song"-an opportunity like that chosen by God when Jesus appeared. For at that blessed advent were not men's minds bewildered by teachers, disgusted with the fooleries of paganism, surfeited and tired with unrighteousness? How sweetly may the new Order strive to heal, to cure the wounds of Humanity, now way-laid, plundered of her best treasures, and wounded, and left for dead in a "howling wilderness without water"! But alas! she becomes at once a party-first to serve others as a slave, then to work for herself as a grasping speculator. Old abuses, vile prerogatives-these she covers with her wings-these she defends with claw and nail, and talons. Kings in their pride-popes in their encroachments—herself in her ambition-these are successively her molten calves-and she falls down and worships them.

She finds men eager to learn-she gives them subtle controversy; teaches them how to wrangle for ever, seeking the discomfiture of the antagonist more than his conviction:-and then, dexterously changing her method with the circumstances, she works at soft persuasionenlisting into the specious service every human art and all manner of trickery, which she herself denounces in theory by some of her members: whilst others sanctify craft, make deceit not unholy in doing her appointed work. Rather than fail in reclaiming the objects of her spiritual ambition, she will thus pervert herself, by resorting to unlawful means for her holy purposes. We shall see how these things come to pass in the scenes of her history.

When mankind fix upon her the stigma of craft and cunning, she herself will be proud of her tact and address. All her members will thus be fashioned to a certain standard.

Outward circumstances will press them in a certain path. Ever suspected, from being once detected, nooks and corners will be her working-places. Results she will show the means will be shrouded in darkness.

The selfishness of party will possess her as "legion," and she will multiply herself and her resources to confirm and hold and clutch with a grip inextricable that influence she will achieve on the minds and hearts of mankind to the destruction of many-of countless thousands—all over the habitable world-body and soul together in undistinguishable ruin.

Oh! had a prayer been offered at the moment of this Society's conception, and been heard where virtue is good destiny-that prayer would have enabled us now to say with exultation: The Society of Jesus confined herself to the domain of mind and religion, to make men happy here and hereafter she benefited body and soul together she kept aloof from the pitchy touch of kings and popes, with their grasping monopolies of power over all she strove to regulate, and never flattered the passions of men by a seeming specious morality, which was but vice without the conviction of guilt: she did not rise in her pride to the desire of ruling by her invisible arm kings, countries, all mankind. It will not be thus. The hopes of popes and kings, which the Society of Jesus will raise in their absorbing domination; the fears of the weak and ignorant, which she will know how to awaken; the enjoyments of the great, to which she will administer; their vices, at which she will systematically wink; her vast educational scheme, which will dislodge all rivals and competitors; her universal literature, which will expand her renown; her world-encircling missions, which will give her gold-the groundwork of more extensive

operations; the decided skill, and cleverness, and address of her men proverbially learned-these qualifications will swell her pride and self-sufficiency until she bursts forth in the words of intolerable boasting-"Give me but a place to stand on, and I'll move the world." 1

Observe in that figure her astonishing conception most admirably portrayed by the help of Archimedes. On the clouds of popular opinion-an airy nothing in itself screw into screw endlessly cogged, the universe belted and suspended, and moved as she lists invisibly, as appears by the sturdy and brawny winged object for an angel, turning the handle. It will be thus when a General of the Society shall say to the Duke of Brancas, "See, my lord, from this room-from this room I govern not only Paris, but China: not only

p. 321.

"Fac pedem figat et terram movebit." - Imago Primi Sæculi S. J.

I a mil.

China-but the whole world-without any one knowing how 'tis managed."

Add to this, that her moral doctrines will be compared with those of the pagan philosophers, and the latter will be deemed more Christian :2 that it will become an historical problem for Catholics, whether the Jesuits, or Luther and Calvin, have most injured Christian doctrine, and it will be solved to the disgrace of the former by a Catholic: 3 and finally, that Doubt and Atheism will be sportively made popular by one of the Society's eccentric progeny.*

1 «Vede, Signor—di questa camera-di questa camera io governo non dico Parigi, ma la China; non già la China, ma tutto il mondo, senza che nessuno sappia come si fa.”—Abrégé de l'Hist. Ecclés. de Racine, xii. 77. Arnaud, xxxii. 78. (Morale Pratique).

2 Parallèle de la Doctrine des Payens avec celle des Jésuites, 1726.

3 Problème Historique, qui, les Jésuites, ou Luther et Calvin, ont le plus nui à l'Eglise Chretienne, par [Mesnier, Jansenist Catholic] 1737.

* L'Athéisme découvert par le Père Hardouin dans les écrits de tous les Pères de l'Eglise, 1715.

BOOK II. OR, FABER.

The finger of God.

A

MOST graciously was Ignatius of Loyola received by Pope Paul III. The reader remembers the interview. It was probably one of Paul's fortunate days. Doubtless he had cast his horoscope. But astrology was not the only art that directed the pope's resolutions. He judged by palmistry as well. panegyrist of Don Ignacio, when become Saint Ignatius, tells us that "after the pope had attentively considered the hands of Ignatius, he saw nothing else inscribed and engraved in them but the name of Jesus, and instantly exclaimed: "The finger of God is here! I find nothing in these hands but the fingers of God." 1

The pope was prepossessed in favour of the pilgrim. He had heard of him before. Ignatius had sent him

1 "Postquam pontifex attentè considerasset manus Ignatii, nihil aliud eis inscriptum et insculptum vidit præter nomen Jesu, et statim dixit: Digitus Dei hîc est-nihil in istis manibus reperio præter digitos Dei."-Valderrama, in Canon. Ignatii, p. 48. See a curious tract on Palmistry, by Indagine, Introd. in Chiromant., Physionom., &c., Lug. 1582.

The Jesuit historians, apparently not relishing the whole fact, have retained the exclamation, but dexterously omit the adjunct. They make the pope utter the words when he saw the draft of the Constitutions of the Company. Bartoli, l. ii. 43. Cretineau Joly, t. i. 43, &c. Valderrama, who gives the anecdote, was Prior of the Austin Friars in Seville. It occurs in his sermon preached by request of the Jesuits on the 31st July, 1610, when Ignatius was canonised. Of course the Jesuits supplied the "facts" for the laudation. See Bayle, Dict. vii. 196.