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 THOMAS

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THOMAS

these indeed, as the "Oratio de elevatione mentis in Deum", rise to subhnie heights ol' niystieism. There are numerous prayers of swcel devcition and quaint, Latin hymns of simple rh.\ lliiri and jinghng rhyme. One work, of whieli Tliomas was editor rather than author, is a "Life of (St.) Lydwine, Virgin" (tr. Lon- don, 1911). The best complete edition so far of the "Opera omnia" of a Kempis is that of the Jesuit Sommalius, published by Nut of Antwerp, 1607; even this does not contain the "Clironicon Montis SanctiB Agnetis", which wjus edited by H. Rosweyd, S.J., and publishetl in one volume with tlie "Chronicon Windes- emen.se" (.\ntwerp, 1021). Of the innumerable edi- tions of the "Imitation", doubtless by far the most interesting is a facsimile from the 1441 code.x, pub- lished in London, 1S79. A splendid critical edition of the "Opera omnia" is now being published by Herder under the able editorship of Dr. Pohl; fi\'e of eight projected volumes have appeared (1911). Messrs. Kegan Paul have published in a uniform edition five volumes of translation, already mentioned in the cour,se of this article. Messrs. Burns andOatec have brought out a sixth. It is hoped eventually to offer a complete translation. This series will prove a boon to students of a Kempis, as, although several lesser works, such as "The Soliloquy of the Soul", "The Dis- cipline of the Cloister", the "Manuale Parvulorum", etc., have been rendered into English, the work hitherto accomplished has been of uni^qual merit. Perhaps in this connexion we may quote the enthusiastic com- mendation of Prior Pirkhamcr addressed to Peter Danhausser, the publisher of the first edition of Thomas a Kerapis's works, 1494: "Nothing more holy, nothing more honourable, nothing more religious, nothing in fine more profitable for the Christian commonweal can you ever do than to make known these works of Thomas h, Kemjjis."

Cruise, Thomas d Kt-mpis (Loudon. 1887); Idem, Who was the Author o/ the Imitationf (London, 1898); Gem, Hidden Saints (London, 1907): Kettlewell, The Anthorship of the De Imi- taiione Chrisli (London, 1877); Idem, Thomas d Kempis and the Brothers of the Common Life (London, 1882); Mo.vtmorency, Thomas d Kempis. His Age and His Book (London, 1906); Scully, Cife of the Venerable Thomas d Kempis (London, 1901); Waterton, Thomas d Kempis and the Imitation of Christ (Lon- don, 1883); Amort, Dcductio critica^ qua juxta leges sanioris critics moratiter eertum reddilur Ven. Thomam Kempensem Librorum de Imitatione Christi Authorem esse, etc. (.\ug3burg, 1761): Idem. Moralis certitudo pro Ven. Thoma Kempensi (.\ugsburg, 1764); Idem, Scutum Kempense (Cologne, 1728): Idem. Plena et succincta informatio de statu totius controversite, etc. (.\ug3burg, 1725): Becker, L'.iuteur de V Imitation et les docu- ments Neerlandais (La Haye, 1882): BuscH, Chronicon Windese- mense. and Liber de reformatione monasteriorum (Halle, 1887); Gregory, Histoire du livre de V Imitation de J^sus-Christ et de son zhritable auteur (Paris, 1843) ; HlRSCRE, Thomce Kempensis De Imitatione Christi, (Berlin, 1874); Idem, Prolegomenn. zu Eintr Neuen Ausgabe dcr Imitatio Christi (Berlin, 1883) ; ed, S0MM.4L1US, Opera omnia (Antwerp, 1607) ; ed. P6hl, Opera omnia (5 vols., Freiburg, 1902-11); Complete Works, I-V (London, 1904-7); Chronicon Montis Sancta; Agnetis (Antwerp, 1621): Malou, Recherches historiques et critiques sur le vSritabte auteur du livre de V Imitation de Jisus-Christ (Paris, 1858); Mella, Delia Controversia Gerseniatui (Prato, 1875); PuvOL, La doctrine du litre De Imitatione Christi (Paris, 1881); Santini, I diritli de Thomma.io da Kempis (Rome, 1879. 1880); Spitzen, Thonuis d Kempis. etc. (Utrecht. 1880); Idem, Les Hollandisms de r Imitation de Jesus-Christ (Utrecht, 1884); Idem, Nourtlle defense (Utrecht, 1884); WoLFSoRUBER, Giotanni Gersen, sein Lehen und sein Werk de Imitatione Christi (Augsburg. 1880); Idem, Septem Motira contra Thomam de Kempis (Vienna, 1882).

