1 6 The Triumphal Chariot of Antimony. 



the object of your undertaking, viz., 

 riches and health.* 



Next in order after prayer follows 

 CONTEMPLATION, by which we apprehend 



* It is not for me to criticise by praise or blame what the 

 Author here says about piety, the worship of God, and the 

 invocation of His Name. No doubt it was natural for Basil 

 to write as he did, and my business does not extend beyond 

 the task of rendering his remarks in Latin. In the mean- 

 time, I have endeavoured to acquit myself of my task so as 

 to give as little offence as possible to more advanced thinkers. 

 The Scripture says that godliness is profitable to all things, 

 and prayer is the most important exercise of godliness. If 

 prayer fulfilled no other purpose, it would at least be useful 

 in imparting earnestness to every search, and concentrating 

 the mind on the object in view. It prevents all distraction, 

 and that perfunctory treatment of our problem which is one 

 of the most frequent causes of failure. It often happens in 

 this search that what you vainly endeavoured to understand 

 for many days, suddenly is rendered plain to you in a single 

 moment by an instantaneous flash of inspiration, which one 

 would be ungrateful not to attribute to Divine assistance. 

 But if your oration, or prayer, is to be of any avail, there 

 must also be co-operation on your part : the solution which 

 you then find, by dint of perseverance and concentrated effort, 

 may be fitly called revelation. This would never have come 

 to you without oration and co-operation ; and yet, as the 

 solution is nowhere contained in the process by which it is 

 sought, it appears to you like a marvel, and a celestial revela- 

 tion. Thus, if prayer be the power of concentration, we can 

 easily understand how it is the means of placing temporal and 

 spiritual blessings within our reach. Hence prayer is highly 

 commended by Basil, and all the Sages ; for godliness is 

 profitable to all things, and especially to that which is the 

 greatest of all earthly blessings. 



