See the controversy about the year of the birth of Saint Ignatius in Boletin de la Real Academia de la Historia, Vol. XVII, pp. 517-518, Madrid, 1890. – Now it is held by most as without doubt that Ignatius was born on December 25, 1491. And below it will be seen that formerly Polanco was of the same opinion. – About the father, mother, relatives and family you will find many things in the books of Father Moret, S.J., the title of which is Anales de Navarra. And there are still more things in the book which he wrote about these same things, the careful investigator of things pertaining to Basques, Fr. Gabriel de Henao. This book, which was unknown to the authors of the Bibliothecae scriptorum Societatis Jesu, has not yet entered the fray. — Recently Fr. P. L. Michel published the genealogical table, Vie de St. Ignace, Bruges, 1893.] v1_chapter1latin Susceperat autem Beltramusex D. Marina Sonae, uxore sua pernobili, praeter quinque filias, octo etiam filios, quorum ultimus Ignatius fuit; cujus institutio, prout illa tempora et mores ferebant, potius juxta mundi hujus quam Dei spiritum peracta est. But Beltrán gained from his noble wife, Marina Sonae, [2. Ita, et quidem clarissime, in originali, nec emendatum ab auctore, qui plura in hac pagina addidit et mutavit. Est tamen scribae mendum pro Saenz.
This is how it appears in the original, and it was not corrected by the author, who added and changed many things on this page. But this is an error of the scribe, and it should be Sáenz.] in addition to five daughters, also received eight sons, of whom Ignatius was the last. This arrangement, according to the customs of the time, was carried out more according to the spirit of this world than that of God. v1_chapter1latin Cum enim legere tantum et scribere didicisset, in curiam regis missus, in ejusmodi ministeriis, quibus pueri nobiles et aulici solebant, est versatus; postquam autem adolescens effectus est, usque ad 26 aetatis annum, domino Antonio Manrique, duci Nagerae, cujus Loyolae domus valde addicta erat, se adjunxit, et toto hoc tempore vitam nihil minus quam spiritualem duxit: et ut juvenes aulici et militari studio dediti saepe facere solent, satis liber in mulierum amore, ludis, et concertationibus honoris causa susceptis, vixit. For when he had learned enough to read and write, he was put in the care of the king, and he served him in the way that noble boys were wont to do. But after finishing his adolescence, until he was 26 years of age, he was attached to the lord Anthony Manrique, the duke of Nájera, to whom the house of Loyola was very much indebted, and during this whole time he led a life that was far removed from anything spiritual. And as noble young men dedicated to military skill often are accustomed to do, he lived a rather free life with regard to the love of women, song, and dancing, engaged in for the sake of honor. [3. De S. Ignatii gestis, antequam Naxesae Duci se adjunxisset, vide quae solerti diligentia congessit P. Fidelis Fita , S. J . , in Boletin de la Real Academia de la Historia, tom. XVII , pag. 492-520, et tom. XVII , pag . 75-78; aut ex his desumpta a P. L. Michel, Histoire de St. Ignace, tom. I , pag. 338.
