Cornell University Library Cornell University Library The original of tiiis bool< is in tine Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924031304482 ST. IGNATIUS HIS FIRST COMPANIONS THE FOUNDEES OF THE JESUITS. SAINT IGNATIUS FIRST COMPANIONS. BY TEE REV. CHAS. CONSTANTINE PISE, D.D., AUXnOB OF "hISTOBT of the CHnKOH," "fatheb eowlahb," "AlBTHBIA," ETC. A NEW EDITION. NEW YORK: THOMAS McCURTAIN", 80 Centke Street. 186 8. Entered according to net of Congress, In the year 1844, By EDWAED DUNIGAN, lu the Clerk's Office of tho District Court of tlie United States for tbs Soatbern Diotrict of New York. A. M. D. G. TO , THE COLLEGE OP GEORGETOWN, D.C., MY VENEKAELB ALMA MATEB, THE NTHSE OF LETTEK8, SCIENCE, AND VIETCE, EYEB ANIMATED BY THE SPIEIT OE LOYOLA, AND THE FIEST NINE, fljis Walnmt, A TEIFLINa, BUT VEBY BINCEEE, TOKEN OE OEATITDDE, IS MOST BESPEOTFULLY AND AFFECTIONATELY INSCBIBED. PREFACE. Among the nine first companions of St. Igna- tius, four preceded him to the tomb : namely, Peter Faher, St. Francis Xavier, Claudius Jaius, and John Oordurius. Of course, in the following pages, their lives are given to their conclusion. Of the others, my purpose was to treat only down to the period when their holy Founder was taken from them. In which space, however, all the important actions of the early Society are comprised. The principal object I had in view, in not carrying out their history after the death of St. Ignatius, was, to exhibit the spirit which he, in person, diffused throughout the body, and thereby confute, by evidence, the vain calumny that he was a fanatic, and his first disciples were intriguers and impostors, 8 ~ PBKFACE. In the performance of my task, Oelandinus, the author of a lengthy and elegant History oJ the Society down to the demise of St. Ignatius, has been my constant and faithful guide. To his great work, references will be found scat- tered in the notes on almost every page of this volume. The edition in my hands is that of ColonicB Agrippinos, sumptibus Antonii Hierai ; anno Domini MDOXV. : approved by Claudius Aquaviva, General of the Society, in the preced- ing year (1614). If my present work be worthy the acceptance of the Jesuits in these United States, to them I offer it, as an humble but grate- ful remuneration for the cares and favors which they bestowed upon my boyhood, while under their sEtlutary find paternal tuition. CONTENTS. CHAPTEE I. loNATius. — The proud knight converted to a great saint. Feriod of his birth. His family, character, sanctity. Book of Exercises. Pilgrimage to Jerasalera. His " Company.^^ Its appellation. Its object. Its polity. He sues the approbation of Paul III. It is approved by Julius III. The General of the order : its various grades. Ecclesi^tical honors repudia- ted. Why. No particular dress. Attack of the Sorbonne. Defence of Father Olauius. It Is persecuted. Its efforts for the cause of education. Schools. Colleges. Ignatius^ illness and death. His reputation for sano- tity. Boronlus proys at bis tomb 2S CHAPTER II. Fbtek Fabbr.— How gained over by Ignatius. Performs the Exercises. Is ordained Priest. Teaches in the University of Eome. Is sent to Parma ; and to Germany. His mission at Bajiisbonne. Goes to Spain. Beturns to Germany. His labors at Spires; and at Mentz; at Augs- burg, and Cologne. Is called to Portugal. Thence to Liege. Eeturns to Cologne. Defends the Catholic Faith. His manner of treating with heretics, la sent back to Portugal. Goes to Castile. Distinguishes himself at Salamanca. Goes to Yalladolid. His influence at tiie Court of Philip. Traverses Madrid and Toledo. Is deputed to the Council of Trent Sickens at Barcelona, and dies at Bome. 78 10 CONTENTS. CHAPTER III. Fb&hois Xatiieb, — Converted by Ignatius. Kejeots a canonioate. Is sent to the Indies, as Apostolic Legate. His labors at Mozambiqun, Melinda, and Socotra; on tlie Fishery-coast; at Goa; tit Cape Oomorin-; ' at Travancor; in the Island of Manaria; in Ceylon. Visits the tomb of St Thomas at Meliappr. Goes to Malacca ; Amboina; Maluco ; to the Isle of More ; meditates a mission to Japan. Betarns to India ; to Goa. Departs for Japan. Arrives at Gangoiima. Traverses Japan. First Japanese Christians. Goes to Firando, and to Meaco, and Amangonchi. Disputes with the Bonzees. Conference with the King of Bnngo. Ee- turns to the Indies. Departs for China. Arrives at the Island of San- chin. Dies in the midst of his glory 103 CHAPTER IV. Jaues Xatmez.— Unites himself to Ignatius. Enters Bonie barefoot Teaches in the Homan Academy. Is sent to Parma. His' labors at Tenice;^as well as among the nobility — he wrought a general and manifest change of morals. From that city, at the solicitation of the Eepublic itself, he was again sent to Venice by the express com- mand of the Pope.f His exertions in that great capital did not prevent him from extending his in- fluence and zeal to other places. Under his au- spices the College of Padua was founded, to obviate * Id. n. 14. AH tlie otlier Fathers were distributed througli- out different places by Ignatius, with the same understand- ing. See tbeir destinations in Orlandinus, iM supr. Their dispersion among the cities resembles that of the apostles througli the whole world. f Lib. iii. n. 55. JAMBS LAYNEZ. 161 the errors which had begun to be spread through* out that city by the industry of depraved men. The evil was the more formidable, as the fautors and leaders of it were " wolves in sheep's cloth- ing."* To check the growing calamity, Laynez incessantly vindicated in his public discourses and harangues, the cause of religion, to which an im- mense concourse of citizens were attracted by his eloquence and erudition. His explanation of the Gospel of St. John, which formed a series of con- ferences, he delivered in the church of the " Holy Saviour;" and it is not easy to imagine the infi- nite good they effected in suppressing error and confirming truth. So universally were they ad- mired, that he was requested, by the most illus- trious and learned citizens, to continue them thrice d, week. He consented : and such was the per- suasive and convincing character of his oratory, that he rescued many from the fatal errors with which they began to be imbued, and induced others to abandon their evil ways and devote themselves to the practice of virtue and acts of charity. By his means, the hospitals, which had been left ne- glected and badly supported, were sustained and endowed anew by the ample contributions of the * Id. Ibid. 162 JAMES LAYNEZ. faithful ; and, in a word, awakened by the zeal of the spiritual exercises, piety, which had long lan- guished and decayed, again began to revive and flourish amidst the gratulations of all orders of the republic* Encouraged by the fruits of his labors at Pa- dua and Venice, Laynez next betook himself to Brescia. Here, although he devoted his attention to the hospitals and monasteries, as also to the instructing of children and the ignorant in the cate- chism — an exercise far more useful than ostenta- tious — nevertheless he commenced on Quinquages- ima Sunday, in the cathedral, a course of sermons, which he continued, always attended by a numerous audience, every day during the season of Lent : be- sides which, he preached thrice a week in the other churches, and heard innumerable confessions. Nor did his efforts cease with the Lent. Urged by the bishop, he consented to explain the sacred Scrip- tures on three days in the week, and likewise to preach to the nuns in three monasteries. The char- acter of this city was soon changed for the better : certain heterodoxical opinions, which for some pre- * Idem, n. 56. Qua in re adeo eloquens Lainii pietas fuit, nt miUe amplius ipsis ex auditoribns affirmarent paiatos se pro veiitate Catliolica jugulum ac cervices ofierre. JAMES LATNEZ. 163 ceding years had glided into the minds of thou- sands, were, entirely eradicated : and so deeply did the eloquence of Laynez impress the doctrines of truth in their stead, that numbers were heard to declare that, should it be necessary, they would not hesitate to lay down their lives for the faith* Challenged to a public disputation by a nobleman who denied the existence of purgatory, he argued with such power upon that article of the ancient faith, that the individual who had the temerity to enter the lists with him, was not only silenced, but acknowledged his defeat. This triumph induced several others who were tainted with the Lutheran heresies, to abjure them and adhere most firmly to the doctrines of their forefathers. The majesty of divine worship was renewed, piety resumed its an- cient sway over the public morals, and the practices of religion reflourished.f So great and unusual was the change effected, that in a few months Brescia could hardly recognize herself. Nor was he less successful at Bassano, a city which, from its contiguity with Germany, was fear- fully exposed to the contagion of the errors that had spread over that fated country. By his assiduous exhortations, and solid discussions, he so strength- * Lib. iv. n. 79. t W. n. 79. 164: JAMES LAYKEZ, ened the minds of the citizens against them, that they persevered, after his absence, in maintaining the Catholic faith. He divided his labors with his companions in such a manner, that every morning and afternoon a discourse v?as delivered in the church of St. Lawrence in JDamaso, to a noble and approving audience. His reputation for learning and sanctity daily and justly increased: and so enthusiastic was the public admiration in his regard, that wreaths and flowers were often scattered on his person while he announced and defended the word of God.* The dignity of bishop was offered him ; but he rejected it, in conformity with the spirit of his order, and still more from a spirit of personal humility. Meanwhile the dispute between the King of France and the Emperor of Germany having been adjusted, the Sovereign Pontiff turned his attention to the General Council of Trent, which had been interrupted during the space of tfiree years. As his legates, he deputed the Cardinals, John Maria de Monte, Marcellus Ceruinus, and Eeginald Pole.f These were followed by a hundred and * Lib. v. n. 16. f One of the most classic and finest histories in the En- glish language, is the life of Cardinal Pole, by Canon Phil- JAMES LATNEZ. 165 more Bishops from Italy, and a large aumber from Spain, Portugal, and Prance ; besides representa- tives of all Catholic princes', and the most learned theologians, secular and religious. To the apos- tolic legates were added two divimes, selected from a society devoted to the service of the Holy See, and the defence of the Catholic Church against the assaults of heresy. These were Laynez and Salmeron, men of profound erudition and well tried virtue. The former was in his thirty-fourth. ips. In point of style, felicitous and beautiful narrative, accuracy, and eloquence — all combined, or each in particu- lar — it will dispute the palm with Eoscoe's Leo X. Why does not some enterprising Catholic publisher give us an American edition 1 The account which the author presents of the Council of Trent, is by far the best and most detailed in our language. "He was," writes Dr. Lingard, "the son of Richard Pole, a Welsh knight, and of Margaret, Countess of Salis- bury ; and a kinsman of Henry VIII., who had taken on himself the charge of his education." He could not assent to the divorce of the king : Lord Montague waited on Henry to deplore the infatuation of his relative. " I love him in spite of his obstinacy," was Henry's reply : " and were he but of my opinion, I would love him better than any man in the kingdom." Such was the Pope's legate to the Council of Trent, and with whom Laynez was so intimately asso- ciated. Mst. of Migland, vol. vi. chap. iv. p. 333. PhUad, 166 JAMES LAYNEZ. and the latter in his thirty-first yfear. Ignatius, in consideration of the jealousy which this extraordina- ry honor might excite" against his infant Institute, and, likewise, of the youth of the individuals select- ed for the high 'station, used every effort to free them from it. But, finding it in vain to contend against the fixed determination of the Pontiff, he drew up for their direction certain admonitions, which I cannot refrain from abridging for the edi- fication of the Eeader.* " In discharging the duties alloted to your care, there are things which I desire you particularly to observe. First, in the Council, seek only for the greater glory of G-od, and the common good of the Church. Secondly, when not engaged in' the Council, continue your customary functions among the people. Finally, at home do not neglect your private duties and devotions ; but, by your diligent and assiduous practices of piety, take care Ao ren- der yourselves better fitted for the arduous task that is devolved upon you. " In the business of the Council, it will become you to be slow in speaking, and very considerate and benevolent in giving your opinions. In listen- ing, be attentive and sedate, and see dearly the « Lib. V. 34, 35, 36. JAMES LAYNEZ. 167 mind and drift of those wlio are speaking ; in order the more easily to reply directly, if needs be, or silently to assent. In the disputations that oc- cur, wait for the arguments to be adduced on each side before you form a judgment of your own, always studying to be impartial and just in your decisions. If it be necessary for you to express your opinions, you will do it modestly and calmly, never omitting the clause : to the best of my judg- ment* " Out of the Council, let no opportunity pass of doing good to your neighbors ; by hearing con- fessions, preaching to the people, exciting them • to fervor and prayer, instructing children, and visiting hospitals. In your sermons, never touch on any point controverted between Catholics and Protestants : but, labor to reform the public morals, and enforce obedience to the Church. In explaining the catechism to children, accommo- date your style to their comprehension and under- standing ; and conclude with a brief prayer for the prosperity and happy termination of the synod. "As regards your own conduct, you will set aside an hour at night for the purpose of examin- Ibid. 168 JAMES LATNEZ. ing your actions of the day, and conferring on the affairs which will occupy your attention on the next : this you will do by private deliberations. And the more firmly to bind yourselves together, by humility and mutual charity, you will advise, freely reprehend, and, if necessary, even correct, one another."* Guided by the wisdom that breathed through this masterly admonition, Laynez proceeded to the Coun- cil, where he was affectionately received, with Sal- meron, by the Cardinal legates, who offered them a princely hospitality. But, acting in conformity with the proper spirit of their Institute, they preferred an humble residence which had been prepared for them near the church of St. Elizabeth.^ The fifth session had been convoked for the seventh of June, 1546.| Before taking his seat, Laynez devoted his * Id. n. 36. t Lib. vi. n. 21. J The Council opened the year previous, convoked by the authority of Pope Paul III. ; and mth some interruptions, continued until 1563, when it was brought to a happy ter- mination under Pius IV. It consequently occupied the long space of eighteen years. Twenty-five sessions were held, at which the Pope's legates duly presided ; a hundred and twenty-seven canons were issued. Of this famous Council, a false and ridiculous history was composed by Fra Paolo Sarpi, which is solidly and learnedly JAMES LAYNEZ. 169 time to the duties of the hospital, teaching the Christian doctrine, and other works of charity, by which he, at once, gained the affection, and confi- dence, and veneration of all. In the august assemblage of dignitaries and le- gates, he made his appearance clad in an humble and worn-out habit, in such a manner, that he was regarded, at first, as an object of contempt, and of especial disgust to the Spanish prelates. But it was not long ere the fact was made evident, that the most splendid talents, profound erudition, and admirable eloquence, were hidden under the garb of poverty.* Unbounded confidence was placed in his opinions, which he sustained with such a depth of learning, and accuracy and perspi- cuity of language, that in all disputed points his sentiments were the first to be heard by the Fathers, before entering promiscuously upon the debate.f The most weighty responsibilities were laid on him ; as was evinced by the circumstance of the confuted in an authentic one, compiled by Cardinal Palavi- dni, formerly a Jesuit, from the original acts, preserved in the Vatican. * Id. n. 33. " Turn demum intellectum est sapientiam interdum sordido latere sub pallio." t Id. n. 35. 15 170 JAMES LAYNEZ. task of drawing up the decree on justification hav- ing been committed to his prudence and that of his companions.* A compendium of all the Lu- theran errors — a work of immense labor' and deli- cacy — ^likewise emanated from their hands, for the use of the Council. During the recesses of the Synod, Laynez returned to the customary offices of zeal : he preached, catechized, visited the sick, attended in the confessional, and labored for the aid and so- lace of the poor and wretched. Considering the assiduous attention. which, the affairs of the Council required, it is difficult to realize the amount of usefulness and solicitude which he accomplished among the faithful, as it were by snatches. For the duties of the Council were incessant and ab- sorbing. Each day two, meetings were held : that of the morning treated of the reformation of mor- als ; that of the evening, of the dogmas of faith. One hour was allotted to each speaker : Laynez, as he states in a letter to Canisius, was .heard three hours at a time.f And to his industry was assigned the task of selecting from the Councils and Fathers of the Church, and from the decrees of the Popes, monuments and proofs condemnatory » Id. n. 27. t Lib. vii. n. 23. JAMES LAYNEZ. 171 of the various errors of the Eeformers. And, nevertheless, from these momentous studies and investigations, he passed with incredible facility and celerity to the practical avocations of the pulpit and the confessional. In the eighth session, held ia March, 1541, it was determined, on account of the inclemency of the climate, and for other causes, to transfer the Council to Bologna.* Thither Laynez repaired, with the legates and Salmeron. The question now to be agitated and decided was De Penitentia, (on Penance.) In this weighty and abstruse dogma, his attention was entirely wrapt : during three successive hours, he delivered his sentiments on it, which were heard with intense attention by the Fathers, who assigned to him the development, likewise, of the other sacraments .f The hours of interstice which were snatched from these accumulated and onerous occupations, he devoted to the instruction of the people and the attendance in the confessional. With the approbation of the legates, he obtained permission to visit Perrugio : where, as he never failed to do, he first paid his respects to the bishop and leading personages, and afterwards betook * Id. n. 24. t Id. ibid. 172 JAMES LAYNEZ. himself to the poorhouse, in which he lodged.* Multitudes of the citizens rushed to his discourses. Conversions were numherless : and in such general veneration was he held, and such wonderfuf fruit did his labors produce, that he was entreated to remain during the season of Advent in that city. But he had promised to spend that time at Flor- ence. In return for his usefulness in Perrugio, the Archbishop of Milan addressed two- letters, one to Ignatius, the other to Laynez himself, breathing the most grateful sentiments, and hoping to see the good work, begun so auspiciously, rendered durable by some permanent foundation of the So- ciety. On his route to Florence, Laynez was invited by the Bishop of Eugubio to tarry some time in that city : thence he continued to Monte Pulciano, where he preached to the faithful three days in succession. At Florence, his exertions in the pul- pit and the tribunal of Confession, knew no bounds. Wonderful was the result. The field of his zeal was covered with fruit. Morals were reformed, * Id. n. 38. " Pauperuin ad hospitimn buo more divertit," writes Orlandinus. What a grand spectade, to contemplate the light and ornament of the Council of Trent, passing from the admiring view of that august body, into the ahode and communion of the poor and humble ! JAMES LAYNEZ. 173 alms-deeds were practised to an unprecedented amount ; and penitents, as well among the mili- tary as the citizens, flocked to the sacred tribunal, With the spirit of Christian virtue, he aroused also that of letters. He was a pattern of both : and in order to unite both in an indissoluble connection, the Florentines proposed the immediate erection of a college. He was offered the choice of six or seven sites in the city. Of none of them did Lay- nez deem it expedient to accept! Still the city persisted in the determination to found such an establishment. They urged the duke to place it in his dominions ; and obtained a promise that in a short time it should be commenced at Pisa.* He preached the Lent, in the great cathedral, begin- ning from Septuagesima, to more than eight thou- sand auditors.f At the end of the season, regretted by all whom he left behind, he quitted Florence, and repaired again to Venice ; whence, after hav- ing fortunately brought to a termination a trying question relating to the college of Padua, he was * Id. n. 30. f One of Lis sermons, " On the Tears of Magdalen," de- livered, according to an immemorial usage, to dissolute •women, converted many of them. For the particulars, see lib. viii. n. 18. 15* 174 JAMES LATNEZ. called to Kome.* But a short time was given him to repose amid the venerable retreats of the Holy City. He was ordered to Sicily, at the request of Cardinal Alexander Famesius, and Vega, the gov- ernor of that island. On his way, he was detained at Naples over the space of a month, during which he never ceased from preachiug, and exhorting, and instructing ; whilst he had the opportunity of en- joying in the quiet monastery of Benedictine monks, where he made his abode, much solitary repose. By the viceroy he was most humanely received. And so great was the enthusiasm of the people to hear his sacred eloquence, that it became necessary for him to address them twice, and often thrice, on the same day. In the chapel of the convent, he entered upon an explanation of the sacred Scrip- tures ; and was always ready to receive and ad- vise numbers who flocked to consult with him in their doubts and difficulties, spiritual and tem- poral. In February, 1549, he arrived in Sicily, and, at Palermo, was greeted with every token of welcome and kindness by the viceroy, Vega, and the no- biUty.f He was invited to preach the Lent in a church near the palace, which was thronged with * Id. n. 30, 21, 33. f ^^- is. n. 23. JAMES LATNEZ. 1T5 a distinguished and numerous audience. In the midst of these labors, he was suddenly prostrated by illness, and was removed from the turmoil of the capital to the calmer retreats of Mon-Eeale. No sooner had he recovered his strength, than he hastened back to the arena of his zeal, and re- sumed his sermons with unequalled eloquence, and unprecedented effect* The anxious yearnings of these holy disciples of Ignatius were not bounded by any quarter of the globe. Xavier . had passed returnless seas, and enkindled the light of the gospel in the interior of Asia. . Laynez is now chosen to do the same in the gloomy and barbarous regions of Africa. Vega, who was intrusted with an expedition into that country which lies opposite to Sicily, prevailed on Ignatius to permit Laynez to accompany him. This expedition was ordered by Charles V., in consequence of the irruptions which were made by the pirate Dracutus, who had infested the maritime coasts of Italy and the Straits of Gibraltar ; and the command of this was assigned to the viceroy himself. They departed not only with a strong Sicilian fleet, but aided also by the Pontifical, Flo- rentine, and Maltese ; and reached, after a fa- * Ibid. 176 JAMES LATNEZ. vqrable sail, the island of Agates, anciently re- nowned ' for the slaughter of the Carthaginians, and recently styled Fanagnana. Four days later, they landed on the continent of AMca, and selected a place for their encampment. Laynez, meanwhile, diligently occupied himself in constructing a hos- pital for the soldiers, who soon began to sink under these torrid heats and insalubrious skies. He, with his own hands, prepared and adminis- tered their medicines, washed their linen, tendered their diet, watched, frequently the entire night, over their beds, heard their confessions, offered up the Divine Sacrifice daily, exhorted them to patience, resignation, contrition, prepared them for death, and consigned their bodies to the earth. In such numbers were they carried off by the plague, that two or three hxmdred lay heaped to- gether, which, regardless of the loathsome and pestilential atmosphere, he strove to cover with the sod, and compose with decency and religious care.* For the success of this expedition, Ignatius ordered the holy mysteries of the altar to be cele- brated by aU the Society : and the Sovereign Pon- tiff, moreover, imparted the blessings of a jubilee to all the troops engaged in it These joyous * Lib. X. n. 88, 89, 90, 91, 93. JAMES LAYNEZ. 177 tidings were announced to the camp with the sound of the trumpet, and Laynez exhorted all to profit by the favor, especially as their lives were ex- posed to the twofold danger of the climate and the enemy. The rush to the holy tribunal was im- mense : whole nights were spent in the confes- sional, and the army presented the appearance of one great school of virtue and self-victory. Their souls being thus purified and strengthened, their valor necessarily became intrepid and fearless, sustained, as it seemed to be, by the propitious favor of Heaven.* They laid siege to and cap- tured the city on the tenth of September ; and four days after — the festiyal of the Exaltation of the Cross — the sacrifice of the Mass was cele- brated in one of the mogques pf the Mahomed- ans, which had been duly dedicated to the true Grod, under the patronage of St. John the Baptist ; and some Moors were solemnly baptized.f The victorious troops embarked, and the fleet returned to Sicily in triumph, amid the congratulations of * "Hand obscnre in exitu auxilimn coeleste .cerni potn- erit," ■writes our historian. Wliy not believe in the interpo- sition of the omnipotent God of battles now, as well as in the history of the wars of the Hebrews ? t Id. n. 93. 178 JAMES LAYNEZ. the people. Laynez was especially covered with honors, as having been — ^they well knew — the life and soul of the army. But no part of the spoils would he consent to accept. One who evinced so nohle a contempt. for suffering or. death, whilst the danger lowered, was not to be dazzled by success, or corrupted by booty. He preserved, under every circumstance, the same stern love of poverty, and the same imperturbable detachment from the glory and fortune of the world.* * Laynez' exhortation to the soldiers, when on the point of enga^g with the enemy, deserves to he recorded. It is manifestly the expression of a patriotic and, at the same time, apostolic heart : " It behooves you to remember, soldiers, how different are our weapons from those of the enemy : — they fight for booty, and vain-glory, and the extension of their dominion : whilst we have taken up arms from the pure love of Christ, prepared to brave every danger, and even to shed our blood m defence of our altars and hearths. And although great achievements are performed by valor and strength, we must not confide in them, but in the protection of God, on whom victory depends. You must fight, indeed, and bravely; but, in the camp, your conduct must be pious, and worthy of Christians. It wotdd be criminal, whilst fighting against the enemy, to wage war against the Omnip- otent. By your virtue and piety, united with fortitude, you wiE render God propitious. Wherefore, it is not for the BpoUs and booty that you should contend, as the barbarians JAMES LAYNEZ. 1Y9 From the noise and business of the camp, he knew how to pass, with a wondrous transition, to the calm and otium of the college. With him, it was no difiScult matter for " arms to yield to peace,"* or peace, if necessary, to arms, when the voice of obedience bade him mix in either. In the year 1551, we find those hands which on the desert shores of Africa were employed in rais- ing a temporary hospital for the sick and wounded soldiers, now employed, with no less earnestness, in erecting a magnificent college in Etruria. Eleonora, the wife of the Duke of Tuscany, caused the Sovereign Pontiff to recall Laynez from Sicily to Pisa. Here, on Sundays and festi- vals, he preached in the church of the Benedic- tines ; and such was the. charm of his urbane and conciliatory manners, that he attracted to the con- fessional numbers of distinguished persons, and thousands of the various classes of society. To the catechetical instructions, he drew the children are accustomed to do, but for the glory of God, which you should always have before your eyes : so that the peace of the empire and the common safety of our citizens may be effected by your arms." Ribadeneira, de vit. Layn. lib. i. p. 26. * Cedant arma togie, &c. 180 JAMES LATNEZ, and poor, by giving little presents to the former, and alms to the latter* Meanwhile, the services of this extraordinary Jesuit were again required in the Tridentine Coun- cil, to which the Sovereign Pontiff called him, knowing well, as Polancus expressed in a letter written to him at this period, that he was qualified not merely to teach the Lord's Prayer to children, but to instruct, by his incomparable erudition, the whole Christian world. On his arrival at Trent, he was received amidst the gratulations of the legates and the prelates, and the first place among the theologians was assigned to him, as having been deputed immediately by the Holy See.f In giving his opinion, he modestly prefaced it by re- marking, that in the all-important subjects relating to the orthodox faith, his reliance was not on hu- man judgment, which was fallible, but on the Divine assistance : that every doctrine should be made manifest by the testimony of the sacred Scriptures and the authority of the holy Fathers. He declared, moreover, that not a single Father would he quote, whom he had not read from the beginning to the end.J When the august sacra- * Lib. xi. n. 9. t M. n. 36. I Nullum se pro buS sententia Fatrem aut Doctoiem in JAMES LATNEZ. 