fc.
HISTORY OP THE JESUITS
THE JESUITS;
COMPLETE HISTOKY
OS 1
THEIR OPEN AND SECRET PROCEEDINGS
FROM THE FOUNDATION OF THE ORDER TO THE
PRESENT TIME.
TOLD TO THE GERMAN PEOPLE
BY
THEODOR GRIESINGER,
TRANSLATED BY
A. J. SCOTT, M.D.
SECOND EDITION.
LONDON :
W. H. ALLEN & CO., 13 WATERLOO PLACE,
PUBLISHERS TO THE INDIA OFFICE.
1885.
(All rights reserved,)
PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION.
THE new edition of my " History of the Jesuits " is
the best proof that the book has done its work. It
has found thousands of readers, and no one has put
it aside without having obtained a proper idea of
this Society, so worthy of condemnation. And
seeing, now, that the Imperial Government has ranged
itself on our side, let us hope that the accursed ban
by which, through the influence of the Jesuits, the
spiritual resurrection of our fatherland has been
restrained, will now be removed from Germany.
Firstly, the crushing of the Empire's enemies, and
now the attack on the foes of light ! When was
there ever for Germany a greater epoch ?
STUTTGABT,
July, 1872.
20C2207
PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION.
THERE is a structure iii the world, to the completion
of which every thinking man is bound to lend his-
assistance, I mean the fabric of intellectual light and
spiritual freedom, without which real and material
liberty cannot be attained. Providence has given to-
some few the power of contributing a corner-stone, or
even an entire pillar, to this building, and those few
are the " Spiritual Knights " of whom Heine sings.
But even when to the remainder this power is wanting,
are they on that account to lay their hands on their
lap and totally refrain from labour, when, perhaps,
they might be in a position to pass on towards thia
erection the mortar and small stones ? I say " No " ;
and upon this " No " have I completed the " History
of the Jesuits.'* May this book contribute a little, if
not to the stripping-off of the fetters of superstition
and spiritual thraldrom in which so many hundred
thousands are still bound, at all events to the loosening
of them and to the preparation for casting them aside.
More I do not expect.
TRANSLATOR'S PREFACE.
IN reading this remarkable book, it struck the translator tliat,
perhaps, it would not be unacceptable to the reading public of this
country to know what is thought, in Protestant Germany, about
the Society of which it treats. He has, therefore, devoted some
of his leisure to rendering it into English.
In order, however, that the reader may know something about
the author of this worl-, he has also added a translation of what
is said of him in the fourth volume of Heinrich Kurz's Geschichte
der nemten Deutschen Literatur, von 1830 bis auf die Geyenwart,
fourth and improved edition, Leipzig, 1881 : " Karl Theodor
Griesinger was born at Kimbach near Welsach, in Wurtemberg,
on the 10th December 1809. After a complete study of theology,
he became a vicar, but relinquished this position in three years to
devote himself to literature. After a severe illness, he entered in
1841 a bookseller's shop, in order ' to make sure of his bread,' but
again gave up this career in 1848, and founded a democratic news-
paper, Die Volkswehr, which led to his arrest for high treason. Of
this charge, however, he was acquitted, but, notwithstanding, it
was the cause of his emigi-ation to America with his wife and child
in 1852. As the mode of life there did not please him, he returned
to Stuttgart in 1857, when he again resumed the career of author,
and for his Wurtemberg nach seiner Verganyenheit und Gegenwart,
<6c., received from the King the gold medal for Arts and Sciences.
Griesinger belongs to the German Democrats, who were not pleased
with life in America, because it was tinged with truly republican
opinions. This may be concluded from his Lebenden Bildern am
America (Stuttgart, 1858), which, moreover, are indicative of
talent. These are not exactly novels, but rather descriptions of
life among the Germans in America, more especially in New York,
and this life is represented in a poetical manner and with spirit.
TIC ANSI. \TORS PBBFAGB.
His Emiyrtniti'ii (li'xrhicltte-n (Tuttlingen, lHf>.s .V.i. II.), r , luting ta
matters connected with German emigration, show the inventive
faculties of the poet, as well as his skill in describing situations
and characters. Some tales are represented with the delicious
humour which had already gained for the author many friends in
Hnmoruttischen Hililcnt mi* Schicaben (Heilbron, 18H!h, I >ie Alte
Buuerei odcr < 'rhninnliiiitxti-risn nm AVir \'<>rk, is a clever story, but
rather distasteful from its exaggerated atrocities. That the reve-
lations in the Mysterien tlr* Vaticans <><li-r ,lie ,/<-liani,-n SUnilen de*
Papsthums (1801, II.), were, and still are, in accordance with the
spirit of the age, is proved by the proceedings of the Jesuitical
party in the Council of 1870. Griesinger also attempted historical
novels, not without success, both in the L<'t:t,n T<Ki>-n '/>/ < inn; nit:
(Heilbron, 1889), and the Jltinri<-h nm .Vnw//7<///r</ mnl Klixuleth
von Bitsch, ;i historical novel of the end of the fifteenth century
(Stuttgart, 1860, II.)."
Dr. Griesinger, in addition to the above mentioned, published
also several other historical works, such as Dux I>inm-n llxjiinrnt
nn den verschiedem-n ///<// {-'.uro/m* ( Stuttgart, 1871-72), and Die
Geheimnisse des K*>-uiinl (Stuttgart, 1869), Oeschi<-ht,- >/.r Ihntm-ltrn
(Stuttgart, 1874, IV. I, now out of print. His M>/.<t>ri>n ///-.s I'nti-
cans, a most interesting work, containing startling revelations as
to the great depravity which the Church of Rome had fallen into,
previous to the Reformation, was published in 1861. It was trans-
lated into English and published in 1864 by Messrs. W. H. Allen
and Co., of Waterloo Place. The History of tin' Jfsnitx was pub-
lished in 1860, and a second edition in 1878. This Society had
been used by the Papacy in order to combat the Reformation.
Some uphold the sons of Loyola, others, like the author, condemn
them, but it cannot be gainsaid that the Society has been expelled.
from almost every Christian State, and from some of them more
than once. This work is now presented to the reading public
in an English dress, and the translator's task ends with the
translation.
CONTENTS.
BOOK I.
THE ORIGIN OF THE JESUITS ; OB, THE SAINT
IGNATIUS LOYOLA.
CHAPTER L
PAGK:
IGNATIUS LOYOLA BECOMES HOLT . 3
CHAPTEE II.
THE VICISSITUDES OF THE NEW SAINT AND THE SEVEN
FIRST JESUITS 15
CHAPTER in.
LOYOLA IN ROMS , 29
CHAPTER IV.
THE ORGANIZATION AND STATUTE BOOK OF THE NEW
ORDER . . . . . . . . .46
CHAPTER V.
IGNATIUS LOYOLA AS GENERAL OF THE ORDER . 54
ill CONTENTS.
BOOK II.
THE SHREWDNESS OP THE JESUITS, AND THE GIGANTIC
PROGRESS OP THEIR GROWTH.
CHAPTER I.
PAGE
THE JESUIT MISSIONS IN DISTANT REOIONS OF THE
WORLD 85
CHAPTER II.
THE POWERFUL INFLUENCE OF THE JESUITS IN EUROPE . 145
BOOK III.
THE MORALITY OF THE JESUITS J OR, THE VOW OF
CHASTITY.
CHAPTER I.
THE OLD ADAM UNDER THE MASK OF HOLINESS . . 283
Chapter II. is omitted.
CHAPTER III.
THE SPIRITUAL EXERCISES, OR THE REFINEMENT OF
ENJOYMENT . . 306
BOOK IV.
THE DISINTERESTEDNESS OF THE JESUITS ; OR, THE
VOW OF POVERTY.
CHAPTER I.
THE CONFESSIONAL AS THE KEY TO THE MONEY-CHEST 333
CONTENTS. Xlll
CHAPTER II.
PAGE
ROBBERT AND THEFT AMONG LAITY AND ECCLESIASTICS . 358
CHAPTER III.
JESUIT COMMERCE AND USURY, COMBINED WITH FRAUDU-
LENT BANKRUPTCY . . . 410-
BOOK V.
THE PROBITY OF THE JESUITS ; OB, THE SONS OF LOYOLA.
IN THEIR TRUE ASPECT.
CHAPTER I.
THE EVERLASTING CONFLICT OF THE SONS OF LOYOLA
WITH THE REST OF THE CATHOLIC ECCLESIASTICS 443
CHAPTER H.
THE REPULSIVENESS OF THE JESUIT CONSTITUTIONS,
DOCTRINE, AND TEACHING 473
CHAPTER in.
INCREASING ENLIGHTENMENT, AND THE STORM WHICH
AROSE OUT OF THEIR OWN MIDST ..... 492.
BOOK VI.
THE BENEVOLENCE OF THE JESUITS; OR, THE PERMISSION
TO MURDER AND ASSASSINATE.
CHAPTER I.
JESUIT ATTEMPTS IN GERMANY . . 507'
XIV CONTENTS.
CHAPTER II.
PAGE
THE GUNPOWDER PLOT IN ENGLAND, AND THE POLITICAL
INTRIGUES OF THE JESUITS IN THAT COUNTRY - . 519
CHAPTER III.
THE ATTEMPTS ON THE LIVES OF PRINCES WILLIAM AND
MORICE OF ORANGE 544
CHAPTER IV.
THE GREAT COMMOTION AT PARAGUAY, OR DON SEBASTIAN
JOSEPH CARVALHO E MALLO, COUNT OF OKYRAS AND
MARQUIS DE POMBAL . . .... 555
CHAPTER V.
DON PEDRO PABLO ABARACA DE BOLEA, COUNT OF ARANDA,
OR THE ABOLITION OP JESUIT NESTS IN SPAIN . . 587
CHAPTER VL
REGICIDES IN FRANCE . 597
BOOK VII.
THE APPARENT DEATH OP JESUITISM, AND ITS TERRIBLE
REVIVIFICATION.
CHAPTER I.
THE ABOLITION OF THE JESUIT ORDER BT POPE CLEMENT
XIV .629
CHAPTER H.
THE RE-ESTABLISHMENT OF THE JESUIT ORDER, OR THE
NULLIFICATION OF THE BULL " DOMINUS AC REDEMPTOR
NOSTER " 648
CONTENTS. XV
CHAPTER in.
PAGE
THE JESUITS IN THE FIRST HALF OF THE NINETEENTH
CENTURY 664
CHAPTER IV.
THE DEVELOPMENT OF CATHOLICISM INTO JESUITISM, OR
THE JESUIT PAPAL INFALLIBILITY .... 712
BOOK I.
-*
THE ORIGIN OF THE JESUITS;
OB,
THE 8AINT IGNATIUS LOYOLA.
MOTTO.
Der Teufel sass in der HOll' und kriimmt sich vor Schrnertz
Weil der Monch Luther sich Kef asset das Herz
Einzugreifen in der Welten Ring,
Und zu stiirzen die Alte Ordiiuug der Ding'.
" 1st nicht genug," BO heult er, "dags es weithin schalt
Dass die Arge sich wagt an die geistliche Gewalt ?
MUKH er auch noch mein eigen Reich und Domiuium.
Sich erkiihneu zu stiirzen urn und urn ?
I'.t i meiner Grossmutter, er ist im Stand und erobert die IlOll'
vt'c-nn ich ihtn nicht eine grossere Macht eutgegen stall' !
Doch wer hilft mir in dieser schweren Noth,
Wo die Welt aus den Fugen zu gehen droht ? "
80 heult der Satan und schlug sich vor's Hirn
Dass blutgefarbt war bald die schwarze Stirn.
Da trat er die Schlang' zu ihm und alt giftig' Tliier
Welcher von Bosheit, Trug und List der Bauch berstet senior.
Und fliistert' ihm leis' ein paar wort' in's Ohr,
Der Teiifcl in seinem Innern nicht eins davon vcrlor,
Aufsprang er und erleichtert schwoll ihm die Brunt
Und seiu Auge leuchtet vor Wonn' und Lust.
Neun Monat drauf ein Weib einen Jungen geb&r,
Dess' Name Don Innigo von Loyola war.
Au der alt en Reimschronik den I'attr Cyprian.
(TRANSLATION.)
The Devil sat in hell and doubled himself up with pain, because the monk
Luther was courageous enough to encroach on the round world, and to
upset the old order of things. " Is it not sufficient," he screamed, " that it
resounds from afar that the wicked one dares to venture an attack on the
spiritual power ; must he also be bold enough to turn everything upside
down in my own kingdom and dominion ? By my grandmother, he has
tuken up a position and will rob hell if I do not oppose him by a greater
power. And who will help me in this severe exigency, when the world
threatens to depart from its course ? " Thus howled Satan, and flogged his
brains in such a way as to make his black forehead the colour of blood. At
this juncture the Serpent approached him, the old poisonous beast, who
nearly burst his belly with malice, deceit, and cunning, and whispered
softly a couple of words into his ear. The Devil lost not a syllable in his
innermost thoughts. Up he sprang, and his swollen breast was relieved,
and his eye shone again with pleasure and lust. Nine months after that a
woman gave birth to a youngster whose name was Don Innigo de
Xioyola.
From tlie old Rhyniat of Father Cyprian.
CHAPTER I.
IGNATIUS LOYOLA BECOMES HOLY.
IT Is a fact regarding which, according to the views of all
enlightened people, the Germans have reason to be not a little
proud, that almost all orders of monks belong to the Romaic
speaking races, i.e. French, Italian, and Spanish, the Germans
not having the slightest connection therewith. Thus formerly
the widely extended Order of the Benedictines has to thank for
its origin the holy Benedict of Nursia in Umbria, a province of
Italy. So also the Camaldolenses, whose founder was the holy
Romuald, from the family of the Dukes of Ravenna, while
they derive their name from the Abbey of Camaldoli near Arezzo
in the Appenines. The grey monks of Vallombrosa come from
Fiesoli in the territory of Florence. Further, the Carthusians
so named from the solitude of La Chartreuse near Grenoble,
where the holy Bruno, in the year 1086, built the first
hermitage for the companions of his persuasion. Then come the
Colestines, called into existence by the hermit Peter de Murrhone,
who in the year 1294 ascended the Papal throne under the name
of Colestine V. ; after them we find the Cistercians created by
Robert Abbot of Citeaux, or Cistercium, followed by the Sylves-
trians, the Grandimontines, and others. In like manner the
Augustines and all those congregations who regulated their
cloisters according to the rules of the holy Augustus, viz. the
Premonstratenses,* the Servites, the Hieronymites, the Jesuaden,
* I am well aware that this Order was founded by the Canon Norbert,
from Zanthen, in the territory of Cleve, a man of German extraction, who
was afterwards, from his zeal for the Church, nominated Archbishop of
4 HISTORY OF THE JESUITS.
and the Carmelites, as well as the Dominicans, Franciscans, and
Capuchines, along with theMinimen, the Minorites, and the whole
tribe of Beggar Orders, have all likewise a pure Italian origin. The
fact is, that all the cloisters and instituted Orders have, in a word,,
their homes to find in Italy, France, and Spain. The reason
thereof is not difficult to discover. The spirit of the German
nation is, indeed, by no means of a very imaginative nature,
and does not allow itself to be overruled by fancy, especially in
regard to religion. In other words, the German has altogether
a too cold-blooded, calculating, deliberate temperament, to allow
himself to be easily and thanklessly enthusiastic, and is much
more inclined to indulge in subtle inquiries and investigations :
on this account expelled from Rome in a most bitter way, the
chief heresy, namely, Protestantism, owes its birth to Germany.
In reviewing all these many orders more closely, or even
merely running over their names superficially, the question
naturally suggests itself, which of them might, be considered
the best, the most excellent and most esteemed ? This question
was formerly much discussed, especially among the Orders them-
selves, and it gave rise among them to an infinity of strife,
jealousy, discord, and mutual depreciation. In short, formal
war took place between the individual Orders, and I need only
mention Thomists and Scotists (Dominicans and Franciscans, the
former followers of Thomas Aquinus, the latter of Duns Scotus)
in order to render superfluous all further explanation. If, in
this manner, disputes took place among the members of the
Orders themselves, how much less could the public, the lay world,
be expected to agree as to their value or excellence, especially
while the national jealousy of French, Italian, and Spanish was
mixed up with the question.
In the sixteenth century, two circumstances occurred which at
once put a termination to the contention, namely, the Reforma-
tion and the institution of the Order of the Jesuits.
Magdeburg, and still later translated, indeed, among the saints ; but in the
first place the Premonstratenses are only a new edition of the " Canonici
regularis Sancti Augustini," who, it was well known, derived their origin
from Italy ; secondly, Norbert lived so long in France that he was no longer
German, but simply thought and acted as French ; thirdly and lastly, the
foundation really took place in France, namely, in Sprenge, in the Bishopric
of Laon, in the forest of Coney, on a meadow indicated by heaven itself
(Pre montre, hence the name Premonstratenses), and the immigration of the
brethren of the Order into Germany only took place several years after-
wards.
IGNATIUS LOYOLA BECOMES HOLY. 5
Before the clearing thunderbolts launched forth by the
Reformers, Monachism, then flourishing, could no longer
maintain itself; so it collapsed like a decayed building, and
all its former admirers were at once converted into mockers and
^corners, if not into haters and persecutors.
On the other hand, through this Reformation, that is, by the
insight thereby obtained, the Catholic world and the Papacy
could no longer possibly, by the means hitherto employed, ward
off the frightful attacks with which it was assailed ; so a new
Order, I mean that of the Jesuits, was called into existence,
which at once not only threw totally into the shade all previous
monkish brotherhoods, but which accomplished more in a single
century than the whole of them put together had effected during
the long period of their existence. All were amazed at the new
Order, and all, whether friend or foe, were unanimous in the
belief that the Jesuits, in relation to power, influence, exten-
sion, empire, and mastery, had made even the impossible pos-
sible. All, however, agreed, that never so long as the earth had
been inhabited by man had there been a society so steeped in
meanness and vileness as were the Jesuits ; indeed, should the
tenth part of the crimes and shameful deeds attributed to them
be true, they are unworthy to exist among men. Briefly, every-
one could not but admire the intellect, the extraordinary activity)
and the remarkable organisation of the Order of Jesuits ; on the
one hand, there were numbers who actually shuddered at the
bare mention of their name, whilst, on the other, not a few broke
out into excessive and rapturous praises of the fraternity.
Thus was it judged of the Jesuitical Order in the last century,
and precisely the same opposite opinions may be heard in the
present day, when the Order seems about again to raise itself in
.all its pristine glory. Under these circumstances can it be other-
wise than of the highest interest to hear something more in
detail of this society ? Is it not the duty of the historian, then,
to make people acquainted with all that is true respecting this
hate and this admiration, and to penetrate into all the secrets
-with which the Jesuits are alleged to be surrounded ?
I believe the only answer to this question must be an unqua-
lified Yes, and thus will I at once forthwith begin to make the
reader acquainted with the founder of this Order. His country
is also a foreign one, as in the case of the founders of all the
6 HISTORY OF THE JESUITS.
other Orders. Spain, indeed, that most Catholic of all Catholic
countries, had the good fortune to bring him into the world. In
the Basque province of Guipuscoa, between the two small towns
of Azcoitia and A/peitia, rose a proud feudal castle, which
belonged from the thirteenth century to a highly aristocratic
family bearing the name of Loyola, and in this castle, the
ancestral seat, resided towards the end of the 15th century,
Bertram, son of Perez, lord of Loyola and Ogne, or, as it is also
written, Onate. As spouse he had Donna Mnrinnna Saez of
Licona and Balda, so called from her father being the knight
Martin Garcia de Licona and her mother the Marchioness de
Balda ; but to this high-sounding title her dowry did not at all
correspond, consequently Knight Bertram found himself pos-
sessed of no very splendid property, besides the two castles and
the land surrounding them. More fruitful, however, was it
ordered in the domain of love, seeing that the tender pair were
blessed by degrees with eleven children* seven sons and four
daughters ; of the former, the youngest, who came into the
world in 145)1, i.e. eight years after the birth of Luther,
received the baptismal name of Don Innigo (or Ignatius) Lopez
de Ricalde in the church of the holy Sebastian de Soreasu in
the before-mentioned small town of Azpeitia. This Ignatius was-
destined to become the founder of the most celebrated and at the
same time the most ill-famed Order ever instituted. Don Innigo
showed, while yet a boy, the most remarkable capabilities, but
unfortunately they were not cultivated as they might have been,
it being thought unnecessary for him to do more as regards
learning than to be able to read and write his own mother-
tongue. Moreover, an uncle domiciled at Arevalo in old Castile,
with whom he passed the greater part of his childhood, had liiin
instructed in fencing, dancing, and playing on the mandoline, ia
Some biographers make out that there were fourteen children, nine sons
and five daughters, but the names of eleven only are preserved to us, and
these are as follows : (1) Don Joannes, who lost his life in the Neapolitan
war ; (2) Don Martinus, who inherited Loyola on the death of Joannes ;
(3) Don Bertram, who also died young on the field of Nona ; (4) Don Ochoa,.
who was taken off, too, in his youth ; (5) Don Hernandus, who died in India ;
(6) Don Petrus, who entered the Church, and who officiated in the cathedral
of Aspezia, that is, in that of the holy Sebastian ; (7) Don Innigo, whose life
I am now describing ; (8) Donna Magdalena, married to Don Joannes Lopez
de Gallay Itaqui ; (9) Donna Mariana, married to Don Stephano de Arqueza ;
(10) Donna Katherina, married to Don Joannes de Martinez de Lasuo:,
(11) Donna Maria, who died unmarried.
IGNATIUS LOYOLA BECOMES HOLY. 7
all which accomplishments the young Innigo was made to excel.
At the age of fourteen, Don Antonio Mariquez, Duke of Majera,
and grandee of Spain, a distant relation of the Loyola family,
obtained for him the situation of page at the Court of Ferdinand
and Isabella, and here, in this brilliant and luxurious atmo-
sphere, he received the last finishing strokes of his knightly
education. In other words, he learned to make love declarations
to the ladies in finely-turned phrases sung, it may be well
understood, to the accompaniment of the mandoline and when
the jealousy of husbands, brothers, and bridegrooms was raised
thereby, he was quite ready to defend himself in his nightly
serenades sword in hand. In a word, he obtained for himself, as
did others of his age and rank, the reputation of being a very
vain, high-spirited, and withal eccentric but at the same time
agreeable, brave, and self-sacrificing comrade, who never broke his
word. With all this, he was well made, and had a broad open
forehead, grey eyes, and a fine roman nose somewhat bent, a
healthy colour, and asymmetrical strong build, though not above
the middle height. It was, therefore, not to be wondered at that
he obtained favour with the fair sex, without on that account
being unpopular with the men. After he had thus employed
himself during several years in such-like trifling, and esta-
blished for himself the reputation of being a first-rate " Cabel-
leros," he came to the conclusion that such a life was truly pur-
poseless, and seized with most vehement ambition, he resolved
upon entering on a military career, in order that his brows
might be crowned with laurels. This time, also, the Duke
Rosera gave him a helping hand, and soon advanced him to the
rank of officer. Of this distinction he well knew how to render
himself worthy in every respect, and he not only gave most
glorious proof, on the battle-field, of a brave heart and a strong
arm, but also in his leisure hours he sought to perfect himself
theoretically in systematic study of the art of war. Still, I
should not conceal that he continued while in winter quarters
to devote himself with true knightly art to gallantry, and in the
arms of love he sought to console himself for the hardships of
the summer campaign.
In this manner did he spend several years, which brought him
pretty soon to the rank of captain, while he confidently trusted
that his acknowledged bravery would eventually raise him to
8 HISTORY OF THE JESUITS.
become a general. He dared the more to hope this, as at thnt
time there existed much strife and contention, in that Charles V ,
the successor of Ferdinand and Isabella, and at the same time
Emperor of Germany, strove for ten long years for the mastery
of Europe with Francis I., King of France. But now a sudden
accident put an immediate end to all these brilliant expecta-
tions. In the year 1521 the French, led by Andre de Foix,
Lord of Esparre, besieged the town of Pampeluna, and on the
20th of May, after a breach had been effected, the assault was
made. The defence of the citadel was, however, entrusted to a
man, even to Don Innigo Loyola, who resolved rather to be
buried under the ruins than that his heroic reputation should be
stained by a cowardly surrender, so that the French could not
gain a foot without paying for it with rivers of blood. Whilst
the brave Loyola received a wound on his left foot from a frag-
ment of a broken wall, he at the same time had his right leg
shattered by a cannon-ball, and consequently all resistance was
now at once at an end ; and the Spaniards, seeing their leader
fall, lost courage and yielded unconditionally. The French
commander behaved nobly on the occasion, and caused the
wounded Don Innigo to be attended by his own surgeon, and,
not contented with this merely, gave him his liberty at the end
of a fortnight without ransom, and when his cure was com-
pleted caused him to be removed to his ancestral castle. This
was done with great care, the wounded man being carried in a
litter, notwithstanding which, however, the journey had indeed
a most prejudicial effect, as it seemed that the bandages had
become displaced, and the medical attendants, who were imme-
diately summoned, declared that it would be necessary, in order
to effect a good cure, that the bone should be broken ngain,
which involved the extensive wound, already half healed, being
torn open afresh. This cruel operation was most painful, as a
number of broken splinters of bone had to be removed ; but
the courageous Loyola at once gave his consent thereto, and
conducted himself like a hero while the doctors were then most
cruelly torturing him r not a single cry escaped from him, and
he obliged himself to put on a pleasing smile while his sisters
-were shedding tears of pity. The loss of blood and consequent
fever reduced him so low that it was considered well to
administer to him the sacrament for the dying, and at last the
IGNATIUS LOYOLA BECOMES HOLY. 9
medical men even declared that he could not be saved. In
spite of all, however, it did not corne to this, but his naturally
strong constitution overcame the debility, and he began to get
better, although, indeed, very gradually and in the course of
several months.* Bat, alas ! as he at length was able to leave
his bed, and tried to walk up and down his room, it became
apparent that the limb had become an inch too short, and
besides, below the knee there was an unsightly projecting piece
of bone which made it impossible for him to wear the high tight-
fitting boots which were at that time in fashion. This was a mis-
fortune that his vanity could not endure, and he forthwith resolved
to have the detestable bone sawn off. His physicians explained
'to him that he would run a great risk in having this done, and
that the operation would be uncommonly painful. However, he
insisted upon it, and the bone was sawn off. Hardly had he
got over the effects than he began to have the limb stretched,
and with this object he caused an iron machine .to be made, in
which he forthwith inserted the leg. It was then turned, in
order that the muscles should become more and more lengthened,
and, in spite of almost maddening pain, Loyola bore up reso-
lutely, giving the best proof of the very great energy he
-possessed ; but, unfortunately, the desired result was far from
being accomplished, and Ignatius could no longer conceal from
himself that he had become lame for life. Moreover, the mirror
told him too plainly that his features, in consequence of his
long sufferings and agonizing pains, had become old and
withered, his hair thin, and his forehead wrinkled. It was a
-subject for despair. He who had hitherto been the favourite
of the ladies, and through las agreeable manners had outstripped
.all rivals, arousing envy and admiration at the same time
wherever he went, should he now be slighted, and even, perhaps,
become an object of pity and contempt ? No, it was impossible
.for him to endure such an affliction, and an escape from it
must be found in some way or another. Already, during his
long confinement to bed, had he taken to reading in order to
overcome the deadly weariness, and by accident he found in the
castle either Aniadis or some other work, but all of a particular
* His historian attributes this recovery to a miraculous work of the
Apostle Peter, the latter being greatly interested in keeping Ignatius Loyola-
alive, at all events until he had founded the Order of Jesuits.
10 HISTORY OF THE JESUITS.
description, namely, different kinds of legendary lore, as the-
Flare* Sanctorum (Flowers of the Saints). This latter book
superabounded in the extraordinary adventures which the saints
had to go through before they became truly holy ; and one can:
easily understand what an impression such flowery pictures
might have made on such an excitable, fanciful, and eccentric
man as Loyola. He was, indeed, firmly impressed by it with
irresistible fascination. " The holy Francis did thus and I will
do the same. The holy Dominic behaved thus, and I will do-
the same," he exclaimed. Indeed, at times he was so completely
absorbed as regards the oppressions, expiations, griefs, mortal
pangs, and former heroisms of the saints, that the experiences
of a Florisando of Gaul or a Lisnarde of Greece appeared to
him trifling and insignificant. It is true these impressions were
at first not permanent, but merely transitory, and the image of
the beautiful Donna Isabella Rosella, for whom he formerly enter-
tained the most ardent affection, always dispelled them again ;
but now, however, as he became convinced that his beauty
was a thing of the past, and that he had become a lame cripple,
whilst his beloved Donna declined to listen any more to his love
speeches, and began to trifle with others, he tore her forcibly
from his heart, and instead there appeared to him an unspeak-
ably beautiful virgin, even the Queen of Heaven herself, to whom
he at once most heartily devoted himself. Henceforth he resolved
to make her the queen of his heart, to whom he would render
homage, and if he met with her favour he most certainly must
become as perfect a saint as a Januarius or Eustachius. What
blessedness would it be if he, like them, could make the blind
to see, the dumb to speak, the deaf to hear, and all kinds of
diseases to heal ! when he obtained the power to fly through the
uir like a bird, to walk through the sea dry-shod, and to pass
through the blnzing fire uninjured ! when he should equally be
able to drive out the devil, conquer hell, and gain heaven
alive !
In this manner, a complete change took place in the mind of
Don Innigo Loyola, and the formerly gallant cavalier trans-
formed himself into a strict imitation of an Anthony or a
Pachomius in order to gain the favour of the Virgin.
He now clothed himself, as his biographers narrate, in thick
filthy garments, and over his attenuated and unwashen face fell
IGNATIUS LOYOLA BECOMES HOLT. 11
his uncombed hair, formerly redolent of costly ointments- He
also imposed upon himself the greatest abstinence, and not un-
commonly fasted so long that he fainted from sheer weakness.
While during these trances, he frequently had, according to his
own affirmation, visions of the saints, and especially of the
Virgin Mary he even saw himself translated direct into heaven,
where God Almighty with His own hand placed him close beside
His Son Jesus Christ.
It now seemed apparent that the former brilliant warrior had
turned a complete fool, so much so that his own brother Don
Martin Garcia, at that time head of the family, very earnestly
urged him to give up all this nonsense without delay, and he
again like other men. The idea of becoming a saint was already
so firmly fixed in Ignatius's mind, that reasoning with him was
useless, and he consequently resolved to quit the Castle Loyola
under some pretext or another, in order, in the cloister,,
at a place of pilgrimage at Montserrat in Catalonia, renowned
for its miraculous image of Mary, to devote himself formally
for life to the service of the Mother of God. The excuse was
SOOD found, in that he intimated his intention of riding out to
meet the Duke of Majera, who was at the time sojourning at
Navarette ; but presently, dismissing his attendants, he quickly
made his way to Montserrat, and having arrived there in March
15X2, he first of all exchanged his knightly costume, which he
had resumed by the order of his brother, for a beggarly pilgrim's
garment, consisting of a long coat of coarse sailcloth, a rope
round the body, from which a hollow gourd was suspended in
place of a 'flask, a long staff, and a pair of sandals. He then
flogged his body until the blood came, in order to chastise him-
self for the love of earthly pleasure he had hitherto cherished,
made a three days' general confession to the hermit Clanon, one
greatly esteemed for his exemplary piety, and lastly, following
the example of Arnadis and other heroes of romance, kept a
solemn night-watch before the chapel of the Queen of Heaven,
to whose gracious image he consecrated his sword and dagger,
giving thereby a sign that he had, henceforth, entirely devoted
himself to her service as her spiritual knight.
He named himself, also, henceforth, not only Knight of the-
Virgin, but now and then also, by way of a change, Champion
of Jesus, and formed the resolution, in order to put a crown
12 HISTORY OF THE JESUITS.
upon his striving after sanctity, to undertake a pilgrimage
to Jerusalem. He was anxious, however, first of all, in order to
.render himself more worthy for such an enterprize, to make
preparation by works of penitence of such an extraordinary
nature that the whole world might acknowledge that no man had
ever before submitted himself to such self-inflicted torture. He
selected for the scene of this penance the small town of Manresa,
on the road to Barcelona, from the harbour of which he intended
ultimately to embark for Jerusalem, and he took himself at
once to the local hospital dedicated to the holy Luca, with the
intention of living amidst beggars and sick people. He never
slept in a bed, not even on straw, but upon the bare naked ground,
and subsisted during the whole week on nothing but water and
bread, which last he obtained by begging in the streets. He
girded himself, too, round the body with an iron chain, with
which he daily publicly flogged himself three times ; he no
longer made use of any comb or scissors, so that his appearance
became perfectly horrible, to a degree that whenever he made
his appearance he was surrounded by the street boys, who ran
screaming after him, bespattering him with rotten eggs and
inud. He endured all this, however, without a murmur, and
rejoiced so much more over it, as it was proof to him that his
body was now sufficiently unclean to present a worthy vessel for
the destruction of sin.
He thus conducted himself during several months, until by
accident his noble birth was discovered, when he then attracted
the attention not only of the street boys, but also of the grown-
up people, who hitherto disregarding him as a beggarly and
half-crazed vagabond, were now anxious to see a man who,
instead of taking his position, as he had a right to do, among
the happiest and foremost of the earth, voluntarily made himself
the most wretched among men. This, however, was not at all
after his mind indeed, such cruel obtrusiveuess concealing deri-
sion and scorn under the mask of sympathy annoyed him much ;
he therefore betook himself to a neighbouring cave, to which he
made his way through thorns and prickly bushes. Here in the
cavern he carried on his penances more severe even than before,
and often took no food or drink for several days ; when, how-
ever, in order that he might not be reproached with the crime
of self-murder, he did break his fast, he was content with roots
IGNATIUS LOYOLA BECOMES HOLY. IS
growing in front of the cave, or with old spoilt bread which he
had brought with him from the hospital. In addition to this*
he now flogged himself with his chain six times a day instead of
three times, prayed for seven long hours, resting on his naked
knees, and, as much as he could, deprived himself of sleep in
order to fill up as far as possible the measure of his bodily mor-
tification. In consequence of all this, as one may well imagine,
he assumed the appearance of a perfect martyr, and became so
weak that he fell from one fainting fit into another. He was
continually afflicted, moreover, with the most frightful remorse
of conscience, while he always considered that he still had not
done sufficient penance, and his disordered imagination pic-
tured to his mind the most insane visions, such as that he saw
the devil more than a dozen times, with claws, horns, club feet,
and black face; he also beheld the Saviour surrounded by hosts
of saints, ready to combat Satan and his underlings. On another
occasion, he witnessed the Holy Trinity in the form of three
piano notes, closely bound together, hanging upon a stalk ; and to
his holy eyes, moreover, the Host was represented transformed
into the true God-man. In short, during this period of his life
he had the most marvellous apparitions, and whoever wishes to
become further acquainted with them may read the book, Holy
Exercises, in which they are described, with many other won-
derful statements concerning him.
He bought this ecstatic mental condition, however, but too
dearly, so much so that on one occasion he lay unconscious
during eight days, and would certainly have died had he not
by accident been discovered by some passers by, and immediately
conveyed to the hospital of the town. There he soon recovered,
not only bodily but mentally, owing to the good care bestowed
upon him.
From several conversations which he had with the priests to
whom he made confessions, he was at length brought to the
conviction that he could not attain sanctification, so well, at all
events, solely by severe penance and self-inflicted macerations,,
as by leading others to repentance, and especially was it pointed'
out that the conversion of the heathen would bring him more
quickly and surely to his goal. Penance certainly is of great,
worth, his father confessor told him, but preaching, which
touches the heart, would be more valuable still, and every
14 HISTORY OF THE JESUITS.
heatheii won over to Christianity might be regarded as a round
in the great ladder by which man may climb up into heaven.
This enlightened the mind of the Knight of the Virgin, nnd he
;felt, besides, that in order to be able to undertake the business
of conversion of the heathen, one must be possessed of health
and strength. For this reason he no longer fasted so strictly,
nor did he flog himself so often. He cut his hair and nails and
threw aside his coarse smock coat, becoming again a polished
man for whom loathing and disgust need no longer be enter-
tained. He also declared at the same time that he would not
put off any further his pilgrimage to Jersusalem, as his deter-
mination was to convert all Turks and Mahomedans.
Such changes took place in the mind of Don Innigo Lopez
Loyola in the short space of one year, and one sees from this
what enormous results may be brought about by a broken leg
Jiealed defectively.
15
CHAPTER II.
'THE VICISSITUDES OF THE NEW SAINT AND THE SEVEN
FIRST JESUITS.
""To Jerusalem and Palestine for the conversion of the Turks,"
was now the watchword of the converted Loyola, and, in fact, he
betook himself immediately, at the commencement of the year
1523, towards Barcelona, in order to embark from there, first ot
all, to Italy. Money had he none, but that did not distress him,
for, being already accustomed to beg, he soon collected enough
not only to keep himself from starving but to pay his passage-
money to Gaeta in the Neapolitan dominions. Having arrived
there, he proceeded forthwith further towards Rome, always
begging his way, reaching it on Palm Sunday. His first care,
-naturally enough, was to perform his devotions in all the stations
and churches where pilgrims are wont to resort. He also had
the unspeakable good fortune, on Good Friday, the 5th of April,
to receive, along with other pilgrims, the blessing of His Holiness
Pope Hadrian VI., and, according to some of his biographers,
he was permitted to kiss the Pope's foot. Be that as it may, I
have only to remark that Innigo continued to support himself by
begging, and that he generally passed the night in a miserable
shed. On the 12th of April he prosecuted his journey further
towards Venice, always, be it understood, on foot, and begging
his way. But although he was now so used to this mode of
travelling, he this time nearly fell a victim to it, as from his
miserable appearance he was universally looked upon as a plague-
Ifi HISTORY OF THE JESUITS.
stricken person, and on that account not to be allowed to enter
any town, seeing that the plague at the time was raging, in a
truly unmerciful manner, in Upper Italy. He was, therefore,
often compelled not only to sleep in the open air, which proved
very prejudicial to his health, but he also found on this account
little opportunity of soliciting alms, and accordingly at times
endured frightful sufferings from hunger. At last he succeeded
in reaching Venice, and contrived to introduce himself through
the gate without detention by the sentries. He had no longer
any lack of nourishment, as many benevolent hearts are every-
where to be found, and fortune favoured him so much that a
Spaniard of rank, the Duke Andrea Guitti, obtained for him a
free passage in an Italian State galley to Jaffa in Palestine. It
nearly went badly, however, with him in this ship, on which he
embarked on the 14th of July. Having plenty of spare time
during the voyage, he employed it in preaching better manners to
the sailors, accustomed as they were to swearing and obscene lan-
guage, and, being provoked thereby, they nearly threw him into the
sea. But God and the captain of the ship protected him, and he
thus reached his intended destination, on the 1st of September, in
safety. He was now in Palestine, which he had so long earnestly
desired to visit, so, proceeding to Jerusalem with a caravan of
pilgrims, he arrived there in good condition on the 4th of Sep-
tember. But scarcely had he visited the holy places, and per-
formed his devotions at the different spots over which Christ had
wandered 1,500 years before, than he hastened to carry out the
great aim he was desirous of accomplishing. In other words, he
presented himself forthwith to the Provincial Father of the
Franciscans, and craved permission to commence his work of
preaching and converting. The Provincial, entering into con-
versation with the new labourer in the Church's fold, found, to
his great astonishment, that the latter was not only completely
ignorant of the language and religion of the Turks, but that the
same was the case even as regards Christianity itself, that is to-
say, in " Theology " (the knowledge which Christ taught) he
was quite a tyro. And for such a thoroughly ignorant man, who.
had also a perfectly beggarly and vagabond appearance, to believe
himself fit for such a weighty undertaking as the education of
those who did not believe in the Christian religion, appeared to the
Provincial to be the purest nonsense, and so he told Ignatius to
THE VICISSITUDES OP THE NEW SAINT. 17
his face. The latter advanced that God might, perhaps, bring
about a miracle, and produce such a powerful effect upon the
Turks that they might understand his preaching in the
Spanish tongue ; but, disregarding such views, the Pro-
vincial shook his head still the more vehemently, and ordered
Ignatius to return forthwith to Europe. As the latter did not
at once acquiesce in this suggestion, he nominated him a beggar
missionary, and, under an authority from the Pope to banish all
pilgrims who were not compliant to his decrees, he had him con-
veyed on a certain small ship bound for Venice, where he safely
arrived in January 1524, after a four months' voyage. Thu?
ended, in an almost laughable manner, the pilgrimage to Pales-
tine; but it had so far done good, that Ignatius obtained a full
comprehension of his ignorance, and became convinced how
impossible it was for him to do anything as a preacher or con-
verter while he had not previously made himself acquainted with
the science of Christianity and studied holy theology. He had
now already attained his thirty-third year, and had not the
slightest idea of even the rudiments of the Latin language.
Moreover, the sole property he possessed consisted of the cloak
that covered his body, miserable trousers which hardly reached
to his knees, and a long frock of ticking, full of holes. How-
ever, he disregarded all this, and resolved to return to Barcelona,
to commence there his studies. " God and the Holy Mary,
whose knight I am," he thought, " will further assist me, and I
hope that I will with ease collect sufficient by begging to com-
plete my studies." In short, he made his way from Venice, by
Genoa, forthwith, but had to encounter many dangers before he
arrived there, owing to the war that at that time was going on
between Francis I. of France, and Charles V., Emperor of
Germany and King of Spain. Among other adventures, he was
taken prisoner by the Spaniards on suspicion of being a spy, and
treated to the scourge. When at length he reached Genoa, he
there had the good fortune to be provided by the commander of
the Spanish galleys, a former acquaintance, Rodrige Portundo,
with a free passage upon a ship, and he arrived safe and sound
at Barcelona without further mishap.
Now began a new period in the life of Don Innigo, when he
entered upon his studies, and, first of all, he sought out a
teacher of the Latin grammar, of the name of Hieronymus
2
18 HISTOR? OF THE JESUITS.
Ardabale, and presented himself to him as a scholar. The professor
regarded the boy of thirty-three with some astonishment, but
took him as a pupil gratis, and Ignatius now sat continually
during two long years in the Latin school, and one can easily
imagine the difficult position in which he now found himself;
while declining and conjugating, how strangely he must have felt
in saying amo, ama*, amat ; and how much he was teazed by his
class-fellows, twenty-five years his juniors ; and how hard it was
for him to contend against his extreme poverty and provide for
his daily necessities. He often at this time entertained the idea
of running away, and this would certainly have occurred had it
not been for two female friends whose acquaintance he had made,
a young lady of the name of Isabella Roselli, and a dame, Agnes
Pasquali, who encouraged him to persevere in his efforts, and not
only so, but also assisted him with money and good advice.
Consequently, he did persevere, and in order that he should not
again fall behind the other school-boys, he begged the teacher
to be sure to give him the rod as much as in their case. In
short, he studied Latin with most astonishing zeal, but, at ' the
same time, did not forget to exercise himself in the great aim of
his existence, i.e. in converting wherever conversion was required;
and now and then he obtained good results, as he possessed
extremely fascinating powers of persuasion, and felt no restraint
in asserting his views in public places, or even in beer-houses.
On one occasion, when he was trying to make into honest women
the nuns of a certain convent where improper conduct much
prevailed, he got such a fearful thrashing from their admirers
that he lay for dead on the spot, and only recovered from the
effects after several weeks. Nevertheless, he immediately com-
menced again to preach as soon as he got well, as he entertained
the firm conviction that this ill-treatment was only a trial that
God had laid upon him.
After two years' study of the Latin grammar, Ignatius con-
sidered that he was now sufficiently advanced to pass over to the
study of Philosophy and Theology, and on that account he
forthwith, in the year 1526, installed himself in the town of
Alkala, where, shortly before, Cardinal Ximines had established
a high school. He found these studies much more difficult than
that of the Latin language, and as he, at the same time, attended
the lectures on Logic, Metaphysics, and Theology, for three
THE VICISSITUDES OF THE NEW SAINT. 19
hours daily in each department, it created such a confusion in
his head that he learned hardly anything. As regards preaching,
begging, and converting, which three functions he knew so well
to combine with the most consummate skill, he succeeded so far
as to win over three students, and make them do exactly as he
did. With them he went daily about the streets of Alkala, partly
begging and partly preaching, and in order to make themselves
more conspicuous they dressed alike in long grey frieze gowns
of the coarsest description, which they bound round their loins
with cords. They also wore neither boots nor shoes, but went
barefoot, and upon their heads they placed bell-shaped hats, so
that God and the world were proclaimed wherever they appeared.
In short, they drew the attention of all Alkala upon them, and
got the name of " Ensazaladas," that is, the men with the frieze
coats, and presently there were a sufficient number of old maids
who took advice from them in matters of conscience. Nor is it-
astonishing, although there was nothing whatever to justify it,
that they began to carry on a commerce in the worship of God,
to act the part of Father Confessors, and to preach repentance to
those who had no wish for anything of the kind. Whereupon,
the ecclesiastics and monks of Alkala became jealous of them,
and complained about Ignatius and his companions to the Holy
Inquisition. Ignatius, of course, was immediately arrested, and
most minutely interrogated, as it was thought he might belong
to the notorious heretical sect which went by the name " Los
Alumbrados," that is to say, " The Enlightened " (Illuminateri).
However, the Vicar-General of Toledo, who conducted the in-
vestigation, shortly found that there was certainly nothing enlight-
ened about Ignatius, and that although a very good Catholic, he
was a Christian deeply steeped in ignorance, and in no way fitted to
assume the functions of counsellor in matters of conscience. He
therefore forthwith acquitted the accused, who had been falsely
charged with heresy, and released him out of prison after six
days' detention. On the other hand, he forbad him, however,
from preaching any longer, under the penalty of excommuni-
cation, until he was completely versed in theology. At the
same time, he strongly recommended that the frieze-coated
society should at once lay aside their remarkable clothing, so
different from that of any Order hitherto existing, and conduct
themselves like other students. This was for our Ignatius a
2 *
20 HISTORY OP THE JESUITS.
rery unpleasant sentence somewhat worse, indeed, than he at
first expected.
Through the preaching of Ignatius, inviting to repentance,
two ladies of distinction belonging to Alkala were brought to the-
determination of giving up all their possessions to the poor,
to dress like beggars, and to go about from one place of pil-
grimage to another, doing nothing else than praying and begging.
They, indeed, carried out this determination, and suddenly dis-
appeared by night from Alkala, so that their distressed relations
were unable to discover where they had gone, though everyone
was firmly of opinion that no other but Ignatius could have-
been the person who led them astray. He was in consequence
at once accused, arrested by the authorities, and thrown into-
prison, being kept in the criminal department until both of the
ladies, Donna Maria de Bado and Donna Ludovica Belasquez,
returned in good health, and pretty well cured of their adven-
turous flight on a begging pilgrimage.
Under such circumstances, the pious Ignatius could no longer
remain in Alkala with any comfort, and therefore he resolved to-
remove to Salamanca, another celebrated Spanish university, in
order there further to prosecute his studies. In this determina-
tion he also persuaded his frieze-coated company to follow him,
and, alter all had collected the needful money by begging in a
body, they betook themselves to the town in question, in the
summer of 1527. Here, too, as far as study was concerned, not
much was effected. They employed themselves much more in
administering to the sick in the hospitals, in all public places
calling upon the people to repentance, using exciting language
in so doing.
Their sojourn in Salamanca was used only to reproduce the-
forbidden scenes of Alkala in a new locality, and it could not be
otherwise than that the clergy should once more be grievously
offended. The Bishop caused Ignatius to be immediately
arrested, and he was kept for twenty-two days in very rigorous
seclusion,* and only liberated on his giving a most binding
* Ignatius was attached to one of his companions, of the name of Carlisto,
by a long heavy iron chain, and this Carlisto must have cut a very extra-
ordinary figure, as he was a tall thin man, furnished with an enormous
beard ; he carried a knobbed stick, and rejoiced in having a short old jacket,
a still shorter tattered pair of trousers, a beggarly pair of half -boots, and an
enormous hat. The rest of the Ignatians went barefoot, wearing the long
frieze coat as above described.
THE VICISSITUDES OF THE NEW SAIHT. 21
promise never again to exercise the functions of the priestly
office until he had studied theology during four consecutive
years.
This decision naturally made the further sojourn of Ignatius
in Salamanca as irksome as it had heen in Alkala, and he now
bethought himself of coming to the bold determination of
betaking himself to the hitherto most celebrated university in
the world, viz. Paris. There, in the capital of France, he
dared to hope he might be able to carry on his business without
molestation, as in it there was neither Inquisition nor a bigoted
priesthood. There ruled, indeed, truly academic freedom even
for the wildest ecclesiastical eccentricities ; and Francis I., the
most free-thinking of monarchs that existed, protected this
freedom. He communicated his plan, also, to his companions,
who requested him to be their leader ; but being tired of per-
petual arrests, and also fearing the long and difficult journey in
:a foreign country, they hesitated about it, and even attempted to
detain him in Salamanca. He was not, however, to be deterred
from his object, and so setting out on foot in the middle of
winter, driving before him an ass laden with his books, manu-
scripts, and other effects, he arrived safely in the French capital
within the first days of February 1528.
Don Innigo had now attained the age of thirty- seven, but the
professor to whom he presented himself found that he had not
mastered yet even the first elements of the sciences, and it was
pointed out to him that he must first of all study the Latin
language. With this view, he attended the lectures of Mon-
taigne, and during eighteen months sat among small school-
boys, who often provokingly mocked their older companion. He
also perceived that learning was just as difficult here as he had
found it at Barcelona, Alkala, and Salamanca, besides which he
was obliged to spend a great part of his time in begging ; while,
owing to his being a foreigner, the French did not prove to be
very liberal to him. Nevertheless, after the conclusion of his
year and a half's course of Montaigne's lectures, he passed over
to the study of philosophy in the college of St. Barbe (to the
holy Barbara), and made such progress, that in the year 1532 he
obtained the degree of bachelor, and then in the following year
that of Master. The first step in knowledge had now been
reached, but the principles of holy theology he had yet to
22 HISTORY OF THE JESUITS.
master; to this his patience had not yet extended, but he pre-
ferred attending some less important lectures given by the
Jacobins.*
As has been previously stated, the study of the sciences was
never the object of Ignatius. He had no desire to excel through
his knowledge, and only wished to learn as much as might enable
him to carry out his business of conversion. That was and
continued to be his main object. The conversion, especially of
the heathen, to Christianity, as well as also the calling to
repentance of baptized Christians, chastising himself and
despising all worldliness and resemblance to his former self
these were his aims.
He never lost sight of these objects, either while with
Montaigne or at St. Barbe, and in the latter establishment he
carried out his zeal for conversion so far, that he induced a part
of his fellow-students, instead of assisting at the prescribed dis-
putation after public worship, to prosecute with him exercitia
spirilualia, i.e. to pray with him and to fast and flogt themselves.
For such conduct, however, he narrowly escaped receiving a
slight public flogging before all the students, and only the cir-
cumstance of his having arrived at the age of forty saved him
from this disgrace.
Naturally enough, moreover, he was not satisfied only to-
exercise the work of conversion himself, but, as at Alkala and
Salamanca, he did his best to obtain coadjutors, that he might
work with them in common, and share with them his studies and
devotions, his griefs and joys. In the selection of his com-
panions he now, however, became much more particular, for
circumstances had arisen which henceforward exercised a great
and, indeed, overpowering influence over his whole course of
action.
About this time a new spirit came over men's minds, which
shook the Papacy to its foundation, and threatened to overthrow
the whole Catholic faith hitherto subsisting. Luther, Zwingle,
* Most of the biographers friendly to the Jesuits affirm, indeed, that
Ignatius Loyola also obtained in Paris the degree of Doctor of Theology, but
the most minute inspection of the University register from 1520 to 1537
disproves this.
t These spiritual exercises (exercitia gpiritualia) are more fully detailed
in the book already mentioned, bearing the title Liber Exercitiorum
Spirituafium. Ignatius attached great importance thereto, and required,
them to be thoroughly studied.
THE VICISSITUDES OF THE NEW SAINT. 23
and other reformers now raised their powerful voices, and as a
Catholic author expresses it, " invited peoples and princes to a
great hunt of the Roman Church." Almost the whole of Germany
answered the cry, and even England and Switzerland, as well as
the Scandinavian countries, did the same. Italy, too, lent an
ear to the seductive voice, and France was not without its many
thousands who hailed it with loud acclamations. In short, the
Reformation threatened a great, the greatest part, indeed, of the
Catholic world, and the downfall of Rome seemed to be inevit-
able.
Of all this, so long as Loyola had been in Spain, he had
heard nothing, and if this spirit was not entirely quiescent south
of the Pyrenees, it only prevailed in the higher regions, and
the common people, properly so called, among whom Loyola
moved, were not infected by it. Moreover, the Inquisition
exercised special care that it should soon be driven away, and
that the Reformation should never take firm root under the
sceptre of the Most Catholic King. Very different, however, was
its progress in France, only too much infected, and especially so
in Paris, where even several professors of the university favoured
the daring views of Luther. The eyes of the out-and-out
Roman Catholic Ignatius were now thoroughly opened, and an
unequalled panic seized upon him on account of this terrible
perversity which had taken possession of mankind. But he
was not content to rest satisfied with panic and disgust; naturally
enough, he, the Knight of Mary and of her Son Jesus Christ,
was compelled to fight for them in every way, and to endeavour
to the utmost of his power to stem the pestilence fast spreading
from Germany. He therefore resolved to denounce to the proper
authorities all heretics, whether public or private, and made him-
self a spy among all circles in which he moved. He soon, saw,
however, that, whatever trouble he gave himself, and whatever were
the results of bis spying, still the effects were comparatively so
small, that more powerful means must be employed. What,
then, he asked himself, must these be ?
This much appeared certain, that the innumerable hordes of
Benedictines, Dominicans, Franciscans, Minorites, or whatever
else they might be called, through which Rome had hitherto
swayed the hearts of men, had now lost their influence, and
their begging sacks hung about them empty ; the remaining
24 HISTORY OF THE JESUITS.
clergy, too, owing to their ignorance, dissoluteness, and shame-
lessness, were even more thoroughly despised than the bare-
footed monks, and it was no longer possible to awaken from the
grave any faith in them. New armour must therefore be found
if help was to be given armour of quite a different kind, of
quite a different appearance, of quite a different power, than that
borne hitherto by the souls' counsellors, and he himself must
don that armour he himself must act as general-in-chief.
At first sight the thought did not appear so clear to him, but
it became more and more so the more he reflected upon this
infectuous heresy, convincing him that the object in life of
himself and his chosen associates should not merely be the
conversion of the heathen, or even less the calling of Christians
to repentance, but that to these must also be conjoined at the
same time the waging war on the heretical world. He thought
himself Jesus Christ (this may be read in the book of Spiritual
Exercises, and gathered from Peter Juvenez, who was intimate
with Ignatius), as the generalissimus of heaven, who with angels
and saints takes the field against the devil, thundering down
upon the kingdom of hell; and after this model he wished to
form upon earth an army of spiritual knights, whose supreme
head should be Jesus Christ in heaven above, in order to over-
come the devil of this world the heretic. As this was his
object, it was his desire, as formerly in Alkala and Salamanca, to
select from his best neighbours, associates who would be pre-
pared to follow him. Formerly, it was sufficient for such as
declared themselves ready as sheep of Christ to castigate their
bodies, as he did, and to invite the rest of the world to a similar
life ; now, however, it was a question concerning the warriors of
Christ, and of such warriors, indeed, who would have sufficient
spirit and strength to overcome the well-armed Reformers with
their assistants and followers. He had cause, therefore, to be
particular in the selection of his associates, and, indeed, to be
most cautious.
The first whom he won over to his views respecting a spiritual
knighthood for the conversion of men, and the prosecution of
war against the heretical world, was Pierre le Fevre, more pro-
perly Peter Faber, a native of a place in Savoy, in the neigh-
bourhood of Geneva, a youth possessed of a learned and sagacious
intellect, and at the same time full of glowing imagination, who
THE VICISSITUDES OF THE NEW SAINT. 25
might well allow himself to be but too easily inspired with a
grand idea.
Much more difficult was it, however, with Francis Xavier, from
Spanish Navarre, who not only belonged to a powerful noble
family, but who, already at that time professor in the college
of Beauvais, had future claims to the highest ecclesiastical
honours. On that account he began at first by ridiculing all
that Loyola preached to him about his proposed spiritual knight-
hood, and plainly declared to him that he looked upon it as a
mere extravagance. But the man had two weak sides, namely,
unlimited ambition, and also a strong inclination to follow a
loose kind of life, and on these two points Loyola well knew
how to lay hold of him. In other words, he placed his money
bag, which, owing to the benevolence of high patrons, was pretty
well filled at that period, at the disposal of the extravagant pro-
fessor, and he at the same time pictured to the latter such a
brilliant future, that he could no longer resist, and at length
.gave himself up, heart and soul, to the idea.*
Inasmuch as Peter Faber and Francis Xavier were looked
upon in the university of Paris with great consideration, other
: students as well as professors turned their attention to the efforts
of Ignatius, and of their own accord enlisted themselves as his
assistants. Among these, however, he only took four into his
association, and, naturally enough, those he considered to be
most worthy, or rather the most suitable for his purpose, namely,
Jacob Laynez from the city of Almazan in Castile, certainly a
very poor but also a very energetic young man of twenty-one
years, shrewd and well-grounded in scientific knowledge ; then
the still younger Alphonso Salmeron from Toledo, only eighteen
years old, a very able philologian. Further, Nicholas Alphons
with his nickname of Bobadilla (after his native place, a small
* Some biographers, certainly very friendly disposed to the Jesuits,
relate the matter quite differently. According to them, the conversion of
Xavier arose from a game at billiards. As Ignatius was paying Xavier a
visit one day, the latter proposed playing a game of billiards with him.
L/oyola at first declined ; as his friend, however, pressed him further, he
accepted the proposal on the condition that whichever of them should lose
was to do during a whole month whatever the other prescribed. Xavier
ugreed to this, as he was a good player. He, nevertheless, lost ; thereupon
Loyola made him during the next four weeks go through a most exciting
course of spiritual exercises. Among other things, Ignatius fasted along with
the recusant Spaniard during six days, and caused him thereby to see visions,
effecting such a change in him by this means, that the hitherto proud man
.became at last as a pliant rod in the hands of Ignatius.
26 HISTORY OP THE JESUITS.
town not far from Valencia), who already gave public lecture*
on philosophy, and who was also as powerful with his pen as with
his tongue as it were, a worldly knight with his sword and lance ;.
lastly, Simon Rodriguez from Azevedo in Portugal, a gloomy
fanatic and enthusiast, who embraced the idea of a spiritual,
knighthood with exceedingly zealous joy.
These were the six associates four Spaniards, one Portu-
guese, and one Savoyard whom Loyola selected for the accom-
plishment of his designs, as above described and already the
immediate future proved that his choice could not have been
more judicious or more excellent. The half-crazed or rather
quite demented ascetic of Manresa, made wiser by his several,
experiences in the course of time, and relieved of several of the
notions to which he was inclined, was now changed in many
respects. His energy, however, and his iron will he still pos-
sessed, and also his enthusiastic fiery zeal had not in the least
diminished. On the contrary, with his forty years, his under-
standing began to work, and, although with some degree of
struggling, it broke out in such a grandiose manner as one
would previously have thought to have been quite impossible.
To return now to the six chosen associates who formed the
nucleus of that great society which gives the title to this book,
and which, in a truly incredible short time, spread over every
region of the globe, and even down to our own day exercises
a decided influence upon mankind. They were, in a word,
together with their master the first seven Jesuits, although this
denomination was only first applied to them about a couple of years
later; so it happened that the University of Paris, which after-
wards became the most deadly enemy of their teaching, was the
birth-place of this Order the same city and University of Paris
from which issued forth for centuries the spirit of freedom and
intellectual light.
At its commencement the new society appeared of very
moderate dimensions ; so much so, that very few Parisians had
any conception of its existence. Ignatius designed, it is true,
a similar costume for himself and his companions ; but, as burnt
children dread the fire, nothing so striking as the former frieze
cloaks. Their attire consisted simply of a narrow black cloak
which reached down to the ankles, and for head-dress a black
broad-brimmed hat similar in form to that of the Spanish
THE VICISSITUDES OF THE NEW SAINT. 27
sombueros, while on their feet they wore black leather shoes,
there being no question now of bare soles. Moreover it must not
be thought that the seven allies formed, as yet, a close society,
with laws and statutes of association ; for they merely lived
together as brethren, and reciprocally pledged themselves for the
future as Spiritual Knights of Christ, that is to say, as mission-
aries for the promulgation and extension of the Roman Catholic
religion. For this voluntary pledge, however, Ignatius was not
satisfied merely with an ordinary promise and a mere shake of
the hand ; he required much more than this, he demanded that
his associates should not in future harbour any thought of again
returning to the world, and, therefore, a formal oath taken in the
most solemn manner was imperative. They agreed all seven to
assemble on the festival of the Ascension of Mary (J5th August
1534) at day-break, in the Faubourg St. Jacques, and thence
ascended the heights of Montmartre and immediately betook
themselves to a subterranean chapel situated there, in which,
some centuries before, Dionysius, the Areopagite, had been
beheaded. This was a dismal kind of grotto, of coarse, rough
construction, with bare, dark grey walls dripping with moisture,
and quite unadorned with flowers, gold, or precious stones. On
the contrary, all appeared here dull and dreary, bare and silent,
while hardly a breath of air could penetrate from without ; the
lighted tapers emitted a sickly, pale yellow light, which rendered
the chapel even more awful in appearance than it might other-
wise have seemed. A frightful impression was given by the
plain rough stone altar, behind which rose an old ruinous statue
which held the head severed from the trunk in its outstretched
arms that of the holy Denis. Before this altar the seven men.
kneeled, on entering, and muttered their low prayers. Then
one of them rose up it was Le Faber, who, alone of all of them,
had been already consecrated to the Priesthood and read a
solemn mass, after which he administered the Holy Communion.
Scarce had this taken place when Ignatius Loyola placed
himself before the altar, and swore upon the Bible to lead hence-
forth a life of poverty, chastity, and obedience. He swore to-
fight to all eternity only for the things of God, of the Holy
Mary, and her Son Jesus Christ, as true spiritual knights, as also
for the protection of the holy Romish Church and its supreme
head, the Pope ; and for the extension of the true faith, among
28 HISTORY OF THE JESUITS.
unbelievers devoting his life thereto. " Ad majorcm dei
gloriam" (to the exaltation of the glory of God), he exclaimed,
as he had finished taking this oath, and his wild piercing eyes
shot like lightning out of his leaden-coloured haggard counten-
ance. After him the six others took the same oath, and each
exclaimed at the finish, " Ad majorem dei gloriam." On the
termination of this ceremony, however, they did not at once
leave the chapel, but remained shut up in it until late in the
evening, muttering their prayers, and without a bit of food or a
drop of water having passed their lips. As they at last rose up
from their knees, Ignatius Loyola marked upon the altar three
Jarge capital letters ; these were I. H. S. '* What do these
signify ? " demanded the others. " They signify," answered
Ignatius, with solemn utterance, "Jesus Hominum Salvator"
(Jesus the Saviour of Mankind), " and they shall henceforth be
the motto of our institution." From that time these words were
inscribed on the banners of the Society to indicate that the
members of the same desire to be considered Assistants of the
Saviour Jesus.
29
CHAPTER III.
LOYOLA IN ROME.
THE reader has now been made acquainted with the origin of the-
Society of Jesus. Still, the purpose of Loyola and his com-
panions, after taking the oath at Montmartre, was not to make
off at once and commence the conversion of the heathen as well
as the hitherto disbelievers and heretics ; the rather, in order not
to have the regular clergy again going against them, they wished
to remain in Paris until they had completed their theological
studies and been ordained priests. From this good resolution,,
however, Ignatius himself, after a short time, was again com-
pelled to depart ; for, through joy at the successful progress of
his undertaking, he again chastised his body as cruelly as he had
formerly done at Manresa, and weakened his constitution so
much in consequence, that the physicians declared that if he
wished to be restored to health he must at once resort to a
warmer climate, and go either to the south of France or to
Spain. He chose the latter country ; not so much, however,
from attachment to his own native land, as that in this way he
might have the opportunity of arranging the family affairs of his
two associates, Laynez and Salmeron, who would otherwise have
been obliged to return themselves to Spain on that account.
This latter contingency he wished to prevent at any price, and
simply for the reason that there might be danger that their
exertions for the holy knighthood and missionary zeal might be
damaged by the influence of their kinsfolk. He quitted Paris,
30 HISTORY OF THE JESUITS.
Consequently, in the spring of 1535, after a seven years' residence
there; not, however, without making proper provision for the
further prosperity of the Brotherhood ; he especially nominated
Le Fevre, as next senior to himself, to be interim director.
Moreover, he arranged that the six should leave Paris at the end
of 1537, in order to meet him in Venice, as by that time theology
would be done with, and all studies relinquished ; while, again,
the latter city would be the best place for the holy knighthood
to embark to begin the conversion of the unbelievers in
Palestine.
Ignatius, travelling by way of Loyola, was received by his
relations and kinsfolk with much honour, and he was more
especially esteemed by the common people, whom he knew how
to attract by his zealous preaching of morality and repentance.
Moreover, had not his time been spent in the hospitals of
Aspezia rather than in his paternal castle, where the most costly
food was always obtainable at the table of his relatives ? had he
not, too, supported himself by begging his bread from door to
door, a proceeding which produced a powerful effect upon the
populace ? He thus soon obtained a great reputation throughout
the whole neighbourhood, and at the same time visibly improved
in health. But the remaining year and a half he had to pass in
Spain soon elapsed, and the period upon which he had fixed for
the meeting in Venice came upon him before he knew what he
was about. He consequently now transacted the business he
had undertaken for Laynez and Salmeron as quickly as possible
with great skill, and betook himself, in the autumn of 1.036, to
Valentia, whence he embarked for Genoa, and from there
proceeded in a pilgrimage on foot towards Venice, where he
arrived on the 8th January 1537, and joined his associates; not,
however, without having met with many adventures and dangers
on the way. All had, as we have already seen, the intention of
proceeding to Jerusalem, in order to turn the whole of the Turks
into Christians. They had left Paris a few weeks sooner than
was intended, as at that time a war was impending between
France and Spain, which would have made the journey to Italy
impossible, and one can thus well imagine how immensely
pleased was Ignatius at their happy meeting. Besides, what
rejoiced him still more was that they did not come alone, but
brought along with them three other associates, viz. Claud
LOYOLA IN ROME. 31
"Lejay from the diocese of Geneva, John Cordur from the city
of Embrun, and Pasquier Brouet from the diocese of Amiens,
all young and very apt theologians, whom Le Fevre had won
over for the Society. The little band of holy knights. now con-
sisted of ten or, rather, of thirteen as Ignatius, during his
sojourn in Venice, had succeeded in picking up three more
associates. I allude to the brothers Stephen and Jacob Eguia,
two Navarese of very good birth and education, as also Jacob
Hosez, a very sagacious man, and at the same time a sworn
enemy of heresy, who, however, died soon afterwards, to
the great grief of the Society. While, as it was now in
the midst of winter, the departure for Palestine was for the
moment inadmissible, Ignatius divided his associates between
two hospitals, " The Incurable " and the " St. John and
Paul," to which they devoted themselves in such a manner
that their reputation spread all over Venice, and, indeed, far
and wide, beyond it. They received not only ordinary patients,
but also especially lepers upon whom attendants would no
longer wait even for high remuneration. Nor did they
hesitate, even when there was danger of infection, to wash out
the most disgusting sores, or to suck them out with their
mouths when it was necessary so to do. Indeed, they took
into their own beds some incurably afflicted persons who had
'been, owing to the hopelessness of their cases, turned out of the
Lazareth ; and so it happened that the Jesuit baud sacrificed
themselves for the good of suffering humanity, and it was no
wonder then that the people became enthusiastic about them.
In spite of all this, his sojourn in Venice still nearly brought a
heavy misfortune upon Ignatius. His zeal did not allow him to
remain satisfied with merely nursing at the sick-bed, but he
also engaged in preaching, and the people flocked in crowds
when he appeared in the market-place or other public resort in
order to summon the passers-by to repentance and holiness.
This success enraged not a little the ecclesiastics of Venice, who
spread abroad a report secretly that Ignatius was a runaway
heretic from France and Spain, who now wished to poison Italy
with his teaching. But they were not satisfied with themselves
doing this ; they further drew the attention of the Tribunal of
the Inquisition upon him so much so that it was to be feared
that he would again be shut up in prison, as he had formerly
32 HISTORY OF THE JESUITS.
been in Alkaln and Salamanca. In this critical moment Ignatius
by his intelligence completely secured his safety, knowing welF
by means of flattery how to procure a powerful patron in John
Peter Caraffa, Archbishop of Theate,* who understood how to
give this unfortunate affair such an advantageous turn, that the
Papal Nuncio, Jerome Veralli, decided in favour of the accused.
In this way Ignatius escaped from harm this time, but it taught
him the lesson that in order to preach with impunity he must
get himself consecrated as priest ; and he determined forthwith
to use the high patronage of Caraft'a and Veralli for the attain-
ment of this object. He was not fully qualified in theology, it
is true ; while several of his associates were in the same position.
He had not the right to demand his ordination from the Pope,
but, on the other hand, might not the latter accord his per-
mission thereto through his supreme grace, in order to obtain
which he immediately despatched three of the most prominent
among the Society Xavier, Laynez, and Le Fevre to Rome,
well provided with letters of recommendation from Caraffa and
Veralli. In fact, the deputation met the most favourable recep-
tion from the then Pope, Paul III., and having explained to him
the design of the brotherhood for the conversion of the Turks
in Palestine, they not only obtained permission for the ordination
of all those associates who had not taken holy orders, but were
also favoured with the Papal blessing, and a present of sixty-
ducats as a contribution towards defraying the expenses of the
journey to Palestine. This was, indeed, almost more than could
have been expected, and Ignatius, with redoubled zeal, took upon
himself the " patronage " of the Institution ; but above every-
thing he at once availed himself of the accorded permission,
and had himself and his associates consecrated as priests by the
Bishop of Arba.
In the spring of the year Loyola and his friends were now
prepared to carry out their previous arrangement of proceeding
* This Archbishop of Theate, afterwards Pope Paul IV., was the same
who at that time founded the Order of Theatiners, an order of regular
priests, whose task it was to improve the scandalous lives of the priesthood,,
and it is affirmed that it was the wish of the illustrious man to get Ignatius
to join the brotherhood, but that he declined the request. This, however,
I venture to doubt, as one does not generally give a refusal to a man whose-
favour one wishes to obtain, and therefore it seems much more probable
that Peter Caraffa put no such proposal before Ignatius. At that time the
latter thought but of the conversion of the heathen, a project of which the
Archbishop heartily approved.
LOYOLA IN HOME. 33
by sea to Jerusalem, but the war which had just broken out
between the Venetian .Republic and the Ottoman Porte inter-
rupted communication with the Holy Land, and the contemplated
journey had to be deferred, at least for the present.
What was now to be done ? was the question. To indulge in
idleness and depend on begging for a living ? or to continue to
devote themselves to the service of the hospitals of Venice, as
they had done for several months past ? No. This would have
been far too narrow a sphere for men like them ; and had they
not obtained the long-desired priesthood, which gave them the
right to devote themselves entirely to the cure of men's souls
the right to preach, and by preaching to convert ? Yes, truly it
would be a sin not to make use of that right, and thus Ignatius
resolved with all his associates to proceed to work immediately.
Yet not quite immediately, but after a forty days' preparation by
prayer, fasting, and self-castigation. Ignatius then divided his
society thus : He himself, along with Le Fevre and Laynez,
established his domicile at Vicenzia ; whilst Xavier, Cordur,
Hosez, and the two Eguia, went to Treviso ; Lejay and Eodri-
guez to Bassano ; Brouet with Bobadilla, however, proceeded
to Verona ; in which several cities they all began preaching on
the same day and, indeed, at the same hour. I say " preaching,"
but whoever fancies that this word preaching is to be taken
in its usual acceptation would fall into a great error. Loyola
and his companions, for instance, would place themselves in
some open place, or at the corner of some street where there
happened to be much thoroughfare, and mounting upon a stone
or barrel, or something of the kind would swing their hats
round in the air, gesticulating with hands and feet, and shouting
out individual words with a loud scream, so that the people
passing involuntarily stood still. When at length they had
succeeded in gathering together a gaping crowd, they proceeded
to harangue the same in a truly stormy manner, exhorting them
to repentance and contempt of all worldly things, and on the
other hand describing the advantages of a saintly life, and
delineating the charms of Paradise for the godly, so that no one
could dissent from the fiery eloquence and glowing enthusiasm
of the speaker. On the other hand there was much that was
comical in their discourses, for there were few who understood
anything of the Italian language, and they consequently poured
3
34 HISTORY OF THE JESUITS.
forth a strangely variegated mixture of Latin, Spanish, French,
and Italian fragments.
Notwithstanding all this, however, their appearance was not
altogether without effect ; and often the most wicked scoffers,
after listening for a time, ended by beating their breasts and
repenting of their ways. But this effect was more to be attri-
buted to their gestures and gesticulations, and to their fantastical
appearance, than to the apparent earnestness of the words they
uttered.
In this manner Ignatius and his associates conducted them-
selves for more than a year, and, as I have already mentioned,
with results of which they might have indeed been proud.
During the period, however, of this preaching, they had the
bitter experience of finding that the poison of heresy was more
deeply rooted in the hearts of men than superficially seemed to
be the case, and, deeply impressed thereby, Loyola again asked
himself the question, as he had done once before in Paris, in
what way this fundamental evil might be checked. " The
Romish Church, the Papacy, and the Pope himself, are all in
the greatest danger," he exclaimed, " and the whole religious
fabric must collapse, owing to its former supports being now
thoroughly worm-eaten, unless some entirely new foundation
pillars can be found." Continually did he go on further to
investigate this theme, and constantly and often did he converse
upon it with the cleverest, most cultivated, and most clear-sighted
of his associates, namely with Jacob Laynez, uniil at last he
came to the fixed determination of placing himself completely
at the disposal of the Pope for the protection of the Papacy.
Consequently, in the autumn of 1537, the whole of the brethren
were summoned to assemble at Vicenza for a great consultation,
before which assemblage Loyola detailed his new project with
uncommonly convincing power.
" The journey to Palestine would indeed be a most meri-
torious work, and you ought never to lose sight of the aim and
object for which you have bound yourselves the aim, namely, of
the conversion of the heathen ; but what would be still more
profitable would be to save the Papacy (or, as he termed it,
Christianity) out of the clutches of the dominion of Heresy ; and
with this end in view it concerns you all, above everything, to
follow out what you have already sworn at Montmartrp You
LOYOLA IN ROME. 35
ought to consider the reason why Providence has just at this
time allowed war to break out between the Turks and Venetians.
It is certainly on no other ground than to hinder the journey
to Palestine, because you are destined for a somewhat greater
career." And Ignatius closed his animated speech as follows :
" Let us, therefore, offer our services to the Holy Father, and
tell him that we are determined to raise a mighty army of holy
knights, whose sole aim and thought should be directed to over-
throw all enemies of Rome, under the banner of the Saviour."
These words told, and they not only all declared themselves
favourable to the proposal of Ignatius, but they became enthusi-
astic in the idea of forming a " Phalanx Jesu " (" a society of
Jesus warriors "), as the knightly-born Ignatius expressed it.
Accordingly, this resolution was at once concluded, that Loyola
himself, with Laynez and Le Fevre, should forthwith proceed
to Rome, and throw themselves at the foot of the Pope ; the
rest, however, undertook the duty of making tours through Italy,
with the object of enlisting as many retainers as possible, in
order that the company to be placed at the disposal of the Pope
should be a really considerable one.
From this period the affairs of Ignatius and his associates took
a completely new turn ; up to the present time it had been merely
a small missionary band, but it now became a great society
with a distinct programme and fixed statutes. In other words,
it was a question of a new Order, which, under the title of
*' Phalanx Jesu," should flash forth as the light of the world.
For the present, at any rate, Loyola, on his arrival in Rome,
in October, in speaking about his undertaking, avoided making
use of the expression " Order," as it was well known that all
Orders were just then looked upon with no friendly eye at the
Vatican, on account of their evident inutility ; on the other hand,
h-e busied himself all the more with the principles he had laid down
at Venice, to look about for well-wishers and for friends of all
descriptions, in order through them to attain his end more surely
even though it should be by bye-ways. Among these, I must
mention particularly an old acquaintance, the celebrated Parisian
Professor and Doctor of Theology, Pater Ortiz, who, by command
of Charles V., was now in Rome, playing a prominent part at the
Romish Court. It was, indeed, this Ortiz who presented
Ignatius to Pope Paul III. The latter, too, receiving with great
3 *
36 HISTORY OF THE JESUITS.
favour the offer made of forming a " Jesus '* company for the-
purpose of combating heresy, not only permitted Loyola himself
to preach in all the churches of Rome, hut also accorded to
Le Fevre and Laynez two theological professorial chairs in the
College della Sapienza.
The spell was thus broken, or, at least, the first step thereto
was secured. Through Ortiz, Ignatius was made acquainted
with Cardinals Gastpar Contarini and Vincenz Caraffa, two
extremely sagacious, though not exactly holy, men, and both,
likewise, highly approved of the notion of a "Jesus " association.
They were also of opinion that above all things the idea ought
to be more clearly defined, and a formal statute drawn up for the
Society about to be founded, for when it is known exactly what
is wished one is in a much better position to render effectual service
More especially, they added, the new Society must not in any
way be a copy of any of the previously existing Orders, but it
must have its foundation on something that had never before
been thought of, the advantage of which to the Papacy should be
palpable, otherwise it would not be worthy of being placed before
the Pope for confirmation.
In consequence of this, Loyola immediately called together all
his associates, as well as those more recently added, to delibe-
rate on the proposed statute for the Society, and the assembly
took place in the beginning of the year 1538. However, weeks
passed, and, indeed, months, before they came to any conclusion
on the subject, in spite of there being now among the members
many who need yield to no one in acuteness of understanding.
Perhaps, indeed, their invention might have met with no success
at all had it not been for the assistance of men of higher stand-
ing, such as Dr. Ortiz and the two Cardinals above named, and
it cannot be affirmed that the principles of Jesuitism emanated
entirely, or even for the most part, from Ignatius Loyola. The
idea of the same, the conception to form a " Phalanx Jesu/'
originated, indeed, from him, and from him alone, but with the
accomplishment of this idea, the shaping of this conception, and
its further development, many other heads co-operated, and it is
a pity that in those days nothing like stenography existed, for
then, doubtless, we would have been furnished with a report of
the long and earnest consultation, and we might have then known
exactly what, and how much, might be ascribed to each of the
LOYOLA IN BOMB. 37
contributors and participators therein, as regards the conclusions
arrived at. But while the above fact is undeniable, as must be
admitted even by those most ardently favourable to the Jesuits,
it must not be forgotten, on the other hand, that Loyola always
remained the very heart and soul of the consultations, and that
the final conquest over all the hindrances which had to be over-
come in the foundation of the Order must be attributed alone to
his fiery zeal, and indomitable untiring force of will. It may
well be imagined that Loyola and his comrades, by their peculiar
costume, and still more their extraordinary manner of haranguing
the public, excited great attention, and obtained, among a large
portion of the inhabitants, a certain degree of celebrity. Already
this stirred up the envy of others, and especially among the lower
classes of ecclesiastics, and those parties complained, with more
or less justice, that the newly-baptised "Black Cloaks," as they
were called in Rome, were encroaching on their preserves. Still
more angrily behaved the monks ; and as it became rumoured
about that the object of Ignatius was to found a new Order, their
rage no longer knew any bounds. " What ! " cried they, and
amongst the foremost of the dissentients were the Augustines
and Dominicans, who had hitherto been accustomed to appro-
priate to themselves the fattest morsels among the people ;
" What ! Our table, through this detestable Reformation, and
the enlightenment extending among the people, has already
become much diminished, and now the last remains are to be
snatched from us by a parcel of wandering vagabonds ! No !
this must not be allowed, if life and death depend upon it ! " In
short, the above-named monks immediately set to work, and used
every endeavour to ruin Ignatius and his adherents. They
especially spread about reports that these "Black Cloaks" were
secret partisans of the new doctrine of Luther and the Reformers,
and called upon the Inquisition to interfere and to protest
against these dangerous emissaries, who had already succeeded,
through lying, in escaping the hands of justice in Spain. In
consequence of such-like complaints, an investigation was insti-
tuted, and Ignatius narrowly escaped from being arrested ;
however, in this respect, that is, in regard to heresy, no one
could be more innocent, and thus it was no difficult matter for
him to clear himself entirely from the result of those made-up
.stories. Not only so, but on the 18th December 1538, he
38 HI8TOKY OF THE JESUITS.
succeeded in obtaining formal public satisfaction through a
judicial judgment upon this untiring persecution, which proved
to be extremely humiliating for his accusers, but which turned
out very honourably for himself. From this time forth the
credit of Ignatius daily increased considerably, and he naturally
hastened to take advantage energetically of the same, to attract
and gain over new patrons and retainers. He thus won over,
among others, Franciscus Strada, a man distinguished for his
learning ; also Pietro Codaci, a superior officer and relation of
the Pope, who placed his whole very considerable property at
the disposal of the Society ; and, lastly, Quirino Garzoni, who
evacuated one of his own houses, near the Sante Trinita, at the
foot of the Quirinal Hill, for Ignatius and his associates to live
therein. And not only among the rich and noble did Loyola
seek to acquire proselytes ; he speculated also especially upon
obtaining the friendship of the great mass of the people, and
with this purpose it was his first principle to give assistance to
the poor and suffering, by aid of contributions obtained by
begging from the benevolent rich. He did this especially in the
winter of 1538-39, when a dearth spread vast misery in Rome,
and on that account one can well imagine how greatly esteemed
the " Black Cloaks " were among the common people. When,
such was the case, when high and low at the same time sang
the praises of Ignatius, how could it be otherwise than that the
Pope's attention should more and more be directed towards him
by whose efforts it was mainly owing that the Order was founded.
In this locality, too, Loyola succeeded in obtaining no trifling
results and reputation in the conversion of the Jews, of whom
there were very many at that time in Rome, some of them being
very rich. By what means, however, was this accomplished ?
Among others, by an order obtained from the Pope, that no
physician could be allowed access to the sick bed of a Jew until
the latter had been brought to confession with the view of his
embracing Christianity. Ignatius, therefore, so to speak, brought
a knife to the Jews' throats in order to convert them, and from-
this a conclusion may easily be drawn as to the spirit which
influenced the Society of Jesus. The founder of the new Order
also now became conscious that, with the view of placing himself
in the ascendant, he must, above everything, endeavour to gain
the favour of the Roman ladies, and especially that class o
LOYOLA IN ROME. #9
them whose name is not usually mentioned in polite society.
About the time in which our history runs, there reigned in
Rome, as was well known, an almost unbounded state of licen-
tiousness ; indeed, it appeared as if nearly all the profligate women
in the whole of Italy had assembled there. All who had money
at their command, whether lay or clerical, married or unmarried,
young or old, kept their own mistresses ; and there were not a few
who were scarcely even satisfied with two or three. There was no
question but that this shamelessness existed concealed behind the
walls of the houses ; but these ladies, too, were to be seen flouncing
about the streets by day as well as by night, and in all pro-
cessions they were present, especially in the churches, where
they placed themselves in the most conspicuous places in their
half-naked beauty. Moreover there swarmed about the residence
of the followers of Christ a still more despicable class of the
female creation, who went by the name of common women ; and
as a large number of strangers was wont to resort annually to
Rome, thousands upon thousands continued to support a
miserable existence by the barter of their bodily charms. This,
certainly, was a great scandal ; but, whilst in other large cities
the state of things in this respect was no better, and as in Rome,
previous to its becoming the capital of Christendom, there had
been periods in its history of much greater profligacy, this
discreditable state of things would have been winked at in high
places, had it not been that Luther was then preaching the
regeneration of Christendom, and that all his followers were
pointing the finger of scorn at the old city of the Csesars.
Indeed, this latter generally received in Germany the name
which Luther assigned it, " The Whore of Babylon" Even
in those countries in which the Romish faith flourished unim-
peached, this appellation was universally accepted by acclamation.
Such a scandalous thing must be rectified if the greatest injury
to the Pope and his dominion was to be averted, and Paul III.
convoked a commission of cardinals, whose task it was to find a
remedy for the evil. The commission assembled and held
weekly meetings during many months. The means desired,
however, were not to be found, excepting the sensible proposal
to expel by force the disreputable females out of the city ; this
plan, however, had to remain in abeyance, for otherwise a
revolution among the people would have to be faced. Liceu-
40 HISTOBY OF THE JE80IT8.
tiousness continued, therefore, to rule the roost, and the Princes
of the Church found themselves in the most wretched dilemma.
Ignatius Lbyola now came on the scene, and what the cardinals,
invested with the fullest powers, failed to accomplish, he alone,
quite unaided, completely effected. What were, then, these means
which he proposed to himself to use ? Simple enough ; it was
through the influence which he knew how to bring to bear upon
the minds of those poor wretched beings. First of all he collected
among the Roman ladies of rank sufficient money to found
a cloister for converted sinners of the female sex, and as he at
the same time named these ladies patronesses of the said cloister,
they contributed largely through mere vanity, and collected
together considerable sums. A suitable building was thus soon
erected, and very ornamentally and invitingly arranged as to its
interior economy. It was baptised with the beautiful title " To
the holy Martha." A regular nunnery, however, it was not the
intention of Loyola to make it ; but the future inmates were to
have the right to leave the home again whenever it pleased them
to do so, and if they found that it did not suit them to remain in
it. They were, therefore, on that account, not bound by any
kind of oath, nor were they obliged to live according to any
certain rules. In short, all restraint was from the first pro-
hibited, and it was rendered, on the contrary, exceedingly
attractive by offering the prospect of an easy existence without
the trouble of work. Having now brought the matter so far, he
commenced not so much openly as secretly to make interest
for his new institution, and he soon won over some dozens of the
poorest and most forsaken of those lost damsels on whom he forth-
with conferred the pompously sounding title of " Congregation
of the grace of the Holy Virgin." To enter, in our days, an
asylum or refuge for fallen damsels, would have awakened a
feeling of natural timidity ; but by the entrance into the " Con-
gregation of the Holy Virgin," those miserable beings considered
themselves raised instead of lowered, and each of the poor
creatures looked upon herself as a penitent Magdalen. But this
was the least part of the business. As soon as the Martha
cloister became in some degree peopled, Loyola began to
organise processions of his repentant beauties, and displayed in
them such splendour that all Rome went down upon their
knees as soon as he appeared in the streets with his remarkable
LOYOLA IN ROME. 41
following. Immediately preceding them marched a troop of
beautiful children, who swung about smoking censers, exhaling
delicious perfumes, or throwing a shower of flowers on all sides
over the gaping crowd. Then came three gigantic men, each
of whom carried a still more gigantic banner. Upon the first
was delineated, richly ornamented with rubies, the three
capital letters I. H. S., i.e. Jesus Hominum Salvator ; upon
the second sparkled the image of the mother of God, with the
inscription, " Congregation of the grace of the Holy Virgin,"
and lastly, upon the third, shone the representation of a
wonderfully beautiful penitent, over whom a martyr's crown was
held by three angels. Behind the banner-bearers followed
Ignatius, surrounded by his associates, all clad in closely-fitting
black cloaks reaching down to the ankles, and broad-brimmed
black hats bent down on all the four sides, similar to what the
Jesuits wear at the present time. Behind Ignatius marched
the penitents, that is to say, the inmates of the cloister of Saint
Martha, not, however, in sombre penitential garments, but gaily
enveloped in white muslin cloaks finely ornamented, with
flowers in their hair, and strings of pearls round their necks.
The younger members of the Society of Jesus, brought up
the close of the procession, with garlands of roses in their hands,
and looks cast humbly on the ground, all singing together the
hymn, " Veni Creator Spiritus," " Come Grod the Holy Ghost,"
or some other suitable song. In this manner did Ignatius
appear in the streets of Rome, with his " Congregation of the
grace of the Holy Virgin," and before the palaces of each ot
the cardinals, and especially before the dwellings of the noble
patronesses a short halt was made, at which both the former as
well as the latter were not a little flattered. The result was that
the inventor of these processions received encouragement from
-all quarters for his undertaking, which prospered more and more,
-notwithstanding the ridicule thrown upon it by the enlightened
Romans themselves. Indeed, certain of the beautiful sinners
became so enthusiastic on behalf of the new order of things
that the Cloister of the Holy Martha was soon filled from top
to bottom, and the name of Ignatius resounded throughout all
countries, as care was taken to noise it abroad that he had
succeeded in turning all the abandoned women and mistresses of
Rome into pious penitents.
42 HISTORY OF THE JESUITS.
When, however, this work of Loyola was more closely looked
into, the nimbus pretty well vanished, and, properly speaking, no-
real moral worth could be attributed to it. In the first place,
only a very small number of ladies who had made themselves
notorious entered into the Congregation of the grace of the Holy
Virgin, since it appeared that the whole number comprised in
the Cloister of the Holy Martha did not exceed 300 penitents,
and the conversion of the Roman world of profligacy, if not
quite inconsiderable, became reduced to very small proportions.
Secondly, there was really no question of any true conversion,,
that is as to a change and amendment of the moral perception
in any single one of the penitents, whose repentance appeared
to consist in nothing else than mere pompous show, and in the
outward confession of past sins, upon which absolution imme-
diately followed. Nevertheless, Loyola thereby gained two
uncommon advantages ; first of all he put the holy Father under
great obligation to him, it being trumpeted forth to the world
that the whole profligacy of Home had gone over into the
cloister; while in the next place, in consequence thereof, the-
severe reproaches of the adherents of the Reformation regarding
the licentiousness of the high ecclesiastics ol the Papal Court
were capable of refutation; added to this, hearing the confessions
of so many profligates and mistresses, put him in possession of
such a mass of secrets that the information he thus obtained
was of extraordinary value to him. As for example, it could
not be easy for a cardinal or any other high personage to dare
to oppose him in his projects relating to his Order, when such
persons were conscious that in all probability Loyola was initiated
into the story of their amours and former misdoings with this
or that Donna, Olympia, or Julia ! Moreover, what influence
had not these beautiful sinners over their lovers when the
former, as not unfrequently happened, at a future time returned
again to the world from the cloister of Saint Martha ? What
power did it not put in the hands of a father confessor ?
Loyola, therefore, was never in his life engaged in such a
cunning business as in adopting the profligate women of Rome,
and from that time forward all his scholars and associates have
taken trouble, above everything, to win for themselves the
lair sex, whether married or otherwise. In this manner Loyola
obtained for himself a firm footing in Rome, and us he now
LOYOLA IN ROME. 43
thought that he had sufficiently won over to his views such as
had influence with the Pope, in August 1539, he had the statutes
of his Order, so far as then prepared, laid before His Holiness at
the time residing on the Tiber. This was done by Cardinal Con-
tarini, who was very favourably affected towards Ignatius. The
Pontiff charged Father Thomas Badia, who at that time held the
office of High Chamberlain (Magistrum Sacri Palatii), and who
afterwards became Cardinal, to read through the document ; but
as the latter extolled it so much, he took it into his own hand,
and after carefully examining it, full of astonishment and
admiration, exclaimed, " Digitus Dei est hie ! " " The finger of
God is here." He forthwith summoned Ignatius before him in
September 1539, and, after loading him with praise, informed
him that there was nothing whatever to hinder the ratification
of the new Society. Who could now be more joyful than
Ignatius ? Still this delight was soon again disturbed on his
urging His Holiness to confirm in writing, that is to say, by a
Bull, his verbal approval. After further consideration the
ruler of Christendom began to entertain some scruples. The
Pontifex was of opinion that the matter was far too weighty that
he should dare to trust entirely to his own opinion and judgment ;
it must rather, as usual with all vital Church questions, be
referred first of all to a Commission of Cardinals, and only after
a favourable opinion being pronounced upon it by them could
the Pope give his final approval. In short, he at once nominated
such a Commission, consisting of three of the most distinguished
Cardinals. It was thought, however, to be a bad omen that one
of the number was the learned, upright, and sagacious Cardinal
Bartholomew Guidiccioni, who was well known to be thoroughly
unfavourable to the ecclesiastical Orders. From this quarter
Ignatius was seized with great alarm as to the fate of his Order ;
and that he had good cause for this anxiety the immediate future
disclosed. Guidiccioni at once declared the proposed Society
to be completely inadmissible, inasmuch as, according to the
4th Synod of Lateran of the year 1215 and the 2nd of Lyons
of the year 1274, it was distinctly decided that no new Order
could in future be founded. And even were this prohibition of
the Church to be set aside, the ratification of this proposed
society of Loyola must be relinquished, as envy and jealousy
would be aroused thereby among the Orders already existing;
44 HISTORY OF THE JESUITS.
while, as so much hatred and disputation already reigned ram-
pant in the Church, it was most desirable that all occasion fbr
new conflicts should most carefully be avoided. " Rather abolish
the Orders entirely," said the Cardinal at the close of his
judgment, " or reduce their overwhelming number, than create
an accession of monks who, we all know, bring at present more
injury than advantage to the Papal throne.'' Thus judged
Cardinal Guidicoioni, and his two colleagues agreed with him
xiompletely at least, at first so that the ambitious Loyola was
almost driven to despair. At last, however, after an opposition
which had continued for almost half a year, the efforts of Ignatius
and his friends succeeded in bringing about a change of opinion,
and finally even Cardinal Guidiccioni came to be, instead of an
enemy, one of his most zealous supporters. And wherein lay
the grounds for this change of opinion ? Simply and solely
because the cardinals now came to the conviction that the new
Society might be made a lever by which Roman Catholicism, so
greatly shaken by the Reformation, might be raised up again a
lever and point of support for the Pope and the Papacy such as
had never yet existed.* This conviction found favour for itself,
partly in that the statutes of the Order and its inherent prin-
ciples and rules had survived a long-continued and very searching
trial, and partly also on account of several explanatory additions
proposed to be made, to which Loyola and his friends gave their
consent.
It was after this that, as the college charged with the exa-
mination of the statutes had declared itself favourable thereto,
* All authors unanimously agree that the Pope ratified the Order of
Jesuits solely on grounds of utility, that is, because he believed that
through it the degraded Papal power might again be resuscitated. The
learned Schrock, for instance, declares his views : " The acceptance
of, and favour shown to, the Order of the Jesuits by the Pope is not to
be wondered at from the state of the Catholic Church at that time ; on the
contrary, it must have been heartily welcome to the Roman Court. The
latter had already lost an immense deal of ground through the Reformation
of Luther and Calvin, and stood in danger of being always still more a loser,
as the former means of the Popes for securing the obedience of Christians
were no longer sufficient ; the other orders and ecclesiastical societies
which had hitherto rendered good service had become powerless and
effete, and enjoyed but little consideration hi their own proper church.
More powerful institutions and more active defenders than the Roman
Catholic Church hitherto had, were required against such formidable
and fortunate opponents. Now a society offered itself which promised
to devote itself to all the requirements of the Church, and render
the most implicit obedience to the Popes. Why should it, then, be
rejected ? "
LOYOLA IN ROME. 45
the Pope himself naturally took no further exception to the
solemn formal ratification of the new Society under the name of
" Societas Jesu," * and this, in fact, took place on the 27th
September 1540, through a special Bull commencing with the
words, " Regimini militantis ecclesice."
In this manner was the Order of the Jesuits called into
existence.
* Most of the remaining orders were named after their founders. Loyola,
however, did not seek for Loyolites or Ignatianites, but for Jesuits, as not
himself but Jesus he wished to be considered the head of the Society he
had founded. On that account he had from the first the intention of giving
his Society the expressive title of "Phalanx Jesu," and also "Compagnia di
Giesu," " Societas Jesu " in Latin, and it was not, therefore, Paul III. who
invented this name, which originated entirely with Ignatius Loyola. The
designation " Jesuit " came, moreover, into use only after Loyola's death,,
and according to general belief originated in Paris from the celebrated
Etienne Pasquier, the advocate of the Parisian University in its transactions
with the Jesuit Order during the latter half of the 16th century. Previoua
to this time the Jesuits were called, as has been already related*
" Companions of Jesus."
46 HISTORY OF THE JESUITS.
CHAPTER IV.
THE ORGANISATION AND STATUTE BOOK OP THE NEW
ORDER.
THE reader will now be curious to become acquainted with
the statute which Loyola submitted to the Pope, and I therefore
place it before him in a verbal translation. Thus begins this
very memorable document :
" Whoever will, as a member of our Society, upon which we
have bestowed the name of Jesus, fight under the banner of the
Cross, and serve God alone and His representative on earth, the
Pope of Rome, after having in the most solemn manner taken
the vow of chastity, must always recollect that he now belongs
to a Society which has been instituted simply and solely in
order to perfect in the souls of men the teaching and dissemina-
tion of Christianity, as also to promulgate the true faith by
means of the public preaching of God's word, by holy exercises
and macerations, by works of love, and especially by the educa-
tion of the young, and the instruction of those who have hitherto
had no correct knowledge of Christianity, and lastly by hearing
the confessions of believers, and giving them holy consolation.
He should always have God before his eyes, or, more correctly,
the aim of our Society and our Order, which is the sole way to
God, and strive with his best exertions to bring about the
accomplishment of this aim. On the other hand, each one
should be satisfied with the measure of grace dispensed to him
by the Holy Ghost, and not contend in judgment with others
THE ORGANISATION OF THE NEW ORDER. 47
who are, perhaps, more discreet. In order to effect this more
easily, and with the view of upholding that order rightly which
is necessary in all well-regulated societies, it shall be for the
General alone, the Chief selected from among us, to have the
right of deciding how each should be employed, and of
determining who would be most suitable for this or that office
or business.
" Further, this Chief or General shall have the power, with the
approval of his associates, to frame the fixed rules and constitu-
tion of the Society, and judge whatever will be most fitted for
the attainment of the chief aim of the Society, not, however,
without having previously asked the associates and consulted
with them. On all important occasions, and where it concerns
permanent regulations, the General has on that account to con-
voke the whole members of the Society, or, at least, the greater
number of them, and then the point will be decided by a simple
majority. In the case of less important matters, however,
especially where dispatch is needed, it shall be quite sufficient
to call together in council such of the associates as may happen
to be present on the spot where the General resides. The
carrying out of the laws, moreover, no less than the proper
right of command, and supreme power, belongs solely to the
Chief, and to no third person.
"Be it known to all men further, that it must be engraven,
not only on the doors of their Profess-houses, but also on
their hearts in capital letters as long as they live, that the entire
Society and all and sundry who enter into the same are bound
to render implicit obedience to our holy lord the Pope, as also
to all his successors, and in this obedience to fight only for
God. However learned and thereby orthodox they may have
become in the Bible, all Christian believers owe obedience and
allegiance to the Pope of Home as visible head of the Church
and representative of Jesus Christ ; so, also, do we hold our-
selves bound by a special vow of general obedience for the
submission of this Order in general, as also for the formal
spiritual mortification of each individual among us in particular,
and for the public renunciation of our own proper will. This
vow requires that whatever the present Pope or his successors
may order, provided it redound to the advantage of souls and
the propagation of the faith, that for whatever mission it is
48 HISTORY OF THE JESUITS.
desired we may be employed in, whether it be to the Turks or
other unbelievers, even if it be as fnr as India, or to heretics,.
Lutherans, or schismatics, or, lastly, even should it be wished
to send us among the orthodox, we shall immediately obey
without any delay, and without offering any excuse whatever.
On this account it behoves all who are minded to join our
Society, before they take this burden upon their shoulders, well
and maturely to consider whether they have the command of
such spiritual means as would enable them to climb, with God's
assistance, those steep heights ; that is, whether the Holy Ghost,
who impels them, has poured upon them such a measure of
spiritual grace, that they may dare to hope, with His assistance,
they may not succumb under the burden of their vocation. Are
you quite prepared to range yourselves for war service under
the banner of Jesus Christ ? So must you gird up your loins
day and night, and be ready at any hour of the day or night to
bear the burden you have undertaken.
" No one belonging to the Society shall, impelled by ambi-
tion, carry out, of his own accord, this or that mission or function,
and still less shall any member have the right to enter inde-
pendently into communication, directly or indirectly, with the
Roman chair, or other ecclesiastical authorities ; it is only
God alone, or rather, that is to say, His representative, the
Pope, as also the General of the Order, who can do this. All
such orders must proceed from them ; but when a member has
a commission given to him to execute, he shall not under any
circumstances whatever hesitate to undertake the same ; on the
other hand, he may not engage to concert or come to an
arrangement with the Pope regarding any great mission work
without the approval of the Society. All and every one must
vow to render implicit obedience to the decision of the Chief on
all points relative to the rules of the Order ; he himself, however,
on the other hand, must engage to issue only such commands
as he considers conformable to the attainment of the object
the Society has in view. Also must he in the administration of
his office always have before his eyes the example of the good-
ness, gentleness, and love given by Christ and His Apostles,
Peter and Paul, and so shall he also instruct all his councillors-
and higher officials. Especially must he take care that the
education of the young, and the instruction of ignorant adults in
THE ORGANISATION OF THE NEW ORDER. 49
the principles of Christian teaching, in the Ten Commandments
and the other elements, both as to time and place, as also with
regard to the person himself, shall never be neglected, and,
indeed, this is the more necessary, as without a well-founded
faith no true edifice can be erected. Moreover, it is clear that if
the General should not take the business strictly in hand, one or
other of the brethren, erroneously thinking himself more accom-
plished, and believing this or that land, or this or that district,
to be much too small and inconsiderable for the extent of his
knowledge, might abandon the instruction, whilst in fact nothing
could be more serviceable than this instruction, as well for the
edification of his neighbour as for exercise in works of humility
and love, and, lastly, for the attainment of our chief object.
In a word, the members of the Society shall, according to the
rules of the Order, implicitly obey the Chief, or General, in every
particular, and on all occasions, to the infinite benefit of the
Society, and the continual exercise of humility never to be
sufficiently commended, considering him with becoming rever-
ence as the representative of Christ, the commander-in-chief of
the heavenly hosts. Now, whilst experience teaches that there
are no men who have a purer, more edifying, or more agreeable
life as regards their neighbours, than those who are furthest
removed from the poison of avarice, and stand closest to evan-
gelical poverty ; and while we further know that the Lord Jesus
Christ provides all his servants, when engaged in the service of
the kingdom of heaven, with all necessaries of food, drink, and
clothing; so shall each and every member of our Order make a
vow of perpetual poverty, and at the same time declare that
neither for themselves, that is, for their own proper persons, nor
also for the maintenance and use of the Order itself in common,
shall they take or obtain possession of any lands or property,
wherever situated, or merely the income derived therefrom, but
rather be satisfied with what they can voluntarily spend in
administering to the wants and necessities of others.
"It will be still free to them to establish one or more colleges
at the universities, for the maintenance of which the acceptance
of lands and estates, with the income derived therefrom, need
not be declined, on the understanding that they are to be used
for the good of the students. The superintendence, however,
over the before-mentioned colleges, the students attached to them,
4
50 HISTOBY OP THE JESUITS.
as well as the administration of the same, and of the incomes
appertaining to them, rests entirely with the General and with
those brethren of the Order entrusted by him with such power,
as also, indeed, the appointment, dismissal, recall, and expulsion
of the teachers, superiors, and students, besides whatever con-
cerns the introduction of statutes, regulations, and laws, the
instruction of the pupils, their indoctrination, their punishments,
their clothing, and, above all things, their education, guidance,
and management. It will, in this way, be best made certain
that the students can never misuse the said estates and incomes,
nor can it even be a question of the Society employing the same
for their own benefit and advantage. On the contrary, the entire
interest of the college properties shall be appropriated to their
maintenance, and to defraying the expenses of the education of
the pupils ; the latter, however, may be admitted into our Society
as soon as they have obtained sufficient proficiency in science
and learning, and can even themselves work as teachers. All
members of the Order who are consecrated to the priesthood,
though they enjoy neither any church benefices, nor any other
revenues, still have the duty of discharging all church functions,
and are also bound to rehearse the office after church usage
privately, that is, each individually for himself, but not in
common as monks in cloister.