On the activities of St. Ignatius, before he was in the service of the duque Nájera, see what Fr. Fidelis Fita, S.J., has put together with great care in Boletin de la Real Academia de la Historia, Vol. XVII, pp. 492-520, and Vol. XVIII, pp. 75-78; or what had been quoted from this by P. L. Michet,Histoire de St. Ignace, Vol. 1, p. 338.] v1_chapter1latin Erant tamen in illo quaedam naturalia Dei dona non vulgaria ; nam in primis animosus valde ad res arduas aggrediendas, et constans ad persequendas, et prudens ad easdem dirigendas exstitit; cujus documentum in rebus multis, licet saecularibus, eo tempore dedit; et quamvis juvenis esset, ad tractandos hominum animos, dexteritatem etiam tunc habebat; et cum aliquando a praedicto Duce Nagerae (qui et Navarrae prorex erat), in Provinciam Guipuzcoae ad quasdam discordias, quibus ea exagitabatur, componendas missus esset, ejus in hac parte industria non parum eminuit; eam enim tenuit rationem, ut utramque factionum partem, cum magna ipsarum satisfactione concordem reliquerit. Et in universum, cum ad aliquid manum admovebat, strenue admodum id ad optatum effectum deducere solebat; quamvis propter ignorantiam rerum divinarum, hoc talentum a Domino acceptum, interdum non bene collocabat. Sed ad res magnas propensus, et vigore animi et corporis idoneus cernebatur; et quidem ejus fortitudo, et constantia in rebus etiam bellicis et non tantum in privatis concertationibus enituit; et quia hac occasione divina bonitas Ignatium a vita saeculari ad suum servitium vocavit, referenda res est. However, there were in him certain natural gifts of God that are not common. For, first of all, he was very passionate in undertaking difficult things, and persevering in carrying them out, and prudent in organizing them. At that time he set an example of this in many things, although they were worldly; and although he was still a young man, even then he had the ability to move the minds of men. And when on one occasion he was sent by the duke Nájera (who at the time was the governor of Navarre) to the Province of Guipúzcoa to settle some disputes by which it was troubled, his skill in this matter was outstanding in no small way. For, he brought it about that both parties of the dispute achieved harmony to their great satisfaction. And in general, when he attempted to do something, he was accustom to bring it the desired result very quickly; although because of his ignorance of divine things he did not make very good use of this talent that he had received from the Lord. But he was perceived to be destined for great things and suitable for them because of the strength of his mind and body. Indeed his courage and constancy shone forth both in warlike matters and not just in private conflicts; and because on one occasion the divine goodness called Ignatius from a worldly life to his own service, we will now report how this happened. v1_chapter1latin Carolo V ad imperii coronam suscipiendam in Belgium ac deinde in Germaniam, mox Hispaniam recedente, regni Navarrae proceres ad Hernicum de Labrid, Bearnae Principem, in paterno regno reducendum aspirabant, et ipsius Regni Navarrae animi ad id inclinabant; et quoniam propter bella civilia Hispaniae, ubi plebs contra Regem et nobiles a Rege sua arma sumpserant, haud exiguus militum manipulus ex Navarra eductus fuerat, ut contra hostium exercitum nobilitati serviret, rex Franciscus I rei bene gerendae occasionem nactus, misit cum exercitu Andream de Fox, vulgo de Sparrosi dominum cui cum factionis agramontensium plurimi occurrissent, et aliqui etiam ex contraria factione biamontensium suas vires cum Gallis conjunxissent, arcem, quam Sancti Joannis ad pedem portus vocant, occuparunt, et inde, nemine contradicente, Pompejopolim, vulgo Pamplonam, venientes, eam etiam, quae regia Navarrae est, sine cujusvis resistentia sunt consecuti. Nam prorex Antonius Manriquc, abductis militibus praesidiariis, inermis relictus, imo direpta ejus domo, 17. maji 1521, Pompejopoli excessit ut a nobilibus Castellae auxilium ad recuperationem ejus regni, quod ad Henricum Bearnae Principem defecerat, obtinere niteretur. When Charles V was about to leave Spain in order to receive the crown of the empire in Belgium and then in Germany, the nobles of the kingdom of Navarre wanted to return to Henry de Labrid, the governor of Bearn, in their paternal kingdom, and the people of Kingdom of Navarre were in favor of that. And because of the civil wars in Spain, where the people took up arms against the King and his nobles, a no small company of soldiers was raised in Navarre, in order to serve the nobility against the army of enemies. [4. Tota haec periodus in margine manu ipsius Polanci addita est, et quia plura vocabula lineis super ductis deleta sunt et charta atramento corrosa et usu attrite, nonnulla desunt, ut sensus plenus sit et clarus, necessaria verba. Legimus enim: et bella civilia Hispaniae, ubi plebs contra Regem et nobiles a Rege sua arma sumpserant , et militum ex Navarra educto, ut contra hostium exercitu nobilitati serviret, Rex Franciscus, etc. Verbis autem a nobis additis et mutatis, sententia evadit similis illi , quae in sequenti paragrapho Historiae Hispaniae a P. J. de Mariana scriptae, Sumario, a. 1521, continetur: “De las Comunidades de Castilla resultó una nueva guerra en Navarra: la ocasión fué que los nuestros habían echado por tierra los años pasados casi todos los castillos de aquel reino, y el año antes de éste, para acudir á las Comunidades , despojado aquel reino de artilleria y de soldados. El rey Francisco de Francia, con deseo que tenía de restituir á Enrique de Labrit en el reino de sus antepasados, y por no dejar pasar la buena ocasión que para esto se ofrecía, envió un grueso ejército por aquella parte, y por su caudillo á Andrés Esparroso, hermano menor de Odeto, señor de Lotrech. (Odet de Foix, vicomte de Lautrech.)
