formidable. As you have drawn your fword against the Jesuits,' faid a man of wit to a certain philofopher, you may as well throw the fcabbard into the fire.' But individuals, however numerous or fpirited, have little power againft a body corporate; hence the Jefuits, though fo much decried, fo frequently attacked, and fo heartily detefted, might have fubfifted to this day with greater fplendor than ever, had they not fuch irreconcilable enemies in other bodies incorporated like themfelves, conftantly fubfifting, and as conftantly purfuing the project of their extermination.

The manner in which this fociety hath established itself in places where it hath met with lefs refiftance, fufficiently betrays the defign already imputed to it, of governing the world, and of making religion fubfervient to that purpofe. It is by fuch means the Jefuits have acquired a fovereign authority in Paraguay; founded, as we are told, folely on the arts of perfuafion and the mildnefs of their government. The lenity of the jefuitical adminiftration in that country, hath been much boafted of in Europe, by the advocates for the fociety; who, even admitting their fuppofed project to be true, afk, where would be the harm if the whole world were thus governed? Doubtlefs, if these reports be true, there would be none at all. But, as our Author justly obferves, Europe had already too many mas→ ters, and did not think proper to submit to new ones. This refiftance, though very natural, fays he, irritated the Jesuits, and rendered them wicked and mifchievous; endeavouring to bring upon all thofe nations which refused their yoke, the fame evils thofe nations endeavoured to inflict on them. In Paraguay, where the natives were docile and tractable, they became ufeful and refpectable; but in Europe, whofe inhabitants were of a fomewhat different difpofition, they became turbulent and dangerous. And thus it has been faid, not without reason, that fince the Jefuits are found to have done fo much good in that part of America, and fo much ill elsewhere, the best step to be taken with them, would be to clear the reft of the world, by transporting them all to the only place in it where they would not be hurtful.

But to return to the hiftory of their establishment in France, Favoured by the protection of the pope and that of feveral other fovereign princes, they fucceeded fo far, in fpite of the clamour of the univerfities, as to obtain great advantages from court, to erect feveral houfes in the provinces, and at length a college in Paris itfelf. Many were the attacks they now fuftained, particularly from the pen of Pafquier and the tongue of Anthony Ar nauld; they triumphed, however, over all; and the univerfities had the mortification to see them entrusted with the care of the first youth in the kingdom.

3

Un'uckily

Unluckily for the fociety, in the midst of this conteft between them and the universities, who were alfo joined by the parliaments, the affaffination of Henry IV. by Jean Chatel, one of their scholars, was the occafion of a new ftorm that foon after burft on their heads. The Jefuit Guignard, being convicted of having compofed, during the time of the league, several tracts in favour of regicide, and of preferving them after the amnesty; he was condemned to die. At the fame time, the parliaments, who had long beheld these ufurpers with a jealous eye, expelled them the kingdom, as a detestable and diabolical fociety, the corrupters of youth, and enemies to the king and ftate.' Such were the exprefs terms of the arret.

Juft as this feverity might be with regard to the Jefuits, our Author obferves, that it was unhappily too true, and fufficiently confirmed by the melancholy hiftory of thofe times, that thefe fhocking maxims regarding the murder of kings, imputed to Guignard and the Jefuits, were equally adopted by other religious orders, and by almoft all the ecclefiaft cs in the kingdom. Henry III. had been affaffinated by one Bourgoin, a prior of the Jacobins; and a Carthufian, named Ouin, had made an attempt on the life of Henry IV. But the Jacobins have never been reproached with a Bourgoin or a Clement, as the Jefuits have with a Chatel and Guignard. The reason was, the Jacobins were by no means formidable; whereas the Jesuits were both feared and hated.

