J E S 



737 



J E S 



were simple ; when disengaged from business, and in 

 the company of intimate friends, he not unfrequently 

 displayed a playfulness of di.-position, and a fund of 

 entertaining anecdotes. Totally free of all envy and 

 jealousy of professional rivalship, his proceedings in 

 business were free from all pomp and mysticism, and 

 persons of merit never failed in obtaining his friend- 

 ship and encouragement. Although indefatigable in 

 performing all the duties of an active life, the writer 

 of thi* article, who for more than twenty years enjoy- 

 ed his uninterrupted intimacy, has heard it said that he 

 had a natural tendency to indolence ; no symptom of it, 

 however, could ever be discovered in his conduct, but 

 rather, as has already been noticed, a degree of anxiety 

 to be of the utmost service to his employers, and to 

 render as perfect as possible the works under his con- 

 sideration. 



A mind thus constituted, and exercising the profes- 

 sion of a civil engineer, was, as might be expected, 

 never behind in regard to physical knowledge and ex- 

 perimental philosophy: His acquirements in these 

 branches of knowledge, joined to his well-earned re- 

 putation, led to intimacy with eminent persons of si- 

 milar character*, such as the celebrated Mr U'att nnd 

 Dr Franklin. For an acquaintance with the latter he 

 was indebted to an accidental discovery, made as early 

 a the year 177?, with regard to the repelling property 

 of oil on water, and which the Doctor mentions in his 

 works as having been communicated to him by an in- 

 genious pupil of Mr Smealon. 



Mr Jeesop has not appeared before the public in the 

 character of an author ; for although many of his reports 

 were printed, jet as this was done at the expence of pri- 

 vate companies, and as they were not exposed to sale, 

 they are of course in the hands of few. As he was always 

 perfectly master of the subject, hii mode of treating it 

 was singularly distinct, comprehensive, and laconic. 



JESUITS, or the SOCIETY or Jr.svs.one of the most 

 celebrated monastic orders of the Komish church, was 

 founded in the year 1540 by Ignatius Loyola. This 

 extraordinary person was a native of Biscay ; and while 

 serving as an officer in the army of Ferdinand V. of 

 Spain, was dangeroutly wounded in the defence of 

 Fampeluna in 1521. During the progress of a lingering 

 cure, he happened to have no other amusement than 

 what he found in reading the lives of the saints. The 

 penisal of their history inspired his enthusiastic and 

 ambitious mind with an ardent desire of emulating their 

 fabokms exploits. Forsaking the military for the ec- 

 clesiastical profession, he engaged himself in the wildest 

 and most extravagant adventures, as the knight of the 

 blessed Virgin. After performing a pilgrimage to the 

 Holy Land, and pursuing a multitude of visionary 

 schemes, he returned to prosecute his theological stu- 

 dies in the universities of Spain, when he was about 

 thirty-three years of age. He next went to Paris, 

 where he collected a small number of associates ; and, 

 prompted by his fanatical spirit or the love of distinc- 

 tion, began to conceive the establishment of a new reli- 

 gious order. He produced a plan of its constitutions 

 and laws, which he affirmed to have been suggested by 

 the immediate inspiration of heaven, and applied to the 

 Roman pontiff (Paul III.) for the unction of his au- 

 thority to confirm the institution. The Pope referred 

 the petition to a committee of cardinals ; and, upon 

 their representing the proposed establishment to be un- 

 necessary and dangerous, refused to grant his approba- 

 Loyola, however, soon found means to remove 



VOL. XL PART II. 



the scruples of the court of Rome. He proposed, that Jesuit*, 

 the members of his society, besides the usual vows of " T"' 

 poverty, chastity, and monastic obedience, should take 

 a fourth vow of subserviency to the Pope, binding 

 themselves, without requiring reward or support, to go 

 wherever he should direct for the service of the church, 

 and to obey his mandate in every part of the globe. 

 At a time when the papal authority had received so se- 

 vere a shock from the progress of the Reformation, and 

 was still exposed to the most powerful attacks in every 

 quarter, this was an offer too tempting to be resisted. 

 The reigning pontiff, though naturally cautious, and 

 though scarcely capable, without the spirit of prophe- 

 cy, of foreseeing all the advantages to be derived from 

 the services of this nascent order, yet clearly perceiving 

 the benefit of multiplying the number of his devoted 

 servants, instantly confirmed by his bull the institution 

 of the Jesuits, granted the most ample privileges to the 

 members of the society, and appointed Loyola te be the 

 first general of the order. 



The simple and primary object of the society was to object of 

 establish a spiritual dominion over the minds of men, the Society. 

 of which the Pope should appear as the ostensible head, 

 while the real power should reside with themselves. 

 To accomplish this object, the whole constitution and 

 policy of the order were singularly adapted, and exhi- 

 bited various peculiarities which distinguished it from 

 all other monastic orders. The immediate design of 

 every other religious society was to separate its mem- 

 bers from the world ; that of the Jesuits to render them 

 masters of the world. The inmate of the convent de- 

 voted himself to work out his own salvation by extra- 

 ordinary acts of devotion and self-denial ; the follower 

 of Loyola considered himself as plunging into all the 

 bustle of secular affairs, to maintain the interests of the 

 Romish church. The monk was a retired devotee of 

 heaven ; the Jesuit a chosen soldier of the Pope. That 

 the members of the new order might have full leisure 

 for this active service, they were exempted from the 

 usual functions of other monks. They were not re- 

 quired to spend their time in the long ceremonial of- 

 fices and numberless mummeries of the Romish wor- 

 ship. They attended no processions, and practised no 

 austerities. They neither chaunted nor prayed. " They 

 cannot ing," said their enemies, " for birds of prey 

 never do.' 1 They were sent forth to watch every trans- 

 action of the world which might appear to affect the in- 

 terests of religion, and were especially enjoined to stu- 

 dy the dispositions and cultivate the friendship of per- 

 sons in the higher ranks. Nothing could he imagined 

 more open and liberal than the external aspect of the 

 institution, yet nothing could be more strict and secret 

 than its internal organization. The gates of the socie- 

 ty were thrown open to the whole world, as if there 

 were nothing in its nature to dread disclosure. Men 

 of every description were invited to enter, and talents 

 of every kind were drawn together. It was a company, 

 such as had never yet appeared, of which all mankind 

 might be free at pleasure, but of which every member 

 became in reality an irredeemable slave. Other reli- 

 gious orders were in a manner voluntary associations, 

 of which the .executive authority might be vested in 

 certain heads ; but whatever affected the whole body as 

 an act of legislation, was regulated by the common suf- 

 frage of all its members. Loyola, however, influenced Form and 

 perhaps by the notions of implicit obedience which he constitution 

 had derived from his military profession, resolved that ^ f order. 

 the government of the Jesuits should be absolutely mo, 

 5 A 



