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\.AmmfWl!-Wiiiii. 
 
 Poundex o£ the Society of Jesus. 
 
 3few Yoxk Eivari IhnugaH & ]?TotljeT 
 
HISTORY 
 
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 OF 
 
 DOMEST 
 UBRAR 
 
 TRE I^IFE AND INSTITUT 
 
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 ST. IGJfATIUS DE LOYOLA, 
 
 FOUNDER OF THE SOCIETY OF JESUS. 
 
 BY 
 
 ■ f 
 
 FATHER DANIEL BARTOLI 
 
 OF THE SOCIETY OF JESUS. 
 
 TRANSLATED BY THE AUTHOR OF * LIFE IN MEXICO." 
 
 Thcie are they whom we hau sometime In denston, ana lor a parat>Ie of reproacl . We, foole, es- 
 teemed their life mjidness, and their end without honor. Behold I now they are nain> vl among tb« 
 ebjldren of God, and their lot m among the Saints. 
 
 VOLUME lO/i 
 
 P. J. KENEDY, 
 
 (late EDWAKD DUKIGAK & B 
 Catholic Publishing House 
 5 BARCLAY STREET. 
 
Entered according to act of Congress, In the year 1855. 
 
 Mir JAAUSti B. KIliKtE. 
 
 iB me C'lerfc'8 Offioa of the District Court of the United States, for tB« 
 
 Soathern District of New York. 
 
TRANSLATOR'S PREFACE. 
 
 The works of Father Daniel Bartoli being compara- 
 tively little known in this country, it may be well to 
 mention that this learned and laborious Jesuit, pro- 
 fessor of rhetoric, distiaguished for his eloquence in 
 the pulpit, and one of the most popular writers of the 
 age in which he lived, was born at Ferrara in 1608, 
 and published the work of which the following is a 
 translation, at Rome, in the year 1650. Contrary to 
 the custom of the Jesuit biographers of St. Ignatius, 
 he wrote in his native tongue ; while his predecessors 
 had almost universally employed the Latin language ; 
 and in that ecclesiastical idiom, however generally in use 
 in those days, their works had been. rather appreciated 
 by the learned few, than generally read and admired. 
 
 This " History of the Life of St. Ignatius and of 
 the Society of Jesus," with its southern vivacity, strik- 
 ing imagery, and life-like portraits, became popular 
 wherever it was known. It was translated into Latin 
 
iv translator's preface. 
 
 by Father Giannini ; at a later period into French. 
 A learned critic has declared that all translations of 
 Bartoli must fall far short of the original. His un- 
 questioning faith, his simple enthusiasm, combined 
 with the romantic character of the narrative, do in- 
 deed seem more suited to times nearer the mediaeval 
 era, and to an atmosphere more glowing and cloudless 
 than ours ; whilst much of the charm of the original 
 must necessarily escape when transferred from those 
 softly flowing periods to our more senatorial and posi- 
 tive language. 
 
 Nevertheless, a translation may serve to draw at- 
 tention to the original, and will at least give an idea 
 of its merits, however imperfect, to those whose know- 
 ledge of languages does not embrace that of Dante 
 and Ariosto. 
 
 But I must not pass over in silence my obligations 
 to the French translator, whose plan in the division 
 of the work into chapters I have closely followed ; and 
 whose example I have ventured to take in the omission 
 of certain details, which might have appeared weari- 
 some to the general reader, and unnecessary to the in- 
 terest of the narrative. 
 
 Yet we need not fear that the subject is one which 
 can be easily exhausted, or which can ever cease to be 
 interesting. For three hundred years this wonderful 
 
TRANSLATOR S PREFACE. 
 
 Society has fixed the attention of princes and people 
 throughout the universe. Hated, loved, praised, 
 abused, persecuted, cherished, but always an object of 
 intense interest ; it has never sunk into insignificance, 
 it has never been regarded with indifference. Whilst 
 in one country the name of Jesuit awakens every feel- 
 ing of distrust and abhorrence ; in another it arouses 
 every sentiment of love and reverence. The member 
 of the Society of Jesus finds himself regarded with as 
 different feehngs at different periods, as was the great 
 Apostle of the Gentiles by the barbarians of Melita, 
 before and after he had shaken off the venomous rep- 
 tile from his hand. He is a murderer — he is a God. 
 
 And therefore, notwithstanding the many books 
 which have been written upon this subject, w^hether 
 against or in favor of the Society of Jesus and its 
 Founder, the history of Bartoli, with its honest and 
 plainly authentic details, and above all, as containing 
 a fuller account of the Institute itself than has hith- 
 erto been given by any author, may be considered well 
 worthy the trouble of perusal ; more especially by 
 those who would gladly use their own judgment in 
 ascertaining the true motives by which the Founder 
 of the Society was actuated ; his original intentions 
 in that foundation, together with the real nature of his 
 Spiritual Exercises ; who would discover what has so 
 
vi translator's preface 
 
 greatly puzzled a late Protestant divine, in what he 
 calls " the twofold character of Ignatius de Loyola ;" 
 how he was at once an "unmanageable enthusiast," 
 and the author of " a scheme of life and a polity, 
 which has proved itself to be the most firmly com- 
 pacted and the most efficient of any which the world 
 has seen," 
 
 We think that this enigma will be solved by the 
 simple perusal of Bartoli ; and that the reader will 
 also be enabled to ascertain how far the followers of 
 St. Ignatius have walked in, or deviated from the foot- 
 steps of their Founder, and to what extent they have 
 obeyed the injunctions which he bequeathed to them ; 
 whether, in short, the object of the Society has been 
 to acquire worldly honors, wealth and influence, or 
 whether they have acted up to their professed aim : 
 namely, to labor for their own perfection, for the 
 spiritual welfare of their fellow-men, and all 
 Ad Majorem Dei Gloeiam. 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 I PROPOSE to write the history of the Company of Jesus, 
 and thus to fulfil the obligation under which that Society 
 lies, of making known to the world from time to time the 
 works which it has performed in its service ; for if a narra- 
 tive of the occurrences which concern those religious Orders 
 who "live only for God and for themselves, may be considered 
 as an act of spontaneous liberality to the public, it is not so 
 in regard to this Order, whose direct and principal object is 
 to benefit mankind. 
 
 If we revert to the origin of the Society of Jesus, we 
 shall easily perceive how distinct is the duty imposed upon 
 it in this respect ; since it appears that the whole world has 
 concurred in its formation, increase, and extension. Spain 
 gave it a father in St. Ignatius ; France, a mother, in the 
 University of Paris ; to Italy it owes the Pontiff Paul III., 
 who determined its existence as a religious Order; it re- 
 ceived from Portugal the title of Apostolic, and the first 
 
Vm PREFACE. 
 
 eleineuts of its aggrandizement. Hardly was the new So- 
 ciety adult, wlien placed by Germany in the arena, to grap- 
 ple with the Protestants of those unfortunate days ; the East 
 Indies, the kingdoms of Africa, the two Americas welcomed 
 the children of Ignatius even during the lifetime of their 
 Founder, and opened up to them those vast fields, which they 
 were destined to cultivate by their labors, and to water with 
 their blood. 
 
 Thus besides the obligations which the direct object of 
 the Society imposes upon it, it is bound by those which 
 it has contracted in the service of all nations, to come for- 
 ward and balance accounts with them, that the world may 
 judge whether or not these engagements have been fulfilled. 
 This work will not consist of a simple narrative only ; it will 
 also be an apology for the Society ; since there exists not 
 only amongst Sectarians, but even amongst Catholics, a vast 
 number of persons who have endeavored to draw down the 
 hatred and contempt of the world upon this Order ; repre- 
 senting it at one time as a disturber of peace ; at another 
 as designing and dangerous ; and again, as utterly degener- 
 ate ; nor will this vituperation cease until that day arrives, 
 which God grant it never may ! when these accusations shall 
 be founded upon truth. 
 
 Had the Society abandoned the difi'erent public minis- 
 trations to which she devotes herself for her neighbor's wel- 
 fare ; and adopted the humble occupations of weaving mats, 
 of making baskets, or of cultivating gardens ; had she nar- 
 rowed the sphere of her activity within the walls of a cell ; 
 
PREFACE. IX 
 
 never issued forth whetlier to see or to be seen ; if, dead to 
 the living, as St. Gregory Nazianzen expresses it, she had 
 lived but to herself, the world would have spared alike her 
 reputation and her works, and would not have honored her 
 by its hatred. Then all defence would have been idle ; all 
 appeal to reason and truth needless. But this was not what 
 God required of our Order. In those days of calamity for 
 His Church, when fresh auxiliaries were so needful for her, 
 He did not raise up this new religious Order to seek for re- 
 pose, but to devote itself to labor for the good of mankind. 
 It pleased God himself to oppose this barrier to the igno- 
 rance of infidels, to the perversity of heretics, and to the 
 corruption of Catholics. It was therefore impossible that, 
 destined for such a struggle, the new Society should not 
 have met with antagonists, and when enabled by the divine 
 blessing to snatch from the hands of the enemy, the souls 
 which he held in captivity, those very hands became armed 
 against her, and challenged her to combat. 
 
 I may then justly give the name of apology to that which 
 is in fact but a simple narrative ; for as Diogenes, in order 
 to confute the sophisms of Zeno, who denied motion, merely 
 arose and walked, so as an answer to those who obstinately 
 refuse to acknowledge in a religious Order, a spirit and work 
 worthy of its profession ; arguments and dissertations are of 
 less avail than a mere narrative of well-authenticated facts. 
 
 This, indeed, has been the innocent but effective method 
 of defence, adopted from the very birth of the Society, by 
 its Founder and Father, St. Ignatius. In reply to a censure 
 
 VOL. I. — 1* 
 
X PREFACE. 
 
 afterwards revoked, which the Sorbonne, ignorant of the 
 true spirit and works of the Society, had pronounced against 
 it, he preferred to the most peremptory arguments, the com- 
 bined testimonies which he had received from the principal 
 cities of Europe, where, judging from visible and manifest 
 facts, the Order had been declared highly useful, orderly, 
 and well regulated. This was the sole reply given by Igna- 
 tius to those able but at that time ill-iuformed men, who had 
 throuojh io-norance condemned it. 
 
 I may also hope that it will prove no slight consolation, 
 and no trifling advantage to the members of the Society it- 
 self, thus to see brought before them in one general picture, 
 the life, labors, and glory of their elders ; since they may 
 hence learn to appreciate their works, to honor their memory, 
 to imitate their noble examples. Thus should any one ac- 
 knowledge that he is yet very far from the perfection which 
 his vocation requires, let him console himself by entering 
 into the humble sentiment of Father James Eguia, a man 
 of eminent virtue, and confessor of St. Ignatius ; that if 
 amongst many pieces of gold of just weight, there should 
 be one mixed with alloy, it is not remarked, but passes cur- 
 rent with the others. As an encouragement to aspire to 
 perfection, we shall find numerous examples worthy of our 
 imitation in the lives of those holy men, the record of whose 
 virtues will assist us to become the living copies of these 
 noble models. Nor can any one justly apply to us the words 
 of Philo : " The further," he says, " that the human race 
 recedes from Adam, the less it receives at its birth, of that 
 
PREFACE. XI 
 
 primitive vigor belonging to a perfect nature, and possessed 
 in the highest degree by our first father.* Thus," con- 
 tinues he, " as the rings of an iron chain suspended to a 
 load-stone, participate so much the less in its virtue in pro- 
 portion as they are further remaved from it ; so the gifts of 
 nature degenerate in man, the further he recedes from his 
 first parents." We, on the contrary, shall gain by distance ; 
 since the spirit of our Founder and of his Institute will de- 
 scend to his successors, fortified by numerous and worthy 
 examples ; like a river, which, as it recedes from its source, 
 is gradually increased by the new waters which precipitate 
 themselves into its bosom, as it flows along. 
 
 The holy Apostle St. Francis Xavier asked nothing with 
 greater earnestness, than to receive detailed accounts of hia 
 brethren whom he had left in Europe, and of all those who 
 were daily added to their number. He writes to the. Fathers 
 in Rome : " I beg and conjure you in the name of God, my 
 dear brothers, to speak to me of all our members, and of 
 each one in particular ; for having no hope of seeing them 
 again in this life, facie ad faciam,^ I desire at least to be 
 associated with them in spirit." Surely it was not to obtain 
 merely a vain consolation, that the Saint made this earnest 
 prayer, but rather that he might receive .encouragement from 
 their example to endure his fatigues, and joyfully to bear the 
 burden of his labors. When that dearly loved news arrived 
 from St. Ignatius and his other friends, we may believe that 
 he conceived a still higher esteem, a yet more lively affec- 
 
 * In Cosmop. 
 
XU PREFACE. 
 
 tion for that mother ever since then so fortunate, less even 
 in the number, than in the virtues of her children. " I can- 
 not," he says in one of his letters to the Fathers in Kome, 
 *' cease to speak of the Society when I once begin ; it is a 
 subject upon which I know not how to contain myself; nor 
 can I finish my letter more suitably than with these words : 
 Si ohlitus unguam fuero tui Societas Jesu, ohlivioni detur 
 dexter a mea ! " 
 
 Such is also the effect which the knowledge of the vir- 
 tues of our predecessors shall produce upon us ; and with 
 this view I propose at some future period to write their 
 lives ; not by fragments, nor in a vague and general manner, 
 but in order, and with all fitting details. 
 
 Meanwhile, let no one suspect that my pen will refuse to 
 trace any thing but the virtues and the works with which it 
 has pleased God to illustrate the Society ; nor that I would 
 defend, conceal, or extenuate those faults, whether grave or 
 slight, with which some of her children may have tarnished 
 her lustre, or dimmed her primitive beauty. An assemblage 
 of so many thousands of men, although originally called by 
 God, and afterwards subjected to the most rigid discipline, 
 could certainly not be more fortunate or more faultless than 
 that of the angels in Heaven, or of the apostles upon earth. 
 The first were created in holiness, and doubly enriched with 
 the gifts of nature and of grace ; the others were formed by 
 the teaching and example of Jesus Christ himself. Yet 
 many amongst the first have peopled Hell ; amongst the 
 second some fell, and one was lost Every profession in the 
 
PREFACE. XIU 
 
 Church has hypocrites,* justly says St. Augustine; and 
 there is no religious Order so new, no Institute so wise, 
 which may not say, groaning with Job, " My works bear 
 witness against me ; " words applied, according to the in- 
 terpretation of St. Gregory, to those double and false 
 men, religious by their profession, and profane by their 
 works, t 
 
 But besides, the very faults which have blemished their 
 lives, may be useful to those who know how to extract a 
 useful lesson from them. For as the shipwrecks of impru- 
 dent mariners first made known the hidden rocks which all 
 marine charts now mark out for navigators, by which voyages 
 have been rendered comparatively safe, so a faithful history, 
 pointing out the causes through which some were unfortu- 
 nate, and others fell, will serve as a guide and a warning to 
 their successors, and will show them the necessity of taking 
 another route, if they would avoid similar evils. If men, 
 placed under the same rule, and forming one body, find ad- 
 vantage in studying the lives of their predecessors, it is 
 therefore evident that they may derive as much benefit from 
 reflecting upon the faults into which they have fallen, as 
 upon the virtues by which they were distinguished. 
 
 Experience, it has been often remarked, is the daughter 
 of Time ; she is also the mother of prudence, and a guide 
 towards wisdom ; and many things can be learnt through 
 her, which no abstract thoughts, or theoretical principles can 
 
 • In Psalm 99. f Lib. 13 Moral. 6. 
 
XIV PREFACE. 
 
 ever teach. As the reformation of the calendar was tho 
 result of a multitude of observations examined by each 
 other, and not of some few isolated data, so in every form of 
 government, certain fundamental maxims are not adopted, or 
 at least their expediency cannot be proved, until all tho 
 events which have occurred during a long series of years 
 have been examined, and the advantages and inconvenienoes 
 of the system, carefully scrutinized. If we add to all this, 
 that obligation to inviolable fidelity imposed upon every his- 
 torian, an engagement which he takes in the face of the whole 
 world, in virtue of his office, my readers may be convinced 
 that every one of my assertions shall be based upon authen- 
 tic proofs, and that I shall conceal nothing which it may be 
 useful to relate. 
 
 However, the general history of the Order embraces a 
 mass of facts which have taken place in the most different and 
 most distant regions. In a narrative of this nature, order, 
 clearness, and method are especially necessary. The best 
 plan that I have been able to devise, consists in simply class- 
 ing the labors of the Company, according to the four quar- 
 ters of the globe. But there is one history which ought to 
 take precedence of all the. others, for it is the true basis of 
 this work — I mean that of St. Ignatius. As Founder of the 
 Order, he has a right to a more especial, a deeper remem- 
 brance ; while his actions and the example of his life, ought 
 to be a rule for the conduct of those who have inherited his 
 spirit, and embraced his Institute. 
 
 Were I to mingle with this narrative a history of tho 
 
PREFACE. IV 
 
 different events with which contemporary history furnishes 
 us, I should injure the beauty of my subject, which consists 
 in the unity and connection of the whole, as well as in the 
 harmony of its parts. Yet I have felt persuaded that I 
 should not pass over in silence several circumstances ap- 
 parently of slight importance in the history of St. Ignatius, 
 which had escaped the notice of his first historians, Riba- 
 denara, Orlandino, Mafi"ei, and others ; or which perhaps 
 they had suppressed on account of the times in which they 
 wrote. For if we naturally feel a certain desire to know 
 something of the features and physiognomy of those great 
 men who have lived for the glory and happiness of their 
 fellow-creatures, and endeavor from some ancient memoirs 
 to form an ideal image of their appearance and lineaments, 
 judging from what we learn of their character and virtues ;* 
 yet certainly we should prefer to a painting, which, after all, 
 can but retrace their physical conformation, those pages 
 where their innermost souls are unveiled, and where the 
 different phases of their existence are developed, and brought 
 to light by a faithful account of their actions and of the 
 various events of their lives. 
 
 Now as in a portrait, where the artist endeavors to pro- 
 duce a perfect resemblance to the original, no line or stroke 
 of his brush can be considered as useless ; so in retracing 
 
 * Quo majus, ut equidem arbitror, nullum est felicitatis specimen^ 
 quaifi semper omnes scire cupere, q^ialis fuerit aliquis. — Plin. lib. Sfi. 
 cap. 2. 
 
XVI PREFACE. 
 
 the lives of great men, certain minute details, whicli taken 
 separately, appear to offer little interest, yet possess a cer- 
 tain intrinsic merit, when they contribute to the formation 
 of one admirable whole. 
 
 To apply this observation more immediately to St. Igna- 
 tius ; we find Father Luis Gonzaga, who had lived with him 
 Bome time, and had studied his character attentively, ob- 
 serve to John, King of Portugal, that the mere recollection 
 of Ignatius, of his words and actions, inflamed his heart with 
 a more vivid desire of perfection, than the holiest teaching, 
 or the most lofty meditation. Others relating, after the 
 death of the Saint, what they had observed in him, wept 
 with emotion, and considered themselves supremely blessed, 
 in having been permitted to study the theory and practice 
 of perfection, under a master of such heroic sanctity. 
 
 I shall not, I think, be blamed for occasionally mingling 
 with the ancient and faithful historical memoirs which we 
 possess, certain facts with which they have not furnished me. 
 I shall draw these details from no modern source, but solely 
 from manuscripts written by the holy Founder himself, or 
 from the writings of the Fathers Faber, James Lainez, 
 Simon Rodriguez, Jerome Nadal, and others, from whom 
 the first historians derived their materials. Besides this, 
 the voluminous correspondence, and the depositions of six 
 hundred and sixty-five witnesses, adduced in the process of 
 canonization, have frequently been of great assistance to 
 me. 
 
 Finally, in this first work, I shall venture to follow the 
 
rEEFACE. xvii 
 
 example of Sfc. Gregory, the Pontiflf, who was wont to com- 
 pare himself to those rivers, which, meeting with hoilow 
 ground along their shores, fill it up, and flow onwards with- 
 out deviating from their course. Thus, without turning 
 aside from my principal subject, I shall make some digression 
 whenever I find it necessary to do so. *' The lyre," says St. 
 Augustine, " is not composed solely of the chords which give 
 it sound and harmony, but also of other parts, which are 
 deaf and dumb in themselves. These, however, united to 
 the chords which they support, become in their turn sono- 
 rous and melodious. Thus," continues he, " certain descrip- 
 tions of material things, which are occasionally mingled with 
 the writings of the prophets, do not indeed speak openly of 
 Christ ; but His mysteries are there, united by allegorical 
 figures, of which we may say that they proclaim Christ ; 
 Christum sonant. The same observation might be applied 
 to those digressions which I have considered it necessary to 
 make ; as for example, in my detailed account of the Spirit- 
 ual Exercises^ of the persecutions which we have undergone, 
 of the protection granted us by the Mother of God, of the 
 object and plan of our Institute. Here the connection be- 
 tween cause and effect is evident ; and we may say of these 
 different subjects, Ignatium sonant. 
 
 But besides the intimate connection which all this has 
 with him, and which prevents me from omitting these cir 
 cumstances, it was also my duty to mention them in order 
 to explain, and by so doing to justify them. I have espe- 
 cially dwelt upon the plan of the Order instituted by the 
 
XVIU PREFACE. 
 
 Saint, and judged of so differently by those who know it 
 and by those who do not, that it may remind us of the opin- 
 ion of the two philosophers, Pythagoras and Anaxagoras, in 
 regard to the sun, as related by an ancient writer ; the one 
 regarding it as a stone, and the other as a God : Quern ille 
 ut Deum, hie ut lajpidem prospectabat* 
 
 If when we contemplate a material object, the eye of the 
 soul could penetrate by its intelligence that which the eye 
 of the body only perceives from a distance, no philosopher 
 would have been sufficiently materialist to have gone the 
 length of saying that ihe stars are animals^ of which the 
 heavens are the stahles ; * but, on the contrary, in consider- 
 ing the grandeur, the immutable order of the celestial 
 spheres, and their harmony of motion, he would have revered 
 the wisdom, the genius, and the omnipotence of the Divine 
 Architect, who had communicated such rapidity to these im- 
 mense globes, and had prescribed to their unequal revolu- 
 tions, a rule which governs them with such perfect exactness. 
 And thus the man who views from a distance the Institute 
 of a religious Order, designed by God, who himself gave the 
 model to its Founder, as he formerly made known to David 
 the plan of the Temple, ought to judge according to the ob- 
 ject aimed at by the Institute, of the suitableness of the 
 means employed in attaining it. Then, from the connection 
 of the various parts, he can easily comprehend the beauty of 
 the whole ; otherwise he will be, as St. Augustine says, like 
 one who, viewing a beautiful mosaic, can, from his defec- 
 
 * Maxim. Tyr. serin. 9. f Lactant. de orig. error., cap. 5. 
 
PREFACE. XliC 
 
 tive sight, perceive only one or two of the stones which com- 
 pose it, and in his ignorance accuses the artist of want of 
 t^kill.* 
 
 It was thus that Lermeo, the Calvinist, as well as so 
 many others, judged of the Society, when, after having first 
 condemned it for having united the active and contemplative 
 life, he added that the Society of Jesus alone knew how to 
 reunite severity with gentleness, discipline with relaxation, 
 &c. " Sola Societas Jesu, omnium professionem severita- 
 tem, amcenitatemj discipUnam,, laxitatem,, pau])ertatem, 
 opes, usuSj ahusus, com,jplexa est^ 
 
 This was my reason for undertaking to make known in 
 detail those things which, as we shall judge from facts, only 
 require to be brought forward to the light of day, in order 
 to be justified. Thus only can we render to St. Ignatius 
 that homage which we pay, says St. Gregory Nazianzen, to 
 the merit of a workman, by merely showing the excellence 
 of his work to those who had never before observed it. 
 
 " Vir vere, quern Prcelegerat Dom,inuSj ut eorum dux 
 foret, qui portarent. Ejus sanctissim^um, nomen coram 
 gentibus et populis, et infideles ad verce Jidei cognitionem, 
 inducerent, ac rebelles hcereticos ad illius unitatem, revo- 
 carentj suique in terris mcarii auctoritatem defende- 
 renty f 
 
 " A man, indeed, whom the Lord had chosen as the 
 
 » Lib. 1. de Ord. c. 1. 
 
 f Words of Urban VIII., in the Bull of canonization of St. Igna- 
 tius d") Loyola, Founder of the Society of Jesus. 
 
XX PREFACE. 
 
 leader of those wbo should bear His most holy name to the 
 Gentiles and nations, and bring the infidels to the knowledge 
 of the true faith, and call back the rebellious heretics to its 
 unity, and defend the authority of His vicar on earth." 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 BOOK I. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 Family, birth, and character of St. Ignatius— St Ignatius is chosen by God to found 
 the Society of Jesus, to combat the new heresies, to convert the Indies — St. Ig- 
 natius embraces a military career — Ilis wounds, IT 
 
 CHAPTEE II. 
 
 First effects of the fervor of Ignatius — The Blessed Virgin appears to him, and grants 
 him the gift of chastity — His eldest brotlier endeavors to dissuade him from his 
 project — St. Ignatius takes a vow of chastity — He defends the honor of Mary 
 against a Saracen, by whom it was attacked — He passes a night in the chapel of 
 Our Lady of Montserrat, divests himself of his armor, and assumes the garb of a 
 penitent, 33 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 Hard and humble life which Ignatius passes at Manresa in a hospital — Austerities 
 which he practises in a cavern near that city — Fresh temptations assail the soli- 
 tary of Manresa — His physical strength prostrated by a fever which reduces hjun 
 to the point of death, 46 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 Singular graces which Ignatius received at Manresa,'- ...... 67 
 
 CHAPTEE V. 
 Spiritual Exercises of St Ignatius, ......... M 
 
XXU CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 Marvellous fruits of the Exercises — They are denounced before the Ecclesiastical 
 Tribunals— CondeniDed in Paris by the Sorbonne— Examined at Kome. and ap- 
 proved of by Paul III.— They become the foundation and basis of the religious 
 edifice founded by St. Ignatius, X6 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 Ignatius quits Manresa— The hospital and cavern which he had inhabited are held 
 there in great veneration — Journey of St. Ignatius to the Holy Land, . . 90 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 Ignatius visits the Holy Land— Is forced to return to Eujope — Virtues which be 
 practises in Barcelona — Reformation which he effects in the Monastery of the 
 Holy Angels — 111 treatment which he meets with on account of his zeal— His pa- 
 tience disarms his enemies — Ignatius obtains the restoration to life of a man who 
 had hanged himself, 101 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 Predictions of Ignatius to several persons who were desirous of following him when 
 he was leaving Barcelona to go to Alcala, 119 
 
 CHAPTER,X. 
 
 Inconstancy and unfortunate end of the first companions of Ignatius — His charity 
 towards a person who had offended him — Conversion of several students — Igna- 
 tius delivered from an unjust punishment — New conversions, . . , 146 
 
 BOOK 11. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 Ignatius attaches some companions to himself in Paris, with the view of founding a 
 new Order — Means which he employs to draw them to God — First vows or foun- 
 dation of the Society of Jesus in the Church of Notre Dame de Montmartre — 
 Persecutions which it endured, and protection which it received from the Mother 
 of God — Labors of St Ignatius and his companions — Storm raised against thorn 
 in Rome ; after which the Order is definitively formed and approved of by tlio 
 Pope, Paul III., under the title ot Society of Jesus — Origin of that name, 158 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 James Lainez, Alphonsus Salmeron, an \ Nicholas Bobadilla associate themselves to 
 St Ignatius, 177 
 
CONTENTS. XXIU 
 
 CHAPTEE III. 
 
 Bt Ignatius proposes to his companions that they should adopt a uniform system of 
 life— First vows pronounced by Ignatius and his companions in the Church of 
 Our Lady of Montmartre, 1 S9 
 
 CHAPTEE IV. 
 
 The birth of the Society at the Mount of Martyrs, a presage of its destiny— Bad ef- 
 fects oi the odious books published against it, 196 
 
 CHAPTEE V. 
 
 Causes of the persecutions raised against the Society, 206 
 
 CHAPTEE VI. 
 
 Profit which the Society derives from the persecutions of which it is the object — 
 Special protection of the 3oly Virgin— The Society of Jesus, which took birth in 
 the Sanctuary consecrated to Mary, is protected by her sls her own property, 225 
 
 CHAPTEE VII. 
 
 Life of St. Ignatius in Paris— His conduct— His journey to Azpeytia and other places 
 Honors and conversions— Ignatius is received in Azpeytia as a Saint, and re- 
 mains there three months- His works, and the fruits of his zeal in tliat city— He 
 humbles himself to a Carthusian, his former master, and speaks to him of his pro- 
 ject of forming a Society, • • 231 
 
 CHAPTEE VIII. 
 
 Journey to Venice— Eeunion of St Ignatius and his companions — Peter Faber in 
 Paris, adds three new companions to Ignatius, 248 
 
 CHAPTEE IX. 
 
 The companions of Ignatius set out for Venice— Dangers of the road— Discussions 
 - with the heretics in Germany— Consolations and ai-rival, . . . .256 
 
 CHAPTEE X. 
 
 Labors and charity of the companions of Ignatius in tl^e hospitals of Venice— Jour- 
 ney to Rome— Eeturn to Venice— The companions of Ignatius disperse through 
 dififerent cities— Their preachings— Charity of Ignatius towards one of his sick 
 companions, 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 Death of a companion of Ignatius— He sees his soul received into Paradise-Labors 
 and sulferings at Ferrara and Bologna— Departure of Ignatius for Rome— Vision 
 on the way— First success and first persecutions in Rome— The lawsuit, . 285 
 
XXIV CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 Charity of Ignatias and his companions towards the poor in Eome— The Saint pre- 
 pares his companions to form a new Order — Difficulties which he has to surmount 
 in attaining this object, 812 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 Divers predictions as to the origin, spirit, and labors of the Society— Ignatius chosen 
 first General of the Order— Solemn profession without the walls of Eome— Of the 
 name of Jesus given to the Society, 833 
 
HISTORY 
 
 OF 
 
 SAINT IGNATIUS DE LOYOLA, 
 
 OF 
 
 THE SOCIETY OF JESUS. 
 
 FIRST BOOK. 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 Family, birth, and character of St. Ignatins— St Ignatius is chosen by God to fonnd 
 the Society of Jesus, to combat the new heresies, to convert the Indies — St. Ig- 
 natius embraces a military career — His wounds. 
 
 In that part of ancient Cantabria, now called Guipiiscoa, 
 which extends along the sea-coast, between the Pyrenees and 
 Biscay, two families resided, who held a distinguished rank 
 amongst the most ancient and illustrious of the country; 
 those of Ognez and Balde. They had always been possessed 
 of great influence, less on account of their noble rank, than 
 of the great number of their ancestors who had distin- 
 guished themselves in arms and literature. The house of 
 Ognez has given rise to that of Loyola, the lords of which 
 family were represented at the end of the fifteenth century, 
 in a direct line, by Don Bertram, lord of Ognez and Lo- 
 yola, head of the family, and father of eleven children, born 
 to him by DoHa Maria Saez de Balde, his wife. 
 
18 HISTORY OF 
 
 Ignatius, the last of these children, was born in 1491, 
 tinder the pontificate of Innocent VIII., and in the reign of 
 the Emperor Frederick III. Nature had endowed him 
 with the most noble inclinations ; greatness of soul, lofty 
 sentiments, an ardent passion for glory^ an aptitude for all 
 chivalrous exercises, the most charming and graceful man- 
 ners, and in short, with every species of merit, fitted to dis- 
 tinguish a young man of noble birth. Considering all the 
 advantages re-united in his son, Don Bertram was of opinion 
 that it would be proper to establish him at court ; and while 
 he was still young, placed him there in quality of page to 
 Ferdinand, king of Castile. But God, when he bestowed 
 upon Ignatius the lofty character and noble nature which he 
 possessed, designed him for greater things. Gifts so rare as 
 these, were destined to serve a^ instruments of His grace, 
 and for a very difi"erent purpose from that intended either 
 by the lord of Loyola or by Ignatius himself. It is certain, 
 and Ignatius often repeated the remark in after days, that 
 persons who appear destined to obtain the most brilliant suc- 
 cess in the world, are usually the best adapted to those en- 
 terprises whose object is the service and glory of God. Of 
 this he himself was a striking example. The constancy 
 which enabled him to suffer the most terrible anguish from 
 human motives only, was changed into unalterable patience 
 in enduring the most austere penances. That magnanimity 
 of soul which led him to disdain all ordinary thoughts and 
 affections, led him to devote himself more entirely to the in- 
 crease of the Divine Glory ; and the generous intrepidity 
 which directed his choice to the profession of arms, after- 
 wards induced him to form under the military title of Com- 
 pany a new order, whose special aim was to be the defence of 
 the Faith, and the diffusion of the power and glory of the 
 Church to the most distant regions of the earth. For it 
 
SAINT IGNATIUS DE LOY'OLA. 19 
 
 pleased God that this valiant soldier should be carried off 
 from the secular militia, to become the chief of a new militia, 
 which, by means of other arms, and in a new species of war- 
 fare, was destined at once to serve the Church by its labors, 
 and to defend her against the schism of Henry VIII. in 
 England, the apostasy of Luther in G-ermany, and the revolt 
 of Calvin in France ; and which was moreover to repair the 
 losses which the Church had suffered in Europe, by extend- 
 ing the Faith to the East Indies, those new possessions of 
 Castile and Portugal. Such had been the method pursued 
 by God ever since the first ages of the Church. Did heretics 
 arise against her ; forthwith He raised up in her defence, at 
 one time, men of ability, at another, religious orders, mainly 
 destined to combat their errors. Thus to Arius he opposed 
 the great Athanasius, St. Cyril of Alexandria to Nestorius, 
 St. Augustine to Pelagius ; and during the space of four 
 centuries, the orders of the two holy Patriarchs, St, Domi- 
 nick and St. Francis, to the fury of the Albigenses and to the 
 corruption of the whole world. 
 
 With regard to St. Ignatius, his birth, his conversion, 
 and the foundation of his order, evidently kept pace with the 
 necessity then existing in the Church for new auxiliaries. 
 The very same year in which Christopher Columbus con- 
 cluded his treaty with Ferdinand of Castile, and sallied 
 forth to the discovery of a new world ; God brought St. Ig- 
 natius into being, doubtless with the design that the conver- 
 sion of so many barbarous and savage nations should be the 
 fruits of the zeal and labors of his spiritual children. Six 
 years after Ignatius, in the year 1497, Francis Xavier was 
 born, and that same year, the first voyage of Vasco de 
 Gamo to the East Indies took place. In 1521, Martin Lu- 
 ther declared in the Diet of Worms, in presence of Charles 
 Y., his obstinate persistence in heresy, and retired to 
 
20 HISTORY OF 
 
 Wartzburg, where, becoming as he audaciously says, " a new 
 eTohn, in a new Patmos," he wrote a book against monastic 
 vows, the perusal of which depopulated a great number of 
 monasteries. In 1521, also, Ignatius quitted the world, con- 
 secrated himself to God, and after being restored to health, 
 retired into the solitude of Manresa, where he composed his 
 admirable work, entitled the Spiritual Exercises, in which 
 he threw so bright a light upon the eternal truths of reli- 
 gion. It was by means of this book that he collected his 
 companions together, founded his new order, and repeopled 
 the ancient monasteries. Ignatius and Calvin were in Paris 
 at the same time, and both made disciples in that city. The 
 first attached to himself a great apostolic laborer, whose life 
 and doctrines were destined to crush heresy ; while the sec- 
 ond found a powerful supporter for the mass of errors which 
 he desired to propagate. Finally Henry YIII. king of 
 England, who had acquired in 1521, the glorious title of 
 Defender of the Faith, published an edict in 1534, whereby 
 he condemned to death whosoever should not efface the title 
 of " Pope " from all the bjoks or writings wherein it might 
 happen to be inserted. That very same year, Ignatius was 
 at Montmartre, carrying through the plan of an association 
 destined especially for the defence of the Church, and of the 
 Sovereign Pontiff. As for the conquests of the Catholic 
 Faith in the two Indies, they have surpassed its losses in the 
 north of Europe ; nor is it necessary to point out how God 
 had evidently destined the new order for the conversion of 
 these pagan countries. An ingenious author * has calculated 
 that St. Francis Xavier alone, gained over a greater number 
 of souls to Christ, by converting them from the errors of 
 Paganism, than that of all the proselytes ever made by all 
 the heretics united. We must therefore consider the children 
 
 * Thorn. Boy. Be Sign. Eccl. Signo 20. 
 
SAINT IGNATIUS DE LOYOLA. 21 
 
 of Ignatius as the new Apostles of Gentilism. Many ex- 
 alted minds have been struck by this providential mission, 
 but no more imposing testimony can be given than that of 
 the Pontiff himself, who in the Bull of the canonization of 
 St. Ignatius, expresses himself in these terms : " Gregory 
 XV., our predecessor of blessed memory, considering with 
 what ineffable mercy the Providence of God, which disposes 
 and brings about in due season all the events of this world, 
 has in past ages sent men distinguished for their learning 
 and holiness, whether to carry the gospel among idolaters, or 
 to extirpate rising errors, acknowledges that in these later 
 days, he has acted in a like manner ; for the kings of Por- 
 tugal and Castile having opened up vast fields for Apostolic 
 labors in the East Indies and in the New World, whilst 
 Luther and other men not less dangerous than he, were en- 
 deavoring by their blasphemies to separate the nations of the 
 earth from the Holy Apostolic See ; God raised up Ignatius 
 de Loyola, withdrew him in a remarkable manner from the 
 midst of the world, and rendered him docile to the operations 
 of grace. After having founded the new order of the So- 
 ciety of Jesus, which by its very institute devotes itself 
 amongst other works of piety and zeal ; to convert idolaters, 
 to bring back heretics to the true faith, and to defend the 
 authority of the Roman Pontiff ; he terminated by a blessed 
 death, a life admirable for its sanctity." Thus speaks the 
 Pontiff; but let us return to the youth of Ignatius. 
 
 He had resided for some years at the^ court of King Fer- 
 dinand, when hearing the exploits of his brothers commended, 
 he felt an inclination which had hitherto been dormant, aroused 
 within him. Wearied besides of the frivolous restraints and 
 idleness of a courtier's life, he disclosed to Don Anthony 
 Manriquez, Duke of Najara, his desire of abandoning it 
 for the more stirring life of the camp. The Duke, whose 
 
*/^2 HISTORY OP 
 
 kinsman lie was, seconded his inclination, instructed him in 
 the art of arms, and found him so apt a pupil, that he soon 
 led him on from the first rudiments to a thorough knowledge 
 of military science. From theory, Ignatius quickly passed 
 on to practice, acquired a great reputation for valor, and 
 Boon reached those honorable posts which are the reward of 
 military merit. 
 
 His conduct at this period of his life was more confor- 
 mable to the laws of honor, than to those of the Gospel. 
 Though never heard to utter a word which could make inno- 
 cence blush, yet he made a profession of gallantry towards 
 women, into which he was drawn rather from the vanity com- 
 mon to young men of his age, than from any vicious incli- 
 nations. He had a particular talent for appeasing discontents 
 amongst the soldiery, and more than once calmed the disputes 
 of parties about to come to blows ; nevertheless, to support 
 or defend his own reputation, his spirit was always quickly 
 aroused, and his arm ever ready to combat. Such a man was 
 likely to despise riches, of which he gave evident proof, after 
 the conquest of Najara, a town situated upon the frontiers of 
 Biscay. Ignatius in compliance with the orders which he had 
 received, gave it up to pillage ; but declined taking any part 
 of the booty, reserving for his share nothing but the honor 
 of the victory, and the sad pleasure of vengeance. Idleness 
 and gambling had no charms for the young soldier. He em- 
 ployed the time which he might have spent in this manner, 
 in writing verses in the Castilian tongue upon sacred or mor- 
 al subjects, and composed a long poem in honor of St. Peter, 
 who in after days restored him to life and health. 
 
 Such was the kind of life, and such were the occupations 
 of Ignatius, until he had attained the age of thirty. Then 
 God struck him with a terrible blow, which closed his path 
 to military honors ; but inasmuch as personal holiness and 
 
SAINT IGNATIUS DE LOYOLA. 23 
 
 tL<j conversion of souls are superior to all earthly glory ; inso- 
 much the new career which was opened before him, was supe- 
 rior to all that had, until then, been the object of his desires. 
 
 At this period the Emperor, Charles Y., was at a dis- 
 tance from Spain, and his absence had emboldened a part of 
 Castile to rise in a revolt, which, under the usual pretext of 
 public liberty, served in reality the interests of some mal- 
 contented nobles. The viceroy of Castile, Don Frederick 
 el Almirante, wishing to provide for the defence of certain 
 cities under his jurisdiction, which ran the risk of falling 
 into the hands of the rebels, sent to Navarre for men and 
 money, and even went so far as to withdraw the troops and 
 ammunition from several of the fortified places. Henry 
 d'Albret, whose father, John III., had been dispossessed of 
 Navarre by Ferdinand of Arragon, seeing that kingdom in so 
 weakened a condition, undertook to attempt its recovery, and 
 gave the command of his troops to Andrew de Foix, brother 
 of the famou3 Lautrec. 
 
 The danger was imminent, and the viceroy of Navarre, 
 Don Anthony Manrique, hastened to the governor of Castile, 
 and claimed his assistance. But Andrew de Foix, already 
 master of St. Jean Pied-de-Port, as well as of other less 
 important places, had laid siege to Pampeluna. The inhabi- 
 tants, terrified by the number of the troops that blockaded the 
 city, and despairing of holding out until the return of the 
 viceroy, began to speak of capitulation. In vain Ignatius, 
 who had the command of the place, encouraged them w'th 
 the hopes of obtaining speedy succor, and reproached them 
 with their pusillanimity. Seeing that nothing could be hoped 
 for from them, he abandoned the town, and retired into the 
 citadel. There also he found the troops feeble and dispirited; 
 for the enemy, who had already made their entrance into the 
 town, were preparing for the assault. But first they invited 
 
24 HISTORY OF 
 
 tlie garrison to a parley, and to this the commandant and 
 several others immediately agreed. On beholding this cow- 
 ardly conduct, Ignatius reflected that if some men of courage 
 did not join them, they would probably accept the most 
 humiliating and disadvantageous conditions, and he therefore 
 resolved to be present during this negotiation. They required, 
 in fact, a man as intrepid as he ; for the enemy, proud of 
 their superiority, and encouraged by the surrender of the 
 town, showed themselves wholly unreasonable, and although 
 the debates were prolonged, less humiliating conditions could 
 not be obtained. To surrender, — such was the last word of 
 the French ; and the commandant of the citadel, to excuse 
 himself for giving his consent, pleaded imperious necessity. 
 But, at that moment, Ignatius, equally humiliated by the 
 cowardice of his own troops, and irritated by the harshness of 
 the enemy, peremptorily broke off all the negotiations, and 
 withdrew into the fortress. If he were to be overcome, it 
 should be by the force of arms, but never through miserable 
 cowardice. He revived the courage of the soldiers, reminded 
 them of the duties which loyalty imposed upon them, and of 
 the rewards which awaited them. " An honorable death," 
 added he, " is always preferable to a shameful capitulation." 
 The assault was made, and repulsed with equal bravery. In 
 defending a bastion which the enemy was endeavoring to 
 scale, Ignatius performed prodigies of valor. However, the 
 French artillery made a furious attack, and it pleased God 
 that a stone detached from the wall by a cannon-shot, should 
 strike his left leg, while the ball itself, by a fatal rebound, 
 struck and shivered the right. Under these two blows he 
 fell, and with him the courage of the soldiers whom he had 
 animated both by words and example. The citadel, remain- 
 ing defenceless, fell into the power of the enemy, who en 
 tered it on the Monday of Pentecost, the 19th of May, 1521 
 
SAINT IGNATIUS DE LOYOLA. 25 
 
 The French, who had witnessed the honorable conduct 
 of Ignatius during the negotiations, and his indomitable 
 courage in defending the fortress, treated him with great 
 consideration, respecting the virtues which men are pleased 
 to acknowledge even in an enemy. The gravity of his wounds 
 rendered it necessary to obtain more skilful advice than could 
 be procured in the army, and after a few days they caused 
 him to be transported to Loyola. The limb having been 
 badly set, he was exposed to remain not only miserably lame, 
 but also to suffer greatly, unless the surgeons came to the 
 decision of breaking it afresh, in order to bring the bones 
 together, and restore them to their right places. Undaunted 
 by this cruel necessity, the young warrior permitted the sur- 
 geons to act according to their own judgment. During this 
 dreadful operation, not a cry nor even a complaint escaped 
 him. But nature, already exhausted by so much suffering, 
 was unable to endure this new torture. The state of the 
 wounded man daily became more precarious ; andj whether 
 caused by the violence of the pain, or whether some new 
 malady aggravated the case, Ignatius was soon reduced to 
 the last extremity, and having asked for and received the last 
 sacraments, prepared himself to die. 
 
 It was the vigil of the feast of the apostles St. Peter and 
 St. Paul, and according to the opinion of the physicians, the 
 next day was to terminate the life of Ignatius, unless some 
 favorable crisis should occur in the night. It was from 
 Heaven that assistance arrived ; and % the intercession of 
 the prince of the apostles, from whom he received that very 
 night a miraculous visit, and immediately felt that he was out 
 of danger. Doubtless the founder of the papacy thus mani- 
 fested his interest in the life of a man destined to be so valiant 
 a champion of the church and of the Roman see. 
 
 From that moment the pains of the sick man were as- 
 
 VOL. I. 2 
 
26 HISTORY OF 
 
 suaged, his healtli re-established, his strength restored, and, 
 in short, his cure completed. However, notwithstanding the 
 skill of the surgeons who had set his limb the second time, 
 the bone had been broken in so many different places, that a 
 great degree of deformity was unavoidable. A part of the 
 bone, ill-joined, projected above the knee, so as to be dis- 
 tinctly visible : besides which, that limb remained shorter than 
 the other. Ignatius, who set an extreme value upon his per- 
 sonal appearance, was so deeply afflicted at seeing himself 
 reduced to this condition, that to escape from it, all sufferings 
 appeared trifling. In hopes of being cured of this deformity, 
 he consented to have the leg opened at the place where the 
 bone projected, and to have it sawed off. He afterwards 
 submitted to the torture of having the limb drawn out every 
 day by means of iron machines, to restore it to an equal 
 length with the other, and to avoid the defect of limping. 
 On these occasions he displayed extraordinary strength of 
 mind ; for, although warned by the surgeons that the opera- 
 tion of sawing through the bone would exceed in torture all 
 that he had already endured, not only did his resolution 
 remain unshaken, but he rejected all those precautions to 
 which the most courageous men submit, in order to avoid 
 any movement which, however slight, may be fraught with 
 danger. During the whole operation he supported his suffer- 
 ings with such perfect equanimity and so impassive a coun- 
 tenance, that one might have supposed him to be a dead 
 body given up to the dissecting-knife, rather than a living 
 being undergoing the most acute torture. 
 
 Such was the courage of Ignatius, who, after all, was but 
 a martyr to self-love and vanity ! Nevertheless, he obtained 
 much solid profit from this trial ; for when, in after-days, he 
 recalled the faults and follies of his worldly life, the remem- 
 brance of what he had suffered on this occasion animated his 
 
SAINT IGNATIUS DE LOYOLA. xJ7 
 
 ardor, and encouraged him to perform heroic acts in the ser- 
 vice of God ; for he would have blushed to think that he had 
 endured more in hopes of preserving those puerile advan- 
 tages which the world admires, than he had suffered for the 
 love of his divine Master. 
 
 But the world was not worthy of possessing this noble 
 heart ; and a soul like that of Ignatius, formed for the most 
 lofty enterprises, would have been inevitably lost had he 
 abandoned himself to his natural inclinations, and had he not, 
 by a vigorous effort, raised his thoughts towards an object 
 infinitely more elevated than all to which he had hitherto 
 aspired. If grace sometimes produces marvellous results, 
 even upon men of ordinary minds, its strength seems re- 
 doubled when it directs those noble souls whose natural ele- 
 vation of thought renders them peculiarly fitted for great 
 undertakings. 
 
 The visit of St. Peter, and the miraculous cure which he 
 had operated upon Ignatius, doubtless appeared to him a 
 favor from Heaven ; but he had perceived no other object in 
 it but the preservation of his life ; he had seen no design on 
 the part of God of rendering it more holy. Whilst -impa- 
 tiently awaiting his recovery after the last surgical operations, 
 he endeavored to beguile the weariness of these long hours 
 of idleness, by occupying his thoughts with the vanities 
 which formerly engrossed them. Above all, he reflected 
 upon the most probable means of pleasing a lady for whom 
 he had long entertained an affection, wJiich the difficulty of 
 their union, rendered almost impossible by the difference of 
 their rank, had only increased in vehemence. But these 
 reveries, in which he would remain absorbed for hours, always 
 occupied with the same object, although they in some mea- 
 sure beguiled the weariness of his convalescence, never failed 
 to leave upon his mind an impression of the emptiness and 
 
28 HISTORY OF 
 
 nothingness of his desires. To escape, if possible, from this 
 weariness and this unsatisfactory state of mind, Ignatius at 
 length called for one of those books of chivalry, where agree- 
 able fictions, mingled with the narrative of romantic and suc- 
 cessful adventure, charm the imaofination and beo;uile the 
 time. It pleased God, that in a house where writings of this 
 sort were never wanting, not a single romance could be pro- 
 cared at that time for the sick man. Two books, however, 
 were found there, though of a very difi'erent nature from 
 those which he desired to have. The first was the Life of our 
 Saviour, written by the Carthusian monk Landolphus ; and 
 the second was the Lives of the Saints ; both were in the 
 Castilian tongue. Necessity, rather than devotion, induced 
 the wounded knight to engage in their perusal. But the 
 things which are of Grod have a very difi'erent savor from 
 those which are of the earth, and frequently lead even men 
 whose tastes are corrupted to feel that, compared with them, 
 all earthly matters are vapid and insipid. Ignatius soon 
 besran to read with eagerness what he never could have im- 
 agined capable of interesting him. The first feeling which 
 he experienced was great surprise at the long and rigid aus- 
 terities to which the saints had submitted, in order to conquer 
 their flesh and deaden their passions. Grace working inte- 
 riorly, he carried back his thoughts upon himself, and de- 
 manded of himself why he should not have the courage to 
 imitate these great models. Of some, the only couch had 
 been a stone ; others had girded their loins with iron chains, 
 or covered their bodies with a rough hair shirt. One saint 
 had watched whole nights in prayer ; another, after many 
 days of fasting, had fed upon roots and drank but water. 
 Others again had buried themselves in the depths of dark 
 caverns, or undertaken distant pilgrimages, exposed to cold, 
 to rain, and to scorching sun. What ! said Ignatius to him- 
 
SAINT IGNATIUS DE LOYOLA. 29 
 
 self; were these men formed of bronze or stone, or were 
 they insensible to torture ? If they were as I am, if they 
 possessed the same nature that I do, why can I not bear what 
 they have done ? They have despised worldly grandeur, they 
 have lived in chastity ; yet many of them, illustrious by their 
 rank, and of superior genius, doubtless possessed sentiments 
 worthy of these precious advantages ; a.nd all had a frail 
 flesh and passions to combat. Despoiled of every thing, suf- 
 fering without ceasing, despising the world, they were happy ! 
 Strange phenomenon ! were they possessed of some unknown 
 treasure, of some mysterious charm ? But perhaps this secret 
 charm, which softened the severity of their penance, can only be 
 enjoyed by those who have practised it ; perhaps it cannot even 
 be understood until experienced. And if I were one day to 
 clothe myself, like them, in a penitential garb, and to expose my- 
 self to the insults and jeers of the world ; if, retiring into soli- 
 tude, I were henceforward to live alone with God, and for God 
 only; what will the world bestow upon me in compensa- 
 sation for my services, and what can I hope for in suffering 
 for the world ? But God ! God ! to suffer for him, to do for 
 him what I have hitherto done and suffered for temporal 
 interests — is that not holiness ? Then I also can be holy, 
 and it will be my own fault if I am not so." 
 
 Ignatius, entirely absorbed by these exalted thoughts, 
 would alternately lay down and resume his book, the pe- 
 rusal of which produced in him new effects of grace, and pre- 
 pared his soul for the prodigious change by which it was 
 to be sanctified. And here let us observe one circumstance 
 worthy of serious reflection. What neither the fear of ap- 
 proaching death, nor the apparition of St. Peter, nor grati- 
 tude for the celestial favor which had miraculously restored 
 him to health, had produced upon Ignatius, was wrought in 
 his heart by the perusal of holy books. It was by their 
 
30 HISTORY OP 
 
 means that God penetrated his soul, gave him that light 
 which enabled him to view his own life as compared with 
 that of the saints, inspired him with intense horror of him- 
 self, and with an ardent desire to become a new creature. 
 
 Thus several centuries before him, the great St. Augustine, 
 who would not yield either to the tears of his mother or to 
 the entreaties of his friends, confessed himself conquered 
 upon reading a few words of St. Paul. Such is the virtue 
 of holy books, and such the efl&cacy of those silent voices 
 with which God speaks to the heart. They are read as an 
 amusement, perhaps even as a subject of derision, but, on a 
 sudden, light breaks in upon the darkened intellect, and a few 
 lines have frequently produced a signal conversion. There- 
 fore the Society of Jesus wisely devotes a large portion of its 
 labors to the publication of pious books, in hopes of benefit- 
 ing the souls of their fellow-men by this powerful auxiliary; 
 and also as a debt of gratitude to God, who by this means 
 touched the heart of their holy founder. But the conversion 
 of Ignatius was not effected by one single ray of divine 
 grace. A thousand temptations daily assailed him, and the 
 evil spirit endeavored to detach his heart from the holy truths 
 by which it was penetrated. Sometimes his military ardor 
 was rekindled; at others, his former thirst for honor and 
 distinction revived within him, or his taste returned for those 
 pleasures to which his youth inclined him. Then arose 
 thoughts of the jeers of the world when it should learn this 
 extraordinary change ; and the thousand conjectures which, 
 after passing from mouth to mouth, would at length be re- 
 peated in the writings of historians. Ignatius of Loyola, 
 they would say, after having lost the town of Pampeluna, no 
 longer daring to show his face among men, had transformed 
 himself into a hermit, lest he might hear himself reproached 
 
SAINT IGNATIUS DE LOYOLA. 31" 
 
 with cowardice, had hid himself in the forests, and buried 
 himself alive in the depths of caves. 
 
 Thus, i}artly through fear of ridicule and partly through 
 worldly allurements, the soul of Ignatius, still too feeble to 
 make a forcible resistance, was once more cradled upon the 
 soft and seductive thoughts of glory and pleasure. But this 
 did not last. In a little while, remorse of conscience broughj 
 him back to the perusal of those pious works ; and again he 
 renewed his former resolutions, and repulsed the attacks of 
 the enemy with fresh vigor. 
 
 This alternation between good and evil feeling was pro- 
 loLged for a considerable period ; but at length the victory 
 was gained. God, whose will it was that the decision of Ig- 
 natius should be the result of conviction, and not of sudden 
 and impetuous emotion, made use of his own clear judgment 
 to fortify him in his good resolutions. Thus he remarked, 
 after repeated observation, that whenever he resolved to serve 
 God, and to enter upon that austere life which he afterwards 
 embraced, he experienced a feeling of perfect tranquillity, 
 and his heart was filled with the sweetest consolation, which 
 seemed to proceed from his inmost soul, and which the 
 pleasures of the world had never afforded him. When, on 
 the contrary, his thoughts wandered back upon his past 
 years, or, when diving into futurity, he beheld a brilliant 
 perspective of worldly honors, with their long retinue of 
 pleasures and wealth, then an unspeakable bitterness, a pro- 
 found melancholy, would suddenly take possession of his 
 heart, and make him feel the complete nothingness of all 
 these transitory enjoyments ; showing him how superficial 
 were all these worldly pleasures, and how incapable of be- 
 stowing any solid or enduring satisfaction. 
 
 Thus bis own heart was a good teacher and a fiiithful in- 
 terpreter of the truth, for this secret depression warned him 
 
32 HISTORY OP 
 
 not to rest satisfied with mere appearances, but to look to 
 the end, to balance the apparent advantages with the certain 
 evils, and calmly to weigh both sides of the question. Who 
 is so blind as not to see, upon reflection, that those things 
 which pass awaj like shadows, which will not accompany us 
 beyond the tomb, cannot be put in comparison with eternal 
 felicity ; that the earthly possessions which we have enjoyed, 
 the pleasures to which we have devoted our lives, shall leave 
 nothing behind them but the sad remembrance of past joys, 
 and an immense debt which we must for ever pay, and which 
 shall never be cancelled through all eternity ! Ignatius gave 
 himself up to the different reflections which alternated in 
 his soul, like a novice inexperienced in heavenly things ; but 
 when afterwards more enlightened, he began to reflect upon 
 the different impressions left upon the mind by divine inspi- 
 rations, and by the suggestions of the demon, he compre- 
 hended that a sure rule for those who cannot at the moment 
 discern the source from whence these feelings arise, is to ex- 
 amine the impression left upon the soul, when its agitation 
 has subsided ; since joy, calmness, and serenity proceed from 
 Heaven ; while from the father of darkness come confusion, 
 obscurity, and depression, 
 
SAINT IGNATIUS DE LOYOLA. 33 
 
 CHA.PTER 11. 
 
 Mrst effects of the fervor of Ignatius— The Blessed Virgin appears to hiin, and grants 
 bim the gift of chastity— His eldest brother endeavors to dissuade him from his 
 project— St. Ignatius takes a vow of chastity— He defends the honor of Mary 
 against a Saracen, by whom it was attacked— He passes a night in the chapel of 
 Our Lady of Montserrat, divests himself of his armor, and assumes the garb of a 
 penitent. 
 
 Ignatius at length made a firm determination to imitate 
 those virtues of the saints, which, by forming the greatest 
 contrast to his own vices, had most clearly shown him their 
 deformity. It now only remained for him to choose from 
 amongst so many admirable examples, those which he de- 
 sired to take for his models. Nor did he hesitate long. 
 His generous fervor inclined him to embrace the most aus- 
 tere mortifications, to retire into the depths of a cave ; there 
 to pass whole nights in prayer ; to repose upon the bare 
 ground ; to wear a hair shirt ; in short, to conquer the flesh 
 by the holy severity of penance. Incited by the. recollection 
 of the faults of his past life, his object was to endeavor in 
 some measure to discharge the immense debts which he 
 had contracted towards God. Besides^ at our entrance into 
 a spiritual life, we usually feel as if the essence of holiness 
 and perfection consisted in mortification. Grace itself 
 prompts us to this. We feel so strongly the necessity of 
 becoming completely detached from ourselves, and of dying 
 to the pleasures of the senses, which is the immediate result 
 of external penance. 
 
 VOL. I. — 2* 
 
34 HrSTORY OF 
 
 Whilst Ignatius revolved all these lofty thoughts in his 
 mind, he recovered his health and strength. He now no lon- 
 ger occupied himself solely in the perusal of the lives of our 
 Lord, of the holy Virgin, or of the saints ; but desirous of 
 imitating thciU for the future, made a selection from amongst 
 the most heroic acts of virtue which were there recorded, 
 and formed them into a volume of three hundred pages, 
 which he wrote with particular care, and which was the only 
 thing that he carried away with him on leaving his family. 
 But this pious occupation, whilst it relieved his holy impa- 
 tience, could not prevent him from feeling afflicted by the 
 length of his convalescence. 
 
 As long as his limb had not recovered sufficient strength 
 to support him, he was obliged to delay the execution of 
 his projects. Of these the first was to leave his family, to 
 renounce the world, and far from his native land, clad in 
 poor and coarse garments, to expose himself to the contempt 
 of men, to the humiliation of begging, in short to the most 
 severe and constant suffering. He thirsted for a new life, 
 and all delay was now most irksome to him. 
 
 One night amongst others, when his heart burned within 
 him, rising from his couch, he prostrated himself before an 
 image of the Holy Virgin, and consecrated himself to her 
 and to her Divine Son ; then bathed in tears, and in a voice 
 stifled with emotion, he renewed his engagement to execute 
 the great resolution which he had conceived. At that mo- 
 ment a violent shock was felt throughout the "castle, and es- 
 pecially in the chamber of Ignatius, where the windows were 
 broken, and a rent was made in the wall, which bears to this 
 day the visible marks of the shock. Did the powers of dark- 
 ness thus manifest their wrath ? Foreseeing from the pres- 
 ent inclinations of Ignatius, what an enemy he would be- 
 come to them in future, did they wish to bury him amidst 
 
SAINT IGNATIUS DE LOYOLA. , OJ 
 
 the ruins of the castle ? But if the inmates of hell were 
 filled with fury, there was great joy in heaven. The Virgin 
 Mother of Grod, as a token that she had accepted the offering 
 which Ignatius had made of himself, appeared to him one 
 night when he was engaged in-prayer. She carried her Di- 
 vine Son in her arms, and looking at Ignatius with an air of 
 maternal kindness, permitted him to contemplate the Saviour 
 long enough to fill his heart with ineffable consolation. This 
 celestial visit was still more wonderful in its effects upon the 
 soul of Ignatius ; it seemed to him as if, by an interior op- 
 eration, his heart and intellect became penetrated with new 
 affections and new thoughts ; his whole being, in short, trans- 
 formed, so as to render him a new creature. Little accus- 
 tomed until then to watch over his senses, his imagination 
 would frequently recall the remembrance of those objects 
 which had formerly sullied its purity ; but the apparition of 
 the Mother of Virgins effaced them so entirely from his 
 mind, that they returned no more. This favor so rare, and 
 granted to so few saints, Ignatius enjoyed in such an emi- 
 nent degree, that no sensual feeling, not even an involuntary 
 one, was ever experienced by him from that period. 
 
 Having at length sufficiently recovered his strength to 
 be able not only to rise from his bed of sickness, but to 
 leave his paternal mansion, he began to make secret prepa- 
 rations for the execution of his design. Protesting his in- 
 tention of returning a visit which he owed to his kinsman 
 the Duke of Manrique, he went to take leave of Don Mar- 
 tin G-arcia, his eldest brother. At the moment of pronoun- 
 cing this eternal farewell, he permitted no sign of emotion 
 to be visible upon his countenance. Yet Garcia had some 
 suspicions of his project. The change in the manners of 
 Ignatius had not escaped his notice, nor had he failed to re- 
 mark his pensive air, and his eyes frequently filled with 
 
36 HISTORY OF 
 
 tears. He observed also that his military ardor and youth- 
 ful vivacity were totally extinguished ; that nothing in the 
 world appeared to interest him, or rather that he seemed 
 wearied of every thing in which he formerly delighted. He 
 could therefore scarcely doubt that Ignatius harbored in his 
 breast some strange resolution, and this sudden departure, 
 after so recent a convalescence, confirmed him in his opinion. 
 The warm affection of Grarcia for a brother so deservino- of 
 
 o 
 
 being beloved, as well as his regard for the honor and repu- 
 tation of a noble name, induced him to lead Ignatius aside, 
 and with some hesitation to make known to him the suspi- 
 cions which he had conceived. " If, indeed," said he, " I 
 can term suspicion, that which in my mind is nearly re- 
 duced to a certainty. Ignatius ! since the accident which 
 befell thee, I no longer recognize my brother. In vain 
 would thy lips utter a denial ; thy looks and actions are suf- 
 ficient evidence of thy intentions. Whilst endeavoring to 
 conceal from me the change which has been produced upon 
 thy mind, thou wouldst have me remain in ignorance even of 
 its cause. It is therefore for me to reveal what I should 
 have learned from thyself. 
 
 " This departure, then, oh Ignatius ! under the pretext 
 of a visit, conceals a flight. Thou art about to leave us, 
 and shall we not know why, and whither thou art going ? 
 But I know thy character; and whatsoever this plan may be, 
 it has been long meditated upon, and is no ordinary nor un- 
 important thing. Yet who has been thy counsellor, thyself 
 excepted ? or rather that gloomy melancholy, which under 
 the disguise of devotion, is urging thee to form a resolution 
 which thou art ashamed to make known to one who is thy 
 brother by nature, and in age and affection more than a 
 father to thee. If a military career has ceased to please 
 thee, are there not other honorable employments open, suitar 
 
SAINT IGNATIUS DE LOYOLA. 37 
 
 ble to a man of noble birth ? Or is it a desire of advancing 
 to perfection which moves thee ? Be it so, I praise and ad- 
 mire thee for the thought. But why fly from us, in order 
 to attain that object ? Even if we are wicked and perverse 
 sinners, can God not be found within these walls ? And 
 canst thou not live to thyself, and yet remain with us ? If 
 my fears are unfounded, then reassure me, but my heart tells 
 me that it is not so. Promise me at least, that if thou hast 
 no consideration for thyself, thou wilt not forget what is due 
 to the honor of the house of Loyola ; of thy father and of 
 thy brothers ; and that I should be inconsolable were I to 
 see my brother in any profession or in any garb unworthy of 
 his rank and family." 
 
 This discourse in no way shook the resolution of Ignar 
 tins ; or if it touched his heart, it was only to awaken the 
 most tender compassion for a brother in whose eyes it ap- 
 peared meanness to despise the world, and dishonor to bear 
 the cross of Christ. But he merely replied, that it was in- 
 deed his intention to visit the duke, and that as for the rest, 
 he was astonished that his brother could believe him capable 
 of performing any action, or embracing any mode of life un- 
 worthy of his noble birth and the merit of his ancestors. 
 Then taking leave of Garcia, he departed ; his only suite 
 two mounted retainers, and rode to Naverete, where his 
 kinsman the duke then resided. When Igaatius crossed the 
 paternal threshold, it seemed to him as if he shook off the 
 dust of all earthly affections. Loyolar and Ogues, his house 
 and family, were henceforth to him as words without interest 
 or signification. And many years afterwards, when requested 
 by one of his noble relatives to give his advice concerning a 
 marriage, which was considered very advantageous to the 
 family of Loyola, he declined doing so. " It is," said he, 
 *' a matter too far removed from the holy profession of a 
 
38 HISTORY OF 
 
 Religious. When we have abandoned all to follow Christ, 
 we must forget the world, and think of Him alone. Eleven 
 years ago I quitted my family, and since then I feel that I 
 no longer have any worldly ties." To his kinsmen, who fre- 
 quently addressed him by letter, his only exhortation was, 
 " Leave the world, or live there in holiness." 
 
 But notwithstanding this contempt for the worldly ad- 
 vance of his family, Ignatius was a greater source of dis- 
 tinction for them than any which they derived from their 
 noble ancestry. The castle, or as the country people call it, 
 the tower of Loyola, where he was born and converted, is 
 now one of the most holy and revered places in Spain. Iso- 
 lated, like all the ancient castles of the province, it rises in 
 the midst of a plain, in the vicinity of two considerable vil- 
 lages, Aspeitia and Ascoizia. During the whole year, but 
 more especially on the birthday of the Saint, innumerable 
 pilgrims may be seen wending their way thither, to do honor 
 to the memory of their countryman and protector. It is a 
 singular and affecting spectacle, to witness the population of 
 five provinces winding through the narrow paths of these 
 rugged and precipitous rocks. The heart is stirred with 
 deep emotion, when in the midst of the wildest solitudes, the 
 sweet melody of the rosary is borne upon the air, chanted 
 by these pious pilgrims, and intermingled with simple and 
 devout hymns, in memory of St. Ignatius. And since the 
 castle-chapel cannot contain the crowds who throng thither, 
 the open country serves them as a church, and Mass is cele- 
 brated without the walls. Innumerable are the graces and 
 miracles wherewith God honors the memory of His servant, 
 and makes his name glorious. Still more wonderful are the 
 conversions which daily take place, of old and hardened sin- 
 Ders, who, attracted there by curiosity, find their hearts soft- 
 ened, as if by some celestial virtue breathed from these holy 
 
SAINT IGNATIUS DE LOYOI.A. 39 
 
 walls ; and who, at the feet of their confessors, purify their 
 souls with tears of contrition. To hear all these confessions, 
 most of which embrace the sins of a whole lifetime, neither 
 the fathers of the Society, nor the priests of the neighboring 
 country are sufficient. It is calculated that during the 
 eight days which this festival lasts, more than fifteen thou 
 sand persons generally receive the Holy Communion. 
 
 As for the external demonstrations of public joy, which 
 take place on this occasion, we may observe that in the honors 
 which she pays to her Saints, Spain has preserved her warlike 
 character. We still recognize the country of the Cid Cam- 
 peador, the theatre of that great warfare against the Arabs, 
 which lasted for so many centuries. Thus during the whole 
 Octave of the Feast of St. Ignatius, companies of soldiers 
 dressed in the Moorish costume, and armed with sliort 
 swords, engage in a mock fight, first after the fashion of a 
 duel, hand to hand ; but afterwards the melee becomes gen- 
 eral, and the combatants display the most admirable skill 
 and dexterity. The festival terminates by bull-fights, ac- 
 cording to the custom of the country ; representations of 
 scenes in the Life of the Saint, discharges of artillery, fire- 
 works, and brilliant illuminations. 
 
 These demonstrations of respect and afi'ection towards 
 lo-natius, did not begin until his name had been publicly 
 honored by the Church. Yet even before his death, the cas- 
 tle where he had been regenerated by grace, was visited with 
 feelings of deep emotion and veneration by St. Francis Bor- 
 gia, and by Father Jerome Nadal, who even then believed 
 him fully worthy of the honors which the devotion of the 
 people has since awarded him. 
 
 The chamber where St. Ignatius had wept over the faults 
 of his youth, had obtained his first favors from Heaven, and 
 the gift of inviolable chastity, had become, as it were, sancti- 
 
40 HISTORY OF 
 
 fied. For while it still formed part of the castle, and was 
 not as it now is, a sanctuary consecrated to God and His 
 servant, the very walls seemed to revolt when its inmates 
 abandoned themselves to criminal thoughts. Thus it is re- 
 lated that when men devoid of honor and decency, as on one 
 occasion a foreign soldier, and on another a knight, were re- 
 ceived at the castle of Loyola, and lodged in the chamber 
 of the Saint, they found with terror that the house trembled 
 to its foundations, whilst terrific visions appeared before their 
 eyes. At other times, on the contrary, virtuous persons who 
 were lodged in that apartment, felt themselves gently awa- 
 kened from slumber, their minds filled with heavenly 
 thoughts, together with a holy horror for their past sins, and 
 feelings of inefi'able sweetness and devotion which they had 
 never before experienced. 
 
 But let us return to Ignatius, who having sent back his 
 two servants from Navarete, bade adieu to the Duke and his 
 sister, and now alone, and wholly devoted to God, took the 
 road leading to Montserrat. 
 
 And as he rode on, he pondered in his heart upon the 
 graces which the Holy Virgin had vouchsafed to him, and 
 sought within his mhul for any act of his which might have 
 obtained from her so signal a favor. His examination in- 
 duced him to devote him.self by a vow of perpetual chastity 
 to the Mother of our Lord, out of gratitude for the precious 
 gift which she had vouchsafed him. Shortly after, a circum- 
 stance occurred, in which our inexperienced novice was on 
 the point of being deceived by a false idea of piety. 
 
 A traveller, by birth a Moor, and in religion a Mahome- 
 tan, of whom there were many at that time in the kingdoms 
 of Valencia and Arragon, overtook Ignatius, and rode on- 
 wards in his company. Learning that a pilgrimage to the 
 Virgin of Montserrat was the object of his journey, the 
 
SAINT IGNATIUS DE LOYOLA. 41 
 
 Moor began a conversation with him, concerning the Mother 
 of Grod, which very soon degenerated into a dispute. With 
 bold impiety, the Moor denied that after the birth of the 
 Kedeemer, she had remained as before, a holy and immacu- 
 late Virgin. The Saint endeavored to convince him of his 
 error, and the tender devotion which he bore to Mary, fur- 
 nished him with arguments and proofs, all of which the 
 Mussulman turned into derision, accusing our holy Hhurch 
 of puerile credulity; until, at length, wearied of the con- 
 versation, or wishing to escape further discussion with Igna- 
 tius, he angrily spurred up his mule, and without taking 
 leave of his companion, rode off at full gallop. This con- 
 temptuous rudeness, together with the impiety of the Moor, 
 awakened the wrath of Ignatius. Zeal and anger were min- 
 gled together in his heart. Ought he not to avenge by the 
 slaughter of the Saracen, this insult offered to the Holy 
 Mother of God ? He, vowed to the service of Christ, was 
 he not bound to defend the honor of His Mother ? But on 
 the other hand, did not an inward voice whisper to him 
 that the punishment of the guilty was in the hands of jus- 
 tice, and that all private vengeance was unbefitting a Chris- 
 tian ? From this strange perplexity, Ignatius delivered 
 himself in a manner truly characteristic of the age in which 
 he lived ; that is to say, he resolved to refer the decision to 
 chance, or rather, as he thought, to Heaven itself. Having 
 arrived at a part of the road, from whence a stony and steep 
 path led to the mountain, whilst the road itself, continuing 
 wide and smooth, led to a large village about fifty paces 
 further on, Ignatius laid the bridle on his horse's neck, and 
 resolved that if the animal followed the road taken by the 
 Moor, he would force him to retract his impious words, or 
 would punish him by taking his life. He believed that by 
 this means,' he conciliated his zeal with the secret voice of 
 
42 HISTORY OF 
 
 his conscience ; but the Lord, touched with compassion for 
 his ignorance, which as yet prevented him from distinguish- 
 ing the feelings of the Christian from the chivah'ous spirit 
 of the Knight, ordained, that contrary to all probability, his 
 steed should leave the broad and smooth road leading to the 
 inn, where the Moor had already arrived, and climb the rocky 
 mountain path. 
 
