Ignatius His Conclave by John Donne

First published: 1611

Type of work: Theological satire

Critical Evaluation:

In Ignatius His Conclave, the Anglican divine John Donne wrote a satire that is at times fanciful, at times devastating, and on occasion screamingly vindictive against the Jesuits. In the final scene Ignatius Loyola, Spanish founder of the Society of Jesus, seats himself next to Lucifer in Hell. Ignatius His Conclave appeared in both Latin and an English “translation.” A foreword purported to be by the printer but obviously by Donne states that the author was unwilling to have the book published but finally permitted the printer, who cites the examples of Erasmus and Luther, to publish it.

Intending to annihilate the Jesuits with satire, Donne allows his wit and invention to be overpowered by venom. Ignatius’ lengthy oration listing the vices of the Popes becomes tedious. Even tedium, however, cannot darken the flashes of Donne’s imagination which dart throughout the satire. The comments of his “disembodied soul” are almost always delightful. His awareness of Galileo’s discovery of the telescope made public only a year before this satire was written and his use of the Copernican cosmography set Donne in advance of Milton, who preferred to follow Ptolemy. His conquest of space and awareness of “other worlds” on stars make him sound contemporary. The upside down standards in Hell in which vice becomes virtue foreshadow Fielding.

Donne says that his “little wandring sportful Soule” went traveling through the universe while he lay in an “extasie.” He prefers to be silent concerning the Heavens rather “than to do Galileo wrong by speaking of it, who of late hath summoned the other worlds, the Stars to come neerer to him and give him an account of themselves.” He “saw all the rooms of Hell open to my sight.” In the most remote room, he finds Pope Boniface III and Mahomet contending about the highest room in the secret place of Hell reserved for the greatest innovators. Boniface glories in having expelled an old religion and Mahomet in bringing in a new. Donne thinks that Mahomet has no chance of winning because he attributed something to the Old Testament and his followers live in “barren unanimity.” Boniface has a better chance because he had not only ignored but destroyed the policy of the State of Israel established in the Old Testament and his successors in the several orders “have ever been fruitful in bringing forth new sinnes, new pardons, and idolatries and King-killings.”

As Donne’s soul stands listening, pretenders to the eminence of innovator ask admission. The first is Copernicus, whom Donne is surprised to see until he remembers that the Papists have extended heresy to include almost everything. Copernicus says that, pitying Lucifer thrust into the center of the earth, he raised him and his prison the earth up into the heavens so that God no longer enjoys his revenge on him. He has “turned the whole frame of the world” and is “thereby, almost a new Creator.”

Lucifer is in a quandary. He thinks that to deny Copernicus admission would be unjust but to admit one of his ambitions and undertakings is dangerous. Ignatius Loyola, who had subtly worked his way up to the Devil’s chair, perceives this perplexity. Although, says Donne, Ignatius in life was ignorant and had never heard of either Ptolemy or Copernicus and might have thought that Almagest, Zenith, and Nadir were saints’ names and “fit to bee put in the Litanie, and Ora pro nobis joyned to them,” he had learned a great deal in Hell from the Jesuits arriving there daily. Ignatius asks Copernicus if he has invented anything which benefits Lucifer. Ignatius thinks not. He also says that Copernicus’ findings may be true. Ignatius thinks that Clavius, who designed the Gregorian calendar and denied Copernicus and “the truth which at that time, was creeping into every mans minde,” better deserves admission. The new Calendar has “egregiously troubled” both heaven and earth. The saints no longer know when their days are. St. Stephen and John the Baptist have to be awakened ten days sooner so that they can come down to the places where their relics are preserved and work miracles. “Let, therefore, this little Mathematitian (dread Emperour) withdraw himselfe to his owne company.” If the Pope should decree that the earth does not move and that an anathema shall be inflicted on all that hold with Copernicus, then he and his followers “may have the dignity of this place.” Copernicus stands as still “as he thinks the sun.”

When the next pretender says that he is “Philippus Aureolus Theophrastus Paracelsus Bombast of Hohenheim,” Lucifer trembles, thinking this a new exorcism, perhaps the first verse of St. John taken out of the Welsh or Irish Bible. When he understands that the words are the name of a newcomer, he recovers and asks what the new arrival has to say to the Great Emperor Sathan, Lucifer, Belzebub, Leviathan, Abaddon. Paracelsus (a German physician and alchemist, 1493-1541) asks to be admitted because his experiments and medicines have killed many while assuring them that their diseases, especially the pox, were curable. Thinking themselves in no danger, these ill people persevered in licentiousness. Also, Paracelsus made poison tasteless.

