MONUMENTA HISTORICA SOCIETATIS JESU

HISTORY OF THE SOCIETY OF JESUS

THE LIFE OF

IGNATIUS LOYOLA

AND 

THE HISTORY OF THE FOUNDING OF

THE SOCIETY OF JESUS

BY

JUAN DE POLANCO, S.J.

VOLUME I

(1491-1549)

Translated from Latin by 

Kenneth Baker, S.J.

MATRITI

EXCUDEBAT TYPOGRAPHORUM SOCIETAS

Founded under the patronage of St. Francis de Sales

No one better than Juan de Polanco could have narrated the beginning of the Society of Jesus under Ignatius, the founder of the Society. They know this who are familiar with the life of Ignatius. But for the sake of those to whom our Polanco is perhaps not known, we will add here what Sotwellus wrote about him: “Juan Polanco, a Spaniard from the city of Burgos; he was well versed in humane letters, and also studied philosophy at the University of Paris. He came to Rome where he worked as an apostolic writer (as they say), and in the flower of his youth. After making the Spiritual Exercises under the direction of Diego Laynez, he entered our Society in the year of salvation 1541. Then with serious hard work and great success he studied sacred theology at Padua. Because of this, by a serious writer about that time, William Eysengrein in his book Catalogus Testium Veritatis (1560), he received the following description: “A man famous for doctrine and eloquence, a fluent preacher, a serious philosopher, second to none in his knowledge of Holy Scripture. Afterwards, having been called to Rome by our holy Father Ignatius, and after a great harvest of souls in Bologna and Etruria, for nine years he was his principal assistant and helper for all the decisions and actions of the whole government of the Society. And when he was the public Secretary of the Society, to whom all the secrets were entrusted, at the same time he dedicated himself to preaching and giving theological lectures. He also oversaw the office of Christian Doctrine and the Procurator General, but he was not excused from work in the kitchen and serving at table. In 1549, on the feast of the Annunciation, he made his profession of the four solemn vows at Rome. When he was no longer able to work and knew he was about to die, Ignatius committed the administration of the Society to him alone. After that holy man died, he held the same position under Diego Laynez (for him he was also the Assistant for the Spanish Provinces, and Admonitor, and Secretary, and at the same time the Procurator General; also when he went to France in 1561, he debated publicly at Paris with the leaders of the Sectarians, and then having gone with Laynez to Trent, he expressed his views among the theologians, and he did it with such learned and cultivated speech that he met with great approval; and as they say commonly, he did it with the dignity and grandeur that lofty and divine things deserve); he held the same position under St. Francis Borgia, who succeeded Laynez as General. For in the government of the Society they made use of no one more than Juan Polanco. He knew all the secrets, he responded to the letters and consultations of all, he took care of all the business and family affairs. As one man he seemed to perform almost all offices, and in a certain sense he seemed to carry the whole Society on his shoulders, with perfect obedience, with singular diligence, with extraordinary patience and modesty. Moreover, often we noticed not without admiration that, in the midst of intense occupations, the same facial expression, the same composure was to be seen in Juan Polanco. After the death of holy Father Francis Borgia he became the Vicar General, and he presided over the General Congregation in which Father Everard Mercurian was elected as General. Then he was sent by him to Sicily in order to visit the Province; after doing this admirably, he returned to Rome. Shortly thereafter he died, and having served the Society and the Church excellently, at the age of 60 he rendered his soul to God on December 21, in the year of salvation 1577.” That is what Sotwellus says about Polanco in his work, Bibliotheca Scriptorum Societatis Jesu, which was published in 1676,

What Polanco wrote about the life of Ignatius and the beginnings of the Society, and which we are here making public for the first time, since it is not written according to all the norms of writing a history but is not a completely disorderly assembly of events which pertain to the history of Ignatius and the Society, the author himself did not call it a history; but it was someone else after him who gave this title to the volumes which were written by hand.

There are four of these volumes; of these three are of the size known as folio minor; the fourth one, in a different size, is in the first place.  All of it was written in the hand of one secretary, but it is not known for certain who that was.  But on many of the pages, especially at the beginning, the hand of the author appears, either adding or correcting something.

“CONCERNING MY WRITINGS PERTAINING TO THE HISTORY OF THE SOCIETY:

“First, I leave in writing 16 pages of paper, where the life of our Father Ignatius is contained until the decision to establish the Society, and these are the only ones I have corrected.

“2.° Two accounts follow in the fourth volume, which begin from the missions about 1539 (because some paragraphs marked with a line in the margin are contained in the 16 pages already mentioned; they were written last, although the matter belongs to the beginning) until the end of 1548, and the first pages and years are treated in the manner of a rather brief chronicle.  In the progress, by the order of our Father, in order to make known things that could help to remember the practical decisions of government, I began to give more details and also to mention some things that are not edifying, although at the end it preserves their knowledge: these 10 years are found in the 40 pages in the fourth volume, as I have said.  

“3.° After that, starting from the beginning of 1549, until the end of 1556, on pages like the first 16, there are another 754 pages, which cover only eight years of the progress of the Society.  

“4.° In addition to the first 16 pages on the life of Father Ignatius, and a few small sections of the other 40 pages, all the rest as much as possible is intended to be a summary of our history.  And what I thought I should do in obedience to what I was told to do is this: in the first place to provide a universal and truly chronological history of the things worthy of remembrance, which would be of service to the members of the Society and to others, in the same way as the 16 pages are concerning the life of our Father Ignatius and some other things contained in the other 40 pages.  In the second place, one can present (and I have decided to do this when I have the time) the particular history of all the houses and colleges of the Society separately, and consider more in particular the things in this summary, so that those of the same colleges can read them, and others who may have a special desire to know the things pertaining to a particular house or college; and because the years are kept distinct, for the most part, and almost for all, the titles of the provinces, houses and colleges have been noted; it was easy to gather together the chronicles of each place separately.  In the third place, one could present the history of particular important persons of the Society, and in order to facilitate this, I decided to place in the margin of the summary, in a few words, a summary of the things contained in the text where persons are mentioned.  In the fourth place: one could place some observations in the same historical account, which may be useful for those who will govern in the future, having learned from the past.

“5.° The method I have decided to follow is this: first, while re-reading the summary, to note those things, which pertain to the whole history, with the letter V, and then those that are particular with the letter P, and then for the history of particular persons what would be in the margin would be sufficient, and for some things the letter S; regarding other observations I used the letter O.  And with a line in a certain way one could see in the margin what pertains to one or the other chapter.  And having done this, I took account of the fact that, having been noted in the margin, as I have said, it remained in the hand of the superior, and not for anyone else, that the things contained there are not to be seen by all. 

“6.° There will be many errors in this summary because I did not check it after I had dictated it, and in the revised matters in the first 16 pages I can see that there are countless errors; but in spite of that one can, I believe, find the substance of the matter.  Some things could be added, and that can be done by certain letters, which were not given to me in time, and they will be of help in a revision.  

“7.° I have decided also, when a revision is made, to consult the copies of the reports of the history of the particular houses and colleges, and also to consult the Catalogues of our members for information pertaining to the history of the persons, and partly also for the whole Society.  And this is a summary of the purpose of this manuscript, where there are things recorded, and the order of the time and the place, but it is done without any style or literary adornment.”

This title is written at the top of the second page: “What is contained in this historical summary and the purpose that was maintained in it.”  

________

This title is given to the first volume: Life of Ignatius | Loyola | and | History of the Society | of Jesus | Volume I | 1549, 1550, 1551 | By Juan Polanco | 

But in order that this volume may not be too long, we will cover only those things that took place up until the year 1549.

And at the bottom of the pages, where it is necessary and where we can do it, we will indicate the documents from which Polanco derived the things that he narrates.  Likewise, we will mention the books which they can consult who want to expand, confirm or in some way emend the text.  In this way the authority well be established for the writings of such a great man, and each person will be able to use them in a better, safer and easier way.

ON THE LIFE OF FATHER IGNATIUS

AND

THE BEGINNINGS OF THE SOCIETY OF JESUS

CHAPTER I

ON THE HISTORY OF FATHER IGNATIUS BEFORE HE WAS CALLED BY GOD TO BEGIN A NEW LIFE

Ignatius Loyola, whom divine Providence deigned to choose as the first author and founder of the Society of Jesus, was born in a part of the Pyrenees mountains in the Basque province of Guipúzcoa.  His father Beltrán, lord of the noble houses of Loyola and Oñaz, who derived his name from them, was a famous man and a man of great authority.  But both of the mentioned houses are in the district of the city of Azpeitia; for, according to the custom of the region, outside of the towns, and something like villas, the homes of the nobles have been located for many centuries; among them, the more illustrious families are called major parents, whom many others are accustomed to follow as their leaders; and both of these families, that is, Loyola and Oñaz, are of this nature.  Some have thought that Ignatius was born in the year 1491, and they seem to have followed the opinion of his nurse; but if one is to believe Ignatius himself speaking about his life and the years of his conversion, he was born rather (as I think) in the year of our Lord 1495 under king Ferdinand V and Isabella, the Catholic rulers of Spain¹.

But Beltrán gained from his noble wife, Marina Sonae², in addition to five daughters, also received eight sons, of whom Ignatius was the last.  This arrangement, according to the customs of the time, was carried out more according to the spirit of this world than that of God.

For when he had learned enough to read and write, he was put in the care of the king, and he served him in the way that noble boys were wont to do. But after finishing his adolescence, until he was 26 years of age, he was attached to the lord Anthony Manrique, the duke of Nájera, to whom the house of Loyola was very much indebted, and during this whole time he led a life that was far removed from anything spiritual. And as noble young men dedicated to military skill often are accustomed to do, he lived a rather free life with regard to the love of women, song, and dancing, engaged in for the sake of honor³.

However, there were in him certain natural gifts of God that are not common.  For, first of all, he was very passionate in undertaking difficult things, and persevering in carrying them out, and prudent in organizing them.  At that time he set an example of this in many things, although they were worldly; and although he was still a young man, even then he had the ability to move the minds of men.  And when on one occasion he was sent by the duke Nájera (who at the time was the governor of Navarre) to the Province of Guipúzcoa to settle some disputes by which it was troubled, his skill in this matter was outstanding in no small way.  For, he brought it about that both parties of the dispute achieved harmony to their great satisfaction.  And in general, when he attempted to do something, he was accustom to bring it the desired result very quickly; although because of his ignorance of divine things he did not make very good use of this talent that he had received from the Lord.  But he was perceived to be destined for great things and suitable for them because of the strength of his mind and body.  Indeed his courage and constancy shone forth both in warlike matters and not just in private conflicts; and because on one occasion the divine goodness called Ignatius from a worldly life to his own service, we will now report how this happened.

When Charles V was about to leave Spain in order to receive the crown of the empire in Belgium and then in Germany, the nobles of the kingdom of Navarre wanted to return to Henry de Labrid, the governor of Bearn, in their paternal kingdom, and the people of Kingdom of Navarre were in favor of that.  And because of the civil wars in Spain, where the people took up arms against the King and his nobles, a no small company of soldiers was raised in Navarre, in order to serve the nobility against the army of enemies⁴. The king Francis I, seeing the occasion of success, sent with the army Andrew de Fox⁵, commonly known as the lord of Sparrosi. When many of the faction of the transmontanes came to him, and also some of the opposing faction of the cismontanes joined up their forces with the French, they occupied the citadel, which they call Sancti Joannis ad pedem portus, and hence, with no opposition, coming to Pamplona, they also captured it, which is a part of Navarre, without any resistance.  For the governor, Anthony Manrique, when his soldiers had abandoned him and he was left undefended and had lost his house on May 17, 1521, left Pamplona in order to try to obtain help from the nobles of Castella so that he could regain his kingdom, which had defected to Henry, the ruler of Bearn.

But he left Ignatius at Pamplona with a few others under Francisco de Biamonte⁶, to do what the latter told him to do.  But when he also left Pamplona, because it seemed to him that he could not resist the forces of the French, and since he knew that the minds of the citizens, for the most part, were inclined to accept Henry.  Ignatius, feeling ashamed at a retreat of this kind, which had the appearance of a flight, refused to follow Francisco.  Indeed, in the sight of those retreating he entered the citadel in order to defend it with the few who were present in it.  Also a certain very strong man, who was accustomed to fight with Ignatius over matters of honor, wanted to help in the defense of the citadel.  But when among those who were going to defend the citadel there was talk about handing it over to the French, since so few could not in any way defend it, and in consultation they agreed on this. The other senior men gave their opinion in the presence of Ignatius and thought they should surrender, since the citadel could not be defended.  In this situation, the opinion of Ignatius was: he would rather die in defense of the citadel than to surrender it.   And when the prefect of the citadel left it, having been called by the enemy to talk things over, in order to reach some kind of a just agreement, he took three others with him and Ignatius was one of them.  But the conditions offered by the French seemed to be not honorable, so Ignatius persuaded his companions not to accept them and he convinced the prefect and the others to take up arms and fight the enemies.  But then the French army, after bringing up the weapons needed to capture the citadel (which then was not well fortified), began to break down the walls.  Nevertheless, those who were in the citadel, by the example and encouragement of Ignatius continued to defend it, until a certain cannon ball struck the part of the wall which Ignatius was defending and it broke his right leg in several places; his left leg was also wounded, probably by the stones thrown at him by the bombardment, but the bone was not broken.  Then the French occupied the citadel, and they found Ignatius prostrate on the ground.  And because he was known by many, they brought him into the city, and his adversaries themselves worked on his cure, using the medicine and other things necessary.

Many signs of a generous and Christian heart often were observed in him; and to mention just a few things, before this arrival of the French, when the city of Najera took up arms against their own Duke (whom Ignatius at the time was serving), he entered the city with an army, and as punishment for the rebellion he allowed it to be plundered by the soldiers.  And although Ignatius was among the first to work hard to recover the city, he did not want to have anything to do with the plunder, which could have been abundant, because he thought it was not honorable or fitting for himself.  And although for the sake of honor he had fought often with many weapons, he never attacked anyone out of hatred; and no word of blasphemy against God was ever heard to be uttered by him, although at times he incurred many sufferings and labors.  Indeed, when at Pamplona he was being treated for the wounds in his legs, and he was cared for in a humane manner by his adversaries, he was so far removed from engaging in any kind of indignation or hatred that rather he gave away generously and in a loving manner what he had, namely, to this man his shield, to that one his dagger, to another his breastplate.

However, since his wounds were so serious that they could not be cured easily and in a short space of time, his adversaries carried him in a litter to his home at Loyola, which was not far away, where with great care his right leg, which we said was broken, was healed, and he gave a good example of patience and a manly heart in that difficult healing.  For, because the bones were not well joined together, finally they had to be broken again and fused together with great pain, and Ignatius was reduced to such a state that the doctors, on the vigil of St. Peter, said that he would die, unless he began to improve before the middle of the night.  Now Ignatius had a special devotion to St. Peter, and he had venerated him by composing some songs in Spanish in his honor.  Therefore, he felt that he was helped by St. Peter that same night, and it seemed to him that he saw him [Verba haec imo id videre sibi videbatur manu ipse propria inseruit Polancus.
    These words “and it seemed to him that he saw him” Polanco inserted in his own handwriting.]; immediately therefore he began to get better.  But when he was out of danger and almost restored to full health, he saw that the bone under his knee, since it was not well joined together, protruded, and since he considered that such a deformity was not a small thing (otherwise as a youth he was very fond of an elegant appearance, which was customary among nobles), and although he understood that that bone could not be cut off without the greatest suffering, he thought that the pain was less important than the good appearance.  He showed uncommon courage and patience, since he did not want to be held by others or to be tied down, nor did he utter any word of complaint or sign of impatience while suffering excruciating pain as the bone was being cut off; and he acted the same way when the bone was extended by certain machines, because the leg was shorter than the other.  Nevertheless, after that intense suffering the right leg remained shorter than the left.  Thus in the course of time a certain limping could be observed in him, but still it was so slight that it could scarcely be noticed by anyone who did not watch him carefully.  However, for him it was like a perpetual memorial to remind him of the benefit he had received from God.

CHAPTER II

ON THE NEW WAY OF LIFE INSTITUTED BY FATHER IGNATIUS

Now during the time when Ignatius was taking care of the cure of his body, the heavenly physician began to cure his soul. For, when the pains in both legs began to lessen significantly, but his complete cure would take a long time, in order to pass his time in reading, he asked for some books to read. And when two books in Spanish on the life of Christ and the saints were given to him, as a result of what he read various thoughts coming from a good and bad spirit began to occupy his mind. At times he felt strong inspirations that he should dedicate himself to the service of God and to imitate the things he was reading about; then sometime vain suggestions concerning the glory and greatness of the world would follow those holy thoughts. For, since he was a man with a great heart, in both cases he thought about doing great things. And he read about no kind of penance undertaken by the saints, which he doubted he could imitate. And then as a beginner and as one unskilled in spiritual warfare he thought that penances of this kind and austerity embrace for the sake of God was the nature of holiness; and since in spiritual things he had little experience in his former life, in this beginning state he allowed himself to be moved both by worldly and by good thoughts. Gradually, however, he began to observe the beginning and the end of these thoughts. And he noticed that the thoughts inspired by the good spirit and tending towards the service of God, besides the fact that they were good thoughts, they also filled his mind with a certain refreshment and consolation, being something like solid food. On the other hand, he noted that the worldly thoughts, although they seemed pleasant when he was occupied with them, because they were vain, afterwards they left his soul empty and without satisfaction. But one day, when his mind was more fully enlightened by God, he began to distinguish clearly between the good and the bad spirit, and the effects of both. Then in the course of time and being taught by the experiences of spiritual things, he wrote down the rules for the discernment of spirits, which are now found in the book of the Spiritual Exercises.

However, then concerning a change of life and dedicating himself totally to the service of God, in his own mind he made a firm proposal (although he did not make it know to anyone), and he not only thought about traveling to Jerusalem, but first he thought about the chastisement of his body, and the rejection of all honor and embracing an abject and harsh way of life, but in his own mind he determined absolutely to do it. For since he greatly desired to please God, it occurred to him to adopt these means because of his love; at that time he did not know about anything better. He was not a little confirmed in his good intention by a vision of the Blessed Virgin, whom during the night (while he was praying) it seemed to him that he saw with the child Jesus. The result of this experience was that afterwards all worldly things caused a loathing in him, and so he conceived an ardent desire for the virtue of chastity which, with the help of the Blessed Virgin he observed in such a way that, as long as he lived, he kept his body and mind free from all impurity of the flesh.

When he had completely recovered his strength, he decided to leave his home and fatherland and first of all to go to the monastery of the Blessed Virgin at Montserrat. His older brother lived in the home of Loyola, Martin Garcia, the head of the house and family (for his father Beltran had already died). From the changed nature of their conversations and Ignatius’s occupation in reading and writing pious matters, he perceived that Ignatius had a change of heart. So taking him aside he began to warn him to be careful in how he acted, and that he should show favor to his family and to the great expectations that all had in his regard. He said that Ignatius should follow course of life he had already adopted which was directed to glory and was suitable for obtaining all great things. Ignatius, however, wanting to get away from him, said that he remembered all the things he should do. So giving the impression that he was going to see the duke of Najera he left the house, and immediately he dismissed the two servants accompanying him and sent them home. Then being alone he set out for Montserrat, and each night on the way he began to beat himself severely with a scourge. For since he had lived a very profligate life as a youth, he thought that he must do penance for it and that he should do so immediately; but his intention always was to give honor to God rather than to escape the punishment due to his sins. However, while on his journey he was mentally considering the things that would contribute to progress in the spiritual life, which he had decided to embrace, when he realized that a grave danger threatened him partly from the allurements of the flesh, partly from the desire for honor and glory, since he knew he had often been injured by these enemies, understanding that he must take up arms against these two adversaries, on this very journey he pronounced a vow of chastity against the former, and since he was a man without learning but in other respects had a special devotion for the Mother of God, he offered the vow to the same Blessed Virgin. And through the same Blessed Virgin God was seen to have accepted his simple and good intention; and through her help, not in just any way but in a very lofty way, he preserved this gift of chastity perpetually, as we have said.

However, that it may be seen what a great benefit of God it is to have a teacher and instructor in the way of God, I will recount here what happened to this new and still uncultivated beginner, although God was near to him because of his good will. When he was traveling alone to Montserrat, he came upon a Muslim (for at that time they had not yet been completely expelled from the kingdom of Valentia), who joined him as a companion. He spoke to him about the virginity of the Blessed Virgin Mary; he admitted that she was a virgin before the birth, but not after the birth; but when Ignatius tried to persuade him with various reasons, the Muslim, persevering in his opinion, went on ahead of Ignatius and in haste headed for a nearby town. Then Ignatius, who still considered spiritual things with a military attitude (something he was very familiar with), felt that he did not show sufficient honor to the Bl. Virgin Mary, if he left unavenged the injury done by the Muslim to her immaculate virginity. On the other hand, a doubt entered his mind that it was not fitting for the servants of God to avenge with arms in this way injuries done to God or the Bl. Virgin. Therefore, being very upset and in a certain way perplexed concerning what would be more for the honor of the Bl. Virgin and wanting to be more pleasing to God, and not know which of the two option was more fitting, he made this decision: when he came to the fork in the road, which was nearby, where the Muslim had taken one road to the town, and the other led to Montserrat, he would allow the horse to take whichever road he chose, without being directed by the reins. And if he took the same road as the Muslim, he decided to stab him with his dagger in revenge for his blasphemy; but if the horse took the other road, he thought that this would be a sign that such revenge was not pleasing to God. So when he came to the fork in the road, the horse took the road to Montserrat, and so he understood that military punishments of this kind were not pleasing to God.

Shortly before he arrived at that holy monastery, he prepared the clothes he had decided to wear, namely, sackcloth made out of harsh material, along with shoes made out of rope, and a cord which he used as a belt, along with a container for carrying water. Therefore, after giving his horse and the money he had to the poor, he made a general confession diligently of his whole life, and he did it in writing over a period of three days to one of the priests of the monastery, and he conferred with him about the way of life which he had decided to follow. After doing that, and being fortified by the most holy sacrament of the Eucharist, in order to put on the clothes he had prepared for himself and to dedicated himself totally to the army of Christ, secretly he sought out a poor man, and taking off all his clothes he gave them to him. Then in place of them he put on the already mentioned sackcloth, tied the cord around his waist, and of the shoes he kept one only for the right foot because, on account of the broken bone, it still usually swelled up during the night; the other shoe he discarded. He decided to put nothing on his head. And because he was more familiar with profane books than he was with pious books, he had read that those, who were about to become knights, were accustomed to spend the night before that in prayer in a church, before they were admitted to the noble order of knights, thinking that he should imitate them, he thought that he should spend the night before his big move in a vigil with his new arms in the chapel of the Bl. Virgin. Therefore, sometimes standing, sometimes kneeling, he spent the whole night in the chapel always watchful and praying. And in the same chapel of the Bl. Virgin he hung up his sword and dagger, and so this new soldier of Christ, with new weapons, began for the future to serve no longer an earthly, but a heavenly King, and this took place towards the end of 1521¹. And it is to be noted that in that year Martin Luther, having been summoned by Charles V to Vormatia to give an account of himself, clearly and publicly began to spew forth his vomit against the Apostolic Roman See and the general Councils (for beforehand he said he was willing to submit his teaching to the Roman Pontiff), and in the same year Ignatius dedicated himself to the service of God. His works and those of other members of same Society prepared an excellent antidote against that teaching, and their special obedience to the Sovereign Pontiff and the Apostolic See, which they offered and sought to be offered by others, did much to repair the revolt and disobedience of those who rebelled against the Church.

But let us return to Ignatius. For a long time he did not wear any other clothes but the above-mentioned sackcloth; but so that he would not be recognized by anyone in that holy monastery (to which out of devotion people came from all parts of Spain), he departed from there and went to Manresa, which is not far from Montserrat. And since he had decided to live by begging, so he began, being content with bread and water only, to abstain completely from meat and wine. However, I will not pass over the fact that the poor man to whom he had given his clothes, when he came under suspicion that he had stolen them from somewhere, he was arrested by the administrator of justice (he is called alguacil in Spanish, a word borrowed from the Arabs), and there was a danger that he would suffer some punishment and infamy. But when he said that he had received the clothes as an alms for a certain man, who had departed a little time before, the administrator went looking for Ignatius. And recognizing him from the description given by the poor man, he asked him whether he had given those clothes to the poor man. But Ignatius, seeing that by his gift the poor man had come under such suspicion and danger, testified that he had given the clothes to the man, and feeling compassion for his misfortune he shed abundant tears for him after he had left his fatherland. But when the administrator asked him about his name, nationality and similar things, he said that these things were not necessary to help the plight of the poor man, so he did not give any answer to these questions.

Therefore when he arrived at Manresa, he went to a home for the poor and joined the other poor people. Being content with the bread he begged and water, and sleeping on the ground, he punished his body three times daily with a severe scourging. He did not give himself any recreations, and after living that way for a long time his body, which had been very strong and healthy, began to wither away and to become very weak. Also he was very careful to see that his name was not known or that any sign of nobility should be known about him. He allowed his hair to remain uncombed (at the time care of the hair was common and formerly he had been very fastidious about that) and his fingernails to grow, so that now by his neglect of such things he was making compensation for his former excessive concern about his appearance and honor. Daily he spent seven hours on his knees saying vocal prayers, and up until that time he had no experience of mental prayer. He was present for Mass, Vespers and Compline with great satisfaction of his spirit. And so for four months after changing his clothes he achieved still very little with regard to interior consolations of the mind, but being content and cheerful only with his purity of intention, he persevered in his harsh way of life and abjection. But then in his pure and right intention and in his constancy and fortitude of mind he obtained from God a special gift.

Only once after he changed his clothes did he experience a very strong temptation, which made this suggestion to him: Would it not be better, wearing your own clothes, which are suitable for your state of life, now to put them on (sic) and to associate with others rather than with these poor little people? But easily discerning this spirit and seeing that it was not good, he joined some other poor people and he began to speak with them; afterwards a temptation of this sort did not bother him. But then Satan attacked him in a different way. For when he saw that he was weak and tired and suffering bodily, the following thought came to him: “O miserable Ignatius! Fifty years are remaining for you to suffer these afflictions.” But recognizing that this was a temptation of the devil, he said: “Can you give me your assurance that I am going to live for even one more day?” Therefore, when these two light temptations had been overcome by his constancy, and when the determination of his mind remained totally unshaken, no further temptation about abandoning his vocation, which was of any significance, bothered him. So when he put his hand to the plow, he never looked back again. But he was so dedicated to fasting that, with the exception of Sunday, he fasted every day of the week. And so this is how he spent the first four months, as we have said.

CHAPTER III

ON THE PROGRESS OF FATHER IGNATIUS IN SPIRITUAL THINGS

Since Ignatius made prompt use of the gifts given to him by God, he received other greater ones from the divine goodness. For, when he left Manresa and visited a certain shrine about a thousand yards outside the town, he sat down by a small river and was enlightened by a sudden and unusual light and he had a wonderful experience of the divine mysteries. And this same light extended itself also to the discernment of good and bad spirits in a special way, so that he seemed to see all divine and human things with new eyes of his mind. From that a great abundance of spiritual consolation was the result, when the Father of mercies and the God of all consolation abundantly poured out into his soul the treasures of his divine goodness. However, while prostrating himself in order to venerate a nearby cross and to give thanks to God, on the upper part of the cross he saw a certain figure of a serpent, which also in the days before this enlightenment he was accustomed to see present before himself — it was very bright and adorned with seven or eight eyes; and this spectacle appeared to him daily two, three, four times, and sometimes more often than that. When he looked at it present before him he was consoled, but when it left him, it left his mind troubled. But then, after he had received the enlightenment we mentioned above, he saw clearly that it was the devil; and after that, although it appeared to him often, even after he came to Paris and Rome, he no longer paid any attention to it, so it became more dull and now did not appear with the brightness that it had at first. But Father Ignatius did not explain the secret of this vision to anyone, since it was difficult to relate according to the details; but he did relate it as a fact.

From this time on he acquired a greater and more profound knowledge of himself; and in order to get a better knowledge of the sins of his former life, he began to weep with greater bitterness of soul and contrition. And because the Lord wanted him, who in the future would be the teacher of many people, to have a good knowledge of himself, he wanted him first to experience the things that are contained in his book of the Spiritual Exercises, and then he began to reflect on them and to write them down for the help and direction of others. Indeed, from the beginning of his conversion, even before that mentioned illumination of his mind, he was glowing with the love of God and of virtues, which brings one to the perfection of the Christian life. Thus he was accustomed to exhort and inflame others, who came to him, regarding virtue and the service of God. And since the example of his life and the opinion people had about his nobility gained for him a certain authority, so that this turned out to be not without some fruit, he strove to move others to embrace what is best. But after the above-mentioned enlightenment and observation of spiritual exercises, he proposed a method and way of cleansing the soul by contrition and confession; and in meditations on the mysteries of Christ, and the way of making a good choice concerning the state of one’s life and other things, and finally of progressing in the things that pertain to enkindling love of God and various ways of praying, he began to give very useful help to others. Still, with the passage of time, these things also were brought to greater perfection.

But because it was necessary for Ignatius to be tempted in every way, since he was going to help many others in various temptations through his advice and direction, along with a clearer knowledge of his owns sins, he fell into various scruples, which can greatly torment a person. Thus his general confessions, or other confessions often repeating the same things, did not give peace or rest to his soul. And they so afflicted the servant of God that the devil also tried to suggest to him temptations about the miseries and tribulation of this life, but because of his good will of pleasing God he rejected them without difficulty; but he was not able in the same way to resist the scruples which arose in him from his fear of offending God. But because he had read in the lives of the Fathers that someone, in order to obtain a certain grace, decided not to take any food, until he had obtained that grace from the Lord, Ignatius, greatly desiring peace of conscience, decided to abstain from all food until, by the goodness of God, he had found that peace, unless he knew he was approaching death because of his physical weakness. Therefore, when he had abstained for one day, and at the same time not omitting his usual prayers and the punishment of his body, and then did the same thing for the second day, and he saw that his strength was not weakened, he continued that fast for seven days. And because the Lord gave him strength, but he saw that he had not acquired the desired peace, he was going to continue the fast further, unless when he went to confession (which from the beginning of his conversion he was wont to do every week) he was forbidden to fast, and the priest said that he would not give him absolution unless he abandoned his decision to fast. Ignatius obeyed the confessor; and so after one or two days he found peace from his scruples, and he believed that he would have found it more firmly, if the confessor had commanded him to abandon completely his concern about the confession of his sins and no longer to confess the sins of his former life. But he did not receive this medicine from that spiritual physician, nor did he dare to suggest it. At length it pleased the divine Goodness to cure Ignatius not only from this disease of scruples, but also to enlighten him on how to cure others who suffered from the same mental affliction. And among the other gifts of God, Ignatius had this exceptional gift for the rest of his life, and so with great facility he cured many persons disturbed by grave scruples.

After these trials he received from the Lord wonderful illuminations concerning the mystery of the Holy Trinity, and the creation of the world and other mysteries of the faith during the time he stayed at Manresa. But in what concerns the mystery of the Trinity, this man otherwise lacking literary skills was so taught that at the time he began to write a treatise on the most holy Trinity. And it was not only with singular spiritual consolation, which for many hours he was as it were absorbed in the abyss of the divine Goodness on the day in which he received knowledge of this mystery, but for as long as he lived in his prayers and Masses of the Holy Trinity he felt a special sense of devotion and of a divine visitation. And when he had separated himself from all consolation of this world, not rarely Christ the Lord, and at times also his Blessed Mother, deigned to console him in a very special way, while they were perceived by him with the eyes of his mind. This happened to him often afterwards both in Spain and outside of Spain. Thus he was taught by the Lord himself, so that, although he had never learned anything from the Holy Scriptures or the Doctors of the Church, he was sufficiently instructed to be able to instruct others. Moreover, from certain men, who testify that they saw him, we learn that Ignatius was suspended from the senses of his body for eight whole days, namely, from one Saturday until the following Saturday, so that he was seen to live hardly in any other way than from a movement of his heart (which had the effect that he was not buried), and then on the eighth day he regained his senses, while often repeating the name of Jesus. For about this rapture he said nothing to anyone, as far as we know. And those who knew Ignatius familiarly are not surprised at this silence; by their questions they could get from him easily an account of the sins of his former life and other details, but the internal and unusual things they could not get from him, even though they tried hard to get it from him. And it is to be believed that only those things could be elicited from him, which he believed would contribute to imitation or to the glory of God.

He remained for almost a whole year at Manresa, where he tasted the first fruits of the spirit; and for the time of rest, sometimes allowing himself to be drawn by the sweetness of contemplation, he spent almost the whole night without sleeping; but when he became aware of the resulting weakness of his body, he decided not to subtract from the allocated time for sleep; and so in the book of the Exercises, and in private counseling, he always warned those who dedicate themselves to spiritual things not to deprive themselves of the necessary sleep required by nature (and also the necessary food, at least bread).

In this year, because of his excessive labors, austerity of life and castigation of the body, he fell seriously ill and seemed to be close to death. At this time he endured one temptation, because the devil placed before his eyes that he was a justified and holy man; he defended himself against this by the remembrance of his own sins, especially those of his former life. He asked those standing by (when he got somewhat better) that, if finally they saw he was close to death, they should reproach him for the sins with which he had so greatly offended God. However, he was able to be freed from that sickness more quickly than he could be from the harassment of the temptation of vain glory, which attacked the soldier of Christ for a long time. And he fought against it so diligently that he did not dare to mention either his homeland or his family name, lest he be thought to be a nobleman. But in the course of time God so humiliated him in the intimate knowledge and contempt of himself, and he so eliminated the root of vain glory in himself that during the last eighteen or twenty years of his life I never heard his say he had to confess a sin of vain glory, while otherwise he was very acute in confessing various venial sins. And so he exercised great freedom in speaking both about his sins and his gifts from God, when he judged they should be mentioned for the glory of God and for the edification of those with whom he was speaking, although the other things, which the divine Wisdom had worked in him in an amazing way (as we have said), he refused to talk about. And when occasionally some of us urged him to tell us about them, he said, if he understood that it would be pleasing to God that such things should be written down and communicated to others, he would write it down himself.

When he had overcome that sickness but had not fully recovered his strength, immediately as at the beginning he resumed his previous custom of prayers and castigation of his body, and so he fell again into the same fever. Also, when he again recovered, and resumed too quickly the same exercises, so that he might not indulge himself too much, for the third time he fell into the same sickness. And so gathering himself together and after reflecting on the cause of his illness, he decided to regain his strength before resuming his usual labors; and so in this matter he always gave prudent advice to those who are sick, and he exhorted them not to be afraid to omit some usual devotions during their sickness, especially if their mental exercises were quite long. And by showing patience at that time and the edification of others, as best they could during that time, they could make up for those things when their good health was restored. And in this matter (just as in other things he said happened to him) by erring first, he learned not to err. But since the medicine given to him did not prevent him from falling often into the same illness, he regained his strength with a new medicine. For when he saw many figs on a tree, he asked the woman who owned the tree to give him some figs. So she with great care picked many figs and gave them to him; when he had eaten them the Lord restored his health. Nevertheless, some good men, because of the stomach pains which he was then suffering from, urged him to protect himself against the cold with some warm clothes; therefore, lest he seem to oppose them and good advice, he accepted some shabby grey clothes (commonly called pardillum) and something else to cover his head.

After this year at Manresa, although Ignatius had worked hard on his own perfection, still what he had received from God he communicated, as we have said, to his neighbors; and the Lord had impressed this zeal for souls deeply into his mind. And he learned from experience that, when he communicated what he had received to others, not only were those things not diminished, but they also increased in himself. Therefore, he began to communicate to many people at Manresa the spiritual exercises which he himself had learned from God. And the Lord deeply moved those to whom these things were proposed with wonderful illuminations and spiritual consolation and the increase of all virtues. And he was accustomed to engage in friendly conversations with various people; and when he was invited by some to dinner, he did not refuse to go (although otherwise he lived from the alms he begged). But while he was eating, he was accustomed to keep silence, unless he was asked a question; when asked, he stopped eating, and responded; and those who noticed this, asked him few questions so that he would not stop eating. When the dinner was over, taking his cue from things said during the meal, he was accustomed to initiate a spiritual conversation, as the Lord at the time inspired him (for it was not premeditated); and if at times it was premeditated, it did not succeed very well for him. Thus from these kinds of exhortations the result was much edification in those who heard him. In these two ways, and especially by the spiritual exercises (which for the most part were composed at Manresa), many in that place underwent a great change of life and significant progress in the spiritual life. But since the people in that town conceived a great estimation for the holiness of Ignatius, when he fell sick as we said above, the magistrates of the people provided a house and the other things necessary for his cure, and the leading ladies sometimes spent the whole night taking care of him. But when he had spent more or less a whole year at Manresa, he went to Barcelona where, at the urging of others and because he judged it would be for the glory of God, he decided to get some book learning, so that he might add acquired learning to the teaching he had received supernaturally from God, and he did this for the good of souls. And so he began to study grammar in such a way (although others think that he began his studies after he returned from Jerusalem), [1. Parenthesis haec tota ipsius etiam Polanci manu superaddita est.
This whole parenthesis was added by the handwriting of Polanco.] so that he might retain the same way of living, which he maintained at Manresa, namely, of living from the alms he begged, and staying at the hospice of the poor. For, the love of poverty, both interior and exterior, in imitation of Christ, was deeply implanted in his soul. However, his studies did not prevent him from giving the spiritual exercises and by friendly conversation to help various people. And daily his dexterity and efficacy in helping souls, and his discernment of spirits increased, for he had received an extraordinary talent from God both to recognize temptations and to direct those who wanted to devote themselves to spiritual things.

CHAPTER IV

ON THE JOURNEY TO JERUSALEM AND THE RETURN TO SPAIN

After Ignatius had laid a firm foundation in the spiritual life and the practice of self-abnegation, he decided to put into effect his previous proposal to visit the places in the Holy Land where Christ had accomplished the mysteries of our redemption. And since he was inflamed with that desire, at the first opportunity of taking a ship he decided to sail to Italy in the year 1523. He planned to go from there to Jerusalem and to remain there, if it were possible. And he proposed not only to satisfy his own devotion by visiting the holy places, but also to preach the faith and teaching of Christ to the infidels (if in some way the door was open for this), and to do and suffer many things because of his love for him. But in this whole journey, because of the magnitude of his faith and hope in the Lord, the constant love of poverty in him was especially visible; for, first of all, although some of the companions of this journey offered him help, and money for the journey was offered to him by some devout persons, he wanted to accept neither, so that he would not place his confidence in anyone else but in God. But since the captain of the ship wanted to accept no one, who did not bring along for his own use a supply of what is called “nautical bread” (which they call “twice cooked” [1. Italice biscotto; hispanice biscocho.
In Italian biscotto; in Spanish biscocho]), Ignatius, uneasy because according to his vow of trusting in God alone, he would absolutely not be permitted to board the ship without these human supports, consulted a confessor. He directed him to bring the required bread with him. He was able easily to buy this with the money he begged and he brought it on board the ship, but the extra money he had he left on the shore, so that he would not have anything more than what was absolutely necessary for the journey.

Therefore, setting sail from Barcelona and after a violent storm they arrived at Gaeta, and from there Ignatius traveled to Rome by land and with great difficulty. For since a large part of Italy was suffering from a plague, it was difficult for unknown persons to be admitted into towns; and so, in addition to the difficulty of the journey, and the lack of hospices and places to stay, he also suffered very much from hunger. Therefore in Rome, after having received the blessing of the Pontiff given to pilgrims, the Pope at the time being Adrian from the Netherlands, he set out for Venice. He did not agree with the pious men in Rome, who tried to persuade not to undertake this pilgrimage, because it was dangerous on account of the power of Soliman, the king of the Turks, who had captured the island of Rhodes not long before, that is, in the preceding year of the Lord 1522, and made sailing dangerous with his fleet of ships. But since he had received seven or eight gold coins given as an alms, they persuaded him to use it to pay for his trip. But when on his journey this money tormented Ignatius, because it seemed to him that he had trust in something other than God, he thought about getting rid of it; after some time he decided to give it to the poor, which is what he did. For a short time a scruple bothered him about keeping even one small coin. And since, because of the weakness of his body, he walked quite slowly, others did not want to have him as a companion; and still others, after they began to accompany him, abandoned him. And so, not knowing the Italian language, without money, sometimes overcome by the darkness of the night before he could reach a town (since also because of the plague as a stranger it was difficult to be admitted to a town), on this journey he had no little occasion to exercise patience. But the Lord was near him as a helper in these situations; and when he was near Padua the Lord appeared to him and consoled him and strengthened his soul. And although the guards of that city carefully examined others because of the fear of the plague, Ignatius was allowed to enter without hindrance. At the same time, however, some of the other companions who had abandoned him, with great effort and discussion were hardly allowed to enter the city.

Then when he arrived at Venice, since he did not have money to pay for a hospice, or to pay for a boat to take him to it, the first night he rested on a bench of some artisan in the square of St. Mark, as that area is called in the city. But it happened that one of the patricians of the city, while he lay in his bed, seemed to hear words like this said to him: “You are resting on your soft bed, and my servant is spending the night in the square.” Therefore he arose and coming to the square of St. Mark and he found Ignatius, who had fashioned a bed for himself on the before mentioned bench, and taking him to his home, he kindly gave him hospitality. But since he was treated with too much honor, he departed from that house and he stayed with another Spaniard from Cantabria whom he had met. That man advised him, as did others, against making this pilgrimage, especially since he lacked money, which always is necessary not only for the journey, but also for living in the Holy Land. But Ignatius, changing nothing in his opinion, told his friend that he hoped in God, and that if even one plank in that year arrived at the Holy Land, he would travel on it to get to Jerusalem. For, he did not want to use human means, which he could have done very easily. Then he went to the Governor of the Venetians, Andrew Gritti, to whom he was completely unknown, and speaking to him in Spanish, he asked him for the love of Christ to order that he (Ignatius) be transported to the Holy Land. The Duke willingly and generously granted his request. And since a ship of the republic was about to sail to Cyprus, he ordered that Ignatius should be taken on board and he took care of the necessary expenses.

Once the difficulty of poverty was overcome, he fell into another serious difficulty, namely, into an illness, from which he suffered not only on the day when the ship was going to leave the port, but on that very day he had taken a turn for the worse. So when the departure of the ship was announced, and the doctor said that he was in danger of death if he were to undertake a sea journey in such a condition, he received some advice from a better doctor, and he went on board the ship with a spirit of faith and confidence in the Lord; and by the motion of the sea he vomited up the harmful humors from his stomach. And while the goodness of God was helping his faith, he was made free not only from this last illness, but he was also freed from the constant pains in his stomach, by which he was at times gravely afflicted. And this sailing trip was done not without some spiritual fruit; moved by his example and words many made progress spiritually and accompanied him with veneration and love. But when he reprehended certain ones, who were acting badly, the decision of the sailors was that, when they arrived at a certain island, they would leave him there; but when they approached the island, forced away from it by a contrary wind, they proceeded on their journey to Cyprus. So the Lord helped Ignatius often and consoled him in this voyage.

When Ignatius found a ship of pilgrims in Cyprus, in it without any money for the journey he completed the rest of the trip to the Holy Land. There with singular devotion and consolation, not only in the company with the others, but sometimes alone he visited the holy places of our redemption renowned for their mysteries. But with special affection more than once he visited the Mount of Olives where Christ, when he was about to ascend into heaven, left an imprint of his feet; there he gave some things to the Saracen guards (since he did not have money) so that they would permit him to visit the place; the gifts he had were a pen holder, a pair of scissors and a few other things like these. And he was filled with such enthusiasm and sense of spiritual consolation, that what he had thought about at first, now he held as much more certain, that is, that he should remain there. And so it seemed to him that he should approach the Custodian of the Franciscan Fathers so that he would not refuse (which he had the power to do) to allow Ignatius to remain in Jerusalem. But the Franciscan Provincial thinking that that was not a good idea (although Ignatius promised that he would not be a burden to them, since he did not expect lodging or anything else from them, saying that he would provide for his needs by seeking alms from Christians or from infidels), he still persisted in his opinion. And since he said he had the power to excommunicate those who wanted to remain in the Holy Land contrary to his will, Ignatius understood that it was not the will of God that he should remain there. And so this matter taught him that God wanted him to carry out his ministry in other provinces and charitable activities.

Therefore he returned to Cyprus. Since three ships there were about to set sail for Venice, one of Turks, another a very good ship of the Venetians, the third being an old ship, which took on some water because of cracks in the hull. Devout men tried to persuade Ignatius to take the better ship of the Venetians, and in order to persuade the captain of the ship they told him that Ignatius was a very holy man. But he with a witty statement refused to take Ignatius. “If he is a saint,” he said, “he does not need my ship and he can go by walking on the water.” Therefore, he was taken on board of the third, despicable little ship. But when all left Cyprus on the same day, only this ship arrived in Venice. For, when a storm arose, the ship of the Turks sank, while the good ship ran aground and was shipwrecked, although the people on board did not perish. Then after resting for a few days in Venice, and having been treated kindly by his Spanish host from Cantabria, the latter gave him some money as an alms so that he might at least reach Genoa, which the weak condition of his health seemed to require.

But when around the beginning of the year 1524 he left Venice and arrived in Ferrara, and while he was praying in the cathedral, a poor man asked him for an alms, and he gave him one of the small coins that he had; and when another asked him for the same thing, he gave it to him. Finally, when these poor men told others about him, many came to him, and for the love of Christ not wanting to deny an alms to anyone asking him, after the small coins he began to give the more valuable coins, until not even one small coin was left. So that day, in order to get some food, he had seek it by begging. But the poor men to whom he had given all his money, cried out in Italian: “He is a saint, he is a saint!” Then he began his journey from Ferrara to Genoa. But since at this time a war was being waged in Lombardy and cisalpine France between the Empire and the French, that is, at the beginning of the year of the Lord 1524, since he had to pass by the imperial troops he was taken into custody by the troops as a spy and taken to the Commander. But since Ignatius, in order to make up for the excessive politeness in speaking which he was accustomed to use in the courts of princes, was accustomed to use a simple and almost rustic manner of speaking, even with nobles and officials, when he was brought to this Commander, the thought occurred to him to change his way of speaking and to address him in a honorific way. For, because of the suspicion about him, he could fear both torture and other torments. But when he realized that these thoughts proceeded from fear, and on the other hand, that his usual way of acting tended more to self-abnegation and the honor of God, he decided not only not to change his usual way of speaking, but not to show any sign of honor to this Commander, so that he might re-direct the darts back to the tempter. Therefore, when he was brought before the General, he did not show any reverence for him by removing his cap, by words or by any sign of his body. The man asked him where he came from, where he was going, who he worked for, what his name was. Ignatius said not a word, while keeping his eyes fixed on the ground. When the General saw this, he asked him whether or not he was a spy; he responded only to this by saying he was not a spy. The General, therefore, thinking that they had brought to him a man not of a sound mind, being angry with the soldiers, he ordered them to release Ignatius. Then the soldiers, upset because of the rebuke from their Commander, set him free, but not without hitting and beating him. But one soldier took compassion on Ignatius, who was fasting and in need of food; after being refreshed by him, he continued on his journey. And after having been seized and questioned by French soldiers, he was treated kindly by them and then released. And among these dangers and troubles he was treated by Christ with a singular gift of devotion and spiritual consolation; and when he arrived in Genoa, he was taken to Spain by a certain Cantabrian captain of a trireme whose name was Portundo a man whom Ignatius had known in the past.

CHAPTER V

ON THE STUDIES, COMPANIONS, PRISONS, AND ON THE MISFORTUNES, WHICH IGNATIUS ENCOUNTERED IN SPAIN

When he arrived at Barcelona he decided to remain there for some time. Since he was not able to stay in Jerusalem, he thought long and hard about what way of life he should follow in the future for the greater glory of God. And since he was always inflamed with the desire of helping his neighbors, and he wished to suffer many things for the name of Christ, he wondered whether he should enter a religious order, or remain free to dedicate himself to the service of God, and find some companions who also wanted to devote themselves to helping their neighbors. And he thought if he entered a religious order, it would not be a reformed one but a lax order in which he could suffer many things and so be helped to lead a more perfect life. But finally he decided to remain free and so to dedicate himself totally to the service of God. In any event, he thought he should pursue literary studies so that he could transmit to others, without the admiration of men, what he had received from the Lord for the help of souls. But he chose Barcelona in order to devote himself to humane letters, because there a certain rich lady, whose name was Isabella Rosell offered him the things necessary to live, and a certain pious man, a teacher by the name of Ardebolus, offered to help him with his learning. Therefore, putting no little effort into his studies when he began to work at them, also, when his health improved he resumed the chastisements of the body, which he had omitted for the most part because of his travels and his weak health; but he judged that he should not return to wearing the sackcloth. So he put on some old clothes and also footwear, but he put holes in the bottom of his sandals so that the bottom of his feet would be on the ground, while he had the upper part of his feet covered. He also gave the spiritual exercises to some people, and he did not completely give up spiritual conversations and the explanation of Christian doctrine. But he did diminish the time for prayer so that he could spend more time on his studies. But when he was devoting his time to the first principles of grammar, so many spiritual thoughts occurred to him, and occupied his mind, that he grasped very little, or at least retained very little of the things pertaining to grammar. But when he became aware of this, he attributed it not just to his advanced age, or his habit and affection for spiritual things, but to a temptation of the devil, who was trying to hinder his studies undertaken for the honor of God. So in order to overcome this temptation, he decided on the following plan: he calls his teacher to the church, he explains the whole matter to him, and falling on his knees before him, he offers himself to him for two years or for the entire time necessary to learn the Latin language, and promising dedication and obedience, he asks him to direct him, and not just with words but also with beatings, if it should be necessary, just as he does to the least of his boy students. Therefore, having made this oblation of himself, made humbly and firmly to God and to his teacher for the sake of God, he overcame the temptation, and in two years he made so much progress in his studies that now it seemed to his teacher and to others that he was ready for higher studies. I will add here, although it happened some years later, that when he was hindered in his studies at Paris by a similar temptation, in a similar way he offered himself to his teacher of philosophy, and he again overcame it. And because the spiritual conversations, which he was accustomed to have at home very pleasantly with Peter Faber, were a hindrance to the same studies, he entered into an agreement with him that for a time they would not speak to each other about divine things. Certainly the divine Goodness taught Ignatius, even when he erred with a good intention, so that he would not allow his future disciples to err; and so in the Constitutions, he kept within bounds mental prayers during the time assigned for study (as can be seen in them). And he thought that studies, undertaken for the honor of God, should take the place of prayer to a great extent. Thus also when he was occupied with teaching Christian doctrine and in other things pertaining to the help of his neighbor, he limited the time for prayer, but he did attend Mass every day. He did not omit examinations of conscience, and at the proper time he spent an hour in mental prayer, and so then he thought that his disciples should observe this rule.

It should not be omitted that when he was at Barcelona, with the encouragement of others and with the approval of his confessor, he read a little book of Erasmus, whose title was “Handbook of a Christian Soldier” (Enchiridion militis christiani), which was said to be pious and written in beautiful language. Nevertheless Ignatius perceived that, because of this reading, his fervor of devotion and piety was becoming lukewarm, and so he threw away the book, and afterwards, when the spirit of Erasmus was better known, he forbade that any book by this author should be read by members of the Society. For, although there were some things written by him that contained nothing evil, he feared lest because of these our members would be influenced by the author and so would put faith in works badly written by him. But in a wonderful way that little golden book pleased him, The Imitation of Christ, which was written by John Gerson (sic) and he recommended highly that it be read by others.

Before he departed from Barcelona, some companions, who wanted to follow his way of life, joined Ignatius. For, as we have said, from the very beginning he was inclined to enkindle and to strive for virtue both for himself and for others. One of these was called Callixtus who, with the help of Ignatius¹, traveled to Jerusalem, and on his return he decided to join up with Ignatius and to follow his way of life. There was a second one by the name of Arteaga, who later became a bishop in West India, where he died².  third man was known as Caceres, who served the governor of Catalonia, but he is different from the man of the same name, who became a friend of Ignatius in Paris³;Then a fourth man joined him, a young man from France. But this association, as sometimes happens to beginning groups, did not last, and shortly thereafter, when Ignatius departed from Spain, the group broke up.

Let us return to the studies of Ignatius. After he had progressed beyond the problems of grammar during the previous two years, he could then study philosophy and theology. With his companions he came to Alcalá, and there he met Martin Olavius, a talented young man, who was studying logic, and when he met Ignatius he gave him an alms. Later he met him in Paris when he was teaching philosophy, and although he was under the spirit of this world, his thinking was very different from his; he knew this and spoke to him about it. At length, when he became a doctor of theology and had a great name among the Sorbonne professors and the court of Charles V, at Rome he entered the Society. Therefore Ignatius chose for himself the hospice of Alcalá, a hospital for poor strangers and he obtained his food by begging. But when he was laughed at by certain impious persons, the prefect of the hospital, which they call Azotanus, noticed this and had compassion on him, so he offered him more suitable hospitality in his own home. However, in that part of the house, which was infested with ghosts, when he took up residence, he was disturbed by certain nocturnal noises, which he thought were nothing and that he should not be bothered by them. So commending himself to God, he began to call out vocally to the demons, saying that if they had received some power from God against him, they should show it; that he would willingly suffer whatever was pleasing to God, and that they could not do anything more than God allowed them to do. And that firmness of mind, plus his faith and confidence in God, not only freed him then from all terror of the devil, but ever after that it rendered him, with the help of God, immune from all nocturnal terrors of this kind. Therefore at Alcalá he began to devote himself at the same time to the study of logic, philosophy and theology, but meanwhile he did not give up his charitable works for others; for, he both worked to help the poor with the alms received from the rich, and with great enthusiasm he explained Christian doctrine. Also, with conversations and spiritual exercises he instructed people of both sexes and helped them to become more devout; but the multitude of these occupations, and the spiritual fruit, which he saw result from them (since many got out of the state of mortal sin and others made no little progress in the service of God), brought it about that he was not able to make much progress in his studies. For, many came to his room, since he was in the hospice, in order to hear something from him, and so they left him very little time to devote to his studies. And having been taught by this experience, when afterwards Ignatius had to prescribe the plan of studies for his own members, he established in the Constitutions that, during the time set aside for their studies, they should be free from activities engaged in to help others, until at the end of their studies of theology they were promoted to sacred orders (and not before that, for the most part).

When the spiritual fruit and fame of Ignatius began to spread far and wide at Alcalá, the Lord permitted certain various contradictions against him to take place, and since up to this time he wanted willingly to share in some part in the cross of the Lord, and he planted deep roots in his constancy in the spiritual life (with the help of grace), the Lord wanted his servant to be ill-treated and tested by the winds of external persecutions. So three legal actions were initiated against him at Alcalá by the public authorities: first, it was in the fourth month after he had come to Alcalá, and this was the reason for it — because when he was in the hospice some pious women were accustomed to visit him in order to be helped by him in spiritual matters. And although at first it seemed to be suspect to some, so that some refused to administer the sacraments to him, when afterwards it was understood that those women of great authority and piety were beyond all suspicion, this rumor was laid to rest. But because he had already been reported to the Inquisitors residing in Toledo, and they had a meeting in Alcalá, and when, after having made a careful inquiry, they found nothing but what is pious and holy, the case was handed over to the Lord John de Figueroa, Vicar of the Archbishop of Toledo in the city of Alcalá, they returned to Toledo. Therefore this Vicar quietly visited the dwelling of Ignatius and he began to examine him. But when he had found nothing, still he ordered that he and his companions should change the color of their clothes, lest when all use clothes of the same color (it was rough grey material, as we said above, which country people in Spain were wont to wear) they seem to have established a new sect with a new habit. He also forbade them to go around barefooted. Therefore two of their garments were dyed black, the same number were given a different color, and one was left as it was. Although in this matter Ignatius easily obeyed, his freedom of mind could be observed from the fact that he said to the Vicar, after he had done all that he wished: “Did you find anything evil in your intense investigation of us?” “There is nothing,” he said, “for if something had been found, you would have been punished, and even burned.” Then Ignatius said: “And they would also burn you, if you erred?” “Yes,” he said, and then he departed.

The second case against him was by reason of his teaching, which was quite extensive, because he and his companions were not well educated; but Dr. Sanchez advised Ignatius in this matter that nothing had been found against him.

The third judicial process against him was initiated because of two pious women, who among others had received some spiritual writings from him, and they had undertaken a pilgrimage to Baetis to see the holy shroud, which contained an image of the face of Christ, was kept (they call it the Veronica); they did this not only without the approval of Ignatius, but also when he was absent from the city. For, he had gone to Segovia, because he heard that his companion Callixtus was sick there and near death. Ignatius hastened there for a day and a night, and when he arrived, on the same day it pleased the Lord that his friend should begin to feel better. After he had spent a few days there, he left the convalescing Callixtus and returned to Alcalá, where he found all things full of rumors and disturbances against him. Publicly it was said by some that foreign men had come to deceive the simple, and they blamed Ignatius for the mistake of the before-mentioned pilgrimage. Then by the authority of the Vicar he was put in prison; for, a public official came to his dwelling: “Come with me,” he said, “so you can explain what you hold about a certain matter.” And when he had brought him to the prison by a secret way: “Remain here,” he said. But since his custody was quite lax, he did not cease in his usual way to propose Christian teaching, and especially the Decalogue and some spiritual exercises to the other prisoners who were detained there. And so he remained in that place for sixteen or eighteen days, and absolutely nothing was said to him by anyone about his case. And when a lawyer and an agent were offered to him by some noble persons, he thanked them and he said that Christ would be a sufficient lawyer for him, for whom he was prepared to suffer graver things, and that he even desired to do that. Now when Callixtus arrived from Segovia, he wanted to be his companion in prison, but Ignatius saw to it that he remained free (because he had not yet recovered his full health). When after the eighteen days the Vicar Figueroa came to examine him, among other things he asked Ignatius whether he urged that the Sabbath should be observed. “On the Sabbath,” he said, “I recommend a special devotion to the Blessed Virgin; I ignore other observances of the Sabbath, and Jews are not accustomed to be in my fatherland.” Finally, he was asked whether he was the author of the pilgrimage of the women mentioned above; and under an oath he replied that he had never, either directly or indirectly, given anyone such advice. Then the Vicar with a smile and in a friendly way placed his hand on Ignatius’s shoulder, and said, “But this is the reason why you were put in prison.” Then Ignatius added that, since one of the mentioned women, who was quite young, said that she wanted to spend her life in the hospitals in order to serve the poor, he dissuaded her because, although she was a spiritual person, because of her age and appearance she could be an occasion of sin for others. Nevertheless, after this examination he remained in custody for forty-two days, until the said women returned from the pilgrimage. Then he was released, and the decision was read to him in which indeed his innocence was stated, but he was forbidden to define anything concerning doubtful things in the Church for four years, until he was more accomplished in the study of Theology, and until he and his companions were trained in the ways of the other scholastics. Then Ignatius said: “Therefore please give us the clothes, if you want us to wear them.” The Vicar did that, and although Ignatius was not accustomed to define anything concerning questionable matters of faith, still he did not approve the opinion of the Vicar, because he seemed to restrict the freedom of teaching Christian doctrine. And on the twentieth day after his release from prison (since he was in Alcalá for seven months, and among his said occupations there he had studied Logic and Philosophy and read two or three books of the Sentences in a compendium), he together with his companions went to see the Archbishop of Toledo, whose name was Fonseca and who was staying at Valisoleti. He was received very kindly by the Archbishop of Toledo, and having explained his situation to him, since it seemed to him that he could pursue his studies with greater peace at Salamanca than at Alcalá, and because of that the mind of Ignatius was inclined to go there, and having received some financial assistance from the Archbishop, he went to Salamanca.

When he had been there for twelve days, and in his customary way, on the occasion of the alms which he sought from some prominent persons, he exhorted them to strive for virtue and to avoid vices. Then a new problem was raised up against him, which had its origin from the zeal of some religious of St. Dominic; their zeal was sincere, but in this matter it went beyond things pertaining to them. Father Ignatius went to confession to a religious of the same order in their famous monastery of St. Stephen. But when he who was taking the place of the absent Prior, and some other religious, hearing many things circulating around about Ignatius, they wanted to speak to him and listen to him. His confessor invited Ignatius to lunch. And when, along with his companion Callixtus, he began to eat with them, the same Prior with the confessor and one or two other religious, having taken Ignatius aside in private, asked him about his teaching, since he heard that he was preaching, and so he proposed this dilemma: “Either you learned what you are preaching, of it was infused into you by the Holy Spirit. But since you have not devoted yourself to study, you did not learn it; therefore you received it from the Holy Spirit”; and it seemed to reduce Ignatius in this matter as being in an absurd position. But at the beginning of the conversation Ignatius had said that he did not speak in public, but in a familiar way he explained to ordinary people things that pertain to Christian doctrine and he exhorted them to practice virtue and to avoid vices. But when he pointed out that the Vicar, by using the stated dilemma, was exercising the office of a superior (which he did not have), gathering himself together, he said: “That is enough, Father.” For, listening to this kind of interrogation, he judged that he was not bound to give an account of himself to someone without authority. And when the religious urged him to respond, Ignatius said: “It seems to me that it is not necessary to say anything more to you about my affairs (since indeed I am not bound to). “But,” he said, “you will give an account to another to whom you are subject.” And he directed that he was not allowed to leave the monastery; and while he deferred him to the superiors, he kept Ignatius with his companion in the monastery for three days. During this time, since many of the monks came to his room, he spoke about many things concerning God with them, and actually what he said was approved by many of them. After these three days in prison, by command of the Vicar of the Bishop of Salamanca, he was brought with Callixtus, not with others but separately, and he was placed in a foul and uninhabited part of the prison. The feet of both of them were bound with chains, and that night they were not able to sleep because of the unsuitability of the place, so they spent the night watching and praising God. However, the next day the friends, whom Ignatius had met during his few days in Salamanca, sent him a mattress and some things necessary for nourishment; and since many people came to see him, he continued to say many things, in his usual manner, about virtues and vices. Also other companions in the prison were brought together. But the Vicar of the bishop, whose name was Frias, separating some from others, demanded from him the spiritual exercises that Ignatius was using, and he showed them to three or four other learned men. Then he was brought before them and they asked him many questions not only about the things contained in the exercises, but also about the Holy Trinity, about the Incarnation, the Eucharist and other difficult theological questions. But he told them he was not a learned man, and protesting, he responded to all the interrogators that, if in some matters he had not expressed himself well, he would submit himself completely to the mind of holy Mother Church. The result was that the examiners had occasion not of reprehending but of admiring him. They also proposed a question from canon law; concerning this matter, although he claimed that he did not know the opinions of the canon lawyers, nevertheless he responded excellently. Finally, commanded to explain the First Commandment, as he was accustomed to do among his hearers, since he had often spoken about that matter, he spoke so extensively and correctly that they thought it was time to put an end to the interrogation. The authority and estimation of his probity was also increased, because on a certain night those held in the prison broke out and fled, while only he with his companions refused to leave the open prison. Therefore after the twenty-second day they were set free from custody; but they reminded him of the sentence previously passed against him, which declared that he and his companions were innocent, and that their teaching was good, and he was allowed to teach as he always did; but it added that they could not define what is a mortal sin, what is venial, and what pertains to various thoughts. And when it seemed to the judges that Ignatius had been treated by them with no little honor, they asked him whether this decision pleased him. Ignatius said that he was not pleased. Then one of the judges, who was more favorable to him said: “What displeases you in his decision?” “Because,” he said,” since you have found nothing false in my writings or words, which are concerned with discerning mortal from venial sins, nevertheless you impose silence on me in this regard”; and he said he would leave Salamanca rather than abide by that decision. And that is what he did, although important men tried to change his mind, since they wanted Ignatius to remain in Salamanca.

CHAPTER VI

ON THE DEPARTURE OF IGNATIUS FOR PARIS, AND ON WHAT TOOK PLACE THERE

It was not displeasing to Ignatius that at Alcalá and Salamanca in the prisons he had some occasion of suffering for the honor of Christ, which he thirsted for, and for the help of souls. Indeed, he said that this small participation in the cross was so pleasing to him that, when some pious men, while visiting him in prison at Salamanca, said that they felt sorry for him, he told them that all the prisons and chains of that city were less burdensome than what he was prepared, indeed what he desired, to suffer for the honor of Christ. And so he did not want to have either an agent or a lawyer in Alcalá and Salamanca; but partially because he could not freely, as we said, spend his time helping others, and partly because he could not devote himself seriously to his studies because of his dealing with others, he considered going to the famous University of Paris, even while he was shut up in prison. For, since he did not know French, it seemed that he would be less occupied there in helping others. Moreover, also at that Academy, which was flourishing at the time, and attended by students from all nations, he hoped that he could easily find companions, who would dedicate themselves to the work of God and helping their neighbors. And so, after his release from prison he remained for a while in Salamanca, and then, leaving his four previously mentioned companions in Spain (whom he was going to summon to Paris, if circumstances permitted), he set out alone for Barcelona, and from there he undertook the journey to France.

However, since friends advised against journey, because a war was then raging between the Emperor and the King of France, and on this trip serious dangers and misfortunes had happened to some persons, still in no way did they move him from his plan. But the above mentioned Isabel Roser and some other devout men wanted to help him with money, so he permitted them to send it to Paris through money-changers. In the beginning of the year 1528, in January, he started on his trip, and at the beginning of February he arrived at Paris. And since he wanted to devote himself quietly to his studies, without the distraction of begging, he began to use the money sent to him from Spain for his necessary support. And because he realized that, in his previous disorderly studies, taken on by the advice of others that was not well thought out, he had not obtained solid erudition, either in Latin or in the other disciplines which he had studied at the same time and in a cursory way, since nothing imperfect pleased him, he started his study of grammar all over again, and in order to learn it more thoroughly, he spent a year and half on it at the College of Montague, that is, until October of 1529, when he began the course of the liberal arts according to the plan of that University. Because of this experience the thinking of Father Ignatius was, when he had the care of others, and he expressed it in the Constitutions, that our members should acquire a solid foundation in the liberal arts before they moved on to the higher faculties. And he did not approve of short cuts for our members, but that they should devote themselves to their studies completely and accurately. Then he seriously studied philosophy for three and a half years (the course at that time in Paris required that much time), and he did it at the College of St. Barbara. And he made no little progress in it, although it was accomplished in the midst of many serious impediments, which he overcame with diligence and dedication. His examination and promotion to the office of a teacher gave testimony to this. For his instructor, M. Peña, urged this, and Ignatius did not refuse it, so that he could use this testimony of his proficiency, if it were sometime necessary. Then he was engaged in the study of Theology until the end of 1535, and he did it so zealously, that he attended lectures, with great difficulty, during the winter before daybreak at the monastery of the religious of St. Dominic. Therefore, although the heavenly doctrine infused from on high penetrated his mind, and so inhered more closely to his mind, nevertheless his acquired erudition contributed no less to his mental powers.

But it should be noted here with what great effort he persevered in his studies for almost eight years in Paris, and how much the Lord contributed to his constancy in order to overcome various difficulties. For, in the beginning he had to struggle with poverty. For, the money that was sent to him from Spain disappeared faster than it should have. Since he had given a good part of it to a friend for safe-keeping, that man spent it for his own needs; and so when Ignatius asked him to return it, he could not do it, and he was forced to return to his familiar begging. He had to sleep in the hospice of St. James (which was very far from the University), and twice a day he walked back and forth to the College. And because the doors of the hospice in the morning were opened rather late, and closed early at night, he was forced to attend lectures in the morning after they had already begun, and to depart for the hospice in the evening before they were finished. In addition there was the inconvenience he had to seek his necessary support by begging; for thus it pleased the Lord to test his servant both in poverty and in patience. And he was not angry with his friend, who had embezzled his money. Indeed, when the latter was going to Spain he came to Rouen, and before he could sail away, he became very sick. And because he lacked all human help, remembering the charity of Father Ignatius, he wrote a letter to him telling him that he was in danger of death. Ignatius, therefore, decided to go there, which is a journey of about three days (for Rouen is about sixty miles distant from Paris), not only with bare feet, but without any food or drink. When he arrived there he visited his friend, who immediately, with the help of God, began to get better. The Lord seemed to have used for medicine, for the help of that man, the charity and efforts of Father Ignatius. Therefore when the man recovered and was restored to health, having recommended him to his companion in Spain, Ignatius returned to Paris. But when he saw that he was losing so much time in going from and returning to the hospice, the humble servant of God decided to seek a master in the University itself, as some poor students were accustomed to do who, and after they have served the teachers and their students, have some time left over to dedicate to their studies. And now he conceived in his mind a definite idea, namely, that he would see Christ in the teacher, and also in the students — in this one Peter, in that one John, and in the others the other apostles. And he was wont to have much consolation in his mind, while he thought about serving them. But although he sought through the Carthusians and the religious of Saint Victor and other friends this good occasion of serving, he could never find anyone who wanted to make use of his services.

But when he was told by some friends that there were Spanish merchants in Belgium, Bruges and Antwerp, and also in London in England, and that they were accustomed to give alms to some students in order to support them in their studies, and having been exhorted by them he went to Belgium. When that was successful the first time, he made the same journey a second and a third year; and after that it was not necessary to undertake this effort. For, since the divine goodness conferred this grace on Ignatius that wherever he went, he moved the minds of those with whom he associated to pious living, and he won them over to himself, some of those merchants, who were wealthy and kindly, resolved to send him in Paris the necessary alms each year. With these funds, along with others sent from Spain by some devout persons, he had enough to support himself sufficiently, and also to be able to help others. I will not omit the fact that when he was invited to dinner at Bruges by Luis Vives, at which dinner others were present, since it was during the time of Lent, a discussion took place about the choice of food during the Lenten fast. And since Vives seemed to think that those foods, partly because they are not lacking in their own delight, and men are willingly nourished by them, and partly because of the aromas, which are had in them in many places, and for other reasons do not contribute much to the castigation of the body and temperance; when Ignatius observed that those statements were not in accord with church tradition, he earnestly attacked words of Luis Vives: “You,” he said, “and others who can dine splendidly, perhaps will not find much help from this abstinence for the end the Church intends, but the multitude of men, for whom the Church must be concerned, and who do not eat so splendidly, has the occasion of experiencing the castigation and penance of the body”; and he said not a few other things opportunely about the same matter. And Luis Vives said later that Ignatius seemed to him to be a holy man and would be the founder of a religious order, as Dr. Maluenda, a friend of his, reported sometime after that. But Ignatius in no way approved what he heard from Vives, that is, that he opposed the fasts of the Church. He had doubts about the spirit of his thinking, so later on he forbade that the books of this author should be read in our Society. The reason was similar to what we said above about the books of Erasmus — that even though they contained nothing bad, they were prohibited.

Out of these difficulties, which Ignatius experienced during the time of his studies with regard to seeking food and the other things necessary to live, he came to this conclusion in his mind: it is necessary that those who study should not be solicitous about their living arrangements. And so in his establishment of the Society, although he thought that in the houses of the Society poverty in common and in particular must be retained, the Colleges, in which our members dedicate themselves to studies must have a stable income for their support, and in the Apostolic Letters and Constitutions of the Society he took care that it was so prescribed.

Ignatius had another impediment from his feeling of devotion, to which he was strongly attached, but, as was noted above, he applied a remedy to this and some moderation to restrict such prayer to a suitable time. However, three things he did not omit, which from the beginning of his change of life he always found very helpful: first, that he examined his conscience diligently twice a day, and he noted not only his defects but also his advances and he compared them with each other, so that he might detect what progress he had made in the way of the Lord. Second, that he attend the sacrifice of the Mass daily (if it could be done). Third, that every Sunday, after going to confession, he would receive Communion. Afterwards he required this of his disciples, and, when he became the Superior General of the Society, he prescribed this for our scholastics. He also taught that all studies are to be undertaken sincerely for the honor of God. And although he wrote and taught that these studies assumed in this way were not less pleasing to God than prayer, still he thought that a certain amount of time should be given daily to prayer, as it is found in the fourth part of the Constitutions.

He had another impediment from bad health, which he had contracted by his labors and various injuries, and which the quality of air in Paris (which was not good for him) increased. And since he learned from experience that for this reason progress in prayer and studies is hindered, then when he was in charge of others he was very concerned about their health, so that in the Colleges he wanted there to be also a prefect of health, whose task it was to protect the health of the students, and he also wanted to provide for the students a certain amount of healthy relaxation each week. But for those who were in danger of death, either in a house or in the Colleges, he allowed nothing to be lacking concerning things necessary and helpful, even if to accomplish that it was necessary to sell some books or to borrow some money.

He spent more time in spiritual ministries for others before he began his course of studies, for a year and a half, which he dedicated to literary studies, and after they were completed. But when he began to study Philosophy, he thought that it should be interrupted, not however completely. For even then, when his studies permitted it, he was wont to converse with certain important men, so that he could either help them, or recommend their works to other young students, whom he was trying to lead to the service of God. And among them he became friends with Doctors Martiali, Vagli¹ and Moscoso, to whom he also gave the spiritual exercises. And this amusing event happened to Ignatius concerning Doctor Martiali. When Ignatius had still not yet obtained the Baccalaureate in Philosophy, Martiali wanted to make him a Doctor of Theology, and he gave this reason: “Since you are teaching me, a Doctor, it is right that you should be a Doctor,” and so he seriously tried to obtain for him a Doctorate, although Ignatius would not allow it. He devoted himself to other works of piety, which he could do when there were no lectures; for example, he came to the aid of poor students who were seeking good living conditions so that they could study, and he also helped them with counsel and good advice. Therefore it came about that he gained the good will of many, and in the meantime he tried to invite some to embrace a state of perfection.

As long as he was engaged in these works, he was at peace with everyone, even if they were not very spiritual. But before he started the course of liberal arts, and while he was studying theology, he was accustomed to help many young students with both conversations and spiritual exercises; he led some of them to a more perfect life and they entered the religious life. Therefore, about fifteen months after he had arrived in Paris, a storm arose against him there, and this is how it happened: a certain Doctor by the name of Peralta, who later was a canonist in Toledo, and another Doctor by the name of Castrus from Burgos, with whom he became friendly as soon as he arrived in Paris, and a third man who as called Amator, after they had made the spiritual exercises they decided to say goodbye to worldly affairs and to follow the institute of Ignatius. Therefore, for the sake of self-abnegation and especially to overcome the desire for honor, they began publicly in Paris to beg for alms, and they did this in places where they were well know; and because of these friends, the before-mentioned opposition to Ignatius had its beginning. For, those three, were brought back to the University forcibly by their friends, and they abandoned their proposed new way of life. And so this second birth, which pertained to the Society, did not grow strong, although after that these three continued to be good and pious men. But because of them Ignatius suffered not only various hostile remarks, but he was also reported to the Inquisitor. When he was told about this by his friends, that is, that a case against him was lodged with the Inquisitor, he was not at all disturbed, and in fact he said to the one warning him: “I want them to continue what they have started.” Finally, he was summoned to appear before Doctor Matthew Ori, of the order of St. Dominic, who held the office of Inquisitor in Paris, and Ignatius appeared immediately, and if it was necessary and the official so desired, he said he would go to prison; for, if he had erred in any way, he wanted to be corrected. The Inquisitor was astonished at seeing this promptitude, but he said it was not necessary for him to go to prison, because nothing of any importance against him had been given by his adversaries; and so this first legal battle was over.

But at the completion of his studies, when Ignatius was about to leave for Spain, for a second time he was reported to the same Inquisitor, and this happened at the time when King Francis, in 1535, had ordered many heretics in Paris to be burned, since the Sacramentarians began to appear in his kingdom and especially in Paris. But of these Ignatius brought not a few, who allowed themselves to be brought back to the way of truth, to the Inquisitor so that they could be absolved by him. Therefore, at this time Ignatius was accused before the Inquisitor by his enemies, and especially because of the spiritual exercises, of being guilty of questionable doctrine: for everywhere the devils were annoyed, because they were losing many souls taken from their hands and converted to the service of God. However, when the Inquisitor asked for a copy of the book of the exercises, not only did he not find anything in them to be reprimanded, but with the consent of Ignatius he had a copy made of it for his own use. So his adversaries no longer pursued the case against him. But Ignatius, when he saw he was under suspicion, and already had gathered together some companions (more about this later), and when he was about to travel back to Spain, he thought that this case pending against him should not remain that way, but should be concluded with a definite decision. But when Doctor Ori refused to do this, since nothing of any importance had been brought against him by his adversaries, nevertheless Ignatius, by his own requests and those of others, urged him to pass a judgment on the case. But since he refused to do that, for the reason already given, Ignatius decided to do the following: bringing with him a notary public and two or three teachers as witnesses, he went to the Inquisitor, he asked him to make a public statement in which he would testify to what he thought about the case of Ignatius. Then the Inquisitor said many things in praise of Ignatius, which the notary wrote down in the presence of the said witnesses, and with that he had an official document.

These controversies, therefore, happened at the beginning and the end of his studies. For, as we have said, he had some more restful times, because he devoted himself to his studies rather than to helping others. However, since among his disciples in the study of the liberal arts he had strongly motivated some, endowed with good will, to make progress in virtue and the spiritual life, and while they were occupied with devotions, in their studies they were less assiduous than the teacher required. When Ignatius was warned about this in vain, that teacher referred the matter to the president of his College (in Paris he is called the Principal), and he claimed that his class was being disturbed by this man. The Principal at the time was Doctor Govea, a Lusitanian, a man of the ancient faith and probity, who was hostile towards Ignatius because of that man Amator, whom we mentioned above, and therefore he was too credulous. Because of the words of the above-mentioned teacher, he decreed that Ignatius should be subjected to the public punishment (in Paris it is called the aula). For when a notable bad deed is performed in the Parisian Colleges, they gather together in the “aula” or courtyard with the teachers and the whole College; and then the guilty person is stripped and beaten severely and ignominiously with rods, in the presence of all the students. When Ignatius learned that this punishment was being prepared for him, although the flesh rebelled, his heart was cheerful, and he was ready for Christ to suffer this and much greater things, and he even desired it, so he went to the College of Saint Barbara. But when he entered and the doors were closed and all the students had gathered together after the bell was rung, the thought came to Ignatius that this ignominy for him would bring much damage to the many young men who had made the exercises and were striving to be more perfect. Therefore he went to see Doctor Govea, who was still in his office, and said that he would willingly, as far as he himself was concerned, undergo this punishment; but he feared that because of it spiritual fruit and the honor of God would be damaged. Then the good Doctor, being truly full of remorse, brought Ignatius to the courtyard and, in the presence of all, who were expecting something very different, knelt before Ignatius and with an abundance of tears asked for his forgiveness. And he says to the students that he is a holy man, inclined towards his own mortification, and out of zeal for the honor of God he had been moved to speak to him. And after that, he was so well disposed towards Ignatius that he himself was behind the fact that the King of Portugal sent some companions of Ignatius to India, as will be explained below.

CHAPTER VII

ON THE COMPANIONS ASSEMBLED BY IGNATIUS IN PARIS, AND ON HIS AND THEIR ARRIVAL IN ITALY

Although Ignatius was dedicated to his studies, he strove by pleasant and pious familiarity to attract some talented and learned young men to a life of piety and to prepare them for perfect service of God and the help of souls. But of his sons, among whom were the first in our Society, the eldest was Master Peter Faber, a Savoyard. When he met him he shone above others in Latin and Greek and also in Philosophy, so much so that his teacher, whose name was Peña, when he had some doubt about a text of Aristotle, confessed that he would not consult anyone else but his disciple (perhaps because of his knowledge of the Greek language). Ignatius, by his works of charity, won this poor man over as his first permanent companion; and because they lived in the same room, he sought his help in repeating the lectures. Therefore, in the beginning Ignatius exhorted him to make a general confession of his whole life, and that he should go to confession and receive Communion every week, and examine his conscience daily. Then in the fourth year, since he had now completed the course in liberal arts, Ignatius proposed to him the spiritual exercises. After he had made them carefully, he obtained a very profound knowledge of himself and of God, and so he acquired great peace of mind, since before that his mind was tossed about like waves in the sea. And so he decided to dedicate himself totally to God and to follow the institute of Ignatius.

A companion of the same room and studies was Master Francis Xavier, no less friendly with Ignatius, a nobleman from Navarre, but he was not much interested in spiritual things. This man, when he had finished the course of liberal arts in one College and was about to give lectures there, Ignatius won over in a different way, since he sought out and brought students to him, who would attend his lectures. But afterwards, at almost the same time as Faber, he got him to make the spiritual exercises, and so he consecrated himself to God and was the second person who resolved to follow Ignatius.

A short time before this James Laynez had come from Spain. He had completed the course of liberal arts at Alcalá with no little praise of his learning, and had been promoted to be a teacher. Then he went to Paris, partly to study and partly to meet Ignatius, about whom he had heard many things in Alcalá. And in the hospice, a short time after he arrived by horse, Ignatius met him, and with some good advice, pertaining also to temporal things, he made a favorable impression on him. Then Laynez introduced Master Alphonse Salmeron to Ignatius, who also had studied Latin, Greek and Philosophy at Alcalá, and since he was joined together in friendship with Laynez, he was his companion on the journey to France. And both of them, almost at the same time as the two men just mentioned, made the exercises under Father Ignatius, and determined to follow his institute in the service of God.

About the same time Nicolas Bobadilla came from Spain, who also had completed the course of Philosophy, and also had studied for a time at Vallisoleti. And when he came to Paris to pursue his studies, and was short on money, he came to Ignatius, about whom it was well known that he would help many students to find suitable living conditions. Therefore, Ignatius provided for him, and saw to it that as a student at the University he would have accommodations; and when he also was helped by his conversation with Ignatius and had made the exercises, he decided to say goodbye to worldly things and to follow Ignatius.

