in May a new dispensation was in place, and in the following year, a peace was concluded with the Spanish. Del Aguila was eventually exonerated, and in Ireland Carew ordered all Jesuits and seminary priests to depart the kingdom. Archer sought a return to Ireland, and for years afterwards his imminent arrival was touted in English government propaganda. But the remainder of his life was spent in Spain. The Irish College Fr. Archer was appointed prefect of mission by the Jesuit father-general, Fr. Claudio Acquaviva, with the task of coordinating the work of the Irish colleges in Iberia. At Salamanca, a dispute had arisen over allegations that the Jesuits were discriminating against Gaels in favour of Old English students from those parts of Ireland more loyal to the English crown. A Spanish rector was appointed after a royal inquiry, but Fr. Archer intervened, seeking greater safeguards for students from the Gaeltachtaí, and was granted his wish by the king. In 1610 the Salamanca institution became a Royal College. Archer spent much time at court, and his approach to his responsibilities is summed up in the following quote, concerning the opportunity afforded through the running of the seminaries: "if we do not take advantage of it we shall do nothing heroic or outstanding". Decline and death Archer began to suffer ill health in 1608, and little is known of him until 1613, when he stayed two months at Bordeaux on seminary business. He appears to have commanded respect for his devoted religious observance. In 1615 Archer again sought to return to Ireland, but his request was denied by the new Jesuit father—general, Mutius Vitelleschi. He spent the last years of his life at Santiago de Compostella as the spiritual father to the seminarians. On 15 February 1620, he died at the Irish college there. Legacy Archer became notorious for his contributions to the rebel cause during the Nine Years' War. However, his greater work was arguably in the establishment of the continental seminaries for Irish students, which went from strength to strength in the succeeding centuries and contributed greatly to the Counter-Reformation. References Sources The original version of this article relies on Thomas Morrissey S.J., James Archer of Kilkenny: an Elizabethan Jesuit (Dublin, 1979) McCoog, Thomas M. SJ The Society of Jesus in Ireland, Scotland and England 1598-1606 Leiden 2017 Counter-Reformation 16th-century Irish Jesuits 1550 births 1620 deaths 17th-century Irish Jesuits