Editorial Case Study
Thomas Traherne's 1675 treatise on virtue and happiness, traced across three centuries of editorial tradition — from the original printing to a 2023 critical modernization to Commonplace's AI-cleaned text.
Passage: Chapter I — The End of Virtue, §§1–7 · Thomas Traherne (1636/37–1674)
IT is the Prerogative of Humane Nature to understand it self, and guide its Operations to a Known End: which he doth wholly forfeit, that lives at random, without considering what is worthy of his Endeavors, or fit for his Desires.
THE End is that which crowns the Work; that which inspires the Soul with Desire, and Desire with a quick and vigorous Industry. It is last attained, but first intended in every Operation. All Means which can be used in the Acquisiton of it, derive their value from its Excellency, and we are encouraged to use them only on the Account of that End, which is attained by them.
IT is the Office of Morality to teach Men the Nature of Virtue, and to encourage them in the Practice of it, by explaining its use and Efficacy.
THE Excellence of Virtue, is the Necessity and Efficacy thereof in the Way to Felicity. It consisteth in this, Virtue is the only Means, by which Happiness can be obtained.
SINCE the Consideration of the End is that alone, which does animate a Man, to the use of the Means, they that treat of Virtue do worthily propose the End in the beginning, and first shew the Excellency of Bliss before they open the Nature of Virtue. For it is a vain thing to discover the Means, unless the End be desired by those to whom the Nature and use of them, in their tendency to that End, is taught and commended; for if the End be despised, all endeavors are but fruitless, which instruct us in the Means; and the Knowledge of them vain, if they never be used or improved.
THAT Reason, whereby Man is able to Contemplate his End, is a singular Advantage, wherein he is priviledged above a Beast. It enables him not only to examine the Nature and perfection of his End, but the Equity and fitness of the Means in Order thereunto, and the singular Excellency of his first Cause, as its Glory and Goodness appeareth in the Design and Contrivance: Especially in making mans Happiness so compleat and perfect.
THE Heathens, who invented the name of Ethicks, were very short in the Knowledge of Mans End: But they are worse then Heathens, that never consider it.
1. IT IS the prerogative of human nature to understand itself, and to guide its operations to a known end. This end is forfeit if one lives at random, without considering what is worthy of his endeavors, or fit for his desires.
2. The end is that which crowns the work. This goal inspires the soul with desire, and desire gives rise to a quick and vigorous industry. It is achieved last, but conceived first, in every operation. All means which can be used in the acquisition of it derive their value from its excellence. We are encouraged to use these means only on the account of that end which is reached by them.
3. It is the purpose of moral instruction to teach men the nature of virtue, and to encourage them in the practice of it, by explaining its use and efficacy.
4. The excellence of virtue is what makes it both necessary to happiness and able also to produce it. Its excellence consists in this: virtue is the only means by which happiness can be obtained.
5. Since consideration of the end is what animates us to the use of the means, whoever deals with virtue is right to put the end at the beginning. And further, they should first show the excellence of bliss before they open the nature of virtue. It is a vain thing to discover the means unless the end is desired. Otherwise, no matter how often we are taught or commended to be virtuous, it will have no effect — like a man with wood, a hammer, and nails but no desire to build. For if we despise the end, all our activity is fruitless. It may at best instruct us in the means, but such knowledge is vain. It will produce no good effect in us.
6. Reason is the faculty by which man is able to contemplate his end. It is a singular advantage that privileges him above the beasts. It enables him not only to examine the nature and perfection of his end, but also the justness and fitness of the means used to achieve the end. It also allows him to examine the singular excellence of his first cause, as its glory and goodness appears in his design and contrivance; especially in making man's happiness so complete and perfect.
7. The heathens, who invented the name of "ethics," fell very short in the knowledge of man's end; but they are worse than heathens who never consider it.
IT is the Prerogative of Humane Nature to understand it self, and guide its Operations to a Known End: which he doth wholly forfeit, that lives at random, without considering what is worthy of his Endeavors, or fit for his Desires.
THE End is that which crowns the Work; that which inspires the Soul with Desire, and Desire with a quick and vigorous Industry. It is last attained, but first intended in every Operation. All Means which can be used in the Acquisition of it, derive their value from its Excellency, and we are encouraged to use them only on the Account of that End, which is attained by them.
IT is the Office of Morality to teach Men the Nature of Virtue, and to encourage them in the Practice of it, by explaining its use and Efficacy.
THE Excellence of Virtue, is the Necessity and Efficacy thereof in the Way to Felicity. It consisteth in this, Virtue is the only Means, by which Happiness can be obtained.
SINCE the Consideration of the End is that alone, which does animate a Man, to the use of the Means, they that treat of Virtue do worthily propose the End in the beginning, and first shew the Excellency of Bliss before they open the Nature of Virtue. For it is a vain thing to discover the Means, unless the End be desired; for if the End be despised, all endeavors are but fruitless, which instruct us in the Means; and the Knowledge of them vain, if they never be used or improved.
THAT Reason, whereby Man is able to Contemplate his End, is a singular Advantage, wherein he is privileged above a Beast. It enables him not only to examine the Nature and perfection of his End, but the Equity and fitness of the Means in Order thereunto, and the singular Excellency of his first Cause, as its Glory and Goodness appeareth in the Design and Contrivance: Especially in making mans Happiness so complete and perfect.
THE Heathens, who invented the name of Ethicks, were very short in the Knowledge of Mans End: But they are worse then Heathens, that never consider it.
Praise for Redemer's The Shining Human Creature: Christian Ethics Vol. 1 (Davenant Institute, 2023)
His Christian Ethics is less exuberant, but Traherne's treatise on virtue, happiness, and love — now expertly introduced, edited, and modernized by Colin Chan Redemer — expresses his delight in the goodness of God and creation and his confidence that "All will be included in his bliss."
Colin Redemer is to be congratulated on making Traherne's inspiring theology of love accessible to today's reader. By modernizing spelling, tactfully simplifying syntax and by supplying the occasional judicious footnote to explain difficulties, Redemer has managed to clarify the meaning while preserving the emotional power of Traherne's style.
Redemer accomplishes a wonderful feat in both his introduction and his treatment of Traherne's philosophical and theological meditation on Christian ethics.
The "beauty of virtue" is not something most Protestants think about. But it is the theme of this beautiful treatise written by the seventeenth-century Anglican poet and theologian Thomas Traherne — and now made accessible to modern readers by this superb modernization.
Thomas Traherne (1636/37–1674) was an Anglican minister, poet, and devotional theologian whose work was virtually unknown in his own lifetime. He composed two books for publication: Roman Forgeries (1673) and Christian Ethicks (1675), the latter written at the request of his patron Sir Orlando Bridgeman and sent to the press as Traherne was dying. He died in October 1674, and the book appeared the following year — without its author to see it.
His papers passed out of knowledge for two centuries until a bookseller named William T. Brooke discovered them at a London book barrow in 1897. The manuscripts — containing the devotional prose Centuries of Meditation and unpublished poetry — were eventually identified as Traherne's by Bertram Dobell and published in 1903. Christian Ethicks, his only systematic theological work, remained in the shadow of those rediscovered manuscripts for generations.
C. S. Lewis called Traherne's prose style "almost the most beautiful in English." Commonplace holds Christian Ethicks alongside Roman Forgeries and A Serious and Pathetical Contemplation of the Mercies of God in our library — all three searchable alongside 200+ works from the Reformed and Anglican tradition.
Our AI pipeline restores digitized early modern texts without modernizing them.