SOCIETY
88
SOCIETY
Jesuits is to be found in their large and flourishing
foreign missions in Peru, Chile, New Granada, the
Philippines, Paraguay, Quito, which will be noticed
under "Missions", below. They were served by
2171 Jesuits at the time of the Suppression. Spain
itself in 1749 was divided into five provinces: Toledo
with 659 members, Castile, 718; Aragon, 604; Seville,
662; Sardinia, 300; total, 2943 members (1342 priests)
in 158 houses.
Portugal. — At the time when Ignatius founded his order Portugal was in her heroic age. Her rulers were men of enterprise, her universities were full of life, her trade routes extended over the then known world. The Jesuits were welcomed with enthusi- asm and made good use of their opportunities. St. Francis Xavier, traversing Portuguese colonies and settlements, proceeded to make his splendid missionary conquests. These were continued by his confreres in such distant lands as Abyssinia, theCongo, South Africa, China, and Japan, by Fathers Nunhes, Silveira, Acosta, Fernandes, and others. At Coim- bra, and afterwards at Evora, the Society made the most surprising progress under such professors as Pedro de Fonseca (d. 1599), Luis Molina (d. 1600), Christovao Gil, Se- bastiao de Abreu, etc., and from here also comes the first comprehensive series of philosophical and theological text- books for students (see C ON I M B H I- CENSES). With till- advent of Spanish monarchy, 1581, th' Portuguese Jesuits suffered no less than the rest of their country. Luis Car- valho joined the Spanish opponents of Father Acqua- viva, and when the Apostolic collector, Ottavio Accoram- boni, launched an in- terdict against the Government of Lis- bon, the Jesuits, es- pecially Diego de Areda, liecaiiie involved in the undignified strife. On the other hand they played an honourable part in the restoration of Portugal's liberty in 1640; and on its success the difficulty was to restrain King Joao IV from giving Father Miinuel Fernandes a seat in the Cortes, and employ- ing others in diplomatic missions. Amongst these Fathers was Antonio Vieira, one of Portugal's most eloquent orators. Up to the Sujipression Portugal anil her colonists supiiorted the following missions, of which further notices will be found elsewhere, Goa (originally India), Malabar, Japan, China, Brazil, Maranhao. The Portuguese province in 1749 num- bered 861 members (384 priests) in 49 houses. (See also Vieira. Antonio; Malagrida, Ga- briel.)
France. — The first Jesuits, though almost all Span- iards, were trained and made their first vows in France, and the forttmes of the Society in France have always been of exceptional importance for the body at large. In early years its yoimg men were sent to Paris to be educal(-<l there as Ignatius had been. They were hospitably received by Guillaimie du Prat, Bishop of Clennoiit, whose hold grew into the College de Clermont (1.550), afterwards known as Louis-le-Grand. Padre Viola was the first rector, but the public classes did not begin till 1564. The
Parlement of Paris and the Sorbonne resisted vehe-
mently the letters patent, which Henry II and, after
him, Francis II and Charles IX, had granted with
little difficulty. Meantime the .same Bishop of Cler-
mont had founded a second college at Billom in his
own diocese, which was opened on 26 July, 1556, be-
fore the first general congregation. Colleges at Mau-
riac and Pamiers soon followed, and between 1565
and 1575 others at Avignon, Chambery, Toulouse,
Rodez, Verdun, Nevers, Bordeaux, Pont-a-Mousson;
while Fathers Coudret, Auger, Roger, and Pelletier
distinguished themselves by their apostolic labours.
The utility of the order was also shown in the Collo-
quies at Poissy (1561) and St-Germain-en-Laye by
Fathers Lainez and Possevinus, and again by Father
Brouet, who, with two companions, gave his life in the
service of the plague-stricken at Paris in 1562; while
Father Maldonado lectured with striking effect both
at Paris and Bourges.
Meantime serious trouble was growing up with the University of Paris due to a number of petty causes, jealousy of the new teachers, rivalry with Spain, Galilean resentment at the enthusiastic devo- tion of the Jesuits to Rome, with perhaps a spice of Calvinism. A law- suit for the closing of Clermont College was instituted before the Parlement, and Estienne Pasquier, counsel for the uni- versity, dehvered a celebrated plauloyer against the Jesuits. The Parlement, though then favour- able to the order, was anxious not to irritate the univer- sity, and came to an indecisive settle- ment (5 April, 1565). The Jesuits, in .spite of the royal license, were not to be in- corporated in the university, but they might continue their lectures. L'nsatisfied with this, the uni- versity retaliated by preventing the Jesuit scholars from obtaining degrees; and later (157:5-6), a feud was maintained .against Father Maldonado (q. v.), which was eventually closed by the intervention of Gregory XIII, who had also in 1572 raised the College of Pont-a-Mousson to the dignity of a university. But meantime the more or less incessant wars of religion were devastating the land, and from time to time several Jesuits, especially Auger and Manare, were acting as army chaplains. They had no con- nexion with the Ma.ssacre of St. Bartholomew (1572); but Maldonado was afterwards deputed to receive Henry of Navarre (afterwards Henry IV) into the Church, and in many places the Fathers were able to shelter fugitives in their houses; and by remon- strance antl intercession they saved many lives.
Immediately after his coronation (1575) Henry III chose Father Auger for his confessor, and for exactly two himdred years the Jesuit court confessor became an institution in France; and, as French fa.shions were then influential, every Catholic Court in time fol- lowed the precedent. Considering the difficulty of any sort of control over autocratic sovereigns, the institution of a court confessor wa.s well adapted to the circ\unstances. The occasional abuses of the office which occurred are chiefly to be attributed to the exorbitant powers vesteil in the autocrat,
