GENERAL OP THE JESUITS. |2J 



?ner pontificate, and from the fond imagination he had 

 perpetually cherifhed, that the chair of St. Peter could 

 not fubfift without the fupport of his brotherhood, was 

 10 much intoxicated with his own fancied fufficiency, 

 that he thought he had no need of uling any extraordi- 

 nary means for maintaining his order entire. He was 

 fully perfuaded that the interefts of the court of Rome 

 were fo intimately blended with its profperity, that no 

 pontif, of what order foever he were, could once feri- 

 oufly intend its deftruction. 



Cardinal de Bernis found means to detach cardinal 

 Rezzonico, nephew to the great protector of the jefuits, 

 from Chigi's party. This grand advantage coft him no 

 more "than a dofe of that honied eloquence which fo 

 firongly marks his difcourfes. Lorenzo Ganganelli was 

 raifed to the pontificate. 



There went about a report at that time, and many 

 affirm it ftill, that Ganganelli was chofen, on condi- 

 tion that he fhould extirpate the fociety of Jefus. How- 

 ever, nothing is more true, than that the fettled confi- 

 dence, that he would fulfill this defire, was the motive 

 for chufing him with moft of the electors. But, that 

 it was frated as an exprefs condition of his being eleva- 

 ted to the papal throne, can as little be credited, as 

 that the Bourbon courts would themfelves lay an obfta- 

 cle in the way of their hopes. An election fo managed, 

 and a condition from a pope fo elected, whereby fo 

 powerful a fociety was to be difiblved, would have been 

 contended on all fides, and finally annulled. Ganga- 

 nelli's known way of thinking was a far greater fecurity, 

 than a formal promife ; for even Sixtus V. had promi- 

 fed it, but fell off from his word. 



Ganganelli 



