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THE LIBRARIES
COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY
GIVEN BY
Virginia C, Gildersleeve
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HISTORY
INQUISITION
ESTABLISHMENT TILL THE PRESENT TIME
BY WILLIAM SIME,
AUTHOR OF THE HISTORIES OF THE REFORMATION, CHRISTIAN
CHURCH, WALDENSES, &C.
♦• Instruments of crueltj are in their habitation."— Gbn. xlix. 5.
PHILADELPHIA:
PRESBYTERIAN BOARD OF PUBLICATION.
GIFT OF
PREFACE
Among the numerous and varieJ methods which the
Popish Church has adopted, to maintain its usurped
sway over the minds and bodies of men, none has been
more effectual than the erection of the Inquisition.
Established for the purpose of taking cognizance of
what it styles heresy, many are the victims which this
tribunal has doomed to the rack and the flames, for en-
deavouring to regulate their faith and worship agreea-
bly to the unerring standard of revealed truth. For
aaany ages, its procedure was comparatively unknown,
the conduct of its ministers having been wrapt up in
that mysterious secrecy by which all its transactions
are characterized. What was long concealed is, how-
ever, now unfolded, by the productions of many unex-
ceptionable writers, not a few of whom were themselves
connected with the " holy office," and are consequently
well fitted to give ai impartial account of its iniquitous
acts and deeds.
The design, accordingly, of this little volume, is to
give a succinct and connected view of the rise, pro-
gress, and present state of that infamous tribunal, more
especially in Spain. Such a work, the writer conceives,
will not be without use, notwithstanding the many de-
tailed accounts that have been given of an institution,
which has been, and still is, an outrage on humanity.
To those whose avocations allow only of an occasional
perusal of books, the fcUowing sheets will afford infor-
mation on this subject, to obtain which otherwise, the
iii
iV PREFACE.
reading of many large works would be necessary ; and
to the young student, it is hoped, they may pave the
way for future research, excite an earl> abhorrence of
tyranny and bigotry, and nurture the spirit of Christian
philanthropy and liberality.
It has been the aim of the writer to condense as much
information within a small compass as possible. Not
a few cases of well-attested individual suffering have
also been introduced, illustrative of the various topics
brought forward in the course of the work.
It may also be mentioned, that the utmost care has
been taken to insure the authenticity of the statements
which are advanced; though it was deemed inexpedient
to enlarge the volume by notes of reference to the wri-
ters whence it is compiled, these for the most part being
embodied in the text. To enumerate all the authors
whose writings have been consulted, is as unneces-
sary as it would be tedious. But it may be of import-
ance to state, that among others whose names will be
found in the work itself, materials have been collected
from Limborch, Baker, Hurd, Montanus, Salgado,
Father Paul, Gavin, Dellon, Buchanan, Puigblanch,
Llorente, Blanco White, and Don Juan Van Halen.
EriNBURGH, July, 1834.
CONTENTS
CHAPTER I.
Persecution for religious opinions, opposed to the spirit
of Christianity, and to the sentiments of the primi-
tive fathers — it increases with the growth of the
Papal authority — edicts of the synod of Tours and
of the Roman Pontiff against the Waldenses — the
foundation of the Inquisition laid by Regnier and
Guy — Innocent III. institutes two new orders of regu-
/Tars — birth and education of St. Dominic — his erec-
j tion of the Inquisition, and thirst for human blood —
procedure of the first Inquisitors — difficulties which
had to be surmounted previous to the establishment
of the Inquisition — edicts of Frederick II. against
heresy — erection of Inquisitorial tribunals indifferent
countries — letter of Pope Gregory IX. to the Inquisi-
tors — successful resistance of several states against
the erection of these Courts, - - - 9
CHAPTER 11.
Rise and progress of the Inquisition in Spain — new pri-
vileges conferred on the Inquisitors — their proceed-
ings — sketch of the government of the ancient Span-
ish Inquisition — dreadful persecution of the Jews and
Moors at Seville in 1481 — they are exposed to similar
^persecutions in the other provinces of Spain — Tor-
^ quemada appointed Inquisitor-general — he frames
^laws for the government of the different tribunals—
his audacity and cruelty — proceedings of his succes-
sors Deza and Ximenes — the Reformers' works pro
scribed— zeal of the Emperor Charles V. in behalf
of the Inquisition — his son Philip II. is still more
superstitious and intolerant — horrid cruelty of that
infatuated monarch — his efforts to establish the
5* (V)
VI CONTENTS.
Inquisition in every part of his dominions—ignorance
of the Inquisitors— ludicrous trial of the famous
Galileo before the "Holy Tribunal." - - 25
CHAPTER HI.
Appointment of the Inquisitors in Spain — their exten-
sive privileges — they pretend to have jurisdiction
over the subjects of other states — imprisonment of
Thomas Maynard— dignity and splendour of the In-
quisitors — other officers belonging to the Inquisition
— procedure of the tribunal of the " Holy Ollice " —
eagerness of the Inquisitors to preserve secrecy in
all their transactions— their manner of receiving and
interrogating informers— their rigorous proceedings
towards any of their servants who may dare to vio-
late in the least their unjust orders— citing of the
witnesses — apprehension of the person accused—
his imprisonment — prisons of the Inquisition — exami-
nation of a culprit — artifice and injustice practised
by the judges to induce a person to criminate him-
self — striking example of their duplicity and bar-
barity. 56
CHAPTER IV.
Examination of the accused by torture — its different
degrees— Puigblanch's description of this inhuman
practice — it is sometimes inflicted on those who are
condemned to death— sufferings of William Lithgow
— innocence no protection against Inquisitorial cru-
elty — barbarous usage of Johanna Bohorques — differ-
ent punishments inflicted by the Inquisition — descrip-
tion of an auto-da-fe — procession which accompanies
the celebration of that ceremony — burning of heretics
— account of the splendid auto-da-fe' which took place
at Madrid in 1680— penitential habits which are worn
by the criminals — hypocritical manner in which the In-
quisitors deliver over a culprit to the civil power. 79
CHAPTER V.
Auto-da-fe celebrated at Seville in 1560 — the Inquisitor-
general Valdes publishes a new code of laws for the
governmBni of the holy office— p'-oceedings of the In-
CONTENTS. Vll
quisition during the reigns of Philip III Philip IV.
and Charles II.~slate of the nation at the accession
of Philip V. — M. Legal, the French commander, levies
a contribution on the Dominicans in Saragossa— their
stratagem to elude payment—the Inquisitors excom-
municate M. Legal— he throws open the doors of the
Inquisition and liberates the prisoners — the freema-
sons become the objects of persecution by the holy
office— state of the Inquisition during the reigns of
Ferdinand VL Charles III. and Charles IV.— the In-
quisitors prohibit the reading of French works at the
period of the revolution in that kingdom— the Inquisi-
tion suppressed by Bonaparte and completely abol-
ished by the Cortes-General — it is re-established by
Ferdinand VII. — persecuting spirit of the modern In-
quisition—sufferings of Van Halen— sentence of death
by the pendulum passed by the Inquisitors in 1820, 102
CHAPTER VL
The horrid procedure of the Inquisition is never calcu-
lated to make converts— Case of Don Carlos de Sessa
— of Isaac Orobio— the punishments inflicted by the
holy tribunal encourage hypocrisy — examples — the
Inquisition frequently condemns the innocent— trial
of Melchior Hernandez — the Inquisitors proved to be
actuated by avarice in their condemnation of prison-
ers — examples— Nicholas Burton— a child— other of-
fences besides heresy taken cognizance of by the
Holy Office— its flagrant injustice — its barbarous
proceedings against the dead— Marc Antonio de Do-
minis, ^28
CHAPTER VIL
Hostility of the Inquisition to the progress of literature
and science— examples— Don Melchior de Macanaz
—Luis de Leon— Aonius Palearius— freemasonry a
peculiar object of persecution by the holy tribunal-
interesting trial of M. Tournon— his sentence— cruelty
of the Inquisition in the nineteenth century— affectmg
account of the sufferings of Don Miguel Juan An-
toni ) Solano— his death while confined in the prisons
Vlll CONTENTS.
of the Inquisition— he is denied Christian burial-
remarks by Puigblanch on the iniquitous procedure
of the holy office, - - - - 152
CHAPTER VIII.
Portuguese " holy tribunal" — imprisonment of Dellon in
the Inquisition at Goa — he is thrice examined before
the Inquisitors—despair impels him to attempt com-
mitting suicide— his fourth examination— sentence of
death pronounced on him— preparations for celebrat-
ing an auto-da-fe — the various dresses which were
worn by the criminals— order of the procession — Del-
Ion's sentence mitigated, and publicly read — ceremo-
nies which are observed towards those who are con-
demned to death— penances enjoined upon Dellon at
his liberation. - - - - - 172
CHAPTER IX.
The Inquisition at Goa has made little iuipiovement
since the time of Dellon— extracts from Dr. Bu-
chanan's Christian Researches in Asia— he visits Goa
—becomes acquainted with the Inquisitor Joseph a
Doloribus — conversation between Dr. Buchanan and
the Inquisitor respecting Dellon's account of the tri-
bunal—attempt made by the Inquisitor to prove that
the procedure of the holy office is ameliorated— the
Doctor visits the Inquisition— he pleads, in vain, to
see the dungeons and the captives— his remarks on
the effiarts which ought to be made by Britain to
abolish so odious a tribunal— true picture of the In-
quisition by several writers— conclusion, - 191
APPENDIX.
No. I.— Articles of Torquemada, for regulating the pro-
ceedings of the Inquisition, drawn up in 1484, 218
No. II.— Articles drawn up by the Inquisitor-general
Valdes, in 1561, for the better regulation of the holy
office, ..---.. 221
HISTORY
OP
THE INaUISITION.
CHAPTER I.
Persecution for religious opinions, opposed to the spiri
of Christianity — its increase with the growth of the
Papal authority — the foundation of the Inquisition
laid by Regnier and Guy — Birth and education of
St. Dominic— his erection of the Inquisition, and
thirst for human blood — procedure of the first Inqui-
sitors — erection of inquisitorial tribunals in difierent
countries.
Nothing is more evident to every candid
reader of the inspired volume, than that per-
secution in any form is utterly opposed to
the spirit of genuine Christianity. " Learn
of me," said the Saviour, when he proposed
himself as a model for his followers, " for I
am meek and lowly in heart ;" and following
up his principles of mildness, he reproved
the indiscreet zeal of James and John, when
they sought to call down fire from heaven to
consune the Samaritans, because they re-
fused to receive them into one of their vil-
lages. Nay, so far from giving his disciples
a power to persecute, thf Divine Founder of
9
10 HISTORY OP
the Christian rehgion foretold them that they
must suffer persecution for his name. This
they soon experienced ; but, instead of ren-
dering evil for evil, they " approved them-
selves as the ministers of God, by much
patience, by afflictions, necessities, distresses,
stripes, and imprisonments ;" thus showing
by example, as well as by precept, that " the
weapons of their warfare were not carnal,
but spiritual."
While the objects of persecution, the Chris-
tians acted agreeably to these principles, and
for three centuries contended, that persecu-
tion for religious opinions is not only absurd,
but unjust and cruel in the highest degree.
" Every one," says Tertullian, " hath a na-
tural right and power to worship according
to his persuasion ; for no man's religion can
be hurtful or profitable to his neighbour."
" There is no need of compulsion and vio-
lence," says Lactantius, " because rehgion
cannot be forced, and men must be made
willing, not by stripes, but by arguments."
The maxims of mildness towards those vvho
were called heretics, are also inculcated by
Chrysostom, in the following among many
similar passages of his works : — " We ought
to fight against heretics, not to throw down
those who are upright, but to raise up those
who are fallen ; for the war which is incum-
bent on us is not that which gives death to
the living, but that which restores life to the
dead, seeing that our arms are meekness and
THE INQUISITION. 11
benignity. In dealing with heretics, we ought
not to injure them in person, but seek to re-
move the error of the understanding, and
the 3vil of the heart. We ought always to
be disposed to submit to persecution, and not
to persecute ; to suffer grievances, and not to
cause them. It is in this manner Jesus Christ
conquered, since he was nailed to a cross —
he did not crucify others." Even so late as
the fifth century, St. Martin, in France, ex-
communicated a bishop, for accusing certain
heretics to the usurper Maximin, by whose
means they were put to death; adding, in
the spirit of genuine Christianity, that he
looked upon that man as a murderer, who
procured the destruction of a fellow-creature,
chargeable, in strict justice, with nothing else
than being mistaken in his opinions.
But in despite of the mild spirit of the
gospel, exemplified in every page of the sa-
cred writings, and of the opinions of the
primitive fathers, who unanimously con-
demned persecution for conscience sake, it
was not long before those who pretended to
be the disciples of Jesus began to imitate
the conduct which they had censured in the
heathen emperors. When the Roman em-
pire became Christian, it still appeared to the
civil magistrate that he was bound to sup-
port the religion adopted by the state. —
" Hence it was that laws were enacted
against heretics, subjecting them to fines,
imprisohment, and brnishment ; with this
12 HISTORY OF
limitation, however, in every case, that the
ecclesiastical judge was to determine whether
the opinions professed were heretical or not.
The party accused, besides, was usually-
charged at the same time with the crime of
sedition or rebellion ; and whenever the
punishment was capital, it was understood
to be the result chiefly of a criminal oppo-
sition to the civil authorities." The law and
practice respecting heresy continued in this
situation till the commencement of the ninth
century. The trial of the whole case was in
the hands of the civil magistrate ; and, with
the exception of ecclesiastical censures, it be-
longed to councils merely to determine whether
the doctrine libelled was or was not heretical.
In succeeding centuries, however, the
power of the ecclesiastical tribunals, and of
the papacy itself, increased in a most extra-
ordinary degree. The zeal which animated
the Church against heretics became fierce
and ungovernable, and all who dared to
advance sentiments opposed to those en-
joined by the Romish hierarchy, were sub-
jected to persecution in every form. " In
the following ages," says Limborch, when
speaking of the sixth and subsequent cen-
turies, " the affairs of the Church were so
managed under the government of the Popes,
and all persons so strictly curbed by the se-
verity of the laws, that they durst not even
so much as whisper against the received
opinions of the Church. Besides this, so
THE I.SQUISITION. 13
deep was the ignorance that had spread
itself over the world, that men, without the
least regard to knowledge and learning, re-
ceived, with blind obedience, every thing
that the ecclesiastics ordered them, however
stupid and superstitious, without any exami-
nation ; and if any one dared in the least to
contradict them, he was sure immediately to
be punished ; whereby the most absurd
opinions came to be established by the vio-
lence of the Popes."
The chief aim of the Roman Pontiffs, in-
deed, now was to crush in its infancy every
doctrine which had the smallest tendency to
oppose their exorbitant power. In the year
1163, the Synod of Tours commanded all the
bishops and priests in the country of Tou-
louse, " to take care, and to forbid under pain
of excommunication, every person from pre-
suming to give reception, or the least assist-
ance, to the followers of heresy, wherever
they should be discovered.'' This decree
had in view, more particularly, the Wal-
denses and Albigenses, an eminent Christian
community who inhabited the valleys of
Piedmont and the south of France, and who
held doctrines different from those which
were commanded by the Popes, on pain of
death, to be imphcitly believed. The Wal-
denses, whose religious sentiments were simi-
lar to those of the Protestants at the present
day, had long continued to reject the absurdi
2
14 HISTORY OF
ties of Popery ;* and though, for several ages,
they had escaped the notice of the Holy See,
yet having in the twelfth century become
exceedingly numerous, they excited the ut-
most hatred of the Pope and his adherents.
About the year 1200, accordingly, Pope In-
nocent III. wrote to several archbishops and
bishops in Guienne, and other provinces in
France, enjoining them to banish the " Wal-
denses, Puritans, and Paternines,'' from their
territories, and commissioned Regnier and
Guy, two zealous monks, to repair to France,
for the purpose of discovering and subduing
heresy. These two apostles of the Holy See
may now be considered as having laid the
foundation of the Inquisition, though the
honour, or rather infamy, of erecting that hor-
rid court, is due to another individual no less
cruel. Regnier was subsequently appointed
the Pope's legate in the four provinces of Nar-
bonne, Aix, Aries, and Embrun : but having
fallen sick, Innocent joined to him Peter of
Castelnau — one, says Sismondi, " whose zeal,
more furious than that of his predecessors, is
worthy of those sentiments which the very
jiame of the Inquisition inspires."
For many ages the method of proceeding
• A History of the Waldenses having been already
published, the author considers it unnecessary to give
here any particular account either of the history or doc-
trines of that interesting people, more especially as that
work contains a full account of the crusades against the
Albigenses, and of the persecutions carried on by the
Popish Clmrch against their brethren in Piedmont.
THE INQUISITION. 15
against heretics was committed to ths bish ftps,
with whom the government and care of the
churches were entrusted, acconhng to the
received decrees of the Romish church. But
imagining that they did not proceed with
sufficient severity against the opponents of
the Romish faith, and especially against the
Waldenses, the Pope had recourse to other
methods for the purpose of more effectually
extirpating heresy. With this view, Inno-
cent, in the year 1204, instituted two orders
of regulars, namely, those of St. Dominic and
St. Francis. Dominic and his followers were
sent into the country of Toulouse, where
they preached with great vehemence against
all who held opinions different from those of
Rome ; in consequence of which, the order
of Dominic received the name of Predi-
cants. Francis and his disciples acted a
similar part in Italy. Both saints, as they
are impiously called, were commanded by
the Pope, "to excite the Catholic princes and
people to extirpate heretics ; in all places to
inquire into their number and quality; and
to transmit a faithful account to Rome."
Hence they were called Inquisitors.
The erection of that extraordinary court,
"the Inquisition," is, indeed, uniformly as-
cribed to Dominic, a man of the most blood-
thirsty disposition, and whose deeds of cru-
elty may not unjustly be compared with those
of the infamous Nero. Dominic was born
at the village of Cabaroga, in Spain, in the
16 HISTORY OP
year 1 1 70. Previous to his birth, his mother.
Joanna, is said to have dreamed that she
was with child of a pup, carrying in its
mouth a hghted torch ; and after its birth, it
put the world in an uproar by its fierce
barkings, and at length set it on fire by the
torch which it carried in its mouth. His
followers have interpreted this dream, of his
doctrine, by which he enhghtened the world;
while others, with far more reason, consider
the torch to be an emblem of that fire and
faggot by which an almost infinite multitude
of persons were burnt to ashes. Dominic
" was educated for the priesthood," says a
modern writer, " and grew up the most fiery
and the most bloody of mortals. Before his
time, every bishop was a sort of Inquisitor
in his own diocese ; but Dominic contrived
to incorporate a body of men, independent
of every human being, except the Pope, for
the express purpose of ensnaring and de-
stroying Christians. He was well aware,
that however loudly the priests declaimed
against heresy, the lords of the soil would
not suffer them to butcher their tenants
under any such vain pretences. In Biscay,
the priesthood was at a very low ebb in the
eleventh century, and the clergy complained
to the King of Navarre, that the nobility and
gentry treated them very little better than
their slaves, employing them chiefly only to
breed up and sed their dogs. Nearly a cen-
tury after tha* time in a neighbouring state.
THE INQUISITION. 17
when the renowned St. Bernard began, in a
sermon to a crowded audience to inveigh
against heresy, the nobiUty an i gentry all
rose up and left the church, and the people
followed them. The preacher came down
and proceeded to the market-place, where
he attempted to harangue on the same sub-
ject ; but the populace, wiser than the
preacher, refused to hear him, and raised
such a clamour as drowned his voice, and
compelled him to desist. Only one expedi-
ent remained. Bernard recollected that Jesus
had ordered his apostles, in certain cases, to
shake off the dust of their feet, and, as though
he were an apostle, and had received the
same command, he affected to imitate the
example. He left the city, shook his feet,
and exclaimed, " May the Almighty punish
this city with a drought." Thus far went the
rage of Catholicism at the beginning of the
twelfth century, and here its proud waves
were stayed ; but at the commencement of
the thirteenth, about the year 1215,* Dominic
* Although Dominic was both the projector of the In-
quisition, and the first Inquisitor, historians differ as to
the year when that iniquitous court was first erected ;
some fixing the date of its establishment so early as in
1208, others in 1212, and not a few in the year above
mentioned. This, however, can be but of little moment.
It was in the beginning of the thirteenth century, " in an
evil hour," to use the words of a late eminent and la-
mented author, " and under some planet of malignani
aspect and of disastrous influence," that St. Dominic,
the father of the Inquisition, arose.
2*
18 HISTORY OF
broke down the dam, and covered Toulouse
with a tide of despotism stained with human
blood. Posterity will scarcely believe that
this enemy of mankind, after forming a race
like himself, first called preaching, and then
Dominican friars, died in his bed, was canon-
ized as a saint, worshipped as a divinity, and
proposed as a model of piety and virtue to
succeeding generations."
The Inquisitors, at first, had no tribunals ;
they simply inquired after the number,
strength, and riches of heretics, and gave
information of all these particulars to the
bishops, who at that time had the sole power
of judging in ecclesiastical matters ; urging
them to anathematize, or otherwise to pun-
ish, such heretical persons as they brought
before them. Sometimes they excited princes
to arm their subjects against those whom they
denounced as heretics, and at other times they
inflamed the populace to take up arms and
unite in extirpating them. Nay, in his zeal
'or the Popish faith, Dominic, amidst a vast
concourse of people, in one of his sermons
openly declared, " That he was raised to a
new office by the Pope ; that he was resolved
to defend with all his power the doctrines of
the faith ; and that, if spiritual and ecclesiasti-
cal weapons were not sufficient for this pur-
pose, it was his fixed determination to call on
princes to take up arms against heretics, that
their very memory might be entirely de-
Btroved " Nor v^as this an empty threat. In-
THE INQUISITION. 19
stigated by this inhuman monk, and by his
adherents, armies were raised, styled cross-
bearers, or crusaders, who massaxTed thou-
sands of the Albigenses, laid their cities in
ruhis, and compelled the few who escaped to
seek refuge in other parts of the world.
In course of time the Inquisitors took cog-
nizance of other crimes, from their being sup-
posed to have some affinity with, or to bear
suspicion of, heresy : such as heretical blas-
phemy, witchcraft, belief in omens, confes-
sional seduction, and even polygamy. " The
original simplicity of the Inquisition," says
Dr. M'Crie, " soon gave place to a system of
the most complicated and iniquitous circum-
vention. Inflamed with a passion for extirpat-
ing heresy, and persuading themselves that the
end sanctified the means, they, (the Inquisi-
tors) not only acted upon, but formally laid
down as a rule for their conduct, maxims
founded on the grossest deceit and artifice,
according to which they sought in every way
to ensnare their victims, and by means of
false statements, delusory promises, and a
tortuous course of examination, to betray
them into confessions which proved fatal to
their lives and fortunes. To this mental tor-
ture was soon after added the use of bodily
tortures, together with the concealment of the
names of witnesses."
iTnnocent died in 1216, and was succeeded
by Honorius III. who used every eflbrt to
give permanency to the Inquisition ; which
20 HISTORY OP
was not, however, accomplished till 1227
under the pontificate of Gregory IX.
The growth of the Inquisition was very
gradual, and not a few obstacles had to be
surmounted previous to its complete estab-
lishment in the diflerent popish countries of
Europe. Two objections in particular were
raised against its erection ; the one, that it
was an encroachment on the authority of the
bishop of the place ; the other, that it deprived
the civil magistrate of the trial and punish-
ment of heretics,a privilege which he formerly
enjoyed. To remove the first of these difli-
culties, the Pope appointed the bishop of the
place to act in concert with the Inquisitor :
this, however, was but a name, the Inquisitor
having the sole power lodged in his hands.