After that Master Claude Jay entered the picture, and also Master Paschase Broët along with Master John Codure, and these two were joined to Ignatius in the last years through the help of Master Faber who, having been ordained in Paris, spread around a good report about Ignatius. Then there was Simon Rodrigues, who joined Ignatius after the five or six mentioned above; before he met Ignatius he was an ambitious man, but being attracted by the conversation and friendship of Ignatius, he decided to follow the plan of the same institute. Besides these, who later were companions with Father Ignatius in the formation of a religious order, the Lord had also moved others through Ignatius to dedicate themselves totally to the service of God. Of these, some returned to a worldly life, others persevered in integrity of life as private persons, while others entered various religious orders, such as the Franciscans, the Dominicans, the Carthusians, and they persevered in them with edification. Two or three others decided to follow the way of life of Ignatius, but when they realized that, at the time, nothing certain had been established, which pertains to the way of living (for although Ignatius and his companions had dedicated themselves to the service of God and of neighbor, at the time they had given no thought to establishing a religious order), not being able to endure this uncertainty, at least two of them entered the Franciscan Order; and it is certain that one of them lived in that order with great fruit. The third man, whose name was Caceres (who has already been mentioned when he was in Spain), rejected the plan of striving for perfection, but this world, which he loved, did not treat him very well. But it is even more amazing, and to be attributed to the special providence of God, that the nine mentioned above remained with Ignatius than that some left him.

Now the reason why Ignatius was able to keep them was this: In the first place, all took a simple vow to dedicate themselves to the service of God perpetually in poverty, and to work for the salvation of their neighbors, and at a fixed time to go to Jerusalem. But if, within a year, they were not able to go, or if they arrived there and were not permitted to remain in the Holy Land, or having commended the matter to God, they found that they could not do what they wanted to do to help the infidels and spend their life for the honor of God, then they vowed to present themselves to the Sovereign Pontiff, the Vicar of Christ, so that he would send and use them as he wished, where they could be of more help to their neighbors for the glory of God. They took these vows in 1534, on the feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin, in the Church of Holy Mary on Montmartre; and they renewed the same vows in 1535 and 1536 on the same day and in the same place, although at first not all of them did it; finally, after these years, the others, who had joined the Society, also took the vows.

The second reason for keeping these companions was their mutual friendship and their frequent communication with each other. For they did not live in the same place, and now with one, now with another they were accustomed to eat together with mutual charity, and some came to the aid of others in spiritual and also in temporal matters, and so love in Christ was fostered and increased among them. Also cooperation in literary matters helped not a little, for he who was more skilled in one area would help someone else who was deficient in it.

The third reason was the practice of mental prayer and meditation, to which all were dedicated after having made the spiritual exercises.

The fourth reason was going to confession and receiving Communion every week. Therefore, for these reasons, while they were engaged in theological studies, in which several of them made great progress, they were able retain the intention of their heart.

However, it seems that there was no efficacious reason, like the choice and providence of the divine Goodness, which was directing these young men along with Ignatius, like columns supporting a building, for the establishment of such a great work. For if human reason is considered, it is astonishing that neither Ignatius nor his already mentioned companions, who had consecrated themselves totally to the service of God, tried to enter any of the many religious orders available, since they had no plans, as we have said, about establishing a new order, nor did they have any thought about what happened later, namely, the establishment of the Society. But God kept these thoughtful and learned men in the said state of uncertainty, because he wanted to use their ministry for the establishment of this Society. And the hope of preaching to the infidels, or of dying for the faith of Christ among them, regarding human reasons contributed very much to keeping them together without a definite plan for the future.

In the meantime, Ignatius was troubled with sharp pains in the stomach, and the doctors were not able to find any remedy for this, and so at their advice he decided to return to Spain and his native climate, where he could recover his health. There also he was an obstacle for many, namely in his homeland, since he wanted to be an example of edification. He also planned to take care of business for some of his companions, and if he found some of his first companions, who were properly disposed, he thought about having them join him. Therefore, he so arranged things with his companions, that on the day of the Conversion of St. Paul, in the month of January 1537, they would travel to Venice, where they would find the same Ignatius, their life’s companion. Since he left Master Peter Faber for the others as their father, in the autumn of 1535 he left Paris, and he was using a horse given to him by his companions because of his illness; after a brief journey he arrived in the province of Guipuzcoa.

At that time the lord of the house of Loyola and Oñaz was the nephew of Ignatius, the son of his brother. Although he sent some men on the road to await Ignatius’s arrival, he was not able to prevent him from going to the hospital for the poor in the city of Azpeitia, which was near the Loyola castle, as we have said; even with the requests and tears of his relatives he could not be persuaded to leave the place. Indeed, on the next day he went through the city from door to door begging for alms. The lord of Loyola was very unhappy about this, because he thought it brought shame on his family. In vain the same relatives tried to stop him from teaching Christian doctrine or to preach about it. For they thought it was not fitting for him, and they said his hearers would have a bad opinion of him. But Ignatius said that he would not stop preaching about Christian doctrine, even if only one boy was present. But when he began to do this, such a crowd of listeners came to hear him (among whom there was even the lord of Loyola) that, since the church in Azpeitia could not hold them, Ignatius had to go out into a field to preach; and in order to hear him better, some of the people climbed up into the trees.

Therefore, since partly by preaching in the church, and partly by explaining Christian doctrine outside the church, he not only aroused much satisfaction and admiration, but also much excitement, and important fruit followed from his work, with the help of God’s grace. For many got out of the state of mortal sin and entered the way of penance; many discords among some, who were at enmity with one another, were dissolved. A public law against games was passed; and for assistance of the poor, so that they would not be forced to beg, he took care to provide what is necessary by the public authority. He took care to abolish completely a very pernicious abuse, which was very common in that province. For since, according to the custom of the region, young girls go about bare headed, and they were not accustomed to wear a veil until they were married, nevertheless some adopted the custom, while living in concubinage either with priests or with other men, to wear a veil in their name; and this seemed to reach the point that concubinage was considered to be almost the same as marriage; therefore, this abuse was done away with. It was also established that a bell for prayer would be rung three times daily morning, noon and evening, and that there should be prayers daily for those who are in mortal sin. And the house of Loyola was made responsible that this was not omitted. And in that house, when finally he was exhorted to visit it, he separated a concubine from the leading man, and helped the woman to adopt an upright way of life.

And when he had performed other works of piety in his homeland, in almost exactly one month, he decided to depart for Pamplona in the kingdom of Navarre in order to take care of the business of Master Francis Xavier. And although there was a conflict with his relatives concerning the way of making his journey, since they wanted him to go on horse with some servants, nevertheless, because he had already seemed to have recovered his health sufficiently, being a lover of poverty, he wanted to make the journey on foot. So he left the horse on which he was supposed to ride at the hospital. The horse was getting old, and as far as Ignatius could remember, they set the horse free in a pasture for the rest of his life, as he told us later. Ignatius did not stay long in Spain, nor did he preach in public, since he was in a hurry to go to Italy; privately, however, in his usual manner, he helped various people; and when he had completed the business of his companions in Pamplona, Almanzani and Toledo by satisfying their parents, and taking care that they give some support for the pilgrimage to Jerusalem, he went to Valentia and then to Barcelona, from where, traveling by ship, he arrived alone in Italy. For, from the first five men, whom he had left in Spain long ago, and from three others who also had returned to Spain from Paris, no one was prepared to make the journey to Jerusalem and to follow the institute of Ignatius.

Therefore he sailed and having been tossed about by a huge storm, which also damaged the tackle of the ship, finally he arrived at Genoa. From there he set out for Boulogne, and losing his way in the Apennine Mountains, with a grave danger of falling into a precipice, with the help of God he arrived at Boulogne. And when he was approaching the city he lost his footing and fell from a narrow bridge into a pit; as he came out of it he was covered with mud, and he gave occasion to some people to feel sorry for him, and also to others to laugh at him. And in this whole journey, sometimes he had to walk through mud up to his knees and even more (since it was wintertime). Therefore, since he was suffering from the usual pains in his stomach, on this journey he had to endure great suffering; and since he was delayed by having to wash the mud from his clothes, he entered the city after midday, and after begging everywhere he did not receive even a piece of bread. But since the Lord had tested his soldier in this way for a long time, he was received in the College of the Spaniards in Boulogne, where he was able to dry out and repair his clothes. He decided to study for a while in Boulogne, while in the meantime his companions from France came at the appointed time. For, Isabel Roser had sent some money for him to Boulogne, but since the weather there did not agree with him, he went on to Venice, where he waited for his companions.

But the nine companions left in Paris, who according to the time designated by Ignatius were going to depart on January 25, but because of the war of the Princes they were forced to leave earlier, and so on November 11, 1536 they left Paris together, and with great troubles because of the winter weather they made their journey through that whole month and the month of December. And they arrived at Venice on January 8 of the following year 1537. Their route had taken them through Lorraine and Germany, since the dangers of the wars prevented them from traveling through France. At the time of their departure Master James Laynez was suffering from bad health, but he regained his strength, and with the help of God his body recovered; but the heavy clothes he had to wear increased the difficulty of the journey for him and lengthened the time. All traveled by foot and were dressed in long garments, and they carried their own books in bags on their shoulders, especially the manuscripts which they had collected during the time of their studies. Among them there were three priests: Father Peter Faber, Claude and Paschase, who every day either celebrated Mass, or together with the six others who were not priests, while one of them celebrated, received Communion after they had gone to confession. Before their departure from a hospice, and after they had arrived at it, they spent some time in prayer and giving thanks. They ate very frugally, and during their journey they either spoke about divine things, or each one separately meditated and prayed. When something had to be decided by them, after prayer about the matter at hand, they followed the decision to which the majority was inclined. And they adhered to this same way of making decisions, until a superior among them was established a few years later in 1541.

Although they were not experienced in traveling on foot, and the winter in those places offered an abundance of rain so that it rained daily while they were passing through France, and although they encountered much snow in Germany, nevertheless being protected by divine providence and help from many dangers and misfortunes, they arrived safely in Venice. Even the soldiers and Lutherans were kind to them, and did not cause them any trouble on the journey. They were a source of admiration to all, since the nine were seen to be walking in the way already mentioned; and I will make just this comment, that one man questioned another about them and said in French: “They are going to reform some province.” Both Catholics and heretics were edified at the sight of them. Among other things, one heretical preacher, while speaking with them about his own teachings, admited that he was defeated. And in general, both by their example and by their words, wherever they went and had the opportunity to speak about divine things they were able to produce some fruit.

CHAPTER VIII

ON WHAT WAS DONE BY THEM IN VENICE AND IN OTHER PLACES IN ITALY, UNTIL THERE WAS NO HOPE OF THEIR GOING TO JERUSALEM

Ignatius spent almost a whole year in Venice before his companions arrived, namely, since January 8 of 1537, and not without great fruit. P. Didacum de Eguia and his brother Stephen, noble and very pious men from the kingdom of Navarre, returned there from their pilgrimage to Jerusalem, and he admitted them to the Society. Also a certain Bachelor in Theology, whose name was Hoces, joined up with him. But before that, so that Ignatius would not impose his will on him, when he undertook the spiritual exercises, he brought not a few books with him, so that he might examine the doctrine proposed to him. But since he was a man of a simple and pure heart, and wanted to serve God, in the exercises he noted not only that he had nothing to fear from Ignatius, but he resolved absolutely to follow his institute. Ignatius had given the spiritual exercises in Venice to some noble persons, and he was held in high regard by many others, as was usual, wherever he went. Here also, he became friends with Doctor John Peter Caraffa, who was very well known both because of his family, and being a Theatine Archbishop, and his learning, and for other gifts of God. He along with others established the order of clerks regular (called Theatines by the same Archbishop John Peter), and this way of life was approved by Clement VII, the Sovereign Pontiff. Out of a sense of charity and prudently he told Ignatius a number of things pertaining to the new religious Order, but what he said was not well received. And although Ignatius never told anyone what took place between himself and Doctor John Peter Caraffa, it could be understood easily from his words that it was not something of little importance. Whatever it was that took place between them, the result was that, because of it, some were of the opinion and said that he, namely John Peter Caraffa, afterwards the Theatine Cardinal and then Pope Paul IV, was not well disposed towards Ignatius, although he always treated him with great honor, when he became the Pope. At Venice Ignatius also experienced opposition stirred up by the devil; he was very hostile towards Ignatius and his exercises, because he was successful in tearing souls away from his jaws.

Ignatius was falsely attacked as being a fugitive from Spain and France, and when the matter was referred to the Papal Legate, namely, Bishop Verallo, afterwards a Cardinal, Ignatius himself urged the Legate to make a decision, since he had already been cleared by the Inquisition. For he thought (since the Society was already being assembled) that the matter should not be neglected or left in silence. And so a sentence was released by Verallo, which contained testimony of the innocence of Ignatius and a commendation of him. Thus, from that time Doctor Gaspar de Doctis, who performed the office of auditor for the Legate, began to be well disposed and to favor the affairs of our Society.

Therefore, that is the way things were for Ignatius, when at the beginning of January 1537, as we have said, his companions arrived in Venice, and they all experienced great consolation being with each other; then they began to prepare for the journey to Jerusalem. First of all it was necessary to go to Rome to seek the permission and blessing of the Pontiff, but it was not yet the right time for a trip to Rome; therefore, until the coming spring they were divided up into two hospitals in Venice, so that in the meantime they could help poor sick people. Five of them worked at the hospital of Saints John and Paul, and the same number worked at the hospital for the incurable. Father Peter Faber with the Bachelor Hoces were primarily occupied in hearing the confessions of the poor; the rest did corporal works of mercy, and they performed their work so well that for many years their good reputation survived in Venice. But especially the fervor and charity of Master Francis Xavier and his victory over himself stood out, so that, when he got sick at the sight of the wounds of a man suffering from the gallic disease, lest he be less kindly disposed for that reason to his neighbor and his body, and so that he might overcome his nausea, he put into his own mouth and swallowed some pus or something like it from the man’s sore. Therefore also his charity towards lepers and those infected with contagious diseases was very special for the rest of his life. They continued in this ministry from their arrival until the middle of Lent, and then they went to Rome. But Ignatius remained in Venice, because it was considered to be possible that with his presence in Rome to some it would be less pleasing and might harm his companions. Among those was Doctor Ortiz who, leaving Paris at the time, as we said raised the second accusation there against Ignatius; he also recommended to his friends that they should carefully examine the doctrine of Ignatius.

Therefore they returned to Rome divided up into three groups; in each group the French were mixed with the Spanish and there was one priest in each group. They made the journey not only on foot, but they also lived by begging. And at times it happened that they traveled twenty-eight or thirty miles in the midst of much rain; with bare feet they passed through waters, which sometimes was waist high. At times their food was a little bread they begged which was eaten with water; and still they fasted, because it was during Lent. Happy and singing Psalms, and strengthened daily by the sacraments of confession and Communion, they experienced the special providence of God, both in bearing misfortunes and in obtaining necessary things at the right time. For, since they were dressed not completely in a shabby way, and they carried bags with their books, where men thought they were carrying money, they also (who believed that) did not refuse to give them alms. Also it happened when once they wanted to cross over a river in a boat, and they did not have the money to pay for it, a certain good man said: “I see that you do not want to spend your money, therefore I want to pay it for you.” But when a certain priest, who did not belong to their group but had joined himself up with them, celebrated the Mass, and according to our custom at the end asked for an alms, that is, a few coins in order to pay the fee to cross over the next river, while our members were distressed at this, he accepted the money. But when our members had left the church and arrived at the river, only enough money was given to them as was needed to cross the river. And so the coins that priest had obtained by begging at the Mass, remained in his possession. That being the case, they had the occasion of admonishing him that by placing hope in God’s providence he should not beg at Mass, since it was not fitting. And as soon as they had crossed over the river, a local good man invited them for a meal. And between the waters and the difficulties of the journey and their penury, God not only preserved their health, but Master Codure, who before that had pains in his feet, was restored to full health.

When they arrived at Rome (which Father James Laynez entered on bare feet), and some of them had spoken to Doctor Ortiz, not only was he not their enemy, as some suspected him to be, but aware of their sincerity from his first meetings, he showed great kindness and charity towards them. He had been sent by Charles V to the Pontiff because of the question about the marriage of Catherine, the Queen of England, which King Henry had repudiated. Therefore he introduced the companions of Ignatius to the Sovereign Pontiff, Paul III, and he saw to it that they were allowed to kiss his feet. And since the Pontiff had the custom that while he was eating, he liked to hear debates, especially among theologians, on the first day when our members were introduced to him, he wanted to listen to them debating. With a special consolation of mind he showed himself affected while listening to them. When he learned about their desire and vow of going to Jerusalem, he kindly gave them his permission and his blessing, along with an alms of sixty gold coins. Then some other men in the curia, and especially the Spaniards, added another 150 gold coins for the trip to Jerusalem. They did not want to hold on to them in Rome, so through a money-changer they sent the whole sum of 210 gold coins to Venice. From the Cardinal also, with the title of the Four Saints, the Supreme Penitentiary, they obtained the permission that they could be promoted to Holy Orders, without a benefice or patrimony, but under the title of voluntary poverty and sufficient learning.

Therefore, when the companions returned to Venice, and they were contemplating the journey to Jerusalem, whose time was now imminent, God provided something better, because that year it happened that no ship with pilgrims set sail for the Holy Land; this had not happened for many years before that, nor did it happen in the following years. The human reason for this was the following: because the Venetians at the time with the Sovereign Pontiff and the Emperor Charles V had taken up arms against Suleiman, the King of the Turks. But divine providence set aside these ten or eleven men, who had devoted themselves totally to his service, for another more important work, which was much greater for his worship and for the help of souls. They had stated in their vow, taken more than once in Paris (as we have said), that, if within one year they were not able to go to Jerusalem, they would no longer be bound by the vow, and they would place themselves at the feet of the Sovereign Pontiff as the Vicar of Christ to be sent by him anywhere in the world; and so, not needing a dispensation from their vow and not having made the pilgrimage, they were free because of the reason stated above. But they had to wait a full year from the time they had arrived in Venice, estimated according to the terms of the vow, and so they agreed that they had to stay in the territory of the Venetians until the year was up.

Therefore they returned to the ministry of the hospitals, with great edification, until the end of June. In the meantime, while they prepared themselves for the priesthood, both Ignatius and the six others who were not priests received Holy Orders on the feast of St. John the Baptist according to the permission received in Rome. But first they made a vow of perpetual poverty and chastity in the presence of the Legate of the Apostolic See, Verallo, so that they could be ordained under the title of poverty, and this was as the Cardinal of the Four Saints had graciously given permission. Accordingly, the Bishop of Arbe very willingly conferred Holy Orders, and he did it with such consolation that he said he had never experienced such joy in conferring Holy Orders. And they did not immediately leave their ministry of the hospitals, but they continued doing it until the end of July, and said that they did not have the time, which seemed to them to be sufficient, so that they could prepare themselves to offer to the Lord the sacrifice of the Mass. So they decided that they would spend the rest of the year in various places under the control of Venice, where they could spend more time for themselves in prayer and meditation, and in begging alms, and preaching on the streets to the people. They dedicated themselves first of all to their own mortification, then also to the help of others, insofar as that could be done, and with these works of humility and charity they prepared themselves for their offering of their first Mass to God. Therefore blessed Ignatius with Fathers Faber and Laynez went to Vicenza, Fathers Francis Xavier and Salmeron to Mount Celestia, Fathers Codure and Hoces to Treviso, Fathers Claude and Simon to Bassano, and finally Fathers Paschase and Bobadilla to Verona. Therefore when Father Ignatius arrived at Vicenza, he found an empty house near the city, which lacked windows and doors, and for a bed they had a little straw. Daily Faber and Laynez went into the city to beg for food, and at first they brought back scarcely enough bread sufficient to sustain them. Ignatius watched over their bags and performed the office of cook, if there was anything to cook. And they were able to exercise great patience and to spend a lot of time in prayer during the forty days they remained there, since almost all of them suffered from ill health.

But when Father Codure came to Vicenza, all four together decided to preach in various parts of the city; and although at the time they were not well versed in the Italian language, they explained their ideas to the best of their ability, and the city, considering not their words but their spirit and salutary teaching, began to assist them, to be influenced by them and to treat them much better. And this was very fortunate, because both Ignatius and Laynez began to come down with a fever. Those who were in other places began to suffer similar things, and Father Simon at Basssano became so sick that he seemed to be close to death. So it was made known to Ignatius, who was still suffering from a light fever that, if he wanted to see Simon still alive, he should rush to see him in Bassano. Therefore, having left Laynez in the hospital in Vicenza, and without thought of his own health, Ignatius decided to go to Bassano, and having been joined by Father Faber, the next day he covered the thirty miles to Bassano so quickly that Faber was hardly able to keep up with him. But while he was on the way, commending Simon to God, he was told by Him that Simon would not die from this illness. And so he told this to his companion, Father Faber, who gave us this report. Simon was in a certain hermitage outside of Bassano called Saint Vitus, which a hermit by the name of Brother Anthony took care of; he was held in high esteem and was endowed with many gifts of God, but he was not a learned man. In the course of time this hermitage was given to the Society, and later it was turned over to the Capuchins. Therefore, as soon as Ignatius approached Simon, he greeted him in his failing state and embraced him in the Lord; immediately he began to get better, and, as both Simon and Faber believed, it pleased God to continue his life because of the prayers and requests of Ignatius. In the same hermitage it happened that a spiritual man (it is believed that it was Brother Anthony, because our priests did not record his name) became sick because one of our members, who was in the same place, was sick (it is thought that this was Ignatius or Faber); but when he prayed, and his mind was attached to God with great affection of devotion, that man was shown to him in the spirit to be a man of apostolic zeal, about whose sickness he was mistaken. And one of our members, who was in the hermitage much later, learned about this and recorded it.

Therefore, when the Fathers had prepared themselves for quite a long time, they all came to Vicenza and there they offered to God their first Masses. And since three of our members, as we have said, had hardly been able to support themselves there, then when the eleven were gathered together, they found all they needed in the city, or it was given to them. Therefore, all the others, besides Ignatius, offered to God their first Masses (for he postponed his so that, after a lengthy preparation, he could offer the sacrifice in Rome at the manger of the Lord in the Basilica of Saint Mary Major). They were gathered together also in order to deliberate on what should be done about the pilgrimage to Jerusalem. Therefore, since there was no hope of going there, and the year included in their vow being now over, they considered themselves to be free, and so they decided to divide up into groups to go to various cities and especially Universities of Italy. The reason was to spend some months there before gathering in Rome and submitting themselves to the judgment of the Pontiff with regard to the missions. And they also had the intention that, in the mentioned Universities, while were performing acts of piety, the Lord would deign to add some companions to their way of life. Therefore Ignatius with Faber and Laynez went directly to Rome, Paschase and Simon to Siena, Xavier and Salmeron to Bologna, Claude and Bobadilla to Padua, Codure and Hosius to Padua. And all worked with fruit in the before mentioned places, but those who went to Padua had to suffer something before they could do anything. For the suffragan Bishop with holy (as is to be believed) zeal, but with very little knowledge of these servants of God, placed them immediately in prison and had them bound with iron chains, and there both of them (and especially Hosius) spent one night in a state of great joy. However, the next day the suffragan, when his suspicions were removed by the light of truth, not only set them free, but provided them with all the assistance they needed for the help of souls. And so they were occupied in preaching and hearing many confessions both of nobles and the common people flocking to them from morning until evening. And through them it pleased the Lord to help many souls.

But the Bachelor Hosius fell very sick and then departed to the Lord, and having achieved much in a short space of time, prematurely he received from the Lord the reward of his labors. And since he was not a man with a handsome face, and with a dark color, after his death such beauty appeared in his face that it seemed to Father John Codure, his companion, as he looked at him to be like the face of an angel, and he could hardly stop looking at him. But because, at the same time as his death occurred, Father Ignatius was at Monte Casino (why he was there will be stated later), and since, having been informed of his illness, he had commended him to the Lord, he was informed by the Lord about his death and that he had entered into beatitude. Then when he began to offer the sacrifice of the Mass, in the very beginning when he said in the general confession, “Confiteor etc.,…et omnibus sanctis,” a wonderful vision of the saints was given to him, among whom he recognized, by a revelation of God, the soul of Hozius shining with great beauty. And his mind was filled with such spiritual consolation that for a long time he could not restrain his tears of devotion, and that continued not for one but for many days.

At Ferrara, Fathers Claude and Bobadilla were busy especially with confessions and also pious exhortations in their ministry to the poor in the hospital. The ruler Hercules listened to them several times and then went to confession to one of them and received Communion from him; he offered them his help in all things, and among others, he promised to take care of all their necessary expenses, if they made the journey to Jerusalem. But since, as we have said, they were not going to make that journey, ours were not able to accept this generosity of the ruler. Indeed our members thought that the alms of 210 gold pieces for the journey given to them in Rome should be returned to the friend in Venice, so that he could convert it into pious uses. For ours did not want to use it for any other purpose than that for which it was given. Also the ruler himself, when he heard about accusations raised against us, sent his own testimony and letters to his ambassador at the Roman Curia and to others, and thus he showed how well he thought about the Society and what affection he had for it.

At Bologna, both by preaching in the streets and by constantly hearing confessions and teaching Christian doctrine they gained an excellent reputation, which lasted for many years and was the occasion of starting a College in that place.

The same things were done by ours in Siena; but in the service of the poor and in the instruction of boys they rendered useful and grateful assistance to that city.

At that time our members began to live in Rome and the Society has never left it. But in the beginning, by a command of the Pontiff, for whose service ours had offered themselves, Fathers Faber and Laynez taught at the Academy which they call Sapientia: the former taught Holy Scripture and the latter scholastic Theology. But at the same time Ignatius was occupied with various works of piety. I will not fail to mention that when they approached Rome, and Ignatius stopped at a certain church in order to pray, he was graced by the Lord with a special enlightenment and spiritual consolation. Indeed, during the whole time after his ordination he was preparing himself for his first Mass, and he received from the Lord extraordinary devotion and spiritual consolation (which during the time of his studies was less frequent and not so strong); but in the before mentioned church near the city, he saw in the spirit the eternal Father commending the Society to Christ, and as it were putting it into his hands. But Christ the Lord himself, who was seen carrying his cross, showed a benign face to Ignatius and said, “I will be propitious to you”; and so the thinking of Father Ignatius was confirmed about giving the name of Jesus to our Society. Previously he had thought about this, as will be explained in the following chapter, because the Lord Jesus had deigned to give it his special protection. In Rome Ignatius gave the spiritual exercises to many important men, among whom was Lactantius Ptolomeus, Dr. Ignatius Lopez, a physician, and also Cardinal Contarini, a man famous for his learning, piety and authority. He acknowledged that he found Father Ignatius to be a teacher of affections, and he made a copy of the spiritual exercises with his own hand. But since he had won over to himself Dr. Ortiz by his spiritual conversations, in order to propose to him the spiritual exercises more suitably, lest his occupations and many friend impede him, Ignatius went with him to Monte Casino, where the Doctor made wonderful progress in them. After that, for as long as he lived, he showed perpetual benevolence and beneficence to the Society, although because of his obese body and being less apt for the works of the Society, he did not enter and become a member. In his return from Monte Casino he met Francisco Strada, who was on his way to Naples in order to seek some military position, since along with other Spaniards he had been dismissed from the family of Cardinal Theatine, where Ignatius had met him. And so he brought him back to Rome with himself, where he gave himself completely to the Society; some other young men of good reputation in Rome did the same thing.

In the year 1538 all the companions convened in Rome, and for some time they occupied a house near the monastery of the Holy Trinity, which for the love of God a Roman citizen, Quirinus Garzonius, had given them as their dwelling. They stayed there and supported themselves by begging, and at the same time almost all began to preach in various churches in Rome: Ignatius in Spanish in the church of Holy Mary of Montserrat, near the Sabellian Curia; Faber at Saint Laurence in Italian, like the others, for example, Claude at the church of St. Louis (and he did it with no little success, just like Laynez at the church of the Holy Savior), and Salmeron at the church of St. Lucy, Simon at Holy Angels and Bobadilla at Saint Celsus. In addition to the fact that each one progressed in self-abnegation, while nearly all tried to preach in Italian, spiritual fruit and greater knowledge of the Society resulted from this. Many men of great authority and with great edification constantly visited Ignatius.

I heard from Dr. Ortiz that he considered himself happy because he had missed none of his sermons. Doctor Arce, also a theologian, said that he had heard no one preach as vigorously as Ignatius, since he seemed to preach like one having authority, etc. Christian doctrine also began to be taught, and some schoolmasters brought their students to us in order to learn about Christian doctrine. Many also began to confess and receive communion frequently, which up until that time was unusual; but the exhortations and example of our members gradually attracted people.

Ignatius also initiated many excellent works of piety, which grew gradually in Rome, such as that of orphaned boys, of abandoned girls, of converted women, which they call the house of St. Martha, and of catechumens; more will be said about these things below.

In that year, that is, in 1538 and in the first months of the following year, there was a great lack of grain, which affected other places in Italy and also Rome, so many poor people died from hunger and the cold and were found lying in the public streets. At the time the Society had a house near the tower (which they call commonly de la Marangola) to which ours began to bring some poor people whom from among those they found abandoned in the streets, and they shared with them the alms which they solicited. They also tried to supply beds at the house for these poor people. But this work of piety gradually increased to such an extent that the number of people involved increased to a hundred, and then to two hundred and three hundred and almost four hundred, for whom, besides a roof and warmth, they provided as many beds as they could for those who were weak; they provided straw for those who were stronger.

Then in an orderly manner and doing as much as they could, food was given to each one, and lest spiritual help be lacking, gathering them together in a large room some of our Fathers refreshed them with the food of Christian doctrine. And the devotion of pious and important people so increased in order to support this work of charity that not only did they give alms in order to care for these poor people, but they themselves sometimes at night came to our house carrying torches in their own hands so that they might see this work of charity that was being done for these poor people. There was one man who, since he did not have any money to give, took off his clothes and gave them as an alms; and this work was continued until in the hospitals there was sufficient room to admit and care for these poor people. More than three thousand persons, who were suffering from poverty, were supported in these places until in the year 1539 when there was an increase of food and this work of charity was discontinued. The piety and diligence of Ignatius provided not only for this work; but the work almost went so far that serious thought was given to find some way to help the poor in the future, although the human prudence of some persons opposed making this pious work something permanent. At another time, Ignatius provided many alms for private individuals, since often large sums of money were given to him to be distributed to the poor, although the intention seemed to be of those who gave the money, that our house should be helped by part of it. But thinking that it would be much better that not even one coin should remain in the house, he gave all of these sums of money to the poor outside the house.

In the hospitals also both spiritual and corporal helps were provided for the sick. For, of those who remained at home with Father Ignatius, both of his first companions and of others, who had begun to join our way of life, some provided external services to the sick poor, while others preached and heard their confessions. In the various convents of nuns, they gathered spiritual fruit from ministries of this kind. But in private persons the fruit of the sacraments and of the spiritual exercises was more abundant and permanent.

Among others, who at this time and in this way were called by the Lord, was Peter Codacius, a man wealthy with ecclesiastical benefices and honors. Being a native of Lodi and a priest, he resolved to dedicate himself totally to God and for his honor to help the Society, especially in the ministries of Martha. And so he not only assumed the care of supporting our members from begged alms, but he was also the author of obtaining a Church for us in Rome and of building a house. Although both in spiritual conversations and in hearing confessions he did not omit helping his neighbors; but our members acknowledged this as no small benefit that the Fathers, by leaving all the care of begging to him, they could more easily and freely spend their time doing spiritual works¹.

CHAPTER IX

ON THE ATTACKS AGAINST OURS IN ROME, AND ON THE NAME OF THE SOCIETY AND ON THE CONSIDERATION OF FOUNDING A RELIGIOUS ORDER

Since Satan was envious of the good works of our members, and perhaps suspected that this Society was going to make much greater progress, and God also wanting to test Ignatius and companions through opposition and to render the truth more illustrious, a serious attack against them was started in Rome by some Spaniards, who at the time had no little authority and favor in the Roman Curia. The occasion of this was the following. When some of ours heard a preacher of the Order of St. Augustine, and noted that some of what he said sounded like heresy, privately and fraternally they admonished him. But he who had spoken badly would not retract what he said (for he was then secretly a Lutheran, and later he clearly showed his colors); they decided to preach the doctrine contrary to the errors of this preacher in other places (where they were preaching). Then it happened that a certain man named Mudarra, who was a friend of that Augustinian, and some other curial officials who had also heard him, being very much troubled by this, began to invent various calumnies about Ignatius and his companions, and to spread them around in the Roman Curia. For they said that Ignatius had been condemned in various places for heresy, and was infamous for many crimes. Also, in order to inform the Governor afterwards they produced a certain man named Michael, who had been associated with ours in Paris and in Italy, and because he seemed not suitable for the Society, he was not admitted into it. These men were very experienced in conducting law suits and enjoyed the favor of important persons; but at the time both of these were lacking to the tender little plant of the Society. Then the matter progressed so far that people began to avoid our members, as if they were fugitives and criminals from France, Spain and Venice; and in those very places it was rumored that in Rome we were considered to be such. Therefore it seemed to Ignatius and companions that this matter should be decided and proclaimed by a judge, which is something the adversaries had not yet attempted to do. So they presented their case before the Governor (who then was the Bishop Conversinus); but since the said Michael had appeared several times before the same Governor, and when our members were present he had been heard by the Governor, he easily perceived his malice and condemned him as a calumniator, and sent him into exile, although Ignatius interceded with the same Governor that the sentence should be forgiven. Thus also Ignatius disturbed other adversaries so that they also were summoned before the Governor to explain what they thought about Ignatius and his companions. But these individuals, who were shrewd men and familiar with legal cases, when they saw that Michael had been condemned, testified that they were well disposed to Ignatius and his companions regarding their life, teaching and works of piety, and with these praises they tried with great effort and favor to impose silence on this case. For they had testified to the same thing before Cardinal Neapolitani, and they brought others well-disposed to the Society over to their way of thinking. But although the Cardinal and the Governor and other prelates, and even some companions, since the case was closed, thought that the case was terminated, Ignatius, considering the future of the Society, since he knew that this infamy had been spread around in Rome and in many other places, that our members were fugitives and full of shameful deeds, judged that this silence would give rise to a grave prejudice against the newly born Society. And since he could not obtain favor from others, he decided to go see the Sovereign Pontiff, who at the time was in Frascati near the ancient Tusculum, and on the very day he arrived he was able to speak to him. Speaking in Latin, he told him briefly about the course of his whole life, the oppositions and the imprisonments. And he humbly asked him to protect the good name of himself and of his companions, and to order the Governor to declare the truth through an official decree. For in this way the bad reputation, which was spread around Rome that ours were not teaching true doctrine would, be dissipated by a decree of this kind. The Pontiff listened to Ignatius kindly, and he praised the good works of Ignatius and companions for the honor of God and the common good, and what he asked for he ordered to be done. Therefore the Governor, although the adversaries fought against the favor, proceeded to pronounce the decree. But before he made the announcement, it seemed to take place by a special act of divine Providence that those who in very separated places of Spain, France and Italy, and at different times, who were judges of the cases against Ignatius, happened to be in Rome at that time for one reason or another; this was when the Governor, at the command of the Pontiff, was about to publish a decree concerning him and his companions. For the man who was the Vicar of the Archbishop of Alcalá, Dr. Figueroa, having been sent by the Emperor of Naples on some serious business, returned from Spain (where he had the dignity of presiding over the King’s Council) and was then in Rome. Also Dr. Matthew Ori, the Inquisitor in France of heretical deformity, before whom we said Ignatius was summoned twice in Paris, also came to Rome, and likewise Dr. Gaspar de Doctis, who was the Vicar of the Apostolic Nuntio or ordinary judge, when the above mentioned attacks against Ignatius arose in Venice. All of these, in the proper legal form, gave their testimony to the Governor before he passed his sentence. Public testimonies of great authority also came from various provinces and places where the Society was active. In like manner in Rome itself important and very exceptional men gave testimony as to what they thought about Ignatius and his companions. And so the Governor pronounced his sentence, with which he condemned the calumniators of the Society, and it contained a glowing approval not only of their innocence, but also of their life, teaching and good works, and in particular the spiritual exercises. And so the clouds of lies and unjust accusations were wiped out by this ray of truth and public testimony, and confirmed by the authority of the apostolic judge. And what Satan invented to destroy the Society at its very beginning, God changed in order to increase its good odor and reputation.

When ours convened in Rome in 1538 at the beginning of spring, they had not yet proposed to establish a perpetual congregation or religious Order. But they had decided that they and others, if the Lord brought them to them, would dedicate themselves to the service of God and the salvation of souls, after they could not go to Jerusalem, and a large door was opened for them both in Italy and in various cities and provinces of it and outside of it, since from the good report going out from Rome many were moved to seek their help, to which the Sovereign Pontiff seemed to be pleased and wanted to send our members to various places. Therefore then all began to think that this was the will of God, namely, that among themselves they would form a permanent society which, when they died, would continue to serve God in the same ministry, and it also would be increased by the number of men, who would wish to follow God according to the way of life established by them. Therefore, before those who had been joined together by God from different nations in one spirit and vocation departed for various places, they began to consider a way of living which would be necessary to follow. And because at first there were different opinions among them, all decided that some time should be devoted to prayer, and sacrifices of the Mass offered, and careful consideration entered into in order to discover the will of God. And, if they did all they could, they were confident that God would reveal to them what would be for his honor, and what would be more pleasing to his Divine Majesty. So every evening they gathered together, and what each one thought he proposed to the others, so that what gained the most votes and good reasons, that is what all agreed to follow.

In the first place, therefore, the question was whether a congregation, confirmed by some bond of union, should be established, so that since all had taken a vow of obedience to the Sovereign Pontiff concerning the missions, whether or not this would affect their relations with each other. And it was decided to establish a congregation and to make it a permanent union, which God had initiated among persons of such diverse nationalities, so that uniting together the Society would have greater effectiveness for the service of God.

Secondly, it was proposed (which in itself was a greater difficulty) whether those who had already taken a perpetual vow of chastity and poverty in the presence of the Apostolic Legate, Verallo, should add a third vow of obedience to be given to one of their number, so that more perfectly and with greater merit they could carry out the will of God and of His Vicar on earth. And since for several nights they spoke about both sides of this matter, and by each person reasons were advanced for and against the proposal, finally they decided that obedience should be given to one of their number (but if in this matter, as also in others, the approval and confirmation of the Apostolic See were given).

In the same way, towards the end of the year 1538, they dealt with the remaining things among them, which are contained in the Apostolic Letter given by the Sovereign Pontiff, Paul III, in 1540, and in certain old constitutions, which later were put into better order by Father Ignatius (also with many additions). These points concern the poverty of the houses, the training of new members, accepting the management of schools and similar things. Because this deliberation was protracted, and in the meantime the Sovereign Pontiff sent some of our members out of the city, those who departed from Italy left their votes with those remaining in the city, so that concerning the things pertaining to the whole Society they should decide what seemed best to them, along with all those who could still gather together in Rome. And so when some members left for various parts of Italy, they left their votes to Father Ignatius and to the others who remained in Rome¹.

And so that formula was established which was included in the previously mentioned Apostolic Letter, which ours decided to present to the Sovereign Pontiff by themselves. But because he had departed from Rome in the autumn of 1539, lest they be forced to wait for his return, they had it proposed to the Pontiff by Cardinal Contarini. However, the Pontiff, having considered the said formula, not only approved it verbally, but also, as if by some prophetic spirit (since he was the Pontiff), said that this congregation would contribute much to the reform of the Church, and also other things, by which he signified how well he thought about this Institute for the glory and service of God. And that these things were done on the third day of September is certain from the letter of Cardinal Contarini himself². But because what was approved by the Pontiff verbally had to be declared and decreed by an Apostolic Letter, this matter was committed to certain individuals by the Pontiff; among them was Cardinal Bartolomeo Guidiccioni. When this request to compose the document was given to him by the Sovereign Pontiff, a new difficulty, and not an easy one, was found in this minister of the Pontiff, because he delayed the matter of the confirmation almost a whole year, or even longer. He was a good and holy man, and experienced in legal matters, but he was not well disposed to a multitude of religious orders, and had even written a book on the subject. Father Ignatius, however, recognizing a trick of the devil, thought that the Cardinal should be compelled to change his mind by prayers and sacrifices. He took care to provide for this (even with the small number of priests) abundantly, because at his direction more than two thousand Masses were offered³. Moved especially by these prayers (and also by additional reasons) the said Cardinal Guidiccioni, along with others who were opposed to this matter, now worked rather to promote it. And they considered this to be a prudent move that indeed the Society should be established and approved, but at the same time limiting the number of the professed Fathers to sixty, so that after a while her progress and fruits might be observed. Accordingly, on September 16 the request was signed by the Sovereign Pontiff, and it was made official by the Apostolic Letter of 1540. But the limitation of the number of the professed was removed on March 14, 1543, as is certain from the second Apostolic Letter, and this will be seen in its proper place.

Concerning the name, however, this is certain: the name Society of Jesus, before Ignatius and the first members came to Rome, had already been adopted by them. For since they discussed among themselves what answer they would give about themselves, if someone asked them what congregation they belonged to, which at the time consisted of ten members or a few more (if we count Hozius, and Didacus and Stephen de Eguia who were in Navarre), they began to pray and think about what name would be more suitable for them. And when they considered that among them they had no head but Jesus Christ, whom alone they wished to serve, it seemed to them that they should adopt the name of Him, whom they had as their head, and that their Congregation should be called the Society of Jesus. For when Ignatius, being near Rome, saw that vision which we mentioned above, in which the eternal Father commended the Society to his Son, and the Son promised his protection, it is probable that this opinion about the name of the Society of Jesus was impressed more deeply into the mind of Ignatius. And later, when they were considering a perpetual congregation, which would be a religious order, and the formula of the Institute, they thought that the same name of the Society of Jesus should be retained. And when they proposed this together with the formula to the Sovereign Pontiff, it was approved by the same Apostolic authority. And although the acceptance of this name pleased all, it is probable that it was Father Ignatius who proposed this name to his companions. For since his disciples and the followers of his way of life were called “Ignatians” from Ignatius (in Spanish “Iñiguistas” from Iñigo), the humble Father, who in the establishment of the Society attributed everything to Christ and nothing to himself, wanted it to take its name from Jesus Christ and not from himself. It is certain that the same Ignatius, in what pertains to the name, had many enlightenments and mental images from Him whose name he took, and that he had received so many signs of approval for his name from God, that I myself heard from Ignatius that he would be acting against the will of God and be giving him an offense, if he doubted that this name was the right one. And since the need to change this name was written to him and said to him by not a few persons, because some were saying that we were claiming for ourselves and our Society what should be common to all Christians, and other things like that; so constant was he in retaining this name that I myself heard from him, if all the companions together judged that this name should be abandoned or changed, and all other men, whom he was not bound under the pain of sin to obey said the same thing, he would never agree with them. And because in the Constitutions it was then stated that, if one member disagreed with something, it should not be enacted as long as he lived, still this name in no way should be changed. But those to whom the nature and humility of Ignatius were known, understood well that the firmness or rather the security, which would give in to the reasons or human authority of no one, was not something customary with him, unless it concerned things he knew by a higher illumination. And so it is probable that our members both thought and consulted with each other very much concerning this name, but it is quite certain from what has been said that this name was revealed by God to Ignatius, or certainly that it was confirmed by God, although he was not heard to have said this explicitly. However it was not called the Society of Jesus in this sense — as if ours presumed to be companions of Jesus himself, but rather in a military way, by which it is said to be the Society of someone under whom he serves as a soldier. And this concludes what is to be said about the name of the Society and the first formula of its Institute.

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The things that one may want to know here until the year 1549 are contained in a separate volume in the 4th folio.

The sentence above appears at the end of folio 16 and was written by someone other than the amanuensis who had written the other things.

But a separate volume, inserted here, seems to have been covered formerly with a parchment, whose first part still exists here, and it has been preserved with a recent paper covering as if it is the first page of the whole codex, and it has this title on the first page:

CHRONICLE OF THE SOCIETY OF JESUS

From the year 1537 to the year of the Lord 1549

By Juan Polanco

This is to be inserted into the first volume of the history of the Society, after the history of the life of our Fr. Ignatius, which is placed at the beginning of this volume.

G

XXXVIII, 2.

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The letter G and the numbers XXXVIII, 2 designate the order of the old place in the Archives. The whole codes is compressed and covered with a paper binder, on whose back this title is found, which was added later:

Fr. Polanco

Chronicle

S. J.

1537-1549

It consists of three hundred and thirteen pages, of which the first ones up to page thirty-one were written by the hand of Father Polanco himself, with which he corrected a few things in the other parts. There is no distinction of the matter into books and chapters, and we have not dared to introduce such a distinction; but since the paragraphs, which Polanco himself wrote, have been designated with numbers, it seemed useful to designate the remaining ones with numbers.

In short, the things that are contained in the first pages of this book, since they are really nothing other, as the reader will easily recognize, than a summary of the things narrated in the preceding part On the Life of St. Ignatius, so that they may easily be distinguished from the other material we will print them in smaller type than the rest.

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IHS

CHRONICLE OF THE SOCIETY OF JESUS

FROM THE YEAR 1537¹

1. Ignatius Loyola was born of noble parents in the year of the Lord 1491² in the Basque province of Guipúzcoa, and his adolescence and part of his youth was spent in courtly and military affairs, but after the age of 26 he began seriously to a perfect way of life. And since he was endowed with some outstanding gifts of God, he spend almost twenty years partly in great works of penance freely undertaken, partly in annoyances of personal attacks and persecutions, partly in the study of grammar and rhetoric in Barcelona, Alcalá, Salamanca and finally in Paris, partly in works of piety and charity towards others. With the companions in the Lord whom he had gathered around himself in Paris he decided to go to Venice at the beginning of 1537, so that in the same year they could take a ship of pilgrims to Jerusalem, according to the tenor of the vow they had taken.

2. But since Ignatius had gone ahead of them and before the sailing had performed various works of piety in various places in Spain and Venice, finally on the eighth day of January in the year 1537 Peter Faber, Francis Xavier, James Laynez, Claude Jay, Paschase Broet, Alphonse Salmeron, Simon Rodriguez, John Codure and Nicholas Bobadilla arrived in Venice, after leaving Paris on November 15. And after some of them had gone to Rome to get permission of the Sovereign Pontiff to make the transmarine pilgrimage, and when they had returned with the same generous blessing of the Apostolic See, while they waited for the time of the sailing they spent their time working in the hospitals and performing other works of charity³.

3. But it did happen (with God providing something better) that that year the Venetians, being at war with the king of the Turks, they sent no ship with pilgrims to Jerusalem (which did not happen in previous or later years); therefore Ignatius and his companions were not able to make the journey there. But since their vow was such that they would try for a whole year to make the journey with the purpose that, having visited the holy places, they would try to do whatever possible with the unbelievers for the glory of God, but if they were not able to do that, they would be free from their vow. Then they would consult with the Sovereign Pontiff, so that as the Vicar of Christ he would send them wherever he thought they should be send for the glory of God. When the already begun year came to an end, seven of them received Holy Orders (for only three were already priests), because they had received permission for that from the Apostolic See; and they tool perpetual vows of poverty and chastity of the papal Legate in Venice. And since they had spent that whole year in cities like Venice, Ferrara, Bologna and other places, partly preaching and partly doing other works of piety, finally all of them gathered together in Rome after Lent in the following year 1538⁴.

4. In this year at the same time they began to preach in various places of the city, to teach catechism to boys and uneducated people, to hear confessions, and to help many serious men through the Spiritual Exercises. Also when a severe famine affected the poor people of Rome, they took in between 300 and 400 poor people into their house, for whom they provided the necessary food obtained with great edification from certain rich men, until by their example and words they moved civic leaders to provide food for about 3,000 poor people, until the high price of food ceased. The frequent use of the sacraments of confession and Communion began to be introduced; the word of God at that time and in the next following years began to be proposed to the people outside of Lent and Advent; they also began to provide for boy and girl orphans, for poor virgins and wretched women, whom they rescued from an evil way of life, and also for catechumens, who converted to Christ from Judaism and the sect of the Mohammedans. And by the leadership of the same Ignatius, certain hospitals or monasteries were created for these works of piety, which can be seen in Rome and by his example in several other cities.

5. On the occasion of some sermons in which these Fathers refuted the doctrine of a certain preacher, who secretly was spreading the teachings of Luther in Rome (later he came out into the open and his name was Father Augustine Pedemontanus), this small Society began to be harassed with severe attacks and then it fell into disfavor with many people. And since the devil with these defamatory lies was trying to extinguish the Society’s growing good repute and fruit, Ignatius went to see the Sovereign Pontiff, Paul III, and against the efforts of some important people, who wanted to stop him, he obtained the approval that the matter should be settled by an official decree. And by a special providence of God it so happened that at that time, when his case was to be decided, those who were his judges in Alcalá, Paris and Venice happened to be in Rome for various reasons; so they were summoned and gave testimony for the innocence of Ignatius. Therefore what Satan devised in order to remove and brand with ignominy Ignatius and his companions the Lord converted into a testimony of his virtue and integrity by the Roman decree published on November 18, 1538.

6. Before they came to Rome, and had not yet thought about establishing a perpetual society, since they were ten without a head, among themselves they discussed by what name they should call their congregation. And since they had no head or superior, except Jesus Christ, after prayer and reflection they chose for themselves this name of the Society of Jesus. And since this name was impressed on the mind of Father Ignatius and was fixed there by a divine illumination, if any reasons were advanced to change the name, if they came from anyone other than someone who could bind him under sin, he said that it would not have any influence on him. And indeed it is our belief that it was divinely revealed to the same Father (who was the originator of the name for his companions).

7. In the same year of 1538, when these Fathers were still in Rome, and they saw that the door was opened to them daily for the greater service of God and help of their neighbors, according to the vocation which from the beginning all felt in themselves, they began to think that perhaps it was not according to the will of God that they should go to Jerusalem, and that the works undertaken should not be continued by those gathered together to do them and to live the life they had chosen. Therefore, with no one disagreeing, they thought it would be expedient for the glory of God and the salvation of souls that the Society should be established with a stable bond, so that it could admit others, if the Lord should move some with similar desires for this way of life, and preserve it perpetually. Next they decided, which is more difficult, that obedience should be given by the others to one of their number. Thus finally this and other things of importance, after much prayer and many Masses, in the same year 1538, were decided by them, provided that they were approved by the authority of the Apostolic See, to whose judgment all things were to be proposed. In the meantime, however, since the departure of some of them from the City was imminent, because some men of great authority were seeking and obtaining them for various works of piety from the Sovereign Pontiff, those who were about to leave left their votes first of all to Ignatius who was writing what pertained to the formula and constitutions of this way of life, and with the others who were remaining in Rome and in their name would seek confirmation of the Society from the Sovereign Pontiff. And so after the Easter holidays, Fr. Claude departed for Brescia, Frs. Faber and Laynez for Parma, and Fr. Bobadilla for Calabria, and they began to work with great fruit everywhere, and in their place some young men of great talent joined up with Father Ignatius.

8. Therefore some months after this the formula of our Institute, which is contained in the first Apostolic Letter, was published by Cardinal Contarini, on behalf of Paul III, the Sovereign Pontiff, on September 3, 1539 at Tivoli, and the whole formula by name was approved by him and praised in no small way, as is evident from the letter of the above-mentioned Cardinal. But since the document in which the formula is included had to be signed, it was given to Cardinal Guidiccioni for this purpose by reason of his office. Now since he had written a book against the multiplication of religious orders, and was opposed to this new one, having been besieged by many Masses and prayers, after he had delayed the matter for a while year, overcoming his own reasons with sudden passion and feelings, he devised this procedure: that the Society would indeed be approved as a religious order, but only with the condition that it could admit sixty persons, until time itself taught what would be good for the Church. And so the first confirmation took place on September 26, 1540, with the stated restriction.

9. In the year 1539 our Fathers gave vigorous assistance in the Lord to others in many pious works and solving of disputes, and had helped some important men (among whom were Cardinal Contarini and Doctor Ortiz), a very favorable report was spread abroad concerning Ignatius and his companions, and so two of them were requested to go to Siena in order to reform a certain famous monastery. Fr. Paschase and Fr. Simon were sent, and by their ministry and especially that of Fr. Paschase (who remained there for a long time), divine providence in a wonderful manner brought the whole monastery back to a holy conversion worthy of their profession. Also other persons of that city made great progress in the spirit as a result of their works.

10. Among those were close to ours at that time was Father Francisco Strada who, when he departed from Rome for Naples, happened to meet Father Ignatius returning from Monte Cassino (where had helped Dr. Ortiz with the spiritual exercises, and he gave his name to the army of Christ. He returned to Rome and after spending some time with us, since he was only about twenty year of age, he was joined as a companion with Fathers Paschase and Simon when they were sent to Siena. And although he had learned only Latin at the schools, he so impressed the people of Siena with his pious words and the example of his life that not only they benefited from his familiar conversation, but, when hearsay about his got around, the citizens of Montepulciano sent various letters asking him to come to them. When he went there in the same year of 1539, some persons made the spiritual exercises and, having made general confessions with significant results, those who called Strada to come to them had a great increase of fervor. Hence not only did many make the spiritual exercises in private (and among them there were some doctors), but with devout importunity they compelled a youth, who did not know Italian very well and had not engaged in higher studies to proclaim the Gospel in public and the to preach sermons, although there was some resistance. But this took place with such enthusiasm and attendance of all kinds of people and produced such spiritual fruits that there was a serious reform of life and morals among both men and women. The poor suffering from great want were helped; confraternities were established for the instruction of miserable boys and girls and for other works of piety; the frequent reception of Confession and Communion was introduced. And finally, the finger of God in all things was more obvious to the extent that the instrument of his providence was perceived to be weaker⁵.

11. In the same year 1539, when the divine Goodness wanted to assist the nascent Society with food, and a dwelling and the other thing necessary, in the faith City, he called to our Institute Fr. Peter Codacius, a man a long time active and well known in the Roman Curia, whose native land was Langobardia. When this man gave up his ecclesiastical income (which as considerable) and was admitted to the Society of Ignatius and our rented house, he rendered outstanding assistance in the first and many following years to the Society in Rome and indeed to the Society everywhere. For, in addition to the fact that he was the first procurator, who solicited donations in order to support the Roman house, and he obtained the property selected by Fr. Ignatius, and he built the house that we live in because of those same donations; and he carefully arranged for the Apostolic Letter of our Institute, and he worked diligently in many other works of piety.

12. In the autumn of the same year Fathers Peter Faber and James Laynez were sent to Parma with Cardinal Sant’ Angelo. First of all, by their holy lectures they gained authority for themselves among the important and learned men, and they aroused a thirst for sermons; then the sermons were given, which is a wonderful way moved all types of persons and inflamed them to embrace a reformation of life. Then at length those Fathers gathered a harvest through the sacrament of Penance on working days and even at night. And the Spiritual Exercises began to be given to certain men and women, and those who had made the Exercises proposed the same things to others, so that at the same time a hundred people were making them with singular fruit. And besides many pastors and other priests, who communicated the received spiritual instruction to others, not a few young men of excellent talent were called by the Lord to the Institute of the Society. Among those was Fr. Jerome Domenech, then a young seminarian from Valentia. When he went to Parma, he stayed in the hospice where our Fathers were working. There he made the Spiritual Exercises and decided to enter the Society, and immediately he began to help others with the same Exercises and he did it with great success. And there was Fr. Paul de Achilles, who was already a priest, and he began vigorously to work at the office of confessor and in giving the Spiritual Exercises. Then Elpidius Ugoletus and Baptista Viola followed their example^6.

The Year 1540

13. At the beginning of the year 1540 the same Fathers were working in the vineyard of Parma, where they introduced general confession and the frequent reception of the Sacraments of Penance and the Eucharist. The people to whom they gave the Exercises urged others to do the same. They instructed the people in Christian doctrine, and many priests and school teachers, having been taught by ours, then taught the people in the city and in the surrounding region. So the Lord greatly increased the spiritual fruit, and the whole city, through the sermons and aforesaid works of piety, endeavored to obtain a reformation of life. Also two convents of nuns, touched by the sermons, the Spiritual Exercises and general confessions, experienced a marvelous change in their religious life by greatly progressing in the observance of their rule of life and striving for perfection. And although the preachers at the end of Lent were attacked for promoting the frequent reception of the Sacraments of confession and Communion (which was new at the time), they accomplished absolutely nothing, since in Parma and in ten or twelve surrounding villages (in some of which Fr. Laynez moved the people even with one sermon, and spent much time in hearing confessions) this fruit and change to a better life was perceived in many people, who received Communion frequently, whether in their daily life or at the time of death. This experience itself refuted the objectors, while our priests remained silent¹.

14. After having left Parma, Fr. Laynez went to Piacenza. There he won over many to Christ by using the same methods. And with his sermons having moved not a few important men, both ecclesiastics and laymen, he gave them the Spiritual Exercises, and having heard their general confessions, he brought them back to a better way of life. Three times a week he lectured on the Gospel of Matthew; he also attracted some soldiers of Christ there to join the Institute of our Society. And on the feast of the Holy Innocents, when the holy obedience of the Rulers recalled him from there, he preached his last sermon accompanied by the tears of many; finally, recommending to religious men those who had begun to frequent the Sacraments, having left this beginning of great fruit not without a sense of sorrow, he departed from the city. And only at the end of this year did he begin, at the direction of Father Ignatius, to provide for the necessities of the body from the alms that were given; for previously, out of love of poverty, and so that he might freely give what he had freely received, he lived from begging, and both he and Father Faber had suffered great penury, even with regard to necessary things².

15. At the beginning of this year 1540, Fr. Claude Jay was sent to Bangnoregio, a journey of less than two days from Rome. Since at first his arrival did not seem to be pleasing either to the canons or to the city (which suffered from many disagreements), nevertheless, when on Palm Sunday he began to preach and explained the reason for his mission, he learned by experience that, after planting the seed of the word of God, the Lord himself made it bear fruit. Therefore, the number of listeners began to increase daily and the magistrate of the city was present, and so many came to confession that not only did he hear the confessions in the church until midnight, but also in the morning people were found inside the house, who came over the walls so that their confessions could be heard. And after Easter he provided for them in a serious way. Among those fighting and at enmity with each other, both laymen and ecclesiastics, peace was established; some humbly asked for pardon from others, and by securing concord with mutual embraces, they arrived at a holy agreement and community (which had not existed there for many years). Children and other illiterate persons, through the explanation of Christian doctrine, made great progress in devotion³.

16. In the same year Claude, having been sent to Brescia in order to pull up some bad weeds, which some of Satan’s workers had sown, by his sermons and other works of charity with great fruit brought about the correction of the citizens. Also Francisco Strada, having said goodbye to the citizens of Montepulciano, was sent to the same place at the beginning of the year. While staying in the hospital and by his sermons and the large crowds of hearers he began to move the whole city to unusual and deep devotion. Moreover, one hundred young people decided to consecrate themselves completely to the service of God; and since by the example of his life and conversation and preaching he pleased that city in a wonderful way, they eagerly sought to keep him there. Having been taken to a certain town about six miles from Brescia, at the beginning of September, he preached three times, and he so moved the hearts of those people that those who were wont at times to laugh at other preachers, as long as they were listening to Strada they could not prevent themselves from crying. And since among the leaders of the people some burned with hostility towards each other, and one of them had been killed and there was much fear among them, they were so softened and repentant by the word of God that with tears from the depths of their hearts they were reconciled with each other. When twelve of them went to the house where Strada was staying, he was the mediator between them, and they became at peace with each other with such edification that the inhabitants of the town rang the bells and their officials publicly gave thanks to Strada⁴.

17. In the year 1539 Fr. Bobadilla was sent to the Kingdom of Naples. There he was rendering assistance with works of piety, when he was summoned back to Rome the next year so that he could be sent to India with Fr. Simon. But since he was weakened by his many labors and was in bad health, it seemed better to Ignatius not to send him to India, so he was sent to Calabria and especially to assist the diocese of Bisignano. There in the autumn of the same year, partly by lecturing, partly by preaching, partly by administering the Sacraments of Penance and Communion, by establishing peace among enemies, and by visiting the diocese armed with the authority of the Bishop, he rendered very useful assistance to the clergy and the people. His work for them was just as pleasing as it was advantageous. For, when he received a letter calling him back to Rome, the people, being very unhappy about that, asked the Sovereign Pontiff to order that he should remain among them for a long time⁵.

18. Among those who joined the Society before its confirmation was a man of admirable purity and charity, Didacus de Eguia; he was from Navarre and from his early years he was striving for evangelical perfection. After he returned from Jerusalem with his elder brother Stephen de Eguia (like his brother noted for simplicity, innocence and goodness of his life), he joined up with Ignatius and became his confessor. Afterwards, however, because some young men aspiring to join the Institute of the Society still were not sufficiently advanced in their studies, Ignatius decided to send them to Paris so that they could do their studies there, and having been trained there they would prepare themselves for the works of the Society, before they were admitted to profession. Therefore, Fr. Didacus was put in charge of them and, at the beginning of the year 1540, he went to Paris with them. And while they were occupied with their studies, Didacus himself, with great fervor of soul, gave attention to helping others, and especially the students, with the Sacraments of Penance and the Eucharist. And since by their example and conversation our scholastics contributed not a little to the same purpose, some began, in imitation of ours, once a week to go to confession and to receive communion from the Carthusians⁶.

19. In the summer of 1540, Jerome Domenech was called from Parma to Rome; he was eager for poverty and mortification and on his way to Montepulciano he became very ill. Before that, however, he gave the Spiritual Exercises there to some persons with great fruit, and he brought about an increase in the number of those who, because of the exhortations of Francisco Strada, received the Sacraments weekly. But when he finally arrived in Rome, in the same year he was sent to Paris with the others, and having arrived there on the feast of St. Andrew, he stayed with ours who were already there; and after a few days Fr. Paul de Achillis with his companion Antonio followed them.

20. Partly from the good odor of the Society, which had arrived in Portugal, partly from the suggestion of Doctor Goveani in Paris, the serene King of Portugal, John III, judged that it would be very advantageous to send two of our priests to the peoples of East India under his control in order to bring them to faith in Christ. Through his legate, Dr. Peter Mazcareñas he obtained from the Sovereign Pontiff, Paul III, that two of them, chosen by Father Ignatius, were to be sent to him. Now the first one chosen for this mission was Simon Rodriguez, one of the first ten, who long ago was inflamed with ardent desires of spreading the name of Christ among the infidels. And having been called back from Siena, in early spring of 1540, while suffering from quartan malaria he took a ship from the Old City and in a few days he arrived at the port of Lisbon. For some days he was resting outside of the city in a certain house of prayer, but the King, anxious to speak with him and becoming impatient at the delay, ordered him, whether sick or healthy, to come to the city so that his poor health could be better cared for. Having called him to himself, in the presence of the Queen, his wife, he received him kindly, and while enjoying his conversation with consolation and edification, he ordered him to be received as a guest and that care should be provided for his health. But when Simon insisted that he be permitted to live from begging, the King finally acquiesced, and so for a long time he lived on alms (even though he was suffering from the quartan malaria). And partly by hearing confessions, partly by giving the Spiritual Exercises, partly by other pious works directed to the salvation of souls, he began to give very useful assistance to the court of the King and to the city.

21. Fr. Nicholas Bobadilla was chosen in the second place, but because of illness (as has been said), since he did not seem fit for such a difficult mission, and Fr. Francis Xavier not knowing about it, the day before he was supposed to depart, Fr. Ignatius said that he should undertake this task; this news made him very happy, since he had been desiring for a long time to work for the conversion of pagans. On the next day, therefore, he started on the journey with an orator and his family, and bringing them frequently to the Sacraments of Penance and the Eucharist, and continuing in the duties of Christian piety, finally after three months he arrived in Lisbon. Two things happened here that should not be passed over in silence. The first is that one of the principal members of the family of the legate, when he hoped to be able to cross over a large river in a shallow part, against the advice of others, entered it and was swept away by the current; then Father Francis with others prayed for him, and he came out and escaped as if it were from death. The second is that when he embraced Fr. Simon, who was expecting the quartan fever on that very day, such great joy filled the man that the quartan fever disappeared and left Simon free of it⁷.

22. When after three days both of them were summoned to the King, in the presence of the Queen they spoke about things pertaining to the Society (which were heard and approved with pleasure by the royal couple). Then the King committed to them the instruction of the noble youths, whom he wanted to go to confession weekly on Friday, so that as they grew in age they might acquire the good habit of living piously. And more than a hundred noble youths in the court, and several others who were older, both from the nobility and from other walks of life, were introduced to the Sacrament of Penance with singular results to such an extent that, because they experienced spiritual help from the various works of piety, some began to urge that they not be sent to the mission in India and that they should be kept in Portugal. For a long time they continued with their begging, until their spiritual occupations daily became more demanding and the time spent begging took them away from hearing confessions. And so they began to accept support from the King, but they did set aside two days a week for begging, lest they forget this act of humility. However, what they received from begging they were accustomed to give to a home for the poor.

23. Since everything was going well and with edification, and they were experiencing good health, Fr. Francis in the meantime complained that he was not being persecuted and he consoled himself with the hope of what he was going to suffer in India. For, he said that to live for long time without persecutions means that one is not fighting faithfully for Christ. Another four men joined their Society and so they were now six in number. And at the request of the son of Henry, the supreme Inquisitor, daily they visited those who were being detained in the prison of the Inquisition and they helped them with exhortations and instructions on how to recognize their sins and do penance for them. In the meantime, through the administration of the Sacraments and giving the Spiritual Exercises they gained increasing good will among the important and illustrious men in the court. And since our Institute pleased the King very much, still first of all the establishment of colleges was recommended by him; and since it was not yet certain that the Apostolic Letter of approval of our Society had been issued, he offered his help and letters from the Emperor and the King of France, if that was necessary. However, by the grace of God at that time it had already been published; therefore he began to work on the foundation of one College and providing for the scholastics of the Society⁸.

24. In the same year of 1540 through Fr. Antonio de Araoz the Society also began to be known in the kingdoms of Spain. In the previous year, when he came to Rome with a worldly mind and way of life, out of a sense of courtesy he visited Father Ignatius, who was a blood relative. But then he made the Spiritual Exercises, and he gained such profit in them that with an amazing contempt of the world he decided to join the Institute of the Society; and in what pertained to prayer, self-abnegation and victory over himself he worked strenuously in Rome for some time and then he sailed to Spain (in order to take care of some personal business). And having been tossed about by two severe storms, he landed in Barcelona, and among the friends, to whom formerly Ignatius was known, he spread around [the rumor] that his life and doctrine had been approved by the Sovereign Pontiff (however it had not yet been done by an Apostolic Letter); many people came to see him about this, who wanted to know more about it, and he received the congratulations of many people. They also insisted that Araoz, still a novice who had never attained the office of preaching, should preach to them; he did this, and he did it with such excitement of minds that many told him they were ready to do whatever he directed them to do. But while prescribing to put good order in their lives, since he could not test their constancy, and while leaving many to help the Society according to their ability, if they wanted to devote themselves to it, he went on to Castile. And when in the towns of Valladolid and Burgos, and also in the presence of the princesses (who were the daughters of Emperor Charles V) he preached with much fruit, and had brought some Turkish women to embrace the faith of Christ, he went to Cantabria. And in many of its towns, especially in the province of Guipuzcoa (whose language was his own vernacular tongue), he began to proclaim the word of God, even though he was not yet a priest. And when a general assembly of the province was celebrated at Vergara, having been invited immediately by them to preach to them, he inveighed so vehemently against the public vices, and so inflamed minds to embrace a life worthy of Christians, that the governor there put more than sixty persons, partly concubines, partly usurers in prison, and many legal cases and hostilities were settled. And when he came from there to Azpeitia, from the villages and towns more than four thousand persons gathered together to hear him, so that he had to speak in a field and the hearers climbed up trees and sat on the roofs of nearby houses. At length, having gathered much fruit from an abundant harvest, and after taking care of his affairs in Spain, he returned to Rome the following year⁹.

25. In autumn of the same year 1540, when Protestants were gathered together with Catholics in Worms, and the illustrious Cardinal Morone was present as the legate of the Apostolic See, and Dr. Ortiz and others had been sent there by the Sovereign Pontiff, the men of the Society also began to be known in Germany. For, Fr. Peter Faber was sent from Parma who, although he was not permitted to deal with the sectarians, spread the good odor of Christ there, because he assisted many important men both from the court of the King and others, and among those others the legate himself, by helping with confessions and by giving them the Spiritual Exercises. And he said that he frequently thought in his heart great feelings of love for Germany and about the hope of helping her sometime through the ministry of the Society¹⁰.

The Year 1541

26. While the divine Goodness through these few Fathers in various places of Italy, France, Spain, Portugal and Germany were spreading as it were some seeds of an abundant harvest to be gathered in later, at Rome Fr. Ignatius controlled the helm of this little ship. But like a father who generates all in the spirit, and to whose prudence and charity all were very much indebted, actually he did not have any legal authority. Indeed, in September 1540 the Society was confirmed by the Apostolic Authority, but in that year no one had yet been named as the superior. And since the special Constitutions after many prayers and Masses had been written down by him, he called together the companions dispersed in Italy both in order to approve them and to elect a superior general for the Society. Present with him were Fr. John Codure and Fr. Alphonse Salmeron, who were busy in Rome cultivating the vineyard to the best of their ability. Fr. Paschase came from Siena, Fr. Jay from Brescia, Fr. Laynez from Parma after, by preaching in a certain convent of nuns and in the cathedral church of the Kingdom, he had gathered some fruit of souls, and in fact he brought some young novices with himself to Rome. Either the distance of the place or the authority of the Pontiff prevented the other four from coming; but they by personal letters agreed with the opinions of those who were in Rome and they wrote to approve the Constitutions. However, with regard to the election of the General, those who were in Portugal and Germany submitted a secret written ballot. Therefore, when the Constitutions were approved by the six members present in Rome, and they had spent three days discussing and considering in the Lord the election of the General, then each one of them placed his written and signed vote in a box. Then after three days, when they were all together, they opened the votes and Fr. Ignatius was found by common consent to have been elected. However, out of humility he refused to accept this office, and he urged them to vote on it a second time; after three days the Fathers who were present chose him again. Ignatius again refused to accept it, so he went to his confessor (who at that time was a certain Father Theodosius, a Franciscan), and being admonished by him that he should not resist the Holy Spirit, he finally accepted the office. Then he decided that on the Friday after Easter in the year 1541, which was April 22, they should visit together seven churches of the city, and all make their profession in the church of St. Paul. Hence, when Ignatius celebrated the Mass there, he made his profession before Communion; then he turned to his five companions and while holding the Host, before Communion, one by one they pronounced their vows in a loud voice, placed the vows in the hands of Fr. Ignatius, and then they received Communion. When the Mass was over they embraced each other at the altar, in which the bodies of Saints Peter and Paul lie, and after visiting the other churches they were filled with great personal consolation and returned home.

27. Although some of these Fathers were sent to various places, still besides Fr. Ignatius (who wanted to give an example with regard to teaching Christian doctrine in accordance with his profession, and for forty days he explained it in the church with great fruit for the hearers) Fr. Laynez remained there during the summer, being occupied with hearing confessions and giving sermons. And among others there was the cheerful duchess of Parma, Margaret of Austria, the daughter of Emperor Charles, together with her household, who gained much from him in spiritual things. Also, by use of the Spiritual Exercises he led some to the counsels of Christ and the Institute of the Society, among whom was Francisco Turrianus, a young man who came from Burgos. I followed his example (since he was a comrade and friend) in making the Exercises, and during the same summer when he died, I entered the Society. And in the same year, Fr. Andreas Frusius, a man of outstanding talent and erudition, but even more outstanding in piety, was admitted to the Society. Fathers Codure, Paschase and Salmeron were also present, and about twelve others, partly priests and partly laymen, who joined this army of Christ in Rome during this year and the preceding one. And although they lived in a rented house, still they had their own church, which they used for hearing confessions and giving lectures on Christian doctrine and also sermons (although it was small and not very agreeable). And beyond that they gave assistance to many others in an edifying way with various works of piety. However, in the same year one of the first ten died on September 4, Fr. Codure. He was the first member after Fr. Ignatius to make his profession, and thus it is piously believed that he was the first of the professed members of the Society to enter heaven, since the integrity of his life and his charity in helping others and the holiness of his death bear witness to this.

28. In this year of 1541, when he had remained in Rome for a few weeks after the profession, Fr. Claude Jay was sent to Faenza, where he introduced the pious and salutary custom of receiving the Sacraments of Confession and Communion every week. And he brought this about by the example of his holy life, and by his friendly conversations and the ministry itself of these Sacraments. He also consoled many sick people in the hospital and in private homes. But by his lectures in which he explained the articles of the Christian faith and by his frequent sermons to the people a more abundant fruit was gathered. And the crowd was so great of those who wanted to go to confession to him that just as he was forced to go from the confessional to the pulpit, so he had to go from the pulpit to the confessional in order to hear confessions, and to work constantly to the point of exhaustion. However, those who were induced to communicate frequently chose from their group a certain doctor as an advocate for the poor, another as an advocate for those involved in legal cases, another (who was the best physician in town) to care for the poor (and they all did this gratis). Others offered themselves readily to assist in his work of helping doctors, others in helping and clothing orphaned boys, others in performing the other works of piety. The number and piety of converted women increased, peace was established among several dissidents, and so the spiritual fruit increased from day to day, when he was informed as a result of his obedience to the Sovereign Pontiff that he should leave and go to Germany. Towards the end of this year he went there (though he remained for some time in Bologna with fruit, while he was waiting for his companion).

29. Fr. Peter Faber was in Worms, and he went from there to Spires and Regensburg with the court of Charles V; and without any sermons, but only with the ministry of the Sacraments of Penance and the Eucharist and with private conversations, and especially by giving the Spiritual Exercises he accomplished so much that men outstanding for their authority, dignity, learning and nobility, both Germans and Italians and Spaniards, worked seriously at a change of life. And of them certain ones helped others with the same Spiritual Exercises. Among others, Cochleus showed himself fervent above all, and he said that he rejoiced that teachers dealing with the affection were found, and since he was helped at Regensburg by the Spiritual Exercises, he brought now these now those Germans either to Faber to make the Exercises, or he himself gave them. And Faber himself added that no one, who had gone to confession to him, or had experienced the Spiritual Exercises given by him, had gone back to his old ways or lost his good will towards him. And he confessed that he had a great occasion of gaining fruit, because he was called to Nuremberg (a city that was totally Lutheran¹) to help a certain man from Florence, who had lost the ability to speak; but he recovered to such an extent that, in his lucid moments, he could show signs of contrition; then when he died, Faber so shook one of his friends with fear that he asked to return to the Catholic faith and to be absolved by Faber himself in the Sacrament of Confession (which he had not received for seven years). When this took place, two other merchants followed his example. Also two Moslems received the baptism of catechumens. But although the harvest there was very ample, by an order of holy obedience on July 27 he departed from Regensburg with Dr. Ortiz for Spain; so to take his place Fr. Claude was sent to Germany².

30. In the meantime in France Fr. Jerome Domenech was kept very busy (for Fr. Didacus³ returned to Rome), since he gave the Spiritual Exercises to some persons, who immediately passed on the singular fruit which they had received. Among these the first was Fr. James Miron who, when he had made great progress in his studies in Paris and had decided to complete them, made the acquaintance of Fr. Jerome, and giving his name to the army of the Society, with fervent charity (among his usual occupations of humility and mortification) he edified three Frenchmen at the same time with the same meditations with which he had made progress. One of them, who was an apostate, not only returned to the practice of his religion, but he brought back some others who had been infected with heresy. A wonderful change of life in some others was brought about by these means and daily the door began to be opened more and more. Dr. Picardus, outstanding among the preachers in Paris, began to be so attracted to ours that, if the infirmity of a lame leg did not prevent him, he said that he would like to join our Institute. Also the famous Dr. de Cornibus, a Franciscan, defended our way of life against those who opposed it⁴.

31. At the beginning of the year 1541, since daily the good odor of Francis Xavier, and of Simon Rodriguez and companions, who had joined themselves up with them, and also their fruit increased, King John began to think seriously about establishing a College of the Society at Coimbra, and another house in Lisbon, and about keeping our Fathers for its establishment and the advantage of his kingdom, and also to request that the scholastics of the Society should be sent there. When this was made known to Father Ignatius by our Fathers (who had embraced fervently the mission of the Pontiff to India), he wanted to refer the whole matter to Paul III, the Sovereign Pontiff. He did that, and full authority was given to the King of Portugal to make use of the work of those Fathers as he saw fit. Ignatius also wrote to our Fathers about the concession of the Pontiff that they should follow the will of the King, without fear of falling away from their previous obedience. At the same time he wrote to them about his decision, namely, that Father Francis should go to India, that Fr. Simon should remain in Portugal, that he should continue to gather the harvest in the kingdom, and that he should provide for the growth of the Society there by establishing a College at Coimbra. For thus according to the mind of the King many could be sent to India from there, since it would function like a seminary. Therefore the King, having adopted the decision of Ignatius, kept Simon, but decided, on April 7, 1541, to send to India Francis Xavier along with two companions, namely, Fr. Paul, an Italian (whom he had brought with him from Rome) and Francisco Mansilla, a Lusitanian. The new Legate of the King, Martin Alphonse de Sosa, departed with the fleet, which that year was being sent to those regions; to him the King very seriously commended our members. But for forty days they were delayed without wind on the coast of Africa, near a place called Guinea, and then being driven by storms they arrived at a port of a city in Mozambique near the Cape of Good Hope. There, while the fleet as usual was being prepared for the long journey to India, many sick were taken from the ships and our Fathers took care of them. Francis (although he was also sick) helped them to recover their health, or to depart from this life with the help of the Sacraments and through other works of piety. And then he testifies that he conceives the hope that Christ will provide for them, because they know well that all those things are lacking to them that pertain to the propagating of the faith itself. In the same place he preached whenever he could, which was on every Sunday while they were at sea⁵.

32. Those who remained with Fr. Simon were Fr. Gonsalvus and  _____  an expert in canon law⁶, and so that they could preach and hear confessions more fittingly, the King gave them in Lisbon the convent of St. Anthony with its church, from which the nuns had been moved to another place more suitable for them. And after Rome (which is the mother of all) this was the first house of the Society. But when Fr. Ignatius ordered some of the scholastics studying in Paris to leave there and to go to Portugal, James, Miron, P. Pontius, Francis de Rojas and Sbrandus arrived in Lisbon on the third day of October. Also sent there from Rome were Fr. Cyprian with Martin Pezzano, Francisco de Villanova, Stephen Baroello and James Romano; and so, with the acceptance of three others, who were admitted into the Society from the court, the spiritual fruit began to increase; now a house with more members presented itself as a form of religious discipline. There was such an attitude of men, both nobles and religious, towards the members of the Society, and such an estimation of them, that whatever was done by them they considered to be from the hand of God and they so convinced themselves. 

33. In the meantime, Fr. Faber departed from Germany and after three months arrived in Madrid with Dr. Ortiz and the good odor of Christ was everywhere. And in Saragossa, Medinaceli, Torrigio, Sigunti, Alcalá and Madrid the Society became known to the leading men, both ecclesiastics and laymen, and among others the Archbishop of Toledo, who offered every favor to the Society in his diocese. And going to the city of Galapagar he began to teach Christian doctrine to the children after the evening meal, and he learned that much fruit came from that. Then he confessed that beforehand he had never understood how important the work is of teaching the young and the illiterate, which is something our profession demands of us. He also devoted himself to preaching, hearing confessions and giving the Spiritual Exercises. Although these things took place with great fruit, and he said that a large door had been opened in Spain for the Society, nevertheless he was recalled by obedience to Germany, where there was a greater lack of workers and the necessity of persons was more pressing, and so he arrived there in the spring of the following year⁸.

34. In this same year of 1541, when the Sovereign Pontiff was told that in the land of Ireland (which was under the Roman Church, but had been committed to the protection of the kings of England) the people were indeed Catholic, but because of the tyranny of Henry VIII, who had renounced union and obedience to the Catholic Church, there was no one to provide for the people, a request was made for the favor from the authority of the Holy See of the necessary dispensations and other spiritual graces; hence the Pope decided to send them two members of our Society. Therefore he sent to them Fathers Paschase and Salmeron in the autumn of this year with the ample privileges and faculties of Apostolic Nuncios, but like the Apostles with no purse or bag, so that, if it were possible, they could enter that island and strive to gain the good will of those people. Francis Zapata, an Apostolic secretary, went with them; since God had called him to a more perfect way of life, by accompanying these Fathers and paying the expenses of the trip he wanted to make the beginning of a religious life; and so, motivated by holy obedience, they committed themselves to this long and very dangerous journey by land and by sea⁹.

35. Returning to Rome at the beginning of autumn, Antonio Araoz brought with him Aemilianus de Loyola, a nephew of Ignatius, and Martin de Santa-Cruz; but Aemilianus had come to be a courtier, not to join the Society. Nevertheless, after making the Spiritual Exercises he changed his mind and began seriously to serve Christ in the Society. Antonio Araoz preached in Rome, and then he went to Naples (at the request of Cardinal Santa Cruz, who later became Pope Marcellus II) to provide some fruit for the men who belonged to the Abbey called Capella, and also to do some other good works in the city itself. He preached the word of God so effectively that after many years the fond remembrance of his sermons and conversation was still to be found in many. Also Francisco Strada returned to Rome and in the same year he was sent to Paris to complete his studies.

The Year 1542

36. At the beginning of the year 1542 the Society was already firmly established in three houses, namely, in Rome under Ignatius, in Paris (where however we did not have our own house, but our members were lodged in the College of the Lombards) under Jerome Domenech, and in Lisbon under Simon Rodriguez; the others were cultivating the vineyard of the Lord in the missions. But in Rome, besides the usual ministries, which were done for the help of souls and the support of pious works (and in the eyes of the Apostolic See and of all those flocking to the fair city from various nations), Ignatius was concerned about the things that pertained to the common good of the Society and of the Christian commonwealth. Hence, since the Sovereign Pontiff wanted to use the work of our members in Germany, besides Peter Faber and Claude Jay (mentioned above), Nicholas Bobadilla was summoned from Calabria (where he was working successfully), and after he made his profession in Rome he was sent to the same area. Therefore, in the northern regions, of the nine professed members already five were working there (that includes Paschase and Salmeron). But in the month of April he also sent some members to France to join the community in Paris. Among them was the young boy Peter Ribadeneyra, who had been admitted before the confirmation of the Society, and he went there on foot like the others. At the same time he also sent three members to Portugal, namely, Martin Santa Cruz, with William Codure, the brother of the deceased John, and one other, in order to establish the College in Coimbra; he also sent some others to work in Lisbon. Also two Italians accompanied them, who were being sent to India to assist Fr. Francis Xavier, that is, Antonio Criminalis (after a few years be became a martyr of the Lord) and Nicholas Lancilottus¹.