18l ment of the Eucharist was brought under discus- sion, he cited no less than thirty-six Fathers in confirmation of the Catholic dogma : all of which, according to his own declaration, he not only had read, but had, likewise, reduced into an admirable abridgment. When he arose to speak, a deep silence prevailed, and loud applause was often elicited, by the singular learning and splendid tal- ents which he displayed, during three hours at a time.* Being seized with a fever, probably brought on by his incessant application and fa- tigue, the Council, unwilling to be deprived of his invaluable aid, held private sessions, in which, despite his illness, he and Salmeron assumed the heaviest burden. ^gidius Foscari, Bishop of Modena, bore testimony of their combined and admirable usefulness. In one of his letters, written at Trent, he asserted that Laynez and Salmeron discussed the venerable dogma of the Eucharist, against the Lutherans, in the most splendid manner. " I deem myself truly happy," he added, "to be a contemporary of such learned and holy Fathers."f medium aUaturum quem non ipse totum a capita ad calcem pervolutasset. Id. n. 37. * Id. u. 38. f Et re vera, me felicem duco, quod in lisec tempora tarn doctorum, quam sanctomm Patrom inciderim. Ibid. 16 182 JAMES LATNEZ. The Council of Trent having' been again sus- pended, in 1552, Laynez, hardly yet recovered from his quartan fever, repaired to Padua, — ^but not, indeed, to rest. A new burden was imposed upon his shoulders by Ignatius, who made him Provincial of Italy. This honor, he, at first, strove to refuse, on many grounds, but on the one particu- larly suggested by his extreme humility — ^namely, that he himself had not learned to obey.* But he sacrified his own will to the designs of Provi- dence, made known through his Superior, and submitted to them with resignation. To the letter, however, instaULng him in that responsible and distinguished office, he replied in these terms : "On receiving your Eeverence's epistle, I had recourse to prayer, with copious tears, (which I rarely shed,) and my desire ever was and is yet — which I adjure you through the bowels of Christ to take into consideration — ^that you would free me from the duty of governing, of preaiching, and from all literary pursuits ; leave me only my breviary. Order me to retire to Eome as a poor mendicant, and there place me in the kitchen, or refectory, or garden, or any other humble position : or, if I be not fit for such occupation, let my office be to * Lib. xii. n. 20. JAMES LATNEZ. 183 teach the lowest class of grammar, until my death."* And still, when the unchangeable determination of Ignatius was made known to him, with prompt ohedience and child-like simplicity, he bowed to the yoke of preferment which was laid upon his neck. A noble example of heroic self-abnegation, which how much more easy it is to admire than to imitate, few of my readers have yet to learn. The happy effects of his administration soon began to manifest themselves. At Genoa, a col- lege was founded by the liberality of the citizens, aroused and inflamed by the powerful and exciting eloquence of Laynez,f who, with his peculiar ver- satility of mind, and wonderful faculty of dividing his abilities, at the same time, among various occu- pations, compiled, at the desire of Ignatius, a sum- mary of dogmatic theology, for the use of the schools of the Society.f And so unbounded was the sway which his sacred oratory exercised over the public mind, that frequently the appeals which he made in his Lenten sermons in aid of the poor and friendless produced, at each time, not less than a thousand — and once as much as two thousand- golden florins. § * Id. n. 22. t Li^- si"- n. 11. X Id. n. 18. § Lib. xiv. n. 31. 184 JAMES LAYNEZ. In the year 1555, he was again selected by the Sovereign Pontiff to accompany into Germany the Legate, Cardinal John Moroni : but the inoppor- tune demise of Julius hastened his return to Italy. This melancholy event was bitterly deplored by the Society : in Julius, it was deprived of a Father, by whom it had been munificently confirmed, and endowed, favored with many privileges, and adorned with numberless titles of his highest favor. MarceUus, who succeeded to the tiara, succeeded, in like manner, to the benevolence of Julius towards Ignatius and his order. When the latter went to pay his homages at the feet of the new pontiff, " Go," Marcellus addressed him, " gather soldiers and warriors ; we will make use of them."* He then selected as his theologians, Laynez and Olauius. But — such is the uncertainty of human events — the hopes awakened by the friendship of Marcellus were soon destined to wither away. A few days later he was precipitated, by a sudden stroke of death, into the tomb, followed by the regret, and bewailed by the lamentation, of all good men.'|- * Tu milites, inquit, collige et bellatores, nos utemur. Lib. XV. n. 3. t Id. n. 4. JAMES LAYNEZ. 185 But the auspicious elevation of Paul IV. to the throne of the Vatican compensated for the recent calamity, and dried the tears of the Church. His partiality to the Society yielded, in no respect, to that of his predecessor. When Ignatiiis presented to him in person the congratulations of his whole order, he was received with every mark of regard, kindness, ■ and affection : not suffering him to re- main upon his knees, but allowing him the unusual honor of promenading, while conversing, through the hall of reception.* The confidence reposed by the venerable Pontiff- — he was eighty years old — in the Society, was unbounded : but of all the re- nowned Fathers then living, Laynez was most dear to him. In a conversation with some of his breth- ren, Ignatius did not hesitate to affirm, that unless the hand of God should interpose, they should soon see Laynez adorned with the Cardinal's hat. To confer this eminent distinction on him, Paul, indeed, had intended : and the apprehension of the event excited, at once, all the anxiety of Ignatius, and all the terror of Laynez. Day and night did this humble man implore the mercy of God to avert such a destiny from his head. He had passed the better portion of his life in the retired spirit of his Insti- * Lib. xvi. n. 4. 16* 186 JAMES LAYNEZ. tute : how could he, in its decline, consent to plunge into the splendid turmoils and distractions of a court ? He had vowed to shun all honors in the Church ; he had coveted the lowliest offices in the Society, — what desire could he now entertain to be raised to the pinnacle of ecclesiastical and princely glory ? And yet, he was commanded by Paul to take up his residence in the Vatican. Not to appear to disregard the will of the Sovereign Pontiff, or to be deficient in the due obedience which he owed the Vicar of Christ, he instantly obeyed. There he remained but one day. On the next, he returned to his brethren, and drew up the following schedule, which he signed with his own hand : " Whereas, from grave authority, I have learned that the Sovereign Pontiff has some design upon me, I call God to witness, and declare, in his presence, with all the candor and sincerity of my heart, that I am utterly unfit for any office which may be destined for me ; and that, with my whole mind, I shrink from it. For, having examined my- self, and seeing my utter want of the necessary qualifications, I would deem it ridiculous for me to accept it, and altogether abhorrent from the char- acter of the Institute to which I belong ; an Insti- tute, in which my labors will be far more useful JAMES LAYNEZ. 187 to the Church, and more congenial to the vow that I have taken. Of this I will strive, by every possi- ble argument, to convince the Pope." * In short, if the Pontiff should persist in his de termination, Laynez had resolved to fly, and, after the example of some other holy men, hide himself from the world. Paul, viewing in his sudden dis- appearance from the palace, the interposition of the finger of Providence, did not recall him, much less force upon him the honors from which he fled. Laynez saw the danger pass away : his joy was incredible ; his thanksgiving to Heaven unceasing and intense.f * lib. XV. n. 7. f Id. n. 8. "Quo depulso perioulo," writes Orlandinus in his classic style : "Laynius incredibUi perfusus est gaudio, uuUiim ut gratulandi Deo finem faceret." This was not the only occasion in which he had to struggle against high hon ors in the Church. WhUe General of the"Order, the Cardi nals in conclave assembled, after the demise of Paul IV.. thought seriously of raising him to the pontifical throne He, however, escaped the splendid burden of the tiara, which fell to the lot of Pius IV. I cannot here omit an interesting circumstance that occurred at Paris, whither he was deputed by the Pope, with the Legate, Cardinal Hippolyto, as theologian, to the Synod of Passy. At that Synod were present the King and Qu^en of Navarre, five Cardinals, fifteen Bishops, the Prince of Conde, and several 188 JAMES LAYNEZ. But, escaping one dignity, lie was only reserved for another : a dignity, however, compatible with his vocation, and which he afterwards filled in a other princes, twenty Doctors of the Sorbonne, and tho two standard-bearers of Lutheranism, Peter Martyr and Theo- dore Beza. The object of this Convention was to put an end, if possible, to religious disunion. Laynez spoke at length on the necessity of yielding to the authority of the Church, when Peter Martyr urged not u, few objec- tions against several dogmas of faith,, and especially against the sacrifice of the Mass. He argued that Christ cannot be really offered on the altar, as there the sacrifice of the cross is merely represented. But, he insisted, if the thing itself be present, there is no representation of that thing ; conse- quently, according to the admission of Catholics themselves, Christ is not truly present. To this spedous sophism — which has been repeated a thousand times since — Laynez gave this triumphant reply : Suppose a king desired to in- stitute an annual commemoration of some great victory ; this he might effect in three different ways : 1. By merely causing the fact to be narrated, 3. By causing it to be represented by actors. 3. By being present at it himself, and thus representing the scene in which he himself had personally been engaged. No one coxdd doubt the reality of the ting's presence, although the past victory is merely represented anew. This clear and original position he sup- ported, to the conviction of all candid minds, by the holy Scriptures, and the ancient fathers of the Chnrch. See Tanner, p. 98. JAMES LATNEZ. 189 manner that added new lustre not only to his own person, but to the entire body of the Society. On the demise of Ignatius, Laynez was raised, by the suffrages of his brethren, to succeed their saintly founder as General of the Order. In which capa- city, during the space of seven years, all the treasures of his erudition, the qualities of his mind, the magnificent attributes of his character, were displayed, to the admiration of the world. The history of his administration would fill a volume with splendid conceptions and glorious achieve- ments. But to write this would be straying from my object : which is, to show forth to posterity the picture of these wonderful men, merely as they stood in conjunction with Ignatius, as his first companions, — that the spirit transfused by him into their conduct and character may be properly understood ; and that the grandeur with which it was carried out, in their persons, may be justly appreciated and admired. With this view, I will close the life of Laynez : and, in so doing, I take farewell of one of the most admirable men who, in any epoch — but especially that of the sixteenth century — ^flourished in the Catholic Church.* * Laynez died in the year 1565, at Borne. ALPHONSUS SALMERON. CHAPTER V. ALI'HONSUS SALMEEON. Alphoksus SALMRROy. — Galled to the Society, Teaches In the Sapietiea, at Borne, Is sent to Ireland, Seized as a Spy at Lyons, Is called to Modena. Is persecuted. Is sent to the Cooucil of Trent, Draws up a Summary of the Errors of Luther. Goes to Bologna ; to Verona ; to Germany, at the command of the Pope, Labors at Ingoldstadt. Is re- called to Terona ; is sent to Naples; afterwards to Poland ; then to Bel- gium, His labors forever appreciated by that nation— his immortal The desire of making the acquaintance of Ignar tins having attracted Laynez, as the reader saw in the preceding chapter, to Paris, he was accom- panied, with the same view, by a young Spaniard, a native ■ of Toledo, whose name was Alphonsus Salmeron. He was born in the year 1515, His parents were not of the highest order, but, what is more valuable, they were honest and virtuous ; and perceiving in their son extraordinary talents, a heart disposed to goodness, and a mind orna- mented with many gifts of nature, they t»ained him up to letters, as far as their means would permit, at Toledo and Compostella, where he applied to tho 17 194: ALPHONSUS SALMEEOIT. study of the Greek and Latin languages, and the various branches of philosophy. The suavity of his manners did not yield to the excellence of his genius. He acquired the degree of Master, and having determined to pursue a course of theology, set out, with this intent, to the metropolis of France, where, as above described, he became, with Laynez, the friend and afterwards the disciple of Ignatius.* With the other companions, after severe fasting, penitential austerities, and sacramental confession, he made his vows, on the feast of the Assumption, (1534,) in the chapel of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and sealed the solemn act by receiving, immediately after, the holy Eucharist from the hands of Paber. After his ordination, his first destination was Rome ; where he commanded universal attention and respect by his eloquent discourses, and his public disputations in the famous university of the Sapienza.f He was next selected for a mission of a very arduous, but extremely interesting charac- acter. Henry VIII., king of England, having re- pudiated his lawful wife, Catharine, had espoused, contrary to justice and right, the famous Anne Boleyn. These nuptials could not be approved by the Sovereign Pontiff. On the contrary, he con- « Lib.'!, n. 87. \ Lib. ii. n 80. ALPHONSUS SALMEROK. 195 demned and annulled them as a violation of con- science, and a contempt of the majesty of Charles v.* Henry, hurried on by the impetuosity of hia lust, and forgetful of the distinguished stand he had before taken in defence of the Catholic faith, was driven to fatal extremes. Eather than forego the charms of Anne, he embraced the errors of Luther, whicli he once had combated with his own pen, and dared to separate from the Holy See.f * The reader will remember that Catharine was the aunt of that emperor. t When Luther first began to dogmatize, and before Henry had yielded to the violence of his own beastly pas- sions, he wrote in the following terms against the German apostate: " I wonder more, O Luther, (wrote Henry VHI. to him,) that thou art not, in good earnest, ashamed, and that thou darest to lift up thy eyes either before God or man, seeing that thou hast been so light and so inconstant as to aJlow thyself to be transported by the Instigation of the devil to thy foolish concupiscences. Thou, a brother of the order of St. Augustine, hast been the first to abuse a consecrated nun ; which sin would have been, in times past, so rigor- ously punished, that she would have been buried alive and thou wouldst have been scourged to death. But so fer art thou from correcting thy faiilt, that moreover, shameful to say, thou hast taken her publicly to wife, having contracted with her an incestuous marriage and abused the poor and miserable to the great scandal of the world, the re- 196 ALPHONSUS gALMEEON. Nor was he satisfied with this : but maddened by his brutal passions, he even arrogated to himself the title and prerogative of head of the Anglican Church, which he required all his subjects to ac- knowledge, under the penalty of most cruel enact- ments. This sacrilegious tyranny one portion of his dominions had the courage and the virtue to resist. Ireland could not be bribed or persecuted into heresy and schism. She was doomed to op- proacli and opprobrium of thy countiy, the contempt of holy matrimony, and the great dishonor and injury of the vows mside to God. Finally, what is still more detestable, in- stead of being cast down and overwhelmed with grief and confusion, as thou oughtest be, at thy incestuous marriage, miserable wretch, thou makest a boast of it, and instead of asking forgiveness for thy unfortunate crime, thou dost incite all debauched religious, by thy letters and thy writ- ings, to do the same." It was this vindication of the ancient religion that ob- tained for Henry — and it is imjustly retained by his suc- cessors — ^the glorious title of "Defender of the Faith," granted by the Sovereign Pontiff, Clement VII. See Lin- gard, Henry VHI., chap. ii. Henry did not throw off some of those practices which have since been stigmatized by Protestantism as idolatrous : in his last illness, he was constantly attended by Ms Gon- fessor, the Bishop of Rochester, heard Mass daily, in his chamber, and received the communion under one hind. See Lingard, tM sv/pr. page 275. ALPHONS0S SALMERON. 197 pression, and terrible visitations of the tyrant's vengeance ; but the purity of her faith could nol be debauched, nor her constancy to the Holy See be crushed by despotism. "That faith," writes Orlandinus, "remained intact, and that constancy sincere." * But the faithful fold was lamentably deprived of shepherds, while, in every direction, wolves with- out number were prowling, and lions going about seeking whom they might devour. With paternal sympathy and solicitude, the Sovereign Pontiff, Clement VII., contemplated the forlorn condition of that part of Christ's heritage. In order to place within their reach the aids of religion, by which their spiritual wants might be supplied, and their hitherto unshaken adherence to the faith of their ancestors be more and more confirmed, with the apostolic vigilance becoming his position, he cast his eyes upon Sahneron as a fit instrument, in the hands of Providence, to effect this twofold object. This eminent Jesuit, together with his companion. * Intactam tamen Catholicam fidem, et Bmcerissimam erga Bomanmn Ponti£cem obedientiam animo ac voluntate servabante. Lib. iii. n. 45. For the particulars of the king's divorce, his marriage with Anne Boleyn, and Ms rupture with Boiue, see Ldngard, Henry VIII., chap. iii. 17* 198 ALPHONSUS SALMERON. Paschasius, was designated for that mission, and invested with ample powers from the Holy See. " Without sack or sandal," in the primitive style of the first followers of Jesus, he set out for that beautiful but blasted island. He went, moreover, invited and expected with cordial veneration by the Primate Robert, of Armagh : and the protection of his .heavenly Father was with him.* Accom- panied by a third associate — not, however, yet of the Society — ^whose name was Francis Zapata, he started, in the month of September, from the city of Rome, upon a long and difiScult journey, taking with him, as their common guide, the follow- ing salutary admonitions of Ignatius : " In their intercourse with men of every grade, but especially their inferiors and equals, they were instructed to be reserved and moderate in their language : to listen with patience, and gentleness, and attention ; and reply with brevity and precision, so as to cut off all necessity of persistence in the argument : to imitate the benevolence of the apostle, who be- came all things to all men for the sake of gaining them over to Christ : to remember that nothing conciliates so effectually as conforming, as far as proper, with the customs and prejudices of others : * Id. n. 46. ALPHOBTSUS SALMEEON. 199 to adapt themselves, therefore, with due discretion and wisdom, to the manners of the people : to op- pose Satan with his own weapons, and make use of every art to insure their salvation which the in- fernal enemy exercises for their eternal ruin ; — this was the maxim of Saint Basil ;* — ^for, when Satan sets about to destroy a soul, he does not attempt it openly, and at once, but by various, and secret, and cunning' artifices ; to praise, in the beginning, what they see laudable in the conduct of the people, passing by, for a time, their vices, until their good will and friendship be secured ; to preach the Catholic truths and virtues not only in public dis- courses, but likewise in private conferences, and not to forget that whatever they say, even ' in the dark,' will spread abroad, and be proclaimed 'from the very house-top :' in transacting busi- ness, rather to anticipate, than defer time ; so that if any thing be promised for the morrow, let it be performed on the present day: to re- fuse all pecuniary compensation, even for dis- pensations ; but whatever moneys might be re- ceived should be given to the poor : to write to Eome frequently on their journey ; from Scotland ; as soon as they should reach Ireland ; and after- * St. Basil, in reg. brev. interrog., 245. 200 ALPHONSUS SALJIERON. ■wards, every month to give an account of their mission."* Armed with these instructions, Salmeron .bent his way, not without imminent danger, through France, as the war then raging through that country rendered suspicious every stranger who ventured to enter it. He, however, escaped, and embarked for Scotland, whence, encountering great difficulties and obstacles, he passed over to Ireland, where, under the Divine protection, he arrived about the beginning of Lent.f Here he found every thing in disorder ; fear and terror oc- cupied every heart, and the condition of the Catho- lics was discovered to be far worse in reality than had been described to them at a distance. The people were poor and neglected, and entirely de- prived of the care and vigilance of pastors. The nobles, with one solitary exception, had succumbed to the will of the tyrant, and bound themselves by oath to burn all letters that might come from the Sovereign Pontiff, and to apprehend and imprison all who should continue faithful to the ancient * Id. n. 48, 49. The principal heads of these \rise admo- nitions of St. Ignatius are given ; leaving out some, which the reader may find in fuU in the numbers to which he ia referred. t Id. n. 58. ALPHONSUS SALMEEON. 201 Church. Under these circumstances, the Catholics did not dare receive the Father as coming with ex- traordinary powers from the Holy See, or even whisper abroad the object of his mission. But Salmeron and his companions did not yield to de- spondency, or recoil from danger. They studied their position ; marked the difficulties that sur- rounded their path ; and labored, privately at least, to master them all. They succeeded to a considerable extent ; and found means to proffer their spiritual assistance to the suffering but faith- ful people. They encouraged and strengthened them by salutary exhortations ; instructed them in the pure spirit of religion, teaching them what to retain and what to reject. To thousands they admin- istered the sacraments ; celebrated the holy myste- ries ; performed, with assiduous and compassionate zeal and solicitude, all the offices of their ministry, in a manner worthy the cause in which they were enlisted, and the Institute under which they acted. The joy of the Irish people was universal, their gratitude characteristic. Whoever has studied the genius of that susceptible and devoted nation, will easily understand how intense and heartfelt was their veneration of these apostolic men, wio, for the mere love of their souls, had encountered the fatigues of a long journey, and the frowns of the 202 ALPHONSUS SALMEEOiSr. English government. And, were it now more universally known that Salmeron and Paschasius BroStus, those true disciples of Ignatius, were the first missionaries sent from Kome, to comfort and strengthen the Irish Catholics immediately after the fatal Keformation in England, their names would be embalmed in the memories, and engraven on the hearts, of the children of Erin, at the present day. If the mere circumstance of my being in- strumental in bringing these — their ancient bene- factors — ^before the people of Ireland, were the only good result produced by this biography, I should, even so, consider my pains and my research more than abundantly compensated. During thirty days, Salmeron and his compan- ions traversed the island, giving an example of unrelenting perseverance, shining sanctity, and unparalleled disinterestedness. The fame of his spiritual exploits spread abroad, and aroused the vindictive passions of the English Protestants, who offered a large reward for his head. Dazzled by the fascinations of gold, many individuals were ready to betray and sell the missionaries. They stood in imminent peril. Their usefulness — watched and hemmed round by the venal enemies of the Church — was at an end ; and it became their duty to save their lives by withdrawing from the ALPH0N3US SALMEROK. 203 island. They, accordingly, fled to Scotland, obe- dient to the positive commands of Ignatius, that, should they deem their remaining in Ireland to be unsafe, they should, straightway, retrace their steps to Italy.* In complying with this injunction, they left behind them a blessed memory ampng the people, and a signal monument of apostolic virtues, for having exposed themselves to .danger and to death, with a total renuniciation of their own will, actuated by supernatural charity, spurning all per- sonal consideration, and devoting their being to the salvation of their oppressed and persecuted breth- ren.f On his return to Scotland, Salmeron, whose soul was still undaunted, and whose zeal was on fire, used every effort to obtain an audience of the king, with the hope of persuading that monarch to relax his rigor against his Catholic subjects. But every * Id. n. 60. Eibadeneira, VU. SaZm. Tanner, p. 196. f Abeunt, igitur, ex HyberniS, relicto apud eos populos cum desiderio non parvo turn Bmgulari monumento virtutis, qui moite periculisque contemptis, nulla sua utjiitate quos- cunque, sed una dumtaxat animorum salute, ac caritate duc- ti, tantum itineris suscepissent. Id. n. 60. Were not sucU men under the guidance of the Spirit of God, that same Spirit which animated the first most glorious apostle of Ireland, and the holy monk who converted England? 204 ALPHONSUS SALMEEON. avenue to the throne was blocked up by the indus- try of the courtiers, -who had abjured the ancient faith together with nearly the whole of the Scot- tish people. In despair of effecting his purpose, or bringing about any good result by delaying in that apostate realm, he, with his companions, crossed the Channel, and reaching again the more genial and grateful soil of France, landed at Dieppe, and pursued his journey, on foot, to Paris. There, having tarried a considerable length of time, he received letters from the Pope instructing him to return, with the same privileges and powers, to Scotland. But, on informing the Holy See of the condition — as he had witnessed it — of that country, he was ordered to bend his way directly, with his faithful associate, Paschasius, to the Eter- nal City. Poor and humble, like the fishermen of Galilee of old, they travelled on in safety as far as Lyons: there, in consequence of the war that was raging between the French and the Spaniards, every stranger was viewed with suspicion, and es- pecially these two priests — the one a Spaniard, the other a Frenchman — so unusually sordid in their appearance, so singularly negligent in their dress. Wherefore, they were seized as spies, and cast into prison. Fortunately, however, they were known to the Cardinal of Tours, who happened, then, to be at ALPHONSUS SALMEEON. 203 Lyons, and by Hm not only honorably dismissed, but provided with means and horses to continue their journey. Such was the result of the Irish mission ; which, although it did not realize the, perhaps, too fervent anticipations of the Pontiff, nevertheless exhibited a shining monument of the zeal of Salmeron, of his devotion and obedience to the Holy See, and his readiness to brave any dan- gers, submit to any privations, nay, even expose his precious life, for the defence and propagation of the Catholic faith. And here I must not pass over, without due com- memoration, the name of Kobert, Primate of Ar- magh. This venerable prelate was by birth a Scotchman, and had been blind from his boyhood,* . but was distinguished for learning, and renowned for piety. When informed of the little success of this mission, " Now,'' he said, " I clearly perceive, that unless the sheep hear the voice of the shep- herd, no good can be done." Despite his blindness, he labored vehemently for the spiritual welfare of his people, and assisted at the Council of Trent : from which, returning to Ireland, he was taken ill at Lyons, and, with these words on his lips, " Lord, if I can still be useful to thy Church, I do * A puero csecus, Id. n. 61. 