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ST. IGNATIUS 
 
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 HIS FIRST COMPANIONS 
 
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 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill 
 
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THE FOUNDERS OF THE JESUITS. 
 
 SAINT IGNATIUS 
 
 AND HIS 
 
 FIRST COMPANIONS. 
 
 BY THE 
 
 REV. CHAS. CONSTANTINE PISE, D.D., 
 
 AUTHOR OF a HISTORY OF THE CHURCH," " FATHER BOWLAWB,* 
 "ALETHEIA," ETO. 
 
 A NEW EDITION. 
 
 NEW YORK : 
 
 P. J. KENEDY, 
 
 EXCELSIOR CATHOLIC PUBLISHING HOUSE, 
 5 Barclay Street. 
 
 1894. 
 
COPY EIGHT 
 1886. 
 P. J. KENEDY. 
 
A. M. D. O. 
 
 TO 
 
 THE COLLEGE OF GEORGETOWN. D.C., 
 
 MY VENERABLE ALMA MATER, THE NURSE OF LETTERfi, 
 SCIENCE, AND VIRTUE, 
 
 EVER ANIMATED BT THE SPIRIT OF LOYOLA, AND THE FIRST NENB, 
 
 ®{jis Volume, 
 
 A TRIFLING, BUT VERY SINCERE, TOKEN OF GRATITUDE, IS MOM 
 RESPECTFULLY AND AFFECTIONATELY INSCRIBED. 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 Among the nine first companions of St. Igna- 
 tius, four preceded him to the tomb : namely, 
 Peter Faber, St. Francis Xavier, Claudius Jaius, 
 and John Cordurius. Of course, in the following 
 pages, their lives are given to their conclusion. 
 Of the others, my purpose was to treat only 
 down to the period when their holy Founder was 
 taken from them. In which space, however^ all 
 the important actions of the early Society are 
 comprised. The principal object I had in view, 
 in not carrying out their history after the death 
 of St. Ignatius, was, to exhibit the spirit which 
 he, in person, diffused throughout the body, and 
 thereby confute, by evidence, the vain calumnj 
 that he was a fanatic, and his first disciples 
 were intriguers and impostors. 
 
 594405 
 
8 PREFACE. 
 
 In the performance of my task, Orlandinus, 
 the author of a lengthy and elegant History oi 
 the Society down to the demise of St. Ignatius, 
 has been my constant and faithful guide. To 
 his great work, references will be found scat- 
 tered in the notes on almost every page of this 
 volume. The edition in my hands is that of 
 Colonics Agrippince, sumptibus Antonii Hierat ; 
 anno Domini MDCXV. : approved by Claudius 
 Aquaviva, General of the Society, in the preced- 
 ing year (1614). If my present work be worthy 
 the acceptance of the Jesuits in these United 
 States, to them I offer it, as an humble but grate- 
 ful remuneration for the cares and favors which 
 they bestowed upon my boyhood, while undei 
 their salutary and paternal tuition. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 Ignatius. — The proud knight converted to a great saint. Period of hi* 
 birth. His family, character, sanctity. Book of Exercises. Pilgrimage 
 to Jerusalem. His " Company." Its appelhition. Its object Its polity. 
 He sues the approbation of Paul III. It is approved by Julius III. The 
 General of the order : its various grades. Ecclesiastical honors repudia- 
 ted. Why. No particular dress. Attack of the Sorbonne. Defeuce of 
 Father Olauius. It is persecuted. Its efforts for the cause of education. 
 Schools. Colleges. Ignatius 1 illness and death. His reputation for sane- 
 tity. Baronius prays at his tomb 28 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 Pbter Faber. — How gained over by Ignatius. Performs the Exercises. 
 Is ordained Priest Teaches in the University of Some. Is sent to 
 Parma; and to Germany. His mission at Eatisbonne. Goes to Spain. 
 Eeturns to Germany. His labors at Spires; and at Mentz; at Augs- 
 burg, and Cologne. Is called to Portugal. Thence to Liege. Eeturns 
 to Cologne. Defends the Catholic Faith. His manner of treating with 
 heretics. Is sent back to Portugal. Goes to Castile. Distinguishes 
 himself at Salamanca. Goes to Valladolid. His influence at the Court 
 of Philip. Traverses Madrid and Toledo. Is deputed to the Council of 
 Trent Sickens at Barcelona, and dies at Eome 79 
 
10 CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 Fbancis Xayikb. — Converted by Ignatius. Rejects a canonicate. Is 
 sent to the Indies, as Apostolic Legate. His labors at Mozambique, 
 Melinda, and Socotra; on the Fishery-coast; at Goa; at Cape Comorin ; 
 at Travancor; in the Island of Manaria; in Ceylon. Visits the tomb 
 of St. Thomas at Meliapor. Goes to Malacca; Amboina; Maluco ; to the 
 Isle of Moro; meditates a mission to Japan. Returns to India; to Goa. 
 Departs for Japan. Arrives at Gangoxima. Traverses Japan. First 
 Japanese Christians. Goes to Fira-ndo, and to Meaco, and Amangouchi. 
 Disputes with the Bonzees. Conference with the King of Bungo. Re- 
 turns to the Indies. Departs for China. Arrives at the Island of San- 
 chin. Dies in the midst of his glory 103 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 James Laynez. — Unites himself to Ignatius. Enters Rome barefoot 
 Teaches in the Roman Academy. Is sent to Parma. His labors at 
 Venice; at Brescia; at Padua; at Bassano; at Rome. Refuses the 
 purple. Is sent to the Council of Trent His zeal at Bologna; Florence; 
 Perugio; Monte Pulciano ; Sienna; Venice; Naples. Is sent to Sicily. 
 Accompanies Vega to Africa. His labors. Is called to Pisa. Is again 
 sent as theologian of the Pope, to the Council of Trent Is made Pro- 
 vincial of Italy. Preaches at Genoa Writes a compendium of theology 
 for the use of the schools of the Society. Is sent back to Germany to 
 the Diet of Augsburg. Returns to Italy. Rejects the Cardinal's hat 
 His great merits, talents, and actions 153 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 Alphonstts Salmebon. — Called to the Society. Teaches in the Sapienza^ 
 at Rome. Is sent to Ireland. Seized as a Spy at Lyons. Is called to 
 Modena. Is persecuted. Is sent to the Council of Trent Draws up 8 
 Summary of the Errors of Luther. Goes to Bologna ; to Verona ; to 
 Germany, at the command of the Pope. Labors at Ingoldstadt Is re- 
 called to Verona; is sent to Naples; afterwards to Poland; then to Bel- 
 gium. His labors forever appreciated by that nation — his immortal 
 Dame 19] 
 
CONTENTS. 11 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 Nicholas Bobadilla.— Becomes one of the Nine. Is sent to the island of 
 Ischia. Is destined for the East Indies, but detained by illness. Is 
 deputed to Germany. Labors at Vienna ; traverses the different cities 
 of Germany. Refuses the Episcopal dignity. His zeal at Naples. Is 
 made Bector of the Neapolitan College. His lenient government. His 
 trials. His submission. His obedience and other virtues. An ex- 
 ample to posterity. 221 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 Iihoh Rodriguez. — Is numbered among the Nine. Is selected for the 
 Indies. Departs to Portugal. Is there detained. Converts the Am- 
 bassador from the Indies. His trials at Lisbon. Is made Tutor to the 
 Son of the King. Is created Provincial. Is called to Rome, is ap- 
 pointed to preside over the Province of Aragon. Is recalled to Rome. 
 His severe trials. His extreme humility. Another shining example to 
 bis brethren for all succeeding times. 257 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 Claudius Jaius. — He joins Ignatius. Is sent to Brescia and Favenza, 
 Goes to Germany. Is persecuted. Labors at Ratisbonne, and Ingolstadt 
 Succeeds Eckius in the Chair of Theology. Attends the Diet of Worms. 
 Founds Seminaries. Is sought after by various Princes. Is sent to the 
 Council of Trent. Refuses the See of Trieste. Goes to Ferrara, at the 
 invitation of the Duke. Goes to Augsburg. Thence to Vienna. Dies. 
 His eulogy. His monument. His immortality 285 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 John CoBDUBros. — One of the Companions. His career brief, but bright. 
 "Was destined for Ireland. Was appointed Confessor to Margaret, 
 daughter of Charles V. His death revealed to Ignatius on the Bridge 
 of8ixtus. 329 
 
12 CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 Pabchabius Broktus.— The last of the Nine. Is sent to Ireland. la 
 captured at Lyons as a spy. Is sent to Monte Pulciano, and to Favei> 
 za. Is deemed worthy to be made Patriarch of Ethiopia by Ignatius 
 Goes to Bolo<rna. To Ferrara. Is made the first Provincial of Italy. 
 Is sent to France. Labors to establish the Society at Paris. Oppo- 
 sition of the Sorbonne. Triumph of justice. His patience and othet 
 Ylrtuea. Sty led by Ignatius "The Angel of the Society. w . 881 
 

 IMBODUCTIOK. 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 In '.he different epochs when the Church was af- 
 file fcd with the dissemination of new errors, God 
 never Failed to raise up extraordinary men, and 
 somet mes societies, animated by a holy zeal : and 
 his a'j.iistance has always been given, in proportion 
 to her actual necessities. Now, in what age, I will 
 ask, did the Church stand more in need of the spe- 
 cial aid of the Divine power, than when she saw 
 herself attacked by a multitude of enemies, whose 
 object and determination were to destroy her very 
 existence ? It is not suprising, therefore, if Saint 
 Ignatius and his first companions should be regard- 
 ed as a strong and peculiar rampart, reared up by 
 the power of Heaven to oppose and withstand the 
 combined assaults of Luther and his fellow-re- 
 formists. 
 That is no unfounded assertion. It is authorized 
 
16 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 not only by the experience of past centuries, but by 
 the facts and actions of the new Society. Time 
 only strengthens it ; and it has been confirmed by 
 an authority which must have great weight with 
 Catholics, I mean by the decision of the Sovereign 
 Pontiffs. Of these I will cite but one ; whose ex- 
 alted and enlightened character has secured the 
 admiration of Protestants and even of modern phi- 
 losophers : " It is a constant and common opinion," 
 writes the great pope, Benedict XIV., " and which 
 has been confirmed by the decisions of the Apos- 
 tolic See, that, as God, by his omnipotence, has 
 raised up at other periods other Saints in his 
 Church, so has he, in like manner, raised up St. Ig- 
 natius and his Society, to oppose Luther and the 
 other Heresiarchs of his time."* 
 
 I will not here attempt to relate what the Je- 
 suits have done in various parts of the world, since 
 the institution of their order. Some of the deeds 
 of the first disciples of Ignatius the reader will 
 find in the following pages ; enough, perhaps, to 
 satisfy him of their wonderful zeal, perseverance, 
 devotion to the cause of truth, and sacrifices for the 
 salvation of souls. 
 
 It is incontestable, that the Reformists of the six 
 
 * Brief given in 1748. 
 
INTRODUCTION. 17 
 
 teenth century dreaded the first Jesuits as their 
 most formidable enemies. Hence the origin of the 
 hatred which they evinced towards the Society, and 
 which the lapse of ages has not been able to ex- 
 tinguish in the hearts of their posterity. Wher- 
 ever the first companions were admitted, the novel 
 doctrines not only made no progress, but entire 
 cities returned to the bosom of the ancient Church. 
 Cologne, Treves, Mentz, and the other towns of 
 Germany that have retained the faith of their an- 
 cestors, must attribute that blessing principally to 
 the indefatigable zeal of the Jesuits : to whose cares 
 and labors, likewise, many other cities must ac- 
 knowledge their gratitude for the perpetuation of 
 the Catholic religion among them. 
 
 The legates of the Council of Trent rendered be- 
 coming homage to the usefulness and virtues of the 
 infant Society. In that august assembly, there 
 was but one voice in their regard. The ambassa- 
 dors of princes united their tributes with those of 
 the prelates, and all unanimously agreed, that the 
 most efficacious means of re-establishing religion, 
 and reforming morals, in Germany, would be to 
 multiply the colleges of the Society.* 
 
 With no less zeal did the Jesuits fulfil the other 
 
 See the Hist, of the Council of Trent, by Pallavicini. 
 
 9* 
 
18 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 duties of their Institute, by devoting themselves to 
 the functions of the holy ministry and the gratuitous 
 exercise of works of charity towards their neigh- 
 bors. On this account, they were received with 
 enthusiasm in all Catholic countries. In a short 
 time they had establishments in Spain and Portu- 
 gal. In the latter kingdom, so highly were their 
 labors appreciated and admired, that they received 
 the name of Apostles. 
 
 With regard to the education of youth, no one 
 will refuse to the Society the palm which it has 
 so justly earned. Their success, in this particular, 
 is unquestionable, and admitted by enemies as well 
 as friends. The appearance of this order in the 
 Church wrought a kind of revolution in education. 
 Not that they introduced a novel method of literary 
 teaching : they adopted the one then in use in the 
 University of Paris, in which the "first companions" 
 were educated, and, by their combined efforts, 
 brought it to perfection. But they understood well, 
 that instruction does not constitute the whole of 
 education, nor is it even its most essential part. 
 If it is important to a state that its subjects should 
 be instructed, it is essential to it that they should 
 be virtuous. The moral part of education, there- 
 fore, beyond doubt, demands the first attention : 
 and that part, at the epoch of the foundation of the 
 
INTRODUCTION. 19 
 
 Society, was most neglected. The greatest merit 
 of the Jesuits was to establish a system of educa- 
 tion on the basis of religion, without which there 
 can be no solid virtue. This Christian education 
 was one of the principal ends which St. Ignatius 
 had in view, and occupies a considerable part of 
 tneir constitutions. 
 
 But whilst they formed Christians, they, likewise, 
 reared learned men. Should any one call this in 
 question, let him examine any library, and he will 
 there discover incontestable proofs of the capacity 
 of the Jesuits as teachers, and of the learning of 
 the scholars whom they have trained. Without 
 exaggeration may it -be affirmed, that a great por- 
 tion of works in every branch of science and of 
 literature that has appeared since the middle of the 
 sixteenth century has been written either by the 
 Jesuits themselves, or by their scholars. We know 
 that, in Catholic countries, they were charged, if 
 not exclusively, at least more than any other body 
 of men, with the public education. 
 
 It is asserted that their system was defective, 
 and that a new and better one has since been 
 adopted. This surely cannot be meant in reference 
 to moral instruction ; and with regard to literary 
 education, before the modern system can be pro- 
 nounced preferable to theirs, it must have produced 
 
20 INTKODUCTION. 
 
 orators more eloquent, poets more perfect, philoso- 
 phers more profound, literary men more accom- 
 plished, than those of preceding ages. At all 
 events, this fact must be conceded : that, for the 
 times, their schools were incomparably the best. 
 
 Bacon and Grotius — two unquestionable authori- 
 ties — have borne testimony to their worth and ex- 
 cellence. The former, in his work On the Progress 
 of the Sciences, writes in these terms : ° When I 
 consider their tact and ability to train up youth in 
 the sciences and good morals, I remember the ex- 
 pression of Agislaus in reference to Pharnaba- 
 zus : Being what you are, would that you were 
 ours."* 
 
 And, in another place, "As regards the subject 
 of education, every thing may be said in a few 
 words : Look at the schools of the Jesuits ; nothing 
 can be better than their system."f Grotius speaks 
 still more explicitly of their singular merit : " The 
 Jesuits," he writes, " have great influence in the 
 world, on account of the sanctity of their lives, and 
 the manner in which they instruct youth in letters 
 and the sciences ; without requiring any remunera- 
 tion."! And again: "They govern with wisdom, 
 
 * Talis cum sis utinam noster esses, 
 f Pages 29 and 518. 
 X De Reb. Belg. p. 194. 
 
INTRODUCTION. 21 
 
 Mid they obey with fidelity. The most recent of 
 all, they have surpassed every sect in fame, and 
 on this account are envied. They pursue a medium 
 between crouching submission and haughty arro- 
 gance : they neither fly from, nor follow, the vices 
 of the world."* 
 
 In this work, the reader will see some of the de- 
 tails of the missionary labors of the first Jesuits 
 in the propagation of the gospel among infidel na- 
 tions. It was not my object to write a long history, 
 but merely to reduce into a small compass matter 
 which would fill immense volumes. 
 
 In its very origin, the Society entered, with 
 ardor, upon this salutary and sublime work. The 
 name of St. Francis Xavier is familiar to every 
 reader. His wonderful achievements in the pro- 
 pagation of religion in Japan and the East Indies 
 are not less celebrated and praised by Protestants 
 than by Catholics. His Apostolic career, the 
 multitude of conversions effected by him, his un- 
 paralleled exertions, and his prodigious acts, have 
 merited for him the glorious epithet of the Apostle 
 of the Indies. He had noble successors in this 
 magnanimous work : his companions, animated by 
 
 ♦Ibid. p. 273. Amsterdam, 1658. The original text wiD 
 be found on the title-page of this volume. 
 
22 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 the same spirit, labored with equal success in 
 Africa, and in the wilds of the New World. The 
 light of the gospel was carried by them among 
 people who had never before heard of Christ, and 
 millions of newly acquired Catholics compensated 
 for the loss which the Church had sustained in 
 Europe. 
 
 In conclusion, I earnestly hope that the facts 
 which I have collected relating to the lives of the 
 first companions of St. Ignatius may tend to show 
 forth the real spirit of his order, and disperse some 
 of the prejudices that prevail against it, at least in 
 the minds of candid and sincere men. With 
 Erasmus, I may add : " Abunde satisfactum est illis, 
 si velint cognoscere. Si nolint, frnstra tentemus 
 eis satisfacere, qui calumniari malunt quam dis- 
 cere."* 
 
 * " If they desire to be informed, they will be abundantly 
 satisfied ; if not, in vain may we hope to satisfy persons who 
 prefer to calumniate rather than to learn." — Epist. 336. 
 
ST. IGNATIUS 
 

 CHAPTER 1 
 
 ST. IGNATIUS. 
 
 Ignatius.— The proud knight converted to a great saint. Period of Ms 
 biith. Kis family, character, sanctity. Book of Exercises. Pilgrimage 
 to Jerusalem. His " Company." Its appellation. Its object. Its polity. 
 Ho sues the approbation of Paul III. It is approved by Julius III Tlie 
 General of the order : its various grades. Ecclesiastical honors repudia- 
 ted. Why. No particular dress. Attack of the Sorbonne. Defence of 
 Father Olauius. It is persecuted. Its efforts for the cause of education. 
 Schools Colleges. Ignatius' illness and death. His reputation for sane 
 tity. Baronias prays at his tomb. 
 
 Wearied and much agitated from a strange and 
 recent apparition, a noble-looking cavalier, robed 
 in the plain guise of a pilgrim, sat down to repose 
 him on the banks of a gentle stream, not far from 
 the village of Manreza.* The deep shadows 
 
 * The singular vision here alluded to is thus described by 
 Orlandinus, in his History of the Society of Jesus : " A very 
 comely image appeared to him in the air, the figure of which 
 he could not clearly discern. It was lengthy, like the form 
 of a serpent, bright, of various hues, and glittering with 
 many eyes, like stars : which, while it appeared, rendered 
 him happy, and when it vanished left him sorrowful." Lib 
 i. 22, p. 7. The conversion of Ignatius happened in 1521 
 He was in his thirty-first year. 
 
 3 
 
26 ST. IGNATIUS. 
 
 were now falling from the neighboring hills : ovei 
 the brow of Mount Serat, the dusk of the evening 
 seemed already wreathing its sombre twilight, and 
 the waters of the lonely river rippled beneath the 
 breath of the solitude's breeze. There, in profound 
 contemplation, with his dark-gray eyes fixed intent- 
 ly on the river, sat that wondrous stranger. His 
 elegant mien, his broad, high forehead, his aqui- 
 line nose, his beautiful yet manly features, bespoke 
 the high rank to which he belonged, and the mag- 
 nanimous character with which he was adorned. 
 He had recently fought, at the head of a chivalrous 
 army, for the liberties of Spain, and had been 
 wounded, in her glorious cause, on the walls of 
 Pampeluna. He had been confined to his bed, 
 suffering intense pain from the extraction of the 
 ball which had entered his leg, and the amputation 
 of a bone which protruded from the wound. Dur- 
 ing this period of lingering and solitary illness, he 
 had sought to relieve his tedium, and engage his 
 mind with reading. No works of fancy or books 
 of chivalry being within his reach, he had re- 
 course to a volume of the Lives of the Saints, in 
 which he beheld depicted, for the imitation of great 
 souls, their heroic virtues and sublime sanctity. 
 The transition, in such a mind as his, from one 
 species of chivalry to another, was very easy and 
 
ST. IGNATIUS. 27 
 
 natural : he had been trained up to that of arms 
 and martial enthusiasm ; he could, without diffi- 
 culty, appreciate that of peace and religious glory. 
 As he read on, his heart opened, as it were, to the 
 divine influences of Christian heroism ; his soul 
 insensibly began to glow with an ardor more en- 
 nobling and inspiring than he had before expe- 
 rienced ; a desire to emulate the splendid moral 
 achievements of the examples before him, an irre- 
 sistible admiration of their victories over them- 
 selves and their triumphs over the world, urged 
 forward his generous ambition ; and the grace of 
 God, co-operating, meanwhile, with his natural 
 dispositions, he determined to change the standard 
 of war for the ensign of the cross. He had laid 
 aside from his towering person the insignia of the 
 knight, and taken upon himself those of an humble 
 penitent, making a pilgrimage from shrine to 
 shrine. Over the altar of the ever-blessed Virgin 
 he had hung the sword which was still gleaming 
 with the lustre of valor — a bright, a splendid tro- 
 phy of the grace of God. For that brave spirit 
 that knew not how to cower before the terrors 
 of the cannon, was stricken down in profound sub- 
 jection — not to any human power — and laid pros- 
 trate, by the "violence" of the love of God. 
 Sweet violence, indeed, that gives no pain but 
 
28 ST. IGNATIUS. 
 
 contrition, and demands no subjection but a calm 
 submission to the will of Heaven. Violence 
 which, it is true, storms the citadel of the heart, 
 but renders it, at the same time, a voluntary cap- 
 tive : which sometimes achieves its object by 
 forcing the deep and silent tear from the fountains 
 of some Magdalen's soul, and, at other times, by 
 casting down headlong — blind and terror-stricken 
 — on the sward, some Saul of Tarsus. That ex- 
 traordinary personage, meditating, at this twilight 
 hour, on the banks of the Rubricato, is the immor- 
 tal founder of the Society of Jesus — Ignatius of 
 Loyola. 
 
 Between the epoch of the birth of this defender 
 of the ancient faith,. and that of Martin Luther, its 
 pest and scourge, a space of nine years occurred : 
 the former having been born in 1491, the latter in 
 1482. God, whose providence could not but pre- 
 pare a barrier against the calamities which he 
 foresaw were about to desolate his Church, raised 
 up Ignatius, as a host, in the Company which he 
 was destined to establish, for her defence and edi- 
 fication. Guipuzcoa, a province in Cantabria, 
 was the place of his nativity. His family was 
 noble and renowned. His father and mother 
 were both of illustrious origin. His youthful dis- 
 position tended to the study and the feats of arms : 
 
ST. IGNATIUS. 29 
 
 and having 1 , at a maturer age, embraced the mili- 
 tary profession, he won the applause of his coun- 
 try and reaped no little glory on the field. This 
 soldier-like character he impressed on the Company 
 which he instituted. It appears in the celerity 
 of obedience on the part of its members, in the 
 enduring of labor, and the missionary exercises 
 — all modelled on the exemplar of the camp. His 
 soul, from early childhood, burned with inextin 
 guishable ardor for renown, and human praise . 
 which natural impetuosity, changed and chastened 
 under holier influences, he carried with him into 
 the ranks of religion, and infused into the breasts 
 of his disciples. He was distinguished by grace, 
 ease, and majesty of manners, and a singular love 
 of elegance of dress ; which qualities he after- 
 wards hallowed, and transferred to sacred things, 
 and made auxiliary to the discipline and spirit of 
 his order. He possessed a sublime magnanimity 
 in pardoning an offence, as well as in conferring 
 a favor ; an innate detestation of avarice, and — 
 the germ of all vices — cupidity. He exhibited a 
 lofty daring in dangerous and difficult exertions ; 
 a singular prudence in the transaction of business, 
 and an unwearied and patient perseverance and 
 constancy of character. In the flower of youth 
 he displayed the maturity of age ; and in the first 
 
30 ST. IGNATIUS. 
 
 impulse of his conversion was raised, on a sudd«i\ 
 to the highest grade of perfection. 
 
 Hence the sublime ascetic character of his boot 
 of " Spiritual Exercises," written so soon after his 
 retreat on Mount Serat, and his austere and peni- 
 tential musings at Manreza. Hence his marvel- 
 lous ecstasy, in which, wrapt in the contemplation of 
 heavenly things, during eight days, he seemed 
 dead to those of earth.. And hence, too, that solemn 
 vow of chastity by which he devoted himself for- 
 ever to the service of God, " following the Lamb 
 whithersoever he went." This perfection dis- 
 played itself in all his actions. Whether we trace 
 him to the isle of Cyprus, on his pilgrimage to 
 the Holy Land; whether we view him, entering — 
 an humble palmer — upon the consecrated soil of 
 Palestine, prostrate, in tears, at the tomb of Christ, 
 or partaking of the Redeemer's agony on the Mount 
 of Olives; whether we behold him favored with 
 celestial visions, or wrecked on the shoals near the 
 coast of Cyprus, or, on his return to Europe, seized 
 upon and contumaciously treated, as a spy, in 
 France; — under all circumstances, and in every 
 condition, there was a grandeur of soul, a sanctity 
 of motive, and an enthusiasm of virtue, which 
 stamped him, at once, with that transcendent 
 character, which was afterwards so wonderfully 
 
ST. IGNATIUS. 81 
 
 developed in the course of his subsequent ca- 
 reer. 
 
 The " Company" he established was destined to 
 labor for the salvation of men, and to propagate 
 the greater glory of Jesus Christ. Hence the mo- 
 tive for his styling it the "Society of Jesus:" de- 
 riving its name from Him, who is the only true 
 salvation of the human race, and who promised to 
 be " propitious to him at Rome.* 
 
 This appellation, therefore, seems to have been 
 the effect of Divine inspiration, and was intended 
 to exercise a universal sway over the motives and 
 conduct of its members. They would be led 4o 
 
 * Christ, relates the same author, arrayed in light, ap- 
 peared to Ignatius on his way to the capital of the Christian 
 World, and addressed these words to him : Ego vobis Romm 
 propitius ero. (Lib. ii. 50.) " I will he propitious to you at 
 Rome.'' This, perhaps, to some, may appear incredible, 
 and unworthy a place in enlightened history : but I beg 
 such to pause ere they pronounce, and hear the language of 
 Mr. Stephens, a highly gifted and popular writer, in the 
 Edinburgh Review for October, 1842 : " As he (Ignatius) 
 journeyed with Laynez, he saw a still more awful vi- 
 sion. It exhibited that Being whom no eye hath seen, and 
 whom no tongue may lightly name, and with him the Ete^ 
 nal Son, bearing a heavy cross and uttering the welcome 
 assurance : / vM be propitious to you at Rome." Critical 
 Miscellanies, p. 323 
 
32 ST. IGNATIUS. 
 
 understand that it was not into the " Company" of 
 Ignatius, but that of the Son of God, they entered, 
 to carry his cross, and to engage in conflict with 
 Satan, and the vices and errors of the world ; to 
 continue that work for which he descended from 
 heaven and shed his blood ; to range themselves 
 under his sacred banners, and to unfurl them to all 
 the nations of the earth. Under the auspices and 
 protection of Jesus, they could have confidence, 
 undertake arduous labors, sustain difficulties, and 
 overcome obstacles. With Him, they could fight, 
 conquer, die : nor would they live or battle in any 
 other manner, than after that model which their 
 celestial Guide and Captain has pointed out by his 
 precepts and example. Nothing could more effi- 
 caciously stimulate the faint-hearted, or encourage 
 the timid, than the virtue and majesty of that most 
 Holy Name. In adversity it would be the sweet- 
 est solace, in prosperity the purest joy, in dark- 
 ness the brightest light, in fatigue the most perfect 
 rest. In a word, all who range themselves under 
 the standard of this adorable name, will ever bear 
 in mind to what leader they belong, and should, 
 under all circumstances, prove themselves to be 
 worthy soldiers of Christ Jesus : and while they 
 were designated by the most glorious name, — at 
 which every knee must bend, — the founder, who 
 
ST. IGNATIUS. 33 
 
 was as humble in spirit as he was lofty in his 
 heavenly purpose, was in the habit of styling it 
 " the lowliest Society." * 
 
 The principal objects which Ignatius had in 
 view in establishing a new religious order, at this 
 critical epoch, were, first, the instruction of the 
 people in a manner adapted to their comprehension 
 and circumstances ; the necessity of which be- 
 came the more manifest on account of the Lu- 
 theran heresies which had begun to spread them 
 selves abroad ; and secondly, the missions, to 
 which all its members generously devoted them- 
 selves by vow. He foresaw that unless they 
 bound themselves together, and to their head, by 
 Obedience, they could not continue according to 
 the great plan which was meditated, much less 
 could it be expected that it would be endowed with 
 the principle of duration. And as he had chosen 
 for their guide and model Jesus himself, and no 
 other, they should imitate his detachment from all 
 worldly goods, by the vow of poverty; and sacrifice 
 
 * " Quamquam Ignatius, ut erat modestissimus . . . Socie. 
 tatem hanc volebat minimam appellare, ut ostenderet . . 
 nostri ordinis homines ita de se deque aliis sentire debere . . 
 ut sese pro omnium minimis ducant gerantque." Orland 
 lib. ii. 63. How faithfully they have realized this sublime 
 theory, as a body, impartial history has borne testimony. 
 
34 ST. IGNATIUS. 
 
 all the pleasures of nature, by that of perpetual 
 chastity. Bat this determination was not a mere 
 prudential scheme : it was the result of mature 
 reflection, fervent prayer, discreet consultation, 
 and not without the inspiration of Him, who was 
 made obedient to the will of his heavenly Father, 
 even unto the death of the cross.* 
 
 Having resolved on the character of his new 
 institution — that of a regular religious order — Ig- 
 natius next directed his attention to its internal 
 administration and polity. Over the entire "Com- 
 pany" a General was to preside, not during a term 
 
 * God, who is ever watchful over his Holy Church, has 
 never failed to counteract the evil designs of great Heresi- 
 archs, by the influence of great Saints and Doctors. Arius 
 was opposed by Athanasius ; Nestorius by Cyril of Alexan- 
 dria ; Vigilantius by Jerome ; Pelagius by Augustine ; and 
 Luther by Ignatius. The triumph of the Divine power ap- 
 pears more wonderful in the last, inasmuch as, while those 
 venerable Fathers were illustrious for vast learning and ex- 
 traordinary eloquence, Ignatius possessed but little human 
 acquirements, while his soul was enriched with the treasures 
 of heavenly wisdom. In him, we behold a soldier contend- 
 ing with a Theologian, a Doctor in divinity, and an able 
 writer. And yet, the result proves with what advantage 
 that inspired soldier fought the battles of Truth and Virtue 
 against the powers of Error and Vice. See Bartoli, Istoria 
 della Compagn. torn. v. p. 10. 
 
ST. IGNATIUS. 35 
 
 of years, but for life. That the novices, and all 
 who desired to be enrolled under his baDners, 
 should be well tried by the performance of the 
 spiritual exercises, by serving in the public hospi- 
 tals, by pilgrimages, and other menial and onerous 
 functions : and that all who were admitted to the 
 solemn profession, besides the three ordinary 
 vows, shoulcl add another, by which they promised 
 to subject themselves to the spiritual orders of the 
 Sovereign Pontiff ; holding themselves ready to be 
 sent, at his bidding, to any part of the world, and 
 to any people, infidel or Christian, without demand- 
 ing any outfit or emolument ; moreover, to use 
 every effort to instruct the young and ignorant, 
 and watch over the morals of those committed to 
 their care : and finally, to establish colleges, in 
 which a remuneration might be received for the 
 education of the alumni ; and Professed Houses, 
 which should depend for support on the charity 
 and liberality of the public* 
 
 The earnest desire of Ignatius now was to obtain 
 
 * Bobadilla, it appears, objected to the vow of educating 
 children ; which was afterwards modified, and brought 
 under the general vow of Obedience : so that no individual 
 could act according to the promptings of his own mind, but 
 only as directed by the common wisdom of his brethien, 
 See Orland. lib. ii. n. 64. 
 
36 ST. IGNATIUS. 
 
 for this his new institute the approbation of the 
 Holy See. To this end, he drew up a sketch — or 
 rather made a clear and comprehensive abridgment 
 — of the whole, which he presented in person to 
 the Sovereign Pontiff, Paul III. It was a deeply 
 interesting spectacle to behold the founder of one 
 of the most illustrious orders in the Church kneeling 
 at the feet of the Father of the Christian World, 
 and begging his approval of an institute which has 
 since been the admiration of all his venerable suc- 
 cessors. This occurred amid the shady retreats of 
 Tivoli, whither the pope had retired from the labors 
 and summer-heat of the metropolis. The book was 
 presented by the Cardinal de Contarini. Paul, hav- 
 ing examined it, remarked : The finger of God is 
 here: adding, moreover, that "this Society would 
 prove an invaluable auxiliary and splendid orna- 
 ment to the Church in those eventful times."* This 
 verbal declaration of the sentiments of the Pontiff 
 may be regarded as the first approbation of the So- 
 ciety.f 
 
 * Societatem lianc, id temporis .... afflictis Ecclesiap 
 rebus, non levi prsesidio atque ornamento fore. Orland. lib 
 ii. n. 83. 
 
 f " In bis great and only extant work," writes tbe critic 
 above quoted, " Ignatius Loyola is no dreamer. His niind 
 resembled tbe body of bis great disciple, Francis Xavier 
 
ST. IGNATIUS. 37 
 
 But a few years later, his successor, Julius III., 
 issued a solemn bull from St. Peter's, dated in Au- 
 gust, 1550, by which, in a formal and public man- 
 ner, lie affixed his pontifical seal and approbation tc 
 
 which, as he preached or baptized, rose majestically towards 
 the skies, while his feet retained their firm hold on the 
 earth below. The book, it is true, indicates a tone of feel- 
 ing utterly removed from that which animates the gay and 
 busy scenes of life ; but it could not have been written ex- 
 cept by one accustomed to observe those with the keenest 
 scrutiny, and to study the actors in them with the most 
 profound discernment." Ubi Supr. 
 
 Concerning the book of " Spiritual Exercises," the reader 
 will see more in the last chapter of this work. Mr. Ste- 
 phens could not close his admirable essay on Ignatius, with- 
 out atoning, in the eye of Protestantism, for all the true and 
 good things he had dared to indite, by styling Xavier a 
 " fanatic." Mr. Crane, however, likewise a Protestant, 
 diametrically contradicts the former writer, by asserting 
 that, " never did a cooler Jiead keep time with a more en- 
 thusiastic heart," in his equally excellent (in many respects) 
 article on the " Institution" of Ignatius. He also admits 
 that " the enthusiasm of Loyola was in admirable keeping, 
 and did not war with his cold and clear intellect. His was 
 not a fiery zeal ; — there was a spiritual composure in his 
 actions ; nor do we find wild imaginings and extravagant 
 fancies, either of heart or mind, in his maturer days. There 
 was evidently in him a singleness of disposition, that does 
 not warrant the idea that his Society was instituted for those 
 worldly objects which have formed the burden of the ace a 
 
 4 
 
38 ST. IGNATIUS. 
 
 the new religious order. This took plaee while the 
 Catholic world, and especially Rome, were rejoicing 
 under the celebration of the Jubilee : a period truly 
 auspicious, in many respects, to the interests of re- 
 ligion, but in none more so, than in this memorable 
 event.* 
 
 In the origin of the Society, the members natu- 
 rally regarded Ignatius as their superior — for he 
 was their master and parent in religion. And well 
 were they convinced that they could not be gov- 
 erned more wisely than by him, whom God had 
 chosen as the founder of their institute, and through 
 whom his spirit was infused into the whole body. 
 While they were scattered through various towns 
 and places, Ignatius, with one or two companions, 
 remained at Rome, making that city — the metropo- 
 lis of Catholic unity — the centre, likewise, of the 
 Society. With him — their spiritual head — all the 
 members were intimately connected : to him all re- 
 curred for advice and consolation, which they never 
 failed to derive from his wisdom and prudence. 
 
 sations against it." — Lives of Eminent Catholic Mission, 
 aries. 
 
 Why will great Protestant critics contradict themselves so 
 egregiously, when treating of Catholic men and matters ? 
 
 * See the opening of the Tenth Book of Orlandinns ; and 
 the bull of Julius III., which is given in fall. 
 
ST. IGNATIUS. 39 
 
 With them he felt himself completely identified, and 
 so comported himself in their regard, that he seemed 
 rather their servant and inferior, than their ruler 
 and superior. He kept up a continual epistolary 
 correspondence with them, informing them of the 
 progress and increase of the Society, making them 
 acquainted with every particular occurrence, whether 
 favorable or adverse. The effect was admirable. 
 Among all the members, of different nations, dis- 
 positions, languages, habits, and separated from 
 one another by distance and time, there was but one 
 heart and one soul : and this, too, in spite of all 
 the difficulties, prejudices, and even persecutions 
 they were doomed to undergo. Under every trial 
 they were supported and united by the spirit of 
 charity and of zeal, for the advancement of God's 
 greater glory, and the salvation of mankind ; and 
 by their pure and disinterested conduct rendered 
 themselves beloved and esteemed by princes, dear 
 to the people, and admirable even to those who 
 were jealous of their success. 
 
 The wisdom with which the economy of the So- 
 ciety was regulated even from its incipiency, has 
 been remarked by all writers. To all bodies there 
 must be a head. But the mode of appointing that 
 head varies according to the character of the com- 
 munity and the nature of its objeet. The enlight* 
 
40 ST. IGNATIUS. 
 
 ened policy of Ignatius, carrying out in practice 
 the liberal disposition and generosity of his own 
 soul, ordained that the first place should be con- 
 ferred, not by favor or arbitrary appointment, but 
 by election : thus impressing on the Society one of 
 the essential attributes of republicanism, and, at 
 the same time, the inflexible discipline of the camp. 
 By the suffrages of the first Fathers, some of whom 
 were far away, the general was appointed. Xavier, 
 being on the point of departing into India, recorded 
 and left behind his vote. Rodriguez did the same. 
 Faber gave his by letter, from Germany, where he 
 then was stationed. The reader will easily antici- 
 pate on whom the honor devolved, by unanimous 
 assent. Ignatius had founded the order, and it was 
 but just that he should preside over it in the capa- 
 city of General, especially as he presented in his 
 own person a bright mirror, in which the virtues 
 and perfection necessary for so exalted and respon- 
 sible a station were admirably reflected. 
 
 The particulars of the manner of deciding on 
 the choice of the General are minutely detailed by 
 the author of the History of the Society.* They 
 are as follows. During three days of mutual con- 
 sultation and prayer, the subject, so important to 
 
 * Orlandin lib. iii. n. 5. 
 
ST. IGNATIUS. 41 
 
 the whole community, was discussed ; on the fourth, 
 the votes were all placed in an urn, and the doors 
 were closed ; after which, three days more 
 were consumed in devout supplication to Heav- 
 en. At the expiration of that term, the suffrages 
 were examined, and Ignatius, without a dissent- 
 ing voice, was declared the first General of the 
 order.* 
 
 The original manuscripts by which their suffrages 
 were expressed, were seen and consulted by the 
 author of the History of the Society many years 
 after, who records them in his faithful annals, for 
 the edification and satisfaction of posterity.f Id 
 giving their opinions, they called God to witness, 
 
 * Ibid. n. 6. Ignatius was the only individual whose vote 
 differed from the general voice : not actuated merely by the 
 ordinary fitness of things, but from an infinitely higher mo- 
 tive. So humble was the opinion which he entertained of 
 himself, that, in his own estimation, he was the least quali- 
 fied among his brethren to hold the office to which they 
 raised him. 
 
 f Hie ego continere me non possum, quin ex ipsis suffra 
 giorum autographis velut e pulvere antiquitatis erutis, ex 
 cerpam aliquid quod et exemplo sit posteris et voluptati. 
 Orland, lib. iii. n. 7. The latinity of this famous author 
 has been reputed among the most classic and eloquent pro- 
 ductions of modern times. The entire work is worthy of 
 its subject. 
 
 4* 
 
42 ST. IGNATIUS. 
 
 that they desired to raise to that high dignity him 
 whom, in their consciences, they considered the 
 most worthy and best qualified ; and whom, were 
 they at the point of death, they would recommend. 
 Cordurius, in nominating Ignatius, extols him in 
 terms of praise as transcendent as they were de- 
 served. He styles him the most ardent and zealous 
 apostle of God's glory and man's salvation : as 
 such he had always reputed him ; and the more 
 readily did he deserve to be made their superior, 
 towards whom he had ever comported himself with 
 the humility of an inferior.* The entire declara- 
 tion of Salmeron, which cannot fail to be regarded, 
 at the present day, as fraught with interest, was 
 couched in these words : " In the name of Jesus 
 Christ, amen. I, Alphonsus Salmeron, the most un- 
 worthy member of the Society, having had recourse 
 to prayer, and weighed the subject with all due de- 
 liberation, select, and declare as my superior, and 
 the superior of the whole community, Ignatius, of 
 Loyola, who, having begotten us, according to the 
 wisdom imparted from above, and nourished us 
 while infants, may now, that we have grown strong 
 under the solid food of obedience, lead us into the 
 
 * Ibid. Next to Ignatius, Cordurius placed the name of 
 Paber. So also did Xavier 
 
ST. IGNATIUS. 43 
 
 rich and pleasant pastures of paradise, to the foun- 
 tain of life ; that when he shall be called to give 
 back this little flock to Jesus Christ the great Shep- 
 herd, we may truly say, we are the people of his 
 pasture and the sheep of his hand : and he, likewise, 
 may be able to declare, Lord, of those thou 
 hast given unto me, not one have I lost. Which 
 may Jesus, the good Shepherd, vouchsafe to 
 grant us. Amen."* Xavier specified, in his 
 document, the three vows of religion to be 
 made to him who should be elected General. Ig- 
 natius expressed no preference for any particu- 
 lar name, but was in favor of the one who should 
 have the majority of votes, always excepting him 
 self.f 
 
 When the result was made known to him, h* 
 evinced some unusual emotion, and made a long ad- 
 dress to his companions, pleading a want of phys- 
 ical and mental vigor, and exhorted them to choose 
 some other who might be equal to the task. For 
 himself, he preferred to be governed rather than to 
 govern ; and he trembled to preside over others, 
 
 * Ibid. 
 
 f Ibid. n. 8. Does not this conduct of Ignatius refute the 
 assertion of many a prejudiced and shallow enemy of his 
 order and his Church, that he was driven forward by fanati- 
 cism and ambition ? 
 
44 ST. IGNATIUS. 
 
 when he felt he was unable to govern himself. 
 Wherefore, he conjured them again to commend the 
 affair to God during three days, and to reconsider 
 the choice. The Fathers, having in vain protested 
 against this measure, consented, at length, to com- 
 ply with his urgent entreaty. But after the speci- 
 fied period, the result proved the same as before ; 
 the choice fell again unanimously on Ignatius. Still 
 that great but humble man persisted in the wish to 
 decline the honor, when Laynez, with the candor 
 which distinguished him, assured Ignatius that 
 either he should accept the office, or the Society 
 must be broken up.* This extreme alternative 
 overcame the modesty and dispersed the scruples of 
 Loyola : from necessity — and, as is manifestly 
 evinced — not from inclination, he yielded to the 
 will of heaven ; especially as he was warned to 
 contend no longer against its manifestation, by a 
 venerable priest of the order of St. Francis, who 
 was his confessor and spiritual adviser. In the soli- 
 tudes of the monastery on Mount Janiculum, he 
 spent several days in retreat and works of penance; 
 and, yielding with serene resignation to his lot, re- 
 
 * " Pater, munus accipe, quod tarn perspicue Deus tibi iiu- 
 ponit, vel quod ad me pertinet, dirimatur Societas." Orland. 
 lib. iii. n. 8. 
 
ST. IGNATIUS. 45 
 
 turned, with new ardor and increased zeal, to the 
 bosom of his companions.* 
 
 In the hands of the General, no little power was 
 placed by the regulations of the Institute, and the 
 approbation of the Holy See. All the offices of the 
 Society were at his discretion ; and not left to the 
 zeal or disposal of individual members. He should, 
 however, have his counsellors, without whose con- 
 sent no new constitutions could be framed, no ex- 
 isting ones changed ; no colleges or houses could 
 be alienated or dissolved. In other things of less 
 importance, the General, aided by the advice of his 
 brethren, as far as he may see fit to be directed by 
 it, shall have authority to order and command 
 whatever he may deem most conducive to the glory 
 of God, and the good of the community, f With 
 regard to the members of the Society, they are 
 bound to recognize a supreme authority and power 
 in the General, in all things relating to the admin- 
 istration, correction, and government of the order: a 
 
 * He entered upon the office of General, on the 19 th of 
 April, A. D. 1541 ; and with his companions, having visited 
 the seven churches of Rome, solemnly renewed his vow be- 
 fore the altar of the Blessed Virgin Mary, in the Basilic of 
 Saint Paul. Tanner, Soc. Jes. Europ., p. 19. 
 
 f See the bull of Julius in., Exposc-it debitum, &c Apud 
 Orland., lib. x. n. 5. 
 
4:6 ST. IGNATIUS. 
 
 power that must be always tempered with benignity, 
 charity, and mildness. They must not only evince a 
 perfect obedience to him, but must contemplate in 
 his person, and keep present before their eyes, Jesus, 
 from whom they have derived their appellation.* 
 
 The Society was composed of various grades, 
 among which are temporal coadjutors, whose duty 
 it is to assist, by their manual labor and employ- 
 ment, the Fathers who are engaged in their sacer- 
 dotal and missionary avocations. The lot of these 
 " Brothers" is pronounced " most happy," by the 
 historian whom I follow.*)* For, they are participa- 
 tors of the treasures of merit earned by the spirit- 
 ual fatigues and perseverance of the Fathers. 
 They are removed from dangers and cares, an 
 they realize in themselves the promises whici 
 Christ has made to all who perform works ot 
 charity. The spiritual coadjutors were those Fa- 
 thers, who stood ever ready to carry on, with 
 greater security — not being subject to the nod of 
 the Sovereign Pontiff — the local affairs of the Soci- 
 
 *lbid. n. 20. 
 
 ■j- Quorum multis nominibus beata sore est. Lib. vi. n. 1. 
 Anno 1546. Many of the early lay-brothers were distin- 
 guished for their heroic virtues, but especially Rodriguez, 
 who is, to tliis day, regarded as a shining model for his 
 brethren of the same grade in the Society. 
 
ST. IGNATIUS. 47 
 
 ety and of religion. They constituted by far the 
 major part of the members. For, the " professed," 
 or those who made the fourth vow to the Holy See, 
 were liable to be sent, at any moment, to remote 
 parts; and the qualifications by which it was es- 
 sential that they should be characterized, neces- 
 sarily rendered the number comparatively small. 
 Exalted piety, prudence, and virtue, should be uni- 
 ted to profound and general learning, superior tal- 
 ent, and mature experience. 
 
 It was the intention of Ignatius that his rising 
 order should be illustrious more on account of the 
 virtues of his religious, than of their numbers. For 
 this reason, when postulants for reception made 
 application to him, none were admitted whose dis- 
 positions, conduct, talents, learning, and reputation 
 had not previously undergone a rigid scrutiny. 
 Erudition was always a powerful recommendation , 
 but not without piety and experience, so necessary 
 at that calamitous epoch of the Church, when dis- 
 soluteness of morals in the clergy was made the 
 ostensible cause of the religious revolution in 
 Germanv, and when, in the ranks of the Reform- 
 ers, were reckoned not a few — apostates from the 
 mother Church — who wielded great learning and 
 fatal talents against the cause of truth.* 
 
 lib. v. n. 3. 
 
48 ST. IGNATIUS. 
 
 He wished all, of every grade, to be strictly 
 united together by the bonds of fraternal charity ; 
 and that virtue, which was the distinguishing char- 
 acteristic of the primitive Christians, he longed 
 to see the conspicuous prerogative of the Society. 
 The name it bore should not be an empty decora- 
 tion ; but should be indicative of the spirit of 
 Christ, which animated every heart. They should 
 patiently endure each other's failings ; the high m 
 office and distinction should be lowliest in spirit, and 
 when necessary, before the community : while the 
 inferior in rank and qualifications, should be free 
 from every sentiment of envy or jealousy, and serve 
 God and discharge their respective duties to the 
 Society with edification, submission, and humility. 
 This "new commandment" of charity was, in effect, 
 the foundation of the whole fabric of Loyola's insti- 
 tute.* The better and more securely to carry it 
 into general effect, he determined to remove from 
 his children all — and especially one — of the great- 
 est obstacles to its consummation. This was the 
 renunciation of all hope of ecclesiastical preferment 
 and honors. The particular reasons which actuated 
 aim in this wise regulation are assigned by Or 
 
 * In the language of our historian : " Hoc, itaque, novum 
 mandatum pro fundamento et radice sancta Iiebc Societai 
 habet."— Lib. xi. n. 43. 
 
ST. IGNATIUS. 49 
 
 landinus, and may be comprised in the follow- 
 ing :* 
 
 1. Because the number of distinguished mem- 
 bers, in a new Society, must necessarily be so 
 small, that were they to be taken from it and 
 raised to dignities, the Society would suffer from 
 the privation of their services in her own advance- 
 ment and welfare. 2. Because, when one is thus 
 honored, the peace of others may be ruffled ; for, 
 when the glare of glory surrounds the brows of 
 one, others, who stand near, might be dazzled by 
 it, — whereas, if seen only at a distance, and out of 
 the precincts of their own order, it vanishes almost 
 as soon as it appears upon their view. 3. Because, 
 the means taken to obtain honors, might not al- 
 ways be compatible with the pure and simple spirit 
 of a religious life : they might introduce party feel- 
 ing and political feuds. 4. Because, precluding, the 
 hope of preferment, they who entered the Society 
 must be influenced by no other motive than the 
 love of perfection. 5. Because, by this arrange- 
 ment, ambition — that pernicious serpent — would be 
 kept aloof from this religious paradise. 6. Because, 
 the members of the order could be more free in 
 
 * lib. vi. n. 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 43, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48^ 
 49,50. 
 
 5 
 
50 ST. IGNATIUS. 
 
 offering their services, and devoting" their resources, 
 to the prosperity of the Church, and the peace of 
 governments. For they cannot but be regarded as 
 disinterested ; and will, on this very account, pos- 
 sess greater weight, and exercise a more salutary 
 influence. 7. Because all were destined to labor 
 with equal energy and perseverance : and it being 
 impossible to reward all, some might deem them- 
 selves neglected ; and there would be danger of 
 creating contentions and complaints. For there 
 can be no concert, where there is a striving after 
 dignities. 8. Because the members would always 
 fceep before their eyes the rewards prepared for 
 them in a better world ; having here, in their trials, 
 persecutions and missionary labors, no other ob- 
 ject than the glory of God, the propagation of truth, 
 and the salvation of the human race. 9. Because 
 religious, who are debarred from rising to the emi- 
 nence of the great, will not be regarded by them 
 with the least sentiment of diffidence or suspicion. 
 Great men are often jealous of inferiors in rank, 
 who may have the chance of being raised to an 
 equality with themselves. But, having no such 
 chance, in the ordinary course of things, those in- 
 feriors will be loved and respected in their humble 
 position in the Church. 10. Because they who are 
 decorated with honors, if more friendly to some 
 
ST. IGNATIUS. 51 
 
 than to others, in the same order, will evince great- 
 er partiality to the former than the latter. Hence 
 the wisdom of the Sovereign Pontiffs in appointing 
 Protectors for religious societies, never select a 
 prelate for that from which he was taken, in order 
 to prevent such favoritism. 11. Because individ- 
 uals raised from an order to the high posts of the 
 Church, are sometimes most obnoxious to that very 
 order, and, not seldom, interfere, to the disadvan- 
 tage of the community, with its government and 
 discipline. 12. Because Ignatius desired that his 
 disciples should seek the shade of a retired life, and 
 court the humility and the poverty of the Cross. In 
 this he followed the maxims of the greatest saints 
 in the Church ;* who contended not only in words, 
 but, likewise, by their own example, that hon- 
 ors, far from being coveted, should be carefully 
 shunned. 
 
 These, among others, were the motives which 
 prompted Ignatius to close the doors of ecclesias- 
 tical dignity upon all the members of the Society. 
 In such a manner, that no one was free to accept 
 honors even when offered, unless by an express 
 command of the Vicar of Christ : and, in such an 
 
 * Apologetic S. Greg. Naz. See also the opinions oi 
 Saints Dominic and Francis on this subject, in Orlandinu^ 
 lib. vi. n. 51, 
 
52 ST. IGNATIUS. 
 
 event, the individual promoted ceased to belong to 
 the body from which, even reluctantly and by obe- 
 dience, he found himself separated.* 
 
 This feature of the Institute has been regarded 
 by wise men as one of the most judicious and ex- 
 cellent character. And I cannot but entertain the 
 belief that to it, in a singular degree, must be at- 
 tributed the unity and powerful consistency by 
 which the Society has ever been distinguished. 
 It secured the talents, learning, virtues, and other 
 qualifications of its members for its own use. The 
 elements of greatness were not permitted to be 
 scattered. They were blended and consolidated 
 in one mighty and splendid mass, from which grew 
 up the towering and magnificent whole, which, 
 during three centuries, has stood a monument of 
 wonder and veneration to the world. 
 