This whole period was added in the margin by the hand of Polanco himself, and because many words have been deleted with a line through them, and the paper itself is somewhat corrupted, some necessary words are missing in order to make the meaning full and clear. For we read: and the civil wars of Spain, where the people took up arms against the King and his nobles, and the soldiers of Navarre, in order to serve the nobility against the army of the enemies, King Francis I, etc. But with the words added and changed by us, the meaning becomes similar to that contained in the following paragraph found written in the Historia Hispaniae by P. J. Mariana, Sumario, in 1521: {in Spanish: KB} “In the communities of Castile there was a new war in Navarre: the occasion was that our people had abandoned in the preceding years almost all the castles of the king, and in the year before this, in order to respond to those communities, the king removed the artillery and the soldiers. Then King Francis of France, with the intention of restoring Henry de Labrid to his hereditary kingdom, and not to lose the good occasion which presented itself, he sent a large army to that area, and he appointed as its leader Andrew Esparroso, the younger brother of Odeto, the Lord of Lotrech (Odet de Foix, viscount of Lautrech).]The king Francis I, seeing the occasion of success, sent with the army Andrew de Fox, commonly known as the lord of Sparrosi. [5. André de Foix, seigneur de Lesparre
André de Fois, the Lord of Lesparre.] When many of the faction of the transmontanes came to him, and also some of the opposing faction of the cismontanes joined up their forces with the French, they occupied the citadel, which they call Sancti Joannis ad pedem portus, and hence, with no opposition, coming to Pamplona, they also captured it, which is a part of Navarre, without any resistance. For the governor, Anthony Manrique, when his soldiers had abandoned him and he was left undefended and had lost his house on May 17, 1521, left Pamplona in order to try to obtain help from the nobles of Castella so that he could regain his kingdom, which had defected to Henry, the ruler of Bearn. v1_chapter1latin Reliquit autem Pompejopoli Ignatium cum paucis aliis sub D. Francisco de Biamonte , ut id faceret quod ab ipso injunctum esset; sed cum ille etiam Pompejopoli recederet, quod videretur sibi resisti non posse gallorum viribus, cum etiam civium animos ad Henricum admittendum propensos magna ex parte intelligeret, erubescens Ignatius hujusmodi egressum, qui fugae similitudinem habebat, noluit D. Franciscum sequi, imo coram illis ipsis qui recedebant, arcem ingressus est, ut cum paucis qui in eadem erant, eam defenderet; quidam etiam vir strenuus, qui cum Ignatio de honore contendere solitus erat, ejusdem etiam defensioni dare operam voluit. Sed cum inter illos qui arcem defensuri erant, de ea gallis tradenda ageretur, quod tam pauci defendere illam minime possent, et in consilium ad hoc ipsum convenissent, cum reliqui seniores, qui sententiam dixerant ante Ignatium, deditionem faciendam cen- suissent, quandoquidem arx defendi non poterat; Ignatii sententia fuit: potius moriendum in ipsa defensione quam arcem dedendam esse. Et cum arcis praefectus ex illa egrederetur, ab hostibus ad colloquium vocatus, ut de honesto aliquo pacto tractaret, inter tres alios, quos secum eduxit, Ignatius etiam fuit, qui conditiones a gallis oblatas, quod parum honoratae viderentur, sic sociis dissuasit, ut ad arma sumenda et resistendum hostibus praefectum ac reliquos animaverit : sed cum gallorum exercitus, bellicis tormentis ad arcem subvertendam (quae tunc parum munita erat) admotis, muros effringere coepit; nihilominus qui erant in arce, exemplo et hortatu Ignatii eam defendere perseverarunt; donec pila quaedam, a valida excussa bombarda, murum ea parte percussit quam Ignatius defendebat, et crus ejus dexterum in plures partes comminuit; sinistrum etiam laesum fuit, ut probabile est, a saxis bombarda disjectis; sed os illius confractum non est. Tunc galli arcem occupantes, in terra prostratum Ignatium invenerunt, et quia multis notus erat, in urbem eum eduxerunt, et ipsimet adversarii, medicis et reliquis necesariis adhibitis, ejus curam egerunt. But he left Ignatius at Pamplona with a few others under Francisco de Biamonte, [6. De Beaumont