37. In the same month of April 1542, at the University of Padua, the fourth house of the Society was established. For since Fr. Ignatius had determined to send Andreas Frusius and myself there to finish our studies, and Jerome Otellus, already at the time a very learned and pious young man had immediately joined us, and Stephen Baroellus, who had just returned from Portugal were added to our number, so we began to have a permanent dwelling there (although in the first year we were in a rented house). There in addition to the time dedicated to studies, by the holy example and efforts of Andreas Frusius, who was already a priest, not a few people began to be helped in the spirit².

38. Concerning those who had gone to Ireland the previous year as Apostolic Nuncios, when, after many dangers from the sea and the English they reached Scotland and from there to Ireland on the second day of Lent, they stayed there for only thirty-four days. For a devastation in things pertaining both to the Christian religion and to the political form of life was perceived there; there was trepidation among the secular rulers, who were being forced by King Henry to confess that he is the supreme head after Christ in spiritual and temporal matters. Accordingly, they would not meet or talk to the Nuncios, nor could they promise them any safety. And since also during the time they stayed there, they had to flee from one place to another in order to escape the hands of some Englishmen who, having been offered a reward, were trying to capture them. And those who dared to receive them put themselves into a manifest danger of losing life and fortune, since they were opposing the will of the king. So it seemed to them in the Lord that they should not remain any longer on the island, since they had received specifically in their orders that if, either in entering or remaining there, they knew that they were not safe, they were to return to Italy. Therefore, for a few days, they administered the Sacraments of Confession and Communion to some people with their singular consolation and fruit, and they granted a plenary indulgence, and for some they exercised the power of dispensation freely or for a modest fee, which was applied to the repair of churches, or to the support of widows and poor virgins and other pious works. At length, with great admiration and edification of the people, having left behind much good will towards them, and when their patience had been tested strongly, and when they had no provision either of food, or of drink, or of a bed or of security, they returned to Scotland. And when they began to consider visiting the King and to promote the activity of the Catholic religion in his kingdom, they saw that by the faction of nobles and officials, who had abandoned the true faith, the door was closed to them in order to help the people, they crossed over to France, and after landing in Dieppe, a port in Normandy, they went on to Paris. There they received a new letter in the form of a Brief, in which the office of Apostolic Nuncios is entrusted to them in the kingdom of Scotland. But since, after considering the matter prudently, they thought that the Sovereign Pontiff should be informed about the state of religion in the kingdom before they performed the function of a new legation, they received a response from the City that, bypassing Scotland, they should return to Italy. Therefore, having left Francisco Zapata with our community in Paris, so that he might dedicate himself to studies, the humble Nuncios traveled on foot. In Lyons they were thrown into prison as spies, but then they were recognized by Cardinals Turnonensi and Gaditano³, and being set free they were given horses and returned to Rome.

39. Those sent to Germany were not all in one place. In Regensburg Fr. Claude moved every stone in order to produce some fruit in honor of the Lord. While visiting the Bishop, he admonished him often concerning his office. He exhorted the assembly of canons to live well. He strove to help this one and that one in private homes, and also in homes of laymen, by private conversations and the Spiritual Exercises. He also presented an excellent exhortation before the senate. The seed of the word of God sometimes found good soil and produced fruit; but when he urged with great diligence that a heretical preacher, who was dear to the citizens, should be removed from his pulpit, and since the name of the reformation was odious to many ecclesiastics, and they thought that Claude was its author, he very much offended many citizens and he incurred the enmity of some of them. And when on all sides the cross and dangers threatened him, Christ flooded his workman with amazing consolation of soul. To certain individuals threatening to throw him into the Danube River, he responded that he could just as easily go to heaven by water as he could by land. Some tried to poison him, while others wanted to ban him from the city; however, many Catholic and good men, and among them the Bishop, loved him, and they rejoiced that he vigorously opposed those evil men. And by the example of his life, by his holy conversation, by private lectures he did not relent, and being patient he gathered fruit. In September he began to explain the letter of Paul to the Galatians with a large number of listeners of all classes and states in life. They were very eager to listen to him and many of the important people pleaded with him not to cancel the lectures during the month of November, as others usually do, because it is time for the harvest⁴.

40. Meanwhile Fr. Bobadilla was in Innsbruck, where Ferdinand, the King of the Romans, and his children were staying, and he was occupied with the ministry of the Sacraments of Confession and Communion, even though he was ill, and also with conversations with many important men. Then he went to Vienna with the court; he spoke to King Ferdinand, and having been received by him with a joyful heart, he was invited by him to speak at length about matters pertaining to piety; he did not stay in the comfortable house with the Nuncio, but preferred to live in the hospital for the poor. With the great favor of important men, he was occupied partly with public sermons, partly with confessions, partly with lectures on the letter to the Romans, partly with instructing catechumens who came over to the Catholic faith from the unbelief of Turks and Jews, partly treating spiritual matters with the King (from whom also he obtained royal favor for our members who were in danger in Regensburg)⁵.

41. But Fr. Faber, who had brought two priests with him from Spain, who were embracing the Institute of the Society, when he was passing through Sabaudia, on one occasion in a certain town (whose grave necessity had invited him) he preached there with great fruit, and then after a long journey he arrived in Spires. But there an abundant harvest was waiting for him; and when the murmuring of the clergy stopped, which in the beginning was very loud, the devotion of the people towards him increased and he began to gather fruit for the Lord with the usual ministries. He won over a suspect preacher by speaking with him about things on which they agreed (but not about others). He says that he had more hope for the reform of Germany, because he sees that the clergy are less dissolute, the people more disposed to ecclesiastical things, and that the works of piety are done with more fruit, that more faith is found in Catholics, and more obedience to the Bishops. And he said that the Bishop of Spires increased in his desire to reform his diocese, but that the vicar (who had made the Spiritual Exercises the previous year) would either leave his office or have to reform the priests living in concubinage. But after he instructed his companions exactly in the Spiritual Exercises, when he sent them on a pilgrimage in the customary way of the Society, having been well tested and made great progress spiritually, they returned to him. One of them, since he had experienced great dangers from thieves, wild animals, plague, hunger, lack of sleep and other troubles, asserted strongly that he would not have wanted to miss that for the whole created world. He also went to see the Archbishop of Mainz, and after speaking with him about some serious things pertaining to religion, certain things were decided, which would remedy the situation. In a monastery of the Carmelites he gave the Exercises to one of the monks, and the Lord turned him away from heresy. And while he strove to be at peace with all, he also put an end to the rumors and the ill-will of men towards him⁶.

42. In this year of 1542 our members, sixteen of whom were living in Paris and were busy with their studies and at the same time with works of piety, were for the most part dispersed. For, since Francis, the King of France, had declared war on the Emperor, Charles V, in July an edict was promulgated at the University of Paris that all subjects of Charles should leave his kingdom within eight days under punishment of death and confiscation of their goods. But since the first presider of the Parliament was consulted by the scholastics, and also Cardinals Borbonius and Medonius⁷, and they received no promise of security or of delay, they left the others who were not included in the edict, and with the seven Spanish brothers Fr. Jerome Domenech departed very quickly on foot for Belgium. Since at that time the army of Martin Ros⁸, who was fighting under the command of King Francis, was said to be about to invade Louvain, he took our members to Brussels. But when the army withdrew, ours gathered together in Louvain, and continuing the study of philosophy begun in Paris, they enrolled in the College in Louvain⁹.

43. When in the year 1542 Fr. Laynez was sent to Venice by the Sovereign Pontiff, at the request of the republic, to promote certain works of piety, he preached sermons in many places and sometimes twice in the same day. Three times a week he gave lectures on the Gospel of St. John at which there was a large crowd both from the nobility and from the common people. Both in his sermons and in his lectures he argued against the heresies, which had begun to spring up there, and he gathered abundant fruit. In the meantime, having been provided with greater authority, he began to preach on St. John and St. Paul, and the advantage of this effort was more evident in the internal growth of many hearers and in the alms received for the support of pious works. But those whom the word of God moved, so that they would make more progress in the spiritual life, made good Confessions (among them many were general confessions). With some of them, who seemed to be more receptive, he produced greater and more solid fruit through the Spiritual Exercises. There were those who, through them and friendly conversations, having been cured from the plague of heresy, returned to the Catholic Church. Others followed the counsels of Christ; and so day by day, in that large city, the good odor of the Society was spread abroad. But also Andreas Lipomanus (who almost from the beginning received Fr. Laynez in his house as a guest), being more disposed to our affairs, began to think and to plan, with the same Fr. Laynez, about establishing colleges in Padua and Venice¹⁰.

44. At the beginning of this year, when Fr. Araoz had made his profession on Quinqagesima Sunday in the hands of Fr. Ignatius, the first one to do so after the ten (who had done so in Rome or had sent it in writing), he was sent back to Spain; he arrived there at the beginning of spring, on foot according to the custom of the Society, and he crossed over to Barcelona. There such an abundant harvest offered itself to him and to his companion, Fr. Didacus de Equia, that they were hardly able to gather in even a small part of it. The Bishop, the Viceroy and his wife, Duke Cardona and his wife, and the Admiral of the Kingdom of Naples¹¹ manifested great benevolence towards the Society. Fr. Araoz introduced some nobles to the spiritual meditations, which resulted in a significant change of life. One of them was the Admiral who, since in his house he was interrupted by the troublesome duty of greeting people, moved himself to another place, in which the Viceroy said he wanted to fulfill the office of porter, so that such good work would not be hindered. Neither days nor nights were sufficient to hear all the confessions, and in fact at times they did not leave time for the Sacrifice of the Mass. When he was asked, he preached in various places to large crowds, and when re refused to accept a large amount of money offered to him, the people were very edified. He worked to establish peace among certain nobles who were at enmity with each other. And a certain man called Baro, the leader of one faction, was so impressed that, if he had not been bound to his wife, he said he would go to Rome (to which Araoz was called back) to work in our kitchen¹².Since the Spiritual Exercises were given to many persons, and they said it was something divine, so many sought to make them that ten retreat masters would not have been sufficient for them. Amidst the tears of many he left the city (because the Pontiff by a letter called him back to Rome) and boarded a trireme with a companion. During the time of the sailing he ministered not unprofitably to the Turks, Moors and others condemned to do the rowing, so when he arrived in Italy towards the end of the year he went on to Rome¹³.

45. In this year, when Francisco de Villanova, having been sent from Rome to Portugal, was still suffering from ill health and had gone to Alcalá for the sake of a change of air, he began to devote himself to studies, and his spiritual conversation and the Spiritual Exercises offered much help to some important men. And although he was there for almost two years without companions, nevertheless our dwelling at that University had its beginning with him. But in Portugal, because the number of workers increased in Lisbon, the fruit also day by day increased significantly. The greater part of the nobility came so often to the church of St. Anthony in order to go to confession and receive Communion that they came every week or at least once a month. And in the court of the King now this did not seem to be something new, since it had become a habit. Because of exposure to the Spiritual Exercises many made progress, and some, seeking to be admitted into the Society, were able to obtain that. The King committed five Moslems from Mauritania and two Jews, who wanted to become Christians, to our members to be instructed at home. Among the Moslems there was one who, because of his nobility, was held in high regard by his own. Finally, since Simon retained for some time in the building of St. Anthony twelve scholastics, partly having been sent there from Rome and Paris, partly admitted right there, by order of the King he brought them in the month of June to Coimbra (where the King had established a distinguished University, and added to it a College of ours). And giving them a rented house to live in, and considering it an opportune place for the establishment of the College (as the King had commanded), and having instructed our men about the library and the other things necessary coming from the generosity of the King, he returned to Lisbon. Therefore, these were the beginnings of the College in Coimbra, which became the fifth house of the Society; and daily it grew more, until it reached the size that we now see. The house in Louvain (mentioned above) was the sixth house to be established, and it was opened in August of the same year. Then the King thought about founding another house or College at Evora, and his preacher went there first in order to inspect the site and form of the building to be constructed; but the execution of this plan was delayed for some time¹⁴.

46. Fr. Francis Xavier arrived with the fleet of the Viceroy in India on the sixth day of May in the year of the Lord 1542, since the journey, which usually can be made in about six months, took more than a whole year. The reason for this was that in the town and fortress of the Portuguese, which is called Mozambique, the fleet was forced to spend the winter and remain there for six months. During this time, although the large number of sick people, and of those dying, who numbered about 80, kept Fr. Francis very busy, nevertheless he did not omit the duty of preaching on Sundays (as he always did while they were at sea); for this the Viceroy was present along with quite a large audience, and he did it in such a way that he gathered the fruit of his preaching in hearing their confessions. When the Viceroy was about to depart from Mozambique for India, a distance of about 900 leagues, and was going to leave many sick men there, Francis asked that he commit the care of them to his companions, but that he would go with him. He did that, and while sailing near Melinda with the Viceroy, the king of that city came to the ship as a sign of courtesy (because he was a friend of the Portuguese). And because in that city Portuguese merchants often do business, outside of it they have a cemetery for dead Christians, and there they had set up a stone cross with gold inlays. And since he wanted to bury a man who had died on the ship, he was very happy to see as it were a cross of victory in the midst of so many thousands of Moslems. But those infidels very much approved the piety which Christians showed for their dead. However, one of the officials of the city questioned him as to whether Christians gather often in their church in order to pray; and he complained that, since in the city there were 17 places designated for prayer (the Moslems call them mezquitas), devotion among them had cooled to such an extent that, while the others were deserted, only a few people gathered in two or three of them. And when he attributed this to sins, Francis said there is another cause, namely, that the prayers of infidels in no way are pleasing to God. There was a certain Moslem there, from among those whom they call Cazizes¹⁵, which is equivalent to our doctor, who said: if Mohammed does not come to console us within two years, I will no longer believe in him. After that the fleet arrived at the island of Cocos, which is about thirty miles long. The island was barren, having neither wheat, nor rice, nor millet, but flocks upon whose milk they live, and palm trees from which they make a certain kind of bread. They glory in the fact that they are Christians, having been evangelized by the Apostle, St. Thomas. In each town they have one Caziz, just as we have a parish. But since among them there are no books, nor any skill in reading and writing, still they know certain prayers by memory; and four times each day, that is, midnight, morning, noon and evening they gather in their churches, by the pounding of wood (as we do in Holy Week) they call their families and recite the prayers, which they do not understand; the prayers seem to be in the Chaldaic language. Francis went there two times, and because they knew nothing about baptism, he baptized many children; their parents greatly rejoiced at this, and from their poverty offering what they had with a joyful heart, they asked Francis to stay with them, and all promised that they would accept baptism. However, since he, seeing such a ripe harvest, wanted to remain there, the Viceroy, fearing that the Turks (who often visited the place) would capture him and take him away, did not permit that and promised him a more abundant part of the Lord’s vineyard elsewhere. He was present at the evening Vespers, at which they spent a whole hour, often burning incense but constantly saying some prayers. They celebrate two forty-day periods of Lent each year while keeping a strict fast (during it they eat neither milk, nor meat, nor fish). And the men of the Caziz have a wife like the Greeks. At last, when he arrived in India on the sixth of May (as was said above), the ship entered the port and almost all the passengers got off safely¹⁶.

47. Upon arriving in Goa, he began to hear confessions in a hospital for sick strangers and to give them the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist. He heard the confessions of the healthy coming to him in the morning hours. In the afternoon he visited the local jail in order to cleanse the prisoners there with the Sacrament of Penance (after instructing them on how to make a good general confession). When this good work was done, he went to a nearby hospital for strangers, a kind of hermitage dedicated to the Bl. Virgin, to teach the children the usual prayers, the Ten Commandments and the Apostles’ Creed. There were more than three hundred of those who came together with singular fruit; and the Bishop wanted the same thing to be done in other churches. He remained in the same hospital to the great edification of the Goans, and on Sundays and feast days he preached in the hermitage mentioned above. And after lunch he explained one article of the faith in each of his sermons to the Christians converted from unbelief (who came together in such numbers that the church could not hold all of them); when that was finished, he taught them the Lord’s Prayer, the angelic greeting, the Creed and the Ten Commandments. On Sundays he went outside the city to a hospital for lepers and those suffering from elephantiasis (called St. Lazarus) to celebrate the Sacrifice of the Mass. And he strengthened and refreshed all those in the house with the Sacraments of Confession and Communion. When he had preached the word of God to them, leaving them with a friendly attitude towards himself, he was sent by the Viceroy to another region (about two hundred miles away from there and called Cape Comorim). This place has no dwellings of Portuguese, because it suffers from very great barrenness and poverty. Eight years before, many had accepted the Christian religion, but besides the name of Christians they seemed to have nothing else that pertains to the faith, since there was no one to offer the sacrifice of the Mass for them, or to teach the Christians what to believe, what to do and how to pray. Therefore, since he brought with him three men speaking their language, who had been instructed at Goa since childhood, and two of them had been made catechists, as soon as he came to their villages, first of all he baptized all of their children who had not yet received the Sacrament of Baptism (there was a huge number of them). They did not leave him time either to pray his Breviary, or to eat, or to sleep, since they pleaded with him constantly to teach them about Christ, so that he confessed that he began then to know that the kingdom of God is made of such people. Since it seemed to him to be nothing but impiety to reject such pious requests, he began to teach them to make the sign of the Cross in the confession of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, then the Apostles’ Creed, and after that the Hail Mary. While he was teaching them he observed great talent in them, which would be very manifest if they had someone to teach them about Christ. But when he came to a certain village of the pagans, in which there was no Christian (for while the neighboring people had converted, this one did not, because it was subject to a certain pagan lord who did not approve of such a change of religion), it happened that a certain woman had now been suffering from the pains of childbirth for three days, and all hope of her survival had been abandoned. Xavier went to this house with one of his companions and he began to invoke the name of Christ with confidence, with no thought that he was on foreign soil, since the earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof. Therefore he began to recite the Creed, which his companion translated into the local language, and so the woman believed the articles of faith. And when Francis asked her if she wanted to be a Christian, she said that she did desire it; then, after quoting from the Gospels he baptized her; after her baptism, the woman who believed and hoped in Christ gave birth to the child. After that he baptized her husband, their sons and daughters, among whom was the infant just born and the remaining members of the household. However, since his fame spread throughout the area, he visited the main villages and exhorted them in the name of God to believe in Jesus Christ, his Son, in whom alone it is necessary for us to be saved. But since they were under the power of their prince, and so did not dare to accept the Christian religion, Francis consulted a certain official of that prince, who had come there to recover some property for his superior. Although he said it was a very good thing to be a Christian, and he would give permission to the people to benefit from that religion, he himself refused to follow the good advice he gave to others. However, the leading men of this place, with their households, did receive Baptism; and then at last going to the rest of the people, he baptized both the young and the old. Going on from there to Jutucorinum (which is one of the main places in that maritime region) he, along with his companions, was received kindly by the inhabitants. They make their living from fishing; but since the Moslems harass them, and had taken away their boats, the Viceroy, who treated these new Christians with great affection of charity, assembled a fleet and pursued those Moslems. After many of them were killed, and the others had fled, he seized all the boats from them, and those that had been taken from the Christians he restored to them. But to the other poor people, who did not have boats (but with which they get food for themselves) he gave the ones he had taken from the Moslems. By that victory not a trace of the Moslems was left in that whole region; and since the leaders among them had perished, the rest do not dare to make a sound. But since the Viceroy considered these Christians to be like his children whom he generated in Christ, he began to think about moving them to a certain island and putting them under a Christian King, who would rule over them justly. The same Fr. Francis urged that a College with its own church should be built in Goa for the instruction of young boys, so that what they learned there about the Christian religion, they could teach in their own provinces in the vernacular language. And it was his desire that it be a work of our Society to bring them together and to teach them¹⁷.

The Year 1543

48. At the beginning of 1543 in Rome, besides the usual ministries of our Institute — administering the Sacraments of Confession and Communion, teaching catechism, giving the Spiritual Exercises, establishing peace where there is discord, and performing other works of piety like these, the charity towards catechumens was outstanding. Indeed, in our house many converts from Judaism to the religion of Christ were wont to be supported and instructed. But since the works of some of those already reborn in Christ, who among the Jews were considered distinguished, some immediately came over to Christ. A concession was sought by Ignatius from the Sovereign Pontiff that those who were converted from Judaism should not be deprived of their temporal goods (as in the past). He believed that a greater number of these persons in this way would embrace the faith. And since he thought that our house could not suffice for the instruction of so many and to care for them for some time without a grave inconvenience, Ignatius began to instruct the catechumens in their own home. And in this year this new pious work was supported by Julius III, and the synagogues of Italy, according to their ability, also contributed something. With the help of Fr. Ignatius a home for orphaned boys was established, and another one for girls; and also one for virgins, whom they call miserable, and this work was very well known in the city. But the holy decree of Innocent III, “Cum infirmitas corporis” was reaffirmed by an Apostolic Letter of Paul III (because it had fallen into disuse). The point of the document is that physicians of the body are not to visit the sick, unless first the physicians of the soul through confession have cleansed the infirm of their sins¹.

49. Concerning what pertains to the whole Society, since the divine Goodness was calling many to its Institute, and daily he deigned to use her ministry more and more to help souls everywhere, it was proposed to the Sovereign Pontiff that, having removed the restriction of our numbers (which he had wisely done at the beginning in order to test us), he should willingly confirm our way of life and give us the permission of admitting all those who seemed to have been called by God. Paul III did that with pleasure, and the Apostolic Letter of this confirmation was executed, signed and sealed by him on the 12th day. Also in this year besides the church of Sancta Maria de Strada, which had been given to the Society at the end of 1540, the church of St. Andrew della Frata (which was almost deserted, and so the Pontiff decided that it had ceased to be a church), which was situated in an excellent location, since it was next to the garden of Holy Mary, was given over to the Society. And in the same year the dwelling of our professed Fathers began to be built from the alms received².

50. After Fr. Paschase had spent some time in Rome, upon his return from Ireland, he was given a command under obedience to go to Foligno, since the local Bishop had requested this through Cardinal Santa Cruz, and there he began to dedicate himself to works of piety. And when he learned that many priests there were living scandalously in concubinage, and addressing separately this one and that one, he removed twelve from the state of sin, among whom five were married, and the others for twelve years had been living in sin with a woman. When one of the women wanted to go to confession to him, he refused to hear her confession unless she moved out of the house where she had sinned; she agreed and said she would leave that house, where she had offended God for thirteen years. Also there was a certain priest who, having abandoned his clerical garb and dressed as a layman, publicly supported himself and his concubine by running a business. Having been reprimanded and fraternally admonished, he sent the woman away and, after receiving absolution and a dispensation, he returned to the priestly state and clerical dress. Fr. Paschase also taught Christian doctrine to children for thirty days. But when the same Cardinal Santa Cruz (afterwards Pope Marcellus II) petitioned Ignatius by a letter that someone from the Society should be sent to Montepulciano (which was his native land) to help the people, the same Paschase went there, and for thirty days he taught the children Christian doctrine. He heard the confession with fruit of many persons of both sexes, and he helped not a few with spiritual meditations; one of them, who had studied theology in Paris, and had bound himself by a vow to enter the order of St. Francis (from which he took care to have himself absolved without a legitimate reason), was induced to enter the same order according to the promise of his vow. At about the same time, at the request of Cardinal Morono, Fr. Salmeron was sent to Modena. When he had worked there for some months in the vineyard of the Lord and had preached vigorously against the sectarians who were sowing heresies, he was recalled by Fr. Ignatius. It was also provided for by Ignatius that the decree of the physicians, which was mentioned above, should be observed in the diocese of Modena, as a work of the same Cardinal, who was the Bishop of Modena³.

51. In the meantime Fr. Laynez carried on the work of the Lord started in Venice, and some young men, brought back to a healthy mind from the errors of the sectarians by his teaching and admonition, led others to the same position. Others also brought him books either of errors or superstitions for burning. At the request of important men, he preached in many convents, which had nuns living there related by blood. Administering the Sacraments of Confession and Communion and giving the Spiritual Exercises kept him busy. And although before Lent the people are accustomed to celebrate more than they should, still he saw the number of hearers at his lectures increase rather than diminish. In his sermons he increased edification, since as usual he refused the money offered to him, and he thanked them for the offer and asked them not to repeat the offer, because God would provide for him the necessary things in other ways. During Lent he had large crowds, and the spiritual fruit, by the grace of God, continued to increase. But Andreas Lipomanus, very zealous for all pious works, offered Father Laynez a dwelling which he had in Padua along with a church, that is, the priory of the Lambertans (the common name for the German brothers), so that we, who at the time were living in a rented house, could dedicate ourselves with greater convenience and religious quiet to our studies. And he requested that four or five more should be sent from the City, for whom he would supply the necessary support. In the summer of this year we moved over to the said priory, and when Father Laynez came to Padua in the same year, our house took on the form of a College, and because of his lectures and sermons the spiritual fruit began to increase along with the good reputation of the Society. And gradually the frequentation of the Sacraments of Confession and Communion, even among many prominent men, was introduced⁴.

52. Father Claude Jay was in Regensburg at the beginning of 1543, and through the Spiritual Exercises of the First Week, up to the general confession, he endeavored to help religious and secular priests, along with some laymen, and this work was useful to not a few; one of them, who had left his religious order, was persuaded to return to it. Having attempted with great diligence to bring some back from their errors, he experienced how the counsel of St. John is to be embraced: As for a man who is factious, after admonishing him once or twice, have nothing more to do with him, knowing that such a person is perverted and sinful (Tit. 3:10-11). But in two of them the wonderful judgment of God appeared. For one, a worldly doctor, who had persuaded the senate that Communion should be received under both species, having been tormented with intense pain for two hours, then died immediately; the other, by profession a Franciscan, having been received by the church of the dissidents and having taken a wife in marriage, within fifteen days, and actually after having been gravely tormented in that part of his body with which he had broken his vow of chastity, he died a horrible death. Claude visited the Bishop of Regensburg (who was outside the city) in order to urge him to bring about the correction of some evils, and to promulgate the Jubilee, which had just come from the Apostolic See; and he obtained this. For some individuals, anticipating the promulgation favored by Claude, and after fasts, alms and confession, receiving Communion in the church in the presence of all the people, by his example promulgated the matter with great edification. The constancy in religion of William, the Duke of Bavaria, was something to be seen: when he saw that the Catholic religion in Regensburg had fallen into ruin, he forbade his subjects, under pain of death, to enter that city until they had a change of heart; and when he said that a war threatened him from the enemies of the faith, he also said he would suffer the loss of life, homeland and status rather than allow our people to fall into Lutheranism. Now when the Apostolic Nuncio, the Bishop of Caserta, was passing through Regensburg on his way to the Diet, which was being held in Nuremberg, after conferring with Claude, he ordered that he should follow after him in a few days. But when matters were settled there in a short space of time and the Diet was dissolved he went to Ingolstadt, and during the summer he was busy with giving the Exercises and with private exhortations and he worked with no little fruit at helping Catholics and also some others expected of heresy. Then at the advice of Archbishop Armachanus and at the request of the professors at the University of Ingolstadt he began to give public lectures so that the fruit would be more widespread⁵.

53. Nicholas Bobadilla followed him and went to Vienna, where at the command of the King he had a debate, in the presence of six professors, with a certain professor, who was of noble birth and at one time had been a counselor of the King. But when Bobadilla had refuted more than fifty errors in his teaching, and had convinced those present of this, the King ordered him to be put in chains and to be put into prison. There he stabbed himself with a small knife, but since he did not die immediately, having been converted to the Catholic faith and having received the Sacraments he died. In Nuremburg he established good relations with the head of the Lutheran synagogue, who had corrupted Regensburg, and he was not without hope of bringing him back to the way of truth, or at least of stopping him from inflicting such grave harm. Among others, whom he had reconciled through the Sacrament of Confession and strengthened with the Eucharist, there was a certain nobleman also who, because of a public sin for many years was away from the Sacraments, and could not be persuaded to receive the Sacraments either by the King or by the other nobles. But when the King sent the Bishop of Padua⁶ to Spires to take his place at the Diet, Bobadilla was forced to accompany him, which was said to have been noted both by Protestants and by Catholics. After the Bishop completed his task, when he returned to his diocese, Bobadilla went to Vienna, and he pleaded for many things from the King, which were necessary in order to gather more abundant fruit from the vineyard of Padua. And in the meantime, having absolved some Christians, who had denied the faith after being captured by the Turks and were circumcised, he reconciled them to the Church, and he strengthened some nobles with the Sacraments of Confession and Communion⁷.

54. In the meanwhile, in this year of 1543, Fr. Peter Faber in Mainz and Cologne rendered great assistance to the Church of God. In Mainz he explained the Psalms, and by hearing confessions and giving the Spiritual Exercises he was able to help now this man and now that one. But since he was finished from giving the lectures for some time, he went to Aschaffenburg to see the Archbishop and the Cardinal of Mainz, in order to consult with him concerning things pertaining to the glory of God. Having been received by him kindly, and having been consulted about some reform he had decided to make, he had the opportunity of informing the Prelate about the nature of our Institute; this was very much approved by him. But the Archbishop asked him to return to Mainz in order to add to his lectures sermons in Latin on Sundays, and he agreed to do this, with the help of God. Through these works and his friendly conversation he gained much favor among many people. But when he judged that he should go to Cologne in order to initiate some very important works of piety to promote our religion, after staying there for some time, he conducted himself in them in such a way that, when he went to see the Apostolic Nuncio, Poggio, in Bonn, he gave him an account of what he had done (and especially in the affairs of the Archbishop, to whom, since he felt badly about the faith, he did not allow anyone to oppose him, nor to tell him what should be done, with the exception of Faber himself), so it seemed to him that he should not leave Cologne. And he had recourse to the Cardinal of Mainz in order to make amends through his letter so that he would bear his absence kindly. Among the other things which were done there by Faber for the glory of God and the advantage of Germany was this, namely, that he became friendly with Peter Canisius, at the time already zealous in defending the Catholic religion with eloquence and remarkable piety against the sectarians, and after making the Spiritual Exercises he joined the Society. However, then he received a letter from Fr. Ignatius that he should go to Portugal with his companions; hence, after a few days he went to Antwerp so he could sail from there to Portugal. But since there was no possibility then of boarding a ship, he went to Louvain while he was waiting for one. There the next day (not without the providence of God) he came down with a severe fever; this sickness of his was for the health of many. For although he was weak and ill, when he saw that a harvest was waiting for him, he did not keep himself from counseling, nor from hearing confessions with singular fruit for many. And his patience offered no little edification to all⁸.

55. A little before the beginning of spring, Fr. Jerome Domenech with two companions left Louvain and traveled on foot to Rome. They were replaced by Francisco Strada and Andreas de Oviedo, now the Patriarch of Ethiopia, who had entered the Society at Rome in 1541; then having been sent to Paris to study, he transferred to Louvain with the other Spaniards. But while they were studying he began to think about helping others with the Spiritual Exercises and with conversation. And so that communication of this kind with others might be easier he approached the Chancellor of the University, Ruardus Taber⁹, a serious, learned and very pious man. When he had listened to Strada, even though he had many occupations, he promised to give him three hours each day, so that during one he would be instructed, and for the other two he would make the Exercises. And he did that with such fruit that he surpassed the expectation and wishes of Strada. Moreover, he got to know a certain priest, whose name was Cornelius Uviscalen¹⁰. He was a man of admirable purity, who by the example of his life and the severe castigation of his body, and great zeal for helping souls, dedicated himself to hearing confessions, and attracting many young men and virgins to the desire of a more perfect life, he was filling the monasteries with monks and nuns. And when he was asked why, since he helped others to enter religious orders, he himself did not become a religious, he replied that he could do more if he encouraged many to enter and he remained outside, than if he himself entered and so would leave many outside. Therefore this man, when he had met Strada and learned about the nature of our way of life, with great joy of heart entered the Society, and became her first born son in Lower Germany. Peter Faber followed him¹¹, who also studied theology at Louvain. However, when now a large door began to be opened, they received a letter from Fr. Ignatius, in which they were told to leave the University as soon as possible, and that Strada with Andreas and John¹², the companion of Fr. Faber, should go to Portugal. Therefore, they promptly left their occupation, in which they were usefully employed, and exercising obedience more usefully, they went to Zeeland, so that they could sail to Portugal in the first ship available. But being hindered partly by a lack of wind, partly by the illness of John, or rather with God providing something better so that later they might go with a larger group, since there was no hope of sailing, they were forced to return to Louvain. This happened shortly before Fr. Faber, hastening to Antwerp for the same navigation, not being able to do it (as has been said), returned to Louvain. But although his illness and that of John caused them lots of trouble, nevertheless Strada gave the Spiritual Exercises to some important men; among them was Theodore Hesius, an important man, and an Inquisitor of heretical perversity, who formerly was the secretary and also the confessor for Pope Adrian. This man made the Exercises exactly and with singular fruit, and so with great resignation he placed the state of his life in the hands of Fr. Faber. He, however, considering his age and personal qualities, thought that his state in life should not be changed, but rather that his abilities and position should be more directed to the glory of God and the edification of his neighbor. And Hesius said that for the whole world he would not want to be deprived of the fruit of the Exercises. Also, when the convent of Santa Clara asked that some rules of the religious life should be prescribed for them by Strada, he wrote them and sent to them what he judged (if they were well observed) would be sufficient in order to obtain perfection. The fruit of this was then sent to other nuns with whom they were in communication. Then some important men said that a College of ours should be established by the Emperor Charles. Now when the man in charge of the College of Theologians, which was called Pontifical, asked that Francisco Strada should give a Latin exhortation in his College, and he said that he could not lay claim to the office of teaching, especially in such a place, then that president (for that is what they called the superior) went to see Fr. Faber and from him he got what he wanted. So Strada gave the sermon with such admiration and feeling on the part of the hearers that he was forced by their holy insistence to give more sermons on Sundays and feast days. And so, as the number increased of doctors, teachers, religious and other hearers, he had to change the location three times, so that it would accommodate the larger crowd. Thus until the time of their sailing, that is, at the beginning of the following year, the good odor of the Society was spread in Louvain, and a great change in the lives of many persons was the result, especially with the addition of the Exercises to the sermons¹³.

56. Meanwhile, those who were living in Paris wanted to recall those who had gone to Louvain (first having obtained a safe conduct for them), and they invited them to return. But when Fr. Ignatius, wanting to test their thinking, asked whether they were prepared to be obedient, if they were ordered to continue their studies in Paris, even though they would have to live by begging, or if they had to go to Portugal, or to Rome, or to some other place by land or by sea; they responded unanimously that they were ready to go anywhere on earth, even to India, and if it were necessary, on foot and by begging. And they said if they had to remain there and lacked the necessary support, they would beg for their food, and that they were ready to persevere in their studies; they were aware of the fact that they had offered their freedom to the Lord through holy obedience. When a certain young priest, a Frenchman, determined during the Spiritual Exercises to enter the Society, the Patriarch Aquileia, the Apostolic Nuncio, accepted him in his retinue so he could bring him to Ignatius (since he had to be separated from his parents). But since he remained in Scotland for some time, he began to administer the sacraments of Confession and Communion with edification. This was always done by ours in Paris, and the Spiritual Exercises were given to some persons with great fruit¹⁴.

57. After Antonio Araoz at Rome had been occupied for some time in the usual ministries of the Society, towards the end of this year of 1543 he was sent back to Spain with five companions; but on the journey the time was not passed without some spiritual fruit. For in Prato, Capezzani, Pistoia and Lucca, even though they were tired from the journey on foot, they helped many in the Lord partly with sermons, partly with the administration of the Sacraments, partly with pious conversations; among those helped a certain heretic in Lucca returned to a healthy state of mind. Near Savona they found a ship which, while it was on its way to Spain had returned there because of a storm and to see about taking on more passengers. Many on board, both sailors and passengers, went to confession to Fr. Antonio, and among them some had not been to confession for many years. Some restitutions were also made, and the captain of the ship, when on one day he saw 28 sailors receive Communion, was very edified. When he was asked at Savona, he experienced the light and hand of the Lord in hearing confessions and preaching; and finally, by the grace of God, he arrived in Barcelona¹⁵.

58. In the meantime, in Portugal the work of the Society and through it the glory of God and the salvation of souls increased. At the beginning of this year 1543 Fr. Simon went to Coimbra by command of the King in order to choose a suitable site for the construction of a College, and on a high place of the city he found a very healthy and splendid piece of land for the students. Already in the month of January twenty-five students were living in a rented house, but the king wanted a house to be built to accommodate a hundred of them; in the meantime the royal generosity provided for us everything necessary. Besides these, there were six workmen, who took care of the vineyard of the Lord. In that year one man from Castile came to Portugal in order to get back his brother, who had been admitted to the Society. But when he had examined our way of life and strongly approved of it, together with his nephew, whom he had brought with him, he followed his brother, and both of them became excellent preachers; their third brother also followed them, and this reminds us of Saul, when, after taking off his royal clothes, together with others he prophesied in the presence of Samuel (1Sam. 10:10)¹⁶. The harvest was so abundant in the palace, when they were at Almerini, that the workers were not allowed any rest either during the day or the night¹⁷..

59. Now when it was decided to give the daughter of King John in marriage to King Philip of Spain, Simon suggested to the King that it would be to the glory of God, if one of ours were sent with the said daughter to Castile; this is the basic reason why the Society could function in that kingdom. Since this advice was very pleasing to the King, he directed Simon to seek from Ignatius for this purpose one or other of the first Fathers. And this is the reason why Fr. Faber, although he was very usefully occupied in Germany, received the command, which was mentioned above, to sail to Portugal. But since his illness first of all, and then the command of the Sovereign Pontiff through the Apostolic Nuncio detained him, Fr. Antonio Araoz was sent; but in the following year both of them arrived in Portugal¹⁸.

60. When a legate came from India to King John, a man of great authority, the King urged Simon to approach him and to try to convert him to the Christian Religion; after he had met with him several times and he had also visited our house occasionally, by the grace of God, he embraced faith in Christ, and they hoped through him to obtain abundant fruit among his countrymen.

61. In the meantime at Coimbra, through preaching and the Sacraments of Confession and Communion, the good fruit increased daily. And when the King, while the College was being built (for which he sent a diligent man to care for our needs) by buying some other houses increased the size of our dwelling, God called others to the Society, and among them two were admitted, distinguished for their noble blood but even more for their piety. They were Gonzalus de Silveira, whom later God rewarded with the crown of martyrdom in the kingdom of Monomotapa. He was the son of Count de Silveira, a twenty-one year old young man of mature and quick judgment, who by his humility and love of the cross of Christ was a source of admiration for us and who influenced externs considerably by his example. Roderick de Meneses, son of the governor of Lisbon, followed him. Since their entrance upset their parents, who were famous in the kingdom, still the constancy of the youths easily overcame all opposition. The novices were tested with pilgrimages and exercises of humility after the usual spiritual meditations, and so having been tested in the Lord in time they made progress. Among those who were admitted then were Melchior Carnero, Melchior Nuñez and Louis de Grana, who rendered great service to God in the Society. Among others was Fr. Pontius who, although he was engaged in studies, because he was a priest he spent much time in hearing confessions and doing works of piety. He was successful in converting not a few sinful women and in reconciling some dissidents. But Fr. Simon worked very hard so that some dwellings might be prepared for the rehabilitation of these sinful women and that they might be taken care of in them, and he provided instruction for them so that they would grow spiritually. Also, five or six coadjutor brothers were admitted to take care of the house chores, which occupied our scholastics more than it should have.

62. At this same time Fr. Paul and Francis Mansilla arrived in India, having been freed from the care of the sick, which they had been doing in the city of Mozambique. The administration of the College in Goa, where boys from various countries were being taught, was entrusted to Fr. Paul. And although at the time this College had not been given to the Society, still our members began to reside there, beginning in this year, in the College of Holy Faith. Then Francis de Mansilla was sent to help Fr. Francis, who was working in the maritime region of Comorim. There he helped him for a whole year or more, and there was a great increase of those who embraced the faith of Christ. In the beginning Xavier took care to understand what knowledge these Christians had about Christ. When asked about this, they responded nothing other than that they were Christians; and because they did not understand Portuguese, they admitted that they did not know the law of God and what they were supposed to believe. So Francis gathered together those who seemed to be wiser than the others, and were interpreters, who knew the Malabar language, which is their vernacular, and Portuguese. And after the work of many days he was able to translate into their language the things pertaining to Christian catechism, beginning with the way of making the sign of the cross in confession of the three Persons of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit in the unity of the same essence. Then he added the Apostles’ Creed, the Decalogue, the Our Father, the Hail Mary, the Salve Regina, and a general confession. When he had committed these things to memory, he walked throughout the whole town while ringing a small bell, and he gathered together all the boys and men, as best he could, into one place. He taught them catechism twice daily for the space of a month, and he urged the boys to teach their parents and family and neighbors what they learned in the school. But on Sundays he brought together in one place all the inhabitants of the town, both men and women, both young and old, so that they could proclaim in their own language what they had learned. But when they did this very willingly, beginning with the confession of the one and triune God, they recited the Creed in a loud voice, while Fr. Francis said it first and they followed him. Then he alone repeated it and explained each article of faith, admonishing them that it is a mark of a Christian to believe firmly in these articles. And since they confessed that they were Christians, he asked whether they believed firmly what is contained in the individual articles; and so all of both sexes responded to each of the articles, with their arms folded on their breast in the shape of a cross they said that they believed. And besides the other prayers, he required this of them, namely, the Apostles’ Creed. In the second place he explained the Decalogue to them, affirming that he is a good Christian who keeps the Ten Commandments, and on the other hand, that he is a bad Christian who does not observe them. And both the Christians and the Gentiles were greatly amazed that the law of Christ is so holy and so in accord with natural reason. In the third place he taught them the Our Father and the Hail Mary; and when he said them first, then they followed him. And he said both prayers twelve times for the honor and observation of the twelve articles of faith, and then ten times for the veneration and keeping of the Ten Commandments of God. While keeping to this order, as he pronounced each of the articles or commandments, he would say with them in their language: “Jesus Christ, Son of God, help us to believe firmly without any doubt this article or to keep this commandment.” And in order to obtain this grace, they would say the Hail Mary once. And if they believed what is in the Creed and observed what is contained in the Decalogue, he said that God would give them other things and much more than they know how to ask for. He required that a general confession be said by all, but especially by those to be baptized, together with the Creed, and so after asking them about each article whether they firmly believed in it, and explaining to them the law of Christ, which they must observe in order to be saved, so finally he baptized them. The Salve Regina was said by them at the conclusion of the prayers. But concerning the boys he had the hope that they would be better parents, both because they embraced the religion of Christ with great affection and they were more disposed to learn and to teach the prayers. And they so detested idolatry that they even reprehended their parents, and for this reason they often conflicted with the other Gentiles. But when he learned from the boys that some worship of idols was taking place outside the villages, having gathered together all the boys, he went to those places where the idols were and the devil received much more injury from the sons than he did honor from the parents. The boys broke up the idols into small pieces, threw them on the ground, stamped on them with their feet, and after treating them with other ignominies, they returned. In one large town he was occupied for four months in what has just been described. He was summoned by so many people so that he might say some prayers over the sick that in this matter, and in baptizing and teaching boys, and burying the dead he spent so much time that he could hardly provide for the needs of the body. But since even in this way he could not satisfy all, he adopted this plan, namely, that he would send to the homes of the sick the boys, who had learned the prayers very well; after they had assembled the household and the neighbors, when they had repeated the Creed often, and urged the sick man to believe if he wanted to be cured, and then after other prayers the Lord conferred on them great benefits, both regarding spiritual and bodily health; and in this way he brought to the faith many persons through the sicknesses from which they were suffering. Then leaving one place where they had made a good beginning, he went to other places, where the same things were done in a similar manner. But in each place he left the prayers in writing so that those who knew how to write, could write them down and commit them to memory and recite them each day. He directed also that everyone, as was said above, should gather together in order to recite them and in each place to select someone who would be the leader in this matter. However, he said that many would not become Christians because of the lack of men to instruct them. And he said that the multitude of them was so great, who in that province are converted to the faith of Christ that often his arms became tired from conferring Baptism, and that he could not speak any more because he had already repeated the Creed and the Decalogue along with other prayers so often. In their own language he explained to those who came to him what it means to be a Christian, what paradise is and what hell is. He said he proclaimed nothing more often than the Creed and the Decalogue. He said that it happened on one day that he baptized a whole village and in that province there were already thirty homes of Christians. They have a governor very much inclined to help him; each year he provides four thousand ducats for these people, which makes it possible to teach Christian doctrine to those who recently converted to the faith.

63. In the College at Goa already this year many boys speaking different languages, and all from families of unbelievers, were being supported, and some were learning to read and to write, while others were learning Latin; Fr. Paul dedicated himself totally both in offering Mass daily, and in hearing their confessions, in teaching them about spiritual things and in providing things necessary for the body. And Fr. Francis had hopes that those who were being trained in the College would provide much help in spreading faith in Christ.

64. There is a certain caste among the Gentiles of great authority (they are called Brahmins), who support the worship of idols, and they take care of the houses in which the idols are worshipped. They are a perverse race of men and the words of the Psalm can well be applied to them: “Distinguish my cause against an ungodly nation: deliver me from the unjust and deceitful man.” They never speak the truth; they are always thinking how they may deceive the simple people with subtle lies. And in the name of the idols they ask that these and those things should be offered, which they convert into their own use and the use of their wives and children. However, they tell the people that those things are eaten by the idols; and, while they themselves eat with a great sound of trumpets, they spread the lie that the idols are eating them. And they threaten death to be inflicted on the miserable people by the angry gods, it they do not offer what they want. These Brahmins are not very learned, but what they lack in learning they make up for with cunning iniquity. The Brahmins of that province took it very ill that Francis disclosed their maliciousness. And although separately they admitted to him that they were deceivers of the people, they said that they did not have any other means of support but those idols, from whose oblations, extorted by lies, they were able to live. They said they knew there is only one God and they would beseech Him for Fr. Francis, if he would refrain from revealing their frauds, and they promised to reward him with many gifts (which however he did not accept). In contrast, Francis exhorted them to embrace the way of salvation; and still he disclosed their deceits to the simple people, among whom many turned away from demons and became Christians. And if the Brahmins were removed from their midst, all the Gentiles would accept the faith of Christ. They call the houses in which the idols are worshipped Pagodas; he says that almost all the Gentiles of that province are illiterate. Only one of the Brahmins at that time accepted Baptism, but since he was very gifted and a man of good morals, he assumed the office of teaching Christian doctrine to young boys.

65. When Francis visited the places of Christians and passed by many pagodas, in one of them he found more than two hundred Brahmins. He was received by them, and when he asked them what was prescribed for them by the idols so that they might reach beatitude, an old man responded that care was demanded from them; then he asked Francis to say first what God demanded of the Christians for this. But when Francis refused to go first, the old octogenarian was forced by his response to reveal his ignorance. He said that two things are prescribed by his idols: the first is not to kill cows, which they adore; the second is to give alms to the Brahmins, who take care of the pagodas. Then Francis stood up, said that they should remain sitting, and in a clear voice he proclaimed the Creed and the ten precepts of the law in their own vernacular language, while adding some explanation to each point. Then he explained what paradise is, what hell is, and who goes to this one or to that one. When he finished his exhortation, they stood up and, embracing Francis, they said that the God of the Christians is the true God, since his precepts are so in accord with reason. And when they asked whether the soul of man, like that of other animals, perishes together with the body, God presented the reasons through Francis, which were so suited to their way of thinking that they clearly understood the immortality of the soul. For this reason they experienced great joy in their minds. And in order to persuade those men, Francis said, it was not necessary to use the more subtle arguments of the professors, but others that are easier to understand. Then they asked him many more questions, and when he had responded to them and satisfied them, finally he urged them to become Christians, since they acknowledged the truth of what he said, and they responded: What will men say about us if they see this change, and how will we support ourselves? Concerning one of the Brahmins, Francis saw that he was learned, and had studied in some kind of academy. And when he met together with him, he told Francis in secret that there was nothing in that academy more important than that the disciples should swear that they would never reveal the secrets that they learned there. However, because he had become very well disposed toward me¹⁹, he disclosed all the secrets. One of the secrets was that they should never say that there is only one God, who is the creator of heaven and earth, and that they should adore this God and not the idols, which are demons. They have some scriptures in which their precepts are contained; they use a language in that academy, which is something like Latin among us; he reported to me some excellent precepts, and added an explanation to each one. Those who are wise observe the Lord’s Day, which hardly seems credible, and they do not say any other prayer but this one repeated often: “Om cirii naraiva noma,” that is, I adore you, O God, for your grace and your assistance forever²⁰. And they repeat this prayer in a low voice to keep the oath; he added that the law of nature forbids one to have many wives; and that they have in their scriptures that all at some time are going to live under the same law. He added that many incantations are taught in these studies, and he asked Francis to teach him the main points of the law of Christians, and he promised that he would not reveal them to anyone. On the contrary, Francis responded to him that he would not tell him anything unless he promised that he would make known what the main points of the law of Christians are. He promised; then Francis clearly explained what these words mean, “he who believes and is baptized, will be saved; he who does not believe, will be condemned”; and he added an explanation in the vernacular language, and also explained the Creed and the precepts of the Decalogue. He reported that on a certain night he had dreamed with great joy that he would become a Christian and companion of Francis; and he asked him to make him a Christian, but to do it secretly, and he laid down some other conditions that Francis considered to be not correct; nevertheless, even without them he had hope for the true conversion of that man. Francis affirmed that wonderful consolation is received from God by those who dedicate themselves to the conversion of unbelievers; and he said that those souls who, after having been baptized by him, died in the while robe of innocence, were more than a thousand²¹.

66. Therefore in the year 1543 the Society operated in this manner; however, it should be added that when some occult sectarians of Modena, as has been said, tried to influence some people with the plague of their heresy, Salmeron worked hard there to refute their errors completely. Then Ignatius thought that he should not neglect the opportunity offered to him, and so he took care to present this matter to the Pontiff, so that out of this the holy office of the Inquisition against the heretical depravity emerged, and this was for the good of Italy. Then this was established by Paul III; it was recommended by important Cardinals, and daily it appeared to be more effective in cleansing Italy of errors and of preserving her in the true religion.

67. When also at Parma a great storm arose against those priests who, having been formed by the teaching of Fathers Laynez and Faber, through the frequency of the Sacraments and pious mediations were helping many of the people to make progress in spiritual edification, and the ill repute of which they were accused was contributing to the disgrace of the teachers and so of the Society and to the diminishing of the divine honor, Ignatius brought it about that, by a public decree issued in Rome, certainty was established concerning their innocence and the calumnies of their adversaries²².

The Year 1544

68. At the beginning of the year 1544 by the charity of Ignatius another pious work was initiated in Rome, which is called Saint Martha. Its purpose is to take care of erring women, who want to abandon an evil way of life, and still could not be received among the converted, either because they were married, or they were not endowed with the spirit so that they wanted to remain perpetually enclosed in a convent. Its purpose is also to protect them from sins and from an evil life, and to keep them occupied in the things pertaining to their salvation. They were to do this until either they were reunited with their husbands (after peace was established), or they dedicated themselves in the religious life by perpetual vows, or they were placed in a good marriage. And when our house labored under great poverty, because others had to be invited who at first refused to be of help in this work, Ignatius was the first to offer a hundred gold coins, which he derived from the sale of some precious stones. Then others made donations and this good work, which helped so many people, was started, and afterwards it experienced a great increase. Concerning things pertaining to spiritual edification, both in our church and outside of it in Rome they were taken care of according to the nature of our Institute. And the domestic family increased, regarding the number of those whom God called; but when our own house was built, Ignatius with his companions moved into it during the month of September, after leaving the rented residence¹.

69. Meanwhile, Fr. Paschase, who was highly regarded by the citizens of Montepulciano, continued working there until May of this year; then as a favor to Cardinal Carpensis, a protector of the Society, he was sent to Regium² in order to reform the conventual monastery of Saint Clare. And when, after having received the Cardinal’s letter, they willingly received Paschase, he attempted to hear their confessions, and they said they were ready to obey in all other things. But they said they have monks as confessors who are members of their order and they accept any other religious, who may come from another convent and that they rejected observance of their own rule (for they had their own). Since, therefore, because of their disobedience, he refused to give them the Holy Eucharist on the feast of the Ascension, and they endured it with a great sense of sorrow, he directed them that, for some days, they should say a special prayer in choir to obtain grace from the Holy Spirit, so that he would inspire them to do what was right for them; and they agreed to do that. Therefore, when they had done this for a few days, they received the grace to obey in all things, without any exceptions; and so finally, after hearing their confessions, on the feast of Pentecost, to their great consolation, he refreshed them with the bread of life. And he gave them other necessary documents (among which was the direction to restore to the community whatever they had privately of income, or of money, or of other things). Also, on Sundays he explained the Gospel for them and for the nuns of St. Thomas, and so he left them in a good condition under the care of the Ordinary. And when he had been deathly sick in that place, after he had been in Regium for five months, at the request of the same Cardinal Protector he received an order from Fr. Ignatius to go to Faenza; when he arrived there he began to work in the vineyard of the Lord³.

70. At the same time in Padua, Fr. James Laynez by his exhortations motivated another convent of nuns, which needed reform very badly, to return to the common life and the observance of the rule; also some virgins consecrated themselves in the convent. By the works of some who were active in the College, some people were helped especially by the Exercises given by some and by the administration of Confession and the Eucharist. Also some were called to join our Institute. Now when Fr. Laynez, having been ordered under obedience, went to Brescia, and he had said goodbye to his friends in Venice and Padua, in that navigation⁴ during the land journey and in the resting places he left those with whom he dealt not without some fruit. Among them there was a certain man, who was intending to kill someone; moved by compunction he swore that he would not do that and he promised to confess his sins in a nearby town. Finally, after preaching twice in a certain town, not without fruit, he arrived at Brescia on February 18. And although he preferred to be engaged in giving exhortations in the monasteries and hospitals and in teaching Christian doctrine, and he had petitioned this from the Vicar, nevertheless in the Cathedral church he had to preach on Quinquagesima Sunday, and he continued to preach there daily during the whole Lent. And since daily the crowd of hearers grew larger, the fruit by the grace of God grew no less. The Lord gave him the strength that also on Saturdays he could preach the word of God to women who had turned away from sin, and twice a week after lunch in the hospitals to large crowds. However, he did not refuse to hear the confessions of many persons among the nobles and common people who came to him. After Easter he preached in the cathedral on Sundays and on feast days. And the Vicar wanted him to explain something from the Holy Scriptures for the people three times a week; on the other days he preached in three convents of nuns. Considerable fruit corresponded to this constant work on his part. For, as the Vicar and other responsible persons testified, the people, which in a certain sense had doubts about the faith, were so confirmed in their Catholic faith that over a thousand of his listeners said that were ready to suffer martyrdom for the faith of Christ. Many men came to Laynez himself, and at his direction they burned the books of heretics; and others, after conferring with him about things pertaining to the faith returned to the Lord in a more healthy state. Among the others, a certain nobleman with three others approached Laynez, and he said that he could explicitly prove that there is no Purgatory. However, the Lord so touched the heart of this man that in the presence of the others he professed that he yielded to the Catholic truth, and so he departed in peace and charity and with great consolation. In the things that pertain to morals, many made progress, so that the pastor and the other confessors of the cathedral church made the following claim: restitutions and donations were made to pious places; and in the same place a great change in the hospitals and monasteries was noted, and there was an increase in the desire of making spiritual progress, as the directors of those places testified. Also after Easter many general confessions were heard by him, and continually now these and now those were helped with wonderful fruit of souls. Some also, troubled by scruples of conscience, he helped gain peace; others were reconciled, who formerly were dissidents. It was necessary also that he visit some sick people, and he helped them to die well to their own edification and to that of the bystanders. He gave the spiritual exercises to two priests and to three students and they made considerable progress; and one of the youths joined our Society. A certain religious man, more learned than the other members of his congregation, who had been infected by various errors of Luther, after consulting with Laynez totally rejected the errors. Another ecclesiastic, a man of no small authority, admitted to Laynez that, after hearing his sermons and lectures, he had rejected similar opinions. The same thing happened to other lay persons by the grace of God. Others who had not been to confession for ten or fifteen years abandoned their mortal sins; also many tepid persons began to glow in the service of God and to receive the Sacraments frequently. The Vicar was a constant hearer as were also many others from among the clergy. Ten or twelve of them made the Spiritual Exercises, and making great progress in the spirit, and in obedience to the Vicar they made themselves available to hear confessions and to help their neighbors in other ways. Laynez also urged them to meet once a week in order to pray together, and to speak about their own progress. The Vicar gave his consent and approval to all of these things. Some documents were left in the monasteries, which contained what he had said verbally, since the nuns wanted him to leave in writing what he had said to them.

71. In obedience to Fr. Ignatius, although the Vicar wanted him to remain there, he returned to Padua. Having been detained on his journey by an arch-priest so that he would preach to a large gathering, he did it not without fruit, and with his friendly conversation he also diligently instructed the pastor and another priest. When he visited some religious women in Verona, among them he found two who in their congregation had found a good way of progressing, and he admonished them in things pertaining to the spirit. And when they had been made capable of a more secure way, they said that they would bring about an improvement in their own congregation. During his journey he performed some other works of piety and finally arrived at Padua and Venice, where he found not a few who were accustomed to go to confession to him, or to speak with him in a familiar way about spiritual things, and they were persevering in their good resolutions. He also preached to those who had converted; after he had spoken to them individually and as a group, he resolved certain disagreements among the directors of the main hospital, which dissturbed both them and the poor. Finally, while remaining in Padua and seeing that both citizens and visitors were persevering in the way of the Lord, he dedicated himself to helping others also. He convinced a certain nun, who had abandoned her convent after twenty years, although resisting strongly at first, to return to her congregation. He convinced two people living in concubinage to get out of the state of sin through marriage. Some also were helped by the Spiritual Exercises⁵.

72. Meanwhile, Fr. Claude, having been summoned on Christmas day to Dillingen by Bishop Augustine, arrived there, and he helped Francis Sfrondratus (who later was a Cardinal) with the Sacraments of Confession and Communion. He told Claude that it was possible that, by the authority of the Pontiff, he would be attached to the same Bishop Augustine (who after a short time also became a Cardinal). Claude, however, committing everything to obedience, returned to Ingolstadt, and he continued to lecture, three times a week to a large crowd, on the canonical letter of John. But when he was invited by the assistant dean of the University and ordinary lecturer of theology in the name of the University to become an ordinary professor, and when they offered him a dwelling in the College, a stipend and the gift of a doctorate, Claude thanked them and explained the nature of our Institute, and so he offered his services without any remuneration for as long as he remained in Ingolstadt. But when they realized that this affair depended on the will of the Pontiff, they said that the University would see to it that what they wanted from the Apostolic See would be obtained. However, a short time after that he received a command from the City to go to Bishop Augustine; so he remained in Ingolstadt no more than two days in order to say goodbye to the University and his friends; and during that time he also heard the confessions of some Italian merchants, and of some French and German students. Among others there was also the Rector of the University, a man of prudence and great learning, to whom he had given the first week of the Exercises; he had made such progress in them that he said he seemed to himself to be a different person; but he wanted to follow Claude and be with him in Dillingen and so to be fully instructed in the Spiritual Exercises. But because he was a public lecturer and the Rector, and had the care of some nobles, he was forbidden to accompany Claude. With special affection both he and the University loved Claude, but when they offered him many things at his departure, he accepted none of them. When he went from there to visit the neighboring Bishop of Eichstätt, he asked him to remain with him for a while in order to put him through the Spiritual Exercises. And when Claude pointed out that he was under obedience to move on, nevertheless he contended he could spend some time in Eichstätt because of the absence of Bishop Augustine, who at the time was at the Diet in Spires. And he asked only that he remain with him for eight days, while he sent his own messenger to Bishop Augustine to request his approval. Claude agreed with this and from Thursday of Holy Week until June 26, with the consent of Augustine, he remained in the city of Eichstätt. During this time the Bishop was helped partly by the Spiritual Exercises of the first week (from which he confessed that he received fruit and great spiritual consolation), and partly by friendly conversations. After the Diet was finished, he wanted to leave and go on foot to Dillingen, but the Bishop would in no way allow that. And when Claude refused to accept money from him, he could not refuse at least a horse for the journey and some companions whom he assigned to him — a certain canon and another teacher, because of the dangers of the way. But in the middle of the journey he encountered a messenger from the reverend Augustine, who brought him a horse and other things for him so that he might come to Dillingen. And so he went to see Augustine, and he had great hope in Dillingen of promoting spiritual growth, both in the Bishop and in the clergy. And first of all the Bishop said he wanted to be helped by the Spiritual Exercises. But when he was there, Fr. James, a master of Theology, and Mr. Daniel, were sent by Fr. Faber from Cologne in order to go to Rome; they were given money for the journey and the Bishop sent them on their way. But Claude said that the departure of Fr. Faber from Germany would not take place without great inconvenience and annoyance to many. Not only in lower Germany, where he was working, but also in the upper part his good repute encouraged many to hope for the restoration of Germany. This is especially so since so many young men of great talent, scorning the pleasures of the world, were inspired by him and were embracing the Institute of the Society; however, he subjected his judgment to the will of his superiors and to divine Providence. But when the Archbishop of Salzburg, brother of the Duke of Bavaria, assembled a provincial Council to deal with things pertaining to religion in Germany, he asked by his letter that Claude should come to attend. And it seemed to Bishop Augustine that this should not be denied; therefore, on September he departed from Dillingen for Salzburg. The Archbishop desired that he should be among the theologians present at the Synod. For, they had to decide what to respond to the Emperor at the future Diet of Worms concerning what he had already proposed in Spires at the completed Diet with regard to establishing peace with the sectarians. However, Claude said that it did not seem to him to be reasonable, since he had been sent to Germany by the Sovereign Pontiff, that without his command, or that of his superiors, he should take part in a Synod with a vote concerning matters of faith, which should be decided by the Apostolic See. The Archbishop accepted his excuse, but did obtain from him that he would remain there, and, if he were consulted about something, that he would give his opinion in private. So the articles to be proposed at the Synod were shown to him, and he explained to the Bishops, who consulted with him about something outside the Synod, what he thought about it in the Lord. Meanwhile, he wrote extensively about two chapters; the first was that, without the consent of the Apostolic See, the prelates should not offer a consensus so that in a secular Diet anything should be argued or determined about things pertaining to the faith. The second was that, although the Protestants agreed to all the other dogmas, still as schismatics and heretics they remained outside the Church. But when the Archbishop learned that something had been written by him (although he had written it not for the use of others but for himself, so that he could more exactly give advice to those who consulted him), he wanted to have it and he kept it to himself for three days, and he ordered a copy of it to be made. And he responded kindly to Claude that neither he nor his fellow bishops intended to deal at the Diet concerning matters pertaining to the faith without the permission of the Sovereign Pontiff. This was the opinion of the whole Synod, and it was the same of Bishop Augustine and the Bishop of Eichstätt. When the matter was finished, he left the Archbishop very well disposed towards the Apostolic See and firmly resolved to cede nothing to the Protestants. Indeed Bishop Augustine stated absolutely that he would lose his episcopate and patrimony ten times rather than to agree on any article with the Protestants. In fact he was totally opposed to their cunning tricks. But Claude, having with difficulty separated himself from the Archbishop, and not accepting the gift of money, which according to the custom of princes was offered to him in a large amount, he returned to Dillingen. However, from there by several letters of Bishop Augustine he was called to Worms (where he had gone for the Diet), where he found no small harvest; there he was urged often by the Bishop to write to Rome about summoning a General Council, lest he wanted to see Germany abandon our religion. Although the Bishop of Salzburg and other Bishops hoped for better things, still he thought that a national Council, where lay persons also have the vote, should in no way be accepted. But Claude continued to exhort the Prelates to persevere in defense of the faith; and he exhorted them to establish Colleges, which were to become seminaries for pastors and other workers, instituted for the good of Germany⁶.

73. At that time Fr. Bobadilla was occupied with spiritual matters in the diocese of Passau; for the Bishop made great use of his work and zeal, so that many works of piety were established there. However, since Ferdinand, King of the Romans, was concerned with visiting the monasteries of Austria, he wrote to him that without the authority of the Bishops (since it was their responsibility) he should not attempt anything of the kind. But the Bishop of Passau went to Spires, to which he wanted to bring Bobadilla with him, so that in dealing with the matters of faith he might help the Prelates with his counsel; but he did not agree to go to the Diet without the permission of the Pontiff or of his ministers. But he continued working in the diocese of Passau, which is quite large, with great merit. And since many priests had been put in prison by the Bishop of Passau, because they had taken wives and had fallen into other heresies, he spoke with them often, and they were persuaded to renounce publicly, in his presence, all heresies; and they asked for a penance for their sin, so in order to carry this out they were sent to a certain monastery. However, he was forced by the authority of Cardinal Farnese [6. Qui apud Imperatorem id temporis Legatus Apostolicus erat. (Nota in ora paginae addita.)
At the time he was the Apostolic Legate to the Emperor. (This is a note added at the beginning of the page.)] to go to the Diet in Spires; and both in private conversations with many persons and in confessions he gathered the harvest prepared for him with the progress of many. Both King Ferdinand and many others belonging to his court said that his arrival was very pleasing to them. Not a few members of the Emperor’s court made use of his help; but when the King nominated him to be among his theologians at the next Diet of Worms, he declined the offer. For he said he was not allowed to do that without the permission of the Apostolic See. But since the feast of Easter was near, he was occupied day and night in hearing the confessions of the nobles of both courts, that of the Emperor and that of the King. He heard the confessions also of the Venetian Legates, of the Duke of Florence, and of other nobles from Naples. He decided to give the Spiritual Exercises to some important men, and then he began to do it. But when the Diet was over, although some of the princes wanted to take him with them, the Bishop of Passau urged that he return with him to his own diocese, and it seems that is what he did; and from there in autumn he returned to Vienna, where the King of the Romans had gone; and besides the fact he was giving sermons, he saw the various reformulations⁷ of the Prelates and doctors, about which the royal majesty conferred with him, and he gave his opinion, as seemed to him best in the Lord. And because he had much favor with the King, he was very pleasing especially to the Spanish nation. From there, because he had been so ordered by the Apostolic Nuncio, he went with the court of the King to the Diet in Worms⁸.

74. Peter Faber returned to Cologne, since by the authority of the Apostolic See, by the Nuncio Poggio, he had been prevented from sailing to Portugal. However, before he left Louvain, where Fr. Strada had sown many seeds by his sermons, and he himself had cultivated with his conversations, he gathered in the harvest partly. For, when the rumor spread around Louvain about their departure for Portugal, some students were inflamed with the desire of going with them, and among them was a bachelor of Theology. Peter Faber had preached during Advent, and eight students, having left all things, had decided to enter the Society and to go to Portugal with him. When these men, on the feast of the Epiphany, made known to Fr. Faber the desires they had conceived in the Lord, they were admitted. Five of them were masters of the liberal arts, the sixth one was bachelor of Theology, the seventh had given public lectures on ethics and was a canon of the main church, the eighth had spent a year studying Theology and canon law; all were very well versed in Latin. The consolation of soul was something to see, which each of them confessed that he had experienced in his vocation. All of them, before they began the journey, confessed the sins of their former life, and they received Holy Communion, and they made known to Fr. Faber the intimate secrets of their own souls. For the shortness of the time made it impossible for them to make the Spiritual Exercises. The parents of two of these students wanted to impede the vocation of their sons, and one of them even threatened prison and other things; but both of them, after giving more consideration to the matter, had a change of heart. Indeed, the one who made the threats on his knees and with tears asked for forgiveness from Fr. Strada, because he wanted to turn his son away from such a holy proposal. Some men of great authority in the University tried to turn away another one of these students, but when they found him constant, they consented to his vocation from God. Therefore all of them, having departed from Louvain, came to Antwerp and then to Zeeland; there were twelve of them, namely, Strada, Oviedo, with Fr John and the nine accepted in Louvain; and they set sail for Portugal with the Archbishop of Compostela, who showed great kindness to them. But Fr. Faber went to Cologne with Aemeliano de Loyola and a bachelor in Theology (his name is Lambert Castius, from Liège), who had joined the Society with the others. Faber preached three times in the church of St. Trudo to monks, canons and other priests and he left the minds of the men wonderfully moved. Also in Liège, where he preached two times, he found a greater harvest than could have been expected. But many promised that they would come to Cologne to make the Spiritual Exercises, both from Louvain and from Liège. No small door was opened in Utrecht and also in Aachen. Fr. Faber remained uncertain in his mind, because after receiving an order from Ignatius to go to Portugal, which was revoked by the Sovereign Pontiff, with the added command to remain in Germany, he had received no letter from Ignatius. But Aemeliano was engaged in many works of piety with the edification of Cologne; he took part in a disputation at the College, and in that matter, among the students, no one was found to be his equal. Master Lambert was still studying Theology together with master Peter Canisius, who was involved in buying a house in order to start a College, while the Prior of the Carthusians was very eager to help him. But Fr. Faber desired nothing more strongly than they he should see in Germany a solid foundation of the Society. And although he did not doubt that these young men [elsewhere]⁹ could progress more in their studies and spiritually, he confessed that he could not resist the interior movement of God about leaving them in Germany, so that a more abundant fruit could be hoped for in that region. Although he saw the contrary reason, since things were so constituted in Germany that it seemed to him that no one should remain there unless it was out of obedience. But the divine consideration prevailed, which is based on the hope placed in God, according to which he wanted half of the Society to be active there, where with prayers, tears and cries they would beg for mercy from God for that people. Since there were seven members in Cologne, the Carthusians and the charity of two noble women supported them. On Sundays and feast days he continued to preach, always having the bishop of Liège¹⁰ in the audience. To a great extent students and clerics, canons and some canon lawyers and masters of Theology, some officials of the city and other leading men, who knew Latin, flocked to him to hear his sermons. And he preached not just in one place, but in various places, and sometimes also in the convents of nuns where many knew Latin. He was dedicated to hearing the confessions of many students, and Fr. Alvarus helped him in this. Not a few students began to go to Confession and to receive Communion frequently, to the great admiration of the viewers. But with the passage of time, some laymen and important persons were spiritually refreshed, who communicated often, since before they thought it was not approved; but with this example they began to grow warm to the idea. Some of the students, totally corrupted in their understanding of the faith, were led to an understanding and detestation of their errors. And some of the officials of the city, on Easter Sunday, with part of their family wanted to receive the Holy Eucharist from the hand of Faber, with the happy approval of the pastor. One young man, the son of a rich widow, after having made the Spiritual Exercises, joined the Society; others also in a marvelous way were helped by these Exercises. And through an interpreter he dealt with some noble and worthy women about the things that pertained to their spiritual consolation. In fact he preached with the help of a translator to them and to other lay persons, who did not understand the Latin language. Through letters send to Louvain, Liège and other places he strove to preserve the spiritual fruit there and to strengthen the people in their good resolutions.

75. When Canisius returned from his homeland, he brought three young men with him, who wanted to dedicate themselves to God, and two of them became Carthusians. But the main fruit he gathered in Cologne was this — that divine Providence used the ministry of Faber to keep together the University and the clergy in Cologne in their office and to encourage them to reject the heresies. Also his letters to the imperial court had such an effect that there were those who thought the city would perish, unless it was preserved in the true religion in this way. Hence, although he was in great danger of losing his life, still he bore it with a peaceful heart. From there he sent the bachelor James Lhoost to Rome, which was mentioned above. Then he received a new command from Rome to go to Portugal; he left Canisius with the others in Cologne, hoping that their works there would advance the service of God. When the Diet of Worms¹² was concluded, he began his journey for Portugal, and I will not fail to mention that he recommended to all those concerned about the salvation of Germany that they should adopt for their advocates the three Kings of the Magi, the eleven thousand virgins, and the Society of St. Gerionis¹³.

76. At Paris in the year 1544 our members were busy with their studies and works of piety. A certain man named Augustine, who was an excellent preacher and bachelor of Theology from the Sorbonne, when he learned some things about the Society, moved by a strong desire for spiritual perfection, he went two times to the College where ours were working, and with great humility asked that they would help him with the Spiritual Exercises. Also another nobleman, a canon lawyer and living well from church benefices, after making the Spiritual Exercises joined the Society; and many others often frequented the sacraments of Confession and Communion. But in the month of October when the scholastics were again forced to leave the University of Paris because of a royal edict, our members also had to leave from there¹⁴. However, when the war ended, two members returned from Lyons to Paris, so that the work of God begun there might be continued. But Fr. Paul de Achillis brought Fr. Mionam, formerly the confessor of our Fr. Ignatius, to Milan, not without great effort and expense, where the priests of St. Barnabas received the sick old man with great charity in their hospice, and they took care to restore him to health.

77. At the beginning of 1544 Antonio Araoz arrived in Spain and in Barcelona he was received with great joy by his companions. And although he was on his way to Portugal, there was such an abundance of water that winter that it was hardly possible to travel on the public roads. Hence it happened that he was forced to spend some days in Barcelona; however, he gathered such an abundant harvest, with the help of God, that the very short delay was attributed to the Providence of God. Peace among some persons was established, and certain things, which pertained to the common good, when the governor and his advisers willingly listened to Araoz, were established; and in those who began to dedicate themselves to spiritual things, it was perceived that they were making progress and also persevering. One man, having made the Exercises, offered himself to the Society and he was accepted. There is a story told about a four year old child, the son of a friend by the name of Bochet, because he spoke the Latin language with greater facility than the vernacular, and he retained in his memory the Gospels, which contain the life of Christ, and he said so many things about our Society that it was considered to be a miracle. A weekly meeting of communicants was established; and since during that time before Lent, there was a large multitude of masks, the governor, the Marquess Aguilaris, was asked to remove them. The Marquess was successful in doing that; in the previous year, when he performed that function for some time, his father died, the Duke of Gandia, and he inherited the dukedom¹⁵.

78. Araoz traveled from Barcelona to Valencia, where he was kindly received by father of Master Jerome Domenech, and he was asked by the Duchess of Calabria to preach for herself and the Duke, which is what he did on the first day of Lent. On the following Sunday, when he was going to preach in the cathedral, such a large crowd of people showed up that not all of them could get into the church. But after lunch on the same day in the monastery, which is named after the Mother of God, when he preached again to such a large audience (since some were there who had skipped lunch, while others remained in the church to keep their place) that those who could not enter the church cried out with a loud voice to put the podium outside on the street. It was necessary to follow this custom, and the Countess of Palamos could hardly find a place; but they had clouds for their cover, although otherwise the street was open to the sun. And when he had used up five hours in giving both the morning and evening sermons, the great attention of the people showed clearly that it did not seem to them to be too long. So a very abundant harvest was found in Valencia. On the next day when he was not scheduled to preach, but he agreed to speak privately with some nuns, still the church was filled with hearers, so he was forced to propose to them the food of the word of God. From there he went to Gandia, accompanied by the father of Master Jerome, who there with many tears made a general confession of his whole life. And he spoke with the Duke, Francis de Borgia, from whom it was as difficult to get away as he had been received by him in a kindly manner. He offered his assistance for the College, which Master Jerome Domenech (with the approval of Ignatius) had decided to build in Valencia. Also the same Duke said that he intended to seek from the Sovereign Pontiff someone from the Society to instruct the sons of the farmers, of whom there was a large number under his authority, in the Christian faith and to inspire them to practice their religion more fervently. Although afterwards he wanted a College to be established in his city rather than a workshop. From there Araoz went to Portugal, where he was being sent by obedience¹⁶.

79. However, since it seemed to Fr. Ignatius that the College in Valencia certainly should be started, Fr. James Miron, who was the first Rector of the College in Coimbra, after leaving his successor Martin de Santa Cruz, was sent with three companions to the new establishment. With great joy he was received by Peter Domenech, the father of Master Jerome, and he was greeted with congratulations by the top officials of the city. They began to pursue their studies, since right after the feast of St. Luke they gathered together qualified teachers who followed the sophisticated way of teaching¹⁷, which was borrowed from Paris, and so the lectures were begun. In the meantime, however, both in hearing confessions and in giving the Spiritual Exercises they helped their neighbors, but they did this on Saturdays after lunch and only on Sundays, so that they could have sufficient time for their studies. At that time in Valencia there was the highly recommended custom of going to Communion on Sundays, which I believe was encouraged by the sermons of Fr. Araoz. Hence in almost every parish twenty or thirty people received the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist every week. And although at that time in our Colleges time was not given explicitly to giving sermons or to the ministry of the Sacraments, but they dedicated themselves to study so that later the scholastics could perform duties of this kind, nevertheless they were able to help some of their neighbors without a great loss to their studies; hence some excellent men, having been helped by the Spiritual Exercises, made much progress in the Lord. In the same year at Alcalá the number of ours who lived and studied there began to increase. Francis de Villanova was busy there since the year 1542 (as has been said)¹⁸ and by the example of his religious life and private conversations he was thought well of at the University and had won over friends for himself and for the Society, so that now not a few people wanted a College to be started there by us. But at the beginning of the school year Emmanuel Lusitanus and Maximilian Capella were added to Francis de Villanova. Maximilian was one of those who came this year with Francisco Strada from Louvain. And so three or four were supported in their studies by the private donations of certain persons and they provided the beginning for the College of the Society¹⁹.

80. At the beginning of spring the twelve arrived in Portugal, who had departed from Louvain. And Francisco de Strada with singular spirit and grace began to preach on the feast days of Lent, and he did it twice daily. And since now our house could not hold the number of hearers, it had to be moved to the royal palace, where there is a large gathering of students in Coimbra. Antonio Araoz listened to him preaching and he was greatly amazed at the spirit of the speaker and the large number of hearers and the fruit they enjoyed. With the addition of these now sixty students were studying at the College in Coimbra, and so many sought to be admitted that a definite selection had to be made. And only those were admitted who were more advanced in literature or had outstanding talent; and some even sought the assistance of distinguished men so that they could be admitted. And among others Louis, the younger brother of the King, interceded for someone, who had already completed the course of philosophy, and was the nephew of the superintendent of his house. Concerning the outstanding talent of the students this should be noted, namely, about Roderico de Meneses, because when he had heard a whole sermon, he remembered each author cited, along with the place and the words, and he gave to Fr. Araoz in writing the sermon, which he had heard him give²⁰.

81. At Almeirim, where the court of the King was, Antonio Araoz was received very kindly by the King, the Queen and the Prince. At their request he preached to the children, and the King asked many questions about the Society, while showing special affection for it. Eight priests of the Society were active in the court, and they were very occupied with the ministries of our vocation. But when Simon fell sick, the King, the garden of whose house was next to the house where our members were living, together with the Prince and the Duke de Aveiro visited him. Araoz obtained from him permission to go to Castile, after he had preached to the King and the princes to their great consolation. And Araoz admired very much the reformation of that court and the order worthy of Christian nobles, in both spiritual and temporal matters. But before he left Portugal, he was asked to preach in a certain town where the discord among the citizens was in great need of a remedy. And because of his work the divine Goodness brought about great fruit there. He also preached in Lisbon, and from there he went to the kingdom of Castile. However, Fr. Faber, who had arrived in the kingdom late, and suffered for a time from illness, that year remained in Portugal, and he preached to the King to his great satisfaction and to that of all the others. When some of our scholastics were making a pilgrimage out of obedience to the shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe and were passing through Almeirim, the King wanted to see them and to talk to them. Among them was that Roderic, mentioned above. When his sister, who was one of the noble virgins waiting on the Queen, saw him dressed in tatters and without an overcoat, she saw it as being shameful for him and so she began to weep and to be very agitated. The mother also sent some servants to him, who offered him as an alms horses and money and other necessary things, but he did not accept alms of this kind. The King also wanted to tempt the youth (because he was fond of him, being among the noble boys who served the King at the court), hinting to him that it would be good if he left the Society and returned home. But when he saw his constancy, he strongly urged him to persevere. The same King, when he saw that someone of his family was ill disposed, because his son, after having studied canon law for eight years, entered the Society, said so many things to him that the father was consoled, and he began to accept his son’s entrance with resignation²¹.

82. In this year two were sent to India from the College at Coimbra. One of them was Antonio Criminalis, and when Fr. Simon summoned him and told him that he was to go to India in two days, he obeyed the order very willingly. And since Simon wanted to know his attitude of mind and asked him whether he would wish more willingly to return to Italy than to sail to India, he could get nothing else from him except that he was mentally prepared to be sent either to India, or to the region of the Turks, or to any other place in accordance with obedience, provided he was doing the will of God. Therefore with Fr. John de Beira he boarded a ship at Lisbon and departed²².

83. Meanwhile Fr. Francis Xavier was gathering great fruit in the regions of India. In one kingdom (I think it was called Travancor), since God had moved many to embrace the Christian faith, in one month he baptized more than ten thousand persons. And this is the order he followed. When he came to some place of the Gentiles, from among those who summoned him, like all the men and boys, he gathered them together in one place. And beginning with the sign of the cross made three times in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, he proclaimed the general confession of faith; and then he recited the Creed, the Ten Commandments, the Our Father, the Hail Mary, the Hail Holy Queen, and he did it in a loud voice in their own vernacular language, as was said above. All the others followed his lead; in addition he added an explanation of the articles of faith and the precepts, and then he demanded that all publicly beg God for forgiveness for the sins of their past life, and that in the presence of other unbelievers. The latter, although they did not want to become Christians, admired the law of God and they were troubled because they were living without the awareness and knowledge of God. Also, they strongly approved of the law of Christians, even though they did not accept it and showed great reverence for Francis himself. Now when he asked each one, both men and boys, whether they believed the articles of faith by proposing them one by one, with their arms crossed on their breast in the form of a cross they responded that they believed; then he baptized each one and he gave them in writing the name he had given them. Then when the men went home, they sent their wives and family to the same place; when they had been instructed in the same way as the men, they were cleansed with the baptismal washing. After they had been baptized, he ordered that the houses where their idols were kept (called pagodas) should be torn down and the idols ground into small pieces. And he said he could not explain what great consolation he felt, when he saw the idols destroyed by the new Christians, who shortly before that had adored them. Also in each of the places he left a catechism and the various prayers written in the vernacular language, and he provided them with reasons why they should recite them every day in the morning and in the evening. When he had done this in one place, he went to another, with greater consolation than could be explained in writing or with words. In another region, about fifty miles distant from there (called Jafanapatan), the inhabitants told him they wanted to become Christians; they asked him to baptize them, but since he could not do that by himself, being occupied with other things which pertained to the great glory of God, he summoned another priest to come and baptize them. But when he had come and baptized them, the King began to act cruelly against many of them, because they had accepted faith in Christ without his consent, and so he sent some martyrs to God. However, the governor of India took the death of those new Christians so seriously that, as soon as Fr. Francis spoke to him about it, he sent a large fleet to avenge this evil and to destroy or capture the King. That tyrant had a brother, who was the true heir of the kingdom, and because of the fear of his brother he was banished from the kingdom; he said that, if the Governor put him in possession of the kingdom, he promised that he would become a Christian along with the nobles of the kingdom. Therefore the governor directed his generals that, if this heir of the kingdom accepted the faith of Christ along with his nobles, the kingdom taken away from the tyrant should be given to this man and that they should either kill the tyrant or do what Fr. Francis determined²³.

