The Bay Psalm Book was the first book, that is still in existence, printed in British North America.
The book is a Psalter, first printed in 1640 in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The Psalms in it are metrical translations into English. The translations are not particularly polished, and none have remained in use, although some of the tunes to which they were sung have survived (for instance, "Old 100th.".) However its production, a mere 20 years after the Pilgrim Fathers arrived at Plymouth, Massachusetts, represents a considerable achievement. It went through several editions and remained in use for well over a century.
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Famous quotes by bay psalm book:
“They that goe downe to ‘th sea in ships:
Their busines there to doo
In waters great. The Lords work see,
I’th deep his wonders too.”
—Bible: Hebrew Psalm CVII (Bay Psalm Book)