A further discovery of the mystery of Jesuitisme In a collection of severall pieces, representing the humours, designs and practises of those who call themselves the Society of Jesus.

CHAP. VIII.

A fourth Bill of Venereall uncleannesses com∣mitted by the Jesuits in their Houses.

THere is no crime so hidden, saith Jesus Christ, but at last it cometh to light. The Order of the Jesuits may be said to have been for some yeares like a spacious field covered with snow, the whitenesse whereof con∣cealing equally the beauty and the dirtinesse thereof. But now that the Sun of righteousnesse hath darted his more perpendicular rayes upon that delicate white∣nesse, and comes to dissolve that pretended snow of Sanctimony, he with the same labour discovers their filthinesse and dunghills. Thousands of times, have I heard the most tender of the reputation of the Order▪ expressing themselves to this purpose, That, if any one of those who quitted the Society should discover the story of Petiot, our disparagement in the world would be irreparable. If it so happen that the infamy will reflect on them, it shall be by accident; for my part, I have no other designe then the furtherance of God's glory and the edification of the publick, in the discovery of that crime.

Stephen Petiot is a person▪, for his excellent endow∣ments, of very great reputation in Guienne, and one that hath ever been accounted among those of his ro••e, for one of the most mod••st and reserved. The Pane∣gyrick which he writ, when he taught Rhetorick at Bourdeaux, upon the taking of Rochell gained him a great fame; and those employments which the Pro∣vinciall have since put him upon, by making him Preacher in the most eminent pulpits, have made his person highly considerable. I am here to intreat

the Reader to take notice, that the story I relate is not to discover the miscarriage, of some drudging Brother, or of some unfortunate student, forced to cast anchor by a sad ingenistitium, in the first or second yeare of his course of Theologie, or yet that of some formall Coadjutor or Assistant, that is, such as are not of any rank or reputation among them, but that of a Jesuit, that's one of the Bell-weathers of the Society, as they expresse it, a man that had taken the fourth vow, an excellent Humanist, and famous preacher. Vices ap∣peare with greater lustre when they are found in the most eminent men of an Order. This illustrious man was of the professed house; preach'd at the Church of St. Projectus, in Bourdeaux; and because he would not be thought idle in the intervall between Advent and Lent, he sometimes went to the confession-seats as others did, rather out of thoughts of diversion then devotion, and more to fasten on some prey then to convert sinners and instruct soules. A voluptuous per∣••on prosecutes his 〈◊〉〈◊〉 desires whereever he comes, even through grates and lattices. This man who in the Pulpit seemed to be a Saint, and was an Asmodeus in the shriving-seat, cast his amorous eyes upon a little brown lass, that had cast her selfe at his feet, to dis∣burthen her selfe of her sinnes, and at the first sight took so much fire at the eyes and eares, when he look'd upon her, and heard her speake, that, contraty to the first intention of the wench, he sent her away loaden with more crimes then she had brought thither. The first scene of this wanton Comedy, was, by crafty insinuations to engage the wench to give him a meeting about the time that the Jesuits are at Table, that he might have the opportunity to entertaine her between two doores with more security and freedome. The wench, who it seems, was somewhat in necessity, con∣sidering she was a servent of some quality, finding her self so much made of by a person whom she heard every where celebrated for his great worth, thought her selfe

in a faire way to happinesse, and reciprocally conceive d so much tendernesse and affection for him, that shee was no lesse punctuall to meet him at the place ap∣pointed, then the Sun is to blesse our Hemisphere with the gladsome day at the ordinary houres. To describe the litle shifts that passed between these two Lovers, and the mutuall caresses wherewith they enter∣tained one another during that litle leisure, would take up too much time, it is no hard matter to imagine, considering the violence of their passions, what might be the effects of their first meeting. There needs therefore no more be said, then that there was no manner of feeling, which the wench did not freely suffer from him, nor any pleasure which shee received not from him, even to the closest embraces. One thing only there was that much troubled them; that is, they were obliged ever and anon to go and see if any stranger came neer to disturbe their enjoyments. In a word, not to defile too much paper with so nasty a story, the wench hath since related to three or foure Jesuits, that Petiot had kissed her, embraced her, felt her, &c. Nay so far as, that, effundens semen in manum eius, (O excesse of abomination!) said to her, See my dearest, ex quo Luto nascuntur homines. The au∣thor of the book called the Desirer, had not certainly ever read or heard of such stories as these, when he said that the Porter of Monasteries was a venerable ancient man whose name was, The feare of God. Were he to write now, he would certainly except the Col∣ledges of the Jesuits, which though they beare in their frontispieces, the name of JESUS, crowned with thornes or beames of light, do not put those that live within them ever the more in mind to imitate the purity of the Virgin's Son.

Let us now go into the house, and see what mischiefe they did there, when they were so wicked in the Entry. This great Preacher, that he might have the greater opportunity to study, had a chamber by himselfe, at

some distance from those of the rest, that had a lock to it, which the provinciall Jaquinot had purposely caused to be furnished for him. Imagining with him∣selfe, that he might easily bring the wench thither, and there enjoy her without any danger, he perswaded her to disguise her selfe. Shee took his advice, reckoned with her Mistresse, quitted her service, bought a hat, and a canvasse suit, such as should fit a litle country lad off her pitch, went into a vineyard, cut off her haire, put up her m••••d's cloaths into a pacquet, retaining the upper part for a wascot, put on the boyes cloaths, and getting a bundle of litle walking sticks, pretended to bring them to that Jesuit, who it seems had a curiosity, by way of recreation, to marke them in severall places with a hot iron. He who wandred about the Church in expectation of her coming, according to the appoint∣ment between them, came immediately to entertaine▪ her, and receiving her as the servant of a Country man that was wont to bring him sticks, brought her without any danger into the Chamber.