 Having arrived at a village lying at the foot of the 
 mountain, Ignatius purchased the habit of a pilgrim, which 
 he resolved to wear henceforward. It consisted of a tunic 
 of coarse cloth, fastened by a girdle of rope ; sandals, and a 
 staff, all which he placed upon his horse. 
 
 The famous monastery of Montserrat, and the miraculous 
 image of the Mother of God, visited by pilgrims from all 
 parts of the world, are intrusted to the care of the Bene- 
 dictine Fathers. The observance of their institute is main- 
 tained there in full vigor, and the holiness of the venerable 
 inmates, is in perfect keeping with the sanctity of the place. 
 
 The first thing which occupied Ignatius upon his arrival, 
 was his preparation for a general confession, which he wrote 
 down with extreme care. There lived at that time, amongst 
 the Eelio-ious of Montserrat, a Frenchman, named John Cha- 
 nones, formerly Vicar General of Mirepoix, who had at first 
 gone there solely through devotion to the Blessed Virgin. 
 But soon, edified by the perfectly innocent and holy life led 
 by the monks, he remained amongst them, and embraced the 
 rule of St. Benedict. From the age of thirty, when he 
 entered, to that of eighty-eight, when he died, he never re- 
 laxed from his first fervor. In youth and in age, in sickness 
 as in health, he always observed the most severe abstinence, 
 and invariably gave the third of his allotted portion to the 
 poor. He wore a hair shirt reaching to the knees, took only 
 the most indispensable repose, and passed the greatest part 
 
SAINT IGNATIUS DE LOYOLA. 43 
 
 of each night in prayer, either in the choir or in his cell. 
 It pleased Grod to try his patience, by prolonged and grievous 
 infirmities, especially towards the close of his life, at that 
 age which is of itself so great a burden. The resignation, 
 obedience and humility of this holy Religious, shone with so 
 bright a lustre, tha,t his life became a model for the monks 
 of other establishments of the same Order ; and thanks to 
 his powerful example, they returned to a stricter observance 
 of their rule. 
 
 At the time when Ignatius presented himself at Mont- 
 serrat, it was the office of Chanones to administer the Holy 
 Communion to the pilgrims. It was therefore to him that 
 Ignatius made his general confession, which he did with so 
 nmch exactness and care, and so often interrupted by tears 
 and sobs, that three whole days were employed in making it. 
 His thoughts, feelings and projects were all revealed to the 
 man of God, who, in return, communicated ti^^^ his penitent 
 the most precious treasures of the spiritual life. 
 
 Ignatius now desirous to appear externally, as he already 
 was internally, a new man, went out towa'rds nightfall, in 
 search of a beggar, upon whom he might bestow his clothing j 
 and having divested himself entirely of his worldly garments, 
 assumed the sack of the penitent with its cord girdle ; and 
 then with a staif in his hand, returned to the Church. He 
 now resolved to apply to a spiritual purpose, a custom of 
 which he had heard formerly read in profane romances. 
 Before girding on their swords, the knights used to pass a 
 whole night in the performance of idle ceremonies, which was 
 called the Vigil of the ArTuor. Ignatius therefore resolved 
 to pass the night preceding the festival of the Annunciation, in 
 watching and prayer, standing or kneeling at the foot of the 
 Altar of Our Lady of Montserrat. * At the dawn of day tho 
 
 * I cannot entirely agree with Father Bartoli here, as to the in- 
 
44 HISTORY OF 
 
 penitent hung up his sword and poniard on a pillar of the 
 Altar, piously received the Holy Communion, made a present of 
 his horse to the Monastery, and set out very early in order 
 to avoid recognition, as the solemnity of the day, and the 
 sanctity of the place, were sure to attract a number of pil- 
 grims. In after days, the memory of this noble and touch- 
 ing vigil was held sacred there, and shone like a beacon light 
 before the faithful, who crowded thither from all parts of the 
 world. As a mark of respect to the holy knight, an abbot 
 of Monsterrat caused the following words to be engraved 
 upon a slab of marble placed near the altar.* " In this 
 place Ignatius de Loyola, mingling his tears and prayers, 
 consecrated himself to Grod and the Holy Virgin. It was 
 here that, clothed in sackcloth, as with his spiritual wea- 
 pons, he watched a whole night. It was from hence that he 
 
 tentions which he attributes to St. Ignatius. The Vigil of the Armor 
 had nothing profane in it, but was, on the contrary, stamped with a 
 religious character. The candidate passed the night in the Church ; 
 fasting, praying and watching, in order to draw down the blessing of 
 Heaven upon his new career, to obtain strength to vanquish his pas- 
 sions, and to perform the good actions which, as a right, were required 
 from him. In the fifteenth century, chivalry was but a shadow of the 
 great institution of the middle ages ; but it appears to me very pro- 
 bable that the saint wished to recall the vigil in its primitive simpli- 
 city. To whoever has meditated upon the life of Ignatius, upon his 
 Spiritual Exercises, and on the organization given to the Society of 
 Jesus, nothing is clearer in the life, nor more manifest in the cha- 
 racter of the Holy Founder, than this remembrance of the days of 
 chivalry. He also had to perform an arduous and glorious enterprise 
 against the giants, those of the sixteenth century, equally to be dreaded, 
 though in another sense. — Note from the French translator. 
 
 * Ignatius a Loyola hie, multa prece fletuque, Deo se Virginique 
 devovit. Hie, tanquam armis Spiritualibus, sacco se muniens, pernoc- 
 tavit. Hine ad societatem Jesu fundandam prodiit, anno 1522. F. 
 Laurentius Nieto, Abbas, dicavit anno 1603. 
 
SAINT IGNATIUS DE LOYOLA. \^ 
 
 departed to found the Society of Jesus, in the year of grace, 
 1522. This stone has been consecrated by the Abbot F. 
 Lauren tins Nieto, in 1603." 
 
 And now, having become poor for Jesus Christ's sake, 
 Ignatius walked along, his heart overflowing with holy joy, 
 at seeing himself clad in that garb so despicable in the eyes 
 of the world, and yet which at the same time proved his con- 
 tempt for it. He had hardly proceeded three miles, when he 
 was overtaken by an officer of justice, who had been dis- 
 patched to inquire from him whether it was true that he had 
 given his clothes to a beggar ; as one had declared upon 
 oath that he had received these garments from him, but not 
 being believed, was imprisoned until further information was 
 taken. Ignatius, touched with compassion, instantly re-as- 
 sured the officer as to the truth of the poor man's assertion ; 
 but no importunities could extract from him his motive for 
 this extraordinary act of charity. The officer then left him, 
 and went on his way, pondering within himself upon the rare 
 virtue of this holy pilgrim ; whilst Ignatius continued his jour- 
 ney, mortified and distressed at having been the means of expos- 
 ing the poor man whose misery he had relieved, to these 
 shameful suspicions, and even of endangering his life. 
 
46 HISTORY OF 
 
 CHAPTEE III. 
 
 Hiffd and humble life ■which Ignatius passes at Manret^a in a hospital — Austerities 
 which he practises in a cavern near that city — Fresh temptations assail the soli- 
 tary of Manresa — His physical strength prostrated by a fever which reduces him 
 to the point of death.' 
 
 When from the heights of Montserrat which look down upon 
 the populous and opulent city of Barcelona, the traveller 
 descends into the valley of Llobregat, and journeys north- 
 wards, he proceeds for some time along the bed of the river, 
 without encountering any obstacles ; but after ascending a 
 few leagues, arrives at a small and turbulent stream. This 
 is the Cardinero, upon the banks of which Manresa is situated. 
 Perhaps no more than five hundred families reside there, yet 
 Manresa is full of recollections. There Ignatius by wonder- 
 ful acts of penance, climbed the rugged path of sanctity. A 
 few steps outside of the town, was a hospital, for invalids 
 and beggars, with a church dedicated to St. Lucy, and the 
 Apostle St. Thomas. Thither Ignatius directed his steps, 
 not so much in search of an asylum, as in hopes of finding 
 the means of satisfying his religious zeal, as well as his ar- 
 dent thirst for mortification and penance. He began by de- 
 priving himself of all that could' afford either pleasure or re- 
 pose to his body. The short sleep which at night he snatched 
 from devotion, was taken stretched out upon the bare ground, 
 a stone or a log of wood serving for his pillow ; and this 
 during the utmost rigor of winter, and when utterly ex- 
 
SAINT IGXATIUS DE LOYOLA. 47 
 
 hausted by maceration. The rest of the night he passed in 
 prayer, or in penitential exercises, using a discipline of iron 
 chains ; for upon these points, Ignatius listened only to the 
 ardent fervor of his heart. Seven hours of prayer upon his 
 knees, attendance at Mass, and at the other offices of the 
 Church, were his usual occupations. He fasted daily, and 
 on Sunday, upon which day he partook with holy joy of the 
 food of Angels, he added to what he called his dinner, a ft- v 
 herbs, mingling ashes or earth with them, in order to destroy 
 their flavor. The rest of the week his daily food consisted 
 of one small piece of hard black bread, with a glass of water. 
 To the rude and coarse gown which he wore, he added a hair 
 shirt, and a chain around his loins. Sometimes when visit- 
 ing Our Lady of Yilladordis, near Manresa, he exchanged 
 this iron girdle, for a band woven by his own hands of a cer- 
 tain prickly herb, which pierced the flesh ; and this band is 
 still preserved at Villadordis with extreme veneration. To 
 these external crosses, he added the internal discipline of con- 
 stant, absolute, and rigorous self-denial. To root up every 
 fibre of that pride, ambition and love of glory, which formed 
 the basis of his character, was now the constant object of his 
 endeavors. He therefore imposed upon himself one inviola- 
 ble law : to fly from all to which his natural inclinations 
 prompted him, and to seek for every thing which was repug- 
 nant to his nature. His principal object, then, was to find 
 means of rendering himself contemptible in the eyes of men, 
 to seek every opportunity of mortification and abasement, 
 thus to crucify his proud feelings, and to humble his ambi- 
 tious heart. That part of the day which he did not devote 
 to prayer, he employed in thus mortifying all his natural feel- 
 ings ; especially by serving the poor and sick in the hospital. 
 Amongst these, the most revolting were always those whom 
 he loved best. To render them the lowest offices, to wash 
 
48 HISTORY OF 
 
 them, to carry them in his arms, to dress and even to press 
 his lips to their sores ; all became for him a service of love, 
 and a cause of joy. When leaving the hospital, he returned 
 to the town to beg, he frequently received more insults than 
 alms. The children especially would follow him with scorn- 
 ful hisses, and jeeringly call him Father Sack. 
 
 And although when better known, he became universally 
 respected and venerated, yet even then, there was one man 
 noted throughout the city for his bad conduct, who never 
 ceased to attribute the coarse clothing and humility of Igna- 
 tius to hypocrisy. When Ignatius entered Manresa, this 
 man never failed to place himself in his way, to caricature 
 his gait and gestures, to harass him with offensive jeers and 
 grimaces ; or when tired of these coarse jests, to pour forth 
 a torrent of insults and abuse of his character. Every day 
 these scenes were repeated ; and we may imagine how severe 
 was that trial for the patience of our penitent, so fiery in his 
 nature, and but now so bold a soldier by profession. His 
 indignation might have suddenly awakened, and prompted 
 him to revenge these insults ; and such doubtless was the 
 design of the evil spirit. But this species of wrath was not 
 only lulled to sleep within the breast of Ignatius — it was 
 wholly annihilated. At the altar of Montserrat, he had 
 hung up along with his armor, every feeling of resentment 
 and revenge. The volcano was extinguished, and no burn- 
 ing hatred could ever again find lodging within his purified 
 soul. 
 
 With an alms of some few pieces of bread (which he 
 generally repaid to his benefactors by giving them spiritual 
 aid, and wholesome counsels), he returned to the hospital, 
 and reserving to himself the worst portion of the food which 
 he had received, divided the remainder amongst those who 
 were poorest and most infirm. By a refinement of humility 
 
SAINT IGNATIUS DE LOYOLA. 49 
 
 and self-abasement, lie even went so far as to imitate the 
 rougli and ignoble manners of those amongst whom he re- 
 sided, that every one might believe him to have been born 
 in the humble station which he had chosen through virtue 
 and self-denial. About this time he had to repulse a terrible 
 assault, and one day it seemed to him as if an inward voice 
 said to him : 
 
 ^' Why thus pass beyond all reasonable limits ? Heaven 
 itself must disapprove of thy conduct ; for with what eye 
 can it behold a vile and degraded being, instead of a holy 
 and illustrious knight ? How much more glory would accrue 
 to God, how much more sublime would be thine own virtue, 
 hadst thou lived a saint in the midst of courts, rather than 
 a beggar in an hospital ! How would the nobles of the land 
 have imitated thee ! whilst now the very children turn thee 
 into ridicule. Hast thou more at heart to obtain contempt 
 for thyself than honor for Grod, and the conversion of many 
 souls ? Did Heaven change thy heart for this, that thou 
 mightest bury thy talents in this receptacle of misery, and 
 bring odium upon sanctity by thy repulsive austerity ? If 
 honors do no longer please thee, and thou wouldst live in 
 obscurity, yet by what right dost thou expose to the insults 
 of a vile populace, the honor of thy family, purchased by 
 thy noble forefathers, at the price of their toils and their 
 blood ? " 
 
 For a moment this revolt of nature was fearful ; and the 
 coarseness of his garments and food, the, disgusting filth, and 
 the repulsive manners of the patients, inspired the Saint with 
 horror. But suddenly resolving to conquer at one blow, 
 both hell which attacked and nature which betrayed him, he 
 ran into the midst of the most squalid and repulsive of these 
 poor creatures, and embracing them publicly, remained 
 amongst them, until he had wholly triumphed over his re* 
 
 VOL. I. — 3 
 
30 HISTORY OF 
 
 pugnance, and vanquislied the temptation wliicli assailed 
 him. 
 
 This sojourn in the hospital thus aiforded Ignatius nume- 
 rous opportunities of perfecting himself in virtue, and of 
 acquiring new merits ; but because it was an obstacle to his 
 entire union with Grod, and to that austere mortification to 
 which his religious fervor inclined him, he now began to 
 look about for some solitary and hidden retreat, where he 
 might dwell beneath the eye of God alone, and satisfy his 
 ardent thirst for penance At the foot of a hill not far dis- 
 tant from Manresa he discovered a cave, hollowed out in the 
 living rock, which in its gloomy aspect bore an exact resem- 
 blance to a sepulchre ; yet it was surrounded by a valley of 
 admirable beauty, which the peasants called the Vale of 
 Paradise. Not far from thence flowed the Cardenero with 
 its limpid waters ; opposite was a wide road, between which 
 and the cavern stood a stoue cross, before which Ignatius 
 used to perform his pious stations. 
 
 The cavern is thirty paces long, ten wide, and as many 
 in height. On the side which looks towards Montserrat, 
 in a fissure of the rock, a kind of loophole has been cut, 
 through which the church of Our Lady is visible ; but on all 
 the other sides the deepest obscurity reigns, and the walls 
 as well as the vault are CQvered with pointed stones and 
 fragments of rocks. Few persons knew that this cavern ex- 
 isted, and none ever visited it. To Ignatius it appeared a 
 dwelling precisely adapted to his projects. After having 
 cut a narrow path through the wild briers which concealed 
 its entrance, he took up his residence within the cave, and 
 in that abode where solitude, silence, and gloomy horror 
 seemed to invite the soul to penitence, he redoubled his 
 habitual austerities ; watched whole nights, fasted several 
 days continuously without taking the slightest nourishment ; 
 
SAINT IGNATIUS DE LOYOLA. 51 
 
 and added severe and even bloody discipline, by striking his 
 breast with a hard and sharp stone. 
 
 All these severities so exhausted his strength, that his 
 life seemed a perpetual miracle. His stomach being totally 
 destroyed by them, he suffered cruel pains ; he frequently 
 lay senseless, and more than once was found nearly dying, 
 without heat or motion. Having gone one. day to Yillador- 
 dis, to pray in a chapel, he fell into a fainting fit, in which 
 he lay for several days ; and when he recovered from this, 
 his weakness was such that he seemed at the point of death. 
 Some pious women brought him food, and he was enabled, 
 though wdth difficulty, to reach the hospital. 
 
 New temptations now assailed the solitary of Manresa, 
 but new efibrts conquered them. His physical strength soon 
 gave way under the severity of a fever, which reduced him 
 to the last extremity. In this terrible crisis, vanity would 
 once more play her part : " Why should he regret death ? 
 (such was the thought which flitted over the mind of Igna- 
 tius.) Did he not die a saint ? His penance, his hair shirt, 
 his iron girdle, his weeping, his watching — were these no 
 claims upon Heaven ? " 
 
 Such were the images which, like vain phantoms, passed 
 and repassed before the mind of the sick man, and by turns 
 distressed or pleased him. Tl^ere was a moment in w^hich 
 his moral agony greatly surpassed even his bodily sufferings 
 and the anguish of approaching death. Then Ignatius reso- 
 lutely summoned before him the gravest and most humilia- 
 ting faults of his past life, and he demanded of himself what 
 proportion there could be between the feeble efforts of a few 
 months, and those crimes committed during a long series of 
 years. He then prayed to Grod, entreating Him to grant 
 him pardon for his offences, instead of a reward for his vir- 
 tues. This was the moment of triumph ; but such a deep 
 
52 HISTORY OF 
 
 feeling of terror remained in Iiis mind after this rude con- 
 flict, that he entreated the assistants, should the dreadful 
 vision return, to repeat these words to him : " Ignatius, 
 remember the sins of which thou art guilty, and the punish- 
 ment which they deserve ! Think not that Paradise is due 
 to thee, nor forget that thou hast deserved hell ! " 
 
 But a more dangerous trial yet awaited him, that of 
 scruples. God permitted the demon to inspire him with a 
 thousand doubts and a thousand fears, as to h>3 confession 
 at Montserrat, although made so carefully, and with such 
 sincere contrition, until each of his actions appeared to him 
 a serious sin ; while, at the same time, all spiritual consola- 
 tion was withdrawn from him. His heart dried up, his 
 spirit filled with trouble and confusion, and preyed upon by 
 a thousand perplexing thoughts, he no longer received that 
 bright light which formerly filled his soul when in contem- 
 plation ; and the more he endeavored to occupy himself with 
 heavenly things, the stronger became the temptation. Days 
 and nights succeeded one another and this horrible torture 
 continued ; neither tears nor prayers gave him any relief, 
 until he became persuaded that God had abandoned him, 
 and that he was lost without resource. Frightful abyss ! 
 whose depths can alone be sounded by those who have been 
 mercifully withdrawn from it- The most severe and rigid 
 penance gives as much consolation to the mind and heart as 
 sufi"ering to the body ; but to love God, to serve Him fer- 
 vently, to be filled with the most ardent desire of possessing 
 Him, and yet to be persuaded that we displease Him, and 
 that He rejects us ; nay, that every one of our actions is an 
 ofi"ence to Him — these torments can be compared to no 
 others, unless it be to those of hell itself ! 
 
 The sad condition of Ignatius touched the Dominicans, 
 who received him into their house. But instead of finding 
 
SAINT IGNATIUS DE LOYOLA. 53 
 
 any relief there, lie fell into swell a state of gloomy melan- 
 choly, that at times the horrible thought would occur to him 
 of dashing himself from the window of his cell. Then he 
 would shed torrents of tears, and in a loud voice conjure the 
 Lord to send him some assistance from heaven, since upon 
 earth he could find none. In this extremity he recalled to 
 mind the story of a holy man, who, having long and use- 
 lessly prayed to Grod for a favor which he ardently desired, 
 resolved to abstain from all food until he had obtained from 
 the pity of the Lord what he could not hope for from his 
 own merits. It struck lo-natius that he also mio-ht use this 
 gentle violence towards Grod ; for if the remedy was extreme, 
 the malady which it was to be applied to was no less so ; and 
 God, like a tender father, would not permit his child to suffer 
 longer, but would relieve his soul through compassion. 
 
 Thus, without diminishing any thing of his former aus- 
 terities, he began his fast, and by a kind of miracle in his 
 actual condition, continued eight whole days without swallow- 
 ing even a mouthful of bread or drinking a drop of water ; 
 and "he would have had the courage to prolong this fast, had 
 not his confessor, on being informed of it, positively pro- 
 hibited him from doing so. I know not whether it was to 
 reward the faith which had induced Ignatius to have recourse 
 to this strange method of moving the Lord to compassion ; 
 or the obedience which caused him to desist from it ; but for 
 a short period of time he recovered his peace of mind and 
 serenity. He believed himself cured,,, when at the end of a 
 few days, he again relapsed into those agonies of scruple and 
 melancholy. Could a human heart endure more cruel suf- 
 ferings ? 
 
 From this fact we may learn an important lesson. God 
 thus made known to Ignatius that we must not endeavor to 
 force his will, as if our tears and necessities were unknown 
 
54 HISTORY OF 
 
 to him, or as if he were insensible to them. The sole rule 
 of our will ought to be the will of Grod ; and then fervor or 
 dryness, temptations or peace, trouble or serenity, all will be 
 indifferent to us. To strengthen our courage by means of 
 the affliction itself; to pray to the Lord for deliverance from 
 it or for strength to bear it ; and always to maintain ourselves 
 in the humble attitude of resignation, that is our part. 
 
 This second trial, which was rather a lesson than a chas- 
 tisement, was of short duration ; and Ignatius regained a 
 degree of interior joy and peace of mind surpassing all that 
 he had formerly experienced. Destined to become one of the 
 greatest masters of a spiritual life, it was well that he should 
 learn by experience the lessons which he was one day to 
 teach. Not one of these terrible vacillations between joy 
 and grief, dryness and fervor, had been spared him. Thus 
 we find him in after days writing to a nun of Barcelona : 
 " God has two methods of instructing us. He employs the 
 one himself, and permits the other. That which proceeds 
 from him is the inward consolation which dissipates our 
 trouble and fills the heart with love towards him. The in- 
 telligence which it brings along with it enlightens the mind, 
 and fortifies it by revealing wonderful secrets to it, and by 
 clearly showing it the paths which are to be followed or 
 avoided in a spiritual life. The fervor which it sheds over 
 the soul is such, that the most painful labors are converted 
 into pleasures, the greatest fatigues into repose ; all burdens 
 become light, all austerities attractive ; but these consola- 
 tions are not permanent in the soul ; they have their times 
 and their seasons, according as it pleases Grod to grant or to 
 withdraw them, always for our greater good. 
 
 " When the heavenly light vanishes, the demon intro- 
 duces trouble and desolation into our hearts, in order to de- 
 tach us from the service of God. We are frequently over- 
 
SAINT IGNATIUS DE LOYOLA. 55 
 
 whelmed with a feeling of the deepest melancholy, and we 
 cannot discover its cause ; prayer becomes dryness, medita- 
 tion wearies us. Then come disheartening thoughts about 
 ourselves. We see ourselves as it were repulsed and aban- 
 doned by God, separated from him, and it seems to us that 
 nothing which we have hitherto done has pleased hi,m ; that 
 nothing which we can do in future will be useful to us. 
 Hence arise discouragement, distrust, and despair which 
 represents all our faults as mortal, all our miseries as irre- 
 mediable. But neither is this sad condition lasting, and we 
 ought to make use of the one to enable us to support the 
 other. Thus in time of consolation we must humble our- 
 selves, and remember that we are in the days of interior 
 desolation ; and on the contrary, when despair overwhelms 
 us, we ought to recollect that at the first rays of divine 
 light, all that darkness will vanish, and our former peace of 
 mind be restored." 
 
 Thus by means of his own trials, Ignatius was enabled 
 to be useful to others. He possessed in the highest degree 
 the art of curing scruples ; and it may be well to transcribe 
 here the rules which he wrote upon this subject. 
 
 1st. Many persons consider as a scruple the opinion 
 which they form in regarding as sinful a thing which is not 
 so. Thus certain persons would believe they had committed 
 sacrilege, had they walked upon a cross accidentally formed 
 by two straws. That is not a scruple, but a false and erro- 
 neous judgment. 
 
 2dly. A true scruple would consist in imagining that 
 we had walked upon these straws through contempt of the 
 cross, and then, notwithstanding the secret testimony of con- 
 science, remaining in a state of trouble and perplexity, 
 which the devil gives rise to and maintains. 
 
 3dly. Of these two sorts of scruples, we should always 
 
56 HISTORY OF 
 
 hold the first in abhorrence, as a cause of error, full of 
 dangers and snares. The second may, during a certain 
 period, redound to the profit of the newly converted soul, 
 and may render it pure, by withdrawing it from every thing 
 which has even the shadow of sin, according to those words 
 of Sfc. Gregory : Bonarum mentium est, ihi culjjpam ag- 
 noscere, uhi culpam non est. 
 
 4th. The Enemy carefully examines the nature of the 
 conscience which he attacks ; whether it is strict and deli- 
 cate, or easy and obtuse. The first he endeavors to contract 
 and intimidate still more, until he has reduced it to a state 
 of such intolerable anxiety, that it finishes by abandoning 
 itself to despair, and is lost Thus, "when he observes that, 
 far from consenting to the slightest fault, it flies even from 
 the shadow of one, he will make it believe that sin exists 
 where there really is none, such as, for example, in certain 
 words, or in sudden and unofuarded thoughts. With the 
 obtuse conscience he acts very difi"erently, and by familiar- 
 izing it gradually with slight faults, finishes by blinding it 
 to the most grievous sins. 
 
 5th. He who wishes to advance in a spiritual life, ought 
 to follow the path exactly contrary to that towards which the 
 Enemy endeavors to attract him. If his conscience is too 
 lax, he must endeavor to draw it closer ; and, on the con- 
 trary, if too contracted, he must expand it. Between these 
 two extremes, he may walk in peace and security. 
 
 6th. If we contemplate doing or saying any thing which 
 is neither contrary to the usages of the Church nor to the 
 orders of our superiors, which contributes to the glory of God, 
 and yet which is suspicious in our eyes, as being tainted with 
 vanity, we must raise our hearts to God ; and if in his sight 
 we judge the action to be useful, or even not contrary to his 
 glory, we ought to follow our first impulse, saying, like St. 
 Bernard: Nee jprojpter te coejpi, nee propter te Jiniam. 
 
SAINT IGNATIUS DE LOYOLA. 57 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 Singular graces which Ignatius received at Manresa. 
 
 Meanwhile, the graces whicli God bestowed upon Ignatius 
 at Manresa, infinitely surpassed the extreme afflictions by 
 which he had been pleased to try his patience ; and here let 
 us remark a wonderful analogy between the conduct of God 
 and that of his faithful servant. Although Ignatius was well 
 aware of the immense debt which he had contracted with God, 
 in consequence of his former worldly life, he did not endeavor, 
 by his severe mortifications at Manresa, to satisfy divine jus- 
 tice. He raised his thoughts still higher, and aspired solely 
 to please God, and to honor him by offering up a holocaust 
 of sufferings to the glory of his name. And thus, on His 
 side, it seemed as if the Lord had forgotten that Ignatius 
 had been a man of the world, and guilty of great faults. 
 Even from the first. He shed abundant graces upon this his 
 chosen servant, and raised him from the beginning to a height 
 rarely attained by His most faithful and cherished followers, 
 even after the greatest services and merits. 
 
 Thus upon one occasion the Saint confessed to Father 
 Lainez, that one hour of prayer at Manresa had taught him 
 more concerning spiritual things than he could have learned 
 from the instructions of the wisest doctors. Yet it has been 
 maintained that such a man could not have been the author 
 of the Spiritual Exercises, and that he was too much of a 
 
 VOL. I — 3* 
 
i»a HISTORY OF 
 
 novice to have composed them. A strange mode of reason- 
 ing ! as if the science that is of God should be measured by 
 the time employed in studying it ! as if all-powerful wisdom 
 were not at the disposal of the great Teacher ! In the 
 divine school of Christ Jesus do we not frequently see the 
 youth excel the aged man, — the beardless boy surpass in 
 depth of knowledge the man whose hair has grown gray in 
 the study of sacred science ? Whence comes this anomaly ? 
 Where Grod is the master, a few lessons suffice, and the first 
 has received the grace denied to the second. Sometimes a 
 single ray of light, shining and disappearing like a flash of 
 lio-htnino;, discovers a horizon of wonders to the soul, which 
 absorbs its admiration during a long course of years. 
 
 Besides these particular graces, Ignatius was also favored 
 with frequent visions. One day amongst others, whilst at 
 prayer in the Church of Our Lady at Manresa, he saw with 
 perfect clearness, the whole plan of the divine wisdom in the 
 creation of the world. Again, during a procession, his spirit 
 was ravished in God, and he was enabled to contemplate, 
 under a form and by means of images adapted to the feeble 
 intelligence of one who yet inhabits this earth, the profound 
 mystery of the most Holy Trinity. This vision filled his 
 heart with such celestial joy, that ever after, its mere remem- 
 brance made him shed abundant tears. 
 
 The very language of the Saint became impregnated with 
 this marvellous vision ; and although the depth of the mys- 
 tery renders it almost unapproachable by mortal language, 
 yet Ignatius found such luminous comparisons, such vivid 
 terms in which to utter what his mind had conceived con- 
 cerning it, that in each of his astonishing expressions, the 
 source from whence they were drawn might be traced in all 
 its purity. 
 
 Nor was this the only time in which the Holy Trinity 
 
SAINT IGNATIUS DE LOYOLA. 59 
 
 deigned to make itself known to the Saint in a sensible man- 
 ner ; and even towards the close of his life, this divine favor 
 was often vouchsafed to him. He had also the happiness 
 of beholding the Infant Jesus in the Holy Sacrament of the 
 altar ; and his mind being suddenly illumined with heavenly 
 light, he clearly understood the manner in which our adorable 
 Saviour remains under the form of the consecrated elements. 
 For some time these visions had but one particular mystery 
 in view ; but one day when praying at the foot of the cross 
 of the Fort, upon the banks of the Cardenero, which flowed 
 past his cave, he received, as it were, a cluster of similar 
 graces. God placed before his eyes at that time, an immense 
 treasure of supernatural objects, of which He gave him a 
 clear and precise knowledge. 
 
 At length his mind received such admirable lights con- 
 cerning the mysteries of faith, and his convictions thereby 
 became so strengthened, that the total loss of all the holy 
 books in the world would not have shaken them, while lie 
 would joyfully have given his life to defend the truths which 
 they contained. Besides, Ignatius perceived these truths, 
 not under a sensible form, but by means of a purely spiritual 
 radiance, which sometimes fell even upon objects belonging 
 to the material sciences, and which especially gave him one 
 inestimable gift, that of discerning the minds of men. No- 
 thing could equal the vivacity of these supernatural impres- 
 sions. To the end of his existence, a single glance thrown 
 back upon his past life at Manresa, sufficed to revive the 
 emotions and to inflame the soul of the Saint with an ardor 
 similar to that which he had experienced at the time of his 
 residence there 
 
 But to return to Manresa. The demon, irritated by the 
 extraordinary favors of which Ignatius was the object, en- 
 deavored to render them suspicious to him, by uniting with 
 
60 HISTORY OP 
 
 them certain visions which were merely illusive. He hegan 
 by showing him a long luminous trace, resembling in its 
 form a serpent spotted with fire, and adorned with the most 
 brilliant colors, which placed itself above the cross of the 
 Fort ; but this vision, however curious, had no useful object, 
 and by that means betrayed its author ; besides, when it dis- 
 appeared, the trouble in which it left the mind of Ignatius 
 was sufficient to enable him to recognize the illusion. He 
 despised it so thoroughly, that afterwards when it appeared 
 to him, whether in Rome or in Paris, it was sufficient for 
 him to raise his staff against the phantom to rid himself of 
 it. It was also at Manresa that Ignatius fell into that won- 
 derful ecstasy which kept him for eight whole days so com- 
 pletely absorbed in God, that he had all the appearance of a 
 dead man ; and he would certainly have been buried, had not 
 a slight and scarcely perceptible motion of the heart indi- 
 cated that he still lived. This ecstasy took place in the 
 hospital of St. Lucy, in a chamber which he had selected, 
 because he could see from the window into the church, and 
 because the poor went there to hear Mass. It began one 
 Saturday evening, whilst they were chanting Complins, and 
 till the following Saturday at the same hour he gave no signs 
 of consciousness. But the holy servant of God always kept 
 silence upon the objects which had thus ravished his senses ; 
 only when he returned to himself, like one awakening from 
 a sweet and profound sleep, he cried out thrice with his eyes 
 turned towards Heaven, " Oh Jesus ! oh Jesus !" whilst his 
 countenance expressed the transports of his soul, even more 
 than his words. The most distinguished men of the Order, 
 who had lived with the Saint, and had heard him speak of 
 what happened to him at Manresa, have always believed 
 that God then revealed to him what He destined him to do 
 in the service of His Church, and traced for him the plan of 
 
SAINT IGNATIUS DE LOYOLA. 61 
 
 that Order, of which he was afterwards to he the Founder. 
 When in Later days he wrote his Constitutions, he would 
 reply to those who asked him the reason of certain important 
 points of the Institute, " I learned it at Manresa." 
 
 Notwithstanding such extraordinary favors, Ignatius 
 remained as humble as before ; he regarded himself as a 
 novice in spiritual life, and rendered an exact account of his 
 conscience to his Director, listening with docility to whatever 
 counsels he thought proper to give him. Amongst his direct- 
 tors he counted the holy monk, Dom John Chanones of Mont- 
 serrat, to whom he had made his general confession, and to 
 whom he went from time to time, regarding him as the father 
 of his soul, and laying bare his inmost heart before him. 
 Although the holy old man fulfilled the part of teacher and 
 director to Ignatius, yet in his heart he venerated him, and 
 always spoke of him as a saint. He was often heard to say 
 that Ignatius would be a pillar of the Church, and that the 
 world would have in him an apostle, a successor of St. Paul, 
 to announce the Gospel to barbarous and idolatrous nations. 
 Such was Manresa for Ignatius ; the holy school where, as 
 he himself expressed it, he had learnt the rudiments of a 
 spiritual life. 
 
 However, the report of his high rank in the world began 
 to be spread abroad ; it was asserted that he only concealed 
 himself under these coarse garments, in order to remain 
 unknown in the world, and that nothing but a spirit of humi- 
 lity and penitence could have transfqrmed a noble knight 
 into a beggar, and a brave soldier into a hermit. Pious 
 people began to examine him more closely, and succeeded in 
 discovering some of his excessive austerities, and even part 
 of the graces which God so abundantly bestowed upon him. 
 In a little while the admiration and respect which he in- 
 spired increased to the highest degree ; and when he fell 
 
62 HISTORY OF 
 
 ill, in consequence of those mental sufferings of which we 
 have spoken, and which had reduced him to a state appar- 
 ently verging upon consumption, a rich man named Ami- 
 gante caused him to be transported from the monastery of 
 the Dominicans to his house. From that time this man was 
 called Simon and his wife Martha, because they had the 
 happiness of assisting and receiving into their house this 
 living image of the Saviour. This devotion to his person 
 increased daily ; and when he afterwards quitted Manresa 
 one of its inhabitants, much less occupied with his temporal 
 interests than with the spiritual advantages which he derived 
 from the counsels of Ignatius, abandoned his country and a 
 lawsuit of the highest importance, and accompanied him. If 
 he went to pray at the foot of some cross placed outside of 
 the town, the people followed him at a certain distance, but 
 if he began to discourse upon spiritual subjects, an immense 
 crowd collected around him. When they saw him thus, his 
 countenance glowing with fervor, mounted upon a rock, which 
 is yet shown in front of the old hospital, all hearts were filled 
 with contrition, and with the desire of doing penance. By 
 those garments so coarse and so poor, by that hair formerly 
 so cared for, now scattered and dishevelled, by that pale and 
 emaciated face, by that chain tightly girding his loins, by 
 these naked feet, by all these signs they recognized the Saint ; 
 bu-t when he spoke, what power was in his words ! what 
 burning shafts seemed to dart from that glowing heart ! 
 And thus at every moment examples were seen of men who, 
 enlightened by his private conversation, and by certain fun- 
 damental maxims which he had given them to meditate upon, 
 renounced the world and assumed the monastic habit. These 
 first proofs of the efficacy of certain truths in awakening the 
 soul, and leading it to God, added to his own experience, 
 since it was from a consideration of them that his heart had 
 
SAINT IGNATIUS DE LOYOLA. G3 
 
 become so entirely detached from worldly things, induced 
 Ignatius to reduce, as it were to an art, the rules for a 
 spiritual life. It was then that he composed that admirable 
 book of Spiritual Exercises, dictated by an intelligence far 
 superior to that of man, and truly written by the rays of an 
 All-Divine light. These are the Exercises which gave to the 
 Church the first children of St. Ignatius ; these are the Exer- 
 cises which have inspired them with that virtue, that spir- 
 itual strength, which rendered them capable of every under- 
 taking which had for its object the salvation of souls. So 
 long as the Society continues as it was at its birth, it will 
 find its first spirit in this precious work ; and should it ever 
 be so unfortunate as to witness the extinction of that spirit, 
 it is at this source alone that it could be rekindled. Let us 
 then study the Spiritual Exercises in some detail. 
 
64 HISTORY OF 
 
 CHAPTER y. 
 
 Spiritual Exercises of St Ignatius. 
 
 The Exercises of St. Ignatius are not only a series of pious 
 reflections collected together in one book, from which each 
 individual may learn how to commune humbly with his own 
 heart, and to hold holy converse with Grod. Were they no 
 more than this, they could not be offered as a new work, nor 
 could they with propriety be called the Exercises of the 
 Saint whose name they bear. The object which he proposed 
 and attained, was to reduce the cure of the soul to an art, by 
 basing upon certain principles of faith an exact and positive 
 method, which, practised by the application of the means 
 prescribed by him, insures almost infallible success. If we 
 reflect seriously upon this, we shall find that this method 
 differs from a simple consideration of the truths of religion, 
 as much as a knowledge of the virtues of certain plants or 
 minerals, differs from the art of medicine ; which, by teach- 
 ing us to understand the constitution of the human body, 
 and the properties of certain substances tending to restore 
 its equilibrium when injured by sickness, forms a body of 
 precepts, by means of which our health may be restored or 
 preserved. 
 
 Thus, long before St. Ignatius was born, men knew for 
 what end God had created them ; they knew the malice of 
 sin, and that its punishment was hell ; the necessity for tho 
 examination of the conscience, for confession, the mysteries 
 
SAINT IGNATIUS DE LOYOLA. 65 
 
 of the life of Christ, &c. But to reduce to an art the 
 knowledge of our spiritual maladies ; to discover the efficacy 
 of certain considerations in remedying these maladies; to 
 understand thoroughly the manner of applying these reme- 
 dies ; in short, to form as it were a code wherein the different 
 means of purifying, consoling and fortifying the soul, should 
 be re-united ; by which it may be led first to a perfect disen- 
 gagement from all worldly things, and then to an intimate 
 union with God ; this certainly did not exist, and in order 
 that the reader may judge for himself, we shall now trace a 
 sketch of these Exercises. 
 
 At the beginning, Ignatius places a meditation, which on 
 account of its importance, has been styled The Foundation 
 of the Exercises. First, Grod created every thing in this 
 world for one particular end, which is, utility to man ; let us 
 then endeavor to discover for what end man himself has re- 
 ceived being and life. Is it that he may become a powerful 
 king, a great warrior, a rich merchant ; that he may obtain a 
 large portion of worldly goods, and nothing more ? If he 
 discovers positively that it is not so, but tliatonthe contrary, 
 he has been created by God to serve Him during this life, 
 and after death to enjoy him eternally ; must we not deduce 
 this decided inference ; — that man must endeavor to obtain 
 the things of this world, only in so far as they may lead him 
 towards the object of his creation ? Moreover, as the means 
 which lead us towards an object, have neither merit nor in- 
 trinsic value unless they conduct us to that object, there re- 
 suits by a new inference, that the measure of the esteem in 
 which we ought to hold riches or poverty, honors or humilia- 
 tion, health or sickness, &c., should be in proportion, not to 
 the good or evil which they procure for us during this pres- 
 ent life, but to the assistance or hindrance which they are to 
 us in regard to that future and immortal life which is to 
 
66 HISTORY OF 
 
 succeed it. When this truth at once so clear and important 
 has been thoroughly meditated upon by a soul hitherto in- 
 firm and weakened by its wholly terrestrial desires and unruly 
 affections, it begins to extricate itself from them ; it even 
 feels itself disposed to renounce more legitimate attachments, 
 but which are yet too closely connected with the world. 
 Then a new ray of light illumines it, and makes it view 
 the world with a very different eye from that with which it 
 beheld it, when reversing the eternal order of things, it 
 employed all its intelligence in procuring earthly goods, the 
 possession of which seemed to be its final aim, and from the 
 attainment of which it hoped for unmingled happiness. 
 
 The consideration of this first truth has been so effica- 
 cious with an innumerable number of penitents, that on 
 leaving the retreat where they had given themselves up to 
 these reflections, they have found themselves new men. 
 
 Martin Olave, a learned doctor of the Sorbonne in Paris, 
 said that one single hour of meditation upon this Founda- 
 tion of the Exercises, had taught him more than long years 
 of theological study. It was upon this same basis that 
 Father Everard Mercurian, one of the first disciples of St. Ig- 
 natius, and his third successor in the generalship, established 
 the whole conduct of his life ; and he would often say from 
 his own experience and that of many others, that the Foitri' 
 dation of the Exercises was alone sufficient to effect the most 
 astonishing changes, by uprooting all earthly affections in 
 our souls, and by exciting us to direct all our desires to God 
 and to eternity. 
 
 Ignatius was so well aware of its virtue, that he endea- 
 vored to attract towards it the attention of all those whom 
 he himself could not direct in this meditation. A prelate, in 
 a letter which he wrote to the Saint, showed himself deeply 
 afflicted by the crosses which he met with. Ignatius answered 
 him:— 
 
SAINT IGNATIUS DE LOYOLA. 67 
 
 " The affairs of this present life, my Lord, are in reality 
 fortunate only inasmuch as they serve us for that which must 
 follow it, and which will be eternal. Misfortunes, by illumi- 
 nating the soul with celestial light, teach it to direct its con- 
 templation to heavenly things, to love nothing but Jesus, to 
 follow him upon His cross, and to die with him there, in 
 order to rise again as he did." 
 
 Hardly more than one hour's reflection upon what is 
 called the Foundation of the Exercises, is now demanded of 
 beginners ; but their author did not fix the time which ought 
 to be devoted to it ; well aware that this time must be mea- 
 sured according to the disposition and necessities of tho 
 soul. It requires more effort to hew down an old tree whose 
 branches are widely extended, than to root up a young shrub. 
 We can easily conceive that an hour would be far from suffi- 
 cient for one who had grown old in worldly wisdom ; for the 
 question is not only how we should acquire a speculative 
 knowledge which will lead us to detest evil ; we must above 
 all things bring about a practical reform, often differing in 
 the means as well as in the results. How shall we lead our 
 will to form other desires, and to practise works repulsive to 
 our nature, if our intelligence is not convinced that the new 
 way is the only straight and sure path ? Hence the name of 
 foundation given to this meditation, thus inviting us to ex- 
 amine it thoroughly, and not to stop at the surface. A work 
 truly important, since upon this foundation, the edifice of a 
 new life is to be raised. 
 
 This first truth thoroughly examined in a general and 
 profound sense, the question is how to make its immediate 
 •application. The mind is solicited to take the firm resolu- 
 tion of using earthly things henceforward, only as the means 
 of attaining eternal happiness. For this purpose, the Exer- 
 cises offer for our consideration the extreme disorder and 
 
68 HISTORY OF 
 
 danger arising from a contrary line of conduct. We find 
 the proof of this in our own life ; the picture of which is 
 naturally placed here. We survey it at our leisure; we re- 
 call to our mind the faults and errors which have separated 
 us from our last end. When this view presents itself before 
 our eyes in all its nudity, the Saint offers along with it a 
 meditation upon the enormity of sin, and upon the punish- 
 ments which await it in hell. The efifects of both become 
 palpable, when wc behold the Angels irrevocably condemned, 
 the fall of Adam, and the damnation of so many sinners, who 
 suffer the just punishment of their crimes. 
 
 These considerations already begin to disengage the soul 
 from those vicious affections, which after weakening, finish 
 by depriving it of life, making it lose the grace of God ; but 
 as they are rooted in our souls, and difficult to eradicate, 
 these reflections are presented to us in different ways all 
 tending to destroy them. Such is the employment of the 
 first week. 
 
 In the second, we begin to meditate upon the reign of 
 Jesus Christ in our souls ; that is to say, upon the solemn 
 appeal which he makes to all mankind, as a king to his sub- 
 jects, to engage them in his service. His conditions contain 
 advantages of a very different nature from those proposed 
 by temporal sovereigns ; since he promises to treat his ser- 
 vants as himself; and that they shall have nothing to do or 
 to suffer of which he has not given them the example. This 
 consideration is one of extreme efficacy, leading us by gentle 
 violence to the firm resolution of following and imitating our 
 Saviour. From this general resolution we descend to the 
 details, of which the models are to be found in the life of 
 Jesus Christ, in meditations upon the incarnation, the birth 
 of Christ, and the other portions of His divine humanit3^ 
 Here wc must especially dread the snares of him who ro- 
 
SAL\T IGNATIUS DE LOYOLA. 69 
 
 doubles his attacks against the soul which he sees upon the 
 point of attaching itself to God. We must then fortify this 
 soul, that it may resist all dangerous assaults. 
 
 Such ought to be the effect of that admirable meditation 
 which St. Ignatius has entitled, " Of the Two Standards^'''* 
 which has peopled so many monasteries. On one side is 
 represented Christ, and on the other Lucifer, who both re- 
 cruit soldiers, and set forth the advantages of their respec- 
 tive banners. The enjoyments offered by Lucifer show 
 themselves as they are — vain, fugitive, and followed by eter- 
 nal remorse ; the demon cannot be faithful to his promises. 
 Christ, on the contrary, in exchange for a short period of 
 suffering, assures us of happiness without end and without 
 limits. Our courage revives, and the soul repulses the 
 promises of the world, in order to follow Jesus Christ, and 
 cleave to him alone. All these preparations were necessary, 
 that we might derive benefit from the last Meditation of the 
 second week, which has for its object the state of life which 
 we are to choose for the future. This is the most important 
 question of all, since it decides upon our eternal as well as 
 our temporal interests; and therefore St. Ignatius has based 
 it upon such wise regulations, that he who conforms to them 
 can never have cause to repent of having made a bad choice. 
 
 We should first consider the nature of our vocation, and 
 then the time and manner of fulfilling it. As to its nature, 
 it must, in the first place, be good, or at least it must not be 
 bad. Moreover, there are those which are unchangeable, 
 and there are those which are changeable. When we are 
 already bound by the first, we cannot go back to make any 
 examination of it, althou^ih we should have entered into it 
 through human, or even through bad motives. Our only 
 object must be to labor, in order to acquire perfection in our 
 present condition, be it the priesthood or marriage. Neither 
 
70 HISTORY OF 
 
 ought mutable vocations which are good in themselves, to be 
 again examined, unless we desire to leave them, iu order to 
 enter upon a path of greater perfection. 
 
 There are three periods for choosing a vocation. 
 
 1st. At certain moments, God acts upon our will by such 
 abundant graces, that we can retain no doubt as to the source 
 of our inspirations, as it was in regard to St. Matthew and 
 St. Paul. 
 
 2d. Without receiving so deep an impression, or acquiring 
 such entire certainty, we feel, by the interior emotions of our 
 heart, a kind of intimate conviction which enables us to 
 decide. 
 
 3d. In fine, the mind is sometimes so free from all 
 preference, or from all which might deceive the judgment or 
 obscure the light of religious truth, that it calmly resolves 
 upon that which it clearly discerns to be preferable. 
 
 As to the manner of executing what we have resolved upon, 
 we must first bring back before our eyes the condition, employ- 
 ment, and object of the choice which we are about to make. 
 Then must be renewed a labor which we have already gone 
 through ; the endeavor to wish for nothing but with a view 
 to our eternal welfare, and to become indifferent to all that 
 is not God, as at the beginning of the Exercises. When 
 our mind has attained this holy state, we may pray to the 
 Lord to enlighten us and to lead us back to do his holy will, 
 if we have had the misfortune to deviate from it. Then, 
 with steadfast eyes, beholding on the one side eternity, and 
 on the other the career which we desire to embrace, we come 
 to a decision, without hesitation, without reservation ; offer- 
 ing up our firm and irrevocable resolution to the Lord. 
 There is also another manner of resolving this important 
 question. Let us consider what advice we should give in a 
 Bimilar case to our best friend ; or, again, how we should 
 wish to have decided, when upon our death-bed. 
 
SAINT IGNATIUS DE LOYOLA. 71 
 
 It is thus that Ignatius understands the examination of 
 our vocation, when our object is to discover what it truly is. 
 Thus the second week is employed in fixing the choice of 
 those who are still entirely free. We observe that the Exer- 
 cises are linked together, and derive their strength from each 
 other, so as finally to lead to their proper object, namely, to 
 bring the heart which leaves its former dangerous situation 
 to a perfect union with God. To this the reflections of the 
 two last weeks constantly tend. In the one, we give our- 
 selves up to meditation on the Passion, which teaches us to 
 love the Lord and to follow Him in the path of suffering ; on 
 the other, we meditate on the glorious mysteries, which give 
 rise to softer affections, and which, by fixing our contempla- 
 tion upon the goodness of God, and on His other perfections, 
 inflames the soul with love, and renews its desire of union 
 with Him. 
 
 The Exercises of St. Ignatius, therefore, exactly fulfil 
 what they promise ; that is, they prepare the soul to break 
 through the trammels of all disorderly and earthly affections, 
 and to discover the will of God as to the state of life which 
 may conduct it to salvation. So wisely do. they apply the 
 means to the end proposed, that when they are faithfully 
 followed, it may be considered almost miraculous should no 
 fruit be obtained from them. Thus Ignatius, who had ex- 
 perienced their effects upon himself, like Noah when he 
 drank of the juice of the vine which he had planted, request- 
 ed all those whom he wished to lead, either to change their 
 lives, or to a complete union with God, merely to devote 
 some days of retreat to the considerations which he would 
 present to them. Few can resist this trial, whether they be 
 men whose lives are disorderly and irregular, or those whose 
 virtue is but weak and vacillating. 
 
 The Exercises are not only a remote preparation for 
 
72 HISTORY OF 
 
 perving God ; but they inflame the heart by kindling within 
 us an ardent love for our divine Saviour. Thus a furious 
 persecution against the Christians broke out in Japan. Sud- 
 denly they were seen hastening in crowds to the Fathers of 
 the Society, and begging for the holy armor of the Spiritual 
 Exercises. Nor was their pious confidence deceived ; for by 
 the invincible patience, the wonderful joy, which these gen- 
 erous champions displayed during all the various tortures 
 inflicted upon them : death in every horrible shape ; by slow 
 fire, by boiling water, by freezing, by crucifixion ; it was 
 easy to perceive what strength they had imbibed from that 
 source. 
 
 The priesthood especially derive a degree of energy from 
 the practice of the Spiritual Exercises, which is made mani- 
 fest by its lively and constant action upon the minds of others. 
 Father Mercurian, a general of the Order, declared that the 
 book of Exercises, thoroughly studied, might suffice as a 
 library for preachers, and a guide for spiritual teachers. 
 Egidius Foscari, one of the three theologians siDCcially 
 charged with the examination of the work, when raised to 
 the bishopric of Modena, immediately desired that the Ex- 
 ercises of the first week should be used throu2;hout his dio- 
 cese. The results were wonderful, both in Modena itself and 
 in a multitude of other cities. It is true that the preacher 
 was Father Landini, a man at once scientific and practical, 
 and whose spiritual master had been St. Ignatius himself. 
 
 Indeed, it has been remarked that the profit derived from 
 the Exercises greatly depends upon those who direct them. 
 Amongst many men imbued with his spirit, and versed in 
 the guidance of souls, the holy founder counted very few 
 whom he considered capable of conducting them according to 
 his plan. At their head stood Peter Faber; then came 
 Alphonsus Salmeron, Francis Villanova, Jerome Domenecchi, 
 
SAINT IGNATIUS DE LOYOLA. 73 
 
 and Francis Strada. The reason of this difficulty is very 
 simple. These Exercises are remedies for the soul ; but 
 remedies must vary according to its temperament or its in- 
 firmities. Thus the wisdom of the Saint saw the necessity 
 of some additions, serving as an appendix to the principal 
 work. They are rules for the master and for the scholar, for 
 the director and for the directed. Their definitive success 
 frequently depends upon the exactness with which they are 
 followed. When we deviate from them we follow the caprice 
 of our individual will, but not the Exercises of St. Ignatius. 
 Sometimes from vanity they have been parodied or only 
 modified ; but the result has invariably been that the more 
 the order established has been deviated from, the less has 
 been the good effected ; until nothing has remained but the 
 remembrance of great presumption or the mortification re- 
 sulting from useless efforts. 
 
 The Saint himself adhered in a surprising manner to all 
 the details ; he would retrench nothing, he would add nothing. 
 It appeared indeed as if they were not his property ; as if 
 they were not the workmanship of his own brain, but in- 
 structions received from a superior Being. His biographers 
 give numerous examples of this. The first Fathers who fol- 
 lowed the Exercises, did so with the greatest strictness. 
 " Father Ignatius," said Gronzales on this subject, " conversed 
 with me one day about the Exercises imposed upon the Abbe 
 Martinenghi. There is a great falling off," said he, " from 
 our former severity. Then no one failed to fast several days 
 in succession, without being urged to do so. Now, although 
 the former practices are not blamed, one whole day's fasting 
 is hereby permitted." The shortest fast amongst the first 
 Fathers, lasted three days. Simon Rodriguez alone was ex- 
 empted, on account of his feeble health and hard labors. 
 During six whole days, Father Faber took no nourishment. 
 
 -VOL. I. — i 
 
74 HISTORY OF 
 
 As for the astonishing austerities of St. Francis Xavier, they 
 will be related elsewhere. 
 
 The practices prescribed while the Exercises last, are 
 many and various. He who begins ought to perform them 
 with perfect generosity of heart, and without wishing to re- 
 strain the operations of God in his soul. Let one sole dis- 
 position animate him; that of abandoning himself entirely 
 to the influence of the Holy Spirit; that of answering to 
 every call whatsoever it may be ; Ecce adsum. Then let him 
 lay down all worldly thoughts at the door of his cell, and 
 apply himself exclusively to the meditation of the present 
 day, without seeking to know that of the day following. The 
 holiest objects even ought to be set aside in favor of this one 
 meditation; for the mind is easily distracted, and would 
 otherwise return weakened to the principal subject of its 
 actual meditation. 
 
 The employment of our time will be in harmony with the 
 object of the meditation, and therefore solitude, silence, and 
 penance accompany the Exercises of the first week, the rules 
 of prudence and discretion being nevertheless observed. We 
 retire to rest, our thoughts occupied with the meditation which 
 we shall make during the night ; and at the moment of awaking, 
 it is the first object which ought to occupy our minds. We 
 afterwards begin our prayers, either prostrated with our faces 
 to the ground, or kneeling, or standing, as we may deem most 
 expedient. If God speaks to the heart upon one point, we must 
 not pass on to another, before having thoroughly exa,mined 
 the first, and being impressed by it. If weariness and sad- 
 ness overwhelm us, we must not abridge a single moment of 
 the time destined for the meditation, but rather add to it, 
 thus conqueriDg ourselves, and awaiting in silentio et sjpe, the 
 unction of divine grace. If, on the contrary, we receive a 
 superabundance of consolations and of spiritual delight, we 
 
SAINT IGNATIUS DE LOYOLA. 75 
 
 must especially beware at these moments, of making perpet- 
 ual vows, or such as would oblige us to change our condition. 
 Finally, we must give our director an exact account of what 
 passes in our soul, be it good, or be it evil ; in order that he 
 may apply the remedies best suited for the promotion of 
 grace, and may act with wisdom, according to our circum- 
 stances and personal disposition. 
 
76 HISTORY OF 
 
 CHAPTER VI, 
 
 Marvellous fruits of the Exorcises— They arc denounced before the Ecclesiastical 
 Tribunals— Condeniiied in Paris by tlio Sorbonne— Examined at Rome, and ap- 
 proved of by Paul III. —They become the foundation and basis of the religious 
 edifice founded by St. Ignatius. 
 
 A Calvinist, named Grabriel Lermeo, felt at once astonished 
 and indignant on seeing tlie strange changes effected by the 
 eTesuits. Men held in the highest esteem on account of their 
 station, riches or merit, suddenly abandoned the world and 
 its hopes, to consecrate themselves to God in the most severe 
 Orders. Lermeo could not comprehend this mystery, and 
 he wrote the following words : — 
 
 " By what fascination do the Jesuits turn the heads of 
 men who come and shut themselves up in certain cells, placed 
 outside their houses, and arranged so as to produce dark 
 night in the middle of the brightest day ? It is there that 
 the priests keep those unfortunate men, in a state of sombre 
 melancholy, of perpetual horror ! Woe to him who falls into 
 this snare ! for like those unfortunate beino;.? who descended 
 into the cave of Trophonius, he may bid adieu to joy and 
 happiness. He enters full of wisdom ; he comes out mad ; 
 dead to all earthly things, and living only for tears and sad- 
 ness. Once shut up in this place, the patient can neither 
 see, nor be seen. Meanwhile, one of these magicians brings 
 him, twice a day, a charm traced upon a paper ; the longer 
 
SAINT IGNATIUS DE LOYOLA. 77 
 
 he meditates, tlie more his fascination increases ; lie weeps, 
 he cries, he roars, as if the flames of hell were devouring 
 him ; he swears to live henceforth as if each day he were to 
 die, and no longer to hold to the earth but by an impercepti- 
 ble point. When at length he leaves this retreat, he looks at 
 the world with astonishment, as if he entered it for the first 
 time. He no longer views it with the same eyes ; its aspect 
 is changed, and it seems nothing but a raging sea, upon 
 which it is as easy to be wrecked, as it is necessary to navi- 
 gate. At each instant the poor wretch fears to run aground, 
 or to lose his way ; and in hopes of reaching the port in 
 safety, he finishes by throwing himself into a monastery. 
 
 " If there should happen to be some weak head amongst the 
 Jesuits, they work it up and knead it over, until they have 
 fashioned it to their will. He that is cowardly and soft, 
 they render firm, and hard to himself; he who spurned all 
 obedience, becomes submissive ; the idle are spurred forward, 
 the weak are supported." 
 
 A magnificent eulogium of the Exercises, hidden under 
 the form of a s^^tire, where fable is mingled with truth. What 
 power, what efficacy must be contained in those principles, 
 laid down and developed by a vigorous mind, when they ex- 
 tort such confessions from an enemy ! Thanks to this sole 
 means, the companions of Ignatius worked real prodigies in 
 those calamitous times when the heresy of Luther placed the 
 Catholic faith in so much peril. The profound learning of 
 those eminent men began by attracting the esteem of those 
 who, from their high station, exercise so much influence over 
 public morals ; but the gentle holiness of their manners soon 
 gained the hearts of those personages, and induced them to 
 retire for some days from all intercourse with the world, in 
 order to occupy themselves solely with their eternal interests. 
 It is with a feeling of pious and eager curiosity that we read 
 
78 HISTORY or 
 
 the proofs of tliis in the correspondence which Father Faher 
 addressed to St. Ignatius from Mayence, from Spires, from 
 the Diet of Worms, from that of Ratisbonne, and from so 
 many parts of Upper and Lower G-ermany. 
 
 Fathers James Lainez, Alphonsus Salmeron and Claudius 
 le Jay, produced the same effects at Trent, where the flower 
 of Christendom was assembled. They figured in the council 
 as theologians, and attracted equal admiration in general 
 assemblies by their eloquence, as in private conferences by 
 their learning. What may be considered still more wonder- 
 ful, is the fact of their bringing over a great number of the 
 members of the council to the practice of those Exercises 
 whence they themselves had derived the spirit which ani- 
 mated them. It pleased God to bless this work so mani- 
 festly, that the three Fathers being insufficient for the num- 
 ber of postulants for the Exercises, were obliged to employ 
 as directors those who had just become their followers. 
 
 Thus, without leaving Trent, the Society became known 
 throughout every part of Europe which had representatives 
 there. The Council was hardly terminated, when the bishops, 
 not confining their approbation to mere sterile expressions of 
 opinion, sought to attract them into their respective dioceses, 
 as men who held in their hands an instrument which it had 
 pleased God to render eminently useful for the reformation 
 of morals. Men eminent both by the dignity of their sees 
 and the splendor of their learning, might then be seen hum- 
 bly following the Exercises of Ignatius, discovering in them, 
 by the divine light of the Gospel, the most precious and most 
 important truths, and bowed down with confusion, acknow- 
 ledging in the presence of God, their profound ignorance of 
 those things in the study of which they had consumed the 
 long years of a laborious existence. 
 
 Amongst these men may be distinguished Father Peter 
 
Saint Ignatius de loyola. 79 
 
 Ortiz, agent from Charles Y. to the Holy See, who had 
 been for many years one of the most celebrated doctors 
 of the University of Paris, and who was greatly struck with 
 the benefit derived from the Exercises by Cardinal Conta- 
 rini. That prelate esteemed them so highly, that he copied 
 them out in his own hand, and bequeathed them to his de- 
 scendants as the most precious part of their inheritance. 
 Ortiz, therefore, wished to make a trial of their virtue upon 
 himself; and in order to break entirely with the outer world, 
 so that no earthly thoughts should mingle with his devotions, 
 he retired with St. Ignatius into the famous monastery of 
 Monte-Cassino. No sooner had he entered that solitude and 
 begun the meditation, called the Foundation of the Exer- 
 cises, than it seemed to him as if he had entered into a new 
 world ; and during the whole forty days which he devoted to 
 this course of meditation, he felt as if he were no longer 
 upon earth. When he had finished, he found that two con- 
 trary efi'ects had been produced upon his mind — extreme joy 
 and extreme grief; joy at having learned in forty days this 
 new philosophy, the existence of which he had not suspected 
 during so many years of study ; and grief that this know- 
 ledge had been acquired at so late a period of life as to ren- 
 der it very difficult for him to put it in practise ; that is, to 
 abandon the business and cares of life in which he was en- 
 gaged, and to attach himself to Jesus Christ and the Cross, in 
 the humble poverty of the religious state. 
 
 Nor ought these apparently wonderful efi'ects produced 
 by this little book to surprise us, for tlie Exercises will be 
 found to contain instructions which are entirely new^ even to 
 men of the greatest capacity and learning, so great is the 
 diff"erence between those practical truths which the soul 
 imbibes at the very fountain-head of religion, and those 
 speculative principles which only strike the intelligence. 
 
80 HISTORY OF 
 
 *' The philosophy of Father Villanova, or that of the Exer- 
 cises," said a celebrated Spanish theologian, " is worth 
 that of all the doctors put together." No doubt, it is a sub- 
 lime philosophy which leads the human heart to live for God 
 alone, and to be kindled at the very focus of charity. Why 
 then, as some noble minds have asked, should there not be a 
 school of Christian mysticism, a course of instruction for the 
 inner life, as well as classes of scholastic theology in the 
 universities ? But can the science of the heart be learnt in 
 public, and does not the voice of the Lord most frequently 
 speak to it in silence ? 
 
 We have here come in contact with one of the most power- 
 ful and most fruitful aorents of the Catholic reformation in the 
 sixteenth century. Whether we consider it as an instrument 
 of Divine Providence, or a simple phenomenon of the human 
 mind, it is certain that the effect produced by this book is 
 one of the most curious facts of modern history. Wherever 
 it appeared, it exercised an almost irresistible influence 
 over the minds of men. To the doctors of law succeeded 
 the teachers of a spiritual life ; men such as Louis de 
 Blois, Fray Luis of Grenada, John of Avila, St. Charles 
 Borromeo and others, whose praises of the work are inex- 
 haustible. Blosius wrote from Louvain on the 3d of No- 
 vember, in the year 1550, to Father Adriani : " I think that 
 Father Ursinaro must have already informed you that he has 
 made our young men follow the Exercises. Would to God 
 that we could have done so twenty years sooner ! the old 
 men would have required them less. Let us praise the Lord 
 for having taught you this method of meditation, which I 
 doubt not will be for His glory, and for the salvation of 
 souls." 
 
 The holy archbishop of Milan believed that by the assist- 
 ance of the Exercises he laid the first foundations of a 
 
SAINT IGNATIUS DE LOYOLA. 81 
 
 spiritual life. He enjoined upon all his seminarists to follow 
 the practices of at least the first week, before presenting 
 themselves for holy orders. He himself found in this book 
 the subjects of his constant meditation; and one day, when 
 the Duke of Modena showe^l him his library, '' I have one 
 also," replied he, showing him the Exercises ; " but it is 
 small : it is contained in this volume, which has been more 
 useful to me thiin all the books in the world." We ought to 
 read in the authors of that period an account of the pro- 
 digious effects of which we speak. Meanwhile the pictures 
 which we are about to present to the eyes of the reader will 
 enable him to penetrate into the intimate movement of the 
 Catholic reformation and of the religious life in the sixteenth 
 century. Let us listen to the words of an eye-witness : " It is 
 not only our Order which has acknowledged the astonishing 
 efficacy of these holy Exercises ; all the others j^ublish the 
 admirable effects which they have derived from them. The 
 monasteries are repeopled ; the most ardent fervor and pre- 
 cise observance of the rules have been re-established there ; 
 while in the world, princes and priests, laics, whether young 
 or old, the learned and the ignorant, all, after these holy 
 practices, have become absolutely different men. After the 
 meditation upon hell, some called aloud upon the madmen 
 devoted to the world, to reflect upon the horrors of eternal 
 reprobation; others go through the cities, striking their 
 breasts, and publicly asking pardon for the scandal they have 
 caused. Some are seen going to meet their enemies, and 
 begging for a reconciliation; others shut themselves up in 
 the hospitals and devote themselves to the service of the 
 sick, or else burn the books of profane science which have so 
 long occupied them, henceforth to study nothing but Jesus 
 crucified. 
 
 Teadilla, a city situated at the distance of a few miles 
 
 VOL. L 4* 
 
82 HISTORY OF 
 
 from Alcala, contains a monastery of Hieronomite monks. 
 One of these, called Peter Arragona, a man highly reputed 
 in his Order, was united in strict friendship with Father 
 Francis Villanova, who was at that time engaged in founding 
 at Alcala a new college of the Society, and who gradually led 
 bis friend to practise the Spiritual Exercises. Villanova 
 belonged to the small number of those whom St. Ignatius 
 considered particularly fitted to lead souls to God by this 
 method; added to which, whose example was as instructive 
 as his precepts, so that his services were eminent not only in 
 Spain, but throughout the whole of Christendom. 
 
 The Exercises did not fail to produce their usual effect 
 upon Father Peter Arragona. When he had concluded them 
 he found himself a new man ; and from that time his greatest 
 desire was to make them known to and followed by others. 
 He first addressed himself to the monks of the monastery 
 of Teadilla ; but nothing that he could say to them pro- 
 duced any effect. The old men rejected his proposal almost 
 with contempt. It neither suited them nor the honor of their 
 Order, to become in their old age the scholars of a young 
 man still on the threshold of life. Had they not been doc- 
 tors in their establishment for years ? Father Arragona was 
 not discouraged, and at length finished by conjuring them to 
 judge of the Exercises by the effect which they should pro- 
 duce upon the only one in the monastery who had consented 
 to make the trial. This was granted in the midst of the 
 general raillery ; for the person in question was a lay re- 
 ligious of noble birth, but of a temper so whimsical and 
 ungovernable, that he appeared more like a soldier than a 
 monk. Yet they thought themselves obliged to endure him, 
 because he sustained their house by his fortune, the only 
 merit which counterbalanced his defects. Perhaps it pleased 
 God to recompense him by a more real and solid benefit than 
 
SAINT IGNATIUS DE LOYOLA. 83 
 
 this condescension on their parts, and that he therefore in- 
 duced him to listen to the repeated importunities of Father 
 Arragona. At first his only incitement was a certain degree 
 of curiosity, which inspired him with a desire of discovering 
 what these Exercises, of which he heard such different opin- 
 ions in the monastery, really were. 
 
 With this intention, the lay brother set off on horseback, 
 followed by a servant. When he met any of his acquaintance 
 upon the road, who asked him what he was going to do at 
 Alcala, he replied, " I am going to make a trial of certain 
 enchantments practised by the Jesuits, with which our Fathers 
 are unacquainted ; " and then, half laughing at himself; half 
 grumbling at Father Villanova, he continued his journey. 
 Arrived at the college, he asked for the rector. As soon as 
 he saw Father Villanova enter, a young man whose exterior 
 was not prepossessing, and who was clad in an old gown, 
 worn and even patched, he was displeased, and turned his 
 back upon him, inwardly murmuring against Father Arra- 
 gona, who, through error, or from mockery, had sent him to 
 a man whose appearance he could not endure. But Father 
 Villanova, who knew his visitor by reputation, and was ex- 
 pecting him, addressed him with so much politeness, so earn- 
 estly entreated him to partake of some refreshment before 
 going, that he at length persuaded him, though with much 
 difficulty, to delay his departure until the following morning. 
 During this interval, the admirable gentleness which charac- 
 terized the good Father, especially when^he discoursed famil- 
 iarly upon heavenly things ; his care for his guest ; his 
 charity, humility, and affability, so won upon the Hierono- 
 mite, that at length he gave himself up into his hands, and 
 put himself entirely under his direction to follow the Exer- 
 cises. The meditations of the first week alone, which were 
 the most appropriate to the penitent, lasted twenty-one days. 
 
84 HISTORY OF 
 
 Grod gave him, during this period, so thorough an insight 
 into the dangers of his position, and he conceived so deep a 
 repentance for his conduct, that the religious beheld him 
 with admiration shedding torrents of tears, and giving him- 
 self up to austere penance hitherto unknown to him, but from 
 which his soul received greater consolation than his body 
 endured suffering. After having made a general confession, 
 and acquitted, as far as was in his power, his immense debts 
 towards God, equally changed in his external appearance as 
 in his internal condition, he returned to his monastery. 
 
 It required neither arguments nor entreaties to induce 
 his brethren to try for themselves the efficacy of the means 
 which he had employed ; for so complete and unexpected a 
 conversion appeared to them to border upon the miraculous. 
 All resolved to imitate his example, and the monastery 
 underwent a thorough reform. 
 
 The second example which we shall give is perhaps still 
 more curious. 
 
 There lived in Sienna a priest who had become celebrated 
 as the author of certain plays, of an original and by no 
 means delicate character. The success which they obtained 
 effaced the shame in his own eyes, and made him glory in 
 that which ought to have covered him with confusion. He 
 was not always satisfied with merely composing, and more 
 than once appeared upon the boards of the theatre; thus 
 displaying before all eyes the double scandal of a priest 
 upon the stage in the evening, and an actor at the altar in 
 the morning ! Meanwhile, two companions of Ignatius, 
 Brouet and Rodriguez, arrived at Sienna, sent by the sover- 
 eign pontiff to bring about certain reforms in that city. 
 They were accompanied by a famous preacher, Father Fran- 
 cis Strada. These three men, by the noble examples of vir- 
 tue which they gave, by public and private lectures, and 
 
SAINT IGNATIUS DE LOYOLA. 85 
 
 especially by the practice of the Exercises of St. Ignatius, 
 effected in a short time remarkable changes both amongst the 
 clergy and the laity. It pleased God, upon one occasion, to 
 conduct the unworthy priest of whom we have spoken to hear 
 their discourses, and to give so much force to their words, 
 that his eyes were opened. He saw with horror the mon- 
 strous condition at which his soul had arrived by the viola- 
 tion of his duties towards God, and by the enormous scandal 
 which he had given. Resolved to change his life, he went in 
 search of the preacher, and entreated his assistance in the 
 accomplishment of his resolution. The latter believed that 
 he could not do so more effectually than by engaging him to 
 follow the Exercises of St. Ignatius. Hardly had he thor- 
 oughly examined the first meditation than he began to per- 
 ceive in the fall of angels and of men, in the sorrows and 
 vanities of the world, and in the horrors of hell, dramatic 
 scenes of a very different nature from those which his imagi- 
 nation had hitherto conceived. Very soon his double charac- 
 ter of priest and comedian inspired him with such profound 
 horror, that he resolved to make a public and impressive 
 reparatioa. After having made known his pious wishes to 
 his director, he one day mounted the pulpit, a rope round his 
 neck, his face bathed in tears, and humbly asked pardon for 
 the scandal which he had given. His appearance alone touched 
 every heart, and all retired as much edified by his humility 
 as they had formerly been revolted by his disorderly conduct. 
 
