"Sam": or The history of mystery./ By C. W. Webber.

" SAM:" OR, THE HISTORY OF MYSTERY.
When Ignatius was living at Barcelona, he received many
kindnesses and favors at the hand of a lady called Rosello.
But after he had left this place, his mind was so. absorbed
in devising so many and lofty projects, that he entirely forgot her. She did not, however, forget Ignatius. Hearing
of his increasing sanctity, of his having become the founder
and general of a new Order, and "being then a widow, she
resolved to abandon the world, and live in accordance with
his evangelical counsels, and under the authority of the Society. With this pious resolution, and being joined in her
holy enterprise by two virtuous and noble Roman ladies, she
asked and received from Paul, permission to embrace this
kind of life." Ignatius had the perception to see that
these ladies would be an incumbrance to him and his Order.
" Yet the gratitude which he owed to his kind benefactress
weighed so much upon his heart, that he consented to receive
them under his protection." But he soon had reason to repent of this act of condescension; the annoyance was so
great, that he confessed himself that they gave him more
trouble than the whole community, because he could never
get done with them. At every moment he was obliged to
resolve their strange questions, to allay their scruples, to
hear their complaints, or settle their differences;t and as,
notwithstanding all his sagacity, Ignatius did not foresee of
what advantage women could one day be to the Order, he
applied to the Pope to be relieved of this charge, writing, at
the same time, the following letter to Rosello:
"VENERABLE DAME ISABELLA ROSELLO-My Mother and
my Sister in Jesus Christ.-In truth, I would wish, for the
greater glory of God, to satisfy your good desires, and procure your spiritual progress by keeping, you under my
obedience, as you have been for some time past; but the
continual ailments to which I am subject, and all my eccupations which concern the service of our Lord, or his vicar on
earth, permit me to do so no longer. Mloreover, being persuaded, according to the ligoht of my conscience, that this
little Society ought not to take upon itself, in particular, the
o Helyot, vol. vii, p. 491.
130
t Idem.