 Another remarkable provision of Ignatius was, 
 that the members of the Society should not be 
 designated by any particular dress, or any extra- 
 ordinary system of life. Their habit was common 
 
 * Delatos autem honores nisi diserti praecepti vis adigat 
 et Pontifex ipse compellat eadem voti religione recuset. 
 Orlandin. lib. vi. n. 52. By this positive compulsion, several 
 Jesuits, even in the early history of the order, were com 
 pelled to accept of the purple. Among those the most ill us 
 trious were Bellarmine, Pallavicinus, and Toletus. 
 
ST. IGNATIUS. 53 
 
 to all the clergy — their mode of life conformable to 
 the usages of the edifying secular clergy. Rigors, 
 penances, mortifications, were to be left to the de- 
 votion and fervor of inferiors, regulated and ap- 
 proved of by superiors. So that, in the language 
 of the historian, their offering to God should be 
 " reasonable " — rationabUe obsequium* 
 
 The motive of this provision is given, with great 
 freedom, by Olauhis, in his answer to the Sor- 
 bonne,f who found fault with the Institute on this 
 account. " That such learned Doctors," he writes, 
 " should censure us for not being distinguished by 
 dress from the secular clergy, is, indeed, extraor- 
 dinary, when we know that this very circumstance 
 has been approved by the Sovereign Pontiffs, and 
 by the wisest and most venerable men. For all 
 have judged it prudent that we, who have not 
 chosen an idle, or monastic, or solitary life, but 
 one of labor, and continual occupation in the wel- 
 fare of our neighbors, should follow only the com- 
 mon laws of a Christian life : and that there should 
 
 * Lib. x. n. 25. Rationabile corporis obsequium, prout 
 expediat, offeratur. 
 
 f The language of the Doctors of the Sorbonne against 
 the Society is very strong and condemnatory. One would 
 hardly be prepared to expect to find such abusive language 
 from so refined a university. Orland. lib. xv. p. 45. 
 
 5* 
 
54 ST. IGNATIUS. 
 
 be nothing in our dress, and external deportment, 
 to distinguish us from edifying secular priests, 
 whose coadjutors we desire to be. No new rigor 
 should be required, at least as a general rule, lest 
 it might prove an impediment to the undergoing of 
 great labors, to which the Society devotes her mem- 
 bers. No peculiar distinction from the secular 
 clergy, inasmuch as our founder meant to require 
 of us nothing more than should be practised by all 
 good priests. Hence Paul III., Julius III., and 
 Marcellus II., were in the habit of styling us " re- 
 formed priests : " as also, at the present day, Paul 
 IV., who, from the beginning, has been not only 
 the friend, but the professed admirer, of our Insti- 
 tute It is our object to incite the secular 
 
 clergy, with the Divine assistance, not to change 
 their dress, but to discharge their ecclesiastical 
 duties, with minds free from every temporal con- 
 sideration, burning with charity towards their 
 neighbors, directed by true humility, and perfect 
 purity of intention. To this end, we have re- 
 course, according to the requisition of our Insti- 
 tute, to frequent examination of conscience, assid- 
 uous mental prayer, imploring God that in all our 
 thoughts, words, desires, and actions, we may have 
 the grace to refer all to His greater glory. We 
 understand well, that we have separated ourselves 
 
ST. IGNATIUS. 55 
 
 from the world by special vows, in order that, for- 
 getting ourselves and our personal interests, we 
 may live for Him alone, to whose service we have 
 wholly and thoroughly consecrated our lives." * 
 
 * Ibid. n. 50. Olauius replies to the severe and uncourt- 
 eous objections of the Sorbonne with dignity, candor, and 
 eloquence. His address may be regarded as the first, and 
 ablest vindication of the institute. 
 
 Others have been written at various epochs ; the most re- 
 cent has just appeared in France, from the pen of Father de 
 Ravignan, entitled " De l'existence et de l'institut des Jesu- 
 ites." From which, that the reader may become acquainted 
 with some of the minutiae of the order, I extract the follow- 
 ing from the third chapter : 
 
 "THE DAY OF A JESUIT. 
 
 "At four o'clock in the morning the bell sounds for ris- 
 ing; the brother, named the ' Brother Excitatory passes 
 through the chambers, and warns them to rise with the 
 pious salutation : ' Benedicamus Domino.' A quarter of an 
 hour after he returns again, to see that punctual obedience 
 has been rendered to this first duty of the rule. 
 
 " Thus an exact discipline ever comes in aid of personal 
 good-will. Custom, then, calls the religious of the Society 
 into the chapel, to the feet of the Most Holy Sacrament. At 
 half-past four every one returns to nis cell, to devote him- 
 self to meditation for an hour. 
 
 " The Angelus Bell terminates the meditation ; the priests 
 say Mass in succession ; and after the thanksgiving is fin- 
 ished, the course of daily occupations commences. Of these 
 
i><5 ST. IGNATIUS. 
 
 From this exposition of one of the earliest 
 Fathers of the Society, we can clearly perceive 
 
 there is an ample store ; and I may affirm, that time is a 
 possession which, within our houses, is as much taken from 
 the Jesuit, as honor and liberty are denied him from with- 
 out, though from far different motives. 
 
 " Some hours are, however, reserved for solitary labor, 
 and for study. Some, and by far the greater number, are 
 required to apply to the laborious and slow preparations 
 demanded for public preaching ; others devote their time 
 to scientific and historic researches. All are employed in 
 the active functions of the ministry of souls, which, in 
 general, leave little room for peaceful leisure. Moreover, 
 unless imperious necessity of the rule should require the 
 religious strictly to interdict access, his poor cell is almost 
 constantly besieged. And there men, of all conditions, and 
 of all opinions, are allowed freely to present themselves ; 
 misfortune in every shape, affliction under every form, come 
 to excite our compassion and our zeal. The statistics of the 
 visitors of a single day to any one of us, would often form 
 a very curious history. The police, not unfrequently, takes 
 its share ; busy schemes of worldlings seek to have theirs , 
 the larger portion will remain for the unfortunate who come 
 with confidence to ask from us consolation and truth 
 
 " Is this obedience, slavery, or freedom ? 
 
 " ' slavery ! which the insolence of man is not ashamed 
 to call liberty ! ' said Fenelon ; and it was the exclamation 
 of a noble heart and a splendid genius. 
 
 " Thus the religious is no longer a slave ; he no longer 
 makes use of human caprice, the senses, pride, nor the 
 
ST. IGNATIUS. 57 
 
 the object of Ignatius in not designating his dis- 
 ciples by any extraordinary or particular habit. 
 But, though they resembled the secular clergy in 
 dress, they were distinguished from them by rules 
 of seclusion and silence to which the same vener- 
 rable writer refers, in these terms : " With respect 
 to retirement, we have this rule, that no one 
 can go out of the house without notifying the 
 Janitor that he has permission, and this we observe 
 with great severity. In regard to silence, these 
 are our rules : we not only have times specified 
 for conversation, but also the subject of conversa- 
 tion, and the persons with whom we are to con- 
 verse. No one is allowed to discourse of merely 
 secular things, particularly of war which may be 
 carried on among Christian princes ; in praise or 
 condemnation of nations, or provinces, or rulers; but 
 of those topics only, which may conduce to piety, 
 edification, and mutual charity. Moreover, no one 
 
 passions : he treads his tyrants beneath his feet. He is at 
 full freedom, in sure paths ; truth and prudence regulate 
 his steps. He is free : for he obeys the wisdom of God ; and 
 obeys for the purpose of devoting himself to useful labors, 
 to all the labors necessary to promote the eternal well-being 
 of humanity. ' Soldier, go plant thyself at the head of that 
 bridge : thou wilt remain there ; thou wilt die there, we 
 shall pass on.' — ' Yes, General.' " 
 
58 ST. IGNATIUS. 
 
 can speak with any but persons of the house, 
 without the Superior's permission : nor can the 
 younger members speak with all, but with those 
 only, from whose conversation it is believed they 
 can derive the greatest fruit. Nor can they con- 
 verse at any time, but only one hour after dinner, 
 and another after supper. Once a week, and on 
 festival days, a somewhat greater license is grant- 
 ed. Whoever transgresses these rules, is severely 
 dealt with."* 
 
 It was the fate of the Society — as it was that of 
 Christianity — to be persecuted in its very origin. 
 Not only in France, by the most famous University 
 of Paris, but likewise at Salamanca and Toledo ; 
 and in Portugal and elsewhere.*)* This perse- 
 cution was waged, as Father Olauius remarks,J 
 by three kinds of adversaries (excepting, however, 
 the Doctors of the Sorbonne.) First, by heretics, or 
 men of suspicious faith, with whom there was an 
 incessant war, especially in Germany. Secondly, 
 by men of loose morals, who could not endure the 
 reproach and condemnation which the rigid morals 
 of the Jesuits constantly pronounced against them 
 
 * Id. Ibid. n. 52. 
 
 f Lib. viii. n. n. 43, 44. xi. n. 57. xii. n. 54. 
 
 } Orland. lib. xv. n. 58. 
 
ST. IGNATIUS. 59 
 
 Thirdly, avaricious schoolmasters, priests, and 
 monks, who loudly complained, in the name of 
 their " craft," because the gratuitous education 
 conferred by the Society was detrimental to their 
 pecuniary interests : or because the duties of the 
 ministry were discharged without any expense to 
 the faithful. " The persecution carried on by the 
 two first classes," adds Olauius, "we consider as 
 contributing to our gain and glory ; those of the 
 other, we will endeavor to bear with constancy 
 and patience, rendering always good for evil."* 
 A noble sentiment ! and worthy of the Society 
 which is named after the founder of a religion of 
 charity and peace. 
 
 The diffusion of education, after a long period of 
 comparative ignorance, throughout the world, was, 
 as I mentioned above, one of the main objects of 
 the institute of Ignatius, and an object which 
 lay very near his heart f The rays of intellectual 
 
 * Ibid. n. 58. 
 
 f This most arduous, but, <wrtainly, most useful ministry 
 engaged, in a peculiar manner, the attention of Ignatius 
 for it was the best calculated *o stay the evils of the times, 
 and root into the young mind the hallowed principles of 
 truth. Hence Bartoli well remarks : " Dove questo del ben 
 4 alevare la groventu fin da' suoi pm teneri anni, somma- 
 mente necessario, e in ogni tempo, c in ogm luogo ha da£ 
 
60 ST. IGNA'iIUS. 
 
 light had, some years before, again appeared, break 
 ing with renovated splendor over Italy. That light 
 was first ushered in by the agency of the Church, 
 in whose bosom had been perpetuated and preserved 
 the spark of science, which, kindled by the magic 
 breath of Leo X., burst forth into a flame that has 
 since spread itself over all the civilized earth. But 
 in order to give this flame a proper and successful 
 impulse, the aid of prudent and enthusiastic minds 
 was necessary. Among these, Ignatius stood em- 
 
 all compagnia, piu collegi egli solo che forse tutti gli altri 
 insieme." The greatest men of the times united in paying 
 a just tribute to the schools of the Society. The famous 
 Navarro (Miscell. 69, de Orat.) declared that Studiorum 
 Pietatis et litterarum conjunctione, maximam orbi Christiano, 
 prmsertim circa pueros, et adolescentes, utilitatem importa- 
 runt, et important. The Cardinal of Augsburg, and the 
 Electors of Treves and Mentz, adopted in their States the sys- 
 tem of the Society. Super institutions juventutis et norma 
 institutionis, quam servat Societas et ah omnibus, licet nominx 
 Societatis non multum addictis, fuit judicata melior magis- 
 que proficua Reip. et accommodatior vita Christiana;. Henry 
 IV., king of France, acknowledged that the primitive glory 
 of the University of Paris was restored by the Society: 
 Nunc, ex Jesuitarum, discipulorum amulatione, ad suum 
 pristinum jlorem tota unioersitas revocata est. All these 
 references will be found verified in the fifth volume of Bar 
 toli, chap. xiii. Second book, p. 136 et seq. 
 
ST. IGNATIUS. 61 
 
 inently prominent : and posterity will have no diffi« 
 culty in acknowledging, that to him the republic of 
 letters owes vastly more than to any other indivi- 
 dual of any age. In this admission, the enemies of 
 the Society cannot but unite their reluctant testi- 
 mony with the testimony of its devoted friends. As 
 early as the year 1556, schools under its direction 
 were called for, in all parts of the world. To men- 
 tion only a few cities in Italy : Brescia, Arezzo, An- 
 cona, Spoleto, and Mazzara were loud in their en- 
 treaties, although, on account of the paucity ol 
 members, they could not be responded to. Rimini, 
 Sienna, and Catanea in Sicily, were more fortunate.* 
 And so great was the reputation of the Jesuits as 
 teachers of youth, and directors of seminaries ot 
 learning, that no less than a hundred colleges were 
 established in the old and new worlds, before the 
 death of their venerated founder. Of these the prin- 
 cipal were at Paris, Padua, Louvain, Lisbon, Goa, 
 Cologne, Bologna, Tivoli, Venice, Palermo, Vienna, 
 Rome, Florence, Naples, Ferrara, Modena, Cordova, 
 Syracuse, Prague, Sienna, and two in Brazil.f The 
 
 *Id. lib. xvi. n. 2, 3, 4. 
 
 f W. lib. x. n. 108. lib. xiii. d. 53. lib. iii. n. 92. lib. iv. n. 
 10. lib. iv. n. 104., etc., etc. It would be going far beyond 
 the object I have in view to enter into the particulars of th« 
 
 6 
 
62 ST. IGNATIUS. 
 
 Roman college, from its conspicuous position, in 
 the metropolis of the Catholic world, and under the 
 eyes of the Pontiffs, was naturally the object oi 
 greatest solicitude and interest in the mind of Ig 
 natius. This he desired to be a model for all the . 
 others, and placed over it as superintendent th« 
 celebrated Father Olauius, to whom I had occasion 
 to refer the reader above ; a personage whose em- 
 inent talents and profound erudition imparted a 
 splendid reputation to the famous Institution over 
 which he presided.* As an appurtenance to this 
 college, Ignatius, always actuated by munificent 
 plans, and though poor, never distrusting the favor 
 of Divine Providence, added a beautiful villa. This 
 edifice he erected near the baths of Antoninus, not 
 far from the church of St. Balbina, as a retreat for 
 the sick, and a place of relaxation for the students, 
 during the season of vacation from study.*)" To 
 the quiet shades of this villa he himself withdrew, 
 just before his death: the details of which are faith- 
 foundation of these various colleges. I have enumerated a 
 few, in a general way, merely to show how widely extended 
 was the system of education adopted by the Society, during 
 he lifetime of Ignatius ; and how much he contributed to 
 the cause of letters and religion. 
 * Vid. lib. xiii. n. 5. 
 f lib. xv. n. 6. 
 
ST. IGNATIUS. 63 
 
 fully described by Orlandinus. " Three things our 
 blessed Father desired to see accomplished before 
 his departure from this world : the Spiritual Exer- 
 cises approved by the authority of the Holy See, 
 the Society confirmed, and the Constitutions fin- 
 ished." Having obtained these, he longed to be 
 dismissed in peace. His health had now declined : 
 worn down, not so much by the weight of years, as 
 by extreme mortification and wasting labors 
 In the month of June, 1556, he began to grow 
 weaker than usual, and unable to attend to his 
 ordinary affairs. Feeling that the hour was ap- 
 proaching to lay aside his tabernacle of flesh, 
 he intrusted the administration of the Society 
 to Fathers John Polanco and Christopher Madri- 
 dio. The city, at this juncture, presented an 
 image more of ancient warlike Rome, than of 
 the Holy Capital of Christianity. For a fierce 
 war was raging between the Pope and the Ca- 
 tholic king. Day and night the loud and pro- 
 miscuous clamors of the soldiers and populace 
 were heard ; the clangor of trumpets rang ; the 
 roar of cannon, the noise of drums, and the peal 
 of bells, thundered and echoed over the seven hills. 
 To get rid of this tumult, which he deplored and 
 loathed, he sought the solitude of the villa, which, 
 though within the walls, was, nevertheless, remote 
 
64 ST. IGNATIUS. 
 
 from tne scene of arms.* It was, at first, appre- 
 hended that an edifice not yet entirely finished or 
 dry might not be salubrious : but a decision to the 
 contrary was given, after strict examination, by 
 Alexander Petronius, an eminent physician. Amid 
 the calm shades of this place his strength daily 
 failed. The Fathers, becoming alarmed, caused 
 him to be removed to the Professed House, where, 
 a few days after, having received the holy Eucha- 
 rist, he called to his bedside Polanco, and, with a 
 placid spirit, requested that Father to repair to the 
 Sovereign Pontiff, commend to him the protection 
 of the Society, and ask his benediction upon it. 
 " Has it, then, come to this, Father," replied Polan- 
 co, "that we are to lose thee in so short a time 1 n 
 " God hath so willed it," answered Ignatius. " Go 
 to the Holy Father, and bring back his blessing or 
 indulgence, not only for myself, but for all our 
 brethren." Polanco inquired whether he might not 
 defer it until the next day. "Do as you please," 
 
 * Multas enim Romana inaenia solitudines includunt, 
 observes Orlandinus, lib. xvi. n. 94. Tins was the case 
 nearly three hundred years ago ; and even now, the walls of 
 Rome embrace within their compass many places which are 
 uninhabited and solitary. If I am not mistaken, the villa 
 mentioned above is still in the possession of the Society, and 
 is called Macao. 
 
ST. IGNATIUS. 65 
 
 ^joined Ignatius. Polanco became seized with ter- 
 ror, and immediately, in conjunction with Turriano, 
 the ordinary physician of the house, called in Pe- 
 tronius, another, of high repute. Both, after con- 
 sulting together, decided that they feared no in- 
 stant danger ; but, on the day following, they would 
 be enabled to pronounce with greater certainty. 
 When the physicians withdrew, Ignatius took a 
 little food, as usual ; and then passed a great part 
 of the night in conversing on subjects connected 
 with the Roman College : after which, he was left 
 alone. Unable to sleep, he communed, during those 
 weary and silent hours, with God, after whom his 
 soul panted with incessant aspirations of love. How 
 many varied reminiscences then broke upon his 
 memory ; how many thoughts of glorious achieve- 
 ments, mingled with sentiments of deep humility ! 
 What wonderful things has not this dying priest 
 effected — not only for his own times, but for every 
 succeeding age ! The interval between that mem- 
 orable evening, when we found him habited as a 
 poor pilgrim, meditating on the Rubricate, and this 
 eventful night — lying, in his last extremity, on his 
 solitary bed — has been filled up with deeds and 
 projects of immortal usefulness. The palmer from 
 Mount Serat has established in the Church an order 
 of religious men, whose zeal, learning, sanctity, 
 
 6* 
 
66 ST. IGNATIUS. 
 
 and fame will spread over Europe, and be bound- 
 ed only by the limits of the habitable globe 
 There, in his expiring- attitude, he lies, placid, 
 resigned, grateful — full of merits, of glory, of 
 hope. The luminary which has enlightened the 
 earth, is now waxing pale and tremulous : it 
 flickers, then brightens again for the last time, 
 and is extinguished. With the adorable name of 
 Jesus trembling on his dying tongue, jgnatius 
 breathed out his saintly spirit into the hands of his 
 Creator.* 
 
 It is not difficult to imagine the sensations of 
 Polanco, when, on entering the chamber where, the 
 previous night, he had watched by the holy man, 
 he found him dea^^How despondingly his eyes, 
 streaming with teaft*s J Ariveted themselves upon 
 those features, gra&efuljraftd noble still in death : 
 and how endearingJVhe tSj&raced, with the gi'ief 
 of a child, the venrakde Tefcains ! There- -on 
 that silent couch — lay^rm boay^f his Father, his 
 Founder, his Superior. Tro SooKJf, deprived of 
 her Head, was now reduceft^ft wrcjfcihood ; and 
 who could be worthy to supply iris pjce ? Over 
 
 * He had attained his sixty-fifth year : his death occurred 
 fifteen years after the establishment of the Sociaiy Yid. 
 Orlandin. lib. xvi. n. 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99. 
 
ST. IGNATIUS. 67 
 
 his death, the whole Church mourned, as for a pub- 
 lic and general calamity. The voices of the great- 
 est and noblest characters of the age were raised 
 in deploring the melancholy event, and in com- 
 memorating and blessing the memory of the de- 
 ceased. " Under his guidance," exclaims the Su- 
 perior of the Barnabites,* " the faith, religion, and 
 doctrine of Christ were so widely propagated, 
 that they penetrated to the very antipodes. Wasted 
 with many cares, and borne down with the solici- 
 tude for the churches, he fell a martyr in retire- 
 ment. He was the common Father of all. He 
 soothed the mourner's heart with words of tender 
 sympathy, poured into the afflicted soul the bal- 
 sam of consolation, and extended aid and protec- 
 tion to the needy and forlorn. . . . May God be- 
 stow on him a reward ^f or his good works ! We 
 will not cease to offqfctihe Holy Victim at the altar 
 for such a soul^^hile^Sfhers scatter over his 
 tomb the purple %o weasel These mysteries are the 
 lilies of theX^riests^'more fresh and acceptable 
 to God ^Sfoghs offered for a soul enjoying, as 
 T-* 
 
 * In abetter written from Milan on the occasion of the 
 demise of Ignatius. Id. ibid. n. 124. This epistle is ad- 
 mirable, as well for its eloquence as for the tribute it pays, 
 in the name of an entire religious order, to the virtues of 
 Ignatius, and the excellence of his Institute. 
 
68 ST. IGNATIUS. 
 
 we believe, the infinite bliss of immortal life. 
 For we cannot but evince by these offerings 
 our undying veneration for him, no longer 
 among us, whom, while in life, we venerated and 
 loved."* 
 
 john Vega, governor of Sicily, who had wit- 
 nessed the incalculable good effected in that island 
 by Ignatius, wrote, in a strain of military eloquence, 
 extolling " the trophies raised by the Society, 
 which would defy the power of time, and resist 
 
 * The Society had been established only sixteen years , 
 but was spread through the whole world. Her members 
 had preached the gospel in all languages, had rescued na- 
 tions from idolatry, and united them to the Church. One 
 hundred colleges had been established. All these things 
 Ignatius had the happiness to witness before he was taken 
 away to his heavenly reward. He had, besides, seen one of 
 his children lay down his life — dying a martyr for the faith 
 — Father Anthony Criminali. He had beheld prodigies 
 wrought by their hands ; he had witnessed their sanctity 
 and merits, which won the admiration of emperors, popes, 
 kings, and princes ; by whom they were honored as apos- 
 tolic nuncios in various parts, as orators and theologians in 
 the Council of Trent and other synods : and, having en- 
 joyed all these accumulated consolations, and commend ng 
 his dear Society to the ever- vigilant care of Divine Provi- 
 dence, he sweetly closed his eyes to this mortal scene, and 
 slept in the Lord. See Tanner, Soc. Europ. p. 23. 
 
ST. IGNATIUS. 69 
 
 the elements themselves. Trophies erected not 
 by earthly ambition, nor by vainglory, but by 
 heroic zeal and disinterested exertions."* Sen- 
 timents not less laudatory, nor less expressive of 
 admiration and sorrow, were uttered by John III., 
 king of Portugal, - )" and by the illustrious Cardi- 
 nals Otho Truchses, and Bartholomew a Cu- 
 eua.J 
 
 Polanco declares, that, though he had never 
 read of mortal as much beloved as was Ignatius, 
 by the whole Society, and though he believed that 
 in the annals of history no parallel could be found, 
 still none of his children were overcome with 
 grief. On the contrary, a new vigor seemed to 
 spread itself through all, a new love cf labor 
 and perfection, and a new confidence and hope in 
 the welfare and augmentation of the body. For 
 the spirit of their holy founder was still with them, 
 and his intercession in heaven would constitute an 
 aegis of protection and safety, under which they 
 would survive, and flourish, and be perpetuated. 
 Three hundred years have confirmed these primi- 
 
 * Ibid. n. 128. 
 
 f He was accustomed to say that Ignatius ought to bt 
 Pope. n. 129. 
 f Ibid. n. 131 and n. 132 
 
70 ST. IGNATIUS. 
 
 tive hopes, which have been more than realized 
 The glorious achievements of the Society are 
 blended with the archives of universal history, 
 identified with the civilization, learning, conversion, 
 «nd prosperity of innumerable countries. She has 
 nad her alternations of adversity and triumph, she 
 has passed through the deep shades of night as 
 well as the bright beams of day. She has had 
 friends — devoted and true — in every class and 
 grade of life ; she has encountered, too, the fiercest 
 and most formidable enemies, in the same. She 
 has been entirely suppressed in Europe, and that 
 with the concurrence of a pope ; but she has been 
 restored to being, and covered with favors, by his 
 successors.* The memory of Ignatius is in bene- 
 diction ; his name stands enrolled, conspicuous and 
 effulgent^ on the catalogue of saints. Of his rare 
 merits and heroic virtues, it is not my province to 
 speak at length. And, indeed, it would be an act 
 of supererogation, if not of temerity, in me, to at- 
 tempt the panegyric of him in whose praise the 
 
 * Since its restoration, the Society has spread itself 
 abroad anew with extraordinary celerity. Stripped of most 
 of her anci3nt houses and colleges, she provided others with 
 an energy and success worthy of her earliest days : and her 
 mtsinbers aie again proving themselves to be " the stoutest 
 oarsm^fc ix* St. Peter's bark." 
 
ST. IGNATIUS. 71 
 
 noble eloquence of Bellarmine was employed, and 
 before whose shrine, in prayer and veneration, the 
 great Baronius knelt.* 
 
 * In the year 1599, Cardinal Caesar Baronius, one of the 
 most learned chroniclers of modern times, went, with Car- 
 dinal Bellarmine, on the anniversary of the death of Igna 
 tins, to the Professed House. After a discourse delivered by 
 the latter, over the tomb, Baronius fell upon his knees, 
 with profound respect, and ordered the image of the saint, 
 for the first time, to be exposed to public veneration. For 
 all the particulars, consult Orlandinus, lib. xvi. n. 136. 
 
 " Loyola was a soldier to the last breath he drew, a gen- 
 eral whose authority none might question, a comrade on 
 whose cordiality all might rely, sustaining all the dangers 
 and hardships he exacted of his followers, and in his reli- 
 gious campaigns a strategist of most consummate skill and 
 most comprehensive survey. ... To conquer Lutheranism, 
 by converting to the faith of Rome the barbarous and half- 
 civilized nations of the earth, was among the earliest of his 
 projects. ... It was necessary that he should select men 
 superior not only to all the allurements of appetite and the 
 common infirmities of our race, but superior also to those 
 temptations to which an inquisitive mind, and abilities of a 
 high order, expose their possessor. . . . Long he weighed 
 and most sagaciously did he decide this perplexing choice. 
 li fell on many who well fulfilled these conditions." — Ste. 
 >uens, ubi supr. 
 
PETEE FABEB. 
 
CHAPTER II. 
 
 PETER FABER. 
 
 Peter Fabbk.— How gained over by Ignatius. Performs the Exercises, 
 Is ordained Priest. Teaches in the Univ«r*<ty of Rome. Is sent to 
 Parma; and to Germany. His mission at Ratiebonne. Goes to Spain. 
 Returns to Germany. His labors at Spires; and at Mentz; at Augs- 
 burg, and Cologne. Is called to Portugal. Thence to Liege. Returns 
 to Cologne. Defends the Catholic Faith. His manner of treating with 
 heretics. Is sent back to Portugal. Goes to Castile. Distinguishes 
 himself at Salamanca. Goes to Valladolid. His influence at the Court 
 of Philip. Traverses Madrid and Toledo. Is deputed to the Council of 
 Trent Sickens at Barcelona, and dies at Rome. 
 
 The first individual who associated himself with 
 Ignatius was Peter Faber, born among the wild 
 mountains of Savoy, of parents more conspicuous 
 for their piety, than distinguished by their lineage; 
 and educated in sentiments of devotion under the 
 care of Peter Vegliardo, an exemplary and holy 
 man ; — " Who," as Faber himself informs us, "■ in 
 his teachings, made the pagan poets and profane wri- 
 ters so many heralds of gospel morality, and ren- 
 dered them all subservient to the cause of Christian 
 
76 PETER FABER. 
 
 education.* Fostered by the tuition of such an 
 instructor, the ardent and susceptible mind of Fa« 
 ber became inflamed with the love of letters and 
 religion, in such a manner, that in his twelfth year, 
 wandering" alone over the silent fields, and musing 
 under the broad canopy of the heavens, he devoted 
 himself to the Lord of the universe, by making a 
 vow of perpetual chastity ; a vow, which he was 
 enabled the more easily to observe, on account of 
 the enthusiastic ardor with which he pursued the 
 study of literature and the sciences. From a sim- 
 ple shepherd-boy, as he originally was, he became, 
 by the dint of his great talents, and the elevation 
 of his noble soul, an aspirant after the highest 
 attainments of learning : and, bidding adieu to his 
 native valleys, he resolved to seek his fortune in 
 Paris, where, in a short time, he mastered the 
 abstruse philosophy of Aristotle, which, with as- 
 tonishing ease and correctness, he read and un- 
 derstood in the original Greek.f 
 
 * Orlandinus, lib. i. n. 76. He was born in 1506, on East* 
 ter Sunday. 
 
 f Bartoli asserts that, after having studied nine years 
 under Vegliardo, Faber became master of the Greek and 
 Latin tongues, and so deeply versed in scholastic theology, 
 that he composed a Commentary on the " Master of Sen- 
 
PETER FABER. 77 
 
 It was in this gay metropolis of France, that 
 Ignatius first became acquainted with this extraor- 
 dinary man. They lodged under the same roof; 
 and, in return for some kind offices rendered him 
 during that period, Faber, who had now taken the 
 degree in philosophy, offered his services to Igna- 
 tius in aiding him towards the prosecution of the 
 studies in which he was then engaged. Gradually 
 there grew up between their congenial hearts a 
 confidence and affection, which rendered them mu- 
 tually happy and emulous in the performance of 
 holy deeds. Faber beheld with admiration the 
 heroic virtues of Ignatius, and Ignatius was charm- 
 ed with the candor, ingenuousness, and ardent 
 piety of Faber, who, casting aside all personal 
 considerations, or vain-glorious ideas, resolved, 
 though a master in human philosophy, to become, 
 
 tences," before he went to the University of Paris. Tom. v. 
 p. 87. 
 
 Ignatius and Calvin were at Paris at the same time ; 
 where each selected his disciples and companions : and it is 
 a remarkable fact, that their first disciples were of the same 
 name — Faber. " The one," in the language of Florimund 
 Remond, " destined to be, by his learning and virtue, the 
 scourge of heresy ; the other, its advocate and defender.' 
 Tanner's Soc. Europ. p. 11. 
 
 1* 
 
78 PETER FABER. 
 
 in spiritual wisdom, the disciple of Ignatius.* No- 
 thing could be more in conformity with the desire of 
 Ignatius ; nor did he hesitate to undertake the task 
 of directing and forming to a religious life so emi- 
 nent a scholar. He taught him to watch over his 
 heart, by the use of a daily examination of con- 
 science : to have recourse to the tribunal of pen- 
 ance, and receive the blessed Eucharist every 
 week, and to struggle incessantly against his pre- 
 dominant passion.f Having laid this foundation, it 
 was not difficult to raise upon it that tower of per- 
 fection, which will afterwards astonish the be- 
 holder. Faber dedicated himself to the service of 
 the Church ; and having gone through the usual 
 course of theological studies, with the advice of 
 Ignatius, he embraced the clerical state. Before, 
 jowever, receiving orders, he performed the spirit- 
 ual exercises, with a loftiness of soul and gener- 
 osity of purpose which are rarely to be met with. 
 During the winter, which, that year, was so in- 
 
 * Ibid. n. 78. The elegance of style and fidelity of de- 
 tails with which Orlandinus treats of this admirable union 
 between Faber and Ignatius, are as pleasing to the classic 
 scholar, as they are edifying to the pious Christian. 
 
 f These rules of a spiritual life were taken by Ignatius 
 from the ancient fathers of the desert, especially the Abbot 
 Serapion, as the historian remarks ; iM supr. n. 80 
 
PETER FABER. 79 
 
 tensely cold that coaches might safely cross on the 
 frozen waters of the Seine, he undertook this ca- 
 reer of penance.* Glowing with fervor while all 
 was cold and bleak in nature, he spent hours in 
 the open air wrapt in sublime contemplations ; and 
 several days without tasting any food. After this, 
 in the twenty-eighth year of his age, he was or- 
 dained priest, A. D. 1534, — the first-born, as it 
 were, of the great parent of the Society, and 
 through whose influence and example two distin- 
 guished doctors in theology, John Cordurius and 
 Paschasius Broetus, were induced to range them- 
 selves under its standard. Having acquired no 
 ordinary renown by publicly lecturing in the col- 
 lege of the Sapienza at Rome, he was appointed 
 by the Pope one of the companions of Cardinal 
 Ennio Philonardo Verulano, in his legation to 
 Parma ; in which city he not only won golden 
 opinions for erudition and wisdom, but preached 
 the word of God with incredible success. Multi- 
 tudes gathered not merely for the purpose of ad- 
 miring the surpassing eloquence of the orator, but 
 also — excited to compunction — in order to confess 
 their sins. With indefatigable zeal, he instructed 
 the ignorant, animated the secular clergy to the 
 
 * Ibid. n. 81. 
 
80 PETER FABER. 
 
 more faithful discharge of similar dutieo, and insti 
 tuted an association of pious ladies, whose office it 
 was to go from house to house for the purpose of 
 teaching the catechism to young girls.* The admo- 
 nitions which he left in writing to the noble sodality 
 of Parma, when on the point of quitting that city, 
 are fraught with maxims and rules of devotion and 
 piety.")" The daily mode of life he proposed to 
 them was : at night, before retiring to rest, to re- 
 flect, upon their knees, on their last hour, on judg- 
 ment, on the punishment of hell, and the joys of 
 heaven. On each point they were to meditate for 
 a few minutes only. This was to be succeeded by 
 an examination of conscience, with a hearty sorrow 
 for all the sins committed during the day, and a reso- 
 lution to confess them at a specified time. Finally, 
 the blessing of God should be invoked upon them- 
 selves and all the faithful living, that their sleep 
 might be pure and tranquil ; and on the dead, that 
 they might find solace and mercy beyond the tomb. 
 The same exercises were to be repeated every 
 morning, with the addition of a chapter of the life 
 
 * lib. ii. n. 78. 
 
 f They are given in full by our faithful historian, and will 
 richly compensate the attentive perusal of the learned reader 
 Vid. lib. ii. n. 108, 109, 110. 
 
PETER FABEB. 81 
 
 of Christ, (if time and circumstances would permit,) 
 and assisting at the Divine Sacrifice. Every week 
 he recommended them to approach the Holy Table. 
 With regard to the necessities of life, they were 
 instructed to moderate their desires, and refer all 
 their labors and secular occupations to the glory 
 of God and the salvation of their souls. Blessed 
 and holy maxims, which, if observed, would do 
 more for the happiness and virtue of a community 
 than a thousand Utopian speculations of theorists 
 and philosophers. With what efficacy these ad- 
 monitions of the saintly man were received and 
 cherished, there is abundant evidence in the fact, 
 that sixty years later, as Orlandinus testifies, that 
 sodality continued in a flourishing condition.* 
 
 Having labored so successfully at Parma, Fa- 
 ber's next destination was Worms, in Germany. 
 The heresies of Lutheranism had now taken deep 
 root on that doomed soil, and it required an apostle 
 of no common character to appear on an arena of 
 religious conflict against the combined and power- 
 ful adversaries of the ancient faith. The more so, 
 as he was the first of the new order of Jesus sent 
 to face the hydra in its own kindred realm. Here, 
 it was necessary to be armed with a twofold en« 
 
 * Lib. ii. n. 112. 
 
82 PETER FABER. 
 
 ergy — one, to be wielded against the errors of the 
 country, the other in vindication of the dogmas of 
 truth. Each did Faber possess, and each did he 
 exercise, in an eminent degree, under the special 
 influence of Moroni, then Bishop, but afterwards 
 decorated with the Cardinal's hat.* Many Luther- 
 ans were, by his assiduous and convincing dis- 
 courses, brought back to the fold, and innumerable 
 Catholics were confirmed in their faith, and con- 
 verted from their evil ways, by attending the spirit- 
 ual exercises, and frequenting his ascetic instruc- 
 tions^ 
 
 His stay at Worms was not of long duration. 
 At the request of the Emperor Charles V., he ac- 
 companied the apostolic legate, Gaspar Contarini, 
 to Ratisboime.J Whithersoever he travelled, he 
 
 * Ibid. 
 
 f Melancthon, " leri Grammatico, oggi Teologo, yester- 
 day a grammarian, to-day a theologian," writes Bartoli, was 
 present at the Diet of Worms, with Faber ; he had ten years 
 previously drawn up the famous Confession of Augsburg 
 and he nov held a high rank among the Lutherans. But, 
 lespite his popular character, and exaggerated meekness, 
 the Catholic faith was preserved in Germany by the exer- 
 tions of the Sons of Ignatius. 
 
 X Lib. iii. n. 26. " Quocunque autem vestigia posuit," 
 writes the historian, " eundem se praebuit Fabrum, navum 
 videlicet hominem et operarium." 
 
PETER FABER. 83 
 
 proved himself a laborious and indefatigable man, 
 assisting the curates in their parochial duties, and 
 preaching the word of God. At Ratisbonne, he was 
 honored by the Duke's son, in whose dominions that 
 capital was situated, and by him chosen as his Con- 
 fessor. At that Court, which was composed of Ger- 
 mans, Italians, and Spaniards, he was venerated 
 as a common father. He extended his missionary 
 solicitude throughout the country, imparted spirit- 
 ual aid and consolation to the living and the dying, 
 and left such deep and lasting impressions on his 
 converts, that none of them was ever known to 
 relapse into the habits of vice, or the wiles of 
 heresy.* 
 
 From Ratisbonne, Faber was ordered to proceed 
 to Spain. Before his departure, he made his solemn 
 profession in the Church of the Blessed Virgin, — 
 before the grand altar of " the ancient chapel," — 
 on the feast of the Visitation. The formulary of 
 vows, signed by his own hand, he sent to Igna- 
 tius ; ")" after which, he departed from Germany. 
 
 * This is related, and justly, as a remarkable fact, by Or- 
 landinus, lib. iii. n. 26. Among his converts were two 
 Moors. From Germany he addressed a letter of admonition 
 to his brethren at Paris, which breathes the most fervent 
 piety, and is stored with heavenly wisdom. Ibid. n. 27. 
 
 f Ibid. n. 29. 
 
84 PETEK FABER. 
 
 Entertaining a peculiar devotion to the angels, he 
 committed himself, on his journey, to their guardian 
 care, and on entering any town, he was accustomed 
 to recommend its inhabitants to the particular pro- 
 tection of their angels, and their patron saints. 
 Everywhere did he preach and exhort : in the 
 churches, in the streets, on the highways, in pub- 
 lic and in private : complying, thus, with the ad 
 monition of St. Gregory the Great, who advised 
 the ministers of the word of God to season every 
 opportunity with the salt of eternal life.* He dis- 
 sembled nothing ; but, on all occasions, discoursed 
 of virtue, of truth, of God ; not, indeed, producing 
 disgust by excessive rigor, but rendering palata- 
 ble, by the sweetness of his manner, duties the 
 most severe, and practices the most repugnant 
 
 In passing through France, he was arrested, with 
 his companions, and confined in prison. But, even 
 in chains, his spirit and zeal were not to be mana- 
 cled. With such unction and power he spoke of 
 heavenly things to the commander and guard of the 
 castle, that they were excited to repentance, and 
 humbly confessed their sins. Contrary to the pub- 
 lic expectation, he was not only humanely treated, 
 but honorably set at liberty : f whence, having 
 
 * Horn. 17, in Luc. 10. f Lib. iii. n. 32. 
 
PETER FABEE. 85 
 
 resumed his journey, he arrived safely at Madrid. 
 From this capital, the rays of Faber's zeal diffused 
 themselves far and wide through Spain. He con- 
 ciliated and attached to his person all orders and 
 classes. But these efforts were only, as it were, 
 in passing through a country, which obedience soon 
 rendered it necessary for him to quit, to return to 
 Germany, where a wider field extended itself for 
 his labors. His excessive disinterestedness is ap- 
 parent from the circumstance of his having made a 
 vow of peculiar poverty — never to accept of any 
 remuneration for preaching, celebrating Mass, or 
 any other function. Having thus perfectly detach- 
 ed himself from all earthly objects, it is not to be 
 wondered at, if he devoted his heart to celestial 
 and divine things. His ordinary prayer, with 
 which he was in the habit of sanctifying his ac- 
 tions, was this : " Heavenly Father, give me a 
 good spirit." * Frequently did he call upon the 
 adorable name of Jesus, and the holy name of 
 Mary : and practising the memorable counsel of 
 St. Basil to his monks, always to remember the 
 presence of God,f he appeared, at all times, as 
 though he was walking, and acting, and living, in 
 Him, and by Him, and through Him. 
 
 • Ibid. n. 35. t Reg. B *. 0- 21. 
 
 8 
 
66 PETER EABER. 
 
 Having no companions, on his retirn to Ger. 
 many, he besought the Almighty to join with him 
 some strangers, at least, with whom he might tran- 
 quilly and happily pursue his journey. His prayer 
 was heard. For, two individuals not only became 
 his associates in travelling, but most unexpectedly 
 united themselves with the Society. These were 
 John Arragonius and Alvarez Alphonsus, priests, 
 and chaplains of Maria and Joanna, the daughters 
 of the Emperor Charles, who sacrificed the splen- 
 dor of the court for the humility of the cross. 
 Accompanied by these new brethren, he journeyed, 
 during three months, through imminent dangers 
 and pressing difficulties. Safe, at length, and 
 sound, he arrived at Spires, having escaped from 
 the grasp of robbers on the confines of Spain, from 
 the gloom of a prison in France, from the inso- 
 lence of the soldiery in Swabia, and from the 
 insults of heretics in Germany.* At Spires, the 
 -harvest was white, and boundless. By his daily 
 exhortations and indefatigable perseverance, he 
 brought back thousands to the ways of righteous- 
 ness, and reformed, in a great measure, the rather 
 lax morals of some of the clergy.f The rigid 
 measures of the bishop with regard to the latter, 
 
 * Lib. iii. n. 65. t Ibid. 61, 67 
 
 
PETER FABEB. 87 
 
 instead of producing the desired effect, only in 
 creased the evil. But the mild, candid, and yet 
 firm and uncompromising conduct of Faber brought 
 them to a sense of duty. By his prudence and 
 singular probity he won the esteem of all, even 
 the Cardinal, who afterwards showed his benevo- 
 lence and affection for the Society. As a mark of 
 his kindness to Faber, he offered him a silver 
 vase of great value, which, however, the humble 
 Jesuit, ever mindful of his vow of poverty, 
 begged respectfully to decline receiving. On the 
 following day, the Cardinal, in shaking hands 
 with him, threw into the case of his breviary, 
 which was suspended from his girdle, a hun- 
 dred golden florins. Finding himself compelled, 
 out of respect for the illustrious donor, to re- 
 ceive the gift, he sent part of it to his brethren 
 at Paris, and the rest he distributed among the 
 poor.* 
 
 Returning to Spires, he resumed his catecheti- 
 cal instructions in that city with great usefulness. 
 On one occasion, when attacked by a minister on 
 the impropriety, as he termed it, of venerating 
 sacred images, and invoking the sain + «», Faber 
 replied with this home-thrust argument ; " If you 
 
 * Ibid. n. 71 
 
88 PETER FABER. 
 
 deny that we should honor God only in his own 
 person, and not in his saints, why should we be 
 bound to venerate the king, not in his person only, 
 but in that of his representative ?" — a plain, but 
 convincing- retort : a powerful argumentum aa 
 hominem, which silenced the Lutheran caviller on 
 the spot.* 
 
 From Spires, Faber was called to Mentz, at the 
 solicitation of the archbishop, who, knowing his 
 prudence and erudition, intended him to assist, with 
 some other illustrious and learned men, at the 
 
 * This reply of Faber contains in brief the whole of the 
 doctrine touching the nature of the veneration of images 
 and the invocation of saints. All the respect is merely rela- 
 tive — all tending to the supreme worship of God, by whom 
 the saints are rewarded, and through whom alone their in- 
 tercession can avail the faithful on earth. 
 
 f Before the General Council of Trent, several provincial 
 synods had been held for the purpose of defending the 
 Catholic faith, and reforming morals. In Germany, the 
 most remarkable were those of Cologne, Mentz, and Treves. 
 The heretics, not satisfied with their decrees, appealed to an 
 oecumenical council. But no sooner was that convoked, 
 than they protested against its authority, on the ground that 
 it should be celebrated, not at Trent, but in Germany, as it 
 was against the Protestants of that country it was intended. 
 But this was a frivolous objection — a mere subterfuge. For, 
 they must have known, that although the Arian heresj 
 
PETER FABER. 89 
 
 Council of Trent.f But this mission the H0I3 Ser 
 had reserved as a pledge of its own esteem for hit 
 
 sprang up at Alexandria, in Egypt, the council that con 
 demned it was held at Nice, in Bithynia ; the same may be 
 said, also, of the Nestorian heresy, which was broached a* 
 Constantinople, but anathematized in the Council of Eph- 
 esus. 
 
 Moreover, the Lutherans themselves, in the Diet of Spires, 
 in 1542, had assented to the proposition of convening the 
 council at Trent, which is conterminous with Germany, con- 
 venient for the Germans, and affording no suspicions to other 
 nations. 
 
 Another objection was, that the council was convoked 
 by the Sovereign Pontiff, who, they argued, could not pre- 
 side on this occasion, as no one should be a judge in his own 
 cause. This, too, was a mere sophism. For, it is well au- 
 thenticated, that no oecumenical council had ever been cele- 
 brated, either in the East or West, at which the visible head 
 of the Church, the Sovereign Pontiff, did not preside, if not 
 in person, at least through his legates. In contemplating 
 the conduct of the Reformers, I am forcibly reminded of the 
 following memorable language of St. Vincent Lerins, in 
 speaking of Nestorius : " Invecti sumus in Nestorii seclera- 
 tam praesumptionem, quod sacram scripturam se primum ac 
 solum intelligere, et omnes eos ignorasse jactaret, quicunque 
 ante se magisterii munere praediti, divina eloquia tractavis 
 sent : totam postremo etiam nunc errare, et semper errasse 
 ecclesiam, quae (ut ipsi videbatur) ignoros, erroneosque doc- 
 tores et secuta est, st sequeretur." 
 
 " We have inveighed against the audacious presumption 
 
 8* 
 
90 PETER FABER. 
 
 great qualities, as we shall hereafter relate.* In 
 the mean time, the archbishop kept him near his 
 own person as an adviser and friend. What was 
 the state of his mind, and with what heavenly gifts 
 he was replenished, a letter written at this epoch to 
 Laynez clearly testifies. " I cannot, brother James, 
 express," these are his terms, " the favors which 
 God has bestowed on me, since we parted at Pla- 
 cenza : he has healed all my infirmities, and effaced 
 my iniquities. To Him be glory, praise, honor, and 
 benediction, from every creature. With all my 
 heart do I say, Amen ! and I entreat you also to 
 bless and praise him for me, your brother, and for 
 all the Society ."f 
 
 Here, as usual, he stood forth the intrepid and 
 powerful vindicator of the faith, and excited univer- 
 sal admiration, and produced incredible good, by 
 
 of Nestorius, who boasted that he was the first and only in- 
 dividual that ever understood the sacred Scriptures, and 
 that all others were ignorant of them, who, before him, en- 
 dowed with the office of teaching, had explained the divine 
 revelations ; that the whole Church, in fine, was in error, 
 and always had been in error ; because (as he pretended) 
 she was following, and had followed, ignorant and erring 
 teachers." Gommonitor. adv. Hare*. 
 
 * Orland. lib. iii. n. 73. 
 
 f See the whole epistle, apud Orland. lib. iii. n. 74. 
 
PETER FABER. 9i 
 
 his frequent discourses, especially by an explana- 
 tion of the Psalms, in a series of lectures. By his 
 amiable virtues, he attached all orders of citizens 
 to him, and reformed abuses, especially among the 
 clergy. All seemed honored by going through the 
 spiritual exercises under such a man, or by having 
 him as their confessor. His success was so far be- 
 yond his own most sanguine anticipations, that he 
 could not but give vent to his astonishment in a 
 letter to Ignatius.* 
 
 The Cardinal, who, from his first acquaintance 
 with Faber, esteemed him as an extraordinary and 
 holy man, witnessing the immense fruit which his 
 labors produced in Germany, conceived a still more 
 vehement admiration for him, and desired to know 
 more concerning the Society to which he belonged. 
 No one could be better fitted to discharge the task 
 assigned him than Faber : insomuch, that having 
 finished it, the Cardinal declared that he believed 
 the Society to have been divinely instituted, to 
 counteract the calamities of the times.f 
 
 Whilst thus engaged in reviving discipline and 
 virtue among the clergy and laity, he was suddenly 
 
 ♦Ibid. lib. iv. n.32. 
 
 f Ibid. " Ut Societatem sibi videri dicaret prop& di viaitua 
 ad ea tempora tarn difficilia, tamque aspera reservatam." 
 
92 PETER FABER. 
 
 called to Cologne, where the Church was in danger 
 of being infected with the Lutheran heresies.* On 
 his arrival in that city, he found the Archbishop, 
 Hermannus, tainted with them, and no one resolute 
 enough to oppose so powerful a prelate. He did 
 not shrink from the task : but, after recommending 
 the step to God, went to the palace, gently warned 
 the Archbishop of his error, and, by his prudence 
 and moderation, effected a manifest change. Tht 
 Pope's legate, John Poggius, a very learned and 
 experienced man, who was afterwards raised to the 
 cardinalate, being informed of the condition of that 
 Church, would not suffer Faber to be removed from 
 it. Whilst intent upon the study how to rescue 
 that ancient portion of the kingdom of Christ from 
 the calamity that menaced it ; whilst he labored, 
 with assiduous care, to raise Religion from her fallen 
 state, and preserve unimpaired the glory of the 
 archiepiscopal chair, Heaven gave him a powerful 
 auxiliary in the person of the venerable Peter Ca- 
 nisius, who burned with a desire to propagate the 
 true faith, and to defend it against its enemies.")" 
 
 * Lib. iv. n. 33. The historian does not conceal the vices 
 of many of the clergy of Germany, at this period ; which, 
 no doubt, facilitated the spread of errors. 
 
 f Lib. iv. n. 54. With what profound arguments he as- 
 serted the cause of faith, his Catechism will convince an* 
 
PETER FABER. 93 
 
 He was the first German who joined the Society. 
 Attracted by the reputation of Faber, he sought 
 after him — " and found that man, or rather angel," 
 in his own language ; " nor have I ever seen or 
 heard a more learned or profound theologian, or a 
 man of such eminent and shining virtue."* 
 
 Meanwhile Faber received a letter from Igna- 
 tius, directing him to quit Cologne, and proceed 
 with Alphonsus and Arragonius into Portugal, as 
 a companion to the daughter of the king. This 
 was done at the request of the monarch himself. f 
 Without delay he set out for Louvain, thence to 
 embark for Portugal. Hardly had he arrived at 
 that city, before he was attacked with the tertian 
 fever, by which he was prostrated upon his bed. 
 Having lingered for a long time, the Sovereign 
 Pontiff, deeming it proper to defer, on that account, 
 his mission to Portugal, commanded him, on his 
 recovery, to go back to Cologne. He there met 
 Alphonsus : but Canisius, whose father had died, 
 had gone to his native country, for the purpose of 
 arranging his domestic affairs. Faber wrote him 
 
 reader. The canonization of this servant of God is now in 
 process. 
 
 *Id. ibid. — "Si tamen Vir est, et non potius Angela* 
 Domini." 
 
 f Lib. iv. n. 35. 
 
94 PETER FABER. 
 
 a letter of condolence, entreating* him, at the same 
 time, to return as soon as possible.* 
 
 Affairs of vast magnitude now occupied the mind 
 of Faber ; a task of infinite importance was placed 
 in his hands : no other than that of supporting 
 again the tottering faith of Hermannus, who, during 
 his absence, wavered from the standard of truth, 
 and inclined to the errors of the times. The un- 
 faithful prelate had invited to Cologne, Bucer, Me- 
 lancthon, and other renowned doctors of the Re- 
 formation, from whom he derived the fatal poison 
 of heresy, and permitted it to be spread, far and 
 wide, through his diocese/)* Faber saw, with hor- 
 ror, the lamentable evil, and strained every nerve 
 to save at least the people among whom the con- 
 tagion had not yet been caught : he held daily 
 conferences, to which the learned doctors, acade- 
 micians, and others — ecclesiastics as well as laics 
 
 *Ibid. n. 87. 
 
 f This unfortunate prelate, who, in the early progress of 
 the Reformation, had convened a synod at Cologne, in 
 which many excellent and wholesome decrees were passed, 
 was, at length, led astray, by Bucer and Melancthon, and 
 joined their ranks, in which he continued till his death. Had 
 not Faber been on the spot to stay the spreading evil, Co- 
 logne, no doubt, would have fallen, beyond the hope of res- 
 cue, into the power :>f those bold heresiarchs. 
 