" This is the statute of our Order, which we have sketched
by the suggestion of the Holy Father Paul, and now
submit for the approval of the Apostolic Chair. It is only a
summary outline, but it will sufficiently enlighten those who are
interested in our doings and proceedings, and it will serve as a
criterion for those who subsequently join this Order. Since we
now, moreover, know exactly, by long personal experience, with
how many and great difficulties a life such as ours is surrounded,
we have likewise found how advantageous it is that no one should
be allowed to join our Society as a member who has not pre-
viously undergone an exact and searching examination. First,
then, he can only be admitted to the war service of Christ if he
has been found efficiently skilled in the service of Christ, and
clean and pure in his teaching and mode of life ; may he, how-
ever, to our small beginning add his grace and favour, to the
honour of God the Father, to whom be glory and praise in
eternity, Amen."
THE ORGANISATION OP THE NEW ORDER. 51
Thus run the rules of the new Order, which Paul III. con-
firmed, on the 27th September 1540, under the title of the Society
of Jesus, but, it must be added, with the addition that the
number of members should be limited to sixty.
Still, these rules formed only the first principle, the mere
beginning of the subsequent organisation of the Order of the
Jesuits, and we shall be informed, in the next chapter, that
the more precise and weighty of the laws and constitutions were
only added afterwards. Still, in this initiatory sketch, or rather,
by this small commencement, indications are not wanting of
something entirely different from what at first existed. First
and foremost, in addition to the three customary vows of chastity,
poverty, and obedience to superiors, comes a fourth, the vow of
absolute and unlimited submission to the Pope (obedientia
illimitatce erga Pontificeni), and from this it follows that the
members of the Society of Jesus are nothing else than an army
of spiritual warriors who devote themselves entirely to the service
of the Romish Chair. The second not less important point is
that the new Order should not by any means be a monkish order,
in spite of the obligation of the above-named vows. Up to this
time the monks went by the name of whatever Order to which
they belonged ; they lived together in cloisters, and led therein a
life apparently devoted to God ; the Jesuits, on the contrary,
were to live in the world, and not in seclusion. They were to
possess, it is true, profess-houses, that is to say, houses of accom-
modation for the members who had bound themselves by all the
four vows (" profess " is equivalent to " vow "), but none of them
could remain stationary anywhere for any length of time, and each
must always hold himself in readiness to be sent about here and
there on any particular duty for which he might be required.
Their task was not that of following a life of contemplation, but
that of working among men for the benefit of the Pope, and of
labouring in far-away missions among the heathen, as well as in
their native Europe fighting against heretics and schismatics.
The third cardinal point is that they acknowledge education,
secular as well as spiritual, to be the chief object of their lives.
By the former must be understood the education of adults back-
ward in knowledge, as well as that of the young, in the true, or
Roman Catholic religion, for only in this way could a lasting and
effectual stop be put to the extension of heresy. Spiritual
4 *
52 HISTORY OF THE JESUITS.
education, on the other hand, would be prosecuted among th&
so-called novices, such youths merely as had the desire of pre-
paring themselves for admittance into the Jesuit Order, as it may
be supposed that the novices or pupils in question ought to be
thoroughly perfected for the objects of the Order. With the view,
moreover, that this essential principle of the Order, education,
should be effectual, and, indeed, might be looked upon as a
fourth cardinal point, it was required that the vow of poverty
should be modified in some degree, or, rather, raised, as it wore,
by an artificial lever, and so transformed into the reverse. The
professed brethren themselves should, properly speaking, be poor
and possess nothing of their own; but the educational institutions
and colleges, on the other hand, which were entirely under the
protection and control of the members and General of the Order,
had the right to take whatever might be given them, and the
more that was given the better pleased were the rectors and
directors appointed by the General. As the fifth and last car-
dinal point, which, indeed, gave to the Order from the commence-
ment its firm internal cohesion, I have to state that the General
or Chief was elected for life, and was endowed with completely
absolute sovereign authority. He might not, indeed, alter or
remodel the constitution without the advice and approval of his
associates, but in all other matters implicit and unconditional
obedience must be rendered to him, without any one having the
right even of asking questions as to his reasons, and he might
not only bestow offices and commissions according to his judg-
ment, but he had to be looked upon as Christ's representative,,
the embodied Jesus.
Under such circumstances was it that the Order must neces-
sarily obtain such a unified power as no society or institution in
the whole world had ever before acquired, seeing that each
member of the Society of Jesus, on his admission, gave up his
own will and became, indeed, henceforth an instrument merely
for the use of the Order.
These are the five cardinal points by which the statutes of the
Jesuit Society were pre-eminently distinguished from any pre-
ceding Order, and when we contemplate these points the more-
closely we cannot but be astonished at the extraordinary wisdom
which they reflect. Not the less are we struck, at first sight,
with the reason why the Roman Court promised for itself great
THE ORGANISATION OF THE NEW ORDER. 53
Advantages from the new Order, especially in opposing the
increasing progress of the Reformation, and on that account
we need not wonder that Paul III. solemnly confirmed the
institution. On the other hand, there is not to be found in
the statutes the slightest thing that detracts from the prosperity
and advancement of the human race, and even the object of self-
perfectibility, which among religious bodies had hitherto been
the principal one, must give way thoroughly before that of the
" defence of Papal things." Leaving all this nside, the new
Order presented but a glaring contradiction, with its laws of
reason and morality, because it required of its members, as an
indispensable condition of their admittance, a complete surrender
of all personal wishes and inclinations, of all personal dealings
and striving after advancement ; in like manner must all thought
of domestic life and friendship, all love of parents and sisters, all
thought of country and home, all desire after or taste for beauty
and art, be abandoned completely. In a word, all sources of
the inner life of soul and body must be extinguished, in order to
obtain the knighthood of Faith, with its concomitants of
uninterrupted zeal and obedience.
54 HISTOBY OF THE JESUITS.
CHAPTER V.
IGNATIUS LOYOLA AS GENERAL OF THE ORDER.
THE first business which the new Order had to take in hand was
to elect a Chief or General, and the choice fell unanimously on
Ignatius Loyola, the founder of the Society. It is true, certainly,
that there happened to be at that time only five members of the
Order present in Rome, namely Lejay, Pasquet-Brouet, Laynez,
Cordur, and Salmeron, but the election, nevertheless, may still
be termed unanimous, because the remaining members trans-
mitted their votes in writing. Ignatius, in fact, entered on his
contemplated office on holy Easter Day of the year 1541, and
it must have been uncommonly flattering to his fiery ambition
that he had, through immense perseverance, at length brought
the matter so far. On the other hand, he frequently asked him-
self whether he would be able to carry out even a small part
only of what he had with his people promised to perform,
as the situation in which at that time the Papacy found it-
self was a superlatively difficult one. Throughout the whole
Christian world purity of the faith was completely obli-
terated ; and, instead of Christian fervency and love, complete
indifference had crept in. The ecclesiastics and priests had
shown themselves to be unworthy of their office through their
almost general shameless mode of life, and they possessed so small
a knowledge of God's Word as to be unable to determine whether
Melchisedec had been a butler or a dancing-master. As to the
cloisters I will not at present speak, and still less of the chastity
IGNATIUS LOYOLA AS GENERAL OF THE ORDER. 55
to be found therein. It could not be denied that even in Rome
itself more heathenism than Christianity prevailed, and so little
awe was there for the Almighty among men, that, as a proof
thereof, in lonely churches a dog even might be seen chained to
the high altar to protect the deeply venerated property, and
prevent the Pyx being stolen out of the tabernacle. If this were
the case in Rome, it seemed even worse throughout the rest of
the world. Spain and Italy were smothered in ignorance and
sloth ; Germany through Luther, France through Calvin,
Switzerland through Zwingle, and England through its own king
showed a great falling away from the Catholic faith ; every day
added to the number of heretics as well as heresies. In those
regions still remaining Catholic the most shameless and wicked
abominations were perpetrated with laughter and derision ; as, for
instance, wicked grooms were not ashamed to mix the consecrated
Host with the oats they gave to their horses, or to solemnise
their carousals with the holy cup. And who now espoused the
cause of the miserably down-fallen Romish Church ? Scarcely
anyone in the whole wide world ; and if any did do so, it was
without earnest good-will.
With the initiation of the Order of Jesuits, however, all this
was changed ; things soon assumed a very different appear-
ance, and the world saw with astonishment what immeasurably
great things a small society could accomplish as soon as it was
conducted by one of iron will, who never lost sight of the aim
and object he had in view. This same iron will Ignatius now,
indeed, in his fiftieth year possessed even in a still greater
degree than when, formerly, he insisted upon his half-healed leg
being broken again in order that he might not appear in the
world a mutilated cripple. Had he not day and night before
his eyes the victory of Christ's Kingdom, as he designated the
supremacy of the Papacy ? As he now considered himself con-
secrated to the service of Jesus, he at once severed all bonds
that still tied him to the world, especially that of blood-relation-
ship ; as, for instance, he threw into the fire, without reading
them, letters which after a long interval arrived for him from
his home, and which had been joyously handed to him by the
porter of the profess-house. He claimed also from his associates
the absolute renunciation of all personal relations, and especially
required of them, as warriors of Christ, the same unconditional
66 HISTORY OF THE JESUITS.
blind obedience which a soldier owes to his officer. In this
respect he was quite inexorable, without the slightest considera-
tion for the birth, knowledge, understanding, or attainments of
the individual. It might so happen, for instance, that he would
suddenly call upon the most learned among the associates to
perform the duties of cook, merely with the object of exercising
him in humility ; or he would require another, who from his noble
birth might consider himself capable of some important service, to
clean out the kitchen or sweep the street. He was especially
severe on idleness, and two younger brethren who were standing
gaping idly about them, at the door of the Roman College, were
compelled to carry up a heap of stones to the upper storey
piece by piece, and to bring them down again on the following
day. But, above all things, he exhibited the greatest severity
upon those who did not immediately and on the instant attend
to his orders, or who in the least seemed to allow it to be seen
that they were inclined to submit those orders to their own
judgment. Even Laynez himself, who might, so to speak, be
looked upon as the chief in the Order, was obliged to apologise
most humbly, as he on one occasion disapproved of an order of
Ignatius, and permitted himself to raise expostulations against
it. He, Ignatius, the Master of the Order, he took care to say,
was ready day and night to comply with the orders of the Pope,
and exactly, in like manner, must the members of the Society of
Jesus be ready to comply with his (Ignatius's) orders. A
brother, even while engaged in listening to a confession or in
performing mass, dare not delay an instant if wanted by the
Master, as the summons of the General was to be looked upon
as equivalent to the call of Christ Himself. In short, Ignatius
went upon the principle that if something substantial was to be
effected, it could only be when one mind and one will pervaded
the whole Society, and that it was only by carrying out this
principle to the utmost that the end in view could really be
accomplished.
As soon as the new General was elected, on the 22nd of April
1541, he organised a great procession to all the most remarkable
churches and stations in the city of Rome, and marched along
with it to the Church of St. Paul, outside the walls, and after
reading mass he took before the high altar first the third and
then the fourth vow, and finally demanded the same four vows
IGNATIUS LOYOLA AS GENERAL OF THE ORDER. 57
from his associates. After the conclusion of this ceremony
'began the proper work of the Society. Ignatius allotted to each
of his associates his own particular sphere of action, and urged
upon every individual the task of being, before everything, most
active in the extension and augmentation of the Society.
Araoz and Villanouva, two newly-acquired members, he sent to
Spain, Rodriguez to Portugal, Xavier to India, Brouet with
some others to England, Lejay, Bobadilla, and Le Fevre to
Germany, Cordur with fifteen others to France, Laynez and
Salmeron as Papal legates to the assembly of the Church at
Trient. In short, he apportioned off the world among his asso-
ciates, while he himself remained in Rome in order thence to
. conduct the whole affair. The results completely answered the
expectations of Ignatius and of the Pope, and even, indeed, sur-
passed them, for, after the lapse of some years, there arose in
the great majority of the university towns Jesuit colleges, in
which there was no lack of novices. Wherever there was con-
tention in religious matters, in whatever countries the princes
and people were at variance on this account, and, in short,
wherever the old faith strove with the new, there now also
appeared the ambassadors of Loyola, and the Black Cloaks with
their sagacity, their eloquence, their zeal and energy, caused the
side which they defended to triumph almost universally, the result
being that they obtained for themselves a firm footing.*
While the Pope now derived so much benefit from the new
"Society, he naturally enough could not prove himself ungrateful,
and Ignatius, therefore, easily acquired from him one advantage
after another. It was thus that the Jesuit General obtained the
two churches, " De la Strata " and " To the Holy Andrew '' ; as
also sufficient space at the foot of Engelsburg for the erection of
a splendid " Profess-house " for the members of the Four Vows.
He thus succeeded in bringing into existence a number of costly
institutions, as, for instance, the " Rosenstift," designed for the
protection of young girls, and as a refuge for fallen women. Also
schools, where catechising took place, for Jews who had embraced
Christianity, as well as orphanages for parentless boys and girls
who were destitute. The chief thing, however, which occasioned
Ignatius to rejoice, was the amplification of the privileges for his
* The particulars regarding all this are to be found in detail in the second
took of this work.
58 HISTORY OF THE JESUITS.
Order under Paul III., for without such proofs of favour the
Society of Jesus could never have been able to raise itself to that
height of splendour which, as history teaches us, it succeeded in
attaining.
Already, in 1543, two years only after the foundation of the
Order, it became apparent that the number of sixty members,
which was at first determined on by the Pope, had been found to
be far too limited, as in such an uncommonly large field of
labour which the Jesuits occupied, what could be accomplished
by sixty members only ! On that account Paul III. issued a
new Bull on the 14th of March 1543, which, by the words with
which it commences, Injunction nobis, gives to Ignatius the
power to take as many members as he wishes, a privilege of
which advantage was, naturally enough, at once taken. What
was even a still more valuable addition for the Order, contained
in the same Bull, was an authorisation the effect of which wa
in fact immeasurable, and such as no order could hitherto boast.
It was no less than that Loyola, as well as all future Generals of
the Order, could, with the sanction of the most distinguished
members in council, alter, expunge, or make additions to the
laws of the Society, or create entirely new regulations, according
as it appeared under the circumstances to be most advantageous;
and it was decreed that these altered and newly-framed statutes,
even in the case when the Roman Chair had no knowledge of
them, should have the same validity as if the Pope himself had
confirmed them. Although it seems almost madness that a
Pope should impart a privilege of this description to any
General of any Order, it thus stands verbally written in the Bull
[njunctum nobis. It, in fact, made the individual in question
thereby almost independent of the Papal chair, and at the same
time a despot of such extraordinary power that it was calculated
to render all States distrustful of him. For instance, does not
every Government, solicitous for the welfare of its subjects and
for its own stability, require that the rules and constitution of all
such societies as that of the Jesuits should be submitted for its
acceptance and toleration ? Would it not carefully examine
beforehand the contents of the same to ascertain exactly whether
they were in accordance with the laws of the country, or whether
there might be any possibility that the weal of the State might
be undermined thereby ? Certainly every wise Government
IGNATIUS LOYOLA AS GENEBAL OF THE ORDER. 59'
would naturnlly thus act, and the Jesuits, therefore, as well as all
other Orders in the different countries into which they had
penetrated, had to submit their constitution for approval.
How would it be, then, if the General, after permission being
granted, was pleased to alter its constitution, and incorporate
among its rules some resolution, perhaps, highly dangerous to
the State ? Truly the above-described authorisation might
well startle and be a warning to any State in allowing the Order
of Jesuits to become rooted among them, while this Papal Bull
made it indeed a chameleon whereby every succeeding General
might be able to give a new colour to the rules, so that conse-
quently no trust could be placed at all in them.
Ignatius then obtained a new privilege, through another
decree, published on the 5th of June 1545, which also contri-
buted not a little to the power of the new Order. The Pope
thereby conferred on the Jesuits the right to ascend any
pulpit wherever they went, to teach in all places, and to establish
Professorial chairs everywhere ; to hear confessions, and grant
absolution for every sin, even for such as the Papal Chair had
reserved for itself to consider; to exempt from all Church penal-
ties and curses ; to dispense with vows and pilgrimages, and to
order, as well, other good works ; to read mass in all places and
at all hours ; to administer the sacraments without necessarily
having the acquiescence of the local priesthood, or even the
bishop of the place.
This was once more an enormous advantage for the Jesuits
over rival Orders, none of whom ever possessed such extensive
privileges ; and, indeed, it caused them to burst with envy.
What embittered the ordinary priesthood still more against the
Black Cloaks was that in granting absolution they never imposed
any very severe punishment, even for grave sins, thereby snatching
from their rivals many penitents, and consequently depriving
them of no inconsiderable part of their income and influence.
But indignation was of no avail to them, and even the com-
plaints of distinguished bishops had no weight with the Pope,
who entertained a particular affection for the Jesuits, and, in
very truth, on good grounds.
Moreover, about a year afterwards, a further extension of
the Order occurred. Hitherto there had existed only two
classes of the same, novices and professed members ; that is to>
tiO HISTORY OF THE JESUITS.
ay, such as had taken upon themselves the four vows, and such
as had been received into the holy colleges as pupils, in order
'that they might be properly brought up as regular Jesuits. The
latter were as yet not members, properly speaking, but only
aspirants or candidates, who might easily be again dismissed at
pleasure, on being found unsuitable. It was now, however,
indispensably requisite, if the Order, as Loyola designed it, was
to be spread over the whole world, that the number of instru-
ments should be increased, as with the hundred or hundred
and twenty which there were in the year 1546 the claims upon
them could not be by any means fully satisfied. How, then, was
this evil to be remedied ? In the first place it was requisite,
some way or other, that a greater number should be made to
take the four vows, becoming thereby professed members.
Loyola, indeed, had the power of doing this through the Bull
Injunctttm nobis, but was it advisable ? The professed
members formed, so to speak, the privy councillors of the
General, and without their consent the constitution of the Order
could not be altered. A large conclave, however, would make
unanimity difficult, according to the old proverb, " Many heads
many minds." Some plan for preventing this must be found,
as it would be unwise to trust a large body of men with the
innermost thoughts and ideas of the Order, for there must
always be a greater number of scabbed sheep in a large flock
than in a small one. Thus prudence, certainly, strongly forbade
that thousands should be promoted to be professed members,
and Loyola, as well as his associates, held the opinion that the
number of Jesuits proper, that is to say, of professed members,
should be limited as much as practicable.* While, therefore, no
assistance could well be gained in this direction, more instru-
ments must, in some way or other, be found at any price.
It then entered into the mind of Loyola to create a third
class of members, who might be of as much use to the Order
as the professed members, without, however, having the rights of
the same. This class he designated " Coadjutors," and he at once
divided them into two subdivisions, "the secular and spiritual
* In the year 1715, when the Order had attained its highest state of
prosperity, when it possessed over 700 colleges and numbered more than
:22,000 members, there existed only twenty-four profess-houses, in none of
which lived more than ten professed members. Proof sufficient that the
principle above stated remained a fixed rule.
IGNATIUS LOYOLA AS GENEKAL OF THE ORDER. 61
coadjutors." The Pope, also, at once sanctioned this new arrange-
ment, in a special Bull, which was signed on the 5th of June 1 546.
In this way the Order of Jesuits had the following organisa-
tion. The novices formed the lowest grade, out of which the
proper stock might be recruited. The most talented and highly
educated youths were selected and first brought into the "Trial
House" (domus probationis] , where the novice master (magister
novitiorum) kept them under observation and watched over them
with an assistant during a period of twenty days. Should
they then continue firm in their determination of entering the
Order, and should this inspection prove favourable to them, i.e.
should they be found to be fit and suitable subjects, they were
then promoted to be true noviciates, and came into the Noviciate
House, where they had to remain during two years. In the first
year they had to undergo all the degrees of self-denial, they
had to castigate their flesh, and had to nurse in the hospitals the
most filthy and disgusting patients; they were also kept at
the occupation of begging and other low employments, besides
which they were practised by the master in frequent confessions,
and compelled to lay open all their most secret thoughts and
desires daily, with the most blind obedience. In the second
year, when they had proved their humility and submission to
authority, they were assigned more intellectual than corporeal
employments, and were exercised especially in preaching, cate-
chising, and in other things concerning the welfare of the soul.
But at the same time, care was taken against fatiguing them too
much, in order that the next stage should not be rendered dis-
agreeable to them, and several amusements even were not denied
them, as, for instance, attending prosecutions of the Inquisition
and other similar sights. On their having completed the two
years of noviciate successfully, then the three vows of poverty, ,
chastity, and obedience were administered to them, and they
were promoted to be spiritual coadjutors. As such, during the
first two years, they were only so-called scholastics, that is to
say, proved pupils who might be employed in the colleges,
or, also, as assistants in missions. When, however, they had :
acquired sufficient experience to render them more independently
useful, they were advanced, according to their talents and ability,
to be professors, rectors, preachers, confessors, &c., and were,
now designated coadjutor esformati, i.e. true assistants.
62 HISTORY OF THE JESUITS.
Besides them, there were secular assistants, or coadjutores
xactilares, who acted, so to speak, as lay brethren, and without
having received any higher ordination were charged with the
house-keeping duties in colleges, missions, and profess-houses.
They had nothing to do with the priesthood, i.e. with the cure of
souls, or with education, and, as they had to perform menial
services, were held in but trifling esteem.
The superior lay brethren, however, not infrequently received
ihe title of secular coadjutors, to distinguish them, on account
of their true services to the Order, and then such under-
took no definite functions, but continued to remain rather in
their hitherto worldly position. They were merely confederates,
or " affiliates " ; they were also called, derisively, short-coated
Jesuits, or Jesuits in voto ; and the pupils of Loyola boasted
that even crowned heads belonged to this class of the Order, in
the persons of the Emperor Ferdinand II. and King Louis XIV.
Lastly, the professed members formed the highest grade and
proper "heart and soul of the Society, i.e. those who had taken the
four vows upon them, and consequently gave implicit obedience
to the Pope, and such were selected from the class of coadjutors
distinguished among their brethren for their worldly wisdom,
knowledge, fidelity, and experience. To these only were entrusted
by the General the highest offices and most important posts, as
he could depend upon them in every respect. They seldom,
therefore, lived at ease in the profess-houses, only, indeed, when
unwell or temporarily unemployed from some other cause ; one
would serve as a missionary among the heathen, another as a
warrior of 'God against the heretics, a third as a ruler of some
colony in a distant quarter of the globe, a fourth as father con-
fessor of some prince or lady of distinction, a fifth as Resident
of the Order in some locality where it had not as yet possessed
a college, a sixth as legate of the Pope in some special mission,
a seventh, eighth, or ninth, as assistant to the General in
Rome, or as supreme leader in some particular province, as
provincial or as superior of a profess-house, or as rector of a
college. Under these circumstances, as none can at the same
time serve two masters, they were for the time quite exempt from
the obligation as to the instruction of youth, which last duty
was left entirely to the coadjutors. On the other hand, the
professed members had from time to time to make their appear
IGNATIUS LOYOLA AS GENERAL OF THE ORDER. 03
ance in Rome, at general chapters, or meetings, in order to take
a part in consultations regarding any proposed change in the
statutes, and it was they also who elected from amongst their
number the General when that office happened to become vacant.
From the time Loyola conceived the idea of calling the class
of coadjutors into existence, the interior economy of the Order
was in this manner henceforth arranged, and one may perceive
now that the fixed regulations were much more important than
at first sight appeared.
In the same year, 1546, in which the new classification of
the Order of Jesuits was effected, Loyola gained still another
important victory. It happened, namely, that King Ferdinand,
^brother of the Emperor Charles V., came to form so high an
opinion of Lejay, who, as we have seen above, laboured for the
Order in Germany, that he wished him to be made Bishop of
Triest. He wrote on this account to the Pope, who was natu-
rally quite ready to confer a favour on the great man. The
Society of Jesus also hoped to consolidate its power through the
elevation to such rank of a member of their Order, as the
remaining Orders, such as the Dominicans, Franciscans, Bene-
dictines, or whatever else they may be designated, always courted
such dignities, and were in the highest degree proud whenever
anyone of their body gained an important Church preferment as
Bishop or Archbishop. One might easily, therefore, suppose
that this would be the case with Ignatius Loyola, and that he
would be ready to clutch with both hands the contemplated
honour for one of his associates, more especially as to the
Bishopric of Triest a considerable income was attached. To the
great astonishment, then, of the Pope and King Ferdinand,
Loyola took quite a different view, and opposed the elevation of
Lejay, through think and thin, as soon as he received news of the
same. " We members of the Society of Jesus," said he to
the Pope, as he afterwards wrote in quite similar terms to
the King, " are warriors of Christ, and must therefore possess
all the characteristics of good soldiers. We must be always
ready to advance against the enemy, and be always prepared to
harass him or to fall upon him, and on that account we must
not venture to tie ourselves to any particular place. How could
we else, at the first hint from your Holiness, which is certainlv
our duty above everything, fly from one town or city to another,
64 HISTORY OF THE JESUITS.
or from one end of the world to another ? Besides, the lowly
character of our Order forbids that one of us should accept a high
Church preferment, and we must be most careful not to awaken
again the jealousy of the other Orders as we have before done."
It was in this sense that Loyola spoke, and it may be that he
was in earnest in giving the arguments he advanced as the
cause of his dissent ; but, at any rate, such were not the only
reasons, but besides them he had still others in the background,
and, indeed, much more weighty ones. Why, truly, was it not
much more probable, as, indee'd, it became in the future the rule,
that the most ambitious among the Jesuits never would remain
quiet until they had secured for themselves places of great
honour ? We know now that the Order was almost deprived of its
highest glory, and its transcendant powers were taken away, owing
to this cause. Independent of this, too, how would it be with the
rigorous monarchy in the Order, with the omnipotence of the
General, and the subordination of the members, were there a
possibility of the power of the Grand Master being in any way
diminished ? Could there be any longer a question that the
Bishops or Archbishops, and, together with them, the Prince
of the kingdom in which they lived, would not remain in such
subjection to the General of the Order as had previously been
the case ? It would not be possible, even if it were wished,
because a prince must necessarily fulfil his required obligations,
against which orders from Rome would be of no avail.
All this said Loyola to himself; therefore, as the Pope and
King Ferdinand did not on the instant assent to his representa-
tions, he, without any more ceremony, finally forbad Lejay to
accept the proffered appointment. Indeed, this was not enough
for him ; but he made it from this time an irrefragable law, that
a member of the Society of Jesus should never on any account
accept an episcopal chair, and for this reason he himself declined
the office of Cardinal which was offered to him.
What did the " I " signify to himself, or what did the " I "
matter to his associates ? His only pride and pleasure was the
success and prosperity of the Society he had founded. Along
with the continuously increasing extension of the Order of Jesus
their wishes, as may well be imagined, kept pace ; for although
individual members were obliged, for themselves, to take the vow
of poverty, as has been above explained, they still retained thfr
IGNATIUS LOYOLA AS GENEEAL OF THE ORDER. 65
right of accepting all they could get for the use of the colleges
they had founded, and of this right, indeed, they made the most
extensive use. They also showed themselves, from the very
first, not at all scrupulous in regard to the means they took to
acquire this or that possession, and as a proof of this, I will now
give the reader an instance.
In the year 1542, Laynez, who was at that time working for
the Order in Venice, caused a rich old nobleman, of the name of
Andreas Lippomani, to make over the house and property which
he possessed in Padua to the Jesuit Order on hehoof of a
college to he founded ; and as this present was of considerable
value, the whole farm being estimated to be worth 40,000
ducats, Loyola rejoiced exceedingly. He felt it, however, to be
all the more disagreeable, when on the death of Andreas, the
rightful heir disputed the will and brought an action before the
Venetian Senate, within whose jurisdiction the matter rested. At
the commencement it seemed doubtful which party would gain
the cause, and the balance of justice for some time oscillated
considerably backwards and forwards undecidedly ; in the end,
however, it appeared tolerably clear that the Senate would decide
in favour of the legitimate heir, as he proved that his deceased
relative, at the time the deed was drawn up, had become imbecile
from old age, and had not his clear wits about him. This news
drove Loyola into despair, and in his agitation he promised to
the Virgin three thousand masses, and if that was not sufficient,
two thousand more, provided that she would win over the minds
of the senators to his side. At the same time, however, as he-
made this appeal to Mary, which might possibly prove ineffec-
tual, he did not forget to claim, also, human assistance, and
forthwith he secured for himself the powerful aid of a Cardinal
who had great influence with the Venetian Senate. He was
doubtless very well aware that he had no right to gain the
cause, and had nothing to expect from justice; he, therefore,
had recourse to influence from another quarter, quite uncon-
cerned and indifferent that he was thereby cheating the legiti-
mate heir out of his property. But Laynez, his principal aider
in founding the Order and its statutes, went a step further; for
as soon as he discovered that the Doge, to whose pipe if I
may be allowed to use a popular expression all the Senate
danced, possessed a mistress who exercised great influence over
5
f)6 HISTORY OF THE JESUITS.
him, he filled his pockets with gold, and therewith had not
much difficulty in gaining over the mercenary woman to his side,
the result being that the final decision of the Senate turned out to
"be in favour of the Jesus Association, and the rightful heir, in
spite of his strong claims, was non-suited ; but the conscience of
Loyola on that account did not in the least appear to trouble him.
The same diligence that was exercised in the acquisition of
riches, was, also, employed wherever the question was to win
over substantial, influential, and powerful men of high standing,
to be patrons and abettors of the Order, if not, indeed, members
of the same ; and in this respect, in fact, several of Loyola's
desciples rendered signal service. Among the foremost who
distinguished himself in this particular, was Aroz, the delegate
to Spain, as he was successful in inducing Francis Borgia, Duke
of Gandia, and a grandee of Spain, as, also, formerly Viceroy of
Catalonia a very weak man, however, in mental capacity to
take up the cause of Jesuitism ; so much so, that this nobleman
was the first person in Europe who founded a Jesuit College for
the education of youth. He shortly afterwards, too, in the year
1546, endowed a University, with all privileges. Overjoyed at
this, Loyola commenced a correspondence with the Duke, and
the result of these letters was that Borgia became so enamoured
with the Society of Jesus, that he at length came to the firm
determination of joining it as a true member; in fact, notwith-
standing his already being considerably advanced in years, he
forthwith put off the purple, and began the study of theology.
His progress therein, however, advanced but slowly, and conse-
quently Loyola allowed him to take the four vows without being
previously well versed in theology, or even having gone through
the course of exercises required of noviciates. Thus the Duke
of Gandia became Pater Franciscus Borgia, and the newly-made
member showed great, zeal for the Society. He, however, did
not at once enter a profess-house, and still less was he employed
in the service of the Order ; Ignatius, indeed, permitted him to
live in the world during a period of fully four years, in order that
the newly-acquired brother might be able to settle his worldly
affairs, and conveniently make arrangements for the maintenance
of his children. It was natural enough that such a highly-born
man as Pater Borgia should not be treated exactly like an
ordinary member.
IGNATIUS LOYOLA AS GENERAL OF THE ORDER. 67
I 'have already spoken of the privileges which the Pope
granted to the Order, even in the first year of its existence ; but
what did these prerogatives signify compared with those which
Paul III. conceded to the Society of Jesus on the 18th October
1549. One would, indeed, be perfectly correct in calling the
Bull which refers to them the " Magna Charta " of the Jesuits ;
and they themselves admitted as much when they conceived
such a designation for this decree as " the great sea of their
privileges."
If one should inquire what could have been the reasons which
actuated the Pope in bestowing such conspicuous favours on the
the new Order, they are to be found in the preamble of the Bull,
which terms the Society a fruitful acre, which, effecting much for
the increase of the kingdom of God and the faith that is to say,
the exaltation of the Papacy and the suppression of heresy
through instruction and example, therefore well deserves to be
rewarded with special favours ; and, in fact, favours of quite a
peculiar description were given them, as the reader will suffi-
ciently understand from the following extracts :
1. " The General of the Order, as soon as he is nominated,
shall have complete power as to the government of the Society,
and especially also over the whole members of the same, where-
soever these latter may reside, and with whatsoever office or
dignity they may be endowed. His power shall indeed be so
unlimited, that should he deem it necessary for the honour of
God, he shall even be able to send back, or in other directions,
those who have come direct from the Popes."*
Thus, from this paragraph, his own power is placed over that
of the Pope. How does it fare, then, with the four vows ?
2. " No General, without the consent of the General Con-
vention, and no member of the Society, without the express
oonsent of the General, shall accept a bishopric, archbishopric,
or any similar dignity; and whoever may have attempted in any
way to obtain any such place, shall be considered so unworthy of
* In this first paragraph there is also a question regarding the deposition
of the General, which could be pronounced by a general chapter of professed
members, whenever he could be proved guilty of heresy or of leading a life
of vice, or was useless on account of mental derangement, &c., but as long
as the Society existed there never was an instance of a General being
charged before a general chapter, and still less deposed. He might, in fact,
do whatever he chose. I should like to see the person who would dare to
bring an accusation against such a complete despot as was the General.
5 *
68 HISTORY OF THE JESUITS.
the Society of Jesus, that he shall never more he employed in-,
any important commission, office, or business."*
3. " In order that discipline may be quite strictly maintained,
there shall be no appeal against the rules of the Order to any
judge or other official whatever ; much less can any member be
released from his vows by any person." Even the keys of Peter,
therefore, can have no power over a Jesuit, and it was the Pope
himself who pronounced this !
4. " Neither the General nor the high officials of the Society
shall be bound to hand over any member of the Order for the
service of the Church to any prelate of the Church, be he
patriarch, archbishop, or merely bishop, even when the said
prelate shall have given strict orders regarding the matter ;
should, however, such cession be voluntarily desired, then those
whose services are lent are still to be considered under the power
of their superiors, and can be recalled by the General at any
moment." Thus the power of even the highest dignitary of the
Church is inferior to that of the General of the Jesuits !
5. "The General, or those who may be ordered by him, shall
have the power to grant absolution for all and every kind of sin,
whether committed before or after entrance into the Order, and
from all ecclesiastical and secular censures and penalties (those
few cases excepted which are set forth in the Bull of Pope
Sixtus IV. as appertaining solely to the Roman Chair), to all
members of the Order, as well as to all such as may express a
wish to enter the Order as novices, or to serve as lay brethren ;
should, however, anyone not hitherto a member, who in this
manner obtains absolution and dispensation, not immediately
thereafter join the Order, the indulgence and dispensation shall
become of no effect.'' That is an unheard-of privilege, as even
* The reader will, no doubt, see that this paragraph has the above-
mentioned " Affaire Lejay " to thank for its origin. It was also soon seen
that the same rule was quite in its place, and by its strict maintenance
protected the Society from much iniury. The Emperor Charles V. saw
with displeasure that the Duke of Gandia had laid down his title and
entered the Jesuit Order as a simple professed member, as he considered
such a position much too low and humiliating for a prince. He had on this
account wished the Pope to raise Pater Borgia to the dignity of cardinal,
and his Holiness declared himself prepared to do so. But what a loss
would this have been for the Order ! This proceeding of Borgia's might
serve as an example to the most noble and most distinguished ; and, more-
over, his opulence would be such an excellent thing for the Society ! No, it
would never do to allow him to be snatched away : and it was simply in
allusion to the above paragraph that the former Prince Loyola was induced;
to refuse at once a cardinal's hat.
IGNATIUS LOYOLA AS GENEEAL OP THE ORDER. 69
the worst criminals may, in this way, escape with impunity as
soon as they enter the Jesuit Order ; that great advantage should
have been taken of this privilege can well be imagined !
6. " No member of the Order shall confess his sins to any
other than the General, or to those whom the General may have
nominated, especially to any priest or monk of any other Order.
Much less can anyone who has once joined the Order, be he
called novice, coadjutor, or profess, quit the Order again except
with the express consent of the General ; nor can he go over
into any other Order, that of the Carthusians alone excepted.
Should anyone infringe this command, the General has the
power to prosecute such fugitives, either in person or through
authorised agents, to excommunicate them, to seize them, and to
put them in prison, and with this object the assistance of the
secular authorities may be invoked." By this command the
secrets of the Society of Jesus are prevented from ever being
betrayed, and the means adopted have proved themselves indeed
to be very efficacious. I may here remark, with respect to the
permission to enter the Carthusian Order, that, as far as is
known, no Jesuit ever took advantage thereof, owing to the
extreme strictness of that sect. Who can be ignorant of the
command of perpetual silence ? This has been generally re-
ported to be one of the rules, and no doubt Loyola allowed
the exception, as regards the Carthusians, on this ground
alone.
7. " The whole members of the Society, as well as the goods,
incomes, and possessions of the Order, are exempt from the
jurisdiction, supervision, and control of the bishops and arch-
bishops, and shall be taken under the special protection of the
Papal Chair." The Jesuits might, so to speak, do anything they
chose, and no Church prelate could dare, on any account, to say
even an unpleasant word to them.
8. " Those members of the Order consecrated to the priest-
hood, consequently all the professed, may, wherever they reside,
have their own houses of prayer, or erect an altar in any
other suitable locality, and may, even at the time of a
Papal interdict, say mass there with closed doors, and administer
the sacrament, after having excluded all excommunicants and
heretics. Also, in all places bound by interdict or excom-
munication, the young men and servants in the employment of
70 HISTORY OF THE JESUITS.
the Jesuits, as, also, all the laity belonging to them, as procurators,
labourers, and officers, are exempt from excommunication and
interdict."
9. " No bishop or prelate shall have the power of imposing
upon any member of the Order, or any layman friendly to the
Society, an excommunication or other Church penalty, and if
any presume to do so it shall be null and void."
10. " It shall be quite free to all Christian believers to attend
the worship and preaching of the members of the Society of
Jesus, as well as to receive the sacrament and absolution, after
confession, from them, without being in any way liable to inter-
ference by the ordinary clergy."
11. "Every bishop or archbishop is bound to consecrate-
members of the Society of Jesus presented to him who are not
already priests, without any payment whatever, or promise of any
such."
12. " The members of the Society of Jesus, with the permission
of their General, have the right to settle in the countries and
cities of the excommunicated and schismastics, as well as of
heretics and unbelievers, and to hold intercourse with the same."
13. " They shall not be bound to allow themselves to be em-
ployed in the visitation of cloisters, or in inquisitions and other
church functions, as, also, when they desire it, they are to be
exempt from the supervision or conscience-keeping of nuns."
14. " They shall not be required to pay tithes on their estates
or possessions, by whatever names they may be called, not even.
excepting Papal holdings ; in short, they are not to pay any taxes-
er dues whatever."
15. " The donation of houses, churches, and colleges built,
founded, or bequeathed by princes, counts, &c., shall be con-
sidered from the moment of delivery as confirmed by the Pope,
without any special deed of ratification being required to be*
drawn up."
16. " All their churches and places of interment are to be
forthwith consecrated by the bishop of the diocese without any
hesitation; should such bishop, however, delay doing so for
more than four months, the ceremony may be performed by the
fittest prelate at hand. Also, all archbishops, bishops, prelates,
and ordinaries, as well especially as all ecclesiastical and secular
authorities, are strictly prohibited from hindering the erection:
IGNATIUS LOYOLA AS GENERAL OF THE OKDEll. 71
and occupation of such buildings and possessions by the Society
of Jesus."
1 7. " The General, and, with his approval, the provincials and
their vicars, have the right to receive into the Order all and
sundry, even should they be the offspring of adultery or incest,
as also all burdened with any description of sin (with the excep-
tion of murder and bigamy), and the mutilated, to consecrate
them as priests, and to employ them in all duties and offices
appertaining to the Society."
18. " Whoever during the year has for once visited any par-
ticular church or other holy place, fixed on by the General, for
purposes of devotion, on any individual day, also determined by
the General, obtains for himself dispensation from all his sins,
exactly as at the time of the Jubilee in Home ; but whoever
does so on any other day obtains remission for seven years,
or seven quadrayenen, that is to say, seven times forty fast
days."
19. " The General is empowered to send to any favourite
University such as he deems fit, in order to deliver lectures on
Theology and other sciences, without having previously obtained
the permission of anyone whomsoever." This was a more than
unheard-of infringement of the rights of the Universities, as well
as of the secular governments, and consequently entangled the
Jesuits in the most bitter of strifes.
20. "Those who sojourn in countries belonging to un-
believers have the right, as missionaries, to grant absolution for
such sins and crimes as the Papal Chair has reserved for itself,
according to the Bull In coena Domini, so called from the words-
with which it commences ; and, moreover, it rests with them to-
perform all episcopal duties till such time as the Pope shall have-
installed there a true bishop."
21. "The General is empowered to admit into the Order as.
many coadjutors as may seem to him to be desirable. He can,
also grant permission that the taking of the fourth vow that is,
the admission of professed members may bo made outside
Home."
22. " Lastly, all clerical and secular powers, by whatever
name they may be called, are admonished to take great care not
to hinder, harass, or disturb the Society of Jesus in the exercise
of the above privileges and liberties, under the penalty, indeed,.
72 HISTORY OF THE JESUITS.
of excommunication, as also by the aid of secular power being
invoked in case of necessity."
Such is the great charter of the Jesuits, their " Magna Charta,"
as 1 have above termed it ; and, so armed, was it to be wondered
that the Society soon attained to enormous power? The whole
world lay open before them and all their proceedings ; and even
upon the most violent and unjust of them, by order of the
Supreme Ruler of the Church, could no restraint whatever be
put. Pope Paul III., the great patron of the Society of Jesus,
died in the self- same year in which he proclaimed the Magna
Charta Bull, but his successor, Julius III., formerly Cardinal
John Maria del Monte, who acted as Papal legate at the Council
of Trent, and who had there become well acquainted with the
utility of the Jesuits, followed exactly in his footsteps, and
forthwith confirmed all the prerogatives hitherto accorded to
them. He, too, approved of the establishment of a large new
college in Rome, as also of a new profess-house, to both of which
the former Duke of Gandia, now Pater Borgia, gave 1 0,000 ducats.
His Holiness, too, on the 22nd October 1552, promulgated,
although after a considerable amount of pressure exercised
by Loyola, a Bull, in which the rights of the Jesuits were still
further enlarged. In what, however, did this enlargement con-
sist ? In nothing else than the extensive decree that the
students of the Jesuit colleges, if the rectors of the universities
in which the colleges were situated hesitated to promote them to
be doctors of philosophy and theology, might be promoted by
the General himself, or by any provincial or rector of a college
under his authority, with the assistance of three doctors, and
that such graduates should have the same honours, rights,
advantages, and privileges as those promoted by the universities
themselves. In addition to this, so proceeds the Bull, the same
privileges were held to belong to those colleges situated in
places where no universities exist ; and in order to obtain the
highest degree of distinction in philosophical and theological
science, it was decreed unnecessary to enter an university, but
all this might be equally well attained in a Jesuit college. In
this way these institutions were almost completely put on an
equal footing with the universities, and the rectors of the
former made to rank with those of the latter. While, too, only
universally accomplished teachers taught in the high schools,
IGNATIUS LOYOLA AS GENERAL OP THE OPDER. 73
those who did so in the Jesuit colleges, as may be easily under-
stood, were only such as had received their education and
spiritual bias entirely in the Jesuit colleges themselves ! It was
impossible, therefore, for the latter to accomplish, even approxi-
mately, what the former offered to do, and Julius III. must
naturally have been well aware of this ; but was it to be expected
that Popes should consider themselves bound to know anything
about science? The chief thing was that the Jesuits should
attain their great object to get, as much as possible, the sole
education of the young into their own hands in all Catholic
states, and the surest way of doing this was, no doubt, by means
of a Bull. Thus the whole educational institutions of the
Jesuits, namely the colleges in which philosophy and theology
{studio, superiora), as well as the seminaries and schools in
which Latin, grammar, and rhetoric as preparatory knowledge
were taught, now began to increase in numbers in an enormously
rapid manner, while all zealous Catholics hastened to gain
heaven by giving a small contribution towards their establish-
ment, and there was soon no country, or rather no province,
throughout the Catholic world, where several members of the
Society of Jesus were not established more or less as teachers.
What the tendency of those institutions was became most clearly
apparent from the Collegium Germanicum, a German college
which Loyola himself founded in the city of Rome immediately
ou the accession of Julius III. to the government a very
peculiar name will the reader say, a German college in the
capital of Italy ! What can that signify ? We shall soon see.
Already, before the foundation of the Order of Jesuits, there
was no want of educational institutions, for their number was
simply legion. This did not prevent, however, the Society of
Jesus, as we have already stated, from establishing a college
also, and in truth a very magnificent one, as well in regard to
its internal arrangements as to its external appearance. It was
called Collegium Romanum, and the best educational instructors
which Loyola could find were engaged for it ; but so many rooms
were available in it, that it could satisfy every claim. And in
spite of all, a new college ? Certainly ; and, forsooth, for very
^cogent reasons. The Collegium Romanum was in the first
place established for Romans, in a wider sense for Italians,
and as the Italian language was alone employed in it, none
74 HISTORY OP THE JESUITS.
consequently could join it who were not acquainted with that*
tongue. Now, however, in Germany heresy acquired the upper
hand more and more, and the Romish Church was daily losing
ground. Envoys must therefore be despatched there who could,
combat with this heresy, and such, be it understood, as could
discourse in the German language with the Germans. Whence,,
however, could Loyola take these ? By far the greater part of
his scholars belonged to the Spanish, Italian, and French-
speaking nationalities, and only a very small portion understood
German merely one or two here and there. Thus the country
in which, above all others, the presence of Jesuits was most
needed, in which lay the widest sphere of duty, and where
action must be taken with as little delay as possible, seeing
that the complete loss of the Romish position must otherwise
take place, was beyond the reach of Loyola when the necessary
forces were wanting. Here, then, help must be obtained at
any price, and that help was to come through the Collegium-
Germanicum. Loyola gave the order, therefore, to those mem-
bers who were operating in Germany to send to Rome from
among those youths who were desirous of joining the Jesuit
Order a couple of dozen of the aptest and most zealous, and at
the same time he induced two rich cardinals, Morano and San
Cruce, to place at his disposal a large roomy dwelling in which
to lodge the youths. He then placed teachers there, who were
required to bring them on in the Italian language. As soon,
however, as the students were sufficiently advanced in it, they
now had to turn their attention to theology, as may be well,
understood, and, above all, to the Theologia Polemica, along,
with the art of disputation. The object, then, which he now
placed before himself became clearly apparent. The Collegium
Germanicum was to become a nursery for such as in future
should be placed at the head of the combatants for the Romish
faith in Germany. In other words, the pupils of the college, as-
soon as they were sufficiently accomplished, should be sent back
again to their own country, in order there to conduct, as speaking
German, the great controversy on religion, and to re-establish
there the unlimited authority of the Pope and his officers. This
was Loyola's object he completely attained it.
Pope Julius III., as soon as he had assured himself of
Loyola's ultimate design, assigned a large income to the new
IGNATIUS LOYOLA AS GENERAL OF THE ORDER. 75
college, and the latter thereby progressed so quickly that it was-
enabled to take in twenty-four German pupils during the first
year. On the accession to the Papal throne of John Peter Carafa,
Cardinal of Theate, who, as Pope, took the name of Paul IV.,
Loyola was inclined to augur not much good for his Order, as-
he felt convinced that the same would favour above all the
others the Order of Theate ; but this apprehension soon proved
to be groundless, at least, as long as Ignatius lived,* for
Paul IV. was much too sagacious to injure an institution which
had proved so useful to the Eomish Chair. Besides, the Order
was now already so firmly rooted that it would have been difficult
to have overturned it, and if the Pope had ventured to attempt
doing so, the Society of Jesus would have been able to have
offered such a strenuous resistance that he would soon have beea
compelled to desist.
The General, from his seat in Rome, now ruled with almost
unlimited power the whole body of his subjects, who were
trained to honour him as the visible Saviour, while all placed
their entire services at his disposal, and allowed themselves
to be guided by him as willing puppets. Thus writes a
far- travelled and distinguished author of a history of the
Jesuits not by any means inimical to the same : " He ap-
pointed and discharged all the higher officials ; he disposed
of the rank and efficiency of all belonging to the Order,
who must act exactly according to his will. He regulated
everything as appeared to him most necessary and useful
for the well-being, discipline, and improvement of the Society ;
he manipulated the privileges, prerogatives, fundamental
principles, and constitution obtained from the Holy Chair,,
which he took upon himself to accentuate, abate, or disavow
without scruple ; he frequented and regulated the general con-
vents ; he decided, in short, all the principal affairs of the
community." This latter, however, possessed, on the other
hand, four assessors or assistants, to check any abuse of the
* Shortlj after his death, in the year 1558, an attack was certainly made
by Paul IV., which affected the Jesuits rather closely, in that he required
they should perform equally all religious exercises, chorus singing, &c.,
which duty had hitherto fallen upon the other ecclesiastics and priesthood,
and from which, owing to their many other employments, they had up to
this time been exempt ; but he soon withdrew again this request, and the
sons of Loyola continued as before, and were not in any way obliged to lose
their time in lazy stupor, praying and singing. Such a monk's life would,
have ill accorded truly with their aim and object.
76 HISTORY OP THE JESUITS.
patriarchal supreme power.* These were elected by the great
electoral college, a description of deputies or ministers, whose
duty it was to support the General in all matters of difficulty
with their advice and assistance, and to call his attention to this
or that error. Indeed, they might even go so far as re-
monstrance and warning, but this last proceeded from the mouth
of the admonitor, or spiritual adviser, who was chosen by every
General. The provincials, or heads of circles, as they might
be called, acted as leading officials of the Order, while the
Catholic world was divided by the General into smaller or
larger circles provinces over each of which he placed a vice-
gerent. Again, to each provincial were assigned four assistants
and an admonitor, who ruled in a small way as the General did in
Rome in a larger way, only in all weighty matters such person was
required to make previous reference, and was himself responsible
in even the very smallest transactions. He had the right of
proposal of the so-called Praponiti studiorum, that is, the super-
vision of the stewards of the colleges, and it lay with him to
inspect carefully, at least once a year, the condition of the whole
circle as regards houses, persons, incomes, &c. He supervised
in the colleges and other educational institutions the diligence of
teachers as well as pupils, and also the course of instruction and
discipline, and he remained the whole year at his post, unless
sent elsewhere by the General. Immediately below him came
the superiors, that is, the heads of the prufess-houses, in which
resided the brethren sworn to observe all the four vows, and their
duties were to supervise discipline, devotions, and other affairs.
The rectors coming next under them that is to say, the heads of
colleges had equally to supervise the individual teachers as well
as scholars, and to hold once a week a principal examination. In
short, all was well ordered, down to even the lowest menial, and
there was no State in the world which could exhibit a more regular
or more uniform government. The thing, however, which first put
the seal upon it, was the constant correspondence which united all
circles and provinces, all lower and higher officials, partly among
each other and partly with the General. The rectors, for
instance, as well as the superiors, sent in a weekly report to the
provincial, and the latter replied thereto every month. To the
* The four first Jesuits, on whom devolved the duty of assistant, were
Jerom Natalis, Johii of Polanco, Gonzalez de Caniara, and Christofal of
Madrid.
IGNATIUS LOYOLA AS GENERAL OF THE ORDER. IT
General himself the whole of the provincials wrote once a month,
and the rectors and superiors once in three months. This, how-
ever, was still insufficient, for the rectors and superiors had to
send in a report every fourteen days to the provincial, as well as
every month to the General. Likewise it was incumbent on the
assistants of the provincials to transmit sealed letters twice a
year respecting their provincials for the time being. In short,
it was a regular system of reciprocal supervision, or, rather, it
might be regarded as a legal espionage entering into the smallest
details, as well from above downwards as from below upwards,
and in this way it was made impossible for any member to over-
step the prescribed boundary lines of obedience. The General,
by this means, knew from each individual what he thought
and did, and while all the wires of the entire machinery ran.
together into his cabinet in Home, he could guide to a nicety by
leading strings, in the blindest subjection, individuals as well as
the whole fabric !
Ignatius Loyola had now brought his matters so far, steeped,
forsooth, in nothing else than worldly pleasure and vanity ; but
the future warrior, having accomplished this much, found that the-
time had now arrived when he must pay to nature its usual tribute.
The former extravagant punishments he had inflicted on his body,,
the many cares and vexations he had to encounter in the forma-
tion of his Order, and, lastly, the frightful anxiety inseparable-
from the duties of so gigantic an office as that of a Jesuit General,,
gradually weakened his naturally very strong constitution, and
he found himself at the commencement of the year 1556 obliged
to hand over the greater part of the business to Pater Jeromi
Natalis, who had been elected to be his vicar by those professed
members present at that time in Home. He himself withdrew
to a country house near Rome, which had been presented to
him by a rich patron of the name of Louis Mendoza,* in
order to attend to the state of his health, but the weakness
increased so much during the summer that he caused himself to
be brought back again to Rome, as he had a desire to die in
the profess-house among his own people. Towards the end of
July he there dictated his will, took leave of the world and his,
* The same was situated close to the picturesque ruins of the Villa of
Mercena, and was not only beautifully constructed, but also surrounded by
a charming park. In this way the good Ignatius, at the end of his life, did.
not seem to observe very closely the vow of poverty.
78 HISTORY OF THE JESUITS.
companions, and departed this life on Friday, 31st July, an hour
before sunset, in his sixty-fifth year, consequently, thirty-five
years after the date of his being wounded, and of his conversion ;
his death happened, notwithstanding the declaration of his
surgeon, the celebrated Dr. Alexander Petronius, that there was
nothing particularly dangerous in his condition.
Only four of his first colleagues were present at the time,
Rodriguez, Salmeron, Laynez, and Bobadilla ; the remainder were
prosecuting their calling in far distant lands, or had already been
overtaken by death, as in the case of Lejay and Le Fevre. But
from the nine original associates thousands had already sprung
up, and the Order had established itself in no less than twelve
countries Italy, Portugal, Sicily, Germany, the Netherlands,
France, Arragon, Castile, Andalusia, India, Ethiopia, and Brazil.*
Incredible things had been accomplished by Loyola in a com-
paratively short space of time, but not so much, assuredly,
through his wisdom and understanding. In this respect he had
not particularly distinguished himself, at all events not remark-
ably. Laynez, however, had made up for his deficiencies more
than three or four-fold, and the genius of a Salmeron and a
Le Fevre was not to be despised. But his success was due
rather to his energy, his perseverance, his ambition, his iron
will, his glowing zeal, and, lastly, through his heroic soldierly bold-
ness, which infused quite a peculiar spirit into the Order he had
founded. Still, whether on that account he was really a great
man ; whether, as the Jesuits contend, he deserved to be placed in
line with the most distinguished persons which the world has pro-
duced, I leave the reader himself to form a judgment.f I myself,
The details respecting this will be found in the next book, to which I
must refer those curious on the matter.
t How extremely high the Jesuits placed their founder is proved by the
inscription on the monument which the Dutch members erected to his
memory in the year 1640.
Cujus animus
Vastissimo coerceri non potuit unius orbis ambitu,
Ejus Corpus
Humili hoc angustoque tumulo contiuetur.
Qui magnum aut Pomptjum, aut Caesarem, aut Alexandrwn oogitas,
Aperi oculos veritati,
Majorem his omnibus leges
IGNATIUM.
Non coerceri maximo, contineri tamen a minimo, divinum est.
IGNATIO
Virtute maximo, submissione minimo
Totius orbis locus angustus est.
IGNATIUS LOYOLA AS GENEEAL OF THE ORDER. 79
for my own part, am contented with referring to what happened
respecting Ignatiiis alter his death, as I presume the reader
Hinc auimum gerens mundo majorem
Plus ultra unius orbis et aevi terminos saepe quaesivit,
Quo opera suae pietatis exteuderet:
Inde de se cogitationem habens minimo minorem,
Minus citra communis sepulcri latebras semper optavit,
Quo inhumati corporis pondus abjiceret.
Coelum animo, Boma corpori
Illi ad majorem Dei gloriam summa spectanti
Aliquid summo majus attribuit :
Huic ad majorem sui objectionem ima spectanti,
Modum posuit mediumque virtutis.
Anno M.CD.XCI. in arce LOJOLAE loco apud Cantabros illustri
Mortalium plane bona et juvantis hominibus vere natus,
Suae primum gloriae cupidus, in aula et campo Catholici regis,
Naturae dedit, quod dein divinae tantum gloriae studiosus,
Sanctioribus in castris, saluti et gratiae consecraret.
Cum hostes adversus innumeros unus prope Pompejopolim tueretur,
Idem Sauli instar et Pauli, vi, non virtute, victus
Ita cecidit, ut optandus fuisse casus, non fugiendus,
Etiam IGNAT1O, videretur : arcem perdidit ; servavit ecclesiam.
Ex eo non jam suus,
Sed ejus, qui stantem tormento perculit,
Ut prodigio fulciret abjectum
Sacramentum, quod mundo dixerat, Christo dedit.
Per militiae sanctions asperrima rudimenta,
Per insidias daemonum, per oppugnationes hominum,
Per conjurata in unum omnia
Factus Dux e milite, ex tirone veteranus,
Jesu nomine, non suo,
Legionem in ecclesiam Dei fortissimum conscripsit,
Quae vitam pro divini cultus incremento paciscens
In Romani Poutificis verba juraret.
Hie ille est, in quo ostendit Deus,
Quantum ei curae sit ecclesiae securitas,
In quo miserantis, Dei bonitatem atque potentiam
Ecclesia catholica veneratur.
Quern prostratum tamquam Paulum erexit Deus,
Ut nomen suum coram gentibus populisque portaret:
Quern praelegit Dominus, ut eorum Dux foret,
Qui sui in terris Vicarii authoritatem defenderent,
Et Rebelles haereticos ad unitatem fidei revocareut.
Quern suo Jeau commendavit Pater aeternus ;
Cui ipse Jesus se propitium fore promisit,
Quern spiritus sanctus omnium virtutum genere decoravit :
Quern praesens toties et propitia virgo Mater dilexit ut filium,
Erudivit ut alumnum, defendit ut clientem.
Qui Dei amans, non coeli, osor mundi, non hominum,
Paratus pro his excludi gloria, pro illo damnari poena ;
Mortalis apud homines vitae non prodigus, sed contemtor
Vitalis apud inferos mortis non metueiis, sed securus,
Profuit vivus mortuis, quos revocavit ad vitam ;
Mortuus vivis, quos servavit a morte ;
Utrisque se partem exhibens ;
Dignus haberi potuit Jesu nomine,
Qui praeter Dei gloriam et salutem hominum nil quaesivit.
Anno M.D.LVI. prid. Kalendas Augustas
Nutu summi Imperatoris jussus a statione decedere,
Curam mortalium, quam vivus habuerat,
Etiam mortuus nou amisit.
80 HISTORY OP THE JESUITS.
would have no small interest therein ; and it may be truly said
that there are not too many men who have a history after
death.
Ignatius had frequently expressed a strong wish that on his
decease his corpse might be thrown into a flaying place, in order
that it might be torn and picked to pieces by birds of prey and
wild animals, as the same was no longer anything else than a
lump of clay, a mere heap of refuse. In this respect, however,
his associates did not obey him. They buried him, on the con-
trary, with great pomp, on Saturday, the 1st of August, in the
church of Maria da Strada, which belonged to them, and there
the coffin remained until the year 1587, when, by order of the
General Aquaviva, it was conveyed with still greater pomp into
the splendid Jesuit church then newly built by the Cardinal
Alexander Farnese. As on the occasion of this latter re-
moval of the coffin several wonders took place, and as after
it a number of sick men who called upon his name were restored
to health, Paul V., in the year 1609, pronounced the deceased to
be holy; and in the year 1622, thirteen years afterwards, he was
translated among the saints by Gregory XV. Since that time a
number of altars have been dedicated to him, on the whole, more
than 2,000 ; and, besides, not less than half a hundred churches,
of which some, especially that erected, in the year 1626, by the
Cardinal Ludovico in Rome, close to the Collegium Romanum,
Coelo transscriptus, Bed propensus in terras;
Aniinarum avidus, etiam cum Deo plenus :
Ecclesiae triumphantis socius, pro militante solicitus,
Quod unum potuit
Corpus Buum pignus auimi fideique deposition hie reliquit;
Cui ne quid decesset ad gloriam,
Non semel angelicoa inter cantus submissa de Coelo lumina micuerunt.
Age, quisquis baec leges,
Beatos immortalis viri et patria communis omnium cineres veuerare,
Hos tu, cum videris, religiose cole,
Cum habueris, pie complectere;
Et latere sub his, etiam nunc, suam ignem,
Hoc est, servientem humanae vitae et saluti
IGNATIUM deprehendes.
Vivit annis quinque et sexaginta inter mortalea,
Octoginta quatuor inter immortales,
A Gregorio XV, Catholicis aris solenniter additus anno hujus Saec. XXII.
A Deo perinni gloria coelitum ultra omne saeculum feliciter cumulaudus_
Hoc sui animi et venerationis perpetuae monumeutum
Non structum auro vel marmore ;
Bed tenaci grataque memoria consecratum
Optimo Maximoque, post Deum, Patri
Minima Jesu Societas
X.D.C.XL. Anno suo Saeculari primo posuit, dedicavit.
IGNATIUS LOYOLA AS GENERAL OF THE ORDEU. 81
are truly elegant buildings. An object of particularly great
veneration, too, was the altar in the church of Aspeitia before
which he was baptized ; and still more esteemed was the ancient
castle of Loyola, upon which, after they had received it as a
present from the Queen of Spain, who purchased it with this
object in the year 1695, the Jesuits bestowed the name of Santa
Casa, or holy house. The Jesuits, however, were still not satis-
fied, but, in addition to their more than foolish religious worship,
they declared afresh that their holy Ignatius was equal to the
Apostles in worth, and that in heaven he would hold intercourse
with no one except with Popes, as the holy Peter, with em-
presses, as the Virgin Mary, and with sovereign monarchs, as
God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ. Such great honour
fell to the lot of Ignatius Loyola after his death, an honour
which was truly regarded by many as the offspring of madness 1
BOOK II,
THE SHEEWDNESS OF THE JESUITS;
AND
THE GIGANTIC PEOGEESS OF THEIE GEOWTH.
6 *
FIOLIA son d* an Boldato, odio la place:
Naqui fra 1' armi, ho la pieta abaudita.
Mi fu Madre crudel una fcrita.
Onde la Morte ed il aangue d' altrui mi piaca.
Son barbara, son cruda, e son rapace,
E nell* armi avezzai 1' alma in fierita.
E se in mezzo alle stragi ebbi la Vita
Porto vo unque men vado, e ferro e foce.
Non conosco altro Dio, ch' il proprio orgoglio.
L' issesse Monarcbie per me son dome,
E nel hipocrisia ho quel che voglio.
Delude il Monat ognor; Me si sa come
Compagnia di Giesu, chiamarmi foglio
non ho di Giesu, ch' il nudo nome.
85
CHAPTER I.
THE JESUIT MISSIONS IN DISTANT REGIONS OF THE WORLD.
I. THE JESUIT MISSIONS IN ASIA.
ACCORDING to tradition, it was the Apostle Thomas who first
spread Christianity in India ; others, however, ascrihe this
honour to a rich merchant of the name of Max Thomas, who, in
the 6th century, lived in the time of the great Emperor, Ceram
Perumal, the founder of Calicut ; and, through his great mer-
cantile transactions, which extended even as far as Constanti-
nople, became acquainted with the teaching of Jesus Christ.
Let this be as it may, this much is certain, that the Portuguese,
as they became possessed of the whole of Malabar, along with
Goa, Ceylon, Malacca, and the Sunda Islands, under the cele-
brated Alfonso Albuquerque, their great naval hero, and, for a
long period, Viceroy of India, had already found their way to
Asia round the Cape of Good Hope, under the guidance of Vasco
de Gama, about the same time as the discovery of America, and
had met with persons of the Christian faith, although not
Christians " according to the Roman Catholic views of the 15th
century." On the contrary, much of what is heathen, both as
regards their customs and faith, was so mixed up with it, that
the good Catholic ruler of Portugal at that time, being much
shocked with such a kind of Christianity, sent Franciscan monks
to Goa this latter city being at that time the central point,
and the capital of their East Indian possessions in order that
;the true, that is to say, the Roman Catholic faith, might be
6 HISTORY OF THE JESUITS.
promulgated in these regions. The Franciscans proved them-
selves to be but very ill adapted for this kind of work, and
showed that " conversion," or, as it was more correctly expressed,
" the mission to the heathen," was not their forte, although the
Governor and Viceroy placed the bayonets of his military force
entirely at their disposal. The progress they made was, there-
fore, quite insignificant, and, with the exception of Goa itself,
where the Bishopric was founded, the Catholic faith took no
root to any great extent. The Indians continued to be just the
same as before, and to worship their gods according to the
fashion of their fathers and ancestors ; and although some few,
through military compulsion, nominally became Papists, the
great mass of the worshippers of Bramah and Vishnu still
showed themselves to be as stiff-necked as ever. This state
of things did not at all give satisfaction to the Kings of
Portugal, and John III., who reigned from 1521 to 1557, was
particularly shocked at it, as he was not only an extra-
ordinarily pious adorer of Rome and the Papacy, but believed
that the inhabitants of his newly- acquired possessions, could not
become good Portuguese subjects until they had prostrated
themselves at the same cross before which the Portuguese knelt.
It was now that the said John heard of the new Order, instituted
by the conception of Ignatius Loyola at Rome an order whose
great aim and object was said to be " the conversion of un-
believers " and he, therefore, soon proffered a request to Loyola
to send out to India a sufficient number of missionaries. Indeed,
he would gladly have seen the founder of the Society of Jesus
proceed thither himself, propria persona, as he entertained the
firm belief that " the warriors of Christ could have no other
design than the Christianising of all the idol-worshippers in
the world." Loyola, however, was not at all of this opinion, and
not only remained in Rome himself, but explained to the King
that he was only in a position to send forth two of his associates,
Rodriguez and Francis Xavier, and that "he required the
remainder for other purposes."
This took place in the summer of 1540, and the two above-
named men made their way to Lisbon, where the monarch
received them most kindly. They could not, however, proceed
at once to India, as the fleet, destined to proceed there annually,
had already weighed anchor; but they would have been very.
THE JESUIT MISSIONS IN ASIA. 87
wrong not to have blessed most heartily this adverse incident, as
they won the favour of John III. to such a high degree, that the
bitter was quite unwilling again to part with them. He, in truth,
carried this out to a certain extent, inasmuch as, with the
permission naturally of Loyola, he retained one of them, Rod-
riguez, who took up his permanent abode in Lisbon.
Francis Xavier, however, in whom the zeal for conversion
overcame every other consideration, was not to be diverted from
the journey to India. The monarch provided him in the best
way with Papal briefs which he obtained from Paul III., as
also with letters of full powers made out by himself. By
one of these letters Francis Xavier acquired the position of
" Nuntius Apostolicus " ; that is to say, representative of the
Pope for the whole of India ; in a second, in virtue of the right
assigned to him for the conversion of the heathen, he had
authority to claim all secular influence of the Portuguese officials
in the Asiatic colonies ; lastly, in a third writing, King John
himself recommended him most earnestly to all the chiefs,
princes, and governments, from the Cape of Good Hope to the
Ganges. Thus, well provided, Francis Xavier proceeded to
India on the 7th of April 1541, with the royal fleet destined
thither from Lisbon, and his heart swelled wiih gladdening hopes
at the prospect of victory which he wished to gain for the banner
of Chrict over the unbelievers. He had forgotten one thing,
however, and that, in my opinion, the chief one indeed ; he had
not thought it worth the trouble to make himself acquainted in
the least degree with the language of the populations which he
had set out to convert. " God gives his own in sleep," thought
he. And might not, then, the Holy Ghost be so favourable to
him as to work a miracle ?
The voyage to India was a very slow one, and, while they were
compelled to make an involuntary halt of six months in Mozam-
bique, they only arrived in the harbour of Goa after a lapse of
thirteen months, on the 6th of May 1 542. This made Francis
Xavier all the more zealous in respect to the task he had to fulfil ;
and although a royal equipage and princely residence were placed
at his disposal by the governor of the city, his first care was to
betake himself at once to the hospital, in order there to nurse
the sick himself, and to get his own means of support from the
public alms. Little or nothing, however, was in this way done
88 HISTORY OP THE JESUITS.
for his proper object, the conversion of the heathen, and conse-
quently, after a little time, he presented himself to the Bishop of
Goa, in order to produce before that prelate the full powers
which he hud brought along with him, and humbly at once to
crave permission to set about the conversion of the heathen.
For him this authority was, indeed, certainly not requisite, since
as Pope's nuncio, he superseded the bishop ; but it was of
consequence to him to make sure of the favour of the latter,
named Don Juan d' Albuquerque, descended from one of the
very highest families, and possessing great influence as well in
Goa as in Portugal itself. He, in fact, completely succeeded in
winning over Don Juan to his views, and consequently the work
of conversion might now commence without further delay.
But, Lord, what a misfortune The stupid natives did not
understand one single word of what Xavier chattered to them,
and the Holy Ghost did not render him any assistance " with
the gift of tongues." He arrived at the conviction, at last, that
nothing could be done as long as he had no knowledge of
the language of the country, and he consequently at once set
about the study of Hindustani with the greatest zeal. Along
with this task, however, he by no means forgot to exercise
further activity in his calling as a Jesuit, and proved it by the
clever way in which he at once set about establishing a college,
the first in the heathen world.
The pair of Franciscan monks, who were already established
in Goa, had a seminary in which they instructed a few of the
native youths in the Roman Catholic religion, and it at once struck
Xavier that their building, which appeared quite well adapted
for the purpose, might be made available for his future plans.
He addressed himself, therefore, to the superior of the institution,
Brother James Borbona, produced before him his Papal briefs,
and urged him so much that he not only gave over the house,
with everything appertaining to it, to the Society of Jesus, but
also, in his own person, became a member of the same. It is
true that he did not act thus from entirely disinterested motives,
as he made the condition that he should continue to be the
rector of the institution for life. But what did that matter to
Xavier? He had now, in this way, got rid of competition, and,
at the same time, had the glory of converting the seminary
hitherto denominated " Santa Fe," into the college of Holy
THE JESUIT MISSIONS IN ASIA. 89
Paul. He, moreover, took care to turn the school, hitherto
-small and poor, into an educational institution of the richest and
most brilliant description, not so much, however, by means of
voluntary gifts obtained by begging, but rather in this way, that
i>y the aid of the vice-regal troops he pulled down the heathen
temples in the neighbourhood of Goa, and appropriated their
very considerable property for the use and benefit of the new
college.
As soon, now, as Xavier had made sufficient progress in the
Hindustani and Malay languages to enable him to make him-
self in some degree understood, he left Goa in order to preach
'the gospel in the so-called " pearl coast " of Malabar, the whole
of which country had been brought into subjection by the Por-
tuguese, and as, besides, they possessed many valuable settlements
there, the inhabitants of which were sunk in the grossest kind
of heathenism, it would be possible, for that reason, to bring
about some considerable result, if the thing were but skilfully
managed. In what way, then, did Xavier proceed ? In a
truly most remarkable manner, which the missionaries of the
present day might be inclined not a little to despise. He took
along with him a bell, armed with which he ran about the streets
ringing it in broad mid-day, until he succeeded in drawing after
him a troop of boys and others, attracted by curiosity, who
greeted him with jeers and laughter. When he had thus got
together a considerable auditory, placing himself on some large
stone, he forthwith began his sermon, which was delivered in
the language of the country interlarded with fragments of Latin,
Spanish, Italian, and French, to which he added much gesticu-
lation with both hands and feet. He then finally produced a
large cross, which he piously kissed, and required the crowd to
do likewise, presenting each one who complied with a beautiful
rosary, thousands of which he had brought with him from
Portugal. This, however, was only the first part of his method
of conversion. The second was much more effectual, and con-
sisted in pulling down, with the assistance of the Portuguese
troops, which he called into requisition, the native temples, and
breaking in pieces the idols found therein, not, however, with-
out replacing them by Christian chapels, with the image of the
crucified Jesus, and erecting in the neighbourhood a handsome
building constructed of bamboo canes, for the instruction of the
90 HISTORY OF THE JESUITS.
yoimg. He already knew, from experience, what an impression-
a solemn service, with the sacrifice of the mass, made upon the
fanciful imaginations of Orientals, and he also knew that in
order to render the work of conversion lasting, it was neces-
sary to win over to the new faith the growing youth, the^
foundation of the population. For this reason, he threw him-
self, with great zeal, into the matter of education, and, partly by
means of friendly presents, and partly hy fear of the Portuguese-
soldiery, who had destroyed the heathen temples, succeeded in
inducing many of the native boys and girls to attend his schools.
It was but an easy matter, however, from a missionary point of
view, as, far from making them acquainted with the principles
of Christianity, he merely contented himself in teaching them to
say the Lord's Prayer, along with the Creed, and causing them
to understand the same, as also to cross the arms with humility
over the breast. After getting them on as far as this, Xavier
now accepted them as Christians through the performance of &
solemn baptismal service, and he soon managed in this way to
acquire a pretty considerable number of souls for the kingdom!
of Heaven. In spite of all this, the business of conversion went
on much too slowly to please him, and, on that account, even iu>
the first year of his residence in India, he wrote to his General,,
requesting him to send out a number of assistants. Loyola*
complied most willingly with this demand, and sent him more
than twenty of them, almost all being Portuguese whom Rodri-
guez had recently gained over for the Order ; amongst them
were the Paters Anton Criminal, Anton Gomez, Casper Bergaus,,
Paulus Camerti, Alonzo Cyprius, Melchior Gonzales, and Fran-
ciscus Peren, who all, more or less, subsequently distinguished,
themselves. He was now able to carry on the work of conversion*
in a wholesale manner, and, during the next six years, in almost
every place where the Portuguese flag waved, and especially inj
Ceylon, Cochin, Negapatam, Meliapur, Malacca, and Ternate,.
he succeeded in establishing schools, small and large. The prin-
cipal seminary, however, which served as a nursery for the educa-
tion of native missionaries, was the college in Goa, into which,,
immediately on the arrival of the assistants from Europe, Xavier
at once drove before him 120 sons of the Hindu gentry, by
means of a military force, in order that they might be brought
up in future for the purpose of converting their fellow-country-
THE JESUIT MISSIONS IN ASIA. 91
men ; and there could be no question that the power of the Por-
tuguese bayonets, and still more, the fear engendered by the
same, contributed in no small degree to the great results which
Francis Xavier and his associates obtained,* and this circum-
stance diminished not a little the glory of the great apostolic-
hero, who was often so thoroughly tired at night from the exer-
tion of baptising, that he was hardly able to move his arms-
Still more injury, however, was done to this glory by the circum-
stance that the baptised, or converted, were, as a matter of fact,,
not real Christians, but remained heathens just as much as before.
It is certainly true that they could repeat the Creed, and that
the water of Christian baptism had been thrown over them, as,,
also, that they were taught to have some sort of understanding
of the matter, that they took part in processions, and could
sing some hymns, and join in other external observances.
In truth, however, they still retained all their old manners,
customs, usages, and notions, and when the Padri, as the
Christian missionaries were denominated, with drew from one con-
verted neighbourhood, being of the opinion that it had been
completely won over to Christianity, and proceeded elsewhere in*
order to prosecute the work of conversion, it so happened that
the native priests, the Brahmins, had not the least difficulty in
bringing the people back again to the religion in which they had
been born and bred. This was now, indeed, an embarrassing di-
lemma, and one of Xavier's companions, Anton Criminal, who had
gained proselytes at Cape Comorin, became so furious on that ac-
count against the Brahmins that he persecuted them with the most
inhuman cruelties. They, however, in their despair, at once appealed
for aid against this Criminal and his handful of soldiers obtained
from the Governor of Goa, which he had brought along with him,
to a tribe of people which had not as yet come under subjection
to the Portuguese, the latter being, in fact, in point of numbers,,
in a very small minority. A battle thereupon ensued, in which all
the Portuguese, Criminal himself not excepted, were massacred.f
* It was thus, for example, that the King of Condi, in Ceylon, was com-
pelled by force of arms to receive the Cross, also was constrained by-
order of Xavier to be baptised, by whose directions also his lieutenants and
governors of provinces who offered any resistance to the baptismal ceremony
were threatened with confiscation of their property. It was easy in this
way to gain over thousands daily to Christianity.
t There were no less than four lance-wounds through the heart of
Criminal, and, when dead, he was so hated by the Brahmins that they cut
92 HISTORY OF THE JESUITS.
Some time now elapsed before any other missionary attempted
to show himself. The Brahmins, however, did not by any means
improve their position by their strenuous resistance, but, on the
contrary, rather made it worse, for Francis Xavier took occasion
on this account to institute in Goa a religious tribunal, after
the pattern of the Spanish Inquisition, over which he ruled
without opposition,* and, being aided by the Portuguese arms,
he proceeded, with the most frightful severity, against all those
who offered any hindrance to the spread of Christianity, or who
also dared to beguile the baptised natives back again to their
old idol-worship. In this way, then, innumerable Brahmins,
and more particularly the richest among them, lost their lives
by the executioner's hands, or, at least, were exiled from their
country in order that their property might be seized for the
benefit of the Society, and thus, by degrees, all opposition to
the reception of the Christian religion presently ceased through-
out the whole of the countries under subjection to the Portu-
guese. As a matter of course, the effeminate Hindus now pressed
forward to have themselves baptised, rather than make acquaint-
ance with the prisons of the Inquisition, or run the risk of
being roasted alive over a slow fire ! After this fashion did
Francis Xavier and his associates conduct themselves in India,
and the consequence was that Jesuit colleges sprang up in all
suitable places, being enriched by the property of the slaughtered
and banished heretics. And still more numerous were the
churches which were erected, as they no longer hesitated to
destroy, with fire and sword, all the heathen temples which they
were able to get at, and, indeed, it almost seemed as if the Jesuits
bad taken for their example the cruel conduct of Charles the
Great against the Saxons. Xavier now, after he had carried
things to this height, thought it was time to extend still further
his Christian conquests, and this he did by an acquaintance
he had made, in 1549, with an inhabitant of Japan. The
his head off. The Jesuits, on the other hand, made him out to be the first
martyr of the Order, and there was but little wanting that he should have
been placed in the category of saints.
* The Portuguese governors and lieutenants rendered every assistance on
that account to the great converter of the heathen, because they knew very
well that they would otherwise be denounced to King John 111., and that
whoever was in this way singled out might rest assured that he would be
certain to lose his appointment and be recalled to Lisbon to render an
Account of his actions.
THE JESUIT MISSIONS IN ASIA. 93-
latter, a rather cunning fellow, but springing from a good
family, called Anger, who had at least one murder on his
conscience, directed the attention of Xavier to the infinite
resources of Japan, so much so, indeed, that he at once deter-
mined to convert the great Empire, with its millions of in-
habitants, and to claim possession of its enormous riches for
the benefit of the Order of Jesus. He first began, then, by
baptising Anger, the same thereby receiving the name of" Paul de
Saint Foi," and at once proceeded to Goa to make sure that things
there might not get into disorder during his absence. After
he had accomplished this, and had nominated Paul Camerti as
his representative, under the title of General Superior, and Anton
Gomez as Hector of the now very important college of the
" Holy Paul," he embarked in the summer of 1549, and, in
company with Anger and the very zealous Pater Come de
Torrez, proceeded to Japan, where he landed, on the 15th of
August, in the harbour of Canxawa, or Gang Xuma, the capital 1
of the kingdom of Sazuma, or Hsuma ; this happened in the
fifteenth year, to the very day, from the taking of the vows at
Montmartre.
In those days Japan formed, as it does now, nominally one
single monarchy, or, indeed, an empire, with its capital, Miako,.
in which the Emperor, under the name of a Dairi, or Mikado,,
sat on the throne. At the same time the whole was divided!
into several provinces or kingdoms, the rulers of which reigned
quite independently; amongst the number was the kingdom
of Hsuma. It now so happened that the above-mentioned
Anger had formerly been on fairly friendly terms with f the
ruler of Hsuma, in consequence of which Francis Xavier,.
was not only hospitably received at Court, but at once ob-
tained permission, from the very tolerant king, to preach the
Christian religion. Xavier, as we may well imagine, immediately
took advantage of this privilege, but unfortunately not with the
result he had promised himself, as his preaching was almost un-
intelligible to his hearers, while the little Japanese that he had;
picked up from his intercourse with Anger, was mixed up with a
variegated jargon of Spanish, Italian, and Latin, to say nothing
of his peculiar manners. Bell in hand he collected the people
together as he had done before in Goa and its neighbourhood,
a proceeding which, to the Japanese of a rather higher degree of
94 HISTORY OF THE JESUITS.
cultivation, conveyed the impression of charlatanism and absurdity.
This Xavier himself, after the lapse of some little time, felt but
too plainly ; and, seeing that it was impossible for him to gain his
end in this way, he shortly resolved to alter his mode of opera-
tion, and from a Jesuit to become a Bonze. A Bonze ? asks
the astonished reader ; but he will cease to be astonished when
he calls to remembrance that the Bonzes are nothing more than
the higher priests of Buddhism, which is by far the most widely
diffused religion of Japan, and that this Buddhism itself has
many points of resemblance to the Roman Catholic faith. In
one, as in the other, there are, cloisters with nuns and monks, and
even hermits are not wanting. The Buddhists, like the Roman
Catholics, have connected with their worship pictures and relics,
as well as processions, pilgrimages, and holy proclamations.
Both make use of rosaries in saying their prayers, and chastise
their bodies with fasting and other similar privations. The
Bonzes or Lamas, as they are called in Tibet, shave their
heads exactly as the Roman priests do, and both are dedicated
to celibacy. Further, both are regarded by the people with
much reverence, and exercise a decided influence over them.
Such is the state of matters which obtains in Japan, and it
cannot therefore be wondered at that Xavier determined, under
these circumstances, to become a Bonze so far as clothing,
habits, manner of life, and customs went. As plain Jesuit
he had as yet only rendered himself offensive. As Bonze,
however, he hoped to gain influence as much as his heathen
colleagues, and then might be able to insinuate Christian
doctrine underhand in place of Buddhist polytheism. It was
perceived that his design was good, and therefore there was
not the least difficulty raised as to the dishonesty of the means
adopted, as the Jesuits were never scrupulous in this respect ;
but still this artifice did not lead him to the attainment of his
aim. The legitimate Bonzes, to wit, began to move heaven
and earth in order that the obtrusive new comer should be
sent about his business, and represented to the king that the
greatest danger would threaten the kingdom were he to allow a
miserable stranger to throw ridicule on the old tutelary gods
of Japan, and introduce in their stead a new and hitherto quite
unknown God, whom no neighbouring deity might endure.
They also added a warning to this representation, threatening
THE JESUIT MISSIONS IN ASIA. 95
to call upon the other kings of Japan for assistance, if Xavier
were not expelled from the kingdom ; and, indeed, little was
wanting for the breaking out of a great revolution at their
instigation. Under such circumstances the king now resolved
to abandon the principle of toleration, which he had hitherto
followed, and issued a decree in which he forbad the acceptance
of Christianity to all his subjects, under the penalty of death,
and advised Francis Xavier that, if he put any value upon
his life, he must leave his dominions in the shortest space of
time.
There was, of course, now nothing else for the great heathen-
converter to do but to obey instantly this order, and he quitted
the city of Canxawa, after a residence in it of nearly one year,
without having accomplished anything whatever. But where
was he now to bend his steps ? Was he to return again to
Goa ? or, at the risk of meeting with the same kind of treatment
as he had experienced at Hsuma, to try some other Japanese
kingdom ? He did not require to remain long undecided, as
there happened to be at that time, as he immediately ascer-
tained, several Portuguese ships in the harbour of Ferando, the
capital of a neighbouring province of the same name, and, as
he naturally thought it possible that he might meet with a
more friendly reception, under the protection of these ships,
from the King of Ferando than he had done from the ruler of
Hsuma, he therefore at once made his way to the above-
mentioned sea-port. Nor did he deceive himself in this respect,
the less so that there happened to subsist a deadly feud at that
time between the Kings of Ferando and Hsuma, and conse-
quently permission was at once granted to him to make as many
proselytes as he was able to find. He therefore turned this
permission to such good use that he effected more baptisms
within a period of twenty days in Ferando than during the
whole year that he had been in Hsuma. So, at least, it is
reported by his biographer, and we leave it to be determined
whether this be the case or not. The fact, however, was that
he still despaired of effecting anything of much consequence
until he had converted the Dairi himself, in his capital of Miako,
or had at least got from the latter permission to proselytise ;
so on that account he himself cleared the way, after a residence
of some weeks, for the further operations of Come de Torrez,
96 HISTORY OP THE JESUITS.
whom he left behind. He did not, however, proceed alone,
but took along with him two newly-converted Japanese, called
Matthias and Bernhard, as also an interpreter of the name of
Fernandez. After meeting with many dangers in trying to-
make proselytes on the way, he was more than once nearly
stoned. It seems to be clear, from the report of his most
intimate followers, that he was only allowed to escape owing
to his being looked upon as a description of fool, which, in
the east, is a better protection than any other weapon.
He at last arrived in the great capital of Japan in February
1551, and at once betook himself to the largest public place
with the object of proclaiming the Gospel to the people. But
what kind of a sermon was it that he preached ? O Lord !
one can hardly believe it possible that any man of the least
common sense could think that he could, in such a way, convert
anyone to his opinion. He certainly, indeed, did not allow
himself to repeat the hocus focus of Goa, but he preached by
means of his interpreter, as he still was so badly acquainted with
the Japanese language that he was unable to put two consecutive
sentences together.* It can be readily surmised, then, how laugh-
able was the situation ! as one may further easily imagine that Fer-
nandez understood Spanish badly, and consequently that all that
Xavier said was expounded in complete confusion. It was truly,
then, no wonder that the religion which Xavier preached was re-
ceived with general misunderstanding, and that he could nowhere
make his appearance in public without being followed by the
street boys, who looked upon him as a sort of half-witted fool.
In spite of all this, he had the audacity to request an audience
with the Emperor, which, however, was refused with disdain
and derision by the imperial employes ; consequently nothing
else remained for the zealous missionary to do, but to seek for
good fortune elsewhere, and he betook himself to Amanguchi,
the capital of the kingdom or province of Mangate. Un-
fortunately, however, he met there with no better success,
although he was careful enough to make his appearance attired
* Xavier thus wrote verbatim to Ignatius Loyola : " If I but understood
their language (Japanese) I have no doubt that many unbelievers would
accept the Christian religion. Would to God that I had sooner acquired
knowledge of it! for I might then have hoped to render some service to the
Church. At present we are only like statues which cannot talk. They
speak much to us, but we cannot reply, as we do not know what they say-
to us."
THE JESUIT MISSIONS IN ASIA. 07
in rich Bonze vestments, and took the precaution of sending
beforehand certain presents to the King, as, for instance, a
beautiful repeating watch, a musical instrument of good tone,
and other such trifles.
The Japanese, however, still continued to look upon the
foreign Bonze as a fool, and considered their own established
religion to be much more sensible than that preached by such a
ninny. As Xavier now, however, learned that this said religion
originated, properly speaking, in China, and as he was of opinion
that it would be an easy matter to Christianise the Japanese Em-
pire after he had first of all converted the mother country, he forth-
with determined to make a descent upon the Celestial Empire.
The way thither brought him to the sea-port of Bungo, the
residence of another Japanese king, and at that time there
happened to lie several Portuguese ships at anchor, commanded
by Edward de Gama, a descendant of the renowned Vasca de
Gama. This was for him a fortunate circumstance, as Edward
de Gama was aware of the favour in which the missionary stood
with John III., and he was not the less conscious that political
wisdom demanded the encouragement of missionary enterprise,
as the only way by which it was possible to open up to European
trade this carefully- closed kingdom. On that account it appeared
to him necessary that Xavier should be received with marks of the
greatest honour, amid the thunder of cannon; the consequence
being that the ruler of Bungo wished to know what was the
reason of all these salutes. He was duly informed that all this
parade was in honour of a holy European Bonze, who had come
on board the Admiral's ship ; and, in reply to the Prince's
question, whether he might not be afforded an opportunity of
seeing and becoming acquainted with this distinguished indi-
vidual, he was told that the latter had the intention of paying
his respects to His Majesty very shortly.
This interview, in fact, took place ; not, however, in any ordi-
nary manner, but with every degree of pomp that it was pos-
sible to observe. The entire line of ships hoisted their pennants,
and salutes were fired, the whole of the crews participating on
the occasion, and all the officers being decked out in the greatest
gala.* In a word, everything was done to impress upon the
* The whole train proceeded to the land in three boats, decorated as for
a fete, an ornamental awning being spread, and the benches being covered
7
98 HISTORY OF THE JESUITS.
inhabitants, as well as the King, that Francis Xavier was a man
worthy of the highest consideration, and he was consequently
not only received by the whole standing army as the great Bonze
of Europe, but welcomed with much distinction by the Regent
himself. He, moreover, at once obtained leave to proceed
with his work of conversion to Christianity, wherever he chose,
and he, naturally enough, took the fullest advantage of this
permission.
Matters, however, soon took a different turn, as the native
Bonzes, fearing to lose their influence, sought to stir up the
people against the " Bonze of Chemachicogin," as they called
Portugal, and, moreover, represented to the King, before heaven
and hell, how dangerous the new teaching was to the State.
Now, as the King did not at once yield to their solicitations,
being desirous of not giving offence to the Chinese, he called
together a sort of Bonze council in the city of Bungo ; at this
appeared about three thousand heathen priests, who called upon
the stranger to defend his doctrines before the assembled council.
This religious conference, in fact, which took place, led, as
may be easily imagined, to no result. In other words, each
party ascribed the victory to itself, and each had reason for
so doing, as neither of them in any way understood each other.
The people, however, sided entirely with the native priests, and
such a commotion ensued that the Portuguese themselves com-
pelled Xavier to withdraw, fearing that a revolution might be
the consequence.
The upshot of the matter was, that the missionary quitted the
ity of Bungo, after a residence in it of forty-seven days, on
with the most beautiful Persian carpets, each boat also having its own
particular band of music, which played the most beautiful airs, while the
cannon thundered away and the whole of the sailors shouted out hurrahs !
On arriving on shore Edward de Gama, with uncovered brow and his
marshal's staff in his hand, placed himself at their head, and then followed
after him five of the Portuguese of the greatest distinction, who, also
uncovered, bore the presents destined for the King of Bungo, to wit, an
ornamented sceptre of chisled gold, a richly-bound Bible, a pair of black
slippers embroidered with pearls, a picture of the Virgin Mary painted in
oil colours, and a beautiful umbrella. Then came Francis Xavier himself,
attired in a choir shirt of Indian muslin studded with precious stones, as
also a stole of gold brocade ornamented with diamonds, and surrounded by
thirty richly-clothed naval officers, all of them of noble birth and adorned
with gold chains and precious stones. The procession was closed by the
sailors and marines, all, of course, decked out in their Sunday clothes, march-
ing along with hat in hand, as in order to show sufficient respect to Francis
Xavier it was necessary for their heads to be uncovered.
THE JESUIT MISSIONS IN ASIA. 99
November 20th, 1551, not, however, without leaving behind
him a shepherd for the small flock which he had collected
together, and sailed away in a ship placed at his disposal by the
Admiral, for the city of Canton, which was the nearest place in
the Chinese Empire.
A storm, however, compelled him to land on a small island
on the way, and here he was informed by certain Portuguese
merchants that it was not permitted for any stranger to cross
the frontier of China unless he came in the capacity of an am-
bassador. He, therefore, caused the ship, thus detained by the
storm, to direct its course back again to Goa instead of to
Canton, and, on his arriving there, urgently solicited the Viceroy
now Don Alphonso de Norogna to despatch an embassy to
Peking, under whose auspices he might be able to penetrate into
this empire, so closed against the outer world.
At first the Viceroy was unwilling to entertain this project,
but in the end he allowed himself to be persuaded into it by a
rich merchant of the name of Jaques Pereira, who was anxious
to speculate in Chinese wares ; on him he conferred the patent of
an ambassador, and Francis Xavier, along with some other
members of the Society of Jesus whom he selected from the
College, accompanied him, leaving on the 14th of April 1552.
The route lay vid Malacca, where a landing was first made,
but it would have been better for them had they passed on with-
'out stopping. It appeared to the Portuguese governor here, a
proud noble, called Don Alvarez d'Atayde, that it was a per-
fectly preposterous thing that a common bourgeois merchant
should be sent as an ambassador to one of the greatest monarchs
of Asia, and he, therefore, declared that the Embassy could not
be allowed to proceed until he had received further intelligence
ifrom the Viceroy of Goa. Francis Xavier protested against this
detention, and excommunicated Don Alvarez, as the latter
would not in any way acquiesce in his wishes. This, however, did
'not improve matters in the slightest, but, on the contrary, the
proud man felt so provoked, that he forthwith put the whole
ambassadorial fleet into arrest until something further was
heard about the affair. This circumstance drove Francis
Xavier almost frantic, and he made his escape in a small barque,
leaving behind him most of his companions in Malacca, his
destination being the island of Sancian.
7 *
100 HISTORY OF THE JESUITS.
The said island being situated on the southern coast of China
not far from Canton, he hoped to be able to smuggle himself
from it with ease into the Celestial Empire ; and with the assist-
ance of a Chinese merchant whom he had bribed, would no-
doubt have succeeded, had not the providence of God ordained
it otherwise for him. He had hardly landed, after a stormy
passage of nearly one month's duration, when he was laid up
with a violent fever, and, being treated by an unskilful doctor, he
succumbed to the disease twelve days afterwards, on the 2nd of
December 1552, at the comparatively early age of forty-six years.*
Such was the end of a man who underwent the greatest
dangers in order to spread in distant lands what he called the
Christian religion of a man whose courage and constancy could
not he daunted or overcome, even by the greatest of misfortunes,
and who, on that account, had the right to range himself side
by side with the most valorous of soldiers ; but also of a man
who was never in the service of mankind, but merely in that ot
the Papacy, and who, from his more than unwise zeal, never
hesitated in the least to render the teaching of Christianity, in.
truth, really laughable, and to bring down upon it the ridicule
of unbelievers. His Order, however, had much for which to
thank him, as he laid the foundation of many establishments in.
India, China, and Japan, in which only a few decades afterwards
it might well rejoice; and, without his animating example, his-
followers in missionary undertaking could, certainly, never have
accomplished what they eventually notoriously brought about to>
the astonishment of the world. On that account he was most
highly honoured and revered by his fellow Jesuits, who, after
the lapse of two years, conveyed his corpse, which at the time of
his death had been buried with quite sufficient ceremony at
Sancian, to Goa, in order that it should be deposited with great
pomp and solemnity in the College of the Holy Paul. There,
later on, also, they erected a splendid mausoleum for him in the
Jesuits' church, and a similar monument was also raised to his
memory in the Jesuits' Church in Rome, where, by the command
of the General of the Order, Claudius Aquaviva, an arm of
Xavier was brought. The principal thing, however, was that
the Pope, Paul V., pronounced the apostle of India, as Francis
* He was born in the year 1506, at the Castle of Xaviero, in Navarre, at
the foot of the Pyrenees.
THE JESUIT MISSIONS IN ASIA. 101
Xavier was designated after his death, to be holy, and Gregory
XV., on the 12th of March J622, translated him into the
category of saints, an act which, however, was only announced
to Christendom on the 6th of August of the year following by
Pope Urban VIII. Still later, in the year 1747, Pope Benedict
XIV. bestowed upon him the honourable title of " Protector of
India," and kings as well as queens hastened to erect churches
to his honour, which were, of course, named after him.
I have dilated, I admit, very considerably on the work of
Francis Xavier in Asia, as he was in fact a much too interest-
ing personage to be passed over in a short description. In
regard, however, to his successors in office I allude to the
associates and soldiers of Christ, who after him carried on the
missionary work in Japan, China, and the East Indies, and
the different fates they met with I will content myself with a
much shorter description, and rather look to the results upon
which they ultimately had to congratulate themselves.
In East India, Xavier had completely paved the way for them,
as in all places of any consequence which had become subject to
the Portuguese, Jesuit establishments by whatever name they
were called, be it colleges, residences, or missions were founded,
and it only remained to increase their number, as also to enlarge
those already existing. For the sons of Loyola it was always
everywhere an easy matter to succeed in doing so, as, in the
first place, the Portuguese governors (Don Alvarez d'Altayde being
almost a solitary exception), by order of the king, played into
their hands ; and as, secondly, they could get the better of any
opposition to their projects very easily with the assistance of the
tribunals of the Inquisition, established by themselves. To
increase, too, the number of missions was by no means difficult,
as in every place, wherever the Portuguese or other Euro-
pean despoilers had penetrated, the Jesuit missionaries pressed
forward, and, by very simple means, contrived to plant their
feet firmly, as well as to form Christian communities. In what,
then, did these simple means consist ? The mode was nothing
else than this : these missionaries attired themselves as Indian
priests or Brahmins (throughout all India the Brahminical
religion prevailed), in order that, before the Indians, who enter-
tained a strong inborn repugnance to foreigners, they might pass
.themselves off as natives, while they, at the same time, actually
102 HISTORY OF THE JESUITS.
amalgamated the Christianity which they taught with the already-
subsisting heathenish views and customs of the inhabitants.
The good Hindus (or native Indians) might thus still continue
to be Hindus as long as they merely submitted to be baptised
and to bear the name of " Christians ! " It was, indeed, not
even necessary to adopt a Christian name in baptism, as the
people might retain their own heathenish ones, as St. Paul him-
self said, "one should be all things to all men! " It would, of
course, be very easy for me to form a complete list of all the
Jesuits who, as Brahmins, travelled about the country, and who,
if they did not exactly trample on the Cross of Christ, at nil
events denied the same. But I will content myself in noting
merely two of them, hoping from these examples to give to the
reader a clear notion as to the nature of Jesuit work and pro-
ceedings in India. One of them, namely, Pater Constantino
Beschi, who had most carefully studied the Hindi language, ns
well as Sanscrit, imitated the customs and manners, no less than
the mode of life of the Brahmins so correctly that the people
of the Dekkan, where he for a long time resided, actually began
to honour him as a saint as a saint, however, be it well under-
stood, in the heathen heaven ; and, as he published, besides,
popular poems in the native language, he thus became celebrated
throughout all lands. What was, then, the consequence of this ?
The ruler of the Dekkan, in the belief that he was a true
Brahmin, raised him to be his first court official and minister,
and Constantino Beschi did not trouble himself in the least to
explain the mistake. On the contrary, the worthy Pater, hence-
forth completely renouncing all European customs and origin,
attired in a fine oriental costume, appeared in public riding upon
a richly-caparisoned horse, or carried in a palankeen by slaves,
and always accompanied by a numerous escort on horseback,
who cleared the way for the great man, proclaiming his going
and coming at the same time with a flourish of trumpets. No
one could have supposed that he was in reality a European,
and much less a baptised Christian. A Jesuit, however, he still
remained to the end of his days, and his companions of the
Order were not a little proud of him.
A perfectly different character was presented in the very
worthy Pater Barthelemi Acosta, the second example which I
now bring to notice, as he did not frequent the society of the
THE JESUIT MISSIONS IN ASIA. 103
great ones of the land, but rather contented himself with
mixing among the very lowest dregs of the people ; influenced,
of course, by the same aim and object as that of Constantino
Beschi, the Prime Minister and Grand Vizier. He sought out,,
namely, the ill -famed dwellings of the public dancing girls and
courtesans, and the huts of those called " Bayaders," being well
aware that, always ready, at any day and hour, to sacrifice to
the god of love, they thereby possessed great influence over the
male sex, and he thus soon found himself on the most intimate
terms with them. He was in the habit of playing with them,,
as well as dancing and drinking with them, by which means
he become their dearest friend and confidant. The poor creatures
were quite delighted with him, and desired nothing better
than to become translated into heaven at the hands of him.
who made the matter so easy for them. One thing only stood
in the way of their embracing the Christian religion, which was
that they had been told that Christian priests condemned, as a
sinful vice, the trade by which they lived, and, consequently,
they delayed from hour to hour to receive the sacrament of
baptism. What, then, did the worthy father do ? He taught
them that they might become Christians and still, without com-
mitting sin, might continue to devote themselves to the god
of love, provided they dedicated a portion of their gains to the
Christian church, and, at all events, did their best endeavour to
convert those persons to whom they were in the habit of yielding
their charms. By these, and other similar ways, the Jesuits
contrived to insinuate themselves everywhere throughout the
whole extent of India, and, as long as the dominion of the
Portuguese lasted, they made themselves absolute masters of
the soil ; that is to say, they found themselves all alone at
liberty to despoil the whole of the enormous territory, without
being interfered with by other Orders, making proselytes, or
founding colleges and residences, as they were beloved almost
beyond all measure by the King of Portugal, as we shall here-
after see. But how was it after the lapse of a century ? When
other sea-faring nations also came forward, especially the French,
Dutch, and English, to participate in the great hunt after the
riches of India, and, as by degrees the power of the first
despoiler collapsed on all sides, then came also the downfall of
the Jesuit dominion. As I shall hereafter, in the fourth, fifth,
104 HISTORY OP THE JESUITS.
and seventh books of this work, come to speak of the way in
which the Jesuits conducted themselves during the height of
their glory in India it is sufficient for us to know at present
that, during the period of a hundred years, the Society of Jesus
was the sole ruler in India in matters connected with religion
and the Church.
They were also quite as fortunate in Japan, although with
much greater trouble than in India, and so far back as the year
1573, only twenty years after the death of Xavier, they were
able to congratulate themselves on the possession of large
establishments in about half of the hundred small kingdoms
into which the great Empire was divided. Moreover it was a
fact, that already at that time more than two hundred thousand
Japanese, exclusive of women and children, had come under
their banner, and it may be considered no exaggeration at all to
say that the Popes of Rome exulted over this circumstance,
declaring that they would never rest satisfied until they had
brought the whole of Japan under the dominion of Christen-
dom. But what had the Jesuits to thank for this result ?
Simply and solely their own cunning, and the circumstance
that Japan formed no single and entire sovereignty ruled over by
one single monarch. It had from the first, become obvious to
Xavier that, in order to gain over the Japanese to his opinions,
it would be necessary for him to mix himself up with theirs also,
and on that account, as we have already seen, he commenced
his operations as a Bonze. The associates he had left behind
him in Japan, namely Come de Torrez, Juan Fernandez,
Cosmos, or whatever might be their names, adopted the same
convenient system of morality, and each took good care of
himself, as it is said, to get into the house by the door. The
place, thought they, cannot be carried by storm, but by quite
gently creeping on all fours; and protected by trenches, the holy
fathers made their advances, and placed before the garrison such
easy and agreeable conditions that they could hardly fail to
yield. After conversion the Jesuit fathers still allowed their
followers, although they had received the sacrament of baptism, to
frequent the heathen pagodas, and to pray on their knees before
their gods Jebischu, Daitotu, Fatziman, Fottei, or by whatever
other names they might be called, if they in thought only
transferred their worship and adoration to Christ! Still their
THE JESUIT MISSIONS IN ASIA. 105
conquest would not have been so easy, nor would it have
certainly been extended within so wide a circle, had it not
been assisted in a large measure by the breaking up of the great
empire. Each of their different smaller kings merely sought,
indeed, his own aggrandizement, and not that of the common
fatherland; a continual jealousy consequently reigned amongst
Jill, and an ever-enduring envy and hatred prevailed among the
.rivals. To none of them was anything else at heart than the
depreciation and disparagement of their neighbour, and every
oneans that tended thereto was hailed with hearty welcome.
