V. It was first published in Salamanca, in 1606, with this

title : " Vida, Virtudes, y Milagros de la B. Virgen Teresa de Jesus." Several other editions have been published in Spanish. The Life has also been translated into Italian and French; into the former, by Cesare Braccini (Rome, 1623 ; and Milan, 1628). Giuseppe de Castro published a new and more correct translation in 1733, at Rimini. In 1643, P. Cyprien de la Nativite published a French translation. The style is not at all pleasing. The Venerable Johannes a Jesu-Maria published a short but admirable epitome of the Saint's Life in Latin, with this title : " Compendium Vitse B. V. Teresise a Jesu, Fundatricis Fratrum Discalceatorum et Monialium Beatissiuiae Virginis Marise de Monte Car- melo" (Roma, 1609).
Several Lives of the Saint have appeared in French. P. Frai^ois de Sainte-Marie wrote a General History of the Carmelite Order, in Spanish, and this was translated into French by Gabriel de la Croix (Paris, 1655). But the two other histories of the Saint's Life are those by Villefore and the Abbe Boucher. The former appeared in 1712, and is entitled, " La Vie dc Sainte Terese, tiree des Auteurs ori- ginaux Espagnols et des Historiens contemporains ; avec des Lettres choisies pour scrvir d'eclaircissements a 1'Histoire de sa Vie." The Abbe Migne has prefixed this Life to his edition of the works of St. Teresa. The Life is correctly written, as far as I can judge, though it would have added to the value of the work, had the writer quoted his authori ties. There are a few mistakes in the chronology of the Saint's Foundations ; and many have also complained that the author is too cold when speaking of her heroic deeds. Boucher published his Life of the Saint in 1810, "Vie de Sainte Therese, avec des Notes historiques, critiques, et morales." I have not seen the work, and cannot therefore pronounce any opinion on its merits. The Saint's Letters have been translated into French by two different individuals ; one is M. Francois Pelicot (Jlnvers, 1707), the other ia M.
40 PREFACE.
Chappe de Ligni. This last translation, which is the most elegant and correct, appeared in 1753. But as it did not include all the Saint's letters ; a second volume appeared in 1748, translated by the Rev. Mother Marie Marguerite de Morpeou, Superioress of the Carmelite Convent of St. Denis ; she died in 1727. The translation is exceedingly well done. 1 should have mentioned, that the translation of M. Pelicot is enriched with the valuable notes of Palafox, the illus trious Bishop of Osma.
Two translations of the Saint's Life have been published in English. One by the illustrious convert, Sir Tobie Mathews,* whose edition appeared in 1623, as Dodd men tions, though I think he is mistaken, for the translation was published at Antwerp, and this bears the date of 1642. There may have been two editions. The title is " The Flaming Hart, or the Life of the Glorious St. Teresa." No name is attached.
The other English translation is by the pious and learned Abraham Woodhead.f This includes all her works, except her Letters. The translation is divided into two parts, which appeared in 1669, 1671, and 1675. To both parts is annexed a very learned Preface, vindicating the visions and raptures of the Saint from the attacks of Protestant writers. The merits of both the translations, as regards correctness and fidelity, are, I think, almost equal, though the prefer ence on the whole is due to Woodhead's. There is also a remarkable similarity of expression between the two Trans lations, of which a few examples will be sufficient.
Woodhead's Translation. — " The having of vertuous pa rents, and such as live in the fear of God, together with those favors which I received from His Divine Majesty, had been able to have made me good, if I had not been so very wicked. My father was delighted in reading good books ; and used to have them in Spanish, that so his children might also read them," &c. (Chap, i.)
Sir Tobie Mathews*. — The having of vertuous parents,
* See a short Life of the author in the Appendix, No. 1. f See Appendix, No. 2.
PREFACE.
41
and such as live in the fear of Almighty God, together with those favors which I have received from His Divine Majesty. had been able to have made me good, if I had not been so very wicked. My father was delighted in reading good bookes, and used to have them in Spanish, that so his chil dren might also read them," &c. (Chap i.)
Let us take the commencement of the second Chapter from Woodhead : — " I believe that a certain thing, whereof I will now give account, began to do me a great deal of hurt. I consider sometimes how ill those parents do who procure not that their children should be ever seeing examples of vertue, in all kinds from them," &c.
Sir Tobie Mathews has almost the same words : — " I be lieve that a certain thing, whereof I will now give account, beganne to doe me a great deall of hurt. Sometimes 1 grow to consider how ill those parents doe, who procure not that their children should be ever seeing examples of vertue in all kindes," &c.
I might give many other passages, and compare them to gether, which would show a striking similarity of expression throughout, making allowance, of course, for a difference in orthography, considering that Sir Tobie's translation ap peared several years before that of Mr. Woodhead, which is much more English and readable than Sir Tobie's. But in both the punctuation is exceedingly bad. However, as both the Translations are on the whole very faithful, I found it useful to have them by me, and compare and correct my translation (as I sometimes did) with theirs.
In 1757, the Venerable Bishop Challoner published an Epitome of Woodhead's translation, which is very useful for those who cannot obtain a copy of Woodhead or Sir Tobie's translation, both of which are now very scarce. Bishop Challoner, in his Preface, pays the following very deserved tribute of praise to Mr. Woodhead : — " The life of the holy Mother Teresa of Jesus, was published in our language anno 1671, by that truly learned and pious convert, Mr. Abraham Woodhead, some time fellow of University College in Oxford, a person justly esteemed, even by the adversaries of his religion, for one of the greatest men that this famous uni- 4*
42 PREFACE.
versity ever produced. As he was not only master of the Spanish, but withal scrupulously nice in not departing from the sense or the phrase of the original, his translation may be relied on as most faithful," &c.
