But the lucid prose of the original suffered the same hardening of the linguistic arteries that overtook the King James Version of the Bible. In this edition, antique & obscure words & sentence structure have been eliminated & references to people & matters of faith come alive thru the annotations. The nature of the church, its ministry & sacraments, & the relationship of church & state, with the consequent implications for religious liberty & Christian integrity, are key topics. If you're a Quaker seeking a better understanding of your own faith, or an ecumenist trying to understand beliefs that were significant to Methodism, challenging to Calvinism & frequently in rapport with Catholicism, you will find Barclay's Apology enlightening.

    This two-volume translation, published in 1889 by Irish geologist Valentine Ball (1843 94), includes a biographical sketch of the author, notes and appendices. Tavernier begins his tale with the declaration that 'I came into this world to travel.' As well as most of Europe, he visited large areas of Turkey, Persia and India (where he acquired the great gem, now known as the Hope Diamond, which he sold to Louis XIV), and sailed to Java. Volume 1 describes the journey to Agra and Delhi and begins an account of India which is continued in Volume 2. Tavernier then sails to the East Indies and returns home via St Helena. His interest in the details of everything he saw makes this work a fascinating read.