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 290 of 454
The Third Century · Meditation III.76
Centuries of Meditations
p. 29076
All my bones shall say, Lord, who is like unto Thee, who deliverest the poor from him that is too strong for him; yea, the poor and the needy from him that spoileth him! Thy mercy, O Lord, is above the Heavens, and Thy faithfulness reacheth to the clouds. Thy righteousness is like the great mountains, Thy judgments are a great deep: O Lord, thou preservest man and beast. How excellent is Thy loving kindness, O God! Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of Thy wings. They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of Thy house; and Thou shalt make them drink of the river of Thy pleasures: For with Thee is the Fountain of Life. In Thy light we shall see light. The judgments of God, and His loving kindness, His mercy and faithfulness, are the fatness of His house, and His righteousness being seen in the Light of Glory is the torrent of pleasure at His right hand for evermore.
Socrates
Reading Centuries of Meditations · The Third Century · Meditation III.76
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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.