To remedy the second, the civil magistrate
was allowed to appoint the subordinate offi-
cers, and to inflict the legal punishment, after
^rial and condemnation by the Inquisitors.*
Notwithstandhig the opposition of the peo-
ple to this novel tribunal, therefore the Popes,
aided by the sovereigns of Europe, not only
obtained its erection, but additional autho-
rity to the Inquisitors. These hitherto un-
* On this privilege enjoyed by the civil magistrate.
Dr. Jortin humorously remarks, that " the priest was
the judge, and the king was the hangman !" A third
pan of the property of heretics, was, however, allowed
to belong to the magistrate for the benefit of the com-
munity; but out of this again he had to defray the ex-
penses of keeping up me prisons and supporting the
prisoners.
THE INQUISITION. 21
precedented judges were soon afterwards
em})Owered, as the representatives of the
Pope, to sit and pronounce sentence on those
whom they stigmatized by the name of here-
tics. Their efibrts were greatly assisted by
Frederick II., King of the Romans, who, in
1224, issued no fewer than four edicts against
heresy, addressed " to his beloved princes,
the venerable archbishops, bishops, and other
prelates of the Church ; to the dukes, mar-
quises, earls, barons, governors, judges, min-
isters, and all other his faithful subjects
throughout the empire." In these edicts
"he takes the Inquisitors under his protec-
tion, imposes on obstinate heretics the pun-
ishment of being burnt to death, and of per-
petual imprisonment on the penitent, com-
mitting the cognizance of the crime to the
ecclesiastical, and the condemnation of the
criminals, as well as the infliction of the pun-
ishment, to the secular judges."
The " Holy Office" soon extended its au-
thority, and enlarged the number of its tribu-
nals, in almost every kingdom of Europe
where any were suspected of heresy. It was
established in Toulouse in 1229, where it
was first given in charge to the monks of the
Cistercian order, and afterwards in 1233 to
the Dominicans. Innocent IV. extended it
to all Italy, except Naples, where its intro-
duction was always opposed. In 1231, seve-
ral Waldenses being discovered in the city of
Rome, they were all either consigned to
22 HISTORY OF
the flames, or imprisoned till they should re-
tract their errors. It soon declined, however,
in Italy, and even in Rome itself, till, in 1545,
it was restored by Paul III. who created the
Congregation of the Inquisition, composed of
cardinals presided over by the Pope. From
Toulouse the Inquisition was brought to
Spain in the year 1233; but did not go out
of the kingdom of Arragon, till after its union
with that of Castile, when, in 1480, it was
established in Seville by Ferdinand and Isa-
oella, under the authority of Sixtus IV. It
was afterwards extended to more distant
provinces, and every where entrusted to the
management of Dominican friars. Germany,
Austria, Hungary, Bohemia, Poland, Dalma-
tia, Bosnia, and numerous other places, were
soon compelled to receive these bloody tribu-
nals. Portugal was subjected to its tyranny,
in 1536 ; and, latterly, in 1571, Philip II. in-
troduced it into America. " During the pon-
tificate of Gregory,^' says the author of
" Sketches of the Spanish Inquisition,'^ " it
was introduced into the Christian kingdoms
of Spain, (meaning those parts of Spain
where Christianity was professed, to dis-
tinguish them from those possessed by the
Moors ;) and the Dominicans of that country
soon found an ample field for the exercise of
their office among the Jewish and Moorish
proselytes, whom interest or fear had drawn
within the pale of the Catholic Church. From
this period the institution went on increasing
THE INQUISITION. 23
in extent and activity, till Ferdinand and Isa-
bella became the sovereigns of all Spain.
During their reign, it became the subject of
much controversy between the courts of
Spain and Rome. Isabella, a woman of con-
siderable talents, appears to have foreseen
the encroachments which the Inquisition
would make upon the royal prerogatives, but
her resistance was overruled, and, in 1482,
the famous Torquemada was appointed In-
quisitor-general of Castile. In the succeed-
ing year his commission was extended to
Arragon ; and following the successes of Fer-
dinand and Isabella, he successively planted
the Inquisition in the Moorish kingdoms of
Seville, Cordova, Jaen, and Villa Real."
The following letter from Pope Gregory
IX. to the Inquisitors of Navarre, may serve
as a specimen, both of the cruelty of the papal
see, and of the horrid use which these de-
signing men made of the Scriptures of truth.
"Since, therefore," says his HoUness, "ac-
cording to the office enjoined us, we are
bound to root out all offences from the king-
dom of God, and, as much as in us lies, to op-
pose such beasts, (the Waldenses and other
heretics,) we deliver into your hands the
sword of the word of God, which, according
to the words of the prophet, Jer. xlviii. 10, ye
ought not to keep back from blood ! but, in-
spired with a zeal for the Catholic faith, like
Phineas, make iihgent inquisition concerning
these pestilent wretches, their believers, re-
24 HISTORY OF
ceivers, and abettors, and proceed against
those who, by such inquisition, shall be found
guilty, according to the canonical sanctions
and our statutes, which we have lately pub-
lished, to confound heretical pravity, calling
in against them, if need be, the assistance of
the secular arm !" Similar directions were
given to the Inquisitors in other countries, all
of whom, actuated by the same spirit, obeyed
the Ijarbarous orders of their master with the
utmost alacrity. To regulate the procedure
of these courts, the Pope framed thirty-one
rules, defining their jurisdiction and powers;
and all rulers and magistrates were com-
manded, by a Papal bull, issued for the pur-
pose, to give, under the pain of excommuni-
cation, the most punctual obedience, and
every possible assistance to these spiritual
courts of judicature.
Notwithstanding all the efforts of the Sove-
reign Pontiff, however, many of the Roman
Catholic states of Europe successfully resisted
the introduction of the Inquisition. Though
it was brought into France at a very early
period, yet it was soon afterwards expelled,
in a manner so effectual, as to preclude any
renewal of the attempt. In several other
countries, the inhabitants sometimes pro-
ceeded to open violence, and had they not
been overawed by an armed force, they
would have put the Inquisitors to death, and
demolished their iniquitous tribunals. These
commotions were excited partly by the con-
-^ HE INQUISITION. 25
duct of the Inquisitors themselves, whose
severity, avarice, extortion, aud cruelty, were
quite unbearable, and partly by the great ex-
penses which that extraordinary court en-
tailed on the community.
CHAPTER II.
Rise and progress of the Inquisition in Spain — sketch
of the government of the ancient Spanish Inquisition
—dreadful persecution of the Jews and Moors —
Torquemada appointed Inquisitor-general — proceed-
ings of his successors Deza and Ximenes — zeal of
the Emperor Charles V. in behalf of the Inquisition—
his son Philip II. is still more superstitious and in-
tolerant — ludicrous trial of the famous Galileo before
the "Holy Tribunal."
In no place in the world have the dreadful
effects of the Inquisition been more severely
felt than in Spain. Although, therefore, some
account of its establishment in that kingdom
has been already given, it is necessary to
enter somewhat more particularly into its
origin and progress in that superstitious and
afflicted country, where this scourge and dis-
grace to h iimanity long existed.
As alre«.dy noticed, the Inquisition was in-
troduced into Spain in 1233. At that period
Spain was divided into four kingdoms, name-
ly, Castile, which comprehended Seville, Cor-
dova, and Jaen ; Arragon, comprehending
3
26 HISTORY OP
Valencia and Majorca ; Navarre ; and Por-
tugal. The Dominicans were the chief order
of monks in these kingdoms, and by them,
under the authority of the Pope, the Inquisi-
tion was at first erected, and widely extend-
ed. In 1254, Innocent IV. conferred many
additional privileges on the Dominicans, and
at the same time extended the prerogatives
of the inquisitors, permitting them to take the
depositions of witnesses although their names
were unknown. These prerogatives were
subsequently enlarged by the kings of Arra-
gon, who in 1292 published a decree, "com-
manding the tribunals of justice to assist the
Dominicans, to imprison all who might be
denounced, and to execute the judgments
pronounced by the monks." From that pe-
riod till 1474, when Isabella ascended the
throne of Castile, a succession of inquisitors
continued to burn and banish great numbers,
not only of Moors and Jews, but of Christians,
whom they suspected, or pretended to sus-
pect, of holding heretical opinions.
Such procedure was sanctioned by the
Sovereign Pontiff, even under the rules of
the old Inquisition. Imagining that many
crimes which came under the jurisdiction of
the civil magistrates, could not be committed
unless accompanied by the holding of here-
tical principles, the Popes enjoined the Inqui-
sitors to proceed with vigour against all sus-
pected persons. Numbers were accordingly
dragged before the tribunal of the " Holy
THE INQUISITION. 27
Office,'' charged with blasphem/. sorcery,
and schism. Nay, to remain excommuni-
cated for a year, without seeking absohition,
or performing the penance which had been
imposed, was reputed heresy. The Inquisi-
tors also proceeded against concealers, fa-
vourers, and adherents of heretics, as being
suspected of holding the same opinions.
Hence all nobles who refused to take an oath
to banish the heretics from their states — law-
yers who assisted heretics by their advice —
persons who declined taking an oath in the
trial of heretics, &c. &c., were hable to sus-
picion ; and in order to render the crime of
heresy still more odious, the bodies of such
persons as had held opinions different from
those of Rome, were disinterred and burnt,
their property confiscated, and their memory
pronounced infamous.
Before proceeding with the history of the
modern Spanish Inquisition, we shall give
here some account of the government of the
old tribunal, and the proceedings of the an-
cient Inquisitors. " The first Inquisitors had
no fixed salary," says Llorente ; "the Holy
Office was founded on devotion and zeal for
the faith ; its members were almost all monks,
who had made a vow of poverty, and the
priests who were associated in their labours
were generally canons, or provided with be-
nefices. But when the Inquisitors began to
make journeys, accompanied by recorders,
alguazils, and an armed force, the Pope de-
88 HISTORY OP
creed that all their expenses should be de-
frayed by the bishops, on the pretence that
the Inquisitors laboured for the destruction of
heresy in their dioceses. The expenses of
the Inquisition were afterwards defrayed by
the fines and confiscation of the condemned
heretics ; these resources were the only funds
of the Holy Office ; it never possessed any
fixed revenue."
No sooner was an Inquisitor appointed by
the Roman Pontiff, than the magistrates of
the place were commanded to arrest ail per-
sons suspected of heresy, to furnish the In-
quisitor and his attendants with lodgings, and
to protect them from every insult. One of
the first acts of the Inquisitor, was to publish
an order, requiring all heretics voluntarily to
confess themselves to be such, and promising
them absolution, accompanied by slight pe-
nance, provided their confession was made
within a stated period. Those who were
accused, and did not appear within the time
prescribed, were shortly afterwards arrested
and lodged in the Inquisition. The exami-
nation of the accused person soon followed,
and his answers were compared with the
testimonies of the informer and witnesses
against him. If he confessed himself to be
guilty of one heretical word, he was imme-
diately asked to abjure all his errors, as the
admission of one was considered an acknow-
ledgment of all the crimes laid to his charge.
If he consented, "^e was reconciled, after un
THE INQUISITION. ST
aergoing various penances ; but if ht efusec',
he was delivered over to the secular judge as
an obstinate heretic. When an accused per-
son denied all the charges, he was furnished
with a copy of the process, but the names of
the accuser and witnesses were carefully con-
cealed. Many questions were asked at his
examination ; such as, if he had any ene-
mies ; if he knew their motives for hating
him ; if he suspected any particular person
of wishing to ruin him, &c. In the event of
his still denying the charges, notwithstanding
he was convicted or strongly suspected, he
was tortured to make him confess his here-
sies. If the crime imputed to the accused
was not proved, he was acquitted, but still
the name of the accuser was withheld.*
On the union of the several kingdoms of
Spain, by Ferdinand and Isabella, the boun-
daries of the Inquisition were extended, and
its privileges enlarged, in every corner of
their dominions. At that period it was prin-
cipally intended to prevent the relapse of the
Jews and Moors who had been, or pretended
to be, converted to the Romish faith. In
Seville, especially, many of the Jews, not
withstanding their profession of Christianity,
still continued to practise in secret their an-
cient rites, which having come to the ears of
* A more particular account of the government and
proceedings of what is called the mcdern Inquisition,
will be given afterwards.
3*
30 HISTORY OF
the archbishop^ great numbers of that unhap-
py nation were arrested in 14S1, and thrown
into dungeons.* After a tedious examina-
tion, in some cases by torture, the Inquisitors
condemned some of them to the stake, and
* " No object can be presented to the imagination
more gloomy," says Puigblanch, " than the period of
the regeneration of this establishment in Seville. It
seems as if at sight of it nature herself had shuddered,
or that she wished to consummate the infelicity of
Spain, so unseasonable and great was the hurricanes of
the year 1481, when the Inquisition began to display
its fury." "This year of 1481," says Andrew Bernal-
dez, an eye witness, "was a year of great rains and in-
undations commencing at Christmas, and continuing
onwards in such manner, that the Guadalquiver bore
away and destroyed the village of Copero, in which
were eighty families, as well as many other places
upon the banks, and the flood rose up through the bat-
tlements of Seville and the outlet of Coria, higher than
it was ever known, where it remained stationary for
three days, and the whole city was under the greatest
apprehensions of being destroyed b} water." Accord-
ing to this very author, a distemper also broke out in
the same year, which desolated this southern part of
the kingdom, till 1488. " This year," says he, " was
quite out of the common order of nature in Andalusia,
being, on the contrary, marked with a great and gene-
ral pestilence, which occasioned an extreme mortality
in all the cities, towns, and villages. In Seville, more
than fifteen thousand persons died, and in Cordova the
same number; and Xerez and Ecija lost each from
eight to nine thousand, and the other towns and villages
in the same proportion." He afterwards adds, "that a
similar distemper returned with more or less activity,
till at last it raged with great fury, causing the same
destruction and ravages as in the first. Thus ominous
were the auspices under which the re-organized Inqui
aitioi. hoi^ted its bloody standard."
THE INQUISITIl N. 31
Others to perpetual imprisonment. " By di-
vers ways and means," says Bernaldez,
Inquisitors began to arrest men and women,
the most guilty, as well as the most honour-
able, some from among the magistrates, ju-
rists, bachelors, and lawyers, and also men
of great reputation. These they sentenced
to be burnt with fire, and brought for th^
first time, to be consumed on the platform,
(a burning place which they had constructed
in a field ui the vicinity of the city,) six men
and women, whom they cast into the flames.
A few days afterwards they burnt three of
the principal, that is, the richest, persons in
the city, viz : Diego de Susan, a great rabbin,
whose property was said to be worth ten
millions ; the others were Manuel Sauli, and
Bartholomew Toralva. Pedro Fernandez
Benedeba, steward of the church of the dean
and chapter, was next arrested, who was
one of the principal of them, and had in his
house arms to equip a hundred men ; also
Juan Fernandez Abak^sia, who had long
been a chief justice, and was a great lawyer,
as well as many other principal persons, and
very rich, whom they also burnt. At this
all the confessed heretics were alarmed, and
cast into great consternation, and fled from
the city and archbishopric ; but an injunc-
tion was laid for no one to abscond from Se-
ville under the penalty of death, and guards
were placed at the gates of the city ; in short,
they ar-eFted so many, that there was no
32 HISTORY OP
place to put them in, and many fit J to the
estates of lords, to Portugal, and to the coun-
try of the Moors."*
This persecution of the Jews and Moors
at Seville, was followed in every other pro-
vince of the kingdom of Spain. Encouraged
by Ferdinand and Isabella, the Inquisitors
daily dragged several miserable victims before
their tribunal ; and summarily consigned to
the rack all whom they suspected, and to
* "In this same burning place of Seville," says
Paigblanch, " which the Inquisition used for the first
time in 1481, on the persons of six men and women of
the Jewish persuasion, the tribunal performed its last
tragedy in 1782, by the execution of a woman for being
a Molinist. Persons who were there present, relate,
that the prisoner was placed on a raised platform, sus-
tained by four beams, resting on the four pillars ; that
these, and the works which served as a base, were
adorned with a lining painted black, on which were
seen the usual fooleries, of dragons and devils in white,
and on the tops of which were four figures in peniten-
tial garments ; finally, that the prisoner, after being
strangled, (she had been converted while going to the
place of execution, and therefore met with this favour!)
was burnt, together wath the whole platform and frame,
for which purpose, barrels of pitch, faggots of vine-
cuttings, and a large quantity of wood, had been placed
underneath. The above six followers of the Jewish
rites, (who were put to death in 1481) were executed,
according to Pedro de Torres, canon of Calahorra, and
also a cotemporary author, on the 10th of January, as
well as seventeen others on the 26ih of March, and a
great many more on the 21st of April; those who died
up to the 4th of November, amounting to two hundred
and ninety-eight; and besides seventy-nine others
were condemned to perpetual imprisonment."
THE INQUISITION. 33
the flames those whom they pretended to
have convicted, of still adhering to the Jewish
faith. But even this was not enough. In
1482, the Inquisitors appointed a particular
time for all the Jews to appear before them,
and make confession of their errors. Alarmed
for their safety, seventeen thousand appeared
on the day appointed, who having pretended
to embrace the Christian religion, were par-
doned. But many others refusing to act in
the same hypocritical manner, were seized
and lodged in prison. Having been put to
the most excruciating tortures, numbers of
these unhappy persons abjured Judaism, and
were consigned to the flames, some of them
acknowledging Christ, and others calling on
the name of Moses ! Such indeed was the
Satanic zeal which animated the Inquisitors,
that in the short space of forty years after
the Inquisition had been established in Se-
ville, four thousand persons were burnt in
that bishopric alone ! A hundred thousand
were reconciled and banished in Andalusia;*
and the bones of multitudes, which were dug
out of their graves, were burnt, their pro-
perty confiscated, and their children disin-
herited.
In 1483 the famous, or rather infamous,
Thomas de Torquemada was appointed In-
quisitor-general of Arragon, — a man every
• More than five thousand houses remained shut in
Andalusia, whose inhabitants had been exterminated,
in one way or another, b'- the Inquisition.
34 HISTORY OP
way fitted for increasing the prerogati\ es and
revenues of the holy office. He first created
four inferior tribunals — at Seville, Cordova,
Jaen, and Villa Real; and then persuaded
Ferdinand to create a royal council of Inqui-
sition, at the head of which was placed Tor-
quemada himself, who was assisted by two
eminent counsellors. In order to arrange
laws for the new council, Torquemada con-
voked a junta, composed of the Inquisitors
of the four tribunals above mentioned, the
two assistants, and the members of the royal
council. This assembly was held at Seville
in 1484, and published a code of laws con-
sisting of twenty-eight articles, * which were
the first laws of the Spanish Inquisition.
The tyranny, extortion, and cruelty of the
various tribunals, excited . the indignation of
the Jews, and plans were formed, in Arragon
especially, to assassinate the Inquisitors, and
free the country from their iniquitous yoke.
These plans, however, being frustrated, still
greater cruelties were inflicted on that un-
happy people. From time to time additional
laws were made, all tending to abridge the
liberty of the people, and to advance the
authority, and increase the revenues of the
Inquisition. The severity of these laws obli-
ged more than a hundred thousand families
to emigrate to other kingdoms.
In order to avert the danger which threat
* See Appendix, No I.
THE INQUISITION. 3.^
ened them, the Jews in 14.92, offered to sup-
ply Ferdinand with thirty thousand pieces of
silver to assist Jiim in his wars ; they also
promised to live peaceably, to comply with
the regulations which had been formed for
them, in retiring to their houses in the quar-
ters assigned to them before night, and in re-
nouncing all professions which were reserved
for the Christians. Ferdinand and Isabella
were willing to listen to these propositions ;
but Torquemada, being informed of their
inclinations, had the audacity to appear be-
fore them with a crucifix in his hand, and to
address them in these words : — " Judas sold
his master for thirty pieces of silver, your
highnesses are about to do the same for thirty
thousand ; behold him, take him, and hasten
to sell him !" The fanaticism of Torque-
mada wrought so sudden a change in the
minds of the sovereigns, that they immedi-
ately issued a decree, by which all the Jews
were compelled to quit Spain before the end
of the following July, on pain of death. In
consequence of this decree, all the Jews and
Moors either fled or were banished from
Spain. * The greater part of them took re-
* A hundred and seventy thousand families are said
to have left Spain at this period. Nay, some writers
make the number of expatriated Jews to amount to
eight hundred thousand persons, whose immense riches
were distributed among their persecutors. If the Moors,
who emigrated to Africa, are added to the number, Fer-
dinand and Isabella lost two millions of subjects by
thes/? cruel measures
36 HISTORY OF
fiige in Portugal, where they suffered cruel-
ties little short of those from which they had
just escaped.
The jurisdiction of the Inquisition was not,
however, confined to the Jews and Moors,
but extended to all those who in their opinions
or practice differed from the Church of Rome
The insolent Torquemada even subjected
bishops to trial, and actually procured the
condemnation of Don Pedro, bishop of Cala-
horra, under the usual pretence of being a
heretic. This fanatic, who was the first In-
quisitor-general of Spain, died in 1498. —
" The miseries which were the consequences
of the system which he adopted," says
Llorente, " and recommended to his succes-
sors, justify the general hatred which followed
him to the tomb, and compelled him to take
precautions for his personal safety. It is not
surprising that many should have conspired
against his life, when his cruel administration
is considered ; the Pope himself was alarmed
at his barbarity, and the complaints which
were made against him ; and Torquemada
was obliged to send his colleague, Antonio
Badoja, three times to Rome, to defend him
against the accusations of his enemies."
Don Diego Deza, a Dominican, succeeded
Torquemada as Inquisitor-general in Decem-
ber 1498. No less cruel than his predecessor,
Deza, during the period of eight years, pun-
ished thirty-eight thousand four hundred and
forty individuals ; two thousand five hundred
THE INQUISITION. 37
and ninety-two of whom were burnt in per-
son, eight hundred and ninety-six in efiigy,
and thirty-four thousand nine hundred and
fifty-two were condenrnied to different pe-
naces. The audacity of this tyrant rose at
length to such a height, that Philip I. who
then filled the throne, ordered Deza, in 1506,
to retire to his archbishopric of Seville, and
to invest another in his room. But unhap-
pily for Spain, the death of the king that same
year, restored Deza to his office, which so ter-
rified the inhabitants of Cordova, that they
rose in a tumult, broke open the prisons of
the Inquisition, and liberated an immense
number of prisoners. These events alarmed
the Inquisitor-general to such a degree, that
he resigned his office, which immediately re-
stored tranquility in Cordova.
Two new Inquisitors were now appointed,
namely, Ximenes de Cisneros for Castile, and
Don Juan Enguera for Arragon. The for-
mer of these prelates, considering it unneces-
sary to have as many Inquisitorial tribunals
as there were bishoprics, " established the In-
quisition at Seville, Cordova, Jaen, Toledo,
in Estremadura, at Murcia, Valladolid, and
Calahorra, and appointed the e.vtent of terri-
tory for the jurisdiction of each tribunal ; he
also sent Inquisitors to the Canary isles. In
1513, the Inquisition was introduced at Cu-
nga ; in 1524, at Grenada ; under Philip II.
at Santiago de Galicia ; and under Philip IV.
at Madrid. Cisneros also judged it neces-
4
38
HISTORY OF
sary, in 1516, to hai^e a tribunal at Oran, and
soon after in America. The Inquisitor-gene-
ral of Arragon adopted the same system, and
sent Inquisitors to Saragossa, Barcelona,
Valencia, Majorca, Sardinia, and Sicily."
Ximenes was eleven years at the head of the
Inquisition, during which period, fifty-two
thousand eight hundred and fifty-five persons
were condemned ; three thousand five hun-
dred and sixty-four of whom were burnt in
person, one thousand two hundred and thirty-
two in effigy, and forty-eight thousand and
fifty-nine sufiered various other kinds of pun-
ishment.