 He afterwards wished to associate himself with our 
 Fathers ; but as his fervor could not brook the delay which 
 they would have required as a trial, he entered into the Order 
 of St. Francis, and assumed the holy habit of the Capuchins. 
 
 The destiny of the little book of Exercises is indeed 
 most remarkable. In proportion as it produced these won- 
 derful effects upon European society, it stirred up a furious 
 
86 HISTORY OF 
 
 opposition against itself. We have read the words of the 
 Protestant Lermeo ; but hostile voices rose even from the 
 Catholic camp. Biting calumnies, gratuitous suppositions, 
 malignant interpretations, were all levelled against the Ex- 
 ercises. Our Fathers, it was said, pretended by means of 
 them, to make the Holy Spirit descend upon men ; to pro- 
 duce ecstasies and visions, and to effect the strangest trans- 
 formations. The book, added others, contained suspicious 
 opinions, hidden under the veil of mysticism — it must be 
 brought before the tribunal. It was presented there. Prov- 
 idence seems to have specially employed this means to make 
 it known. In searching to discover evil, its enemies learned 
 its true'value. Uhi cognoverit veritatem, et ijpse, statum, 
 sequitur, says Tertullian, in regard to Christianity. The 
 result of its examination before the courts in Paris, in 1535, 
 filled every one with astonishment ; a contrary effect had 
 been fully expected. The Dominican Ore, charged with its 
 examination in that city, became its most fervent follower. 
 The same circumstances were repeated in Portugal ten years 
 later. At first it was declared that the Exercises were only 
 calculated to produce mad men ; gradually it was regarded 
 as a work fitted to make saints. Soon after, Francis Borgia, 
 Duke of Gandia, took the initiative, which his high position 
 in the world permitted him to do. While still invested 
 with all his dignities, he entreated Paul III. to submit the 
 work of Ignatius to a new examination, in order to give it 
 all the splendor of the pontifical sanction. The Pope ac- 
 cepted this proposal, and approved of the Exercises in the 
 most formal manner. " Charged as we are to exercise 
 towards the flock of Jesus Christ, confided to our care, the 
 functions of pastor, our desire for the glory of Grod renders 
 precious to us all that may contribute to the spiritual ad- 
 vancement of souls, and disposes us to receive favorably 
 
SAINT IGNATIUS DE LOYOLA. 87 
 
 those requests whose object is to increase the piety of the 
 faithful servants of Jesus Christ ; for which reason — our 
 dear son, the n,oble Duke of Gandia (Francis Borgia), hav- 
 ing stated to us, that Ignatius of Loyola, general of the 
 Society of Jesus, established by us in our beloved city, 
 and confirmed by our Apostolic authority, has collected cer- 
 tain Documents or Spiritual Exercises drawn from the 
 Holy Scriptures, and from experience of a spiritual life ; 
 that therein he has established an excellent method for lead- 
 ing on the faithful to holiness ; the aforesaid duke giving tes- 
 timony of this, not only from what he has heard in many 
 places, but also from his personal experience, has requested 
 us to cause the said Documents or Exercises to be exam- 
 ined, and should they be found worthy of praise and appro- 
 bation, to grant them all the apostolic favors calculated to 
 make them bring forth the fruits of salvation, and to excite 
 the faithful to use them with greater devotion. 
 
 *' Having therefore caused the said Exercises to be ex- 
 amined by our well-beloved Egidius Foscarari, Master of 
 our Sacred Palace ; by our well-beloved son, John, Cardinal 
 Priest of the title of St. Clement, Bishop of Burgos; and 
 by our venerable brother, Philip, Bishop of Saluces ; and 
 having learned from them that they had found them replete 
 with piety and sanctity, and well calculated to procure the 
 spiritual advancement of souls ; considering, moreover, as 
 we ought to do, the abundant fruits which Ignatius, and the 
 Society founded by him, have produced in the church of Grod 
 throughout the world, and to which these same Exercises 
 have so much contributed ; we declare by the present bull, 
 that we praise and approve of the said Documents or Exer- 
 cises^ and all and each of those things which they contain ; 
 we earnestly exhort the faithful of both sexes throughout 
 the whole world, to make use of these pious Exercises^ and 
 
88 HISTORY OF 
 
 to endeavor to profit by them, so as to increase in piety. We 
 permit also tlie said Exercises to be printed by sucli pub- 
 lisher as it shall please the aforesaid Father Ignatius to 
 choose ; on condition that after the first edition they cannot be 
 reprinted without the permission of the said Father Ignatius, 
 either by that publisher, or by any other, under penalty of 
 a fine of five hundred ducats, which must be applied to pious 
 works ; and we ordain, moreover, all the ordinaries of the 
 difierent dioceses, all ecclesiastical dignitaries, and all can- 
 ons of the cathedral or metropolitan churches, to take the 
 defence of the said Exercises, in virtue of our authority; to 
 let all those engaged in them enjoy the above-mentioned ap- 
 probation and concession ; never permitting them contrary 
 to our intention, as manifested by the present bull, to be in 
 any way whatsoever molested, and to repress all opposition 
 which may be made to these Exercises, by ecclesiastical pen- 
 alties, and censures, &c. 
 
 " Given at Rome, on the last day of July, year of our 
 Lord 1548, fourteenth of our Pontificate." 
 
 The solemn approval of the Sovereign Pontifi", shut the 
 lips of the opponents. The little book continued to be 
 spread throughout the world, doing good wherever its pre- 
 cepts were faithfully followed. The Saint himself often la- 
 bored to perfect it, during the twenty-five years which fol- 
 lowed his retreat at Manresa. He added these touches, he 
 said, in projoortion as he received fresh knowledge from on 
 high. This expression explains many secrets ; and especially 
 that deep knowledge of the human mined, that consummate 
 experience in all things pertaining to God, which astonish us 
 in the ignorant hermit of the cave on the banks of the Car- 
 denero. 
 
 From that time the Exercises became the basis of the 
 religious edifice raised by Ignatius : the sixth and seventh 
 
SAINT IGNATIUS DE LOYOLA. 89 
 
 congregations of the Order decreed that every postulant 
 should follow them for a month, before beino; admitted to the 
 noviciate ; and that each year, every Jesuit should suspend 
 the occupations of his ministry, to apply himself in solitude 
 to these holy practices. To give them yet more importance, 
 those men who had drawn from conversations with their Holy 
 Founder, and from their own experience, a deep knowledge 
 of the manner in which they ought to be directed, were 
 charged with drawing up a Directory^ which accompanied 
 the Exercises. Finally, the Superior General, Aquaviva, 
 published them in their present fornL 
 
90 HISTORY OP 
 
 CHAPTER yil. 
 
 Ignatius quits Manresa— The hospital and cavern which he had inhabited aro heia 
 there in great veneration — Journey of St. Ignatius to the Holy Land. 
 
 Igitatius had passed more than ten months at Manresa, 
 where in the depths of his cave, as well as during his abode 
 in the hospital, he had acquired the knowledge and virtues 
 which he there made manifest. Although this place was so 
 well suited for the penitential life which he led, he was to a 
 certain extent driven from it by a circumstance the most in- 
 supportable for holy men ; the respect and affection testified 
 towards him throughout the country. The concourse of peo- 
 ple around his poor retreat, increased daily ; they followed 
 him in his pilgrimages and stations ; and not to disturb his 
 pious meditations, the crowd observed him from a certain 
 distance. 
 
 The humility of Ignatius suffered from this state of 
 things ; and other reasons added to this, obliged him to 
 leave Manresa. His discourses had touched many persons, 
 who begun by following the first Exercises, and then resolved 
 to change their mode of life completely. Now these multi- 
 plied conversions became a tacit reproach to those whose 
 souls were daily growing more and more hardened ; and they 
 begun to spread abroad the most odious calumnies against 
 the saint, whose reputation and tranquillity were thus daily 
 compromised. 
 
SAINT IGNATIUS DE LOYOLA. 91 
 
 It is true that this reprehensible conduct exercised in 
 reality little influence. When Ignatius arrived at Manresa, 
 God was hardly known there ; at his departure, it was a city 
 of saints. Besides, he felt himself animated by an ardent 
 desire to visit the Holy Land, and by his preaching to spread 
 the knowledge of Jesus Christ throughout the East. As 
 soon as his project of departure was made known, tears, en- 
 treaties, a picture of the perils which he would have to en- 
 counter, every thing was put in practice to dissuade him from 
 this resolution ; but the voice of man was of no account to 
 him, when it did not accord with the voice of God. Nor 
 would he be persuaded to accept as travelling companions, 
 the chosen friends who entreated him to do so. 
 
 He would only, said he, be accompanied by the faith 
 which guided him, — by the hope in God which would never 
 allow him to want for any thing, and by the charity which 
 would never leave him solitary. He also refused all pecu- 
 niary aid ; and the only concession which could be obtained 
 from him, was to leave off the coarse gown and chain which 
 he wore, and to assume the dress of a poor scholar. By 
 this he even satisfi.ed his humility, since the strange garb of 
 a penitent might have attracted attention. And thus, leav- 
 ing the inhabitants of Manresa filled with grief, he departed 
 for Barcelona, where he waited for an opportunity of setting 
 Bail for Italy. 
 
 When Ignatius had left Manresa, the veneration which 
 he had inspired was turned upon the places which he had 
 consecrated by his austerities, by his pilgrimages, and by his 
 fervent preaching. Public inscriptions recalled the remem- 
 brance of the Saint, or edifices consecrated to God arose in 
 these spots. A pillar was erected in front of the hospital of 
 St. Lucy, where the Saint had followed the first suggestions 
 of his fervent zeal, and the following inscription was engraved 
 upon it in his honor : — 
 
92 HISTORY OF 
 
 " To Ignatius of Loyola, son of Bertram, native of the 
 province of Guipuscoa, Founder of the Clerks of the Society 
 of Jesus, who, in his thirtieth year, fought with great valor 
 against the French, who had attacked the citadel of Pampe- 
 luna ; he was dangerously wounded there ; then, being cured 
 by a particular grace from Grod, he felt an ardent desire to 
 visit the holy places in Palestine, and during his journey 
 made a vow of chastity. He had first dedicated his armor 
 to the Holy Virgin, in the Church of Montserrat ; there, 
 clothed in sackcloth, he began to weep over the faults of his 
 past life, and, like a new soldier of Christ, to avenge them 
 upon himself by fasting, tears and prayers. In memory of 
 this event, to the glory of God, and in honor of the Society 
 of Jesus, John Baptist Cardova Valenziano, Bishop of 
 Vich, and appointed to the Bishopric of Tortosa, has erected 
 this pillar, as a token of his attachment and respect to the 
 Holy Father, and to the Order, and to make known that he 
 considers Ignatius of Loyola as a man whose elevated piety 
 deserves the respect of all Christendom." 
 
 The hospital of St. Lucy became a College of the Society ; 
 the sick were carried to a more convenient place, and the 
 little room where the Saint had formerly fallen into an ecstasy 
 of eight days duration, was transformed into a chapel. The 
 cave where he abandoned himself to such rigorous austerities, 
 and where he beheld so many celestial visions, was paved and 
 adorned as much as a simple grotto could be, without taking 
 frcim it the rude aspect, or diminishing the holy horror whi-ch 
 its appearance inspired. A beautiful painting was also placed 
 there, where the Saint was represented as he had there been 
 so often seen ; his hair in disorder, his face pale and ema- 
 ciated ; his body clothed in sackcloth, his feet bare, and an 
 iron girdle about his loins. Ignatius, on his knees before an 
 image of Our Lady bearing in her arms the Infant Jesus, 
 
SAINT IGNATIUS DE LOYOLA. 93 
 
 has his eyes fixed upon her, and his right hand extended, as 
 if ready to write upon a large projecting stone, under her 
 dictation and that of her Divine Son, the Spiritual Ex- 
 ercises which he had formerly composed there. 
 
 The plague was now raging at Barcelona, and the port 
 was shut. Ignatius was therefore obliged to wait, until the 
 disappearance of the scourge should enable him to cross over 
 into Italy ; but his fervor would not permit him to be idle, 
 and he passed all his remaining time in the hospitals and 
 prisons, after the seven hours which he invariably consecrated 
 to prayer. He distributed to the poor the alms which he re- 
 ceived by begging for their relief Even his voyage did not 
 seem to occupy his thoughts. He knew not by what means he 
 should cover his expenses, yet one would have said that 
 God himself was his almoner, so greatly did he multiply the 
 proofs of his goodness and mercy towards Ignatius. 
 
 Whilst he was listening to a sermon, in the midst of a 
 group of children, a lady of quality, named Isabel Kosella, 
 having fixed her eyes upon him, saw his countenance sur- 
 rounded by a circle of light, and heard an inward voice which 
 pronounced these words : "Call him." And at the same 
 moment she discerned that these miserably poor vestments 
 concealed a great servant of Grod. However, she acted with 
 circumspection, and revealed to her husband alone, what she 
 had seen and heard. By his consent, Ignatius was brought 
 to their house, where, under the pretext of performing an act 
 of charity to a poor man, they received him at their table. 
 Here they continually led the conversation to heaven, by sub- 
 jects; and the Saint, who was not aware of their motives in 
 all this, discoursed upon them with admirable fervor. His 
 burning words kindled the hearts of his hosts, and they re- 
 cognized more than ever the Divine Spirit which animated 
 him. Too happy would they have esteemed themselves, 
 
94 HISTORY OF 
 
 could thej have prevailed upon tim to remain with them for 
 ever ; but finding him irrevocably decided to go to the Holy 
 Land, and knowing that his intention was to set out in a 
 brigantine about to sail for Italy, Isabel Rosella conjured 
 him not to risk his life by going in that vessel ; especially as 
 he could make the passage safely, in a good ship, which 
 was to set sail shortly after ; adding that she would take 
 upon herself all the expenses of the voyage. God, who no 
 doubt inspired her to make this offer, at the same time dis- 
 posed Ignatius to accept of it, at least in so far as concerned 
 the choice of the vessel ; for he did so on condition that the 
 captain should grant him his passage for the love of Grod. 
 
 Soon after, the brigantine sailed for Italy; but hardly 
 had she left the harbor, when a furious tempest assailed 
 her, and she perished with men and cargo. 
 
 However, the master of the ship who had granted a free 
 passage to Ignatius, wished him at least to provide himself 
 with the provisions necessary for the passage. The Saint on 
 the other hand, considering this precaution as proving a want 
 of faith in Providence, would have gladly begged when on 
 board the vessel, so as really to subsist entirely upon alms. 
 He renounced this project only in compliance with the advice 
 of his confessor, which was a law to him ; but he would re- 
 ceive no gift from his generous hostess, and went through 
 the streets of Barcelona, soliciting charity. 
 
 It pleased Grod that he should address himself to a noble 
 lady, named Zepilla, whose son had fled from home to rove 
 about the world, shamefully supported by begging for money. 
 The air of noble birth stamped upon the countenance of 
 Ignatius, at once convinced her that he was not born in his 
 present miserable condition, and struck with grief at the re- 
 collection of her son, whose image he forcibly recalled to her 
 mind, she loaded him with reproaches for his manner of 
 
SAINT IGNATIUS DE LOYOLA. 95 
 
 living, treated him as a vagabond, and overwlielmed liim 
 with insults. Ignatius accepted this humiliation with much 
 more joy than he would have felt had she offered him the 
 most liberal gifts; and after quietly listening to her re- 
 proaches, he thanked the lady with much gentleness, and con- 
 cluded by telling her that sfie was perfectly in the right, 
 that he was in truth an unworthy sinner, and the worst of 
 men. He thus expressed with deep conviction the true feel- 
 ings of . his soul. But so unexpected a reply struck the 
 speaker with amazement. She blushed, became confused, and 
 felt her anger converted into admiration. She immediately 
 ordered an abundant provision of bread for the mendicant, 
 and requested him to pardon the insults which had been pro- 
 voked by the recollection of a personal misfortune. The lady 
 could never afterwards give an account of this singular meet- 
 ing without deep emotion ; and when Ignatius returned from 
 Jerusalem, she became entirely devoted to him, whilst he in 
 return poured into her heart the rich treasures of heavenly 
 blessings. 
 
 Providence thus provided the pilgrim with his daily 
 bread and his passage. Indeed money also had been given 
 him ; but resolved to abandon himself truly to the care of 
 God, he laid it upon the shore. Sublime confidence ! holy 
 folly of the cross ! 
 
 A violent but favorable wind brought them in four days 
 to Gaeta, where Ignatius found shelter in the stable of an 
 inn. In the middle of the night, hearing the cries of a wo- 
 man, whom some soldiers were insulting, he flew to her as- 
 sistance, and his countenance glowing with holy zeal, threat- 
 ened them with the anger of Heaven, and at length induced 
 them to depart. 
 
 He soon after set out for Rome, where he arrived on 
 Palm Sunday, in the year 1525. Having received the bene- 
 
96 HISTORY OF 
 
 diction of Pope Adrian YL, and his permission to travel to 
 the Holy Land, he set out on foot, according to his usual 
 custom, and always begging, towards Venice. Some persons 
 had persuaded him to accept of seven crowns, necessary, said 
 they, for his expenses at sea, and for the avoidance of a 
 thousand dangers on his journey to Venice. But he soon re- 
 pented of this, and asked God to pardon him, as if for some 
 serious fault ; for according to his opinion, it was better to 
 appear insane in the eyes of those who could not penetrate 
 the sublime secret of voluntary poverty, which consists in 
 giving all to God, that we may receive all from Him ; than 
 to yield to human respect. Therefore he had hardly left 
 Kome, when he distributed his money to the first indigent 
 persons whom he met. 
 
 The plague was at this time raging in Italy, and strangers 
 were subjected to the most severe investigation, before being 
 admitted into the city. This was an abundant source of 
 suffering, and at the same time of consolation for Ignatius ; 
 for, pale and emaciated by the fatigues of the journey and 
 by his austerities, no one doubted that he was either threat- 
 ened with the disease or already attacked by it. The gates 
 of every city were closed against him ; a shelter outside the 
 walls was refused him ; and the hand of charity itself feared 
 to open to give him alms. His position became dreadful ; he 
 found himself obliged to spend whole nights in the open air, 
 and to submit to the most cruel privations ; but his thoughts, 
 ever serene and pure, were constantly directed towards the 
 sole object of his love. His truest pleasure consisted in suf- 
 fering, so wonderful was the internal consolation which inun- 
 dated liis heart. Our Lord himself even deigned at one 
 time to fortify him by His presence, and to make known to 
 him that He accepted his sufferings. Between Padua and 
 Chioggia, his physical strength became so exhausted, that, 
 
SAINT IGNATIUS DE LOYOLA. 97 
 
 obliged to abandon the companions with whom he had been 
 walking, he fomid himself alone and without a guide in the 
 middle of the country. He immediately collected his 
 thoughts, and began to pray. Then Jesus Christ appeared to 
 him, radiant in glory, and consoled him with words which 
 would have converted the most bitter afflictions into delight. 
 He promised that by His protection he should enter both 
 Padua and Venice, where, without this Divine assistance, it 
 was impossible for him to penetrate ; and truly the aid which 
 he received was wholly divine, for he passed as if invisible 
 through the gates of both these cities, no one even asking 
 him from whence he came ; whilst his travelling companions 
 who were separated from him, had the greatest difficulty in 
 obtaining admission. The Divine Hand which protected 
 him did not stop there ; it procured him also the means of 
 living in Venice, and the unexpected happiness of finding a 
 passage to the Holy Land ; for the vessel which carried the 
 pilgrims had sailed several days before. Ignatius, who arrived 
 towards dusk, not understanding the language and not know- 
 ing where to find an hospital destined for the recej)tion of 
 strangers, retired for the night under the shelter of a por- 
 tico in the Square of St. Mark, and under the guardianship 
 of Grod, who watched over him. 
 
 There lived at that time in Venice a Senator called Mark 
 A.nthony Trevisano, not only one of the most learned magisp 
 trates of the Republic, but a most holy man. He under- 
 stood so perfectly how to unite the care of public affairs to 
 his religious duties, that he might have been taken for a Re- 
 ligious, as much as for a Senator. Austere towards himself, 
 he joined to all his other acts of penance, that of constantly 
 wearing a hair shirt. Of the most tender charity towards 
 the poor, his house resembled an hospital, and in relieving 
 their wants, he would have reduced himself to beggary, had 
 
 VOL. I. 5 
 
98 HISTORY OF 
 
 not his nephews, the lords of Marcelli, persuaded him to 
 live with them, and taken upon themselves the care of his 
 worldly affairs. Every where he was surnamed the Saint, 
 and in after days his services led him to the supreme dignity 
 of Doge. After having merited that rank by his virtues, 
 he wished to renounce it, and would certainly have done so^ 
 had not Lorenzo Massa and Antonio Milledonne, Secretaries 
 of the Republic, persuaded him to sacrifice to the public 
 good the happiness which he would have felt in retiring into 
 a monastery, and bestowing all his wealth upon the poor, and 
 thenceforth living for God alone. He lived to an extreme 
 old age, leading a life which was a continual preparation for 
 death ; and dying calmly whilst assisting at Mass. 
 
 This same man, so meritorious in the eyes of Grod and of 
 his fellow-men, was awakened one night by a voice which 
 seemed to come from God himself, and which addressed him 
 in terms of gentle reproach ; giving him to understand, that 
 whilst he was sleeping well, stretched upon a soft and 
 commodious couch, a holy pilgrim was lying on the bare 
 ground, no one thinking of relieving him. These words 
 caused Trevisano equal confusion and joy. Readily believ- 
 ing how great must be the merit of this pilgrim, whom God 
 himself recommended to his charity, he instantly went out 
 to search for him ; found him lying under a portico in the 
 square, and conducted him to his house, where, with equal 
 zeal and respect, he bestowed upon him ail necessary assist- 
 ance and relief. 
 
 Besides the charitable attentions which were lavished 
 upon him in this house, God sent aid to Ignatius from an- 
 other source, by permitting him to be recognized by a Bis- 
 cay merchant, who seeing him in this sad condition, offered 
 him money and clothing ; but he accepted nothing, and only 
 begged him to procure him an interview with the Doge, 
 
SAINT IGNATIUS DE LOYOLA. 99 
 
 Andrea Gitti, that he might obtain permission from him to 
 take passage on board a ship destined to convey the new 
 lieutenant of the Republic of Cyprus to that Island. The 
 audience was obtained and the favor granted. Yet he would 
 have profited little by this, had not God himself, for whose 
 sake he exposed himself to lose all its advantages, manifestly 
 come to his aid. 
 
 Upon the vessel where the holy pilgrim embarked there 
 were many passengers, who endeavored to beguile the weari- 
 ness of the time by loose conduct and libertine discourse. 
 Amongst the sailors it was even worse. After imploring the 
 mercy of God in the storm, they insulted him when the dan- 
 ger was past. Ignatius, always ready to do battle for the 
 honor of God, and finding that gentleness had no effect 
 upon men such as these, as coarse as they were wicked, 
 at last forcibly reproved them for thus daring to pror- 
 voke the anger of Heaven, so near as they were to death 
 and hell. The only result of his zeal was, that they formed 
 a plan for casting him upon a small uninhabited island, 
 and abandoning him there. Some of the passengers hav- 
 ing discovered this, gave him warning, and entreated him 
 to discontinue those efforts, which were useless to others, and 
 might bring about his own destruction. But even this ap- 
 proaching danger could not shake his resolution. He knew 
 that the will of God was more powerful than the hatred of the 
 wicked, and that the winds and the sea obey Him alone. 
 And he soon experienced the truth of this, when lying off the 
 island ; for while the sailors were steering for the shore, a 
 boisterous wind arose, which drove back the ship, and in- 
 creased in violence every time they attempted to make the 
 land ; so that in spite of themselves, they were forced to 
 resume their route towards Cyprus. 
 
 But God rewarded his servant for a zeal which men did 
 
100 HISTORY OF 
 
 not appreciate, and he received the ineifable recompense of 
 celestial apparitions. At the very time when, retired in one 
 corner of the vessel, he wept over the outrages which the 
 Divine Majesty received from these blinded and corrupted 
 men, the Saviour himself deigned to appear to him, address- 
 ing him in words full of sweetness and consolation. 
 
SAINT IGNATIUS DE LOYOLA. 101 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 Ignatius visits the Holy Land — Is forced to return to Europe — Virtues -which he 
 practises in Barcelona — Reformation which he effects in the Monastery of the 
 Holy Angels — 111 treatment which he meets with on account of his zeal — His pa- 
 tience disarms his enemies — Ignatius obtains the restoration to life of a man who 
 had hanged himself. 
 
 On beholding the land consecrated by the labors and suffer- 
 ings of the Lord, Ignatius experienced a sensation of unut- 
 terable joy, which we may easily believe when we reflect upon 
 the ardent desire which he he had conceived from the moment 
 of his conversion to perform this pilgrimage, as well as upon 
 the increasing love with which the visits of our Lord inflamed 
 his heart. How many perils had he encountered, how many 
 dangers had he surmounted, in order to arrive at the goal 
 which was at length before his eyes ! That very year, the 
 Turks, emboldened by their recent success, and especially by 
 the taking of Rhodes from the knights, infested the seas, 
 carried off multitudes as slaves, and deterred most of the 
 pilgrims from making the holy voyage. All these reports 
 were current in Yenice at the moment of his departure ; and 
 many had endeavored to frighten Ignatius, and to deter him 
 from his project. " Grod is my sole support," said he. " I 
 would not hesitate to set sail upon a plank." Abundant 
 tears gushed from his eyes when he beheld Jerusalem, and at 
 the same time perceived the Franciscan Fathers, the guardians 
 of the Holy Sepulchre, coming out in procession to meet tho 
 pilgrims. 
 
102 HISTORY OF 
 
 He visited all those holy places which bring to the 
 memory such touching recollections, with the same senti- 
 ments as if he had witnessed the birth of Christ in Bethle- 
 hem, heard him preach his divine doctrine in the Holy City, 
 beheld him expire upon Calvary, or rise to heaven from the 
 Mount of Olives. As his method of meditation consisted in 
 first representing to himself the place where a mystery had 
 been effected, applying to it the interior sentiments which it 
 led him to conceive, he engraved in his memory the plan and 
 the different sites of the holy places, such as they then exist- 
 ed, so that they might be useful to him afterwards, should it 
 not be the will of God that he was to remain in Palestine to 
 preach the religion of Jesus Christ to the infidels, and to 
 obtain for himself the grace of martyrdom. 
 
 Although it had been revealed to him by God himself, in 
 the solitude of Manresa, that he was destined to gain many 
 souls to the true faith, and that in order to accomplish this, 
 God would associate companions with him, whose future 
 mode of life He then traced out ; yet nothing had been re- 
 vealed to Ignatius as to the place where they should assemble 
 together, or as to the class to which they should belong. 
 Then supplying by his own judgment what was wanting in 
 the knowledge vouchsafed to him by the celestial Intelligence, 
 he had become persuaded that this association was to be 
 formed in Palestine, whither, since the first moment of his 
 conversion, he had felt so ardent a desire to direct his steps. 
 Hopicg, therefore, that he might remain there, he had brought 
 from Europe letters of recommendation to the Franciscan 
 Fathers, which he delivered to the Father Warden, without, 
 however, disclosing to him any other motive for his desire 
 of remaining in Palestine, but that of satisfying his devotion. 
 The Father Warden encouraged his hopes, and promised him 
 his good offices with the Father Provincial, who alone could de- 
 
SAINT IGNATIUS DE LOYOLA. 103 
 
 cide, and who was shortly expected from Bethlehem. But God, 
 who had other views regarding Ignatius, and who designed 
 to be propitious to him in Borne, and not in Jerusalem, dis- 
 posed the course of events in a totally different manner from 
 what he expected. 
 
 At the very moment when, full of hope, he was writing 
 to his friends in Europe, to take leave of some and to invite 
 others to join him, the Father Provincial arrived, and gave 
 him audience. After having first praised his pious design, 
 he told him that notwithstanding the desire he felt to grant 
 permission for its accomplishment, he could not do so without 
 seriously injuring the interests of his own convent, where his 
 Beligious had already much difficulty in finding a main- 
 tenance, on account of the smallness of the alms bestowed 
 upon them. " You have no other resource yourself," added 
 he, " but public charity, and would therefore deprive us of a 
 part of the little which is indispensably necessary for our 
 existence. Moreover, jou. may convince yourself of the truth 
 0^ my words by seeing several of the brethren embark to- 
 morrow for Italy, sent back there by me, the scarcity of pro- 
 visions not permitting me to keep them in Palestine. 
 
 Ignatius protested that he would by no means be an in- 
 cumbrance to the Provincial, and that he asked no aid from 
 him but that which was purely spiritual, such as hearing his 
 confession and giving him the Holy Communion. But the 
 Provincial, far from yielding, told him that in this decision 
 he consulted at once the interests of his community and the 
 personal safety of Ignatius ; since it- often happened that 
 pilgrims, passing beyond the limits assigned to the Christians, 
 were either killed by the Turks or carried into slavery; and 
 that the latter invariably turned to the detriment of the 
 monastery, whose inmates, through charity, ransomed them 
 with the little which they possessed. He therefore required 
 
104 HISTORY OF 
 
 Ignatius to prepare for setting out with the other travellers 
 on the following day. Ignatius, extremely afflicted at the 
 idea of this sudden departure, answered, that neither the fear 
 of death, nor that of slavery, would be sufficient to deter- 
 mine him to leave Palestine ; that nothing but the fear of 
 offending Grod by remaining, could induce him to depart. 
 " And you would indeed offend Him," answered the Father 
 Provincial, "were you to remain here against my will." At 
 the same time he showed him a papal bull, giving to these 
 Religious the right of excommunicating those who should 
 remain in the Holy Land without their permission. Ignatius 
 required no more ; he bowed his head, and instantly went 
 out to make preparations for obeying the orders he had re- 
 ceived ; and as, when hoping to remain in Palestine, he had 
 taken leave of his friends in Europe, so now he desired to do 
 likewise with regard to the Saviour. Having therefore se- 
 cretly withdrawn from his companions, without providing 
 himself with a guide to defend him against the Turks, he 
 went hastily to the Mount of Olives, once more to venerate 
 and kiss the holy traces which Jesus Christ, in ascending to 
 Heaven, left impressed upon the rock; and by giving his 
 knife to the guardians, purchased their permission. 
 
 After having satisfied his devotion, he resolved to visit 
 the sanctuary of Bethphage ; but recollecting on the way that 
 he had not observed with sufficient accuracy the position of 
 the feet of our Saviour, so as to know towards what point 
 of the globe He had turned when quitting the earth, he re- 
 turned to the Mount of Olives, and giving the guards a pair 
 of scissors, the last article which he possessed, succeeded in 
 making the observation which he desired. 
 
 Meanwhile, the monks, perceiving the absence of Ignatius 
 and guessing its cause, sent in quest of him an Armenian, 
 a man employed in the service of the monastery. He, meet- 
 
SAINT IGNATIUS DE LOYOLA. 105 
 
 ing the holy pilgrim as he desoended the mountain, accosted 
 him with rude words, even threatened him with his stick, 
 and taking him roughly by the arm, led him back to the 
 monastery. But of all this Ignatius felt nothing ; for at the 
 very moment of that man's approach, our Divine Redeemer 
 appeared to him, and with consoling words walked before 
 him to the monastery. The following day Ignatius em- 
 barked, and bade adieu to the Holy Land, where he left his 
 heart, and carried away as his only consolation, the hopes 
 of one day returning thither. 
 
 The pilgrims having arrived at Cyprus, found three ves- 
 sels about to sail from thence ; the one Turkish, the second a 
 large and well-armed ship belonging to a Venetian mer- 
 chant, and the third a small vessel in bad condition. The 
 greater part of the travellers made their arrangements to go 
 with the Venetian captain, because the approaching winter 
 rendered the passage dangerous, and every one wished to 
 take the safest mode of conveyance. But Ignatius had not 
 wherewith to pay his passage, and several of the pilgrims 
 entreated the captain to receive him through charity, assur- 
 ing him that he would admit a Saint on board his vessel. 
 The captain's only reply was a profane jest. " If he be a 
 Saint," said he, " what need hath he of a vessel ? He can 
 easily work a miracle, and walk wpon the sea." Thus spoke 
 that man, or rather his avarice, whose aj^parent wisdom is 
 often but real folly. 
 
 The master of the small vessel acted very differently . 
 and, at the very first request made to him, consented to re- 
 ceive Ignatius for the love of God ; and it was indeed to 
 God that it belonged, to reward the captains of the two ships 
 according to their respective merits. 
 
 They raised anchor before daybreak, and the three ves- 
 sels set out in company, with a favorable wind, which lasted 
 
 VOL. I. — 5* 
 
106 
 
 HISTORY OF 
 
 until sunset. Then there arose a squall, and the waves 
 rising mountain high, the ships parted company. The 
 Turkish vessel, shattered by the tempest, perished on the 
 high seas, with all her crew ; the Venetian, trying to ap- 
 proach the shore, was dashed upon the coast of Cyprus ; its 
 passengers were saved, but the whole cargo lost. The small 
 vessel, old and fragile, on board of which Ignatius was, 
 might naturally have been the first to succumb to the vio- 
 lence of the hurricane ; yet after being several times appa- 
 rently on the brink of destruction, she weathered the harbor 
 of La Pouille ; and, there being revictualled, once more set 
 sail for Venice, where she arrived happily, after a passage of 
 two months and a half. 
 
 Meanwhile Ignatius finding that he could not remain in 
 Palestine, to labor for the salvation of souls, pondered in 
 his own mind upon the means of satisfying his daily increas- 
 ing zeal. The more he reflected, the more it seemed to him 
 as if an inward voice warned him, that without either learn- 
 ing or study, he never could run the risk of giving instruc- 
 tion in spiritual things, and consequently could never labor 
 for the welfare of his fellow-men. This thought put him on 
 the path which was to lead to the foundation of that Society, 
 the sole or principal end for which Grod had chosen him, and 
 favored him with so many graces. Incited by this inward 
 conviction, he resolved to return to Barcelona, where charity 
 would never allow him to want for alms sufficient for his 
 subsistence, nor for masters to assist him in his studies. He 
 therefore set out again on foot in the middle of winter, 
 though still suflering from the fatigues of his last pilgrim- 
 age. Clothed in coarse stuff, with a poor robe which 
 reached to his knees, it seemed impossible that he could ever 
 reach Genoa, through plains and over mountains covered with 
 snow, without being liable to perish with cold. Of all the 
 
SAINT IGNATIUS DE LOYOLA. 107 
 
 offers whicli were made him, he accepted only a piece of 
 coarse cloth, which he wrapped double around his loins, to 
 appease the excessive pains of a sick and weakened stomach. 
 A small sum of money which had been given him, he dis- 
 tributed to the poor. 
 
 Whilst at his devotions in a Church at Ferrara, several 
 beggars approached him, to each of whom he gave alms. In 
 a little while, having exhausted all his small change, he dis- 
 tributed his gold, of which he had about fifteen pieces. Then 
 these poor creatures made this known to others, and he was 
 so surrounded by them that in a moment his purse was com- 
 pletely emptied. As more beggars continued to arrive, Ig- 
 natius looked at them with a countenance filled with compas- 
 sion, and begged them to excuse his refusal, assuring them 
 that he possessed nothing more, either for them or for him- 
 self. It was a marvellous thing for these poor people, to see 
 a man exhausted with hunger and cold, who without think- 
 ing of his own necessities, bestowed upon them even to his 
 last farthing ! Observing, moreover, his deep religious med- 
 itation, and seeing him beg alms for his own subsistence, 
 they could no longer doubt his sanctity ; but pointing him 
 out to others, they exclaimed aloud, " Behold the Saint ! " 
 
 During the rest of his journey, fearing to lose his way 
 in unfrequented paths, and being thus obliged to pass through 
 the midst of the French and Spanish armies, and to traverse 
 places plundered by the two parties, he was exposed to the 
 greatest dangers. By night he withdrew amongst the ruins 
 of some dilapidated and half-burned house, which afforded 
 him a little shelter from the cold and rain, in a deserted 
 country, where he could hope for no assistance from public 
 charity. More than once he was stopped by parties of sol- 
 diers, and brought before their captain. One day, amongst 
 others, some Spaniards, taking him for a spy, arrogantly de- 
 
 VOL, L — 5* 
 
108 
 
 HISTORY OF 
 
 manded of him what affairs had brought him to this place, 
 stripped him of his clothes, and searched him for the papers 
 with which they supposed him charged by the enemy. Find- 
 ing none, they made a cruel amusement for themselves, by 
 dragging him, almost naked, before their captain. 
 
 Ignatius joyfully endured this public affront. His imagi- 
 nation represented to him so vividly the torments suffered 
 by our Lord, in a similar circumstance, that he hardly re- 
 marked what was passing around him. But suddenly the 
 demon made a violent assault upon him, filling his heart 
 with dread ; making him fear lest his present confusion 
 should not be his only cause of suffering ; bringing before 
 his imagination the tortures to which he was now going to be 
 exposed, in order to drag his pretended secrets from him : 
 then a long imprisonment, followed up by an indefinite series 
 of ill-usage. To avoid all these probabilities, he had only 
 to make himself known, and casting off his habitual simpli- 
 city of speech, to resume the language of a nobleman, and 
 to inform the commanding officer of his distinguished rank. 
 
 But however subtle the temptation, Ignatius soon rec- 
 ognized in it the reasonings of self-love, and this was suffi- 
 cient to induce him to act precisely in the contrary sense to 
 that suggested by the enemy of souls. Brought before the 
 captain, he behaved as a rude peasant would have done; did 
 not salute him, answered his questions slowly, and without 
 giving him any title, or saying any thing to excite his com- 
 passion. But this conduct, which seemed to expose him to 
 great danger, was precisely the causo of his safety. The 
 commander, mistaking for stupidity that which was in fact 
 the effect of sublime virtue, gave him back to the soldiers, 
 turning them into ridicule for not having been able to dis- 
 tinguish an idiot from a spy. Ignatius received his clothes 
 again, but the soldiers revenged themselves by loading him 
 
SAINT IGNATIUS DE LOYOLA. 109 
 
 with insults, until an oflScer, moved with pity, dragged hira 
 out of their hands, and procured him a shelter and some 
 food. 
 
 Having at length got free from the Spanish quarter, he 
 shortly after entered that of the French, hoping to collect 
 amongst them a new treasure of insult and sufferings. Hav- 
 ing fallen almost immediately into the hands of the senti- 
 nels, they sent him to their chief. He, discovering from the 
 first questions which he put to Ignatius, that he was a native 
 of Biscay, and belonging himself to its environs, received 
 him with great kindness, and ordered him to be well treated. 
 This conduct not only procured him the relief which he so 
 much required, but strengthened him in his resolution of 
 relying upon God alone, and of accepting sufferings and con- 
 solation with equal joy, as being equal proofs of Divine love 
 and providence, and alternately dispensed by the same hand. 
 Ignatius then continued his journey, and having reached Ge- 
 noa, embarked for Barcelona, on board a ship belonging to 
 the Spanish squadron, to which Andrew Doria, then on the 
 French side, gave chase for some time. 
 
 Having arrived at Barcelona, he found a kind master in 
 Jerome Ardavalo, who, from a spirit of charity, instructed 
 him in grammar, of which he kept a public school. There 
 Ignatius, at the age of thirty-three, might be seen becoming 
 as a child in the midst of a crowd of children, and learning 
 along with them the rudiments of the Latin tongue. This 
 undertaking, which at the first glance appears neither very 
 great nor very meritorious, was in fact one of the strongest 
 proofs which he could have given of his zeal in the service 
 of God. Once convinced that by study alone he could be- 
 come a useful instrument for His greater glory, he no lon- 
 ger took into consideration either the interests of his own 
 private devotion, of which it was necessary to retrench a 
 
110 HISTORY OF 
 
 considerable portion, nor the fatigue and labor inseparable 
 from this kind of study. In fact he now entered into an 
 entirely different class of ideas ; having not only to repair 
 by dint of application, the years which he had lost in the 
 idleness of the camp, but also to conquer his own nature, 
 little inclined to study ; and to arrive from a state of complete 
 ignorance at a knowledge no less complete of humanities 
 and theology. 
 
 In this new stage of his life, he had also to combat new 
 and strange temptations, under which he nearly fell. 
 
 When he passed so many hours of the day and night at 
 Manresa, in the most lofty meditation, favored by celestial 
 visions, ecstasies, and a supernatural knowledge of divine 
 things, the demon had never openly endeavored to lead his 
 mind astray from them, except by that fantastic vision of 
 which we made mention. 
 
 At Barcelona, when he arrived at school, the gates of 
 Paradise were opened to him, and his soul became inundated 
 with so much delight, his mind was raised to so lofty a com- 
 munion with celestial things, that books and study, all were 
 forgotten. His time was passed in sighs, tears, tender emo- 
 tions, and acts of love to Grod ; in practising the «mo, 
 amas, which he saw no necessity of conjugating. Thus in a 
 hall filled with noisy children, he experienced the same in- 
 terior consolation as in the silence and solitude of his cave. 
 And so it was that weeks and months glided by, and he re- 
 mained as ignorant as before. 
 
 Nor can we be surprised at this stratagem of the Evil 
 Spirit. AVhat higher mission can man receive, than that of 
 co-operating with Grod himself in the conversion of souls ? 
 And when one so zealous as Ignatius is to be led thither by 
 means of study, the tempter believes that he has gained a 
 great victory, when he sees him devote himself to mystic the- 
 
SAINT IGNATIUS DE LOYOLA. 1 1 1 
 
 ology, and neglect the elements of the sciences necessary for 
 him to acquire ; since the one only conduces to the enjoy- 
 ment of him who is engaged in it, whilst the other contrib- 
 utes at once to the welfare of our fellow-creatures, and to the 
 eternal glory of God. 
 
 From these constant distractions, corered wdth the veil 
 of piety, Ignatius might have concluded that he was called 
 to contemplation rather than to study ; and perhaps he 
 might have fallen into the snare, had he possessed that nat- 
 ural bias to se]f-love, which frequently causes us to mistake 
 illusions for divine inspirations. Happily his only desire 
 was for the glory of God ; he thus discovered his error more 
 easily, and when he had once recognized it felt so deeply 
 humbled, that leading his master into a neighboring church, 
 he threw himself on his knees before him, entreated pardon 
 for his past negligence, confessed the illusions which had dis- 
 tracted him from his studies, and bound himself by a vow to 
 follow them for the future with the greatest punctuality. 
 He also begged his master to require from him with exceed- 
 ing strictness, the same duties as from the other scholars, 
 and to punish any future neglect on his part with the same 
 chastisements. The result was admirable, for no sooner had 
 he thus discovered and spurned the artifices of the demon, 
 than those spiritual consolations and supernatural ecstasies 
 which had ravished his soul with such gentle violence, van- 
 ished entirely. When he afterwards experienced spiritual 
 dryness and interior desolation, he consoled himself with the 
 thoughts of the fruit which he hoped in^due time to obtain 
 from his studies, for the service of God and his neio-hbor. 
 In the same way, many years after, when he became Founder 
 and Head of the Society, he used to reprove his followers, 
 when he saw any of them who pursued their studies with 
 reluctance, regretting their former spiritual joys, instead of 
 
112 HISTORY OF 
 
 reflecting upon the fruit whicli their present privations would 
 enable them to gather in future for the salvation of men. 
 When the fountain of consolation was dried up for them, he 
 would remind them that patience, humility, and obedience, 
 practised in times of dryness and aridity, would become a 
 source of consolation and joy. He thus expresses himself 
 upon that subject, in a letter which he wrote some time after 
 his sojourn in Barcelona: — 
 
 '' We must not be surprised when our students do not 
 experience all that calm sweetness of devotion which they 
 perhaps desire, for He to whom it belongs to dispense this 
 grace, grants it when and to whom He pleases ; and we may 
 believe that during the course of the studies, which are usu- 
 ally laborious for the mind, Divine Providence suspends 
 those sensible consolations, because even whilst they afford 
 great joy to the soul, they fatigue and exhaust the strength 
 of the body. Besides which, all application to the specula- 
 tive sciences, consumes and dries up the affections of the 
 heart. Nevertheless, when study has the service of Grod for 
 its sole object, it is in itself an excellent exercise of devo- 
 tion. Provided the foundations of virtue are not shaken, 
 and that we devote to prayer the time prescribed by the 
 Constitutions, we ought not to be afflicted because of this 
 dryness, but receive with resignation from the hand of God 
 whatever He pleases to bestow upon us, and cleave to that 
 which is most important of all ; to patience, humility, obe- 
 dience, and charity." 
 
 Meanwhile Ignatius diminished nothing either in the se- 
 verity of his mode of life, or in his prayers. Although John 
 Paschal, in whose house he occupied a garret, would have 
 willingly divided his humble fare with him, he would never 
 consent to partake of it, but on his way to and from the school, 
 begged the piece of bread necessary for his subsistence du- 
 
SAINT IGNATIUS DE LOYOLA. 113 
 
 ring the day. All that he considered superfluous, he dis- 
 tributed to the poor, giving them the best portion. The 
 great esteem in which he was held, procured him abundant 
 alms, both in money and clothing ; but he had hardly re- 
 ceived them before they passed into the hands of the indi- 
 gent, a great number of whom always surrounded his house, 
 counting upon Ignatius, who was poorer than themselves. 
 He was their father and protector ; — he loved and served 
 them as if in the person of each he beheld that of our Lord 
 himself. 
 
 On arriving in Barcelona, Ignatius had wished to resume 
 his former austerities, but inward pains proceeding from a 
 weakened stomach, obliged him to abandon them. He found 
 out the means of supplying their place, by other austerities, 
 as severe, but more hidden. His humility was thus doubly 
 satisfied. He always took from sleep the time for his 
 prayers. The young son of his hostess, John Paschal, was 
 curious to know in what he was occupied so long, and secretly 
 watched him. Ignatius after gazing fixedly for some time 
 towards Heaven, would begin his prayers, sometimes with his 
 arms extended in the form of a cross, sometimes prostrate 
 upon the ground in an attitude of the most profound devo- 
 tion. And thus he would remain upon his knees, motionless 
 as a statue, until his countenance began to glow, and torrents 
 of tears gushed from his eyes. More than once, as Paschal 
 was wont to relate, the chamber was filled with a dazzling 
 splendor, which seemed to emanate from the Saint; at other 
 times, he rose from the ground to the height of four or five 
 palms, and while in this posture he would heave burning 
 sighs, or he was heard to pronounce these words : " Oh 
 Lord ! if men knew thee ! Oh my God ! infinitely good, how 
 canst thou endure a miserable sinner such as I am ! " 
 
 Paschal, as we may easily believe, was forcibly impressed 
 
114 HISTORY OF 
 
 with this miracle, and in after days took pleasure in relating 
 it to his children. If they had known, said he, that guest so 
 holy and so gentle, they would kiss the traces of his foot- 
 steps, the walls of his chamber ; and then tears would fall 
 from the eyes of the Barcelonese, and striking his breast, he 
 would bitterly lament that he had profited so little by the 
 presence of Ignatius. The divine favors with which the 
 Saint was loaded, did not only go to seek him in his modest 
 cell ; notwithstanding the care with which he concealed them, 
 they were at times revealed in him with irresistible force. 
 The nuns of the convent of St. Jerome of Barcelona, beheld 
 him one day, after he had passed two or three hours before 
 the altar of St. Matthew, motionless as a marble statue, rise 
 from the earth still kneeling, while his face had assumed the 
 expression of an angel. 
 
 Yet he w^as no less zealously occupied with the welfare 
 of his neighbor, than with his own perfection ; and his pa- 
 tience and charity were especially evident in his labors for 
 the reform of some nuns belonging to the convent of the 
 Angeles. They were in the habit of receiving visits from 
 some persons of dissolute conduct, and the danger was as 
 great, as the scandal was public. Ignatius resolved to remedy 
 this evil, whatever might be the consequences to himself; 
 and he therefore chose their church for his habitual place of 
 devotion. There he spent whole hours in praying and en- 
 treating God to grant him success in the affair which he had 
 undertaken. His modesty, his tears, the fervor which shone 
 in his countenance, excited the attention of the nuns ; they 
 looked at him at first with curiosity, soon with respect ; and 
 then wishing to know who he was, learned at length that he 
 was one who had passed in the town for a saint. Then they 
 were desirous of hearing him speak upon spiritual subjects, 
 and he having consented to do so, began to discourse in 
 
SAINT IGNATIUS DE LOYOLA. 115 
 
 their presence, upon the important duties and excellence of a 
 religious life. He then represented in forcible terms the 
 outrage done to God by the scandalous lives of some of their 
 members; the injury which they did to their house, the bad 
 example which they gave to innocent hearts, whose ruin 
 they might cause ; and finally the punishments which God 
 reserved for them, and which would be so much the more 
 terrible as the offences of persons consecrated to Him, sur- 
 pass in malice those of all other sinners. Their eyes were 
 opened, not only to acknowledge, but also to weep over the 
 wretched condition in which they blindly lived. This work 
 of conversion was not the affair of a few days. In order to 
 assure and consolidate it, Ignatius continued his exhortations, 
 and at length led the nuns to meditate upon his Exercises. 
 The fruits of these meditations were seclusion, regularity, 
 devotion, and the most edifying fervor. From that time the 
 persons who were interested in these disorders, found the 
 gates closed against them, and all access to the convent pro- 
 hibited. They were irritated to fury ; and seeing that Ig- 
 natius, neither alarmed by threats, nor intimidated by the 
 bad treatment twice inflicted upon him, continued to encour- 
 age this reform by his instructions, they resolved to get rid 
 of the obstacle which opposed them by assassinating him. 
 
 One day therefore w^hen he was returning to the con- 
 vent, in the company of a holy priest named Pujalto, who 
 had assisted him throughout this affair, they were attacked 
 by two Moorish slaves, and so cruelly beaten that the priest, 
 it was said, died in consequence.* However that may be, 
 Ignatius received such severe wounds, that he fell senseless 
 on the ground, and the assassins believing him dead, did not 
 
 * Such is the account given in the official report ; but according 
 to John Paschal, the priest recovered from his wounds. 
 
116 HISTORY OF 
 
 repeat the blows. As long as sense and speech remained to 
 him, he had continued impassible mider the blows with which 
 he was overwhelmed, and had not ceased to bless God, and 
 to implore His mercy, both for those who wished to take his 
 life, and for himself, who joyfully accepted death. He re- 
 mained lying upon the ground, until a miller happening to 
 pass by, placed him upon his mule, and carried him to the 
 house of Agnes and John Paschal. The Saint arrived there 
 so entirely exhausted, that he seemed upon the point of ex- 
 piring. His whole body was livid, bruised and painful. It 
 was necessary to raise him upon a sheet in order to change 
 his place in bed, and even this caused him acute suffering. 
 At the end of thirty days he was entirely given over, and 
 the last sacraments administered to him. 
 
 During all this time Ignatius had received constant visits 
 from the principal inhabitants of Barcelona, both men and 
 women, for they all regarded him as the Apostle of their 
 town. John Paschal, who has written the narrative of this 
 event, enumerates amongst them persons of the highest 
 nobility. Ignatius never felt happier than at the moment 
 when, like his Divine Master, he was going to lose his life for 
 the salvation of his brethren. The acute pain caused by his 
 wounds, appeared to him an actual relief, and it was only in 
 obedience to the strict orders of his confessor, a monk of 
 great merit, belonging to the order of St. Francis, that he 
 would permit himself to be divested of his hair shirt. John 
 Paschal preserved it, and bec[ueathed it to his children, as 
 their most precious inheritance. This hair cloth was after- 
 wards the means of restoring health and even life to several 
 persons in Barcelona; but in the year 1606, the Duke of 
 Mouteleone, Viceroy of Catalonia, obtained it by dint of 
 much importunity, and preserved it as a treasure for his 
 house. 
 
SAINT IGNATIUS DE LOYOLA. 117 
 
 But the visits of most value in the eyes of Ignatius, 
 were not so much those of the rich and great, as of the poor, 
 who hearing of his condition, ran in crowds to the house, all 
 in tears, offering up fervent prayers for the preservation of 
 one who was so faithful a servant of the Lord, and so tender 
 a father to themselves. But it was decreed that he should 
 not, in obtaining the salvation of one monastery, lose a life 
 destined by God himself for such important labors in His 
 service. 
 
 After fifty-four days of severe suffering, Ignatius was 
 pronounced out of danger, and was able to leave his bed. 
 As soon as he had recovered his strength, the first use which 
 he made of it was to return to the convent of the Angeles, 
 and to strengthen by a renewal of his former discourses, the 
 good resolutions which had been taken there. Agnes Pas- 
 chal, who felt all the tenderness of a mother for him, at once 
 admired his conduct, and trembled at its probable conse- 
 quences, for she did not doubt that his wicked enemies, again 
 exasperated against him, would resolve upon his destruction; 
 and she conjured him earnestly not to return to a place where 
 so many dangers surrounded him. But he replied, that he 
 knew no greater felicity, than to suffer in the service of God, 
 and to die for the welfare of his fellow-beings. By this truly 
 heroic virtue, he obtained assistance from on high, by which 
 not only every obstacle to the accomplishment of his labors 
 was removed, but his most bitter enemy was converted. 
 
 One day, as Ignatius was returning from the monastery, 
 he met a merchant named Ribera, who throwing himself at 
 his feet, confessed himself to be the principal author of the 
 crime, entreated his pardon with expressions of the deepest 
 repentance, and added a solemn promise that he would change 
 his mode of life ; a promise which he faithfully fulfilled. 
 His repentance was caused even less by horror at the crime 
 
fl8 HISTORY OF 
 
 of whicli he had been guilty, than by admiration of the vir- 
 tue manifested by the Saint in his admirable patience and 
 devoted constancy, and in the silence which he had maintained 
 concerning this affair. 
 
 It was not on this occasion only that the efficacy of his 
 prayers was apparent, especially when their object was the 
 conversion and salvation of a sinner. Two brothers named 
 Lisani, divided by interested motives, pleaded against each 
 other at Barcelona. The one having obtained a favorable 
 sentence, his brother, unable to overcome his grief, finally 
 abandoned himself to such despair, that he hanged himself 
 from a beam in his house. All the neighborhood resounded 
 with the lamentations of his relatives and friends, collected 
 together round this horrible spectacle. Ignatius, who was re- 
 turning from the convent of the Angeles^ hearing all this 
 rumor, hastened thither, and moved with compassion for 
 this miserable soul, promptly caused the rope to be cut. But 
 in vain they attempted by every means in their power to 
 restore life to the unfortunate man. Then Ignatius knelt 
 down beside him, and in a short but fervent prayer entreated 
 the Lord to restore him to life, and to grant him time suffi- 
 cient to repent of his crime and to confess it. The prayer 
 of the Saint was instantly granted.* " And while all in 
 amazement (these are the very words of the three auditors 
 of the tribunal of the Rota) awaited the issue of the affair, 
 Lysani returned to life ; " but he only lived long enough to 
 confess his sins, and to obtain absolution. 
 
 * JEJt cunctis stupeniibus, et rei exitum expectantibus, Lysanius ad 
 vitam rcdiit. 
 
SAINT IGNATIUS DE LOYOLA. ' M9 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 Predictions 0/ Ignatius to several persons who wore desirous of following him when 
 he was leavlug Barcelona to go to Alcala. 
 
 Meanwhile, at the conclusion of two years of labor, Ignatius 
 had made so much progress in the Latin language, that 
 according to the decision of his masters, he was fitted to pass 
 on to higher studies. He therefore resolved to go to Alcala, 
 where the university, then newly founded, could boast of the 
 most eminent masters in every branch of literature. But 
 God, who directed Ignatius towards an object which He had 
 not yet revealed to him, was preparing for his servant rather 
 a school of virtue and patience, than one of science and phi- 
 losophy. Many of his friends and other pious persons offered 
 to follow him, not only to be his companions in study, but 
 his pupils in all spiritual matters. He only accepted three, 
 Calixtus, Artiaga, and James de Casares ; and these fell off, 
 and did not end happily. But amongst those whom he re- 
 fused, there were two in particular to whom he gave reasons 
 for so doing, which could only have been suggested by pro- 
 phetic knowledge. 
 
 The first was a young Catalonian, a native of Gerona, 
 named Michael Rodes, to whose request he replied in the 
 following terms : " No, you must not accompany me ; you 
 will live in the world, you will succeed in the profession of a 
 lawyer ; you will have a wife and children, and one of them 
 
fUO HISTORY OF 
 
 will wear the habit of an Order which I shall found." Four- 
 teen years elapsed before the establishment of the Society, 
 and every thing happened in due season, as he had foretold. 
 Michael Rodes became an excellent jurisconsult, married, 
 and the youngest of his sons, named Michael, after him, 
 became a member of the Society, was distinguished for his 
 austerities and zeal, and died there in a ripe old age. 
 
 When in his youth Michael Rodes manifested to his 
 father his desire of entering the new Order which St. Ignatius 
 had just founded, the elder Rodes informed his son of the 
 prediction formerly made to him, and then both rejoiced at 
 seeing its approaching fulfilment. But the Provincial hav- 
 ing delayed sending his answer to the young man's request 
 for admission, longer than the ardor of his age or the fervor 
 of his zeal could support, he changed his plan, and resolved 
 to take the habit in the monastery of Certosa. On two 
 different occasions, the day of his entrance was fixed, and 
 twice an unforeseen accident prevented it. Upon this he 
 returned to his first idea, and obtained admission into the 
 Society, by which the double prophecy of the Saint was 
 accomplished. 
 
 The second person to whom he refused permission to ac- 
 company him was that very John Paschal, in whose mother's 
 house he lodged at Barcelona. John had offered to follow 
 him ever since the time when he meditated his voyage to the 
 Holy Land. But Ignatius assured him that it was the will 
 of God that he should remain in the world, and disclosed 
 to him in detail every thing that was afterwards to happen 
 to him. " You will marry," said he, " a woman of great 
 virtue ; by her you will have many children ; they will cause 
 you much tribulation, and you will be reduced to great pov- 
 erty." In fact, the first of his sons was born deaf and blind; 
 the second, at the age of twenty-two, became insane ; the 
 
SAINT IGNATIUS DE LOYOLA. 121 
 
 tliird, wlio led a very disorderly life, died suddenly in the 
 presence of his father. Of his four daughters, only one 
 lived long enough to be married ; nor was the last part of 
 the prediction less realized for poor Paschal; for the day 
 arrived when, poor and loaded with debts, he found himself 
 nearly reduced to beggary. 
 
 Fortunately, whilst predicting these misfortunes, Ignatius 
 had softened their bitterness by the consoling assurance that 
 they would all tend to the profit of his soul. The good Pas- 
 chal relied so implicitly upon the fulfilment of this prophecy, 
 that when his friends endeavored to console him during his 
 first misfortunes, by the hopes of better fortune in days to 
 come, he would say to them, " Ask patience for me ; but do 
 not try to make me conceive hopes which cannot be realized. 
 That which our holy guest predicted will alone come to pass. 
 Every one of his words has been verified up to this day, and 
 60 it will be even to the end." As long as Ignatius lived 
 he never ceased to console his unfortunate friend by his let- 
 ters. After his death he did not forget him, and returned 
 to reanimate his courage, by a wonderfal vision, of which 
 the following are the circumstances. While reading the 
 account of it, we seem to breathe the perfume of the olden 
 times, whose recollection has faded away from us. 
 
 For forty years, John Paschal had preserved the devout 
 habit of attending matins and afterwards mass every morn- 
 ing, at the tomb of St. Eulalia, which is placed beneath the 
 hiirh altar of the cathedral in Barcelona. One day he arrived 
 
 o 
 
 so early that a long time elapsed before the office commenced, 
 and meanwhile he knelt down upon the steps of the altar 
 and began to pray. Overwhelmed at that moment by new 
 misfortunes, he. laid them before God and his holy protector, 
 who had died but a few years before. " Oh my father ! " 
 cried he ; " truly did you foretell all that was to happen to 
 
 VOL. I, 6 
 
122 HISTORY OP 
 
 me ! Wliboiit doulbt, you, from tlie highest heavens, behold 
 the life which I now lead ; you who predicted it to me when 
 upon earth, leave me not now without consolation, or at least 
 "without patience, so that my troubles may lead me to that 
 eternal salvation which you also foretold I should obtain." 
 
 Whilst Paschal thus prayed, he began to hear in the dis- 
 tance a strain of sweet and admirable music, which seemed 
 to approach gradually. At length he beheld appearing to 
 the left of the altar, a numerous company of angels and of 
 men in ecclesiastical habits, all of celestial beauty. When 
 they had entered the church, they ranged themselves around 
 the high altar, and then one came and placed himself in 
 their midst ; a man of the most venerable aspect, wearing, 
 alonor with the sacerdotal ornaments, a stole and a white 
 cape. Before the vision, the church was in deep darkness, 
 for the clock had but just struck four, and it was in winter ; 
 but when the last personage of whom we have spoken ap- 
 peared, the basilica shone with so brilliant a light, that 
 the holy edifice appeared all on fire. The old man stopped 
 at the tomb of St. Eulalia, and after having profoundly 
 saluted the Holy Sacrament, took from the hands of an aco- 
 lyte a censor, and passing before the altar, incensed it several 
 timis. A sweet perfume was spread through the cathedral. 
 Soou this blessed company directed their steps towards the 
 door on the right hand of the altar, where Paschal was 
 kneeling rapt in admiration. 
 
 But the priest who had used the incense, turning towards 
 Paschal, and looking at him as if surprised at not being 
 recoirnized by him, made him a sign to approach. Then his 
 eyes were opened ; he knew St. Ignatius, and rising impetu- 
 ously, ran towards him. The Saint received him with a 
 smiling countenance, asked him familiarly if he remembered 
 hiui, added that he had never forgotten him, and reanimated 
 
SAINT IGNATIUS DE LOYOLA. 123 
 
 him witli the hope which he had formerly given him of eter- 
 nal salvation. 
 
 Paschal would have embraced him, but at the moment 
 in which he opened his arms, the Saint blessed him, disap- 
 peared, and with him the whole of that heavenly vision. 
 Then Paschal cried aloud, " Oh my father ! my father Ig- 
 natius ! " At these cries, several priests hastening into the 
 church, found Paschal like one beside himself, shedding tor- 
 rents of tears. He immediately related what he had seen, 
 and during his whole life, this ineffable remembrance was a 
 source of the sweetest consolation to his heart. 
 
 Ignatius certainly left an ineffaceable impression in Bar- 
 celona. Fifteen years after his departure from that city, one 
 of his relatives, then a novice in the Society, arrived there. 
 The inn where he lodged was immediately surrounded by 
 crowds of people ; he was eagerly questioned, and received in 
 return several curious details respecting the Saint. Money 
 was offered him, that he might found a house in Barcelona j 
 but Father Araoz (such was his name) would accept nothing, 
 and contented himself with giving some advice and exhorta- 
 tions, which were received as if coming from the Saint himself. 
 
 He meanwhile arrived at the city of Alcala in the begin- 
 ning of August, in the year 1526. The first person whom he 
 met, and from whom he received alms, was the same Martin 
 Olave, a distinguislied doctor and professor of the University 
 of Paris, who was afterwards called by God, through a signal 
 vocation, to enter the Society, and was received into it by its 
 holy founder twenty-six years after this .first meeting. He 
 was then young, and studying philosophy at Alcala. 
 
 Ignatius had still three months before him, previous to 
 the opening of the schools ; and these he employed in his 
 own sanctification and in assisting his neighbor. Soon after, 
 his three companions arrived, to whose number he added a 
 
124 HISTORY OF • 
 
 fourtli, a young Frencliman, page of Don Martin of Cordova, 
 Viceroy of Navarre. This young man happened to be at 
 Alcala, because as he was passing through that town with his 
 patron, he had received some wounds in an affray, which 
 detained him at the hospital. This circumstance, apparently 
 unfortunate, was the cause of real happiness to him; for, 
 whilst the medical men endeavored to restore his bodily 
 health, he recovered the health of his soul, owing to the 
 cares and exhortations of Ignatius. These five friends were 
 clad alike, in a habit which consisted of a simple gray tunic, 
 descending to the feet, with a hat of the same color. Her- 
 nando de Para lodged two of them from charity, and Andrew 
 de Arce the two others. Ignatius had taken a room in the 
 hospital of Antezana, which it was not difficult for him to 
 obtain, since the chamber which they allowed him to occupy 
 had been long since untenanted. His mode of life was the 
 same as it had been in Barcelona ; and he distributed to the 
 poor the alms which he received for his maintenance. His 
 charity led him to seek out especially those unfortunate per- 
 sons whom a sudden reverse of fortune had plunged into 
 misery, and who were retained by shame within their 
 wretched dwellings. More than once Ignatius was surprised 
 in his mysterious rounds by former friends or acquaintances, 
 but he carefully concealed himself from their researches, 
 and hastened to relieve the unfortunate in other places. 
 
 In this university they taught the logic of Soto, the 
 physics of Albertus Magnus, and the theology of the Master 
 of the Sentences. Ignatius, who probably measured the 
 strength of his intelligence by that of his feelings, was de- 
 ceived by the a^-dor with which he desired to devote himself 
 to the salvation of souls. He followed with much courage, 
 but also somewhat confusedly, these three different branches 
 of learning ; and thus uselessly spent both his time and 
 
SAINT IGNATIUS DE LOYOLA. 125 
 
 trouble, for in endeavoring to study every thing at once, he 
 made progress in nothing. 
 
 In truth, God had not led Ignatius to Alcala in order 
 that he might make great progress in profane learning. 
 His will was that others should derive benefit from the 
 spiritual instructions of the Saint. Therefore the Lord sub- 
 jected him to spiritual persecutions, the nature of which 
 must have severely tried his patience. At length Ignatius 
 felt that he had so little aptitude for the labors of the school, 
 that he was forced to give them up, and to apply himself 
 entirely to the sanctification of his brethren. 
 
 He therefore began to frequent the hospitals to teach 
 there the Christian Doctrine, to hold spiritual conferences, 
 to converse with the students, especially with those who led 
 the most libertine life, or whom he observed surrounded by 
 the greatest number of friends and companions. By bring- 
 ino- them back to a regular mode of living, he hoped to gain 
 over at once a greater number of souls to God. And it 
 pleased God to bless his efforts by the numerous conversions 
 which he obtained, and which gained him great reputation as 
 an apostolic teacher. 
 
 Yet the efficacy of his discourses was not owing to his 
 eloquence, for nature had denied him that gift ; but his 
 heart spoke, and that heart wholly kindled with the love of 
 God, seemed like a furnace, from whence issued the glowing 
 flames by which he was consumed, diffusing their warmth 
 over all who listened to him. 
 
 The Exercises themselves were based upon certain fun- 
 damental truths, which he had {horoughly examined by the 
 light of divine knowledge, and which had, assumed in his 
 mind all the characteristics of deep conviction. The effect 
 which he produced upon his hearers was therefore irresistible ; 
 and he joyfully employed the all-powerful virtue of tho 
 
126 HISTORY OF 
 
 Gospel to toucli the hearts of the most hardened sinners. 
 Experience had taught him that the most intractable may be 
 subdued by zeal and perseverance. 
 
 Amongst these was a young nobleman, invested with a 
 very high ecclesiastical dignity in Spain. He had fre- 
 quently heard Ignatius spoken of, and on being informed 
 that he desired an audience, concluded that he had come to 
 ask alms, which supposition alone prevented the young pre- 
 late from refusing him admittance. Nevertheless, at the 
 sight of the Saint he felt himself troubled, and his counte- 
 nance changed. His suspicions and fears increased, when 
 Ignatius requested to speak with him in private. As soon 
 as they were alone, he thus addressed him : " One who is 
 less than nothing, and who is moreover a miserable sinner, 
 cannot venture to arrogate to himself the title of friend to a 
 nobleman of your high rank ; yet such are my affection and 
 devotion to the person of your lordship, that amongst your 
 thousand friends, perhaps there is not one so sincerely at- 
 tached to you as I am. Nay, I am more devoted to you 
 than you are to yourself ; since it is your soul, the noblest 
 part of your being, which I love, and it is of it that you take 
 no care. You know not, nor is it surprising, all that is 
 rumored of you in Alcala. This is the fault of those who 
 surround you, and who allow nothing to reach your ear 
 which docs not please and flatter you. But what does indeed 
 astonish me is, that you do not hear the voice of your con- 
 science ! Did God place you in this world to think of nothing 
 but your own amusement, as if neither heaven nor hell ex- 
 isted ? Is it then so unimportant a matter, whether you are 
 to save your soul or to lose it to all eternity ? If, at this 
 moment, death were to overtake you, (which God forbid !) 
 what would be your fate for ever ? What would become 
 of those riches which you use only to offend and insult the 
 
SAINT IGNATIUS DE LOYOLA. 127 
 
 all-powerful God, from whose bounty you received them ? 
 And those shameful pleasures which ruin your soul, what 
 account could you render to God of them ? "What of all the 
 souls who, through your means, perish eternally ? " At these 
 words, the indignation of the young prelate 'against the beg- 
 gar who had thus come to insult him in his own house, broke 
 forth. He interrupted him furiously, overwhelmed him with 
 a torrent of abuse, and threatened to have him thrown out 
 of the window, if he ventured to add another word. 
 
 Ignatius, no way offended by this fury, which he regarded 
 as nothing more than the ravings of an unfortunate madman, 
 continued his zealous efforts ; and in a short time, his words, 
 vivified no doubt by the Spirit and grace of God, vibrated 
 to the very depths of his hearer's soul, and suspended his 
 wrath. Seeing him become more calm, Ignatius continued 
 his discourse with noble intrepidity, succeeded in touching 
 his heart, and saw him at length humble himself before 
 God. 
 
 The servants, attracted by the angry voice of their mas- 
 ter, expected to witness some strange scene, and their sur- 
 prise was extreme, when they beheld him leave his apart- 
 ment, lavishing upon Ignatius the greatest marks of respect, 
 and when they received orders to place a cover for the 
 stranger, who was going to sup with him. Our Saint did 
 not refuse the invitation, hoping to profit by this additional 
 opportunity of continuing the conversation upon spiritual 
 subjects, and of fortifying him in his good resolutions. 
 Dating from that day, the new convert became one of the 
 most zealous friends and defenders of Ignatius ; who, on his 
 side, felt the greater attachment for him, that his conversion 
 became the source of many others. 
 
 Similar conversions of this nature happened daily ; and 
 a spiritual school was formed within the hospital, at least as 
 
128 HISTORY OP 
 
 numerously attended as that where the humanities were 
 taught ; but the prince of darkness could not leave this work 
 in peace, since he lost as many disciples as were gained over 
 by the Saint. Some worthless men first endeavored to make 
 Ignatius pass for a magician, but no one crediting this asser- 
 tion, they were obliged to have recourse to other methods ; 
 and they next used all their efibrts to excite the authority 
 of the courts against him, so that being brought into dis- 
 repute amongst the ignorant by the investigation of his life 
 and doctrine, they would afterwards feel no confidence in 
 him. 
 
 The propagators of certain dangerous opinions, who called 
 themselves the lUuminati, had been lately discovered and 
 condemned in Spain. Besides, a great and terrible move- 
 ment was beginning to distract all Europe. Luther, with 
 his piercing and passionate voice, was stirring up the minds 
 of men, and disseminating his pestilent doctrines. His 
 works, read, commented on, and reproduced under a thousand 
 forms, animated all Germany against the Papacy, In Spain 
 the Inquisition watched with extreme care over the preserva- 
 tion of the Catholic faith. Meanwhile, it was a strange 
 spectacle to see these men and women, belonging to every 
 rank, assembling in an hospital round this Ignatius, who 
 hardly knew the rules of grammar ! Things went so far, 
 that Doctor Alonzo Sanchez, canon of St. Just, on one occa- 
 sion publicly refused the Communion to Ignatius and his 
 companions, reproaching them with making too familiar a 
 use of holy things. But shortly after, no doubt enlightened 
 from on high, he distributed the bread of life to them, and 
 experienced at that moment so sweet a feeling of devotion, 
 that he could hardly restrain his tears. The same day, he 
 begged Ignatius to dine with him, and after hearing him 
 speak upon spiritual subjects, respected him as a saint. 
 
