ABSTRACT
Final work on Dominations and Powers continued throughout most of 1950. That the manuscript did not take even longer than forty-five years is tribute to Santayana's fidelity to his own thought and habits in the face of a multitude of interruptions. According to Cory, Santayana relied on him increasingly during the long period of re-writing and re-ordering the components of the book; but Santayana's instructions leave no doubt about Cory's function: it was to call to Santayana's attention to repetition of idea or awkwardness of style. Positivism remained his foremost enemy, as is beyond doubt in a long, summary letter to Cardiff of August 1951 which can stand as a final statement of Santayana's retrospection. Although the letter again repeats views one has seen before, it enlarges and refines them in interesting ways. Santayana's humor served him well as he looked back and reported his findings.
