also those played for money or other gain, such as games with cards or dice. Books, bags, belts, etc., must not be lost or sold, and no trading carried on in the school. Those who play about in the privies, or who stay longer than is necessary, are to be flogged.
Flogging was used in all educational establishments, whether at Port Royal or under the jesuits. There was, however, a Jansenist named Varet who was not afraid to write that 'the severity recommended by Holy Writ is much better exercised and more in accordance with the spirit of God, by the refusal of a kiss or caress, rather than by the use of a rod.' It wasn't that he wished to spare them pain, for he adds: 'If they have some infirmity or sickness, although in secret you spare no effort to cure them, try however to teach them to bear their pains with resignation.'
It would appear that the rigour of the pedagogical rules of the jesuits has been exaggerated. A number of stories, and some of them only stories, have contributed to establish this reputation: this one, for instance, from the Memoirs of the Count de