Numerous attempts were made both by the
Cortes and the people, during the reign of
the Emperor Charles V. to obtain a reform
of the " holy office :" but all their efforts
were of no avail. Adrian, the successor of
Ximenes, who was Inquisitor-general only
for five years, condemned no fewer than two
hundred and forty thousand and twenty-five
individuals ; and the yoke of that monstrous
institution, instead of being made lighter,
was daily rendered more galling.
At the commencement of the Reformation,
the most strenuous efforts were made by the
Inquisitors to check its progress, and various
methods were taken to prevent the circula-
tion of the Reformer's works, and especially
the Bible, among the people. In 1522 the
Pone enjoined the governors of Castile to
^?>"vent the works of Luthe" from being in-
THE INQUISiriON. 39
troduced into the kingdom ; and orders were
given to the Inqnisitors to seize and bnrn ail
such obnoxious pubUcations! The Emperor
Charles V. commissioned the University of
Louvain to form a list of dangerous books, a
measure which was cordially approved of by
the Pope, in a bull which he issued on this
subject, in 1539. " The Index was published
in 1546," says Llorente, " by the University
in all the states of Flanders, six years after a
decree had been issued to prohibit the writings
of Luther from being read or bought, on pain
of death. In 1549, the Inquisitor-general,
with the approbation of the Supreme Coun-
cil, added some new works to the list of those
which had been prohibited, and addressed
two ordinances to the Inquisitors, enjoining
them in the first, not to allow any person to
possess them, and in the second, commanding
the consultors of the holy office neither to
read nor keep them, though the execution of
the decrees might throw them into their
hands. In 1546, the Emperor commanded
the University of Louvain to publish the
Index, with additions. This work appeared
in 1550, and the prince remitted it to the In-
quisitor-general, and it was printed by the
order of the Supreme Council, with a supple-
ment composed of books prohibited in Spain .
some time after the Council framed anothei
Index, which was certified by the secretary.
All the Inquisitions received copies, and a
bull from Julius III. rhich renewed the pro-
40 HISTORY or
hibitions and revoked the permissions con-
trary to the new bulls : he charged the Inqui-
sitors to seize as many books as they could ;
to piblish prohibiting edicts, accompanied
by censures ; to prosecute those who did not
obey them, as suspected of heresy ; and to
give an account of the books which they had
read and preserved. The Pope added, that
he was informed that a great number were
in the possession of librarians and private
persons, particularly Spanish Bibles men-
tioned in the catalogue."
Nor were the Inquisitors dilatory in obey-
ing the injunctions of his Holiness, and of
their superstitious monarch. In 1558, the
Inquisitor-general pubhshed a very severe
edict against all who should retain a single
volume of any of the works proscribed.
Every Bible was ordered to be strictly ex-
amined ; nay, the professors in the Univer-
sity were compelled, on pain of excommu-
nication, to give up their Hebrew and Greek
Bibles to the commissaries of the Inquisition ;
and even works on medicine were seized,
although they were not mentioned in the In-
dex.
In 1558, Philip II. issued a most sangui-
nary law against all " who should sell, buy,
keep, or read, any of the books prohibited
by the Holy Office" — a law which not only
affected the property, but the lives of those
who darei to infringe it. From that period
till the pi 'sent, the utmost vigilance has been
THE INQUISITION. 41
exercised by the Spanish Inquisition lo pre-
vent the people from seeing any work, wliich,
in the plenitude of its usurped authority, it
has declared to be heretical. The Index was
from time to time either revised or renewed,
and the utmost care was taken to prevent the
circulation of the word of God, unless that
word was disfigured and corrupted by the
votaries of Rome.
But it was not the works of the Protestants
only, which were obnoxious to the Inquisi-
tion. Their persons were equally hateful,
and not long after the commencement of the
Reformation, many of the followers of Zuin-
glius and Luther were committed to the
flames by the lords of the " Holy Inquisi-
tion." The Emperor Charles V. so decidedly
seconded all their endeavours to extirpate
heresy, that, having with great difficulty in-
troduced the Inquisition into the Netherlands,
he bequeathed in his will the care of that in-
famous tribunal to his son Philip II., in the
words following : " Out of regard to my duty
to Almighty God, and from my great affec-
tion to the most serene prince, Philip II., my
dearest son, and from the strong and earnest
desire I have, that he may be safe under the
protection of virtue, rather than the great-
ness of his riches, I charge him, with the
greatest affection of soul, that he- take espe-
cial care of all things relating to the honour
and glory of God, as becomes the most
Catholic king, and a prince zealous for the
4*
42 HISTORY OF
divin* ornmands; and that he be always
obedient to the commands of our Holy-
Mother, the Church. And, amongst other
things, this I principally and most ardently
recommend to him, highly to honour and
constantly to support the office of the holy
Inquisition, as constituted by God against
lieretical pravity, with its ministers and offi-
cials, because by this single remedy the most
grievous offences against God can be reme-
died. Also, I command him, that he would
be careful to preserve to all churches, and
ecclesiastical persons, their immunities.'' And
again, " I ardently desire, and with the great-
est possible earnestness beseech him, and
command him by his regards to me, his most
afiectionate father, that in this matter, in
which the welfare of all Spain is concerned,
he be most zealously careful to punish all in-
fected with heresy, with the severity due
to their crimes, and that, to this intent, he
confer the greatest honours on the office of
the holy Inquisition, by the care of which
the Catholic faith will be increased in his
kingdoms, and the Christian religion pre-
served."
Philip was possessed of a temper haughty
and cruel, and gave full proof of his zeal to
obey his father's commands. He conferred
new powers on the Inquisitors throughout
the Netherlands, and published the most
sanguinary edicts against all who maintained
or e''( n seemed to favour th^. Protestant doc-
THE INQUISITION. 43
triiiGs. Ill vain did the states A the Low
Countries remonstrate against the Inquisition
being ^stabUshed among them. Having taken
an oatl: to devote the whole of his reign to
the defence of Popery, that cruel and super-
stitious monarch haughtily replied, " that he
would be rather no king at all, than have
heretics for his subjects." Notwithstanding
his obstinacy, however, he ultimately failed
in his attempts to force the Low Countries to
receive the Inquisition. The Flemings per-
sisted in opposing every thing resembling
that cruel tribunal, and their resistance was
the cause of long and bloody wars, which ex-
hausted the treasures and armies of Spain
during half a century, and eventually ended
in favour of the people.
But it was not in the Low Countries only
that Philip showed himself the patron of the
Inquisition. In Spain he not only supported,
but urged on its " ministers and officials" to
the commission of the most appalling deeds
of cruelty. On the 18th of October, 1559, an
auto-da-fe* was celebrated at Valladolid, at
which Philip himself was present, and gave
most unequivocal proofs of his zeal in defence
of the prerogatives of that tribunal. The In-
* An auto-da-fc^, or "act of faith," of which a more
particular account will be given afterwards, is the
burning of those persons whom the Inquisitors are
pleased to pronounce defective in their belief of any of
the articles of faith commanded to be believed by the
Popish a in h.
44 HISTORY OP
quisitor-general having demanded ( f the king
to continue to tliem his support, in these
words, " Lord, continue to help us ;" Philip
grasped his sword, and unsheathed part of it,
to intimate his readiness at all times to obey
the mandates of these ghostly fathers, — a
pledge, which, alas ! he more than faithfully
fulfilled.* The horrid ceremony of putting
* To give the reader some idea of the sermons, or
rather blasphemous rhapsodies, which the friars deliver
at an auto-da-fe, the following extracts are given from
one which was preached on this occasion before Philip
at Valladolid. "And thou, oh ! most holy tribunal of
the faith, for boundless ages mayest thou be preserved,
so as to keep us firm and pure in the same faith, and
promote the punishment of the enemies of God. Of
thee can I say what the Holy Spirit said of the Church,
' Thou art fair, my love, as the tents of Kedar, as the
curtains of Solomon !' But what parallels, similes, or
comparisons are these 1 What praise, or what height-
ened contrast can that be which compares a delicate
female, an unequalled beauty, to the tents of Kedar, and
the spotted skins of Solomon 1 Saint Jerome dis-
covered the mystery, and says, that the people of Kedar
being fond of the chase, therein took great delight; and,
for this purpose, had always their tents pitched in the
field; on which, in order to prove the valour of their
arms, they spread the skins of the animals killed in
chase, and hung up the heads of the wild beasts they
had slain. This was the greatest beauty of their tents;
to this the Holy Spirit compares the beauty of the
Church, and this is also to-day the glory of the holy
tribunal of the faith. To have killed these horrid wild
beasts and enemies of God, whom we now behold on
this theatre, some by taking life from their errors, re-
conciling them to our holy faith, and inspiring them
with contrition for their faults: ; others by condemning
them through their obduracy to 'he flames, where losing
THE INQUISITION. 45
to death twenty-eight faithful followers of the
Redeemer, was condacted with great apparent
solemnity, Philip, his son, and courtiers, sit-
ting within sight of the prisoners. Among
the Protestants condemned, there was a noble-
man of the name of Don Carlos Sessa, who,
when the executioners were conducting him
to the stake, called to the king for mercy,
saying, "And canst thou, king! witness the
torments of thy subjects ? Save us from this
cruel death ; we do not deserve it." " No,"
replied Philip, sternly, "I would myself carry
wood to burn my own son, were he such a
wretch as thou !"* After which he beheld
the bloody spectacle that followed, with a
composure which showed that he possessed
a heart destitute, not only of Christian feel-
ing, but of the least spark of humanity.
No fewer than eighty individuals, profess-
ing the Protestant religion, having been dis-
covered in Seville, were all committed to
the flames, in companies of fifteen or twenty.
In 1560, the same punishment was inflicted
on many other eminent persons, who, at the
Iheir corporeal lives, their obstinate souls will immedi-
ately burn in hell; by this means God will be avenged
()f iiis greatest enemies, dread will follow these ex-
amples, and the holy tribunal will remain trium-
phant," &c.
* Pnilip was afterwards as good as his word. TJnder
the plea of religion he caused the Inquisition to insti-
tute proceedings against his eldest son Charles; and in
the most unnatural and cowardly manner procured his
death in a secret manner by means of poison.
46 HISTORY OP
place of execution, justly upbndded their
judges with their ignorance and hardness of
heart, and "resisted even unto blood,'' all
the efforts of their persecutors to bring them
again under the yoke of antichristian bon-
dage. Among the sufferers on this occasion
were eight females, of irreproachable charac-
ter, and some of them distinguished by their
rank and education, who were condemned to
the most cruel death by their unhallowed
judges. The most distinguished of these
martyrs was Maria Gomez, who appeared on
the scaffold along with her three daughters
and a niece. After the reading of the sen-
tence which doomed them to the flames, one
of the young women went up to her aunt,
from whom she had imbibed the Protestant
doctrine, and, on her knees, thanked her for
all the religious instructions she had received
from her, implored her forgiveness for any
offence she might have given her, and begged
her dying blessing. Raising her up, and as-
suring her that she had never given her a
moment's uneasiness, the old woman pro-
ceeded to encourage her dutiful niece, by re-
minding her of that support which their
Divine Redeemer had promised them in the
hour of trial, and of those joys which awaited
them at the termination of their momentary
sufferings. The five friends then took leave
of one another with tender embraces, and
words of mutual comfort. The interview be-
rween these devoted females was beheld by
THE INQUISITION. 47
ilie members of tlie "holy tribunal" with a
rigid composure of countenance, undisturbed
even by a glance of displeasure ; and so com-
pletely had superstition and habit subdued
the strongest emotions of the human breast,
that not a single expression of sympathy es-
caped from the multitude at witnessing a
scene which in other circumstances would
have harrowed up the feelings of the specta-
tors, and driven them into mutiny. These,
and numerous other sufferers, not only in
Spain, but in every country of Europe where
this tribunal had been erected, " counted not
their lives dear unto them," but rejoiced,
amidst torments the most agonizing, and in a
death the most dreadful, that they were "con-
sidered worthy to suffer" for their Redeem-
er's sakp.
The zeal of Philip was equally conspicu-
ous in Portugal. Having ascended the throne
of that kingdom in 1580, at a period when
the office of Inquisitor-general was vacant,
Philip wished to place the Inquisition of
Portugal under the dominion of that of Spain.
Though this attempt was unsuccessful, yet
numerous acts of cruelty were committed
during the reign of that monarch, on those
who dissented, or were suspected to dissent,
from the received doctrines of the Popish
Church.
Under the protection of Phihp, the Inquisi-
tion flourished also in Sicily and Malta. The
audacity of the. Inquisitors in Sicily had form-
48 HISTORY OP
erly raised a rebellion, which was not quelled
without the greatest difficulty. Depending,
however, on the court of Madrid, and sup-
posing that all fear of the rebellion had
ceased, the Inquisitors of Sicily celebrated an
auto-da-fe in 1546, in which four persons
were burnt in effigy. Similar ceremonies
took place in 1549 and 1551. The Inquisi-
tors now became as insolent as formerly, and
treated the Sicilians of all ranks with so
much severity, thai a new rebellion was rais
ed in Palermo. The viceroy succeeded in
restoring tranquillity, and the Inquisitors,
while under the influence of fear, were for
some time more moderate, celebrating their
autos-da-fe privately in the hall of the tribu-
nal.
In regard to Malta, again, when that
island belonged to the Spanish monarchy, it
was subject to the Inquisition of Sicily ; " but
when it was given to the knights of Jerusa-
lem," says Llorente, " it would have been
contrary to the dignity of the grand-master,
to permit the exercise of foreign jurisdiction
in it, after having received that of ecclesias-
tical power from the Pope. A man was ar-
rested in the island as a heretic, and the
Inquisition of Sicily took informations on the
aff'air. The grand-master wrote to demand
them ; the Inquisitors consulted the council
which directed them, in 1575, not only to
refuse them, but to claim the prisoner. The
grand-master resolved to defend his privi-
THE INQTTIsn ON. 49
.eges, (Aused the man to be tried in the
island, and he was acquitted. This act dis-
pleased the Inquisitors, who, to revenge
themselves, took advantage of an occurrence
which took place in the following year. Don
Pedro de la Roca, a Spaniard, and a knight
of Malta, killed the first alguazil of the Sici
lian Inquisition, in the city of Messina. He
was arrested and conducted to the secret
prisons of the holy office. The grand-mas
ter claimed his knight, as he alone had a
right to try him. The council being con
suited, commanded the Inquisitors to con-
demn and punish the accused as a homicide
The Inquisitor-general communicated this
resolution to Philip II., who wrote to the
grand-master to terminate the dispute."
" The quarrels between the secular pow-
ers and the Inquisition," continues the same
author, " were not less violent in Sicily. In
1580 and 1597, attempts were made to ap-
pease them, but without success ; and in
1606, the Sicihans had the mortification of
seeing their viceroy, the Duke de Frias, con-
stable of Castile, prosecuted and subjected to
their censures. In 1592, the Duke of Alva,
who was then viceroy, endeavoured by in-
direct means to repress the insolence of the
Inquisitors. Perceiving that the nobility of
all classes were enrolled among the familiars
of the holy office, in order to enjoy its pri-
vileges, and to keep the people in greater
order, he represented to the king, that the
5
50 HISTORY OP
power of the sovereign and the authority of
his Ueutenant were almost null, and would
be entirely so in timt, if these different
classes continued to eujoy privileges which
had the effect of neutralizing the measures of
government. Charles II. acknowledged that
this state of things was contrary to the dig-
nity of his crown, and he decreed that no
parson employed by the king should possess
th )se prerogatives, even if he was a familiar
or officer of the inquisition. The people then
began to feel less respect for the tribunal, and
this was the commencement of its decline.
In 1713, Sicily no longer formed a part of
the Spanish dominions, and Charles de Bour-
bon, in 1739, obtained a bull, which created
an Inquisitor-general for that country, inde-
pendent of Spain; and in 1782, Ferdinand
IV. who succeeded Charles, suppressed this
odious tribunal.
Not contented with exercising his cruelty
in every corner of his dominions, " Philip
estabUshed the Inquisition also in the ships.
In 1571, a large fleet having been drawn to-
gether, under the command of John of Austria,
and manned with soldiers of various nations,
Philip, with consent of Pope Pius V., to pre-
vent any corruption of the faith, deputed one
of the Spanish Inquisitors of Spain, to dis-
charge the duties of his office at sea ; and
gave him power to preside in all tribunals,
and to celebrate "acts of faith," in all places
and cities to whi h they sailed. This erec
THE INQUISITION. 51
lion of the Inquisition at sea, was coni.rnied
by Pins, in a bull which he sent Id the In-
quisitor-general of Spain."
Instances of the conduct and cruelty of the
Inquisitors will be afterwards given, in treat-
ing of their manner of proceeding towards all
who are unhappily lodged within the walls
of their " holy," or rather unholy edifice.
In the meantime, we shall give here the fol-
lowing example of gross ignorance displayed
by these spiritual guides, in their zeal to sup-
press not only true religion, but even philoso-
phy and science, under the pretext of labour-
ing to extinguish heresy. Galileo, the chief
mathematician and astronomer of his age,
was the first who applied the telescope to
any valuable purpose in the science of as-
tronomy. Having become a convert to the
system of Copernicus, or what is now called
the Newtonian system, that is, that the sun
is the centre of motion to a number of
planets, and among others the earth, which
revolve round the sun at different periods,
GaUleo attracted the attention of the Inquisi-
tors, was arraigned before their tribunal, and
in danger of being put to death.
In order to give the reader a specimen of
the manner of drawing up a criminal's indict-
ment by the lords of the Inquisition, the fol-
lowing amusing extracts are taken from the
libel against Galileo : — " Whereas you, Gali-
leo, of Florence, aged 70, were informed
against in the year 1615, in this holy office,
52 HISTORY OF
for maintaining as true, a certain false doc-
trine, held by many, namely, that the sun is
the centre of the world, and immovable, and
that the earth moves round it with a daily
motion ; likewise, that you have kept up a cor-
respondence with certain German mathema-
ticians concerning the same ; likBwise, that
you have published some letters concerning
the solar spots, in which you have explained
the same doctrine as true, and that you have
answered the objections which in several
places were made against you, from the au-
thority of the Holy Scriptures, by construing
or glossing over the said Scriptures, according
to your own opinions ; and finally, whereas
the copy of a writing under the form of a let-
ter, reported to have been written by you to
one who was formerly your scholar, has been
shown to us, in which you have followed the
hypothesis of Copernicus, which contains
certain propositions contrary to the true sense
and authority of the Holy Scriptures : —
" Now this holy tribunal, being desirous to
provide against the inconveniences and dan-
gers which this statement may occasion, to
the detriment of the holy faith, by the com-
mand of the most eminent lords, &c. of the
Supreme and Universal Inquisition, have
caused the two follo\^ ing propositions con-
cerning the immovabi'ity of the sun, and the
motion of the earth, o be thus qualified by
the divines, viz.
"' That the su ' is the centre of the world,
THE INQUISITION. 53
and immovable, with a local motion, is an
absurd proposition, false in philosophy, and
absolutely heretical, because it is expressly
contrary to the Holy Scriptures.
" ' That the earth is neither the centre of
the world nor immovable, but that it pos-
sesses a daily motion, is likewise an absurd
proposition, false in philosophy, and, theolo-
gically considered, at least, erroneous in point
of faith.'
"But as it pleased us in the first instance,
to proceed kindly with you, it was decreed
in the said Congregation, held before our
Lord N. Feb. 25. anno. 1616, that the most
eminent lord cardinal Bellarmine should com-
mand you, that you should entirely depart
from the said false doctrine, and in case you
should refuse to obey him, that you should
be commanded by the commissary of the
Holy Office to abandon the same, and that
you should neither teach it to others, defend
it, nor say any thing concerning it ; and that
if you should not submit to this order, you
should be put in jail," &c.
" Thus, for merely entertaining and ex-
pressing an opinion with regard to the system
of the universe," says an eminent modern
writer, " was the greatest philosopher of his
age subjected to be imprisoned in the jail of
the Inquisition, which imprisonment almost
necessarily inferred the forfeiture of life by
means of burning ; and if the Holy Inquisi
tors, in their great mercy, werf pleased nol
5*
54 HISTORY OP
to bum him t ; death, the circumstance of be-
ing imprisoned by them, necessarily inferred
the forfeiture of all his property, and the con-
signing of his name to infamy."
After a long account of the errors of Gali-
leo's writings, their condemnation of the
same, and their deahngs with the author, in
ordei to his recantation, the inquisitors pro-
ceed in the words following : — " Invoking,
therefore, the most holy name of our Lord
Jesus Christ, and of his most glorious mother
Mary, ever a virgin, we do, by this our defi-
nitive sentence, &c. &c. judge and declare,
that you the said Galileo, have, upon account
of those things, which are produced in the
written process, and which you have con-
fessed as above, subjected yourself to a strong
suspicion of heresy in this holy office, by be-
heving and holding to be true a doctrine
which is false, and contrary to the sacred and
divine Scripture ; viz. that the sun is the
centre of the orb of the earth, and does not
move from the east to the west; and that
the earth moves, and is not the centre of the
world, and that these things may be con-
sidered and defended as probable opinions,
although they have been declared and deter-
mined to be contrary to the sacred Scripture ;
and consequently that you have incurred all
the censures and penalties appointed and pro-
mulgated by the sacred canons, and other
general and particular a Us against such
Dffenders ; fror. which il is nu pleasure that
THE INQUISITION. 55
you should be absolved, provided that you
do first, with a sincere heart, and a true faith,
abjure, curse, and detest, before us, the afore-
said errors, and heresies, and every other
error and heresy contrary to the CaihoUc and
apostolic Roman Church, in the form which
shall be presented by us to you."
In consequence of these proceedings, Gali-
leo, contrary to his conviction, made a formal
abjuration of his opinions, swearing that,
" by the aid of God, he would in future be-
lieve every thing which the holy Catholic
Church held, preached, and taught. But
whereas," he adds, " notwithstanding, after
I had been legally enjoined and commanded
by this holy office to abandon wholly that
false opinion, which maintains that the sun is
the centre of the universe, and immovable —
I do, with a sincere heart, and a true faith,
abjure, curse, and detest, not only this heresy,
but every other error and opinion, which
may be contrary to the holy Church ; and I
swear, that for the future, I will never more
say or assert, either by word or writing, any
thing that shall give occasion for a like sus-
picion, and that if I know any heretic, or
person suspected of heresy, I will inform
against him to this holy office, or to the In-
quisitor, or ordinary of the place in which I
shall then be. Sworn at Rome, in the con-
vent of Minerva, this 22d day of July, anno
1633."
Thouy') G ilileo, by lenying on oath what
56 HISTORY OP
he believed to be true, appears here in a
very contemptible light, yet it is evident that
ne had no alternative between this and
suiFering death. Had he been actuatsd by
Christian principle, he would rather have
died than have sworn to a falsehood, though
it had been a matter of no more importance
than that two and three make five. But if
the philosopher appears contemptible in this
matter, what shall we say of the holy Church
of Rome (and of the Inquisition,) that im-
posed such a hardship upon the wisest of her
children ! She appears not only as the enemy
of truth and righteousness, but also as the
enemy of science and literature.
CHAPTER HI.
Appointment of the Inquisitors in Spain — their exten-
sive privileges — procedure of the tribunal of the
"Holy Office" — eagerness cf the Inquisitors to pre-
serve secrecy in all their transactions — prisons of the
Inquisition — examination of a culprit — artifice and
injustice practised by the judges to induce a person
to criminate himself — striking example of their
duplicity and barbarity.
