suet and Fenelon, and also some works of unconverted Protestants. I found in the works of Bossuet, Fenelon, and Sailer, the true Catholic principles, which are entirely opposed to the abuses which are practised in Rome! I began to consider Augustin, Polycarp, Jerome, Bernard, as fruits of the tree of grace. I saw, on the contrary, in the works of the Protestants which I read at that time in Munich, infidelity and blasphemies against Christ, and began to judge about the spirit of Protestantism by these few works. I had not seen at that time the works of the most enlightened Storr, Milner, Scott, Melancthon, and Luther: I must likewise sincerely confess that my soul was not yet prepared in a true way to embrace the grace of Christianity. I read at the same time some books which influenced my imagination, viz. the works of our German poets, Schiller, Wieland, Goethe, and Kotzebue, together with the truly spiritual works of Stolberg. But I entered not yet into the recesses of my heart to speak with Christ as with my friend! I had opinions of Christ, and only a speculative faith! The Lord, therefore, who watches his sanctuary, and who loved me more than I loved him, prevented my being then baptized. A Jew, when truly called to the Christian faith, reads not such worldly books.

I left Munich and came to W. and I can freely assert that I found only two old women in that city who were true Christians. I came to one of the most learned men of that city, who conversed with me about religion, and said he had a great re

spect for the Christian religion, because it was the true natural religion; but that he thought the religion of the Hindoos in certain points more perfect than Christ's religion, for they consider the beasts and the flowers as their brethren. Another of their learned men said, "If you believe a revelation which passes the human understanding, I would counsel you to embrace the Catholic faith: but when you are a naturalist as I am, I counsel you to embrace our Protestant religion, because Protestantism corresponds to the human nature.'

After I had been four months in W. giving lessons in Hebrew, I departed for Swizerland and came to Soleure, where an ex-Jesuit began to teach me not the Gospel, but a little Catechism, which I was obliged to learn by heart. I lodged in the house of a citizen, where I likewise boarded. We dined together, and before we sat down, the master of the house and his wife turned their faces to an image of the Virgin Mary and of Christ, in order to ask a blessing. I turned my face to the window. The wife said to me, pointing with the finger to the image of Christ, "Mr. Wolf, our Lord is not at the window; he is there." I considered this as idolatrous, and said with anger, "Our Lord is at the window and every where; and this is not our Lord, it is only a piece of wood." The master of the lodging, and his wife then accused me to the ex-Jesuit, and he commanded me to ask pardon for the scandal which I gave. I would not, and therefore left Soleure; and in three weeks after I arrived a second time in Prague, where I heard a Francis

can monk preach the gospel of Christ, and not popery and superstition: I went to him after he had finished his sermon, and he introduced me to the Vicar-General of the Archbishop of Prague. This venerable Vicar-General recommended me to the care of an abbot of a Benedictine convent in Prague; and a monk of this convent read with me the Prophets, the Gospel, and the most spiritual works of Catholic authors, viz. Stolberg's, Sailer's, Schwarzhueber's, Thomas a Kempis, and Augustin's; and after six weeks I was baptized in the name of Christ, being seventeen years old at my baptism. They advised me to go Vienna, and study philosophy and the oriental dialects. I did so; but the want of sustenance, and being obliged to give lessons, hindered my improving in philosophical learning and languages as I wished.

I must now mention something which had considerable influence on my future conduct. I sought, when I arrived at Vienna, some good Catholic Christians, and especially a pious confessor. I heard a good deal of F. S. who is one of the most learned men and excellent poets in Germany: he was once a Protestant Christian only in name; for his religion was formed upon the model of the ancient Greeks and Romans. His lady was the daughter of the famous Jew called M. Mendelsohn of Berlin, and both became Catholics by persuasion. I introduced myself to them, and was kindly received his lady is indeed a true Christian, and inherits the talents of her father. She and her husband recommended me to their confessor called

Pater Hofbauer. If the Lord our God had not watched over me, I should now have been entirely initiated in the abominable system of Jesuitism; and indeed I was too much the dupe of it. I did not then discern the sophistry of the system. But by the grace of God I saw it after my departure from Rome, through experience of its deformity. It is well perhaps that I here give the character of P. Hofbauer. Pope Ganganelli abolished the Jesuits, and died soon after that noble decision. The popes after him lamented it, and considered the loss of the Jesuits as the loss of their best soldiers; they purposed therefore again to re-establish this order; but as they could not yet do it openly, Alfonsio Maria Lignori, Bishop of Agatha in the kingdom of Naples, established a new religious order, and gave to it the name, Congregatio Sanctissimi Redemptoris, the statutes and manners of it being precisely those of the Jesuits. Their common habit is a black rough garment, to which a long chaplet of the Virgin Mary is attached. Their shoes are without buckles, and hats large, but whilst engaged in a mission, they use any sort of dress. And Bishop Lignori, by his zeal and eloquence, and feigned holiness, and pretended miracles, brought many young men to embrace his new order. P. Hofbauer came from Vienna to Rome: when the order was sanctioned by Benedict XIV., he was incorporated with it, and afterwards sent by Pius VI. as Vicar-General to Germany and Poland, and thence he went to several places in Germany. When Hofbauer came to the diocese of

Constance, he petitioned Baron Wessenberg to give him a place as confessor: Baron W. made him confessor of a nunnery in his diocese; but when he began to engage young men as noviciates for his religious order, without permission of the baron or of the government, and to propagate the doctrine of worshipping the Virgin Mary, and to distribute amongst the people miraculous images and scapularies according to the commandment of Lignori, and likewise a work of Lignori, entitled, Visitationes beatæ Virginis Mariæ, an idolatrous book, Wessenberg expelled him from that country; and he departed with the noviciates he had engaged, and came to Warsaw, from whence he was again expelled in the year 1806 by the French, and every member of his convent ordered to return to his own country. P. Hofbauer with another, proceeded to Vienna, but the other subjects of his order went to the Valais, in Swizerland. When the police of Stettin asked a lay-brother of that order, from what country are you? he answered, I am from the Valais: the police understood that he was born there, and by this Jesuitism was deceived. I discovered all this after my banishment from Rome, when I entered in their convent in Swizerland. This same lay-brother is considered as a saint by his religious brethren.

While Hofbauer was my spiritual guide, one of his fraternity told me that Hofbauer was VicarGeneral of a Missionary order; I replied with joy, that it was always my intention to become a Mis