What Rhetorick were able to expresse the mutuall satisfaction of this amorous couple, to find themselves so fortunate in so presumptuous an attempt? Their passion, which till then had been much abated by ob∣stacles and difficulties, broke forth now like an im∣petuous torrent, that hath overturned the bankes that opposed its violence: and the reciprocall expressions of kindnesse that past between them, were proportiona∣ble to the former hazards they had run through. Yet were not their Loves like those subterranean Rivers which slide silently and are out of the sight of men. 'Tis decreed that women should not keep any thing secret, no, not their owne shame and abhominations. This wench went and made her confession to Nathaniel Sichard, a Jesuit, and gave him an exact account, even to the least circumstances, of all the actions that had passed between the four walls of that Chamber; nay, out of an excesse of stupidity or malice, gave

him liberty (as he alledged, for that I appeale to himselfe) to make w••at advantage he thought fit of it. These scrupulous Hypocrites, whose brasen con∣sciences will not stretch to the least discovery of those designes, which are communicated to them in Confes∣sions, tending to the murthering of Kings, make no difficulty to betray the secret of the same con∣fession, to ruine their Brethren, especially if they be of a more eminent quality and greater abilities, as this man was. Pitard, who was not very backward as to amorous inclinations, when, during the time of his residence at Rochoir he got a Gentlewoman to come every night to his Chamber to dance, had, out of prudence, forborne to take any notice of the mis∣demeanour, which this unadvised Confessour had re∣vealed to him: but the wench, missng her enjoyments with Petiot (who had been sent to accompany the Bishop of Xainstes in his visit) began to talk very loud, and had a second time declared in Confession, to Peter Thomas, that she had lived eight daies within the Pro∣fessed House with that Preacher, and gave out, that shee would acquaint the Bishop of Bazas with the businesse, if they gave her not the summe of mony which he had promised her when he tempted her to naughtinesse.

This second Confessor kept the secret of auricular confession no better then the former, for he came to Francis Labrousse and my self, who were then his Col∣legues in the Cardinal-Mission, to aske our advice how he should be have himself in a businesse that was likely to derogate so much from the reputation of the Society. Our advice was, that it were requisite the wench related by way of ordinary discourse, what she had said before under the secret of Confession, otherwise it were to commit one evill by discovering another. The wench, upon his perswasion, did it, and declared the businesse to me with so mnch conviction and in∣genuity, that I could not make the least doubt but that

shee had been in that Chamber. Shee gave an exact account, through what Galleries she had passed, told how many stories there were to go up into it, what kind of closet there was within it, how the bed stood, what stuffe and what colour the furniture was of, what chaires and stooles were there, what pictures, nay, what the length of the sheets, what she did eat, what drink, what Fathers came to visit her beloved, where she hid her self while they stay'd in her shep∣heard's habit, what slights and shifts the crafty Je∣suit was forc'd to make use of to carry them elsewhere, &c. In a word, of all those that have been acquain∣ted with this story, I have had the most exact relation of it, and though I was at liberty to reveale it to the Superiours, yet did I smother it, not without much trouble in conscience, to see so many impious wretches betray a double secret, viz. that of nature, and that of Confession, meerly to seeme Hypocritically zealous, and observant of an Institution, prejudiciall to pub∣lick Fidelity. What I did then, out of prudence, as being a Jesuit, I now, being none, think it no lesse to declare. This wench was a servant in Carnan-street, in Bourdeaux, borne in Reole in Bazadois; she was sister to a poor woman that had a blind man to her husband, and lives neere the Church of St. Michael at Reole, and when we were upon the Mission, at the same time that she threatned Peter Thomas so much to divulge these villanies, she was in service with the Regent of that place.

From this short relation the world may easily judge, whether that house dedicated to Saint Francis Xaverius, which these Hypocrites of the Society by an Antono∣matick expression call, The holy House, does not ra∣ther deserve the name of the most eminent Brothell-House in the City. No doubt but it will be thought such by those that shall call to mind what I have said before of Rousseau, who was the superiour of it, of Olive, who had some relation thereto, when he played

those noble prankes at Port-Saint▪Mary, and of Peter Guales, who was one of the most famous Confessors there. May it be the pleasure of God, out of his great mercy to open the eyes and apprehensions of the Magistrates of Bourdeaux, who, by the multitude of their Charities, entertaine so many Religious Satyres in the heart of their City, to take notice of these things.

Had I not confin'd my selfe to give an account only of those things that happened in Guienne, I might relate the story of that Rector of Languedoc, who tooke in a poore blind woman that was begging an almes at the gate, kept her secretly in his Chamber for three months together, till at last, being cloy'd with her, he put her into an Hospitall, with great pro∣mises to come and visit her, and to do great things for her. The wench, discontented at this, discover∣ed the villany, and to prove it to one of the Con∣gregation where she then was, she said to him, You came to give him a visit such a day, and spoke to him of such and such a thing; I was then in his closet. But I shall observe the limits I have prescribed to my self.