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THE ORIGIN OF THE JESUITS ; 



Including some Account of their Rise and Progress from the Foundation 

 of the Order by Ignatius de Loyola in 1528, to his death in 1556. 



IGNATIUS DE LOYOLA, the founder of the celebrated Order of Je- 

 suits, was a Spaniard of noble family, and the youngest of eleven 

 children. He was born in the castle of Loyola, in Guipuscoa, 

 whence he took his surname. He was designed for an office at court ; 

 but he early quitted his employment of a page in disgust, and en- 

 tered upon the more arduous duties of a military life.* He served 

 under the duke de Najova with great credit, and acquired a repu- 

 tation for courage and military conduct. His character at this time 

 was that of a fierce and licentious soldier. How far it was altered by 

 circumstances we shall see in the course of our narrative. 



In the year J521, when Pampeluna was besieged by the French, 

 he had the command of the citadel, which he defended with great ob- 

 stinacy, until he was disabled by a shot, which broke his right leg and 

 severely injured the groin of the left.t The garrison having sur- 

 rendered at discretion, he fell into the hands of the French, who 

 treated him with kindness, and sent him home, as soon as he was fit 

 to be moved. During the progress of a tedious cure a Life of the 

 Saints fell into his hands, which he read with avidity ; and so strong 

 was the impression made on his mind by the account of their suffer- 

 ings in the cause of Christianity, as to inspire him with the project of 

 emulating their celebrity. 



The Jesuits assert that he was favoured with visions, that the Vir- 

 gin Mary appeared to him with the infant Jesus in her arms, and ad- 

 monished him to institute an order in his honour, promising him that 

 she would be a most indulgent mother and careful assistant of him 

 and his associates. Other visions, and numerous miracles attributed 

 to him, might be transcribed ; but they are altogether too absurd to 

 merit any notice in history. Though we cannot give any credit to 

 these fables, it by no means follows that we are to charge Loyola 

 with hypocrisy. An ardent mind wrought up to a high degree of 

 enthusiasm and fettered by the want of education might be I so 

 strongly impressed with the creations of its own fancy as to be unable 

 to distinguish them from reality. And such it is but charitable_to sup- 

 pose was that of Loyola. 



During some time after his recovery he led an austere life, se* 

 parating himself from the world, and renouncing its vanities and 

 temptations, in order that he might more entirely devote his time to 

 the services of religion. But even now his warlike spirit was not 

 entirely subdued ; for having had a dispute with a Moor who ventured 

 to doubt the immaculacy of the Virgin after the birth of Jesus, he 

 regretted having suffered the blasphemer to escape, and pursued him 

 in order to exact his life as the forfeit of his incredulity. Loyola was 



* Helyot Histoire des Ordres Religieux, Chap. 89, 

 t Hospinianus Historia Jesuitiea, Chap. I. 



