Introduction to the Present Edition.


When the publisher entrusted me with the task of editing this
volume, one sheet was already printed and a considerable portion
of the book was in type. Under his agreement with the owners of
the copyright, he was bound to reproduce the text and notes,
etc., originally prepared by Mr. David Lewis without any change,
so that my duty was confined to reading the proofs and verifying
the quotations. This translation of the Life of St. Teresa is so
excellent, that it could hardly be improved. While faithfully
adhering to her wording, the translator has been successful in
rendering the lofty teaching in simple and clear language, an
achievement all the more remarkable as in addition to the
difficulty arising from the transcendental nature of the subject
matter, the involved style, and the total absence of punctuation
tend to perplex the reader. Now and then there might be some
difference of opinion as to how St. Teresa's phrases should be
construed, but it is not too much to say that on the whole
Mr. Lewis has been more successful than any other translator,
whether English or foreign. Only in one case have I found it
necessary to make some slight alteration in the text, and I trust
the owners of the copyright will forgive me for doing so.
In Chapter XXV., section 4, St. Teresa, speaking of the
difference between the Divine and the imaginary locutions, says
that a person commending a matter to God with great earnestness,
may think that he hears whether his prayer will be granted or