SAINT IGNATIUS DE LOYOLA. 129 
 
 However, as it happened that some of the converts, on 
 changing their manner of living, experienced violent trouble 
 and even great physical sufferings, suspicion increased ; and 
 it was decided that all this proceeded from enchantments 
 and magic. Besides this, several young students suddenly 
 changed their mode of life, and shut themselves up in silence, 
 to follow certain mysterious practices under the guidance of 
 their Director. What were these practices ? Might not 
 error glide in amongst them ? for, in short, this Director 
 was an ignorant man ; and was he not endeavoring, under 
 the cloak of sanctity, to spread abroad new doctrines ? Then 
 came other objections. Why this manner of dressing differ- 
 ently from other students ? Was there not at least some 
 vanity in this circumstance ? Finally, the new converts 
 received the Communion every Sunday ; an uncommon prac- 
 tice at that period. Thus suspicions accumulated from day 
 to day, like clouds gathering together before a storm. AH 
 these circumstances, disfigured as usually happens, reached 
 the Court of Inquisition at Toledo, at the same time with 
 importunate demands for having them promptly remedied j 
 Don Alphonso de Mexia, canon of the cathedral, was there- 
 fore dispatched privately to Alcala, and charged to take, in 
 concert with Dr. Michael Carasco, the canon of St. Just, 
 information upon this subject, and to transmit it to Toledo. 
 He fulfilled his mission with equal fidelity and prudence. 
 He interrogated those who were habitual witnesses of the life 
 of Ignatius, and those who daily listened to his doctrine, 
 and having ascertained the sanctity of both, returned to 
 Toledo without having seen Ignatius, after having directed 
 John Rodriguez de Figueroa, lieutenant of police in Alcala, 
 to replace him. He, wishing to show his zeal, shortly after 
 desired the Saint to appear before him, and informed him 
 that inquiries had been made concerning him. " It was 
 
 VOL. I, — 6* 
 
130 HISTOPcY OF 
 
 true," said lie, " that they had turned to his advantage ; hut 
 one thing, however, had given him displeasure, and this waa 
 the singularity of the dress which he and his companions 
 wore. Why should they all be of the same color and form, 
 as in religious orders ?" The Lieutenant added, that Igna- 
 tius and his friends ought in future to vary at least the color 
 of their dress ; and as for the rest, they might continue to lead 
 their usual mode of life, and to labor for the sanctification of 
 souls, as they had hitherto done. It was easy to please 
 Figueroa. Ignatius and Artiaga dressed themselves in black, 
 Calistus and Casares in brown, and the young Frenchman 
 resumed his former costume, only adding shoes and stock- 
 ings, out of obedience to " the magistrate ; who shortly after 
 renewed his inquiries and examined new witnesses, but heard 
 nothing excepting eulogiums of Ignatius. He therefore con- 
 ceived the strongest feelings of respect and affection towards 
 him, but an incident soon occurred which entirely changed 
 his good dispositions. 
 
 Amongst those who assembled to hear the exhortations 
 of Ignatius, were two ladies of noble family, mother and 
 daughter, both widows ; the name of the mother, Mary del 
 Vado; that of the daughter, Louisa Velasquez. These 
 pious women, ardently desirous of performing some great 
 works of a spiritual nature, took the resolution of passing 
 their whole lives as pilgrims, of visiting all the hospitals in 
 Spain, and of performing great works of mortification and 
 charity. But before putting this project into execution, they 
 wished to obtain the approbation of Ignatius ; and he, far 
 from giving it, reproved them severely for their intention, 
 and by wise and powerful arguments, proved to them that 
 women, still young, who can hardly find safety in retire- 
 ment, could not, without running great risks, undertake this 
 wandering life. The Enemy of their salvation, said he, only 
 
SAINT IGNATIUS DE LOYOLA. 13 ' 
 
 desired to remove them from the guardianship of their 
 friends, in order to make them fall more easily into the 
 snares which would be prepared for them. If they wished 
 to give themselves up to works of mortification and charity, 
 there was no want in Alcala, either of sick persons, or of 
 hospitals where they might exercise them with equal merit, 
 and fewer dangers. He succeeded in convincing them, and 
 for the moment they abandoned their project. 
 
 But the end of Lent approached, and anxious to pass 
 that time in the most holy manner possible, their first idea 
 returned with more than its former force ; however this time 
 they only mentioned it to some intimate confidants. Soon 
 after, dressed as pilgrims, and accompanied only by one fe- 
 male domestic, the ladies Del Yado and Velasquez, set out 
 upon their journey on foot, and begging alms. When they 
 were no longer seen in the town, divers reports arose con- 
 cerning them, until at length the persons whom they had ta- 
 ken into their confidence, openly declared that they had not 
 fled from their house, but were merely making a pious pil- 
 grimage. Then all manner of maledictions fell upon Igna- 
 tius. At the first glance it certainly appeared as "if nothing 
 but his exhortations could have induced two ladies of hon- 
 orable conduct, to adopt so strange and dangerous a resolu- 
 tion. Many were irritated by it, but none so much as the 
 Doctor Pedro Cirvelio, under whose guardianship they had 
 been placed ; and his anger was the greater that this adven- 
 ture was in truth as disagreeable for him, as dangerous for 
 his wards. Was it not intolerable, said he, to see an igno- 
 rant man, a beggar, come, no one knew from whence, over- 
 turning all Alcala, without any sort of opposition ? It was 
 time to abandon a man who would soon separate daughters 
 from their mothers, and wives from their husbands, to expose 
 them under the pretext of piety, to public ridicule. Such 
 
132 HISTORY OF 
 
 audacity must be put a stop to, and this person deprived of 
 the means of acting in such a manner, since, devoid as he 
 was both of learning and prudence, his advice could only 
 lead to deeds of scandal or folly. 
 
 All affairs which concern the students are brought before 
 the Rector of the University, and it is to him that the right 
 of judging belongs. Cirvelio, knowing how devoted Mat- 
 thew Paschal was to Ignatius, feared that he would not find 
 in him the severity which such offences seemed to merit, and 
 therefore addressiuor himself to Fio-ueroa, the lieutenant of 
 police, he lodged his complaint with him. The authority of 
 the Doctor, and the esteem in which he was held by Cardi- 
 nal Ximenes, who had given him the first chair of theology 
 lately founded by him in this University, decided the lieu- 
 tenant of police to give an order for the arrest of Ignatius, 
 which was immediately executed. 
 
 Whilst the officers were leading him to prison, the young 
 Don Francis Borgia, son of the Duke of Gandia, happened 
 to pass by, at that time a youth of about seventeen years of 
 age. A striking contrast was presented by these two men 
 at that moment ; the one, led between constables, who were 
 conveying him to a shameful imprisonment ; the other sur- 
 rounded by a numerous and noble retinue, the object of uni- 
 versal homage and respect. This circumstance, which then 
 appeared the effect of chance, tending to increase the morti- 
 fication of Ignatius, was no doubt a disposition of Divine 
 Providence, which was one day to indemnify him for it, by 
 giving him the happiness of seeing that very nobleman, then 
 Viceroy and Duke of Gandia, arrive in Rome, place him- 
 self under his authority, and enter into the new Order which 
 he had founded. From what different extremes had arisen 
 the superiority of the one, and the submission of the other ! 
 
 But Ignatius, though a prisoner, had not lost either the 
 
SAINT IGNATIUS DE LOYOLA. 133 
 
 veneration or the love of his pupils, who flocked in numbers 
 to see and hear him. Persons of the highest rank did not 
 fear to penetrate into his prison, and there they found him 
 with so free and contented a spirit, that it seemed as though 
 he had gone there willingly, in order to prove by example, 
 as well as precept, that when God is in the heart, we find 
 Paradise every where. Deducing subjects of instruction 
 from his actual position, he spoke with so much fervor, as to 
 appear absolutely beside himself His enthusiasm seemed 
 to border upon madness. To love God, to love God, re- 
 peated he without ceasing, that is happiness ; to sufi"er for 
 Him, is the greatest proof of love ; to suffer for the glory 
 of God, in that alone consists true joy, unheard of felicity ! 
 Amongst those who crowded to hear him, was observed 
 George Navero, then principal professor of the Holy Scrip- 
 tures at Alcala, a man particularly renowned for his clear 
 judgment and piety. One day he was so enchanted with 
 the discourse of Ignatius, that, without remarking it, he al- 
 lowed the hour of his lesson to pass by. He afterwards re- 
 paired in great haste to his scholars, who were waiting for 
 him in the court, and accosting them with the countenance 
 of a man transported with admiration, exclaimed, " I have 
 just seen Paul in chains," (Vidi Paulum in vinculis,) 
 thinking it no exaggeration to compare the noble conduct of 
 Ignatius under suffering, with that of the great Apostle. 
 
 Meanwhile, Figueroa pursued his inquiries and examina- 
 tions, and calumnious accusations were not wanting ; but af- 
 ter being thoroughly investigated, they were invariably dis- 
 covered to be without a shadow of truth. In fact the testi- 
 monies in favor of Ignatius soon became so abundant, that 
 the trial appeared more likely to lead to his canonization, 
 than to his condemnation as a criminal. 
 
 Whilst this singular prosecution was in progress, people of 
 
134 HISTORY OF 
 
 high rank went to the prison, and offered him their services, 
 either in his defence, or to obtain whatever favors he might 
 desire. Amongst these, two of the principal persons were 
 Doiia Teresa Enriquez, the mother of the Duke of Marcheda, 
 and Dona Leonora Mascaregna, at that time lady of honor 
 to the Empress, and afterwards governess of the prince, 
 Philip II. But our Saint was so far from desiring to ob- 
 tain his release from prison through favor, that he would 
 not even consent to take an advocate to defend his cause. 
 It was that of Grod. In His hands he placed it, and as cal- 
 umny alone could cause his condemnation, he would have 
 esteemed himself happy to be condemned. 
 
 One of his companions, named Calixtus, having heard in 
 Segovia, where he then resided, of the imprisonment of Ig- 
 natius, came immediately, although suffering from illness, to 
 Alcala, in order to share his captivity. Ignatius instantly 
 sent him to the magistrate, that he might undergo all neces- 
 sary examination. 
 
 But on the 18th of August, forty-three days after their 
 departure, the three pilgrims returned home. Questioned 
 in their turn, they gave conclusive testimony in favor of the 
 innocence of Ignatius ; but even before this last examination 
 had taken place, Figueroa had thought it his duty to give 
 some consolation to the holy prisoner, accompanied, how- 
 ever, by very ill-placed severity. He repaired to the prison 
 to inquire from Ignatius himself whether he had taken any 
 part in the pilgrimage of the three women. On his pious 
 and sincere but negative reply, Figueroa put his hand on 
 the shoulder of Ignatius, and said smilingly, " Come, take 
 courage, for this accusation alone detained you here ; j^et it 
 would be better for you, and more satisfactory to me, if your 
 discourses bore in a less degree the stamp of novelty." 
 
 Ignatius hearing these words from a man whose duty it 
 
SAINT IGNATIUS DE LOYOLA. 135 
 
 was to sustain instead of condemning his efforts for procu- 
 ring the salvation of souls, replied with an air at once grave 
 and modest : " I should not have thought that to speak of 
 Jesus Christ to Christians, could have been called a novelty." 
 And without permitting a single word disrespectful to Figue- 
 roa to escape his lips, he added several remarks which con- 
 founded him, and brought blushes to his face. 
 
 But some delay was necessary before this affair could be 
 terminated; and it was not until the first of June, 1527, 
 that the magistrate declared the life and doctrines of Igna- 
 tius to be wholly irreproachable ; the only order which he 
 gave being that within the space of ten days Ignatius and 
 his companions should leave off the habits which they wore, 
 and dress like the other students ; moreover he forbade Ig- 
 natius to give either j^^hlic instructions or private exhorta- 
 tions, before having finished his three years of study, and 
 concluded his course of theology, and that under pain of ex- 
 communication and banishment from the kingdom. lo-natius 
 
 a o 
 
 bowed his head in token of respect, and received these orders 
 as if coming from God himself. He merely remarked, that 
 as to his clothes, he would obey by divesting himself of his 
 tunic, but that he could not dress like the other students, 
 because he possessed nothing in the world, and only pro- 
 cured by begging, the little food necessary for his daily sub- 
 sistence. 
 
 Upon this, the magistrate recommended him to a man of 
 some note, named Luzano, whose reputation for charity was 
 great throughout Alcala; and who resolVed to accompany 
 Ignatius, when he went through the city, asking alms. They 
 arrived one day at the house of Lopez Mendoza, where a 
 number of young men had collected to play at tennis ; a 
 crowd of spectators surrounded the players ; Luzano drew 
 near, and asked for charity. Lopez, already irritated by some 
 
136 HISTORY OP 
 
 advice wliicli Ignatius had formerly given him, concerning 
 his disorderly life, cried out ; " Is it not shameful for an 
 honorable man like you to go about begging in this manner 
 for a miserable hypocrite like that ? May I perish by fire if 
 he does not deserve to be condemned to the flames ! " 
 
 All who heard these rash words, were troubled, and as 
 they were circulated through the city, they were considered 
 truly scandalous. For the misfortune of him who had uttered 
 them, God himself seemed to accept this impious challenge, 
 and to let its dreadful consequences fall upon his head. A 
 few hours afterwards, news was received at Alcala of the 
 birth of the prince, afterwards Philip II., and great prepa- 
 rations were set on foot for rejoicings both public and pri- 
 vate. Lopez ascended the terrace of his palace, with a page 
 and a slave, to fire off an arquebuse ; but a spark, directed by 
 divine wrath, flew upon a vessel containing a quantity of 
 gunpowder, and set fire to it. The flames enveloped the unfor- 
 tunate Lopez, who uttering loud cries of despair, rushed pre- 
 cipitately down from the turret, and casting himself into a 
 reservoir filled with water, expired an instant after. Thus 
 few hours elapsed between the crime and the punishment of 
 that unfortunate man — ^between the insult received by Igna- 
 tius and his justification. He then saw what St. Augustine 
 calls, " A great spectacle, God himself armed for his de- 
 fence." {Magnum sjpectaculum, Deum armatum pro te.) 
 When we observe this fact with attention, we shall remark 
 in it a double stroke dealt by the hand of Divine Providence, 
 which, while thus proving how God could avenge the honor 
 of His faithful servant, efi'aced the bad impression which 
 might have been produced, not only by the imprecations of 
 Lopez, but also by the bad treatment of the magistrate 
 towards Ignatius, in condemning him to silence, as if he had 
 been guilty ; even while acknowledging the innocence of hia 
 life, and the purity of his doctrine. 
 
SA;nT IGNATIUS DE LOYOLA. 137 
 
 However, Ignatius being prohibited from speaking of God, 
 and gaining souls to His service, or from upIiQ ^ Q ^clS Jh l. 
 
 right path those whom he had already led to G( 
 that his best plan would now be to follow the a^#€e'()f the < 
 Archbishop of Toledo, Don Alonzo Fonsecc^r-who recom- 
 mended him to repair to Salamanca, and thej^^lo, c^^|ra(W^^ 
 his studies and satisfy his fervor. But here ^ain <jrop[ ,aid -s^^ 
 not permit him to remain long, and it seemed ^^ if His*" \«ifill^^^ 
 was that Io;natIus should leave Spain: for in the.-midat.Qi'^ 
 so many vicissitudes, his resolution to study alT\^ijOTJKUiuM^*>> 
 unshaken. It was this which led him to Paris, whereTHreATmi 
 kept as in reserve for him, Francis Xavier, James Lainez, 
 and several others, destined to serve as foundation-stones for 
 the great edifice of the Society. As we may judge by the 
 seepcl, the few months which he passed In Alcala, contributed 
 powerfully to this work ; for the opinion which he left behind 
 him in that city. In regard to himself, together with the gen- 
 eral desire of making his acquaintance, attracted to France 
 and Italy, and afterwards associated with him, Salmeron, 
 Bobadilla, Olave, Nadal, Eguia, and all those men distin- 
 guished by their talents and sincerity, who will appear in the 
 course of this history. 
 
 And so, after having, as it were, cast his nets in Sala- 
 manca, God required his presence in Paris, that he might re- 
 unite and select men willing to co-operate with him in ex- 
 ecuting the great project which he meditated. 
 
 When he had established himself in Salamanca, he re- 
 sumed his former habit of discoursing upon spiritual sub- 
 jects, both in public and private. But whether it was that 
 unfortunate prejudices had been transmitted there from Al- 
 cala, or that the evil of those days caused suspicion to foil 
 even upon the holiest things whenever they assumed an as- 
 pect of novelty, a fortnight had hardly elapsed in the midst 
 
138 HISTORY OP 
 
 of his pious Exercises and the conversions consequent upon 
 them, when several Dominican Religious, zealous guardians 
 of the Faith, moved to suspicion, desired to become thor- 
 oughly acquainted with his life and doctrine. It was easy 
 for them to do so, for he had chosen one of their number for 
 his director. From him he one day received an invitation to 
 dine at the monastery, accompanied with the warning to hold 
 nimself in readiness to answer all the interrogatories which 
 would be put to him by several of the Religious. Dinner 
 being over, he led Ignatius into a chapel, where the Vicar 
 of Alcala awaited him; who after cordially eulogizing the 
 apostolic life which he had chosen, and the pious fervor man- 
 ifested by his discourses, inquired what course of study he 
 had followed, and how fiir he had profited by it. Ignatius 
 replied that he had studied little, and acknowledged that he 
 knew nothing. 
 
 " What ! " replied the Yicar, " few studies and no learn- 
 ing ! and you preacU without being a theologian ? " "I do 
 not 'preach^'' replied Ignatius, " but I speak familiarly about 
 heavenly things, in the hopes of converting some of those 
 who listen to me." 
 
 He was then questioned as to the subjects of his exhorta- 
 tions, and replied that he spoke of vices and virtues in 
 general. 
 
 " But these," said the Vicar, "are matters of profound 
 theology ; and by your own confession, you are ignorant of 
 that science. You can only therefore possess this knowledg 
 by a supernatural gift of the Holy Spirit : — if it be so, ccd 
 fess it," 
 
 Ignatius did not consider this deduction as perfectly just, 
 for his interrogator referred only to the speculative manner 
 in which this subject was treated in the schools ; whereas he 
 only concerned himself with the acts which are derived from 
 
SAINT IGNATIUS DE LOYOLA. 139 
 
 it, and with their utility or danger to men's salvation. IIo 
 therefore made no reply ; whereupon his interrogator, believ- 
 ing that he had reduced him to silence ; " In times like the 
 present," said he, " where so many errors are spread through- 
 out Christendom, you dare without learning, without study, 
 to speak in public upon subjects of which you are ignorant, 
 and you will not explain the nature of your teaching to him 
 who might judge of your errors, if you' possess any. If your 
 doctrine is pure, why are you now silent ? If it is not so, 
 how do you venture to teach it ? Moreover," added he in great 
 astonishment, " what strange manner of dress is that adopted 
 by your companion ? " 
 
 He spoke of Calixtus, lately arrived at Alcala, and who 
 wore a very short cloak, a very large hat, and carried in his 
 hand a pilgrim's staff. Now Calixtus was a tall man, of an 
 ungraceful figure, and this costume truly appeared ridiculous 
 enough. Hearing the question of the Vicar, he replied that 
 he had given away the rest of his clothes to a poor man who 
 required them more than he did. The Vicar believing this 
 a well-invented falsehood, smiled incredulously, and resolved, 
 since Ignatius kept silence concerning his doctrine, to compel 
 him to an explanation. 
 
 Accordingly he ordered him to be confined in one of the 
 cells of the monastery, with guards placed before his door ; 
 and there he detained him for three days, whilst he pro- 
 ceeded against him before the courts. 
 
 Ignatius was meanwhile visited by several of the monks, 
 some wishing to see, others to hear him ; whilst he 
 as usual discoursed upon spiritual subjects with the most 
 perfect equanimity, and the more freely that he felt assured 
 of being understood by his audience, all well versed in 
 sacred learning. The convent became divided into different 
 parties in regard to him. Some looked upon him as a Saint, 
 
140 HISTORY OF 
 
 and being perfectly convinced that sucli admirable knowledge 
 could only have been acquired through the most sublime and 
 elevated contemplation, were of opinion that he should be 
 left at perfect liberty to teach, since it was easy to see that 
 the Spirit of God spoke by his lips. Others on the contrary 
 declared that, Saint or not, an ignorant man should not be 
 permitted -to become a teacher, and that at least it was neces- 
 sary that a careful examination should be made both of what 
 he knew and what he taught, until it was ascertained whether 
 or not any dangerous errors were concealed under this appear- 
 ance of holy life and doctrine. 
 
 At the end of three days, Ignatius and Calixtus were 
 transferred to so miserable a prison, that their confinement 
 might thenceforth be regarded as a punishment rather than a 
 precautionary measure. To the foot of each of the prisoners 
 was attached a chain about twelve hands long, so that the 
 one could not move without dragging his companion along 
 with him. The religious writings of Ignatius were then 
 seized, and each word analyzed. Yet he was so well and even 
 so happy in his prison, that during the whole of the first 
 night, he did not cease to sing with his companion all the 
 psalms and hymns which they knew by heart. 
 
 The following day many pious persons visited Ignatius, 
 and observing that his only means of taking a little rest, 
 was to lie down upon the damp and muddy floor, they insisted 
 upon sending him some relief, notwithstanding his determined 
 refusal to accept any. 
 
 Several days having elapsed in this manner, he was led 
 into the presence of four persons for examination; three of 
 ■whom, Isidore, Paraviiia, and Frias, were doctors of the- 
 ology ; while the fourth, also named Frias, was a magistrate, 
 and bachelor of the University. They examined him by 
 turns, proposing the most subtle questions to him concerning 
 
SAINT IGNATIUS DE LOYOLA. 14 1 
 
 the mysteries of the Most Holy Trinity, the Incarnation, the 
 Eucharist, and even canon law. Ignatius, even while pro- 
 testing his ignorance, replied with so much solidity of doc- 
 trine, and such extreme correctness of expression, that every 
 one was struck with astonishment. They afterwards invited 
 him to discourse as he usually did in public, giving him as a 
 subject the first commandment. This was blowing up the 
 fire that lay kindled in his heart, into a bright flame, for 
 when he spoke upon divine love, he became animated, not 
 like a man who merely teaches a doctrine, but like one who 
 feels and practises it in his own heart. 
 
 Soon after, a circumstance occurred, which brought to 
 light all the sincerity and innocence of Ignatius. Two more 
 of his companions had been shut up in the common prison, 
 he himself having, without being required to do so, made 
 them known to the judges, in order that they might undergo 
 an examination. Now it happened that one night the pris- 
 oners forced open the doors, and escaped. The companions 
 of the Saint alone remained, both from a consciousness of 
 innocence, and from having been instructed by him to look 
 upon suffering as a particular favor from Grod. From that 
 moment, a commodious and spacious apartment in the prison 
 was assigned them. But lojnatius still remained in irons. 
 His prison, it is true, seemed to have become a place of pub- 
 lic resort, for men of all ranks crowded to hear him dis- 
 course. Amongst them was Don Francis de Mendoza, after- 
 wards Bishop of Burgos and Cardinal, and the Vicar Frias, 
 who had been the most severe or the most zealous of his in- 
 terrogators. Seeing him in irons, the latter expressed his 
 compassion both by looks and words ; but Ignatius, turning 
 towards him, his countenance glowing as it usually did when 
 he made an outward manifestation of his love for God, " I 
 must repeat to you," said he,. " what I just now said to a 
 
142 HISTORY OF 
 
 lady, wlio pitied me sincerely for what slie called my ex- 
 treme misery, and what I call my extreme happiness. If the 
 love of God is in your heart, you can easily understand that 
 to suffer for Grod is an enjoyment to which all the pleasures 
 of the world cannot even be compared. I assure you that 
 there are not in all Salamanca chains or irons Enough to pre- 
 vent me from wishing for more, for the love of Him in whose 
 honor I wear this, which appears to you too heavy." 
 
 After twenty-two days of imprisonment and chains, Ig- 
 natius and his companions were brought before their judges. 
 Their innocence being acknowledged, they were set at liberty, 
 permitted to resume their former mode of life, and even to 
 preach as before. But they were at the same time desired 
 to abstain for the future, not yet being theologians, from 
 defining mortal or venial sins, a subject which offers great 
 difficulties even to the most enlightened men. The judges 
 believed that they had treated Ignatius with all the respect 
 which they considered his due ; and in taking leave of him, 
 all added various testimonials of their esteem, especially the 
 Yicar Frias. But the Saint, who carried his views further 
 into futurity, was of opinion that the prohibition of his 
 judges was equivalent to an order to be silent ; for since his 
 Exercises made a strong attack upon sin, and for that very 
 reason had raised up so many accusers and enemies against 
 him ; if he continued to speak openly as hitherto, against all 
 that offends God, he might be accused of determining the 
 nature of the offence, and consequently of having deviated 
 from the injunctions which he had received. 
 
 He therefore resolved, three weeks after leaving prison, 
 to quit Spain, and directed his course to Paris, where he ar- 
 rived on the 28th of February, 1528. There he joined 
 some Spaniards, the rent of whose house was paid in com- 
 mon, discharging his debt by means of the alms sent him 
 
SAINT IGNATIUS DE LOl'OLA. 143 
 
 from Barcelona, in order to save tlie time whicli he usually 
 spent in begging. He was thus enabled to devote himself 
 more assiduously to his studies. He now wished, instead of 
 following confusedly all the. different branches at once, to 
 resume them in order from their first elements, when one of 
 his companions, to whom he had confided his purse, contain- 
 ing twenty-five ducats, having employed them for his own 
 use, and being unable to restore them to their owner, Igna- 
 tius was obliged to ask an asylum at the hospital of St. 
 James, and again to provide for his subsistence by imploring 
 public charity. 
 
 This new arrangement was very prejudicial to his studies 
 both because that hospital was at a great distance from Mon- 
 tague College, where he attended the classes, and also be- 
 cause the doors were opened late in the morning, and shut 
 early in the evening. In this way he daily lost some part of 
 his lessons. An unsuccessful attempt was made by several 
 of his friends, to attach him to the service of some literary 
 man, who should be at the same time his master and pro- 
 fessor ; so that Ignatius might have satisfied his private de- 
 votion, by serving Jesus Christ in his person, and the apos- 
 tles in the persons of his fellow-students. At length, driven 
 by necessity, and following the advice of one of his friends, 
 who was a religious, he resolved to go to Flanders during the 
 vacation, and to beg from the Spanish merchants wherewith 
 to support him during one year ; he even went once to Eng- 
 land, which country was still Catholic. 
 
 John Madera, a fellow-countryman of Ignatius, repre- 
 sented to him that his appearance every where in that state 
 of poverty, was derogatory to the honor of his family ; that 
 it would be believed either that they were so destitute as to 
 be unable to provide for the necessities of one of their mem- 
 bers, or so avaricious as to refuse to do so. He even went 
 
144 UrSTORY OF 
 
 so far as to say, that by conducting himself in this manner 
 Ignatius was guilty of a sin of injustice against them, since 
 he compromised their reputation. John Madera was so con- 
 vinced of this, that all the reasonings of the Saint failed to 
 shake his opinion. Then Ignatius wrote in the form of a 
 case of conscience, the following question : " May a noble- 
 man, who for the love of God has renounced the world, go 
 from country to country, subsisting upon alms, without fear- 
 ing to injure the honor of his family ? " Ignatius submitted 
 this to several doctors of the Sorbonne, whom he chose from 
 amongst the most enlightened of that body, and they unani- 
 mously replied, that there was no fault in doing so. Then 
 he showed this decision to Madera, less for his own justifica- 
 tion, than in order to defend the glory of voluntary poverty, 
 which, ennobled by the examjile of Jesus Christ, for the love 
 of whom we devote ourselves to it, cannot blemish the honor 
 of the most illustrious descent. 
 
 At all events, Ignatius soon found it unnecessary to un- 
 dertake long and painful journeys, in order to provide for his 
 subsistence ; for the Spanish merchants, knowing who he 
 was, undertook to remit the amount of their alms to Paris ; 
 and this was sufficiently ample to provide him not only with 
 enough for his own maintenance, but for that of Peter Faber 
 and Nicholas Bobadilla, as well as for the support of many 
 poor persons. 
 
 During one of his journeys to Flanders, an incident oc-^ 
 curred, afterwards attested by the process of his canoniza- 
 tion, which proves that long before founding his Order, Ig- 
 natius knew by revelation that he was to be its Father. He 
 had gone to ask alms from a young Spaniard of Medina del 
 Campo, a merchant in Antwerp, called Peter Quadrato. 
 "Whilst receiving the aid which this young man bestowed 
 upon him with liberal generosity, God made known to his 
 
SAINT IGNATIUS DE LOYOLA. 1 '15 
 
 servant by prophetic inspiration, that he should one day be 
 indebted to him for still more important services. Look- 
 ing fixedly at the young merchant, " The day will come," 
 said he, " when you, who now exercise your charity so lib- 
 erally towards me, will found in your own country a house 
 of the Order, which God designs to establish by means of 
 the miserable man whom you have just now assisted." The 
 novelty of this idea, the positive manner in which it was ex- 
 pressed, and the ever increasing respect entertained for the 
 .sanctity of Ignatius, made a deep impression upon the young 
 Spaniard, and he never forgot those words. In after days, 
 his wife, Francesca Mansoni, never failed to relate this, 
 prophecy, when in company with any of the fathers of the 
 Order. The prediction was accomplished ; and Quadrato 
 founded at Medina a college of that Society, whose estab- 
 lishment had been announced to him so long beforehand. 
 
 In a monograph such as we have undertaken, the small- 
 est details make known the man, and the opinion in which 
 his contemporaries held him. Let us then be permitted to 
 add one circumstance, in concluding this chapter. Ignatius 
 was at Bruges, when Louis Vives, a man of great learning 
 and clear judgment, made him on one occasion sit down at 
 his table, with no other motive than that of performing an 
 act of charity to a poor man, when hearing him speak of 
 God in his sublime manner, and with that profound intelli- 
 gence of spiritual things which distinguished him, he was 
 lost in astonishment, and when Ignatius had gone, exclaimed 
 to those present, " That man is a Saint, and you will see 
 him one day found a new religious Order." His ability to 
 perform great things for the service of God was so manifest, 
 that at the first glance, and by the inspiration of good sense 
 alone, it was easy to foresee all that he was capable of ac* 
 complishiDg. 
 
 VOL. I. — 7 
 
145 HISTORY OP 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 Inconstancy and unfortunate end of the first companions of Ignatius — His charity 
 towards a person who had ofiended him — Conversion of several students— Igiia- 
 tius delivered from an unjust punishment — New conversions, 
 
 Ignatius being now entirely decided as to his mission, em- 
 ployed himself in making a new selection of men of supe- 
 rior skill, fitted to accomplish the extraordinary works which 
 he had planned for the glory of God. I say a new selection, 
 because it happened in regard to those four companions of 
 whom I have spoken, as to those seeds which produce a beau- 
 tiful verdant plant, but remain barren of fruit. They found 
 that they were not strong enough to follow in the footsteps 
 of a giant, and soon abandoned him. Nor was he more 
 successful at first in the choice of his new fellow-laborers. 
 These were John de Castro, a man of solid parts, and doc- 
 tor of the Sorbonne ; Peralta, a student, and a young man 
 of the family of the Amadores, a native of Biscay. Ig- 
 natius had drawn them towards God by the practice of his 
 Exercises, which had produced upon them their usual efiect, 
 namely, that of a complete change of life. All three sold 
 every thing they possessed, gave the money to the poor, and 
 retired into the hospital of St. James, where, giving them- 
 selves up to long meditations, they prepared themselves for 
 the adoption of a life worthy of so noble a beginning. But 
 the world, which can only see wiih the eyes of flesh, behnU 
 
SAINT IGNATIUS DE LOYOLA. 147 
 
 in this heroic resolution nothing but the height of folly ; and 
 when they saw these nohle and rich young men (for such 
 rv^ere the two first) begging for alms, they considered their 
 conduct as that of miserable wretches and madmen, and as 
 tending to dishonor their country and family. Their friends 
 surrounded them, and by advice and reproaches, endeavored 
 to bring them back to what they called good sense ; but the 
 grace of God had cast its roots too deeply in their hearts to 
 be easily torn up by the discourses of men, who were the 
 less wise the more fondly they trusted in vain chimeras. 
 The last reply of the new converts was, that they also had 
 formerly looked upon heavenly things with profane eyes, but 
 that now, thanks to the lessons of Ignatius, their blindness 
 was cured : " And if you yourselves," added they, " would 
 listen to him, perhaps you also would wish to join him ; but 
 at least if you will not imitate him, cease to trouble us." 
 
 When all hope of persuading them to change their reso- 
 lution was entirely lost, recourse was had to violent meas- 
 ures ; and a handful of men well armed being sent to the 
 hospital, the converts were dragged out by force, carried 
 back to their former habitation, and obliged to dress accord- 
 ing to their rank ; until at length, by dint of persecution, 
 they consented to live at least externally like other people, 
 till their studies were concluded, and they had returned to 
 Spain. And it was thus that these new seeds, without be- 
 coming entirely abortive, did not bear the fruits which might 
 have been expected. John de Castro, who aftex'wards be- 
 came a preacher, resolved that the words by which he ex- 
 norted his brethren to persevere in virtue, should not reproach 
 lim with his own instability ; he therefore took the Reli- 
 gious habit, in the Carthusian monastery of "Valencia. We 
 shall have occasion to speak of him again in the sequel of 
 this history. 
 
148 HISTORY OF 
 
 Peralta undertook a voyage to tlie Holy Land ; "but meet- 
 ing in Italy with one of his relatives, a distinguished officer, 
 he was taken by him to Rome ; and the Pope having pro- 
 hibited him from continuing his journey, he returned to 
 Spain. As for the young Biscay an, his fate is entirely un- 
 known to us, A new storm now broke forth against Igna- 
 tius ; and the old accusations of magic and sorcery, by which 
 he was said to lead the minds of his hearers astray, were 
 renewed. Amongst those who spoke against him in no 
 measured terms, were two men of note, both doctors, Peter 
 Ortiz and James Govea ; the first much attached to the two 
 Spaniards whom we have already mentioned ; and the latter, 
 to the young Amador, who attended his classes. Their 
 conversation, as well as that of some others as prejudiced as 
 themselves, reached the ears of Father Francis Matthew 
 Ori, who was then Inquisitor ; and he, easily imagining from 
 the efiects produced, what the nature of these pretended 
 sorceries, which troubled men's minds must be, conceived a 
 great desire of becoming acquainted with Ignatius, who was 
 at that moment absent from Paris. It happened that his 
 companion, the student who had dissipated all the money in- 
 trusted to him by Ignatius, having set out for Spain, had 
 fallen ill in Kouen. There, entirely alone, and reduced to 
 complete destitution, he had recourse to the charity of the 
 man whose trust he had betrayed, and found means of making 
 known to him the extreme misery to which he was reduced. 
 Ignatius only required to be informed of his condition, to 
 reward the evil that had been done to himself, by the most 
 heroic charity. He set out instantly, in hopes of being use- 
 ful to this unfortunate man ; and before rejoining him, made 
 an offering to God of all the suffering of his journey, which 
 he resolved to perform barefoot and fasting, after having 
 consulted the Lord in a church of the Dominicans, where he 
 had gone to perform his devotions. 
 
SAINT IGNATIUS DE LOYJLA. .49 
 
 In commencing this undertaking, Ignatius could not lielp 
 feeling a certain degree of apprehension, and his human na- 
 ture, in spite of himself, revolted at the idea of taking so 
 long a journey without any food. But when he had arrived 
 at three leagues distance from Paris, and whilst endeavoring 
 to climb a hill, was renewing within his mind his fixed deter- 
 mination to drag himself, if it were necessary, to Rouen, 
 Grod suddenly infused so much strength and vigor into his 
 heart, that he journeyed ten leagues more that same day, and 
 instead of walking painfully, felt as if he were carried 
 through the air. He experienced neither hunger, nor fa- 
 tigue, nor weariness, so completely was he ravished in God, 
 and inflamed with Divine love. These heavenly consolations 
 filling his heart, frequently obliged him to stop, and to 
 breathe forth aloud the feelings which consumed him. Th3 
 first night of his journey he was received in a hospital, and 
 shared the bed of a poor mendicant ; the second he slept in 
 the fields upon a heap of straw ; the third day he reached 
 Rouen, and hastened to the house of his old companion. 
 After having embraced him aff'cctionately, he began to serve 
 him with admirable charity, and afterwards procured him a 
 passage on board a vessel, giving him letters of recommen- 
 dation to his friends. Such is the vengeance of the Saints ; 
 such is the manner in which they punish ofi'ences committed 
 against themselves. 
 
 While Ignatius was still at Rouen, and devoting himself 
 to the care of the sick man, he learned that the Inquisitor of 
 Paris was desirous of seeing him. He tlierefore hastened his 
 departure as much as possible, and before entering his own 
 dwelling, went in search of the Inquisitor, and assured him 
 of his submission to his orders, whatever they might be. He 
 o«nly entreated that he might not be prevented from attend- 
 ing the classes which were opened at St. Remi. However, 
 
150 HISTORY OF 
 
 his innocence was so promptly recognized, that he was not 
 even obliged to undergo an examination, and immediately 
 recommenced, under Professor John Pena, his course of 
 philosophy at the College of St. Barbara. 
 
 At the same time Grod excited in the heart of Ignatius 
 an ever-increasing desire to labor at the work so often at- 
 tempted in vain, and for which He had more especially led 
 him to the French capital. He therefore began to speak 
 upon spiritual subjects to the scholars, not only in hopes of 
 leading them to God, but also in order to discern their 
 characters, and to attach to himself those destined by Heaven 
 to become the companions of his labors. And thus it soon 
 came to pass that when the classes were ended, masters and 
 scholars formed groups round Ignatius, to take lessons in this 
 new celestial philosophy, of which he was the admirable in- 
 terpreter. Compared with his strong and logical deductions 
 from the very heart of the Gospel, the philosophy of Aristotle 
 grew pale. In listening to that heavenly discourse, the souls 
 of the hearers, deeply moved, acknowledged the impression 
 of an eloquence springing from the heart. The courses of 
 Petia were neglected ; the cause of philosophy suffered, and 
 now another storm broke forth against Ignatius. 
 
 It was a custom in the College of St. Barbara, on holi- 
 days, for the scholars to argue with each other by way of 
 exercise, and also that the master might judge of tlieir pro- 
 gress ; but since Ignatius had introduced amongst them the 
 habit of frequenting the sacraments, the daily increasing 
 concourse of students in the church diminished in the same 
 proportion the number of those who assembled at St. Bar- 
 bara. Peril, discontented, and knowing that it would bo 
 useless to complain to Ignatius, addressed himself to Dr. 
 Govea, rector of the college. Pupils convicted of bringing 
 disorder into the classes, were punished by a solemn castiga- 
 
SAINT IGNATIUS DE LOYOLA. 151 
 
 tion, inflicted in the public hall ,• and for this purpose, the 
 professors armed with rods and whips, assembled at the sound 
 of the bell, the students also being bound to assist at the 
 spectacle. The material suifering of the punishment was 
 trifling, but the infamy was great ; and it was considered a 
 degradation to be intimate with any man who had undergone 
 it. It was then to this punishment that Pena wished to 
 condemn Ignatius, in hopes of rendering him contemptible in 
 the eyes of his companions. The moment was favorable, for 
 the Rector had conceived an aversion for lo-natius ever since 
 the afiair of the young Biscayan. Govea and Peila there- 
 fore took council together upon this matter, but the afiair 
 got abroad, and the friends of the accused warned him not to 
 present himself at the college. 
 
 On receiving the news of his intended degradation, the 
 weakness of nature for a moment prevailed in the heart of 
 Ignatius, and he conceived a feeling of horror at the idea of 
 receiving so ignominious a punishment. But he soon grew 
 calm, and reproaching himself bitterly for this momentary 
 revolt of the senses, directed his steps towards St. Bar- 
 bara ; where, no sooner had he entered, than the gates of the 
 college were closed upon him. But of this great sacrifice 
 which Ignatius offered to the Lord, it pleased Him to accept 
 only the victory which he had gained over himself, and not 
 to permit his servant to suffer an affront, the consequences 
 of which would have been more unfortunate for others than 
 for himself Ignatius clearly discerning the artifice of tbe 
 demon, who only labored to make him contemptible by this 
 odious means, in order to alienate from him the souls which had 
 derived benefit from his instructions, felt his love of humilia- 
 tion yield to his earnest desire of becoming the instrument 
 of the salvation of his brethren. Therefore, when about to 
 ^e led into the hall where his punishment awaited him, he 
 
152 HISTORY OF 
 
 requested permission to speak beforehand with the Rector. 
 His request being complied with, he spoke his mind frankly 
 and openly, animated by no personal fear, but by the purest 
 zeal for the glory of God. He assured the Rector that after 
 having suffered chains and imprisonment, his courage would 
 not fail under the chastisement which was awaiting him, and 
 which did not take him by surprise as they believed, since 
 he had been warned of it beforehand, and yet had presented 
 himself at the college of his own accord. In other places, 
 the same fault, his desire of gaining souls to God, had al- 
 ready brought persecution upon him, yet he had never said 
 a word in his exculpation, nor permitted any advocate to 
 defend him ; for to suffer and die in so glorious a cause was 
 less a merit than a source of honor and joy. " But now," 
 added he, " it is not my interest which is at stake, but the 
 eternal salvation of many a soul now in peril ; and it is 
 therefore that I believe it to be my duty to make an appeal 
 to your better judgment, as to whether it is an act of Chris- 
 tian justice to permit a man to be punished as a disturber 
 of the peace, whose only crime is that he has labored to make 
 the name of Jesus known and loved ; and to inflict upon me 
 the ignominy of a public chastisement, with the sole view of 
 detaching from me those whom God in His infinite mercy 
 has placed under my care." 
 
 As he spoke, the eyes of the Rector were opened, and for 
 a moment tears were his only answer. Then taking Ignatius 
 by the hand, he conducted him into the hall where the mas- 
 ters and scholars were assembled ; and there, throwing him- 
 self at his feet, he entreated him to pardon the insult which 
 he had given permission to be inflicted upon him ; and the 
 offence which, through him, he had offered to God himself. 
 Many years afterwards, before the Society had become a 
 religious Order, this same Govea petitioned the King of 
 
SAINT IGNATIUS DE LOYOLA. 153 
 
 Portugal, John III. to employ the companions of Ignatius 
 in the conversion of tlie Indies, where they sowed the seeds 
 of those admirable spiritual harvests afterwards reaped by 
 St. Francis Xavier, and by so many others who emulated his 
 zeal and followed in his footsteps. Had this unjust sentence 
 j)ronomiced against Ignatius been put in execution, perhaps 
 he never would have made the glorious conquest of Xavier, 
 who being at that time a resident -of the college of St. Bar- 
 bara, and of the most extreme susceptibility in all that con- 
 cerned the honor of a gentleman, would never have conde- 
 scended to occupy the same chamber with him, nor even to 
 listen to a man publicly branded with infamy. 
 
 Thus God turned to the increase of His own glory and to 
 the credit of Ignatius, the very methods chosen by his enemies 
 for injuring both. The opinion of a man so highly esteemed 
 as the Rector — an opinion expressed with such public demon- 
 strations of respect — could not fail to attract universal esteem 
 and admiration towards Ignatius, and greatly to increase the 
 number of his disciples. John Pena, who had raised this 
 storm against him, afterwards learned to cherish and vene- 
 rate him as a saint. The same effect was produced upon 
 Moscoso and De Vallo, professors in the college, and one 
 still more striking upon Martial, a doctor of theology, who 
 becoming more intimate with Ignatius, and daily acquiring 
 from him fresh knowledge upon the most sublime subjects, 
 became persuaded that one who without having studied, was 
 already so marvellously skilled in theology, must have been 
 taught by God himself ; and for this reason, he offered to 
 admit him as doctor of theology, before he had entirely ter- 
 minated his other courses. It is true that Ignatius refused 
 to consent to this, but the circumstance may suffice to enable 
 us to appreciate at its true value the sentence passed in 
 Alcala, by which Ignatius was prohibited from speaking 
 
 VOL. L — 1* 
 
154 HISTORY OF 
 
 in public until he liad become a theologian ; he whose instruc- 
 tions were so valuable, that even before studying theology, 
 he was considered by such a man as Martial worthy of being 
 received as master and doctor. 
 
 However, the position of Ignatius was now greatly altered. 
 His zeal and labors were no longer confined within the walls 
 of the college ; and, although, from his imperfect knowledge 
 of the French language, he could not employ himself so 
 actively as in Spain, he never failed to seize every opportu- 
 nity of making himself useful to his neighbor. Some anec- 
 dotes are related of him in regard to this zealous desire for 
 the welfare of his fellow-men, which are worthy of being held 
 in perpetual remembrance. 
 
 A man of depraved habits had become passionately en- 
 amored of a married woman, through which criminal love 
 his life was exposed to constant peril. No sooner was this 
 circumstance made known to Ignatius, than he resolved to 
 employ his most strenuous exertions in order to ward off the 
 danger, both temporal and eternal, which threatened this 
 miserable man ; but he could not succeed in touching his 
 conscience, for it is a peculiarity of the vice which enslaved 
 him, that it darkens the vision to every ray of truth and 
 renders the ear deaf to the most salutary warnings. Igna- 
 tius found it necessary to have recourse to other methods. 
 To visit the object of his passion this man had to cross a 
 bridge, thrown over a deep stream ; it was then winter and 
 the cold extremely severe. Ignatius, stripping himself of 
 nearly all his clothing, plunged into the water up to his neck, 
 and there awaited the moment of the evenino; when he was 
 accustomed to pass the bridge. Meanwhile, he conjured the 
 Lord with tears to accept the sufferings which he was endur- 
 ing for the moral cure of one who, ignorant of the danger of 
 his condition, had no desire to remedy it. At length the 
 
SAINT IGNATIUS DE LOYOLA. l55 
 
 man whom lie expected arrived alone, entirely absorbed in 
 his usual thoughts. As soon as Ignatius perceived him, 
 he addressed him in a voice, which though trembling was 
 full of force, and which on this occasion penetrated the heart 
 of the sinner. " Gro," said he, " go seek for odious pleasures 
 at the peril of your life and of your immortal soul. As for 
 me, I shall remain here praying to God that I may expiate 
 by my sufferings your unworthy enjoyments. You will find 
 me here on your return ; you will find me here every even- 
 ing, until God, whom I cease not to implore in your behalf, 
 shall put an end to your crimes or to my life." The guilty 
 man shuddered. Affected by these vehement words, and 
 moved to compassion at the sight of sufferings, self-imposed 
 for his sake, he opened his eyes to his danger, changed 
 his course of life, and from that day regarded Ignatius, who 
 had thus delivered him from a double death, as his best and 
 truest friend. 
 
 On another occasion, Ignatius, in order to induce a priest 
 to reform his scandalous life, employed a method neither less 
 novel nor less efficacious. His position hardly permitted 
 him to speak freely to this priest, as it might have been con- 
 sidered disrespectful in a layman to find fault with the con- 
 duct of an ecclesiastic. After consulting God in prayer, as 
 on similar occasions he never failed to do, he went one Sun- 
 day morning to confession, and kneeling at the feet of this 
 unworthy priest, related to him the sins of his whole life, 
 with sentiments of compunction, well calculated to arouse 
 similar feelings in the breast of his hearer. As he conti- 
 nued, God spoke to the heart of this unworthy minister, and 
 made him feel how much more criminal in a priest than in a 
 layman were those faults, of which the penitent accused 
 himself. The sorrow of Ignatius penetrated his heart with 
 intolerable remorse. Had he also been a priest they would 
 
156 HISTORY OP 
 
 soon have exchanged parts, for hardly was the confession 
 ended, when the unfortunate ecclesiastic felt himself trans- 
 formed into a true penitent. He revealed to Ignatius the 
 miserable state of his soul ; and entreated him, as he had 
 thus contributed to show him his danger, to assist him 
 thenceforward to lead a new life. The Saint, who desired 
 nothing more, earnestly advised him to follow the Spiritual 
 Exercises ; and in a short time the exemplary life of the con- 
 vert offered as salutary an example, as his depraved conduct 
 had hitherto given cause of scandal. 
 
 In the two last cases, the zeal of Ignatius had suggested 
 the singular methods by which he was enabled to effect these 
 striking conversions ; but there was a third, which happened 
 in Paris, of which it may be said that the means were af- 
 forded by the very person whom he desired to convert, or 
 rather were inspired by Divine goodness, which was pleased 
 to operate these wonderful conversions. 
 
 Ignatius went one day upon business to the house of an 
 ecclesiastic, a doctor of theology, and found him engaged in 
 playing billiards. He was politely received, and either by 
 way of compliment, or more probably as a jest, the master 
 of the house proposed to play a game with him. Ignatius, 
 who knew nothing of billiards, excused himself upon that 
 plea, but the doctor persisting in his request, his visitor, 
 moved no doubt by an inward inspiration, replied, " Be it 
 so, doctor, I accept your proposal ; but poor men like me 
 cannot afford to play for mere amusement, we must have 
 some stake. As I possess nothing in the world but my own 
 person, that shall be mine. If I lose, I shall be bound to 
 serve you for the space of one month, and to obey you in all 
 lawful orders. If I gain, you will obey one order which I shall 
 give you, and which will be greatly for your advantage." 
 God, who had suggested to the one this singular proposal, in 
 
SAINT IGNATIUS DE LOYOLA. 157 
 
 spired the other to accept it. The game began. Ignatius 
 played with such good fortune, that it was easy to perceive 
 the Lord himself directed his inexperienced hand. His com- 
 panion lost every point, and began to believe that this astonish- 
 ing game might be a means of which God made use, in order 
 to arrive at some great result, which he did not yet discern. 
 At length, finding himself conquered, he consented to fulfil 
 the conditions previously agreed upon. Ignatius required 
 him to follow the Spiritual Exercises for one month, and the 
 doctor gathered the fruit which they almost invariably pro- 
 duced ; so that he passed from a criminal to an innocent life 
 and from thence to one *till more perfect. 
 
158 HISTORY OF 
 
 SECOJ^D BOOK. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 Ignatius attaches some compaTiions to himself in Paris, Avith the view of founding a 
 new Order — Means which he employs to draw them to God — First vows or foun- 
 dation of the Society of Jesus in the Church of Notre Dame de Montmartre — 
 Persecutions which it endured, and protection which it received from the Mother 
 of God — Labors of St Ignatius and his companions — Storm raised against them 
 inEome; after which the Order is definitively formed and approved of by tho 
 Pope, Paul III., under the title ot Society of Jesus — Origin of that name. 
 
 The first bonds of friendship whicli Ignatius formed in Paris, 
 were with a young man named Peter Faber (in French, Le- 
 febvre), born at Villaret in the diocese of Geneva. When 
 scarcely able to walk alone, he was sent by his father into 
 the country, to tend his flocks ; and this circumstance, which 
 tiien appeared the mere result of indigent circumstances, 
 was in truth a special disposition of Divine Providence in re- 
 gard to the child ; since being thus confided to solitude, he 
 was removed from danger, and maintained in that primitive 
 innocence, so rarely preserved unblemished amongst children 
 collected togiether in cities. 
 
 The father of young Faber was a good man. He taught 
 his son the first elements of religion, and in this the child 
 made such rapid progress, as to be soon capable of instruct- 
 ing others. A large stone is still pointed out, upon which, 
 when but six years of age, he would climb up and speak to 
 
SAINT IGNATIUS DE LOYOLA. 159 
 
 the country people upon tlie mysteries of faith, with so much 
 clearness and grace, that he invariably attracted a large 
 audience. They not only admired his youthful intelligence, 
 hut were astonished at this ardent desire of contributing to 
 the salvation of souls, in a child who could hardly have been 
 supposed to know what salvation was. God thus made ma- 
 nifest that he was destined in after days to a very different 
 employment from that of tending flocks ; and this premature 
 zeal was a presage of the noble conquests reserved for him. 
 Though he passed his first years in so humble an occupation, 
 the want of cultivation and development did not obscure his 
 intellect. He suffered deeply on the contrary from not hav- 
 ing it in his power to devote himself to study, and his con- 
 stant prayers and entreaties at last produced such an effect 
 upon his father, that fearing lest, through his neglect, these 
 precious dispositions of his son should be thrown away, he 
 made him abandon an employment so unsuited to him, and 
 placed him at college, under the direction of Peter Yeliardo. 
 This man, whose life was holy, and whose charity was un- 
 bounded, had devoted himself to the laborious task of edu- 
 cation, much less for the sake of pecuniary advantages, than 
 in hopes of giving that bias to the minds of the children in- 
 trusted to his care, the salutary influence of which usually 
 extends over their whole future life. Thus his instructions 
 embraced all moral afid Christian duties, no less than the 
 humanities. One of the methods which he employed in or- 
 der to infuse the fear and love of Grod into these young 
 hearts, was to mingle examples of virtue and precepts of 
 morality with all the lessons which he taught. He was 
 always on his guard lest the works of the ancient poets or 
 historians should injure the innocence of his pupils ; and as 
 Faber himself was afterwards wont to remark, these authors 
 seemed to become purified as they passed through his lips. 
 
160 HISTORY OF 
 
 It is easy to conceive the progress necessarily made, both in 
 learning and piety, by such a scholar under such a master. 
 At the age of twelve, animated by a fervent desire to please 
 Grod, Faber consecrated himself to Him by a vow of per- 
 petual chastity, and bound himself to serve God in a more 
 perfect state of life, without having as yet any distinct idea 
 as to the nature of his vocation. Such enthusiastic resolu- 
 tions can only suit a soul which, having been long exercised 
 in the practice of virtues of a less elevated order, has be- 
 come gradually prepared for attaining a more sublime degree 
 of perfection. 
 
 As for the humanities, besides the Greek and Latin lan- 
 guages of which Faber was a complete master, he also became 
 a skilful rhetorician ; his master could lead him no further. 
 But in order to study philosophy it was necessary for him to 
 leave his father, and the affection of the elder Faber towards 
 a son so deservedly beloved, rendered him strongly opposed 
 to this separation ; whilst the want of pecuniary means, in- 
 dispensable in providing for his son's outfit as a student, was 
 another obstacle, yet more difficult to surmount. But at 
 length all yielded to the will of God, who had not destined 
 Faber to form the consolation of one family only, nor to be- 
 nefit one obscure corner of the earth ; but to be the bearer 
 of reformation and salvation to many lands ; and therefore 
 it pleased Him to impart so much force to the arguments of 
 Dom George Faber, the Prior of a Carthusian monastery, and 
 a near relative of the family, that he succeeded in persuading 
 the father to consent to every sacrifice in order to send the 
 young man to finish his studies in Paris, where, at that 
 period, both sacred and profane learning shone in their 
 brightest lustre. 
 
 There he had as master of philosophy that same John 
 Pen a, who was also the teacher of Ignatius, and who con* 
 
SAINT IGNATIUS DE LOYOLA. 161 
 
 ceived a strong attacliment to Faber, both on account of the 
 innocence of his conduct, and his simple and amiable man- 
 ners, as well as for the solidity of his judgment, and that un- 
 wearied application to study which soon raised him above 
 all his fellow- scholars. Sometimes it happened that the 
 master himself, in order to throw light upon some obscure 
 and difficult passage of Aristotle, would have recourse to 
 him, as the best interpreter of the philosophic meaning. 
 His course terminated, Faber received the grade of Doctor on 
 the same day as Francis Xavier ; and it was at the very time 
 that he was about to commence the study of theology, that 
 Ignatius entered the College of St. Barbara to study philoso- 
 phy. But the brilliant pupil of Pena wished to pass a 
 second year in investigating thoroughly this science of his 
 predilection.* 
 
 * In the archives of this college, we find on the register of the 
 Nation Francaise that Pierre Lefebvre received the grade of Doctor 
 on the 15th of March, 1529 ; but as the year then began in Paris on 
 Easter-Day, the year 1529 corresponds to 1530, according to the pres- 
 ent mode of calculation. This is clearly proved by that which is 
 noted on the same register, on the subject of two of the companions 
 of Ignatius ; where it is said that Claude Lejay was received master 
 of arts, on Saturday the 6th of March, 1534, and Simon Kodriguez 
 on the 14th of March, 1535, on the Tuesday of the second week in 
 Lent ; which is only correct according to our present way of count- 
 ing, in the years 35 and 36 of that century, in the first of which the 
 6th of ]\Iarch falls in fact upon a Saturday ; and in the second, the 
 14th is a Tuesday. I have thought it right to make these observations, 
 both in order to throw some light upon the dat^s of that period, as 
 ■well as to prove the correctness of those which concern St. Ignatius. 
 In February 1528, he arrived in Paris; and on the following year, he 
 began at St. Remi the course which he terminated in 1533, taking 
 the rank of Doctor on the 13th of March. Then he entered upon 
 theology, continued that study for four years, and terminated it ia 
 \b?)i, as we shall reiaie in the sequel 
 
162 HISTORY OF 
 
 Ignatius having arrived at the College of St. Barbara, tc 
 begin his studies in philosophy, was confided by Pena to the 
 care of Peter Faber, who was to serve in some measure as 
 his tutor, and to explain to him in private, the lessons which 
 he heard in the classes. It was an advantage to both parties. 
 The relations thus established between them, led to a more 
 intimate acquaintance, from whence reciprocal attachment 
 and esteem soon arose, for each possessed the species of merit 
 which the other most loved and admired. Ignatius could 
 not have desired to meet with one more capable of serving 
 his designs ; nor Faber with a friend more according to his 
 own heart. Yet their position was somewhat peculiar. Ig- 
 natius felt how useful Faber might be to him in the work 
 which he meditated, whilst Faber experienced an absolute 
 necessity to have Ignatius for his spiritual director. Yet not- 
 withstanding this mutual attraction, they remained for a long 
 period mutually reserved; heir acquaintance assuming no 
 symptom of intimacy. It was Faber who first broke through 
 these trammels by opening his heart to his holy pupil, and seek- 
 ing in him a refuge from the grief which oppressed him. 
 
 He was at this time the constant victim of violent temp- 
 tations, the more painful for him in proportion to the purity 
 of his conscience, and in consequence of his vow, which was 
 ever present to his mind. His will repulsed his thoughts 
 with energy, yet he shuddered at the idea of a blemish even 
 in thought. AVishing to chastise his body, and bring it into 
 subjection, he in vain imposed the severest penances upon 
 himself; then to a desire for other sensual pleasures, a 
 temptation to gluttony was superadded! Faber did not suc- 
 cumb under any one of these temptations, but his very cfibrts 
 led him into danger by engendering thoughts of vain-glory 
 in his mind. The victory was therefore as dangerous as the 
 combat, and to fill up the measure of his spiritual misery, ha 
 
SAINT IGNATIUS DE LOYOLA. 163 
 
 was violently assailed by scruples of conscience. This de- 
 cided him to confide the necessities and sorrows of his soul 
 to Ignatius, and to entreat the assistance of his prayers, and 
 the support of his councils. As scruples when they reach a 
 certain height, usually induce strange resolutions, he con- 
 fessed to him that in order to deliver himself from the images 
 which fatio;ued his mind, he had formed the determination of 
 separating himself entii-ely from the objects which gave rise 
 to these vain imaginings 5 of retiring into solitude where he 
 could neither see nor be seen, and of living upon herbs, un- 
 til his former peace of mind was restored. But nothing of 
 all this was needful in order to bring him off conqueror in 
 the combat ; and Ignatius, who had been put to still severer 
 trials, was able to point out to Faber the surest and simplest 
 means of victory. We carry along with us our most terrible 
 enemies even into a desert, and the experience of St. Jerome 
 joined to that of many others, teaches us, that in the caves 
 of Palestine we may bring back to our view the theatres of 
 Rome, and that where the eye can trace nothing but the foot- 
 steps of wild beasts, the imagination may bring dangerous 
 and seductive objects before us. Nor is the most rigorous 
 fasting always an infallible remedy against the most miser- 
 able temptations ; for we have seen man exhausted with 
 austerities, yet not freed from the attacks of the common 
 enemy of mankind. 
 
 Ignatius led forward his new pupil by those paths which 
 his own experience and spiritual knowledge suggested to 
 him ; and the means which he employed, "^j nine d to the prayers 
 which he unceasingly offered in his behalf, soon restored 
 peace to his soul. The simple confession of his condition 
 had even sufficed to commence his cure, whether it was that 
 this act of humility was in itself a remedy, or that the 
 spirit of darkness, seeing himself discovered, lost his accus- 
 tomed boldness. 
 
164 HISTOPcY OF 
 
 The cares wliich Ignatius bestowed upon Faber, had not 
 his present necessities for their sole object. He also hoped 
 that by constantly leading him onwards to a higher degree 
 of perfection, he might inspire him with the desire of em- 
 bracing a state of life the holiness of which would prepare 
 him for uniting himself to him, and aiding in his lofty pro- 
 jects. And first, he prescribed, in order to repulse the dif^ 
 ferent temptations which assailed hlrn, the practice of those 
 private examinations of the heart, which assist us to uproot one 
 by one the smallest fibres of that self-love, which grows and 
 multiplies within our souls, as weeds spring up and abound 
 in the fields. He taught him how to defend himself by in- 
 terior acts, and yet without ever attributing the victory to 
 himself, even though sure that the evil inclinations of his 
 nature had no share in these temptations, and that the demon 
 alone made them arise in his soul. As for scruples, Ig- 
 natius, who had bought very dear the art of curing this great 
 evil, soon succeeded in restoring Faber to such tranquillity of 
 mind, that he thought fit to advise him to make a general 
 confession of his whole life. His wish was to prepare him 
 for the future, to induce him to make resolutions to lead a 
 life of greater perfection than he had hitherto done ; and, 
 according to Ignatius, nothing conducts us so surely to this 
 end, as thus bringing our whole life before our eyes, and ma- 
 turely weighing all our actions and all our faults. 
 
 It is a fine spectacle to observe these two souls thus 
 penetrating into each other, thus perfecting each other under 
 the all-powerful action of divine grace. One of the most effi- 
 cient means employed by Ignatius for the spiritual progress of 
 his friend, consisted in spiritual conversations, in which they 
 both found so much happiness, that they seemed no longer to 
 comprehend any other language but that which treated of God 
 and of heaven. It even became necessary to curb these pious 
 
SAINT IGNATIUS DE LOYOLA. ' 165 
 
 transports. When they met together in the evening to rehearse 
 the lessons of the day, hardly had they begun, when a word 
 escaping from the one or the other, seemed like a spark falling 
 upon dry branches, to kindle within them so much love for 
 spiritual things, that the hours of the night passed away with 
 the rapidity of a moment ; for when the soul is thus sweetly 
 absorbed in rapturous thoughts, it forgets itself and all ex- 
 ternal objects. The studies of Ignatius suffered from this ; 
 he did not gather from these conferences the profit which he 
 had hoped for ; therefore they made an agreement never to 
 speak upon spiritual subjects during the hours set apart for 
 the rehearsal of the lessons of philosophy, and this convention 
 they faithfully observed. 
 
 Ignatius thus passed two years in cultivating the soul of 
 his companion, and at length seeing that it was capable of 
 rising to the most elevated thought^ disclosed to him one 
 day in confidence, his project of going to the Holy Land, and 
 devoting his labors and life to the conversion of the infi- 
 dels, a project worthy of a heart entirely given up to God. 
 
 Faber, who until then had fluctuated amidst a thousand 
 doubts and uncertainties as to the state of life which he should 
 in future adopt, felt himself internally moved as it were by 
 the Spirit of God, which drew him towards Ignatius, and 
 throwing himself into his arms, he conjured him to receive 
 him as his associate in this noble and perilous enterprise. 
 He was thus the first of the children of Ignatius, and as 
 worthy of such a father as he was of such a son. Faber, 
 being then desirous to attach himself h^euceforward solely to 
 him who had brought him forth in Jesus Christ, wished first 
 to take leave of his father according to nature, and returned 
 to his native place, where he found that his mother was 
 already dead. He remained there eight months, rather be- 
 cause his presence was productive of great spiritual advan- 
 
166 HISTORY OF 
 
 tage to others, tlian for his own consolation or that of his 
 family ; then having received, together with the paternal 
 heuedicti-on, permission to dispose of himself absolutely, and 
 to give himself up entirely to the service of God, he returned 
 to Paris carrying nothing away with him, and placed himself 
 in the hands of Ignatius in such a complete state of destitu- 
 tion, that he could not continue his studies without the aid 
 of alms which Ignatius received for him. 
 
 On the return of Faber to Paris, Ignatius judged that 
 the time had arrived when it would be profitable for him to 
 follow the Exercises. Until then he had delayed giving 
 him this advice, waiting till Faber, entirely disengaged from 
 all worldly ties, and freed from all earthly cares, should be 
 enabled to experience their salutary influence in full force, 
 and be led forward to that perfection of which his soul was 
 so capable. The maujjer in which he followed them was 
 truly admirable. He quitted the College of St. Barbara, 
 where he occupied the same chamber with Ignatius and 
 Francis Xavier, and retired to a poor house in St. James's 
 street : it was winter, and the cold that year was so severe 
 in Paris, that the Seine was crossed in carriages. Faber, 
 who was always incited to contemplation by the sight of the 
 heavens, passed whole hours in prayer, in the middle of the 
 night, in a little court, covered with ice and snow. This, 
 which would have caused insupportable suffering to any other 
 man, did not even produce a moment of distraction in him; 
 the supernatural ardor which burned within him, so com- 
 pletely annihilated the painful sensation of external cold. 
 He resolved not even to look at a fire whilst he remained in 
 this retreat ; insomuch that a certain quantity of coal having 
 been placed there for his use, he employed it for a very dif- 
 ferent purpose ; — he used it as a couch and would occasion- 
 ally throw himself on it for a few hours, rather of suffering 
 than repose. 
 
SALNT IGNATIUS DE LOYOLA. • 16" 
 
 To all these mortifications he added one not less severe, 
 viz., an uninterrupted fast of six whole days, during which 
 time the bread of angels was his only food. His intention 
 was to continue it still longer ; but Ignatius guessed from 
 the livid pallor of his countenance, that he must be practis- 
 ing some great austerity, and having assured himself that it 
 was so, and after having obtained inspiration from heaven by 
 i:)rayer, he ordered Faber to renounce his self-imposed penance 
 that very day — to take some food, and to kindle a fire. The first 
 fruits which Faber gathered from this voluntary fast, was to 
 be ever after freed from a violent appetite, which, whether 
 from a necessity of nature, or from sensual inclination, had 
 hitherto rendered fasting extremely painful to him. 
 
 Having terminated the Exercises, he resolved to take 
 Holy Orders, for which this retreat had served as a prepa- 
 ration. He did so, receiving every spiritual consolation ; re- 
 newed the offering which he had already made of himself to 
 the Lord, consecrating himself to the divine service, not only 
 as priest but as victim, should he be judged worthy of dying 
 for His love. 
 
 He celebrated his first Mass on the day of St. Magdalen, 
 towards whom he had a particular devotion ; and afterwards 
 continued to pursue his studies in mystic and scholastic the- 
 ology. 
 
 The second disciple of Ignatius was Francis Xavier, 
 whose soul was capable of comprehending all the sublime 
 ideas of his master. Through him our Saint might deem 
 himself honored, as having been the director and guide of 
 an apostle. Xavier always acknowledged his debt to Igna- 
 tius, and when he gave himself up to his immense evangeli- 
 cal labors in the East, confessed that all his strength was 
 due to the spirit which Ignatius had infused into him, and 
 of which he was but the instrument, moved by a superior 
 
i68 HISTORY OP 
 
 power. Had Ignatius never gained over to God but this one 
 soul, he might have esteemed himself fortunate, like him 
 who, finding a pearl of great price, even if forced to sell all 
 lie possesses in order to obtain it, impoverishes in order to 
 enrich himself, and compensates by one single stroke for the 
 thousand small losses which he has experienced. Thus 
 Stephen, by obtaining the conversion of St. Paul alone, first 
 the persecutor, and then the teacher of nations ; he who re- 
 united so many barbarous voices in one concert of praise to 
 the honor of Jesus crucified ; made a more noble conquest 
 than if, traversing the whole universe, he had gained over 
 thousands of souls to God. 
 
 The castle from which Xavier took his name, is situated 
 in Navarre, at the distance of about one day's journey from 
 Pampeluna, where Ignatius received the wound which proved 
 so salutary for his soul. Although his father was of the 
 family of the Jassi, he and his brothers took the name of 
 their mother. Dona Maria of Azpilqueta and Xavier, in 
 order to preserve to their posterity the remembrance of one 
 of the most ancient and illustrious houses of Navarre. 
 Formerly known under the name of Asnarez, the family as- 
 sumed that of Xavier, when King Theobald, to reward their 
 services to his crown, made them the gift of this castle, 
 which they possessed for more than three hundred years. 
 
 Francis Xavier was born in the year 1497, and like St. 
 Ignatius, was the last of several brothers, but infinitely more 
 fortunate than they, for their lives were devoted to ambitious 
 pursuits; his, to contempt of the world. God had prepared 
 him for this from his earliest years, by giving him inclina- 
 tions entirely opposed to those of his brothers. The only 
 taste they showed was for the profession of arms, whilst 
 Xavier, on the contrary, loved nothing but study, following 
 in this respect in the footsteps of his father, a distinguished 
 
SAINT IGNATIUS DE LOYOLA. 169 
 
 man of letters, auditor of the royal council, and greatly be- 
 loved by John III., king of Navarre. Towards the year 
 1527, Francis went to Paris, studied philosophy, and pro- 
 fessed it publicly for three years and a half, with the 
 greatest success. During this period, the companion of his 
 studies and even of his chamber at the College of St. Bar- 
 bara, was Peter Faber. Surely it was already an astonish- 
 ing thing, to see this Xavier, with his proud heart, and his 
 illustrious descent, sharing the room of this poor peasant, 
 but lately occupied with the care of his flocks. How can we 
 fail to recognize in this a particular disposition of Provi- 
 dence, which thus secured to the young Navarrese a com- 
 panion capable of inspiring him with a sincere love of virtue, 
 in the midst of the free life led by the students ? Modesty 
 was indeed a natural gift in Xavier, and it must have been 
 strong within him ; since young, ardent, and free, amiable 
 and graceful in his manners, he always kept himself on his 
 guard against the vices of his age, and lived and died as 
 pure as he was at the moment of his birth. 
 
 On the other hand, his thoughts had not yet risen beyond 
 the honors of this world, and they appeared to him the most 
 noble objects which a generous heart could aspire to. There- 
 fore, when Ignatius was associated with him as a companion, 
 the young nobleman seeing him show an equal contempt for 
 esteem and for insults, and clothe himself in so poor and ab- 
 ject a'manner, abhorred as the indication of a mean spirit, 
 that which was, in fact, the effect of the most sublime humility. 
 Thus he began by despising him, and looking upon him 
 ■with a species of disgust. In vain Ignatius addressed the 
 most salutary exhortations to Xavier, entreating him to com- 
 mune with himself; bitter raillery or proud disdain were the 
 only answers he obtained. But on the other hand, with that 
 admirable knowledge of the minds of men, with which Ig- 
 
 VOL. I. — 8 
 
170 
 
 HISTORY OF 
 
 natius was endowed, he had immediately discerned in Xavicr 
 one of those strong souls, from which we must never expect 
 common things, and which, incapable of degrading them- 
 selves for any temporal interest, always deviate from the 
 path traced out by the multitude. But when once they lose 
 sight of the earth, and turn their eyes towards eternal things, 
 it is they who soar above all others in their lofty flight. 
 