Having thus seen the complete establish-
ment of the Inquisitiorj in Spain, before pro-
ceeding further in its history, ue shall give
an outline of the mode of procedure in the
" Holy Office," together with some account of
the officers belonging to that infamous tribu-
THE INQUISITION. 57
iial. At the head of the Inquisition in Spain,
stands the Inquisitor-general. This high
officer is appointed nominally by the king,
but in reality by the Pope, for the Holy See
enjoys the privilege of a veto on the election
of the sovereign. The supreme Inquisitor
cannot proceed one step in the discharge of
his ofhce, till he has received the confirma-
tion of the Sovereign Pontiff. When thus
elected and confirmed, the Inquisitor-general
appoints the subordinate Inquisitors, but in
this last instance, the nomination of the su-
preme Inquisitor is subject to the review of
the king. S) high in dignity is the Inquisi-
tor-general esteemed by the Romish Church,
that he enjoys the title of " most reverend,"
a title which places him on an equal footing
with bishops.
The privileges of the Inquisitors are many
and valuable. They are not subject to the
bishops of the provinces where they reside,
or to the superiors of the religious orders to
which they belong. They alone can publish
.he edicts against heretics ; they can excom-
municate, interdict, and suspend; and, ex-
cept in a few cases which are distinctly speci-
fied, they can prevent the ordinaries or resi-
dent bishops from absolving those whom
they have subjected to the censure of the
Church. They may apprehend heretics,
though they take refuge in churches ; make
statutes, and increase the punishments on
those who violate them • g 'ant indulgences
58 HISTORY" OF
of twenty or forty days ; and give full par-
don of sins to all their officers who die in
their service. " Whoever, by himself or
others, shall kill, beat, or sthke any of the
Inquisitors, or the officials of the holy office,
or who shall injure or damage their effects,
shall be delivered over to the secular power."
With a few exceptions, the Inquisitors
may proceed against all persons whatsoever,
both among the clergy and the laity. Bishops,
priests, and friars, nay, princes and kings,
must be subject to this extraordinary tribu-
nal. Persons of every age and condition,
and of both sexes, may be cited as witnesses,
in the causes which it takes up. We have
a striking example of this in the citation of
Joan, daughter of the Emperor Charles V.,
before that tribunal, to give evidence in a
case where a person was accused of holding
doctrines contrary to the faith. So great was
the awe with which this court inspired the
superstitious emperor, that he commanded
his daughter without delay to obey the sum
mons, in order to avoid the sentence of ex-
communication. She accordingly appeared
before the Inquisitor-general on the day ap-
pointed, and gave her evidence in the case
under consideration.
The Inquisitors of Spain and Portugal,
especially, pretend to have jurisdiction over
the subjects of other kings. Of this we have
a remarkable example in the case of Thomas
Maynard, consul of the British nation in
THE INQUISITION. 59
Lisbon, under the protectorate of Oliver
Cromwell, who was imprisoned in the Inqui-
sition under pretence of having spoken some-
thing against the Romish faith. M. Mea-
dows, who at that period took care of the
English aftairs at Lisbon, informed Cromwell
of the imprisonment of the consul, and having
received instructions from the Protector, he
obtained an audience of the king of Portugal,
and, in the name of Cromwell, demanded
the liberation of Maynard. The king, how-
ever, informed him, that this was not in his
power — the consul being detained by the In-
quisition, over which he had no authority.
This answer was transmitted by Meadows
to Cromwell ; and, having shortly afterwards
received new instructions, he informed the
king, that, seeing his majesty had no power
over the Inquisition, he was commanded by
the Protector immediately to declare war
against it. This unexpected declaration so
alarmed both the king and the Inquisitors,
that they immediately gave Maynard liberty
to leave the Inquisition. But, scorning to
accept of a private dismission, the consul
compelled the Inquisitors, in order to repair
the injury done to his character, to give him
an honourable acquittal. Very few, how-
ever, are the individuals who thus escape ou*
of the hands of these tyrants.
The Inquisitors can prevent cognizance
being taken of any particular matter, may
order any process to be stopped, and may
60 HISTORF OF
bring before themselves any cause, at what
ever stage of the proceedings. They can
further modify and alter all sentences of con-
demnation, in the terms they may think
proper. Nay, they even possess the charac -
ter of legislators, being authorized to inter-
pret the canon law, in matters relating to the
government of the court. They may also
compel the governors of cities to swear that
they will defend the Church against heretics,
and to extirpate all who are denounced here-
tics by the Church. And for the better ap-
prehending of heretics, as well as for their
own safety, they may arm both themselves
and their attendants. "Even in exterior
pomp and parade," says Puigblanch, "the
supreme chief of the Inquisition emulated
kingly power and ostentation, both within
and without his tribunal. It is well known
that Torquemada, in his journeys, either be-
cause he was influenced by fear, or sought to
infuse it, carried about with him fifty fami-
liars on horseback, and two hundred on foot.
A penitent by profession — for this is'the real
definition of a friar — bearing about with him
arrogance and terror wherever he went ! In
the service also of the Inquisitor-general, and
of his tribunal, the grandees of the most dis-
tinguished pedigree have been employed ;
indeed, they have not disdained to accept the
title and duties of bailiff". Even the Cortes
of the kingdom have had to yield to his pre
dominant authority."
THE INQUISITION. 61
Besides the Inquisitor-general, there are
five counsellors, who have the title of A^ os-
tolical Inquisitors. These counsellors delibe-
rate upon all atiairs with the Inquisitor-gene-
ral, settle disputes among the particular In-
quisitors, punish the familiars attached to
the institution, and receive appeals. These
officers, together with an advocate-fiscal, two
secretaries, a treasurer, accountant, reporters,
bailiffs, and qualificators, constitute the su-
preme council, or high court of the Inquisition
in Spain. The provincial tribunals have
three and sometimes four Inquisitors of the
secular clergy, and a number of other officers
bearing the same names, and occupying the
same stations, as those attached to the su-
preme council.
In regard to the mode of procedure before
the tribunal of the holy office, it must be kept
in mind, that the Inquisitors not only encour-
age, but compel, by their threatenings and
excommunications, every class of the com-
munity to become informers^ or accusers of
all whom they suspect of holding heretical
tenets. Informations are consequently re-
ceived, without any respect to the character
of the persons by whom they are given.
Thieves and cheats, prejudiced persons, the
nearest relatives, and even children, are not
only allowed, but invited to inform: while
the names of the accusers and witnesses are
uniformly kept hidden from the unhappy in-
dividual who is thus denounced to the holy
6
b* HISTORY OP
oilict?. "Their form of proceeding," says
Voltaire, « is an infallible way to destroy
whomsoever the Inquisitors wish. The pri-
soners are not confronted with the accuser
or infoimer. Nor is there any informer or
witness who is not listened to. A public
2onvict, a notorious malefactor, an infamous
person, a common prostitute, a child, are in
the holy otnce, though nowhere else, credi-
ble accusers and witnesses. Even the son
may depose against his father, the wife
against her husband. This procedure, un-
heard of till the institution of this court,
makes the whole kingdom tremble. Suspi-
cion reigns in every breast. Friendship and
quietness are at an end. The brother dreads
his brother, the fathei his son.'*
There are three ways in which the process
may begin before the Inquisitorial courts.
First, by investigation, where the Inquisitor
summons certain individuals into his pre-
sence, and inquires into the state of the town
or district where they reside. Secondly, by
accusation, where a direct charge of heresy
is brought before the court, agamst one or
more persons distinctly named. Thirdly, by
denunciation, where the Inquisitor is merely
informed, that certain heretical persons, or
persons suspected of heresy, who are like-
wise distinctly named, exist within the limits
of his jurisdiction. The last is by far the
most common mode, and it is that which the
Inquisitors are most desirous to encourage
THE INQUISITION 53
Nor is it difficult to perceive the reason,
seeing the denunciator does not bind him-
self to prove the charge he prefers, and is
under no apprehension of punishment.
When the information has been lodgea,
the following questions are usually proposed*
Whether the informer knows the person sus-
pected of heresy, and if so, how long he has
known him? Whether he has said or done
the things imputed to him oftener than once ?
and whether in jest or in earnest, and in
whose company those things were said or
done ? The answers to these and similar
questions, are written down by the notary,
and read over to the informer, who either
subscribes them, or puts under them the
mark of the cross. He is then sworn to se-
crecy. " His name, his personal appearance,
the place of his abode, and every other cir-
cumstance respecting him, are studiously
concealed by the Inquisitors, lest the prac-
tice of informing should be discouraged ; and
having once put the court in possession of
the requisite intelligence, he drops away en-
tirely from the view, and is never again
mentioned, and, if possible, is never again
referred to, in the whole course of the pro-
cess. Thus does this odious tribunal, called
by an abuse of language the Holy Oflce, in
the very first step of its judicial procedure,
afford to the most infamous the pleasure of
gratification with the certainty of conceal-
ment, and provide an opportur tty for indulg
S4 HISTORY OF
ing the worst feelings and passions of oui
nature — personal malice, envy, and revenge."
Nay, not only are informers and witnesses
sworn to secrecy ; every individual connect-
ed with the Inquisition, from the highest
rank to the keeper of the jail, must take a
similar oath ; and strict watch is kept on all
their movements. A striking example of
the rigour with which all are treated who
deviate in the smallest degree from this In-
quisitorial injunction, is given by Gonsalvius
Montanus, in the following narrative : " One
Peter ab Herera," says he, "a man not alto-
gether vile, but of some humanity, and not
very old, was appointed keeper of the tower
of Triana, which is the prison of the Inquisi-
tion. It happened, as it often doth, in such
numerous and promiscuous imprisonments,
that among other prisoners committed to his
custody, there was a certain good matron,
with her two daughters who were put in
different cells, and earnestly desired the lib-
erty of seeing one another, and comforting
each other in so great a calamity. They
therefore earnestly entreated the keeper, that
he would suffer them to be together for one
quarter of an hour, that they might have the
satisfaction of embracing each other. He
being moved with humanity and compas-
sion, allowed them to be together, and talk
with one another, for half an hour ; and aftei
they had indulged their mutual affections, he
out them as they werr before, in their sepa-
TIIK INQUISITIO.y. ().J
"•ate prisons. A few days after t lis they
were put with great cruelty to the torture ;
and the keeper being afraid, that through
the severity of their torments, they should
discover to the lords, the fathers Inquisitors,
his small Immanity in suffering them to con-
verse together for half an hour without the
Inquisitor's leave ; through terror went him-
self to the holy tribunal, and of his own
accord confessed his sin, and prayed for par-
don ; foolisaly believing, that by such his
confession, he should prevent the punish-
ment that threatened him for this action.
But the lords Inquisitors judged this to be so
heinous a crime, that they ordered him im-
mediately to be thrown into jail, and such
was the cruelty of his treatment, and disor-
der of mind that followed on it, that he soon
grew distracted. His disorder and madness
did not, however, save him from a more
grievous punishment. For after he had lain
a full year in that cursed prison, they brought
him out in the public procession, clothed
with the yellow garment, and a halter about
his neck, as if he had been a common thief;
and condemned him first to receive two hun-
dred lashes through the streets of the city,
and then to be banished to the galleys for
six years. The day after the procession, as
he was carried from the prison to be whip-
ped, his madness, which usually seized him
every hour, came on him, and throwing him-
self from the ass, on which, for the greater
6*
66 HISTORY OF
shame, he was :arried, he fle\i upon the In
quisitory alguazil, and snatching from him a
sword, would certainly have killed himself,
had he not been prevented by the mob who
attended him, who set him again upon an
ass, and guarded him till he had received the
two hundred lashes according to his sentence.
After this, the lords Inquisitors ordered, that
as he had behaved himself indecently towards
the alguazil, four years more should be added
to the six for which he was at first condemn-
ed to the galleys.'^
When the tribunal judges that the words
or actions which are denounced, are sufficient
to warrant an inquiry, witnesses are cited,
none of whom are informed of the subject
on which they are to make depositions.
They are only asked in general terms, " If
they have ever heard or seen any thing
which was, or appeared contrary to the
Catholic faith, or the right of the Inquisi-
tion V The consequence is, that sometimes
circumstances foreign to the case in hand are
recollected, and deposed to by the witnesses,
which tend to criminate others, against whom
new processes are immediately commenced !
" When we speak of witnesses in Great Bri-
tain," says an eminent writer, " we almost
unavoidably think of a charge regularly
brought, the judges upon the bench, the jury
sworn, the criminal apprehended, and in
open court, the people admitted as auditors,
•iud the w^ole judicial assembly feeling and
THE INQUISITION. 67
actiuL under the assurance that they are re-
sponsible to an intelligent and watchful pub-
lic, for every part of their proceedings. But,
in the Inquisitorial tribunal, when the wit-
nesses are summoned, the party accused has
not even been taken into custody. He re
mains in his own house, and in the bosom
of his family, engaged in his ordinary occu-
pations, and entering, it may be, into the
amusements of the place where he lives ;
utterly ignorant of all that has been done
against him, and utterly unprepared for all
that is to follow. In truth, the depositions
of the witnesses are viewed, rather in con-
nection with the charge, than with the issue,
and relate not so much to the guilt or the
innocence of the party accused, as to the suf-
ficiency or insufficiency of the information.
Like the informer, the witnesses are sworn
to secrecy ; their names and personal history
are most industriously concealed ; and there
are instances upon record, where brothers
and sisters have given evidence against bro-
thers and sisters, where the wife has deposed
against the husband, and the husband against
the wife."
The next step, is the apprehension of the
person accused. This is given in charge to
the high bailiff", who executes his commission
by carrying with him a competent number
of officers, taking the precaution to surprise
the unhappy victim, which is generally done
at right. Not the slightest hint of insecuritj?
68 hisioaY of
is given, not a suspicion is breathed, till about
midnight, a band of monsters calmly ap-
proach the residence of the accused and de-
mand an entrance.* To the question, " In
whose name is this required ?" the answer
is, " The Holy Office.'^ ^' The thunderbolt,
launched from the black and angry cloud,"
sa.ys Puigblanch, " strikes not with such
alarm, as the sound of ^ Deliver yourself up
a prisoner to the Inquisition.' Astonished
and trembling, the unwary citizen hears the
dismal voice ; a thousand different affections
at once seize upon his panic-struck frame —
he remains perplexed and motionless. His
life, in danger, his deserted wife and orphan
children, eternal infamy, the only patrimony
that now awaits his bereft family, are all
* The following affords a view of the secrecy with
which the affairs of the holy office are conducted:
" When the familiar is sent for to apprehend any per-
son," says Limborch, " he has the following order put
into his hand : * By the command of the reverend father
N. an Inquisitor of heretical pravity, let B. be appre-
hended, and committed to the prisons of this holy office,
and not to be released out of them, but by the express
order of the said reverend Inquisitor.' And if several
persons are to be taken up at the same time, the fami-
liars are commanded so to order things, that they may
know nothing of one another's being apprehended.
And at this the familiars are so very expert, that a
father and his three sons and three daughters, who
lived together in the same house, were all carried pri-
soners to the Inquisition, without knowing any thing
of one another's being there until seven years after-
wards, when they that were alive came forth to an
auto-da-fe'."
THE INQUISITION. 69
ideas which rash upon his m.nd — he is at
once agitated by an agony of dilemma and
despair. The burning tear scarcely glistens
on his livid cheek, tiie accents of woe die
on his lips, and amidst the alarm and deso-
lation of his family, and the confusion and
pity of his neighbours, he is borne away to
dungeons, whose damp and bare walls can
alone witness the anguish of his mind.
" Here," continues the same elegant writer,
" was usually confined the father of a family,
perhaps his amiable wife, or tender daugh-
ter, the exemplary priest, or peaceful scholai ;
and in the meantime his house was bathed
in tears, and filled with desolation. Vene-
rable matrons and timid damsels have been
hurried from their homes, and, ignorant of
the cause of their misfortune, have awakened
from the frenzy of the brain, and found them-
selves here alone, and helpless in a solitary
cell. Here the manly youth, torn from his
bewailing kindred, and often wrested from
ties still more endearing, pines amidst damp
seclusion and chill despair, and vainly in-
vokes the names of objects which so lately
thrilled him with pleasure. The dripping
vaults re-echo the sighs of the aged father,
no longer encircled by the fond endearments
of a numerous progeny ; all, in short, are
condemned to drag existence amidst a death-
like silence, and, as it were, immured from
the sight of their weeping relatives."
The prisoners are confined in separate
70 HISTORY OP
cells, which are not only small, but contain
no other furniture except a wooden bed
stead, a table, one chair, and sometimes none.
There are usually two rows of cells, built
over each other. The upper rows are light-
ed by means of a small iron grate, and the
lower are perfectly dark. In each cell there
are placed two pots of water, one to wash
in, and the other to drink. The treatment
of the prisoners varies according to their
rank ; their allowance sometimes amounting
to no more than three half-pence or two
pence a day. The under rows of cells are
appropriated for heretics. There, in solitude
and silence, they never see a human being
except their keeper. Thus persons the most
nearly related to each other, may be confined
in contiguous cells without knowing it; and
the merciless turnkeys are constantly on the
watch, to prevent the utterance of any sound,
lest it should occasion the discovery of some
secret. If a person bemoans himself, or be-
wails his misfortune, or prays to God with
an audible voice, he is instantly silenced. As
persons may know one another by their
cough, as well as by their articulate voice,
no one is allowed even this expression of his
misery, in the dungeons of the Inquisition.
Limborch relates the following instance of
such unheard of barbarity, which, he says, he
had from several persons. " A prisoner in
the Inquisition coughed ; the jailers came to
him, and admonished him to forbear cough-
THE INQUISITION.
ing, because it was wilawful to make any
noise in that house. He answered tiiat it
was not in his power to forbear. They ad-
monished him, however, a second time, to
forbear it, and because he did not, they strip-
ped him naked, and cruelly beat him ; this
increased his cough, for which they beat him
so often, that at last he died through the pain
and anguish of his stripes !"
Very soon after the accused is conducted
to the Inquisition, he is brought forth from
his cell and examined. The place where he
appears before the Inquisitors is called the
table of the holy office. At the further end
of it there is placed a crucifix, raised up al-
most as high as the ceiling. In the middle
of the room stands a table, at the end of
which, nearest the crucifix, sits the secretary
or notary of the Inquisition. The culprit is
brought in by the beadle, with his head,
arms, and feet naked, and is followed by one
of the keepers. His attendants conduct him
to the door of the chamber of audience,
which he enters alone, and is ordered to sit
down on a bench at the other end of the
table, directly opposite the notary. The In-
quisitor sits on his right hand. On the table
near the culprit hes a missal, or book of the
Gospels, on which he is ordered to lay his
hand, and swear that he will declare truth,
and keep secresy.
He is then asked if lie knows where he is,
whether he is aware that he is within the
72 HISTORY OF
walls of the Inquisition, and why it is that
men are usually detained in the custody ot
the holy office. If he says that he cannot
guess at the cause of his imprisonment, but
knows that he is a prisoner in the holy office,
where heretics or persons suspected of heresy
are confined, he is informed, that seeing he
knows that persons are confined there foi
their profanation of religion, he ought to con
elude that he is confined for the same reason ;
and must therefore declare what he believes
to be the cause of his apprehension and con-
finement in the prisons of the holy office. If
he says he cannot imagine what it is, he is
desired to recollect himself, to run over in
his mind the events of his past life, and to
search out and ascertain whether he may not,
on some occasion, have said or done some-
thing contrary to the purity of the Catholic
faith, and the authority of the Inquisition.
If he still persists in maintaining his igno-
rance, he is informed that every degree of
mercy is shown towards those who confess,
while the obstinate are treated with the ut-
most severity.
The prisoner is next obliged to declare his
whole genealogy and descent, and to make
known whether any of his ancestors, or him-
self, his brothers, wife, or children, had at any
time previous been arraigned before the tri-
bunal. These questions are put for the pur-
pose of implicating the accused in a stronger
manner, and to obtain possession of the pro-
THE INQUISITION. 73
perty he may have inherited, by declaring the
right of succession null and void, to the de-
struction, perhaps, of many families. Nu-
merous other questions are asked, varied in
every possible way, and every art of un-
righteous investigation is tried ; and if, after
a'l, he still persists in declaring himself igno-
rant of any word or action that can be con-
strued into heresy, he is informed, that he
must be carried back to his dungeon, to aid
his memory by reflection. This ceremony
is performed three times, with some interval
between each.
" The idea all this presents is," says Puig-
blanch, " that the court wishes the prisoner
to confess, under the hope of being treated
with greater kindness ; but, without dread-
ing the charge of temerity, and judging only
from the strict nature of the process, I may
venture to attribute to such a practice the
highest refinement of the Inquisitorial test.
At least it will not be denied that the pri-
soner is compelled to scrutinize every act
and period of his life, till at last he hits on
the cause of his impeachment. Scarcely re-
covered from the surprise caused by his ar-
rest, and appalled by the contrast his imagi-
nation forms of the many and secret steps
previously taken, compared with the state of
security in which he lately lived, from that
moment the prisoner begins to despair, and
hopeless and dismayed, he already beholds
the torment that awaits him. Bewildered,
74 H.STORY OF
as in the mazes of a labyrinth, where\er he
tnrns his eyes, some fresh object increases
his pain, and adds to his anguish. Under the
undoubted supposition, that in this abode of
wretchedness, the appearance of the most
officious charity conceals acts of the most in-
sidious cruelty, he beholds no one who is not
an enemy, and hears nothing that is not di-
rected to fiis ruin. Secluded from every spe-
cies of intercourse, if his keeper says any
thing unconnected with the service of his
person, it is to assure him that it will be much
in his favour to confess according to the plea-
sure of the Inquisitors. If an attorney is
allowed him, it is after he has sworn to use
every exertion to induce his client to confess,
and that he will abandon his defence from
the moment he discovers his guilt. Thus is
it that the prisoner has more to fear from
his advocate than from the proctor of his
enemies."
If, on the other hand, the prisoner knows
the reason why he is apprehended, and hap
pens to confess every thing of which he has
been accused to the Inquisitor, he is com-
mended, and encouraged to hope for a
speedy deliverance. If he confesses some
things, but cannot guess at others, he is also
commended for having resolved to accuse
himself, and exhorted, " by the bowels of
mercy of Jesus Christ," to proceed, and in-
genuously to confess every thing else of
which he is accused, that he may experience
THE INQUISITION. 75
that kindness and mercy which this tribunal
uses towards tliose who manifest a real re-
pentance of their crimes by a sincere and
voluntary confession !
In these examinations, the Inquisitors have
recourse to the meanest artifices, in order to
draw from the prisoner a confession of those
crimes of which he is accused, making great
professions of sympathy, and numerous pro-
mises of favour, if he will but yield to their
solicitations. By these flattering assurances,
they sometimes impose on the unwary ; and
when they have gained their object, they
forget their promises, and treat the unhappy
objects of their deception with the utmost
rigour. In proof of this, the following among
other stratagems, drawn up by Nicholas
Eymeric, Inquisitor-general of Arragon, about
the middle of the fourteenth century, are
submitted to the reader: — "When the pri-
soner has been impeached of the crime of
heresy, but not convicted, and he obstinately
persists in his denial, let the Inquisitor take
the proceedings into his hands, or any other
file of papers, and looking them over in his
presence, let him feign to have discovered
the offence fully established therein, and that
he is desirous he should at once make his
confession. The Inquisitor shall then say to
the prisoner, as if in astonishment, ' And is it
possible that you shall still deny what I have
here before my own eyes ?' He shall then
seem as if he read, and to the epd that the
76 HIST IRY OF
prisoner may know no better, he shall fold
down the leaf, and after reading some mo-
ments longer, he shall say to him, * It is just
as I have said, why, therefore, do you deny
it, when you see I know the whole matter?
