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ANTIENT METAPHYSICS. Book I. 



to purchafe chriftianlty at the expence of their liberty, they never 

 could make any confiderable number of converts. Thefe Noble- 

 men not only made all the intereft they could againft them at the 

 Court of Madrid, but ftirred up againft them the Spanifli Bifhops in 

 South America; by one of vphom, and the mob he raifed againft 

 them, they were driven out of the town of Afcenfion, the capital of 

 Paraguay. 



But notwithftanding the perfecutlons of Infidels, and the lofs there- 

 by of fo many of their number, and notwithftanding the oppofi- 

 tion of avaricious and interefted chriftians, the Jefuits were fo fuc- 

 cefsful, that they had eftablifhed in Paraguay, and the neighbour- 

 ing countries, in the beginning of this century, 30 Reductions, con- 

 taining each between 4000 and 6000 people. But neither Murato- 

 ri, who publifhed his work in 1743, nor Charlevoix who publiftied 

 in 1756, tell us how many there were when they wrote. But 

 there is one, Florentine, a Capuchine quoted by Muratori*, who 

 fays that, in 171 2, when he wrote, there were above 100 towns 

 built, all Inhabited by chriftians ; by which I do not underftand 

 that they were all miffions of the Jefuits, but towns inhabited, 

 partly by Spainards, and partly by converted Indians. 



The order and good government eftablifhed by the Jefuits, in 

 thofe miflions, was wonderful as it is defcrlbed by Charlevoix. The 

 fathers had the diredion and fuperintendency of the whole : But 

 they had officers under them, who took care that all their orders 

 were pundually executed ; fo that I do not believe there ever was a 

 private family more regularly governed than thefe little ftates. For 

 they did not chufe that their miffions fliould confift of great num- 

 bers, or of any number exceeding 6000 : And in that they imitat- 

 ed 



• Page 289. 