18 206 ALPHONSUS SALMEROK, not refuse to labor ; but thy will be done," — ^he expired in the arms of the Jesuits, whom he in- tensely loved and venerated. After enduring great fatigue and anxiety, among a distant people, Salmeron's next destiny was to suffer a most cruel persecution in Italy. He sur- mounted the former with apostolic fortitude, he will subdue the latter with noble magnanimity. Invit- ed to Modena by the Cardinal Moroni, he repaired to that city, where, during two years, he labored in the spiritual vineyard. On those fields 'of the Church, with the good grain planted and fostered by his hands, there grew up much cockle which the. devil had sowed. The poison of Lutheranism had sunk so deeply into the hearts of many, that not only did it defy the healing power of Salmeron, but it caused them to fester with hate and malevo- lence 9,gainst him. They had the hardihood to accuse him of teaching false doctrines, and even attacked the sanctity of his morals. Numberless calumnies against him were scattered abroad, which, as they spread, accumulated in gravity, and in apparent authenticity. The holy and injured man held his place with constancy, and, both in public and private, hazarded every thing most dear, with the hope of recalling the erring from their devious labyrinths, and the abandoned to a sense ALPHOKSUS SALMEEON. 207 of duty and religion. With a sacred freedom he reproved vice, inveighed against ahuses, and ar- gued against heresy. But his zeal was repaid with ingratitude and injury. His enemies went so far as to depute informers to the Roman court, charging him with iniquitous conduct. On hear- ing this, Ignatius, who knew full well the inno- cence of his disciple, summoned him, nevertheless, to Rome, that he might, in person, be able to vindi- cate himself. In effect, he so completely confound- ed his enemies, and so immaculately emerged from the trying ordeal, that it is manifest Heaven sub- jected him to it only for the purpose of signalizing, in the clearest and brightest manner, the sanctity of its servant.* Prom the arena of his triumph over the assaults of calumny, the Sovereign Pontiff, as if to decree him a solemn ovation, associated him with Laynez as an apostolic theologian to the holy Council of Trent :f as one best calculated, by his extraordi- nary erudition, singular prudence, and integrity of life, to combat and defeat the enemies of the Church. The honor conferred on Salmeron was * Lib. iv. n. 13, 14. f See the particulars as above related in the biography of Laynez, chap. iv. 208 AL-PHONSUS SALMEBON. the more signally marked, as he was, at this epoch, only in his thirty-first year.* Notwithstanding his extreme youth, so exalted was the opinion which the prelates entertained of his wisdom and abilities, that they often consulted with him in private, be- fore they delivered their sentiments in the public sessions.f He delivered a Latin oration, of which the style and composition were so elegant, that it was published by the desire of the Council, as a masterpiece of sacred rhetoric, and was preserved as such for the benefit and admiration of posteri- ty.J On the subject of .Justification — an abstruse * " Or quanto a Padri Laynez, et Salmerone, I'lino e I'altro eran giovani ; quests ne' trent' un aiini, quegli ne' trenta quattro : di che ingenio, e sapere, il vidrem poscia : cte non se ne vuol rioordare altro che il zelo della fede Cattolica, e della reformazione della Chiesa, cli'era ardeatissimo in amendue adunque in tante, e cosi graviesime occasioni cte loro tuttodi si offerrebbono d'adoperarlo, esser pericolosi di trasandare con qualque seorso di lingua, diflScillissimo a scan- sare, peroche altretanto difficile a conoscere." — BartoU, lib. ii. p. 6. And yet, "notwithstanding their extreme youth, the reader wUl learn in the text, how great was the authority, how powerful the influence, which they exercised over the whole Council. t Lib. vi. n. 23. X Orlandinus, than whom no better judge could exist, de- ALPHONSUS SALMEEON. 209 aiid much vexed question — ^his prudence shone out in brilliant rays, especially as he was the first to deliver his sentiments concerning it. For, many and powerful objections were to. be refuted, many obscure points to be made evident, and vast re- search to be exhibited. The reputation, so justly acquired by Salmeron in the Council, was enhanced by his indefatigable zeal in prfeaching, hearing confessions, and visiting the hospitals. The prelates, assembled from all parts of the world, beheld, with amazement, the spirit of the Society exemplified in her first disci- ples at T^ent. Its fame spread rapidly and widely among all true Catholics, while the wavering and the perverted earnestly endeavored to tarnish its glory. The Bishop of Clairmont, who, ere he wit- nessed, with his own eyes, the shining example of Salmeron and bis companions, had been tainted with some undefined prejudice against their order, afterwards not only became conciliated and satis- fied, but proved his sincerity, and signalized his friendship, by becoming the founder of no less than three Jesuit colleges in his diocese.* blares : Salmeron latinam orationem habuit elegantis illius conventus axiribus dignam. Ibid. n. 34. * Lib. vi. n. 30. 210 ALPHOlSrSUS SALMEEON. At Bologna — ^whither the Council was transfer! ed — Salmeron continued his unremitting duties, as apostolic theologian, and an arduous missionary. He preached the Lent (1548), in the church of St. Lucia, introduced among the highest classes a taste and habit of prayer, and drew many of the noble- men to the sacred tribunal. Thence, at the invita- tion of the Bishop of Verona, Louis Lipomani, he went to that city, whete, by his discourses and instructions, he produced much fruit : he confirmed in the faith the minds of many who began to doubt, recalled to the bosom of the Church several who had strayed away, and silenced the noisy declama- tions of Heresy against the holiness of Truth, by a public exposition of the sacred Scriptures.* Al- though, in general, listened to with marted respect and admiration by his auditors, he was, by some individuals — men of depraved habits or tainted minds — interrupted and opposed. He was styled the adulator of the Roman Pontiff, afraid to reveal what he well knew concerning the Church of Rome. In other words, he was accused of vile hypocrisy — the last subterfuge of the enemies of Truth ; who, when argument fails them — as our daily experience teaches — always have recourse to the infamous * Lib. viii. n. 28, et Lib. ix. n. 48. ALPHONSUS SALMEEON. 211 logic of calumny and misrepresentation. This, it appears from the circumstance before us, was an early- artifice of the Eeformation ; and on this much of its declining influence reposes, after an interval of three hundred years. In our own republic, is not Catholicism identified by her opponents with Jesuitism, and is not Jesuitism confounded with mental reservation, suppression of truth, and the justification of the means necessary for the accom- plishment of any object? When the ingenuous and upright mind sees through this baneful scheme of the leaders of Protestantism, what wonder is it, that it abandons them in disgust, and seeks for truth and virtue in the blessed tabernacles of Rome 1 From Verona, Salmeron extended his missionary solicitude to Belluno, an ancient and elegant city in the Venetian dominions. Aware of the bitter animosity that existed there against his person and the institute of the Society, he affectionately recom- mended himself and his object to the prayers of Ignatius. Confident in the holiness of his cause, he commenced a public course of lectures, which were numerously frequented ; gave private instruc- tions ; introduced the practice of prayer and medi- tation ; extirpated vices ; and revived a spirit of piety and devotion. His novel style of preaching 212 ALPHONS0S SALMEKON. excited universal admiration : all united in con- ceding that the true and genuine character of pul- pit oratory was displayed to perfection in his f rvid and solid, his moving and convincing eloquence. Since the days of St. Bernard of Sienna — it was unanimously admitted — ^no preacher ever produced more general and lasting good.* To this declara- tion the state of society bore evidence. Violent and deadly animosities were extinguished ; errors and unsound opinions were abandoned ; the works of Luther and his fellow-gospellers were destroyed ; the sacraments were frequented ; the fasts of Lent and other penitential ordinances were revived ; and, in fine, Eeligion reassumed her pristine dis- cipline and salutary sway."]" The acknowledged success of Salmeron in counteracting the advance- ment and pernicious consequences of error at Bel- luno, induced Ignatius to station him in the very seat of its empire — Germany. With Jaius and Canisius he was ordered to undertake that mission at the earnest solicitation of William, Duke of Bavaria, an uncompromising defender of the Cath- * Id. n. 49. f "Denique," writes our histonan, "alia id genus com- plura gesta." No wonder the sons of Ignatius should be hated by the votaries of the world, and the enemies of the Catholic faith. ALPHONSUS SALMERON. 213 olic faith. To add greater weight to their project, the degree of Doctors in Theology was awarded to them all by the famous University of Bologna. This honor they received through the Cardinal John Maria de Monte, who afterwards was raised to the papal throne. At Trent, the former theatre of Sal- meron's learning and eloquence, they were received, with merited distinction, by the cardinal, who com- mended them by special letters to the Duke of Ba-. varia. This noble prince, who yielded to none in his veneration for these saintly Jesuits, received them with every token of cordial affection. With public demonstrations of welcome they entered the city of Ingoldstadt, and were especially greeted by the whole academy, in a masterly Latia oration.* On the following day, in the "ancient" college, Salmeron began an explication of the epistles of St. Paul, which he continued in a series of dis- courses not less learned than beautiful : which were so greatly admired by the illustrious members of the academy, that they were published for the * In a no less elegant style Canislus responded extempo- raneously, in the name of his companions ; " Cni subito et eleganter omnimn nomine a Canisio responsum est," ■writes Orlandinus, iM swffr. n. 54. 214 AliPHONSUS SALMEEON. perusal and instruction of all men of taste and in> vestigation.* A sudden order of the Sovereign Pontiff requir- ing his presence at Verona, suspended the great and good work he had commenced. Obedient to his supreme will, although the duke remonstrated loudly and strongly against the measure, Salmeron quitted Ingolstadt amid the tears and regrets of the Academicians. At Verona he was created Dean of Theology in the university, where he re- mained an entire year. At Naples, a college was about being founded under the auspices of Hector Pignatelli, Duke of Monte Leone, and Caraffa, Count of Montorio. These distinguished benefactors of the Society wrote to Ignatius requesting him to send to that city some eminent Jesuit to preach the Lenten ser- mons, and negotiate concerning their meditated es- tablishment. Salmeron was selected, and was re- ceived at Naples with solemn congratulations. Without delay, he entered upon the offices of his mission, and, at the suggestion of most noble and influential citizens, commenced, in the church of the Blessed Virgin, a course of lectures explana- tory of the epistle of St. Paul to the Galatians, * Id. ibid. ALPHONSUS SALMEEON. 215 which he conducted with such fervid eloquence and solid erudition, that he crushed the secret spirit of heresy which was lurking in the bosom of society.* Useful as were his labors at Naples, a more conspicuous and unlimited stage was again pre- pared for him by the Sovereign Pontiff. Again must he assume his post as Theologian of the Holy See in the sacred Council of Trent. He reached that city, in company with Laynez, towards the end of July, A. D. 1551 ; where, as we have related in the last chapter, he won golden opinions, J^th for himself personally, and for the Society which he represented.f Three years later he visited again the city of Naples, where he resumed, with his former energy and fervor, the work of instruction and piety which had been interrupted for so long a time. To his sermons crowds flocked without number. With his irresistible eloquence and learning, he swept away, as so many flimsy cobwebs, the heresies which certain reformists had woven among the people, and revived the primitive spirit of devotion and fervor. Among other pious institutions, he es- * Lib. xi. n. 16. t Id. n. 36. See the particnlars in the biography of Lay- nez, chap. iv. 216 ALPHONSUS SALMEEON. tablished two sodalities, one for men, the other for women. Of the former the object was — strengthening their resolution by receiving the holy communion every fortnight — to catechise children, instruct the ignorant, diffuse peace and concord among their fellow-citizens, entice others, by their virtuous example,, to the frequentation of the sacraments, and to visit and nurse the poor and infirm.* That of the women required its mem- bers to approach weekly the holy table ; to imbue the minds of their children and domestics with the mfluence of religion, by reflecting it in their own conduct ; to provide for the unfortunate of their own sex who should desire to reform their lives ; and to beware of decorating their own per- sons meretriciously or too extravagantly, either by the use of factitious coloring or unseemly dress.f The usefulness of such sodalities to the members themselves, and to society at large, may be easily imagined : and it was in promoting such holy ob- * lab. xiv. n. 36. Of course, only the most exemplary and disinterested cotild obtain membership In this admirable as- sociation. f Against the custom of painting, St. Cyprian inveighed in unsparing terms, as unbecoming Christian ladies. See Orlandinus, iibi supr. ALPHONSUS SALMEEON. 217 jects that the disciples of Ignatius — and in this particular especially Salmeron — ^iedicated and de- voted their talents and their lives. Europe beheld them with wonder, and looked to them as the props and ornaments of the Faith in these disastrous times. Everywhere colleges were asked for : insomuch that it was impossible for Ignatius t6 supply the demand for his disciples. The request of Sienna was, however, granted ; and in the erec- tion of her college, Salmeron justly claims no vul- gar merit. That beautiful and lately powerful city had just recovered from the horrors of an exhausting war, and fallen under the dominion of Philip (1556) ; and was placed under the government of Qardinal Francis Mendoza. This noble prelate, seeing on all sides the melancholy vestiges of that fatal war, and commiserating the calamities of a people re- nowned for humanity and refinement, resolved to remedy the evil by blending together the Divine and human aid. To this effect, he entreated Igna- tius to allow him the assistance of three members of his order, under whose auspicious and soothing influence he anticipated the happiest and holiest results. The appeal to his charity, under these woeful circumstances, awoke the deep sympathies of Ignatius ; and forthwith he chose the number 19 218 ALPHONSUS SALMEEON. desired, of whicli the most conspicuous was Sal- meron. From Poland, whither he had been sent with the Apostolic Nuncio, Louis Lipomani, (he was the first Jesuit that was ever seen in that king- dom,) by the order of Ignatius he was summoned back to Italy, and stationed at Sienna, at the dis- posal of the cardinal and the city* He was not, however, left long in that position ; — scarcely long enough to accomplish all the good anticipated. His services were deemed so invalu- able by the Sovereign Pontiff, that they were made to extend from kingdom to kingdoni a brief but indelible influence, rather than to concentrate in any' particular part. He was soon called back to Ron^p by the Pope, who associated him with the Cardinal de Montala in a mission to Belgium, where he laid the foundations of that firm and reverential hold which the Society secured among a truly Catholic people, who have, to the present day, cherished their faith with a primitive integrity and love, and stand in the midst of the nations of the earth a living, speaking, splendid monument of the genius, character, and influence of the Cath- olic faith .f The Belgians, who are now, perhaps, * Lib. xvi. n. 3, 4, 5. f See tlie particulars of the introduction of the Society ALPHONSUS SALMEEON. 219 the most Catholic people in Europe, have not for- gotten the labors of the primitive Society among them. During all succeeding times, it has been cherished and venerated : some of the most mag- nificent volumes which the press ever sent out into the world were the productions of her sons, and the perfection of the typographic art of their pub- lishers. While their grateful posterity — whose ever ardent faith has been kept alive, and whose ever Catholic spirit has been perpetuated in a great degree by the Society — ^recurs to the annals of their history, and admires the glorious names that sparkle on every page, they will perceive none ir- radiated with a brighter and purer halo than that of Alpbonsus Salmeron.* Into Belgium, as narrated in Orlandinus, lib. xvi. n. 28, 39, 30, 31, 33, et seq. * On quitting Belgium for Borne, whilst passing through the town of Basle, he was challenged by some of the Re- formists to a controversy. From this he came forth triumph- antly, having crushed his adversaries under the weight of his arguments. He reached Home in 1558, after the death of Ignatius. By Laynez, he was then sent into Naples, where he continued laboring with unceasing zeal, and wonderful success, for the salvation of souls. It was his fortune to live under five different Generals — Ignatius, Lay- nez, Borgia, Bverardus Mercurianus, and Aquaviva, whom 220 ALPHONSUS SALMEEON. Mr. Stephen, in his famous essay on " Loyola and his Asso "iates," nominates the Numa Fompilius of the Order. Re- peating these words, Lmtatur anvma mea, "my sonl re- joices," with his eyes fixed upon a crucifix, he calmly ex- pired on the 13th of Fehruaiy, A. D. 1585, in the sixty- ninth year of his age. See Tanner, p. 301 and 203. Father iUbadeneira, who wrote the lives of Laynez and Salmeron,and who was their contemporary, enumerates the works composed by Salmeron, which are as follow : I. ZiJer Prolegomenon: a commentary on the entire Scriptures. n. Se Ineamatione : on the incarnation of Christ. III. De mfantid et pueritid GkrisM Domini: on the infan- cy and childhood of Cihrist. IV. An evangelical history. V. An explanation of Christ's sermon on the Moxmt. VI. On the miracles of Christ. Vn. A treatise on the parables and sermons of the gospel. VIII. De disputaiioniJms Domini : on Christ's disputations. IX. On the discourse of Christ touching the Last Supper, and the Holy Eucharist. X. On the passion and death of Christ. XI. On the resurrection and ascension of Christ. XII. On the Acts of the Apostles. Besides which, he composed nine books on the canonical Epistles of St. Paul, and the Apocalypse. These works of Salmeron are regarded as masterpieces in point of lucid composition, learned research, and theologi- cal argument. His name ranks among the most eminent writers of the Church in the sixteenth century. IflCHOLAS BOBADILLA. CHAPTER VI. NICHOLAS BOBADILLA. Nicholas Bobadilla.— Becomes one of the nine. Is sent to the island of Ischia. Is destined for the East Indies, but detained hy illness. Is deputed to Germany. Labo^ at Vienna ; traverses the different cities of Germany. Befuses the Episcopal dignity. His zeal at Naples. Is made Sector of the Neapolitan College. His lenient government His trials. His snbmisBion, His obedience and other virtues. An ex- ample to posterity. In the year 1525, whilst Ignatius was just com- mencing the magnificent work of his Society in Paris, a strange youth presented himself, desirous of obtaining an interview with that immortal man. His object was to confide to his paternal breast the story of his wants and friendless circumstances in that vast metropolis, to which he had come with the hope of being able to prosecute his theological studies. His parents had struggled to provide him with the necessary means ; but in vain. And he must either relinquish the career on which 22i NICHOLAS BOBADILLA. he had entered with such buoyant emotions, such successful anticipations, or he must meet with some true and sympathizing benefactor, whose hand will be stretched out to support and sustain him in his hopeless condition. The name of this ingenuous and aspiring youth was Nicholas Bobadilla, a na- tive of a village in Spain, of the same name, near Palenza. He had rendered himself conspicuous as a professor of philosophy in the University of Valladolid. At the recital of his necessitous cir- cumstances, the paternal heart of Ignatius was moved, and he immediately obtained for him the sum necessary for the continuance of his course in the University of Paris. For these disinterested fa- vors, Bobadilla not only returned the most cordial expressions of gratitude, but was so charmed by the manner in which they were conferred, and con- ceived so lofty an estimation of his saintly bene- factor, that he determined to rank himself among the number of his disciples, with Faber, Xavier, and the others.* Having gone through all the requisite preliminaries, he pronounced his solemn vows with his companions — as has been stated before — on the festival of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin, A. D. 1534. * Orlaaid. Ub. i. n. 88. NICHOLAS BOBADILLA. 225 From the frank and unaffected disposition evinced in the incipient career of Bobadilla, the reader may anticipate the character of his future greatness. On the former was based the latter ; and he is no less admirable in the one, than illus- trious and ever-memorable in the other. The breast that does not foster the elements of can- dor and ingenuousness can never be the seat of magnanimous aspirations. Had Bobadilla nursed in his the morbid sentiments of false pride, or mau- vaise horde, he would have sunk into a miserable state of apathy, and neither the history of the Church nor of the Society would have treasured his name, and enshrined his memory, among the great and saintly apostles of the sixteenth cen- tury.* * "Era giovane, di quanto e ingegno e Bcienze naturale e divine, fornito piu che a sufflcienza. Pol quive stesso e in Italia, venuto fonnandoei nella vita epirituale, sotto la disci- plina del Santo, deviene in veritj. uomo di riuscire a cose grandi in servigio della Cliiesa : perocchS attemperandosi in lui la grama alia natura, come per questa era di compessione fgcoso, coal per quella, di spirito a maraviglia zelante ; e i tempi che aUora correvano disordinatissimi per la tanta liberta o del vivere, o ancora del credere abl)isogna- vano, per ammenda, di troppa piu gagliarda, ohe non sarebbe mestieri in altra meno disordinata stagione." BartoU, libr. iu. p. 234. 226 NICHOLAS BOBADILLA. Ignatius; who with almost a prophet's intuition read the distinctive qualities of his disciples, descried in Bobadilla the spirit of conciliation and peace : and in their dispersion over the world, to him was allotted a mission of this twofold char- acter, to the island of Ischia, in the kingdom of Naples. Among certain noble.and powerful person- ages of that place, a fatal animosity had broken out, which was as pernicious as it was scandal- ous.* The happy result amply realized the san- guine presentiments of Ignatius : and, although the nature of these quarrels so auspiciously ad- justed by Bobadilla is not specified by our historian, nevertheless, as that eloquent writer remarks, " it afforded an earnest of his future tact and prudence, and constituted a bright preliminary to his splendid achievements in Germany." f It was the manifest disposition of events by Divine Providence that pointed out the destination of Bobadilla. When the distant portals of the East were opened to the missionary labors of * Id. lib. ii. n. 79. Bobadilla in ^naiiam ab urbe mitti- tnt regni Neqpolitani insulam ad condliandam pacem inter graves illustresque viros. t Specimen suae dabat industrise quaa postea latissimmn Germania nacta campum, tanto liberius exourreret, quanto jam cohibita vidibatur angustiis. Ibid. n. 81. NICHOLAS BOBADILLA. 227 the Jesuits, it was the intention of Ignatius to charge him — as one best fitted — ^with that mo- mentous trust. With this view, he -was recalled from ^naria to Eome, in the beginning of the year 1540. Laboring, though he was, under a severe illness, and wasted with the fatigues of his long journey, still he showed himself ready and desirous, at the command of Heaven, to depart at once, upon the almost returnless voyage for which he was selected. But the opportunity of sailing being urgent, and the fleet in ' readiness, ere he had time to recover from his indisposition, the lot, which by human ordination had been intended for him, was, by Divine interposition, transferred upon another. No matter what glorious hopes the de- parture to the Indies of such a man might have kindled up in the Church, the splendid and almost miraculous achievements of the apostle who was substituted in his place not only remove all regret at the change, but afford the subject of immortal gratitude to God, and glory unsurpassed to Francis Xavier.* Bobadilla arrived in Germany, hardly conva- lescent from his recent sickness, and proceeded to Inspruck, where King Ferdinand was residing * Id. n. 88. 228 NICHOLAS BOBADILLA. with his children. There, forgetful of his weafc ness, with intrepid zeal, he began his laborious career, and by his private conferences with the nobles, as weU as the other public functions of the ministry, he devoted himself to the sal- vation of the people. The court being, after- wards, transferred to Vienna, he obtained access to the sovereign himself, by whom he was re- ceived with a gracious welcome, and encouraged to continue his exertions for the cause of reli- gion. Wherefore, he resumed, with renewed fervor, his public instructions, and the other functions of the mission. He preached, gave lectures explanatory of the ancient faith, cate- chised the young and ignorant, devoted hours, stolen from his almost incessant occupations, to the confessional, and thus effected many conver- sions, even among Jews and Turks. What added the crown to aU his other actions, was the fortunate effect of his conference with the king, who, animated by "his vigorous and ardent expostulations, supported the cause of religion, and prevented the evil which menaced it at Eatisbonne.* So intimately did he possess the favor and friendship of the monarch, that at * Lib. iii. n. 64. NICHOLAS BOBADILLA. 229 Vienna, whither he was ordered to follow the court, he was not permitted to leave it ; but became the cherished and venerated inmate of the palace.* Whilst engaged in the rigid and multifarious offices of his ministry, in that great capital ; whilst, with potent and eloquent energy, he main- tained and vindicated the tenets of the holy Cath- olic Church, he was suddenly challenged by a famous Lutheran doctor to a controversial encoun- ter. The source from which it emanated — ^the standing of the individual who stood forth as his antagonist — the circumstances of his own position — the public expectation — ^the offended majesty of Truth — the honor of the Priesthood — the character of the Society — rendered it necessary 1 ir him to set aside the strong repugnance, ill ordinary cases, of publicly meeting on the arena of dogmatic disputation a presumptuous op- ponent. There are times, when, for a Divine, thoroughly competent to the task, to refuse the contest, would be as deserving of reproach, as for a person not perfectly armed with the weapons of learning and moderation to accept, under any cir- * Lib. iv. n. 27. In Eegia curia cominoiabatur sequS earns, utilisque pToceribus. 20 230 NICHOLAS BOBADILLA. cumstances. The former produces striking and solemn good : the latter generates mischief, and leaves no other impression on the public conviction, but that of temerity and defeat. Bobadilla was driven upon the arena ; but not without feeling himself equal to the conspicuous and, generally, dangerous attempt. He was actu- ated by no ostentatious desire of exhibiting his powers of elocution, or his abilities for argument, or his research and erudition. There was mixed in his pure motives no alloy of vain-glory, no secret self-complacency. His were the motives of an apostle — a germane disciple of Ignatius — an humble follower of Jesus : and impelled by these, and these alone, how could he come off from the field of con- troversy otherwise than victorious, and by common consent, covered and graced with the laurels' of triumph ? The personage by whom the gauntlet was thrown at Bobadilla's feet was a fautor of Lutheranism, more distinguished by the nobility of his birth than by the sincerity of his faith. He held the rank of the King's Counsellor, but since his defec- tion from the ancient faith was looked upon with unfavorable eyes by the monarch. Envious of the favor and friendship displayed by the court to- wards Bobadilla, this disaffected nobleman did not NICHOLAS BOBADILLA. 