PETER FABER. £5 
 
 — flocked incessantly. Such was their efficacy, 
 that, at the request of thousands of the principal 
 personages of that city, the Emperor banished 
 Melancthon and Bucer, who, under the specious 
 appellation of Reformers, were infecting the coun 
 try with the spirit of schism and disorder. Before 
 their departure, however, Faber, the more solemn- 
 ly to refute their novelties, challenged them both 
 to a public disputation, in which, with immense 
 erudition and resistless arguments, he exposed tne 
 fallacy of their pretensions, and annihilated the 
 daring sophistry of their system.* His adversa- 
 ries, as may easily be , conceived, were far fron> 
 yielding : they clung, with desperate obstinacy, to 
 their darling errors, which emancipated the human 
 mind from all ecclesiastical authority, and, unde* 
 the glorious name of Liberty, gave free scope to 
 boundless license. But if their hardihood was not 
 overcome, their audacity was repressed. They 
 were condemned to be silent while Faber was at 
 Cologne ; and justly has it been conceded by con- 
 temporary writers, that, had it not been preserved 
 by his exertions, religion would have perished in 
 that city.f 
 
 •Lib. iv. n. 90. 
 
 f Ibid. "Ut merito qui recte sentirent assererent, niei 
 
96 PETER FABER. 
 
 In a letter addressed, at this juncture, to Laynez, 
 Faber has left upon record certain sentiments 
 touching the manner of treating with Lutherans, 
 which deserve the attention of the reader : " It be- 
 comes all," he writes, " who desire to do good 
 among them, to evince the greatest charity towards 
 them ; to love tuern truly ; to disabuse their minds 
 of every thing that might tend to lessen us in their 
 estimation. We should seek to conciliate their 
 good-will, and gain their confidence. This will be 
 effected by gentle intercourse with them, and con- 
 versing only of those points concerning which we 
 
 all agree ; carefully shunning any altercation 
 
 We should, in the next place, teach them first what 
 they should practise, and afterwards what they 
 should believe : acting, in this particular, differ- 
 ently from the custom of the primitive Church, at a 
 time when the minds of men were to be imbued 
 with faith, which is 'from hearing,' and then to be 
 gradually led to the consentaneous practice of good 
 works. We should, therefore, strive to recall 
 them from their evil ways before we speak to 
 them of their evil doctrine. If Luther himself 
 could be persuaded to lead a virtuous and pious 
 
 Fabri vigiliae intervenissent, perituram funditus fuisse Colo- 
 niam." 
 
PETER FABER. 97 
 
 life, it would be no difficult matter to bring him 
 back to the bosom of the true Church."* 
 
 These were the principles which he expressed 
 aud followed in laboring for the conversion and 
 salvation of the Lutherans at Cologne ; whence, 
 having confided to Canisius the business of erect- 
 ing a college in that city, by order of Ignatius, he 
 departed for Louvain on his way to Portugal, 
 and arrived safely at Lisbon, on the feast of Saint 
 Bartholomew. Thence he proceeded to Evora, 
 where he fell sick ; and, on recovering, proceeded 
 to Coimbra, to overlook the laying of the founda- 
 tions of a college in that town.")" This being done, 
 his next destination was Castile : and at Salaman- 
 ca, where he passed some time, he fanned the flame 
 of piety which had already been enkindled by Arao- 
 zius, and let slip no opportunity of aiding in the 
 cause of religion. The Society now began to be 
 favorably known, and colleges, at the suggestion 
 of the noblest men, were founded.^ There flour- 
 ished, at this era, at Salamanca, two illustrious 
 characters, Alphonsus de Castro, of the order of St. 
 'Francis, and of that of St. Dominic, Francis Victo- 
 
 * See the whole document, ubi supr. n. 91, 92, 93, 94, 95. 
 f Lib. v. n. 43. 
 X Ibid. n. 59. 
 
 9 
 
08 PETER FABER. 
 
 ria, whose names were renowned in the schools, 
 and whose piety shone brightly in the Church. By 
 them Faber was received with every demonstration 
 of benevolence, and the Society was so highly ex- 
 tolled before the public, that an effort was made to 
 retain him in that famous capital : but, having 
 merely sowed the seed of future good, he pursued 
 his journey to Valladolid, then the seat of the em- 
 pire.* He was graciously received by Philip and 
 his queen, Mary, through whose kindness a vast 
 field was opened to his zeal in Spain. Wherefore, 
 he began immediately, both in the churches and 
 public places, to harangue the people, to instruct 
 the young and ignorant. He visited the hospitals, 
 in which he often spent entire nights, and pene- 
 trated into the cells of the prisons. By this devoted- 
 ness and generosity, he converted thousands, and 
 shed the light of virtue and faith into the deep gloom 
 of vice and error. The fame of these apostolic deeds 
 soon spread throughout all Spain ; and Faber was 
 the topic of universal conversation. By Charles, 
 he was invited to Madrid ; whence he proceeded 
 to Toledo, where, three years before, he had won 
 the admiration of the people by his labors and vir- 
 tues ; and after a brief visit, retraced his steps to 
 
 * Ibid. n. 60. 
 
PETER FABER. 99 
 
 Valladolid. To the court and nobility he was pecu- 
 liarly dear, and their influence extending itself to 
 the lower classes, he became the idol of all ; inso- 
 much that he seemed to experience some emotions 
 of fear at the unprecedented prosperity that attend- 
 ed him.* But no ; this was the wise disposition of 
 Providence, who, having filled the chalice, which 
 Ignatius was destined to drink at first, with the 
 bitterness of adversity and suffering, changed it 
 now, for the welfare and glory of the Society, into 
 sweetness and joy. And this consideration, which 
 Faber founded on the writings of Blessed Mark the 
 anchorite, dispersed the cloud of his misgiving.")" 
 
 The crown of all his merits was to have been 
 placed upon his brows by the Sovereign Pontiff, 
 who had chosen him to assist as one of his The- 
 ologians at the Council of Trent.J But Divine 
 Providence had other views over his good and 
 faithful servant. Fatigued with his labors, and ex- 
 hausted by acts of mortification, which he practised 
 in the midst of the luxury and pageantry of the 
 Court, he was seized with a burning fever at Bar- 
 celona, where he was reposing a few days, on his 
 
 * Ibid. n. 78. 
 
 f B. Marc. Anach. Tractai. de pom. Quoted by Or- 
 landinus, ubi supr. 
 X Lib vi. n. 19. 
 
100 PETER FABER. 
 
 way to Rome. It was midsummer, and tne heal 
 was excessive. Ignatius did not, under those cir- 
 cumstances, advise his continuing on his journey ; 
 but the other Fathers thinking differently, it be- 
 came him to make the attempt. Actuated by the 
 spirit of perfect obedience, he summoned all his 
 energies, and succeeded in reaching the capital of 
 the Christian world. A few days elapsed after his 
 arrival, at that unwholesome season, before he was 
 attacked again, and laid prostrate upon his bed, 
 from which he never rose. He died : and when he 
 died, one of the grandest and most conspicuous pil- 
 lars of the Society fell to the earth, the loss of 
 which was mourned and deplored by his brethren, 
 and by all the faithful. Ignatius wept over the 
 grave of his first companion and beloved friend ; 
 while the whole Church was deprived of an Apostle 
 whose heart yearned for the propagation of the 
 faith, the conversion of heretics and sinners, the 
 greater glory of God ; and whose life was a con- 
 tinual exemplar of the purity, piety, zeal, and per- 
 fection of the gospel. His conversation was al- 
 ways in heaven. Amid all the contingencies of 
 life, his confidence in God was unwavering, and his 
 gratitude unbounded. His virtues were heroic : 
 renowned for all, he was particularly remarkable 
 for prompt obedience unrestricted poverty, and 
 
PETER FABER. 101 
 
 spiritual recollection.* His devotion to the Blessed 
 Virgin, mother of God, was most tender ; to her, 
 after the example of the primitive fathers of the 
 Church, he was accustomed to recommend his 
 wants and those of the Society and his fellow- 
 mortals ; and guided by the same venerable au- 
 thority, he paid due honor to the angels and saints, 
 offered his prayers to them, as the especial friends 
 of the Most High, who, in the infinite enjoyment of 
 the beatific vision, do not fail to experience a never- 
 ceasing and universal interest in the welfare and 
 happiness of the poor pilgrims of earth. The Lu- 
 therans, among their other numberless errors, at- 
 tacked, as unmeet, nay, even as idolatrous, thia 
 practice, which loses itself in immemorial ages. 
 The whole progeny of the Protestant Reformation, 
 in succeeding times, have followed their example — 
 and not only continue to reject in spirit and ia 
 truth "the communion of saints," but distort the 
 ancient doctrine, and calumniate the millions of 
 Catholics who cling to it, not, as it is said, with 
 
 * Vid. lib. iii. n. 71. Ibid. n. 33. 34. lib. v. 48. lib. vi. n. 
 86. Faber's death occurred in 1546. The historian ex 
 claims : " Cecidit praecipuum Societatis columen, et cunctoa 
 Socios mceror ingens invasit. Ipse vero B. Pater quo putas 
 animo carissimi Sodalis occasum tulit ?" See also Tanner, 
 p. 38. 
 
 9* 
 
102 PETER FABER. 
 
 morbid superstition, but with vigorous, enlightened, 
 and primeval devotion. 
 
 The grave where Faber's mortal relics reposed 
 was a hallowed and venerated spot, in the estima- 
 tion of all who knew how to appreciate the sanc- 
 tity of that spirit which so recently animated and 
 consecrated them. Among others, one of the 
 most distinguished members of the early Society, 
 Father Oviedus, did not hesitate to burn over it 
 a blessed taper, beseeching " the Saint" to obtain 
 for him, by his intercession, spiritual light from the 
 11 Father of Lights." This private veneration, 
 evinced by such a man, will speak more eloquently 
 than my pen can describe, the odor of sanctity 
 which the name of Faber diffused through the 
 Society and the Church.* 
 
 * This practice Oviedus continued yearly, with the appro- 
 bation of Ignatius. Orlandinus relates tliis fact with his 
 wonted precision and elegance of style. " Oviedus quideiu 
 singulis deinceps annis candidum in Urbem cereum misit, 
 rogans B. Patrem ut ardentem tumulo Fabri juberet imponi, 
 quo sibi ille spirituale lumen a Patre luminum impetraret," 
 etc. Lib. vi. n. 87. This he did as an act of private devo- 
 tion, cherishing the hope that, at some future time, his name 
 would find a place among the servants of God who are pub- 
 licly venerated by the Church. His death occurred on the 
 first of August, A. D. 1546. 
 
ST. FRANCIS XAVIEB. 
 
 * **tttc ki ( 
 
 ?sli *s* 
 
CHAPTER III. 
 
 ST. FRANCIS XAVIER.* 
 
 Fkancis Xavikr. — Converted by Ignatius. Rejects a oaiionicato. la 
 sent to the Indies, as Apostolic Legate. His labors at Mozambique, 
 Melinda, and Scotora; on the Fishery-coast; at Goa; at Cape Comorin ; 
 at Travancor; in the Island of Manaria; in Ceylon. Visits the tomb 
 of St Thcmas at Meliapor. Goes to Malacca ; Amboina; Maluco ; to the 
 Isle of Moro; meditates a mission to Japan. Returns to India; to Goa. 
 Departs lor Japan. Arrives at Gangoxima. Traverses Japan. First 
 Japanese Christians. Goes to Firando, and to Meaco, and Amangouchl. 
 Disputes with the Bonzees. Conference with the King of Bungo. Re- 
 turns to the Indies. Departs for China. Arrives at the Island of San- 
 chin. Dies in the midst of his glory. 
 
 From the midst of the most flattering worldly 
 hopes and affections, the second companion of Ig- 
 natius was drawn into the bosom of the Society by 
 the persuasive influence of that wonderful man. 
 He saw in Xavier a magnanimous disposition, a 
 
 * "It was in the year 1506, that Francis Xavier, the 
 youngest child of a numerous family, was born in the castle 
 of his ancestors in the Pyrenees. Robust and active, of a 
 gay humor and ardent spirit, the young mountaiueer 
 listened with a throbbing heart to the legend of bis house, 
 
106 ST. FRANCIS XAVIER. 
 
 soul expanding' with the natural energies jf great- 
 ness and ambition ; and could he only succeed in 
 directing them to the cause of religion and virtue, 
 no imagination could conceive how boundless would 
 be their extent, how tireless their operation. To 
 this end, Ignatius suggested to Xavier's mind pro- 
 found considerations on the inconstancy of all 
 human things, the vanity of the world, and the 
 briefness of time. The seed took root — deep root, 
 in his susceptible and noble heart. God's grace 
 accompanied the hand that planted it ; and, after 
 long and severe struggles within himself — strug- 
 gles of passion against virtue, pride against humil- 
 ity, human reason against faith — a perfect and 
 glorious victory was achieved. Xavier resolved to 
 dedicate himself to the altar, and to associate him- 
 self with the holy man to whom he was indebted, 
 
 and to the inward voice which spoke of her days to come, 
 when his illustrious lineage should derive new splendor 
 from his own achievements." Stephens, ubi supr. 
 
 He owed his conversion especially to that solemn admoni- 
 tion of our Saviour, repeated by Ignatius in the midst of the 
 frivolities in which he delighted, or in the studies which he 
 was pursuing. Whatever was the theme of conversation 
 between Ignatius and him, it was always closed by tho 
 same awful inquiry : " What doth it profit a man, if he gain 
 the whole world, and lose his own soul ?" 
 
ST. FRANCIS XAVIER. 107 
 
 under God, for his rescue from the snares and vices 
 of the world.* This memorable event occurred in 
 Paris, in the year 1535. 
 
 Hardly had he entered upon his theological stud- 
 ies before he was nominated canon in the Cathe- 
 dral of Pampeluna, his native city : the dignity, 
 however, he refused to accept, preferring the 
 humility of that order which closed the door of 
 honors against its members.")" After going through 
 all the preliminary stages of the Spiritual Exercises 
 and necessary retirement, and in all giving proofs 
 of perfection and sanctity, which might render him 
 worthy to undertake any project no matter how 
 arduous, how uninviting, the vast regions of the 
 East were spread before his mind, and he was ad- 
 monished by Providence to prepare himself for a 
 mission which would open the gates of the Church 
 and of Heaven to a far-off world that then lay 
 buried in the darkness of Idolatry. The Indies 
 had been penetrated by the spirit of adventure ; 
 they were now to be explored by the spirit of re- 
 ligion. When this great project was proposed to 
 Xavier by Ignatius, he clasped it to his heart with 
 incredible alacrity and ineffable delight, and in- 
 continently set out to Rome with the ambassador 
 
 * Ibid. n. 105. f Orland. lib. i n. 85. 
 
108 ST. FRANCIS XAVIER. 
 
 of the king of Portugal.* At the request of that 
 monarch, he was invested with the dignity of 
 Apostolic Legate, in order that he might exercise 
 a greater authority and influence over those dis- 
 tant missions.f Obedience alone induced the hum- 
 ble man to accept the dignity. But he refused all 
 presents, with the exception of a few books ; nor 
 would he consent to have the services of an at- 
 tendant, saying, as long as he had the use of his 
 hands and feet, he did not require any waiting 
 upon. In taking a last embrace, on board the 
 ship, of Simon Bobadilla, Xavier thus addressed 
 him : "Do you not remember, Father, when we 
 were together in the hospital at Rome, how you 
 were, one night, aroused from sleep by my cries 
 of more, more, more f Since now the dream is 
 about being realized, I will inform you that those 
 cries were forced from me by the prospect of in- 
 numerable sufferings and dangers which Heaven 
 seemed to tell me were soon to be my painful but 
 blessed portion." \ Eager to seize upon that 
 chalice, of which, his subsequent history tells how 
 
 * It must not be concealed that Bobadilla was the first 
 person selected by Ignatius for the mission of the Indies, 
 but could not undertake it, on account of illness. Thus, by 
 the wise interposition of Providence, the lot fell on Xavier. 
 
 \ Lib. iii. n. 43 % lib. iii. n. 43. 
 
ST. FRANCIS XAVIER. 109 
 
 cheerfully and deeply he was destined to drink, he 
 sailed for the Indies, in April, A. D. 1540, accom- 
 panied by Martin Alphonso, governor of India, and 
 two brethren, Paul Camerte, a priest, and Francis 
 Manilla, not yet in holy orders ; but did not reach 
 Goa until thirteen months later. The cause of 
 this was their detention for nearly six months at 
 Mozambique, an island inhabited by Portuguese 
 and Saracens, and subject to the crown of Portu- 
 gal. The interval which he spent there, was filled 
 up with works of zeal and usefulness, not only 
 among the Christians, but likewise the infidel por- 
 tion of the inhabitants. Thence they sailed for 
 Melinda, a Saracenic town, in which, however, 
 many Portuguese merchants resided, who came 
 out in a body, bearing in their front a marble 
 cross, to greet the arrival of the holy missionary ; * 
 and, after a short detention, they continued to the 
 island of Socotora, lying on the eastern coast of 
 Africa. The heat in this region is excessive ; the 
 soil uncultivated, sterile, and dried up, and pro- 
 duces no sort of fruit ; so that the inhabitants have 
 no other food than milk, meat, and herbs. They 
 called themselves Christians, and traced back to 
 the days of St. Thomas, whom they held in the 
 
 * Ibid. n. 86. 
 10 
 
110 ST. FRANCIS XAVIER. 
 
 highest veneration,* by whom, they affirmed, their 
 ancestors had been baptized ; bnt of the nature of 
 baptism they were, nevertheless, entirely ignorant. 
 Among them many vestiges of Christianity con- 
 tinued. Their temples were well built, with crosses 
 on the altars, and lights perpetually burning ; and 
 a cacique, like a parish priest, attached to each. 
 But the caciques were utterly ignorant of the ele- 
 ments of instruction, and no monuments whatever 
 of learning, no books, no teacher, could be found 
 among them. All was wrapt in profound darkness, 
 and so dense were the clouds of Saracenic and 
 pagan superstition, that not a single ray of Chris- 
 tian light could be discerned.f On quitting this 
 singular place, Xavier wrote the most touching 
 letters to the king of Portugal, commending to his 
 attention these wandering sheep, whose hope and 
 happiness depended on their emancipation from the 
 tyranny under which they were ground down by the 
 Saracens. His appeal was successful. The king 
 
 * Ibid. n. 78. 
 
 f The description of this island, and of the manners, cus- 
 toms, and religion of the people who inhabit it, as well as 
 the tradition of their having been visited by the Apostle 
 St. Thomas, are all fraught wir,h exciting interest, especially 
 as narrated by the very eloquent and judicious hietori&D 
 whom I follow. — Orlandinus, vbi swpr. 
 
ST. FBANCIS XAVIER. Ill 
 
 ordered a fleet to Socotora, took possession of the 
 island, expelled the infidels, and restored the peo- 
 ple, so long oppressed, to freedom.* 
 
 Passing by the coast of Arabia and Persia, 
 Xavier reached Goa, the capital of the Indies. 
 That this region had been visited by St. Thomas, 
 and watered by the blood of that holy apostle, no 
 doubt can be entertained ; but, as was observed 
 above, except some places which still bore his 
 name, and some faint traditions of his labors, no 
 vestige of Christianity survived.^ The first mis- 
 sionaries in these parts were Franciscans ; but 
 they were few in number ; and the converts to 
 the faith were so persecuted by the pagans, that 
 little hope existed of propagating the Christian 
 religion. The Portuguese, long deprived of the 
 benefits of the Church, had ceased to live, in great 
 measure, like Christians ; and vice, superstition, 
 and immorality reigned triumphantly. Such was 
 the condition of Goa when Xavier laLded in that 
 capital. His great sanctity conciliated, at once, 
 the veneration of the bishop, Alberquercque. He 
 selected as his residence the public hospital ; 
 where, day and night, he ministered to the spiritual 
 and temporal wants of the sick. He preached as- 
 
 * Ibid. n. 87, 88. t Ibid. n. 89. 
 
112 ST. FRANCIS XAVIER. 
 
 siduously, taught the elements of the catechism, 
 and held daily conferences ; gathering together the 
 people by the sound of a bell which he himself 
 rang through the streets for that purpose, evincing 
 thus the lowliest humility and the most ardent 
 charity.* A seminary, under the name of St. Paul, 
 
 * The strange levity with which the otherwise philosophic 
 genius of Mr. Stephen treats the miracles which were 
 wrought by the Almighty Power through the ministry oi 
 Xavier, would, were it to be applied to others, admitted by 
 himself, destroy the entire veracity and divinity of the Chris- 
 tian religion. That Xavier performed miracles is no article 
 of our faith : the facts, like all others, depend upon testi- 
 mony and authority. The pontiff, Urban VIII., therefore, 
 by whom he was canonized, did not, according to Mr. Ste- 
 phen's language, " pledge his papal infallibility" in their be- 
 half. Infallibility pertains to the Church not in matters of 
 ordinary facts, but in transmitting from age to age, unim- 
 paired and unadulterated, the deposit of truth, committed by 
 Christ to her sacred keeping. Mr. Stephen would fain make 
 us believe that Xavier scoffed at the idea of the virtue of 
 performing miracles by his agency, or that of any other mor- 
 tal man. " Two persons revealed to him a tale of his having 
 raised a dead child to life, and pressed him to reveal the 
 truth. What, he replied, I raise the dead? can you really 
 believe such a thing of a wretch like me ? Then smiling, he 
 added : They did, indeed, 'place before me a child : they said 
 it was dead, which, perhaps, was not the case. I told him to 
 get up, and he did so. Do you coil that a miracle f" 
 
ST. FEANCIS XAVIER 113 
 
 was established, over which Xavier placed his com- 
 panion, Father Camerte. 
 
 Having restored discipline in the church of Goa, 
 lie departed for the coast of Malabar, a pearl fish- 
 ery, more than a hundred and fifty leagues distant, 
 so named from the pearls with which the waters 
 abound.* The inhabitants styled themselves Chris- 
 
 Tlie "perhaps," uttered by the humble apostle, sufficiently 
 indicates that of his own nothingness he conceived so de- 
 based an idea, that he desired others not to think differently 
 of him. If Mr. Stephen had called to his mind an almost 
 parallel case in the sacred Scriptures, he would have paused 
 ere he pronounced so biting a sarcasm. When Christ was 
 conjured by the ruler to raise his daughter from death, did 
 he not reply, she is not dead, but sleepeth t and yet she was 
 dead, and the bystanders laughed at him. (Matt. chap, ix.) 
 Does it follow that because the Saviour expressed himself in 
 this manner, that he did not look upon the resuscitation of 
 the damsel as a miraculous act ? Let not the Protestant say 
 there is no logic in this argument because one reputed 
 prodigy was effected by a man, and the other real one by 
 the Son of God. Both the one and the other were the works 
 of Omnipotence. The apostles, all concede, were made the 
 agents of that Omnipotence ; and who will dare say that the 
 arm which was extended in prodigies and wonders from the 
 beginning of the world, was, in the incredulous age ot 
 Xavier, or is, in our own, no longer clad with the same glo« 
 rious and awful attributes ? 
 
 * Ibid. 94 
 
 10* 
 
114 ST. FRANCIS XAVIER. 
 
 tians, but possessed the name merely. On his 
 arrival, Xavier hastened to baptize a multitude of 
 children, and to announce the kingdom of heaven 
 to the pagans. In order to convince them of the 
 divinity of the doctrine which he proclaimed, sev- 
 eral miracles were here wrought through his 
 agency ; of which the most astounding — but well 
 authenticated — was the restoration to life of two 
 dead persons.* 
 
 One of the most important duties of a mission- 
 ary, is the teaching of the catechism. Upon this 
 Xavier devoted his assiduous attention. And as 
 the inhabitants of the fishery and Cape Como- 
 rin were ignorant of the Portuguese tongue, he 
 selected a number of individuals of that nation, by 
 whom the catechism might be translated into the 
 vernacular language. He then collected the 
 children, at the sound of a bell, and taught them 
 the elements of Christian doctrine. Through the 
 children he communicated instruction to their 
 parents and friends. On Sundays and holy-days 
 he convened all, and invoking the Most Holy Trin- 
 
 * Ibid. n. 98, 99. For the particulars, see Orlandinus, as 
 also, tlie Life of St. Francis Xavier, by Pere Bouhours, 
 translated by Dryden. In these miracles, we contemplate 
 the fulfilment of Christ's promise : In nomine meo demonia 
 tyicient, &c. 
 
ST. FRANCIS XAVIEB. 115 
 
 ity, recited (the whole multitude repeating it with 
 him) the Apostles' Creed, the Decalogue, the Lord's 
 Prayer, and the angelical salutation. He then 
 asked whether they firmly believed each article of 
 the creed ; to which the entire multitude, with deaf- 
 ening vociferation, responded : We believe.* They 
 then united with him in this prayer : " Jesus, Son 
 of God, give us the grace to believe firmly, and 
 without doubting, every article of faith." The 
 fruits produced by the zeal of the holy missionary 
 were incredible. Morals were reformed ; vast mul- 
 titudes of both sexes and all ages were baptized ; 
 the idols were thrown down with every mark of 
 ignominy, and a complete triumph uf Christianity 
 was achieved. His sanctity not only shone out in 
 his heroic virtues with such brilliancy as to attract 
 the admiration of all, but it was rendered wonder- 
 ful by the many prodigies which he performed in 
 the name of Christ.f 
 
 * Lib. iv. n. 62. 
 
 f The following beautiful extract from Mr. Carnes's article 
 on " Francis Xavier," will be read with delight. So eloquent 
 a tribute, emanating from a Protestant pen is invaluable in- 
 deed : 
 
 " When a commanding spirit is let loose on its chosen 
 destiny, how swiftly and riohly it can people its own excit- 
 ing world I His head reclining ^nthe rock, his eyes fixed 
 on the ocean, which he peculiarly V^ ***d Francis often saw 
 
116 ST. FRANCIS XAVIER. 
 
 The Brahmins saw with jealous indignation, the 
 inroads which he made upon their influence ana 
 
 with a prescience that to his friends seemed like a familial 
 vpirit, the veil of the future withdrawn — the chequered, the 
 wild and terrible future. He saw it with a kindling eye, 
 for he panted for the struggle. There was another quality 
 of his mind, that was of inexpressible avail ; namely, its 
 wild sublimity, its insatiate reaching unto the things that 
 are before, that first awoke within him when Ignatius 
 pointed to the thrones of heaven, and never afterwards for- 
 sook him. ' Eternity only, Francis, is sufficient for such a 
 neart a,s yours : its kingdom of glory alone is worthy of it : 
 be ambitious, be magnanimous, but level at the loftiest 
 mark.' This passion, as it may be called, was as absorbing 
 as that of ambition to the successful statesman or warrior, 
 filling every faculty, haunting him when asleep or awake, 
 ever expecting great events — as in the vision in Lisbon, 
 when islands, empires, and deserts were presented to him, 
 and he cried out, ' Yet more, God ! yet more !' If it had 
 been possible, he would have kept his eyes from slumber, 
 and his thoughts from oblivion ; he literally ' murdered 
 sleep,' allowing himself only three hours' repose. ' He 
 often,' it is said, ' passed the night in the open air ; and noth- 
 ing so much elevated his soul to Grod, as the view of heaven, 
 spangled over, and sowed as it were with stars ;' in that inef 
 fable beauty of an Eastern night, when sea and sky, island 
 and grove, seem like a fairy vision, arrayed in a light that is 
 not of this world. It was to the missionary a season of si- 
 lence and quiet : no sooner did the morning break on the 
 waters, than he surrendered every hour and moment to the 
 
ST. FRANCIS XAVIER. 117 
 
 supeistitions. These priests were, at the same 
 time, of royal descent, and exercised an unbounded 
 sway, as well by the position they held, as also by 
 the knowledge of the magic art, and their skill in 
 the interpretation of omens. Among the Indians 
 they were regarded as the Haruspices of old by 
 the Romans. They were sagacious, but not re- 
 fined by mental culture ; actuated in their measures 
 by avarice, and wielding over the public mind an 
 irresistible power of deception. To the vulgar and 
 simple they appeared gifted with supernatural wis- 
 dom and adorned with eminent virtues. They af- 
 fected great abstinence and devotion to their pagods. 
 Some of them even professed perpetual celibacy. 
 
 calls of others : the Paravas quickly gathered round to be 
 instructed, or talk with him ; numbers crowded to the chap- 
 els : the day did not pass without two- or three sermons or 
 exhortations ; and when night came again, the soul panted 
 to be alone : how welcome, when the clash of tongues, and 
 importunate demands, and hurrying footsteps paused at last, 
 and he heard no sound save the plaintive song of some lone- 
 ly fisherman, and the low dash of his oar as he hastened to 
 the land ! In these solemn moments, he was like the prophet, 
 intensely looking forth, and calling from on high, ' Watch- 
 man, what of the night ? Watchman, what of the night ? 
 and he answered and said, The graven images of her gods 
 he hath broken to pieces ; within a year all the glory of the 
 heathen shall fail.' " — Lives of Eminent Catholic Missionaries. 
 
118 ST. FRANCIS XAVIER. 
 
 These men, extremely austere, abstained from the 
 pleasures of the body for a certain term of years : 
 after which, raised, as they imagined, above the 
 level of mortals, they obtained unrestrained license 
 for sensual indulgence, were bound by no laws, 
 and indulged in all manner of crimes with impu- 
 nity. Among these people the ape was an object of 
 divine adoration, and the elephant and the ox 
 were worshipped.* To expose the fraud, hypoc- 
 risy, idolatry, and vices of the Brahmins, was no 
 inconsiderable undertaking. Yet Xavier did not 
 shrink from it. In a public disputation with them, 
 he put this question : " What form of life do the 
 gods require to constitute human happiness V 1 
 The question took them by surprise : they sought 
 to evade answering it ; and, after wrangling 
 among themselves, at length they referred the 
 matter to one of their priests, a Brahmin of ex- 
 treme old age, who, attempting to escape from 
 the difficulty, retorted the same query on Xavier : 
 " What does your God require V J he asked. Xa- 
 vier, however, perceiving his cunning, urged and 
 
 * Ibid. n. 69, 70. Fanum est Simio dicatum. Elephantis 
 etiam religionem numinis tribuunt : Bobua autem eo maja 
 rem quod mortuorum amnios in earn maxime belluam mi 
 grare opinantur. Even here we find the far-spread system 
 of Pythagoras teaching the transmigration of spirits. 
 
ST. FRANCIS XAVIER. 119 
 
 repeated the interrogation. Compelled to letray 
 his ignorance, the Brahmin answered : " A ll who 
 wish to possess the gods, must be governed by 
 two laws : first, to abstain from slaying calves, 
 under the form of which the gods are worshipped ; 
 secondly, that all worshippers bestow a portion of 
 their goods and fortunes upon the Brahmins."* 
 
 The zeal of Xavier being excited by this reply, 
 he began, incontinently, to explain, with a loud 
 voice, the Decalogue, and to recite the Apostles' 
 Creed, in their vernacular language. He then in- 
 structed them concerning hell and heaven, and 
 concluded with an animated exhortation. He had 
 hardly finished, when the Brahmins rushed into his 
 arms, acknowledging that there was no other God 
 than the God of the Christians, whose law was so 
 conformable to natural reason ; and which, after 
 due preparation, they were permitted to embrace, 
 through the sacrament of regeneration. - )- 
 
 Amid these cares and labors — on which, however, 
 the favor of Heaven so copiously descended — the 
 heart of Xavier was replenished with consolations, 
 and seemed already to anticipate its blessed re- 
 ward. In a letter to Rome, he affirms that so ex- 
 cessive was his joy in the arduous and fatiguing 
 
 * Ibid. n. 70. t Ibid. 
 
120 ST. FRANCIS XAVIEB. 
 
 ministry in which he was engaged among these 
 barbarous nations, that it sweetened and glad- 
 dened his existence. Often, overpowered with 
 celestial delights, he would exclaim: "Lord, do 
 not lavish upon me such joys in this life : — rather, 
 if I must be favored with them, translate me hence 
 to those happy realms above. For, to him who 
 has once tasted thy joys,' this life must be bitter 
 indeed. If such be exile, what will our country 
 
 be ? " * 
 
 Having reaped an abundant harvest at Cape 
 Comorin, he returned to Goa, in order to transact 
 with the Governor some important business regard- 
 ing- religion. He took with him several youths of 
 the highest families, to be educated in the college 
 which had been founded in that city. By all the 
 citizens his return was greeted with a general wel- 
 come. As was his wont, after paying his respects 
 to the Bishop and Governor, he took up his lodg- 
 ings in the public hospital. The affairs which 
 brought him to Goa, being speedily arranged, he 
 hurried back to Cape Comorin, with three priests, 
 
 * Domine, noli me tantis obruere in hac vita deliciis . . . 
 vel transfer me hinc ociiis in istas sedes, regionemque bea- 
 torum. Qui tuam semel dulcedinem gustavit, is necesse est 
 acerbam prorsus vitam sine te agat. . . Qua? si tanta in exilio^ 
 quanta tandem erit in patria. Ibid. n. 74. 
 
ST. FRANCIS XAVIER. 121 
 
 with whom he divided the province. His presence 
 at the Cape, at this juncture, was most auspicious. 
 For the people of Badaga, a wild and lawless ban- 
 ditti, incited, at once, by the lust of gain and the 
 hatred of the Christian name, had made a descent 
 upon that entire region. But they were repulsed 
 D}' the faithful and shut up in rocks and preci- 
 pices, where they would have perished with hunger, 
 thirst, and misery, had not Xavier come to their re- 
 lief, and rescued them from their impending fate.* 
 He then passed over to Travancor by land, a jour- 
 ney of about eighty miles. The inhabitants were 
 fishermen, partly Saracens, and partly pagans, and 
 all vehemently opposed to Xavier on account of the 
 conversions he had made. Disregarding, however, 
 their fury, and in spite of the solicitations of his 
 friends to the contrary, he boldly dared to appear 
 amongst them. Nay, he forced his way even to the 
 tyrant himself, whom he succeeded in conciliating 
 by bland conversation, insinuating religious truth, 
 dissuading him from the superstitions of his coun- 
 try, and enforcing the necessity of the adoration of 
 the true God. If the earnest exhortations of the 
 apostle did not convert the tyrant, they, at least, 
 had the effect to allow his subjects to embrace 
 
 * Lib. iv. n. 141, 142. 
 11 
 
122 ST. FRANCIS XAVIER. 
 
 Christianity.* A decree sanctioning this tolera- 
 tion having been extorted by the persuasive power 
 of Xavier, more than ten thousand persons ranked 
 themselves under the banners of salvation.f The 
 labor of instructing and baptizing this immense 
 multitude he bore almost single-handed, but with 
 so much cheerfulness and rapture, that he declared 
 himself, in a letter to Ignatius, unable to give ex- 
 pression to it in writing. Among the people, who 
 i. 
 
 beheld, with amazement, his boundless energy, and 
 incomparable zeal, he acquired the appellation of 
 the "Great Father." At first, he preached in the 
 open air, on the wide field, in the valley ; and some- 
 times, the better to command the view of his num- 
 berless hearers, from the very branches of some 
 lofty tree. Before chapels were erected, he offered 
 the holy mysteries on a rustic altar under a spread- 
 ing tent. But as soon as possible sacred edifices 
 were built : of which, in a short time, not less than 
 twenty dotted and consecrated the land.J 
 
 In planting the tree of religion on this bleak 
 and barren soil, miracles, as we have seen, were 
 wrought ; but it was necessary that it should be 
 watered, too, by the blood of martyrs. This glori- 
 ous boon was not refused by Providence. In the 
 
 * Ibid. n. 145, 146. \ Ibid. % Ibid. n. 149, 150. 
 
ST. FRAJSTC1S XAVIER. 123 
 
 island of Manaria six hundred Christians were put 
 to death for their faith.* 
 
 From the island of Macazaria, (about fifty miles 
 distant from Cochin-China, where he had passed 
 the preceding year,) Xavier sailed to Ceylon, in 
 company with Mansilla. His first conquest there 
 was the king's son, who was privately baptized, to- 
 gether with his cousin and several noblemen.")" 
 
 On quitting Ceylon, Xavier stopped at Meliapor, 
 with the view of making a pilgrimage to the tomb 
 of St. Thomas. This was a large and flourishing 
 city of the Portuguese, about a hundred and fifty 
 miles distant from Comorin and equidistant from 
 Goa, situated in a region called Coromandel. The 
 shrine of the apostle had originally been a pagan 
 temple, which he himself, however, had rescued 
 from the rites of idolatry, and dedicated to the 
 worship of the true and only Deity.J It was re- 
 
 * Ibid. n. 151. The spectacle of primitive Christianity 
 was here, in the sixteenth century, presented to the admira- 
 tion of the world. An apostle of Christ performing signs 
 and wonders, and Neophytes in crowds, stooping their 
 necks, in vindication of their faith, to the sword of the exe- 
 cutioner. That apostle was a Jesuit, — those martyrs were 
 Catholics 1 
 
 f Lib. v. n. 84. 
 
 t Ibid. n. 86. 
 
124 ST. FRANCIS XAYIER. 
 
 nowned and celebrated far and wide, and attracted 
 crowds of pilgrims, not only among Christians, 
 but likewise of pagans. It was near this fane, on 
 the declivity of a super-impendent hill, that St. 
 Thomas was martyred and interred ; and the very' 
 stone that was sprinkled with his blood, was still 
 exhibited.* Over the tomb of one of the twelve, 
 who, after the dispersion of the apostles, came into 
 these distant lands to proclaim the resurrection 
 and religion of Christ, Xavier, his successor, bent 
 in rapturous contemplation. What wondrous asso- 
 ciations did not these sacred scenes excite in his 
 ardent soul ! What devotion, zeal, and hope did 
 they not awaken and inflame ! He comes to rekin- 
 dle, amid the " shades of death" that had gathered, 
 during nearly fifteen hundred years, over these re- 
 gions, the sacred torch of life : to call up the spirit 
 of truth and faith which had been sleeping, as it 
 were, with the ashes of the venerable dead. A 
 follower of Jesus — to succeed, in the work of 
 "evangelizing good, evangelizing peace," the dis- 
 ciple of Christ, who had reared, in ancient days, 
 
 * Orlandinus relates some marvellous circumstances con- 
 nected with this stone, which, as they are merely given 
 upon local traditional authority, will not be interesting to 
 the general reader. Consult his history, vhi supr. 
 
ST. FRANCIS XAVIER. 125 
 
 the (toss of Redemption among the nations afai 
 off, and, like his adorable Master, had shed his 
 blood for the "flock." That blood was not shed 
 in vain ; the soil once watered and fertilized by it, 
 required but the labor of the spiritual husband 
 man to quicken into life the germ of a rich har 
 vest, which stilt lingered under the rugged surface. 
 And he was here — a self-devoted and heaven- 
 directed missionary — ready to consume his days in 
 the heat and toil of the field : and prepared, if 
 necessary, to imitate the heroic example of the 
 apostle near whose tomb he knelt, by laying down 
 his life for the propagation of the gospel, and the 
 salvation of his fellow-creatures. The flame of his 
 own piety and sanctity seemed to glow more in- 
 tensely, fed at this hallowed shrine. And his zeal 
 devoured, as it were, all the abuses and vices 
 which prevailed among the faithful, and which 
 resisted and set at defiance the authority of the 
 clergy and prelate. But, from the dreadful assaults 
 of the evil spirit he did not escape ; by incessant 
 prayers, however, during the day, and habitually at 
 midnight also, he spurned the Tartarean foe, and 
 vanquished his power and temptations.* 
 
 * Ibid. n. 87, 88. "Even around the tomb of the apostle," 
 writes the above-quoted critic, "malignant demons prow] 
 
126 ST. FRANCIS XAVIEB. 
 
 This holy pilgrimage being accomplished, Xavier 
 set sail for Malacca. This city was a populous 
 and flourishing emporium, situated beyond the Gan- 
 ges, and lying under the pole, almost six hundred 
 leagues from Goa. The showers fall almost daily, 
 by which the heat of the sun is tempered, and 
 the fields are covered with perpetual verdure. 
 The Christians, though professing the faith, had 
 assumed the depraved habits of the infidels, and 
 seemed not desirous to accept of the blessings 
 which were offered to them through the ministry of 
 Xavier. He did not despair. With redoubled en- 
 ergy and assiduous perseverance, he preached and 
 exhorted, persuaded and menaced, soothed and ter- 
 rified, in such a manner, that the longed-for im- 
 
 by night, and though strong in the guidance of the Virgin, 
 Xavier not only found himself in their grasp, but received 
 from them blows, such as no weapon in human hands could 
 have inflicted. . . . Baffled by a superior power, the fiends 
 opposed a still more subtle hindrance to his design against 
 their kingdom. In the garb, and in the outward semblance 
 of a band of choristers, they disturbed his devotions by such 
 soul-subduing strains, that the very harmonies of heaven 
 might seem to have been awakened to divert the Christian 
 warrior from his heavenward path. In vain their fury and 
 their guile. He found the direction he implored. — St& 
 phen. 
 
ST. FRANCIS XAVIER. 127 
 
 pression was, finally, made. Reflection took the 
 place of dissipation, the gospel-maxims prevailed 
 over the suggestions of the passions, and, in a few 
 months, the entire face of society was changed ; 
 morals were reformed, the practices of piety re- 
 sumed, and a complete victory of grace was ob- 
 tained.* His catechetical instructions were unin- 
 terrupted, except by other arduous duties, amidst 
 which he found time to translate the elements of 
 the Christian doctrine into the language of the na- 
 tives of the country. Of these, many were induced 
 to forsake their idolatrous worship — a worship 
 which they paid to the sun, under the bright ex- 
 panse of the heavens, having no fanes nor altars — 
 and to join the standard of Jesus, which now 
 gleamed on the temples of Christianity under the 
 divine rays of the " Sun of Righteousness" and 
 Truth. In the middle of January he embarked 
 for Molucca, an island nine hundred miles from 
 Malacca, thickly populated by natives and stran- 
 gers, and filled with handsome towns, of which 
 seven were occupied by Christians, but deprived of 
 the benefit of clergymen. The pagans were ar- 
 
 * Ibid. n. 91. Orlandinus relates, that, at this epoch, Xa- 
 vier raised a dead girl to life, and performed other signa) 
 miracles. Ibid. vid. vhi mpr. n. 92 
 
12S ST. FRANCIS XAV1ER. 
 
 rayed in deadly hostility against the Mahoinedans, 
 who compelled the former either to embrace the 
 Koran, or else to be held in subjection. For seven- 
 ty years the superstitions of Mecca had here pre- 
 vailed : but the people were rude and ignorant, 
 and not ill-affected towards the teachings of Xa- 
 vier.* Through all the Christian settlements, he 
 rapidly passed, baptizing infants and children, and 
 affording means of spiritual aid to adults, and ex- 
 ercising a charity which no opposition could sub- 
 due or check. f He extended his labors to Am- 
 boina, whence, after three months of unceasing ex- 
 ertion, he proceeded to Molucca, an island under 
 the equator, rich in spices, with which it supplied 
 the whole world. There might he be seen, day 
 and night, devoting himself to the instruction of the 
 people ; and the more effectually to imprint the 
 Lord's Prayer, the Creed, and the Hail, Mary, upon 
 their memories, he rendered them into rhyme, which, 
 like so many familiar canticles, were sung by chil- 
 dren on the house-tops, by fishermen in their boats, 
 
 * Lib. vi. n. 105. 
 
 f Ibid. n. 104. Many of the newly baptized, our author 
 relates, expired immediately after having been regenerated 
 in the saving waters; as though they had been reserved 
 merely to receive this grace. 
 
ST. FEANCIS XAVIER. 129 
 
 by laborers in their fields. Among his converts, 
 the most illustrious was the daughter of King" Al- 
 mansor, formerly a Saracen ; a woman of a lofty 
 and acute mind, and well versed in the supersti 
 tions of her country. Her name, while an infidel, 
 was Neachiles ; in baptism she assumed that of 
 Elizabeth* 
 
 Being informed that in the island of Moro many 
 Christians were settled, without any priests, Xa- 
 vier determined to go to their assistance. The 
 distance from Molucca was sixty leagues ; the soil 
 barren, productive neither of wheat nor wine, but 
 abounding with wild-boar. The palmetto-tree sup- 
 plied a species of bread, and its bark was used for 
 raiment ; the inhabitants were ferocious, inhuman, 
 and stupidly ignorant, and not only cruel towards 
 strangers, but barbarous in their treatment of 
 one another.")" From this wild and dreary solitude, 
 in the midst of Moors and Tartars, with dangers 
 and hardships frowning upon him on all sides, the 
 magnanimous Xavier, towering above all natural 
 terror, and calmly confiding and reposing in the 
 goodness and protection of Providence, addressed 
 a letter to his companions at Rome. " These 
 islands," he wrote, "it seems to me, should be 
 
 ♦Ibid. n. 105. flMd.n. 106. 
 
130 ST. FRANCIS XAVIER. 
 
 styled Divine Hope, rather than Moro: for, in 
 them I feel an unalloyed and perpetual bliss." 
 This region was subject to frequent earthquakes, 
 horrid murmurings, and subterranean fires : noises 
 more formidable tharn the sound of the loudest can 
 non often shook the rocks to their centre, hurling 
 down huge trees, while the air was filled with 
 clouds of ashes that strewed the scathed fields, and 
 blinded both man and beast.* But what were these 
 terraqueous occurrences in the estimation of an 
 apostle, whose existence was consecrated to the 
 salvation of his race ? What recked that holy man 
 of clime or element, whose whole being was but a 
 fulfilment of the declaration of Christ : " Whosoever 
 would save his soul must lose it ?" Many of his 
 friends entreated him not to risk his life among 
 these barbarous tribes, whose thirst for human blood 
 was innate. But their importunities could not 
 avert him from performing what he believed to be 
 God's will.f He flew to the wretched Christians 
 who were dwelling among them, desolate and lorn, 
 
 * Ibid. 
 
 f Ibid. n. 107. Our historian expresses, in splendid lan- 
 guage, the glorious change which, in so short a time, waa 
 effected : " Cessit deDique," he says, " Christo Satanas, 
 tenebrae luci, et omnis illius regionis tartarea dominatio ve- 
 uerandsB crucis imperio." 
 
ST. FRANCIS XAVIER. 131 
 
 During three months he hurried from town to town, 
 bringing back to a sense of religion those who still 
 bore the name, but long since had forgotten the 
 virtues and duties of Christians : baptizing the 
 young, instructing the adult, converting numbers 
 of the pagans, and thus shedding over this dark- 
 some region the brightest rays of religion and civile 
 ization. 
 
 He so divided his labors as to preach to the 
 Portuguese in the morning, and the Neophytes in 
 the evening. He paid frequent visits to the King 
 Aerius, who appeared to delight in his conversa- 
 tion, and gave some hope of conversion. The 
 Saracens were not strongly attached to their sect, 
 and the pagans showed less repugnance to the 
 pure doctrines of Christ, than to the sensual code 
 of Mahomed. Of the latter, many received the 
 gospel, among whom by far the most distinguished 
 and conspicuous were the king's two sisters.* 
 
 Duty now calling him to Malacca, he revisited 
 the Amboinians, from whose compassionate and 
 endearing embraces, tearing himself away at mid- 
 night, he set sail for that island. There he entered 
 again, with increased energy, upon his arduous 
 duties. At night he could be seen with a Ian- 
 
 * Lib. vii. n. 85. 
 
132 ST. FRANCIS XAVIER. 
 
 tern in one band, and a bell in the other, going 
 about the city, admonishing the faithful of their 
 obligations, and menacing sinners with the ven- 
 geance of Heaven ; * commanding universal vener- 
 ation by the manifest disinterestedness which in- 
 spired his conduct, and admiration by the power 
 which he received from above of working wonder- 
 ful deeds, and predicting future events. To the 
 vast aspirations of his zeal for man's salvation, no 
 limit could be set. They extended as far as there 
 was a fragment of habitable earth ; and the more 
 distant the object and the more difficult to be 
 reached, the more irresistible was its force, and the 
 more glowing its unquenchable fire. Upon the 
 vast vision of his mind a new star now appeared — 
 a bright hope amid the boundless desolation and 
 darkness of the night through which it twinkled. 
 
 It chanced that he fell in, at this conjuncture, 
 with a certain man whose name was Anger, a 
 native of Cangoxima in Japan, who there had be- 
 come a Bonzee.f In embracing this course of life, 
 he was actuated by the hope of obtaining peace of 
 
 * Ibid. n. 81, 82, 83. 
 
 f The Bonzeea were men devoted to religion. Vid. Or- 
 land, vbi sitpr. n. 90. Turn demum in spem venit viam 
 sibi in eas insulas per honiinem Japonem apertum iri. 
 
ST. FRANCIS XAVIER. 133 
 
 conscience. But, disappointed in this hope, he 
 resolved to seek among strangers for the boon 
 which he could not procure at home. Having re- 
 ceived some information concerning the Christian 
 religion from the Portuguese merchants, and heard 
 through them, likewise, of Xaxier, he longed to 
 have an interview with that holy missionary. To 
 this end, he did not hesitate to commit himself to 
 the perils of a long and tedious navigation. He 
 arrived safely at Malacca, and found, as he had 
 anticipated in Xavier, a teacher, a consoler, and a 
 friend : by whom he was instructed in the princi- 
 ples of the Christian faith, relieved of the keen 
 anguish which hitherto had preyed upon his con- 
 science, and conducted into the ways of spiritual 
 peace and heavenly content. Anger spoke to 
 Xavier of Japan ; told of the interminable field 
 that stretched out to his as interminable zeal, in 
 that great country, and kindled in his heroic soul 
 those glorious desires which were afterwards so 
 wondrously and so magnificently accomplished in 
 the Empire of Japan. From this most hazardous 
 project his friends used every persuasion to deter 
 him, on his return to Goa. But to no purpose. 
 Having created Antonio Gomio Rector of the Col- 
 lege, and Paul Camerte Superior of the Province, 
 be waited a favorable opportunity to depart, to 
 
 12 
 
134: ST. FRANCIS XAVIER. 
 
 carry the gospel to a people gifted with genius and 
 judgment, and peculiarly adapted to the reception 
 of the doctrines of Christianity.* He sailed from 
 Cochin-China in the month of May, and, after a 
 perilous voyage, arrived at Malacca. Here two cir- 
 cumstances were made known to him, that sharp- 
 ened, if possible, yet more keenly his hopes for 
 Japan. One, that that nation having heard of the 
 Christian law, had dispatched ambassadors to the 
 governor of India, requesting that some priests 
 might be sent among them. The other, that the 
 holy cross was already held in veneration by them, 
 its virtue having been taught them by the Portu* 
 guese, who placed it, as an ornament and a protec- 
 tion, in the vestibule of their houses.f Xavier 
 burned to be among this well-disposed people : and 
 not finding any Portuguese vessel bound to Japan, 
 he intrusted himself to a Chinese ship, styled " The 
 Robber." On the feast of St. John the Baptist, he 
 quitted Malacca, confiding his fate to the protecting 
 care of Heaven, and ever mindful of the maxim 
 which he had learned from the mouth of Ignatius, 
 namely : " that the members of the Society must 
 endeavor to conquer themselves, must throw far 
 from them all fears, must fix their hopes on God 
 
 * Lib. ix. n. 161. 162. t n>id. n. 170. 
 
ST. FRANCIS XAVIER. 135 
 
 alone, whose grace will never be wanting under 
 any trying circumstances." * These generous dis- 
 positions he not only cherished in his mind, but 
 carefully practised in his conduct. After many 
 adventures, and great delay, on the festival of the 
 assumption of the Ever-Virgin Mary, his eyes rested 
 on the island of Japan, and he landed at Cangoxima, 
 a very powerful city of Saxuma. Nothing could 
 have happened more opportunely ; for this was the 
 home of his convert Paul, through whom he was 
 received with public demonstrations of welcome by 
 the governor and the nobility .f 
 
 It would be foreign from my design to enter into 
 a lengthy description of Japan and its inhabitants, 
 of the magnitude of the country, of its form of gov- 
 ernment, of its soil, of the character and manners of 
 the* people, of their love of glory and nobility, of 
 their morals, their superstitions, and their litera- 
 ture. I cannot, however, omit to state, that besides 
 
 * Ibid. n. 171. 
 
 f Ibid. n. 177, 178. It seems to have been by mere acci- 
 dent that the vessel was driven into this port. Divine 
 "rovidence thus disposing sweetly all events by which to 
 facilitate the accomplishment, of the great design in view. 
 There are many curious incidents connected with the voy- 
 age which are accurately described by the historian, but 
 which are not necessary in a mere synopsis. 
 
136 ST. FRANCIS XAVIER. 
 
 the gods called Cames, and Fotoquez, and Xaca, by 
 some the devil was worshipped, and to his infernal 
 majesty altars and temples were erected.* The 
 ministers of religion were nominated Bonzees, men 
 of flagitious and impure lives ; among whom there 
 were many sects, distinguished by various forms 
 of superstitions and worship. They professed celi- 
 bacy, and to marry was reputed a capital crime. 
 They shaved their heads and harangued the people 
 at their pleasure, on festival days, of which many 
 were prescribed throughout the year. They were 
 generally selected from high families. They had, 
 in various places, academies richly endowed, where 
 their doctrine and discipline were taught ; and 
 acknowledged a supreme head, who was chosen 
 either on account of his rare birth or great wealth. 
 His dominion was universal, and his income so 
 large, that it often did not yield to that of the 
 king's. His residence was at Meaco ; under his 
 roof there were more than three hundred and sixty- 
 six idols. He was considered by the vulgar aa 
 most holy, and was venerated as a divinity, while 
 in reality he was revelling in the most shameful 
 vices. J" 
 What a field of battle here expanded to the 
 
 * Ibid. n. 195. f Ibid. n. 198, 199, 202. 
 