Ignatius asks why Paracelsus should be favored when the Jesuits, though untrained, practice medicine? He tells Lucifer that men like Paracelsus tamper with metals belonging to Lucifer. Why should these metals be used to cure disease when they could more fittingly be given as tribute to Lucifer’s brother and colleague, the Pope? Paracelsus will have to be content to govern in chief that “Legion of homicide-phisitians, and of Princes which shall be made away by poyson in the midst of their sins, and of woemen tempting by paintings and face-physicke.” Paracelsus accepts this decision.

Machiavelli decides to outwit Ignatius, who is making all the judgments. Instead of addressing Lucifer, Machiavelli speaks to Ignatius as next after Lucifer, his “beloved son.” He intends to make Lucifer feel that Ignatius threatens his authority. Machiavelli says that Ignatius’ sons have brought equivocation into the world. This they learned from “The secretest Records of Hell itselfe: that is out of the minds of Lucifer, the Pope, and Ignatius (persons truly equivocal) [who] have raised the life againe the language of the tower of Babel, so long concealed and brought us againe from understanding one another.” Compared to the achievements of the Jesuits, his efforts, Machiavelli says, seem childish; yet he has provided the Jesuits with an alphabet and certain elements and was a schoolmaster to them. He says that he taught not only the prince how to possess a free commonwealth through perfidy and dissembling of religion but also the people under his oppression how to conspire and remove a tyrant “so that from both sides, both from Prince and People, I brought in an abundant harvest, and a noble increase to this kingdom.”

Moved by his oration, Lucifer feels that he is bound to reward Machiavelli. Aware of Ignatius’ ambition, he thinks Machiavelli a fit “instrument to oppose against him.” However, Ignatius, more subtle than the Devil, throws himself at his feet and adores him. Finally, getting control of his voice, Ignatius charged that this “obscure Florentine” has transgressed against Lucifer, the Pope, and the Order of the Jesuits. He says that Machiavelli flatters Lucifer in order to trap him. Machiavelli, he says, in life did not even believe in the Devil, thinking that all his inventions came from his own wit. He has belittled the Popes by attributing to them the sins of common men when, actually, their sins were so enormous and unusual that most men would never have thought of them. He gives a long catalogue of the sins of the Popes, ranging from granting indulgences for twenty thousand years for preposterous sins, to Popes who were guilty of all licentiousness and aberration, and finally to transferring empires, ruining kingdoms, and deposing kings. Also, he says, Machiavelli had said that the Pope is the prime mover of evil and so had bypassed the Devil himself. There is nothing in Machiavelli’s commentary which might be of use to the Church. Men knew how to lie long before Machiavelli. After a long discourse on the “reforms” in the Devil’s religion comparable to the reformation in the Church, Ignatius concludes, “In all times there have been Friers which have far exceeded Machiavel.”

Machiavelli, at last, vanishes. Donne says, “Truely, I thought this Oration of Ignatius overlong, and I began to thinke of my body which I had so long abandoned, lest it should putrefy, or grow mouldy, or bee buried.”

When Lucifer decides to withdraw to his room and admit none but Ignatius, he is surrounded by a whole army of souls begging for admission. Among them is Christopher Columbus “who having found all waies in the earth and sea open to him did not feare any difficulty in Helle.” Ignatius sees that Columbus and all the rest are turned away to lower regions. Lucifer, fearing for his authority, decides to make one decision of his own, to admit Philip Nerius (Saint Philip, Filippo Nero, 1515-1595, Italian priest, founder of Congregation of the Oratory). After a long debate with Ignatius about Nerius, Lucifer yields when he sees that Ignatius has given a sign and all his Jesuits are ready to support him. The English legion, he notes, is fiercer than the rest.

Seeing no way to leave out Ignatius, Lucifer tells him that he cannot divide his kingdom with him nor can Ignatius inherit it because Lucifer cannot die. However, he will write to the Bishop of Rome who will have Galileo draw the moon like a boat closer to the earth. All the Jesuits will cross to the moon, where they can easily unite and reconcile the “Lunatique Church” to the Roman Church. After the Jesuits have been on the moon a little while, there will grow naturally a Hell over which Ignatius may have dominion. He may even advance to the other stars, “which are also thought to be worlds.” Lucifer tells Ignatius that he may “beget and propagate many Hells, and enlarge your empire, and so come nearer unto the high seat which I left at first.”

A false rumor reaches Hell that the Pope has canonized Ignatius. Ignatius turns to find the seat next to Lucifer taken by Pope Boniface. Lucifer, afraid of losing his seat to Ignatius, helps him hurl Boniface from this eminence.

Donne’s spirit returns to his body. He says that after seeing a Jesuit turn the Pope out of his chair in Hell, he suspects that the Jesuits will try as much in Rome.