition of Burns went for f\, 10s.; and Nicol Burne’s
‘ Controvertit Headdis’ . . . 1581, which recently has fetched ^30
and ^24, went for 18s.” Malborrow, or Marlborough, was used by
Tyndale as the English equivalent of Marburg in Hesse.
APPENDIX F.
It will give to most a more vivid idea of the extent to which Gau
is indebted to Pedersen and Pedersen to Rhegius, if I set over against
two paragraphs of his Scottish the two corresponding paragraphs of
the old English translation of Rhegius, than if I gave the correspond¬
ing Danish and German, and it will show at the same time my
warrant for suggesting a certain conjectural correction of a manifest
corruption in the Scottish text.
Faith is noth ane thing quhilk ane man Fayth is not a slyght thynge, whiche
cane giff to hyme felff quhen he wil / hot a man may geue unto hym selfe, or make