ST. FRANCIS XAVIER. 137 
 
 view of Xavier, the reader can have no difficulty 
 in imagining. A field on which the virtues of 
 Christianity must enter upon a dreadful conflict 
 with the crimes of paganism ; and the doctrines of 
 truth with diabolical errors. But the more terrible 
 the struggle, the more glorious will be the triumph. 
 And, under the guidance of Heaven and the aegis 
 of the cross, what has the apostle of Christ to 
 fear ? Nothing ! He who had already won such 
 signal victories over the legions of hell, felt a 
 strength and a confidence which nerved him for 
 the issue. He began by opposing the Bonzees 
 with their own weapons. They affected extraor- 
 dinary frugality and abstinence : he practised 
 still greater.* They were distinguished — especial- 
 ly their Superior — by urbanity and elegance of 
 manners : he surpassed them even in these ; which 
 in him were so much admired, that he insinuated 
 himself into the favor of Ninxit, then at their head, 
 and the most venerable among them, as well on 
 account of his reputation for learning and wisdom, 
 as of his extreme old age. With Ninxit he dis- 
 puted on the immortality of the soul, and the na- 
 
 * In such a manner, that he himself declared that he was 
 sustained during that time, less by natural food, than dt 
 the nourishment of charity. Ibid. n. 207. 
 
 12* 
 
138 ST. FRA.NCIS XAVIER. 
 
 tuie of religion ; and though he silenced the jroud 
 Bonzee, and thereby excited all the envy of a vain 
 and self-conceited heart, still so gentle were his 
 manners and so polished and winning withal, that 
 he could not but extort its admiration. It was evi- 
 dent, that by no other motive than that of philan- 
 thropy and virtue could he have been prompted to 
 pass such boundless oceans, and expose himself to 
 such countless perils and pains. Permission was 
 given him to preach the gospel in Japan. This 
 permission was granted by a solemn edict of the 
 king ; and no sooner did he commence his heaven- 
 ly task, than his undertaking was sealed by the 
 omnipotent stamp of the King of kings. Like his 
 Divine Master, he healed a leper, cured a boy 
 afflicted with a mortal malady, and even raised a 
 deceased maiden to life.* Many converts imme- 
 diately enrolled themselves under the cross, among 
 whom were the wife and daughter of Paul. 
 
 By the Bonzees, the miracles of Xavier, which 
 they did not deny, were attributed to the power of 
 the devils and the effects of incantation and charms ; 
 and could they have prevailed with the king, his 
 head would have paid the forfeit of his success. 
 
 * For the details, see Orlandinus, ubi supr. n. 113, 114, 
 115, 116. 
 
ST. FRANCIS XAV1EK. 139 
 
 But the king spurned them from his presence, and 
 exhibited still more admiration of the apostlo and 
 his doctrines. Encouraged by these tokens of 
 royal benevolence and favor, he resumed his la- 
 bors with tenfold enthusiasm, proclaiming Christ 
 and the gospel in the public streets, and confuting 
 and confounding the sophistry and errors of the 
 priests of idolatry. So profound were the convic- 
 tions, so firm the constancy, so pure the morals 
 of the first Japanese Christians, that the king of 
 Saxuma wrote to Father Anthony Quadrio, the 
 Provincial of India, conjuring him to send to his 
 dominions some other missionaries, by whom the 
 Christian law might be spread throughout the en- 
 tire region, and the morals of his subjects might be 
 made conformable to its holy standard.* 
 
 From Cangoxima, Xavier pursued his way to 
 Firando, where he was received with every de- 
 monstration of respect and welcome by the Por- 
 tuguese inhabitants, and the king himself, who 
 granted him license to announce the gospel to 
 his subjects. He converted many, and erected a 
 church, which leaving to the charge of Father 
 Cosmo Turriano, he proceeded to Firando, and 
 thence to Mecao, a large and flourishing city, 
 
 *Ibid. n. 222. - 
 
140 ST. FRANCIS XAVIER. 
 
 whose king possessed immense wealth and powei 
 Here Xavier met with many distinguished families 
 desirous of learning the Christian law, in conse- 
 quence of his great fame, which had already pre- 
 ceded him. He was followed by thousands, though 
 not treated by all with the same respect. But the 
 admirable patience and meekness he displayed in 
 the midst of the insults which he frequently was 
 subjected to in the public streets, won the admira- 
 tion of the more reflecting and better disposed. 
 The king listened to the sublime maxims which he 
 taught, and heard, in wondering silence, during 
 the space of an hour, the explanation of the word 
 of God contained in the holy Scriptures. He won- 
 dered, and was silent, but did not yield to the 
 grace which was offered. He continued in his 
 superstitions, and his obstinacy encouraged that of 
 his subjects, of whom few were induced to range 
 themselves under the banners of Christianity.* 
 
 From Mecao, the untiring apostle cast his eyes 
 back upon the expanding fields of labor at Mea- 
 co, and resolved to visit again a capital soon to 
 
 * Lib. x. n. 135, 136, 137. De Meacensis Urbis magnitu- 
 dine, collegiorum celebritate, ccenobiorum multitudine va- 
 rietateque cognorat ; et jam turn in animnm induxerat eo 
 recta contendere. 
 
ST. FRANCIS XAVIER. 141 
 
 be covered with abundant fruit : to be distinguished 
 for its numerous churches, prosperous colleges, and 
 extensive charitable institutions.* He occupied 
 two months in the journey, each moment of which 
 added a fresh leaf to the crown of his merit in 
 heaven. For, besides the roughness of the roads, 
 which were covered with deep snow, they were, 
 moreover, infested with robbers. The season was 
 extremely cold, and his feet were ulcerated with 
 frost, being obliged to cross frequent streams, and 
 wade through torrents, without shoes, carrying his 
 baggage upon his shoulders, and passing entire 
 days without eating. Add to all these complicated 
 miseries, the insults and contumely he underwent 
 in the towns and villages through which he passed. 
 To every humiliation as well as hardship he cheer- 
 fully resigned himself, and lost no opportunity of 
 announcing the name of Christ, and showing the 
 folly of idolatry. At length, after innumerable 
 sufferings, and the conquest of some converts made 
 on the way, he arrived, worn out and emaciated, at 
 Meaco.f In this splendid metropolis and seat of 
 empire, Xavier had long but vainly struggled to 
 obtain an interview with the proud emperor ; every 
 avenue to the throne he found closed against his 
 
 * Ibid. n. 138. t Lib. xi n. 100. 
 
142 ST. FRANCIS XAVIER. 
 
 efforts. He, therefore, turned his attention towards 
 his subjects, who, unfortunately, agitated by the 
 expectation of an impending war, sealed their ears 
 likewise to his preaching.* Not to lose his pre- 
 cious time on that ungenerous soil, he hastened to 
 Amanguchi, reciting as he went the Psalm of 
 David : In eocitu Israel de JEgypto.^ There he was 
 received with distinguished favor by the king, who 
 offered the illustrious stranger a quantity of gold 
 and silver. Xavier, with his wonted disinterest- 
 edness, refused the present, requesting the mon- 
 arch to grant him merely one privilege : namely, 
 that of announcing the gospel of Jesus Christ to 
 the people under his dominion. This greatness of 
 mind and contempt of riches excited the admira- 
 tion of the king. A house of the Bonzees was 
 assigned him as a place of residence, and a decree 
 issued authorizing him to proclaim in public the 
 law of God and the tidings of salvation. Day and 
 night he continued the holy work of preaching, and 
 disputing with the learned men of the place. His 
 house was constantly besieged by crowds of curious 
 persons of all orders, and ages, and dispositions ; 
 
 * Ibid. n. 101, 102. 
 
 f Psalm cxiii. 1. When Israel went out of Egypt, the 
 house of Jacob from a barbarous people. 
 
ST. FRANCIS XAVIER. 143 
 
 and thousands, finally, yielding to the force of truth 
 forsook their false gods, and abjured their absurd 
 superstitions.* Again the seal of the Omnipotent 
 was impressed on the dogmata which Xavier 
 taught. Contemporary evidences show that by the 
 sign of the cross, he effected sudden and marvel- 
 lous cures, and performed other indubitable mira- 
 cles.f The consequence was, that ten thousand 
 Amanguchians became Christians, and models of 
 the virtues which constitute the ornaments of the 
 Christian name. 
 
 The joy of Xavier on account of this his unex- 
 ampled success, was increased by the receipt of a 
 letter from the king of Bungo, couched in terms of 
 affection and respect, and expressive of an ardent 
 desire to see him. Though the distance was four 
 hundred leagues, the apostle set out immediately. 
 By the Portuguese, he was advised to make his 
 appearance at that capital accompanied by a mag- 
 nificent retinue, and in splendid attire.| The ves- 
 sel in which he embarked was decorated with 
 silken sails and gorgeous pennons : and he entered 
 the port amid the clangor of trumpets and the 
 
 * Ibid. n. 104. 
 
 f The details are given, tibi supr , n. 110. 
 
 \ Ibid. n. 116. 
 
144 ST. FRANCIS XAVIER. 
 
 sound of music. On the shore, he was received 
 with great ceremony by a deputation assigned bj 
 the monarch, and conducted to the palace. The 
 effect which his instructions produced on the king's 
 mind was most beneficial to morals and religion, 
 and a happy change was soon perceptible in the 
 city. The infamous rites of the Bonzees were sup- 
 pressed, the sacrifice of infants prohibited, and the 
 lewd and dissolute practices which had hitherto 
 prevailed in their superstitious functions entirely 
 abolished. This mutation, it is evident, could not 
 be brought about without exciting the rancor and 
 vengeance of the Bonzees. The most noble and 
 renowned among them, accordingly, undertook to 
 dispute the subject with him, in presence of the 
 king and nobles. The dispute resulted in the sol- 
 emn humiliation of the priest of Satan, the glorious 
 triumph of truth, and the conversion of thousands 
 of citizens of Bungo.* 
 
 After planting religion in these strange regions, 
 Xavier prepared to return into India, taking with 
 him, like some victor after the conquest of a distant 
 land, two captives — not, indeed, to the yoke of an 
 earthly hero, but to the grace of heaven — two Ne- 
 ophytes, Matthew and Bernard, whom he intended 
 
 * Ibid. n. 118, 119, 120, 121, 122. 
 
ST. FRANCIS XAVIER. 145 
 
 to send to Rome as specimens of the natives of Ja- 
 pan. The king of Bungo wept at his departure, 
 and mingled his sorrows with the hearty regrets 
 and lamentations of the Portuguese and converts. 
 A period of two years had elapsed since he first 
 put foot on the shores of Cangoxima, and, after a 
 tempestuous voyage, he arrived at Cochin, hailed 
 and greeted by the unanimous acclaim of all. 
 Having during his sojourn there edified and ani- 
 mated the faithful by his sanctity and exhortations, 
 he continued his way to Goa ; where, no sooner 
 had he disembarked, than he hastened, as was his 
 custom, to the hospital, and imparted consolation 
 to the sick and suffering, and then proceeded to 
 the college.* 
 
 But it was not to rest long, much less to spend 
 the remnant of his years under the shades of re- 
 tirement and quiet, that he repaired within its 
 peaceful walls. No ; his insatiable zeal was never 
 satisfied. His mind seemed vast as the universe 
 itself. His aspirations owned no bounds but eter- 
 nity. Reposing like a wearied soldier after a 
 wasting but glorious campaign, it was only to 
 gather new strength for other fields, fresh energies 
 for other conquests. Not content with the mighty 
 
 » Lib. xii. n. 78, 79. 
 13 
 
146 ST. FRANCIS XAVIER. 
 
 conquest of the Indies and Japan, his vision turned 
 to another and still a mightier one. China must 
 be entered. That region, hitherto inclosed and 
 protected from the stranger by adamantine walls, 
 must open its gates to the messenger of Jesus. 
 Having made all the necessary arrangements for 
 the domestic economy of the Society, and appointed 
 Father Barzeus Provincial of the Indies, he sailed 
 from Goa in the month of May for Malacca, where 
 he embarked again, and, favored by the winds, 
 soon reached the coast of China.* 
 
 The great question now was, in what manner he 
 could effect an entrance into that sealed country, 
 into which to admit a stranger, was a crime liable 
 to be punished with the severest penalties. Some- 
 times he seemed resolved to force his way, and 
 brave the danger : for, anhelating after the salva- 
 tion of the people, his magnanimous spirit spurned 
 the menace of punishment or death. At other 
 times, having consulted with his brethren and some 
 enlightened Portuguese, his ardor was checked by 
 his prudence. Meanwhile he was seized by a fever, 
 under which he suffered during fifteen days. On 
 his bed of sickness he had time leisurely and calm- 
 ly to consider the enterprise so near his heart. 
 
 * Ibid. n. 86, 97. 
 
ST. FRANCIS XAVIER. 147 
 
 The language of our Divine Master seemed to 
 ring perpetually in his ears : " He who putteth 
 his hand to the plough, and looketh back, is not 
 worthy of me." Not, indeed, that the words could, 
 in any wise, apply to him, who had forsaken all 
 things, and devoted his whole existence to the ser- 
 vice of the Lord, but his humility and zeal referred 
 them to the project which he had commenced, of 
 penetrating into China. He arose from his sick-bed 
 confirmed in his first determination : and though 
 he saw no means of accomplishing it, according 
 to human appearances, still he did not despond. 
 But God, in whose presence the ardent desires of 
 the apostle were as meritorious as their consumma- 
 tion, was satisfied with the labors of Xavier. His 
 life had been spent in fatigue, peril, and labor : it 
 is now time for him to be taken into rest. He had 
 succeeded in landing upon the Chinese soil,— the 
 task of entering into the interior must be left to 
 other missionaries. He relapsed into the fever 
 from which he had temporarily recovered. Upon 
 a heap of straw, under a wretched cot, he lies in a 
 bleak and inhospitable land. The rude winds 
 moan through the crevices, in the cold and dreary 
 month of December. One only companion attends 
 him — a poor but faithful Portuguese. There, in 
 utter destitution, without the necessary diet or 
 
148 ST. FRANCIS XAVIER. 
 
 proper offices of care, without a murmur, rapt in 
 divine contemplation and enjoying the anticipated 
 vision of Jesus, whose name he bears — Xavier 
 struggles in the agonies of death. Broken pas- 
 sages from the Psalms occasionally escape from his 
 lips — then they essay to utter the humble invoca- 
 tion, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me !" 
 and frequently, too, to call upon the intercession of 
 his holy mother : " Mother of God, remember me 1"* 
 To his heaving heart, clasped in his cold and attenu- 
 ated hands, he pressed the crucifix, which had been 
 his inseparable companion in all his journeyings 
 and missions, and persisting in fervent prayer to 
 the last moment, he breathed out his noble spirit 
 in the sweet odor of sanctity, on the feast of St. 
 Bibiana, the second of December, A. D. 1552.")" 
 The following day, robed in the sacerdotal vest- 
 
 *Lib. xii. n. 108, 109. Nunc e psalmis pium aliquid 
 suave recinens, et eas subinde voces suae salutis ingeminans : 
 Jesu fili David, miserere mei, Mater Dei, memento mei. 
 
 f Ibid. He was in the forty-seventh year of his age ; ten 
 years after his departure from Europe. " During his resi- 
 dence in India, he had maintained a frequent correspondence 
 with Ignatius. On either side, their letters breathe the ten- 
 derness which is an indispensable element of the heroic char 
 acter — an intense though grave affection, never degenerating 
 into fondness; but chastened, on the side of Xavier. by filial 
 
ST. FRANCIS XAVIER. 149 
 
 ments, the venerable body was placed in a wooden 
 coffin, and then conveyed to the grave with as 
 much ceremony as the solitary and barbarous land 
 whereon he expired would allow. Afterwards, 
 just before the mourners began to throw the clod 
 upon the mortal remains, it was thought more ex- 
 pedient to lay the body in an open coffin covered 
 with live lime, in order that the flesh might be con- 
 reverence ; on that of Ignatius, by parental authority 
 
 He traversed oceans, islands, and continents, through a track 
 equal to more than twice the circumference of the globe ; 
 everywhere preaching, disputing, baptizing, and founding 
 Christian churches. There is at least one well-authenticated 
 miracle in Xavier's story. It is, that any mortal man should 
 have sustained such toils as he did ; and have sustained 
 them, too, not merely with composure, but as if in obedience 
 of some indestructible exigency of his nature." Stephen, 
 ubi supr. 
 
 Would not a good translation into English of Xavier's 
 letters be an invaluable acquisition to sacred literature, the 
 Society, and the Church ? Would it not afford infinite de- 
 light to the pious and curious reader, to muse over the cor- 
 respondence of " Xavier, the magnanimous, the holy, and 
 the gay : the canonized saint, not of Rome only, but of uni- 
 versal Christendom ?" These are the terms in which even 
 the cold spirits of the north must indulge, when warmed by 
 the contemplation of that primeval ardor, which was ani- 
 mated and directed by a power more than human. The 
 frozen bigotry of Mr. Stephen melts under its influence. 
 
 13* 
 
150 ST. FRANCIS XAVIER. 
 
 sumed, and the bones be translated into India. It 
 was done : and two large rough stones were 
 raised nigh, to indicate the spot to which the sa- 
 cred deposit was consigned.* 
 
 Does any thing remain to be added by me con- 
 cerning the character, virtues, and sanctity of this 
 man of God, this perfect disciple of Ignatius, this 
 true follower of Jesus, and one of the greatest of 
 missionaries since the days of the apostles ? His 
 mind was lofty and vast, adorned with Christian 
 greatness — that greatness which is founded on the 
 humility of the gospel— seeking the lowliest place 
 himself, while, for God's glory, undertaking the 
 most arduous and magnificent projects, relying not 
 on his own energies, but on the Divine aid. In 
 the accomplishment of these, he reckoned as 
 naught, labors, injuries, vigils, hunger, thirst, 
 fatigue. In a word, if it be true that by its fruits 
 the tree will be known, the Catholic Church and 
 the Society of Jesus can point to Xavier, in whom 
 the virtues of the former and the spirit of the latter 
 were purely and thoroughly exemplified and car- 
 ried out. And, with such a glorious model of both, 
 
 * Ibid. n. 112. With what solemn rejoicings and cele. 
 brations the precious remains of the apostle were received at 
 Goa, will be found, lib. xiii. n. 89. 
 
ST. FBANCIS XAVIEE. 151 
 
 the calumnies and misrepresentations of one and 
 the other must be shamed into eternal silence.* 
 
 * There is extant a hymn composed by St. Francis Xa- 
 vier, which contains, as it were, the embodiment of all his 
 lofty and heavenly aspirations ; in which he breathes forth 
 his inspired strain of Divine love, and perfect detachment 
 of heart from all the vanities and pleasures of this life. The 
 following translation, by an anonymous writer, is faithful, 
 and not inelegant : 
 
 " My God ! thou art the object of my love ; 
 Not for the hope of endless joys above, 
 Nor for the fear of endless pains below 
 Which those who love thee not must undergo : 
 For me, and such as I, thou once didst bear 
 The ignominious cross, the nails, the spear. 
 A thorny crown transpierced thy sacred brows ; 
 What bloody sweat from every member flows 1 
 For me, in tortures thou didst yield thy breath ; 
 Nailed to the cross, thou savedst me from death. 
 Say — can such sufferings fail my heart to move? 
 What, but thyself, can now deserve my love ? 
 Such as then was and is thy love for me, 
 Such is, and shall be still, my love for thee. 
 That love, Jesus, may I ever sing, 
 O God of love, kind Parent, dearest King." 
 
JAMES LAYNEZ. 
 
CHAPTER IV. 
 
 JAMES LAYNEZ. 
 
 Jakes Laynez. — Unites himself to Ignatius. Enters Ecme barefoot 
 Teaches in the Eounan Academy. Is sent to Parma. His labors at 
 Venice; at Brescia; at Padua; at Bassano; at Borne. Refuses the 
 purple. Is sent to the Council of Trent His zeal at Bologna ; Florence ; 
 Perugio; Monte Pulciano ; Sienna; Venice; Naples. Is sent to Sicily. 
 Accompanies Vega to Africa. His labors. Is called to Pisa. Is again 
 sent as theologian of the Pope, to the Council of Trent Is made Pro- 
 vincial of Italy. Preaches at Genoa. "Writes a compendium of theology 
 for the use of the schools of the Society. Is sent back to Germany to 
 the Diet of Augsburg. Returns to Italy. Rejects the Cardinal's hat 
 His great merits, talents, and actions. 
 
 While Ignatius was pursuing his studies at Paris, 
 there arrived in that metropolis a young gen- 
 tleman, a native of Almazan in Spain. He was 
 in the twenty-third year of his age, the cherished 
 child of parents distinguished not less by wealth 
 than piety, by whom he had been trained to the 
 study of wisdom and the ardent love of religion. 
 Already had he obtained the degree of Master of 
 Arts in the university of Compostella, where he 
 
156 JAMES LAYNEZ. 
 
 had endeared himself to all the inmates by the 
 suavity of his manners, and the excellence of his 
 talents : and as he destined himself to the Church, 
 he resolved to enter upon the study of theology in 
 the most celebrated school in France. This was 
 James Laynez.* One of the principal causes that 
 directed his course to Paris, was to become ac- 
 quainted with Ignatius, of whose admirable fame 
 he had heard in his native country. By accident 
 it happened, — or rather by the disposal of Provi- 
 dence, — that he took up his lodgings in the very 
 house where Ignatius dwelt, in that city. Imme- 
 diately he communicated to that wonderful man 
 the object which had led him thither, and a strong 
 and mutual friendship seemed to bind their hearts 
 together instinctively, upon the spot. He placed 
 himself under the guidance and government of 
 Ignatius, and, after some days of prayer and re- 
 tirement, easily consented to become his disciple 
 with Faber and Francis Xavier. 
 
 The first destination of Laynez was Rome. 
 Quitting Paris, under the direction of obedience, 
 he departed as a penitent, clad in sackcloth, for 
 the capital of the Christian world. Though suffer- 
 ing under no trifling illness at the time, he seemed 
 
 * Orlandin. lib. i. n. 87. 
 
JAMES LAYNEZ. 157 
 
 to forget his debility and pains, in the anticipation 
 of treading upon that sacred soil, venerable for the 
 graves of innumerable saints, hallowed by the blood 
 of myriads of martyrs. On entering the gates, 
 he made his way directly, barefoot, to the tomb 
 of the apostles, where he prostrated himself in fer- 
 vent prayer, and dedicated his whole being to the 
 service of the Church which was built on the rock 
 of Peter. It was to defend that Church against the 
 powers of darkness — the schisms and heresies of 
 the times — that the Society sprang into being : and 
 whither could her earliest members go to imbibe 
 deep draughts of the spirit of truth and zeal, but 
 to the fountain-source ? The memories of the an- 
 cient dead who slept in their venerated tombs 
 within the walls of Rome, came up, with all their 
 influences, before the contemplation of Laynez, and 
 inspired his generous soul with a nameless enthusi- 
 asm in the cause of the Catholic Church. At first 
 he lodged in the hospital of his countrymen ; but 
 was, afterwards, persuaded by some wealthy and 
 noble Spaniards to accept of a more becoming hos- 
 pitality under their roof.* 
 
 * " Negantes," writes the historian, " suae dignitatis na- 
 tionisque comittere, ut tales tantique viri tota urbe precario 
 cibum quotidie quaeritent." Idem. lib. ii. n. 8. In this cir 
 
 14 
 
158 JAMES LAYNEZ. 
 
 The original design of the first disciples of Igna- 
 tius was to perform a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, 
 and, like the pious Palmers of olden days, to kneel 
 before the sepulchre of their Lord in devout and 
 penitential meditation. Before setting out on this 
 long and perilous journey, Laynez presented him- 
 self to the Sovereign Pontiff, Paul III., and im- 
 plored his benediction. " It affords me infinite 
 pleasure/' the Pontiff said, " to see united in your 
 person so much learning and so great humility, and 
 if you have any favor to ask, I shall willingly 
 concede it."* To this gracious speech, Laynez 
 calmly replied : " Holy Father, I crave your bene- 
 diction, and the privilege of visiting Jerusalem." 
 The Pontiff immediately assented, but added : "I do 
 not think you will ever start for the Holy Land."f 
 Whether he made this assertion because be was 
 aware that the Venetians were about turning their 
 arms against the Turks, or whether by Divine in- 
 spiration, it is not my province to determine. He, 
 
 cumstance, we see with what a spirit of poverty and liumil 
 ity the Society began. Its most eminent and distinguished 
 men were always, at least in its early period, (no matter 
 how its enemies may misrepresent its after-character,) the 
 purest examples of both these virtues. 
 
 * Id. n. 10. 
 
 i Id. ibid. 
 
JAMES LAYNEZ. 159 
 
 however, afforded Laynez and his companions every 
 facility, and, of his own accord, supplied them with 
 money, which, added to that bestowed by the liber- 
 ality of the Spanish people, amounted to more than 
 two hundred golden florins. This sum Laynez ex- 
 pended in making a votive pilgrimage to Venice, 
 living, while at Rome, upon charity collected from 
 door to door, not without the admiration of those 
 who had been present at his learned disputations. 
 Shortly after he returned to Venice in poverty, 
 where he was received with paternal affection by 
 Ignatius, and spent his time in the hospital to the 
 great advantage of the inmates, and the edification 
 of the city.* Here he was promoted to holy orders, 
 on the festival of St. John the Baptist, and looked 
 anxiously for an opportunity to sail to Palestine. 
 No such opportunity presented itself : for, since 
 the war that had broken out between the Republic 
 and the Turks, all intercourse between the two 
 countries had been suspended. This was an event 
 worthy to be remarked — as a clear manifestation 
 of the will of Heaven, that the meditated pilgrim- 
 age should, from necessity, be set aside, and Laynez 
 should, thereby, be liberated from his vow. He 
 did not, however, leave Venice, but spent the re- 
 
 * Id. n. 12. 
 
160 JAMES LAYNEZ. 
 
 mainder of that year in devoting his services to 
 the hospitals, and performing other good and 
 heroic deeds. After that period, he was sent in 
 company with Faber to Vicentra, with the under- 
 standing, that if there should be an opening into 1 
 Palestine, he should forthwith retrace his steps 
 to Venice.* 
 
 Meanwhile, he was appointed to one of the chairs 
 in the Roman University, which he filled with mag- 
 nificent eclat. Thence he was sent to Parma, 
 where he taught in the schools, delivered lectures 
 explanatory of the sacred Scriptures, and preached 
 with extraordinary success to the people, among 
 whom — as well as among the nobility — he wrought 
 a general and manifest change of morals. From 
 that city, at the solicitation of the Republic itself, 
 he was again sent to Venice by the express com- 
 mand of the Pope.J His exertions in that great 
 capital did not prevent him from extending his in- 
 fluence and zeal to other places. Under his au- 
 spices the College of Padua was founded, to obviate 
 
 * Id. n. 14. All tlie other Fathers were distributed through- 
 out different places by Ignatius, with the same understand- 
 ing. See their destinations in Orlandinus, vhi supr. Their 
 dispersion among the cities resembles that of the apostles 
 through the whole world. 
 
 f Lib. iii. n. 55. 
 
JAMES LAYNEZ. 161 
 
 the errors which had begun to be spread through- 
 out that city by the industry of depraved men. 
 The evil was the more formidable, as the fautors 
 and leaders of it were " wolves in sheep's cloth- 
 ing."* To check the growing calamity, Laynez 
 incessantly vindicated in his public discourses and 
 harangues, the cause of religion, to which an im- 
 mense concourse of citizens were attracted by his 
 eloquence and erudition. His explanation of the 
 Gospel of St. John, which formed a series of con- 
 ferences, he delivered in the church of the " Holy 
 Saviour;" and it is not easy to imagine the infi- 
 nite good they effected in suppressing error and 
 confirming truth. So universally were they ad- 
 mired, that he was requested, by the most illus- 
 trious and learned citizens, to continue them thrice 
 a week. He consented : and such was the per- 
 suasive and convincing character of his oratory, 
 that he rescued many from the fatal errors with 
 which they began to be imbued, and induced others 
 to abandon their evil ways and devote themselves 
 to the practice of virtue and acts of charity. By 
 his means, the hospitals, which had been left ne- 
 glected and badly supported, were sustained and 
 endowed anew by the ample contributions of the 
 
 * Id. Ibid. 
 U* 
 
162 JAMES LAYNEZ. 
 
 faithful ; and, in a word, awakened by the zeal of 
 the spiritual exercises, piety, which had long lan- 
 guished and decayed, again began to revive and 
 nourish amidst the gratulations of all orders of the 
 republic* 
 
 Encouraged by the fruits of his labors at Pa- 
 dua and Venice, Laynez next betook himself to 
 Brescia. Here, although he devoted his attention 
 to the hospitals and monasteries, as also to the 
 instructing of children and the ignorant in the cate- 
 chism — an exercise far more useful than ostenta- 
 tious — nevertheless he commenced on Quinquages- 
 ima Sunday, in the cathedral, a course of sermons, 
 which he continued, always attended by a numerous 
 audience, every day during the season of Lent : be- 
 sides which, he preached thrice a week in the other 
 churches, and heard innumerable confessions. Nor 
 did his efforts cease with the Lent. Urged by the 
 bishop, he consented to explain the sacred Scrip- 
 tures on three days in the week, and likewise to 
 preach to the nuns in three monasteries. The char- 
 acter of this city was soon changed for the better : 
 certain heterodoxical opinions, which for some pre- 
 
 * Idem, n. 56. Qua in re adeo eloquens Lainii pietas fuit, 
 ut mille amplius ipsis ex auditoribus affinnarent paratos se 
 pro veritate Catholica jugulum ac cervices offerre. 
 
JAMES LAYKEZ. 163 
 
 ceding years had glided into the minds of thou- 
 sands, were entirely eradicated : and so deeply did 
 the eloquence of Laynez impress the doctrines of 
 truth in their stead, that numbers were heard to 
 declare that, should it be necessary, they would not 
 hesitate to lay down their lives for the faith.* 
 Challenged to a public disputation by a nobleman 
 who denied the existence of purgatory, he argued 
 with such power upon that article of the ancient 
 faith, that the individual who had the temerity to 
 enter the lists with him, was not only silenced, but 
 acknowledged his defeat. This triumph induced 
 several others who were tainted with the Lutheran 
 heresies, to abjure them and adhere most firmly to 
 the doctrines of their forefathers. The majesty of 
 divine worship was renewed, piety resumed its an- 
 cient sway over the public morals, and the practices 
 of religion reflourished.f So great and unusual 
 was the change effected, that in a few months 
 Brescia could hardly recognize herself. 
 
 Nor was he less successful at Bassano, a city 
 which, from its contiguity with Germany, was fear- 
 fully exposed to the contagion of the errors that had 
 spread over that fated country. By his assiduous 
 exhortations, and solid discussions, he so strength- 
 
 * Lib. iv. n. 79. t Id - »• 79. 
 
16 Jr JAMES LAYNEZ. 
 
 ened the minds of the citizens against them, that 
 they persevered, after his absence, in maintaining 
 the Catholic faith. He divided his labors with 
 his companions in such a manner, that every 
 morning and afternoon a discourse was delivered 
 in the church of St. Lawrence in Damaso, to a 
 noble and approving audience. His reputation 
 for learning and sanctity daily and justly increased: 
 and so enthusiastic was the public admiration in 
 his regard, that wreaths and flowers were often 
 scattered on his person while he announced and 
 defended the word of God* The dignity of bishop 
 was offered him ; but he rejected it, in conformity 
 with the spirit of his order, and still more from a 
 spirit of personal humility. 
 
 Meanwhile the dispute between the King of 
 France and the Emperor of Germany having been 
 adjusted, the Sovereign Pontiff turned his attention 
 to the General Council of Trent, which had been 
 interrupted during the space of three years. As 
 his legates, he deputed the Cardinals, John Maria 
 de Monte, Marcellus Ceruinus, and Reginald 
 Pole.f These were followed by a hundred and 
 
 * Lib. v. n. 16. 
 
 f One of the most classic and finest histories in the En- 
 glish language, is the life of Cardinal Pole, by Canon Phil 
 
JAMES LAYKEZ. 165 
 
 more Bishops from Italy, and a large number from 
 Spain, Portugal, and France ; besides representa- 
 tives of all Catholic princes, and the most learned 
 theologians, secular and religious. To the apos- 
 tolic legates were added two divines, selected from 
 a society devoted to the service of the Holy See, 
 and the defence of the Catholic Church against 
 the assaults of heresy. These were Laynez and 
 Salmeron, men of profound erudition and well 
 tried virtue. The former was in his thirty-fourth, 
 
 ips. In point of style, felicitous and beautiful narrative, 
 accuracy, and eloquence — all combined, or each in particu- 
 lar — it will dispute the palm with Roscoe's Leo X. Why 
 does not some enterprising Catholic publisher give us an 
 American edition ? The account which the author presents 
 of the Council of Trent, is by far the best and most detailed 
 in our language. 
 
 "He was," writes Dr. Lingard, "the son of Richard 
 Pole, a Welsh knight, and of Margaret, Countess of Salis- 
 bury ; and a kinsman of Henry VIH., who had taken on 
 himself the charge of his education." He could not assent 
 to the divorce of the king : Lord Montague waited on Henry 
 to deplore the infatuation of his relative. " I love him in 
 spite of his obstinacy," was Henry's reply : " and were he but 
 of my opinion, I would love him better than any man in 
 the kingdom." Such was the Pope's legate to the Council 
 of Trent, and with whom Laynez was so intimately asso- 
 ciated. Hist, of England, vol. vi. chap. iv. p. 223. PhUad 
 
166 JAMES LAYNEZ. 
 
 and the latter in his thirty-first year. Ignatius, in 
 consideration of the jealousy which this extraordina- 
 ry honor might excite against his infant Institute, 
 and, likewise, of the youth of the individuals select- 
 ed for the high station, used every effort to free 
 them from it. But, finding it in vain to contend 
 against the fixed determination of the Pontiff, he 
 drew up for their direction certain admonitions, 
 which I cannot refrain from abridging for the edi- 
 fication of the Reader.* 
 
 " In discharging the duties alloted to your care, 
 there are things which I desire you particularly to 
 observe. First, in the Council, seek only for the 
 greater glory of God, and the common good of the 
 Church. Secondly, when not engaged in the 
 Council, continue your customary functions among 
 the people. Finally, at home do not neglect your 
 private duties and devotions ; but, by your diligent 
 and assiduous practices of piety, take care to ren- 
 der yourselves better fitted for the arduous task 
 that is devolved upon you. 
 
 " In the business of the Council, it will become 
 you to be slow in speaking, and very considerate 
 and benevolent in giving your opinions. In listen- 
 ing, be attentive and sedate, and see clearly the 
 
 * Lib. v. 24, 25, 26. 
 
JAMES LAYNEZ. 167 
 
 mind and drift of those who are speaking ; in 
 order the more easily to reply directly, if needs be, 
 or silently to assent. In the disputations that oc- 
 cur, wait for the arguments to be adduced on each 
 side before you form a judgment of your own, 
 always studying to be impartial and just in your 
 decisions. If it be necessary for you to express 
 your opinions, you will do it modestly and calmly, 
 never omitting the clause : to the best of my judg- 
 ment* 
 
 " Out of the Council, let no opportunity pass of 
 doing good to your neighbors ; by hearing con- 
 fessions, preaching to the people, exciting them 
 to fervor and prayer, instructing children, and 
 visiting hospitals. In your sermons, never touch 
 on any point controverted between Catholics and 
 Protestants : but, labor to reform the public 
 morals, and enforce obedience to the Church. 
 In explaining the catechism to children, accommo- 
 date your style to their comprehension and under- 
 standing ; and conclude with a brief prayer for 
 the prosperity and happy termination of the 
 synod. 
 
 " As regards your own conduct, you will set 
 aside an hour at night for the purpose of examin- 
 
 * Ibid. 
 
168 JAMES LAYNEZ. 
 
 ing your actions of the day, and conferring on the 
 affairs which will occupy your attention on the 
 next : this you will do by private deliberations. 
 And the more firmly to bind yourselves together, 
 by humility and mutual charity, you will advise, 
 freely reprehend, and, if necessary, even correct, 
 one another."* 
 
 Guided by the wisdom that breathed through this 
 masterly admonition, Laynez proceeded to the Coun- 
 cil, where he was affectionately received, with Sal- 
 meron, by the Cardinal legates, who offered them a 
 princely hospitality. But, acting in conformity with 
 the proper spirit of their Institute, they preferred 
 an humble residence which had been prepared for 
 them near the church of St. Elizabeth. f The fifth 
 session had been convoked for the seventh of June, 
 1546. J Before taking his seat, Laynez devoted his 
 
 * Id. n. 26. f Lib. vi. n. 21. 
 
 % The Council opened the year previous, convoked by the 
 authority of Pope Paul III. ; and with some interruptions, 
 continued until 1563, when it was brought to a happy ter 
 ruination under Pius IV. It consequently occupied the long 
 space of eighteen years. Twenty-five sessions were held, 
 at which the Pope's legates duly presided ; a hundred and 
 twenty-seven canons were issued. 
 
 Of this famous Council, a false and ridiculous history was 
 composed by Fra Paolo Sarpi, which is solidly and learnedly 
 
JAMES LAYNEZ. 169 
 
 time to the duties of the hospital, teaching the 
 Christian doctrine, and other works of charity, by 
 which he, at once, gained the affection, and confi- 
 dence, and veneration of all. 
 
 In the august assemblage of dignitaries and le- 
 gates, he made his appearance clad in an humble 
 and worn-out habit, in such a manner, that he 
 was regarded, at first, as an object of contempt, 
 and of especial disgust to the Spanish prelates. 
 But it was not long ere the fact was made evident, 
 that the most splendid talents, profound erudition, 
 and admirable eloquence, were hidden under the 
 garb of poverty.* Unbounded confidence was 
 placed in his opinions, which he sustained with 
 such a depth of learning, and accuracy and perspi- 
 cuity of language, that in all disputed points his 
 sentiments were the first to be heard by the Fathers, 
 before entering promiscuously upon the debate.f 
 The most weighty responsibilities, were laid on 
 him ; as was evinced by the circumstance of the 
 
 confuted in an authentic one, compiled by Cardinal Palavi- 
 cini, formerly a Jesuit, from the original acts, preserved in 
 the Vatican. 
 
 * Id. n. 23. " Turn demum intellectum est sapientiam 
 Interdum sordido latere sub pallio." 
 
 f Id. n. 25. 
 
 15 
 
170 JAMES LAYNEZ. 
 
 task of drawing up the decree on justification hav- 
 ing been committed to his prudence and that of 
 his companions.* A compendium of all the Lu- 
 theran errors — a work of immense labor and deli- 
 cacy — likewise emanated from their hands, for the 
 use of the Council. 
 
 During the recesses of the Synod, Laynez 
 returned to the customary offices of zeal : he 
 preached, catechized, visited the sick, attended in 
 the confessional, and labored for the aid and so- 
 lace of the poor and wretched. Considering the 
 assiduous attention which the affairs of the Council 
 required, it is difficult to realize the amount of 
 usefulness and solicitude which he accomplished 
 among the faithful, as it were by snatches. For 
 the duties of the Council were incessant and ab- 
 sorbing. Each day two meetings were held : that 
 of the morning treated of the reformation of mor- 
 als ; that of the evening, of the dogmas of faith. 
 One hour was allotted to each speaker : Laynez, 
 as he states in a letter to Canisius, was heard 
 three hours at a time, f And to his industry was 
 assigned the task of selecting from the Councils 
 and Fathers of the Church, and from the decrees 
 of the Popes, monuments and proofs condemnatory 
 
 * Id. n. 27. f Lib. vii. n. 23. 
 
JAMES LAYNEZ. 171 
 
 of the various errors of the Reformers. And, 
 nevertheless, from these momentous studies and 
 investigations, he passed with incredible facility 
 and celerity to the practical avocations of the 
 pulpit and the confessional. 
 
 In the eighth session, held in March, 1547, it 
 was determined, on account of the inclemency of 
 the climate, and for other causes, to transfer the 
 Council to Bologna.* Thither Laynez repaired, 
 with the legates and Salmeron. The question now 
 to be agitated and decided was De Penitentia, (on 
 Penance.) In this weighty and abstruse dogma, 
 his attention was entirely wrapt : during three 
 successive hours, he delivered his sentiments on it, 
 which were heard with intense attention by the 
 Fathers, who assigned to him the development, 
 likewise, of the other sacraments.f 
 
 The hours of interstice which were snatched 
 from these accumulated and onerous occupations, 
 he devoted to the instruction of the people and the 
 attendance in the confessional. 
 
 With the approbation of the legates, he obtained 
 permission to visit Perrugio : where, as he never 
 failed to do, he first paid his respects to the bishop 
 and leading personages, and afterwards betook 
 
 * Id. n. 24. t Id. ibid. 
 
172 JAMES LAYNEZ. 
 
 himself to the poorhouse, in which he lodged.* 
 Multitudes of the citizens rushed to his discourses. 
 Conversions were numberless : and in such general 
 veneration was he held, and such wonderful fruit 
 did his labors produce, that he was entreated to 
 remain during the season of Advent in that city. 
 But he had promised to spend that time at Flor- 
 ence. In return for his usefulness in Perrugio, the 
 Archbishop of Milan addressed two letters, one to 
 Ignatius, the other to Laynez himself, breathing 
 the most grateful sentiments, and hoping to see 
 the good work, begun so auspiciously, rendered 
 durable by some permanent foundation of the So- 
 ciety. 
 
 On his route to Florence, Laynez was invited by 
 the Bishop of Eugubio to tarry some time in that 
 city : thence he continued to Monte Pulciano, 
 where he preached to the faithful three days in 
 succession. At Florence, his exertions in the pul- 
 pit and the tribunal of Confession, knew no bounds. 
 Wonderful was the result. The field of his zeal 
 was covered with fruit. Morals were reformed, 
 
 * Id. n. 28. " Pauperum ad hospitium suo more divertit," 
 writes Orlandinus. What a grand spectacle, to contemplate 
 the light and ornament of the Council of Trent, passing from 
 the admiring view of that august body, into the abode and 
 communion of the poor and humble ! 
 
JAMES LAYNEZ. 173 
 
 alms-deeds were practised to an unprecedented 
 amount ; and penitents, as well among the mili- 
 tary as the citizens, nocked to the sacred tribunal. 
 With the spirit of Christian virtue, he aroused alsc 
 that of letters. He was a pattern of both : and in 
 order to unite both in an indissoluble connection, 
 the Florentines proposed the immediate erection 
 of a college. He was offered the choice of six or 
 seven sites in the city. Of none of them did Lay- 
 nez deem it expedient to accept. Still the city 
 persisted in the determination to found such an 
 establishment. They urged the duke to place it 
 in his dominions ; and obtained a promise that in 
 a short time it should be commenced at Pisa.* He 
 preached the Lent, in the great cathedral, begin- 
 ning from Septuagesima, to more than eight thou- 
 sand auditors.f At the end of the season, regretted 
 by all whom he left behind, he quitted Florence, 
 and repaired again to Venice ; whence, after hav- 
 ing fortunately brought to a termination a trying 
 question relating to the college of Padua, he was 
 
 * Id. n. 30. 
 
 f One of Ms sermons, "On the Tears of Magdalen," de 
 livered, according to an immemorial nsage, to dissolute 
 women, converted many of them. For the particulars, see 
 lib. viii. n. 18. 
 
 15* 
 
174 JAMES LAYNEZ. 
 
 called to Rome.* But a short time was given him 
 to repose amid the venerable retreats of the Holy 
 City. He was ordered to Sicily, at the request of 
 Cardinal Alexander Farnesius, and Vega, the gov- 
 ernor of that island. On his way, he was detained 
 at Naples over the space of a month, during which 
 he never ceased from preaching, and exhorting, and 
 instructing ; whilst he had the opportunity of en- 
 joying in the quiet monastery of Benedictine monks, 
 where he made his abode, much solitary repose. 
 By the viceroy he was most humanely received. 
 And so great was the enthusiasm of the people to 
 hear his sacred eloquence, that it became necessary 
 for him to address them twice, and often thrice, on 
 the same day. In the chapel of the convent, he 
 entered upon an explanation of the sacred Scrip- 
 tures ; and was always ready to receive and ad- 
 vise numbers who nocked to consult with him in 
 their doubts and difficulties, spiritual and tem- 
 poral. 
 
 In February, 1549, he arrived in Sicily, and, at 
 Palermo, was greeted with every token of welcome 
 and kindness by the viceroy, Vega, and the no- 
 bility.f He was invited to preach the Lent in a 
 church near the palace, which was thronged with 
 
 * Id. n. 20, 21, 22. f *&>• &• n. 23. 
 
JAMES LAYNEZ. 175 
 
 a distinguished and numerous audience. In the 
 midst of these labors, he was suddenly prostrated 
 by illness, and was removed from the turmoil of 
 the capital to the calmer retreats of Mon-Reale. 
 No sooner had he recovered his strength, than he 
 hastened back to the arena of his zeal, and re- 
 sumed his sermons with unequalled eloquence, and 
 unprecedented effect.* 
 
 The anxious yearnings of these holy disciples of 
 Ignatius were not bounded by any quarter of the 
 globe. Xavier had passed returnless seas, and 
 enkindled the light of the gospel in the interior of 
 Asia. Laynez is now chosen to do the same in 
 the gloomy and barbarous regions of Africa. 
 Vega, who was intrusted with an expedition into 
 that country which lies opposite to Sicily, prevailed 
 on Ignatius to permit Laynez to accompany him. 
 This expedition was ordered by Charles V., in 
 consequence of the irruptions which were made by 
 the pirate Dracutus, who had infested the maritime 
 coasts of Italy and the Straits of Gibraltar ; and 
 the command of this was assigned to the viceroy 
 himself. They departed not only with a strong 
 Sicilian fleet, but aided also by the Pontifical, Flo- 
 rentine, and Maltese ; and reached, after a fa- 
 
 * Ibid. 
 
176 JAMES LAYNEZ. 
 
 vorable sail, the island of JEgates, anciently re- 
 nowned for the slaughter of the Carthaginians, 
 and recently styled Fauagnana. Four days later, 
 they landed on the continent of Africa, and selected 
 a place for their encampment. Laynez, meanwhile, 
 diligently occupied himself in constructing a hos- 
 pital for the soldiers, who soon began to sink 
 under these torrid heats and insalubrious skies. 
 He, with his own hands, prepared and adminis- 
 tered their medicines, washed their linen, tendered 
 their diet, watched, frequently the entire night, 
 over their beds, heard their confessions, offered 
 up the Divine Sacrifice daily, exhorted them to 
 patience, resignation, contrition, prepared them 
 for death, and consigned their bodies to the earth. 
 In such numbers were they carried off by the 
 plague, that two or three hundred lay heaped to- 
 gether, which, regardless of the loathsome and 
 pestilential atmosphere, he strove to cover with 
 the sod, and compose with decency and religious 
 care.* For the success of this expedition, Ignatius 
 ordered the holy mysteries of the altar to be cele- 
 brated by all the Society : and the Sovereign Pon- 
 tiff, moreover, imparted the blessings of a jubilee 
 to all the troops engaged in it. These joyous 
 
 * lib. x. n. 88, 89, 90, 91, 93. 
 
JAMES LAYNEZ. 177 
 
 tidings were announced to the camp with the sound 
 of the trumpet, and Laynez exhorted all to profit 
 by the favor, especially as their lives were ex- 
 posed to the twofold danger of the climate and the 
 enemy. The rush to the holy tribunal was im- 
 mense : whole nights were spent in the confes- 
 sional, and the army presented the appearance of 
 one great school of virtue and self-victory. Their 
 souls being thus purified and strengthened, their 
 valor necessarily became intrepid and fearless, 
 sustained, as it seemed to be, by the propitious 
 favor of Heaven.* They laid siege to and cap- 
 tured the city on the tenth of September ; and 
 four days after — the festival of the Exaltation of 
 the Cross — the sacrifice of the Mass was cele- 
 brated in one of the mosques of the Mahomed- 
 ans, which had been duly dedicated to the true 
 God, under the patronage of St. John the Baptist ; 
 and some Moors were solemnly baptized.f The 
 victorious troops embarked, and the fleet returned 
 to Sicily in triumph, amid the congratulations of 
 
 * "Hand obscure in exitu auxilium cceleste cerni potu- 
 erit," writes our historian. Why not believe in the interpo- 
 sition of the omnipotent God of battles now, as well as in 
 the history of the wars of the Hebrews ? 
 
 f Id. n. 93. 
 
178 JAMES LAYNEZ. 
 
 the people. Laynez was especially covered with 
 honors, as having been — they well knew — the 
 life and soul of the army. But no part of the spoils 
 would he consent to accept. One who evinced so 
 noble a contempt for suffering or death, whilst the 
 danger lowered, was not to be dazzled by success, 
 or corrupted by booty. He preserved, under every 
 circumstance, the same stern love of poverty, and 
 the same imperturbable detachment from the glory 
 and fortune of the world.* 
 
 * Laynez' exhortation to the soldiers, when on the point 
 of engaging with the enemy, deserves to be recorded. It is 
 manifestly the expression of a patriotic and, at the same time, 
 apostolic heart : " It behooves you to remember, soldiers, 
 how different are our weapons from those of the enemy : — 
 they fight for booty, and vain-glory, and the extension of 
 their dominion : whilst we have taken up arms from the pure 
 love of Christ, prepared to brave every danger, and even to 
 shed our blood in defence of our altars and hearths. And 
 although great achievements are performed by valor and 
 strength, we must not confide in them, but in the protection 
 of God, on whom victory depends. You must fight, indeed, 
 and bravely ; but, in the camp, your conduct must be pious, 
 and worthy of Christians. It would be criminal, whilst 
 fighting against the enemy, to wage war against the Omnip- 
 otent. By your virtue and piety, united with fortitude, 
 you will render God propitious. Wherefore, it is not for the 
 spoils and booty that you should contend, as the barbarians 
 
JAMES LAYNEZ. 179 
 
 From the noise and business of the camp, he 
 knew how to pass, with a wondrous transition, to 
 the calm and otium of the college. With him, it 
 was no difficult matter for " arms to 3 T ield to 
 peace,"* or peace, if necessary, to arms, when 
 the voice of obedience bade him mix in either. 
 In the year 1551, we find those hands which on 
 the desert shores of Africa were employed in rais- 
 ing a temporary hospital for the sick and wounded 
 soldiers, now employed, with no less earnestness, 
 in erecting a magnificent college in Etruria. 
 Eleonora, the wife of the Duke of Tuscany, 
 caused the Sovereign Pontiff to recall Laynez 
 from Sicily to Pisa. Here, on Sundays and festi- 
 vals, he preached in the church of the Benedic- 
 tines ; and such was the charm of his urbane and 
 conciliatory manners, that he attracted to the con- 
 fessional numbers of distinguished persons, and 
 thousands of the various classes of society. To 
 the catechetical instructions, he drew the children 
 
 are accustomed to do, but for the glory of God, which you 
 should always have before your eyes : so that the peace of 
 the empire and the common safety of our citizens may be 
 effected by your arms." Ribadeneira, de vit. Layn. lib. i, 
 p. 26. 
 * Cedant arma togae, &c. 
 
180 JAMES LAYNEZ. 
 
 and poor, by giving little presents to the former, 
 and alms to the latter.* 
 
 Meanwhile, the services of this extraordinary 
 Jesuit were again required in the Tridentine Coun- 
 cil, to which the Sovereign Pontiff called him, 
 knowing well, as Polancus expressed in a letter 
 written to him at this period, that he was qualified 
 not merely to teach the Lord's Prayer to children, 
 but to instruct, by his incomparable erudition, the 
 whole Christian world. On his arrival at Trent, 
 he was received amidst the gratulations of the 
 legates and the prelates, and the first place among 
 the theologians was assigned to him, as having 
 been deputed immediately by the Holy See.f In 
 giving his opinion, he modestly prefaced it by re- 
 marking, that in the all-important subjects relating 
 to the orthodox faith, his reliance was not on hu 
 man judgment, which was fallible, but on the 
 Divine assistance : that every doctrine should be 
 made manifest by the testimony of the sacred 
 Scriptures and the authority of the holy Fathers. 
 He declared, moreover, that not a single Father 
 would he quote, whom he had not read from the 
 beginning to the end.J When the august sacra- 
 
 * Lib. xi. n. 9. t ML n. 36. 
 
 X Nullum se pro sua sententia Patrem aut Doctorem in 
 
JAMES LAYNEZ. 181 
 
 ment of the Eucharist was brought under discus- 
 sion, he cited no less than thirty-six Fathers in 
 confirmation of the Catholic dogma : all of which, 
 according to his own declaration, he not only had 
 read, but had, likewise, reduced into an admirable 
 abridgment. When he arose to speak, a deep 
 silence prevailed, and loud applause was often 
 elicited, by the singular learning and splendid tal- 
 ents which he displayed, during three hours at a 
 time.* Being seized with a fever, probably 
 brought on by his incessant application and fa- 
 tigue, the Council, unwilling to be deprived of his 
 invaluable aid, held private sessions, in which, 
 despite his illness, he and Salmeron assumed the 
 heaviest burden. JEgidius Foscari, Bishop of 
 Modena, bore testimony of their combined and 
 admirable usefulness. In one of his letters, written 
 at Trent, he asserted that Laynez and Salmeron 
 discussed the venerable dogma of the Eucharist, 
 against the Lutherans, in the most splendid manner. 
 " I deem myself truly happy," he added, " to be a 
 contemporary of such learned and holy Fathers. "f 
 
 medium allaturum quern non ipse totum a capite ad calcem 
 pervolutasaet. Id. n. 37. 
 
 * Id. n. 28. 
 
 f Et re vera, me feUcem duco, quod in hsec tempora tam 
 doctorum, quam sanctorum Patrum inciderim. Ibid. 
 