Especially several of these petty despots believed that great
advantages would accrue to them, if they entered into commercial
relationship with a seafaring nation such as the Portuguese, or
if they succeeded in forming an alliance with those brave men
who had, just at that time, despoiled India. By what means
could they attain this object more easily than through inter-
course with the Jesuits ? I have already apprised the reader of
the reception given to Francis Xavier by Edward de Gama in the
seaport of Bungo ; and, as the Jesuits were universally met by
the Portuguese sailors with servile submission, wherever a Portu-
.guese ship lay at anchor in a Japanese harbour, the sons of Loyola
might indeed be certain that their captain would be sure to
.place the men at their disposal, as, at the same time, their Order
was all powerful at the Court of Lisbon. Not a few, accordingly,
of those minor kings made haste to make themselves as friendly
as possible with the Loy elites, and, on the principle that " one
hand washes the other," gave them as much assistance as they
possibly could. Some of them, indeed, even allowed themselves
to be baptised, by which example their subjects were naturally
Jed to do the like, and then, conjoined to the act of baptism, for
the most part a liberal donation of lands was at the same time
given to the Jesuits, upon which, after becoming settled, they
might erect their respective colleges and residences. We
learn, for instance, respecting the King of Omura, that, in the
year 1562, he assigned to the Jesuits, for their own particular
use, the town of Vocoziura, with all the villages within a radius
of five miles ; and if other princes did not go quite so far as this,
they, at least, presented the missionaries with all the cloisters
for which they had occasion. The Jesuits then, in short, after a
few decades, acquired a most extraordinary influence in Japan,
106 HISTORY OF THE JESUITS.
and even in Miako, the seat of the Dairi, they succeeded in-
establishing a college along with a noviciate ; and, as they wera
once before known to do, even made use of their power to
threaten therewith the rulers inimical to them. What do I say
to threaten ! That is by far too mild an expression, as, from
threatening they often came to action ; that is to say, the Black
Cloaks beguiled the converted princes into making an attack on
the unconverted, and exerted their whole power and influence, in
this way, to obtain a victory for the former.
Many volumes might be written concerning these everlast-
ing machinations, excitations, and houndings on of the Japanese
one against the other, the consequence being that the history of
Japan at that time consisted in nothing else than a constant
catalogue of insurrections, rebellions, conspiracies, wars, and
massacres ; each of these fraternal feuds, however, and each of
these rebellions, &c., ever aided the Jesuits to a new triumph,
and at last to such a pitch did matters come that, in the year
1585, three of the converted kings, namely, those of Bungo,
Arima, and Omura, organised under their guidance a brilliant
embassy to the then reigning Pope, Gregory XIII., in order to
render homage to the head of Christendom.
This was glory, indeed ! Truly such splendid results could
hardly have been brought about by all the other Orders put
together; but the Pope himself, also, showed himself grateful,
and forthwith, through a Special Bull, forbade for the future
all monks or other ecclesiastics from going to Japan, with the
object of exercising any ecclesiastical function whatever, without
his express permission, under the penalty of being subjected to-
the greater excommunication.
In this manner was Japan given over to the unrestrained
spoliation of the Jesuits, and one may easily imagine that they
well knew how to make full use of their opportunity. In what
respect, however, did Christianity gain by this ? Certainly
in none whatever, but, on the contrary, it was simply hurtful
to it, as the Christianity which was taught by the Jesuits
in Japan had nothing whatever of its character but the name,
not even its tenor, as it soon became evident that the Jesuits, in
fact, fabricated a life of Christ especially adapted to meet the
ideas of the Japanese, in which they represented the son of the
wife of the carpenter as coming into the world arrayed in
THE JESUIT MISSIONS IN ASIA. 10T
purple, governing as King of Judah, and dying on his bed of
state in all the glory of a monarch. Still less was done for
the education of the baptised Japanese ; on the contrary, they
were allowed designedly to retain all their old superstitions-
along with their depraved habits and vices of sensuality.*
It was much more difficult, however, for the Jesuits to pene-
trate into China than into Japan, as at that time the former
empire was completely closed against all foreigners, and the
strong door could not be opened either by force or artifice.
Francis Xavier, as we have already been made aware, died,
within sight of its inviting coasts ; nor did it fare any better
with others of his Order, more especially with brethren Michael.
Ruggieri, and Pazzio, who, coming one from Goa, the other
from Macao, attempted for thirty years to climb the Chinese
rocks, as Father Valigno expresses himself. This difficult
problem was, however, at last solved by one of them, no other
than the celebrated Mathias Ricci.
Born in the same year in which Xavier died, to wit, on the
6th of October 1552, his birth-place was the town of Macerata,
in the district of Ancona. He, at a very early age, showed great
capabilities, and, after acquiring to some extent the old lan~
guages, he proceeded to Rome in the year 1568, in order there
to study law. He then became acquainted with the Jesuit
fathers, and more especially with Laynez and Salmeron, and
their persevering efforts at length succeeded in winning over the
highly- gifted young man to their Order. At the age of nine-
teen, he entered as a novice into the Collegium Romanum, and,
began to go through the ordinary course in it; but Pater
Balignano, who at that time was the head of the Novice
House, soon discovered that young Mathias possessed an extra-
ordinary talent for mathematics and mechanics. Who could
have been more rejoiced at this than the Jesuit fathers ? For
several years had they endeavoured in vain to get hold of some-
one possessed of this talent.
* In the years 1633-35 the pious ecclesiastics, Antoninus de St. Maria, .
Francis Almeda, and Jean Baptist, travelled all over the East by order of
the Pope, and from their statements it is apparent, as is allowed by the
Jesuits, that the Japanese continued still to carry on all their old idol
ceremonies, and only practised that of Christianity secretly. The Jesuits
themselves do not at all deny this, but on the contrary admit it. The
Apostles had employed the same means towards the cou verted Jews and,
heathens.
108 HISTORY OF THE JESUITS.
As soon as it had been brought to the knowledge of the
General, through the reports current in India and Japan, that
the Chinese of distinction had an especially great leaning to the
-cultivation of the so-called exact sciences, as, for example,
mathematics, chemistry, and astronomy, as well also of the
mechanical arts, and that anyone who distinguished himself
in those paths would be highly esteemed by them, it was
determined to send into the " Empire of the Centre," in the
garb of a Chinese savant, a well-armed Jesuit, deeply instructed
in such knowledge, and it was not unnatural therefore that
the Chief of the Order should rejoice in having at last found
the long-sought- for talent.
The pursuit of theology was consequently instantly thrown
aside by Ricci, in order, on the other hand, to prosecute his
studies in mathematics, chemistry, and astronomy, and with
this object the most celebrated teachers and professors of those
sciences available at the period in Rome were had in requisi-
tion for him. This young man was at the same time instructed
-in mechanical learning, and more especially in the art of
making physical instruments, that of watch-making not being
neglected. Ricci acquired a knowledge of all these branches
with wonderful acumen, as well in practice as in theory. It
'nevertheless took him fully eight years before he had entirely
perfected himself.
He now embarked for the East, not, however, immediately for
China, but for Goa, the head and central point of the Asiatic
mission. It was here, in the College of the Holy Paul, that the
finishing touches were given to his education, and, more parti-
cularly, he there acquired a knowledge of the Chinese language
so perfectly, that he was quite capable of being taken for a native
of the Celestial Empire. He applied himself to it with untiring
zeal, and at last, after four years more, he was now considered
to be perfect in this respect.
Nothing further was now wanting to hinder him from pro-
ceeding to his destination, and he therefore embarked in
September 1583, in the attire of a Lama, or Fo priest, for China,
where he presently landed in a small sea-port town called
Tschao-tcheu. Fo is only another term for Buddha, and a
Lama, or Fo Priest, thus signifies the same in China as Bonze
does in Japan. He did not dare, at first, indeed, to approach
THE JESUIT MISSIONS IN ASIA. 109
Canton or any of the other large cities, for fear of being recog-
nised as a European ; he held it to be more prudent to work,
quietly from below upwards, and on that account had he,
indeed, dressed himself in the modest attire of a Lama. He
advanced so far during the first year as to give instruction to
the young in mathematics and the other sciences, and thus
soon won confidence for himself in the neighbourhood. He
also succeeded in interesting in himself several of the superior
officials, or mandarins, as they are called in China, by executing
a geographical chart of the Celestial Empire, a thing unheard of
before in China. For his main object, however, that is the con-
version of the Chinese to the Christian religion, he dared not at
first attempt much, at all events in public, but he contented
himself in this respect rather by insinuating in the intervals of
his teaching some points of Christian doctrines, but only such
as did not appear to be in contradiction to the religious views of
the Chinese.
There existed at that time in this large Empire, and there
now, indeed, are to be found, two systems of religion,* which
maintain themselves side by side without being inimical to each
other, both possessing an equal right to flourish, both having
equal support from the Emperor and his officials. Regarding
the one, the Buddhist religion, or, as it is called in China, the
religion of Fo, we already know something in Japan, con-
sequently T have nothing further to say of it here than this,
that its followers are, for the most part, to be found among
the lower classes of the people; it is polytheism, with its monks
and nuns, its cloisters, its miracles, and its superstitions. The
other religious system was that established by Confucius, or
more correctly Kung-fu-tse, and which, as I have already
remarked, and now repeat, consists merely in a pure morality
having much resemblance to Christianity. The followers of
this latter system, also, to whom belong all the educated classes,
along with the whole Court and body of Mandarins from the
lowest to the highest grade, bestow upon the founder of it
divine honour, although they admit that he was a mere man ;
* A third religious system was not also uncommon, the Tao faith, or,
as it was called the " Keligiou of the right way." This system, however, has
long been almost completely amalgamated with Buddhism; it is on that,
account not necessary to make any particular mention of it.
110 HISTORY OF THE JESUITS.
they reject all polytheism, along with miracles, and, further,
heathenish religious pomp and decoration.
Under such circumstances as these it was easy for Ricci to
insinuate into his teaching the moral fundamental truths of
Christianity, without coming into collision with the Chinese,
and he was thus, indeed, enabled, without showing any antagon-
ism to them, to proceed so far " as to compose expressly for
the Chinese a Christian catechism," as everything in this little
book harmonised with the teaching of Confucius. On the other
hand, he carefully avoided all mention to any of his scholars
of the doctrine of the Trinity, of the birth and ascension of
Christ, of the Redemption, or of any other Christian mystery, and,
in the said catechism all such matters were omitted. One thus
sees that he advanced stealthily with double craftiness, in that
in the first place he merely here and there insinuated some-
thing of Christianity, and, secondly, he adapted such Christianity
to Chinese ideas ; in other words, he re-modelled it to suit
China. After that Ricci had thus carried on his operations for
some years in the neighbourhood of Tschao-tcheu, and made
ihimseJf otherwise thoroughly master of Chinese manners and
customs, he went on into the neighbouring kingdom of Kiang-Sy,
:and, somewhat later on, into Nanking, where he passed himself
off as a literary savant of the religion of Confucius, in the rich
attire worn by such, whilst he, at the same time, practised as a
physician. In the latter capacity he became acquainted with a
mandarin of very high rank, who called him in on account of
the illness of a sick son, who had been badly treated by the
Chinese medical practitioners, and, as he was successful in
bringing him round, the mandarin invited him to Peking, the
capital of the Chinese empire. This was precisely what Ricci
had for a long time striven to accomplish, and he therefore
responded to the call in the year 1595 with the most joyful
feeling of zeal. He soon came also to get acquainted with
the higher classes of the community among the Fetisches of his
highly-conditioned patron, and everyone was amazed at the
wonderful knowledge which he brought to light. He, moreover,
strove especially to make friends at Court, in order that he
might obtain an introduction to the Emperor himself, and, that
he might the more easily attain his object, he approached even
the lowest Court officials with the most cringing flattery, while
THE JESUIT MISSIONS IN ASIA. Ill
? he tried others, according to their dispositions, with presents
and hribes. He finally, in the year 1601, caused himself to be
so much talked about among those immediately surrounding
the Emperor Van- Lie, that the latter, hearing of the wonders
produced by the learned Ricci, especially concerning a self-
striking clock, became curious to inspect the apparatus, and
-ordered the possessor of it to be brought hefore him. Eicci
presented himself before the monarch, and not only brought with
'him the "self-striking clock," made by himself, which had
a very fine appearance, but also several other mechanical
curiosities which had hitherto been unknown in China. Of
course, he brought these not alone to exhibit them, but to lay
them, as presents, at the feet of the Emperor, who was so
delighted with them, and especially with the clock, that, after
the dismissal of the disguised Jesuit, he spent several hours in
watching the action of the works, the revolution of the indicator,
.s well as the means for striking. Not contented with this, His
Majesty required that his wives, along with the Empress mother,
should also be brought to inspect this marvellous production.
But, alas ! what with the constant manipulation, making it per-
petually strike, and winding it up, it happened that it suddenly
got out of order and stopped, whereupon Van-Lie became in-
consolable at this " extinguished life," and with a complaining
expression exclaimed to Ricci, who had been quickly summoned,
" She is dead." The Jesuit, however, comforting him with these
words, " She shall soon live again, if the Son of Heaven [the
title given to the Emperor] orders it," took the clock home with
him, and put it all right again in the course of a few hours
without much trouble. From this time forth Ricci had, as may
be said, the game in his own hands, as the Emperor could now
no longer do without him, or, rather, Ricci contrived to
render himself indispensable to His Majesty. He knew at
once how so to make use of the monarch's weakness for machin-
ery, to obtain a commission from him for a whole quantity of
clocks and watches, and, as they were procured from Goa, they
were, of course, accompanied by other Fathers, and he naturally
was himself appointed to be supervisor of clocks, as who, besides
him, was capable of keeping the numerous works in order ?
Then, again, this Father Mathias, as it appears, engaged in
-another of the favourite sciences of the Emperor, namely, in that
112 HISTORY OP THE JESUITS.
of astronomy, and, lastly, the wily Jesuit managed to show his
acquaintance as well with chemistry and mathematics. Such
uncommon endowments as these certainly deserved recognition,,
and, consequently, Van-Lie could no longer refrain from bestow-
ing upon the Father the distinction of Court Mandarin, con-
sisting in the position of a superior Court official. Moreover,
he made him the present of a large house in the city, in order
to establish a college, and endowed it with an enormous in-
come, as in it astronomers, mathematicians, chemists, opticians,
and other artists of every description were to be educated.
It was, thus, no Christian college, nor in any respect an
educational institution for future priests of any particular
denomination, but merely a high scientific institution where the
chief inhabitants of Peking might send their sons, in order
that they might be instructed and made as skilful as Mathias
Ricci and his newly-arrived associates. Of course, Christian
instruction was not altogether excluded from the place, but it
was only of such a nature as not to rouse against it the opposi-
tion of the young nobility and their Mandarin parents. On the
contrary, Ricci and his associates only taught what Confucius
had taught before, and what had won for that religious founder
his well-merited place in Heaven. They avoided either attack-
ing Chinese habits and customs, or even making but slight
objections to them, but on the other hand, they rather just
allowed their pupils to live on quietly in the way they had been
accustomed to do. They might continue, for instance, to pray
as before to their household gods, if they had any. They might,
as before, attend their lantern-feasts, and soul-feasts, the fete of
Phelo, and all similar Chinese religious festivities. They might
sacrifice at the graves of deceased relatives, and, when sick,
might provide themselves with the "Luin," that is, with the
prescribed Passe-par-tout, which the Lama priests require as an
entrance into the other world ; they might, on arriving at the
age of puberty, observe the custom of the plurality of wives,
and take to themselves as many spouses and concubines as they
desired; they might even take to wife their own sisters,
should they wish it, and, moreover, relationship of any kind
formed no impediment to marriage. They might do all this,
and still more, if they would only allow themselves to be
baptised, and just declare their wish to become Christians;.
THE JESUIT MISSIONS IN ASIA. 113
so, with the view of avoiding any opposition,* the Jesuit
Fathers carried out to the fullest extent all such customs and
ceremonies. It was thus certainly made as easy and convenient
for them as it reasonably could be ! and as little as possible
was demanded in return. On the other hand, such immense
advantages were promised them, that it would have been indeed
a perfect marvel had they not been entrapped. All the science
of Europe was freely offered them for the present life, and by
means of such knowledge they might thus be enabled to surpass
all their fellow-countrymen, so that, for the future, the Emperor
would only select from their number his governors, generals,
and ministers. As regards the life to come, too, they might
thus secure for themselves such an eternally enduring happiness,
and a glorious place in Tien, i.e. heaven, that all the rest, and
even the souls of those who were burning in hell-fire, must on
that account greatly envy them, and all this might be attained
for nothing more of a sacrifice than merely a declaration of
the desire of being henceforth called Christians. No, indeed,
nothing more, I repeat, than this ; but along with this declara-
tion, be it well understood, was the obligation conjoined of
having no other spiritual advisers than the Jesuit Fathers.
Herein lay the point, for when the Fathers became, first of all,
the confessors and spiritual advisers of a family, it was as much
as if all the members of the family had sworn allegiance to
them.
In this manner Ricci succeeded in securing an extremely
influential position at the Court of Pekin, and the consequence
was that he was not only permitted to build a church adjoining
the college, but he was enabled also to establish colleges and
churches in other towns in the great Empire, by means of
his associates, of whom he constantly obtained an accession in
numbers from Goa. It must not be believed, however, that he
* This is reported in a letter from the Jesuit Ignatius Lobo, dated 12th
September 1635, to the Franciscan Father, Antonio de Saint Marie. I may
especially mention, once for all, that what is related here concerning the
Christian teaching of the Jesuits in China is but an extract taken from
the reports of the Jesuits themselves. As, for instance, from the great
work ou China by Du Halde, from the memoranda of Fathers Le Coute and
Martini, from the report of Father Boym, as also from the posthumous
writings of Kicci himself ; allusion is not made to the false imputations
emanating from enemies to the Jesuits, but to facts confirmed by the Jesuit
missionaries themselves.
114 HISTORY OF THE JESUITS.
had no difficulties to contend with in this respect. On the
contrary, the priests of the Fo religion, in particular, did
everything in their power to throw suspicion on him and his
associates, and succeeded so far at Canton, in the year 1608, that
the Governor there ordered Franz Martinez to be bastinadoed,
to which punishment he succumbed, and yielded up the ghost.
Father Longobardi, also, nearly shared the same fate, and even
Ricci himself was within an ace of being overthrown by a cabal
got up against him by the great Bonze of Peking. He contrived,
however, to make such good use of the friendship which the
Emperor entertained towards him, that he came off at last
triumphant, and the blow intended for him and his associates
fell back upon his enemies.* On the whole, therefore, his
mission had been so marvellously successful that, in 1610, when
death overtook him, it might be correctly boasted concerning
him that he had effected, during his twenty-seven years'
operations in China, as much, if not more than Francis Xavier
had done in India and Japan ; not, however, had he effected
anything of consequence for Christianity, for what he taught
certainly had but little more than just the name of Christianity,
and totally deviated from the religious principles of the Roman
Oatholic faith. But so far as his Order was concerned, he
opened up for it the largest empire in the world, in which was to
*be gained an immensity of power, riches and glory ; in this
respect things had been properly handled.f
Not long after the death of Ricci, his great protector and
patron the Emperor Van-Lie also died, and under his successor,
Tien-ki, who also did not reign long, the native priests fre-
* The Court intrigue to which I have alluded above was occasioned by a
master-stroke of ignominy, in that the Emperor was made to suspect the
Grand Bonze by means of a libel, circulated through the Court of Peking, a
document probably having Ricci for its author, being not only spread
.about but also clearly fabricated. The Governor of Canton, too, who had so
maltreated Father Martinez, came off badly, as, for his officiousness, he
was removed from hia government to one of less importance, and must
have held himself to have been fortunate in escaping with so mild a
punishment.
t The best proof of how Kicci troubled himself about Christianity lies
in the fact of his literary activity. He wrote for the Chinese and the
support of his mission, among others, the following works: (1) The
Practical Mathematics of Clavius, (2) the six first books of Euclid, (3) the
Spheres of Euclid, (4) a Treatise on Physics, (5) a Method of Making Sun
Dials, (G) the Art of Employing Astrolobiums, (7) on the Use of the Spinet,
<{8) a Catechism of Moral Philosophy the same in which he develops his
Chinese Christianity. From these posthumous publications I think we cau
fcest form a judgment respecting the " Apostle of China."
THE JESUIT MISSIONS IN ASIA. 115
quently renewed their endeavours to obtain a decree prohibiting
the proceedings of the intruding foreigners. Intrigue followed
intrigue, calumniation calumniation, complaint complaint, while
at one time this party, at another that party, appeared likely to
get the upper hand.
It would naturally be of but little interest to the reader were
I to enter more fully into detail regarding these matters, and I
will, therefore, only remark that the Jesuits were at one time on
the point of being completely foiled. The Governor of the king-
dom of Kiang-Nan, for example, who, in the year 1615, resided
in Nanking, declared himself to be their particular enemy, and
not only published a circumstantial decree against them, which
he transmitted to the Court, but also actually commenced to
expel them, even without waiting for the approval and sanction
of higher authority. The Governor of the neighbouring pro-
vince of Quang Tong now followed his example in this respect,
and in these portions of the enormous empire the Jesuits suffered
the most cruel persecution. Their colleges were closed and
their churches pulled down ; they were themselves thrown into
the closest prison, bastinadoed, and then packed into a ship like
bales of goods, and transported out of the country to Macao.
The authorities ought, however, to have waited a little before
acting thus, lest the Court of Peking might possibly interfere,
seeing that the Jesuits still remained in the highest repute there,
as mathematicians, astronomers, chemists, musicians, and mecha-
nicians. This interference, however, did not take place, and the
Nanking decree of expulsion was, on the contrary, immediately
confirmed, probably from the fact of the memorandum of the
Governor of Kiang obtaining unanswerable support on the
points of complaint. And it may be remarked that the Jesuits
themselves observed unbroken silence regarding this circum-
stance in their hitherto most detailed reports on China.
Political events now, however, occurred, which had the effect
of bringing the pious Fathers into higher honour than they
had ever before enjoyed. The Tartars, a numerous and brave
race of people, whose home lay in the northern frontier of the
empire, had for a long time past given rise to frightful trouble
to the Emperor of China, who had been only able to repel the
inroads of these nomad hordes by mustering his whole forces
against them. It was an inroad of this description that took
ft *
116 HISTORY OF THE JESUITS.
place in the year 1618, and the Khan of Tartary, called by the
Chinese historians the thief " Thien-Min," penetrated almost to
the very walls of Peking. The Emperor was now in great
straits, as his cowardly people fought badly, and it was much
to be feared that even Peking itself might fall into the hands of
the enemy. Then, again, Mandarin Seu, one of the highest
officials of the Empire, whom the Jesuits, through his pious
daughter, Kandide, who had been baptised by them, and
solemnly proclaimed to be a saint, had got completely into
their power, counselled the Emperor to solicit the pious Fathers
to obtain the assistance of Portuguese officers and, in par-
ticular, artillerists, in order that, from their superior attain-
ments in the art of war, the enemy might be driven back. The
Emperor with great joy welcomed this counsel. The Jesuits, of
course, most readily complied with his wishes, not, however,
except under certain conditions, among which were included
naturally the solemn abrogation of the Nanking decree of ex-
pulsion. The result was that after the successful defeat of the
Tartars the Emperor fell completely into the hands of the
Jesuits, who at the same time in this way obtained the keys of
government. Full power was then again accorded to them to
erect colleges in all the cities of the Empire, and also churches
as well in connection with the former ; and it cannot be doubted
that they made the most unrestrained use of this privilege.
The incursions of the Tartars did not by any means cease
with the defeat of Thien-Min, but were still renewed more
than ever during the reign of the Emperor Hoai-tsong, the
successor of Tien-ki. Matters, however, became still worse
when Prince Li-tse-tching raised a rebellion, and with the aid
of 70,000 Tartar cavalry advanced on Peking. There could not
be any question of long resistance, and in despair Hoai-tsong
along with all his wives committed suicide in his Palace, where-
upon Li-tse-tching took possession of the throne. But if the
capital paid him homage, it did not thereupon follow, as a neces-
sary consequence, that the whole province should do so likewise,
and such infinite confusion ensued throughout the Chinese
Empire that shortly no one could distinguish between a cook
and a butler. Deep was the misery that reigned among all the
friends of the fatherland, and still more dire were the necessities
of the people. The Jesuits, however, on the other hand, rubbed
THE JESUIT MISSIONS IN ASIA. 117
their hands with joy, well knowing how to fish in troubled waters,
and to each of the different pretenders who were striving with
each other for the mastery they promised mountains of gold in
return for certain advantages. The two Fathers, Cofler and
Schall, made themselves more particularly conspicuous in this
respect, and it is really worth while to look a little more closely
into their conduct, whilst both of them not on their own account,
it is true, but by the order of their General in Rome, who held
all the threads of the machinery operated in entirely opposite
camps. Thus, while Turn-Lie, a grandson of the Emperor
Van-Lie, allowed himself to be proclaimed Emperor in the
province of Chan Sy, Father Cofler at once attached himself to
his side, bringing along with him Doctor Lucca, a good engineer
officer, and, still better, Jesuit, besides several other Fathers
among whom was Martin Boym. Moreover, besides those
mentioned were several lay Portuguese, all of them being
officers, who were sent to him by the Governor of Macao, to be
attached to his suite, so that, consequently, he could make an
appearance with some ostentation. Cofler thus acting, Turn-Lie
was thereby soon brought to the conviction that it would now
l)e no difficult matter, while the Christians had ranged them-
selves on his side, to bring the whole of China under subjection.
Here was, then, already an influential party, and Cofler promised
their unanimous support as soon as the Prince had been himself
baptised, along with his wives and children. The latter con-
sidered a little, as he did not quite know at this time whether
he might not, by so acting, give too much offence to the
great mass of the Chinese people ; but, in the meantime, as news
came of the defeat of his forces by the enemy, he consented to
allow his wives and children at least to be publicly baptised,
though he himself did not " outwardly" recognise Christianity.
In return for this concession, it was agreed that Peter Cofler
should create a Christian army, under the command of Lucca.
Both of these events took place, that is, the baptism and the
commencement of the assembling together by Lucca of a small
army. The two spouses of Turn-Lie received the names of
Helena and Anna ; these, first of all, were immediately required
to send to the Pope Alexander VII., through Pater Michael
Boym, autograph letters, dated 4th December 1650, wherein they
assured the Holy Father, the representative of Christ upon
118 HISTORY OF THE JESUITS.
earth, that the whole of China had subjected itself to him with
the most profound devotion.* The heir to the throne, how-
ever, Tum-Tym, was christened " Constantine," and Cofler drew
up his horoscope in the following words: "The child born at
midnight, like the Son of God, shall be fortunate in everything,
and resemble a sun which will overspread all China with good
fortune." Considering all this, then, one would have naturally
been inclined now to come to the conviction that the Jesuits
had thoroughly sided with the pretender Turn-Lie, and had col-
lectively worked to procure for him the victory over all his
opponents for the throne. It was not so, however, for they played
quite the same kind of game, besides, with another of the pre-
tenders ; seeing that, without doubt, one or other of these must
eventually succeed in carrying off the palm. To wit, then, after
that Li-tse-tching had seized upon Peking, Osan-Quei, a brother
of the deceased Emperor, collecting in Mantchuria a large army
by means of the treasure which he had brought along with hinv
placed himself at the head thereof, and, entering China, laid
siege at once to Peking, and compelled Li-tse-tching to abdicate
the throne.
He, however, immediately after this, died, and bequeathed
the inheritance to his only son, Schun-tchin, who forthwith
armed himself with his whole power in order to subjugate
also the remaining provinces of China, and put an end thereby
to all other pretenders to the throne. He was known to be a
brave commander, and as he could place confidence in his well-
exercised army, he did not allow himself to doubt for a moment
that the result of the coming struggle would turn out anything
else than favourable for him. Nevertheless, while he, like so
many brave warriors before and after him, was wedded to
belief in the influence of the stars, before commencing operations
he determined to consult them and ascertain what was to be his
fate. He therefore ordered Adam Schall, the Jesuit who at that
time held the position of astronomer to the Peking College, to
consult the heavens nightly. Schall, like another Seui, did what
was demanded of him, and foretold to the valiant Schun-tchin
This document also, to which the Jesuits attach not a little importance,
aa it was a proof of the high estimation in which they were held at the-
Court, can be read in extenso in Du Halde's Description de la Chine, torn. iii.
p. 301.
THE JESUIT MISSIONS IN ASIA. 119
that he would not only obtain a most glorious victory, but that
he should also secure for himself and his posterity easy pos-
session of the whole celestial empire. Schun-tchin now
advanced with his army, conquering one province after another,,
and ended by overthrowing Turn-Lie. He took him prisoner,
indeed, along with his whole family, and caused all the
members thereof, including his firstborn, Tam-Tym, to whom
Andreas Xavier Cofler had predicted such a glorious future,
to be miserably strangled. Nothing, however, happened to
the Jesuits who had been hitherto working at the Court of
the conquered one, as they came over in a body, by order of
Schall, into the camp of the conqueror, he having all this time
the patent of Vicar- General of the China Mission in his pocket,,
given to him by the General of the Order. It turned out, then,,
that the Jesuits had been working at the same time in each of
the two hostile camps, and, no doubt, had the goddess of fortune
shown herself favourable to Turn-Lie, they would likewise have
come over just the same to him. They now, however, extolled,
immensely the mighty Schun-tchin, and he proved himself to
be so gracious to them that, at the time of his death, in 1661,.
although not more than eighty years from the advent of Ricci in.
the country, they possessed no fewer than thirty-eight colleges
and residences, along with 151 churches. Moreover, Pater Adam
Schall carried matters to such an extreme extent that his most
gracious monarch actually bestowed upon him the dignity of a
mandarin of the first rank, nominating him also, at the same
time, supreme head of the European Bonzes and president of the
Tribunal of Mathematics of the Celestial Empire. This was one
of the highest and most influential positions in China, and Adam
Schall was no longer to be seen in public unless attired in the
richest stuffs, covered all over with precious stones, sitting in a
palankin borne by twelve slaves, and escorted by a squadron of
his own body-guard, being protected from the rays of the sun by
an enormous umbrella, under which he was continually fanned
by numerous attendants, and regarded with the utmost respect
by crowds of people, who made way for him obsequiously in order
to escape being driven aside by blows from bamboo staves.
Moreover, the great Emperor, besides loading him with riches,
presented him with a large palace in the immediate neighbour-
hood of his residence, and on more than twenty occasions visited
120 HISTORY OF THE JESUITS.
him personally, whilst it is well known that in China the etiquette
is for the sovereign never to cross the threshold of a subject. To
put a crown upon the matter, indeed, he gave him permission to
address the throne directly on all matters, whereas, in the instance
of all other Crown and Court officials, it had to be approached
only through the Tribunal of Petitions ; and, lastly, he entrusted
to him the education of his firstborn son and successor !
Such was the magnificent position accorded to the Jesuit Adam
Schall at the Court of Peking, and no less splendid was the
position of the successor to his post, given after his death by the
General of the Order to the venerable Pater Verbiest, who was
also a grand mandarin and president of the Tribunal of Mathe-
matics, and who obtained, moreover, the title of Ma-Fa, stepping
along, not as an humble preacher of the Christian faith, but as
a grand dignitary of the great Chinese empire. What was, then,
in those glorious days, done in respect to the colleges which the
Jesuits conducted ? Much, as regards mathematical instruments,
pianos, watches, astronomical tables, and all such studies, but,
as regards the progress of the Christian religion, nothing at all.
They turned out, it is true, a number of architects, painters,
geographers, musicians, astronomers, mathematicians, mechanics,
physicians, and even diplomatists.* But as for Christian theo-
logians and preachers, none were produced. Verily, a cannon-
foundry was erected by the worthy Fathers, under the super-
vision of the venerable Verbiest, close to the Peking college, and
the guns made there proved to be much more perfect than those
manufactured by the Chinese. Nothing was heard or under-
stood, however, about what the Fathers did . as regarded the
diffusion of the spirit of God among the Chinese people.
II. THE JESUIT MISSION IN AFRICA.
WE have above seen how greatly extended had become the
Jesuit missions in Asia ; so much so, indeed, that it was hardly
possible to comprehend all within anything like a narrow
compass. Entirely different, however, was this the case as to
the Jesuit mission in Africa, which was limited to a single
locality and to a comparatively very short space of time.
* The Jesuits were also employed by the Emperor Eang-hi (tne same as
had been educated by Schall) especially in the latter capacity, as it was they
who, in the year 1689, concluded treaties with Russia, regulating the
boundaries between Siberia and Mantchuria.
THE JESUIT MISSION IN AFEICA. 121
When embarking on the Nile in Egypt, with the view of pro-
ceeding to the frontier, as soon as the latter is passed, one
reaches Nubia, which has now become a province of Egypt ;
but on proceeding still further south, there are extensive high-
lands, which reach out between the great plain of Kordofan and
the Red Sea, whose waters separate them from the peninsula of
Arabia. This region figures in geographical works under the
names of Abyssinia (or Habesch ) and Ethiopia.
These fertile lands, in which are the sources of the great
neighbouring river Nile, as well as other fine streams, and in
which the fruits of the south flourish along with those of more
temperate regions, formed, at one time, during the 1st century
of our era, a mighty kingdom, called Azumitia, after its great
capital Azum, while Byzantine authors inform us, respecting
the same, that its rulers had extended their conquests as far as
Yemen and Saba in Arabia, and on its frontiers, more especially,
had shattered the power of both Romans and Parthians. At the
time these events took place, the heathen religion was there
naturally prevalent, and we read, for instance, that the valiant
King Aizanes, who reigned at the commencement of the 4th
century, after having gained a glorious victory, erected, in
the year 333, some statues in honour of Aries and Mars.
Immediately after this, however, about the year 340, two
wandering missionaries, named Frumentius and Adesius, after-
wards designated the Apostles of Ethiopia, coming from the
direction of Egypt, began to preach the doctrines of Chris-
tianity, and, as King Aizanes himself was one of the first to be
baptised, their doctrines found such great favour with high and
low, that in less than ten years' time two -thirds of all the
heathen temples were converted into Christian churches. In
addition to which, numbers of cloisters and hermitages were
established, as a matter of course, after the pattern of the
Egyptian ones, as Egypt supplied hundreds of secular priests
who were required for the performance of divine worship, and, as
may well be supposed, the entire ritual was no other than that
customary in the mother country. In order, however, to put a
seal upon the whole affair, the Patriarch of Alexandria conse-
crated the missionary Frumentius to be the first bishop of the
newly-converted country, and, from that time forth, it became
the privilege of the Patriarch to nominate the " Abuna " as the
122 HISTORY OF THE JESUITS.
primate bishop was designated. It was thus that Ethiopia
became the most remote bulwark of Christianity in Africa, and
many attempts were then made to gain a footing for this*
faith even in Arabia; but, the religion of Mahomet starting
into existence in the 7th century, a completely different com-
plexion was given to the whole matter. Mahornedanism, which,
as is well known, made proselytes sword in hand, seized not
only upon Arabia, along with all the coasts bordering upon
the Red Sea, comprehending therein the territory of the Kings
of Azum, but also subjected Egypt up to the frontiers of Nubia,
thereby rendering Abyssinia, as it were, a Christian oasis in
the midst of countries now become Mahomedan. Not contented,
indeed, with this, the Khalifs (Mahomet's successors) sought to
penetrate into Abyssinia itself, and not merely weakened it much
by successive aggressive raids, but continued their efforts until
they had gained over to Islam a portion of the population. What
was still worse, they gradually excluded the country, both by sea
and land, from all intercourse with other nations in such a way
as to draw a cordon round it ; so isolated, indeed, did it
thus become that for centuries nothing was heard of it in
Europe. It was not till the Middle Ages that a tradition
sprang up regarding the lost Christian monarchy, when much was
talked of respecting a certain " Priester John " who governed
this kingdom, and who was said to be the lineal descendant of
King Solomon. Still no one could give any very distinct
information about the matter, and many thought it to be a
myth and an idle dream, until the end of the year J483, when an
Abyssinian made his appearance at the Council of Florence,
giving himself out to be an ambassador from the ruler of that
country, Za Yacub by name. He disappeared again, however,
immediately after it was brought to a close, and then no more
was again heard of the kingdom than previously. As the
Portuguese, in one of their expeditions to the east coast of 1
Africa, in the year 1484, learned, through an embassy to the
negro State of Benin, that, twenty months' journey beyond the
latter, a powerful king of the name of Za-Ogano reigned, and as
they, with reason, thought that this Christian kingdom could be
no other than that of the mythical "Preste Jono," they fitted
out an expedition at once, under the supreme command of Pero-
de Covilha, which should proceed through Egypt and the Red
THE JESUIT MISSION IN AFKICA. 128
Sea to the east coast of Africa. Covilha accomplished his
commission in the most brilliant manner, and after a three
years' search, found that for which he was instructed to look,
namely, the Christian State of Habesch, in the midst of a
surrounding partly heathenish and partly Mahomedan. The
great problem was at last solved, and the reward of the
Portuguese was that they obtained permission from the ruler of
the State mentioned, the Negus Za-Densal (" Negus " is
in Abyssinia the equivalent of " King ") to trade at their
pleasure, and to found therein commercial establishments;
for which privilege they were, however, required to give
effectual assistance against the Mahomedans, who made their
incursions even as far as from Aden, as also, later on, against
the Gallas, a wild tribe of people who had their home south of
Abyssinia.
So far, all was right between them, and the two nation-
alities agreed very well together, especially after becoming
known to each other, partly through the aid of interpreters,
and partly by conversing through the medium of their respective
languages.
The Pope of Rome now made a discovery which might sud-
denly have the effect of interrupting at once the continuance of
a lasting good understanding. And in what did this discovery,
indeed, consist ? Simply in this, that the Abyssinians proved
themselves to be no true Roman Catholic Christians, but, on
the other hand, heretics of the class of so-called Monophysites.
so they must at once be converted to the only true Catholic
Church. The Pope was right to a certain extent from his own
stand-point, that is, that the Abyssinians adhered to the same
faith as the Christians in Egypt (the so-called Kopts), contend-
ing that in Christ were united two natures in one person, the
human and divine without admixture, transmutation, or separa-
tion. Besides which, they deviated also in some other respects
from the practice of the Latin or Roman Catholic ritual, as for
instance in that of baptism, which was always preceded witto
them by circumcision ; as also in the observance of the Sabbath,
and in that of fasting, which they extended always to sunset,
while the Romish Christians abstained from food only up ta
mid-day. But the principal difficulty did not consist, by any
means, merely in these two externals, which signified next.
124 HISTOBY OF THE JESUITS.
to nothing as regards the Oriental Christian ritual, but in this,
that the Abyssinian clergy did not look upon the Pope of Rome as
their supreme Church authority, preferring rather the Patriarch of
Alexandria, and they could not be prevailed upon to yield on this
point, in spite of all Roman argument. This was clearly nothing
but open heresy, and must be opposed with the greatest energy.
But whom should the Popes nominate as executors of their will
and pleasure ? No other, of course, than the Order of the
Jesuits, which had already taken upon itself the task of contend-
ing with heresy all over the world, and in re-establishing the
Papal supremacy everywhere. And had not the sons of Loyola
already given proof of their zeal and energy in Japan and
China ? What were they not capable of doing, and if they
could not bring about the Romanising of the Abyssinians, no
one else, assuredly, would be likely to succeed in so doing.
What now took place can well be imagined, and I will just
allude to it in a very few words.
The Jesuits first of all, as usual, sought to establish them-
selves in the country by means of founding colleges, in which
they succeeded with the assistance of their friends the Portu-
guese, in whose ships they reached Abyssinia. They then
directed their attention to the great men of the kingdom, in
order to bring them over to their views, and with this object
left untried no means, including flattery and even bribery, to
mould them to their wishes. At length, after ten years of under-
mining and agitation, it fell to the lot of Father Paez, who gave
promise of becoming another Ricci, to succeed in bringing over
to his side, at the end of the 1 6th century, Socinius, successor to
the throne, and the same made a vow, in his spiritual weakness,
as soon as he should succeed to power, to do his utmost that the
*' unity of the Church " might be re-established ; this was the
bait of which the Jesuits made use. In fact, he kept his
word; and, in the year 1603, as soon as he became King, he
immediately, along with his whole family, abjured the previous
heresy of Monophysism, at the same time making a solemn
declaration that he would henceforth recognise the Pope alone as
Spiritual Lord of the Kingdom. As may be easily imagined, his
example was at once followed by a number of the courtiers ; and,
as the favour of the ruler must, as a matter of course, have been
.renounced by all those who adhered to the old faith, most of
THE JESUIT MISSION IN AFRICA. 125
the provincial governors also, after a short time, espoused the
side of the Jesuits. It seemed, in fact, to be a settled affair
that the latter had gained the victory, and thus it was
represented to Pope Gregory XV., who was induced thereby
to nominate one of their number, Alfonso Mendez, under the
title of Patriarch of Abyssinia, to be supreme bishop of the
country, with all proper dictatorial power in matters of faith ;.
while, at the same time, the weak-minded Negus Socinius was
induced to declare himself ready to carry out, with his wordly
weapons and despotic power, all that was required by the Latin
Patriarch. There now commenced, as may be well imagined, a
cruel time for the hitherto happy land of Abyssinia a period of
such frightful strife, persecution, and affliction, that the pen
almost refuses to describe the inhuman cruelties which were
enforced by the Jesuits against the refractory believers in the
old faith ; but it was just this very blood-thirsty barbarity and
torture for conscience' sake, this inexorable passion with which
the cause of Rome was prosecuted, that snatched the victory
from the sons of Loyola. Abyssinia, for example, contained a
very numerous body of clergy, consisting of " kasis," or
parsons, " debteraten," or deacons, " komosaten," or prelates,
besides, lastly, an " Abuna," or metropolitan bishop, of whom I
have already made mention ; there were, moreover, of monks
and nuns almost more than enough in number; all of these
priests and cowl-wearers, however, clung with invincible tenacity
to their rites and customs which they had for centuries
observed, and would especially have nothing whatever to do
with the Pope of Rome, who wished to be dominant over all
bishops and patriarchs in the world. The Jesuits could not
thus conceal from themselves that the innovations which
they desired to introduce would raise up against them many
adversaries, the number of such being all the greater in that the
Abyssinian priests exercised great influence over the minds
of the people, and especially held unlimited power over the
wills of their confessants belonging to the lower orders; they
could not well help seeing that it could only be by a slow
process of undermining religious convictions, patiently continued
for many years, that anything of consequence could be effected ;
the alternative was that a whole race of people could be coerced
by force. They determined, then, in their impetuosity and
126 HISTORY OF THE JESUITS.
arrogance, to adopt the latter course, and thought that they
would be able to attain their end with the rabble as readily as
they had already done with the Indians and Japanese. They,
therefore, incited the King to issue orders to his governors to
proceed against the refractory priests with the greatest severity.
But, behold ! now it soon became apparent that the Abyssinians
were not going to show themselves so effeminate as tamely
to submit, with humble submission, to an order from superior
authority, like mindless slaves and degraded creatures. Such
was not the case ; on the contrary, led by their priests, they
declared in thousands, by vigorous petitions to the throne, that
they would not yield, and that they were, moreover, prepared to
live or die for their faith.
What did it now signify, if the King's officials, at the desire
of the Jesuits, sought to overcome this opposition of the people
by means of cudgelling and sword-cuts ? What did it matter
now that some of the governors, and among them one especially,
called Zela, and bearing the nickname of Christ, distinguished
.himself by consigning to the gallows all those priests who pre-
.ferred that alternative to conversion ? The people rose in
rebellion, the storm broke loose, and the agitation became so
universal, that, in order that all might not be lost, King Socinius
was compelled to abdicate in favour of his son Facilidas, who, at
once turning completely round, reverted to the old religion, and
drove the Portuguese, along with the Jesuits, entirely out of the
country. He caused, indeed, some of the Fathers, who endea-
voured to raise a counter revolution, to be publicly executed, and
promulgated a decree, by which all the Black Cloaks were pro-
hibited for the future from crossing the frontiers, under pain of
death.
Thus terminated the short domination of the Jesuits in
Habesch, and by the energetic action of Negus Facilidas these
-were so completely cured of their rage for conversion in this part
of the world, that they never again made any further attempt ;
neither did they even so much as think of trying to settle in any
other places in Africa, but, on the contrary, at once renounced all
idea of attempting to form any other permanent settlements, as
well in Egypt, among the headstrong and obstinate Kopts, as on
the Congo among the half-savage blacks, probably because in their
opinion the field did not give promise of any productive harvest
THE JESUIT MISSION IN AFKICA. 127
Thus vanished in the African sands every trace of the Jesuits,
and if, later on, agents of the Society did from time to
time occasionally make their appearance in the Portuguese
settlements on the west coast of Africa, they did not come there
to preach the Christian doctrine, or to make any permanent
settlement, but merely to purchase cargoes of blacks, and to ship
them off as slaves to their colonies in America.
III. THE JESUIT MISSIONS IN AMERICA.
With the Portuguese the Jesuits came into Asia, with the
same people they also came into Africa, and still again the
Jesuits came with them into America. In the last-mentioned
quarter of the globe that nation already possessed an enormous
extent of territory, which is now known under the name of
Brazil, and in the year 1549 King John III. of Portugal sent a
fleet of ships containing a number of emigrants, who founded
the city of San Salvador, in the Gulf of Bahia, on the east
xsoast of Central America.
As the missionary work of Francis Xavier had been so
extraordinarily successful among the populations of Asia, who
had thus been converted into good subjects of the King, he
.requested Loyola, the Jesuit General in Home, to supply him
-with some missionaries for America also, in the hope that the
long-cloaked Fathers might get on as well with the inhabitants
of the West Indies as they had done with those of the East
Indies ; and Loyola at first sight recognising the importance of
this mission, at once consigned to him six members of his Order.
Those six, among whom was Emanuel Rodrega, who, by his
untiring energy, as well as by his superior sagacity, was highly
esteemed by Jesuit historians, and not without reason, at once
built a house for themselves at San Salvador that is to say,
& residence and thence commenced their efforts, in order to
see what could be effected with the natives in the interior of the
.country. It soon was apparent, however, that the latter manifested
a very different disposition from the degraded and enervated
Hindoos, and under the oppressions and tortures inflicted on
them by the Europeans they, if possible, became still more
savage and cruel than they had previously been. The Jesuit
Fathers, therefore, were not received with anything like a good
128 HISTORY OF THE JESUITS.
welcome, and could not in consequence do much with them at
all events at first, as they were not yet at all acquainted with
the language of the Indians, as the natives of America were
commonly called. They lived, moreover, in constant fear of
being murdered by the savages, who, being cannibals, entertained
an irresistible longing for the taste of human flesh. They had
so much to endure, besides, from oppression during their
wanderings, that it was indeed surprising that any of them
escaped, under the circumstances, in their zealous efforts.
Nevertheless they soon found their exertions crowned with
a certain amount of success, as the Indians allowed all the
unfortunates who were condemned to be eaten, and who were,
for the most part, prisoners taken during their constant feuds
with other tribes, to be baptised previous to their being
slaughtered.* Besides this, they met with some success among
the Indian females at least, with those tribes who had pitched
their camp in the neighbourhood of European settlements and
induced the same to accept of rosaries and Agnus Dei. Through
the women they obtained some influence, too, over the men,
and the result was that the conversion always terminated with
the rite of baptism, although those baptised had not, indeed, the
slightest conception of Christianity.
The Jesuits at length brought the matter so far, that most of
the whites in the Portuguese settlements, as well as the half-
castes, or progeny of whites and Indian women, accepted them
as father confessors the great thing, however, being that they
obtained large tracts of extensive territory in the way of presents,
in order to build thereon residences and colleges. This took
place all over the country wherever it was at all possible, and
there soon flourished in San Salvador, Pernambuco, and Rio
Janeiro three magnificent and very numerously attended educa-
tional institutions.
Not long after this less than twenty years subsequent to their
first landing the Jesuits had already overstepped the boundaries
of Brazil and penetrated Peru, where in Lima, La Paz, and
Cusco they also established colleges. Later on after another
* Not infrequently, moreover, the Indians recalled the permission for the
baptism of the human victims, because they entertained the prejudice that
flesh lost its good flavour by the act in question. They looked upon
baptism then as a description of ma<,'ic, and the Jesuits were careful to
avoid removing the superstition which they entertained.
THE JESUIT MISSIONS IN AMERICA. 129
twenty years however, they possessed settlements in every part
of South and Central America, wherever the banners of Portugal
or Spain waved, as, for instance, in Chili, Mexico, Tukuman,
and Maranham, and their agents and missionaries permeated
throughout the whole of that enormous continent, which
extend from the Isthmus of Panama to the Straits of Magellan,
as on the other hand from Panama upwards to the Kio del
Norde. They, indeed, penetrated even into Canada, and the
banners of Ignatius proudly waved wherever the white flag with
the three lilies protected it. When, however, that country came
to be given over from the French to the English, the Jesuits
had to take their departure, and fly precipitately to the south, as
neither the English nor Dutch, and not even the Danes, tolerated
Jesuit settlements in their American colonies.
Great, however, as was the power and possessions which the
Jesuits obtained in the individual countries of America, this
splendour was almost entirely eclipsed by another grand acqui-
sition which they encompassed in this same land, where they
got possession of a complete empire, over which they ruled as
absolute monarchs a dominion, indeed, even twice as large as
Italy. This country was called Paraguay, and, since it has
never before come to pass that a purely ecclesiastical Order
has elevated itself to the position of a sovereign king, on that
account it is well worth the trouble of going into the matter a
little more in detail.
The Paraguay of the present day, one of the smallest free
states of South America, is bounded on the west by the river
Paraguay, on the east and north by Brazil, and on the south by
the territory of Parana, having an extent of only 4,175 square
miles. The Paraguay, however, of the 16th and 17th centuries
was, on the contrary, of infinitely larger proportions, and
embraced nearly all the land now included in the states of La
Plata and the Banda-oriental. The same comprehends almost
uninterruptedly a large continuous plain, with but a few ranges
of hills of not more than a few thousand feet in height, and
is watered by a number of delightful streams, especially the
rivers called Paraguay and Uruguay, which discharge themselves
entirely into the Parana, which, after its union with the
Uruguay, assumes the name of Rio de la Plata. Its climate is
semi-tropical, and on that account its soil surpasses in fertility
9
130 HISTORY OF THE JESUITS.
that of almost any other country in the world ; consequently,
not only do all the ordinary descriptions of fruit which are
made use of for food by man thrive and prosper, but also such
plants as tobacco, cotton, and sugar can be grown there with
advantage. Of not less importance, but perhaps, indeed, much
more so, is the condition of the animal creation therein. On
the one hand, there are to be found enormous troops of all
descriptions of wild animals, such as swine, stags, and different
kinds of deer ; while, on the other, domesticated animals, more
especially horses and other cattle, abound in herds. Nothing,
however, surpasses the magnificence of the forests, and the
so-called Barrigudos, of no less than three fathoms in cir-
cumference, as also palm-trees of 180 feet in height, are
by no means uncommonly to be met with. In short, it is
indeed a wonderfully delightful country, being the only region,
perhaps, which can be made available for such opposite uses, as it
happens that enormous tracts, during the rainy season, disappear
under water. The first discoverer of this superb territory was
the Spaniard, Juan Diaz de Solis, Grand Pilot of Castile, who, in
the year 1516, entered into the Rio de la Plata, and was killed
by the natives. He was afterwards eaten by them within sight
of his ships' crews. Three years after this, Don Martin de Sosa,
Captain-General of Brazil, sent Alexis Garcia, along with four
other Portuguese, all brave and powerful men, to the Rio de la
Plata, in order that they might endeavour to penetrate thence
into the gold and silver coasts of Peru, which, at that time,
belonged to the Spaniards, and this adventurous journey was
indeed effected. On the return journey, Garcia and two of his
companions were massacred by the savages, and the two remain-
ing ones alone succeeded in reaching alive the town of Bahia, or
San Salvador.
The expedition of George Sedano terminated in a result quite
as unfortunate. He, with sixty other Portuguese, set out like-
wise from Bahia for the Parana, and they also, through the
treacherous cunning of the Indians, all found their graves in the
same river. At last, the Emperor Charles V., in the year
1 525, sent his grand pilot, Cabot, with five ships, to the river
Plate, and this distinguished mariner succeeded in ascending it
until he arrived at Paraguay, and, consequently, no one but him
can be thanked for the first correct information concerning that
THE JESUIT MISSIONS IN AMEKICA. 131
country. He took possession, also, of the whole territory of
Parana, or Paraguay, for the Spanish crown, and erected, at the
confluence of the Rio Ticero with the Parana, a tower known
afterwards by the name of Cabot's tower. The first settlement,
however, properly so called, namely, the city of Buenos Ayres,
was only founded ten years later by Don Pedro de Mendoza,
who, in 1530, by order of Charles V., set sail from Seville, also
for the Rio de la Plata, with fourteen ships and a crew of nearly
30,000 men ; and two years after this, at the confluence of the
Pilco Mayo with the Parana, the city of Assumption, which is
situated equi-distant from the boundaries of Peru and Brazil,
was established. From this time forth began the actual appro-
priation of the country, as well as its gradual colonisation, by the
Spaniards, and thence arose the vice-royalty of La Plata, over
which, in the name of the King, ruled one of those so-called
Adelantade, or Captains- General. Still, after the lapse of some
time, other cities were again founded, as, for instance, in the
year 1557, Ciudad Real, at the junction of the Piquiry with the
Parana; and in 1570, Santa Fe, on the Rio de Salado ; thus
one must not keep out of sight that all these settlements lay on
the great rivers of the country, while, on the contrary, not a
single colony was established on the mainland ; consequently,
they were considerably apart from the several commercial arteries
which served instead of roads. On the other hand, the said
mainland continued to be quite uncolonised, completely un-
conquered, and thus thoroughly unknown to the Spaniards, who,
in the provinces subdued by them, only troubled themselves
about the search for gold and silver, and had no desire to know
anything concerning agriculture and the breeding of cattle,
or, indeed, industry and trade, proving themselves here, as
throughout the whole of America, to have but a bad talent for
colonisation. Everyone of them who embarked for America
desired only to live like a nobleman, regarding it as derogatory
to engage himself in labour of the very slightest kind ! Under
such circumstances, the Captains-General must, very shortly,
have come to the conclusion that the provinces entrusted to them
could never attain to any degree of development, or arrive at any
prosperity or order, unless the natives of the country, the in-
digenous Indians, could be induced to become efficient citizens.
These, indeed, formed by far the greater majority of the popu
9 *
132 HISTORY OF THE JESUITS.
lation, and from them could alone be obtained the labour
which was wanted most imperatively. How, then, was this
desirable object to be accomplished ? The answer to this
was simply by making Christians of them, as along with the
Christian religion they would involuntarily also acquire, at the
same time, Christian manners, Christian culture, and a Christian
mode of living. Charles V. had not at the time sufficiently im-
pressed upon the Captains- General whom he had sent out to La
Plata, that the ecclesiastics and monks taken with them were
intended for the conversion of the native Indians ; neither did"
Philip II. see to this. The Cap tains- General, too, were in
this respect very remiss in their duty as to the orders they gave.
They brought out to Paraguay, it is true, several Franciscan
monks, among whom Francis Solano and Ludwig de Bolanjos
were notably distinguished. Moreover, to the province of Para-
guay was given a bishop, in the person of John de Barras, also
a Franciscan monk, and the city of Assumption was raised to be
his See, into which he himself made a solemn entry in the year
1554. He had, however, no great desire to prosecute with vigour
the introduction of Christianity, for two equally weighty reasons.
In the first place, on account of the behaviour of the
Spaniards, which displayed the strongest contrast to the teaching
of mildness and benevolence indoctrinated by the gospel, as it is
notorious with what unmerciful severity and cruelty the proud
and insatiable conquerors treated the poor oppressed natives ;
and, in the second place, there was no desire on the part of the
latter to embrace the religion acknowledged by their tormentors,
as, on the contrary, they disliked this religion as much as the
Spaniards hated them, and if, here and there, in order to escape
oppression, they allowed themselves to be baptised, they imme-
diately, as soon as a favourable opportunity presented itself,,
reverted to their original faith. Then, again, there was a com-
plete dearth of priests, and there existed whole districts where
there was not a single member of the fraternity to be seen, no
one to baptise and marry, no one to instruct the young, no one
to tender extreme unction to the dying on their way to eternity;
should, however, an isolated spot happen to be so fortunate
as to possess one or, at most, two ecclesiastics, they were prac-
tically of no avail among this vast extent of territory; and on
account of this want of power, but much more even from the
THE JESUIT MISSIONS IN AMEKICA. 133
circumstance that few were acquainted with the language of the
Indians, it became evident that all attempts to convert the un-
believers must be abandoned. And whence arose this great want ?
Simply from this, that Paraguay was still completely devoid of
civilisation, and, lying as it did beyond the sphere of traffic
in the commercial world, it could offer no powers of attraction
to the Catholic priesthood, accustomed to enjoyment of every
description ; and on this account it was that even the begging
monks of the lowest grade looked upon this distant land as a
kind of penal exile, having as yet but the attributes of a
wilderness, with which no one could have any desire to become
acquainted.
During seventy years, therefore, the conversion and civilisa-
tion of the Indians made but little progress in Paraguay,
that is to say, up to the year 1586. It then occurred to
Don Franciscus de Victoria, the newly-appointed bishop of
ihe Province Tukuman, adjoining Chili, in the whole of whose
extensive diocese there did not exist even a couple of dozen
priests, whether it would not be well to crave assistance for
them from the Society of Jesus. The want, indeed, must have
been very urgent, otherwise Don Franciscus, who belonged
himself to the Order of the Dominicans, would not certainly
have entertained any such idea. Be this as it may, it pleased
the first bishop of Tukuman to call in the aid of the Jesuits,
for the reason that, by this time, good service had been done
by them in the neighbouring states of Brazil and Peru, in the
way of conversion; he at once, then, in the year 1586, wrote
to the Provincials of both of the above-named states, the
Fathers Anchieta and Atiensa, who, indeed, at once complied
with his wishes and immediately sent him, to begin with,
eight members of the Order ; promising, at the same time, that
more would follow if they were needed.* This was, indeed,
hardly required, as they were no ordinary Fathers, skilled
merely in the dispensing of the sacraments and the singing of
masses, but persons who likewise understood something of what
* As a matter of curiosity I will here give the names of these eight
Jesuits. They were called Franciscus Angulo, Alphonso Barsana, Juan
Villegas, Emanuel de Ortega, Stephan Grao (properly Grau, who was a
German), Juan Salouio, Thomas Field (a Scotchman), and Paulo Arminio.
All of these were Fathers, and, consequently, for this reason were authorised
to conduct all kinds of divine service. Father Arminio, however, acted as
-the superior or head of them all.
134 . HISTOBY OP THE JESUITSv
monks, intended to act as missionaries, had not hitherto studied,,
namely, the language of the natives, concerning which much
zealous attention had been bestowed in all of the Jesuit col-
leges of Brazil and Peru ; and, consequently, they could come
to a good understanding with the natives from the commence-
ment. This was the foundation of the Jesuit settlement in- this
part of America, a very modest and innocent beginning, as one
sees ; but after a few years both modesty and innocence were
lost, and an entirely different condition of affairs came into play.
From the town of Tukuman and its provinces, the Fathers visited
the remaining cities of the country one after the other, especially
Cordua and Assumption, along with the extensive province of
Guayra, which latter was selected as the sphere of duty for
Fathers Ortega and Fields, who were more especially versed in
the Guayraian language, and who the longer they regarded the
territory the more they were pleased with it. They tried, above
everything, to make themselves at home in their settlement, .
"exactly the same as they had done in India, Japan, and China;
it still required, however, fully three years before they obtained
their first possession, then, indeed, but a very modest one, so
much so, that it might almost be called paean, as it consisted
merely of a small dwelling-house, with an equally small chapel,.
in the small town of Villarica. From this time forwardprogress,
as may be said, went on at a galloping pace, and, in accordance
with the idea originally entertained, a large number of new
members were sent to their assistance from Peru and Brazil,
and among them several Fathers of distinction ; as for instance,.
Romero, Caspar de Monroy, Juan Viana, and Marcel Lorenzana ;
so that, after the lapse of two years, as may be supposed, they
were able to found a college. ' This took place in the year 1593,
tin tke -city of Assumption, the capital of Paraguay; and the
Spanish inhabitants of it, including the Governor and principal
nobility, taxed themselves to such a considerable extent, thnt
they were enabled to erect quite a beautiful building adjoining
the church. In the year 1599, this building was followed by
the erection of a mission-house in Cordua, with a magnificent
cathedral ; and there was every appearance that very shortly
similar establishments might also be founded in Santa Fe, as-
well as in other towns. This, however, did not prove to be the
case, as in the year 1002 the whole tenure of the Jesuits in.
THE, JESUIT MISSIONS IN AMERICA. 135
Paraguay assumed a totally new aspect. Up to this time they
had worked as true missionaries ; and, indeed, as we have seen,
they had, acquired here and there landed property, and even
built a college, or a mission-house, whilst they were at the same
time occupied in travelling about from one district to another,
and from one tribe to another, in order to proclaim everywhere
the cross of Christ. This constant journeying backwards and
forwards, however, owing to the great distances at which the
settlements lay from one another, gave rise to great difficulties.
Moreover, they could not reckon that the Indians, as soon as the
missionaries had turned their backs, would not revert to their
heathenish practices; consequently, it appeared evident to them
that, if any permanent impression was to be made among the
natives, it would be necessary to give up this system of travelling
about, and take up a permanent abode among them. This was
one discovery which, up to this date, had been made. A
second consisted in this, that the Jesuits by this time had
become aware exactly how the enormous territory that went
under the name of Paraguay was situated, while this still
remained a secret to the Spaniards in general, beyond the couple
of towns and their immediate neighbourhood lying on the great
rivers. The latter, for instance, had not gone further into the
country than up to the first waterfall, and they continued to be
in great ignorance respecting the vast territory which lay between
the" Uruguay and the Parana, as well as between the latter and
the Paraguay river ; they had not taken the least trouble to
become acquainted with the different tribes inhabiting these
reigons, or to gain their friendship ; but their whole plans had
consisted in laying the severest possible yok*e upon all such
nations as they had been able to subjugate, and to keep them on
their plantations, or " commands," as these were designated in,
Paraguay, at the most slavish work. All this, and indeed much
more, was known to the Jesuits operating in Paraguay, only too
well, and they, of course, made an accurate report of the true
state of matters to their General in Home. And who was he
but the same Claudius Aquaviva ? a man endowed with extra-
ordinary mental capacity, and, at the same time, most actively
energetic ; who at once devised a mode by which the greatest
portion of Paraguay should fall completely into the hands of
the Society of Jesus, beyond all interference from any secular
136 HISTOBY OF THE JESUITS.
power. This plan was arranged with the most infinite skill and
cunning, and the carrying out of it was entrusted to a no less
skilful individual than the Father Stephan Paez, whom Aqua-
viva had despatched to Paraguay as visitor of all the houses of
the Order in the new world. This same Father arrived, in the
year 1602, in the town of Salta, and at once ordered all the
professed Jesuits to appear before him. He then took each one
of them separately to task, and questioned him in regard to all
details most particularly, in order that everything essential
appertaining to the future organisation of the Order in Para-
guay might be extracted ; lastly, assembling all those present,
he made a long speech to them, communicating to them the
orders of their General. These were to the effect, as already-
indicated, that a proper and distinct Christian State must be
constituted in Paraguay, over which the Jesuit General in
Rome should rule as absolute monarch, and, in order to carry-
out this comprehensive idea, the work each one had to do was
assigned to him. From this time forth each step taken by the
Jesuits in Paraguay was most carefully considered, and when
progress was but slow, and often effected by very roundabout
ways, the great aim and object to be attained was never lost sight
of. Above everything it was of consequence to conciliate the
natives, and the Jesuit missionaries began unanimously and
most zealously by severely censuring the frightful oppression
under which the Indians groaned. " The commands, upon which
the poor redskins work as slaves, are an abomination in the sight
of God," cried they, " and a complete extermination of the popu-
lation must follow if the present system continue." Such and
similar expressions aroused the hatred of the Spaniards not
a little, and the Jesuit Fathers had, in consequence, during
the next two years, to undergo much injustice. They were,
indeed, regularly driven out of several of the towns, such
as Cordova and San lago, but they won over all the more
retainers among the redskins, and they thus succeeded in con-
verting and making friends of a not inconsiderable portion of the
great nation of Guayranas, that is, of the inhabitants of Guayra.
Previous to the Spanish conquest, the tribe of Tubinambas
Indians was by far the most powerful in Paraguay, being dis-
tinguished at the same time for its peculiar ferocity; to them,
indeed, may be ascribed the cruelties to which the intruding
THE JESUIT MISSIONS IN AMERICA. 137
whites were subjected. They, the Tubinambas, slaughtered their
prisoners ; they looked upon human flesh as the most delicious
of food under the sun, and they offered resistance to the death
against the God of the Christians. As they came to be aware,
from many years of warfare, that the weapons of the white men
were too much for them, they arrived at the bold resolution of
turning their backs on their fatherland, and, at once carrying
this resolution into effect, withdrew far away into the wilds of
-the primeval forests, up to the broad valley of the Marranon, or
Amazon river, to a region so distant that they hoped the pale
.faces would never venture to penetrate there.
The vast plains of Paraguay, Parana, and Uruguay, thus
iremained abandoned to the other tribes, which had hitherto
been in some measure dependent on the Tubinambas, to
wit, the Apiatas and Cahivas, the Calchaquis and Lulles,
the Fron tones and Omacuguakas, as well as, before all of them,
the Guayranas, who were more numerous than all the others
put together. The latter fact must have directed the attention
of the Jesuit missionaries to those in particular, and, further-
more, they had the least wild character of the various tribes of
redskins in Paraguay. On the one hand, it was found that
they were not shut out from some kind of civilisation, as
they lived in villages ruled over by hereditary Kaziken, or
heads of clans, and existed almost entirely upon corn and maize,
which they planted, while the other tribes led a nomadic life,
and shifted about from place to place, regarding the chase as
the only employment worthy of man's consideration. On the
other hand, there lay upon them the reproach of want of warlike
spirit, as well as deficiency in energy, and they tamely submitted,
although filled in their inmost soul with the most intense hatred,
as all over the Spanish commands they were made use of by
the whites as nothing else than beasts of burden, and treated
.accordingly. Moreover, the number of the tribe who lived in
Spanish territories was but small in comparison with the vast
multitude of those who inhabited the interior, and who, as I
.have already mentioned, remained quite unknown to the
Spaniards, and it may be affirmed with certainty that fully
nine-tenths of the Guayranas had not as yet felt the burden
of oppression ; but the anxiety caused by the prospect before
.them of soon being also subjected to this yoke, induced
138 HISTORY OF THE JESUITS.
them to be all the more favourable towards the preaching of the
Jesuits against Spanish tyranny.
Such was the state of matters at this time in regard to the
Guayranas in Paraguay, when the Jesuits came to the determina-
tion of creating a government of their own, and it will con-
sequently not astonish anyone as to how they succeeded in
procuring an entrance for Christianity. Having thus so far
proceeded, they adopted the following plan of operation ; in the
districts into which, up to this time, the Spaniards had not
penetrated, they induced those who were scattered about in
small villages to unite into large communities, which were called
Bourgaden or Reductions, that is to say, communities that had
been reduced into the Christian faith, and to each of these
Reductions were assigned two spiritual shepherds, of whom
one, a professed member of long standing in the Order, bore the
title of pastor, or spiritual guide ; the other, in most instances
a younger associate who had just arrived from Europe, being
designated vicar.
This was the arrangement, as we shall soon see, as to the
foundation of their Christian Republic, or, if one would rather
term it, of their theocratic State ; and this had such an innocent
appearance that, at the commencement at least, it did not meet
with any great opposition, either from the side of the Spaniards
or that of the Guayranas. The sons of Loyola represented to the
Indians that the several small communities which lay scattered
about, many miles apart, were but ill-suited for protecting them-
selves against the attacks of the Spaniards ; while if, on the
other hand, they were collected together into Bourgaden, or
townships, of 8,000 or 10,000 souls, they might readily keep off
with ease the marauding white adventurers, and this naturally
became clear to the understandings of the redskins. They had,
further, no reason to object to the " spiritual shepherds," as they
were in this way relieved from the supervision of the Kaziken and
superiors under the title of Corregidors, or Alcaldes, and handed
over to that of the spiritual guides. In other words, the Indians
were enabled to select for themselves their own secular magistracy,
as previously, and the Jesuits merely affixed the stipulation that
in all the punishments awarded by them, or in all weighty and
important decisions, they must first of all obtain the sanction of
the said spiritual shepherds. And was this too much to require
THE JESUIT MISSIONS IN AMERICA. 139
Ah! truly the good Padres treated them in such a fatherly
and remarkably kind manner, that they therefore ought to be
allowed the right of a father over his children. In addition to
this, the Jesuits with perfect honesty represented the state of affairs
to their great patron and friend Philip III., the King of Spain,
that is to say, they explained to him and his high council for
India, in several communications, that the chief obstacle to the
speedy and permanent extension of Christianity in Paraguay
and La Plata, arose entirely from the recently-arrived Spaniards
being, without hardly a single exception, a set of haughty, arro-
gant, cruel, avaricious, blasphemous, and thoroughly dissolute
men, whence it happened that the natives could not do otherwise
than entertain a disgust to Christianity itself, on account of the
conduct of these bad Christians. Moreover, the Indians were
maltreated in such a shameful manner by the royal governors
and officials that, on that account, a thorough hatred had sprung
up among them against everything of Spanish origin. For this
reason, if it was desired that these poor creatures should be
received into the bosom of the Church, they should be equally
protected from the tyranny of the Governor and the bad example
of the Spaniards, and these two desiderata could only be accom-
plished by the Jesuits being permitted to carry out the long-
considered plan for the creation in Paraguay of a Christian
Republic.
" In this said Christian Republic, no secular Governor may-
be allowed to have any control; but, on the other hand, the
Indians belonging thereto should, among themselves in com-
munity, be allowed to lead a quiet harmonious life, under the
Jesuits, after the manner of the early Christians, so that a verit-
able paradisiacal state of innocency might be established ; but,
in order that no injury might thereby be occasioned to the
King's power, all members of the Christian Republic were bound
to recognise him as their supreme lord and master, and every
adult must pay to him the tribute of one dollar."
Such was the upright scheme that the Jesuits suggested to the
King, Philip III., and as they were at that time almost all-powerful
at the Court of Spain, not only was this proposition accepted by
that King in the year 1609, but it was also confirmed in all its
particulars later on, from the year 1649 to 1663, under the reign
of Philip IV., notwithstanding that any sagacious statesman-.
140 HISTORY OF THE JESUITS.
might well see how the Spanish Ring's authority was by this
Christian Republic in Paraguay reduced to a mere sham.
But at that time the Councillors and Minister of the most
Catholic court of the world were as if smitten with blindness,
*nd it was only after the lapse of a century that the scales
fell from their eyes. The first Reduction, which received the
holy name of Loretto, and was situated at the confluence of
the Pirape and the Parana, was founded in 1609, through the
exertions of Padres Maceta and Cataldino, who united into one
small community somewhere about sixty small Guayrana vil-
lages which were in existence thereabouts. Next after Loretto
came the Bourgade of St. Ignatius, and subsequently a third
and fourth, until at length, after the lapse of a couple of decades,
their number amounted to about thirty, with a population of
'between nine and ten thousand inhabitants. The internal
organisation of them all was the same that is, they were
governed each by a Jesuit Father, who was also supported by a
vicar as his assistant, and for the purpose of espionage ; this
Father, again, was under the orders of a superior, who was
placed over a diocese of from five to six parishes; the super-
vision and management of these latter, however, rested with
the Provincial, residing in Assumption, who again received his
orders direct from the General in Rome.
One sees, then, that the Jesuits did not in any way proceed
to work without a plan, but that they were in possession of a
Christian Republic as well if not better regulated than the
government of any secular monarch. The Indians, too, were not
badly off with this system of administration, as they were care-
fully educated as good citizens, and, moreover, were all accus-
tomed to take up some regular employment. " Idleness is the
root of all vices," thought the Jesuit Fathers, and upon this
principle they ruled the whole of their subjects, be their age or
sex what it might, and they looked to their bodily constitution
almost as much as to their aptitude and talent. Agriculture and
cattle-breeding naturally came first and foremost as a pursuit,
and most of the adult men were thus employed in the fields;
into their hands also the elder boys were confided ; to the women
and girls, on the other hand, a certain quantity of flax and
cotton was given out, which they had to spin within a certain
prescribed time. Moreover, the different trades and arts were
THE JESUIT MISSIONS IN AMERICA. 141
not neglected, and a Jesuit chronicle upon the state of affairs-
reports in the following words :
" In regard to trades, we daily make further progress, and our-
population becomes always more and more useful. After teach-
ing them the arts of making bricks and burning lime, we build
the most beautiful churches and houses, and our carpenters and
glaziers know very well how to ornament them internally. Others
spin the finest yarns, and weave therefrom the most beautiful
cloths and quilts. Some, again, manufacture hats, and employ
themselves in shoe-making, or any other like occupation. Even
in the weaving of lace they are expert, and when we require in
particular fine and broad priestly albs, the women manufacture
them after a certain pattern with such skill that no difference
could be detected between the copy and the original. One man
made an organ after an European pattern, and finished it off in
so perfect a manner that I was truly amazed. Another has
indited a missal so accurately, after the beautiful Antovfer edition,
that the manuscript might pass for a printed copy. They manu-
facture trumpets, also, and all descriptions of musical instru-
ments. They make the most perfect clocks, and watches for the
pocket, and they paint them in a way that leaves nothing to be
desired. In a word, they can copy anything that we desire
them to do, and show themselves, also, to be equally as teach-
able as they are diligent as soon as ~we set them to any par-
ticular kind of work."*
There can, therefore, seeing all this, be no question that
the Indians, under the rule of the Jesuits, were moulded into
thoroughly capable and useful men; and, in regard to this,
one certainly cannot withhold one's admiration from the
Society of Jesus. But now comes the dark side, which, to-
a great extent, counterbalanced the bright side of the matter.
The Indians, so far as concerns spiritual affairs, were kept in a
degree of the profoundest ignorance, and their religion simply
consisted in the grossest superstition, whereby the Jesuits
represented themselves to be the oracles of God this same
Deity, however, being for the white Padres alone, who formed a
superior class of beings ; and, on that account, the Guayranas
* All this is to be found, word for word, in the History of Paraguay,
by Franz Xaver de Charlevoix, part ii. (preface), p. 3, 4.
142 HISTORY OF THE JESUITS.
were obliged, under a severe penalty, to regard the so-called
" superior beings," namely, the Jesuits, with the most profound
respect with such respect, indeed, that they were compelled
to receive orders from them in a kneeling posture, and it was
held to be a high honour to he allowed to kiss the sleeves or
hem of the holy Fathers' garments. From such spiritual child-
hood, however, the Guayranas were never to be emancipated, and
'the chief means of accomplishing their thraldom was by fear
and intimidation. For this reason all the churches were orna-
mented with holy pictures of the most extraordinary description,
and with statues of truly gigantic proportions, of frightful
aspect and threatening gesture. These figures, also, were fur-
nished with movable limbs and rolling eyes, all of which filled
the poor Indians with mortal terror ; and such crazy nonsense as
this was called by the Jesuits Christianity ! As in this manner
spiritual liberty was suppressed, even so also was political and
social freedom kept under subjection. Not any one of the
Jesuit subjects might for a moment think of raising himself, by
his talent, energy, or industry, to a higher place in the social
grade than that of his fellows, but he continued to be a mere
machine in the hands of the Fathers, who assigned this or that
employment to each according to their will and pleasure. Like-
wise, also, there existed in the Guayranian Republic no rights of
property whatever, not even of the smallest description; no true
communism was, therefore, by any means actually created. On
the contrary, every day all the produce of agriculture and other
industries was delivered into the hands of the Jesuits, to be
deposited in their store-houses, and in return for this the Indians
were merely provided with what was absolutely necessary for
their daily sustenance. One might well say, then, that the poor
subjects of the Jesuits were nothing better than slaves and
slaves, truly, in the fullest acceptation of the term ; but this
bondage was so uncommonly enveloped in sugar, and exercised
with such a degree of fatherly benevolence, that the Guayranas,
in their simplicity, desired nothing better. Almost every
evening there was a lively dance to the music of a well-instructed
band, played by the natives, and the severest labour in the
field was at once lightened by the sound of trumpets and fifes
taken along with them, whilst, on Sundays and festivals, as well
in the churches as out of them, the most lively dances and plays
THE JESUIT MISSIONS IN AMERICA. 143
were the order of the day.* There was thus no lack of enjoy-
ment, but only such kind of amusement was permitted as was
calculated to leave the Indians in a state of childhood and sim-
plicity, and none was ever allowed by which they might develop
into thinking human beings. On these very grounds great care
was taken never to allow any European to set his foot in any
of these Jesuit Reductions, as what could more be feared than
the pestilential expose which might be made by any such
stranger ? And more especially the Spaniards were denied
an entrance into these Jesuit territories, and on this account
the Indians were encouraged to resist by force any attempted
intrusion of such visitors, that is to say, all such were turned
out of the domain by strength of arms. The Guayranas, with
all alacrity, rendered implicit obedience to such appeals as were
made to them of this nature, as the Jesuits had instilled the
belief into their minds that the Spaniards only came there to take
possession of their territories, and to exact the same statute
labour from them by which so many thousands of their brethren
had been destroyed, owing to over- work. To prevent effectually,
however, the approach of any stranger amongst the Guayranas, the
* The Jesuit Father Charlevoix verbally states as follows in his report on
this subject: "It is an old custom in Spain that on fete days dances should
be conducted by children. The missionaries adopted this laudable custom,
and by means of it introduced a system of inducing the heathen to come
into their churches. With this object I therefore selected four and twenty
of those best suited to carry it out, and in this manner devoted such days
to great enjoyment and general edification. At one time they performed
such dances in the most approved way, at another they joined in plays of a
knight-errant description, partly on horseback and partly on foot. At one
time they danced upon stilts six ells in height, at another upon ropes ; or
they would run at a small ring with lances. On another occasion I caused
them to perform small comedies, all of which, although after great trouble
to myself, were driven into their thick heads and elegantly represented."
Another report upon the operations of one of the Reductions runs as
follows : " After this (namely, after the inspection of the school) I go
among the musicians and listen to their melodies ; first to the baritones, of
whom I have eight ; the altos, next in order, of whom there are six ; tenors,
too, without number ; but of basses, however, only six. After these, four
trumpeters, eight horns, and four cornets perform their exercises. I then
instruct the harpists, of whom there are six, and the organists, of whom
four ; and, lastly, the flautiets, of whom only one. I now took in hand the
dancers, and taught them all such dances as occur in comedies. It is of the
greatest consequence to attract unbelievers in this way with things of this
nature, and by the splendid ceremonies of the Church to create an internal
inclination in favour of the Christian religion, on which account small
booths are beautifully decorated on all festival days after vespers, and,
before high mass, dances are conducted in the church where all are
assembled. We also find great advantage from the official processions, just
as it happened in olden days before the Venerabile, in the times when
David danced before the Ark of the Covenant." (See Charlevoix, vol. ii.,
p. 7, 8, 21, preface.)
144 HISTORY OF THE JESUITS.
only language which was taught in their schools was the Guay-
rana, and by this means the comprehension of all other tongues
was nipped in the bud. Indeed, the Jesuits even went so far
as to form, in every Reduction orBourgade (borough), an armed
force, consisting of cavalry as well as infantry; and by means of
these troops, well armed and drilled as they were, besides being
also provided with artillery, they could easily get the better
of any foreign attempt at intrusion, even when made by force,
without the boundaries of the Christian Republic in Paraguay.
They soon, indeed, succeeded in extending even their own original
domains far across the borders of the province of Guayra, so that
in a short time their possessions comprehended all the countries
to the right and left of Paraguay, even as far as Brazil; but no
information, or, at least, very uncertain news, respecting their
enormous possessions was allowed to reach Europe, as the country
was, so to speak, hermetically sealed, and even the Court of
Madrid, although the King was recognised by them as nominal 1
Lord Paramount of Paraguay, was kept in ignorance of all'
details concerning the proceedings of the Jesuits. I say, em-
phatically, nominal ; as never, from the year 1609 up to the
middle of the 18th century, had the King exercised any kind
of authority whatsoever in that Republic ; and even the head-
money, that the Jesuits had contracted to pay annually to the
kings of Spain, came in so sparingly that it might be well
supposed to have been derived from only some thirty or forty
thousand subjects, instead of from at least ten times that number.
Still, notwithstanding the excessive power to which the Order
of Jesus attained in Southern America, and even the unbounded
dominion that placed the General of the Jesuits in Rome on a
par with the mightiest monarchs in the world, the reader will
learn in the fourth, fifth, and sixth books of this work the prin-
cipal causes which led to the downfall of this much-dreaded
Society in these parts of the globe.
Thus much for the Jesuit missions in the distant regions of
the world, or, rather, concerning the gigantic growth of the
Society of Jesus in Asia, Africa, and America.
145
CHAPTER II.
THE POWEEFUL INFLUENCE OP THE JESUITS IN EUROPE.
IN the preceding chapter I have described in what way, by what
means, and with what results the sons of Loyola contrived to
spread themselves throughout Asia, Africa, and America. It
was otherwise, however, in regard to their extension in Europe,
as in this instance they had to deal with professing Christians,
and had not to trouble themselves so much with the conversion
of unbelievers. They were, at least, unable to establish their
power under that insignia. On this account they at once blotted
out this motto on their banner, and in its place wrote in large
capital letters, Extension and Re-establishment of the True
Faith, that is, of the Roman Catholic religion, with the Papacy
at its head. Was not this faith, as I have shown in the first
book, in so many places most profoundly shaken, and was there
not immediate danger of the great Pontiff himself being soon
bodily hurled from the almighty throne upon which he had
previously sat, and ousted from his hitherto most faithful pro-
vinces ? In what manner, then, and by what means, did the
Jesuits now succeed in their object under the motto that they
displayed intended for Europe ? It was everywhere, indeed, by the
same means and in the same way, namely, by the establishment
of educational institutions, by seizure of the confessional stools
of kings, by fighting with heresy, by the incorporation of the
most powerful forces into their Order, as also by their fanatical
influence on the great mass of the people. As regards the
10
140 HISTORY OP THE JESUITS.
founding of educational institutions, their method of procedure
was as follows : They entered into a town by twos and threes,
not, indeed, on horseback, or in a carriage, richly and ex-
pensively attired, but, on the contrary, on foot, and without
shoes and stockings, in mean clothing, and with such a miser-
able appearance that it was impossible to refuse to give them
alms. It was thus that their exnmpler Ignatius had first
made his appearance, and it was thus also that they pre-
sented themselves in public. They did not alight at inns, or at
the houses of the rich, even when pressingly invited. No ; on
the contrary, they made their way to the hospital or the poor-
house, considering these, the most miserable quarters, to be but
too good, indeed, for them ; they tended the sick, especially
those whom no one else would approach on account of the con-
tagious character of their diseases, and discharged offices of
the most menial kind, as if the humility of servants became
them. They, at the same time, did not delay in at once attach-
ing to themselves some children of the poor, teaching them to
read and write, as well as instructing them in the first principles
of the Roman Catholic religion. For this instruction they
demanded no return, not even the very slightest, knowing full
well that gratuitous teaching formed the great power of attrac-
tion for the poor people to induce them to entrust their children
to their care. Soon everyone throughout the whole town began
to speak of them, and to sing their praises, and the number of
their young pupils increased to such an extent that the room
where they afforded this instruction became much too small
for the purpose. " We would willingly, now," said the good
Fathers, "receive more children, had we only more room," and
this equally pious as modest wish stirred up the hearts of the
people who were rich, to such a pitch that they purchased a
small house for the devout instructors, in order to carry on their
school therein. Naturally enough, the number of the scholars
now went on continually increasing, and thus it became neces-
sary for more Jesuit Fathers to come forward in order to satisfy
the demands made upon them. They could not well refuse
to receive the children of the richer classes of the community,
and those of higher consideration ; consequently, the subjects
for instruction still continued to extend beyond those required
merely for the poor and persons of low degree. But apart
THE POWERFUL INFLUENCE OF THE JESUITS. 147
from this, even what was taught enticed always more and
more scholars to come to them, and the small house became
presently quite insufficient for their purpose. Those inhabitants
of the town who were in good circumstances continued to render
assistance to them, and after a year, or, at the most, a couple
of years, the pious Fathers were enabled to erect a college which,
in regard to its external appearance, had more resemblance to a
palace than to an educational institution.
This was the usual course of things, and when once the college
was founded the Jesuits naturally had the game all in their own
hands, as, for the most part, the whole youth of the population
flocked to them for education. For, to attain their object, they
usually formed in their college three classes, or grades, of in-
struction : first of all, the elementary school, then the middle
school, and, lastly, the higher school. In the elementary school
was taught merely the primary groundwork, reading, writing,
and, to a certain extent, accounts, but more especially the Faith,
that is to say, strict obedience to the teaching and practices of
the Roman Catholic Church, as well as abhorrence of all here-
tical innovations. In the middle school were placed those who
were destined to be instructed ordinarily during a period of nine
years in the Greek and Latin grammar, and then advanced to a
two-years' course of rhetoric ; but religious instruction was here,
again, the principal topic, and each of the pupils was imbued
with a veneration for the Papacy and Catholic priesthood, as
-well as with hatred against all recreants and heretics, salient
characteristics of the Roman Catholic faith. In the high school
the students received a finishing stroke to their studies, during
a three-years' course of philosophy, or, more properly speaking,
of logic and metaphysics, followed by a four-years' course of
theology, regarded by them as the absolute queen of all sciences.
As regards medicine and jurisprudence, the sons of Loyola did
not usually meddle ; but what they regarded as of transcendent
importance when they were destined to the priesthood, was
readiness in making use of their tongues, as well as dexterous
-behaviour on being taken suddenly by surprise.
The reader must now, then, readily admit, when things were
so far advanced, that the Jesuits must have obtained an enormous
influence over the Catholic community in Europe by the esta-
blishment of their educational institutions. In religious matters
10 *
148 HISTORY OF THE JESUITS.
they taught, indeed, all who were educated by them, whether lay-
er ecclesiastical, just exactly what suited them, and nothing
else; and, afterwards, laymen as well as ecclesiastics worked in
their avocations according to their spirit. Not the less effectual
for the dominion of the Jesuits in Europe was the acquisition by
them of the confessional stools of kings, and none of the other
Orders that ever existed, or all the ordinary priesthood put to-
gether, effected such great results in this direction as the cele-
brated Society of Jesus. The institution of confession, concerning
which Christ himself does not say a single word, was first of all
established in the 2nd or 3rd century of the Christian era, by the
public confession of sins being exacted from those who wished to
be allowed readmittance into the Church, from which they had
been expelled on account of the more grievous description of
transgressions ; but it was not till the 5th century, under the
reign of Pope Leo the Great, that secret confession to priests
was declared to be indispensable for the forgiveness of sins,
while private oral confession was legally sanctioned by In-
nocent III. in the year 1215. The Father Confessor, at
the commencement, was, as may be readily understood, the
parson of the community for the time being, and the greatest
of earthly beings knew no other, but had to confess to him, as
other Christians did, in the public Church. At the end of the
6th century, on the other hand, there existed in the palace of
the Emperor of Constantinople a special chapel with a special
confessional stool, as it was held by their Majesties not to
be respectable for them to acknowledge their sins in one and
the same place as that where their subjects repaired, and this
invention of the Court of Constantinople was forthwith imitated
by all the other monarchs of the world.
When once, then, a Court chapel was instituted, it followed, as
a matter of course, that a Court chaplain should not be wanting ;
and we find, therefore, such-like priests as early as the time
of the French kings Childebert and Clothaire. These said
priests belonged originally to the secular priesthood ; with
the introduction, however, of the monkish Orders, many of
the cowl-wearers were to be found among the spiritual advisers
of ruling princes and great lords. These offices were more
especially filled by Benedictine monks. In this way did the
holy Berlin come to perform the office of Father Confessor to
THE POWEKFUL INFLUENCE OF THE JESUITS. 149
<3ount Valbert of Flanders ; thus also did Martin, a monk in
Gomez, officiate as Court chaplain to Charles Martel ; as also in a
similar manner did Benedict of Aniane act as soul-councillor of
Louis the Pious. Later on, the barons and nobles of the times
proceeded to follow the customs of the Court, and also built for
themselves their own particular chapels ; while the begging
monks, especially the Franciscans, came to be very favourite
Father Confessors among them, probably from the circumstance
of their being procurable at a cheap rate. In king's courts,
however, the Dominicans were all the fashion, and certainly not
to the detriment of their Order. Still there always were, at the
same time, many of the ordinary priesthood who aspired to be
the soul-councillors of princes, and it cannot in any way be
affirmed that the monkish Orders laid claim to a monopoly
of the business of Father Confessorships to the higher classes
of the community. It was a very different matter, however,
when the Order of the Jesuits came into existence, for hardly
had the sect been fairly established when at once everyone
about the Court who had anything to do in regard to such posts
was solicited to use his influence for this Order; and the
remaining Orders might contend against them as much as they
were able, the latter were certain to be outflanked and com-
pletely over-ridden. It would be a very great error to suppose
that this was effected by individual Jesuits alone, who had
succeeded in ingratiating themselves at particular Courts. No,
emphatically no ; it was all regularly planned on a peculiar
system. Even Loyola himself had vehemently taken to task
Jacob Miro, who wished to refuse the proposal of John
.III. of Portugal to be his Father Confessor, on the plea
.that such places were not at all suited for an Order whose
calling it was to frequent hospitals and devote itself to the
.insti'uction of youth sunk in the deepest state of poverty.
" The atmosphere of Courts,'' wrote the General to his sub-
ordinate, " might not prove to be so dangerous, and zeal might
well be shown for the welfare of the souls of men in hospitals
.and in the galleys and prisons, without on that account there
being any necessity for shunning the Courts. On the contrary,
kings required good priests for their guidance all the more from
the circumstance that they had many more allurements to sin
.than ordinary mortals, and on that account it was his wish that
150 HISTOllY OF THE JESUITS.
it should fall to the lot of a member of the Society of Jesus to-
be the Father Confessor of a king."
This order of Loyola was now carried out so effectually that
henceforth no Jesuit perpetrated the pious folly of Jacob Miro,
and it did not by any means satisfy his successors in the office
of General to be contented with a solitary post, but, on the
other hand, directions were in future formally given to members
of the Order to seize upon the consciences of kings, and a dis-
tinct regulation was made, to which those chosen to act us
Father Confessors had to adhere.
" The chief aim " thus runs the order " of all our efforts
ought to be to procure the confidence and favour of princes and
men hi places of distinction, to the end thai no one might dare
to offer opposition to us, but, on the contrary, that all should
be subject to us."
Is not this, then, expressed sufficiently distinctly ? With
equal clearness are the ways and means also indicated, by
following which the favour of rulers was to be obtained :
" The favourites of princes, high and low, female as well as
male, must be put under obligation through presents, flattery,
and favours of all description, so that they may intercede for
us with their masters, and give us correct information as to the
characters and inclinations of the latter. On the other hand,
however, all servants who have shown themselves to be in any
way adverse to the Order, should by all manner of means be
removed from the surrounding of the monarchs and their
councillors, or be gained over to our side by great promises."
Moreover, as a matter of course, it was clearly for the advan-
tage of the Jesuits that they should not only gain the ear of the
princes, but also, in accordance with the above instructions, be
equally zealous in doing the same in respect to the princesses;.
the chief aim and object being thus to gain their favour, it was,
well worth while to bribe the chamber- women, " as through them
access may be obtained to the most important family secrets."
The document in question shows not less characteristic-
ally how, when favour has once been successfully gained, it is
to be retained. " This may best be effected in this way by
laying a cushion under the arms of the sinner, according to the
Prophet Ezekiel (chap. xiii. 18) ;" in other words, not to-
appear to observe their objectionable proceedings, and, when it
THE POWEBFUL INFLUENCE OF THE JESUITS. 151
becomes really necessary to make any remarks about these, not
to make absolution difficult.
" The conscience of a ruler must be cleared without any
ceremony, especially when this has been refused to be done by
other ecclesiastics ; by this means the princes may abandon
our rivals, and become wholly dependent on our councils and
guidance. In short, the Jesuit Order looks upon it as their
highest aim and object to seize upon the place of Father Con-
fessor at all the different Courts and among all persons of
distinction, well knowing that enormous power lies hidden
therein ; at the same time the making publicly known of this-
earnest striving after power must be carefully avoided, especially
as regards those princes who operate somewhat beneficially by
their worldly might. Assurance must often and earnestly be
given," proceeds this same above-cited document, " that it is not
sought in any way to interfere with the affairs of the State, and
it is recommended to those who might be pleased to see them-
selves at the rudder not to make it evident that they are mani-
festly in that position. This ought rather to be effected through
means of some trusted third party, that then the opinion
of the ruler's Father Confessor might be asked ; when by
this means all appearance of direct interference is avoided,
then will be the reality of the influence all the more effectually
secured."
After all this, can there be any further evidence required in
order to prove that the Jesuits strove by every means in their
power to obtain the monopoly of the royal confessionals, and
that shortly after the institution of the Order they did actually
contrive to acquire possession of them, regarding this as the
great lever of their influence ?
A third mode of firmly planting their dominion in Europe,
was by their perseverance, courage, and skill in combating
heresy, and more especially that of Luther and Calvin, well
knowing that they in this manner rendered themselves absolutely
indispensable for the defence of the Catholic faith.
Whenever, in Germany or other countries, religious dis-
putations, during some dozens of years, took place, did not the
Jesuits sustain the principal part ? Wherever there happened
to be any kind of Church assemblage, or when an Imperial diet
was held, was it not that the sons of Loyola were always in
152 HISTORY OF THE JESUITS.
requisition as indispensable ? It could not, indeed, well be
otherwise ; and, in fuct, simply on this account that, as it was
in those days well known, the rest of the priesthood, when
Protestantism had sprung into existence, were very far from
being up to a high standard as regards knowledge, information,
and culture ! whilst the Jesuits, on the other hand, had been
brought up in their colleges expressly in the art of disputation,
so much so as to be able to cope even with the " God be with
us" ones. Moreover, it signified very little to them by what
means they slew their enemies ; and by no one else in the world
was the art of calumniation practised on such a colossal scale, as
well as artificial perversion, and, indeed, downright falsehood.
Whenever such arts as these, too, failed them, had they not
recourse to violence, and, indeed, to the brute force that every-
where prevailed ?
Regarding such proceedings, many volumes have been written ;
but it is here sufficient to give only one example. Concern-
ing the death of Luther, for instance, the following statement
is to be read verbatim in a Jesuit report which was given out
from the pulpit :
" I may not make mention of this hellish monster by name,
this traitor to the Catholic religion, this fugitive from the
cloister, this restorer of all heresy, this hideous wretch before
God and man. He died in the eighteenth year of his fall, after
having become fearfully intoxicated in partaking of a banquet,
when, as was his custom, he had there made a fool of himself ;
so his vile spirit became a delicious morsel for the devil, who
might right well sate himself with such-like tit-bits."
Everyone knows that this account of the death of Luther
was nothing but a bare-faced untruth, and the Jesuits themselves
were likewise well aware that it was so ; but against heretics,
according to their principles, all means were allowable, and it
was well done to spread abroad the very meanest of calumnies,
provided it was only possible to obtain credence for them with
the multitude. I am compelled by truth to add, too, that they
made use of similar wicked and morally exceptionable artifices,
not alone among the illiterate mass of the people, but also
among the higher classes; and especially they contrived
to persuade and talk over the Catholic monarchs, in such a
manner as to make them believe that all revolutionary fermenta-
THE POWEBFUL INFLUENCE OF THE JESUITS. 153
tions and disturbances among their subjects arose only from
the spirit of heresy. In this manner, indeed, the Jesuits
wished to make it appear that they alone were to be regarded
as the saviours and pillars of the monarchies, and to be treated
accordingly, as they were also always at warfare with heresy,
and never gave in so as to render it possible for peace to be
concluded between the contending parties.
A fourth means by which the Order of Jesuits knew how to
raise its power to an important height, lay in the art they pos-
sessed of gaining over to their side the best heads of the State,
either in fact, as regular and professed members of the Society,
or as affiliated and secret members. As regards the first class,
there existed, as we know, in the colleges, youths of all condi-
tions, and in their education the best opportunity was afforded
.for discovering the most conspicuous talents; having thus
found out those who were best fitted to become useful sub-
jects for the Order, their object was to entice them over for
their purposes. Had not everyone, especially when still young,
some more or less weak point in his character which might be
fastened upon ? and no Father was assuredly selected as rector
of a college who had not distinguished himself by a thorough
knowledge of human nature, as well as the faculty of attracting
to himself the youths under his tuition. In matter of fact it was
; so brought about, that those young men whom it might be
wished to make novices were so trained, by this means or that,
that they themselves solicited admission into the Order, and
the only obstacle to this plan was that the parents of the young
men frequently withheld their consent strenuously to such a step;
this difficulty was, however, often got over by causing such
scholars to disappear from the scene, while they were brought
again into some far distant college. They were there, necessarily,
received under an entirely different name, in order to oblite-
rate all trace of their birth; and by this means, and other
cunning and forcible devices and measures, the opposing parents,
when they even belonged to the richer and higher classes of
society, were successfully prevented from snatching their sons
out of the Jesuit novitiate. Do whatever they would, the Order
, retained the youth as belonging to itself, even when an appeal
was made for aid to the highest courts of law, the reigning
sovereigns, or even, indeed, the Pope himself. It retained them
151 HISTOKY OP THE JESUITS.
and brought them up in its own ideas, considering that such
members would afterwards be of the greatest use to the fraternity.
The so-called affiliated or secret members were almost of still
greater importance those, namely, who had bound themselves by
only a single vow, that is to say, to render to the Society oi
Jesus with true devotion all services that might be demanded
of them, and who on that account were allowed to continue to
live as people of the world, in the same station and sphere as
had been their wont. Those, for the most part, were men of high
rank, who would have lost situations as councillors or ministers
to princes had they formally and openly joined the Jesuit Order;
and herein is seen a great advantage, as such persons, while
retaining their former occupations, when they worshipped in the
profess-houses might, on receiving a formal dispensation from
the General, deny openly their secret admission into the Society
of Jesus. Further than this, they might even outwardly make
themselves appear to be the enemies of the Order, so as to be
enabled all the more surely to spy into matters with which,
they wished to become acquainted, and on that account there
existed affiliated Jesuits even in the Protestant camp itself.
Still no one, of course, was aware of their existence there,
except the Provincial of the district for the time being, as also
the General of the Order in Rome, and the sole private mark by
which they might be recognised consisted in a scapular which
they wore next their naked breasts, on which was imprinted the
letters I. H. S.
The fifth mode by which the Jesuits gained admission all
over Europe, was not be sought among the cultivated classes,
but, on the contrary, among the profanum vulyus, and consisted
in a sort of fanaticism into which the pious lathers knew how to
work themselves. Thus it was not at all uncommon for two
or three of them to be found running through the streets by
night or day in a half-naked condition, bawling out loudly that
owing to the sins of mankind the end of all things was at hand,
on which account they flogged themselves with whips so unmer-
cifully that streams of blood flowed from their bodies. As a.
matter of course, when such a spectacle was enacted, it was sure
to collect a great crowd about them, and while at first some people
laughed at their proceedings, and many from disgust turned
away from them disdainfully, this disposition at length gave
THE POWERFUL INFLUENCE OF THE JESUITS. 155
way to another feeling, namely to that of astonishment, if not,,
indeed, of admiration. The Padres flogged and chastised their
bodies to such an extent that even a stone might have pitied
them ; should they not, then, be looked upon as holy
saints? They, indeed, transgressed all laws of propriety in
exhibiting themselves in this half-naked condition, and one often
felt inclined to give them a kick, in order to make them under-
stand this ; but on being thus treated, they would at once, in :
the most humble manner, express themselves thankful for the
well-deserved punishment, and thereupon present both of their
cheeks to the chastiser for fresh blows to be given them.
But enough of these silly and ecstatic follies of the Jesuits,
which were not, indeed, without effect ; the more so that
their proceedings became contagious, to an extent that whole
troops of people ran after them, similarly flogging themselves
and calling out, "Alas, the sinners! Alas, the great sinful city!"
Such were the means adopted by the Jesuits for establishing
themselves as a great power in the Catholic countries of Europe ;
and having now analysed all appertaining thereto, I proceed to-
enter upon the subject more in detail.
I. POWERFUL INFLUENCE OF THE JESUITS IN ITALY.
The Papal Court of Paul III. in Home gave to the founda-
tion of the Jesuit Order, as we have already seen, its approval
simply on this account, that Ignatius Loyola promised that all
his exertions, and those of his associates, should be directed
towards defending and upholding the rights of His Holiness,
and re-establishing everywhere the then depressed interests of
Rome. Ignatius Loyola kept to his word, and on that account
gained from Paul III. himself, as well as from his successors,
the greatest privileges and favours. The Popes who followed
him thought and acted in a similar manner; and how,
indeed, could they have done differently, as the sons of
Loyola, for nearly 100 years, fulfilled, or, at any rate, appeared
to fulfil, the promise of their founder ? But in what respect did
they carry out this pledge ? Who, for example, was it that
defended at the Council of Trent, with the greatest zeal, those
assumptions and abuses of the Papacy which even good Catholic
historians designate as being " extravagant " ? Was it not the
ICG HISTORY OF THE JESUITS.
,1. 'suits l.iiyiiiv.. Siilmeron, and ( 'ouvilluii '.' Wli.i was it tliaL
resisted with Huch skill those ideas of reform in Church mm ins
BO unanimously demanded by everyone, ami of abuses which
caused the Human Chair to bo looked upon everywhere with
horror, but they alone, and always they ? Who was it that
supported before the Congress of Poissy, as well us in all other
places in which it was in question, the unlimited omnipotence
of the Pope, and placed it above even all other common councils?
Who was it that, with similar energy, defended it with such
eloquence and such success as the members of the Society t
Jesus? It having thus acted, would not the Popes have exhibited
iho greatest in: mtitudo had they not done everything that
possibly lay in their power towards the elevation of the Order,
and the Imthenmee of the extension of its colleges, seminaries,
residences. novitiates, and nil Us ether houses'.' Would not
the Popes, indeed, have been considered to blame had they
aeted otherwise? as they certainly would not have understood
what was evidently for their advantage.
" One hand washes the other," is an old saying, and, not the
less true, " Live and let live." Both of these proverbs were, as
a rule, observed by the Popes, and thus it came about that after
the death of Pius V., in the year 1572, the Order was already
in possession of five houses or establishments of some kind in
Rome. Gregory XIII., the successor of the above-mentioned
Pope, was, again, still more liberal towards them, as he pre-
sented them with no less than twenty-five tons (?) of gold, in
order to enable them to erect a still more splendid college than
that which they already possessed, and, through his example,
many great and rich people were induced to accord their favour
to the Order. It came to this, in short, that, within the space
of a few decades, the Jesuits possessed within their province of
Rome (including the state of Tuscany), a profess-house (in
Rome itself), two profess-houscs or novitiates (in Rome and
Florence), six residences, besides not fewer than thirty-four
colleges and seminaries ; and their possessions throughout the
other ports of Italy were in much the same proportion. Thus,
lor example, in the province of Milan they could boast of the
possession of two profess-houses (those of Milan and Genoa),
three novitiates (those of Genoa, Arona, and Chiara), besides
sixteen colleges and six residences ; then, in the province of
THE POWERFUL INFLUENCE OF THE JE9UIT3. 157
Naples they had one profess-house (that of Naples), two novi-
tiates (those of Naples and Atri), one residence and twenty-six
colleges ; in the province of Sicily they possessed two profess-
houses and novitiates (each at Palermo and Messina), ten
seminaries, and twelve colleges ; and, lastly, in the " province of
Sardinia, or Savoy," they owned two profess-houses (those of
SafTari and Cagliari), one novitiate (that of Cagliari), besides
six colleges. Who, then, could now affirm that the Order had
not come to be a great power in Italy ? The Fathers did
not, indeed, shrink from knocking at all the doors that they
thought might be opened to them, and if they failed at first
they returned again a second and third time. They especially
desired to operate upon the masses, and succeeded only too well,
as, in those days, the poorer classes among the Italian people
were still in a state of great ignorance and superstition, as well
as being very sensitive and excitable, especially in southern-
Italy. The Jesuits caused, for instance, an enormous dis-
turbance amongst the inhabitants of Gaeta and its environs, as,
accompanied with masks, they ran about the streets in despair,
the upper parts of their bodies being naked, while, with thorns
thrust through their flesh, they called out in a lamentable tone
of voice, " Do penance, do penance ! hell is for sinners and
Paradise for the elect." It was similarly in Naples that they
formed bands among the very lowest classes of the people, and
whole companies of both male and female flagellate rs over-
ran both town and country ; and I could write a thick volume
full of the follies and obscenities carried on by these fanatical
gangs, and especially by those of them consisting of females.
