eat abbey at Monte Cassino, shows how his life ran the gamut of
the various phases of interest in the intellectual world of his time. It
was his retirement to the famous monastery that gave him the
opportunity, the leisure, the reference library for consultation that a
writer feels he must have near him, and probably also the means
necessary for the publication of his works. Not only did the monks of
Monte Cassino itself devote themselves to the copying of his many
books, but other Benedictine monasteries in various parts of the world
made it a point to give wide diffusion to his writings.

As a study in successful publication, that is, in the securing of wide
attention to writings within a short time, the career of Constantine and
the story of his books would be extremely interesting. Medieval
distribution of books is usually thought to have been rather halting,
but here was an exception. It was largely because Benedictines all over
the world were deeply interested in what this brother Benedictine was
writing that wide distribution was secured for his work within a very
short time. His superiors among the Benedictines had a profound interest
in what he was doing. The great Benedictine Abbot Desiderius of Monte
Cassino, who afterwards became Pope, used all of his extensive influence
in both positions to secure an audience for the books--hence the many
manuscript copies of his writings that we have. It is probable that
Constantine established a school of writers at Monte Cassino, for he
could scarcely have accomplished so much by himself as has been
attributed to him. Besides, his works attracted so much attention that
writers of immediately succeeding generations who wanted to secure
attention for their works sometimes attributed them to him in order to
take advantage of his popularity. It is rather difficult, then, to
determine with absolute assurance which are Constantine's genuine works.
Some of those attributed to him are undoubtedly spurious. What we know
with certainty, however, is that his authentic works meant much for his
own and after generations.

Constantine was born in the early part of the eleventh century, and died
near its close, having lived probably well beyond eighty years of age,
his years running nearly parallel with his century. His surname,
Africanus, is derived from his having been born in Africa, his
birthplace being Carthage. Early in life he seems to have taken up with
ardor the study of medi