De Beaumont] to do what the latter told him to do. But when he also left Pamplona, because it seemed to him that he could not resist the forces of the French, and since he knew that the minds of the citizens, for the most part, were inclined to accept Henry. Ignatius, feeling ashamed at a retreat of this kind, which had the appearance of a flight, refused to follow Francisco. Indeed, in the sight of those retreating he entered the citadel in order to defend it with the few who were present in it. Also a certain very strong man, who was accustomed to fight with Ignatius over matters of honor, wanted to help in the defense of the citadel. But when among those who were going to defend the citadel there was talk about handing it over to the French, since so few could not in any way defend it, and in consultation they agreed on this. The other senior men gave their opinion in the presence of Ignatius and thought they should surrender, since the citadel could not be defended. In this situation, the opinion of Ignatius was: he would rather die in defense of the citadel than to surrender it. And when the prefect of the citadel left it, having been called by the enemy to talk things over, in order to reach some kind of a just agreement, he took three others with him and Ignatius was one of them. But the conditions offered by the French seemed to be not honorable, so Ignatius persuaded his companions not to accept them and he convinced the prefect and the others to take up arms and fight the enemies. But then the French army, after bringing up the weapons needed to capture the citadel (which then was not well fortified), began to break down the walls. Nevertheless, those who were in the citadel, by the example and encouragement of Ignatius continued to defend it, until a certain cannon ball struck the part of the wall which Ignatius was defending and it broke his right leg in several places; his left leg was also wounded, probably by the stones thrown at him by the bombardment, but the bone was not broken. Then the French occupied the citadel, and they found Ignatius prostrate on the ground. And because he was known by many, they brought him into the city, and his adversaries themselves worked on his cure, using the medicine and other things necessary. v1_chapter1latin Animi etiam generosi ac Christiani signa in eo multa semper observata fuerunt; et ut pauca tantum referam, ante hunc gallorum adventum, cum civitas Nagerae contra suum Ducem arma coepisset (apud quem Ignatius tunc versabatur), cum exercitu ille civitatem ingressus, in punitionem rebellionis eam diripiendam militibus reliquit : quamvis autem Ignatius inter primos ad urbem recuperandam strenuam operam dedisset, nihil tamen de praeda, quam uberem habere potuerat, attingere voluit, nec enim id honorificum esse, ac se decere arbitrabatur; et quamvis idem, honoris gratia, cum multis saepius armis certasset, neminem unquam odio prosequutus est ; minus utique contra Deum verbum ullum blasphemiae fuit ab ipso unquam auditum, licet aliquando in afflictiones et labores multos incidisset; imo cum Pompejopoli de acceptis crurium vulneribus curaretur, et ab adversariis humaniter visitaretur, tantum aberat ut indignatione vel odio quemquam prosequeretur, ut liberaliter potius et amanter quod habebat, huic scilicet scutum, illi pugionem, alii suam loricam donaret. Many signs of a generous and Christian heart often were observed in him; and to mention just a few things, before this arrival of the French, when the city of Najera took up arms against their own Duke (whom Ignatius at the time was serving), he entered the city with an army, and as punishment for the rebellion he allowed it to be plundered by the soldiers. And although Ignatius was among the first to work hard to recover the city, he did not want to have anything to do with the plunder, which could have been abundant, because he thought it was not honorable or fitting for himself. And although for the sake of honor he had fought often with many weapons, he never attacked anyone out of hatred; and no word of blasphemy against God was ever heard to be uttered by him, although at times he incurred many sufferings and labors. Indeed, when at Pamplona he was being treated for the wounds in his legs, and he was cared for in a humane manner by his adversaries, he was so far removed from