8vo, (184 x 111 mm). [1 blank], [2], [1 blank], [4], 255, [1 blank] pp. Fine 18th century English red morocco, richly gilt, boards with double fillet border, smal lputti at the corners, and fleurons' and stars stamped over the “roof” design, central panel with a lozenge of gold-tooled tendrils, surrounded by fillets and corner pieces with matching gilt tendril work, raised bands to spine, with triple gilt hatched decoration and small gold-tooled ornaments, gilt turn-ins, marbled endpapers, and gilt edges. Spine ends and joints very slightly rubbed and restored. Light foxing and toning, else in excellent condition.

The translator, Benjamin Schultze (1689-1760), was a Protestant missionary active in India, known for his linguistic work in Tamil, Telugu, and other regional languages. Arriving in Tranquebar in 1719, shortly after the death of his predecessor Bartholomäus Ziegenbalg (1683-1719), Schultze assumed a leading role in continuing the mission’s scholarly and evangelical work. He rapidly acquired proficiency in Tamil and went on to produce an impressive body of translations not only in Tamil but also in Telugu and other regional languages, alongside grammatical and pedagogical works. His efforts culminated in the completion of a full Tamil Bible (including the Apocrypha) by the mid-1720s, of which the present Psalms, published in 1724, form an integral part.

As outlined in the Latin preface, Schultze translated directly from the Hebrew text into Tamil, an approach reflecting both philological ambition and a desire to engage closely with the original scriptures. He characterises Tamil as a language capable of clarity and dignity, though he acknowledges that working from the Hebrew could lead to perceptible variations in wording and nuance when compared with translations derived from intermediary sources.

Provenance: from the library of the Earls of Macclesfield, with the North Library bookplate dated 1860, shelf mark, and blindstamp; small black label lettered “SCM” in white on the front pastedown; earlier shelf mark in ink to the verso of the first free flyleaf. Additionally with three Macclesfield armorial blind stamps, two on the title pages and one on the first page of the preface. The Macclesfield library was one of the great aristocratic libraries assembled in Britain. Formed initially by Thomas Parker (1666-1732) and greatly expanded by his successors, the collection became renowned for its breadth, encompassing theology, science, travel, and early printed books. The Macclesfield library remained substantially intact for nearly three centuries before its celebrated dispersal at auction.

Darlow & Moule 2.3 no. 9099; Delaveau & Hillard no. 3604; Catalogue of the Tamil Books in the Library of the British Museum, p. 60; Raza, ‘The Colonial Model of Bible Translation in the East’, Met Andere Woorden, vol. 42, (2023).