The Ascetic Works of Saint Basil

of Basil’s leading ideas. This referred to all previous writers with such thoroughness that I feel justified in the present book in making Basil illustrate himself for the most part. My earlier work will show that I have not neglected the labours of other scholars. In returning to the subject I suffer from the disadvantage that no serious criticism, so far as I can ascertain, has been passed upon my earlier book. The tentative conclusions which I formed in 1913 have not been tested by other scholars working over the same ground.’

With great regret I have had to abandon the idea of checking the Benedictine text in places by a comparison of ancient MBS. Such an additional task was quite impossible in a hfe almost wholly given to pursuits other than those of ascholar. My regret is lessened, however, by a conviction that the printed text 1s in the main satisfactory.” Such value as the present book has will be found to he in (1) the translation, the first made into any modern language; (1) my conclusions as to authenticity, which are based upon objective standards and a great deal of work; (ui) the notes which elucidate Basil by himself.

I began to work on the Ascetica in 1908, and this book has been on the stocks ever since. I relinquish my labour of love with thanks to God for many happy hours, and a prayer that St. Basil may be allowed to know about my devotion to his memory and to pray for me; also that I may be privileged to meet him one day.

My thanks are due to the Directors of Messrs. Spottiswoode, Ballantyne & Co., for the personal interest they have taken in my book; and in a special degree to the amazing skill and diligence of their “reader,” who saved me from several slips and actually, to carry out his duties the more efficiently, mastered von Soden’s system of classification of New Testament manu- Pita The Rev. W. C. Piercy has kindly read the proofs

W. K. L. C. 1? o oe; : _ — Butler’s Benedictine Monachism, pp. 17, 122.