CONTENTS OF THE FIRST VOLUME

The frontispiece photogravure reproduces an oil-painting preserved in the sacristy of the Santissima Annunciata in Portorio, the Church of the Pammatone Hospital in Genoa. This painting is probably a copy (perhaps not older than 1737) of the portrait which hangs in the superioress’s room in the same hospital, and which is presumably the picture referred to by documents as extant in 1512, eighteen months after Catherine’s death. The copy has been reproduced in preference to the original, because the original has been considerably and clumsily restored, whereas the copy gives us the older portrait as it existed before this restoration.

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Part I.—INTRODUCTION

Chapter I.—The Three Chief Forces of Western Civilization3-49

Introductory3-10

I.The First of the Three Forces: Hellenism, the Thirst for Richness and Harmony10-25

II.The Second of the Three Forces: Christianity, the Revelation of Personality and Depth25-39

III.The Third Force: Science, the Apprehension and Conception of Brute Fact and Iron Law39-48

IV.Summing up: Hellenism or Harmonization, Christianity or Spiritual Experience, and Science or Acceptance of a Preliminary Mechanism, all three necessary to Man48, 49

Chapter II.—the Three Elements of Religion50-82

Introductory50

I.The Three Elements, as they successively appear in the Child, the Youth, and the Adult Man50-53

II.Each Element ever accompanied by some amount of the other two. Difficulty of the Transition from one Stage to the other53-55

III.Parallels to this Triad of Religious Elements55-58

IV.Distribution of the Three Elements amongst Mankind and throughout Human History58-65

V.Causes operative in all Religion towards minimizing or suppressing one or other Element, or towards denying the need of any Multiplicity65-70

VI.The Special Motives operating in each Element towards the suppression of the other Elements70-77

VII.Three Final Objections to such a conception of Religion, and their Answers77-82

Part II.—BIOGRAPHICAL

Chapter III.—Catherine Fiesca Adorna’s Life, up to her Conversion; and the Chief Peculiarities predominant throughout her Convert Years.85-127

Introductory85, 86

I.Proposed Study of the Mystical-Volitional Element in a Particular, Concrete Instance: St. Catherine of Genoa86-90

II.The Materials and Aids towards such a Study90-93

III.Peculiarities of the Genoese Climate and Geographical Position; of the Ligurian Character; and of the Times into which Catherine was born. Her Family, Father and Mother93-97

IV.Catherine’s Life, up to the Preliminaries of her Conversion: Autumn 1447 to Mid-March 147497-104

V.Her Conversion, with its immediate Preliminaries and Consequences, March 1474104-109

VI.The Two Conceptions concerning the Character and Rationale of her Penitential Period and of her whole Convert Life. The Position adopted here109-113

VII.Catherine and the Holy Eucharist113-116

VIII.Catherine and Confession and Direction117-123

IX.Catherine and Indulgences123-126

X.Peculiarities concerning the Invocation of Saints and Intercessory Prayer126, 127

Chapter IV.—Catherine’s Life from 1473 to 1506, and its Main Changes and Growth128-174

I.First Period of Catherine’s Convert Life: Giuliano’s Bankruptcy and Conversion; their Work among the Poor, March 1473 to May 1477128-131

II.Catherine and Tommasa Fiesca: their Difference of Character and attrait. Peculiarity of Catherine’s Penitence and Health during this Time131-133

III.Change in the Temper of Catherine’s Penitence, from May 1474 onwards133-135

IV.Catherine’s Great Fasts135-137

V.Second, Central Period of Catherine’s Convert Life, 1477-1499: its Special Spiritual Features138-141

VI.Catherine and Giuliano move into the Hospital in 1479, never again to quit it. She is Matron from 1490 to 1495141-143

VII.Catherine and the Plague. The Outbreak of 1493143-145

VIII.Catherine and Ettore Vernazza, 1493-1495145-147

IX.Catherine’s Health breaks down, 1496; other Events of the same Year147-149

X.Events of 1497149-154

XI.Beginning of her Third, Last Period; End of the Extraordinary Fasts; First Relations with Don Marabotto155-159

XII.Her Conversations with her Disciples; “Caterina Serafina.” Don Marabotto and the Possessed Maid159-162

XIII.Catherine’s Sympathy with Animal-and Plant-Life: her Love of the Open Air. Her Deep Self-knowledge as to the Healthiness or Morbidness of her Psycho-physical States163-166

XIV.Catherine’s Social Joys and Sorrows, 1501-1507166-174

Chapter V.—Catherine’s Last Four Years, 1506-1510. Sketch of her Character, Doctrine, and Spirit175-250

