Un Documento inédito de los jesuitas españoles en Amberes (1586): Presentación, Transcripción y Comentario

Vincent de Zeelander wrote this letter to a benefactor of the Society of Jesus, Fernando de Frías Ceballos, on 20 March 1586; the letter arrived in Medina del Campo on 26 April. Zeelander solicited contributions to rebuild the Jesuit house and church in Antwerp. This previously unpublished letter (currently in the possession of an antiquarian bookdealer in Brussels) provides interesting information regarding the precarious existence of the Jesuits after the “Protestant regime” in Antwerp from 1566 to 1576, and specific information about the location of the college, house and church, the Society’s benefactors, and the condition of Jesuit property at their return to Antwerp. The letter also provides a fascinating example of the rhetorical techniques employed by one Jesuit in his attempt to raise money.