or the society of Jesus, a famous religious order in the Roman church, founded by Ignatius Loyola, a native of Guipuscoa in Spain, who in the year 1538 assembled ten of his companions at Rome, principally chosen out of the university of Paris, and made a proposal to them to form a new order; when, after many deliberations, it was agreed to add to the three ordinary vows of chastity, poverty, and obedience, a fourth; which was, to go into all countries whither the pope should please to send them, in order to make converts to the Roman church. Two years after, pope Paul III. gave them a bull, by which he approved this new order, giving them a power to make such statutes as they should judge convenient: on which, Ignatius was created general of the order; which in a short time spread over all the countries of the world, to which Ignatius sent his companions, while he stood at Rome, from whence he governed the whole society.

The entire society is composed of four sorts of members; novices, scholars, spiritual and temporal coadjutors, and professed members. The novices continue so two years; after which they are admitted to make the three simple vows, of chastity, poverty, and obedience, in the presence of their superiors; the scholars add some spiritual exercises to their studies. The spiritual coadjutors assist the professed members, and also make the three simple vows: the temporal coadjutors, or lay-brothers, take care of the temporal affairs of the society; and the professed members, which compose the body of the society, besides the three simple vows, add a special vow of obedience to the head of the church in every thing relating to missions among idolaters and heretics. They have professed houses for their professed members and their coadjutors; colleges, in which the sciences are taught to strangers; and seminaries, in which the young Jesuits go through a course of philosophy and theology. They are governed by a general, who has four assistants, and who appoints rectors, superiors of houses, provincials, visitors, and commissaries. The discipline of these houses, and especially of the colleges, was regulated by Ignatius himself. On account of the gross doctrines and bad practices of the Jesuits, the order, within these few years, has been suppressed in most Roman-catholic countries, the members banished, and their goods confiscated.