At the end of our last conversation in Paris, Pevear went to his shelves and pulled down a volume in French, and read a prayer by Larbaud addressed to St. Jerome, who translated the Bible into Latin. Following the line with his finger, Pevear squinted and, slowly, translated: “Excellent Doctor, Light of the Holy Church, Blessed Jerome. I am about to undertake a task full of difficulties, and from this moment on I beg of you to help me with your prayers so I can translate this work into French with the same spirit with which it was composed.”

There is only one argumentfor the legitimacy and honourable character ofthe obscure labours of erudition, but it is a de-cisive argument: it rests on their indispensability.No erudition, no history. " Non sunt contemnendaquasi parva" says St. Jerome, ''sine quihus magnaconstare non possunt"