Two months were passed away in these exercises of charity. After which he
set forward on his journey to Rome with the other disciples of Ignatius,
who himself stayed behind alone at Venice. They underwent great hardships
in their way. It rained continually, and bread was often wanting to them,
even when their strength was wasted. Xavier encouraged his companions,
and sustained himself by that apostolic spirit with which God replenished
him from that time forwards, and which already made him in love with pain
and sufferings.

Being arrived at Rome, his first care was to visit the churches, and to
consecrate himself to the ministry of the gospel, upon the sepulchre of
the holy apostles. He had the opportunity of speaking more than once
before the Pope: for the whole company of them being introduced into the
Vatican, by Pedro Ortiz, that Spanish doctor whom they had formerly
known at Paris, and whom the emperor had sent to Rome for the affair
concerning the marriage of Catharine of Arragon, queen of England, Paul
the Third, who was a lover of learning, and who was pleased to be
entertained at his table with the conversation of learned men, commanded
that these strangers, whose capacity he had heard so extremely praised,
should be admitted to see him for many days successively; and that in his
presence they should discourse concerning divers points of
school-divinity.

Having received the benediction of our holy father for their voyage to
the Holy Land, and obtained the permission for those amongst them who
were not in sacred orders, to receive them, they returned to Venice.
Xavier there made his vows of poverty and perpetual chastity, together
with the rest, in the hands of Jeronimo Veralli, the Pope's nuncio; and
having again taken up his post in the hospital of the incurable, he
resumed his offices of charity, which his journey to Rome had constrained