第24章

And, to settle that point, he cites the most illustrious of our fathers-Suarez, Vasquez, and Sanchez." "My dear sir," said I, "that is a most prudent regulation.I see nothing to fear now.No confessor can dare to be refractory after this.Indeed, I was not aware that you had the power of issuing your orders on pain of damnation.I thought that your skill had been confined to the taking away of sins; I had no idea that it extended to the introduction of new ones.But, from what I now see, you are omnipotent." "That is not a correct way of speaking," rejoined the father."We do not introduce sins;we only pay attention to them.I have had occasion to remark, two or three times during our conversation, that you are no great scholastic." "Be that as it may, father, you have at least answered my difficulty.But I have another to suggest.How do you manage when the Fathers of the Church happen to differ from any of your casuists?" "You really know very little of the subject," he replied."The Fathers were good enough for the morality of their own times; but they lived too far back for that of the present age, which is no longer regulated by them, but by the modern casuists.On this Father Cellot, following the famous Reginald, remarks: 'In questions of morals, the modern casuists are to be preferred to the ancient fathers, though those lived nearer to the times of the apostles.' And following out this maxim, Diana thus decides: 'Are beneficiaries bound to restore their revenue when guilty of mal-appropriation of it? The ancients would say yes, but the moderns say no; let us, therefore, adhere to the latter opinion, which relieves from the obligation of restitution.'" "Delightful words these, and most comfortable they must be to a great many people!"I observed."We leave the fathers," resumed the monk, "to those who deal with positive divinity.As for us, who are the directors of conscience, we read very little of them and quote only the modern casuists.There is Diana, for instance, a most voluminous writer; he has prefixed to his works a list of his authorities, which amount to two hundred and ninety-six, and the most ancient of them is only about eighty years old." "It would appear, then," I remarked, "that all these have come into the world since the date of your Society?" "Thereabouts," he replied."That is to say, dear father, on your advent, St.Augustine, St.Chrysostom, St.Ambrose, St.Jerome, and all the rest, in so far as morals are concerned, disappeared from the stage.Would you be so kind as let me know the names, at least, of those modern authors who have succeeded them?" "A most able and renowned class of men they are," replied the monk."Their names are: Villalobos, Conink, Llamas, Achokier, Dealkozer, Dellacruz, Veracruz, Ugolin, Tambourin, Fernandez, Martinez, Suarez, Henriquez, Vasquez, Lopez, Gomez, Sanchez, De Vechis, De Grassis, De Grassalis, De Pitigianis, De Graphaeis, Squilanti, Bizozeri, Barcola, De Bobadilla, Simanacha, Perez de Lara, Aldretta, Lorca, De Scarcia, Quaranta, Scophra, Pedrezza, Cabrezza, Bisbe, Dias, De Clavasio, Villagut, Adam a Manden, Iribarne, Binsfeld, Volfangi A Vorberg, Vosthery, Strevesdorf." "O my dear father!" cried I, quite alarmed, "were all these people Christians?" "How! Christians!" returned the casuist; "did I not tell you that these are the only writers by whom we now govern Christendom?"Deeply affected as I was by this announcement, I concealed my emotion from the monk and only asked him if all these authors were Jesuits? "No," said he; "but that is of little consequence; they have said a number of good things for all that.It is true the greater part of these same good things are extracted or copied from our authors, but we do not stand on ceremony with them on that score, more especially as they are in the constant habit of quoting our authors with applause.When Diana, for example, who does not belong to our Society, speaks of Vasquez, he calls him 'that phoenix of genius'; and he declares more than once 'that Vasquez alone is to him worth all the rest of men put together'- instar omnium.Accordingly, our fathers often make use of this good Diana; and, if you understand our doctrine of probability, you will see that this is no small help in its way.In fact, we are anxious that others besides the Jesuits would render their opinions probable, to prevent people from ascribing them all to us; for you will observe that, when any author, whoever he may be, advances a probable opinion, we are entitled, by the doctrine of probability, to adopt it if we please; and yet, if the author does not belong to our fraternity, we are not responsible for its soundness." "I understand all that," said I.

"It is easy to see that all are welcome that come your way, except the ancient fathers; you are masters of the field, and have only to walk the course.But I foresee three or four serious difficulties and powerful barriers which will oppose your career." "And what are these?" cried the monk, looking quite alarmed."They are the Holy Scriptures," I replied, "the popes, and the councils, whom you cannot gainsay, and who are all in the way of the Gospel." "Is that all?" he exclaimed; "I declare you put me in a fright.

Do you imagine that we would overlook such an obvious scruple as that, or that we have not provided against it? A good idea, forsooth, to suppose that we would contradict Scripture, popes, and councils! I must convince you of your mistake; for I should be sorry you should go away with an impression that we are deficient in our respect to these authorities.You have doubtless taken up this notion from some of the opinions of our fathers, which are apparently at variance with their decisions, though in reality they are not.But to illustrate the harmony between them would require more leisure than we have at present; and, as I would not like you to retain a bad impression of us, if you agree to meet with me to-morrow, I shall clear it all up then." Thus ended our interview, and thus shall end my present communication, which has been long enough, besides, for one letter.I am sure you will be satisfied with it, in the prospect of what is forthcoming.I am, &c.