 The greater the distaste which his fellow-countrymen 
 evinced towards him, the more Ignatius endeavored to win 
 his affections, in order that he might afterwards arouse within 
 his heart a desire to serve God. The very ambition of 
 Xavier assisted him in attaining this object ; for Ignatius 
 seeing his ardent thirst for distinction in literature and men- 
 tal labor, sought out pupils and hearers for him, brought 
 them to him himself, and on all occasions showed himself 
 anxious for his glory. The noble soul of Xavier, drawn 
 towards Ignatius by this conduct, he began to regard him in 
 a different light, to consider him as a sincere friend, and 
 gradually to treat him with confidence and familiarity. He 
 knew besides the noble origin of Ignatius, and that he also 
 had formerly been intoxicated with the vain fumes of glory. 
 In a little while, reflecting upon this great change, which the 
 love of God alone had effected, he began to think that it 
 might have proceeded from some other cause than cowardice 
 or meanness of spirit. He who thus considered the world as 
 unworthy of occupying his thoughts, must surely be faised 
 very far above it. Gradually, sanctity began to assume a 
 new aspect in the eyes of the student, and he discovered that 
 the things which are of God open a vast field of contemj^la- 
 tion to an elevated mind, and inspire it with thoughts even 
 more generous than his own had hitherto been. Meanwhile, 
 Ignatius never failed to profit by every opportunity which ho 
 could find, of making an impression upon Xavier, especially 
 
SAINT IGNATIUS DE LOYOLA. 171 
 
 upon tliose points where he considered himself strongest, but 
 where in reality his chief weakness lay. Often he would 
 make those words of £)\ir Saviour resound in the ears of the 
 young student ; " What shall it profit a man if he shall gain 
 the whole world, and lose his own soul ? Quid prodcst 
 Jiomini, si muyidum universum lucretur, animcs veri sucb 
 detrimentum patiatur .? " " Don Francis," said he, " if 
 we are to expect no other life than this here below, if we are 
 born to die, and not to live eternally, then you triumph and 
 I surrender. You are wise in thinking only of the things 
 of this world, and in endeavoring to obtain all those which are 
 still wanting to you. I am mad in advising you, on the con- 
 trary, to renounce all you possess. But if this short life is 
 only a passage leading to another which is immortal, which is 
 endless, then compare them — the one with eternity, the other 
 with fleeting time, in order to comprehend by the proportion 
 which you will find between one moment and interminable 
 ages, the importance of making a provision for the one, 
 rather than for the other. You weary yourself in laboring 
 to obtain in this world a felicity which the terrestrial and 
 grovelling ideas that now appear to you noble and gen- 
 erous, represent as true happiness ; but do you hope, with all 
 your efforts, ever to succeed in obtaining any thing more pre- 
 cious than Paradise — more durable than Eternity ? — Yet 
 Paradise and Eternity are destined for you ! And if you 
 wish tcf gain them, who can prevent you ? When you possess 
 them, who shall deprive you of them ? Why then so much 
 labor in order to procure earthly happiuQSS for a soul whose 
 origin is celestial, and transitory enjoyment for a heart capa- 
 ble of loving and possessing Grod himself, for ever ! A 
 blind man leans upon the first object which he meets, because 
 he can see nothing beyond it ; but he who can contemplate 
 the firmament, does not fix his eyes upon the ground ; and 
 
172 HISTORY OF 
 
 esteeming the earth at its true value, cannot find it worthy 
 of making him forget Heaven, and perilling his souL Even 
 could this world bestow upon you in one moment its most 
 seducing gifts, and show you as by a flash of lightning all 
 the kingdoms of the world and their glory, could you possess 
 them longer than during the short time you have to live ? 
 And were you to live a hundred centuries, would not the last 
 hour of their last day arrive at length ? And if you the 
 ephemeral possessor of a middling degree of good, have de- 
 prived yourself of Grod himself for all eternity, shall you 
 have gained in the exchange ? Who could enumerate all 
 those who have been rich, powerful, honored ? yet their 
 grandeur, their possessions were only lent them, and they 
 fatigued themselves in preserving and increasing that which 
 they were at length obliged to abandon. Did any one of 
 them ever carry away with him a vestige of his riches and 
 power ? Had he at least carried away one slave, a single one 
 of his slaves, were it the vilest, the most miserable of them 
 all! Had he preserved but one shred of purple, to show 
 beyond the tomb, that he had been a king when upon earth ! 
 But, arrived upon the threshold of eternity, all have looked 
 back, and have beheld the wealth and grandeur which were 
 still theirs, already seeking new masters, whilst they were 
 advancing alone, not to exchange them for new treasures, but 
 to receive the reward of their works ! By speaking thus to 
 you, I would not narrow the circle of your thoughts, nor 
 abase their loftiness ; I would on the contrary render them 
 vaster, more sublime ; for I call those narroiu^ which, not- 
 withstanding all their vain efforts to extend themselves, can 
 embrace but a short space of time ; I call abject, those which 
 remain fixed upon the earth. Should you obtain everything 
 which you now desire, you would neither be hapj^y nor 
 satisfied. 
 
SAINT IGNATIUS DE LOYOLA. 173 
 
 " Oh no ! your lieart is not so narrow that the whole 
 world can suffice for it ; nothing, nothing but God can ever 
 fill it. But in Him you will find all that your soul most ar- 
 dently desires ; then, when you contemplate this world which 
 now dazzles you, and compare its happiness with yours, the 
 first will appear like a drop of water compared with the 
 ocean ; like a faint glimmer of light, eclipsed by the appear- 
 ance of a sun, resplendent in immortal beauty. Francis, 
 you have a solid judgment. I leave you therefore to pro- 
 nounce yourself which is most advantageous ; to say now to 
 all the joys of this world. Quid jprodest ? what have I to 
 do with you ? or to enjoy them at the risk of repeating eter- 
 nally with the unfortunate victims in hell, these other 
 words ; Quid profuit surpcrhia^ aut divitiarum, quid coyi- 
 tulit nobis .? "* 
 
 Such were the lessons of evangelical philosophy which 
 Icvnatius offered to Xavier for his meditation, in order to in- 
 duce him to partake one day in the holy folly of the Cross, 
 which laughs at the wisdom of the world. And the disciple 
 soon became worthy of his master, for God, who dictated the 
 words of the one, made them penetrate into the heart of the 
 other. The first reflections had troubled him ; a usual ef- 
 fect of the combat which arises between nature and grace, 
 between vice and virtue ; but a salutary crisis uprooted from 
 his heart every terrestrial and worldly thought which lin- 
 gered there. Ignatius would have wished him at that time 
 to follow the Exercises, but the duties of his office did not 
 permit this. He therefore replaced them as much as possi- 
 ble by conversations upon the fundamental maxims of salva- 
 tion, which were a kind of spiritual milk for Xavier, pre- 
 paring him for the reception of more substantial nourish- 
 
 * Sap, 5. 
 
 
174 HISTORY OF 
 
 meut. The great word of Ignatius, q^uid prodest, of which 
 he had felt all the force, siuce it was the lever which raised 
 him above the world, afterwards became in his mouth one 
 of the most powerful means for producing upon others the 
 effect which he himself had experienced from it. 
 
 In later days, in a letter written from the Indies to Si- 
 mon Rodriguez, Xavier expresses a great desire that the zeal 
 of John III. for the propagation of the Faith in the East, 
 should be excited by the frequent repetition of these few 
 words : quid prodest, &c. " If I could believe," said he, 
 " that the king would not repulse my humble and faithful 
 counsels, I would entreat him to meditate daily, were it but 
 for a quarter of an hour, on that divine sentence, praying to 
 God that he would grant him grace to understand its full 
 meaning and interior sentiment. I would that he termina- 
 ted all his prayers by these words. It is time to labor to 
 draw him out of error, for the hour approaches more nearly 
 than he believes, when the King of Kings will demand of 
 him an account of his administration. Bedde rationem 
 'villicationis tua. Occupy yourself therefore in endeavor- 
 ing to induce him to send the assistance necessary for the 
 conversion of the infidels ! " 
 
 But the world and hell could not, without trembling, lose 
 such a man as Xavier. They foresaw that he would drag 
 from their hands a multitude of souls, and would open to 
 the Gospel the gates of those far distant regions, where no 
 one had yet caused its holy light to penetrate. They would 
 not therefore wait until they should have to combat Ignatius 
 and his disciple togetlier, but begin by using all their en- 
 deavors to separate them ; for the former alone was already 
 an enemy too much to be dreaded. The spirit of darkness 
 persuaded Don John, the father of Xavier, that by permit- 
 ting him to continue his studies he entailed upon himself a 
 
SAINT IGNATIUS DE LOYOLA. 175 
 
 useless expense, from wliicli liis son would reap no benefit. 
 But to these fatal suggestions the Lord opposed the advice 
 of a holy maiden, and through her means their evil influence 
 was turned aside. Xavier had a sister, Dofia Magdalen 
 Xavier, who had formerly occupied at court the high position 
 of first lady of honor to the queen, but who had afterwards 
 resigned her office, and retired into the Convent of Santa 
 Clara at Gandia, where she died in the odor of sanctity — an 
 opinion confirmed by many favors from Heaven ; one of the 
 most remarkable of which was the probable inspiration by 
 which she foresaw the great services which were one day to 
 be rendered to the Church by her brother Francis. Indeed 
 she wrote to her father, that if the glory of God was dear 
 to him, he ought, far from recalling his son, to retain him in 
 Paris until he had entirely concluded his theological studies, 
 " for," added she, impressively, " God has chosen him to be 
 His apostle in the Indies, and one of the firmest pillars of 
 the Church." 
 
 The letter of this faithful servant of the Lord was long 
 preserved, and read by many persons, who deposed to it at 
 the process of canonization, as ocular witnesses of its con- 
 tents. Don John Xavier, confiding in the words of Dona 
 Magdalen, renounced all idea of interrupting the studies of 
 his son ; but failing in this attempt, the Enemy of man's 
 salvation raised up dangers of another and not less grave 
 nature. One Michael Navarro, a man of low origin, and 
 yet baser soul, who lived at the expense of Xavier, observing 
 his growing attachment to Ignatius, foresaw that he would 
 end by consecrating himself as he had done to a life of hu- 
 mility and poverty ; he therefore feared that he liiniself 
 would thus lose the support upon which he depended, and 
 also that the glory of an illustrious family would be com- 
 promised. He resolved to secure at a single stroke his own 
 
176 HISTORY OF 
 
 livelihood and the honor of the noble house of Xavier, by 
 taking the life of Ignatius. He would have succeeded but 
 too well in this fatal design, had Grod not stretched forth His 
 arm to defend the life of His servant, and to avert from 
 Xavier the misfortune of losing such a master. As the as- 
 sassin, armed with a dagger, ascended the staircase with 
 stealthy steps, in order to fall unawares upon Ignatius, who 
 had already retired to his chamber, he heard a terrible voice 
 pronounce these words : " Whither goest thou, wretch ? and 
 what dost thou design to do ? " Seized with terror, he 
 rushed trembling into the presence of Ignatius, and throw- 
 ing himself at his feet, confessed his odious design, together 
 with the supernatural cause of his repentance, and humbly 
 entreated his forgiveness. 
 
SAINT lONATIUS DE LOYOLA. 177 
 
 CHAPTER 11. 
 
 James Lainez, Alphonsus Salmeron, and Nicholas Bobadilla associate themselves to 
 
 St. Ignatius. 
 
 After Francis Xavier, tlie next disciples of St. Ignatius were 
 two Spaniards of distinguished talents ; the first, James 
 Lainez, of Almazan, in the diocese of Siguenza ; the other, 
 Alphonsus Salmeron, from the environs of Toledo. The 
 former was twenty-one years of age, the latter eighteen ; but 
 both were very far in advance of their age in all learning, 
 whether religious or profane. Lainez was already a professor 
 of theology, and Salmeron possessed a thorough knowledge 
 of the Greek, Latin, and Hebrew tongues. After having 
 studied at Alcala, they were attracted to Paris, less from 
 the desire of visiting foreign countries, than by the reputa- 
 tion for sanctity acquired by Ignatius. All which they had 
 heard related of him in Alcala — all that was written from 
 Paris concerning him, inspired them with an earnest wish to 
 study the practical science of spiritual things under so great 
 a master ; and they therefore resolved to pass over into 
 France. It pleased God to make known to them that they 
 had in some measure guessed his will ; for they had hardly 
 entered Paris, when they saw Ignatius advancing towards 
 them ; and although Lainez had never met with him before, 
 yet as he had come in quest of a Saint, he judged from the 
 gait and appearance of Ignatius, that he must be the man he 
 \ou L — 8* 
 
ITS HISTORY OF 
 
 sought. Heaven had prepared Ignatius to receive him as a 
 ])upil, at the same time that it had inspired Lainez to choose 
 him for his master. It was therefore to their mutual satis- 
 faction that Lainez became the friend and companion of the 
 Saint, who beheld with great joy the manner in which God 
 favored his designs, by thus attracting towards him men of 
 so much talent and virtue. This young man was destined 
 not only to be the companion of Ignatius, and his as- 
 sistant in the foundation of a new religious Order, but even 
 to be his successor in the government of the Society. This 
 is the same Lainez who, after having performed heroic labors 
 in Europe and Africa for the service of the Church, appeared 
 at the Council of Trent, where he excited universal admira- 
 tion, assisting more than once as theologian from the Holy 
 See, and afterwards refusing the Cardinal's hat, with which 
 Paul III. wished to recompense his merit. He could not, 
 however, avoid accepting the generalship of the Society, 
 when after the death of Ignatius he was elected in his place, 
 as one who walked more closely in the footsteps of the holy 
 Founder, than any of his followers. But a more remarkable 
 fact, and one which redounds still more to his honor, is, that 
 being found worthy, by his learning, merit and superior wis- 
 dom, to occupy the first post in the universe, he would in all 
 probability have been raised to the dignity of Sovereign 
 Pontiff, had he not through humility fled in order to escape 
 from that great honor; for after the death of Paul IV. 
 twelve of the most influential Cardinals were of opinion that 
 no one was more worthy than he to bear this weighty charge, 
 although neither Bishop nor Cardinal. 
 
 Salmeron made no delay in following the example of his 
 companion. They were together admitted to the Exercises 
 of St. Ignatius, and engaged in them with so much fervor, 
 that after having kept the three first days as a complete fast, 
 
SAINT IGNATIUS DE LOYOLA. 179 
 
 Lainez continued it for fifteen more, on. bread and water, 
 adding otlier austerities, such as the hair shirt, the disci- 
 pUne, and a wooden board for his only place of repose. 
 
 God employed other means to lead a fifth companion to 
 Ignatius, Nicholas Alphonso, surnamed Bobadilla, from the 
 place of his birth, near Palencia. He had taught the hu- 
 manities at Yalladolid with great success, until the desire 
 of studying philosophy led him to Paris, where his poverty 
 placed him under the protection of Ignatius ; for being una- 
 ble to provide for his own expenses, and knowing that the 
 esteem in which Ignatius was held, procured him the means 
 of distributing abundant alms, he solicited his aid, and ob- 
 tained advantages of a much more important nature than 
 those for which he sought. Besides the material aid which 
 he received from Ignatius, a rich treasure of holy counsels 
 and spiritual consolation was bestowed upon him ; where- 
 upon he gave himself up entirely to the influence of the 
 Saint, followed his Spiritual Exercises, and became his faith- 
 ful friend and companion for life. 
 
 Before making acquaintance with the three last of whom 
 we have spoken, Ignatius had become united in strict friend- 
 ship with Simon Rodriguez d'Azevedo, a native of Ber- 
 zella, in the diocese of Viseo, in Portugal It would seem, 
 indeed, that on his death-bed ^gidius Gronsalvez, the father 
 of Rodriguez, had foreseen the destiny of his son. Having 
 called his children around him, to receive his dying blessing, 
 he began with the eldest; but suddenly turning his eyes 
 upon Simon, then a very young child, carried in the arms of 
 his mother, Catharine d'Azevedo ; " Madam," said he, " I 
 recommend that child to you. Bring him up with particu- 
 lar care, for God destines him to do great things for His 
 glory." From that time, the mother of Simon regarded 
 him as already consecrated to God ; and the Lord, for whose 
 
180 HISTORY OF 
 
 service alone lie was educated, oestowed upon him the most 
 angelic innocence and the greatest apostolic zeal. The first 
 enabled him to surmount many dangerous attacks upon his 
 virtue from women who became enamored of him ; while the 
 second led him to conceive, like Ignatius, the desire of vis- 
 iting the Holy Land, and devoting his life to the conversion 
 of the infidels. This was in fact his motive for joining Ig- 
 natius, with whom he maintained friendly relations before 
 Lainez and Salmeron were known to him. One day when 
 opening his whole heart to Ignatius, and confiding all his in- 
 tentions to him, he found that the same desires and the same 
 projects had been formed by the Saint. Upon discovering 
 this conformity in their views, Kodriguez could no longer 
 doubt that God himself had inspired the king of Portugal 
 with the idea of sending him at his own expense to study in 
 the university of Paris, for the sole purpose of placing him 
 within the reach of Ignatius, and of making him the partner 
 of his labors. He no longer hesitated to become his pupil 
 and companion, and was yet more fully confirmed in this de- 
 sign, when after having followed the Spiritual Exercises, he 
 recognized with still greater certainty that the will of God 
 with regard to him was, that he should adopt the state of 
 life projected by his new director. 
 
 Such were the first six disciples whom the patriarch col- 
 lected together in Paris, and three others joined him after- 
 wards. There was yet another whom he ardently desired to 
 obtain from God, but his wish wag not gratified until some 
 years had elapsed. This was Jerome Nadal, a native of 
 Majorca. He resisted a long while before being able to 
 come to the determination of following the Saint ; and as 
 his history is particularly connected with that of Ignatius, I 
 shall relate it here, to avoid breaking the thread of my nar- 
 rative. 
 
SAINT IGNATIUS DE LOYOLA. 181 
 
 Jerome, in order to perform great deeds in the service 
 of God, only re(|uired the assistance of an apostle like Ig- 
 natius, who in fact used every means to attract him, as did 
 also Faber and Lainez, with their utmost zeal ; but deaf to 
 their counsels, he firmly defended himself against them. 
 They also employed for the same purpose, Emanuel Miona, 
 the Director of Ignatius, who had been very successful in 
 drawing many souls to God. Nadal gave him the opportu- 
 nity of exercising his charity towards him, by choosing him 
 for his Confessor ; but when he saw that he also, like the 
 others, exliorted him to embrace a state of life which he had 
 already rejected, having no other arguments to use, he re- 
 plied ironically, " How can you think me obliged to take a 
 resolution which you do not follow yourself ? Since it is so 
 great an advantage to be attached to Ignatius, first give me 
 the example, and then you may draw me after you — then I 
 may at least begin to think of it." 
 
 Ignatius deeply regretted to see a. young man who might 
 have been so useful in the service of God, losing himself in 
 the tumult of the world ; and disappointed in his hopes, he 
 resolved to try what influence he himself might have over 
 him. He therefore went one day in search of Nadal, and 
 leading him to an old and unfrequented church, entered 
 it along with him. There, having no fear of being inter- 
 rupted, Ignatius began to talk with him upon spiritual sub- 
 jects, and showed him a long and forcible letter which he 
 had just written to one of his nephews, exhorting him to ex- 
 change the yoke of the world for that of Jesus Christ. To 
 give him a proof of perfect confidence, he proceeded to read 
 it to him from beginning to end, insisting, as he went along, 
 upon certain truths of especial importance, from which he 
 hoped that Nadal would derive as much profit as his nephew. 
 They begun in fact to touch his heart, but when Jerome felt 
 
182 HISTORY OF 
 
 this lie resisted his emotion, and combated the Lord with 
 His own weapons. Taking the holy Gospel from his pocket, 
 and showing it to Ignatius, " To this book," said he, " I 
 keep firm ; it is sufficient for me ; if you have nothing bet- 
 ter to offer me I shall not follow you, which I plainly see is 
 your desire. I know not as jet what you are, either you or 
 your companions ; and what you intend to do, I know still 
 less." And with these words he quitted him, and for the fu- 
 ture avoided every opportunity of meeting either Ignatius 
 or his friends, so fearful was he of yielding to their influence. 
 Nadal afterwards returned to his native place, and lived 
 there for more than ten years, always uneasy and vacillating, 
 like a man dissatisfied with the half Christian life which he 
 led, and yet wanting courage to embrace a more perfect one. 
 The Gospel alone was no longer sufficient for him, as he had 
 formerly said to Ignatius, since he would have wished an an- 
 gel to descend from Heaven to explain it, and to make known 
 to him clearly that our -Lord's invitation to take up the cross 
 and follow Him, was also addressed to himself. Such is 
 usually the punishment of those who despise the warnings 
 which are sent them from Heaven by the ministry of the 
 servants of God ; they vainly desire supernatural admoni- 
 tion ; and while awaiting it, remain in the miserable servi- 
 tude of the children of the world. 
 
 However, a time arrived when Jerome Nadal had re- 
 course to the counsels of a certain anchorite named Anthony, 
 whom he regarded as a Saint. His advice at first only in- 
 duced him to adopt the salutary habit of devoting some mo- 
 ments of each day to mental prayer. It is true that the 
 profit which he derived from this exercise was not entirely 
 limited to a desire for his own salvation, for he began to 
 form a project for associating to himself some men, capable 
 by their learning of making themselves useful to others. 
 
SAINT IGNATIUS DE LOYOLA. 183 
 
 Ile^did not remark tliat tliey might have shown him the Bi- 
 ble, as he did to Ignatius, and told him that they desired no 
 other guide to perfection, than which, in truth, a better could 
 not be found. 
 
 In the mean time, the Society of Jesus was founded, 
 and already extended as far as the Indies ; from whence 
 Francis Xavier addressed letters to Ignatius and his com- 
 panions in Europe, and spoke to them of the thousands of 
 heathen whom he had brought to the knowledge of the true 
 Faith. It pleased God, that a copy of one of these letters 
 should arrive at Majorca, and that after passing from hand 
 to hand, it should fall into those of Nadal, who eagerly pe- 
 rused it. He saw that the Xavier, whom he had known in 
 Paris as one of the companions of Ignatius, had become 
 nothing less than an apostle. Learning, moreover, from the 
 same letter, that the Society now formed a new Order, ap- 
 proved of by the Sovereign Pontiff, he remembered what he 
 had said to Ignatius some years before, and exclaimed with 
 animation, " Oh ! here is indeed a great work ! " and with- 
 out any delay, came to the resolution of setting off for Eome. 
 Yet he had then no other intention but that of seeing Igna- 
 tius once more, and receiving from him some counsels which 
 might be beneficial to his spiritual welfare. Therefore when 
 James Laiuez and Jerome Domeuechi proposed that he 
 should join them in following the Spiritual Exercises, he 
 complained of it to Ignatius, regarding their proposal as a 
 snare to draw him into the Society, and believing that he 
 possessed neither the talents nor virtues necessary for 
 makino; himself useful in that state of life. 
 
 The Saint reassured him, and even encouraged him to 
 follow the Exercises ; but as to the idea of joining the So- 
 ciety, " Do not occupy your mind about it," said he ; "it 
 must come from God ; and were He to inspire you with tho 
 
18i HISTORY OP 
 
 desire of doing so, He would know in what manner you 
 could be usefully employed." During the whole course of 
 the Exercises, Nadal endured long and painful conflicts with 
 himself, for he had commenced them with the fixed resolu- 
 tion of yielding to no inward emotion, and of awaiting some 
 supernatural warning, before deciding upon his vocation. 
 But God, who called him to become one of the Society, 
 would give him no other sign of His will, but those inspira- 
 tions which secretly speak to the heart, and which were not 
 wanting to him. He combated then against God, and 
 against himself, and constantly discussed the reasons for and 
 against joining Ignatius. But having arrived during the 
 course of the Exercises, at the meditation of The two Stand- 
 ards^ he confessed himself conquered at the very moment 
 when he appeared furthest from being so. Having thor- 
 oughly examined the motives which were to decide him to 
 follow the banner of Christ, he experienced such perplexity 
 of mind, such heart-rending agitation, that neither head nor 
 heart could longer endure such agony, and he was ready to 
 give up every thing in* despair ; when, in the middle of a 
 night which he had devoted to painful reflection, it pleased 
 the Lord to cast upon him one of those glances of peace 
 which shed calmness and serenity wherever they fall. Noth- 
 ing more was wanting to dissipate the gloom, and to appease 
 the tempest which had distracted the soul of Nadal. In- 
 stead of that sombre melancholy which had until then agitat- 
 ed his mind, it was inundated with such sweet consolation, 
 that during a moment of delightful meditation in the pres- 
 ence of God, he took a pen and wrote these words : " I now 
 acknowledge, that the reasons which have induced me during 
 so long a period to combat against myself, and which have 
 prevented me from attaching myself to the service of God, 
 do not even deserve an efi"ort on my part to refute them. 
 
SAINT IGNATIUS DE LOYOLA. 185 
 
 On the coiitraryj all which hitherto disinclined me to it, now 
 attracts and consoles me ; for, after a strict examination, I 
 have been enabled to comprehend that self-love and the re- 
 bellion of nature had alone caused me to combat and doubt. 
 I see the will of God so much the more evidently in my 
 present determination, that it is equally repugnant to my 
 senses and to the world : neither can comprehend or relish 
 the Spirit of God and his reign in our souls. For this rea- 
 son, neither the troubles which till now I have undergone, 
 nor the severest misfortunes by which a man can be over- 
 whelmed, nor any sufferings invented by the demons them- 
 gelves, can turn me from the resolution which I now take in 
 the name of the Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy 
 Ghost, to follow the rules of the Gospel, and to keep the 
 TOWS and engagements of the Society of Jesus. I am ready 
 to do all that may be required of me, in conformity to these 
 vows, which I here pronounce with fear and respect, but with 
 entire confidence in the mercy of God, from whom I have 
 received so many blessings. It is with my whole soul, with 
 my whole power, and with my whole will, that I bind my- 
 self by these vows. To God be the glory ! Amen. 23d 
 day of November — 18th of the Exercises. 
 
 This promise, so solemnly made by Nadal to God, he 
 faithfully performed, and in accordance with the words of 
 Ignatius, employments were never wanting to him, to the 
 great benefit of Italy, Sicily, Spain, Portugal, and Africa 
 where he gave himself up to immense labors for the salva- 
 tion of souls ; labors which were crownM with the most 
 consolatory success. After having refused the first glory of 
 contributing, with Ignatius, to lay the foundations of his 
 Order, and to establish its Constitutions, he had at least 
 the second ; that of having assisted him in the government of 
 the Society, and of having carried and made known through- 
 out the greatest part of Europe the spirit of its legislation. 
 
286 HISTORY OF 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 81. Ignatius proposes to his companions that they should adopt a uniform system of 
 Jife — First vows pronounced by Ignatius and his companions in the Church of 
 Our Lady of Montmartre. 
 
 The moment had now arrived in wliich Ignatius, having col- 
 lected together a truly chosen band of men, filled with zeal 
 and courage, was enabled, in unison with them, to lay the 
 foundation of the great work which he had so long medit- 
 ated. But to bring this about it was necessary that they 
 should decide to unite amongst themselves for the same ob- 
 ject, as each individually was already united to him in in- 
 tention. Until now there had been no communication be- 
 tween his followers, and each believed himself alone attached 
 to Ignatius. To lead them to a discovery calculated to af- 
 ford them as much surprise as consolation, and before bind- 
 ing them at the same time to God, to himself, and to each 
 otlier, he prescribed to them the exercise of prayer, fasting, 
 and other penances, to be practised until a certain day which 
 he fixed upon. During that interval they were also to reflect, 
 and to decide upon the state of life which should appear to 
 them most conducive to the glory of God, and the salvation 
 of men ; after which they were to come to Ignatius, and 
 separately communicate their resolutions to him. Then, 
 added he, they would find that not alone should each march 
 towards this noble goal ; then their companions should be 
 made known to them. 
 
SAINT IGNATIUS DE LOYOLA. 187 
 
 The time passed by — and liaviug fulfilled the prescribed 
 works, they all arrived on the appointed day, to give their 
 answer to Ignatius. Each ardently desired to become ac- 
 quainted with his associates in this great enterprise. When 
 they were all assembled, Ignatius, Peter Faber, Francis 
 Xavier, James Lainez, Alphonsus Salmeron, Nicholas Bo- 
 badilla, and Simon Rodriguez, they could not refrain from 
 shedding tears of emotion and joy ; and all prostrated them- 
 selves, to adore and thank the Lord. 
 
 There was, in this assembly, such a union of merit and 
 talents, that each individual considered himself unworthy to 
 form a part of it. 
 
 After a short prayer they rose, and Ignatius spoke : 
 
 " Heaven has chosen you,'' said he, " from amongst many 
 others, for enterprises of no ordinary importance. In the 
 depths of my heart I have the assurance that it has done so 
 for the salvation of men. In beholding such companions of 
 your labors, how greatly ought your courage to be inflomed, 
 and your confidence to surpass that with which your own zeal 
 and your desire of serving God, had hitherto inspired you ; 
 for remark, I beseech you, that if each one of you individual- 
 ly was already capable of great deeds for the glory of God 
 and his Church, — what strength each will receive in the 
 union of all your efi"orts, when, bound together, you will form 
 but one body and one soul ! what fruits may you not expect 
 from this junction, for the common good of all ! You have 
 had the time that was necessary for reflection — you must 
 now decide. As for me, my only desire is, by God's help, to 
 conform my life to the example of Jesus Christ, None more 
 perfect, no surer model for imitation, will ever he found. 
 Must he not be the best of men, who comes closest to this 
 Divine Model ? Now, the Saviour was not satisfied with his 
 own personal sanctity ; he spent his life, he sufiered death, 
 
188 HISTORY OF 
 
 for the salvation of the world. Therefore, as far as my weak- 
 ness makes it possible, I aspire to imitate him in these two 
 points, by laboriug for my own perfection, and for the salva- 
 tion of my brethren. I am well aware, that were we to shut 
 ourselves up in the depths of our own consciences, and enjoy 
 Grod in the holy delights of contemplation, we should pass a 
 less fatiguing life, one more exempt from danger, more peace- 
 ful, in short, more agreeable. But ought we to prefer our 
 own convenience to the interests of God's glory, which cannot 
 receive greater increase than by the salvation of the souls to 
 whom our Saviour has consecrated his labors, his sufferings, 
 and his death ? Can we ourselves be consumed with divine 
 love without endeavoring to revive the ardor of lukewarm 
 hearts ? Can we be enlightened with divine knowledge, and 
 not endeavor to illuminate with it the eyes of the blind ? 
 Can we walk in the way that leads to heaven without stretch- 
 ing out a helping hand to those who have wandered away 
 from the road ? Shall I fear to lose some portion of the- 
 gifts of Heaven by communicating them to others, or to 
 swerve from the right path by leading my brethren there ? 
 On the contrary, were I even to consider my own advantage 
 only, should I not find in this an increase of merit and honor ? 
 But why should I speak to you of interest, or of personal 
 advantages ? Does that ardent and generous love which 
 ought to burn within our hearts stop to calculate ? Have we 
 not the example of our Lord before our eyes ? He who has 
 redeemed our brethren upon Calvary, he desires it, he wills it 
 — and shall not this desire, this wish, be sufficient for us?" 
 
 As for the execution of the plans upon which Ignatius was 
 irrevocably decided, he told his friends, that after having in 
 idea traversed the whole world to seek for the place where 
 he might labor with most profit in this noble enterprise, he 
 had not found one where he could hope for more success than 
 
SAINT IGNATIUS DE LOYOLA. 189 
 
 the Holy Land. He himself had formerly visited it, and 
 had not seen without great grief, that land where liberty had 
 been gained for the world, and the redemption effected, now 
 enslaved by Satan and deprived of the fruits of that redemp- 
 tion. It was there then that he wished to carry, in the first 
 instance, the precious seed of the faith. " Oh ! how happy 
 should I consider myself," cried he, " could I shed my blood 
 in such a cause, in the very places reddened with the blood 
 of the Saviour l " And as Ignatius spoke his countenance 
 glowed like his heart. He then added, that he was resolved, 
 while awaiting the moment for putting his plans into execu- 
 tion, to consecrate himself solemnly to Grod, so that he might 
 henceforward belong to him alone ; and that in this view, he 
 intended to engage himself by vow to voluntary poverty, to 
 perpetual chastity, and to the performance of a voyage to the 
 Holy Land. After these burning words, there was a mo- 
 mentary silence. Ignatius waited until his companions 
 should manifest their respective resolutions ; but all hearts 
 had spoken by his mouth, and in disclosing his sentiments, 
 he had but expressed those of his faithful associates; for 
 God, who had brought them together, had also animated 
 them with the same spirit. " The Holy Land ! " Such was 
 the unanimous reply. But the Lord, who discerned in them 
 men capable of still greater things for his glory, destined 
 them for a less narrow sphere, for yet vaster enterprises. 
 To their labors, and to those of their successors, he confided 
 the whole world; and to one of them especially, so large a 
 portion of the globe, that it would have -sufficed for the zeal 
 and labors of numerous apostles. 
 
 All then applauded the words of Ignatius, and engaged 
 to follow him and share his labors. They then embraced 
 each other, shedding tears of the most cordial affection ; and 
 from that moment were so united together by the ties of mu- 
 
190 HISTORY OF 
 
 tual cliarity, that tliej regarded each other as brothers, and 
 feit towards Ignatius all the love and deference due to an 
 elder brother — all the respect which we owe to a parent. 
 After this, the Lord, who willed that their zeal should be 
 wholly directed towards the enterprise to the completion of 
 which they had bound themselves, permitted the same idea 
 to present itself to their minds, and they inquired whether, 
 in the case of their voyage across the seas being prevented, 
 or that on their arrival some unforeseen cause should force 
 them to withdraw, they should not go to other countries, and 
 convert other nations. 
 
 After mature deliberation it was agreed that they should 
 wait in Venice for one year, and that if during that period 
 they had found no means of transporting themselves to 
 Palestine, they should consider themselves freed from their 
 vow, should repair to Rome, and presenting themselves to 
 the Sovereign Pontiff, should offer to labor for the salvation 
 of souls, wherever it might please him to send them. But as 
 the greater number of them had not yet terminated their 
 course of theology, which it was absolutely necessary to finish, 
 they agreed to continue their studies in Paris, from the 
 month of July, 1534, at which they then were, until January 
 the 25th, 1537 ; after which period the journey to Venice 
 was to take place. Providence reserved another destiny for 
 them. 
 
 Nothing now remained but to pronounce their vows at 
 the foot of the altar ; and they chose as the most suitable 
 day for this, the 15th of August, the feast of the Assumption 
 of the Blessed Virgin. In deposing in her hands the offer- 
 ing which they here made of themselves, the new brothers not 
 only hoped for her speoial protection, but trusted that this 
 offering of their persons would be more agreeable to the Son 
 if received from the hands of His mother. They therefore 
 
SAINT IGNATIUS DE LOYOLA. 191 
 
 emiDloyed the few days wMcli remained before the Assump- 
 tion in preparing themselves by fasting, fervent prayer, and 
 austere penance. 
 
 The most profound secrecy was to envelope their project ; 
 and they selected, as a fitting place wherein to pronounce 
 their vows, a church built upon a hill, at half a league's dis- 
 tance from Paris, and called Our Lady of the Mount of Mar- 
 tyrs, now Montmartre. There, on the appointed day, they 
 assembled in a subterranean chapel belonging to the church. 
 They were entirely alone. The only priest among the breth- 
 ren was Faber, who celebrated the holy mysteries. At the 
 moment of communion, holding in his hand the body of the 
 Saviour, he turned towards them, and each, one after the 
 other, added to the vows of poverty and perpetual chastity, 
 that of making a voyage to the Holy Land, and of deferring 
 to the will of the Sovereign Pontiff. They also promised to 
 receive no fees for the administration of the sacraments. 
 Their vow of poverty obliged them to renounce all they pos- 
 sessed, when their studies were terminated, preserving only 
 what was strictly necessary for the journey to Palestine ; — 
 but even this little none of them kept, as sufficient alms pro- 
 vided for it. 
 
 The vow to receive nothing in the fulfilment of the ec- 
 clesiastical functions had for its object, besides the practice 
 of voluntary poverty, that of finding more frequent opportu- 
 nities of employing themselves for the salvation of souls, 
 when no recompense was required ; and it was also a means 
 of contradicting the calumnies of the Lutherans, who falsely 
 accused the Catholic priests of enriching themselves as it 
 were by the blood of Jesus Christ, and of selling the holy 
 things for their own gain. 
 
 Their vows being pronounced, they all received com- 
 munion, with such feelings of devotion and such ardent fervor 
 
192 HISTORY OF 
 
 that one of them, Simon Rodriguez, continued to feel its in- 
 fluence thirty years afterwards, when he wrote the account 
 of it. The sole recollection still filled him with inefi'able 
 consolation. But nothing can be compared to that which 
 inundated the heart of Ignatius, whose happiness even sur- 
 passed that of his companions, for on this auspicious <iay he 
 reaped the fruits of his labors, and beheld the fulfilment of 
 his long cherished hopes. His spiritual family was indeed 
 not numerous, but, as it was afterwards proved, the superior 
 merit of each member rendered him equivalent to many pro- 
 selytes. • 
 
 Here we shall again remark, what various grave writers 
 have pointed out as one of the most signal evidences of the 
 divine protection extended over the true religion ; that in 
 this very year, 1534, in which were laid the first founda- 
 tions of a Society especially consecrated to the service of 
 the Church, and to obedience towards its Head ; — Henry 
 VIII., formerly Defender of the Faith, had become the 
 cruel persecutor and mortal enemy of the Holy See. In 
 this very year, 1534, he had published those detestable edicts, 
 whereby every one who did not efface the title of " Pope " 
 from all books or writings where it hapened to be, was de- 
 clared guilty of a capital offence, and deserving of death. 
 " Inefi'able goodness," cries Sanders, " infinite mercy of God 
 towards His whole Church ! In those days, when the blas- 
 phemies of Luther in Germany, and in England the cruelty 
 of its tyrant, appeared on the point of extinguishing the 
 outward profession of all religion, and the practice of Chris- 
 tian perfection ; of annihilating the respect due to the Vicar 
 of Jesus Christ, and of giving up to execration the venerable 
 titles of Po_pe and Pontiff; the Spirit of God raises up men 
 like Ignatius de Loyola and his companions, who not satisfied 
 with imitating the perfection of other Orders, add, in order 
 
SAINT IGNATIUS DE LOYOLA. 193 
 
 to comlbat the impiety of Lutlier and Henry, a fourth vow 
 to those which bind other Keligious, and submit their per- 
 sons as well as their works, to the Roman Pontiff! By it 
 they bind themselves to undertake all labors, to support with 
 passive obedience, and without even claiming the daily neces- 
 saries of life, all the fatigues which he may be pleased to ex- 
 pose them to, for the extension of the Catholic Faith, and the 
 conversion of infidels or sinners. " These men," continues 
 the same author, " thus united together and formed to virtue 
 by the beautiful Institute of St. Ignatius, took, in order to 
 designate their Society, the name of Society of Jesus; 
 and this holy name, together with the faith of the Roman 
 Catholic Church, they have carried throughout the whole 
 world, and have made both known, not only to the most re- 
 mote nations and to the utmost limits of the Indies, but 
 even to those countries of Northern Europe, seduced by the 
 new errors, and to unfortunate England, separated from the 
 Communion of the Christian world by the cruelty of its ty- 
 rants. At the price of their blood and their lives, they have 
 caused the celestial torch of truth to blaze forth, even in the 
 reign of Elizabeth, the worthy daughter of Henry VIII., and 
 in spite of her most cruel persecutions. Thus " God hath 
 given us another seed, for Abel, whom Cain slew." Let us 
 return to Ignatius and his first companions. 
 
 After having fully satisfied their devotional feelings, and 
 offered up fervent prayer and thanksgiving to the Lord, they 
 passed the remainder of the day seated beside a clear and 
 beautiful fountain, which springs forth at the foot of the 
 hill where the Church stands, and whose waters have, ac- 
 cording to tradition, been sanctified by the blood of the holy 
 martyr Dionysius. There they partook of a frugal repast, 
 and their hearts, filled with sweet and holy joy, concerted 
 together upon the manner of lifo which they should lead 
 
 VOL. I. — 9 
 
194 HISTORY OF 
 
 during the remainder of the time which they were to pass in 
 Paris. Ignatius, who together with the title of Father had 
 received that day a new effusion of the SjDirit of G-od, to 
 assist him in governing his children, and preventing all 
 abatement of their fervor, decided upon certain practices to 
 which they were to subject themselves, and which, without 
 beinof detrimental to their studies, were calculated to main- 
 tain devotion in their hearts. These practices consisted in 
 prayers, daily penance, and in receiving the holy Communion 
 on all Sundays and feast days, which was uncommon at that 
 period. Besides this, they were annually, on the day of the 
 Assumption, to renew their vows in the same Church; which 
 in fact they did during the two following years, 1 535 and '36. 
 Finally, they promised to love each other, and to consider 
 each other as brothers. 
 
 As they were separately lodged, they agreed to assemble 
 together occasionally, sometimes at one, sometimes at an- 
 other of their respective houses. There they were to partake 
 in common of a simple repast, and by pious conversation 
 reanimate that mutual charity which is maintained by do- 
 mestic intimacy. Thus these ties, formed by Grod himself, 
 were never loosened ; and so far was the first resolution 
 taken by these admirable men from ever becoming weaker, 
 that they all labored in concert to procure new companions, 
 their most ardent desire being to see their numbers aug- 
 mented. 
 
 Moreover, their moral and intellectual faculties seemed 
 to have acquired new vigor, and their constant efforts were 
 directed towards the acquirement of those sciences most 
 calculated to contribute to the welfare of their neighbor ; 
 while the purity of their zeal sciimed in some measure to 
 double their natural capacity. 
 
 It is certain that a work undertaken solely in the view of 
 
SAINT IGXATIUS EE LOYOLA. 105 
 
 serving Gocl, is really more fruitful than any other ; we give 
 ourselves up to it with more fervor, continue in it with more 
 constancy; our intention is stronger and more undivided, 
 even though the nature of the labor should be changed ; be- 
 cause it is never weakened, nor, if we may so express it, 
 scattered about, by the sterile attractions of vain curiosity ; 
 but above all, because the Father of all knowledge grants a 
 more than ordinary share of intelligence to those who devote 
 themselves entirely to His cause. 
 
 The city of Paris, in whose bosom the first sketch of the 
 company had been conceived, took the title of Mother of the 
 Society, as is attested not only by the writers who have so 
 applied this name, but by a Latin inscription, engraven upon 
 bronze, placed in the upper part of the church of Mont- 
 martre, and not in the low chapel near the tomb of the 
 Martyrs ; the design being that it should be more exposed 
 to view than it would have been in that dark and solitary 
 place.* 
 
 Louis XIII. regarded it as a personal honor that the 
 Society should have first seen the light in his dominions ; he 
 styled it his Daughter : he congratulated it upon the extension 
 which from that circumstance it was likely to acquire. " My 
 kingdom," said that Monarch, in an autograph letter to 
 Greo-ory XV. concerning the canonization of St. Ignatius — ■ 
 *' my kingdom deserved this honor, that so great a servant of 
 God should have come to this my city of Paris to study 
 the sciences, to reunite his followers, and to lay the founda- 
 tions of his Society in the church of Montmartre." 
 
 * D. 0. 31. Siste spectator, atgue in Jwc Martyrum sepulcro, probati 
 Ordinis ciinas lege. Societas Jem, qiice S. 'Ignatium Loyolam patrcm 
 ■ agnoscit, Lutetiam matrcm, anno Salutis MBXXXIV. avgusti XV. 
 hie nata est: cum Ignatius et Svcii, votis sub sacram Synaxim re- 
 iigiose conceptis, se Deo in perpctuum consccranmt, ad majorem Deo 
 gloriam. 
 
190 HlSrOKT OF 
 
 CHAPTER lY. 
 
 The birlh of the Society at the Mount of Martyrs, a presage of it. lestiny— Bad ef- 
 facts of the odious books published against it. 
 
 The assistance of God had been manifest in all that regarded 
 Ignatius and his companions : but through what mysterious 
 motive had they been induced to seek the poor and modest 
 church of Montmartre, when so many proud basilicae were 
 open to receive them ? Was there not in this another prov- 
 idential warning, an indication of the fate which awaited the 
 young Society ? Was not she also to pour forth her purest 
 blood in torrents, and in a foreign land ? Was not her lot 
 also to be one of fierce storms and cruel persecutions? 
 Let us see how events have faithfully interpreted this au- 
 gury. 
 
 Hardly had a century elapsed, before more than three 
 hundred of the children of Ignatius had perished — whether 
 in announcing the faith amongst the Gentiles, or in defending 
 it amongst the heretics : some burned before a slow fire ; 
 some precipitated into the sea ; some hewn into quarters, 
 or slain with arrows, crucified, beheaded, pierced with lances: 
 Others plunged into frozen or boiling waters, or subjected to 
 the frightful torture of the pit as in Japan. In that king- 
 dom alone the Society already counts more than ninety 
 martyrs to the faith, and of these, thirty-two were burnt 
 
SAUSTT IGNATIUS DE LOYOLA. 197 
 
 alive, and tliirty-tliree perished by the aforesaid horrible 
 punshment.* 
 
 These long voyages amidst storm and tempest, exposed 
 to the fiery heat of the torrid zone ; the painful labor of 
 acquiring difficult and barbarous languages ; the necessity of 
 dwelling miserably in the forests, often worse lodged than 
 the wild beasts in their caves ; in fine, hunger and thirst 
 and that foreknowledge of the cruel tortures which awaited 
 them, and of which death is the least terrible feature, — all 
 this was surely a life of martyrdom. Yet it is a fact, however 
 marvellous, that so noble, so quickening an influence seems 
 to have descended upon the Society in the crypt of the mar- 
 tyrs, that OLir young priests of the present day fear neither 
 sufi'ering nor torture ; and if the prayers of the petitioners 
 were granted, half of the Society would abandon Europe for 
 those countries where they might obtain the crown of mar- 
 tyrdom. 
 
 As for persecution, few societies have been so richly en- 
 dowed in that respect. Attacks of every kind, and accusa- 
 tions of the most contrary nature, have been made against its 
 members; and in the midst of this unequalled and implaca- 
 ble fury, the Society increases, flourishes, plants its foot 
 
 * The punisliment of the pit was as follows : In the middle of a 
 sort of well, six or seven feet deep, was erected a gallows, to which 
 the sufferer was suspended, with his hesr] downwards, and his hands 
 tied behind his back. Lest the blood should stifle him too quickly, 
 his whole body was tightly bound round with bandages. In this state 
 he was left without food or water, until he expired, after five, six or 
 eight days of agonizing pain, produced by the inversion of the intes- 
 tines upon the stomach, and the blood which gushed from his mouth, 
 nostrils, ears and eyes, without the possibility of his relieving himself 
 in any way. This punishment has made more apostates in Japan, than 
 fire or sword, or the waters which boil forth from the abysses of 
 the mountain of Ungen. 
 
198 HISTORY OF 
 
 every wliere ; is expelled from all places; speaks and writes 
 in every language, its sole aim being public utility ; and 
 there is no tongue wliicli is not raised against it, no pen 
 which is not employed to combat it. If we read the history 
 of its establishment, we shall feel ourselves transported to 
 the days of the prophet Nehemiah, when the Jews who were 
 rebuilding Jerusalem, were obliged to have one eye upon 
 their work, and another upon their enemies ; when they held 
 with one hand the square and the hammer, with the other the 
 bow and the lance ; when after placing one stone as workmen, 
 they were forced to defend it as soldiers. We have been 
 driven from Japan, China, Ethiopia, Transylvania, Bohemia, 
 England and Flanders, on account of our imputed crimes. 
 We have preached the faith of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, 
 we have attacked heretics, we have defended the Council of 
 Trent, under the double point of view, of dogma and disci- 
 pline ; we have unflinchingly supported the Sovereign Pontiff. 
 Often have ignominious sentences of exile been pronounced 
 against us, and pillars erected, covered with insulting inscrip- 
 tions in regard to us. We have been given up to shame and 
 contempt ; our houses have been abandoned to pillage, and 
 our persons to the fury of an irritated populace. The books 
 alone which have been written and published against the 
 Society, under every form ; poetry, history, romance, journals, 
 denunciations, satires, trials, prophecies, &c., would suffice to 
 form a library. Fifty years ago, Peter K ibadeneira published a 
 catalogue of the writers belonging to the society. The Prot- 
 estants immediately made another of their antagonists, whose 
 names alone would form a volume. But the crafty compiler 
 does not, like E ibadeneira, add a notice of the lives of the 
 writers to their names. Perhaps out of consideration for the 
 Society. Who can tell his motive ? It is true that he after- 
 wards exhorts the heads of all states to contribute with tlieir 
 
SAINT IGNATIUS DE LOYOLA. 199 
 
 money to the reprinting of all the writings published against 
 it ; and at E-ochelle, this enterprise was actually begun. Six 
 volumes were printed, but it would seem with more zeal than 
 discretion ; for the compilers collected every thing they could 
 find, without stopping to select the most important docu- 
 ments ; " And how," says one writer, " can we, with such a 
 method as this, ask for the concurrence of the European po- 
 tentates?" 
 
 This was the state of things forty years ago ; but now 
 these writings have multiplied to such an extent, that it 
 would be more difficult to enumerate than to answer them. 
 Moreover they always excite curiosity by the peculiarity of 
 their titles, or by pretended revelations of high importance to 
 princes as well as to the public. Thus these books are seized 
 upon, and procured at any price. In some, the name of our 
 Society is interpreted, disfigured or condemned; mysteries 
 are attributed to us ; our hidden doctrines are said to be un- 
 veiled, our character described, our spirit anatomized as it 
 were, our interior spied out, our obscure and hidden teachings 
 dissected. In others, they publish our private opinions, our 
 secret instructions ; they invent a True History of our ori- 
 gin and progress, they relate our crimes. Fish-ponds are 
 filled with children, the offspring of sacrilege, destroyed by 
 parricides ; the vaults of churches are arsenals filled with 
 arms, to favor revolt whenever we judge the moment favora- 
 ble. We abandon ourselves to nocturnal communications 
 with our familiar demons, to obtain from them the means of 
 disordering the reasons of the pretended reformers, and of 
 inducing them to obey the Pope. Rich treasures, collected 
 from the spoils of the whole world, are contained in our 
 burial vaults. Every week we hold a council concerning the 
 political conduct of governments, in order to further our own 
 mterests, and to shape our own enterprises accordingly, 
 
200 HISTORY OF 
 
 They reckon sixteen hundred and forty-two mistresses, kept 
 and assassinated hy Cardinal Bellarmin, from whence the 
 world may mfer what the conduct of our less virtuous men 
 must be, this monster being one of our most esteemed mem- 
 bers. Sixty years ago, Nicholas Sanders wrote : " More fa- 
 bles have been spread abroad concerning the Jesuits, than 
 concerning the monsters of mythology. Their origin, their 
 mode of life, their Institute, their morals, their doctrines, 
 their acts, — all have been the objects of the strangest and 
 most contradictory commentaries. Mere dreams have been 
 forged, which have not only been retailed in whispers, but 
 which men have actually ventured to maintain in public, and 
 even to print ! " * 
 
 Formerly, in order to expose our Lord and his disciples 
 to the hatred of the universe, the Emperor Maximin caused 
 to be published and disseminated throughout all the schools 
 in the Roman Empire, that work of Satan, entitled the Acts 
 of Pilate ; purporting to be a faithful narrative of the trial 
 and condemnation of Jesus Christ, drawn from the archives 
 of the Pretorium in Jerusalem, and filled with odious calum- 
 nies against his divine innocence. Yet they obtained so 
 much belief, that when a Christian appeared in public, the 
 universal cry was, " To the fire ! to the fire ! " so that they 
 were nicknamed " The mne-lranchesy There is hardly a 
 single apologist of Christianity in the first ages, who does 
 not complain of the unworthy artifice which was employed to 
 render Christians odious to the whole world, by this publica- 
 tion of writings filled with the most ridiculous impostures. 
 
 * De Jesuitis plures fortasse fabulse feruntur, quam olim de mon- 
 stris. De origine enim horum hominum et genere vitse, et instituto, de 
 moribus, ae doctrina, de consiliis, et actionibus, varia simul, et con- 
 traria, ac somnioium simillima, non privatis tantum colloquiis, sed 
 publicis eoneionibus, Hbrisque, impressis publicantur. 
 
SAINT IGNATIUS DE LOYOLA. 201 
 
 And the Society of Jesus miglit borrow their words, should 
 she wish to complain, or rather may find motives of consola- 
 tion in them. 
 
 Besides, we are not alone in the strug^gle, not alone under 
 the burden of persecution. The illustrious and venerable 
 Orders of St. Francis and St. Dominick preceded us in the 
 ma cruets ; gave us examples of holiness and religious per- 
 fection, as well as motives of consolation. Gregory XIII. 
 himself reminds us of this, in his bull Ascendent e Domino; 
 and in order to raise our courage, sets before our eyes the 
 sufferings of the two Orders, which he styles, Sanctormn 
 DoTninici, et Francisci prcBcIarissi7nos ordines. Hardly 
 had they left the cradle, and still filled with that primitive 
 pith and vigor communicated to them by their holy founders, 
 when the mendicant Orders and the preaching Brothers were 
 assailed by the most odious accusations. Their doctors were 
 expelled from the pulpits ; and they were regarded as poi- 
 sonous plants, which would soon be rooted out from the 
 Church and from the world. According to the famous Wil- 
 liam de St. Amour, these monks endeavored to usurp the 
 principal Chairs of the University, to- withdraw themselves, 
 by Apostolic privileges, from obedience to Bishops ; to in- 
 troduce themselves, like devouring wolves, into families, and 
 there to carry off their prey ; utterly abandoned as they 
 were to pride and ambition. Then they insinuated them- 
 selves amongst the great, in order to attain gradually to a 
 place amongst princes, and to obtain their good graces. 
 They taught with arrogance, they preached with vanity, and 
 proudly boasted of their Orders. They resisted attacks, in- 
 stead of turnino; the left cheek when the right had been 
 struck. They cloaked their wickedness under an appearance 
 of modesty ; their pharisaical minds under their hypocritical 
 manners. Why did they not, at least for the future, shut 
 
 VOL. I. — 9* 
 
202 
 
 HISTORY OF 
 
 themselves up in tlieir cells ? Why frequent courts, fill the 
 chairs of the Universities, employ their time in preaching 
 and study, instead of being assiduous in the choir ? why not 
 weep over their own sins, instead of condemning those of 
 others ? In a word, they were false teachers, precursors of 
 Ante-Christ, who should be rooted up, destroyed, annihi- 
 lated. 
 
 Should we not suppose that such language was applied 
 to some anti-social sect, the enemy of Grod and man ? The 
 causes of this blind hatred, of this passionate invective, may 
 be traced in j^art to some slight errors in some few of these 
 religious ; but chiefly to the envy of those who were furious 
 at seeing their learning eclipsed, and certain chairs in the 
 University decreed to some of the principal members of these 
 holy Orders ; finally to that fatal humiliation which Inno- 
 cent lY., by foreign instigation, imposed upon the Order of 
 St. Dominick, whose only crime was that of being too far 
 advanced in science and holiness, and of beino- esteemed too 
 highly. When their enemies beheld them almost persecuted 
 by the only hand which could have defended them, they grew 
 emboldened to commit excesses which seemed almost to 
 threaten the Church itself with schism, or at least to cause 
 the irrevocable ruin of two Orders which had deserved the 
 gratitude of all Christendom. 
 
 In fact, their existence would have terminated, had not 
 Alexander IV. been favorable to them, and had not the two 
 great saints Thomas Aquinas and Bonaventure written in 
 their defence. But at length this outcry so long raised 
 against them, has ceased ; and as a recompense for their long 
 sufferings, they live in peace, and sheltered from further 
 outrage. 
 
 The time has come in which the storm falls with most un- 
 Bparing severity upon us ; in which our enemies would will- 
 
SATNT IGNATIUS DE LOYOLA. 203 
 
 ingly see us more maltreated than Job was by bis persecu- 
 tors ; in wbicb we are forbidden to justify ourselves ; in 
 which it is said to us as by St. Gregory Nazianzeu of the 
 Christian philosopher : ^' He should present not only the left 
 cheek to him who would strike the right, but a third if it 
 were possible." Thus if we speak, we are vindictive ; if we 
 are silent, it is a confession of guilt : for this silence is never 
 attributed to the patience which refuses to defend itself, but 
 to the embarrassment which is unable to do so. 
 
 J. shall not stop to consider the impotent efforts of a 
 Lermeo, a Pascuasius, a Meseno, &c., to sully the glory of 
 St. lo-natius, and the merits of his children. Their names 
 and writings are stamped with a character of puerility, which 
 renders their censures contemptible to any man of sense or 
 taste, and their motives are so evident, that no one can be 
 deceived by them. 
 
 But the malice of our enemies has occasionally been 
 manifested in a singular manner. In a recently published 
 life of St. Theresa, all the testimonies of that great Saint in 
 favor of the successors of St, Ignatius, all the acknowledg- 
 ments which she makes of the constant spiritual aid which 
 she received from them, has been carefully omitted. " Praised 
 be God," says she in the twenty-third chapter of her life, 
 " who has given me the grace which has enabled me to obey 
 my confessors, although imperfectly ; and these have almost 
 invariably been those blessed men belonging to the Society 
 of Jesus." Their names were Balthazar Alvarez, Jerome 
 Perez, Egidius Gonsalez, Ripalda, and Father Francis 
 Ribera, who afterwards wrote the life of his holy penitent. 
 
 The same observation may be made with regard to the 
 life of the great Archbishop of Milan, St. Charles Borro- 
 meo. In a new life of that Saint, more detailed than any 
 preceding one, not a word is said of his relations with the 
 
204 HISTORY OF 
 
 Society of Jesus, nor of the services wliicli he received from 
 them, for his- own perfection, and for the reform of his Church. 
 Yet these very facts are recorded in the first histories which 
 were compiled and published by authors who had lived with 
 St. Charles himself, and who had been eye-witnesses of all 
 which they related. It is not thus that history should be 
 written, nor can such omissions be pleasing to the Saints 
 themselves, who, like lofty trees, bend from the highest hea- 
 vens their fruit-laden branches towards the earth, to salute 
 that hidden root from whence they imbibed the sap and nour- 
 ishment which rendered them fruitful. It seems to me that 
 in these glorious acknowledgments of the blessed, there is 
 something touching, which at oilce consoles and ennobles us. 
 Our eyes are filled with tears, our heart expands with joy, 
 as we read these words of St. Theresa, when she says, writ- 
 ing to Christopher Kodriguez de Moya, concerning certain 
 Jesuits : " They are my fathers, and if there is any good in 
 my soul, is is to them after Our Lord, that I owe it. All 
 pious persons are not suited to our convents, but only those 
 whom the Fathers of that Society have confessed and directed. 
 I do not recollect having ever admitted a single nun who was 
 not their spiritual daughter, because they always succeed 
 best amongst us. As these Fathers formed my soul, God 
 has given me the grace to introduce their spirit into our 
 houses ; and if their constitutions are known to you, you will 
 find that, upon many points, ours are conformable to them, 
 a brief from the Pope having given me permission to that 
 effect. Avila, 8th June, 1568." 
 
 Perhaps we ought to stop here ; but our enemies are not 
 only out of the Cburch; we are insulted not only by an 
 Osiander, a Hospinian, a Lermeo, but even by those who pro- 
 fess the same faith as we do ; nay sometimes, who have em* 
 braced the same holy vocation. 
 
SAINT IGNATIUS DE LOYOLA. 205 
 
 And yet tliat very variety which exists amongst the differ- 
 ent religious Orders, is but an ornament the more for the 
 Church. Why judge and condemn those whom God has 
 called to walk in other paths ? Does this not resemble the 
 error of the ignorant, who believe that our antipodes walk 
 with their heads downwards ? Unus quidem sic, says the 
 Apostle, alius vero sic. Perfect harmony is formed from 
 dissonance, not from discord. " The vestments of that 
 Queen (the Church) of which David speaks in his forty-fourth 
 Psalm, of what tissue is it composed ? " says St. Augustine.* 
 " The materials are rich, and the colors are varied." Pre' 
 tiosus et varius. "Thus then," continues he, " let there 
 be variety not rents in this vestment " — " in veste istd, 
 varietas sit, scissura non sity But on the contrary, this 
 pretension to entire uniformity, in the letter as well as in the 
 spirit, is called by Tertullian the mother of schism, and de- 
 generates into that desire of enriching ourselves by the pov- 
 erty of others, which appears so criminal to St. Augustine. 
 It is at least contrary to that pure zeal for the glory of God, 
 which rejoices in all that it sees performed for His service, 
 and which ought to rally us all together for that noble end ; 
 like the heavens, which, declaring to the earth the glory of 
 God, communicate to it that velocity of motion which it never 
 ceases to obey. 
 
 * Anq. in P sal, 44. 
 
20G HISTORY OF 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 Canses of the persecutions raised against the Society, 
 
 At the moment in which St. Ignatius and his companions 
 are about to enter upon that rocky path, which they have 
 traced out for their successors, it may not be useless to in- 
 quire into the principal causes which have aroused so much 
 bad feeling against us. When a navigator unfurls his sails 
 to the wind, we see him anxiously bending over his nautical 
 charts ; carefully taking cognizance of the dangerous break- 
 ers, the narrow channels, the shallow waters renowned as the 
 sites of many shipwrecks ; let us imitate his example. The 
 moment has arrived for boldly approaching these difficulties. 
 Besides, we may here make use of Gretser as our guide, for 
 that celebrated controversialist enumerates seven principal 
 causes of the persecutions to which we have been exposed. 
 Let us remark also that this long experience gives great 
 weight to his opinion. 
 
 The first of these causes is, that without knowing any 
 thing concerning us, excepting by vague reports, no one takes 
 the trouble to examine whether it is not more just to suppose 
 that a man may make a false accusation, when no obstacle 
 prevents him from doing so, than to believe in the culpability 
 of persons who are deterred from committing evil, by so 
 many reasons, both human and divine. 
 
 In the first ages of the Church, the most odious crimes 
 
SAINT IGNATIUS DE LOYOLA. "207 
 
 # 
 
 were imputed to the Christians. They were accused of 
 adoring the head of an ass ; of dail}'- slaughtering a child at 
 break of day, of offering it up in sacrifice, of eating its flesh, 
 drinking its blood, and of afterwards abandoning themselves 
 to the most infamous abominations. Yet that was the golden 
 age of Christianity, the time when Christian and Saint 
 were synonymous terms. But is it not a most astonishing 
 circumstance that these accusations were received undoubt- 
 ingly as soon as they were made ; that they were suuicieut 
 to cause innocent men to be condemned to torture, to the 
 sword, to be torn by wild beasts ? " Thus," says Ter- 
 tullian, " the very name was sufficient. Are you a Christian ? 
 The whole form of trial was contained in these words. You 
 answer in the affirmative, and from that moment you are con- 
 victed of sacrilege, homicide, and high treason. The public 
 credulity is the sole element of conviction." 
 
 Hence arose the complaint common to all the apologists 
 of these ancient times ; that when hatred sought to condemn 
 the Christians, there was no endeavor to prove their crimes, 
 lest being found innocent it should be necessary to absolve 
 them. Yet noted men amongst the pagans were seen coming 
 forth from their blindness, and becoming new men, as soon 
 as their hearts were touched by a ray of divine grace. They 
 had been infidels, murderers, adulterers, robbers ; and they 
 became pious, gentle, and humble of heart ; chaste, generous 
 to the poor; yet all this availed nothing, men would not 
 believe the testimony of their own eyes — all this, said they, 
 might be for the public, but in secrecy, iji darkness, strange 
 things passed; and the accused were thus deprived of all 
 means of defending themselves, so vast was the field thus 
 opened to calumny. 
 
 Yet who does not know that notwithstanding persecution, 
 notwithstanding the blood which was poured forth in torrents. 
 
208 HISTORY OF 
 
 the faitli was not extinguished. When one Christian fell, a 
 hundred others came to fill his place ; and the horrible biir- 
 harity of a people thirsting for blood, grew weary of striking, 
 before the neophytes of the faith shrunk back before these 
 friirhtful trials. Fame came, nevertheless, in aid of the exe- 
 cutioners. 
 
 " Her crime," says Tertullian, " is not that of spreading 
 events abroad with incredible rapidity, but of accompanying 
 them with falsehood ; for she cannot relate the truth, without 
 an intermixture of fable. She only exists through fiilse- 
 hood, and gains credit only by proving nothing. Thought- 
 less minds alone put trust in her ; wise men yield belief to 
 evidence only. They know that a narrative is always ampli- 
 lied in passing from mouth to mouth ; that malice, or the 
 habit of exaggeration, swells it, increases it, precisely as a 
 lofty tree springs from the smallest seed. It was thus that 
 the fatal opinion which attributed so many crimes to the 
 Christians took root ; and that which had been so easily in- 
 vented, no one could ever prove."* 
 
 I shall not here enlarge upon what the Society has had 
 to suffer from this foolish credulity ; the narrative would be 
 interminable. We shall limit ourselves to Saxony and other 
 Protestant countries of Germany; and it suffices to state that 
 in these countries, all the inhabitants, even the children, are 
 accustomed to describe us with the faces of demons, the 
 wings of bats, and the horns and feet of goats. It is true 
 that we share these honors with the Pope himself. Doubt- 
 less these are the portraits drawn of us by the Protestant 
 preachers ; they strike the imagination, and their object is 
 attained ; we are hated without being known. 
 
 Now if malevolence and hatred do not fear to advance 
 
 * Apol. C. 8. 
 
SAINT IGNATIUS DE LOYOLA. 209 
 
 assertions, of which a single glance would prove the false- 
 hood, how much more easily may they attack the feelings of 
 the heart, concealed from all eyes ! more especially if they 
 attribute all which to the outward eye seems praiseworthy 
 to mere artifice and hypocrisy, fearing lest favorable induc- 
 tions might be drawn from appearances.* 
 
 Are there many persons who would answer like Henry II. 
 of France, when attempts were made to irritate him against 
 us : " Ah ! let us judge of them by their actions, since 
 God alone knows the secrets of the heart, and the accusa- 
 tions of men cannot render an innocent man guilty." 
 
 Another class of accusers is composed of heretics, who 
 in order to write against us, affect to be Catholics ; and of 
 Catholics who attack us under the mask of heresy. The first 
 hope that by means of this disguise they will obtain some 
 credit, but they are soon discovered, in spite of the interest 
 which they afiect to take in the welfare of souls. The second 
 are actuated by hatred, vengeance, interest, or are instigated by 
 
 * Here one would almost be tempted to accuse Father Bartoli of 
 exaggeration, liad not facts of the same nature been repeated in times 
 closer upon our own. "When the revolution of 1789 drove avast 
 number of French priests to England, more than one citizen's family 
 who received them, were constantly upon their guard against their 
 witchcrafts. During the first nights of their residence in any house, 
 the family watched by turns, and sometimes went so far as to examine 
 whether or not they had human feet. We can guarantee the authen- 
 ticity of this fact. The cha])e]et especially was a mysterious charm, 
 looked upon with terror. On the otlier hand, is not the personifica- 
 tion of a Catholic monk still to be found, according to the ideas of 
 many persons, in that Abbe, whose waist according to Burger three 
 persons could not span ? 
 
 " Der Piafflein, das wuszte sich besst-r zii begen, 
 Sich weidlich ain Tisch und im Bette zii pflegen, 
 Wie Vol Mond glauzte sein feistes gesicht, 
 Drei manner umsiiannten den schmeeibaucb, ibm niclit." 
 
 Note of Hi^ Frendi Translator 
 
210 HISTORY OF 
 
 some violent passion wliich. transports tliem beyond tlie limits 
 of ordinary malevolence. The most common mode of tactics 
 amongst the heretics, consists in suppressing their names, or 
 in assuming others, so that should their doctrinal errors be- 
 come manifest, the work may still be attributed to a Catholic 
 pen. Thus when we undertake to convict them of falsehood, 
 the first phrase which presents itself to us is the following : 
 Atlieus sit J anJudceuSj hereticus, an scliismaticus, ater, an 
 alhus^jesumastix jprocacissime^ ignoro : catliolicum esse non 
 credo ; christianum vix jputo. It was thus that Stanislaus 
 Rescio la Spugna began, when endeavoring to efface the 
 blemishes with which the Society had been stained by a 
 certain young man, partly schismatic, partly Zwinglian, but 
 nowise Catholic, who concealed his true name under the 
 simple title of a Polish gentleman. 
 
 A third species of attack is covered by constant protes- 
 tations of patriotism and zeal for the public welfare. Of 
 this nature is the Oratio sincera^ addressed to the king of 
 France, and consisting of a tissue of falsehoods ; such is also 
 the Patrocinium 'veritatis, filled with such manifest un- 
 truths, that in answer to it, it would be sufficient to change 
 the first letter of its title, and to call it Latrocinium veri- 
 tatis. 
 
 One of the later inventions of our enemies was to have 
 a work printed, purporting to be written by us, and which 
 has for its title, Private opinions and secret instructions 
 of the Society of Jesus. By it they wished to prove that 
 we had two Institutes ; the one holy, and publicly acknow- 
 ledged, which had been bequeathed to us by our Founder, 
 and which we produced pompously ; the other, private and 
 political, confided by the general to the superiors alone, 
 which was composed of various methods of growing rich 
 and forwarding our own interests by the guidance of souls ; 
 
SAINT IGNATIUS DE LOYOLA. 211 
 
 making a traffic of religion. To cover the imposture more 
 effectually they supposed these instructions to have been 
 published by the Reverend Capuchin Fathers, into whose 
 hands they fell, said they, when the Protestant Duke of 
 Brunswick, called Bishop of Halberstadt, after having given 
 up our college of Paderborn to be plundered, gave them a 
 part of the spoils. But those whose duty it is to expose 
 falsehood, when it endeavors to pass for truth, once more 
 tore off its mask, and revealed to the whole world, if not 
 the name of the author, at least the true nature of this 
 odious work, falsely attributed to the Society. It was there- 
 fore prohibited in Poland by the Apostolic Nuncio, the 
 Bishop of Cracow ; in Spain, by the court of the Inquisition ; 
 and in Rome by the cardinals, members of the tribunal of 
 the Lidex, who by a solemn decree, pronounced its condem- 
 nation.* 
 
 Although we find more malignity than talent in these in- 
 iquitous productions, they have excited so strong an impres- 
 sion against us, that no statements have been able entirely to 
 efface it ; for men listen to an accusation more readily than 
 to a defence, and falsehood frequently gains credence more 
 easily than truth. Yet the time will come, I doubt not, 
 when we shall glory in these very attacks ; when we shall 
 show them like honorable scars ; when they will be our con- 
 solation in vigils and labor. It gives me pleasure to tran- 
 scribe here the words of Father Francis de Villanova to a 
 
 * Die 10 Maie 1616, in sacra Indicis illustriss. S. R. E. Cardinalum 
 general! congregatione habita in palatio illustriss. et revercndiss. D. 
 Cardinalis Bellarmini, facta relatione cujusdam libri cui titulus: Monita 
 privata societatis Jesu. Notobrigise anno 1612, sine nomine authoris: 
 illustriss. D. D. Cardinales decreverunt, prrcfatum librum, utpote false 
 Societati Jesu adscriptum, calumniosum, et diffamationibus plenum 
 omnino esse prohibendum, prout de facto ilium prohibuerunt &c. 
 
212 HISTORY OF 
 
 young man whom these various accusations had strongly 
 prejudiced against the Society. 
 
 " Suppose," said he, " that a company of skilful dancers 
 perform a ballet, the figures of which have been composed 
 and arranged with great skill. If some one who is a perfect 
 stranger to the art of dancing, were to see it executed from 
 a distance, we must not be astonished if the performers ap- 
 pear to him a collection of madmen or of drunken persons, 
 who leap about without any other rule for the movement of 
 their feet, than the caprices of a head disordered by the 
 fumes of wine ; but he who sees them nearer, and who is a 
 connoisseur, observes that all their motions are foreseen and 
 regulated, and that they follow the sound and time of the 
 music with perfect precision. He admires their skill, and is 
 not at all disturbed by being told that others, who are igno- 
 rant of the art, are turning them into ridicule. 
 
 " And so it is with those who pass their judgment upon 
 things which are entirely beyond the reach of their vision 
 and understanding, as well as of their affections." 
 
 As for Catholics, there are some who are so but in 
 name ; men without God, without faith, and who would 
 openly desert their religion, were they not held back by some 
 remains of shame. A life differing from their own is an of- 
 fence to them, and the very sight of one who so lives, seems 
 to them a reproach upon their own conduct and sentiments. 
 Therefore, to profess open war against vice, to declare it 
 publicly, is to inflict a personal grievance upon them ; for 
 those who are the adversaries of their favorite vices, they 
 regard as personal enemies ; and their irritation arrives at 
 its height when they believe that their interests are in dan- 
 ger. 
 
 But what should we gain by collecting here the titles of 
 all the works whose authors have not even dared to affix 
 
SAINT IGNATIUS DE LOYOLA. 
 
 213 
 
 their own names to them ? The man who respects himself, 
 gives no other answer to anonymous communications but a 
 dignified silence. Let us imitate this example, and let us 
 rather remember those beautiful words addressed by Paul 
 IV. to the first General Assembly held by our Society : — 
 " Do not expect," said he, " to receive better treatment than 
 the Saints of the Old and the New Law. You will expe- 
 rience a like fate. Many will neither receive you nor your 
 doctrine ; to persecute you and to put you to death, will 
 seem to them meritorious in the sight of God. Our age, 
 which hath witnessed the birth of this blessed Society, is an 
 age of many troubles. We behold the Church almost every 
 where exposed to the most violent attacks, to the most cruel 
 persecutions. It is not only the inhabitants of newly-dis- 
 covered regions, who launch their shafts against the spouse 
 of God ; no, it is even those who, together with ourselves, 
 glory in the name of Christians."* 
 
 Besides, they have dared to reproach the whole Order 
 with the faults of some individuals ; and because some few 
 branches have produced bad fruit, they would willingly have 
 laid the axe to the root of the tree, and felled it. Strange 
 logic ! To seek for impeccability out of Heaven ! " Hu- 
 man virtue," says St. Ambrose, " is a lamp which some- 
 times becomes extinguished, and emits a nauseous odor." 
 
 * Ne putetis vos melioris esse conditionis, quam legis utriusque 
 sanctos Dei legates. Similiter vobis continget. Multi eiiim non re- 
 cipient vos, nee doctrinam vestram, sed per^equentur vos, et inter- 
 ficient, obsequium se prffistare Deo arbitrantes. Perturbatissimum 
 enim secvdum hoc est, quo Dominus vocavit istam beatain societateu}. 
 Ecclesiam Dei diris modis vexari, et ubique fere oppuguari videmus. 
 Oppugnant Christi sponsam, noa tautum a fide alieni barbari et qui 
 in novis insulis Christianum nomen hostiliter insectantur, sed etiam 
 illi, qui communi nobiscum Christianorum nomine gloriant^r. 
 