engaging in any kind of indignation or hatred that rather he gave away generously and in a loving manner what he had, namely, to this man his shield, to that one his dagger, to another his breastplate. v1_chapter1latin Cum autem graviora essent ejus vulnera quam ut facile aut brevi tempore curari possent, ipsimet adversarii in lectica Ignatium deducendum ad domum Loyolae, non procul distantem, curaverunt, ubi magna cum diligentia crus ejus dexterum, quod comminutum diximus, curatum est, et magnum ille virilis animi atque patientis specimen in difficili illa curatione praebuit ; quod enim non bene coagmentata ossa fuissent, disjungi denuo et summo cum dolore curari debuerunt, et eo redactus est Ignatius, ut mortem illi imminere ipsa vigilia Sti. Petri medici praedicerent, si ante mediam noctem melius habere non coepisset. Colebat peculiari devotione S. Petrum Ignatius, quem etiam hispanicis carminibus in ejus laudem compositis, veneratus fuerat. Ab ipso ergo eadem illa nocte se adjutum esse sensit, imo id videre sibi videbatur; statim ergo multo melius habere coepit. Sed jam extra periculum constitutus et pene sanitati restitutus animadvertit sub genu os non bene coagmentatum prominere, et cum ad deformitatem id non parum facere judicasset (juvenis alioquin cultui ac ornatui eleganti pro nobilium more deditus ), quamvis intellexit sine maximo dolore os illud abscindi non posse, posthabendum dolorem decori censuit ; et non vulgarem animi fortitudinem atque patientiam ostendit, dum nec teneri ab aliis vel ligari voluit, nec ullam querelae vocem aut signum impatientiae inter acerbissimos dolores in osse abscindendo dedisset, sicut etiam in crure machinis quibusdam extendendo, quod altero brevius erat; nec tamen post eum cruciatum omnino sinistro aequari potuit; et ita aliqua ejus claudicatio in progressu temporis observari potuit, quae tamen usque adeo exigua fuit, ut vix ab eo qui non attente eam considerasset, deprehenderetur. Ipsimet tamen ad recordationem accepti a Deo beneficii velut monimentum quoddam perpetuo fuit. However, since his wounds were so serious that they could not be cured easily and in a short space of time, his adversaries carried him in a litter to his home at Loyola, which was not far away, where with great care his right leg, which we said was broken, was healed, and he gave a good example of patience and a manly heart in that difficult healing. For, because the bones were not well joined together, finally they had to be broken again and fused together with great pain, and Ignatius was reduced to such a state that the doctors, on the vigil of St. Peter, said that he would die, unless he began to improve before the middle of the night. Now Ignatius had a special devotion to St. Peter, and he had venerated him by composing some songs in Spanish in his honor. Therefore, he felt that he was helped by St. Peter that same night, and it seemed to him that he saw him [7. Verba haec imo id videre sibi videbatur manu ipse propria inseruit Polancus.
These words “and it seemed to him that he saw him” Polanco inserted in his own handwriting.]; immediately therefore he began to get better. But when he was out of danger and almost restored to full health, he saw that the bone under his knee, since it was not well joined together, protruded, and since he considered that such a deformity was not a small thing (otherwise as a youth he was very fond of an elegant appearance, which was customary among nobles), and although he understood that that bone could not be cut off without the greatest suffering, he thought that the pain was less important than the good appearance. He showed uncommon courage and patience, since he did not want to be held by others or to be tied down, nor did he utter any word of complaint or sign of impatience while suffering excruciating pain as the bone was being cut off; and he acted the same way when the bone was extended by certain machines, because the leg was shorter than the other. Nevertheless, after that intense suffering the right leg remained shorter than the left. Thus in the course of time a certain limping could be observed in him, but still it was so slight that it could scarcely be noticed by anyone who did not watch him carefully. However, for him it was like a perpetual memorial to remind him of the benefit he had received from God.