84. In another region about forty miles away, a Prince, the son of the King, decided to accept the faith; when the King heard about this he ordered his son to be killed. Those who were present say that they saw a fiery cross in the sky, and that in the same place where he was killed the earth opened up in the shape of a cross. Because of this many Gentiles, who saw these prodigies, were inclined to accept the religion of Christ. The brother of the murdered prince was among others who saw these signs, and he asked the priests who were working in those places to make him a Christian, and so they baptized him. Francis spoke to this prince, who had come to seek help from the governor, and so he hoped that that kingdom would be added to the faith, both because of the signs, which had greatly moved the people, and because he was the heir of the kingdom. Almost fifty miles from that region, three princes having become Christians this year, approached the neighboring priests from the headquarters of the King of Portugal and asked to be taught the faith and religion of Christ so that they would no longer live like beasts as they had done up until this time. Francis added that the region was so ripe for the harvest that he hoped that year a hundred thousand people would become Christians, and so he asked that help be sent to him from our Society²⁴.

85. In this year, therefore, the Society began to be located in nine places; to the six communities already mentioned above, namely, in Rome, Paris, Lisbon, Padua, Coimbra, and Louvain three were added this year, that is, in Cologne, Valencia and Alcalá. Still until this time there were no revenues, but those who lived in these places were supported from alms or by the assistance of certain private persons. However, in the following year, that is in 1545, by the generosity of the venerable Lord Andreas Lipomano who, as has been said, was in control of the benefice of the Lambertanians in Padua, it came about that the College built in Padua had a stable income. For since this very kind man was very well disposed towards the Society, he said that he would give us that benefice, if the Sovereign Pontiff gave his permission, Fr. Ignatius, who had to deal with the Sovereign Pontiff about some other grave matters as a favor to the King of Portugal, traveled to Montefiascone, where the Pontiff was at the time, and he secured this gift together with the other things he sought²⁵.

The Year 1545

86. In the year 1545 when the same Prior had decided on the establishment of a College not only in Padua but also in Venice, public approval was obtained that the benefice (whose income had risen to fifteen hundred gold pieces, and now was producing more than two thousand) should be divided into two parts, so that one part would go to the College in Padua and the other to Venice. Also in the same year some ecclesiastical incomes were applied, through the work of Fr. Jerome Domenech, to the support of the College in Valencia. And the whole benefice, without any conditions, was obtained from the generosity of the Sovereign Pontiff. The favor and authority of Fr. Ignatius with the Sovereign Pontiff was considerable; hence some affairs of great importance pertaining to the advancement of religion and peace in the kingdom of Portugal, to the office of the Inquisition, and concord between the Pontiff and the King himself, which the said Cardinal de Viseo had disturbed, and also some other things, which Philip, Prince of the Spaniards, had recommended by his letters, were taken care of not only happily but also in a pious manner¹.

87. Meanwhile in Rome, in our church and elsewhere, lectures on Holy Scripture and preaching of the word of God were offered for the edification of the people. They worked for the conversion of Jews, and that pious work of St. Martha (which now cared for almost forty women) was supported in its beginning by Fr. Ignatius with both spiritual and bodily food. However, it was provided for by him that a congregation of pious persons should be established to take care of this work, so that it would free our Society from this heavy burden. At this time there were more than thirty men in our Roman house, but all were so occupied with pious works that they had no time to rest. The burden increased, because some pious and devout women obtained permission from the Sovereign Pontiff that they should live under obedience to Fr. Ignatius; but this did not seem to be expedient to the aforesaid Father. For since the Society from its Institute must be occupied with those things that pertain to the common good, with an occupation of this kind the greater goods were perceived to be impeded. However, it seems that in the beginning this was permitted by the providence of God, so that the problem of this burden would be made known to the Society by experience, and so that in the future with greater diligence the door to this occupation would be closed (as actually happened, and we will explain it in the proper place). Novices were admitted and they were tested both in our house and outside in pilgrimages and in working in hospitals. Among others, there was a certain William Postello, a Frenchman, and quite advanced in erudition (especially in mathematics and many languages), who was admitted to probation. And with a spirit, as he thought of prophecy, but as Ignatius and other members of the Society judged otherwise, he felt, said and wrote many errors, which seemed not to be true nor to foster edification and union with the Society; so after many attempts in vain to correct him, he was dismissed. He was a man otherwise pious and endowed with good morals, who should have been more humble and subjected himself in obedience to the faith. Many confessions of men were heard, and among them were men of great authority and also of women. But the Spiritual Exercises were given to not a few men with great fruit. However, Fr. Ignatius made use of the assistance of Fr. Salmeron and of Fr. Jerome Domenech, for the above mentioned works and also to establish peace among many persons; they were in Rome in 1544 and also this year, and he also made use of the help of others who were staying with him in the professed house. In this year, as an improvement for the professed house a garden with dwellings next to the church was added (because of the death of the man who kept it until his death), and this meant a more suitable and somewhat larger dwelling space. Also in this year some were sent, who increased the number at the College in Padua, and others from various nations who went to Valencia. But also a letter was obtained, by which in the form of a Bull, ample faculties to administer the Sacraments of Confession and Communion, to preach the word of God, and to give some other very useful faculties were granted to our members, so that, being equipped with spiritual arms, the Society could dedicate its efforts more fruitfully to the work of helping others².

88. This year Fr. James Laynez also came to Rome; and before that some things were done for the glory of God by him in Venice and Padua. But also in Bassano, which is a well-known town under the control of Venice, where heresies began to sprout up because of its proximity to Germany, Faber preached during Lent, and not only while he was present did he strongly defend the cause of religion, but even after his departure, his hearers remembered his sermons and closed the mouths of heretics. And I will omit mentioning other things which were wont to result with great fruit from his sermons for the reformation of morals. He began to preach at the church of St. Laurence, and to give a lecture on the Scriptures after lunch; at the same time in our own church Fr. Salmeron was doing the same thing. Then there were not lacking those who were negotiating to have our men appointed as Prelates. For Urban, the Bishop of Colonna, at this time wanted to have Fr. Laynez named as his coadjutor and successor in the episcopacy, but all hope of this was taken away from him. But when the Prior of Holy Trinity was approached about establishing a College in Venice, as was said above, in this year a suitable place, with a church and a house, presented itself so that he began to take measures to make this pious work a reality.

89. The planning for the Council of Trent had been going on for almost three years, and at the end of this year 1545 it was finally started. Now since the erudition and piety of Fathers James Laynez and Alphonse Salmeron were well known to the Sovereign Pontiff and to the distinguished Cardinals of the Roman Curia, both of them, towards the end of this year, were sent to Trent as theologians of the Sovereign Pontiff.

90. In the meantime, at Faenza Fr. Paschase for his part was busy helping others; in the beginning every week he visited the poor sick people, of whom there were many in the city. And when he noted that their needs were not being provided for, either with spiritual or with bodily assistance, with the approval of the Vicar, he began to work with many devout men to establish a congregation, which was called the Society of Charity. And when this was agreed to, he gave them a formula of living and the manner of exercising piety, which was contained in a short written document. Their duty was to seek out and to visit the poor and miserable sick people of the whole city, and first of all to exhort them to go to Confession and receive Communion, and then to provide for the things necessary for their support, for as long as the sickness lasted, and also to get a doctor for them and medicines. Moreover, by his efforts he contributed much to other persons of both sexes through the Sacrament of Confession. And because some seeds of Lutheranism had been scattered around in that city by certain preachers, and especially by Bernardine Ochino, he provided with great diligence that in the taverns of workmen, as was the custom, there should be no discussion about the noxious teachings of these sectarians, but rather that all mention of them should be avoided. But in the church of the reformed women at the beginning of Lent he began to explain the catechism; also to the same women he gave in writing some rules and a formula for living a spiritual life and he took care to see that they were observed. Hence those women, although not bound by a vow, were living a religious life. But after Easter he took care that they should know by memory the articles of the faith, the precepts of the law, the seven spiritual and corporal works of mercy, and other things that pertain to spiritual growth. Also in seven schools for boys he taught the same catechism, and he saw to it that they memorized the catechism, to the great edification both of themselves and of their parents. For they said that his is the teaching, which boys everywhere should learn. A great amendment of morals was perceived in the boys; and since the abuse of swearing and blasphemy had been very common among them, not only was that corrected, but if occasionally, because of a bad habit, something like that occurred, accusing themselves and seeking a penance they came to Paschase; there were about four hundred boys whom he influenced. He returned a certain man to his wife who, having left his wife, had a concubine in his house for four years, and he also returned a concubine to her husband, who had obtained another concubine to take the place of his wife. He also remedied the situation of others living in concubinage. In the Lord he assisted the Society of Charity by seeing to it that each month all the members went to Confession and received Communion. Concerning the Confessions which he heard in the city, many were general; and so the result was a great amendment of life in it. Some harlots, after abandoning a sinful way of life through his efforts, were admitted into the monastery of the reformed women. Every Sunday he gave an exhortation based on the explanation of the Gospel, and this was done to the benefit of the hearers, who came to the church of the reformed women. Often he visited the hospitals, both to hear the confessions of the sick people, to console them and to help their patience, and to exhort the attendants in the hospitals to show more care and charity towards the sick. Now since in Faenza, as in other places of Emilia, there existed hatred and factions, and some of them so old that they had continued for a hundred years, and as a result homicides were committed, and other grave evils, he was thinking about establishing concord between these leading families, so he began to deal with some suitable men who would have authority to bring this about. And aided by the goodness and grace of God, in the cathedral he reconciled among themselves, with great solemnity, over a hundred men, and he brought it about that they forgave each other for the homicides, injuries and harms that had been caused by these hatreds; after this, he added an exhortation in which he pointed out the good things that flow from peace, and the evils that flow from discord. He also accomplished the same thing with some other families. But when he heard that there were some who do not believe in the existence of Purgatory, and do not pray to the saints, and do not observe the fasts of the Church, he brought it about by fraternal correction and by friendly demonstration that they resolved to follow the teaching of holy Mother Church. In the same place, he added the precepts of the Decalogue in an exhortation given on Sundays to large crowds of people to help them lead a life worthy of Christians³.

91. At the beginning of the year 1545 Fr. Claude was busy in Worms, where the imperial Diet was being held. And when he saw that the study of theology, especially scholastic, was almost extinct in Germany, he was solicitous, at the urging also of Fr. Ignatius from the City, about establishing Colleges there, where poor students would dedicate themselves to the study of theology. For the odious name of religion had produced the effect that wealthy students did not want to study theology. But the Bishops of Salzburg, Eichstätt, and Bishop Augustine showed themselves ready for this work of piety. But since he was urged by the Bishop of Salzburg to return to Ingolstadt, and Claude had referred this to a command of obedience, four theologians were proposed to him by Fr. Ignatius (among whom Claude himself was one of them), and he was asked to give his opinion which one of them seemed to him to be more fitting for fulfilling the role of a theologian. He responded that he judged himself to be less suitable for this task, but if he were given the task by him, as the superior, he would obey with blind obedience. Concerning the other three, who were proposed from the Society, he said that he judged Fr. Alphonse Salmeron and also Fr. James Laynez to be very suitable, if the youth of the former did not reduce his authority among the German students. Although he thought that the office of teaching in universities was not suitable for members of our Society, still given the devastation of Germany he thought it would be very useful for the glory of God and the return of this region to the faith⁴. But when Marchio del Vasto, who had heard much said about Claude, by his letter officially invited him to come to Milan (he was then the governor of the Duchy of Milan), where he was going to find an abundant harvest in other works of piety and where he was going to undertake the instruction of his son (whom he had decided to make an ecclesiastic), Claude responded that for the sake of Christ he had abdicated his own freedom and placed it in the hands of his superior, as the Vicar of Christ. Hence he said that he could not leave Germany, unless he was recalled by the holy obedience, which had sent him there. And in what pertains to himself, since he recognized the extreme need of Germany and the scarcity of workers (but who abound in Italy), he said that he could not deny that he was ready to risk his blood and life to advance good Christian doctrine in such a devastated region. But since he was active in Worms, on Sundays and other days he preached, with the King of the Romans being present; at his last sermon, which was given on the feast of the Holy Trinity, his Imperial Majesty, Charles V, was present, whom his brother Ferdinand (who was very pleased with these sermons) had invited. But before he ascended the podium, since he was humble and a little bit afraid, in fact more than he was otherwise, as soon as he began to preach, he was so inspired by the Lord, that he could not remember (as he himself said) that he had ever preached the word of God with more fluency; and as a certain noble said from the family of the Emperor, his sermon was praised by him as helpful and very erudite. Having progressed further in his sermons, Cardinal Augustine decided to send him to the Council in his place. But since he had received a large donation from Cardinal Farnese, he gave most of it to support the brothers in Cologne, and the remainder he gave to other pious works⁵.

92. Moving on to Dilingen, before he got to Trent, he made good use of his time, hearing the confessions of Italian, French, and Spanish nationality and giving the first week of the Spiritual Exercises (which would finish with a general confession). In Bavarian region, some begged him in tears to admit them from Lutheranism into the Church’s good graces, making their way back by performing penances. Cardinale Farnese and others used to affirm that Claude’s lectures and sermons gave rise to the considerable reputation for authority and assistance that attaches to the Society. The Holy Roman Emperor wanted to be given one of his talks in particular, written entirely in Latin. Although Claude declined, he nevertheless could not refuse the Emperor’s repeated requests for this, since in Germany such things are typically easy to print. Also a Tridentine cardinal’s father passed on a copy to his son the cardinal, and quite a few other bishops got copies and invited Claude to their churches⁶.

93. From Dillingen Claude was sent by Cardinal Augustine to the Bishop of Eischstätt in order to confer with him about certain matters of great importance pertaining to religion. He stayed with him for a few days not without fruit. Now since the bishop was going to preside over a certain conference in Regensburg, convened by the authority of the Emperor, and he wanted to have Claude with him at this conference, instituted to deal with matters pertaining to religion, he asked the Cardinal through one of his assistants if he would permit that; but since Augustine had already decided to send Claude to the Council of Trent as his deputy, together with a certain doctor of canon law, the Bishop of Eischstätt did not obtain what he wanted. Therefore, Claude arrived in Trent in the month of December, and he was kindly received by the Cardinal of Trent as a guest. He was asked to show the same familiarity with him, and to admonish him concerning spiritual matters, as he was accustomed to do with the reverend Cardinal Augustine, and so he could not leave his house. However, on the sixteenth day of December, with the Legates of the Apostolic See they were going to show their official documents, and he could not prevent the whole family of the Cardinal of Trent from accompaning him along with his companion. They said this was in order to honor Cardinal Augustine, and not for his sake. But the Legates answered very kindly and in a loving manner responded to them that they were to be as representatives, although only Bishops and their suffragans had a definitive vote, and no one else could be admitted as representatives; but they received writings to the Sovereign Pontiff. When on the next day he visited each of the Legates in private, he was received by them in a friendly manner⁷.

94. In this year when Fr. Bobadilla was following the court of the King and also the camps, since war had been declared by Charles V against the Lutherans, he did not fail to make use of the arms of our army, namely, the word of God and the Sacraments. The multitude of the sick in the camps, also of those who were healthy, were very much in need of these acts of charity, both in spiritual and in bodily matters⁸.

95. At Cologne during this time our members, who were living there, suffered some disturbances. For although the city was always officially Catholic, it has something in its constitution about not admitting new congregations of religious. Hence, although our life and doctrine was approved, so that they could live together in a religious manner, as they had begun to do, then it was not permitted. And so the dwelling of ours, not without difficulties, had to be abandoned. However, Peter Canisius was preaching with great spirit and grace, although he was quite young, and he had not fully completed his study of Theology. But since the theological faculty of the University of Cologne suspected that Canisius would be sent by obedience to another university, which was more advanced in the study of Theology, this year it wrote anxiously that he be left there for some time in order to finish his studies and to receive the degree of his promotion. But also Cardinal Augustine in his own name wanted to send him with Fr. Claude to the Council of Trent. Nevertheless he remained this year at Cologne with a few others, who, although they lived separately, were joined together by a union of charity and obedience, and they dwelt in Cologne not without spiritual fruit and a good reputation⁹.

96. The same thing can be said about the small number who were in Louvain at this time, where the small flock, by the example of their life and by their pious conversations and by the frequent administration of the Sacraments, in the midst of their studies, were trying to help others¹⁰.

97. But also in Paris, after the anxiety of the war, when Fr. Paul de Achillis returned from Milan, ours increased in number, and while hearing confessions in the College of the Lombards, and administering the holy Sacrament of the Eucharist, and giving the Spiritual Exercises, they showed themselves to be useful to their neighbors, and still they pursued their studies. But those who were the main effective priests, besides the above-mentioned Paul, were John Pelletarius and John Baptist Violeus¹¹.

98. In this year of 1545 Fr. Simon by a letter from Portugal asked Fr. Ignatius that he be called back to Rome from the kingdom, and that permission for this should be requested from the King; Ignatius did that, but without success. For the King, who was very inclined to piety, wanted his eldest son to be instructed no less piously, and so he had assigned Simon as his teacher, in place of the Bishop of Coimbra, who formerly was his preacher, and since he was now the bishop, he could not be absent from his diocese. And although the Society, according to the humility of her Institute, was bound to reject honorable tasks like this, and Simon, having been told by the King about his wish in the matter, referred it to Fr. Ignatius, and had manifested the inclination of his mind to desire humble tasks rather than tasks of this kind, nevertheless it seemed to Ignatius, to whom the King had written about this matter, that he could not deny this to a prince so well disposed towards the Society and so dedicated to the common good. At the same time Simon was very usefully occupied with the spiritual assistance of many priests. The whole city attended the sermons of Francisco Strada with great fruit; although many had completed the Spiritual Exercises with no small fruit, nevertheless only a few of them were selected and admitted into the Society. Another companion in Portugal, after making the Spiritual Exercises was going to celebrate his first Mass; when he celebrated it, he preached with such ardor of soul that those who were present were very edified by such an inspired sermon. And because he was already a theologian, it was hoped that he would be a very effective worker for the kingdom, and he had already decided to enter the Society. So many sought to be admitted to the Society that within two months almost thirty applied for entrance. Now among those who made the Spiritual Exercises with great fruit was a man named Luis Gonzales de Camara, the son of the governor of the island of Madeira. He had studied liberal arts in Paris, was a man of noble birth, and was noted for his intelligence and erudition; in fact, he had mastered Latin, Greek and Hebrew. There were others also who had completed the course of philosophy, others were well versed in canon law, and these were among the many who were chosen¹².

99. Since there were more than sixty in the College at Coimbra, Fr. Faber said that there was no one who did not seem to be well disposed regarding perseverance and making progress daily in the spirit, and he experienced that all were making progress with great peace and fraternal charity, with humility and obedience. And since the studies in the University, because excellent teacher had been brought there from various places, were flourishing, also the basic studies of our College were proceeding in an outstanding way. But since the new bishop, John Suarez, who was the confessor of the King, was very much inclined to works of piety, with his help it was brought about easily that a house should be established for virgins, who were without parents. And so a house was bought and with the help of some people who laid the foundations of this pious work in the beginning it had to be helped in spiritual matters by the assistance of ours, until this good work could be handed over to other suitable ministries. It was an institution of such a kind that the women finally left it for an honorable marriage or to enter a convent of nuns, and in both cases a dowry was provided. Also the governor of the city of Coimbra arranged with the King to commit the care of the hospital to ours, so that thus at last the King could care for the hospital well and in a conscientious way. But although the activity of this kind to help the sick was good for our men, and was freely accepted according to our Institute, still this ordinary responsibility of the governor, which required many workers, was in no way fitting for ours. Pilgrimages to holy places, like Santiago de Compostela, Gaudalupe and other pious places were not omitted, and our members profited much from them and from the ministry of the hospitals. Among others, who were admitted into the Society, was Antonio Gomez, considered to be among the most talented men in the city of Coimbra. He was very learned in philosophy and canon law, and he was destined to bring about an abundant harvest in works of piety. John Nuñez, already a priest, was also admitted; having left a certain abbey, and after completing his studies in philosophy, canon law, and most of theology, he entered the Society. In the same year Emmanuel Nobrega was also admitted; he was a priest and the nephew of the brother of the Chancellor of the kingdom; he was highly recommended for his virtue and his knowledge of canon law. But it happened very conveniently for our collegians that the University, which was located in one part of the city quite removed from our College, and was accustomed to be engaged in lectures and public disputations, moved to the upper part of the city and very close to our College; and in each faculty our members were outstanding in learning among the other students. They did not omit the literary exercises because of their spiritual duties, or vice versa. And the special colloquy of each one with Fr. Faber contributed much to their progress, and by it they became more directed and fervent regarding their spiritual progress. Nevertheless the same Faber on Sundays and feast days preached either in the cathedral, or in a convent of nuns, or in other places, and in addition to hearing confessions, according to his custom he gave the Spiritual Exercises also to certain persons. In what concerns the mortifications of the brothers, frequently and with the edification of many, especially of those just mentioned above, they exercised themselves in this. Some also went to the neighboring villages in order to preach and to hear confessions, and from this ministry, which was very necessary, an abundant fruit was gathered¹³.

100. Now when the summoning of the Council of Trent was announced in the kingdom of Portugal, and the King according to his desire to propagate religion and to reform morals, to those whom he was planning to send to the Council he wanted to commit those things which were especially necessary for a Christian state and particularly to his own kingdom; so he wrote an important letter to Fr. Simon that he should think about and confer with other members of the Society, concerning the things that seemed to him should be proposed in his name to the Council. But Luis Gonzalez went to Valencia with two companions in order to confer about this with some of the nobles. Thus indeed the role of the Society in Portugal was growing, so that with the great admiration and edification of men the finger of God was apparent. When Fr. Andreas de Oviedo went to a local village to give the Spiritual Exercises to someone, he heard the confession of almost all the people who lived there, and many others flocked there from a distance of three or four miles in order to go to confession to him. And they called him and his companion nothing other than holy men, and they said that as the faith was sown by the Apostles, so also now it is being renewed by these apostles; for this common name given to our members is still used in Portugal. The pastor in that place not only abandoned his concubine, but he also said he would suffer death rather than do such a thing in the future. The daily order of the College at Coimbra, according to which it had to operate, was instituted by the officials and put into practice. But Fr. Andreas de Oviedo was sent, with three companions, who made a beginning partly for the College in Gandia, partly for the one in Alcalá, along with others. But before that, in this year Fathers Faber and Araoz had gone on March 4 to the kingdom of Castile (for before that time they had not been released by the King, who eagerly made use of their work in Portugal), bearing a letter to the King of the Spaniards and his wife, in which he heartily recommended the works of our Society. But he also ordered them to write to him often about what they were doing, and to let him know if they needed his help; and he said that if the work of both of them was not needed in Castile, he required the return to Portugal of one of them, especially the return of Fr. Araoz. On one day he wanted him to preach five times, when he was saying goodbye to various princes. And in the last town in Portugal, where he preached the word of God, there was such excitement of the people that many wanted to follow him to Castile. In Salamanca they found that the Society was desired by many, who wanted very much to have a College established there¹⁴.

101. When they went to Salamanca, Fr. Araoz preached there, and so many spiritual matters had to be taken care of that he had to spend the rest of Lent there. They visited the primary teachers of the University, who very kindly offered their help to the Society, and among others there were Fr. Alphonse de Castro and Fr. Francis de Victoria. Finally they arrived in Valladolid and they were received kindly both by Prince Philip and by the Bishops of Cartagena and Calahorra (who were very favorably disposed towards the Society) and by other officials and ecclesiastics; also Poggio, the Apostolic Nuncio, showed them every favor. And these two Fathers, with their two companions, by residing there began to lay the solid foundation for the College in Valladolid. Both the Prince and his wife, and the Cardinal of Toledo, and Cobos, the supreme Commander of the army, were very willing to promote the Society; and up to this point no persecutions or trials of patience were discerned. And those were not lacking who were prepared to increase our numbers in Alcalá by their donations. The opinion of Fr. Araoz was that nothing in Spain could be more useful than if some of ours resided in the court of the Prince (since it was like the universal fount of the whole kingdom) and performed there the usual ministries of the Society. Fr. Araoz preached, and he and Fr. Faber assisted many people in the court of Princes by hearing their confessions. And since a good report, because of the sermons, increased, Prince Philip wanted to speak to them. Also some members of the royal Council became familiar with them; but nowhere did they find more eagerness to help our works of piety than among the Princes themselves, since they were politely received by them whenever they approached them. If there had been twenty workers, they could not have fulfilled all the requests, since here Prelates and temporal Lords kept them occupied with friendly conversations, and there the people with sermons; and although the large numbers were significant, there was no lessening of the fruit. Many of the prostitutes abandoned their sinful way of life; and if the convents of reformed women had accepted them, their number would have doubled. Some of them were supported by alms, until they were placed either in a convent or in a marriage. In the pubic prisons and hospitals an excellent harvest was gathered. The compunction of one false witness was very rare, that is, of someone who confessed to the judges that he had sworn falsely, because he preferred to suffer the loss of his life rather than that of his soul, since this was a capital crime. Some men, known for their uncommon erudition and authority, engaged in spiritual meditations. For the letters of Francis Xavier, both in Portugal and Castile, greatly inflamed the minds of men and made them well-disposed towards the Society. Among others, the Bishop of Pamplona said that our Colleges should be supported by the Bishops as if they were their own. The Secretary of the Prince made his confession to Fr. Faber; indeed there was not a Prelate of the Church nor any layman among the nobles, who did not embrace the Society with benevolence. The Inquisitors also dealt kindly and familiarly with ours; and Fr. Faber confessed that nowhere had he found such an abundant harvest¹⁵.

102. Now since Fr. Araoz out of obedience had to depart from there, he said farewell to the people in his last sermon, and this news was so displeasing to the hearers that they tried, through the Prince, to prevent his departure. The Rector of the important College in Alcalá, Francis de Villanova, said that he would be pleased if some of ours would come to Alcalá to help him establish a College. For since such a College should be established by teachers and theologians versed in Holy Scripture, it seemed to doctor Medina that it would be more advantageous, if it were put into the hands of the Society. So Araoz went there in order to find out what should be done in this matter; and although he did not agree to the proposal of this College, still that some scholastics of the Society were to be attached to Villanova was arranged by the generosity of some important men. But during his journey, when he was going to preach in a town called Duegnas (which he did in the morning in the monastery of St. Augustine, and after lunch in the large church), a certain monk said wittily, when he heard that a priest, who is not a monk, was going to preach: “He is either crazy or he is an excellent preacher.” And when he had heard him preaching after lunch, on bended knees he asked to kiss his hand¹⁶.

103. When he arrived in Barcelona he was received by the Bishop and the Viceroy with great kindness. Some men devoted to the Society wanted a College to be started in Barcelona, and a house had already been selected for the College; a certain learned man had just died (he was called Master Pusalez¹⁷) and had left the collection of his books to it, and in the same house two priests were already living, who wanted to enter the Society; the local bishop had given them faculties for hearing confessions. But so many sought to be admitted to the Society that even after a careful screening not a few were thought to be suitable for our Institute; but among the others there was one who, among the lay people, was thought to be endowed great talent, judgment and virtue. It seemed to Fr. Araoz that now some of the members of the Society should be sent to Spain, where her nature was now known, and the suspicions, which had been raised by the newness of the Society, had been overcome. But Fr. Araoz remained in this house, which was kindly accepted in Barcelona as a residence for our men, plus three priests who were candidates for the Society, and who were to live from alms and to dedicate themselves to hearing confessions¹⁸.

104. From there he went to Valencia, where he preached to such a large crowd that after lunch it was necessary to preach in the street (because the church was too small); and nevertheless, because that city was moved by new men more than it was accustomed to, Araoz judged that the preachers should not remain there for a long time; but after they had stirred up the people, and had inflamed them to make progress, he decided that the work of gathering the harvest should be left to the confessors¹⁹.

105. Although Fr. Faber was working with great fruit in the court of Prince Philip, nevertheless being solicitous about Germany, he suggested in many letters to Fr. Ignatius how greatly he desired that the Society should plant roots in Cologne and Louvain. And the Bishop of Salzburg said that he wanted to have ten or our members in Ingolstadt. But when towards the end of August Fr. Araoz departed, Faber remained alone in the court, with Fr. Mendez and some companions, who were not yet ordained priests. For the Prince had ordered that he should not leave from there, and that a dwelling would be assigned for ours as for the others who followed the court to Madrid (to which he had moved). Meanwhile, Fr. Faber was preaching in various places, and if the afflictions and persecutions of Fr. Ignatius had not preceded him, he said that such propitious success in all things for him would have awakened suspicions. Another Father approached the companions of Faber, for the work of many was necessary; but in private conversations with important men of the court, both ecclesiastics and laymen, Faber provided outstanding service to God. Also not a few bishops wanted to have the work of our members in their churches, and some, like Bishop Palentinus, also wanted to be trained in spiritual matters by them. And his confessor, a learned man, made the Exercises with such fruit that he decided to leave all things and to follow Christ. The same thing happened also to other learned and noble men, who dedicated themselves seriously to the works of piety, and some of them entered the Society. Therefore in a short space of time the number of our increased to nine, some of whom remained in Valladolid when Fr. Faber departed from there. For some wealthy men friendly to the Society offered us an excellent house, and the things that are necessary to support some of our member in their studies. Among the noble women, who favored the Society with a great sense of devotion, there was Leonora Mascarennias who, when she had taken care of Prince Philip from infancy, also this summer had to take care of the newly born infant son of the Prince, and before she left with him for Madrid, she summoned Faber and asked him to recite something from the Gospel over the head of the infant. In the same place a church belonging to the Society was sought by many, and they offered donations to make that a reality.

106. In this year the number of ours in Alcalá increased, and a more suitable house was received from Francis de Villanova. But also in Toledo now there was a great desire on the part of many to establish a College, and the donations and approval of many were offered for this²⁰.

107. Fr. Andreas de Oviedo arrived in Valencia, but immediately he went to Gandia to visit the Duke, Francis Borgia. And when they had agreed among themselves that as soon as some were sent from Rome and arrived there, he would work with them on the establishment of the College, then he returned to Valencia. The perfection of this Duke in every kind of virtue was very rare, and since at the beginning of this year he had asked Fr. Ignatius that the Society should undertake the task of establishing a College in the town of Gandia, he was filled with great joy. So five men were sent from Rome and they arrived in Valencia in November 1. Although the Duke was thinking about something very different, without any difficulty he left the whole matter to the decision of Fr. Ignatius. Therefore Andreas de Oviedo with his companions went to Gandia on November 16, and then the foundations of the spiritual College were laid; in the following year the material foundation was put in place. However, Fr. Andreas began to preach there, and he found the people well disposed towards the Society, and accordingly Fr. Araoz preached the word of God there with great spiritual fruit. During that time Duke Francis was busy with other works of charity. For, at great expense he built a monastery for the order of St. Dominic, and he also ordered another one to be built for the Carthusians before he began to build our College²¹.

108. In this year Fathers Antonio Criminalis, John de Beira and Nicholas Lancillottus arrived in India on September 2, since they were forced to spend the winter and to stay for a long time in Mozambique²². At Goa they found Fr. Paul who, with the help of a diocesan priest, was taking care of the governance of the new College and they assisted him with their help. There were about sixty young students, between the ages of ten and twenty, of whom about twenty were studying grammar, while the others were learning to read and write. All were being instructed in Christian doctrine and morals, and of them a few, having been converted to Christ by Didacus, on Sundays went to some parishes, and in their own vernacular language, which is called “Canarina,” with great edification they preached about the things necessary for salvation which they had learned. Didacus was present now for these and now for those persons, and he encouraged them to persevere. Indeed there was a notable cathedral church there, and monasteries of Dominicans and of diocesan priests. Many people accepted Baptism, although up until that time they were not well instructed in the catechism and in the various prayers; therefore ours began to offer useful help in these ministries.

109. Besides the things which were written by Fr. Francis Xavier, others also wrote about various things to the King of Portugal. A local King who had converted to Christ was the ruler of the island which is called “Ceylon,” and this island is very large and fertile, and is noted above all for its temperate climate. But the pagan subjects killed him with poison because he was a Christian, and they chose another member of his family as king. But when he also accepted the faith of Christ, fearing death, he fled to Cochin where there are many Christians. Now a noble youth, named John Vaz, who had accompanied Francis Xavier for six months, reported that the Father walked from place to place with bare feet, with a worn-out cassock and wearing a black cap, and still the holiness of his life, and his charity towards others gained for him such authority that he was called the “Allea Father,” that is, the great Father. And he was so respected by one King that he published an edict throughout his kingdom that they should obey this Father, whom he considered his brother, just as they would obey himself, and he said that whoever wanted to become a Christian could freely do so; he also gave Francis a large sum of money to provide food and clothing for the poor. He saw to it that forty-four or forty-five churches were built in that maritime region where he was preaching the Gospel. And of those whom he brought with him in the beginning, three or four had become priests, and he left them with our brother, Francis de Mansilla. Sometimes he led three, four and even six thousand people out to a field, and climbing a tree Francis preached to them the doctrine of salvation.

110. In the previous year Francis sailed with the fleet of the Governor to that kingdom where the King had killed many people, because they had accepted the faith of Christ (they say that it was almost six hundred). But since they could not install the King, whom they had brought with them, in that kingdom (called Jafanapatan), they had to delay the removal of the tyrant until they could wrest a certain ship from his hands, which came fully loaded from Peru and had been seized by him; that was because it had been forced by a storm to land on the shore controlled by the tyrant. Francis, who was in the city of Jafanapatan for some time, since he could not return to Comorim because of the adverse wind, went to a city named for St. Thomas, but locally called “Chiromandel.” But when he commended himself to God with great affection in order to discover his will, with great consolation of soul he felt that it was pleasing to God for him to go to Malacca, and from there to go to Macazares, where two Kings had accepted the faith of Christ. There he would translate the teaching of Christ into their vernacular language and take care to instruct them in it; and he was so certain that this was the will of God that, if he were not able to find a Christian ship, he was determined to sail there in a ship of the Saracens or of the Jews. Therefore at the end of August, when the wind is favorable for sailing to Malacca, he went there.

111. At Macazares, which is more than a thousand miles from Goa, they do not have any temples of idols, or wizards or other teachers of errors; but they do adore the sun, since they see it, and they are not said to have other superstitions. But after Francis arrived in Malacca, while he worked at translating the catechism into the vernacular language of the Macazarians (which he accomplished with great effort), he was also busy with his usual works of piety. Malacca is a famous center of trade, filled with merchants and merchandise of all kinds. Therefore on Sundays, he preached in the largest church, and daily in his usual manner he taught the boys catechism. Since he stayed in the hospital, he nourished the poor people, who were confined there, with the sacraments of Penance and the Eucharist, and with the Sacrifice of the Mass. And he was so occupied with the confessions of others that he could in no way take care of the large number of people who came to him.

112. It is reported in the city of St. Thomas, which was mentioned above, that in the common opinion of the people it is thought that the body of the Holy Apostle is there, in a church built and dedicated to him, and that more than a hundred Portuguese families attend Mass there. Now while he was waiting there for the time of a favorable wind for Malacca, a merchant who had been a soldier for a long time, named John de Ferro, while speaking with Francis about spiritual things, received such a light from God that, having turned his mind to other more precious merchandise, he abandoned his ship and goods and attached himself to Francis and vowed to serve God in perpetual poverty. But when he found out about the arrival in Malacca of those three, who were mentioned above, he wrote that two of them should remain with Mansilla and with the three other priests of the Canarina nation, and that the third one should remain there with Fr. Paul in the institution for boys. In the meantime, however, while two of ours remained there, with the help of young Canarine translators they preached in the parishes of the neophytes. Of these six students²³, the older ones were persons of good character, and among all of them nine or ten different languages were found, and each one knew how to read and write not just in Latin or Portuguese, but also in the vernacular language. Therefore it was not difficult to translate Christian teaching into those languages. And so those would be taught at Goa, who came from the various provinces of unbelievers and wanted to accept the faith of Christ. This year some Princes came, whom the Governor wanted to send back to their provinces after they had become Christians, and he wanted them to be accompanied by one of ours. An important Leader came, one of these Princes, with ten other nobles who, having left their wives, children and all things, with great effort arrived there after a journey of a hundred or more miles on land. And in the College they were instructed daily in the Christian catechism, like many others, and they wrote down in their own language the teaching of our faith, and with great devotion they accepted the things pertaining to the Christian religion. That Leader left in our care four boys whom he had brought with him; others were given by different persons, and others also coming of their own free will were accepted into the College. He wrote to the King of Portugal about the conversion of these kingdoms, about which he had known something the previous year, and whom God converted not through learned men, but through illiterate and simple persons. The Rector, Fr. Nicholas Lancillottus, was left at the College in Goa, and after teaching them the catechism he baptized many who were either Saracens or Gentiles²⁴.

113. In this year, therefore, four communities in different places were established. One in India, about which we have already spoken, the second in the kingdom of Castile, in the important city of Valladolid, the third in the kingdom of Valencia in the city of Gandia, the fourth in the republic of Catalonia in the city of Barcelona, where however without the authority of the superior a house was started, while the house itself was being prepared and some pious priests, who wanted to follow our way of life and live under the obedience of the Society, lived in the house and were helping with works of charity, especially in the administration of the sacraments of Confession and Communion and in giving the Spiritual Exercises.

114. At the beginning of the year 1546 the Society increased in the number of persons and places in which it was working, and it increased the care of Fr. Ignatius in the ministry of governance. But it did not increase so much either that he omitted what he was wont to do in Rome for edification, or that he was rendered less involved in the missions common to our Institute and pertaining to the glory of God. In Rome the fruit of sermons and of the sacraments of Penance and Eucharist and also of teaching Christian doctrine did not suffer in any way. Not a few Jews and Turks were baptized in the house of catechumens. Young girls trained in the homes of public prostitutes and being near the precipice, were snatched from the jaws of the devil and lodged in pious places; some still living not very morally were brought to repentance and were received into the house of St. Martha. But when among the women there was one who was ruined violently by Mathias, Master of the carriages and a sharp man having uncommon favor in the papal household, he stirred up amazing false stories against Ignatius. But because of the Society, whose good name was damaged by calumnies of this kind, Fr. Ignatius wanted the matter to be resolved by a legal declaration; and so not only was he freed from suspicions, but having been commended by many praises, he shut the mouth of the calumniators. Also Mathias himself, having a change of heart, repented and changed his hatred into friendship and good will. Concerning the house of catechumens, a certain priest was chosen to govern it who was also the pastor of the neighboring parish. With accusations and lies he tried to damage the good name of Fr. Ignatius, but Ignatius remained silent and left the matter in the hands of the Lord; but a little later truth itself by its light dissipated all the darkness of the machinations of this man; and so he was treated harshly for his other crimes and was punished for his calumnies¹.

115. During this year in Rome, Benedict Palmius, a youth of great talent showed not only a talent for eloquence and erudition, but also for piety. When he had experienced spiritual meditations in Bologna, he was admitted to the Society, and with others he completed his probation in Rome, according to the custom of that time. Also Doctor Michael de Torres, who was very friendly with Fr. Ignatius, after having made the Spiritual Exercises decided to consecrate himself totally to God, although in a secular way, and since he wanted to arrange something with the Duke of Gandia he traveled to Spain. Also in this year Annibal de Codreto was admitted in Rome, although he had decided to enter the Society while making the Exercises in Bologna. Among the other works of piety, some wars were stopped when concord and reconciliation were established between some nobles. And because the nature of our Institute requires that anyone who is admitted to profession must have more solid learning than what can be found in many priests, in other regards the piety, prudence and doctrine of some to help their neighbors in the ministry of the Sacraments, in explaining the catechism and also in the governance of the Colleges and in other things can be very useful to the Society and the Christian republic, an Apostolic Letter in the form of a Bull was obtained so that priests of this kind, who are called coadjutors, may be admitted, and all the spiritual arms of the Society can be communicated to twenty of them. Also Ignatius promoted diligently from Rome the reformation of the monasteries in Catalonia, which was very much desired and requested by letter by the Emperor Charles and his son, Prince Philip².

116. Although what pertains to the Society and to other pious works outside of her are handled in Rome, the application of church revenues and similar affairs, which usually are considered by men to be not so much spiritual but rather temporal matters, Ignatius thought that these things should not be handled in Rome by himself or by our members. Therefore when such a thing was recommended from Portugal, he advised the one handling the affairs of the King that we could not accept it. For he thought that spiritual things were suitable for ours, but that temporal affairs, even if they were very important, were not fitting if they were done by us. Some things also he did not permit to be done by non-members, because he thought they were less fitting to the purity of our way of life. Thus, when Dr. Ortiz, because of his love for our Society, wanted to arrange things concerning a certain parish, which had a very rich income, through the authority of the Apostolic See in such a way that one of the professed members of our Society should assume the care of souls, but the income would be used for the support of our scholastics in Alcalá, even though they lived in great poverty, still Ignatius did not allow that it be requested from the Pontiff; but thanking the piety of the excellent Doctor, he wrote that the poverty of our professed Fathers must be carefully preserved. In fact also when the episcopacy was offered to three or four members of the professed Society, the thought that it should not in any way be accepted. However, when the serene King of Portugal, whom Claude, the King of Ethiopia by a letter urged to request from the Sovereign Pontiff that a Patriarch should be sent to those regions, and he wanted him to be from the professed priests of the Society, and he requested by name Father Faber, whose integrity and doctrine were known to the King; so he asked Ignatius with a true sign of affection that he should provide for the salvation of those regions, and Ignatius was not totally opposed to the acceptance of that kind of dignity, if the Apostolic See should command it; because he thought it would not be for leisure, honors and riches, but that it would be to endure labors, hardships and death for the religion of Christ and the salvation of souls. And he had so persuaded himself that this mission in Ethiopia would be for the honor of God and the spread of the Christian religion that, if others refused to accept it, he would offer himself to undertake this burden, if he were not impeded by the Society. However, he thought that Fr. Paschase should be chosen as more suitable. But this selection and mission of a Patriarch, for other reasons, was delayed for many years³.

117. In the endowment of the College in Gandia Duke Francis wanted to require that, in the Apostolic Letter, the Dukes of Gandia would be named as its protectors, but Ignatius was opposed to that, lest at some future time it should happen that the Dukes would abuse this protection in a way that would harm the College. So he persuaded the Duke to recommend the College to his successors in such a way that they would assume its protection without legal jurisdiction, in order to promote it and to help it; and the Duke followed this advice⁴.

118. Since the matter of the Council of Trent was heating up more at the beginning of this year, Ignatius was ordered by the Sovereign Pontiff to select some of ours who would be present at the Council as the theologians of the Apostolic See. Therefore he chose three: Peter Faber, James Laynez and Alphonse Salmeron. Since the latter two were already in Rome, they were sent immediately to Trent. Now Laynez in this year had preached in Bassano with great fruit before he went to Trent (where his good reputation was known, since it was a journey of only two days). But Faber, who was working in the court of Prince Philip with some companions, and in a rich harvest was gathering abundant fruits, could be withdrawn from Spain with greater difficulty. But such was the power of his obedience that Faber overcame all impediments, and he was not afraid to go to Rome on the dog-days. But since the divine Goodness was calling Faber to the heavenly council rather than to the Tridentine, on the very day of the Chains of St. Peter [August 1], being freed from the bonds of this earthly life, he flew away to the freedom of heavenly life⁵.

119. Although Reverend Andreas Lipomanus, the Prior of Holy Trinity, by Apostolic authority had set aside half of the fruit of priority, still the nature of gratitude seemed to require that the liberal distribution of all the fruits should be left to him, and Ignatius transmitted it in his own name and that of the Society by a letter signed with the seal of the Society itself. Nevertheless, the Prior established and provided, from his own resources, for the support of twelve of our men in the College at Padua⁶.

120. In this year when we had finished our theological studies at the College in Padua, Fathers Andreas Fusius and Jerome Otellus and I went to Venice and after that to Bologna, and from there two went to Rome. But one of them⁷, after staying there for some time began to help with sermons and confessions and other pious works, but under obedience he was sent to some other places, and having performed those tasks not without fruit finally arrived in Pistoia. For the Bishop had arranged this with Fr. Ignatius and obtained it, since he very much desired the works of a member of the Society in the things pertaining to himself and to the diocese. Therefore, when the Bishop had exercised himself in spiritual meditations, and asked that something be composed for him concerning the nature of his office, this was done; and this man otherwise very good, having been made more fervent, decided to start preaching (which was not common for Bishops at that time) and to perform carefully the other duties of his office. Then in the city he began to cultivate carefully with his sermons the people and the convents of nuns, and to train some priests in the Spiritual Exercises. In this city there was a congregation in which, in the opinion of the Bishop, some excellent men of the city were involved, whose purpose it was that they would exercise themselves in all works of piety, and every day before dinner, gathered together in the chapel, they spent one hour partly listening to an exhortation and partly in prayer. Therefore when he preached in this congregation, and he began to instruct and exhort them, those who seemed to be in charge, while our priest did not know what was going on, elected him to be the Rector of their congregation; and when most of them gathered together in the house of the Bishop, they sought his intercession, and they convinced him to embrace their cause. So the Bishop agreed to this. But our member commended himself to the Lord, and he responded that he lived under obedience to Fr. Ignatius, to whom he referred everything. So the congregation wrote a careful letter to Fr. Ignatius, but this matter was not of such a nature that it was suitable for priests of the Society. However, for some time with their consolation and fruit he assisted them both with exhortations and with hearing their confessions. Nevertheless he preached in several places and sometimes two or three times on the same day. Also the canons of the cathedral asked that he preach also to them occasionally. But there was discussion about establishing a house or College in Pistoia; the same was proposed for Prata, which is not a small town about ten miles from Florence and Pistoia, where he preached first in the street and then in the largest church. But he was also active in other small towns of the diocese of Pistoia, with fruit for the inhabitants, who attended the sermons in large numbers. And there were some men in Pistoia, who wanted to dedicate themselves totally to God and the salvation of their neighbor, especially in India⁸.

121. Since the Duke of Florence, Cosmus, told one of his friends that he would be pleased, if our Society had a College in Florence, that priest went to Pisa in order to understand the mind of the Duke more precisely. And when the Duke confirmed what he had said before, he went back to Florence, and among other places that were shown to him, he approved of one place with its church before all the others. But it happened that he spoke with some men about the plight of young girls, of whom there were said to be many in Florence, who did not have a dowry either for entrance into a convent or for a marriage, from which the result was that they had no hope of fulfilling their holy desires, and what is worse, because of their poverty they abused their bodies. Therefore there was a question about how to bring about a remedy of this evil, and finally it seemed best if a certain place were established, like the way in which in Rome a convent had been established for fallen women, where girls of this kind were kept in a safe place until they could be placed either in a convent or in a marriage. Therefore when he had addressed these men after his sermon given in a certain monastery, and had given the reasons for establishing this work, there were not lacking those who offered their agreement and their help for this work. And there was one man who offered him a house, another who offered a piece of land, and also a respectable lady, who offered both her assistance and a thousand ducats; other things were also offered by others, and so this work for the assistance of many young girls took root and grew. He also preached in Florence and then he returned to Pistoia⁹.

122. Before these three left Pistoia, while doing their studies they gave the Spiritual Exercises to some men; and another man from the same College gave the same Exercises to some young men in a villa nearby, and several of them decided to enter our Institute.

123. Among those who accepted the word of God fruitfully at Parma, there was Fr. Francis Palmius, who now in Bologna in the parish of St. Lucy was helping many people, and he was constantly asking that three or four members of the Society be sent there by Fr. Ignatius. For since not a few men and women had heard some of our first Fathers preaching, or had had progress after confessing their sins to them, they were hoping for the beginning of a College, so that ours would reside there permanently. Some also wanted to make the Spiritual Exercises and so make a determination about the state of their life. Lady Violante Gozzadina, a noble matron of great piety, was also urging this. Therefore, as the first one Fr. Alphonse Salmeron was sent, so that before he went to Trent he would preach there during Lent. And he preached not only in the mornings, but also at times after lunch in the convents of nuns, and he had to hear so many confessions that he hardly had time to prepare his sermons. But the generosity of many was a promise that nothing would be lacking to care for the scholastics who were to be sent. Also the frequency of confession was introduced, although at the time, because it was something new, it was opposed by some; and after Easter the sermons were continued during the octave. But on the following Tuesday he traveled to Padua and from there to Trent. But he left minds not only animated with a desire for the Society, but also a very abundant harvest prepared for those about to come. And the good name of the Society began to spread out much farther than Bologna. At length, on the following feast of the Ascension of the Lord, Fr. Jerome Domenech, with some of our scholastics, arrived in Bologna and laid the first foundations of its College and our community. Fr. Francis Palmius had not yet entered the Society, but he was an excellent worker, and according to the way of the Society he was busy with another priest helping his neighbors. And after the sermons of Fr. Salmeron the number increased to two hundred of those who communicated once a month, and to about thirty of those who did so weekly. He provided food for ours from donations; and so ours began to live in Bologna at the church of St. Lucy, where Fr. Jerome was helping with sermons and confessions. And although he was invited by the Vicar of the Bishop to the church of St. Petronius, still he preferred to continue giving his sermons in the church of St. Lucy, where he had begun, since he hoped for a more abundant fruit there. However, at the request and presence of the same Vicar he began to preach in the convents of nuns, with the grateful consolation and approval of the Vicar, who was the superior of those convents. The Spiritual Exercises were given to some noble persons who asked for them; they came from very distant parts of the city, and then some of them received the sacraments of Confession and Communion every week. The desires of many were so ardent that they did not spare even a sick person, so that his sickness was protracted. There was one man who traveled thirty-six miles to make his general confession, which he did after making the first week of the Exercises. There was also this good result of his sermons, namely, that, contrary to the local custom, the religious of some of the orders began to preach on Sundays and feast days in their monasteries. Also some, after making the Exercises, joined the Society. Moreover, it was decided that by the good women, who had made progress in the spirit, a congregation should be formed with the purpose of establishing a monastery for converted fallen women. And separately also some noble men reached an agreement about the same thing. And immediately some women, having abandoned their evil way of life, presented themselves as ready to enter into this residence. On the very day of the Lord’s birth almost five hundred people came for communion; and when they saw that donations of money would not be accepted, they were greatly edified¹⁰.

124. In these days Fr. Paschase, who was spending the year in Faenza, came to Bologna to visit Fr. Jerome; however, he was not freed from spiritual duties, for he had to spend much time hearing confessions, and then he returned to his mission. But since a new Vicar was sent there, he put in writing what was necessary for the reformation both of Faenza and his diocese. He also exhorted and asked the new governor to use diligence in eliminating usury, blasphemy and other vices; he not only listened kindly to Paschase, but he also began to do what he suggested. At the request of the said Vicar, who knew that the priests suffered from great ignorance, he began giving daily lectures on matters of conscience. And at the same time he did not omit his exhortations to the converted women and to the Congregation of Charity, which were mentioned above. Between two fighting families, among whom there was intense hatred in Faenza, he took care to establish peace in such a way that it was confirmed before a notary and other witnesses. Among two other families fighting fiercely with each other, he attempted to do the same thing, and when he had worked at it for two or three months, still he had no success; but shortly thereafter, after God changed their hearts, they established peace with each other. He also explained the precepts of the divine law to many students, and he continued what he had started the previous year in the hospitals and the schools for young boys and other works of piety. But the Vicar with great solicitude worked to correct these defects about which he had been admonished by Paschase. He was sent by him to a village, called Bagnacavallo, to arrange things for the necessary reformation. But when a certain woman, by birth a Turk, came to Faenza, he saw to it that she was placed among the converted women so that she could be taught the Christian catechism and then be baptized; and that was done. He accompanied the Vicar in a visitation of all the parishes and monasteries under his authority, and he worked at this not without significant fruit of reformation; and the same thing was done in the diocese outside of Faenza, for many things were instituted wholesomely both in the churches and for their ministries, which were in great need of reformation¹¹.

125. Fr. Ignatius seemed in no small way to desire that in the principal places of Italy where our members were studying (not where they were teaching others) some Colleges should be established. Hence when Fathers Laynez and Salmeron were sent from Rome to Trent, Laynez arranged through a professor of Philosophy at the University of Pisa, which had been established by Cosmo, the Duke of Florence, that a house and support should be provided for four or five scholastics; the secretary of the Duke, who was the prefect of the University, very kindly agreed to take care of this. And the arrival of our men at that University was pleasing to the Duke; however at that time the matter did not result in more than that. Also at Ferrara, when the aforesaid Fathers passed through there, the same thing was attempted by a friend of the Society, and someone close to Hercules, the Duke; but it seemed necessary, before a community of ours could be established, that one of the Fathers should go there, who with his sermons would favorably influence the mind of the Duke.

126. From the beginning of this year Fr. Claude Jay was occupied at Trent, and after the companion of his legation was recalled by Cardinal Augustine, Claude began to be admitted to the general congregations. He was also present at the committee meetings which took place often; and he was also very busy with familiar conversations with many Prelates dealing with matters that had to be treated in the Council. At length Fathers Laynez and Salmeron arrived in Trent on May 18, after preaching in Venice and performing other ministries of the Society, which they always did according to their way of acting. But after the last sermon given by Fr. Salmeron in Bassano, in which he exhorted his hearers to receive Communion frequently, over a hundred people adopted this pious custom. When they arrived in Trent, they found not only Fr. Claude to be in great favor among the Prelates and the good name of the Society widespread, but they were kindly and warmly accepted by the Legates de Monte and Santa Cruz, who later became Pontiffs, and by the other Fathers of the Council. And when a dwelling and the other things necessary for support were generously offered to them by Cardinal Santa Cruz, they preferred the dwelling which Fr. Claude had prepared for them in the building of St. Elizabeth, since it was more suitable for carrying out the tasks of our ministry. Claude wanted to move to the same place, and he tried to gain the permission from the Cardinal of Trent, who at the time was in Regensburg. Indeed, before he left Trent the Cardinal gave him the faculty of preaching, and the full power of administering the Sacraments, which he could impart to others whom he judged to be qualified. And he exercised this faculty vigorously in Lent, and especially during Holy Week. Since the Cardinal of Trent wanted to practice charity for the poor on Thursdays, he also wanted Claude to be with him, and in a separate room, bare headed, he waited on the poor for whom he had prepared a meal, and after the meal he poured water on their hands, and to each one he gave some clothing and a purse with some gold coins; and after he had given them a brief exhortation, then he took some food alone with Claude, and spoke with him about spiritual matters¹².

127. Since Fathers Laynez and Salmeron, by order of the Legates, expressed their views in the congregation of theologians (they were considering justification), with the help of God they conducted themselves in such a way that they gained for themselves admirable favor and authority among the Legates and all the Prelates and theologians. And above all, the Spanish Bishops, who previously did not willingly accept them, then became so well disposed towards them that they seemed not to be able to have enough of their presence. Also many of the Prelates discussed their vote with ours, and in fact some of them asked for their opinion in writing¹³.

128. Fr. Ignatius recommended to the three attending the Council that they should exercise the usual ministries of the Society, which pertain to the edification of neighbors, as much as possible. And since Prelates from all the provinces of Christians were present at the Council, for that reason it happened that not only did they very much approve their doctrine in giving their opinions, but also they came to know the nature of our Institute by their words and deeds. Hence the result was that many recognized that the ministries of the Society were very much needed in their own dioceses, and they wanted ours to establish Colleges in many places. Partly, therefore, those Fathers in their studies and in giving their opinions in public and in private were consulted, partly they assisted in hearing the confessions of various persons, among whom were some of the Prelates, partly they visited the sick and the healthy, including Prelates, with edification, and partly they supported poor people outside the city with the alms received from the Legates and other Prelates. For, on the other hand, they spoke about the Mass to the poor, instructed them in the way of the Lord, and by their exhortations tried to persuade them to follow that way. They heard the confession of many of them, they administered the Holy Eucharist to them; they purchased rosaries for those who did not have them, and with the alms received they also took care to buy clothes for those who needed them. And when they noted some unfavorable opinions in men of no mean authority, in what pertains to the Society, they informed them fully about the truth in this matter. And also with regard to spiritual progress and to dogma, about which they were dealing, they offered useful help to many, and they took care to obtain prayers for the Council both from the poor and from others¹⁴.

129. During this time, when the King of the Romans, Ferdinand, wanted to provide a good bishop for the Church of Trieste, he began to ask Father Claude to accept that Church; but Claude responded that he was always opposed to accepting dignities of this kind, and especially if they were more lofty. And he said he was so little satisfied with the governance of himself that he would surely be much less suited for the spiritual governance of others, which he would have to assume out of obligation. And not only did he refuse to accept the Church, but he also humbly sought prayers from Fr. Ignatius and from others that he would receive the grace to remain in his vocation of poverty and obedience. But when the Bishop of Lublin, the confessor of King Ferdinand, was called to Venice, and in the name of the King of the Romans met with him, he went to consult with the Legate, Cardinal Santa Cruz. And when the Bishop of Lublin, after having celebrated the Sacrifice of the Mass, had explained the mind of the King and the need of the Church in Trieste, and had asked him to accept the episcopacy, although it was quite clear what he should respond, he asked for time to pray for one hour before he gave his answer. Then while meeting with the Bishop he said that in his conscience, after prayer, he felt that he could not accept this burden, and giving thanks to his Royal Majesty, he said that he should consider someone else who does not belong to our Society. Also Fr. Bobadilla, when the same King offered him an episcopacy, said he could in no way accept it. It was noted that the Bishop of Lublin, on the day on which he came to Venice to deal with this matter with Fr. Claude, almost drowned in the Adriatic Sea. But when the matter did not succeed in this way for the King of the Romans, thinking that the matter could be quickly resolved through obedience to the Pontiff, he tried to obtain it by a letter and through his ambassador; and in fact he did obtain it. But by the diligence and authority of Ignatius in Rome it was brought about that the Pontiff changed his mind, and then the King himself, having better understood the nature of the Society, also changed. Now although the business of the Council was proceeding very slowly, and since the Emperor Charles thought that some Princes of Germany should be subdued by arms because they were rebels in the matter of religion and in obedience, Fr. Ignatius decided to recall Laynez from the Council in order to go to Florence; Cardinal Santa Cruz and other Prelates were not willing to accept that, because his contribution in the debate about justification was thought to be very helpful. And so, until that was completed, his departure was delayed. Among others who were helped by those Fathers there was a certain religious who, since he had come eight hundred miles to consult with them about abandoning his religious vocation, after talking with them, returned to his monastery with a changed mentality, namely, the determination to remain in his vocation¹⁵.

130. However, the way in which they helped the poor offered no small occasion for edification. For, after having consulted the Legates and the Cardinal of Trent, they made a list of all the Prelates and speakers, who had been sent by the Princes, and of other important men who were present at the Council, and when they had deputed a certain canon and another citizen of Trent to receive the alms with their approval, one by one they approached all of them, beginning with the Legates. And they collected such a large amount of alms that they were able to clothe seventy-six poor people with coats, stockings, underwear and shoes. And marching through the city in the form of a procession they came to the church, where one of the Fathers preached, and besides the people many Prelates were present; and after the sermon (which was heard with great consolation and fruit of the audience), having been given a meal, they returned to their homes outside the city.

131. Although the office of preaching in public was not permitted, even for the religious theologians requesting it, still it was granted to our priests. Hence Fr. Laynez performed that task with edification every Sunday and feast day, and he did it with a large audience of important men in the church of the Blessed Virgin Mary. However, on the feast day of St. John the Evangelist he gave a sermon in Latin before the Fathers of the Holy Council, which was very pleasing to the Prelates, and so he had to have it printed and given to them. The Spiritual Exercises were given by Fr. Laynez to some of the Prelates, and more and more daily the good odor was spread abroad by their good example and doctrine and works of charity.

132. Since there was someone among the Presiders of the Council, who was presenting valid and reasonable opinions, but still somewhat new, Fr. Ignatius wished to make known his own view of these kinds of opinions; and it was this, that, even though the reasons pro and con seemed to be equal, still it seemed to him that an opinion should never be presented to the Council, which seemed to favor the opinions of the heretics or of those advancing new ideas; and this was to be observed as long as either position has not been accepted by the Church.

133. When many soldiers returned from the war in Germany, there were those who were suffering from sickness and the lack of such things as food and clothing; so Cardinal Santa Cruz recommended the care of them to ours. Being very experienced in such works of piety, with great diligence and edification they collected some money from the Prelates so that those soldiers, having been given warm clothing (which was very necessary in winter), and after recovering their health, returned to Italy.

134. In composing the decree on justification the Legates made great use of the help of ours. And they also gave them this task, namely, that they gather together in a brief summary all the Lutheran heresies (except those pertaining to original sin and justification); this was done by them not without great effort.

135. Then there was some discussion about moving the Council to some place in Italy, because, besides the German war, the quality of the air seemed to be an occasion for the sickness and death for many. First, however, it seemed that the session on justification had to be completed and then by common consent the Council could be moved, but this was not accomplished until the beginning of the next year¹⁶.

136. Among the other Prelates of the French, William de Prato, Bishop of Claramontanus, came to Trent, and he was very well disposed towards the Society. He conferred first with Fr. Claude, and then with Fr. Laynez about the nature of our Institute, and he began to speak about founding two Colleges, one in Paris and the other in his own diocese. And when he came to Venice for the sake of his health and from there went to Padua, and he saw our College, then in Rome he asked the Sovereign Pontiff for permission to dedicate the house of the Bishop of Claramontanus, which was in Paris on Cithara Street, for use as a College, and he totally confirmed this proposal. And he had such high regard for the Society that through her ministry he hoped that Christ would accomplish many things for the reformation and improvement of the Church¹⁷.

137. At the beginning of this year Fr. Bobadilla was busy in Cologne, where in the preceding year God accomplished many things through him for the glory of God and the help of that city. Also the sermons of Fr. Canisius were the reason for the preservation of the Catholic religion in the hearts of many people. And although the Catholics very much desired that Fr. Bobadilla should remain there longer, nevertheless he, by following the imperial court along with the Apostolic Nuncio, thought that he could accomplish more useful things there than in Cologne. For since he was very dear to the King of the Romans, and very pleasing to the important ministers of Charles V and almost all the nobles in the court, and he heard the confessions of most of them and dealt with their religious affairs, the Chapter in Cologne gave him a letter marked with three seals according to their custom, so that in their name he would address the Imperial Majesty and his Council. He also promoted the cause of the people of Cologne through a letter to the Sovereign Pontiff, who signified with a kind letter that his work in Germany was very pleasing, and he exhorted him to continue, just as he had begun, to dedicate himself to the edification of souls. Therefore he went to Spires, and then to Regensburg, where a Diet of great importance was being held. And coming in contact with both Catholics and Protestants, he strove in the Lord to help both groups with friendly conversations. The Archbishop of Mainz, recently elected, spoke with him at length about very grave matters, before he returned to the Emperor in Mainz. And he wrote about all these things, as he was required to do, to the Sovereign Pontiff. But since in the Diet at Regensburg Charles V decided to subjugate the Protestants with force of arms, whom he could not control either by the authority of the Council or by his own, and since the Sovereign Pontiff had sent there with a large army of Italians Duke Octavius Farnese, and also Cardinal Alexander Farnese, the Apostolic Legate, Bobadilla had to visit the camps of the Emperor and also of the Pontiff. However, as long as he was in Regensburg, besides other works of piety on Sundays and feast days he read aloud his book on the Christian Conscience. And the imperial Princes, both ecclesiastic and lay, plus Cardinal Augustine, the Nuncio Verallus and some other Bishops listened to his reading; and because the audience was composed of officials from Germany, Italy, Spain and France, he read it in Latin. But when the war was started, he had to be occupied in the camps of the Emperor, in hearing the confessions of the sick Spaniards an in the administration of the other Sacraments. And when the army of the Pontiff arrived there, his occupation and work and fruit increased considerably. Cardinal Farnese directed him to take care of the hospitals of the Italians; for many were wounded by the cannon balls of the adversaries, which were almost innumerable; and from the daily battles this harvest increased significantly. But although he also was hindered by a sickness, nevertheless with a joyful heart he strove to do his duty, since he understood that this remedy of war was necessary for the restoration of Germany. He also suffered from the plague, but with the help of God he survived it without damage. When he was healthy he was returning to Regensburg and he was attacked by thieves; in addition to robbing him they also beat him several times, but three Italians came on the scene, and while the thieves went after them, he got away and arrived in Regensburg almost naked in his underwear, but safe and happy. Now the King of the Romans was considering sending him to Trent; also other missions of no small importance presented themselves. However, he had to frequent the camps where, besides having to sleep on the ground, once also he suffered a wound in his head, and if he had not been partly protected by a very thick cap, he would have been in danger of losing his life. But when the King of the Romans sent someone on horseback, who asked him to accept an episcopacy, he responded that his vocation was to poverty and that there was no lack of others on whom his Majesty could confer this dignity. But his work in helping the wounded was very useful concerning the things that pertained to both soul and body. Hence Cardinal Augustine, at which time a rumor began to be spread around about the disbanding of the Council, wrote that he gave thanks to God that he had chosen Fr. Claude, so that he might assist him in his name. However, if it did happen that the Council was closed, by a letter he asked him to go to the camps where, by the goodwill of Cardinal Farnese and of other Prelates, many works of piety and devotion were being done by Bobadilla, and the soldiers, while confessing their sins and keeping their fear of God, were full of hope that all things would turn out well for the greater honor of God¹⁸.

138. Dr. Michael de Torres, who had already been admitted to the Society, together with Fr. Christopher de Mendoza left Rome in the month of September, although he was not going to manifest the intention of his heart before he had taken care of some affairs in Spain. And when his companion on the journey began to come down with a fever, with great charity and humility he provided for him all the help that is usually necessary for someone who is sick. He visited the Duke of Gandia and he very much admired his profound humility and self-abnegation and his purity and his striving for total perfection. Now after the death of the Empress the divine Goodness began to adorn Duke Francis Borgia with a great bestowal of his gifts, but after the death of his own wife, who in this month of March had gone to sleep in the Lord, with all the power of his soul he dedicated himself to the way of perfection. And based on the Spiritual Exercises, with which he trained himself in self-contempt and humility, he wrote a little book, which the same Dr. Torres considered to be very useful for anyone who wanted to make progress in the spirit, and he urged that it be published. However, he embraced the advice of Fr. Ignatius with such reverence and submission of his own mind that, even if previously he had thought otherwise, without any difficulty he submitted his own judgment to the decision of Ignatius. This was seen not only concerning the College in Gandia, but also in another work of piety, which the Lady Joanna de Meneses had decided to endow in the erection of a monastery for poor women, and had recommended its administration to the Society. But after having heard the reasons, which Ignatius wrote, and others, which he proposed about its administration, and according to which the work could be carried out without the help of the Society, the Duke immediately followed the judgment of Ignatius and embraced his advice. But the Spiritual Exercises, which he and many others had made with singular consolation of soul and progress, he held in such esteem that he thought approval of them should be sought from the Apostolic See, so that they would not be feared as something new. And having asked Ignatius for his permission, he obtained it from the Sovereign Pontiff, so that whoever exercised himself in such meditations, and then made a general confession would receive a plenary indulgence.

139. Before Fr. Peter Faber could come to Rome, so he could go from there to the Council, he visited Duke Francis, and since the foundation of the College in Gandia was then being laid, he put down the first stone for it. But when the people of Gandia were informed about his death, with singular consolation of heart they received the news as being the day of his birth in the heavenly Jerusalem, and with him as their advocate they experienced singular progress in the spirit. And, as Fr. Andreas wrote, now the Patriarch of Ethiopia was someone notable in Gandia in spiritual matters, and by a revelation received from the Lord he testified that he had seen the wonderful glory of Faber, and that he had heard from him many things about the joy he was enjoying, because he underwent death through obedience¹⁹.

140. In the same year the course in Philosophy was started in the College in Gandia. But its teacher Francis Onfroy, a Frenchman, in the beginning so defended for three days the conclusions in Logic, Physics, Metaphysics, Morals and Theology in the presence of the Duke and a Bishop, and other learned and noble hearers, that he gave an outstanding example of talent and learning and modesty. All of these things, with a prayer given in Latin by the same man, so pleased the Duke that he wanted these positions to be defended by the same man in the presence of Bishop Valentine, whom he expected to come soon. And this took place on the feast of St. Francis in the church of St. Clare with great edification and satisfaction. Our listeners were conspicuous both for their character and their singular progress in the virtues. The Duke of Gandia wanted the number of ours to be increased so that at least twelve were there as students; and when Fr. Miron gave the Spiritual Exercises to some learned youths in Valencia, and he saw that some of them wanted to join our Society, he wrote to Gandia that he should be notified whether or not he could send some of them there. This was the response of the Duke, namely, that he should manifest diligence in sending them, for there would always be a place in Gandia for admitting them. Moreover, he desired that some should be educated in Alcalá at his expense, and he sent an official letter to the Archbishop of Toledo, and he asked that he should convert that attitude of mind, which he had shown to some of his own children, to the benefit of the scholastics of the Society of Jesus in Alcalá. He gave this letter to Dr. Torres. And because he also wanted a community of the Society to be established in Saragossa, and for this purpose he gave letters to the said Doctor for the Archbishop of the city, his own uncle, and to the Viceroy of Aragon, and some other leading men, and in order to win over the others he donated the house, which he owned in Saragossa, for the operation of the College, and he also gave its income in order to support some of the students. But also in Seville he decided to arrange for the building of a College with his maternal aunt, Duchess Medina Sydonia, and with the Marchioness de Pliego. And from the income of his properties, which they call the Benefice of St. James, which is near Saragossa, he decided to assign part of it for the support of ours; and among others he gave this reason, that wherever he had some income, he wished to give a tenth of it to the Society. And it is not surprising that he willingly offered of these things what he could, since he had already begun to think seriously about devoting himself to the Society, indeed, after having taken care of some business matters, he had already decided to do that and had made this known through Fr. Faber²⁰.

141. At this time the work of God was glowing in Gandia, and Fr. Andreas de Oviedo was giving the Spiritual Exercises to some nobles and also to some honorable ladies; and, as he writes, the authority of these Exercises was so great that, while they were being proposed to them, others who wanted to make them also lamented because they had to wait. At the same time twelve or fourteen persons made the Exercises under him; they made general confessions, and some also wanted to enter the Institute of our Society. Among others there was a certain monk, a preacher and professor of theology, who wanted humbly to make the Exercises and so he made great progress in them. The Bishop of Segovia showed himself very generous in the support of our students; the Duke urged the erection of a building and he saw to it that it was done this year²¹.

142. Fr. Miron began to preach in Valencia, and with his companions he helped not a few people partly by friendly conversations, partly by giving the Exercises, partly by the sacrament of Penance. Some of these, who were moved by the Lord to embrace our way of life, erudite youths endowed with good talent, were admitted. Gradually the number of ours increased, among whom there was Fr. Emmanuel de Saa, who specialized in Theology, and Peter Canalis and John Gottanus, Frenchmen, who concentrated on Philosophy. When Fr. Faber passed through Valencia, he exhorted ours to work hard at their studies and he made them more diligent. And also Fr. Ignatius, when he ordered that the positions of theologians and philosophers, and the writings of those who were studying the liberal arts, should be sent to him, he motivated them to pursue their studies seriously.

143. Until the beginning of this year Angonio Araoz was in Valencia, and with his sermons for three months he inflamed the minds of many to strive for perfection, and he took care with the light of truth to dissipate the suspicions of many, which even serious men entertained because evil things were being said about us. The Inquisitors also began to favor our activities (after they had carefully investigated many things, and the truth was made clear to them). And among others the Archbishop, a man of outstanding holiness, showed that he seriously favored the Society, and he recommended our works. Others noted for their doctrine and nobility began to do the same. But when Faber wrote that the work of Araoz in the court of King Philip was very necessary, Araoz had to say goodbye to the others. Several wanted to follow him when he left, but he would not permit that. In the court of the Catholic King he began to preach with the special blessing of God, and although the work of hearing confessions and giving the Exercises kept him very busy, still the work of responding to the letters of many and taking care of the visits of nobles was even more demanding. Also Aemilian Loyola began to preach to the great admiration of many. And although Faber and Araoz had great authority in the royal court, and also good favor, there were those who diligently sought them out and carefully watched where they were going. Poggius, the Apostolic Nuncio, provided the temporal things that were necessary; hence the occasion for benevolence was removed from the other nobles, who would have willingly supplied the necessities. But they were forced to accept something from certain very important men. But what God accomplished through the ministry of Fr. Faber, before he left the court, for these important men, who were considered the pillars, Fr. Araoz writes that it is to be admired, and that he was held in the highest estimation by all. And he adds: “He is of such a nature that if you were to discover by experiment, as is the case for this poor man, what it is like to be left without this Faber, you would give thanks to God that he allowed you to see him. His soul is full of the mercies of him who is their Father and the God of all consolation. He heard the confessions of many nobles and important men; and many tears were shed after his departure²².”

144. In the important town of Medina del Campo there was an attempt to establish a house, but the matter was delayed for a few years. Fr. Didacus Mendez, with a few companions, remained in the city of Valladolid after his departure from the court, and he had a very abundant spiritual harvest. But in the same place Hermes and Cornelius, having been sent from Coimbra, departed from this life happily in the Lord. One of ours, called Doctor Nepos, preached there to large crowds and with great fruit; but also in this year, according to his intense desire, he also transgressed to a better life²³.

145. When Araoz visited Alcalá, in the College, which they call Great, he preached with notable applause and fruit. The subsequent confessions, and requests for the Spiritual Exercises, and other public movements suited for edification bore witness to this. There were among the students one who, without the knowledge of Fr. Araoz, with bare feet begged for alms with a bag, and because of his nobility and authority not only was there no scandal involved, but it led to the edification of many. Lady Eleanor Mascarenias gave the things necessary to our members in Alcalá so that they could have a house chapel, and among other things there was an altar with a certain painting, which Prince Philip had given her and formerly belonged to Queen Elizabeth. In the palace some general confessions were heard. But when Araoz was present at the death of the Vice-Chancellor of Aragon, and had spent many hours with him (for he did not want to leave him), some very important men, who were also present, were so moved by the exhortations and other things with which he helped the dying man, that some of them said to him that they wanted to die in his hands. And when this good report had been spread around, he was summoned with great intensity to help other dying people. Among others, when an important merchant suffered an injury to his head, he declared in public that Araoz should be with him as he is dying, otherwise, if something should happen to him other than what was necessary, Araoz would know that it was his fault. When it happened that a certain cleric had preached with great scandal, the rumor was spread abroad that he was one of our members, and some even said that he was Ignatius. However, on the following day it was discovered that he was totally insane. And after a few days, on the feast of Pentecost, when Araoz was preaching in the largest church, and to such a large crowd that the church could not hold them, all those present were so pleased that many said it was not a man but an angel who had spoken. And truly the finger of God was seen there, so that this holy rumor wiped out the other preceding one, and it was obvious that the insane man was not one of our members²⁴.

146. When the question was raised about incantations, which are wont to be invoked against locusts, the matter was given to one of the Inquisitors along with Fr. Araoz, and what they decided put a stop to this for the glory of God. For, having banned all superstitions, the method of the Church to be used was introduced; and from the available testimonies, it is known that the result was very good. Because of too much work (apparently) Araoz became gravely ill, and he had two relapses, so that at the very time when Faber in Rome was passing over to a better life, he now believed the doctors that he was going to die. But because of the prayers of many his life was spared. He was forced to seek a change of air, and the Prince himself commended care of him to the Bishop of Pamplona and the Governor; but as long as he remained sick in the court, the Apostolic Nuncio with great charity took care of him. There was such thirst in many to hear the word of God from him that many could not enter the doors of the church, nor did they leave him alone when he was sick, since by their importunate prayers they forced him to preach. Indeed even when he was sick, the Countess de Palamos, who was close to death, demanded that he assist her; so he was with her two nights and on the day on which she rendered her soul to God. And when Secretary Cobos also fell sick, he very much wanted him to be with him, so that in the things pertaining to the soul the Secretary might be with him²⁵.

147. Ours, who were working in Barcelona, were doing very much to help others. In this year a house of orphans began to take care of boys dressed in white garments, paid for by Lady Guiomara Gralla, who went to confession to Fr. Faber. However, when he was about to travel to Rome, in Barcelona he contracted a fever recurring every third day, and nevertheless in his usual manner he continued to preach and to hear confessions with fruit. But this delay was the reason why he entered Rome in the middle of the dog-days in Rome and became deathly ill²⁶.

148. In this year of 1546 from the province of Portugal ten members were sent to India, six of them priests, among whom were Francis Perez and Henry Enriquez; but immediately others were admitted who took their place. The good King strongly encouraged these missions, like that to Ethiopia; hence it was declared that the King wanted a new Patriarch to be sent there by the Apostolic See; for they said he did not want, in the future, Babylonian doctrine to be taught there, in which until then they had been instructed. But so that he could ordain priests, it seemed that one of ours would have to be consecrated as the Patriarch. But afterwards it was discovered by experience that the situation there was different, and that the mind of the Prince of Ethiopia and his subjects was not open to this²⁷.

149. Fr. Simon performed the office not only of teacher, but also that of confessor of the Prince; being only ten year old, he went to confession weekly on Friday, and he had such good judgment that he seemed to be twenty years old. There was an abundant harvest in the court of the King; and anyone who knew what took place in previous years, could not but recognize a significant change and improvement. It should be noted that there was a big increase in the preaching of the word of God and in the reception of the Sacraments of Confession and Communion; also, other works of charity and piety flowed from these²⁸.

150. Meanwhile, in the College at Coimbra there were already eighty students, and in addition to those, there were fifteen or sixteen persons taking care of the needs of the College, and fifteen others heard Confessions. Their Rector, Fr. Martin Santa Cruz, not only ruled them with great ease, but he was also engaged in other works of piety; among them there was this one, that he successfully brought about a reform of life in a convent of nuns, and he was helped in this by some sermons of Fr. Strada and by other members of our Institute²⁹.

151. During Lent Fr. Francis Strada preached the word of God in various churches; and since there were assigned days for sermons in the churches, a large crowd of hearers flocked to them. However, on Holy Thursday, when he had preached the commandment of Christ in the morning in another church, after lunch at home he had to give the same sermon, and because of the large number of hearers, it was necessary to set up a platform in a field nearby. On the following day, Good Friday, he preached in the cathedral on the passion of Christ, in the presence of the Bishop of Coimbra who had invited him to preach, along with another Bishop, who shortly before had ordained to the priesthood several of our members, and among them was Fr. Luis Gonzalez; he shed many tears during the whole time of the sermon. Now when they thought that the sermon was finished, Strada asked that an image of the Crucified one be given to him. When he showed this to the people, and added some words in order to stir up compassion, there was such lamenting by the men and women in the whole audience that for a quarter of an hour the whole church was filled with sighs and groans and weeping. Thus, those who were present said that they had never seen anything like it, and because of the sorrow in many the soul seemed to want to leave the body. At this time many, who were moved by God by these sermons and confessions, entered the Society, and among them was Gaspar Francis, a native of Belgium, who will be mentioned later, and at the time was studying Philosophy³⁰.

152. Now the College began to have some financial income; now a certain man by the name of Ariaga, a musician, when he departed from this life, left as a legacy to the College a certain possession, which was worth many thousands of ducats. The King also turned over two monasteries to us, one of the of the order of St. Benedict, St. Felix, the other of the order of St. Augustine, St. John of Longavalle, partly under the authority of the Apostolic Nuncio, partly under the authority of the Sovereign Pontiff. But when it came to taking possession of St. Felix, one of our members, Fernandez by name, was sent there, and during Lent he began to preach there with such edification and praise that the good odor in the Lord spread out more than twenty miles; and when two priests were sent there to hear Confessions, they gathered noteworthy fruit, and the members of the monastery gave thanks to God that it had been granted to them to fall into our hands. A few of the monks, who lived there without observing the rules of their order were brought to reformation by making the Spiritual Exercises, and one of them having been brought to the College for a few days, made such progress that he seriously repented of his former life and was ready to live in his community under obedience. Fr. Morales, having been sent with a fellow confessor, preached to them and heard their Confessions; and they also [the residents of the monastery] praised God because they had been placed under the authority of our Society. Also various convents of nuns in Coimbra, and one existing near the city, made great progress in the spirit and resolved to lead a common life under obedience. Peace among some mutual enemies was also established. The King wanted the building of the College to have the already mentioned income; for he wanted to supply what was necessary for our support, as he had already planned to do³¹.