When the Inquisitor has an opportunity, he
shall manage so as to introduce to the con
versation of the prisoner some one of his
accomplices, or any other converted heretic,
who shall feign that he still persists in his
heresy, telling him that he had abjured for the
sole purpose of escaping punishment by de-
ceiving the Inquisition. Having thus gained
his confidence, he shall go into his cell some
day after dinner, and keeping up the conver-
sation till night, shall remain with him, under
pretext of its being too late to return home.
He shall then urge the prisoner to tell him all
the particulars of his life, having first told
him the whole of his own ; and in the mean-
time spies shall be kept at the door, as well
as a notary, in order to certify what may be
said within ! !" All this needs no comment,
it speaks for itself; and were it not given on
the most unexceptionable authority, we could
not but reject it as a fiction. But, alas ! what
the fanatical Eymeric taught has been too
implicitly tolbwed ; and thus the procedure
of a court, impiously called holy, is suffi-
cient to put the most barbarous nations, nay
devils themselves, to the blush.
Gonsalvius, for example, mentions a strik-
ing instance of the duplicity and cruelty of
THE INQUISITION. 77
the lords of tlie Holy Office. "In the first
fire that was blown up at Seville," says the
author, "in 1558 or 1559, among many others
who were taken up, were a certain pious
matron, her two daughters, and her niece.
Unable to effect his purpose by means of the
torture, the Inquisitor ordered one of the
daughters to be brought before him. Having
discoursed with her for a considerable time,
he pretended to feel the greatest affliction for
her amidst her trials. All this, as the event
showed, had only this tendency, that after he
had persuaded the poor simple girl that he
was really, and with a fatherly affection, con-
cerned for her calamity, and would consult
as a father, what might be for her benefit
and salvation, and that of her relatives, she
might throw herself upon his protection.
After spending several days in such familiar
discourses, during which he pretended to
mourn with her over her suflerings, and to
be affected with her miseries, adding innu-
merable promises of his desire to free her
from them ; when he perceived that he had
deceived the girl, he proceeded to persuade
her to discover all she knew, not only of her-
self, but of her mother, sisters, and aunts,
protesting upon oath, that if she would faith-
fully reveal to him every particular, he would
find out a method to relieve her from all her
misfortunes, and to send them all back again
to their homes. Possessed of no great pene-
tration, the girl, allured by the premises and
7*
78 HISTORY OF
persuasions of this father of the holy faith,
proceeded to inform him of some things re-
lative to the doctrines which she had been
taught, and concerning which they had been
accustomed to converse with each other.
Having now got hold of the thread, the In-
quisitor dexterously enough endeavoured to
find his way through the whole labyrinth—
often calling the girl to audience, that what
she had deposed might be taken down in a
legal manner; and always persuading her
that this would be the only just means to put
an end to all her evils. But when the poor
girl expected the performance of his numer-
ous promises, the Inquisitor, finding the suc-
cess of his craftiness, by which he had in
part drawn from her what before he could
not extort by torments, determined again to
put her to the torture, in order to force out of
her what he imagined she had yet concealed.
She was accordingly subjected to torture, both
by the rack a'ld water, till the Inquisitors had
squeezed out of her, as with a press, both the
heresies and accusations of the persons they
had been hunting after ; for, through the ex-
tremity of her torture, she accused her mo-
ther and sister, and several others, who were
ap^prehended and tortured, and burnt alive
n he same fire with the girl !"
TiiK iNQiirsrrio.v
CHAPTER IV.
Examination of the accused by torture — its different
degrees — it is sometimes inflicted on those who are
condemned to death — innocence no protection against
Inquisitorial cruelty — different punishments inflicted
by the Inquisition — description of an auto-da-fe — hy-
pocritical manner in which the Inquisitors deliver over
their victims to the civil power.
After undergoing the usual number of ex-
aminations before the Inquisitors, if the pri-
soner still persists in protesting his innocence,
he is condemned to the torture.* Attempts
are first made, however, to frighten him by
a variety of Inquisitorial methods. The in-
struments of torture are shown him at a dis-
tance. Having been conducted into a large
room, feebly lighted, the executioner is point-
ed out to him, dressed in a black gown which
reaches down to his feet, and having a long
cowl drawn over his head and face. This
revolting figure has in his hand an iron col-
lar, or some other instrument of torture, and
* Not only are persons against whom something has
been proved subjected to this monstrous engine of
Inquisitorial cruelty, for the purpose of drawing from
them some additional confessions; those also who can-
not make their innocence plainly appear to the Inqui-
sitor, (and who can in a court so iniquitous 1) who in
the smallest degree contradict themselves, who faulter,
tremble, or even turn pale, are considered guilty, and
as such are condemned the rack!
so HISTORY OF
Stares in solemn silence a: the prisoner,
through two holes which are cut for this
purpose in his cowl. "All this," says Gon-
salvius, " is intended to strike the miserable
wretch with greater terror, when he sees him-
self about to be tortured by the hands of one
who thus looks like the very devil."
The majority of the historians who have
been consulted, agree in stating that the dif-
ferent degrees of torture formerly in use
were five in number. First, the threaten-
ing of the torture. Secondly, The steps
taken when conducting the prisoner to the
place where the torture is inflicted. Thirdly,
Stripping and binding the prisoner. Fourth-
ly, Elevation on the pulley. And lastly,
Squassation, or the sudden precipitation and
suspension of the body. To these we may
add, the wooden horse, the thumb screws, the
iron slipper, &c. The measure of severity
with which the prisoner is to be tortured, is
pointed out by the Inquisitor in the terms in
which he is pleased to pronounce sentence.
If he says, " Let the prisoner be interrogated
by torture," he is merely hoisted up on the
rope, but does not undergo the squassation.
If he says, " Let him be tortured," he must
undergo the squassation once, being first in-
terrogated while hanging in the air. If he
orders him " to be well tortured," he must
suffer two squassations. If he adds the ex-
pression, « severely tortured," he is subject-
ed to undergo within an hour thr^^e different
THE INQUISITION. 81
sqiiassalions. If " very severely," it is done
with twistings and additional weights sus-
pended to his feet. And if " very severely,
even unto death," the prisoner is in immi
nent danger of his life. " Should the prisoner,
in consequence of the agony which he suf-
fers, be forced to make any confession, that
confession is immediately taken down by the
notary ; and if he adheres to it at his next
examination, which commonly takes place in
twenty-four hours after the infliction of the
torture, and at the same time acknowledges
his guilt, he is condemned, it is true, as a he-
retic upon his own confession, but is repre-
sented as penitent, and is restored to the bo-
som of the Church ; though not without un-
dergoing certain punishments, more or less
severe, and certain painful varieties of pen-
ance.* But, should he either retract his con-
fession, or persist in his heresy, he is delivered
over to the secular power, and is burnt alive
at the next auto-da-fe.''^
However unwilling we are to shock the
* This does not, however, hold good in every case;
individuals, as we have already seen, and shall after-
wards have occasion to notice, who have been sub-
jected to the torture, and made confession, having sub-
sequently been condemned to the flames. No doubt the
Inquisitors pretended to have had good grounds for thus
acting; but where was there ever a deed of blood per-
petrated, (and innumerable have been the number which
have been committed by these demons in human form),
that they could not colour over, in a manner sutficient
to satisf} ttf consciences of at least Romish eccktiastics ?
82 HISTORY OP
feelings of the reader by any furtner descrip-
tion of the various kinds of torture inflicted
by the Inquisition, it is necessary, in a histo-
ry hke the present, to give some more par-
ticular account of this part of the procedure
of that infamous court. The following par-
ticulars relative to the torture, which are
given by Puigblanch, are stated in a manner
as unrevolting as possible, although, on such
a subject, no words which describe this bar-
barous mode of Inquisitorial punishment can
be used, without giving pain to every mind
not altogether destitute of humanity.
" Three kinds of torture have been gene-
rally used by the Inquisition, viz. the pulley,
the rack, and fire. As sad and loud lamen-
tations accompanied the sharpness of the pain,
the victim was conducted to a retired apart-
ment, called the hall of torture, and usually
situated under ground, in order that his cries
might not interrupt the silence which reigned
throughout the other parts of the building.
Here the court assembled, and the judges
being seated, together with their secretary,
again questioned the prisoner respecting his
crime, which if he still persisted to deny,
they proceeded to the execution of the sen-
tence.
" The first torture was performed by fix-
ing a pulley to the roof of the hall, with a
strong hempen or grass rope passed througli
it. The executioners then seized the culprit,
md leaving him naked to his drawers, put
THE INQUISITION. 83
shackles on his feet, and suspended weights
of one liiindred pounds to his ankles. His
hands were then bound behind his back, and
the rope from the pulley strongly fastened to
his wrists. In this situation he was raised
about the height of a man from the ground,
and in the meantime the judges coolly ad-
monished him to reveal the truth. In this
position, as far as twelve stripes were some-
times inflicted on him, according to the infer-
ences and weight of the off'ence. He was
then suffered to fall suddenly, but in such
manner that neither his feet nor the weights
reached the ground, in order to render the
shock of his body the greater.
" The torture of the rack, also called that
of water and ropes, and the one most com-
monly used, was inflicted by stretching the
victim, naked as before, on his back, along a
wooden horse or hollow bench, with sticks
across like a ladder, and prepared for the pur-
pose. To this his feet, hands, and head were
strongly bound in such manner as to leave
him no room to move. In this attitude he
experienced eight strong contortions in his
limbs, viz. two on the fleshy parts of the
arm above the elbow, and two below, one oi
each thigh, and a so on the legs. He was
besides obliged to swallow seven pints of wa
ter, slowly dropped into his mouth on a piece
of silk or ribbon, which, by the pressure of
the water, glided down his throat, so as to
produce all the horrid sensations of a person
84 HISTORY OP
who is drowning. At other times his face
was covered with a thin piece of Unen,
through which the water ran into his mouth
and nostrils, and prevented him from breath-
ing. Of such a form did the Incuisition of
Valladohd make use, in 1528, towards the
Hcentiate Juan Salas, physician of that city.
" For the torture by fire, the prisoner was
placed with his legs naked in the stocks ; the
soles of his feet were then well greased with
lard, and a blazing chafing-dish applied to
them, by the heat of which they became per-
fectly fried. When his complaints of the
pain were loudest, a board was placed be-
tween his feet and the fire, and he was again
commanded to confess, but this was taken
away if he persisted in his obstinacy. This
species of torture was deemed the most cruel
of all ; but this, as well as the others, was
indiscriminately applied to persons of both
sexes, at the will of the judges, according
to the circumstances of the crime, and the
strength of the delinquents.
"The torture by fire, however, does not ap-
pear to have been much in use except in
Italy, and this when the culprit was lame,
or through any other impediment prevented
from being suspended by the pulley. In the
latter country also, other minor tortures were
used with persons unable to withstand those
already described. Such were that of the
dice, of the canes, and of the rods. For the
first, the prisoner was extended on the
THE INQUISITION. 85
ground, and two pieces of iron shaped like
a die, but concave on one side, were placed
on the heel of his right foot, then bound fast
on with a rope, which was pulled tight with
a screw. That of the canes was performed
by a hard piece being put between each
finger, bound, and then screwed as above.
That of the rods was inflicted on boys who
had passed their ninth year, but had not yet
reached the age of puberty, by binding them
to a post, and then flogging them with rods.
" The duration of the torture, by a bull of
Paul III. could not exceed an hour; and if
in the Inquisition of Italy, it was not usual
for it to last so long, in that of Spain, which
has always boasted of surpassing all others
in zeal for the faith, I. was prolonged to an
hour and a quarter. The sufferer, through
the intensity of pain, was sometimes left
senseless, for which case a physician was
always in attendance, to inform the court
whether the paroxysm was real or feigned ;
and according to his opinion, the torture was
continued or suspended. When the victim
remained firm in his denial, and overcame
the pangs inflicted on him — or when, after
confessing under them, he refused to ratify
his confession within twenty-four hours after-
wards — he has been forced to undergo as far
as three tortures, with only one day's inter-
val between each. Thus whilst his imagina-
tion was still filled with the dreadfu idea of
his past suflerings, which the <Co ipilation
8
86 HISTORY OF
of Instructions' itself calls agony, his limbs
stiff and sore, and his strength debilitated, he
was called upon to give fresh proofs of his
constancy, and again endure the horrid spec-
tacle, as well as the repetition of excruciating
pangs, tending to rend his whole frame to
pieces."
But enough, and more than enough has
been brought forward, on this inhuman and
revolting practice of men, who nevertheless
style themselves priests of the compassionate
Redeemer ! ! Rather may we not call them
and does not their horrid conduct entitle
them to the appellation of ministers of dark-
ness, and monsters of cruelty ? " My soul
come not thou into their secret ; unto their
assembly, mine honour, be not thou united."
Such is a specimen of the tortures of the
Inquisition, when there is not sufficient proof
of the crimes of which their unhappy victims
are accused. Instances, however, are on
record, where the torture has been inflicted
on persons who are condemned to death, as
an additional punishment ! One of these
may be mentioned here. William Lithgow
a British subject, informs us in his travels,
that, in 1620, he was apprehended at Malaga,
in Spain, as a spy, and exposed to the most
cruel torments on what is called the wooden
horse. But nothing having been extorted
from him, he was delivered over to the In-
quisition, as a heretic, under pretence that
his journal contained blasphemies against
THE INQUISITION. 87
the Pope and the Virgin Mary. Ila -ing ac-
knowledged, in presence of tlie Inquisitor,
that he was a Protestant, he was admonished
to return to the Popish faith, and allowed
eight days in a dungeon to deliberate on his
conversion. In the mean time the Inquisitor
and his minions often visited him, in order to
persuade him to renounce his opinions—
sometimes promising, sometimes threatening,
and sometimes disputing with him on the
heretical nature of his tenets. All their
efforts being in vain, Lithgow was con-
demned, first to suffer eleven of the crudest
tortures, and then to be carried privately to
Grenada, and burnt at midnight. He was
accordingly carried to the hall of torture,
where the inhuman process of filling him
with water till he was ready to burst, was
first resorted to. They next tied a cord
round his neck, and rolled him seven times
along the floor, till he was nearly strangled,
after which they hung him up by the feet
till all the water in his bowels had disgorged
itself at his mouth. These and other cruel-
ties having been finished, during which, not-
withstanding the agonies he endured, he
made no confession, he was remanded to his
dungeon, till the last part of his sentence
could be executed. But, by a remarkable
interposition of Divine Providence, he was
shortly afterwards delivered out of thdr
hands, and arrived safely in England.
Should the prisoner, as already "tatcd
P8 HISTORY OF
make confession while endnring the torture,
that confession is immediately taken dowL
by the notary ; after which he is carried to
another place, where his confession is read
over to him, and he is required to subscribe
it. But here Gonsalvius observes, "that
when the prisoner is carried to audience,
they make him pass by the door of the room
where the torture was inflicted, where the
executioner shows himself, in that shape of
a devil described before, that, as he passes
by, he may, by seeing him, be forced to feel,
as it were, over again, his past torments."
If there be very strong evidence against
the accused — if new proofs of his guilt be
brought forward — or, if it be considered that
he was not sufficiently tortured formerly, he
may be subjected to this cruel ordeal again,
" when his body and mind are able to en-
dure it."
Ever ready to inflict punishment, the In-
quisitors not unfrequently condemn the inno-
cent to endure the most excruciating tortures ;
and, after subjecting them to agony or death,
in solemn mockery pronounce them to be
'nnocent. The following example, illustra-
tive of such unheard of barbarity, occurred
at Seville, in 1559. Maria de Bohorques,
the natural daughter of a Spanish grandee
of the first class, avowed her faith before the
Inquisitors, defended it as the ancient truth
of God, and was tortured to induce her to
implicate I ler friends. First, two Jesuits, and
THE INQUISITION. 89
then two Dominicans, were sent lo d(ibate
with or ensnare her ; but she continutid sted-
fast — her convictions acquired strength, and
her views grew clearer during the discus-
sions; and nothing remained for Maria, but
to form her part in the bloody pageant of an
auto-da fe. She there tried to comfort her
companions in tribulation, but was gagged.
Her sentence was read, the gag removed,
and she was asked to recant. " I neither can
nor will," was the resolute reply ; and she
proceeded to the place of execution. After
she was bound to the stake, the lighting of
the pile was delayed for a little, that another
attempt might be made to reclaim her. She
was, by the grace of God, immovable still —
was strangled, and burned, one of her last
employments being to comment on the creed
in the Protestant sense. In 1560, no fewer
than eight females, of irreproachable charac-
ter, and some of them distinguished by rank
and learning, perished in a similar manner
in another Auto at Seville. Maria Gomez,
her three sisters, and her daughter, were of
the number. After being sentenced to the
flames, the young woman thanked one of her
aunts, who had taught her the truth ; and
then, amid many affectionate expressions, ac-
companied with confidence in Him for whose
truth they were dying, they prepared for
their fiery doom. After describing the touch-
ing scene. Dr. M'Crie inforr s us, that "so
completely had superstition and habit sub-
8*
90 HISTORY OF
dued the strongest emotions of the human
breast, that not a single expression of sympa-
thy escaped from the multitude at witness-
ing a scene which, in other circumstances,
would have harrowed up the feelings of the
spectators, and driven them into mutiny."
We know that these details must lacerate
the feelings of our readers ; but it is needful
fully to elucidate the spirit of Popery, where-
ever it appears full-grown. To complete our
abstract, therefore, we must further narrate,
that, at the same Auto, an event took place
which gives the Inquisitors a full title to the
epithet of Cannibals, which it caused to be
applied to them. Dona Juana de Xeres y
Borhorques had been apprehended, in conse-
quence of a confession extorted from her sis-
ter Maria by the rack. Being six months
gone in pregnancy. Dona Juana was impri-
soned in the pubUc jail till her delivery.
Eight days thereafter her child was taken
from her, and she was placed in a cell in the
Inquisition. A young woman was imprison-
ed beside her, who exerted herself to the
utmost to promote the afflicted lady's re-
covery ; but the attendant was soon subjected
to the torture herself, and remitted to her
cell mangled by the process. As soon as
Dona Juana could rise from her bed of
rushes, she was in her turn tortured by the
Inquisitors. She would not confess. She
was placed on one of their instruments of
crueltv The cords penetrated through the
THE INQUISITION. 9x
delicate flesh to the bone of her arms and
legs. Some of the internal vessels burst.
The blood flowed in streams from her mouth
and nostrils. She was conveyed to her cell
in a state of insensibility, and died in the
course of a few days. The Inquisitors, for
once, pronounced the lady whom they had
murdered, innocent, on the day of the Auto.
They feared the recoil which their atrocity
might have occasioned ; so that in this fiend-
ish proceeding we see Popery in its twofold
character — shedding the blood of God's
saints, and then like a dastard or a syco-
phant, fawning upon those whom it has in-
jured, when there is danger of retaliation.
" The punishments inflicted by the Inquisi-
tion," says a modern writer, " may be re-
garded as of two sorts, — punishments not is-
suing in death, and punishments which have
that issue. Under the first of these heads
are comprehended the ecclesiastical punish-
ments, such as penances, excommunication,
interdict, and the deprivation of clerical offices
and dignities; and under this head too, are
included the confiscation of goods, the disin-
heriting of children, for no child, though he
be a Catholic, can inherit the property of a
father dying in heresy ; the loss of all right
to obedience, on the part of kings and other
feudal superiors, and a corresponding loss of
right to the fulfilment of oaths and obligations
on the part of subjects; imprisonment in
nj ■)nasteries or in jails, whipping, the galleys,
92 HISTORY OF
and the ban of the empire. Under the second
head, or that of punishments issuing in death,
there are only two instances, viz : strangling
at the stake, and death by fire. These in-
stances may easily be comprehended in a
short account of the auto-da-fe."
" In the procession of the auto-da-fe,"
says Dr. Geddes, "the monks of the ordei
of St. Dominic walk first. These carry
the standard of the Inquisition, bearing on
the one side the picture of St. Dominic him-
self, curiously wrought in needle-work, and
on the other, the figure of the cross between
those of an olive branch and a naked sword,
with the motto ^justitia et misericordia.^
Immediately after the Dominicans, come the
penitents, dressed in black coats without
sleeves, barefooted, and with wax candles in
their hands. Among them, the principal
offenders wear the infamous habit called the
sanbenito. Next come the penitents, who
have narrowly escaped the punishment of
death ; and these have flames painted upon
their garments or benitoes, but with the
points of the flames turned downwards, im-
porting that they have been saved, <yet so
as by fire.' Next come the negative and the
relapsed, the wretches who are doomed to
the stake ; these also have flames upon their
habits, but pointing upwards. After the ne-
gative and the relapsed, come the guilty and
the impenitent, or those who have been con-
victed of heresy, and who persist in it ; and
THE INQUISITION. 93
these, besides the flames pointing upwards,
have their picture (drawn for tliat purpose a
few days before,) upon their breasts, with
dogs, serpents, and devils, all with open
mouths, painted about it. This part of the
procession is closed by a number of indi-
viduals carrying the figures of those who
have died in heresy, or large chests, painted
black, and marked with serpents and devils,
containing their bones dug out of their
graves, in order that they may be reduced
to ashes. A troop of familiars on horseback
follow the prisoners; and after these come the
subordinate Inquisitors, and other function-
aries of the Holy Office, upon mules ; and
last of all comes the Inquisitor-general him-
self, in a rich dress, mounted upon a white
horse, and attended by all the nobility who
are not employed as familiars in the proces-
sion. The train moves slowly along, the
great bell of the cathedral tolling at proper
intervals.
" At the place of execution, stakes are set
up according to the number of the sufferers.
They are usually about twelve feU in height,
and at the bottom of each there is placed a
considerable quantity of dry furze. The
negative and the relapsed are first strangled
at the stake, and afterwards burnt. The
convicted and the impenitent, or the profess-
ed, as they are otherwise called, are burnt
alive. To these, certain Jesuits who are ap-
po/nted to attend them, address many exhor-
94 HISTORY OF
tations, imploring them to be reconciled to
the Church of Rome, but commonly without
effect. The executioner therefore ascends,
and turns the prisoners off from the ladder,
upon a small board fastened to the stake,
within half a yard of the top ; and the Je-
suits having declared, ' that they leave them
to the devil who is standing at their elbow,'
to receive their souls as soon as they have
quitted their bodies, a great shout is raised,
and the whole multitude unite in crying, ' let
the dogs' beards be trimmed, let the dogs'
beards be trimmed.' This is done by thrust-
ing flaming furze, tied to the end of a long
pole, against their faces ; and the process is
often continued till the features of the pri-
soners are all wasted away, and they can be
no longer known by their looks. The furze
at the bottom of the stake is then set on fire,
but as the sufferers are raised to the height
of ten feet above the ground, the flames sel-
dom reach beyond their knees, so that they
really are roasted, and not burnt to death. —
Yet though, out of hell," as Dr. Geddes adds,
" there cannot be a more lamentable specta-
cle than this, it is beheld by people of both
sexes, and of all ages, with the utmost de-
monstrations of joy — a bull feast, or a farce,
being dull entertainments compared with an
auto-da-fe."
In order, however, to give the reader a
still more distinct account of the parade and
ceremony attending an auto-da-fe, we shall
THE INQUISITION. 95
select the celebrated one which took place at
Madrid in IGSO, in presence of Charles II.
and the royal family. On the day appointed,
the procession began to move from the In-
quisition, in the following order, at seven
o'clock in the morning.
