The history of the popes, from the close of the middle ages : drawn ...

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HISTORY OF THE POPES.
of a noble family at Milan, the fifteen year old Sauli knocked
one day, dressed in cloth of silver, at the doors of the Barnabite
convent in that city, and asked to be received into the Order.
In order to test his firmness of purpose, he was ordered to go
in broad daylight, with a cross upon his shoulders, to the
market place and there preach a sermon on penance. Sauli
did as he was told, and found men ready to listen to him, which
is certainly a striking proof that, in spite of all their licentious-
ness, a true Christian spirit was still to be found in the great
cities of Italy. Ordained priest, this young man, who was so
full of talent, was first given a cure of souls at Pavia, where
he also taught philosophy and theology ; in 1567 he was
elected General of his Order, and in 1570 was made Bishop of
Aleria in Corsica by Pius V.^
Sauli found appalling conditions existing in the island.
After the insurrection of Sampieri (died 1567) the country
had become a desert, the people greatly reduced in numbers,
and in a state of absolute barbarism. Pestilence and famine,
too, were rife, agriculture was at a standstill, and men sub-
sisted on acorns and herbs. Filippini, the historian of Corsica,
gives the names of sixty places which were laid waste and
entirely deserted ; within a period of thirty years 28,000
murders had been committed.^ After his arrival in the island
Sauli wrote to Borromeo that in his whole diocese he could
not find two habitable rooms, and that he had not the materials
to build even a Capuchin's cell. In his episcopal city only
the walls of the cathedral and a fort were standing, everything
else had been destroyed by fire and pillaged. For the time
being, therefore, Sauli took up his residence at Corte, and
courageously began his episcopal labours. The means by
which he sought to repair the religious devastation were those
recommended by the Council of Trent. The first thing he
sought for was a supply of priests to instruct the people ;
gathered them together in synods to instruct them in their
1 By a bull dated " anno dell' incarnatione 1569, 4 id.
febr., i.e. February 10, 1570, printed in S. Alessandro Sauli, no
seqq. Cf. Premoli, Barnabiti (191 3), 231 seqq.
^F. Gregorovius, Corsica, I., Stuttgart, 1854, 54-56.
he