153. When Fr. Strada had recovered the strength he lost during a grave illness, which almost brought him to his grave, he was sent on a pilgrimage to the shrine of Santiago de Compostela by Fr. Simon so that he would spend time in the hospitals of the poor, live from begging as the pilgrims do, and nevertheless with his priest companion he dedicated himself to preaching and the other ministries of our Institute. Therefore, when he arrived in a city, which has its name from a port, he was received by the Bishop with great charity, and he could not refuse to accept from the Bishop for himself and his companion things necessary for his support as long as he stayed there. The day after he arrived he gave his first sermon in a field near a certain church, to which a large part of the city had come in a solemn procession. His preaching so pleased the people, it so moved their minds, it made them so eager to hear the word of God that, when in the days after that he preached three or four times, there was an audience of at least three thousand people, and often more than that. He had to remain there for two months, in constant and very useful occupations both for the people and for the religious of both sexes, who openly confessed that they experienced in themselves a new way of thinking and a new desire for their own perfection. The canons also, and the other clergy, were eager to hear from him the way to obtain their own salvation and perfection; and many said they were ready to do everything he urged them to do. Some decided definitely to enter the religious life, and of them some were admitted to the College in Coimbra. One of them was a youth, a canon of the city, who also had other ecclesiastical incomes. And when he went to Coimbra without saying goodbye to his parents they, who had placed great hope in him, sent some men to follow the youth and to bring him back to Porto. But when he was brought to the door of the hospital where ours were staying, and was allowed to enter it, fleeing to the room of one of our Fathers, he notified the men that he would not depart from there. And when his father and other important men of the city came there, and in many ways tried to dissuade him from entering the religious life, and among other things raised the objection of the Fourth Commandment to honor one’s parents, he responded that the First Commandment is to love God above all things, and so he remained firm in the intention of his mind. His mother approached him with many tears; and then she sent his brothers and some other persons and letters. And when they had tried everything in vain, they asked him to return some silk clothes that he had. Listening to this very willingly, he took off all his clothes, including his shoes, and he sent them to them, and he used the clothes of one of his servants. And if he had been permitted to do it, he would have begged for alms publicly throughout the city. Great excitement and change was produced by God in that city, for some had decided to live in perpetual poverty, other to separate themselves from men and to lead the life of a hermit, others to go on a pilgrimage. There were so many Confessions that when a third confessor was sent to Coimbra, and a fourth had joined them in the same city, from morning until the night they could not take care of all who came to them; also, contrary to the local custom, many Confessions were heard in the monasteries and in the other churches. Peace was established between various enemies; old hatreds ceased; restitutions were made; hospitals were visited, and the sick were helped with the sacrament of Penance and alms, which they sought from door to door in the city. While ours were visiting the public prisons, they consoled those detained there with spiritual and temporal assistance. For although now for a long time Lent was over with, no one there had gone to confession, and some were dying without this Sacrament. And for a whole year they had not heard the holy word of God, nor was there anyone who spoke about God. Therefore they began to preach to them and to give assistance in caring for their affairs, and they gave alms to many who were very destitute. The reason was given why they should take part in the sacrifice of the Mass and make use of holy water. A building was given to Strada, and having collected alms for it, he set up a chapel there; there not only those who were in prison, but also others, because it is in a higher place, could see the most holy Body of Christ. And although some priests had received the faculty to celebrate Mass there for one year, because Strada wanted it to continue perpetually, he obtained from the Bishop that a chaplain should be appointed, with a special salary each year, in order to administer the sacraments. He also took care from the alms received to adorn the chapel with sacred images. And he left three honest citizens in order to take care of it, so that, in order to help those detained in prison, they should ask for alms. Then he said farewell to the prison and to the other monasteries, where he was accustomed to preach; and among all of them he left such a desire for his presence that there were those who wanted to follow him on his journey, and they expressed this with many tears; however, he forced all of them to return to their own homes. And with regard to his traveling, everywhere he found hearers eager to receive the word of God, and he refreshed them in the Lord with sacred doctrine. The Archbishop of Braga seriously asked him that, whatever he thought would contribute to the good governance of the archdiocese, he should make known to him, and he promised that he would do all of it. After lunch he also ordered that all should come to hear his sermon. Therefore in a short space of time the large cathedral was completely filled. And when Strada had preached for two hours, he was listened to with such edification and so avidly that, when he reached the ending, it seemed to the audience that he was just beginning. He did not want to leave his hospice, that is, the hospital of the poor. But the Archbishop absolutely wanted to provide them with the necessities with such abundance that they sufficed for the travelers of the Society, who arrived there at that time, and also for the poor. After he had preached there two or three times, he went on to Galicia, where his fame had already preceded him. Hence when he began to preach in a city called Redondela, the man in charge, having rung the bells throughout the city, directed all to come to the sermon. Therefore he had a very large audience with many tears and much devotion. When he had accepted hospitality from a rich cleric, but, as it appeared, a man who was more dissolute than is proper, his host was so moved by his conversation that he said farewell to earthly things and decided definitely to enter a religious order. It happened that some travelers of the Society returned to Coimbra and were taking care of the poor in the hospital. When some good men discovered that one of them belonged to the Society, with great reverence and on bended knees he asked for the return of Fr. Strada, and if they did not obtain that, they said that they were going to go to the Sovereign Pontiff. But Fr. Simon willingly conceded to them, also at the request of the Bishop, that on his return Fr. Strada would remain with them for a month or more. Hence on returning to Coimbra, they accepted the task of sweeping the house, while his companion served as cook, which pleased them much more than the veneration of the people of Porto. Among the things that were done usefully in the city of Porto, a congregation was established for all works of piety, and those who belong to it gather together every Sunday, both to give an account of what has been done by them piously in order to help others, and to plan what things should be done in the future, which seem to be necessary. This journey of Fr. Strada in the kingdom of Portugal gave great publicity to our Institute, and his actions declared the purpose itself of our Institute; hence everywhere they began to speak about it with great admiration. And he began seriously to perform all works of charity, and to seek no temporal recompense, but only the glory of God and the advantage of neighbors that it seemed to be totally new and admirable. Some Bishops and Prelates with great eagerness began to wish for some members of the Society to come to help their dioceses in the spirit, others also sought to improve the College with temporal gifts or to start some new congregations. The King very eagerly continued to favor and help our members.

154. There were some among our students who, with a desire of overcoming and denying themselves, attempted so many things that they needed some restraint. For example, when one of them, being on a pilgrimage, entered a certain church, in which a large crowd of people was irreverently engaged in worldly songs and dances, he climbed to a high place and motioned to them for silence. Now when they were silent, he began to preach on these words of St. Matthew: My house shall be called a house of prayer, and when he started to say a few things, a certain man of dark color approached him and ordered him to keep quiet. When he said he was speaking the words of God, and therefore it was not right for him to remain silent, the man struck him with I know not how many blows; our student rejoiced very much at this, and blessing God for this grace, he wanted to kiss the feet and hand of the one who struck him. And when the latter said: “Don’t you see that this man is drunk?”, he replied that he was not drunk, but that he understood how much good he had received with those blows. And since he did not stop preaching, they wanted to listen to him outside the church, where he preached to them with edification for a long time.

155. Very many were admitted to the Society, but many more were denied entrance. The renovation of vows with many tears took place at Coimbra. In those days a certain noble Saracen came to them, a captain of cavalry (they call such men alcaydes), who among his own claimed another title of honor, but when the Lord illuminated his heart with the light of faith, like a deer hit with an arrow, he could not remain still, and he crossed over from Africa to Portugal. But when the King sent him to Fr. Simon, having been taught the Christian catechism in a short space of time, he was baptized by the Bishop of Ceuta. And having been sent to our College in Coimbra so that he might learn from the example and conversation of ours something more, Christian faith planted deeper roots in him; and he aroused great expectations for his perfection. At this time the Portuguese province of the Society was established, and Fr. Simon installed as the first Provincial in it, and in the whole Society³².

156. In this year, at the request of Cardinal Carpensi, the protector of the Society, Fr. James Lhoost was the first member of the Society to be sent to Sicily with Vicar Argentini of the Episcopacy, who had been recommended by the Cardinal. Therefore when he went to Trapani, he began to teach the boys Christian doctrine, and to hear their confessions often, although in this place the people were embarrassed to go to confession publicly, since it was something new and unusual. He visited the hospitals, while urging the sick to go to confession; and he heard many confessions, not only of them but of many others. He exhorted some slaves of the Christians to accept the Christian religion, and his effort was not in vain with all of them. Together with the Vicar he worked hard for the reformation of some nuns, who lived on their own and without religious discipline; and he strove to bring that about by his sermons, and confessions and with particular conversations. One of these convents, having abandoned its purpose, was fully reformed. Also when in the visitation of the diocese he accompanied the Vicar, he gave sermons, and in the hospitals he strove to instruct and exhort the poor to adopt a correct way of living. But it did happen in a house of the Saracens, after he had heard the confession of an old sick man, that he tried to persuade the Saracens to convert to the faith of Christ; they confessed that they could not arrive at eternal life without the faith of Christ, but they said that they were not yet ready for baptism.

157. From there he went to Xacham³³, and on the occasion of visiting some sick people he exhorted the bystanders to embrace a life worthy of Christians. And with the help of the Vicar he brought about the reform of three convents; and because he began to hear the confessions of some of the nuns, he had hope for the success of their reformation. For, first of all, in private conversations he exhorted them to embrace a life without their own proper possessions. Also, at the direction of the Vicar, he worked hard at examining the priests; so he exhorted them to lead a good Christian life, to faithfully perform their office and to urge others to receive the Sacraments. In various places he did the same thing, both for the clergy and for the convents. He brought one whole monastery to complete reform; another one, which was quite large, he was not able to reform completely, since only some of the nuns were willing to relinquish their own private property. Also when in another convent serious disagreements prevented their progress, he persuaded the Abbess to abdicate her office; peace among all followed, and the secular girls having been removed from the convent, and when the job was given to a certain man to receive, distribute and sell what the nuns produced by their own work, and, with the cloister now established, they were brought to an excellent reformation. Also when he came to Bibbona he arranged similar results, and since the whole convent did not accept reformation, he exhorted this one and that one that, by turning over to the Abbess her personal property, she should begin her own reformation, and this was quite successful.

158. In this year ours resided in India in two places, namely, in Goa and on the coast of Comurim. However, that is so if those in the second place are said to have resided rather than to have traveled through the various places of that province. Departing from there, Fr. Francis Xavier left his companion Francis de Mansilla, with another Spanish priest and three natives who had been advanced to the priesthood. In this year of 1546 Fathers Antonio Criminalis and John Beira were added to them, and they labored there with great fruit of souls for the glory of God. Indeed, through their ministry many accepted the faith of Christ or were confirmed in it. However, two of them were summoned to the Molucca Islands, but others coming from Portugal in this year were sent to take their place. The region is wild and barren; they eat milk, rice, meat and fish; they do not have bread and wine; the ferocity of the people, and their cruelty to each other, had the result that ours lived in constant danger; but since they saw that their work was dedicated to the service of God, they endured the other things cheerfully. Two Princes of the Silani having been baptized in Goa, concerning whose reconciliation a great return of that kingdom to the faith of Christ was hoped, died. And when five religious of the order of St. Francis and other priests went there to instruct the Christians of that province, the works of our members were not necessary. A certain relative of the dead Princes, the King of the region, which is called Candia, at that time accepted the religion of Christ, and a large part of the kingdom followed him.

159. The second place where ours lived permanently was the College in Goa, and Fr. Nicholas Lancillotus was in charge of it, which he did with great effort, patience, prudence and charity, together with the task of teaching the boys. Now these boys had to be from both Indian parents, but not from both Portuguese or from half Portuguese and half Indian parents. For those who are born from an Indian mother and a Portuguese father, they learned from experience, are not suited for the purpose of this College. Although the native boys, as long as they remained untrained, acted like the cattle in a field, or rather, like wild animals of the forest, when they began to be raised with good instruction they were found to have excellent talent, so that they could not only perform the office of interpreters in various languages, but also of preachers, and sometimes with good fruit. The singing of Masses and Vespers, with great spiritual consolation of the audience, on each feast day, because of the excellent training of the same neophytes, resounded throughout the church. Now since in the island of Goa certain temples of idols had been destroyed, their income was applied to the support of the College; and the King ordered that an annual income of two thousand ducats should be assigned to the same. And of the sixty boys, who then were being supported in the College, half of them began to learn Latin, and some of them made good progress. However, this College was not run in the name of the Society; but some of our members remained there to teach the Indian boys and to take care of the College; they also assisted in the teaching of many catechumens and in performing baptisms on Sundays, and they heard the confessions of older Christians, and many of them were general confessions. But partly from too much work, partly from the very hot climate (for they are in the tropical area), Nicholas was overcome with a fever, and beginning to spit much blood, he seemed to have contracted pulmonary tuberculosis. However, being helped by the assistance of those who came this year from Portugal, he was not forced to give up his office of governing. In order to produce more fruit in those regions in the storehouse of the Lord, and so that ours could bear the inclement weather more easily, he thought that houses and Colleges of the Society should be established in several place, so that the youth of those places could be educated in knowledge and piety who, being more suited to the heat of the regions, they could work in cultivating that vineyard of the Lord. And when for this purpose they were mature in doctrine, holiness and age, it was thought that they should be admitted to the Society, if God were to call them. Hence he thought that the whole burden of this College should be borne by the Society, and that the number of youths to be trained should be increased.

160. In the meantime, while these things were going on in these places, Fr. Francis Xavier, along with the companion who had turned over his goods and all the money for the sold ship to the poor in the town of St. Thomas, having spent some time in Malacca, wanted to go from there to Macazares. But when the mayor of this city said that there was a priest, a man noted for his piety, with some other Portuguese men, who was coming to Macazares in a large and well equipped ship, in order to bring them help in all things necessary for those who had recently accepted the faith of Christ, he advised him to remain in Malacca until the ship returned, and that he should give up the idea of going to those islands. Fr. Francis followed the advice of the mayor, and so he remained there for three and a half months. During this time he occupied himself partly with giving sermons, partly with hearing confessions (especially of the poor lying in the hospital, where he was staying). Partly he trained in Christian doctrine the boys who were recently converted to the Christian faith; also he established peace between many soldiers and not a few citizens, who were fighting with each other out of hatred. Each day after sunset he walked through the whole city ringing a bell with his hand, and by its sound he reminded the citizens that they should implore the mercy of God for those who were suffering in Purgatory; not a few boys gathered around him, to whom he was wont to communicate the basic principles of piety. But when the power of the wind subsided, which was opportune for those departing from the island of Macazares, and when he had learned nothing about the things which were done there by a priest and the soldiers, he went to another fortress of the King of Portugal, which was located in the Molucca Islands, the island of Ternate, which was called Maluco by the local people. There are two islands there, which are about sixty miles apart; one of these, locally called Ambueno, has a circumference of about thirty miles; it has a large population, and then contained seven towns of Christians. When Francis arrived there he baptized the children who had not yet been baptized; since many of them died almost immediately, it seemed that God had kept them alive, until he could open the way of salvation for them through Baptism. After he had visited all these places, eight Portuguese ships arrived in the port, and during the next three months, while they were there, they kept Francis busy with many things to do. For, he moved all to piety by his sermons, and he heard their confessions, visited the sick, and helped the dying, and so he prepared them well for their passing from this life. However, what he said was most difficult was dealing with those who, while living, paid no attention to the divine law; for they died with greater diffidence in the divine mercy according as, while they were healthy, they had placed more confidence in their daily crimes and did not allow themselves in any way to be drawn away from them. He was able to establish peace among many soldiers, who for the most part are accustomed to practice the opposite vice.

161. From here the fleet went to India, but he went to Molucca with his companion. Near this island, sixty miles distant, there is another island, which is called Omoro by the inhabitants; there some time ago a large number of people had received Baptism, but after the death of the priests, who had converted them, they were deprived of all teaching of the faith. That region is full of dangers because of the treachery of the people and various kinds of poisons, which they are wont to mix into food and drink. This was the reason why other priests, who look out for the Christians, did not go there. Francis, however, even with danger to his life, after having learned about them, decided to go there as soon as possible. And placing his whole trust in God, he sensed the truth of the words of Christ: Whoever would save his life will lose it; and whoever loses his life for my sake, he will save it. It may be easy to explain the power and meaning of these words, but it is not easy to put them into practice. For when the situation occurs that you expose your life for God, I do not know how it comes about that what before seemed to be a clear precept, is not involved in great obscurity; and then, he said, not even the very learned deduce the power of such a clear precept, unless he accepts them to be taught by the mercy of God. Friends asked Francis insistently not to travel to a place so full of dangers; but after they saw that they were not successful either with requests or with tears, they wanted to arm Francis with certain remedies against the poisons, which he did not accept, lest being burdened with the antidotes, he would also be burdened with fear, which he did not have. And since he placed the protection of his life in the mercy of God, he thought that he would have to fear lest for him, now using other means, the fruit of his faith would be diminished. Therefore, thanking them for all their remedies, he asked only for their prayers to God. Now before he left Molucca, he spent three months there. This city has a Portuguese fortress, from which the access to the other islands is easy, where various spices are to be found. During those three months, according to his way of doing things, he preached often, both on Sundays and on feast days, and daily after lunch he taught catechism to the Christian neophytes; but he explained it publicly on Sundays and feast days also after the noon meal. But there was such a large number of boys and girls, of men and women, which was the fruit of his explanation of church teaching that you would see neither farmers nor fishermen nor any others, whatever way you looked, who were not singing the Lord’s Prayer, the Hail Mary, the Creed, the Hail Holy Queen and doing works of mercy. When in these few days he had very much won over the minds of the people, he went to the islands of Mauri (for that is how we interpret Omoro), where there were many villages of Christians; but because they were situated far from India, and because they had killed a certain priest sent to them, for some time they had not been visited.

162. Therefore, Fr. Francis stayed there for three months, during which time he baptized many infants and young children; he visited all those islands, looking for the locations of the Christians, and he both brought them much spiritual consolation and he himself received it from them. Because of the constant wars raged among themselves, it was very dangerous to dwell in those islands; they are a quite barbarous people; they have no books, so they can neither read nor write. To those whom they hate, they easily give poison to drink; in other respects the region is harsh, and it is very difficult to make a journey, since it is destitute of the things necessary to support the body. They know nothing about wheat, or grapes for wine, or meat; they do not have domestic animals, except for a few pigs, for there are many wild ones in the forest. Many of the places lack clean drinking water, but they do have an abundance of rice; also they have a lot of trees that provide them with food and drink, and they make clothes out of the bark. They are totally lacking in any remedies for illnesses, even though they have many causes of sickness. Hence Francis said it would be much better for the islands to be called Hope in God, rather than Mauri. There is a certain race of people among them, which they call Javaros, who place their happiness in the fact that they kill whomever they can. It is said that they do not spare their own sons, or their own wives, if the others whom they kill do not have them; but they are especially fierce against Christians. There is one of these islands that almost always trembles, and it erupts fire and much ash; the inhabitants say that a huge fire, which is under the earth, burns up the stones themselves, which are below ground (this seems to be reasonable, since it often happens there that glowing stones the size of trees are moved); and when a strong wind blows, so much ash comes down from that mountain that the people, who are cultivating the fields in lower places, return home so full of ashes that only their eyes, nose and mouth can be seen, so that they look more like demons than human beings. The inhabitants also reported that the pigs are blinded and killed by these ashes, because afterwards they find them dead. But on the seashore, when the same winds are blowing, many dead fish are found, because they take in the water mixed with these ashes. And when they asked Francis what the reason was for that, he replied that it was hell, where their souls, which were adoring idols, were being held. And while Francis was celebrating Mass on the feast day of St. Michael, the earth shook so strongly that he feared lest the altar be overthrown.

163. In this journey, when he sailed from the promontory of Comurim to Molucca, he experienced great dangers from storms and also from enemies; the greatest of these dangers was that they were in a large ship, and when a strong wind came up they sailed to shallow waters; they moved slowly for about a mile while the rudder of the ship was always scratching the sand. And if the ship should hit hidden rocks, or encounter too shallow water, which they now thought would happen, the ship would be wrecked and without doubt all would perish. Then the hope of all was placed in God alone, and they so experienced his help that the one who faces dangers for the love of him, as Francis said, really begins to understand that all things are controlled by the power and will of God. However, the fear of death cannot be compared with the consolations of Christ, which he also confers in difficult situations; nor is death to be feared by those whom Christ consoles. And when they have been exposed to dangers, they cannot understand their magnitude with prayer, but the memory of such a benefit remains deeply impressed on the mind; it is strengthened so that they are not discouraged by any work which has been undertaken for the sake of Christ, but they are confirmed in their perpetual veneration of him and their service. However, Francis thought that there was a better opportunity of preaching Christ in Molucca than in India, and so he thought that priests of the Society should be summoned there from India. That region is characterized by countless islands, as he writes, and whether some part of it may be a continent has not been explored. But almost all the islands are well inhabited, and they would easily accept the religion of Christ, if there were those who would bring it to them. And if there were a College of our Institute in the stronghold of the Moluccas, thinking that almost countless people could be added to the religion of Christ, he decided to bring it about that a house of the Society should be established in that remote region of the world. There are more pagans or Gentiles than followers of Mohammed, and they are opposed to the latter with bitter hatred. For the Mohammedans try to force the pagans either to accept the sect of Mohammed or to be subject to the Mohammedans. But since they love their freedom, and hate the name of Mohammed, they are very much opposed to him. They are much more disposed to the religion of Christ. About seventy years before this time the inhabitants of these regions began to follow Mohammed, which resulted from the work of some Imams, who arrived there from Mecca, a city in Arabia, and they attracted a large multitude from the Gentiles to the perfidy of Mohammed. But they are very ignorant in the things pertaining to this sect, and so they can more easily be converted from it to the Christian religion. The people have a dark skin; and there are some islands whose inhabitants eat human flesh, and this happens when they wage wars, and some fall in battle. But if someone contracts a disease and dies, they do not eat the rest of the body, but they cut off the hands and the extreme part of the feet and consider them a delicacy. And their barbarity goes to such an extent that, if a banquet is being splendidly prepared for someone, he asks his neighbor, whose father is very old, that he turn him over to be killed and to be served as food for the guests. But so that this is not done gratis he adds a condition, namely, that in turn he will hand over his own father, after he has become too old, and he can prepare similar food for his guests. And Francis writes that within a month he wants to go there, because he wants to convert those people from their savage crimes to Christian piety. Also there is such excesses of unchecked libido among them that much prayer is necessary to overcome it. However, those islands enjoy a wonderful climate, being covered with large, tall trees, and made fertile with frequent rain. But the towns are located in such difficult and high places that walls are not necessary in order to ward off the attacks of enemies. There cannot be any use for horses for them; there earthquakes are frequent and severe, and the magnitude of the trembling causes unbelievable horror. Several of these islands send forth fire at a great distance, with such a loud noise, that the shooting of cannon balls does not compare with it; and they send forth huge rocks with great force; and although a certain image of hell is made known by God, still it does not turn wicked men away from their sins. Those islands also differ among themselves in the languages used, in fact on the same island this town uses a language different from that one. However, the language of Molucca in quite common in those regions; therefore, when Francis was in those places he would translate the Apostles’ Creed with its brief explanation into that language, and other prayers and the Ten Commandments. In this way he was more easily understood, when he spoke to them about divine things. In the island called Ambueno, Francis saw a she-goat feeding her young with her own milk, and she did this with on teat, which they have next to the genitals; and he drew out milk with his own hands, since otherwise he would not have believed it; then one of the Portuguese nobles sent the she-goat back to Portugal.

164. A Portuguese merchant, who had come from the rich region of China, said that he was asked by an important and good man of that nation whether Christians eat pork meat, and when he responded that Christians do not reject eating that meat, but that he would gladly like to know why he asked that question. Then he said he was talking about China and that there is a nation in the middle of it, surrounded by mountains, different from the surrounding life and customs, which abstains from pork and celebrates many feast days with solemn rites. Francis doubted about whether or not they might be Christians, like the Ethiopians, who embrace some aspects of the old law, or perhaps Jews, about whose status there is some uncertainty; and there were clear indications that they were not Mohammedans. But there was reason to suspect that they were Christians descended from those who were converted to the faith by St. Thomas, because not a few reported that the Apostle had entered the region of China and had brought a large multitude to Christ, and the Greek Church, before the Portuguese came to India, was accustomed to send Bishops to many places, where they instructed the Christians converted by St. Thomas and those descended from them.

165. In this year Fr. Francis urged, through letters sent to the King of Portugal, that he should send preachers to the places where the Portuguese fortresses and people were living, unless, in the course of time, he wanted those people to fall away from the faith of Christ because of the lack of teaching; and he also urged that an office of the Holy Inquisition should be established in India, lest the many, who had been converted to the faith of Christ from the perfidy of the Saracens or of the Jews, should return in various way to their former way of life. Partly he himself, and partly Lancillotus, say that it is very necessary for them to have the faculty of absolving in the cases reserved in the Bull Coenae, so they can dispense from vows, and also from the vow of making a pilgrimage to the shrine of the Apostles and to the shrine of Santiago de Compostela³⁴.

166. During this year the fruit of the Society began to spread out farther, both that of our Society and of ours in various places of Europe and of the missions in India. Only two Colleges were started, as was reported above, one in Bologna and the other in Valladolid³⁵.

The Year 1547

167. At the beginning of 1547, and during the whole year, the Society increased greatly in Rome and everywhere to the glory of God, and her ministries no less; her good reputation also increased significantly. Hence, since from many places Fr. Ignatius was urged to send workers into the vineyard of the Lord, he was able to keep a few in Rome; they, however, with the help of God, performed the offices of many at the same time. Now Fr. Ignatius was freed from the burden of the convent of St. Martha, since he established a society of men and another one of Roman women, who took care of that work of piety. Fr. Andreas Frusius began to preach in our church; but also Jerome Otellus, who was not yet an ordained priest, began in Rome to show talent for preaching, joined with wonderful enthusiasm and simplicity — in the convent of St. Martha, in the hospital for the incurables, and in other places. He preached so often that, in some weeks, he would preach seven or ten times. However, it happened that, as he was going to preach to the nuns in the convent of St. Anne, he divided the sermon into two parts; and in the first part he exhorted the religious to observe true poverty, and not to keep anything as their own. And when he saw that they were motivated to give up these things, he said: “Now, while I rest a little before proceeding to the second part of the sermon, go to your rooms, and whatever things you have as your own bring to the feet of the Abbess, since now you have understood that, if you keep even a needle as your own, it could bring you to hell.” They got up immediately, went to their rooms, and opened their small chests, and then brought all that they contained and laid them at the feet of the Abbess; and so then they heard the second part of the sermon. Jerome did not see all of that, since a curtain prevented him from seeing the nuns, but when he finished the sermon, the Abbess approached him and with great spiritual joy told him what he had accomplished¹.

168. The Secretary of the Society was busy hearing confessions, and in the morning he gave a sermon in the church and a lecture after lunch; and in the meantime he did not omit his duty of serving in the kitchen or the refectory. The same assumed the office of Procurator General and also that of explaining Christian doctrine. At the beginning of this year he worked in Pistoia, and each week he preached in eight convents of nuns, and not without great fruit he took care to introduce them to spiritual meditations. On feast days he preached in the largest church of the city (a church which the Bishop wanted to give to the Society). Meanwhile, he did not omit giving the exhortations and spiritual instructions to the congregation which was mentioned above. And because many persons, both ecclesiastics and laymen, consulted him for the sake of making spiritual progress, and a significant fruit in that city could be hoped from it, he worked at developing some rule for them so that they might make progress and help others through their works of piety. When he had arranged with the Duke and Duchess separately some works of charity for the spiritual benefit of themselves or their subjects, and had preached in many places in Florence, because their relatives were very hostile to him, in the month of March he was called to Rome by Fr. Ignatius².

169. By himself and by his followers Ignatius won over the mind not only of the Pontiff, but also that of the Cardinals, and Prelates and their representatives, which the important princes of Rome are wont to have. Here is an example of what I mean. John de Vega, who was the spokesman for the Emperor, Charles V, and then the Viceroy of Sicily, had written to Bishop Philip Archinto, Vicar of the fair city, in commendation of Fr. Ignatius and the Society; but the Vicar responded that he accepted that commendation with the agreement that on the other hand when something occurred he could commend Ignatius and his religious house to the same Viceroy, and he asks his indulgence, if he contends with him concerning good will towards the Society. Also Cardinal de Mendoza, then the Bishop of Coria, but afterwards of Burgos, since he sincerely loved Ignatius and his companions, and wanted to have some help from one of them regarding the Spiritual Exercises, began to act concerning the establishment of a College of the Society in Salamanca. But when he understood that Doctor Michael de Torres had entered the Society, and that he could be sent to Salamanca, the Cardinal was very pleased upon hearing about this. For he was a lover and patron of such doctors, and had often made use of the friendship of Doctor Michael de Torres in Rome. Although in 1546, as has been said, he had pledged himself to the Society in Rome, and had confirmed it with a vow, nevertheless, because he had been sent to Rome by the major College in Alcalá on important business, until he had returned to Alcalá and given an account of the affair, he was not able openly to manifest his life’s intention. But in this year, with the business taken care of, he said that he was ready to place himself under obedience. Hence by the favor of Cardinal de Mendoza the beginnings of the College in Salamanca were committed to Doctor Michael de Torres, although he did not go to Salamanca until the following year³.

170. Now since the Viceroy of Sicily, John de Vega, and his wife, Lady Eleanor Osorio, a women of great piety, wanted to make use of the work of the Society, not only for their own progress, but also for the direction or establishment of many pious works in the kingdom of Sicily, Fr. Ignatius called Fr. Jerome Domenech back from Bologna and sent him to Sicily. There he became the confessor of the Viceroy, and a vigorous cooperator in the many works of charity, as will be explained below.

171. Fr. Martin de Santa Cruz came to Rome, who was the Rector of the College in Coimbra, because the income assigned by the King to the College, as often happens in the beginning, was subject to litigation; and so that the matter might be settled by the authority of the Apostolic See, he had to consult with the curia of the Sovereign Pontiff. But Ignatius, who was most attentive to spiritual things, thought that such temporal things should not be handled in our house, even by others. Therefore, he did not want Fr. Martin to remain in our professed house, but with the ambassador of the King of Portugal, and to be dressed like secular priests. For, he thought that law suits and other matters of this kind, which are quite familiar to people dealing with secular affairs, were not fitting for our professed house⁴.

172. A few pious women, during the past year and at the beginning of this year, by the will of the Sovereign Pontiff, were placed under the obedience of the Society. But they caused so much trouble for Ignatius, who was busy with more useful things, and thinking that such work in the future was not suitable for the Society, he pleaded with Pope Paul III that such women, or even nuns for any reason, either in common or in private, should never be allowed to live under obedience to ours. In this year on June 13 he was granted this request⁵.

173. The Vicar of the fair city urged Ignatius to designate someone of the Society to take care of the examination of those who were to be promoted to Holy Orders; and although this was a very pious work, Fr. Ignatius judged that it was less suitable for our Society. But he could not totally refuse this to the Vicar, who was so favorable to our Society. So he added this condition — that ours would not determine who were thought to be fitting, or not fitting, but that they would refer to the Vicar, or to his representative, what they discovered in the examination. He also added that those being considered should first make a general confession to one of ours; then, if they wanted to be examined, they would be examined by someone else responsible for this. And he added that in this way he would make a trial, as a favor to the Vicar, as to whether or not this accepted task contributed to the honor of God; thus if by experience it was found not to be so, he would be allowed to turn it over to the Vicar. But since this task later was given up by the Vicar, it was discovered to be sufficiently clear that it was less suitable for the Society and for the glory of God. Also at this time in the parishes of the city, one of ours was giving a lecture on things pertaining to their duties. When the man taking the place of the Vicar was present at it, he proposed a penalty for those who missed the lecture without a good reason. The explanation of Christian doctrine, and the confession of boys, continued as usual. In this same year there was an attempt by a certain religious, a very pious man, to unite into one body with our Society a certain congregation of priests, who were called Longobards of Somascha; but Fr. Ignatius modestly said that it did not seem to him that this would be for the glory of God. Therefore, they were joined together with the order of clerks regular, who took their name from Cardinal Theatine⁶.

174. Although we have already said that communities were established in Valencia and Gandia, nevertheless a superior had not yet been appointed, who would have the office of Rector for them. Therefore, Ignatius wrote a letter to both communities, and with many reasons showed that a superior was necessary for them, to whom they would be as obedient as they would be to himself, and who would be endowed with all the authority with which he could rule, as if Ignatius himself were present. He also wrote that, if someone did not want to obey this superior, he should leave the Society. Then he said they should use the method of election of this Rector, which the original Society used in the election of the General; and he wanted this to be observed until something else was decreed by the published constitutions; and the one whom they elected, he now approved. And he added that this method was to be used as long as no one there was professed⁷.

175. Gerard, a venerable man and Prior of the Carthusians at Cologne, since he loved ours, who were working in Cologne for the Lord, and helped their poverty also with some temporal support, and also had admitted many religious trained by the works of ours and especially by the Exercises, bestowed on the whole Society a share in the prayers and all good works of his monastery. Therefore, Fr. Ignatius, when thanking him with an official letter, on his part made his monastery a participator in all the good works of the Society. And when the same Prior asked for some seeds blessed by the Sovereign Pontiff, by which abundant graces of apostolic generosity were conferred, while transmitting seven small balls to him, he said that he was wont to demand from those to whom he gave them that, if they had never made a general confession of their whole life, they should do it once, and after that, at least once a month, to receive the Sacraments of Confession and then Communion⁸.

176. There was no separate house of probation in Rome. However, those who were admitted, besides making the Spiritual Exercises, and working in hospitals in both spiritual and corporal ministries, were sent to seek alms on the streets and the busy places in the city, and also to preach at the cross roads, and in other ways to overcome the love of one’s own honor and estimation of self. But when that had been done two or three times by men who were otherwise serious and mature, Ignatius no longer permitted them to go out. For he did this by permitting such things at the beginning, so that by overcoming the sentiment of excellence they would acquire for themselves greater freedom in the Lord, joined with humility, and where necessary they could use this foolishness in the eyes of the world for their own edification so that it would not seem to be hard or too difficult. During this same year the custom of writing every fourth month and doing other things for the unity of the Society, which was to be nourished by the communication of letters, were established by Ignatius⁹.

177. Those who were at the Council of Trent at the beginning of this year were in no way idle, since two congregations were held daily — in the mornings on the reformation of morals and in the afternoons on the dogmas of the faith. A session on justification was held on January 13 of this year; and when it was concluded, they began to consider the Sacraments. Cardinal Santa Cruz, a Legate, saw to it that ours gathered together the errors of the heretics, as was said above. According as they were assembled by them and proposed, so they were presented by the Legates to the congregation of theologians. First of all there were the errors on the sacraments in general; secondly on Baptism; and thirdly on Confirmation; the Fathers, with the great approval of all, gave their opinions about these matters. Fr. Canisius writes these words: “Setting aside all feelings, I can truly testify that there are many learned theologians here from everywhere, who judge keenly, carefully and wisely about the most important matters; but among all of these, there are no others more appreciated and admired than these two, Laynez and Salmeron. While the space of one hour is given to a few theologians to speak, three hours and more, I think, are given by the presiding Cardinal to Fr. Laynez to present his ideas.” And to the same Fathers the task was given to cite the places from the past holy Councils, from the decrees of the Sovereign Pontiffs and from the writings of the holy Doctors, where these errors were condemned. Accordingly also these were given to the Legates by ours, and then they were given to the theologians to be examined. Nevertheless, Fr. James Laynez continued with his work of preaching. Then Ignatius ordered Fr. Laynez to go to Florence, but Cardinal Santa Cruz, a Legate of the Apostolic See, replied to Ignatius that he was going to keep him in Trent for the sake of the public advantage of the Church, since he had given him the task of gathering together the errors mentioned above. And he asked Ignatius to accept cheerfully that he would keep Laynez there for a while longer; nevertheless, at the first sign of the will of Ignatius, even if he wanted the work to remain unfinished, he promised that he would release Laynez. But since Ignatius understood that these activities were very important, and since the Vicar of the Pope, Archintus, who also was at Trent, said that ours could not produce greater fruit anywhere else in the world, since their talents were being used daily, he agreed that Laynez should not be recalled as long as the Council was in session. On the third day of March the seventh session was celebrated on the Sacraments. And on the eleventh day of the same month, with a motu proprio, the Sovereign Pontiff thought that the Council should be moved to another city because of the danger of foul air; he also decreed that the Council must be transferred to Bologna so that the eighth session could be celebrated there on the eleventh day of the same month. For, because a certain sickness was spreading around (commonly called petechial), they feared that there would be a plague. At the time there was with ours, namely, Fathers Laynez, Jay and Salmeron, also Master Peter Canisius, who had come there from Cologne; and at the conclusion of the Council session, they were all supposed to depart from there. But it happened very well for Fr. Jay that, before he departed, he received a letter from the Bishop of Colonna, which contained the following words: “We wish to inform your holiness that I presented your petition about refusing the bishopric of Trieste to his royal Majesty; and his royal Majesty, having considered your request and that of your brother priests, kindly frees you from assuming the office of this Episcopate.” He speaks about the brother priests, because both Fr. Ignatius and Fr. Bobadilla had written to the King, and also Cardinal Carpensi, as the protector of the Society, had done the same thing. This matter filled Jay with admirable happiness. Therefore, when the Council was concluded, they all went to Italy, and Fr. Canisius was with them. Previously he had been sent by the Archbishop of Cologne to the Emperor, and he obtained everything he asked for. But then when he was sent by Cardinal Augustano to Trent, he left the brothers in Cologne, which was necessary for a good part of the year. Fathers Laynez and Salmeron, who were subject to the Legates, were sent by them on March 14 from Trent to Bologna. Jay, however, since he had been sent to the Council by Cardinal Augustano, could not so easily leave Trent; the reason is especially since the Cardinal of Trent, whose name was Augustani, told him not to leave from there, and in this matter he was following the example of the Spanish Bishops who, in order to please the Emperor, did not want the Council to be moved elsewhere. Later, however, he obtained permission from the Cardinal, so that he could be obedient to his superiors, and together with Canisius he went to Padua, although Fr. Ignatius had ordered him also to go to Bologna. Therefore, when Fr. Salmeron arrived in Padua with Fr. Laynez, he became gravely and dangerously ill; when writing to Ignatius he bears witness to this that he accepted the beneficial signs from the Lord, not only because he gave him all the Sacraments of the Church, and the loving companionship of Fr. Laynez and of the other companions, but because in that extreme danger he had given him the grace that, with great joy, he conformed himself to the divine will, and also with deep knowledge of his sins, and his own misery, and with great hope he relied on the divine mercy. But it pleased God, in addition to the hope of the doctors and of all the others, to revive him and as it were to bring him back from the dead. In the meantime, Cardinal Santa Cruz, the Legate, with his letters was urging Fr. Laynez that, if he could do it without the inconvenience of Fr. Salmeron, who already was beginning to feel somewhat better, he should come to Bologna as soon as possible, because the consideration of the article on Penance among the theologians had already begun. And he also asked him to bring with him what both he and Fr. Salmeron had worked out in Trent concerning this matter. After his departure, which took place three days after Easter and in the company of Fr. Canisius, Fr. Salmeron regained his health in a short space of time; and he was so well that he attributed this to a special gift of God, because, in his great weakness caused by the fever, he returned to his original condition so quickly. Salmeron thought that his recovery was due to the prayer of Fr. Ignatius and others. Meanwhile, since Fr. Jay had come from Trent, they went to Venice to greet the Prior of Holy Trinity and then they went to Bologna. They found Fr. Laynez already occupied in the things pertaining to the Council. For, since he had expressed his views on the Sacrament of Penance for three hours, at the request of the Legates, he still had to say something about the other Sacraments. Therefore he could be called away from the Council only with difficulty, so that he could go to Florence according to the direction of Fr. Ignatius. He was also busy hearing confessions, and he began to preach in the church of St. Peronius to a large audience, and this was done well and with fruit, as was hoped. In the meantime, from the alms partly from the Bishops, partly from the people, he tried to establish a convent for converted fallen women. But although Fr. Claude had come to Bologna for the Council, still he could not take part in it, as the representative of Cardinal Augustani, since the Bishops, who wanted to please the Emperor Charles, both from Spain and from other countries, were still in Trent. For this reason, although various congregations were held, there, as the Vicar of the Pope writes, ours conducted themselves very well, while no session was held in Bologna concerning dogmas or the reformation. For the ninth and tenth sessions, held in the following April and June, contain nothing other than postponements. And so the Council at the end of this year and the beginning of the next year was either suspended or dissolved until Julius III, towards the end of 1550, decreed that it should be resumed in Trent¹⁰.

178. In this year Fr. Francis Palmius, who formerly was a student of the Society, and saw to it that the College should start some works of pious persons, in the month of June consecrated himself totally to the Society. Thus the man who was thought well of by other members of the Society obtained from the Lord the same grace of a vocation along with them. Fr. Paschase came to Bologna from Faenza (where he left a good reputation, and a strong desire for him to stay there), and he worked in the vineyard of the Lord during all of Lent with great success hearing confessions and giving the Spiritual Exercises. Also Cardinal Santa Cruz, a Legate, went to confession to him every week; but when he had contracted a pain in his head from too much work, at the advice of the same Cardinal, in order to recover his health, he went to some baths near Montepulciano; and when water was poured over his head he felt much better. But he was not completely idle there, for at times he administered the Sacraments, and he also provided clothes for some poor girls from the donations from others who were using the same water treatment. In the villa which the brother of the Cardinal had (they call it Vivum) he gave the Spiritual Exercises both to the brother of the Cardinal and to his wife, and then he heard their general confessions. In addition he went to Montepulciano and helped many people; among others, he gave the Spiritual Exercises to three sisters of Cardinal Santa Cruz; and when he had heard the confession of many people, not a few of which were general confessions of their whole life, and had left several people well versed in spiritual meditations, and had brought about the serious reformation according to their state in life, he returned to Bologna, where he was busy for the whole year bringing in a very abundant harvest. And through his work the Spiritual Exercises, especially those of the First Week, which are followed by a general confession, were given frequently to persons of both sexes, for sometimes twelve people at the same time made the Exercises. He also gave much assistance to the nuns of a certain convent, which was divided, in a scandalous way, because of mutual discord. Meanwhile, Fr. Francis Palmius was preaching, and he also heard many confessions; for, Fr. Salmeron was occupied day and night with the affairs pertaining to the Council. For, although no sessions were being held, still there were continuous committee meetings, and besides what had been said about the Sacraments, they were also considering indulgences and purgatory. Fr. Salmeron had, and sometimes exercised, authority received from the Legate Santa Cruz of absolving those who had fallen into the errors of the Lutherans; for the divine Goodness was calling some back to a more healthy mind. The same Salmeron also gave his ideas about the sacrifice of the Mass during the space of two days, and he did it to the great satisfaction of the hearers, if he ever touched on some other matters. However, the Cardinal noticed that he was overburdened with studies and projects, because the congregations were demanding too much, so he ordered him to stop composing the various summaries that he had commissioned him to make. Although at the urging of Fr. Ignatius they were carefully seeking a suitable place for the Society, still they found nothing appropriate for our Institute, even though Cardinal Santa Cruz himself offered his assistance. Meanwhile, in the church of St. Lucy the Sacraments were administered to so many people that on the feast of Christmas almost six hundred received Holy Communion. And not a few who either lived secretly in heresy or had incurred an excommunication for reading heretical books were restored to the unity of the Church; and there were not lacking those among the nobility who made progress in the Spiritual Exercises¹¹.

179. Fr. James Laynez departed from Bologna, and he did it with the blessing of Cardinal Santa Cruz, after he and three others, namely, Claude, Salmeron and Canisius, had given him their opinions; and while Fathers Claude and Salmeron remained at the Council, about the middle of June with Canisius as his companion, who was called to Rome in the fall, he arrived in Florence, and he began to preach to huge crowds in the cathedral to the great satisfaction of all. Although for a dwelling an old friend, Dr. John de Rosis, who was a physician, very kindly offered his house and everything necessary, and many others offered similar things, still Fr. Laynez thought it would be more for the glory of God and edification of others, and more in accord with our vocation, if they lived in a hospital; and so they lodged in the hospital of St. Paul, which is located in a convenient place in the city, and they lived from the alms offered by Dr. Peter de Toledo, provided, it was thought, by the Duchess. Fr. Laynez preached during the octave of St. John, for during that time the city was accustomed to hear the word of God with great devotion. On the first day he preached about St. John himself, but on the following days about the themes in John, namely, about the kingdom of God and about how to obtain it; and as Fr. Laynez admits, he received the special help of God, beyond what he had hope for or even desired. And Fr. Frusius said that he had never heard anything more perfect, or even hoped that he would hear it, regarding the spirit, doctrine and everything else which those sermons contained. Although they were ferial days, still the number and attention and satisfaction grew, and the admiration and the fruit (as they seemed to say vocally and with their heart — a man has never spoken like that man, as Frusius said) both for ecclesiastics and for the lay people. And contrary to the custom, they asked him to continue preaching after the octave. Moreover the canon of the cathedral urged him to preach in their cathedral during the following Lent. And many were seeking eagerly for a suitable place to establish a College. And so, while he was preaching, they offered him six or seven places. Also several influential men with the Duke and Duchess commended his sermons as something rare and unusual, and so they also happily offered their help. A sign also of the produced fruit was that, after the octave of St. John, many and among them Alexander Strozzius urged him to preach and give a lecture on something to the people either in the cathedral or in the church of St. Laurence. Also important men and among them the Vicar, and Dr. Stephen Columna, who was the head of the army for the Duke, began to use his help in grave matters. But when the canons, as was their custom, offered him money as an alms, and although he refused to accept it and still they urged him to accept it, finally they reached an agreement that the money should be given to the poor as an alms, and that the head of the chapter should be the dispenser of it; this also contributed to their edification. Now in the hospital they had a good place both for the celebration of Mass and to hear confessions. In the afternoon of the seventeenth of July he began to lecture on the first letter of St. John, and he had a large audience from which he hoped for no less fruit than when he preached during the octave of St. John. Also at the request of some important men he began to preach in three or four convents of nuns. When in the name of the Duke he was asked to preach in the cathedral in the following Lent, he said that he would do it. Nevertheless he continued to preach in various places, and often it was also necessary for him to hear some confessions. But when Fr. Ignatius, under pressure from the Bishop of Perugia, wrote to Laynez that he should go to that city, his friends in Florence were very unhappy about that, but on the fourth day of September he said goodbye to the people after his lecture, but he said that he would return soon. There were more than three thousand people who came to the lectures, and from the great eagerness with which they heard the word of God they showed that they were getting much fruit from them¹².

180. But when he arrived in Perugia, as Fr. Ignatius had ordered, wishing to please the Legate and the Bishop, and indeed the city itself, who were asking for someone from our Society, he went immediately to the Legate (because the Bishop was out of town), and being kindly received by him and by some of the important men, he wanted to reside in the hospital. And as long as the curia of the Pontiff was there, and the time of harvest kept the people busy, it seemed to the Legate that a lecture should be given rather than a sermon. Therefore, he began to explain the Lord’s Sermon on the Mount, with a large number of hearers that grew each day, although at that time (because Peter Aloysius, the son of the Sovereign Pontiff, had been killed in Perugia) the city was disturbed politically, so that Julius Oradinus, in the name of the College of doctors, bore witness to this with a letter sent to Fr. Ignatius. Nevertheless the city itself, and the Legate, with great edification and the glory of God made progress both by the lectures on Holy Scripture, by the sermons (for which he was invited later), by the confessions, and by the other works of piety usually done by the Society. Therefore they requested this from Ignatius, namely, that he would leave Laynez there to give sermons during Advent. But the promise given to the Florentines hindered this. Indeed, at the time the Bishop was in Milan, but with official letters to Ignatius, and to Fr. Laynez himself, he said that he was very pleased with his activities and that he was thinking about some perpetual work. And some nobles and pious men, who had been trained by him in private to pray and to meditate, and the city itself, after the war and the chastisement by the Pontiff, was more humble and more disposed toward improvement, and seemed to be inclined to that very thing. Therefore, this was the beginning of the special benevolence of the city of Perugia towards the Society. Hence certain friends, after some years, being mindful of this Father, sought and obtained a College of our Society¹³.

181. Now in the first part of this year Fr. Andreas Frusius and Jerome Otello, a deacon, were sent to Florence and in the beginning they did not find the door very open for the exercise of the Society’s ministries, and for some time they stayed with the physician mentioned above, John de Rosis. But when they began to give some exhortations in a few convents of nuns and, during Holy Week, preached on the passion of our Lord on Good Friday, then they found a beginning to use their talents. Therefore when Fr. Andreas preached in a certain church, he invited the people to come and learn Christian doctrine, or that they should go to the parish church of St. Paul, which had been given to them for this purpose and for the hearing of confessions. Therefore, after Vespers, a large crowd of people gathered there, both of adults and of children, and three times each week Fr. Andreas taught them catechism. They also visited hospitals to console the sick. Jerome preached in two places outside and near the city, and a large crowd coming from the nearby villages was present to hear the word of God. They wanted Jerome, who was not yet a priest, to say Mass for them and to hear their confessions. It was for this reason that Fr. Ignatius thought about advancing him to the priesthood. The Vicar had given him permission to preach throughout the whole diocese, as he did for other members of the Society, and out of his benevolence he wanted to write this out with his own hand. He also gave various sermons to the confraternities in which a large number of Florentines were accustomed to gather together. He also helped Fr. Andreas in his teaching of Christian doctrine, after he had explained what was necessary from the elevated platform. Therefore, the important men were well disposed towards the Society, and especially the Duchess, since at the beginning of this year she had received some writings from a member of the Society, which pertained to the common good and edification of her soul. In friendly conversations also Fr. Andreas began to console and help spiritually some leading men of the city. He also undertook to give the Spiritual Exercises to some men and to urge them to strive for perfection, and such a change of life took place in them that it seemed to be a sign of the right hand of the Most High. In the month of June a church in the middle of the city was given to Jerome Otello, so that the one who so far had preached the word of God in monasteries could now perform the same function for the population of the city. But such a large audience appeared that immediately it was found necessary to move from the church to a larger place; and his hearers seriously adopted a change of life (as was heard from some who were present). He also visited sick citizens in order to encourage and console them. On the third day after Pentecost Jerome moved the hearers so much that the people all together with great bewailing raised their voice to implore the mercy of God. Now at almost the same time Dr. Peter de Torres was working with the prefect of the church of St. John, whose responsibility it is to provide a preacher for the cathedral, to bring Fr. Laynez back from Bologna so that he would preach during the whole octave (as was said above). But Jerome was so ardent in his preaching that when he had preached early in the morning in a church outside the walls, which is called St. Christopher, he gave a second sermon, before noon, in a church called Heavenly Mountain, and after lunch in the usual church, which was named for St. Mary de Ricci. And there was among the women, who wanted eagerly to listen to him, one rich lady, not accustomed to go walking, who wanted to attend all three sermons. A confraternity followed him so eagerly that, when the members were impeded by some rules concerning other pious occupations from being able to come to listen to him, they decided to change the rules so they could enjoy his sermons. Then he was forced to move the sermons to the church of Dr. Michael because it was much larger, so that they could continue after the arrival of Fr. James Laynez. But since through these many labors, because he punished his body by fasting, he became paler and thinner, one of our friends, a medical doctor, wrote to Fr. Ignatius and offered his assistance, if he would grant to him the care of Jerome, in matters pertaining to the body. A church for preaching during Advent was offered to the same Jerome by the head of the collegiate church of St. Laurence, which has a remarkable pulpit, and they promised him many things. He, however, rejected the above proposal and in the meantime continued to preach at the church of St. Michael. And still he did not stop preaching in the churches of the Florentine villages and towns with edification and with the good odor of the Society. And when it was made known to them that he was going to depart from there, they were not happy about his leaving them. The parish of St. Michael testified that it had gained an abundant fruit from his sermons, and on the feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin two hundred and fifty people received Communion; many also had decided to receive Communion every month. Also Fr. Andreas Frusius, using the writings of Fr. Laynez, began to give lectures on the first letter of St. Peter to a large audience; he also gave the Spiritual Exercises to some soldiers and other persons¹⁴.

182. Meanwhile, when Cardinal Augustine was restored to his Church by the Emperor Charles V, after his victory over the heretical Princes in Germany, by a letter he called Fr. Claude back to Germany. About him the same Cardinal Augustine wrote to Fr. Ignatius, saying that if ever anyone was useful to Germany, it was Fr. Claude at this time, and in the future he could offer so much that the Society could not do anything more pleasing to God than to send him back to Germany. For he said that he had already been introduced to the church of Augustine, where he began to celebrate Mass and preach; and he said that the arrival and work of Fr. Claude was necessary for the honor of God and of the holy Apostolic See, and the exaltation of the Holy Church. His return, however, was hindered by the situation mentioned below. Hercules, the Duke of Ferrara, was asked by the Archdeacon of Modena, who was called Guido of the Guidonians, and was of the same mind with the Duke, whether someone who has so many ministers through whom he administers his territory, money and temporal goods, whether, I say, he has someone who could give good advice and help to him in the things that pertain to the salvation of his soul. The Duke replied with tears that he had no one, and he asked the same Guido that he should send someone to him experienced in the things pertaining to the spirit, and also learned in the things that concern doctrine and the solving or problems of conscience. He said this because he had decided to make a complete change in his life, and he promised that he would do everything pertaining to his soul according to the advice of such a man in his own personal life and in his government. And he said that he sought nothing else from that man except that he say to him freely what is the truth in all things. Guido promised his help and immediately he directed his thoughts to the Society, and of the three, any one of them seemed to him to be suitable, namely, Fathers Laynez, Paschase or Claude; but because he treated the Society with great benevolence, he did not propose one of them to the Duke before he had written to Fr. Ignatius. Therefore he did write; because the Duchess was of the royal blood of the kings of France, but caught up in the errors of the heretics, he indicated slightly that he thought French Father would be more suitable. But when Fr. Ignatius said that the help of the Society would not be lacking to the Duke, a good friend, and that he left the whole matter in his hands, happily Guido suggested Claude Jay to the Duke, whom the rumor of the refused bishopric had made more illustrious among many people. Then the Duke through his ambassador made his mind known to the Sovereign Pontiff, and he very willingly allowed the Duke to have Claude. Therefore, in the name of the Pontiff Cardinal Farnese wrote to Cardinal Santa Cruz, a Legate of the Council, this decision of the Sovereign Pontiff that he should send Fr. Claude from the Council, whenever his assistance was considered necessary by the Duke of Ferrara. For he could not deny this to the Prince, who was requesting it for the honor of God and for the help of his own soul and the soul of his subjects because of the paternal affection with which the Sovereign Pontiff regarded him. The Duke also, having received the letter from Rome from the Legate, asked Claude to come towards the end of July. Now although his work and that of Fr. Salmeron, after the departure of Fr. Laynez, was very useful to the Legate in things pertaining to the Council, nevertheless he agreed to let Claude go to the Duke, but he did so after both of them had given their ideas on the matters that pertain to purgatory, and indulgences and the sacrifice of the Mass, and after they had completed a summary of the ideas pertaining to those subjects. But Fr. Ignatius, having been consulted by Claude as to how he ought to conduct himself with the Duke, with kind words signified his desire with the whole Society of serving the Duke of Ferrara, who was the first ruling Prince in the beginning of the young Society to help her with his favor and assistance. And he said that this opportunity of helping him should be eagerly embraced as a way of showing our gratitude to His Excellency. And then he said with regard to how to proceed, whether through preaching, or through the explanation of the catechism, or other spiritual exercises, there should be one response, namely, since he is being sent by His Holiness to the Duke that he should do what he judged to be for the glory of God, and allow himself to be directed in all things by the Duke himself, and to have him as his Superior in the things that pertain to the service of God and assistance to him and his subjects, as long as he was in Ferrara. And he also said if the Duke gave him permission, he should devote himself to whatever works of piety he wished to do according to the nature of our Institute. Therefore, with the permission of the Legates de Monte and Santa Cruz (with whom he agreed that he would return, when it was necessary to treat new things in the Council) he arrived in Ferrara on the feast day of St. Laurence. When he gave the letter of Cardinal Santa Cruz to the Duke, he was kindly received by him; and said to him that he had called him to do pious works pertaining to others and to himself. In the meantime, in the hospital of St. Anne he rendered assistance both to the poor sick people, who were in need of consolation and spiritual help, and also to outsiders by hearing confessions and giving them the Spiritual Exercises. But when there was a discussion about the union of all the hospitals in Ferrara, he was present at the meetings of the ecclesiastics and secular nobles who were dealing with this matter. The Duke ordered that a suitable dwelling should be provided for him in the hospital and everything he needed. In a certain pious place for orphaned girls he heard many confessions of people of both sexes, and he administered the Sacrament of the Eucharist to many. He also gave sermons there, since he knew it was pleasing to the Duke (who had established that work); and he also offered Mass daily in the large hospital of St. Anne. But after a little time the large number of hearers could not be contained in the church of the orphans, which is called Maria de la Rosa. In the meantime, the number of those going to confession and receiving Communion constantly increased; he also visited the Bishop, who was Cardinal Salviatus who, in giving him all his authority, very willingly made use of his help for as long as he remained in Ferrara. Also in his friendly conversations with many people he provided them with consolation and assistance in the Lord; and he brought consolation and the help of the Sacraments to the poor not in just one hospital. He confessed that he experienced much more consolation among the bad smells and sufferings of the sick in the hospital than he did among the good odors of the court¹⁵.

183¹⁶. Now since the head of the hospital of St. Paul was also the pastor of the church of St. Felicity, he asked his guests¹⁷ that, since Jerome at times had preached the word of God in the parish of St. Michael, he should also preach to his own people in the church of St. Felicity. That is a large and remarkable church, and when Jerome preached there, as the number so also the fruit in the hearers could be increased. Neither the distance, nor the wind, nor the rain prevented the listeners from coming there. Also many other parishes wanted his presence in their churches and invited him to preach, especially on the feast days that were accustomed to be celebrated by them. So he was wont to reply positively to those who were the first to ask him. And after he had finished the sermons of Advent in a fruitful manner, he was sent to Prato, which is a town near Florence, in order to receive Holy Orders¹⁸.

184. When Cardinal Santa Cruz knew that Fr. Laynez was to be sent to Perugia, he asked that he also go to Gubbio (the episcopacy of which was under his care); for it is about twenty miles from Perugia. And when he had stayed there for only eleven days, he gave six sermons, at the request of the Vicar, in the convents of nuns subject to the Cardinal about things pertaining to their vocation. And surely, as the Vicar testified, he labored with no little fruit, because the nuns admitted that they had never heard or understood matters of this kind. He also preached to the people, with such a large audience that such a large crowd was not accustomed to hear the word of God even during the time of Lent. And having been consulted concerning the doubts that bothered the consciences of some people, and other things pertaining to the Holy Scriptures, he responded in such a way that he gave satisfaction and consolation to all. This was evident from the gifts (which were not accepted) and other things with which the citizens showed their good will towards him.

185. Also because the citizens of Montepulciano obtained from Fr. Ignatius that at least in his journey Fr. Laynez would bring them some spiritual consolation, after leaving Gubbio he went there, and for three whole days he preached to the people to their great satisfaction, and once in a convent of the order of St. Clare. Some people spoke with him about matters of conscience and he also heard the confessions of many persons. The Archpriest, a leading man of the city, was always present at his sermons, and he showed great benevolence towards the Society. He greatly desired that one of our members would be there for a certain length of time. Therefore, when Laynez arrived in Florence, although he found Fr. Andreas Frusius occupied in a holy manner in giving lectures on Holy Scripture and in preaching, and in other pious functions according to the custom of the Society, nevertheless he thought that he should be sent to that city; but he remained in Florence with Jerome; the latter was preaching on the Sundays of Advent, in the morning in the church of St. Laurence with a very large audience, after lunch in the church of St. Felicity, but on the remaining days of the week in various monasteries. But Fr. James Laynez on Sundays and feast days preached in the cathedral church to an audience of about five thousand people; and from the sermons at both times the result was not only the consolation and satisfaction of many people, but also considerable fruit. Partly their attention and promptitude in giving alms to pious works, the greater than usual frequency in the reception of the Sacraments of Confession and Communion, and the restoration of the way of living for ecclesiastics that is required by their vocation bear witness to this. Also on one occasion Fr. Laynez preached in a convent of nuns, and in a wonderful way the religious women, and especially of a certain convent connected with the hospital of St. Paul (where ours were staying), made a great change of life, and progress in self-knowledge and true obedience, so that the one in charge said that they seemed to him to have experienced a complete renewal in the spirit. In the hospital itself, both the poor patients and those who were serving them confessed their sins more often than usual, and they established more unity among themselves, and also made more progress in the spirit. On the day of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin, after Fr. Laynez had preached in the largest church, at the request of the chief of the fortress he preached in Spanish to the whole garrison of soldiers, while the chief and his wife and family were present; and this was done with the great spiritual consolation of all. After that time many of the soldiers came to the dwelling of the Fathers, and promised that they would make a change in their life and that they would receive the sacrament of Penance often. Many of them, after consulting with Fr. Laynez about matters of conscience, promised that they would do what he recommended as being necessary for salvation according to the teaching of moral theologians, both with regard to restitutions and other things of importance. Also he was approached by the sick seeking either consolation of wishing to make a confession, so he helped them and they promised seriously to make a change in their life after receiving the sacrament of Confession. Six or seven places were offered to the Society, but Laynez accepted none of them, because they seemed to be less suited to the ministries of our Institute. When the sermons of Advent were finished with great edification of the people, and when he had heard the confessions of all the sick in the hospital and also nurses there, Fr. Laynez heard the confessions of many other people, and among them were almost the whole household of the Duchess. For, from Christmas day until the end of December he dedicated himself to this pious work, to the great consolation of that household, and he did not omit to hear the confessions. And having been invited by the commander of the fortress, he did the same thing for the soldiers. While these things were being done Alexander Strozzius, a man of great authority with the Duke and a very good friend of our Society, urged he Duke to establish a College in his domain; and since the Duke offered his assistance, the same Alexander said that, during the renewal of studies which was to take place soon in Pisa, he hoped that there would be the beginning of such a College in that city¹⁹.

186. And no small fruit, both in the people and in the monasteries, was the result of the preaching of Fr. Jerome Otelli, and the same thing occurred because of his sermons during the following Lent, which were requested by the canons of St Laurence and the prefect of Saint Felicity. But when he was told to go to Pistoia, and he found the Bishop of Prato (this city is about ten miles from both Florence and Pistoia) there, he stayed with the Bishop, and having been asked by the canons and the Bishop himself, he preached in the cathedral, since shortly before he had preached in another place; and after lunch he did the same thing in two monasteries of monks, and he did it in the presence of the Bishop, who hoped for no small fruit from his sermons²⁰.

187. Fr. Andreas Frusius arrived in Montepulciano on the first day of December, and he was received kindly by the Archpriest and others. And as the Archpriest bears witness through his letters, the received such spiritual consolation and help from the presence of Fr. Andreas that neither he nor the city would ever forget him. And he writes that he received him like someone sent by God, because at the time he arrived, the Archpriest was looking eagerly among friends and patrons for someone who would preach there; and so it happened unexpectedly that his desire was going to be fulfilled. For it had happened that, the one who was going to be the preacher during Advent, said something on the first Sunday of Advent because of which he had to go to Florence in order to satisfy the Duke, who had heard bad things about him. Therefore they decided that Fr. Andreas should give the sermons in his place. He not only willingly offered to do this, but he also gave some lectures three times a week, which seemed very helpful to the people. And although the people were strongly affected by him, the Archpriest himself among others was close to him and made such great progress in the spirit that it seemed that God completely touched his heart. He had great authority among his own people, and so his example turned out to be very important. Now when Fr. Andreas offered his help to those who wished to consult him privately, many came to him for Confession, and five or six to make the Spiritual Exercises. The Father said that he would help them, and others also who wanted to be trained by him, if he were not called back to Rome by Fr. Ignatius, who needed his assistance for some other things pertaining to the universal service of God. The Archpriest dealt with the city about offering a certain place of great devotion to the Society, and he took the departure of Fr. Andreas so seriously (for he was greatly attached to him) that he said he wanted to leave Montepulciano, because he could not bear his absence. Besides what has already been said, before Fr. Andreas left Montepulciano, he brought about harmony of great importance among some dissidents, and he also did some other works of piety during those few days.

188. During this year the Paduan College had twelve or fourteen students, and besides their studies, with which they were occupied, they strove to help many of the students of the University with the Spiritual Exercises, and with the administration of the Sacraments, as they did also for other people in the city. And they worked not without fruit of their neighbors, either by their example alone or by friendly conversations. However, on Sundays and feast days a larger crowd came to them for Confession and Communion. One of them who was trained in spiritual matters, when he broke off a relationship with a certain friend, not only did not give in to his pleas, but after he had completed the Exercises with great fruit, he invited others to do the same and offered to provide them with room and board.

189. Among those who left the College this year was Fr. Elpidius, who had been in charge of others, and in his place he left as superior Fr. Peter Faber, a Fleming, according to the directive of Fr. Ignatius. Someone else also left the same College, Fr. Stephen Baroelius; he went to Bassano, where already Fr. Laynez, by preaching again and again, had planted not a few excellent seeds of the word of God, and it was in good ground. Stephen began to preach and also to hear confessions; he also helped not a small number of boys in spiritual matters, but he proposed the Exercises to many people with good results. He also administered the Holy Sacrament of the Eucharist to many persons; the Sacraments were administered by him to a certain Confraternity of St. Vitus, which was very much involved in pious works, and he also did what he could to help nuns. But what, in addition to other things, was edifying, was that when he suffered great penury of temporal things, and many occasions presented themselves of receiving money, he never accepted anything. Not only with his sermons did he try to improve monasteries and other persons, but also by speaking in a friendly way with them, and by offering them in writing certain documents to help them live better. Many of those who received spiritual instruction from him were so grateful to him that they even blessed the father and mother who had given him life. And some nuns, having poured out tears and vows to God (one of them promised to go bare foot for a year), were eager to have him as their confessor. In this convent previously they lived without the observance of poverty, and for a long time they had not received the Sacraments; but when they had confessed to him, God so opened their eyes and moved their hearts that they began to abound in great gifts of God, and repenting with sighs and tears concerning their past life, they were renewed in spirit, and so they got rid of all personal property and then made much progress in the spirit. But when he was summoned from there to Bologna, and he was scheduled to leave the day after the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, so many came to him to go to confession that he had to stay there for a few more days in order to take care of all of them. Moreover, when he had helped many persons to give up their sins and vices and to live a life of virtue, he left the city in good shape. But when he passed through Venice and Padua, and some were helped by his work and conversations during the journey itself, he was also busy for some time with sermons in Bologna, with hearing confessions and giving the Spiritual Exercises. At length he arrived in Rome, to which he had been summoned, after having endured many labors in the journey.

190. When a certain priest, named Sylvester Landinus, arrived in Rome in bad health, and in it conducted himself rather impatiently and morosely, Fr. Ignatius tried very hard to care for him so that he would be restored to health. But because that good priest gave little edification while he was sick, Ignatius ordered him to go to his own house, but he did not dismiss him from the Society completely; however, being aware of his own impatience, he had fears about that. And finally the otherwise very good man, having accepted the correction of Fr. Ignatius, went to Malgrate, which was his fatherland, to take care of his health, but he remained doubtful as to whether or not Fr. Ignatius would call him back to the Society. While remaining in this state of doubt, he worked at correcting himself during his stay there. During the whole journey he conducted himself very well, partly by preaching (partly by urging others in private conversations to lead a good life), partly by hearing confessions; and so he worked with no meager fruit. In Lucca a certain leading man offered his house for the use of the Society; other citizens offered him not only money, but as he was leaving the city they threw it at him, since they could not detain him in Lucca, and he did not want to accept it. Others asked him at least to accept a horse for the journey; and there were some who said, “I will follow you wherever you go.” When he arrived in Massa, he found a certain priest by the name of Roch, a brother to him in spiritual friendship, and he was very much involved in helping the sick, the poor and orphans. Although this priest took care of a hundred and fifty villages and towns, daily he gave a lecture on St. Paul in Massa, and in the evenings he urged the men to pray, to give alms and to fast. He wanted to turn this ministry over to Fr. Sylvester, even though a quite abundant harvest was not lacking to Fr. Sylvester elsewhere. For, he began to preach there in a large church, and when they tried in many ways to force money on him, he rejected it to their great edification. A certain nun, who had lived for sixteen years outside the convent, and did not have permission for that from the Apostolic See, when she wanted to go to confession to him, before he would accept her, he demanded a promise from her that she would return to her convent (where her return was desired); and after the confession that Roch, at his own expense, paid for her safe return to her convent in Parma. When a certain monk of the order of St. Augustine had preached some errors to the people, and among others that the Blessed Virgin not only was conceived in original sin, but also sinned venially, publicly he reprimanded the man, and so the people abandoned him, and he promised that they would not hear such things in the future. Then he went to Sarzana, and he established peace among certain fathers and their children, who wanted to harm each other. Afterwards arriving in Malgrate, and from there to his own homeland, he found the people very afflicted, because a horrendous storm, on the feast day of St. Magdalen in 1546, had so devastated the area that it left neither vines, nor trees, to say nothing of fruit, and there was hardly hope that there would be any fruit for four years. Therefore he tried to console the people with the holy Sacraments, and gradually he brought it about that on each feast day some of the people received Communion. A suitable place for preaching was given to him, and both lay people and ecclesiastics wanted to listen to him, and they resolved to give up their bad habits. There was one who, since he had had a concubine for thirty years, finally dismissed her and wanted to follow Sylvester; and many others in those places, from Castiglione (which is a town under the control of Florence) to Pontremoli, said that they wanted to join him in the divine service, and were ready to place their ecclesiastical incomes in common. The Archpriest of Malgrate, who had more than twenty churches under his control, on one day, when an early Mass was said, he obtained agreement from him that he would preach three times, when the people were gathered together from the whole province, first of all, to the people in the morning before the early Mass; secondly, at the dwelling of a new priest after the Mass and in a street covered with branches, where priests with the laity were the listeners; then thirdly, after Vespers and after the people were dismissed, only to priest, where decisions would be made about reformation, and the constitutions pertaining to it, and someone would be put in charge, who would see to their observation. They said that they would be content with this, provided that Fr. Sylvester would take over that responsibility, and could not refuse the task of completing the constitutions. And afterwards, in four places the priests began to bring the people every week to Confession and Communion, and they also performed the office of preaching. However, since on the feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin, the people were accustomed to spend their time in dancing and in other things pertaining little to the honor of God, the whole multitude was brought to sermons and to Vespers in the church. On that day Fr. Sylvester preached three times, and because very many wanted to go to confession, they were postponed to the following day. He also said that not only was an abundant harvest prepared there with sermons and confessions, but also of martyrs, because near that place wicked heretics were active, who deny the value of fasting in Lent, purgatory and the veneration of the Saints; they do not want to make the sign of the Cross, nor do they want to say the Our Father, or the Hail Mary or other prayers. There were those who denied the existence of hell, prevented the Sacrifice of the Mass, and hate the Sovereign Pontiff and the College of Cardinals. Sylvester made an impact on people, partly with reasons and by quoting authorities, partly also with warnings; also from the podium he publicly reproached and disturbed them, when their sin was public; and he so shut up the mouth of men that they did not dare to say even one thing. The priests, who before that were not very friendly to him, joined themselves to him with a tight bond of charity, and they also began to preach, and to exhort the people to receive the sacraments of Confession and Communion every week. They also resolved to reform their life much to the edification of the people. When he was invited by a nearby province, which is called Garfagnana, to preach the word of God, because he did not have permission from Fr. Ignatius, he refused to do it. But he did not cease to plant the word of God in the neighboring places of his homeland, in market places, in the streets, and wherever there was a gathering of people, and also in the churches. And this was so pleasing to the pastors that, if anyone of their parishioners refused to be present, they threatened that they would no longer admit them to the church. At length he received a letter from Fr. Ignatius, from which when he knew he would be kept as a member of the Society, he was filled with incredible joy, and while kissing the letter again and again, he fell on his knees and gave thanks to God. For since because of his impatience, which I mentioned above, he feared that he would be dismissed from the Society, in order to placate Fr. Ignatius he had offered many Masses in honor of God, of the Blessed Virgin, and of the angels and the Apostles. But when he continued in his usual ministries, some persons of both sexes entered the religious life; more alms were given; harmony among dissidents was restored; blasphemies were stopped and the feast days were celebrated in a more holy manner. But when some members of the clergy, opposed to reformation, not only contradicted him but also threatened to kill him, he took care to let them know that he was ready for martyrdom, if the Lord would deign to bestow this gift on him. Meanwhile he said that he would always speak the truth, until they changed their life for the better. Therefore they gave up hope that he would keep quiet, as long as they were edified by the good example of his life. The temporal and spiritual lords protected him, and the man who governed the area for the Duke of Florence, along with his wife and family, went to him for confession, and listened to his sermons, even on the streets; and among the people there was very high regard for his holiness and zeal. Both the Governor and the Vicar of the Bishop wrote to Fr. Ignatius, asking that he should not remove him from there, at least for some length of time. The sum and substance of the Governor’s letter was this, namely, that the divine Goodness, through Fr. Sylvester Landinus, produces abundant fruit there, and that his presence is necessary so that certain works of piety may be consolidated, both in the frequent reception of Confession and Communion, and in sermons and lectures, in stopping blasphemies, in establishing peace among many people, as has already happened among some, where also the death of some men had taken place, and in other works of piety and mercy. Also the Marquis de Feleaerro²¹ said that not just private persons, but whole villages had been pacified by him; apostates had returned to their religion because of him; good rules to eradicate public sins had been established; that some who were living in the darkness of vices, by the light of his good example were now edifying others; that he had taught catechism; and since the people attended the sacrifice of the Mass only on feast days, and even did that rarely, as a result of his efforts now daily many people participate in the Mass. The official also adds that Fr. Sylvester works untiringly, that he fasts every day, and he eats bread not made from wheat but from millet, that he drinks only water, and that he is busy day and night helping others; his familiar conversations are full of edification for people of all ages; and not only are his sermons very fruitful, but also the example of his life, his modesty in food and clothing are a constant sermon, and that no one could be found who could so console and help that province, which otherwise was in a state of great need, beyond what could be said. Therefore he implores Fr. Ignatius that he not deprive the province of Fr. Sylvester²².

191. In the beginning of spring in 1547 Fr. Jerome Domenech was sent, as we said above, to the Viceroy of Sicily, John de Vega. Therefore he arrived at Palermo at the beginning of May, and he began to assist with pious works in that kingdom. Fr. James Lhoost visited him, who was working very successfully together with the Vicar in the diocese of Agrigento, who was helping some convents of nuns, who the previous year had been brought back to the observance of their rules, with sermons and confessions. For, some of the nuns, who did not willingly accept reformation, were wont to make trouble for the good ones; however, the Lord filled them with great happiness of soul, when they began to live a common life according to their constitutions. In the meantime, he gave lectures to the clergy on the letter of St. Paul to Titus, but on Sundays and feast days the lecture was for both the people and the clergy. But on ferial days it was only for the clerics and a few members of the nobility, and the subject would be about what pertained to their duties and moral life. The clergy willingly accepted what was suggested, and made themselves ready to do their duty. For the sermons also the size of the audience increased, and the desire of serving God increased in many of them. A certain Archpriest, who was also the mayor in a town in which four thousand families lived, assigned sixteen priests to take care of the needs of the town. He was a constant listener to Fr. James, and he treated him with great benevolence. But he also helped the hospital with alms, and visited other sick people who were not in the hospital; he taught the commandments of God to those who were serving the sick and he exhorted them to go to confession. A certain convent of nuns resisted the reform which the others had accepted; but that one also, when it learned about the spiritual progress and fervor of the others, began to imitate them.

192. He also gave assistance so that a convent would be established for women, who wanted to return to a healthy state from an immoral life. Moreover, he was sent to a certain town by the Vicar, where one of the convents, which had accepted reformation, began to be very much disturbed because of a defect in government; but when Fr. James arrived, the Lord again brought the nuns back to the observance of their rule, and it was done with great devotion and tears. James heard the confession of the Abbess and some of the nuns, but all received the holy Sacrament of the Eucharist. He also heard other confessions in the town, and he convinced the priests that they should visit the sick more attentively. Having been sent by the Vicar to two or three other towns, he brought about similar results; for, he consoled the Abbess of the convent and some of the nuns with the sacrament of Penance, and he left them persevering in the observance of their rule. Also it was determined there that the priests should visit the sick, and the Vicar of the town promised that he would not omit doing that. Then returning to the city, at the time of Easter, he gained an abundant harvest there until the octave of Easter, and they confessed that for thirty years they had not seen such a multitude of people receiving the sacraments of Confession and Communion. The obedience of this Fr. James must not be passed over in silence; for, since Fr. Ignatius had commanded him to write to him every week, although the mail service was not good and the same things had to be repeated, he did not allow one week to go by without writing, even though many letters were delivered at the same time. In a local school he taught catechism to the boys. But when the Vicar of Cardinal Carpensi came to Palermo to greet the Viceroy, he brought Fr. James with him. Hence in the month of May with great joy he embraced Fr. Jerome, who had arrived there recently. He remained in Palermo until Pentecost, and having been occupied in the convent of the reformed women with confessions and communions and in giving some sermons, he returned to Agrigento, and he was busy with the usual works of charity until the month of August, when he was called by Fr. Ignatius to Rome, in order that he might go from there to Louvain.

193. But Fr. Jerome, as soon as he arrived in Palermo and was very kindly received by the Viceroy and his wife, Lady Eleanor Osorio, heard the confessions of both of them. The convent of the reformed women had been highly recommended to Lady Eleanor, who had just departed from there; and when she learned that it was very much in need of spiritual and temporal assistance, she commended to Jerome the care of providing both kinds of assistance. But when Fr. Jerome went there, he found the convent in such a state that if an immediate remedy were not given, he feared lest that good work would collapse completely. Those who had been elected by the city to take care of this convent still had not done anything to help the convent, because they understood that its government would be very difficult, both because of the discord among the nuns, who refused to be subject to the Abbess and rather asked for her dismissal, and because the people, who had heard the rumor of internal disturbances, did not have the will to undertake this work²³. Fr. Jerome went to the delegates and urged them not to lose heart, and he offered them his help and support in the name of the Queen Regent; hence they were encouraged and decided to do what was required. And Fr. Jerome saw to it that the Abbess was removed from the convent and was returned to the convent from which she had come. For a long time the Vicar and the delegates thought that this should be done, if they could find another Abbess who would be the superior of the convent. Therefore Fr. Jerome asked a certain respectable lady, a distinguished widow endowed with a divine spirit, to take charge of this work for a time, while another nun was being sought who would be the Abbess. When the lady agreed to do this, peace was restored in the convent, and he arranged that two or three nuns should be summoned from Drepano, one of whom would be in charge of the convent with the help of the others. In addition, Fr. Jerome gave the Spiritual Exercises to the women, heard their general confessions, and a wonderful change in all things followed so that daily they were making more progress. He also wrote out for them a rule of life, and he sought a suitable confessor for them so that he would be free to dedicate himself to other works of piety; they confessed and received Communion weekly; most of them lived in the community; and they also elected a Vicar whom they would obey. Finally, such fervor for penance and devotion in those women was the result that, with the exception of two or three, all the rest, who were about thirty in number, seemed to be like outstanding imitators of Magdalen. He also took care to provide for their temporal needs, and he asked two Marquises, who among the nobles were seeking alms for their support, and they were very helpful. Moreover, since on the feast of Corpus Christi in a local abbey a sumptuous breakfast was prepared for the Viceroy and the city, at the request of Fr. Jerome the Viceroy abolished this custom, which was the cause of certain offenses against God; and he used the money, which was wasted on this useless affair, to support the convent of converted women. Also with other similar gifts the convent was helped in such a way that the following was experienced: Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well; for, the house, which received extra land, was expanded, and so the convent of converted women grew in numbers and spiritually.

194. Fr. Jerome also advised the Viceroy that he had discovered that other monasteries of his city were very much in need of reformation. But when the Viceroy ordered some of the leading and pious men to meet with Fr. Jerome, and they talked about applying a remedy, the task was given to Fr. Jerome to examine the rules of the monasteries and to visit them along with the Viceroy; however, Fr. Jerome became ill, and so the reform of the monasteries was delayed for some time; nevertheless, when he regained his health, this pious work was put into effect. And with the help of Fr. Ignatius in Rome at the Apostolic See (John de Vega, the Viceroy, by his letter had asked him to do this), just as he had done in the monasteries of Catania, here he did not labor in vain. For, as the Viceroy himself writes, near the end of this year two convents of nuns in Palermo were reformed by the work of the same Fr. Jerome. Moreover, it was ordered that the decree of Pope Innocent, according to which physicians were not to visit the sick unless they had first gone to confession, was published in Palermo, with the help of Dr. Ignatius Lopez, and as commanded by the Viceroy according to the piety of his own mind. Therefore passim it was seen that the Holy Sacrament was brought to the sick, and the doctors had their bags full of written testimonies that the sick had gone to confession; and the confessors could not satisfy so many sick penitents without great effort on their part. It happened then that the edict was promulgated throughout the whole kingdom; this was very advantageous, since in many places the people were ashamed to go to confession publicly; and by the hands of Fr. Jerome a hundred letters containing the edict and signed by the Viceroy were sent out. And so at last in all parts of the island the edict was promulgated.

195. Furthermore, a home for orphans of both sexes was established in Palermo, about which the Viceroy also wrote to Rome, and he wanted to be helped by Fr. Ignatius. But since for this work they found a house and a suitable church, and since the city had over two thousand ducats as an annual income for the endowment for the orphaned girls, it was not difficult, with the approval of the Viceroy and helped by the charity of Lady Eleanor, for this work of outstanding piety for boys and girls to have both its beginning and its progress. In the meantime, Fr. Jerome was able to establish peace, which was very important, among certain congregations; this contributed very much to the quiet of almost the whole city, namely, Drepano. Also Fr. Jerome performed other similar functions of piety because of which Lady Eleanor gave thanks to Fr. Ignatius, who had sent him to Sicily.

196. Although the Viceroy and his household at certain times stayed in the city of Monreale, because it was only three miles from Palermo, Fr. Jerome went there to hear his confession, and that of Lady Elizabeth, his daughter. And both she and Lady Eleanor received Communion biweekly, which was something new in the kingdom, and it was the source of great edification. He also preached there in the presence of the Viceroy and a large audience, not without the satisfaction of the people; he also preached there in a convent of nuns at the request of Lady Eleanor, and the hearers were moved to abundant tears; he gave the Spiritual Exercises of the first week to the nuns, and he did not go anywhere else until he had to return to Palermo.