" The soldiers of the faith came first, and
cleared the way; next followed the cross of
the parish of St. Martin, covered with black,
and accompanied by twelve priests clothed
in surplices, and a clergyman with a pluvial
cope ; then came the prisoners to the amount
of one hundred and twenty, seventy-two of
whom were women, and forty-eight men ;
some came forth in effigy, and the remainder
in person. First in the order of procession
were the effigies of those condemned persons
who had died or made their escape, and
amounting in all to thirty-four ; their names
were inscribed in large letters on the breast
of their effigies; and those who had been
condemned to be burned, besides the coroza
or cap on their heads, had flames represented
on their dress ; and some bore boxes in their
hands, containing the bones of their corres-
ponding originals. Next came the fifty-four
who had been reconciled, the most guilty
wearing a sanbenito with only one branch,
and carrying in t\.ieir hands, as did also the
above, a yellow candle unlighted. Lastly
came twenty-one prisoners condemned to
death, each with his coroza and sanbenito
coriespo ding to the nature of his crime, and
96 HISTORY OF
the most of them with gags on their mouths :
they were accompanied by numerous fami-
liars of the Inquisition in the character of
patrons, and were besides each attended by
two friars, who comforted the penitent, and
exhorted the obdurate. The whole of this
part of the ceremony was closed by the high
bailiff of Toledo and his attendants. Behind
the effigy of each culprit were also conveyed
boxes containing their books, when any had
been seized with them, for the purpose of
also being cast into the flames. The courts
of the Inquisition followed immediately after,
preceded by the secretaries of those of To-
ledo and Madrid, with a great number of
commissaries and familiars ; among whom
walked the two stewards of the congrega-
tion of St. Peter Martyr, carrying the sen-
tences of the criminals inclosed in two pre-
cious caskets. So far the procession on foot.
" Next, on horseback, paraded the sheriffs
and other ministers of the city, together with
the chief bailiffs of the Madrid Inquisition.
Then came a long string of familiars on
horses, richly and variously caparisoned,
wearing the habit of the Inquisition over
their own dress, the proper insignia on their
breasts, and staffs raised in their hands. In
succession followed a great number of eccle-
siastical ministers ; such as notaries, commis-
saries, and qualificators, all bearing the same
insignia, and mounted on mules with black
trappings. Behind them went the corpora-
THE INQUISITION. 97
tion of Madrid, preceded by the niay.>r, and
followed by the fiscal-proctor of the tribunal
of Toledo, who carried the standard of the
faith, of red damask, with the jirms of the
Inquisition and of the king, accjmpanied by
the royal council and board of Castile. Lastly
came the Inquisitor-general, placed on the
right hand of the president of the council, an
office at that time filled by the Bishop of
Avila. He was accompanied by an escort
of fifty halberdiers, dressed in satin. He was
clothed in a suit of black silk, embroidered
in silver, with diamond buttons, &c. and
attended by eighteen livery servants. The
whole of the procession was closed with the
state sedan chair and coach, belonging to the
Inquisitor-general, together with other coach-
es, in which were his chaplains and pages.
" On the arrival of the procession at the
theatre, which had been fitted up for the
occasion, the prisoners ascended by the stair-
case nearest their destined seats ; but, before
occupying them, they were all paraded round
the stage, in order that their majesties, who
were already seated in their balcony, might
have the satisfaction of viewing them near.
The tribunals, and persons invited, then pro-
ceeded to take their respective seats, and the
Inquisitor-general ascended his throne. Mass
being commenced, and the gospel ended, the
oldest secretary of the tribunal of Toledo,
read from the pulpit the form of the oath
taken by the mayor of the city of Madrid, as
9
08 HISTORY OP
well as by all the people. A bombastic ser-
mon was then preached by a Dominican
friar, qualificator of the supreme council of
the Inquisition, and preacher to the king.
After sermon they proceeded to the reading
of the trials and sentences, beginning with
those who had been condemned to die. This
part of the ceremony lasted till four in the
afternoon, when those who were condemned
to death were delivered over to the civil ma-
gistrates, and whilst the latter proceeded on
to the place of execution, and met their final
end, the reading of the proceedings con-
tinued, as well as the abjurations of those
who had been reconciled, which lasted till
half-past nine at night, when those who had
been absolved returned to the prisons of the
Inquisition.
" The prisoners personally condemned to
death, amounted to nineteen ; thirteen men,
and six women, principally of the Jewish
persuasion. They were conducted to the
gate of Fuencarrel, mounted on mules with
pack-saddles, preceded by the effigies of those
who had died or made their escape. Of thc^je
personally condemned for execution, eleven
were impenitents ; viz. eight obdurates, and
three convicted, but refusing to confess. The
burning place was sixty feet square, and
seven high, and consequently sufficiently
capacious, when twenty stakes with their
corresponding rings were fastened thereon.
Some were previo isly strangled, and the
THR INQUISITION. 9?
Others at once thrown into the fire. Tlie
ministers having cast the bodies of those
who were strangled into the flames, together
with the efligies and bones of the deceased,
more fuel was added, till all was converted
into ashes, which was not till nine in the
morning. Two days afterwards, six of those
who had been condemned to do penance
were flogged, among whom were two wo-
men. Such was the form and solemnity of
this auto-da-fe, the largest and most splendid
ever known."
The penitential habits with which the In-
quisitors array the culprits at an auto-da-fe,
are truly ludicrous. A garment or tunic of
yellow linen or cloth, reaching down to the
knees, which is called the sanbenito, and a
conical cap called the coroza, are the dress
of the victims of the Holy Ofiice. When the
person is to be executed as impenitent, both
the sanbenito and coroza are embellished
with flames and pictures of devils, and a
rude likeness of the individual who wears
them, is also painted on the sanbenito, burn-
ing in flames, with several figures of dragons
and devils in the act of fanning them. When
the individual has repented after sentence has
been pronounced, he wears the same dress,
but the flames are reversed, to show that the
culprit is not to be burnt until he has been
strangled. Those who only do penance,
wear the tunic either with or without a cross,
100 HISTORY OF
according to the different degrees of crime
of which they have been convicted.
It only remains to mention here, the hypo-
critical manner in which the Inquisitors de-
iver over those who are sentenced to death,
into the hands of the secular power. Having
declared the condemned individual " an apos-
tate heretic, a defaulter, and an abettor of
heretics, and that he has thereby fallen into
and incurred the sentence of grievous excom-
munication," &c. they, adding insult to cru-
elty, add, " Nevertheless we earnestly beseech
and enjoin the said secular arm, to deal so
tenderly and compassionately with him, as to
prevent the effusion of blood, or danger of
death ! !" No words can do justice to such
a master-piece of hypocrisy ; for let it be
remembered that the Inquisition positively
commands the civil magistrate to put the
condemned to death. The gross falsehood
of its professions, therefore — the aspect of
meekness which it thus displays, while it
thirsts for the blood of, and. dooms to the
flames, its wretched victim — literally prove
that "there is no faithfulness in their mouth — .
that their inward part is very wickedness—
and that their throat is an open sepulchre."
"Is there in all history," says Dr. Geddes
" an instance of so gross and confident a
mockery of God, and the world, as this of
the Inquisition, beseeching the civil magis-
trate not to put the heretics they have con-
demned and delive-^d to them to death ? For
THE INQUISITION. 101
were they in earnest when they mh-de this
solemn petition to the secnlar magistrates,
why do they bring their prisoners out of the
Inquisition, and deliver them to those magis-
trates with coats painted over with flames ?
Why do they teach that heretics, above all
other malefactors, ought to be punished with
death ? And why do they never resent the
secular magistrates having so little regard to
their earnest and joint petition, as never to
fail to burn all the heretics that are delivered
to them by the Inquisition, within an hour or
two after they have them in their hands ?
And why, in Rome, where the supreme, civil,
and ecclesiastical authority are lodged in the
same person, is this petition of the Inquisi-
tion, which is made there as well as in other
places, never granted?" The truth is, as
already noticed, the Inquisitors are com-
manded by the bulls of various Popes, to
compel the civil magistrate, under penalty of
excommunication, and other ecclesiastical
censures, within six days, readily to execute
the sentences pronounced by the Inquisitors
against heretics, that is,* to commit them to
the flames !
0*
HISTORY OF
CHAPTER V.
\uto-da-f5 celebrated at Seville in 1560 — proceedings
of the Inquisition during the reigns of Philip III.
Philip IV. and Charles II.— M. Legal, the French
commander, throws open the doors of the Inquisition,
and liberates the prisoners — state of the Inquisition
during the reigns of Ferdinand VI. Charles III. and
Charles IV. — it is suppressed by Bonaparte — is re-
established by Ferdinand VII. — persecuting spirit o^
the modern Inquisition.
Previous to giving any further account of
individual persecutions by the Inquisition,
we shall now resume the history of that
tribunal in Spain. On the 22d of December
1560, a splendid auto-da-fe was celebrated
at Seville, at which fourteen individuals
were burnt in person, three in effigy, and
thirty-four were subjected to various penan-
ces. * Several of the sufferers were Eng-
lishmen, whose only crime was that they
possessed wealth. Under the pretext that
they were guilty of heresy, their property
• Constantine Ponce de la Fuente, one of the victims,
was persecuted with so great a degree of barbarity, that
tift exclaimed, " My God, were there no Scythians or
cannibals into whose hands to deliver me, rather than
to let me fall into the power of these barbarians !" —
Olmedus, another sufferer at Seville, who died in prison
from bad treatment, was once heard to exclaim, " Throw
me any where, O my God, so that I may but escape the
hands c f these wretches."
THE INQUISITION 103
was seized by the hands of the avaricious
Inquisitors, and not a few of them were con-
demned to the flames.*
In 1561, the Inquisitor-general, Valdes,
• The unspeakable cruelty and inhumanity exhibited
at an auto-da-ft^, with its effects on the public mind are
exhibited briefly in the following account: — "Amid this
horrid exhibition scenes of atrocity occurred which it
is appalling even to describe. Those about to be put
to death were teased by Jesuits to recant. The execu-
tioners and these ghostly attendants united their endea-
vours to add to the misery of their victims; and when
there was no hope of recantation, they were left in the
hand of him who was supposed to be the fomenier of
their heresy — Satan. When the priests abandoned
them, a shout was raised by the people. This was like
the death-knell, and, amid coarse and ribald expres-
sions, blazing furze was first thrust into the faces of the
sufl'erers. This inhumanity was commonly continued
until the face was black as coal, and was accompanied
with loud acclamations from the spectators. If the
wind was moderate, the agony of the murdered men
lasted perhaps for half an hour, but on other occasions
an hour and a half or two hours were needed to termi-
nate their sufferings.
"In the year 1706, Mr. Wilcox, afterwards bishcp of
Rochester, was chaplain to the English factory at Lis-
bon, and furnished Burnet, bishop of Salisbury, with
the following account of an auto-da-fd", at which Wil-
cox attended as a spectator. 'Five condemned persons
appeared,' he says, 'but only four were burnt — Antonio
Travanes being reprieved after the procession. Heytor
Dias and Maria Pinteyra were burned alive, and the
other two were strangled. The woman,' says Wilcox,
♦ was alive in the flames for half an hour, and the man
above an hour. The king and his brother were seated
at a window so near as to be addressed for a consider-
able time, in very moving terms, by the man as he was
burning; and tl lugh he asked only a few more faggots,
104 KISTORY OF
published a new code of laws, for the regu-
lation of the different tribunals of the " Holy-
Office" throughout Spain. This code con-
sisted of eighty-one articles, " which have
been, till the present time, the laws by which
the proceedings of the Inquisition have been
regulated."*
From 1560 to 1570, one auto-da-f^, at
least, was celebrated annually in every In-
quisition throughout Spain, at which many
adherents of the Reformation were consign-
he was not able to obtain them. Those who were
burned alive,' Wilcox continues, * are seated on a bench
twelve feet high, fastened to a pole, and above six feet
higher than the faggots. The wind being a little fresh,
the man's hinder parts were perfectly roasted; and as
he turned himself, his ribs opened before he ceased to
speak, the fire being recruited only so far as to keep
him in the same degree of heat. All his entreaties
could not procure for him a larger allowance of wood
to shorten his misery and despatch him.'
<"But, though out of hell,' says one who witnessed
an auto-da-fe, ' there cannot possibly be a more lament-
able spectacle than this, added to the sufferers (as long
as they can speak) crying out, ' Misericordia por amor
di Dios /' (Mercy, for the love of God !) yet it is beheld
by people of both sexes, and all ages, with such trans-
ports of joy and satisfaction as are not, on any other
occasion, to be met with.' He adds, at another place:
That the reader may not think that this inhuman joy
is the effect of a natural cruelty that is in these people's
dispositions, and not of the spirit of their religion, he
may rest assured that all public malefactors, except
heretics, have their violent deaths nowhere more ten-
derly lamented than amongst the same people, even
when there is nothing in the manner of their deaths
•hat appears inhuman or cruel.'"
* See Appendix, No. II.
THE INQUISITION 105
ed to the flames. Thirty individuals were
burnt at Murcia ia 1560, twenty-three in
1562, seventeen in 1563, and thirty five in
the two years following, besides many in
efligy ; and great numbers were condemned
to ditierent other punishments. Similar tra-
gedies were acted in Toledo, Saragossa, Gre-
nada, &c., where not a few of the victims
who were sacrificed to the cruelty of this
barbarous tribunal were the disciples of Lu-
ther and Calvin.
During the remaining years of Philip II.
the power and insolence of the Inquisitors
daily increased, and the kingdom of Spain
literally groaned under their oppressive yoke.
Philip III. who succeeded his father in 1598,
was no less bigoted and superstitious. Hav-
ing assembled the Cortes of the kingdom at
Madrid, in 1607, the members of that assem-
bly represented to their new sovereign, that
in 1579 and 1586, they had required a re-
form of the abuses committed in the tribunal
of the Inquisition, to put an end to the right
which the Inquisitors had usurped, of taking
cognizance of crimes not relating to heresy ;
that Philip II. had promised to do this, but
died before he could perform it, and that
in consequence they renewed the request.
Philip replied, that he would take proper
measures to satisfy the Cortes. In 1611, when
he convoked the new Cortes, they made the
same request, and received the same answer ;
but nothing was attempted, and the Inquisi-
106 HISTORY OP
tors became daily more insolent, md filled
their prisons with victims.
Philip IV. was equally averse to any re-
form in the court of Inquisition ; on the con-
trary, he even permitted the Inquisitors to
take cognizance of the offence of exporting
copper money, and to dispose of a fourth of
what fell into their hands. During the reign
of this monarch, and that of Charles II. nu-
merous autos-da-fe were annually celebrated
throughout Spain ; and many were the vic-
tims which were sacrificed to Inquisitorial
cruelty in that blinded country, who, though
« tried by fire," were found steadfast defend-
ers of the truth, and eminent witnesses against
the idolatries of Popery, and against that bar-
barous tribunal which for so many ages has
shed the blood of the saints.*
* "The Inquisition," says Salgado, " is subject to no
other laws, but arbitrarily racks souls, and murders bo-
dies, of which there are clouds of witnesses, — men
condemned, because the Inquisition would be cruel.
What blasphemy in this tribunal ever to pretend to be
actuated by a divine impulse, where every brick seems
a conjuring spell, and every officer a tormenting fiend ;
for suppose a Jew, a Mahometan, or a Christian, in
their hands, what do they pretend to do with such an
onel Would they chastise him? What need have
they then of so many officers 1 Why such scanda-
lous methods, as a secret chamber, an unseen tribu-
nal, invisible witnesses, a perfidious secretary, and
merciless servants,~confiscation of goods through fraud
and guile, keepers as hard hearted as the relentless
walls, the fiscal mutes, the shameful sanbenitos, un-
righteous racks, a th'^atre filled \^ Uh horror to astonish
THE INQUISITION. 107
On the death of Charles II. in 1700, and
the accession of his uncle Philip V., a kind
of civil war broke out in Spain, in conse-
quence of the pretensions of the Archduke
Charles of Austria. Among the troops em-
ployed by Philip, were about fourteen thou-
sand auxiliaries provided by the King of
France. This force was sent into Arragon,
the inhabitants of which had declared for
Charles. The people were soon overawed ;
and in their victorious career, the French came
into possession of the city of Saragossa, in
which there was a mimber of convents, and
in particular one belonging to the Domini-
cans. M. de Legal, the French commander,
found it necessary to levy a pretty heavy con-
tribution, on the inhabitants, not excepting the
convents. The Dominicans, all the friars of
which were familiars of the Inquisition, ex-
cused themselves in a civil manner, saying that
they had no money, and that if M. Legal in-
sisted upon the demand of their part of the
contribution, they could not pay him in any
other way, than by sending him the silver
images of the saints. These crafty friars
the prisoner, a hypocritical sentence, a disguised exe-
cutioner, and a peremptory judgment 1 In all the times
of Paganism, no such Roman tribitnal was ever erect-
ed. In their amphitheatres, men had not quite put off
humanity; those condemned to die were exposed to
wild beasts to be torn to pieces, they knew their execu-
tioner; but here the condemned are tormented by dis-
guised ones ;— men they should be by their shape, but
devils by their fier '.eness and cruelty."
108 HISTORY OP
imagined that the French commander would
not presume to insist upon such a sacrifice,
or if he did, that they would, by raising the
cry of heresy against him, expose him to the
vengeance of a blind and superstitious people.
But" M. Legal was indifferent alike to the
destruction of the images, and to the rage
both of the priests and people. He therefore
informed the Dominicans, that the silver
saints would answer his purpose equally the
same as money. Perceiving the dilemma in
which they had now placed themselves, the
friars endeavoured to raise a mob, by carry-
ing their images in solemn procession, dressed
in black, and accompanied by lighted can-
dles. Aware of their intention, M. Legal
ordered out four companies of soldiers well
armed, to receive the procession, so that
the design of raising the people completely
failed.
M. Legal immediately sent the images to
the mint, which threw the friars into the
greatest consternation, and they lost no time
in making application to the Inquisition, to
interpose its supreme power in order to save
their idols from the furnace. With this re-
quest the Inquisitors speedily complied, by
framing an instrument, excommunicating M>
Legal, as having been guilty of sacrilege.
This paper was put into the hands of the
secretary of the holy office, who was ordered
to go and read it to the French commander.
Instead of expressing either displeasure or
rilE INQUISITION. 109
surprise, M. Legal took the paper from the
secretary after hearing it read, and mildly
said, " Pray tell your masters, the Inqui-
sitors, that I will answer them to-morrow
morning."
The Frenchman was as good as his word.
Having caused his secretary to draw out a
copy of the excommunication, with the sim-
ple alteration of inserting " the Holy Inqui-
sitors," instead of his own name, he ordered
him on the following morning to repair with
it, accompanied by four regiments of soldiers,
to the Inquisition, and having read it to the
Inquisitors themselves, if they made the least
noise, to turn them to the door, open all the
prisons, and quarter two regiments in the
sacred edifice. These orders were implicitly
obeyed. Amazed and confounded to hear
themselves excommunicated by a man who
had no authority for it, the Inquisitors began
to cry out against Legal as a heretic, and as
having publicly insulted the Catholic faith.
« Holy Inquisitors," replied the secretary,
« the king wants this house to quarter his
troops in ; so walk out immediately." Hav-
ing no alternative, the holy fathers were
compelled to obey. The doors of all the pri-
sons were thrown open, and four hundred
prisoners set at liberty. Among these were
sixty young women, who were found to be
the private property of the three Inquisitors,
whom they had unjustly taken from their
10
no HISTORY OF
fathers' homes in the city and neighbour
hood !
The next day the Inquisitors complained
to Phihp ; but that monarch calmly replied,
" I am very sorry ; but I cannot htlp it ; my
crown is in danger, and my grandfather de-
fends it, and this is done by his troops. If it
had been done by my troops, 1 should have
applied a speedy remedy ; but you must have
patience till things take another turn." They
were accordingly obliged to exercise that pa-
tience for a period of eight months.
The archbishop, however, deeply con-
cerned for the honour of the holy tribunal,
requested M. Legal to send the women to
his palace, promising that he would take care
of them, and threatening with excommuni-
cation all who should dare to defame, by
groundless reports, the tribunal of the Inqui-
sition. M. Legal professed his willingness
to comply with this request ; but as to the
young women, he informed his grace, that
they had already been taken away by the
French officers. This afiair, which is related
by Gavin, and other writers, shows at once
the detestable nature of a tribunal where
deeds of darkness, " of which it is a shame
even to speak," were so unblushingly com-
mitted. For these young women " were
chiefly ladies, beautiful and accomplished,
who had been forcibly carried away, at the
pleasure of the Inquisitors, from the most
opulent families i i the city, to enrich their
THE INQUISITION. Ill
seraglio, and who probably would never iiave
been seen without the walls of the lioly oilice,
but for such a deliverance as that whicli vvas
effected by the French soldiers."
Philip was not so devoted to the court of
tlie Inquisition as his predecessors had been.
In the first year of his reign, a solemn auto-
da-fe was celebrated in honour of his acces-
sion to the throne ; but though Philip declared
it to be his intention to protect the tribunal
of the holy office, yet he decidedly refused to
be present at a scene so barbarous. During
the reign of this monarch, however, which
lasted forty-six years, one auto-da-fe was
annually celebrated by every Inquisition
througliout the kingdom, at which, it has
been calculated, upwards of fourteen thou-
sand individuals suffered, who had been con-
demned by the holy tribunal to different
punishments. It was in the reign of Philip,
too, that the freemasons became the objects
of persecution by the Inquisition. Pope
Clement XII. had excommunicated them in
a bull which he issued in 1738; and, copy-
ing the example of his holiness, Philip in
1740 enacted several severe la\^s against all
who were, or should be connected with that
order ; in consequence of which many of the
fraternity were arrested and condemned to
the galleys. Never behind in any species of
cruelty or oppression, the In ^uisitors appre-
hended every freemason upon whom they
could lay their hands ; and in a short time
112 HISTORY OP
they seemed to be more intent upon their
suppression than even upon that of heretics.
The same rigour against freemasonry ex-
isted under the reign of Ferdinand VI.,
which lasted from 1746 to 1759. Yet during
these years, no general auto-da-fe, and only
thirty-four private ones, were celebrated in
Spain. At these private acts of faith, one
hundred and eighty individuals were punish-
ed, ten of whom only were burnt alive.
Historians differ in opinion as to the cause
of this decrease in the number of autos-da-
fe at that period in Spain, and the conse-
quent diminution of the victims who were
sacrificed by the tribunal of the holy office.
The following account, given by Llorente,
who was secretary to the Inquisition, seems
to be the most probable : " The rise of good
taste in literature in Spain," says that au-
thor, " the restoration of which was prepared
under Philip V. was dated from the reign of
Ferdinand VI. On this circumstance is found-
ed the opinion, that the accession of the
Bourbons caused a change in the system of
the Inquisition ; yet these princes never gave
any new laws to the Inquisition, or sup-
pressed any of the ancient code, and conse-
quently did not prevent any of the numerous
autos-da-fe which were celebrated in their
reigns. But Phihp established at Madrid
two royal academies, for history and the
Spanish language, on the model of that of
Paris, and favouied a friendly intercourse
THE INQU SITION. 13
between the literati of tli-^ two iiatic lis. I'lie
establisliment of weekly papers made the
people acquainted with works they had ne-
ver before heard of, and informed them of
resolutions of the Catholic princes concerning
the clergy, which a short time before they
would have considered as an outrage against
religion and its ministers. These circum-
stances, and some other causes, during the
reign of Philip V., prepared the way for the
interesting revolution in Spanish literature,
under Ferdinand VI. This change was fol-
lowed by a great benefit to mankind ; the
Inquisitors, and even their inferior officers,
began to perceive that zeal for the purity of
the Catholic religion is exposed to the admis-
sion of erroneous opinions."
The Inquisition remained in nearly a simi-
lar condition, during the reigns of Charles
III. and Charles IV., the former supporting
it because he hated freemasons, and the lat-
ter " because the French revolution seemed
to justify a system of surveillance, and he
found a firm support in the zeal of the In-
quisitors-general, always attentive to the pre-
servation and extension of their power, as if
the sovereign authority could find no surer
means of strengthening the throne than the
terror inspired by the Inquisition."
