William of Tocco’s Life of St. Thomas Aquinas (1323): The First Biography of the Angelic Doctor in Translation

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EPUB is The Angelus 's article by Foley on his translation.

Translation of Ystoria sancti Thome de Aquino de Guillaume de Tocco (1323), with a preface by Thomas Crean, O.P.!

cf. this video interview on this the 1st biography of St. Thomas!

p. 75 (PDF 74) says Thomas’s commentaries on The Posteror Analytics , Peri Hermeneias , The Fallacies , Modal Propositions , and The Discovery of the Middle Term.", are today considered spurious works (maybe only in the form we have them?—i.e., others aped the titles ∵ they knew original MSS of St. Thomas weren't extent?).

He also showed how saintly his mother was, yet "the solicitude of motherly affection urged Theodora to pursue her son." (p. 40).

Theodora "is said to have been a lady of deep devotion, abstinence, and prayer, to the extent that she developed callouses on her hands and knees by prostrating herself in prayer and casting herself to the earth with continual genuflections. Indeed, she would not have merited to bear such a son unless her prayers had been pleasing before God." (p. 135).

hermit: “Rejoice, my lady, for you are pregnant and you will bear a son whom you will call Thomas. You and your husband will plan to make a monk of him at the monastery of Monte Cassino, where the body of blessed Benedict rests, in the hope of obtaining important revenues from that monastery through the dignity of your son's office. Nevertheless, God will have other plans for him: the boy will become a brother of the Order of Preachers of such sanctity of life and splendor of knowledge that his like will not be found in all the world in his age.”
Theodora: “I am not worthy to bear such a son, but let God do the pleasure of His will.” (p. 28)

"it is said of the illustrious King of France, St. Louis, that he always had recourse to Thomas as his counselor during his most difficult trials, and that he unfailingly found his counsel to be true." (p. 131) [Too bad he probably counseled him in-person, otherwise we'd have a written record in the form a letter, like that Ad ducissam Brabantiæ or De regno to the King of Cyprus.

pp. 140-1 (PDF pp. 124-5):

Another miraculous event that is related to this day about our doctor is astonishing both for the action and the deliberation that it displays. While Thomas was traveling in a small ship with many companions from his Order, the seamen were sailing against the current of the river, while some of them were dragging the ship with ropes from the bank outside with great difficulty. Sighing to his companions, blessed Thomas said to them: “The human race suffers from such a lack of power that this ship can hardly be drawn onward by several men together, when it would have obeyed the command of a single man if mankind had submitted to his God from the beginning” After a little time had passed and the sailors completely wearied from their labor, the saint had pity on them and said o his companions: “Let us go down and help these sailors a little.” Once they had descended, it happened that the master easily drew the ship along for some distance by himself, even though many sailors heaving together could scarcely make it budge. Marveling at this incredible prodigy, his companions then began to pull the ship with their master. This miracle indeed bears witness to the sanctity of this man, who never willfully offended his Creator after taking flesh in his mother’s womb. And it was fitting that a man who so innocently held his body in obedience should have been so readily obeyed by another creature in this miracle.

This Ystoria , or Life , of St. Thomas Aquinas was written more than seven hundred years ago by a man who had known the saint personally. It is surprising that it has never before been translated into English, and we are indebted to David Foley for making good this omission, in time for the seventh centenary of the angelic doctor's canonization. In a way, the lack of an earlier translation is a good thing: for it was not until 1996 that a critical edition of the Latin text was produced, by the French-Canadian scholar Claire le Brun-Gouanvic…

“All who desire to know Saint Thomas personally would do well to read this striking account of his life.” —Fr. Paul Robinson

This book was used as part of the canonization process for St. Thomas Aquinas. It is published in English for the first time in history by Angelus Press and translated by David Foley.

While most Catholics are familiar with the writings of St. Thomas Aquinas, little is known about the saint himself… until now. This insightful biography of St. Thomas Aquinas appears for the first time in English after its composition seven centuries ago. Its author, Brother William of Tocco, used his own contact with the saint and interviews with many who knew him to set down his life.

In this easy-to-read translation, you will find the remarkable story of the life of the Angelic Doctor, including his imprisonment by his family; his incredible powers of abstraction and memory; his refutation of heresies and his heroic virtues; his levitation and other miracles; and his holy death.

This book gives a charming eyewitness account of the unseen life of St. Thomas Aquinas and helps us better understand the family, friends, and era that produced one of the greatest theologians of all time.

Hardback, pp. 227