 16 
 
182 JAMES LAYNEZ. 
 
 The Council of Trent having been again su» 
 pended, in 1552, Laynez, hardly yet recovered 
 from his quartan fever, repaired to Padua, — but 
 not, indeed, to rest. A new burden was imposed 
 upon his shoulders by Ignatius, who made him 
 Provincial of Italy. This honor, he, at first, strove 
 to refuse, on many grounds, but on the one particu- 
 larly suggested by his extreme humility— namely, 
 that he himself had not learned to obey.* But he 
 sacrified his own will to the designs of Provi- 
 dence, made known through his Superior, and 
 submitted to them with resignation. To the letter, 
 however, installing him in that responsible and 
 distinguished office, he replied in these terms : 
 '* On receiving your Reverence's epistle, I had 
 recourse to prayer, with copious tears, (which I 
 rarely shed,) and my desire ever was and is yet — 
 which I adjure you through the bowels of Christ 
 to take into consideration — that you would free me 
 from the duty of governing, of preaching, and from 
 all literary pursuits ; leave me only my breviary. 
 Order me to retire to Rome as a poor mendicant, 
 and there place me in the kitchen, or refectory, or 
 garden, or any other humble position : or, if I be 
 not fit for such occupation, let my office be to 
 
 * Lib. xii. n. 20. 
 
JAMES LAYNEZ. 183 
 
 teach the lowest class of grammar, until my 
 death."* 
 
 And still, when the unchangeable determination 
 of Ignatius was made known to him, with prompt 
 obedience and child-like simplicity, he bowed to 
 the yoke of preferment which was laid upon his 
 neck. A noble example of heroic self-abnegation, 
 which how much more easy it is to admire than 
 to imitate, few of my readers have yet to learn. 
 
 The happy effects of his administration soon 
 began to manifest themselves. At Genoa, a col- 
 lege was founded by the liberality of the citizens, 
 aroused and inflamed by the powerful and exciting 
 eloquence of Laynez,f who, with his peculiar ver- 
 satility of mind, and wonderful faculty of dividing 
 his abilities, at the same time, among various occu- 
 pations, compiled, at the desire of Ignatius, a sum- 
 mary of dogmatic theology, for the use of the 
 schools of the Society.^ And so unbounded was 
 the sway which his sacred oratory exercised over 
 the public mind, that frequently the appeals which 
 he made in his Lenten sermons in aid of the poor 
 and friendless produced, at each time, not less than 
 a thousand — and once as much as two thousand — 
 golden florins. § 
 
 * Id. n. 22. f Lib. xiii. n. 11. 
 
 t Id. n. 18. § Lib. xiv. n. 31. 
 
184 JAMES LAYNEZ. 
 
 In the year 1555, he was again selected by the 
 Sovereign Pontiff to accompany into Germany the 
 Legate, Cardinal John Moroni : but the inoppor- 
 tune demise of Julius hastened his return to Italy. 
 This melancholy event was bitterly deplored by 
 the Society : in Julius, it was deprived of a Father, 
 by whom it had been munificently confirmed, 
 and endowed, favored with many privileges, and 
 adorned with numberless titles of his highest 
 favor. 
 
 Marcellus, who succeeded to the tiara, succeeded, 
 in like manner, to the benevolence of Julius 
 towards Ignatius and his order. When the latter 
 went to pay his homages at the feet of the new 
 pontiff, " Go," Marcellus addressed him, " gather 
 soldiers and warriors ; we will make use of them."* 
 He then selected as his theologians, Laynez and 
 Olauius. But — such is the uncertainty of human 
 events — the hopes awakened by the friendship of 
 Marcellus were soon destined to wither away. A 
 few days later he was precipitated, by a sudden 
 stroke of death, into the tomb, followed by the 
 regret, and bewailed by the lamentation, of all 
 good men."!" 
 
 * Tu milites, inquit, collige et bellatores, nos atemur 
 Lib. xv. n. 3. 
 f Id. n. 4 
 
JAMES LAYNEZ 1^5 
 
 But the auspicious elevation of Paul IV. to the 
 throne of the Vatican compensated for the recent 
 calamity, and dried the tears of the Church. His 
 partiality to the Society yielded, in no respect, to 
 that of his predecessor. When Ignatius presented 
 to him in person the congratulations of his whole 
 order, he was received with every mark of regard, 
 kindness, and affection : not suffering him to re- 
 main upon his knees, but allowing him the unusual 
 honor of promenading, while conversing, through 
 the hall of reception.* The confidence reposed by 
 the venerable Pontiff — he was eighty years old — 
 in the Society, was unbounded : but of all the re- 
 nowned Fathers then living, Laynez was most dear 
 to him. In a conversation with some of his breth- 
 ren, Ignatius did not hesitate to affirm, that unless 
 the hand of God should interpose, they should soon 
 see Laynez adorned with the Cardinal's hat. To 
 confer this eminent distinction on him, Paul, indeed, 
 had intended : and the apprehension of the event 
 excited, at once, all the anxiety of Ignatius, and 
 all the terror of Laynez. Day and night did this 
 humble man implore the mercy of God to avert such 
 a destiny from his head. He had passed the better 
 portion of his life in the retired spirit of his Insti- 
 
 * Lib. xvi. n. 4. 
 16* 
 
186 JAMES LAYNEZ. 
 
 tute : how could he, in its decline, consent to plunge 
 into the splendid turmoils and distractions of a 
 court ? He had vowed to shun all honors in the 
 Church ; he had coveted the lowliest offices in the 
 Society, — what desire could he now entertain to 
 be raised to the pinnacle of ecclesiastical and 
 princely glory ? And yet, he was commanded by 
 Paul to take up his residence in the Vatican. Not 
 to appear to disregard the will of the Sovereign 
 Pontiff, or to be deficient in the due obedience 
 which he owed the Vicar of Christ, he instantly 
 obeyed. There he remained but one day. On the 
 next, he returned to his brethren, and drew up the 
 following schedule, which he signed with his own 
 hand : 
 
 " Whereas, from grave authority, I have learned 
 that the Sovereign Pontiff has some design upon 
 me, I call God to witness, and declare, in his 
 presence, with all the candor and sincerity of my 
 heart, that I am utterly unfit for any office which 
 may be destined for me ; and that, with my whole 
 mind, I shrink from it. For, having examined my- 
 self, and seeing my utter want of the necessary 
 qualifications, I would deem it ridiculous for me to 
 accept it, and altogether abhorrent from the char- 
 acter of the Institute to which I belong ; an Insti- 
 tute, in which my labors will be far more useful 
 
JAMES LAYNEZ. 187 
 
 to the Church, and more congenial to the vow that 
 I have taken. Of this I will strive, by every possi- 
 ble argument, to convince the Pope." * 
 
 In short, if the Pontiff should persist in his de 
 termination, Laynez had resolved to fly, and, after 
 the example of some other ho\j men, hide himself 
 from the world. Paul, viewing in his sudden dis- 
 appearance from the palace, the interposition of 
 the finger of Providence, did not recall him, much 
 less force upon him the honors from which he fled. 
 Laynez saw the danger pass away : his joy was 
 incredible ; his thanksgiving to Heaven unceasing 
 and intense. - )* 
 
 * Lib. xv. n. 7. 
 
 f Id. n. 8. " Quo depulso periculo," writes Orlandinus in 
 his classic style : " Laynius incredibili perfusus est gaudio, 
 nullum ut gratulandi Deo fin em faceret." This was not the 
 only occasion in which he had to struggle against high hon 
 ors in the Church. While General of the Order, the Cardi 
 nals in conclave assembled, after the demise of Paul IV. 
 thought seriously of raising him to the pontifical throne 
 He, however, escaped the splendid burden of the tiara, 
 which fell to the lot of Pius IV. I cannot here omit an 
 interesting circumstance that occurred at Paris, whither 
 he was deputed by the Pope, with the Legate, Cardinal 
 Hippolyto, as theologian, to the Synod of Passy. At that 
 Synod were present the King and Queen of Navarre, five 
 Cardinals, fifteen Bishops, the Prince of Conde, and several 
 
188 JAMES LAYNEZ. 
 
 But, escaping one dignity, he was only reserved 
 for another : a dignity, however, compatible with 
 his vocation, and which he afterwards filled in a 
 
 other princes, twenty Doctors of the Sorbonne, and the two 
 standard-bearers of Lutheranism, Peter Martyr and Theo- 
 dore Beza. The object of this Convention was to put an 
 end, if possible, to religious disunion. Laynez spoke 
 at length on the necessity of yielding to the authority of 
 the Church, when Peter Martyr urged not a few objec- 
 tions against several dogmas of faith, and especially against 
 the sacrifice of the Mass. He argued that Christ cannot be 
 really offered on the altar, as there the sacrifice of the cross 
 is merely represented. But, he insisted, if the thing itself 
 be present, there is no representation of that thing ; conse- 
 quently, according to the admission of Catholics themselves, 
 Christ is not truly present. To this specious sophism — 
 which has been repeated a thousand times since — Laynez 
 gave this triumphant reply : Suppose a king desired to in- 
 stitute an annual commemoration of some great victory ; 
 this he might effect in three different ways : 1. By merely 
 causing the fact to be narrated. 2. By causing it to be 
 represented by actors. 3. By being present at it himself, 
 and thus representing the scene in which he himself had 
 personally been engaged. No one could doubt the reality 
 of the king's presence, although the past victory is merely 
 represented anew. This clear and original position he sup- 
 ported, to the conviction of all candid minds, by the holy 
 Scriptures, and the ancient Fathers of the Church. See 
 Tanner, p. 98. 
 
JAMES LAYNEZ. 189 
 
 manner that added new lustre not only to his own 
 person, but to the entire body of the Society. On 
 the demise of Ignatius, Laynez was raised, by the 
 suffrages of his brethren, to succeed their saintly 
 founder as General of the Order. In which capa- 
 city, during the space of seven years, all the 
 treasures of his erudition, the qualities of his mind, 
 the magnificent attributes of his character, were 
 displayed, to the admiration of the world. The 
 history of his administration would fill a volume 
 with splendid conceptions and glorious achieve- 
 ments. But to write this would be straying from 
 my object : which is, to show forth to posterity the 
 picture of these wonderful men, merely as they 
 stood iii conjunction with Ignatius, as his first 
 companions, — that the spirit transfused by him 
 into their conduct and character may be properly 
 understood ; and that the grandeur with which it 
 was carried out, in their persons, may be justly 
 appreciated and admired. With this view, I will 
 close the life of Laynez : and, in so doing, I take 
 farewell of one of the most admirable men who, in 
 any epoch — but especially that of the sixteenth 
 century — flourished in the Catholic Church.* 
 
 * Laynez died in the year 1565, at Borne. 
 
ALPHONSUS SALMEBON. 
 
CHAPTER V. 
 
 ALPHONSUS SALMERON 
 
 Alphonsus Salmeeon.— Called to the Society. Teaches In the 8apiemsa, 
 at Eome. Is sent to Ireland. Seized as a Spy at Lyons. Is called to 
 Modena. Is persecuted. Is sent to the Council of Trent Draws up a 
 Summary of the Errors of Luther. Goes to Bologna ; to Verona ; to 
 Germany, at the command of the Pope. Labors at Ingoldstadt. Is re- 
 called to Verona; is sent to Naples; afterwards to Poland; then to Bel- 
 gium. His labors forever appreciated by that nation — his immortal 
 name. 
 
 The desire of making the acquaintance of Igna- 
 tius having attracted Laynez, as the reader saw 
 in the preceding chapter, to Paris, he was accom- 
 panied, with the same view, by a young Spaniard, 
 a native )f Toledo, whose name was Alphonsus 
 Salmeron. He was born in the year 1515. His 
 parents were not of the highest order, but, what 
 is more valuable, they were honest and virtuous ; 
 and perceiving in their son extraordinary talents, 
 a heart disposed to goodness, and a mind orna- 
 mented with many gifts of nature, they trained him 
 up to letters, as far as their means would permit, 
 at Toledo and Compostella, where he applied to the 
 
 17 
 
194 ALPHONSUS SALMERON. 
 
 study of the Greek and Latin languages, and the 
 various branches of philosophy. The suavity of 
 his manners did not yield to the excellence of his 
 genius. He acquired the degree of Master, and 
 having determined to pursue a course of theology, 
 set out, with this intent, to the metropolis of France, 
 where, as above described, he became, with Laynez, 
 the friend and afterwards the disciple of Ignatius.* 
 With the other companions, after severe fasting, 
 penitential austerities, and sacramental confession, 
 he made his vows, on the feast of the Assumption, 
 (1534,) in the chapel of the Blessed Virgin Mary, 
 and sealed the solemn act by receiving, immediately 
 after, the holy Eucharist from the hands of Faber. 
 
 After his ordination, his first destination was 
 Rome ; where he commanded universal attention 
 and respect by his eloquent discourses, and his 
 public disputations in the famous university of the 
 Sapienza.f He was next selected for a mission of 
 a very arduous, but extremely interesting charac- 
 acter. Henry VIIL, king of England, having re- 
 pudiated his lawful wife, Catharine, had espoused, 
 contrary to justice and right, the famous Anne 
 Boleyn. These nuptials could not be approved by 
 the Sovereign Pontiff. On the contrary, he con- 
 
 * Lib. i. n. 87. f Lib. ii. n 80. 
 
ALPHONSUS SALMERON. 195 
 
 demned and annulled them as a violation of con- 
 science, and a contempt of the majesty of Charles 
 V.* Henry, hurried on by the impetuosity of his 
 lust, and forgetful of the distinguished stand he 
 had before taken in defence of the Catholic faith, 
 was driven to fatal extremes. Rather than forego 
 the charms of Anne, he embraced the errors of 
 Luther, which he once had combated with his own 
 pen, and dared to separate from the Holy See.f 
 
 * The reader will remember that Catharine was the aunt 
 of that emperor. 
 
 f When Luther first began to dogmatize, and before 
 Henry had yielded to the violence of his own beastly pas- 
 sions, he wrote in the following terms against the German 
 apostate : 
 
 " I wonder more, Luther, (wrote Henry VHI. to him,) 
 that thou art not, in good earnest, ashamed, and that thou 
 darest to lift up thy eyes either before God or man, seeing 
 that thou hast been so light and so inconstant as to allow 
 thyself to be transported by the instigation of the devil to 
 Jiy foolish concupiscences. Thou, a brother of the order of 
 St. Augustine, hast been the first to abuse a consecrated 
 nun ; which sin would have been, in times past, so rigor- 
 ously punished, that she would have been buried alive and 
 thou wouldst have been scourged to death. But so far art 
 thou from correcting thy fault, that moreover, shameful to 
 say, thou hast taken her pubUcly to wife, having contracted 
 with her an incestuous marriage and abused the poor and 
 miserable to the great scandal of the world, the re- 
 
196 ALPHONSUS SALMERON. 
 
 Nor was he satisfied with this : but maddened by 
 his brutal passions, he even arrogated to himself 
 the title and prerogative of head of the Anglican 
 Church, which he required all his subjects to ac- 
 knowledge, under the penalty of most cruel enact-' 
 merits. This sacrilegious tyranny one portion of 
 his dominions had the courage and the virtue to 
 resist. Ireland could not be bribed or persecuted 
 into heresy and schism. She was doomed to op- 
 
 proack and opprobrium of thy countrj', the contempt of holy 
 matrimony, and the great dishonor and injury of the vows 
 made to God. Finally, what is still more detestable, in- 
 stead of being cast down and overwhelmed with grief and 
 confusion, as thou oughtest be, at thy incestuous marriage, 
 miserable wretch, thou makest a boast of it, and instead 
 of asking forgiveness for thy unfortunate crime, thou dost 
 incite all debauched religious, by thy letters and thy writ- 
 ings., to do the same." 
 
 It was this vindication of the ancient religion that ob- 
 tained for Henry — and it is unjustly retained by his suc- 
 cessors — the glorious title of " Defender of the Faith/' 
 granted by the Sovereign Pontiff, Clement VII. See Lin- 
 gard, Henry VIII., chap. ii. 
 
 Henry did not throw off some of those practices which 
 have since been stigmatized by Protestantism as idolatrous * 
 in his last illness, he was constantly attended by his Cotv 
 feasor, the Bishop of Rochester, heard Mass daily, in his 
 chamber, and received the communion under one kind. See 
 Lingard, ubi supr. page 275. 
 
ALPHONSUS SALMERON. 197 
 
 pression, and terrible visitations of the tyrant's 
 vengeance ; but the purity of her faith could not 
 be debauched, nor her constancy to the Holy See 
 be crushed by despotism. "That faith," writes 
 Orlandinus, "remained intact, and that constancy 
 sincere." * 
 
 But the faithful fold was lamentably deprived of 
 shepherds, while, in every direction, wolves with- 
 out number were prowling, and lions going about 
 seeking whom they might devour. With paternal 
 sympathy and solicitude, the Sovereign Pontiff, 
 Clement VII., contemplated the forlorn condition 
 of that part of Christ's heritage. In order to place 
 within their reach the aids of religion, by which 
 their spiritual wants might be supplied, and their 
 hitherto unshaken adherence to the faith of their 
 ancestors be more and more confirmed, with the 
 apostolic vigilance becoming his position, he cast 
 his eyes upon Salmeron as a fit instrument, in the 
 hands of Providence, to effect this twofold object. 
 This eminent Jesuit, together with his companion, 
 
 * Intactam tamen Catholicam fidem, et sincerissimam 
 erga Romanum Pontificem obedientiam ammo ac voluntate 
 servabante. Lib. iii. n. 45. For the particulars of the 
 king's divorce, bis marriage "with Anne Boleyn, and Lis 
 rupture with Rome, see Lingard, Henry VIII., chap. iii. 
 
 17* 
 
198 ALPHONSUS SALMERON. 
 
 Paschasius, was designated for that mission, and 
 invested with ample powers from the Holy See. 
 " Without sack or sandal," in the primitive style of 
 the first followers of Jesus, he set out for that 
 beautiful but blasted island. He went, moreover, 
 invited and expected with cordial veneration by 
 the Primate Kobert, of Armagh : and the protection 
 of his heavenly Father was with him.* Accom- 
 panied by a third associate — not, however, yet 
 of the Society — whose name was Francis Zapata, 
 he started, in the month of September, from the 
 city of Home, upon a long and difficult journey, 
 taking with him, as their common guide, the follow- 
 ing salutary admonitions of Ignatius : ' 4 In their 
 intercourse with men of every grade, but especially 
 their inferiors and equals, they were instructed to 
 be reserved and moderate in their language : to 
 listen with patience, and gentleness, and attention ; 
 and reply with brevity and precision, so as to cut 
 off all secessity of persistence in the argument : 
 to imitate the benevolence of the apostle, who be- 
 came all things to all men for the sake of gaining 
 them over to Christ : to remember that nothing 
 conciliates so effectually as conforming, as far as 
 proper, with the customs and prejudices of others : 
 
 * Id. n. 46. 
 
ALPHONSUS SALMERON. 199 
 
 to adapt themselves, therefore, with due discretion 
 and wisdom, to the manners of the people : to op- 
 pose Satan with his own weapons, and make use 
 of every art to insure their salvation which the in- 
 fernal enemy exercises for their eternal ruin ; — this 
 was the maxim of Saint Basil ;* — for, when Satan 
 sets about to destroy a soul, he does not attempt it 
 openly, and at once, but by various, and secret, and 
 cunning artifices ; to praise, in the beginning, what 
 they see laudable in the conduct of the people, 
 passing by, for a time, their vices, until their good 
 will and friendship be secured : to preach the 
 Catholic truths and virtues not only in public dis- 
 courses, but likewise in private conferences, and 
 not to forget that whatever they say, even ' in 
 the dark/ will spread abroad, and be proclaimed 
 'from the very house-top :' in transacting busi- 
 ness, rather to anticipate, than defer time ; so 
 that if any thing be promised for the morrow, 
 let it be performed on the present day : to re- 
 fuse all pecuniary compensation, even for dis- 
 pensations ; but whatever moneys might be re- 
 ceived should be given to the poor : to write to 
 Rome frequently on their journey ; from Scotland ; 
 as soon as they should reach Ireland ; and after* 
 
 * St. Basil, in reg. brev. interrog. , 245. • 
 
iOO ALPHONSUS SALMERON. 
 
 wards, every month to give an account of theii 
 mission."* 
 
 Armed with these instructions, Salmeron bent 
 his way, not without imminent danger, through 
 France, as the war then raging through that 
 country rendered suspicious every stranger who 
 ventured to enter it. He, however, escaped, and 
 embarked for Scotland, whence, encountering 
 great difficulties and obstacles, he passed over 
 to Ireland, where, under the Divine protection, he 
 arrived about the beginning of Lent.f Here he 
 found every thing in disorder ; fear and terror oc- 
 cupied every heart, and the condition of the Catho- 
 lics was discovered to be far worse in reality than 
 had been described to them at a distance. The 
 people were poor and neglected, and entirely de- 
 prived of the care and vigilance of pastors. The 
 nobles, with one solitary exception, had succumbed 
 to the will of the tyrant, and bound themselves by 
 oath to burn all letters that might come from the 
 Sovereign Pontiff, and to apprehend and imprison 
 all who should continue faithful to the ancient 
 
 * Id. n. 48, 49. The principal heads of these wise admo- 
 nitions of St. Ignatius are given ; leaving out some, which 
 the reader may find in full in the numbers to which he u 
 referred. 
 
 f Id. n. 58. 
 
ALPHONSUS SALMERON. 201 
 
 Church. Under these circumstances, the Catholics 
 did not dare receive the Father as coming with ex- 
 traordinary powers from the Holy See, or even 
 whisper abroad the object of his mission. But 
 Salmeron and his companions did not yield to de- 
 spondency, or recoil from danger. They studied 
 their position ; marked the difficulties that sur- 
 rounded their path ; and labored, privately at 
 least, to master them all. They succeeded to a 
 considerable extent ; and found means to proffer 
 their spiritual assistance to the suffering but faith- 
 ful people. They encouraged and strengthened 
 them by salutary exhortations ; instructed them in 
 the pure spirit of religion, teaching them what to 
 retain and what to reject. To thousands they admin- 
 istered the sacraments ; celebrated the holy myste- 
 ries ; performed, with assiduous and compassionate 
 zeal and solicitude, all the offices of their ministry, 
 in a manner worthy the cause in which they were 
 enlisted, and the Institute under which they acted. 
 The joy of the Irish people was universal, their 
 gratitude characteristic. Whoever has studied the 
 genius of that susceptible and devoted nation, will 
 easily understand how intense and heartfelt was 
 their veneration of these apostolic men, who, for 
 the mere love of their souls, had encountered the 
 fatigues of a long journey, and the frowns of the 
 
202 ALPHONSUS SALMERON". 
 
 English government. And, were it now more 
 universally known that Salmeron and Paschasius 
 Broetus, those true disciples of Ignatius, were the 
 first missionaries sent from Rome, to comfort and 
 strengthen the Irish Catholics immediately after the 
 fatal Reformation in England, their names would 
 be embalmed in the memories, and engraven on 
 the hearts, of the children of Erin, at the present 
 day. If the mere circumstance of my being in- 
 strumental in bringing these — their ancient bene- 
 factors — before the people of Ireland, were the only 
 good result produced by this biography, I should, 
 even so, consider my pains and my research more 
 than abundantly compensated. 
 
 During thirty days, Salmeron and his compan- 
 ions traversed the island, giving an example of 
 unrelenting perseverance, shining sanctity, and 
 unparalleled disinterestedness. The fame of his 
 spiritual exploits spread abroad, and aroused the 
 vindictive passions of the English Protestants, who 
 offered a large reward for his head. Dazzled by 
 the fascinations of gold, many individuals were 
 ready to betray and sell the missionaries. They 
 stood in imminent peril. Their usefulness — 
 watched and hemmed round by the venal enemies 
 of the Church — was at an end ; and it became their 
 duty to save their lives by withdrawing from the 
 
ALPHONSUS SALMERON. 203 
 
 island. They, accordingly, fled to Scotland, obe- 
 dient to the positive commands of Ignatius, that, 
 should they deem their remaining in Ireland to be 
 unsafe, they should, straightway, retrace their steps 
 to Italy.* In complying with this injunction, they 
 left behind them a blessed memory among the 
 people, and a signal monument of apostolic virtues, 
 for having exposed themselves to danger and to 
 death, with a total renunciation of their own will, 
 actuated by supernatural charity, spurning all per- 
 sonal consideration, and devoting their being to the 
 salvation of their oppressed and persecuted breth- 
 ren.f 
 
 On his return to Scotland, Salmeron, whose soul 
 was still undaunted, and whose zeal was on fire, used 
 every effort to obtain an audience of the king, with 
 the hope of persuading that monarch to relax his 
 rigor against his Catholic subjects. But every 
 
 * Id. n. 60. Ribadeneira, Vit. Salm. Tanner, p. 196. 
 
 f Abeunt, igitur, ex Hybernia, relicto apud eos populos 
 cum desiderio non parvo turn singulari monumento virtutis, 
 qui morte periculisque contemptis, nulla sua utilitate quos- 
 cunque, sed una dumtaxat animorum salute, ac caritate duc- 
 ti, tantum itineris suscepissent. Id. n. 60. Were not such 
 men under the guidance of the Spirit of God, that same Spirit 
 which animated the first most glorious apostle of Ireland, 
 and the holy monk who converted England ? 
 
204 ALPHONSUS SALMERON. 
 
 avenue to the throne was blocked up by the indu» 
 try of the courtiers, who had abjured the ancient 
 faith together with nearly the whole of the Scot- 
 tish people. In despair of effecting his purpose, 
 or bringing about any good result by delaying in 
 that apostate realm, he, with his companions, 
 crossed the Channel, and reaching again the more 
 genial and grateful soil of France, landed at 
 Dieppe, and pursued his journey, on foot, to Paris. 
 There, having tarried a considerable length of 
 time, he received letters from the Pope instructing 
 him to return, with the same privileges and powers, 
 to Scotland. But, on informing the Holy See of 
 the condition — as he had witnessed it — of that 
 country, he was ordered to bend his way directly, 
 with his faithful associate, Paschasius, to the Eter- 
 nal City. Poor and humble, like the fishermen of 
 Galilee of old, they travelled on in safety as far as 
 Lyons : there, in consequence of the war that was 
 raging between the French and the Spaniards, 
 every stranger was viewed with suspicion, and es- 
 pecially these two priests — the one a Spaniard, the 
 other a Frenchman — so unusually sordid in their 
 appearance, so singularly negligent in their dress. 
 Wherefore, they were seized as spies, and cast into 
 prison. Fortunately, however, they were known to 
 the Cardinal of Tours, who happened, then, to be at 
 
ALPHONSUS SALMEKON. 205 
 
 Lyons, and by him not only honorably dismissed, 
 but provided with means and horses to continue 
 their journey. Such was the result of the Irish 
 mission ; which, although it did not realize the, 
 perhaps, too fervent anticipations of the Pontiff, 
 nevertheless exhibited a shining monument of the 
 zeal of Salmeron, of his devotion and obedience to 
 the Holy See, and his readiness to brave any dan- 
 gers, submit to any privations, nay, even expose 
 his precious life, for the defence and propagation of 
 the Catholic faith. 
 
 And here I must not pass over, without due com- 
 memoration, the name of Robert, Primate of Ar- 
 magh. This venerable prelate was by birth a 
 Scotchman, and had been blind from his boyhood,* 
 but was distinguished for learning, and renowned 
 for piety. When informed of the little success of 
 this mission, " Now," he said, " I clearly perceive, 
 that unless the sheep hear the voice of the shep- 
 herd, no good can be done." Despite his blindness, 
 he labored vehemently for the spiritual welfare of 
 his people, and assisted at the Council of Trent : 
 from which, returning to Ireland, he was taken ill 
 at Lyons, and, with these words on his lips, 
 " Lord, if I can still be useful to thy Church, I do 
 
 * A puero csecus, Id. n. 61. 
 
 18 
 
206 ALPHONSUS SALMERON. 
 
 not refuse to labor ; but thy will be done," — he 
 expired in the arms of the Jesuits, whom he in- 
 tensely loved and venerated. 
 
 After enduring great fatigue and anxiety, among 
 a distant people, Salmeron's next destiny was to 
 suffer a most cruel persecution in Italy. He sui • 
 mounted the former with apostolic fortitude, he will 
 subdue the latter with noble magnanimity. Invit- 
 ed to Modena by the Cardinal Moroni, he repaired 
 to that city, where, during two years, he labored 
 in the spiritual vineyard. On those fields of the 
 Church, with the good grain planted and fostered 
 by his hands, there grew up much cockle which 
 the devil had sowed. The poison of Lutheranism 
 had sunk so deeply into the hearts of many, that 
 not only did it defy the healing power of Salmeron, 
 but it caused them to fester with hate and malevo- 
 lence against him. They had the hardihood to 
 accuse him of teaching false doctrines, and even 
 attacked the sanctity of his morals. Numberless 
 calumnies against him were scattered abroad, 
 which, as they spread, accumulated in gravity, and 
 in apparent authenticity. The holy and injured 
 man held his place with constancy, and, both in 
 public and private, hazaided everything most dear, 
 with the hope of recalling the erring from their 
 devious labyrinths, and the abandoned to a sense 
 
ALPHONSUS SALMERON. 207 
 
 of duty and religion. With a sacred freedom he 
 reproved vice, inveighed against abuses, and ar- 
 gued against heresy. But his zeal was repaid 
 with ingratitude and injury. His enemies went so 
 far as to depute informers to the Roman court, 
 charging him with iniquitous conduct. On hear- 
 ing this, Ignatius, who knew full well the inno- 
 cence of his disciple, summoned him, nevertheless, 
 to Rome, that he might, in person, be able to vindi- 
 cate himself. In effect, he so completely confound- 
 ed his enemies, and so immaculately emerged from 
 the trying ordeal, that it is manifest Heaven sub- 
 jected him to it only for the purpose of signalizing, 
 in the clearest and brightest manner, the sanctity 
 of its servant.* 
 
 From the arena of his triumph over the assaults 
 of calumny, the Sovereign Pontiff, as if to decree 
 him a solemn ovation, associated him with Laynez 
 as an apostolic theologian to the holy Council of 
 Trent :f as one best calculated, by his extraordi- 
 nary erudition, singular prudence, and integrity of 
 life, to combat and defeat the enemies of the 
 Church. The honor conferred on Salmeron was 
 
 * Lib. iv. n. 13, 14. 
 
 f See the particulars as above related in the biography of 
 Laynez, chap. iv. 
 
203 ALPHONSUS SALMERON. 
 
 the more signally marked, as he was, at this epoch, 
 only in his thirty-first year.* Notwithstanding his 
 extreme youth, so exalted was the opinion which 
 the prelates entertained of his wisdom and abilities, 
 that they often consulted with him in private, be- 
 fore they delivered their sentiments in the public 
 sessions.f He delivered a Latin oration, of which 
 the style and composition were so elegant, that it 
 was published by the desire of the Council, as a 
 masterpiece of sacred rhetoric, and was preserved 
 as such for the benefit and admiration of posteri- 
 ty.! On the subject of Justification — an abstruse 
 
 * " Or quanto a Padri Laynez, et Salmerone, l'uno e l'altro 
 eran giovani ; queste ne' trent' un anni, quegli ne' trenta 
 quattro : di che ingenio, e sapere, il vidrem poscia : che non 
 se ne vuol ricordare altro che il zelo della fede Cattolica, e 
 della reformazione della Chiesa, ch'era ardentissimo in 
 amendue adunque in tante, e cosi gravissime occasioni che 
 loro tuttodi si offerrebbono d'adoperarlo, esser pericolosi di 
 trasandare con qnalque seorso di lingua, difficillissimo a scan- 
 sare, peroche altretanto difficile a conoscere." — Bartoli, lib. 
 ii. p. 6. 
 
 And yet, notwithstanding their extreme youth, the reader 
 will learn in the text, how great was the authority, how 
 powerful the influence, which they exercised over the whole 
 Council. 
 
 f Lib. vi. n. 23. 
 
 X Orlandinus, than whom no better judge could exist, de> 
 
ALPHONSUS SALMEKON. 209 
 
 and much vexed question — his prudence shone out 
 in brilliant rays, especially as he was the first to 
 deliver his sentiments concerning it. For, many 
 and powerful objections were to be refuted, many 
 obscure points to be made evident, and vast re- 
 search to be exhibited. 
 
 The reputation, so justly acquired by Salmeron 
 in the Council, was enhanced by his indefatigable 
 zeal in preaching, hearing confessions, and visiting 
 the hospitals. The prelates, assembled from all 
 parts of the world, beheld, with amazement, the 
 spirit of the Society exemplified in her first disci- 
 ples at Trent. Its fame spread rapidly and widely 
 among all true Catholics, while the wavering and 
 the perverted earnestly endeavored to tarnish its 
 glory. The Bishop of Clairmont, who, ere he wit- 
 nessed, with his own eyes, the shining example of 
 Salmeron and his companions, had been tainted 
 with some undefined prejudice against their order, 
 afterwards not only became conciliated and satis- 
 fied, but proved his sincerity, and signalized his 
 friendship, by becoming the founder of no less than 
 three Jesuit colleges in his diocese.* 
 
 clares : Salmeron latinam orationem habuit elegantis illius 
 tonventus auribus dignam. Ibid. n. 24. 
 * Lib. vi. n. 30. 
 
 18* 
 
210 ALPHONSUb SALMERON. 
 
 At Bologna — whither the Council was transfer! ed 
 — Salmeron continued his unremitting duties, as 
 apostolic theologian, and an arduous missionary. 
 He preached the Lent (1548), in the church of St. 
 Lucia, introduced among the highest classes a taste 
 and habit of prayer, and drew many of the noble- 
 men to the sacred tribunal. Thence, at the invita- 
 tion of the Bishop of Verona, Louis Lipomani, he 
 went to that city, where, by his discourses and 
 instructions, he produced much fruit : he confirmed 
 in the faith the minds of many who began to doubt, 
 recalled to the bosom of the Church several who 
 had strayed away, and silenced the noisy declama- 
 tions of Heresy against the holiness of Truth, by 
 a public e^Jration of the sacred Scriptures.* Al- 
 though, ingeliejAl, listened to with marked respect 
 and admi^raon lathis auditors, he was, by some 
 ' '-<£. individuals^yjhen^fti depraved habits or tainted 
 * V Viands — interrupted 8paf opposed. He was styled 
 v ' vy tn-^a^ulator of tft^omtuijypontiff, afraid to reveal 
 V, whatnie wellvknew2frncefA|g the Church of Rome. 
 In other words,, he wft^ftccir flk yf vile hypocrisy — 
 the last subterfuge of the^meijes of Truth ; who, 
 when argument fails thein— as our daily experience 
 teaches — always have recourse to the infamous 
 
 * Lib. viii. n. 28, et Lib. ix. n. 48. 
 
ALPHONSUS SALMERON. 211 
 
 logic of calumny and misrepresentation. This, it 
 appears from the circumstance before us, was an 
 early artifice of the Reformation ; and on this much 
 of its declining influence reposes, after an interval 
 of three hundred years. In our own republic, is 
 not Catholicism identified by her opponents with 
 Jesuitism, and is not Jesuitism confounded with 
 mental reservation, suppression of truth, and the 
 justification of the means necessary for the accom- 
 plishment of any object? When the ingenuous 
 and upright mind sees through this baneful scheme 
 of the leaders of Protestantism, what wonder is it, 
 that it abandons them in disgust, and seeks for 
 truth and virtue in the blessed tabernacles of 
 Rome ! * 
 
 From Verona, Salmeron extended his missionary 
 solicitude to Belluno, an ancieajflSmd elegant city 
 in the Venetian dominions, *ffware<*^f the bitter , . 
 animosity that existed therj^^gainiSwis person andL^v * 
 the institute of the Sociafa^rie i^fl p f ionately rettpb- . -%* 
 mended himself and jfe'objajv to the pra^rs of ^v 
 Ignatius. ConfidenJJjSf tkk holiness of his cause* 
 he commenced a Srolio^ course, of* lectures, which 
 were numerously frequented ; gave private instruc- 
 tions ; introduced the practice of prayer and medi- 
 tation ; extirpated vices ; and revived a spirit of 
 piety and devotion. His novel style of preaching 
 
212 ALPHONSUS SALMEKON. 
 
 excited universal admiration : all united in con 
 ceding that the true and genuine character of pul- 
 pit oratory was displayed to perfection in his f rvid 
 and solid, his moving and convincing eloquence. 
 Since the days of St. Bernard of Sienna — it was 
 unanimously admitted — no preacher ever produced 
 more general and lasting good.* To this declara- 
 tion the state of society bore evidence. Violent 
 and deadly animosities were extinguished ; errors 
 and unsound opinions were abandoned ; the works 
 of Luther and his fellow-gospellers were destroyed ; 
 the sacraments were frequented ; the fasts of Lent 
 and other penitential ordinances were revived ; 
 and, in fine, Religion reassumed her pristine dis- 
 cipline and salutary sway.f The acknowledged 
 success of Salmeron in counteracting the advance- 
 ment and pernicious consequences of error at Bel- 
 luno, induced Ignatius to station him in the very 
 seat of its empire — Germany. With Jaius and 
 Canisius he was ordered to undertake that mission 
 at the earnest solicitation of William, Duke of 
 Bavaria, an uncompromising defender of the Cath- 
 
 * Id. n. 49. 
 
 f "Denique," writes our historian, " alia id genus com 
 plura gesta." No wonder the sons of Ignatius should bo 
 hated by the votaries of the world, and the enemies of the 
 Catholic faith. 
 
ALPHONSUS SALMEROK. 213 
 
 olic faith. To add greater weight to their project, 
 the degree of Doctors in Theology was awarded 
 to them all by the famous University of Bologna. 
 This honor they received through the Cardinal John 
 Maria de Monte, who afterwards was raised to the 
 papal throne. At Trent, the former theatre of Sal- 
 meron's learning and eloquence, they were received, 
 with merited distinction, by the cardinal, who com- 
 mended them by special letters to the Duke of Ba- 
 varia. This noble prince, who yielded to none in 
 his veneration for these saintly Jesuits, received 
 them with every token of cordial affection. With 
 public demonstrations of welcome they entered the 
 city of Ingoldstadt, and were especially greeted by 
 the whole academy, in a masterly Latin oration.* 
 On the following day, in the "ancient" college, 
 Salmeron began an explication of the epistles of 
 St. Paul, which he continued in a series of dis- 
 courses not less learned than beautiful : which 
 were so greatly admired by the illustrious members 
 of the academy, that they were published for the 
 
 * In a no less elegant style Canisius responded extempo- 
 raneously, in the name of his companions ; " Cni subito et 
 eleganter omnium nomine a Canisio responsum est," writes 
 Orlandmus, ubi mpr. n. 54 
 
21-i ALPHONSUS SALMERON. 
 
 perusal and instruction of all men of taste and in 
 vestigation.* 
 
 A sudden order of the Sovereign Pontiff requir- 
 ing his presence at Verona, suspended the great 
 and good work he had commenced. Obedient to 
 nis supreme will, although the duke remonstrated 
 loudly and strongly against the measure, Salmeron 
 quitted Ingolstadt amid the tears and regrets of 
 the Academicians. At Verona he was created 
 Dean of Theology in the university, where he re- 
 mained an entire year. 
 
 At Naples, a college was about being founded 
 under the auspices of Hector Pignatelli, Duke of 
 Monte Leone, and Caraffa, Count of Montorio. 
 These distinguished benefactors of the Society 
 wrote to Ignatius requesting him to send to that 
 city some eminent Jesuit to preach the Lenten ser- 
 mons, and negotiate concerning their meditated es- 
 tablishment. Salmeron was selected, and was re- 
 ceived at Naples with solemn congratulations. 
 Without delay, he entered upon the offices of his 
 mission, and, at the suggestion of most noble and 
 influential citizens, commenced, in the church of 
 the Blessed Virgin, a course of lectures explana- 
 tory of the epistle of St. Paul to the Galatians, 
 
 * Id. ibid. 
 
ALPHONSUS SALMERON. 215 
 
 which he conducted with such fervid eloquence and 
 solid erudition, that he crushed the secret spirit of 
 heresy which was lurking in the bosom of society.* 
 
 Useful as were his labors at Naples, a more 
 conspicuous and unlimited stage was ag*ain pre- 
 pared for him by the Sovereign Pontiff. Again 
 must he assume his post as Theologian of the Holy 
 See in the sacred Council of Trent. He reached 
 that city, in company with Laynez, towards the 
 end of July, A. D. 1551 ; where, as we have related 
 in the last chapter, he won golden opinions, both 
 for himself personally, and for the Society which he 
 represented.f 
 
 Three years later he visited again the city of 
 Naples, where he resumed, with his former energy 
 and fervor, the work of instruction and piety 
 which had been interrupted for so long a time. To 
 his sermons crowds flocked without number. With 
 his irresistible eloquence and learning, he swept 
 away, as so many flimsy cobwebs, the heresies 
 which certain reformists had woven among the 
 people, and revived the primitive spirit of devotion 
 and fervor. Among other pious institutions, he es 
 
 * Lib. xi. n. 16. 
 
 f Id. n. 36. See the particulars in the biography of Lay- 
 nez, chap. iv. 
 
216 ALPHONSUS SALMERON. 
 
 tablished two sodalities, one for men, the othei 
 for women. Of the former the object was— 
 strengthening their resolution by receiving the 
 holy communion every fortnight — to catechise 
 children, instruct the ignorant, diffuse peace and 
 concord among their fellow-citizens, entice others, 
 by their virtuous example, to the frequentation of 
 the sacraments, and to visit and nurse the poor 
 and infirm.* That of the women required its mem- 
 bers to approach weekly the holy table ; to imbue 
 the minds of their children and domestics with 
 the influence of religion, by reflecting it in their 
 own conduct ; to provide for the unfortunate of 
 their own sex who should desire to reform their 
 lives ; and to beware of decorating their own per- 
 sons meretriciously or too extravagantly, either by 
 the use of factitious coloring or unseemly dress.f 
 The usefulness of such sodalities to the members 
 themselves, and to society at large, may be easily 
 imagined : and it was in promoting such holy ob- 
 
 * Lib. xiv. n. 36. Of course, only the most exemplary and 
 iisinterested could obtain membership in this admirable as- 
 ociation. 
 
 f Against the custom of painting, St. Cyprian inveighed 
 in unsparing terms, as unbecoming Christian ladies. See 
 Orlandinus, ubi supr. 
 
ALPHONSUS SALMERON. 217 
 
 jects that the disciples of Ignatius — and in this 
 particular especially Salmeron — dedicated and de- 
 moted their talents and their lives. Europe beheld 
 them with wonder, and looked to them as the props 
 and ornaments of the Faith in these disastrous 
 times. Everywhere colleges were asked for : 
 insomuch that it was impossible for Ignatius to 
 supply the demand for his disciples. The request 
 of Sienna was, however, granted ; and in the erec- 
 tion of her college, Salmeron justly claims no vul- 
 gar merit. 
 
 That beautiful and lately powerful city had just 
 recovered from the horrors of an exhausting war, 
 and fallen under the dominion of Philip (1556) ; 
 and was placed under the government of Cardinal 
 Francis Mendoza. This noble prelate, seeing on 
 all sides the melancholy vestiges of that fatal war, 
 and commiserating the calamities of a people re- 
 nowned for humanity and refinement, resolved to 
 remedy the evil by blending together the Divine 
 and human aid. To this effect,, he entreated Igna- 
 tius to allow him the assistance of three members 
 jf his order, under whose auspicious and soothing 
 influence he anticipated the happiest and holiest 
 results. The appeal to his charity, under these 
 woeful circumstances, awoke the deep sympathies 
 of Ignatius ; and forthwith he chose the number 
 
 19 
 
218 ALPHONSUS SALMERON. 
 
 desired, of which the most conspicuous was Sal- 
 meron. From Poland, whither he had been sent 
 with the Apostolic Nuncio, Louis Lipomani, (he 
 was the first Jesuit that was ever seen in that king- 
 dom,) by the order of Ignatius he was summoned 
 back to Italy, and stationed at Sienna, at the dis- 
 posal of the cardinal and the city * 
 
 He was not, however, left long in that position ; 
 —scarcely long enough to accomplish all the good 
 anticipated. His services were deemed so invalu- 
 able by the Sovereign Pontiff, that they were 
 made to extend from kingdom to kingdom a brief 
 but indelible influence, rather than to conceutrate 
 in any particular part. He was soon called back 
 to Rome by the Pope, who associated him with the 
 Cardinal de Montala in a mission to Belgium, where 
 he laid the foundations of that firm and reverential 
 hold which the Society secured among a truly 
 Catholic people, who have, to the present day, 
 cherished their faith with a primitive integrity 
 and love, and stand in the midst of the nations of 
 the earth a living, speaking, splendid monument 
 of the genius, character, and influence of the Cath- 
 olic faith.f The Belgians, who are now, perhaps, 
 
 * Lib. xvi. n. 3, 4, 5. 
 
 f See the particulars of the introduction of the Society 
 
ALPHONSUS SALMEKON. 219 
 
 the most Catholic people in Europe, have not for- 
 gotten the labors of the primitive Society among 
 them. During all succeeding times, it has been 
 cherished and venerated : some of the most mag- 
 nificent volumes which the press ever sent out into 
 the world were the productions of her sons, and 
 the perfection of the typographic art of their pub- 
 lishers. While their grateful posterity — whose 
 ever ardent faith has been kept alive, and whose 
 ever Catholic spirit has been perpetuated in a great 
 degree by the Society — recurs to the annals of 
 their history, and admires the glorious names that 
 sparkle on every page, they will perceive none ir- 
 radiated with a brighter and purer halo than that 
 of Alphonsus Salmeron.* 
 
 into Belgium, as narrated in Orlandinus, lib. xvi. n. 28, 29, 
 30, 31, 32, et seq. 
 
 * On quitting Belgium for Rome, whilst passing through 
 the town of Basle, he was challenged by some of the Re- 
 formists to a controversy. From this he came forth triumph- 
 antly, having crushed his adversaries under the weight of 
 his arguments. He reached Rome in 1558, after the death 
 of Ignatius. By Laynez, he was then sent into Naples, 
 where he continued laboring with unceasing zeal, and 
 wonderful success, for the salvation of souls. It was his 
 fortune to live under five different Generals — Ignatius, Lay- 
 nez, Borgia, Everardus Mercurianus. and Aquaviva, whom 
 
220 ALPHONSUS SALMERON. 
 
 Mr. Stephen, in his famous essay on " Loyola and his Asso 
 "iates," nominates the Numa Pompilius of the Order. Re- 
 peating these words, Lcetatur anima mea, "my soul re- 
 joices," with his eyes fixed upon a crucifix, he calmly ex- 
 pired on the 13th of February, A. D. 1585, in the sixty- 
 ninth year of his age. See Tanner, p. 201 and 202. 
 
 Father Ribadeneira, who wrote the lives of Laynez and 
 Salmeron, and who was their contemporary, enumerates the 
 works composed by Salmeron, which are as follow : 
 
 I. Liber Prolegomenon : a commentary on the entire 
 Scriptures. 
 
 II. De Incarnatione : on the incarnation of Christ. 
 
 III. De infantiCi et puentid Christi Domini : on the infan- 
 
 cy and cliildhood of Christ 
 
 IV. An evangelical history. 
 
 V. An explanation of Christ's sermon on the Mount. 
 VI. On the miracles of Christ. 
 
 VII. A treatise on the parables and sermons of the gospel. 
 VIII. De disputationibus Domini : on Christ's disputations. 
 IX. On the discourse of Christ touching the Last Supper, 
 
 and the Holy Eucharist. 
 X. On the passion and death of Christ. 
 XI. On the resurrection and ascension of Christ. 
 XII. On the Acts of the Apostles. 
 Besides which, he composed nine books on the canonical 
 Epistles of St. Paul, and the Apocalypse. 
 
 These works of Salmeron are regarded as masterpieces in 
 point of lucid composition, learned research, and theologi- 
 cal argument. His name ranks among the most eminent 
 writers of the Church in the sixteenth century. 
 
NICHOLAS BOBADILIA. 
 
CHAPTER VI. 
 
 NICHOLAS BOBADILLA. 
 
 Nicholas Bobadilla.— Becomes one of the nine. Is sent to the island of 
 Ischia. Is destined for the East Indies, bat detained by illness. la 
 deputed to Germany. Labors at Vienna ; traverses the different cities 
 of Germany. Befuses the Episcopal dignity. His zeal at Naples. Is 
 made Rector of the Neapolitan College. His lenient government His 
 trials. His submission. His obedience and other virtues. An ex- 
 ample to posterity. 
 
 In the year 1525, whilst Ignatius was just com- 
 mencing the magnificent work of his Society in 
 Paris, a strange youth presented himself, desirous 
 of obtaining an interview with that immortal man. 
 His object was to confide to his paternal breast 
 the story of his wants and friendless circumstances 
 in that vast metropolis, to which he had come with 
 the hope of being able to prosecute his theological 
 studies. His parents had struggled to provide 
 him with the necessary means ; but in vain 
 And he must either relinquish the career on which 
 
224 NICHOLAS BOBADILLA. 
 
 he had entered with such buoyant emotions, such 
 successful anticipations, or he must meet with some 
 true and sympathizing benefactor, whose hand will 
 be stretched out to support and sustain him in his 
 hopeless condition. The name of this ingenuous 
 and aspiring youth was Nicholas Bobadilla, a na- 
 tive of a village in Spain, of the same name, near 
 Palenza. He had rendered himself conspicuous 
 as a professor of philosophy in the University of 
 Valladolid. At the recital of his necessitous cir- 
 cumstances, the paternal heart of Ignatius was 
 moved, and he immediately obtained for him the sum 
 necessary for the continuance of his course in the 
 University of Paris. For these disinterested fa- 
 vors, Bobadilla not only returned the most cordial 
 expressions of gratitude, but was so charmed by 
 the manner in which they were conferred, and con- 
 ceived so lofty an estimation of his saintly bene- 
 factor, that he determined to rank himself among 
 the number of his disciples, with Faber, Xavier, 
 and the others.* Having gone through all the 
 requisite preliminaries, he pronounced his solemn 
 vows with his companions — as has been stated 
 before — on the festival of the Assumption of the 
 Blessed Virgin, A. D. 1534. 
 
 * Orland. lib. i. n. 88. 
 
NICHOLAS BOBADILLA. 225 
 
 From the frank and unaffected disposition 
 evinced in the incipient career of Bobadilla, the 
 reader may anticipate the character of his future 
 greatness. On the former was based the latter ; 
 and he is no less admirable in the one, than illus- 
 trious and ever-memorable in the other. The 
 breast that does not foster the elements of can- 
 dor and ingenuousness can never be the seat of 
 magnanimous aspirations. Had Bobadilla nursed 
 in his the morbid sentiments of false pride, or man- 
 vaise horde, he would have sunk into a miserable 
 state of apathy, and neither the history of the 
 Church nor of the Society would have treasured 
 his name, and enshrined his memory, among the 
 great and saintly apostles of the sixteenth cen- 
 tury.* 
 
 * " Era giovane, di quanto e ingegno e scienze naturale 
 e divine, fornito piu che a sufficienza. Poi quive stesso e in 
 Italia, vennto formandosi nella vita spirituale, sotto la disci- 
 plina del Santo, deviene in verita uomo di riuscire a cose 
 grandi in servigio della Chiesa : perocche attemperandosi in 
 lui la grazia alia natura, come per questa era di compessione 
 focoso, cosi per quella, di spirito a maraviglia zelante ; e i 
 tempi che allora correvano disordinatissimi per la tanta 
 liberta o del vivere, o ancora del credere .... abbisogna- 
 vano, per ammenda, di troppa piu gagliarda, che non sarebbe 
 mestieri in altra meno disordinata stagione." Bartoli, libr. 
 'ii. p. 224. 
 
226 NICHOLAS BOBADILLA. 
 
 Ignatius, who with almost a prophet's intuition 
 read the distinctive qualities of his disciples, 
 descried in Bobadilla the spirit of conciliation and 
 peace : and in their dispersion over the world, to 
 him was allotted a mission of this twofold char- 
 acter, to the island of Ischia, in the kingdom of 
 Naples. Among certain noble and powerful person- 
 ages of that place, a fatal animosity had broken 
 out, which was as pernicious as it was scandal- 
 ous.* The happy result amply realized the san- 
 guine presentiments of Ignatius : and, although 
 the nature of these quarrels so auspiciously ad- 
 justed by Bobadilla is not specified by our historian, 
 nevertheless, as that eloquent writer remarks, " it 
 afforded an earnest of his future tact and prudence, 
 and constituted a bright preliminary to his splendid 
 achievements in Germany." f 
 
 It was the manifest disposition of events by 
 Divine Providence that pointed out the destination 
 of Bobadilla. When the distant portals of the 
 East were opened to the missionary labors of 
 
 * Id. lib. ii. n. 79. Bobadilla in JEnariam ab urbe mitti- 
 tui regni Neopolitani insulam ad conciliandam pacem inter 
 graves illnstresque viros. 
 
 f Specimen suae dabat industrial quae postea latissimum 
 Germania nacta campum, tanto liberius excurreret, quanto 
 jam coni bita vidibatur angustiis. Ibid. n. 81. 
 
NICHOLAS BOBADILLA. 227 
 
 the Jesuits, it was the intention of Ignatius to 
 charge him — as one best fitted — with that mo- 
 mentous trust. With this view, he was recalled 
 from Mnsiria, to Home, in the beginning of the 
 year 1540. Laboring, though he was, under a 
 severe illness, and wasted with the fatigues of his 
 long journey, still he showed himself ready and 
 desirous, at the command of Heaven, to depart at 
 once, upon the almost returnless voyage for which 
 he was selected. But the opportunity of sailing 
 being urgent, and the fleet in readiness, ere he 
 had time to recover from his indisposition, the lot, 
 which by human ordination had been intended for 
 him, was, by Divine interposition, transferred upon 
 another. No matter what glorious hopes the de- 
 parture to the Indies of such a man might have 
 kindled up in the Church, the splendid and almost 
 miraculous achievements of the apostle who was 
 substituted in his place not only remove all regret 
 at the change, but afford the subject of immortal 
 gratitude to God, and glory unsurpassed to Francis 
 Xavier.* 
 
 Bobadilla arrived in Germany, hardly conva- 
 ] escent from his recent sickness, and proceeded 
 to Inspruck, where King Ferdinand was residing 
 
 * Id. n. 88. 
 
