over morality—a preponderance which was destroyed by the Revolution; whilst the old Jesuits attempted only to prolong the existence of abuses, which had been already introduced into the church.
The ancient Jesuits defended the order of things as they were; the new enter into a conspiracy against the new order of things, more moral than the ancient, which is about to establish itself.
Their present missionaries are the true antichrists, since they preach a morality absolutely opposed to that of the gospel. The apostles were the advocates of the poor; the missionaries are the advocates of the rich and the powerful against the poor, who have now no defenders, but a few amongst the lay moralists.
THE PROTESTANT RELIGION.
The public mind of Europe had acquired a great influence in the 15th century; great discoveries, rapid progresses were effected, in every direction, of positive utility; and these discoveries, as well as this progress, were almost entirely due to the exertions of the laity.
The discovery of America was due to the persevering genius of Christopher Columbus. Portuguese laymen had opened a new route to India, in doubling the Cape of Good Hope. The art of printing had been discovered and perfected by the laity. Dante, Ariosto, Tasso, were laymen. Raphael, Michael Angelo, and Leonardo da Vinci, were also laymen; and the three great laws, by means of which Newton has since reduced to calculation all of the celestial phenomena, had been discovered by Kepler, who was a layman.
The Medici, who had given extension and activity to European commerce, and greatly improved agriculture and manufactures, were laymen; and they had acquired such a social importance, that their family was afterwards raised to the rank of sovereignty, and played (so to speak) a preponderating part among the temporal powers.
The laity had then acquired a positive superiority
