From the book
Centuries of Meditations
Thomas Traherne · Diotimos Editions · 2026
Browse this book’s lexicon →Orientation
At a Glance
- The wordVariety is difference within an abundance.
- In TraherneA merely uniform display would poorly express divine bounty.
- In this editionVariety should not be read as novelty for its own sake.
- A place to beginThe world is an illimited field of variety and beauty.
Meaning
Variety is difference within an abundance. It can enrich a whole when the differing parts fit one another and serve a common enjoyment.
Use in the book
A merely uniform display would poorly express divine bounty. The world gives many kinds of beauty and service, matching the manifold powers of a living enjoyer. Its variety is not random accumulation: sea, air, earth, stars, and creatures contribute differently to the goodness of the whole.
Human nature answers this outward abundance with a variety of apprehensions and affections. No single sensation or desire exhausts the soul’s possible relations. This fitted plurality helps explain why a static ornament or isolated private possession cannot fulfill happiness. Variety becomes a treasury when knowledge discovers the order of its differences and love receives the many goods together.
Places to read
In this edition
Variety should not be read as novelty for its own sake. The passages repeatedly connect difference with fitting use, beauty, and the capacities of the enjoyer.
Source note
Primary text: I.18, II.20, II.21, III.42. No 2026 editorial notes used.