The  Protestants,  however,  being  in  so  large  a  majority,  threatened
to  take  up  arms  in  their  defence  against  the  Duke,  who,  then
yielding,  addressed  himself  to  Pope  Pius  IV.,  asking  the  ques-
tion whether  all  this  contention  might  not  best  be  settled  by  a
religious  conference. The  Pope's  answer  to  this  was  No  t
Nothing  had  been  hitherto  gained  in  such  matters  by  religious
disputations. No  !  A  religious  conference  must  not  by  any
means  take  place,  but  he  would  send  some  theologians  in  order^
to  instruct  the  ignorant  in  the  true  faith. "  Moreover,"  added
he,   in  concluding   his  written  communication,    "  no    instance


THE    POWEEPUL    INFLUENCE    OF    THE    JESUITS. 165

as  known  where  such  a  matter  has  been  arranged  by  clemency;
ibut  experience  teaches  that  the  best  means  of  conversion  liay
in  the  hands  of  justice,  and  when  this  failed,  from  being  too
weak,  there  remained  military  coercion.''

Who,  then,  were  those  theologians  whom  Pius  IV. directed
•should  be  sent  to  Savoy  ?  Oh  !  he  himself,  indeed,  sent
none ;  but  he  charged  the  General  of  the  Jesuits,  Laynez,
with  the  carrying  out  of  the  matter,  and  the  latter  caused
iFather  Anton  Possevin,  a  man  who  afterwards  became  so
notorious,  to  proceed  to  the  Ducal  Court  on  this  mission,
in  order  to  negotiate  with  Philibert  Emanuel  regarding  the
■establishment  of  some  Jesuit  colleges. This,  however,  was
only  one  part  of  his  task. The  other  and  much  more  impor-
tant duty  consisted  in  this — that  the  ruler  of  Savoy  should
be  induced  to  make,  once  for  all,  a  complete  end  of  the  aflFair  by
the  extirpation  of  the  heretics  now  and  for  ever. Possevin  soon
found  that  the  Duke,  who  from  his  long  experience  in  the  field
AS  a  General  of  Charles  V. and  Philip  II. had  become  very
•domineering,  being  particularly  distinguished,  also,  as  a  tolerably
'wild  prince,  did  precisely  all  that  the  Jesuit  desired  of  him,
^although  not  being  himself  conscious  of  it. Above  everything
ithe  latter  brought  it  about  that  Philibert  Emanuel,  through  his
influence,  permitted  the  erection  of  two  colleges. 