THE ABBATE LEONE'S JESUIT CONSPIRACY
PROFESSES to reveal a "secret plan" of the Jesuits, the object of which is to overturn the liberties of the people while professing to advance them, in order to establish a despotic government in the favour of monarchs, over whose despotism the priests should domineer by means of a Papal theo- cracy; the conversion of the Protestant communities to Romanism form- ing part of the scheme. The fact of such a design being entertained rests solely upon the evidence of the Abbate Leone; and the tale he tells re- specting his discovery of the "Secret Plan of the Order" is so very strange, that his French translator, reviser, and editor, M. Victor Con- siderant, admits that incredulity is allowable. He himself, however, feels satisfied of Leone's veracity, by witnesses to character, his knowledge of the man, and the manner in which he has tested his account. This story is as follows.
The Abbate Leone is an Italian, who was educated for the church. The conversation of a spiritual friend directed his attention to the Jesuits, and BO excited young Leone by zeal and ambition that he determined to en- ter the order. In 1824, when he was about nineteen, he repaired to Turin for this purpose ; and, after the usual preliminary examination, was received into a seminary. He distinguished himself with the frequent zeal of novices, till his director had to restrain his ardour somewhat lest his health should suffer. Having been sent by his immediate superior to ask the rector's permission to walk in the garden, Leone found the room empty ; while waiting for the principal's return, he sauntered into the library or cabinet adjoining ; and was engaged in looking into some books of confessions he found there, which included his own, when he was startled by the return of the rector, accompanied by several brethren, strangers to the institution, and, as Leone inferred, superior members of the order. By an oversight, scarcely consistent with Jesuit caution, they sat down to a sort of conclave or council, without looking into the library. Leone was terribly frightened, and thought of various in. effectual plans of escape ; but when be found that they went on talking without regard to the inner room or what it might contain, he grew more composed, and, availing himself of a knowledge of short-band he bad ac- quired and practised for amusement, sat down and reported the speech, which he easily heard as the door was ajar. On the breaking up of the meeting, the rector accompanied his brethren, and thus gave Leone time to escape from the apartment. He was more lucky by the accident through which he contrived to evade the inquiries that were made as to where he had been ; but luckiest of all in the way in which he preserved his manuscript. Fright, disgust, and a fever the result of his fright, sickened Leone of the Jesuits, and he resolved to leave them ; much to their disappoint- ment, as, from what they said and from the character Leone read of him- self in the book of the boudoir, they seem rather to have considered him in the light of a prize. However, go he would, to the displeasure of Jesuits, friends, and his own family : but he still remained in WI,
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