The State of the Jefuits in Paraguay.

forth the infant fmile, and gladden the cheek of age, is my higheft felicity. I fhudder at what I might have been, thankful for what I am, and will only add that I fhall ever remain a friend and well-wisher to the

1769.

The State of the Jefuits in Paraguay,

is conducted to the altar, where he makes a fhort prayer, and then gives out the Te Deum, which is accompanied by the beft vocal and inftrumental mufick. After this, he and his attendants repair to the apartments that have been prepared for them, where they find every conveniency they can with for; and are served with the greatest neatness and order.

The time his lordship fpends among them is employed in thofe functions, which are the principal object of his coming; especially that of confirming all those who have not before received that facrament. But thefe duties are intermixed with holy rejoicings, in which the ftrangers are furprized to find more order, good tafte, and even elegance, than are, perhaps, to be feen in fome of the largest and best governed towns of Europe. Acclamations precede and follow the prelate wherever he goes; and his progrefs may be traced by flowers and odoriferous herbs and triumphal arches loaded with fruits and flowers of every kind. But what furprizes him moft, and what he can never cease thinking of, is the prodigious alteration obfervable in these new Chriftians, and of which he is enabled to form a competent judgment by comparing them with the wild Indians he has occafion to meet, and even with the converted Indians in the fervice of the Spaniards.

Thele prelates are equally furprized to find the children, that are brought to them for confirmation, fo well in ftructed in regard to the excellence and obligations of this facrament, which is always conferred with fuch pomp and ceremony, as to make it a feftival, in which all the inhabitants have a share, and which never fails to renew their fervour. The Indians keep the prelate among them as long as they can, and his departure draws from them many tears, with which he cannot refrain from mixing his own. They escort him to the next town, in the fame order, and with the fame ceremony, they conducted him to their own; and, when he has vifited all the reductions, he returns to Buenos Ayres with the fame convoy, with which he fet out. This picture may ferve for the vifitations, which the bishop of the Affumption makes in the

4

569

reductions feated in the neighbourhood of the Parana.

The governor of the province, the commiffaries and vifitors fent by the kings of Spain to infpect the state of the reductions, are received in a more military manner, but with the fame zeal, and always with marks of the profoundeft fubmiffion. The provincial of the Jefuits, when he makes his first visit, is received with demonftrations of affection and respect, which, however great they may be, evidently fall fhort of what thefe good people would have them, though a great deal more flattering for this father of their fathers, than all the honours they could render him, did his modefty permit him to receive any. If any of thefe Neophytes happen to be at Buenos Ayres, when new miffionaries arrive there from Europe, (and when they have timely notice of their being expected, they always flock there in great numbers to receive them,) there is nothing they don't put in practice to express their joy. It is but one perpetual holiday in the city as long as the fathers continue in it; and the Indians never fail to vary their rejoicings by a few thews, with which fome foreigners, proteftants efpecially, have taken a great deal of pains to embellish their relation, at the expence of the Jefuits.

But thefe travellers, and most of thofe who look for amufement in their memoirs, don't fufficiently attend to the fpirit, in which all these things are done; nor confider, as they ought to do, that the difference and variety of the feveral climates is attended with a great deal in the way of thinking and acting of those who live under them; that befides a great many things ought to be overlooked in men but newly civilized and converted, who think they can never do enough to exprefs their affection and gratitude towards thofe, who refcued them from favageness and idolatry; and who, at the expence of immenfe labours, and in fpite of the most cruel perfecutions, have procured them all the bleffings they enjoy, that of liberty in particular, of whofe value, as well as that of all other bleflings, they must be fo much the more fenfible, as they have conftantly before

their

570

The State of the Jefuits in Paraguay.

their eyes other Indians their country. men, groaning under the most cruel flavery, or living ftrangers to all the comforts of a civil and religious life; and these observations are handed down from generation to generation; the parents never failing to relate them to their children. What wonder then, that the remembrance of fo many and fuch great bleffings, fhould infpire them with a boundlefs affection for the miffionaries; and, that in expreffing it, they should give way a little to their natural genius and difpofition. It has been thought proper, confidering the natural levity and inconftancy of the Indians, and the great difficulty there is often found in rooting out of the hearts of thofe newly converted certain grofs vices, in a manner grown natural to them, to eftablish in the reductions the practice of publick penances, much upon the fame footing it prevailed in the primitive ages of Christianity. For this purpofe, the miffionaries appoint fome of the most virtuous to infpect the conduct of the rest. These inspectors, as foon as they have furprized any one in a fact capable of giving fcandal, put on him the penitential habit; conduct him to the church, where they oblige him to make a publick confeffion of his crime; and then carry him to the fquare to be whipped. The criminals always receive this correction not only without murmuring, but with thanks; and fcarce ever relapfe. Nay the men often, and the women fometimes, are feen to confefs in the moft publick manner, faults of this kind, though committed in private; and apply for penance. But a great deal of difcretion is obferved on these occafions; and it is with great difficulty the miffionaries permit any of them, the women efpecially, to make fuch publick confeffrons, when they wait to atk leave for that purpofe.

