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

280 HISTORY OF THE POPES.
with complete success ;^ with regard to the simple vows of
the scholastics the Pope declared himself satisfied, nor did he
insist any further on this point ; the reasons adduced also
convinced him that solemn office sung in choir was not com-
patible with the active work of the Jesuits in their care of
souls, but he felt that it was his duty to hold them to prayer
in choir, though without singing, and allowing the students
and colleges to be exempt ; in the case of the other churches of
the Order he said that he would be satisfied if, in the case of
necessity, the choir was formed of two persons only.^ Even
this obligation was only imposed orally, without any formal
annulment of the earlier Papal concessions, and with a further
grant of a delay pending the publication of the new breviary.^
In the professed house in Rome the choir was commenced in
1568,* but did not continue for long, since Pius V.'s successor,
Gregory XIII., revoked the order of his predecessor.
A much deeper blow was struck at the constitution of the
Society of Jesus by the decree of October 14th, 1568, which
made solemn vows a necessary condition for sacerdotal ordina-
tion in the case of religious. This decree had been in readiness
for some time ; as early as the Christmas of 1566 the Pope had
ordered his vicar-general not to admit to the priesthood any
religious who had only taken simple vows. The General of
the Jesuits, Francis Borgia, accordingly had recourse to the
Congregation of Cardinals to ask whether the Society of Jesus
was affected by this order notwithstanding the bulls of Paul III.
and Juhus III. The Congregation replied that the Jesuits
might continue to do as they had hitherto done, but that if a
priest was dismissed from the Order and found himself in
need, they must provide for his support. Neither the Jesuits
nor the Pope were satisfied with this reply ;
Pius V. ordered
the congregation to re-examine the question, and when it had
decided to abide by its decision, he still thought it better that
1 Extract in Sacchini P. III., i, 3, n. 1-22 ; cf. Astrain, II.,
318 seq.
^ Sacchini, loc. cit., n. 23.
« Ibid.
* Ibid. I, 4, n. 144.