214- HISTORY OF 
 
 If a religious Order were to be condemned because sin- 
 ners are to be found in it, all would be condemned equally ; 
 but that alone deserves to be so, where sin may be commit- 
 ted with impunity. If he who sins is punished, his very 
 faults, like the dark shadows in a painting, serve to bring 
 out the lights, to distinguish and classify the different ob- 
 jects, and to show to all men that the rules are observed 
 and order maintained. It is thus that Grod draws His glory 
 from our sins, although by a wise disposition. His justice 
 punishes them. But if one alone is guilty, on his head alone 
 be the condemnation. The whole college of apostles was 
 not doomed to die because Judas deserved death. Besides, 
 could it be credible that so many thousands of men, for the 
 most part unknown to each other, should be so completely 
 identified with one another that the evil committed by one 
 single individual, ought to be attributed to the whole num- 
 ber, and justify universal hatred and contempt towards the 
 whole body ? If our detractors have not that benevolence 
 which covers the faults of a few with the virtues of many, 
 let them at least have the justice not to attribute to all the 
 errors of a few. 
 
 " This manner of judging is very intolerant," said St. 
 Augustine, in a letter which he addressed to his people ; 
 " there are persons who endeavor to discover, and are re- 
 joiced to learn that a bishop, a priest, a monk, or a virgin 
 consecrated to God, has fallen into some faults, that they 
 may afterwards take it for granted that many others have 
 done likewise. These very people know that unfaithful 
 wives have existed, yet they do not repudiate their own ; 
 nor do they accuse their own mothers of sin. But if they 
 hear a false accusation spread abroad, or perhaps a real fault 
 related of a person whose life had until then been exem- 
 plary, tliey endeavor to make it be believed that all those 
 
SAINT IGNATIUS DE LOYOLA. ' 215 
 
 who lead the same kind of life, must be guilty of tlie same 
 faults." 
 
 See to what such an abuse of reasoning would lead. In 
 every community^ where one individual has committed a 
 fault, all must be considered equally guilty. Why not, in 
 the same way, suppose that all are innocent where some are 
 so ? Such a general argument can prove nothing ; nor can 
 any thing be more unjust than to judge of the will of some 
 by that of others, for in a numerous society of individuals, 
 opinions not only differ, but are constantly opposed to each 
 other. Therefore to select from amongst so many writers 
 belonging to the Society, the opinions of one only, whether 
 erroneous or contrary to j;he interests of those who condemn 
 it, and then to give them as the doctrine of the whole body 
 — is that acting justly ? I do not allude here to opinions 
 which are condemned as belonging to us, and yet which were 
 published long before any of us had even learned to read ; 
 but to those whose authors conceal their names, that the 
 blame may fall upon us alone. 
 
 Another reflection may have some weight with those to 
 whom the study of our corrupt nature is familiar. Men 
 who lead evil lives, with difficulty believe in the innocence 
 of others ; as one who afilicted with vertigo, beholds every 
 thing turning around him. And this is more especially the 
 case, when, through a long habit of evil, a man has lost all 
 power of renouncing sin, and then believes that this weak- 
 ness arises from a radical impossibility of resisting his incli- 
 nations. Thus the greater number of those who sin, espe- 
 cially against purity, console and excuse themselves by be- 
 lieving that all have the same inclinations, and that all yield 
 to them, and that he who conceals them with most care, may 
 be the most prudent, but is not the most innocent. Thus 
 our detractors are grievously tormented when they perceive 
 
216 HISTORY OF 
 
 in us some increase of virtue, of talent, or of credit ; and as 
 the course is odious to them, they shut their eyes in order 
 not to perceive it, and endeavor to persuade themselves that 
 it does not exist. Nor are there any fables, however absurd, 
 which they have scrupled to publish, in hopes of injuring us. 
 Some years ago an author did not fear to afi&rm that St. 
 Francis Xavier had been only a secular priest, and had never 
 made a religious profession. It would indeed seem that we 
 were disposed to try the patience of our readers, were we to 
 stop here in order to contradict paradoxes such as these, yet 
 as they have been repeated from Christian pulpits, it may be 
 well to attempt a simple refutation of them. 
 
 Our enemies had beheld the Sovereign Pontiff bestowing 
 upon Xavier the title of the new Apostle of the Indies, by 
 reason of the splendor of his sanctity, and of his admirable 
 works. They had heard of the numerous kingdoms into 
 which he first carried the light of the Gospel, of the prodi- 
 gious number of infidels whom he had himself baptized, of 
 that gift of tongues whiah had been granted him, of those 
 continual miracles by which it pleased God to glorify his 
 servant ; all which reflected a splendor upon the Society, in- 
 supportable in their eyes. It was requisite then to throw 
 some doubt upon a fact until then undoubted ; and if they 
 have not succeeded in deceiving the majority, some at least 
 have fallen into the snare ; and those who propagated such 
 falsehoods could hope for no more. 
 
 But whence shall I draw proofs to make manifest a truth 
 already so notorious ? for there are things in themselves so 
 evident that they may be compared to the light of Heaven, 
 which it would be in vain to point out to one who persists in 
 denying its existence. No one will deny that Ignatius be- 
 stowed upon Xavier the office of Provincial in the Indies ; 
 that afterwards he ordered him in virtue of the authority 
 
SAINT IGNATIUS DE LOYOLA. 217 
 
 whicli he had orer him, and of the obedience which Xavier 
 owed him, to return to Europe ; that Xavier gloried in being 
 a member of the Society, and for this blessing rendered 
 thanks to God in a vast number of his letters ; that he gov- 
 erned according to the right granted him by his office, some- 
 times admitting new members, and at others dismissing such 
 as he considered unworthy to remain, even Superiors. Who 
 does not know that he renewed his religious vows every 
 morning ; that he wore in his reliquary, along with the name 
 of Ignatius, extracted from one of his letters, and a frag- 
 ment of bone of the Apostle St. Thomas, the formula of his 
 solemn profession, which it is customary in the Society for 
 each member to write with his own hand ? Who shall at- 
 tempt to deny these facts ? 
 
 As for the functions of Apostolic Nuncio, can we doubt 
 that he fulfilled them, when we read the apostolic briefs con- 
 ferring that dignity upon him ? These expressly declare 
 that they are addressed to Xavier, in order that without any 
 opposition, and with the powers granted to that effect, he 
 might exercise, whether in Ethiopia, should he go thither, 
 or in the Indies, the ministrations proper to the Institute of 
 the Society, viz., preaching, the administration of the Sacra- 
 ments, and in short all things necessary to the salvation of 
 souls. Moreover, Salmeron and Codurius, two of the first 
 companions of Ignatius, were also named Apostolic Nuncios, 
 by Paul III., in March, 1540, six months before the Society 
 was established by that same Pontiff as a religious Order. 
 Before the ensuing year, Salmeron set out for Ireland, the 
 place of his destination, with Pastpier, named Nuncio, to 
 replace Codurius, who had died in the interval. Did that pre- 
 vent them from making their solemn profession in Rome ? 
 or, in order to make it, did they demand a special permission 
 from the Pope ? or did they receive in consequence a new 
 
 VOL. I. — 10 
 
218 HISTORY OF 
 
 brief ? If it is answered that the Pope, by expressly men 
 tioning them in the bull which instituted the Society a re- 
 ligious Order, gave them a tacit and virtual dispensation 
 from this solemn profession, it follows that since Xavier is 
 expressly named, he participated in this dispensation. But 
 what will be said if it is proved that he was a professed Re- 
 ligious of the Society, even before he became Nuncio ? Yet 
 this fact is incontestable. 
 
 Ignatius received an order from Pope Paul III., to send 
 into Portugal, to pass from thence to the Indies, two com- 
 panions of his own choosing, instead of the six whom King 
 John III. asked for. He chose Simon Rodriguez and 
 Nicholas Bobadilla ; but as Xavier was destined by God to 
 become the Apostle of these distant countries, Bobadilla, 
 attacked by a severe and prolonged illness, could not under- 
 take the voyage. Then Ignatius sent Francis Xavier in his 
 place. He received the order on the 15th of March, and set 
 out the following day ; but as the Apostolic authorization, 
 declaring the Society a religious Order, was then daily ex- 
 pected, he consigned the following resolutions to writing. 
 
 First, he assented beforehand to all the rules and consti- 
 tutions which St Ignatius and his companions remaining in 
 Rome, should establish ; he approved of them, and promised 
 to conform to them in all things. Secondly, he gave his 
 vote that Ignatius should be elected general of the Order. 
 Thirdly, he then engaged himself by religious vows for the 
 time when the Order should be recognized as such, and 
 charged James Lainez to make known this writing in his 
 absence. We still possess this document amongst our 
 ai-chives in Rome, and I here transcribe the last part of it, 
 that is to say that which regards the vows, and translate it 
 word for word from Ihe Spanish. 
 
 " When the Society shall be recognized, and the general 
 
SAINT IGNATIUS DE LOYOLA. '219 
 
 elected, I engage myself now, for that period, to perpetual 
 obedience, to poverty, and to chastity. I beg my very deiir 
 father in Christ Jesus, James Lainez, for the service of God 
 our Sovereign Lord, to present, in my absence, this writing 
 and these three religious vows to the chief who may be 
 elected, and from this moment I eno;ao;e to observe them. 
 
 ' CO 
 
 In testimony whereof I sign with my hand the present writ- 
 ing. Given in Rome, the 15th of March, 1540. Francis." 
 
 We shall now show that the Society was raised to a reli- 
 gious Order, several months before the nomination of Xavier 
 to the dignity of Nuncio. 
 
 I discover four briefs of Paul III., relative to the Nun- 
 ciature of Francis Xavier, and to that of Simon Rodriguez, 
 who was named at the same time. 
 
 The first is dispatched on the 27th of July, 1540, and 
 addressed to John III., king of Portugal, with the power of 
 keeping it, or of communicating it to them, according as it 
 suited him best to retain them or not in Portugal. In it, 
 they are declared Nuncios^ and authorized to preach the 
 Gospel, to explain the Scriptures, &c., &(i The second bears 
 the date of the 2d of August, of the same year, and con- 
 tains some new powers, such for example as those of recon- 
 ciling heretics with the Church, dispensing with irregulari- 
 ties, &c. The two last are of the 4th of October, and only 
 contain recommendations from the Pontiff to the Emperor 
 of Ethiopia, and the kings of the Indies, in favor of the two 
 Nuncios. 
 
 From all this it is manifestly proved, that Xavier was not 
 made Nuncio at his departure from Rome, since the briefs 
 which gave him this dignity were not expedited for four or 
 five months after he had left it ; moreover, the king, who, as 
 I have already observed, was free to deliver or to keep the 
 briefs, did not in fact give them until the audience in which 
 
220 HISTORY OF 
 
 Xavier took leave of him, before his departure from the 
 Indies, which happened on the 7th of April, 1541, seven 
 months after the Society had been declared an Order. This 
 is unanimously affirmed by all the historians.* 
 
 We see from a letter entirely in the handwriting of 
 Xavier, and signed by Simon Rodriguez, the letter being 
 from both, that on learning that the Company had been raised 
 to an Order ^ he made his profession in it. 
 
 But why should I seek for new proofs, when I have before 
 my eyes the declaration of the very Sovereign Pontiff, by 
 whom Xavier had been created Apostolic Nuncio ? He 
 reckons him, with nine other members of the Society, in the 
 number of the first Fathers, in the bull beginning with 
 these words : Begimini ^nilitantis Ecclesice ; and in a se- 
 cond, Injunctum nobis, dated 1543, at which time Xavier 
 was in the Indies, he again places him with all the others, 
 and entitles them collectively. Religious of the Society of 
 Jesus. We find this same declaration repeated in a bull of 
 Julius III., (Exposcit dehitum), dated 1550. If we inquire 
 into the views of the Sovereign Pontiffs who have lived nearer 
 our own time, upon this subject, we shall find Gregory XV. 
 hearing and approving of the statement made to him in con- 
 sistory, by Cardinal Maria Del Monte, in which he declares 
 and proves by the acts of his canonization, that Francis 
 Xavier was a Religious, and in subjection to the orders of 
 St. Ignatius. 
 
 In fine, and this is equivalent to a sentence and public 
 definition, the commemoration of this Saint is placed in the 
 Roman Martyrology, accompanied by these express words * 
 In Sanciano Sinarum insula S. Francisci Xaverii, Socie^ 
 
 * Orlandin, Hist Soc. I. 3, num. 41. Tursell, I. 1, c. 12, et Lucena, 
 I. 1, c. 10. Vit. Xaverii. Maffie, Hist. Ind. I. 12. 
 
SAINT IGNATIUS DE LOYOLA. 221 
 
 tatis Jesu, Indiarum apostoli. — We have dwelt thus long 
 upon this subject, much more to unmask the malignity which 
 engenders so many and such evident falsehoods, than to bring 
 forward proofs of a truth too well known to require any de- 
 fence. 
 
 One circumstance which has in no small degree contrib- 
 uted to raise up violent storms against the Society, is the 
 malice of apostates, and of those who have been expelled 
 from it. Whilst they were members of the Society, they 
 attached themselves to it in proportion to the advantages 
 which they expected to derive from it ; but their hopes hav- 
 ing vanished, they have become the accusers of those whom 
 they had not the courage to imitate. Heaven has no greater 
 enemies than the demons who were precipitated from thence, 
 nor the cloisters more bitter adversaries than the apostates 
 who have fled from their shelter ; since by employing every 
 artifice to throw discredit upon the religious Orders, they 
 hope to conceal the causes of their own expulsion. 
 
 " I shall tell you frankly," wrote St. Augustine to his 
 flock, " and it is before Grod, who reads my inmost soul, that 
 I speak to you ; since I began to serve Him, I have never 
 known more holy souls than those who have sanctified them- 
 selves in monasteries; as in the same way I have never 
 known worse men than those who have become perverted 
 there. Hearing unceasingly that sentence of condemnation 
 repeated, 'he is not fit for the kingdom of God,'* these 
 guilty souls conduct themselves like desperate men ; they are 
 like the ancient gladiators, destined to d-eath, whose insolence 
 was intolerable, because ' they have nothing to fear and are 
 most to be feared.' "f 
 
 It was formerly false brethren of this description who 
 
 * Aug. Tract, 33, In Joan. t ^pit. 37. 
 
222 HISTORY OF 
 
 produced fhe works entitled Historia Jesuitica, de modo 
 agendi Jesuitarum, and others of the same nature. They 
 presented the Society under the most hlamable aspect, be- 
 cause it appeared to them so, in not having raised them, ac- 
 cording to their pretensions, to offices to which they had no 
 right. If those who under the semblance of Reformers have 
 been the persecutors of our Order, had obtained during their 
 residence amongst us, the eminent posts which they aspired 
 to, it would have appeared to them all that was holiest, 
 wisest, and best governed ; whereas they have represented it 
 as presenting a monstrous medley of order and disorder, and 
 worse than all as requiring reformation and correction, from 
 the very persons who have left it solely to avoid subjection to 
 its laws and disciplinary penalties. 
 
 We would ask also, does it require much talent or science 
 to compose a book of the fragments of letters from the 
 Superiors, or of the canons and decrees of the Greneral Con- 
 gregations, presenting them under a false light ? 
 
 Let us give one single example amongst a multitude of 
 others. A certain Arsenmiiller entered into the Societ}'-, in 
 all likelihood rather as a spy of the heretics, than with the 
 intention of establishing himself there. He remained but a 
 short tine, it being impossible for a Lutheran, greatly in- 
 clined to sensual pleasures, to play for any length of time the 
 part of a spiritual man. He therefore left the Society, 
 carrying with him the constitutions, in order to write com- 
 mentaries upon them, with which he afterwards filled his 
 book, entitled Historia Jesuitica. He more especially 
 discusses and condemns the rule which imposes upon us that 
 submission towards our Superiors, which we owe to Our 
 Lord himself He quotes very exactly the precise words of 
 the text ; but not without uniting to this the common artifice 
 of sectarians, using truth as a coloring for his own falsehood 
 
SAINT IGNATIUS DE LOYOLA. ' 223 
 
 Thus lie dares to assert that as their own villanles do not 
 siiflace for the children of Ignatius, they also bind themselves 
 to execute all those which their Superiors may be pleased to 
 order ; " for," adds he, " he who promises to obey in all 
 things^ excepts none ; neither theft, nor homicide, nor per- 
 jury." It is well known how much credit this infamous as- 
 sertion obtained, as is proved by the many writings in which 
 this total dependence upon the Superiors is called ihe ohe- 
 dience of assassins^ a yoke worthy of the brutes ; so easy 
 is it to calumniate an Order, by means of its own Institute, 
 in the minds of those who only know it through these artful 
 quotations. If Arsenmiiller had transcribed the whole rule, 
 and consequently added the words which immediately follow 
 those above cited, it would not have been in his power to hold 
 us forth to the universe as men ready to fulfil the orders of 
 a criminal will ; for it is there expressly declared, that we 
 must obey our Superiors in all that is not sin 
 
 We see the same method of proceeding in regard to the 
 letters and counsels from the Grenerals of the Order. Placed 
 upon an eminence, like vigilant sentinels, they have under 
 their eyes all this vast Society committed to their charge. 
 Now and then they raise their voices, whether to exhort, to 
 warn, or to command ; but before doing this, they do not 
 wait until an abuse has become universal, although in blaming 
 it they always speak in general terms, and as soon as they 
 perceive, endeavor to uproot it. For this reason they give 
 public counsel, useful to all ; a remedy for the weak and in- 
 firm, and a preservative for others. The same may be said 
 of the general Congregations, in which salutary ordinances 
 re- establish or perfect the observance of the rules ; a method 
 which, far from producing relaxation or disorder, is, on the 
 contrary, the only means of avoiding both. There are some 
 tb'ngs which must be vigorously combated from the very be- 
 
224 HISTORY OF 
 
 ginning, because they might become serious in their conse- 
 quences ; and it is a wise mode of action to oppose gentle 
 authority to that which is less an evil for the few, than a 
 danger for the many. 
 
 Thanks be to Grod that all men are not yet so blinded 
 nor so devoid of judgment, as to be unable to recognize in 
 all this the artifice of the calumniators. They have done 
 more for the honor of the Society, in proving by their apos- 
 tasy that ambitious men cannot live there, than they have 
 thrown discredit upon it, by making some quotations from 
 its Institute, in a manner calculated to make it appear 
 monstrous, even as certain concave mirrors entirely disfigure 
 the objects which they represent. 
 
bAlNT IGNATIUS DE LOVOLA. 225 
 
 OHAPTEU VL 
 
 Profit which the Society derives from the persecutions of which it is the obje-st— 
 Special protection of the Holy Virgin— The Society of Jesus, which took birth in 
 the Sanctuaiy consecrated to Mary, is protected by her as her own property. 
 
 Have we not wandered far away from tlie Mount of Martyrs 
 and its influence upon the rising Company ? No ; for we 
 have not left the circle of persecutions. And let us not for- 
 get that although Jacob wept for his son's death, when he 
 beheld the bloody remnants of his garments which the per- 
 fidious brothers presented to him, yet in later days, Joseph 
 was restored to be the joy of his old age. We also beliold 
 our vestments torn by exterior attacks, but the gpace and 
 protection of God remain to us. Since the foundation of 
 the Society, says Father Nadal, Grod has begun by exposing 
 it to persecution, whenever it has been his design to elevate 
 it. St. Ignatius feared for the Order nothing but too much 
 tranquillity. He was once surprised with a sad and depressed 
 countenance, a circumstance astonishing in a man whose im- 
 passible physiognomy always indicated the profound peace 
 of his soul. He was in fact afflicted, because he observed 
 that in a certain province, the affairs of the Society went 
 forward with too much tranquillity ; and that its members 
 enjoyed equally the favor of the court and of the people. 
 Ignatius judged from his own experience. When he was 
 solely occupied with the care of his own soul, and his own 
 
 VOL. L — 10* 
 
226 HISTORY OF 
 
 progress in perfection, no one tliought of ill-treating him ; 
 on the contrary, he was venerated as a Saint ; but was he 
 occupied with his neighbor, they took up arms against him, 
 and he soon found accusers, imprisonment, and chains ; he 
 was treated as a seditious disturber of the peace, and or- 
 dered to be silent. " You enjoy a long truce," said one of 
 his friends to him in Paris, when the Saint, who as yet knew 
 French but little, could not labor for the salvation of souls 
 " It is true," replied he, " the world grants me a truce, be- 
 cause I do not make war upon it ; but let me once come out 
 of the camp, and you will see Paris up in arms against me." 
 
 Such were also the sentiments of Francis Xavier and 
 Francis Borgia. The first trembled whenever there was 
 a cessation of persecution against him or his Order ; the 
 second hoped that after his death he might from Heaven be- 
 hold the Society always persecuted. And should we now 
 fear because we are so ? Should we not rather regard it as 
 the guarantee of our future welfare, as the pledge of our 
 prosperity ? 
 
 Besides, our observation is applicable to all religious 
 orders ; they have in reality nothing to fear but from them* 
 selves. The arrows of the infidels may make us martyrs, 
 the hatred of heretics may be aroused against us ; the pre- 
 judices of Catholics themselves may pursue us ; hatred, ar- 
 rows, and prejudices will only serve to purify us, to make us 
 prudent, to draw us into closer union, and to teach us to rely 
 on Grod alone. Our dangers can only be internal, and they 
 would be great, indeed, if ever private intimacies, those 
 sources of division, were to arise and overturn order, and 
 break the chain of general union, in which our force should 
 consist. Also, were a marked preference in our favor to be 
 the fruit of intrigue and not of merit ; were we to obtain 
 the afi'ection and protection of the great, at the expense of 
 
SAINT IGNATIUS DE LOYOLA. 227^* 
 
 religion, and to its injury ; were we to tolerate their weak- 
 nesses, under the miserable pretext of suffering a lesser to 
 avoid a greater evil ; were we either in consideration of the 
 public homage rendered to great talents, or actuated by the 
 hopes of personal usefulness, to relax, in certain cases, the 
 discipline rigidly observed towards persons of less impor- 
 tance ; " if, in short," as St. Gregory Nazianzen says, " whilst 
 the tempest raged without, the sailors, divided amongst them- 
 selves, raised a storm yet more terrible within the ship ; " 
 then, without doubt, our danger would be great, and our po- 
 sition deplorable. 
 
 Persecution, I repeat, will always be a blessing for us. 
 In this respect the servants of God, the Saints, are unani- 
 mous, and their opinion is well worth that of the world. A 
 Dominican friar wrote against us, and omitted nothing which 
 aould render the Emperor and the public unfavorable to our 
 Order. The grave and pious Louis of Granada is informed 
 of this by one of our Fathers, and immediately writes him 
 the following letter : — 
 
 " God knows with what pain I have read the letter which 
 you have written to me ; although I desire to see you pros- 
 per, I would not that it were so much at our expense ; for in 
 this species of traffic, the damage is to him who does the in- 
 jury, and not to him who receives it. I am aware that Our 
 Lord knows how to sweeten the waters with salt, to cure the 
 eyes of the blind with mud, to multiply the children of Is- 
 rael by the persecutions of Pharaoh, and Christian people 
 by that of tyrants. I know that He employs His adversa- 
 ries to bring about His designs. The children of Jacob, in 
 selling their brother Joseph, intended to prove the falsity 
 of his dreams, and did only justify them : and this I think 
 is precisely the result which will be produced by this last 
 attack, whose object is to destroy the Society of Jesus. It 
 
228 HISTORY OF 
 
 will only serve to render it more humble, more lioly, more 
 exemplary, more circumspect, and consequently more eatima- 
 ble. Thus the very means chosen by this friar to subvert 
 it, will serve in the hands of God to raise it up : and so it 
 may truly be said, that he hath labored more for 3'ou than 
 you have for Antichrist, as he pretends. As for me, I feel 
 very certain that He of whom Job said, Quis iionit ventis 
 pondus, and who sent unto Paul that sting of the flesh, in 
 order that the grandeur of the revelations made to him 
 might not inflate him with pride, has prepared this trial for 
 you, in order that the esteem and praises of men might not 
 excite your vanity. Remember, then, that the seeds which 
 are put in the ground sometimes require a soft air, and 
 sometimes frost, so that the one may make them s^^rout forth, 
 and the other give their roots time to penetrate into the 
 earth, and strengthen there. The same thing is necessary 
 for the spiritual seed which God sows in His Church, for His 
 own glory. For if the sweetness of praise, when not carried 
 to excess, encourages the development of virtue, yet tribula- 
 tion developes its strength. Let your Reverences then re- 
 joice in being treated like the primitive Church. Woe to 
 the Company of Jesus, when combats and persecutions shall 
 no longer exist for them ! I entreat you to pray God with 
 the fervor of perfect charity, that He will not punish us for 
 the fault of one of our members, which I fear more than any 
 other misfortune. Lisbon, olst 3Iarch, 1536." 
 
 But if persecutions have indeed been good for us, here 
 is another protection, a more gentle influence, whose eff"ects 
 c*re not made known to us by sorrow ; it is that of Mary. 
 The Society was founded by the first Fathers on the solemn 
 day of her feast, and in a church consecrated to her worship. 
 They chose her for the special patroness of their intended 
 labors. And it does truly seem, that from that moment, 
 
SAINT IGNATIUS DE LOYOLA. 229 
 
 there was cstablislied, as it were, a mutual excliange of ten- 
 derness and devotion ; of sincere attacliment on the one side, 
 and on the other of efficient assistance, and providential 
 manifestation. There is not only the gratitude and respect 
 which servants feel towards a good mistress, but rather the 
 aiFection and indelible union which reigns between a mother 
 and her children. 
 
 Let us reflect for a moment upon the multitude of young 
 men placed m our colleges under the particular invocation 
 of Mary. What fruit enduring through life, what deep roots 
 of piety are implanted in the heart, when on those days con- 
 secrated to the Queen of Angels, our pupils are seen ap- 
 proaching the Sacraments, visiting the hospitals, distributing 
 alms in private, and practising all those works of charity of 
 which their tender age is capable I At blessed moments like 
 these, the dew of Heaven falls mysteriously upon their souls, 
 to water, fertilize, and develope the germ of faith, whereof 
 the rough bark shall one day be enabled to resist the storms 
 to which in riper age it may be exposed. 
 
 It would be easy to write a whole book, filled with the 
 numerous marks of bounty which our cherished Mother has 
 lavished upon us. Let us here consider but one ; that which 
 she bestowed upon Ignatius himself. It was tj the Holy 
 Virgin that he especially owed both his conversion and that 
 angelic purity, which he seems to hive befj[ueathed as a 
 precious inheritance to his sons. Is it not a marvellous 
 circumstance, that, mingling as the members of our Society 
 do with persons of all ranks and of all ages, their morals 
 have never yet sufifered ? Sometimes cast upon distant 
 shores, amidst the corruption of barbarians, and the degra- 
 dation of savages, they have always been seen to conquer all 
 the snares of sensuality. At others, in our most brilliant 
 European cities, where luxury displays all its charms, in- 
 
230 HISTORY OF 
 
 dustry its fascinations, and the world its seductions, no one 
 has yet ventured, with any shadow of probability, to accuse 
 these servants of God of yielding to the allurements of the 
 passions. To whom can we attribute so extraordinary a favor, 
 if not to that immaculate Virgin, who always obtains from 
 her Divine Son graces precious in proportion to the perfect 
 trust and ardent love testified towards her ? It is then Mary 
 herself whose sacred hands have rocked the cradle of our 
 infant Society in the Chapel of the Martyrs. And again it 
 is she who receives it in Rome, in her Church of Our Lady 
 della Strada. Where, in fact, could a more propitious place 
 for the foundation of our Order have been found ? 
 
 Fifteen years later, St. Francis Xavier, who had chosen 
 the Mother of God for his guide through all his perilous 
 voyages, landed at Japan on the very day of the Assump- 
 tion, and opened a new field for a long succession of martyrs. 
 And on beholding such admirable goodness on her part, we 
 have proved the depth of our gratitude. In all our tribula- 
 tions, it is to Mary that we betake ourselves ; it is the inter- 
 cession of Mary that we implore, and our trust in her has 
 never been deceived. No day passes in which our prayers 
 do not arise towards her, to ask her protection, or to return 
 thanks, whether we weep or whether we rejoice. From time 
 to time the voice of our generals may be heard, exhorting 
 us to continue. '' Love her," they say, " as your Mother ; 
 serve her as your Sovereign Lady ; " whilst the good Father 
 Martin Gutierez exclaims, " Friends, we are all, yes, all col- 
 lected within the ample folds of her royal mantle ! " 
 
SAINT IGNATIUS DE LOYOLA. 2ol 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 Life of St Ignatius in Paris — His conduct — His journey to Azpeytia and other places 
 — Honors and conversions — Ignatius is received in Azpeytia as a Saint, and re- 
 mains there three months — His works, and the fruits of his zeal in that city — He 
 humhles himself to a Carthusian, his former master, and speaks to him of his pro- 
 ject of forming a Society. 
 
 The companions of Ignatius, after having pronounced their 
 vows, united together, if not in the same house, at least in 
 one common mode of life. They ardently pursued their 
 literary studies, and endeavored to advance in the path of 
 perfection. Ignatius himself, not satisfied with the obser- 
 vance of the rules which he had prescribed to others, fol- 
 lowed the suggestions of his fervor, in all works which could 
 be useful to his neighbor, or which tended to his own sanc- 
 tification. At half a league's distance from Paris, in the 
 direction of Montmartre, there was a plaster quarry, hol- 
 lowed out at the foot of a hill, where different apertures had 
 been cut. There, in a dark and hollow cave, Ignatius, far 
 from the tumult of the city, would sometimes pass whole 
 days in penitential exercises, and whole nights in prayer. 
 He often went also to a church called Our Lady of 'the 
 Pields, situated in the faubourg St. Germain, the lonely posi- 
 tion of which rendered it well fitted for meditation. It was 
 especially whenever his external occupations and studies had 
 deprived him of a great part of the time which he would 
 willingly have devoted to prayer, that he came into this soli- 
 
232 HISTORY OF 
 
 tude, to renew the strength of his soul by contemplation and 
 austerities. These retreats never made him neglect any 
 works of charity. He brought back several heretics to 
 acknowledge the truth, and was the means of leading a vast 
 number of persons into monasteries of different Orders. 
 
 One day, after having with his own hands dressed the 
 sores of a poor plague-stricken beggar, he felt the first symp- 
 toms of the malady, and was obliged to absent himself from 
 the college for some days ; but he was delivered from this 
 danger by a miraculous cure. 
 
 The life of Ignatius was entirely passed in such acts of 
 devotion to others. Those who had the opportunity of ob- 
 serving him closely, were filled with profound admiration at 
 his conduct. A celebrated doctor, named Peralta, had placed 
 himself under his spiritual direction ; and this doctor was 
 afterwards called upon to testify upon oath to the conduct of 
 the Saint. He replied, that the holy and charitable works of 
 Ignatius, of which he himself had been an eye-witness in 
 Paris, appeared to him, of themselves alone, to merit canoni- 
 zation. 
 
 Meanwhile, God permitted him to be attacked by violent 
 inward pains, which increasing daily, reduced him to a state 
 of such extreme weakness, that they rendered him unable to 
 practise any other virtue but that of the admirable patience 
 with which he endured them. All remedies having proved 
 ineffectual, the physicians decided that the only remaining 
 hope of cure was from the effect which might be produced 
 by his native air ; and his companions so earnestly impor- 
 tuned him to try this remedy, that he at length consented to 
 do so. It is true that he took this resolution more for their 
 personal advantage, than in hopes of obtaining any relief for 
 himself. He wished above all things to preserve them from 
 the dangers which would have accrued to many of them, from 
 
SAINT IGNATIUS DE LOYOLA. 233 
 
 taking a journey to Spain for the arrangement of their own 
 affairs. For Xavier, Salmeron, and Lainez were under the 
 necessity ef returning thither, in order to terminate defini- 
 tively the renunciation of all their property, as required by 
 their vows. But, besides the inconvenience which might 
 have resulted from their dispersion, Ignatius, who knew all 
 the charm attached to the paternal mansion, the powerful 
 influence of family ties over the heart, and how frequently 
 they allure it from its vocation, appeared to do willingly for 
 the sake of his health, that which he undertook in reality only 
 for the welfare of his companions. But at the moment of his 
 departure an unforeseen obstacle presented itself. Certain 
 doubts had again arisen in the minds of some persons, as to 
 the orthodox nature of the doctrine taught by the seven men, 
 who had united tc.,., her to follow a mode of life so entirely 
 out of the common way. It was known that the plan of this 
 life had been traced by Ignatius ; and this was sufficient 
 cause for his being summoned before the Inquisitor of Paris. 
 It was said, that the effects of the doctrine being new, the 
 doctrine itself must have the same character. Was it dan- 
 gerous or salutary, who could tell ? and if it were useful, 
 why keep it secret ? Besides, added the accusers, nothing 
 is more easy than to discover the truth. Why not examine 
 a certain little book composed by Ignatius, and by means of 
 which he attracted so many disciples ? 
 
 But God directed all these different suspicions with higher 
 views. Some years later, the persecution which was to arise 
 against the Society of Jesus in Home, being founded in a 
 great measure upon the false report which was spread abroad, 
 that the companions of Ignatius had fled from Paris to 
 escape being burned alive, it pleased God that a thorough 
 examination should now take place in Paris itself, so that 
 
234 HISTORY OF 
 
 afterwards the examiner was able to give testimony to their 
 innocence. 
 
 The Inquisitor had a high esteem for the virtue of 
 Ignatius, and especially for his religious zeal ; for he had 
 brought many heretics to him to be reconciled to the Church. 
 Nevertheless, to fulfil the duties of his office, and to satisfy 
 the importunity of the accusers, he secretly made inquiries 
 into his life and teaching, and in short into every thing con- 
 nected with him and his companions. As he found nothing 
 but causes for admiration, he would have abandoned the 
 affair ; but Ignatius, foreseeing that his departure on account 
 of his health would certainly pass for flight, presented him- 
 self before the Inquisitor, without being summoned, and him- 
 self gave information of all that there still remained to be 
 known in regard to him. The only thing which the Doctor 
 desired, was to know at last this wonderful book, by means 
 of which Ignatius gained so many souls to God. He there- 
 fore begged for a sight of it, not by right of examination, 
 but in order to satisfy his devotion ; and when he had it in 
 his possession, he perused it with great eagerness. As he 
 himself excelled not only in the theory, but in the practice 
 of perfection, he comprehended and admired the divine spirit 
 which had confined within the limits of so small a work so 
 much force, so great a power for purifying the soul, for en- 
 lightening it, and for leading it by a complete disengage- 
 ment from all worldly ties, to a union with God. He was 
 so much affected by it, that when Ignatius returned to reclaim 
 his book, the Doctor obtained permission from him to copy 
 it out for his own benefit and for that of others, after he him- 
 self had learned how to make use of it. But Ignatius was 
 now no longer isolated, as he formerly was at Barcelona, 
 when united for a temporary period to some few companions ; 
 nor was he his own master, as at Alcala or Salamanca. He 
 
SAINT IGNATIUS DE LOYOLA. 2'35 
 
 was now the head of a family, small In number, it is true, 
 but containing the germ of all that his thoughts had con- 
 ceived. Henceforth, an unblemished reputation was neces- 
 sary to him, as to one who was to labor for his neighbors' 
 salvation ; and moreover, he was well aware, that go where 
 he would, the enemy of souls would pursue him, and would 
 raise up adversaries against him. For this reason, he begged 
 the Inquisitor to give a definitive judgment upon his cause. 
 He himself being on the eve of his departure for Spain, and 
 his companions about to leave Paris, he desired that the 
 slightest suspicion might not rest upon their lives or doctrine, 
 which would inevitably be the case should the proceedings 
 not proclaim their innocence publicly. The Inquisitor per- 
 ceived so clearly that the accusation had been brought for- 
 ward by men totally ignorant of spiritual things, and they 
 appeared to him so futile, that he considered it useless to 
 lose time in refuting them. But in vain he assured our 
 Saint, that such accusations ought rather to be the, subject 
 of his ambition than of his fear. Ignatius was not satisfied 
 with these assurances ; and one day, bringing with him a 
 notary and several celebrated doctors, he begged the Inqui- 
 sitor to commit to writing the reasons which prevented him 
 from following up the accusation and pronouncing sentence ; 
 so that this act might become an unexceptionable testimony 
 of his innocence. The Doctor consented without hesitation, 
 and joined to it such praises of Ignatius, that he retired 
 even more confused than satisfied. Delivered at length from 
 this obstacle, he recommended his companions to the care 
 of Father Faber, the only priest amongst their number, and 
 one whom they all respected as an elder brother. Having 
 fixed upon the 25th of January, 1537, for meeting again at 
 Venice, Ignatius took leave of his friends with the most 
 cordial affection. If this departure had taken place at the 
 
 k 
 
236 HISTORY OF 
 
 end of the year 1535, as it is erroneously stated by Father 
 Polanco, and repeated after him by the two historians, Or- 
 landini and Maffei, the Saint could not have gone to Venice 
 until the end of the following year, whereas one of his own 
 letters proves that he arrived there at the end of the same 
 year. 
 
 Such a separation, and at so critical a juncture, might 
 well have inspired the venerable founder with some fears ; 
 but he knew the virtue of his brethren, he knew that he might 
 confide in their unalterable attachment, and he departed with 
 joy. His confidence was not deceived ; the bond which united 
 them all could not be broken. " Had Ignatius died," wrote 
 one of them ; " had any other accident put an end to our 
 enjrao'cment, we should all have hastened forward towards 
 the Holy Land ; we should all have consecrated our lives 
 and our labors to the salvation of the infidels." 
 
 In the unfortunate state o2 heaUh in which Ignatius then 
 was, he could not undertake a journey on foot from Paris to 
 Biscay. His companions procured him a horse of the most 
 trifling value^ and of so miserable an appearance, that when 
 he gave it to the hospital of Azpeytia, it was only used to 
 carry wood for the poor inhabitants of the country. It was 
 thus that he arrived at his native place. He would willingly 
 have remained there unknown, as much to avoid a meeting 
 with his relations, as from the fear of not being permitted 
 to lodge in the city hospital ; but it was impossible for him 
 to preserve his incognito. He had gone to an inn two leagues 
 distant from Azpeytia, when one John Equiber, who was 
 on intimate terms with the family of Loyola, arrived there, 
 and inquired if there were any travellers in the house. 
 *' There was," said the host, " but one, an ill-dressed man, 
 yet good-looking ; and who, from his speech, seemed to have 
 bocu born in that neighborhood ; although he did not rcnog- 
 
SAINT IGNATIUS DE LOYOLA. 237 
 
 nize him." John, moved by curiosity, glanced through the 
 aperture of the door, and saw Ignatius on his knees praying 
 with the most profound devotion. He instantly recognized 
 him, remounted his horse, and rode oflF in haste to carry fhe 
 news to the lords of Loyola, and through the whole adjacent 
 country. There it was received not only with great joy, 
 but with such sentiments of piety, that, in order to receive 
 him worthily, the whole clergy of Azpeytia assembled in 
 procession, and went out to meet him. His brothers and 
 nephews wpre themselves preparing to go out at the head of 
 a noble Cavalcade to escort him; when, fearing lest these 
 testimonies of honor and respect might cause him to fly from 
 his country, when he had scarcely returned to it, they re- 
 nounced their intention, and contented themselves with send- 
 ing a respectable priest to inform him that he was expected 
 and desired at the castle of Loyola, which they should always 
 consider as his property. 
 
 However, they reflected that another obstacle might occur. 
 If Ignatius were to suspect the honorable reception prepar- 
 ing for him, he would probably retire into the mountains, 
 which robbers and bad roads rendered equally dangerous. 
 His kinsmen therefore sent armed servants to the difierent 
 passes, with the secret mission of accompanying and defend- 
 ing him in case of attack. The brothers of Ignatius had 
 judged rightly ; he refused with modesty the invitation sent 
 him through the ecclesiastic; dismissed him, to avoid his 
 importunities, and set out alone across the mountain path, in 
 the direction of Azpeytia, where he intended to lodge at the 
 hospital ; but he fell into the very midst of the honors which 
 he wished to avoid. At the entry of the town, he met the 
 whole clergy coming forth in procession, together with a mul- 
 titude of his kinsmen. They first welcomed him as a Saint, 
 with the warmest marks of veneration ; whilst the others 
 
238 HISTORY OP 
 
 used every effort to induce him to go with them to Loyola. 
 But although he had been unable to avoid this meeting which 
 he had not foreseen, nothing would induce him to yield to the 
 importunities of his family. Since the day that he left his 
 castle, he had never ceased to consider himself as one who 
 possessed nothing upon earth ; and having once become poor 
 for the love of Jesus Christ, the hospitals which he met with 
 on his way, were for him as so many paternal mansions. 
 Therefore, without being deterred by the fear of displeasing 
 his brothers, Ignatius went to lodge at the hospital of the 
 Magdaleues. Upon this, they contented themselves with send- 
 ing him a suitable bed and some provisions. Of the first he 
 made no use, but unmade it every morning to deceive public 
 attention as to his penance, which consisted in lying upon a 
 board. The servants of the hospital at length discovered 
 this, and sending back the bed, brought him one such as was 
 used there by the poor invalids, which he accepted. As for 
 the provisions, he would not touch them; but the day 
 after his arrival went out to beg alms, and continued to do so 
 during the three months of his sojourn at Azpeytia. 
 
 To live with the poor, to eat at their table, to distribute 
 to them whatever seemed to him most delicate, to reserve for 
 himself the most miserable food, such was his usual mode of 
 life. Once only, nevertheless, he consented to enter his 
 house, in compliance with the earnest solicitations of his 
 sister-in-law, who knelt before him, and conjured him to do 
 so, by the Passion of Our Lord. He yielded to her entreaties 
 rather to make her understand the sentiments which she 
 ought to feel towards that most holy mystery, in the name 
 of which she had entreated this favor, than from the desire 
 of pleasing her, or of enjoying the pleasure of finding him- 
 self once more in his own domicile. That evening, then, he 
 re-entered the home of his fathers, slept upon the floor, and 
 
SAINT IGNATIUS DE LOYOLA. . 239 
 
 the next morning, by break of day, lie had returned to the 
 hospital 
 
 His pains, and the weakness of his stomach had left him, 
 even before he reached his native land ; for which reason he 
 had resumed his usual austerities. Besides the hair shirt 
 which he habitually wore, his fasts were frequent, he also 
 made use of the discipline, and usually slept upon the bare 
 ground. He employed the strength which had been restored 
 to him, for the salvation of souls. His eldest brother, Don 
 Martin Garcia, who looked upon spiritual things with the 
 eyes of worldly prudence, endeavored to dissuade him from 
 his eflforts, assuring him that no one would come to listen to 
 his instructions. "If a single child profits by my teaching," 
 replied Ignatius, " my time aud labors will seem to me well 
 employed." 
 
 But on the contrary, a great concourse of people soon 
 collected to hear him. To doctrinal teaching, he united in- 
 structions upon those spiritual observances, which lead to 
 the practice of a Christian life. It was at this time that he 
 knew and predicted the future fate of two children. The 
 first, named Martin Alarzia, stammered somewhat in his 
 fipeeeh, and was very homely in his appearance ; so that when 
 he answered the questions in the catechism, peals of laughter 
 were heard amongst those present. But Ignatius turning 
 towards them, said, " You ridicule this young child, because 
 you discover in him only that which strikes the eyes ; but 
 know that his soul is infinitely more beautiful than his body 
 appears to you deformed. That beauty will for ever increase, 
 he will become a great servant of God^ and will do useful 
 and great things in his own country, for the salvation of his 
 brethren." This child became in fact a priest as zealous as 
 he was holy, and as long as he lived, rendered great services 
 to his countrymen. 
 
240 HISTORY OP 
 
 The second was a child of eight years old, named Francis 
 D'Almara. His mother presented him to Ignatius, that he 
 might bless him, and might pray to the Lord that He "would 
 be pleased to preserve him for her consolation and support. 
 Ignatius looked at him for some moments, then turning to his 
 mother ; " Be not uneasy," said he, " your son will have a 
 long life, and a numerous offspring." Almara afterwards 
 became the father of fifteen children, and died at the age of 
 eighty. 
 
 The regular preachings of Ignatius took place in the 
 evening, three times a week, and usually lasted two hours ; 
 but in consequence of a slow fever with which he was attacked, 
 his weakness became extreme, and this exercise was very 
 fatiguing to him. Nothing but his own zeal, together with 
 the divine assistance, could have made it possible for him to 
 continue. He preaohed in the open country, no church being 
 sufficiently large to contain the crowds who thronged to hear 
 him. The people climbed the trees, often at a great distance 
 from the preacher ; but his voice was distinctly heard at the 
 distance of more than three hundred paces, whether by the 
 particular assistance of God, or from the mute attention of 
 this immense audience, who were awed into deep religious 
 silence. 
 
 On the occasion of his first discourse, Ignatius gave a 
 remarkable proof of humility. One of his motives, said he, 
 for returning to his native land, after having quitted it so 
 many years since, with the intention of never beholding it 
 again, had been to satisfy the dictates of his conscience; 
 which had never ceased to cry to him, that there where he 
 had formerly given the example of a youth spent in dissipa- 
 tion, he ought now to give that of true repentance. Every 
 day, added he, he implored God with tears to pardon him, 
 and now he conjured his companions to forgive him also, and 
 
SAINT IGNATIUS DE LOYOLA. 241 
 
 to grant the assistance of tlieir prayers to an unfortunate 
 sinner who so much required them. If some amongst them 
 had unfortunately imitated him in his errors, he entreated 
 them now to imitate him in his penitence. " Moreover," 
 added he, " a debt of justice obliged me to return amongst 
 you, one by which I am bound to restore the honor of an in- 
 nocent man, and even to indemnify him for a loss which he 
 once incurred through me." S^ saying, he mentioned by 
 name, and pointed out one of his hearers. " Yes," added he, 
 " that man was imprisoned and condemned to repair the 
 damage which had been done in a garden, not by him, who 
 was unjustly accused of it, but by me and some of my com- 
 rades, who had stolen fruit off the trees. Let all now know 
 his innocence and my fault. To repair the injury which I 
 then caused him, I here publicly declare that I make him 
 a gift of two farms which still belong to me, the one by right 
 of restitution, and the other as a voluntary and gratuitous 
 gift." 
 
 After such a beginning, the fruits of salvation which he 
 afterwards produced in the souls of his hearers, were truly 
 worthy of the spirit which animated him. He first reformed 
 the clergy, who stood greatly in need of amendment, many 
 of them leading an irregular life, without even an attempt 
 at disguise. He led them back to that purity of morals and 
 conduct which so holy a state requires. Ignatius next 
 attacked tlie passion for gaming, which, by causing the ruin 
 of families, brings so many troubles along with it, and at the 
 very least, involves so great a waste of time. The result 
 was prodigious ; and for more than three years after, neither 
 cards nor dice were seen in Azpeytia. Afterwards came the 
 turn of luxury, jewels, but above all of an immodest mode 
 of dressing amongst the women. Then sobs might be heard 
 from amidst the crowd, vanity yielded, and the ornaments of 
 
 VOL. T. — 11 
 
242 HISTORY OF 
 
 frivolity disappeared. During the ten days whicli elapsed 
 between Ascension and Pentecost, the preacher explained one 
 of the ten commandments every evening, and succeeded in 
 drawing down the Divine Spirit upon more than one heart, 
 on that day when His descent is celebrated, and for which 
 these teachings served as a preparation. After the second in- 
 struction, all vain and false oaths, hitherto very common, were 
 banished from the country. He had moreover the happiness 
 of converting several women of bad conduct ; and God gave 
 so much power to the words of His servant, that not satisfied 
 with devoting themselves to penitential exercises, these women 
 labored also for the conversion of their companions. To 
 avoid the danger of falling back into sin and profligacy, they 
 left the place and undertook long pilgrimages on foot ; w^hilst 
 one of them, who had less strength than the others, shut her- 
 self up in an hospital, to devote her life to the service of the 
 sick. Ignatius also established a confraternity of the Holy 
 Sacrament, to whom he confided the care of the poor who 
 were ashamed to beg, and effected a capital upon his property 
 for their relief, to be administered by the principal inhabi- 
 tants of the town. A treasurer was appointed to distribute 
 the alms. He introduced the custom of praying daily at 
 noon, for those who lived in mortal sin, and fixed a salary for 
 those who gave the signal by ringing the bells of the parish ; 
 he also re-established the habit of praying every evening for 
 the faithful departed, and engaged his brothers to have so 
 many loaves distributed to the poor, every Sunday, in honor 
 of the twelve Apostles. In short, every thing which he wished 
 to establish, in order to reanimate fervor in the service of Grod, 
 he succeeded in, through the zeal of the inhabitants of 
 Azpeytia. Besides, Heaven came in aid of his charity and 
 care, by powerful assistance and astonishing miracles. A 
 woman was brought him from a distant part of the country, 
 
SAINT IGNATIUS DE LOYOLA. • 243 
 
 wlio for four years had been possessed of a devil. The ex- 
 orcisms of which the powers had been tried, had only served 
 to prove the reality of the possession. God reserved her 
 deliverance for the prayers of Ignatius. He laid his hands 
 upon her head, made over her the sign of the Cross, and sent 
 her back delivered from the demon. 
 
 Some, encouraged by this example, brought another wo- 
 man to him; one who was subject to such terrible convul- 
 sions, that every one believed her to be possessed. On 
 seeing her, the Saint, enlightened by wisdom from above, 
 declared that she was not so ; but that frightful images, 
 which the demon brought before her eyes, were the sole 
 cause of these dreadful convulsions ; and making over her 
 the sign of the Cross, she was cured. Still more wonderful 
 was the cure of an unfortunate woman, wasted by pulmonary 
 consumption, and so far gone, that her friends were only 
 awaiting her last sigh. They entreated him to bless her, 
 but he declined using a sacerdotal prerogative, until at 
 length, vanquished by the entreaties of the dying woman, 
 and of those who surrounded her, his humility yielded to his 
 charity, and he gave her his blessing. Strength and health 
 were instantly restored to her, and she returned on foot to 
 Gamara, from whence she had been carried. She afterwards 
 returned to see him who had so wonderfully cured her, and 
 brouo-ht him an offering of some fruit, which he accepted, in 
 order not to distress her, but which he immediately dis- 
 tributed amongst the poor in the hospital. 
 
 The cure of a poor epileptic man was not less admirable. 
 The Saint being present at one of his attacks, placed his 
 hand upon the sick man's forehead, after having implored 
 the assistance of Heaven, and he was radically cured of his 
 infirmity. Whilst by the hands of Ignatius, such prodigies 
 were wrouirht, the very virtue of his garments also effected 
 
244 HISTORY OF 
 
 them. Thus a woman whose arm had long been withered, 
 having undertaken, through a sentiment of confidence and 
 devotion, to wash the linen which he had worn, was rewarded 
 by a thorough cure. 
 
 But whilst many sick persons were restored to health 
 solely through the prayers of Ignatius, it pleased God, in 
 order to increase the merit of His servant, and to give a 
 great example of patience to the world, that he should him- 
 self fall ill. The hospital no longer afforded him solely a 
 place of retirement, but the assistance which his condition 
 required. His brother, Don Martin de Garcia, wished to 
 have him transported to Loyola ; but his importunities were 
 ineffectual, and in order not to be deprived of the happi- 
 ness of attending to him, his relations came to see him in 
 the hospital. Amongst these were his cousins, Dona Maria 
 de Oriola and Dona Simona de Alzaga, who passed several 
 nights there, during one of which a circumstance occurred, 
 worthy of being recorded. Before retiring to take a little 
 repose, they wished to leave a light in the chamber, but the 
 Saint objected, and had it extinguished, saying that if he 
 required light, God would not let him want it. As he never 
 regarded the more or less suffering condition of his body, 
 when uniting his soul to God, he began to pray, and re- 
 mained some hours at his devotions. His heart became so 
 inflamed with the rays of divine love, that after having been 
 obliged several times to relieve it by sighs and tears, cries 
 escaped from him. His cousins instantly hastened to his 
 chamber, and found it resplendent with celestial light. Ig- 
 natius, confused that this miracle had been perceived, ear- 
 nestly entreated them to keep perpetual silence upon the 
 subject. 
 
 He was scarcely recovered, when he prepared to leave 
 Azpeytia ; and as soon as his intentions were made known 
 
SAINT IGNATIUS DE LOYOLA. ' 245 
 
 tlirougli the town, the people and all the clergy conjured him 
 with tears to remain amongst them, and not to prefer another 
 country to his own, where his labors were so profitable. But 
 he answered, that Grod called him elsewhere, and that besides, 
 he could not remain at Azpeytia, because, being surrounded 
 there by his family, he lived as if in the midst of the world. 
 He had afterwards to struggle against the wishes of his 
 brother Garcia, who had until then yielded to his humility, 
 in permitting him to reside in the hospital and to live upon 
 alms, and who now in parting from him, would willingly have 
 furnished him with a horse, and with servants to accompany 
 him to the port whence he was to embark for Italy. By so 
 doing, he was desirous not only to prove to Ignatius the 
 fraternal affection which he bore him, but also to satisfy 
 public opinion, which would have attributed to indifference 
 on his part, that which was nothing but an act of profound 
 humility on the part of Ignatius. Besides, Ignatius had not 
 yet recovered so entirel}'^, as to be in a condition to run the 
 risk of undertaking a long journey on foot at the approach 
 of winter. He would neither wholly yield, nor entirely 
 refuse. He consented that his brother and his other relatives 
 should accompany him to the confines of Biscay ; then, hav- 
 ing bid them an eternal farewell, he took, on foot, the road 
 which was to lead him, first to Xavier, then to Almazano and 
 Toledo ; where he was to wind up the affairs of Francis 
 Xavier, James Lainez, and Alphonso Salmeron, natives of 
 these places. He afterwards went to Sagorba, to visit his 
 old master and friend, Don John De Castro, who had shortly 
 before entered the Carthusian monastery, the Vale of Christ. 
 Their former mutual confidence had suffered no chill. Igna- 
 tius then informed Castro of his project of passing into 
 Italy, and from thence to Palestine, to found an Order, whose 
 Institute should have for its object, no less the glory of God 
 
246 HISTORY OF 
 
 and the salvation of man, than the personal perfection of Its 
 members. lie traced out the plan, as it had been revealed 
 to him, spoke of the companions whom he had already gath- 
 ered, and entreated the support of his counsels and prayers. 
 
 John de Castro asked him to give him until the next 
 day for reflection, and passed the night in prayer upon this 
 subject. The following day, filled with joy, and as one 
 assured by Divine light, that this work was of God, he en- 
 couraged Ignatius to proceed in his enterprise ; adding, that 
 it appeared to him so excellent, that he was ready to quit 
 the Carthusian convent, where he was yet only a novice, 
 and to attach himself to Ignatius, in order to contribute to 
 the success of so important a work. But Ignatius would not 
 consent to this, and on the contrary, engaged him to bind 
 himself to that holy Institute to which Grod Himself had 
 called him. After having reciprocally promised to remem- 
 ber each other before the Lord, the two friends parted.* 
 
 * Sanctum Ignatium (says the Father Dou Anthony Martin of 
 Altariba,) anno millesimo quingentesinio trigesimo qninto, e civitate 
 Valentiffi in regium vallis Christi Carthusianorura conventum, ac- 
 cessisse, ut suum videret dilectissimum preceptorcm P, D. Joannem de 
 Castro ; et suum insuper, aperiret animum, de fundenda soeietate Jesu, 
 antea conceptum : in ejus ad Deum preeibus felicem tanta rei exitum 
 collocabat. Annuit D. Joannes de Castro votis Ignatii, et ilia vespere 
 nocteque proxima, Deum ardentissime, super hdc una re, precatus est. 
 Sequent! die, sic est Ignatium allocutus. Ita, o Ignati, tua de fundenda 
 Soeietate Jesu, arrident vota, ut si lubet, Carthusiam deseram, novitius 
 sum nondum votis adstrictus: meam opem, operam, vires, consilium 
 in te unum transferam, dumniodo tantas molis negotium felicem exitum 
 consequatur. Ad quae Ignatius : nequaquam, reverende Pater: sta 
 iuceptis : tuis me preeibus Deo commeuda <fec. Father Andrew Soler, 
 monk of the same Order, adds some particulars iu his testimony : S. 
 Ignatium accessisse hanc Carthusium Vallis- Christo ut videret prajfar 
 turn P. D. Joannem de Castro, anno 1535, et ut couferret cum illo con- 
 
SAINT IGIIATIUS DE LOYOLA. 'Hl' 
 
 ceptum de condenda Societate Jesu animum. Tunc S. Ignatius ex- 
 pectans P. D. Castro novitium, vespertinis horis adttantem cum 
 reliqua religiosorum familia, sedit ad crucern coemeteiii conventus (fee. 
 And finally, besides tlie two testimonies above mentioned, Father Don 
 Nicholas Bonet also attests: He insuper audivisse a dictis Tatribus, 
 S. Ignatium nunquam habuisse animum ingrediendi aliam Keligionem, 
 nee Patrum Carthusianorum. 
 
2iti HiSTCRY OT 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 Journey to Venice— Reunion of St. Ignatius and his companions— Peter Faber in 
 Paris, adds three new companions to Ignatius. 
 
 St. lo-natius embarked at Valencia, after his return from the 
 Carthusian Monastery, and set sail for Genoa. This navi- 
 gation was dangerous at that time, on account of the nume- 
 rous Turkish galleys arrived from the Barbary coasts, which 
 frequently captured vessels with their crews, whom they 
 afterwards kept in slavery. But a peril of another nature 
 delivered them from this one, namely, a violent tempest, 
 which threatened to ingulf the vessel. They were forced to 
 throw the merchandise overboard, and a gust of wind having 
 unfixed the helm, and broken the masts, the vessel was 
 abandoned to the mercy of the waves and the hurricane. 
 The cries and prayers of the unfortunate passengers, bore 
 ample testimony to their fears ; Ignatius alone, habituated 
 to consider himself as always in the hands of God, preserved 
 all his serenity, had no thought of personal fear, and only, 
 as he afterwards observed, felt a profound emotion of sorrow, 
 at not having responded to the numerous graces which he 
 had received from Heaven, with the gratitude which they 
 deserved. This is truly the greatest affliction which the 
 Saints endure ; from their clear perception of the great 
 debts which are contracted by those who receive great bene- 
 fits ; so that the more they are loaded with them, the more 
 
SAINT IGNATIUS DE LOYOLA. 
 
 249 
 
 tliey are afflicted in considering the account which they would 
 one day render. 
 
 But God permitted the tempest to be appeased, and the 
 vessel at length entered the harbor of Genoa. Ignatius 
 however encountered yet greater dangers by land than he had 
 done by sea. Traversing the summit of the Apennines, in 
 order to leave the state of Genoa, and to enter that of 
 Lombardy, he lost his way, and followed a stony path, 
 through broken rocks, hoping that it would lead to a plain ; 
 whereas it terminated in a precipice, jutting out over a 
 torrent. By dint of climbing from rock to rock, he had 
 gone so far, that when he wished to retrace his steps, he 
 could not do so without the greatest difficulty and the most 
 imminent peril. Obliged to drag himself forward upon his 
 hands and knees, clinging to the rocks and herbage which 
 grew out of the crevices, the slightest movement threatened 
 to make him lose his equilibrium, and to precipitate him into 
 the boiling torrent. This terrible journey was afterwards 
 considered by our Saint, as one of the greatest dangers from 
 ■which he had ever escaped. 
 
 Meanwhile, the winter set in, and the roads in Lombardy 
 were so broken up by the floods, that to make a journey on 
 foot over them, was a serious infliction. Ignatius arrived 
 sick at Bologna, where another accident happened to him, at 
 the entrance of the town. At the moment of passing the 
 bridge, his foot slipped, and he fell into the ditch ; he made 
 his way out, wet and bleeding ; and this seemed to him a 
 favorable opportunity for humiliating himself. Therefore, 
 instead of divesting himself of his wet garments, he passed 
 along through the city, asking alms in the most frequented 
 streets. He gained what he sought for ; an abundant harvest 
 of raillery, and nothing more ; a surprising circumstance, 
 however, the hospitality of Bologna being proverbial 
 
 VOL. L 11* 
 
250 HISTORY OF 
 
 Sonic Spanianls at longtli took pity on the traveller, and 
 received him during his ilhiess, which Listed a week. He 
 then set out for Venice ; where he arrived during the hast 
 daj^s of the year 1535. 
 
 This city immediately became the theatre of the labors 
 and success of Ignatius. Two nobles of Navarre, James 
 and Stephen de Eguia, had taken up their residence there at 
 that time, on their return from a pilgrimage to Palestine. 
 Meeting with Ignatius, whom they had formerly known in 
 Alcala, they not only joyfully received him into their house, 
 but looked upon him as an envoy from God, sent to deliver 
 them from the painful state of perplexity in which they 
 both were. They had been rewarded for their holy pilgrim- 
 atre, by being inspired with a strong desire to abandon the 
 world, and to serve God with greater fervor ; but undecided 
 as to the kind of life which they ought to adopt, they ad- 
 dressed themselves to Ignatius, requesting his advice and 
 assistance. Ignatius made use of his usual method ; he ad- 
 vised them to follow the Spiritual Exercises. Heaven then 
 made them acquainted with its designs. They attached 
 themselves to Ignatius, and became members of the Society, 
 as soon as it was definitely established. 
 
 A similar determination was not so easily adopted, by a 
 bachelor named Diego, a native of Malaga, of the noble 
 family of Hoyes, the different branches of which were origi- 
 nally from Cordova in Andalusia, and who at a very remote 
 period had been invested by the kings of Castile, with the 
 title of Lords of Albayda. He of whom we speak had dis- 
 tinguished himself by his scientific knowledge, and ardently 
 desired to make progress in a spiritual life. Now the ex- 
 perience of many persons had made known to him the efiicacy 
 of the Sjuritual Exercises in this respect. ]5ut having 
 frequently heard them calumniated, and knowing that they 
 
SAINT IGNATIUS DE LOYOLA. 2")! 
 
 had even been suhmitted to the investigation of the TnquiHi- 
 tors, as being suspected of containing some hidden and 
 dangerous doctrine, he feared lest he might be surprised into 
 error, and could not make up his mind to ask the direction 
 of Ignatius in following them. Yet a mere doubt did not 
 appear to him a sufficiently strong motive for depriving 
 himself of what might prove to be a certain good; and he 
 reflected that besides, should he meet with any liidden poison 
 in the Exercises, he would find sure antidotes in the decrees 
 of the Councils, and in the works of the Holy Fathers and 
 Theologians. But after he had devoted two or three days to 
 the first meditations, feeling himself transformed into a new 
 man, he acknowledged that he owed it to tlie virtues of the 
 truths of the Gospel, and to no strange or foreign teaching. 
 He immediately confessed his error, and deploring the blind- 
 ness which had so long deprived him of so great a Ijenefit, 
 disclosed his former suspicions to Ignatius, and showed him 
 the books which he had collected, in order to place himself 
 on the defensive against him. He humbly entreated the 
 kSaint to pardon his distrust, and continued the Exercises, 
 the immediate result of which was to place him in the num- 
 ber of the companions of Ignatius, with a view of afterwards 
 entering into the new Institute. It is true, that he dwelt 
 amongst them but a short time ; and we might envy him his 
 happiness in having carried to Heaven the first fruits of the 
 Society, as yet but faintly sketched out upon earth. 
 
 By the same means, that is, the practice of the Exercises, 
 Ignatius soon gained other followers in Venice; his noble 
 character also procured him another very great advantage, 
 the protection of the Bishop of Bafi'o, and several members 
 of his illustrious family, who sheltered our rising Society 
 with paternal benevolence. 
 
 Nevertheless, such happy beginnings could not last, and 
 
252 HISTORY OF 
 
 the enemy of souls was again to raise up storms as lie had 
 already done elsewhere. His attacks were the more danger- 
 ous, that it became difficult to prove the falsehood of the 
 accusations levelled against Ignatius. At first, the report 
 was secretly spread, that he was a skilful heretic, who had 
 escaped from Spain, and had come to propagate his errors in 
 Italy. The miserable author of these calumnies succeeded 
 at first in propagating them without being suspected ; and 
 when he had reason to fear that he might be discovered, 
 saved himself by flight from the researches of the Inquisi- 
 tion, and the punishment which he merited. Alcala, Sala- 
 manca, and Paris, had been by turns the theatre of his 
 intrigues. In the last city, not being able to inflict any 
 other punishment upon him, they burned his ei^gj in public. 
 
 But these imputations beginning to spread abroad found 
 credit amongst many persons. Ignatius was informed of 
 this, and was noways astonished, knowing from whence these 
 accusations proceeded, and aware also of their motive. He 
 proceeded forthwith to ask audience of Monsignore Girolamo 
 Yeralli, then Nuncio of Pope Paul III. to the Republic of 
 Venice, and requested him to have a public examination of 
 a cause where he must appear, either as the accused or the 
 accuser. 
 
 The Nuncio consented, and precisely as before, a sen- 
 tence was pronounced which attested the innocence of the 
 plaintifi", and declared his accusers guilty of falsehood and 
 calumny. 
 
 Whilst these events were passing in Spain and Venice. 
 Peter Faber awaited in Paris the moment fixed for his de- 
 parture, and that of his companions, who still continued their 
 studies. He began, however, to exercise himself in the art 
 of gaining souls to the service of God, in imitation of his 
 leader, whose place he held. We can form a better idea of 
 
SAINT IGNATIUS DE LOYOLA. 2oo 
 
 the profits which resulted from his labors, by listening to the 
 decision of a celebrated theologian, than from all the details 
 •which we could collect. When this man, whose learning 
 equalled his virtue, heard that Faber was preparing for his 
 departure, he declared that he could not, without sinning 
 grievously, abandon the certain good w^iich he was effecting 
 in Paris, in the doubtful and remote hope of taking part 
 one day in works which, however great the}'^ might be, could 
 never be so important as those which he renounced. He even 
 offered to have his decision signed by all the doctors and 
 theologians of Paris. It is certain, that had God himself not 
 placed in the hearts of the six companions of Ignatius, the 
 intimate conviction that in attaching themselves to him, they 
 had been chosen to labor for the glory of God in some peculiar 
 manner ; the purpose of Faber would have been strongly shaken, 
 and he would, perhaps, have separated himself from Ignatius, 
 at the risk of turning his companions also from their project. 
 Might he not, in fact, have felt some fear lest he was about to 
 commit, if not a great fault, at least to do great injury, by 
 his desertion, to a vast number of souls w^ho so happily re- 
 sponded to his cares ? By transporting himself beyond the 
 deas, to traverse immense tracts of country, in searching for 
 people of whose language he was ignorant, who professed a 
 religion as barbarous as profane, there was, perhaps, but a 
 doubtful hope of being able to labor for their salvation. 
 And if unsuccessful, what other fruit could he obtain as the 
 reward of his immense labors, but the personal merit of his 
 exertions ? But the work of St. Ignatius was that of God 
 himself, and the fulfilment of his designs. Nothing there- 
 fore could be an obstacle to its accomplishment ; neither this 
 first opposition, nor the many others which were afterwards 
 raised up against it. None of the companions of Ignatiua 
 
254 HISTORY OF 
 
 left him; — on the contrary, others were united to him, and 
 of this, the honor is due to Faher. 
 
 One of Faber's happiest gifts, was the singular address 
 with which he mingled spiritual subjects with his most fami- 
 liar conversation, and with so perfect a union of simplicity 
 and force, that he impressed upon the hearts of all his hearers 
 the knowledge and love of the great truths upon which he 
 spoke. He skilfully joined in conversations which had already 
 begun, as the pilot goes on board the ship to guide her into 
 the harbor. Grradually, he took the helm into his own 
 hands, and led the discourse towards some profitable subject, 
 which had been far from the thoughts of the speakers at 
 the beginning of the conversation. Thus he inspired no dis- 
 trust, and no one avoided his conversation, which was besides 
 peculiarly agreeable. The sweetness and unction with which 
 he brought forward the most important truths, penetrated all 
 hearts, and often efi"ected the most admirable conversions. 
 
 Faber also directed the Spiritual Exercises with so much 
 ability, that in the opinion of Ignatius, no one ever equalled 
 him. By these different means, he gained many souls to 
 God, and acquired three new companions for his master ; 
 Claudius Le Jay, Pasquier Brouet, and John Codure, dis- 
 tinguished men, doctors of theology, and of whom the two 
 first were priests. Claudius, born in the neighborhood of 
 Geneva, possessed an angelic disposition and rare abilities ; 
 Brouet was a native of Bretancourt, five leagues distant 
 from Amiens, and Codure of Embrun, a town in Dauphine, 
 
 Thus the first Fathers of the Company were at the begin- 
 ning, ten in number, and this very number gave occasion to 
 the heretics for suspecting that some strange mysteries were 
 concealed in it. " The number ten," said the Calvinist 
 Miseno, " was called Atlas by the Pythagoreans. It is not 
 then without a hidden motive that it was chosen by the first 
 
SAINT ICVATTS BV. LOYOLA. 255 
 
 MeniLers of the Society of Jesus, which supports the Papacy, 
 as Atlas supported the world." 
 
 And as once before of the first members, so did the day 
 of the Assumption and the little Church of Montmartre 
 witness the vows pronounced by these new associates. 
 
2r)6 BisroiiT Zt 
 
 CHAPTEK IX. 
 
 The companions of Ignatius set out for Venice — Dangers of the road — Discussions 
 ■with the heretics in Germany — Consolations and arrival. 
 
 The death of Francis Sforza, Duke of Milan, had been the 
 occasion of war between Charles Y., and Francis I. ; and 
 the former had already entered Provence, at the head of a 
 numerous army, composed of Germans, Spaniards, and 
 Italians. The companions of Ignatius, who, according to the 
 arrangements made with him at the time of his departure, 
 were not to rejoin him at Venice until the 25th of January, 
 1537, now thought it necessary to hasten thither, lest the 
 passages leading from France to Italy should be closed upon 
 their arrival. Some however remained to terminate the af- 
 fairs which they had in common, and to distribute to the poor 
 the little which they possessed in Paris ; wliilst the others 
 directed their steps towards Meaux, where they were all to 
 meet, and to continue their journey together. This first de- 
 parture took place on the 15tli of November, 1536, Amongst 
 those who had preceded the others, was Simon Rodriguez, 
 who, while he waited for his companions, received an especial 
 pledge of the protection of Grod, who first sent him an unex- 
 pected malad}'-, and afterwards delivered him from it in a 
 miraculous manner. 
 
 A considerable abscess broke out upon his shoulder, ac 
 companied by a burning fever. Suflering the most excruciat 
 
SAINT IGNATIUS DE LOYOLA. 257 
 
 ing pain, he passed the night, rolling in delirium upon the 
 floor of a miserable inn, his only bed, as well as that of his 
 companions. But what most afflicted the sick man, was 
 the thought of delaying his companions, who would probably 
 find the passes closed, unless they decided to separate from 
 him, and to leave him in solitude and loneliness. 
 
 Although this appeared to him a precious opportunity for 
 exercising patience, yet, as on the other hand, the delay might 
 prove an obstacle to the holy works which were the aim of 
 all their desires, he prayed with humble fervor to Grod, that 
 he^would be pleased to regard with a propitious eye the 
 virtues of hi ■ associates, and to accept of him as their ser- 
 vant, if r judged him unworthy of the Apostolic Mission, 
 towar I. which Ignatius was leading them. His companions, 
 on their side, entreated the Lord that He would restore to 
 Ignatius the companion whom He had given him, and that 
 He would neither suffer them to be delayed, nor to depart in 
 affliction. Their prayers were granted, and it seemed as if 
 this malady had been sent to Rodriguez, only to give him a 
 miraculous token of the special protection of God. The 
 patient, after having passed the whole night in violent agony, 
 fell towards morning into a short slumber. From this he 
 awoke without fever, without tumor, and without any trace 
 of its having existed. A few hours after, their coaipanious 
 arrived from Paris, and he was able to set out joyously with 
 them, upon their journey. This event confirmed him in his 
 design of following in the footsteps of Ignatius, through 
 whatsoever difficulties he might encounter. Another trial 
 awaited Rodriguez, but one which it was "easy for him to 
 overcome. One of his brothers, and an old college com- 
 panion of his own, learning that his absence was not to be 
 of short duration, as they had imagined, but that he in- 
 tended to follow Ignatius, and adopt his mode of life, set 
 
'258 HISTORY OF 
 
 out travelling post to meet him. Having overtaken him, 
 his brother threw himself into his arms, bathed in tears, and 
 employed every argument which fraternal love could suggest, 
 to dissuade him from his project. He would never more, 
 said he, dare to return into Portugal, to see their mother 
 pine away with grLef, and to hear her reproach him with hav- 
 ing allowed her to lose a son whom his dying father had so 
 tenderly committed to her care. To these motives, dictated 
 by filial affection, his friend added others based upon justice. 
 Eodriguez could not, said he, without ingratitude, disappoint 
 the hopes of the king of Portugal, or permit him to lose all 
 the profit of the expenses which he had incurred until then 
 on his account, in the expectation that his services would one 
 day be useful to himself; not certainly with a view to his 
 attaching himself to a man, who was either expelled from 
 every city, or shamed by every one, and whose real projects 
 were still unknown. But neither the tears of his brother, 
 nor the false reasonings of his friend, could shake the resolu- 
 tion of Kodriguez. He answered them both in such a man- 
 ner as to prove, that it would perhaps be easier for him to 
 persuade his friends to accompany him, than for them to in- 
 duce him to retrace his steps. Mortified and distressed, they 
 left him, and returned to Paris. 
 