I.Catherine’s External Interests and Activities up to May 1510. Occasional slight Deviations from her old Balance. Immensely close Interconnection of her whole Mental and Psycho-physical Nature. Impressions as connected with the Five Senses175-181

II.More or less Maladif Experiences and Actions182-200

III.Catherine’s History from May to September 9, 1510200-211

IV.The Last Six Days of Catherine’s Life, September 10-15211-219

V.Sketch of Catherine’s Spiritual Character and Significance220-250

Chapter VI. Catherine’s Doctrine251-294

Introductory251-260

I.God as Creative Love. The Creature’s True and False Self; True and False Love260-266

I.Sin, Purification, Illumination266-272

III.The Three Categories and the Two Ways273-280

IV.The Other Worlds281-294

Chapter VII.—Catherine’s Remains and Cultus; the Fate of her Two Priest Friends and of her Domestics; and the remaining History of Ettore Vernazza295-335

Introductory295, 296

I.The Burial and the Events immediately surrounding it. September 15 to December 10, 1510296-300

II.The Different Removals of the Remains, and the Chief Stages of her Official Cultus300-306

III.The Fate of Catherine’s Priest Friends307-311

IV.The Fate of Catherine’s Three Maid-servants311-314

V.The Two Vernazzas: their Debt to Catherine, and Catherine’s Debt to them314, 315

VI.Ettore Vernazza’s Life, from 1509 to 1512316-321

VII.Ettore in Rome and Naples; his Second Will; his Work in the Genoese Prisons321-329

VIII.Ettore again in Naples; his Death in Genoa, June 1524; Peculiarities of his Posthumous Fame329-335

Chapter VIII.—Battista Vernazza’s Life336-367

Introductory336, 337

I.Battista’s Life, from April 1497 to June 1510337-339

II.Battista and her God-father, Tommaso Moro339-344

III.Battista’s Colloquies, November 1554 to Ascension Day 1555344-358

IV.Some further Letters of Battista, 1575-1581358-366

V.Battista’s Death, May 1587366, 367

CONCLUSION TO VOLUME I

Wherein lies the Secret of Spiritual Persuasiveness367-370

APPENDIX TO PART II

Chronological Account and Critical Analysis of the Materials for the Re-constitution of Saint Catherine’s Life and Teaching371-466

Introduction: The Three Laws that govern the Growth of Religious Biography; Complexity of the Materials for Catherine’s Life371-376

First Division: Account and Analysis of the Documents previous, and immediately subsequent to, the “Vita e Dottrina” with the “Dicchiarazione,” in Seven Stages376-433

I.First Stage: August 1456 to September 12, 1510, all Legal376-380

II.Second Stage: Five further Official and Legal Documents, 1511-1526; and Four Mortuary Dates, 1524-1587380, 381

III.Third Stage: Bishop Giustiniano’s Account of Catherine’s Life, Remains, and Biography, 1537382-384

IV.Fourth Stage: The Two Oldest Extant Manuscripts of the “Vita e Dottrina” with the “Dicchiarazione.” Manuscript A (October 1547 to February 1548), and Manuscript B384-395

V.Fifth Stage: Manuscript C (copy of a MSS. of 1550?), first appearance of the “Dialogo,” “Chapter” First395-410

VI.Sixth Stage: First Printed Edition of the “Vita-Dottrina-Dicchiarazione,” 1551; Examination of all it possesses in addition to Manuscripts A, B, and C, apart from the “Dialogo”411-417

VII.Seventh Stage: The Second “Chapter” of the “Dialogo,” which appears for the first time in the Printed “Vita,” 1551417-424

VIII.Seventh Stage continued: Minute Analysis of one Passage from the Second “Chapter”424-427

IX.Seventh Stage concluded: Character and Authorship of this Second “Chapter”427-433

Second Division: Analysis, Assignation, and Appraisement of the “Vita-Dottrina-Dicchiarazione” Corpus, in Eight Sections433-466

I.The “Dicchiarazione”: the Two Stages of its Existence434-440

II.The Earlier “Dicchiarazione,” and its Theological Glosses440-447

III.Five Conclusions concerning the History of the “Dicchiarazione”447-449

IV.The “Vita”-Proper, its Divisions and Parts, and its Chief Secondary and Authentic Constituents449-453

V.Age and Authorship of the Literature retained453-457

VI.Analysis of the Conversion-Narratives458-462

VII.The Sayings-Passages: Three Tests for discriminating Authentic from Secondary Sayings462, 463

VIII.Conclusion: At least Six Stages in the Upbuilding of the Complete Book of 1551. The Slight Changes introduced since then. First Claims to Authorship for Catherine463-466

“He is not far from every one of us; for in Him we live, and move, and have our being.”—Acts xvii, 27, 28.

“Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.”—2 Corinthians iii, 17.