Diotimos Library · Journals, Notebooks & Fragments Collection · English Edition
Centuries of Meditations
Annotated Edition · With an Introduction, Notes and an Outline.
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English Edition · Branch 235 of 454
The Third Century · Meditation III.21
Centuries of Meditations
p. 23521
His Power bounded, greater is in might, Than if let loose, twere wholly infinite. He could have made an endless sea by this, But then it had not been a sea of bliss. Did waters from the centre to the skies Ascend, ’twould drown whatever else we prize. The ocean bounded in a finite shore, Is better far because it is no more. No use nor glory would in that be seen, His power made it endless in esteem. Had not the Sun been bounded in its sphere, Did all the world in one fair flame appear, And were that flame a real Infinite ’Twould yield no profit, splendor, nor delight. Its corps confined, and beams extended be Effects of Wisdom in the Deity. One star made infinite would all exclude, An earth made infinite could ne’er be viewed: But one being fashioned for the other’s sake, He, bounding all, did all most useful make And which is best, in profit and delight Tho’ not in bulk, they all are infinite.Socrates
Reading Centuries of Meditations · The Third Century · Meditation III.21
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Socrates will begin with this book and its sources.About This Reading Edition
Thomas Traherne’s Centuries explore felicity, childhood vision, love, and the soul’s capacity to enjoy the world. This annotated English edition presents all 410 meditations across five Centuries, with an introduction, explanatory notes, an outline, and textual apparatus.
Historical Text
The Centuries survive in Traherne’s manuscript and were first published by Bertram Dobell in London in 1908. The supplied edition follows the corrected Dobell text, with manuscript readings documented in its Note on the Text and Textual Notes. The four complete Centuries contain one hundred meditations each; the unfinished Fifth contains ten.
About This Edition
Diotimos Editions prepared the introduction, explanatory notes, glossary, reading guide, outline, and textual apparatus for this English original. Century and meditation numbers preserve the work’s structure, while verse line breaks, italics, and struck-through manuscript cancellations remain visible. Notes accompany their passages in the reader and Book Mode.
Rights
Thomas Traherne’s historical text and Bertram Dobell’s 1908 printing are in the public domain. The introduction, notes, and apparatus are © 2026 Diotimos Editions. Historical printing and transcription links identify the edition’s copy-text; manuscript corrections and unresolved readings are documented in the supplied editorial apparatus.