 Francis Xavier had also different obstacles to surmount, 
 though the first scarcely merits that name. His was the offer 
 of a canonship of Pampeluna, which he received when prepar- 
 ing to leave Paris. But that noble heart, which had re- 
 nounced at the foot of the cross all that was not Christ, would 
 have scattered to the winds, as vile dust, the whole world, 
 had he held it in his hand, and he did not deign to bestow 
 even a moment of reflection upon this offer. He ran a greater 
 risk of never seeing Ignatius again, through an excess of fer- 
 vor, which greatly endangered his life. 
 
SAINT IGNATIUS DE LOYOLA. 259 
 
 Revolving in his mind all the days of his youth, and the 
 faults with which it had been blemished, he resolved, as some 
 other Saints had done, to endeavor to expiate each one in 
 particular. The ordinary recreation of the students in Paris 
 was to exercise themselves in running, and as he was ex- 
 tremely agile, he had perhaps felt a little vanity, on account 
 of his superiority in this exercise. To punish himself for 
 this (and we may conclude that he had no great faults to 
 lament, since he punished this slight one with so much se- 
 verity), Xavier conceived the idea of binding his arms and 
 legs tightly, with cords covered with knots ; and notwith- 
 btanding the pain, which increased at each step, he set out 
 thus on foot for Italy. He endured this torture with con- 
 stancy for several days ; but at length his strength and his 
 nature, not equalling his fervor, he felt himself totally ex- 
 hausted, and obliged to confess that it was impossible for 
 him to continue his journey. To make known the cause was 
 a greater torture to Xavier than the pain itself; for that 
 which in his eyes was but an expiation, would appear in the 
 eyes of others, an excess of holy penance. He was obliged 
 however to accede to the importunities of his companions, and 
 to the necessity of having recourse to remedies, in order that 
 their journey might not be unnecessarily delayed ; but when 
 he had informed them of the cause of his sufferings, they re- 
 mained equally struck with admiration and dismay. The 
 flesh was not only inflamed, but so much swollen, that it en- 
 tirely covered the cords. They carried him in their arms to 
 the nearest village, and sent for a surgeon who happened to 
 be there. He seeing on one hand, the necessity, and on tlie 
 other, the danger of an operation, and fearing that he could 
 not introduce an instrument without attacking some nerve, 
 would not undertake it, and declared that the cure of such au 
 evil should be entirely left to God, for the love of whom it 
 
260 HISTORY or 
 
 had been contracted. Xavier welcomed this idea, and in- 
 spired his companions with so much courage, that their con- 
 fidence in God increased in proportion to the critical situa- 
 tion in which they found themselves. They remembered the 
 favor which had just been granted to Rodriguez, and joined 
 together in fervent prayer to obtain from the Lord, that He 
 would be pleased once more to make manifest His former 
 goodness towards them, and to continue the protection which, 
 until then. He had granted them. He alone could, at that 
 moment, cure an evil caused by ineffable love for Him. Long 
 supplications were not needed in order to obtain from God a 
 favor, which even the interests of His own glory seemed in 
 some measure to demand. Would he have allowed an Apostle 
 to perish at his very outset, one who was destined to spread 
 even to the farthest extremities of the world, the knowledge 
 of His Divine Son? 
 
 During this night, the sick man first fell into a sweet 
 slumber, and the following morning the cords were found 
 broken in pieces ; while the flesh, restored to its natural state, 
 not only showed no trace of a wound, but did not even retain 
 the marks of the ligatures. 
 
 Yet this accident could not induce Lainez to moderate 
 his austerities ; and although at his departure from Paris, 
 his health appeared very delicate, he thirsted after penance, 
 and during his journey wore a coarse hair-shirt, which he 
 continued to do until his arrival in Venice. 
 
 After the first difficulties were overcome, our pilgrims 
 considered all the sufferings of their journey as trifling, and 
 surmounted them by an unlimited confidence in Divine Pro- 
 vidence. They all went on foot, poorly clad in a robe of 
 moderate length, such as was then worn by the students in 
 Paris. In their hand was a staff, and on their back a small 
 bale of books. Their exterior was so modest, so devout, 
 
SAINT IGNATIUS DE LOYOLA. 261 
 
 that the passers by stopped to look upon them with respect. 
 One day they fell into the hands of some French soldiers, 
 who were guarding certain defiles, and who asked who they 
 were and from whence they came. The answer was embar- 
 rassing, for several of them were Spaniards, which would 
 have been a dangerous avowal. During this colloquy, a pea- 
 sant, who had stopped to look at them, turned towards the 
 soldiers and exclaimed : " Leave these honest men in peace ; 
 do you not see that they are going to convert some country ? " 
 A singular remark in the mouth of a man who hardly under- 
 stood what he spoke of, and which might have been consid- 
 ered prophetic, if, instead of indicating some country as the 
 goal of their efforts, he had announced that they were going 
 to labor for the conversion of the greatest part of the globe. 
 However that may be, the travellers suffered nothing but 
 apprehension. They had so skilfully calculated their occu- 
 pations for each day's journey, that they were able to divide 
 their time between prayer, recitation from memory, some- 
 times even the chanting of the psalms in a low tone, and 
 pious conversations ; the subjects of which were furnished by 
 their meditations upon spiritual things. Three of these holy 
 men were priests, and every day celebrated mass, at which 
 the others received the Communion. Each evening, on ar- 
 riving at the inn, and the following day before continuing 
 their journey, they all knelt down together to thank God for 
 His mercies to them during the past day and night, entreat- 
 ing Him to be pleased to continue His protection towards 
 them. 
 
 They had kept a very little money to- provide for the in- 
 dispensable expenses of the road ; but their food was coarse 
 and scanty, and for these holy pilgrims every day was like a 
 fast day. To their voluntary sufferings were added those 
 inevitably caused by the inclemency of the season. While 
 
262 HISTORY OF 
 
 traversing Lorraine, they were exposed to unceasing rain , 
 and when they entered Germany, the snow had become so 
 deep, that they were sometimes obliged to wait three days 
 at a time, before being able to continue their journey. 
 
 Notwithstanding these constantly recurring obstacles, the 
 fervor wh ch animated them rendered the yoke sweet and 
 pleasant ; whilst charity, like an ardent flame, burned within 
 them. Tt« judge by their unity and mutual respect, they 
 might eas'^y have been taken for affectionate brothers. Each 
 one founri in his friend a zealous servant ; all equal, no one 
 sought to obtain authority ; and when necessary to take any 
 resolution, each gave his opinion, and the majority decided. 
 
 T^^ey had taken the route leading through Germany, to 
 avoid a collision with the imperial army ; which could not 
 have been prevented had they gone by way of Provence. 
 But they met the French troops, who were marching towards 
 Flanders by way of Lorraine. At that time, the continual 
 depredations committed by the soldiers, rendered the roads 
 so dangerous that the inhabitants did not venture to run the 
 risk of leaving their houses. Wherever our pilgrims ap- 
 peared, the people, astonished at seeing the special protection 
 of God thus extended over them, and amazed at their teme- 
 rity, would ask %hem if they had travelled through the air. 
 But this protection was made still more manifest one day, 
 when having fallen into the midst of the French army, they 
 underwent an examination ; whereupon one of them answered 
 that they were students from the university of Paris, and 
 from motives of devotion were journeying towards St. Nicho- 
 las, a retired place on the confines of Lorraine, through 
 which they had in truth to pass. No other question was ad- 
 dressed to them, which might have led to the discovery of 
 the Spaniards, who formed part of their number, and who 
 would undoubtedly have been detained by the French troopa^ 
 
SAINT IGNATIUS DE LOYOLA. 263 
 
 Germany presented new dangers to the travellers, for if 
 they received a favorable reception from the Catholics, who 
 were often affected even to tears on beholding these nine 
 men, whose rosaries were hung around their necks — thus 
 openly declaring their belief in countries peopled by heretics ; 
 yet it also frequently happened that they were exposed to 
 the fury of those enemies of the Church, and even their lives 
 endangered. No sooner had they entered a Protestant city, 
 than they were attacked by a crowd of preachers, who defied 
 them to dispute, not from any desire of knowing the truth, 
 but rather to show their assurance by going into their very 
 dwellings, to make profession of a religion opposed to that 
 of Rome. The companions never declined discussion, al- 
 though there was little hope of converting men whose ill-will 
 almost surpassed their ignorance ; but at least they would 
 not incur the reproach of having kept silence, as if unable to 
 defend the faith when it was attacked. 
 
 He who most distinguished himself amongst them was 
 James Lainez, who, by the vivacity and soundness of his 
 answers, constantly drove the preachers to despair. There 
 was one, indeed, who did not hesitate publicly to confess 
 himself conquered ; but, unfortunately, thoi^h Lainez gained 
 the victory, truth did not; for this miniver, unwilling to 
 renounce the liberty which he enjoyed in his own sect, did 
 not abandon its errors. Yet that which did not profit him- 
 self, was at least useful to those present, who thus learned 
 to distrust the teachings of a man who, while he acknow- 
 ledged his errors, continued to profess them. 
 
 The modesty and humility of these pbor pilgrims were as 
 much admired as their talents, and formed a strong contrast 
 to the intemperate conduct and pride of the ministers. When 
 the latter could no longer find any reasons to bring forward, 
 they would supply the want of them by insults, afiecting to 
 
2G4 HISTORY OF 
 
 despise the blows which they could not parry. But if the 
 ignorant applauded their empty declamation, wise men felt 
 themselves attracted towards our Religious, whose modesty 
 charmed them and won upon their esteem. Frequently, after 
 lodging them and defraying their expenses, they also sent 
 guides to accompany them, both to direct them on their way 
 and to insure their safety. 
 
 At sixteen miles from Constance, in a market-town en- 
 tirely peopled by Protestants, a minister, who, after having 
 been the shepherd of his flock, had by his apostasy become 
 as a devouring wolf for them, saw the travellers enter the 
 inn, and immediately discovering them to be Catholics, 
 hastily collected the inhabitants together, that they might 
 witness the great victory which he expected to gain over the 
 nine papists. Without permitting them to repose an instant, 
 he then went to challenge them, and to propose a conference. 
 They joyfully accepted it; and James Lainez, whose calm 
 temper equalled his ardent zeal, entered the lists first, and 
 sustained the contest for several hours, to the great wrath 
 of the minister ; who, having counted upon crushing his ene- 
 mies in a body, found that he could not even get rid of the 
 first whom he had attacked. At length, fatigued or dis- 
 couraged : " Let us make a truce," said he ; " let us sup 
 together in harmony, and afterwards we shall resume our 
 discussion." 
 
 They accepted the renewed discussion, but not the sup- 
 per. Wisdom was on the side of the papists, whose repast 
 was frugal ; as for the minister, he drank with intemperance, 
 and his head became heated. The table being cleared, the 
 dispute recommenced, and the two champions were surrounded 
 by numerous spectators, who having hastened thither at the 
 first attack, awaited the issue of the second ; but this gra- 
 dually became more and more bitter, for the copious liba- 
 
SAINT IGNATIUS DE LOYOLA. 265 
 
 tions in wliich the minister had indulged, inspired him with 
 a spirit and words which passed the limits of mere discus- 
 sion. There was between Lainez and him all the difference 
 which exists between a man who is in the full possession of 
 his reason, and one heated by the fumes of wine. The ar- 
 guments of the Catholic became overwhelming, and the min- 
 ister, ashamed at this unforeseen result, was moved to ex- 
 claim, " Well ! you triumph, and I have nothing to answer ; 
 do you want any thing more ? " " Yes," replied one of the 
 companions ; " since you acknowledge your errors, you 
 ought to abandon them, and also to withdraw from these 
 same errors the souls whom you have led into them. Why 
 persist in teaching that which vanishes before the simple 
 light of truth ? Are you not aware that to err in the faith, 
 but still more, to propagate those errors, is to hasten forward 
 to eternal death ? ■' At these words, the unfortunate man 
 fell into such a transport of fury, that relinquishing the 
 Latin language, which he had hitherto used, he burst forth 
 into a thousand threats in German, crying out, that on the 
 following morning he would be able to prove that ho had 
 other means of defence besides arguments; that he would 
 begin by having them all put in irons, and they would then 
 see what would happen next. After these words, he went 
 away blaspheming. 
 
 The words of the minister were soon explained to the 
 pilgrims, and they were advised to take their departure as 
 speedily as possible, because he had a high reputation 
 throughout the country, and might even go further than ho 
 threatened. But they would not incur the risk of appearing 
 to abandon by their flight, the Catholic Faith, which they 
 had so ably defended by their arguments. To die for their 
 religion, was the greatest happiness which they could aspire 
 
 VOL. I. 12 
 
266 HISTORY OF 
 
 to. Wliat were they going to seek for in Palestine ? Death 
 for the Faith ; and they were about to find it in Germany ! 
 
 They passed the greater part of the night in strengthen- 
 ing and encouraging one another. The following morning, 
 whilst the minister still sufi"ered from the efiects of his in 
 temperance, a young man of beautiful countenance and lofty 
 stature, who appeared to be about thirty years of age, pre- 
 sented himself at the Inn, and with an affable air, invited 
 the strangers to follow him. He spoke G-erman, but was 
 not understood. He then had recourse to signs. They all 
 rose and followed him, without knowing whither he was lead- 
 ing them. He left the town by unfrequented paths, and 
 turning round now and then, made signs to them to fear 
 nothing. They felt no fear, but very great wonder, for on 
 the road which they were thus induced to follow, they saw 
 no beaten track. At the first view it appeared impractica- 
 ble, though it afterwards became very easy. Moreover, the 
 whole country was covered with deep snow, yet none lay 
 upon the path which they passed over. 
 
 Ahev having walked thus for about ten miles, they found 
 themselves upon the high road, and their guide pointing out the 
 direction which they ought to take, took leave of them with 
 every testimony of kindly feeling. If he were not an Angel, 
 under a human form, as some believed him to be, he was at 
 least a man who had exercised towards them the ministry of 
 an Angel, by delivering them from the death which threat- 
 ened them. 
 
 Having passed Constance, a town which was entirely 
 Lutheran, they saw, at a short distance from a village, a 
 woman coming out of an hospital. By their rosaries she 
 knew them to be Catholics, and advanced to meet them with 
 every demonstration of joy. When she had reached them, 
 she raised her eyes, all wet with tears, to Heaven, and lav- 
 
SAINT IGNATIUS DE LOYOLA. 267 
 
 islied every mark of respect upon them ; then approaching 
 them, kissed the crosses and rosaries which they wore round 
 their necks, saying many things in German which they could 
 not comprehend, but which appeared to them the expression 
 of true Catholic faith and piety. They were further assured 
 of this when after having engaged them by signs to wait for 
 her a few moments, she ran back to the hospital, and shortly 
 returned carrying rosaries, pieces of crosses, crucifixes, and 
 small statues of the Virgin, broken by the heretics, which 
 she had collected with veneration. The servants of God, 
 deeply affected on beholding the insults which had been 
 heaped upon these sacred objects, prostrated themselves upon 
 the ground in the midst of the snow, to render homage to 
 these emblems of the Catholic faith, spurned by the votaries 
 of the new doctrines. 
 
 Then the woman, taking back her treasure, walked on 
 before them, and at the entrance of the village cried aloud, 
 pointing to the pilgrims : " You see, unhappy men, it is not 
 true, as you say, that the whole world has embraced the doc- 
 trines of your Luther, and that not a trace of the Roman 
 Catholic religion remains ! Whence then do these men 
 come ? Where are they going ? They have come out from 
 the world, and are going forth to preaoh the Catholic faith ; 
 nor does it surprise me, for I have never believed you. But 
 you, did you not all treat me as a madwoman, because I 
 have not been deceived by your discourses ? Whereas it 
 was you, on the contrary, who had lost the use of your rea- 
 son." 
 
 After asking and receiving an explanation of these words, 
 which were spoken in German, the Fathers were informed 
 that this woman was a faithful Catholic, whom neither the 
 promises nor threats of the ministers had seduced into Lu- 
 theranism, and who, driven from the village as insane, had 
 
268 HISTORY OF 
 
 been reduced to the necessity of taking refuge in the plague 
 hospital. This adventure attracted a number of ministers, 
 who wished to dispute with the travellers, but the harvest was 
 unfruitful, for the heretics, whenever they were hard pressed 
 by arguments, entrenched themselves behind texts of Scrip- 
 ture, taken from a mutilated and adulterated German Bible. 
 
SAINT IGNATIUS DE LOYOLA. . 269 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 Labors and charity of the companions of Ignatius in the hospitals of Venice— .Jour- 
 ney to Rome — Eeturn to Venice— The connpanious of Ignatius disperse through 
 different cities— Their preachings— Charity of Ignatius towards one of his sick 
 companions. 
 
 Thus passed the journey of tlie nine companions of Igna- 
 tius, from Paris until their arrival in Italy. They per- 
 formed it in fifty-four days, marked by great suffering and 
 constant danger ; but they forgot all their fatigues when, on 
 reaching Venice the eighth day of January, 1537, they once 
 more beheld their venerated father Ignatius, who welcomed 
 them with tears of joy, blessing God not only for having re- 
 stored his six companions to him in good health, but also for 
 having added three others, not less precious, to their num- 
 ber. He would not permit them to direct their steps im- 
 mediately towards Rome, but wished them, while waiting for 
 a less inclement season, to take some repose, the repose be- 
 fitting Saints, and which consists rather in changing the na- 
 ture of their labors, than in abstaining from them. AVith 
 this intention, they divided two hospitals between them, that 
 of the Incurables, where Xavier established himself, and 
 that of Saints John and Paul, where Ignatius went to reside. 
 No one has left us any detailed narrative of the examples, 
 both private and public, of charity and mortification which 
 they gave in these dwellings ; but from the little which has 
 been transmitted to us, we may conjecture that even amongst 
 
270 HISTORY OF 
 
 men of extraordinary virtue, they must have found more ad- 
 mirers than imitators. We can hardly venture to relate the 
 austerities to which they submitted ; for in order to conquer 
 the repugnance of nature, several, in imitation of Ignatius, 
 went so far as to touch the most repulsive sores with their 
 tongue. On one occasion, when for want of a bed, an unfor- 
 tunate leper was about to be sent away from the hospital of 
 St. John, one of the companions offered to share his couch 
 with him. The next morning he found himself covered with 
 leprosy, and the sick man had disappeared from the hospital ; 
 but the martyr of charity did not repent of his kindness 
 towards the miserable wretch, and thought himself sufficiently 
 rewarded by having found an opportunity of suffering and 
 of exercising, patience. His trial was short, for the very 
 next day he was cured, and in as perfectly sound health as 
 before he had contracted that horrible malady. This was 
 the folly of the cross, and of mortification ; but the daily 
 services which the ten fathers rendered to the patients may 
 truly be considered as a continual exercise of the most 
 heroic virtues. To dress their wounds, to wash and carry 
 in their arms those suffering from the most loathsome dis- 
 eases, to watch them during the night, to console them by 
 their conversation and advice, to pray with them, to teach 
 them how to endure their misfortunes so as to render them 
 useful to themselves, and to enable them to receive death 
 with resignation ; and finally to bury them with their 
 own hands; such were their constant occupations. They 
 gave themselves up to these works with that modesty, that 
 holy joy, experienced by all those who, in devoting them- 
 selves to the care of the poor, behold Jesus Christ in 
 their persons. In a short time, all eyes were fixed upon 
 them and the principal Senators of the Republic frequently 
 
SAINT IGNATIUS DE LOYOLA. 271 
 
 went to contemplate a spectacle so novel for them, and which 
 made them shed tears of emotion. 
 
 The Fathers remained in the hospitals until towards the 
 end of Lent, and two months and a half after their arrival 
 in Venice, all, with the exception of St. Ignatius, set out for 
 Rome. He was detained there by motives of prudence, as 
 he had reason to fear that his arrival with them in Rome 
 might have caused an unfavorable result to the object of 
 their journey. In Venice he had found Don Grianipetro 
 Caraffa ill disposed towards him, and as that Cardinal was 
 then in Rome, the opposition of such a personage might 
 have been dangerous to the projects of the holy Founder. 
 The sequel proved that this fear was not without foundation. 
 Notes left by Father James Lainez show us that Cardinal, 
 actuated by unenlightened zeal, though with good intentions, 
 taking part against the cause of Ignatius. 
 
 Meanwhile our pilgrims went on their way, and fotmd those 
 opportunities of suflering which they so ardently desired, 
 even more abundant than on their former journey. Once out 
 of Venice, and returned to terra firma, they walked for three 
 days along the sea shore in the direction of Ravenna, without 
 being able to obtain even a morsel of bread. After their aus- 
 terities and labors in Venice, this was sufficient to prostrate 
 them entirely. Several of them fell, unable to take another 
 step, to the great grief of their companions. They were reduced 
 to such an extremity, that on Passion Sunday, having arrived 
 at a spot planted with pine trees, they began to gather the fir 
 cones, bitter as they were, and to seek some nourishment from 
 them, which they were soon obliged to relinquish. The 
 dampness of the season, which was extremely rainy, exposed 
 them also to constant inconvenience. After being drenched 
 with rain during the whole day, they would frequently pass 
 the night in the open air, thankful when they found a little 
 
272 HISTORY OP 
 
 straw with which to cover themselves, and on which to lie 
 down. As they had no money to pay for crossing the rivers, 
 they were obliged to give the boatmen at one time an old 
 knife, at another an inkstand, or in short, any trifling ar- 
 ticle which they had about them ; sometimes even they had 
 to part with some of their poor clothing. On one occasion 
 of this kind, in order to satisfy a discontented boatman, one 
 of the pilgrims, who was not in Orders, found it necessary 
 to go and pawn his Breviary, whilst his companions re- 
 mained as hostages. Having returned with the required 
 price, he delivered them, and then traversed the town of 
 Ancona, begging alms, in order to ransom his Breviary. 
 
 They were frequently obliged to travel whole miles in 
 water up to their waists, and sometimes up to their breasts. 
 One of the travellers received the immediate reward of his 
 fiitigues, for, suffering from an infirm limb, in consequence of 
 over-heated blood, it pleased God that he should come out of 
 this strange bath entirely cured. 
 
 At Ravenna the friends had a momentary rest, being re- 
 ceived into the hospital, but they had only one bed amongst 
 them. Three, who were more fatigued than the others, were 
 to profit by it, but on perceiving its horrible state of un- 
 cleanness, they resolved to make use of it from virtue, rather 
 than from necessity. Simon Rodriguez, one of the three, 
 gave it up and stretched himself upon the floor, finding that 
 perhaps a harder couch, but more decent than the one offered 
 him. Then feeling himself seized with violent remorse for 
 having fled from this mortification, he resolved to take the 
 first opportunity of punishing himself, which did not fail to 
 occur before long, and of which he eagerly availed himself^ 
 but we shall pass it over in silence, in order not to multiply 
 these details unnecessarily. 
 
 But those who met our pilgrims, all foreigners, wearing 
 
SAINT IGNATIUS DE LOYOLA. 273 
 
 similar garments, and all going in the direction of Rome, 
 frequently took them for persons of bad repute, who had 
 come to Italy in order to obtain a release from some cen- 
 sures, or absolution for some enormous crimes. They 
 walked three by three, a priest and two who had not yet 
 taken orders ; Spaniards and Frenchmen, as closely united 
 in heart as if they belonged to the same country, and were 
 born of the same mother. Each suffered more for his com- 
 panions than for himself, and through his own personal hard- 
 ships, and each, before thinking of himself, always endeavored 
 to relieve the others. " When I was going through the 
 streets of Aucona," said one these Fathers, " to collect alms 
 wherewith to redeem my Breviary, I perceived one of my 
 companions, who, wet and barefoot, was addressing himself 
 to the market-women, in order to obtain from them a little 
 fruit, or some few vegetables. I stopped to observe him, 
 and recalling to my mind his noble birth, the riches which 
 he had abandoned, his great natural talents, the extent of 
 his acquired learning, and the virtues which would have 
 given him such great influence in the world, I felt myself 
 deeply moved, and unworthy to be the companion of such 
 men. These reflections often struck me, redoubling my ad- 
 miration for them, and my desire to serve them." 
 
 It pleased God to console them sometimes by giving 
 them testimonies of His especial protection. One example 
 will suffice : — 
 
 After having passed three days at Loretto, in the abun- 
 dant enjoyment of the sweet pleasures of piety, and having 
 taken a little repose, they set out for Rome, and arrived at 
 Tolentino by night, without having eaten so much as a piece 
 of bread, to recruit them after the fatigues of the day. It 
 rained heavily, and they met no one from whom they could 
 ask charity. Three went on fii'st, whilst the others kept 
 
 VOL. L — 12* 
 
"274 HISTORY OF 
 
 close to the walls, slightly sheltered from the rain and one 
 walked in the middle of the street, having no fear of be- 
 coming either wetter or dirtier than he was, when he per- 
 ceived advancing towards him, through the rain and mud, a 
 man of noble presence, and, so far as he could judge, of an 
 agreeable countenance, who stopped, took him by the hand, 
 placed some pieces of money in it, and withdrew without 
 saying a single word. When they arrived at the inn, they 
 bought a little bread, wine, and dried figs, a magnificent re- 
 past for them and for some beggars, with whom they shared 
 it. The next day each repaired in the first instance to the 
 hospital of his own nation ; but they were afterwards all re- 
 ceived in that of St. John, where poor diet was given them, 
 though sufficient for men accustomed to subsist upon alms. 
 
 We have already mentioned that Peter Ortiz had been 
 very hostile to the interests of Ignatius. It happened that 
 at this very time he was in Rome, where he saw and recog- 
 nized our pilgrims. He was commissioned to defend before 
 the Holy See, and in the name of Charles V., the cause of 
 Catharine of Arragon, so unjustly repudiated by Henry 
 VIII., King of England ; but he had greatly changed his 
 opinion in regard to Ignatius, whose virtue, when better 
 known, had overcome all the prejudices, and outweighed all 
 the interests which had at first rendered Ortiz unfavorable 
 to him. After having ascertained that the Saint was not 
 with his companions, he was desirous, out of respect to him, 
 to present them himself to the Sovereign Pontifi", Paul III. 
 To that Pontiff he praised their virtues and talents ; com- 
 mended their voluntary poverty, their ardent zeal for the 
 salvation of souls ; and informed him that they had come to 
 request the benediction of his Holiness, and his permission 
 to pass over into Palestine to preach the Gospel. The Holy 
 Father wished to see and hear them. It was his 3ustom, 
 
SAINT IGNATIUS DE LOYOLA. 
 
 275 
 
 whilst he dined, to listen sometimes to conversations, some- 
 times to discussions between men of letters, and he desired 
 that they might take part in these the following day. Ortiz 
 himself conducted them thither, and the whole passed in 
 such a manner that the Pontiff knew not which he ought to 
 admire most ; their modesty in treating the questions pro- 
 posed to them, or the penetration of their intellect and the 
 depth of their learning. When Paul rose to leave them, he 
 expressed his satisfaction, addressing them in these affable 
 words : " We are happy," said he, " to find so much erudi- 
 tion united to so much humility." He then asked them in 
 what he could be of service to them, and finding that they 
 desired nothing but what Ortiz had already solicited in their 
 name, he extended his arms as if to press them all to his 
 heart, and gave them his blessing. He added, that as a 
 league between the Pope, the Emperor, and the Republic of 
 Venice against the Turks was already in negotiation, he did 
 not believe that their voyage to the Holy Land could be car- 
 ried into effect that year. By orders of the Pope, alms to 
 the amount of sixty crowns was transmitted to them, with 
 the permission for all those who were not yet priests, Igna- 
 tius, who was still abroad, included, to receive holy orders 
 from any bishop whatsoever, as vowed to poverty, and suffi- 
 ciently instructed. Soon after a dispensation arrived from 
 the Penitentiary for Alphonsus Salmeron, authorizing him 
 to receive holy orders as soon as he should have attained the 
 age of twenty-three years. 
 
 The Fathers now made no delay in resuming their jour- 
 ney back to Venice, which was performed^ in the same man- 
 ner as the first ; for tliey reserved the alms which they had 
 received from the Pope, and a hundred and forty crowns, 
 which some pious Spaniards had given them, to defray the 
 expenses of their journey to Palestine. When they arrived 
 
276 HISTORY OP 
 
 in Venice, they resumed their former occupations in the hos^ 
 pitals, and on the day of the feast of St. John the Baptist, 
 made their vows of chastity and poverty to the Nuncio Ve- 
 ralli. They were afterwards ordained priests, and on that 
 solemn occasion the most abundant heavenly consolations 
 were vouchsafed to them. Monsignor Vincenzio Nigusanti, 
 who ordained them, participated in these graces, and de- 
 clared that his heart had never been penetrated with such 
 tender sentiments of piety in any other of his ordinations. 
 Some time after, the new priests chose a day of peculiar 
 solemnity, for the celebration of their first Mass. St. Igna- 
 tius alone desired one whole year of preparation beforehand, 
 and even prolonged the delay far beyond that period. It 
 was not until the month of December of the following year, 
 in the Church of Santa Maria Maggiore, in Rome, in the 
 Chapel of the Nativity, and on Christmas Day, that he of- 
 fered to the Lord, along with his first sacrifice, the oblation 
 of himself for His greater glory. 
 
 Meanwhile their hopes of passing over into Palestine 
 diminished daily. War was declared between Sultan So- 
 lyman and the Republic of Venice, and numerous fleets 
 were about to cover the seas. Whilst awaitino- the issue of 
 
 o 
 
 these events, the companions of Ignatius, who remained in 
 Venice, rather in fulfilment of their vow, than with any 
 hope of being able to undertake their voyage, resolved to 
 make a fitting preparation for ofiering up their first sacrifice. 
 They withdrew into difierent solitudes, where, far from the 
 tumult and as it were out of the world, they might better 
 commune with their own hearts, and unite themselves with 
 God. Some, with this intention, directed their steps towards 
 Vicenza, others to Bassano, Padua, and different towns or 
 villages. If they found in the environs a deserted cottage, 
 they took up their abode in it. Their couch was the bare 
 
SAINT IGNATIUS DE LOYOLA. 277 
 
 earth, their food the bread which they obtained by begging, 
 and their drink pure water. They passed many hours in 
 prayer, and the corporal penanj3es which they practised cor- 
 responded to the fervor of each individual. 
 
 As for St. Ignatius, Vicenza proved another Manresa for 
 him. There he had the same celestial visions, the same 
 spiritual delights, the same abundance of the happiest tears, 
 to such a degree, that his eyes suffered to the end of his life, 
 from weakness caused by excessive weeping. After having 
 passed forty days in this holy retreat, they all left it, in 
 order to diffuse amongst others the influence of that truly 
 divine spirit by which they felt themselves animated. They 
 immediately commenced preaching, for which they required 
 neither churches nor pulpits. Their church was the public 
 square, and their pulpit whatever bench happened to be there. 
 Upon this they mounted, by words and gestures, inviting 
 the passengers to stop, and the people imagining them to be 
 some mountebanks or buffoons, never failed to run up to 
 them. But the force of the Spirit of God, which spoke by 
 their mouths, was such that although the Italian language 
 was not familiar to them, many who came in the sole hope 
 of amusement, returned with tears in their eyes. The ex- 
 ternal appearance of the new priests corresponded with their 
 teaching, which always turned upon the necessity of penance. 
 At the sight of those pale and emaciated countenances, it 
 was easy to form an idea of the extent to which they prac- 
 tised it. When their discourses were finished, they returned 
 cheerfully to their deserted huts. 
 
 Whilst they devoted themselves to -these holy occupa- 
 tions, it pleased the Lord to try several of them by danger- 
 ous maladies, the germ of which had probably been con- 
 tracted during their anterior sufferings. Simon Rodriguez 
 was among the first who were attacked. He inhabited, 
 
278 HISTORY OF 
 
 along with Claudius le Jay, a hermitage named St. Vito, 
 situated near Bassano, where they had been received by a 
 holy old man called Anthony.^ He had been induced to do 
 so by an interior movement of the Spirit of Grod ; for hav- 
 ing formerly received several persons who had proposed to 
 live with him, and in the same manner as he did, but who had 
 afterwards abandoned him, unable to support the severity of 
 his penance ; he had resolved thenceforward to live entirely 
 alone. To these two holy men he offered a large bare table, 
 which stood in a corner of his cell, for a bed, a relief to men 
 accustomed to lie upon the ground. In the night they all 
 three rose to pray and sing psalms. 
 
 Towards the month of September, Rodriguez fell ill, and 
 was soon in such imminent danger, that a physician, whom 
 the hermit brought to visit him, declared that he had no 
 hopes of his recovery. Ignatius received this news at Vi- 
 cenza, and taking Faber with him, (for Lainez and several 
 others were lying sick at the hospital), he set out for Bas- 
 sano. Notwithstanding his weakness, and a fever which was 
 undermining him, charity, especially in regard to his chil- 
 dren, inspired him with so much strength, that Faber could 
 not keep up with him. The Saint was frequently obliged to 
 stop and wait for his companion, during which time he med- 
 itated upon God, and fervently invoked Him for the cure of 
 the sick man. In one of these halts upon the journey, and 
 at the moment when Faber rejoined Ignatius, he remarked 
 that the countenance of the Saint was glowing, as it usually 
 did when he prayed. With the internal conviction that his 
 prayer had been granted, Ignatius immediately announced 
 to his companion that Rodriguez would not die. We may 
 say that there was even a direct communication of health to 
 the invalid, through the agency of Ignatiui. He had hardly 
 arrived at the hermitage, when he hastened to embrace 
 
SAINT IGNATIUS DE LOYOLA. 279 
 
 Rodriguez, who immediately felt himself relieved. The 
 Saint assured him that he would be completely cured, but 
 desired him to exchange his couch of wooden boards for one 
 rather less inconvenient, which the good hermit procured for 
 him. 
 
 After having regained the companion of whom death had 
 threatened to deprive him, Ignatius was upon the point of 
 losing the second, who lived with Rodriguez in the hermitage, 
 or as some authors pretend Rodriguez himself. Deceived by 
 self-delusion and attracted by the peacefulness of the retreat, 
 he compared the tranquillity of a life of retirement, with one 
 of continual journeyings such as Ignatius led ; the contem- 
 plation enjoyed in solitude with the distractions of conversa- 
 tion; the happiness of having alone God and himself to 
 think of, compared with the fatigue caused by having the 
 care of the souls of others; and these two kinds of life, 
 placed by him in the balance, he having tried both, it seemed 
 to him that in that of Ignatius, there was more labor than 
 merit, and in that of the hermit, less danger and more repose. 
 Besides, he was only at the beginning of his career with Igna- 
 tius, whereas with Anthony, he had only to foUoAV the beaten 
 track. He strongly inclined towards the latter, and was con- 
 sequently disposed to abandon the Society. Nevertheless, 
 his fidelity to his engagements, the vows which he had taken, 
 the example of his companions, men as spiritual as himself, 
 and with an equal desire to advance to perfection, also 
 formed a great counterpoise in the balance. In his per- 
 plexity, unable to decide unaided, he resolved to open his 
 heart to the hermit, and to abide by his counsels. With this 
 intention, he escaped one day from Bassano, where Ignatius 
 had retired along with his companions, and set out for the 
 hermitage of St. Vito ; but God, who already directed this 
 rising association, as he afterwards guided the great Society 
 
280 HISTORY OF 
 
 which sprang from it would not suffer this faithful servant, 
 who had been called to labor for the salvation of many, to 
 finish by occupying himself solely with his own ; and there- 
 fore He so thwarted his designs, that he gladly returned to 
 throw himself into the arms of the Father whom he had 
 intended to abandon. 
 
 Hardly had this Brother left Bassano, when he beheld an 
 armed man advancing to meet him, whose aspect was impos- 
 ing, and who, casting a severe glance upon him, threatened 
 to strike him with his naked sword. He stopped short, sur- 
 prised and troubled. Then, unable to conjecture what this 
 strange meeting might portend, once more took courage, and 
 would have passed on. But the personage in question looked 
 at him with an angry countenance, and again advancing, 
 threatened to attack him. Then the fugitive frightened, re- 
 traced his steps, ran back precipitately towards the town, and 
 hastily re-enterted the inn. Every one was astonished at his 
 terror and flight, for no one could perceive the object which 
 had caused his alarm. 
 
 Meanwhile Ignatius, to whom God had revealed all that 
 was passing, had gone out to meet his companion; and re- 
 ceiving him with open arms and a smiling countenance, ad- 
 dressed him in the words of Jesus Christ, when he reproached 
 Peter with the instability of his faith : ModiccB fidei, quare 
 diibitasti ? 
 
 The relations of Ignatius with the hermit of Bassano 
 did not end here. He was truly a holy man, and I may here 
 mention some particulars in regard to him, both on account 
 of his charity to Simon Rodriguez, and also to make known 
 that which occurred to him in respect to Ignatius himself. 
 The peasants of the environs and those who had lived some 
 time with Father Anthony, relate many wonderful things of 
 
SAINT IGNATIUS DE LOYOLA. 281 
 
 him, particularly concerning his long prayers and his austeri- 
 ties, which he was wont to call a hermit's food. 
 
 He had chosen the state of life which most surely leads 
 to perfection, by perfect self-concentration; had thus attained 
 a high degree of sanctity during his life, whilst his death was 
 that of a Saint. But it was with difficulty that he could 
 comprehend the sublimity of a vocation, whose object is 
 above all others to gain over other souls, and to spread 
 abroad the kingdom of Christ. Public report and his new 
 companions had taught him to regard Ignatius with admira- 
 tion ; nevertheless, when he saw him and his friends clad 
 like other men, and in no way externally distinguished from 
 the crowd, the hermit felt his esteem decrease, and the new 
 preachers sank in his eyes to the level of ordinary individuals ; 
 but at length, light broke in^ipon his souL 
 
 One day when Father Anthony was in prayer, he beheld 
 by the light of a divine revelation, to what a sublime degree 
 of sanctity the man whom he undervalued had arrived before 
 God. The good old man related this to his own confusion. 
 He had learnt, said he, from Heaven itself, that the bark of 
 a tree is very different from its sap. 
 
 Meanwhile, after the cure of Rodriguez Ignatius returned 
 to Vicenza, and there assembled his companions that they might 
 come to a fixed resolution as to their future plans, by reason 
 of the constantly increasing impossibility of going to Palestine; 
 and also in order that the new priests might now offer to 
 God their first sacrifices, for which they had prepared them- 
 selves by so long a retreat. He received them all in his 
 habitation, which was a ruined old monastery, situated at 
 the outskirts of the town. All was in accordance in this old 
 dwelling. The crumbling walls, the dilapidated roof, were 
 all which had been spared by the ravages of war. It had 
 neither doors nor windows, and the Fathers found nothing 
 
282 HISTORY OF 
 
 but a little straw, on which to repose. Bread was not want- 
 ing to them ; for although (.lurin<T their forty days' retreat 
 Ignatius and the two conijianions of his chamber, Faber and 
 Ijainez, devoted almost all their time to prayer, they were 
 occasionally obliged to go into the town in search of the in- 
 dispensable necessaries of life; and when they were all re- 
 united and had begun to preach, they were received with so 
 much kindness, that the eleven Fathers who composed the 
 infant Society were enabled to subsist entirely upon the alma 
 bestowed on them. 
 
 Nevertheless the incommodionsnQss of their dwelling, open 
 to all the winds of heaven, was such, that two of the Fathers 
 Francis Xavier, and another whose name I know not, fell ill 
 That they might not die without assistance they were curried 
 to the hospital of the Ineurables^or rather to a heap of ruined 
 houses near the hospital, where they were hardly better otf 
 than in their first habitation, but where they at least found 
 a bed, though but one for the two invalids. This was a 
 terrible trial. IJurning with fierce fever ea.'.h patient was 
 frequently attacked at the same time by a crisis of an en- 
 tirely opposite nature. Thus while one shivered with cold, 
 the other suifered from burning heat, and it became impos- 
 sible to relieve them both at once. l>ut in })roportion as 
 they were deprived of human assistance, so nuicli the more 
 did the Lord support tliem by abundant consolations. That 
 received by Francis Xavier, was well worthy of iiis noble 
 Boul, for instead of having his suiVerings alleviated, he ob- 
 tained the consolation of knowing that he should endure yet 
 greater trials. One day St. Jerom.^ for whom he had a great 
 devotion, appeared to him, fortified him by celestial words, 
 and predicted to him that his companions and himself should 
 be sent into different cities, that l>ologna was his portion 
 and that a cross awaited him there, which would procure him 
 
SAINT IGNATIUS DE LOYOLA. 283 
 
 as much suffering as merit. These things happened as tho 
 Saint foretoUJ. 
 
 After mature deliberation, it was at length decided that 
 Ignatius, Lainez and Faber should go to Rome, and offer 
 themselves and their companions to the Sovereign Pontiff, 
 whilst the others should be dispei'sed through the cities 
 where universities were established; to labor amongst the 
 students in gaining souls to God, and in collecting some new 
 coadjutors. But before separating, they wished to establish 
 one common rule as to their mode of life, and to conform 
 their conduct to some uniform principles not to be deviated 
 from except where necessity or prudence required it. Tho 
 principles laid down were as follows : 
 
 First, They were to live on alms and lodge in hospitals. 
 Second, Each member was alternately to fill the office of 
 Superior for one weel^, in order that no one should be carried 
 too far by his zeal. Third, They were to preach in the public 
 squares, and wherever they were permitted to do so, and es- 
 pecially to discourse upon the rewards promised to virtue, and 
 the punishments assured to vice ; but in their discourses, 
 they were to seek rather for the Spirit of God, than for 
 human eloquence. Fourth, They were to profit by every 
 opportunity of being useful to their neighbor ; but what- 
 ever services they rendered, they were never to accept any 
 remuneration ; considering themselves too highly honored in 
 having contributed to the glory of God. 
 
 These resolutions were unanimously adopted. Moreover 
 as the question was frequently asked, who these preachers 
 were, what rule they followed, in short what name they bore 
 they wished to have one uniform answer by which to satisfy 
 the curiosity of the interrogators ; but they came to no de- 
 cision upon this point, because Iguatius had already decided 
 in his own mind the name which Lis Order should take. All 
 
284 HISTORY OF 
 
 those wlio have lived on intimate terms with him, are con- 
 vinced that he did not choose this name himself, and that he 
 knew it from the moment in which the Lord himself traced 
 for him at Manresa the first sketch of the new Society, in the 
 meditation of the two Standards. He therefore declared to 
 his companions, who all embraced his opinion, that having 
 assembled together in the name of Jesus, and for his love 
 and glory, their association should henceforth bear the name 
 of the Company of Jesus. After these preliminaries, they 
 selected the cities where they were to begin their labors ; a 
 fraternal adieu terminated the deliberation; and each directed 
 his steps towards the place of his destination. Ignatius, 
 Faber and Lainez, repaired to Kome ; Xavier and Bobadilla 
 to Bologna; Rodriguez and Le Jay to Ferrara; Pasquier 
 and Salmeron to Sienna; Codure and Hozes to Padua. 
 
RA.INT IGNATIUS DE LOYOLA. 285 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 Death of a companion of Ignatius — He sees his soul received into Paradise — Labors 
 and suflFerings at Ferrara and Bologna — Departure of Ignatius for Korae — Vision 
 on the way— First success and first persecutions in Eome— The lawsuit 
 
 The success of all these new missions was various ; in one 
 place the Fathers had to suffer rather than to act ; in ano- 
 ther, the fruits of salvation which thej gathered, were in 
 proportion to their labors. A few days after Codure and 
 Hozes had begun their preachings in the hospitals of Padua, 
 and in the public places, the ecclesiastical authority con- 
 ceived suspicions that they might prove to be dangerous 
 men, who had assumed a mask of sanctity, the better to con- 
 ceal their designs. They were therefore arrested and put in 
 irons. The manner in which they passed the first, or rather 
 the only night of their imprisonment, is sufficient to prove 
 with what feelings they were animated. They employed it 
 entirely in reciting psalms and communing with God, but 
 with so much sweetness and joy, that the good Hozes could 
 not restrain the outward manifestation of his feelings. 
 When it was known throughout the city that they had been 
 taken to prison, so many persons came. forward to give testi- 
 mony to their innocence and virtue, that they were released 
 the very next day, and permission given them to labor for 
 the salvation of souls, as much as their zeal prompted them. 
 But they did not long profit by this, for one was called to 
 
28G HISTORY OF 
 
 rest, at the very commencement of his labors ; the Bachelor 
 Hozes. He preached one day in the great square of Padua, 
 i-aking for his text these words of Our Saviour : " Watch 
 and pray, for you know neither the day nor the hour." He 
 nad hardly finished his discourse, when he was seized with a 
 violent attack of fever, and felt that he must this time apply 
 to himself the words of his own sermon. He withdrew to 
 the hospital, and thenceforth occupied himself solely in prep- 
 aration for death. So sweet and ardent were his hopes of 
 eternal life, that at the last moment his friends almost forgot 
 the premature loss which they were about to sustain. He 
 expired in the peace of the Lord, and like the laborers in 
 the Gospel, though last arrived in the vineyard, was the first 
 called to receive his reward. 
 
 Ignatius was at that time at Monte Cassino, where he 
 was occupied in directing Peter Ortiz, agent of the Emperor 
 Charles V.,.whom we have already mentioned, in the Spirit- 
 ual Exercises. There he learned the danger which threat- 
 ened his companion, and whilst recommending him with 
 great fervor to the Divine goodness, he beheld a vision simi- 
 lar to that vouchsafed to St. Benedict, when he saw the soul 
 of the blessed Bishop Germain ascending to Heaven. Thus 
 Ignatius beheld the spirit of the venerable Hozes, surrounded 
 Dy a halo of glory, and carried by angels into Paradise. 
 This first vision was followed by another. A few days af- 
 terwards, Ignatius was hearing Mass, when at the words of 
 the Confiteor, omnibus Sanctis, he saw the heavens opened, 
 and in the midst of the Blessed, his late companion, radiant 
 with beauty and glory. So great was his consolation, that 
 for some days he could not refrain from shedding tears of 
 joy, while the glorious vision seemed for ever floating before 
 his eyes. The body of the deceased in some degree bore 
 witness to the happiness of his soul ; for whereas in his lif^- 
 
SAINT IGNATIUS DE LOYOLA. 287 
 
 time his countenance was plain, and his features irregular, 
 they assumed after death so much beauty, and so angelic an 
 expression, that his companion Codure beheld him with sur- 
 prise and awe, and was never weary of gazing at the face of 
 his friend, whilst he shed tears of joy and emotion. 
 
 After the death of Hozes, Simon Rodriguez found it ne- 
 cessary for him to leave Ferrara, and repair to Padua, in 
 order to relieve Codure, who could not suffice alone for so 
 much labor ; but soon after, Rodriguez was obliged to sup- 
 port the whole burden himself, for his colleague fell ill. It 
 pleased Grod, however, to send prompt relief to the sickness 
 of the one, and the labors of the other. A rich and noble 
 ecclesiastic, who had been assisted by Codure to renounce 
 the disorderly life which he had led during a long period, 
 caused him to be transported from the hospital to his own 
 house, where he lavished upon him every care and attention. 
 Rodriguez, on his side, could not remain in the hospital, as 
 he desired, being obliged to yield to the charitable importu- 
 nities of a lady whose two sons had obtained, through his 
 care, the one a holy death, and the other the grace of conse- 
 crating himself to Grod in a religious Order. Being now en- 
 tirely alone, this widow earnestly desired to take charge of 
 Rodriguez, as both her sons had entreated her to do. 
 
 Before leaving Ferrara, where Claudius Le Jay labored 
 in concert with him for the conversion of sinners, Rodriguez 
 received another benefit from Divine Providence. They both 
 lived in a poor hospital, where a chamber had been given 
 to the Fathers; and their food offered them, which last 
 they declined, persisting in living upon alms. Preaching 
 and pious works filled up their days as elsewhere. An old 
 and pious woman, whose office it was to superintend the 
 treatment given to the patients, was astonished on observing 
 their conduct, to see persons who after taking so much trou- 
 
288 HISTORY OF 
 
 ble for others, added so much voluntary and personal suffer- 
 ing ; for they fasted continually, and occupied a chamber so 
 ill closed as to afford no shelter from the inclemency of the 
 season. Another circumstance excited her curiosity ; every 
 night she observed light shining through the crevices of the 
 door. In what were they passing their time ? She resolved 
 to watch them; and saw that, after taking a little repose, 
 they rose, and lighted a small lamp ; then on their knees, 
 and trembling with cold, they first recited the divine ofl&ce, 
 and so remained in prayer until daybreak. They afterwards 
 went out to say Mass, and to recommence all their charita- 
 ble exercises. The report of this fact was spread through 
 the town, together with the fame of their benevolence, and 
 they were generally regarded as prodigies of holiness. 
 About this time, the Marchioness Pescara desired to become 
 acquainted with them, in order to consult them concerning 
 the state of her soul, should she find that the purity of their 
 lives corresponded to that of their discourses. Happening 
 to meet one of them, she inquired of him whether he were 
 not one of those foreign priests, who had come to Italy with 
 the intention of passing on to the Holy Land. Upon hia 
 reply in the affirmative, the Marchioness desired to know 
 their place of abode, and as soon as the hospital was men- 
 tioned to her, hastened thither without adding a single ques- 
 tion, and calling for the woman of whom we have spoken, 
 examined her closely as to the priests and their conduct. 
 Having obtained from her a circumstantial and completely 
 satisfactory account of both, she withdrew the two missiona- 
 ries from the hospital, established them in a small house 
 near her palace, provided for all their wants, and received 
 from them the advice and assistance which she had hoped 
 for. They were afterwards called to the court, and Claudius 
 Le Jay remaining alone at Ferrara, obtained great spiritual 
 
SAINT IGNATIUS DE LOYOLA. 289 
 
 fruits, particularly in the Duke himself, who chose him as 
 his Director, and afterwards warmly espoused the cause of 
 the rising Society, in a terrible persecution to which it was 
 exposed. 
 
 Meanwhile Francis Xavier, at Bologna, was spared 
 neither labors nor fatigue. A few days after his arrival in 
 that city, he went to offer up holy Mass in a chapel where 
 the mortal remains of the venerable patriarch Dominick re- 
 posed, and where great honors were rendered him. As he 
 had a tender devotion towards that Saint, he celebrated the 
 holy sacrifice, his heart filled with such sweet emotions of 
 piety, that abundant tears streamed down his face. A noble 
 and pious woman, a nun of the third order of St. Dominick, 
 who had come from Spain to finish her days near the tomb 
 of its holy founder, very desirous of knowing this foreign 
 priest, in whom it seemed to her that she recognized all the 
 external signs of the most exalted sanctity, went, accompa- 
 nied by one of her friends, and requested an interview with 
 Xavier. He spoke to them upon spiritual subjects, with so 
 much feeliuo- and elevation, that this same companion, named 
 Sister Isabella Cosalina, who was also a member of the third 
 Order, soon discovered that he was filled with the spirit of 
 the Lord. On her return home, she spoke of Xavier in 
 such high terms of praise to her uncle, Don Jerome Casa* 
 lini de Forli, Canon of St. Petronius, and Rector ot the 
 church of St. Lucy, that she persuaded him to withdraw him 
 from the hospital, and to establish him in his own house. 
 The Canon soon recognized the merit of his guest, whose 
 conversation alone might have sufficed ^o convince him of it ; 
 but how could he have any doubts of the sanctity of Xavier, 
 in beholding his life so hidden, so entirely devoted to the 
 most austere mortifications ; that sweet joy which always 
 shone upon his countenance, and which seemed to indicate 
 
 VOL. I. — 13 
 
290 HISTORY OF 
 
 tHat tbe union of his soul with God, and the perfect happi- 
 ness resulting therefrom, rendered him insensible to all bodily 
 privation and suffering ! Never could the good Canon pre- 
 vail upon Xavier to take any other food than the bread be- 
 stowed as alms, nor to relax in the slightest degree from 
 those severities which it seemed impossible for him to en- 
 dure much longer, especially when the fatigue of preaching, 
 and that of the other charitable works to which he devoted 
 himself, was superadded to them. Xavier, however, contin- 
 ued to await the fulfilment of that prediction which St. Je- 
 rome had made him in Vicenza, and which prepared him for 
 great tribulations in Bologna. The first was a quartan fe- 
 ver which lasted several months, and from which he suffered 
 more than he would have done from a more serious malady ; 
 one which would not have left him even during a momentary 
 interval ; for his fervor prevented him from suspending either 
 his labors or austerities, on account of an illness not consid- 
 ered dangerous. But if exhausted nature suffered doubly 
 from the labors and mortifications which he imposed upon 
 himself, God supported him by innumerable interior graces, 
 and by the conversions which his preaching effected. It is 
 true that we are destitute of documents- on this subject, but 
 positive proofs may be found in the circumstances which 
 took place several years after this period, when Xavier made 
 a voyage from Rome to Portugal, from whence he was to 
 proceed to the Indies. He took the road leading by Bo- 
 logna, and when his arrival was made known in that city, 
 such was the universal joy and desire of seeing him again, 
 and of obtaining his parting blessing, that crowds hastened 
 to the Church of St. Lucy two hours before daybreak, in 
 expectation of his saying Mass. When he appeared, the 
 people surrounded him with every demonstration of the most 
 
SAINT IGNATIUS DE LOYOLA. . 291 
 
 lively affection, and he was obliged to hear and console each 
 one in private. 
 
 At his Mass, he gave the holy Communion to a great 
 number of the faithful, and the same scenes were repeated 
 during all the succeeding days which he passed at Bologna 
 with the Ambassador of the King of Portugal. He was so 
 constantly occupied in hearing confessions and in satisfying 
 the piety of the faithful, that he wrote to Ignatius in a letter 
 dated the 31st of March, " I have much more to do in Bo- 
 logna than I formerly had at St. Louis's in Rome ; " and yet 
 he had also worked wonders there. 
 
 On the day of his departure a multitude of friends and 
 crowds of pious persons hastened to receive the last benedic- 
 tion of the Saint. He recommended himself to their 
 prayers, adding that, according to all appearance, they 
 would never see him again upon earth. At these words, 
 tears and sobs burst forth, and several offered to accompany 
 him wherever he went, even as far as the Indies, but this he 
 would not permit. He could not indeed prevent a vast mul- 
 titude from accompanying him to a great distance ; but the 
 happiness which they felt in crowding around him was 
 changed into bitterness and regret, when the moment of the 
 final parting arrived. 
 
 The attachment of this city for Xavier was not weak- 
 ened by his absence. On the contrary, it was in memory of 
 his labors and virtues that the Society was afterwards called 
 there, and this very Church of St. Lucy assigned to them. 
 The chamber where Xavier had lived was converted into a 
 chapel ; and from that period this city", so devoted to him, 
 became the object of his special protection, and owed a long 
 series of miraculous favors to his intercession. 
 
 Such are the principal events, the remembrance of which 
 is preserved in Bologna, Padua, and Ferrara, concerning the 
 
292 HISTORY OF 
 
 abode of the companions of Ignatius in these different cities. 
 He himself was there favored with a miraculous vision, by 
 which the Lord revealed to him that he was pleasing in His 
 eyes. The following are its details : — • 
 
 Ignatius since his arrival in Italy had again experienced 
 those singular graces, that union with God, those spiritual rap- 
 tures which he had formerly enjoyed at Manresa, and of which 
 he had been deprived in Paris, whilst he kept his mind con- 
 stantly occupied with the study of letters and theology. 
 The life which he led was entirely celestial ; after having 
 received the grace of the priesthood, he never ceased to im- 
 plore the holy Mother of God to obtain for him the special 
 grace of being the faithful follower of her Divine Son in all 
 things. The most ardent desire of his heart was to become 
 His living and faithful image, so that his actions and suffer- 
 ings should be like those of the Saviour, always devoted to 
 the greater glory of God^ and the salvation of souls. 
 
 It was in the midst of these different preparations, and 
 while his heart was glowing with tender fervor, that he under- 
 took his journey to Rome. Reflecting on the offering which 
 he was about to make of himself and his companions at the 
 feet of the sovereign Pontiff, he redoubled his fervent 
 prayers that the Lord would grant his wishes, and would 
 employ him in furthering his glory. 
 
 Plunged in these pious thoughts, he had just left Sienna, 
 when, drawing near to Rome, he perceived by the road-side 
 a ruined chapel, and leaving his companions, entered alone. 
 There in a short prayer he recommended to the Saviour this 
 small band of devoted souls, whom he had consecrated to his 
 service, and "vyho were to be the foundation of that so widely 
 extended Society, of which the Lord bad so often spoken to 
 the heart of His servant, promising that he should be its 
 founder and father. iVt that moment he felt his soul as it 
 
SAINT IGNATIUS DE LOYOLA. 293 
 
 were overwhelmed in the most delicious rapture, and was in 
 a manner raised out of himself. 
 
 He then distinctly beheld the Eternal Father, who re- 
 garded him with an aspect of ineffable goodness, and then 
 turned towards his Divine Son, laden with his cross ; and to 
 :^uote the exact words of Ignatius : " He gave me to Christ 
 as a portion, said He, to be henceforth entirely consecrated to 
 His service." Immediately the Son of God appearing to ac- 
 cept him, looked at him with an expression of the most 
 divine benignity, and Ignatius heard these words : Eg'J 
 vobis BomcB jproipitius ei'o. 
 
 This vision filled his heart with feelings of deep trust, 
 not unmingled with some apprehension, since the Saviour in 
 showing him that he would be united not only to Him but 
 to His cross, seemed to forewarn him that his residence in 
 Rome would bring him many tribulations. But the divine 
 promise reassured him, and the cross could never be so 
 heavy, but that with such assistance, his strength would be 
 sufficient to bear it. 
 
 Having rejoined his companions, and wishing to reanimate 
 their courage, he related to them what he had seen and heard. 
 ^' I know not," added he, " what sufferings await us in 
 Rome, where God seems to lead us like victims to be sacri- 
 ficed ; but let us joyfully walk forward to encounter them, 
 for if Jesus loads us with his cross. He will help us to carry 
 it, and He has more power to defend us, than the whole world 
 united, can have to injure us." 
 
 Our travellers arrived in the Holy City, in the month of 
 October, 1537; and according to their engagement, imme- 
 diately presented themselves before the Sovereign Pontiff, 
 who accepted their services, with every demonstration of 
 affection, and named Faber and Lainez professors, the first 
 of Holy Scripture, the second of scholastic theology. Igna- 
 
294 HISTORY OF 
 
 tius was more particularly employed in laboring for the sal- 
 vation of souls, and induced several distinguished personages, 
 amongst others Cardinal Contarini, to follow the Spiritual 
 Exercises. It afterwards pleased God to replace the com- 
 panion of whom he had been deprived by death. It is 
 certain, however, that Ignatius had never considered the death 
 of Hozes as a real loss for his rising Society ; for having 
 seen the soul of his friend admitted into the eternal beatitude 
 of the Saints in heaven, he hoped to obtain more assistance 
 from his intercession, than he could have received upon 
 earth from his labors. He who replaced him was a young 
 Spaniard of rare talents, named Francis Strada, who having 
 come to Rome to seek fortune and honors at court, like so 
 many others, had discovered that he sowed in so barren a 
 ground, that his very hopes cost him more anxiety than all 
 his success could ever repay. Fatigued with useless efforts, 
 he renounced them, and set out for Naples with the intention 
 of embracing a military career, in which he expected to ob- 
 tain if not more riches, at least more freedom ; but even 
 before arriving in that city, God granted him a much fairer 
 portion, through a meeting with Ignatius, with whom he was 
 already acquainted. Like most persons dissatisfied with their 
 lot, Strada liked to speak of his troubles ; and opening his 
 heart to Ignatius, told him with what view he was journeying 
 towards Naples. Ignatius, more moved to compassion for 
 his blindness than for his fancied misfortunes, answered the 
 young aspirant in a manner which surprised him. 
 
 " You complain of the world," said he, " and you are- 
 wrong, since in disappointing your hopes, it has only acted 
 according to its usual custom. You ought rather to feel 
 satisfied with it, since by showing you from the very first, 
 how it treats its servants and what they may expect from it, 
 this time at least it has not been deceitful. It would have 
 
SAINT IGNATIUS DE LOYOLA. 5i95 
 
 been imfortunate for you had the world treated you better, 
 for then you would probably not have known it until the hour 
 of your death ; whereas now you can renounce it with some 
 merit. The world itself teaches you to seek another master, 
 in whose service neither your labors nor your efforts will be 
 lost. Yet you would imitate those whose ship has struck 
 against the rocks, and who, far from renouncing a seafaring 
 life, go out to be again shipwrecked ; you abandon the court 
 for the army, and leave one city for another. Do you hope 
 to find the world more propitious to you, or more faithful to 
 its promises in Naples than in Rome ? If you question the 
 travellers whom you meet upon that route, you will find some 
 who on the contrary are coming from Naples to Rome, urged 
 on by the same feelings which now draw you towards the 
 former city ; searching, alas ! for those things which they 
 would do more wisely to fly from. I pity you, nevertheless, 
 but rather for the hope which you cherish than for that which 
 you have lost, and if I dared to speak to you as a true friend, 
 I would even say that you are not made for the world, nor 
 the world for you. Vainly will you seek elsewhere for that 
 peace, that tranquillity of mind which can be found in God 
 alone. Whatever the world may do for you, were it even to 
 go beyond your hopes, it will never fulfil your wishes, nor 
 satisfy your heart. With Gi-od alone you have nothing to 
 desire. Knowing the nothingness of all worldly advantages, 
 how can they ever be the object of your ambition ? " 
 
 These words were like a ray of light to Francis Strada, 
 revealing the truth to his heart. Immediately renounciKg 
 his former projects, he returned to Rome -with Ignatius, com- 
 menced the Spiritual Exercises, became one of his children, 
 and a truly Apostolic man, as was proved by his eminent 
 labors in Italy, Spain and Portugal, and by the innumerable 
 conversions which he effected in those countries. 
 
296 HISTORY OF 
 
 Such was the situation of Ignatius and his companions, 
 when he judged that the moment had arrived for the estab- 
 lishment of that Society which had so long occupied his 
 thoughts. He invited all his dispersed friends to meet him 
 at the period of the Easter festivals, in the year 1538. 
 They had some difficulty in being permitted to leave the 
 different cities where they were residing, on account of the 
 good which they had effected there. Several of these Fathers 
 were followed to a great distance by persons devoted to them, 
 and admirers of their virtues. Simon Rodriguez and John 
 Codure were accompanied as far as Loretto, by one of the 
 principal Canons of Padua. He parted from them filled 
 with veneration for those indefatigable men, who after a daily 
 fast, took but a short repose during the night, of which they 
 passed the greatest part on their knees in prayer, until the 
 moment when they resumed their journey. 
 
 lonatius, Lainez and Faber, lived at this time in a small 
 house, situated in a vineyard at the foot of Trinita de 
 Monti ; but when the new guests arrived, a more spacious 
 lodging became necessary, and the charity of pious souls did 
 not permit them to remain destitute in this respect. 
 
 Finding it impossible to cross the seas, Ignatius sent 
 back to Valencia the four golden crowns which Martin Perez 
 had given him in alms for the voyage. lie also returned the 
 two hundred and ten which he had received from the Sovereign 
 Pontiff, and from some pious Spaniards, through the medium 
 of Peter Ortiz, for a similar purpose. Then, provided with 
 a permission, granted by Cardinal John Caraffa, he divided 
 amongst his four companions the duties of preaching, of in- 
 structing the children, and of fulfilling all the functions of 
 the holy ministry in the different churches. A great multi- 
 tude assembled to hear them ; and the efficacy of the divine 
 word, joined to the force which the example of their holy 
 
SAINT IGNATIUS DE LOYOLA. 297 
 
 lives imparted to their discourses, eflfected a remarkable 
 change amongst the people. The frequent use of the Sacra- 
 ments, which had long been abandoned, was re-established, 
 and spread from thence throughout all Christendom ; where 
 the public morals were greatly benefited in consequence. 
 Asylums were established for young girls in danger of being 
 ruined, and for women of bad fame ; and this was the origin 
 of so many institutions founded by Ignatius, which after- 
 wards became established in perpetuity. These examples 
 awakened a holy emulation in all the other churches of Rome; 
 and the clergy being desirous of imitating the good example 
 of the Fathers in instructing the people and the children, 
 Sunday preachings were multiplied all throughout the city. 
 But thouofh Lainez, Salmeron, and Bobadilla succeeded won- 
 derfully, both by their eloquence and zeal, in making the 
 holy word of God equally beloved and venerated ; not one 
 of them equalled Ignatius in the fervor, unction, and strength 
 of his arguments. Thus, the most learned men after hearing 
 him, remarked, that in the mouth of Ignatius, the word of 
 God possessed all its true weight and vigor, and that devoid 
 of all extraneous ornament, it appeared only the more noble 
 and beautiful. His method was to employ the Gospel like a 
 naked sword drawn from its scabbard ; to show its sacred 
 truths as they are in themselves, devoid of all ornament, and 
 unaided by any ideas of his own. When these apostolic men 
 reaped the first fruits of their labors, their happiness was so 
 great, that frequently after having worked from the dawn of 
 day till nightfall, they entirely forgot themselves ; and more 
 than once waited until sunset, not only before taking any 
 food, but even before begging it from the public pity, which 
 was their only resource. 
 
 The rising Society was in this prosperous condition, when 
 90 violent a persecution arose against it, that if the powerful 
 
 VOL. L — 13* 
 
298 HISTORY OF 
 
 hand of God had not been stretched forth to protect it, its 
 ruin must have been complete and irreparable. The first 
 author of this attack was one Brother Augustine, a Pied- 
 montese by birth, a hermit by profession, a Catholic in out- 
 v.ard seeming, but in reality a cunning Lutheran. This man 
 believing that the absence of the Pope, who had at that time 
 removed with his court to the confines of Italy, opened an 
 easy path for disseminating the pestilence of heresy in Rome, 
 endeavored to spread it abroad by means of his sermons. 
 The simple, natural, and agreeable manner in which he ex- 
 pressed himself, attracted him an immense number of hearers. 
 At first he did not dare to explain himself openly, but when 
 he believed himself to be in possession of the public esteem 
 and confidence, he began to mingle some of the new errors 
 along with his orthodox instructions. At first he merely 
 glanced at them in passing, without examining them deeply, 
 and cloaked them with a thick veil, to conceal their true 
 signification. God, no doubt, inspired some of the compan- 
 ions of Ignatius with the idea of going to hear the preacher, 
 and they, familiar with these errors, both by study and from 
 having wrestled against them, soon recognized them in spite 
 of the obscure terms in which they were enveloped. The 
 Fathers returned again and again, were present at several of 
 the hermit's discourses, and each time became more dissatis- 
 fied with them. Supposing, however, that the man might 
 err through ignorance, they went to see him, and without 
 appearing to question the sincerity of his intentions, made 
 him remark his difierent errors, one after the other, showing 
 him how they were all derived from the teaching of Luther ; 
 and expressed a hope, that after being undeceived himself, 
 he would not hesitate to undeceive others. 
 
 It may appear surprising that this man, seeing himself 
 discovered, should not have dreaded the personal risk which 
 
SAINT IGNATIUS DE LOYOLA. 299 
 
 he ran ; but the favor of the people and the protection of 
 some of the nobles, upon whom he relied, emboldened him. 
 He treated with equal contempt the warning and those who 
 gave it ; accused them of ignorance and malice ; appeared 
 surprised that men whom he would not accept as scholars, 
 should dare to set themselves up in respect to him as teach- 
 ers. They would do much better, said he, to receive instruc- 
 tion, or at least to be silent, and not to condemn what all 
 Home had heard and applauded. If they could not without 
 feeling mortified, see the esteem in which he was held, they 
 should rather endeavor to merit a similar reputation, than 
 try to injure him, by accusing of error the pure and holy 
 doctrines which he taught. He then invited them to be pre- 
 sent at his next sermon, in order to judge for themselves of 
 the value which he set upon their opinion. There they 
 would hear him repeat all that he had already said, and the 
 applause of his audience would teach them to be humble, 
 or at least to desist from taking the liberty of blaming 
 him. 
 
 Finding the inutility of the step they had taken, the 
 companions of Ignatius thought themselves bound to repair, 
 so far as it lay in their power, the scandal which this man 
 was likely to cause ; and in their churches they mingled, 
 along with moral instructions, precepts concerning the utility 
 of Indulgences, the authority of the Pope, the merit of con- 
 tinency, and the necessity of good works ; points upon which 
 the Lutherans disseminated error. This conduct greatly 
 incensed the new preacher, and being convinced that he could 
 not, without injury to himself, make an open declaration of 
 those things which until now he had only ventured to insin- 
 uate, he resolved by an odious intrigue to secure to himself 
 the reputation of being a good Catholic, and to transfer the 
 Buspicion of heresy to his pretended enemies. One day, 
 
300 HISTORY OF 
 
 therefore, he insisted very strongly upon the truth of the 
 ancient religion, and the obligation of all men to remain 
 faithful to it, and at the same time endeavored to level some 
 blows at Ignatius. " Every one ought to mistrust," said he, 
 " a wolf disguised not as a sheep, but as a shepherd ; one 
 who, but lately a simple layman, had gone through several 
 of the principal universities in Europe, committing the most 
 frightful ravages and depredations amongst the souls whom 
 he seduced ; and who now, emboldened by others, men ani- 
 mated by the same spirit as himself, had come to Rome, to 
 cause fresh scandal there." " I warn the faithful," con- 
 tinued he, " that the abettors of heresy usually begin their 
 operations by accusing others of the same sin, hoping that 
 by this means they themselves will not be suspected of the 
 errors which they pretend to condemn. The most dangerous 
 sects are those which are concealed under the mask of sanc- 
 tity. Rome, although perhaps a little late, ought not to 
 show herself less prudent than Paris, Salamanca, and lastly 
 Venice, where Ignatius, convicted of heresy, escaped by 
 denial and flight from the condemnation of his person and 
 writings. But even in Rome, there are men of incorruptible 
 faith, and who belong to his own nation, who have abandoned 
 him. There is one especially, who, at first attracted and 
 seduced by this man, has left him with horror, on discovering 
 the danger which threatened him." 
 
 By these men of " incorruptible faith," the hermit al- 
 luded to three Spaniards, Peter of Castile, Francis Muderrar, 
 and a certain Barrera, all of whom he had entrapped into 
 his snares ; and who, imbued with his errors, travelled in 
 order to disseminate them from one court to another, to all 
 of which their rank gave them free access. 
 
 By the person who had fled from the teachings of Igna 
 tius, the preacher meant Michael Navarro, whom the conver- 
 
SAINT IGNATIUS DE LOYOLA. 301 
 
 sion of Francis Xavier bad deprived of his protectiou, and 
 "who, laying the blame of this event upon Ignatius, bad en- 
 deavored to assassinate him. 
 
 At first, moved perhaps by some good impulse, or from 
 some unknown motive, this man had presented himself to 
 Ignatius as one who wished to embrace his rule of life ; but 
 this could only suit a truly exalted soul, not a vile nature 
 such as his. Thus, he no sooner discovered to what he had 
 engaged himself, than he renounced it. Afterwards, he 
 repented of having left Ignatius, and rejoining him at Venice, 
 begged to be readmitted into the number of his companions ; 
 but Ignatius, knowing his instability, refused his request. 
 Navarro was offended at this refusal, and since he could not 
 be the disciple of Ignatius, became his enemy and calumni- 
 ator. He preceded him to Home, formed a league with the 
 Lutheran preacher, and served as his agent in spreading 
 abroad and confirming stories injurious to Ignatius, of which 
 he pretended to have been the eye-witness. In return for a 
 sum of money, this miserable wretch went so far as to carry 
 a formal accusation against Ignatius, before Monsignor 
 Benedict Conversini, then Governor of Rome. The here- 
 tical monk hoped that his adversaries would thus be too 
 completely overwhelmed by their own troubles, to occupy 
 themselves with him. 
 
 These calumnies having been spread about through Rome, 
 it can hardly be imagined how completely they changed the 
 general feeling in regard to Ignatius and his companions. 
 At first, listened to with so much respect, as great and holy 
 servants of God ; now, wherever they appeared, they were 
 pointed at as false, designing men, concealed heretics, whose 
 guilty life had been at last unmasked. All the actions which 
 had caused them to be venerated as saints, were now taxed 
 with hypocrisy, and only rendered them the inore odious. 
 
302 HISTORY OF 
 
 Not only would no one address a word to them, but no one 
 would have dared to confess having any acquaintance with 
 them, fearing to be compromised, for all men were in daily 
 expectation of seeing Ignatius and his companions led forth 
 to die at the stake. This terror had such an effect upon the 
 minds of two priests whom the Cardinal Vicar had associated 
 with Ignatius to hear confessions, that, believing the affair 
 irremediable, thej quitted Rome, left even the States of the 
 Church, and succeeded in eluding all pursuit. 
 
