John Poynder provides a fascinating history of the Jesuits, one of the most influential Catholic orders in history. Along with an in-depth exploration of the order's origins and development, Poynder offers a detailed critique of Alexander Dallas's defense of the Jesuits, making this work an essential read for religious scholars and historians. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.