Here I only content myself with the mere mention that such was-
the case, as I shall come to speak on this theme more in detail 1
in the third book. I cannot refrain, however, from saying a
few words as regards the so-called funeral masquerades, which-
were carried on in Palermo and Messina, as Death in person was
there brought upon the scene, and the people were thereby filled
with such fear and horror that it resulted in not a few being
driven almost mad. To have a proper idea of these masquerades
one must imagine a great procession in a broad street, looked
upon by a body of many thousand spectators. At the head of this-
procession is to be seen a naked body, covered with blood, wrest-
ling with Death, and borne upon an open bier by a troop of men*
158 HISTORY OP THE JESUITS.
uttired in long talars. On both sides of this bier, as also imme-
diately behind it, walk beautiful boys dressed in white em
broidered dalmaticas, and furnished with wings attached to their
"backs, while each of them carries a cross in his hands. These
are intended to represent a choir of angels, who, with clear
voices, perform a concert that might not, indeed, be more beauti-
ful in heaven itself. But, unfortunately, while listening to it
one is disturbed by seeing a great swarm of ugly black devils,
furnished with great claws, flourishing their tails about, wildly
raging and roaring in order to harass and impede the angels,
and with this object yelling and cursing in such a way as
to cause a frightful uproar. The devils also wave about
lighted torches, made of pitch, the sickening smoke of which
darkens the atmosphere to such an extent as at times to prevent
anything from being seen. Now, however, comes the principal
object, viz. Death himself, mounted upon a carriage entirely
black, and drawn by six black horses. This representation of
Death is quite horrible to look at, as it consists of a leaden-
coloured skeleton of colossal dimensions, so much so, indeed,
that his head reaches up to the upper windows of the houses.
In his right hand he carries a colossal scythe, and with the left
Tie drags after him a chain, to which is attached a whole herd
of howling ghosts representing every sex, age, and class of
-society. Those hideous and horrible-looking hobgoblins from
time to time utter lamentable cries, while exhibiting, by the
contortions of their limbs, the torments of hell which they are
suffering. Moreover, despite all this wailing, Death pursues his
course, as if deaf and dumb, gnashing his teeth and giving evident
-signs that nothing would deter him from sweeping away every
living thing on earth, and casting them into the abyss of hell.
It is, on this account, quite in vain that a choir of mournful
repentant psalm-singers following in his train groans out the
most doleful airs, exciting thereby, in the highest degree, the
anguish and horror of the surrounding bystanders, who can see
no escape from eternal perdition. But now, behold ! the Jesuits
come upon the scene; they look, however, earnest and solemn,
but also, at the same time, friendly and celestial, while glancing
around them. A magnificent radiant sun, borne by four stalwart
lay brethren, is carried along above their heads, indicating the
light of eternal blessedness, so thnt the minds more hesvilv
THE POWERFUL INFLUENCE OF THE JESUITS. 159
oppressed may breathe lightly again, knowing at length where
to look for the dispensation of eternal grace. So great was the
power to which the Jesuits now attained in Italy, and so easily
were they ordinarily enabled to gain the end and aim which they
set before them. But it so happened that there was one hindrance
to their being able to conquer ; and similar difficulties occurred,
too, in Milan, Venice, Veltlin, and Savoy. In Milan, from
the year 1566 to 1584, there ruled as Archbishop, Count
Carlo Borromeo, well-known as one of the most distinguished
men of his times, whose diocese, as long as he lived and laboured,
might well have served as a model for all others. This Borromeo,
in the hope of bringing better order and condition into his
hitherto rather lax church discipline, invited the Jesuits to
Milan, selecting one from among their ranks as his Father
Confessor, and putting a seminary at their disposal in order to
establish a splendid educational institution, overloading them at
the same time with favours of every description, to such an
extent that he even entertained the idea of making over to them
the possessions belonging to the Order of the wild "Humiliaten,"
which it was his wish to suppress. As he carried out, with
becoming zeal, the reform of the priesthood, and especially of
the monkhood, both of which had become dissolute, the refrac-
tory monks brought an accusation against him before the Pope,
and at the same time caused him to become an object of
suspicion to the Spanish Governor of Milan (Lombardy at that
time belonging to the Crown of Spain), making it appear that he
entertained the idea of assuming the royal prerogative. In con-
sequence of this accusation the Pope, as well as the Governor,
took steps against him, and to all appearance it seemed as if
he would succumb to his enemies. The Jesuits also, at whose
head Father Mazarini, the Rector of their college in Milan, par-
ticularly distinguished himself, were of this way of thinking.
Not only did they at once go over with flying colours to the
camp of the Spanish Governor, but they reviled their former
benefactor, the Archbishop, in the most calumnious manner,
in every church which had been given to them by him as a
present. They reckoned, however, without their host, in
imagining that Count Borromeo must of necessity make room
for another, as he victoriously met all the accusations and
calumnies which had been brought against him. It now
160 HISTORY OP THE JESUITS.
became the turn of the miserable creatures who up to this time-
had been open-mouthed against him, to shake in their shoes,
and the Jesuits, especially, fully expected nothing else than that
the Archbishop would launch out all his fury against them. He,
however, a man full of Christian love, contented himself with
taking their church and college from them, and expelling them
from the city of Milan, but not, however, altogether out of his
very extensive diocese. It was, indeed, a very lenient punish-
ment for such base ingratitude as the Jesuits had shown him,
and the latter ought to have thanked him with all humility.
This they did not do, however ; but they thought that they
might again establish themselves in the favour of Borromeo
by laying all the blame of what had taken place on the shoulders
of their Rector, Mazarini. On this account, the then General
of the Order, Claudio Aquaviva, expressed his disapprobation of
tbe conduct of Mazarini in a special letter addressed to the
Archbishop, forbidding the delinquent, at the same time, from
preaching during two years, and ordering him to throw himself
humbly at the feet of the offended Borromeo. The Rector, as
may be understood, rendered obedience to this order ; but the
Archbishop did not, however, on this account, rescind bis decree
of banishment ; and his nephew and successor, Count Frederico
Borromeo, who held possession of the Archiepiscopal chair from
1595 to 1631, went still further on assuming possession of the
government, and took away from the Jesuits the conduct of
all the colleges and seminaries which had been established in
Lombardy, forbidding all who wished to devote themselves to the
priesthood from prosecuting their studies in any Jesuit college,,
under the penalty of loss of consecration. This injunction con-
tinued as long as he lived, and it was only after the year 1631
that the Jesuits ventured to establish themselves again in the ter-
ritory of Milan. It went even worse than this with them in the
city of Venice, which had always shown itself more free-thinking
than was agreeable to the Romish priesthood; and it was
for this reason that the Jesuits had very early established
themselves there, in order to bring about, through their
influence, a change in the state of matters. Now. however,
Jesuit machinations did not at all meet with the approval of the
Venetian Senate, and on this account it decreed a law in 1608
by which neither any new churches nor cloisters could be built
THE POWERFUL INFLUENCE OF THE JESUITS. 161
without the permission of the Government, nor any new Order
of Monks or societies founded. This was a severe blow to the
Romish priesthood, and more especially to the Jesuits, who at
that time had entertained the idea of establishing themselves
permanently all over the Venetian territories ; but still harder
was it when, two years after this, the order was publicly pro-
mulgated " that no subject of the Venetian Republic should
be allowed, without the previous knowledge and permission of the
State, to make over or alienate any immovable property, by will
or sale, or in any other manner, to the priests or monkish
Orders, under no less a penalty than imprisonment, banishment,
and confiscation of their property." This constituted an open
declaration of war against the Society of Jesus, and thereupon
Claudio Aquaviva, their General, took up the matter. He-
hastened, with his friend Cardinal Bellarmin, to Pope Paul V.,
and so worked upon the latter that a brief was forthwith addressed
by him to the Venetian Senate, in which the Pope demanded an
unqualified revocation of both the laws of 1603 and those of
1605. The Senate appealed to their rights, but Paul V., in his
hot displeasure, would listen to no statements based on reason,
and, in 1606, launched an interdict, without further delay,
against the Republic of Venice, hoping that, as by it all churches
had to be closed forthwith, and all preaching of the Word of
God consequently discontinued, this would give rise to a general
insurrection among the people against the Senate. With such
thoughts, at least, had Aquaviva and Bellarmin flattered him ;
but, as will shortly be seen, they found themselves completely in
error. The Venetian Senate, forsooth, instantly took up the
gauntlet which had been thrown down, and not only forbad the
publication of the Papal interdictory Bull in its dominions, but
also issued an order to all its clergy to continue divine service as
hitherto, or immediately to quit Venetian territory. This edict
was obeyed by the whole of the priesthood and monkish Orders;
the Jesuits alone hesitated to give respect to it. They were
under the impression that as their influence had hitherto been
so great they would conquer in spite of every opposition. The
Senate, however, remained firm, and intimated to them that they
must at once quit Venetian territory, if they wished to avoid
forcible expulsion. There now remained for them no other
course than to obey, and they, along with the Capuchins, whom
11
162 HISTORY OP THE JESUITS.
they had contrived to bring over to their side, went in great
processions towards the closing of the gates, carrying before them
huge crucifixes. Their expectations, however, that such a solemn
exodus out of Egypt might give rise to fanatacism among the
lower orders of the people, and create, at least, some disturbance,
completely failed, even as much as the previous hope enter-
tained by the Pope ; for when the masses of the people pressed
forward to witness the spectacle, not a single hand was
raised in their favour, but, on the contrary, curses were sent
after them. After their departure, the Senate confiscated all
their houses, and now some very strange discoveries were made.
Besides leaving their riches in gold and silver, they fled also, in
all haste, with the greatest portion of their books and manu-
scripts, to deposit them with the Spanish Ambassador, as well
as with some private friends ; but sufficient letters of theirs
were found from which it was plain that they had devoted
themselves much more to things temporal than to things
spiritual, and suspicions arose that they had an understanding
with the Spanish Court, which had for a long time striven to
obtain possession of Venice, tt now appeared clear, besides,
to many of the senators, what was the reason that the Order had
sent the handsomest members of their Society to Venice, as
several of the epistles they had left behind were evidently
written by female hands, and their contents gave but unfavour-
able testimony respecting the innocence of Venetian house-
wives. Added to this, it so happened that the exiles, in order
to ventilate their anger in Bologna, Ferrara, Mantua, Bari,
Palermo, and other places, preached in the most violent manner
against the Republic, doing their utmost to incite against it the
Courts of Madrid and Prague, in order to induce Philip III. and
the Emperor Rudolph II. to wage war with Venice ; the Jesuits
also did their best to excite insurrections in that kingdom.
In short, there existed incontestable evidence that the Jesuits
constituted themselves very dangerous enemies to the Venetian
Republic. The Senate consequently passed a resolution unani-
mously to banish them for ever from Venetian territories.
But even this course was not sufficient to satisfy the require-
ments of the case, but an addition was also unanimously attached
to the above decree, to the effect that no proposals of their ever
again being received into Venice should be even listened to,
THE POWEEFUL INFLUENCE OF THE JESUITS. 163
unless five-sixths out of the number of 180 senators were
favourable to the consideration thereof ; and, besides, every person
in the Venetian State, of any condition or sex whatever, was
strictly prohibited from holding communication with the sons
of Loyola, under the heavy penalty of fine, imprisonment, or
condemnation to the galleys. This decree, too, remained in
force in spite of the Pope himself making an offer to revoke
the interdict which he had issued, on condition that the
Jesuits should be again received a proviso which the Senate
peremptorily rejected. So, at last, Paul, being left in the lurch,
saw himself compelled by France, the ally of Venice, and by the
King of Spain, the friend of the Jesuits, to conclude peace
with the Senate, being under the necessity thereby of sacrificing
the sons of Loyola. The latter now set about matters in
another way, begging the Senate to revoke the decree of banish-
ment of 1612, and secretly offering for this favour the enormous
sum of 500,000 ducats, but the nobility of Venice conducted
itself on this occasion in a truly worthy manner, and refused
with disdain the attempted bribery.
Precisely the same fate that they had met with in the Venetian
State, they had previously experienced in Veltlin, a portion of
Graubiinden. There, in the year 1560, they brought it about
that a very wealthy and esteemed old man, but at the same time
weak-minded and almost childish with the burden of years, of
the name of Anton Quadrius, who lived at Ponte, the capital
of the country, bequeathed his whole property to them, in
order to found a college therewith. His rightful heirs, how-
ever, made a complaint forthwith to the head-man of the
country, who issued orders that the Black Cloaks should at once
not only leave Ponte, but also quit the whole territory. The
Jesuits now addressed themselves to the Diet of Graubiinden
(Grisons), which in the year 1561 usually assembled at the
town of Chur, and brought the matter to such a point that the
all-powerful Sovereign of Catholic Christendom exerted himself
in their favour. The Grisonites, as free Republicans, paid,
however, but little attention to the advice of crowned heads, and
immediately after a full trial passed a resolution unanimously,
in a public sitting, that the Jesuits, " as enemies of the Gospel,
who were more qualified to corrupt youth than to educate them,"
should at once evacuate for ever the territory of the Grisons.
11 *
164 HISTORY OP THE JESUITS.
In precisely the same manner the Wallisers, the neighbours
of the Grisons, fifty years later, in the year 1610, declared them-
selves, and consequently defeated the attempts of the Jesuits
to penetrate into Veltlin through Wallis. The latter became
all the more enraged against the man through whose eloquence
these results had been mainly brought about, namely Bartholma
Alett, who, in the year following, died with evident symptoms
of poisoning, and the general belief was that the poison had
been administered to him through the agency of a Loyolite in
disguise.
The Jesuits pursued quite another course in Savoy from that
adopted by them in the other above-mentioned parts of Italy.
There were here, in the middle of the 16th century, not a
few Protestants who had come from other countries, where
they had been persecuted on account of their faith, while they
hoped that in the depths of these quiet Alpine valleys, quite cut
off, so to speak, from the rest of the world, they might be able
to live undisturbed and unmolested. To these attached them-
selves that remnant of the Waldenses who had their home here
and in the neighbouring country of Piedmont during the last
two centuries, and who, almost Protestant already, now entirely
recognised the Reformed Church. This, however, was of course
anything but agreeable to the taste of the Catholic priesthood,
and the Duke at that time, Philibert Emanuel, proceeded to
oppose by force in the severest manner this remnant of heresy
in his hitherto thoroughly Catholic country. The Dominican
monk Thomas Giacomello, more especially, proceeded against
them in a very brutal way, and did not rest satisfied until a
frightful example had been made of them, a number of the
Reformers being burnt alive or sent to work in the galleys.
The Protestants, however, being in so large a majority, threatened
to take up arms in their defence against the Duke, who, then
yielding, addressed himself to Pope Pius IV., asking the ques-
tion whether all this contention might not best be settled by a
religious conference. The Pope's answer to this was No !
Nothing had been hitherto gained in such matters by religious
disputations. No ! A religious conference must not by any
means take place, but he would send some theologians in order
to instruct the ignorant in the true faith. " Moreover," added
he, in concluding his written communication, " no instance
THE POWERFUL INFLUENCE OF THE JESUITS. 165
as known where such a matter has been arranged by clemency ;
but experience teaches that the best means of conversion lay
in the hands of justice, and when this failed, from being too
weak, there remained military coercion."
Who, then, were those theologians whom Pius IV. directed
should be sent to Savoy ? Oh ! he himself, indeed, sent
none ; but he charged the General of the Jesuits, Laynez,
with the carrying out of the matter, and the latter caused
Father Anton Possevin, a man who afterwards became so
notorious, to proceed to the Ducal Court on this mission,
in order to negotiate with Philibert Emanuel regarding the
-establishment of some Jesuit colleges. This, however, was
only one part of his task. The other and much more impor-
tant duty consisted in this that the ruler of Savoy should
-be induced to make, once for all, a complete end of the affair by
the extirpation of the heretics now and for ever. Possevin soon
found that the Duke, who from his long experience in the field
as a General of Charles V. and Philip II. had become very
domineering, being particularly distinguished, also, as a tolerably
wild prince, did precisely all that the Jesuit desired of him,
.although not being himself conscious of it. Above everything
the latter brought it about that Philibert Emanuel, through his
influence, permitted the erection of two colleges. Possevin
looked upon this as indispensably necessary, in order thereby to
be enabled to call into the country a proper number of his
associates; and to the Duke's objection that the State was too
poor to admit of the possibility of the establishment of Jesuit
-institutions, his reply was that the Society would be satisfied
with whatever could be obtained from the lands confiscated
irom the heretics. Now, however, when the Jesuit Fathers came
to be fairly established in Savoy, they commenced setting about
in earnest the fulfilment of their promise respecting the conver-
sion of the refractory subjects; and it was indeed a curious
description of conversion which they employed. Father Possevin
and his associates travelled about all over the country attired
in ordinary plain clothes, and penetrated especially into all the
out-lying mountains and valleys in which all the reformed com-
munities had taken shelter. On discovering such persons, did
they now take care to let it be known who they themselves were,
.and set about an attempt at conversion by preaching the Roman
166 HISTORY OF THE JESUITS.
Catholic faith ? No, indeed ; on the contrary, they hastened;
back to their head-quarters in order to bring to their aid several
thousand soldiers ; and when they now returned along with them
into the lonely mountain valleys, then, indeed, was it most
imperative for God to have mercy upon the poor reformed
people ! But how was it that they obtained the soldiers ? In
the simplest way in the world, as has been previously mentioned,
inasmuch as the Duke had been convinced, by the eloquence of
Possevin, that a Catholic Prince would tarnish his honour if he
tolerated any longer a miserable herd of heretics in his country ;
and as the only really efficacious mode of conversion lay in the
employment of coercion, it was easily to be understood that a
large number of troops would be required to give support to the
exertions of the Jesuits. Philibert Emanuel was also all the
more disposed to this course, as the Pope made him a grant of a.
considerable sum of money to meet the expenses attendant on
the entertainment of this small faithful army; and, moreover, was
not a prince of his character to consider himself fully justified in.
punishing as rebels and disturbers of the peace, subjects who did
not accede to his wishes, that they should openly recognise that
faith which was held by the ruler of the country ? Suffice it to
say, then, that the heretics were, as a matter of course, defeated
by the soldiers under the guidance of the Jesuits, and that there
now followed a time of misery and woe for Savoy, the details of
which the pen, indeed, is reluctant to describe. In this manner,
for instance, Possevin, at the head of two thousand men, fell
upon the village of St. Germain, and put to the sword all the
male inhabitants, although these had not taken up arms ; but
the two reformed clergymen who were found there were burnt
by means of a slow fire, the wood necessary for which the
women and girls were constrained to bring at the point of the
sword. A precisely similar fate befell many dozens of reformed
communities, and all over the country, even in remote farms, the
sword prevailed furiously, and the funeral piles glowed. At
last, when they saw that nothing else than their extermination,
was intended, the Reformers rose all through the land, and,
courageously taking up arms, offered a brave resistance to the
faithful army of soldiers. Here and there occurred sieges in
a small way, for it was easy for them to entrench themselves
in their mountain fastnesses, and the Savoyan troops were at.
THE POWERFUL INFLUENCE OF THE JESUITS. 1G7
times exhausted in storming them. Possevin, being now
furious at the thought that the victory, of which he had believed
himself to be certain, should thus be wrested out of his hands,
had resort to cunning and deceit, offering to the heretics, in the
Duke's name, the free exercise of their religion on condition
that they should lay down their arms and pay a sum of 16,000
gold dollars by way of conciliation. The Reformers accepted
these terms, and signed the treaty proposed to them ; but as
soon as the money was paid and the arms laid down, the poor
deluded people found themselves laughed to scorn in their faces,
and the Jesuits now began afresh their blood-thirsty mode of
conversion. Anew did they now penetrate into the mountain
valleys at the head of a rough band of soldiery, ravagiag
them with lance and sword, and once again were the heretical
clergy, as well as the wealthy and respectable among these
wretched people, consigned to the stake. This despicable con-
duct, accompanied as it was with the most frightful oppression,
awakened such fury and rage among the people, that, rushing
again to arms, they obtained such a decisive victory over the
Ducal army in May 1561, as to constrain Philibert Emanuel to
think of making peace. His finances, too, were now exhausted,
as his army had been on foot for two years, at a great cost of
money ; and as the Pope had long ceased to send him any con-
tributions, after the destruction of his army, what means had he
at his disposal to provide himself with another ? Moreover, had
it not, for a long time, appeared clear to him that when he made
war upon the heretics in his country, he was only slaying his
own subjects, and while he was enriching the Jesuits by bestow-
ing the confiscated estates upon them, he was impoverishing
his own states ? Oh, no ; enough blood had now been spilt, and
sufficient misery had been spread broadcast ; Philibert Emanuel,
therefore, at once discarded Father Possevin and his asso-
ciates, and on the 5th of June 1561 concluded an agree-
ment with his Protestant subjects, wherein he again promised
them the free exercise of their religion, with the partial restora-
tion of their confiscated property, whilst they, on the other
hand, engaged to tolerate the Roman Catholic religion in all their
communities, under condition that they themselves should never
again have the acceptance of that religion forced upon them.
Prom this time forth the country again enjoyed the blessings of
168 HISTORY OF THE JESUITS.
peace, and the inhabitants lived in concord with one another ;
but this state of matters only lasted for a hundred years, until
the time of Louis XIV., as we shall afterwards see, when the
Jesuits again obtained the upper hand, and a period of misery
once more returned.
II. THE POWERFUL INFLUENCE OF THE JESUITS IN
PORTUGAL.
It has been already described in the foregoing books how that
King John III. applied to Ignatius Loyola for some members
of the Society of Jesus, with the view of sending them to India
as missionaries for the conversion of the heathen ; and, further,
bow that Ignatius despatched to him at Lisbon Francis Xavier
and Simon Rodriguez, with this object ; and, lastly, how that
John III., being so favourably inclined towards the latter, retained
him at his Court, and constituted him his Father Confessor, con-
fidential friend, and adviser. This said Simon Rodriguez now laid
the foundation of the truly extraordinary power which the Jesuits
came to exercise in Portugal and its colonies, during a period
of nearly 200 years, as he contrived to make such great use of
the almost imbecile king, who had scarcely any will of his own,
that, after the space of only ten years, the Order already pos-
sessed most beautiful colleges in Coimbra, Evova, Lisbon, and
Braga, as well as several seminaries and educational institu-
tions in other towns. Not only was this the case, but of these
latter seminaries several in Coimbra and Evova were raised to
the dignity of being made High Schools, and, consequently, the
Jesuits soon completely commanded all the science, faith, and
customs of Portugal. The Jesuit General in Rome, indeed, as
soon as he saw that the ground in Portugal was so easily
workable for his objects, despatched from Italy and France as
many members of the Society as he could spare, to the assistance
of Rodriguez ; he then contrived to enrol in its ranks a great
body of proselytes, and with such rapidity and success that, for
instance, tbfi college of Coimbra, which we have above mentioned,
could already number as many as sixty members of the Order.
In like proportion, also, their affairs prospered in other
respects, and the richest and most noble of the land vied with
each other how to bestow their riches among these institutions.
But how could this well be otherwise, seeing that, following the
THE POWEHFUL INFLUENCE OF THE JESUITS.- 169
example of the King, all the great men of the country had taken
Jesuits as their Father Confessors ? Father Michael de Torres
.acted in this capacity to Queen Catherine, while Father Leon
Henriquez stood in the same relationship to the Cardinal Infant
Don Henri; again, to Father Simon Kodriguez, being himself the
Father Confessor of the Ruler, was entrusted the conscience of the
Duke of Aveiro, first minister of the kingdom, as well as that of
Count Castanheira, and several others of the nohility. In short,
under John III. the Jesuits became almost all-powerful at Court,
as Rodriguez was so much the right hand and bosom friend of
^the monarch that the latter transacted hardly any Government
affairs without first consulting with his Father Confessor.
" Yes," so Telles writes in his Chronicles of the Jesuits, " as
Rodriguez was on one occasion lying sick at Almeiren, the King
in person, accompanied by the Prince and high Court officials,
.actually proceeded thither in order to pay a visit to the sick
man, and the monarch, in this, seemed to forget his Royal
.dignity merely to show his friendship for the Father/'
The natural consequence of all this was, as it had hitherto
generally proved to be the case, that the extraordinary consider-
ation in which the Fathers were now held, as well as the bound-
less treasures lavished upon them by the King, made them so
;proud, presumptuous, indolent, and luxurious, that soon a
.general feeling of discontent sprang up on this account among
,the people. This, too, was not a silent disgust, for the in-
habitants of Lisbon caused their complaints to reach the Throne,
and they loudly accused the Government of wasting the means
of the State unworthily and on undeserving objects. Still, what
did that matter ? Simon Rodriguez had the weak monarch too
much in his power that their complaints should be listened to ;
;and at last it came to this, that the petitioners were put into
prison, or banished from the kingdom. Thus did the Father
Confessor carry on up to the year 1551, and, as one may,
indeed, easily suppose, with an ever-increasing audacity. It
now, however, reached the ears of Ignatius in Rome precisely
how matters stood, and it became sufficiently apparent to him
that the extraordinary hatred with which the Portuguese people
regarded the Society must produce the worst results ; he, there-
fore, came to the firm determination of grappling with the diffi-
culty, at once, and with a strong hand. The college of Coimbra
170 HISTORY OP THE JESUITS.
being, as it was, greatly to his mind, it deeply distressed him to
find that, according to all reports, the same had become quite
ruined and degraded, being more like a school for scandal than
edification, and that instead of being devoted to study and educa-
tion everything therein tended to foster laziness, debauchery,
intrigue, and gossiping. Loyola, therefore, on the strength of
his unlimited power as General of the Order, suddenly despatched
Father Emanuel Godin to Coimbra, with the object of again
bringing the college into some degree of order, recalling Father
Rodriguez to Rome, and replacing him, as newly-nominated
Rector, by the modest Jacob Miron, the former being, in his
opinion, unworthy of acting in the capacity of Father Confessor
to a King. John III. was at first very indignant at this violent
measure of Loyola's, and, indeed, threatened, in consequence,
to send all the Jesuits back again to Italy ; but, intellectually
weak youngster as he was, he soon cooled down again, and after
the lapse of about a month the new Father Confessor had him
as much in his power as had previously been the case. Thus it
was that in Lisbon, or, if one prefers to say, at the Court, all
things reverted again to their former condition, only with this
difference, that instead of the overbearing and hated Rodriguez,
the quiet and mild Miron held sway. In Coimbra, on the con-
trary, things did not go on so well, notwithstanding that Father
Godin put down, with much strictness, the external scandalous
condition of the college. The inhabitants of the town had,
indeed, far too long observed the dissolute manner of life and
conduct of the Jesuits, and were too full of contempt at
their immorality to have any belief in any such sudden change
in their demeanour. They felt inclined, rather, to look upon all
this as nothing else than pure dissimulation, and the people,
for the most part, contented themselves with casting ridicule
upon the Long Cloaks, by greeting them openly with satirical
songs. It followed, therefore, that if the old consideration for
them was to be established, some great and striking effect must
be produced, by bringing on the scene some kind of heart-stirring
theatrical thunderbolt; and this coup was actually carried out.
One fine morning, at some quite unusual hour, all the bells of
the Jesuit church pealed forth in the most solemn manner, and
a moment afterwards the chief door of the church was thrown
open to exhibit the most extraordinary procession that ever was.
THE POWERFUL INFLUENCE OF THE JESUITS. 171
witnessed. First of all, there advanced a true Goliath, bearing
a gigantic representation of the crucified Christ; then, after him,
came Father Godin, not attired, however, in his usual dress, hut
naked as far as the waist, and armed with a weighty scourge ;
behind him followed the whole of the novices in a similar attire,
and then came the lay brethren, also, of course like those pre-
ceding; the close of the procession was brought up by the teachers
and coadjutors; and all, as they slowly proceeded onwards with
downcast looks, sang a penitential psalm in a monotonous tone,
which sounded extraordinarily mournful and melancholy. At
every cross road and open place they made a halt, singing in the
most doleful manner as hitherto, and causing, in addition to
this, the scourges to hiss through the air, while they punished
themselves with them in the most unmerciful way. The blood
then soon began to flow from their naked shoulders, and the
people, who streamed i n crowds in order to witness this extraordinary
scene, were naturally much affected. The Jesuits, however, with
their pupils, cried aloud, while imploringly wringing their hands,
" Ye men of Coimbra, forgive us, for Christ's sake, the scandal
which our Society has brought upon us ! " In this manner did
the procession move further and further, until it reached the
Church of Charity, when Father Godin ascended the pulpit and
delivered a discourse of such extraordinary contrition that all the
audience, which was so numerous that the church was as full as
it could be, fell upon their knees and, with tears in their eyes,
shrieked out aloud, " Charity, Charity, Charity ! " What, then,,
was the effect of all this marvellous play ? Naturally, of course,
no other than this, that the people of Coimbra again received
the Jesuits into favour ; but to the educated and enlightened
among them the whole affair appeared nothing else than a
theatrical display; still, the mob entertained a different opinion,
and especially the women, looking upon the penitents as in some
degree holy.
When now, in the year 1557, King John died, he left
behind him a widow, the Queen Catherine, sister of the Emperor
Charles V.,as well as a grandson of three years of age, Sebastian,
son of the deceased Infant John, the successor to the throne,
and a second son, the Cardinal Henri. Queen Catherine became
guardian of the young Sebastian, and at the same time Regent
of Portugal. She did not, however, reign alone, being in the
172 HISTORY OF THE JESUITS.
hands of the Father Confessor Michael de Torres, and Leon
Henriquez, Father Confessor of Cardinal Henri. These two
.gave to the heir to the throne, with his brother, their sagacious
companion, Louis Gonsalva de Camara, as Court Chamberlain
and tutor. Now commenced the worst days for Portugal, as
from this time forth the Jesuits completely ruled the country,
as uncontrolled as if they had been the rightful possessors
thereof. The Queen certainly, on one occasion, ventured to
assert her authority, and in her excitement she actually wrote
to Borgia, the then General of the Order, bitterly complaining
of Father Gonsalva and his mode of education :
" He imparts to his pupil, the future King, wild and volup-
tuous habits," said she in this epistle, among other things, " and
teaches him to despise and maltreat his grandmother. Especially
he does not educate him as a future ruler ought properly to
be instructed ; but he brings him up to be an instrument in his
Father Confessor's hands, without any will of his own, and fills
his head with phantastical images, by which the development
of his understanding will be totally prevented."
What, now, was the effect of this letter ? The removal, per-
haps, of Gonsalva ? Oh, nothing of the kind, but, on the
contrary, the removal of the Queen Regent. The Jesuits
and their creatures, among whom was the Minister and other
high officials about the Court, from this time forth spited
the poor lady in every way in which they possibly could do
so, affirming that the government of a woman was not at all
suitable for such a state as Portugal ; and they carried, indeed,
this kind of thing so far as to render her existence miserable
for her. On that account, and in order that she might obtain
peace and quiet, the poor woman, at length, in the year 1562,
gave up her guardianship and government, and handed it over,
before the assembled Parliament, into the bands of the Cardinal
Infant Don Henri. He, however, being satisfied with the honour
of being called Regent, just allowed the pious Fathers to do as
they liked ; and if he at any time felt inclined to take the initiative,
and to act for himself, he was the very next moment pounced
upon and brought under the influence and dominion of his Father
-Confessor.
The Jesuitical power rose still higher, if it were possible for
.it to do so, when, in 1568, the young Sebastian, now in his
THE POWEKFUL INFLUENCE OF THE JESUITS. 173'
fourteenth year, was declared to be of age (as the understand-
ings of kings are believed to be in advance of their years, at a
period when other people's children are still engaged at school).
The young man, as may easily be imagined, being brought up by
the Jesuits, was not capable of thinking otherwise than what he
had been taught to think by the pious Fathers. Day by day
Gonsalva de Camara instilled into him that the first duty of a
Christian King was to do everything to further the spread of the-
Roman Catholic religion, as God had set him on the throne for
this object alone; and while Sebastian was naturally of a fiery
and vehement disposition, thirsting after glory, it was an easy
matter, consequently, to make him take up the idea that he had
been specially called upon to effect some great and extraordinary,
as well as unprecedented, undertaking for the Catholic faith.
Gonsalva, indeed, gave himself no rest until he had aroused
the piety of his pupil to a high degree of fanaticism, and his
heroic spirit to the adventuresomeness of a crusader. The Father
Confessor did not, at the same time, neglect to take the pre-
caution to keep at a distance from the King everyone who might
be able to operate upon him in a contrary direction, and, from
the period of Sebastian's accession to the throne, all important
places about the Court, and connected with the Government,
were filled with creatures of the Jesuits. In this way, the young
ruler was kept in ignorance as regards the riches and power of
the State which he governed ; he was quite unaware of the fact
that, since the entrance of the Jesuits into Portugal, all advance-
ment made by the nation, either in science, commerce, or in-
dustry, had been backwards, like that of a crab, or, at least, that
it threatened to fall into a condition of stagnation; he was ignorant
of the daily increase in the number of malcontents, and of the
fact that this highly-esteemed people entertained the idea of
completely depriving him of all honour and consideration ; and
least of all did he know anything as to the Jesuits being entirely
to blame for all the misery into which the country, from their
bad management, had fallen ; and he could not possibly learn
this, as anyone who might make the most remote attempt ta
enlighten the King knew well that he must render expiation
severely, both in soul and body, for so doing. Nor would
the Jesuits, indeed, allow him to enter into the marriage state,
although the interests of the nation demanded this of him, seeing
174 HISTORY OF THE JESUITS.
that on the decease of his uncle Henri the male line of his honse
would expire. No, this must not be, by any means ; for a young
and beautiful Queen might have sufficient influence over him to
burst the bonds of slavery in which he was held by the Fathers.*
One sees, then, with what system the Jesuits acted in Portugal,
in order that the weapon of power should never be wrested out
of their hands. At last, Gonsalva de Camara, the all-powerful
Father Confessor of Sebastian, died, and not a few now believed
that this circumstance might possibly give rise to a change in
the system of government ; but they were entirely mistaken. The
Ring at first felt deeply distressed, and, in reply to all repre-
sentations, met them only with these words, " What would you
require of me ? I have never known another father, and never
had another mother, than Father Gonsalva." By degrees, how-
ever, his distress became blunted by means of the consoling
administrations of another Jesuit, Father Gaspar Muricio, who
soon obtained the head and mind of the King fully as much in
his power as it ever was in that of Gonsalva. Shortly after
this, in the year 1577, war broke out between Spain and the
Mohamedan Empire of Morocco opposite to it, in which
Mulei -Moloch, and his nephew, Mulei-Mehemed, who had both
a claim to the throne, were opposed to each other. Mulei-
Mehemed was vanquished, and fled to Lisbon to solicit the pro-
tection of Sebastian ; but the new Father Confessor now taught
him that, in this circumstance, lay a manifestation of God's will,
tending to the transplantation of the gospel into the soil of
Africa. " The Moors," said the Confessor, once came over from
Africa and turned the whole of the Spanish peninsula into a
Mahomedan empire ; the hour of retribution has now arrived,
and it was he, Don Sebastian, that was the fortunate person
whom the Lord Jesus had selected to eradicate the Moors
entirely from the face of the earth." These words inflamed the
fiery heart of the King, and he at once determined upon waging
* The whole of the Royal Family, the Privy Council, the great ones
of the kingdom, and all its subjects, urged that the King should con-
' tract a marriage, in order that an heir to the throne might be secured ;
indeed, the Princess Margaret of France, sister of Charles IX., was
selected. But the Jesuits moved heaven and earth to prevent such a
thing ; and they succeeded although, indeed, by sly calumniation. In a
precisely similar manner they contrived to cause a proposed union with an
Austrian princess to fail, as they wished that the heart of their slave should
< remain, undivided.
THE POWEKFUL INFLUENCE OF THE JESUITS. 175
\var upon Mulei-Moloch. This, indeed, was the moment for the
Jesuits inwardly to rejoice, as now, when the monarch took his
departure for a foreign country, they might have the opportunity
of carrying out their own arrangements and operations all the
more unimpeded; for while he was taken up with the idea of this
crusade, he would have no time to think about the melancholy
condition of his own kingdom. It may be quite certain, too,
that they had good grounds for encouraging the resolution that
the monarch had formed, seeing that they allowed their thoughts to
go further, calling to mind the mortality of human life. Should,
for instance, during the campaign, an enemy's arrow deprive him
of existence, the old original royal family of Portugal would
have died out with him, and the succession would open up to
Phillip II. of Spain, the great patron and supporter of the
Society of Jesus ; in this way, another corner-stone would be
added to the establishment of a universal Spanish monarchy,
which would bring about all the more surely the gigantic aim of
the Society the mastery over the whole world. Let that, how-
ever, be as it may, Sebastian, through the constant instigations
of the Jesuits, remained firmly resolved to make an end of
Mahomedanism in North Africa, and, in the spring of ^1578,
commenced to collect together an army with this object. There
existed great difficulties connected with his finances, which,
thanks to the blundering proceedings of the Society of Jesus,
were at that time completely exhausted, and it could only be
through the severest extortion, which would have the effect of
entirely destroying the well-being of his kingdom, that he would
be enabled to raise the amount necessary for the purpose. In
regard to this, the greatest men of the country now offered the
most strenuous representations, in order to divert him from such
a foolish enterprise, which must of necessity end in failure;
the King of Spain, also, whom he had begged to share with
him in the glory of the undertaking, had sent him a decided
reply in the negative. All this was to no purpose, as he had
got into his head the idea of becoming a victorious hero of the
Faith, and consequently a small army of about 15,000 men was
brought together about June of the above-named year. Fully
a good third of the same consisted of foreign recruits, among
whom, most marvellously, were a number of German heretics ;
of the remaining two-thirds, however, consisting of indigenous
176 HISTORY OP THE JESUITS.
inhabitants, the most of them were obtained by compulsion, and
it was only the nobles who rendered voluntary service ; so, there-
fore, there could be no question of a regularly well-trained 1
army fit to enter upon war. Taking this circumstance into con-
sideration, and the small number of combatants, a disastrous
result might easily be predicted. On the 24th of June 1578, the
troops embarked in thousands, for the most part in small craft.
The departure, however, was no happy one ; all went into the
ships in silence, and the eyes of the spectators were filled with
tears. The landing took place at Arzilla, and thence the army
advanced as far as Alcazar without meeting with the least
resistance. In the meantime, Mulei-Moloch had brought to-
gether a large army of a hundred thousand men, and now, on
the 3rd of August, he was only separated from the Portuguese
by a river. It was, no doubt, an advantage for him, too, that
he was posted on the heights, while, moreover, there prevailed 5
in the camp of Sebastian much want of provisions. Those who
were most experienced in war counselled the latter to retreat
to Arzilla, and even Mulei-Mehemed, the Morocco pretender,
declared himself favourable to this course ; for, in the worst case,
they would then be able to secure their safety in the fleet. The
foolishly adventurous Sebastian, however, in spite of everything,
resolved upon making an attack ; and now, on the 4th of August,
took plane that most unfortunate battle the disastrous result of
which brought Portugal to the very brink of ruin. In a short
space of time the small Christian army became completely
surrounded by large hordes of Moorish cavalry, and, in con-
sequence of bad war-organisation, all order among the ranks
was entirely at an end. Each one fought, as it might be said,
" on his own hook/' and although some struggled valorously,
an inglorious death awaited them in the general confusion. The
right wing, to which Don Sebastian had attached himself, held
out the longest, and it was really marvellous to behold such
strength and courage. But at length, here also, the enemy
obtained the upper hand, and death gained a rich harvest. With
rash temerity the Christian monarch held out, in the midst of
a large troop of Moorish cavalry, until at length he succumbed,
pierced by a hundred lances. How it precisely ended, however,,
was never exactly known, as there was no witness of his death
among his own people, and his corpse was not to be found on
THE POWEEFUL INFLUENCE OF THE JESUITS. 177
the field of battle. The fact only remained that he had for ever
disappeared, and, besides himself, as certainly the whole army
lay on the field of battle, with the exception of a few hundreds
who were taken prisoners. Thus, in one single battle, was
annihilated all the bloom of the Portuguese youth, and more
especially of the Portuguese nobility, and there was scarcely a
single family in the whole country which was not thrown into
the deepest mourning. The greatest grief, however, that sprang
out of this sad disaster was that the crown of Portugal must
now fall into foreign hands, and the nation incur the danger
of losing its nationality. The only remaining scion of the old
royal house was the aged Cardinal Don Henri, who at once
ascended the throne ; but in his case, even had the Pope given
him a dispensation to marry, no heirs could be expected, and,
therefore, after his accession, there arose several pretenders to
the throne. Among these, there first of all appeared Donna
Catherina, of Braganza, along with her spouse, John ; then came
Philibert, Duke of Savoy ; thirdly, there was Rainuzius, Prince
of Parma ; fourthly, Catherine de Medicis, Queen of France;
lastly, Philip II., King of Spain, and all of these five proved
from their genealogical tree that they were more or less related
to the royal house. But this, too, was not by any mean&
sufficient, for all of them seemed bent upon gaining their
object, each one of them assailing the venerable Don Henri
in order to secure the succession to the throne. The one
who had manifestly the nearest title was Catherina of Bra-
ganza, as she was lineally descended from Alfonso I., the
founder of the House of Braganza, who claimed as his father
the celebrated King John I., and who was also acknowledged by
the latter as his son, although not a legitimate one. There
could not, also, be the slightest doubt that the Portuguese
people, not the lower classes and country folk alone, but also-
the nobility and regular clergy as well, had no desire that
their future ruler should be any foreign pretender. It was,
moreover, held to be quite clear to everyone that the house of
Braganza, which belonged to the country, was alone entitled to
the throne, and Don Henri himself, it was well seen, was also
inclined to take this view of the matter. The Jesuits, how-
ever, held an entirely different opinion. They had the con-
viction that the uncontrollable stream of the Reformation, or
12
178 HISTORY OF THE JESUITS.
heresy, as they termed it, along with its detestahle innovations,
could have no more lasting and invincible check put upon it
than when the already powerful Philip II. of Spain, grandson of
the Hapshurger Philip I., who had obtained the throne of Spain
by marriage with Johanna of Castile and Aragon, should become
sole ruler over the whole of Christendom ; they desired, in other
words, that one universal monarchy should he founded, the chiefs
of which should be the kings of Spain and their cousins the
rulers of the Austrian possessions. So, on that account, they left
no stone unturned in order to create this universal monarchy ;
always, however, with this proviso, " that those kings and rulers
should allow themselves to be guided by them (the Jesuits), and
that, consequently, the supreme direction of this monarchy of
the world should fall into no other hands than their own." Such
was the main thought by which they were influenced, and, resting
upon this idea, they most naturally devoted their whole energies
to bring it about that Philip II. should be successor to Don
Henri on the Portuguese throne, seeing that the annexation of
Portugal was still a step onward toward the realisation of the
design of this universal Spanish monarchy.
What a lucky circumstance, then, was it that Don Henri
happened to be entirely in the hands of his Father Confessor,
Leon Henriquez, and what a further piece of good fortune was
it that this Father Confessor happened to he among the most
cunning and sagacious of his Order ! How easily, then, was
the reigning monarch, imbecile from old age, persuaded that the
gates of heaven should be closed against him for ever were he
to declare any other than the good Catholic Philip II. to be
successor to the Portuguese crown ! He was also further in-
fluenced so far as to prohibit John of Braganza, with his spouse
Catherina, and their cousin Don Anton of Braganza, from
appearing at Court, hoping by this maans to take away from them,
in the eyes of the people, all rightful expectancy of succession to
the throne. Leon Henriquez, as it may he imagined, was not
the only one connected with this intrigue ; he was, besides,
excellently supported by his numerous other fellow-brethren,
ana more especially by the extremely influential Father, George
Serraon, the Provincial of the Order in Portugal, as well
AS by the two Fathers, Rodrigo Basquez and Ludovico of
Molino, two most thoroughly experienced Jesuits, who had
THE POWERFUL INFLUENCE OF THE JESUITS. 179
been sent expressly to Lisbon by Philip II. to look after his
interests.
King Don Henri died on the 31st of January 1580, being the
last of his House. During the year and a half of his govern-
ment he was completely under the uncontrolled power of the
Society of Jesus, and now the question came to be considered
-who should be the heir to the throne; but scarcely was the
breath out of Don Henri's body when Philip II. sent the blood-
thirsty Duke of Alba to Portugal, at the head of a numerous
army, in order, with weapons in his hand, to prove the legiti-
macy of his claim to the throne. The nobility, together with
nearly all the regular clergy, now raised their voices in favour of
the House of Braganza, and the people cried loudly against
this forcible usurpation, vehemently cursing all the Jesuits.
But still, what did that matter ? What did it signify that here
and there the Spanish arms were also opposed by arms ? The
only result was that the refractory towns were pillaged, and that
the whole of the country was handed over to the brutality and
cruelty of the Spanish soldiery, upwards of two thousand of the
native priesthood and monkish orders being ruthlessly massacred.*
This was the way in which Philip II. pacified the country, and
on the llth of September 1580 he had the satisfaction of being
able to put himself upon the throne of Portugal without
experiencing further resistance. Portugal now remained, during
eighty years, subject to the Spanish crown, and was treated
precisely like a conquered province, the result being that the
country fell more and more every year into decay, and one may
well imagine the despair into which the Portuguese, in their
misery, were thrown. When, however, the whole of this formerly
* " One could not," writes the good Catholic, Louis de Menezes, " once
speak of the new Government and escape unpunished ; but whoever was
not of assistance to the king (Philip II.) when he usurped the kingdom, had
to expiate this want of service with his life, and even the priesthood was
not hy any means excepted." On the other hand, whoever made it appear
that he viewed tyranny with disfavour, and even when there was a mere
suspicion attaching to him in this respect, he was secretly and unexpectedly
seized upon and thrown into the sea. Therefore, the fishermen began to
catch the dead bodies of those unfortunates in their nets in place of fish ;
and thus it was that such enormous misdeeds, by the destiny of Providence,
were not allowed to remain in darkness. Precisely the same things were
reported also by the Frenchman Mezeray, and the Spaniard Emanuel
Rodriguez Leitaon, as also by the thoroughly trustworthy Thuan, the latter
of whom still added that Philip, later on, demanded and obtained dispensa-
tion from Pope Gregory XIII., inasmuch as during his usurpation of
Portugal, he had allowed over 2,000 ecclesiastics to be executed.
12 *
180 HISTOBY OF THE JESUITS.
well-to-do population had now been brought to ruin through
the indolent and incapable government of the Spaniards, as well
still more by their avarice and cruelty, the ship of the Jesuits
seemed to swim all the more merrily on that account, and all
the more did Philip II. (1556-98), as well as his successor
Philip III. (1598-1 C21), continue to shower down favours upon
them. It may, indeed, be affirmed that it fared equally and
powerfully as well under these two rulers and their governors
as it had under the preceding Portuguese kings ; and how
immensely great this power must have been may best be seen
from a memorandum of the Procurator- General Royal, Don
Seabra da Sylva, who, under Joseph I., had to examine the acts
of the Jesuits. To wit, on the occasion of a trial which hnd
been instituted in the year 1617, before the Crown Law Court
in Lisbon, in which the Jesuits appeared as the party ac-
cused, the aforesaid Procurator- General entered the following
remarks concerning them : " It had gone so far as this, that no
one dare venture to proceed against the Jesuits in an allowable
way, without being thrown into the sea, assassinated, or, indeed,
punished as an enemy of the King and the Government, and,
this being the case, they had indeed usurped the sole lord-
ship over the whole of Portugal." Such a statement as this
appears to me to be sufficiently plain, and I have, therefore,
nothing more to add to it. Somewhat differently did things
proceed under King Philip IV. (1621-65), as, during the reign
of this equally weak as extravagant ruler, the power of Spain
sank so low that the Jesuits became clearly aware how impossible
it was to found the projected universal monarchy by means of
this line of rulers ; and the consequence was that the great lead
which they had hitherto taken in Spain began to cool down
considerably. And still more despondent did they become when
they observed, to their great annoyance, according to the words
of an historian of these times, " that the sun of royal favour
had not infrequently become obscured to the good Fathers, in
order that it might be allowed to shed its delightful rays upon
the holy Dominicus and his children ;" and, as they were not
wont to put up patiently with the slightest affront or neglect,
they at once contemplated revenge. This, truly, was not of
such a nature that the enemy would be met with open mask,
but, rather, in a secret and disguised manner, the authorship of
THE POWEBFUL INFLUENCE OF THE JESUITS. 181
which might be publicly denied, as there was far too much at
stake to enable them boldly to oppose Philip IV. before all the
world. In what, then, did this revenge, consist? Simply
an this, that they attacked the despotism of the Spaniards in
anonymous publications of the most violent character, and at
the same time in the confessional, assuring the Portuguese that
King Philip IV. had no right to the crown of Portugal, but that
it belonged properly to the House of Braganza. By means of
such and similar machinations they succeeded in attaining two
objects at the same time ; for, in the first place, while at the
*ourt of Madrid they loudly professed that everything was done
on their part in order that the people in Portugal should be
brought into submissiveness to Spain, they secretly fanned
'into constantly increasing flames the smouldering ashes of the
fire of hatred which the Portuguese entertained towards the
Spaniards'; and then, secondly, the Portuguese people were led
to begin to put in play the treachery which had been practised
toy the fraternity in former times in favour of Philip II. On the
1st December 1640, the conspiracy, arranged with much adroit-
ness, and carried out with equal skill by the Portuguese grandees,
broke out, which was to put on the Portuguese throne John,
Duke of Braganza, a direct descendant of the frequently above-
mentioned Donna Catherina of Braganza, under the title of
John IV. ;* so it happened that the Jesuit Father, Gaspar
Correa, was the first to greet him as King. John IV. was con-
sequently bound to remember what a leading part the Jesuits
had taken in this revolution, and the weak and timid monarch
bore this in mind but too well, for he at once dismissed the
regular priest, Barthelemy de Quental, who had up to this time
been his Father Confessor, and nominated in his place the Jesuit
Father Anton de Bieira, who had exercised great influence over
-the inhabitants of Lisbon by his fanatical preaching. As soon,
rhowever, as Bieira had become Koyal Father Confessor, he
.discontinued preaching, and made himself indispensable to his
master as political counsellor. First of all, he busied himself in
^procuring the removal of the State Minister, Fraz Lucena, an
enemy of the Order, and had no scruple, by means of the
blackest calumnies, in committing to the scaffold this honest man.
* The details of this, as well as of the subsequent war with Spain, may
ibe read, if desired, in any general history of the world.
182 HISTORY OF THE JESUITS.
He next contrived to carry things so far that the monarch
entrusted to him for supervision all the resolutions of the Privy
Council, and, consequently, although Bieira had not the title
of Premier, still the Ministry was in fact subject to his criticism
and authority. Lastly, the confidence of John IV. increased in
him to such an extent that he was despatched with ambassadorial
messages to several of the Courts of Europe, and the cunning
Jesuit acted at the same time as Royal Plenipotentiary. The
Society of Jesus was in reality, then, more than ever the actual
ruler of Portugal, and consequently, in order that this should
continue to be the case, the education of the royal princes
was entrusted to the two Fathers, Cossmander and Andre
Fernandez. These persons naturally, devoted themselves with
much zeal to their task, and while they rather neglected the
two younger children, the second and third born sons, viz. Don
Alfonso and Don Pedro, they succeeded, on the other hand, in
bringing up the Crown Prince, Tbeodosius, in the right way,
that is to say, in making him a friend of the Jesuits of the purest
water. The Jesuit Father Franco thus wrote, in the annals of the
Order which he published, concerning this matter: " No son can
cling more closely to his mother than Don Theodosius to his tutor
Fernandez, and this prince entertained such a predilection for
our Order that the coat alone was wanting to make him one of
ourselves." In all other respects, the Crown Prince remained in
profound ignorance, with the exception of astrology and mystic-
ism ; and had he ever lived to attain the throne, he would have
been truly a most peculiar monarch. What was, now, the object
of all this ? The great aim was that the Society of Jesus might
retain their rule over Portugal, irrespective, be it well under-
stood, of the welfare of the country and its inhabitants.
In the year 1656 John IV. departed this life, and immediately
thereafter died also the Crown Prince Theodosius, so that the
neglected Alfonso came now to the throne ; being, however,
under age, the widowed Queen, Donna Louisa, a born Guzman
of Medina Sidonia, undertook his guardianship, as well as the
government, and certainly, under this regency, the Jesuit Fathers
had also no reason to complain. Female monarchy was, as
history testifies, always favourable to the priesthood, and the
rule of Donna Louisa proved to be fully so. She previously had
lor Father Confessor a Capuchin monk ; as, however, the above-
THE POWERFUL INFLUENCE OF THE JESUITS. 183
mentioned Anton de Bieira had already, during the lifetime of
her husband, called the Jesuit Father Johann Nunnez to the
Court, she would not hear any more of any other ecclesiastic,
but confided the welfare of her soul to the latter only. Ah ! he
indeed, was a real saint. He lacerated himself so cruelly, in the
sight of all the Court ladies, that the blood ran in streams from
his bare back ; and, besides this, who could pray so earnestly
with his confessants as Nuunez ? The new Father Confessor
thus soon became all-powerful, and things were carried so far
under his rule and governance that hardly any single situation
in the whole country was to be obtained except through the
intercession of the Jesuits. They formed, indeed, the Alpha and
Omega, the beginning and end, to gain all favour, and in order to
avoid getting into disgrace every one worshipped them without mea-
sure. In short, all people bowed slavishly in the dust before them,
" the Apostles," as they were designated ; and the proof of this
was that when Nunnez came to die, of course under the odour of
sanctity, he was carried on the shoulders of the first nobility of
the land into the funereal vault, where he was interred with
princely splendour. The guardianship and government of Donna
Louisa was now completely in the hands of the Jesuitical fraternity.
A severe blow to the Order was, however, threatened as soon a&
the heir to the throne became of age, and ascended it under the
title of Alfonso VI. This young prince had felt himself kept
very much in the background as long as his brother Theodosius
lived, and on that account was led to take a thorough hatred
to the Jesuit Fathers. And this dislike became intensified by
the bigotry and self-torture which were introduced at Court by
Father Nunnez, there being every reason to entertain the opinion
that the holy Father must be a complete hypocrite, an opinion
which the prince held, and which he did not at all attempt
to conceal. Indeed, he had, moreover, the courage, in his-
eighteenth year, to take a Benedictine monk as his Father Con-
fessor instead of a Jesuit, and expressed himself, in fact, quite
openly, to the effect that his future ministry should be of a very
different character from the present body. In all this lay great
danger for the Society of Jesus, and it may be well imagined that
the holy Fathers looked to the future by no means without
anxiety. Alfonso, however, fortunately for them, did not by
any means possess that strength of mind, and still less that
184 HISTORY OF THE JESUITS.
energy of will, which were necessary for the carrying out of the
project he had. in view. Whence then, too, could he take the
necessary men of enlightened views and free thought for his
protection,- as throughout the whole of Portugal there were no
persons of culture among the higher classes of society who had
not derived their education from the Jesuits? Certainly, then,
those good Fathers had no occasion to entertain such great
anxiety, and they themselves, indeed, said as much. In order,
however, to he prepared for all eventualities, they determined to
nip in the bud any attempt of the prince to free himself from
the Society of Jesus, by not allowing the youth, in fact, ever to
assume the reins of government. With this object in view,
therefore, they spread about all over the country reports regard-
ing his manner of life, which they represented as so unbridled
that he had ruined himself both in body and soul ; in order,
also, to insult him and make him appear despicable both in
the eyes of the common people as well as of the nobility, they
arranged that prayers should be offered up publicly in all the
churches with a petition for his recovery. Later on, they
procured, by bribery, a couple of physicians to declare him to
be half-witted, and so worked upon the Regent-mother that,
before the whole of the assembled grandees, she treated her son
as mentally incapable. Their idea was, in short, to make the
Portuguese believe that Alfonso was unfit to govern, hoping
that on that account, he would resign in favour of his
brother Don Pedro, who was entirely devoted to them. This
idea, however, was only half of what they desired to effect ;
and in order not to spoil their previous game of intrigue, while
taking care that the deeply calumniated prince should not,
on attaining his majority, ascend the throne, they thought it
prudent to receive with smiling and agreeable mien the proposal
that he should take unto himself (in the year 1666) a suit*
able spouse, in the person, namely, of Princess Maria Franciska
Isabella of Savoy-Nemours. Still, even this last act, which at
first appeared to them particularly dangerous, turned out in the
end to be entirely in their favour, and speedily brought them
unexpectedly to their long-wished-for aim. The young Queeu
happened to be of a very warm nature, and did not, by any
means, feel disposed to remain faithful to her liege lord. So she
cast her eyes upon the handsome and finely-formed, though
THE POWEKFUL INFLUENCE OF THE JESUITS. 185
^weakly endowed, younger brother of the King, 'Don Pedro:
These affections did not, of course, long remain concealed from
her Father Confessor, Francis de Ville, whom she had brought
with her, and he communicated these matters to his friend, the
-Jesuit Father Verjus, who had come to Lisbon as Father Con-
fessor of the Duke d'Estrees, the companion of the princess.
These two crafty Fathers put themselves in communication with
the rest of the Jesuit party at the Court, and such a black plot
was now soon devised for the removal of King Alfonso as it
would be difficult to find its match in the world a plan, more-
over, which could only be carried out with the connivance of
Donna Maria the Queen, and her brother-in-law Don Pedro.
They both, indeed, willingly lent their assistance, as the Queen
-thereby might attain the object for which she so much longed,
and, as regards Don Pedro, he might readily venture to
commit a crime in order to gain possession of a crown.
The comedy exploded on the 21st of November, on the morn-
ing of which day the Queen, bursting into tears, declared
openly that, as the King was quite unsuitable as a hus-
band, she must consequently take refuge in a convent, for
she could no longer submit to his disgusting society. She,
indeed, forthwith carried her intention into effect, and took
flight, accompanied by all her ladies, in order to betake herself
.into the Franciscan convent. Here she was again seized with
.a violent fit of sobbing, while at the same time repeating her
(lamentations ; and the Jesuits, being t quickly summoned, made
the matter their own business, and promulgated the grand event
of the day with unparalleled assiduity all over Lisbon. This, of
course, naturally gave rise to a great commotion, and everyone
commenced to rush about the streets, either into their neighbours
or the public-houses, in order to talk over the scandalous story.
The majority of the people took the Queen's part, for, as I have
already mentioned, the Jesuits long before had thrown contempt
upon the King, as may be easily imagined, and now added other
reproaches to their previous calumnies. Alfonso in vain com-
manded his spouse to return to the palace, on the affair, so
shameful to himself, being brought to his notice. She, however,
hesitated to comply, and he in vain proposed to his Council of
State, which he had at once assembled, that inquiry should be
.made into her conduct. Feelings of shame, however, forbade
186 HISTOBY OF THE JESUITS.
this being done, but the Queen still protested that the King was
not a suitable husband for her. Driven to distraction, the
monarch in vain endeavoured to carry out his wishes by the
employment of force. Some dozens of the nobility, sword in
hand, now furiously penetrating into the palace, accompanied by
thousands who followed them, attracted by the uproar, shut the
King up in his cabinet, and after bringing forward Don Pedro
in triumph, compelled the monarch to affix his signature to two
documents, in one of which he solemnly affirmed that his spouse
the Queen was in the right, whilst in the other he " from his own
action, in virtue of his own unlimited royal power, relinquished
the reins of government in favour of his brother Don Pedro."
What now followed may be easily imagined. Don Pedro assem-
bled the Parliament in order that a document, drawn up by the
Jesuit Father N una de Cunha, should be placed before them,
detailing the motives why it was impossible to do otherwise than
proceed against Don Alfonso VI. ; and the assembled Parliament,
entirely under the influence of the Jesuits, decreed the deposition
of the unfortunate monarch, on the ground of his being imbecile
and impotent.
Don Pedro thereupon ascended the throne, with the title of
Pedro II., and after Pope Clement IX. had granted the neces-
sary dispensation, and bestowed his blessing on the new marriage,
shared the incestuous marriage bed with the woman who had
hitherto been his sister-in-law ; poor Alfonso, on the other hand,
who had now taken the place of brother-in-law instead of
husband, was brought first of all to Terceira, and next to Gintra,
finally dying in prison on the 12th of September 1683, in great
misery. What were, then, the privileges which the Jesuits now
obtained, under a king who had alone to thank them for placing
him upon the throne ? No one on earth could have the slightest
doubt ; power and influence especially now became concentrated
in Father Emanuel Fernandez, who succeeded to the office of
Father Bieira, the former Father Confessor of Don Pedro pre-
vious to the accession of the latter to the throne. His exalted-
patron created him to be a Privy Councillor, and, later on, even
President of his Council of State, so that all transactions, a*,
well as all nominations, passed through his hands. The war
department was even placed under him, although one might have
thought that such an office was not very compatible with that uf
THE POWERFUL INFLUENCE OF THE JESUITS. 187
a confessor and preacher ; but it now belonged to the plan of
the Jesuits gradually to take possession of all the highest
tribunals, in order that they might be enabled to rule with com-
pletely unlimited and despotic power. In short, Don Pedro,,
as long as Emanuel Fernandez lived, was nothing else than a
complete machine in his hands, and when the all-powerful man
died, in the year 1693, Father Sebastian von Magellhans took
his place, with all the privileges attached thereto. Naturally
enough, however, the burden of the State became too great a load
for him to bear alone on his shoulders, and he therefore shared
it along with his associates. Nunha de Cunha more especially,,
the Provincial of the Society in Portugal, as well as Francis de
Ville, the Father Confessor of the Queen, reigned supreme, and
those three, namely, Fernandez, Cunha, and de Ville, were now
designated the " Triumvirate." Yet it was, indeed, no tri-
umvirate of love, but, on the contrary, of terror, and it made
itself feared by all those who did not blindly follow the orders
which proceeded out of the profess-house of the Society in
Lisbon. We have had enough now of the sway of the
Jesuits in Portugal, respecting which I have gone almost too
much into detail. It was, however, necessary to do so, as in
no kingdom on the earth did the Society of Jesus succeed so
admirably in gaining the upper hand over all classes of people
as here. In no other Court did they understand better how to
combine the character of Confessor with the power of Minister
of State. Nowhere else had they so completely the education of
the people in their hands, and nowhere else did their despotism
prevail so much over the weakness of rulers as in Portugal,
which for several centuries was nothing more than a slavishly-
obedient province of their universal monarchy.
III. INFLUENCE OF THE JESUITS IN SPAIN.
The first Jesuits who were sent to Spain by their General imme-
diately after the institution of the Order, during the government
of the Emperor Charles V., were Father Araoz, who selected
Barcelona, and Father Villanouva, who chose Saragossa, re-
spectively, as the field of their operations. The first Jesuit
college, however, which was established in Loyola's native
country was founded in Gandia by Duke Francis Borgia, of
188 HISTORY OF THE JESUITS.
'Gandia, who afterwards became the third General of the Order.
A very great increase, moreover, soon took place both in the
number of their members and of their colleges and other settle-
ments, for in a nation so much inclined towards superstition and
fanaticism as that of Spain, the pious Fathers were naturally
enabled to attain their end all the more easily than in the
more sensible and sober lands. It must now be shown in what
manner they conducted themselves, and what means they pursued in
order to get over the bigoted Spaniards, and to cause themselves to
be regarded by the latter as quite extraordinary men, if not, indeed,
as saints. They made their appearance, then, wherever they came,
always clad in miserable clothing, dirty and torn ; they generally
took up their abode in hospitals, and went about in company
begging, in order to obtain a subsistence. They commenced
teaching among children of the houses of the poor, and, as
regards preaching, any corner-stone they came across was suffi-
cient for them. They flogged their bodies with scourges before
everyone, and carried on this mad career to such an extent that
the magistracy had frequently to be appealed to, it being feared
that they might torture themselves to death ; in a word, they
carried fanaticism to its height, while they sought at the same
time to bring mankind to the faith they themselves professed.
Thus, apart from the self-inflicted cruelties, their whole proceed-
ings were nothing else than a real and exact imitation of
apostlic manners and customs.
Notwithstanding, however, that the common people of Spain
that is, I mean, the great masses, and especially the women ran
truly in swarms after the Society of Jesus, it did not, however,
easily meet with such success in this beautiful country as it
had done in Italy, and more particularly in Portugal, and
there were many who were much astonished in regard to this
'being the case. They erred, however, mainly owing to the
fact that the Emperor Charles V., the then ruler of Spain,
although not himself otherwise inimical to the Society, was
never once induced to take a Jesuit as his Father Confessor.
He, on the contrary, selected the Dominicans as his spiritual
advisers, an Order doubtless hitherto much esteemed, while the
influence of his 6rst Father Confessor, the distinguished Ximines
Eisneros, the great Inquisitor, Cardinal Archbishop of Toledo,
and Minister of State, regulated the whole course of his life.
THE POWERFUL INFLUENCE OF THE JESUITS. 189
The more remarkable of these spiritual guides, besides Ximines,
were as follows : Peter of Soto, a very learned man ; Garcias de
Loaysa, Bishop of Osma; Caranza, afterwards Bishop of Toledo ;
Johann de Regla, a Hieronomite ; Juan de Ortega, almost con-
sidered a saint ; and Constantine Ponce de la Fuente, Bishop of
Seville. When these non-Jesuits, then, had possession of the
great monarch's conscience, how could it possibly be expected
that the Society of Jesus should attain to such great power as
it had done in Portugal, where its members were able to turn
the heart of the King in any way that pleased them ? A second
not lesser hindrance to the rapid development and extension of
the Order in Spain lay in the resistance given, partly by other
individual theologians and priests, and partly, more especially,
by that offered by the whole of the remaining Orders, the
Dominicans at their head. The latter sect, as must by this time
be sufficiently apparent to my readers, through the history of
many decades, was fashionable in Spain ; it had long since
gained the heart of the people, through the confessional, and by
means of the Inquisition ruled with a grasp of iron over all
alike, rich and poor, male and female ; towards it flowed hitherto
all the riches of the country, and from it and its members were
supplied, for the most part, all the appointments to bishoprics
and archbishoprics. Could it, then, be quietly submitted to that
another Order should be allowed to penetrate into its domains,
trying to reap where it alone had sown, and was wont to flourish
the sickle ? Therefore, wherever the Jesuits wished to establish
themselves, especially in Salamanca, Alcala, and Saragossa, it
bestirred itself to offer resistance to their encroachments. The
bishops, by whom by right the education of the young, as well:
as, above everything else, the wants of the confessional were
supplied, offered opposition to them, and on that account con-
tentions and angry encounters arose in those three cities. At
the commencement, too, at all events, the Jesuits always got the
worst of it, and not infrequently the people, incited thereto by
the other Orders, rose against them; as when, for instance, in-
the year 1555, their college in Saragossa was nearly taken by
storm, and they were only able to save their lives by the most
immediate and secret flight. But besides this opposition by open
force, individual theologians, entering the lists against them,
injured them in every way by spiritual and scientific weapons ; .
190 HISTORY OF THE JESUITS.
and among such may be named especially Melchior Cano, the
celebrated doctor of theology belonging to the Order of the
Dominicans. This far-seeing and cultivated priest, on his way
to Rome, had become acquainted with Ignatius Loyola and his
followers, certainly not in the most favourable manner, and as
later on, in the year 1548, the first Jesuits, with Fathers Le
Fevre and Ortiz at their head, entered into Salamanca, where he
liimself worked as professor of the University, he particularly
directed his attention to them, and soon became convinced that
they were far from being "by God's will the fools and blockheads "
that they appeared to be, but rather that poverty, humility, and
^elf-punishment were only to be looked upon as a pretext and
artifice to insinuate themselves ; so he described them, both from
the pulpit and in his professorial chair, as false apostles, as well
as dangerous men who should neither be trusted in the con-
fessional nor with the education of youth. Thus, from the great
consideration in which he was held, he would probably have
succeeded in effecting the expulsion of the Loyolites from Sala-
manca had it not been for the order of Pope Paul III., whom,
as is well known, the Society of Jesus did everything in its
power to favour, when called upon to do so at the Council of
Trent. By this means the sons of Loyola obtained free scope,
and also, later on, little injury could be done them, as after the
termination of the Council the bishopric of the Canary Islands
was bestowed upon them by the Roman Chair. How greatly,
moreover, was the Society of Jesus at that time already esteemed
by His Holiness, appears in a despatch addressed by him to
John de Regla, Father Confessor of Charles V., where a remark-
able passage occurs, which may be translated as follows :
" Would to God that we may not meet with that fate which, as
history teaches, Cassandra predicted, and which was not believed
by anyone until after that Troy was sacked and burnt ! If the
Jesuits carry on as they have begun, a time may yet come may
God forbid ! in which kings may feel inclined to resist them ;
but then it will no longer be in their power to offer opposition to
them." In the year 1555 Charles V. abdicated the throne of Spain,
and in the year following, as Emperor of Germany, handed over
the sovereignty, including the Spanish possessions in America,
as well as the crowns of Naples, Milan, Sardinia, and the Nether-
lands, to his son Philip II., now eighteen years of age. That,
THE POWERFUL INFLUENCE OF THE JESUITS. 191
indeed, constituted an immense power, sufficient always to main-
tain an ascendancy in Europe, more especially as the Austrian
House of Hapsburg, intimately connected with the ruling House
of Spain, was friendly disposed, and in no way inclined to
frustrate its designs. In addition to this, also, the most distin-
guished armies and the most experienced commanders belonged
to the side of the young King ; moreover, the gold derived from
the new world had been taken possession of by the Spaniards,
and flowed in plentifully. Besides this, what the commercial
fleets of the Netherlands acomplished might well be considered.
In a word, Philip II. possessed, as regards power and splendour,
everything that was necessary to make him, as a monarch,
governor of the world.
Now, had this ruler been a wise man, animated with zeal for
the welfare of mankind, he might, indeed, . have been able
to accomplish much with such extraordinary means at his dis-
posal. But Philip II. was not such a ruler. On the contrary,
his intellectual sphere was confined to very narrow limits, being
restricted to obstinate bigotry, universal belief, extermination of
heresy, and suppression of all the rights of the people. Such
were the great ends after which he strove, and he sought to
attain them by the roughest, most determined, and most cruel
despotism that was ever exercised by one of the Lord's anointed.
This, of course, was but too well known to the Jesuits, and
this being the case, no one need wonder that they got a hold over
Philip II. in order that, through him, they might be enabled to
establish the Roman Jesuitical universal monarchy, which was
their great desire, and, as I have already detailed in the preceding
paragraph, to make him the most supreme despot of Europe.
Between, the Jesuits and Philip II., then, the former having for
their General at that time Jacob Laynez, a formal contract was
drawn up, by which the extension of the Order of Jesus made
truly gigantic progress in Spain. They now acquired a right to
establish themselves wherever they wished, and a whole legion
of colleges sprang into existence one after the other, of which
those of Saragossa, Cordova, Seville, Cadiz, Malaga, Granada,
Marcia, Valentia, Maloria, St. lago di Compostella, Leon,
Cuenga, Belmont, Plasencia, Montillia, Trigueros, Toleda,
Logronno, Ocanna, Onnate, Salamanca, Talavera, Monterez,
Burgos, Medina del Campo and Madrid, became distinguished
192 HISTORY OF THE JESUITS.
with the eclat of universities. The highest pinnacle of power
for the Order was, however, attained when Francis Borgia
was called upon to hecome the successor of Laynez, as
Philip II. never refused any request made by him a veritable
grandee of Spain, and formerly Viceroy of Catalonia, while
naturally, the example of the monarch was followed with devo-
tion, as a matter of course, by all the other grandees of the
kingdom.
And now, will it be necessary for me to enumerate all the
possessions which individually belonged to this Order at this
time so all-powerful ? It will, I think, be sufficient for me to
give but a general view only as it stood towards the end of
the 16th century. Spain was in those days divided into four
provinces, so far as Jesuitism was concerned, viz. Toledo,
Aragon, Castile, and Seville ; and each of them vied with one
another in regard to the number of their establishments, as
well as the list of members belonging to the Order. Thus the
province of Toledo could boast of two profess-houses (Toledo
and Madrid), two novice-houses (Madrid and Villarejo), two-
and-twenty colleges and seminaries, four residences, and no
fewer than seven hundred members, belonging to the Order.
Then, as to the province of Aragon, it had one profess-house
(Valencia), one novice-house (Terragona), fourteen colleges and
seminaries, three residences, and somewhere about five hundred
Jesuits. In the province of Castile, there were a profess-house
and novitiate, both being in Garcia, nine-and-twenty colleges,
two residences, and about six hundred Jesuits ; and in the
province of Seville, one profess-house (Seville), two novice-
houses, those of Seville and Baeca, seven-and-twenty colleges
and seminaries, two residences, and seven hundred actual
members of the Order. Not less strongly did the Jesuits develop
themselves in the neighbouring territories belonging to Spain,
which Philip II. inherited from his father ; and in the province
of Naples alone they numbered one profess-house, one residence,
two novitiates, six-and-twenty colleges, along with at least six
hundred Loyolites. In Milan, there existed two profess-houses,
three novitiates, sixteen colleges, six residences, along with five
hundred members of the Order. Still more numerous, how-
ever, were their possessions in Sicily, consisting of two profess-
houses, two novitiates, two -and- twenty colleges, and seven hun-
THE POWERFUL INFLUENCE OF THE JESUITS. 193
dred Jesuits. In Sardinia, on the contrary, there were only
six colleges, one probation-house, and about two hundred
members of the Order. The most fertile field of all, however,
was that of Belgium and the Netherlands, as within a very
short space of time there were established in these countries two
profess-houses, three novitiates, five-and-twenty colleges, and
six residences, together with no fewer than seven hundred
members of the Order, and there would undoubtedly have been
many more, had not the rebellion of the States- General of
Holland restricted the lordship of Philip II. over the Belgian
countries to the so-called Spanish Netherlands.
It will thus be seen already, from this mere sketch, to what
an enormous extent the Society of Jesus had expanded its power
in Spain and its Netherland possessions under Philip II. In
spite of all this, however, it must not be believed that the rest of
the Spanish priesthood, and more especially the Dominicans,
tamely submitted themselves without any resistance to the supe-
rior power to which the Jesuits had in so short a time attained.
On the contrary, several bishops and university professors had in
the meantime directly appealed to Philip II., in order to explain
to him the mischievous tendency of the Order ; and that cele-
brated doctor of Theology, Benito Arias, surnamed Montanus,
dedicated to the monarch, in 1571, a memorial, in order to prove
to him that the greatest mischief must necessarily ensue if the
Jesuits were permitted to mix themselves up with the affairs of
the Government. The Dominicans even went still further than
this, as they not only dragged several members of the Society of
Jesus before the terrible tribunal of the Inquisition, the direc-
tion of which had been entrusted to them, but they also,
in the year 1590, made a strenuous appeal to the Pope then
ruling, Sixtus V., begging him to submit the statutes of the
Jesuits to a more strict investigation than had been hitherto
done, and requesting that he should put some bounds to the
unlimited supremacy assumed by the Order. Sixtus did, indeed,
actually take into consideration the matters advanced by the
Dominicans, and there was all the appearance that this dangerous
Society would have to undergo a thorough reform. He first of
all ordered that the Jesuits should be in future called Ignatians,
after their founder Ignatius, seeing that the name of Jesuit
appertained, properly speaking, to the followers of Jesus, an<?'
13
194 HISTORY OP THE JESUITS.
consequently was applicable to all Christians. He further required
of them that they were not in future to meddle with secular
affairs, and that they should abstain especially from interfering
in political questions. Lastly, he expressed the opinion
that it would be best if the sons of Loyola were to consent to
become monks, like the members of other Orders, with the sole
object of singing the praises of the Lord from the quiet retire-
ment of their cloisters. Such would, indeed, have been a
terrible consummation, " equivalent to the extermination of
the Society as it had been hitherto constituted," and the
General of the Order, Claudius Aquaviva, directed that litanies
should be offered up in all the Jesuit churches in order that
God should be implored to offer resistance to the projected
reforms of Pope Sixtus V., that " old man with the iron head."
The litanies seemed, in fact, to bring assistance to their cause,
as the Pope shortly afterwards died, on the 27th of August of
the year mentioned, without having been able to carry out his
reforms, which circumstance therefore gave rise to the proverb,
" When the Order of Jesus gives out a litany the holy stool will
become vacant."
The successor of Sixtus, Gregory XIV., who was chosen
through the influence of Aquaviva, however, at once annulled
all that his predecessor had ordered inimical to the sons of
Loyola ; and the Dominicans were unable, for this time at all
events, to make good their complaints. The same contention
for supremacy which had been begun under Philip II. continued
under the reigns of his successors, Philip III. (1598-1621), and
Philip IV. (1621-1665), and at one time matters went in favour
of the Dominicans, while at another the Jesuits succeeded in
gaining over the heart and sceptre of the monarch. It cannot,
however, be denied that the sons of Loyola, on the whole, lost
rather than gained ground under the two monarchs above men-
tioned, and they had, indeed, much difficulty in not being obliged
to vacate entirely the field at Court.* Quite otherwise was the
* More especially was this the case in the year 1636. At that time, in
order to be enabled to carry on the war with France, Philip IV., or, rather,
his Prime Minister, Count Olivarez, demanded a certain money-tax from
the whole of the Spanish ecclesiastics, and made a beginning with the
Jesuits. " We bind ourselves." answered the Provincial, "to supply as much
money as the whole of the other corporations put together , so commence
with them, and then, at last, turn to us.'' This, in short, was done, and all
Orders, as well as ail other secular ecclesiastics, did their best, and often
THE POWERFUL INFLUENCE OF THE JESUITS. 195
-case, however, when, upon the death of Philip IV., his widow,
Maria Anna of Austria took over the government as guardian of
her minor son, the future King Charles II. (1665-1700), as she
happened to he so completely in the hands of the Jesuits that
she at once conferred upon her Father Confessor, Everard Ritard,
the title of a Grand Inquisitor, and never did anything without
first of all asking his advice. The Dominicans now, of course,
hurled fire and flames, and to them adhered not only the regular
olergy, hut also the whole of the nohility. As it also came to he
fully known that Ritard was a German by hirth, both of his
parents being Protestant heretics, the discontent still increased
to a much greater extent, and there was only a spark wanting to
give rise to the outbreak of a great revolution. Don Juan ot
Austria, a natural son of Philip IV., his mother being a play-
actress called Maria Calderma, now came to the front, and
placing himself at the head of the malcontents, supported by the
army, which was completely subservient to him, demanded cate-
gorically, on the 23rd February 1669, the deposition of the Grand
Inquisitor. He declared to the Regent that if Father Ritard
did not, within the space of one hour, find himself outside the
gates of Madrid, he would thrust him out of the same ; and
both Ritard as well as Maria Anna soon perceived that this
declaration was in truth meant in earnest. Consequently, Ritard
at once took French leave and went to Rome, where he was
.accredited by the Regent as ambassador to Clement X. Father
Moya, one of the most ill-reputed of the Jesuits who ever made
an appearance there, took his place at Madrid, and, con-
sequently, the opposite party gained but very little by this
beyond their power. Olivarez now renewed his demand, reminding the
Provincial of his promise. But what did the latter reply ? " The different
Universities of Spain," he was of opinion, "had endowments amounting to
at least eight millions of ducats, from the interest of which property the
salaries of the professors were supplied. Now, the Order of Jesus offered to
undertake to fill all the university chairs gratis, without payment of any
description, and, consequently, the King might take possession of these eight
millions of ducats without any detriment whatever to the State. The King
woulc! be able then to acquire not less money thereby than if, with the
Pope's approval, he were to seize upon the whole of the professions of the
ecclesiastical brotherhood in Spain and India, and this could without fail be
accomplished, as the Jesuits were sufficiently numerous to undertake to fill
all the pulpits, as well as all the appointments of father confessors." Such
was the reply given by the Jesuits, and it was pretty plain how the matter
would end ; but, in consequence, they brought down upon their heads, at the
same time, all the ecclesiastics, as well as all the universities of Spain, and
ior a long time there were great difficulties, therefore, with which to contend.
13 *
196 HISTORY OF THE JESUITS.
revolution. With Charles II. the line of the Spanish branch of
the house of Hapsburg died out, and, after a war of twelve years'
duration, a grandson of Louis XIV. of France, second son of
the Dauphin, ascended the throne of Spain, under the name of
Philip V. Upon him the Jesuits built their best hopes, as he
was, indeed, a true grandson of Louis XIV., and, in fnct, these
expectations were not disappointed. He brought with him from
France, as Father Confessor, Father William d'Aubenton, one of
the most crafty members of the Order, and he was so completely
governed by him, as was also the Queen, Marie Gabrielle, of
Savoy, the friend of the never-to-be-forgotten Madame de Orsini,
that for a succession of several years no favours could be obtained
except through him. After d'Aubenton's death, Father Juan
Marino was raised to the dignity of Father Confessor of the
monarch, and this wily Jesuit, who had been indoctrinated by
Le Tellier, the Father Confessor of Louis XIV., counselled also
his weak and insane successor, Ferdinand VI. (1746-1759).
Thus, in a word, it happened under the line of the Spanish
Bourbons that the power and influence of the Jesuits rose higher
than ever, and very few Spaniards, writes Llorente, in his
History of the Spanish Inquisition, had the courage to offer any
opposition to their party, as in doing so all employment in any
public office, or any ecclesiastical preferment, had unquestionably
to be renounced.
IV. SWAY OF THE JESUITS IN FRANCE.
It was much more difficult for the Jesuits to form any permanent
settlements in France, than in the three countries already men-
tioned, Italy, Portugal, and Spain, although they certainly left
nothing untried which they had found to succeed elsewhere.
Loyola had already taken much pains in endeavouring to charm
the French people with his newly-founded Order, and quite at
the commencement of his Generalship sent to Paris sixteen of his
scholars, for the most part Spaniards, under the pretext that they
might have the advantage of completing their theological studies
at the famous university in that city ; in truth, however, in order
that they might there sound the country and gain friends for
Jesuitism. They were either very unskilful, however, or had
Tery bad luck, for not a single soul took any notice of them, and
THE POWERFUL INFLUENCE OP THE JESUITS. 197
Loyola was obliged to send money to them from Rome in order
to meet their daily wants. Their affairs, however, seemed to
take quite a different turn after the celebrated Fathers, Laynez
.and Salmeron, made the acquaintance, at the Council of Trent,
of William du Prat, Bishop of Clermont, and were successful
enough to interest him greatly in their Order, so much so, indeed,
that this extraordinarily wealthy prelate (he was son of the
former Chancellor of France), presented them with a special
residence in Paris, in the Rue St. Jaques, and the chapel
attached thereto. They had then, at length, a possession from
which they might be enabled to carry on their operations in
future, and, as may be easily understood, a number of the Fathers
at once entered it in order to prosecute these designs. But
what signified their visits to the hospitals, and their fanatical
preaching at the corners of the streets ? What mattered their
self-inflicted floggings and such-like proceedings ? The Parisians
were neither Spaniards nor Italians, and consequently laughed
at them in their face when they merely ventured to look up.
Besides which, they soon began to quarrel with the regular
clergy, who did not hesitate to call them publicly by the name
of hypocrites. Indeed, one of the doctors of the Sorbonne (that
is to say, a professor belonging to the Theological Faculty of
Paris),* published a pamphlet against them, in which he pointed
out to the Government that the best thing to be done with them
would be to hunt them at once out of the country with disgrace
and ignominy as beggars and vagabonds.
This was, indeed, but a bad beginning, and a rough snubbing
into the bargain ; but they were soon to fare better. In the
year 1549, Cardinal Charles of Loraine, one of the most in-
fluential men in France at that time, who belonged to the equally
powerful as wealthy house of Guise, made a journey to the Papal
Court of Rome ; and here Ignatius Loyola contrived, by flattering
.his passions, to gain him over to such an extent that the former
* About the year 1250, Robert, born at Sorbonne, in Champagne, Chan-
cellor of Louis the Holy, founded in Paris a " Collegium Pauperum Magis-
trorum Studentium in Theologica Facultate," that is to say, an educational
institution for poor young secular priests, which institution was designated
after the founder " the Sorbonne." Whilst, however, the duty of teaching
in the same devolved upon the professors of the Theological Faculty of the
University of Paris, the said name was latterly attached to the Theological
Faculty itself, and from the 14th century it never went by any other than the
" Sorboime."
198 HISTORY OF THE JESUITS.
promised, on his return to France, to take the Society under
his special protection. This, in fact, he truly and loyally did,
but, naturally, not so much, out of a feeling of friendship
towards the holy Ignatius as from purely selfish motives,
us he was promised for himself, and ventured to expect,
great assistance from the Jesuits in carrying out his plans
against the hated heresy of the Huguenots. Suffice it to say,
however, that he did all in his power in their favour with
Henry II. of France, and in consequence of this the Order
obtained through a Patent Brief of January 1050, royal authority
to establish a college in their abode in Paris, having the same
privileges and rights as Jesuit colleges established in the other
countries of Europe. The pious Fathers were now jubilant ; but
they had begun too soon to rejoice, as there was still something
wanting to justify this glee, namely, the approval of the Par-
liament, the supreme tribunal of Paris.* The King of France,
in fact, was not, as it happened, so absolute a monarch as his
colleagues of Spain and Portugal, inasmuch as it had been the
unimpeachable custom, for a century at least, that the royal
ordinances, dispensations, and edicts cocld only have legal
sanction accorded to them, and be observed by the French
nation, after they had been recorded and registered by
Parliament, and consequently the said tribunal, so to speak,
stood in the relation of a legislative assembly a legislative
assembly, moreover, be it well understood, for old France,
that is to say. for that portion of the French kingdom
which during ages bad belonged to the Crown territories
of the French kings. The remaining, and certainly much
smaller portion of the kingdom, which had been subse-
quently acquired either by conquest or through confiscation of
feudal tenure, had, again, its own particular Upper Tribunal
* Parliament is derived from " parlor," to speak, and originally signified
an assemblage called together for the public discussion of this or that Act.
Later on, in the 12th century, the French Senate, consisting of the highest
nobility, set aside this name, and nominated a committee of the said Senate,
which had to deal with the acts of the peers. Gradually, however, a per-
manent legislative commission was formed from this committee, a kind of
supreme tribunal for which only experienced judicial legislators could be
elected ; and iii order to secure the independence of this law court, a member
could only be deprived of his place therein by a judicial sentence. Such was
the Parliament of Paris as it was constituted in the 16th century, a most
important tribunal, but, at the same time, a purely judicial one, which had
no resemblance to what we now understand by Parliament
THE POWERFUL INFLUENCE OF THE JESUITS.
or Parliament ; * consequently, a royal decree, in order that it
should be valid throughout the whole of France, must also be
registered hy all the Parliaments of the country. But still it
seldom happened that the provincial Parliament differed from
that of Paris, as the latter enjoyed special consideration, and
consequently the whole of the law-courts centred in that cor-
poration, where questions were determined by a majority of votes.
King Henry II., as a matter of course, at once remitted his
Patent Brief relating to the Jesuits to the Parliament of Paris,
demanding its registration. The High Court of Law, however,
referred the case for the consideration of its procurators,
Bruslart, Marillac, and Segnier, and they at once declared that
France stood in need of no new Order, more especially of none
such as that of the Society of Jesus, which had been favoured
by Rome with exemptions of so curious a nature. The sup-
plicants, i.e. the Jesuits, were always at liberty to travel about
among the Moors and Mahomedanswith the object of converting;
them, but in France they were not required. This refusal and
rebuff was taken up by the proud Cardinal of Loraine as an
insult to himself, and afresh he urged the King to insist on his
Patent Brief being carried through Parliament ; and he so far
succeeded as to cause the ruler to come to a firm determination
on the subject. So Henry II. forthwith issued a command to
the Supreme Law Court to register the brief. The latter now,
however, showed its independence of royal caprice by, instead of
obeying the command, handing over, as well to the Archbishop
of Paris as to the Sorbonne, in order that they might be more
carefully examined and well considered, the whole of the Acts,
that is, the petition of the Jesuits, the Patent Brief of Henry
II. together with all the Papal Bulls referring to the Society
of Jesus. Eustach du Bellay, being at that time the Arch-
bishop, took his time over the matter, in spite of all the
King's importunity and the pressure put upon him by the latter;
the Theological Faculty of the Parisian University, which at that
time was not excelled in learning, stability, and talent by any
other in the world, also pursued a like course. At the end of
two years they were at length ready, and, strange to say, the
* Such parliaments existed from 1302 at Toulouse, from 1451 at Grenoble,
from 1462 at Bordeaux, from 1476 at Dijon, from 1499 at Eouen, from 1501
at Aix, from 1553 at Kennes, from 1620 at Pau,from 1633 at Metz, from 165S
at Douai, and from 1775 at Nancy.
200 HISTORY OF THE JESUITS.
decision at which both parties had arrived agreed pretty well
together, although that of the Archbishop was certainly much
more moderate than that of the Sorbonne. The first declared
that the privileges accorded to the Jesuits were not only
contrary to the common law, but also equally so to the dignity
and consideration due to the Bishops and Universities ; and he.
lastly, gave it as his opinion " that it would be more advisable
to build houses for the supplicants on the frontiers of Turkey,
in order that thence they might be able to convert the heathen,
than that they should be allowed to have settlements in the
midst of Christendom." The Sorbonne, on the other hand, in
its sitting of 1st December J 554, delivered its decision (which
it may be remarked was come to unanimously), verbatim in the
following terms : " This Society which arrogates to itself the
name of Jesus, without having any right to do so, a name
adopted by penal, dishonourable, and infamous people without
distinction, whose members differ in no degree from the secular
priesthood in customs, divine service, manner of life or clothing,
although monks this Society which, in regard to preaching
and teaching, as well as the administration of the Sacrament,
directly infringes upon the rights of the Bishops and Ordinaries,
is in opposition to the whole of the hierarchical Orders hitherto
established, and conduces to the detriment as well of other re-
maining Orders as. of princes and the great men of the world,
as also to the prejudice of university freedom and the injury
of the people, has been accorded many privileges, indulgences,
and liberties on the part of the Papal Chair this Society casts
a slur upon all other Orders of monks, weakens the diligent and
pious exercises of virtue in the lonely cell, causes the members of
other Orders to desecrate their vows, draws away believers from
the obedieace and submission which they owe to their ordinary
spiritual advisers, robs ecclesiastical as well as secular authorities
of their rights, and gives rise to disturbances in both of these
classes as well as among the people, causing many hardships,
controversies, schisms, and a number of other disorders. Indeed,
in a word, when one takes everything into account, this Society
appears to be destined to produce an imperilment of the faith,
disturbance of the Church's peace, and the undermining of
monachism. It is, in fact, more adapted for pulling down than
Jor building up."
THE POWERFUL INFLUENCE OF THE JESUITS. 201
It was thus that the Theological Faculty of Paris expressed
itself, in its celebrated sentence, and in consequence thereof the
Parliament hesitated to give effect to the Patent Brief of the
King. Eustach du Bellay, however, the Archbishop of Paris,
thereupon went even a step further, and forbade the members of
the Society of Jesus from henceforth exercising any priestly
offices whatever within the range of his diocese.
The pious Fathers were then worse off than ever, as the
power of the King could not protect them against episcopal
orders, and consequently everyone expected that they would
have, from this time forth, to turn their backs upon Paris for
ever. They did not, however, by any means do so, for they
contrived to find out a back-way of escape. They certainly, it
is true, shut up their house in the Rue St. Jacques, leaving
behind them only a few of their number for its management ;
they themselves, however, withdrew in corpore, as one is used
to say, to the neighbourhood of St. Germain des Pres, to one of
the magnificent abbeys independent of the bishopric of Paris,
where they were joyfully received, and a chapel was therein
allotted to them to enable them to hold divine service and
carry on other priestly offices. At the same time their old
friend, the above-mentioned William du Prat, Bishop of Cler-
mont, in proof of his abiding favour, presented them with a
large property in the little town of Billon, along with no less
than 40,000 thalers in ready money, so that they might by these
means be able to erect there a college.
They consequently, then, still remained in France, and ac-
quired, moreover, another possession; it must be admitted,
however, that this was as nothing compared with the property
they had obtained in the other proper Roman Catholic countries.
Besides this, did not the publicly expressed sentence of the
Sorbonne find an echo throughout the whole of civilised Europe,
and was not the injury arising to them out of this of much
greater consequence than might have been at the first moment
expected ? Still, it is said, " Time will discover a plan," and the
Jesuits relied upon this ancient proverb. Protestantism, or,
more properly speaking, Calvinism, as is well known, now
extended itself with rapid progress throughout France, and were
it only to go on progressing at the same rate as it had already
done, the Huguenots, as the adherents of the Reformation were
202 HISTORY OP THE JESUITS.
designated in France, must soon necessarily gain the upper
hand.
Such a great misfortune for the Catholic Church, which
now impended, the pious Fathers well knew how to turn most
excellently to their own advantage, for they secretly spread
themselves about everywhere, and more especially about the
Court ; and none were more skilful in fighting against the
detested heresy than the members of the Society of Jesus, and in
this, beyond all of them, did Father Pontius Gongordan
especially excel, going about everywhere in ordinary plain,
clothes. On this account many of the French began now to
look upon the Order with more friendly feelings, and tha
injurious impression caused by the Sorbonne decree by degrees-
disappeared, at all events among good Papists. A favour-
able circumstance for them now took place in the year 1559,
when, on the death of Henry II., there came to the throne his
first-born son Francis II., espoused to Mary Stuart ; at that time
the Queen's uncle, the Loraine Prince of Guise, was all-powerful
at Court.* The pious fathers, however, with the Cardinal of Lo-
raine at their head, urged the weak King to prepare a new Patent
Brief in favour of the Jesuits, supporting it and exerting their in-
fluence upon Parliament with all their power, in order that the lattea
should undertake the registration of the King's commands. Strange-
to say, however, the Court remained obstinate, notwithstanding
that it was well disposed, all the same, towards Catholicism, the
proof of such being the case consisting in the fact that many
sentences of death were hanging over the Huguenot heretics. It
was, however, necessary for it to remain obstinate, as it rested,
with itself to save the rights of the Gallican Church, and the
independence of the Government of the country in all secular
affairs, since the sons of Loyola placed the Papal power
above all church assemblies, as well as above princes, kings,
and emperors, their whole thoughts and energies being, as
we know, directed towards forming a universal Romish,
The House of Guise, an offshoot from the House of Loraine, was
founded in the year 1527 by Claude, a younger son of Duke Rene of Lo-
raine, who acquired by marriage the lordship of Guise. Claude left behind
him six sous, the most distinguished of whom were Francis de Guise,
Charles Archbishop of Kheims, and a Cardinal (commonly called Cardinal
of Loraine), as well as five daughters, the eldest of whom, Marie, was
married to James II. of Scotland, and gave birth to the unfortunate Mary
Stuart.
THE POWEEFUL INFLUENCE OF THE JESUITS. 203
Jesuitical despotism. Francis II. thus compassed the legal
admission of the Jesuits even as little as Henry II. had done,
and, as he died shortly afterwards, in the year 1560, his efforts
were unavailing. It was not otherwise under his successor
Charles IX., whose guardian, during his minority, was his
mother, Catherine de Medicis. She certainly, at first, became
captivated hy the pious Fathers, and some authors even maintain
that she had secretly selected Father William Petit as her Father
Confessor. She also truly attacked the Parliament in two acri-
monious documents, and demanded of the same that it should
at length relax its opposition towards the Jesuit Fathers. She
assuredly, too, did not hesitate to declare publicly as follows :
" One must hasten to receive the Jesuits into the kingdom, as,,
otherwise, from such delays and stubborn opposition they might
be driven into an evil disposition, and be constrained to quit
France again of their own accord, to the great detriment of religion
and of the common weal." The Parliament, however, remained
obstinate in its determination, and the only thing that it could
be induced to do was to make a declaration that the Church
Congress, which the Regent had the idea of summoning, should
decide in regard to the reception or otherwise of the Jesuits.
The said Church Assembly, or, more properly speaking, the said
Religious Conference between the Huguenots and the Catholics,
which was indeed at that time a thing determined upon, had for
its object to make an attempt, if possible, to bring about some
amicable arrangement and unity between the two parties into
which France was then divided, with the view of averting a civil
war, which otherwise appeared to be inevitable. Pope Pius IV.
tried in every way to prevent this conference taking place, as the
Chair of Rome was a sworn enemy to all such endeavours to
bring about any such accommodation, attempts wherein the
Romish Church always suffered in reputation through the skilful
attack of the Protestants ; but it was all in vain that he did so.
By the invitation of the Regent the Catholic prelates, consisting
of a body of six cardinals and forty bishops, with twenty- six
doctors of theology, assembled together at Poissy, where the
Conference took place at the commencement of the year
1561. At the same time there made their appearance fourteen
Huguenot ecclesiastics, at whose head was the celebrated
Theodor Beza, together with Petrus Martyr, while a number
204 HISTORY OF THE JESUITS.
of other secular gentlemen, who were desirous of attending
the convention, were also present. The disputation at once
commenced under the Presidency of Cardinal de Tournou; and
the Catholic prelates, and more particularly the Cardinal of
Loraine, gave themselves all the trouble possible to bring round
the Huguenot preachers to their views. Still the Pope, in the
first place, was right; that is to say, the affair turned quite
contrary to their wishes, and the two distinguished leaders of the
Huguenots, Beza and Martyr, daily obtained new adherents by
means of their sharp intellect and stirring eloquence. Further
help must, then, be obtained, if a deep incurable wound to
the Roman Catholicism of the Papacy was not to be inflicted,
and Pius IV., on that account, forthwith despatched to Poissy
another legate, in the person of Prince Hippolyte d'Este,
Cardinal of Ferrara, in order to uphold the rights of the Holy
Chair, and he sent also, as a companion to the legate, Father
Xiaynez, the then General of the Jesuits, as he, at that time, was
held to be better fitted than anyone living, as a debater, to parry,
by his masterly serpentine mode of speaking, the severe blows
dealt by the Huguenot combatants. The General, indeed,
completely justified the high opinion the Pope entertained of
him, and the Catholic party had to thank his keen eloquence
alone that it not only sustained no defeat, but even when the
conference was broken up in the autumn, on account of its use-
lessness, without yielding an iota, it could claim a victory with
the same right as the Huguenots. Laynez became, then, among
the Catholics at Poissy, as may be well understood, the extolled
hero of the day, and a man of such exalted talents had, indeed, a
high claim upon their gratitude. On this account, therefore, when,
through the Fathers Brouet and Pontius, he presented a care-
fully elaborated petition for the legal admission into France of the
Society of Jesus, it met not only with the support of the whole of
the prelates well disposed towards Rome, such as the Cardinal
of Loraine and his friends, but also, indeed, of all the rest of
the assembly of course, with the exception of the Protestants,
who by this time, however, had already taken their departure ;
so the required decree was at once prepared on the loth Sep-
tember 1561. Nevertheless, this admission, properly speaking,
did not take place unconditionally, as in Spain, Portugal, and
Italy, but, on the other hand, the prelates introduced all kinds
THE POWERFUL INFLUENCE OF THE JESUITS. 205-
of clauses therein, with reservations, in order to protect the
rights and privileges of the Gallican Church ; and, moreover,
the Papal Bulls issued in favour of the Jesuits were subjected^
to the most rigid paring.
" Above everything must the sons of Loyola," thus the excep-
tional conditions are expressed, " lay aside the name of Jesuit,,
or Society of Jesus, as they are not more entitled to assume these
designations than any of the other children of Christ." They
had further " to renounce calling themselves a religious Order,
like the Benedictines, Dominicans, Augustines, &c. ; they, in
fact, merely have the rights of a society or company, whose
statutes are to he regulated according to the constituted laws.
They must also, besides, promise to place themselves under the
jurisdiction of the bishops of the dioceses in which they reside,
the latter having it in their power to inflict the usual censures-
upon any of the members deserving of punishment. They should
especially undertake nothing that would be detrimental to the
bishops, founders, parsons, universities, or holy orders, and the
Papal Bulls, which give them a special exemption, are to be of
no effect or value. Lastly, they have to declare it to be under-
stood by them, that the present exceptional permission should
at once cease to have effect should they at any time overstep
the conditions imposed upon them, or obtain other privileges
from the Papal Chair which might be in opposition to any of
the conditions above mentioned, and thus and upon these grounds
and no other shall this treaty be concluded with them."
Such were the conditions which the convention of Poissy
stipulated as regards the admission of the Jesuits into France,,
and one sees thereby with what extreme distrust even the ultra-
Catholic French prelates looked upon the Order; but had one
ventured to make even more stringent injunctions, in regard ta
the Society of Jesus, they would have been accepted. It only
remained for them now to plant, therefore, a firm foot in France
to make themselves powerful ; once, then, that their first object
was attained, what, eh ! was easier for them than to break the
stipulated conditions, and pay no further attention to the treaty to
which they had agreed ? " What does it matter as regards per-
jury if one does not swear ? " says the Jew. The correctness of
this conclusion shortly, then, became apparent. Scarcely had
the pious Fathers secured the desired decree of legal permission.
206 HISTORY OP THE JESUITS.
in their pockets than they at once pulled down their house in
the Rue St. Jacques, in order to build in its place a beautiful
new palatial college ; and hardly had this magnificent building
been erected than they placed in front of the same the inscrip-
tion in black letters, " College of the Society to the Name of
Jesus." Thus they acted, although during the first two years, as
far as France was concerned, they had been obliged to submit to
the renunciation of this name ; still, that was by no means all
that they did, but in addition they hastened to erect colleges
in all the cities in that part of the country well affected towards
Catholicism, as, for instance, in Avignon, Rhodas, Morioc, Bor-
deaux, Lyons, Rouen, Marseilles, Clermont, De la Fleche, Rennes,
Moulius, and wherever else such might be the feeling, and
demanded for all those educational institutions the same rights
and privileges which were possessed by the universities. Speak-
ing more plainly, they were desirous of being qualified to
create masters of philosophy and doctors of theology, similar to
those of the Sorbonne in Paris, and, as the instruction was
all given gratis, they hoped to obtain many students, that, in
this way, they might soon be enabled to provide the whole of
France with priests of their own stamp and of their own reli-
gious opinions. The University of Paris, however, opposed this
arrogance with all its power, and along with it the Archbishop
of Paris, the Prefects and the Mayor of the city, the Cardinal
de Chatillon as Curator of the Sorbonne, the whole Orders of
monks, and all of the regular clergy made common cause. In
spite of all this, however, the Jesuits, favoured by the Court,
and more especially by the Guises, persisted in their demands,
and, as the matter was referred to Parliament, there now arose a
trial which lasted more than two centuries without being brought
to any definite conclusion a trial during which the considera-
tion in which the Society was held was more and more brought
into disfavour, while the advocates of the university threw the
most bitter reproaches in its teeth. But what did that signify to
the warriors of Christ ? They, however, gained this much
by the said trial, that, urged by them to do so, the Queen
Regent, in the meantime, gave them permission to open their
schools, and commence their instructions, pending the legal
issue of the matter ; and on account of the enormous advantage
which this license secured to them, they could well afford to
THE POWEEFUL INFLUENCE OF THE JESUITS. 207
allow themselves to be more or less abused. There was only one
great hindrance which stood in the way of the rapid spread of
the Order of Jesus throughout France, and that was that by
this time nearly one-half of the French people adhered to Pro-
testantism, and, as may be well imagined, the pious Fathers
directed all their attention and influence in urging on the
Catholics in the conflict against heresy, as only by its extinc-
tion would it be possible for the Jesuits to become all-powerful.
I will not, indeed, affirm that the civil war which at that period
had begun to break out in France owed its origin entirely to
the machinations of the Society of Jesus, as such an asser-
tion as this might not be altogether founded on truth ; but this,
however, I will say, that the war in question would not have had
so long a duration, and would not have been carried on with
such ferocity as was the case, had no Jesuits existed in France.
The pious Fathers themselves, indeed, took part in the fight,
as, for instance, at the siege of Poitiers, where Brother Lelio
Sanguini, afterwards declared to be a martyr, commanded the
auxiliary forces sent by the Pope ; again, in the battle of Garnac,
in which Father Augnier had the honour of putting on the
boots and cuirass of the Duke of Anjou ! Then, was not their
college in Paris the principal stronghold of the murderous crew
which was let loose upon the poor Huguenots during the
fearful night of St. Bartholomew ; while another of their posses-
sions in Paris, namely, their profess-house, gave shelter to Henry
Due de Guise, the leader of the troops engaged in the bloody
work, for several days, immediately after the attempted assassina-
tion of Admiral Coligny.
