第26章

They mention a number of cases in which they may, and among others the following: 'If he has laid it aside for an infamous purpose, such as to pick pockets or to go incognito into haunts of profligacy, meaning shortly after to resume it.' It is evident the bulls have no reference to cases of that description." I could hardly believe that and begged the father to show me the passage in the original.He did so, and under the chapter headed "Practice according to the School of the Society of Jesus"- Praxis ex Societatis Jesu Schola- I read these very words: Si habitum dimittat ut furetur occulte, vel fornicetur.He showed me the same thing in Diana, in these terms: Ut eat incognitus ad lupanar."And why, father," I asked, "are they discharged from excommunication on such occasions?" "Don't you understand it?" he replied."Only think what a scandal it would be, were a monk surprised in such a predicament with his canonicals on! And have you never heard," he continued, "how they answer the first bull contra sollicitantes and how our four-and-twenty, in another chapter of the Practice according to the School of our Society, explain the bull of Pius V contra clericos, &c.?" "I know nothing about all that," said I."Then it is a sign you have not read much of Escobar," returned the monk."I got him only yesterday, father, said I; "and I had no small difficulty, too, in procuring a copy.I don't know how it is, but everybody of late has been in search of him." "The passage to which I referred," returned the monk, "may be found in treatise I, example 8, no.102.Consult it at your leisure when you go home." I did so that very night; but it is so shockingly bad that I dare not transcribe it.The good father then went on to say: "You now understand what use we make of favourable circumstances.Sometimes, however, obstinate cases will occur, which will not admit of this mode of adjustment; so much so, indeed, that you would almost suppose they involved flat contradictions.For example, three popes have decided that monks who are bound by a particular vow to a Lenten life cannot be absolved from it even though they should become bishops.And yet Diana avers that notwithstanding this decision they are absolved."And how does he reconcile that?" said I."By the most subtle of all the modern methods, and by the nicest possible application of probability," replied the monk."You may recollect you were told the other day that the affirmative and negative of most opinions have each, according to our doctors, some probability enough, at least, to be followed with a safe conscience.Not that the pro and con are both true in the same sense- that is impossible- but only they are both probable and, therefore, safe, as a matter of course.On this principle our worthy friend Diana remarks: 'To the decision of these three popes, which is contrary to my opinion, I answer that they spoke in this way by adhering to the affirmative side- which, in fact, even in my judgement, is probable; but it does not follow from this that the negative may not have its probability too.' And in the same treatise, speaking of another subject on which he again differs from a pope, he says: 'The pope, I grant, has said it as the head of the Church; but his decision does not extend beyond the sphere of the probability of his own opinion.' Now you perceive this is not doing any harm to the opinions of the popes; such a thing would never be tolerated at Rome, where Diana is in high repute.For he does not say that what the popes have decided is not probable; but leaving their opinion within the sphere of probability, he merely says that the contrary is also probable.""That is very respectful," said I."Yes," added the monk, "and rather more ingenious than the reply made by Father Bauny, when his books were censured at Rome; for, when pushed very hard on this point by M.Hallier, he made bold to write: 'What has the censure of Rome to do with that of France?'

You now see how, either by the interpretation of terms, by the observation of favourable circumstances, or by the aid of the double probability of pro and con, we always contrive to reconcile those seeming contradictions which occasioned you so much surprise, without ever touching on the decisions of Scripture, councils, or popes." "Reverend father," said I, "how happy the world is in having such men as you for its masters! And what blessings are these probabilities! I never knew the reason why you took such pains to establish that a single doctor, if a grave one, might render an opinion probable, and that the contrary might be so too, and that one may choose any side one pleases, even though he does not believe it to be the right side, and all with such a safe conscience, that the confessor who should refuse him absolution on the faith of the casuists would be in a state of damnation.But I see now that a single casuist may make new rules of morality at his discretion and dispose, according to his fancy, of everything pertaining to the regulation of manners." "What you have now said," rejoined the father, "would require to be modified a little.Pay attention now, while I explain our method, and you will observe the progress of a new opinion, from its birth to its maturity.First, the grave doctor who invented it exhibits it to the world, casting it abroad like seed, that it may take root.In this state it is very feeble; it requires time gradually to ripen.