"Indeed, I did not know it," said Gertrude. "Are you quite sure?"
"Oh, yes, certain. I don't know when, or by whom it was divided into chapters—but my Sunday-school teacher has told me that the books of the Old Testament were not parcelled out in that way among the Jews. They had other, and longer divisions, one of which was read every Sabbath day in the synagogues, so that the whole was heard by the people, in the course of the year. She told me that the New Testament was first distributed into chapters—it was not originally written so—and then the Old; and that in some places it would make better sense if the end of one chapter was joined to the beginning of the next."
"And how is it about the verses, Amy?"
"It was first separated into verses by Robert Stephens, a publisher, when riding on horseback between Paris and Lyons: he marked it thus as he rode along. He was about to publish an edition of the Bible, and a concordance, and divided it for facility of reference. This was in the middle of the sixteenth century."
"There is one thing I've always wanted to know," said John. "Along the margin, among the references, every now and then there are a few words—generally, or so and so. What is the meaning of that?"
"That occurs when the translators were doubtful which of two words gives the right meaning," said Mrs. Wyndham, coming forward. "And I have frequently noticed, that the one in the margin is preferable to the other."
"Another point I wish to have explained," said Cornelia. "Why is it that in all Bibles some words are put in Italics? There must be a reason."
"Yes, my dear, there certainly is. The translators did not find these in the original text, but thought them necessary to make up the sense. You know that you are obliged to take such liberties in rendering any foreign language into English. But they very properly distinguished their words from those found in the original; and occasionally, when the former are omitted, the passage is more forcible, and gives a slightly different sense. It is well to remember this."
"But we have wandered very far from our game," said Charlie Bolton. "'Never man spake like this man,' was the last—another N—'Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory.'"
"'Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid.'"