Thofe devout and pious exercifes, which are most approved, and the church befides has molt authorized, are likewife fo many means fuccefsfully employed to maintain the fpirit of religion, and even increase it in the hearts of thefe new Chriftians. It is a rule not to admit to the communion of the body and blood of Jefus Chrift those born of inadel parents,

NOT

till after a long and fevere tryal; and they have given fufficient proofs di their difcerning, as the apoftle directs, the food of the foul, and that they truly hunger and thirst after it. But to do this they have the greatest helps. Nothing is omitted to make them fenfible, before they are permitted to approach this celeftial banquet, of the great purity of heart and fublimity of affection requifite to partake of it wor thily and to advantage; and it may be affirmed with great truth, that they never come to the holy table but with fentiments capable of making an im preffion on the most hardened reprobates.

The first miffionaries immediately perceived, that, in order to inspire the new converts with a great relped for the holy place, and for the wor ship peculiar to it, it was proper to employ fome exterior pomp and cere mony; and nothing has been spared to make the proper ufe of this obferva tion. All the churches are large, with three, and often five, naves, fomewhat too low, indeed, for their length and breadth, because the root is fupported by columns of one piece. In the largest churches there are five very neat altars, at least; that in the middle, which is the great altar, bas always fomething august and ftriking in it. The Spaniards themselves are furprized to fee them fo magnificent, and fo rich in plate, linen, and orna ments. It is, indeed, the only fubje& of emulation between the reductions, fome of whom have been known to rebuild their churches from the very foundations, merely to put them on a level with others; and even deprive themselves of the neceffaries of life to effect it.

All the churches are adorned with paintings which reprefent the princi pal myfteries of our holy religion, and the most heroic actions of the faints of the old and new teftament. Thele paintings are feparated by feftoons and compartiments of an everlasting ver dure, interfperfed with the most beau tiful flowers. On folemn days, the pavement is likewite ftrewed with flowers, and the whole church fprin kled with fweet waters, which perfume the air. This, indeed, is eafly done, as the materials are to be found in this country all the year round. Be

769. ides, the Indians being very fond of lowers and odoriferous plants, thefe Ornaments contribute to remind them hat they ought, by their innocence and virtue, to be the good odour of Jesus Christ, and render themselves worthy of becoming the living temples of the Holy Ghoft.

The State of the Jefuits in Paraguay.

Thefe methods have fucceeded be-, yond the most fanguine expectations of the miffionaries. Nothing can come up to the modefty, refpect and tender devotion with which they affift at the divine mysteries, and the ordinary prayers, which are, almoft all of them, faid in the church. The attention, with which they liften to the inftructions and exhortations of their paftors, almoft furpaffes belief; and during the act of contrition, with which both inftructions and exhortations are always concluded, and which is pronounced with a loud voice, they fob and figh; and would publickly confefs their faults, did not their millionaries employ all their authority to prevent it.

It is by thefe means that the miffioInaries have fucceeded, in entirely extirpating from this republick certain vices, drunkenness especially, to which the Indians have an almoft invincible difpofition; and infpire them with fo great a delicacy of confcience, that, at prefent, they rarely bring any but the flightest faults to the tribunal of penance. Don Pedro Faxardo, bishop of Buenos Ayres, wrote to the king of Spain, that he did not believe there was a fingle mortal fin committed in any of thefe towns in a whole twelve

month. They prefent themselves,

however, before this tribunal with fuch fentiments of compunction, that they feldom leave it without diffolving into tears. And, indeed, no pains have been spared to engrave deeply in their hearts the falutary fear of di'pleafing God; and to keep out of their way every thing capable of endangering their innocence. It is for this purpofe that houses of refuge have been every where eftablished for the reception of widows, and fuch married women as have no children during the abfence of their husband. They are all maintained in thefe houfes, at the expence of the publick, when they cannot work, or what they do is found infufficient for their support.

It is no way furprizing, that God

571 fhould work fuch wonders in fuch pure fouls; nor that thofe very Indians, to whom fome learned doctors would not allow reafon enough to be received into the bofon of the church, fhould be at this day one of its greateft ornaments; and, perhaps, the most precious portion of the flock of Jefus Chrift. It is at leaft certain, that there are to be found a great number of Chriftians among them, who have attained the most eminent fanctity; that all, or almost all of them, carry their contempt of the goods of this life to fuch an extraordinary degree, as to be always ready to part with what they poffefs for each other's relief, and the decoration of the houfe of the Lord. Nay, they fcruple making ufe themfelves of the most precious fruits of their industry. For instance, I faid that there is in fome parts of this country, a kind of bees, called Opemus, whole wax exceeds any thing we know of in whitenefs. Thefe Neophytes have confecrated all they can gather of it to burn before the pictures of the Bleffed Virgin; and, a Jefuit having once endeavoured to perfuade fome of them, who happened to be in diftress, to fell what they had gathered of it, in order to procure the neceffaries they wanted; "We have, they answered, confecrated it all to our good mother, and are not afraid of her abandoning us in cur diftrefs."

