The Breeches, or Geneva Bible

I have before me a copy of Christopher Barkar's edition of the "Breeches" Bible, 1576, small folio, in which, on the fly-leaf, is the following interesting note in the handwriting of the late Francis Douce:— "It is generally conceived that the peculiarity, 'and they sewed fig tree leaves together, and made themselves breeches,' belongs exclusively to this Bible, but it is a mistake. The Saxon version of Ælfric has, '*and sewed fig-leaves, and worked them* WEED-BREECH, *or cloaths for the breech.*' Wicliffe also translates 'and maden hem *breechis*;' and it is singular that Littleton, in his ex…