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THE HERMITS.

and self-love, which had not yet ceased to intrude amidst these strange follies. He fasted every day on bread and water, except Sunday, when he ate a few herbs, boiled and mixed with ashes. He girded his loins with an iron chain, wore under his coarse gown a rough hair-cloth, and in imitation of St. Dominic, gave himself the discipline or lash three times a day; and when he went to the church of our lady at Villwedodis, at some distance, he encircled himself with a wreath of rough and prickly briars, to tear and transfix his flesh.

At the hospital, Ignatius made himself generally useful. He sought out the most irritable and loathsome patients, and performed for them the most disgusting offices. Besides these services, he spent seven hours every day in prayer; and though he had learnt nothing but vocal prayer, he would pray mentally, without uttering a word, and remain for hours immoveable. At the expiration of a few months, it was rumoured abroad, that the "unknown," whom all the world laughed at, was a man of quality doing penance, and who, to conceal his rank, had stripped himself of his costly raiments, and exchanged them for the poor man's garb. The consequence was, that the holy man "decamped" from the hospital. The place which Ignatius now fixed upon, we are told, was a cavern at the foot of a hill, cut in the rock, dark, and fashioned like a tomb. Had it been designed by him, it could not have suited him better. Rough and splintered was the approach; every bruise, every gash he received, was a merit. Briars and thorns blocked up the entrance. He had torn himself through them, and exulted in the pain. On all sides a dismal wilderness insured him freedom from intrusion, excepting that of the devil, by whom he thought himself pursued. He here spent his time in prayer and self-inflictions. He continued whole days without nourishment, and when his strength failed, he ate some bitter roots

which he found near his cavern, or a piece of the musty bread which he had taken from the hospital. Thus tormented, his bodily strength gave way, while pains of every description took its place, and sudden faintings very frequently deprived him of his senses. In this condition, almost lifeless, he was found at the entrance of his cavern, by some persons who had gone in search of him. A little nourishment having restored him from his swoon, he was carried back to the hospital of Manreza. He now became the prey of a deeply-rooted disease, through which he saw, or thought he saw, the strangest visions, and of which he boasted as of divine revelations. He once had a rapture of eight days' duration, which nearly cost him his life, inasmuch as the people who surrounded him, were on the point of burying him alive, when he was saved from a premature grave, by suddenly opening his eyes, and exclaiming, "Ah! Jesus!" In the meantime, his mode of life consumed and emaciated his frame. All this awakened the attention of the inhabitants of Manreza, who took a lively interest in him, and with much kindness, attended him during his illness, and induced him to be less severe in his bodily inflictions.

From Marenza he departed in the beginning of 1523. Taking Italy on his route, the captain of the vessel in which he sailed gave him a free passage thither, although Ignatius had to beg for the necessary provisions of his journey. Arrived at Gaeta, he remained there a short time, and then set out for Rome, notwithstanding his constant fear of death from starvation, (for the pestilence raging at that time throughout Italy, the inhabitants locking themselves up within their dwelling-places), kissed the toe of Pope Adrian VI., and went forthwith to Venice. His deep set flashing eyes, and his wasted frame, made men regard him as the very image of the pestilence. Repelled by every one, and exhausted with fatigue, he arrived at Venice, and went on board a vessel ready to sail.

THE HERMITS.

During the voyage he preached to the sailors, reproving their profanity with a zeal which was disturbed neither by their sneers nor their menaces. Arrived

at Palestine, he commenced his pilgrimage to Jerusalem on foot. Tears of joy ran down his emaciated cheeks, on beholding it. He did not leave the place of the sufferings, death and burial, of the Redeemer, for several days; and as often as he knelt to pray, he kissed the holy ground. Unhappily his delight was short-lived. For having communicated to the provincial of the Franciscan friars at Jerusalem, his project of converting the Turks, that provincial declared against it. Loyola still persisted in his design, but was soon compelled to return to Europe. In this manner he arrived once more in Italy, and having made a tedious journey on foot from Venice to Genoa, he embarked for Spain, and arrived safely in the haven of Barcelona.

Such is the early history of one of the most singular men the world ever had in it. But he might have indulged in his whims and fancies as a hermit or a pilgrim without much harm to any one but himself, had he not taken something else into his wicked imagination. If ever the father of lies and enemy of all good had a willing agent upon earth, Ignatius Loyola was that man. The German Reformation from Popery under the noble-minded Martin Luther had just taken place, and had excited the anger and the fears of the Roman Catholics. Ignatius set himself to found an Order, or Society, which he blasphemously called "the Company of Jesus," the members of which have ever since been called Jesuits. These men took a şolemn oath to support Popery and exterminate Protestants by every means, whether fair or foul. They increased and multiplied, for bad things grow as well as good, and they soon spread themselves over the nations of Europe, and into all parts of the world. And yet their conduct was so

wicked and disgraceful that popish sovereigns were fain to drive them out of their dominions; yea, so very mischievous had they become at one period, that they were expelled by the Pope from the city of Rome itself. It has now become a common saying all over the world, "as cunning as a Jesuit;" and their wickedness is greater than their cunning. For let men be as cunning as they may, they will somehow or other be sure to be found out, and then their wickedness is seen in all its ugliness rising up higher than their cunning. Last year, (1848), they were again driven out of Rome by the people, who not long after drove out the Pope too. It is now said that many of these Jesuits are in England, and being generally men of parts and learning, they get in by disguise into places of importance and influence-as editors of newspapers, teachers in schools, and some, it is supposed, are clergymen in the parishes of England. This may seem strange, but a Jesuit will do anything to gain his ends, and like his master, satan, will, if needs be, transform himself into an angel of light. He cares nothing about a false oath, for it is one of his doctrines that he may do evil that good may come. But all such sin and wickedness will have an end-they cannot stand before the light of the truth and fair honest manly dealing. I, who write this have lately had an Italian Jesuit here in this room, on this chair beside me, who called to talk with me about someting else, but I soon saw through him, and turned the conversation so as to bring up the gospel; but lo!-like satan, squat like a toad close to the ear of Eve, when touched by Ithuriel's spear-he rose and vanished.

Well, well: let men and devils do their worst, they cannot overturn the throne of God, or banish his truth from the world. They would if they could, but they cannot. Young English reader, hold your Bible fast, and be valiant for the truth in the earth.

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