228 NICHOLAS BOBADILLA. 
 
 with his children. There, forgetful of his weak 
 ness, with intrepid zeal, he began his laborious 
 career, and by his private conferences with the 
 nobles, as well as the other public functions 
 of the ministry, he devoted himself to the sal- 
 vation of the people. The court being, after- 
 wards, transferred to Vienna, he obtained access 
 to the sovereign himself, by whom he was re- 
 ceived with a gracious welcome, and encouraged 
 to continue his exertions for the cause of reli- 
 gion. Wherefore, he resumed, with renewed 
 fervor, his public instructions, and the other 
 functions of the mission. He preached, gave 
 lectures explanatory of the ancient faith, cate- 
 chised the young and ignorant, devoted hours, 
 stolen from his almost incessant occupations, to 
 the confessional, and thus effected many conver- 
 sions, even among Jews and Turks. What 
 added the crown to all his other actions, was 
 the fortunate effect of his conference with the 
 king, who, animated by his vigorous and ardent 
 expostulations, supported the cause of religion, 
 and prevented the evil which menaced it at 
 Ratisbonne.* So intimately did he possess the 
 favor and friendship of the monarch, that at 
 
 * Lib. iii. n. 64. 
 
NICHOLAS BOBADILLA. 229 
 
 Vienna, whither he was ordered to follow the 
 court, he was not permitted to leave it ; but 
 became the cherished and venerated inmate of 
 the palace.* 
 
 Whilst engaged in the rigid and multifarious 
 offices of his ministry, in that great capital ; 
 whilst, with potent and eloquent energy, he main- 
 tained and vindicated the tenets of the holy Cath- 
 olic Church, he was suddenly challenged by a 
 famous Lutheran doctor to a controversial encoun- 
 ter. The source from which it emanated — the 
 standing of the individual who stood forth as his 
 antagonist — the circumstances of his own position 
 — the public expectation — the offended majesty 
 of Truth — the honor of the Priesthood — the 
 i character of the Society — rendered it necessary 
 i ">r him to set aside the strong repugnance, 
 in ordinary cases, of publicly meeting on the 
 arena of dogmatic disputation a presumptuous op- 
 ponent. There are times, when, for a Divine, 
 thoroughly competent to the task, to refuse the 
 contest, would be as deserving of reproach, as for 
 a person not perfectly armed with the weapons of 
 learning and moderation to accept, under any cir- 
 
 * Lib. iv. n. 27. In Regis curia commorabatur aeqne 
 earns, utilisque proceribus. 
 
 20 
 
230 NICHOLAS BOBADILLA. 
 
 cumstances. The former produces striking and 
 solemn good : the latter generates mischief, and 
 leaves no other impression on the public conviction, 
 but that of temerity and defeat. 
 
 Bobadilla was driven upon the arena ; but not 
 without feeling himself equal to the conspicuous 
 and, generally, dangerous attempt. He was actu- 
 ated by no ostentatious desire of exhibiting his 
 powers of elocution, or his abilities for argument, 
 or his research and erudition. There was mixed in 
 his pure motives no alloy of vain-glory, no secret 
 self-complacency. His were the motives of an 
 apostle — a germane disciple of Ignatius — an humble 
 follower of Jesus : and impelled by these, and these 
 alone, how could he come off from the field of con- 
 troversy otherwise than victorious, and by common 
 consent, covered and graced with the laurels of 
 triumph ? 
 
 The personage by whom the gauntlet was thrown 
 at Bobadilla's feet was a fautor of Lutheranism, 
 more distinguished by the nobility of his birth 
 than by the sincerity of his faith. He held the 
 rank of the King's Counsellor, but since his defec- 
 tion from the ancient faith was looked upon with 
 unfavorable eyes by the monarch. Envious of the 
 favor and friendship displayed by the court to- 
 wards Bobadilla, this disaffected nobleman did not 
 
NICHOLAS BOBADILLA. 231 
 
 hesitate to declare that he was willing to argue 
 the subject of religion with that celebrated Jesuit 
 in presence of arbiters and judges ; avowing, that 
 should they decide against him, he would be wil- 
 ling to submit : if in his favor, that he should be 
 allowed to hold his station in court, and to persist 
 in his doctrines.* 
 
 The king assented to the proposition, nominated 
 seven judges, and summoned Bobadilla to the con- 
 test. The occasion precluded the possibility of his 
 refusing to obey the summons. No alternative 
 was left to his discretion, no choice permitted to 
 his judgment. The sacred cause of religion de- 
 manded his defence. The enthusiasm of the nobles 
 was excited on the subject. The king called upon 
 him as the champion of the Church, and the city 
 was in suspense to witness the important spectacle. 
 In God did Bobadilla place his trust ; his heart 
 yearned for the salvation of the sheep that had 
 wandered from the fold of Christ, and, with the 
 hope of bringing back at least some of the number, 
 he presented himself, at the call of the monarch, 
 upon the arena, before his stern antagonist. The 
 king and most of the nobles were spectators to 
 
 * Id. n. 27. The description of this controversy is admi- 
 rably detailed in the above reference. See it passim. 
 
232 NICHOLAS BOBADILLA. 
 
 the novel scene, hanging on the disputation viif 
 intense anxiety for the even* The controversy 
 soon waxed ardent and vehement. Argument 
 was met by argument, authority by authority, 
 But as the power of truth — vindicated as it was' 
 by the athleta of orthodoxy — could not be cloven 
 down by any violence of error ; nor its majesty 
 be tarnished by the conceits and inventions of 
 human opinion ; nor its identification with the 
 Holy, Apostolic, and Roman Church be severed 
 apart by the logic of calumny or aspersion ; the 
 disputation was necessarily of very brief duration. 
 Vanity was crushed by verity ; the impiety of the 
 disciple of Luther, by the orthodoxy of the disciple 
 of Ignatius, who detected and confuted not less 
 than fifty heresies in the doctrines of his adversary. 
 The vain apologist of Lutheranism was silenced 
 and confounded, and, by unanimous acclamation, 
 Bobadilla was hailed as his unquestionable vic- 
 tor.* 
 
 But still, with his stake, it cannot be supposed 
 that the Lutheran admitted his defeat. He had 
 more to say — therefore he imagined his argument- 
 ative ammunition had not given out : his store of 
 
 * Bellus igitur Lutheri sectator, et tali dignus magistro. 
 omnium calculis, suffragiisque damnatur. Id. ibid. 
 
NICHOLAS BOBADILLA. 233 
 
 misrepresentation had not been exhausted — conse- 
 quently he did not feel himself bound by the obli- 
 gation he had made, but forgotten — or, rather, dis- 
 regarded. On the contrary, to defeat he added 
 pervicacity ; and to error, perfidy. The equitable 
 sentence of the umpires touching his erroneous 
 doctrines he obstinately rejected, charged them 
 with perjury, pertinaciously affirmed that he would 
 never change his opinions, nor be any other than he 
 had always been, — the uncompromising enemy of 
 the Ancient Religion.* 
 
 The king, astonished not so much at the perti- 
 nacity as at the impudence of the man, who had 
 drawn up his own conditions for the controversy, 
 and now refused to abide honorably by them, ban- 
 ished him from court, and condemned him to be shut 
 up within the inclosure of a monastery. There, 
 stung with remorse, and impatient of the disgrace 
 he had brought upon himself, with his own hands 
 he attempted to put an end to his existence. The 
 wound, however — and most providentially and mer- 
 
 * Ibid. Was not this disputant an accomplished exem- 
 plar of thousands of more recent date ? Professing to be 
 open to conviction, and sincere in the inquiry after truth ; 
 and yet obstinate when convinced, and, with a spiteful em- 
 brace, hugging error to their bosoms. 
 
 20* 
 
234: NICHOLAS BOBADILLA. 
 
 cifully was the escape ordained — did not inconti- 
 nently prove fatal. Mercifully, indeed, was this 
 designed by Providence : for, from the stroke 
 which was intended to produce death, life and safety 
 sprang. Weltering in his blood, he beheld the 
 light of heaven shining upon his dark and despe- 
 rate spirit. Instantly all was changed. His ob- 
 stinacy relented ; his conscience was wrung with 
 sorrow for his crime ; he repented, retracted his 
 errors, and submitted, with humble acquiescence, to 
 the venerable Church from whose pale he had wan- 
 dered, and to whose bosom he now came back, to 
 die — a sincere penitent, and a signal object of the 
 Divine clemency.* 
 
 Meantime, the Diet was now in session at Nu- 
 remberg, at which, in order to protect the rights of 
 religion, the Bishop of Caserta was present as Apos- 
 tolic Nuncio. Bobadilla, whose fame the recent dis- 
 putation had spread to the extreme limits of the 
 empire, accompanied that prelate, and, through 
 deep snows and the dangers of pestilence, pro- 
 ceeded in safety to the destined place. By his 
 counsel and prudence the Nuncio was governed 
 and directed in the Diet : and although his stay 
 there was brief, the unremitting zeal of Bobadilla 
 
 * Id. ibid. 
 
NICHOLAS BOBADILLA. 235 
 
 prompted him to scour the whole city, and visit all 
 the churches. In his missionary functions he was 
 consoled to perceive, that the clergy were more 
 regular and less dissolute than in some other 
 places, and bound by a stronger chain to the reli- 
 gion of their ancestors. To the city of Nuremberg, 
 and that whole district of Germany, his exertions 
 proved of infinite advantage. With the Lutheran 
 minister — there was but one in the city — he be- 
 came familiar, and won over his confidence and 
 friendship to such a degree, that there was every 
 reason to hope, could he have remained longer in 
 the city, that he would have brought over to the 
 true faith that individual, in character and sentiment 
 totally different from the cunning and refractory 
 Bucer.* But after the rising of the Diet — the ses- 
 sion was short — he was obliged to return to Vienna 
 with the Nuncio, where he was greeted by the 
 king and court, and received with no ordinary de- 
 
 * Id. n. 28. Of this minister Orlandinus asserts, that he 
 possessed " facile, et ad bonum omne flexibile ingenium." 
 The same author styles Bucer, " vafrum atque prsefractum. ' 
 Wherever good and noble qualities exist, the Catholic, care- 
 fully separating them from the errors of the individual, will 
 be the first to acknowledge and praise them. Charity for. 
 bids him to believe that every teacher of erroneous doctrini 
 Is perversely insincere. 
 
236 NICHOLAS BOBADILIA. 
 
 mons 'rations of honor. To narrate all that he did 
 in that grand metropolis for the advancement of 
 God's glory, would be an exhaustless task : one 
 thing, however, must be mentioned, — that a noble 
 German of very high distinction, who had, during 
 many years past, been not only neglectful of the 
 sacraments, but also notorious for his depraved 
 habits of conduct, and who had withstood the re- 
 monstrances of the king, as well as the frequent 
 solicitations of his friends, was brought to yield 
 to one single conference with Bobadilla, and to em- 
 brace a Christian mode of life.* 
 
 His sojourn at Vienna was not long. Another 
 Diet was convened at Spires, and thither he was 
 sent, to accompany the Bishop of Passau, the rep- 
 resentative of the monarch, as one so generally 
 known to Catholics and Protestants, and whose 
 prudence and counsel would greatly benefit the 
 public weal. The prelate, aided by the wisdom 
 of the Father, having succeeded to the entire satis- 
 faction of the king, petitioned that Bobadilla might 
 be permitted to visit Passau. The request was 
 granted ; and the magnanimous Jesuit plunged at 
 once, as it were, into the centre of that diocese 
 and, with his wonted ardor, performed inestima- 
 
 m ■ ■■■■■■■ ■ —— ... —i ■■ — , — — — — 
 
 * Id. n. 29. 
 
NICHOLAS BOB AD ILL A. 237 
 
 ble good. The prelate, aware of the influence and 
 authority that he exercised over the people, made 
 abundam use of them both ; and would have taken 
 him again to another Diet at Spires, to assist, by his 
 erudition and experience, the assembled bishops 
 who were to consult for the sacred cause of religion. 
 This distinction he did not accept, on the ground 
 that it could not be conferred except by the au- 
 thority of the Sovereign Pontiff. Accordingly, he 
 remained at Passau, engaged in the functions of 
 the holy ministry ; when the honor, which he dared 
 not admit when proffered by the Bishops, was sud- 
 denly forced upon him by the Cardinal Alexander 
 Farnesius, then Legate of the Holy See at Spires. 
 With the genuine spirit of his order, he obeyed, 
 and took his place in that august Convention 
 among the great and wise. To the king and court 
 this circumstance afforded special satisfaction, 
 whilst, at the same time, it was peculiarly bene- 
 ficial to the cause of truth, which he vindicated by 
 his sacred eloquence, and illustrated by his saint- 
 like example.* 
 
 * Inspruck, Spires, Cologne, Worms, Nuremberg, and 
 other cities, which were exposed to be infected with the Lu 
 theran heresies, were saved by his preaching, conferences, 
 and all-embracing zeal ; looking for no earthly reward, 
 
238 NICHOLAS BOBADILLA. 
 
 The Diet having broken up, there ensued a con* 
 tention among the prelates, which of them should 
 take to his diocese this extraordinary man. But as 
 he came with the Bishop of Passau, with him he 
 proposed to return — and thence again to Vienna, 
 whither the king had also repaired.* There, be- 
 sides his accustomed sermons, he studied, with the 
 co-operation of the monarch, to regulate the man- 
 ners of the pastors and doctors according to the 
 norma of ancient discipline ; but nothing would he 
 undertake without the approbation, likewise, of the 
 bishops, whose authority he strenuously asserted, 
 and whose character he invariably held up to the 
 highest veneration of the faithful.f On this ac- 
 count, when the king addressed him a letter from 
 Passau, requesting him to visit the monasteries of 
 Austria, he freely replied, that he could not, without 
 
 spurning honors, and using the glory of the court of Fer- 
 dinand and Charles V. " as if he used them not :" living 
 always under the simple and holy influence of his vocation. 
 " Spregiator," writes Bartoli, " degli onori, e quel che solo 
 gli rimaneva, ancor ' della propria vita in pro della vita 
 eterna de prossimi." (P. 225.) What more perfect char- 
 acter could be portrayed for the admiration of the world, 
 and the honor of the Society, which he loved as his mother f 
 
 * Id. n. 114, 115, 116. 
 
 f Id. n. 116. 
 
NICHOLAS BOBADILLA. 239 
 
 the consent of the prelates. And again, when 
 nominated by the same power to attend at the fa- 
 mous Synod of Worms, he declined to comply, un- 
 til the nomination was sanctioned by the Holy 
 See ; at whose bidding he departed without delay, 
 and acted a part in that Convention which added 
 fresh laurels to his fame, and reflected new lustre 
 upon the Society of Jesus. 
 
 To Worms he was duly deputed with the Apos- 
 tolic Nuncio, Jerome Verallo : Jaius, his compan- 
 ion, having accompanied the Bishop of Augs- 
 burg. Baffled in his efforts, disappointed in his 
 hopes, of consolidating the elements of religion at 
 Ratisbonne, Nuremberg, and Spires, Ferdinand 
 persuaded himself that the object might ultimately 
 be attained at Worms. But, unfortunately, up to 
 this date (it had been convened a year before), no 
 salutary purpose was achieved : no efficacious 
 barrier was raised against the inroads, no sanatory 
 antidote prescribed against the errors, of Luther- 
 anism. In the effectuation of this twofold object, 
 all the vigilance, all the energies of Bobadilla were 
 called up. With unbending determination he stood 
 forth in vindication of the Church, laboriously care- 
 ful to prevent any thing — in a Council at which 
 were present the emperor and his brother Ferdi- 
 nand, together with a large number of noblemen— 
 
240 NICHOLAS BOBADILLA. 
 
 from escaping, that might be, in the least, injurious 
 to the orthodoxy of the ancient faith, or the majesty 
 of the Holy See. But despite his powerful co- 
 operation and that of his associate Jaius, the 
 Council, though prolonged, had not the happy ter- 
 mination that had been anticipated. Nothing, how- 
 ever, was decreed against the Catholic Church 
 nor was the proposal of the Lutherans admitted, 
 to have a National Convention, although they were 
 more numerous and more powerful than the ortho- 
 dox.* 
 
 * Lib. v. n. 28, 29, 30, 31. All these Diets of Germany 
 ended unfortunately. That of Spires had passed a decree, 
 banishing from the dominions all the Sacramentarians and 
 Anabaptists ; restoring the celebration of Mass, and requir- 
 ing that the gospels should be explained according to the 
 interpretation of the Fathers of the Church. Against this 
 decree the Lutherans protested, as contrary to Evangelical 
 liberty ; and hence they derived the name of Protestants. 
 
 This protestation was confirmed, in the Diet of Augsburg, 
 by the aid — powerful indeed — of Melancthon, in the Articles 
 presented to Charles V., commonly called the " Confession 
 of Augsburg." This was subscribed by all the Lutheran 
 Princes in Germany, who afterwards formed a league at 
 Smalkald, to defend their sect by force of arms. Alarmed 
 by this confederacy on one hand, and the formidable power 
 of the Turks now menacing him on the other, the emperor 
 convened the Diet of Ratisbonne ; where he entered into a 
 
NICHOLAS BOBAD1LLA. 241 
 
 It pleased God, however, whose providence 
 often draws good from evil, to turn this Synod to a 
 favorable account, in a twofold manner : first, 
 by inducing the emperor, who had a fair opportu- 
 nity of testing the obstinacy and impracticability 
 of the Dissenters, to restrain and repress them 
 more effectually than before. Secondly, by stimu- 
 lating the zeal and solicitude of the pastors them- 
 selves, who having witnessed the arts and re- 
 sources of so many "wolves in sheep's clothing," 
 rendered them more vigilant over the flock com- 
 mitted to their sacred care. 
 
 In the year 1546, Bobadilla — then laboring at 
 
 kind of armistice with the Lutherans, by issuing a procla- 
 mation forbidding any one to be molested in religious mat- 
 ters, until the General Council should be convoked. It was 
 held at Trent ; but its authority and decrees were set aside 
 and opposed by those very men who, at first, affected to be 
 willing to submit to both. 
 
 It should be carefully remarked and remembered, that the 
 recourse to arms was the act of the Protestant princes ; de- 
 termined to propagate their opinions by violence. At the 
 "head of this league were John Frederick, Duke of Saxony, 
 and Philip, Landgrave of Hesse. The particulars of this 
 religious war — in which the emperor was victorious — are 
 related by Sleiden, libr. xvii., xviii., and xix. See Natalis 
 Alexander, Select. Hist. Eccles. cap. &c. &c., torn. 24. 
 Dissert. Saec. xvi. p. 245. 
 
 21 
 
242 NICHOLAS BOBADILLA. 
 
 Cologne for the salvation of souls — was again re» 
 quired to accompany the king, to whom he was 
 very dear, to the city of Ratisbonne, where an- 
 other Synod had convened. The object of this 
 Synod was to conciliate, if possible, the Protest- 
 ants, and prepare them to recognize the (Ecumen- 
 ical Council of Trent, already convoked, but not 
 by them admitted as such. Of this Synod, all the 
 acts were to be referred to the General Council.* 
 Besides the other occupations of Bobadilla, he 
 found time to compose a work entitled " On the 
 Conscience of a Christian," which, on appointed 
 days, he explained in a series of discourses, in the 
 Latin tongue, to a numerous concourse of learned 
 and noble men, — Germans, Italians, French, and 
 Spaniards.f 
 
 The licentious doctrine on which Luther had 
 erected the superstructure of the miscalled Re 
 formation was the assumed and arrogant right oi 
 Private Judgment. Had this pretension confined 
 itself within the boundaries of dogmatic theories, 
 the evil might have required no other check but 
 that of the spiritual sword : but the state began 
 to suffer from it ; the peace of the nation, the es 
 tablished order and system of government, the insti 
 
 * Lib. vi. n. 53, 51 t Id. ibid. 
 
NICHOLAS BOBADILLA. 243 
 
 tutions, which had, from immemorial ages, been 
 regarded and respected by the people, were seri- 
 ously menaced. If a set of theological dema- 
 gogues, acting under the unrestrained influence of 
 Private Judgment, would throw into confusion, 
 and even subvert, the elements and foundations of 
 religion ; driven on by the same wild impulse, and 
 shielding their lawless passions under the same 
 vaunted segis of human liberty, they will not fail 
 to disorganize and destroy the social and political 
 institutions of government. The emperor, unable 
 to preserve the ancient order and secure the peace 
 of Germany by legislative decrees, or tolerant offers 
 of conciliation, was compelled to unsheath the tem- 
 poral sword, and declare war against the domestic 
 enemies of their country.* 
 
 Bobadilla, who had so often contended for the 
 Faith on the arena of controversy and theological 
 dispute, was now, contrary to his pacific disposi- 
 tions, but in obedience to the will of his superiors, 
 destined to mingle in the tumult and horrors of the 
 camp. Not, indeed, himself to wield the sword, 
 but to dispense the consolations of religion, to en- 
 courage the despondent, to absolve the penitent, to 
 
 * The reader must not forget the league of Smalkald ; 
 tnd the tolerant enactments of the Diet of Ratisbonne. 
 
244 NICHOLAS BOBAD1LLA. 
 
 attend the sick and wounded, and to watch o^ei 
 the dying, and bury the dead. By the Cardinal 
 Farnesius he was placed at the head of the hospi- 
 tal, within whose walls the bodies of the wounded 
 and dying were brought. With such wasting and 
 intense solicitude he devoted himself to these 
 offices of mercy, that he sank under their pressure, 
 and was prostrated with illness. And yet, when 
 unable to stand erect upon his feet, from debility, 
 he might be seen creeping from bed to bed, ad- 
 ministering consolation and the sacraments to the 
 wretched victims, and unhappy himself only from 
 not being able to afford all the aid and attention 
 which his generous heart desired to bestow. Tc 
 him, whose soul was burning with charity, noth 
 ing was difficult, nothing arduous. My pen cannot 
 describe his fervor in exhorting, his gentleness in 
 reproving, his assiduity in hearing confessions, his 
 patience, resignation, humility, and cheerfulness in 
 all things.* 
 
 On his route back to Ratisbonne, Heaven gave 
 him an opportunity of adding to the store of his 
 loDg suffering and mortification which he had ac- 
 cumulated in the camp. He was captured by rob- 
 bers, despoiled of all his effects, severely beaten, 
 
 Id. n. 55, 56. 
 
NICHOLAS BOBADILLA. 245 
 
 and perhaps would have been murdered had he not 
 been rescued by three Italians who accidentally 
 happened to pass that way.* But the faithful 
 servant of God was not without the highest re- 
 ward — for the estimation of his sovereign, and 
 the favor of the Holy See, might, in truth, be 
 thus denominated. Indeed, as far as the inmost 
 acknowledgment of the value of both could extend, 
 he felt that they were no common remuneration, 
 and he was grateful. But when, as a testification 
 of the one and the other, the emperor held out the 
 mitre to his acceptance, he shrank from the dig- 
 nity with characteristic greatness of soul, and 
 replied, "that he had been called by God to the 
 Society of Jesus, not to receive honors and dis- 
 tinctions, but to practise poverty, and lead a life 
 of humility." f 
 
 It was the desire of Ferdinand to appoint Boba- 
 dilla as a theologian in the Council of Trent, but 
 finding his services so indispensable in the camp, 
 he did not deem it prudent to remove him. Mean- 
 
 * Id. n. 57. 
 
 f Testatus se a Deo non ad honorem et amplitudinem, 
 sed ad paupertatis humilitatem obscuranique potius vitam 
 ftrisse vocatum. Id. n. 58. Who now will presume to 
 assert, that the followers of Ignatius were ambitious and 
 power-loving men ? 
 
 21* 
 
24:6 NICHOLAS BOBADILLA. 
 
 while, the justice of Heaven, as if conspiring with 
 the efforts of the monarch and the solicitude of the 
 Sovereign Pontiff, fell suddenly and heavily upon 
 the author of all the calamities and errors which 
 afflicted and agitated both Church and State. 
 Luther, the apostate monk, after indulging freely 
 and gayly in the luxuries of a supper, and spend- 
 ing the evening, as he was wont, to a very late 
 hour in amusement, was seized with a mortal ill- 
 ness, during the night, and plunged into eternity.* 
 
 * Orlandinus, in speaking of this event, makes use of very 
 strong, and, to the superficial admirer of Luther, very harsh 
 language. But he speaks as a faithful historian, a contem- 
 porary, and under a perfect knowledge of all the facts and 
 circumstances connected with his pretended Reformation. 
 The best modern writers on this subject, even among Pro- 
 testants, agree, in the main points, with Orlandinus : and 
 concur with him in the conviction, that Martin Luther was 
 a scourge to religion, and a man disgraced with the worst 
 crimes. In confirmation of this, we need refer only to his 
 own contemporaries and fellow-reformers. Hospinian de- 
 clared that he was absolutely mad : that " he combated 
 truth against all justice, and against the cry of his own 
 conscience." 
 
 CEcolampadius affirmed that he was "puffed up with 
 pride and arrogance, and seduced by Satan." 
 
 Zuinglius averred, that "the Devil had made himself 
 master of Luther to such a degree, as to make one believe 
 that he wished to gain entire possession of him-" 
 
NICHOLAS BOBADILLA. 247 
 
 But alas ! the evil which he occasioned did not 
 expire with him. The seed of error and disunion 
 which his recreant hands scattered over the field 
 of the Church took root, deep root, and the fruit 
 was bitter and noxious indeed. The storm of the 
 Reformation had raged violently in Germany, and, 
 in its fury, overturned many of the time-honored 
 and consecrated institutions of Catholic antiquity. 
 11 Everywhere," exclaims Orlandinus, " we behold 
 altars laid low, monasteries desecrated and de- 
 stroyed, sacred things profaned, and the dire ves- 
 tiges of the most horrible crimes impressed upon 
 the fairest portions of Europe. Wherefore," he 
 adds, " it becomes our members to unite their 
 strongest energies in order to extirpate, if possible, 
 the fatal evil ; for they may rest assured that a 
 war has only commenced against the Catholic 
 Church which will continue for ages."* 
 
 A veridical prophet has he, unfortunately, proved. 
 Three centuries have witnessed the fatal battle 
 
 Calvin said that Luther had done nothing to the pur- 
 pose called his school a pigsty, addressed him with 
 
 the courteous epithet of dog, madman, huge beast, &c., &c. 
 See the " Amicable Discussion," torn. i. p. 69, 70. 
 
 * Id. n. 59. Here is the secret of the enmity of Protes- 
 tantism to the Society of Jesus, which was established foi 
 the avowed purpose of warring against its errors. 
 
248 NICHOLAS BOBADILLA. 
 
 which the spirit of the Reformation has been carry- 
 ing on against the spirit of Truth and Union : a 
 battle which has covered the world with devasta- 
 tion, crimsoned nations with blood, retarded the 
 advancement of light, letters, morals, civilization, 
 and liberty. This is no exaggerated or unjustifi- 
 able language. The entire world begins to feel 
 its truth, while the most learned and candid Pro- 
 testants themselves deplore the event, as uncalled 
 for and unnecessary, and fraught with miserable 
 consequences.* Would to God, that they who 
 have begun to trace back their way to the an- 
 cient Catholic Church, may not desist from their 
 labors until they bring about a perfect union with 
 the Supreme Head on earth, the Vicar of Jesus 
 Christ ! 
 
 The war in Germany had now ceased. The 
 Duke of Saxony and the landgrave had yielded to 
 the victorious power of the emperor, and the Cath- 
 olic cause began to nourish anew. Bobadilla's 
 zeal glowed out with intense fervor. At Passau, 
 he preached, during Lent, in the Latin language, 
 in presence of the amiable prelate ; and exerted 
 all his eloquence, likewise, at Ratisbonne, where 
 many of the senators and citizens were infected 
 
 * See Ward's " Ideal of a Christian Churcli" 
 
NICHOLAS BOBADILLA. 249 
 
 with the Lutheran errors. Such was the efficacy 
 of his discourses, that he obtained a public and 
 solemn celebration in thanksgiving for the em- 
 peror's triumph over the enemies of the Church aud 
 empire, and effected the restoration of many Cath- 
 olic ceremonies which had so long been suspend- 
 ed.* To build up again what had been overturned 
 and ruined by the fury of the Reformation, he went 
 from place to place, visited church after church, 
 remaining stationary nowhere, but, like a true 
 Apostle, and a true Jesuit, fulfilling his vocation 
 by traversing various parts for the promotion of 
 God's greater glory.f Checked in his ardent course 
 by the hand of sickness, he returned to Vienna, 
 where Religion had resumed her pristine reign and 
 ancient magnificence. 
 
 At Cologne, too, a fairer aspect began to ap- 
 pear : Hermannus, the long vacillating, but, at 
 length, unfaithful Bishop, was driven from his see. 
 In a former chapter, I had occasion to bring this 
 personage before the reader's attention, and to 
 show how lubriciously he had comported himself 
 
 * Lib. vii. n. 39. 
 
 f " Nostra vocationis est diversa loca peragrare," is one 
 i>f the cardinal maxims of the Society, embodied by Ignatius 
 in his general rules. 
 
250 NICHOLAS BOBADILLA. 
 
 in his relation with Peter Faber.* He now threw 
 off the mask, and avowed himself a Lutheran. In 
 consequence of which apostasy, he was deposed 
 and degraded by the Sovereign Pontiff ; and in his 
 place was substituted Adolphus, of the ancient 
 family of the Counts of Scaueburg, a man adorned 
 with great personal qualifications, and a staunch 
 asserter of the religion of his ancestors. With his 
 exertions, Bobadilla, and the Society generally, co- 
 operated firmly ; and, with the blessing of Heaven, 
 they produced^ in a short time, a general change 
 throughout the German empire.f Bobadilla, whilst 
 he did not cease preaching to the Spanish and 
 Italian courtiers, or relax his devotion to the 
 duties of the confessional, found leisure to compose 
 several works on religious subjects. By the nobil- 
 ity he was emulously sought after ; for they felt 
 convinced, that if ever his labors had been neces- 
 sary, they were, perhaps, more necessary this 
 year than ever ; when, after the victory obtained 
 over the Lutheran insurgents, many of the minis- 
 ters and leaders, even in Saxony, evinced a desire 
 to return to the ancient faith. The number of 
 those who abjured their errors is, indeed, extra- 
 ordinary. Two of the electors, being at Augsburg 
 
 * See Chap. ii. f lab. vii. n. 40. 
 
NICHOLAS BOBADILLA. 251 
 
 with their wives, during Lent, assisted during" the 
 whole of that penitential season at the solemni- 
 ties of the Church. One of them — the Elector of 
 Brandeburg — forbade the use of flesh-meat in his 
 dominions ; in conformity with the spirit of the 
 Church, ordered the re-establishment of confes- 
 sions, the frequentation of the Eucharist, and pro- 
 mised to restore, in due time, all the other religious 
 ordinances and practices which the Reformation 
 had ruthlessly swept away from the land. The 
 example of the orthodox — especially of the Span- 
 ish and Italian nobles — was of great advantage to 
 the Germans. In vast numbers, and with extreme 
 fervor, did they crowd to the Lenten exercises, and 
 perform acts of severe mortification, to the aston- 
 ishment of the Lutherans. At Ulm, more than 
 seven thousand Germans approached the holy 
 table, and the august sacrifice of the Mass was 
 again offered up, after having been long suppressed 
 and forbidden.* 
 
 Bobadilla continued at Cologne until the year 
 1548, when, from motives of conscience, he found 
 it necessary to depart for Rome. A work had re- 
 cently been published explanatory of the Catholic 
 doctrines and discipline, in which certain proposi* 
 
 * lab. viii. n. 34. 
 
252 NICHOLAS BOBADILLA. 
 
 tions were advanced, not in rigid conformity with 
 sound principles — in the estimation of this pro- 
 found theologian. He, consequently, ever acting 
 under the influence of sacred duty, deemed himself 
 obliged to object to it, which he did both in word 
 and writing. Beloved, as he was by the court, 
 nevertheless, with the view of establishing con- 
 cord, before the emperor's departure into Belgium, 
 the imperial ministers advised him to leave the 
 kingdom : a sentence which he received with the 
 more composure and resignation, as he regarded 
 it more glorious to please God, in a just cause, 
 than to yield to the caprice of men. The stand 
 he took was confirmed by the Holy See, which 
 could not but disapprove of the character of that 
 concord ; and the magnanimity he displayed in the 
 circumstances connected with his departure to the 
 Eternal City, caused him to be received there with 
 every mark of admiration and respect by the Sov- 
 ereign Pontiff and the venerable Ignatius.* 
 
 * This book had been issued with the approbation of the 
 emperor, who, however, referred its contents to the decision 
 of the Council of Trent. The learned Catholic doctors, and 
 especially Bobadilla, deemed it necessary to speak out forth- 
 with, as some essential matters were, more or less, compro- 
 mised. On this account he incurred the displeasure of the 
 oscillating ministers, and was advised to quit the kingdom 
 
NICHOLAS BOBADILLA. 253 
 
 At Rome, partly within doors and partly with- 
 out, he strenuously labored, until, in company with 
 Father Michael Ochioa, he set out for Naples, 
 where they lodged with the Benedictine monks. 
 Immediately he opened a course of lectures in the 
 church, in which, three times a week, he explained 
 the epistle of St. Paul to the Romans. As yet nc 
 college had been erected at Naples ; and though 
 such an establishment was vehemently desired by 
 the citizens, the municipal officers and the nobility 
 had not taken any measures to commence it. In 
 the mean while, the season of Lent coming on, 
 Bobadilla delivered the usual sermons in an ele- 
 gant and elaborate style. The fruit evinced itself 
 in the crowds that rushed to the sacred trib- 
 une. 1 " 
 
 After Pentecost, he visited, not without great 
 advantage, the neighboring dioceses, inflaming 
 with devotion the hearts of the faithful by his fer- 
 vid discourses, and instructing the children in the 
 
 The Holy See condemned the book, and sustained Bobadilla 
 in the answer he had published against it. Consult Grave- 
 son, Hist. Eccl. torn. vii. p. 83. 
 
 This book was entitled "Ad Interim," and created a 
 general scandal among all thinking Catholics. See Bartoli 
 lib. in. p. 226. Id. n. 35. 
 
 * Lib. ix. n. 33. 
 
 22 
 
254: NICHOLAS BOBADILLA. 
 
 elements of the catechism, and never for a moment 
 deviating from the high and perfect standard of 
 duty which he had prescribed for himself from the 
 commencement of his career.* 
 
 The proper authorities having taken in hands 
 the establishment of a college at Naples, it soon 
 rose from its foundation — an ample and magnifi- 
 cent structure — and was finished in the year 1551.f 
 Of this college, Andrew Oviedo had been appointed 
 the first rector, with whom, for a space of time, 
 Bobadilla was afterwards associated. But these 
 two eminent men — both conspicuous for their sanc- 
 tity, each in his own way — did not entertain a 
 congenial sentiment with regard to the external 
 apparatus of discipline. The former was consid- 
 ered rather rigid by the latter, who conceived that 
 discipline should not consist so much in the minu- 
 tiae and details of the rules, as in a habit of solid 
 virtue, and strict fulfilment of essential duty. 
 Oviedo maintained a contrary opinion, in which he 
 was supported by Ignatius, who took occasion to 
 express how dangerous would be the experiment 
 of disregarding small things, and scrupulously 
 
 * s Ubique semper strenuus," writes Orlandinus, " sem- 
 per sui similis Bobadilla." Ibid. 
 f See the preceding chapter. 
 
NICHOLAS BOBADILLA. 255 
 
 practising greater. The wise decision of the holy 
 founder of the Institute has ever since governed 
 his disciples. The lenity of Bobadilla will always 
 be considered as a mere disposition of charity to 
 others, whilst every circumstance in his life so 
 convincingly bears testimony of extreme rigor 
 towards his own person. If, then, in his estima- 
 tion of the proper character of general principles 
 of discipline, he fell into an error, it was an 
 amiable error ; and his obedience in submitting his 
 own ideas to the wisdom of their common father, 
 Ignatius, and ever after abiding by his decision, 
 displays again before our view the original frank- 
 ness and simplicity which marked and character- 
 ized his early life. It began in humility, and ended 
 in obedience ; admirable in both, and in both a 
 perfect model of imitation for the Society to all 
 succeeding times.* 
 
 * Bartoli does not hesitate to censure the conduct of Bo- 
 badilla, and comment on it with the freedom of a candid 
 critic and historian. He attributes it to the infocato spirito 
 del Bdbadiglia ; regretting " that he was not, when in 
 peace, equal to himself, as when in war." Father Oviedo 
 he styles, uomo santo, e maestro di grande isperienza nelle 
 lose dell* anima. (P. 227.) 
 
 J do not enter into the very grave and singular dispute 
 
256 NICHOLAS BOBADILLA. 
 
 which Bobadilla carried on after the death of Saint Igna- 
 tius with Laynez. It will be sufficient to remark with 
 Bartoli, that it is passing strange to see that otherwise 
 great and excellent man contending for a trifling superior- 
 ity in his order, after having so generously repudiated the 
 mitre and crozier, offered him by Ferdinand. 
 
 His exertions for the Church did not, however, relax 
 during the remaining portion of his life. He survived 
 three Generals besides Ignatius, and, worn out with labors, 
 expired in peace at Loretto, on the 23d of September, A. D 
 1580. He was the last survivor of the nine. After his 
 death, it was discovered from his manuscripts that he had 
 delivered seventy-seven sermons in Italy, Sicily, and Dal- 
 matia, and a hundred and fifty-eight in other places. He 
 was eminent for his virtues, especially that of evangelical 
 poverty. He often predicted that he would survive all his 
 companions ; and when jocosely asked why, in the papal 
 brief in which the Institute was confirmed, his name was 
 placed last, his answer was, because he would be the last 
 one among them to die. See Tanner, p. 231. 
 
SIMON RODBiaUEZ. 
 
 AND 
 
 HIS FIRST COMPANIONS. 
 
CHAPTER VII. 
 
 SIMON RODRIGUEZ. 
 
 Simov Rodbigutol— is a umbered among tbe .Nine, is selected fir the 
 Indies. Departs to Portugal. Is there detained. Converts the Am- 
 bassador from the Indies. His trials at Lisbon. Is made Tutor to the 
 Son of the King. Is created Provincial. Is called to Rome. Is ap- 
 pointed to preside over the Province of Aragon. Is recalled to Rome. 
 His severe trials. His extreme humility. Another shining example to 
 his brethren for all succeeding times. 
 
 Among the Alumni of the Academy of Philoso- 
 phy at Paris, in the year 1528, there was a Portu- 
 guese in the flower of youth, and conspicuous for 
 his brilliant talents. He held his place in that 
 far-famed Institution by the special favor of his 
 sovereign. His acquaintance with Ignatius was 
 of an earlier date than that of Xavier, Laynez, 
 or Bobadilla. And by associating with that holy 
 and ardent servant of God, he caught, at once, the 
 flame of sympathy, and felt his heart glowing with 
 
260 SIMON RODRIGUEZ. 
 
 a desire to abandon all terrene objects, and dedi- 
 cate himself to the perfect service of the Most 
 High. To him he communicated his inmost senti- 
 ments, revealed his secret aspirations, and entered, 
 with a sacred enthusiasm, into all his views and 
 designs. Thus was added a sixth companion to 
 the number already treated of — in the person of 
 Simon Rodriguez, born of respectable parents, at 
 Buzella, in Portugal.* 
 
 After the nine had formed themselves into a re- 
 ligious and organized body — under the obligation 
 of vows which they made, and renewed — Divine 
 Providence decreed that they should not remain in 
 the capital of France, but should scatter themselves 
 — and thus propagate the Society — over the world. 
 A fierce war broke out, after the death of Francis 
 Sporzia, between the Spaniards and French, on 
 account of the principality of Milan ; and the 
 emperor, Charles V., had burst into the province 
 with a powerful army. This was the cause why 
 the first companions of Ignatius quitted Paris ear- 
 lier than they otherwise would have done. What- 
 ever remained of their effects, they distributed 
 among the poor,; and in the month of Decem- 
 ber, 15S6, the memorable dispersion occurred."} 
 
 * Orlandin. lib. i. n. 88. f Id. n. 104. 
 
SIMON RODRIGUEZ. 261 
 
 Clad in coarse long gowns — the ordinary form of 
 dress among the Parisian Academicians — each 
 carrying his own package of books, might have 
 been seen these wondrous men, staff in hand, 
 and barefoot, pursuing their arduous journey. 
 
 From the fatigue and hardship, Rodriguez fell 
 ill, after having struggled onward four-and-twenty 
 leagues. His feet were blistered and inflamed ; 
 his shoulders laid bare by the burden he bore, and 
 his whole body bruised, from lying at night on the 
 hard boards, or cold ground. Pained as he was 
 from his sores, and wasted with fatigue, his only 
 anxiety and complaint were, lest he might not be 
 able to continue his way with his beloved breth- 
 ren. 
 
 But God, who led them out of Paris, and sent 
 his angels to guide and support them in their 
 journey, did not forsake his servants. Rodriguez 
 recovered almost suddenly, and with incredible 
 vigor and alacrity, was enabled to follow on. 
 Every day the three who were in priestly orders — 
 Faber, Jaius, and Broetus — offered the sacrifice 
 of the Mass, and the others received the holy com- 
 munion. Morning and evening, they allotted a 
 space of time for meditation and prayer ; and on 
 the road, either chanted psalms, or entertained one 
 another with spiritual and salutary conversation ; 
 
262 SIMON RODRIGUEZ. 
 
 and by this pleasing variety relieved the tedium of 
 their journey.* 
 
 Having subdued one threatening difficulty, Rod- 
 riguez was assaulted, with greater violence, by 
 another. He was followed by three young men 
 on horseback, who having heard of his intention 
 at Paris, hurried thither, with great speed, in order 
 to dissuade him from it ; and learning that he had 
 left the capital, pursued him in hot haste. Of 
 them, one was his brother, and the other a fellow- 
 townsman and friend. With all the arts of per- 
 suasion they besought him to change his mind ; 
 reminded him of the bright hopes that were before 
 him, and entreated him not to rashly waste away 
 his youth in danger, poverty, and ignominy. They 
 called to his remembrance the favor of the king, 
 which he had already liberally experienced in his 
 education, and menaced him with disgrace, and 
 the just punishment of what they termed ingrati- 
 tude. 
 
 The noble heart of Rodriguez was not to be 
 moved by such expostulations. What recked he 
 
 * Id. n. 110, 111. In ipso itinere vel ex psalmis decan- 
 tat)ant aliquid, vel de Deo agitabant inter sese dulcia et 
 salutaria colloquia : hac perenni vicissitudine taedia levabant 
 itineris. 
 
SIMON RODRIGUEZ. 263 
 
 of the world's opinion, who had trodden it undei 
 his feet ? or of the pageantry of life, or of the vaio 
 promises of ambition ? All these he had sacrificed, 
 and forsworn, when, at the shrine of the Virgin 
 Mary, he told his vows of religious perfection 
 He loved not father or mother more than Christ * 
 and, therefore, was not unworthy of him. He 
 looked not back, after putting his hand to the 
 plough : he let the dead bury the dead. From his 
 holy purpose, no persuasion could deter him. His 
 brother, baffled in his design, retraced his way, 
 sorrowful and disappointed, to Paris — he joyously 
 and eagerly resumed his journey, with his com- 
 panions.* 
 
 On entering Lorraine, they were exposed to 
 new trials and dangers. That country was over- 
 run with French troops, which had made a de- 
 scent through it into Belgium, and spread such 
 devastation around, that even the inhabitants 
 themselves were afraid to intrust themselves on 
 the high roads. How these pilgrim-Jesuits es- 
 caped was a subject of wonder to all : little re- 
 flecting " that they walked under the protection of 
 Heaven."f For the soldiery, unrestrained by the 
 
 * Id. n. 112. Nonduni edocti quantum sit in Dei tutela 
 praesidii. f Id. n. 113. 
 
264: SIMON RODKIGUEZ. 
 
 principles of religion, unchecked by the fear of 
 God, gave loose reins to their rapacity and pas- 
 sions. At Metz, which was surrounded with a 
 military force, they were permitted, with much 
 difficulty, to pass, under the name of French Aca- 
 demicians. They then proceeded through the 
 frozen regions of Germany, in the depth of winter, 
 in the midst of snow, until they reached Basle, a 
 celebrated but unfortunate city, where hardly a 
 vestige of the ancient religion could be perceived, 
 among the fatal errors of the Reformation. Ther« 
 Carlostadius ruled with dogmatic tyranny — the 
 opponent of Luther and of Rome. Cursed by tht 
 former, anathematized by the latter — and yet 
 maintaining a kind of anomalous ascendency, iD 
 the vulgar estimation, over the one and the other. 
 A reformist, on Protestant principles, and yet, on 
 the same inconsistent and incoherent principles, 
 disowned and persecuted by the Patriarch of all 
 reformists.* 
 
 Headed by that recreant monk — the first to break 
 his monastic vows — a number of Lutheran minis- 
 ters met the strangers, and instantly proposed a 
 controversy on the disputed points of doctrine. 
 Their object was, evidently, not the desire of seek* 
 
 * See Audin's Life of Luther. 
 
SIMON RODRIGUEZ. 265 
 
 ing after truth, but of provoking a discussion ; and 
 consequently the Jesuits, anticipating no good from 
 a contest of that description, contented themselves 
 with an indirect refutation of the calumnies attrib- 
 uted to the Church, by their holy example, their 
 salutary admonitions, their earnest instructions, 
 So general^ were they esteemed, wherever they 
 tarried, that the hospitality not of Catholics only, 
 but of Lutherans also, was generously extended to 
 them.* 
 
 At Constance, wearied as they were from their 
 journey, the curate, who had taken a wife to his 
 arms, and thrown off the Divine yoke of the 
 Church, came at the head of seven principal citi- 
 zens, and challenged the strangers to a disputa- 
 tion. From this they found it impossible to escape, 
 and, therefore, entered upon the controversy with 
 so great ardor and erudition, that the apostate 
 priest was driven to such an extreme, and pursued 
 with such relentless vigor — especially by Laynez — 
 that he was forced to exclaim : "I am hemmed in 
 at all points ! I know not which way to turn I" f 
 " Why, then, do you follow that sect," retorted one 
 of the Fathers, " which you are not able to defend ? w 
 
 * Lib. i. n. 113. 
 
 f Includor undique, et ubi verser ignore Id. ibid. 
 
 23 
 
266 SIMON RODRIGUEZ. 
 
 " To-morrow," he savagely replied, " I will have 
 you bound with irons, and will teach you how to 
 abuse my sect." 
 
 He then abruptly left them, muttering, I know 
 not what threats, in the German language. The 
 Jesuits, rejoicing in their triumph over error, disre 
 garded his threats ; for, they were ready to laj 
 down their lives, if necessary, for the faith. The 
 rude menaces evaporated, however, in angry words 
 and oaths.* On the following morning, they were 
 merely required to depart from the city, under the 
 guidance of an individual who treated them with 
 kindness, and accompanied them, to the distance of 
 eight miles, on their way. 
 
 In the year 1537 they arrived at Venice, and 
 proceeded thence, through Ravenna and Ancona, 
 to the Eternal City, where they were graciously 
 received by the Sovereign Pontiff, Clement VII., as 
 related above. f 
 
 The merit of Rodriguez could not be better un- 
 derstood, than from the fact, that on him Ignatius 
 had originally fixed his eyes as a fit apostle to the 
 
 * Orlandinus expresses in graphic terms the fury of the 
 minister : " Nescio quid germanice cum jurgio effutiens/' he 
 writes. Ibid. n. 114. 
 
 f Chap. iv. 
 
SIMON RODRIGUEZ. 267 
 
 far-off and perilous mission of the East Indies : and 
 his nomination was, not without mature reflection 
 and deliberation, confirmed by the concurrence of 
 all the other Fathers.* 
 
 He, accordingly, quitted Rome, and proceeded 
 to Portugal by sea. After a short voyage, he 
 reached Lisbon, where he found an individual 
 waiting for him, sent by the king for the purpose 
 of escorting him to the palace. But, requesting the 
 messenger to return his heartfelt thanks to the 
 monarch, he retired to Alcarer, laboring under a 
 quartan fever. He had hardly been there eight 
 days, before he was again sent for by the king, 
 whose desire to see and converse with so extraor- 
 dinary a man was not to be controlled. Rodri- 
 guez consented to gratify it, but on condition that 
 he should be permitted to live according to the 
 spirit of his order, and beg his bread from door tc 
 door. The public hospital was, therefore, assigned 
 him for his residence : in which, besides attending 
 the sick, he devoted himself to hearing confessions, 
 and the care of souls. f 
 
 Three days later, he was joined by Xavier, who 
 had made the journey by land. Both were invited 
 
 * Lib. ii. n. 87. f Id. n. 101. 
 
268 SIMON RODRIGUEZ. 
 
 to the paiace, where the king and queen listened, 
 with extreme attention and interest, to the history 
 they gave of the rise, progress, institute, and scope 
 of the Society, and the odium and persecution 
 which it had already excited. Among the people, 1 
 so sedulous was their zeal, so unremitting theii 
 exertions, for the salvation of men, that they went 
 by the name of " the apostles." The king, seeing 
 the unprecedented success of their ministry, by the 
 advice and desire of the nobles, resolved to lay 
 aside the project of the oriental mission, and to re- 
 tain the Fathers in Portugal. Ignatius having 
 been consulted, referred the matter to the Sovereign 
 Pontiff, who left it entirely to the pleasure and de- 
 termination of the monarch. This Ignatius ex- 
 pressed in a letter to the Fathers ; proposing, at 
 the same time, that all difficulty might by obviated 
 by keeping Rodriguez in Portugal, and sending 
 Xavier to the Indies. To this suggestion, the 
 king made no objection, and Xavier was ordered to 
 prepare for his embarkation. Rodriguez, however, 
 after having sounded the intentions of the king, 
 and finding that all hope of establishing a college 
 in Portugal had, at least for the present, vanished, 
 began to think of secretly flying from Lisbon, and 
 sailing, with his companion, for the East. But 
 this design he could not accomplish : and submit- 
 
SIMON K0DK1GUEZ. 26 
 
 ting to "he disposition of Providence, he remained 
 in that city, devoting himself to the salvation of 
 the people.* By his exertions, a House of Refuge 
 was erected for the reception of unfortunate wo- 
 men, where they might not only reform their lewd 
 and criminal habits, but, likewise, have the oppor 
 tunity of practising piety and devotion. This in- 
 stitution was highly approved by the public, and 
 extremely salutary, not only to the penitents them- 
 selves, but to the young men also, of the city, and 
 especially of the university. He received into 
 the Society several distinguished members, among 
 whom were Melchior Nunnius, a celebrated canon- 
 ist and jurist : Consalvez Silveria, son of the 
 Count of Sortella, a youth of mature judgment, 
 acute discernment, and naturally prone to piety — 
 only in his twentieth year ; and Melchior Carnerio, 
 afterwards Bishop, and a devoted laborer in the 
 island of Macao.* 
 
 With indefatigable zeal he advanced the cause of 
 religion in the court, where his reputation for sanc- 
 tity awakened a peculiar veneration for his per- 
 son ; and in the whole region, throughout which he 
 spread the odor of his own example, gained over 
 many souls to God, and dissipated every remnant 
 
 • Lib. iii. n. 44. f Lib. iv. n. 55 56, 57, 58. 
 
 23* 
 
270 SIMON RODRIGUEZ. 
 
 of prejudice against the Society from the minds of 
 those who were once under its influence, especially 
 in the university of Coimbra. Wherefore, animated 
 by the general feeling, the king resolved to com- 
 mence at once the erection of the college, over 
 the building of which — not to cumber the Father's 
 time with such an occupation — he placed, as super- 
 intendent, a skilful and accomplished architect. 
 In order to allow them ample leisure and facilities 
 of attending to their many and arduous duties, 
 Rodriguez associated with the priests a certain 
 number of lay-brothers, who, after the example of 
 those selected by the apostles, should minister at 
 the table, and take care of the domestic con- 
 cerns.* 
 
 He excited, moreover, universal attention, by the 
 conversion of the ambassador from the Indies to 
 the court of Lisbon. He visited that remarkable 
 stranger, and endeared himself to him in so inti- 
 mate a manner, that the ambassador listened with 
 interest and pleasure to the doctrines which he 
 taught and explained, yielded to the power of truth, 
 abandoned his idolatrous rites, and received bap- 
 tism with great fervor and gratitude to God, who 
 deigned, through the agency of Rodriguez, to bring 
 
 * Lib. iv. n. 59. 
 
SIMON EODKIGUEZ. 271 
 
 him out of darkness into " the admirable light" of 
 the gospel.* 
 
 Saintly men must have their alternations of pros- 
 perity and persecution : and from this rule Rodri- 
 guez could not be exempted. Calumnies of a se- 
 rious nature were industriously propagated against 
 him and the Society by a certain licentiate of the 
 university of Coimbra, by the name of Ferdinand. 
 With the most tranquil composure, and in the 
 deepest silence, he bore them all ; although, by his 
 influence with the king, he might have avenged 
 his innocence with extreme severity. But instead 
 of calling for a just retribution, he implored the 
 monarch to pardon the culprit. The king's jus- 
 tice would not be propitiated even by the prayers 
 of the innocent man. He condemned the base 
 calumniator to be exiled from the kingdom. The 
 nature of the calumnies was as follows : he accused 
 the Society of having forged all the immunities 
 and privileges which its members claimed, and 
 Rodriguez personally with having asserted that 
 they were subject to the Apostolic See only, and 
 not to bishops or ordinaries, to whose tribunal 
 
 * Id. ibid. " Ergo/' writes our author, " brevi, Deo col* 
 lustrante, se dedit, et nefaria detestatus idola, veterem, per 
 oaptismum, abjecit Adam." 
 