197. When Fr. Jerome visited the public jail, he noted that many poor men were kept there because of a small debt; therefore he arranged with the Viceroy that he could make use of a sum of money from the payment of fines, and with this he freed twenty of the poor debtors, some of whom had been kept in prison for one or two years, and this was at no small loss to their wives and children. He also got permission for fourteen others to be released under guard so they could do some public work, and so earn enough money to buy their freedom. Also with the Spiritual Exercises he helped a man to make excellent progress; he also trained two priests in the same spiritual meditations. One of them was a teacher of orphans; the other had come to Messina to establish a confraternity of clerics, who would teach boys gratis in the whole kingdom, and he also had a companion. At Messina also he began to preach in one of the large churches, which he did on Sundays and on the feast days.

198. Now in Messina he found many men who wanted to grow in the spirit; and the priest, who had made the Spiritual Exercises, in addition to the fact that he made great progress, communicated the same things to many others, and he gave the same Exercises to twelve men, and a wonderful metamorphosis was discerned in all of them. But above all a certain youth, a merchant, added to his progress some valuable printed documents. Fr. Jerome himself gave the Exercises to three men, and among others, the ecclesiastical son of a Baron; since his father was not able to control him, he put him in a trireme for three months, and this produced an amazing change of life for the better. Also a certain associate, named de Condiano, because of the Exercises made great progress. Two other nobles wanted to do the same, and a convent of nuns, and not a few others, but one man could not take care of all these people. That was so especially because, besides the sermons delivered on Sundays and feast days, he also preached in various convents of nuns. Orphaned boys, who had received the Spiritual Exercises from their teacher made much progress in the spirit, and this benefit from the Spiritual Exercises began to be known far and wide.

199. As a great abuse, in Messina the men were accustomed to walk around in church during the time of the divine liturgy, and so no small offenses to God were the result. But Fr. Jerome brought it about, acting with the approval of the Viceroy, that this abuse was abolished in the whole kingdom. Indeed, in Messina an edict was promulgated against men doing this, and then throughout the whole island the pastors were told to promulgate it.

200. When he suggested to the Viceroy that it would be very helpful, if the schoolmasters would teach Christian doctrine to their students, with his approval (which he found well-disposed to all works of piety), he had a small summary of the catechism printed, so that afterwards with the authority of the Viceroy an edict would be promulgated in the whole kingdom that the teachers were required to teach catechism. He also offered his assistance to introduce this custom in each of the cities, where at times he was able to preach the word of God; and when he was traveling with his companion Julian that is exactly what he did. Now to do that he needed the permission of Fr. Ignatius, and he was waiting for his response. In the meantime, a man who had made progress under him in the Spiritual Exercises, being highly motivated, with the permission of the Viceroy proceeded to teach Christian doctrine everywhere.

201. At the suggestion of Dr. Ignatius Lopez, a physician, and the Lord Didacus de Cardona, a top official of the kingdom, promoting the plan, they began to think seriously about establishing a College in Messina. The Viceroy and his wife were very well disposed towards this proposal, and the Viceroy thought that it was possible to establish a College not only in Messina, but also in Palermo, Catania and Caltagirone; but he wanted to be asked by the city of Messina before he wrote to Fr. Ignatius. Therefore the matter was proposed in the city Council by Lord Didacus de Cardona, and it received favorable and easy approval; indeed, if the city had not accepted the responsibility of establishing the College, some nobles from their own resources were prepared to provide the funding. But as soon as the city decided on it, it was obtained; that is, it provided a suitable building and church for the College, and at the beginning of the foundation a firm and stable annual income of five hundred gold crowns. Indeed the city considered establishing a program of general studies, or a University in Messina, but it requested from the Society only four teachers. Of those one would teach grammar, the other philosophy, the third scholastic theology and the fourth moral theology. But since the confraternity of nobles had a chapel dedicated to St. Nicholas joined together with a house, for the sake of the city and such a good work, they offered their church, which was quite beautiful and large; it was located on a main street of the city, and was well situated with a garden and a quiet dwelling well suited for study. So the city officials approached the Viceroy, John de Vega, from whom they easily obtained both his consent (which was necessary), and a letter to Fr. Ignatius, and a letter to the ambassador in Rome of the Emperor Charles so that they would get from the Sovereign Pontiff the things necessary for a University. Then also thinking about expanding the College, they decided to approach a certain Abbey among those that are quite numerous in the kingdom of Sicily, and occasionally they were helped by hospitals and other pious works. Therefore, the city and Lord John de Vega wrote to Fr. Ignatius, seeking from him the great benefit of establishing this College in Messina, and this was willingly granted to them at the beginning of the following year; for, towards the end of Lent seven people requested it²⁴.

202. In the first months of this year 1547 the German war was concluded by the Emperor Charles V, who captured and detained the Duke of Saxony along with the Landgrave. At that time Fr. Nicholas Bobadilla was in the province, and in the beginning of the year he was with the Bishop of Passau, who treated him with great benevolence and honor. Bobadilla preached there in Latin during Lent, and he assisted in other works of piety, which he also did in Regensburg afterwards, when he went there after Easter. Here he worked not without some advantages, although the senate was corrupt and a large part of the city; and among other things he brought it about that a public prayer or solemn procession was celebrated in order to give thanks to God for the victory of the Emperor over the Lutheran Princes; and he saw to it that other things took place publicly according to the Catholic rite, which for some years had been omitted in that city. He had great favor and authority among the Prelates and Princes of Germany, but especially with Ferdinand, the King of the Romans. Hence the Bishops of Vienna and Wroclaw, and other men of great authority, made use of his assistance in their ecclesiastical dealings with the King. And depending on the nature of the times and places, he gathered in no little fruit from the barren vineyard of Germany.

203. He was summoned to Regensburg by the Bishop of Eichstätt, who was very friendly to him, and there he assisted the man in important matters. The imperial army, since at the time their pay had not been given to them, as is usual, was troublesome to the friendly Princes; hence, when the Bishop of Eichstätt wanted to keep the soldiers away from his province so that thefts and killings might be avoided, he asked Fr. Bobadilla to present his case before the Emperor. He did this diligently, but it required great effort, and he went back and forth often in order to urge the matter. Finally, he obtained a greater favor from the Emperor for the Bishop of Eichstätt than was granted to any other German Prince. But because of too much work he fell sick; when he recovered his health, he returned to the court where he was very welcome. There, in the presence of many Princes and nobles, Cardinal Augustine celebrated a pontifical high Mass; this event, as something new, since Catholics had been driven out of Augsburg city, was very pleasing to the Catholics²⁵.

204. Meanwhile, the members of our Society living in Cologne were busy with confessions and the usual ministries of the Society; and some men who had made the Spiritual Exercises consecrated themselves to God in the Society.

205. Master Daniel, having been sent from Rome, arrived in Louvain, where some of ours, whom God had called, were living, but in the beginning they were not all together; but in these first months of the year they all convened in one place, this happened especially because it did not seem that they would be sent to Rome before those had finished their studies, who had not yet completed them. But on the eighteenth of February they began to live together in common, and until Fr. Ignatius decided otherwise, they named Fr. Cornelius [Wischaven] as their superior. They lived in a rented house; one of ours, who was living with the others, left the College where he was a teacher. There were also at that time, besides Cornelius and Daniel, Fr. Adrian Adriani, who had already lived with Cornelius for two years after he joined the Society. The fourth one was Nicholas Florence Gaudanus²⁶, a bachelor of theology, who at the time was working as a pastor in Bruges, until something else was decided by obedience. Master Cornelius Brogelmans and Master Anthony Vinch, a bachelor in theology, were also there, and another four or five; most of them, having taken their vows, had dedicated themselves to the service of God in the Society. And when Daniel had helped the others with his inheritance, he went to his homeland in order to take care of some debts (because until this point they had no income, and they were not permitted to live from begging alms). They received Fr. James Lhoost as their superior, and so, as was said above, he was called back from Sicily by Fr. Ignatius. In the meantime they observed certain rules as best they could in order to maintain discipline in the house, until others were sent to them by Fr. Ignatius. But the Spirit of the Lord being abundant in them brought it about that they lived together with very few rules. For there was no one among them who, by the example of his life, by his doctrine and by his special vocation from God, did not seem suited for the Society.

206. Now Fr. Cornelius was busy hearing confessions, and not a few of them were general, and he also gave the Exercises now to this one, now to that one; he sent many men to various monasteries of religious, who were so happily accepted that they came to him from some places, and when there was an opening, they promised that they would wait for many months so they could accept the ones whom he would send to them; but they said it was not necessary to wait, since he always had many suitable candidates, who would fill those empty places in the monasteries. However, his ministries were not very pleasing to many people in Louvain; and so together with Fr. Anthony Vinch in the autumn of this year he came to Rome, having been summoned by Fr. Ignatius. But in Bruges Fr. Nicholas had such a large audience for his sermons that, long before he began to preach, it was necessary to go to the church in order to find a place. The people honored him with great love and veneration; there is no surprise at this, because he was endowed both with solid doctrine, the ability to speak well and many other rare gifts of God. People also came from the neighboring cities to listen to him; and many heretics, with the help of God, were converted to the Catholic religion. And as a canon said, who gave him hospitality, the whole city was touched by his example and sermons, and many were brought to a reformation of life; others aspired to it, and came in great numbers for Confession and Communion, and also the number of those communicating weekly increased. This matter, something quite new in these places, seemed to attract great admiration²⁷.

207. In this year a few of ours were working in Paris, and Fr. Paul de Achillis was in charge of them; among them were Fr. Baptist Violaeus and Fr. Pelletarius. They gave the Spiritual Exercises to some men, and at the Carthusian monastery they administered the sacraments of Penance and the Eucharist to many people every week. But when Bishop Claramontanus returned to Paris from the Council of Trent, through his Vicar, sent to the College of the Lombards, he greeted them. And when they went to see him, he received them with great kindness and benevolence, and he had much to say about the fruit which the works of the Society had produced and especially at the Council that the oration given by Fr. Salmeron had moved many to tears. He also said he wanted to establish a College in Paris, adding that he would soon make his proposal known. During this year some men decided to enter the Society, one of whom was Fr. Robert Clayson; also some Flemings, who were students of Theology, resolved to do the same thing, although at the time they did not actually do it. They were looking for a house that would be their own, with the help of Bishop Claramontanus, while he was having his house prepared on Cithara Street. Others also helped with this, but they did not find anything suitable, if some scholastics were to be sent there from elsewhere²⁸.

208. At the beginning of this year Fr. Antonio Araoz returned to the court of Prince Philip and Fr. Ignatius committed to him the care of our members in Spain, and so he was the second provincial, after Fr. Simon, the provincial of Portugal. At the time, the province included all of Spain, which is a large country; but there were only a few places where the Society was established, and there were also not many men there belonging to the Society. However the Society began, as was seen in the previous year, five small communities: one in Alcalá, where eight or ten men were working this year; the second was in Pintia, where there were three or four; the third and fourth were in Valencia and Gandia, where also eight or ten, more or less, were in each city; the fifth was in Barcelona, where there were three of four: in addition, a few were in the Court of the King and in other missions. In Toledo a noble married woman, whose name was Elizabeth de Silva, offered a house, and a large amount money, which she wanted to give as an endowment of the College, but in a part of the building she wanted to put some boy orphans entrusted to the care of our Society. And because that was not according to the nature of our Institute, although a College in Toledo was desired, Fr. Ignatius decided that the gift of Lady de Silva was not to be accepted. Now others wanted to obtain Colleges of the Society, which they were prepared to help with their donations, such as in Seville, Saragossa and in other places. The Marchioness de Pliego wanted to support some students in Seville, and several also in Cordova, if a College were established there, but the paucity of workers did not allow the Society to expand²⁹.

209. The return of Fr. Araoz to the court brought no small consolation to many, as the Apostolic Nuncio writes; for, besides confessions and sermons, visits to hospitals and prisons, he moved many to a better way of life by his friendly conversations and letters. He went to Alcalá, which is near Madrid, where he preached several times with spiritual fruit to the people and to the Infantas, the sisters of Prince Philip; and he gave great publicity of the Society at Alcalá, and he increased her good name. Villanova, not yet a priest, gave the Spiritual Exercises to some men, who have outstanding talent for the glory of God. Then Fr. John Alvarez was admitted; he had obtained the first honors among philosophers, and had already studied Theology for three years. He was endowed with excellent gifts from God, conspicuous for his works of great humility and his desire for mortification, and afterwards he was very effective in his preaching. Also Fr. John de Valderabano, already a theologian, was then admitted. At the time Dr. Michael de Torres was at Alcalá, and he, although in the previous year in Gandia had taken the simple vows of the Society, in order to take care of some business for almost the whole year kept secret what he had in mind. Nevertheless, being firm in the desire of his heart, when a canonicate and a chair were offered to him, he refused them, and he had a good reputation at Alcalá. When he came from Gandia to Saragossa, he left the minds of many ready to embrace the Society, and although a suitable preacher was sought to lay the foundations of its College, still two of our priests, with a coadjutor brother, during this year began to work in Saragossa and they were well received by the people. They were Fathers Rojas and Hercules, neither one of whom persevered in the Society, and still, while others were entering, divine Providence used their ministry to the edification of many people.

210. During Lent Fr. Araoz preached in Madrid with the special grace of God, and at this time Aemilian, the nephew of Fr. Ignatius, a youth of great hope, exchanged his temporal life for eternal life, and this happened in the midst of sorrow in the province of Cantabria. And when many sought to be admitted to the Society, Fr. Araoz accepted only a few because of the lack of space and of temporal things, and also so that a more rigid choice could be applied. The important city of Valladolid, where a few of ours were working, asked from Fr. Ignatius through a letter that he establish the community there, which had increased, on a firm and solid basis, and in the meantime it asked that the other works of piety, which he was concerned about in Rome, be advanced by him. But our little flock was working there with great fruit, and gradually it was increasing. Also Bishop Palentinus, for a similar reason, wrote to Fr. Ignatius, but first he congratulated him because the Society, by the example of its perfection and poverty, was striving to establish a religious order like the ancient institution of the Apostle St. Peter. There was also in Spain, especially in the court, an excellent report spread around about our members who took part in the Council.

211. Meanwhile, the Duke of Gandia, Francis Borgia, when at the beginning of the year he was living in town of Gandia, was carefully working on the establishment of his College and University, and in the same year the approval for this, with the help of Fr. Ignatius, was obtained from Rome. And this was the first University that the Society had; and although the College was small, it was the first one in Spain to have a solid endowment. At the urging of the same Duke that the Exercises of our Society should be approved by the authority of the Apostolic See, the Sovereign Pontiff, Paul III, handed them over for examination to Lord John de Toledo, Cardinal and Bishop of Burgos, who was the Inquisitor of heretical perversity, and to Bishop Philip Archinto, Vicar of Rome, and to Brother Aegedius Foscharario, the master of the papal palace. All of them, with full consent, approved the two Latin versions, one of which was printed, with an added emendation³⁰. But when the same Duke, in order to start the Colleges in Saragossa and Seville wrote officially to Fr. Ignatius, he for whom the situation of the Society in Spain was not fully clear so that he could not determine anything for certain, sent the signature of his name on a blank piece of paper, so that given the nature of the matters of the Society in the kingdom, he could write on it in his own hand, in the name of Ignatius himself, what he thought should be written on it. It is amazing to what an extent this sign of confidence bound and consoled the mind of the Duke, who was otherwise very devoted to the Society. Fr. Strada, even though he wrote to the King of Portugal, was not able to leave the kingdom to preach in Seville or Saragossa; nevertheless, as we said above, he was able to start the College in Saragossa. It was indeed small, still it was the only College opened this year in Spain, and actually in the whole Society. In the meantime, the Duke of Gandia was called by Philip, Prince of the Spaniards, to be present at the meeting or Diet of the kingdoms of Aragon, which was to be held in the city of Monzon, and since the Duke was dedicating himself to prayer and contemplation, he wrote a letter to the King and asked to be excused. Not only did he not obtain that, but the office of manager was given to him (for that is what they call those who are wont to run the affairs of the meeting). This shows not only the confidence of the King, but also the high regard he had for his prudence and ability to get things done. But although he was very busy with the affairs of the King and the kingdom, at that time he was very much involved in matters pertaining to the reformation of the monasteries in Catalonia. Fr. Antonio Araoz came to the same town of Monzon, for, being occupied with the usual ministries of the Society, he was required to follow the court of the King. But when he became seriously ill, and he was being cared for in the house of the Duke, he was sent to Barcelona to better recover his strength. Then there was concern about the office of the steward of the Prince (they call him the Major Domo), while consulting with the same Duke Francis. The same Fr. Araoz, when he became aware of this, advised Fr. Ignatius that he should decide on what should be done, for in the previous year the same Duke of Gandia had pronounced the simple vows of the Society; and he suggested that he should decide whether by his profession, although remaining secret for a time, the Duke of Gandia should be more firmly established in his vocation, provided that some way could be found, so that he could have the administration of his temporal goods and finally make the distribution of them, while he provided for his children of both sexes. Fr. Ignatius understood that this was prudently suggested, and having kept the name secret, he obtained this permission of making a profession from the Sovereign Pontiff, while delaying for a time the administration of the temporal goods³¹.

212. During this year some men were admitted to the Society at Gandia, Valencia and Pintia. Among others, at Gandia, Master Francis de Saboya, who was the teacher of the sons of Duke Francis, was admitted. Having finished the course of Philosophy and Theology, he had already received the degree of doctor, and he had made great progress in it; he was also a good preacher, and a man of great kindness and virtue. Moreover, Fr. Balthasar Diaz, a relative of Fr. Andreas, was admitted. Also Antonio Cordeses came from Barcelona. Master Emmanuel Saa, who as a youth had come with Fr. Luis Gonzalez to Valencia from Portugal, was following the curriculum in the arts as initiated by Fr. Francis Onfroy. He devoted himself to his studies with praise for his talent and learning and, although he was only seventeen years old, very ably he defended the theses in Theology. The Duke gave to his students a vineyard located near the College; with this they would have wine and oil for the strength of the body, since like the Samaritan they had to have wine and spiritual oil for men wounded by sins. Hence at the request of the Duke and his sons, the vineyard was blessed with prayers and psalms; and the first one to plant a vine, after taking off his coat, was the Duke himself, whose son, like Isaac, loaded down with the vines, planted them as his father did the digging, and he lined them up in the name of the Saints. This is what the Marquis de Lombay, his son, and others did on that occasion. On the day dedicated to St. Sebastian, under whose protection the church of the College had been erected, Fr. Andreas preached in it, to the great edification and fruit of the people who were present. He preached zealously to the newly baptized Christians (there were many of them in the domain of the Duke of Gandia), but would that there had been more fruit for his efforts. He also heard confessions and he did that for some who were in great need of such medicine; among them were some others who had never gone to confession³².

213. Fr. Miron gave the Spiritual Exercises to very many people in Valencia, among whom was a certain Master Vincent, who was a doctor of Theology, an excellent preacher and he was admitted into the Society. But because he showed a very strong affection for his relatives, and did not seem to acknowledge sufficiently the gift of his vocation, Fr. Ignatius ordered that the man should be dismissed from the Society, even though there was a great lack of personnel. But since our community in Valencia was suffering from a lack of material things, the Duke of Gandia wanted to help them with a donation of a thousand ducats. Also in Valencia, as such things happen, they began to experience some opposition. But in their studies the scholastics were making excellent progress. Now when our works were helped by a distinguished matron, a noble women, whose name was Joanna de Cardona, having been schooled in the spirit by Fr. Miron and some other of our priests, she made admirable progress in the way of the Lord, and if the Society allowed it, she would have subjected herself to the obedience of the Society. In her zeal for penance, mortification and charity, she progressed to such an extent that she wanted to dedicate herself completely to the ministry of the poor sick in the hospital, and with great devotion she was wont to kiss the wounds of the poor. Sometimes she spent five, seven or nine hours in prayer, always kneeling, and she left the floor soaked with her sweat. And since her husband had been killed long ago, after she had drunk the spirit of the Lord, she went to the house of the man who had killed him to bring him some food, and in order to overcome herself even more, she wanted to receive food from the hand which slew her husband. And in the same hospital, having left a great reputation for holiness, she died. Also just then the Society was invited to establish a College on the island of Majorca, and the citizens there wanted to support some of our scholastics in their studies³³.

214. In this year of 1547 the Society enjoyed a great increase in Portugal. In the court of the King and in Lisbon ours were making progress in the exercises about which we wrote in the previous years. Fr. Strada preached to the King to his great satisfaction. The Prince also, who had Fr. Simon as his teacher and confessor, made progress, and the usual works of charity were carried out. But when Fr. Ignatius wrote that he should send to him some scholastics, Fr. Simon immediately sent six of them, and he also offered more, if he wanted them. For so many had offered themselves at Coimbra that he could not receive all of them in the house. In the beginning of this year a hundred and fifteen lived in the College, and of them ninety two were Jesuit seminarians. Every year the King allocated three thousand ducats for their support. Among others admitted this year there was a certain youth named Carvallus who, since he had wanted for a long time to enter the Society, but was not admitted in Coimbra, without speaking to the person in charge, went to Fr. Simon who was working in the court. And since poverty and its evidence was more pleasing to Simon than riches, before he approached Fr. Simon he exchanged the good clothes he was wearing with a beggar, and dressed in his clothes he sought a letter from Fr. Simon so that he would be admitted. And when on his return he was discovered by a teacher, nevertheless he persevered firmly in his proposal; and because his father wanted him to get married, when he left home he handed him in writing: If anyone does not leave father and mother, brothers and sisters, and even a wife, he cannot be my disciple. After the departure of Fr. Martin de Santa Cruz, it was decided that the Rector of the College at Coimbra would be Fr. Luis Gonzalez, who had returned from Valencia, and he made great progress in the spirit and promoted the Institute of the Society and its end and manifested an attitude of true humility and abnegation. And he saw to it that those who were studying the liberal arts were doing it correctly and in an orderly manner, and so they began to make greater progress in their studies. But when he received a letter from Fr. Simon in which he directed that four of the brothers were to be sent to those Ethiopians who inhabit the kingdom called Manikongo, many of whom have been baptized, but since they lack Christian teaching they do not have a life worthy of Christians, and also many of them still live in the darkness of paganism, it can hardly be expressed with what eagerness of soul the students received this news. Both the Rector and the students, because of the tears from their desire for this mission, could hardly speak. Four were chosen, namely, George Vaz, Christopher Ribeiro, and James Diaz, all priests; the fourth was Didacus de Soveral; when they left for Lisbon, the others followed them with many tears and sighs, not because they were going away, but because they were remaining³⁴. Also many missions were carried out with no little success; they visited almost all the neighboring cities and towns, from the monastery of St. Felix to Porto, and they filled them with the Gospel of Christ. This part of the kingdom of Portugal is between Dorium and Minium; besides their sermons they also heard confessions, and they preached not only in churches, but also in camps and to various crowds, sometimes two and three times a day. They dwelt in hospitals, and they lived by begging alms, and both by their example and by their usual ministries they gathered an abundant fruit into the storehouse of the Lord. The people admired their contempt of riches and their way of life, and their untiring work for the salvation of souls; and those who admired them easily accepted their teaching. With joy they assisted the poor; they freely spoke with the rich; they deterred the wicked from their crimes; they cured the slothful; they urged the pious to higher things. Also Fr. Morera and Sylvester Alphonsus were sent to the city of Guardia; Fr. Sylvester was in the area of Belespera, where he preached and taught Christian doctrine, and he also visited the neighboring towns with great fruit. In the city of Guardia Fr. Morera preached in the mornings, and after midday he explained the catechism; also he gave a lecture on the Gospel of St. John to the canons, and so he had a good opportunity to reprimand them for their public defects; and if they did not mend their ways, he gave them severe warnings. But since there was dissent, because some followed the Bishop while others followed the dean, he established peace among them. And he brought about a reform in the things pertaining to the holy rites of the Church. He was also the reason why they avoided public sins. Then it happened that first of all he admonished humbly and then more severely rebuked a certain ecclesiastic, a man in a high position, who was living in a state of public sin, and who could not be turned away from it either by the authority of the Bishop or anyone else. At first he threatened him with many evils, and said he deserved a severe punishment; finally, when the man saw his persistence and his charity, he gave in completely and abandoned his sin, and he began to praise the Society greatly. And he exhorted the Father to perseverance in this way of living; for he said that there would be no man so obstinate, from whom he could not obtain what he wished, since he obtained from him what the authority or power of no one else was able to obtain³⁵.

215. Also Fr. Emmanuel de Nobrega showed his zeal by visiting the villages and towns, which are near to Guardia, by teaching people and drawing them away from mortal sins (among whom there were some priests, who lived with their concubines as if they were their wife), and by calling them back to chastity and a life worthy of Christians; sometimes with bare feet and in great poverty he dedicated himself to works of charity, which he accomplished in the town of Gabugal not without great fruit as a result of his sermons and teaching Christian doctrine. He lived by seeking alms from door to door, and he rejected the offers of good food and accommodations. He threatened the justice of God to those who did not cease from their public sins; and in one of his sermons, in a spirit of fervor he promised this, namely, that if they did not stop committing their public sins, he would go to each one of their homes, and with loud cries he would beg justice from God against that house; because of this the people were struck with fear, and for this reason there was a great reform. In another place, which was alive with factions and feuds of the people with each other, after he preached, he descended from the pulpit and knelt down before them, and with great fervor he pleaded with them to establish peace among themselves, and he asked for forgiveness now from this group, now from that group. And so he was the reason why all the hearers knelt down and asked for pardon from one another. Therefore in this place, and in all the other places he visited, he established peace among most of them. However, sometimes he suffered public attacks, lest that apostolic warning be lacking, namely, to suffer dishonor for the name of Jesus. In another town, when he arrived there tired and hungry, nevertheless he began to preach immediately, but because of the impediment of the language, they all went away during his sermon. But when he admonished the pastor that he should tell the people that after midday he was going to preach, knowing about the trouble of the previous day, he said to the people: “That stuttering priest will speak in the church and you can listen to him; but I fear that you will get little help from him, because he will have nothing good to say.” Nevertheless the hearers came, and they derived so much consolation from his sermon that in every way they tried to keep him there, even by seeking this favor from the King, and they all promised that they would go to confession every week. A demon had vexed a certain woman from her infancy, and he was so close to her that he would whisper in her ear what he wanted her to do. Therefore when the miserable women confessed to Fr. Nobrega, she was kindly warned by him not to listen to anything more of what the demon said, and if he continued to harass her, she should respond that Fr. Nobrega would give him what he wanted. And so at least the woman (as he learned later) remained freed from the demon.

216. The people were moved by the sermons of these Fathers not just for a day, but the fruit remained in them constantly. For example, it happened in the town of Camigna, where the first Fathers Antonio Gomez and Gonzalvus Vaz preached, and the whole town went to confession, and then they adopted the custom of going often to Confession and Communion, and each day they heard almost fifty confessions. So also in the town of Viana it was necessary for them to rise from bed a little after midnight for prayer and the preparation of their sermons, so that they could give the time during the day to hearing the confessions of both sexes. But nothing moved the souls of men more than to observe that, without any advantage for themselves, and only with the desire for their salvation, these religious and learned men worked for them. And the public weeping during the sermons, and the desire of the people to lead a better life, easily showed that the finger of God was there. Many also wanted to enter the Society, but because they were illiterate they were not admitted, except for a few who were admitted, because they had come to Coimbra and were endowed with real talent and some erudition. However, in the city of Porto such a multitude of people came for confession that not even all the priests in Coimbra could take care of them. And this mission showed easily how important good example is in order to make our teaching and ministry effective. Now since the two Fathers were in bad health, in order to recover their health they were sent to St. Felix, and so they had come to the mission in this state. And so it is easy to discern that by a special grace of God, and not by the talents of weak instruments, such an abundant fruit was produced. But when Gonzalvez preached in a certain town in the morning, and after lunch there would be a bull fight, Gonzalvez said that he was going to preach after lunch, and that he would consider who were the servants of the world and who were the servants of God, and that he would not cancel the sermon, even if he had only one old woman in the audience. And the people were so moved by this that no one wanted to be present at the bull fight; rather, in order to show that they were servants of God, filling the church before the time for the sermon, they called for the preacher, so that he would preach the word of God to them; and with an admirable fervor of spirit the people proceeded in the way of God.

217. Fr. Francis Strada was preaching in Lisbon to a large audience and with much fruit, and the number increased of those who received daily in the church of St. Anthony the sacraments of Confession and Communion, and also practiced some corporal penance.

218. In the meantime, at Coimbra the Lord John, son of the Duke of Aveiro, was admitted into the Society; in favor of the institution he had been placed in the College by his father, and when some nobles, relatives of his, wanted to prevent him from entering the Society and they fortified the youth with not a few antidotes against his vocation. But when he entered the College and observed the spiritual life of the brothers and their eagerness for works of the soul, immediately he began to be touched by the spirit of the Lord and the desire to belong to the same Institute. However, remembering the documents he had received from his relatives, and in the hope of succeeding his father in the dukedom, since he was his only son, being an upright person, he resisted thoughts of this kind. And he confessed that he had in his possession a catalogue in which all those things were contained that displeased him in the Society, and that he read it every day and meditated on it. But all these reasons did not discourage him and then there was the reading of the letters, which explained the spiritual fruit coming from the works of the Society. But he thought of this remedy so that he might remove himself from the reading of the foresaid letters. Therefore, while some agreed with the reading of these letters, not daring to wait for this reading, he went to something else. But when he had read them with great consolation, he went to the chapel to pray for Fr. Ignatius and the Society, and having thought about the letters he read, he joined up with the other students. And behold in the same place a letter was read in which Ignatius explained the diligence used in order to free Fr. Claude from the burden of the episcopacy. And when at the beginning of the reading he observed the disturbance of the brothers fearing where this matter would finally go, and when the end was heard he saw the consolation with many tears of those present; this sign of affection so pleased John that he decided for himself absolutely that this is the camp of God. And after he had commended the matter to the Lord for another ten days, with many tears he threw himself at the feet of Fr. Luis Gonzalvez, and he obtained that he should be admitted to the Society, while he accused himself of resisting the Holy Spirit for so long regarding such a clear vocation. But when he began to make much progress in the spirit (the judgments of God are to be admired totally), still he did not preserve the gift of this vocation. But at that time not a few others also gave their name to the Society.

219. On August 7 our members in Coimbra received a letter from Fr. Simon in which he said that four of our students would be sent to the Ethiopians in the kingdom of Manikongo. For since the King of the region and many of his nobles some time ago had accepted the faith of Christ, because of a lack of Christian teaching they had fallen back into the customs of paganism; also, many had not received the waters of Baptism. And because the faith of Christ had been spread out there not without a miracle of Christ, the King of Portugal thought that the harvest must not be abandoned. Therefore Fathers George Vaz, Christopher Ribeiro and James Diaz were assigned to this mission, and Didacus Soveral was also included. It can hardly be expressed in words with what tears and sighs the departure of these brothers was celebrated by the others, not because they were leaving, but because they were remaining behind, and some bore this very impatiently³⁶.

220. In what pertains to temporal things, Satan tried very hard to impede their progress, not only through the ministers of the King, but also through other religious men. However, the King with unwavering affection showed his affection to us, and what is most important, with the help of God, both spiritually and also in the things which pertained to the actual building and its income, the condition of the College in Coimbra enjoyed a great increase.

221. At the beginning of this year of 1547, when Fr. Francis Xavier had visited the islands, which they call the Mauri, he returned to the fortress of the Portuguese, which was called Moluku, on the island of Ternate, where he stayed for three or four months³⁷. On Sundays and feast days he preached twice; but on Wednesday and Friday separately he explained to the wives of the Portuguese the articles of the faith, the Decalogue, and things pertaining to the sacraments of Confession and Communion. And this was done with great fruit both for them, and also for their husbands and sons and daughters, and then for the Christians of that town. But when he sailed from there to Malacca (having departed from Moluku during the night to avoid the tears of his spiritual sons and daughters), he arrived at some islands where, since he found four ships, he spent ten or twelve days there, hearing the confessions of many people; he established peace among many dissidents, he preached to them three times, and then he continued on his journey. But when he departed from Moluku, he left it with the rule that the explanation of Christian doctrine should be given on a daily basis; he himself composed a short explanation of it accommodated to the mentality of the new Christians³⁸; and he recommended seriously to a priest friend that he should spend two hours each day in this exercise of piety, and that he should preach once a week to the Portuguese wives about the articles of faith and the Sacraments. He also introduced the custom that a Molukan man by ringing a bell during the night should wake up the people and invite them to commend the souls to God who are being tormented in purgatory, and to pray for all the people who are living in mortal sin. This matter was a source of great devotion for the new Christians, but to the unbelievers a cause of no small fear; the citizens themselves selected the man, who would pass through the city with a lantern in order to carry out this pious work.

222. The King of Moluku or Ternate was a Mohammedan, but he was subject to the King of Portugal; this man was prevented from embracing the faith of Christ because of his vices of the flesh, not because he was a zealous Mohammedan. He adhered to nothing else from his sect except that an infant was to be circumcised, and then when he was fully grown he had a hundred wives of the first rank, and just as many others of a lower rank. The Mohammedans of these regions have almost no instruction in their own sect, few teachers of errors, and even they are very illiterate, and almost all are foreigners. That King loved Fr. Francis so much that his subjects did not like it at all; he went around with him as if Fr. Francis was his friend, and he did offer some hope of his conversion; and he promised that he would give one of his sons to become a Christian, provided that after he became a Christian he would be established as the King of the Mauri islands.

223. Now when Fr. Francis arrived at Malacca in the month of July, he found some members of our Society, whom he had sent there by a letter when he was in Moluku. These were Fr. John de Beira and Nunius Riberus, with brothers Nicholas Nugnez and Balthasar; he had kept them with himself at Malacca for more than two months, and had carefully instructed them about things pertaining to the Molukans. Then he sent them to Moluku; they arrived there safely, and having been received with great joy by the Confraternity of Mercy, they began to work in the vineyard of the Lord. At the time there were many Christians at Moluku and the neighboring island, part of whom had received baptism from Fr. Francis, and among others the Queen, the mother of the King of Ternate, who had joined the militia of Christ. John de Beira went back to the islands of Mauri with Nicholas Nugnez and Balthasar; but Nunius Riberus went to the islands, which they call the Amboinas (where the ships returning from Moluku are accustomed to stay for four months). And there in a short time he gained almost six hundred people for Christ the Lord; and while passing through those places of Christians, he taught them catechism, destroyed idols, and he trained the ignorant people in the things necessary for the development of a Christian way of life. But when those four months were over, the ships went from there to Malacca, but Nunius remained in the Amboinas islands, and some of the Portuguese, who during those four months had seen so many people converted to Christ, joined themselves as companions in this holy work.

224. But Fr. Francis Xavier spent almost six month in Malacca, until the time came for sailing to India. Daily he spent two hours and more teaching the wives, children and servants of the Portuguese; but on Sundays and feast days, as usual, he preached to the Portuguese in the morning; and in the afternoon he did the same thing for the neophytes, who were there in countless numbers; and he left them an explanation of the creed in their vernacular language, so that they could become stronger in the faith. But on Thursday mornings, after the Mass, he preached separately to the wives of the Christians; he spent time hearing confessions; he visited the sick in the hospitals; he brought about peace among those at enmity with each other (for the Christian soldiers in those places, being warlike, often were wont to fight among themselves). Now it happened that some of the enemies came to Malacca in a fleet, and after landing some soldiers during the night, they carried off a large amount of booty. When the commander of the Portuguese learned about this, he put together a fleet, with about 180 soldiers, and they pursued the Mohammedans. The name of the commander was Simon de Melo who, when he caught up with the fleet of the enemy, which had gone about a hundred leagues and was at the mouth of a certain river, engaged them in a naval battle, and after capturing many enemy ships and much booty, which they had taken from Malacca, and after many of them were killed, he returned to Malacca as the victor. But since his return was delayed for a rather long time, those in the city began to have fear for them. And a certain rumor helped the fear, which was spread around by some promoters of magic who said that the Christians were put to flight by the enemies. But when Fr. Francis preached, while reprimanding their little faith, he asked them to say once the Lord’s Prayer and the angelic greeting in thanksgiving for the victory, which God had given to the Christians. And he said this, when still no news had been received in Malacca from the fleet; but after a few days, when they returned to the port of Malacca, Fr. Francis and the rest of the citizens received the Christians back with great joy. It was also public opinion among the Portuguese that, when he preached on a certain day in Moluku, Fr. Francis urged the listeners to say once the Our Father and the Hail Mary in memory of the passion of the Lord, for the soul of a certain Arab, who was killed far away from there, and no news about his death had come to Moluku. He also freed a man from a demonic obsession after celebrating Mass for him in honor of the Blessed Virgin, and then he converted him to Christ along with some others; therefore, both Mohammedans and Gentiles, and not only the Portuguese, honored Fr. Francis with great veneration, and they even called him the Holy Father. But in December of this year he sailed to India; but he left the work that he had started to the care of a certain priest; but because two of ours were eagerly desired by the people of the Malaccas, he thought about sending them to help them with the same works of charity, which he did in the spring of the following year.

225. When he was in Malacca, many things were told to him about some islands just heard about, which are called Japan. An inhabitant had just come from that region with some Portuguese merchants, whose name was Angerus; when he had admitted certain sins of his youth, which troubled him with pangs of conscience, since he was still a pagan, he asked the Portuguese about how to obtain forgiveness from God. So when they told him he should go to Father Francis Xavier, he accompanied the merchants from Japan to Malacca so he could speak with him. But because Francis had already left Malacca, he returned to Japan. But when he arrived within sight of the Japanese islands, a huge storm arose, and the ship, not without great danger of shipwreck, finally made it to Malacca, where he found Francis, who had just returned from Moluku. When he went to see Francis he asked him many things in the Portuguese language, which he had learned to some extent, and when he was given an explanation of Christian doctrine, on his own accord he carefully wrote down the articles of faith. He also went often to the church to pray, and at length being very solicitous about his salvation, when Fr. Francis returned to India he followed him. Now when Francis asked him what hope there would be of bringing the Japanese to the faith of Christ, if he were to go there, he responded: that the Japanese would not accept the faith of Christ immediately, but that first they would ask him many questions, and that they would observe what he responded and what he understood, and especially whether his life is consonant with his doctrine; that if he satisfied them on both counts, that both the King of his province and other nobles, and the rest of the people, who have the power of good judgment, would accept the faith of Christ. And he said that his people could be induced to accept this only if it is seen as reasonable, as in other things. The Portuguese merchants also said that nowhere, in their opinion, could a more abundant fruit be gathered among the Gentiles than among the Japanese. Therefore Fr. Francis began to think and to feel internal movements of his mind about going to those islands, even though the journey was also very exposed to the dangers of the sea and of Chinese pirates. In the meantime, Angerus was gaining more fluency in the Portuguese language, and more knowledge of the way of life of the Portuguese, and, in things pertaining to Christian doctrine he learned more, and it seemed that he would be very useful in the explanation of the articles of the faith in the language of the Portuguese³⁹. Meanwhile a very violent storm, such as Francis had never experienced, harassed the ships for three whole days on their way to India, but with great intensity he poured out prayers to God, and he asked for help from the Church militant and triumphant, and so all escaped extreme danger. But Francis writes, when something was written from Rome to ours living in the Molukus or the Japanese islands, that a response could not be received before three years, and⁴⁰ nine months; for it takes almost eight months for a letter to reach India, and before the ships reach Moluku or Japan it takes just as many months. But to go to Moluku and to return twenty-one months are required, but it can take another eight months to go from India to Rome, and even this is the case if the sailing conditions are good, because if something unfavorable happens, it will easily be necessary to wait for a year or more.

226. Among those who came from Portugal to India, one of them was Henry Henriquez who, since he was sickly, and could hardly regain his health in Goa, where none of the necessary things were lacking, when out of obedience to Fr. Francis who by a letter had ordered him to go to the seacoast of Comorin, where there is a great lack of all things, he did not get worse but rather regained his bodily strength, when it seemed to others that he would soon die. He was sent to the town of Tutichorin, the largest town of this kingdom, where the important men of the province live; the second largest is called Punical, which is not much smaller than the other town; he visited three other smaller towns, together with the two just mentioned, passing through all of them in nine or ten days, although he did spend more time in Punical than he did elsewhere, because it is located in the middle of the others. In one of these places he instructed one of the inhabitants, so that he could teach the others, and this is what he did also in other places. In addition, he had some care of two places, but it was enough to visit them every other month, since Fr. Francis had appointed for them a certain priest belonging to the natives, but he did not have much authority among them, nor could one priest take care of so many necessities, since each place needed one or two priests. Also some of our men had other places committed to them over a region of fifteen or twenty thousand miles. They taught the catechism to the Christians of both sexes, and they instructed people of all ages; it was also necessary to resolve difficulties, and to settle disputes, although they rejected cases pertaining to important men among them who are called “patangatis⁴¹.” And they were so busy that they hardly had time to take some food. However, a large part of the people in the beginning accepted the faith of Christ, either to avoid certain afflictions, or so that they might obtain some things that they wanted. But after they joined the flock of the Lord they could be carefully cultivated and, with the help of God, moved to higher things. Also, the favor of the governors of India was very important with regard to these conversions. In that region there were, besides Fr. Henry, also Fr. Cyprian, Fr. Francis Henriquez, along with Fr. Francis Mansilla and Emmanuele de Morales. But the chief of all was Fr. Antonio Criminalis (for Fr. John Beira with the others, about whom we spoke above, had departed from there and were sent to Moluku). The boys came eagerly twice a day, in the morning and evening, for lessons on Christian doctrine. The women on Saturdays, and the men on Sundays, for two hours in the vernacular language learned the main principles of the catechism. Idolatry was totally abolished; however, the Father suffered great opposition, both from the Gentiles, and from the followers of Mohammed, and also from some bad Christians. Now the morals of the people of that region were very depraved, so that they seemed to be almost without the use of reason. They also lived in great poverty; they barely cover the private parts of the body; they make their houses out of straw, and in fact they are wont to be much poorer than our shepherds. Some who have been asked to become Christians said that they would not do that, because through baptism they will become nobles, and they do not have the means of providing food for themselves. They show very little knowledge about things that are spiritual, but they are very shrewd concerning things of the flesh; and without great and solid virtue there would be no place for workers in the vineyard of the Lord, since great dangers threaten from all sides. But it seemed desirable, in order to obtain a more abundant fruit in those vast regions, to instruct the boys properly in morals and literacy, since eventually they could expect good things from them. Meanwhile ours, having different provinces and learning the languages of the natives, without translators (who nearly always did not perform this function well), could teach by themselves the things necessary for salvation.

227. At Goa during this year Nicholas Lancilott was in charge of the College, which we have already mentioned. He thought that the boys should be taught beginning at the early age of five or six, so that they would more effectively become virtuous and drink in the Christian way of living. For, the older boys, having a heart full of demonic deceptions and vices, were much more difficult to train to a life of piety; however, because of their own language, he thought that some should not be accepted before the age of twelve. By some kind of perpetual miracle God seemed to preserve the power of the Portuguese in India, as it seems probably to me, in order to bring the Gospel to those nations. In the preceding year of 1546 Christianity there was put in grave danger, since the barbarians occupied the city of Diensis; but by the wonderful providence of God it came about that it was recovered. For, the warlike defenses, which the enemy had prepared, did not catch fire, which without doubt would have killed most of the Portuguese, who did not have any other way of approach other than directly at the cannons. They also said that they saw a very beautiful woman on the tower of the cathedral, who blinded the enemy, and they believed she was the Blessed Virgin. Also during this year the governor of India, in the month of November, defeated and put to flight a huge army of the King of Cambay, by divine rather than by human power; and so the Portuguese captured the city where their King resided.

The Year 1548

228. In the year 1548 the work of our Society and its authority received no small increase. Indeed in Rome Fr. Ignatius, since his solicitude for the governance of the Society for the most part occupied his thoughts, regarding his pious works for other people, gradually began to think that he could perform the same works of piety through his companions, and so he diligently concentrated his efforts on the most important matters. Thus he brought about peace among some quarrelling nobles; and when the city of Tivoli and a neighboring town, which they call Holy Angels, got involved in a serious dispute, and sometimes it developed from hostile words to armed conflict, as often happens, he went there. And after he dealt with the leaders in Tivoli and the other town about establishing peace, through the serene Margarita of Austria, Duchess of Parma and Piacenza, who ruled the city of Holy Angels and the magistrates of the city of Tivoli, with great wisdom he arranged that the cause of this controversy should be handed over to Cardinal de la Cueva and the reverend Philip Archinto, then the Vicar of the City. And he brought it about finally that those peoples were reconciled with each other, once the seeds of the dispute had been removed. Now since a friend of the Society, Dr. Luis de Mendoza, had a church outside the walls of the city of Tivoli with a house and a pleasant garden, and he had received Ignatius there when he was dealing with the already-mentioned dispute, along with another priest of the Society (who preached in the same place), he offered the place to the Society. And although shortly thereafter a College of the Society was established inside the city, still that dwelling as a home for ours had its beginning near the city of Tivoli. Although Fr. Ignatius in Rome favored the many works of piety, which were established in the various provinces, all of which cannot be mentioned here, still I think I should not fail to mention the negotiations which pertain to the office of the Holy Inquisition, which he took care to handle successfully not in Rome, but in Spain, so that the authority of the Inquisition would not be made weaker. Therefore, when the errors of some boys were discovered, who were neophytes and came under the discipline of the Society at Gandia, as sometimes happens with people of this kind who are not well instructed, the Inquisitors would not be approached for a remedy, and those who were in charge of the neophytes would approach the Apostolic See; but Fr. Ignatius preferred to recommend the matter to the Archbishop of Seville, the Supreme Inquisitor, so that he would apply the remedy, which holy charity demands; and that is what was done¹.

229. In this year Paul III, the Sovereign Pontiff, gave the Spiritual Exercises, as was said above, for examination to Cardinal Burgensis, the Inquisitor, to Philip Archinto, the Vicar of the Pontiff, and to Aegidius Foschararius, Master of the papal palace, and when they approved them with an excellent testimony, the same Pontiff also confirmed and recommended them with an Apostolic Letter on the day before August 1, 1548, and at the same time he urged the faithful to make use of them. Hence the mouth of those who were harshly criticizing the Exercises, which they did not really understand, was closed by the authority of the Holy See, so that from that time on they could find no basis for their false accusations. But since in many places, and especially during this year in Salamanca, the Institute of our Society was sharply attacked by some religious of the Order of Preachers, and the patience of ours was severely tested, Fr. Francis Romaeus, a very important man and the Master General of the said Order, with a public letter exhorted not only the religious of his Order that they cease attacking the Society, but by the authority of his office, in virtue of the Holy Spirit and of obedience, and under the penalty of a punishment to be determined by him, he commanded that they should not dare, and I am using his words, in any way to slander the Order and Institute of our Society either in public lectures, or sermons, or congresses, or in private conversations; but rather that they strive to defend them as comrades in war against our enemies. Cardinal Francis de Mendoza, Bishop of Coria-Cáceres, promulgated this letter, and also added his own to it, because of his love for our Society and his zeal for the common good².

230. At this same time Fr. Ignatius was busy composing the Constitutions of the Society and the rules; and partly by prayer, partly by principles of reason, partly also by experience, he gradually put together what he later promulgated as pertaining to the nature of our Institute³.

231. In the beginning of this year, when in Sicily the Viceroy and the city of Messina diligently wrote letters both to the Sovereign Pontiff and to Fr. Ignatius about establishing a College in Messina, it was done; and then this kind of College, where ours assume the role of teaching, began to be accepted in these regions. For, at Goa in India, and at Gandia in Spain ours had already begun to teach. But before those were sent from Rome who were assigned to begin this College, Fr. Ignatius proposed four questions to all of his companions, and he demanded a response from each one: the first was, whether all were truly ready to go to Sicily or not to go, and whether they would accept the role, as more dear to them, for which they would be assigned by the Superior, whom they have in the place of Christ. Secondly, whether the one to be sent was prepared to do whatever external ministry he was given (if he lacked the qualifications for a teacher), but if he did have those qualifications he would teach whatever course he was assigned as he was directed to do by obedience, whether it would be scholastic Theology, or Holy Scripture, or Philosophy, or the Humanities (for these four subjects were in the curriculum). Thirdly, whether anyone who is sent as a scholastic wished to work in whatever faculty he was assigned to according to obedience. Fourthly, besides obedience in doing what they are told to do, they would consider that to be more suitable, which they were directed by the Superior to do, by thus submitting their own judgment and will to holy obedience. When all had responded in a positive way, he designated those who were to be sent: among them were Fr. Andreas Frusius, a Frenchman; Fr. Peter Canisius, a German; Fr. Benedict Palmius, an Italian; Fr. Jerome Natalis, a Spaniard, and Annibal Codretus, a Sabatian. Thus charity and obedience joined together very diverse nations. He saw a certain problem for some of those who were sent with regard to how they would conduct their classes. And so finally he wanted the matter of the College to be brought to Pope Paul III; it was kindly received by him, and greeted with an apostolic blessing and a fatherly exhortation in which he responded to the very pious address of Father Canisius⁴.

232. At this time the city of Pavia wrote solicitously to Fr. Ignatius, asking that some or ours be sent to them, by whom they could be helped in spiritual matters; but the lack of workers did not permit this. Other things in Rome were proceeding, just as they were written about in the other years; but now I can add one thing, namely, that among those who came here from Spain was Michael Ochoa, a youth endowed with great purity of soul and probity, who was found to have often the gift of the grace of healing, although he did not acknowledge it. I suffered from a very troublesome daily fever, and when he worked a cure for me, he said that, after having said certain prayers, he had cured some people in Barcelona and elsewhere. I asked him what words he would use, where he would place his hope of health, and what his intention was; and since in his words there was nothing bad, and he totally expected the healing from God, if indeed it would be for his service, it seemed to me that he had the grace of healing. And when I asked if he wished to heal me, he said he was ready to do it. However, I did not want to make use of his help before I consulted with Fr. Ignatius, so that he could tell me whether he wanted me to use the assistance of Michael. But since Ignatius (who at that time had very few men in Rome by whom he could be assisted), said he would be pleased about this, still I did not want to use Michael’s help on that day, because the fever had already declined on the tenth day, which was wont to last for about eighteen hours. But since on the following day a very high fever, more than usual, overtook me, I asked that Michael should be summoned, and I felt a certain interior confidence that, if it were for the glory of God, I would be helped by his gift of healing. “Brother Michael, use (I said) the grace which the Lord in his goodness has given to you; for I hope that with your help the divine Goodness will heal me, if it is expedient.” According to his way of acting, he wrote down those holy words, saying three times the Our Father and Hail Mary before the Blessed Sacrament, then he applied it to my neck (for according to his faith and habit I allowed him to do this). And immediately something like a coolness was poured into me from my head to my toes and I was freed from the burning fever. Nevertheless, after the event, I persuaded Michael that he should exercise that gift of God by a blessing or the imposition of hands, without using those words and his way of applying the written prayers to the neck. And so during this year at Tivoli (where he began to teach in the school), and in Spain also he used his gift, and he freed many people from serious illnesses by the sole imposition of hands or by a blessing⁵.

233. At the beginning of this year Fr. James Laynez went to Sena, and in the absence of the Archbishop he was politely received by his Vicar. First of all he preached in the church of the Blessed Virgin, and then in the cathedral; and although during that month, namely January, the weather was very cold in Sena, still there was a large audience, and also no small consolation and edification of the city. On the ferial days he preached in a monastery or in a hospital; for, only on Sundays and feast days did he give a sermon in the cathedral; and although that time, which was before Lent (which they call the denial of the flesh), there was usually not a large crowd for spiritual exercises of this kind, nevertheless the Vicar said that not even during Lent were they accustomed to have such a large audience of people, who avidly and with great attention and, as it seems, with such emotion listened to the word of God. Also, in one of the monasteries where he preached, when previously they had refused to live in common, they met with the Vicar and promised that they wished in the future to observe the vow of poverty. Then after hearing some confessions, because he was scheduled to preach in Florence beginning on Septuagesima Sunday, he departed and went there. But when he began to preach in the Cathedral in Florence, and Fr. Jerome Otellus was doing the same in the church of St. Felicity, according to a promise they had made the previous year, they continued to perform that function during the whole time of Lent. And even though Fr. Jerome was preaching in a place removed from the large population of the city, still very many hearers listened to him. Thus at the same time in convents of nuns he worked with outstanding results, and so many people heard Fr. Laynez preaching that on the feast days they were thought to be eight or nine thousand hearers, who listened to him in great silence and with heartfelt consolation. But when according to a laudable custom of that city, on the day one must preach on the Gospel of the sinful woman, who approached Christ in the house of the Pharisee, sinful women were accustomed to be brought to the Cathedral, so that, if God touched the hearts of some of them, they would be converted from their evil way of life, on that day a large multitude assembled, not only of these kinds of women, but also of regular citizens. And on that day seven or eight had a change of heart and were received into the homes of good women so that they could be helped to begin a virtuous way of life. But the canons and other citizens said that they wanted a College of ours, and that they would provide a large part of its income in order to support it. The Duchess promised her help in establishing a College in Pisa, with the intention that Laynez would not depart from there. But when he was asked on Palm Sunday by the captain of the fortress, he preached in Spanish to the garrison of soldiers, and this was with the great consolation of the hearers; then he received a letter in which the Duchess summoned him to Pisa, both so that she could hear some of his sermons, and so that he would hear the confessions of the members of her family, and also so that she might consult with him about her spiritual life. Therefore, he had Fr. Jerome take his place, while he was absent, as the preacher in the cathedral, and he went to Pisa. There with his preaching and friendly conversation, and by hearing the confessions of the important persons of the court, among whom were the daughter and sons of the Duke, who were still children, he began to move their minds to a life of piety, and then he left them and returned to Florence. The Duchess thought less of her own consolation than she did for the common good; and so she put an end to his sermons in Pisa, and he resumed them in Florence, which he had interrupted. For although Fr. Jerome performed that office well, still he could not satisfy their strong desire to hear Laynez himself. However, abundant fruit followed from the example and preaching of the two Fathers in Florence, and as a result many people decided to change their way of life for something better. And not just the citizens, but also the soldiers and merchants, who avidly and with great personal consolation listened to them, and others who had gone to confession to him, and esteemed him with great affection, found it hard to accept his departure. Some of the canons, if advanced age had not prevented them, having left all things, as they said, would have followed him into our Society. Also some of the citizens, who were still youths, even though they applied to the Society, were not admitted. But when Fr. Ignatius directed him to go to Venice in order to take possession of a priority connected with the Colleges in Padua and Venice (for no little difficulty was feared), he departed from Florence and went there. Although Duke Cosmo said that he would give the place to us and promised to cover the expense of supporting some of our scholastics in Pisa, either because of the departure of Fr. Laynez, or because Fr. Ignatius did not urge the matter, the affair remained unsettled⁶.

234. But since on April 18 Fr. Claude Jay with his companion arrived in Venice, and they found the Prior of Holy Trinity full of affection towards the Society but hopeless about obtaining from the Senate the temporal possession, unless they received help from elsewhere, the prefects of Padua on the feast of St. Mark publicly seized the spiritual possession. Then returning to Venice, in the meantime while the matters were being discussed, they began to dedicate themselves to preaching the word of God to the people, according to the custom of the Society, and to engage in spiritual ministries, although Fr. Claude, since the undertaking was drawn out too long, had to return to Ferrara. Now this matter was proposed by some noble friends of the Society in the hall of the Senate and they also produced an Apostolic Letter; at first it was commended by the Senators, and many good things were said by the Prior himself, to the effect that he would embrace this matter which is so pious and so beneficial for the common good. But because the matter was to be held in the large council, which they call a “resolution,” in the meantime some difficulties were raised that were proposed by the relatives of the Prior, as it is believed, and so they forced the matter to be postponed. Among other things it was hindered because, by a certain law of the Senate, a new religious place was forbidden to be established in Venice. But in this affair there were two things to be considered: the first was the great diligence of Fr. Ignatius both in motivating the reverend Prior that he not give in to the affections of flesh and blood, and that he pay attention to the letters from the Cardinals and from the legates of the Princes, and indeed from the Sovereign Pontiff himself; and also that he listen to Fr. James Laynez, who from April to October left no stone unturned in order to overcome the difficulty in this matter, along with the help of Fr. Alphonse Salmeron, even though he was not always present in Venice. The second was that the divine Goodness brought the matter to a happy conclusion, not by those means but in other ways. For, those Senators to whom he had written, some of them for different reasons, when the matter came up for a vote in the Senate, they were not present. Those who were handling the matter, since they were from Spain, and were not schooled in those matters of a republic, were not very experienced in handling matters of this kind; some of the nobles, who had promised their help when the foresaid Fathers addressed them, on that day were outside the city. Three men of great authority, when the matter was proposed in the full meeting, spoke against it; nevertheless, when the matter was proposed in the Senate (the Duke being absent, who did not favor this matter very much), and only two negative votes were counted (although in this meeting of nobles many are related to the same Senator either by blood or by marriage, who impeded the approval of this matter); and in general all commended this pious work with a notable murmur; and among them there was one who said that that year the republic would do nothing better. The secretary and advocate of that assembly, who often see similar matters handled, said that without a miracle the matter could not have taken place with such consent, since in similar affairs, where also no speakers oppose each other, the difference in the voting tends to be much greater; and the secretary himself, whose name was Ritius, and the advocate said that the Senator, who opposed the resolution and with whom they largely agreed, had told them seriously that he would accept their decision if it passed successfully. Nevertheless, although they seemed to make their associate an enemy, they favored the Society with great eagerness. And the secretary said to ours: “You are not related to me either by blood, or by friendship or by any human ties; hence I see that God is giving me a heart disposed toward you, and I want to prefer justice and piety to everything else.” The same man, together with the advocate, went to the Lord Prior, both to congratulate him and to instruct him about obtaining a place in Venice for the construction of the College, and they promised their help regarding the official documents by which the temporal possession is secured, and also concerning the money that was necessary for this. Therefore, when the letter from the Senate was received around midday, on the same day Fr. Alphonse Salmeron went to Padua, and on the following day he obtained the legal possession and public document, and then he returned to Venice. In this affair divine Providence made use of two means, which should not be passed over in silence: the first is that the Senate sent to him a magistrate, who was in charge of the city of Padua, so that he would report back to them how our students in Padua were behaving themselves; now he sent back to the republic a report, concerning which ours could hardly wish for anything better; the second was that what Fr. James Laynez, together with Fr. Salmeron, had said in the hall of the Senators about the nature of our Institute, was presented in writing at the request of the Legate according to the decision of the first councilor, so that it might be read in a full session of the delegates. That also in no small way won over the good will of the Senators, namely, that Fr. Laynez first of all on Sundays and feast days nourished the people with lectures on Holy Scripture, and when after Vespers the nobles were occupied in their various meetings, and they asked that he would give a lecture somewhat later in the evening, at which they could be present more often. That was done and many of those venerable Senators began to have a paternal affection for the Society. When the matter was concluded, a letter from the Sovereign Pontiff arrived in Venice, and having been read publicly in the Senate, it increased the joy of the Senators concerning the completed arrangement, and they very freely promised their help for the whole enterprise⁷.

235. Now when Aloysius Lipomanus, Bishop of Verona, by a letter asked that Fr. Salmeron be sent to him from Fr. Ignatius, and once this was arranged, he went to him. But when Cardinal Farnese also asked that Fr. James Laynez be sent to his church of Monreale, in order to better promote spiritual affairs, in the month of October he also was recalled from Venice. I will also add this to the affair concerning the College in Padua, namely, that since Fr. Ignatius feared that the relatives of the Prior would be not well disposed towards the College, and he thought that it would be pleasing to the same Prior that an annual pension should be reserved for the son of his brother, he generously offered him an annual income of four hundred gold pieces; however, the Prior, who had offered the whole priory to the Lord, after acknowledging the graciousness and generosity of Ignatius, refused the gift, and said rather that he wanted there to be more income for the College, so that more students of the Society could be supported⁸.

236. From the beginning of this year until Easter Fr. Alphonse Salmeron was occupied in Bologna; for, the Council, having been moved to Bologna, had not yet been closed, although during this year nothing of importance was done, and gradually some of the Prelates went to Rome, and others went elsewhere. However, Salmeron continued to exercise the ministries of the Society in Bologna; he gave the Exercises to one of the Bishops and to some other important men; and he heard the confessions of some of the nobles. In the same area the work of Fr. Paschase was quite extensive; with singular fruit he gave the Exercises to several persons of both sexes, and among them there were more than thirty noble ladies; turning away from the vanities of the world, and dedicating themselves to a reform of life, the governing of their family, alms and prayers, they made much progress in the way of the Lord. Also, some of those who made the Exercises wanted to enter the Society; not a few virgins, making progress in the same way, decided to enter the religious life. In addition to the Spiritual Exercises, so that they might produce more abundant fruit, they began to make frequent use of Confession and Communion. Fr. Salmeron began to preach also during Lent in the church of St. Lucy, with quite a large and devout audience; and he did it so excellently that Paschase said that he had never heard more beautiful sermons, and he claimed that they were most useful. When Fr. Salmeron departed, Fr. Francis Palmius assumed the office or preaching in the same place with great fruit. However, above all other fruits, which resulted from the ministry of ours in Bologna, this was the most pleasing, namely, what was obtained from the restoration of priests coming from the diocese of Bologna to Fr. Paschase. For, after the Exercises and general confessions while making progress in the spirit, they returned to their parishes and by example, and by word, and by the administration of the Sacraments, and other works of piety they strove to deserve well of their people. But since previously by the example of their life (because some of them publicly lived with a concubine) they were a cause of offense to their people, among them there was one of such intemperance that, when he went to Bologna, and he could not separate himself from his concubine, he brought her along with him. But when, with great difficulty, he was persuaded to separate himself from her, after he had made the Spiritual Exercises, with many tears and groans he bewailed his lust, and not only did he totally relinquish his concubine, but he began to change his whole life for the better, and he began to be helpful for the flock committed to his care by the example of his life and his works of charity. Christian doctrine was explained as usual for the spiritual growth for boys and for illiterate persons of both sexes. Moreover, many Lutherans, helped by the grace of God, were converted by Fr. Paschase, and they made their confession to him; by adjuring their heresies and by returning to the bosom and the Eucharist of the Church, they resolved to receive often the sacrament of Confession⁹.

237. Then, before Fr. Alphonse Salmeron departed from Bologna, there was concern about a stable dwelling for ours, who were in Bologna. Here it seems worthy of observation that, with great solicitude, ours were seeking a suitable place in Bologna for the exercise of the ministries of the Society; and the diligence both of them and of their friends was not at all successful. But then, when ours had done all they could, the Lord moved the minds of some of the men who are members of the parish of St. Lucy and are important men in the city. These men, attracted partly by the pious works which they saw taking place in the church, and moved partly by their pious and devout wives, gathered together on their own initiative and proposed to ours that they understood that they were looking for another place, because they did not have a suitable dwelling, and that they wanted to provide assistance to ours, and to buy at their own expense a house next to the church of St. Lucy. In addition, they asked that ours would not leave the city, and so give up the many works of charity started there for the common good. Ours responded that they were indeed grateful for their proposal, and if they provided a good dwelling they would not depart from there. And so these men bought two houses next to the church of St. Lucy, and they offered their help to remodel the house, which ours are now occupying. And in this way the matter was begun, and in this same year and the following year it was brought to completion¹⁰.

238. However, as was said above, Fr. Salmeron went to Venice, and when the business was concluded, which pertained to taking possession of the priory in Padua, he went to Verona in order to please Bishop Aloysius Lipomanus, who very much wanted him there. Now for as long as he was in the city he gave lectures on Sundays and feast days on Holy Scripture, namely, on the Letter to the Romans, and he helped some convents of nuns by preaching the word of God. But the more he progressed in giving the lectures, the larger and more important the audience became, so that they were very satisfied and edified. The Vicar of the Bishop wanted him to visit all the monasteries subject to the Bishop, but in the beginning he could visit only half of them, with the promise of visiting the others later. Among the fruits derived from his ministry in Verona, one was that many people, who possessed heretical books, burned them, and those who had doubts about their Catholic faith and leaned towards the heretics, abandoned their errors and were confirmed in their Catholic religion. However, with strong feelings of the Vicar and of others, having been summoned to another place by obedience, Fr. Salmeron departed from there. But because, since the Duke of Bavaria sought and received it from the Sovereign Pontiff, he had to be sent to Germany, so he had to depart from there, since before going to Germany he had to preach during the following Lent in the city of Belluno.

239. This year in the month of April Fr. Peter Faber, a Belgian, died at the College in Padua; when he approached the end of his life, having overcome the attempts of the adversary, as is to be believed, he uttered these words: The snare is broken, and we have escaped. Fr. Elpidius Ugolettus succeeded him in the office of Rector, and during this whole year the scholastics of the Society, partly by attending lectures on rhetoric at home, partly by hearing lectures on philosophy at the University, made progress in their studies. But on feast days many flocked to our priests to receive the sacraments of Confession and Communion, and if the laborers had been freed from their scholastic exercises (which did not happen this year), they would have had time there to urge their neighbors to a life of piety, and they would have gathered a more abundant fruit of souls into the storehouse of the Lord.

240. During almost this whole year Fr. Claude Jay (not counting the time he spent in Venice with Fr. Laynez, as we have said) was busy in Ferrara, and he experienced no little increase in the fruit of his constant sermons and of the confessions he heard. He also heard the confession of Duke Hercules, and of his first minister, and of the powerful men of the city; but in the hospital of St. Anne (where he stayed) there was a much larger number of the sick, whose confessions he heard with more consolation than that of the courtiers. And the Duke in public often praised both his person and his ministries. Some erring women gathered together, and after confessing to him, they decided not only to abandon their evil way of life, but also to enter the convent for converted women. In private conversations and in the Spiritual Exercises he motivated some to embrace a better way of life in the Lord, and of them some decided to become religious in our Society. He was consulted by the Duke about some doubtful things, which bothered his conscience, and when they dealt at times about the work of the Society, the Duke showed no small good will towards us, although nothing at the time was done about establishing a College there. But when the daughter of the Duke was promised to Duke Guisano as his wife, the Duke wanted him to hear her confession in the house of the Duchess, her mother; but because of the strange teachings she was attracted to, this did not seem right to Fr. Claude, and he tried in vain to bring her back to the Catholic religion. Cardinal Augustine by a letter summoned Fr. Claude back to Germany, because he was solicitous about establishing a College in Dillingen; also the Bishop of Burgos, when he had come to Ferrara, urged him to go to other provinces of Germany; but neither one received satisfaction, since at the time it seemed rather that he should cultivate the vineyard in Ferrara¹¹.

241. In this year Fr. Sylvester Landinus worked very hard in the diocese of Sarzano helping souls; in fact, an important man in the city of Fizzano¹² writes that Sylvester was there for twenty days and he said that there never was a preacher who pleased the people more, and whether from his pure doctrine, or from the example of his life joined together with it, he affirmed that he had never heard anything better, which pertains to the words of eternal life, and that he had never experienced anything that impressed his heart more. He says that the result of these twenty days was that the Societies and Confraternities were reformed, most of the men and almost all the women went to confession; the boys were taught the Christian way of life, and some good morals and customs were introduced. He was also the author of the establishment of a convent to take in holy virgins. He did similar things in the whole diocese; but above all he devoted all his effort to remove the heresies, which were rampant in that diocese. The Vicar in a public letter testifies that all of this is well-known, and he exhorts Sylvester to persevere in these ministries by traveling through the whole diocese in his usual way. His intense ardor in preaching was believed to be not from him, but from the Holy Spirit; and since he seemed to imitate the life of a Saint in fasting, prayers, and other great works of perfection, his preaching and administration of the Sacraments had more authority.

242. When the business in Padua was concluded, Fr. James Laynez came to Rome, as was said above; but since John de Vega, the Viceroy of Sicily, wanted him to preach in the kingdom, and Cardinal Farnese had obtained his services to reform many things in his Archdiocese of Monreale, and had given him full authority to do this, after resting for a few days in Rome, he was sent there by Fr. Ignatius. And arriving in Naples during Advent, he began to preach there until the end of the year. The Countess of Nola, a woman of great nobility but also of outstanding piety, provided everything necessary with uncommon charity. Many people attended his sermons, both nobles and common people, and they did it with heartfelt emotion and fruit. Also in the monastery of St. Benedict he gave some lectures on Holy Scripture; there not only the people, but also the religious themselves manifested much edification and benevolence. At the same place, for the sake of greater quiet, he had his lodging; and as a result of his work the Spiritual Exercises and general confessions began to be experienced much more extensively. John Philip Casinus, not yet a priest, who was with Fr. Laynez as his companion, at the same time gave the Spiritual Exercises to eight or nine persons. Also Christian doctrine began to be explained by the same John Philip; and it was arranged by Fr. Laynez that, after their departure, some men would continue this good work. The devotion of the city urged Laynez to such an extent that, daily and sometimes even two or three times on the same day, he would preach to them, even though much of his time was spent in conversations and hearing many confessions. He visited the Viceroy, by whom he was very graciously received, and he said he wanted to hear his sermons. But since he preached twice in the church of St. Mary Major in the morning, and in the afternoon in the cathedral, with a large and distinguished audience on whom he made a profound effect, serious thought was given to inviting the Society there and to preparing a place for it. Also the Viceroy wanted to hear his sermon in the church of the Mount of Olives. Although many were solicitous about keeping him there, they were not able to do it. And since he and his companion were going to sail to Sicily in Sicilian triremes, they did that after the Viceroy and the prefect of the city, like the other nobles and important men, had shown them much goodwill. The Abbot of the monastery of St. Severinus, where he dwelt for some time, bore his departure with a great sense of sorrow, which could almost be said about the whole monastery, whose charity was increased no less by the example of his life than it was by his preaching of the word of God. This is so true that the Abbot wrote to Fr. Ignatius that, if he were not forced by the reason of holy obedience to think otherwise, it would seem to him that the departure of Fr. Laynez was connected with a grave harm, since he seemed to be an apt instrument of divine Providence to change the whole city, and to bring it to the service of God and the salvation of all; therefore he asked Fr. Ignatius that at least another priest be sent to take his place, who would perform the same works of charity¹³.

243. Fr. Jerome Natalis, with others, who have already been mentioned, at the beginning of spring went from Rome to Sicily. On the journey itself they moved the minds of many to piety, sometimes by preaching, and by hearing the confessions of many persons; and some also who had false ideas about the faith they tried, not without fruit, by discussions and friendly conversations to bring to a more healthy state of mind. On the octave of Easter in this year of 1548 they arrived safely in Messina, and they were received with great signs of kindness and charity not only by the Viceroy and Lady Eleanor, his wife, a woman of great piety, but also by the city itself, which manifested a great positive attitude for the establishment of this College. And although the church of St. Nicholas and a house were assigned for ours, still because much construction still had to be done for the completion of our dwelling and the school, and for the beauty of the church itself, ours had to live in a rented house for several months. When they opened the school, and began carefully to take care of the students, a nearby house was purchased, along with its garden, and so the place of St. Nicholas was put in order at no small expense to the city. In this first year the city spent almost twenty-five hundred gold crowns, besides the annual income of five hundred for the support of our members, pledged by the unanimous consent of the city Council and confirmed by the Viceroy. Also a public document was issued, in the presence of the Viceroy, in which the property of St. Nicholas was turned over to the Society; the city commissioned a certain nobleman to take care of the building; he made use of the services of a well-known architect, and he constructed six classrooms outside the dwelling place of the College. Although the citizens of their own accord favored this work, the eagerness and authority of Lord Didacus de Cordova, the governor of the kingdom of Sicily, and that of the Viceroy himself, put a lot of pressure on them. For it can hardly be believed with how much love and affection the Viceroy showed towards our Society. The number of those attending the lower classes was sufficiently large right from the beginning; but, as is usual, they came in smaller numbers to the higher classes, because the College offered not only the lectures, which the city required in its letter of approval, but several others offered out of charity and for the sake of helping the youth. In this matter the curriculum of teaching of the University of Paris gradually was introduced. Fr. Natalis established three classes of grammar; Fr. Benedict Palmius taught the first class, Annibal de Codreto the second, and John Baptist the third. Fr. Canisius taught the art of rhetoric, Master Isidore logic, Fr. Andreas Frusius Greek, while Fr. Natalis taught Hebrew, but he did leave the basics of that to the same Fr. Andreas. He, however, although he was responsible for the governing of the College, taught scholastic theology in the morning, and then after lunch gave lectures on moral theology¹⁴.

244. Now since the body of the students was increasing, in the updating of the studies, which was to be done in the fall, it seemed to be helpful that a catalogue of the classes being offered should be promulgated throughout the whole kingdom of Sicily; but because by the Academy in Catania it was believed that it could not be done properly, the permission to do it was requested from the Viceroy. Although this concession involved a big difficulty, because of his goodwill towards the College established in Messina, he granted it. Indeed this matter was made known also in Calabria, so that those who wanted to study in Messina could do it easily. And when the Viceroy of Sicily wrote to the Viceroy of Calabria, they agreed that a hundred students could come to Messina. In the meantime, in addition to his regular teaching, Fr. Natalis, in the cathedral to a large audience (the Viceroy himself was present), began to explain the letters of St. Paul, beginning with his Letter to the Romans. But the city of Messina, perhaps motivated by the resistance of Catania, began to arrange for the establishment not only of a College, but also a University, and, with the approval of the Viceroy, and with no little support of the Council (which they all the Signatura), they obtained permission from Paul III, the Supreme Pontiff. The Rector of our College would be also the Rector of the University, and the Chancellor likewise was to be taken from our College, who would grant the degrees in Philosophy and Theology to those considered to be qualified. However, for good reasons, at this time our Society did not begin to take on the burden of a University. Therefore, at the end of September ours moved into their own house, which had been suitably remodeled, and when the school opened they published the rules and regulations, which were approved and put into effect. But at the beginning of October, in the church of St. Nicholas, in the presence of the Viceroy and the nobility of the city, two speeches, one by Fr. Peter Canisius and the other by Master Benedict Palmius, gave a very impressive beginning to the school year. Other speeches were also prepared, but the teachers gave them in the various classrooms by way of an introduction; also poems in Hebrew, Greek and Latin were posted on the walls; and so at last with great joy the matter was begun. And the city, in order to get legal approval of the University, wrote a letter to Fr. Ignatius, and the Viceroy did the same, and it sent a large sum of money to cover the expenses for this in the Curia. Since the literary exercises had a quite happy beginning, they took no less care with the things pertaining to spiritual progress. In addition, from the beginning of the year Fr. Jerome Domenech was preaching regularly, with the wife of the Viceroy being present; and having been encouraged by the Viceroy, with the help of his companion he sought alms in order to free those being held in prison because of their debts. And beginning with the Viceroy himself, with the help of the city and some private citizens, he got what he needed. And so the paupers began to be freed and released from prison, but they were first freed from the debts of their sins through Confession and Communion. The Viceroy on his own account suggested that this should be done, because his devotion and zeal for works of piety was outstanding. Also Fr. Stephen Baroëllus, who had been sent to Sicily before the College of ours was founded there, was preaching in the convents of nuns in Messina. He was hearing the confessions both of orphan boys and of other persons, both from the palace of the Viceroy and from the city, and from the public officials. He also instructed in the doctrine of the Christian religion some Saracens, servants of the Viceroy, who wanted to become Christians; he also gave more instruction to the orphans in the same matter and the city gave a good sum of money to build a school for them. In addition, one of our brothers was sent to Agrigento, and he began to teach catechism in place of Fr. James Lhoost; the latter was called to Rome, so he could be installed as the Rector of the College in Louvain, but he fell into a grave illness, contracted either from his labors or from some other cause. And since he was to be sent to the good air of his homeland in Belgium for the sake of regaining his health, he started on the journey and was in Bologna; when he was in our College, having received the Sacraments, with great edification of all, which his patience and acceptance of the divine will made manifest, he went to the Lord during the summer of this year. And as Fr. Salmeron writes (who along with Fr. Paschase was with him), after his death such joy was visible on the face of Fr. James that all were greatly consoled. But to return to Sicily, since a great ignorance of necessary things, and perhaps no less negligence in many things was the rule of the day, in spite of this many people were helped, partly by the explanation of the catechism, partly by the administration of the sacrament of Penance. And those who had not gone to confession for three or four or seven years were reconciled to the Lord through confession. Also the Spiritual Exercises were given to many, and this was done not without fruit, and the more the people of Messina derived spiritual consolation from them, the more grateful they were. When a priest from Catania had made the Spiritual Exercises of the First Week, and offered himself ready for everything, he returned to Catania, and what he had experienced he then presented to the nuns. A certain monastery in Messina needed reformation, and it seemed that it could not be helped except by the Spiritual Exercises and the word of God. And after some had attempted it in vain, Stephen was sent there and as soon as he began to preach, behold, the nuns began to weep and continued in their tears until the end of the sermon, and they asked him to repeat the same things and to speak about things pertaining to their spiritual progress. After he was added to the College in Messina, given the increase in the number of workers, the spiritual fruits also increased. For, the students began to go to confession every month, and they were helped very much in the spirit, and there were also some others, among whom was one man, more than forty years old, who had never gone to confession. In our church of St. Nicholas, Christian doctrine began to be explained every Friday; all the teachers, on the same days, in their classes taught the same thing to their students. And sermons were given in the same church to a large audience; this custom was started by Fr. Andreas Frusius. Also the custom of often hearing confessions and of preaching was introduced; this grew gradually and rightly increased the spiritual fruit and edification of the city. Now since the students attended the sacrifice of the Mass every day and on Sundays heard a sermon, and began to go to confession monthly, and to examine their conscience daily, to refer their studies to the glory of God, to spend some time in prayer, and to avoid swearing and foul language, and so they made progress in every way morally, and deservedly increased the consolation of their parents. In what pertains to the progress of ours in the liberal arts, one thing happened that was not expected, namely, that while some are teaching, and meanwhile some of the teachers are listening to other lectures, they made so much progress in erudition that there was the belief that greater progress in learning could not be accomplished in any other University. Because of new admissions, the number of ours increased and they, as the custom was at the time, together made progress in the spirit, and in certain domestic duties they contributed to the common good. Indeed a few boys presented themselves, but at such a tender age it did not seem right to admit them to the labors of the Society. The feast of St. Nicholas was celebrated with great splendor, since he is the patron of our church, and Fr. Natalis preached on the proper way to celebrate solemnities of this kind. Fr. Canisius preached in Italian on Sundays; but also Benedict Palmius, not yet a priest, when he preached in a certain monastery began to show no small talent for that function. And the people, being animated by the sermons, came to the sacrament of Confession in such large numbers that our confessors were not sufficient to gather in such an ample harvest, even though at times they dedicated themselves to this ministry from early morning until late at night. For, many general confessions were heard, and this was done with great fruit gained for the penitents. The matter so progressed that, when the literary exercises were so successful, the spiritual progress seemed to be even greater and to contribute to the greater glory of God. Isidore was added to the other preachers and he was the one teaching logic; but because all were occupied, both the Viceroy himself, and the city, and the Lord Didacus de Cordova, and even our own members, wanted a preacher, who would be free from other duties and could dedicate himself seriously to this task. Therefore Fr. James Laynez was sent there, as we have said, although not just for this function. Two different kinds of people flocked in large numbers to our priests, that is, either those who wanted seriously to lead a better life, or those who, having lived licentiously in their previous life, now wanted to return to the way of the Lord from which they had wandered far away¹⁵.

245. Now since the good odor from the College in Messina had spread to other cities in Sicily, some of them were motivated to seek their own College; among them Caltagirone appealed to the Viceroy that he would seek for them a College of the Society; but the one which first asked for it was not the one to obtain it; for, it seems that other Colleges were to be admitted first. In the meantime, I will not omit mentioning that, when Fr. Jerome Domenech wrote to our Father Ignatius that he should thank the city of Messina with a letter, because it had been so generous towards the College (as has been explained), here is the answer he received: It seemed to him rather that the city of Messina should give thanks to the Society which, having sent so many workers, offered much more than the city asked for.

246. I will also add the fact that, when Fr. Ignatius wrote to Fr. Natalis about making his solemn profession, the man otherwise endowed with rare gifts of God, thinking himself not worthy of this, excused himself before the same Father, and thought that he should be accepted among the professed of three vows; however, if he were ordered to make the profession of four vows, he wanted to profess them in the presence of Fr. Ignatius because of his great personal devotion to him. The solicitude of this Father was astonishing when it came to understanding and doing, even in the smallest things, the will of Fr. Ignatius. And it seems that it must be attributed to this virtue of obedience that when he was very sick in Rome, and hardly had the strength to do even simple things, strengthened by the virtue of obedience, he was able to govern and to preach, and to give three important lectures, namely, on scholastic Theology, moral Theology and Holy Scripture; he also heard many confessions, gave the Spiritual Exercises, and resolved serious doubts of conscience¹⁶.

247. Not only was the church of St. Nicholas adorned by the work of the architect, but much more by the rare relics of the Saints, which the Lady Eleanor, wife of the Viceroy, and the Lady Elizabeth, her daughter, gave (of those which they brought from Rome). But when some of ours, traveling through Cologne from Belgium, brought two heads from the number of the Virgins of Christ, St. Ursula and Companions, and when the city of Messina learned about it, by their letter they obtained them from Fr. Ignatius, and with a public procession they were reposed in the same church. So the embellishment of and reverence for all these relics greatly increased the devotion of the people towards this church.

248. Also not a few other works of piety through the zeal of the Viceroy, John de Vega, at the suggestion and cooperation of Fr. Jerome Domenech, were carried out in the kingdom of Sicily, such as societies for orphaned boys and girls, the reformation of convents of nuns, arrangements for the teaching of catechism, and other works to free poor people kept in prison; there were also large donations which were sent outside the kingdom itself; hence even the convent of St. Martha in Rome experienced the charity of the Viceroy. Now since there was high regard for the teaching of Fr. Jerome Natalis, the doubts of many noble persons were allowed to be decided by his judgment, even if they were of great importance, and in fact very important men of the city, including the magistrates, consulted him in order to seek his counsel.

249. Now when the Viceroy, John de Vega, usefully proposed some edicts for the reformation of certain cities in serious matters, it was suggested to him that, for the common good of the whole kingdom, he should order that a collection of these edicts, pertaining to the reformation of morals, be promulgated throughout the whole province. But before he did this, the task was given to Fathers Jerome Domenech and Natalis of reviewing and arranging them, so that they would be suitable for building up both the ecclesiastical order and the secular order.

