"that I did not persist in my vocation; innocence " and the love of study inspired me with it."

LXXV. 6.

Their Catholic Adversaries.

SUCH were the antichristian and anticatholic adversaries of the jesuits: some adversaries, however, and these as terrible as any, they had, within the catholic pale. But this leads to a variety of subjects. All the accusations which these urged against them, may be found in the "Histoire générale des Jésuites " of la Coudrette," the "Provincial Letters," the "Rapports of Montclar, and la Châlotais,"the "Morale Pratique des Jésuites," and the "Extraits des Assertions dangéreuses et perni"cieuses en tout genre, que les soi-disant jésuites ont, dans tous les tems, et persévérament, soutenues, enseignés, et publiées dans leur livres, avec approbation des superieurs et généraux." On each of these works, we shall trouble our readers with a single observation. Those who wish to see fuller answers to the charges brought against the jesuits, should peruse the "Apologie de l'Institut "des Jésuites."

1. With respect to la Coudrette ;—that he was a party man cannot be denied. Like those of all party writers, his works should, therefore, be read with some distrust; and nothing resting on his single assertion, should be admitted, without some hesitation.

2. With respect to the Provincial Letters;-few have read or meditated upon them, with more attention than the writer of these lines; but he has also read and meditated upon the answer to them of father Daniel, in his " Dialogues de Cléandre "et d'Eudoxe ;" and, previously to his perusing either, he placed himself in that perfect state of doubt and impartiality, which Descartes requires from a disciple, who enters on his meditations. The result was, that father Daniel appeared to him so often victorious in the combat, as to leave little that could be justly charged on the individual members, and nothing that could be charged on the body of the society. If any of his readers have proceeded in the same manner, and arrived at a different conclusion, far be it from the writer of these lines to question his sincerity: but he claims an equal allowance of sincerity for himself, and for all,-(they are both respectable and numerous), -who agree with him in opinion, that the author of the Provincial Letters is as often inaccurate and unfair, as he is witty or eloquent.

"The whole of these letters" says M. de Voltaire," is built upon a false foundation, as the ex"travagant notions of a few Spanish and Flemish "jesuits, are artfully ascribed in them to the whole "body." This, to every one who peruses father Daniel's answers, must appear evident. A better answer to them, however, is supplied by the sermons of father Bourdaloue. To the whole of his doctrine every jesuit subscribes; from the whole of the

doctrine imputed to them by Pascal, every jesuit dissents-which should be thought the doctrine of the order?.

We must add the testimony of Fénélon." As "to the Provincial Letters of Pascal,"-thus the archbishop writes to the duke de Beauvilliers, "I "think the duke of Burgundy should read them: "in fact, sooner or later, he will read them. His "curiosity, his taste for entertaining books, and the "great reputation of the Letters, will not suffer "him to remain long in ignorance of them. But "I wish all possible precautions should be taken, "that he should know what measure of truth they "contain, and not be seduced by the appearance of "truth which they wear. Part of the memorial, "which I send you, furnishes an antidote against "the two first letters of Pascal. It is more than "sufficient to show the hidden poison of the Letters, " and to prove that, in her censures of jansenism, "the church does not combat a phantom."

3. With respect to the Morale Pratique, the Rapports, and the Extraits des Assertions:-May the writer be permitted to observe, that no one should form any conclusion from these, if he has not read the Réponse aux Assertions*. In this work, the jesuits charge the author of the Assertions, with seven hundred and fifty-eight falsifications and alterations of the text cited by him. They produce from the text, every passage pronounced by them to be falsified or altered, and confront it with the corresponding passage in the work of their adversary. Published in 1763, in 3 large 4to. volumes.

Now, both in courts of law and out of them, it is a received axiom, that a person who denies a charge, is to be reputed innocent of it, until it is proved on him by proper evidence. Surely, therefore, none, who have not examined a large proportion, at least, of these passages, and found them misrepresented by the jesuits, should pronounce them guilty of the doctrines imputed to them, by the author of the Assertions. It cannot be expected of many, that they should read the three ponderous volumes, to which the writer has referred; if, however, any person should be disposed to give a serious consideration to the subject, he should, at least, read the pages, not very numerous, that compose the Examen du Procès Verbal, which concludes the work. Greatly surprised indeed will the writer of these lines be, if a single person, who reads them, should not concur with him in thinking that the persons, who drew up the Procès Verbal, possessed no ordinary share of intrepidity.

Their alleged Advocation of the Pope's Divine Right to Temporal Power in Spiritual Concerns.

ONE further charge against the jesuits, requires notice. It is objected to them, that the president de Thou discovers, in many parts of his History, a spirit of hostility towards them.-But this does not prejudice them in the opinion of any person acquainted with the history of France during that period. While the president was employed on his

immortal work, France was just delivered from the horrors of the league, and a numerous and powerful party, fomented within the kingdom, by Philip the second, still abetted its views. In the prosecution of them, the leaguers had availed themselves, and their remaining partisans still continued to avail themselves, of the ultramontane doctrines on the pope's deposing power. To these, the regular clergy were supposed to be particularly favourable; now, among the regulars, the talents, activity, and popularity of the jesuits, had elevated them, both in merit and in public opinion, to a considerable eminence. This exposed them to the president's severities, from which the obscurer destinies of the others protected them. But it has been proved to demonstration, that their conduct was more moderate than that of any other religious body engaged in the league. It is evident that they were soon taken into favour by Henry the fourth, and that he warmly protected them: but it is not so generally known, that the chancellor l'Hôpital *, whose mind was as loyal, whose principles were as friendly to civil and religious liberty as those of de Thou, and whose talents for business were greatly superior, was favourable to the jesuits, and a decided encourager of their schools.

This leads us to consider the general charge of ultramontane doctrine respecting the temporal power of the pope in spiritual concerns, which has been often brought against the sons of Loyola.

* See the Life of the Chancellor l'Hôpital, by the writer of these pages.