For all the trouble, notwithstanding, that was taken by the
Jesuits never to allow any truce to take place between the
Catholics and Huguenots during their contentions, so as to
make the same, indeed, a war of extermination, they were unable
to succeed in this object as long as Charles IX. and his mother
held the reins of government. Their worldly dominion lay too
much at the hearts of both the King and the Regent to induce
them to think, in earnest, of sacrificing the half of their subjects
on account of the faith ; and thus the war against the Hugue-
nots was commenced, indeed, some four or five times, but on
each occasion peace was concluded without much ground being
gained upon the heresy. It was otherwise, however, under the
208 HISTORY OF THE JESUITS.
reign of Henry III (1574-89), the brother and successor of
Charles IX., as this prince, totally enervated by debauchery,
had already, while Crown Prince, been induced to take a member
of the Society of Jesus, Edmund Auger by name, as his Father
Confessor, whose influence as spiritual adviser prevailed no less
than as we have already seen in the history of Portugal, in
which country a like power was exercised. Unfortunately, the
weak-uiinded Henry had long been accustomed to render
obedience to his ambitious and imperious mother in all things,
and from this he did not depart on becoming ruler. By the
efforts of the Guises and the Jesuits, intimately allied to them,
there now arose a new Huguenot war, which was indeed a fright-
fully bloodthirsty and devastating struggle. Still the Protest-
ants, at whose head there fought Henry of Navarre, along with
the great Cond6, conquered one place after another during the
year 157576, so much so that the Court concluded a new
peace with them on the 8th of May of the last-named year, and
granted to them unrestrained religious freedom, in addition ta
a number of places of refuge. But think what kind of religious
freedom it was ! Religious freedom granted to heretics by a
Catholic King, and in a country which the Society of Jesus had
selected as the scene of its dominion ! Such a thing, indeed,
was not to be allowed in any case, or at any rate must not be
lasting, whenever it might again become possible to urge on the
King to commence a new Huguenot war. What had previously
taken place proved that the house of Valois, the designation by
which the dynasty then reigning was called, would never allow
itself to enter upon a war of extermination, and, consequently, it
might be reckoned upon with certainty that a new war would but
end again in a new peace. Moreover, what was to happen were
Henry III. to die, as there was much reason to fear, without
leaving behind him male heirs, and the next relative, Henry of
Navarre, were to come to the throne ? Truly, against such a
contingency there was only one sole effectual remedy, namely,
that of carrying out the idea of a universal monarchy, by getting
the crown placed on the head of Philip II. of Spain, as had
been already done in the case of Portugal. When matters had
arrived at such a point as this, one might then, indeed, be
pretty sure that the sword once drawn by the Catholics would
never more be sheathed until all heretics within French confines
THE POWERFUL INFLUENCE OF THE JESUITS. 209
had been exterminated, and, on that account, the Jesuits forth-
with took an oath to carry this plan into effect at any price.
Still, at the same time, they took good care to do so without
hurting in any way national French susceptibilities by intruding
their views openly and without reserve, but they christened their
small child by another name, viz. that of the Holy League of
all Catholics against the Huguenot heresy. At the head and
front of this confederacy they placed the Pope, the King of
Spain, and the Guises, and they easily succeeded in winning
over those parties to be in favour of their projects : the Pope,
because it was a matter of vital consequence to him to see
heresy exterminated ; while to the King of Spain the vision of
the crown of a mighty kingdom was before him ; and so far as
the Guises were concerned, they dared to hope that, under
Philip II., residing so far away as Madrid, the whole governing
power of France would be at their command. However, this
was, after all, not so easily carried out as they would wish, as the
Catholic people, the Catholic nobility, and the minor Catholic
princes had to be won over to the plan, and only then would
there be any hope of substantial success ; and such a result it
seemed, to begin with, beyond all human power to attain.
The Jesuits, however, undertook the matter in question, and
actually carried it out in its entirety.
From the year 1576 for in that year the league or treaty
was concluded by the Pope, the King of Spain, and the
Guises, for the dethronement of the legitimate royal family of
France there permeated emissaries throughout the whole of
France, who instituted among the people " associations for the
protection of religion " ; but what was the fundamental object of
such associations might be seen in this, that everyone entering
into the brotherhood must solemnly pledge himself never to-
recognise the legitimate successor of Henry III. as heir to the
throne. Moreover, the chief thing that was preached at all
meetings, which were generally held in cities where the Jesuits
had colleges and profess-houses, or in other particular localities,
was that a good Catholic would disgrace the religion to which
he belonged were he ever to offer any opposition to the views of
the Spanish house or of the Papal See ; these associations were
nothing else, in fact, than conspiracies against the royal house
of Bourbon and its heirs. No less activity was developed
14
210 HISTORY OF THE JESUITS.
among the Jesuits towards the Catholic nobility of France, as
well as in gaining over the minor Catholic courts, as the Order
had emissaries everywhere who knew how to conduct them-
selves like the most skilful diplomatists. Among these, Father
Henry Sammier became especially distinguished a man for whom
nothing daring was too dangerous, and who understood how to
fill, with the greatest skill, any part which might be assigned
to him by the Society. At one time he would make his appear-
ance as a soldier, and at another as a priest, while on a third
occasion he would appear as a strolling pleasure-seeker ; he was
equally at home with cards, dice, and the fair sex, as with his
breviary. With all this, he never lost sight of his mission which
was " to gain over members for the League," and he carried on
his operations in Germany, Spain, Italy, and France, between
which countries he was always travelling backwards and forwards,
conducting himself with such ability that he was simply desig-
nated " Director of the League." A no less conspicuous part was
played by Father Claudius Matthew, who, during the reign of
Henry III., conducted the correspondence between the Guises
and the holy Father, and who, on that account, was continually
on the road between Paris and Rome and Rome and Paris. He,
again, went by the name of " Courier of the Leaguists," and it
was through his zealous exertions that the Pope was induced to
launch his nefarious Bull of excommunication against Henry of
Navarre and the Prince of Conde, in the year 1558. Another
famous emissary of the League was Father Odon Pigenat, a man
of almost stormy eloquence, who on that account was called the
"" Trumpeter of the League/' Besides the foregoing may be
mentioned also the Fathers Commolet, Mandoza, Aquillon, and
Feria, who all performed important services to the League. The
Jesuits were, indeed, the heart and soul of the Leaguist con-
spiracy, and it was through them alone that it grew to be of the
strength and importance by which it was distinguished in French
history. It fell, indeed, very little short of success, and had the
Leaguist conspiracy been only carried through successfully the
Society of Jesus would have seen at their feet the whole of
France, just as much as Spain, Portugal, and Italy. On that
account, then, did the Jesuits rejoice in their inmost soul, and
they already stretched out their hands to clutch the magnificent
booty, when one single over-hasty deed snatched away again
THE POWERFUL INFLUENCE OF THE JESUITS. 211
from them not only all the advantages they had hitherto attained,
but also shut against them, almost for ages, the whole of the
French kingdom. The account of this occurrence does not
belong to this, but to the sixth and last book of my work, to
which I must refer the reader.
V. THE SWAY OF THE JESUITS IN GERMANY AND THE
COUNTRIES ADJACENT THERETO.
In the preceding four sections I have shown what an in-
credibly powerful influence the Society of Jesus contrived to
gain among the Romance nationalities, and it will be seen from
the statements therein made that this result had been attained
the more easily, and in a comparatively short space of time,
on account of the Romish character of the Italian, Spanish, and
other like nations ; but a far more hard and difficult problem
had the sons of Loyola before them in the land of the Germans,
or, as it was at that time designated, " in the holy Roman
Empire of the German nation," to establish themselves and
bring it under their sway. On the whole, what had they after
all gained when they had still to win the most mighty empire of
Europe? What did it matter to them their sway in Italy,
Portugal, and Spain, and even in France, when that great
State was still not bound to own their allegiance, and whence,
like a running stream of lava, gushed out a current of heretical
and Lutheran opinions over the neighbouring countries and
peoples ? Frightful, ah ! indeed frightful, it was for the
adherents of Rome and the Catholic hierarchy, that just at the
time when the founding of the Society of Jesus took place, as I
have already pointed out in the first book of this work, Ger-
many, as regards most of its provinces, had completely fallen
away from Popery ; and in others where it still existed, for
every single adherent of Rome there were to be reckoned at
least twenty, or even thirty, heretics. The cloisters remained
forsaken, while the monks and nuns had become the subjects of
derision. Moreover, seeing that hardly anyone gave a thought
to the regular Catholic priesthood, it became all the more easy
for the evangelical preachers, who were vastly in the majority,
to take possession of all the churches of the land. So the
flocks of Churchmen, still loyal to the old faith, continued to
14 *
212 HISTORY OF THE JESUITS.
decrease year by year, and there really seemed to be a certainty
that the whole of Germany must be lost irretrievably, in the-
course of a few decades, should no effectual remedy be found for
this fever of decay. But even this was not the sole cause for
the greatest dismay, which arose from the extent of toleration,
if not even of friendship and love, which had begun to spring up
between Protestants and Catholics. After the first agitation
which had been excited by the teaching of Luther, and, more
especially, after the conclusion of religious peace at Augsburg,
the waves of rancour as regards faith began to subside ; and
while persecution ceased, so also did the extreme division,
between Catholicism and Protestantism also dwindle and
diminish. Both parties learned to bear with one another, and
live peaceably among themselves, ceasing to insult and be
inimical to each other. In the year 1564 it was thus reported
by the Venetian Ambassador to the Senate of his native city :
" One party has accustomed itself to put up with the other
so well, that in any place where there happens to be a mixed
population, little or no notice is taken as to whether a person is
Catholic or Protestant. Not only villages, but even families are
in this manner mixed up together, and there even exist houses
where the children belong to one persuasion while the parents
belong to the other, and where brothers adhere to opposite
creeds. Catholics and Protestants, indeed, intermarry with each
other, and no one takes any notice of the circumstance or offers
any opposition thereto/'
Such were the relations between the two parties through-
out the whole of Germany, so much so, indeed, that even the
lordships subject to Abbots and Bishops, the so-called episcopal
territories, formed no exception to the rule, as best became
apparent in the year 1580, when, at a time at which the blessing
of toleration had already begun to disappear, the religiously
zealous William V. of Bavaria made a proposal, in a circular
letter addressed to those bishops whose dioceses extended into
his dukedom, that " they should allow mixed marriages to be
blessed without scruple in the territories immediately subject to
His Princely Highness." And even this act of toleration was
by no means enough ! No, indeed ; but even many princes of
the Catholic Church in Germany went even a step further, and
appointed men who were thorough Protestants to situations at
THE POWEEFUL INFLUENCE OF THE JESUITS. 213
their Courts as counsellors, judges, magistrates, or whatever
other office it might be, without any opposition or objection
being offered thereto.* They even, indeed, submitted to the
reproaches and censure put upon them by the Apostolical Chair,
without caring anything about the matter, as, for instance, the
case of Bishop John George of Bamberg quite clearly indicated
when the latter, in 1577, nominated the Lutheran, John
Frederick von Hoffman, to his Vicedom in the canonical pos-
sessions in Corinthia, and retained him in it up to the time of
his death in 1587, notwithstanding that His Holiness Pope
Gregory XIII. categorically demanded, in a special epistle, that
this outrage should he cancelled. Things had indeed arrived at
this pitch, and there could not, therefore, be any wonder that
animosity and displeasure rose to their culminating point at the
Papal seat of Eome. What, however, could he hit upon as a
cure for this state of matters ? All that had hitherto been
done in the way of remedy had proved of no avail, but on the
'contrary, indeed, the pestilential evil continued to be more and
more on the increase, so much so, in truth, that there remained
"but a very inconsiderable number of all the secular princes, not
even excepting the Duke of Bavaria and the ruler of the Austrian
territories, who remained faithful to the Roman belief. How
was this ? Had not the newly-created Society of Jesus inscribed
war with heresy as a device upon its banner ? Had not the
-warriors of Christ, the Jesuits, taken an oath that they would
never rest satisfied until they had won over again to the Pope
-fill those parties who had relapsed from the faith, and had they
not already given ample proof that they were as capable even
as they were willing to maintain this oath ? Yes, indeed ; it
was they who had in their minds the words of the founder
of our religion, " I am not come to bring peace, but the sword."
It was they alone who were in a position to extirpate " the
monsters who had devastated the vineyards," and to rivet again
the holy Roman Empire in the old fetters. The Chair of Rome
did not deliberate an instant in putting this difficult task upon
their shoulders, and they themselves were equally zealous in
tthe cause, and declared that they were prepared to undertake it.
* There are a very great number of papal dispensations still extant, pre-
served in episcopal libraries, from which it is apparent that such appoint-
ments were not at all exceptional instances. (See Dulharu, Concilia
Saliaburgensiu.)
214 HISTORY OF THE JESUITS.
They well knew, also, the reason why they thus acted. They were
fully conscious that if they succeeded in fulfilling the demands
of the Apostolic Chair, they would be rewarded with the richest
evidences of its favour, and that all the ground that they con-
quered for Rome would be just so much gained for themselves^
and that their dominating influence would become universal
only when they had attained the reconversion of faithless
Germany. They vowed, consequently, to take up arms in the
field, as true knights of Catholicism, and as to how they per-
formed this vow the following narrative will show.
The first Jesuits who favoured our Fatherland with their
presence were the three Fathers Le Fevre, or Faber, as he was-
called in Germany, Le Jay, and Bobadilla. They were sent
there by Ignatius himself, as I have already mentioned in the
first book Faber, indeed, in the year 1540, and the other two
in the year following. He pointed out to them that the task
that they had in common to execute was the sounding of the
general condition of Germany at the time, and the spying as
well into the innermost thoughts of the people. It was more
especially requisite for them to acquire patrons and friends for
themselves among those rulers still adhering to the Catholic
faith, and to obtain advantages from them for the new Order,
that no hindrances should stand in the way of their reception.
All three of them did as they were directed, but each according
to his own way and idea ; and they certainly succeeded in sowing
seed which, in a short time, became indeed a tree of gigantic
dimensions. Faber directed his steps towards the Rhine, i.e. to
Mayence, and to the Courts of two of the chief Prince Bishops
of Germany, in order to induce them to establish Jesuit colleges
in their territories, and, failing to succeed in that object, he
made another conquest, which was of far greater value. This con-
sisted in at once becoming acquainted with and gaining over for
the Order, in May 1543, Peter Canisius, a theological candidate,
and a youth at that time of three-and-twenty years of age, which
stripling came from Nimwegen in Gelderland, belonging to
Mayence. But this, of itself, was indeed an immense conquest,,
as Canisius was endowed with extraordinary intellect, and, in
addition to great learning, possessed such a talent of eloquence as
few mortals were then gifted with. Canisius naturally did not enter
into the Order with the object of doing penance, but he perceived
THE POWERFUL INFLUENCE OF THE JESUITS. 215
at a glance what an immense field for ambition was presented
by the Society of Jesus, and it became his great desire to play
a distinguished role in the world. He, indeed, succeeded in this
last respect almost beyond all expectation, as we shall presently
see, and no single member of the Order accomplished more, in
Germany at all events.
Bobadilla commenced his operations at first in Ratisbon,.
where, just at that time, a religious conference was going
on between the Protestant and Catholic theologians ; but he
launched out so violently in a very vehement speech against
Protestantism, that he exasperated the people to such an extent that
he would soon have been thrown by them into the Danube had he
not succeeded in effecting his escape in the darkness of the night.
He got on much better in Munich, to which capital he now wended
his way from Ratisbon, as he there established a position by the
intruction he gave to a number of pupils, and after a lapse of
some years he contrived by his courteous manner so to worm
himself into the good graces of Duke William IV., that the
latter would hardly do anything without his advice. He
equally succeeded, also, without much trouble, in putting up
that prince against the so-called " Interim," which the Emperor
Charles V. wished to introduce all over Germany in the year
1548, so much so that it met with no success, at least in
Bavaria ; but, on the other hand, he was so short-sighted and
injudicious as to give utterance to such insulting remarks about
the Emperor, that Charles V., on being informed about the
matter, made short work of it, and without any further ado
banished him out of Germany.
Le Jay, the most experienced of the three delegated Loyolites,
directed his steps towards the capital of Austria, and scarcely
had he arrived there than he succeeded in fascinating the
Viennese by his eloquent preaching. The brother of Charles V.,
Ferdinand I., who had been raised up to be a German king, was
so carried away by his eloquence, and thereby became so favour-
ably disposed towards him, that he desired in 1546 to make him
Bishop of Trieste, which, however, as already mentioned in the first
book, Loyola on good grounds interfered to prevent. Le Jay,
consequently, continued to remain in Vienna, and exercised so
much influence upon the King, that he induced the latter to erect
a college for the Order in the above-mentioned city ; up to this
216 HISTORY OF THE JESUITS.
time there had been no fixed habitation for the Society through-
out the whole of Germany, but now, if only the capital would
but lead the dance, other towns would doubtless follow suit.
Still, notwithstanding the favour in which Le Jay stood at Court,
and in spite of his being zealously supported in his proceed-
ings by his trusted friend, Urban Tertor, the Father Con-
fessor of Ferdinand, and Court preacher, the King hesitated
for a long time, and it was not till the year 1551 that he
handed over to the supplicant an abandoned Dominican cloister,
which during the siege of Vienna by the Turks had been reduced
almost to ruins by the bombardment. Le Jay, however, at once
jumped at this, rejoicing beyond measure thereat, and presently
begged Loyola to send him a dozen more Jesuits from Rome, in
order that he might be enabled with these newly-acquired forces
to commence a course of collegiate instruction. The General,
too, of course, immediately complied with his request, and not
only sent him at once eleven Fathers most distinguished for
their gift of teaching, but nominated Le Jay to be the first
rector of the first Jesuit colony established on German ground.
Such was the modest commencement of Jesuit operations in
Germany ; now, however, that the Society of Jesus had once taken
the first step, which was followed by the activity of the Fathers
Laynez, Salmeron, and Couvillon, at the Synod of Trent,* and
had won a good reputation among the adherents of Rome, it pro-
ceeded to advance with gigantic strides, and Austria, more
especially, proved itself to be a promising soil for its operations.
Le Jay having died in the year following his nomination as
" Rector of the first Jesuit colony," Canisius was chosen to be
his successor, and this sagacious individual so contrived to in-
sinuate himself into the confidence of King Ferdinand, that he
soon became a most prominent person at Court, at least in clerical
and religious affairs, so much so, indeed, that the King desired
to nominate him Bishop of Vienna, and it required no end of
trouble to divert the monarch's mind from this idea. Now, how-
* The papal stool in Rome, on whose commission the above-mentioned
Fathers went to Trent as Theologians of the Pope, possessed none present
at the synod who more zealously combated for its rights, real or assumed,
than Laynez and his two companions. These three proved themselves, also,
to be determined enemies of church reforms, and even the very clearest
improvement was opposed by them, with a determination which approached
almost to fanaticism. The particulars concerning this are to be found in
Wesseuberg's History of Great A*iseinbliei oj the Churcli.
THE POWERFUL INFLUENCE OF THE JESUITS. 217
ever, that Canisius, having arrived at this point, was obliged by
order of his General to play a modest and humble part, so that
something, one way or other, should be gained for the advantage
of the Order, he showed himself all the more zealous. Among
other things, he brought it about in 1554 that Ferdinand
presented the beautiful and capacious Carmelite cloister to the
Society in order that it might be converted into a Jesuit college,
and also he obtained, two months later, another large building
with the object of founding a civil convent, and four years after-
wards a seminary sprang into existence for poor theologians, as
well as an educational establishment for the youth of the nobility.
Moreover, not only did the strongly credulous Ferdinand pro-
vide pleasant abodes for the sons of Loyola in his capital of
Vienna, but he did so also in other parts of his dominions, and,
indeed, throughout the whole of his empire, upon the openly
declared ground " that bounds might be put to the constantly
increasing progress of the Reformation." Some of these esta-
blishments were indeed very grand and imposing, especially that
at Innsbruck in the Tyrol, and at Tyrnau in Hungary, as well
as at Prague in Bohemia (previously the cloister of St. Clements).
This latter college was provided with exceedingly rich endow-
ments, and, indeed, after being established for seven years, was,
in the year 1562, raised to be a regular academy for the study of
theological and philosophical sciences, thereby enabling it to put
itself in a position to enter into competition with the greatly
celebrated University of Prague. In Bavaria, at the same time,
Bobadilla had obtained a promise, in 1548, from Duke William
IV., that he would erect a college for the Order ; but so long as
William lived this promise remained unfulfilled, in consequence
of Bobadilla's banishment, and still less did his successor
Albert V., who at the commencement of his reign showed him-
self to be very tolerant in religious matters, think of attracting
to himself the Jesuits who remained in the country. This tole-
ration was not by any means agreeable to the liking of the sons
of Loyola, and, indeed, the Duke was suspected of being secretly,
in his inmost mind, inclined himself to be favourable to heresy.
Nothing could actually have been more untrue ; but what did that
-signify, when by a falsehood one might succeed in gaining one's
end ; and the Loyolites, indeed, attained their object ! The
Duke was, therefore, in the highest degree irritated when the com-
218 HISTORY OF THE JESUITS.
inunication was made to him, by those about him, of the estima-
tion in which he was held by his orthodox subjects, and the-
wily Cunisius took advantage of this irritation when he was sent
from Vienna to Munich in 1555, with great recommendations
in his pocket from King Ferdinand, in order to represent to
the great man how that there was no more effectual means of
counteracting the injurious suspicion placed upon him than to
welcome as his protector the Society of Jesus, now treated with
so great consideration by the Pope and all good Catholics. This
enlightened the Duke considerably, and he at once bound himself,,
in a treaty concluded with Canisius, on the 7th December 1555,
to build a grand college for the Order at Ingoldstadt, with a:
considerable endowment. He not only promised this, but also
expedited the construction of the building so rapidly that the
institution was actually opened in the year following, with ten;
Jesuit teachers sent in haste from Rome. Still not satisfied
with such success, the insatiable Canisius longed to establish
a permanent abode in the Bavarian capital itself, and did not;
rest until he induced Albert V. to erect, in the year 1559, that
beautiful college in Munich, the construction of which is even,
now an object of admiration to all connoisseurs in art. With
the approval of his General in Rome, having now first of all
appointed his step-brother Theodor Canisius to be the first
rector of the institution, Peter Canisius returned to Vienna, in
order to pursue his work as first Provincial of the Jesuit pro-
vince of Upper Germany, comprising the countries of Austria,
Bavaria, and Suabia. From this time forward, the founding of
new colleges proceeded vigorously, and especially in the terri-
tories of those German princes of the Church in which the
majority of the inhabitants had become Protestants.
The Jesuits now commenced a system of sending out in-
sinuating emissaries, who travelled through the countries by
order of their General, with the view of bringing the most con-
spicuous of the prelates to the conviction that the question of
their sway, or, at all events, of its permanency, not only
depended upon the obedience of their subjects in regard to
spiritual matters, wherein they had become in a measure inde-
pendent, but that political considerations as well must not be
overlooked, for it might one day happen that their sceptre
might be wrested from them, in which case the people would
THE POWERFUL INFLUENCE OE THE JESUITS. 219'
reckon upon the support of the neighbouring Protestant princes.
"Against such a danger, it should always be considered that
the most effectual counteracting means would be the return of
the whole population to Catholicism, and without doubt the men
best fitted to bring about this desirable object would be the
members of the Society of Jesus, who, it was well known, had
for their chief aim the conversion of heretics."
Such-like representations seldom remained without effect,,
and, above all others, the Cardinal Bishop of Augsburg, Otto
Truchsess von Waldburg, accorded to them his approval. He
hastened, therefore, in the year ]563, to establish a college for
the sons of Loyola in Dillingen, and at once handed over, to-
their guidance, charge of the High School there, which he had
founded fourteen years previously. It was more difficult for
him, however, to open to them the gates of Augsburg itself,
as the magistrates, as well as his own chapter, opposed with
all their might the settlement therein of the sons of Loyola
At length, however, but only after the death of Bishop Otto, in
the year 1579, the founding under tolerably restricted con-
ditions of a Jesuit college was successfully effected, and the
very wealthy, as well as very bigoted Fugger family, took good
care that it was sufficiently well endowed. Jesuit settlements
were, furthermore, established in Wiirtsburg, in the year 1564,.
through the Bishop at that time reigning there, Friedrich von
Wirsberg, as also, four years subsequently, in Mayance and
Aschaffenburg by the influence of Archbishop Daniel, who also-
endowed both of them very richly. In the year 1570 the same
thing was done by Archbishop James III. of Treves ; or, rather,
he merely carried out what his predecessor John VI. had already
projected. Upon this, then, followed the establishment of the-
Colleges of Foulda (1573), and of Heiligenstadt, Eichsfelde,.
Cologne, Coblentz, as well as Spiers, the last four in the year
1581.
I have, finally, still to mention the colleges, seminaries,,
and residences in Ratisbon (1589), in Munster (1589), in
Kildesheim, and in Paderborn, all of which, with the excep-
tion of the latter, which had Bishop Theodor von Furstenberg to
thank for its existence, were called into being by members of
the Bavarian ducal house, who derived their origin from the
Wittlesbach family, all of whom were bishops.
220 HISTOKY OF THE JESUITS.
We see, then, that within a few decades the Jesuits made right
good progress, although not such as they had effected in Spain,
Italy, and Portugal. They had achieved this result, however, not
by any means without contention and strife ; for the municipalities
at the time being, as well as frequently the regular clergy, along
with the chapters, considered it expedient to throw every con-
ceivable obstacle in the way of their settling, and not seldom the
help of the Emperor was invoked, as the highest authority of
the German Empire. When, however, it had got as far as this,
at least as long as Ferdinand I. reigned, the Jesuits could
readily count upon a decision in their favour, and even his
successor and son, Maximilian II. (1564-76) was not, indeed,
altogether antagonistic to them. This celebrated monarch
observed more toleration than any of the House of Hapsburg,
either before or after him ; and, if he did not exactly grant to
his Protestant subjects an entirely free exercise of their religion,
it was that he did not, on the same ground, consider it well to do
aught to imperil, in any way, the existence of the Society of Jesus.
He was anxious, rather, to deal justly towards all and everyone,
and when, in the year 1566, the Austrian Parliament, the members
of which, being then almost all thoroughly Protestant, demanded
the complete expulsion of the Jesuits from the Grand Duchy,
he replied : " That is the Pope's affair ; it rested with me to
drive out the Turks not, however, the sons of Loyola." One
cannot, therefore, designate the time of Maximilian II. 's Govern-
ment as being at all unfavourable to the Order of Jesuits ; and,
still less was this the case under his successor, Rudolph II., who
reigned from 1576 to 1612. This monarch, at the particular
desire of his relative Philip II., King of Spain, was educated
in Madrid until his twentieth year, and it may be well imagined
how the Jesuits, all-powerful at that Court, knew how to bring
their influence to bear upon the shy, weak, and unstable prince.
They got him, indeed, completely in their power j and as they
moulded him to their wishes in his youth, they also led him
during his manhood, and, with Father Lorenz Magius at their
head, kept him in leading-strings throughout the whole period
of his government. Consequently, on ascending the throne
in the year 1580, he immediately presented to them the vacant
cloister of St. Anne in Vienna, with all its rich possessions, and
similarly, in the year 1581, he conferred great privileges upon
THE POWEEFUL INFLUENCE OF THE JESUITS. 221
the Jesuit College founded at Olmutz by Bishop William
Brussinowski von Kiczkowa, and, moreover, even permitted the-
erection of another Jesuit colony at Brunn in Moravia. He
gave, also, his support to the efforts of the Order to form a
settlement at Glatz in Silesia, as well as at Thurocz in Hungary,
overcoming all the difficulties advanced by the Parliaments of
Silesia and Hungary, although they clearly represented how
inadmissible was the way in which the Jesuits proceeded to
install themselves. For this reason, indeed, the sons of Loyola
refrained from censuring their great patron when he succeeded
in finding favour in the eyes of several of the Court ladies>
and even when he occasionally descended amongst the hum-
blest of their ranks, and sometimes conducted himself with
force and violence towards his mistresses ; the Jesuits, indeed,
rather encouraged him in his wild conduct, calling his atten-
tion to new charms when they were of opinion that special
advantages might be obtained for themselves through their
possessors. As yet, however, the founding of colleges and the
acquiring of settlements throughout the entirely, or partially >
Catholic territories of Germany, was still far from being by any
means satisfactory, as, in spite of the establishment of these
colleges and settlements, the great majority of the Germans still
adhered to the Protestant faith ; and as long as this was the case
there could be no question as to the proper sway of the Order of
Jesus in the Roman Empire. " Wholesale conversion " must
follow, if anything of great importance was to be effected, and,
in order to pave the way for this, it must be necessary to put an
end to the friendly intercourse which had hitherto subsisted
among the Catholics and Protestants. The old rancour between
the two opposite faiths, which for several decades had remained
dormant, must again be stirred up ; and the spectre of religious
fanaticism must no longer be allowed to remain chained in hell,
to which it had lor some time been consigned. When things
came so far as this, that the Catholics had been roused to
entertain resentment, and more especially the rulers among
them had been excited to such a pitch of anger as earnestly to
desire the complete extermination of heresy, then, indeed, might
the visor be thrown aside, the time having at length arrived for
conversion by force to be initiated, and then, also, might the-
expectation of final victory be entertained. In the meantime,
222 HISTORY OF THE JESUITS.
through the royal House of Hapsburg, the two most mighty
thrones in the world, those of Spain and Austria, had been
secured, together with a number of the neighbouring provinces.
Moreover, was not powerful Bavaria, and were not all of the
Catholic Principalities, on their side ? and what was even of still
greater consequence, were not the Protestants themselves divided
into two parties, who were so inimical towards each other that
their large numerical preponderance was not by any means a
real one, but existed only on paper ? Certainly the division of
Evangelicals into the two sects of Lutherans and Calvinists
must, of itself, be a great advantage for Catholicism, and when
once an established hatred had been thoroughly roused between
them, or, at least, when such a feeling was knowu to exist,
unanimity could never again be brought about among them;
and then, indeed, would they not be weakened by at least one
half? Such was the remarkably shrewd calculation respecting
the situation made by the Jesuits, and the honour of the dis-
covery or, at any rate, of its practical application, was due,
before all other able heads, to Father Peter Canisius, to whom
I have already made frequent allusion. The mode in which
he proceeded to carry out his projects was, besides, not open
or straightforward ; his means were rather sly and stealthy, like
the steps of a cat. At the period that the operations of the
Jesuits in Germany began, almost all religious education was in
the hands of the Protestants, and those for the most part firmly
adhered to the catechism of Luther, which, indeed, reflected the
Evangelical faith in short, clear, and distinct formulas. Every
one, even among the common people, could easily under-
stand his catechism, and on that account it was to be found
in every school and almost in every family. It might well be
affirmed, indeed, that the great extension to which Protestantism
had at that time attained was in no small degree to be attri-
buted to that popularly written little religious book. But how
was it now, in this respect, in the Catholic world ? Ah ! they did
not possess any work at all approaching to it, but the whole of
their religious instruction was confined entirely to the public
devotional exercises prescribed by the priesthood, namely, the
Mass, the Creed, and the Lord's Prayer, along with processions.
'Consequently, it now entered into the head of Canisius to
supply this notorious want, by publishing a handbook of Catholic
THE POWERFUL INFLUENCE OF THE JESUITS. 223
Instruction, after the pattern of the Lutheran catechism, and
therefore, in the year ] 554, there appeared, written in Latin,
his Summa Doctrina Christiana, that is to say, The Summary
of Christian Teaching. But while the Summa entered con-
siderably into details, he prepared, at the same time, an abridge-
ment of it, after the form of the smaller Lutheran catechism,
under the title of Institutiones Christiana pietatis, sen parvus
Katechismus Katholicurum, and also took care that a German
translation as well should appear of this " small Catholic cate-
chism." Both of these publications soon found an enormous
circulation, as Ferdinand I. of Austria (12th August 1554), as
well as King Philip II. of Spain (6th December 1557), ordered
their general introduction into all schools and educational insti-
tutions within their dominions ; the best proof thereof was that
thirty years after its first appearance the Summa had already
reached its four hundredth edition, while, at the same time,
the small catechism was to be found in nearly every Catholic
house in town or country. But what were the principles which
were inculcated by these Principles of Christian Piety ? Was
there any of the spirit of Christianity or of Christian love
contained in them ? No, no ; oh, three times no ! It was the
spirit of intolerance that was therein displayed, the spirit of
religious rancour, the spirit of religious fanaticism.
" Only he was a Christian " (according to the teaching of
anisius) " who acknowledged the Pope as the representative of
Christ; those, on the other hand, who did not do so were
deserving of the punishment of eternal hell-fire." He even con-
demned " the holding of any intercourse whatever with heretics
as highly deserving of punishment and supremely dangerous on
account of contagion; but friendship with apostates, or, in a
still greater degree, connection with them by marriage, led to
immediate damnation, and the good Catholic must avoid every
Protestant as he would a person tainted with leprosy. He
must, indeed, not only shun him, but he must fight against
him, as one has to contend with the wicked, and the more
valorously one carries on the combat, the more one contri-
butes to the extermination of heresy, so that the rays in the halo
surrounding the head of the beloved Son of the only blessed
Church should thus shine more brightly."
In this way did Canisius teach, and the great aim and
224 HISTORY OF THE JESUITS.
object of his religious handbook could be looked upon as nothing-
else than an endeavour to propagate the extension of hatred
among the Catholics towards the non-Catholic community. He-
also fully attained this object, as a more poisonous seed of the
dragon was never sown than in this case, while the whole of
the Catholic rising generation was henceforth brought up in
accordance with this said spirit of religious rancour. Now,,
moreover, as this fanatic hatred began to take root, oppor-
tunity must, of course, be given for it to express itself; and
on that account, in the year 1570, the Jesuits determined, by
an arbitrary rupture of religious peace, to initiate a kind of
Protestant persecution in a small way. This persecution was
at the same time to be a sort of touchstone, whereby to show
whether the Evangelicals would allow of it without at once
taking up arms; and according as it turned out, one might
either in this way proceed further, or temporise for some time-
longer. It was not, indeed, necessary to consider long where to-
carry out the tragedy now about to commence, for an opportunity
at this time offered itself respecting the princely Abbey of Fulda,
one of the smallest priestly principalities of Germany. It was.
here, at the beginning of the year 1570, that Balthasar von
Dernbach, a priest brought up in the Protestant faith, but who
had only latterly gone over to Catholicism, had been elected
Abbot ; immediately after his installation, he summoned the
Jesuits to his small court, notwithstanding that previous to his
accession to the Government he had bound himself by an oath
not to burden the bishopric with any foreign ecclesiastics. The
sons of Loyola, naturally enough, came, and at once began to
make themselves at home ; they at the same time urged upon
their protector that he should come forward as a hero of the
faith, and restrain his Protestant subjects, who for several
generations had lived unmolested, from the free exercise of
their religion. The zealot Balthasar, like all new converts,,
acted at once with vigour, and not only turned to the right-
about the pair of Evangelical clergymen in his diocese, but even
handed over their churches to the Jesuits, in order that they
might from that time conduct public worship therein. This
oppressive action of the Abbot created an enormous uproar
throughout Germany, and the most prominent Evangelical
members of Parliament took up the cause of the poor oppressed
THE POWERFUL INFLUENCE OF THE JESUITS. 225
people, writing at the same time to their oppressor, demanding
that he should remove the Jesuits and discontinue his oppres-
sive measures. On the other hand, however, he received the
highest approval of his conduct from the Pope, as well as from
the Romanists on German soil ; and Alhert V. of Bavaria, as
well as the Archduke Ferdinand of Austrian Tyrol, promised
him their strenuous support. Both parties now finally appealed
to the Emperor, and seeing that at that time Maximilian II. was
in possession of that dignity, it was fully expected that strict
justice would be done. The question, however, did not actually
come before the Emperor for his decision, as the Chapter of
Fulda, who were equally in the highest degree incensed at the
appointment of the Jesuits, by the aid of the united knighthood
of Hesse insisted upon the abdication of Balthasar in June
1576, and handed over the administration of the Abbey to
Bishop Julius ofWiirzburg, who put an end to the discontent by
the removal of the Jesuits.* As it was now indubitably appa-
rent, as the result of their proceedings in Fulda, that the Pro-
testants hesitated to have resort to arms, the sons of Loyola
saw fit to begin the same game in some of the other archi-
episcopal states, and they selected the Archbishopric of Mayence
for their purpose. In this territory Protestantism had by de-
grees become so established that some of the villages and towns,
more especially Diiderstadt and Heiligenstadt, contained only a
few Catholic families, nor was it uncommon that Lutheran clergy-
men were actually appointed by Catholic patrons. No opposition
had been offered to this state of matters, and the burgesses of
both confessions lived quite cordially together during several
decades. It was quite different, however, in this respect, on the
accession of Archbishop Daniel, as he selected as his Father
Confessor the Jesuit Louis Backarell, and moreover, the Jesuit
Provincial of the Lower Khine, Father Tyreus, obtained the
greatest influence over him. At the instigation of Backarell and
Tyreus, Daniel declared himself ready to commence purifying
the whole of the bishopric from heresy, and as it had more par-
* It was not for long, however, as I shall presently remark. After much
strife and contention, the deposed Abbot was restored in the year 1602,
under the Emperor Kudolph H., and he thereupon immediately recalled
his beloved Jesuits. He also succeeded, with their assistance, in bringing
over again his whole country to Catholicism, and on that account he
obtained a special letter of thanks from Pope Clement VIII.
15
220 HISTORY OF THE JESUITS.
ticulnrly domesticated itself in n place called Eicbsfeld, he nomi-
nated a certain Leopold von Stralendorf as chief magistrate of
that district, a man whom the Jesuit Lambert Auer had con-
verted to the only saving Church from the Protestant faith.
This person might, indeed, be called a man after the heart of
the Order of Jesus, and his zeal was so great that he carried
out the expulsion of the Protestant ecclesiastics from all of the
villages of his circle. He had, indeed, at his disposal, to assist
him in this work, an armed troop, who made short work with
the contumacious, and he might be pretty well sure that even
the hardest of his regulations would meet with the hearty
approval of the ruler, or rather of the Jesuits as rulers of the
ruler. The inhabitants of Diiderstadt alone showed any hesita-
tion in deciding upon giving over their churches to the Jesuits
for them to conduct their religious services therein, and declared
themselves prepared to meet force by force.
What did the Archbishop do now by the advice of Stralendorf
and his Father Confessor ? He forthwith prohibited all his
subjects (1576) from procuring beer from the contumacious
town, and thereby deprived it of a chief source of existence.
Besides this, he also levied taxes upon the civic revenues of all
the surrounding villages, with the alternative of arrest in
case of failure, and, finally, in this way, compelled the bur-
gesses to give in after a continued resistance of three years'
duration.
In the Archbishopric of Mayence, then, the Jesuits succeeded
in their aim, as to the suppression of heresy, without any very
great difficulty, and this circumstance, therefore, gave them
encouragement to proceed in the same manner in the Bishoprics
of Treves and Worms. Here, also, everything went in accord-
ance with their wishes, or, at all events, mostly so, and on
this account their courage assumed always increasing dimen-
Rions. Still, however, they would never have dared to offer
opposition to Protestantism with even more startling bold-
ness, had it not been for a peculiar case which showed them
that they might with impunity attempt anything, even of the
most foolhardy nature, against their antagonists, though the
latter were by far numerically superior to them, and this
peculiar case was the celebrated defection of the Archbishop
Gebhard of Cologne from the Catholic faith.
THE POWEBFUL INFLUENCE OF THE JESUITS. 227
Gebhard had sprung from the celebrated house of the Truch-
sissen (grandmasters) of Waldberg. Those who wish to read
the whole story in detail, may do so either in my own or some
other history of Germany ; hut we may here in a few words relate
how that the said Gebhard, after he had succeeded, in 1570, with
much trouble, in getting himself raised to the dignity of arch-
'bishop, no lesser a personage than Duke Ernest of Bavaria
being his fellow candidate for this distinguished position, and
shortly after his elevation to it, was seized with such a violent
passion for the beautiful Countess Agnes von Mansfeld, that he
could no longer live without her. The question with him now
came to be, what was he to do under the circumstances ?
Should he abdicate as his predecessor Salentin von Isenberg
had done, who, with the Pope's approval, had reverted to
the condition of layman in order to be in a position to be
able to marry ? Must he abdicate, and instead of being a
rich and electoral prince, with almost royal consideration and
income, become again a poor count ? No, by no means ;
that was, indeed, too much to be demanded of him; and
consequently Gebhard determined to adopt another way of
getting out of the difficulty, namely, he openly went over to the
Protestant faith in the year ]582, and married his beloved
Agnes ; he did not, however, on that account, relinquish the
Bishopric of Cologne, but, on the contrary, continued to reign as
he had done hitherto, and with the publicly expressed avowal of
making it henceforth an heritable Electorate. In this bold
undertaking, he, of course, naturally reckoned upon having
the support of the great Protestant party of Germany, as it was
of great importance to them to have one Catholic Electoral hat
the less in the Empire ; and, moreover, it might, he considered,
be looked upon as a certainty that most of the inhabitants of
the Archbishopric would follow the example of their ruler, and
go over to the Evangelical faith. What a gain would there
then be for Protestant interests, and, at the same time, what a
blow would be dealt to Catholicism if Gebhard carried out his
intention ! All the friends of Rome were consequently at once
seized with panic and horror, and more especially the Jesuits, as
soon as they heard this news ; so messengers were immediately
sent off to Italy, in order to get the Pope, Gregory XIII.. to
launch instantly his anathema upon the apostate prince of the
15 *
228 HISTORY OF THE JESUITS.
Church. This took place, and even more than this, indeed, for
Gregory not only excommunicated Gebhard, but also pronounced
upon him the sentence of deposition from the Electorate, thereby
giving a slap on the face to German rights. The Chapter of the
Cathedral, which was now assembled outside of Cologne, pro-
ceeded to a new election in the year 1588, and the choice fell
upon Duke Ernest of Bavaria. As Gebhard, however, would
not voluntarily yield, but resisted to the uttermost, the former
brought against him a powerful army, to which flocked his
brothers and cousins, as well as many other high Catholic per-
sonations, at the instigation of the Jesuits ; and, aided with
money and men, proceeded to seize upon the Bishopric by force.
What now took place on the side of the Protestant princes ?
They saw very well that, as the whole German world friendly to<
the Pope now embraced the side of Ernest of Bavaria, Gebhard
must of necessity be defeated if powerful aid was not given to
him, nor did it escape their observation that great advantages-
would accrue to the Protestant Church were the victory to be on
the side of Gebhard, and consequently no one in the world
gifted with any sense doubted that the Catholic army would be
encountered with a Protestant force. How differently, however,,
did it turn out ! Gebhard, poor man, had not, as it appeared,
adopted the teaching of Luther, but, on the contrary, that of
Calvin ; and as soon as the Lutheran princes became aware of
this fact, they completely withdrew their support from him.
They, in their spiritual narrow-mindedness, hated Calvinism even*
more than the Papal, or, indeed, the Turkish abomination ; how
could they then give their countenance to an adherent of that
faith ? Gebhard might, indeed, beg and pray as he would, and
even bind himself to allow all his subjects to become Lutherans ;
nothing could overcome the hatred of such faith among the
Electors of Saxony, Brandenburg, and the like, and they looked
with the gravest indifference and scorn at the further proceedings-
of the Witelsbacher. This was truly " more than brutal
stupidity " (belluina stupiditas) writes a contemporary his-
torian, the Swiss Gualtherus ; but the narrow-mindedness, of
the Lutheran princes did not perceive this to be the case,
not even when Gebhard, after losing Bonn, the last of his
strongholds, was compelled to fly to Holland in the year 1584 ;
and when the new Archbishop, Ernest, compelled by force all
THE POWEBFUL INFLUENCE OF THE JESUITS. 229
his subjects, hitherto Lutherans, to return again to the Catholic
faith. What a glorious triumph now was this for the Catholics,
and more especially for the Jesuits. More than this, with
what heartfelt scorn did the latter look down upon the wrong-
headed Lutherans, whose blindness, disorganisation and weakness
were now apparent to everyone. The natural result of this
"victory, gained at Cologne, was that the whole of the Episcopal
sees, as they in future became vacant, were filled up by men
Jesuitically minded; as, for instance, those of Freisingen,
Wildesheim, Liege, Hablo, Munster, Osnabruck, Minden, and
Paderborn. The first five, indeed, were all united together by
Ernest of Bavaria, the Archbishop of Cologne, all were com-
pletely in his hands, and one may well imagine what a fine
kind of life was led by this spendthrift, without strength either
of mind or body, and entirely governed by the Jesuits.* In the
other three spiritual principalities it went otherwise, and only by
a hairbreadth ; the Jesuits, however, had free scope to proceed
with their operations of conversion within them without the least
obstacle being placed in their way by either high or low. They
also, indeed, succeeded in a comparatively short space of time
iin again bringing round to Roman Catholicism all the Evan-
gelicals in these territories ; and one might be tempted to feel
astonishment at these stupendous results, were it not that
taking into consideration the ways and means which they
employed, the illusion is at once removed. This may best
be made clear by an example, as in the case of the Bishopric of
Paderborn. Here Protestantism had, indeed, already taken deep
root, and when, in the year 1 585, the Jesuits' friend, Theodore
Ton Fiirstenburg, was raised to the throne, if one may be
allowed to make use of the expression, hardly one tenth part of
the whole population, both in the capital as well as throughout
the territory, belonged to the old faith. In consequence of this
state of matters, the whole of the magistracy, which were elected
by the people, were worshippers of heresy ; and the ruler had,
therefore, to take good care not to issue any order of an anti-
JProtestant sounding nature, otherwise not only would it be dis-
-obeyed, but it would be even treated with mockery and disdain.
* The proof for this assertion cau be read in Aretius' History of Maxi-
milian I., in which the miserable condition of Ernest, and his immorality,
^re depicted.
230 HISTORY OF THE JESUITS.
On this account the Jesuits, as they entered into the smalf
kingdom along with Theodore von Fiirstenburg, and obtained
from him money and the site for erecting a Jesuit College, said 1
to themselves, "Here, at least at the commencement, nothing can
be effected by the hitherto favourite means of force, but it will,
{irst of all, be necessary that the field-acre (as they termed the
tiJcritory of Paderborn), should be well prepared before it could,
to good purpose, be gone over with the plough." Experience
had, as previously shown, proved that certainly Protestant princes
and deputies need not be feared any more than formerly in
Cologne ; but the people of Paderborn must not be roused to
anger, and thereby driven either to depose the Bishop, or to
cause him to abdicate, and to give the Loyolites their conge ?
Prudence, therefore, dictated that the faith of the people in their
Protestant belief must first of all be shaken, previous to the
Catholic faith being offered them, and, in order to accomplish
this, one must not drive it into them with the fist. On the
contrary, it is necessary to proceed with subtlety, modesty,
and humanity, as if one was unable to count even five. One
must conduct oneself like an innocent child in order to-
gain the confidence of the people, and, above everything else,
it is imperative to exhibit a halo of sanctity round the head,
in order thereby to give Catholicism the appearance of being
the sole saving faith. The sons of Loyola, therefore, acted"
thus, and proceeded, indeed, with a patience and perseverance
worthy of all commendation. They found themselves, however,
in an exceedingly difficult position, as the Paderborners received
them not only with extreme distrust, but even with the most
intense hatred, and they barely, indeed, escaped being stoned on
their making their appearance in the streets. Many, indeed,
entertained the conviction that the pious Fathers were not even
uade of flesh and blood, like other mortals, but that they were
demons spewed out of hell ; and the women, especially, were in
the habit of frightening their children with the name of the
Black Brotherhood. By degrees, however, people were brought
to change their opinions and sentiments. Ah ! the Fathers con-
ducted themselves so lovingly, and with such kindness of heart,
that, in fact, it came even to be considered a sin to think ill any
longer of such angelic beings. They voluntarily attended upon
the sick, and without any recompense or reward. They not-
THE POWERFUL INFLUENCE OF THE JESUITS. 231
only nursed them tenderly, but provided them also with food and
drink when necessary. They educated the rising generation,
too, without recompense ; they not only educated them, indeed,
but they even supplied the needy ones among the children with
lodging and clothing, relieving the poorer parents of a burden
which weighed heavily on their heart. Then, in addition to all
this, wonderfully beautiful processions were introduced from
time to time by the worthy Fathers, while, to crown all,
the pageantry, pomp, and splendour of their religious services
made an impression in the eyes of the non- Catholic population.
They lastly, moreover, knew how to make use of the credulity
of the masses in the most cunning way, and especially of the
women ; and from this time forward no daughter of Eve dared
to work against them, as on one occasion a woman, who had
hitherto been one of their most deadly enemies, had a mis-
carriage a circumstance which was represented by them as a
punishment from heaven. In short, they succeeded so well in
gradually inducing the people of Paderborn to change their
opinions that, in a period of less than eleven years, they were no
longer hated by the majority, as before, but even contrived to
make no less than seven hundred and fifty proselytes.
Having thus, then, got on so far as to consider that they had
sufficiently prepared the soil, in order, as I have said before,
to be able to go over it with the ploughshare, they now
began to throw off their sheeps* clothing, and, on the other
hand, to assume again their own true wolf- skin. In other words
they now urged their patron, the reigning Prince Bishop, to
further the work of conversion by coercion, and, of course,
Theodor von Fiirstenberg promised to meet their wishes in every
respect. He accordingly issued an order, in the year 1596,
that all Protestant ecclesiastics should either revert to Catho-
licism, or leave the country without the least further delay;
whoever did not at once obey was imprisoned, and kept on bread
and water until he at length became compliant. As a matter of
course, he delivered over to the Jesuits, at the same time, all the
churches belonging to the Protestants, and these did their best
endeavour, and skilfully made use of all their persuasive powers,
in order to instil into the people the doctrines of the old faith.
With many, too, they were successful ; but by far the greater
majority still remained stubborn, and after earnest exertions,
232 HISTORY OF THE JESUITS.
extending over a period of six years, the sons of Loyola came
to the conclusion that they would be unable to attain their
object by the means they had hitherto employed. The Bishop,
therefore, by their advice, adopted another method, namely this,
that all his Evangelical subjects were given the choice of
becoming again Catholic, or of quitting the country ; a method
which proved to be of a much more effectual nature. Nor did
he remain satisfied with this order only, but he stationed, at the
same time, a number of troops about his dominions, with whose
assistance the Jesuits knew well how to give expression to
their episcopal teaching. In what manner did the burgesses
of the towns and inhabitants of the country receive this
frightfully cruel arrangement ? Eh ! part, indeed, did either
become again Catholic, or emigrated to neighbouring countries ;
but another part now forsook the quiescent attitude which
they had hitherto strictly maintained in regard to the law
of the land, and, in their rage and fury, stormed the Jesuit
College, threatening to put all its inmates to death. This,
however, was a frightful mistake, for now the Jesuits had reason
to call out " Rebellion," and assured the Bishop that he would
be quite justified in making short work with the mutineers.
They next came to blows, and in the strife the burgesses,
unaccustomed to the use of arms, and, besides, having no one to
take the lead, were of course defeated. In short, it was not
long ere the rebellion was suppressed, and the result was that,
in the year 1604, the whole of the people of Paderborn had to
abjure Protestantism, and pay homage afresh to their liege lord.
In this manner the sons of Loyola attained their object in
Paderborn ; and, in precisely the same manner, they set about
the business of conversion to Catholicism from Protestantism in
the remaining Principalities of which I have made mention.
Still the results were, after all, of not so great consequence, as
the above-named territories formed, relatively speaking, but a
small portion of Germany, and consequently there was no need
for wonder when the pious Fathers were observed to brood over
the matter day and night, considering whether it might not be
possible for them, with the aid of the secular rulers, to purge,
now this province, now that dukedom, or even that kingdom, of
Evangelical teachers. More especially did they direct their
attention in this respect to " Inner Austria," as it happened to
THE POWEKFUL INFLUENCE OF THE JESUITS. 233
le governed by a man quite after their own heart; so here again
their schemes met with success. King Ferdinand I. so divided
by his will all his heritable possessions between his three sons,
that the eldest, who became his successor directly in the Empire,
obtained the Archduchy of Austria, along with Bohemia and
Hungary ; the second-born, Ferdinand, the Tyrol, along with
Outer Austria ; and the third, Carl, that of Inner Austria that
is to say, Styria, Carinthia, Krain, Gorz, Istria, and Trieste.
Now this Archduke Charles, the founder of the Styrian line of
the House of Hapsburg, was held by the Loyolites in great
estimation ; and they well knew what they were about, as the
same duke had, in the year 1571, married Maria, daughter of
Albert V.Duke of Bavaria, who, being a supremely pious Catholic,
was esteemed by the Jesuits with the innermost devotion of their
hearts. Having convinced herself that the greater part of Inner
Austria at that time adhered to the Evangelical Church, she
never ceased to din into the ears of her husband that there
was no other means of preventing the complete overthrow of
the true faith than by convoking the aid of the Black Brother-
hood, and she soon succeeded in inducing her husband to
believe in what she told him. He, consequently, made an
application for his assistance to the General of the Order in
Kome, who sent him, in the year 1573, five members of the
Society, at the same time promising that several others should
immediately follow whenever there appeared to be need of them.
Those five, however, at once domesticated themselves in Gratz,
the capital of the country, and soon obtained from their high
patron so many buildings, together with so much money and
property, that within the course of a few years they possessed a
college and seminary for priests, and an educational establish-
ment for the nobility. In spite, however, of accomplishing all
this, they did not succeed in attaining great results as regards
conversion; on the contrary, there appeared even to be an exten-
sion of Protestantism more than ever since their advent, and
the annals undoubtedly show that in the year 1580 not only the
burgesses of most of the villages, market-places, and towns, but
also almost the whole of the nobility, as well as by far the
greater number of the Government officials, belonged to the
Evangelical faith. This was a great grief to the pious Fathers,
and the Father Confessor of the Archduke, the worthy Father
234 HISTORY OF THE JESUITS.
Johannes, represented to his confessant that it would be neces-
sary to adopt much stricter measures against the Protestants.
The same course was followed by his spouse Maria in her
curtain lectures, while her brother, the fanatical Duke William V.
of Bavaria, in the year 1581, undertook on one occasion a*
journey to Gratz expressly in order personally to influence his-
brother-iu-law. The latter now actually began to waver, and
issued at this time several enactments which restricted the free
religious exercise of the Evangelical religion ; but as he hap-
pened to be in financial difficulties, from which he could only be
relieved by his deputies, and as the latter would not suffer
any serious Catholic attacks, he limited his whole proceedings
against the Protestants to almost nothing. On the other hand,
he endeavoured to indemnify his friends the Jesuits for his
inactivity by a large distribution of favours, the most consider-
able being this, that he raised their college in Gratz, in the year
1585, to the dignity of a university, with all the rights and pri-
vileges of such. In this way, as long as the Archduke Charles
lived, all the desires of the sons of Loyola regarding religious
matters were fulfilled in respect to Inner Austria; but things
assumed a very different aspect when, in the year 1590, his
first-born, the Archduke Ferdinand, who afterwards became the
Emperor Ferdinand II., succeeded him on the throne. This
Prince, born in Gratz in the year 1578, was handed over to the
Jesuits for his education, while yet in his very tender years, and
his name appears in the matriculation books of the newly-founded
University of Gratz. Still, at that time, although matriculated
from the 25th November 158C, he was too young to be considered
as a regular student; however, on the youth entering upon
his twelfth year, his father, at the instigation of his brother-
in-law, William V. of Bavaria, the great friend and patron of
the Jesuits, sent him to the High School of Ingoldstadt, the
head-quarters of the sons of Loyola in Germany ; and here he
was, in company with William V., the first-born son of Maxi-
milian, who, however, exceeded him in age by five years ; he
was thus so excellently instructed in all the principles of
Jesuitical state wisdom, under the special supervision of Duke
William, that he might, at the age of eighteen, be looked upon
as the perfect pattern of a Catholic ruier.
" All the good fortune, and all the blessing of a then existing
THE POWERFUL INFLUENCE OF THE JESUITS. 235'
good government," so taught the Jesuits, " depend upon the
establishment of unity in the Catholic faith, as religious dispu-
tations had brought about nothing but disorder into a State, and
had roused the burgesses one against another. On that account
a ruler who happened to be called to the throne during a time
of distraction through religious dissensions in his country,
ought to look upon it as his first duty to accord no considera-
tion whatever to heretics, and show such no toleration or for-
bearance ; no means should be considered too stringent and no
sacrifice should appear too dear in order to restore again the
foundations of society, shattered by religious separation."*
It is evidently perceptible that it was similar principles
which made Philip II. of Spain to prosper, and consequently
historians are quite right in reporting that his dear friend as
well as cousin Ferdinand was only a true copy of bis great
Spanish model.
" The same glowing, stifling hatred of all feeling of right and
morality regarding the new religious convictions, the same dis-
avowal of all truth and all faith, the same wicked toying with
the solemnity of an oath and of the most solemn treaties, the
same want of feeling in regard to the misery of peoples writhing
in the agony of death, the same spiritual energy united to an
almost stupid obstinacy in the prosecution of principles once
determined upon, and, lastly, the same boundless arrogance in
respect to good fortune which almost demanded the wrath of
heaven ; in short, all the same poisonous principles and quali-
ties which luxuriated in the Spanish Philip animated also the
breasts of Ferdinand and Maximilian, and the two striplings
left the High School of Ingoldstadt, in the year 1596, with the
firm determination to devote their whole lives to the task of
exterminating heresy." t
Tn the year 1596, Ferdinand took charge of the government
of his dominions, which since the death of his father had been
* Compare Sugenheim's History of the Jesuits in Germany, vol. i.,
pp. 119-120.
t In a letter still extant (see Hormay's Archives of Geography and History
for the Year 1812, p. 540) the Rector of the University of Ingoidstadt writes
to the Rector of the College in Gratz : " The Archduke Ferdinand has, up
to this time, concluded the fourth year of his studies, and certainly -with no
small advantage. Nothing is spoilt which has been planted in so fruitful a
soil, and the disposition of the good prince has been thus conlirmed in such.
a way as nothing better could be desired."
236 HISTORY OF THE JESUITS.
conducted by his guardians, and at once intimated to his cousin,
the Emperor Rudolph II., that he would no longer tolerate the
religious freedom which had hitherto subsisted in his territories.
As, however, the Emperor in his reply reminded him of the
great superiority of the Protestants, and at the same time
gave him to understand that such conduct might very easily
give rise to a bitter loss of his land and people, for the first
two years he refrained from taking coercive measures of a very
powerful nature. On the other hand, this time was employed in
ascertaining, by means of trifling oppressions, whether the Pro-
testants possessed courage enough to oppose force by force ;
and here the pious Fathers, who naturally undertook the busi-
ness of feeling the national pulse, stepping forward, came to
the conclusion that the Evangelicals of Inner Austria possessed
far too great a respect for the legitimate rights of their princes,
or, as it may be more properly expressed, an incarnate loyalty as
subjects, to induce them ever to revolt. Upon this report being
made to him, Ferdinand determined not to put off his under-
taking any longer; still, previous to that resolve, he made a
journey to Rome, in the year 1598, in order to invoke the
blessing of the Holy Father for the success of his work ;
besides which, he carried out a pilgrimage to Loretto, where he
solemnly renewed his "Generalissima" vow before the image
of the Mother of God, to purge all his lands thoroughly of
heresy. Hardly, however, had he returned from Rome, where
he had taken up his quarters in the profess-house of the Society
of Jesus, when, before taking any steps, he summoned to his
council his three chief Jesuit advisers, namely his Father Con-
fessor, Bartholomew Viller, along with the two rectors, Hauer
and Neukirk, and after he had also taken into his counsel the
Catholic town priest of Gratz, by name Lorence Sunabenter, a plan
of campaign against the Evangelicals was then discussed. It was,
indeed, of a very simple nature (as why should it be necessary to
make much ado about heretics), and it began in this way, that
Sunabenter complained bitterly, in a well-drawn-up petition, how
; the Evangelical preachers conducted themselves, going about in
Iris circle, daring to baptise, marry, and perform other spiritual
functions. Such a representation was, indeed, founded on
fact; the town parson forgot, nevertheless, to add that these
duties had for many years been exercised by the Evangelical
THE POWERFUL INFLUENCE OF THE JESUITS. 23T
preachers unhindered in a time of religious freedom. How,
then, did the Archduke reply to this petition of Sunabenter ?
Simply in this way, that he rescinded the religious liberty which
had been previously granted, declaring the mode of proceedings
of the preachers in question to be a breach of the peace, and as
such liable to punishment ; an order was, therefore, issued to
the chief authority in the land of Styria to close all the Pro-
testant churches and schools, within a period of fourteen days
from the 13th of September 1598, and a further decree was pro-
mulgated that the schoolmasters and preachers were, under the
penalty of death, to cease all preaching and instruction, or within
eight days to leave the country. Edicts of an exactly similar
tenour were now published in the remaining provinces of Inner
Austria, and with the further proviso, moreover, that all Evan-
gelicals and heretics were either to become at once Catholic again,,
or instantly to sell their goods and possessions, and, after paying
a tenth part of the proceeds, to leave the country. Duke Fer-
dinand, it may be observed, now made use of flowery language
no longer, nor did he conceal, in the least degree, what was his
great aim. But what did the Protestants do on the occasion,
seeing that it was now a matter of life and death for them ?'
They formed, as I have explained above, by far the greatest
majority of the population, and might, if they wished to do so,,
thus offer with ease a stout resistance, especially as most of the
property was in their hands. But did they, then, offer this
resistance ? Yes, certain communities did, indeed, do so, as,,
for instance, that of Klagenfurt, the capital of Carinthia. All
the others, however, contented themselves, from submissive
courage, in making merely earnest remonstrances, or, at most,,
vehement representations on the subject, and in this case it was
an easy matter for the Archduke to crush them by means of his
troops and powerful opposition, the small communities being so
isolated.
I will not further dilate upon this unworthy submission of
those Protestants of Inner Austria, founded upon the teach-
ing that it was the duty of Christians rather to endure the
greatest injustice than oppose the divine right of the ruler
of the country, merely reiterating the observation that the
victory would certainly have been on their side had they only
risen in masses against their oppressor. Under such circum-
238 HISTORY OF THE JESUITS.
stances as these, a sentence was forthwith pronounced against
them such a sentence, indeed, as was seldom carried out
against a city taken by storm. As soon, namely, as the Jesuits
and these were from this time forth the sole directing powers
of Inner Austria saw, to their particular astonishment, that
the hundred thousands of their heretical opponents allowed with
humility anything to take place, they then moved their Archduke
to establish a great tribunal of the Inquisition, and the emis-
saries thereof penetrated throughout the whole country under
the designation of royal commissioners, proceeding from village
to village, and from town to town, in order to bring back the
stray lambs into the sheep-fold of the only saving Church. This
result, however, was not effected by means of mild persuasion,
or derived in the least degree from convictions originating in
the Bible or the Word of God, but rather by the sword of the
warriors by whom the commissioners were accompanied, and
especially by fear of the gallows ; before every village, indeed,
the latter were erected, and whoever did not at once either
abjure Protestantism, or emigrate, might be certain to find a
halter round his neck.
After this fashion, the Jesuits proceeded for five long years,
and during that space of time they consigned to the flames
more than forty thousand Lutheran Bibles, while they also occa-
sionally, to make short work of it, converted a number of Pro-
testant churches into ruins by means of cannon or by blowing
them up into the air with gunpowder.
At the commencement of the year 1600 they could thus trust
that the whole of the heretics had become reconverted, at least
outwardly, with the exception of about 30,000 who had chosen
to emigrate, and thus was the peace of the Church scattered to
the winds.
Thus terminated the fearful war of heresy-extermination
which was undertaken by the Jesuits in Germany, and it
may easily be understood that they had at the same time
not neglected to enlarge the supremacy of their power. In
this way they obtained, at the beginning of Ferdinand's govern-
ment, a large college at Laibach, the capital of Carinola ;
while, further, in the year 1598, the lordship of Mullstadt in
Carinthia was given to them, with all thereto belonging, equal,
ndeed, to a principality endowed with comprehensive sovereign
THE POWEKFUL INFLUENCE OF THE JESUITS. 239
eights. Then, again, in the year 1607, a fine new college was
erected by them in Klagenfurt, and another not less splendid at
Leohen ; besides, lastly, in the year 1609, a really princely
palace, in the shape of a university building in Gratz itself,
together with a whole quantity of smaller properties and incomes,
to enumerate which would take up far too much time. Of con-
siderably greater importance, however, was the fact that, since
the accomplishment of the heresy conversion, they governed
the whole of Inner Austria as supreme lords, and ordered every
thing according to their own will and pleasure.
The Protestant princes of Germany, it is true, perceived the
progress of events in Inner Austria with much inward indigna-
tion, seeing all this, however, without moving hand or foot ; and
consequently, going upon the principle of striking when the iron
is hot, the Jesuits did not cease to whisper into the ears of the
Emperor Eudolph II. that now was the important juncture
and now was the time for again establishing the universal
faith throughout all the states of Austria. Kudolph showed him-
self not at all disinclined to follow this counsel, nominating, for
instance, special commissioners for his Archduchy of Austria
who, during the years from 1599 to 1603, penetrated throughout
the whole country for the purpose of hunting out all the Pro-
testant clergy. He also presented to the sons of Loyola a
splendid dwelling together with several ruined Protestant churches
in Linz Austria's capital, ob der Ens, " beyond the Ens "
and in it sprung up shortly such a beautiful college as few like
it had ever before made their appearance. On the other hand,
he did not hesitate carrying out similar measures in his other
two kingdoms of Bohemia and Hungary, which, with the aid of
the Turks, had hitherto quite withdrawn themselves from his
sway ; but now they were penetrated by the four Jesuit Fathers,
Oeorge Scherer, William Lamormain, Jacob Geranus, and
Johannes von Millen, who, during the last ten years of his life,
had almost completely ruled over this weak monarch. As,
however, in this case, the Order had to renounce the above-
mentioned measures, at least openly, it indemnified itself in this
way, that it now began in a truly fiendish spirit, and by slan-
derous writings of all kinds, to stir up and irritate the Catholics
against the Evangelicals ; and it is an established fact that they
pursued this plan with true art, although the Protestants
240 HISTORY OP THE JESUITS.
certainly, it must be admitted, were not behindhand in their
replies. It would, indeed, be very amusing to serve up before
the public a list of such-like abusive writings, but I must for
good reasons forego this, and the reader must just be content
with a few fragments instead of with a full meal.
Father Andreas, for instance, wrote in this way : " It would
be better to marry the Devil rather than a Lutheran woman, as
one might be able to drive away the Evil One with holy water
and exorcism, whilst, with a Lutheran woman, the Cross,
Chrysom, and baptismal water would be thrown away." Then,,
again, Father Gretser gave it as his opinion " that whoever
received the sacrament in both kinds from a Lutheran parson,
received the Devil into his body " ; and in another place he
affirmed " that Evangelicals, when they wished to marry, were
not worthy of being proclaimed by a priest, but by the execu-
tioner or hangman." Father Conrad Better used to describe the
Evangelicals publicly as "rogues, miscreants, and traitors'';
and Luther himself was, in his opinion, "a lost apostate, a
thief, a robber, a filthy sow, and a senseless beast, the Devil's
boon companion." Then, in the year 1610, Father Christopher
Ungersdorf published a pamphlet, in which he applied to the
Evangelical deputies of the state the following flattering nick-
names: to the Elector of Saxony, "the serene sow"; to him of the
Pfalz, " the beast from Heidelberg " ; to the Landgrave of Hesse,
" the highly-learned swine " ; to the Duke of Wiirtemberg, " the
rich temple-robber of Stuttgart"; to the Landgrave of Bran-
denburg, " Biittels von Anspach*'; and to the Pfalzgrave von
Neuburg, " a senseless and demented fool."
The sons of Loyola, indeed, were not satisfied merely with
loading the Lutherans with insults and derision of all kinds, but
they also, without disguise, from their pulpits as well as in their
publications, demanded that the Catholics should take up arms
for the extermination of the heretics ; and Anton Possevin, one
of the most prominent members of the Society, went so far as
to deny eternal happiness to the Emperor Ferdinand I., because
he was actually so godless as to grant to the Protestants the
free exercise of their religion.
" For what object have we given to us money, soldiers, sabres,
and cannon," cried the Fathers Adam Tanner, Paul Windeok,
and Vitus Eborman, " but to use them against ihe enemy t"
THE POWEBFUL INFLUENCE OF THE JESUITS. '241
Why do we hesitate, then, in commencing to eradicate and root
out heresy root and branch, and especially this Calvinistic
abomination ? Kill them, then, the hounds, strike them down,
and hurl them to the ground, give them their finishing stroke,
burn their houses over their heads, and overwhelm them with
everything of the worst description that can be invented, so
that the hateful brood may finally disappear from off the face of
the earth."
So cried out the Loyolites ; and there could be no
longer any doubt that what they had been striving for was
nothing else than to stir up a war of annihilation against
Protestantism. This must become, moreover, the more
clear to everyone who vouchsafes a penetrating glance at
the proceedings of the pious Fathers in their beloved Ba-
varia. There, as we have seen, the fraternity had attained
to great power under Albert V., and still more so under
his son and successor William V., who reigned from 1579 to
1596.
During the education of the latter, Father Hoffaus had
obtained such an influence over him that one might, on that
account, well prophesy a brilliant future career for the Order
under the coming reign of William ; and then, again, these
expectations would be all the more increased on the said William,
as Crown Prince, becoming united in marriage, in 1568, with the
over-pious Eenata, the daughter of Duke Francis I. of Loraine,
whose Father Confessor, Dominicus Mengin, also made her his
own. As this man was naturally not only at heart a very
arrogant individual but outwardly a very fawning and courtier-
like Jesuit, he, too, in a short time, completely obtained the
mastery over his distinguished confessant son. William, indeed,
after his succession to the Government, allowed himself to be led
like a child by the pious Father, and vied with his spouse, from
this time forward, in the most foolishly extravagant favouritism
towards the Order of Jesus, of which the splendid building devoted
to it in Munich is a most striking proof. As, however, this waste
of Government property gradually assumed enormous proportions,
and as the ruler came at last to have no thought for anything
else than for Jesuit affairs, a general feeling of discontent
manifested itself at length among the people, and in consequence
thereof, the Duke saw himself compelled to abdicate in favour of
16
242 HISTORY OF THE JESUITS.
his son Maximilian,* in the year 1596. He became so infatu-
ated, indeed, that he was especially fond of making pilgrimages
on foot along with his beloved Father Confessor, even in the
burning sun or pouring rain, clad in the garments of a poor
pilgrim, sometimes to theDuntenhausen, sometimes to Allotting,
sometimes to the Black Virgin Mary, carrying with him con-
siderable offerings.
The Bavarians now indulged a hope that they were going to
enter upon a golden age, thinking, from outward indications,
that the young monarch would do his best endeavour to bring
his country into a most flourishing condition ; but they had not
taken the Jesuits into account.
Maximilian I., Duke of Bavaria, from 1596 to 1651, was
educated by the Jesuits at Ingoldstadt, as we already stated, along
with the Archduke Ferdinand, and had, of course, there imbibed
precisely the same principles as the latter. It may well, then,
be imagined that the influence of the Jesuits, at the time of his
accession to the Government, was not by any means smaller
than it had been under that of his father ; only he gave expres-
sion to his views in another way, as Maximilian was of quite a
different stamp of character, and could boast of being possessed
of an energetic mind, and of no inconsiderable degree of culture.
How, and in what manner, did Jesuit influence then manifest
itself? It was, indeed, in nothing less than this, that the holy
Fathers succeeded in bringing the new ruler to the conviction
that God had provided him with armour in order that the
universal faith might be restored throughout the whole of
Germany, and an end, once for all, made of the hated heresy of
Protestantism. As respects Bavaria itself, there was, indeed,
nothing for the zealous prince to do,t as the whole country,
thanks to the fostering care of his forefathers, had remained
thoroughly Catholic, and there was aroused in his honour-
seeking breast an emulous feeling of envy towards his brother-
* William V. withdrew, after his abdication, into the College of the
Jesuits in Munich, in order to devote his life to meditation, and died therein
in the year 1626, as a kind of saint, leaving behind a manuscript prayer-
book, which, however, was never printed.
t In order to give the reader an idea of his zeal for the faith, I will only
adduce one curious fact, that he was the first Catholic ruler who gave the
baptismal female name of Mary to his first-born, in conjunction, at the
same time, with that of the Jesuit General Ignatius. He also caused, for
the first time, coins to be struck with the image of Mary, along with the
superscription " Patrona Bavarise " the " Protectoresa of Bavaria."
THE POWEKFUL INFLUENCE OF THE JESUITS. 243
iu-law, Ferdinand of Inner Austria, the friend of his youth,*
whose heroic deeds in church matters had at the time electrified
the whole of the Catholic world. Was there, then, anything
more natural than that the Jesuits should take advantage of this
feeling to fan such envy into ever higher and increasing flames,
so that they might lead the aspirant to similar renown, in order
that he might succeed in attaining even still greater results ? In
this respect Maximilian had, no doubt, from the very beginning,
entertained an idea that the religious peace, which the Emperor
had concluded in the year 1555 with the Protestants, might now
foe broken at any moment by the Catholics, because by this
means the country would be freed from an erring religion, and
in his eyes Evangelical teaching was erroneous. To do this
was nothing but an allowable transaction, and consequently the
only question was as to the proper time "when" it should be
broken. In order to determine that this " when " should take
place at once, and with the view of immediately carrying the
affair into effect, he very quickly assembled soldiers, with war
material and ammunition, under the pretext that this was on
account of the Turkish war then imminent, the truth being
that it was, on the contrary, for a great struggle for the faith, for
the prosecution of which the Jesuits were now working with all
their might and main. Before, however, lifting the curtain
of what might be such a frightful tragedy, they desired to
previously exercise the intended hero of the scene with some
preliminary and tentative transactions, two of which are especially
worthy of notice, namely, the forcible capture and conversion of
Donauworth, as well as the secession to the Catholic faith of
Wolfgang Wilhelm of Pfalz-Neuburg, and the eradication
of Protestantism from his country. Donauworth, in former
times a Bavarian town, had been successful in wresting its
freedom, and had contrived to retain it for a period of nearly
two centuries from the year 1420. Regarding the faith of its
inhabitants, a part belonged to the Catholic belief, which found
its support in the cloister of the Holy Cross, in possession of the
Benedictine Order of monks. More than four-fifths, however,
of the inhabitants adhered to Lutheranism, and the Protestants
might, therefore, be considered the ruling body. But since the
* The Grand Duke Ferdinand had become united in marriage with the
sister of Maximilian on the 23rd of April 1COO.
16 *
244 HISTORY OP THE JESUITS.
establishment of religious peace both parties had got on very
well together, and during the last twenty years of the IGth
century a most friendly relation subsisted between the Catholics
and the Lutherans. After the decease of the tolerant Abbot
Christopher Gerung, the Jesuits succeeded (in May 1605i),
through the intercession of their great patron, Maximilian I., as
also of their very particular friend Bishop Henry V. of Augsburg,
in inducing the monks of the time to elect as their Abbot,
Leonard Horman, a Bavarian subject ; and now, consequently,
there would doubtless soon be an end of peace. By the advice
and at the instigation of his Father Confessor, the Jesuit John
Buslidius, Duke Maximilian now incited Horman no longer to re-
gard the magisterial regulation, which had for dozens of years been
established, to the effect that no public processions with cross and
banners should be allowed to proceed through the town, and the
Abbot immediately took the hint: this was in the year 1605.
He, therefore, organised a most pompous procession on the Feast
of Corpus Christi, and thereby hurt not a little the Protestant
inhabitants. No disturbance, however, occurred ; the only
result being that the magistrate forbade that anything of the
kind should in future take place. Upon this, however, the
Abbot, as well as the above-mentioned Bishop of Augsburg,
took great offence, and both of them made a complaint to the
Imperial Councillor in . regard to the oppression which they
represented the Catholics of Donauworth had to suffer. The
Imperial Court Councillor, not, indeed, the most suitable person to
determine the point, now gave it as his decision, in October 1605,
that all such processions might be allowed to take place, and
determined to make the magistrate responsible for any excesses
that might come to pass ; the magistrate, however, firm to his
purpose, affirmed that it would be better not to irritate the common
people, and entreated the Abbot to keep the peace. Horman,
nevertheless, thereupon organised a magnificent procession to a
neighbouring village, on the 1 Ith of April J 606, proclaiming his
project from the pulpit the day before, to the whole of the in-
habitants, in a very scornful manner. It was not, then, a matter
of any surprise that the rough element among the Protestant
population collected, and greeted the procession scornfully, not
only with showers of stones, but that they also tore into
pieces one of the flags belonging to the fraternity. Naturally
THE POWERFUL INFLUENCE OF THE JESUITS. 245
enough, this proceeding gave rise to a much more energetic
complaint to the Aulic Court, and afterwards to considerable
wrangling and contention between the parties concerned. The
Emperor Rudolph II., being urged to do so by Maximilian I.,
authorised the latter " to protect the Catholics in Donauworth
from further insolence, as the magistrate was clearly too weak
to hold in check the evil-disposed part of the population."
The Jesuits had accomplished as much as they wanted, and
the result followed as a natural consequence. In the first place,
Maximilian sent certain commissioners to the town, in order to
take the necessary measures for the protection of the Catholic
community ; but these gentlemen, having been previously in-
structed by Buslidiushow to proceed, conducted themselves with
such arrogance that the people hustled them out of the gate.
It was then declared that Donauworth was in a state of rebellion
against His Imperial Majesty ; and the Jesuit entourage of the
Emperor Rudolph urged him so much to do so, that he finally
decided that from the 3rd of August 1607 the town should be
put under the ban of the Empire. As was, of course, to be
understood, the carrying out of this was entrusted to Maximilian,
as the nearest Catholic power belonging to the Empire, and he
forthwith surrounded Donauworth by a military force of such
considerable numbers that resistance was, of course, no longer
to be thought of. Moreover, not a single one of the Protestant
princes came to the aid of the poor inhabitants, conse-
quently, nothing else remained for them to do but to open the
gates, on the 17th December 1607, to the Bavarian Duke. This
they did, however, only on condition that no one was to be
interfered with as regards his religious liberty, and Maxi-
milian promised, on his "princely honour," to maintain this
condition.
In what way did he, then, keep his plighted word? It
was, truly, a very peculiar mode of respecting his " princely
honour." His secular counsellors, or, as one would now call
them, ministers, advised him, it is true, to leave untouched the
religious condition of the conquered town, and merely to hold
"it in occupation until the expenses of the war had been paid ;
-for, had he acted otherwise, Donauworth having hitherto been a
free Imperial town, he would necessarily have rendered himself
liable to very severe reproaches from the Protestant Imperial
246 HISTORY OF THE JESUITS.
Members of Parliament ; his spiritual adviser, however, the
above-named Father Confessor Buslidius, together with the pious
Fathers Matthias Mitner and George Schrettl, whom he had
brought along with him to Donauworth, as well as several other
Jesuits, demanded of him that he should at once put an end to
heresy in Donauworth by force, in order that Catholicism might
be able to hold up its head therein, and without further ado to
incorporate the town in his dominions. They very well knew
that, by thus acting, he would make himself an open violator of
the religious peace, and they, at the same time, were equally well
aware that the Duke, in following their advice, would be regarded
by the world as a dishonourable traitor to his word. But, out
the latter point, they consoled him that he was bound by reli-
gious duty not to keep faith with heretics, and, as regards the
first point, they scornfully expressed their opinion that the Pro-
testant members of the Imperial Government would not allow
themselves to proceed to extremities for such a trifling affair, as
they would at once be silenced by what had already occurred in
Inner Austria and other places. Should they, however, deter-
mine upon taking coercive measures, then the aim of the Jesuits
would be attained by the " opening up of a great religious war,"
and in this the Catholics would, most certainly, be sure to get the-
upper hand, as Maximilian was already fully prepared, whereas
the Protestant party were not so. Maximilian could not with-
stand such arguments as these, and he therefore at once took the
necessary steps for the suppression of Protestantism in Donau-
worth. He commenced by driving out of doors the whole of the
Protestant clergy, and by assigning their churches to the sons of
Loyola. At the same time he proceeded equally against the
Evangelical teachers, whose places were, without exception, at
once filled up by Catholics ; the burgesses, moreover, were
obliged by force to send their children to the schools to which,
they had not gone before ; and those who wished to escape being
teased and tormented were, as well, obliged to go to Mass. In-
short, no means were omitted, not even the most execrable, in-
order to drive the burgesses to receive the old faith, long laid
aside, while Maximilian, at the same time,, fully carried out the
other advice of the Jesuits in making Donauworth, with the
approbation of the Jesuitically bigoted Emperor Kudolph II.,.
a Bavarian country town, and in this way. the work of con-
THE POWERFUL INFLUENCE OF THE JESUITS. 247
version met with complete success in the course of a few
years.
How, then, was it with the Protestant members ? These were
at that time (1607-1608) assembled, along with the Catholics,
in the Parliament at Ratisbon, and they right well understood
what this exercise of power properly signified. They per-
ceived that the occupation of Donauworth was, so to speak,
nothing else than the flight of the first arrow in the great reli-
gious war, and that doubtless it must have been determined upon
in the High Council of the Society of Jesus, so that the work of
annihilation of heresy, begun as it was among the weaker portion
of the Protestant estates and Imperial towns, would be, later on,
continued, according to circumstances, among the stronger places
also. They clearly perceived all this, and now candidly gave
expression to their opinion ; but what, in fact, did they now
do ? Ah ! action was expected from them, but in vain. They
contented themselves merely in making a protest, that is to say,
they confined themselves to words only, to which the other party
gave themselves no trouble to pay any heed whatever. This
much good was, however, caused thereby, that in May it gave rise
to the formation of the Protestant League, with the view of in-
cluding within one bond of brotherhood the Lutherans and
Calvinists, who had hitherto been sworn enemies. Unfortunately,
this said union was but of too short duration in order to have
anything of a truly permanent effect, besides which, in July
1609, Maximilian I. called into existence a Catholic League,
the strength of which counterbalanced that of the other union.
What, then, was the upshot of this attempt of the Jesuits upon
Donauworth ? Nothing else than, apparently, the open division of
Germany into two great inimical camps, which now only awaited
a signal from the leaders to enter into a deadly strife with each
other.
Thus the Jesuits always advanced nearer to their object.
But still another skirmish must yet be undertaken prior to the
proper commencement of this great religious war, namely, the
secession to the Catholics of Wolfgang Wilhelm of Pfalz-
Neuburg, and the extinction of Protestantism in his dominions.
After the death of John William III., Duke of Ziilich and Cleve,
without leaving behind him any direct heirs, the two princely
Houses of Pfalz-Neuburg and Brandenburg each believed them-
248 HISTORY OF THE JESUITS.
selves to have an equal right to the inheritance, and Ziilich was
at once taken possession of by the Crown Prince Wolfgang
Wilhelm of Pfalz-Neuburg, while, on the other hand, Cleve was
seized upon by the Electoral Prince of Brandenburg. Each of
these magnates, however, was desirous of obtaining the whole of
the inheritance for himself, and each of them applied to the
Protestant union, of which both were members, demanding of
the same to make intercession for him with the Imperial Diet.
The union had then to determine to which of the two pretenders
they would give their support, and, for a time, it appeared that
Kurbrandenburg was to gain the victory. This, however, was
only apparent, as the members constituting the union were too
disunited and wanting in energy to come to any definite decision
on the subject, and, consequently, Kurbrandenburg as well as
Pfalz-Neuburg was put off from one session to another. It
was now pointed out to Wolfgang Wilhelm by the Jesuits,
through the medium of the Ambassador of Philip III., King of
Spain, that an excellent means of obtaining the inheritance for
himself would be for him to form an alliance with the House of
Bavaria, and thereby gain the powerful intercession of Duke
Maximilian I. ; so the Catholic league united with him. This
enlightened Pfalz-Neuburger then lost no time in soliciting the
hand of the Princess Magdalena, the sister of Maximilian. This
offer was received very favourably by the latter, who, at the same
time, declared that he could not call a heretic his brother-in-
law. Such an announcement, clearly made, could not be mis-
understood. Now Wolfgang Wilhelm, together with his whole
family, had, up to the present time, belonged to the most
orthodox of all orthodox Lutherans, and often used to make a
boast of having read through the whole Bible not less than, at
least, two dozen times during the course of the year. How,
then, could he ever be expected to make a change in his faith ?
Wonderful to relate, however, doubts now began to arise in the
mind of the Neuburger as to whether he had hitherto really fol-
lowed the true faith ; so when he proceeded forthwith to Munich,
in order to expedite his marriage projects, the above so often
mentioned Johann Buslidius contrived to work upon his mind so
strenuously that it at last yielded, and the affair came thereupon
to a head. He, consequently, in July 1613, went over to the
Catholic religion secretly, fearing the anger of his old father, who
THE POWEBFUL INFLUENCE OF THE JESUITS. 249
\vas still then living, and four months afterwards married the
sister of Duke Maximilian. Not long after this, the Jesuits
began purposely to spread abroad the intelligence of his having
43ome over, in order to compel him to throw off this secrecy,
which he at length formally did in May 1614, not caring that,
by so doing, he would necessarily break the heart of his poor
i'ather, whose death actually occurred in consequence two months
^afterwards.
The Jesuits had now attained their first object, in the
gaining over to their side of Wolfgang Wilhelm, and their
second aim, that is, the extinction of Protestantism in his
dominions, could no longer be very difficult of accomplishment.
Those newly converted, as a rule, make themselves conspicuous
as zealous partizans of the newly-accepted faith, in order
to prove their sincerity to the world, and Wolfgang Wilhelm,
formed no exception to the rule. In a few days, too, after he
had taken the step of secession, he assured the then Pope,
Paul V., in an autograph letter, of his unqualified devotion to
him, and expressly added that he had formed the resolution " of
rooting out Lutheranism and of making himself a pillar of the
Roman Catholic Church, of prohibiting in his dominions the free
exercise of the Evangelical religion, and of proceeding to the
uttermost against the Protestants, and bringing about their
destruction and downfall," thereby proving himself to be a
true disciple of the Jesuits. Nevertheless, two months after
his accession to the Government, he did not hesitate to
promise solemnly, in a special edict, to allow his Protestant
subjects the undisturbed retention and free exercise of their
religion, for otherwise the Pfalz-Neuburgers would have failed
to pay him homage ; moreover, what did his promise signify,
when at any moment he might easily free himself from it ? I
will now shortly state what took place. Immediately after his
arrival, in February 1615, in Neuburg, the capital of his paternal
possessions, he gave over the Castle church to two Jesuits, named
Jacob Reihing and Anton Welser, the first of whom was his
own, and the second his wife's, Father Confessor. And now the
expulsion of Lutheranism vigorously proceeded, the means
employed being just the same as in Donauworth and elsewhere,
namely, in the first place, the expulsion of all Protestant eccle-
siastics and teachers, followed by the deposition of all opposing
250 HISTOBY OF THE JESUITS.
officials, and the oppression of all those who still were disposed
towards heresy, favour being shown to all who went over to the
only saving Church. For instance, such means were specially em-
ployed as the quartering of soldiers on such of the inhabitants as
proved to be refractory, a proceeding which was found to be so
efficacious that not only the Neuburgers but the inhabitants of
the other remaining villages became acquiescent within a few
months or years; but wherever any resistance showed itself
among this sorely-tried people oh ! this, indeed, constituted
nothing else than rebellion, and against such it was at once
necessary to take up arms. By such means as these, complete
success was now attained, in a comparatively short space of
time, in the territory of Neuburg, as well as in the Princi-
pality of Ziilich, in which Wolfgang, thanks to the aid of the
league, was supreme ; for this the Jesuits had occasion to
rejoice. With the Principality of Cleves, however, on account of
which he had become a Catholic, he never succeeded, as it
continued, along with Kurbrandenburg, to remain stedfast to the
Protestant cause. It no less rejoiced the Jesuits that the Duke
was pleased, through the influence of his beloved Jacob Reihing,*
to found colleges for them in various parts of his small domains,
especially in Neuburg and Diisseldorf, as by such means their
sway became all the greater, and it was all the more pleasing to
them in that they now had an opportunity of further extending
their influence in other neighbouring Protestant countries.
It will be observed, from these proceedings of the Jesuits in
Germany, that progress was now being rapidly made in the
furtherance of a great war at annihilation against heresy,
while before they came into these parts the most perfect peace
reigned there between Catholics and Protestants. The latter
especially were in no degree to blame, as it was not until the
coercive measures of the Jesuits came upon the scene that they
took weapons into their hands and opposed like with like. Had
they done so previously, in the first Protestant persecutions in
* I cannot here refrain from mentioning that the so-called Beihing him-
self went over afterwards to Protestantism. On account of his disputations
with the Protestants, he found himself under the necessity of studying the
Bible accurately, and thereby such a light was thrown upon the faith he
had hitherto professed, that, in the year 1621, he came over to the Evan-
gelical faith at Tubingen. He became, also, professor of theology in the-
baid university, and thus remained until the end of his life.
THE POWEEFUL INFLUENCE OF THE JESUITS. 251
Fulda, Mayence, and elsewhere, instead of manifesting internal
disunion and cowardice, as in the case of the Archbishopric
of Cologne, the arrogance of the much smaller Catholic com-
munities would never have increased, year by year, as occurred
in the Bishoprics of Paderborn, Minden, Minister, &c.; nor,
equally, would what happened in Donauworth andPfalz-Neuburg
ever have taken place. There existed, indeed, a much too great
amount of passiveness and want of energy, and a much too
great spirit of the innate feeling of loyalty and submissiveness
towards the laws of the country and towards Imperial Majesty.
This was the only reproach that could be made against them
with any reason, and I now reiterate that the action proceeded
entirely from the side of the Jesuits, and upon them, therefore,
rested the responsibility for the frantically atrocious thirty
years' religious war.
But now let us proceed to facts. The several examples we
have already given had been continually preparing the world for
the approaching tragedy. But how could this come about,
unless the destiny of Germany should happen to be in the hands
of a prince who was fully competent to the task ? Such must
prove himself to be a man of great spiritual power, and at the
same time, of indomitable and terrible energy ; a man endowed
with a will which could work itself up to a condition the most
hard-hearted of hard-heartedness, so as not to shrink from any
deed, even of the most horrible nature ; not the less, also, a man
who, brought up in the principles of the Jesuits, would allow
himself to be completely guided by them, never turning a
deaf ear to their inspirations. It was only when such a prince
was found to occupy the German Imperial throne, and threw his
weighty Imperial sword into the balance on the side of the
Catholics, that it could have been hoped, with any degree of
confidence, that Protestantism in Germany, in spite of its
always increasing and preponderating majority, would not only
not maintain the upper hand, but, on the contrary, be beaten,
down even to extinction.
It was only then that all this could have a chance of taking
place, as the sons of Loyola very well knew. What a great piece
of luck was it, indeed, for them that there happened to exist at
that time such a prince as this ; and, besides, what still greater
good fortune for them was it that he, the said prince, happened to
252 HISTORY OF THE JESUITS.
be an Archduke of the House of Hapsburg, who, moreorer, had
a claim to the Imperial throne, in the person of the said Ferdi-
nand of Inner Austria, of whom mention has already been made
above more in detail. It was he, indeed, this said Ferdinand,
who must wield the Imperial sceptre, if the great religious war
now about to commence was ever to turn out to be a glorious
victory, and, therefore, was it of so much importance that
this sceptre should be procured for him. This, however, was
indeed no easy matter, as, on the demise 'of the Emperor
Rudolph II., it was his brother Mathias who, in the year 1612
ascended the Imperial throne, and in respect to him it was pretty
well known that, for various reasons, he had for some time
past fostered a grudge against Ferdinand ; of the numerous
causes in question, only a single one need here be adduced,
namely, that Ferdinand had induced the childless Emperor
Rudolph to make over to him, a distant cousin, the crown of
Bohemia and Hungary, instead of to the King's brother Mathias,
the rightful heir. There was, therefore, a deep grudge existing
on the part of the latter, and this apparently seemed likely to
be of permanent continuance. How, then, would the equally
childless Mathias appoint the cousin Ferdinand as heir ? for
there happened to be several rivals, some of whom could boast
of even a nearer relationship to him. But the Jesuits had
already shown what they could be capable of effecting, making
what was impossible, or what appeared to be impossible, simple
enough. They strove, above everything, to win over to their
side all those persons who were in the immediate surrounding
of the Emperor, and more especially the venal women in whose
arms he was wont to revel. This, indeed, was certainly but a
very impure channel in which to labour; the pious Fathers,
however, would have been quite ready to adopt still more dis-
gusting measures had it been for their advantage to do so.
The inamoratas of Mathias were now, therefore, assailed in every
sort of way, at one time by presents, at another by flattery, at
& third time by a lightly-obtained absolution, and then again
by frightful threats regarding the world to come, and such-like
means; and the cunning Fathers in this way succeeded in gain-
ing a considerable sway over the new monarch. They attained
even to a still greater influence, when the Bishop Melchior Klesel,
the confidant of Mathias for many years, and whom, shortly
THE POWERFUL INFLUENCE OF THE JESUITS. 253
after his accession to the throne, he made his Prime Minister,
came over to their side. This Klesel, the son of a Lutheran
baker in Vienna, had been converted to Catholicism by
Father George Scherer, of whom I have already made men-
tion. As a convert of the Jesuits, he clearly could not be
unfavourable to the Order of Jesus. As the pious Fathers now
promised this baker's son that, first of all, he would be advanced
to the post of first minister, while, if he supported them in their
plans respecting the Archduke Ferdinand, they agreed to help
him to obtain the long-wished-for aim of his highest ambition,
a cardinal's hat, he unreservedly engaged himself to do so,
and became henceforth their particular friend through thick
and thin. Both parties loyally and honestly kept to their
engagements, that is to say, Klesel obtained his cardinal's hat
in the year 1616, and thereupon the views of Mathias became
altered in favour of the Jesuits. By far the greatest service
in this matter was accomplished by two members of the
Order, i.e. Peter Pazman and Christopher Scheiner, and it was,
indeed, they who, properly speaking, brought it about that Fer-
dinand was nominated heir to Mathias. Pazman, just as in the
case of Klesel, was the son of Protestant parents, who first lived at
Grosswardein and then in Gratz. In 1 587, when he was in his-
seventeenth year, he was converted to Catholicism by the Jesuits ;
he then studied theology in Gratz, and being promoted very early,
by his distinguished talents, to be Professor in the local university,,
he later on entered the service of the Cardinal Archbishop of
Gran, Francis Forgats, and distinguished himself so very much,
that the high prelate made him at once not only his most con-
fidential counsellor, but, also, in the year 1615, on feeling himself
to be on the point of death, recommended him to the Hungarian
magnates to be his successor. The latter accordingly solicited
the Emperor Mathias that the Archbishopric should be conferred
upon him, and the Sovereign, being very well disposed
towards him, would have gladly been ready to comply with the
request had the laws of the Order not prohibited the acceptance
of so high a church preferment by any member of the Society
of Jesus. Still this might easily be got over by Pazman's
apparent retirement from the Order. This, indeed, actually
took place, and as Paul V., the Pope at the time, gave his con-
sent to the arrangement, there remained now nothing in the
254 HISTORY OF THE JESUITS.
way of his nomination as Archbishop. As such he now came
into so close and intimate relations with the Emperor Mathias,
and so completely won his confidence, that no State business
could be carried out without the Jesuit's approbation. The
question, especially, of the succession to his Austrian domi-
nions as well as to the dignity of Emperor having now to be
determined, because his two brothers still living, i.e. Maxi-
milian, Archduke of the Tyrol and Outer Austria, and Albert,
Regent of the Spanish Netherlands, were both old, sickly,
and childless, Pazman naturally suggested to the Emperor
that the Archduke of Styria should be nominated his heir.
He not only gave this advice, but supported it so eloquently,
and with such arguments, that Mathias at length gave his
consent, although unwillingly, at the beginning of the year
1617, that the succession should pass to his cousin Ferdinand,
even during his own lifetime, and that he should be his universal
heir. Still, the cunning Jesuit would hardly have attained his
object so easily and so quickly, had it not been for his brother
and fellow-worker, Scheiner, who loyally aided him. The latter,
at the commencement of the 17th century, working as Professor
of Mathematics at the University of Ingoldstadt, was frequently
summoned by the Archduke Maximilian, the ruler of the country
who, a great lover of mathematics, invited him to proceed to
the Tyrol ; and he so ingratiated himself in the good graces
of the latter, in the year 1615, by repairing completely for him
a valuable telescope which had met with an accident, that Maxi-
milian could now no longer rest until Scheiner gave up his
Professorship and came to settle at Innsbruck, as his Father
Confessor. In this capacity he obtained such an influence over
his old confessant, that at length the latter had no other will
but that of the Jesuit Father. It consequently came about
that, in the same year, 1615, the Archduke, having before him
the highly important question of the Imperial succession,
which lay so much at heart with the Jesuits, made a step forward
of his own accord, and not only renounced for himself the
succession, but also engaged to persuade his brother Albert in
the Netherlands to do likewise. The Archduke, in fact, at
once consented to take this course, and, travelling to Brussels,
accompanied by Scheiner, succeeded in getting his brother
to take the desired step, as well also as Philip III., King of
THE POWEEFUL INFLUENCE OF THE JESUITS. 255
'Spain, who, as grandson of the Emperor Maximilian, had like-
wise a claim to the Austrian succession.* But after all this had
been committed to writing, and sealed, the ruler of the Tyrol
now directed his steps towards Prague, in the autumn of 1616,
with the purpose of there meeting his brother Mathias, the
reigning Emperor, in order to render an account to him of his
proceedings. The latter, indeed, had now no alternative but to
give his acquiescence to the persuasive words of Archbishop
Pazman.
In this manner was the Emperor Mathias influenced to
nominate as his successor the Archduke Ferdinand, while the
election was recognised by the German people the majority
of the Electors being, then, Catholics as also by Bohemia and
Hungary, &c. ; naturally, however, only after the same had
given his solemn promise sacredly to maintain the privileges and
rights of his future subjects, as, before his coronation in Bohemia
could take place, he was obliged to take his oath never to alter
or evade a single letter in the so-called " Eudolphian Majesty
Brief," in which the religious liberty of the country was guaran-
teed. But what did an oath signify to a pupil of the Jesuits ?
Therefore, the pious Fathers now rejoiced, and with no uncertain
Toice proclaimed loudly throughout the whole world, " Novus
Rex nova lex," that is to say, " With a new king there will be
, new law," or in other words, " A new prince having come to
the throne, is not bound to observe the guaranteed rights of the
people." It was thus that one of them, Father Andreas
Neubauer, held forth from the pulpit in Prague : " His
Bohemian Majesty's Brief might as well sanction the coercive
.permission of improper houses in the large towns;" while other
smembers of the Society of Jesus did not hesitate to speak even
of the necessity of the excommunication and confiscation, or
-even of the execution, of Evangelicals throughout all German
^countries.
It, therefore, became clear to all thinking men that now, with
the election of Ferdinand, must begin the fearful war to ensure
the complete annihilation of the Protestants of Inner Austria,
* Without renunciation, moreover, on the part of Philip III., but Ferdi-
nand promised, according to a secret treaty, to give over to him, after his
enthronement as Emperor, the Tyrol, Outer Austria, Alsace, and the
Breisgau This promise, however, was never carried out, and, from the
rst, Ferdinand had no intention of fulfilling it.
256 HISTORY OF THE JESUITS.
for which the sons of Loyola had all along been working ; and
he, in fact, began this great struggle, as everyone knows, in
May 1618. He commenced his operations in Bohemia, and it
was in consequence of the continued and systematical persecu-
tion of the Evangelicals by the sons of Loyola, as also by the
treatment to which the Government subjected the rebels, that
they banished the Jesuits out of Bohemia for all time.
He began, then, this business during the regime of the Emperor
Mathias, who, as is known, did not die till the year 1619. The
latter, however, was by this time so sick and decrepit that he
could only be looked upon as a poor tool in the hands of his
successor, Ferdinand ; and the whole frightful responsibility for
this terrible thirty years' war must rest upon the Emperor
Ferdinand II., and his teachers, rulers, and bosom friends, the
sons of Loyola.
Is it now necessary for me to cause all the horrible scenes
of this ferocious war to pass in review before the eyes of the*
reader ? To adopt such a course would be a departure from the
original intention of this work. It will, therefore, be sufficient
merely to direct attention to the influence exercised by the
Jesuits upon the course of this war. It must be stated at the
outset that Ferdinand II., in the first year of the struggle, was
on the point of putting an end to the tumult he had created ; for
almost all of his heritable states, especially Moravia, Silesia,
Hungary, as well as Lower and Upper Austria, took part in the
rebellion, on which account, behind the backs of the Jesuits,,
he made an application to the Pope, through an extra-
ordinary ambassador, Count Maximilian von Trautmansdorf,
despatched in 1619, to be allowed to conclude peace on the
condition of granting religious liberty. When, however, the
sons of Loyola came to be made aware of the secret, they imme-
diately sent a messenger to their General, Mucius Vittelleschi,
with the object of working upon the Pope, in order that the
latter should give a negative reply to the Emperor's petition ;
and this actually in the end occurred, while, in addition, the
Imperial Father Confessor, Johann Weingartner, was led to
make the infernal regions so hot to his high and mighty con-
fessant, on account of the wicked deed he had in contempla-
tion, that Ferdinand at length abstained from his intention.
Their aim and object was that the war should not be again
THE POWERFUL INFLUENCE OF THE JESUITS. 257
smothered at its inception, but that it should, in truth, become a
war of annihilation. Besides, was it possible for them to allow
peace to be concluded with countries whose rebellious Govern-
ments had issued a law ruling that no Jesuit should ever
again dare to show his face, under pain of death, within
their boundaries ? This, indeed, had Bohemia done, as also
Hungary, Moravia, Silesia, with Upper and Lower Austria;
and not only had they acted thus, but, at the same time, had
publicly disclosed to the world, all the nefarious peculiarities
and deeds of the Order of Jesus, in such a manner as to em-
bitter the feelings of the Jesuits in the highest degree.* But
when Ferdinand II. had formed the resolution of prosecuting the
war, was it in his power to do so ? All his treasure- chests were
well-nigh exhausted, and his armies did not, at the most,
number more than about J 2,000 men, which were insufficient to
make a stand against four times the number of enemies ; the
support from abroad, too, which Philip III. of Spain had prof-
fered, was but scanty, and did not much signify.
The sons of Loyola, however, knew a way how to get out of
the difficulty, and it consisted in this, that they gained the help
of Maximilian I. of Bavaria for their protege. The House of
Wittelsbach, it is true, stood in no very friendly relationship to
Austria, as through it much injustice had been done to the
Hapsburgers since the time that the latter obtained possession of
the German Imperial throne ; and the Dukes of Bavaria had,
more especially, to complain of the enormous robbery, perpetrated
in 1505, of the rich territory of Landshut, the inheritance of Duke
George. Ferdinand II., moreover, had not, for a long time past,
given evidence of having acted the part of a very dear friend
towards the companion of his youth, Maximilian, or the part,
indeed, of an honest man; for he had even been intriguing
against him in every way, out of a feeling of jealousy, in order to
* In the legal document to which this refers it is stated, among other things,
" We have discovered that the authors of all this premeditated mischief were
the Jesuits, who alone applied themselves thereto, as they rendered secure
the Roman Chair, and were desirous of bringing all kingdoms and countries
under their control and power. Towards accomplishing this end, however,
they permitted themselves to make use of the most inadmissible means ;
they urged the magistracy against the subjects, and the subjects against
the magistracy ; they caused friends to take up arms against friends, and
everywhere stirred up strife, uproar, and insurrection ; they arrogated to
themselves on all occasions the political government, and promulgated the
doctrine that whoever did not adhere to the Catholic religion sinned againat
truth and faith," &c.