This banishment of the Jefuits at that time, however, though very general, was not univerfal: the parliaments of Bourdeaux and Toulouse did not follow the example of the others, but permitted them ftill to refide in thofe provinces. Add to this, that the magiftrates of the other provinces committed a confiderable blunder, in profcribing their perfons, and not confifcating or alienating their effects. Hence thefe fathers, having still an afylum in the kingdom, profited by that opportunity, and in a few years obtained, by their intrigues, a repeal from banishment. Even Henry IV. received, or affected to receive them, cordially; beftowing on them the magnificent college of La Fleche, and appointing a Jefuit his confeflor. Louis XIII. who fucceeded him, or rather Cardinal Richelieu, who reigned in his name, continued to favour the Jefuits; thinking their zeal, regularity of conduct, and fuccefs in the education of youth, would ferve both as an example for, and check on, the clergy, and to excite a fpirit of emulation in the univerfities. In this, fays our Author, that great minister was not mistaken: nor can it be denied that the fociety hath produced, particularly in France, a number of useful works, by which even the univerfities themfelves have profited in the education of youth. To give the Jefuits their due, fays he, there is no religious order, without exception,

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exception, can boast so great a number of celebrated writers on fubjects of literature and fcience. The Mendicants, even in their greateft fplendour, were mere fcholars; the Benedictines mere compilers, and the reft of the monks in general mere blockheads; whereas the Jefuits wrote with fuccefs on the various fubjects of elocution, hiftory, antiquities, and geometry: nay they had even fome good French writers; of which no other religious order had one. And yet we are told the late Cardinal Paffionei carried his antipathy to thefe fathers fo far, as not to admit any of their works into his library.

Many were the caufes that contributed to give the Jefuits this fuperiority. By the laws of their inftitution, they had a more free intercourfe with the world; they rejected nobody that offered, if there was any appearance of their being useful; and they must be very ufelefs perfons indeed, who were neither fit for milionaries to country villages, or martyrs in the Indies: for fo they called them. They did not refufe even to admit nobles and princes into their fociety, though proving themselves very unworthy their own titles to affume that of Jesuits. Of this kind is Charles of Lorrain and many others, whose names nay be looked upon as feathers in the cap of this fociety; of which they may well be ftiled bonorary members.

Two other reasons feem to have contributed alfo, to the above-mentioned advantages, the firft is the long duration of their noviciate; none being admitted to take their last vows till the age of three and thirty. So that their fuperiors had fufficient time to obferve their abilities, talents and difpofition; and thence to direct their ftudies or application to the fubjects for which they were beft adapted. At the fame time, the novices themiclves, having been fubjected to a long probation, and being arrived to a mature age, were lefs liable to be difgufted or to repent after admiffion. The fecond reason for this fuperiority of the Jefuits over the other orders, was the longer time they had to employ in ftudy: they not being fubjected to fuch numerous practices of devation, as the religious of other orders. In feveral of the pamphlets, published against them by the Janfenifts, this neglect of faying their prayers fo often as other monks, was urged against them as a crime, juft as if a fociety, the profeffed end of whofe inftitution was public utility, could find nothing better to do than to gabble bad latin fo many hours in a day. This was formerly thought a matter of ridicule, and the Jefuits were rather rallied than condemned for their want of practical devotion. The Jefuits, it was faid, never chant, as birds of prey never fing. They were alfo called devout zea. lots that rofe by four o'clock in the morning, in order to repeat the litany by eight at night.' Thefe prudent fathers, however, were the first to laugh at thefe witticifms, without altering their

method

method of life; thinking it more honourable for them to preduce a Petau and a Bourdaloue, than pfalm-fingers and fanatics.

In difplaying the acknowledged merit of this fociety, it is confessed, nevertheless, that they were deficient, both as po ts and philofophers; characters to which a monaftic life and the fpirit of the Jefuits in particular, were by no means favourable. Their application to the fciences, to letters, to political intrigue, and above all, their attachment to each other, or rather to themselves as a fociety, bore them up, notwithstanding, to the highest pitch of credit; at which they were not a little fupported by their remarkable regularity of conduct and aufterity of morals. Even those among them, who broached the most monftrous doctrines, who employed their pens on the most obscene subjects, were thofe who led the moft edifying and exemplary lives. Thus Sanchez wrote his abominable work, at the foot of the crucifix; and it is faid particularly of Efcobar, equally famous for the severity of his manners and the looseness of his doctrines, that he purchased heaven dearly himself, though he fold it fo cheap to others.