231 hesitate to declare that he was willing to argue the subject of religion with that celebrated Jesuit in presence of arbiters and judges ; avowing, that should they decide against him, he would be wil- ling to submit : if in his favor, that he should be allowed to hold his station in court, and to persist in his doctrines.* The king assented to the proposition, nominated seven judges, and summoned Bobadilla to the con- test. The occasion precluded the possibility of his refusing to obey the summons. No alternative was left to his discretion, no choice permitted to his judgment. The sacred cause of religion de- manded his defence. The enthusiasm of the nobles was excited on the subject. The. king called upon him as the champion of the Church, and the city was in suspense to witness the important spectacle. In God did Bobadilla place his trust ; his heart yearned for the salvation of the sheep that had wandered from the fold of Christ, and, with the hope of bringing back at least some of the number, he presented himself, at the call of the monarch, upon the arena, before his stern antagonist. The king and most of the nobles were spectators to * Id. n. 37. The descriptioa of this controversy is admi- rably detailed in the above reference. See it passim. 232 NIGHOLAS BOBADILLA. the novel scene, hanging on the disputation with intense anxiety for the event. The controversy soon vs-axed ardent and vehement. Argument was met by argument, authority by authority. But as the power of truth — vindicated as it was by the athlefa of orthodoxy — could not be cloven down by any violence of error ; nor its majesty be tarnished by the conceits and inventions of human opinion ; nor its identification with the Holy, Apostolic, and Roman Church be severed apart by the logic of calunlny or aspersion ; the disputation was necessarily of very brief duration. Vanity was crushed by verity ; the impiety of the disciple of Luther, by the orthodoxy of the disciple of Ignatius, who detected and confuted not less' than fifty heresies in the doctrines of his adversary. The vain apologist of Lutheranism was silenced and confounded, and, by unanimous acclamation, Bobadilla was hailed as his unquestionable vic- tor.* But still, with his stake, it cannot be supposed that the Lutheran admitted his defeat. He had more to say — therefore he imagined his argument- ative ammunition had not given out : his store of * Bellus i^tur Lutheri sectator, et tali dignus magistro, omnium calculis, suffragiisque damnatur. Id. ibid. NICHOLAS BOBADILLA. 233 misrepresentation had not been exhausted — conse- quently he did not feel himself bound by the obli- gation he had made, but forgotten — or, rather, dis- regarded. On the contrary, to defeat he added pervicacity ; and to error, perfidy^ The equitable sentence of the umpires touching his erroneous doctrines he obstinately rejected, charged them with perjury, pertinaciously affirmed that he would never change his opinions, nor be any other than he had always been, — the uncompromising enemy of the Ancient Eeligion.* The king, astonished not so much at the perti- nacity as at the impudence of the man, who had drawn up his own conditions for the controversy, and now refused to abide honorably by them, ban- ished him from court, and condemned him to be shut up within the inclosure of a monastery. There, stung with remorse, and impatient of the disgrace he had brought upon himself, with his own hands he attempted to put an end to his existence. The wound, however — and most providentially and mer- * Ibid. Was not tMs disputant an accomplished exem- plar of thousands of more recent date ? Professing to be open to conviction, and sincere in the "inquiry after truth ; and yet obstinate when convinced, and, witli a spiteful em- brace, hugging error to their bosoms. 234 NICHOLAS BOBADILLA. cifully was the escape ordained — did not inconti- nently prove fatal. Mercifully, indeed, was this designed by Providence : for, from the stroke which was intended to produce death, life and safety sprang. Weltering in his blood, he beheld the light of heaven shining upon his dark and despe- rate spirit. Instantly all was changed. His ob- stinacy relented ; his conscience was wrung with sorrow for his crime ; he repented, retracted his errors, and submitted, with humble acquiescence, to the venerable Church from whose pale he had wan- dered, and to whose bosom he now came back, to die — a sincere penitent, and a signal object of the Divine clemency.* Meantime, the Diet was now in session at Nu- remberg, at which, in order to protect the rights of religion, the Bishop of Caserta was present as Apos- tolic Nuncio. Bobadilla, whose, fame the recent dis- putation had spread to the extreme limits of the empire, accompanied that prelate, and, through deep snows and the dangers of pestilence, pro- ceeded in safety to the destined place. By his counsel and prudence the Nuncio was governed and directed in the Diet : and although his stay there was brief, the unremitting zeal of Bobadilla * Id. ibid. NICHOLAS BOBADILLA. 235 prompted him to scour the whole city, and visit all the churches. In his missionary functions he was consoled to perceive, that the clergy were more regular and less dissolute than in some other places, and hound by a strpnger chain to the reli- gion of their ancestors. To the city of Nuremberg, and that whole district of Germany, his exertions proved of infinite advantage. With the Lutheran minister — there was but one in the city — he be- came familiar, and won over his confidence and friendship to such a degree, that there was every reason to hope, could he have remained longer in the city, that he would have brought over to the true faith that individual, in character and sentiment totally different from the cunning and refractory Bucer.* But after the rising of the Diet — the ses- sion was short — ^he was obliged to return to Vienna with the Nuncio, where he was greeted by the king and court, and received with no ordinary de- * Id. n. 28. Of this minister Orlandinus asserts, that lie possessed " facile, et ad honum omne flexibile ingeniTim." The same author styles Bucer, " vafrum atque prse&actum." Wherever good and noble qualities exist, the Catholic, care- fally separating them from the errors of the individual, will be the first to acknowledge and praise them. Charity for- bids him to believe that every teacher of erroneous doctrine is perversely insincere. 23G NICHOLAS BOBADILLA. monstrations of honor. To narrate all that he did in that grand metropolis for the advancement of God's glory, would be an exhaustless task : one thing, however, must be mentioned, — ^that a noble German of very high distinction, who had, during many years past, been not only neglectful of the sacraments, but also notorious for his depraved habits of conduct, and who had withstood the re- monstrances of the king, as well as the frequent solicitations of his friends, was brought to yield to one single conference with Bobadilla, and to em- brace a Christian mode of life.* His sojourn at Vienna was not long. Another Diet was convened at Spires, and thither he was sent, to accompany the Bishop of Passau, the rep- resentative of the monarch, as one so generally known to Catholics and Protestants, and whose, prudence and counsel would greatly benefit the public weal. The prelate, aided by the wisdom of the Father, having succeeded to the entire satis- faction of the king, petitioned that Bobadilla might be permitted to visit Passau. The request was granted ; and the magnanimous Jesuit plunged at once, as it were, into the centre of that diocese, and, with his wonted ardor, performed inestima- » Id. n. 39. NICHOLAS BOBADILLA. 237 ble good. The prelate, aware of the influence and authority that he exercised over the people, made abundam use of them both ; and would have taken him again to another Diet at Spires, to assist, by his erudition and experience, the assembled bishops who were to consult for the sacred cause of religion. This distinction he did not accept, on the ground that it could not be conferred except by the au- thority of the Sovereign Pontiff. Accordingly, he remained at Passau, engaged in the functions of the holy ministry ; when the honor, which he dared not admit when proffered by the Bishops, was sud- denly forced upon him by the Cardinal Alexander Parnesius, then Legate of the Holy See at Spires. With the genuine spirit of his order, he obeyed, and took his place in that august Convention among the great and wise. To the king and court this circumstance afforded special satisfaction, whilst, at the same time, it was peculiarly bene- ficial to the cause of truth, which he vindicated by his sacred eloquence, and illustrated by his saint- like example.* * Inspruck, Spires, Cologne, Worms, Nuremberg, and other cities, whioli were exposed to be infected with the Lu theran heresies, were saved hy his preaching, conferences, and all-embracing zeal ; looking for no earthly reward, 238 NICHOLAS BOBADILLA. The Diet having broken up, there ensued a con- tention among the prelates, which of them should take to his diocese this extraordinary man. But as he came with the Bishop of Passau, with him he proposed to return — and thence again to Vienna, whither the king had also repaired * There, be- sides his accustomed sermons, he studied, with the co-operation of the monarch, to regulate the man- ners of the pastors and doctors according to the norma of ancient discipline ; but nothing would he undertake without the approbation, likewise, of the bishops, whose authority he strenuously asserted, and whose character he invariably held up to the highest veneration of the faithful.f On this ac- count, when the king addressed him a letter from Passau, requesting him to visit the monasteries of Austria, he freely replied, that he could not, without Bpuming honors, and using the glory of the court of Fer- dinand and Charles V. " as if he used them not :" living always under the simple and holy influence of his vocation. " Spregiator," writes Bartoli, " degli onori, e quel che solo gli rimaneva, ancor della propria vita in pro della vita eterna de prossimi." (P. 335.) What more perfect char- acter could be portrayed for the admiration of the world, and the honor of the Society, which he loved as his mother ? * Id. n. 114, 115, 116. t Id. n. 116. NICHOLAS BOBADILLA. 239 the consent of the prelates. And again, when nominated by the same power to attend at the fa- mous Synod of Worms, he declined to comply, un- til the nomination was sanctioned by the Holy See ; at whose bidding he departed without delay, and acted a part in that Convention which added fresh laurels to his fame, and reflected new lustre upon the Society of Jesus. To Worms he was duly deputed with the Apos- tolic Nuncio, Jerome Verallo : Jaius, v his compan- ion, having accompanied the Bishop of Augs- burg. Baffled in his eflbrts, disappointed in his hopes, of consolidating.the elements of religion at Ratisbonne, Nuremberg, and Spires, Ferdinand persuaded himself that the object might ultimately be attained at Worms. But, unfortunately, up to this date (it had been convened a year before), no salutary purpose was achieved : no efficacious barrier was raised against the inroads, no sanatory antidote prescribed against the errors, of Luther- anism. In the effectuation of this twofold object, all the vigilance, aU the energies of Bobadilla were called up. With unbending determination he stood forth in vindication of the Church, laboriously care- ful to prevent any thing — in a Council at which were present the emperor and his brother Ferdi- nand, together with a large number of noblemen — 24r0 NICHOLAS BOBADILLA. from escaping, that might be, in the least, injurious to the orthodoxy of the ancient faith, or the majesty of the Holy See. But despite his powerful co- operation and tha.t of his associate Jaius, the Council, though prolonged, had not the happy ter- mination that had been anticipated. Nothing, how- ever, was decreed against the Catholic Church, nor ■ was the proposal of the Lutherans admitted, to have a National Convention, although they were more numerous and more powerful than the ortho- dox.* * Lib. V. n. 38, 29, 30, 31. Ail these Diets of Germany ended unfortunately. That of Spires had passed a decree, banishing from the dominions all the Saciamentarians and Anabaptists ; restoring the celebration of .Mass, and requir- ing that the gospels should be explained according to the interpretation of the Fathers of the Church. Against this decree the Lutherans protested, as contrary to Evangelical liberty ; and hence they derived the name of Protestants. This protestation was confirmed, in the Diet of Augsburg, by the aid — powerful indeed— of Melancthon, in the Articles presented to Charles V., commonly called the " Confesaoa of Augsburg." This was subscribed by all the Lutheran Princes in Germany, who afterwards formed a league at Smalkald, to defend their sect hy force of arms. Alarmed by this confederacy on one hand, and the formidable power of the Turks now menacing him on the other, the emperor convened the Diet of Eatisbonne ; where he entered into a NICHOLAS BOBADILLA. 241 It pleased God, however, whose providence often draws good from evil, to turn this Synod to a favorable account, in a twofold manner : first, by inducing the emperor, who had a fair opportu- nity of testing the obstinacy and impracticability of the Dissenters, to restrain and repress them more 'effectually than before. Secondly, by stimu- lating the zeal and solicitude of the pastors them- selves, who having witnessed the arts and re- sources of so many "wolves in sheep's clothing," rendered them more vigilant over the flock com- mitted to their sacred care. In the year 1546, •Bobadilla — then laboring at kind of armistice mtli tie Lutherans, by issuing a procla- mation forMdding any one to lie molested in religious mat- ters, until the General Council should he convoked. It was held at Trent ; but its authority and decrees were set aside and opposed by those very men who, at first, affected to be willing to submit to both. It should be carefully remarked and remembered, that the recourse to aims was the act of the Protestant princes ; de- termined to propagate their opinions by violence. At the head of this league were John Frederick, Duke of Saxony, and Philip, Landgrave of Hesse. The particulars of this religious war — in which the emperor was victorious — are related by Sleiden, libr. xvii., xviii., and six. See Natalia Alexander, Select. Hist. Eccles. cap. &c. &c., tom. 24. Dissert. Ssec. x-vi. p. 245. 21 242 NICHOLAS BOBADILLA. Cologne for the salvation of souls — ^was again re- quired to accompany the king, to whom he was very dear, to the city of Katisbonne, where an- other Synod had convened. The object of this Synod was to conciliate, if possible, the Protest- ants, and prepare them to recognize the (Ecumen- ical Council of Trent, already convoked, but not by them admitted as such. Of this Synod, all the acts were to be referred to the General Council.* Besides the other occupations of BobadiUa, he found time to compose a work entitled " On the Conscience of a Christian," which, on appointed days, he explained in a series of discourses, in the Latin tongue, to a numerous concourse of learned and noble men, — Germans, Italians, French, and Spaniards .f .The licentious doctrine on which Luther had erected the superstructure of the miscalled Ee- formation was the assumed and arrogant right of Private Judgment. Had this pretension confined itself within the boundaries of dogmatic theories, the evil might have required no other check but that of the spiritual sword : but the state began to suffer from it ; the peace of the nation, the es- tablished order and system of government, the insti- * Lib. vi. n. 53, 64. f Id. ibid. NICHOLAS BOBADILLA. 243 tutions, which had, from immemorial ages, been regarded and respected by the people, were seri- ously menaced. If a set of theological dema- gogues, acting vmder the nnrestrained influence of Private Judgment, woiild throw into confusion, and even subvert, the elements and foundations of religion ; driven on by the same wild impulse, and shielding their lawless passions under the same vaunted aegis of human liberty, they will not fail to disorganize and destroy the social and political institutions of government. The emperor, unable to preserve the ancient order and secure the peace of Germany by legislative decrees, or tolerant offers of conciliation, was Compelled to unsheath the tem- poral sword, and declare war against the domestic enemies of their country.* Bobadilla, who had so often contended for the Faith on the arena of controversy and theological dispute, was now, contrary to his pacific disposi- tions, but in obedience to the will of his superiors, destined to mingle in the tumult and horrors of the camp. Not, indeed, himself to wield the sword, but to dispense the consolations of religion, to en- courage the despondent, to absolve the penitent, to * The reader must not forget the league of SmcUkald; and the tolerant enactments of the Diet of Ratisbonne. 244: NICHOLAS BOBADILLA. attend the sick and -wounded, and to watch ovei the dying, and bury the dead. By the Cardinal Farnesins he was placed at the head of the hospi- tal, within whose walls the bodies of the wounded and dying were brought. With such wasting and intense solicitude he devoted himself to these offices of mercy, that he sank under their pressure, and was prostrated with illness. And yet, when unable to stand erect upon his feet, from debility, he might be seen creeping from bed to bed, ad- ministering consolation and the sacraments to the wretched victims, and unhappy himself only from not being able to afford all the aid and attention which his generous heart desired to bestow. To him, whose soul was burning with charity, noth- ing was difficult, nothing arduous. My pen cannot describe his fervor in exhorting, his gentleness in reproving, his assiduity in hearing confessions, his patience, resignation, humility, and cheerfulness in all things.* On his route back to Eatisbonne, Heaven gave him an opportimity of adding to the store ' of his long suffering and mortification which he had ac- cumulated in the camp. He was captured by rob- bers, despoiled of all his effects, severely beaten, Id. n. 55, 56. NICHOLAS BOBADILLA. 245 and perhaps would have been murdered had he not been rescued by three Italians who accidentally happened to pass that way* But the faithful servant of God was not without the highest re- ward — ^for the estimation of his sovereign, and the favor of the Holy See, might, in truth, be thus denominated. Indeed, as far as the inmost acknowledgment of the value of both could extend, he felt that they were no common remuneration, and he was grateful. But when, as a testification of the one and the other, the emperor held out the mitre to his acceptance, he shrank from the dig- nity with characteristic greatness of soul, and replied, "that he had been called by Grod to the Society of Jesus, not to receive honors and dis- tinctions, but to practise poverty, and lead a life of humility." f It was the desire of Ferdinand to appoint Boba- dilla as. a theologian in the Council of Trent, but finding his services so indispensable in the camp, he did not deem it prudent to remove him. Mean- * Id. n. 57. f Testatus se a Deo non ad honorem et amplitudinem, sed ad paupertatis humilitatem obscuiamque potiiis vitam faisse vocatum. Id. n. 58. Who now will presume to assert, that the followers of Ignatius were ambitious and power-loving men ? 31* 216 NICHOLAS BOBADILLA. while, the justice of Heaven, as if conspiring with the efforts of the monarch and the solicitude of the Sovereign Pontiff, fell suddenly and heavily upon the author of all the calamities and errors which af&icted and agitated both Church and State. Luther, the apostate monk, after indulging freely and gayly in the luxuries of a supper, and spend- ing the evening, as he was wont,, to a very late hour in amusement, was seized with a mortal ill- ness, during the night, and plunged into eternity.* * Orlandiiras, in Bpeaking of this event, makes use of very strong, and, to the superficial admirer of Luther, very harsh language. But he speaks as a faithful historian, a contem- porary, and under a perfect knowledge of all the facts and circumstances connected with his pretended Keformation. The hest modern writers on this subject, even among Pro- testants, agree, in the main points, with Orlandinus : and concur with him in the conviction, that Martin Luther was a scourge to religion, and ^ man disgraced with the worst crimes. In confirmation of this, we need refer only to his own contemporaries and fellow-reformers. Hospinian de- clared that Ae was absolutely mad : that " he combated truth against aU justice, and against the ciy of his own conscience." CEJcolampadius affirmed that he was "puffed up with pride and arrogance, and seduced by Satan." Zuinglius averred, that "the Devil had made himself nmster of Luther to such a degree, as to make one believe that he wished to gain entire possession of him." NICHOLAS BOB AD ILL A. 247 But alas 1 the evil which he occasioned did not expire with him. The seed of error and disunion which his recreant hands scattered over the field of the Church took root, deep root, and the fruit was hitter and noxious indeed. The storm of the Reformation had raged violently in Germany, and, in its fury, overturned many of the time-honored and consecrated institutions of Catholic antiquity. "Everywhere," exclaims Orlandinus, "we behold altars laid low, monasteries desecrated and de- stroyed, sacred things profaned, and the dire ves- tiges of the most horrible crimes impressed upon the fairest portions of Europe. Wherefore," he adds, "it becomes our members to unite their strongest energies in order to extirpate, if possible, the fatal evil ; for they may rest assured that a war has only commenced against the Catholic Church which wiU continue for ages."* A veridical prophet has he, unfortunately, proved. Three centuries have witnessed the fatal battle Calvin said tliat Lather had done nothing to the pur- pose called his Bchool a pigstp, addressed him with the courteous epithet of dog, madman, huge beast, See., &c. See the " Amicahle Discussion," torn. i. p. 69, 70. * Id. n. 59. Here is the secret of the enmity of Protes- tantism to the Society of Jesus, which was established for the avowed purpose of warring against its errors. 248 NICHOLAS BOBADILLA. ■which the spirit of the Eeformation has been carry- ing on against the spirit of Truth and Union: a battle ■which has covered the -world -with devasta- tion, crimsoned nations V7ith blood, retarded the advancement of light, letters, morals, civilization, and liberty. This is no exaggerated or unjustifi- able language. The entire world begins to feel its truth, while the most learned and candid Pro- testants themselves deplore the event, as uncalled for and unnecessary, and fraught with miserable consequences.* Would to God, that they who have begun to trace back their way to the an- cient Catholic Church, may not desist from their labors nntil they bring about a perfect union with the Supreme Head on earth, the Vicar of Jesus Christ I The war in Germany had now ceased. The Duke of Saxony and thd landgrave had yielded to the victorious power of the emperor, and the Cath- olic cause began to flourish anew. Bobadilla's zeal glowed out ■with intense fervor. At Passau, he preached, during Lent, in the Latin language, in presence of the amiable prelate ; and exerted all his eloquence, likewise, at Eatisbonne, where many of the senators and citizens were infected * See Ward's " Ideal of a Christian Caiurch." NICHOLAS BOBADILLA. 249 with the Lutheran errors. Such was the efficacy ■ of his discourses, that he obtained a public and solemn celebration in thanksgiving for the em- peror's triumph over the enemies of the Church and empire, and effected the restoration of many Cath- olic ceremonies which had so long been suspend- ed.* To buUd up again what had been overturned and ruined by the fury of the Reformation, he went from place to place, visited church after church, remaining .stationary nowhere, but, like a true Apostle, and a true Jesuit, fulfilling his vocation by traversing various parts for the promotion of God's greater glory .f Checked in his ardent course by the hand of sickness, he returned to Vienna, where EeUgion had resumed her pristine reign and ancient magnificence. At Cologne, too, a fairer aspect began to ap- pear : Hermannus, the long vacillating, but, at length, unfaithful Bishop, was driven from his see. In a former chapter, I had occasion to bring this personage before the reader's attention, and to show how lubriciously he had comported himself * Lib. vii. n. 39. f " Nostras vocationis est diversa loca peragraie," is one of the cardinal maxims of the Society, embodied hy Ignatius in his general rules. 250 NICHOLAS BOBADILLA. in his relation with Peter Faber.* He now threw off the mask, and avowed himself a Lirtheran. In consequence of which apostasy, he was deposed and degraded by the Sovereign Pontiff ; and in his place was substituted Adolphus, of the ancient family of the Counts of Scaueburg, a man adorned with great personal qualifications, and a staunch asserter of the religion of his ancestors. With his exertions, Bobadilla, and the Society generally, co- operated firmly ; and, with the blessing of Heaven, they produced, in a short time, a general change throughout the German empire.f Bobadilla, whilst he did not cease preaching to the Spanish and Italian courtiers, or relax his devotion to the duties of the confessional, found leisure to compose several works on religious subjects. By the nobil- ity he was emulously sought after ; for they felt convinced, that if ever his labors had been neces- sary, they were, perhaps, more necessary this year than ever ; when, after the victory obtained over the Lutheran insurgents, many of the minis- ters and leaders, even in Saxony, evinced a desire to return to the ancient faith. The number of those who abjured their errors is, indeed, extra- ordinary. Two of the electors, being at Augsburg k . . * See Chap. ii. t ^^- '^- ^- 40. NICHOLAS BOBADILLA. 251 with their wives, during Lent, assisted during the ■whole of that penitential season at the solemni- ties of the Church. One of them — ^the Elector of Brandeburg — ^forbade the use of flesh-meat in his dominions ; in conformity with the spirit of the Church, ordered the re-establishment of confes- sions, the frequentation of the Eucharist, and pro- mised to restore, in due time,' all the other religious ordinances and practices which the Eeformation had ruthlessly swept away from the land. The example of the orthodox — especially of the Span- ish and Italian nobles — ^was of great advantage to the Germans. In vast numbers, and with extreme fervor, did they crowd to the Lenten exercises, and perform acts of severe mortification, to the aston- ishment of the Lutherans. At Ulm, more than seven thousand Germans approached the holy table, and the august sacrifice of the Mass was again ofiered up, after having been long suppressed and forbidden.* Bobadilla continued at 'Cologne until the year 1548, when, from motives of conscience, he found it necessary to depart for Eome. A work had re- cently been published explanatory of the Catholic doctrines and discipline, in which certain proposi- * lib. viai n. 34. 25S NICHOLAS BOBADILLA. tions were advanced, not in rigid conformity with sound principles — in the estimation of this pro- found theologian. He, consequently, ever acting under the influence of sacred duty, deemed himself ohliged to object to it, which he did both in word and writing. Beloved, as he was by the court, nevertheless, with the view of establishing con- cord, before the emperor's departure into Belgium, the imperial ministers advised him to leave the kingdom : a sentence which he recei-^ed with the more composure and resignation, as he regarded it more glorious to please God, in a just cause, than to yield to the caprice of men. The stand he took was confirmed by the Holy See, which could not but disapprove of the character of that concord ; and the magnanimity he displayed in the circumstances connected with his departure to the Eternal City, caused him to be received there with every mark of admiration and respect by the Sov- ereign Pontiff and the venerable Ignatius.* * This book had been issued with the approhation of the emperor, who, however, referred its contents to the decision of the Council of Trent. The learned Catholic doctors, and especially BobadiUa, deemed it necessary to speak out forth- with, as some essential matters were, more or less, compro- mised. On this account he Incurred the displeasure of the oscillating ministers, and was advised to quit the kingdom. NICHOLAS BOBADILLA. 253 At Kome, partly within doors and partly with- out, he strenuously labored, until, in company with Father Michael Ochioa, he set out for Naples, where they lodged with the Benedictine monks. Immediately he opened a course of lectures in the church, in which, three times a week, he explained the epistle of St. Paul to the Eomans. As yet no college had been erected at Naples ; and though such an establishment was vehemently desu-ed by the citizeiis, the municipal oflBcers and the nobUity had not taken any measures to commence it. In the mean while, the season of Lent coming on, Bobadilla delivered the usual sermons in an ele- gant and elaborate style. The fruit evinced itself in the crowds that rushed to the sacred trib- une.