250. Among the various convents of nuns, which accepted spiritual help from ours, there was one in Messina, where almost all the member were aroused to piety by the Spiritual Exercises, and were directed to the frequent use of Confession and Communion, especially on Sundays. Another one in Agrigento, through the efforts of Fr. Jerome Domenech, after doing away with personal money, or rather placing it in common, returned to the observance of a common life and poverty. Likewise a third one in Palermo, through sermons and spiritual exercises, and general confessions was so helped by Fr. Stephen Baroëllus that, while first of all some of them were quite obstinate, and did not want to make a good confession, they threw themselves at his feet, and showed that they were prepared both to give up their personal possessions and to embrace a complete reformation of life.

251. A thirteen year old boy came to Messina with his uncle who, beginning at the age of five, because of a special gift of God began to preach, and he was so good in that role that he stirred up great amazement in people because of the grace and ability he manifested, which was greater than could be believed. Now the Lady Eleanor, wife of the Viceroy, when she heard him preaching, began to encourage him with benevolence, and so that he might come to mature perfection, she asked urgently that he be received into our house, and she tried to accomplish this by writing a letter to Fr. Ignatius. But it seemed more fitting that he be educated among the orphan boys in Messina, and by coming to ours frequently he would make progress in life and doctrine. But since many of the students wanted to join the institute of our Society, it seemed to Fr. Natalis that the Spiritual Exercises should be given to the best candidates, and to choose some of them for the Society. He wanted none of the students to be persuaded to enter the Society, but only that they receive the Sacraments often, so that, if God wished to call them, they would be more ready to respond to their vocation.

252. Large donations were obtained for the hospital for the incurables, and because in the castle and palace there was a place for the custody of prisoners; when some fell sick there, it was difficult to care for them, so Fr. Domenech arranged that a suitable place should be provided, both for the care of their health and for attending the sacrifice of the Mass, for receiving the Sacraments, and to supply the medicines necessary for the sick. When this was done, many men were properly cured of their illnesses.

253. Some women abandoned their life of sin by the work of ours and of Lady Eleanor; her charity extended to the point that she did not refuse to accept one of these in her home, until something could be arranged for her, either through marriage or in some other way. Harmony was established among enemies, among whom some men of no small importance accepted this service¹⁷.

254. Fr. Sylvester Landinus came to Rome, when he had worked with great spiritual fruit in the region of Etruria, about which we spoke above, and also of Liguria, near Sarzana, and he left an astonishing respect for his life and teaching, and he had started not a few works of charity so that, even in his absence, others continued the same things; and even though he was working in his own homeland, he wanted to stay not with his family or his relatives, but in the hospital, in spite of their opposition. He attacked the heresies with such zeal that it happened on a certain Sunday, in different places, that he preached against them for six hours, with no small fruit resulting. Therefore, when he came to Rome, and had satisfied his devotion, he was sent by our Father Ignatius to Foligno, and he jokingly said to him that the two citizens of Foligno, who were accompanying him, he would make into Saints; he strove to help them as best he could, and one of them, who was a Doctor, was not far from the kingdom of God, and he warned him about entering a religious institute; and he had such influence on a certain Abbot in Spoleto that, in accordance with his counsel, he placed the Abbey and his own soul in the hands of Fr. Ignatius; also a certain teacher of school, and a canon, in a similar way put themselves under the direction of Fr. Ignatius. He was so busy with confessions that, when he began to hear them before dawn, he had to stay there until the evening. For, many people made a general confession; he also saw to it that many alms were given, and that peace was restored among enemies, who were important men of the city. Diligently he taught Christian doctrine, and the Bishop himself from the pulpit urged his hearers to go to him, since he gave lectures daily, affirming that he acknowledged the love of God towards that city. He said that, because God had sent a member of our Society to them, when priests of this kind could not be found elsewhere. Many persons made progress in the spirit by making the Spiritual Exercises, which he proposed to certain persons; some men, whom no one else could persuade to abandon their sins, the Lord brought back through him; he helped some sick persons with the sacrament of Confession; he obtained a promise from many that they would confess once a week or on the first Sunday of the month; and when he visited some sick people, he saw to it that they were taken care of; and he himself strengthened many of these every week with the sacraments of Confession and Communion. During his sermons many tears were shed by his hearers. And the Bishop, who saw abundant fruit coming from the ministry of this worker, not only embraced him with special charity, but he also conferred on him the fullness of his own authority¹⁸.

255. In this year Stephen Caposachi Aretinus, a youth of great promise, when from an immoderate practice of prayer and chastisement of the body, and before his superiors knew about it, seriously had injured his health, partly to recover his health, partly to give to a suitable person a church benefice which he had obtained, went back to his homeland, that is, to Arezzo. And on Sundays and feast days he began to exhort the people to live a good life, and especially to go to Confession and to receive Communion frequently, and although at that time, namely, during the time of August, the people were busy collecting the fruits of the earth and storing them for the future, nevertheless very many of them came for the sacrament of Penance. But others prepared themselves so they could do that after the harvest. But on Fridays, after Vespers, he kept the people in the church to say some prayers, and he also taught the boys the commandments of God and the precepts of the Church, and he exhorted them to observe them diligently¹⁹.

256. In the meantime, while these things were going on in Italy, Fr. Nicholas Bobadilla was busy in Germany, and following the court of the Emperor Charles and of the King of the Romans, he was offering much assistance both in things pertaining to the common good, and also in helping individual persons. And since the Nuncio of the Apostolic See was friendly, his works, such as those for the poor, and other affairs, which needed the authority of the Sovereign Pontiff, were done expeditiously and with edification. He heard the confessions of almost all the Spaniards, who followed the great court of the King of the Romans and of the Emperor, and also the confession of the Italians, and he was held in high regard by the Princes. He wrote several treatises in Augsburg pertaining to the reformation of religion in Germany, which he decided to send to Cardinals Farnese and Santa Cruz. Several of the Princes from Germany wanted to have him with themselves, but he thought it was more expedient for their spiritual fruit, if he spent four or five months with one, and the same amount of time with another, and partially by preaching, or giving lectures to the clergy in Latin, partly by helping others with conversations and the example of his life, although not without danger to his life, and he thought that he could accomplish a great deal. And if this task was ever going to be useful, he thought it was going to be very useful during this year. For, because of the recent victory of Charles V and the capture of the Duke of Saxony, many Prelates and Princes in Saxony began to return back to the ancient religion; and since by their very nature the Germans are thought to be more cold and remiss than others, those who would attract them to the Catholic religion would have to take that into account. And although the Emperor thought that he could not proceed in this matter except very gradually, still he wanted there to be some by whose work and exhortation the Germans would begin to be warm. And he says it is really amazing, while the Emperor remains silent and few are working in the vineyard of the Lord, how many are returning to the true religion. And as is certain from the letters sent at that time from Germany, the Palatine and Brandenburg Electors, along with their provinces, were thought to have returned to the bosom of the Church. For when the aforesaid Princes were in Augsburg, with great devotion they were present with their wives at all the Church liturgies during Lent. Also Duke Mauritius was believed to have been converted and to have sent someone to the people of his region, who would exhort them in his name to do the same. And at the same time the Duke of Brandenburg ordered his people to abstain from the eating of meat during Lent, and to confess and receive Communion according to the ancient Catholic custom. And in that very year he promised that he wanted to restore whatever he had taken from the Church. And when on Holy Thursday there was a procession of the disciplinarians (as they call those who scourge themselves) in the custom of the Italians and Spaniards, the Germans were greatly amazed that they did not omit it because of the danger of the snow and cold weather. And when the nobles displayed the great power of flaming torches (as they usually do), and walked from the cathedral to the hospital, and passed by the house of the Marquis of Brandenburg, he with his wife saw the profusion of blood and he began to weep abundantly. When some Lutherans said to them that they did not believe it was true blood, which was flowing from the bodies, he asked that some bloody under garments and also scourges be brought to him, so that he might know for sure that it was blood. Several nobles in the Catholic way went to confession and received Communion, and it is reported that more than seven thousand Germans did the same. Also the sacrifice of the Mass and the sacrament of the Eucharist began to be restored in Germany. Then there began to be some discussion about establishing a certain concord concerning religion, until the General Council decreed what must be held in this matter, which concord they called the interim. But since Fr. Bobadilla in no way thought that concord of this kind, or the interim, was in agreement with the duty of promoting religion, and he opposed it with all his strength orally and in writing, although in the court it was favored by many of the Princes; then by the ministers of the Emperor, who wanted the concord to be reached before the departure of Caesar to Flanders, he was commanded, in the name of the Emperor himself, to depart from Germany. And since in other respects Bobadilla, for the sake of greater spiritual fruit, would have written to Fr. Ignatius that this was according to his wishes, having been provided with a horse and traveling money, and with his good reputation increased at the Apostolic See, which was not at all pleased with the planned concord, they sent him back to Italy. But Ignatius, being aware of the return of Bobadilla, limited his admission to the Roman house so that neither the ministers of the Pontiff nor those of the Emperor, who perhaps did not feel the same way about it, would find any occasion for reproaching him. But when Bobadilla had been in Rome for some time, and was giving lectures to the people on Holy Scripture, he was sent by the Sovereign Pontiff with a certain Bishop to help him with the reformation of his diocese²⁰.

257. During this year Fr. Leonard Kessel was the superior of ours who were living in Cologne, and among the excellent works of piety which he was engaged in, very effectively he concentrated his efforts on helping the students at the University, especially those who were endowed with great talent (and many of them listened to him), and he helped develop their minds both with counseling and with spiritual exercises. He was responsible for six or seven men, who had joined the Society; they lived together in the house with great discipline, which influenced both their moral life, their spiritual life and their progress in studies. He strove to aid the city in various ways by hearing confessions and by preaching the word of God. And by the example of ours, who publicly went to Communion, many others were motivated frequently to go to confession and to receive Communion. Also among the learned men there were those who asked to be helped with spiritual meditations. Now when that venerable and pious man, Fr. Gerard, the Prior of the Carthusians in Cologne, noted the effect of poverty in our community, he offered his help to support seven or eight of our scholastics. And his charity extended itself further, since he knew about the penury of ours who were living in Rome, so he sent five hundred gold crowns to Fr. Ignatius as a donation to assist them²¹.

258. Fr. Daniel with Fr. Adriano and with some others were living in Louvain, and were kept busy with their studies and at the same time helping their neighbors. But when Fr. Ignatius thought that some of them, along with Fr. Nicholas Gaudanus, who was watching over the salvation of souls in Bergen, should be called to Rome to learn better the Institute of the Society and her way of living, he took care to write not only to ours, but also to the Chancellor of the University so that he would not be distressed at the departure of ours, and so that with his authority he would bring it about that others would not take it ill. The Chancellor, however, after reading the letter, zealously exhorted ours to obey, just as if they had received the command from the mouth of God; and he arranged with Dr. Tilmanus, the president of the Pontifical College, that a good successor be found for Fr. Nicholas so that the people of Bergen would accept the loss of their pastor with less annoyance. Fr. Nicholas had such good results from his work in the vineyard of Bergen, with God giving the increase, that the number of those frequently confessing and going to Communion in the Church in Bergen was such that it was almost like the practice of the early Church. The excesses of banquets and extravagance in clothing were done away with; many virgins, widows and even married people began to live a more religious life. Hence the Marchioness of Bergen, the Lady Jacoba de Croy, during this year wrote again and again to Fr. Ignatius that her citizens were more favorably disposed towards piety, and more obedient to herself than usual, having been made such by the work of Fr. Nicholas; that if he were removed from there, who was the animator of virtue, and on whom it seemed that the salvation of the city and the increase of religion depended, she feared that the city would relapse into its former condition. Also for the comfort of her widowhood she wanted him to remain there, because his religious life and good works moderated the sorrow of her own citizens. Also the parochial chapter of the church of St. Gertrude, where Nicholas was preaching, wrote to Fr. Ignatius to find the right pastor whom they were looking for so that he would oppose the heretics like a wall, and bring back the people almost alienated from the ancient religion and Christian piety to the pristine piety; this is what Master Nicholas Gaudanus zealously provided, by rooting out heresies, and by motivating and instructing the simple people; he revived a model of the glowing faith of the ancient Church in the minds of men, not without the admiration and amazement of all, even of the enemies of the faith. Nevertheless it seemed that this damage could be repaired by the substitution of a successor, and so during this year when Fr. Daniel and also Fr. Nicholas Gaudanuss²² came to Florence, they were commended by the testimony of very important men, both by the letters and by the piety of many. Also during this year some others came to the City, among whom was Fr. Nicholas Lanoyus, for many years a bachelor of Theology and a lecturer on Augustinian spirituality, who strove to promote the salvation of souls by his sermons and the example of his life. Now these men in Rome, working with great edification in various experiments, both at home and in the hospitals, gave an excellent example of their virtue. Those who remained in Louvain did not become less effective because of the departure of these brothers; and the good name of the Society was preserved, and by their example they invited many persons to practice frequent Confession and Communion²³.

259. In France ours were living nowhere else but in Paris. Fr. Paul de Achillis had departed from there and was spending some time in Rome. There Fr. Baptist Violaeus was in charge of ours, and together with our students he was also studying at the University. And in the meantime, with the Spiritual Exercises and the ministry of Confession and Communion he was training some of the students, who seemed to be future workers in the vineyard of the Lord. Among others, who entered the Society in 1548, there was Fr. Everard Mercurian, now the Superior General of the whole Society, who, since in the previous year he had made much progress in the Spiritual Exercises, went to Liège to take care of things at home and to rid himself of them²⁴. At that time when those, about whom mention has been made, were about to depart from Belgium for Rome, he returned to Paris and was admitted into the Society, since he had already earned his degrees in Philosophy and Theology. And in dealing with the souls of men, and in helping them towards spiritual perfection, he soon acquired no small praise among ours who were in Paris at the time²⁵. 

260. The work of the Society was spreading throughout Spain, but for the spiritual edifice, and also the temporal, they were erecting a sufficiently high foundation of contradictions, and especially in those places, where afterwards a more abundant fruit was obtained, as in Salamanca and Alcalá. At the beginning of this year of 1548, that is, in February, Fr. Michael de Torres, a doctor of sacred Theology, at the request of Cardinal de Coria, the lord of Francis de Mendoza with his companion Francis de Villanova, came to Salamanca. In the previous year, when he accompanied Dr. Antonio de Araoz on some missions, by his example and words he made progress in a marvelous way; and when a canonicate in the Church of Saragossa was offered to him, just as he had been offered a chair of Theology at Alcalá, he rejected it. Now when he passed through Toledo on his way to Salamanca, a young man from Toledo attached himself to him, whose name was Baptist; and when the divine Goodness touched his heart, he distributed almost three thousand ducats to the poor. Being so pleased with his conversation, and deeply affected by the spirit of Fr. Torres, he so attached himself to him that he did not in any way want to leave him. Besides the course in Philosophy, he had studied theology for some time, and when he had pronounced the vows of the Society, he went to Salamanca together with Dr. Torres. Fr. Sevillanus joined up with these three, whom in this year Master Maximilian Capella, who had come from Portugal, followed. Therefore, with three companions Fr. Torres entered the city, in which he was quite well known previously and was held in high regard. However, Satan so strove to hinder the entrance of the Society into that University that it was necessary to have no small gift of patience and constancy. There was in the famous College of St. Stephen a certain religious of the Order of Preachers, and he was famous both for his teaching, by holding down the chair (which they call The First Hour), and for his learned writings and his sermons. He had persuaded himself that the end of the world is approaching, and that the Antichrist has already been born; and since, for some human reasons or other, he was not well affected towards Fr. Ignatius, whom he had known in Rome, it began to sink into his mind, and very firmly, that both Ignatius and his companions were the precursors of the Antichrist, and he wanted to equate the signs of the Antichrist and of his ministers totally with our members. Hence both in private conversations and also in Lenten sermons he began to shoot arrows of such a kind against the Society, her Institute and persons that almost all the hearers understood that he was talking about our members. And because of his authority he so moved the people that they pointed with their finger at ours passing through the street, and they were urged to avoid their deceits, since they feared them as ministers and agents of the Antichrist. However, some important men, not a few of whom Dr. Torres approached, did not approve of the zeal and prudence of this preacher. Before he began attacking ours, Dr. Torres had paid his respects to this preacher. Nevertheless, he both personally and through another preacher of the same Order, whom perhaps he had persuaded to adopt his opinion, wanted to criticize ours, who had not yet set foot in Salamanca. And when finally Dr. Torres spoke with him about this, and kindly asked him to repair the damaged good name of the Society, which had been approved by the Apostolic See, he did nothing more for ours but to offer more objections, and he said that the people should be warned not to allow themselves to be deceived, and he also said that nothing displeased him more than that Dr. Torres was one of us, about whom he said he had a good opinion. He also asked a famous preacher of his Order, Fr. John Segoviensis, to join him in attacking the Society; and since he had said many things about this opinion, that prudent man responded briefly with a smile that it was in no way fitting for him to condemn an Institute before the Church had condemned it. However, that agitator did obtain this, namely, that ours did become suspect to the magistrates and senate of the city, so that when Dr. Torres offered his help to instruct the beggars and, as it were, the dregs of the city by instructing them in Christian doctrine and the Sacraments, they replied that they wanted first to see the Apostolic Letter and approval of the Society, so that they could have the theologians examine them. But in no way did ours lose heart; indeed they said they had not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood or being put in chains (like Fr. Ignatius), and that they were ready to suffer more. But since Dr. Torres persevered, partly in performing the ministries of the Society, which he could do, and he gave a defense of our Institute to the Prefect of schools, and to the Rector of the University, among other important men. He began to drive away the rumors of the adversaries, and the good will of many was obtained. In the work of hearing confessions on the outside, and at home in acts of humility and charity, when he served his brothers in the kitchen, gradually he spread abroad edification and a good aroma. Also the Spiritual Exercise were given to some of the students and their friendly conversations moved some to embrace the Institute of the Society. And among other works of piety, during this year God accomplished this through Dr. Torres — that when a certain priest was so moved to desperation by internal afflictions that he was in great danger, at least of losing his mind, God so consoled him that he became perfectly normal, and he decided to dispose totally of his gift for the honor of God and finally to serve God in a serious manner²⁶.

261. Also ours at Alcalá lived during this year not without a test of their patience; for, first of all, almost all of them came down with various illnesses so that there was hardly anyone who could take care of the sick. The donations, which contributed to the support of the scholastics, gradually ran out, so that they could not be protected with sufficient clothing against hazards of winter. Moreover, at the beginning of this year Dr. Ortiz, who with paternal affection both loved our students in Alcalá and provided the necessities of life for them, was taken by the Lord from here to a better life; hence some persons, who in the beginning were not well disposed towards our Institute, and seemed to have rightly divined the future, thought that the Society would soon be extinct. Also the Archbishop of Toledo, who showed himself to be not favorable to ours, threatened to come of Alcalá and to examine both the life and the ceremonies of ours and our Institute. For, he feared that something bad was hidden there (as is not wrong to suspect with regard to new things). But Francis de Villanova not only was not depressed by threats of this kind, but rather he was filled more with hope of happy success, and he looked forward to the arrival of the Archbishop in order to test our way of life. A rumor was going around extensively so that the Rector of the University asked whether there was certainty about our confirmation by an Apostolic Letter; and he said that many were full of suspicions and had doubts concerning our way of life. Therefore, so that the matter might become clearer for all, he said that he wanted that Letter to be shown to him. But the reason why the Rector of the University demanded this proof of our Institute, according to Francis de Villanova, was the following. Since he saw the unfavorable opinions of many people about the Society did not proceed from the fact that they wanted to find the truth to their satisfaction, but sought only to damage our Institute and our works, considering this to be a trap of the devil who strives, by hiding the truth, to confuse people’s minds, he consulted with a friend secretly among the professors of the University, and suggested that it would be worthwhile if he warned the Rector about the things which were going around and about the confusion of mind which was discerned in many, and that he should suggest as coming from himself that because of his official position he would inquire into this matter and examine the facts, and, if he found something wrong, he would apply the remedy. When the Rector was moved by this, he summoned Francis de Villanova, as we have said. After he had taken everything into consideration, and had completely satisfied the Rector, he asked him to arrange a meeting of the faculty of theology to inquire into all the causes of this rumor and of all this disturbance, and to list all the questions about which they wished to find satisfaction. And he said it would be most gratifying to him if the truth were sought with the utmost rigor and, if it pleased the Rector, that this examination should be committed to those who showed themselves to be most opposed to the Society. This last point pleased the Rector, and so he committed the matter to the three professors who publicly, besides others, had shown themselves to be hostile to the Society. Villanova went to them, and when he had resolved all their doubts, both about the Spiritual Exercises (about which they had many false ideas) and about the other things pertaining to our Institute and our way of acting, partly in doubt about their opinions, partly being satisfied about the things they knew pertained to the glory of God, they were so changed to an attitude of benevolence that one of them, who had fiercely opposed us, said that he was going to preach publicly a recommendation of the Society, and indeed immediately, if he did not fear lest he seem to recant, but certainly that he would do it after a few days. But another one said that he hoped he could enter the Society. But the remaining people at the University partly were astonished that the critics were now silent, partly scoffed at those who had spoken ill about the Society, partly testified publicly that they had been deceived. Villanova himself writes these things to the Duke of Gandia who, because of his charity, was concerned about our ministries everywhere. But when these waves were quieted down, there was one of the doctors, namely Jerome de Vergara²⁷ who, wanting ours in Alcalá to have a firm foundation, began not only to think about it, but actually to effect the buying of a house for them and of applying to them an ecclesiastical income by apostolic authority, and so he sent money to Rome in order to obtain the Apostolic Letter necessary for this. But for Villanova these were only the beginnings, and, if they were compared with the things which he was thinking about and planning, he said that they were quite weak²⁸.

262. At that time there were some priests in Baetica stirred to piety by a venerable man, and famous preacher of the word of God, Master Avila, and they were sufficiently instructed in the things pertaining to prayer and the direction of souls. But when he thought about establishing a congregation, which would include this kind of men, but encountered great difficulty in making it a reality, and then he learned that the men of our Society in Spain were doing the same thing, he became convinced that divine Goodness had already done through Ignatius what he was planning to do, and so he gave up the idea of establishing a new congregation. Thus he decided to send his disciples to the Society; and so several of them at different times came to the Society, and they were also endowed with excellent gifts of God. Now one of them was Gaspar Lopez; in the city of Jerez, in the diocese of Seville, he was training some very talented young men, and had begun to establish there a College in which philosophy and theology were being taught. He abandoned everything and joined the Society; but the city, since it had approved his congregation, and was unhappy about his departure in the middle of the course of lectures in theology, sent a messenger to follow him, and asked Fr. Avila that he send Gaspar back to them, at least for a time. He promised abundantly his assistance to promote the activities of that College for the honor of God; so when the course of theology was completed, then he was able to come to the Society. Therefore it seemed to be for the glory of God, if this were given to the city, and with the shedding of many tears, and Master Gaspar returned there, not alone afterwards, but with not a few of his disciples, who thought as he did, who were going to increase the workers of the Society. In the meantime, however, he humbly asked to be admitted into the Society, and that someone of ours be sent there, who would take care of him and the others²⁹.

263. The there was much discussion about starting a College in Seville, and besides the support, which the Duke of Gandia and the Marchioness de Pliego had offered, a certain nobleman, whose name was Gomez Hurtado, and who was totally dedicated to works of piety, and every year gave more than thirty thousand ducats for the support of the poor (while others exercised this work of kindness for him), offered his help so that a certain number of ours could be supported. And indeed the Duke of Medina-Sidonia, and also the Archbishop of Seville, said that they would be very pleased to have it; but because it was necessary to have a preacher to begin the College, the matter had to be deferred. Two of these disciples of Master Avila wanted to go to Alcalá, and so Francis Villanova made it possible for them to do it. Our students in Alcalá were kept busy with their studies; but they also did other works of piety, and by giving the Spiritual Exercises to some of the students they gathered in no little fruit. When one of these went to Granada, which was his homeland, to take care of some business with the approval of Francis Villanova, partly by his conversations about things pertaining to spiritual perfection, partly by explaining the Institute of the Society to many youths of good character, he spread around in that city a favorable report about the Society to such an extent that even some learned men began to think about entering the Society³⁰.

264. When Fr. Simon in Portugal found out about the difficulties of ours, who had gone to Salamanca, he sent Fr. Francis Strada (whom the Duke of Gandia by letter had asked for from the King), even though he was doing excellent work there, to the kingdom of Castile; but when he went from Salamanca to Valladolid, and then was about to return, and at the time the Apostolic Nuncio, Poggius, was assigned to the court of Prince Philip, he was not permitted by him to return to Salamanca. But in Valladolid he began to do other works of piety and especially to give sermons. However, a church could hardly be found that could hold the large crowd of those who avidly listened to this Father; and besides the very abundant fruit, which the people derived from him, several men there began to approach the Society. And the Council of the city gave the Society the church of St. Anthony, with a house nearby and in the neighborhood of the hospital, which is called Charity. But so that ours could live there more fittingly, the Apostolic Nuncio (whose great charity towards ours was always conspicuous) at his own expense began a building. And some other noblemen offered donations both for the furnishing of the house and for the support of the students. Before that, the Council had sent a decree to Valladolid in which the permission was given to the Society that it could have a former hospital³¹ of the city, which seemed to be more opportune for the establishment of a College; but the choice of the church of St. Anthony was thought to be more suitable. Fr. Ignatius, having been warned that Fr. Araoz was not taking care of his health, and besides many labors was wont at times to spend the whole night in prayer, as Fr. Torres wrote about him to Rome, exhorted him with a gentle rebuke to moderate his activities, and he put his companion in charge of his health. With great distrust of self, Fr. Araoz wrote back that he experienced an increase of faith and charity, not only in God, but also in the one whom he had chosen as his Vicar on earth in the Society itself. It is astonishing not only with what great patience, but also with what sense of thanksgiving this Father received the rebuke; he also asked in a polite way not only Fr. Ignatius, but someone else³², whose help Ignatius made use of in governing the Society, that he admonish and reprehend him regarding all his faults, even though they may seem to be very slight. Then our priests, who were working in Valladolid under Fr. Mendez, were so busy in the ministry of hearing confessions that they could in no way take care of all who came; and not only the Nuncio, but also the Infanta Maria, who is now the Empress, did not permit Fr. Strada to depart from there to Salamanca, as he had planned to do³³.

265. The Bishop of Mondoñedo held in high regard John de Valderrabano and wanted him to be the coadjutor of his diocese; but since he, saying farewell to being a prelate and all other things, had pledged himself to the Society, and as was said above, had begun to live with ours in Alcalá in order to serve them in the kitchen, the Bishop dealt seriously with Fr. Araoz, the Provincial of Spain, that he should send to him someone of the Society, whom he could use for the help of his flock. Also he offered an excellent house in Valladolid (his own homeland), which he had bought for the use of the clergy, who were leading a spiritual life; and he had decided to give an excellent library to ours for the faculty of Theology. Now after the usual probation, the same John de Valderrabano was assigned to him, and by his ministry, as the Bishop himself wrote, a great progress in souls took place in the city of Mondoñedo. And because he was not yet a priest, the same Bishop asked the Provincial for his permission to ordain him, and he himself wanted to be his patron so that he might have such a useful son in the Church of God; and he was given this permission.

266. At this time Fr. Antonio Araoz was in Barcelona; the previous year he had suffered a grave illness, and by the grace of God and the solicitude of the Apostolic Nuncio (who rose during the night to give him his pills, and he wanted to be present while the doctors were present and blood was taken from him; and he not only provided necessary things, but performed the office of infirmarian), he eventually recovered his strength, and he remained in Barcelona for the sake of a full recovery. For some time he stayed with ours who lived there, and he worked very usefully in that vineyard of the Lord by preaching and hearing confessions, and by edifying conversations about things pertaining to the spiritual life. And he was very pleasing to many people, but especially to the leading men of the city, who embraced our Society with deep affection. But the main reason why he stayed there for a long time was because Prince Philip of Spain had given him a special order regarding the reformation of monasteries in the region of Catalonia. For, the Prince had already received, through the efforts of Fr. Ignatius, an Apostolic Letter in the form of a Brief, which he had requested. And although the execution of this matter was committed to others, so that everything would be carried out correctly, Araoz, as I have said, had accepted the charge, and was also responsible for the Colleges committed to him. The Inquisitor of heretical irregularity, being closely associated with the Society, consulted with him and sought his counsel on various matters. Not only in the monasteries, but also in other works of piety, the Society made great progress there. And in a wonderful way by his sermons the hearers were moved to piety. Three youths of excellent character joined the Society. And Araoz offered helpful assistance in establishing a peace that was very important³⁴.

267. Our men in Valencia obtained a house that is quite suitable and ample, along with a large garden; and also another building next to it was added to be used as a church where they could preach. But our brothers, who were making their studies there, were active in the public academy with great edification; and in taking their grades the teachers admired their erudition joined with modesty and they had high praise for them. In particular should be mentioned our brother Peter Canisius, a Frenchman; when he was examined for the baccalaureate, one of the professors of Theology said that, during a period of more than twenty-four years, when he was teaching in the schools, he had never seen a candidate who responded as well as he did. Now the reason for this is the diligence of ours in their studies, so that the city of Valencia, which operates the University, granted this privilege to our Society that, in the future, ours could receive without payment all the grades both in Philosophy and Theology. Also Fr. James Miron, besides the onus of governing, accepted the chair of lecturing on the Sentences [of Peter Lombard], and indeed twice a day, both so that he might make greater progress in his theological studies and also to help others by his efforts. Moreover, he dedicated himself to many other works of piety; and his charity and self-discipline made it possible for him to have time and strength for all these things. Now although in the previous year they were disturbed by opposition because of the false rumors going around, when those rumors subsided, as they usually do, then they enjoyed great peace. And as Fr. Miron writes, now it was vain glory, rather than persecutions, that had to be avoided. During this year they also admitted some men into the Society. The Archbishop showed himself to be very benevolent and friendly towards ours. But that our good reputation might spread out broadly among the people, among other things this helped not a little, namely, that a certain pious and wealthy man gave Fr. Miron a large sum of money to be distributed to the poor. Since otherwise it could be feared that this pious work might be omitted, he took up the work of distributing it, and having taken great care, and through the parishes of the city he searched for the poor, for those especially who were ashamed to beg publicly, while they were suffering from great want. However, because it seemed to him that alms of this kind should be distributed by others rather than by our men, it was not necessary to perform this function for a long time. Also friendship was obtained not only of the nobles, but also of the religious and of the teachers, and of those who held the first places in the University. On Saturdays and Sundays they heard many confessions; and in general, they engaged in other kinds of pious works to the edification of the city. But since among their main fruits was the frequent use of confession and communion, the devil, for whom these things were displeasing, stirred up doubts on the part of some. The result was that one preacher recommended this frequency, while another opposed it; hence a strong rumor among the people was aroused because of this controversy. When the Archbishop became aware of this, during Lent of this year he called together almost all the theologians of the city so that he might decide this question by listening to them. And afterwards he had it promulgated throughout the city that, on the Sunday after Easter, he was going to preach in the cathedral and was going to explain what must be held regarding this controversy. But since on that day he forbade any sermon to be given elsewhere, he preached for two hours; and since he was a man noted not only for his piety, but also his doctrine and gift of preaching, he performed his office excellently. And at length he praised the frequent reception of Communion, and he granted the general permission to all to communicate every Sunday. And if some wish to communicate daily, they should not do it without consulting him. For he said that after considering their wishes, he would not refuse to give them permission, because it would be for the glory of God and for their own advantage. But both the sermon, which was full of excellent teaching, and this permission produced great consolation in those who were disposed to confess and communicate frequently, and it seemed to contribute to the great praise of God. Peace was established among many by ours, the Spiritual Exercises were also given to some, and it was not without good results that, when our scholastics on Sundays defended various theses in our house, outsiders were usually present, and the communication of these things disposed them to consider things that are spiritual³⁵.

268. Meanwhile, the College at Gandia was progressing very well, especially in things pertaining to the spirit. Fr. Andreas de Oviedo, after he preached to the people in the morning, taught catechism after lunch, and he did that every day with singular fruit and edification of the people. However, he so limited himself in dealing with the boys, by teaching them simply, that he also provided spiritual fruit for others, who were present and more advanced in age, and he took away any shame in them for attending the instruction of boys. But since a knowledge of the least things is necessary for many people who are older, Fr. Andreas engaged more willingly in this task of teaching catechism than he did in preaching, because it is more humble and advantageous, although he did not omit his sermons, which he was accustomed to give in a monastery to quite a few people. After listening to Christian doctrine, some seized the occasion to make a general confession to him. And when Lady Joanna, a relative of the Duke, with her nephews, the children of the Duke of Gandia, and some other important men were present at this explanation of Christian doctrine, a larger crowd of people also attended. Among others, who at the time were present in Gandia, was the Lord John Gonzalez, the Defender of Aragon, since in the previous year he was present at the assembly in Monzón, and had met the Duke of Gandia there, who was like a mirror of all virtues and who was a source of admiration to the court of Prince Philip and to all who served him — this Gonzalez had a strong desire to enjoy his example and companionship. And so he went to Gandia, where he also progressed much in the spirit, and he decided to give to ours, who then did not have a house, a small College, which he had established in Saragossa as a residence for his daughters, and afterwards for good reasons had abandoned it. Therefore, ours began to live there, and they occupied themselves with the ministry of offering Masses, and of the sacraments of Penance and the Eucharist. But from the very beginning this little College was quite a problem for the Society, as will be clear later. Now I will return to Fr. Andreas: sometimes he also preached to neophytes and he gave the Spiritual Exercises to some priests with good results; and in the hospital he provided for the basic needs of the sick. In the preceding year Fr. Ambrose had died in Gandia, and on the very same day when Fr. Peter Faber died in the year following; as a disciple of Faber, he wanted very much to be directed by him in the spiritual life as his teacher, and he wanted to visit with him. And eight days before he departed from this life, he was certain about his impending death, so that he testified, and with raised hands he prayed to the Lord not to keep him any longer in this exile, and having received all the sacraments, and giving a great example of his virtue, he departed to the Lord on the day of the Chains of St. Peter³⁶.

269. The Bishop of Cartagena came to Gandia to visit the Duke of Gandia. And since he wanted to make a general confession, the Duke convinced him that he should prepare himself by making the Spiritual Exercises. This was pleasing to the Bishop, so he went to Murcia, which is the principal city in his diocese, and he met with Fr. Andreas, who accompanied the Bishop in visiting some places in the diocese with no little fruit. But after arriving in Murcia, he gave the Spiritual Exercises both to the Bishop and to the Canon, who was the preacher in the cathedral. And after various things pertaining to matters of conscience were considered by them, which concerned both their private lives and the common good of the Church in Cartagena, they diligently made the Exercises; and having made a general confession, they made much progress in the spirit. The Bishop was especially edifying; daily he celebrated the sacrifice of the Mass, and he sought to find every way in which he could please God more, and serve his flock. And he earnestly desired that some members of the Society would come to his diocese in order to help him. When he wrote to the Duke of Gandia about this matter, he began to be interested in the establishment of the College there. Andreas heard some more confessions in the same place and then he returned to Gandia³⁷.

270. In this year at Gandia the Spiritual Exercises were received, since they had been translated into Latin and confirmed by the Apostolic See with an attached Apostolic Letter. The book was printed in Rome, and it was received in Gandia with such consolation and heavenly devotion that all of ours, from the first to the last, wanted to meditate on each of the Exercises day after day, in place of their morning prayer. Both the Duke and his aunt, the Lady Francesca shared in their devotion. Also during this year in Gandia some men wanted to enter the Society, and a few were admitted. On Sundays in Lent Fr. Andreas visited the villages of neophytes near to Gandia, and he would preach in one in the morning, and in another in the afternoon³⁸.

271. The building for the College in Gandia was already completed, but our men waited for some time until it had dried out more; finally, in this year on the vigil of the Ascension of the Lord, they took up residence in the new College, and on the day of the Ascension, in the new church they celebrated a sung high Mass for the founder, according to our constitutions. And on the same day they put the Blessed Sacrament into the church, dedicated to St. Sebastian, and after lunch (which the Duke with his children and many others honored by his presence in the new dining room) some theses in theology were proposed, defended by Master Francis Onfroy, while Fr. James Miron, who came from Valencia, presided; but Master John Canalis³⁹, who had accompanied Fr. Miron, defended the philosophical theses in the place of Master Emmanuel de Saa, who had fallen sick. And everything was handled very well, concluding with the singing of Vespers. Ours, who began to live in the new College on that day, numbered thirteen; the ten neophytes were placed in a remote part of the College; the income then was more or less five hundred ducats, but in the following year almost eight hundred, and after a short space of time it increased to a thousand, and almost 25 students, in addition to the neophytes, could be supported. But since the University was already established, and confirmed by the authority of the Apostolic See, and also with the privileges which are granted to other Universities, the Rector of our College, was also going to be the Rector of the University; hence, as this was the first University which the Society controlled, so its first Rector was to be Fr. Andreas de Oviedo, under whom another one of ours had the responsibility of instructing and guiding the neophytes. But in this year more classes in all the faculties were initiated, although also in the previous year ours had studied logic, and on feast days they had lectures on ethics; and on Sundays, after lunch, and there were also disputations on theological subjects. But the Duke wished that his son, the Lord Alvarus de Borgia (who however later did not embrace the ecclesiastical state, and is now the Marquis de Alcagnises), should do his studies under ours in the College in Gandia. Similarly also Ferdinand de Vega asked with all his strength regarding his two sons, namely, that they be admitted to study with ours in Alcalá. However, although Fr. Ignatius granted this in order to satisfy men who were very generous to the Society, in the future he wanted to close this door to others. But when a certain devout religious, Brother John de Texeda, a member of the Friars Minor, who was a good friend of the Duke and lived in Gandia, asked to live in the College with ours, it seemed to Fr. Ignatius that it should absolutely not be permitted, since he seemed to be a man of good character, but to have an outlook foreign to our Institute. But since some, who wanted to be admitted into the Society, because of their difficulties in temporal matters, at that time could not easily be admitted into other Colleges in Spain, the Duke of Gandia offered his help, not only to those about whom there was some question, who were not more than four or five, but to forty-five, if that many would come to Gandia⁴⁰.

272. But it happened that the propensity of both Fr. Andreas de Oviedo and of Fr. Francis Onfroy was so strong towards the internal practice of spiritual things, that it seemed to Fr. Ignatius absolutely that moderation had to be exercised. Fr. Andreas himself writes that, in addition to the time he spends reciting the divine office, he also spends daily three whole hours in prayer; and depending on his daily duties, sometimes he spends more than three hours at this exercise. And in what pertains to the chastisement of the body, three times daily he scourges himself because of the particular and universal needs of others; also he experienced such an abundance of tears that, since they harmed his eyes, they could be restrained only with great difficulty. Now concerning slanders, and if something happened that was like a persecution, he was so disposed mentally that he had need of humility, lest because of them he would be pleased with himself, rather than patience, lest he be upset. But in consoling the minds of others and in his preaching he experienced the very merciful hand of God. Meanwhile his spirit progressed to such an extent (who now rather than by God, he seemed to be moved by himself or perhaps by the tempter) that now he did not willingly want to be occupied with others, unless obedience, or an inspiration from God, or at least right reason demanded it; but he wanted to dedicate the rest of his time to contemplation and prayer. Also Fr. Francis Onfroy, as the Duke himself wrote to Rome, beginning at midnight, gave seven continuous hours to prayer. Finally, the matter went so far that both of them, with great passion of spirit, wanted to go into the wilderness. Hence, Fr. Andreas in the name of both of them wrote to Fr. Ignatius and requested, after advancing many reasons, permission to do that. But Fr. Ignatius, who had a special gift of God in discerning spirits, absolutely disapproved of this as foreign to our Institute, and as something not only hindering progress in studies, but also the help of our neighbors. In fact, he also ordered Fr. Andreas to come to Rome, unless it seemed otherwise to the Duke of Gandia. However, the Duke himself writes that this desire had been communicated to himself by Fr. Andreas, and that he had responded to him, and although it would not be a desire of this kind that he would command to be done, nevertheless Fr. Andreas owed much to God, who conferred the rewards of solitude on him while he remains in the Society, and without the hardships of the wilderness, he gave him the merits of that kind of life. But the Duke also said that during the whole time, while he was awaiting the answer of Fr. Ignatius, Fr. Andreas experienced great resignation of soul, and when the answer came, in which what he asked for was denied, he was filled with a great sense of consolation. Hence, he concludes that, if Satan hoped for some gain in that desire of solitude, he suffered rather a loss, since from it he derived from it at the same time both the merit of the wilderness and the sacrifice of obedience. And he writes the same thing about Fr. Francis Onfroy. Therefore, the trip of Fr. Andreas to the City was not necessary⁴¹.

273. The Duke also wrote to the Sovereign Pontiff (before he had received the letter of Fr. Ignatius, which sought this), and he asked that the faculties be given to the Society, which religious call mare magnum (the great sea); for although Ignatius had much favor and authority in the eyes of the Pontiff, but because he knew that the Duke, and the house of Borgia, is held in high esteem by the Sovereign Pontiff, and was much influenced by it, willingly he used his letter, and favor, and authority to promote the affairs of the Society. Then the matter was set in motion concerning those faculties, which were granted in the following year⁴².

274. Moreover, since the preceding year, without mentioning the name, permission had been sought from the Sovereign Pontiff (as has been said often) that, if the Duke of Gandia takes his vows, nevertheless for three years beginning with May of this year he will retain the administration of the duchy so that he can place his daughters, and provide for his sons, and can bring the beginning foundation of the College and of other pious works to completion. But when the Duke received this permission or dispensation, he immediately summoned Fr. Antonio Araoz, the Provincial; but because on the feast of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin he was impeded by sickness or by some business, on the very day of the Purification, secretly the Duke made his solemn profession, and so he performed this pious duty with great consolation of his soul. And it is not surprising that Fr. Ignatius conceded so quickly to the Duke (whom afterwards he called Fr. Francis de Borgia) this permission to make his profession. For the divine Goodness opened his eyes immediately after the death of the Empress (the Emperor had given him the function of accompanying her body to its place of burial), so that, coming to know the vanity of this world and its deceptions, he decided absolutely to serve God. And after the burial of the Empress, which took place in May of 1538, he returned from the city of Granada; having been enlightened by a great grace of the divine Majesty, he began to think seriously about a change in his life, although his wife was still living. With great determination he began to spend time in prayer and in reading (for from his youth he had a love for learning) and also in chastising of the body. Thus, while he was the Viceroy of Catalonia, besides the use of chains and strict fasting (at the banquets which he was forced to provide for others) and the constant flagellation of the flesh, he also spent many uninterrupted hours in mental prayer. And he made such progress in the reading of the holy Doctors, and in meditation on things pertaining to the perfection of the Christian life that, when he was in Gandia in the following year, it was discerned that he had received a special talent for these things; this was seen in the booklets he wrote, and also in his preaching (which he did in the convent of Saint Clare, when the doors were closed to outsiders). And when, in imitation of our students, among a few of his domestics who were interested in spiritual growth, he determined that someone should preach; the lot fell to him, so he had to preach twice, and he gave the second sermon with such erudition, order and spirit that those who heard him were very astonished, and they thought that this gift could be from no one else but from God, since it had the odor not so much of books as it did of prayer, and they said it should be written down in letters of gold. Now at this time, since his wife had died and he had made the Exercises, and had consecrated himself to God by his simple vows, daily he made great progress in every spiritual virtue. And as we said about Fr. Andreas, so also Francis Borgia, because of his holy fervor, seemed to go somewhat beyond good measure both in the time given to prayer, and in fasting, and in the chastising of the body with chains and scourges⁴³.

275. But Ignatius, having been consulted by him, responded about those things (there is a written copy of Ignatius’s response in matters of consultation) that what he so far had done should be attributed absolutely to God; truly, since other spiritual and corporal exercises are suitable for one time or another, it seemed to him that it would be enough, if he took half of the time that he spent in prayer (because it was very long), and used it for study, so that not only insights infused by God, but also acquired knowledge can be used to serve God and to help the neighbor; and he said that there is more virtue and grace that can be obtained from God, and that one can serve God anywhere in various positions, rather than in only one, even if it is prayer. Regarding what pertains to fasting and abstinence, since already by the grace of God his flesh was free from grave temptations and was sufficiently subject to the spirit, he said that he should not fast so much lest his stomach (it had already begun) not be able to digest food; rather, he said, his natural powers should be strengthened by eating the proper foods; and he wished very much that he would be persuaded by this, since both soul and body are from God, and it will be necessary to give a good account to God for both of them. He also said that he should not allow his body and its vigor to become weak, lest his soul be rendered less useful for its functions. He said that sometimes the extreme abstinence from ordinary foods is to be recommended, but afterwards he should strengthen the body without offending either God or the neighbor.

276. On chastising the body with scourges, since he was accustomed to beat himself daily to the point of shedding some blood, for the honor of the Passion of Christ, Fr. Ignatius thought that he should abstain from scourging of this kind, which result in shedding blood, and in place of blood he should seek the spiritual gifts of God, such as the shedding of tears, either because of his own sins, or the sins of others, or because of the mysteries of Christ in this life or in heaven, or in the consideration and love of the divine Persons. He said that such spiritual works of faith, hope and charity, are to be greatly preferred to corporal exercises, since the corporal exercises are to be recommended insofar as they contribute to the progress of the spiritual gifts. Although in the things that have been said Francis Borgia made admirable progress, still his singular humility, charity, and other solid virtues, are wont to be quite rare, not only in important men in the world, but also in religious, and so they seemed to be even more admirable in him. Prudence likewise was no less evident in him, both in getting things done and in his spiritual advice to others. Finally, when he made his profession he was deficient in his knowledge of Theology, so in the following years he made up for that by his constant study of scholastic Theology. He was thirty-seven years old when he made his solemn profession, which, however, he prudently kept hidden for three years, until he returned to Rome⁴⁴. During this time not only did he provide very well for his daughters, but he found a wife, the daughter of Count Olive, for his eldest son, the Marquis de Lombay. And since she succeeded her father in his noble title, she increased the revenue of the duchy of Gandia significantly. Thus among the leading houses of the magnates of Spain, this one must be considered about the greatest not only with regard to nobility, but also with regard monetary income. But Francis Borgia preferred the name of Christ to all the riches and honors of Egypt, and not only did he not think he had left something great, but considering those riches as nothing, he thought that he could never give enough thanks to God for his gift of the poverty of God⁴⁵.

278. And this was the status of the Society in Spain; now in Portugal the Society was making constant progress by the grace of God. In this year the Society was active in three places: although one was not completely stable, at the court, that is, of the King, where Fr. Simon the Provincial resided and had the official position as teacher of the Prince, and not without the great spiritual fruit of the Prince himself, who every week went to confession to the same Father. And since previously he seemed to be inclined completely otherwise, his disposition towards piety was admired by all. Simon also had great authority with the King, and among other important men of the kingdom, which he was able to use to help many people and to promote various works of piety. And this fruit consoled the good Father, who preferred the office of the least cook in the Society to all dignities and riches. But he had with him some priests, whom he made use of in hearing confessions and in helping others in every way possible. But since at the time there was consideration about the sending of a Patriarch and of others to Ethiopia, with a very strong desire his spirit was set on fire for this mission; and so with deep affection he wrote to Fr. Ignatius, and he said that he felt no consolation in his labors, except when he thought about fulfilling his desires of going to India, and so he urged Fr. Ignatius to use this occasion to remove him from the court of the King of Portugal, since otherwise he feared that he would not be liberated from it. But if what he desired was not successful, he wanted to go to Brazil, which had recently been discovered by the Portuguese, and was inhabited by cannibals. However, something else was pleasing to divine Providence, by whose operation in Portugal Fr. Simon so favorably promoted the works of the Society and the common good⁴⁶.

279. Many of our priests, and also some of our brothers were living in Lisbon at St. Anthony’s. On feast days Fr. George gave sermons in the morning, and after lunch he explained the catechism to a large audience, which was very pleased with it. Likewise, in the same place Fr. Strada began to preach, after he had preached in the Court of the King, followed by many tears of the hearers. After he had preached the word of God to many thousands of people, he returned to our house and he joined those who were chastising the body and receiving often the sacraments of Confession and Communion. But this congregation or confraternity, because it gained no little fruit from it, was preserved by private sermons in the adopted program of pious chastising by scourging and of frequent Confession and Communion. Now Fr. John assumed the function among them of preaching and his surname was for St. Michael; gradually he showed outstanding talent also in giving public sermons. The number of the brothers surpassed two hundred, some of whom were men of no mean talent; but their fervor of spirit and tears, when they scourged their bodies, were very admirable. Some persons, either out of curiosity or perhaps out of derision went to visit them as spectators, but moved deeply by compunction they returned beating their breasts and, having heard the groans and weeping of the penitents, they also felt the wounds of their sins. Some of ours also were busy there with the constant ministry of Confession and Communion, and they were very usefully employed in that city in all pious works, but especially in teaching catechism every Friday. Also not a few who desired a religious life, through the work of those active in Lisbon, were admitted into our Society and other religious families⁴⁷.

280. But at Coimbra ninety of ours and more (besides those who served them) at that time were living there, of whom many were endowed with virtue, and talent, and other excellent gifts of God, and not a few were also from noble families. And the generosity of the King provided the things necessary to support more than a hundred; also the building of the College was being constructed at the expense of the King, and it would be capable of holding two hundred students. Sometimes Fr. Simon visited them, and by spiritual example and helps he urged them to strive for excellence, and that they should be prepared not only for work and activity, but also to shed their blood and give their life for the glory of Christ. And he admonished them that anyone who did not have a mental attitude like this should leave the College. At the beginning of this year he appointed a Rector for them, and he did it in this way: he said it will be someone who wishes to mortify himself; so he called Fr. Luis Grana and commanded him to be the Rector of the College; and he gave the office of cook to Fr. Luis Gonzalez, who was the Rector the previous year. And when someone asked Fr. Simon which one of them was thought to be mortified, it was considered a superfluous questions, since it is certain that the positions of humility pertain to consolation and great peace, but those of authority to much work and mortification. But the scholastics took their duties seriously, both in what pertains to studies and in what pertains to spiritual progress. And those who were busy helping others did not perform their office in a sluggish manner. During this Lent Fr. Francis Strada preached there in the schools of the University, and many were inspired by him to embrace a life of piety, and some of the students noted for their learning and their gifts from God were admitted into the Society. The change of Rector was not only advantageous, because a very suitable and agreeable Rector, well versed in spiritual matters, was put in charge, but also because Fr. Luis Gonzalez having been freed from his burden, could freely be sent to the missions, which he did with fruit. Our scholastics were held in high regard at the academy in Coimbra, so that ours were thought to be outstanding in talent; so much so that there were some who said, and they did it even in public lectures, that in the future they would be the learned men in that University, because the most talented men were the ones entering the Society. At this time there were thirty studying Theology, besides those studying Philosophy and the liberal arts; and on Sundays various theses, with some professor presiding, were defended profitably in the College. And in the meantime now this one and now that one was ordained to the priesthood, so the number of the workers in the vineyard of the Lord was increased⁴⁸.

281. Among those who were selected for the various missions, India received a good part. One of these was Fr. Gaspar Francis, from Flanders⁴⁹, who was usefully occupied in a certain mission; Fr. Luis Gonzalez was sent to him, in order to tell him about his selection for India, and then the latter remained there in his place. However, there was great commotion among the people when they learned that Fr. Gaspar had been assigned to India; some mentioned the various works of piety being handled by him, and they said that, if he did not take care of them, it would result in the loss of the souls whom he had been sent to care for. But he took care of everything in a short space of time, and so to their satisfaction he was free to leave. But the one who was the presiding judge in that town decided absolutely to follow Gaspar to India, if he could get approval for that from his wife and children. The second one of those who were sent to India was Fr. Antonio Gomez; the third was Fr. Paul Davale⁵⁰, and the others who numbered seven in all, and of them four were priests⁵¹.

282. Also Fr. George was sent to the same place, where Gaspar had preached, a certain region under the control of the order of St. John, which was in great need of solid doctrine; and he visited various towns, while Fr. Luis Gonzalvez visited other places, and they worked very hard, partly by preaching, partly by hearing confessions, partly by promoting other works of piety. In that region among other towns, there was one called Pedrograo Grande⁵², where fierce enmities and rivalries were raging, and the inhabitants, being in general strong men, for six years had been contending with their lord, and they did not allow him to enter the town; and it can hardly be believed what fruit the divine Goodness produced there through these Fathers. Since they endeavored to edify the people not less by example than by word, they lived in great poverty by begging and were content with meager alms; and wherever they went, they were received not only with great devotion, but also by the neighboring towns, when they went to visit them. And wherever they went the magistrates published a decree and invited all to come and hear the preaching of the apostles (since that is what they call ours in that region), and they came from everywhere, even from distant places or villages. They did not spend much time preparing their sermons; but since they spoke the word of God from their heart, hardly had they started to speak, when the hearers began to weep; then a change of life followed the flow of tears, and through penance they washed away the many sins in which they had lived. He was considered to be disgraceful who was not present at these sermons, so much so that some said (when they wanted to chide them): this man or that one does not come to the preaching of the apostles; others said that those should be considered to be Turks, who did not listen to such sermons. In one town to which ours were sent, when one of ours finished his sermon, while all the people were present, twenty men, who had been fighting with each other for a long time, asked each other for pardon, and they did it with so many tears and friendly embraces that easily the ενεργειαν (power) of the divine word manifested exteriorly what it had caused interiorly. But from the movement of the right hand of the Most High, which took place in that town, other nearby towns — some four, five and ten miles away — were aroused to action, so that they asked these Fathers with such zeal by their letters to come to them, while asking for this in the name of God because of their grave necessities, that it was absolutely necessary to satisfy all of them; nor can it be explained in writing what the divine Goodness accomplished among those peoples. Among others, there was one priest, who was living in sin for thirty-eight years, since there was no one to bring him to the water of the Lord; and although he was a priest, he had lived publicly in concubinage for thirty-years in such wise that he seemed to be living with a wife. However, during the first sermon of Fr. George the woman felt such compunction that, raising her voice publicly in the church, she filled the church with her weeping and groaning to the great edification of the others; and then she made her confession with great devotion and contrition for her sins. But on the following day, when the priest was present at the sermon, the word of God so penetrated his heart that, what the work of no one for many years had effected, he decided definitely to change himself from a life of disgrace to a life worthy of a priest. Also another woman, who had cohabited with another priest for seven or eight years, with great interior fervor resolved to lead a chaste life, and having been instructed by certain other warnings which she received in confession, she was so confirmed in her new way of life that, when she encountered on a public street the priest with whom she had offended God, she said to him: “Look, because of you until now my soul has been lost, but I have decided to lose it no longer; therefore, you should confess your sins to that Father (it was Fr. Gaspar before he left for India) and be converted to God.” And God gave such power to these words that the priest was immediately converted to God and became solicitous for the salvation of his soul. In a certain measure, peace was established among those men without number; for in those towns almost all were disagreeing with each other and pursued each other with mutual hatred. And a special peace, because of which they had been sent, was brought about between the town mentioned above and its own lord. Now when Fr. George departed from there, Fr. Gaspar remained in the town of Pedograo Grande, and his works, or rather those worked by God through him, were very much admired there. But something may be said about one of them, which outshines the others: there was a certain old man there who, as was commonly known, although he was a priest, had never made a confession of his own sins; but when Gaspar visited him, the Lord so changed his heart that he made a general confession of his whole life, to the great consolation of himself and the edification of the people. As soon as they arrived in some town, even though it was already nighttime, immediately the people were invited to a sermon, without any previous notice; in the presence of all the people they spoke about the things necessary for salvation by giving a lesson in catechism; and many were moved not only to embrace piety, but also the religious life; and some were moved by the Lord to the Society, and all showed great admiration for the way of life of the Society. Now when Fr. Luis Gonzalvez succeeded Fr. Gaspar, because in those places he was more known than the leading men, the people were very edified. He preached in one town on Monday, in another on Tuesday, and he did the same on the other days until Sunday; on that day after Vespers he went back to the first town, where he had preached on Monday. George also went to the other towns, namely, Tomar, Sancho and Abrantes, to perform the same functions. At that time Francis Strada was not idle in the city of Porto before Lent; the citizens heard him with such delight that they began to fill the church even before dawn, and in the frequent use of the Holy Sacraments, of prayer and going to confession, and they moved at such a rapid pace that they needed some restraint. But when he was going to go to Coimbra to do some preaching, he left the city in great sorrow because of his absence; one of the leading citizens, who was well schooled in the liberal arts, accompanied him and was admitted into the Society. I will not omit mentioning that, when two of ours, with the great zeal of strong workers, addressed some secular priests, because of that the Lord called not a few to the religious life; however, the superiors of our Society rightly concluded that zeal of this kind should not be imitated.

283. Also certain judgments of God, not without admiration, were observed concerning those who did not accept the teaching of these Fathers. Here we will mention two or three of them. Fr. George conferred with a certain man about things pertaining to God, and while doing so another man, who was angry at the former person, passed them by and did not greet them. When, however, on the next day George preached, as he usually did, it happened that, among other things, he reproached those who, for a matter of small moment, refuse to speak with others and in this way seem to imitate demons. Therefore, the man who passed them by the previous day without a greeting, when the sermon was over, began to rail at George with insults. So George asked him why he said those things; and he replied with much anger that it was because of what he had said in his sermon, which he thought was aimed at himself. Then George fell on his knees and begged for pardon if he had offended him; but he left without any change in his anger. However, before he arrived at home, he got involved in a quarrel, and his arm was broken in several places.

284. In another place, a certain priest was moved by I know not what spirit and so said publicly that one of ours was going to preach in a hermitage, which is quite a distance from the town, so the magistrate published the news and the people hastened to hear him; when they did not find him, for he was far away in other places, the deluded people returned to the town. But the one who was the author of this deception suddenly came down with pneumonia and was in such grave danger of death that, being repentant, he felt great sorrow for his levity.

285. When Fr. Emmanuel de Nobrega, who exercised the ministries of the Society in various places with great fruit, entered a certain church and there he heard the singing and music of men and women which was very indecent, and he warned them that they should stop doing that; but they, paying little attention to him, continued with their pleasures. But one of them, who more than the others wanted to show how little he was moved by this rebuke, began to utter some words of blasphemy against God, and he did it because he knew he would irritate Emmanuel with his impiety. But Emmanuel on bended knee before him asked God to turn away his anger from that man. However, he was not heard: for, when that unhappy blasphemer was departing from that assembly, as soon as he left there with others, lightning from heaven split him in half, and also the horse on which he was sitting, while the lightning did not touch any of the others who were with him. Since this was the reason for great fear among the local inhabitants, they listened to the preaching of that Father with much greater attention than before.

286. Now we should not omit mentioning the solicitude about hearing the word of God, which was noticed in some of the towns where ours preached. For in the evening, after the men returned home from the fields, sermons were given; and the inhabitants built fires on the higher hills, so that people could come from the neighboring villages and mountains to hear the sermon; and having left whatever work they were doing, with great alacrity and speed they came together to hear the word of God. However, in many of these towns the custom remained that each month a large part of the people would go to confession; but I will add the fact that the mayor of one of these towns noticed that one of these Fathers, while he was busy taking care of the spiritual needs of various groups, scarcely had time to eat and to pray his divine Office. So he issued a public decree that no one should bother that Father, who was working among them, except during certain hours. And so the provident charity of the man provided that some time was left over for his rest and restoration. In one town, where Fr. Luis Gonzalez was preaching, besides a huge change of the people for the better, twenty virgins from good families decided to observe perpetual chastity; hence their parents, when the same Father said that they should build a convent, offered the dowries, which they were going to give for them, for the construction of the convent. Meanwhile they began to serve God seriously with fasts and constant prayers⁵³.

287. One of the students at Coimbra, when he had suffered from a headache for twelve months, and while the illness was increasing and the remedies provided no help, a deadly cancer had grown inside his brain (as the doctors said) and there was no hope of his survival. But when his illness also afflicted other domestics, at that time Fr. Simon arrived, who had been away for a long time. The sick man wanted to see him before he died, because he hoped that, having seen him, he would recover his health. Therefore with this living faith and confidence, when he spoke with him and, after he had embraced him, he was revived by Fr. Simon, who among other things told him he wanted to heal him; then God did that either by the faith of the brother or his obedience, so that immediately, as all his pain disappeared, he was completely healed. But as God left this one, so he called to himself another young man of great expectations, Roderick de Meneses; he died young, but he accomplished many things; as soon as he was ordained a priest, he experienced a sharp pain in his side, and after a few days, with great fortitude and acceptance of the will of God, after having received all the Sacraments, he went happily to the Lord amidst the prayers and tears of his brothers⁵⁴.

288. But also at Rome, during this year, Fr. Martin de Santa Cruz died; he was the Rector of the College in Coimbra, and had come to Rome to take care of some business. But this was noted in him — that since he was in other respects an excellent man, he showed himself to be so devoted to the affairs of that province, and of the persons, that he seemed to Fr. Ignatius not to have the balance which ordinary charity demands; therefore, before the end of the year he came to Rome. There he experienced sharp pains in the colon, and having repudiated the things about which he had erred, although it was not with a bad will, with hope he went home to the Lord.

289. In this year of 1548 some members of our Society were sent to Mauretania and Tingitana. The King of Portugal has several cities, which his predecessors occupied in Africa, and they are defended by garrisons of soldiers against the attacks of the neighboring Saracens. Among them there is Ceuta, where under a noble man, the Lord Alphonse, a strong fortress of the Portuguese is located; with their wives and families they composed something like a small city. Therefore when he wrote to Fr. Simon and with all his might that some or ours be sent to him, it seemed to Fr. Simon that it should be granted as a favor to that city and governor; but it so happened that the neighboring city (which is called Tétouan) had a large number of Christian captives; formerly they were helped by a Spanish man by the name of Contreras, who with great charity provided things pertaining to their redemption and also their spiritual consolation, and he had died with a common opinion of his holiness. He had refused an episcopacy offered to him with an abbey connected to it, and when he died in Seville at the end of the previous year, to the great admiration of that whole city, the devotion of the people hardly left anything of his beard, hair and clothes which, because of their veneration for him as a holy man, they wanted to have as relics. Therefore the occasion of the death of this holy man brought it about that two of our priests, namely, Fr. John Nuñez (who afterwards was chosen to be the Patriarch of Ethiopia) and Fr. Luis Gonzalvez, chosen by Fr. Simon, crossed over to Africa. Therefore with great effort and poverty, during the heat of the month of October, they traveled first to Seville, then to the town which is called Gibraltar, near the Pillars of Hercules, where the Ocean meets the Mediterranean Sea. Therefore there they found ten or twelve triremes, which were under the command of Lord Bernardine de Mendoza who, at the same time, had captured several Turkish warships (they call them gustas⁵⁵) and sunk some others, and also had made not a few Turks captives. So on the following day they sailed through the entrance to the port and arrived in Ceuta. And when they were praying in the church of the Blessed Virgin, which they call “of Africa,” Lord Alphonse came there with a large crowd; he received them with great joy and brought them to his home. However, shortly thereafter ours went to another house more suitable for the works of the Society. Then Fr. Luis Gonzalvez, on the feast day of Nativity of the Blessed Virgin, began to preach twice on that day and on the following Sundays; on the other days he preached once, and indeed with the great fervor of charity, and emotion and tears of the hearers. As a result, the Governor, and his nephew the Lord Antonio, said that they greatly admired this kind of preaching, which must be said to be not just preaching to people but also converting them. Also they began to hear confessions with great results, and to visit the sick and also the Governor himself, who wanted to consult with Fr. Luis, spent much time with him. He also dealt with many Saracens (for some of them were his friends), showing himself to be well disposed towards them, in order that he might win them over to Christ. The conversion was hoped to follow soon of a certain Saracen belonging to the kingdom of Velez, and also that of a Jewish women, who worked for the wife of the Duke. Also some of the nobles, and the Governor himself made their general confessions to Fr. John, and with great confidence whatever they proposed they left to the judgment of ours. They visited the prisons and hospital, and heard the confessions of some, whose number increased daily; and the whole city was touched by great spiritual consolation. The Governor of Ceuta writes to Fr. Simon, among other things, the following words: “Certainly you know that, up until now, the people of this city in my opinion have been worse in their moral life than the Saracens, and now after just fifteen days during which the Fathers have been here, they have brought about a change of life, so that I think now the people are much more religious. Therefore, what should I hope if they were to stay here longer?” He writes also that he has asked permission from the prefect of the city of Tétouan (they call him Acen) that our priest should go there; but since Satan feared the fruit that would be accomplished there among the captives, he took pains to hinder it. For Acen responded that he feared that Giarifus (this was the title of the chief) would not kindly put up with the arrival of our priests. However, if they were not going to preach to the Saracens, when they were visiting the Christian captives and consoling them with the Sacraments, then their presence could be acceptable, and even more so, if they helped to free some of the captives. And so by visiting Tétouan often, after they took away fear from the Saracens, then they could speak more freely about things pertaining to God. Also the Governor made a strong request that, if they were to leave there to go to other places, they should return to Ceuta. He also asked that he order that a house be built for ours next to the Church of the Blessed Mary of Africa, for this would provide great hope for the conversion of the Jews and Saracens, if they were to reside there⁵⁶.

290. The city of Tétouan is about five or six miles from Ceuta, where five or six hundred Christian captives were held in chains; therefore they went there, and when they attempted many things, they gathered hardly any fruit other than among these captives. Hence Fr. Luis Gonzalvez, who thought about suggesting in other respects things of great importance to the King of Portugal, decided to leave Fr. John Nuñez in Tétouan for the consolation of the captives, and he returned to Portugal. But the prefect of that city ordered Fr. John together with Luis to come to see him; but through a minister of his, who enjoyed his favor, Fr. John was not allowed to leave. For, he said that it was very useful for Fr. John to remain in Tétouan in order to take care of the sick captives and to work for their freedom. Accordingly, Fr. John remained at Tétouan; and since he had received some money from Castile and Portugal for the help of the captives, and already had received permission from the Governor of the Saracens to hear their confessions, by the grace of God he was able to rescue a certain man from the jaws of the devil, who was in extreme danger of denying his faith. Now so many of the captives came to him for confession that he spent a whole day caring for them, except for the time spent offering the sacrifice of the Mass. When that took place he communicated the body of Christ to three or four of the captives; for before that time they had been deprived of this consolation of the sacraments. Then he designated certain days for them on which these or those men could come to see him, so that he could bring consolation to all. Also when he was walking on the streets they so surrounded him in order to kiss his hands or cloak that he could hardly get away from them. Daily he visited six prisons of captives (there were that many in Tétouan, where the captives were kept during the night) in order to comfort the sick; and if someone was in danger of death, he went there immediately to hear his confession. Then he brought food to the entrance of the prisons (which they call mazmorras), which caused no small edification not only among the captives, but also among the Saracens. On one occasion the Mohammedan Governor of the city saw Fr. John leaving one of the prisons; then turning to his own soldiers, he praised him for the work of piety he had just seen. The Father addressed the Governor himself and his wife and son, and they all showed themselves to be very kind to him, and they willingly listened to him disputing with the Jews, and they said they were very happy to have him ministering in Tétouan. For he dealt with the Saracens in a very prudent manner, lest the Governor be offended and hinder the good fruit among the Christians. At times he preached to the merchants and captives, who could be gathered together; he also went to the synagogue of the Jews, where one of the Rabbis taught many boys; when he disputed with him, many Jews assembled to hear the disputation. He also began to prove from the prophets and from many reasons to an old man among them (they said he was a wise man), in the presence of many people, that the Messiah has already come and that he is Christ. But when they denied that Christ is God and the Messiah, seized by an ardent zeal he began to shout that he was ready to die often, and not just once, in order to make this truth known — that Christ was the Messiah predicted by the prophets, and that no one of them would do that in defense of the law under which he lived; and that it was sufficiently certain that they had been scattered everywhere among the nations, ruling over none but being perpetual servants, as punishment for their sin because they had killed the Messiah; and he said other similar things to them. Their Rabbi followed him afterwards when he was returning home, and he confessed that he knew the truth sufficiently well through the prophets, and that he desired nothing more than a fitting occasion to take his two sons to Ceuta, and so escape from the hands of the Saracens. Thus Father strengthened many who were wavering in their faith; with alms they redeemed many boys and girls, and also adults of both sexes from their miserable slavery; they also refreshed and consoled others both by word, and by the administration of the sacraments and by providing temporal assistance.

291. Also on the west coast of Africa, which is near the equator, in this year ours arrived there, who had departed for that place the preceding year, namely, Fr. George Vaz and Fr. Christopher Ribeirus, with two other companions, and for some time they stayed on an island, which is called Saint Thomas, from which it is easy to sail to the kingdom of Congo. And although almost all of them came down with a fever and other illnesses, still all left that island on February 18 of this year, even though they were sick, and on March 17 they arrived at the port of that kingdom, which is called Pinda, and then they went to the main city of Congo; they arrived on the day of Pentecost and were received in a friendly manner by the King. And although even there they did not yet enjoy good health, still they did not fail to celebrate Mass, nor to preach, nor to administer the sacraments of Baptism and Penance, and to proclaim the word of God. But in a prudent way they divided up the work. Indeed, Brother James Soveral in the school for boys assumed the task of teaching them both to read and to learn the things pertaining to Christian doctrine and life; and he was thought to do that very well for about six hundred boys. For they were convinced that a special fruit in the city would result from a school of this kind. The priests were busy with preaching and hearing confessions. Fr. George Vaz, at the beginning of June, eagerly desiring to go to the remote parts of the city, and to travel through the kingdom itself, not only obtained permission from the King, but also the help of an interpreter. But since it was necessary to have some others with him, who would carry the necessary food, and the carpets made out of straw, which are used for sleeping (for otherwise there was no way of traveling through the kingdom), he waited for almost twenty days to receive the supplies which the King had offered. And there was nothing surprising in that; for the King had the habit that, even if an immense amount of gold were given to him today, the next day he would have nothing; and so for a long time the royal house was without any money. So Fr. George thought that they should not wait any longer, but to put all their hope in God, and so he persuaded the interpreter (who was called Peter Alvarez) that with his servants he should depart from the city with him, and not to fear that the necessities of life would be lacking for them, since God in his providence would take care of them. Peter Alvarez believed him, who just before that, having been encouraged by George, was strengthened by the sacraments of Confession and Communion on the feast of Saints Peter and Paul. Immediately they greeted the King and in the name of the Lord they went on their way. And during the space of twenty-three days, while going around the city over a distance of not more than six thousand yards they regenerated with the Baptism of Christ 2700 persons, after giving them basic instruction in the catechism. Among them were some sixty years old, others seventy, and even some eighty years old, for those people were accustomed to live for a long time. At length George became sick, and since this prevented him from doing his work, he returned to the city with his companion and interpreter, Peter Alvarez. But since there were seven servants to be cared for, in order that the faith of Peter Alvarez might be confirmed, from the alms received everything necessary was provided for abundantly. There was much corruption of morals in this kingdom, both among its inhabitants and among the Portuguese, who lived with them; but by the grace of God after the arrival of our priests there was some improvement in this regard. Women were not accustomed to be present at the Mass, nor at the explanation of Christian doctrine. Therefore ours went to see the King, and they pointed out that a grave sin was being committed and they offered their help regarding the sacrifice of the Mass and the explanation of the catechism. The King responded: Chilica, which means, You are right; and so he commanded that all the women should gather together in a certain church (in which, before they became Christians, they were wont to be buried and they called it Ambiro; but from then on it was designated as a church). Therefore the noble women went there with their family, and after the Mass was celebrated, one of our priests explained for them the doctrine of the Church necessary for salvation. But another priest did the same for the King and the men, both the inhabitants who are black, and the foreigners who are white, many of whom live among them. Moreover, there were in the same city two other churches — and one of them was used for the cathedral; but the other one holds a congregation of white people (that is what they call those who are not indigenous) dedicated in honor of the Blessed Virgin. They taught catechism daily in both of these churches for one or two hours; every day some were baptized; but if they were adults, instruction in matters of faith preceded the baptism; and afterwards, only if they said they wanted to be Christians, and asked for Baptism, was it conferred on them. If the proper reasons were given, it was not difficult to bring them to the faith. Their way of speaking is quite metaphorical, and almost always they use figurative ways of speaking. When in conversation they are asked who made them, with a joyful heart they respond: “In fumeto Zambicho pungo,” that is, The Lord God made me; therefore they acknowledge only one God, and although they make idols, and tend to be superstitious, this seems to come only from their ignorance. James Diaz in these days celebrated the first sacrifice of the Mass, and an altar for it was constructed on a high place; and it was not easy to refuse the honors and gifts that the natives wanted to offer. But because they had chosen poverty for the sake of Christ, they did not want to be enriched by them. The King commanded that the nobles bring along many offerings, but ours with all their might asked him not to offer anything, since nothing would be accepted; and finally the King agreed to this.

292. Among the errors that the devil planted in the minds of these people is that they are immortal; and hence it is that no more serious injury can be done to someone than if one says to him, “Your father, or your mother is dead.” And this is an error among the country people, especially the pagans; and when some die, they say they have gone somewhere else, and although they are very old, it does not seem to them that they will die, if death comes to them at some place other than in war. The devil has also convinced them about another error, namely, that they do nothing evil. Hence when they instruct some unbelievers, disposing them for faith in Christ, and tell them they should be sorry for the sins of their past life, they usually respond that they do not have any sins. The son of a certain soothsayer became a Christian; when they asked him how his parents allowed him to be captured (for he had been captured), he replied that everything among them is full of lies, and that only the white men have a good religion, and that the only God of all things in the Lord. The eagerness and personal joy is truly admirable with which people like this embrace the Christian faith.

293. Now although some Christians since the time of King Emmanuel had been in this kingdom, still there was a great lack of things necessary for divine worship, since they had to be brought from Portugal; also the dissolution of the priests who went there from Portugal, where they were trained and ordained, was so great that they were said rather to destroy than to edify the people of that region. Hence also the King was accustomed to despise those whom he saw indulge themselves in the sins of other men. Also in that kingdom there was a great lack of money, since the gold mines were controlled by the enemy (whom they call Chianchala); nevertheless they had an abundant supply of necessary food, and for those who serve God it was more abundant than for the King himself. For, it often happened to him that, when he did not have something to eat, he would ask one of the ministers of his house, who was white, to give him something to eat. The reason for this penury is the fact that they give everything away, and they save nothing for the next day. They walk around almost naked; in the daytime they cover their private parts with a cloth hanging from the waist; they wear neither a hat nor shoes; if someone has underwear, it is not removed until it falls apart; if they have much to eat, they eat much, if little, or almost nothing, they are sustained by little food. Would that they would offer what they suffer for the honor of God! For their daily life exceeds the penances of the saints, in what pertains to the convenience of the body. And those conveniences of the body truly seem to be taken away by God so that they will be less evil. For, since their food and clothing is such as it is, they do not try to conquer others by whom they would be supported. Nevertheless they are constantly using lies and calumnies, and if you point out to someone that he is lying, he will just laugh at you. However, after the arrival of ours, both ecclesiastics and laymen, natives and whites, in no little way reformed their morals. It is not surprising if some, especially at the beginning, abandoned the Christian religion they had formerly adopted. For, their priests baptized many people at the same time, adults and children, without giving them any instruction; hence, why is it surprising if they returned to their sins, since they did not know how to say anything about their newly acquired religion, except that they ate a little salt? This province is quite large, and it is said to be like Portugal; the air is healthy; the heat is not a problem for the whole year; from March until the middle of August is the time of winter for them (they call it chisimo), during which they are not annoyed by rain, but by wind and cold, which the natives find very painful, but they have no other remedy except that they make one fire before their face and another one behind them. The King resides in the city of Congo; his morals are quite barbarous, and not worthy of the Christian religion. When Fr. George was working in the places near this city, bringing back the sheep to the flock of Christ, he saw to the construction of three churches, the first under the invocation of the Savior, the second of the Blessed Virgin, the third of St. John the Baptist.

294. The one who had charge of the school, James Soveral, had some other teachers under him from the city; and he received from the King the things necessary for their support and that of the students. And although, as has been said, there were six hundred students, the King cared for all of them; and if he did not do that, there would be no one who would come to learn; and Brother James needed great patience in order to deal with this situation. For besides the disadvantages of food and other things, which are necessary for this way of life, he also had to deal often with illnesses; but the medicines, as they describe the situation, were nothing more than confidence in God.

295. Fr. Christopher Ribeirus, who almost always was suffering from a fever, made one thousand seven hundred people Christians, from March 27 to August 1. During the night one of them, carrying a bell in his hand, requested prayers for the souls in purgatory; many died without the sacrament of Confession, especially when a certain sickness called eschirentia⁵⁷ was raging at the time, and if the care of ours was not there to help them. They also cared for the poor with the alms given by the rich. When they were teaching them catechism, in order to get them more willing to accept it, they said that, having left their own fatherland, they had come to them with so many inconveniences of navigation and sickness, in order to save their souls and not to seek their temporal goods. However, they did not seem to receive any great sense of gratitude. While they were explaining the commandments of God and mortal sins, they listened to them; but when they were led to the knowledge of God through the evidence of visible and created things, this was most pleasing to them. But both in this function and in the ministry of confessions they used the help of an interpreter. At that time the King was preparing for war against his enemy Changala; on the first day of August he ordered a trumpet to be sounded throughout the city; for this is the custom when he is going to war. And one of ours was assigned to accompany him. Besides those whom Fr. George Vaz baptized outside the city, during these months he brought three hundred others to the flock of Christ, after catechism lessons and exhortations and with the ceremonies according to the rites of the Church. But Father James, even though he had care of the school, still baptized four hundred people after having instructed them in the same way. And because they did not accept any gifts from them, that was the reason for even more edification.

296. After ours arrived at the port of Pinda, they traveled fifty miles in wooden litters to the city of Congo. The wood is strong so you can carry it with two hands, and in the middle there is some leather on which a person can sit; and two of the natives, one in the front and the other in the back carry the litter with the man in it; when they get tired, then others replace them. The King of Congo (whose name is Lord James) sent two nobles to bring us to him; and each one of these, as soon as he could, gathered together ten to fifteen thousand men for battle. He sent them because he was afraid that some enemy might be a cause of danger to us. The King received them with their nobles near the walls of his city, with loud shouts of his men and women, such as they are wont to use in wars. But the King had his hand resting on a cross, which had been erected there; he had his three little sons with him; when they wanted to kiss his hand, he touched the hands of ours, and then he kissed them; in a similar way we also kissed our hands⁵⁸; he offered his hand to be kissed by one of our lay brothers⁵⁹. Under his command this King has fifty thousand men; out of certain trees (which they call palm trees) they make a cloth with which they cover the middle part of the body. But when they go to war, they carry a bow and arrows; for the rest of their armament, or covering, all they have is what they were born with.

297. A certain nation of people, called Eubundos, are about thirty miles away from Congo; these people eat those they kill in war. There are others, whom they call Auzinchos, who feed on human flesh even without war; he who is stronger eats the others.

298. The foods of this kingdom of Congo are not very nourishing. They do not have wheat and they harvest a certain kind of bean, which is something like millet. Out of this the rich people, and also the white men, make a bread, which must be eaten on the same day, because it cannot be kept until the following day (they call it eufunde); there is another kind of food, something like mustard, which the common people eat (they call it lucu); they make flour by grinding it between stones with great effort; their wine is the milk of palms, which they call melafoe; this is very good for the natives, for they are sustained by it; their fruits are like cucumbers: therefore man does not live by bread alone. They are very simple people, and few understand things about God; they are very weak in reasoning, and each one follows his own desires. Besides the King and some of the nobles, no one else has women bound together in marriage, although they may have ten, or twenty, or more concubines, according to the greater or less power of each one. There are no doctors there, and so passim many die like little sparrows; therefore the Christians are happy, if they know their own advantages⁵⁹.

299. In this year twelve of ours, five of them being priests, in two different ships, arrived in Goa in a fleet which was sent from Portugal to India; however, it was not done without much suffering and danger during the journey, and not without some fruit. The ship in which Fr. Gaspar Francis Flander was traveling had a number of nobles under the leadership of John de Mendoza. And because the rest of ours were vomiting from seasickness, Fr. Gaspar assumed the office of cook and prepared the things necessary for them; but when a certain distinguished man, Henry de Macedo, relieved him of this task by having his servant do the work, he began to preach on the feast days, speaking about the works of mercy. Also on the other days he explained the Lord’s Prayer; both Gaspar and the others, after they regained their health, began to assist others by hearing confessions, and engaging in private admonitions (which seemed to be very necessary, since several women of ill repute were traveling on the same ship). Also the things that had been given to them for the journey they gave to the poor, and they did it plentifully; but the divine Goodness so took care of them that all seemed to be doing very well to the admiration of the others. This matter very much moved one man who observed, it so that he also dedicated himself to caring for the sick, and later he offered himself to the Society. But in a few days, however many were coming on the ship, and who before that in no way were thought to be able to be tamed, were led by a singular change of morals to abandon their games and vices, and to lead a good life that is fitting for Christians. They gave everything they had both for the help of the poor and to help our men; all submitted their disputes and doubts to the judgment of ours. Now when Gaspar finished preaching, immediately he began to help the sick, but the captain of the ship, John de Mendoza, having summoned him to his room, wanted to speak with him. In the name of God he asked him seriously to offer him some help for his soul; so he spoke with him about spiritual things, and shortly thereafter, he gave him the first week of the Spiritual Exercises. In a wonderful way he made progress; not only by going often to the sacrament of Confession, and by speaking about things pertaining to the honor of God did he show how much progress he had made, but also by his generous alms, with which he supported the poor sick people all the way to India; in addition, he also provided necessary things for many of the healthy passengers. And anything especially good that was prepared for his use he wanted to dispense it for the comfort of the sick, according to the decision of ours.

