This volume provides the first modern English translation of Étienne Pasquier's Jesuits' catechism (1602), an essential addition to Brill's Jesuit Studies series and an ideal inauguration for the new Anti-Jesuit Literature series. Published in the form of a dialogue between a Jesuit and a lawyer, the Catechism represents the ‘culmination’ of its author's ‘lifelong and somewhat obsessive’ opposition to the Society of Jesus (p. xii) and stands as a significant intervention in the ideological struggles over the nature of religion and monarchy in France. In fact, not only did the Catechism become a reference point for anti-Jesuit propaganda, with a circulation beyond the French borders in English, Dutch and German translations, but also a key composition for opponents of Bourbon absolutism.
This new English edition opens with a wide-ranging historical introduction by Jotham Parsons, which contextualises the Catechism and its author's political and intellectual life. Details of Pasquier's legal training and historical expertise are provided, such as his use of history and historical records, which helpfully illuminate aspects of his work (pp. xiv–xvi). The introduction is followed by Patricia Ranum's translator's preface which includes an interesting discussion of Pasquier's style and comments on Ranum's own research to recover the ‘surprising’ and challenging vocabulary of the Catechism in translation (pp. xli–xlii). The sections dedicated to Louis Richeome's The hunt for Pasquin the Fox, published in reply to Pasquier's Catechism, shed further light on important aspects of the reception and significance of the Catechism (pp. lvi–lxiv).
The volume is very well thought out and carefully constructed despite a couple of drawbacks. A complete bibliography would have been a helpful addition, and Ranum's preface is unfortunately partially undermined by some confusing repetitions (for example, section 2 on p. xxxvii and section 7 on p. l). To my mind, the scholarly apparatus is one of the strongest merits of this volume, making it a precious scholarly resource. The footnotes have been conceived very thoughtfully and they supply very valuable information on historical figures, events and literary allusions that make the text approachable and engaging, without overburdening the reader. Of much interest too are the notes devoted to terms difficult to translate and the explanation of various types of puns and wordplay, which highlight typical features of polemical literature (i.e. p. 81 n. 6; p. 114 n. 3; p. 413 n. 11). The list of contents of the Catechism at the beginning of the volume and the analytical index at its end are well designed additions that assist the consultation of a dense text such as Pasquier's.