* After Pentecost, he visited, not without great advantage, the neighboring dioceses, inflaming with devotion the hearts of the faithful by his fer- vid discourses, and instructing the children in the The Holy See condemned the book, and sustained Bobadilla in the answer he had published against it. Consult Grave- son, Hist. Ecd. torn. vii. p. 83. This book was entitled "Ad Interim," and created a general scandal among all thinking Catholics. See Bartoli, Ub.iu.p.326. Id. n. 35. * lib. ix. n. 33. 22 254 NICHOLAS BGBADILLA, elements of the ca.techism, and never for a moment deviating from the high and -perfect standard of duty which he had prescribed for himself from the commencement of his career.* The proper authorities having taken in hands the establishment of a college at Naples, it soon rose from its foundation — an ample and magnifi- cent structure — and was finished in the year 1551.f Of this college, Andrew Oviedo had been appointed the first rector, with whom, for a space of time, Bobadilla was afterwards associated. But these two eminent men — ^both conspicuous for their sanc- tity, each in his own way — did not entertain a congenial sentiment with regard to the external apparatus of discipline. The former was consid- ered rather rigid by the latter, who conceived that discipline should not consist so much in the minu- tiae and details of the rules, as in a habit of solid virtue, and strict fulfilment of essential duty. Oviedo maintained a contrary opinion, in which he was supported by Ignatius, who took occasion to express how dangerous would be the experiment of disregarding small things, and scrupulously * " Ubique semper strenuus," writes Orlandinus, " sem- per em. similis Bobadilla." Ibid, f See the preceding chapter. NICHOLAS BOBADILLA. 255 practising greater. The wise decision of the holy founder of the Institute has ever since governed his disciples. The lenity of Bobadilla will always be considered as a mere disposition of charity to others, whilst every circumstance in his life so convincingly bears testimony of extreme rigor towards his own person. If, then, in his estima- tion of the proper character of general principles of discipline, he fell into an error, it was an amiable error ; and his obedience in submitting his own ideas to the wisdom of their common father, Ignatius, and ever after abiding by his decision, displays again before our view the .original frank- ness and simplicity which marked and character- ized his early life. It began in humility, and ended in obedience ; admirable in both, and in both a perfect model of imitation for the Society to all succeeding times.* * Bartoli does not hesitate to censure the conduct of Bo- badUla, and comment on it with the freedom of a candid critic and historian. He attributes it to the infocato spirito del BdbadigUa; regretting "that he was not, when in peace, equal to himself, as when in war." Father Oviedo he styles, uomo santo, e maestro di grcmde isperienza nelle cose delP ammo. (P. 227.) I do not enter into the very grave and singular dispute 256 NICHOLAS BOBADILIiA. ■which Bobadilla carried on after the death of Saint Igna- tius with Laynez. It 'will be sufficient to remark with Bartoli, that it is passing strange to see that otherwise great and excellent man contending for a trifling superior- ity in his order, after having so generously repudiated the mitre and crozier, offered him by Ferdinand. His exertions for the Church did not, however, relax during the remaining portion of his life. He survived three QeneraJs besides Ignatius, and, -worn out with labors, expired in peace at Loretto, on the 23d of September, A. D 1580. He -was the last survivor of the nine. After his death, it was discovered from his manuscripts that he had delivered seventy-seven sermons in Italy, Sicily, and Dal- matia, and a hundred and fifty-eight in other places. He was eminent for. his virtues, espedally that of evangelical poverty. He often predicted that he would survive all his companions ; and when jocosely asked why, in the papal brief in which the Institute was confirmed, his name was placed last, his answer was, because he would be the last one among them to die. See Tanner, p. 231. SIMON EODEIGUEZ. HIS FIRST COMPANIONS. CHAPTER VII. SIMON RODRIGUEZ. 61MOH BoDBiGVEZ. — 13 nnmbered among the Nino. Is selected fir the Indies. Departs to Portugal. Is there detained. Converts the Am- bassador ftom the Indies. His trials at Lisbon. Is made Tutor to the Son of the King. Is created Provincial. Is called to Rome. Is ap- pointed to preside over the Province of Aragon. Is recalled to Rom& His severe trials. His extrome humility. Another shining example to his brethren for all succeeding times. Among the Alumni of the Academy of Philoso- phy at Paris, in the year 1528, there was a Portu- guese in the flower of youth, and conspicuous for his brilliant talents. He held his place in that far-famed Institution by the special favor of his sovereign. His acquaintance with Ignatius was of an earlier date than that of Xavier, Laynez, or Bobadilla. And by associating with that holy and ardent servant of God, he caught, at once, the flame of sympathy, and felt bis heart glowing with 260 SIMON EODEIGUEZ. a desire to abandon all terrene objects, and dedi- cate himself to the perfect service of the Most High. To him he communicated his inmost senti- ments, revealed his secret aspirations, and entered, with a sacred enthusiasm, into all his views and designs. Thus was added a sixth companion to the number already treated of — ^in the person of Simon Eodriguez, born of respectable parents, at BuzeUa, in Portugal.* After the nine had formed themselves into a re- ligious .and organized body — ^under the obligation of vows which they made, and renewed — Divine Providence decreed that they should not remain in the capital of France, but should scatter themselves — and thus propagate the Society — over the world. A fierce war broke out, after the death of- Francis Sporzia, between the Spaniards and French, on account of the principality of Milan ; and the emperor, Charles V., had burst into the province with a powerful army. This was the cause why the first companions jof Ignatius quitted Paris ear- lier than they otherwise would have done. What- ever remained of their effects, they distributed among the poor ; and in the month of Decem- ber, 1536, the memorable dispersion occurred.f * Orlandin. lib. i. n. 88. f Id. n. 104. SIMON EODEIGUEZ. 261 Clad in coarse long gowns — the ordinary form of dress among the Parisian Academicians — each carrying his own package of books, might have been seen these wondrous men, staff in hand, and barefoot, pursuing their arduous journey. From the fatigue and hardship, Kodriguez fell iU, after having struggled onward four-and-twenty leagues. His feet were blistered and inflamed ; his shoulders laid bare by the burden he bore, and his whole body bruised, from lying at night on the hard boards, or cold ground. Pained as he was from his sores, and wasted with fatigue, his only anxiety and complaint were, lest he might not be able to continue his way with his beloved breth- ren. But God, who led them out of Paris, and sent his angels to guide and support them iW their journey, did not forsake his servants. Eodriguez recovered almost suddenly, and with incredible vigor and alacrity, was enabled to follow on. Every day the three who were in priestly orders — Paber, Jaius, and Broetus — offered the sacrifice of the Mass, and the others received the holy com- munion. Morning and evening, they allotted a space of time for meditation and prayer ; and on the road, either chanted psalms, or entertained one another with spiritual and salutary conversation ; 262 SIMON EODEIGUEZ. and by this pleasing variety relieved the tedium of their journey.* Having subdued one threatening difficulty, Eod- riguez was assaulted, with greater violence, by another. He was followed by three young men on horseback, who having heard of his intention at Paris, hurried thither, with great speed, in order to dissuade him from it ; and learning that he had left the capital, pursued him in hot haste. Of them, one was his brother, and the other a fellow- townsman and friend. With all the arts of per- suasion they besought him to change his mind ; reminded him of the bright hopes that were before him, and entreated him not to rashly waste away his youth in danger, poverty, and ignominy. They called to his remembrance the favor of the king, whicMbe had already liberally experienced in his education, and menaced him with disgrace, and the just punishment of what they termed ingrati- tude. The noble heart of Rodriguez was not to be moved by such expostulations. What recked he * Id. n. 110, 111, In ipso itinere vel ex psalmis decan- tatiant aliquid, vel de Deo a^tab^t inter sese dulda et salutaria coUoquia: hic perenni vicissitudine teedia levabant itineiis. SIMON" RODEIGUEZ. 263 of the world's opinion, who had trodden it under his feet ? or of the pageantry of life, or of the vain promises of ambition ? All these he had sacrificed, and forsworn, when, at the shrine of the Virgin Mary, he told his vows of religions perfection He loved not father or mother more than Christ • and, therefore, was not unworthy of him. He looked not back, after putting his hand to th( plough : he let the dead bury the dead. From his holy purpose, no persuasion could deter him. His brother, bafled in his design, retraced his way, sorrowful and disappointed, to Paris — ^ho joyously and eagerly resumed his journey, with his com- panions.* On entering Lorraine, they were exposed to new trials and dangers. That country was over- run with French troops, which had made a de- scent through il into Belgium, and spread such devastation around, that even the inhabitants themselves were afraid to intrust themselves on the high roads. How these pilgrim-Jesuits es- caped was a subject of wonder to all : little re- flecting " that they walked under the protection of Heaven."f For the soldiery, unrestrained by the * Id. n. 113. NondiUB edocti quantam sit in Dei tutela prasidii. , \ Id. n. 113. 264 SIMON EODEIGUEZ. principles of religion, unchecked by the fear of God, gave loose reins to their rapacity and pas- sions. At Metz, which was surrounded with a military force, they were' permitted, with much difBculty, to pass, under the name of French Aca- demicians. They then proceeded through the frozen regions of Germany, in the depth of winter, in the midst of snow, until they reached Basle, a celebrated but unfortunate city, where hardly a vestige of the ancient religion could be perceived, among the fatal errors of the Eeformation. There Carlostadius ruled with dogmatic tyranny — ^the opponent of Luther and of Kome. Cursed by the former, anathematized by the latter — and yet maintaining a kind of anomalous ascendency, in the vulgar estimation, over the one and the other. A reformist, on Protestant principles, and yet, on the same inconsistent and incoherent principles, disowned and persecuted by the Patriarch of all reformists.* Headed by that recreant monk — ^the first to break his monastic vows — a number of Lutheran minis- ters met the strangers, and instantly proposed a controversy on the disputed points of doctrine. Their object was, evidently, not the desire of seek- * See Audin's Life of Luthei. SIMON EODEIGUEZ. 265 ing after truth, but of provoking a discussion ; and consequently tlie Jesuits, anticipating no good from a contest of that description, contented themselves with an indirect refutation of the calumnies attrib- uted to the Church, by their holy example, their salutary admonitions, their earnest instructionsi So generally were they esteemed, wherever they tarried, that the hospitality not of Catholics only, but of Lutherans also, was generously extended to them.* At Constance, wearied as they were from their journey, the curate, who had taken a wife to his arms, and thrown off the Divine yoke of the Church, came at the head of seven principal citi- zens, and challenged the strangers to a disputa- tion. Prom this they found it impossible to escape, and, therefore, entered upon the controversy with so great ardor and erudition, that the apostate priest was driven to such an extreme, and pursued with such relentless vigor — especially by Laynez — that he was forced to exclaim : " I am hemmed in at all points ! I know not which way to turn 1" f " Why, then, do you follow that sect," retorted one of the Fathers, " which you are not able to defend ?" * Lib. i. n. 113. f Includor imdique, et ubi verser ignoio. Id. ibid. 23 266 SIMON EODRIGUEZ. "To-morrow," he savagely replied, "I will have you bound with irons, and will teach you how to abuse my sect." He then abruptly left them, muttering, I know not what -threats, in the German language. The Jesuits, rejoicing in their triumph over error, disre garded his threats ; for, they were ready to lay down their lives, if necessary, for the faith. The rude menaces evaporated, however, in angry words and oaths.* On the following morning, they were merely required to depart from the city, under the guidance of an individual who treated them with kindness, and accompanied them, to the distance of eight miles, on their way. In the year 1531 they arrived at Venice, and proceeded thence, through Kavenna and Ancona, to the Eternal City, where they were graciously received by the Sovereign Pontiff, Clement VII., as related above.f The merit of Rodriguez coidd not be better un- derstood, than from the fact, that on him Ignatius had originally fixed his eyes as a fit apostle to the * Orlandinus expresses in graphic terms the fuiy of the minister : " Nesdo quid germanic^ cum jnigio efiFutiens," he' writes. Ibid. n. 114. t Chap. iv. SIMON EODEIGUEZ. 267 far-off and perilous mission of the East Indies : and his nomination was, not without mature reflection and deliberation, confirmed by the concurrence of all the other Fathers.* He, accordingly, quitted Kome, and proceeded to Portugal by sea. After a short voyage, he .reached Lisbon, where he found an individual waiting for him, sent by the king, for the purpose of escorting him to the palace. But, requesting the messenger to return his heartfelt thanks to the monarch, he retired to Alcarer, laboring under a quartan fever. He had hardly been there eight days, before he was again sent for by the king, whose desire to see and converse with so extraor- dinary a man was not to be controlled. Eodri- guez consented to gratify it, but on condition that he should be permitted to live according to the spirit of his order, and beg his bread from door to door. The public hospital was, therefore, assigned him for his residence : in which, besides attending the sick, he devoted himself to hearing confessions, and the care of souls.f Three days later, he was joined by Xavier, who had made the journey by land. Both were invited * Lib. a, n. 87. t Id. n. 101. 268 SIMON EODEIGUEZ, to the paiace, where the king and queen listened, with extreme attention and interest, to the history they gave of the rise, progress, institute, and scope of the Society, and the odium and persecution which it had already excited. Among the people, so sedulous was their zeal, so unremitting their exertions, for the salvation of men, that they went, by the name of " the apostles." The king, seeing the unprecedented success of their ministry, by the advice and desire of the nobles, resolved to lay aside the project of the oriental mission, and to re- tain the Fathers in Portugal. Ignatius having been consulted, referred the matter to the Sovereign Pontiff, who left it entirely to the pleasure and de- termination of the monarch. This Ignatius ex- pressed in a letter to the Fathers ; proposing, at the same time, that all difficulty might by obviated by keeping Eodriguez in Portugal, and sending Xavier to the Indies. To this suggestion, the king made no objection, and Xavier was ordered to prepare for his embarkation. Eodriguez, however, after having sounded the intentions of the kingj and finding that all hope of establishing a college in Portugal had, at least for the present, vanished, began to think of secretly flying from Lisbon, and sailing, with his companion, for the East. But this design he could not accomplish : and submit- SIMON EODEIGUEZ. 269 ting to the disposition of Providence, he remained in tiat city, devoting himself to the salvation of the people* By his exertions, a House of Kefuge was erected for the reception of unfortunate wo- men, where they might not only reform their lewd and criminal habits, but, likewise, have the oppor- tunity of practising piety and devotion. This in- stitution was highly approved by the public, and extremely salutary, not only to the penitents them- selves, but to the young men also, of the city, and especially of the university. He received into the Society several distinguished members, among whom were Melchior Nunnius, a celebrated canon- ist and jurist : Consalvez SUveria, son of the Count of Sortella, a youth of mature judgment, acute discernment, and naturally prone to piety — only in his twentieth year ; and Melchior Oarnerio, afterwards Bishop, and a devoted laborer in the island of Macao.* With indefatigable zeal he advanced the cause of religion in the court, where his reputation for sanc- tity awakened a peculiar veneration for his per- son ; and in. the whole region, throughout which he spread the odor of his own example, gained over many souls to God, and dissipated every remnant • Lib. iii. n. 44. t Lib. iv. n. 55 56, 57, 58. 23* 270 SIMON EODEIGUEZ. of prejudice against the Society from the minds of those who were once under its influence, especially in the university of Coimhra. Wherefore, animated by the general feeling, the king resolved to com- mence at once the erection of the college, over the building of which — not to cumber the Father's time with such an occupation — ^he placed, as super- intendent, a skilful and accomplished architect. In order to allow them ample leisure and facilities of attending to their many and arduous duties, Eodriguez associated with the priests a certain number of lay-brothers, who, after the example of those selected by the apostles, should minister at the. table, and take care of the domestic con- cerns.* He excited, moreover, universal attention, by the conversion of the ambassador from the Indies to the court of Lisbon. He visited that remarkable stranger, and endeared himself to him in so inti- mate a manner, that the ambassador listened with interest and pleasure to the doctrines which he taught and explained, yielded to the power of truth,' abandoned his idolatrous rites, and received bap- tism with great fervor and gratitude to God, who deigned, through the agency of Eodriguez, to bring * Lib. iv. n. 59. SIMON EODBIGUEZ. 271 him out of darfcaess into " the admirable light" of the gospel.* Saintly men must have their alternations of pros- perity and persecution : and from this rule Eodri- guez could not be exempted. Calumnies of a se- rious nature were industriously propagated against him and the Society by a certain licentiate of' tho university of Ooimbra, by the name of Ferdinand With the most tranquil composure, and in the deepest silence, he bore them all ; although, by his influence with the king, he might have avenged his innocence with extreme severity. But instead of calling for a just retribution, he implored the monarch to pardon the culprit. The king's jus- tice would not be propitiated even by the prayers of the innocent man. He condemned the base calumniator to be exiled from the kingdom. The nature of the calumnies was as follows : he accused the Society of having forged all the immunities and privileges which its members claimed, and Rodriguez personally with having asserted that they were subject to the Apostolic See only, and not to bishops or ordinaries, to whose tribunal - Id. ibid. " Ergo," -writes our author, " brevi, Deo col. lustrante, se dedit, et nefaria detestatus idola, veterem, pep baptismum, abjecit Adam." 272 SIMON RODBiaUEZ. they were not amenable, by whose authority they were not obligated. Of being independent of all canonical discipline, and bound by no laws, but governed, by the will of Eodriguez alone : who, were it not for the favor and protection of a few, and the flattery and applause of the ignorant, would long since have been deserted by his own, and opposed by the public. These and similar charges were alleged, which now fell, of them- selves, to the ground. For, two letters of-jte Holy See, confirming the Institute of the Society, were exhibited, as well as the diploma by which the Sovereign Pontiff had adorned it with nu- merous and extraordinary privileges. Thus the cloud, which the spirit of jealousy had gathered around this holy order, was dispersed by the light of evidence and truth, and the Society and Eo- ■ driguez emerged from it more brilliantly than'> ever. * The king reposed unbounded confidence in Rod- riguez, and even condescended, when about se- lecting ambassadors and prelates to assist at the great Council of- Trent, to consult him by letter on that important matter. Nor was this the only singular token of his veneration for him : there was * Lib. iv. n. 133. SIMON KODEIGUEZ. 273 another, if not of a higher, at least of a more per- sonal character, namely, the intrusting to his care the young prince, whose education hitherto had been watched over by John Suarez, afterwards Bishop of Coimbra. The permission of Ignatius was askedj^ who, though unwilling that his disci- ples shoiad become too familiar with the courts of monarchs, could not, in this particular case — con- sidering the extraordinary piety and numberless acts of benevolence of the king towards the So- ciety — withhold his approbation.* The number of candidates for the new order was very great ; and so widely had it already spread itself over Portugal, that, in the year 1546, that kingdom was erected into a province, of which Eodriguez was created the first Provincial, He was yet — having in his charge the prince — ^re- siding at court : but his spirit and influence were diffused in every part, in aid, both of the temporal and spiritual wants of- the faithful. Amid the splendor of the court he looked, with undazzled eye, upon the vanity it revealed ; and his heart, long since detached from the world, grew, if possible, more insensible to its fascina- tions. It was still fixed upon his first destination.. * Lib. V. a. 57. 274 SIMON BODKIGUEZ. It yearned to be emancipated from the gorgeous trammels with which, by circumstances, it had been enveloped, and to pant — in the liberty of an apostle's mission in uncivilized lands — ^for the distant shores of India.* Or, at least, if he could not advance thus far, to go as far, at least, as the regions of Brazil, which had recently been discovered by the Portuguese. But the ways of Heaven are not always conformable with the in- clinations of the human mind ; and provided to them it submit with the acquiescence becoming a Christian, the more abundant will its merit prove. The soul of Kcdriguez burned for perils and privations in far-off missions — and could it have put on the " wings of the morning," would have flown away to the remotest Bast : and, nevertheless, obedient and I'esigned to the su- preme will of God, who takes care of the des-* tinies of all mankind, he remained in his oflSce and at his post, and by his wise administration contributed to the happiness and welfare of all under his charge.f Towards the end of the year 1550, Ignatius summoned in the city of Kome a Council, at which all the principal Fathers from the various * Id. n. 58. t J^il>- viii- n. 74, 75. SIMON EODEIGUEZ. 275 parts of Europe were required to be present. At the bidding of their saintly Founder and Superior — ^putting aside every inconvenience, except what might accrue to religion-^as many as could possi- bly absent themselves from their different avoca- tions instantly obeyed the call. Among these were Araozius, Strada, Oviedo, and Borgia, from Spain ; Laynez from Sicily ; Salmeron, Miona, Frusius, and Polancus, and Eodriguez ; all, except Strada, bound by the solemn vows of profession. The last-mentioned Father had been sent for ex- pressly, by Ignatius, who desired particularly to have him among the number to be convened, aware of the light which his long experience in a difiScult position in Portugal would shed over their delibera- tions, and, at the same time, that he might take back to hjs province the uniform standard of dis- cipline which was observed in that — ^the fountain- source — of Eome.* The object which Ignatius had in view in the convocation of this Council, was to submit to its inspection and consideration the Constitutions which, at the urgent solicitation of the first Fathers and of all the Society, he had drawn up. These were subjected to the scrutiny of each, with * Lib. X. n. 47. 276 SIMON EODBIGUEZ. the privilege of suggesting any change or addition. Their saintly author possessed too deep a know- ledge of the human heart, and was governed by too much prudence, not to perceive the advantage that would accrue to his work, by having it ap- proved by those who were to be regulated by it. His Constitutions were designed for all nations, and to be rendered compatible with every variety of habits and customs, and every form of govern- ment, and every future generation ; and, therefore, he desired to have them stamped with the sanction of individuals of various provinces and countries : not only of those present, but likewise of all scat- tered through the world, whose occupations pre- vented them from attending at the Council. By all, these admirable Constitutions — which had cost Ignatius so much time, study, and prayer — were read and approved ; yet, their holy author, in order to mature them thoroughly, and leave them still open for amendment, did not publish them until the year 1553.* He then sent them to Spain, Portugal, and some other provinces, not, indeed, as perfect, but to be tried, in their application to circumstances and their adaptation to places : and not to be considered binding or indispensable, * Id. n. 50. SIMON RODRIGUEZ. 277 until they should have merited the approbation of the entire Society. This approbation wais solemnly given, in the year 1558, in a Council of Fathers, held for the purpose of electing a General, after the demise of Ignatius.* Laynez was chosen : when they were again subjected to the revision and re-examination of all assembled, and unani- mously approved and confirmed. Four Cardinals were, afterwards, designated by Paul IV., to pass their judgment on them, by whom they were re- turpe(J, without any change or the alteration of a single word. In the year 1552, so great was the increase in the members of the Society in Spain, that it be- came necessary to divide that province into two : of one part • Anthony Araozius, who before had presided over the whole, was left Provincial ; of the other — ^the kingdom of Aragon — Simon Eodri- guez was appointed, having been removed from Portugal.f Of this change the occasion was, be- cause in Portugal the Society had been planted and matured under circumstances different from those in any other country. For, as everywhere else it had been founded in poverty, in troubles, and in all manner of suffering, here, on account of the * Id. n. 51. t Lib. xU. n. 53. 24 278 SIMON EODRIGUEZ. friendship of the monarch, it was quite the con« trary. And as the immense harvest, now whiten- ing through the boundless regions of the East, in- vited to an increase of missionary lahor, fostered under the munificent influence of the sovereign's favor, numbers of candidates were received into the ranks of the Society, and the Alumni of the College of Ooimbra amounted to a hundred and forty. As yet no uniform discipline had been framed for the noviceship, and the domestic rules were few. Eodrignez labored to govern after the model of Ignatius, on which he himself had been formed : but yielding to his too indulgent and lenient disposition, his government assumed a character which, though not remiss, was easily abused by a numerous community, made up of in- dividuals of every variety of temperament, and most of them in the ardor of youth. He was beloved by all as their kind and common father : to the more careless he was endeared by his meekness, while the more rigid and wiser mem- bers did not criticise the conduct of their com- panions, much less find fault with the mildness of their Superior.* It was under circumstances of this delicate na- » Id. n. 53, 54, 55. SIMON RODRIGUEZ. 