A great number of the works which were
published in France, at the period of the re-
volution in that country, having been con-
veyed to Spain, and eagerly read by the
10*
1 14 HISTORY OP
people, the Inquisitors lost no time in pro-
hibiting and seizing all books, pamphlets,
and newspapers relating to French affairs,
and gave peremptory orders to every person
to denounce all who were friendly to the
revolutionary principles. The consequence
was, that informations were lodged against
vast numbers, who were immediately appre-
hended, and thrown into prison. Among
others, two booksellers in Valladolid were
condemned in 1799 to two months' imprison-
ment, two years' suspension of their trade,
and to banishment from the kingdom.
The invasion of Spain by Bonaparte in
1808, and abdication of the throne by Charles
IV. in favour of his son Ferdinand VII.,
gave a tremendous blow to the Inquisition.
In that year Napoleon Bonaparte suppressed
the holy office at Chamastin near Madrid;
and, with the approbation of Joseph Bona-
parte, Llorente burnt all the criminal pro-
cesses in the Inquisition, excepting those
which belonged to history.
On the 22d of February, 1813, the Cortes-
general of the kingdom assembled at Madrid,
and having decreed that the existence of the
Inquisition was incompatible with the politi-
cal constitution which had been adopted by
the nation, that assembly fully suppressed
that odious tribunal, and restored to the
bishops and secular judges, the jurisdiction
which thev had anciently enjoyed.
"Thus eided the existence of a tribunal,"
THE INQUISITION. 115
to use the words of the translator of Puig-
blancli, " which in Spain had lorded it over
the people for more than three hundred and
twenty years, had been an outrage to hu-
manity, and a powerful engine of internal
police in the hands of despots. Thus perish-
ed a tremendous and inconsistent power,
which even in Rome no longer held sway ;
and though the triumph was unfortunately
short, the daring and enlightened measure of
the Cortes will ever remain on record as part
of that great attempt to rally round the
sacred standard of civil and religious liberty,
as far as was possible in a country so be-
nighted as that over which they presided ;
and, as a meritorious act, the destruction of
the Inquisition thence entitles them to the
respect of their contemporaries, and the gra-
titude of posterity."
But, alas ! notwithstanding the abolition
of this most detestable tribunal, and the
praiseworthy efforts of many Spanish pa-
triots to prevent its ever again disgracing
their country, it is most distressing to b€
compelled to add, that it was soon after
wards re-established by Ferdinand VII. No
sooner did that monarch find himself again
in possession of the throne, for his restora-
tion to which he was indebted to the valour
of the British nation, than he annulled the
acts of the Cortes, and re-eSablished the In-
quisition in ts full powers. The fo'lowing
116 HISTORIC OF
are the terms of the edict, which set up anew
this unjust court.
" The past tumults, and the war, which
have desolated ail tiie provinces of the king-
dom for the space of six years — the residence
therein during this period of foreign troops
consisting of many sects, ahiiost all infected
with abhorrence and hatred of the Catholic
religion, and the disorders these evils always
bring with them, together with the little care
latterly taken to regulate reUgious concerns
are circumstances which have afforded wick-
ed persons full scope to live according to
their free will, and also given rise to the in-
troduction and adoption of many pernicious
opinions, through the same means by which
they have been propagated in other coun-
tries," viz. the press : '^ Wherefore I have
resolved that the council of the Inquisition,
together with the other tribunals of the holy
office, shall be restored, and for the present
continue in the exercise of their jurisdiction,
as well ecclesiastical — a power granted them
by the popes at the request of my august
predecessors, united with that vested in local
prelates by virtue of their ministry — as also
royal, conferred upon them by successive
monarchs ; the said tribunals, in the use of
both jurisdictions, complying with the statutes
by which they were governed in 1808, as
well as the laws and regulations it had been
deemed expedient to enact at various times,
THE INQUISITION. 117
ill order to prevent certain abuses." Dated
Madrid, July 21, 1814.
No sooner accordingly were the Inquisitors
re-invested with power, than they began to
display a similar spirit to that of their perse-
cuting predecessors. On the 12th of February,
1815, they issued the following injunction
to all confessors throughout European and
American Spain.
" 1st, Each one is with the greatest efficacy
to persuade the penitent to accuse himself
before the said confessor, of all the errors or
heresies into which he may have fallen, with-
out promising him the benefit of absolution
in any other form, assuring him of the in-
violable secrecy he will keep, and which is
kept in the holy office, and that the smallest
injury shall not thence result to him ; rather
that this measure will serve as a means to
prevent his being punished, in case he should
be accused by any other person of the errors
and heresies which it behoves him to mani-
fest, and to which he otherwise stands liable.
" 2dly, In case he should consent, the con-
fessor shall take down his declaration under
oath to speak the truth, and the act shall bear
the following heading : ^ In the town of N., on
such a day, month, and year, spontaneously
appeared before me the undersigned confes-
sor (expressing his name, country, and
profession.') The document shall then re-
late, in the most specific manner, all his er-
r( rs and the r accompanying circumstances,
118 HISTORT OF
the time and place in which he njay have
committed them, seen, or heard them com-
mitted ; and if any persons were present,
they are to be named, and he is also to spe-
cify of them all he knows. He is then to
sign his declaration, if he knows how ; and,
if not, he is to make a cross, but the confessor
is always to sign it.
« 3dly, He (the confessor) shall cause him
to abjure his heresy, and absolve him by
reconciling him to the church; he shall
moreover enjoin him secretly to confess all
his errors, and impose on him such penance
as he may deem fit ; which being done, the
whole is to be forwarded to the Holy Office.
"Finally, if the most efficacious persua-
sions have not been able to prevail on the
penitent, in case he should evince due signs
of repentance and detestation of his offences,
the confessor shall absolve him from excom-
munication in the internal form only," (that
is, not exempt him from the future prosecu-
tions of the Inquisition,) " explaining this to
him for his government and information. As
soon as the statement of all this has been
drawn up by the confessor, he is also to for-
ward it to the Holy Office."
On the 5th of April, Don Francisco Xavier
de Mier y Campillo, the Inquisitor-general,
published an edict, offering a term of grace
to those who had fallen into the crime of
heresy, provided they denounced themselves
before the end of the year; and declaring
THE INQUISITION. 119
that "Spain was infected by the new and
dangerous doctrines which had ruined the
greatest part of Europe." And on the
22d of July following, the Inquisitors issued
an order for the suppression of almost
every work which had been published in
Spain during the revolution, subjecting every
reader and retainer of any of the pro-
scribed books to the most grievous punish-
ments.
Thus, although both the king and the In-
quisitors pretended that reformations had
taken place in the holy tribunal, and the lat-
ter in particular boasted of the "sweetness
and charity which are now used in the ec-
clesiastical procedure," yet it is evident that
the re-established Inquisition differs little or
nothing from that which was suppressed. It
does not appear that a single public auto-da-
fe lias been celebrated since that period,* and
it is to be hoped that a scene so barbarous
will never again be exhibited in Spain ; yet,
* " I myself," says the Rev. Joseph Blanco White,
" saw the pile on which the last victim was sacrificed
to Roman infallibility. It was an unhappy woman
whom the Inquisition of Seville committed to the
flames, under the charge of heresy, about forty years
ago, (this was written in 1825.) She perished on a
spot where thousands had met the same fate. I lament
from my heart, that the structure which supported their
melting limbs, was destroyed during the late convul-
sions It should have been preserved, with the infalli-
ble ard immutable canon of the Council of Trent ovef
it, foi the detestation of future ages."
120 HISTORY OF
while that odious tribunal exists, who car
be safe in that oppressed and degraded coun-
try ? Its secret prisons, and its various
modes of torture and other punishments, still
remain. Spain, therefore, can never be hap-
py, or its inhabitants one moment secure,
while the falsely denominated " Holy Office- '
continues to enjoy the smallest footing m
that kingdom.
Nor let these remarks be termed the effects
of prejudice. On the contrary, it is proved
by numerous living authors, who adduce
facts, the best of all evidence, in support of
their statements, that the procedure of the
modern Inquisition is equally cruel with that
of the ancient, excepting indeed the celebra-
tion of public autos-da-fe. Among these
none give a more ample detail of the present
state of the holy tribunal, than Lieut. Colonel
Don Juan Van Halen, and Llorente. The
former of these writers has published a nar-
rative of his imprisonment in the dungeons
of the Holy Office in 1817. He was con-
fined first in the Inquisition of Murcia, ana
subsequently in that of Madrid, for the active
part which he took in the exertions of the
liberales to deliver their country from ty-
ranny, both civil and ecclesiastical. He was
arrested at Murcia, on the 21st of September,
and all his papers were seized, among which
were several that very nearly involved many
eminent persons in the same persecution.
Passing over the sufierings which he en-
THE INQTTISl riOIV. 121
dured while confined in the Iiu uisitiun ot
Murcia, we shall give here, in his own
words, an account of part of those which
were inflicted on him in Madrid.
" About eight o'clock at night, on the 2Cth
of November," says he, " Don Juanita, (one
of the Inquisitors,) entered my dungeon, with
a lantern in his hand, followed by four other
men, whose faces were concealed by a piece
of black cloth, shaped above the head like a
cowl, and falling over the shoulders and
chest, in the middle of which were two holes
for the eyes. I was half asleep when the
noise of the doors opening awoke me, and,
by the dim light of the lantern, I perceived
those frightful apparitions. Imagining I was
labouring under the effects of a dream, I ear-
nestly gazed awhile on the group, till one of
them approached, and, pulling me by the
leather strap with which my arms were
bound, gave me to understand by signs that
I was to rise. Having obeyed his summons,
my face was covered with a leather mask,
and in this manner I was led out of the
prison. After walking through various pas-
sages on a level with that of my dungeon, we
entered a room, where I heard Zorilla (the
other Inquisitor) order my attendants to untie
the strap.
"^Listen, with great attention,' he then
exclaimed, addressing me, 'since you have
hitherto been deaf to the advice which this
holy tribunal has repeatedly given you in
II
122 HISTORY OF
their spirit of peace, humanity, and reUgioas
charity. Propagator of secret and impious
societies, estabUshed by the heresies of their
members to destroy our holy rehgion and the
august throne of our CathoUc sovereign, you
have maintained, for the space. of a year, an
uninterrupted correspondence with more than
two hundred sectarians This holy tribunal
has at last recourse to rigour. It will extort
from you the truths, which neither the duty
of a religious oath, demanded without vio-
lence, nor the mild admonitions which ha\e
been so often resorted to, in order to induce
you to make the desired declarations, have
been able to obtain. This evident pertinacity
obliges us to use a salutary severity. We
judge the cause of our Divine Redeemer and
of our Catholic king, and we shall know to
fulfil the high ministry with which the su-
preme spiritual and temporal authority has
invested us. The most rigorous torments will
be employed to obtain from you these truths,
Dr you shall expire in the midst of them. All
the charges I have just mentioned in a sum-
mary manner must be amply explained, —
yes ! amply explained ! justice, God, and the
king require that it should be so. This holy
tribunal will fulfil their duties — yes !'
" The agitation of the moment permitted
me to utter only a few words, which, how-
ever, were not listened to, and I was hurried
away to the further end of the room, the
jailei aud his assistants exerting all their
THE INCiUISITlON. 123
Strength to» secure me. Having succeeded in
raising me from the ground, they placed
under my arm-pits two high crutches, from
which I remained suspended ; after which
my right arm was tied to the corresponding
crutch, whilst the left being kept in a hori-
zontal position, they encased my hand open
in a wooden glove extending to the wrist,
which shut very tightly, and from which two
large iron bars ran as far as the shoulder;
keeping the whole in the same position in
which it was placed. My waist and legs
were similarly bound to the crutches by
which I was supported ; so that I shortly re-
mained without any other action than thai
of breathing, though with difficulty.
" Having remained a short time in this
painful position, that unmerciful tribunal re-
turned to their former charges. Zorrilla,
with a tremulous voice that seemed to evince
his thirst for blood and vengeance, repeated
the first of those he had just read, namely,
whether I did not belong to a society whose
object was to overthrow our holy religion,
and the august throne of our Catholic sove-
reign ? I replied that it was impossible I
should plead guilty to an accusation of
that nature. ' Without any subterfuge, say
whether it is so,' he added, in an i.ngry tone.
" ' It is not, sir,' I replied. The glove
which guided my arm, and which seemed to
be resting on the edge of a wheel, began
now to turn, and, with its movements, 1 fen
124 HISTORY OF
b}' degrees an acute pain, especially from the
eloow to the shoulder, a general conv^ulsion
throughout my frame, and a cold sweat over-
spreading my face. The interrogatory con-
tinued, but Zorrilla's question of < Is it so ? is
it so ?' were the only words that struck my
ear amidst the excruciating pain I endured,
which became so intense that I fainted away,
and heard no more the voices of those can-
nibals.
" When I recovered my senses, I found
myself stretched on the floor of my dungeon,
my hands and feet secured with heavy fetters
and manacles, fastened by a thick chain, the
nails of which my tormentors were still rivet-
ing ! Left by those wretches stretched in
the same place, I could have wished that the
doors, which closed after them, should never
again open. Eternal sleep was all I desired,
and all I asked of Heaven. It was after
much difficulty that I dragged myself to my
bed. It seemed to me that the noise of my
chains would awaken the vigilance of my
jailers, whose presence was to me the most
fatal of my torments. I spent the whole of
the night strugghng with the intense pains
which were the effects of the torture, and
with the workings of my excited mind, which
offered but a horrible perspective to my com-
plicated misfortunes. This state of mental
agitation, and the burning fever which was
every moment increasing, soon threw me into
a d^'irium, du*'ng which I scarcely noticed
THE INQUIMTION. /g.*)
the operation performed by my jailers, of
opening the seams of my coat to examine tlie
state of my arm."
Having undergone innumerable sufferings,
his enemies being bent on his destruction,
Van Halen at length succeeded, on the 30th
of January, 1818, in making his escape from
the prisons of the Inquisition ; upon which
he repaired successively to France, England,
and Russia, returning to Spain in 1821.
Llorente again, records the following fact,
which he says was given by one who was
present when the Inquisition was thrown
open in 1820, by orders of the Cortes of
Madrid. Twenty-one prisoners were found
in it, not one of whom knew the name of
the city in which he was; some had been
confined three years, some a longer period,
and not one knew perfectly the nature of the
crime of which he was accused. One of
these prisoners had been condemned, and was
to have suffered on the following day. His
punishment was to be death by the pendu-
lum. The method of thus destroying the
victim is as follows: — The condemned is
fastened in a groove upon a table, on his
back ; suspended above him is a pendulum,
the edge of which is sharp, and it is so con-
structed as to become longer with every
movement. The wretch sees this implement
of destruction swinging to and fro above
him, and every moment the keen edge ap-
proaching nearer and nearer : at length it cuts
II*
126 HISTORY OF
the skin of his nose, and gradually cuts on,
until life is extinct. It may be doubted if the
Holy Office, in its mercy, ever invented a
more humane and rapid method of extermi-
nating heresy, or ensuring confiscation ! This,
let it be remembered, was a punishment of
the secret tribunal, A. D., 1820 ! !
How, indeed, is it possible that any ame-
lioration can have taken place in the Inqui-
sition, that great bulwark of Rome, when
Popery, and the measures of the Holy See,
continue unaltered? Though not bearing
directly on the point in hand, yet illustrative
of the hatred which the Romish Church
bears to Protestants and to their works, and
of her determination still to persecute when
in her power all who dare to call in question
any of her dogmas, the following extracts
from a speech delivered before the British
Parliament, in May, 1825, by Sir Robert H.
Inglis, are submitted to the reader ; — " I will
tell you," said the Honourable Baronet, " not
what the literature of the Church of Rome is,
but what it is not. Her tyranny over litera-
ture, her proscription at this day of all the
great masters of the human mind, can be
paralleled only by the tyranny and the pro-
scription which she exercised five centuries
ago over the minds and bodies alike. The
volume which I hold in my hand— the Index
Librorum Prohibitorum — contains a list of
the books which are at this time proscribed
in ne Church of Rome under the penalties
THE INQUISITION. 127
of the Inquisition. It was printed at Rome,
by authority, in 1S19, and I bought it there
in 1821.* The first book in this great cata-
logue of works, which are taken fronn the
faiiliful every where, and are given up to the
Inquisition, is « Bacon de Augmentis Scicjn-
tiarum.' < Locke on the Hunian Under-
standing,' and « Cudworth's Intellectual Sys-
tem,' follow in the train. Many other
English works are proscribed. One only
I will niBiition, the « Paradise Lost' of Mil-
ton. The reading of the work was inter-
dicted, indeed, nearly a hundred years ago ;
but the prohibition was renewed in 1819. Is
not this enough to prove that the character
of the Church of Rome is not so open to a
beneficial change as some of my honourable
friends are wiUing to hope and believe it to
be ? I pass over large classes of books, the
very possession of which is forbidden, but I
must notice the impartial prohibition of
science. Will the House believe it possible,
that the celebrated sentence, in 1633, against
Galileo — a sentence immortalized by the exe-
cration of science in every country where the
mind is free — should be renewed and pub-
lished in 1819? Yet of this fact I hold the
proof in my hand, in the volume of the ' In-
dex,' which I have already quoted. The
work of Algarotti, on the Newtonian system,
shares the same fate : so that every modifica-
[* A copy of this work is to be found in .he Frank
l.n '^iibrary in Philadelphia.]
128 HISTORY OF
tion of science — in other words, every effort
of free inquiry — every attempt to disengage
the mind from the trammels of authority, is
alike and universally consigned to the Inqui-
sition. Am I not justified in saying that the
Church of Rome remains unchanged, the un-
changeable enemy to the progress of the
human mind ? Every other institution is
advancing with sails set, and banners stream-
ing, on the high, yet still rising tide of im-
provement : the Church of Rome alone re-
mains fixed and bound to the bottom of tht
stream, by a chain which can neither be
lengthened nor removed.'^
CHAPTER VI.
The horrid procedure of the Inquisition is never calcu-
lated to make converts — the punishments inflicted by
it encourage hypocrisy — it frequently condemns the
innocent — the Inquisitors proved to be actuated by
avarice in their condemnation of prisoners — other
offences besides heresy taken cognizance of by the
Holy Office — its flagrant injustice — its barbarous
proceedings against the dead.
Having given a historical sketch of the
" Holy Office," falsely so called, more par-
ticularly as it exists in Spain, we shall now
select several instances, in addition to those
which have been already noticed, of the suf
ferings of individuals, who have unhappily
THE INQUISITION. 129
fallen into the luinds of the Inquisitors, those
declared enemies of humanity.
Notwithstanding all tlie etforts of the In-
quisitors to force their prisoners to accuse
themselves, in order to es^^ape a cruel and
ignominious death, multitudes have continu-
ed steadfast in the truth, and submitted to be
" tortured, not accepting deliverance," nay
** gave their bodies to be burned," rather
than, by a cowardly confession, to accuse
themselves unjustly, and wound their own
consciences. In proof of this we select the
following interesting cases.
In the auto-da-fe which was celebrated at
Valladolid in 1559, Don Carlos de Sessa, a
nobleman of Verona, was among the number
of those who were burnt for having espoused
the doctrines of the Reformation. He was
arrested at Logrogna, and confined in the
secret prisons of the Inquisition at Vallado-
lid. After undergoing the usual examina-
tions, his sentence was read to him on the
7th of October, by which he was informed
that he was to suffer death on the following
day. Unmoved by the tidings, De Sessa re-
quested pen and ink, and wrote his confes-
sion, which was not a recantation of his
faith, but a firm adherence to the reformed
principles. In these principles, — the very
reverse of those which are taught by the
apostate Church of Rome, — he declared that
he was determined, to die, and would give
himself to God through the merits of his Re-
130 HISTORY OF
deemer, the Ljrd Jesus Christ. His perse-
cutors vehemently exhorted him during the
night, and on the following morning, to re-
tract ; but without success. He was accord-
ingly gagged, that he might be prevented
from stating his principles to the people.
When he was fastened to the stake, the gag
was taken from his mouth, and he was again
exhorted to return to the Romish faith, in
which case the Inquisitors would have ex-
tended their mercy so far, as to have strangled
him first before he was burnt. But with a loud
voice, and great firmness, De Sessa replied,
'' If I had sufficient time, I would convince
you, that you are lost, by not following my
example. Hasten to light the wood, which
is to consume me." Fire was then set to the
pile, and, after great suffering, his body was
consumed to ashes.
Dr. Juan Gonzalez, who suffered at Seville
in 1559, was descended of Moorish ancestors,
and at twelve years of age had been impri-
soned on suspicion of Mahometanism. He
afterwards became one of the most celebrat-
ed preachers in Andalusia, and a protestant.
In the midst of the torture, which he bore
with unshrinking fortitude, he told the Inqui-
sitors, that his sentiments, though opposite
to those of the Church of Rome, rested on
plain and express declarations of the word of
God, and that nothing would induce him to
inform against his brethren. When brought
out on the morning of the auto, he appeared
THE INQUISITION. 131
With a cheerful and uudaiiiited air, though
he had left his mother and two brothers be-
hind him in prison, and was accompanied by
two sisters, who, like himself, were doomed
to the flames. At the door of the Triana he
began to sing the 109th Psalm, and on the
scaflbld he addressed a few words of consola-
tion to one of his sisters, wlio seemed to him
to wear a look of dejection, upon which the
gag was instantly thrust into his mouth. —
With unaltered mien he listened to the sen-
tence adjudging him to the flames, and sub-
mitted to the humiliating ceremonies by
which he was degraded from the priest-
hood. When they were brought to the place
of execution, the friars urged the females, in
repeating the creed, to insert the word Ro-
man in the clause relating to the Catholic
Church. Wishing to procure liberty to him
to bear his dying testimony, they said they
would do as their brother did. The gag be-
ing removed, Juan Gonzalez exhorted them
to add nothing to the good confession which
they had already made. Instantly the execu-
tioners were ordered to strangle them, and
one of the friars turning to the crowd ex-
claimed, that they had died in the Roman
faith, — a falsehood which the Inquisitors did
not choose to repeat in their narrative of the
proceedings.
The case of Isaac Orobio, who was ac-
cused of Judaism before the Inquisition at
Seville, gives another striking example of
132 HISTORY OF
firmness amidst tortures the most excruciat-
ing. It would be exceedingly painful to
recur to this diabolical practice — the anguish
which Orobio endured during the torture by
the rack, the pulley, and several other en-
gines of cruelty equally horrid, being such as
is sufficient to freeze the very blood in the
veins. It is enough to state, that one tor-
ment after another, all of them the most
agonizing, were inflicted on him, with a
view to make him confess: but all to no
purpose. He was accordingly carried back
to his dungeon, where he was attended by
the physician of the Inquisition, and nearly
three months elapsed before he was able to
walk about his cell. Having made no con-
fession while undergoing the torture, he was
condemned, not as being convicted, but as
being suspected of Judaism, to wear the in-
famous sanbenito for two years, and after-
wards to perpetual banishment.
On the other hand, many examples might
be produced in order to prove, that even
although the terrors of torture and of death
may lead a prisoner to confess — the Inquisi-
tion, far from eftectuig any change of senti-
ment, is suited only to encourage hypocrisy.
One of these was exhibited in the case of
Benanat, a clergyman, in Catalonia, about
the year 1334. Having been condemned to
the flames for holding sentiments different
from those of the Romish creed, he was
placed on the pile, and the faggots kindled.