272 SIMON RODRIGUEZ. 
 
 they were not amenable, by whose authority they 
 were not obligated. Of being independent of all 
 canonical discipline, and bound by no laws, but 
 governed by the will of Rodriguez alone : who, 
 were it not for the favor and protection of a few, 
 and the flattery and applause of the ignorant, 
 would long since have been deserted by his own, 
 and opposed by the public. These and similar 
 charges were alleged, which now fell, of them- 
 selves, to the ground. For, two letters of the 
 Holy See, confirming the Institute of the Society, 
 were exhibited, as well as the diploma by which 
 the Sovereign Pontiff had adorned it with nu- 
 merous and extraordinary privileges. Thus the 
 cloud, which the spirit of jealousy had gathered 
 around this holy order, was dispersed by the light 
 of evidence and truth, and the Society and Ro- 
 driguez emerged from it more brilliantly than 
 ever.* 
 
 The king reposed unbounded confidence in Rod- 
 riguez, and even condescended, when about se- 
 lecting ambassadors and prelates to assist at the 
 great Council of Trent, to consult him by letter 
 on that important matter. Nor was this the only 
 singular token of his veneration for him : there was 
 
 * Lib. iv. n. 133. 
 
SIMON RODEIGUEZ. 273 
 
 another, if not of a higher, at least of a more per- 
 sonal character, namely, the intrusting to his care 
 the young prince, whose education hitherto had 
 been watched over by John Suarez, afterwards 
 Bishop of Coimbra. The permission of Ignatius 
 was asked : who, though unwilling that his disci- 
 ples should become too familiar with the courts of 
 monarchs, could not, in this particular case — con- 
 sidering the extraordinary piety and numberless 
 acts of benevolence of the king towards the So- 
 ciety — withhold his approbation.* 
 
 The number of candidates for the new order was 
 very great ; and so widely had it already spread 
 itself over Portugal, that, in the year 1546, that 
 kingdom was erected into a province, of which 
 Kodriguez was created the first Provincial. He 
 was yet — having in his charge the prince — re- 
 siding at court : but his spirit and influence 
 were diffused in every part, in aid, both of the 
 temporal and spiritual wants of the faithful. 
 Amid the splendor of the court he looked, with 
 undazzled eye, upon the vanity it revealed ; and 
 his heart, long since detached from the world, 
 grew, if possible, more insensible to its fascina- 
 tions. It was still fixed upon his first destination 
 
 * Lib. v. n. 57. 
 
274 SIMON KODKIGUEZ. 
 
 It yearned to be emancipated from the gorgeous 
 trammels with which, by circumstances, it had 
 been enveloped, and to pant — in the liberty of 
 an apostle's mission in uncivilized lands — for the 
 distant shores of India.* Or, at least, if he 
 could not advance thus far, to go as far, at least, as 
 the regions of Brazil, which had recently been 
 discovered by the Portuguese. But the ways of 
 Heaven are not always conformable with the in- 
 clinations of the human mind ; and provided to 
 them it submit with the acquiescence becoming 
 a Christian, the more abundant will its merit 
 prove. The soul of Rodriguez burned for perils 
 and privations in far-off missions — and could it 
 have put on the " wings of the morning," would 
 have flown away to the remotest East : and, 
 nevertheless, obedient and resigned to the su- 
 preme will of God, who takes care of the des- 
 tinies of all mankind, he remained in his office 
 and at his post, and by his wise administration 
 contributed to the happiness and welfare of all 
 under his charge.f 
 
 Towards the end of the year 1550, Ignatius 
 summoned in the city of Rome a Council, at 
 which all the principal Fathers from the various 
 
 * IcL n. 58. f Lib viii. n. 74, 75. 
 
SIMON RODRIGUEZ. 275 
 
 parts of Europe were required to be present. At 
 the bidding of their saintly Founder and Superior 
 — putting aside every inconvenience, except what 
 might accrue to religion — as many as could possi- 
 bly absent themselves from their different avoca- 
 tions instantly obeyed the call. Among these 
 were Araozius, Strada, Oviedo, and Borgia, from 
 Spain ; Laynez from Sicily ; Salmeron, Miona, 
 Frusins, and Polancus, and Rodriguez ; all, except 
 Strada, bound by the solemn vows of profession. 
 The last-mentioned Father had been sent for ex- 
 pressly, by Ignatius, who desired particularly to 
 have him among the number to be convened, aware 
 of the light which his long experience in a difficult 
 position in Portugal would shed over their delibera- 
 tions, and, at the same time, that he might take 
 back to his province the uniform standard of dis- 
 cipline which was observed in that — the fountain- 
 source — of Rome.* 
 
 The object which Ignatius had in view in the 
 convocation of this Council, was to submit to its 
 inspection and consideration the Constitutions 
 which, at the urgent solicitation of the first 
 Fathers and of all the Society, he had drawn up. 
 These were subjected to the scrutiny of each, with 
 
 * lib x. n. 47. 
 
276 SIMON RODRIGUEZ. 
 
 the privilege of suggesting any change or addition 
 Their saintly author possessed too deep a know- 
 ledge of the human heart, and was governed by 
 too much prudence, not to perceive the advantage 
 that would accrue to his work, by having it ap- 
 proved by those who were to be regulated by it. 
 
 His Constitutions were designed for all nations, 
 and to be rendered compatible with every variety 
 of habits and customs, and every form of govern- 
 ment, and every future generation ; and, therefore, 
 he desired to have them stamped with the sanction 
 of individuals of various provinces and countries : 
 not only of those present, but likewise of all scat- 
 tered through the world, whose occupations pre- 
 vented them from attending at the Council. By 
 all, these admirable Constitutions — which had cost 
 Ignatius so much time, study, and prayer — were 
 read and approved ; yet, their holy author, in order 
 to mature them thoroughly, and leave them still 
 open for amendment, did not publish them until 
 the year 1553.* He then sent them to Spain, 
 Portugal, and some other provinces, not, indeed, 
 as perfect, but to be tried, in their application to 
 circumstances and their adaptation to places : and 
 not to be considered binding or indispensable, 
 
 * Id. n. 50. 
 
SIMON RODRIGUEZ. 277 
 
 nntil they should have merited the approbation of 
 the entire Society. This approbation was solemnly 
 given, in the year 1558, in a Council of Fathers, 
 held for the purpose of electing* a General, after 
 the demise of Ignatius.* Laynez was chosen : 
 when they were again subjected to the revision 
 and re-examination of all assembled, and unani- 
 mously approved and confirmed. Four Cardinals 
 were, afterwards, designated by Paul IV., to pass 
 their judgment on them, by whom they were re- 
 turned, without any change or the alteration of a 
 single word. 
 
 In the year 1552, so great was the increase in 
 the members of the Society in Spain, that it be- 
 came necessary to divide that province into two : 
 of one part Anthony Araozius, who before had 
 presided over the whole, was left Provincial ; of 
 the other — the kingdom of Aragon — Simon Rodri- 
 guez was appointed, having been removed from 
 Portugal.*)" Of this change the occasion was, be- 
 cause in Portugal the Society had been planted and 
 matured under circumstances different from those 
 in any other country. For, as everywhere else 
 it had been founded in poverty, in troubles, and in 
 all manner of suffering, here, on account of the 
 
 * Id. n. 51. f Lib. xii. n. 53. 
 
 24 
 
278 SIMON RODRIGUEZ. 
 
 friendship of the monarch, it was quite the coi> 
 trary. And as the immense harvest, now whiten- 
 ing through the boundless regions of the East, in- 
 vited to an increase of missionary labor, fostered 
 under the munificent influence of the sovereign's 
 favor, numbers of candidates were received into 
 me ranks of the Society, and the Alumni of the 
 College of Coimbra amounted to a hundred and 
 forty. As yet no uniform discipline had been 
 Earned for the noviceship, and the domestic rules 
 T7ere few. Rodriguez labored to govern after 
 the model of Ignatius, on which he himself had 
 been formed : but yielding to his too indulgent 
 and lenient disposition, his government assumed 
 a character which, though not remiss, was easily 
 abused by a numerous community, made up of in- 
 dividuals of every variety of temperament, and 
 most of them in the ardor of youth. He was 
 beloved by all as their kind and common father : 
 to the more careless he was endeared by his 
 meekness, while the more rigid and wiser mem- 
 bers did not criticise the conduct of their com 
 panions, much less find fault with the mildness 
 of their Superior.* 
 
 It was under circumstances of this delicate na- 
 
 * Id. n. 53, 54, 55. 
 
SIMON RODRIGUEZ. 279 
 
 ture that the wisdom of Ignatius most perfectly 
 displayed itself. Aware of the exalted merit and 
 qualities of Rodriguez, and yet watchful over the 
 stern requirements which must be maintained by 
 his order, he deemed it proper to remove that 
 saintly man to a sphere more appropriate to the 
 bent of his disposition, and better adapted to the 
 temper of his discipline. He left him to choose the 
 mission of Brazil, which he had long sighed for, 
 or the office of Provincial to the new-formed prov- 
 ince, and addressed letters of this his intention t(» 
 the king of Spain, his queen, Catherine, and the 
 Cardinal Henry. At the same time, he stationed 
 Michael Turrianus and Francis Borgia in Portu- 
 gal. The kiug could not oppose the change, 
 coming, as it did, with so much wisdom, and de- 
 sired with so much earnestness by Rodriguez, as 
 well as by Ignatius. For, to Rodriguez, the tid- 
 ings were most acceptable. In token of his joy, 
 he was seen to press to his lips and breast the 
 letter that liberated him from so heavy a burden, 
 so awful a responsibility. To his successor, 
 Muroni, he instantly forwarded the diploma of his 
 appointment, and to the Alumni of the College oi 
 Coimbra wrote an affectionate epistle, conjuring 
 them to pardon the faults and errors he might 
 have committed during his administration. Mu- 
 
280 SIMON RODRIGUEZ. 
 
 roni received his papers with tears, dreading the 
 mighty yoke which was laid upon his shoulders 
 as successor to Rodriguez. This venerable Father 
 — having taken all circumstances into considera- 
 tion — did not deem himself justifiable, ardently 
 as he panted for the Indies, in quitting Europe ; 
 and he was, therefore, created, according to the 
 original view of Ignatius, Provincial of Aragon.* 
 
 In this capacity, he continued for the space of 
 about one year ; after which, he retired to Lis- 
 bon on account of ill-health, and was ordered 
 thence, by Ignatius, to Rome. There were, in 
 that capital of the Christian world, in the year 
 1554, when Rodriguez repaired thither, about a 
 hundred and forty members of the Society ; al- 
 though many had, during the course of the year, 
 been sent to other cities to establish colleges and 
 communities. The Roman College enjoyed — and 
 deserved — the highest renown for learning. In 
 the Church of the Professed House, theses were 
 publicly disputed, touching all the branches taught 
 by the Society, leaving to all the spectators the 
 privilege of entering the lists. So great was the 
 crowd which these disputations attracted, that 
 for eight days not a single member of the college 
 
 * Id. ». 56. 
 
SIMON RODRIGUEZ. 281 
 
 could have an opportunity of proposing an objec- 
 tion.* 
 
 The Professed House, though already enlarged, 
 was much too small for its inmates. Ignatius de- 
 termined to add amply to its dimensions, or rather 
 almost to rebuild it entirely. For this purpose, 
 he invited Cardinal Bartholomew Cucuanus to 
 place the foundation-stone, in presence of Alphon- 
 sus Alencastrio, the orator of the king of Portugal, 
 and many illustrious noblemen. The Cardinal, 
 who had a profound reverence for Ignatius, re- 
 fused to perform the ceremony, observing that it 
 would better become him, who had laid the foun- 
 dation of so celebrated an order, to place the 
 corner-stone of the Professed House. Ignatius, 
 however, modestly persisting in his first determina- 
 tion, the good cardinal insisted upon his acting, 
 at least, in conjunction with himself ; and both at 
 the same time handed over the stone to the skill of 
 the architect.f 
 
 I must not omit in this, its proper place, a fact 
 of a very remarkable nature, which occurred at 
 this epoch in the Society. At the suggestion of 
 the king of Portugal, Pope Julius required Ig- 
 natius to send some Fathers into Ethiopia, out of 
 
 * lib. xiv. n. 1. f Id. n. 2 
 
 24* 
 
282 SIMON RODRIGUEZ. 
 
 which number one should be created bishop and 
 patriarch. Ever obedient to the will of the Su- 
 preme Head of the Church on earth, Ignatius 
 immediately complied with his command, and nom- 
 inated, as worthy of the exalted honor, a learned 
 and holy man, John Nunnius, and designated 
 two others as his companions — viz., Andrew Ovie- 
 dus, and Melchior Carnerius ; of whom the for- 
 mer — after struggling against the dignity with 
 all his might — was, by the command of the 
 Sovereign Pontiff, compelled to be consecrated 
 bishop.* 
 
 In the mean time, Heaven had in store a severe 
 trial — still more to purify his affections and enrich 
 his merits — for Simon Rodriguez. A few pages 
 above, the reader saw that the too lenient disposi- 
 tion of that excellent disciple of Ignatius had suf- 
 fered the reins of government to become rather loose 
 in the province of Portugal. A visitor of the name 
 of Consalvi had been sent thither to take cognizance 
 of affairs, and he now returned to Rome, confirming 
 the complaints that had been made. Ignatius, 
 
 * Lib. xiv. n. 4. " Eum item per litteras hortatus est Ig- 
 natius, ut teneret in recusando constantiam." But when 
 the voice of God spoke definitely through the Pontiff, both 
 were obliged to yield. " Verum Pontifex imperavit." 
 
SIMON RODRIGUEZ. 283 
 
 with his wonted prudence, referred the whole 
 matter to a tribunal composed of several Professed 
 Fathers, empowering them to investigate, but re- 
 serving to himself the right of animadversion. After 
 calm deliberation, accompanied by fervent prayer, 
 they decided that their beloved brother, Father 
 Rodriguez, was not without blame. The sentence 
 was pronounced in presence of Rodriguez, who 
 received it with a humility worthy his calling and 
 his heroic virtues. Before it was published, he 
 had seen it in writing, and approved it : after hear- 
 ing it read, he fell at the feet of his brethren, and 
 testified his readiness to submit to any penance. 
 Ignatius, delighted with his simplicity and humili- 
 ty, enjoined no severer penalty upon him than not 
 to return to Portugal. In this manner, Ignatius, 
 without respect to individuals, sustained the vigor 
 of discipline, and yet, breathing nothing but love 
 for his children, was perfectly satisfied with the 
 submission of Rodriguez ; transmitting thus to 
 posterity a twofold lesson : one, the necessity of 
 keeping the sinews of government well strung, 
 under all circumstances ; the second, of the ne- 
 cessity of superiors acting always under the holy 
 influence of charity in their relations with those 
 whom they are appointed to govern. As foi 
 Rodriguez himself, nowhere does he appear more 
 
284 SIMON RODRIGUEZ. 
 
 admirable or great, than at the feet of his judges, 
 acknowledging his error, and craving forgiveness 
 for the disedification which his example, perhaps, 
 might have given to his brethren.* 
 
 In order to atone for his imperfection — which, 
 in truth, was the mere result of his amiable 
 qualities too injudiciously infused into the spirit of 
 his administration — Rodriguez obtained permission 
 to go to Jerusalem, with the view of establishing 
 a college in that holy city. He departed from 
 Rome, accompanied by another Father. But at 
 Venice he was taken ill, and was compelled to 
 give up the great and interesting project. He 
 recovered, however, and survived, persevering in 
 the practice of all the virtues proper to his voca 
 tion, until the year 15*19. On the fifteenth of July, 
 having received the viaticum and extreme unction, 
 with the most fervent sentiments of piety and de- 
 votion, he breathed out his soul into the hands of 
 his Creator. His venerable remains were followed 
 to the grave by an immense concourse of people of 
 all orders, by whom his demise was deplored as a 
 common and public calamity.*)" 
 
 • Id. n. 5, 6. i f Tanner, p. 160. 
 
 21 
 
CLAUDIUS JAIU8. 
 
CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 CLAUDIUS JAIUS. 
 
 Claudius Jaitts. — He joins Ignatius. Is sent to Brescia and Favenia. 
 Goes to Germany. Is persecuted. Labors at Eatisbonne and Ingold- 
 stadt Succeeds Eckius in the Chair of Theology. Attends the Diet of 
 Worms. Founds Seminaries. Is sought after by various Princes. Is 
 sent to the Council of Trent. Eefuses the See of Trieste. Goes to Fer- 
 rara, at the invitation of the Duke. Goes to Augsburg. Thence to 
 Vienna. Dies. His eulogy. His monument His immortality. 
 
 The precise time in which the seventh Companion 
 — a native of the Diocese of Geneva — associated 
 himself with Ignatius cannot be ascertained. Orlan- 
 dinus himself is at a loss to designate it, merely re- 
 marking, that it must have been previously to the 
 year 1536.* With the others, he was present at 
 the renovation of their vows made on Mont-Matre : 
 and devoted himself to the spiritual exercises un- 
 
 * Claudius Jaius Gebennensis theologus item ac Sacerdos 
 — quanquam certum tempus non plane constat — ad alios 
 septem .... accesserat. Lib. i. n. 101. 
 
288 CLAUDIUS JAIUS. 
 
 der the guidance of his Holy Father, in which he 
 passed three days in severe and continual austeri- 
 ties, eating nothing*, except what was necessary to 
 sustain life. Jaius caught the spirit of his Insti- 
 tute, and to exalted piety added extraordinary pru 
 dence. His first mission afforded him a signal 
 opportunity of exercising both. In the town of Bal- 
 nerregia, in Tuscany, a serious and fearful discord 
 had arisen between the clergy and the people — to 
 allay which he was chosen as an umpire, and de- 
 puted thither on this difficult and delicate errand. On 
 his arrival, which, at first, seemed not to be too 
 acceptable to either party, he convened them to- 
 gether, and, after giving the reasons why he was 
 sent among them, conciliated, at once, the good- 
 will, and secured the confidence, of all who were 
 present. Thousands flocked to hear his sermons ; 
 and so great was the number of those who had re- 
 course to the sacred tribunal of Confession, that he 
 was obliged to spend day and night in receiving 
 them. As to the disputes, to arrange which was 
 the object of his mission, they were completely re- 
 moved, to the universal gratification of all con- 
 cerned. Nor was the reconciliation merely of a 
 cold and formal nature : but the parties, on the con- 
 trary, might have been seen pressing one another to 
 their bosoms • and in ratification of their restored 
 
CLAUDIUS JAIUS. 289 
 
 friendship they received the Holy Eucharist — the 
 source and pledge of supernatural peace.* 
 
 This great end being triumphantly accomplished, 
 Jaius repaired to Brescia, where the " enemy" had 
 scattered the noxious seed of heresy, for the extir- 
 pation of which he determined to exert all his ener- 
 gies. In this enterprise he consumed the entire 
 year (1539) with consoling effect. Thence he pro- 
 ceeded on a similar undertaking to Favenza, where, 
 by his indefatigable efforts and exemplary deport- 
 ment, he restored . the ancient discipline of the 
 Church, and instituted a sodality, of which the mem- 
 bers bound themselves to approach the holy table 
 at least once a week, and to perform, with peculiar 
 devotion, offices and acts of mercy and charity in 
 the city. He appointed a Physician out of that 
 body, and also an Advocate, who contributed their 
 services gratuitously, the former to the destitute 
 sick, the latter to the poor in cases of lawsuits. 
 Some collected alms for the needy ; some acted as 
 tutors for orphan-boys ; some provided for helpless 
 females ; and all exhibited so striking an example, 
 and spread abroad so benign an influence, that, ere 
 long, the city — recently disgraced by the dissolute 
 and irreligious tendencies of its inhabitants, now 
 
 * Lib. ii. n. 93. 
 
 25 
 
290 CLAUDIUS JAIUS. 
 
 assumed a splendid position in the eyes of the 
 Church, and in the gaze of the world.* 
 
 From this field of his labors, the Sovereign Pon- 
 tiff destined him to depart to a more extensive and 
 important arena. He was commanded to accom- 
 pany Bobadilla to Ratisbonne, to succeed in the 
 place of Faber, who was sent into Spain. f 
 
 Without delay, he entered, with extreme alacrity 
 and intense fervor, upon his arduous duties. Often 
 did he visit the Bishop, and remind him of his duty. 
 The Canons he incited to every good action : and in 
 his own dwelling, stimulated all who advised with 
 him to virtue and piety, either by salutary ad- 
 monitions or by the spiritual exercises. He ad- 
 dressed the senate in a strain of noble eloquence, 
 and everywhere planted, with the sweat of his 
 brow, the good grain in these vast and neglected 
 fields of the Church. J His efforts, however, to 
 remove from the office of preaching a Lutheran 
 minister who had ingratiated himself into general 
 
 * Quin ea, quam dixi, sodalitas illas sibi partes quoque im- 
 posuit, ut peculiari quodam studio misericordise tuerentur 
 
 officia ut viderentur omnia Faventiae prisca qua dam 
 
 religione fervere. Lib. iii. n. 25. Was not this, in itf 
 largest acceptation, the spirit of the Gospel ? 
 
 f Lib. iii. n. 35. 
 
 t Id. n. 62. 
 
CLAUDIUS JAIUS. 291 
 
 favor, excited the odium of the reformed clergy 
 against him. The apostles of truth are never ex- 
 empt from trials and persecutions. Jaius had now 
 to bear his cross, with which — keeping before his 
 eyes the example of his Divine model, Jesus — he 
 continued on his way rejoicing. So inveterate did 
 the hatred of the Lutherans become, that they 
 threatened to precipitate him into the Danube : to 
 which menace his only reply was, that "he could 
 reach Heaven as well by water as by land."* Nor 
 was he the less undaunted when informed that he 
 was in danger of being poisoned, or certainly driven 
 into exile. His courageous example was regarded 
 with admiration by all good men, especially by the 
 Catholics and the Bishop, who rejoiced to see him 
 defy the malicious schemes of the wicked, and re- 
 main, supported by the consciousness of innocence 
 and truth, in the midst of the snares that were 
 spread around his path. With unshrinking intre- 
 pidity, he began a public explanation of the Epistle 
 of Saint Paul to the Galatians, which was attended 
 by a vast concourse of all ranks and orders, and 
 3ven by many Lutherans also. And though in that 
 city there were already established two Lutheran 
 
 * Respondebat intrepidus in coelum se tarn facile aqua 
 quam terra ire posse. Id. ibid. 
 
292 CLAUDIUS JAIUS. 
 
 churches, in which discourses fraught with errors 
 were assiduously delivered, nevertheless, with 
 such perseverance, and in such numbers, did the 
 citizens crowd to his lectures, that he could not 
 interrupt them, even during the usual autumnal 
 vacation.* 
 
 The effects of the so-called Reformation had been 
 severely felt over all Europe : its bitter fruits had 
 been tasted, presented to the unwary and unstable 
 under the most specious and inviting appearances. 
 The cry of liberty was raised : but it meant licen- 
 tiousness for those only who raised that cry, while 
 their victims were ground down under despotic 
 bigotry and cruel fanaticism. Evangelical doc- 
 trines were the boast of recreant and faithless 
 monks and priests, who certainly were determined 
 not to be restrained by the evangelical counsels : 
 and these vaunted doctrines — all negative, all Pro- 
 testant — multiplied and increased with terrible and 
 pernicious fecundity : giving birth to Socinianism, 
 Arianism, and latitudinarianism of every hue and 
 shape, and at the same time generating disorder, 
 schism, anarchy, and desolation.*)* In Germany, the 
 
 * Id. n. 63. Ut ne per autumni quidem vindemias, ut mos 
 erat, intermitti sacram illam paterentur explanationem. 
 f The picture of these times, as drawn by the caustic and 
 
CLAUDIUS JAIUS. 293 
 
 evil had seated itself so deeply in the nation's heart, 
 that Jaius, Faber, and Bobadilla, in their letters to 
 Ignatius, declared that nothing short of the Divine 
 
 graphic pen of Erasmus, in a letter, written in 1525, is most 
 melancholy. " One sect," lie writes, " will not hear of bap- 
 tism; another rejects the sacrament of the Eucharist; a 
 third teaches that a new world will be created by God be- 
 fore the day of j udgment ; another that Christ is not God : 
 in short, one this, another that. There are almost as many 
 creeds as individuals. There is no fool, who, when he 
 dreams, does not believe that he is visited by God, and that 
 he is endowed with the gift of prophecy." 
 
 And again : " When the Apostles tamed serpents, healed 
 the sick, raised the dead, men were forced to believe in 
 them, although they announced incomprehensible mysteries. 
 Among these Doctors, who tell us so many wonderful things, 
 is there one who has been able to cure a sick horse ? Give 
 
 me miracles What must I believe, when I see, in the 
 
 midst of contradictory doctrines, all laying claim to dogmati- 
 cal infallibility, and rising up with oracular authority against 
 the doctrines of those who have preceded us ? Is it proba- 
 ble, that, during thirteen centuries, God should not have 
 raised up, among the numerous holy personages he has given 
 to his Church, a single one to whom he revealed his true 
 doctrine ?" De Libero arbit. 
 
 The curious discussion, as related by Audin, pp. 322, &c, 
 between Luther and Carlostadius, bears testimony of the 
 spirit by which both — as well as all their associates — were 
 actuated. 
 
 25* 
 
294 CLAUDIUS JAIUS. 
 
 mercy could rescue and save that fated land. The 
 reformists traversed the empire, with untiring and 
 fatal strides, strewing their errors whithersoever 
 they went, and leading the people captive to their 
 pretended authority : whereas, many of those who 
 were appointed watchmen on the towers of the 
 Church, either deserted their posts, or stood idly 
 and negligently looking on the spreading calamity. 
 The clergy had, for the most part, lost their energy, 
 -%nd given up all vigilance. The blind lust of gain, 
 the mad determination of living without restraint, 
 threw every thing into dire confusion.* A sad pic- 
 ture, but not the less faithful, of the state of Ger- 
 many, when Jaius and the other Fathers of the 
 Society first dared to encounter the evil in that 
 afflicted land. They could be deterred by no ob- 
 stacle or opposition : neither by the magnitude of 
 the enterprise, nor the impending dangers, nor the 
 number and hostility of their powerful adversaries. 
 To the newly-broached heresies, they boldly opposed 
 the clearest truths of antiquity ; and to the poison 
 of error, applied with skilful and fearless assiduity 
 the antidote of pure and undefiled religion. With 
 the ministers and chiefs of the sect, they did not, 
 when duty required it, flinch from controversy; nor 
 
 * Lib. iv. n. 19, 20. 
 
CLAUDIUS JAIUS. 295 
 
 did they cease to warn and animate the Catholic 
 pastors and prelates of their solemn duties, and of 
 the necessity they were now under — more than at 
 any other time — of watching over their flocks, and 
 preserving them intact from the pervading conta- 
 gion.* 
 
 Jaius, as before stated, was now at Ratisbonne, 
 in which, being a free city and immediately subject 
 to the emperor alone, the Catholic cause suffered the 
 more severely, as the magistrate had not conspired 
 with the Bishop in the extirpation of heresies. On 
 the contrary, the senate seemed to favor the novel- 
 ties, by not using the influence it possessed to pre- 
 vent their growth. I do not mean to insinuate thai 
 violence and persecution should have been recurred 
 to. Far from it. Such weapons but ill become a 
 Christian State, and should never be wielded by any 
 power. Nor do I find fault with the toleration of 
 Lutheranism by the senate, and its protecting those 
 citizens who should choose to worship in Lutheran 
 temples. But there was another kind of power, 
 which it should have exerted against the inroads of 
 the Reformation. Namely, a wakeful solicitude, 
 and ardent zeal, in behalf of the ancient doctrines 
 which they had received, as a sacred heirloom, 
 
 * Id. n. 21. 
 
296 CLAUDIUS JAIUS. 
 
 from the orthodoxy and piety of their forefathers ; 
 and which were a guaranty not only for the peace 
 of their consciences, but, likewise, the safety of the 
 com mon we al th . * 
 
 * Protestantism lias been intolerant, from the period of 
 the Reformation. It was born with the germ of persecution 
 in its breast, and wherever it gained the ascendency, and 
 possessed the power, proscription and disaster were the fatal 
 consequences. I make no rash assertion. The annals of 
 history are my vouchers. The lives of the Reformers them- 
 selves — as well as their own acts and writings — are the in- 
 disputable testimonies to which I appeal. 
 
 Hear how Roscoe, in his Leo X., censures " the severity 
 with which Luther treated those who unfortunately hap- 
 pened to believe too much on the one hand, or too little on 
 the other, and could not walk steadily on the hairbreadth 
 line which he had presented." Dr. Sturges, a violent Pro- 
 testant, admits that " Luther was, in liis manners and writ- 
 ings, coarse, presuming, and impetuous." — Reflections on 
 Popery. 
 
 Robelot, in his great work, "Influence de la Reformation," 
 p. 71, relates that the Reformers met at Cadan, and declared 
 that they would not tolerate, or suffer to remain in the 
 country, any sect not Lutheran. 
 
 The Convention of Smalkald, held in 1536, proclaimed that 
 " to believe that any one who opposed the Reformation should 
 be tolerated, was an error !" — Robelot, ut supr. 
 
 A Synod at Hamburg, in the same year, decreed, that 
 "whoever rejects baptism, or transgresses the orders of the 
 
CLAUDIUS JAIUS. 297 
 
 The difficult position in which Jaius found him- 
 self under these circumstances, and the onerous 
 task he had undertaken to achieve, can easily be 
 
 magistrates, or preaches against taxes, or teaches community 
 of goods, or usurps the priesthood, .... or sins against faith, 
 shall be punished with death." — Idem, ibid. 
 
 From these few authorities, the reader may now form his 
 own judgment, whether it was bigotry, or prejudice, or rash- 
 ness in me to assert, that intolerance and proscription were 
 the characteristics of Protestantism, in the days of the mis 
 named Reformation. In England, the unrestrained use of 
 the Bible was forbidden under Henry VIII. " He had," says 
 Dr. Lingard, "formerly sanctioned the publication of an 
 English Bible, and granted permission to all his subjects to 
 read it ; but it had been represented to him that even the 
 authorized version was disfigured by unfaithful renderings ; 
 and that the indiscriminate lecture of the Scriptures had not 
 only generated a race of teachers who promulgated doctrines 
 the most strange and contradictory, but had taught ignorant 
 men to discuss the meaning of the inspired writings in ale- 
 houses and taverns. To remedy the first of these evils, it 
 was enacted that the version of Tyndall should be disowned 
 altogether, as crafty ', false, and untrue ; and that the author- 
 ized translation should be published with note or comment. 
 To obviate the second, the 'permission of reading tlie Bible 
 in public to others was revoked; that of reading it to private 
 
 families was confined to persons of rank, any other 
 
 woman or artificer, apprentice, journeyman, servant, or la- 
 borer, who should presume to open the sacred volume, was 
 
298 CLAUDIUS JAIUS. 
 
 imagined. His opponents were many and active, 
 and to his tireless exertions on the side of truth, 
 they opposed an indomitable reaction on the side 
 of error. Still, by his admirable discourses — which 
 were frequented and appreciated as well by Luther- 
 ans as Catholics — and by his other missionary 
 functions, he preserved thousands from contami- 
 nation, and brought back many to the " one fold." 
 He implored the Bishop to take every means to 
 reform and purify the morals of the people, but to 
 execute this duty in so conciliatory and prudent a 
 manner, as not to give them any offence. The 
 senate, likewise, he exhorted and entreated not to 
 connive at the increasing errors of the reform- 
 ists. His zeal and influence stirred up the angry 
 passions of these men ; and the persecution com- 
 menced against him, the preceding year, was now 
 renewed with deadlier acrimony. But the segis 
 of Providence not only covered him from the ar- 
 rows of their revenge ; they were blunted in their 
 force, and fell innocuously at his feet. Hatred he 
 overcame by charity ; insolence by mansuetude ; 
 
 made liable for each offence to one month's imprisonment." 
 Such was the boasted liberty, such the supposed enlighten- 
 ing and emancipating spirit of the Reformation! See 
 Stat. 34 Henry VHL, I. 
 
CLAUDIUS JAIUS. 299 
 
 and he persevered in his station, preaching, corn* 
 selling, suffering, and displaying heroic virtues, 
 which commanded the reluctant admiration and 
 respect even of his most inveterate opponents.* 
 
 Some, however, continued to harass and perse- 
 cute him. Especially when, at his suggestion, 
 the Bishop promulgated in Germany the jubilee 
 extended by the Sovereign Pontiff to the whole 
 Christian world. The infinite good which this 
 measure produced was hailed with rapture by the 
 Catholics, but viewed with jealousy by the Luther- 
 ans. Yet, in return, Jaius evinced towards them 
 the greatest meekness and the purest charity : and 
 the better to adapt himself to their feelings, to 
 open an easier avenue to their minds, and to make 
 himself all to all, he applied himself — though now 
 advanced in years — to the study of the German 
 language.f 
 
 Among his deadliest adversaries, two are partic- 
 ularly designated by Orlandinus : one a physician, 
 the other an apostate and married friar of the 
 
 * Perseveravitque monitis et consiliis optime quoque de 
 malevolis et ingratis in sua statione mereri. Orlandin., vi 
 tupr. n. 22. 
 
 f Id. n. 23. Our author styles the study of that language 
 'linguae asperse disciplinam." 
 
300 CLAUDIUS JAIUS. 
 
 order of St. Francis. The former was the first 
 who ventured to persuade the senate to introduce 
 communion under both kinds. The latter, having 
 thrown off the habit and the cowl, assumed the 
 character of a Lutheran preacher, and the append- 
 age of a handsome wife. These Jaius had long 
 and earnestly endeavored to reclaim from their 
 evil ways. But they repaid his zeal and charity 
 with animosity and hate, until the hand of Divine 
 vengeance fell dreadfully upon them both : for 
 both were carried off by a sudden and frightful 
 death.* 
 
 The senate was not, however, terrified by this 
 manifest visitation of God's justice on these unfor- 
 tunate victims. On the contrary, it seemed to rush 
 more recklessly into the precipice, until nearly 
 the whole city, as Jaius bitterly lamented, won- 
 dered to see itself infected with the spirit of 
 Lutheranism. The efforts of one distinguished per- 
 sonage to stay the evil cannot be sufficiently 
 praised. William, Duke of Bavaria, comes down 
 to Catholic posterity with a name hallowed and 
 renowned by his unshaken constancy in defending 
 the ancient faith. And although to some who may 
 not take into consideration all the circumstances 
 
 * Ibid. n. 24. 
 
CLAUDIUS JAIUS. 301 
 
 of the case, he may appear to have enacted too 
 severe a law against the innovators, yet, when the 
 peace and order, the happiness and perpetuity of 
 his government were at stake, he felt himself jus- 
 tified in protecting and securing these for the many, 
 by menacing, even by capital punishment, the 
 lives of a few. Such was the nature of the her- 
 esies of the sixteenth century, that they threw open, 
 at one and the same time, the gates of the sanc- 
 tuary and the state to disorder and licentiousness. 
 They were not then, as they now are, mere hu- 
 man theories conflicting with Divine convictions. 
 The warfare between them was not a spiritual 
 conflfct : but it became a conflict between two 
 temporal powers : the new one struggling to inoc- 
 ulate the old with a blighting virus of innovation : 
 and the old resisting the destructive violence of 
 the new, by opposing, in self-defence, a counteract- 
 ing violence. The character of the warfare be- 
 tween error and truth has, in the lapse of years, 
 undergone an essential change, which, we may 
 fervently trust, will preclude, forever, the neces- 
 sity of capital enactments, or of personal pro- 
 scriptions. 
 
 The decree of the Duke against the intrusion of 
 Lutheranism into his dominions "was attended by 
 such fortunate results, that, " to this day," writes 
 
 2(1* 
 
302 CLAUDIUS JAIUS. 
 
 Orlandinus, " Bavaria has escaped the tumults and 
 horrors of a civil war."* 
 
 Jaius mourned the rums in which the Church 
 of Ratisbonne was laid ; and to restore which he 
 had spared no pains, and had given himself no re- 
 pose, during the space of Iwo years. He was now 
 commanded to extend his labors to another direc- 
 tion. For the Apostolic Nuncio, departing from 
 Ratisbonne to Nuremberg, required Jaius to ac- 
 company him thither. Hardly had he commenced 
 his mission at Nuremberg, before he was sent 
 to Ingolstadt, where, notwithstanding the precau- 
 tion of the Duke of Bavaria, the errors of Luther- 
 anism began to insinuate their poisonous influence. 
 Here he spent the summer ; and whilst he re- 
 claimed many from the paths of destruction, shed 
 abroad a bright halo of sanctity, and exhibited a 
 profound fund of erudition. By the advice of 
 Robert, Primate of Armagh, of whom I made 
 mention before, and at the solicitation of the 
 Doctors of the city, he consented to fill the 
 chair of Theology, which had been left vacant by 
 the death of the renowned and learned Eckius.f 
 
 * Itaque ad hodiernum usque diem, cernimus Bavariae 
 provinciam nil bellicis periclitatam tumultibus. Ubi swpr. 
 n. 25. 
 
 \ Ibid. n. 26. 
 
CLAUDIUS JAIUS. 303 
 
 So great was his celebrity throughout the Ger- 
 man Empire, that many Prelates, anxious for the 
 salvation of those over whom he presided, sought 
 for his co-operation and aid. His virtues and 
 erudition were dreaded by the Lutherans, and they 
 formed, wherever he displayed them, a powerful 
 rampart against the reputation of the reformers. 
 The Prelate whose fortune it was to secure his 
 services, at this juncture, was Otho Truchses, who 
 was afterwards created Cardinal : a personage of 
 great influence at the Roman Court, and in high 
 favor with the Sovereign Pontiff. Every exer- 
 tion was made to retain Jaius at Ingolstadt. But 
 neither munificent remunerations, nor the honors 
 of the chair in the University, nor the expostula- 
 tions of the citizens, could make any impression 
 on him, whose breast was animated by no other 
 spirit than that of the welfare of the Church. 
 The city offered him, on his departure, liberal do- 
 nations, which, however, he refused to accept.* 
 
 At Este, he was retained, with the consent of 
 Otho, then at the Council of Spires, by the Bishop 
 of that city : where, during two months, he labored, 
 with immense advantage and success, among the 
 faithful. At Dilinghen, he conceived the liveli- 
 
 * Ibid, a 110. 
 
304 CLAUDIUS JAIUS. 
 
 est hopes for the cause of Religion, under the pat 
 r on age of Otho, who was adorned with all the 
 virtues, and actuated by the zeal, worthy the Pre- 
 lates of the primitive ages, — virtues which had 
 been happily cultivated, zeal which had been duly 1 
 directed, by the spiritual exercises which that 
 Bishop had performed under the guidance of Fa- 
 ber. This great and saintly man passed through 
 Dilinghen, at this conjuncture, on his way to Rome. 
 Jaius deplored the departure from Germany of so 
 useful, so apostolic a missionary, and wrote, by 
 him, to Ignatius, expressing his grief at that occur- 
 rence. For his very name was a tower of strength 
 to the Catholic cause : his eloquence and wisdom 
 had attracted back to her fold numbers of the 
 most distinguished persons ; and his sanctity had 
 given a singular eclat to the name of the Society. 
 In this well-merited strain of eulogy did Jaius 
 write of Faber to his Holy General, Ignatius.* 
 
 At Dilinghen he did not long remain, but repaired 
 to Salzburg, at the request of the Archbishop, 
 the brother of the Duke of Bavaria. A provincial 
 Council had been convoked in that city, at which 
 the Bishops of Augsburg and Este were both to be 
 
 * Ibid. n. iii. For the justness of this eulogy, let the 
 reader revert to Chap. II. 
 
CLAUDIUS JAIUS. 305 
 
 present. Jaius was their attendant and consulter ; 
 and by them his opinions were always asked, 
 before they would come to a decision on any grave 
 point.* 
 
 The object of the late Council of Spires having 
 been to discuss the articles which were disputed 
 between Catholics and Sectarians, and it now 
 being resolved to transfer the assembly to Worms, 
 the question to be determined was, what would 
 the Emperor think of that measure. This question 
 appeared to Jaius delicate and difficult ; and he 
 affirmed that it was not reasonable to expect that, 
 as the Sovereign Pontiff had deputed him to Ger- 
 many, he would assist at that Council without the 
 approbation of the Holy See. He, accordingly, 
 begged the Archbishop to excuse his non-attend- 
 ance. The Prelate yielded, on condition that he 
 should remain at Salzburg during the entire 
 session of the Synod ; and that when consulted by 
 the Prelates, he should at least privately give his 
 opinion. To this he could not object ; and to him 
 all the gravest questions were submitted ere they 
 were discussed in Council. Two things were 
 unanimously agreed upon. First, that, in a reli- 
 gious convocation, nothing should be decided by lay 
 
 * Ibid. n. 112. 
 26* 
 
306 CLAUDIUS JAIUS. 
 
 and popular votes. And secondly, that the Pro- 
 testants, though they should admit all Catholic 
 doctrines, were, nevertheless, to be considered 
 Schismatics, if they refused to acknowledge the 
 supremacy of the Pope.* 
 
 The result of the Council was pleasing and 
 satisfactory to Jaius. He rejoiced to see the firm- 
 ness with which the Archbishop exerted his in- 
 fluence and power against the encroachments of 
 the Reformation ; and, with fresh courage and re- 
 newed confidence, returned to Dilinghen,f whence, 
 after an interval of a few days, he was ordered by 
 the Bishop to accompany him to the Synod of 
 Worms. The affairs of the Church in Germany 
 were in^so critical a condition, that Jaius felt con- 
 vinced tha«t nothing short of a General Council 
 would be able to meet the impending danger. He 
 exhorted the Bishop not to listen to the proposition, 
 made by the Lutherans, of a national convocation, 
 and he made Ignatius acquainted, by letter, with all 
 the particulars of his own position, and of the circum- 
 staaces of the Church in these lamentable times.J 
 
 The Diet of Worms was occupied rather in 
 useless altercations, than in salutary and grave 
 debate. Jaius, however, was not inactive, or 
 
 » Ibid. n. 112. + Ibid. n. 113. J Ibid. n. 114 
 
CLAUDIUS JAIUS. 307 
 
 wanting in his duty. He aided and animated the 
 Bishops in sustaining the interests of religion ; 
 and vindicated truth and confuted error in his fre- 
 quent sermons to the people. During the season 
 of Lent, 1545, he preached before an immense 
 concourse of noblemen and the king with such 
 ardor, learning, and eloquence, that he moved, 
 convinced, and enraptured all. Of the incalcula- 
 ble good produced by his instrumentality in Ger- 
 many, not only the Bishop, whom he followed to 
 Worms, but likewise the Papal legate, Cardinal 
 Alexander Farnesius, bore splendid testimony. 
 By the latter, he was cherished and admired : 
 and not only admitted to his familiarity as a friend, 
 but consulted, in difficult questions, as an oracle.* 
 
 Among the meritorious objects to which he turned 
 the attention of the German Prelates, that of the 
 institution of Theological Seminaries — a measure 
 which Ignatius had recommended to him when 
 departing on this mission — was, perhaps, the most 
 important for the permanent wants of the empire. 
 The study of theology had, of late years, been 
 much neglected, while the inutility of it, and the 
 change in its whole system, were the themes of 
 
 * Lib. v. n. 30. His associate, in this Synod, was not 
 less esteemed, as the reader saw in Chap. VI. 
 
308 CLAUDIUS JAIUS. 
 
 the reformers. This change was gratifying to 
 the natural propensities of the mind and heart ; 
 it proclaimed a liberation from the yoke of ancient 
 discipline, as well as ancient doctrine, and left the 
 one and the other discretionary with the caprice 
 of the individual who abjured the supremacy of 
 the Roman Pontiff. The fancy of youth was de- 
 lighted with these privileges and conceptions, and, 
 not being thoroughly grounded in the study of 
 theology, many were lured from the old path by 
 the pleasures and charms of the new. Jaius now 
 suggested the plan of selecting a number of chil- 
 dren, who should be regularly trained up to the 
 liberal sciences, and then formed in seminaries, 
 for the ministry, by a solid and well-directed course 
 of theology, especially of a dogmatic character, 
 which would render them able disputants, and 
 learned controvertists. By this means, the re- 
 formed ministers, who came fresh and educated 
 before the people, declaiming against the igno- 
 rance and newly discovered errors of the Church, 
 might be met, breast to breast, on the arena, by 
 champions equal in acquirements, and superior in 
 argument ; and, thereby, vindicate the majesty 
 and sanctity of the Church.* 
 
 * Inviando il Santo alia Germania il Padre Claudio Jaio^ 
 I'anno 1541, strettamente gl' inguinse, di mettere ogni possi 
 
CLAUDIUS JAIUS. 309 
 
 The project was eagerly approved by the Bishop 
 of Salzburg and Este : and, in order to spread 
 it more generally through the German empire, 
 Jaius was invited by the other Prelates to visit 
 their various dioceses. But, as he had been 
 placed, by the command of the Pope, at the dis- 
 posal of the Bishop of Augsburg, he was obliged 
 to decline the honor, and return to Ingolstadt, 
 where he resumed his former functions, preached 
 in the open streets to countless auditors, and 
 brought back numbers to the pale of the Church.* 
 Several Catholic Princes desired, at the same 
 time, the services of Jaius ; so universal was the 
 fame of his piety and erudition. But his destina- 
 tion to the Council of Trent, which had now been 
 
 bile opera nel condurre quanti i piu potesse de Vescovi di 
 cola ad abbracciare un cosi profittevol consiglio : e la Dio 
 merce gli venne felicemente fornito, e con alquanti altri, e 
 singolarmente col Truchses, Cardinale d' Augusta ... E fin 
 da quel medesimo primo anno, i Legati proposero al Pontifi- 
 ce Paolo III., fra partiti piu. necessari, e piu utili alia Rifor- 
 mazion della Chiesa, l'istituir Seminari .... Con-sciosiecosa 
 che, non l'avere altro, onde sperar sicuro il rimettere in pie 
 la disciplina abbatuta, che ben' allevare in servigio della 
 Chiesa la gioventu : essondo vero, che tali si hanno gli 
 nomini in tutta Peta, quali si formano nella prima. Bartoli, 
 libr. ii. cap. ix. p. 91. 
 • Ibid. n. 31, 32. 
 
310 CLAUDIUS JA1US. 
 
 convoked, disappointed all their expectations 
 The Bishop of Augsburg, having been decorated 
 with the Cardinal's hat by Paul IV., deputed 
 Jaius, in his name, together with a learned Canon 
 of the Cathedral, to that august convention. By 
 the Cardinal of Trent — where he arrived in the 
 month of December — he was very graciously re- 
 ceived. But the humble Jesuit, declining the 
 splendid hospitalities of the palace, took up his 
 lodgings in the hospital. By the Apostolic Le- 
 gates, he was, likewise, welcomed with distin- 
 guished kindness and respect, not so much, per- 
 haps, in consequence of the high position he held 
 as the representative of an illustrious Prelate, as 
 of the celebrity of his own name and the renown 
 of his past labors in Germany.* 
 
 In the Council, he exercised a powerful influ- 
 ence ; in private, he was consulted by the 
 Bishops ; and in public, his decisions were heard 
 with singular respect and veneration. Nor did he 
 neglect the ordinary duties of the Society. But, 
 with the approbation of the Cardinal of Trent, 
 preached the word of God, administered the Sacra- 
 ments, and uniting his great efforts with those of 
 his brethren, Laynez and Salmeron, he gave a 
 i — ■ 
 
 * Ibid. n. 33. 
 
CLAUDIUS JAIUS. 311 
 
 lustre to the Society which time will never be able 
 to extinguish.* 
 
 On the demise of the Bishop of Trieste, Ferdinand 
 resolved to offer the vacant See to Jaius, the sanc- 
 tity of whose life, and the solidity of whose eru 
 dition, would, he felt convinced, prove a mighty 
 bulwark in favor of the Church, during these 
 calamitous times. He, accordingly, urged the Fa- 
 ther, by letter, not to refuse the burden, so worthy 
 of his solicitude and vigilance, should it be imposed 
 upon him by the Sovereign Pontiff. Nothing, 
 he assured him, would be more agreeable to the 
 people, nothing more gratifying to his own de- 
 sires.*)" 
 
 Jaius, who from his youth had imbued his heart 
 with sentiments of unaffected humility, and whose 
 maturer reflection, and, above all, whose vow of 
 poverty, had confirmed his natural aversion to hon- 
 ors and preferment, no sooner received the inti- 
 mation of the king's intention, than he began to 
 take effectual measures against its consummation. 
 To this end, he wrote, immediately, to Ignatius, 
 conjuring him to avert the impending danger, by 
 interposing his influence both with the king and 
 Pontiff : affirming that, unless compelled by obedi- 
 
 * Lib. vi. n 19. t thid. n. 81. 
 
312 CLAUDIUS JAIUS. 
 
 ence to remain at Trent, he would rescue himself 
 by timely flight and concealment.* 
 
 Justly did this wise and holy man dread those 
 honors at which the greatest and most venerable 
 Fathers trembled : and which, according to St. 
 Gregory Nazianzen, who fled from the Episcopal 
 dignity, should be most feared, because they are 
 the most pregnant with responsibility and danger. 
 Wherefore, when the king's Confessor repaired to 
 Venice, where Jaius then was stationed, for the 
 purpose of comunicating to him the royal pleas- 
 ure, " Give me one hour," was his reply, " to de- 
 liberate on the subject." After which time, he 
 declared that, having recommended the affair to 
 God in fervent prayer, he was fully convinced that 
 he was not competent to the onerous charge with 
 which the king wished to intrust him.f Ferdinand 
 addressed to the Sovereign Pontiff, also, a most 
 feeling letter, entreating him to appoint to the va- 
 cant See of Trieste an ecclesiastic of exemplary 
 piety and singular learning, and in every way qual- 
 ified for the high office of Bishop. These letters 
 
 * Ibid. n. 32. 
 
 f Ibid. Et jure vir sapiens sibi metuebat .... nee igno 
 rabat quod scriptum Nazianzenus cum Episcopatum fu- 
 geret, reliquisset : metum hunc omnium maximun metuum 
 f<*8e, et hoc periculum omnium periculorum extremum. 
 
CLAUDIUS JAIUS. 313 
 
 were delivered to the Father of the faithful by hia 
 ambassador, who had brought the affair nearly to 
 its termination, before Ignatius discovered the de- 
 sign. All hope of averting the sentence seemed 
 to have fled. The ambassador was instructed to 
 persist in his postulation : the Cardinals would 
 not interfere. The Pope — despite the representa- 
 tions and entreaties of the Society — seemed de- 
 termined to confirm the nomination made by the 
 king. Ignatius, amid these threatening difficul- 
 ties, fled to prayer, and fixed his confidence in God, 
 who inspired him with the resolution to expostulate 
 with the king, by a letter addressed immediately 
 to his majesty himself, the substance of which was 
 as follows : " The desire you have expressed, most 
 illustrious monarch, to honor the Society, and your 
 zeal in the cause of the spiritual welfare of your 
 people, are not unknown to us. For both we re- 
 turn you our warmest thanks, beseeching the 
 Divine goodness to inspire your majesty with the 
 most effectual means wherewith to accomplish 
 such noble views. But the greatest favor, and 
 "the truest kindness that you could exhibit in our 
 regard, would be to allow us quietly and sin- 
 cerely to pursue the path of our profession ; to 
 which all honors, we are persuaded, are so op- 
 posed, that we openly and conscientiously declare, 
 
 27 
 
31± CLAUDIUS JAIUS. 
 
 that we regard the Episcopacy as the worst evil 
 that can befall us. For of all, who have embraced 
 the institute of the Society, the single intention and 
 object has been to go to any part of the world to 
 which the Sovereign Pontiff might send them, for 
 the advancement of religion : so that the first and 
 germane spirit of the Society is, that its members 
 should travel from province to province, and from 
 city to city, in all simplicity, for the glory of God 
 and salvation of souls : and not confine their la- 
 bors to any particular place. This mode of life 
 was not only approved by the Apostolic See, but 
 God has shown, by many evidences, how pleasing 
 in his sight and beneficial to the Church it hao 
 been. Wherefore, as in the conservation of the 
 first spirit is seated, as it were, the very soul of re 
 ligious orders, there can be no doubt that, b\ 
 retaining it, we will preserve — by abandoning it, 
 we will destroy — our Society. From this it wil) 
 clearly be perceived how dread a calamity we re 
 gard the impending honors of the Episcopacy. 
 At this time, we are only nine professed Fathers, 
 and to four or five the Episcopal dignity h^s already 
 been offered, and by all resolutely declined. Had 
 each of them yielded, others would has T e fancied 
 themselves privileged, also, to accept it ; and thus 
 not only would the Society degenerate from its 
 
CLAUDIUS JAIUS. 315 
 
 original spirit, but, its members gradually being 
 taken away, would be soon entirely dissolved. In 
 fine, as by examples of humanity and holy poverty 
 this little Society has prospered, if men were to 
 see us honored and wealthy, their good opinion 
 of us would be changed, and the door of future 
 usefulness, not without scandal, would be closed. 
 But it is not necessary to accumulate reasons. We 
 throw ourselves upon the wisdom and clemency of 
 your majesty : to your faith, to your protection, 
 we confide ourselves, praying and conjuring you, 
 through the blood of Jesus Christ, that since these 
 honors would be, we are confident, the destruction 
 of the Society, to avert, in your goodness and love 
 of religion, this awful calamity, and to preserve 
 this least and infant order, to the glory of the 
 Eternal Majesty. May He enrich your majesty 
 with an abundance of celestial gifts !"* 
 
 This respectful but cogent epistle of Ignatius 
 produced the desired effect. The king relented, 
 and ordered his ambassador to desist from the ac- 
 tion which had well-nigh been accomplished. The 
 reasons so forcibly urged not only satisfied the 
 monarch, but convinced the Pope, likewise, of 
 the wisdom of the Society in not permitting 
 » ii 
 
 * Ibid. n. 34. 
 