17
258 HISTOBY OF THE JESUITS.
cause him to give up the leadership of the League ; and besides,
several other things had occurred that had naturally vexed the
Bavarian princes. Might it not, then, have been considered
likely that Maximilian would have been inclined to take advan-
tage of the great straits in which the ruler of Austria then
was, to procure satisfaction for all the former offences and
injustice that had been sustained by him? One might certainly
have thought so, indeed, and even supposed that the policy of
the State would have called for such action ; but it was the desire
of the Jesuits that it should be otherwise, and these were, as I
have already shown, all-powerful at the Court of Munich. Thus,
for instance, the Duke was unceasingly importuned by his Father
Confessor, and other members of the Society of Jesus, to place
himself at the head of the war, for the honour of God, the glory
which would accrue to heroes of the true faith being depicted
to him in glowing terms. Therefore, when, in the beginning of
October 1619, the friend of his youth came to him in Munich,
begging for aid, Maximilian not only did not refuse to give it to
him, but, on the contrary, promised him his full support. And,
indeed, a very disinterested treaty, as it proved, was concluded
between them on the 8th October 1619.
We shall now see, from the history of the Thirty Years' war,
what effect this union between Ferdinand and Maximilian pro-
duced, entirely brought about as it was by the art and cunning
of the Jesuits, who were in this way successful in securing the
victory of the former, instead of his downfall, in proof of which
I must refer my readers to the history of that war.
Such was the first indication of the extraordinary influence
which the Jesuits exercised on the course of the great religious
war, and I must now pass over to the consideration of the part
they played in securing the Catholicizing and pacification of
Bohemia.
After the decisive battle of the White Hill at Prague, in
November 1620, Duke Maximilian, overtaken by a temporary
paroxysm of humanity, promised the Bohemians, in return for
their unconditional submission, security of person as well as a
complete amnesty, and the Bohemians naturally enough put con-
fidence in his princely word. Now, such a promise was extremely
hateful to the Jesuits, as they unceasingly continued to thirst
after the blood of the heretical leaders by whom, two years
THE POWEKFUL INFLUENCE OF THE JESUITS. 259
previously, they had been driven out of Bohemia, and con-
sequently they perpetually beset the ears of the Emperor Ferdi-
nand with the argument that he need not give himself any
trouble about the plighted word of Maximilian. Ferdinand for
a long time withstood their importunities, not wishing to rudely
insult the man who had reconquered Bohemia for him, and
who had crushed the insurrection in the other Austrian pro-
vinces; at last, however, beginning to waver, he convoked a
secret Clerical Council, in the beginning of June 1621, in order
to arrive at a satisfactory determination. The chief speakers in
this assembly were the two Imperial Father Confessors, the
Jesuit Fathers Johann Weingartner and Martin Becanus,* as also
four other members of the Order, among whom was the Eector
of the College at Vienna, the greatly distinguished William
Lamormain,f and the latter, with whom rested the casting vote,
exclaimed with a firm voice that he wo^ild take upon himself and
upon his conscience all the bloodshed which might occur. The
Emperor now declared himself prepared to sign the sentence
of death which had been long prepared by the Jesuits, and the
tragedy commenced on the 21st of June 1621, by the murder of
seven-and-twenty of the richest, most conspicuous, and most
noble of the Bohemian nation. In the self-same hour, however,
Ferdinand lay on his knees before the image of the Virgin Mother
of God at Mariazell, to which he had made a pilgrimage,
earnestly praying, as a true disciple of the Jesuits, for the souls
of his victims. The affair, naturally, did not end with this
"first" bloody sentence, but there now began a regular system
* Becanus, properly speaking, called Van der Beek, was born about the
year 1561, in the village of Wolveren in Belgium. He entered into the Order
of Jesuits in the year 1583, and five years afterwards took upon himself, the
duties of Professor of Theology in Cologne. In the same capacity he came
to Vienna in the year 1613, and, seven years later on, the Emperor Ferdi-
nand promoted him to the office of Second Confessor, as the Father Weiu-
gartner had now become very old. He did not, however, retain this
important office long, as he died in January 1624.
t Wilhelm Lamormain, or more properly called " Lammermann," first
saw the light at Ardenne, in the Luxemburg territory, about the year
1570, and joined the Order when very young. In the main his career was
much the same as that of Becanus, only he advanced from Professor of
Theology to be Rector of the College in Gratz, and was, at the request of
Ferdinand II., transferred to Vienna and placed in a similar capacity there.
Ferdinand felt himself uncommonly strongly drawn towards Lamormain,
so that the latter exercised the greatest influence upon 'the Sovereign's
determinations, and on that account, after the death of Becanus in
the year 1624, he was immediately raised to the dignity of the Emperor's
Father Confessor, and acted in this capacity up to the time of his own
.death in 1648.
17 *
260 HISTORY OF THE JESUITS.
of Protestant persecution more mean, cruel, and horribly bloody-
things happened, indeed, than can well be conceived and, ac-
cording to the evidence furnished by the Jesuits themselves, the
originator of all this was their distinguished brother, William
Lamormain. I will not further depict the horrors which were
practised during the next four years under the cloak of conversion
from heresy. I will not speak thereof, or as to how and in what
manner the whole of the non-Catholic community was robbed, not
only of all civil, but of all human rights ; I will not relate anything
further regarding their actions the deeds, I mean, of the so-
called Reformation Commission of Ferdinand, which was nothing
else than an imitation of the Spanish tribunal of the Inquisition,
having, as its characteristic, the same harsh barbarity, the same
unlimited power of branding, cutting off noses and ears, as well
as of hanging, beheading, and breaking on wheels. I will even,
pass over in silence the horrible military hatred aroused, which
consisted in this, that the Croats, Cuirassiers, or Lachtensteiners,
were employed, with drawn swords, in hunting down the people,
forcing them to the Mass with dogs and whips, and throwing the
refractory ones into cages in which they could neither sit, lie
down, nor even stand, while they were compelled to witness, at the
same time, the most horrible violence applied to their poor wives
and daughters, until the husbands and fathers swore upon their
knees to renounce heresy. All this, and much more, will I pass
over. It is my duty, however, to mention the names of those
who were leading spirits and instigators, for the most part,
of those devilish persecutions, and they were no other than the
Jesuit Fathers Adam Krawarsky, Andreas Metsch, Leonard
Oppel, Kaspar Hillebrand, George Ferus, Ferdinand Kollowrat,
Friedrich Bridel, and Mathias Vierius. What were the ter-
rible results of this reign of terror, more especially to the
unfortunate Bohemians, are related by the Jesuit historian
Balbin, who was an eye-witness of the horrors he depicts; he says,
indeed : " It is truly astounding that, after all that has taken
place, there were any remaining inhabitants to be found;" but he
adds, it is an established fact, on the other hand, that " the
existing population of these desolated lands completely recognise
Catholicism, and Evangelical faith was entirely exterminated.''
As a third proof of the extraordinary influence exercised by
the Jesuits in the course of the great religious war in Germany,.
THE POWERFUL INFLUENCE OF THE JESUITS. 261
I must bring to notice the extinction of Protestantism in Silesia ;
and, as a fourth, the murder of the great Frieslander, the Imperial
Generalissimo.
The Silesian insurgents had, in the year 1621, submitted to the
Emperor Ferdinand; not, however, by force of arms, but in
consequence of a solemn treaty entered into between the parties,
which ensured a general amnesty to the inhabitants for their
participation in the Bohemian insurrection, and granted a
confirmation of all their rights and privileges, more especially
that of religious liberty. This treaty was promulgated through-
out the whole of Silesia, by the Emperor himself, on the 17th
of July 1621, by means of public Patents, and no one living in
the country could have thought there was any possibility that
any Prince or Emperor could have been so dishonourable and
devoid of all shame as to break such a solemn oath and engage-
ment. But Ferdinand II. showed himself to be a worthy pupil
of the Jesuits, and the Fathers Martin Becanus and William
Lamormain knew how to quiet his conscience. There conse-
quently began a systematic persecution of the Silesian Protes-
tants in the year following, and, as they did not at once burst
out into rebellion, the same means were used to obtain this end
as had been resorted to in Bohemia. "Extermination of heresy,"
-was the watchword which the sons of Loyola preached from
morning to night, and the Lichtensteiner, together with other
inhuman warriors, served on this occasion as "Saviour." With
what unmeasured cruelty they, however, conducted themselves,
may best be understood by this, that a Jesuit even, Father
Nerlich of Glogan, was unable any longer to witness it, and on
that account demanded his withdrawal from Father Lamormain
in Vienna. But enough has been said on this subject. Silesia
was, in this way, regained by the Jesuits, but in such a manner
that the country lost half of its inhabitants, and sank into the
greatest state of misery !
I come now to speak more particularly of the fourth proof
of Jesuit influence ; of the murder, mamely, of Albert Wenzel
-of Wallenstein, Duke of Friesland, Mecklenburg, and Sagan,
beyond doubt the greatest General of all those who com-
manded the Catholic armies in this war. The Jesuits had
selected him as leader, on account of his having made the House
of Hapsburg the all-ruling Power in Europe, and Ferdinand II.
262 HISTORY OF THE JESUITS.
the absolute ruler of the German Empire, for the sons of Loyola
never for one single instant left out of sight their great aim and
object, that, namely, of a universal monarchy. He, then, the
Frieslander, was the man for the business in hand ; not merely
on account of his great talents as a commander, but, still more,
because he had been educated at the College of Olmutz, and;
consequently his views were completely in accord with theirs.
For a long time both of these parties had agreed well together,
for at least the Frieslander had to thank the intercession or
Father Lamormain, the most influential man at the Imperial
Court, and in reality the Prime Minister, for the bestowal
on him of the Dukedom of Sagan and Mecklenburg. Thus
Wallenstein, his palm having been well greased, that is to say,
having rich presents bestowed upon him, set himself zealously to
work along with his coadjutors, to obtain for the Order of Jesus
a firm footing in this hitherto Protestant country belonging to the
Empire. As, however, later on, Wallenstein, on account of the
great straits to which the country was at that time reduced, hud
been appointed to be Generalissimo, with full dictatorial powers,
and had taken such unlimited advantage of his dictatorship that
not only the army, but the Court also, came to be completely
under his control and guidance, a frightful feeling of resentment
was aroused towards him in the mind of the Father Confessor
of the Emperor, who had hitherto alone managed him, and con-
ducted the ship of the State. This feeling of resentment on the
part of the Jesuits became exchanged for perfect fury when
they considered that the Frieslander had been raised to the giddy
height on which he now stood, properly speaking, on their own
shoulders; and they, therefore, at once resolved upon his down-
fall, as soon as they became convinced that they could no longer
make use of him as their tool.
Of this state of matters, too, the Frieslander was not, indeed,
in ignorance, and he frequently expressed himself to his most
intimate confidants as hating the Jesuits from the bottom of his
heart, so that, as soon as it was possible for him to do so, be
would be prepared to hunt them out of the Empire. The sons
of Loyola, however, were beforehand with him, and in com-
bination with Maximilian of Bavaria, and his other enemies,
succeeded, at the beginning of the year 1634, in persuading the
Emperor Ferdinand that now the time had arrived when this-
THE POWERFUL INFLUENCE OF THE JESUITS. 263
troublesome dictator was no longer required. The mere deposi-
tion or removal of the hated man was not sufficient for them,
as they had been taught to fear him ; what they desired was his
death and complete disappearance from this world's stage, and,
therefore, through the medium of Father Lamormain, they talked,
over the Emperor without much trouble, and got him to attach
his signature to a death-warrant, which was carried into effect at
Eger on the 24th of February 1634. It was they, besides, who
made use of messengers and riders, in order to communicate
with the treacherous captains under the Frieslander's command,
and more especially with Gallas, Butler, and Piccolomini, and it
was in their college at Prague where, according to the evidence
of contemporaries, the decisive consultations took place as ta
the carrying out of the death-warrant.
The fifth proof of the extraordinary influence of the Jesuits
upon the course of the great religious war in Germany lay in.
the nefarious Restitution Edict, of which they were the framers,
and which the Emperor Ferdinand II., instigated solely by their
advice and suggestions, issued, on the 6th of March 1629, just
as the fortunate turn of the war had placed him at the zenith
of his power. According to this proclamation, the Protestants
were required to give up all the cloisters, foundations, bishoprics,
and church property which had been acquired by them since
the Treaty of Passau in 1552, in order that the same should
be restored to their rightful, and formerly Catholic, owners.
This, at first, immensely rejoiced the hearts of the whole Catholic
priesthood, the bishops and archbishops of Germany, as well as
of the Pope of Rome himself; but it was only at first, as it became
apparent, after the lapse of a few years, what was the real
meaning of the edict in question. It came out that the Em-
peror Ferdinand, who retained expressly for himself the free
disposition over those church properties, was by no means dis-
posed to restore them to their former owners, but wished, on
the contrary, to keep them for his own use and for the extension
of his power, and, in fact, did so retain them for the most part.*
* Pope Urban VIII., on that account, also complained in the strongest
manner possible, in the year 1632, and replied quite ludicrously to the
Jesuit Cardinal, Peter Pazman, whom Ferdinand had sent to him : " The
great advantages which Sweden had at that time gained, were, undoubtedly,
only a divine punishment for the non-restoration to the Church of the
Church properties taken from the Protestants, and for the retention of the
same for State purposes."
261 HISTORY OF THE JESUITS.
His edict set forth that the sons of Loyola had framed the
proclamation in order that they should be able to expel by
force those persons adhering to the Evangelical faith in all the
territories evacuated by the Protestants, with the view of taking
possession of all the churches, and everything pertaining to
them; in this way, they acquired them for their Order. With
this object in view, also, the sons of Loyola were never, on
any occasion, missing whenever an Imperial army entered a
conquered city, the plea being that they must needs be required
to incite the inhuman warriors to a still greater degree of fervour
"to couch their lances for God's honour " against the Protestants,
inflaming them to perpetrate, that is to say, even still more hor-
rible deeds of cruelty. They must needs make their appearance
wherever the Imperial or Leaguist banners penetrated, in order,
with the aid of the soldiery, to see that such scenes of butchery
were fully carried out, quite unrestrained, and to the same
extent as were witnessed at the beginning of the war in Bohemia
and Silesia! It is mentioned, for example, that Father Lorenz
Forer, Professor at the Jesuit school of Dillingen, admonished
the commander of the Imperial army with such words as these:
*' Estote ferventes," that is to say, " Do not slacken in your
zeal, but seize and commit to the flames in such a manner that
it will be necessary for the angels to draw up their feet, and
the stars begin to melt." It is also recorded that Father La
Mornay, at the storming of the city of Olmutz by the Im-
perial troops, murdered, with his own hand, three Protestant
clergymen, and, as a reward, granted free absolution from all his
sins for such a deed of horror to a brute who had dashed against
a wall the head of a child who was clinging to his feet. Then,
again, the Fathers Jeremias Drexel, Franz Dubuisson, and
Ignatius Plachy, together with many others of their brethren,
often put themselves at the head of the battalions, and at the
battle of Breitenfeld, in which Gustavus Adolphus completely
defeated Tilly, a number of Loyolites were found among the
dead. In this way, too, they entered Raufbeuren, and many
other Suabian Imperial towns, along with the Imperial garrison
troops, nine men in number, and, in the year 1630, compelled
all the Protestant inhabitants either to migrate or else become
Catholic ; between such alternatives they allowed of no excep-
tion, not even in the case of the dying, the sick, the old, as, for
THE POWERFUL INFLUENCE OF THE JESUITS. 265
instance, in that of the Burgomaster Lauber, who was seventy-
ix years old. It was thus, also, that Father Lamormain came
in person to Augsburg, with the view of carrying out the Edict
of Restitution, in conjunction with Konrad Raising, the rector
of the college there, when, with the help of the soldiers which
they brought along with them, all the Protestant schools and
churches were either closed or pulled down ; those of the in-
habitants, too, who still adhered to Protestantism were driven
to Mass with whips, and even migration, in this instance,
was not allowed, unless they left their property behind them.
"Such was the state of affairs throughout the whole of the
Empire," writes a chronicler of these times; "whatever the
Jesuits wished for was, by the Emperor's orders, forcibly
carried out by the Spaniards against the Bavarians what the
commissaries insinuated, that the soldiers executed and is it
not sufficient to make mention of the miserable and frightful
murders, robberies, and incendiarisms which were perpetrated V "
As the sixth, and last, proof of the influence of the Jesuits
over the course of the Thirty Years' war, I may adduce the extra-
ordinary efforts of the sons of Loyola in producing and main-
taining a preconceived understanding to prevent, at any price,
the conclusion of peace as long as a single Protestant existed.
In the year 1632, Cardinal Richelieu endeavoured to put,
n end to the war, and in a manner which truly does great
honour to this distinguished statesman. At that time Fer-
dinand II. was, through the victorious career of Gustavus
Adolphus, King of Sweden, hurled from his proud and giddy
height into the dust, and, being in the direst need, it appeared,
without doubt, that the House of Hapsburg would be compelled,
after a short war, to conclude a very humiliating peace with the
brave Swedish King and his Protestant allies, in the event of
Maximilian I. determining to maintain a neutral attitude with
his League. In this wise, Bavaria might have been able to
remain completely exempt from the war, and to raise itself up to
be an intermediate power, so considerable, indeed, as to give
the tone to Germany, thereby conferring such an advantage
as any wise ruler might well have seized with both hands.
The French Ambassador, Charnac, made use of all his eloquence
in order to induce the Wittelsbacher to take this view, and
was supported by all the weight of the Committee of Country
266 HISTORY OF THE JESUITS.
Delegates then assembled at Munich. But what would have
become of a Hapsburg universal monarchy, according to the plan
nnd design of the Jesuits, if Maximilian had been induced to
take this course ? The latter fraternity, therefore, bestirred them-
selves to the uttermost on the occasion, and Adam Contzen,*
the Father Confessor of Maximilian, moved heaven and earth to
dissuade him from according his consent to such a pernicious
plan of action. He and, as a matter of course, all the other
Jesuits about the Court of Munich blew quite the same little
horn was of opinion, with others, that should the Electoral
Prince refrain from taking a part in this war for the faith, he
would not only forfeit all bis preceding renown, but stigmatise
himself with an indelible mark of shame. He, moreover, asked
the Prince Elector how he could reconcile it to his conscience to
favour the victory of the heretics by entering into a treaty of
neutrality with the Swedish King, and whether, in that case, he
had taken into consideration that he would be necessitated
to grant toleration to the Protestants in Bavaria. In short, he
contrived to establish in the mind of his high confessant such a
panic that Maximilian determined to prosecute the war still
further, and to allow himself to be used as an advanced rampart
ngainst the Swedish King, to the unspeakable misery of Germany
in general, and of Bavaria in particular.
In this way it came about, entirely through the Jesuits, that
peace was not concluded in the year 1632, and in the same
manner in the years 1G35 and 1638 their efforts in this
direction were equally successful. In the year 1635, the
Austrian Court, by the so-called Peace of Prague, succeeded in
dissolving the alliance of Saxony and Sweden ; and this said
peace was of incalculable value to the Emperor Ferdinand, as
his resources at that time were completely exhausted, so much
so as to render it almost impossible for him to carry on the war
any longer with all of his former enemies. Nevertheless, the
Jesuits, with Father Lamormain at their head, continued to hurl
* Father Contzen, born in the year 1575 at Montjoye, in the Dukedom of
Ziilich, entered into the Jesuit Order in the year 1595, and became in the
year 1617, from being Professor of Theology in the College at Mayence. Con-
fessor of the Bishop Johanu Gottfried of Wiirzburg. He was advanced, how-
ever, after the death of Johaim Buslidius, in the year 1623, to be Confessor
to the Electoral Prince Maximilian I., and remained in this influential
position up to the time of his death, in the year 1635. I may observe, by
the way, that Buslidius had been for twenty-eight years the keeper of
Maximilian's conscience
THE POWEKFUL INFLUENCE OF THE JESUITS. 267
fire and flames over this peace, and sought with all their
eloquence to prevent the Catholic Electors from giving their
consent to it, while they daily continued to urge the Emperor to
hreak it. With this said instrument of peace, religious liberty
would, of course, have been granted to the Lutherans, and the
enforcement of the Jesuit Edict of Restitution have ceased.
The Hapsburger was now driven to such shifts that he was
unable to do anything else but render obedience to his Father
Confessor, and he consequently, compelled by necessity, had
only to await a more favourable opportunity. Ferdinand II. at
this time died, having drawn down upon himself the curses of
Germany, as the people, through him, had fallen into a most
miserable condition. They at once implored Amelia Elizabeth
of Hesse, the guardian of the new Emperor, Ferdinand III.,
then a boy of eight years of age (1G37-57), to hold out the
hand of peace under the same conditions as Saxony had done.
The new Emperor, being strenuously urged by Bernhard of
Weimar, now empowered the Electoral Prince, Anselm Kasimir,
Archbishop of Mayence, with the conduct of this highly im-
portant business, and he succeeded in bringing it to a conclusion
in August 1638, under very favourable conditions to Austria.
All the secular counsellors of Ferdinand exulted much over this
treaty, and, for the most part, the majority of the ecclesiastical
dignitaries were also delighted. It was only the Jesuits who
resisted it with hands and feet, and uttered such a wail of
misery over it that even the reformer Hesse was an adherent
of Calvinism was obliged to agree to promise legal toleration,
to the most hated of all hated creeds.
What a piece of good fortune was it for them, however, that
the Emperor had, as Father Confessor, Johann Gans,* the most:
skilled of all their body, and it was a still greater stroke of good'
luck that, through their urgent entreaties, the monarch allowed
himself to be induced not to ratify the treaty ! The Land-
gravine, therefore, renewed an alliance with Sweden, and her brave
army henceforth fought on the Protestant side up to the
termination of the war.
* Johann Gans, born in "Wurzburg territory, and a Jesuit from 1610,.
accompanied Ferdinand III., previous to his accession to the throne, in his.
campaign as camp preacher, and became afterwards his confessor for fully
twenty-two years. He survived his master, moreover, about five years, as-
he died in the year 1662, while the Emperor died in the year 1657..
"268 HISTORY OF THE JESUITS.
Thus did the Jesuits go on further and further, and it was in
vain that the deputies who were, in the autumn of 1640, assem-
bled at Ratisbon, urged the Emperor to grant a general amnesty,
for the present at least, whereby a reconciliation might have
been effected between Austria and the Protestants. The Emperor,
however, did not do so, not being able to get the consent of the
Jesuits thereto. On the contrary, they opposed the idea of a
general amnesty as a thing thoroughly sinful and objectionable,
and with the greatest bitterness continued to urge the further
prosecution of the war, which should never be allowed to cease
before the complete extermination of the Protestants was effected ;
and this is proved by a public document published at that time,
in the name of the Order, by Father Lorenz Forer, of whom I
have already made mention.
Ultimately, however, the demand for an amnesty became of
necessity altogether too urgent for the Emperor to be able to
adhere to these principles as laid down by the Jesuits, and con-
sequently peace negotiations were commenced in 1643, at
Osnabruck and Munster, between the different contending
-parties, together with foreign countries, France and Sweden
"being powerfully represented. All Germany now breathed
afresh, as it was clearly to be perceived that the work of
-peace was taken up in real earnest, and, tired to death with
the long fearful struggle, it was hoped by both Catholics and
Protestants that an end should thus be put to the war as soon
as possible ; for still, during the time the negotiations were
proceeding, combats and battles went on as before, and to the
blood-thirsty deeds which had already taken place new ones were
constantly being added. In spite of everything, it was, not-
withstanding, fully five years before these negotiations were
brought to a conclusion ; and who was it that was to blame for
all this delay, during which the poor Fatherland was completely
exhausted almost to destruction ? It was no one else than the
Order of Jesus ! The first thing that was demanded and
required by the Protestants was unconditional religious liberty,
as well as rights and privileges, especially as regards those
appertaining to them by birth, equal with those enjoyed by the
Catholics. Unless these essential conditions were at once con-
ceded no consent could be given by them to any peace, ns
otherwise they would be left without any rights ; but even these
THE POWERFUL INFLUENCE OF THE JESUITS. 269*
preliminary conditions were rejected by the Jesuits as an abso-
lute religious outrage, while they urged the Emperor rather
to hand over the finest districts of Germany to France and
Sweden than to give his consent to such terms. And not only
did they continue to urge this upon the Emperor, but they also
brought all their influence to bear upon the lesser and greater
Catholic powers and Imperial Princes which were represented in.
the Peace Congress. What, however, the result of their machi-
nations must have been can be best measured by the fact that at
that time there was neither a single prince throughout the whole
Catholic world, nor, indeed, a minister and statesman, whose con-
science was not in the keeping of some member of the Society of
Jesus. They so contrived to manage, above everything, that the
peace negotiations should be carried on entirely at Miinster and
Osnabruck, as in both of these towns they possessed colleges,
and the Bishop of Osnabruck, the leader of the Imperial Catholic
Princes, happened to be their particular friend. This said
ecclesiastical dignitary, by name Francis William, an illegitimate
son of Duke Ferdinand of Bavaria, was educated by the sons of"
Loyola at their college in Ingoldstadt, from the time of his
being nine years old, and he consequently imbibed similar prin-
ciples to those of his cousin Maximilian, and could not, there-
fore, be less Jesuitically inclined. Whatever influence he then
exercised by his great eloquence and his high connection, at the
Congress, whither he had been sent as representative of seven-
teen Catholic votes, was in the spirit of his teachers, and even
the two Generals of the Order, Vitelleschi and Caraffa, who held,
that high office at the time of the Congress, and were personally
present at it, could not have watched over the interests of the-
Order better than he did. Equally active as himself, too, were
the Jesuit professors who conducted the instruction given at.
the colleges of Miinster and Osnabruck, and more especially the
two Fathers, Johannes Miihlmau and Gottfried Coeler, together
with their Rector, Johannes Schiichling, all of whom could not
be excelled in Jesuitical cunning, and who, in fact, were perfect,
specimens of their Order. There was no ambassador there from,
any of the Catholic Princes with whom they had not daily
intercourse, and there was no chamber where they had not
their spies, who could not even be excluded from the residences
of the Protestant plenipotentiaries. The garden-pavilion, of the
270 HISTORY OF THE JESUITS.
Minister college, however, was the great Catholic rendezvous
where their consultations were held, under the presidency of
the Spanish ambassador, their resolutions being moulded, as
may well be imagined, in true Jesuit style.
By such means they succeeded in putting off the work of
peace during a period of fully five years, and, assuredly, had
not Ferdinand III., in the year 1G48, given authority to his
ambassador, Count Maximilian von Trautmannsdorf, " the Angel
of Peace," as he was rightly called by many, to view with favour
the desired concessions demanded by the Protestants, in the ques-
tion of religious liberty had it also not been that at this time
the impetuous Wrangel had succeeded in completely shattering
into a thousand pieces the last army which the Emperor had
been able to bring to the front, things would have continued as
they were. Under such circumstances, however, as those stated,
be was obliged to yield, and thus it came about that the
earnestly desired peace was at length concluded, on the 24th
October 1648, which went by the name of the Treaty of West-
phalia.
But how did matters look at that time in Germany ? Ah !
indeed, the Thirty Years' war, with its terrible ills produced by
fire and sword, had brought about such a condition as pen could
hardly describe. Thousands of towns and villages were in
ruins; the most luxuriant plains, whole districts of country,
before pastured by flocks and herds, were now converted into
wildernesses where only wild beasts were to be found. There still
remained in existence, it is true, but brutalised, and sunk as low
often as mere animals, young and old, buried, alas ! in such
complete ignorance, that many could not tell the difference
between Christ and the Devil. In short, it was a condition of
things which could not be more pitiable, and which many years
of peace could not by any possibility restore. And still, notwith-
standing all this cruel suffering, the Jesuits had strained their
very utmost in order that a union might not be brought about;
and when at length it was effected in spite of all their endeavours,
they refused to take the state of affairs at all into consideration,
and received it with a hearty curse.
It was not, under such circumstances, to be wondered at, that
instead of, as they had hoped, extending their power and
influence over Uje whole of Germany, they had now to be con-
THE POWERFUL INFLUENCE OF THE JESUITS. 271
tented with only two-thirds of it. On the other hand, they
could, it is true, boast of the conquest of those two-thirds as
being a victory of greater importance than that which they had
attained in any other European State, as at the conclusion of
peace they were in possession, in Austria, Bavaria, and the other
different ecclesiastical principalities, of no fewer than one hundred
and eighteen colleges throughout the whole Empire, along with
a corresponding number of residences, as well as novitiates and
profess-houses ; yet still, notwithstanding all this, there could
not be a greater grief for them than to see as a certainty that,
through the Peace of Westphalia, so large a field for their
operations had been snatched from them by a stroke of the
,pen, so to speak.
VI. THE SWAY OF THE JESUITS IN ENGLAND AND OTHER
NORTHERN KINGDOMS.
The Jesuits were not nearly so successful in establishing them-
selves in any of the northern European states, with the single
exception of Poland, and on that account I will be very brief in
this last description of Jesuit progress.
By the tyrannical conduct of Henry VIII., England
'became disunited from the sway of Rome, and as long as
this monarch lived everything having the name of Catholic
was banished from his country. The founder of the Jesuit
Order grieved very much indeed over this circumstance, and at
once despatched his two disciples, Pasquier-Brouet and Sal-
meron, in order to ascertain whether there was no soil to be
found to his mind for the construction of a colony. Brouet and
Salmeron soon became convinced that there was nothing to be
done there, and at once embarked for the Emerald Island, as
Ireland is commonly called, in order to give support to the
inhabitants thereof, in their strenuous resistance to Henry VIII.
and his reforming efforts. But here, also, they were not allowed
to remain long, as Henry very soon brought his rebellious
subjects into subjection by means of blood and iron; and the
Jesuit emissaries had to fly for their lives. Little was also
effected in Scotland, as John Knox, the great reformer, had
the whole population at his back in his controversy with the
Papacy.
These conditions, so inimical to the Jesuits, changed for their
272 HiSTOKY OF THE JESUITS.
advantage after the short interregnum of Edward VI., when the-
daughter of Henry VIII., by his marriage with Catherine of
Aragon, Mary I., commonly called Bloody Mary, and in Scot-
land Mary Stuart, the daughter of James V. and of Mary of
Loraine, respectively came to the throne, as both sovereigns had<
been strictly brought up in the Catholic faith. Notwithstanding
however, that such gigantic efforts were made by the Romanists,
with the powerful co-operation of the sons of Loyola, especially
the two Fathers Edmund Hay and Thomas Dasbire, to eradicate
the remnants of Protestantism notwithstanding that great cruelty
was also exercised, and so much Protestant blood was shed, still,
for all this tragical state of things, the Jesuits had eventually
to evacuate Great Britain completely, as soon as the celebrated
Elizabeth in England (anno 1558), and the Earl of Murray, as
Regent for the under-aged James VI., in Scotland, seized the
reins of government (anno 1568). As a matter of course, how-
ever, the sons of Loyola, in their exertions to establish their
influence in the British Islands, did not entirely leave off their
machinations, but, on the other hand, continued them still more,
as well in Rome itself as on French territory, by the erection of
seminaries in Douay and Rheims, and, later on, in St. Omer,
Liege, and elsewhere on the continent, with the view of educating
young Englishmen according to Popish and Jesuitical views
and doctrines ; from these institutions emissaries proceeded from
time to time to England, under all sorts of disguises, in order to
create dissension in the kingdom.* Still the prime and original
aim and object thereof namely, to found permanent settlements
the Order never succeeded in effecting ; and Great Britain may
well boast of hardly ever having seen the banner of Loyola
displayed on its soil. Equally might Denmark and Sweden,
participate in this boast, though in the latter country this
result was not achieved without contention and strife.
After that here I mean in Sweden the Reformation had been,
introduced by Gustavus I., and Catholicism had been completely:
extinguished, the Jesuits entertained the belief that, under the
second son and successor of this ruler (1568-1592), the proper
* As such emissaries, Edmund Campian, Rudolph Serevin, Alexander
Briant, and Robert Person, were especially conspicuous during the reign of
Elizabeth, disguised at one time as soldiers, and at another as merchants.
Person was also the author of various lampoons against the Queen, and the
same was the case as regards Edmund Campian.
THE POWERFUL INFLUENCE OF THE JESUITS. 273
time had arrived for making a favourable impression for them-
selves in Swedish territories, seeing that John III. had married,
in the person of Catherine, a sister of King Sigismund- Augustus
of Poland, a very good Catholic princess, who contrived to indoc-
trinate him completely after her own wish. They did not dare,
however, to go about the matter openly, because otherwise the
people, being zealous for their Evangelical faith, would have cer-
tainly risen in rebellion ; the King consequently was talked over
quite quietly, and induced, in the first instance, to allow of some
Jesuit Fathers coming into the country secretly. The Fathers
then made their appearance with Lorenzo Nicolai from Louvaine,
and conducting themselves as Protestant theologians, in this
manner, through the peremptory decree of John, situations
were found for them in the newly-erected University of Upsala.
Their secret operations, however, proceeded in much too slow
a manner to please Eberhard Mercurien, r the General of the Order
in Kome, and he consequently despatched Anton Possevin, whose
acquaintance we have already made in Savoy, in order to induce
the King to allow the worship of the Catholic religion to be
exercised openly. Possevin, who came, however, in the capa-
city of an Imperial ambassador, did not carry the matter so far
as that, but managed at the same time that John came over
secretly to Catholicism, and after that he had taken Father
Stanislaus Versovicius, his wife's spiritual adviser, to be his own
Father Confessor, he caused a chapel to be erected in his palace,
in which he permitted Mass to be read daily, according to the
Catholic rite. Of far greater consequence, however, was it that,
in order to make it possible for his son and successor to be
elected King of Poland, he allowed him to be brought up in the
Catholic religion; and in this manner Sweden was prepared
to a certain degree, so that the true faith might, on the
accession of Sigismund, be publicly introduced. Both of these
circumstances seemed, in fact, to be on the eve of being accom-
plished, for the latter was properly elected King by the Poles,
in the year 1587, as the next heir of Sigismund- Augustus II.;
and as, in the year 1592, John III. died, the young monarch
thus succeeded to the throne of Sweden. What could now be
more natural than that he who had been educated by the Jesuits,
and was completely in their hands, should, on his accession,
being urged on by them to do so, seek to find an entrance fot
18
274 HISTORY OF THE JESUITS.
Catholicism into the kingdom of Sweden also ? The Swedish
Deputies, on that account, assembled on the 9th of January 1593,
at Upsala, and unanimously passed a resolution that for the
future the Augsburg Confession of Faith should alone have any
effect throughout the whole of their Fatherland ; this was signed
by all present, viz. by the senate and knighthood, by the clergy,
by the ministers of state, by the governors of provinces, and by
all the burgomasters.
What, then, did Sigismund do ? To commence with, he tried
to get possession of the Swedish throne without taking the
required oath ; failing, however, to succeed in this, and seeing
that an insurrection threatened to break out, he acted on the
advice of the Jesuits, and swore everything that was demanded of
him, but with the Loyolite inner reservation of at once breaking
his oath whenever it suited him so to do.
He thus succeeded in getting himself crowned, and did not
trouble himself any more about his oath, but brought his beloved
Jesuits into Stockholm, and gave over to them several of the
churches which he had seized and taken from the Protestants.
Besides which he appointed Catholic councillors, and permitted
processions to be formed ; he required, too, that Jesuit villages
should be allowed throughout the whole country, and revoked the
Resolution of Upsala on the ground of its being illegal. This
proceeding, of course, exceedingly displeased the Swedish De-
puties, who at once energetically protested against it ; but finding
their efforts of no avail, they raised an army and defeated the troops
brought from Poland by Sigismund, and, declaring the Swedish
throne to be now vacant, they at length placed Duke Charles
of East Gothland upon the throne on the 18th of March 1607.
The short triumph, then, of the Society of Jesus had now
come to an end, and its disciples were at once sent to the
rightabout, and never again returned to Sweden. But no, I am
wrong in saying so, as they did return once more under
Queen Christine, the daughter of Gustavus Adolphus, " the lion
of midnight," who accomplished such great things for the
Protestants during the thirty years' war. They did not, however,
come openly as Jesuits, but secretly in the disguise of savants, as in
the case of the physician Bourdetol, and the two mathematicians,
Paul Cassati and Francis Malines ; or as the innocent chaplains
of foreign ambassadors, as, for instance, the Fathers Mannerschid
THE POWERFUL INFLUENCE OF THE JESUITS. 275
and Anton Macedo, the former of whom accompanied the
Spanish, and the latter the Portuguese ambassadors. They did
not even obtain anything of advantage for their Order, or for the
Catholic religion, from the Queen, when the said monarch laid
down her crown previously to abjuring her faith, which she did
on the 24th December 1654, at Brussels, at the hands of Father
Guernea; this change of religion, indeed, did not produce in
Sweden the smallest results. It is affirmed, indeed, that when
she came back on a solitary occasion to Stockholm, she did not
even once exercise her newly-assumed religion.
Quite a different result was obtained, indeed, by the sons of
Loyola in Poland, in which country the Catholic religion still pre-
vailed, even after the Reformation, although not a few of the in-
habitants, to the extent of something like a fourth part, recognised
the Protestant faith. The first person in that country who brought
the Black Fathers into it was the Bishop of Wilna, under whose
protection Father Magius founded a college there, which was
afterwards regarded as a nursery for all the later Jesuit colonies
in Poland and Lithuania. The Jesuits had chiefly to thank for
their prosperity Stephan Bathori, who, in the year 1576, was
elected by the Poles to be their King, for the cunning Fathers so
contrived to ingratiate themselves, during the ten years in which he
held the reins of government, that he almost overwhelmed them
with riches. In this way there were established in the territory
of Cracow, in addition to a profess-house and novitiate, not less
than seventeen colleges and seminaries, besides eight residences,
the number of members of the Order amounting to about six
hundred ; while in the territories of Warsaw and Livonia there
were two profess-houses, one novitiate, fifteen colleges, and
four residences, with about five hundred members of the
Order. They, indeed, even pushed their advanced posts as far
as Riga and Smolensk, obtaining a settlement in the dis-
tant town of Novgorod. Whatever advantages, however, they
in this way obtained for themselves, they caused infinitely
greater injury to the Polish nation ; for as soon as the sons of
Loyola got a really firm footing in any locality, they began,
partly with closed and partly also with open vizor, to take the
field against the Protestant and non-Catholic party, which had,
up to this time, according to established law, enjoyed complete
religious liberty, and there arose then, in consequence of this
18 *
276 HISTORY OP THE JESUITS.
state of things, those internal disturbances in the kingdom
which eventually, after the lapse of a century, terminated in
the downfall of Polish independence. I need hardly here enter
into any particulars descriptive of Jesuit proceedings, as the
manner in which the Loyolites went to work was precisely the
same as that pursued by them during the great religious war in
Germany. I must content myself by remarking how the en-
lightened among the Poles saw clearly, by the end of the 16th
century, from what source arose the disorganisation in the State,
and to what it must eventually lead. It is stated in a memo-
randum communicated to the nobility of Prossnowitz, among
other things, as follows :
" The Jesuits have no idea of taking the trouble to persuade
those of a different belief from themselves, but, on the contrary,
just busy themselves in persecuting and harassing them, con-
tinually keeping up a state of religious rancour. They make
use of their most experienced and sharp-witted members more
in flattering the ruling passions of those about the Court than
in restricting themselves to the education of the youth, whereby
influence might be brought to bear on the election of kings, as
well as the issue of decrees made on royal authority. It was
they who initiated the disturbances in Livonia, Riga, Lithuania,
and Volynia, and it was they who were the means of expelling
the Protestant clergymen from Cracow, without any respect to
sickness or old age, in order to take possession of their churches,
and, indeed, under these circumstances several temples of God
were even set on fire. The colleges, seminaries, and profess-
houses which they build resemble palaces and fortified citadels,
and seem exactly adapted to enable traitors to hold out against
the Fatherland. It is their design and chief object to create
disturbances, and to resist all who are known as honest and
good patriots. On this account there is nothing else for it, in
order to save the State, but to drive them out of it, and from
the whole country, as the celebrated Dr. Pir and the Imperial
Chancellor, Zamoyski, have already expressed themselves."
It was in this manner that the well-minded among the Poles
thought as to the Society of Jesus at the end of the IGth
century ; but the latter had at that time gained suoh a firm
footing, as well at Court as among the nobility, giving the tone
to Polish society, that their opinions were also acceptable to the
THE POWERFUL INFLUENCE OF THE JESUITS. 277
Parliament, and consequently, in 1717, the sons of Loyola at
length attained the object they had in view, namely, the com-
plete suppression of all that was anti-Catholic, as well as the
deprivation of the political rights appertaining to the dissenters.
On account, however, of this fanatical line of conduct a civil
war broke out, whereon the latter class were taken under the pro-
tection of Russia ; matters, indeed, reached such a pitch that the
affair at last ended in the dissolution of the Polish kingdom, and
its partition.
It still remains for us to speak of the sway of Jesuitism in
Russia, the most powerful of all the northern kingdoms; but
this may be done in but few words, as the Order never obtained
much power in that country. It is true, certainly, that the
above-mentioned Father Possevin made an attempt to esta-
blish for himself a position in this very extensive dominion,
and in various disguises endeavoured to effect something in the
provinces bordering upon Sweden. Wherever he knocked, how-
ever, no one opened the door to him, as the people, both high
and low, continued to adhere to the long-established Greek faith,
and would have nothing to say whatever to the combatants for
the Roman Catholic Church, more especially as regards Papacy.
The consequence was that Possevin left Russia, with the few
companions who accompanied him on his several erratic crusades,
without having accomplished anything whatever; at length,
however, at the beginning of the 17th century, a way suddenly
presented itself for penetrating into the great northern empire, and
although the path was indeed but a very crooked one almost, it
may be said, a very criminal one the Jesuits still did not for a
a moment hesitate in forcing a passage for themselves. It so
occurred that after the death of the Czar Iwan II. Wasiljewitch,
surnamed " the Terrible," there came to the throne the under-aged
grandson, Feodor I. Iwanowitch, in the year 1584, and for him
Prince Boris Feodorowitch Godonow, the husband of his sister
Irina, wielded the sceptre. As regards this Boris, however, a
tyrannical and ambitious man, it was whispered about that he
h.ad caused the only brother of Feodor, the Grand Duke
Dmitri or Demetrius, to be murdered, in order that he might
the more easily seize the reins of government after the death of
the sickly Feodor. The course of things, also, seemed to con-
rm this suspicion, as Feodor, and together with him the last of
278 HISTORY OF THE JESUITS.
the stock of Rurik, actually died in the year 1508, when Boris
at once possessed himself of the throne, and the majority of
the people, even including the nobility, recognised him as Czar.
The extreme severity, however, with which he sought to carry
out, among the Russian people, his detested innovations, as
well as the circumstance of his conferring favours upon foreigners
resident at his Court, raised against him a number of enemies,
so that a spark was only required to cause flames to burst out
from below the smouldering ashes. During this time of fer-
mentation a man presented himself on the frontiers of Poland
claiming to be the murdered Dmitri, but who, in fact, was no
other than a young monk escaped from the Greek cloister of
Ischudow, having the name of Grischka Otrepiew, and this man
fell into the hands of the Polish Jesuit Father, Nicolaus
Knennkowsky. This false Dmitri, brought into a Jesuit college
in Livonia, was there educated in the Catholic religion, and no
doubt at the same time instructed as to the part he was required
to play, as testified, at least, the impartial Thuan in the history
of his times. After this individual had been properly schooled,
the Jesuits then presented him to their true friend and patron,
the Wojewode of Sandomir, Mniszeck, and contrived to allure
the latter completely by a promise of marriage between his
daughter Marina and the new comer. In this way the Wojewode
was at once induced to recognise the impostor as the veritable
Dmitri, and by reason of his powerful influence, as well as by
the still greater interest of the Jesuits, they succeeded in gaining
over to the side of the pretender not only the King Sigis-
mund III., but also most of the Polish nobility; so much so,
that Mniszeck was enabled, in the autumn of 1603, to collect
together a large army with the view of fighting, in the interest
of his son-in-law, against the Czar Boris. The war began in the
spring of the year, and out of hatred to the stern Boris, not a
few of the Russians came over to the invading pretender.
In the course of twelve months, then, matters advanced so
far that the possessor of the Russian throne might well see in
prospect his decisive discomfiture, and in order to secure the
succession for his only son Feodor, who was beloved by the
Russians, he ended his life by taking poison. Feodor was, as
a matter of fact, made Czar, but about two months afterwards,
during an unfortunate battle, he was taken prisoner by the
THE POWERFUL INFLUENCE OF THE JESUITS. 279
victorious Dmitri and forthwith strangled. The latter then made
his entry into Moscow in great triumph, and with the utmost
pomp caused himself to he crowned Emperor.
Who could now exult more than the J esuits ? Their great
coup had proved successful, and the false Demetrius, who had
given his promise that they should be domiciled throughout
the whole of Russia in the event of his pretendership proving
successful, now sat upon the golden throne of the Kremlin.
Dmitri V., as he called himself, in fact, now proceeded to
take steps to fulfil his promise, and built for his advisers
and protectors a magnificent college in Moscow. He also
replied to Pope Paul V., with whom he now entered into
correspondence, that his intention was to make the Catholic
religion supreme throughout Russia, if he were only allowed
the time requisite to overcome the prejudices of his subjects.
Circumstances were now, in short, highly favourable to them,
and the Order of Jesus began to dream that they were already
masters of the whole of Russia. The goddess of fortune,
coming so suddenly, was, however, succeeded as unexpectedly
by misfortune. Dmitri had scarcely established himself on the
throne a year and a half when, at the beginning of the year
1607, just on the very day that he was solemnizing his marriage
with Marina daughter of the Wojewode of Sandomir, an insur-
rection broke out, and the people, led on by Prince Wasili
Schuiski, proceeded to storm the Kremlin. Dmitri and hi&
Poles, indeed, fought valiantly, but numbers soon prevailed,,
and Dmitri himself fell under the blows of Wasili Schuiski.
Thus did his government come to a quick termination, and
at the same time, as may be well understood, there was also an
end of the existence of the Jesuits in Russia, as Wasili hunted
them as well as the Poles out of the country, and henceforth
the Greek religion remained for centuries predominant through-
out this great Empire.
I have now brought to a close the prolonged chapters upon
the sway of the Jesuits in Asia, Africa, America, and Europe,
and it only remains to express a hope that the reader has not
become weary in following my statements. Small, indeed
almost imperceptible, was the beginning ; but immeasurably great
almost overpowering, in fact, was the ultimate result. A hundred
280 HISTORY OF THE JESUITS.
years after the foundation of the Order, its General ruled as
absolute monarch in all parts of the world, and the different
kingdoms of Europe, Asia, Africa, and America lay at his feet
divided into provinces. Over each province was placed a pro-
vincial, as lieutenant of the General, and every month it was
the duty of this provincial to send in his report to his General.
The rectors of colleges as well as the superiors of residences,
and the professors and heads of seminaries and novitiates, along
with the leaders of missions, had to do so likewise ; and from
these thousands of reports the General was in possession of the
most accurate information regarding all that was going on in
the world. Moreover, by means of the Father Confessors at
the various Courts, he was initiated into all the secrets of these
latter, and he was, indeed, better informed respecting them
than even the respective ministers themselves. One chief thing
to be guarded against, however, was that none of these tale-
bearers should prove false to him, and on that account each
one of them was provided with an assistant who was also in
direct communication with the General ; and this control was so
precise, that each of the above-mentioned provincials, rectors,
superiors, or whatever other office might happen to be held by
those in high positions among the sons of Loyola, had to be
careful to report nothing but the exact truth. The con-
sequence was, that the Society of Jesus, at the height of its
prosperity, could be likened to nothing better than to a huge
net, which extended itself all over the world, the cords whereof
were all collected into the hands of the General; in this net
the greater part of mankind tumbled about, just as fish when
the fisherman draws the meshes together closer and closer.
However great, then, any king or monarch might consider him-
self, he was but a weak vessel compared to the General of the
Society of Jesus ; it was therefore said of Claudio Aquaviva,
who governed the Order between the years 1581 and 1615, that
he once exclaimed, "Why are there not regions beyond the
stars, that one might be able to conquer other worlds than that
pertaining to earth ? "
BOOK III.
THE MOEALITY OF THE JESUITS;
OB,
THE VOW OF CHASTITY.
MOTTO:
Eommt die Treu vor der Jesuiteu Haus,
Bo Bsgt mann ihr ; der Wirth sei aus ;
Kommt die Weisheit gezogen dafiir,
Find't sie zugeschlossen die Thiir ;
Kommt Zucht and Ehr dieselbe Strags',
Sie mussen alsbald fiirbass;
Eommt Chriatenlieb' und war' geru eiu
So will Niemand ihr Thorwart sein ;
Eommt Wahrheit and klopft an,
So muss sie aussen bleiben stahn ;
Eommt Gerecbtigkeit vor das Thcr,
So findet sie Eetten and Riegel vor;
Eommt aber das Weibsvolk hergeloffen,
So stehen ihm alle Thiiren often.
Drum Jeder komm' und schau' euch an,
Hier 1st die Deck' euch abgezogea ;
Die Wahrheit hat nun dargethan,
Wie ihr bis jezt die Welt betrogen.
Man kennt die Sodomiterei,
Die ihr veriibt in euren Schuien ;
Doch wer mag melden ohne Scheu
Bur fiindhaf unnatiirlich Buhleu.
O Schlangenzucht ! O Natter brut !
Die Wittwen, die euch sind zu Willen,
Geniigen nicht? Auch nicht die Gluth,
Die ihr mit Honnen pflegt zu stillen?
Aus dem " Jesvitenspicgd."
283
CHAPTER I.
[This book has been somewhat modified to render it presentable to English
readers. One chapter has, indeed, been omitted in extenso ; even with these
alterations there is much which would have been better omitted, were it not
that it has not been deemed right to sacrifice entirely historical accuracy
at the shrine of morality and propriety.]
I WOULD willingly have shrouded this chapter, or, indeed, the
entire book, in the mantle of night, as the theme of which it
treats is not such as to enable anyone to dilate on it with
any degree of pleasure ; but, before everything, truth must
have precedence, and, moreover, how can one form a proper
judgment of the real character of the Order of Jesus, if this
side of their ways and doings be not brought before the judg-
ment-seat of public opinion ? I mean that side of the question
relating to matters connected with morality. But, further, it
would undoubtedly have been the case that the sons of Loyola,
as in the first period of their existence, would have been looked
upon in quite a different light, had it not been possible to break
down quickly the gigantic tower of Jesuit power and influence,
of the immensity of which I have given a description in the
former book, and had revelations as to the true state of the
foundations upon which the fabric rested been excluded from
consideration. On this account my historical description of the
Jesuits would have been very incomplete had I, from a feeling of
delicacy, omitted the book concerning the "Morality of the
284 HISTORY OF THE JESUITS.
Society of Jesus/' and spared the reader from becoming
acquainted with facts which must fill him with disgust as well
as abhorrence. On the other hand, I shall proceed to make
mention of even the most reprehensible matters, in such a way
as not to soil my hands, and, moreover, it must be permitted to
me to make my descriptions with as much brevity as possible.
"It were much to be desired," said the holy Basilius, the
great founder of Eastern monkdom, " that all those who take
upon themselves the ' vow of chastity,' should completely renounce
all worldly pleasures, and have nothing whatever to do with
the senses, but be entirely released from them altogether ; but,
unfortunately, let such persons do what they will, they still find
that, after all, they are but men, and cannot completely banish
from themselves at all times the feelings incident to frail
mortality." The truth of this proposition is acknowledged by all
celebates, whether they be monks, nuns, or ordinary ecclesiastics,
and priests have to undergo frequent severe battles with them-
selves in this respect. Many, feeling themselves valiant, have
subdued their passions by starving, and other means ; but
by far the greater majority have found themselves unable to
conquer their natural inclinations, and have thus sinned just
as other children of Adam and Eve. So, by degrees, vice got
the upper hand in the cloisters as well as among the ordinary
priesthood, and, at the time of the Reformation, the whole of the
Catholic clergy, and all appertaining thereto, were sunk in the
deepest mire of iniquity. They were regarded on all sides with
reprobation ; and in this consisted the reason, as I have already
above observed, why the Reformation made such gigantic strides.
The sons of Loyola were only too well aware of this, and, on
that account, strove to place themselves in marked contrast with
the monks and ordinary clergy. Their own good sense told them
that it would be an impossibility for them to obtain the smallest
influence among Christian humanity as long as they gave way to
such vices as prevailed among the other tonsured classes ; and,
on the other hand, they might, indeed, feel it to be certain that it
would astonish the world, and be a marvellous example to the
priests, if they succeeded in establishing for themselves a reputation
for such purity of morals as could be boasted of by an Anthony,
Pachonius, or Basilius. It must, therefore, at all times, be the
great aim and endeavour of the Order to gain such a reputation,
THE OLD ADAM UNDER THE MASK OF HOLINESS. 285
and, from the days of Ignatius onwards, all Generals issued the
strictest orders in reference thereto. For this reason appeared
the orders " that in passing through the streets, the sons of
Loyola should walk along casting on the ground downcast looks,,
and especially turning their eyes away from any daughter of Eve
they might happen to meet." Further, should a woman knock at
their door, they were enjoined " not to open it, but the door-keeper
should send her away with as few words as possible." Should a
woman desire the services of a Father Confessor, "she must be
directed to go into a church, and there must he proceed. The
Father must, on the other hand, hold his conversation with her
through a grating, as well as with his face turned away from her ;
moreover, another brother should always be standing at some
little distance off, in order to observe what went on, but not so
near as to overhear, so that nothing else than the confession
should be allowed to take place. Should a case at any time
occur, where a sinful daughter of Eve entered a college or
profess-house, with the object of visiting any Father, in spite of
all precautions to the contrary, then a lay-brother should imme-
diately lead her out by the hand, while the door-keeper collected
the dust upon which she had trodden and threw it out at the
door, in order that none of the other members might be
contaminated with its contact." Such were the strict directions
given by the Generals for the guidance of members in relation to-
the conduct which ought to be pursued by them in reference to-
the weaker sex ; and, as blind obedience was their first rule,
these directions were imperatively to be observed. It was
delightful, indeed, to notice how chastely the Fathers conducted
themselves with their eyes, ears, tongue, and hands, just as if
they had not been born of woman ; and they behaved themselves,,
even to the most beautiful and youngest creatures, as if they had
been blind and dumb. It seemed, indeed, as if they had sworn
the deepest hatred to the whole class, and, when compelled to-
speak to a woman in public, they did so with such a disdainful
air, as to make it appear that they looked upon the whole of the
daughters of Eve as lost creatures in God's sight, and sure of
eternal damnation. Was there any wonder, then, under such
circumstances, that Christendom should become full of the fame
of the Jesuits, and even that they should be reverenced by many
as almost saints ? Great care was also zealously taken by them
286 HISTORY OP THE JESUITS.
to promulgate everywhere this repute, and to cause the common
people completely to be carried away by reading the tales de-
scribing the strict innocence of the pious Fathers. Their virtue
being thus so great, and the praises which they gave themselves
so highly sung, they, of course, stood in most extraordinary
favour with the Virgin Mary, who testified this by manifestations
given by her to certain members among them. There thus
appeared to Father Beraldus in broad daylight, in St. Paul's
Church in Rome, an angel from heaven, bringing, together with
many salutations from the Mother of God, a girdle which
possessed the property of immediately removing all impure
thoughts from the minds of those who simply touched it.
For this reason Beraldus was obliged, by order of the General,
to cut up the wonderful ornament into small pieces, in order that
these fragments might be distributed among the Jesuit Colleges
as far as they could go ; and, wherever such fragment was to be
found, no transgression, as regards morality, could ever occur,
but perfect paradisiacal innocence reigned !
To another member of the Order, Father Julius, who in the
year 1585 was Professor in the Collegium Romanum, there
appeared every night a wonderfully beautiful maiden who played
very delightfully on the lute, and solicited him to make love to
her. The Father, in his distress, complained to the Rector, who
advised him to get up and flog himself as soon as the maiden
made her appearance, until she had vanished. The Father, of
course, followed this advice at once, and the next night
flogged himself so unmercifully that his blood ran in
streams. Upon this the maiden ceased to play, and said to
him in a sweet voice, "Oh, pious Father, I come from the
Virgin Mary, who has sent me to put you to the proof. As,
however, you have gallantly fought and gallantly conquered,
behold, therefore, take this garland of purity, which the Holy
Mother of God sends to you to enable you to remain as constant
as you have hitherto been, in order that you may receive the
unwitherable crown of everlasting life at a future time, amid
the choir of chaste and pure virgins." With these words, she
vanished, and was no more seen. She, however, left behind
her the garland, which consisted of different kinds of wonder-
fully beautiful flowers, possessing precisely the same pro-
perties as the girdle of Father Beraldus. Out of reverence,
THE OLD ADAM UNDER THE MASK OP HOLINESS. 287
Tiowever, for the Virgin Mary, and as the flowers were so very
heautiful, it was not divided in pieces, but was placed among
other holy relics, of which the Order of Jesus, later on, had to
boast, and there it always remained in its ever-enduring pristine
freshness. Very many similar stories now became current, in
each of which the sons of Loyola were represented as truly
supernatural beings, only to be compared to the Archangels
Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael. Indeed, one of these little
books of self-praise * affirms that the Order of Jesus had over-
come all improper tendencies, and, on that account, whenever
member of the same lay on his death-bed, Jesus Christ in
person came to his bed-side in order to take the soul of the
dying one into His keeping. Yet, the more the Jesuits loaded
themselves with praises, the more general became the opinion
which, even in the first century of their existence, was held
here and there, that all this was deceptive and merely out-
ward in fact, only a pretence of holiness. " Their downcast
looks," it was said, " when they happened to pass the weaker
sex, their contemptuous style of conversation when in the
company of females, in fine, their whole behaviour, as if they
were never touched by the failings of mankind all this was
merely put on in order to deceive the world, while secretly and
in private they were no better than their fellow-creatures ; and
this, indeed, without the smallest qualms of conscience, as
they have their own peculiar principles of morality, and laugh
in their sleeve, holding the idea that God has favours for those
-who castigate their flesh. 1 ' Such opinions became prevalent
very soon, not with the many, indeed, but only among a few;
those few, however, gave themselves the trouble to watch very
particularly the mode of life among the Jesuits, and the con-
sequence of this was that many things came to light, through
which their worst surmises became confirmed.
Let us hear, for instance, what took place among them in
1560 at Monte Pulciano, a small town in Tuscany. They had
there founded a college derived from charitable contributions,
which they readily obtained; and hardly had the building, together
with its adjoining church, been erected, than all flocked to their
confessionals. The Fathers especially knew how to get the
* This document bears the title : Imago primo Seculi Societatis Jesu,
a'.e. a picture of the Society of Jesus in the first century of its existence.
288 HISTOBY OF THE JESUITS.
female inhabitants of Monte Pulciano into their power, and
maidens, as well as married women, confessed to them with the
most amiable candour. In this manner, several tender relation-
ships sprung up between the Father Confessors and their fair
confessants; but both parties so contrived to conceal this that,
although it was here and there whispered that something was
going wrong, still, for a long time everything remained con-
cealed, until at last the jealousy of one old maid let out the
secret. The Rector of the College, called John Gombard, re-
ceived visits at the same time from two sisters, an elder and a
younger one, and first lavished his attentions pretty equally
between them. Latterly, however, he more especially favoured
the younger of them ; thereupon the elder became so enraged
that she revealed the whole proceedings to their brother^
He at once forbade his two sisters to have any dealings
with the Rector, either in the confessional or out of it, and
at the same time made a complaint to the Bishop ; the latter,
moreover, unexpectedly caused a domiciliary search to be made
in the College, when a quantity of gallant love-letters were dis-
covered which had been exchanged between the Jesuits and
their female confessants. It was at the same time noised abroad
that one of the pious Fathers had been more than usually in-
discreet, while the misdeeds of some others amongst their number
became the theme of general conversation.
This, of course, had the effect of setting all Monte Pulciano
in such an uproar that the Jesuit College was very nearly taken
by storm. The people, however, thought better of it, and left
the punishment of the guilty to the Episcopal See, which at
once instituted a searching inquiry. Rector Gombard, however,
did not wait for this, but took flight under cover of night, and
the General Laynez at once expelled him from the Order.
Nothing, however, was done to the rest of the Fathers, unless
their transfer to other colleges be looked upon as a punish-
ment, that of Monte Pulciano being closed, because the inhabi-
tants withdrew all their support and ceased to have any relations
with the occupants thereof.
This was, indeed, an ugly circumstance, but still worse and
more vile stories followed, and obtained currency, like wildfire,
over the whole civilised world, so that the Society had much
difficulty in defending itself against the evil reports which over-
THE OLD ADAM UNDER THE MASK OF HOLINESS. 289
whelmed it. Thus, the tale of Father Majotius and his fair con-
fessant, the female miller of Azenay, near Bourges, was in
everybody's mouth, and, indeed, a particular brochure about this
scandal made its appearance in the year 1576. Still greater
indignation was aroused when the Jesuits endeavoured to repre-
sent that the relation of their brother with the miller maid was
only that of a father towards his child. Satirical squibs now
appeared on the subject, the most cutting of which was that
published in the year 1610, under the title of "Address of thanks
from the butter-dealers of Paris to Monsieur Courbouson, the
panegyrist of the Society of Jesus." It then became public
that the Father Peter Galess, Rector of the College of Bordeaux,
kept a private journal, wherein he preserved a list of his fair
confessants, and noted at the same time the happy hours he
had passed in their company. In a similar way it came to light
that Father Fronton Gadauta, Rector of the College at Fontan,
and his successor in office, Peter, passed every day in the week
in the company of ladies, selected out of the most distinguished
in the town, being in the habit of shutting themselves up
with them for four or five hours together during the day.
The following cases may be also noticed : A woman of
Poitiers, living a life of luxury, represented herself, during fully
ten years, as sick, and sent alternately every day for Fathers
Bonnet and Danceron, while she smilingly declared that those
two pious Fathers were the best solacers she had ever met
with for her ailment.
Father Galozin, Professor of the College of Metz, suc-
ceeded at length, partly by persuasion and partly by force, in
triumphing over the scruples of the daughter of the royal
Governor, but as he was not sufficiently careful, the pair of
lovers were surprised on one occasion, the consequence being
that the Governor, in his fury, caused the ears of the seducer to
be cut off.
Father Gilbert Russow, who had been sent as secret agent of
the Order to the town of Narack, conceived such an attachment
for a washerwoman that, taking him for nothing more than a
Catholic priest, she found herself compelled, with the view of
saving her reputation, to demand that he should marry her.
The Father, of course, was unable to gratify her in this respect,
and the affair at once came before the law courts ; but tha
19
290 HISTORY OF THE JESUITS.
cunning Jesuit money and persuasive words effect much
brought to the front a woodcutter, who took upon himself the
responsibility which should have devolved upon the pious Father.
The scandal to which he had given rise did not injure the good
Father in the eyes of his superiors, and the General in Rome
rather approved of his sagacity, and afterwards advanced him to
the post of Provincial of the Upper Rhine provinces.
Father Johann Delvoss, who had for twenty years excited
religious fervour in the town of Luneville by his pathetic
preaching, allowed himself to be surprised with a notoriously
profligate person, in a bath at the mineral spring of Sundgau,
to which he had betaken himself for an ailment of the breast,
and on that account had to implore pardon on his knees from
the Provincial Boer.
Father Oliva, Professor at the College of Valencia, repre-
sented a peasant girl, whose full bosom had inspired in him a
violent passion, to be his nearest relative, and hired a room for
her in the neighbourhood of the college; he visited her there,
giving out that he had family business with her connected with
an inheritance, and not infrequently passed many hours with
her, in order, as he expressed it, to exercise discipline over her,
as she was not sufficiently advanced in piety !
Stephan Petiot, the Provincial of Guienne, obtained for him-
self the reputation of being one of the most holy of men, and
when he preached in the principal church belonging to the
Order, the space was found to be far too small to contain all the
worshippers who thronged to listen to him. This, however, did
not prevent him from becoming violently enamoured of a nut-
brown maid, and persuading her to assume the disguise of n
peasant boy in order to enable her to gain access into the
college. In this disguise the girl now paid the Father frequent
visits, and as often as she came he shut himself up with her for
hours together ; this, latterly, however, did not satisfy him, but
he got her placed as his servant, and had her to wait upon him
day and night. This went on during several months, and pro-
bably the matter might have continued for some time longer
undiscovered, had not the woman possessed a tongue. But,
being induced by sickness to speak, the girl revealed the
whole affair to her former Father Confessor, Nathaniel Sichard,
and he, of course, took care that an end should be put to the
THE OLD ADAM UNDER THE MASK OF HOLINESS. 291
matter before it should come to the knowledge of the world.
Nothing, however, happened to Stephan Petiot, except that he
was warned to he more circumspect for the future, as, had such
a scandal become public, the whole Society of Jesus might have
sustained the deepest injury.
We learn that Father Coprevitius, Professor at the College of
Gratz, occasioned an unmarried young lady belonging to the
Court of the Archduke Charles to get into disgrace, and that
concerning this a terrible disturbance took place among the
cavaliers and ladies of this pious Hapsburger. But the fellow
brethren of Coprevitius neither lost their senses nor presence of
mind, for the Rector of the university merely sent the erring
sheep with a commission to an old friend of the Order, the
occupant of the Lubian Bishopric in Spain, of the name of
Thomas Cremius, who retained the fallen brother on the occa-
sion entirely for himself. The lady, however, was under the
necessity of making a four years' journey, travelling about the
different baths, after which she returned again to the Court, as
fresh and brisk as ever, just as if nothing whatever had taken
place. And as for the erring professor's offspring, one of the
Fathers took charge of it immediately after its birth, and nothing
was heard afterwards as to what had become of it.
I could still continue to give hundreds of such instances
on the part of the Jesuits, or rather thousands;* it must,
however, be observed, that only a very few of such crimes
among members of the Order ever became known, as the first
care among the Jesuits was to conceal all that occurred, which
was done with such skill that it should not reach the ears of
the people. A sin perpetrated was a purely accidental affair.
The principal thing was the publication of the scandal, the blame
cast thereby on the Order, which, by the notoriety of every such
crime, must have the mantle of holiness in which it enveloped
itself damaged considerably. On this account care was taken
not to awaken public attention by the punishment of such fail-
ings. They contented themselves with the private censure of
the party, or his removal to another sphere of action, in order to
* I recommend to anyone wishing to inform himself on this subject the
book entitled, Histoire du P. La Chaise, Jesuitical Confesseui duRoi Louis XIV.,
contenant les particularity les plus secretes de sa vie, ses amours avec plusieurs
. dames de la premiere qualite, et les agrables aventures qui lui sont arrivees dans
le cours de ses galanteries." 2 vols.
19 *
292 HISTORY OF THE JESUITS.
put a stop to any talk about the matter. Should, perchance,
the affair come under judicial cognizance, they never rested
until the accused member was cleared, as the world must on no*
account be allowed to feast its eyes on the humiliation of a
brother of the Order ! The best proof that the Jesuits were in
the habit of acting in this way, may be gathered from the
following couple of stories, the first of which occurred at Sala-
manca at the beginning of the 17th century :
Father Mena was held there in great estimation, as well owing 1
to his mode of life, which resembled that of the holy martyrs, as-
hy the surpassing gift of eloquence with which he was endowed.
In appearance he was pale and haggard, with eyes deeply sunk
in his head. His gait indicated the deepest humility, and his
simple aspect displayed a modesty which was the admiration of
all. But when he stood in the pulpit and thundered against the
depravity of the world sunk in iniquity, such fire proceeded out
of his mouth that all his listeners shook with emotion, and a
visible quaking of despair seized upon the hearts of even the
most obdurate. Under such remarkable circumstances, it was
not to be wondered at that many of the inhabitants of Salamanca
chose Father Mena to be their Father Confessor, and more
especially the female sex thronged to him from the highest
classes to the lowest. Now, among the fair confessants there also
happened to be a very beautiful maiden of striking appearance,,
whose understanding, however, did not at all correspond witli
her bodily attractions, and, as she was generally regarded as a
kind of simpleton, Father Mena, whose heart was inspired with a.
glowing desire of obtaining possession of this charming being,
hoped to be able to turn this circumstance to his advan-
tage. After, then, he had properly prepared the maid, who-
came to him every week for confession, he at length proceeded
further with his project, and explained to her that God had
ordered him in a revelation, with a view to the completion of
his sanctity, to take upon himself the sacrament of marriage
with her. Whatever good reasons the Father might have given,
however, in support of his proposal, and notwithstanding th&
credence the lady gave to almost every word he uttered, she
was so terrified by such a proposition that she was at once
seized with a desire to make her way out of the confessional.
He, however, succeeded by honeyed words in preventing her
THE OLD ADAM UNDER THE MASK OF HOLINESS. 293
from doing so, and represented to her that her reputation
would in no way suffer any injury from this projected marriage
ordered hy God, as he, under another name, possessed a small
settlement, in which they might meet undisturbed, and that not
less care would he taken to preserve secrecy in the event of her
confinement. If she still cherished any doubts in her mind,
proceeded he, with calculated slyness, regarding the necessity of
complying with this command of God, she always had it in her
power to consult one or other of the learned divines belonging
to the university ; but, on the other hand, it would be necessary
for her to preserve the most profound silence towards the laity
and secular community, as she would otherwise draw down the
anger of heaven upon her. With these representations the
first fears of the chaste maiden were, up to this point, overcome,
and after the Confessor had mentioned to her a couple of
Fathers of his acquaintance with whom she might take counsel,
she left the church, partially convinced that she was destined by
God to be rendered holy in the world by a secret marriage with
Father Mena.
What now, then, took place ? As soon as the beauty
had left, the Father hastened to the two theologians with
whom she might take advice, and represented to them that he
had a very conscientious confessant to deal with, who would
only follow his instructions after other learned men should
express themselves as favourable to the necessity of her doing
so. He then asked his colleagues whether they had any reason
to distrust him, or whether he had not given proof of his ability
for instruction in matters of conscience, derived from the practice
of many years. Seeing this to be the case, and as he had proved
it to be so by the mode of life which he had hitherto followed,
he hinted that his colleagues need not, therefore, go into any
details, but merely counsel the maiden to follow implicitly
everything recommended by Father Mena. This the two
theologians most willingly agreed to do, as they knew their
companion to be a very straightforward man, besides being
regarded as the best preacher of morality in Salamanca.
When, then, she came to them for advice, and from a sense of
shame did not know what words to make use of in expressing
herself, they declared to her that whatever was proposed by
.Father Mena was certain to be right and good, and on that
294 HISTORY OF THE JESUITS.
account she ought without hesitation to follow implicitly
any advice given by him. There was thus no longer
any doubt remaining in the mind of the poor deluded fool,
so on the next occasion when she came to him for con-
fession he learned, to his inmost joy and satisfaction, that she
was now fully prepared to follow the will of God. He then
uttered a benediction on himself together with her, by the most
truly blasphemous ceremonies, and they both at once withdrew
to the above-mentioned retreat, where they lived together for a
very lengthened period.
During all this time Father Mena continued to attend to his
spiritual duties, and busied himself especially in preaching with
such zeal and fervour that his great reputation went on increasing
year by year. At last, by some unlucky accident, the profound
secret of this disgraceful relationship came to light, and then
the Holy Inquisition got hold of the errant couple, who were
at once conveyed to the prisons of the Inquisition in Valladolid.
The woman now, on the very first examination, made a full con-
fession, and as thus the base conduct of Father Mena was brought
to light, in all its enormity, everyone believed that the Society
of Jesus would at once expel the mangy sheep out of the Order
as a reprobate, for the protection of its purity. Such, how-
ever, was not at all the case, but, on the contrary, the Society
espoused the cause of their member with such zeal as to pro-
duce the greatest astonishment regarding the matter. The
Jesuits, however, well knew the reason why, and the result
showed that they had rightly calculated. As this scandalous
story now caused such a commotion all over Spain, and,
indeed, elsewhere, the idea might take hold of men's minds that
all the members of the Order were more or less profligate,
and saints* merely in appearance, and, therefore, cost what it
might, Father Mena must be cleared from all imputations. A
physician, therefore, was bribed by a large sum of money to
declare that the simple woman was a complete fool, and this
worthy doctor administered to the poor creature a sleeping
draught of such potency that she never awoke again. At the
same time the Provincial obtained from another physician a
certificate that Father Mena was so dangerously ill that a further
detention in the prisons of the Inquisition must bring about
his certain death. Provided with this certificate, the Society,.
THE OLD ADAM UNDER THE MASK OF HOLINESS. 295
which was at that time almost all-powerful at the Court of
Spain, proposed that Mena should be brought into the Jesuit
College in order that he should be better attended to, but, of
course, only until such time as his health should be re-esta-
blished. In this respect, however, the Inquisition took such
precautions that several of its officials were appointed to
accompany him, who were instructed never to lose sight of the
patient. To all appearance Mena now became daily weaker, so-
much so, indeed, that the officials fully expected his decease.
They were consequently not at all surprised one day, when
engaged at their dinner and the Jesuits took care to feed them
right well to find that all the bells of the college commenced
to ring, thereby announcing the death of the poor patient, and,
as may be well imagined, they did not hasten to make any
inspection of the corpse, except for form's sake, some hours
later, in order to enable them to make a report to their chief;
and as they then found the Father lying in his coffin in Jesuit
attire, they took their departure from the college to convey the
news of his death to their General. The Father, however, was
by no means dead ; quite the reverse, indeed, for as soon as the
officials had left he got out of his coffin, and after the death
colour with which he had been painted was washed off, they put
him, well disguised, on a quick-going mule, which soon conveyed
him out of the country to Genoa. In the coffin they laid a
wax figure, made to resemble him as much as possible, which
was also dressed in Jesuit costume, and the burial then took
place with much pomp. In this manner the Society contrived
to put a speedy termination to the trial that had been instituted ;
and, of course, it was everywhere given out that the whole com
plaint had arisen merely from the diseased imagination of a
demented person, as there never had existed a more holy man
than the much-maligned Father Mena.
The second affair which I wish to relate occurred in the town
of Granada, also in Spain, in which the Jesuits possessed a very
beautiful college, with large properties and endowments attached
thereto. Among the latter there happened to be a pretty landed
estate in the village of Caparazena, the management of which
was entrusted to Father Balthasar des Hois. This latter, how-
ever, fell in love, it seems, with the wife of a peasant of
the place, a very robust woman of well-developed figure and
296 HISTORY OP THE JESUITS.
warm temperament. It was not very difficult, therefore, for the
Father to overcome her scruples, and, in order to carry his
wishes into effect undisturbed, he appointed the peasant to be
steward, with a considerable salary. Thereupon the peasant
was, of course, greatly delighted, and several months elapsed
before he discovered the reason why the Father had favoured
him so highly. The other people in the village had better eyes,
however, and at length made the peasant aware of the state of
the case. He, therefore, at once spoke about it to the Father,
who denied all this as a pure calumny, and the woman, who
was much flattered with the attentions of the holy man,
confirmed all that he said. The peasant was pacified, but
only for the moment, as the thorn of jealousy had sunk
deeply into his heart, and he was therefore resolved to make
certain of the matter. One day, therefore, when the Father
was expected from Granada, he went out very early into the
fields, telling his wife at the same time to give him something
cold to take with him to eat, as his occupation would not admit
of his return home until late in the evening. The woman
joyfully did what he told her, and then placed herself at the
window in order to look out for the beloved Father, whom she
expected to make his appearance within a few hours. The
peasant, on the other hand, sauntered about, not, however, to go
to the fields, as he had said, but to return home again after a
short time by a bye-path, when he slipped quietly into the house
by a back-door, and equally quietly he went inside and hid
himself, waiting to see what happened. Shortly afterwards the
holy man arrived, whereupon the infuriated husband sprang out
and stabbed the pair with a knife with which he had previously
provided himself for the purpose. The Father was killed on
the spot, and the woman also died shortly afterwards; she
lived, however, long enough to make a full confession to a
neighbour who had been quickly called in. The situation in
which she was found with the Father completely justified the
peasant, according to Spanish law, in vindicating his sullied
honour with the dagger. He thought so, at least, and so did
the secular court before which the affair was first brought, and
which, after hearing the evidence of the neighbour, found the
peasant not guilty. The Jesuit College in Granada, however,
was anything but satisfied with this judgment being unable to
THE OLD ADAM UNDER THE MASK OF HOLINESS. 297
endure the ignominy attaching to them, in that one of its
members had thus rightfully met with his death hy the dagger ;
and the Hector urgently petitioned at once, therefore, for a
new inquiry, on the ground that the first had been conducted
with partiality. He also personally betook himself to the
spot, accompanied by a notary from Granada, and even, after all
that had already taken place, endeavoured, hy means of presents,
promises, and threats, to bring over to their side the people
who had in the first instance given evidence against the deceased
Father. They, in this way, succeeded with not a few, the final
result being that those persons at once contradicted all the
evidence they had previously given. Those, however, who were
opposecl to them, in the face of this strong contradiction,
admitted that they, at least, could no longer recollect with
certainty, and, consequently the offence was made out to be at
least doubtful. In addition to this, the Rector, by his generosity,
obtained new witnesses, who at once swore that Father Balthasar
was a most holy man, whom no one ever saw engaged in any
other way than praying, with his rosary in his hands, and that,
therefore, the story of his proceedings with the deceased must
be rejected as perfect nonsense, as she had long passed her
first youth she was not quite twenty-eight and consequently
must be looked upon as an old woman. These and similar
declarations were collected by the Rector with much zeal, and
the notary carefully committed them to paper, and thus the
matter advanced so far that this evidence was laid before a new
court of investigation, and the severe punishment of the murderer
demanded. It still, however, remained a matter of doubt
whether the bribed witnesses would have stood their ground, as
the sorely-pressed peasant requested 'that he might be confronted
with them face to face ; in consequence of this, it was suggested
to the poor man, by some one professing friendship, that the
best thing he could do would be for him quickly to make him-
self scarce, as he would doubtless be hanged as a convicted
murderer. The man, from fear, followed this advice, and as his
disappearance was silently facilitated, he made his escape quite
undetected, while, as he had thus gone away under suspicious cir-
cumstances, the Jesuits triumphantly exclaimed that the guilt of
the man was as clear as daylight, as consciousness of this had
cinduced him to take to flight. This cry they repeated so often
298 HISTORY OP THE JESUITS.
that they at length succeeded in bringing over even the judges-
to their views ; in short, they carried the matter so far that,
supported by their false witnesses, the poor peasant, betrayed by
such villainy, was presumed to be proved guilty, and condemned
" in contumaciam," to the halter. Thereupon, on this sentence
being given, the sons of Loyola, by way of putting a crown upon
this tragic comedy, caused the whole of the law proceedings to be
printed, along with the judgment thereon, and distributed them
through the whole town exactly as if they had gained a great
victory. Indeed, this Balthasar des Rois was, indeed, little short
of being canonised as a martyr of purity; at all events, the
Jesuits believed that they had proved this much, at least, that
among their Society there was not one who could be afflicted
with weaknesses as other children of men.
A third story of a similar kind relates to an escapade which
took place in the town of Poitiers on the part of Father Mania,
one of the most distinguished Jesuit preachers of St. Didier,
nnd a widow of position ; but I shall refrain from entering into
particulars, as the scenes enacted were, if possible, of an even
more scandalous description than those already related.
Of a fourth story of this kind I must at least say a few words,
as it will afford not a little amusement to the reader. In the
middle of the 16th century there lived, in the city of Bordeaux,
a seamstress, who essayed to increase her resources, to a certain
extent, by her charms, and, on account of this kind of life, had
become notorious throughout the whole city. On one occasion
this seamstress, after carrying on this double trade from her
sixteenth to her thirty-second year, became seriously ill, and, in
her terrible fear of death, caused Father Gaska to be called to
her, in order that she might receive absolution from him for her
long-continued sins of many years' standing. The same, how-
ever, a Jesuit highly esteemed above all for his piety and
advanced age, made the Divine wrath so hot for the woman
that she promised that, as soon as she became again con-
valescent, she would enter into a certain reformatory which
had been founded in Bordeaux for the reclamation of sinners,
and never again, for the remainder of her life, have any-
thing to do with such matters. The woman in due course
recovered, and, as the good Father Gaska \vas entrusted with the
special supervision of the asylum, his wishes could, of course,.
THE OLD ADAM UNDER THE MASK OF HOLINESS. 299
not be objected to by anyone. Nor was there any occasion for
regret at her admission, as the seamstress at first conducted her-
self in a most exemplary manner, and fulfilled well her duties
in every respect ; as, however, her health became more and
more re-established, and her bodily charms by degrees returned 1
to their former condition, she began to experience again at night
powerful temptations, of which she, naturally enough, made
mention to the Father, her Confessor. He, however, repre-
sented to her that all such came from Satan, and gradually
brought her to the conviction that the Devil had cast his eye
particularly upon her. It came to pass now, that at the end
of fourteen months this individual began to show signs by no*
means agreeable to herself or those around her. A fearful com-
motion now took place in the establishment, as it could be
proved that no male person ever entered the building, with the-
exception of Father Gaska alone, and he, owing to his great
sanctity, was, as a matter of course, beyond all suspicion.
Further, it could be also proved that the woman had never-
crossed the threshold of the institution, which precluded the
possibility of the only remaining means of accounting for her
condition. She moreover declared, with the greatest confi-
dence, that the Devil himself could alone have brought about
this infernal mischief, and that she was prepared to take the
sacrament on it that this was so. Confusion now became worse
confounded. Physicians, who were now called in, declared that
the woman must be out of her mind, as improper proceedings
with an immortal being were not to be thought of; this view of
the case, however, savoured so much of heretical reasoning that
Father Gaska, in conjunction with several of his other colleagues,
rejected it with indignation. The physicians now became silent,
and contented themselves with merely shrugging their shoulders,
in order that they might not be accused of heresy. The Jesuits,
on the other hand, convoked a commission of learned theo-
logians to consult upon the matter. Fathers Antonio Palomo
and Martin de la Conchille, who were charged with drawing up
the report, showed themselves to be conspicuously active on the
occasion, and the pious Fathers cited so many instances from
the Fathers of the Church, and especially from Augustine, that
no clearer proof could be adduced. In fact, it was finally con-
cluded that the Devil himself, and no one else, could have had
300 HISTORY OP THE JESUITS.
any dealings with the seamstress. It may be well imagined
what a prodigious sensation this case caused throughout
Bordeaux ; so everyone was, of course, curious to learn how
this offspring of the Devil would look when it came into the
world. Now, the poor person gave hirth presently to a little
boy, having neither cloven hoofs nor the other characteristics
of the Devil, but just resembling any of the other children of
men. Nevertheless, the whole town rushed to take a look at the
son of the Devil. Indeed, the house of the penitent barely
escaped being taken by storm, so much so that Father Gaska
and his associates were obliged to remove the mother and child
out of the town the mother, in order to convey her to a far
distant place of retreat ; the little boy, however, in order that he
might be brought up by a hermit in the Pyrenees, who would
soon drive the Devil's nature out of him. Moreover, the public
had to be pacified, and it became so, although for a con-
siderable time afterwards people spoke about the Devil's son,
partly with horror, and partly with scorn and disdain, according
as people were more or less enlightened. The mysterious veil
in which this affair was shrouded was at last, however, very
nearly lifted, and an eternal disgrace cast upon the pious Father
Gaska. About ten years afterwards, the female guardian of the
seamstress acknowledged to the doctor who attended her as she
lay on her death-bed, that during several months she had been, by
order of Father Gaska, obliged every Saturday night to bring a
tumbler of wine to the seamstress, after she had mixed in it a
white powder given her by the Father, which had the effect of
regularly throwing the seamstress into a very deep sleep, and
that then the Father introduced himself, remaining with tho
sleeper usually for one or two hours. At the same time, too,
that she made this acknowledgment, she handed over to the
physician a small quantity of the powder which she had pre-
served, and which on examination proved to be a strong opiate.
The proceedings of Father Gaska now came to light in all their
villainy, and the physician hastened at once to an advocate of
"his acquaintance, in order to consult with him as to what course
he should pursue in this most extraordinary case, and as to
whether he should not lay the proofs before a court of justice.
The advocate, however, advised him to leave the matter alone,
<as, in the first place, Father Gaska had died in the meantime,
THE OLD ADAM UNDER THE MASK OF HOLINESS. 301
and could not now be awarded punishment ; and, secondly, the
Jesuits would he sure to know how to induce the seamstress to
make a disavowal of the circumstance, so that the physician
would be looked upon as a liar ; and, thirdly and lastly, it was well
known that all who dared to attack the Order of Jesus came
very badly out of the business, and therefore it would be wiser
to avoid this danger and not run any risk in the matter. Against
such arguments the physician had nothing to advance, and on
that account he left legal proceedings alone. This, nevertheless,
did not prevent him from inditing in a special treatise, which
was found among his papers at his death, a description of the
shameful deeds of the Jesuits.
From what has gone before, one sees sufficiently how uncom-
monly active the sons of Loyola were in allowing nothing to
come out respecting their Order, on which account they awarded
no punishment for many of the sins to which flesh is heir.
I will not continue to dilate upon this subject, but prefer
quoting the words of a writer of the 17th century, who had
been for several years among the Jesuits, and who was well
acquainted with all their proceedings. The author alluded to-
relates as follows : *
" As the people belonging to the Order of Jesus conceived
themselves to be especially ordained to take the nuns under their
protection, they frequently remained six whole hours before the
grating (the nuns, as is well known, could only talk with those
of the opposite sex through the grating of the reception room)'
and conversed with those whom they selected. I could, however,
take my oath that not a word of any importance passed between-
them as regards conversion to sanctity, but that, on the con-
trary, their conversation consisted for the most part in loose-
expressions and other amatory words.
"In short, a lay person would throw up his hands in 'amaze-
ment on hearing the style of conversation which the Jesuits,
were wont to carry on with the nuns, and, moreover, they never
addressed them otherwise than in such terms as ' my sweet-
heart,' ' my treasure,' ' my well-beloved,' and similar expres-
sions.
* This is the well-known Peter Jarrigius, otherwise called Peter Jarrige,.
whose work on the Order of Jesus came out for the first time in the year
1682.
302 HISTORY OF THE JESUITS.
"But you must pardon me, dear reader, if I refrain from very
shame from portraying the subject in all its vivid colours ; on
the other hand, you may take my word for it, that I might
easily bring forward many shocking things respecting the
shameful deeds of the Jesuits, truly surpassing, in this respect,
everything that has ever taken place in the world."
So writes my authority, and I might here conveniently bring
this chapter to a close, were it not that I must make some
allusion to the ill-famed institution of the "Female Jesuits,"
of which in our day almost nothing is known. The year in
which this institution came into existence cannot accurately
be determined by anyone, as the sons of Loyola, who were
alone in a position to give correct information on the sub-
ject, preserve complete silence respecting it, no doubt on
very good grounds. The fact of the matter is, however,
that "Female Jesuits" not only existed in the year 1600,
throughout the whole of Italy, but were also widely disseminated
on this side of the Alps, in Northern Germany, and in the
south of France. It is, further, a fact that they enjoyed the
same privileges as the Jesuits themselves, that is to say, they
resembled the latter to a hair-breadth, both in name and attire,
that they possessed colleges, novitiates, and profess-houses, just
;as the sons of Loyola did, and held the same description of
; government, with a female General at their head. It is also a
ifact that they stood in closest relationship with the male Jesuits,
having their abodes situated near to them in all towns.
No such thing of the kind had hitherto occurred in Christen-
dom. There were monks and nuns of all descriptions, and the
most different names ; there were also those who had assumed
: the same title, as, for instance, Dominicans and female Domi-
nicans, Franciscans and female Franciscans, &c. &c. &c. But
female beings like the female Jesuits, who had taken on them-
selves the three vows of Poverty, Chastity, and Obedience, led by
no means a life of contemplation, in devoting themselves to the
service of God, and denying the world ; quite the contrary,
they wandered about here and there without any fixed place of
residence, desirous of living like women of the world ; so when-
ever they made their appearance, they assumed the rights of
;priests accustomed to baptise, confirm, and render consolation,
just as the ordinary priesthood ; they endeavoured especially to
THE OLD ADAM UNDER THE MASK OF HOLINESS. 303
figure as spiritual advisers to men of certain age and condition,
and under the name or seal of Female Confessor, to be to them as
already many a confessing child had been to its Father Con-
fessor; and, lastly, without hesitation and without the least
regard to shame, they went about publicly declaring themselves
to be the second half of their namesake brethren, the Jesuits,
and boldly alleging that it was only in the first instance,
through their intimate connection with them, that the Order of
Jesus had been made perfect. No ! Indeed, such kind of
things went beyond all conception. Moreover, the female Jesuits
did all this without being authorised so to act by the Papal
See ; they were guided by merely their own sovereign will, and
did not even consider it requisite to publish their statutes or to
announce their existence to the Roman Curie. On that account
Pope Urban VIII. was induced to proceed against them with
all the available means of his apostolic power, and he issued
a fulminating Bull, in which he decreed their institution to
te not only abolished for ever, but also cursed as a vicious
creation. This Bull, dated 21st May 1681, which was posted up
in all the churches of Rome, is well known throughout the
whole of Christendom, and of course still exists as a proof of
all that I have stated respecting the Female Jesuits ; it contains
the perfect truth, though too mildly expressed, and I cannot
therefore refrain from reproducing verbatim certain passages. It
thus proceeds immediately after the introductory sentences :
" We have heard, not without the greatest mental consterna-
tion, that, in Italy and beyond the mountains, certain women and
maidens, after having assumed the name of Female Jesuits, have
for several years assembled themselves together, without any
approval or consent of the Pope ; that, under the pretext of lead-
ing a holy life, they possess certain houses of the description
and form of colleges, as well as profess-houses, over which a
mistress, under the title of Female General, is placed; that, with
the same object, they have taken upon themselves the vows of
Obedience, Chastity, and Poverty, and followed all other usages
and customs of the Jesuits ; that they have, however, as well
adopted many things very unsuitable for the female sex, and
directly contrary to the decorum and modesty appertaining to
the same. . . . Considering, therefore, that such creatures give
occasion for much indignation, we have determined to eradicate
304 HISTOBY OF THE JESUITS.
these unwholesome weeds, as we are of a mind not to tolerate
such wickedness. On this account, therefore, after consultation:
with our holy Cardinals and Inquisitors, we now command that
this alleged female society be entirely abolished, annulled, and
done away with, and ordain that they, the Society of Female
Jesuits, be ineffectual from the beginning, and null and void,
being herewith at once swept away, buried in oblivion, and
completely -eradicated from the Church of God."
Thus speaks Pope Urban VIII. What further evidence do.
we require ?
CHAPTER II. IS OMITTED.
20
306 HISTORY OF THE JESUITS.
CHAPTER HI.
THE SPIRITUAL EXERCISES, OR THE REFINEMENT OF
ENJOYMENT.
IN the first chapter of this hook I have treated of the ordinary
sins of the flesh among the Jesuits ; those most excusable, as
arising from the weakness of human nature. In the third
chapter I come to speak of the refined sins of the Jesuits; those,
namely, founded on religious deceit, beginning with heaven and
ending with hell.
Self-inflicted punishment had already, from great antiquity
and among the most varied systems of belief, been looked upon
as a religious duty, and even had become prevalent among Chris-
tians, who thought to gain heaven thereby, crawling into caves
of the earth, or passing their lives attached to pillars and loaded
with chains. Later on there arose in the west of Christendom
voluntary flogging conjoined with fasting, praying, pilgrimages,
and everything of a like nature, and the more a man lacerated
the body by means of rods or straps, the purer were the tears of
joy shed above by the angels and archangels; so was it taught by
the priests. Even Ignatius Loyola, as we have already seen in the
First Book, lent himself to such a belief, and, at the commence-
ment of his religious career as well as later, brought himself into
such a state by fasting, flogging, and several similar asceticisms,
that he was often nearly at the point of death. With the
view, however, of habituating his Order to this Christian work
of self-inflicted punishment, he wrote, as I have previously
THE SPIRITUAL EXERCISES. 307
mentioned, his celebrated book on Spiritual Exercises, and
ordained that these should form the basis of education among all
his disciples. " In order to enable anyone to become a true
warrior of Christ," taught Ignatius, "one must rigorously
punish the members of the body, as in this lies the secret of
taking up the cross ; for, as Jesus Christ, from his immeasurable
love for mankind, allowed himself to be crucified, so must the
soldiers of his army equally make themselves lambs for sacrifice."
Moreover, continues Ignatius in another place, " we Christian
warriors hold these punishments to be necessary, seeing that
everyone who wishes to gain a step in heaven can only kill vice
and control animal instincts by the dagger of suffering, with
which alone can one tame the earthly man, and compel him to
wander completely in the path of grace and virtue."
What was taught, then, in the Spiritual Exercises ? Of
course, together with many other mysticisms and extravagances,
there was a complete state of ecstasy, in which flogging played
the principal part. There was also conjoined with it, a great
amount of very frequent daily prayers and spiritual con-
versations, as also various fastings, genuflexions, and other
similar things. Under the circumstances mentioned, it may
readily be supposed that the Jesuits never neglected to carry
out the spiritual exercises thoroughly, frequently, as regards
their confessants, insisting on the application of the scourge
as the most efficacious punishment for the sinning body. On
the other hand, in consideration of the weakness of human
nature, they obliged none to flog their own persons, but, on
the contrary, undertook the task themselves most willingly, exer-
cising it very softly with fine rods and straps only, or even with
the bare hands never with proper scourges, or those on which
thorns were fastened. Such scourging and flogging with rods,
then, was termed " discipline," that is to say, the flogger was the
" discipliner," and the flogged, " the disciplined." There was
also a twofold kind of discipline, namely, disciplina sursum, or
secundum supra, and disciplina deorsum, or secundum sub,
which mean nothing else than this, that in the former case the
blows were applied above, upon the breasts, shoulders, and neck,
in the latter upon the loins, hips, and thighs. This last
mentioned was also called the " Spanish discipline," as it was
very much used in Spain, and came into use through the Spanish
20 *
308 HISTORY OF THE JESUITS.
Jesuits ; but it ought more properly to have heen called " female
discipline," as, for the most part, women alone were thus
disciplined. The Jesuits maintained that the weakly frame of
women and maidens was too severely tried by the upper descrip-
tion of discipline, while the inferior parts of the body were
much more capable of sustaining such-like punishment ; they ad-
ministered, therefore, the disciplina deorsum to their confessants
with the greatest vigour, even when the latter remonstrated
against the proceeding. Other children of men were, however, of
opinion that the sons of Loyola were actuated by very different
motives ; be that as it may, the reader may be assured of the
correctness of what I state when I assert that those parts of
the body which were subjected to discipline were completely
uncovered. But the reader will doubtless be curious to know it
the daughters of Eve submitted tamely to such discipline
as that I have described ? I rejoin that they did so. More-
over, it was not by any means merely a few women and maidens,
who might be regarded as an exception to the rule ; but they
came in shoals to throw themselves into the arms of Jesuit
discipline, the main attraction being that fanatical religious
practice which found expression in the Spiritual Exercises^
The Jesuits instituted such arrangements as enabled them to
satisfy the general throng by means of the so-called affiliations
and congregations also termed sodalities, and retreats; that is,
in plain language, brother and sisterhoods, the members of
which came together, if not daily, at least weekly, partly in.
public processions, in which they proceeded through the streets
dressed in the most wretched attire, often half-naked and
barefoot, allowing themselves to be flogged until they bled,
partly praying in the churches and large saloons, singing,
confessing, and communicating, as well as carrying on other
penitential practices. This, however, was indeed a spectacle
that must have produced a most extraordinary impression upon
people religiously disposed, and the sons of Loyola were so
cunning as to make the Mother of God the patroness of these
sodalities, expending, as well, great quantities of incense upon
such occasions ; the throng, therefore, always continued to
increase in numbers. We read, for instance, that, in the year
1552, some Fathers of the Society instituted a small com-
munity in the town of Louvaine, in Holland, consisting of about
THE SPIRITUAL EXERCISES. 309
ten women, in order to study religious exercises ; in the course
of the year, however, this community increased to such an
extent as to form four congregations, amounting to nearly a
thousand members. One of these bodies consisted entirely of
noble ladies and of those in high position, contrasting with the
three others, in which the industrial and civil element played
the chief part ; but it was precisely the noble sodality which was
most zealous in the penitential exercises, and no single partaker
in them omitted allowing the Spanish discipline from being
administered to her by the Father Confessor.
This despicable conduct, in submitting to every kind of
condition, excited the greatest indignation among the men,
and, at their instigation, the whole of the clergy, together with
the professors of the University, combined in order to put
a stop to the scandal. The congregations were, therefore,
prohibited by the magisterial authorities, and a penalty was
attached to the practice of the spiritual exercises. But the
ladies, being accustomed to the correction of the worthy
Fathers' rods, besought their spiritual advisers to continue the
practice in spite of the prohibition, and carried the matter
so far, indeed, that eventually the magistracy were constrained
to withdraw it. One knows well how much female influence
may effect ! The Jesuits conducted themselves in a precisely
similar manner in the town of Bruges, and the three Fathers,
John Ackerborn, Peter Wills, and Adrian von Wolf, managed to
perform there the most marvellous things. But the worthy
Father Gersen surpassed all in supremely foolish behaviour by
raising the dress of a peasant girl, whom he happened to meet
in the fields, and flogging her until he was no longer capable of
moving his arm. He appeared to have been afflicted with a
mania for flogging. Some, however, are of opinion that very
different objects actuated his proceedings. In Portugal, espe-
cially in the capital, Lisbon, there likewise existed several
congregations during the reign of King Alphonso, partly male
and partly female, and Father Nunnotz was at the head of them
as chief leader. Here, too, in particular, the female sodalities
pursued quite an extraordinary career, and, as at Louvaine, the
exercises consisted in fasts, confessions, and prayers, but the
chief thing of all was the Spanish discipline. After Nunnotz,
-Father Malagrida was the hero of the day in respect to ascetic
310 HISTORY OP THE JESUITS.
exercises, and he conducted a penitential sisterhood among the
ladies of the Court. All desired to be flogged by him, as it
appeared he knew how to handle the rod with peculiar effect,
and those submitting to it affirmed that they experienced far
more agreeable " discipline " than when it was administered by
any of the other Fathers. Spiritual exercises made also gigantic
strides in Spain from the commencement ; and all, especially those
belonging to the female world, hastened to enlist themselves in
one or other of the numerous sodalities. The bishops, however,
and with them the Archbishop of Toledo, Don Martinez Siliceo,
at their head, took great umbrage at these proceedings, and, at the
Synod of Salamanca, demanded that the Ignatian exercise-book
should be thoroughly examined previous to the continuance of
the exercises being permitted. It now came to this, in spite of
the great influence that Father Araoz had upon Philip II., that
when the improprieties of the Spanish discipline became exposed
to the light of day, the Inquisition interfered in the matter,
and, in 1570, forbade for the future any such practices, as well
especially as the employment of rods or even hands in the
administration of the discipline. To this prohibition the Jesuits
of Marcia, Toledo, Seville, Saragossa, and other towns in which
they had colleges or other houses, replied by the institution of
splendid processions, in which the most beautiful women in
extraordinary numbers took part, all being barefoot with naked
shoulders and legs, some being in such a condition of primitive
innocence that all honest matrons who still retained possession
of their reason scornfully pointed at them with their fingers.
Moreover, during the course of such processions, every now and
then a halt was made, and then the ladies uncovered themselves
still more in order to allow the use of the scourge. In short,
indecency now attained to such a height, and the Jesuits
publicly pushed the matter so far, as to irritate the Inquisition to-
the uttermost.
It was now to be seen who would prevail, they or the
Dominicans ; and, of course, the sons of Loyola, on account of
the extraordinary influence they had acquired over Philip II.,
hoped eventually to obtain the victory. But, behold, in a short
time it became apparent that the fearful power held by the
Inquisition was incapable by any means of being overcome. On
the contrary, it had taken such deep root in Spain as to strike
THE SPIRITUAL EXERCISES. 311
terror into the heart of any enemy -whatever ; and, consequently,
the sons of Loyola came to the opinion that it was better to
yield at once, and to give up the practices, in order not, in the
end, to lose more ground. They, therefore, from this time forth,
renounced the flagellation processions, as also the public practice
of the spiritual exercises ; but, on the other hand, they received
the ladies three times a day in their churches, with the view of
administering the communion to them, and at night they
secretly opened their colleges to them, in order that the consola-
tion of the Spanish discipline might still not be wanting. The
whole difference then consisted in this, that what had hitherto
been done openly and publicly was now practised quietly and
secretly, and that the numbers of recipients of the discipline
became somewhat diminished, because the intrusion into the
Jesuit colleges at the hours of midnight as regarded certain un-
married maidens under good supervision, and, still more, married
women, was attended with considerable difficulties. Notwith-
standing this, however, very many still came, as the Jesuits with
much pride affirmed,* and thus, considering the hour at which the
discipline was now wont to be administered, the scandal became
greatly increased instead of being diminished. In France, at
that time, the Jesuits proceeded in the wildest manner with their
flagellant processions, especially during the period that the
government was carried on by Catherine de Medicis, as on one
occasion, at Avignon, she herself headed the sodality of ladies,
and it further became known that she was accustomed* to
administer the discipline to the younger ladies of the Court with
her own hands. Her son, Henry III., was also a great friend
of the flagellant processions, and regularly made his appearance
at them provided with his rosary, wax candle, crucifix, rod, and
prayer-book. Such a high example was, of course, contagious,
and it thus became easy for the Jesuits to form congregation*
and sodalities in the large towns where they possessed esta-
blishments of any description. In this respect Lyons and
Toulons, as well as Avignon, which has been already men-
tioned, were especially distinguished, but Paris itself became
still more zealous than all of them. There women and
maidens were almost daily to be seen running about in the
* Compare with the Jesuit work, Imago primi Sceculi Soc. Jesv, Lib. vi.,
cap. i., p. 739.
312 HISTORY OF THE JESUITS.
streets with nothing on them hut a loose garment, and with
scourges in their hands ; and even ladies of the highest rank, as,
for instance, the Duchesses de Guise, de Mercoeur, d'Aumale,
d'Elbeuf, and others, exhibited themselves in a state of semi-
nudity, in order to show the example to the other women of
Paris. On the other hand, nowhere else did scorn and satire
show themselves so bitterly as in Paris, and lampoons made their
appearance in regular showers, in which the Jesuit exercises
were put in the pillory. For this reason permission was very
soon granted by the Jesuits to their confessants, especially
among those of high rank, to have their faces covered during
the practice of the spiritual exercises, and, consequently, masks
were alone to be seen in the later processions ; but the by-
standers, of whom there were not infrequently some hundreds or
thousands, when the exercise processions appeared in the streets,
guessed who the different persons taking part in them were,
and then greeted them with such telling and stinging wit and
ridicule, that the penitents might well have wished themselves
anywhere else. On this account, as a matter of course, a con-
siderable degree of cooling down in respect to the exercises now
set in, and as at length, under Henry IV., self-inflicted punish-
ment and flogging, and, above everything, the Spanish discipline,
with all its accompanying improprieties, came to be strictly for-
bidden by the Parliament, under a severe penalty, this fanatical
bigotry began to assume narrower dimensions, and eventually
completely vanished from sight in public. But, be it well
understood, in public merely ; for in private, within four walls,
these mystical religious exercises continued in full force, and
especially in the south, where French women of rank would
rather have given up everything than relinquish the stimulus of
the rod thus applied.
I finally come now to speak of the reception which the book
of Spiritual Exercises met with in Germany, and the Chronique
scandaleuse of Bavaria reports so much on the subject, that
one might easily fill more than one chapter about it. More-
over, the women of Bavaria and Switzerland, as it appears,
acquired such a peculiar taste for allowing themselves to be
disciplined by the Jesuits in the Spanish manner, that it was
only the immense confidence which married men and fathers
were accustomed to place in the piety of the sons of Loyola
THE SPIRITUAL EXERCISES. 313
which makes it conceivable how the practice of such exercises
did not completely disturb the peace of families. It still, never-
theless, happened here and there that a Father was occasionally
thrown down a staircase or turned out of the house in some
unpleasant manner; moreover, the popular wit, displayed in
certain comic songs of the day, showed in what estimation the
secret discipline of the worthy Fathers was held. One of these
songs, indeed, puts the following words in the mouth of one of
the sons of Loyola :
Komme hinter ihr geschlichen
Mit dem Monsieur Birkenstrauss ;
Easch das Maiislein abgestrichen,
Werd' auch, was da woll' daraus !