279 ture that the wisdom of Ignatius most perfectly displayed itself. Aware of the exalted merit and qualities of Eodriguez, and yet watchful over the stern requirements which must be maintained by his order, he deemed it proper to remove that saintly man to a sphere more appropriate to the bent of his disposition, and better adapted to the temper of his discipline. He left him to choose the mission of Brazil, which he had long sighed for, or the ofifice of Provincial to the new-formed prov- ince, and addressed letters of this his intention to the king of Spain, his queen, Catherine, and the Cardinal Henry. At the same time, he stationed Michael Turrianus and Francis Borgia in Portu- gal. The king could not oppose the change, coming, as it did, with so much wisdom, and de- sired with so much earnestness by Eodriguez, as well as by Ignatius. For, to Eodriguez, the tid- ings were most acceptable. In token of his joy, he was seen to press to his lips and breast the letter that liberated him from so heavy a burden, so awful a responsibility. To his successor, Muroni, he instantly forwarded the diploma of his appointment, and to the Alumni of the College of Coimbra wrote an affectionate epistle, conjuring them to pardon the faults and errors he might have committed during his administration. Mu- 280 SIMON RODEIGUEZ. roni received his papers with tears, dreading the mighty yoke which was laid upon his shoulders as successor to Eodriguez. This venerable Father — having taken all circumstances into considera- tion — did not deem himself justifiable, ardently as he panted for the Indies, in quitting Europe ; and he was, therefore, created, according to the original view of Ignatius, Provincial of Aragon* In this capacity, he continued for the space of about one year ; after which, he retired to Lis- bon on account of ill-health, and was ordered thence, by Ignatius, to Eome. There were, in that capital of the Christian world, in the year 1554, when Eodriguez repaired thither, about a hundred and forty members of the Society ; al- though many had, during the course of the year, been sent to other cities to establish colleges and communities. The Eoman College enjoyed — and deserved — the highest renown for learning. In the Church of the Professed House, theses were publicly disputed, touching all the branches taught by the Society, leaving to aU the' spectators the privilege of entering the lists. So great was the crowd which these disputations attracted, that for eight days not a single member of the college * Id. n. 56. SIMON EODEIGUEZ. 281 could have an opportunity of proposing an objec- tion.* The Professed House, though already enlarged, was much too small for its inmates. Ignatius de- termined to add amply to its dimensions, or rather almost to rebuild it entirely. For this purpose, he invited Cardinal Bartholomew Cucuanus to place the foundation-stone, in presence of Alphon- sus Alencastrio, the orator of the king of Portugal, and many illustrious noblemen. The Cardinal, who had a profound reverence for Ignatius, re- fused to perform the ceremony, observing that it would better become him, who had laid the foun- dai^i of so celebrated an order, to place the corner-stone of the Professed House. Ignatius, however, modestly persisting in his first determina- tion, the good cardinal insisted upon his acting, at least, in conjunction with himself ; and both at the same time handed over the stone to the skill of the architect.f I must not omit in^ this, its proper place, a fact of a very remarkable nature, which occurred at this epoch in the Society. At the suggestion of the king of Portugal, Pope Julius required Ig- natius to send some Fathers into Ethiopia, out of * lib. xiv. n. 1. f Id,n. 3. 24* 282 SIMON RODEIGTJEZ. ■which number one should be created bishop and patriarch. Ever obedient to the will of the Su- preme Head of the Church on earth, Ignatius immediately complied with his command, and nom- inated, as worthy of the exalted honor, a learned and holy man, John Nunnius, and designated two others as his companions — ^viz., Andrew Ovie- dus, and Melchior Carnerius ; of whom the for- mer — after struggling against the dignity with all his might — was, by the command of the Sovereign Pontiff, compelled to be consecrated bishop.* In the mean -time. Heaven had in store a severe trial — still more to purify his affections and ^ich his merits — ^for Simon Eodriguez. A few pages above, the reader saw that the too lenient disposi- tion of that excellent disciple of Ignatius had suf- fered the reins of government to become rather loose in the province of Portugal. A visitor of the name of Consalvi had been sent thither to take cognizance of affairs, and he now returned to Eome, confirming the complaints that had been made. Ignatius, * Lib. xiv. n. 4. " Earn item per litteras hortatus est Ig- natius, ut teneret in recusando constantiam." But wlien the voice of God spoke definitely through the Pontiff, both were obliged to yield. " Verum Pontifex imperavit." SIMON EODEIGUEZ. 283 with his wonted prudence, referred the whole matter to a tribunal composed of several Professed , Fathers, empowering them to investigate, but re- serving to himself the right of animadversion. After calm deliberation, accompanied by fervent prayer, they decided that their beloved brother. Father Eodriguez, was not without blame. The sentence was pronounced in presence of Eodriguez, who received it with a humility worthy his calling and his heroic virtues. Before it was published, he had seen it in writing, and approved it : after hear- ing it read, he fell at the feet of his brethren, and testified his readiness to submit to any penance. Ignatius, delighted with his simplicity and humili- ty, enjoined no severer penalty upon him than not to return to Portugal. In this manner, Ignatius, without respect to individuals, sustained the vigor of discipline, and yet, breathing nothing but love for his children, was perfectly satisfied with the submission of Eodriguez ; transmitting thus to posterity a twofold lesson : one, the necessity of keeping the sinews of government well strung, under all circumstances ; the second, of the ne- cessity of superiors acting always under the holy influence of charity iu their relations with those whom they are appointed to govern. As for Eodriguez himself, nowhere does he appear more 284 SIMON EODRIGUEZ. admirable or great, than at the feet of his judges, acknowledging his error, and craving forgiveness for the disedification which his example, perhaps, might have given to his brethren.* In order to atone for his imperfection — which, in truth, was the mere result of his amiable qualities too injudiciously infused into the spirit of his administration — Rodriguez obtained permission to go to Jerusalem, with the view of establishing a college in that holy city. He departed from Eome, accompanied by another Father. But at Venice he was taken ill, and was compelled to give up the great and interesting project. He recovered, however, and survived, persevering in the practice of all the virtues proper to his voca- tion, until the year 1519. On the fifteenth of July, having received the viaticum and extreme unction, with the most fervent sentiments of piety and de- votion, he breathed out his soul into the hands of his Creator. His venerable remains were followed to the grave by an immense concourse of people of all orders, by whom his demise was deplored as a common and public calamity.f » Id. n. 5, 6. t Tanner, p. 160. 9.1 CLAUDIUS JAIUS. CHAPTER VIII. CLAUDIUS JAIUS. OLAtTsius Jaiits. — He joins Ignatius, Is sont to Brescia and f avenza. Goes to Germany. Is perseentecl. Labors at Eatisbonne and Ingold- Btadt. Succeeds Eckins In the Chair of Theology. Attends the Diet of Worms. Founds Seminaries. Is sought after by various Princes. Is sent to the Council of Trent. Refuses the See of Trieste. OoestoFer- rara, at the invitation of the Dnl:e. Goes to Augsburg. Thence to Vienna. Dies. His eulogy. His monument. His immortality. The precise time in which the seventh Companion — a native of the Diocese of Geneva — associated himself with Ignatius cannot be ascertained. Orlan- dinus himself is at a loss to designate it, merely re- marking, that it must have been previously to the year 1536.* With the others, he was present at the renovation of their vows made on Mont-M^re : and devoted himself to the spiritual exercises un- * Claadius Jaius Gebeimensis theologus item ac Saceidos — quaaquam certum tempus non plane constat — ad alios eeptem .... accesserat. Lib. 1. n. 101. 288 CLAUDIUS JAIU3. der the guidance of his Holy Father, in which he passed three days in severe and continual austeri- ties, eating nothing, except what was necessary to sustain life. Jaius caught the spirit of his Insti- tute, and to exalted piety added extraordinary pru- dence. His first mission afforded him a signal opportunity of exercising both. In the town of Bal- nerregia, in Tuscany, a serious and fearful discord had arisen between the clergy and the people — to allay which he was chosen as an umpire, and de- puted thither on this difficult and delicate errand. On his arrival, which, at first, seemed not to be too acceptable to either party, he convened them to- gether, and, after giving the reasons why he was sent among them, conciliated, at once, the good- will, and secured the confidence, of all who were present. Thousands flocked to hear his sermons ; and so great was the number of those who had re- course to the sacred tribunal of Confession, that he was obliged to spend day and night in receiving them. As to the disputes, to arrange which was the object of his mission, they were completely re- moved, to the universal gratification of all con- cerned. Nor was the reconciliation merely of a cold and formal nature : but the parties, on the con- trary, might have been seen pressing one another to their bosoms ; and in ratification of their restored CLAUDIUS JAIUS. 289 friendship they received the Holy Eucharist — the source and pledge of supernatural peace.* This great end being triumphantly accomplished, Jaius repaii-ed to Brescia, where the " enemy" had scattered the noxious seed of heresy, for the extir- pation of which he determined to exert all his ener- gies. In this enterprise he consumed the entire year (1539) with consoling effect. Thence he pro- ceeded on a similar undertaking to Favenza, where, by his indefatigable efforts and exemplary deport- ment, he restored the ancient discipline of the Church, and instituted a sodality, of which the mem- bers bound themselves to approach the holy table at least once a week, and to perform, with peculiar devotion, offices and acts of mercy and charity in the city. He appointed a Physician out of that body, and also an Advocate, who contributed their services gratuitously, the former to the destitute sick, the latter to the poor in cases of lawsuits. Some collected alms for the needy ; some acted as tutors for orphan-boys ; some provided for helpless females ; and all exhibited so striking an example, and spread abroad so benign an influence, that, ere long, the city — ^recently disgraced by the dissolute and irreligious tendencies of its inhabitants, now * Lib. U. n. 93. 25 290 CLAUDIUS JAIUS. assumed a splendid position in the eyes of the Church, and in the gaze of the world.* From this field of his labors, the Sovereign Pon- tiff destined him to depart to a more extensive and important arena. He was commanded to accom- pany BohadUla to Eatisbonne, to succeed' in the place of Faber, who was sent into Spain.f Without delay, he entered, with extreme alacrity and intense fervor, upon his arduous duties. Often did he visit the Bishop, and remind him of his duty. The Canons he incited to every good action : and in his own dwelling, stimulated all who advised with him to virtue and piety, either by salutary ad- monitions or by the spiritual exercises. He ad- dressed the senate in a strain of noble eloquence, and everywhere planted, with the sweat of his brow, the good grain in these vast and neglected fields of the Church.J His efforts, however, to remove from the office of preaching a Lutheran minister who had ingratiated himself into general * Quiu ea, quam dixi, sodalltaa iUas Mb! partes quoqne im- posuit, ut peculiar! quodam studio misericordiae tuerentur oScia ut yiderentur omnia Faventise prisca quadam religione fervere. Lib. iii. n. 35. Was not this, in its largest acceptation, the spirit of the Qospel? f Lib. ui. n. 85, i Id. n. 68. CLAUDIUS JAIUS. 291 favor, excited the odium of the reformed clergy against him. The apostles of truth are never ex- empt from trials and persecutions. Jaius had now to bear his cross, with which — ^keeping before his eyes the example of his Divine model, Jesds — ^he continued on his way rejoicing. So inveterate did the hatred of the Lutherans become, that they threatened to precipitate him into the Danube : to which menace his only reply was, that " he could reach Heaven as well by water as by land."* Nor was he the less undaunted when informed that he was in danger of being poisoned, or certainly driven into exile. His courageous example was regarded with admiration by all good men, especially by the Catholics and the Bishop, who rejoiced to see him defy the malicious schemes of the wicked, and re- main, supported by the consciousness of innocence and truth, in the midst of the snares that wero spread around his path. With unshrinking intre- pidity, he began a public explanation of the Epistle of Saint Paul to the Galatians, which was attended by a vast concourse of all ranks and orders, and 3ven by many Lutherans also. And. though in that city there were already established two Lutheran * Eespondebat intrepidus in coelum se tarn facile aqtiS qaam terra ire posse. Id. ibid. 293 CLAUDIUS JAIUS. churches, in which discourses fraught with errors were assiduously delivered, nevertheless, with such perseverance, and in such numbers, did the citizens crowd to his lectures, that he could not interrupt them, even during the usual autumnal vacation.* The effects of the so-called Eeformation had been severely felt over all Europe : its bitter fruits had been tasted, presented to the unwary and unstable under the most specious and inviting appearances. The cry of liberty was raised : but it meant licen- tiousness for those only who raised that cry, while their victims were ground down under despotic bigotry and cruel fanaticism. Evangelical doc- trines were the boast of recreant and faithless monks and priests, who certainly were determined not to be restrained by the evangelical counsels : and these vaunted doctrines — all negative, all Pro- testant — multiplied and increased with terrible and pernicious fecundity : giving birth to Socinianism, Arianism, and latitudinarianism of every hue and shape, and at the same time generating disorder, schism, anarchy, and desolation.f In Germany, the * Id. n. 63. lit ne per autumni quidem vindemias, ut mos erat, intennitti sacram illam paterentur explanationem. f The picture of tliese times, as drawn by tlie caustic and CLAUDIUS JAIUS. 293 evil had seated itself so deeply in the nation's heart, that Jaius, Paber, and Bobadilla, in their letters to Ignatius, declared that nothing short of the Divine grapMo pen of Erasmus, in a letter, written in 1525, is most melaneholy. " One sect," lie writes, " will not tear of bap- tism; another rejects tlie sacrament of tlie Eucharist; a third teaches that a new world will be created by God be- fore the day of judgment ; another that Christ is not God : in short, one this, another that. There are almost as many creeds as individuals. There is no fool, who, when he dreams, does not believe that he is visited by God, and that he is endowed with the gift of prophecy." And again : " When the Apostles tamed serpents, healed the sick, raised the dead, men were forced to believe in them, although they announced incomprehensible mysteries. Among these Doctors, vsTio tell us so many wonderful things, is there one who has been able to cure a sick horse ? Give me mirades What must I believe, when I see, in the midst of contradictory doctrines, all laying daim to dogmati- cal infallibility, and rising up with oracular authority against the doctrines of those who have preceded us ? Is it proba- ble, that, during thirteen centuries, God should not have raised up, among the numerous holy personages he has given to his Churdi, a angle one to whom he revealed his true doctrine ?" Be Ubero arbU. The curious discussion, as related by Audin, pp. 323, &e., between Luther and Carlostadius, bears testimony of the spirit by which both — as well as aU their associates — ^were actuated. 25* 294: CLAUDIUS JAIUS. mercy could rescue and save that fated land. The reformists traversed the empire, with untiring and fatal strides, strewing their errors whithersoever they went, and leading the people captive to their pretended authority : whereas, many of those who were appointed watchmen on the towers of the Church, either deserted their posts, or stood idly and negligently looking on the spreading calamity. The clergy had, for the most part, lost their energy, and given up all vigilance. The blind lust of gain, the mad determination of living without restraint, threw every thing into dire confusion.* A sad pic- ture, but not the less faithful, of the state of Ger- many, when Jaius and the other Fathers of the Society first dared to encounter the evil in that afflicted land. They could be deterred by no ob- stacle or opposition : neither by the magnitude of the enterprise, nor the impending dangers, nor the number and hostility of their powerful adversaries. To the newly-broached heresies, they boldly opposed the clearest truths of antiquity ; and to the poison of error, applied with skilful and fearless assiduity the antidote of pure and undefiled religion. With the ministers and chiefs of the sect, they did not, when duty required it, flinch from controversy; nor * Lib. iv. n. 19, 30. CLAUDIUS JAIUS. 295 did they cease to warn and animate the Catholic pastors and prelates of their solemn duties, and of the necessity they were now under — ^more than at any other time — of watching over their flocks, and preserving them intact from the pervading conta- gion.* Jaius, as before stated, was now at Eatisbonne, in which, being a free city and immediately subject to the emperor alone, the Catholic cause suffered the more severely, as the magistrate had not conspired with the Bishop in the extirpation of heresies. On the contrary, the senate seemed to favor the novel- ties, by not using the influence it possessed to pre- vent their growth. I do not mean to insinuate that violence and persecution should have been recurred to. Far from it. Such weapons but ill become a Christian State, and should never be wielded by any power. Nor do I find fault with the toleration of Lutheranism by the senate, and its protecting those citizens who should choose to worship in Lutheran temples. But there was another kind of power, which it should have exerted against the inroads of the Eeformation. Namely, a wakeful solicitude, and ardent zeal, in behalf of the ancient doctrines which they had received, as a sacred heirloom, • Id. n. 31. 296 CLAUDIUS JAIUS. from the orthodoxy and piety of their forefathers ; and which were a guaranty not only for the peace of their consciences, but, likewise, the safety of the commonwealth.* * Protestantism has been intolerant, from tlie period of tlie Reformation. It was born witli the germ of persecution in its breast, and wherever it gained the ascendency, and possessed the power, proscription and disaster were the fatal consequences. I make no rash assertion. The annals of history are my vouchers. The lives of the Reformers them- selves — as well as their own acts and writings — are the in- disputable testimonies to which I appeal. Hear how Roscoe, in his Leo X., censures " the severity with which Luther treated those who unfortunately hap- pened to believe too much on the one hand, or too little on the other, and could not walk steadily on the hairbreadth line which he had presented." Dr. Sturges, a violent Pro- testant, admits that "Luther was, in his manners and writ- ings, coarse, presuming, and impetuous." — Befleefions on Popery. Robelot, in his great work, "Infiiience de la ReformaUon,'' p. 71, relates that the Reformers met at Cadan, and declared that they would not tolerate, or suffer to remain in the country, any sect not Lutheran. The Convention of Smalkald, held in 1536, proclaimed that " to believe that any one who opposed the Reformation alwiUd le tolerated, was an error !" — Robelot, ut supr. A Synod at Hamburg, in the same year, decreed, that " whoever rejects baptism, or transgresses the orders of the CLAUDIUS JAIUS. 297 The difiScult position in which Jaius found him- self Tinder these circumstances, and the onerous task he had undertaken to achieve, can easily be magistrates, or preaches against taxes, or teaches community of goods, or usurps the priesthood, or sins against faith, sAall be punished mth deatK." — Idem, ibid. From these few authorities, the reader may now form his own judgment, whether it was bigotry, or prejudice, or rash- ness in me to assert, that intolerance and proscription were the characteristics of Protestantism, in the days of the mis named Reformation. In England, the unrestrained use of the Bible was forbidden under Henry VIII. " He had," says Dr. lingard, "formerly sanctioned the publication of an English Bible, and granted permission to all his subjects to read it ; but it had been represented to him that even the authorized version was disfigured by unfaithful renderings ; and that the indiscriminate lecture of the Scriptures had not Mily generated a race of teachers who promulgated doctrines the most strange and contradictory, but had taught ignorant men to discuss the meaning of the inspired writings in ale- houses and taverns. To remedy the first of these evils, it was enacted that the version of Tyndall should be disowned altogether, as crafty, false, and untrue ; and that the author- ized translation should be published with note or comment. To obviate the second, the permission of reaMng the Bible in public to others was revoked; that of reading it to private feimilies was confined to persons of rank, any other woman or artificer, apprentice, journeyman, servant, or la- borer, who should presume to open the sacred volume, was 298 CLAUDIUS JAIUS. imagined. His oppotients were many and active, and to Ws tireless exertions on the side of truth, they opposed ^.n indomitable reaction on the sidie of error. Still, by his admirable discourses — which were frequented and appreciated as well by Luther- ans as Catholics— and by his other missionary functions, he preserved thousands from contami- nation, and brought back many to the " one fold." He implored the Bishop to take every means to reform and purify the morals of the people, but to execute this duty in so conciliatory and prudent a manner, as not to give them any offence. The senate, likewise, he exhorted and entreated not to connive at- the increasing errors of the reform- ists. His zeal and influence stirred up the angry passions of these men ; and the persecution com- menced against him, the preceding year, was now renewed with deadlier acrimony. But the asgis of Providence not only covered him from the ar- rows of their revenge ; they were blunted in their force, and fell innocuously at his feet. Hatred he overcame by charity ; insolence by mansuetude ; made liable for each offence to one month's imprisonment." Such was the boasted liberty, such the supposed enlighten- ing and emancipating spirit of the Reformation 1 See Stat. 34 Henry VIIL, I. CLAUDIUS JAIUS. 299 and he persevered in his station, preaching, coun- selling, suffering, and displaying heroic virtues,, which commanded the reluctant admiration and respect even of his most inveterate opponents.* Some, however, continued to harass and perse- cute him. Especially when, at his suggestion, the Bishop promulgated in Germany the jubilee extended by the Sovereign Pontiff to the whole Christian world. The infinite . good which this measure produced was hailed with rapture by the Catholics, but viewed with jealousy by the Luther- ans. Yet, in return, Jaius evinced towards them the greatest meekness and the purest charity : and the better to adapt himself to their feelings, to open an easier avenue to their minds, and to make himself all to all, he applied himself — though now advanced in years — ^to the study of the German language.f Among his deadliest adversaries, two are partic- ularly designated by Orlandinus : one a physician, the other an apostate and married friar of the. * Perseveravitque monitis et consiliis optimfe quoque de maleyolis et ingratis in sua etatioue mereri. Orlandin., ut tupr. n. 33. t Id. n. 33. Oar author styles the study of that language "linguae asperse disciplinam." 300 CLAUDIUS JAIUS. order of St. Francis. The former was the first who ventured to persuade the senate to introduce communion under both kinds. The latter, having thrown off the hahit and the cowl, assumed the character of a Lutheran preacher, and the append- age of a handsome wife. These Jaius had long and earnestly endeavored to reclaim from their evil ways. But they repaid his zeal and charity with animosity and hate, until the hand of Divine vengeance fell dreadfully upon them both ; for both were carried off by a sudden and frightful death.* The senate was not, however, terrified by this manifest visitation of God's justice on these unfor- tunate victims. On the contrary, it seemed to rush more recklessly into the precipice, until nearly the whole city, as Jaius bitterly lamented, won- dered to see itself infected with the spirit of Lutheranism. The efforts of one distinguished per- sonage to stay the evil cannot be sufficiently praised. William, Duke of Bavaria, comes down to Catholic posterity with a name hallowed and renowned by his unshaken constancy in defending the ancient faith. And although to some who may not take into consideration all the circumstances * Ibid, n. 24. CLAUDITT3 JAIUS. 301 of the case, he may appear to have enacted too severe a law against the innovators, yet, when the peace and order, the happiness and perpetuity of his government were at stake, he felt himself jus- tified in protecting and securing these for the many, by menacing, even by capital punishment, the lives of a few. Such was the nature of the her- esies of the sixteenth century, that they threw open, at one and the same time, the gates of the sanc- tuary and the state to disorder and licentiousness. They were not then, as they now are, mere hu- man theories conflicting with Divine convictions. The warfare between them was not a spiritual conflict : but it became a conflict between two temporal powers : the new one struggling to inoc- ulate the old with a blighting virus of innovation : and the old resisting the destructive violence of the new, by opposing, in self-defence, a counteract- ing violence. The character of the warfare be- tween error and truth has, in the lapse of years, undergone an essential change, which, we may fervently trust, will preclude, forever, the neces- sity of capital enactments, or of personal pro- scriptions. The decree of the Duke against the intrusion of Lutheranism into his dominions was attended by such fortunate results, that, " to this day," writes 26* 302 CLAUDIUS JAIU3. Orlandinus, " Bavaria has escaped the tumults and horrors of a civil war."* Jaius mourned the ruins in which the Church of Eatisbonne was laid ; and to restore which he had spared no pains, and had given himself no re- pose, during the space of two years. He was now commanded to extend his labors to another direc- tion. For the Apostolic Nuncio, departing from Eatisbonne to Nuremberg, re'quired Jaius to ac- company him thither. Hardly had he commenced his mission at Nuremberg, before he was sent to Ingolstadt, where, notwithstanding the precau- tion of the Duke of Bavaria, the errors of Luther- anism began to insinuate their poisonous influence. Here he spent the summer ; and whilst he re- claimed many from the paths of destruction, shed abroad a bright halo of sanctity, and exhibited a profound fund of erudition. By the advice of Eobert, Primate of Armagh, of whom I made mention before, and at the solicitation of the Doctors of the city, he consented to fill the chair of Theology, which had been left vacant by the death of the renowned and learned Eckius.f * Itaque ad hodiemum uBque diem, cemimtis Bavariss proyinciam nil bellicis periclitatam tumultibus. Ubi swpr. n. 25. f Ibid. n. m. CLAUDIUS JAIUS. 303 So great was his celebrity throughout the Ger- man Empire, that many Prelates,, anxious for the salvation of those over whom he presided, sought for his co-operation and aid. His virtues and erudition w:ere dreaded by the Lutherans, and they formed, wherever he displayed them, a powerful rampart against the reputation of the reformers. The Prelate whose fortune it was to secure his services, at this juncture, was Otho Truchses, who was afterwards created Cardinal : a personage of great influence at the Ebman Court, and in high favor with thp Sovereign Pontiff. Every exer- tion was made to retain Jaius at Ingolstadt. But neither munificent remunerations, nor the honors of the chair in the University, nor the expostula- tions of the citizens, could make any impression on him, whose breast was animated by no other spirit than that of the welfare of the Church. The city offered him, on his departure, liberal do- nations, which, however, he refused to accept.* At Este, he was retained, with the consent of Otho, then at the Council of Spires, by the Bishop of that city : where, during two months, he labored, with immense advantage and success, among the faithful. At Dilinghen, he conceived the liveli- * Ibid, a 110. 304 CLAUDIUS JAIUS. est hopes for the cause of Eeligion, under the pat- ronage of Otho, who was adorned with all the virtues, and actuated by the zeal, worthy the Pre- lates of the primitive ages, — ^virtues which had been happily cultivated, zeal which had been duly directed, by the spiritual exercises which that Bishop had performed under the guidance of Fa- ber. This great and saintly man passed through Dilinghen, at this conjuncture, on his way to Eome. Jaius deplored the departure from Germany of so useful, so apostolic a missionary, and wrote, by him, to Ignatius, expressing his grief at that occur- rence. For his very name was a tower of strength to the Catholic cause : his eloquence and wisdom had attracted back to her fold numbers of the most distinguished persons ; and his sanctity had given a singular eclat to the name of the Society. In this well-merited strain of eulogy did Jaius write of Faber to his Holy General, Ignatius.