316 CLAUDIUS JAIUS. 
 
 her children to aspire to ecclesiastical prefer- 
 ment.* 
 
 Towards the end of July, 1547, Jaius repaired 
 to Ferrara, at the solicitation of the duke, Her- 
 cules, who desired to have as the director of his 
 conscience, and as a faithful adviser, a holy and 
 prudent priest. The selection of such an individual 
 being left to his Confessor, Guido Guidonio, he cast 
 his eyes upon Jaius, whose fame was now univer- 
 sal, and whose place of nativity would render him 
 peculiarly acceptable to the duchess, who was a 
 native of France. The duke immediately wrote 
 to the Sovereign Pontiff and Ignatius, requesting 
 that they would approve of his choice. Ignatius 
 replied, that he felt happy in serving a prince who 
 had proved himself so favorable to the Society, and 
 would ever entertain towards him the liveliest sen- 
 timents of gratitude. He, likewise, instructed Jaius 
 in what manner he should act and comport himself 
 towards his illustrious benefactor, and amid the 
 blandishments of the court.f 
 
 On arriving at Ferrara, Jaius first presented 
 
 * To the reasons expressed in his letter to the king, Igna> 
 tius added several others in that to the Sovereign Pontiflj 
 which I gave at length in the first chapter of this work. 
 
 f Lib. vii. n. 34. 
 
CLAUDIUS JAIUS. 317 
 
 himself to the duke, and then proceeded, straight- 
 way, to the hospital, where he devoted himself to 
 the spiritual and corporal comfort of the inmates. 
 The munificent accommodations offered by the 
 luke he declined ; affirming that he enjoyed more 
 pleasure in the company of the poor than amid the 
 gorgeous luxuries of the court. In the asylum for 
 widows, which was founded by the duke under 
 the appellation of Sancta Maria de Rosa, he in- 
 structed, and administered the Sacraments ; and 
 devoted a large share of his time to the hospital of 
 Saint Anne, in which, the more effectually to reap 
 the abundant fruits of his untiring zeal, the Cardi- 
 nal Bishop of the city conferred on him all power 
 and authority.* By the duke he was consulted 
 concerning the affairs of his soul and the govern- 
 ment of his people ; was intrusted with the care 
 of the duke's children, whose spiritual guide he 
 was appointed ; and besides these duties, applied 
 himself, moreover, to the functions of preaching 
 and lecturing, and hearing confessions. "In a 
 word," adds Orlandinus, " he discharged number- 
 less other offices, which the fear of satiating the 
 attention of the reader, alone, induces me not to 
 mention more in detail."f 
 
 * Ibid. n. 25. f Lib. ix. n. 47. 
 
 2?* 
 
318 CLAUDIUS JAIUS. 
 
 Meanwhile, William, Duke of Bavaria, the 
 noble defender of the ancient Church, mindful of 
 the infinite good achieved by Jaius at Ingolstadt, 
 and of the influence and benevolence which ren- 
 dered him distinguished in that part of Germany, 
 requested the Pope to appoint three theologians — 
 naming as one whom he most esteemed, Jaius — 
 who should teach the sacred sciences in the Uni 
 versity of Ingolstadt. The Pope signified the 
 duke's pleasure to Ignatius, who could not hesitate 
 to acquiesce in it. Quitting Ferrara, with the per- 
 mission of Hercules, he proceeded with his com- 
 panions, Salmeron and Canisius, to Bologna, 
 where the degree of Doctor was awarded to each 
 one by the famous University of that city. Deco- 
 rated with this new title — which they earned by a 
 previous disputation held with two of the most 
 learned theologians — they continued their journey 
 to Trent, where they were received with dis- 
 tinguished attention by the Cardinal, and reached 
 their destination amid the gratulations and cor 
 dial greetings of the Duke of Bavaria. It was 
 here that the immortal Eckius formed towards the 
 Fathers of the Society that intimate friendship 
 which he cherished to the end of his life. By the 
 University of Ingolstadt, they were welcomed 
 with unanimous applause, and addressed in a Latin 
 
CLAUDIUS JAIUS. 319 
 
 OJtvtion, to which Canisius returned an extempo- 
 raneous, but eloquent reply.* 
 
 The fv llowing day they were escorted to the 
 "Ancient College."f They soon entered upon 
 their respective duties. Salmeron commenced an 
 explanation of the Epistle of St. Paul ; Jaius, of 
 the Psalms ; and Canisius, of the Master of Sen- 
 tences : and so highly were they admired, that the 
 members of the University expressed their gratifi- 
 cation, in a printed document, to the following 
 effect: "We are at a loss how to give utterance to 
 the pleasure we have derived from the arrival 
 amongst us of the three theologians, Claudius Jaius, 
 Alphonsus Salmeron, and Peter Canisius : whose 
 presence, far from diminishing the greatness of 
 their reputation, has increased it. Their wonder- 
 ful knowledge of the sacred sciences, their general 
 erudition, and their sanctity of manners, not only 
 equal, but far surpass, our sanguine anticipa- 
 tions.! 
 
 This was the declaration made in favor of these 
 
 * Ibid. n. 54. 
 
 f Postero die in Collegium, quod apellant " vetus," cum 
 aonore deducuntur. Id. n. 54. 
 
 $ Nuper quantam laetitiam ceperimus omnes ex adventu 
 trium Theologorum, vix dici potest. Quorum praesenta non- 
 tolum famam de ipsis excitatam non minuit, verum ctiam 
 
320 CLAUDIUS JAIUS. 
 
 first Jesuit Fathers — these disciples of Ignatius — 
 by the far-famed University of Ingolstadt ; a dec- 
 laration which afforded great joy to the neighbor- 
 ing Bishops, who had hitherto endeavored, in vain, 
 to revive the sacred sciences, so long dormant, amid 
 the increasing innovations of the times. In order 
 to perpetuate the good work, the duke determined 
 to take measures for the foundation of a College 
 of the Society at Ingolstadt ; a project which 
 met with the cordial approbation and concurrence 
 of the illustrious Chancellor Eckius.* 
 
 auget. Quorum singularis in Sacris studiis Scientia, turn in 
 omnibus disciplinis exercitatio, postremo sanctimonia vita 
 expectationem omnium eamque maximam non solum sequat- 
 verum etiam superat. — Ibid. 
 
 * This was the renowned champion of the Church, who 
 had earned immortal laurels from the disputations he held at 
 "Vienna and Bologna ; laurels which Luther and Carlostadius 
 afterwards sought to wrest from his brows. To the ninety- 
 five propositions put forth by the former, he boldly replied 
 and triumphantly opposed the theological arguments, which 
 excited the jealousy of the Archdeacon of Wittemberg, 
 who, at that time, was Lecturer of Divinity. Eckius was 
 accordingly challenged to enter the lists with him. The 
 city of Leipsic was chosen as the arena of the controversy — 
 being famous for its trade and university. The conflict was 
 short. Carlostadius found to his shame, as well as confutation, 
 that his shallow theology could not withstand the deep and 
 
CLAUDIUS JAIUS. 321 
 
 After the death of William, Duke of Bavaria, 
 his successor, Albert, who cherished an equal 
 affection for Jaius and his companions, earnestly 
 conjured the Pope, by letters, and by his ambas- 
 sador, not to remove them from his dominions. 
 But the Cardinal of Augsburg had already obtained 
 permission for Jaius to aid him, in his diocese, in 
 promoting the Catholic cause, and to be present at 
 the Council which was soon to be held in the 
 metropolis. Ignatius, convinced that the labors 
 of Jaius would be more required there than at 
 Ingolstadt, ordered him to take his departure 
 thence ; which he did, followed by the regrets of 
 Albert, and the lamentations of the whole city.* 
 
 In the year 1550, the Council of Augsburg 
 
 sweeping force of his adversary's, a man of acute mind, 
 splendid genius, boundless erudition, and unfailing memory. 
 
 Carlostadius yielded the field — routed and confounded — to 
 Luther, who, in his turn, was reduced to the necessity of 
 admitting much of what he had previously uttered against 
 penance, indulgences, and priestly absolution. Luther being 
 silenced, his once-defeated vindicator attempted to breast 
 anew the torrent of Eckius's controversy. But again he 
 was oppressed by its irresistible tide. And the arena and all 
 the laurels of the day were awarded, by acclamation, to the 
 Catholic disputant. For further interesting details, consult 
 Graveson, Hist. Ecc. vol. vii. p. 79 et seq. 
 
 * Lib. x. n. 102. 
 
322 CLAUDIUS JAIUS. 
 
 was convened. In the midst of the august per 
 sonages and learned men who were present, Jaius 
 stood conspicuous, and devoted himself, with as- 
 siduous attention and care, to the duties assigned 
 him : now displaying his wisdom by his counsel ; 
 now contributing his invaluable aid to the labors 
 of the Prelates ; shedding, meanwhile, upon all 
 around, the influence of his example, and seeking 
 light and prudence from above, in the habitual ex- 
 ercise of prayer and meditation. He converted 
 from the errors of Lutheranism not a few ; among 
 whom were several young men of excellent dispo- 
 sition and talents, who had been swept away in 
 the torrent of the Reformation : and, by means of 
 the spiritual exercises infused into the clergy — 
 many of whom were noble and opulent — the spirit 
 of their vocation. From the public places he caused 
 all indecent statues, and from private houses un- 
 seemly pictures, to be removed ; and induced the 
 wealthy to apply a portion of their riches to the 
 wants of the poor. 
 
 At Vienna, Ferdinand, king of the Romans, of 
 whose piety and zeal for the Catholic cause I have 
 already related many examples, desirous of re- 
 storing the University, in which the taint of error 
 had contaminated most of the professors, and of 
 restraining the progress of Lutheranism, as well 
 
CLAUDIUS JAIUS. 323 
 
 as reforming the morals of the faithful, obtained 
 thirteen members of the Society, solid men, and 
 well versed in the art of administering" the busi- 
 ness connected with a University. Among these, 
 the most prominent was Jaius.* 
 
 Such was the lamentable condition of Austria, 
 at this epoch (1551), that of the provinces subject 
 to the sway of Ferdinand hardly the tenth — or as 
 others have surmised, even the thirtieth — part 
 could be said to be free from the contagion of 
 heresy. The Reformation had swept its direful 
 way into the heart of the empire. Its teachers 
 had scattered, in thousands, volumes teeming with 
 abuse, calumny, and error, from which the credu- 
 lous minds of youth drank in the agreeable poison, 
 which, mingling itself, as it were, with the blood 
 in their tender veins, incorporated with their 
 beings. Well did the reformists understand the 
 pernicious art of instilling indelible prejudices into 
 the unwary breast, through the medium of pleasing 
 and elegantly-published books/f* The monasteries 
 
 * Lib. xi. n. 39. 
 
 + The leading and wealthiest publishers at this fatal period 
 had gone over to the cause of tlie Reformation : and the 
 /ecreant members of the monastic order, "who had acquired, 
 in their communities, the art of copying, in elegant style, the 
 ancient manuscripts, gave themselves up to the business o1 
 
324 CLAUDIUS JAIUS. 
 
 were deserted. Monks and priests were held up 
 to public scorn and ridicule, insomuch that few 
 had the courage to devote themselves to the min- 
 istry. Orlandinus states, that during the long 
 course of twenty years not one individual received 
 sacred orders in the celebrated University of Vi- 
 enna.* Many weak Catholics, ashamed of the 
 opprobrious title of papists, by which the Luther- 
 ans designated them, dissembled their faith ; and 
 to this evil, which was daily spreading wider and 
 wider, no remedy seemed to be at hand. The 
 king, who possessed extraordinary discrimination, 
 did not see any men perfectly fitted to undertake 
 
 type-composition and proof-reading in Lutheran establish- 
 menta The press, by this means, assumed a Protestant as- 
 cendency. The works of the reformists were beautifully 
 and sumptuously edited, while those of the Catholics — even 
 of Eckius and Erasmus — were so clumsily executed, that 
 they excited the ridicule of the Frankfort merchants. 
 Cochlceus, p. 58, 59. Erasmus, in an epistle to Henry VIII., 
 regrets that " he could find no printer who would dare pub- 
 lish any thing against Luther." — Epist. p. 752. 
 
 Cochlceus relates, that an infinite number of apostate 
 priests procured their living by strolling through Germany, 
 selling Lutheran books. — P. 58. 
 
 For innumerable details with regard to these facts, the 
 reader is referred to Audin's Life of Luther. 
 
 * Lib. xi. n. 40. 
 
CLAUDIUS JAIUS. 325 
 
 the government of the Churches, or to be raised to 
 the Episcopal dignity. In all Vienna, not a single 
 person could be found willing to devote himself to 
 holy orders. The parishes were either destitute 
 of pastors, or else occupied by men unworthy their 
 ecclesiastical profession. The sacraments were 
 entirely neglected. The Eucharist was adminis- 
 tered under both kinds ; the confessional was dis- 
 pensed with. Preachers treated, in their dis- 
 courses, of faith alone, and the merits of Christ : 
 but not a word was uttered concerning fasting, 
 prayer, alms-deeds, and other good works. It was 
 amid all these abuses, while this dense cloud of 
 error was brooding over the Church, that Jaius 
 and his companions appeared at Vienna.* The 
 scene was soon changed. A School of Theology 
 was immediately opened, to which, in a few days, 
 upwards of fifty young men repaired, who, in due 
 time, were promoted to holy orders, and began to 
 combat the prevailing heresies, with a courage and 
 success to which the empire of Austria is greatly 
 indebted for the preservation of the faith. - )" 
 
 Under the pressure of his continued and wast- 
 
 * Ibid. n. 41. In has errorum tenebras, atque in hos mores 
 incidit societatis adventus. Quos ut corrigeret sanaretqae 
 divino auxilio nixa suos omnes nervos et curas intendit. 
 
 f Ibid. n. 42. 
 
 28 
 
326 CLAUDIUS JAIUS. 
 
 ing labors, Jaius now began to sink. In the 
 month of August, 1552, he was attacked by a 
 mortal illness ; not, indeed, of a painful or linger- 
 in nature, but the consequence of incessant and 
 devouring solicitude and fatigue. Being duly for- 
 tified with the last sacraments of the Church, and 
 calmly commending his spirit into the hands of his 
 Creator, in the sweet odor of sanctity, he de- 
 parted to a better world. His death excited uni- 
 versal mourning. The venerable remains were 
 exposed in the church of St. Nicholas, which ap- 
 pertained to the Franciscan Convent, where they 
 were bedewed with the tears of the illustrious Doc- 
 tors, as well as of the ingenuous youth, of the Uni- 
 versity. To the grave they were followed by all 
 who appreciated learning, admired eloquence, es- 
 teemed virtue ; and his memory will be held in 
 benediction by the Society of Jesus and the Catho- 
 lic Church. He was, indeed, a great man, an 
 indefatigable apostle. Never shall his exertions 
 in favor of religion be forgotten, in Italy, Bavaria, 
 and Germany. In the Council of Augsburg, and 
 other Synods, he vindicated, nobly and powerfully, 
 the Holy Roman Catholic Church. His influence 
 over the people was unbounded, and his wisdom 
 was the guide of Princes and of Prelates. In 
 character, he was naturally most amiable ; of 
 
CLAUDIUS JAIUS. 327 
 
 pleasing manners, and cheerful disposition : at the 
 same time, his deportment was always marked 
 with dignity and gravity. He loved poverty, and 
 often appeared in the company of the great with a 
 coarse and tattered habit. He was devoted to 
 prayer and meditation ; scrupulously careful of 
 time ; reserved in conversation ; and modest in 
 every action. In him there was nothing arrogant, 
 nothing haughty. Though mighty and uncompro- 
 mising in disputation with the Lutherans, still 
 charitable and considerate ; and thus not only 
 confirming the faith of the orthodox, but, likewise, 
 conciliating the attention of heretics. His mode 
 of teaching in the schools was plain, distinct, and 
 firm. With wonderful clearness and precision, 
 he explained the doctrines of Justification, Predes- 
 tination, Faith, and Good Works. In a word, so 
 precious was the memory of his virtues and erudi- 
 tion, that, after his death, he was styled by the peo- 
 ple " an angel of God, and the Father and Patron 
 of Catholics." Even the great Canisius did not 
 hesitate to denominate him the "Apostle of Ger- 
 many."* 
 
 A monument was erected to his name, in the 
 University of Ingolstadt, with the following in- 
 
 * Lib. xii. n. 36, 37. 
 
328 CLAUDIUS JAIUS. 
 
 scription : u Claudius Jaius, a Doctor in Theology, 
 a Professor of the Society : a man of gentlest 
 manners, who always united learning with piety. 
 Here, in this School, he won the reputation of 
 sanctity among the highest, the middle, and the 
 lowest ; to all equally dear and useful : he was one 
 of the ten by whom the holy Society of Jesus was 
 originated and founded. Called hence — at Vienna 
 in Austria — he took his flight to those heavenly 
 realms which had always been in his heart and 
 before his eyes, in the year of our Lord 1552."f 
 
 f Claudius Jaius, Theologus Doctor, Professor Societatis, 
 vir placidissimorum morum, et qui doctrinam cum pietate 
 perpetuo conjunxit. Hie, si quispiam alius, in hac schola, 
 sanctitatis opinionem apud summos, medios, infimos sibi 
 comparavit ; cunctis aeque carus et salutaris ; qui etiam ex 
 prima decade rait eorum qui Sanctae Societatis Jesu auctores 
 et fundatores extiterunt. Hinc evocatus, Viennam in Austria, 
 et ea quae semper in pectore tenuit et ob oculos habuit aeterna 
 migravit gaudia, anno MDLII. 
 
JOHN COBDUBIUS. 
 
CHAPTER IX. 
 
 JOHN CORDURIUS. 
 
 ohm Cordubius. — One of the Companions. His career brief, bat brigh 
 Was destined for Ireland. Was appointed Confessor to Margaret 
 daughter of Charles V. His death revealed to Ignatius on the Bridge 
 of Sixtus. 
 
 Brief and bright is the history of this holy man : 
 who seems to have been ordained by Providence 
 merely to inscribe his name on the rolls of the in- 
 fant Society, and then to disappear. All of him, 
 however, died not.* His virtues, his example, 
 and his memory, lived after him, and they are im- 
 mortal. Had he been spared to exercise his ar- 
 dent zeal, and devote his shining talents, to the 
 cause of the Church , during these troublous and 
 melancholy times, what tongue can tell the incal- 
 culable good, which, in concert with his associ- 
 
 * Non omnis moriar. — Hor. lib. iii. od. xxx. 
 
332 JOHN COKDURIUS. 
 
 ates in the Company of Jesus, he would have 
 achieved. Had Xavier been taken from the field 
 of promise, ere he had reaped the vast and glori- 
 ous harvest which renders his fame unequalled in 
 modern ages, no mind would have been able to 
 conjecture, much less foresee, the stupendous result 
 of his missionary labors. So are we utterly in- 
 capable of forming any idea of the usefulness of 
 Cordurius in the Church, had he been permitted 
 to measure the ordinary number of years allotted 
 to man. But of him may it emphatically be said : 
 Gonsummatus in brevi explemt tempora multa* 
 
 In the year 1536, Ignatius, having quitted Paris, 
 and departed, on important affairs, into Spain, con- 
 fided to Faber the care of his companions : exhort- 
 ing them to look up to him, on account of the dig- 
 nity of his priesthood, and the priority of his 
 vocation ; and to reverence him as their Father.")* 
 
 Faber, who had already completed the course of 
 his studies, and acquired great renown for his 
 learning and sanctity, was not unfaithful to his 
 
 * Being made perfect in a short space, he fulfilled a long 
 time. For his soul pleased God : therefore he hastened to 
 bring him out of the midst of iniquities. Wisdom, chap, iv 
 v. 13, 14. 
 
 f Orlandin. lib. i. n. 99 
 
JOHN CORDURIUS. 333 
 
 important trust ; but watched over those commit- 
 ted to his charge with prudence and gentleness, 
 and, under all circumstances, comported himself 
 as a worthy disciple, and representative of Igna- 
 tius. 
 
 It was during the absence of the venerable 
 founder of the Society that, through the salutary 
 admonitions, and by the saintly example, of Faber, 
 John Cordurius, a native of France, was induced 
 to add his name to the number of the first com- 
 panions. 
 
 The business which required his presence in 
 Spain being accomplished, Ignatius returned to 
 his beloved companions, who were now at Venice, 
 in the beginning of January, 1537. He was re- 
 ceived with filial rejoicing and tender embraces by 
 them all, who united in their most fervent thanks 
 to Heaven, for having restored their Father to 
 their bosoms. Cordurius, with the other compan- 
 ions, departed for Rome, leaving Ignatius behind 
 to make arrangements for their intended pilgrim- 
 age to the Holy Land. In the city, they scattered 
 themselves in every quarter, devoting themselves 
 to acts of charity and mercy : and after obtaining, 
 as was before related, the benediction of the Sov- 
 ereign Pontiff, Paul III., they retraced their steps 
 to Venice, where the sacred order of Priesthood 
 
334: JOHN COEDURIUS. 
 
 was conferred upon all, on the feast of St. John 
 the Baptist (153?), by Vincent Negosantio, Bishop 
 of Arbe, a man not less renowned for the nobility 
 of his birth, than the splendor of his virtues.* In 
 the various occupations in wuich these extraor- 
 dinary men were employed, none evinced a more 
 devoted spirit than Cordurius. When he made his 
 solemn vows, so vivid was the expression of his 
 piety, so great was the force and exuberance of 
 his divine consolation, that, in spite of every effort 
 to conceal them, they burst from the depths of 
 his soul in frequent sighs, and in involuntary 
 sobs.f 
 
 When making the pilgrimage, with Laynez, to the 
 Seven Churches, he would wander over the fields 
 in order to give vent, if possible, unperceived, to 
 his lamentations. Such sensibility seemed not 
 fitted for the cold meridian of earth ; and Heaven 
 decreed that he should not be suffered to sojourn 
 long amid its sorrows and cares. He foresaw the 
 speedy coming of the angel of death, and pre- 
 pared for his exit from this mortal existence, with 
 the resignation and piety of one predestinated to 
 immortal bliss. On the festival of St. John the 
 Baptist, whose name he bore — the anniversary of 
 
 * Lib. ii. n. 3, 10, 12. f Lib. iii. n. 19. 
 
JOHN CORDURIUS 335 
 
 his promotion to priestly orders — he calmly 
 breathed his soul into the hands of his Creator. 
 
 Orlandinus relates, that Ignatius, on going to 
 offer the holy sacrifice of the Mass for his recov- 
 ery, in the church of St. Peter in Janiculo, suddenly 
 stopped on the bridge of Sixtus, as if wrapt in 
 amazement ; and then turning to his companion, 
 Baptist Viola, " Let us return home," he said ; 
 "our dear Cordurius is no more.* 
 
 In this short space is contained the whole histo- 
 ry of John Cordurius. Of his sanctity, Ignatius 
 entertained the highest opinion : and of the pru- 
 dence which distinguished his earliest career, there 
 can be no better evidence than of his having been 
 appointed Confessor to Margaret, daughter of 
 Charles V., and afterwards selected to undertake 
 the mission to Ireland.f In a letter to Faber, 
 Ignatius mentions the death of Cordurius, as of 
 his beloved child, taken prematurely, indeed, from 
 his brethren on earth, but transported to the bright 
 and glorious company of the angels and saints in 
 heaven. 
 
 * Referamus, inquit, no domum : Cordurius nosier dicessh 
 [bid. n. 20. 
 f Ibid. n. 46. 
 
PASCHASIUS BBOETUS 
 
CHAPTER X. 
 
 PASCHASIUS BROfiTUS. 
 
 Pasohasitts Br)etus.— The last of the Nine. Is sent to Ireland. la 
 captured at Lyons as a spy. Is sent to Monte Pulciano, and to Faven- 
 za. Is deemed worthy to be made Patriarch of Ethiopia by Ignatius. 
 Goes to Bologna. To Ferrara. Is made the first Provincial of Italy. 
 Is sent to France. Labors to establish the Society at Paris. Oppo 
 sition of the Sorbonne. Triumph of justice. His patience and other 
 virtues. Styled by Ignatius the " Angel of the Society." 
 
 Berlincourt, a town near Amiens, in Picardy, 
 claims the honor of having given birth to this 
 ninth and last of the companions of the Founder 
 of the Society ; who, with Cordurius, added his 
 name to their number, under the influence of Fa- 
 ber, during the absence of Ignatius from Paris, in 
 the year 1536. At this period, he was already 
 adorned with the priestly character, and, with the 
 others, was present at the renovation of vows on 
 Mont-Matre, having gone through the ordinary or- 
 deal of the spiritual exercises under the direction 
 of Ignatius ; giving, during many days, an example 
 of rigid abstinence and fasting, " which," in the 
 language of Orlandinus, " is more to be admired 
 than to be imitated by posterity."* 
 
 * Quorum admiranda magis quam imitanda viderentui 
 exempla. — Lib. i n. 102. 
 
340 PASCHASIUS BROETUS. 
 
 The first stage of the public functions of Broetius 
 was Ireland, that oppressed and afflicted land, whose 
 children, despite the newly enacted penal laws, and 
 the utter want of spiritual aid, continued firm and 
 faithful to the religion which their ancestors had « 
 received from their glorious apostle, St. Patrick. Of 
 the details of this his great mission, I have already 
 treated in the history of his fellow-Jesuit and co- 
 laborer, Alphonsus Salmeron.* It will be unneces- 
 sary to repeat their sufferings, dangers, exploits, 
 and privations in Ireland, their escape at Lyons, 
 where they were arrested as spies, and their difficult 
 return to Italy. In every variety of circumstances, 
 Broetus proved his zeal, disinterestedness, and per- 
 severance, ready to lay down his life, if necessary, 
 for the magnificent end which the Society proposed 
 to his view in all things : viz., the advancement of 
 God's glory, and the salvation of the human race.f 
 
 On his return from Ireland, Broetus was sent, 
 by Ignatius, to Foligno, at the solicitation of Blo- 
 sius, bishop of that city, who had recently been dec- 
 orated with the Cardinal's hat. There a wide 
 field expanded to his labors, among all classes and 
 orders of society. To the convents he restored 
 the fervor of their ancient discipline : and among 
 
 • Chap. ▼. t ttb. iii. n. 62. 
 
PASCHASIUS BROETUS. 341 
 
 the clergy — who had degenerated into ignorance as 
 well as negligence of their duties — diffused the 
 Bpirit of knowledge and letters, as well as of reg- 
 ularity and zeal. The vices of the people he, in a 
 great degree, abolished, and produced a general 
 reform, which seemed the work more of divine power 
 than of human agency. The Cardinal, who witnessed, 
 with admiration, this wondrous change, requested 
 him to exert his influence also at Monte Pulciano, 
 the birthplace of that eminent Prelate. With alac- 
 rity he entered upon a similar career in that place; 
 and not without equal success, preaching, and cat- 
 echising-, and reviving religion and piety, to the 
 universal satisfaction and joy of the inhabitants.* 
 He remained among them three months ; when, 
 by another Cardinal, his presence was solicited in 
 France. This was Rudolphus Pius, to whose pro- 
 tection and encouragement the Sovereign Pontiff 
 had commended the Society in its cradle, bestow- 
 ing on him, to this effect, the title of " Protector."") - 
 The main object held out to the wisdom and zeal 
 of Broetus in this mission, was the restoration of 
 
 * Lib. iv. n. 11, 12. Pari incolarum turn utilitate, turn 
 gaudio. Utrobique praeter caetera, in tradendis Christian® 
 Fidei elementis. 
 
 f Orlandinug calls him prcsstanti prudentid virum. — Ibid, 
 
 n. 77. 
 
 29* 
 
342 PASCHASIUS BROETUS. 
 
 discipline in the monastic institutions. In the dis 
 charge of this delicate office — especially in the 
 female establishments — he conducted himself with 
 extreme lenity and indulgence, by which he gained 
 the confidence and affection of the inmates. He 
 introduced the primitive spirit of prayer and medi- 
 tation among them, mildly exhorting them to look 
 to heaven for the grace necessary for the attain- 
 ment of that perfection to which they had devoted 
 their lives. On all occasions he acted under the 
 influence of that memorable maxim of St. Augus- 
 tine, that the eternal noise of reproach would be 
 idle if there were not an interior voice whisper- 
 ing to the consenting heart.* Such gentle admoni- 
 tions steal insensibly into the soul, and excite those 
 sympathies and affections which severity and 
 stern rebuke are often only calculated to stifle 
 One bland and tender word is frequently more 
 effectual, in changing the sinner's heart, than long 
 and bitter denunciations. This proved to be the 
 case in the present remarkable instance. The 
 monastic communities yielded, at once, to the sweet 
 violence of persuasion: they sought enlightenment 
 and grace in fervent and common prayer, and, re- 
 
 * Inanem esse strepitum monentis vocis, nisi sit intus qui 
 doceat. — Agust. Ep. i. Joann. Tract iii. 
 
PASCHASIUS BROETUS. 343 
 
 penting of their errors, submitted to the authority 
 of their Prelate — from whom they had, ere this, 
 been alienated- — and, with renovated fervor, prac- 
 tised the virtues and exercises of their holy state.* 
 
 Providence, as if desirous of crowning these rare 
 merits of Broetus, visited him, at this juncture, with 
 a severe and dangerous illness ; but, nevertheless, 
 spared his bodily life for the spiritual welfare of 
 others. Hardly had he arisen from his bed of sick- 
 ness, before he was sent — still infirm but obedient 
 — at the request of the same Cardinal, to Favenza.f 
 
 The aspect of that city, as represented by Orlan- 
 dinus, was of the most melancholy character. It 
 had long been deprived of all spiritual aid, in con- 
 sequence of which universal depravity of morals 
 prevailed, and the sacred exercises of religion had, 
 in a great measure, disappeared. Intemperance, 
 discord, enmities, and other deadly vices, reigned 
 abroad. The use of the sacraments had ceased, 
 and the infamous habit of swearing had extended 
 to all classes, even to the very children themselves. 
 Crimes the most flagrant in their nature had lost 
 their turpitude and guilt; and, as is usually the case, 
 this dissoluteness of morals was followed by perverse 
 and temerarious opinions in religious faith. Into 
 
 *— ^— — — ■— ■— ■— 1 ^i— — — — | . . ■■■ i . I I » W^M W ■■■! ■' " 
 
 * lib. iv. n. 77 f Ibid. n. 78. 
 
344 PASCHASIUS BROETTJS. 
 
 the bosom of this city the errors of Luther had 
 found an easy avenue ; especially as they were in- 
 troduced by a man who, adorned by nature with the 
 gifts of noble eloquence, converted to the destruc- 
 tion of souls his fatal talent, which had been be- 
 stowed upon him for their salvation. This indi- 
 vidual was the famous Bernardinus Ochinus, who, 
 having laid aside the cowl and sandals of the Capu- 
 chin friar, assumed the gown and habits of a re- 
 former, and disseminated his errors throughout this 
 fatal city.* So that the laborer in his shop would 
 interrupt his work to catch the grateful novelties 
 so plausibly diffused ; and the lounger in the tavern, 
 as he emptied his wine-cup, would drink in with 
 keen delight a doctrine that freed the mind from 
 all control, and the passions from all restraint."}" 
 It required no ordinary man to meet Ochinus, on 
 
 * Ochinus had been the Superior of the Capuchin Friars 
 in Italy. But leaving his order, in which he had acquired 
 great reputation, both for austerity of life and his extraordi 
 nary talent for preaching, he joined Peter Martyr in Switzer- 
 land ; and afterwards lapsed into Arianism. Beza, in his 
 letter to Diducius, charges him with the basest crimes and 
 the utmost impiety : *' he has become a fautor of the Arians, 
 a mocker of Christ and his Church." — Fiorim. p. 296. 
 
 f Passim, ut in tabernis officinisque pestilentis venena ma 
 gistri impunissime tractarentur. — Lib. v. n. 18 
 
PASCHASIUS BROETUS. 345 
 
 nis natal soil, and to counteract his mighty and 
 popular influence. To effect this, it was necessary 
 that national prejudices should be overcome, no- 
 tions of religion agreeable to human reason should 
 be sacrificed, and a system of morality gratifying 
 to the natural appetites should be destroyed. 
 Ochinus was an Italian. Broetus was a French- 
 man. But the former was an apostate; the latter 
 a Jesuit. The one a fautor and promoter of schism 
 and heresy; the other a vindicator and apostle of 
 unity and truth : with him was the Spirit of God, 
 and the issue of his ministry at Favenza proves 
 that that Spirit must prevail against any antagonist. 
 Broetus calmly surveyed the prospect, and stud- 
 ied the dispositions of the people, which discover- 
 ing to be lofty and generous, he deemed it necessary 
 to undertake the mission allotted him with caution 
 and circumspection. Individuals of superior qual- 
 ities, and disposed to piety, he gained over by bland 
 and conciliatory conversations; and then facilitated 
 the work of reform in morals and of conviction in 
 truth. With all classes, he began his task with an 
 affectionate and kind spirit, under the deep impres- 
 sion that the divine clemency is most easily excited 
 by benevolent and charitable actions. At this pe- 
 riod the city was filled with a multitude of poor and 
 desolate beings. To the relief of their wants, and 
 
346 PASCflASIUS BR0ETU8. 
 
 the solace of their miseries, he labored to devise 
 some efficient remedy. With this view, he established 
 a Sodality, over which he himself presided, of which 
 the object was, that its devoted members should 
 afford assistance, not merely of a corporal, but what 
 was infinitely more important, of a spiritual, na- 
 ture. At their head, he scoured the whole city, 
 seeking after and aiding the wretched and for- 
 saken; supplying the indigent sick with medicines 
 and the attendance of physicians, as also with ne- 
 cessary and proper nourishment, and performing 
 other works of charity among them.* 
 
 The result of these efforts surpassed all antici- 
 pation. The Sodalists, by their own virtuous exam- 
 ple, shed throughout the city a salutary influence, 
 while the good deeds they performed increased the 
 fame of Broetus, and excited general admiration. 
 Encouraged by this auspicious experiment, he 
 now ventured to stand as a public instructor before 
 the people, and explained, in a simple and unos- 
 tentatious style and manner, the elements of Chris- 
 tian doctrine. This was a novel scene, which at- 
 tracted a large concourse of all ages and classes. 
 Nor did he confine this exercise to the churches, 
 but carried it into the schools, with the approbation 
 
 * lib. v. n. 19. 
 
PASCHASIUS BROETUS. 347 
 
 of the teachers and parents of the children, and 
 thereby implanted in the pliant and ingenuous 
 hearts of youth the germ of truth and piety. The 
 effect produced was so general and excellent, that 
 in schools containing sometimes more than four 
 hundred pupils not an oath, or an obscene word, 
 was heard to drop from their lips. To these ex- 
 ercises, he added, moreover, public exhortations to 
 the people in general, and private conferences with 
 individuals in particular. By which means re- 
 ligion, which, on his arrival, seemed to be tottering 
 hopelessly to ruin, was once more restored to its 
 primitive vigor, and placed upon a solid founda- 
 tion. Peace was effected among many of the 
 principal families which had been torn by dissen- 
 sion ; hundreds of individuals at a time were seen 
 meeting in an appointed place for the purpose of 
 being reconciled, and of pardoning one another, in 
 the presence of the blessed peace-maker, Broetus.* 
 The manners of the people being happily re- 
 formed, the task of removing from their minds the 
 errors which had been instilled into them, became 
 comparatively easy. The consequences of those 
 errors were now dispassionately viewed, and bit- 
 
 * "Blessed are the peace-makers." The first Jesuits were 
 eminently the friends of peace. 
 
348 PASCHASIUS BROETUS. 
 
 tcrly deplored. The license which they granted 
 to private judgment and human passions not only 
 tended to the subversion of all ecclesiastical au« 
 thority, and the destruction of unity, but likewise 
 to the rejection and violation of all law and order. 
 The citizens of Favenza, brought back to a sense of 
 sober reflection by the convincing and touching re- 
 monstrances of Broetus, recognized in his ministry 
 the interposing mercy of God : and, as it were with 
 one accord, repudiating the novelties of Luther 
 and Ochinus, threw themselves again into the arms 
 of their Holy Mother, the ancient Catholic Church.* 
 
 * " Far above all the rest," writes Hallam, " the Jesuits 
 were the instruments for regaining France and Germany to 
 the Church they served. . . . They knew how to clear their 
 reasoning from scholastic pedantry and tedious quotation, for 
 the simple and sincere understandings which they addressed. 
 The weak points of Protestantism they attacked with embar- 
 rassing ingenuity : and the reformed churches did not cease 
 to give them abundant advantages by inconsistency, ex 
 travagance, and passion." — History of Literature, vol. i. ch. x. 
 
 This learned author might have given other equally pow- 
 erful reasons for their success in reclaiming such numbers of 
 persons back to the Church : he might have referred to their 
 untiring zeal, their incontaminate lives, their magnanimous 
 motives, their vast learning, and fheir extraordinary elo- 
 quence : all of which were under the heavenly influence of 
 that Society, to whose institute and rules they had vowed 
 obedience. Lib. v. n. 20. 
 
PASCHASIUS BROETUS 349 
 
 Broetus continued at Favenza during the entire 
 year, when, in 1550, he was called to Bologna 
 But his assiduous mental and bodily fatigue brought 
 on him a violent disease in the head, for which, 
 by the advice of his physician and Confessor, he 
 retired to Monte Pulciano, for the benefit of the 
 baths. Nor was he inactive even there. For the 
 benefit of the Catholics of that place, he cele- 
 brated the Divine Mysteries, heard confessions, 
 and gave public meditations, at which the Car- 
 dinal and other distinguished personages assisted.* 
 
 His health being restored, he returned to Bologna, 
 where, during the space of an entire year, he con- 
 tinued in the unceasing exercise of his zeal, aided by 
 the powerful co-operation of Salmeron, while that 
 great man was attending the Council sitting in that 
 capital. With what efficacy he labored for the 
 salvation of souls, the change wrought among all 
 classes — especially among the clergy — bore une- 
 quivocal testimony. Numbers who had been infected 
 with the Lutheran errors were induced to abjure 
 them, and reconcile themselves to the Church : and 
 a permanent establishment of the Society was com- 
 menced, two buildings adjoining the church of St. 
 Lucia having been given for this purpose.f 
 
 * lib. vii. n. 25. f lib. viii. n. 26. 
 
 30 
 
350 PASCHASIUS BROETUS. 
 
 Many Colleges, besides those of Sicily and Nj. 
 pies, had now been erected in Italy, so that it was 
 necessary for Ignatius, who was oppressed with 
 dutifcti and labors, to divide the burden he had 
 hitherto borne. Accordingly, uniting all those Col- 
 leges as it were into one province, he confided the 
 charge of it to Broetus, under the title of Provin- 
 cial. He was, therefore, the first Father who ever 
 filled that important office in Italy. The colleges 
 of Palermo and Naples, Ignatius still continued to 
 administer in person.* In this responsible and 
 honorable station, Broetus remained until the year 
 1552, when he was called to France, leaving the 
 province in the hands of the venerable Laynez.f 
 
 At Paris he found a boundless theatre for his 
 zeal and perseverance. In the Church of St. Ger- 
 main he devoted himself to the confessional, to 
 which numberless penitents flocked for consolation 
 and the remission of their sins. The crowning 
 achievement, however, of his devoted life remained 
 still to be accomplished. This was the introduction 
 of the Society, with the due approbation of parlia- 
 ment, into his native country. He had already se- 
 cured the interest of the Cardinal of Lorraine, and 
 
 * Lib. xi. n. 35. 
 
 \ The reader is referred to Chapter IV., where he will be 
 edified by the humility of that great man. 
 
PASCHASIUS BKOETUS. 351 
 
 the concurrence of Henry, king of France. The 
 parliament, with a wavering and timid policy, had 
 delayed taking any definitive action on the matter, 
 and, at length, resolved to remove the responsibil- 
 ity of it from their own body to the Bishop, and 
 University of Sorbonne. Among the Senators as 
 well as Doctors, there were many who disproved 
 of all new religious orders, without exception; whilst 
 the Bishop professed an open hostility to the So- 
 ciety in particular, affirming that its privileges and 
 inmunities conflicted whith the prerogatives and 
 authority of the Hierarchy.* 
 
 The position in which Broetus found himself, 
 under these circumstances, was precarious and 
 discouraging. He saw a thousand difficulties to 
 be overcome, numberless contentions to be silenced, 
 and sundry conflicting prejudices to be harmonized 
 Nevertheless, he threw himself into the midst of the 
 business : with his usual blandness persuading 
 some, reasoning with others, and triumphantly 
 vindicating the " Book of Exercises," against which, 
 both here and elsewhere, a very strong opposition 
 had grown up. This extraordinary book, as the 
 reader saw above, had been approved by the Apos- 
 tjlic See, in the year 1548, and earnestly recom- 
 
 * lib. xiii n. 38. 
 
352 PASCHASIUS BROETUS. 
 
 mended to the faithful, as containing exercises 
 which, if devoutly practised, will conduce to piety 
 and perfection.* Among the most learned and 
 distinguished apologists whom it numbered, at this 
 early period, Bartholomew Torres, Bishop of the 
 Canary Islands, stands pre-eminent. The testimony 
 which he rendered of its value and excellence is 
 recorded in the pages of Orlandinus ; and I cannot 
 omit in these, at least the substance of that memo- 
 rable document : " God is my witness," he writes, 
 " how cheerfully and willingly I pronounce my 
 opinion concerning the Exercises of the Society of 
 Jesus. I desire what I write to be known of the 
 whole world. And lest it should be supposed that 
 I am influenced by any private partiality, I declare 
 that I am not a member of that Society : but, like- 
 wise, affirm that, although I am the least learned 
 of Doctors, yet am I able to satisfy any one on this 
 point ; since I have known the Society from its 
 foundation, and have been a familiar associate of 
 Ignatius at Salamanca : with his followers, also, I 
 have had much intercourse, and have carefully and 
 vigilantly observed their conduct. I, moreover, 
 declare, that from the time when I first became ac- 
 quainted with this holy Society, not a crime, not aD 
 
 * See Chapter L 
 
PASCHASIUS BROETTJS. 353 
 
 error, have I been able to detect among its members. 
 With regard to the ' Exercises/ no one, who has not 
 gone through them, can be a proper judge of their 
 spirit and virtue. I have seen learned men, who 
 cannot understand their character and value ; while 
 others, of less erudition, who have tried them, 
 perceive nothing in them but what is perfectly con- 
 formable to the Scripture and the Holy Fathers. 
 It is one thing to comprehend the literal meaning, 
 and another to appreciate the spirit of this book. 
 Prayer, study, and the practice of virtue are neces- 
 sary, in order to derive the proper benefit from it. 
 For my own part, I acknowledge that I performed 
 these ' Exercises ' at Compostella ; and God is my 
 witness, that during that time I learned more than 
 in the space of thirty years spent in the study of 
 philosophy, and in the teaching of theology. If this 
 declaration appear extraordinary to any Doctor, 
 who is satisfied with his erudition, let him make the 
 experiment : if he will but submit to the trial, he 
 will come forth with the same experience. I will 
 add, that I have known not a few who have gone 
 through them, and many at my persuasion, as well 
 religious as secular persons ; of whom there was 
 not one who did not become benefited, and did not 
 proclaim them above all other human institutions. 
 Would to God we could all understand how precious 
 
 30* 
 
354 PASCHASIUS BROETUS. 
 
 a treasury they contain ! — of prayer, meditation, 
 direction, and government of the soul, and wisdom, 
 which are condensed and comprised within so 
 small a compass. If, then, any one desires to know 
 what these ' Exercises ' are, I reply, that they are 
 nothing else than attentive and profound considera- 
 tion of the dogmas, law, and precepts of the Gospel ; 
 of the benefits bestowed by the Almighty on the 
 human race ; of the life and death of Christ ; of 
 the state of our past lives, accompanied by salutary 
 resolutions for the future. I, moreover, declare, 
 that the ' Exercises,' and all they contain, have 
 generally and particularly, been confirmed by the 
 authority of the Holy See ; and have been recom- 
 mended by the Sovereign Pontiff, as of great utility 
 to the faithful. The objections which are alleged 
 against them are very trivial, and in some points, 
 too, ridiculous ; for it is unworthy a wise man to 
 affiim that a book, approved by the Holy See, could 
 contain any thing contrary to pure morals and 
 sound doctrine."* 
 
 * Lib. xiii. n. 34, 35, 36, 37, 38. The " Spiritual Exer- 
 cises," in the language of the judicious Mr. Stephen, "forma 
 manual of what may be called the act of conversion. It pro- 
 poses a scheme of self-discipline by which, in the course of 
 four Wfacks, that mighty work is to be accomplished. In the 
 first, tht. penitent is conducted through a series of dark retro* 
 
PASCHASIUS BROETUS. 355 
 
 This was the nature of that Book of " Exer- 
 cises," which the Parliament of France, from the 
 fact — as Torres justly remarks — of their being 
 ignorant of its heavenly spirit, hesitated to admit, 
 with the Society to which it belonged, into 
 their dominions. Such the Book which the Doc- 
 tors of the Sorbonne — for the same reason — op- 
 posed and proscribed ; and was made the theme 
 
 spects to abase, and gloomy prospects, to alarm him. These 
 ends obtained, he is, during the next seven days, to enrol 
 himself— such is the military style of the Book — in the army 
 of the faithful, studying the sacred biography of the Divine 
 Leader of that elect host, and choosing, with extreme caution, 
 the plan of life, religious or secular, in which he would best 
 be able to tread in his steps and to bear the standard emblem- 
 atic at once of suffering and conquest. To sustain the 
 Soldier of the Cross in this protracted warfare, his spiritual 
 eye is, during the third of his solitary weeks, to be fixed in 
 a reverential scrutiny into that unfathomable abyss of woe, 
 into which a descent was once made to rescue the race of 
 Adam from the grasp of their mortal enemies ; and then 
 6even suns are to rise and set, while the secluded but now 
 disenthralled spirit is to chant triumphant hallelujahs, ele- 
 vating his desires heavenward, contemplating glories hitherto 
 unimaginable, and mysteries never before revealed ; till the 
 Sacred Exercises close with an absolute surrender of all the 
 joys and interest of this sublunary state, as a holocaust, to 
 be consumed by the undying flame of Divine love on the 
 altar of the regenerated heart." — Critical Miscellanies. 
 
356 PASCHASIUS BROETUS. 
 
 of denunciation in the pulpit, in the Chair of 
 Theology, in private circles, and in public ha- 
 rangues. 
 
 All these persecutions Broetus suffered with un- 
 ruffled patience, and unshaken constancy : and he 
 would have inevitably been crushed under their 
 violence, could his enemies have infused their pre- 
 judices and animosities into the heart of Henry 
 II. But instead of yielding to the popular feeling, 
 that excellent monarch assured Broetus and the 
 Cardinal of Lorraine, that the Society was shielded 
 by his protection, and never should he consent to 
 abandon it. The members, however — and particu- 
 larly Broetus — were exposed to continual insults. 
 Strange rumors concerning them were spread among 
 the populace, so that they could not appear in public 
 without being covered with scorn and contempt. 
 Broetus bore these injuries with silent forbearance; 
 but deemed it, at the same time, more prudent to 
 suspend the public functions of his ministry. In 
 private he continued, with unwearied zeal, to instruct 
 and direct those who put themselves under his care. 
 Meanwhile, the Sorbonne published a severe de- 
 cree against the Institute, and fraught with mis- 
 representations of the character, rules, and cus« 
 toms of the members themselves : concluding with 
 the momentous accusation of their being "dan 
 
PASCHASIUS BEOETUS 357 
 
 gerous to the faith, destructive to the peace of 
 the Church, and eve.'sive of the monastic institu- 
 tions."* 
 
 Broetus, having consulted Ignatius with regard 
 to the proper measures to be taken on this grave 
 subject, received the following answer, which is 
 stored with the usual wisdom and magnanimity of 
 the great and venerable man from whom it eman- 
 ated: " I desire you to bear in mind the words of 
 Jesus Christ addressed to his disciples, when on the 
 point of departing from them : My peace I give 
 unto you. My peace I leave unto you. Imagine these 
 words to have been uttered in your presence. 
 Let nothing be published, nothing be done, that 
 might engender acerbity of feeling. It is often 
 better to be silent, than to speak. Nor is there 
 any need of a revengeful style, when truth is her 
 own avenger. The authority of the Doctors of 
 Paris is, doubtless, very great, and, on that ac- 
 count, the more to be dreaded by us. Yet, let 
 not even that disturb us. Nothing can long prevail 
 against truth, which may, indeed, be opposed, but 
 never overcome. Let not the passions be stimu- 
 lated by the bitterness of retort, but appeased by 
 the humility of silence. God is our protection : 
 
 * Lib. xv. n. 45. 
 
358 PASCHASIUS BKOETUS. 
 
 to Him we commit our cause, and it must tri 
 umph. ,; * 
 
 The Cardinal of Lorraine saw, with exceeding 
 grief, the storm excited against the Society, for 
 which — knowing it better than its maligners — he 
 cherished the tenderest regard and affection. In 
 order to allay it, he proposed that four Doctors of 
 the Sorbonne should accompany him to Rome, where 
 they should converse with Ignatius in person, and 
 also confer on the subject with four of his order, 
 whom he should select for the purpose. This prop- 
 osition was accepted ; and four Doctors were 
 deputed with him; whose names were Pansa, Saus- 
 ciera, Brixante, and Benedict, the authors of all 
 the mischief. They were met by Laynez, Olauius. 
 Polancus, and Frusius. Benedict attempted to 
 defend every accusation alleged in the decree : but 
 the Fathers refuted his objections, elucidated the 
 character of their order, and triumphantly vindi- 
 cated the Institute. The substance of the confer- 
 ence was cr^nmitted to writing ; and the task of 
 reducing it to a regular form, for the purpose of 
 transmitting it to the Sorbonne — and to posterity 
 — was allotted to Olauius, a man of eminent lei fil- 
 ing, splendid talents, and exalted piety. This ^ 
 
 * Ibid. n. 43. 
 
PASCHASIUS BROETUS. 359 
 
 effected in a masterly composition, in which elegance 
 ol' style, courteousness of manner, terseness of 
 argument, and eloquence of diction are combined 
 with admirable and brilliant felicity * 
 
 On the minds of most of the Doctors of the Sor- 
 bonne, this apology produced the desired effect : so 
 that they declared, that had they been better in- 
 formed on the nature of the Institute, they would not 
 have published their decree against it.f And what 
 proves the thorough change that was effected on 
 the Doctors of that famous University, was the fact, 
 that, forty years later, another excitement having 
 been raised against the Society, their Faculty pro- 
 nounced that it ought to be retained in France.J 
 
 Thus may the recognition in that kingdom of 
 this wonderful order be, in no small measure, at- 
 tributed to the zeal and prudence of Broetus, who, 
 in every capacity and station, proved himself a 
 worthy and saintly disciple of his immortal founder 
 The last, but not, therefore, the least, of the admi 
 rable nine: a band of noble spirits, associated undei 
 the same divine influences, shedding over the world 
 
 * The whole paper may be seen in Orlandinus, lib. xv. 
 n. 46, 47, et seq. A portion of this noble vindication of the 
 Society was spread before the reader in the first chaptei 0>i 
 this work 1 refer his particular attention to it. 
 
 f Ibid. n. 62. % Ibid. 
 
360 PASCHASIUS BROETUS. 
 
 — as has been shown in the preceding* pages — " a 
 burning and a shining light," in darksome and 
 troublous days, and contributing their support, lfkc 
 so many grand and stately columns, to the edifice 
 of the Church. His more than ordinary merit, his 
 great and solid qualities, were well known to Igna- 
 tius; who, when there was question of appointing 
 one of his disciples Patriarch of Ethiopia, nomi- 
 nated him to that sublime dignity. In concluding, 
 the rarest tribute that mortal tongue could pay him 
 was bestowed by the same discerning and impartial 
 man, when he honored Broetus with the title of 
 " the Angel of the Society."* 
 
 * When there was question of appointing a Patriarch of 
 Ethiopia, St. Ignatius recommended Broetus in these terms : 
 " Paschasius is so pure a man, that we esteem him as the 
 angel of our Society. Besides his great learning, he has 
 had no little experience in visiting and reforming monas- 
 teries and dioceses. Moreover, he has been Vicar Apostolic 
 in Ireland. No one member of the Society has discharged as 
 many offices of this kind : and he has discharged them, too, 
 in such a manner, that to whatever work he applied his la' 
 bors, in that he always admirably proved his ability. By 
 
 nature he is very persevering," etc See Tanner, p. 78, 
 
 and Drews, Fast. Soc. part III. p. 329. 
 
 He was carried off by the plague at Paris, in which more 
 than eighty thousand persons perished. His death occurred 
 «n the feast of the exaltation of the cross, September the 
 4th, A. D. 1562, in the fifty-sixth j ,ar of his age 
 
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