 On beginning his philosophical studies in 1910 he came under the influence of the Oxford realists, especially E.F. Carritt and John Cook Wilson. Until around 1916 he was a professed realist; however, his realism was progressively undermined by his close engagement with continental philosophy, especially the work of Benedetto Croce and Giovanni Gentile. This was partly the result of his friendship with J.A. Smith, Waynflete Professor of Metaphysical Philosophy from 1910 to 1935. In 1913 he published an English translation of Croce’s The Philosophy of Giambattista Vico; he was later to translate many other works by both Croce and Guido de Ruggiero. Both Croce and de Ruggiero were personal as well as philosophical friends, although his relationship with de Ruggiero was closer.