The fuccefs which the Jefuits had met with at this time in France, was equalled in moft parts of Europe; there being hardly a Catholic prince in the world of whose conscience they had not the direction. Nor were they contented with this; but, full of their grand project of governing the universe by religion, they fent miffionaries to China and both Indies, with christianity in one hand, for the ignorant vulgar, and the prophane sciences in the other to fecure them a good reception with the learned and great.

Having thus traced this famous fociety from their origin to the fummit of their power and reputation, our hiftorian ftops to make fome reflections on their doctrines and manner of teaching; by which they made fuch a rapid and furprifing progrefs, as well among Chriftians as Pagans. Chriftianity, fays he, confifts of two parts, viz. faith and morals. Among our articles of faith, there is the doctrine of the trinity, juftification by faith, and fome others, which, in feeming to confound the understanding, prefent to the mind only mere fpecuJative truths. But thefe, however incomprehenfible or obfcure, meet with no oppofition from the multitude. Ignorance is naturally difpofed to the marvellous, and implicitly adopts the most abfurd errours, or the most fublime truths, if they are of an abstracted nature and do not clash with their paffions or inclinations. The Jefuits therefore have been careful enough to preach up fuch doctrines as thefe, as they knew they ran no rifque. But as to the doctrine of predeftination and grace, which affect practical religion, and are little adapted to gain profelytes; thefe prudent fathers have been cautious of infifting too strenuously on fuch points. The pious and fagacious M. Fleuri, fays in ex

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prefs

prefs terms, that we ought not to difclofe abruptly thofe doctrines, at which infidels might be difgufted. Suppofe for inftance a miffionary fhould addrefs himself, at first fight to a party of favages, thus, "I am come to make known to you a God, whom you cannot ferve worthily, without his fpecial grace; and who hath refolved from all eternity, either to accept or difclaim you." Would not thofe favages very reasonably answer:

It is very well, friend, but it is to no purpose to change our religion, till we fee whether he will give us this fpecial grace and accept us or not." The Jefuits would never have met with fo much fuccefs, had they proceeded in this manner. They went to work, therefore, more artfully; proving the truth of that text of fcripture, which fays the children of darkness act with more prudence as to the things of this world than the children of light. In China they went ftill farther than winking at a relaxation of morals, admitting even fome of the pagan ceremonies among thofe of chriftianity. But what is fingular, and must certainly appear ftrange to a people, for whose converfion they travelled fo many thoufand leagues, is that while the Jefuits were preaching chriftianity one way, other miffionaries their enemies were preaching it in a manner very different to the fame people, telling them, they would certainly be damned if they learned their Catechifm of the Jefuits. It is easy to judge what must be the affect of such contradictions; in fact the Emperor of China once obferved to them, it was very extraordinary they should come fo far, and take fo much pains to propagate fuch contradictory opinions, while they pretended to be of the fame religion. He had no objection, however, to their preaching; conceiving fuch kind of apoftles could make few converts. Add to this, that he reaped fome emoluments by the refidence of the Jefuits, who talked at court much more about aftronomy and phyfic, than of the trinity or tranfubftantiation. But, though our author conceives the views and politics of the fociety to be merely temporal, he thinks it certain that many of its individual members have actually expofed themselves to great dangers, and even to death itself, on account of that religion which they have burlefqued in their ministry, and made fubfervient only to their ambition. As a motive for this refolution in their miffionaries, he tells us the ftory of a Jefuit, who had been employed above twenty years in Canada, and had rifqued his life twenty times in the caufe of his mission; when at the fame time he confeffed to a friend, that he did not believe a word of the matter. No! (faid his friend, with some furprife) how inconfiftent then is your conduct!-Ah! Sir replied the miffionary, "I find you have no conception of the pleasure of commanding the attention of twenty thousand people, and perfuading them to what one believes nothing of one's felf."

Such