Could any better proof be required as to the way in which
the spiritual exercises were brought into use in the Fatherland,
in so far as the Jesuits were concerned ? And what was the
result ? One instance will suffice to indicate how matters fared
amongst the fraternity of pious Fathers.
I allude to the " Girard-Cadiere " affair, or, if one would rather
have it, the scandalous law- suit between the Jesuit doctor, John
Baptist Girard, and the maiden Catherine Cadiere,* which
caused so much commotion in the world that whole folios were
written concerning it, and thousands of men contended with
each other in deadly strife regarding its issue. And, indeed, it
may be rightly considered that never was there a case which
placed the despicable proceedings of the Jesuits in a more
glaring light, and not a single one of the many misdeeds per-
petrated by the sons of Loyola has administered to them so
severe a blow as this very Girard-Cadiere affair. On this
account the reader must permit me to narrate the story some-
what in detail.
Catherine Cadiere, the daughter of a merchant called Joseph
Cadiere, and of Elizabeth his wife, nee Pomet, was born in
Toulon in November 1710. She had no sisters, but only three
brothers, one of whom occupied himself with mercantile pursuits,
* The chief work regarding this trial appeared under the title Recueil
general des Pieces concernant le Proces entre la Demoiselle Cadiere et le Pere
Girard, comprising not less than eight thick octavo volumes. Extracts
from this work, moreover, appeared in almost all the languages of Europe,
and engravings were made by amateurs of many of the scenes, and these
v?ere afterwards collected into a large folio volume.
314 HISTORY OF THE JESUITS.
a second joined the Order of Dominicans, and the third devoted
himself to the study of theology, in order to be fitted hereafter
for the duties of an ordinary priest. She herself remained from
her earliest youth under the paternal roof, until at length the
father died somewhat prematurely, leaving, however, behind him
a considerable amount of property, and consigning her to the
care and protection of Mother Augapfel. The latter, as may be
supposed, bestowed every possible attention on the education
of the daughter, and the beautiful maiden, rather inclined too
much to devout extravagance, flourished amazingly. She was
simple and indolent, full of excellent qualities both of heart and
mind, being distinguished among all her companions for gentle-
ness and maidenly beauty.
It was thus with Catherine Cadiere when, in April 1728,
the Jesuit Father, John Baptist Girurd, was transferred by his
superiors to Toulon, in order to conduct there the Jesuit
seminary for naval preachers, and also to officiate as spiritual
adviser and preacher in the aforesaid town. After a short time
u change now came over the beautiful maid, which was entirely,
indeed, through the fault of the said Father Girard. Let us
now consider this man a little more in detail. Regarding his
early youth there was but little known, and the same may be
said likewise as to his parentage. Still, however, it appears
that his great-grandfather, Balthasar Girard of bad repute, was
the murderer of the Prince of Orange. He entered the Order
of Jesuits in his fifteenth year, and ten years later, in the year
1721, was sent to the island of Martinique in the West Indies
in order to contribute his assistance to the missionary work
there. He appears, however, to have led here not the most
correct of lives. Before the world he particularly put on all the
appearance of a most strictly moral man, and he likewise dis-
tinguished himself by his great eloquence, and was also con-
spicuous otherwise for his spiritual endowments. His superiors,
therefore, in order to give him a more suitable sphere of action,
transferred him to the town of Aix, in Provence, and there he
proved himself to be, both as preacher and spiritual adviser, a
wise judge and observer of human nature; consequently, in
the year 1728, he was advanced, as before mentioned, for his
services, to be Rector of the seminary in Toulon. Such were
the antecedents of Cadiere and Girard. It is especially
THE SPIBITUAL EXEKCISES. 315
to be observed regarding Father Girard, that from the first
day of his residence in Toulon not a syllable was breathed
against his course of life, and to all appearance he seemed,
to be so thoroughly taken up with his religious devotions,
that he was looked upon by everyone as a perfect pattern
of respectability and virtue. Besides which, he displayed such
charming eloquence, and at the same time presented such an
agreeable exterior, that all flocked to listen to his sermons and
attend at his confessional. He especially knew how to make
himself beloved by the ladies, and a number of women and
maidens selected him as adviser of their consciences. This con-
fidence won for him many friends, and he spoke out his mind
most freely to every beauty strongly, pathetically, and signifi-
cantly. He thus proceeded cautiously at the commencement.
Moreover, he considered it to be more prudent, instead of
entering the house openly by the door, to make his advances
with subtlety, until he had duly proved the ground and felt
his way. After proceeding so far, however, and, discovering
some at least who seemed suited to answer his purposes, he
began to speak of the spiritual exercises, and now his little
flock became desirous of atoning for their past sins, and he
thus apportioned to each of them different exercises which
might prepare them for the crowning act of all to wit, the dis-
cipline. All went on now beyond expectation ; as he proceeded,
in fact, to the flogging part of it with each individual penitent,,
all submitted to the operation without the slightest opposition.
As may be well imagined, on the first few occasions he permitted
them to uncover only a small part of the shoulders, in order
that his victims might become accustomed to the kind of thing
by degrees, and only after about a month, when he had overcome
with much trouble the inherent sense of shame in them, did he
require them to submit to the Spanish discipline.
At the beginning of the year 1729 Catherine Cadiere, at-
tracted by his great reputation, selected Father Girard as her
Confessor, and this maiden, distinguished for her beauty and
corporeal charms, as well as remarkable for her simplicity of
heart and devotion, and almost extravagant piety, came into
his meshes. One day, as Cadiere was paying him a visit in
the refectory of his seminary, finding her in a peculiarly yield-
ing mood, alter urgently plying her with soft reproaches for not.
316 HISTORY OF THE JESUITS.
having visited him during several days, he bent over her, and
implanted on her mouth a gentle kiss. He then besought her
to follow him into the confessional, and after making minute
inquiry there into all her dispositions, affections, and inclinations,
he directed her to communicate every day in the different
churches of the town, and prognosticated for her that she would
presently be favoured by heavenly appearances and visions, and
after stretching her imagination to the utmost, he dismissed her
at last under the promise that she would daily unreservedly
communicate to him a most accurate report concerning herself.
Cadiere strictly obeyed. She went every day to take the com-
munion, conjoining thereto long prayers, as well as almost
excessive fastings, precisely as her Father Confessor had pre-
scribed for her. The nervous system consequently soon became
over excited ; in other words, she fell into a condition of hysteria,
in which state she at one time saw heavenly, and, at another,
infernal visions, whereby her blood became more heated, her fancy
more confused, and her thoughts more elastic. It thus came so
far as this, that she complained to the Father that her whole soul
was so fired with holy love for him that she could no longer pray
aloud, and that she suffered from such very frightful torments',
of which she could not divine the cause. Girard quieted her in
this way : " Prayer," he told her, " is only a means of attaining
to God ; when one has once attained to Him, and has become
united to Him, then this is no longer necessary. The love,
however, which you bear in your heart to me, need not occasion
you any trouble, as the good God wills it that we should be
united to one another ; I bear you in my lap and heart, and you
are nothing else than a soul within me, indeed the soul of my
soul." With these words he fervently kissed her on the mouth.
In the meantime, while the praying, fasting, and communicating
were going on with ever-increasing zeal and fervour, her con-
dition became continually still more and more disturbed, and she
was now not unfrequently seized with cramps and fainting fits,
as also, moreover, all those indications set in which usually
accompany somnambulism. Her visions now increased in fre-
quency, and she often conducted herself like one possessed, and
on these occasions broke out into fits of cursing and reviling,
and it was only when Girard approached her couch that she
became pacified, as he alone possessed the requisite influence
THE SPIBITUAL EXERCISES. 31 T
over her spirit, and consequently the Confessor had always
unimpeded access into the house of Cadiere. During one of her
attacks, Cadiere one day conceived an impression that she
saw before her the soul of a mortal sinner, and at the same time
she heard these words, " When thou wilt save me from this
state, thou must allow thyself to he taken possession of for a
whole year hy Satan." Upon this the maiden became immensely
terrified, and at once made a report of the vision to her
Confessor, begging, at the same time, his assistance against such
evident Satanic vexation. But what did he now do ? Instead of
pacifying her, he distinctly declared to her that it was her duty
to save this soul, and that she must, therefore, give herself up to>
Satan for a year ; indeed, he urged her to it so vehemently that
she gave her consent to everything, and swore, with a holy oath,
according to the following formulary : " I submit myself, and
am ready to say, do, and suffer everything that may be required
of me." From this time forth it was towards the end of the
year 1729 the poor child imagined herself completely in the
power of Satan, and in this state frequently broke out into
most horrible reviling and cursing, so that her mother an&
brother were terrified about it. But another far more important
result was that the beautiful maid, in consequence, greatly
suffered in health, owing to these attacks, and was obliged to-
keep to her bed, or at all events to her room, during the
whole time, and that thereby Father Girard had the opportunity
of remaining alone with his penitent, not for a quarter or half an
hour, merely, at a time, but for the whole day, from early in the-
morning until late at night. He alone, and no other, had any
power over her and the Devil ; could, then, access be denied
to him at any time ? Besides, was he not generally considered
to be a demi-saint, especially by the mother of the patient, a very
piously disposed and bigoted woman ? It would, indeed, verily
be looked upon as a deadly sin to think any evil of him ; and,
consequently, it was permitted to him at all times to come to the
poor Cadiere without the least let or hindrance, in order to-
enable him to prevail over the exorcisms of Satan. When he-
happened to be with her, the door was immediately locked upon
them, and no one, not even the nearest relation, was allowed
to open it until he considered it proper to allow it.
We draw a veil over the remainder of the story, and pass on to
318 HISTORY OF THE JESUITS.
the period when the wretched girl was taken to the cloister of
St. Clara at Ollioules, on the 6th of July 1730. Who could
now be a happier man than Father Girard ? His joy, however,
soon turned out to be of but short duration, as we shall
presently find. Girard allowed the first fourteen days to
pass without visiting his beloved one; he personally, then,
appeared at the cloister, and easily contrived to persuade
the Abbess to allow him to see Cadiere, and enter into
correspondence with her. Of this permission he took the
fullest advantage, and, upon the pretext of hearing her con-
fession, remained for many hours with her. He was still, how-
ever, very circumspect at first, although all his letters abounded in
extravagantly loving expressions, containing bits of moral teach-
ing and spiritual advice " for his dear child favoured by God."
So matters went on to the holy Father's taste for a con-
siderable period ; but at length, the continuance of the love
affair being now no longer practicable in Ollioules, he con-
sequently suddenly declared that as Cadiere had now suffi-
ciently benefited humanity by her holy manner of life in
the cloister of St. Clara, as well as in Toulon, it was now time
she should be transferred to another cloister, in order that it
also might enjoy the fruits of her holiness. He, therefore,
selected a cloister of the Carthusian nuns atPremola, near Lyons,
as the next abode of the novice, and made arrangements for
her transfer there within the next few days. In the meantime,
however, the Abbess, having ascertained what had been going
on, speedily informed the Bishop of Lyons of everything that
had taken place, and he at once ordered Cadiere to remain
where she was. He, furthermore, forbade her from employing
Father Girard any longer as her Confessor, and, at the same
time, prohibited the latter from ever again entering the cloister
of St. Clara. He also, some days afterwards, charged Abb6
Camerle to convey Cadiere, for her greater security, in a carriage
to the country house of Monsieur Panque, not far from Toulon,
he being a near relative of his. Lastly, he appointed Father
Niclas, Prior of the Carmelite cloister of Lyons, to discharge the
duty of Confessor to Cadiere, with instructions to watch her as
carefully as possible for the future. An ungovernable rage now
seized upon Father Girard when he got tidings of the Bishop's
regulations ; still greater, however, was his fright, as he imagined
THE SPIEITUAL EXERCISES. 319
that Cadiere might already have made a full confession. How-
ever, he soon regained his usual presence of mind, and at
once despatched one of his hitherto trusted friends, Mademoiselle
Gravier, to Cadiere at the country house of Panque, partly to
find out exactly what had taken place, and partly in order to get
away the many letters he had written to her. This latter was
for him a matter of life and death, as, supposing the amorous
correspondence were found, the disgraceful relationship between
them would come to light, and, on this account, he had selected
Gravier particularly as his ambassadress, as Cadiere had com-
plete confidence in her. The mission, in fact, succeeded beyond
all expectation, for not only did Gravier obtain possession of all
the desired letters, with the exception of a few which still re-
mained in a box at Ollioules, but Cadiere, in order to please her
beloved Confessor, delivered to her also the whole of the mysti-
fied and unmystified writings, by the reading of which she had
formerly been attracted by him. Girard now felt as if he had been
newly born. He had in his possession the chief corpus delicti, and
anything which might be verbally said against him he could
deny. Who, then, could do him any serious harm ? But this
time it happened otherwise. The new Father Confessor soon had
reason to surmise what had been the true relationship which had
subsisted between the Jesuit and his confessant, and this suspicion
soon found confirmation in the fact that Cadiere several times
secretly left the country house by night, in order to visit, in the
Jesuit seminary at Toulon, her fondly-loved former Confessor.
On this account, he pursued an investigation of the matter still
further, with much assiduity, and, by his strong remonstrances,
brought it to this point at last, that the maid at length revealed to
him the whole secret of this shameful transaction. He was, indeed,
truly horrified at such wickedness in a priest of the Lord ; and in
one, moreover, who had passed for being so holy, he would have
considered it to be quite impossible. He, of course, at once
laid the whole matter before the Bishop, who forthwith himself
Tiastened to the country house in person, in order to obtain
confirmation of the shameful transaction from the lips of the
-wrongdoer herself. What a horror ! The Bishop, of course,
swore to avenge the insulted Church, and to free the town of
Toulon from this voracious wolf. But Cadiere, overwhelmed
tears, besought him on her knees, for the honour of herself
320 HISTORY OF THE JESUITS.
and family, to throw a veil of silence over the past, and her
brother, the Dominican, whom she had brought along with her
as a witness, also entreated the Bishop with the same object.
Added to all this were the representations of the Abbe Camerle,
who brought the Bishop to be of opinion that it would be such
a terrible scandal to the whole of Christendom, were the affair
to become publicly known, that it would be wiser not to allow
justice, for this time, to take its course. The Bishop, in short,
was soon made to depart from his original intention, and at last
promised to consign the whole hideous story to everlasting
oblivion. He could not, however, bring himself to allow Father
Girard to continue to act any longer as spiritual guide, and,
consequently commissioned Father Niclas, the prior of the Car-
melites, along with Father Cadiere, the Dominican, to undertake
the spiritual supervision of the whole of the confessants of Father
Girard. It seemed now that the whole of this frightful crime
was to be buried in everlasting oblivion, and it would most cer-
tainly have so happened had it not been for the boundless
spiritual arrogance of the Jesuits.
They could not at all brook the idea that their Rector, hitherto
regarded as being so holy, should in future be debarred from
hearing confessions, and he himself hurled fire and flames at
the notion of a separation from those who had, up to this time,
been his confessing daughters. The town of Toulon was, more-
over, overrun with all kinds of reports as to what had taken
place, and these latter did not, assuredly, at all redound to the
credit of the sons of Loyola. Lastly, who could guarantee that
Cadiere herself might not, sooner or later, reveal the matter, or
come forward with a complaint ? Something, therefore, must be
publicly done, in order to make the Society of Jesus secure
against all injury, and such could best be effected by causing the
confessant of Girard to be judicially, but in a very partial and
summary manner, condemned as a liar and calumniator.
Thus did the Jesuits reason with themselves, especially so
Fathers Girard and Sabathir ; indeed, as regards the former, his
very existence being now at stake, and love being now blown to
the winds, there remained nothing else, in his case, but Jesuitical
arrogance, more especially as the latter was to play the principal
part in the trial. The black-cloaked fraternity, backed as they
were by the Bishop's official, who was his vicar in all secular
THE SPIRITUAL EXERCISES. 321
judicial affairs, hoped that, as the ordained criminal court
in ecclesiastical matters was completely favourable to them,
they might with facility obtain the sentence they desired.
Accordingly, after a consultation with their adherents, they
suddenly declared to the Bishop that they felt themselves quite
unable to reconcile themselves to the policy of silence ordained
by him, and they, at the same time, handed over to the Epi-
scopal Ecclesiastical Court a well drawn-up document in which
they strenuously called for the most minute investigation.
" Either," said they, in this memorial, " Father Girard has com-
mitted the crime of which he has been accused, in which case
he should receive the severest punishment, or he has not done
so, when his accuser must be put down as a thoroughly depraved
calumniator." Urged in this manner, the Bishop ordered his
official to proceed, as in duty bound, and the latter at once
commenced the investigation by the interrogation of Cadiere,
of her brother the Dominican, and of her then Confessor
the prior of the Carmelites. In this respect he went to work
with great partiality, as it will afterwards be proved that
the declarations of the three under examination were either not
accepted at all, or, what was worse, were recorded most inaccu-
rately, and, moreover, Cadiere, from a feeling of shame, became
confused in her replies. The commencement of the process in
this way proved to be very favourable for Girard, as, also, did
the next stage in the proceeding. After the first hearing
by the official, the business came on before the criminal:
court, which thereupon made itself acquainted with the so-
called " species facti" that is to say, the documentary
evidence which could be adduced by the complainant. None
was forthcoming, however, with the exception of five letters,
three of which were directed to the Abbess of Ollioules, and two
to Cadiere herself, the wily Father having contrived, as before
stated, to have the others destroyed. Upon this, the hearing of the
witnesses was now proceeded with, and here also was but little
brought to light very damaging to the pious Father, because
the judges stood in the most intimate relationship to the Jesuits,
and the declarations inimical to Girard were consequently gone
into very superficially, or designedly drawn up and modified.
On the other hand, the statements previously obtained by the
Jesuits, through bribery, and fabricated, of course, in favour of
21
322 HISTORY OF THE JESUITS.
the Father, were dwelt upon in detail, and, more especially,
the statements of the Hector's former confessor, which, as a
matter of course, abounded in declarations favourable to
Oirard's reputation for godliness and morality, were most care-
fully noted. In short, the court of justice did not even refrain
from illegal acts, and, in order that no trick or artifice might be
forgotten or omitted, the judges assembled every evening in
the seminary of the Jesuits, where, together with Fathers Girard
and Sabatbiere, they concocted everything that should be pro-
duced next day. At length they carried the matter so far as
to convey Cadiere herself into the Ursuline convent in Toulon,
over which the Jesuits had the right of supervision, and they
then, in order to make her life as miserable as possible, con-
fined her in a room where a lunatic had shortly before died, and
where the smell and foulness of the air was quite pestilential, a
bundle of foul straw being all that she had for a bed. In order,
indeed, that her measure might be full, the Ursuline nuns
were brought forward as witnesses against her, and swore that
everything that she had hitherto alleged was nothing more
than falsehood and calumny, and that, without doubt, she had
been bribed by the enemies of Loyola in order to do them an
injury. In spite of all, however, the matter did not come so
speedily to a termination as the Jesuits imagined. On the
contrary, it attracted such an immense interest throughout
the whole of France, that the King, at the request of his
Council of State, ordered the strictest investigation to be made
into it, and entrusted the conduct thereof to the Supreme Court
of Aix. The affair now entered upon a new phase, and the
whole civilised world watched its progress with the greatest
anxiety. The Jesuits, however, now seeing that it was to them
a matter of life and death, called up the whole influence that the
Society could muster in order to obtain a favourable result for
themselves, and were so unsparing in their expenditure of money
in bribes to the judges and witnesses, that it amounted to more
than a million of francs. Whatever intelligence, cunning, and
wickedness could effect was devised, and the perjuries perpetrated
were to be counted by hundreds.* Father Girard ostensibly
* Whoever is interested as to the details of this trial, and especially as to
the web of Jesuit deceit, let him read the first volume of the work, Process
zwischen dein Pater Girard, S.J., Rectoris des Seuunarii de la Marine du Touion
ttnd der Jungfer Cadiere. Coin, 1732.
THE SPIEITUAL EXERCISES. 323
produced before the court all the letters which he had for-
merly written to Cadiere but they were not the identical ones,
being specially fabricated and antedated, and accordingly
breathing nothing but solicitude for the well-being of his
confessant. Witnesses came forward who accused the Prior of
the Carmelites and the Dominican Father Cadiere of having
formed a conspiracy against Father Girard, and of having
pledged themselves to ruin him, as well as the Order of
Jesus, in the eyes of the world by the trumped-up false-
hoods of Catherine Cadiere. The nuns of Ollioules were so
worked upon that they retracted all that they had laid at
the door of Father Girard, and, on the contrary, made out
Cadiere to be a person unworthy and abandoned, who had tried
to seduce the worthy Father. Cadiere herself was particularly
tortured and tormented, both physically and morally, in a most
barbarous way, and threatened with eternal ruin and deprivation
of all spiritual consolation if she did not at once sign a declara-
tion that the accusation which she had made against Father
Girard was a falsehood and a calumny. She was, indeed, formally
exorcised before a number of ecclesiastical and other witnesses,
and so depressed by maltreatment and attempts at casting out
of the devil, that she fell into a faint of several hours duration
She was, lastly, subjected for three days, viz. the 25th, 26th,
and 27th of February 1731, to an uninterrupted course of
interrogation from morning till night, and it was hoped thus
to confuse her by putting cross and crooked questions, while
by the exceptionable means of suggestion she might be
brought to contradict herself or be shown to be mentally
incapable. On the first day she remained stedfast to her
former declarations, and distinctly recapitulated, in clear un-
doubtful words, all the shameful proceedings that had taken
place between herself and Father Girard. She did so as well
on the second day, without losing her presence of mind.
On the third day, however, according to a statement made
'by a daughter of a widow, by name Guiol, who had a hand in
the affair, a narcotic drug was given to her in her breakfast
by her attendant, the action of which was so potent that she
was for some time unable even to recognise her own mother.
On this account an application was at once made to the court
for an investigation into the treatment she had experienced ;
21 *
324 HISTORY OF THE JESUITS.
but this petition met with no attention, and the inquiry pro-
ceeded further without interruption, after the poor creature had
in some measure regained her senses. The result was that she r
whose mind had been already unhinged by constant ill-treatment,
threats, reproaches, and intimidation, as also by the stupifying
effects of the drug before mentioned, became still more confused,
so much so, I affirm, that, after long and strenuous remonstrance,,
she recanted not only all that she had previously advanced to
the prejudice of the Jesuit Girard, but also on the question
being put to her as to who had instigated her to invent such a
tissue of untruths, replied that " Father Niclas," the Prior of the
Carmelites, was the originator of the whole scandal, and that
it was he alone who had persuaded her to proceed legally against
her former Father Confessor. What rejoicing now arose among
the Jesuits when this confession came from the lips of Cadiere !
At last, after they had striven for months past, with such an
infinity of trouble, and such an immense expenditure of money,
the innocence of Girard and the saving of the honour of the
Society of Jesus might be published to the world ! Still, how-
ever, the matter did not by any means proceed so quickly. The
court of justice, indeed, ordered the immediate transfer of
Cadiere into the cloister of the Visitation in Aix, in order that
she might be kept there in strict seclusion until the sentence
was promulgated. So far well ; and it might, too, be foreseen
very well, as a certainty, that this said sentence would be made
as severe for the female calumniator as for the co-conspirator,
the Prior of the Carmelites. It was a pity, however, that
Cadiere, as soon as she had regained her senses, averred
that her last confession had been absolutely false, and was
obtained from her simply by compulsion, and ^ everyone of any
intelligence gave credence to her in this respect. Notwith-
standing, however, that Father Girard, as may well be imagined,
strenuously denied with a bold face all the proceedings with
Cadiere imputed to him, as well as all the grave charges that
had been especially advanced against him, he could not alto-
gether hold his own, as several of the witnesses stedfastly adhered
to the evidence they had already given; some few of them, at least,
testified to the truth of what Cadiere had brought forward
against him, and those few already threw quite an extraordinary
light upon the affair. He thus ultimately was induced to admit
THE SPIRITUAL EXERCISES. 325
that his confessant had for a long time suffered from hysterical
attacks, by which she was deprived of consciousness for hours
together, and that he had shut himself up with her alone
during all this time. He further acknowledged that he had
administered the Spanish discipline to her.
All this did he, indeed, confess, heing unable altogether
to deny the testimony brought forward against him, as his
understanding told him that he must not make himself suspected
by being too obstinate. He affirmed that he had the right, so
to speak, of interpreting his deeds and actions, as well as his
own words, and was thus consequently in a position to make
them out to be as innocent as possible. But he might say what
he liked, in what he himself acknowledged was there not a clear
admission that he must have stood on a peculiarly confidential
footing with his confessant ? On such terms, indeed, as were
evidently entirely contrary to all decorum.
It was thus, then, not to be wondered at that there was hardly
anyone in the lay world who looked upon Father Girard as
innocent, and, on that account, credence was even given to
Cadiere, as, by a solemn protest made on oath, she cancelled all
the proceedings which had taken place during her third hearing,
affirming that the pure truth was only contained in her first
confession. Still further, indeed, as Cadiere, by the advice of
her advocate, now complained to the Council of State regard-
ing the abuse of ecclesiastical justice, and appealed claiming
a reversion to the former mode of investigation ; her petition
was at once complied with, and the Parliament of Aix
decided to refer the case for final determination to the
last court of appeal. The trial thus began afresh from the
commencement, and the Jesuits then incessantly used all
their influence in order to bias the new judges in their
favour. Kepeatedly did their friends, both male and female,
work upon the members of Parliament, repeatedly did they
make use of threats of eternal punishment, repeatedly did
they employ gold in such quantities that, to the vast
amount already expended, yet another million was added. In
this manner, in fact, did the sons of Loyola win the judges
over to their side, and another great advantage that they had
was that the celebrated advocate, Thorame, was retained by them
to plead for Girard before the Court. They, moreover, dared to
326 HISTORY OF THE JESUITS.
reckon upon the Procurator- General for themselves, as also the
Chief Attorney of State, and secretly, too, even the president of
the court sold himself to them, hody and soul. Under these
circumstances, then, they might well calculate upon a favourable
termination to the case, more especially, also, as Cadiere could
neither command many friends nor much money. One thing,
however, had been forgotten by the sons of Loyola that is, the
sense of justice, which can never die out from the mind of man,
and it was this feeling that obtained for Cadiere such a distin-
guished advocate as Chaudon, who, if he did not excel Thorame
in acumen and craft, was, at all events, his superior as regards
knowledge and skill, and thus prevented, at least, all of the judges,
or even a majority of them, from being blinded by the gold of
the Girard party. I shall not now dwell any longer on the
particulars of this scandalous story, most scandalous, indeed, in
more ways than one, but hasten to bring it to a conclusion. On
the llth of September 1731, Thorame, Father Girard's advocate,
made this proposition, " That Cadiere should be sentenced in the
first place to do penance before the Church of St. Salvador, and
then be hanged and strangled." This sentence was, however,
peremptorily rejected by far the greater majority of votes of the
members of the Court of Justice, which consisted of twenty-five.
A counter proposition on the part of Chaudon ran thus, " That
Father Girard should be sentenced to death for having been
completely proved guilty of ecclesiastical incest, as well as of
the degradation of his priestly office, by repeated crimes against
morality, 1 ' and not fewer than twelve judges voted for it; one
was, therefore, wanting in order to constitute this to be the
conclusion come to by the Court. The other twelve judges
agreed upon a third proposition, of the nature of a compromise,
which ran as follows : " That Father Girard, in consideration of
the evident imbecility of mind that had come upon him, and
which had made him to be an object of derision to his confess-
ants, should be acquitted of the gravamen of the crime and
misdemeanor laid to his charge, and, on the other hand, should
be dealt with by the Ecclesiastical Court ; secondly, that Cadiere
should be given over free to her mother, with the sole penalty of
bearing the expenses incurred by the Criminal Lieutenant of
Toulon, but without interest on former costs; thirdly, thatNiclas,
the Prior of the Carmelites, as well as Cadiere's brother, both
THE SPIKITUAL EXEECISE3. 327
of whom had heen accused of conspiracy against Girard, should
be acquitted and released from prison ; fourthly and lastly, that
the documents, which had been drawn up for the parties, so far
as they might be prejudicial to the honour of the Church, should
be torn up and destroyed by the chief clerk of the Court." Aa
regards the second and third propositions, then, the former
was rejected, while in the case of the latter, the votes being
equally divided, it rested with the casting vote of the President;
he, however, being a friend of the Jesuits, voted, as a matter of
course, for the latter, and accordingly the above-mentioned com-
promise, which allowed all the parties to go free, was passed, as the
decision come to by the Court. Some of the judges, indeed, being
strongly biased in favour of the Order of Jesus, were of opinion
that it was right that some sort of punishment, at least, should be
inflicted on Cadiere, in order that she might not be able to boast
of having completely escaped scot-free, but the rest of the
members of Parliament were not in the least to be moved.
"What!" said one of them, full of indignation, "we have just
acquitted a man who is perhaps one of the greatest criminals in
the world, and are we to assign the least punishment to this
poor girl ? Rather let this palace be consumed by fire, and our-
selves buried in the ruins." These stirring words took effect, and
Cadiere was released out of prison. So ended the case of Girard
v. Cadiere, which caused such an enormous sensation throughout
the whole of Europe. It terminated, according to the meaning-
of the sentence, without result, and still, what an uncommonly
clear signification lay therein. And why ? Had not the Order
of Jesus accused Cadiere and her brother, along with the Prior
of the Carmelites, of being false accusers and conspirators; why,
then, did they go unpunished ? On the other hand, was it a
light matter to bring charges of the most serious nature against
a priest of the rank of Rector of the Jesuits ? Certainly, had
Father Girard been innocent, Cadiere would not have escaped
death, and the Jesuits had thus, with all their enormous influence
and their terrific expenditure of money, contrived to do no more
than prevent their brother being condemned to death. That he
deserved such a fate, however, no right-thinking man in the
whole civilised world could have the slightest doubt, and, on the
promulgation of the sentence in Aix, it was indeed found to be
necessary to have a large military force in order to be able to
328 HISTORY OF THE JESUITS.
convey him in safety through the howling crowd. But even
further than this, the Archbishop of Aix, although not such a
crow as to pick out the eyes of another, publicly came over to be
of the opinion of those who designated the pious Father as a
criminal, and maintaining that he was guilty, not only prohibited
him from ever again mounting a pulpit, from which he might
boast of his triumph, but banished him out of the town of Aix
and entirely out of the whole of his Archiepiscopal See. Girard
thus dared not to return to Toulon, as it was feared that his
doing so might have caused an insurrection, and he consequently
took up his abode in Lyons, and, not long after, in about a yenr,
took his departure out of the world, people affirming that the
sudden death of such a strong man could be looked upon no
otherwise than as a judgment of God upon him. What did it
matter that the Jesuits tried in every possible way to write him
up as a persecuted saint ? None gave any credence to them, but
thousands upon thousands came to the conclusion that a society
which had not only refrained from expelling out of their body, as
a mangy sheep, a criminal, evidently of the grossest description,
but had taken him up in their arms and elevated him up to
heaven, that such a society, I say, was no better than the
criminal himself.
A few words must, lastly, be snid concerning the future fate of
Oadiere. On leaving the Court of Justice, she was greeted with
the most vociferous cheers, and all made haste to tender to her
the deepest sympathy. She was, indeed, regularly feted as
a heroine, and a number of poems made their appearance in
which her stedfastness, and especially her beauty, were extolled
with the highest praise.* On the other hand, the tongue of
malice and calumny did not remain silent; all maidens, espe-
cially those who had Jesuits for Father Confessors, being
disposed to defame her secretly in all kinds of ways. Her
residence in Aix, consequently, soon became in the highest
degree intolerable, and she also found it to be equally impossible
" She was a brunette of middle stature, of peculiarly mild and agreeable
features, with an uncommonly symmetrical figure. She was especially
distinguished for a truly wonderful harmony in her whole appearance, as
well as for a fulness and freshness of which it would be difficult to find the
like; and, above all, her contemporaries extolled her dark, piercing, softly
languishing eyes, corresponding exquisitely with her luxurious black hair.
In a word, it would be no easy matter to find more charms united in a female
form than in Catherine CadieVe, the victim of the Jesuit Girard.
THE SPIRITUAL EXERCISES. 329
to remain any longer in Toulon. Her mother, therefore, quickly
disposed of all her property, and one fine morning both mother
and daughter disappeared without leaving behind them a single
trace of where they had gone. The sons of Loyola put
themselves to no end of trouble to find out the place of her
abode, and many persons who, it may be stated, had been
initiated into the secret were, under various pretexts, thrown
into prison, with the object of inducing them to let it out.
History is, however, silent as to whether they were successful, as
the world never heard anything more of the poor unfortunate
creature. Several people affirmed that she had gone over the
water into some foreign country under a feigned name ; others
would have it that, out of disgust for the world, she had immured
herself in some cloister, to which her mother had made over all
her property. The majority, however, maintained that the
Jesuits having discovered her abode, she had then been secretly
.removed from the world by poison.
BOOK IV,
THE DISINTERESTEDNESS OF THE JESUITS,
OR,
THE VOW OF POVEETY.
MOTTO:
Die Schwarzruck sind die Hirten der Erde,
Die Burger des Erdkreises sind die Heerde;
Die Weid' ist ihr liegendes Gut,
Die Woll' ihr Reichthum und Blut.
Wer aber bestimmt die Platze zum Weiden?
Das ist in Rom der schwarz 1 General,
Der da herrscht aber Papst und Konige zumaL
Er acheeret die Wolle, das Schaaf muss es leiden,
Und muss noch danken demiithiglicb,
Dass er mit der Wolle begnuget sich ;
Denn wenn er auch noch das Fell wollt' nehmen,
Wer Konnt's ihm wehren?
Aus dem Drama: " Der Weinberg des Naltoth,"*
333
CHAPTER I.
THE CONFESSIONAL AS THE KEY TO THE MONEY-CHEST..
THE first great nail in the coffin of the Order of Jesus was, as I
have just shown, the vices which the sons of Loyola practised
to such an extraordinary extent; the second still greater and
still more important death-hlow which I conspicuously bring to
notice was their inordinate desire to attain riches, by any kind of
means, even the most exceptionable. We have learned through
the First Book of this work, how very much the founder of the
Society of Jesus sought to symbolize, through his own proper
example, Christian humility, poverty, and self-sacrifice in the
highest degree, and he urged with iron austerity that his disciples
should imitate him in this respect. We also know that he
claimed for bis Order at the same time, with the view to the
establishment, endowment, and maintenance of colleges, semi-
naries, novice-houses, and other educational institutions, the
privilege of accumulating as much money and goods as could be
gathered together, and that he attached at least as great impor-
tance to this matter as to the symbolizing of Christian poverty,
self-denial, and simplicity. Both rules riches for the Order,
and poverty for the individual son of Loyola were, in accord-
ance with the intention of the founder of the Order, kept with
a truly rigorous consistency; and there was required of every
Jesuit, on his entrance into the Society, the double duty to gain
at once as much as ever was possible for the latter, and to
sacrifice for the general benefit that is, for the Order and its
334 HISTORY OF THE JESUITS.
General all that he should personally win or acquire, himself
living in the greatest frugality and poverty, under the obligation
of self-renunciation. This was for mortal man a task very
difficult of fulfilment, and, indeed, was almost impossible ;
consequently it was never in reality carried out, but merely in
appearance only so far as was necessary to lead mankind into
error. And why ? Were not the more initiated soon well aware
that, neither in the Jesuit profess-houses nor in the colleges and
other institutions of the Order, was there even the least restric-
tion in relation to eating, drinking, or other enjoyments of life ?
It was true, indeed, that there secretly reigned in certain things
a luxury that was not to be met with in even the most wealthy
houses a luxury of such a refined description as to promote
the very vices which it was the duty of the fraternity to avoid.
All this gradually became known, but only, as before said, among
the more initiated circles, as the great mass of the public allowed
themselves to be deceived, through many dozens of decades, by
the external appearance of indigence maintained for mere out-
ward show, and strangers taken into a Jesuit institution saw
there nothing but plainly furnished apartments, along with a
corresponding simplicity in other respects. Yet far more is
behind the scenes. As regards the riches which were collected
by the Order for the general benefit, is one actually to rest
satisfied that they were solely to be used for the educational
establishment, as laid down by the statutes of the Order ? How,
then, were there so many paid spies who were maintained at the
several great and small courts, sunk in vice ? With what were
the situations of Father Confessors to ministers and other influen-
tial personages bought, frequently at uncommonly dear prices ?
How much did the alliances and marriages cost, which the Order
of Jesus brought about among the great of the earth for its own
advantage, and how much was expended on mistresses and other
similar creatures ? Certainly the great mass of the people
might be managed through fanaticism, flattery, and bigotry ; in
higher circles, however, very different machinery must be set in
motion, and the acquisition and oiling of this machinery cost
money, and, indeed, a very large amount.
From these few indications one perceives why, in spite of all
this display of poverty and indigence by individual members, the
Society of Jesus had need to accumulate riches of every kind,
THE CONFESSIONAL. 335
and it succeeded in this to such an extent that, so early as the
year 1626, the University of Paris complained of the immensity
of these possessions. "Along with their colleges," so it is
stated in that written complaint, " are conjoined the best and
richest benefices, landed estates, and foundations, and their
revenues are now so great that they can no longer, with any
amount of cunning, conceal that such is the case. On this
account their houses can no more be termed houses, but resemble
rather kings' palaces and residences of princes of the blood, as
regards splendour and magnificence."
Such was the case in France itself, and, indeed, in all other
countries in which the Order of Jesus had procured an entrance.
.And another question may now be put, How and by what means
had these riches been accumulated ? The Jesuits, of course,
maintained that it had all been effected in a straightforward,
honourable, and honest manner, namely, by presents made to
them by believers, of their own accord; and there cannot be
any question but that much money and property came into their
possession in this way. Moreover, as we have already seen in
the First Book, the Popes, almost without any exception, showed
themselves so favourable to them, that to obtain they had only
to indicate a number of incomes which the Roman Senate had
at its disposal ; they also stirred up the orthodox believers, by
special Bulls, to accord benevolent contributions to the Order,
while on the reverse, they launched heavy denunciations against
all who endeavoured to hinder any such benevolence. Lastly,
it is an acknowledged fact that a very considerable amount was
derived from the masses read by the sons of Loyola, not to
speak of rosaries sold, as in prosperous times the former averaged
half a million annually, and, nota bene, those half million were
only read for deceased persons who had shown especial liberality
to the Society. Notwithstanding all this, however, it would
appear incredible that such colossal riches as the Jesuits pos-
sessed could have been acquired merely by these means, and
thinking people soon began to be of opinion that the sons of
.Loyola employed besides " entirely different " ways to succeed
:in their object. And it was not difficult to produce the neces-
sary proofs for such a supposition as soon as they had observed
-more closely the behaviour which the Jesuits assumed towards
the rich and highly conditioned, while as Father Confessors
386 HISTORY OF THE JESUITS.
towards the rulers of the world these spiritual guides were
actually obliged, by the command of their General, to stir
up their confessants continually to exercise benevolence towards
the Order of Jesus, and experience proved that they fulfilled this
obligation most assiduously. One has only to run through
superficially the history of Bavaria and Austria, or that of Spain
and Portugal, to be enabled to seize such things by the hands, so
to speak, and such was the case, also, in all other countries and
territories in which the sons of Loyola had made a nest for
themselves. In a word, it was soon perfectly apparent to the
intelligent that the sons of Loyola claimed for themselves, as a
kind of monopoly, the spiritual counselling and conscience-keeping
of all the rich people and persons of rank, and that they suc-
ceeded, by their unremitting exertions, in confining the remaining
monks and members of Orders to the confessions of the poor
and those of low degree. But how was this? Simply because
much was to be obtained from the wealthy and opulent, whereas
one must needs go away empty-handed from those in humble
spheres of life.
But these are only general statements ; in particular cases,
however, things came to light which proved that the sons of
Loyola made use of the confessional in a way which may be
denominated scarcely less than dishonourable. Thus, when
examining the matter in regard to Venice, it will be seen, by
letters which were found, that they made use of the confes-
sional in order to pry into family secrets, and in particular
into the circumstances of private individuals, and that they
sent an accurate report to their General in Rome on the
subject every six weeks. There was traced, too, on investi-
gation of the Jesuit College at Ruremonde, in the Netherlands,
a letter of the General Ricci, in which the chiefs were
instructed in what way they might be able to prevent
rich widows from contracting a second marriage. Thus
they raised a hope in several of their confessants that they
would be assured of happiness after death as soon as
they should give themselves up wholly and entirely to
Jesuit guidance ; for example, the rich Marie de la Coque,
after she had made a will in favour of the Society of Jesus,
allowed herself, on the persuasion of the Father La Colom-
biere, to be bled, always on the first Friday in every month,
THE CONFESSIONAL. 337
"in honour of the holy heart of Mary"; this continued
from 1674 to 1690, until she at length died from loss of
hlood in the latter year. In this manner they intimidated
many of their flock with the eternal pains of hell in such
a truly barbarous manner, and did not grant them absolution
until the fraternity had obtained a certain sum. The well-
known Jesuit, Salmeron, made them pay as much as a
thousand gold dollars. Thus, the two Fathers Alegambi and
Ortiz carried on with the Countess Magdalena Ulloya, the
widowed grand stewardess of the Emperor Charles V., to such
an extent, in regard to being possessed with a devil, that she
made over 16,000 ducats to them, in order to drive out Satan ;
while in a precisely similar manner Father Canisius trans-
gressed as regards the two Countesses Ursula and Sibilla von
Fugger. Again, two other Jesuits, for the sum of 200,000
florins, finding that a very rich but half-witted man, in regard
to his fate after death, wished for some assurance, furnished
him with the following passport to eternity :
" We, the undersigned, as priests of the true religion, attest
and promise, in the name of our Society, which possesses the
necessary authority in such cases, that it takes under its
special protection Mr. Hippolyte Bram, licenciate of law,
in order to defend him against the whole power of hell, in
the event of its desire to undertake anything against his
honour, his person, or his soul ; this we confirm by oath,
employing in such a case the authority of our most illustrious
founder, in order that the above-mentioned Bram may be pre-
sented, through him, to the most holy chief the Apostle, with
all the fidelity and precision to which our Society is bound.
For the further confirmation of this, we have stamped it with the
secret seal of our Society. Given at Ghent, on the 29th of March
1650. Francis Seclin, Rector of the College; Peter de Bic,
Prior and member of the Society of Jesus."
From these few instances it may be perceived how the Jesuits
proceeded in order to acquire for themselves a rich inherit-
ance from the dead, or a no less valuable present from the living ;
and it is hardly necessary for me to add that they especially, on
this account, looked well after wealthy widows. One knows,
indeed, how much easier it is to deal with that description of
God's creatures than with married women of the same age, or
22
338 HISTORY OF THE JESUITS.
with those of the male sex ; consequently, the Superiors selected
only such members of the Society to be Father Confessors
of widows as seemed most likely to secure the end in view.
They required to be men of the so-called best age, that is to say,
not too young, in order to avoid scandal, but also certainly not
too old ; men of a cheerful, lively temperament, of a strong
and stately frame, and especially well endowed with the gift of
eloquence, in order to be able to ingratiate themselves with the
ladies. They should be not merely Father Confessors, in the
proper sense of the word, but also, at the same time, bosom
friends to whom the widows might entrust all their little secrets
and take counsel in worldly affairs ; with whom, too, they would
willingly enter into conversation about the news of the day,
presuming that the pious Fathers take as much interest in the
state of the bodily condition of their penitents as in the health
and welfare of their souls.
Such counsellors ought to have much good fortune with
widows requiring consolation, and as in the case of sickness
they never stirred from the bedside, it could not fail that a
passage in their will in favour of the Order was almost always
found. Again, when the sons of Loyola keep a particular look-
out upon rich widows, they by no means, on this account,
also neglect to obtain from them other information, especially
interesting themselves in drawing the sons of rich parents into
their Order. These novices are then at once subjected to a
strict examination respecting the age and worldly circumstances
of their father, and not the less questioned as to their blood
relationship, and as to whether here and there some inheritance
may not be still expected. The rector thus becomes acquainted
with all family particulars on these matters, and, making a
careful note thereof, he confirms the same by information
derived, in an underhand mode, from other sources.
One need not have the slightest doubt that in this way the
Order was accurately apprised respecting the private affairs of
its members, and that it knew what part to play in the event
of death taking place. Indeed, the Fathers acted mostly with
an energy and perseverance which would, in fact, be deserving
of admiration were it not that their impudence and interested-
ness were also apparent, arousing a feeling quite the contrary
to that of admiration !
THE CONFESSIONAL. 339
A couple of instances may make this clear to the reader. The
'Count Carl Zani, son of the Count Johann Zani, at Bologna,
in Italy, allured hy the sons of Loyola, entered into their Society
in the year 1627, hut was required, before he could ohtain his
father's permission to take this step, to enter into a written bond,
attested by a notary and witnesses, that as long as he continued
to be a member of the Jesuit Order he would renounce his whole
paternal inheritance, and would never at any time make any
claim to the estates, either for himself or for the Society of
Jesus. His elder brother, therefore, Count Angelo Zani, in-
herited after his father's death the whole possessions, and it thus
appeared that the sons of Loyola obtained no special advantage
from the entrance of Carl Zani into their Order. But in the
year 1639, immediately after entering upon his inheritance,
Count Angelo died ; not, however, as is supposed, without the
skilful assistance of a Jesuit physician who treated him. And
now the sons of Ignatius exploded the long-laid mine. Carl
Zani hastened to make at once a request to the General to be
permitted to resign the Order, in order that, by returning into
the secular state, he might be enabled to lay claim to the great
inheritance, and the General did not delay in causing the
necessary papers to be delivered to him through the Provincial
Menochio. However, previous to this, he was required to make
a promise on oath that, after settling the business connected with
the inheritance, he would again re-enter the Order, and, on this
account, a bond was laid before him which, literally translated,
ran as follows :
" After that I, Carl Zani, shall now receive from the Society
of Jesus my letter of discharge respecting which I made a peti-
tion, before the same shall be handed to me by the highly-
'esteemed Father Provincial, Stephan Menochio, I make a vow to
'God, and in his presence, by which I bind myself, on my con-
science, to his Divine Majesty, that after the receipt of my letter of
discharge, and as soon as I have brought into order the matters
on which account I made the request, I will address the most
urgent solicitation to the Superiors, as well as to the Society,
that I may be again received back into the same, and, indeed,
at that very time which may be considered to be most right and
convenient by the most worthy Father Vincenz Maria Bargellini,
'who was assigned to me as my companion for the regulation of
22 *
340 HISTOBY OF THE JESUITS.
my affairs, considering that I will thus engage to abide by this,
his reasonable order and judgment, setting aside all scruple, and
in order, with God's help, to give satisfaction to my vow, to
place at the disposal of the college all that falls to my lot by
the inheritance."
After the execution of this bond, Carl Zani obtained the
necessary documents, and at once put off the Jesuit costume, on
the 27th November 1689. It was, of course, not difficult for
him, as next of kin, to enter into possession of the said inherit-
ance, and now not only was he looked upon as a rich indepen-
dent cavalier, but he was also beset, on all sides, to enter into the
state of matrimony, in order to continue the race of Zani, and
many of the most beautiful ladies were suggested to him. The
above-mentioned bond, sworn to on oath, now greatly troubled
him, and he hastened then to Rome, in order to obtain from
Pope Innocent a release from his vow. The latter, however,
lent an ear to the Jesuit General, and thus neither money nor
fair words had any effect upon him. In the meantime, Carl
Zani became dangerously ill, and the Jesuits besieged his
bedside day and night, as may be well imagined, in order to
extort from him by pressure a will in their favour. They were
successful, too, shortly before he breathed his last, in obtaining
such a deed, wherein he bequeathed to them all the posses-
sions belonging to him ; and now, of course, they fell upon
the rich inheritance with great eagerness. But lo, behold !
the male relations of the deceased produced an ancient family
statute, according to which Carl Zani had no right whatever to
dispose testamentarily of the family estates which were an allo-
dium (that is private property in contradistinction to freehold
property), and there now at once arose a law-suit, which occupied
the judges of the Roman Rota for many years. In the course
of the law-suit the sons of Loyola persuaded themselves not
only that they would not succeed in winning the same, but that
they would be compromised thereby, through their insatiable
avarice, as well as owing to the peculiar manner in which they
acquired inheritances ; and, consequently, they addressed them-
selves to Pope Alexander VII., the successor of Innocent X.,
with the most urgent appeal in respect to a so-called sign-
manual of grace. The Pope granted it to them, that is, he
ordered the counsellors of the Rota to bring the matter to a
THE CONFESSIONAL. 341
suitable compromise, and thereupon the estates and possessions
to which it referred were divided into twelve parts, five of
-which the Jesuits obtained, while seven were allotted to the
rightful heirs. Thus the sons of Loyola swallowed up a part,
and, indeed, a very large part, out of the estate, although their
claims were entirely unjust ; in addition to this, they had the
pleasure of having almost entirely ruined the rightful heirs by
the costs of the law-suit.
Another not less remarkable inheritance suit came before the
world at the end of the 16th century in France, under the
government of Henry III., and likewise ended in favour of
the Jesuits, although in this instance they were no less in the
wrong than in the case just related.
Peter Airault, Criminal Lieutenant at the Presidial Court of
Angers, possessed an only son, Rene, a lad of great attainments,
who had a brilliant future before him from the riches and
rank of the family, and he placed the lad for the completion
of his education in a Jesuit college which was very celebrated in
his eyes from its great advantages in regard to learning. He
did not, however, take this step without beforehand expressly
declaring to the good Fathers that he destined his son to be his
sole successor, and that he therefore wished him to be brought
in contact with those youths only who were to be devoted to
secular and not ecclesiastical pursuits. The sons of Loyola
jpromised most faithfully and religiously to meet his wishes in
this respect, and they would have perhaps done so had young
Rene been merely a poor lad without prospects. But in this
case it was quite the reverse, as he not only was to inherit, in
the first place, a large property from his father, but also a rich
estate belonging to his grandmother had already fallen to him.
Could, then, the Society of Jesus let such a fat booty slip from
them ? No, this the pious Fathers could not bring their hearts
to do, and they gave themselves so much trouble that the long
and short of it was that, after a three years' residence in their
college, the youth confided to their care put on the habit of the
Order. The father, on being informed of this, became furious,
and instantly appealed to the law court in order to regain his
son. The Jesuits, however, explained, in justification, that Rene
had voluntarily entered the Society, and that now his connection
it was indissoluble. The Criminal Lieutenant appealed at
342 HISTORY OF THE JESUITS.
once to the Parliament of Anjou, and it adjudged the accused to-
deliver up their novice as being detained contrary to law. With
the judgment in his hand, Peter Airault now hastened to
Angers, and, supported by an armed force, knocked at the gate
of the Jesuit college. But what was the answer which was givon
to him ? Young Rene had flown under cover of night, and no
one knew what had become of him. The Criminal Lieutenant
could not believe this, and searched throughout the whole
college. Still nowhere did he find his son, who was, in fact,
not forthcoming. He had long before been secretly conveyed,
for security, into a college in Loraine, thence into Germany,,
and lastly to Italy. The precaution had, moreover, been taken
to strike out the name of Rene Airault from the register of the
college, as one who had disappeared, and to substitute for it
another unsuspected name, under which the newly-ucquired
member went henceforth. The extraordinary cunning of this
method of procedure soon showed itself. King Henry III.,
urged by the unhappy father, intervened through his ambassador,
and, appealing to Pope Sixtus V., demanded from the Holy See
a mandate in favour of his Criminal Lieutenant. To comply
with this demand, the eldest son of the Church ordered the
Jesuit General, Claudio Aquaviva, to lay before him the list of
the whole of the members of the Order, not omitting even the
novices. The General obeyed at once, without delay, as he
knew that it was impossible to find the corpus delicti. So it
happened, and the Pope as well as the King had to be content
with the answer that no Rene Airault could be found among
the members of the Society of Jesus. In the meantime years
elapsed, and no trace was discovered of the missing youth. And
as it now became evident to the elder Airault that his son had
taken part in the Jesuit conspiracy, and must have been privy
to their intentions, for otherwise he would certainly have taken
an opportunity of allowing his father to hear from him, at
least once at all events, he consequently made a will before a
notary and witnesses, wherein he gave his curse to the son, and
disinherited him, so far as the laws would permit. Immediately
thereupon he died, deeply pitied by all who knew him.
But what took place now ? Hardly had the deceased been
buried when Rene Airault came upon the scene and demanded
what was due to him. He made his appearance, not as a Jesuit,
THE CONFESSIONAL. 343
but as a civilian, and explained his long absence on the ground
of his thirst for seeing foreign countries. He could not be
refused the estate of his grandmother, as it had been up to
this time administered by the Orphan Court, and with as little
trouble did he take possession of the immovable estate which
his father had not the power of alienating from him by his will.
Scarcely, however, had he obtained possession of his property
when he declared himself a member of the Society of Jesus, and
gave over the whole of his newly-acquired inheritance to his
superiors, as in duty bound, as he had now reassumed his black
garment, and no Jesuit dare possess any property of his own.
Thus did the Order of Jesus arrive at its end, and what now
mattered the judgment and disdain of the world ?
A similar instance of sneaking after an inheritance occurred a
short time afterwards in Flanders, where the Jesuit Grebert, after
he had, during thirteen years, filled the tolerably important
position of an ecclesiastical coadjutor, retired for a couple of
years into the lay condition in order to lay claim, at the expense
of his brother, to the family patrimony. So again there was a
question of many years of litigation, which, in the second half
of the 17th century, the Knights of the Purgstalle of the
Kiegerburg in Styria carried on with the Society of Jesus.
But where would this end if I were to enter into this affair,
and the many dozens of other cases of the same nature ? I
must be satisfied, however, with the account of one other case,
namely the great law-suit which the sons of Loyola carried on
respecting the considerable lordship of Btiren in Westphalia,
hoping that the reader, from the public exposure of this more
than wicked affair, may obtain a true picture of the proceedings
of the Jesuits in relation to matters of inheritance.
In the year 1610, Baron Joachim of Biiren, a good Protestant,
died, leaving behind an only little son, of course also Protestant,
of the name of Moritz, over whom his mother, a no less zealous
Protestant, acted as guardian. Because, however, at that time
it was previous to the Thirty Years' war Protestants and
Catholics for the most part associated quite well together as
long as they were not hounded on by their clergy, the widow
Elizabeth had no scruple in selecting as friends also some
Catholic ladies among the nobility of the neighbourhood,
especially in the neighbouring small town of Paderborn, and
344 HISTORY OP THE JESUITS.
these paid her frequent visits. Of course this could not long
remain unknown to the Jesuits, who had at that period just
settled in Paderborn ; and while they at the same time
learned that the widow possessed more good nature than
understanding, they at once concocted a plan to convert
young Moritz von Buren, with his mother, to the Catholic
Church, in order to incorporate with their possessions the two-
fold inheritance, especially the beautiful lordship of Buren.
This was indeed a bold undertaking ; but the sons of Loyola
had one among them, in Paderborn, who was popular with
everyone on account of his softness of manners and subtlety
in social intercourse, more especially in everything which might
ingratiate him among women ; and consequently they hoped
through him to overcome all difficulties. In fact, Father Fried-
rich Roerich, the name of this individual, immediately set to
work with the greatest zeal in the prosecution of his task, and
having been introduced by the above-mentioned ladies to Frau
Elizabeth von Buren, he very soon succeeded in gaining the
confidence of the latter. After he had now established himself
as house friend and adviser in worldly matters, he did not desist
until he had also advanced to the rank of spiritual adviser,
and the long and the short of it was that, after three years
of unremitting exertion, he enjoyed the satisfaction of seeing
the widow von Biiren publicly go over into the only saving
Church.
This took place at the end of the year J613, and the natural
consequence was that the education of young Moritz was ut
once placed entirely in the hands of the sons of Loyola ; for how
could a convert who required to show some zeal for the new
religion act otherwise? The result was that the now nine-year-
old boy was first placed in the Jesuit college of Paderborn,
where he remained until the year 1617, at which time his mother
married for a second time, with the High Bailiff William
of Westphalia. Thereupon he was taken to the celebrated
Jesuit institute at Cologne, where he was so manipulated, and
his mind, inclined to extravagant ideas, was so worked upon
with endless skill, that on attaining the age of seventeen he
wished to forego the seductions of this sinful world, and to
enter at once as a novice with the sons of Loyola. The latt> r
believed that both his mother and stepfather would gladly say Yes,
THE CONFESSIONAL. 345
-but they were mistaken. On the contrary, both parents earnestly
expressed their opinion that the youth should, first of all, look a
little about him in the world, that he should be sent on his
travels to the various capitals and courts of the globe, as then
was the custom, and by a prolonged residence in them become
acquainted with the manners of the times. The Jesuits con-
sented to this, as they did not wish to run counter to the power-
ful High Bailiff, and Moritz commenced his educational travels
at once, in the year 1621, with their approval. They contrived,
however, that a certain Balthasar Bonninghausen, a young man
who had been brought up by them in their principles, and was
entirely devoted to their interests, should accompany him as
tutor and marshal, and by this means they always were en-
abled to obtain minute particulars of every step and proceeding
of their former pupil.
I will not enter upon a description of all the adventures and
travels of the young von Biiren, but only remark that, after a
.prolonged residence in France and Spain, he went to Italy in
order to visit Eternal Home. Scarcely, however, had he arrived
there than he deemed it most important to have himself pre-
sented to the Pope, and, above everything, to pay his humble
respects to the Jesuit General Mutius Vitelleschi. He was not,
however, satisfied with making the latter a respectful visit, but
he declared to the General that it was his intention to enter into
his Order as soon as it was possible for him to do so, and the
great man saw at a glance that the youth was entirely in earnest
as to this. The General, however, did not at once pounce upon
him, but rather advised him to delay for a little carrying out his
pious intention, and in the meanwhile to prepare himself quietly
for taking so great a step, as such things ought to be well
considered beforehand. The advice sounded quite fatherly to
von Biiren, and was accepted also by him ; but the motives
which induced the General so to act were of a very different
character. Young Moritz was now only in his nineteenth year,
;and as he was still a minor he had not, as yet, any valid power
of disposal over his lordship of Biiren; nor had he, during the
lifetime of his mother, those estates at his command, which he
-would only inherit at her death ; and the General thus contem-
plated nothing else, by his advice, than to induce von Biiren
.not to enter the Society of Jesus previous to his mother's death,
346 HISTORY OF THE JESUITS.
or before he was of age. Of course, it was not for the sake
of obtaining the amiable person of von Biiren for the Society of
Jesus as an historian expresses it but, on the contrary, only
in order to get possession of his great landed estates and pro-
perties ! After von Biiren had returned home from his travels,
he was urged by his mother and stepfather, with all their might,,
to take unto himself a spouse, as he had no legitimate successor,
and the beautiful lordship must in this case go to a collateral
relative ; but upon this point the youth showed himself to be
inexorable. He could not marry, because he had secretly taken
an oath that he would later on belong to the Order, and his
Father Confessor thought it well to remind him of the eternal
punishment in hell, which every perjured person of any descrip-
tion irrevocably obtains. On another point, on the contrary, he
complied with the wish of his mother, namely, that he should
select some secular field of employment, and felt himself much
flattered when the Emperor Ferdinand II., through the efforts
of the Jesuits, nominated him in October 1629 to the office
of President of the Imperial Supreme Court of Judicature.
He entered, at the same time, upon the control of his lordship,
although to a limited degree, as his mother, so long as she
lived, was entitled to draw a certain income therefrom.
But, at length, this came to an end, as the death of Frau
Elizabeth took place in the year 1632, and now the sons of
Loyola urged him earnestly either to enter into their Order at
once or, at least, to make a will in their favour. Moritz von
Biiren promised to do both, only he begged to be allowed some
respite, in order that he might previously have an opportunity of
making an explanation to his stepfather and sisters, who had
claims on a certain portion of the revenues. Thus year after
year went past, and on this account they became more and more
impatient. They now raised another storm against him in the
year 1640, and he then was prevailed upon to execute a will on.
the 21st of April of the same year, by which he bequeathed the
whole of his possessions, without exception, to the Society of
Jesus, with the object that after his death a college should be
erected in Biiren. He also nominated the Bishops of Miinster
and Paderborn, as well as the Emperor himself, to be executors
of this his will, and accordingly the sons of Loyola believed that
any possibility of its being upset had now been extinguished..
THE CONFESSIONAL. 347"
Moreover, in order to make the matter even more certain,,
they persuaded their faithful pupil, some years afterwards,,
to enter formally into the Order; this happened in April
1644, and they now hoped to be able to levy an embargo on
these great possessions, even during his lifetime, and they did
this at once, although with the foresight of leaving to von Biireu
the appearance of still having the enjoyment of the same. In :
truth, however, he was merely administrator, being so completely
under the supervision of the Superiors that he dare not do the
slightest thing without them, and the whole of this juggling had
no other object than to throw dust into the eyes of the world..
Taking into account their avidity of all sorts, it would not have
been wise, indeed, if the sons of Loyola had contented them-
selves with a simple seizure of the lordship ; they acted, how-
ever, discreetly in preparing people gradually, and especially the
relations of the Biiren race, for the great stroke which was-
to follow, as it might be hoped that the latter would thereby
become the more easily reconciled to the unavoidable. They
succeeded for a time in the deception, but only for a time. As,
after some years, the High Bailiff, William of Westphalia,
who was a good Catholic, indeed, but, at the same time, a
most haughty nobleman, came to a knowledge of the secret,,
feeling himself most deeply aggrieved at the Jesuitical intrigues,
he at once, with all the energy at his command, urged his step-
son not only to annul the said will, but also to return into-
the world and bid an eternal farewell to the Jesuits. At the
same time he represented to him how much his sisters aiid other
relations would be injured by this donation of the Biiren lord-
ship to the sons of Loyola, and how the sisters, as well as him-
self, were fully justified in claiming, on this account, the
protection of the law, so that by the persistent refusal of Moritz.
to lay aside the Jesuit habit it would become necessary for them
to institute a law-suit, which, prosecuted between near relatives,
must give rise to much vexation and scandal in the world.
However, he might preach as much as he could, the step-
sisters might pray as incessantly and as long as they were able,.
Moritz von Biiren remained obstinate, and neither gave to his>
stepfather any motive founded on reason, nor yielded one iota to
his sisters' tears. Consequently the threatened law-suit now
commenced, and the High Bailiff was justified when he called.
348 HISTORY OF THE JESUITS.
attention to the scandal that would be occasioned thereby on
such things coming to light, as must necessarily fill the world
with disgust and abhorrence.
Indeed, the sons of Loyola showed thereby such a detestable
and violent desire for thieving, that the Bishop of Paderborn, Diet-
rich Adolphus von Reck, in whose diocese the lordship of Biiren
was situated, saw himself necessitated to occupy the same with
-troops in August 1657, and this sequestration continued fully
three years, until at length the Emperor Leopold I. induced
him to evacuate it in the year 1660.
The year following, Father Moritz, as Von Biiren had been
called since 1644, died, without, however, having seen the end
of the great law-suit. The same lasted, on the contrary, seven-
and-thirty years, as it only ended, indeed, in a compromise, in
the year 1698, according to which the sons of Loyola retained
the stolen inheritance, paying the then very considerable sum of
45,000 gold dollars out of it.
From what has now been related, the reader will have been
thoroughly convinced respecting the eminent talent which the
Jesuits displayed in inheritance-hunting ; with this talent, how-
ever, they conjoined shamelessness, which went as far even as
baseness, and this, also, will best be made apparent by some
examples. Count de Marie, formerly Equerry of the Prince de
Conde, had an only son, and placed him in the Jesuit educa-
tional establishment of St. Acheul, in order to have him there
educated. The pious Fathers became acquainted, through the
son, regarding the particular circumstances of the father, and as
they ascertained that he would have a very large inheritance to
leave behind him, they determined to win over this said only
offspring for their Order. This was, however, not such an easy
business, as the young de Marie was of a very jovial nature,
and would hear nothing at all about entering into the ecclesias-
tical state. On the contrary, he threatened the Superiors of
the said ecclesiastical institution, that if they pestered him any
more with any such proposals he would run away and make his
father acquainted with everything about it. Thereupon, the
sly Fathers suddenly changed their tactics, and afforded the
sprightly youth so many opportunities for frivolous amuse-
.ments, that the same would have been a more than steady man
.if he had allowed those opportunities to puss by without making
THE CONFESSIONAL. 349'
use of them. The more, however, that the son transgressed, the
more they wrote lamentable letters respecting him to his father;,
so much so, that the latter hecame quite inconsolable.
It was now arranged between the father and the rector of the
institution that the young scapegrace should be transferred
from St. Acheul to the Jesuit seminary in Bordeaux, with the
hope that perhaps a change of teachers and fellow-scholars
would be beneficial; but, unfortunately, there was still no
improvement, according to the reports of the principal' of
the seminary, at least, and the poor deluded father received' no
other information. Indeed, they took care to prevent the' son
from writing, and when he, at any time, ever did so, it was a
letter dictated by the principal, or, at all events, corrected by
him. As, however, the young de Marie became no better in
Bordeaux, he was conveyed, as a last resource, to Forcalquier,
and the father wrote to him that he would withdraw all interest
in him if he ever again heard bad news about him. The son,
deeply affected, firmly resolved to be foolish no longer, and pro-
secuted his studies for some time. This, however, did not at
all suit the taste of the sons of Loyola, and they consequently
contrived to bring the youth into connection with a companion
who might again awaken in him the old inclination for folly.
Of course, the reports sent to the old Count became bad again,
indeed, worse than ever, and thereby his grief and anger reached'
to the highest degree. In this frame of mind, induced to do so
by the Eector of the seminary at St. Acheul, he wrote such a
reproving letter to the son, that the latter, in a state of despera-
tion, made his escape from Forcalquier and betook himself ta
the wide world.
The pious Fathers had now brought the matter to the pitch'
it was intended from the commencement ; whereupon the in-
consolable father at once resolved to sell all his estates, as far
as he could do so, and to take refuge, with this dowry, among
the Jesuits, in order to die happy in their pious company. No-
thing more was heard of the son, and it is probable that the
pious Fathers prepared a speedy death for him.
Almost more disgraceful, even, is the following story. Among
the countries into which the sons of Loyola frequently en-
deavoured to penetrate, although without bringing about, at
once, any particular result, was especially European Turkey,.
350 HISTORY OF THE JESUITS.
and Father Sarot, among others, gave himself trouble quite
heyond the common to make proselytes among the Greek
Christians in Roumelia. His object appeared, however, to be
much less for the welfare of their souls than for looking after
their property, as he attached himself at once merely to the rich,
and he favoured, above all, with his exhortations, well-endowed
widows.
To the latter class belonged a certain Sophia Nara, a woman
who possessed in gold and valuables more than forty purses, that
is about 30,000 florins, and Sarot, who had soon discovered this,
did not desist until the good Sophia went over to Catholicism
from the heretical sect of Armenians to which she had belonged,
and at the same time consigned her whole property to the
Society of Jesus, in consideration of the promise that she should
be bountifully cared for during the rest of her life. This was a
good stroke of fortune, as the woman was no longer young, and,
besides, soon became sick, which encouraged a hope that the
pension would not long have to be paid. But Sarot had reckoned,
as is said, without his host, and during the next two years the
lady advanced not a single step nearer the grave. He now, how-
ever, began to be more close, and denied her, indeed, about half
the allowance she had previously enjoyed, as she had evidently
fallen into a long tedious sickness ; her nephews, to whom the
woman at once turned, would have nothing more to do with
her, after she had made it known that she had sunk all her
goods and chattels with the Jesuits. Thus, the condition of the
poor Sophia became always more unbearable, and as she was now
confined to her one solitary room, which she could no longer
leave on account of weakness, she was nearly out of her senses
with despair. Once more she applied to her nephews, and once
more received for answer that she should look for support to
: those to whom she had assigned her property. The deplorable
creature now collected together all her strength, and crawled
into the street. Here, falling down, she was raised up by some
compassionate soul, and conveyed in a carriage before the house
-of her relative. They knocked at the door, and begged for com-
passion for her. At first the nephews were deaf to all entreaties,
but at last they opened the door and admitted her. The aunt
related everything how she had been treated from the first up
to the present time, how they had at the commencement allured
THE CONFESSIONAL. 351
her with flattering speeches, and how latterly they had given
her kicks. All were filled with pity for her, and were enraged
at the vile conduct of the sons of Loyola.
The Armenian Patriarch, at that time present, was made
acquainted with all the details of the transaction. The woman
acceded with joy to his admonition to return into the Arme-
nian Church, and, after this was accomplished the Patriarch
promised to use all his influence in order to recover the pro-
perty which had heen given away. The Prince of the Church
kept his promise, and made a complaint to the Pasha. The
Pasha was no less resolute, as he caused Father Sarot to be
fetched, and ordered him, with the alternative of having his ears
cut off, to give hack the whole of the donation. The Father,
however, affirmed that he had received only four, instead of
forty, purses, and swore to this falsehood on the cross of Christ.
Herewith content, the Pasha allowed him to go at liberty, and
the Father rejoiced, internally, that he had, at all events, saved
thirty-six purses. Immediately thereupon he found it well to
vanish during the darkness of the night, as he learnt that the
nephews were not satisfied with the decision of the Pasha, but had
taken the trouble to collect facts by which the true condition of
their aunt's property, and also the perjury of Father Sarot, could
be proved. He found it well to disappear, said I ; but, as to
this, I mean merely out of Eoumelia, not out of the world, for a
short time afterwards he turned up in Italy, and the General
rewarded him for his excellent service with a situation of Eector.
But enough of this ! Enough, for it would only disgust most
readers to listen to further proofs of the shamelessness of the
sons of Loyola as to inheritance-hunting. Involuntarily the
other question comes up for consideration, whether all the Jesuits
thought and acted alike. One might be of opinion that it
was a sheer impossibility that, in a Society numbering so many
members, who in part, at least, were highly gifted that, I say,
in such a Society there should not exist some brethren who
would be ashamed of such a vile transaction as that of notorious
inheritance-hunting. One might be of such an opinion, and I
'believe rightly so, but what does that matter ? The Superiors
of the Society, and especially the General in Rome, knew every
member perfectly, while annually the most detailed spying reports
vmust necessarily be forwarded, and consequently they were
352 HISTOEY OF THE JESUITS.
aware exactly for what position this one or that one was best
suited. Is it to be believed, however, that one who, in the matter
of inheritance-hunting, thought even but a little un-Jesuiticnlly,
would be appointed to be Father Confessor, and, indeed, Father
Confessor to a rich widow ? Suppose this to be the case, how-
ever, had the mistake been made at any time of an unsuitable
person being assigned as Father Confessor to this or that high
personage, would not this error be at once rectified by the sub-
stitution of a fit and proper successor ? The Superior retained
the full right of disposal over the members, and notoriously made
the most unlimited use of this right. To obey was the duty of
every one of them, as otherwise punishment was certain, and the
result most disagreeable. Suppose, however, the most extreme
case, namely, that a member had contrived to deceive all his
brethren as to his true character, and had made use of his posi-
tion of Father Confessor to restrain his confessant from making
a will in favour of the Order, or even had not encouraged him to
do so ; suppose such a case, what would be the consequences ?
The instance of Father Zimenes gives us the best reply. He
was Father Confessor to a rich widow of Madrid, and as she
lay on her death-bed, in the year 1633, made her will ; he did not
use all his influence with her to bequeath her means to the
Order, but, on the contrary, admonished her to leave it to her
rightful heir. So the widow did, indeed, and more than that,
she confessed immediately before death to her relatives the noble
conduct of the Father ; from these relatives, however, the Jesuits
at third hand learned this, and four weeks afterwards the worthy
Zimenes was no longer among the living. He died in the
profess-house in Madrid of a sudden attack of heart disease, as
his fellow members affirmed ; he was, in truth, however, as most
clearly came out on the subsequent expulsion of the sons of
Loyola, condemned to death by his Superiors, and slowly killed
by the deprivation of all food and drink. He ought to serve as
a warning to his fellow members ; and this has certainly been
the case, as no one ever afterwards heard that a Jesuit had
advised anyone not to bequeath his property to the Society
of Jesus. On the contrary, they proved themselves in this
respect, almost without exception, so zealous and expert,
that no other Order can be at all compared with them in this
particular ; and an author of the last century gave them, on that
THE CONFESSIONAL. 353
account, the characteristic nickname of " Legacy hunters paf
excellence."
I must not, however, conceal on this occasion that several
booties escaped them from the fervour of their zeal. As hest
proof that it is wiser in all things to be content with moderation
rather than to covet everything, I allow myself to confirm this,
by a couple of examples.
In Brussels there lived at the beginning of the 17th century a
couple of rich relatives a brother and sister quite pleasantly
and in perfect accord with each other, although the sister was a
little over-pious, while the brother entertained rather free views
in regard to matters of religion. They were neither of them
any longer young, and there could be no question of marriage
either in the one case or the other ; on the other hand, there-
was no lack of other sources of enjoyment, and the brother took
especial trouble in visiting every year for a couple of months
foreign lands and cities. On one occasion the latter set off
again on such a journey, and as he contemplated remaining
away for a lengthened time, he previously made his will, in
which he designated his sister as his sole heiress ; not that there-
was any thought about dying, but merely to be prepared for all
contingencies, as a matter of duty. It appeared, however, that
the brother remained away much longer than he had any inten-
tion of doing, and as he did not during the whole of this time
allow a single word to be heard from him, the sister began to
have foreboding of something being amiss. She was strengthened
in this foreboding by her Confessor, a worthy Father belonging-
to the Society of Jesus, who looked already upon the death of
the brother as certain, and built joyful hopes upon it. Upon
her entreaty, moreover, he promised, in order that she should
not be any longer vexed with uncertainty, to cause information
to be obtained through his fellow members, who had their places
of residence all over the world, and on this account she told
him everything that she knew as to the aim and object of her
brother's journey. It now occurred that she herself became
sick shortly thereupon, and the Jesuit urged her most earnestly
to make a will in favour of his Order. She hesitated for a
long time, as her brother, whom she had promised to institute
as heir in the event of her death, might possibly be still alive.
The Confessor now suddenly brought a document, prepared by
23
354 HISTORY OF THE JESUITS.
the rector and coadjutor of some distant college, and in this
document it stood in black and white that the brother had died
on such and such a day, and even the complaint from which he
had suffered was mentioned. Of course there was now no
longer any doubt about his death, and in consequence thereof,
the Jesuit continued his urgent solicitations in regard to the will
that he demanded. At length the pious devotee bequeathed to
the Order not only her own property, but that also belonging to
her brother, as upon this she had testamentary claims. Now,
who could rejoice more than the worthy Society of Jesus ? But
lo and behold ! She suddenly recovered again, although already
being looked upon as lost, and, what was still worse, the brother,
supposed to be dead, turned up again safe and sound. He had,
sure enough, got through a severe illness, but in quite a diffe-
rent town from where the sons of Loyola had made him out as
dead, and now it became as clear as daylight that the attested
document had been a mean and lying invention. Consequently
the Jesuit Confessor was at once dismissed, and, besides, the
sister then made a new will, in which the former one was com-
pletely cancelled, so that the Jesuits were frustrated for this
time at least.
Another still more pleasant story, wherein it happened that
the sons of Loyola had deceived themselves about an inheritance
of which they had already made quite sure, had Metz for its
playground during the second half of the 17th century. The
Jesuits had there persuaded a very rich man, as he came to die,
that his soul would only suffer torture for ten thousand years iu
Purgatory, if they had ten thousand masses for the welfare of
his soul, that is, a thousand a year for ten years, and the dying
man not only believed this, but provided in his will that his
sons should pay ten gold dollars for each mass, so that the heirs
had to disburse annually an expenditure of ten thousand gold
dollars for ten years. This now seemed to them to be a very
dear ransom from the flames of Purgatory, and they consulted
over the matter with their counsel, an extremely sagacious man,
as to whether there was any way of remedying the matter. The
will was, however, quite legally drawn up, and could not be dis-
puted. Thus far, then, there appeared that nothing could be
done, and they already were willing to submit to their fate, when
a most cunning expedient occurred to the advocate. " How would
THE CONFESSIONAL. 355
it be," thought he, " if we brought forward an attestation from
the Pope that the soul of the testator had been already released
from Purgatory ? Such an attestation ought to be obtainable
for a moderate sum of money, and then soul masses would no
longer be required for the release of the soul of the deceased. This
being the case, the obligation for the payment would also cease,
and I will now undertake that the sons of Loyola obtain
for damages naught but ridicule." Thus did the man learned
in the law reckon, and, in due course, he put himself in
close communication with a Minorite brother, a crafty fellow
of a monk. The latter, who, besides, was a thorough enemy
of the Jesuits on account of their arrogance, undertook the
'Commission with the utmost joy, and set off for Rome in the
greatest haste, well provided with money and recommendations.
Of course he publicly gave out quite a different ground for the
object of his journey, and the other participators in the matter
preserved perfect silence as to the design, in order that the sons
of Loyola might not have their attention called to the affair, and
prevent its accomplishment. The Minorite arrived in Rome all
safe and sound, and, as before said, possessing a proper degree
of understanding, he immediately made application in the right
direction and quickly succeeded in obtaining the testimonial he
desired, for less than one thousand dollars. As soon, however, as
he got this in his pocket he hastened back to Metz with a very
contented mind, and handed the same over to the heirs, who richly
rewarded him for it. In the meantime, the sons of Loyola were
not idle in reading masses for the soul of the deceased, and,
after the first quarter of a year had elapsed, they presented their
first account for two thousand five hundred dollars. How,
indeed, were they now startled when they received a reply quite
seriously that the soul of the testator had already been released
from Purgatory, and that as there had thus been no occasion to
read the masses, the money must be refused. " This is, indeed,
quite a foolish answer, which savours of the mad-house," exclaimed
the Jesuits to the heirs ; but the latter held to it, and left the
sons of Loyola to proceed as it pleased them. The advocate,
indeed, declared that he was ready to produce proof of the truth
of their assertion. It came now, of course, to a law-suit, and
the Jesuits rested in the firm conviction that they must gain it
*imply upon the passage in the will referred to. As, however,
23 *
356 HISTORY OF THE JESUITS.
the man learned in the law pulled the testimonial of the Holy
See out of his pocket and laid it before the Court, all self-
possession disappeared from their faces, and they acknowledged
themselves to have been outwitted. They renounced, conse-
quently, all further legal proceedings, and at the same time, also,
all money claims. Upon the advocate, however, on the other
hand, who had adopted this cunning measure, and upon the
Minorite monk, who acted as the mediator, they visited such
intense irreconcilable hatred that they never rested until both of
them quitted the town, and never more returned thereto.
A still more unpleasant business, connected with a suc-
cession, happened at that time to the sons of Loyola in
Naples, when the Duke of Ossuna reigned there as Viceroy. A
very rich merchant had bequeathed to them his whole property,
under the condition that an only son, who was very young at the
time of his death, entered into their Order; however, when
interrogated, in his eighteenth year, as to whether it would be his
wish to remain in the world, should the lad refuse to become a
Jesuit, they should then be bound to pay over his patrimony
to him, which amounted to more than a hundred thousand
ducats, and they might, in that case, only retain, as a compensa-
tion, what had been expended by them for his education,
Christianly and economically reckoned. This was a very indefi-
nite passage, out of which, at a pinch, anything might be twisted
that was liked, and the Jesuits at once made up their minds, at
any rate, to turn it to their own advantage. Therefore, when
the young man, in his eighteenth year, declared his intention
to remain in the world, they gave themselves no particular
trouble to keep him back from doing so, but allowed him rather
to withdraw conspicuously and without any difficulty ; as he
then, however, desired to have his property delivered up to him,
they intimated that it would be liberal on their part if they gave
him back as much as ten thousand ducats, as, on the supposition
that he would remain with them, they had already expended
everything in benevolent objects. Upon this the youth declared
himself not to be at all satisfied, and, on the other hand, put in
a demand for eighty thousand ducats, as it was certainly more
than enough if he allowed them twenty thousand on account of
his education. Thus the two parties contended with the utmost
vivacity about the matter, and the Jesuits especially showed not
THE CONFESSIONAL. 357
the least desire to abate even one iota of their claim. In order
to put an end to the matter as soon as possible, the youth, by
the advice of his friends, addressed himself to the Viceroy (the
Duke of Ossuna), who caused the accuser, as well as the accused,
to come before him, asking each of them as to how far he went
in his demand, and how much he was inclined voluntarily to
abandon ? The youth declared that as a last resource he would
be contented with seventy thousand ducats ; the Jesuits, how-
ever, obstinately persisted that they would not be able to pay
more than ten thousand. " Good, then," said the Viceroy now
to the sons of Loyola ; " you can demand what you consider
reasonable and Christianlike. I ask you, then, this : Is it a
Christian principle that one should do to one's neighbour as one
would wish to be done by ? '' " So teaches the Holy Scrip-
tures," answered the disciples of Ignatius. " Then," decided
the Viceroy, " act accordingly ; that is to say, give to the
youth the ninety thousand ducats which you retained for your-
selves, and take the ten thousand which you were prepared to
^pay." This decision held good, in spite of all the machinations
of the sons of Loyola, and everyone praised the Duke, as well
for his Solomon-like wisdom, as on account of the characteristic
behaviour which he had brought to light. Thus, sometimes,
the sons of Loyola came off badly; in general, however, they
contrived to hold uncommonly fast to what had been testa-
mentarily promised them, and the world would be astonished if
one put upon paper all the particulars as to the whole of the
.sums obtained by them through legacy-hunting.
358 HISTORY OF THE JESUITS.
CHAPTER II.
ROBBERY AND THEFT AMONG LAITY AND ECCLESIASTICS.
THERE is much material for this chapter, and one would almost
be inclined to the opinion that the sons of Loyola liked nothing
better than to busy themselves with stealing and robbing. One
comes much more quickly and easily into possession of anything
in this way than by honest gain and the industry of the hands
why not, therefore, acquire riches thus ? In order, however,
to give the reader a very clear insight into those villainous
practices I will begin with " Cheating in a small way," then go
on to regular " Theft," and, lastly, conclude with " Robbery on a
large scale." But, in all these three specialities, villainy shall only
be so far especially brought to notice as may be necessary to
give a correct picture of the Order of Jesus, the object I have
in hand, and I will not go to work with the Chronique Scan-
daleuse in my hand.
A most common practice among the sons of Loyola was to
solicit a present from rich parents who desired the reception of
their sons into the novitiate of their Order, and, indeed, such a
present as corresponded to the property to which the young man
Vould one day be entitled. One might, therefore, regard such
prVents as a kind of " dotal gift," or, still better, a " gift in
anticipation of the future inheritance," and upon this the sons
of Loyola founded their right to demand the same. Besides,
added they, is not a person taken care of for life as member of
their Society, and therefore may one not sacrifice a bit of money
ROBBERY AND THEFT. 359
for it ? In short, they knew how to get over, in this way, most
cunningly, without deriving any hurt therefrom, the publicly
expressed statute by which they were bound to impart all in-
struction gratis, and the sums of money which they earned in
this manner were by no means inconsiderable. Still, matters
did not end here, seeing they dismissed very many of these
youths after a short time as unsuitable, retaining, however, for
themselves the dotal gift. Indeed, they were aware that not a
few of those were unfit, and that they could not be made any
use of, owing to their want of talent ; their sole object, therefore,
in receiving them into the novitiate was to be able to possess
themselves of what was paid on admission ! The proofs of
these deceitful dealings might be brought to light by hundreds
and hundreds ; it is sufficient, however, to refer to one instance
alone, which is remarkable in this respect, that a father con-
trived, in a most original way, to get back the entrance money
which had been paid for his son.
A very wealthy smith, settled in the neighbourhood of Milan,
wished to participate in the honour of seeing his son among the
Jesuits, and offered the rector of the college in the aforesaid
capital the tolerably large sum, in ready money, of 2,000 ducats
in the event of the latter meeting his wishes. The rector
laughed in his sleeve, as the youth was a very strong, square-
built churl, being at the same time such a queer fellow that it
would not be possible to mould him into an ordinary monk, and
still less into a Jesuit. Nevertheless, the rector assented with
pleasure, slid the 2,000 ducats into his pocket, and enveloped
the youth in a novice's habit. All went on well now, during a
couple of weeks, and the son of Loyola in embryo was treated
in a way as that nothing better could be desired. In course
of time, however, they ceased to consider him as a stranger,
and their teasing, chicanery, and maltreatment overstepped all
bounds. They plainly wished to carry on so far with the
fellow that he should take flight from the house of probation,
for then the Jesuits could wash their hands in innocency.
Because, however, the poor tormented fellow, fearing the wrath
of his father, endured all without a murmur, the pious Fathers
then lost all patience, and at length chased their pupil away
without further ado, while they gave him no more than five
dollars for sustenance on the way. The anger of the smith
360 HISTORY OP THE JESUITS.
may be well imagined, when bis son came back to him, and the
latter had to suffer much at first from the circumstance of his
return. The father soon, however, perceived that the fault lay
entirely with the sons of Loyola, and he not only at once de-
manded the return of his 2,000 ducats, but, as his request wns
refused, he proceeded to lodge a complaint in the law courts.
But what did this complaint matter ? The sons of Loyola
proved that the smith had given the 2,000 ducats to them " as
a present," and, as one could not be compelled to return dona-
tions, so was the complainant put to silence.
In the regular legal way there was, then, nothing to be done,
but the smith now hit upon an extraordinary plan of proceeding,
and this brought about his object. He caused a regular Jesuit's
dress to be made for his son, and thus clad he was obliged to
work in the smithy, to flog the horses in the streets, and to go
on all errands that were required. This peculiar spectacle
attracted a number of inquisitive loafers, as the Jesuit pupil was
observed by everyone at the anvil, and soon nothing else was
talked about in the whole neighbourhood than this affair.
People not only chatted about it, however, but also railed and
jeered uncommonly, and the honour of the sons of Loyola began
to suffer considerably. They at once complained respecting the
abuse of their Jesuit costume; but the legal authorities gave
it as their opinion that the young smith had a right to the
said costume, as he actually had been received as a Jesuit
novice; and now the insults and jeers increased more than ever.
In short, at last there remained nothing else for the sons of
Loyola to do but to terminate the scandal by putting the best
face on the matter, and returning the 2,000 ducats to the smith ;
and thus the latter attained his end by means of his original
idea.
There was another custom among the sons of Loyola, accord-
ing to direction to borrow from rich persons well disposed
towards the Order, under the pretext of great poverty and on
account of the colleges or seminaries, smaller or larger sums of
money, and, if demanded, to give written bills of obligation, the
repayment of which they put off as much as possible. If, then,
the creditor should later on contract some illness which brought
him near to death, they were wont to visit him unceasingly, and
continue to put pressure upon him until he should hand over
BOBBERY AND THEFT. 361
o them the note of hand they had given him, which was the
same thing as giving them a present of the money lent. In
this way the Society of Jesus acquired much riches. More
than this, they borrowed sums of money wherever they could
without giving in acknowledgment any note of hand for the
same. In order to carry on this game effectually the Fathers
put on an appearance of the greatest honesty and candour, and
conducted themselves in such a way as if the word " deceit "
were quite opposite to their character; so how could a pious
.soul, from whom they had borrowed money for a holy object,
think so meanly of them as to require a note of hand as
security ? No ; the mere word of such distinguished men was
quite sufficient, and anything more would have been an insult to
religion itself.
What did the sons of Loyola do, however, when, as was often
-the case, they succeeded in obtaining a loan in this way ? Did
they keep to their word, and pay back the loan honourably and
ihonestly ? God forbid ! but, in nine cases out of ten, they
denied having incurred the debt, and by perjury released them-
selves from repaying it. Certes! a very convenient way of
obtaining money, although they repudiated the idea of theft.
" But," said the sons of Loyola, " only fools would have so
inelastic a conscience as to shrink from doing such a trifle as
that ! " Of course, moreover, it would be inadmissible for me
,to make so startling an accusation against the Society of Jesus
without having the required proofs in my hands.
In the town of Orleans a Mademoiselle Vinet, before her death,
had presented to her maid, who had served her during many
years, a considerable sum in Louis d'or, along with a valuable
collection of old gold coins ; and this took place in the presence
of her confessor, Father Director. The latter now offered to the
.maid to deposit the money for her at very good interest, as also
to hand over to an amateur with whom he was acquainted the
gold coins, in order that they should be properly valued; and
-the maid, greatly pleased at such an offer, at once gave him over
her whole treasure. As regards a receipt for the same from the
holy Father, it was out of the question, and never entered into
the head of the maid to demand one, as she was fearful of com-
mitting sin by not putting the fullest confidence in such a
respectable gentleman as was the Father. Some time after this
362 HISTORY OF THE JESUITS.
Mademoiselle Vinet died, and ns the maid, Alice by name, wished'
to enter into the state of matrimony, she asked the Father, at
the request of her lover how much had been realised from the sale
of the gold coins, and where he had deposited the whole of the
money. " Gold coins," replied the Father, " thou deceivest thy-
self, my daughter; there were none such, but merely copper ones
of little value, and as for the remaining money, thou canst have
that any day, altogether about a thousand francs." The maid
was astounded, as her deceased mistress had told her that the
total value amounted to twenty thousand livres, or francs. But
the Father stuck to his assertion, and became most indignant
when the lover of Alice would not be contented with the thousand
francs. The advice of an advocate was now taken, and re-
course had to the law. But the Jesuits, who to a man sided
with their fellow brother, at once adopted a lofty tone, and
entered a complaint of gross calumny. Consequently, Alice
and her betrothed were at length compelled to pray for forgive-
uess, and publicly to confess that they had falsely accused
Father Director of fraud.
It went better with the Capucin Timotheus de la Flute, who
acted for many years as agent, correspondent, and courier for
Father Le Tellier, the ill-famed Father Confessor of Louis XIV.,
during his strife with the Jansenists. After the said Capucin had
become Bishop of Berith, in the year 1732, he demanded of the
Jesuits of Tours the return of the sum of 130,000 livres, which
he had handed over to them for safe keeping; the sons of
Loyola, however, denied ever having received a single sou from
him, and he could not produce proof to the contrary, as he had
been foolish enough not to have made sure by a note of hand of
any description. With dismay he took to entreaty, and humili-
ated himself, even to tears ; but the worthy Fathers remained
obdurate, and declared they would make a complaint against
him if he pestered them any more. At last, in his rage, he
threatened to expose all the intrigues and wicked manoeuvres to
which he had been subjected by order of the Father Confessor
Le Tellier, and he already, indeed, began to entertain the idea
of making the party of the Jansenists acquainted with every-
thing, when Le Tellier interfered just in time, and constrained
his fellow-members to yield.
Timotheus de la Flute thus obtained his money back again,
EOBBEKY AND THEFT. 363
but in thirteen yearly instalments, and, besides, without any
interest, so that the Fathers still always derived some profit.
At the beginning of the 18th century the Jesuits played a
great game at Liege, and most of the widows and elderly un-
married ladies wished to have only them as Father Confessors.
Among these said ladies was a Mademoiselle Devise, a
maiden of mature age, celebrated for her riches as well as her
bigotry, who had on different occasions not only lent large
sums to the Jesuit college, but also, in the year 1737, when very
ill, given over in charge to her Confessor, Father Adrian
Lontemberg, a casket filled with gold pieces, in order that the
latter might hand it over to her nephew Devise as soon as he
should arrive at Liege after her death. The Father Confessor,
who also obtained a very considerable legacy for his Order,
solemnly promised to do so, and the good old dame died imme-
diately afterwards in the firm belief that she had acted for the-
best for her dear nephew. When, however, he arrived, and at
once demanded from the college the restoration of the sums which
had been lent, as well as the casket entrusted to the care of
Father Lontemberg respecting which two matters he had been
fortunately made aware by a letter which the aunt caused to be
written on her death-bed by the chamber-maid the above-named
Father denied, in the strongest terms, ever having received any-
thing but a small trifle from Mademoiselle Devise. Indeed, he
declared the requisition of the nephew to be a villainous inven-
tion, which was calculated to bring the Order of Jesus inta
disrepute, for as far as he knew and he stood on the most in-
timate terms with his deceased confessing daughter, so much so
that she withheld no secret from him it was quite contrary to
the inclination of the aunt Devise to allow large sums of money
to lie without interest, and there never had existed such a thing
as a casket filled with pistoles.
The other sons of Loyola present in the college of Lige
also assumed the same role, and, if they did not absolutely
gainsay having received small donations now and then from
the deceased, they stoutly denied, with a bold front, having
obtained any such large sums as were laid claim to by the
nephew. The poor Devise, who had believed himself entitled to
a large inheritance, was now in a sad plight, and knew not what
to do. He had, indeed, the letter of the chamber-maid, but the-
364 HISTORY OP THE JESUITS.
latter had suddenly disappeared from Li6ge overnight, without
anyone heing in the least able to give any information as to her
abode. How could he, then, be able to prove that the letter
contained the truth, or, indeed, that it was authentic ?
The situation was one of desperation ; still, overnight came
good counsel. Father Golenvaux, who kept the secret register
of the revenues and expenses of the college at Li6ge, had a
nephew others affirm that he was his son towards whom he
entertained extraordinary affection, and this latter, who always
and at all times had access to his uncle, offered, for a sum of
money, to make a copy of the whole receipts which flowed
into the treasury of the Jesuit college. This was done, and,
sure enough, in this secret book were not only found noted all
the moneys as to which the nephew had laid claim, but there
was also the statement of the number of pistoles contained in
the casket above mentioned.
The young Devise now, by the advice of his advocate, applied
to the vicar apostolical of the day, and laid all these particulars
before him, at the same time declaring that he would be willing
and ready to spare the Jesuits the scandal of a public trial, if
they voluntarily accorded to him what he was entitled to demand.
Thereupon the vicar at once took action, and Father Golenvaux,
by his order, was obliged to lay before him at once the original
register, and as it was found to correspond with the copy, there
remained nothing else, of course, for the sons of Loyola to do
but to pay the amount for which they were liable, so that their
design for this once completely miscarried.
The greatly notorious law-suit, between them and the Herren
von Viane, which began in 1738 and ended in 1745, terminated,
on the other hand, quite differently, as the sons of Loyola com-
pletely gained the day, although their proved rascality was quite
apparent. In the year 1738, Frau Mariane Justidavis, spouse
of Herr Rombault von Viane, succeeded to an inheritance in
Oermany, to the amount of 300,000 florins, consisting partly in
coin and partly in diamonds and other valuables, whereupon she
<5ame to Brussels with the same, in order to convert all these
objects into current money. Hereupon Father Lutger Jansens,
whom, on account of his highly esteemed reputation, she took
-as her Father Confessor, declared to her that he would assist her
to the best of his ability ; and at the same time advised her, first
BOBBERY AND THEFT. 365-
of all, to place the valuables in the Jesuits' college, as they
would he much safer there, at any rate, than in any private
house. This was evident to Frau Mariane von Viane, and the'
Father fetched a carriage, hy the aid of which he conveyed the
gold and precious stones into the college ; no acknowledgment,
was granted as to the receipt of these latter, which amounted in
value to 630,000 francs, because it was intended shortly to con-
vert them into Belgian coin. Scarcely had this taken place,
than Herr Rombault von Viane arrived in Brussels, and when
his wife told him all, informing him that she had received no
receipt of any kind, he augured nothing good. He ordered the
same, therefore, to preserve the most complete silence for the
present as to his arrival, and then hastened to a sagacious
lawyer, in order to consult with him as to what should be done.
After long consideration, it was agreed that the Frau should fall 1
sick, and that, on this account, she should send for her Con-
fessor, Father Jansens. After having received from him some
religious consolation, she should then begin to speak to him con-
cerning the valuables entrusted to his care, and tell him that she
had received the orders of her husband in writing to deliver
them over to Herr von Dormael, a well-known wholesale dealer
in Brussels. It was arranged, moreover, that every word
which was exchanged should be taken down by two notaries,
who, with four worthy citizens of the town, would be hid
in a neighbouring alcove, and the account then subscribed by
these citizens as witnesses. In due course, the four witnesses,,
with the two notaries, were so artfully concealed in the alcove,
that they could see as well as hear all that went on in the neigh-
bouring chamber, and the celebrated Father was now brought
to render consolation to the sick Frau Mariane, who laid'
herself down in bed. He, of course, came at once, and
discharged his duty as ecclesiastic, receiving his fee. As this
was over, however, the Frau asked him whether there was any
hope yet that the German gold, together with the precious stones
and other valuables, might be advantageously converted into
Belgian money. " Not yet," replied the Father, who naturally
presumed that he was quite alone with his confessing child ; on
the other hand, " he hoped, in a short time, to be enabled to
bring more favourable intelligence, and, in the meantime, the
treasure was well taken care of." The Frau now explained to
366 HISTORY OF THE JESUITS.
him that her husband had given her orders that the gold and
diamonds should be handed over to the wholesale dealer von
Dormael, and, good or ill, that she must give effect to the order.
Upon this the Father became very angry, and declared that he
would in no case deliver the things to the said wholesale dealer.
Indeed, he forbade the Frau to speak a single word about the
matter with Herr von Dormael, and vowed solemnly that he
would deny, without further ado, even at the risk of being burnt
alive, having any concern as to the keeping of the treasure if she
was so indiscreet as to speak to him again about this order.
With these words he took his leave, without, however, having
any conception of having been overheard by anyone with the
exception of the Frau von Viane alone ; the two notaries,
however, at once now stepped out of the alcove, completed their
minutes, and caused the same to be subscribed by the four
citizens as witnesses, who had likewise been concealed. The
next step was, that Herr von Viane demanded from Father
Jansens the restoration of the treasure committed to his keeping,
and, as the Father actually carried out his threat of denying
everything, he at once lodged a legal complaint. His advocate
produced the protocol which had been taken, and the four sworn
witnesses, to show that everything had occurred as stated in
the deed. In spite of all this, Father Jansens persisted in
denying everything, and all the Jesuits of Liege sided with
him. The coachman was found who had taken the treasure into
the Jesuit College, and the man acknowledged on oath having
done so. On the other hand, the sons of Loyola maintained
that every point of the accusation was invented, and that the two
notaries, along with the four witnesses, had been bought over by
Herr von Viane. They succeeded in getting the coachman to
recall his first declaration, and further managed to produce sixty
witnesses who gave evidence in their favour; they at length
worked upon the people, by pamphlets distributed about, as well
as by public denunciations from the pulpits, in such a way that
not a few firmly believed that the couple Viane, with the said two
notaries and four witnesses, had concocted a vile conspiracy to
the injury of the Jesuit Order. The law-suit appeared inclined
to go, too, in favour of the sons of Loyola, as the High Council
of Brabant had already ordered proceedings to be taken against
the perjured coachman. Indeed, it was also proposed to pro-
KOBBERY AND THEFT. 367
ceed summarily against the two Vianes and their associates ;
when suddenly, in May 1743, fifty out of the sixty Jesuit
witnesses, driven into a corner by the Court of Law, declared that
they had received money for their evidence, and that it was false.
The leader of the sixty, by name Konisloe, who, with nine
others, still adhered to his first assertion, was now subjected to
torture, whereupon the whole web of villainy was revealed. The
sentence against Konisloe and five other chief perjurers con-
sisted in flogging, branding round the neck, and then ten
years' imprisonment with hard labour, and, lastly, eternal banish-
ment out of the town and its precincts. Two other guilty
accomplices were condemned to be flogged and to be banished
for life ; and another two merely to be placed in the pillory. At
the same time the High Council of Brabant ordered proceedings
to be tak,en against Master Versin, the secretary of the Pro-
curator-General, because he had likewise allowed himself to be
.bribed by the Jesuits, but he saved himself, together with some
equally guilty associates, by flight, to which he was assisted by
money from some unknown hand undoubtedly that of the
Jesuits.
It now seemed that the rightful case of the Vianes had
^von the victory, and everyone expected shortly a decree in
their favour. But the sons of Loyola appealed to the Supreme
Court of Brussels, and, supported by fresh evidence, demanded
re-establishment in their former position. The Supreme Court,
consisting for the most part of adherents to their Order, granted
their petition, and the trial began afresh. At once every effort
was made in order to get the judges to vote in their favour,
and money and women played therein a principal part. Herr
Rombault von Viane, on the other hand, was brought to extremi-
ties from the hitherto enormous costs of the suit, and could no
longer compete against Jesuit influence. At length, in the
summer of the year 1745, the case was ripe for judgment, and
the Supreme Court decreed as follows:
First. Rombault von Viane is declared arrested, as he has
falsely represented that he was possessed of a treasure of coined
.and uncoined gold, as well as of rough diamonds and other
precious stones, to the amount of 296,000 florins, and that he
had committed this treasure to the Jesuit College, and more
^especially to Father Lutger Jansens. On account of the long
368 HISTORY OP THE JESUITS.
confinement, however, to which he has been subjected, as also*
of his former imbecility of mind, and other mitigating cir-
cumstances, he is released from arrest and condemned merely
in law costs.
Second. The two prisoners Michael Valder, painter, and
Jodocus Roos, formerly infantry officer, are to be considered
convicted in that they gave false evidence against Father Jansens,
and shall be flogged on the scaffold and then banished ; their
property also is to be forfeited to the State, after the deduction
of legal expenses.
Thirdly and lastly. The prisoner Cauve, citizen of Brussels,
is also declared to be guilty of having sworn a false oath
against Father Jansens; but on account of his lengthened
imprisonment, he is released from further imprisoment, and
condemned merely in costs.
Thus ran the sentence of the Supreme Court of Brussels, and
who can describe the joy of the Jesuits? They could now
retain their booty, and had succeeded in legally justifying them-
selves besides ! Nevertheless, it became at that time a proverb
in Brabant, that one might as well throw one's money into the
sea as entrust it to the Jesuits, for, with the exception of a
few bigoted women, everyone was convinced of their villainy
against the poor Rombault von Viane. But not only did the
sons of Loyola know how to appropriate money entrusted to
their keeping, their system of cheating extended itself much
further, and they took possession of whatever they could lay
their hands upon. Indeed, they showed such a degree of expert-
ness in such matters, as one could hardly imagine; they were
well up in the school of forgery, theft, and robbery, and many of
them in this acquired actual perfection. Thus, to begin with a
little example, they caused several very rich and, at the same
time, very pious inhabitants of Bordeaux to make a large
sarcophagus of pure silver in order to keep in it several relics
upon the high altar of the principal church ; the superior,
Bussow, in the night, substituting for the same a precisely
similar one made of lead, which had a thin plate of silver over it,
sold the silver one after having melted it, and thereby gained for
the Order a hundred pounds of silver. Thus, too, the Fathers
Cluniac and Marsan employed themselves for several years in the
Jesuit College of Angouleme, in coining counterfeit money, for
EOBBEEY AND THEFT.
which operation they made use of a cellar underneath, and their
fellow brethren brought the same into circulation ; as, however,
in the year 1641, the affair got -wind, the two Fathers above-
named were transferred quickly to some distant college, and it
was declared that they had, for their crime, been expelled from
the Order, and it was not known where they had gone.
Again, King Philip III. of Spain gave permission to the
sons of Loyola living in his kingdom, to coin the rough gold
and silver that they obtained from America according to
the usual standard, to the amount, indeed, of a million of
piasters, in order that, with the profit thus obtained, they
might be in a position to build a college in Malaga; the
cunning Fathers, however, extended this permission to the extent
of three millions, and the four-maravedi pieces which they coined
were so bad that it gave rise to a general grumbling. It passed
into a proverbial saying, if a dishonest debtor paid half to-
his creditors, " he had liquidated his debt with the maravedis of
the Jesuits " ; and ultimately it came to this, that the Govern-
ment were compelled to lower the value of this denomination
of coin, because no one would take them any longer. Again, in
the year 1729, Father Dequet caused, arbitrarily, 101 pictures
of great value to be removed out of the house of Monsieur
Tardif, engineer and secretary of Marshal Bonfleur, in the same
night on which the master of the house died ; this was done by
twelve shoe-blacks, brought together in great haste, such, indeed,
being the hurry that one-and-twenty of the paintings were lost ;
when the police interfered he produced, in justification of hia
robbery, a piece of waste-paper, on which was written, " I present
all my pictures to the novitiate of the Jesuits in Paris, out of
regard for my friend Father Dequet, who may cause the same to
be removed at once. May 20th, 1729. Tardif." But when this
bit of waste-paper came to be more narrowly inspected, it
became apparent that the scribbling thereon had been made by
Dequet himself, and the police authorities consequently ordered
the immediate restoration of the pictures by the Jesuits of the
novitiate of Paris, who were compelled to make compensation
for those which had been lost a decision which was received
with deafening applause by the public there assembled.
