SCRIBANIUS Carolus Litterae annuae Societatis Jesu, anni MDCII.

Sabin, 1607; Alden-Landis, 618/65; Pardo de Tavera, 1538 (under the supposed date of 1612 questioning the date of 1602).

FIRST EDITION of these letters from Jesuit missions including those in Mexico (pp. 251-283). The letters included a long detailed account regarding the general state of the educational institutions in Mexico followed by individual reports from the various colleges, residences, Indian missions, seminaries and other Jesuit institutions. This is followed by similar reports from the Philippines (pp. 284-296); the remainder are from the various European provinces. The colophon consists of a statement by Scribanius given as head of the province “Flandro-Belgicae” and on behalf of Mutio Vitelleschi, S.J. (1563 – 1645; the sixth Superior General of the Society of Jesus) granting the right to print these Jesuit annual letters to the heirs of Martin Nut; dated 12 August 1618.

Carolus Scribanius (1561-1629), an eminent Belgium humanist and author of the seventeenth century, made great contributions in promoting the development of Jesuit works and activities in the southern Netherlands. He was appointed rector of the College of Antwerp in 1598 and became Provincial in 1613 of his entire order for the South Dutch-Flemish region (Flandro-Belgicae). Scribanius was an important figure in the Counter Reformation, authored a number of anti-Calvinist tracts, opened the new novitiate in Mechelen and during his provincial term Jesuit colleges were opened in Mechelen (1615), Cassel (1617), Bailleul (1618) and Dunkirk (1618). Scribanius was sent to serve as rector to the College of Brussels in 1619 which was a position he held until 1625. OCLC records 8 institutional copies including 3 in the United States (Rutgers, Minnesota, and California State), 1 in Mexico City, 2 in Spain (Madrid and Grenada), and 2 in Italy (both Rome). Good copy.