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
discourse is so glaring that Frenchmen often refer to it as "the second
original sin of the Arnauld family," the source, namely, of its
ineradicable habit of misrepresentation.
A short time after this, Jean Chastel struck Henry IV with a knife and
cut him slightly on the lip. Immediately everyone recalled Arnauld's
furious denunciation of the Jesuits, and a descent was made on the
college. A scrap of paper was conveniently found in the library,
incriminating the custodian, but the volumes upon volumes of
denunciations which had been uttered in the university and in
parliament, and which were piled upon the library shelves, were not
discovered. The scrap of paper sufficed. The college was immediately
confiscated, the inmates expelled from France, and after Jean Chastel
had been torn asunder by four horses, Father Guéret was stretched on the
rack and Father Guignard was hanged. This occurred at the end of
December, 1594.
Up to this Henry IV had not yet been reconciled to the Church, for the
Pope doubted his sincerity and refused to withdraw the excommunication
which the king had incurred at the time of his relapse. At last,
however, owing to the persistency of Father Possevin and of Cardinal
Toletus, he was absolved from his heresy, and could be acknowledged,
with a safe conscience by all Catholics, as the legitimate King of
France. The action of Toletus in this matter is all the more remarkable
from the fact that he was a Spaniard, and in espousing the cause of
Henry he was turning his back on his own sovereign, who was using all
his power to prevent the reconciliation. This service was publicly
recognized by Henry who thanked the Cardinal for his courageous act, and
when Toletus died elaborate obsequies were held by the king's orders in
the cathedrals of Paris and Rheims. Of course, the appeal of the
banished Jesuits was then readily listened to by the king. He restored
Clermont to them; gave them other colleges, including the royal
establishment of La Flèche, and was forever after their devoted helper
and friend. It must have been a great consolation for Father Aquaviva,
during the battle he was waging and from which he was to emerge
triumphant, to be told of this support of Henry; and also to hear of the
welcome the Society had received in loyal Belgium in spite of the
persistent animosity of Louvain. Almost every city had been asking for a
college.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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