300. They were tossed about by two storms; in the first, which was less dangerous, in his sermon Gaspar taught them how they should behave in such storms, encouraging them in the meantime to do the necessary work, and to trust in the mercy of God, not by loud shouting, lest others be terrified, but by pleading from the heart without showing any fear. But the second storm, when they reached the Cape of Good Hope, was much more violent, and it lasted for three full days of extreme danger. The captain said he had never seen anything like it; and the ship had taken on so much water that the terrified men expected nothing but death. Then a man came to Gaspar in order to go to confession, which he did quickly and with great fruit. After he was absolved he said the ship was finished, if God did not save it by a miracle. Then Gaspar went to the upper deck, where he found the men breathless with fear and preparing themselves for death; he began to encourage them and he saw all of them coming to him, as if he could save them; so he blessed the sea and with others sang the litanies, and the seven Psalms; hence the men began to relax and to be of good cheer. And when, at the request of the captain, he stood next to the helmsman of the ship, he blessed the waves which were pressing on the ship in a fierce way, while saying these words: Christus vincit, Christus regnat, Christus imperat, Christus ab omni malo nos defendat; and so he exhorted the captain and the others not to lose heart. While this storm was raging he brought to confession those women of ill repute (among whom there was one, who was not far from hitting him with a club because he was persuading the others to lead a better life), so that, before⁶⁰ they descended into the underworld, they would hasten to be reconciled to God. But with the help of God they avoided these dangers and other very grave dangers of hitting rocks or running aground on sand; so they arrived safely at the port, which is called Mozambique, and on the way no one died (which is something very rare). And while others were resting from the hardships of the voyage, ours went to the hospital, where almost 120 were in the beds, in order to minister to them. They were offered better accommodations but they refused to accept them, and spent their time providing corporal and spiritual assistance to the sick. They were warned to avoid the breath of the sick, some of whom were suffering from contagious diseases; and they said that in the same hospital Fr. Francis Xavier, because he did not protect himself, came close to dying; but putting their trust in God’s protection, they practiced charity, caring for the patients day and night, by hearing confessions and by assisting with word and deed the many persons who were departing from this life. And through their begging they provided for them the things that pertained both to food and medicine. Fr. Gaspar himself performed the functions at the same time of cook, pharmacist and preacher; and he was accustomed to prepare what he was going to preach, while he was preparing food for the sick, or he was spending the night with them, or he was speaking with the dying, or preparing the bodies for burial. Furthermore, so great was the harvest of those confessing, during those fifteen days they spent in the city of Mozambique, that they could not take care of all of them. However, the goodness of God was most evident and the people were absolutely amazed that he had protected their health and strength in the midst of so many labors. Now when the fleet was ready to depart, they pleaded that the sick should not be left behind, but should be taken with them; therefore, Fr. Gaspar went to the captains of the ships, and they readily acquiesced to his request, to take them on their ships, and to provide the things necessary for their care. So they departed from there and on September 4 they arrived in India, having departed from Lisbon on March 17. At the time Fr. Francis Xavier was in Goa and he was preparing for his departure for the coastland of Comorin; when he learned about the arrival of ours, he decided to remain there, and he received the new arrivals with great charity and joy. Having heard from them about the progress of the Society in Europe for the glory of God and the fruit of souls, he could not stop praising the goodness of God. But he wanted Fr. Gaspar (the passengers of the ship in which he had come were saying many things about him) to preach in our church on the day of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin, but when many hearers assembled there, he did not please them because, while speaking in a low voice, they could not understand him. But when Fr. Francis departed from there, he gave this command to the Superior of the College, namely, that in the church that night he should function as the voice for Gaspar, since he was accustomed to speak louder. Now when they did this, his sermons began to please and to move the hearers very much. In the meantime, they visited those who were being held in the city prisons, and on the outside they were performing various works of piety, and at home they also gave some lectures. On the ninth day of October Fr. Gomez and his companions arrived unexpectedly at the port of Goa, for the remarkable ship, in which he traveled, was not from the Canary Island, and surely it was because of a miracle that he arrived safe in India. For before they came to Mozambique, and they were sailing with a strong wind, the ship got stuck in a sandy area, and when the rudder was torn from its proper place, the sailors lost all hope of survival. Then Fr. Antonio Gomez, who brought with him for Ours in Goa the head of one of the eleven thousand Virgins, holding it in his hands, he encouraged and invited the men to commend themselves to the Lord through the intercession of this Virgin, and nevertheless, they should do what they could to avoid the sand, and it pleased the divine Goodness to free them from it. But when they had tried many times to repair the rudder, and they lost hope that they could fix it, the same Antonio said: In the name of this holy Virgin try to do it once more; for, either she will obtain that the rudder will be fixed, or without it she will be able to bring us to the port. Immediately the rudder fell into its proper place, and fortunately they came to Mozambique. There ours both took care of the sick and the others sailing with them and finally, as we have said, they arrived in India.

301. The governing both of the College in Goa and of ours, who were in the various parts of India, was committed to Fr. Antonio Gomez by Fr. Simon, the Provincial of Portugal. For at that time a Provincial had had not yet been established in India, and Fr. Francis Xavier was believed to be absent from India for a long time. Now Antonio Gomez began to preach with great fervor and edification of his hearers, because on that day after he showed the head of one of the eleven thousand Virgins, which he had brought with him, it was received with great reverence by the governor of Goa, and by the Bishop along with the nobles, and it was brought to the church of our College; and Antonio performed this function with the strong approval of the people.

302. At that time Fr. Gaspar fell sick and when Antonio Gomez visited him to comfort him, he told him he would recover his health quickly, because he had decided to place a cross on his shoulders; so getting up the following day, Gaspar went to see Antonio and explained, just as he had said, that he was now healthy and was ready to do whatever he was commanded to do. But it happened then that the governor of India prepared a table for a large crowd of men (which he was accustomed to do as a sign of good will, or when he could not pay the soldiers their salary); many people assembled for this, some for the sake of eating, and others just as spectators. Therefore, Antonio Gomez asked Gaspar, whether it seemed to him to be for the glory of God, if he were to preach to those at table and to those standing around. Since Gaspar approved of that, he was ordered to prepare a sermon for the following Sunday; but Gaspar asked him for permission to begin doing this on the following day, which was a Friday. Therefore, accompanied by Cosmo de Torres (who had been accepted into the Society at Goa), and another brother from Malabar, approaching the banquet where five or six hundred persons were present, he began to say to some of them that he wanted them to come to the table of Christ, after they went to confession. Now while some were amazed at this, and were discussing what the man meant, seizing the moment Gaspar began to say in a loud voice: Come to me, all who labor are heavy laden. Then when this surprising event caught the attention of the people, he began to preach in such a way that it seemed he had never preached better in India. And at the conclusion of his sermon, he promised that on Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays he wanted to propose to them a better food than the governor was offering, namely, the word of God. Not only astonished, but also deeply moved and highly edified, they attended the following sermons. And by coming to confession, daily they increased more and more the labor of the Fathers and also their consolation. He also preached in other churches on the same days, and sometimes it happened that he spent almost the whole day preaching sermons in various places. He got those held in prison to go to confession and to recite the litanies every evening; and among them he appointed one whose task it was to reprimand publicly those uttering curses and other public defects. Within a few days many large restitutions of stolen goods were made; also many, after having heard the word of God, were changed into new men. This one offered all his possessions so that Fr. Gaspar might dispose of them, and agreed that he should give them to the poor; that one showed himself to be ready to undergo any kind of harsh punishment for his sins. This one, burning with love for God, showed himself prepared to do everything he could for the honor of God; then that one professed that he was beginning to be a Christian, and he beat himself severely with a scourge; in sum, other admirable changes were seen in men, who before that were mired in sin.

303. Among those who heard Gaspar preaching in the public prison, there was one who, among all the Gentiles of the city, was the most distinguished in nobility and riches; they called him Chrisna. When Gaspar was told about him, and he had decided to visit the man face to face, he went to see him, when many Brahmins and others were with him; in his presence he argued at length about his law; and he also explained our law with natural reasons and examples accommodated to his level of understanding. And since he visited the man often, he asked him and his companions that they consider what he had proposed to them, and that they should ask God to enlighten their minds regarding knowledge of the truth. Then the son of Chrisna laughed; but the father did not, and after two days he told Fr. Antonio Gomez that he wanted to accept the faith of Christ. Prayers were offered in our house that the Lord would confirm what he had begun; then they went to the man, who handed himself over totally to Antonio Gomez, while asking for the salutary water of baptism, and that he help him obtain the salvation of his soul. For although he still remained in custody, he said that he was not in any way moved by the desire for freedom, for he desired completely that justice should be observed. Then Antonio Gomez went to see the governor of India, and he obtained from him that he would set the man free; when he was brought to the College, for eight days he studied the matters necessary for the reception of baptism. In the meantime, however, Antonio Gomez sent three of ours, with the same number of native students, who would function as interpreters, to try to bring some of the Gentiles to the religion of Christ. Among those three one was Fr. Gaspar; and then three others (among whom was a nephew of that Lucho, who had already been converted) and another important man, who accepted the faith of Christ. Therefore when the baptism of these catechumens was celebrated in our College in Goa, preceded by the solemn sacrifice of the Mass and a sermon, the Governor himself and the Bishop of Goa were the sponsors. Lucas de Saa accepted the name of Luke, his wife the name of Isabella, and his nephew that of Antonio. They were brought to the church sitting on horses, accompanied by all the noble Christians, who were living in Goa, and by many Brahmins. Many branches of palm trees were placed in the public streets, and then for a whole week this baptism was celebrated for the glory of God with festive congratulations. The Gentiles said that, when a father became a Christian, the children are going to imitate their father; Luke also said that he was going to bring more people to the faith of Christ than there were hairs on his head; therefore great hope was aroused concerning the conversion of that whole island. The Governor adorned this new Christian with great honors, and among these privileges and exemptions a very special dignity, namely, he conferred on him the first tanadoris (which among them is a great honor). This Luke, when he was a Gentile, had an annual income of sixty thousand gold pieces; he was very kind to the Portuguese, and so generous that for some ordinary thing he would donate a thousand gold pieces. Regarding alms for the poor he was also generous, and it was thought that he was a man, more than others, disposed to accept this grace from God of the Christian faith. After the conversion of this important man, ours then began daily to receive new catechumens and to confer baptism on them. The new Rector, Antonio Gomez, at home also tested ours in various probations of humility and self-abnegation; among other things, he ordered Fr. Gaspar to seek out a certain noble youth, who was the brother of Duke de Alvarez, by the name of Andreas Carvaglio, and that he should bring him to the Society; he did it, and when he was making the Exercises, Duke Cephalae went to see him; and he said to him, among other things, that he would not give the time of one hour, which he spent in our Society, for all the gold of the whole world. And because of his example, not a few other noble men dedicated their lives to piety. The same Fr. Antonio commanded Fr. Melchior Gonzalez to bring to him another noble youth, who was called James Lobo, whom he brought to him immediately. Three other nobles followed these two, and almost twenty others were strongly motivated to do the same thing.

304. At this time there was a strong rumor that Fr. Francis Xavier had been cruelly killed; even though it was not true, still it revealed the benevolence and devotion of almost the whole city for him. There were those who said they wanted to find his body and make arrangements for his canonization, even though they would have to spend thirty thousand ducats to achieve it; they mentioned his various miracles (which he tried to hide); but shortly thereafter, two of ours coming from there reported that he was safe on the seacoast of Comorin.

305. Towards the beginning of this year the said Fr. Francis had come to Cochin, the famous emporium of India, and from there he wrote to Fr. Ignatius that it seemed to him that someone should be appointed in India, who would be the Superior of all of our members; for a Provincial had not yet been installed in India, and Fr. Antonio did not have that position, since he had his authority over others from Fr. Simon, but not from Ignatius himself. And the letters of Fr. Francis said in effect that he wanted to be under obedience to someone, but he thought it should be a man endowed with great talent from God. Also he asked for more preachers, for in each of the Portuguese fortifications there should be a priest, who could perform this function of explaining the articles of faith in the morning on Sundays and feast days for the Portuguese, after lunch for the servants and handmaids, or the other free men and neophytes; and on another day of the week, for the wives and daughters of the Portuguese, he would preach about the same articles of faith, and about the sacraments of Confession and Communion. But these preachers were not there, and there should be those who could be sent among the Gentiles, so that they could be sent either alone or in twos wherever there was need as, for example, he said, to Malacca, to China, to Japan. He added also that the faculty should be obtained for certain priests to confer the sacrament of Confirmation, since at that time there was only one Bishop established in Goa for all of India. But concerning what at one time was requested, that the time of Lent should be changed, he says that they have learned from experience that it is not really necessary; for since the Portuguese are located in various parts of the Orient, in which winter is not the same, but is different in various places, all things being considered, he judges that nothing should be changed. He says also that he has decided either to send others to Japan, or that he himself will go there; but among those whom he had sent to Malacca, he named Fr. John de Beira as the superior over the others; and he says that he will do the same thing in the maritime region of Comorin, and wherever several members of our Society are working. Nor will I omit that Francis writes to Fr. Simon; he wants him to obtain this favor from the King of Portugal, namely, that daily for a quarter of an hour he seek from the Lord the grace to understand correctly this sentence: What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and suffers the loss of his own soul? He says that the hour of his death is nearer than he had thought; he also adds that it is necessary that the King seriously order the Governor of India to provide for the increase of the religion of Christ in India, to bring the Island of Ceylon to the faith, to increase the number of Christians in Comorin, and to use the help of religious men for this purpose. And let the King swear that, if the Governors do not carry out their conscientious duty to make many Christians, when they return to Lisbon, he will put them in chains and confiscate their possessions; that if the King would swear this and put it into effect, all the people in those places will quickly become Christians, but not otherwise; and if the King commends the work of conversion to anyone else but to the Governor of India, his commendation will be useless.

306. In October Fr. Francis went from Goa to Comorin, as has been said, where the Christians of that region received him with great joy; they covered the ground he walked on with cloths, and they carried him into the church in their arms. From there he returned to visit the people in Goa, and then he was going to go to Cochin and prepare for his journey to Japan in the following year.

307. At that time there was in Goa a Japanese man named Paul, who wrote to Fr. Fr. Ignatius earnestly asking for his prayers and the prayers of the other members of the Society for his vocation to the faith of Christ, and concerning the desire and hope of his heart to bring through the grace of Christ the Japanese people to the same religion of Christ.

308. Fr. Nicholas Lancillot was freed from the burden of governing the College in Goa, and he gave thanks to Fr. Ignatius that he was admitted into the number of the spiritual coadjutors; for this he had received an open letter, and he received similar letters for Fathers Paul⁶¹, Cyprian and Antonio Criminali; and these four were the first ones in India to be incorporated into the body of the Society in the grade of spiritual coadjutors.

309. Fr. Ignatius had ordered that ours in India should work together in twos, and that they should not travel through the various provinces alone, both for the sake of consolation and spiritual assistance; but Xavier said it could be very difficult to observe this, since there was such a lack of workers in the huge Indian harvest, so that it was desirable that one man be sent to many places, which ought to be served by several; and that the consolation and assistance of a companion could be supplied for by extraordinary prudence and exercise of virtue. But Fr. Ignatius did not agree that he should revoke what he had ordered. The same Fr. Nicholas discovered that Fr. Antonio Gomez, whom Fr. Simon has sent as the superior for all, right from his arrival had more talent for preaching and hearing confessions than he did for governing; afterwards the situation itself made this clear. In the meantime, however, since he had gained for himself great authority because of his gift of preaching, Cosmus Joannes, who now was in charge of the College in Goa, handed over to him complete control both in spiritual and in corporal matters. But he introduced a new form of government, before he had learned from the experience of the region and of the talents of the Indians; and according to the norm of the College in Coimbra he wanted to train the youth of ten nations, among whom you may doubt which one is more barbarous than the other. However, outside the College excellent fruit was obtained through the constant sermons and other works of piety, which both Antonio and Gaspar were diligently taking care of.

310. During this year Fr. Cyprian with two companions was sent to Socotra Island, which is situated in the region of the red sea, which we mentioned above. Fr. Francis Perez with a companion was sent to Malacca. Fr. Melchior Gonzalez to Bazain, where the King of Portugal wanted a College to be established and promised an income of three thousand gold pieces for the support of native boys and for those who instructed them. The author of this was Fr. Antonio Gomez, who thought that a college of this kind was very necessary in order to gather a more abundant fruit from the Indian field; however, he thought that in it not only the Indians, but also our workers of the Society should be trained. Now at first Fr. Nicholas Lancillot refused to assume this burden, because then there were too few workers of the Society, so that they could perform so many functions. But since this year quite a few were sent from Portugal, and the religious of the Friars Minor, to whom this matter had been offered, since ours had rejected it, urged that ours should accept this burden (which seemed to be less suitable for them). With the approval of Fr. Francis Xavier and the Bishop of Goa, Fr. Melchior went there, and the Friars turned the burden of the College over to him. The city of Bazain is located in a very fertile area, which abounds in things necessary for nourishment, such as rice, wheat and many kinds of cloth. Then Antonio Gomez wrote that arrangement should be made with the King of Portugal so that he command again that the College and its income be handed over to ours, just as he had determined initially, when it was not accepted by ours.

311. The good odor of those who arrived this year in Goa spread out so far in India that some people came also from Dio and Bazain to go to confession to ours. The Indian boys, who at this time were being educated in the College in Goa, numbered about ninety, but they were of different ages. Now this College had an income of about fifteen hundred gold pieces, which formerly had been applied to the shrines of idols (they all them pagodas), and now were given to the pious work of the support of the College; the King of Portugal added to that almost five hundred more from his taxes. Moreover, a thousand each year, from those which they call “Lascharines,” and just as many each year of the Gentile and Mohammedan rulers sent to the Governor, were numbered from the order of the same King. And although the low price of the food is not in Goa as it is in Bazain, a sufficient number could be supported from these provisions, both of ours and of the natives. But Antonio was dissatisfied because, although he found some good talent among the native students, and also inclinations toward some good things, still he observed that they were incapable of spiritual things. And the matter progressed to such a point that he thought about gradually dismissing them from the College, and placing them in certain tasks or ministries of Christians; but as long as Fr. Francis was in India nothing was done about this matter.

312. During this year plans were begun about establishing a College in Caulano and also about another one in Cochin; Fr. Francis began to do something about this in the following year.

313. Although Fr. Francis Xavier wrote very little about the things he did, so it is probable that, because of his humility, the other persons with whom he associated, including ours, whom he instructed by word and by example, and animated for that apostolic work, and consoled with his spiritual and amiable conversation, wrote so many things that it can easily be understood that the authority of that man in India was very great, and great edification remained behind wherever he went. The result was that lay people thought it was a great gift of God to be able to enjoy his conversation and friendship. He gave thanks to God with such tender affection, when he learned from the brothers coming from Europe about the progress of the Society that not only did he have eyes full of tears, but he also caused the brothers to experience a similar weeping of devotion. He had the name of Our Lord Jesus Christ and of the Holy Trinity so often on his lips that you can easily understand that the holy names rushed forth from the fullness of his heart. Also he was accustomed to say to the brothers often: O, my brothers and companions, how much greater a God do we have than we can think; and he stimulated us to give thanks to God for the benefits conferred on this Society. They imply that the Lord worked wonderful things through him, but they confess that he did not permit himself to make them known.

314. In the maritime province, which is called Comorin, during this year four priests of the Society were active; three other companions not yet in Holy Orders were fighting for Christ. Fr. Anthony Criminalis was the Superior for all, having been elected by them and approved by Fr. Francis Xavier, whose holiness of life gave much edification not only to ours, but also to Portuguese and native lay people. Surely his work was great and very useful, while he visited all the places of Christians and oversaw with great vigilance our members and their ministries. With untiring effort he learned the language of province of Malabar, and he actually learned to both read and write it, which was very difficult.

315. Fr. Francis Enriquez and Fr. Balthasar Nuñez were in the same region, but far away from Fr. Henry Enriquez. Each one had the care of many places; Fr. Cyprian before the end of the year went to Socotra, and although he is quite old, he had to work like a young man in such an abundant harvest. Emmanuel de Morales also did excellent work among the Comorin people; when many of their places were assigned to him, among the many labors his health was very good, but when he was sent to another place, a place having some native workers, where he was less occupied, he began not to feel so well in his body. Hence Henry concluded that God is wont, among many labors, to grant admirable consolation of soul, and the greater the work and activities are, the Lord gives greater strength, both in the body and in the spirit. The same Henry adds that spiritual relish is so abundant in those who are occupied in caring for the salvation of others that it seems to him, if the choice were offered by God that he should go immediately to heaven, or he should work cheerfully and for a longer time in this province helping souls, he would respond to Him: Permit me, O Lord, to work here for a longer time in your service. However, he said that one should go to these regions not for the sake of such consolations, but in order to imitate Christ, and him crucified, in bearing labors and afflictions. Adam Francis also did very useful work for other people of both sexes; and the solicitude shown by Fr. Francis in his service of the Lord, when he visited them, accomplished much. In the beginning the boys came twice a day to learn the catechism; later it was determined that the girls should come in the morning, and the boys after lunch; and in each place one of the natives had the task of teaching catechism, but another one would summon the hearers; now they followed the way of teaching, which Fr. Francis had taught them, and they had the use of his work of translating the catechism into the Malabar language. The women in this province come to the churches on Saturdays to learn the catechism, while the men come on Sundays. The widows and old women came on another day of the week assigned for them; for, rarely did the former come with the latter; a sermon is added to the catechism, so that for many reasons they would be drawn away from the affection, which the people had formerly for idols. They also established the custom for Sundays, after the lords and masters had returned to their homes, that the servants would come to the church, because before that they did not come to church. When a child was born, immediately ours were notified; and if an unbaptized infant became ill, they came quickly and asked ours to baptize it. Also when older persons became sick, they asked ours to pray for them. They also brought children to the church, with an offering of alms, so that prayers should be said for them, but the alms were not accepted, unless they were given to the poor, which is what ours did to their great admiration. Also they worked very hard to resolve controversies, since there were very many of them.

316. As long as Fr. Henry had an interpreter of the Malabar language, he was not able to learn it. But when he was abandoned by him, and still had to take care of many places, he spent day and night trying to learn that language and he was so helped by God to overcome that difficulty that he came up with a new way of learning it more easily and teaching it to others. Hence, when he began to speak with the natives in their own language, which he had learned in such a short time, they were filled with admiration. And especially when they heard him use the inflections of the conjugations so correctly, since he had accomplished this in only five months, and the other Portuguese were accustomed to learn hardly in five years only a few words in a confused manner; and when they saw that he could not only speak it, but also read it and write it, they believed that it was a gift of God. So he began to preach in the church without an interpreter; and then finally he learned that the interpreters had not performed well the office of explaining the articles of the faith, because when he says one thing to them, they understand and explain something else. But Fr. Francis Xavier, when he arrived there after returning from the Malukus, gave to one of the three Malabar priests a rather long explanation of the articles of faith, so that he would translate it into his own language. When he had done that, he ordered that it should be read in all the churches of that maritime region. Henry heard about this with great joy in the place where he was, and he saw to it that the same words were written in our own letters, so that all of ours could read it to the people in letters familiar to them, and the others could understand them. Fr. Francis relieved Fr. Henry from the care of other places, leaving to him the care of only one or two, so that he might master more diligently and quickly the grammar of this language, which would be available for the use of ours in order to learn that language, and so not be forced to use the help of interpreters. But when he began to understand the fables, which they were accustomed to tell in the native language, the same Henry began to apply his mind to writing against them, by pointing out with good reasons the lies which they contained. Thus not only did he strengthen the Christians, but he also warned the Gentiles about their errors, since they were directing the worship, which they owed to almighty God, to demons and stones. He also brought it about that a hundred or two hundred Brahmins came to him at the same time, and indeed from among the elders, with whom he, still being young, wanted to dispute and to convince them of their errors. And he said if they wanted to test the truth of our faith, and the falsity of that which they followed, that they should build a huge fire, and enter into it together with him, and then that the fire would consume them, while he would remain untouched; he said that he would do this, provided that they promised that they would all become Christians, if the matter turned out that way.

317. When he would explain the articles of faith, it happened that he would say, if they had truth faith in Christ as both God and man, and they were to see someone obsessed by the devil, and if they were to command in the name of Christ and of the true God that the evil spirit should depart from him, that the devil would leave him. When a certain Christian had grasped this, and when he was arguing with a yogi, he claimed that he could drive out a devil in the name of Christ, which the yogi could not do. He observed that the demons, whom the faith of Christ has driven out of many, for the most part want to harass them. For, formerly there hardly was anyone who dared to go into the sea alone, because among the boats of the fishermen demons were seen in fiery forms; but after they became Christians, they no longer saw anything. Among the Gentiles of those regions the demons exercised much tyranny; they compelled people by terror to worship them, and if they did not offer them money and many sacrificial rams, whose blood they drink, and many other things that they seek, they threaten them with death and other injuries. Hence those miserable people adore them and offer them whatever they want. But in order to free the Christians from this fear of demons, Henry promised them that, if the demons attacked someone, he would drive them away with the holy words of our faith, that is, by an exorcism; and he said that all the Brahmins and yogis together could not do this.

318. Among those Gentiles some were found, who far surpassed the other Gentiles in the knowledge of things and in probity of life. They worship neither demons nor pagodas, but only the one God, and they understand that the stories are false, which the common people believe. Henry was friendly with one of these, who came to him, and of those among the Gentiles he had no small estimation of his wisdom and probity. This man had broken up many pagodas, and he said that he had learned this from a certain master among the Gentiles, who worshiped the one God and abominated idols; he said that he learned from this teacher about the fall of our first parents, who had been deceived by the devil; but in his explanation he mixed together false things with the truth. The pagans, and especially the Brahmins, held this man in high regard, and they were fond of him, even though he reproached them because they said there are good days and bad days, and they led people to the worship of idols. The Brahmins responded to this that it was not necessary that they allow themselves to perish from hunger, and if they did not invent those things, they would not have anything to eat. So they asked him not to reveal their deceits to the common people, but he did reveal them. At times he reprimanded the Christian neophytes, if he observed that they did not obey their teacher (who was Fr. Francis), and he exhorted them to follow his advice; and if he saw someone err, he would report it to Fr. Henry. And although he was not a Christian, still he had very good morals. Henry asked him, among other things, what he thought about the pagans, who seem to live well with regard to their moral life, whether, when they die, he thinks they go to paradise, or rather are cast into hell. He replied that no one who worships pagodas will go to paradise; and so he responded wisely to everything.

319. In the places where Henry was working it happened that a certain pagan, while passing before a pagoda, worshiped it; when some Christian boys saw this, they picked up rocks, went into the pagoda, and smashed the nose of the idol, so the pagan complained about this to their teacher. These boys and youths, if they saw something in the elders, which seemed to be done badly, immediately they told Fr. Henry. But what especially edified all was that they saw that ours accept no payment for their ministries, but seek only the salvation of souls. And so that the faith of this kind of the neophytes might be understood, I will add this: when in one of their towns a man got sick, then a certain Christian visited him and placed his Rosary around his neck, which he is accustomed to use when he is praying; but it pleased God to fully approve his faith by restoring health to the sick man; the knowledge of this spread throughout that town, and when someone fell sick, immediately they asked for that Rosary and prayers for the sick person; and when someone offered him money for the Rosary, he laughed at him and gave it to him free of charge.

320. A boy enrolled in the College in Goa went to see Henry. He had been captured by the Saracens, and was taken to a Mosque, and they tried to force him to worship Mohammed and deny the faith of Christ. But when the boy refused to do that, they threatened him with death, if he would not adore Mohammed. But he responded that, if they wanted to kill him, they could do it, and that he would endure death for the sake of God. The divine Goodness willed that they should not kill him; so they put him in chains, with which he had to walk. But after a few days, a chief came to that place with an army, but when he had killed many of the inhabitants and set the town on fire, the boy escaped and went to Henry. He related that there are many slaves of the Portuguese in those places who, although they have fled from their masters, still retain their faith in Christ and urged the boy not to lose his faith in Christ. But when one of these slaves received the pay of a soldier from a pagan chief and was killed, the other Christian slaves wanted to bury his body according to our custom. So kneeling down they prayed to God for his soul, to the great admiration of the pagans who looked on in astonishment; then they buried him and placed a cross over his grave. Some of these slaves approached Fr. Francis Xavier and asked him to obtain for them exemption of punishment for escaping, so they could live as free men among Christians.

321. In the region of the maritime province of Comorin it was said that year that there were more than two hundred thousand Christians. They lived in many places near the sea over a space of about seventy miles. And this is the reason why our men were separated from each other. And because the Christians lived under different pagan kings, sometimes they were at war with each other, and they paid attention to our priests, who tried to establish peace among them. There was among others Emmanuel de Morales who, as he writes, while he was helping them in some places, by some false friends was sold as a slave to the enemies, but with the help of God he escaped from their hands. The foods they eat in that region are rice, wheat, milk, butter, fish and chicken. There is one kind of money, which they call fanaum, and it contains two thirds of silver, which we call a realis, and one of them will buy three large chickens. In some places figs are gathered during the whole year; they have lots of coconuts, and other fruits something like the coconut, which contain a large amount of liquid, which is good to drink. All the natives go about naked, except that both the men and the women cover the lower private parts with a cloth; but boys under the age of ten wear absolutely nothing. The air is very healthy, and the dwellings of all the Christians are on the shore of the sea. The temples of the idols are very large and made of stone, having within them statues of cows, elephants, monkeys and other animals. The Brahmins take care of them, and when they pretend that the pagodas eat, they order foods to be prepared on a grand scale, they make steam come out of the idols, and they support themselves and their families with these foods.

322. There is also another kind of men, whom they call yogis; they profess poverty, live from begging, and because the do it of their own free will they are thought to be saints. These yogis have their own king, and the more poorly they are clothed, the more holy they are thought to be; they wear their clothes full of patches. The Brahmins abstain publicly from flesh meat and from animals that have blood in them; but secretly they also eat meat. They have as many wives as they want, and they pretend to use them in the pagodas, and so they waste the best women of the province, and so those who have a modicum of prudence can justly detest their deceits and crimes. Of the major cities of the whole province there is one which they call Totuchorin, and another one is Punicale; the care of these towns was given to Fr. Henry. He also had to visit other places, and to have some care of them, whose ordinary administration had been given to certain native priests. Some of our other members, who had come to India the previous year or this year, were able to take care of several other places. Fr. Francis Xavier assigned them to those places, and all called him the great Father, because he had the care of everyone.

323. Meanwhile, two of ours were residing at Malacca, which we said formerly was called the golden Chersonese. For, in April Fr. Francis Xavier, after he had returned to India, had sent Fr. Francis Perez there with his companion Roch de Oliveira. They arrived at Malacca on May 26, and they were received by the people with great joy; they went out to the ship in a small boat and brought them back to Malacca, and they provided them with lodging in a house next to the hospital of Mercy. Both the Vicar of the Bishop and the clergy visited them and did so with much joy. Then ours for the first time, although few in number, began to have a stable residence in Malacca. Immediately Roch de Oliveira began to teach the youth, not only to read and to write, but also to pray; and in the Office of the Blessed Virgin and the book of Christian doctrine compiled by Fr. Francis, and in the written lives of the Saints, he taught them the skill of reading and at the same time with it they were learning the fundamentals of the Christian religion. He also began to teach grammar to the sons of the Portuguese, and in a short space of time there were one hundred and eighty of them. Since they were born from pagan mothers, and their fathers did not fulfill the task of teaching them, these boys (whom they call mestizos) were in great need of doctrine and instruction, like the other sons of native neophytes. The Saracens and pagans were very amazed, when they saw that ours came there from such distant nations, not seeking gold or gems but the salvation of men, and that they labored only for that. Fr. Francis Perez preached on Sundays and feast days in the morning to the Portuguese; but after midday to their sons, and servants, and to the Christian neophytes, to whom he also taught catechism daily for an hour and a half or for two hours. He followed the same method and explanation of doctrine, which Fr. Francis Xavier had left in a written form. Hence the catechism became so well known that in each house and in the whole city the singing of this doctrine resounded to the praise of God. In the hospital, which had a very small income, because of a command from Fr. Xavier, ours offered the sacrifice of the Mass on Wednesdays, and they administered the holy sacraments of Penance and the Eucharist to the poor sick people in the city hospital; and once a week they said Mass in the latter place. They were occupied continually with these and the other usual ministries of our Society, but it was done with great spiritual consolation. Every Sunday many people of the city approached the sacraments of Confession and Communion, and more would have come, if time allowed for it, or if another priest had been available. On Sundays he celebrated the sacrifice of the Mass there where he was going to preach, and when the Mass was finished he administered the holy Eucharist; then he went into the pulpit to preach.

324. The city of Malacca is a famous emporium and large crowds of people are accustomed to gather there, not only from places in India, but also from the region of the Turks; and across the red sea many white men come, and also those from Malabar, who have a dark skin like the local natives. Some Jews along with Saracens, Arabs and Persians come to preach the errors of their own sect; sparing no danger or effort, they inflict grave injuries on the flocks of the pagans, and they try to avoid coming in contact with ours (to whom they show themselves clearly to be enemies). Among the Jews who came there, one of them, who said he was a Roman, attended the sermons of Fr. Francis Perez, and sometimes he came to his home to confer with him about something in the Bible. Nothing in our religion seemed to him harder than that we believe God became man, he was scourged and died on a cross. But when Fr. Francis Perez, dealing with him gently, gave him the reasons for our faith, his heart was illuminated by the Lord. Now when Francis was in the church of the house of Mercy, the Jew came in, and he took holy water; with open arms he embraced Francis Perez, and he said that he wanted to become a Christian, that he acknowledged the truth of our faith and the darkness of the errors in which he was living. And in four or five days he learned the articles of faith, along with the Lord’s Prayer, the Hail Mary, the Salve Regina, the Ten Commandments and made a general confession. And six or seven of his domestics followed him, and the Governor, the Duke of Malacca, Lord Peter de Sylva, other noble Portuguese and the leading citizens of the city were present when he received the sacrament of Baptism. Then he departed from Cochin for India, in order to make his son a Christian, whom he still had there. Some desired to enter our Society, and although they seemed to be suitable, by the judgment of Fr. Francis Xavier they were not accepted; in the meantime, however, they exercised themselves diligently in giving the Spiritual Exercises and in performing works of piety and humility.

325. Before Fr. Xavier sent ours to Malacca, he went to see the Governor of India, who then was Lord John de Castro at Bazain, where he was living at the time. And although it was not a suitable time for sailing, since the winds were contrary, he stayed there for a few days, and he was received kindly by the Governor and his army. And when he was asked to preach, although he was very tired, and he did not have time to prepare, nevertheless with the help of God he performed that task in such a way that the Governor, who listened to him with great consolation, asked him not to leave Goa during the winter. Therefore, with the necessary letters to send two of ours to Malacca, he returned to Goa; on the eighth day of April, in the name of the Lord, he sent the previously mentioned Francis Perez and Roch de Oliveira from Goa to Cochin, and from there to Malacca. Cochin is a hundred miles from Goa, and Malacca is five hundred miles from Cochin. Malacca is situated below the equator about two degrees; it rains during almost the whole year, and so the philosophers and poets have not speculated correctly, who said that the region is always arid and uninhabitable because of the heat. Those who sail to China and Japan must depart from Malacca; from Malacca there is the way also to Bandam, Peguum, Coromandel, and other famous regions. Therefore the place abounds in merchants, and it also needs learned confessors, so that they can resolve the problems of subtle usury and difficult contracts, and distinguish leprosy from leprosy. But because mention was made above about the profession of faith, which was compiled by Fr. Francis Xavier and was used constantly by ours in India, I will now present it here as follows: “Truly I confess God, as befits a good Christian, the Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, three persons, and only one God. I firmly believe, without any reservations, whatever our holy mother, the Roman Church, holds and believes; and so I promise that I will live and die in the holy Catholic faith of my Lord Jesus Christ; and now for the time when I shall die, if I cannot speak then, I confess my Lord Jesus Christ with my whole heart.” This is the profession that was required of catechumens, and which they were to learn by memory. But the method of gathering people for the teaching of catechism was the following: Roch de Oliveira walked through the whole city ringing a bell, and in each place, with a loud voice like a herald, he said: “Christians, send your sons and daughters, servants and handmaids, to hear the teaching of the holy faith.” But on ordinary days some of the boys, his disciples, with the same bell, going through the same places used the same words. Not only the creed, the Decalogue and the prayers, but also the table blessing and thanksgiving, the mortal sins and the opposite virtues, the way of making a good confession and many other things were handed on in this way, so that boys and girls, men and women learned all these things by memory.

326. Although during this year ours did not reside in Cochin, still they spent some time there, and by the work of Adam Francis it was brought about, among other things, that a very important man, from Malabar, with his wife, children and whole household were converted to Christ; other things also were done there with the Christians for the glory of God.

327. When at the end of the previous year Fr. John de Beira, with Fr. Nonnius Ribeiro and companions arrived in the Malukus, the former went to the islands of Mauri with two companions, and the latter to the islands of Amboini. Here for four months, when the Portuguese ships are accustomed to be there, while they are waiting for the right time to sail, he won over almost six hundred sons for the Church through Baptism; he visited the places of Christians; he broke up the idols of the pagans; and he taught the doctrine of the Christian religion to those peoples, who were living in the great darkness of ignorance. And when the ships departed, some of the Portuguese out of zeal for the faith joined him as companions in this holy work, so that they might increase the number of the faithful…⁶².  But about those things during this year there is no further information⁶³. 

The Year 1549

328. In the beginning of 1549, the status of the Society was this: only two provinces were established, the first in Portugal, the second in Spain, and the two Provincials were Fr. Simon and Antonio Araoz. In India during this year Fr. Francis Xavier was named the Provincial of India, as is certain from the official letters sent to him. Those working in Italy, Sicily, Germany and France were governed by Fr. Ignatius, General, although in Sicily Fr. James Laynez, as the Visitor, had authority over the others on the island.

329. The Society was active in twenty-two places, namely, in Rome, where the professed house also included the house of probation; Padua, Bologna, and in Messina in Sicily were the beginnings of Colleges rather than functioning Colleges; Cologne, Louvain and also Paris; in the Province of Portugal, in Lisbon, ours had a house rather than a formed College; in Coimbra there was an established College; some followed the court of the King; but because it often remained in Lisbon, it is not considered a distinct residence. In Spain ours resided in Alcalá, Salamanca, Valladolid, Valencia, Gandia, Saragossa and Barcelona. But in India, they were in Goa, Bazain, Comorin, Malacca, and in the Malukus. But in all of these places, except in Rome, Coimbra, Lisbon, Gandia, Padua and Messina only a few of ours were occupied. There was a proper domicile only in Goa, several in Portugal, in Spain only in Gandia, in Italy in Rome and Padua; in Sicily Messina; in France and Germany there was none; none of them had a regular income, except Coimbra, Gandia, Padua and Messina.

330. In this year the affairs of the Society increased in no small way. The number of ours in Rome increased, because of the arrival of many from Germany and France in order to get to know the Society better, and to be tested in the Roman house. Also the fruit grew in the sermons and lectures in our church and in the ministry of confession and communion and the other usual activities of charity of the Society. Thus there the good odor of the Society increased in the eyes of the Sovereign Pontiff and the ecclesiastical leaders of the Church and the whole fair city. However, I will not mention all of them in detail, because they were similar to the things written about in the previous years.

331. Now for several years no one had been admitted to profession besides Fr. Francis Borgia who, as we reported in the previous year, made his secret profession in Gandia; although Fr. Nadal, in the previous year, is said to have been advised about this¹. But on the day of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin four together were admitted to profession of the four vows². In Rome Fr. Emmanuel Miona’s profession was received by Fr. Ignatius after the celebration of Mass in our church, and I did the same; but at Gandia on the same 25th of March Fr. James Miron and Fr. Andreas de Oviedo made the same profession in the hands of Fr. Antonio Araoz.

332. Gradually the size of our church was increased, by adding something on to it, and also to the house in which we live. Also during this year, when it was obtained from the Sovereign Pontiff, Paul III, that the faculties useful for our Society should be granted, in order to promote the common good of souls, this matter was handled by Cardinal Sfondrato, and whatever privileges of the other Orders at the time seemed fitting for us to have, the same Cardinal brought the matter to the Sovereign Pontiff; they were granted and confirmed by an Apostolic Letter³. And before this undertaking was completed, the Sovereign Pontiff became gravely ill, and Lord Thomas Lilius⁴, now the Bishop of Sora, worked diligently so that we would get that letter while the Pope was still living.

333. Also for the Constitutions which were being drawn up by Fr. Ignatius, or had already been completed, the written consent of several of the first Fathers, who were still living, was given. However, until a sufficient number of the Fathers could be assembled from various places (which Ignatius thought could happen in the next year of the jubilee), the Constitutions were not promulgated⁵.

334. In November of this year Paul III, the Sovereign Pontiff, departed from this life; therefore the Cardinals gathered in the Conclave, and some of them were accustomed to provide us with temporal things necessary for the support of our house. It also pleased the divine Goodness to take Fr. Peter Codacius from the troubles of this life to a better life, as we hope. In the morning he celebrated Mass with great piety and devotion, and after lunch as he went up the stairs to the room of Fr. Ignatius, being struck with apoplexy he collapsed near the door of Fr. Ignatius and died after a few minutes. He had a large body (although along with much work and observance of holy poverty) and we believed that God did not want to detain him longer with the vexations of a prolonged illness. Now from the beginning of the Society this Father so took care of the temporal things that all the others were spared the care of providing the food, clothing and other things that are necessary for daily living. Looked at from a human point of view, our house seemed all the more destitute as a result of his death, and there did not seem to be anyone in the house suitable for this office of charity. Still there was one available, but because the death of Fr. Codacius was so sudden, he was left in great ignorance about supplies and persons. Meanwhile, the house was full and, as was said, the Cardinals assembled for the election of the new Pontiff seemed to be about to deliberate for a long time. But Fr. Ignatius, who with total confidence placed all his hope in the divine providence of God, admitted to our house eight or ten novices who wanted to enter the Society, and he appointed Fr. Pontius Congordanus, who was French and not very good at public speaking, as procurator in place of Fr. Codacius⁶.

335. However, it is necessary to consider the providence of the divine Goodness at that time toward the Roman house; for, the Cardinals sent from the Conclave itself a very large alms, if I remember correctly, of two hundred gold coins. But at that time when John Crucius, the buyer of food for the house, was going to the Basilica of the Savior, and was passing through the Coliseum (which is a deserted place), a man approached him and put in his hand a pouch with about a hundred gold pieces in it, and then walked away from him. When John returned home, and narrated what had happened, and showed them the gold pieces, there were some who feared lest, what happens when ghosts offer money which afterwards turns into charcoal, will happen to this money in a similar metamorphosis. That golden money did not change its form, but helped to buy the necessities for the house and to pay some debts. After one or two days, when before daylight the same John went out as usual to buy the necessary things, not far from the church of St. Mary above Minerva, another man came up to him and gave him a large sum of gold coins (sixty or seventy, as I recall), which seemed to be recently minted, and then he disappeared. Also at the same time, when in a vacant part of the house, where some pieces of metal and torn paper were in an old chest, I wanted to see whether there were some old letters there, so I removed the metal and I also found a large number of new gold coins, which were wrapped up in white paper. With so many gifts, the divine Goodness through the angels, as is believed, wanted the diligence of Fr. Peter Cordacius and his experience in these matters not to be missed. And when I spoke about these things to Philip Archintus, Vicar of the fair city, he said: “You should not doubt that Fr. Peter Codacius has procured these alms for your house; and I do not doubt that the charity of Peter in heaven and the faith and hope of Fr. Ignatius on earth obtained this assistance from the goodness of God. Hence the Roman house daily increased in numbers; for, although some were sent to various places, since God called many to join our Institute, at that time there was no other house in the regions of Italy, France and Germany that had as many companions as this house.

336. During this year two Colleges were started, with the personnel for them taken from the City — one in Palermo, and the other in Tivoli. Although some members were sent to Ingolstadt, and among those Fr. Peter Canisius, after he was brought back from Sicily, still the College was not started at the time. But these Colleges and missions seem to have been the reason why Fr. Ignatius was not solicitous about beginning the College in Pisa according to the offer of Cosmo, the Duke of Florence, just as another College did not open, which the people of Termini in Sicily through their letters tried to obtain from Fr. Ignatius. Fr. Ignatius judged that burdens of this kind should be undertaken gradually, and also that those who were sent by the Lord should be tested gradually, before they were sent to work in some ministry. In the meantime, while taking care of all the places and persons of the whole Society, Ignatius took care of many things in Rome in order to assist them. Among other things, he saw to it that the University or general studies in Messina should be established by Apostolic Authority and under the direction of the Society. In the previous year, as has been said, the Sovereign Pontiff, with the approval of the Signatura, had granted that. But in this year, when the official Apostolic Letter was sent to Messina, the matter encountered a big difficulty, caused both by the people of Catania and by the people in Messina, who did not want their University, in which both lawyers and doctors would be trained, to be under the Rector of our College. Previously, when the Viceroy John de Vega was present, the magistrates of Messina had agreed to that, but afterwards they changed their mind. But when Fr. James Laynez and Fr. Jerome Nadal entered into consultation with the Viceroy, the minds of the men were so changed that what previously they could in no way accept, now there was one who said he would rather suffer death, and so the matter was arranged with the full consent of the officials and consultors. And a certain doctor in Messina, who was very much opposed to the nature of this University, was filled with such joy that he could hardly express it with many gestures and words, and at the same time he said the prayer, Te Deum laudamus. And with the great efforts of the Viceroy nothing was done before, and the Lord granted it, when it was perhaps least expected; but this took place at the end of the year⁷.

337. Now at the beginning of the year, with the help of God, both the spiritual and literary works were progressing. There was great fervor and eagerness in those who received the Sacraments; there were many general confessions; there were renewals of life; among many others there was no other concern but to abandon their sins and to change their life for the better. And the men who approached ours became convinced that in the future they would lead a good life and serve God. Sermons given by ours were held before very large crowds; after Vespers a lecture on St. Paul was given on Sundays in the Cathedral; but on other feast days after Vespers in our church of St. Nicholas lectures were given on some moral questions and on the catechism. And at all these events a large audience was present and it was deeply moved. A harvest of confessions more abundant than usual was gathered not only by ours, but also by the religious of other Orders; an old monk testified that he had never before seen crowds of this size. Because the general confessions, which the people were encouraged to make, could not all be heard during Lent, they were delayed until after Easter, and they believed that they could take care of this during the whole summer. And actually, neither the time nor the strength of ours were sufficient to take care of so many people. But among other things, our scholastics daily were making much progress spiritually and in their studies. Also the Spiritual Exercises were proposed to many students and others, and they gained much fruit from them. Some were admitted into the Society; some were sent so that, while going through the city on Sundays and feast days, they might help others with private conversations, and those especially who were occupied with games and other less honorable activities. They did this so that, by treating things pertaining to their salvation, they might bring them to confession and a better form of life, and as a result of this effort some good effects were obtained for the glory of God. Sometimes they helped those about to die, and among the other Stiatigos (who is the supreme magistrate of the city), and the brother of the Viceroy’s wife; there was also a cousin, and when he was sick to the point of death, Fr. Jerome Nadal (to whom he also confessed when he was healthy) assisted him until his demise, to the great edification of the Viceroy’s wife and of others.

338. But when Lent began, during which the office of preaching was to be exercised, the same Fr. Jerome Nadal, not wanting to force this duty on anyone else, himself assumed the task of preaching daily, and in the meantime he asked Fr. Andreas Frusius to fill in for him in giving the lectures on St. Paul. Both of them performed their functions vigorously and with a large audience. And such a large multitude began to gather for confession that, although in the morning they could handle them, the church of St. Nicholas could hardly hold the crowds, especially on feast days. Also some religious men far outside the City came to listen to him, and many both of the men and of the women were persons of great nobility. The result was that, of those who wanted to go to confession, the number was so great that, since they could in no way take care of them, they put off until after Easter the hearing of general confessions. Around that time Master Benedict Palmius became sick with a serious infirmity, and after he had received some painful remedies, he was so freed from it that in the future (although he had suffered from it before) it was believed that he would be immune to it. But Fr. Nadal not only kept his health, but he felt that the strength of his body and mind had increased by the end of Lent, after he finished his sermons with no little satisfaction and fruit. Added to this were other works not only regarding the care of the house, but also other works of piety pertaining to outsiders; among them were some things required of him by the Inquisitor that he absolutely had to do. Also other priests labored hearing confessions so much that it seemed they could not do it without the special help of God. Regarding the Spiritual Exercises, some made no little progress in the Lord, among them was a certain nobleman from Syracuse, who began to plan for the establishment of a College in Syracuse. Also an extraordinary spiritual damage, which threatened that city and could in no way be made known, was avoided by the help of the Society⁸.

339. On the feast of Corpus Christi a very large crowd came for the sacraments of Confession and Communion, and in a public procession the relics, which were in the church of St. Nicholas, and those two heads of virgins of St. Ursula and her companion, which the city by its letter during the previous year had asked for and obtained from Fr. Ignatius, were carried in the last and most honored place. Fr. Ignatius arranged that the heads and the chest in which they were contained should be adorned with great dignity and honor, and he sent them by Fr. Antonio Vinckius, who was assigned to take the place of Fr. Canisius. But ours thinking it necessary for the honor of God and the holy Virgins, so that they would be received with great solemnity and veneration, arranged with the Vicar of the Archbishop that both those heads and the other relics, which Leonora, the wife of the Viceroy, had given to be preserved in the church of St. Nicholas, should be received with a solemn procession. The procession was proclaimed by the authority of the Vicar; the religious of the various Orders were invited, and the matter was promulgated in the whole city by heralds. Also preceded by the students of the College carrying wax torches and coming from a church near the gate of the city, and quite a distance from the church of St. Nicholas (for that is where the relics were being taken), the relics were carried to the church of our College with great honor and splendor, accompanied by a large crowd of clerics and people, by the Vicar, by the nobility of Messina and by a choir of singers. Then the sacrifice of the Mass was celebrated; the sermon was postponed to a later time after midday, when Fr. Nadal preached to a large audience about the veneration and invocation of the Saints. Next he took the occasion to affirm that no alms would be accepted for the College, neither in the name of the relics nor because of our other ministries, because according to our Institute they could not be accepted, since only the salvation of souls and the glory of God was being sought. And on that day not only did the people receive much edification and consolation from the Lord, but ours were refreshed in a wonderful way, because at this time with such veneration, to the confusion of the heretics, they saw the relics of the Saints so greatly honored by God and his people⁹.

340. In the month of July the city of Messina was shaken by a very strong earthquake, and shortly before a flash of lightning, which in the center of the city destroyed a church and killed some people, and it greatly terrified the people. Hence a great multitude of people was moved to go to confession, and ours were very much involved in gathering this harvest. It also happened that, when two of ours did some public acts of penance and humility for the purpose of self-conquest (which is customary for the men of the Society), the people, who had a good opinion of us, believed that a revelation from God was given for them, and they interpreted it to mean that it was done by ours in order to avert some tragedy. And since the earthquake happened shortly before that, our church was filled with people, some of whom went to confession.

341. A certain respectable lady was in great pain, since she was in labor for a long time, but was not able to give birth; the situation was such that the doctors, not being able to help her, left her alone. She was attached to our College with a special devotion, so she asked that a confessor be sent to her. Fr. Antonio Vinckius was sent to her and she made her confession to him; putting her faith and hope in God (as we believe), she regained her strength immediately and gave birth to the child, who had already died in the womb. And so the members of her house, and also her neighbors, when they heard about this, came to our church to go to confession. But on the feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin the harvest of those confessing was so great that they kept ours busy during the Octave and in the days following that.

342. A young little girl was said to be obsessed by a demon and her actions indicated this; having been bound and held by several men, she was brought to our church. For, since they had brought her in vain to a certain place outside of Messina where those possessed by the devil are wont to be liberated, at length they thought about bringing her to our church. And when Fr. Cornelius Wischaven began to perform an exorcism over her, the demon asked that he not be sent into the fire; meanwhile, the three Masses, which still remained to be said that day, were offered in order to help her, and during the third Mass the demon in the sight of all departed with great growling of the virgin. She seemed to be dead, but after her chains were removed, she recovered the use of her mind and will; then she went to confession, and she returned home healthy to the great edification and admiration of all those who were present. Before the exorcism was done, while Cornelius was talking to her, she had recovered her consciousness and had promised that she wanted to go to confession; then he proceeded to do the exorcism, and having been liberated after a period of about one hour, she did make her confession, as we have said¹⁰.

343. In September Fr. Andreas Frusius began to lecture on the letter to the Corinthians to a large audience. But during those same days, when at night in our house certain groans were heard, and it happened often, and it could not clearly be known where they were coming from, it occurred to ours that perhaps it was some poor soul, who needed our suffrages. And when the sacrifice of the Mass was celebrated for this purpose, no more groans were heard. It was believed that a soul in purgatory was set free in this way by divine Providence¹¹.

344. Some men suitable for the service of God were admitted into the Society¹².

345. A convent of nuns wanted to be helped by ours in spiritual matters (it was called Saint Mary’s). Fr. Ignatius was consulted once about this, and he responded that according to our Institute their confessions could be heard, but that it would be better for their future progress if they were first prepared by the Spiritual Exercises to make a good confession. So the Exercises of the first week were given to three of the excellent nuns so that they could give them to the others; and so the confessions, and also general ones, of most of the nuns were heard with greater results. But Fr. Cornelius performed that task to their great advantage. Also some other noble ladies made the same Exercises in our church and so made much progress in the Lord¹³.

346. In autumn Master Benedict Palmius began to preach with great fruit in our church, for the people were often moved to tears and a change of life by his sermons.

347. With regard to the study of the liberal arts, so that the good odor of edification of our students might be increased, our students had to be present at the disputations of others, and they also had their own disputations at home. Therefore in all the programs which the College offered, in the course of two days theses were defended during the whole day, and they were published and made known in public places; some important and learned men were invited to attend and also several nobles. When they were present, select youths from the distinguished nobility of Messina presented some orations, and they began to answer questions concerning the pros and cons of the theses to the great delight of the audience. But his teacher assisted each one of the respondents; he directed the course of the arguments, and he declared and responded when that was necessary in the disputed matter. And it went so well that there was talk about this throughout the whole city that the students were greatly stimulated with the desire of studying and learning, and of speaking well, proposing arguments and responding seriously.

348. But since among the Dominicans, in their provincial chapter and according to their custom, for eight days theses were defended publicly in their church, ours were invited to debate with them. Fr. Jerome Nadal went there with Fathers Canisius and Frusius; Master Isidore was also present; and the disputation turned out so favorably (they disputed in the first place or among the first) that it seems to have been done by divine Providence, which so gave both the power and the grace in disputing that the estimation of the College, in what pertains to the liberal arts, was acclaimed in a wonderful manner among the people and throughout the island. For, the religious of the whole Order were famous in that province; and nevertheless ours seemed to have conducted themselves with the approbation both of the learned and the unlearned, and Fr. Nadal himself said that they had never performed better than they did on that occasion. But among other reasons for this is the fact that Fr. Canisius argued concerning the power of the Church with such an excellent sermon that the good monk, who was to respond, frankly admitted that he understood very little of it; therefore he stopped going any further to the applause of the audience¹⁴.

349. Since to other disputations before these ours had been invited, where Fr. Nadal, along with Fr. Andreas and Master Isidore, and the religious of various Orders were present, and there began to be contention by some about the first place, almost all the hearers wanted the disputation to be started by Fr. Nadal, as a cleric; but he modestly refused this, and when others began to argue about the first place, he stood up and said in a loud voice to all that he thought the first place should be given to the religious, and that he did not want to dispute in either the first or the second place; and so everyone became quiet; and they were filled with no small edification and consolation both by his modesty and also by his argumentation which was given later. These disputations were held in the church of St. Francis; now when certain Dominican Fathers were leaving the place and speaking about the arguments, and Fr. Nadal said that ours were not concerned about the first places, one of the religious said that the Lord had sent the Society into that kingdom in order to reform it both in learning and in spiritual matters.

350. Since there was a very large number in the last class, Fr. Nadal decided that it should be divided, and that a new class should be added, which would be in the middle between the last and the penultimate class, to provide for greater progress of the students. And so Grammar began to be taught in five classes, in the first of which Master Benedict Palmius at that time taught Rhetoric; and this was at the beginning of the studies in the autumn. At this time also Fr. Andreas Frusius taught Dialectics (for in each year a course in Philosophy was given), and he did it very well, until he had a successor. For in this second year Master Isidore taught natural Philosophy; but Fr. Antonio Vinckius treated the scholastic Theology of Durandus. Fr. Nadal taught three different courses, namely, of Euclid in mathematics, and different authors in the Greek and Hebrew languages. But by an order of Fr. Ignatius, since they were required to write every week and accurately, it was also necessary to report to him the number of students in each class. Hence in November Fr. Nadal writes that there are seventy-eight students in the lowest class, in the penultimate fifty-six, in the third forty-two, in the fourth, which was called humane letters, fourteen (Fr. Annibal was in charge of this one), in the fifth, that is, Rhetoric, fifteen or sixteen; in Dialectics Fr. Andreas had sixteen, Isidore in Philosophy thirteen, but Fr. Antonio had only three in scholastic Theology (since almost no mature person is found among the lay students, and religious were not yet coming to our classes); Fr. Nadal had ten in his Greek class, three or four in Hebrew and ten or twelve in mathematics. Also exercises in the Parisian mode were added to each of the classes so that the College might seem to be more like a University. Among these exacting labors, undertaken from morning until night, God continued to preserver the health of the teachers¹⁵.

351. Before the beginning of the classes in October, for three days public disputations were held in all the classes that were to be taught; and this was done with edification for the viewers and with great enthusiasm of the students to resume their studies. But the more advanced lectures were delayed for some time, until the business of the University, which then had not yet been completed, should be resolved in the presence of the Viceroy (who was present for the disputations together with the officials and other leading men of the city, and had heard the prayers and songs pertaining to the resuming of studies), so that shortly thereafter it could be completed.

352. Among the other fruits, which the works of ours accomplished in Messina, that certainly was not the least, namely, that by the example of ours the religious of other Orders, and especially of the Order of St. Dominic, were moved to attend the lectures on moral theology and the lectures on the letters of St. Paul (which were given by ours on Sundays and feast days).

353. In September an eminent priest, whose name was Peronus and was greatly esteemed in the city for his teaching, departed from this life; he had a large collection of books and bequeathed a large part of them to our College, which had great need of support of this kind.

354. Some pious men, among those who often come to our church to receive the sacraments and hear the sermons, numbering almost sixty and being impressed by our holy works, decided to help others with deeds of charity, both the poor who were ashamed to beg and others who were being held in the government prisons. While offering their help they wanted to be directed by ours, so Fr. Nadal encouraged them in their good proposal of doing charitable works and offered them spiritual assistance.

355. But when the number increased of those who either were admitted into our Society or asked to be admitted, Fr. Nadal began to think about establishing a house for their probation, which would be separate from the College and governed by two or three members of our Society, so that after being there for a year or for as long as was necessary, and wearing a proper habit, they would be trained in exercises of humility, obedience and prayer, and then they could be transferred to our College. And when he had discussed the matter with some important men, and they had praised the idea very much, he referred it to Fr. Ignatius. And although during this year the plan was not implemented, because this was the first time mention was made of such houses, I did not want to pass over the matter in silence¹⁶.

356. When the Bishop of Patti, the Inquisitor for the kingdom of Sicily, wrote a letter asking that one of ours join him for a visitation, the matter was considered in the month of July, and it seemed this should not be denied him; so Fr. Andreas was chosen for this task and was sent to the Inquisitor; and on his journey he won the good will of a certain priest, who was not living up to his profession, by bringing him to a healthier state of mind by his conversation and then by hearing his confession. But when he arrived at the diocese in Patti, he began to give a daily exhortation to the clerics; and daily he gave a lecture on things pertaining to the catechism, in the presence of the Viceroy, the canons and the other clergy. And with friendly conversations and the Spiritual Exercises he proceeded to help both the people of Patti and others associated with the Bishop.

357. Now the Inquisitor treated Fr. Andreas with great affection, and he wanted to have him always at his side; indeed he wanted to receive the Spiritual Exercises from him, along with his Vicar, who was his nephew, if the affairs of the visitation permitted it. But because the Bishop was going to spend some time in Messina, it seemed that his desire could be satisfied there. The same Inquisitor and Bishop was very well disposed towards our Society, and some of the members of his household received from him spiritual writings from which they derived much fruit. But because the priests of that diocese were very poor, so much so that without manual labor they could not survive, in the sermons which Fr. Andreas addressed to the people, he exhorted them to give up some temporal things so that they would reap the spiritual. And when the Bishop looked into this and decided to help them, it was foreseen that the distress of their poverty would be suitably taken care of. He preached in all the towns that the Bishop visited, and he consoled those held in the prisons and he also heard their confessions. Finally, he helped them both in things pertaining to the spirit and in things pertaining to the body. Also a certain poor man, who had been thrown into prison unjustly to the great loss of his family, through his intercession was set free.

358. At the beginning of this year Fr. James Laynez, with no little difficulty, departed from the city of Naples, which in a wonderful way appreciated his sermons, in an imperial trireme, along with his companion John Philip¹⁷ and two other members of the Society. So beginning at that time the Neapolitans began to ask Fr. Ignatius for Fr. Alphonse Salmeron, because they could not keep Fr. Laynez. Fr. Laynez arrived in Sicily on the sixteenth of January after a very pleasant voyage, and he was received in Palermo with great charity by the Viceroy, John de Vega, with his wife and children, by Lord Didacus de Corduba and by the Inquisitor. Immediately he was designated for a certain church in Palermo in which the Viceroy and his family could suitably listen to his sermons during Lent¹⁸.

359. Meanwhile, he began to meet with the Governor of Monreale (the city is only three miles from Palermo) and other persons of the city, and in order to satisfy Cardinal Farnese, who had appointed his as Visitor in his Archdiocese with full authority. And in the meantime since Lent was approaching, he went to Monreale with the Governor where he decided to preach about things pertaining to their spiritual progress to the people on feast days, and on other days to the monks and priests, and separately to the nuns; he also began to preach about the catechism and to help others with the Spiritual Exercises. Also during this time, having received much information about the diocese, he was thinking about how to handle the things pertaining to the visitation¹⁹.

360. In the previous year, when he was in Palermo, Fr. Jerome Domenech was very sick, but at the beginning of this year, recovering his strength to some extent, in his usual way he kept busy with some works of piety, and he was able to establish peace among some nobles, who were seriously contending with each other to their great danger and that of others. He also heard the confessions of the Viceroy and of his wife and daughter. But while he paid little attention to his health, he fell sick again; and since he had already obtained permission from Fr. Ignatius to go to Valencia in order to take care of some necessary business, and the Viceroy approved of this, and he had ordered his baggage to be placed on the ship, then it seemed to the Viceroy that he should not be allowed to undergo the difficulties of the sailing until he had regained his health, and so he remained in Sicily during this year.

361. On Septuagesima Sunday Fr. Laynez began to preach in Palermo, and he did it in the cathedral church of St. Peter in the presence of the Viceroy, the Inquisitor and a large and noble audience and, as he usually does, he did it with great satisfaction and approbation. However, he returned to Monreale to continue what he had begun until the beginning of Lent when he went to Palermo and was going to stay there.

362. In the meantime, Fr. Jerome Domenech began to work with the wife of the Viceroy about establishing a College in Palermo, so that just as the Viceroy had done this for Messina, so she would do the same thing in Palermo. Since she was a strong woman of outstanding piety, she began to handle this matter with great determination, and there was among the nobles, with whom she discussed the matter, one who said he would build a College with his own private funds, if the city did not prevent it²⁰.

363. Also at that time Fr. James Laynez was preaching during Lent, and although on the first day of Lent he felt weak, still he wanted to preach and he also did it on the second day; but on the third day, when he was about to preach, since during the previous night he began to suffer from some bleeding, nevertheless he came to the church to preach. But since in the meantime the fever increased, along with chills, which, while the Viceroy and his wife and the official of the city were attending the Mass, increased to such an extent that the fever along with the serious bleeding not only prevented him from preaching, but it did not allow him even to stand on his feet. Therefore, Fr. Jerome Domenech warned the Viceroy and the others about the sudden illness and he made them aware of the illness of Fr. Laynez. When the doctors came to see him, both the fever and the bleeding had so drained his strength in one day that they began to have serious doubts about his life. And having been brought to the house of the Governor of Monreale, committing himself totally to the will of God, with a cheerful heart he waited for whatever was pleasing to Him. And it was considered to be a miracle that immediately, just as the fever had attacked him, so both the fever and the bleeding left him; he began to ask for some food and so he regained his strength. However, the doctors forbade him to continue preaching, lest he have a relapse. Therefore, Fr. Jerome Domenech, at the request of the Viceroy gave the sermons in his place. But Laynez soon returned to eating some fish during Lent and to giving his sermons. But during his second sermon, which was on the day of the Annunciation, he came down with a sharp pain in his bowels for six or seven hours, and became so weak that he had to stop preaching for several days. However, on the day of the Annunciation he recommended to his audience that they help the hospital for incurables, which was suffering from great want of the things necessary. On the next day the wife of the Viceroy went there and when she saw with her own eyes that that was the situation, she made a donation of ten gold pieces; the Viceroy sent fifty and a hundred from the royal income. He also directed one of his sons together with two other noble youths to seek some donations for the hospital from the citizens of Palermo. Therefore the present need of the hospital was provided for admirably by the collection of about five hundred gold pieces. He also directed another of his sons to seek donations everywhere for the support of the converted women and the orphans, and so for other convents and pious places in need of help. Therefore by his excellent example made clear to the whole city, for the great honor of God and consolation of the poor, assistance was brought to pious houses because of the recommendation of Fr. Laynez.

364. But while Fr. Laynez was resting, Fr. Jerome Domenech preached in his place to the Viceroy and the officials. But since many of the hearers of Fr. Laynez very much wanted him to return to giving his sermons, as soon as he was able to do it, he began to give them for the third time²¹.

365. But since on the day on which the Gospel about Magdalen is read, by command of the Viceroy public sinners were summoned to his sermons, and they were also present at the following ones, many of the women were converted to the Lord. That was certain regarding sixteen of them, whom Lady Eleanor, the Viceroy’s wife, according to her usual charity kindly received in her home, and for some of them, after getting a dowry for them, she found a husband; others she had placed in the convent for converted women, while she kept the others at home.

366. There were also nine women who, at the request of Lady Eleanor and with her assistance, entered the convent, and were to remain there, according to the promise of Lady Eleanor, until a marriage could be arranged for them. As soon as they were taken to the convent they claimed that they wanted to be religious. But it happened on the second day of Holy Week they were present with the nuns for the office of Compline; but because they were laughing and did not observe silence there, the nuns ordered them to leave the choir. When Compline was finished and the nuns retired to a dark place to scourge themselves, which they call the discipline, about the second hour of the night one of the converted women, who had been ejected from the choir, and who had shown herself to be more difficult than the others, unhappy because she had been ejected, stood next to the door, which remained slightly opened. Therefore, being very curious, although the place was dark, she wanted to look into it. But it happened, as is believed, by the power of God that a certain brightness filled the place, so that she could see both the nuns and their disciplines. But together with this external view, at the same time the Lord so touched her heart that she said with great compunction and consolation that she wanted to become a nun. She said this to her companions, and when one of them did not believe it, and perhaps neither did the nuns, immediately she removed the veil from her head, and removed the earrings from her ears, and asked that they cut off her hair and clothe her in a nun’s habit. When another of her companions saw this, moved by the same spirit she did the same thing; three others immediately followed her; but the nuns, taking off their own clothes, put them on them, and stirred by a great feeling of devotion, they began to pray before a statue of the Blessed Virgin, and the nuns with a great sense of joy sang the Te Deum laudamus. And when they told the Viceroy’s wife about this, they sent her the cut hair, and asked her to provide nuns’ clothing for the new converts, which she willingly proceeded to do. But the Viceroy, so that he could be more certain about this matter, sent a judge with a notary to the convent, and he called together a public hearing, at which he also wanted Father Laynez and Jerome to be present, which they witnessed with great consolation and tranquility; and two others imitated the same thing. Therefore, of the nine women, only two remained to be placed in marriages²².

367. In what pertains to the College of the Society, the Viceroy’s wife was urging the matter, and when in a public meeting of the city on Holy Tuesday the matter was proposed, all of them, who were thirty in number, with no one dissenting, embraced the work of the College, and they made their decision known to the Viceroy and to ours; but it remained to establish certainty about the location of the College and other particular details. The mayor and the officials of the city of Palermo wrote to Ignatius on May 13, manifesting their desire to become partakers of the teaching and instruction, which were accustomed to be offered by our Colleges. They asked him that, in his charity, he would send some members of our Society in order to begin this work, and that they would provide a suitable building and the things necessary for food and clothing. Also many nobles strongly expressed their desire that ours would be sent as soon as possible in order to take over the task of educating their youth²³.

368. However, there was a house chosen by ours, which had a suitable dwelling, and space for classes and quite close to a church. But the city, with the help of the Viceroy, began a project to provide ours with a house and to give it an annual income of five hundred gold crowns. For although the city humbly besought Emperor Charles V that he would concede the donation of an Abbey (there are many of them in the kingdom lacking not only religious discipline, but even monks which, as it is said, are given “as a favor”) to the College, the Viceroy said that it should not rely on that foundation, but that the necessary income should come from the Society²⁴, and, if the Emperor were to grant their request, the income from the Abbey would contribute to the growth of the work. Money for the journey was also sent, and the letter of the Viceroy was sent to the Sovereign Pontiff and another to our Father Ignatius; but because it did not seem to be expedient that ours should be sent from Rome during the summer, especially to Sicily, the sending of ours was delayed until the beginning of September²⁵.

369. Among those of ours who were in Sicily, there was a lay brother by the name of Julian, a native of Flanders. He was admitted into the Society at Messina and accompanied Fr. Jerome Domenech; he was very much involved in other works of piety, and especially in the ministry of distributing the alms given by the Viceroy. Also he brought it about with no little effort that, since ours were few in number and very busy in Palermo, and so they could not hear the confession of those who were being held in the public prisons, from various monasteries confessors were sent to the prisons. There he saw to it that over three hundred men were refreshed by the sacraments of confession and communion, which was something very unusual for Palermo. And because many of them had committed sins that are called “reserved,” he took the necessary means in order to obtain the faculties for them so that they could absolve from those sins.

370. Some were admitted into the Society, among whom were two youths who had served the wife of the Viceroy.

371. Meanwhile, Father Laynez and Jerome Domenech continued doing their usual works of piety, to which Fr. Laynez also added preaching in the public prisons about things that pertained in a special way to their situation. But since where the palace of the Viceroy was there was also a public prison for men of this kind, the wife of the Viceroy not only heard his sermons, but on the days when Fr. Laynez preached she gave alms there to the prisoners, so that they might receive bodily assistance along with the spiritual.

372. Having been asked by the Inquisitor, when a meeting of the Inquisition was held, he preached with fruit in the presence of the Viceroy and his wife and his whole house.

373. At the request of the Viceroy of Sicily, in Rome Fr. Ignatius arranged that an Apostolic Letter in the form of a Brief was sent in order to reform the convents of nuns in Sicily. Therefore when the Letter arrived in Sicily at the opportune moment, and the Viceroy also exercised his own authority in the matter, as a result a great fruit of reformation took place.

374. Since the house for converted women was quite small and, given the increase in the number of nuns (for, besides those already mentioned, others had been accepted into the same place, and there was one well-known among the others, who was the cause of many offenses against God), they were living in difficult circumstances, Fr. Jerome Domenech arranged that through some donations the building should be expanded. But that the hospital for the incurables might be provided for in the future, he took the following measures: On May 1 the Viceroy’s wife ordered the important women of Palermo to come to see her; from among them a Society was formed with this purpose — that every month each one of them would give a certain alms for the care of the incurables. Now she desired that Fr. James Laynez, when giving a sermon to these women, should propose this matter and that they should meet together once a month, and he should exhort the women to visit the patients lying in the hospital for the incurables. And at least he was able to obtain that they agreed to give the alms. The money for the plan of the Viceroy’s wife was to be given to one of the women, which they began to do beginning that very day. But in the following month, when the same Father had given them another sermon, not only did they contribute the alms, but many of them gave it for the whole year all at once.

375. The Viceroy often went to confession and communion, and his example rightly invited others to imitate him.

376. At the urging of Fr. Jerome and with the approval of the Viceroy, the rule of cloister was established in the convents of nuns according to the decree of the Council of Trent and the Constitutions of religious nuns, and gradually progress was made towards their complete reformation.

377. In the meantime the furnishings, which would be necessary for the use of the future College, were acquired, so that ours would be received more fittingly in the house already prepared for them²⁶.

378. After Lent, although Fr. Laynez in Palermo preached on Sundays and feast days, still he went to Monreale on the other days and he pursued the business of the visitation given to him by Cardinal Farnese. And since there were great and very ancient controversies between the monks and the clerics, he had to use great prudence in order to resolve them; so he also wanted to read secret documents which were kept in the archives of the large monastery, so that he could proceed with greater understanding of the situation. And so he notified the Cardinal about all these things and he devised a way of establishing concord, which seemed to be the right thing to do. Cardinal Bernardine Maffaeus reported that in those few days, that is, the days before Lent when Fr. Laynez was in Monreale, he did more than could be done by others in four years. When he returned there after Lent, having been received by Cardinal Farnese, the Archbishop of Monreale, his response and the means that he had suggested were approved, and so he moved to complete the work that had already been begun. And since the convent of nuns needed a major reformation, and since the Abbess in charge was of a noble family, but neither by her example nor by her way of governing pushed forward the necessity of reformation, and actually completely opposed it, it was brought about that she departed from the convent and went to another one in Palermo, and she was induced to renounce her office. In the beginning she wanted to do this with full awareness of her own position, but afterwards, because of feminine inconstancy or ambition, she denied that she wanted to renounce her office, and Fr. Laynez began to get information about this change. But this matter was of such a nature that even the nuns, who supported her, understood that it would redound to her great shame (besides a just deposition), and persuaded her to resign. And so she abdicated her office of Abbess to the great satisfaction of the convent and the edification of the people. In the interim, while Fr. Laynez was handling these things in Palermo, he heard the confessions of the whole convent, and after giving some exhortations, he disposed the nuns to accept a complete reformation. Therefore, on the day of Pentecost, with many tears and much devotion, they received the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist (which they had not done on this day for eleven years), and with great consolation of soul they showed themselves ready to do everything that their Institute required of them²⁷.

379. Also when in the summer the Viceroy with his household moved to Monreale (a city that has a pleasant climate, while the summer in Palermo is annoying), and it was necessary for ours to remain there, Fr. Laynez began to preach in the cathedral on Sundays and feast days, and on some of the weekdays he gave lectures on the book of Ecclesiastes, in order to make known to the members of the court, who had been exhorted to attend the lectures, the vanity of this world. Fr. Jerome gave a lecture on Christian doctrine in the afternoon, which he continued to do three times a week in the nuns’ convent, for their benefit and that of the local people. In fact, the work of both of them was accompanied with outstanding fruit. Both of them also undertook other works of piety.

380. Meanwhile he received an Apostolic Letter and the other things he wanted to get from Cardinal Farnese, for the utility of the main monastery of monks and for the priests and people, and for the improvement of the diocese; he also received the alms for the support of the clergy, of the orphans, of the hospital and in general for all the poor in Monreale; and for this reason Fr. Laynez through the good will of the Cardinal was able to help all of them both spiritually and temporally, just as he desired to do. The Viceroy was very happy about the things which the Cardinal provided, and he also promised his authority and power for all of it. The result was an excellent public opinion about the goodwill and generosity of the Cardinal. Also the other things that Fr. Laynez had suggested to the Cardinal he promised to do in the near future. Among other things, he wrote about asking Fr. Ignatius for some members of our Society to teach the youth and to help the people spiritually, but this was delayed for a time.

381. The nuns, over whom Fr. Laynez had placed a suitable Vicar, resolved to observe the common life according to their Institute, and by experience they learned and testified that necessary things sufficed for them for many days, which formerly were sufficient for only a few days. Also they began to keep silence, to all be present for the Divine Office, to carefully observe cloister, to confess and communicate every month, and finally, what never had been done since the founding of the convent, to observe exactly the rules of their Institute with a great renewal of spirit²⁸.

382. Near the end of August, when ours urged the matter from Sicily, Fr. Ignatius sent some men from the City, who would make a start with the College in Palermo, and there were nine of them. For, two others having been summoned from Padua, who had not yet come to the City, were sent later. Fr. Nicholas Lanoyus was named as their head and the Rector of the College, and he was assisted by Fr. Paul de Achillis, both of them being doctors of Theology. But when they arrived in Naples, one of ours, namely Michael Botellus, was believed to have been miraculously saved from a headlong fall; for, when there was a runaway horse, he leaped sideways and remained uninjured. In Naples very opportunely they found Fr. Nicholas Bobadilla, who had come there on some pious business, as will be explained below. Now that was very necessary, both so that he would provide for their trip to Sicily in triremes, which was obtained by Lady Joanne de Aragon, a duchess, from Lord Berengello, the captain of the fleet, and so that he would provide care for two of them, who had contracted a dangerous fever in Naples, either from the excessive heat, or perhaps from a change of the air, which at that time was thought to be very unhealthy for those going to Naples. With great charity he did obtain the cure of the two, and some friends of the Society kindly offered everything for them. But it pleased the Lord to call another one, who was a Frenchman by the name of Paschase and who was being sent to teach, to a better life, after receiving all the Sacraments; another one, whose name was John Rogerius and was from Paris, was being sent as a teacher of the liberal arts; when the doctors almost despaired about keeping him alive, he received Viaticum and then recovered his health. But while they were staying in Naples, seven others, having been received very kindly aboard the imperial trireme, were brought to Palermo with smooth sailing. The time of the journey from the City to Sicily did not pass without some spiritual fruit. For among those who were helped by them, there was one military man, who had doubts about the faith, and he was confirmed in his faith. Also in some places, before they arrived in Naples, they preached in the streets, and the Rector himself gave good example to the others in this kind of humility and charity. In the trireme also both many of the chained rowers and the others, among whom was the captain himself, derived consolation and spiritual help from the example of ours and from their teaching in exhortations and spiritual conversations²⁹.

383. Fr. Jerome Domenech met them near the port, since, having heard the sound of the cannons, he had come there from Monreale and with other persons he was looking for ours in the triremes. Therefore, with great joy on both sides, since their arrival was very much hoped for, they were led to the house already prepared for them, which had been well furnished to accommodate them and had a garden and classrooms. There immediately not a few nobles and among them two, to whom the management of the College had been committed by the Viceroy, came to greet them officially, and shortly thereafter the city also, that is, five or six officials in the name of the city, came to offer them congratulations on their arrival and the things necessary for their support. The location of the house was in a healthy and excellent part of the city, and five classrooms, separated by a garden from the residence of the students, had been prepared very appropriately; for its entrance faced a public street, but ours could enter the classrooms from the interior part. Fr. Paul said that he had not seen more suitable arrangements even in Paris. Now the Viceroy and his wife were very happy because of the arrival of our members. Although others were expected to come from Rome and Naples, before greeting them, those who had already come went to Monreale. But until they arrived (among them was Peter Ribadeneyra who was going to teach rhetoric, and Master John Rogerius who would teach literature) it was decided not to begin the lectures.

384. However, Fr. James Laynez, since he was preaching in Palermo in the cathedral in the presence of the Viceroy and the officials, told the people about the arrival of ours and the fruit, which could be hoped for from the College. And because the Viceroy was going to Messina for a few days, the beginning of studies was delayed until his return. Fr. Laynez accompanied the Viceroy, and when they arrived in Messina on October 15, they were able to be present for the beginning of studies, which was mentioned above. Fr. Laynez preached in the Cathedral to the Viceroy, and the officials, to many nobles and to a large audience, and he did it with such freedom and fervor, besides the clear doctrine, which was normal for him, so that he left in his hearers not only the greatest satisfaction, but also admiration; and he did the same thing on the feast of Saints Simon and Jude. At length when the Viceroy returned to Palermo, where in the meantime the city was in great expectation of the beginning of classes, and although ours did not have their own church, so many people came to the nearby church, where ours celebrated the sacrifice of the Mass, that the priest could hardly approach the altar, while previously the church was almost deserted.

385. At that time it happened that a certain nobleman from Spain, whom they called Luis Sancius Regens, became gravely ill. He was very close to the wife of the Viceroy and he was inclined to help the Society. When he was healthy the Viceroy’s wife more than once exhorted him to help the pious work of the College. Now when he fell sick, he gave five hundred gold ducats to a certain monastery called Saint Zita. The Viceroy’s wife told him that she very much approved of that, but that she suffered from a certain kind of holy envy for the College of our Society, and she asked him to remember it. Regens answered her that, whether he continued to live or would have to leave this life, he would grant what she requested. But when the doctors told him that his death was imminent, the Viceroy’s wife sent a note to him and urged him to dispose of his possessions. He requested that the Lady would come to visit him and said that he would like to make his will with her advice. She went to him and Regens designated her as his total heir; he revealed that he owned two houses, which he wanted to hand over for the use of the College, unless the Lady thought they should be used for other works of piety. The Viceroy’s wife accepted the inheritance, planning to have no other benefit from it than the exercise of charity towards works of piety. She, therefore, setting aside something from the value of those houses for orphaned boys, applied the rest of it for the enlargement of the College. However, the value of the houses increased to at least eight or nine thousand ducats; but at that time they were not sold, and because of the importance of the location, they increased greatly in value each year, so the Viceroy’s wife gave the alms for the orphaned boys, as she had planned to do. She also relieved the necessity of the house in Rome by sending an alms of two hundred gold pieces. Before she departed from Regens, he asked her to see that ours were sent to him; they delayed coming for a few days, until his last will and testament was completed, lest people should think that ours stayed with him in order to extort something from him. Therefore, after the will was drawn up Fr. James Laynez and Fr. Jerome Domenech stayed with him, and they did not leave him until the following way when he died. This man had three abbeys, and since, because of his death, they were now available, the city of Palermo wrote to the Viceroy, who had gone to Messina for a few days, asking him to seek from the Emperor Charles one of these abbeys as a donation to the College; and immediately the answer from the court was of such a nature that they hoped to acquire it in a short space of time³⁰.