Page:Historical account of Lisbon college.djvu/18



second President of the College was the celebrated Thomas Blacklow, alias White. At the time of the death of the late President he was in Rome, engaged in transacting some of the affairs of the English clergy. On his way from that city to Douay, he received the letters nominating him President of the College, and an injunction to proceed without delay to Lisbon, where he arrived in May, 1630.

Though short, the period of his Presidency was not unimportant, as it was he who drew up the Rules which, though modified to meet the altered circumstances of the times, are fundamentally those which still govern the house. Moreover he was mainly instrumental by his regulations in giving stability to and consolidating the new establishment.

The Constitution given to the College by the Rules drawn up by Blacklow, differs widely from that of Douay and, probably, from that of any other similar establishment. By these Rules, the government of the Lisbon House was vested in the Bishop of Chalcedon and his successors in the Vicariate of London. To them was given the nomination of the President whom they could remove at pleasure, and the confirmation of the Vice-President and the Confessarius. The President is not absolute in his authority, but has a Council of the other Superiors, to whom he is obliged to submit the consideration of all matters of importance and in which he has only a casting vote.

With regard to the studies, the regulation first laid down was, to have no other schools in the College but those of Philosophy and Theology; this, however, was soon abandoned as impracticable, and the Classical Course