* At Dilinghen he did not long remain, but repaired to Salzburg, at the request of the Archbishop, the brother of the Duke of Bavaria. A provincial Council had been convoked in that city, at which the Bishops of Augsburg and Este were both to be * Ibid. n. iii. For the justness of this eulogy, let the reader revert to Chap. II. CLAUDIUS JAIUS. 305 present. Jaius was their attendant and consulter ; and by them his opinions were always asked, before they would come to a decision on any grave point.* "- The object of the late Council of Spires having been to discuss the articles which were disputed between Catholics and Sectarians, and it now being resolved to transfer the assembly to Worms, the question to be determined was, what would the Emperor think of that measure. This question appeared to Jaius delicate and difficult ; and he affirmed that it was not reasonable to expect that, as the Sovereign Pontiff had deputed him to Ger- many, he would assist at that Council without the approbation of the Holy See. He, accordingly, begged the Archbishop to excuse his non-attend- ance. The Prelate yielded, on condition that he should remain at Salzburg during the entire session of the Synod ; and that when consulted by the Prelates, he should at least privately give his opinion. To this he could not object ; and to him all the gravest questions were submitted ere they were discussed in Council. Two things were unanimously agreed upon. First, that, in a reli- gious convocation, nothing should be decided by lay * Ibid. n. 113. 306 CLAUDIUS JAIU3. and popular votes. And secondly, that the Pro- testants, though they should admit all Catholic doctrines, were, nevertheless, to be considered Schismatics, if they refused to acknowledge the supremacy of the Pope.* The result of the Council was pleasing and satisfactory to Jaius. He rejoiced to see the firm- ness with which the Archbishop exerted his in- fluence and power against the encroachments of the Reformation ; and, with fresh courage and re- newed confidence) returned to Dilinghen,f whence, after an interval of a few days, he was ordeted by the Bishop to accompany him to the Synod of Worms. The affairs .of the Church in Germany were in so critical a condition, that Jaius felt con- vinced that nothing short of a General Council would be able to meet the impending danger. He exhorted the Bishop not to listen to the proposition, made by the Lutherans, of a" national convocation, and he made Ignatius acquainted, by letter, with all the particulars of his own position, and of the circum- stances of the Church in these lamentable times .| The Diet of Worms was occupied rather in useless altercations, than in salutary and grave debate. Jaius, however, was not inactive, or * Ibid. n. 112. f Itid. n. 113. J Ibid. n. 114. CLAUDIUS JAIUS. 397 wanting in his duty. He aid,ed and animated the Bishops in sustaining' the interests of religion ; and vindicated truth and confuted error in his fre- quent sermons to the people. During the season of Lent, 1545, he preached before an immense concourse of noblemen and the king with such ardor, learning, and eloquence, that he moved, convinced, and enraptured all. Of the incalcula- ble good produced by his instrumentality in . Ger- many, not only the Bishop, whom he followed to Worms, but likewise the Papal legate. Cardinal Alexander Farnesius, bore splendid testimony. By the latter, he was cherished and admired : and not only admitted to his familiarity as a friend, but consulted, in diiBcult questions, as an oracle.* Among the meritorious objects to which he turned the attention of the German Prelates, that of the institution of Theological Seminaries — a measure which Ignatius had recommended to him when departing on this mission — was, perhaps, the most important for the permanent wants of the empire. The study of theology had, of late years, been much neglected, while the inutility of it, and the change in its whole ' system, were the themes of • Lib. V. n. 30. Has associate, in this Synod, was not leas esteemed, as the reader saw in Chap. VI. 388 CLAUDIUS JAIUS. the reformers. This change was gratifying to the natural propensities of the mind and heart ; it proclaimed a liberation from the yoke of ancient discipline, as well as ancient doctrine, and left the one and the other discretionary with the caprice of the individual who abjured the supremacy of the Roman Pontiff. The fancy of youth was de- lighted with these privileges and conceptions, and, not jDeing thoroughly grounded in the study of theology, many were lured from the old path by the pleasures and charms of the new. Jaius now suggested the plan of selecting a number of chil- dren, who should be regularly trained up to the liberal sciences, and then formed in seminaries, for the ministry, by a solid and well-directed course of theology, especially of a dogmatic character, which would render them able disputants, and learned controvertists. "By this means, the re- formed' ministers, who came fresh and educated before the people, declaiming against the igno- rance and newly discovered errors of the Church, might be met, breast to breast, on the arena, by champions equal in acquirements, and superior in argument ; and, thereby, vindicate the majesty and sanctity of the Church.* * Inviando il Santo alia Qermania 11 Padre Claudio Jaio, ranno 1541, strettamente gl' inguinse, di mettere ogni possi CLAUDIUS JAIUS. 309 The project was eagerly approved by the Bishop of Salzburg and Este : and, in order to spread it more generally through the German empire, Jaius was invited by the other Prelates to visit their- various dioceses. But, as he had been placed, by the command of the Pope, at the dis- posal of the Bishop of Augsburg, he was obliged to decline the honor, and return to Ingolstadt, where he resumed his former functions, preached in the open streets to countless auditors, and brought back numbers to the pale of the Church.* Several Catholic Princes desired, at the same time, the services of Jaius ; so universal was the fame of his piety and erudition. But his destina- tion to the Council of Trent, which had now been bile opera nel condmre quanti i piu patesae de Vescovi di coU ad abbracciare iin cod proflttevol consiglio : e la Dio mercS gli venne felioemente fornito, e con alquanti altri, e singolarmente col Truehses, Cardinale d' Augusta ... E fin da quel medesimo prime anno, i Legati proposero al Pontifi- ce Paolo III., fra partitl piu neoessari, e piii utili aHa Eifor- mazion deUa Chiesa, ristituir Seminar! .... Consciosiecoaa che, non I'avere altro, onde sperar sicuro il rimettere in piS la disciplina abbatuta, che ben' aUevare in servigio deUa Chiesa la gioventii : essondo veio, che taJi si hanno gli nomini in tutta I'eta, quali si formano uella prima. BartoU, libr. ii. cap. ix. p. 91. • Ibid. n. 31, 33. 310 CLAUDIUS JAIUS. convoked, disiippointed all their expectations. The Bishop of Augslinrg, having been decorated with the Cardinal's hat by Paul IV., deputed Jaius, in his name, together with a learned Canon of the Cathedral, to that august convention. By the Cardinal of Trent — where he arrived in the month of December — he was very graciously re- ceived. But the humble Jesuit, declining the splendid hospitalities of the palace, took up his lodgings in the hospital. By the Apostolic Le- gates, he was, likewise, welcomed with distin- guished kindness and respect, not so much, per- haps, in consequence of the high position he held as the representative of an illustrious Prelate, as of the celebrity of his own name and the renown of his past labors in Germany.* In the Council, he exercised a powerful influ- ence ; in private, he was consulted by the Bishops ; and in public, his decisions were heard with singular respect and veneration. Nor did he neglect the ordinary duties of the Society. But, with the approbation of the Cardinal of Trent, preached the word of God, administered the Sacra- ments, and uniting his great efforts with those of his brethren, Laynez and Salmeron, he gave a * Ibid. n. 33. CLAUDIUS JAIUS. 311 lustre to the Society which time will never be ablo to extinguish.* On the demise of the Bishop of Trieste, Ferdinand, resolved to offer the vacant See to Jaius, tte sanc- tity of whose life, and the solidity of whose eru dition, would, he felt convinced, prove a mighty bulwark in favor of the Church, during these calamitous times. He, accordingly, urged the Fa- ther, by letter, not to refuse the burden, so worthy of his solicitude and vigilance, should it be imposed upon him by the Sovereign Pontiff. Nothing, he assured him, would be more agreeable to the people, nothing more gratifying to his own de- sires.f Jaius, who from his youth had imbued his heart with sentiments of unaffected humility, and whose maturer reflection, and, above all, whose vow of poverty, had confirmed his natural aversion to hon- ors and preferment, no sooner received the inti- mation of the king's intention, than he began to take effectual measures against its consummation. To this end, he wrote, immediately, to Ignatius, conjuring him to avert the impending danger, by interposing his influence both with the king and Pontiff : aflSrming that, unless compelled by obedi- * lib. vi. n. 19. t Md. n. 31. 312 CLAUDIUS JAIUS. ence to remain at Trent, he would rescue himself by timely flight and concealment.* . Justly did this wise and holy man dread those honors at which the greatest and most venerable Fathers trembled : and which, according to St. Gregory Nazianzen, who fled from the Episcopal dignity, should be most feared, because they are the most pregnant with responsibility and danger. Wherefore, when the king's Confessor repaired to Venice, where Jaius then was stationed, for the purpose of comunicating to him the royal pleas- ure, " Give me one hour,'' was his reply, " to de- liberate on the subject." After which time, he declared that, having, recommended the afiair to God in fervent prayer, he was fully convinced that he was not competent to the onerous charge with which the king wished to intrust him.f Ferdinand addressed to the Sovereign Pontiff, also, a most feeling letter, entreating him to appoint to the va- cant See of Trieste an ecclesiastic of exemplary piety and singular learning, and in every way qual- ified for the high office of Bishop. These letters * Ibid. n. 33. f Ibid. Et JTire vir sapiens sibi metuebat .... nee igno- rabat quod scriptum Kaziauzenus cum Bpiscopatmn fu- geret, reliquisset : meium Tiunc omnium maximun metVMm esse, et hoeperieulum omnium perieulorum extremum. CLAUDIUS JAIUS. 313 were delivered to the Father of the faithful by his ambassador, who had brought the affair nearly to its termination, before Ignatius discovered the de- sign. All hope of averting the sentence seemed to have fled. The ambassador was instructed to .persist in his postulation : the Cardinals would not interfere. The Pope — despite the representa- tions and entreaties of the Society — seemed de- termined to confirm the nomination made by the king. Ignatius, amid these threatening difficul- ties, fled to prayer, and fixed his confidence in God, who inspired him with the resolution to expostulate with the king, by a letter addressed immediately to his majesty himself, the substance of which was as follows : " The desire you* have expressed, most illustrious monarch, to honor the Society, and your zeal in the cause of the spiritual welfare of your people, are not unknown to us. For both we re- turn you our warmest thanks, beseeching the Divine goodness to inspire your majesty with the most effectual means wherewith to accomplish such noble views. But the greatest favor, and the truest kindness that you could exhibit in our regard, would be to allow us quietly and sin- cerely to pursue the path of our profession ; to which all honors, we are persuaded, are so op- posed, that we openly and conscientiously declare, 21 S14 CLAUDIUS JAIUS. that we Tegard the Episcopacy as the worst evil that can befall us. For of all, who have embraced the institute of the Society, the single intention and object has been to go to any part of the world to which the Sovereign Pontiff might send them, for the advancement of religion : so that the first and germane spirit of the Society is, that, its members should travel from province to province, and from pity to city, in all simplicity, for the glory of God and salvation of souls : and not confine their la- bors to any particular place. This mode of life was not only approved by the Apostolic See, but God has shown, by many evidences, how pleasing in his sight and beneficial to the Church it has been. Wherefore, as in the conservation of the first spirit is seated, as it were, the very soul of re- ligious orders, there can be no -doubt that, by retaining it, we will preserve — ^by abandoning it, we will destroy — our Society. From this it will .clearly be perceived how dread a calamity we re- gard the impending honors of the Episcopacy. A.t this time, we are only nine professed Fathers, and to four or five the Episcopal dignity has already been ofiered, and by all resolutely declined. Had each of them yielded, others would have fancied themselves privileged, also, to accept it ; and thus not only would the Society degenerate from its CLAUDIUS JAIUS. 315 original spirit, but, its members gradually being taken away, would be soon entirely dissolved. In fine, as by examples of humanity and holy poverty this little Society has prospered, if men were to see us honored and wealthy, their good opinion of us would be changed, and the door of future usefulness, not without scandal, would be closed. But it is not necessary to accumulate reasons. We throw ourselves upon the wisdom and clemency of your majesty : to your faith, to your protection, we confide ourselves, praying and conjuring you, through the blood of Jesus Christ, that since these honors would be, we are confident, the destruction of the Society, to avert, in your goodness and love of religion, this awful calamity, and to preserve this least and infant order, to the glory of the Eternal Majesty. May He enrich your majesty with an abundance of celestial gifts 1"* This respectful but cogent epistle of Ignatius produced the desired effect. The king relented, and ordered his ambassador to desist from the ac- tion which had well-nigh been accomplished. The reasons so forcibly urged not only satisfied the monarch, but convinced the Pope, likewise, of the wisdom of the Society in not permitting * Ibid. n. 34. 316 CLAUDIUS JAIUS. her children to aspire to ecclesiastical prefer- ment.* Towards the end of July, 1541, Jaius repaired to Ferrara, at the solicitation of the duke, Her- cules, who desired to have as the director of his conscience, and as a faithful adviser, a holy and prudent priest. The selection of such an individual being left to his Confessor, Guido Gruidonio, he cast his eyes upon Jaius, whose fame was now univer- sal, and whose place of nativity would render him peculiarly acceptable to the duchess, who was a native of France. The duke immediately wrote to the Sovereign Pontiff and Ignatius, requesting that they would approve of his choice. Ignatius replied, that he felt happy in serving a prince who had proved himself so favorable to the Society, and would ever entertain towards him the liveliest sen- timents of gratitude. He, likewise, instructed Jaius in what manner he should act and comport himself towards his illustrious benefactor, and amid the blandishments of the court.f On arriving at Ferrara, Jaius first presented * To the reasons expressed in his letter to the king, Igua- titis added several others in that to the Sovereign Pontiff which I gave at length in the first chapter of this work. t lib. vii. n. 34. CLAUDIUS JAIUS. 317 himself to the duke, and then proceeded, straight- way, to the hospital, where he devoted himself to the spiritual and corporal comfort of the inmates. The munificent accommodations offered by the duke he declined ; aflSrming that he enjoyed more pleasure in the company of the poor than amid the gorgeous luxuries of the court. In the asylum for widows, which was founded by the duke under the appellation of Sancta Maria de Rosa, he in- structed, and administered the Sacraments ; and devoted a large share of his time to the hospital of Saint Anne, in which, the more effectually to reap the abundant fruits of his untiring zeal, the Cardi- nal Bishop of the city conferred on him all power and authority.* By the duke he was consulted concerning the affairs of his soul and the govern- ment of his people ; was intrusted with the care of the duke's children, whose spiritual guide he was appointed ; and besides these duties, applied himself, moreover, to the functions of preaching and lecturing, and hearing confessions. " In a word," adds Orlandinus, " he discharged number- less other offices, which the fear of satiating the attention of the reader, alone, induces me not to mention more in detail."f » Ibid. n. 25. f lib. ix. n. 47. 21* 318 CLAUDIUS JAIUS. Meanwhile, William, Duke of Bavaria, the noble defender of the ancient Church, mindful of the infinite good achieved by Jaius at Ingolstadt, and of the influence and benevolence which ren- dered him distinguished in that part of Germany, requested the Pope to appoint three theologians- naming as one whom he most esteemed, Jaius — who should teach the sacred sciences in the Uni versity of Ingolstadt. The Pope signified the duke's pleasure to Ignatius, who could not hesitate to acquiesce in it. Quitting Ferrara, with the per- mission of Hercules, he proceeded with his com- panions, Salmeron and Canisius, to Bologna, where the degree of Doctor was awarded to each one by the famous University of that city. Deco- rated with this new title — ^which they earned by a previous disputation held with two of the most learned theologians — they continued their journey to Trent, where they were received with dis- tinguished attention by the Cardinal, and reached their destination amid the gratulations and cor dial greetings of the Duke of Bavaria. It was here that the immortal Eokius formed towards the Fathers of the Society that intimate friendship which he cherished to the end of his life. By the University of Ingolstadt, they were welcomed with unanimous applause, and addressed in a Latin CLAUDIUS JAIUS. 319 oration, to whicli Canisius returned an extempo- raneous, but eloquent reply.* The following day they were escorted to the "Ancient College."f They soon entered upon their respective duties. Salmeron commenced an explanation of the Epistle of St. Paul ; Jaius, of the Psalms ; and Canisius, of the Master of Sen- tences : and so highly were they admired, that the members of the University expressed their gratifi- cfetion, in a printed document, to the following effect: "We are at a loss how to give utterance to the pleasure we have derived from the arrival amongst us of the three theologians, Claudius Jaius, .Aphonsue Salmeron, and Peter Canisius : whose presence, far from diminishing the greatness of their reputation, has increased it. Their wonder- ful knowledge of the sacred sciences, their general erudition, and their sanctity of manners, not only equal, but far surpass, our sanguine anticipa- tions.! This was the declaration made in favor of these * Ibid. n. 54 t Postero die in CoUegimn, quod apellant " vetus," cum honore deducuntur. Id. n. 54. J Nuper quantam Isetitiam ceperimus omnes ex adventu triiun Theologorum, vix dici potest. Quorum prsesenta non- solum famam de ipsis excitatam non minuit, verum etiam 320 CLAUDIUS JAIUS. first Jesuit Fathers — ^these disciples of Ignatius — by the fapfamed University of Ingolstadt ; a dec- laration which afforded great joy to the neighbor- ing Bishops, who had hitherto endeavored, in vain, to revive the sacred sciences, so long dormant, amid the increasing innovations of the times. In order to perpetuate the good work, the duke determined to take measures for the foundation of a College of the Society at Ingolstadt; a project which met with the cordial approbation and concurrenqp of the illustrious Chancellor Eckius.* auget. Qaomm Bingulaiis in Sacris studiis Scientia, turn in omnibus disciplinis exercitatlo, postremo sanctimouia viflb cxpectationem omnium eamque maximam non solum sequat- verum etiam superat. — ^Ibid. * This was the renowned cliampion of the Church, who had earned immortal laurels firom the disputations he held at Vienna and Bologna ; laurels which Luther and Carlostadius afterwards sought to wrest from his brows. To the ninety- five propositions put forth by the former, he boldly replied and triumphantly opposed the theological arguments, which excited the jealousy of the Archdeacon of Wittemberg,, who, at that time, was Lecturer of Divinity. Eckius was accordingly challenged to enter the lists with him. The city of Leipsic was chosen as the arena of the controversy — being famous for its trade and university. The conflict was short. Carlostadius found to his shame, as well as confutation, that Ms shallow theology could not withstand the deep and CLAUDIUS JAIUS. 321 After the death of William, Duke of Bavaria, his successor, Albert, -who cherished an equal affection for Jaius and his companions, earnestly conjured the Pope, by letters, and by his ambas- sador, not to remove them from his dominions. But the Cardinal of Augsburg had already obtained permission for Jaius to aid him, in his diocese, in promoting the Catholic cause, and to be present at the Council which was soon to be held in the metropolis. Ignatius, convinced that the labors of Jaius would be more required there than at Ingolstadt, ordered him to take his departure thence ; which he did, followed by the regrets of Albert, and the lamentations of the whole city.* In the year 1550, the Council of Augsburg sweeping force of his adversary's, a man of acute xaind, splendid genius, boundless erudition, and unfailing memory. Cailostadius yielded the field — routed and confounded — t-o Luther, who, in his turn, was reduced to the necessity of admitting much of what he had previously uttered against penance, indulgences, and priestly absolution. Luther being silenced, his once-defeated vindicator attempted to breast anew the torrent of Eckius's controversy. But again he was oppressed by its irresistible tide. And the arena and all the laurels of the day were awarded, by acclamation, to the Catholic disputant. For further interesting details, consult Qraveson, Hist. Ecc. vol. vii. p. 79 et seq. * Lib. X. n. 103. 322 CLAUDIUS JAIUS. was convened. In the midst of the august per^ Sonages and learned men who were present, Jaiua stood conspicuous, and devoted himself, with as- siduous attention and care, to the duties assigned him : now displaying his wisdom by his counsel ; now contributing his invaluable aid to the labors of the Prelates ; shedding, meanwhile, upon all around, the influence of his example, and seeking light and prudence from above, in the habitual ex- ercise of prayer and meditation. He converted from the errors of Lutheranism not a few ; among whom were several young men of excellent dispo- sition and talents, who had been swept away in the torrent of the Eeformation : and, by means of the spiritual Exercises infused into the clergy — many of whom were noble and opulent — the spirit of their vocation. From the public places he caused all indecent statues, and from private houses un- seemly pictures, to be removed ; and induced the wealthy to apply a portion of their riches to the wants of the poor. At Vienna, Ferdinand, king of the Eomans, of whose piety and zeal for the Catholic cause I have already related many examples, desirous of re- storing the University, in which the taint of error had contaminated most of the professors, and of restraining the progress of Lutheranism, as well CLAUDIUS JAIUS. 323 as reforming the morals of the faithful, obtained thirteen members of the Society, solid men, and well versed in the art of administering the busi- ness connected with a University. Among these, the most prominent was Jaius.* Such was the lamentable condition of Austria, at this epoch (1551), that of the provinces subject to the sway of Ferdinand hardly the tenth — or as others have surmised, even the thirtieth— rp art could be said to be free from the contagion of heresy. The Eeformation had swept its direful way into the heart of the empire. Its teachers had scattered, in thousands, volumes teeming with abuse, calumny, and error, from which the credu- lous minds of youth drank in the agreeable poison, which, mingling itself, as it were, with the blood in their tender veins, incorporated with their beings. Well did the reformists understand the pernicious art of instilling indelible prejudices into the unwary breast, through the medium of pleasing and elegantly-published books.f The monasteries * Lib. xi. n. 39. t The leading and wealthiest publisiers at this fatal period had gone over to the cause of the Beformation : and the recreant members of the monastic order, -who had acquired, in their communities, the art of copying, in elegant style, the ancient manuscripts, gave themselves up to the business oi 324 CLAUDIUS JAIUS. ■were deserted. Monks and priests were held up to .public scorn and ridicule, insomuch that few had the courage to devote themselves to the min- istry. Orlandinus states, that during the long course of twenty years not one individual received sacred orders in the celebrated University of Vi- enna.* Many weak Catholics, ashamed of the opprobrious title of papists, by which the Luther- ans designated them, dissembled their faith ; and to this evil, which was daily spreading wider and wider, no remedy seemed to be at hand. The king, who possessed extraordinary discrimination, did not see any men perfectly fitted to undertake type-composition and proof-reading in Lutheran establish- ments. The press, by this means, assumed a Protestant as- cendency. The works of the reformists were beautifully and sumptuously edited, while those of the Catholics — even of Eckins and Erasmus — were so clumsily executed, that they excited the ridicule of the Frankfort merchants. Cochloeus, p. 58, 59. Erasmus, in an epistle to Henry VIII., regrets that " he could find no printer who would dare pub- lish any thing against Luther." — Epist. p. 752. Cochloeus relates, that an infinite number of apostate priests procured their living by strolling through Germany, selling Lutheran books. — ^P. 58. For innumerable details with regard to these facts, tha reader is referred to Audin's Life of Luther. * Lib. xi. n. 40. CLAUDIUS JAIUS. 325 the government of the Churches, or to be raised to the Episcopal dignity. In all Vienna, not a single person could be found willing to devote himself to holy orders. The parishes were either destitute of pastors, or else occupied by men unworthy their ecclesiastical profession. The sacraments were entirely neglected. The Eucharist was adminis- tered under both kinds ; the confessional was dis- pensed with. Preachers treated, in their dis- courses, of faith alone, and the merits of Christ : but not a word was uttered concerning fasting, prayer, alms-deeds, and other good works. It was amid all these abuses, while this dense cloud of error was brooding over the Church, that Jaius and his companions appeared at Vienna.* The scene was soon changed. A School of Theology was immediately opened, to which, in a few days, upwards of fifty young men repaired, who, in due time, were promoted to holy orders, and began to combat the prevailing heresies, with a courage and success to which the empire of Austria is greatly indebted for the preservation of the faith.f Under the pressure of his continued and wast- * Ibid. n. 41. In has erromm tenebras, atque in hos mores incidit societatis adrentns. Qaos ut corrigeret sanavetque divino auxilio nixa suos omnes nervos et cviras intendit. t Ibid. n. 43. 28 326 CLAUDIUS JAIUS. ing labors, Jaius now began to sink. In tha month of August, 1552, he was attacked by a mortal illness ; not, indeed, of a painful or linger- in nature, but the consequence of incessant and 'devouring solicitude and fatigue. Being duly for- tified with the last sacraments of the Church, and calmly commending his spirit into the hands of his Creator, in the sweet odor of sanctity, he de- parted to a better world. His death excited uni- versal mourning. The venerable remains were exposed in the church of St. Nicholas, which ap- pertained to the Franciscan Convent, where they were bedewed with the tears of the illustrious Doc- tors, as well as of the ingenuous youth, of the Uni- versity. To the grave they were followed by all who appreciated learning, admired eloquence, es- teemed virtue ; and his memory will be held in benediction by the Society of Jesus and the Catho- lic Church. He was, indeed, a great man, an indefatigable apostle. Never shall his exertions in favor of religion be forgotten, in Italy, Bavaria, and Germany. In the Council of Augsburg, and other Synods, he vindicated, nobly and powerfully, the Holy Eoman Catholic Church. His influence over the people was unbounded, and his wisdom was the guide of Princes and of Prelates. In character, he was naturally most amiable ; of CLAUDIUS JAIUS. , 327 pleasing manners, and cheerful disposition : at the same time, his deportment was always marked with dignity and gravity. He loved poverty, and often appeared in the company of the great with a coarse and tattered habit. He was devoted to prayer and meditation ; scrupulously careful of time ; reserved in conversation ; and modest in every action. In him there was nothing arrogant, nothing haughty. Though mighty and uncompro- mising in disputation with the Lutherans, still charitable and considerate ; and thus not only confirming the faith of the orthodox, but, likewise, conciliating the attention of heretics. His mode of teaching in the schools was plain, distinct, and firm. With wonderful clearness and precision, he explained the doctrines of Justification, Predes- tination, Faith, and Good Works. In a word, so precious was the memory of his virtues and erudi- tion, that, after his death, he was styled by the peo- ple " an angel of God, and the Father and Patron of Catholics." Even the great Ganisius did not hesitate to denominate him the " Apostle of Ger- many."