hen ready to embark at
Valencia to sail to Genoa, several of his well-wishers dissuaded him,
because, as they asserted, the Barbary pirates were on the sea with
many large ships. However, though they said a great deal to inspire
fear, still he did not hesitate. Having gone aboard a vessel, a great
storm arose during the voyage. This was mentioned before, where
Ignatius describes the three occasions on which he was in danger of
death. On this journey he suffered a great deal, as I shall now
relate. One day after landing he wandered from his path and followed a
road which ran along the bank of a river. The road was high, while far
below was the river deep and sluggish. The farther he advanced, the
narrower grew the road. At last he came to a spot where he could
neither go forward nor backward. He then began to advance on hands and
feet and continued thus for a long time, full of fear. For as often as
he moved it seemed to him that he would fall into the river. This was
the greatest of all the bodily labors that he ever experienced. At
last he escaped, but just as he was entering Bologna he fell from a
little bridge and was so wet and dirty from the mud and water as to
afford much laughter to a great crowd who observed the accident. From
his entrance into Bologna until his departure he begged for alms, and
though he went through the whole city, he did not receive so much as a
farthing. As he was ill, he rested for a while at Bologna. Thence he
directed his steps toward Venice, traveling always in the same way. At
Venice he spent his time in giving the Exercises and in other
spiritual works. Those to whom he gave the Exercises were Peter
Contarenus, Gaspar a Doctis, Rozes a Spaniard, and another Spaniard
named Hozes, who, like the pilgrim, was a great friend of the bishop.
Hozes at first would not make the Exercises, although he felt drawn to
do so. At last he resolved to undertake the work, and on the third or
fourth day he opened his mind to Ignatius. He said that he had feared
that by the Exercises his mind might be imbued with false doctrines.
Indeed, he had been persuaded by a man to be on his guard, and for
this reason he had brought along with him a book to use in case he
were imposed on. He made great progress in the Exercises, and finally
embraced that manner of life which Ignatius had established. He was
the first of the companions of the Saint to die.

At Venice another persecution was stirred up against Ignatius