| DE VITA P. IGNATII ET SOCIETATIS JESU INITIIS THE BEGINNINGS OF THE SOCIETY OF JESUS | ON THE LIFE OF FATHER IGNATIUS AND THE BEGINNINGS OF THE SOCIETY OF JESUS |
| CAPUT PRIMUM | CHAPTER I |
| DE REBUS P. IGNATII ANTEQUAM AD VITAE NOVAE INSTITUTIONEM A DOMINO VOCARETUR | ON THE HISTORY OF FATHER IGNATIUS BEFORE HE WAS CALLED BY GOD TO BEGIN A NEW LIFE |
| Ignatius de Loyola, quem divina Providencia in primum auctorem ac institutorem Societatis Jesu assumere dignata est, ex Cantabriae parte, quae in Pyrenaeis montibus est, quam Guipuzcoam, et peculiari nomine Provinciam vocant, ortus est. Ejus pater Beltramus, nobilium domorum Loyola et Onaz dominus, qui ab eisdem cognomen habuit, vir illustris, et magnae auctoritatis fuit. Utraque autem praedicta domus in districtu est oppidi Azpeitiae; nam pro more ejus regionis, extra oppida, ad modum villarum, domus nobilium ab antiquissimis saeculis sitae sunt, inter quas, clariores familiae parentum majorum dicuntur, quos velut capita multae aliae sequi solent; et utraque, scii. Loyola et Oftaz, familia hujusmodi est. Aliqui anno a nativitate Domini 1491 natum Ignatium censuerunt, qui eius nutricis sententiam secuti videntur; sed si eidem Ignatio de vitae suae et de conversionis annis credendum est, potius (ut ego quidem sentio), natus est ille anno Domini 1495 sub rege Ferdinando V et Isabella, regibus Hispaniae catholicis. | Ignatius Loyola, whom divine Providence deigned to choose as the first author and founder of the Society of Jesus, was born in a part of the Pyrenees mountains in the Basque province of Guipúzcoa. His father Beltrán, lord of the noble houses of Loyola and Oñaz, who derived his name from them, was a famous man and a man of great authority. But both of the mentioned houses are in the district of the city of Azpeitia; for, according to the custom of the region, outside of the towns, and something like villas, the homes of the nobles have been located for many centuries; among them, the more illustrious families are called major parents, whom many others are accustomed to follow as their leaders; and both of these families, that is, Loyola and Oñaz, are of this nature. Some have thought that Ignatius was born in the year 1491, and they seem to have followed the opinion of his nurse; but if one is to believe Ignatius himself speaking about his life and the years of his conversion, he was born rather (as I think) in the year of our Lord 1495 under king Ferdinand V and Isabella, the Catholic rulers of Spain. |
| [1. Controversiam hanc de anno nativitatis Sancti Ignatii vide, sis, in Boletin de la Real Academia de la Historia, tom. XVII , pag. 517-518. Madrid, 1890. — A plerisque nunc indubitandum habetur natum fuisse Ignatium 25, Decembris 1491. Et in hac sententia prius fuisse ipse Polancus infra videbitur. — De Sancti Ignatii patre, matre, cognatis, et genere multa inventes in libris Patris Moret, S. J . , quibus titulus Anales de Navarra, et plura adhuc in libro, quem de hac unicere scriptum reliquit, Cantabrarum rerum diligens investigator, P. Gabriel de Henao, qui liber, ab auctoribus Bibliothecae scriptorum Societatis Jesu ignoratus, nondum praelo mandatus est. — Genealogicum familiae stemma edidit nuper P. L . Michel, Vie de St. Ignace, Bruges, 1893. Nos aliud magis absolutum et ad nostra usque tempora deductum hic edemus. | See the controversy about the year of the birth of Saint Ignatius in Boletin de la Real Academia de la Historia, Vol. XVII, pp. 517-518, Madrid, 1890. – Now it is held by most as without doubt that Ignatius was born on December 25, 1491. And below it will be seen that formerly Polanco was of the same opinion. – About the father, mother, relatives and family you will find many things in the books of Father Moret, S.J., the title of which is Anales de Navarra. And there are still more things in the book which he wrote about these same things, the careful investigator of things pertaining to Basques, Fr. Gabriel de Henao. This book, which was unknown to the authors of the Bibliothecae scriptorum Societatis Jesu, has not yet entered the fray. — Recently Fr. P. L. Michel published the genealogical table, Vie de St. Ignace, Bruges, 1893.] |
