"No, I have never yet visited England; but we Jesuits know everything concerning a country, without having ourselves been in it, since all we possess is common to the whole Company, from the clothes we wear even to our very knowledge and ideas. Whatever we know, we are obliged mutually to communicate to each other. Thus we put into circulation the capital of thought and information which each individual brings to the common stock, taking care not to let it get abroad."
"Are you of opinion, then, that England will make an advance towards the Church of Rome?"
"It depends entirely on the industry of the Jesuits. If Rome confides the task exclusively to us, you may rest assured some bold stroke will be effected ere long; and that, too, without England being aware of our manœuvres. She is, you know, an exceedingly rich country, and consequently strong and powerful. Now it is natural that those who are conscious of strength should fear no danger; so England in consequence of her wealth is liable to no fear, and takes no measures of prevention for the future. We already enjoy a considerable degree of liberty there, and shall have still more in a short time.
"The bishops rolling in their riches, and proud of a numerous clergy dependent upon them, believe themselves sufficiently strong and secure; they sleep in their imaginary safety, and amuse themselves by looking at us, who every now and then are raising some church or other in their own immediate vicinity. One of these prelates, I believe the Bishop of Manchester,[33] a little while ago, went about saying, 'Ah, these poor Jesuits! they go everywhere trying and trying, and they effect nothing.' Let his Lordship wait a little longer, and then he will be able to judge more correctly, not only as to what we have been doing, but what we intend to do."
"But where are the funds for all these expenses?"
"Where? Everywhere—every country in which we carry on our operations is made to furnish us with the necessary expenses. And if it sometimes happens that we incur, in any particular place, an expense before we have collected the money, we consider it as a loan, to be repaid to us, with usury. Now, what we spend in England, is all English money; we have the art of obtaining it even from the Protestants themselves. Instigated by curiosity, they come to our churches, to witness our ceremonies, and seldom go away without leaving behind them more than we gain from the Catholics themselves."
"How fearful is the power exercised by your Company! How formidable to society; and how much more so from its secrecy! Take care that you be not discovered."
"Discovered! and suppose we were? How many times have we not been driven out of France, and have we not always re-entered it? In England, indeed, we have never been proscribed, in consequence of the principle which we ourselves preach there,—political and religious toleration. For my own part, I only fear for our situation in Italy, for we, being on the side of the sovereigns, if anything should ever endanger their stability, should be the first to fall; and our ruin would precede that of the sovereigns. Should it occur in our time that the Jesuits are banished from Rome, bear in mind, that whoever the pope may be, he too will find it necessary before long to fly.[34] But in England we shall never incur the risk of being banished, therefore it is that we increase and multiply there so abundantly. We have establishments, schools, and all that we desire to have; and these good Protestants themselves furnish us the means. If it should please Providence that we should live long enough to meet again at some future period, you will recollect what I have foretold; at any rate, let it be according to the will of God. Adieu, my good friend. I must return to our convent, where Father Sineo is expecting me."
FOOTNOTES:
[28] A common expression in Italy to denote that a person has become Protestant.