* A monument was erected to his name, in the University of Ingolstadt, with the following in- • Lib. xu. n. 36, 37. 328 CLAUDIUS JAIUS. scription : " Claudius Jaius, a Doctor in Theology, a Professor of the Society : a man of gentlest manners, who always united learning with piety. Here, in this School, he won the reputation of sanctity among the highest, the middle, and the lowest ; to all equally dear and useful : he was one of the ten by whom the holy Society of Jesus was originated and founded. Called hence — at Vienna in Austria — ^he took his flight to those heavenly realms which had always been in his heart and before his eyes, in the year of our Lord 1552."f- f Claudius Jaius, Theologus Doctor, Professor Sodetatis, vir placidissimomm moruin, et qui doctrinam cum pietate perpetuo conjunxit. Hie, si quispiam alius, in hSc scholS, sanctitatis opiniouem apud suimuos, medios, infimos sibi comparavit ; cunctis seque cams et salutaris ; qui etiam ex prima decade Mt eorum qui Sanctse Societatis Jesu auctores et ftmdatores extiterunt. Hinc evocatus, Viennam in Austria, et ea quae semper in pectore tenuit et ob oculos habuit aeterna migravit gaudia, anno MDLII. JOHN COEDURIUS. CHAPTEK IX. JOHN CORDUEIUS. JoHH GoBDUBius. — One of tho Companions. His career brief, bnt bright "Was destined for Ireland. Was appointed Oonfessor to Margnret daughter of Charles Y. His death revealed to Ignatius on the Bridge of Sixtna. Brief and bright is the history of this holy man : who seems to have been ordained by Providence merely to inscribe his name on the rolls of the in- fant Society, and then to disappear. All of him, however, died not.* His virtues, his example, and his memory, lived after him, and they are im- mortal. Had he been spared to exercise his ar- dent zeal, and devote his shining talents, to the cause of the Church , during these troublous and melancholy times, what tongue can tell the incal- culable good, which,, in concert with his associ- * Non omnis moriar. — ^Hor. lib. iii. od. xxx. 332 JOHN COBDUEIUS. ates in the Company of Jesus, he would have achieved. Had Xavier been taken from the field of promise, ere he had reaped the vast and glori- ous harvest Avhich renders his fame unequalled in modern ages, no mind would have been able to conjecture, much less foresee, the stupendous result of his missionary labors. So' are we utterly in- capable of forming any idea of the usefulness of Cordurius in the Church, had he been permitted to measure the ordinary number of years allotted to man. But of him may it emphatically be said : Consummaius in hrevi escplemt tempora tnvMa.* In the year 1536, Ignatius, having quitted Paris, and departed, on important affairs, into Spain, con- fided to Faber the care of his companions : exhort- ing them to look up to him, on account of the dig- nity of his priesthood, and the priority of his vocation ; and to reverence him as their Father.f Faber, who had abeady completed the course of his studies, and acquired great renown for his learning and sanctity, was not vmfaithful to his * Being made perfect in a short space, he fulfilled a long time. For his soul pleased God : therefore he hastened to bring him out of the midst of iniquities. Wisdom, chap. iv. V. 13, 14. f Orlandin. lib. i. n. 99 JOHN C0BDUEIU3. 333 important trust ; but watched over those commit- ted to his charge with prudence and gentleness, and, under all circumstances, comported himself as a worthy disciple, and representative of Igna- tius. It was during the absence of the venerable founder of the Society that, through the salutary admonitions, and by the saintly example, of Faber, John Oordurius, a native of France, was induced to add his name to the number of the first com- panions. The business which required his presence in Spain being accomplished, Ignatius returned to his beloved companions, who were now at Venice, in the beginning of January, 153T. He was re- ceived with filial rejoicing and tender embraces by them all, who united in their most fervent thanks to Heaven, for having restored their Father to their bosoms. Oordurius, with the other compan- ions, departed for Eome, leaving Ignatius behind to make arrangements for their intended pilgrim- age to the Holy Land. In the city, they scattered themselves in every quarter, devoting themselves to acts of charity and mercy : and after obtaining, as was before related, the benediction of the Sov- ereign Pontifi", Paul III., they retraced their steps to Venice, where the sacred order of Priesthood 334: JOHN COEDITRIUS. was conferred upon all, on the feast of St. John the Baptist (1537), by Vincent Negosantio, Bishop of Arbe, a man not less renowned for the nobility of his birth, than the splendor of his virtues.* In the various occupations in which these extraor- dinary men were employed, none evinced a more devoted spirit than Cordurius. When he made his solemn vows, so vivid was .the expression of his piety, so great was the force and exuberance of his divine consolation, that, in spite of every effort to conceal them, they burst from the depths of his soul in frequent sighs, and in involuntary sobs.f When making the pilgrimage, with Laynez, to the Seven Churches, he would wander over the fields in order to give vent, if possible, unperceived, to his lamentations. Such sensibility seemed not fitted for the cold meridian of earth ; and Heaven decreed that he should not be suffered to sojourn long amid its sorrows and cares. He foresaw the speedy coming of the angel of death, and pre- pared for his exit from this mortal existence, with the resignation and piety of one predestinated to immortal bliss. On the festival of St. John the Baptist, whose name he bore — the anniversary of * lib. ii. n. 3, 10, 12. f Uh. iii. n. 19. JOHN COEDUBIUS 335 his promotion to priestly orders — ^he calmly breathed his soul into the hands of his Creator. Orlandinus relates, that Ignatius, on going to oifer the holy sacrifice of the Mass for his recov- ery, in the church of St. Peter in Janiculo, suddenly stopped on the bridge of Sixtus, as if wrapt in amazement ; and then turning to his companion. Baptist Viola, " Let us return home," he said ; " our dear Cordurius is no more.* In this short space is contained the whole histo- ry of John Cordurius. Of his sanctity, Ignatius entertained the highest opinion : and of the pru- dence which distinguished his earliest career, there can be no better evidence than of his having been appointed Confessor to Margaret, daughter of Charles V., and afterwards selected to undertake the mission to Ireland.f In a letter to Faber, Ignatius mentions the death of Cordurius, as of his beloved child, taken prematurely, indeed, from his brethren on earth, but transported to the bright and glorious company of the angels and saints in heaven. * Eefeiamus, inquit, no domum : Cordurius noster diccBsit Ibid. n. 20. t Ibid. n. 46. PASCHASIUS BEOETUS. CHAPTEE X. PASCHASIUS BROSTUS. Pasohabiits Bb^etus. — ^The last of the Nine, Is sent to Ireland. !a captured at Lyons as a spy. Is sent to Monte Fulclano, and to Faven- za. Is deemed worthy to be made Patriarch of Ethiopia by Ignatius, Goes to Bologna. To Ferrara. Is made the first Provincial of Italy. Is sent to France. Labors to establish the Society at Paris. Oppo sicion of the Sorbonne. Triumph of justice. His patience and other virtues. Styled by Ignatius tho " Angel of the Society." Beblincoukt, a town near Amiens, in Picardy, claims the honor of having given birth to this ninth and last of the companions of the Founder of the Society ; who, with Cordurius, added his name to their number, under the influence of Fa- ber, during the absence of Ignatius from Paris, in the year 1536. At this period, he was already adorned with- the priestly character, and, with the others, was present at the renovation of vows on Mont-Matre, having gone through the ordinary or- deal of the spiritual exercises under the direction of Ignatius ; giving, during many days, an example of rigid abstinence and fasting, "which," in the language of Orlandinus, "is more to be admired than to be imitated by posterity."* * Quorum admixanda magis quam imitanda viderentiu; exempla. — Lib. i. n. 103. 340 PASCHASIUS BROETUS, The first stage of the public functions of Broctius was Ireland, that oppressed and afflicted land, whose children, despite the newly enacted penal laws, and the utter want of spiritual aid, continued firm and faithful to the religion which their ancestors had received from their glorious apostle, St. Patrick. Of the details of this his great mission, I have already- treated in the history of his fellow-Jesuit and co- laborer, Alphonsus Salmeron.* It will be unneces- sary to repeat their sufferings, dangers, exploits, and privations in Ireland, their escape at Lyons, where they were arrested as spies, and their difficult return to Italy. In every ^variety of circumstances, Broetus proved his zeal, disinterestedness, and per- severance, ready to lay down his life, if necessary, for the magnificent end which the Society proposed to his view in all things : viz., the advancement of God's glory, and the salvation of the human race.f On his return from Ireland, Broetus was sent, by Ignatius, to Foligno, at the solicitation of Blo- sius, bishop of that city, who had recently been dec- orated with the Cardinal's hat. There a wide field expanded to his labors, among aU classes and orders of society. To the convents he restored the fervor of their ancient discipline : and among * Chap. V. t ^^- iii- ^- 62. PASOHASIUS BROETUS. 341 the clergy — ^who had degenerated into ignorance as well as negligence of their duties — diffused the spirit of knowledge and letters, as well as of reg- ularity and zeal. The vices of the people he; in a great degree, abolished, and produced a general reform, which seemed the work more of divine power than of human agency. The Cardinal, who witnessed, with admiration, this wondrous change, requested him to exert his influence also at Monte Pulciano, the birthplace of that eminent Prelate. With alac- rity he entered upon a similar career in that place ; and not without equal success, preaching, and cat- echising, and reviving religion and piety, to the universal satisfaction and joy of the inhabitants.* He remained among them three months ; when, by another Cardinal, his presence was solicited in France. This was Eudolphus Pius, to whose pro- tection and encouragement the Sovereign Pontiff had commended the Society in its cradle, bestow- ing on him, to this- effect, the title of " Protector."f The main object held out to the wisdom and zeal of Broetus in this mission, was the restoration of * Lib. iv. n. 11, 12. Pari incolarmn turn utilitate, turn gaudio. TJtrobique prseter csetera, in tradendis ChristiansB Fidel elementis. f Oilandinus calls him prcestanti prudentid mrum. — Ibid. n. 77. 29* "" 342 PASCHASIUS BEOETUS. discipline ia. the monastic institutions. In the dis- charge of this delicate office — especially in the female establishments — he conducted himself with extreme lenity and indulgence, by which he gained the confidence and affection of the inmates. He introduced the primitive spirit of prayer and medi- tation among them, mildly exhorting them to look to heaven for the grace necessary for the attain- ment of that perfection to which they had devoted their lives. On all occasions he acted under the influence of that memorable maxim of St. Augus- tine, that the eternal noise of reproach would be idle if there were not an interior voice whisper- ing to the consenting heart.* Such gentle admoni- tions steal insensibly into the soul, and excite those sympathies and affections which severi^ and stern rebuke are often only calculated to stifle. One bland and tender word is frequently more effectual, in changing the sinner's heart, than long and bitter denunciations. This" proved to be the case in the present remarkable instance. The monastic commuiiities yielded, at once, to the sweet violence of persuasion: they sought enlightenment and grace in fervent and common prayer, and, re- * Inanem esse strepitum monentis vocis, nisi sit intus qui dooezit. — ^Agust. Ep. i. Joton. Tract iii. PASCHASIUS BHOETUS. 343 penting of their errors, submitted to the authority of their Prelate — ^from whom they had, ere this, been alienated — and, with renovated fervor, prac- tised the virtues and exercises of their holy state.* Providence, as if desirous of crowning these rare merits of Broetus, visited him, at this juncture, with a severe and dangerous illness ; but, nevertheless, spared his bodOy life for the spiritual welfare of others. Hardly had he arisen from his bed of sick- ness, before he was seht^still infirm but obedient — at the request of the same Cardinal, to Pavenza.f The aspect of that city, as represented by Orlan- dinus, was of the most melancholy character. It had long been deprived of all spiritual aid, in con- sequence of which universal depravity of morals prevailed, and the sacred exercises of religion, had, in a great measure, disappeared. Intemperance, discord, enmities, and other deadly, vic^s, reigned abroad. The use of the sacraments had ceased, and the infamous habit of swearing had extended to all classes, even to the very children themselves. Crimes the most flagrant in their nature had lost their turpitude and guilt; and, as is usually the case, this dissoluteness of morals was followed by perverse and temerarious opinions in religious faith. Into * Lib. iv. n. 77. t IbW- >»• ^^- 344 PASOHASIUS BBOETUS. the bosom of this city the errors of Luther had found an easy avenue ; especially as they were in- troduced by a man who, adorned by nature with the gifts of noble eloquence, converted to the destruc- tion of souls his fatal talent, which had been be- stowed upon him for their salvation. This indi- vidual was the famous Bernardinus'Ochinus, who, having laid aside the cowl and sandals of the Capu- chin friar, assumed the gown and habits of a re- former, and disseminated his errors throughout this fatal city.* So that the laboirer in his shop would interrupt his work to catch the grateful novelties so plausibly 'diffused; andithe lounger in the tavern, as he emptied his wine-cup, would drink in with keen delight a doctrine that freed the mind from all control,' arid the passions from all restralnt.f It required no ordinary man to meet Ochinus, on , — f , , * Ochinus had been the Superior of the Capuchin JPriars in Italy. But leaving his order, in which he had acquired great reputation, both for austerity of life and his extiaordi nary talent for preaching, he joined Peter Martyr in Switzer- land ; and afterwards lapsed into Arianiam. Beza, in his letter to Didudus, charges him with the basest crimes and the utmost impiety : " he has become a fautor of the Arians, a mocker of Christ and his Church." — Korim. p. 396. f Passim, ut in tabemis officinisquepestilentisvenenamtw gistri impunissime tractarentur. — Lib. v. n. 18. PASCHASIUS BROETUS. 345 his natal soil, and to counteract his mighty and popular influence. To effect this, it was necessary that national prejudices should be overcome, no- tions of religion agreeable to human reason should be sacrificed, and a system of morality gratifying to the natural appetites should be destroyed. Ochinus was an Italian. Broetus was a French- man. But the former was an apostate; the latter a Jesuit. The one a fautor and proinoter of schism and heresy; the other a vindicator and apostle of unity and truth : with him was the Spirit of God, and the issue of his ministry at Favenza proves that that Spirit must prevail against any antagonist. Broetus calmly surveyed the prospect, "and stud- ied the dispositions of the people, which discover- ing to be lofty and generous, he deemed it necessary to undertake the mission allotted him with caution and circumspection. Individuals of superior qual- ities, and disposed to piety, he gained over by bland and conciliatory conversations ; and then facilitated the work of reform in morals and of conviction in truth. With all classes, he began his task with an affectionate and kind spirit, under the deep impres- sion that the divine clemency is most easily excited by benevolent and charitable actions. At this pe- riod the city was filled with a multitude of poor and desolate beings. To the relief of their wants, and 346 PASCHASIUS BEOETUS. ihe solace of their miseries, he labored to devise some efficient remedy. With this view, he established a Sodality, over which he himself presided, of which the object was, that its devoted members should afford assistance, not merely of a corporal, but what was infinitely more important, of a spiritual, na- ture. At their head, he scoured the whole city, seeking after and aiding the wretched and for- saken; supplying the indigent sick with medicines and the attendance of physicians, as also with ne- cessary and proper nourishment, and performing other works of charity among them.* The result of these efforts surpassed all antici- pation. The Sodalists, by their own virtuous exam- ple, shed throughout the city a salutary influence, while the good deeds they performed increased the fame of Broetus, and excited general admiration. Encouraged by this auspicious experiment, he now ventured to stand as a public instructor before the people, and explained, in a simple and unos- tentatious style and manner, the elements of Chris- tian doctrine. This was a novel scene, which at- tracted a large concourse of all ages and classes. Nor did he confine this exercise .to the churches, but carried it into the schools, with the approbation * lib. V. n. 19. PAS0HASIU3 BROBTUS. 347 of the teachers and parents of the children, and thereby implanted in the pliant and ingenuous hearts of youth the germ of truth and piety. The eflFect produced was so general and excellent, that in schools containing sometimes more than four hundred pupils not an oath, or an obscene word, was heard to drop from their lips. To these ex- ercises, he added, moreover, public exhortatioi^s to the people in general, and private conferences with ' individuals in particular. By which means re- ligion, which, on his arrival, seemed to be tottering hopelessly to ruin, was once more restored to its primitive vigor, and placed upon a solid founda- tion. ' Peace was effected among many of the principal families which had been torn by dissen- sion ; hundreds of individuals at a time were seen meeting in an appointed place for the purpose of being reconciled, and of pardoning one another, in the presence of the blessed peace-maker, Broetus.* The manners of the people being happily re- formed, the task of removing from their minds the errors which had been instilled into them, became comparatively easy. The consequences of tljose errors were now dispassionately viewed, and bit- * "Blessed are the peace-makers." ^he fiiat Jesuits were eminently the Mends of peace. * 348 PASOHASIUS BBOETUS. terly deplored. The license wliich they granted to private judgment and human passions not only tended to the suhversion of all ecclesiastical au- thority, and the destruction of unity, but likewise to the rejection and violation of all law and order. The citizens of Favenza, brought back to a sense of sober reflection by the convincing and touching re- monstrances of Broetus, recognized in his ministry the interposing mercy of God: and, as it were with one accord, repudiating the novelties of Luther and Ochinus, threw themselves again into the arms of their Holy Mother, the ancient Catholic- Church.* * " Far above aE tlie rest," writes Eallam, " the Jesuits were the instmrnents for regaining France and Germany to tlie Churcli they served. . . . They knew how to clear their reasoning irom scholastic pedantry and tedions quotation, for the simple and sinceie understandings which they addressed. The weak points of Protestantism they attacked with embar- rassing ingenuity : and the reformed churches did not cease to give them abundant advantages by ineonsisfeney, ex- tramagimte, and passion." — History of Literature, vol. i. ch. x. This learned author might have given other equally pow- erful reasons for their success in reclaiming such numbers of persons back to the Church : he might have referred to their untiring zeal, their incontaminate lives, their magnanimous motives, their vast learning, and their extraordinary elo- quence : all of which were under the heavenly influence of that Society, to whose institute and rules they had vowed obedience. LiS. v. n. 20. PASCHASIUS BEOETUS 349 Broetus continued at Favenza during the entire year, when, in 1550, he was called to Bologna. But his assiduous mental and bodily fatigue brought on him a violent disease in the head, for which, by the advice of his physician and Confessor, he retired to Monte Pulciano, for the benefit of the baths. Nor was he inactive even there. For the benefit of the Catholics of that place, he cele- brated the Divine Mysteries, heard confessions, and gave public meditaitions, at which the Car- dinal and other distinguished personages assisted.* His health being restored, he returned to Bologna, where, during the space of an entire year, he con- tinued in the unceasing exercise of his zeal, aided by the powerful co-operation of Salmeron, while that great man was attending, the. Council sitting in that capital. With what efiBcacy he labored for the salvation of souls, the change wrought among all classes-^especially among the .clergy — bore une- quivocal testimony. Numbers who had been infected with the Lutheran errors were induced to abjure them, and Teconcile themselves to the Church : and a permanent establishment of the Society was com- menced, two buildings adjoining the church of St. Lucia having been given for this purpose.^ * Lib. vii. n. 35. t Lib. vUi. n. 26. 30 350 PASCHASIUS BEOETUS. Many Colleges, besides those of Sicily and Nr* pies, had now been erected in Italy, so that it was necessary for Ignatius, who was oppressed with duties and labors, to divide the burden he had hitherto borne. Accordingly, uniting all those Col- leges as it were into one province, he confided the charge of it to Broetus, under the title of Provin- cial. . He was, therefore, the first Father who ever filled that important office in Italy. The colleges of Palermo and Naples, Ignatius still continued to administer in person.* In this responsible and honorable station, BroStus remained until the year 1552, when he was called to France, leaving the , province in the hands of the venerable Laynez.f At Paris he found a boundless theatre for his zeal and perseverance. In the Church of St. Ger- main he devoted himself to the confessional, to which numberless penitents flocked for consolation and the remission of their sins. The crowning achievement, however, of his devoted life remained still to be accomplished. This was the introduction of the Society, with the due approbation of parlia- ment, into his native country. He had already se- cured the interest of the Cardinal of Lorraine, and * Lib. xi. n. 35. f The reader is referred to Chapter IV., -where he ■mil he edified by the humility of that great man. PASOHASIUS BEOETUS. 351 the concurrence of Henry, king of Prance. The parliament, with a wavering and timid policy, had delayed taking any definitive action on the matter, and, at length, resolved to remove the responsibil- ity of it from their own body to the Bishop, and University of Sorbonne. Among the Senators as well as Doctors, there were many who disproved of all new religious orders, without exception; whilst the Bishop professed an open hostility to the So- ciety in particular, affirming that its privileges and inmunities conflicted whith the prerogatives and authority of the Hierarchy.* The position in which Broetus found himself, under these circumstances, was precarious and discouraging. He saw a thousand difficulties to be overcome, numberless contentions to be silenced, and sundry conflicting prejudices to be harmonized Nevertheless, he threw himself into the midst of the business : with his usual blandness persuading some, reasoning with others, and triumphantly vindicating the " Book of Exercises," against which, both here and elsewhere, a very strong opposition had grown up. This extraordinary book, as the reader saw above, had been approved by the Apos- tolic See, in the year 1548, and earnestly recom- * Lib. xiii n. 33. 352 PASCHASIUS BEOETUS. mended to the faithftd, as containing exercises which, if devoutly practised, will conduce to piety and perfection* Among the most learned and distinguished apologists whom it numbered, at this early period, Bartholomew Torres, Bishop of the Canary Islands, stands pre-emiaent. The testimony which he rendered of its value and excellence is recorded in the pages of Orlandinus ; and I cannot omit in these, at least the substance of that memo- rable" document : " God is my witness," he writes, " how cheerfully and willingly I pronounce my opinion concerning the Exercises of the Society of Jesus. I desire what I write to be known of the whole world. And lest it should be supposed that I am influenced by any private partiality, I declare that I am not a member of: that Society : but, like- wise, afSrm that, although I am the least learned of Doctors, yet am I able to satisfy any one on this point ; since I have known the Society from its foundation, and have been a familiar associate of Ignatius at Salamanca : with his followers, also, I have had much intercourse, and have carefully and vigilantly observed their conduct. I, moreover, declare, that from the time when I first became ac- quainted with this holy Society, not a crime, not an * See Chapter L PASCHASIUS BEOETUS. 353 error, have I been able to detect among its members. With regard to the ' Exercises,' no one, who has not gone thi:ough them, can be a proper judge of their spirit and virtue. I have seen learned men, who cannot understand their character and value ; while others, of less erudition, who have tried them, perceive nothing in them but what is perfectly con- formable to the Scripture and the Holy Fathers. It is one thing to comprehend the literal meaning, and another to appreciate the spirit of this book. Prayer, study, and the practice of virtue are neces- sary, in order to derive the proper benefit from it. For my own part, I acknowledge that I performed these ' Exercises ' at Oompostella ; and God is my witness, that during that time I learned more than in the space of thirty years spent in the study of philosophy, and in the teaching of theology. If this declaration appear extraordinary to any Doctor, who is satisfied with his erudition, let him make the experiment : if he will but submit to the trial, he will come forth with the same experience. I will add, that I have known not a few who have gone through them, and many at my persuasion, as well religious as secular persons ; of whom there was not one who did not become benefited, and did not proclaim them above all other human institutions. Would to God we could all understand how precious 30* 364 PASCHASIUS BEOETUS. a treasury they contain ! — of prayer, meditation, direction, and government of the soul, and •wisdom, ■\vhich are condensed and comprised within so small a compass. If, then, any one desires to know what these ' Exercises ' are, I reply, that they are nothing else than: attentive and profound considerar tion of the dogmas, law, and precepts of the Gospel ) of the benefits bestowed by the Almighty on the human race ; of the life and death of Christ ; of the state of our past lives, accompanied by salutary resolutions for the future. I, moreover, declare, that the ' Exercises,' and all they contain, have generally and particularly, been confirmed by the authority of the Holy See ; and have been recom- mended by the Sovereign Pontiff, as of great utility to the faithful. The objections which are alleged against them are very trivial, and in some points, too, ridiculous ; for it is unworthy a wise man to afiBrm that a book, approved by the Holy See, could contain any thing contrary to pure morals and sound doctrine."* * Lib. xiii. n. 34, 35, 36, 37, 3§. The " Spiritual Exer- cises," in the language of the judicious Mr. Stephen, " form a manual of wha,t may he called the act of conversion. It pro- poses a scheme of self-discipline by which, in the course of four weeks, that mighty work is to he accomplished. In the first, the penitent is conducted through a series of dark retro- PASCHASIUS BEOETUS. 355 This was the nature of that Book of "Exer- cises,'' which the Parliament of Prance, from the fact — as Torres justly remarks — of their being ignorant of its heavenly spirit, hesitated to admit, with the Society to which it belonged, into their dominions. Such the Book which the Doc- tors of the Sorbonne — for the same reason — op- posed and proscribed ; and was made the theme spects to abase, and gloomy prospects, to alarm Mm. These ends obtained, he is, during the next s