| DE VITA P. IGNATII ET SOCIETATIS JESU INITIIS THE BEGINNINGS OF THE SOCIETY OF JESUS | ON THE LIFE OF FATHER IGNATIUS AND THE BEGINNINGS OF THE SOCIETY OF JESUS |
| CAPUT PRIMUM | CHAPTER I |
| DE REBUS P. IGNATII ANTEQUAM AD VITAE NOVAE INSTITUTIONEM A DOMINO VOCARETUR | ON THE HISTORY OF FATHER IGNATIUS BEFORE HE WAS CALLED BY GOD TO BEGIN A NEW LIFE |
| Ignatius de Loyola, quem divina Providencia in primum auctorem ac institutorem Societatis Jesu assumere dignata est, ex Cantabriae parte, quae in Pyrenaeis montibus est, quam Guipuzcoam, et peculiari nomine Provinciam vocant, ortus est. Ejus pater Beltramus, nobilium domorum Loyola et Onaz dominus, qui ab eisdem cognomen habuit, vir illustris, et magnae auctoritatis fuit. Utraque autem praedicta domus in districtu est oppidi Azpeitiae; nam pro more ejus regionis, extra oppida, ad modum villarum, domus nobilium ab antiquissimis saeculis sitae sunt, inter quas, clariores familiae parentum majorum dicuntur, quos velut capita multae aliae sequi solent; et utraque, scii. Loyola et Oftaz, familia hujusmodi est. Aliqui anno a nativitate Domini 1491 natum Ignatium censuerunt, qui eius nutricis sententiam secuti videntur; sed si eidem Ignatio de vitae suae et de conversionis annis credendum est, potius (ut ego quidem sentio), natus est ille anno Domini 1495 sub rege Ferdinando V et Isabella, regibus Hispaniae catholicis. | Ignatius Loyola, whom divine Providence deigned to choose as the first author and founder of the Society of Jesus, was born in a part of the Pyrenees mountains in the Basque province of Guipúzcoa. His father Beltrán, lord of the noble houses of Loyola and Oñaz, who derived his name from them, was a famous man and a man of great authority. But both of the mentioned houses are in the district of the city of Azpeitia; for, according to the custom of the region, outside of the towns, and something like villas, the homes of the nobles have been located for many centuries; among them, the more illustrious families are called major parents, whom many others are accustomed to follow as their leaders; and both of these families, that is, Loyola and Oñaz, are of this nature. Some have thought that Ignatius was born in the year 1491, and they seem to have followed the opinion of his nurse; but if one is to believe Ignatius himself speaking about his life and the years of his conversion, he was born rather (as I think) in the year of our Lord 1495 under king Ferdinand V and Isabella, the Catholic rulers of Spain. |
| [1. Controversiam hanc de anno nativitatis Sancti Ignatii vide, sis, in Boletin de la Real Academia de la Historia, tom. XVII , pag. 517-518. Madrid, 1890. — A plerisque nunc indubitandum habetur natum fuisse Ignatium 25, Decembris 1491. Et in hac sententia prius fuisse ipse Polancus infra videbitur. — De Sancti Ignatii patre, matre, cognatis, et genere multa inventes in libris Patris Moret, S. J . , quibus titulus Anales de Navarra, et plura adhuc in libro, quem de hac unicere scriptum reliquit, Cantabrarum rerum diligens investigator, P. Gabriel de Henao, qui liber, ab auctoribus Bibliothecae scriptorum Societatis Jesu ignoratus, nondum praelo mandatus est. — Genealogicum familiae stemma edidit nuper P. L . Michel, Vie de St. Ignace, Bruges, 1893. Nos aliud magis absolutum et ad nostra usque tempora deductum hic edemus. | See the controversy about the year of the birth of Saint Ignatius in Boletin de la Real Academia de la Historia, Vol. XVII, pp. 517-518, Madrid, 1890. – Now it is held by most as without doubt that Ignatius was born on December 25, 1491. And below it will be seen that formerly Polanco was of the same opinion. – About the father, mother, relatives and family you will find many things in the books of Father Moret, S.J., the title of which is Anales de Navarra. And there are still more things in the book which he wrote about these same things, the careful investigator of things pertaining to Basques, Fr. Gabriel de Henao. This book, which was unknown to the authors of the Bibliothecae scriptorum Societatis Jesu, has not yet entered the fray. — Recently Fr. P. L. Michel published the genealogical table, Vie de St. Ignace, Bruges, 1893.] |