Notes on the First Century:
Page 1. Line 1. An empty book is like an infant's soul.' Here Traherne may possibly have had in his mind a passage in Bishop Earle's "Microcosmography." In delineating the character of a child, Earle says: "His soul is yet a white paper unscribbled with observations of the world, wherewith at length it becomes a blurred note-book,"

Page 14. Line 25. The entrance of his words. This sentence is from Psalm cxix.130.

Page 15. Last line of Med.21. "Insatiableness." This word in Traherne's time was often used in a good sense, and not as now exclusively is a bad one.

Page 21. The quotation at the bottom of the page is from Genesis xxviii.16. Traherne's reading, however, differs somewhat from that of the Authorised Version. In this and in many other cases it looks as if he trusted to his memory only, and so was often untrue to the letter of his text, though never to its spirit.

Page 22. Line13. They walk on in darkness. This is from Psalm lxxxii.5; as is also the quotation at the end of the Meditation.

Page 27. Line 1 of Med.40. "Socrates was wont." Traherne wrote first as follows: "Socrates the glorious philosopher, was wont to say They were most happy,'" & c. In substituting are for were he overlooked the fact that he was rendering the sentence ungrammatical.

Page 40. Line 3.Where the carcase is. Matthew xxiv.28.

Page 41. Line 3 of Med.59. It is an ensign. This sentence is from Isaiah xi.10 and 12.

Page 57. Line 6. Sweeter to me. A quotation from Psalm xix.70 and from cxix.72.

Page 57. Line 17. As I have loved you -- 1 John xiii.34.

Pages 60-1. Med.81. My goodness extendeth not, &c. Psalm xvi.2-3.

Page 71. Line 14. Having eyes I see not, &c. The reference here is to Psalm cxxxv.1,6?17.

Page 71. Line 20. Visit me. . . Holy Hill. Psalm xliii.3.

Page 72. Line 5 from bottom. Of whom' to end of sentence. Cf. Ephesians iii.15?19.

Page 73. Line 3. O Thou who ascendedst, &c. cf. Psalm lxviii.18.

Page 75. Line 19. That I may dwell, &c. John xvii.28.

Page 77. Line 6. We are the Sons of God, &c. Cf.1 John iii.2.

Page 77. Line 21. A chosen generation, &c.1 Peter ii.9.

Page 79. Line 7. Sing the song of Moses, &c. Revelation xv.3.

notes and references
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