With regard to the present translation, it is not my place to pronounce any opinion upon its merits. All I can say is, that though I have endeavored to adhere to the original to the best of my power, and to preserve the beautiful simpli city of the Saint's style, yet we all know how much inferior even the best translations must be to the original. But there is a difficulty about St. Teresa's Life which few other works present ; and that is, the sublimity of the subjects on which she speaks : and this is especially the case in that part of the Life which treats of the prayer of Quiet and of Union. And if it be very difficult for the " unexperienced" to understand what the Saint says on that sublime subject, how much more difficult must it be to translate her thoughts and lofty words into another language. Here I am afraid I have failed ; I must have made many mistakes — many mis translations — many errors. In whatever way I may have done injustice to the Saint's Life, I humbly beg the kind indulgence of the reader. I shall be exceedingly grateful to any one who will point out the mistakes to me, and what ever else may require correction. Still, with all its faults and imperfections, I trust the reader will derive no little profit and delight from the perusal of a work, which, next to the " Confessions" of St. Augustine, is the most excellent and edifying Biography of a saint that we possess. The labor of translating it has indeed been great, interrupted, too, as it was very frequently, by my missionary duties, which required my chief attention. Still the labor has been abundantly repaid by the pleasure I have experienced in translating the words of so glorious a saint, and by the edifi cation I have received in beholding her heroic virtues, and the bright example she still gives us all of humility, morti fication, self-denial, obedience, purity, and the most ardent love of God, &c. I cannot conclude this imperfect Preface in any better way, than in the words of one who loved St. Teresa most tenderly and affectionately : — " Et tu, demon-
PREFACE. 43
tissima Virgo Tcrcsia, fave, obsecro, huic scriptori tuo, qui millenos calainos, ut heroica gesta tua celebret exercere cu- pit. Modicum est sane, nobilissima Virgo, quod extuli : niuiium parce scripsi : at, quidquid rnoliri possum, exiguum
est Per illud ergo innnensi aiuoris incendiuiu, quo
in dulcissimum Deum deflagrasti, obsecro te, filio tuo iiianuni porrigas, et ad optatissiman urbeiu Hierusalem acterna liber- tate donandum recta perducas."*
I cannot but express the great obligations I am under to the Superioress of Mount Carinel and the Teresian convent at Llanherne, for their extreme kindness in lending me many valuable works connected with the Saint's life ; also to the Rev. Claudio Lopez, late of Yarmouth, for his kindness in explaining several difficult and obsolete Spanish words : to the Very Rev. Dr. Moore, of St. Mary's, Handsworth, for lending me the Antwerp editionf of the Saint's work (3 vols. Spanish, 1649) ; to W. Archer, Esq., for the loan of the last volume of the Bollandists, which contains everything that is known about St. Teresa ; and lastly, I return many thanks both to Bishop Wareing and Bishop Ullathorne, for having given me their kind encouragement to proceed with the translation. To Bishop Ullathorne I am indebted for the loan of Mr. Woodhead's translation, now very scarce.
I have annexed, in the Appendix (No. 3), the Bull of the Saint's canonization, by Pope Gregory XV., in 1622. I have likewise added (No. 4) the Saint's celebrated Hymn, both in Spanish and in French, which she composed extem pore in one of her raptures, together with an excellent Eng lish translation, by the Rev. Father Caswall ; and also (Ap pendix No. 6) the letter which St. Teresa wrote to her con fessor, when she sent him a copy of her Life.
BISHOP'S HOUSE, NORTIIAMTON, Feast of St. Teresa, 1851.
* " Compendium Vitae B. V. Teresice a Jesu," per Fr. Joan, i Jesu. (Komx, 1609.)
f This, however, is not the best I was unable to procure the last edition.
PREFACE OF ST. TERESA.
I WOULD have wished, that as my Superiors commanded me, and gave me full liberty to describe the method of prayer, and the favors which our Lord had bestowed upon me, they had also permitted me to mention, clearly and in detail, my great sins and wicked life. This would have given me great consolation ; but they would not allow me ; rather they restrained me in this particular ; and therefore I beg, for the love of our Lord, that whoever shall read this discourse of my Life, will notice how very wicked it has been ; so much so, that I have not found any saint, amongst all those who have been converted to God, from whose ex ample I might draw consolation. For I consider, that after our Lord had called them to virtue they no more offended Him : whereas, I not only became worse, but rather, it seems to me, I even studied to resist the favors His divine Majesty had bestowed upon me : and though I was one who saw her self obliged to serve Him the more, yet I was convinced within myself I was unable to make any return, for the least part of what I owed Him.
May He be blessed forever, who waited for me so long. I beseech Him, with my whole heart, to give me grace, that 1 may, with all clearness and truth, make this relation which my Confessors have commanded me (and which I know even our Lord Himself has long desired ; but I could not dare to venture upon it) : I hope that now it may tend to the glory
(45)
46 PREFACE.
and praise of His Majesty ; and also that my Confessors, having hereby a clearer knowledge of me, may henceforth assist my weakness, that so I may be able to repay some little portion of what I owe to our Lord, whom may all crea tures praise forever. Amen.
TERESA DE JESU
THE
LIFE OF ST. TERESA.