a genus of plants, belonging to the pentandra class. See Botany Index.

IGNATIUS LOYOLA, (canonized), the founder of the well-known order of the Jesuits, was born at the castle of Loyola, in Biscay, 1491; and became first page to Ferdinand V, king of Spain, and then an officer in his army. In this last capacity, he signalized himself by his valour; and was wounded in both legs at the siege of Pampeluna, in 1521. To this circumstance the Jesuits owe their origin; for, while he was under cure of his wound, a Life of the Saints was put into his hands, which determined him to forfeit the military for the ecclesiastical profession. His first devout exercise was to dedicate himself to the blest virgin as her knight: he then went a pilgrimage to the Holy Land; and on his return to Europe, he continued his theological studies in the universities of Spain, though he was then 33 years of age. After this he went to Paris; and in France laid the foundation of this new order, the institutes of which he presented to Pope Paul III. who made many objections to them, but at last in 1540 confirmed the institution. The founder died in 1555, and left his disciples two famous books; 1. Spiritual exercises; 2. Constitutions or rules of the order. But it must be remembered, that though these avowed institutes contain many privileges obnoxious to the welfare of society, the most diabolical are contained in the private rules, intitled Monita secretæ, which were not discovered till towards the close of the last century; and most writers attribute these, and even the Constitutions, to Laynez, the second general of the order.