Noel Perrin's "Dr. Bowdler's Legacy" (1969) p123 et seq gives some examples
of the bowdlerisation of the Song, but only one example of its complete
excision.
This was John Watson's "The Holy Bible Arranged and Adapted for Family
Reading" (1853).
"Of the Song of Solomon [...] he printed only the title, together with a note
explaining that adolescents should not encounter the book at all, 'lest in
the fervour of youth they give too wide a scope to fancy, and interpret to a
bad sense the spiritual ideas of Solomon'".
Watson does not mention any earlier complete excisions.
John K
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