Once more, the sons of Ignatius played a little game in St.
Fe, not far from Granada in Spain, by means of a contrivance
24
370 HISTORY OP THE JESUITS.
\vhich would have done honour to the most cunning swindler,
and on that account I cannot pass it over in silence. The
inhabitants of St. F6, so far back as the 15th century, had
obtained, from the royal pair Ferdinand and Isabella, the right
to conduct a canal from the river Genii, and this canal was for
them of incalculable value, as it served for the irrigation of their
lands, which would otherwise have yielded no produce. Now,
it so happened that the sons of Loyola had also, in the 1 7th
century, acquired a large piece of land in the immediate neigh-
bourhood for quite a ridiculous price, as this land. possessed no
water right, and was, consequently, dry during the summer
time ; and one knows what a rainless summer in Granada means.
On this account they made strenuous exertions to be allowed to
participate in the privilege as regards the water permitted to the
inhabitants of St. Fe, and they urged to the utmost in order
to obtain this liberty. The St. Feans did not, however, at all
allow themselves to be talked over, as they were unable to spare
even the smallest portion of their water without inflicting the
greatest injury upon themselves ; and at length the sons of
Loyola perceived that they could not prevail in a friendly way,
and by persuasion, in arranging the affair.
Father Fonuca, the rector of the college of Granada, there-
upon resolved to take a daring course, and caused a lay brother,
who was well skilled in architecture, to build quite quietly a
complete mill. That is to say, the individual parts of the same
were prepared, as, for instance, the beams, wheels, mill-stones,
and all other requisites; these were so excellently fitted, that
the erection of the whole work could be effected in the course of
a few hours. The builder at length completed his preparations,
nnd now everything, such as the woodwork, the stones, and other
requisites, was loaded, one fine evening, on carts, in order to con-
vey them to a certain spot where the property of the Jesuits nearly
abutted on the irrigation canal. Having arrived there, imme-
diately Father Fonuca, with the aid of his carpenters, proceeded
with the erection of the mill, while he directed the labourers,
who were waiting in readiness from the neighbouring farm
belonging to the Jesuits, to dig a ditch up to the irrigation
canal, in order that the mill might be supplied with water.
Within a few hours all was done, and at the break of day the
mill machinery rattled as lustily as if it had itself a pleasure in
EOBBEBY AND THEFT. 371
its existence. Thereupon a notary who accompanied him, and
who was well paid for his trouble, produced an instrument
wherein it was stated how he had seen the said mill grinding
ipon the land belonging to the Jesuits, without a single objec-
tion ; and when the instrument was ready, and had obtained the
signatures of more than twenty eye-witnesses, Father Fonuca
put it in his pocket with a triumphant smile, as he thought, " Who
can now be in a position to deprive us of our mill, and if none
can do this, who can take away from us the mill-ditch, with
which we shall be enabled to convert our unfruitful lands into
a charming settlement ? "
His rejoicing, however, came a little too soon, as, hardly had
the inhabitants of St. Fe been informed of what had taken place
in the night, when, under the command of their provost, Thomas
Muros, a man as brave as he was sagacious, they attacked
the mill, pulled it completely down, and filled up the mill-ditch,
stamping it down so firmly that the water again took its
own course. As a matter of course, the Jesuits made a com-
plaint to the administration of justice at Granada, laying before
the same the document wherein the quiet possession of their
mill was testified to, and sure enough the law court, the majority
of whose members stood on their side, not only admitted the
justice of the complaint, but also forthwith ordered the leaders
of those concerned in the work of destruction to be put in
prison. The trial thus appeared to take a very favourable turn
for the sons of Loyola, and as they spared no money in order to
win over the judges to their side, the inhabitants of St. Fe were
within an ace of being condemned to re-build the mill at their
own cost. This, however, was prevented by the most respect-
able amongst the judges of the law court, the equally wise
and upright Don Paul Basquez de Aguilar, who was completely
proof against all attempts at bribery, and upon his eloquent
exposition of the true facts of the case an exposition which in
the clearest manner proved the right of the inhabitants of St.
Fe, as well as the thievish mode of proceeding of the sons of
Loyola no one of his colleagues dared to express a contrary
opinion. Consequently, on the motion of Aguilar, the complaint
of the Jesuits was unanimously rejected, and the imprisoned
St. Feans immediately obtained their liberty. The sons of
Loyola, too, took good care not again to raise any claim to the
24 *
372 HISTORY OF THE JESUITS.
said irrigation works, and the most sensible amongst them
admitted even as much as that, if the whole history of the affair
came before the public, there could be no question of its anni-
hilating all belief among the people as to the piety of the
fraternity.
I could relate dozens of similar stories. In order, however,
not to tire the reader, I would rather now leave these alone. Of
such there exist not merely a few hundreds, but tens of hundreds,
indeed, hundreds of thousands, if not even still more ! It behoves
me, then, from a fear of being guilty of too great prolixity, to
make a selection, and I shall therefore content myself with the
description of three wholesale robberies, of which each one
exceeds the other in magnitude.
But to begin. In the first decade of the 18th century
an old sailor settled in Nantes ; his name was Grillet, and his
family consisted of a grown-up daughter, who formerly, as
long as her father was at sea, had lived at Orleans with her
mother, now deceased. The sailor, to all appearance, was very
poor, and for this reason performed the most menial offices in
order to gain at least a little. The daughter, on her part, too,
made herself useful as a washerwoman, and from morning till
evening was never idle. They thus went on well for several
years, and, as they were no burden to the town, no one took any
particular notice of them. In the year 1713, the elder Grillet
began to fall sick, and as bis life soon came to be con-
sidered in danger, the daughter, as a matter of course, now-
looked about for a Father Confessor. Her choice fell upon
Father Drouet, one of the most prominent among the Jesuit
Fathers of the town, and the same, in fact, undertook the post,
although not without long resistance, as old Grillet was con-
sidered to be very poor, as before said, and for the souls of the
poor the sons of Loyola never troubled themselves much.
Drouet now visited his new confessant from time to time,
and these visits were always very important, because the
old sick man, who was unable to leave his bed, lay almost
unconsoled in his solitude ; while the daughter could not
remain in the house, because she otherwise would not have
earned the necessary money for their sustenance. Nevertheless,
the Father did not give by any means frequent calls, and the few
times that he did come he cut matters as short as possible,,
BOBBERY AND THEFT. 373
without doubt because the poverty of the neighbourhood and
the ill- odour of the poor creature disgusted him. He came, now,
one day at an unexpected time, and greatly to his astonishment
found old Grillet out of his bed sitting upon the ground. But
his amazement was vastly increased as, silently approaching from
behind, he found what the old man was occupied in doing. The
latter had a chest, which the Father had previously often
remarked under the bed; this was standing open before him,
while he was rummaging about the contents of the same with
both his hands. Of what, then, did the contents consist?
Nothing else than heavy gold pieces, the number of which
might amount, indeed, to as much as sixty thousand. Only
imagine such a sight in a room like a beggar's dwelling ! Only
fancy such riches with a man languishing in misery ! There was
good ground here, indeed, for the Father to be quite beside
himself with amazement; on the other hand, there was suffi-
cient ground for old Grillet to have had a stroke of apoplexy
from terror, as he caught sight of the Father, for he had up to
this time initiated no one into the secret of his riches, and had
only allowed himself a sight of his treasure when he knew that
he was quite alone. Before everything, the Father was now
desirous to know from what source these riches had come, and
he presently made out that Grillet, in former times, had been the
-captain of a piratical ship, by which he had rendered the bays
of the Pacific Ocean unsafe. Curiosity now impelled the Father
to make still more minute inquiries as to how these riches had
been derived, and he did not rest until he had made certain,
by himself counting them over twice, that the gold pieces
amounted to not less than sixty thousand. Now, however, the
thought distressed him as to whether the old man, whose mind
began to be as infirm as his body, had enlightened any third
person with the secret of the treasure in question, and he con-
jured the same most solemnly to keep it from everyone most
zealously, and even from his own daughter. The old man pro-
mised this with a solemn oath, and, being reassured as to this,
the Father took his departure, under the firm conviction that the
other would keep his word, owing to the avarice with which he
-watched over his treasure. He, indeed, fulfilled his promise, but
nevertheless, as it afterwards turned out, there was some other
people who became aware of the circumstance, in the shape of a
374 HISTORY OF THE JESUITS.
poor couple who inhabited the adjoining apartment to that of
Grillet, and who had seen and heard everything that had passed,
through a crack in the wall. But as these two, the man and his
wife, whether owing to fear or from some other intention,
did not allow a single word to escape them to indicate that
they were aware of the secret, the Father, of course, could have
no conception of this, and remained under the firm conviction
that no one but the sick old man and himself knew anything
respecting the contents of the wooden chest under the bed.
But what was to be done now ? This much was firmly
resolved upon by the true son of Loyola, that the contents of
the said chest must become the property of the Society of Jesus ;
but as to how this was to be accomplished, he for some time
remained in doubt, and he tried first in one way and then m
another.
During the many hours which he now spent daily with the
sick man, he endeavoured to persuade the latter that it was
not at all safe to keep such a large amount of gold in such a
poor house as that occupied by Grillet, and that it would
be much more prudent to have it transported into the Jesuit
college, where it could be better taken care of. As, however,
Grillet showed himself to be vehemently opposed to this, or to
allow himself to be ever separated from his treasure, the idea
was abandoned, and some other plan substituted. At length,
after long consideration, the following scheme was concocted.
The Father kept constantly assuring the penitent that the many
sins which he had committed as pirate could not be expiated by
the ordinary means of masses for the soul and such-like things,
but that his soul must remain eternally ruined unless he were to
die in the habit of a Jesuit. The sons of Loyola had alone the
privilege of being at once translated into heaven, after leaving
this world, for whenever a Jesuit was on the point of death
Christ Himself regularly came to his dying bed, and, in spite
of all the devils, conducted the soul Himself to the gates of
Paradise. Consequently, there was nothing else for Grillet to do
but to join the Society of Jesus, and he, the Father, desired to
be serviceable to him in this respect as a particular favour. To
such-like and similar representations had the former pirate to
listen, almost hour by hour; and what could be more natural
than that he should give credence to these words, and that at
ROBBERY AND THEFT. 375
length he should earnestly implore Father Drouet to delay no
longer his transfer into the novitiate of the Jesuits ? The
Father consented thereto, and one evening as the daughter
returned home from her work, she found, to her great astonish-
ment for all had been carried on secretly that her father, with
his chest, had disappeared, without anything having been left to
indicate what had become of him. She had not, however, to
remain long in uncertainty, as it was related to her by the
neighbours that her father had been conveyed away in a litter,
and the heavy chest in a cart. Moreover, in the dead of
night, the neighbouring pair who occupied the adjoining apart-
ment came in, and now the poor daughter was, for the first time,
informed of the whole secret, as to which she had hitherto not had
the slightest conception. The first thing to be done next morn-
ing was for her to seek out Father Drouet in the Jesuit college.
She was referred to the novitiate, and she hastened thither. As
she came there, however, she found the sons of Loyola there
present in the greatest consternation, as old Grillet had just
departed this life, even before they had been able to carry out the
ceremony of his reception among the novices. The daughter at
once demanded the property left by her father, more especially
the heavy chest with its contents ; but they shortly showed her
the door. Thereupon she addressed herself, on the advice of
acquaintances, to an honest advocate, and he threatened Father
Drouet and his associates with a criminal complaint. At the
same time, he made his client aware that two things were wanting
for the gaining of the trial, firstly, the necessary means of proof,
because the married pair who had seen all were not in the
apartment itself, but in the neighbouring one ; and, secondly,
what was still more necessary, money for carrying on the suit.
She ought, therefore, he added with a good intention, submit to
a moderate compromise rather than stake all, as the Jesuits
would employ all their influence and their enormous wealth in
order to bring the matter to a victorious issue. This advice
was good, and the poor washerwoman determined to follow
it. Therefore, immediately when Father Guimont was sent to
her in order to negotiate amicably with her, she contented
herself with a sum of acquittance of 4,000 francs, and con-
sequently the whole affair was an end. Nevertheless, the
matter came to be so notorious, all agreeing as to the dis-
376 HISTORY OF THE JESUITS.
graceful nature of the transaction, that the law authorises of
the town, who were conversant with the affair, expressed an
unreserved opinion in regard to this shameful robbery on the
part of the sons of Loyola.
There was yet a far more magnificent robbery that the Jesuits
perpetrated, as regards the inheritance of Ambrose Guy, and
this is, perhaps, the most extraordinary swindling story which
ever came before the civilised world. The said Ambrose, born
at Apt in Provence, in the year 1613, after arriving at man's
estate, settled at Marseilles as a pastrycook, and united himself in
marriage, in the year 1040, with Anna Roux, who in due course
presented him with two girls. Having become a widower at the
<ind of twenty years, he espoused his eldest daughter to Johann
Baptist Jourdan, placed his second daughter with the married
couple, and left France in order to prosecute his trade in the
French West Indian Islands. However, he never went to the
West Indies, but, on the other hand, having thought better about
it, sailed for Brazil, and employed himself there in gold-digging
and in search for precious stones, whereby, in the course of forty
years, he amassed enormous riches. At the end of this time, that
is to say, after he had attained the age of eighty-six years, the
desire took him to see his native land and his family once more,
and, consequently, in the beginning of the year 1701, he
embarked with all his riches on board the ship Phelipeaux,
Captain Beauchene, for Europe. His possessions consisted of
50,000 pounds of gold in bars, a proportionate amount of
silver, and eight chests full of precious stones, and other
valuable property, amounting in all to not less than eight millions
of French livres or francs. Having arrived in the roads of
Rochelle, Guy embarked in another ship, bound for Brest, and
here he landed in August 1701, in a rather indifferent state of
health, seeing that, at his advanced time of life, the sea voyage
did him no good. He begged to be taken to a respectable hotel,
and was conducted, with all his valuable things, to a host of the
name of Guimar, whose inn was situated on the Quay Eecouvrance.
As soon, however, as he had got into his apartment there, he sent
for the rector of the Brest Jesuit college, and caused him to be
informed that he had to deliver to him letters from the sons of
Loyola stationed near the Amazon river in Brazil ; he, besides,
made request for a Father who might dispense to him the con-
ROBBERY AND THEFT. 377
solutions of religion, as he felt himself to be very weak, and,
very possibly he had nearly come to the end of his career. The
rector at once sent to the hotel in order to obtain possession
of the letters, without paying any particular regard to the old
man, as at that time he knew nothing further about him. On
learning, however, from the letters, as to the enormously rich
property he had with him, the pious Father at once assembled
the rest of the members of the college, and took counsel with
them as to what could best be done for the benefit of the Society
in this extraordinary case. It was then determined that Father
Chauvel should be sent as Confessor to Ambrose Guy, and the
Jesuits knew perfectly well why they did this. Was not this
Father one of the most experienced and skilled amongst them,
who understood how to bend by his eloquence the hearts of his
confessants exactly according to his wishes, but also, at the same
time, a man of such a true-hearted appearance, that one would
have thought it quite impossible he could lend himself to any
dishonest transaction.
Chauvel did great honour to their choice, as we shall very
soon see that Ambrose Guy, after the first couple of hours
after he made his acquaintance, put his entire confidence in him.
But there was nothing wonderful in this, as the Father by no
means contented himself with merely consoling his confessant
mentally and spiritually, but also showed himself so very
solicitous as regards his bodily condition, as to administer to
him, with his own hands, the medicines prescribed for him
by the physicians. He did not rest, until Guy took posses-
sion of an isolated apartment at the back of the house,
ostensibly because the noise in the front of the hotel exercised
a detrimental effect on the nervous system of the patient;
in truth, however, in order to cut him off as much as possible
from all communication with the other inhabitants of the
place.
This kind of game lasted for several days, and with every
sunset the Father ventured to congratulate himself that he had
gained new ground in the affections of his truly important
<5onfessant. In the course of a week, however, a sudden con-
tretemps occurred which threatened to upset, at a blow, all the
trouble hitherto taken by the cunning Loyolite. Ambrose Guy
one morning, after a sleepless night, found himself most un
378 HISTORY OP THE JESUITS.
commonly weak, and on this account asked Father Chauvel, ns
soon as he had come into the apartment, to get him as quickly
as possible a notary, with four witnesses, in order that he might
be able to execute his will. The patient frequently spoke openly,
indeed, of leaving a legacy to the Jesuit college at Brest ; but,
on the other hand, he was determined to bequeath the greater
part of his possessions to his two daughters and their heirs,
whoever they might be, and Chauvel at once perceived but too
well that here all attempt to effect a change as to this resolution
would be of no avail. After a couple of weeks, indeed, when the
patient had become a little more pliant, and had been still more
worked upon in a Jesuitical sense, and perhaps brought to the
conviction that his daughters had long since died without
leaving any descendants, it was then hoped that he might
be induced to bequeath everything to the Order of Jesus ; but for
the present this was totally impossible, owing to the obstinacy
of the old man !
Yet, on this account, must all thought of securing the great,
inheritance be at once entirely given up ? Must no attempt
whatever be made to save, in one way or other, for the Order
the many hundredweights of gold and silver bars, together with
the eight chests of precious stones and other valuables in
other words, the eight millions bequeathed to the rightful heirs ?
The thought of this made the head of Father Chauvel much
confused indeed, and one scheme drove out another. Still he
had so little time for deliberation that he promised the patient
to take care to fetch the notary and the four witnesses instantly,
and, in fact, at once set out on his way to do so. Be it well
understood, however, his path was not in the direction of the
town, in order to fetch a man of law, but towards his college, in
order to consult over the matter with his brethren. The time
pressed frightfully, and it was necessary to come to a quick
decision, for otherwise the patient was in such a condition that
he might call for a third party to procure the execution of the
wished-for testament.
But when had it been that the right way was not forthcoming
with the sons of Loyola whenever anything could be got for
their advantage ? And on this occasion a resolution was formed
that exceeded everything in infamy, and must be classed in
the category of the vilest swindling. The gardener of their
BOBBERY AND THEFT. 379'
college quite a thorough-going fellow, who could readily play
any part required of him, having served formerly as writer in a.
notary's office for a couple of years was at once dressed up as
a notary, and he was minutely instructed in what he had to do*
Four of the Jesuits, too, transformed themselves into worthy
citizens of the town of Brest, in order to accompany the notary
as witnesses. With these five Father Chauvel proceeded in a>
covered bark not wishing to arouse the curiosity of the Brest
people to Quay Recouvrance, and brought them, without any-
one talking about the matter, or, indeed, as he presumed, anyone
having seen anything of it, into the back chamber of Ambrose
Guy, who showed himself not a little pleased at their arrival.
All now went on satisfactorily as to the business of the will-
making, and the pretended notary, with the greatest formality
and with the most complete dignity, put down upon paper what
was required of him by the patient. When the testament was
now ready and properly drawn up in the usual form, in order
that it might not be disputed by anyone, it was signed by the
four so-called citizen witnesses, while the gardener, or as he
gave himself out to be the notary, thereupon took the docu-
ment, to be deposited at the office of the town hall. He did
not, of course, convey it there, but, on the contrary, to the
Jesuit college, where the four witnesses also followed him.
Ambrose Guy, then, had made a will, and still had not made
one ; that is to say, he had made a will, according to his idea
properly executed, while it was totally invalid and utterly
worthless as good, indeed, as none at all. He was under
the belief, then, that his will lay at the town hall, and would
be, after his death, opened by the authorities and carried into
effect. In truth, however, no one was aware of its existence,,
except the sons of Loyola, or, rather, the latter were under the
conviction that no one knew anything about it, and acted
accordingly. With this heroic little document the matter, how-
ever, was only half done. What was required, if the sons of
Loyola were to succeed in appropriating the whole of Ambrose
Guy's effects, was to persuade the old man to transfer himsell
and his treasure into the Jesuit college. Were he brought thither,,
then might his property be taken possession of immediately after
his death, before any could get news of the old man's decease
having taken place. Were he not brought thither, was it not
380 HISTORY OP THE JESUITS.
to be feared that the secular authorities might put everything
under their seal, and so retain it until it could be ascertained
whether he had any rightful heirs or not ? It was requisite,
then, at any price, to bring about the removal, and, thanks to
the persuasive powers of Father Chauvel, this was effected. The
Father chattingly represented to the old man, with a pleasing
demeanour, how it was quite impossible to bestow upon him the
.proper bodily and spiritual care that was necessary in such an
hotel as that in which he was lodging, as there was much too
great a noise going on there, and a locality where sailors,
carters, and other people of a similar description frequented,
was not at all suitable for a man such as Ambrose Guy ; on
the other hand, the sons of Loyola would prize it as the greatest
honour to give him shelter in their college, and would devote
themselves to him day and night with such zeal that he could
wish for nothing better. Moreover, the riches which he had
with him would be much more secure in the college than
in a public-house, which might possibly be frequented by
disguised thieves and robbers; and, finally, it had to be con-
sidered that, in the event of his sudden death, the State
authorities, in the person of a rascally financial fellow, might
pounce upon the effects he left behind and make the best of it
for himself.
Similar things had happened before, and just at the present
time the Jntendant of Brittany did not stand exactly in the
highest repute, while, on the other hand, the sons of Loyola,
with their accustomed probity and honesty, would watch over
the treasure, and, completely independent of all divisional
authorities, devote themselves to its safe custody. Good Father
Chauvel employed such, and similar other persuasive words, and
Ambrose Guy, who had lived for forty years in a land where the
sons of Loyola were held in the highest estimation, could not do
otherwise than accept, with the greatest thankfulness, the offers
made to him. Consequently, one evening the Father, accom-
panied by several servants and lay brethren, landed from a sloop
at the Quay Recouvrance, and, an hour later, Ambrose Guy was
safely conveyed to the Jesuit College with all his gold and
other property. What good fortune was this, indeed ! There
could now, be nothing more to fear as to the old man con-
ifiding anything whatever to the host or to any third person.
EOBBEEY AND THEFT. 381
Especially there was no danger as to the parson making use of
his privilege to visit the dying man, and, by means of confes-
sion, becoming acquainted with everything which it had been
sought carefully to conceal. No; Ambrose now belonged entirely
to the sons of Loyola, and they alone knew exactly the true-
state of his property; they alone had this same under lock and'
key. When this was the case, what occasion was there any
longer for them to give themselves any further trouble about the
patient ? Where was there now any more need for tender
solicitude concerning him, or why should there be a physician
who might possibly be able to discover something from the
patient ? The old man should now die, and as soon as possible I
Consequently, they gave themselves no further trouble about
him, but abandoned him to his pains and his misery, without
administering to him the requisite medicine. Was there any
wonder then that his life was not prolonged many days? Was
there any wonder that he at length breathed his last with a
curse against the Jesuits ? Already, a few hours after his death,
the report was spread abroad that the stranger who had been
taken away from Guimar's Hotel during the night-time, had been
conveyed into their college ; and this report reached the parson
of the church diocese of St. Louis, to which the Quay Recou-
vrance belonged, and upon this report he now demanded the
corpse and the property he had left. The Jesuits refused to-
comply with this demand, declaring that they themselves would
undertake to bury him ; and, as regards his property, that it was
hardly sufficient to cover the expenses which they had incurred
for the patient's cure. With this, however, the parson, whose
name was Raignaut, was not satisfied, but he made a complaint
to the police; and now the Fathers, so far at least yielded, that
they placed the corpse before the College gate. Thence the
parson took it, and had it honestly buried in the Hospital
churchyard of St. Louis ; the expenses of the funeral, however,
were not remitted to him, as the sons of Loyola repeated their
declaration that the deceased had left as good as nothing, as to
which assertion there lay no ground for any sufficient doubt.
For this reason the police authorities made no further inquires
as to the deceased, or, indeed, as to any more minute particulars
regarding him, and as day after day no relation came forward to
claim \shat he had left, the Jesuits dared to hope confidently
"382 HISTORY OP THE JESUITS.
that the whole robbery would remain undiscovered. Still,
wonderful to say, immediately after the funeral of Ambrose Guy,
Teports began to be circulated over the town of Brest, that there
had been enormous riches in the old man's possession, and it was
even whispered about, indeed, as to what the same comprised.
Also strong confirmation of these said rumours was found in the
circumstance that during the years following the college had made
large purchases of estates, and, besides, lent out large sums at
interest. The jewel-dealers of the neighbouring large towns, too,
said that many very costly precious stones coming from the Jesuit
College in Brest had been priced by them, and regarding other
valuables it became known that they had been forwarded to a
man in Paris. Thus it could not fail to be that by degrees
the statement regarding the fabulous treasures which Ambrose
Ouy had left behind him penetrated far beyond the town of
Brest, and, at length, the affair was talked about even in the
town of Marseilles. Here, however, there resided a grand-
daughter of Ambrose Guy, Franziska Jourdan by name,
married to Esprit Beranger, and one might easily imagine
what effect these reports must have had on the minds of the
pair.
Summoned by advocates, whom he had for this reason con-
sulted, Beranger started for Brest in the beginning of the year
1715, in order to make more particular inquiries into the matter,
and, as he went very cautiously to work, and was supported
besides by an excellent legal friend, he succeeded, in a quiet way,
in making himself acquainted with almost all the particulars
that I have mentioned above. Particularly he found out the
people who had witnessed the disembarkation of Ambrose Guy
and his heavy effects, and had lived with him in Guimar's Hotel ;
and others, again, former servants of Guimar, testified to him
that the deceased Ambrose had desired to make a will, and also
that the gardener of the Jesuit College, whom they knew very
well, had, disguised as a notary, prepared this will. Lastly, he
ascertained, for a certainty, as to how and by whom his wife's
grandfather, with all his treasures, had been conveyed into the
Jesuit College, and, consequently, the whole shameful deed of
the sons of Loyola became now as clear as daylight. On this
account Beranger, on behalf of his wife, demanded from the
Brest College the inheritance belonging to her ; and, as he was
ROBBERY AND THEFT. 883
refused, ht accused the Jesuits, on the 1 1th of August 1715,
before the Court of Justice of Brest.
In this manner arose the great scandal trial which, under the
name of the " Cause celebred'Ambrosius Guy/' occasioned a great
sensation, not only in France, hut among all civilised peoples
throughout the world ; and the Society of Jesus, which made the
affair of the College of Brest their own, proved thereby afresh
how well it understood to transform the most crying injustice
into a legal right. They acted in precisely the same way as in
regard to the shameful transaction of Rombault von Viane, and
in the Girard-Cadiere case, and neither money nor influence
were wanting in order to bring over the judges to their side.
Especially they set about, with success, causing dangerous
witnesses to disappear, and Beranger himself found that his life
was more than once placed in danger by a thrust from the
dagger of a hired assassin. In short, after the lapse of two
years, however right his case appeared to all impartial people,
the plaintiff was non-suited by the Law Court of Brest, and as
he possessed no more means to prosecute the matter in a higher
court, there remained nothing else for him to do but to betake
himself back again to Marseilles. Still, with this the cele-
brated cause did not terminate. Convinced, on the other
hand, that the Court of Brest, by reason of Jesuit money, had
decreed an erroneous sentence, and fired, at the same time, by the
cry of indignation which rang throughout the whole of France,
Chancellor d'Argeausseau, the Procurator-General of the Parlia-
ment of Eennes, the capital of Brittany, ordered the first
Parliamentary Councillor to bring the matter before the said
Parliament; and the latter formed a resolution, on the 7th of
March 1718, to despatch the First Councillor to Brest, in order
to inform himself respecting the nature of the case. Thereupon
the sons of Loyola experienced a deadly panic, as, if the investi-
gation were to be conducted with impartiality, their villainy must
then be made apparent ; but they at once resolved to appeal to
the council of the King, because they possessed, indeed, in
d'Argenson, Keeper of the Great Seal, an especially good
friend; they were successful, too, in getting a decree, dated 16th
February 1719, which prohibited the Parliament of Kennes from
carrying out its intended resolution.
The case once more languished, when Esprit Beranger,
384 HISTORY OP THE JESUITS.
supported by the other descendants of Ambrose Guy, came into
some pecuniary means, and at once addressed himself, in the
year 1723, to the Parliament of Brittany with a petition that
the matter in dispute might again be taken up. The latter
was ready to meet his wishes ; still, the Jesuits again appealed,,
for a second time, to the council of the King, and the new
Keeper of the Great Seal, d'Armenonville, who had in the
interim succeeded to the position of d'Argenson, was not less
agreeable than Cardinal Fleury, the all-powerful minister of
Louis XV., that the Court of Justice of Quimper, the second
capital of Brittany, should be appointed as the Court of revision.
Everyone might now easily predict how the case would turn
out, as the members were all among the most intimate friend*
of the Order of Jesus; and, consequently, it would have been
regarded as a wonder if the sentence of the Court were not given
in favour of the Jesuits. The decree, indeed, had not long to
be waited for, and the Jesuits broke out into a perfect storm of
triumph, holding the view that the case had now been ended
for ever. In this, however, they were mistaken.
In the year 1735, Father Chauvel, who had been the life
and soul of all the villainous manoeuvres, was transferred, on
account of his great age, to the profess-house of La Fleche, that
he might there end his days in all comfort, the atmosphere being
much milder ; in this his solitude his conscience was suddenly
awakened, and he regarded with terror the punishments which/
awaited him in the next world for his infamous deeds. He was
anxious to make compensation for them as far as could be done,
but he was always too much watched, so that he might not have
an opportunity of making a confession before the Law Court^
Indeed, he might be certain of meeting with death whenever he
took the first step to advance this object; consequently, there
remained for him nothing else to do but to commit to paper the
whole course of the affair. He prepared, therefore, a complete
inventory of all the riches which Ambrose Guy had possessed,
and described everything in detail, from the time they had set
about conveying him into the Jesuit College. This autograph
testamentary document he entrusted, well sealed, to a secular
friend upon whom he could depend, and this latter promised him
that it should not be made any use of until he had closed his
eyes. Scarcely was Chauvel dead, than the friend hastened to-
ROBBERY AND THEFT. 385
Marshall d'Estnee, with whom he was well acquainted, who in
turn handed over the packet to King Louis XV. The King
read it with astonishment, and, however favourable he had
hitherto been towards the sons of Loyola, he could hardly
restrain his indignation on this occasion. He instantly issued
an order to the Jesuit College at Brest, wherein he charged th&
same either to restore to the heirs of Ambrose Guy the things
they had stolen, or to pay over to them 8,000,000 francs ; and
this order was couched in such categorical language that the
Jesuits were seized with the greatest consternation. Luckily for
them, Louis XV. was one of the most lazy, most stupid, and
most profligate of any rulers France ever had, and it was for
them still greater luck that he allowed himself to be governed by
the above-mentioned Cardinal Fleury, the friend of the Order of
Jesus. The Cardinal, therefore, induced the King to allow the
Jesuits time to collect the large sum, and they employed this
interval in order to come to favourable terms with the heirs of
Guy. That is to say, instead of 8,000,000, they paid them only
one half, or, as stated by other accounts, only 200,000 francs ;.
and thus was the whole affair arranged to the enormous advan-
tage of the Society of Jesus. In the eyes of the world, however,
this fraternity suffered a shck which for ever undermined their
existence, and estranged them, as well, from many of those who
had hitherto been their best friends.
The third story of Jesuit robbery which I have to relate to the
reader, runs as follows.
In the middle of the 17th century, the Jesuit College at San.
Herminigilde, in Seville, got into difficulties, and the High
Council of Castille at once commissioned the President of the
Government of Seville, by name Don Juan de S an talic6s- Guevara,
to sequestrate the estates and revenues of the College for the
satisfaction of the creditors, and also especially to institute an
accurate investigation of the property belonging thereto. In
accordance with this order, Don Santelices at once seized upon
all the books, accounts, and manuscripts of the Seville Jesuits,
and by this opportunity found a manuscript which had for its
title Liber Piorum Secretorum Operum, which means " The
book of secret good works." The title took his fancy, and he
read it through carefully; he found, however, nothing suspicious
until he came upon a page containing the following words :
25
38G HISTOBY OF THE JESUITS.
" One must temporize with Don Rodrigo Barba Cabenza do
Vaca until after the death of the beneficiary, Juan Segnero de
Velasco ; so, too, on his death, one must slam the door in the
face of Don Rodrigo Barba, as if one had never had anything to
do with him." Further on was to be found an observation to
the following effect : " No one except the Bailiff, the Rector, the
Provincial, and the Counsellors of the Province, shall have any
knowledge either of this book or of the estates and revenues of
the College." It was, therefore, clear that there was something
here treated of, which was not suitable for the ears of everyone,
and, proceeding on this idea, Santelices required the former
Procurator of the College, Father Andr6 de Villar, as well as
Don Rodrigo Barba and Don Juan Segnero de Velasco, to come
before him, each separately, in order to interrogate them on their
oath. Don Rodrigo at once stated what he knew of the matter,
but he was not properly acquainted with the secret itself. The
other two, on the other hand, were perfectly cognizant thereof,
and, on this account, faltered in their assertions. All, at length,
however, confessed, and the story ran thus :
Nine-and-thirty years previous to that time a noble gentle-
man of the name of Juan de Monsalve returned to Seville
from the West Indies, where he had lived for a long time, and
brought with him great riches. He now, as a matter of course,
found many good friends, for he had remained a bachelor during
all his days, and was thus free to dispose of his property ; and
this fact, also, the Jesuits of the College of San Hermenigilde
especially treasured up in secret. Still, they took good care
not to allow their views to become too apparent, but, on the
contrary, assumed the air of disinterestedness, in order all the
better to gain the confidence of Monsieur de Monsalve. It now
happened, after some years had quietly elapsed, that a woman
came to Seville and desired to be recognised by the old rich
gentleman as his daughter. He had, affirmed the individual
in question, begotten her previous to his marriage with her
mother. This relationship had, however, latterly become
legitimate, as her mother had been secretly married to him
before his departure for the West Indies, and, on this account,
she regarded herself, with every justification, as his legitimate
child, as well as the future heiress of all his possessions.
This was pretty well what the damsel asserted, and in con-
ROBBEEY AND THEFT. 387
firmation of the same she had brought with her several papers,
bearing external evidence which showed that her tale could
not be altogether rejected. Juan de Monsalve, on the other
hand, repudiated most distinctly all and every relationship with
the mother of the woman, and declared the latter to be an arrant
cheat. With this, however, the affair, as one might imagine,
<lid not come to an end, but the person lodged a complaint, and
a law-suit was the result, which caused no small noise in the
town, more especially, indeed, as it could not be predicted
what would be the end thereof, since many people, among
whom were some, indeed, learned in the law, affirmed the
right to be on the side of the female. Juan de Monsalve was
greatly incensed at this, he having already disposed of his future
succession in favour of his two nephews, the sons of his deceased
sister, and this vexation occasioned him a tedious sickness, of
which he afterwards, in fact, died. During his illness, however,
he was in frequent communication with a Jesuit from the College
of San Herminigilde, who gave him advice as to how he might
be able to defeat the intentions of the detested woman, at least
in regard to her disgraceful conduct, in desiring, at any price,
to fasten her paternity upon him, although he very well knew
that such was by no means the case.
And in what, now, did this advice consist ? Simply in this,
that the patient should, quite in a general way, so that no one
should know anything about it, convert into ready coin all his
property, so far, that is, as it did not consist of immovable
estates, and that this cash should be entrusted to the Jesuit
College.
" Should, then, the law- suit, after the death of Juan de
Monsalve, terminate in favour of the woman, then certainly the
landed estates would fall to the same ; as to the sums of money,
on the other hand, secretly deposited with the Jesuits, she would
by no means obtain possession of them, as she would know
nothing thereof, while the Jesuits would at once band over
these sums to ^the two nephews, and the latter would thereby
ibe irrevocably assured, in any case, of at least part of the
inheritance."
&uch was the advice given by the Jesuit to his confessant, who
went into the thing most heartily. He only, however, made
the further condition that, in the event of the trial terminating
*
388 HISTORY OP THE JESUITS.
favourably, the younger of his two nephews, called Don Rodrigo
Burba Cabenza de Vaca, should succeed to the whole of the
ready money, while the elder one, in this case, would become
heir to the whole of the landed property by right of primo-
geniture. After, now, that all this had been regulated in the
aforesaid manner, Juan de Monsalve instantly alienated all his
movable property, and the Jesuits assisted him in this with such
skill that, besides themselves, not a single soul in all Seville was
aware of what had happened. The sum now derived from this
sale, with the whole of the capital of which he had previously
been possessed, amounting in all to 55,000 heavy pistoles, he
at once handed over to the Rector of the College for safe keeping ;
and on this occasion no one was present, with the exception
of a distant cousin of his of the name of Juan Segnero de
Velasco, who had long before given over his whole property to
the College, and thereby derived from it a yearly benefice, or
pension, of several hundred pistoles. Not long after the accom-
plishment of this act, Juan de Monsalve died, and the eldest of
his nephews now bestirred himself to bring the impending suit
to a favourable termination. He succeeded in this with but
little trouble, as the female plaintiff was but too well aware that
she was in the wrong, and showed herself, on that account,
greatly satisfied with an acquittance to the amount of 10,000
ducats.
Consequently the so-called patrimony by right of primo-
geniture that is to say, the whole of the landed estates which
old Monsalve possessed fell into the hands of the rightful heir
without any further difficulty, and it was now obligatory for the
Rector of the Jesuit College to pay over to the younger nephew
the 55,000 heavy pistoles. But how could it ever be expected
from a Jesuit that he should again restore anything of which
he had once obtained possession ? And then, indeed, such a
colossal property of more than three millions of francs no, that
could not be under any circumstances ! Still, it was true there
existed, besides the sons of Loyola, yet another person who was
aware of the secret, and that was the beneficiary Juan Segnero
de Velasco ; but he, indeed, was already a weak old man, who
was animated with the most profound veneration towards the
Order of Jesus, and could, moreover, on that account be very
easily brought to silence. So he was threatened with the with-
ROBBEEY AND THEFT. 389
drawal of his pension in the event of a single word about
the matter escaping from him. In fact, Juan Segnero readily
promised at once to preserve the most perfect and profound
silence, during his whole existence ; he only begged that his
cousin, Don Rodrigo Barba Cabenza de Vaca, should not be
allowed to perish from hunger, and it was requisite for the sons
of Loyola to pay some regard, good or bad, to this petition.
Consequently, they accorded to the cavalier named a yearly
gratuity of 300 pistoles, giving out that this was derived from a
fund which had been instituted by a forefather of Don Rodrigo
for poor nobility ; they made it, however, clearly to be under-
stood that this gratuity was only to be continued payable as long
as Juan Segnero was alive, and this accounted for the words
" one must temporise with Don Rodrigo Barba Cabenza de Vaca,
until after the death of the beneficiary Juan Segnero de Velasco."
Still, the said Segnero did them the favour of not dying for
nine-and-thirty long years he was himself, at the discovery of
this crime, a man of ninety years of age, and still robust and,
consequently, the Jesuits had to pay, by degrees, to Don
Rodrigo nine-aud-thirty times 300 pistoles. To do this, how-
ever, they had taken nine-and-thirty times the interest of 4,250
pistoles, which, with the original capital appropriated by them,
represented the enormous sum of 240,000 pistoles. A truly
colossal theft, indeed, exceeding even that of Ambrose Guy !
A theft, besides, which could never be completely compensated
for, as, although the High Council of Castille, to whom Don
Juan de Santilices at once referred the business, ordered Don
Rodrigo Barba Cabenza de Vaca to be completely indemnified,
it afterwards turned out that the property of the College of
Herminigilde came far short of the amount, and, consequently,
Don Rodrigo had to be content with only a part of the whole.
Anything better than nothing, however , and, besides, he had
to be thankful for the accident by which this piece of knavery
had been discovered.
From the foregoing it will be perceived how well the sons of
Loyola understood the art of thieving and robbery from confiding
mankind, and it must occur to many who read of these evil
deeds that the pious Fathers regarded their confessants as
lemons, whose juice could be utilised only by squeezing them.
It would, however, be a great mistake to suppose that the
390 HISTORY OF THE JESUITS.
Jesuits confined themselves, in their system of robbery, to their
confessants merely, as has been related, or only among the
laity. No ; they extended the same to their colleges, the body
of the clergy, and especially nuns and monks were not secure
from their thievish attacks. Indeed, one might boldly assert
that they directed their attention, in this respect, even more to
their confreres than to the non-tonsured portion of mankind, and
when it was their will and pleasure all cloisters and abbacies might
be regarded by them as sources of income to their colleges and
educational institutions. Thus, for example, under their General
Laynez, they knew how to flatter Pope Paul IV. so well that the
latter handed over to them a large cloister in Rome, founded by
the Marchioness Orsini, niece of Pope Paul IV., and the sons of
Loyola triumphantly took possession of the same in the year
1560, after they had driven away, without further ado, the former
occupants, and had them dispersed among other female cloisters.
Less forcible but all the more villainous was the conduct of
the sons of Loyola towards the Ursulines of Macon in France,
which, according to the legal reports, was as follows: Late in
the summer of 1649, Father Forget, Rector of the Jesuit
College of Metz, was put in possession of the information that
the Ursulines of Macon contemplated founding a branch' of their
cloister in Metz, and upon this news he determined to foist upon
them a house belonging to the College in that town. The place
was small, and the building was in such bad condition, that the
Jesuits derived from the same no more than 150 francs
of yearly rent. There was, then, no wonder that they gladly
relinquished it. But they desired not only to part with it, but
also to obtain a good price for the same, and with this object
something of deceit was more or less required. One among
them, a skilled mechanic, drew an elegant plan, at the desire
of the Rector, in which the house appeared to be in the best
condition, being from the ground-floor to the roof beautifully
sculptured and ornamented, and surrounded by a large fresh-
looking garden full of flowers, in the thick brushwood of which a
whole world of small birds sang and made their nests. In this
plan appeared also a beautiful church with a Gothic belfry, and
through the open window of the chief building one looked into
large fine halls, dining-rooms and bed-rooms, as light and.
loomy as could be wished. In truth, however, the small miser-
EOBBEEY AND THEFT. 391
able appurtenance was, as has been above indicated, falling to
pieces, and to build for such a ruin an adjoining church, or
even to form a place about it, was, indeed, ridiculous. Besides,
it appeared very doubtful whether, owing to a slimy tank in
the neighbourhood, it would be advisable to live in it ; and the
Jesuits had hitherto never been able to find a purchaser for the
property, although they had offered the same frequently for little
money. Nevertheless, at the end of August 1649, the worthy
Father Forget boldly betook himself, with his beautiful plan in
his pocket, to the Superior of the Ursulines of Macon, and con-
trived by fair words to make such an impression upon her, that,
lending implicit faith to the worthy Father, and misled by the
beautiful plan, she concluded a contract of purchase for 80,000
Metz francs, which was equal to 30,000 livres of Turnois. This
occurred on the 6th September 1649, and the purchase -money
was deposited on the 13th of December. This was done without
the nuns having seen the tenement, and the Jesuits were
delighted, as this sum exceeded the actual worth of the object
sold more than fourfold. In the next spring, a deputation of
the Ursulines of Macon appeared in Metz, in order to take
possession of the charming house ; but, heaven help us, how were
they undeceived ! The place was, indeed, but a miserable wretched
barrack, which could never be inhabited, and the plan laid before
the nuns of the Holy Ursula was thus a fraudulent and deliberate
deceit. Experts were now called upon to estimate the true value,
and those stated it, at the most, to be worth only 6,000 livres
Tournois. There was now, consequently, a question of an over-
reaching of the grossest description, and on this ground the
Superior of the Ursulines at once demanded the cancelment of
the previous purchase contract. To this, however, Father Forget
would not accede at any price, and he was supported therein by the
Provincial, Thomas le Blanc, in the name of the whole Society
of Jesus. The nuns were now plaintiffs, and a law-suit began,
which lasted during eight years. The nuns had plainly the
right on their side ; but the Society of Jesus were in possession
of money and of immeasurable influence. At length, on the
10th of May 1661, the Parliament of Metz, the last court of
appeal, gave their decision : " The entire purchase contract is
null and void, and the money deposited must be given back to
the Ursulines ; the latter, however, shall be bound to pay the
392 HISTORY OF THE JESUITS.
Jesuits 18,000 Metz francs instead of the original 80,000 for
the house, in the case of the College being contented with this
sum." The Parliament thereby acknowledged that the over-
reaching was to the extent of three-fourths, amounting, namely,
to 62,000 francs ; and this constituted a regular swindle, on
account of which any other Christians would have been con-
demned to ten years imprisonment in the house of correction.
The Jesuits, however, escaped free, without any punishment
whatever, as they belonged to a holy society which was held to
be unimpeachable.
The sons of Loyola perpetrated a still more crying injustice,
immediately at the commencement of their operations in Portugal,
towards the brethren of the Holy Rochus, by which name a
congregation of monks were known in that country ; and in the
perpetration of this injustice they were afterwards supported in
the best manner, firstly by royalty, and subsequently by the Papal
authority. In the year 1506, King Emanuel built a chapel in
Lisbon, on a wonderfully beautiful situation, and gave it over to
the congregation of monks which called itself " the Brotherhood
of the Holy Rochus." As a matter of course, this present was
conjoined with considerable revenues; more especially there
accompanied the gift a large cloister building, along with a
beautiful garden, which stood behind the House of God. This
charming tenement, which the Rochus Brotherhood had pos-
sessed for several decades of years without any contention,
excited from the commencement the envy of the Jesuits ; and,
while it was evident that they would only too soon become all-
powerful in Portugal, they thus entertained hopes of being able
to gain possession of it with ease, under one excuse or another.
What was, then, the pretext of which they made use ? Eh !
they suddenly affirmed that they had been favoured by a secret
revelation from God, enjoining them to build, on the spot where
the Rochus chapel stood, a profess-house with the church
belonging to it, and, as they could not dare to resist a divine
revelation, they hoped that the Rochus Brotherhood would,
without further ado, give up the said property to them. This,
however, the latter were not at all inclined to do, but, on the
other hand, they opined they had good grounds for doubting in
respect to this presumed revelation ; it was pointed out, too,
that the Seventh Commandment runs thus : " Thou shalt
BOBBERY AND THEFT. 393
-not steal." This hint was much too plain for the Jesuits not
to perceive that they would not be able to attain their
end by fair means, and they, therefore, addressed them-
selves to King John III., who, as I have pointed out in the
Third Book, had given himself over to them in slavish sub-
mission. The affair now took another turn, as a matter of
course, as the weak and superstitious John would have con-
sidered it to be a crime to have any doubt about the said reve-
lation, and would have at once certainly hunted the Kochus
Brotherhood out of their possession had he not recollected that
by so doing he was destroying the work of his father Emanuel.
Consequently, it occurred to him to send Don Pedro Masca-
renhas, a person of importance at his Court, in order to smooth
the strife between them and the Jesuits ; and this Mascarenhas,
-who was at the same time a zealous patron of the Order of
Jesus, endeavoured by every means at his command to induce
.the said brethren to yield. They were, however, inexorable, and
declared that they would not, under any circumstances, allow
themselves to be robbed of their property, as the whole conduct
of the Jesuits was nothing else than a miserable dissimulation
in order to give cover to an act of theft. Upon this declaration,
.Mascarenhas allowed himself to be beguiled by the Jesuits
to try an act of violence against the Rochus brethren, and
with an armed band to storm the cloister and chapel. But
the brethren defended themselves desperately, and victoriously
;repulsed the attack. The affair, however, was not yet at an
end ; but it came to a law-suit, in which the Jesuits were
plaintiffs, "in respect to refusal of property." The judges had,
therefore, to decide whether it was to be allowable in Portugal
to rob one's neighbour according to pleasure, and they decided
-one could hardly believe it possible that such could be the
case in favour of such a proceeding. The end of the story was
this, then, that the Brotherhood of the Holy Rochus had, on
the strength of an instrument of cession, to suffer the renun-
ciation of their property for all time, and for this act of
;robbery perpetrated on them they did not receive the slightest
indemnification. The sons of Loyola at once pulled down the
existing buildings, and in place thereof erected such a magnifi-
cent profess-house as there was hardly the like in the whole
world.
394 HISTORY OF THE JESUITS.
Thus was the before-mentioned divine revelation realised,
although certainly in a fashion by which a blow in the face
was given to the justice of the heavenly universal government.
But even this was not enough, for one sin generally begets
another. So it happened that the garden of the Jesuits belong-
ing to their new building abutted on the park which sur-
rounded the palace of the Count d'Almirante, and an earnest
desire seized the sons of Loyola to possess this domain also.
So longing were the glances which they now threw day by day
on this charming property, that they almost succeeded by their
machinations in obtaining the accomplishment of their desires.
But lo and behold ! the Count, in the year 1612, began to make
preparations to erect in his park certain buildings for the
enlargement of his palace, and now the thought at once shot
like lightning through the heads of the sons of Loyola, how
they might make their attack. They instantly entered a com-
plaint in the law courts against the erection of these new build-
ings of the Count, and demanded that the same should be put
a stop to, while they maintained that his park was nothing else
than the former churchyard of the Saint Roclms chapel. There
was, of course, no truth whatever in this assertion, and as the
law court applied to the Archbishop of Lisbon in order that there
might be an official explanation of the matter, the latter gave
his decision that the disputed circle had at no time served as a
burial-ground. With this decision, however, the Jesuits were
not at all satisfied, but they now addressed themselves to
the Tribunal of Petitions, and, with bold assurance, demanded
justice. This action, however, did not succeed in the way
they expected, and in the first and second instance the Count
obtained permission to proceed with the building, and the
petitioners were brought to silence as to their complaints. The
Fathers now appealed to Rome, affirming that the Pope was
supreme over all kings and courts of law ; and Paul V., who
entirely agreed with such principles, not only at once pro-
hibited any further action whatever on the part of all the
Portuguese tribunals, as regards the matter of contention between
the Jesuits and Count Almirante, but summoned, besides, the said
parties before his own Forum, in order that it might be deter-
mined by his own holy courts what was right. What would now
have been the consequence, had the Count obeyed, may easily be
EOBBEEY AND THEFT. 395"
imagined; but, on account of this Papal presumption, he
addressed himself to Philip II., who at that time reigned
over Portugal, and he, well-disposed as he was towards the
Church, forbade the interference of Kome with the internal
affairs of his country, with such energy that Paul V. found it
necessary to draw in his horns. Thus, at length, the Count
managed to retain possession of his property, and the sons of
Loyola were obliged to renounce their artfully contrived robbery.
Precisely similar attempts at theft the sons of Loyola made,
as regards the nuns and monks of other countries, as had been
the case with reference to the Brotherhood of the Holy Kochus
in Portugal, and I might adduce in this respect a great quantity
of the most edifying stories. As for example, at Dantzig, where,
in the year 1606, they robbed the nuns of the Holy Order of
the Brigittens of their cloisters, but were compelled by the
magistrate to relinquish their robbery. Thus, too, in Thorn,
where Fathers Lapas and Valentin performed a similar tyran-
nical deed, 'but equally met with punishment on this account.
The same kind of thing took place at Cracow, and in many-
other Europeans towns. The reader will, however, obtain ih&
deepest insight into the system of Jesuit robbery when I re-
late how the sons of Loyola plundered, during the Thirty
Years' War, as they never at any time carried out stealing
operations on such an extensive scale as during that period.
True it is, moreover, that there never existed but one Ferdinand'
II., and the prodigal liberality of this Emperor towards the
Order of Jesus, as also the immeasurable weakness with which
he sanctioned all their robberies, was never afterwards exceeded.*
Before everything, the sons of Loyola sought to appropriate for
themselves as much as they possibly could in the Empire of
Austria itself, and they made a beginningt in this respect, by
demanding the University of Vienna for themselves. In seeking
this, however, it was not so much on account of the great
material advantages to be derived therefrom, but that in this way
* The Emperor Ferdinand appears, towards the end of his life, ten-
have discovered that he had far overstepped the proper measure of liber-
ality ; otherwise he would not have exclaimed to the Fathers in 1635 :
" Accipite, vos Patres, uon semper habebitis Ferdinandum Secundum "
(Accept, ye Fathers, you will not always have a Ferdinand II.).
f ^Regarding the acquisitions of the Jesuits in the so-called Inner Austria,
previous to the Thirty Years' War, I have already called attention in the,
Second Book of this work.
396 HISTORY OF THE JESUITS.
the entire higher instruction of the youth would fall into their
hands, and especially by this means the Protestant element,
which had at that high school obtained an almost preponderat-
ing influence, might be completely exterminated. As, however,
these designs of the sons of Loyola appeared to be as clear as
daylight, the professors of the University defended themselves
to the utmost, and the students also protested, unanimously,
against the amalgamating of the high school with the Jesuit
College. But what did that matter ? After a couple of years
of irresolution, the Emperor, on the urgent appeal of his Con-
fessor, Father Lamormain, yielded, and, on the 21st of October
1622, ordered the desired amalgamation. Even this, how-
ever, was not sufficient, but he must needs accord as well the
necessary funds in order to build an enormous and truly splendid
college with church attached thereto, because the apartments
hitherto allotted were insufficient for the accommodation of all
the four faculties. There was not, therefore, a single material
advantage wanting to accompany this acquisition, and this fact
'becomes more prominently apparent when one takes into con-
sideration that now the entire property of the University, as
regards its management, passed over into the possession of the
Society of Jesus.
Much more important, however, was an acquisition that the
sons of Loyola obtained for themselves about that time in the
Austrian Salzkammergute, namely the Benedictine nun cloister
of Traunkirchen, situated in a charming solitude of rock and lake,
and, at the same time, endowed with truly princely revenues.
After it had enjoyed a prolonged existence, the Emperor Maximi-
lian abolished the same, in the year 1573, and he might, indeed,
have had good grounds for so doing; by means of the Jesuits,
however, scruples of couscience were awakened in the Emperor
"Ferdinand II. respecting this abolition, and at length he arrived
at the conviction, by the insinuating influence of his Father
Confessor, that the same was nothing else than a theft per-
petrated on the Church. He, therefore, determined to restore to
the Church the rich settlement, and the Benedictine nuns now
naturally expected nothing else than that they should again obtain
possession of their former property. It was, however, a sinister
element in the calculations of the Jesuits that they had only
aroused the scruples of conscience in Ferdinand IT., as regards
ROBBERY AND THEFT. 397
the matter, in order to obtain Traunkirchen for themselves, and
on that account they now made use of every lever to bring the
Emperor to such a way of thinking. Their great patron, the
Archduke Leopold, the Emperor's brother and, at the same
time, Bishop of Passau, was induced to besiege his high re-
lative with the representation that it would only prove valuable
in the hands of Loyolites, because they alone were fit to make
use of it for the uprooting of Protestantism in the country of
the Ens, and he finally contrived to bring the matter so far,
that the Emperor at length definitively assigned the charming
settlement to the Jesuit College of Passau, on the 12th of July
1624. The Benedictine nuns, it is true, complained to the Pope,
representing it as a robbery perpetrated against them, and, in
this respect, they were also undoubtedly right. Urban VIII.,
however, took the part of the Jesuits, and, consequently, the
latter remained in undisputed possession of their rich acqui-
sition.
With no less covetous hand did they also pounce upon every-
thing within reach in Silesia and Moravia, wherever they could
get possession of aught ; and in this, also, the Emperor Ferdi-
nand II., their high patron, most willingly supported them.
They enriched themselves with the estates confiscated from the
Protestants, and not only obtained their colleges of Olmiitz and
Briinn in this fashion, but acquired besides several noble estates,
and, on the 1st September 1622, four great market-places, Pol-
lehradiz, Kzeizkowitz, and whatever else may be their names.
Besides, also, another brother of the Emperor, the Archduke
Karl, who was at the same time Bishop of Breslau and pro-
prietor of the county of Glatz, as well as of the Dukedoms
of Oppeln and Eatibon, showed himself to be extremely favour-
able to them ; and if he approved of the Order, depend upon it
the remaining clergy did not remain behindhand with their
favours.
Consequently, they succeeded with facility in gaining for their
college at Glatz the estates of the knights of Malta, and for their
college at Eeiss the cloister and church attached thereto of the
Knights of the Cross ; for their educational institution in Glogau,,
however, they obtained the six entailed estates of the Baron
George von Schdnaick, at Carolath-Leuthen, which they simply
took away from him because he was a Calvinist; and, as a not
398 HISTORY OF THE JESUITS.
less magnificent acquisition, they got for themselves the Upper
Silesian lordship of Oldersdorf, which brought in an annual
income of 50,000 dollars. In short, the Jesuits went at it in
real earnest, and the rulers of the day testified great joy when-
ever they succeeded in some great robbery.
All this, however, appeared but paltry in comparison with
what the sons of Loyola contrived to appropriate for themselves
in the kingdom of Bohemia the same territory from which, at
the commencement of the Thirty Years' War, they had been so
ignominiously expelled. For instance, when, in consequence of
the battle of Prague, in the year 1620, the whole of the country
of the Czechs, as we know, was unconditionally surrendered to
the Emperor Ferdinand II., the Jesuits returned thither in great
hordes, and established themselves again in possession of their
former estates and colleges. This was, however, only a fore-
taste of their subsequent operations, as they at once placed
themselves at the head of the Imperial armies, and, with the
assistance of the latter, perpetrated a system of robbery which
had never before been witnessed.
In every village, in every market-place, in every town, where
Protestants or suspected Protestantism existed, the sons of
Loyola advanced with the victorious soldiery, and everywhere
was it their first care to seize upon everything that the heretics
possessed. It is true it was ostensibly not for themselves, but
for the Emperor, who had the right to punish his rebellious
subjects in this manner ; but the Emperor showed himself to be
liberal, and assigned to the sons of Loyola fully the half of the
forty millions of florins which, at the smallest calculation, the
confiscated estates realised. Indeed, he handed over to them
the greater portion of his own Crown lands, so that the pious
Fathers obtained for themselves almost the third of the whole
.revenues of the country !
Such a colossal result had never before been witnessed in any
Christian kingdom ; indeed, not even in Portugal, where they
had reigned almost supreme during nearly two hundred years,
could they boast of the like. But, in spite of all this, the sons
of Loyola had never enough, but they always strove to gain
more and more the best proof of their insatiableness after
further acquisitions. More especially they stretched out their
.greedy hands upon the University of Prague, and hoped to be
KOBBEEY AND THEFT. 399
able to take possession of this, the richest as well as the univer-
sally celebrated high school of Germany, and the proper cradle
of Protestantism, with as much ease as they had acquired that
of Vienna. But in this they deceived themselves, as the
"Karolina," so called after its founder, the Emperor Charles
IV., or, in other words, the University of Prague, did not, by
any means, at the first sound of alarm, yield to the " Ferdi-
nandeum," which was the name of the Jesuit college, founded
in the year 1555 by the Emperor Ferdinand I., and even
dared to offer resistance to the all-powerful dictate of the
Emperor Ferdinand II.
The affair happened thus. Immediately after the re-conquest
of Bohemia for the Emperor Ferdinand, the Jesuits repre-
sented to the latter that the Karolina had now become a
patroness of heresy, and that, therefore, if it were desired to
keep the youthful students pure from this poison, it was neces-
sary to hand over the whole management of the University
to the sons of Loyola.
" Only they, the Jesuits, from their first institution had proved
themselves to be capable of educating the young in the pure
Catholic faith ; the other Catholic teachers, indeed, had shown
themselves to be deficient in this respect all over Christendom.
Were, then, the Karolina to be allowed its independent exist-
ence as hitherto, were it not to be amalgamated with the Fer-
dinandeum if, in short, the resolution were not made that the
Rector of the Jesuit College at Prague should at the same time
be constituted Rector of the whole University, as also of its
subordinate chancellors one might depend upon it that the
; professors at the Karolina would not teach in the spirit of the
only saving faith, while, under the protection of any rector or
chancellor of a different spirit, error and disbelief would always
be liable to creep in."
Thus did the Jesuits speak to the Emperor Ferdinand II.,
and their officious creature, the Prince of Lichtenstein, at that
.time Governor of Bohemia, supported their representations-
with all his power. The Emperor, it must be acknowledged,
wavered for a long time, because it appeared to him that he
was about to annihilate, so to speak, by a stroke of the pen, the
ancient privileges of the Karolina; but it is, indeed, notorious
.how he could be brought over to do anything, through the bug-
400 HISTORY OF THE JESUITS.
bear of heresy, and thus, on the 9th September 1622, he issued"
a decree in which he ordained the surrender of the Karolina,
with all its estates and privileges, to the sons of Loyola, so that
the whole University might be amalgamated with the Ferdi-
nandeum. The said decree runs thus :
" By virtue of our Imperial and Royal power, we legally unite,
now and for ever, the Karolinian University with that of the
Ferdinandian College of the Society of Jesus, instituted in our
town of Prague, in such manner that this amalgamation shall
not stand in the way of any of the peculiar privileges of the
aforesaid University, though we also, through the present ordi-
nance, destroy all and every privilege which might be contrary
to the amalgamation ordained by us. In consequence thereof,
it is our will that the present Rector of the College, appointed
according to the statutes of the Society of Jesus, shall be at the
same time Rector of the whole University, and we annihilate and
exterminate hereby all claims which anyone might otherwise
make to this dignity. And similarly do we put in subjection to
the aforesaid Rector all teachers of the lower, as also all of the
upper schools in the town of Prague ; and these shall be bound
to follow the orders of the Rector, or of those whom he will
appoint to visit the schools, and to comply with any regulation
whatever made by him. No one, without permission from the
Rector in writing, shall be authorised to found any new school,
in whatever Faculty it may at any time be ; and we charge the
aforesaid Rector with the supervision of all present established
schools and colleges, as well as those which may in future be
established throughout the whole kingdom of Bohemia. Lastly,
we appoint the aforesaid Rector to be Inquisitor and corrector
of heretics, and commit to him, of our free Imperial and Royal
power, the censorship over all books which shall be printed or
sold."
Thus did the Emperor decree, according to the will of the
Jesuits, and neither he nor the sons of Loyola cared in the
least that the chartered rights of the Archbishop of Prague were
thereby infringed in the most violent way, seeing that in virtue
of former Papal privileges this latter dignitary was the permanent
chancellor and supreme head of the Karolina. " Might goes
before right," thought both the Emperor and the Jesuits ; " and
besides," said these worthies to themselves, " the present moment
ROBBEEY AND THEFT 401
is a peculiarly favourable opportunity in order to carry through
the said dictatorial decision." The Archbishopric of Prague was,
just at that time, vacant by the death of the Archbishop Johann
Lobelius, and Count Ernst Adalbert von Harrack had been
selected to fill this office, who, having been brought up in
the Collegium Germanicum in Rome, was known to be a great
persecutor of heresy. It was consequently hoped that he would
not be so strict in insisting upon his archiepiscopal privileges,
but that he would rather silently acquiesce, so to speak, in the
usurpation. Scarcely, however, had Ernst Adalbert taken pos-
session of his see, in the year 1623, than he presented to the
Emperor a written complaint, in which he most energetically
protested against the decree that had been issued, and, as this
document was productive of no result in deterring the Jesuits
from forcibly taking possession of all the estates appertaining
to the University, he set out himself for Vienna, in order per-
sonally there to prosecute his case. He also complained to
Pope Urban VIII., and on this occasion described the machina-
tions of the Jesuits in such bitter terms that one could not
sufficiently wonder at his action. The following are the very
words he employed :
" As soon as they (namely, the Jesuits) observed that I was
determined to offer an earnest resistance to their presumptuous
attempts, then they at once commenced to attack, partly openly
and partly secretly, my archiepiscopal jurisdiction. More espe-
cially they set about spreading abroad everywhere calumnies
of every description, and, what was still more disgraceful, they
so blackened at Court the characters of my servants and sup-
porters, through anonymous libels and lampoons, that I could
scarcely find anyone who would venture to enter into my
service, or to stand by me as defender of my archiepiscopal
rights. They have even so hounded on the clergy in my diocese,
against me, that the latter defiantly deny obedience to me, and
it has already come to such a height that, in verity, the Jesuits
in this country exercise the archiepiscopal power, I holding
nothing more than the mere title of Archbishop. May it not be
called a strange contradiction to be solved, and one much to be
wondered at, that a society which professes the glory of God to
be the sole end and aim of its efforts should be so eager after
worldly power and worldly possessions that they hesitate at
26
402 HISTORY OF THE JESUITS.
nothing in order to obtain possession of both by their strenuous
exertions. Indeed, they go so far as to persecute, with the most
implacable hatred, all who do not humbly submit themselves to
their dictatorship, and, at the same time, prophesy the inevitable
downfall of the Catholic Church whenever anyone does not, with
slavish adoration, cringe at their feet and tolerate their usurpa-
tions with cowardly submission ? "' The Archbishop wrote thus,
with other like expressions, to Pope Urban VIII., and he did
not express himself less sharply towards the Emperor and his
ministers. In vain did Ferdinand II. endeavour to silence him
by withdrawing from him, in the year 1 620, the right of patron-
age in all ecclesiastical appointments and benefices in the royal
towns of Bohemia. In vain did the Pope nominate him, a year
later, to be a Cardinal, in order to induce him to be more
yielding and amenable. In vain did the Governor of Bohemia,
Prince Lichtenstein, give himself all possible trouble to work
upon the obstinate opposition of the ecclesiastical prince. Ernst
Adalbert would not be conciliated, either by compromise or
indulgence, and, as he had perfect right on his side, silence could
not be in any way imposed upon him. On the other hand,
however, the Emperor would not retract his decree, issued in
favour of the Jesuits, under any circumstances; and also the
Pope did not dare to form a decision inimical to the sons of
Loyola. His Holiness was, indeed, by far too much indebted to
this Emperor who supported, with so much success, the declining
authority of the Roman Court, that he should run any risk of
forfeiting such favour for any question as to rights and privileges ;
and thus the contention lasted during fully sixteen years. Tt
was not, indeed, a mere contention, but an open veritable war ;
as, besides the scurrilous lampoons which were launched respec-
tively on both sides, it frequently came as far as broken heads,
if the adherents of the one party happened to meet those of the
-other in the streets of Prague.
Finally, Ferdinand II. died, and now the Pope had no
further pretext to withhold any longer his decision. He deter-
mined, then, on the 7th of January 1638, that the sons of
Loyola should give back into the hands of the Emperor the
Karolina of Prague, with all its estates, illegally acquired by a
iespotic command of the secular power. His Holiness, however,
ROBBERY AND THEFT. 403
dare not by any means deliver it over to the Archbishop, but, on
the contrary, nominated a secular " Protector " as ruler thereof.
This actually took place, and the first Protector nominated
by the Emperor Ferdinand III., Friedrich von Tallemberg,
undertook the supreme management of the University. But
-were the contending parties quieted thereby? No, certainly
not! The Jesuits not, because what they were desirious of
retaining had been taken from them ; and the Archbishop not,
"because that to which hitherto he had a legal claim was not
restored to him. On this account, after a short time, the
contention arose afresh, and once more there abounded libels
and galling lampoons, once more there was quarrelling, with
cudgelling and broken heads. It would be, however, too
tiresome for the reader, were I to describe the struggle in
all its details ; consequently, I shortly remark that after a
period of fifteen years, in the year 1653, a satisfactory com-
promise was at length brought about between the exasperated
disputants a compromise, moreover, by which both parties were
reconciled, although both contended that they had gained the
day. It was settled that for the future the Karolina, amalga-
mated with the Ferdinandeum, under the title of "Karl-
Ferdinand's University," should form one single high-school,
that the Jesuits should not, however, have charge of all the four
faculties, but only those of theology and philosophy. Further,
that to the Emperor should appertain the right of nominating
even laymen to professorial chairs in jurisprudence and medicine,
and that the Rectorate should be changed every year in this
manner : that first a jurist, then a theologian, after that a
medical professor, and lastly, a philosopher, should be nominated
to hold that office out of the whole body of professors. More-
over, it was decreed that the Senate of the two Secular Faculties
those, namely, of law and physic should be in sole possession
of, and have control over, the entire revenues of the old Karo-
lina, and that the Archbishop of Prague should hold the title
and dignity of Chancellor of the united " Karl-Ferdinand's
Universitat," so that all, including even the Jesuits, who were
desirous of acquiring the degree of Doctor in any Faculty what-
ever, must seek permission from him. That, however, he should
not, as formerly, have unlimited power over the University,
26
404 HISTORY OF THE JESUITS.
there was appointed a secular Government plenipotentiary with
the style and title of " Superintendent," without whose approval
he could not introduce any government act whatever. These
were the principal conditions of the compromise arranged in the
year 1653; and was I not right in saying that both parties,
while appearing to have gained thereby, had. however, in reality
lost?
The Jesuits were not so narrow-minded as to limit their
robbing operations to Austria only; but, on the contrary,
extended them, indeed, over the whole of Germany, and in
order to be enabled to effect this great result they caused the
Emperor Ferdinand II., who in the year 1629 stood at the
zenith of his prosperity, to issue the uncommonly ill-famed
Restitution Edict, in which it was conjoined that all ecclesiastical
estates of which the Protestants had obtained possession since
the Treaty of Passau in the year 1 552, and that all the abbeys,
cloisters, and other benelices whatever, which since the time
mentioned had been abolished and secularized, should be restored
to their former owners ; and as the Protestants, at that time,
were completely powerless to do anything against the Imperial
weapons, they were unable, to the great joy of the Catholics, to
render any considerable opposition whatever to the carrying out
of this imperious order. I said " to the great joy of the
Catholics ; *' I should have said, however, to the great joy of
the sons of Loyola, as it soon appeared that the Emperor was in
no way disposed to restore to the former ecclesiastical proprietors
the church property which had been torn from the Evangelical
party, but that his view, on the contrary, was to retain such
property, lor the most part, in order to prosecute the war that
was going on, and to leave the rest as a reward to the Jesuits for
their faithful services.
So the Restitution Edict was framed ; and merely in order that
they might gain booty the sons of Loyola induced the Emperor
to issue this celebrated decree. Ferdinand II., however, who
perceived only too well that his interest went hand in hand
with that of the pious Fathers, allowed himself to give free
consent to all their propositions, and formally committed him-
self to them in an autograph letter, addressed to Father Walter
Mundhrodt in May 1629, indicating to him the localities and
EOBBEET AND THEFT. 405
'towns in which new settlements and enrichments could be most
acceptably given them. And, now, when such was the case,
could it be well imagined that the good Fathers would be guilty
of showing too great reserve in relation to their desires ? Could
it be imagined that they would not at once grasp everything
that there was to seize, in place of waiting humbly until some
crumbs fell of themselves to their share ? No, certainly the
sons of Loyola could not be reproached in this respect, as regards
retaining for themselves everything accorded to them by the
Restitution Edict. But, unfortunately, there was one hindrance,
and one which could not be so easily got over ; it happened to
stand recorded in the Restitution Edict, in order to give it an
appearance of justice, that the abbeys and cloisters secularized
since 1552 should be restored to their "former" proprietors,
and these in the persons of Benedictines, Dominicans, Fran-
ciscans, Pra3monstrats, Cistercians, and whatever else they might
be denominated, not only announced themselves as such, but
sent, without delay, the Abbots of Hassenfeld and Kaisersheim
as a deputation to Vienna in order to prosecute their claims at
the Court. This did not at all please the sons of Loyola; they
dissembled, however, and Father Lamormain, the Confessor of
the Emperor, more especially treated the two deputies with as
much flattery as was possible. Thereupon, when he believed that
he had quite succeeded in gaining them over, he gave his opinion
that it would be for their mutual benefit if they reciprocally
came to an agreement, and added thereto the idea that they
should hand over the nunneries, and some of the monk-
cloisters also, to the Jesuits, for the erection of colleges, and
that, on the other hand, the Society of Jesus should give its
assurance not to lay claim to the remainder of the estates.
But to this the two abbots could not permit themselves to agree ;
so, declaring that they were not empowered to conclude such
an agreement, they thereupon took their final departure from
Vienna.
What did Father Lamormain do now ? As soon as the
abbots had gone, he hastened to the Emperor and assured him
that they were quite ready to accept the proposed agreement,
so that nothing in the least stood in the way of the cession of
.the whole of the nunneries secularized since 1552, as well as
40G HISTORY OF THE JESUITS.
the said couple of monk- cloisters. The Emperor, of course, lent
his most implicit belief to this assurance, as the words of his
Father Confessor were as good for him as the solemn utterances
of an oracle, and consequently an order was immediately issued
to General Wallenstein, and to the Generals under him, to put
the Jesuits in possession of the cloisters in question. But now,
behold ! the two abbots protested energetically against the em-
bezzlement effected by Father Lamormain, and plainly accused
the latter of a premeditated rascality. The same was done,
although in mild language, by the Imperial President of
the Court Chamber and Privy Councillor, Abt Anton Wolfradt
von Kremsmiinster, who had been present during the conversa-
tion between the Father Confessor and the two abbots, and it
therefore appears tolerably certain that the reproach was justifi-
able. Nevertheless, Father Lamormain adhered to his pretext,
and, of course, the sons of Loyola were obliged to him for doing
so. Thereby, however, a most violent strife at once arose
between the older Orders of monks and the Jesuits, and both
parties contended together with all the weapons upon which they
could lay their hands. More especially a most lively paper war
developed itself between them, in which the sons of Loyola
were principally represented by the Fathers Paul Layinann and
Lorenz Forer, professors of the High School at Dillengen, as
well as by the frequently-mentioned Jobann Crusius of Bremen,,
while the older monkish Orders found elegant and eloquent
defenders in the Benedictine Eomanus Hay of Ochsenhausen,
and in the celebrated critic, Kaspar Scioppius, better known as
Schoppe.
Aidently, however, as the combatants couched their lances^
and much as the Jesuits distinguished themselves by anonymous
pamphlets, by insults, by calumnies, and by pelting their
adversaries with dirt, nothing was effected by all this war of
words. Perceiving this, the Jesuits now called to remembrance
the old pwoverb, " Beati possidentes," " Happy are they who are
in possession." In other words, they did not wait until the-
strife was settled as to the point " to whom the cloisters were to
be restored," nor while it lasted, but strove to take actual pos-
session of the disputed objects, and mockingly laughed in their
sleeves when the others found themselves behindhand. In fact,.
BOBBERY AND THEFT. 407
they succeeded, -with the assistance of the Imperial commanders,
in occupying very many of the cloisters ; and, with the view of
showing the reader how they were accustomed to go to work, I
will enter into a description of one of these usurpations more in
detail.
In the year 1630, the Bishop of Osnabriick, one of the com-
missaries entrusted by the Emperor with the carrying out of
the Restitution Edict, had put the Bernhardine nuns again in
possession of the cloister of Woltingerode, in Lower Saxony,
which had formerly been seized from them by the Protestants,
and, under the guidance of the Abbot of Valenciennes, they
proceeded to re-occupy the place with all due solemnity. This,
however, did not prevent the Superiors of the then neighbouring
Jesuit College at Goslar from reporting to Vienna that the
cloister in question was completely empty, and that for a long
time past it had not been laid claim to by anyone. On this
account the Emperor was graciously enabled to hand it over to
them for the erection of a novitiate. The Emperor actually
accorded this favour, and directed the fact to be intimated
to the Fathers through his favourite Lamormain.
Upon this some of the Jesuits from Goslar immediately pro
ceeded to Woltingerode, and kindly represented to the nuns that,
in this open place, they would be subject to incursions of the
soldiery. It would be much better, they complacently added,
and more advisable, to take refuge in the more secure Goslar, in
the meantime, until the storm of war had passed over, and they
the Jesuits would take the trouble of providing a suitable
lodging for them. The nuns, not anticipating anything deceitful,
followed this advice, and were, sure enough, safely conducted
by the sons of Loyola into the cloister court of Frauenberg.
Scarcely, however, had they entered this asylum than the
Provincial of the province of the Lower Rhine, Father Hermann.
Gawinz, accompanied by a host of armed men, proceeded, on the
29th March 1631, to Woltingerode, and, producing the Imperial
document which referred to the present, seized possession of
the cloister, compelling the servants left behind by the nuns to
swear fidelity to the new possessors.
The sons of Loyola now believed that they had won the
game ; this, however, was not so, as the pious women had
408 HISTORY OF THE JESUITS.
their hearts in the right spot. As soon, then, as they became
aware of the deceit practised upon them by the Jesuits, they
secretly disappeared from Goslar under cover of night, hastened
to Woltingerode, and, as they found the cloisters shut up,
penetrated into the choir of the church, and, barricading them-
selves therein with chairs and other utensils, declared to the
sons of Loyola, next morning, that they would only yield to
force. In vain now did the Fathers employ every means of
persuasion ; in vain did they make to the valiant nuns all sorts
of fair promises ; in vain did they withhold for several days all
means of subsistence, in order that they might be reduced by
hunger: the women held out, however, and did not yield.
The patience of the Loyolites was now completely exhausted,
and they resolved at once, on the 12th of April, to proceed by
force. They, consequently, made a requisition for a number
of rough soldiers, penetrated with them into the choir, tore
the nuns out of the choir chairs to which they clung, and,
finally, threw them, stripped of everything, into the street.
Such a shameful deed of violence could not, however, be
beneficial to the Fathers, as everybody became indignant about
it, and the Emperor Ferdinand II. could not do otherwise
than order the Society, with austerity, immediately to re-establish
the nuns in the possession of their property.
For this time the Jesuits were defeated, but in most of the
other cases they succeeded in their usurpations to wit, in the
nunnery of Clarenthal, near Mayence, and in that of Marienkron,
near Oppenheim, as well as in the priories of St. Valentine at
Ruffach and St. Jacob at Feldbach ; also at the Abbey St.
Morand, in Breisgau, and in the Provostships of St. Ulrich and
Ellenberg in Alsace, as well as in a number of other cloisters
too numerous to be mentioned.
In a word, they prosecuted matters so ruthlessly that, in
March 1637, the Catholic Imperial Knighthood of the Rhine
country and of Weiterau tendered a petition to Pope Urban
VIII., full of the most bitter complaints as to the insatiable
avarice of the Jesuits, and urged him in the most earnest
manner to frustrate the criminal assaults of the same upon the
rightful property of the older Orders of monks. Indeed, two
years and a half later, the three ecclesiastical Electors of Treves,
BOBBERY AND THEFT. 409
Cologne, and Mayence, iii conjunction with Duke Maximilian
of Bavaria, who was certainly no enemy to the sons of Loyola,
tendered a collective petition to the Holy Father in Borne,
and assured him therein that the enormous thirst for gold
and property which animated the Jesuits was beyond all con-
ception !
Can it be necessary to cite any farther facts ? Can it be
necessary to bring forward any further evidence ?
410 HISTORY OF THE JESUITS.
CHAPTER HI.
JESUIT COMMERCE AND USURY, COMBINED WITH
FRAUDULENT BANKRUPTCY.
No single Christian Society, no single Order in the whole-
world, boasted so much of the extraordinary results of its con-
version of the heathen as the Society of Jesus, and never did
any institution whatever succeed so well by its vaunting in
deceiving a confiding world as did this institution of Jesuit-
ism. But, truly, how could this be otherwise ? In their so-
called " Edifying Letters " the sons of Loyola spread abroad
the most gratifying legends as to the progress which they
made, and one reads therein of so many martyrs, and of such
numbers of wondrous works, that it was impossible for the
superstitious part of the people to have any doubt about the
matter.
It happened, too, that, concerning foreign nations in distant
regions of the world, to which the Jesuit reports referred, scarcely
anything was known through other travellers, so that any con-
tradiction of intelligence communicated by the Jesuits could
not be contemplated ; and, moreover, the Black Fathers passed
among the common men, as well as among the common women,
as most holy, while to accuse them of falsehood would be con-
sidered as a deadly sin ! Consequently, one long heard, as a
regular matter of course, the loud deafening shout that the sons
of Loyola struck up as to their apostolical results, while with
fervent ardour hundreds of different volumes of tales appeared
JESUIT COMMERCE AND USURY. 411
in which black was proved to he white, so that there could be
no Christendom either in Asia, Africa, or America, without
Jesuit institutions. But, did the whole of mankind participate
in this belief; and did the sensible and enlightened acquiesce
therein ? No ; for persons soon asked themselves whether it
was possible that a Society which, in European kingdoms,
laboured only for power and riches merely, that is, for worldly
advantages that a Society such as this should have for its
single and sole object the promulgation of Christianity in distant
parts of the world, an object which could only be attained by
the greatest sacrifices, and, indeed, in some cases even with
martyrdom. They asked themselves this question, and incredu-
lously shook their heads. The proper answer, however, they
obtained at no very distant date, partly from the writings of
the Dominicans and Capuchins, who, from personal observation,
became acquainted with those Jesuit missions ; partly, also, from
the documentary testimony of pious and God-fearing bishops,
aga'nst whom the sons of Loyola violently rebelled; partly, too,,
from the enactments and Bulls of the Popes, who latterly could
not but oppose powerfully the Jesuit Christian heathenism in
China, Japan, and East India ; and, lastly, by the official reports
of different Governors and Prefects, who communicated the true
state of matters to their Governments.
What, then, became apparent from this ? Nothing else than
that the real object of Jesuit missions consisted merely in the
acquisition of power and riches. It is true enough that some
of them, in the prosecution of this selfish object, came to ruin;
but must not, then, the sons of Loyola, as " soldiers and warriors
of Christ," allow themselves to be placed by their superiors in
situations of danger ? Moreover, was not the most admirable
consideration to be obtained for the Society of Jesus when the
victims of selfishness were glorified as saints and martyrs;
and did not the advantage of the Society demand that one
should allow, every couple of years, a member to be sac-
rificed ? In spite, however, of everything, the halo of Jesuit,
mission work lost its sanctity after a few decades; and
when the naked truth became self-evident to the common
people, the latter were much horrified at the abominations
which were brought to light.
It must already have become apparent to every observant
412 HISTORY OF THE JESUITS.
clear-sighted person that the pious Fathers only deigned to
direct their Christianising attention to such countries as had
been endowed by Nature with great riches, while poor localities,
in which nothing was to be gained, were treated by them with
sovereign contempt. But how so ? Why did they merely press
forward in Asia, Japan, China, and East India, and why not also
to the northern regions of that immense continent ? Why did they
not rather strive to obtain a lasting footing in Africa, instead of
abandoning the poor blacks to their heathen blindness ? Why
was it that they concerned themselves so much with Central and
Southern America, with Mexico, Chili, Peru, Brazil, and what-
ever else these countries may be called, without troubling them-
selves at all about the idol-worship of the degraded Indians of
the Upper Mississippi, and of .the frozen regions, other than the
fur-yielding territory of Canada ? The sagacious Fathers must
have had a reason for this exceptional conduct, and they, doubt-
less, paid due regard to the different capabilities with which
Nature had endowed the various countries ? *
* The following serves as a proof of this. In regard to Cochin China, a
part of the kingdom of Annam, the sons of Loyola for a long time gave
themselves no trouble at all, but they left it entirely to the resident Bishop
and suffragan of the Archbishop of Goa to convert the inhabitants, who
were, for the most part, Hindoos. As ground for this, they gave out that
they had more important matters to attend to, and none wondered at their
continued absence, as the land was in general reckoned to be very poor. When
suddenly, however, it came to the knowledge of the piou Fathers that a
salt lake existed in the interior, in which pearls of the ftnost water were to
be found in abundance, and when it was further told them that some Portu-
guese traders came every year for the purpose of buying them up quite
quietly, the hearts of the sons of Loyola now became most vehemently
moved, and they declared to the Bishop of Cochin that they were seized
with the deepest regret that the poor idolatrous Hindoos had been so long
neglected in his diocese. They now wished to remedy this as much as
could be done. The good Bishop was quite delighted at this, and the pious
Fathers at once entered into Cochin China in order to proceed with their
operations ; they showed themselves to be particularly zealous among the
Hindoos residing near the said salt lake, and they also took care of their
temporal good, as they bought up the pearls at a " dearer " price than the
Portuguese traders had paid. When the latter, then, appeared again in
order to make their yearly purchases, they no longer found any pearls
procurable, and had to withdraw, leaving their business unaccomplished.
The next year the Jesuits repeated this manoeuvre, and the merchants
thus obtained nothing for a second time. On this account they
naturally became angry, and did not return. The sous of Loyola now
laughed in their sleeves, as they had the poor Hindoos in their power.
They at once proved this, too, as they diminished the price they paid for
the pearls, to the extent of one half, and their profit now was thus some-
thing enormous. Lastly, they caused the Portuguese Viceroy of Goa to
make them a present of the lake and its neighbourhood, and they then
treated the natives exactly as slaves, only giving them a miserable day's
wages. In the loug run, however, this was not successful, as, enraged by
JESUIT COMMERCE AND USURY. 413
It must not the less strike one that the Jesuits made very light
of the reception of Christianity by their converts, as we have,
seen, in the Second Book, that they adapted the heathenish,
customs of China, Japan, &c. so well to Christian teaching,
that the different nationalities, after baptism, did not leave their
Pagan practices. And why should this not be so .? Their
Christianity was next thing to it, and one could only look upon
the newly converted as victims to be offered up. The pioua^
Fathers did not at all hesitate to demand from the Roman,
Chair the promise of sanctification for this or that deceased
heathen grandee, provided that the deceased person had effected
by his will some peculiar service for the advantage of the Society
of Jesus ! I believe, however, that it is not requisite for me
to treat this matter in greater detail, as I presume that the reader
has already taken into necessary consideration what I hav&
related respecting Jesuit Mandarins and Jesuit Bonzes. For
the most part, however, suspicion must have been aroused, by
the circumstance that the sons of Loyola most vehemently
opposed the entrance of other Christians, more especially
missionaries, into those regions in which they had settled,
themselves.
Disguise the matter as they might, it was nothing else than,
this : " We, the sons of Loyola, require no third person to con-
test our gains with us, and especially we need no one to come
so near to us as to be in a position to observe accurately our-
transactions." Thus, for instance, the Dutch, in the year 1655,.
sent an embassy to Pekin, in order to open up a way for trade ;.
and while this embassy contrived, by rich presents, to win the
hearts of the great men at the Court, they entertained fair hopes;
of being able to carry through their negociations successfully..
In order, now, to counteract this, the Jesuits ran about among
the Court officials, representing the Dutch as men of villainous
character, perjured renegades, and heretics in religion, and as=
revolutionists and rebels against their rightful rulers.
twenty years of oppression, the embittered Hindoos rose in rebellion, set
fire to the stores of the Jesuits, and, chasing them out of the country,
did not allow them to return. This affair took place at the end of the
17th century, and, on that account, it became apparent why the sons of
Loyola had given up the trade, or were obliged to give it up. At that,
time the might of Portugal was already quickly disappearing, and the Viceroy
of Goa could not render them any armed assistance, even if he wished it.
414 HISTORY OF THE JESUITS.
"Moreover," added the sons of Loyola with solemn assur-
ance, " are they not well known as pirates, who have no con-
sideration for any nation whatever, capturing all ships which
may fall into their hands, being on this account looked' upon by
all the other monarchs of the world as the most horrible plague
which could insinuate itself into a State, and therefore to be
avoided with the greatest disgust ? What is, however, the chief
thing, wherever the Dutch penetrate they erect fortresses at the
mouths of the great rivers, or in any advantageous situations,
and they will also be sure to do the same in China at the exit
of the great rivers, whence they will be enabled to command the
whole country with their cannon."
The sons of Loyola thus, among other ways, expressed them
selves regarding the Dutch ; and their Superior, the Mandarin
Father Adam Schott, made a long representation, with a similar
object, to the Emperor, who lent to him implicit belief. Could
it, then, fail to happen that the embassy, notwithstanding all the
presents which they had made, were sent home again with their
business unaccomplished? and their formidable rivals were thus
successful for this time. The sons of Loyola, moreover, allowed
themselves to indulge in still greater calumnies and slanders, as
well as in deeds of violence and cruelty, when members of any
other Christian Order presumed to approach their preserves as
missionaries; and the Dominicans, Fransciscans, Lazarists, and
Capuchins, at the end of the 16th, and in the middle of the 17th
century, who were daring enough to attempt this, could relate
wonderful tales. Six Fransciscan monks, in the year 1597, were,
without any further ado, handed over to death at Nagasaki,
because they wished to preach the Gospel on the island of Kiu-
Siu. Not, certainly, through the direct agency of the sons of
Loyola, but, for appearance sake, by the secular authorities;
still, it was through the instigation of the former, who were
loudly jubilant in regard to it, and shouted, " Thus may it
happen to all who desire to rob us, the sons of Loyola, of the
glory of our missions." In a similar manner had the Dominican
Francis Capillas to suffer the death of a martyr in Nanking,
according to the order of a Mandarin, who was displeased that
a Dominican should severely snub the Jesuits on account of
their indulgence as to the employment of the heathen form of
"worship
JESUIT COMMERCE AND USURY. 415
Did not Father Martini, after becoming court astronomer and
Mandarin of the first class in Peking, advise the Emperor Yong-
Tsching to send all non- Jesuit Christians and monks over the
frontiers of the Empire, as they were of no other use hut to
seduce ignorant people by erroneous doctrine, and thus to bring
about dissensions among his subjects ? Did not the Society,
again, succeed in obtaining from Pope Gregory XIII. a Bull,
in which everyone was prohibited, under penalty of the great
excommunication, from proceeding to Japan, without the ex-
press permission of the Holy See, in order to exercise there
any ecclesiastical function whatever a Bull which, Father
Collin testified, the Society of Jesus had secured in order
to exclude other religious Orders from the islands of Japan ?
Was not, indeed, the Capuchin monk, Michael Ange, quite right
when he shortly expressed himself as regards the sons of Loyola
and their missionary efforts thus : " The worthy Fathers had
everywhere the peculiarity of tolerating no one near them,
wherever they were, and by this peculiarity they had already
acquired too much money and property " ?*
They certainly had no wish to tolerate anyone near them, in
order that they might have the pastures all to themselseves, and
more especially that no one might see how they grazed. They
wished to appropriate for themselves alone the foreign regions of
the world, exactly like those commercial companies who pos-
sessed a monopoly from their respective Governments. Viewed in a
proper light, they were, indeed, nothing else than a great company
which carried on commerce all over the world, and their different
mission-houses in Japan, China, East India, Mexico, Brazil,
Chili, Peru, and Buenos Ayres, might be considered as just so
many counting-houses and warehouses. But why not ? Every
important power in Europe endeavoured to win for itself the
treasures of the East and West Indies in the 16th and 17th cen-
turies ; should, then, the sons of Loyola, who, indeed, formed
one of the greatest powers in the world, hold back, owing to
narrow-mindedness, and simply because they were a religious
Order ? No ; such an idea would have been a folly, and the
sons of Loyola would rather be guilty of sin than stupidity.
'Thus were they traders, not retail but wholesale ; and in regard
* The particulars regarding the religious and other disputes of the Jesuits
are to be read in the Fifth Book.
416 HISTOBY OF THE JESUITS.
to the manner in which they carried on their operations, an
official report of Monsieur Martin, Governor-General of the
French possessions in India in the year 1697, will give us by
far the best insight :
" It is an established fact," says M. Martin, in this his report
to the French Government, " that, after the Dutch, the Jesuits
carry on the most extensive and most valuable trade with East
India, and they surpass in this respect the Danes and French,
as well as the English and even the Portuguese themselves, by
whom they were brought into the country. I will readily admit
that individuals of the Order of Jesus came to East India from
purely religious motives, and it is chiefly by them that the
work of conversion is carried on among the heathen by the
Society ; but their number is in any case very inconsiderable,
and certainly they do not belong to those who possess a complete
knowledge of the secrets of the Order. They are simply mis-
sionaries, but not further initiated. On the other hand, again,
there are others among them who do not seem to be Jesuits at
all, because they do not wear Jesuit but secular clothing, and
on this account, in Surat, Agra, and Goa, or wherever else
they may establish a domicile, they are taken for what they
profess to be, namely, merchants. I know, however, that
they are Jesuits, and deeply initiated, too, in the know-
ledge of even the closest secrets. It is, moreover, evident that
they have been selected from different nations, and there are
even Armenians and Turks, who devote themselves purely to
the interest of the Society of Jesus. These Jesuits in disguise
mix among all classes, and have the most accurate knowledge
of where and in what stores the most beautiful wares are to
be found, and by what merchant the best selection may be had.
Also, from the secret correspondence which they carry on quite
quietly among themselves, they become accurately informed as
to what articles are to be found in a particular place, and for
which there is the best sale; on this account, they not only
know what ought to be purchased, but also where the various
goods ought to be exported, in order to derive the best profit ;
they thus obtain, by their trade, truly immeasurable advantage*
for their Society. And the credit which they enjoy is still
further marvellous, as to all appearance they are not at all
inspected, and keep accounts with no one, as some Fathers do,.
JESUIT COMMERCE AND USURY. 417
while they wander about, quite harmless and in poor clothing,
from one town in India to another. These Fathers, however,
are most important persons, and possess the fullest confidence
of the General and Superiors in Europe, obtaining from the
said Superiors the necessary instructions by which the dis-
guised Jesuits have to be guided. This takes place without
any difficulty whatever, and with the greatest preciseness ;;
simply, indeed, on this account, because those in disguise,
besides the ordinary vow of obedience, are required to take a
still more strict oath that they never will betray anything to
anyone who is not initiated, and, on the other hand, that they
will strive with their utmost endeavour for the profit and gain of
the Society. In order that there can never take place any inter-
change between the initiated and uninitiated, a secret sign has
to be given which must be recognised, and in this way every-
one knows whether he has a brother before him or not. I may
still add to this that they are all governed on a thoroughly sys-
tematic plan, although they may live distributed throughout the
whole interior of India, and their number is by no means small,
so that the proverb, ' Many heads, many minds,' has here no
application whatever. On the contrary, the spirit of the Jesuits
remains always the same, and it has never at any time been
found to be inconsistent, especially so far as trade is con-
cerned. With gain in East India itself, however, the Jesuits
are by no means satisfied, but they make a still greater profit by
sending from their missions quantities of wares to Europe under
different false pretences. They do not, however, usually forward
them, to their local colleges and profess-houses, but rather to
other disguised Jesuits who have established commercial houses,
and the profit which can be made on these goods is all the
greater than if disposed of first hand. Meanwhile, how-
ever important and considerable this kind of trade was, the
Jesuits knew how to keep it secret, and thereby brought it
about that no one troubled himself about it. Nevertheless,
it is a fact that the trade of other nations suffered great loss
thereby, and more especially was this the case in France, or
rather as regards the French East India Company. I have
often, on this account, written to this latter Society, and my state-
ments were always as ample as they were truthful. But this
still came far short of making the directors of the Company more
27
418 HISTORY OF THE JESUITS.
careful to check these hurtful abuses ; but, on the other hand,
time after time, have I received express orders to favour the
Jesuits in every way, and accord to them everything they may
demand of me, and even, indeed, to supply them with money.
Of this latter favour, in fact, in many cases they made the most
unlimited use, and Father Tachard alone became indebted to
the Company to the amount of 150,000 piastres, that is, 750,000
livres, without its being considered necessary for him to give
security for it, or even a written acknowledgment of the debt.
But now, however, to return to the subject regarding the course
of the Jesuit trade. In the large squadron of ships which sailed
from France to Asia in the year 1690, there were fifty heavy
bales, the least of which was larger than the largest bale of the
East India Company, and none of these packages contained
rosaries, relics, Agnus Dei, or other similar mission articles. No.
they consisted entirely of beautiful and costly mercantile wares,
for which it was known there was a good demand in East
India, and scarcely any ship arrived from France or Europe that
had not a freight on board for the Jesuits. Further, I must not
forget to state that there were many secret Jesuits, who went about
the country with those idolatrous Indian merchants who bear
the name of Banians, in order to search for diamonds and pearls ;
and this description of Jesuits not only caused great harm to
the French East India Company, but did their best to dis-
honour the Christian name. These individuals dress them-
selves precisely like Banians, speak their language, eat and
drink with them, and observe exactly the same customs.
Indeed, whoever does not know them would necessarily
take them for true Banians, as they offer up sacrifices to the
heathen deities, just as the natives do. It is true that all
this happened under the deceitful pretext that they desired to
convert them ; but, in truth, they only went about with them
in order to trade with them, and at the same time to conceal
through their Society their transactions. It need hardly be told
that they never on any occasion converted a single Banian, the
actual fact being that these merchants have but little to do with
religion during their tours. I was also assured by one of the
latter, who had made continual journeys with the Jesuits
during three long years, that throughout the whole time they
had not spoken a single syllable about Christianity, and
JESUIT COMMERCE AND USUEY. 419
still less had made any attempt at conversion. What further
proof can be required ?"
Such was the evidence given by the French Governor- General
in East India, in relation to the commerce carried on by the
Jesuits, and as he had resided for a long term of years in Pon-
dicherry, the capital of the French possessions there, as well
as made frequent excursions in the neighbouring country, it
may well be imagined that he must have been accurately
informed in regard to the traffic carried on by the Jesuits. He,
however, was not the only one who opened the eyes of the
Government, or rather, who endeavoured to do so (as the Father
Confessor of the Court took consummate care that those of
the King and his Ministers should again be shut as soon as
possible) ; for at the end of the 17th and beginning of the 18th
centuries a number of other reports streamed in which testified
to the same thing, and even in much more severe expressions.
Moreover, it was known that the sons of Loyola had their own
counting-houses in all the large seaports of Asia, Europe, and
America, as in Madras, Goa, Pondicherry, Canton, Nankin,
Marseilles, Genoa, Lyons, Lisbon, Seville, Martinique and Buenos
Ayres, as well as in a great many [other towns, and with the
most of the same were conjoined large banking concerns in order
to discount bills of exchange.
Not less important was their home trade; they had, for
instance, in Home attracted to themselves the whole bread,
grocery, and wine trades, while great commerce in pearls, rubies,
and diamonds was carried on in Venice almost exclusively by
them. In Pekin, as well as in other places where ready-money
was scarce, they devoted themselves to usury, and 25 and even
50 per cent, was of common occurrence in their daily trans-
actions. With this object they established regular banks, and
did not in the least deny these facts, but rather declared them-
selves to be justified, as other money usurers took just as
much. They had for sale, in almost all their colleges, oil,
cotton, and grocery wares ; and wherever this was not the case,
they erected, close at hand, shops and stalls, over which one
of them held supervision. They especially busied themselves in
the sale of drugs, and their apothecary shops in Lyons, Paris,
and elsewhere, furnished the whole of the small dealers with
treacle, Peruvian bark, herbs from Paraguay, calomel, and what
27 *
420 HISTORY OP THE JESUITS.
ever other remedies might be wanted. In short, their trade>
was everywhere extensive, and between the different seaports a
number of ships plied which were alone freighted with their
goods. They, also, did not at all hesitate to conjoin to their
trading considerable smuggling; and as a proof of this assertion
I will produce two examples.
Father Tambin, general agent of the Jesuits for the trade
between Genoa and Lisbon, employed a ship-captain during
five-and-twenty years for the transport of Jesuit wares, and this
captain, during the year, ordinarily made six voyages back-
wards and forwards, it being observed that the chief freight
from Lisbon consisted always of bags of coffee. Now, the
Republic of Genoa issued a strict prohibition, in the year 1725,
as to the importation of gold bars, and every shipowner who
transgressed this prohibition rendered himself liable, not merely
to a severe punishment, but also to the confiscation of the
whole cargo. It may be well imagined, then, that the captains
of merchant ships went to work from this time forward with
great circumspection, and this was, of course, the case as regards
the captain in question. It happened on one occasion, how-
ever, that among several other wares committed to his care in
Lisbon by secular merchants, and for which he was, of course,
responsible, there were a good number of bags of coffee delivered
by the local Jesuits, which presented a somewhat suspicious
appearance, and he, therefore, caused them to be put in a space
apart. Still he made no further remark, but took his bill of
lading and set sail. However, on getting into the open sea, he
was careful to make an investigation, and had each of the bags
opened one after the other ; and what did he then find ? In each
of them was carefully concealed, under the coffee, one or two
gold bars ! He took them all out, landed them at some secure
harbour on the way, and delivered them for safe keeping to a
trustworthy mercantile house. Having arrived in Genoa, he
immediately advised Father Tambin that he had wares for him,
and when he came with his people to receive them, he made
over to him all the bags of coffee, exactly as they stood indicated
in the open bill of lading. The Father, finding everything in
order, took his departure with his packages ; he returned the
next day, however, and taking the captain aside demanded of
him what had become of the gold bars. The captain, being-
JESUIT COMMEECE AND USURY. 421
;n man of honour, at once acknowledged the whole truth ; but
what he told his inquirer may be readily imagined, as the
Jesuits, by this deceitful smuggling transaction, had brought him
into great danger of losing not only his whole cargo, but his
liberty besides, together with his entire property.
The other example of Jesuit smuggling, of which I have
promised to make mention, sounds even still more edifying, and
relates to a ship's captain who, in the year 1760, sailed from
Cadiz to the same town of Genoa which I have already named.
He had already completed his freight, when two Jesuit Fathers
came to him and begged him to take a small chest containing
church ornaments, together with some few pounds of chocolate.
" He ought to do this," they said, " for the love of God, as
they were very poor, and their brother in Genoa not the less
so." The captain, a good-natured man, consented, and, taking
their chest, stowed it away in the lowest compartment of the
ship. Thereupon they delivered to him the bill of lading, in
which the chest was described as being packed with church
ornaments, and the ship sailed next day under a favourable
wind. Unfortunately for the Jesuits, however, this did not
long continue, but, on the other hand, changed into a storm,
so that the waves came all over the deck, and penetrated into
the innermost parts of the ship. The captain now, naturally
enough, became afraid that the church ornaments would be
spoilt, and ordered the chest to be brought up in order that it
might be put in a more favourable place. The order was carried
out, but behold, in spite of its small compass, its weight was
found to be so great that it could scarcely be lifted by four
strong men. This, of course, aroused the suspicion of the
captain, who directed it to be placed in his own cabin, in order
that it might be opened in the presence of the ship's company.
What, then, was found ? A very considerable quantity of
coined money, that was artfully concealed among the orna-
ments ! Thereupon the captain became uncommonly irate, as,
although it was not forbidden to import coin into Genoa, it was
still necessary to declare the amount, under the penalty of con-
fiscation ; and, moreover, a higher freight was paid for gold
coin than for any other wares. He, consequently, could not
have the smallest doubt that the pious Fathers, with their false
.story of poverty, only wished to cheat him of his freight, so he
422 HISTORY OF THE JESUITS.
took out the money, without in the least disarranging the
ornaments. After landing in Genoa, a Jesuit at once made his
appearance with a couple of servants, in order to take posses-
sion of the chest of which he had been already advised, and the
captain gave it to him, both having previously compared the
bill of lading and found it to be correct. Two hours afterwards,
however, the Jesuit again made his appearance, and showed
himself very agitated, because he had not found in it all that his
brother in Cadiz had advised him of.
"How?" exclaimed the ship-captain, " are any of your choco-
lates or Church ornaments wanting ? "
" Not so," rejoined the son of Loyola ; " but my brethren
wrote to me that the several alms that they had collected from
benevolent persons had been enclosed."
" They have lied," replied the captain ; " but you wished to
cheat, me, a poor ship-captain, of my freight, and placed me
in the greatest danger, instead of acting honestly. Still, you
can have your money, all told, only deducting the freight, of
which I cannot make you a present this time."
Thus did the sons of Loyola, in this case also, obtain their
money again, because the captain was too honourable a man to
cheat them ; but would the pious Fathers have acted towards
him in this way had he been in their place ? One would still
wish to know to what amount the trade of the sons of Loyola
reached, and what sums it procured for them ; but this remains
a secret among the Superiors, and certain information as to
this never penetrated so far as the laity. There could not,
however, be the slightest doubt that the profit was some-
thing enormous, as their dominion of Paraguay alone gave them-
annually over four millions of ducats, as is shown by an official,
report of the Portuguese Governor-General of the town of
Potosi, Don Mathia de Anglose Gortari, written i 