 Meanwhile public rumor went on increasing hourly, 
 and spreading abroad. Letters written to distant parts an- 
 nounced that these men were at length known and unmasked ; 
 that they had been convicted of heresy, and that their crime 
 would shortly be expiated upon the scaffold. 
 
 But Our Lord as formerly, when in the bark with his 
 disciples, only slept to give the storm time to rage in all its 
 fury ; commanding^ when he awakened, the winds and the 
 tempest, so that there was a great calm. The enemies of 
 Ignatius triumphed, and already received thanks for having 
 dissipated that poison, whose malignant influences it was 
 said could ferment in darkness alone. As for him, he con- 
 sidered this storm as an opportunity for exercising that filial 
 trust in God, which chiefly attains its perfection, when it 
 increases in proportion as our misfortunes appear to become 
 more irretrievable. Ignatius sustained the courage of his 
 companions, when he observed any one amongst them ready 
 to take alarm ; humbly reminded his Divine Master of the 
 assurance which he had received on his way to Rome, and 
 entreated God to grant him, along with the cross so formally 
 announced, the assistance and protection which He had also 
 deio-ned to promise him. It pleased God to grant his fer- 
 vent prayers, and in order to prove before all eyes, that He 
 
SAINT IGNATIUS DE LOYOLA. .303 
 
 alone had calmed the tempest, assistance came from a quarter 
 t\'here human foresight would never have sought it. 
 
 Ignatius was not so entirely abandoned by his friends, 
 but that one at least remained faithful to him ; and this was 
 that very Quirino Garzonio, who at the beginning had re- 
 ceived him into his house, and who, from his constant rela- 
 tions with the Saint, had learned to know him too well to 
 listen to the injurious reports now spread against him : besides 
 which, his loyal and noble character would have led him to 
 consider such a desertion as base. Cardinal John Dominic 
 de Cupis, head of the sacred college, and a man of great 
 influence, was the relative and friend of Garzonio, and knew 
 the affection which he bore to Ignatius. He one day re- 
 proached Garzonio severely for this friendship, and strongly 
 recommended him to separate from Ignatius, not only on 
 account of the injury which this connection might cause his 
 reputation, but also to avoid the danger to which he exposed 
 his salvation by living on familiar terms with a man whose 
 faith and doctrine were as suspicious as his morals. The 
 Cardinal then went over all the accusations spread abroad 
 against Ignatius. " Why," replied Quirino, '^ should we give 
 more credit to all these stories, than to the facts of which we 
 are ocular witnesses ? Why listen to improbable assertions, 
 to preteuded condemnations of which there is no proof, 
 when here in Rome every circumstance speaks in favor of 
 Ignatius ? " The Cardinal held to his opinion, and replied 
 with an air of compassion : " You have to do with a man 
 who, to his other vices, joins the art of misleading men's 
 minds by enchantments, and, without a doubt, he has made 
 use of them to seduce you." 
 
 On his return home Garzonio faithfully repeated this 
 conversation to Ignatius, who was nowise troubled by it, in- 
 somuch that he might have been supposed wholly uninterested 
 
304 HISTORY OF 
 
 ■* 
 
 in the matter. He praised tlie zeal and prudence of the 
 Cardinal, who, believing him guilty, endeavored to preserve 
 his friend from the dangers of such a connection. "Besides," 
 added he, " God can do more to save me, than the whole 
 world to ruin me, and you will see this, when the hour 
 arrives." As for the Cardinal, Io;natius knew him to be a 
 wise and virtuous man, and was quite convinced that if he 
 could obtain an interview with him he could convince him of 
 his error. Quirino Garzonio resolved therefore to obtain an 
 audience for his friend, and hastened to beg it of his kins- 
 man, assuring him that, if, after having heard Ignatius, he 
 persisted in condemning him, he himself would believe him 
 to be guilty, and would part from him immediately. " Let 
 him come then," cried the Cardinal, "and I shall treat him as 
 he deserves." He did so in fact, but in a very different sense 
 from what his words intimated. 
 
 Ignatius arrived, and was introduced into a cabinet, at 
 the extremity of the Cardinal's apartments. What he said 
 to his Eminence is not known, but we may form some conjec- 
 ture as to the nature of the conversation, from the effects 
 produced by this visit. It completely dissipated the unfavor- 
 able impressions conceived by the Cardinal against him, in- 
 somuch, that filled with repentance for his injustice, he 
 threw himself at the feet of Ignatius and entreated his 
 pardon. We have this fact from Garzonio, to whom the 
 Cardinal himself related it. That noble friend had accom- 
 panied Ignatius, and anxiously awaited the result of the 
 interview, which lasted nearly two hours. At length the 
 Cardmal came out of his cabinet with Ignatius, giving him 
 every possible mark of esteem and affection ; and promising 
 him aloud to be henceforth his most zealous defender, both in 
 this affair, and in all others which concerned him. He then 
 gave orders that the bread and wine necessary for the support 
 
SAINT IGNATIUS DE LOYOLA. 305 
 
 of Ignatius and liis companions, should be sent them as alms, 
 and this charity the Cardinal continued as long as he lived. 
 Being now assured by the result of this visit, that God 
 had taken his defence into his own hands, the Saint thought 
 it his duty to act on his side as human wisdom dictated. He 
 therefore solicited the governor of Rome, before whose tri- 
 bunal the accusations had been brought, to grant him a legal 
 trial and a definite sentence. The day having been appointed, 
 Ignatius and his accuser, Michael Navarro, appeared before 
 the court. The latter began by boldy stating that in Paris, 
 in Alcala, and in Venice, he being present, Ignatius had been 
 condemned for heresy, and for other crimes ; that he had 
 evaded his punishment by flight, but that he, Navarro, having 
 been witness of these facts, could affirm them as he now did, 
 by oath. Then Ignatius, with impassible serenity, drew from 
 his pocket as his first answer a letter which he presented to 
 his accuser, asking him if he knew that hand-writing Na- 
 varro, not suspecting his object, acknowledged it as his own. 
 " Well ! " replied Ignatius ; " so far you have spoken of me, 
 only repeating what has been suggested to you by others ; now 
 we are going to see what you said of me formerly under the in- 
 spiration of your own ideas, and the charitable opinion which 
 you had then conceived of me." This letter was then read. 
 ] t was written to a friend, and in it Navarro spoke of Igna- 
 tius and of his virtues, of which he declared himself to be 
 an eye-witness, in such high terms of praise, that it would 
 have been impossible to produce a more favorable testimony. 
 The unfortunate man grew pale, and seeing himself convicted 
 by his own writing, of so palpable a contradiction, the words ex- 
 pired upon his lips. Not knowing whether he ought to con- 
 fess the truth or deny the letter, to seek for some excuse or to 
 invent new calumnies, he muttered some unintelligible words, 
 and the first sitting was terminated. But this was neither 
 
306 HISTORY OF 
 
 the sole nor the principal proof which brought to light tho 
 innocence of Ignatius. It pleased God that the truth should 
 come forth from those very places which had been chosen as 
 the principal theatres of the calumny ; Paris, Aicala and 
 Venice. The course of events was truly providential. It 
 happened that this very year, the three judges who had ab- 
 solved the Saint in the three cities wherein his accuser swore 
 he had been condemned, were all in Home at the same time. 
 From Venice had come Gaspar de Doces, the Nuncio's- 
 secretary ; from Aicala, the lieutenant of police, John Fi- 
 guera; and from Paris, Father Ori, the Inquisitor. Private 
 aflfairs had brought them to Rome, and it pleased God that 
 from this circumstance, glory should accrue to his servant ; 
 for they appeared together in court, and publicly testified to 
 the innocence and virtue of Ignatius. Here the persecutions 
 directed against the Saint necessarily terminated; all that 
 now remained, was to prove the innocence of his companions ; 
 for although in some degree justified in the person of their 
 head, it was important even for his reputation, that private 
 and personal testimony should be advanced in their favor ; 
 and for this the Lord provided. As soon as the odious im- 
 putations brought against them were heard of in Bologna, 
 Ferrara, Venice and Paris, the bishops and priests who had 
 known them, eagerly sent them the most honorable attesta- 
 tions. Moreover, Hercules, Duke of Ferrara, ordered his am- 
 bassador in Rome to interpose the authority of his testimony 
 wherever it was necessary, in favor of Claudius Le Jay and 
 Simon Rodriguez, as well as the assurance of his respect for 
 their virtues. 
 
 It seemed then that the tempest being calmed, Ignatius 
 had only to return thanks to God, and to enjoy in peace his 
 restored tranquillity. All had turned out favorably for him. 
 Michael Navarro had been condemned to exile as a calum- 
 
SAINT IGNATIUS DE LOYOLA. • 307 
 
 niator ; and the three Spaniards, his instigators, summoned 
 by Ignatius to prove, judicially, what they had published 
 through the whole city of Rome against him and his com- 
 panions, had confessed themselves vanquished, and had em- 
 ployed powerful patrons to endeavor to persuade him to rest 
 satisfied with their public recantation ; but Ignatius knew 
 that a tree cut down even to the level of the soil, may some- 
 times shoot forth vigorous branches, if its roots remain ; and 
 therefore that no pretext might be left for renewing the ma- 
 lignant imputations of which he had been the object, he de- 
 manded that the affair should be settled by a judicial sen- 
 teace. In fact he feared fresh calumnies, and especially he 
 would not have it said that the proceedings had been hushed 
 up at his personal instigation. These falsehoods had trav- 
 ersed the greater part of Europe, and what credence could 
 be given to their denial bub that which proceeded from a 
 public and irrefutable sentence ? Ignatius attached the 
 more importance to this, that the sentence once pronounced, 
 annihilated all attacks directed against him, whether in 
 France, Spain, or Italy, and reduced to perpetual silence all 
 those whose malevolence could no longer discover any method 
 of inflicting a new wound upon his reputation. 
 
 His position was critical. It was not only his personal 
 reputation that was at stake, for then it would have been 
 easy, nay agreeable to him, to endure these violent attacks 
 in silence ; but he was founding an Order destined to be 
 spread over the whole world, and the character of his breth- 
 ren was at stake. How could they labor to procure the 
 greater glory of God, and the conversion of sinners, if 
 branded at the outset by an accusation of immoral conduct, 
 and of teaching false doctrines ? The insult had been public ; 
 it was necessary that the reparation should be so also. " I 
 am well aware," wrote Ignatius to Signer Peter Contarini, 
 
308 HISTORY OF 
 
 " tHat I cannot prevent men from speaking against us, and I 
 am not so unwise as to hope for this. But I ought not to 
 allow those instructions which are conformable to pure Cath- 
 olic doctrines, to be stigmatized as erroneous, nor permit a 
 state of life to be condemned, which is in itself holy and ir- 
 reproachable. Let them treat us as rude, ignorant men, nay 
 even as wicked deceivers ; this will not afflict us ; but when 
 the holy doctrine which we teach, or the state of life which 
 we have embraced is attacked, it is not lawful for us to suf- 
 fer it in silence ; for these two things are not personal to us, 
 but belong to Jesus Christ and His Church," 
 
 Some of his companions, more humble than prudent, 
 would have dissuaded him from pursuing this affair ; it 
 seemed to them as if he were exceeding the limits of actual 
 necessity, and of the right which they had of withdrawing 
 from oppression. They feared lest by making public the 
 imposture of their adversaries, they might appear to have 
 been guided by resentment or a desire of revenge. The 
 just claims of Ignatius were also thwarted by what then ap- 
 peared to proceed from the dilatory conduct of the Governor, 
 but which was afterwards known to have arisen merely from 
 his objection to decide definitively upon this cause. The 
 importunities of the opposite party had induced him to en- 
 deavor to satisfy Ignatius by promises, which he privately 
 resolved never to fulfil. But as our Saint would not be 
 contented with them, the Governor at length declared that 
 the determination of the Lesiate was that the cause should 
 be considered as already decided, and +hat both parties 
 ehould henceforth keep silence upon the subject. Things, 
 However, shortly afterwards assumed a totally different as- 
 pect. 
 
 The Pope having returned to Rome, went to pass the 
 first weeks of autumn at Frascati, and Ignatius recovered 
 
SAINT IGNATIUS DE LOYOLA. 309 
 
 the hopes which he had almost abandoned, of obtaining from 
 him what he had hitherto vainly solicited from the Governor. 
 In fact his demand was so manifestly just, that it was suffi- 
 cient to make it known to the Pope, to have it granted. 
 The Pontiff instantly sent an order to the Governor by one 
 of his chamberlains, to judge definitively and in a manner 
 conformable to strict justice, the cause of Ignatius, now 
 pending in his tribunal. Then the three personages who 
 in Paris, Alcala, and Venice, had already been the judges 
 of the accusations brought against him, and who had acquit- 
 ted him, were interrogated. Every testimony that could be 
 desired in favor of his companions, was produced. The 
 book of Spiritual Exercises was again examined ; and all 
 voices having concurred in witnessing to the purity of doc- 
 trine and the innocent life of Ignatius and his companions, 
 the cause was at length decided, the sentence pronounced,* 
 
 * Benedictus Conversinus, Electus Britovoriensis, vice camera- 
 rius, almae urbis ejusque districtus generalis gubernator. Univei'sis 
 et singulis, ad quos jDrsesentes nostrse litterss pervenerint, salutem in 
 Domino. Cum reipublicse Cliristiaupe multum intersit, ut eos, qui in 
 agro dominieo, vitae exemplo, et doctrina plurimos agdificant in salu- 
 tem : et item illos, qui e converse potius super seminare videntur zi- 
 zania, publice notos esse ; et non multi rumores sparsi essent, et dela- 
 tiones ad nos factse, de dogmatibus, et conversatione vitae, et spirituali- 
 bus exercitiis, quae aliis conferunt, venerabilium virorum dominorum 
 Ignatii de Loyola et sociorum, videlicet, Petri Fabri, Claudii Jaii, Pas- 
 chasii Broet, Jacobi Laynez, Francisci Xavier, Alphonsi Salmeronis, 
 Simonis Roderici, Joanuis Codurii, et Kicolai de Bobadilla, magistro- 
 rum Parisiensium, presbyterorum secularium, Pampelonensis, Geben- 
 nensis, Seguntenensis, Toletanensis, Visensis, Ebreduuensis, et Palen- 
 tinensis respective Dioecesis, quae quidem eorum dogmata et exercitia 
 a quibusdam dicebantur erronea, superstitiosa, et a Christiana doctrina 
 nonnihil abhorrentia. Nos pro officii nostri debito, ac special! etiam 
 mandato sanctiss. D. N. Papae, circa hsec diligenter animadvertentes, 
 quae visa sunt ad pleniorem causae cognitionem opportona, inquisivi- 
 
310 HISTORY OF 
 
 and copies of it forwarded to all those places where the ca- 
 lumnies had been spread. 
 
 Such was the sentence pronounced upon this affair ; hut 
 something was yet wanting to its proper termination ; this 
 was the fall and punishment of the calumniators. It pleased 
 God that they should he found guilty of the very crimes of 
 which they had accused Ignatius. They had said that con- 
 victed of heresy, and condemned to the flames, he had evaded 
 punishment by flight, but had been burnt in effigy. This 
 was precisely what happened to Muderra. He was con- 
 
 mus, si forte, de quibus prsedicti culpabantur, vera esse deprehendere- 
 mus. Quocirca examinatis primum quibusdam obiocutoribus contra 
 ipsos, et consideratis partim publicis testimoniis, partim sententiis de 
 Hispania, Parisiis, Venetiis, Vieentia, Bononia, Ferraria et Senis, qusa 
 in predictorum venerabilium virorum dominornm Ignatii et sociorum 
 favorem adversus eorum criminatores prolatte fuerunt : et ad hsec ex- 
 aminatis judicialiter nonnuUis testibus, et doctrina et dignitate omni 
 exeeptionemajoribus tandem omuemmurmurationera, et obloeutionem, 
 et rumores contra eos sparsos, nulla veritate subnixos fuisse comperi- 
 mus. Quamobrem nostrarum esse partium judicantes, pronunciamus, 
 et declaramus, prsedictum D. Ignatium et soeios, ex prredictis delation- 
 ibus, et susurris, non solum nullam infamiae notam, sive de jure, sive 
 dc facto incurrisse, verum potius majorem vitas atque doctrinse sanse 
 claritatem retulisse : cum certe videremus adversaries vana, et penius 
 a veritate aliena objecisse, et contra, optimos viros optimum pro illis 
 exbibuisse testimonium. Hauc igitir sententiam, et pronuneiationem 
 nostram ut publicum eis testimonium sit contra omnes adversarios 
 veritatis, et in serenationem omnium, quicumque sinistram ullam de 
 eis suspicionem, prsetestis talium delatorum, et eriminatorum con- 
 ceperint, faciendam duximus. Monentes insuper, et exhortantes in 
 Domino, et fogantes universos et singulos fideles, et dictos venerabiles 
 viros D. Ignatium et soeios, habeant et teneant pro talibus, quos nos 
 esse comperimus, et Catholicos, omni prorsus suspicione cessante. Ita 
 tamen quatenus in eodem vitse et doctrinae tenore, Deo adjuvante 
 (quod speramus) permanserint. Datum Komse in sedibus nostris, die 
 decima octava novembris millesimi quingentesimi trigesimi octavi 
 
SAINT IGNATiCS DE LOYOLA. 311 
 
 victed of heresy, and condemned to the flames, but liaving 
 succeeded in making his escape from prison, was publicly 
 burnt in effigy. Peter of Castillo, for the same cause, was 
 condemned to perpetual imprisonment. 
 
 The monk, who by his preaching had been the first cause 
 of all this afi'air, seeing it turn against him, fled to Ge- 
 neva. There he quitted the religious habit, which he had 
 used as a passport to obtain admission into Catholic coun- 
 tries, in order to infect them with his errors. He after- 
 wards became a Protestant preacher, and to him is attribu- 
 ted a dangerous work, entitled Summarium ScrijpturcE. 
 Finally, a contemporary author relates that his crimes and 
 life were terminated by capital punishment. 
 
 We owe it to truth to mention, that all, excepting the 
 monk, finished by listening to the reproaches of conscience, 
 retracting their calumnies against Ignatius, and entreating 
 his pardon. Thus Peter of Castille, after having long per- 
 severed in his errors, fretting his curb in the prison where 
 he was shut up for life, was at length moved by divine grace, 
 and died in the hands of one of the Fathers of the Society, 
 named Avellaneda. 
 
 Francis Muderra so entirely altered his opinion in regard 
 to Ignatius, that certain of finding in him that charity which 
 is the distinguishing characteristic of the Saints, and which 
 invariably returns good for evil, he had recourse to him in 
 his misfortunes, and received from the Saint the assistance 
 which he solicited. Finally, Barrera, at the hour of his 
 death, which was premature, retracted his uujust accusations, 
 and rendered full justice to the innocence of the man whom 
 he had falsely accused. 
 
312 HISTORY OF 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 Charity of Ignatius and Lis companions towards the poor in Rome— The Saint pre- 
 pares his companions to form a new Order — Difficulties which he has to surmount 
 in attaining this object. 
 
 The credit of the Fathers being now more solid than ever, 
 they reappeared in public, and resumed for the salvation of 
 souls, the pious Exercises, which for a while they had sus- 
 pended. In a very short time, the public esteem in which 
 they were held surpassed, if it were possible, that which had 
 been momentarily lessened by calumny. It seemed as if 
 God himself gave them the opportunities of gaining this es- 
 teem, and of evincing during a period of great calamity, a 
 still greater charity. The very year in which all these 
 events took place, there was a terrible scarcity throughout 
 Rome, by which the inhabitants were reduced to such an ex- 
 tremity, that many of these unfortunate people laid them- 
 selves down on the streets and public squares to die, without 
 having sufficient strength to go and beg for bread, even had 
 they been likely to obtain it. Besides, the winter was ex- 
 cessively severe. The Fathers, who themselves lived by 
 alms, animated by that trust in Grod which is never con- 
 founded, undertook to provide for the wants of these poor and 
 wretched beings. In the first place, they lifted up all those 
 whom they found lying in the streets, and taking them upon 
 their shoulders, carried thorn to their own house, which was 
 
SAINT IGNATIUS DE LOYOLA. 313 
 
 a somewiiat spacious building, situated at that time near the 
 Tower of Melangolo. It would be difficult now to ascertain 
 its exact site, because in that old part of Rome, the aspect 
 of which is completely changed by modern buildings, the 
 name and even the remembrance of these old edifices are 
 buried under their ruins. This house formed an anoxic with 
 the Church of St. Catharine, called Funari, and the Piazza 
 Morgana, where the house of the noble family of the Altieri 
 now stands. 
 
 Ignatius passed from that house to the one which we now 
 occupy ; but whilst he still inhabited the former, he collected 
 together as many bedsteads as he could procure, and covered 
 them with heaps of straw, so as to place the poor people there 
 with as little discomfort as possible. Several of the Fathers 
 served them, as they were accustomed to wait on the patients in 
 the hospitals ; washed their feet, performed the most menial 
 offices in their service, and lavished every care and attention 
 upon them ; happy to think that in their persons they served 
 Jesus Christ himself. Others went through the town to beo: 
 alms for the poor patients, and it pleased God .that they 
 should be abundantly aided by the charity of many pious 
 souls ; so that they succeeded in feeding and clothing in their 
 own house alone, more than four hundred persons. 
 
 So new and touching a sight soon attracted the attention 
 of a multitude of people ; but those who were led there 
 merely by curiosity, were so much affected by the frank joy- 
 ousness with which the Fathers busied themselves in serving 
 these poor creatures, that many were seen divesting them- 
 selves even of jmrt of their clothing, to cover the half naked 
 poor. 
 
 The report of these good works spread abroad, and the 
 principal nobles in Rome, thinking it too humiliating fof 
 them, that men who possessed nothing were providing fcr 
 
 VOL. L 14 
 
bl4 HISTORY OF 
 
 the wants of the indigent, whilst they with all their wealth 
 had contributed nothing to their support, began to send in 
 assistance of every kind, which helped to maintain during 
 the winter, and to support till the following harvest, nearly 
 three thousand persons. 
 
 Moreover, the alleviation of their physical suiFerings was 
 not the most precious advantage which they found in the 
 house of Ignatius ; but rather the infinite profit which they 
 obtained for their souls. As soon as they arrived there, 
 they were exhorted to confession, and instructed in the 
 Christian doctrine, whilst religious discourses were frequently 
 addressed to them. At certain fixed hours they all repeated 
 prayers, which not only helped to pass the time when they 
 were assembled together, in a profitable manner, but which 
 gave rise in many a heart, to a fervent desire of leading a 
 more Christian life for the future. 
 
 Whether it were these charitable examples or the con- 
 viction of the innocence of the Fathers, now so authentically 
 recognized, which had increased the general esteem and good 
 will towards them, certain it is that many persons began to 
 take pleasure in the kind of life which they led, and asked to 
 be admitted amongst them. 
 
 Moreover, the Sovereign Pontiff made known his inten- 
 tention of employing some of the companions of Ignatius in 
 the service of the Church. The Saint himself believed that 
 the moment had now arrived for giving the constitution of a 
 religious Order to the Society, which until then had only 
 been kept together by the free will of its members ; and after 
 having fervently recommended to God a work so interesting 
 to His glory, and having entreated Him so to dispose the 
 minds of his brothers that they should wish for nothing but 
 the fulfilment of God's will, he assembled them all together 
 one day, and announced to them that they would shortly bo 
 
SAINT IGNATIUS DE LOYOLA. . 315 
 
 obliged to disperse, and to proceed wherever the IToly Father 
 thought proper to send them. He then added ; " Can we 
 believe it possible that God would have collected men of 
 different countries together in so miraculous a manner; 
 united them by the powerful bonds of mutual charity, given 
 them such perfect uniformity of feeling, and so ardent a 
 desire to labor for the sole object of His glory ; in order 
 that, finding themselves after long studies, and long journeys, 
 once more reunited in the City of Rome, they should part 
 without any other mark of union between them, but the mere 
 affectionate remembrance which men preserve towards their 
 absent friends ? No, my dear companions, God makes known 
 to my heart, that all which has been done until now, has 
 been for a nobler end, and that the zeal which has led us to 
 abandon our country, our families, our properties and our 
 freedom, shall not be extinguished with us. Yet this is 
 what would happen, were we to leave no inheritors of our 
 desires, none to emulate our zeal, no imitators of the species 
 of life to which we have devoted ourselves. How can it be 
 otherwise, if we do not give to our present Society the stabi- 
 lity which it can only acquire by an organization similar to a 
 religious Order ? God has closed the road to Palestine for 
 us, and 3'et zeal for the salvation of souls daily increases in 
 our hearts. Does not the Lord thus give us to understand 
 that it must not be confined to one particular country, whilst 
 the whole world lays claim to it ? As we are yet but few 
 for so vast an enterprise, He Himself takes care, as you see, 
 to increase our number. Should we then remain henceforth 
 scattered, independent, and as free to^ abandon this great 
 work as to continue in it ? A religious Order, established 
 by the Apostolic authority, has a very different degree of 
 importance ; its strength becomes of a very different nature, 
 when all the parts composing its entire body are firmly knit 
 
316 HISTORY OF 
 
 together ; its opportunities of practising that perfection to 
 which fixed laws bind its members, are also very different. 
 I foresee that powerful obstacles will be opposed to this great 
 enterprise ; but they will not be insuperable to that Divine 
 virtue which can do all, and in which alone I trust. My 
 courage is therefore unshaken. Had the two holy patriarchs, 
 Dominick and Francis, renounced the idea of founding their 
 respective Orders, through fear of failing in their enter- 
 prises, how many blessed souls would not be in Paradise 
 now ! Of how many faithful children would the Church on 
 earth be deprived ! What brilliant learning, what treasures 
 of merit, what heroic examples of perfection would have 
 been lost to the world ! As for me, if my fears are strong, 
 I perceive motives for yet stronger hopes, when I reflect that 
 the Saviour himself has promised that we should find in 
 Rome assistance and protection from Him. We have then 
 nothing to dread except from ourselves, if, after having given 
 ourselves to God by the vows which already engage us, we 
 should hesitate to sacrifice a remnant of liberty, by submitting 
 ourselves to form henceforward one body, under one head. 
 
 " In order to reflect more maturely upon this project, it 
 would doubtless be desirable, were it possible for us, as on 
 former occasions, to devote some weeks to commune with 
 ourselves in the presence of God ; but the possibility of the 
 speedy departure of the Sovereign Pontifi" forbids this, and 
 when we are once separated, how can we hope to establish 
 that union between us which is so indisioensable ? Therefore 
 it seems to me that we ought to prepare ourselves for several 
 days, by the most austere penance and the most fervent 
 prayer, for learning the will of G od upon this matter ; after 
 which we shall collect the votes and come to a definitive 
 resolution." 
 
 To this proposal of Ignatius, his companions were ready 
 
SAINT IGNATIUS LE LOYOLA. 317 
 
 to give their immediate consent. The strength of his argu- 
 ments, the uniformity of their wishes, and the ardor of their 
 zeal, rendered them perfectly disposed to do so. Neverthe- 
 less, they all meditated for several days, in communion with 
 God ; then at their first meeting, came to the unanimous 
 resolution of establishing such constitutions as should give 
 a regular form to their Societ3\ When Ignatius had traced 
 the first sketch of his Institute in Paris, their souls had 
 been inundated with holy joy ; and now that he wished to 
 perfect this great work, similar feelings arose in their hearts. 
 But as their whole days were solely consecrated to unceasing 
 labor for the salvation of souls, they agreed to meet during 
 some hours of the night, to lay the foundations of their Insti- 
 tute. These conferences lasted nearly three months, and 
 were conducted as follows. — In order to decide irrevocably 
 upon any point, they studied it, discussed it, and resolved 
 upon it ; it was necessary that it should pass through these 
 three grades. When the subject concerning which they 
 were to deliberate had been proposed, then each one placed 
 himself in the presence of God, and renouncing every per- 
 sonal feeling, considered the matter as if it were perfectly 
 irrelevant to himself. 
 
 Their opinions, thus divested of that personal interest 
 which so often guides our decisions, were perfectly inde- 
 pendent ; and reason alone made the balance incline to one 
 side or the other. 
 
 An interior decision once made, it was not communicated 
 to the others, lest respect for the authority of certain opinions 
 should prevail ; but in the conference's which ensued, each 
 one expressed his idea, and gave it up to general discussion, 
 until the proposition remaining uncontroverted, it was put to 
 the vote, and definitively adopted. Unanimous consent usually 
 followed the propositions of Ignatius, except however on one 
 
318 HISTORY OF 
 
 occasion, when Nicholas Bobadillra refused to give his cob- 
 sent to their engaging themselves by a vow, as all the others 
 wished to do, to teach the Christian doctrine to children. 
 Hather out of respect for him, than convinced by the reasons 
 which he adduced, this exercise was left free, and the same 
 was done in reo-ard to several other ministrations to which the 
 Society has devoted itself. But it seems that on this occasion 
 Bobadilla was too much attached to his opinion ; and as the 
 obstinacy of one single member might have given rise to serious 
 inconvenience, if his sole voice had possessed the faculty of 
 annulling resolutions otherwise unanimous, it was decided 
 that in other cases of this nature the resolution should pass 
 without reference to it. The plan of the Institution having 
 been traced in five chapters, which I shall analyze in the 
 following book, St. Ignatius sent it by Cardinal Graspar Con- 
 tarini to be presented to Paul III. ; who received it with 
 kindness, and intrusted its examination to F. Thomas Badia, 
 Master of the Sacred Palace, who afterwards became a Cardi- 
 nal, under the title of St. Sylvester. He kept it for two 
 months, and then returned it with his entire approbation to the 
 Pope, who read it at leisure, and who doubtless, enlightened 
 by knowledge from above, discovered in it the beginning and 
 the germ of great things ; for he said : " The finger of God is 
 here," and openly bestowed his approbation upon it at Tivoli, 
 on the 3d of September, 1539. On the same day Cardinal 
 Contarini, to whom the Society was already under other obli- 
 gations, sent this happy news to Ignatius, in a letter wherein 
 he expressed the satisfaction with which the Pontiff had read 
 the plan submitted to him, and his earnestness in expressing 
 his approbation. 
 
 The question now was, to obtain, as Ignatius desired, an 
 Apostolic bull by which the Institute should be declared a 
 religious Order, and this affair was neither easy nor of prompt 
 
SAINT IGNATIUS DE LOYOLA. 319 
 
 solution. The Pope showed himself disposed to give entire 
 satisfaction to Ignatius ; but he af&xed to this the condition 
 that his opinion should also be that of three Cardinals known 
 for their wisdom, sound judgment and incorruptible faith. 
 One of the three was to be specially charged with the direc- 
 tion of the affair, which was to be immediately stopped, if it 
 did not appear to emanate from God. This was Cardinal 
 Bartholomew Guidiccioni, a skilful canonist, whose irreproach- 
 able life and great talents had so manifestly placed him on 
 the way to the Pontificate, that when Paul III. was informed 
 of his death, he exclaimed ; " My successor is dead." But 
 Guidiccioni had very peculiar sentiments on the subject of 
 religious Orders ; and far from wishing the introduction of 
 new ones into the Church, he would have willingly reduced 
 the number of all those which were already established, to 
 four; and it is said had even written a work upon this 
 subject. 
 
 Therefore, when the project of Ignatius was confided to 
 him, he could hardly be induced to listen to the proposition, 
 far less to examine the plan. According to him, such a 
 thought was in itself condemnable, as being opposed to the 
 true welfare of the Church ; since a new Order, liable to de- 
 generate in the course of time, ended by doing more injury 
 than it had done good in its first moments of fervor. 
 
 As the opinion of such a man was of great weight, he 
 easily brought over the other Cardinals to agree with him. 
 The courage of St. Ignatius did not sink ; still, being well 
 aware that in order to overcome great obstacles we must be 
 armed with great strength, he sought ihrs force according to 
 his usual custom, in the divine protection ; certain that could 
 he obtain it, no human power would be able to overthrow his 
 projects. Nor did God delay in giving him cause for hope, 
 through means apparently the most unlikely to serve his 
 
320 HISTORY OF 
 
 plans. Yielding to the importunities of various princes and 
 bishops, who had addressed themselves to the Sovereign Pon- 
 tiff, several of the companions of Ignatius had gone forth to 
 resume their labors ; and hardly had they arrived at the 
 different places assigned to them, before numerous statements 
 were received in Rome of the wonderful effect of their ex- 
 ertions. 
 
 In a short time, Faber had, we may say, regenerated and 
 sanctified the town of Parma ; and without now entering into 
 farther details, it is sufficient to add, that upwards of a hun- 
 dred laymen and ecclesiastics were at the same moment en- 
 gaged in following the Spiritual Exercises in that city. 
 Lainez had no less success in Placentia, and Cardinal 
 Ennius Filodardi never ceased to write to the Holy Father, 
 congratulating himself upon having these Fathers as the 
 companions of his Legation in those two States. 
 
 Similar news arrived from Sienna : where Brouet and 
 Rodriguez had reformed the people, and even the clergy by 
 means of the Exercises : moreover a convent of nuns, until 
 then in open opposition to their Archbishop, had submitted 
 to his authority. Bobadilla in the kingdom of Naples, Le 
 Jay at Bagnarea, Strada at Montepulciano and Brescia, made 
 marvellous exertions for the salvation of souls, especially 
 Strada, who, still too young to be a priest, devoted himself, 
 with all the ardor of a fervent novice, to works of zeal and 
 charity. 
 
 Besides this the'king of Portugal, John III., asked from 
 the Sovereign Pontiff six companions of Ignatius ; but only 
 obtained two, Francis Xavier and Rodriguez. To Ortiz, the 
 agent of Charles V. at the Diet of Worms, he granted 
 Father Faber, to support the Catholic doctrine there. Such 
 multiplied proofs of the indefatigable charity of the new 
 Fathers for the service of the Church, and the salvation of 
 
SAINT IGNATIUS DE LOYOLA. 32! 
 
 their brethren, showed the Holy Father that Ignatius was 
 the source from which this truly apostolic zeal flowed, and 
 that if he could transmit it to other men similar to those 
 whom he had already collect<id, the Church, then so cruelly 
 attacked in the North of Europe, might thus obtain the 
 most important assistance. 
 
 But notwithstanding such decisive reasons, and the desire 
 of the wise Pontiff himself, Cardinal Guidiccioni continued 
 to persist in his opposition, and the Society was not con- 
 stituted into a religious Order. 
 
 It seemed that Grod Himself had resolved to take this 
 work into His own hands, to make it succeed against all hope, 
 and to show that he granted its success to the prayers of Ig- 
 natius alone, who, after having intrusted these precious seeds 
 to the earth, now watered them with his tears, and never 
 ceased humbly to remind the Saviour of the consoling promise 
 which he had made him. One day when engaged in prayer, 
 the thought suddenly struck Ignatius, that he would unite 
 together in one offering, his own heart and those of all his 
 companions, to make as it were a last assault upon the divine 
 goodness. He engaged himself, in the name of all, to have 
 the sacrifice of the Mass celebrated three thousand times 
 as an act of thanksgiving, whenever he obtained the favor 
 which he so ardently solicited. It was without doubt this last 
 effort which decided the victory; for Cardinal Guidiccioni felt 
 his opinion change suddenly and completely, without being 
 able to explain to himself this new disposition of his heart, 
 which he could only attribute to a gentle violence proceeding 
 from Heaven itself. 
 
 He begged to see the plan of the Institute, examined it 
 attentively, and finding it admirable, said that whilst he per- 
 sisted in his opinion with regard to other Orders he excepted 
 that of Ignatius from this prohibition. Nor was he satisfied 
 
 VOL. L — 14* 
 
322 HISTORY OF 
 
 with merely giving it his personal approbation, but became a 
 powerful advocate of the measure, which he had hitherto 
 combated both with the two other Cardinals and with the 
 Sovereign Pontiff. All impediments being thus removed, 
 Paul III., after a mature examination of the Institute sub- 
 mitted to him, raised the Society to the rank of a religious 
 Order, and approved its name and form by the bull Regimini 
 militantis Ecclesioe, dated the 27th of September, 1540. 
 
 It would be impossible to describe the consolation and 
 increase of fervor which now filled the heart of Ignatius. 
 After so many fatiguing journeys, so much study, so many 
 prayers and tears, so many persecutions and dangers, he be- 
 held himself at length at the summit of his desires ; he could 
 at length perpetuate his labors^ his zeal, and his devotion to 
 the salvation of his brethren. He began, together with all 
 his companions, by acquitting the promise which he had 
 made to God, each one keeping an exact account of the 
 holy sacrifices which he celebrated. The society never for- 
 got the immense obligations under which they lay to Pope 
 Paul III., and still consider him as a second Father. His 
 kindness towards us was not even extinguished with himself, 
 but seemed to pass as an inheritance to the princes of his 
 family. A second object of gratitude for the Society, is the 
 illustrious house of Contarini ; and St. Ignatius, in a writing 
 addressed to Peter Contarini, whom I have before mentioned, 
 says these very words in speaking of his kinsman. Cardinal 
 Gaspar : " We owe him all in the affair which we had so 
 much at heart; and I acknowledge it here, to be preserved as 
 a perpetual confession of our debt to him, and in order that 
 we may at least maintain feelings of eternal gratitude for 
 this great benefit, since it will never be in our power to re- 
 pay it." 
 
SAINT IGNATIUS DE LOYOLA. I'ti3 
 
 CHAPTEPv XIII. 
 
 Divers predictions as to the origin, spirit, and labors of the Society — Ignatius <^bosen 
 first General of the Order— Solemn profession without the walls of Kome— Of tho 
 name of Jesus given to the Society. 
 
 It lias not been without mucli hesitation that I have decided 
 to speak of the revelations and prophecies by which it pleased 
 God to announce the birth of our Society, the formation of 
 its Institute, and the great fruits of thoje labors to which it 
 was to devote itself for the service of the Church. I feared 
 lest this narrative, so honorable to the Society, should rather 
 be attributed to a sentiment of pride than to the sole desire 
 of bearing witness to the truth. Yet, if God has designed 
 to honor, in an especial manner, this lowliest of all the Socie- 
 ties which are devoted to Him, have I right to deprive her 
 of that which she derives solely from His goodness ? It is 
 certain that God has sometimes announced beforehand the 
 rise, works, and merits, whether of certain Orders whom He 
 has sent to the assistance of His Church or of their founders. 
 We find examples of this in the dream by which He made 
 known to the Pontiff Honorius, the services which were one 
 day to be rendered to the Church by the Orders of St. Fran- 
 cis and St. Dominick, upon whom he afterwards bestowed 
 his apostolic approbation ; in the luminous ladder which St. 
 Romuald beheld stretching from earth to Heaven, and cov- 
 ered with his Religious, clad in robes of dazzling whiteness ; 
 
324 HISTORY OP 
 
 in tlie seven rays of light which appeared to St. Norbert, 
 surrounding the head of the crucified Kedeemer, and the pil- 
 grims who came to him from the uttermost extremities of 
 the earth ; in the seven stars which St. Hugh, bishop of 
 Grenoble, perceived in a vision, and which announced to him 
 St. Bruno and his six companions ; in that white and blue 
 cross shining upon the heart of an angel clad in white, beside 
 whom were two slaves, one black and the other white, the 
 vision which appeared to Innocent III. as a presage of the 
 Order of the Redemption of Captives ; and in many others 
 in which we must acknowledge the immediate intervention 
 of the God of miracles. 
 
 Why then should we be surprised that He permitted the 
 same to occur in regard to our Society, announcing it before- 
 hand by its name, its works, and its Institute ? First, we 
 hear of Rainolda of Arnheim, a woman whose name and vir- 
 tue were equally illustrious in Flanders, and who, in 1534, 
 at the very time when Ignatius, in the church of Montmartre, 
 laid the first foundations of his company, predicted to Peter 
 Canisius, then a very young man, that he would one day 
 wear the habit of an Order of Jesus, which would shortly 
 be founded for the common benefit of the faithful, and espe- 
 cially for that of Germany. — We know how the sequel veri- 
 fied the prediction. Afterwards came Angela Panigarola, a 
 nun of St. Martha's convent at Milan, who announced long 
 beforehand the establishment of the Society of Jesus, and 
 the fruits of sanctity which it was to produce in that city, 
 as is proved from our archives in Rome, by the most authen- 
 tic testimony. 
 
 The memoirs of the Order of the Holy Trinity, estab- 
 lished for the redemption of captives, contain facts of the 
 same nature, which are faithfully transcribed by John de 
 Figueras in his history. The originals are preserved in the 
 
SAINT IGNATIUS DE LOYOLA. 3'25 
 
 Monastery of Coimbra, from which source I derive my in- 
 formation. 
 
 Let us now proceed to the works of the Society. God 
 deigned to make known His designs on this subject to St. 
 Theresa; and her confessor learned it from her own mouth. 
 Besides, her writings bear evidence to this fact, as well as to 
 her having predicted that the Society should bear the name 
 of Jesus. She relates, that on one occasion she distinctly 
 heard the Lord say these words : " If thou knewest of what 
 assistance that Society shall be to the Church in days to 
 come, in its necessities and in its dangers ! " At another time, 
 she beheld in spirit, how the Society was destined to increase, 
 for the greater glory of God, and the energy with which it 
 would defend the true Faith. One day when absorbed in a 
 meditation full of sweetness and peace, (as she herself writes,) 
 surrounded by holy Angels, and very near God, she implored 
 Him in behalf of His Church ; then, says the Saint, she saw 
 great things concerning the Society in general, and some 
 of its members more especially. Above all, she perceived 
 several times in the abode of the Blessed, the children of 
 Ignatius, with white banners in their hands. " Fromhence," 
 said St. Theresa, " arises the very great veneration in which 
 I hold that Order. Besides this, I have frequently con- 
 versed with these Religious, and have found that their lives 
 were in absolute conformity to all those things which it 
 pleased God to reveal to me in their regard.'^ 
 
 To these words I might add others no less honorable to 
 the Society, which have been suppressed in certain editions 
 of her works. But I here declare that ^ny quotations have 
 been copied verhatim from the original MS. in the hand- 
 writing of the Saint, preserved with all due veneration in the 
 royal library of the Escurial, while the copy itself has been 
 collated and certified by a public notary. And I may also 
 
326 HISTORY OF 
 
 add, that the suppressions to which I allude, were afterwards 
 solemnly condemned by a general Chapter of the Order of the 
 Carmelites, in 1650. 
 
 To the holy women whom I have already cited, I shall 
 add a third, St. Mary Magdalene of Pazzi, a native of 
 Florence. On the 26th of December, 1599, on the feast of 
 St. Stephen, this Saint being rapt iu ecstasy, clearly saw 
 that God appeared to regard the soul of St. John the Evan- 
 gelist, with a degree of love and complacency superior to that 
 which He bestowed upon the other Saints ; but at the same 
 time she perceived that He also granted a similar grace to 
 the soul of the blessed Father Ignatius. She thus expresses 
 herself upon this subject : " The Spirit of St. John and that 
 of Ignatius are the same, for the sole object of both is love 
 and charity to God and to their fellow-men ; and it is through 
 this love and charity that they draw creatures to God. The 
 most blessed Spirit now existing upon earth is that of Igna- 
 tius, because his children, in their guidance of souls, espe- 
 cially endeavor to make it understood how pleasing to God 
 are our acts of interior worship ; since these acts lead us to 
 embrace with facility the most arduous and difficult tasks, 
 thanks to the light which they communicate to the soul, 
 whence arises that love which converts all bitterness into 
 sweetness." According to another vision of St. Magdalene, 
 as often as the children of Ignatius endeavored to infuse that 
 spirit into the souls of their fellow-beings, they renewed the 
 tender satisfaction which God himself took in the soul of 
 their blessed founder. 
 
 To these we might add the account of many more ancient 
 predictions referring to the Society. The Abbot Joachim, 
 who lived in the year 1200, makes mention of an Order, 
 founded upon the model of Jesus, which was to arise in the 
 sixteenth century of the Church. " This Order," he says, 
 
SAINT IGNATIUS DE LOYOLA. 327 
 
 *' shall be distingulslied amongst all others, by its conformity 
 to the Spirit of God, and shall be very dear to His heart. 
 The Lord will love it, as Jacob loved his son Benjamin, 
 whom he had begotten in his old age." And again he says : 
 " There shall arise in the Church, doctors and preachers, 
 who shall soften worldly and carnal hearts, and shall reduce 
 to silence haughty teachers, bloated with pride ; this Order 
 shall be devoted to obedience towards the Holy See, &c." 
 Here I pass over several matters, which, having relation to 
 conversions effected, whether in Asia or America, will find 
 their place elsewhere. It will sufiice for the present to quote 
 the words of that apostolic servant of God. St. Vincent Ferrer, 
 which several men of calm and wise judgment have applied 
 to the Society. " Many persons," said Rodriguez (one of 
 the first companions of Ignatius), " asked us if we were those 
 Kelio-ious whom a divine revelation had shown to the blessed 
 Vincent, when he predicted that the time would come when 
 there should be formed a society of evangelic men, remark- 
 able by their zeal for the Faith, and for every species of vir- 
 tue. None of us knew what St. Vincent had written, and to 
 such questions we only replied as to mockeries ; for it ap- 
 peared to us impossible that these wonderful predictions 
 should relate to us, since our Fathers were non alta sajjien- 
 teSj sed humilibus consentientis, &c. Some 3^ears after- 
 wards, being in Portugal, the Bishop of Coimbra gave me 
 the very words of St. Vincent to read, and he held it as 
 certain that the Society was therein described. Would to 
 God that such a prediction could be applied to us ! But the 
 virtues which the holy priest announces- in these apostolic 
 men are such, that religious humility could never permit any 
 one to recognize them either in himself or in his brethren. 
 Those which he principally attributes to them, are poverty 
 of spirit, purity of heart, humility, and mutual charity, all 
 
328 HISTORY OF 
 
 carried to perfection These men are to know nothing but 
 Jesus crucified ; to love but Him, to think only of Him, to 
 speak of Him alone, to have no care either for the world or 
 for themselves ; to desire nothing but happiness and glory in 
 Heaven, and death itself in hopes of attaining it. Who can 
 flatter himself with ever arriving at this perfection ? Truly, 
 the Saint is right to add, when endeavoring to make us com- 
 prehend the blessed condition of these men whom he calls 
 apostolic : Hmc imaginatio ducet te, plus qiiam credi po- 
 test, in quoddam, impatiens desiderium advent us iUorum 
 temporumy 
 
 Yet we may say with truth, that whoever examines the 
 lives of the ten first Fathers, who composed the whole So- 
 ciety at its commencement, will find that the numerous and 
 sublime virtues attributed by the Saint to the future Apos- 
 tles, all shone forth in them. They lived in the most abso- 
 lute poverty, possessing nothing in the world but a cross, and 
 their own existence ; nay, one might say that their very life 
 did not belong to them, so ready were they to renounce it 
 whenever the service of God, the salvation of souls, or obe- 
 dience to the Sovereign PontlflF demanded it ! Hence those 
 long and perilous journeys through Asia, through Africa, 
 and throughout all the kingdoms of Europe ; hence the per- 
 secutions which they underwent, the terrible fatigues which 
 they endured ; hence the voluntary sufi'erlngs which they im- 
 posed upon themselves ; hence also that simplicity so admi- 
 rable, in spite of their learning, that the gentle innocence of 
 their manners had deservedly obtained for some of them tlie 
 surname of angels ; and hence, in short, that humility, so 
 profound, so utterly detached from all that the world con- 
 siders as honorable and distinguished, that Lainez, Le Jay, 
 I3i-ouet, Rodriguez, and Bobadilla, having been called to 
 the dignity of bishops, and even to one yet more elevated, 
 
SAINT IGNATIUS DE LOYOLA. 329 
 
 considered the offer as a persecution, and rejected it with 
 their whole heart. One of these men declared that one 
 thing alone might have induced him to regret that he had 
 joined Ignatius, which would have been the impossibility of 
 escaping from the ecclesiastical dignity destined for him. 
 
 What perfect charity reigned amongst them ! They al- 
 most all belonged to different and even hostile nations ; they 
 had the most opposite characters, and yet they felt the suf- 
 ferings of their companions more painfully than their own. 
 Jesus crucified was the sole object of their love, of their 
 thoughts, of their conversation, and they took His name be- 
 cause they always wore it in their hearts. To please Him, 
 was their only recompense ; to gain hearts to God, the sole 
 object of their ambition. As to measuring their labors by 
 their strength, it would have been counted as puerile, as un- 
 worthy. To make known the Lord Jesus, to find new 
 adorers of His divine name, amidst all the nations of the 
 universe ; that was indeed their hope, their secret, and the 
 sole desire of their hearts ! 
 
 The existence of St. Ignatius, especially during his lat- 
 ter years, was considered by his physicians as miraculous, 
 and they were persuaded that his zeal for the glory of Grod, 
 alone supplied him with that strength which nature could no 
 longer bestow upon him. When St. Francis Xavier died in 
 the middle of his immense labors in the East, he had only 
 begun all that he had projected for the enlightenment of the 
 infidels and the glory of God's holy name. Faber lived so 
 short a time, that his works were but the simple prelude to 
 what he intended doing, and yet his labors had already sur- 
 passed those of the most zealous and aged men. We may 
 with truth say tha same of all the others. When we reflect 
 that I am now making only a rapid sketch of the works of 
 our first models, how much more forcible will it be when I 
 
330 HISTORY OF 
 
 ghall enter into a detailed account of all their labors ! Shall 
 I then be accused of exaggeration ? or shall I not rather in- 
 cur the reproach of having fallen very short of my subject ? 
 
 This brings us back to the events which followed the 
 establishment of the Society as a R-eligious Order. Ignatius 
 immediately gave notice of it to his companions ; and as it 
 was necessary to decide upon fixed rules and constitutions, 
 and to choose a General from amongst them, and since that 
 could not be done without the decision of the majority, he 
 summoned them all to Rome, where they arrived at the 
 beginning of Lent, in 1541. But of ten, four were wanting, 
 because Xavier and Rodriguez were already in Portugal, 
 from whence they were to go to the Indies ; Faber at the 
 Diet of Worms, and Bobadilla so useful in the kingdom of 
 Naples, that he was detained there by orders of the Pope • 
 and in fact also by his feeble health. As for the general 
 approbation required for the rules which were to be estab- 
 lished, those who were absent relied upon the judgment of 
 those who were in Rome, and they upon that of Ignatius. 
 However, he never decided upon any resolution, without 
 having taken the advice and received the approbation of all. 
 It was now that he begun to form the external structure and 
 principal parts of those constitutions, to which he continually 
 added, until they had acquired their present form. 
 
 As for the election of a General, no vote was wanting 
 but that of Bobadilla, who, in setting out for Naples, had 
 not left it in writing, foreseeing no hindrance to his return ; 
 and having afterwards neglected to send it. Ignatius re- 
 quired of his children, now collected together in Rome, that 
 they should take three days to meditate in the presence of 
 God, upon their future choice ; that afterwards they should 
 write the name upon a ticket which they were to seal up, and 
 then to devote three other days to prayer, that Heaven would 
 
SAINT IGNATIUS DE LOT OLA. . 331 
 
 bless the election which had been made. At the end of that 
 time, the different votes were examined. Absent and pres- 
 ent, all had unanimously chosen Ignatius as General of the 
 Company. Some of these written votes have appeared to me 
 worthy of being recorded. I transcribe them from the 
 originals. " I, Francis (surnamed Xavier) do hereby affirm, 
 that apart from all human consideration, and acting by the 
 dictates of my conscience, I am of opinion that we should 
 elect as head of our Society, to whom we ought all to submit, 
 our old and true Father Ignatius, who, having collected us 
 together, not without great difficulties and much labor, will 
 also know how to govern us, and to change well to better, 
 through his intimate knowledge of us all. And after his 
 death, (I speak from my soul and conscience, and as if I 
 were about to die immediately,) I am also of opinion that 
 Father Peter Faber ought to be his successor. God is my 
 witness that I speak only according to my thoughts ; in testi- 
 mony whereof I have signed with my own hand. Given in 
 Rome, the 15th of March, 1540. Francis." 
 
 John Codure also gives his vote to Father Faber after 
 Ignatius ; and the reason which he assigned for doing so, is 
 even more honorable than the choice itself, " Ignatius," says 
 he, " has always appeared to me the most fervently zealous 
 for the honor of God and the salvation of men ; and for this 
 reason, I would wish to see at our head our venerable Father ; 
 he who has always made himself the least amongst us all, 
 the servant of all. After him I would choose Father Peter 
 Faber, whose virtue is not less elevated. This is what a 
 union with God the Father and Our Lord Jesus Christ has 
 inspired me with : nor could I testify otherwise, were I at 
 my last hour. The 5th of May, 1540. John Codiurus."* 
 
 * /« est (he says amongst other things in speaking of Ignatius;, 
 ui testimonium reddo, quern etiam Dei honoris zelatorem, ac salutu 
 
332 HISTORY OF 
 
 He had given his vote long beforehand, on account of hia 
 intended voyage to Ireland, of which I have already spoken, 
 but which did not take place. 
 
 Here is next the vote of Salmeron, equally worthy of 
 him and of Ignatius to whom he gave it. " In the name of 
 Jesus Christ, Amen : I, Alphonsus Salmeron, the most un- 
 worthy member of this Society, after having offered up my 
 prayers to God, and meditated upon the affair to the best of 
 my power, do hereby choose and acknowledge as chief , and 
 Superior of myself and of all this congregation, Sea'or Ig- 
 natius of Loyola, who, inspired by divine wisdom, after hav- 
 ing begotten us in Christ, and fed us with the milk of 
 children, now that we have grown up in the Lord, will lead 
 us forward with the substantial food of obedience, and will 
 guide us towards the rich and fertile pastures of Paradise, 
 as well as towards the fountains of life. So that when 
 he shall give back this little flock to Jesus Christ the 
 great shepherd, we may be truly called the people of his 
 pasture and the sheep of his hands ; whilst he himself 
 may on his side repeat with joy ; Lord, of all those whom 
 thou hast given me I have not lost one. May the good 
 shepherd Jesus, grant us this supreme blessing ! Amen, 
 Such is our opinion. Written in Rome, the 4th of April, 
 1541."* 
 
 animarum ardentissimum, semper cognovi; ac ideo etiam aliis dehere 
 prcefici, quia omnium semper se fecit minimum, ac omnibus ministravit, 
 honorandus pater D. Ignatius de Loyola. Post quem, non minori virtute 
 ■ proiditwin censeo prceferendum, honor andum patrem, D. Petrum Fahrum. 
 Mcec est caritas coram Deo Patre, ac D. N. Jesu Christo ; nee aliud pu- 
 tarem dicendum, si hanc horam ultimam esse mece vitce certo scirem, etc., 
 5 Mai, 1540. Joannes Codurio. 
 
 * In nomine Jesu Christi, Amen. Ego Alphonsus Salmeron, hujiis 
 societatis indignissimus, proemissa ad Deum orations, et re, pro quali- 
 cumque mco judicio, mature pensata, eligo, et pronuncio pro meo, et toti- 
 
SAINT IGNATIUS DE LOYOLA. 333 
 
 But of these different votes, the most admirable from its 
 wisdom was that of St. Ignatius himself, who, feeling hov/ 
 important it was for a father in a circumstance of such deep 
 interest, to testify no preference amongst his children, who 
 were all equally entitled to his love and esteem, enveloped in 
 an act of deep humility, one of equally deep prudence ; and 
 found means to give his vote, as it was incumbent upon him 
 to do, without naming any one in particular. " In the 
 presence of God," he says, " and myself excepted, I give it 
 as my opinion that he who shall have reunited the greatest 
 number of votes, shall be our Superior." 
 
 His election produced very different effects on his own 
 mind, and those of his companions. In the midst of the 
 common joy, he alone was overwhelmed with sadness, on 
 seeing himself, contrary to all his wishes, raised above his 
 brethren; he who would willingly be the very lowest amongst 
 them. He could not make up his mind to accede to their 
 desire, and considered it as an error of judgment which had 
 led them to believe him worthy of being placed at their head. 
 He represented to them his incapacity in the strongest terms, 
 reminded them of the worldly life which he had led. for thirty 
 years, of all his sins and miseries ; and finally, of the weak- 
 ness of his health, which made it impossible for him to bear 
 so heavy a burden. The more his companions appeared to 
 
 us congregationis prcelato et supcriore, dominum Ignatium de Loyola, 
 qui juxta sibi datum a Deo sapientiam, sicut nos omnes in Christo 
 genuit, lacteque pavit parvulos, ita nunc, in Christo grandiorcs, solido 
 obedientice cibo deducet, acdiriget in pascua pinguia et uberrima Par adisi 
 et ad fontem vitce : ut cum gregejn hunc pusillum Jcsu Christo pastori 
 magno reddiderit, verraciter nos dicamus et nos: populus pascuce ejus 
 et, oves manus ejus : ipse vero gaudenter dicat : Domine ex his quos 
 dedisti mihi non perdidi ex eis quemquam — quod ipse Jesus pastor bonus, 
 nobis dignetur concedere, Amen. Hcec sententia nostra. Scriptum RomWt 
 4 Die Aprilis, 1541. 
 
334 HISTORY OP 
 
 be grieved by his refusal, the more strenuously he urged 
 them to accede to it. He finished by assuring them that he 
 could not accept of such an office, unless he were to receive 
 fresh knowledge from on high. But he did not perceive, this 
 man so simple in his humility, that the more he considered 
 himself unworthy of the office, the more he confirmed his 
 companions in their first opinion ; for the only thing that 
 could have been wanting to a merit so universally acknow- 
 ledged, was, that whilst all agreed in designating him as their 
 Superior, he alone, through a sentiment of humility, should 
 be of a contrary opinion. 
 
 All that Ignatius could obtain was, that his brothers 
 should consent to submit his election to a new trial. They 
 did so, and their opinions remained unchanged. After having 
 passed four days more in prayer and penitential exercises, out 
 of compassion for his sincere grief, and to give it time to 
 grow calm, they returned with votes absolutely similar to 
 the first. Ignatius, who had conceived some hopes from this 
 delay, again testified his disinclination to agree to their de- 
 cision, and would have brought forward new arguments ; but 
 James Lainez rose, and addressing the meeting with modest 
 freedom, declared that if Ignatius thought himself at liberty 
 to refuse to fulfil the will of God so clearly manifested, he 
 also would consider himself at liberty to leave a Societ}'", 
 which by this refusal would be deprived of the head desig- 
 nated for it by God himself. All, following the example of 
 Lainez, made the same protestation, and declared that not 
 one amongst them would accept the government of the Com- 
 pany, or would confer it upon another. 
 
 Then Ignatius, without giving positive consent, ceased 
 to refuse, but continued to believe that his companions held 
 him in this high estimation, from not knowing him thor- 
 ouo-hly. He therefore placed their decision and his own opin- 
 
SAINT IGXATIUS DE LOYOLA. 335 
 
 ion in the hands of one who, having a thorough knowledge 
 of his life, could perfectly understand both what he had been 
 and what he was likely to become. He whom he selected as 
 umpire, was his own confessor, named Theodosius, a man of 
 great holiness, and at that time a religious of St. Peter Mon- 
 torio's. During the three last days of the Holy Week, which 
 Ignatius passed without leaving his monastery, and without 
 seeing his companions, he gave Theodosius a detailed account 
 of his whole life, of which he made him a general confession, 
 He then informed him of the double election of which he 
 had been the object, of his refusal, and of the insistence of 
 his brethren ; and added, that he had come to place himself 
 in the hands of his director, in order that through the inti- 
 mate knowledge which he had of his soul, he might decide 
 before Grod upon the resolution which his penitent ought to 
 take. But the holy monk required little time for reflection. 
 He at once enjoined Ignatius no longer to oppose what he 
 considered as the manifest will of the Holy Spirit. 
 
 Ignatius entreated him to put his decision in writing, 
 and in sending it to his companions, to speak of him 
 with the utmost freedom, still retaining a hope that by this 
 means they might be induced to exclude him from the gen- 
 eralship. The Father agreed to do so ; and at length, satis- 
 fied with this promise, Ignatius on Easter-day went to rejoin 
 his companions. 
 
 Three days after, his confessor himself brought the letter 
 which he had promised to write ; and after having assembled 
 the Fathers, read it aloud in their presence. It enjoined 
 Ignatius no longer to refuse his consent to the will of his 
 companions. Upon hearing this he submitted, and entered 
 upon the office of General, on the 13th of April, 1541. But 
 before this occurred, and whilst they were yet waiting for 
 the answer of Father Theodosius, it appeared as if God him- 
 
336 HISTORY OF 
 
 self "wislied to encourage Ignatius, by showing him that he 
 had been endowed with supernatural gifts. 
 
 A young man named Matthew, a native of Biscay, served 
 in the house of the Fathers ; and w^iile Ignatius was in the 
 monastery of Father Theodosius, suddenly fell into the power 
 of the demon, who tormented him cruelly. He caused his 
 victim to utter the most horrible cries, foaming at the mouth ; 
 he cast him on the ground, and held him there with such 
 strength, that ten men could hardly raise him. His neck 
 and face were horribly swollen. At the sign of the cross, 
 which a priest, made over him, this swelling would disappear, 
 and show itself in other parts of his body. One day some 
 persons who were present at this scene threatened the evil 
 spirit, and warned him that Ignatius would soon return, and 
 would expel him from the body of that man, and from the 
 house. Then he cried out in convulsions of rage, that the 
 name of Ignatius should not be pronounced before him, and 
 that he was the greatest enemy whom he had upon earth. 
 When Ignatius came back, and was informed of the misfor- 
 tune that had happened to the young man, he led him into 
 his chamber, said a short prayer over him, and brought him 
 back, delivered for ever from the power of Satan. 
 
 After the election of their General, the Fathers fixed 
 upon Friday of that same week, as the day for pronouncing 
 the solemn vows of their profession. They first made their 
 stations in seven difierent churches, and arrived at that of 
 St. Paul, outside the walls. There Ignatius said Mass at an 
 altar of the Holy Virgin, which was then on the left of-the 
 high altar, near the miraculous crucifix which spoke to St. 
 Bridgit, Before taking the communion, he turned towards 
 the assistants, and holding in one hand the body of the Lord, 
 and in the other the written formula of his vows, read it 
 aloud, and then received the sacred Host. He afterwards 
 
SAINT IGNATIUS BE LOYOLA. 337 
 
 placed upon tlie paten five other consecrated Hosts, returned 
 to his companions, who on their knees surrounded the altar, 
 and received their vows, which they all made according to 
 the same formula, except that the promises of Ignatius were 
 made to the Sovereie;n Pontiff, and those of the other Fathers 
 to Ignatius as their head. After the communion and fer- 
 vent acts of thanksgiving, they visited all the privileged 
 altars of that church ; then returning to the foot of the high 
 altar they all embraced Ignatius, after having kissed his 
 hand with great humility and tears of emotion, in which 
 all who were present joined. 
 
 We may judge of the abundance of spiritual consolation 
 which on that day inundated the hearts of these holy Reli- 
 gious, by that which was granted to one of their members. 
 Father Codure. Whilst returning to Rome from the Church 
 of St. Paul, he walked on before his companions, and ap- 
 peared as if truly carried forward by the Holy Spirit. He 
 heaved such ardent sighs, and shed so many tears, accom- 
 panied by half broken words, that he seemed as one absolutely 
 beside himself ; and as if the fire which devoured his heart 
 required an outlet, that it might not consume him. 
 
 He was the first after Ignatius who pronounced the vows 
 of his profession, and he was also the first who ascended to 
 Heaven after the foundation of the new religious Order. Six 
 months had hardly passed, before God, by taking him to 
 Himself, granted his fervent desire. Ignatius was on his 
 way to offer up the Holy Sacrifice for Codure, at St. Peter 
 Montorio's, when suddenly in the middle of the Ponte Sisto, 
 he stopped short in an attitude of surprise; then calmly 
 raising his eyes to Heaven, said to John Baptist Viola, who 
 accompanied him, " Let us return to Rome, Codure is dead." 
 In fact he had just expired. Ignatius never revealed what 
 he had then seen ; but it has always been believed thai he 
 
 VOL. I. 15 
 
338 HISTORY OF 
 
 bebeld the same vision as that seen by a pious man, who 
 wi-ote some time after to Faber, declaring that he had beheld 
 Oodure environed by rays of light, and ascending to Heaven 
 surrounded by angels. Codure was truly a perfect man, and 
 filled with the Spirit of Grod. Born in Provence, on the day 
 of St. John the Baptist, he had received his name ; had 
 been ordained to the priesthood on the same day, and died 
 on the same day as the illustrious precursor of our Lord, and 
 precisely at the same age. 
 
 The desire of St. Ignatius was then at length accom- 
 plished ; and his labors, which might be divided into several 
 classes, had at length received their reward. The object of 
 his first efforts had been to conquer himself, and to arrive at 
 a total detachment from the world, and at a perfect union 
 with God; of the second, to collect companions and to form 
 them to the apostolic spirit, so that they might become, as it 
 were, the foundation-stones of the edifice which he wished to 
 erect. There remained for him in the third place, to give to 
 his Order, now established, an Institute and a form of gov- 
 ernment. Before speaking more at length upon this subject, 
 I must here make mention of the name adopted by the 
 Society, and of the reasons to which it owes the choice of 
 this name. 
 
 Ignatius gave to his newly-founded Order the name of 
 Company of Jesus. The ears of the declared enemies of the 
 Church were strangely wounded by this. At first it pro- 
 duced the most extraordinary exasperation ; nothing was 
 heard but mockery, blasphemies and insults. It was a name 
 which could not be tolerated ; it was full of pride and in- 
 justice ; it deprived the generality of the faithful of their 
 precious privilege of being the true Company of Jesus, to 
 bestow it upon us alone, without regard to the merits of 
 
SAINT IGNATIUS DE LOYOLA. 339 
 
 others, and without any right on our part to such appro- 
 priation. 
 
 Thus, the title of Friars Preachers, which was given to 
 the Order of St. Dominick, as a tokoen of their destination, 
 and as a reward for their labors, had also excited much mur- 
 muring and reproach. It was asked, whether the whole 
 Church had become mute, that these men alone should bo 
 designated as Preachers. But the authority of Innocent III., 
 Honorius III., Gregory IX., and other Sovereign Pontiffs 
 silenced envy, and maintained for that Order a title which 
 it so well merited by its zeal and learning. In the same 
 way, the holy Council of Trent, together with many Pontiffs, 
 approved of the name which we had borne from our origin ; 
 while Gregory XI Y. in his bull, Ecclesice Catholicce, solemnly 
 confirmed it.* 
 
 Besides, notwithstanding all these reproaches, Ignatius 
 felt assured that the Society would never be deprived of this 
 august name. He was heard to say, that should the discus- 
 sion of this question ever be renewed (which in fact oc- 
 curred), it would be determined by the authority of the 
 Church ; because it was the express will of God that the 
 Order should bear this name, and no other ; nor can we 
 doubt that his conviction on this point proceeded from a 
 higher source than his own thoughts. 
 
 " It is manifest to us," wrote his secretary (John Po- 
 lancus), " that Ignatius had been informed, by revelations 
 from Jesus Christ himself, of the name which his Order was 
 to bear. For whatever warnings or reproaches he received 
 in consequence of our pretended usurpation of this holy name, 
 
 * Quae vero, ad reliqua, quae ia controversia vocata erant, sic sta- 
 tuimus — Nomen Soeietas Jesu, quo laudabilis hie Ordo nasceiis, a 
 Sede ApostoHca noiniiiatus est, et hacteims iusignitus, perj^etuis futu- 
 lis temporibus retinendum esse. 
 
340 HISTORY OF 
 
 he always remained firm in his resolution to preserve it, 
 unmoved by any human opinion ; excepting from this hypo- 
 thesis those persons only to whom he owed obedience under 
 penalty of sin. Now, to all who knew the humility of Igna- 
 tius, and his readiness to renounce his own opinion, and to 
 rely upon the judgment of others ; this decided resolution, 
 and the calm refusal with which he met all the advice given 
 him upon this subject, were sufficient to impress them with 
 the conviction that he did not consider this as a mere human 
 affair He never acted in this manner unless his resolution 
 had been decided by heavenly inspiration. It is, besides, 
 probable that the first Fathers consulted with each other 
 and reflected upon this name, as upon many other matters 
 connected with the Societj ; and, conserjuently, every thing 
 leads us to believe that the Lord himself had revealed or 
 confirmed it to Ignatius. 
 
 " It must also be observed, that we do not entitle our- 
 selves, Company of Jesus, as having the presumption to 
 think ourselves worthy of being truly His companions. We 
 do so only in the military sense, in which a company takes 
 the name of its commander." Thus speaks the Secretary 
 of Ignatius, and his explanation is correct. The name of 
 our Society is in truth nothing but a military title ; it dates 
 back to the origin of the Society, when at Manresa, God 
 himself revealed the first sketch of the Order to Ignatius, in 
 the Meditation of the Two Standards, which represents the 
 enlisting of a company of warriors under the banner of which 
 our Lord Jesus is the chief. In fact, this title denotes the 
 object to which the Sovereign Pontiffs as well as Ignatius 
 attribute it. By an admirable conformity of sentiment, they 
 call it the Militia of Christ, and declare that we ought to 
 live in its bosom, solely in order to fight under the banner 
 of the Cross ; sub crucis vexillo Deo militare. The whole 
 
SAINT IGNATIUS DE LOYOLA. . 341 
 
 existence of the Company, its whole force, its whole learning 
 are to be consecrated to the greater glory of God, which it 
 keeps much more in view than is done by the generality of 
 the faithful. To combat with Him, to die fighting in His 
 service, to aspire to nothing but to imitate Jesus in His 
 work, by leading a life of perfection, and by laboring for the 
 salvation of souls ; and always, and only for the greater 
 glory of God ; that is their life, that is their only object. 
 Do not all these reasons give it some title to call itself The 
 Company of Jesus ? And hence it is manifest how ill- 
 advised was that celebrated theologian, adverse to the Society, 
 who took occasion to remark upon these words of St. Paul ; 
 " God is faithful ; by whom you are called unto the Society of 
 his Son Jesus Christ." " How could this Society, which is 
 truly the Church of Christ, have been limited by Ignatius to 
 his own ? ' As this Society is undoubtedly the Church of 
 Christ, let those who arrogate the title to themselves, see 
 whether like hereti.cs they do not falsely say that the Church 
 exists only in them.' " 
 
 But in the first place, we do not arrogate to ourselves, 
 a name conceded to us by the Apostolic authority of the 
 Sovereign Pontiffs. Then, thanks be to God ! the Society 
 is so far from thinking of confining the whole Church within 
 itself, that its only object, thoroughly proved by facts, is to 
 extend the Church, and to spread her dominion over the 
 whole universe, at the price of the sweat and blood of so 
 many of her children, and in furtherance of this great object 
 alone. Moreover, this name is not in our eyes a vain title, 
 or one devoid of meaning ; but a constant and tacit exhorta- 
 tion to practise those Virtues, without which we cannot hope 
 
 * Quce sine dubio societas, cum Christi Ecclesia sit, qui titulum il- 
 ium sibi arrogant, it videant, an hereticorum more, penes se Eccle^am 
 existere mentantur. 
 
342 HISTORY OF 
 
 to bear it worthily ; it reminds us unceasingly, that we musi 
 never abandon our standard, nor the examples which Jesus 
 has given us ; that we must live to labor for our own sancti- 
 fication, and for that of our brethren ; that we must ever 
 preserve that mutual union which gives unconquerable 
 strength ; it reminds us also of that obedience to the orders 
 of our chiefs, which is the soul whether of military or reli- 
 gious discipline ; it teaches us to dread neither the number 
 of our enemies, nor the persecutions which may assail us ; 
 for if no power can overcome Him, whose we are, and for 
 whom we combat, it suffices for our defence, that we belong 
 to Him 5 for we are not the Company of Ignatius^ and when 
 he died, we did not lose our true head. 
 
 Father Peter Ribadeneira wrote from Ghent to one of his 
 friends, upon learning the death of Ignatius, as sad for us, 
 as it was glorious for himself. " I should have felt my 
 heart break, if in raising my eyes towards the Father whom 
 I regretted, and towards that Divine Providence, in which 
 he always trusted, I had not felt myself wonderfully consoled 
 by the recollection that the Comjpany of Jesus did not rest 
 upon Ignatius, but upon Jesus himself. Yes, Jesus has 
 established it by the hands of His servant, and He is able 
 to give us other chiefs, who, without being such as Ignatius, 
 will nevertheless be all that is necessary for us ; and I repose 
 upon these words, uttered by Father John Hurtado at the 
 moment of his death : Our Lord formerly deprived his 
 rising Churchy in one day, of the two pillars upon which 
 it seemed to lean^ St. Peter and St. Paul ; in order that 
 ive might understand, that it is He and He alone whc 
 supports it.^^ 
 
 END OF VOL. I, 
 
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