An Hiftorical Introduction to the Antiqui

ties and Curiofities of Wilton-Houfe. Continued from p. 508.

Lord Pembroke, with all the difpoT had therefore been impoffible for fitions in the world, to have made a tolerable gallery, but for fome incidents, and thefe were, the fale of thofe excellent collections, of Juftiniani, Lord Arundel and Valetta of Naples.

The firft, with good reafon, was efteemed the largest in Europe belonging to a private perfon; it contained, with duplicates and broken parts, thirteen hundred different antiques. Juftiniani had one hundred and fix anfique bultos, of which feven were duplicates of Homer, and above fixty old heads, unknown and much alike: the best of the latter were purchased by Cardinal Albani, who afterwards fold many of them.

The Arundelian collection confifted of

572

Thomas Earl of Pembroke's Plan for

Nov.

of one hundred and twenty-eight faced, befides fragments of hands, buftos, feveral baffo relievos and mif- fingers, toes, &c. This detail would cellaneous pieces, with thirty-feven make one wonder, how his lordship ftatues. All whole and in good pre- came by fuch a number of useless fragfervation, many of them as white and ments; the fact is, what is not un. beautiful as when they came from the common, that for the fake of a few exfculptor's hand, being found in vaults cellent pieces he was obliged to take and fubterraneous places, where no a great deal of trash. tinging or fouling fubftances touched

them.

The ftatues were placed in Lord Arundel's houfe, but that not being capacious enough to contain fo great a number of antiques, he was neceffitated to fet up many of them in his garden, contiguous to his houfe. It is an obfervation deferving the attention of connoiffeurs, though Lord Pembroke was the first who made it, that valuable marbles ought, in this climate, to be as little expofed as poffible to the external air and the uncertainty of feafons. Because the atmofphere of this ifland being extremely humid and replete with faline particles, pervades the pores of marble, and deftroys their polish as well as fubftance. He found this fully verified at the Arundelian fale. The ftatues in the garden, in the space of a few years, were fo honey-combed and disfigured by the weather, as to make them little worth, although when first put there, they were in tolerable condition. Among these were fourteen ftatues, four only with heads. Cicero was known, the reft were cloathed like fenators, as Mark Antony, and the father of Julius Cæfar.

Lord Arundel caufed thofe bodies which had good draperies and no heads, or legs or arms, to be repaired, and they looked very well with fuch additions. Pallas was furnished with a new head and arm, and was of the fame height with the Coloffal Hercules, when measured to that part of the helmet, where the top of the head was fuppofed to come. The Egyptian granite column, and the black porphyry pillars, were in this collection, as alfo a marble pillar as high as the column, but in two pieces.

In a garden beyond the Thames, belonging to the earl of Arundel, were many mutilated antiques; as eight or nine mere trunks, a number of heads not fitting any of the bodies, fome of them with nofes, chins and lips de

Lord Pembroke was exceedingly apprehenfive of this: when the Arundelian collection came to be disposed of Lord Arundel's agents propofed to have the whole fold together; but his lordship and other noblemen, who attended, oppofed it, and after fome time brought the agents to divide it into three parts. 1. Thofe in the houfe; Thofe in the garden; 3. Thofe beyond the Thames. Lord Pembroke gave confiderably more than any one elfe would, to have the firf lot. Of the second he was willing to buy many, could they have been feparated, but the father of Lord Pomfret gave an advanced price for them, not to be troubled with the third.

The laft parcel found no purchaser until the year 1717, when it was fold to Mr. Waller, grandíon of the poet, for seventy-five pounds. Mr. Freeman Cooke took half of it. It was judged that this parcel would have brought more money at Rome, and not improbably, there being always in that city artists engaged in mending and repairing broken antiquities.

The Arundelian marbles were beftowed on the university of Oxford; they had been brought to England at an immenfe expence from the ifle of Paros, and fet up in Lord Arundel's garden without Temple-bar, from thence, they were removed to Oxford and placed on the outward wall of the theatre. It is fortunate for the learned world, that Selden published them as foon as they came, for the weather has fo injured them, as to render them fearce legible. This confirms what was before remarked of our climate, which in less than a century deftroyed what the warmth and drynefs of other places preferved for twenty. The marbles now are in one of the fchools,

Lord Pembroke purchased fome antiques from Cardinal Mazarine's col lection, which had that of Cardinal Richlieu's incorporated with it. The latter intended to build a fine palace

at