Vincent Scully.

Thomas Alfleld f.\rFiEi^D, .\lphilde, Hawfield, Offeldis), Venerable (alias Badger), priest, b. at Gloucestershire; martyred at Tyburn, 6 July, 1.5S.5. He was educated at Eton and Cambridge (1.568). He was .afterwards converted and came to I)ouai College in 1.576, but the troubles there com- pelled him to intermit his studies for four years, and he was eventually ordained and sent forth from Reims in 1.581. Here he was associated with the celebrated mi.ssion of Blessed Edmund Campion and Father Persons, and he persuaded the latter to take as his servant his brother Robert .Alfield. then re- cently converted, but who afterwards became a

traitor of note. Thom.os seems to h;i\c laboured chiefly in the north, where after a time he w :us arrested and sent to the Tower of London, 2 May, 1.582. Here he at firet made a "glorious" confes.sion, and even endured torture; but being afterwards sent back to the north, he fell, and went to the Protestant Church. Upon regaining liberty he was deeply penitent for his fall, and returne'd to Dr. Allen at Reims to gather new resolution. Returning again to England he was induced by the famous .seaman John Davis (about March, 1584) to make for him offers — presumably insincere on Davis's part — of services to Spain. In August of the same year Dr. Allen's celebrated "True and modest Defence" appeared in answer to Burghley's "Execution of Justice". To circulate such books as Allen's was of the greatest service to the Faith. Alfield undertook the dangerous task with the help of a dyer by the name of Thomas Webley, and of one Crabbe. After some months he was again arrested, and again sent to the Tower, whence he was removed to Newgate and tried. Crabbe renounced the pope and thereby saved his life; the other two were hanged. \ re- prieve had, for some unknown reason, been granted for Alfield, but it arrived too late.

Challoner, .l/isKiri, "- • '(• li:,!„irrl, l^mGiLLOw

Bibl. Diet. Eng.Cath.. K ., I ■ Ihrs of Car-

dinal Allen (IjOndon. 1 . \ ,1 i . Irrences to

Alfield in the Recor'l «, im -.i wIm.Ii are given

by .'Simpson in The ff.i,/, .,--. ,n-,> =«., \ 11, 4Jii-4.>l.

Patrick Ryan. Thomas Anglicus. See Thomas of Jorz.

Thomas Aquinas, Satnt, philosopher, theologian, doctor of the Church (Angelicus Doclnr), patron of Catholic universities, colleges, and schools, b. at Rocca Secca in the Kingdom of Naples, 1225 or 1227; d. at Fossa Nuova, 7 March, 1274.

I. Life. — -The great outlines and all the important events of his life are known, but biographers differ as to some details and dates. Death prevented Henry Denifle from executing his [jroject of writing a critical life of the saint. Denifle's friend and pupil, Dominic Priimmer, O.P., professor of theology in the University of Fribourg, Switzerland, has taken up the work and is publishing the "Pontes Vita; S. Thomae Aquinatis, notis historicis et criticis illus- trati"; and the first f.ascicle (Toulouse, 1911) has appeared, giving the life of St. Thomas by Peter Calo (1300) now pubUshcd for the first time. From "Tolomeo of Lucca (see Bartholomew of Lucca) we learn that at the time of the saint's death there was a doubt about his exact age (Prinnmer, op. cit., 45). The end of 1225 is usually assigned as the time of his birth. Father Priimmer, on t he authority of Calo, thinks 1227 is the more jirobable date (op. cit., 28). All agree that he died in 1274.

Landulph, his father, was Count of .Vquino, Theo- dora, his mother, Countess of Teano. His family was related to the Emperors Henry VI and Freder- ick II, and to the Kings of .dragon, Ca.stile, and France. Calo relates that a holy hermit foretold his career, saying to Theodora before his birth: "He will enter the Order of Friars Preachers, and so great will be his learning and .sanctity that in his day no one will be found to ecjual him " (Priimmer, op. cit., 18). At the age of five, according to the custom of the times, he was sent to receive his first training from the Benedictine monks of Monte Ca.ssino. Diligent in study, he was thus early noted as being meditative and devoted to prayer, and his preceptor was surprised at hearing the child ask frequently: "What is God?" .\bout the year 12.36 he was sent to the University of Naples. Calo says that the change was made at the instance of the Abbot of Monte Cassino, who viTote to Thomas's father that a boy of such talents should nr)t be left in obscurity (Prummer, op. cit., 20). At Naples his preceptors