The Jesuits, 1534-1921: A History of the Society of Jesus from Its Foundation to the Present TimeCampbell, Thomas J. (Thomas Joseph)
History
The Jesuits, 1534-1921: A History of the Society of Jesus from Its Foundation to the Present Time
Campbell, Thomas J. (Thomas Joseph)
Jesuits -- History
In 1619 the Jesuits, Spinola and Fernandes, with fourteen others,
Dominicans and Franciscans, were brought out of prison and kept in a pen
with no protection from cold or heat and so narrow that it was
impossible to assume any but a crouching posture. It was hoped that by
exposing them publicly, emaciated, hungry, filthy, and diseased, that
the heroic element which the executions seemed to develop in the
victims would be eliminated, and their converts alienated from the
Faith. The contrary happened, and from that enclosure Spinola not only
preached to the people, but actually admitted novices to the Society. As
he stood at the stake where he was to be burned, a little boy whom he
had baptized was put in his arms; Spinola blessed him, and the child and
his mother were executed at the same time as their father in God. Five
Jesuits died in 1619; and in 1620 six others came from Macao to replace
them. Next year brought down an edict on all shipmasters, forbidding
them to land such undesirable immigrants as missionaries. Nevertheless,
two months after the edict was published, Borges, Costanza, de Suza,
Carvalho and Tzugi, a Japanese, appeared in the disguise of merchants
and soldiers. The Dutch and English traders volunteered after that to
search all incoming vessels, and report the suspicious passengers. An
attempt at a prison delivery precipitated the condemnation of Spinola
and his companions in the pens. They were burned alive on September 10,
1622; on the 19th of the same month three more met the same fate, and in
November two others went to heaven through the flames.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account