THE INQUISITION. 133
But when one of his sides uas scorched, and
the pain had become so great that he could
not endure it, he cried out to be removed,
for he was ready to abjure. He was accord-
higly taken down, and on abjuring, was re-
conciled to the Church ; but fourteen years
afterwards it was discovered that he had
continued to adhere to his former opinions
Imprisoned a second time, and placed on the
burning pile, he died persisting in his heresy,
as most probably he would have done at his
former condemnation, if the first sentence,
Uke the second, had been irrevocable.
The author of the History of the Inquisi-
tion at Goa, the Sieur Dellon, gives us other
two examples which occurred about the mid-
dle of the seventeenth century ; the first in
the case of a very rich new Christian, that is,
a converted Jew, named Lewis Pezoa, who,
with his whole family, had, by some of his
enemies, been accused of secret Judaism.
Himself, his wife, two sons, and one daugh-
ter, together with several other relatives who
resided with him, were accordingly appre-
hended and confined in the secret prisons of
the Inquisition at Coimbra. Pezoa, how-
ever, not only denied, but completely refuted
the crime of which he was accused ; and de-
manded that the names of his accusers might
be given him, that he might convict them of
falsehood. Yet all this availed him nothing.
He was condemned to be delivered over to
the secular power ; and intimation of this
12
134 HISTORY OF
sentence was delivered to him fifteen days
before it was pronounced. The Duke de
Cadoval, who was very intimate with the
Inquisitor-general, having ascertained the
situation in which Pezoa was placed, and
understanding that, unless he confessed pre-
vious to his appearing at the auto-da-fe, he
could not escape the fire — remonstrated in so
urgent a manner with the Inquisitor, that he
at length obtained the promise that the sen-
tence of death passed upon Pezoa should be
commuted, provided he confessed either be-
fore or at the place of execution. The Duke
in vain exerted all his ingenuity to prevail
on Pezoa to confess. On the day appointed
for the auto-da-fe, accordingly, Pezoa came
forth, wearing the sanbenito and coroza, and
proceeded with the other individuals who
were condemned to the place of execution.
His friends, now more anxious for his deli-
verance than ever, besought him with tears,
in the name of the Duke de Cadoval, and by
all that was dear to him, to preserve his hfe ;
intimating, that if he would confess, the Duke
had obtained his pardon from the Inquisitor-
general, and would make up for him the pro-
perty which had been confiscated. All, how
ever, still proved fruitless. Pezoa continued
to protest his innocence, and constantly af-
firmed that the crime laid to his charge was
a falsehood, invented by his enemies, who
were anxious for his destruction. At the
coHchision of t'. ^ f rocession, the sentences of
TlIK INQUISITION. 135
those who were condemned to pcjrforrn cer-
tain penances were first read ; but previous
to the ceremony of deUvering the relapsed to
tlie secular power, the friends of Pezoa again
entreated him with so much importunity and
earnestness, that his constancy was at length
overcome ; when, rising up, he exclaimed,
" Come then, let us go and confess the crimes
I am falsely accused of, and thereby gratify
the desires of my friends." His confession
having been received, he was remanded to
prison. After two years further confinement,
he was compelled again to appear at a pub-
lic auto-da-fe, and sentenced to five years
additional imprisonment, to banishment to
the galleys for other five years, and confisca-
tion of his property. While at the galleys,
^e learned for the first time that his wife and
daughter had died in prison shortly after
their confinement ; and that his two sons,
Jess firm than himself, had made a timely
confession, and were sentenced to banish
ment for ten years.
The other case noticed by the same writer,
is that of the major of a regiment, who was
accused of Judaism, by persons who seemed
to have no other means of saving their own
lives than that of confessing themselves to be
guilty of the same crime, and naming many
innocent persons as their accomplices, in order
to discover the witnesses who had deposed
against them. On his apprehension, the poor
officer was thrown into the secret prisons of
136 HISTORY OF
the holy ciTice, and often examined for the
purpose of drawing from his own Ups an
avowal of the cause of his imprisonment.
Not being able, however, to declare what he
was ignorant of, he was informed, at the end
of two years, that he was accused and con-
victed in due form of being an apostate Jew.
This he positively declared to be false, so-
lemnly protesting that he had never deviated
from the Christian faith. Every effort was
now made by the Inquisitors to lead him to
confess. Not only his life, but the restora-
tion of his property, was promised ; but all
to no purpose. It was then attempted to in-
timidate him, by threatening him with a cruel
death. Nothing, however, could shake his
resolution; and he boldly told the judges that
he would rather die innocent, than save his
life by a meanness which would bring on
him everlasting infamy. The Duke d'Aveira,
who was then Inquisitor-general, was very
desirous of saving the major's life. He ac-
cordingly one day privately paid him a visit,
and urgently entreated him to seize the oppor-
tunity which he enjoyed of avoiding punish-
ment, by making confession. The major, how-
ever, displayed a determined resolution not
to wound his conscience, or injure his reputa-
tion, by acknowledging crimes which he nevei
committed. Irritated at his constancy, the In-
quisitor-general passionately addressed him
m language to tht following import : — " We
will ra her cruse you to be burnt as guilty,
THE TNQUISIT.ON. 137
than allow it to bi^ supposed that we have
imprisoned you without cause !" At the ap-
proach of the auto-da-f(L*, the major was ap-
prised of his sentence, which was to be burnt
alive, and a confessor was sent to his dungeon
in order to prepare him for his execution.
Overcome by the fear of a death so horrid,
the major at length resolved to play the hy-
pocrite ; and, on the evening previous to the
bloody ceremony, he acknowledged every
thing, however false, that had been laid to
his charge. He was accordingly led out in
the procession with a robe on which the
flames were reversed, to intimate that by his
confession, though late, he had escaped death,
to which he had been condemned by the holy
tribunal. All the other promises of the In-
quisitor-general were forgotten. His pro-
perty was confiscated, and himself sentenced
to the galleys for five years.
It has been clearly shown, that the Inquisi-
tors not unfrequently condemn the innocent
to the flames, under the pretence of Judaism
or heresy, while the chief motive of these un-
just judges evidently is, to obtain possession
of their property. This will still further ap-
pear from the proceedings which were in
stituted against Melchior Hernandez, a rich
merchant of Murcia, who was imprisoned in
the Inquisition ol that place in 1564. At his
first audience, he was accused of having fre-
quented a clandestine synagogue in Murcia,
and of having acted and discoursed in a man
12 *
138 HISTORY OF
ner that pioved his apostasy from the Christian
faith. * There were nine witnesses produced
against him ; but Melchior not only denied
all their averments, but showed that their
evidence was contradictory, and that several
of them were his avowed enemies.
After repeated audiences, in which this
unhappy person was exceedingly harassed,
he at length told his judges, that he remem-
bered being in a house in 1553, where several
persons, whom he named, were present, and
discoursed on the law of Moses, but that he
himself did not join in the conversation. No-
thing more could be forced from him, though
he was subjected to the torture ; and accord-
ingly, on the 18th of October, 1566, he was
declared to be a Jewish heretic, and con-
demned to the flames. On the day of his exe-
cution, the 9th of December, the fear of death
induced him to accuse fourteen or fifteen in-
dividuals as forming part of the assembly, and
to confess that he himself believed for twelve
months what was said in the Mosaic Law;
but that he had not confessed, because he
thought there was no proof of his heresy in
the depositions of the witnesses. In conse-
quence of this confession, Melchior was re-
manded to prison, instead of being conducted
to the place of execution.
* It ought to be noticed here, that Melchior was of
Jewish extraction, though himself a Christian, and his
enemies pretended that he was secretly attached to the
{t igion of his V refathers.
THE INQUISITION. 139
From this period till the 8th of June 15G7,
when it was again determined he should be
burnt, Melchior was admitted to numerous
audiences, and closely questioned, for the
purpose of eliciting from him further evi-
dence of his own heresy, and new accusa-
tions against others. In order to escape a
seco; 'd time, he denounced a great number
of individuals, and added new accusations
against himself. The execution of the sen-
tence was accordingly for some time longer
suspended, in the hope of his accusing more
of liis acquaintances. But after fifteen audi-
ences, having made no more disclosures, he
was sentenced for the third time to be com-
mitted to the flames. Still desirous to save
his life, on the day appointed, Melchior had
recourse to the same expedients as formerly,
pretending that he remembered others who
were guilty; and in five subsequent audi-
ences he not only accused many individuals,
but added greatly to the list of crimes alleged
to have been committed by himself.
The Inquisitors then told him, " That he
was still guilty of concealment, in not men-
tioning several persons not less distinguished
and well known than those he had already
denounced, and that he could not be sup-
posed to have forgotten them." Confounded
at the injustice and barbarity of his oppres-
sors, Melchior exclaimed, " What can you
do to me ? burn me ? well, then, be it so : I
cannot a^nfess vc'iat I do not kii )w. Know,
140 HIST 3RY OP
however, that all those whom I have accused,
are perfectly innocent. I have invented what
I said, because I perceived that you wished
me to denounce innocent persons ; and, un-
acquainted with the names and quality of
these unfortunate people, I named all whom
I could think of, in the hope of finding an
end of my misery. I now perceive that my
situation admits of no relief, and I therefore
retract all my depositions ; and now I have
fulfilled this duty, burn me as soon as you
please." Hardened in their iniquity, the In-
quisitors condemned Melchior for the last
time to suffer death on the 7th of June. Pre-
vious to this, however, they again and again
solicited him to retract his last declaration. ;
but all they could obtain from him was,
" That he knew nothing of the subject on
which he was examined.'^
The Inquisitors then asked him how this
declaration could be true, seeing he had seve-
ral times declared that he had attended the
Jewish assemblies, believed in their doctrines,
and persevered in the belief for the space of
one year, until he was undeceived by a priest.
<' I spoke falsely," replied Melchior, " when
I made a declaration against myself." "But
how is it," rejoined the Inquisitors, "that
what you have confessed of yourself, and
many other things which you now deny, are
the result of the depositions of a great many
witnesses?" "I do not know if that is true
or false," answered Melchior, "for I have
THE INQUISITION. 141
not seen the writings of the trial ; but if the
witnesses have said that which is imputed to
them, it is because tliey were placed in the
same situation as I am. They do not love
me better than I love myself; and I have
certainly declared against myself both truth
and falsehood." " What motive had you for
declaring things injurious to yourself, if they
were false ?" said the Inquisitors. " I did
not think it would be injurious to me," re-
plied Melchior ; " on the contrary, I expected
to derive great advantages from it ; because
I saw that if 1 did not confess any thing, I
should be considered as impenitent, and the
truth would lead me to the scaffold. I thought
that falsehood would be most useful to me,
as I found it to be so in two autos-da-fe."
Before his execution, Melchior made the
following declaration : — " That at the point
of appearing before the tribunal of the Al-
mighty, and without any hope of escaping
from death by new delays, he thought him-
self bound to declare that he had never con-
versed on the Mosaic Law ; that all he had
said on the subject was founded on the wish
to preserve life, and the belief that his con-
fe*?sions were pleasing to the Inquisitors ; that
he asked pardon of the persons implicated,
that God might pardon him, and that no in-
jury might be done to their honour and repu-
tation." After making this declaration, Mel-
ci'ior was burnt, aj d all his property seized.
Throughout the whole of the proceedings
142 HISTORY OP
in this case we discover nothing but injustice,
avarice, and cruelty ; while, on the other
hand, the effect of all the punishments in-
flicted on this unhappy victim of Inquisitorial
vengeance, tended only to force him for some
time to be guilty of hypocrisy.
That avarice, indeed, was one of the chief
motives which influenced the Inquisitors to
commit so many cruelties, is evident from
numerous facts ; one or two of which, in ad-
dition, we shall notice here. Nicolas Burton,
an Englishman, was apprehended by the In-
quisition at Seville, and after enduring many
indignities and sufferings, was burnt for his
attachment to the Protestant faith. At his
commitment, all his property, a great part
of which belonged to English merchants for
whom he was factor, was seized. One of
these merchants, on hearing of the imprison-
ment of Burton, and the sequestration of his
effects, sent an attorney of the name of Fron-
tom to Spain, for the purpose of recovering
his property. But after daily solicitations,
attended by no inconsiderable expense, dur-
ing the period of four months, the Inquisitors
informed him that more documents from
England were required. Four months addi-
tional were thus consumed, and more money
expended, in attending to all the forms of
that wily court, all to no purpose. The im-
portunity of Frontom at length tired out the
patience of the Inquisitors, but determined to
keep possession of the property so unjustly
THE INitUISITION. 143
acquired, they appointed a day when Fron-
tom should appear before them, and on which
they promised to put a period to the matter
which had remained so long unsettled. Fron-
tom appeared at the time appointed ; but in-
stead of restoring the effects of his employer,
they threw him into the secret prisons of the
Inquisition. After lying there for four days,
he was admitted to an audience ; but instead
of entering on the business of the English
merchant, the Inquisitors commanded him to
recite the "Ave Mary.^' Not wishing to
irritate them, Frontom repeated the words
following : " Hail, Mary, full of grace, the
Lord is with thee ; blessed art thou among
women, and blessed is Jesus, the fruit of thy
womb. Amen." This was enough. He had
omitted these words : " Holy Mary, Mother
of God, pray for us sinners,'' — an omission
which implied that he did not believe in the
mtercession of saints. The consequence was,
that after being confined in his dungeon till
the next auto-da-fe, he was condemned to
wear the sanbenito as suspected of heresy •
all his employer's property was confiscated
and he himself doomed to suffer a further
imprisonment for twelve months !
Another example of Inquisitorial avarice
is given by Gonsalvius Montanus. About
the middle of the seventeenth century, an
English vessel having entered the port of
Cadiz, was searched as usual by the fami-
liars of the Inquisition. Several persons on
144 HISTORY OF
board were immediately seized, as being sus-
pected of heresy, among wliom was a child
about twelve years of age, the son of the
proprietor of the vessel. Their pretext for
apprehending this boy was, that he had in
his possession the Psalms of David in En-
glish — though the real cause of his imprison-
ment was evidently the knowledge which
they had acquired of his father's wealth, and
to serve as a screen for confiscating both
the ship and her cargo. This accordingly
took place ; but the boy, instead of being
liberated after this unjust seizure, was de-
tained so long in prison, that he lost the use
of both his legs. He was subsequently re-
moved from one place of confinement to
another: and his afilicted father, notwith-
standing his efforts to procure his release,
met only with the most heart-rending re-
pulses. What became of the child never
was known ; though it appears that he re-
sisted all their solicitations to embrace the
Romish faith, and adhered so firmly to the
truths which he had been taught in his fa-
ther's house, that the jailer himself once ex-
claimed, that " he was already grown a great
little heretic."
But the Inquisitors do not confine their
prosecutions to those who are accused of
the crime of heresy. An off'ence, however
trivial, committed against any of the fra-
ternity of the holy office, is summarily visit-
ed with the utmost severity. For example,
THE INQJISITION. 145
what can be more disgusting than the fol-
lowing puerile yet tyrannical conduct of the
Inquisitors of Seville, as related by Gonsal-
vius? "The bishop of Terragone," says
that author, "chief Inquisitor at Seville,
went one summer for his diversion to some
gardens, situate by the sea side, with all his
Inquisitorial family, and walked out, accord-
ing to custom, with his episcopal attendants.
A child of the gardener, two or three years
old, accidently sat playing upon the side of
a pond in the garden, where the bishop was
taking his pleasure. One of the boys who
attended his lordship snatched out of the
hand of the gardener's child a reed with
which he was playing, and made him cry.
Hearing his child crying, the gardener came
to the place, and ascertaining the cause, he
desired the boy to restore the reed to the
child. But this having been refused, accom-
panied by the most offensive and insolent
expressions, the gardener took it from him,
in effecting which, he slightly scratched the
boy's hand. Like all who are connected
with the holy tribunal, the boy resolved to
be revenged, and complained to the Inquisi-
tor of the treatment which he had received
The gardener was immediately apprehended,
thrown into the prisons of the Inqiiisition, and
loaded with irons ; and his wife and children
were reduced to absolute beggary. After
suffering nine months' confinement, the holy
office thought fit to release him, with the
13
146 HISTORY OP
consolatory intimation, that they had dealt
with him' much more mercifully than his
crime deserved."
The following case, related by the same
writer, will show still further the flagrant in-
justice of Inquisitorial tribunals. " There was,
at Seville, a certain poor man," says that
author, in his own homely style, « who daily
maintained himself and his family by the
sweat of his brow. A certain parson detained
his wife from him by violence, neither the
Inquisition nor any other tribunal punishing
this heinous injury. As the poor man was
one day talking about purgatory with some
other persons of his own circumstances, he
happened to say, rather out of rustic simpli-
city than any certain design, that he truly
had enough of purgatory already, by the
rascally parson's violently detaining from
him his wife. This speech was reported to
the good parson, and gave him a handle to
double the poor man's injury, by accusing
him to the Inquisitors as having a false opin-
ion concerning purgatory ; and this the holy
tribunal thought more worthy of punishment
than the parson's wickedness. The poor
wretch was taken up for this trifling speech,
kept in the prisons of the Inquisition for two
years, and at length compelled to walk in
procession at an auto-da-fe, wearing the
infamous sanbenito. After suflering other
three years' imprisonment, he was dismissed.
Neither did they spare the poor creature any
THE INQUISITION. 147
thing of his little substance, though they did
Iiis wile to the parson, but adjudged all the
remains of what he had after his long im-
prisonment, to the exchequer of the Inquisi-
tion."
Large promises of pardon and favour are
usually iield out by the Inquisitors to all
who voluntarily accuse themselves of crimes
which are hidden from the eye of man. But
whoever thus puts himself in their power,
finds to his sad experience, that the promises
of Inquisitors are no more than wind, and
intended only for a snare to catch the un-
wary. Of this we shall select only one ex-
ample, from many which might be given.
In 1644, Antonius de Vega, allured by the
professions of sympathy and kindness which
the Inquisitors pretended to show to all who
voluntarily made confession of their crimes
before the holy tribunal, accused himself of
having, at a former period of his life, enter-
tained the opinion that a man might be saved
by the law of Moses. This error, however,
he had long since renounced, and he there-
fore begged the promised absolution from the
judges of the holy office. But, alas ! what
must have been his astonishment and horror,
to hear the mild and merciful lords of the
Inquisition order him to be confined in the
dungeons appropriated for heretics ! After
three years' imprisonment, the miserable con-
fessor was condemned to appear at an auto-
148 HISTORY OP
/
da-fe, wearing the sanbenito, his property
was confiscated, and himself banished.*
" Not lions 3rouching in their dens
Surprise their heedless prey
With greater cunning, or express
More savage *'age than they."
Even the death of a prisoner is no barrier
against the fury of the Inquisition, or the
grave an asylum against its persecutions.
His bones, in the event of being buried, are
dug out of the grave and burnt, his memory
is declared infamous, and his children are
disinherited. Many are the instances of this
barbarous practice on record, the chief mo-
tives of the holy tribunal in thus waging war
with the dead, being to gain possession of
their property. In proof of this, we shall
notice the two following examples only.
In the first auto-da-fe at Valladolid in
1559, Donna Leonora de Vibero, the mother
of five childran, who appeared as criminals
on this occasion, had died some years before,
and was buried in a sepulchral chapel of
wnich she was the proprietress. No suspi-
cion of heresy was attached to her at the
time of her death ; but, on the imprisonment
of her children, the fiscal of the Inquisition
• The homely and ludicrous remark of Salgado, who
relates this story, is far from being inapplicable :
•'Though this action," says he, "was voluntary, and
deserved forgiveness, yet, as in the Eiglish proverb, it
is, confess and be hanged."
THE INQUISITION 149
at Valkidolid commenced a process against
her ; and certain witnesses under tlie torture
having deponed that her housci was used as
a temple for the Lutlierans, sentence was
passed, declaring her to liave died in a state
of heresy, her memory to be infamous, and
her property confiscated ; and ordering her
bones to be dug up, and, together with tier
efMgy, pubUcly committed to the flames ;
her house to be razed, the ground on which
it stood to be sown with salt, and a pillar,
with an inscription stating the cause of its
demolition, to be erected on the spot. All
this was done, and the last mentioned monu-
ment of fanaticism and ferocity against the
dead was to be seen until the year 1809,
when it was removed during the occupation
of Spain by the French.
The other case referred to is of a later date.
In the beginning of the seventeenth century,
Marc Antonio de Dominis, archbishop of
Spalatro, was considered one of the most
learned men of his age, particularly in di-
vinity and history, both sacred and profane.
His learning made him inquisitive, and it
was at length discovered that he had em-
braced the doctrines of the Reformation.
Having written a large work on the Chris-
tian Church, he was exceedingly desirous of
having it published during his lifetime ; but
this he was aware could not be accomplished
in Italy. Sir Henry Wotton, who was at
that time the English ambassador at Venice.
13*
150 HISTORY Oi'
gave Dominis a letter from James I. King of
Britain, inviting him to come to England
This invitation was accepted by Dominis,
and enjoying the patronage of James, who
settled a pension on him suitable to his dig-
nity, he published the work which he had
so much at heart. Happy would it have
been for him had he remained in England ;
but the pope, the Inquisition, and the Spa-
nish ambassador, made such vast offers both
of pardon and remuneration, as first shook
his resolution, and finally induced him to ac-
cept of them. The unhappy prelate forgot,
on this occasion, what he had often repeated
in his works, namely, that the court of Rome
never forgets or forgives an affront.
He accordingly set out for Rome, in spite
of all the arguments of his friends in England
to the contrary, who represented to him the
danger to which he exposed himself, and how
difficult, if not impossible, it would be for
him to escape. The result was such as might
have been expected ; for no sooner did he
arrive in Italy, than he was arrested and
confined m the prisons of the Inquisition at
Rome. His trial went on very slowly, and
he at length died in prison, according to some
authors, « through the effects of poison ad-
ministered to him by his own relations, in
order to spare him and themselves the shame
of his being brought out in an auto-da-fe."
Disappointed in their expectation of putting
Dominis to death by the hand of the execu
THE INQUISITION 151
tioner, the Inquisitors determined to inflict
tlie punislunent proposed on his dead body.
On tiie 21st of December, 1624, accordingly,
in the church of St. Mary, and amidst a large
concourse of spectators, liis sentence was read
as follows: — "That Marc Antonio de Domi-
nis, having been convicted of heresy, was
found to have incurred all the censures and
penalties appointed to heretics by the sacred
canons and papal constitutions ; they accord-
ingly declared him to be deprived of honours,
prerogatives, and ecclesiastical dignities, con-
demned his memory, excommunicated him
from the ecclesiastical court, and delivered
over his dead body and effigy into the power
of the governor of the city, that he might
inflict on it the punishment due, according to
the rule and practice of the Church. And
finally, they commanded his impious and
heretical writings to be publicly burnt, and
declared all his eff'ects to be forfeited to the
exchequer of the Holy Inquisition." This
sentence was carried into eff'ect the same day,
amidst a vast concourse of spectators, with
all the mock solemnity which characterizes
the proceedings of that mfamous tribunal.
152 HISTORY OF
CHAPTER VI
Hostility of the Inquisition to the progress of li.erature
and science— examples— -freemasonry a peculiar ob-
ject of persecution by the holy tribunal— interesting
trial of M. Tournon— cruelty of the Inquisition in the
nineteenth century— affecting account of the suffer-
ings of Don Miguel Juan Antonio Solano— remarks
by Puigblanch on the iniquitous procedure of the
holy office.
We have already seen, in the case of the
famous GaUleo, the determined opposition of
the Inquisition to the progress of science.
Many other examples of a similar kind might
be added. Not content with exerting a rigid
censorship over the press, the Inquisitors in-
truded into private houses, ransacked the li-
braries of the learned and curious, and car-
ried off and retained at their pleasure, such
books as they in their ignorance suspected to
be of a dangerous character, besides inflict-
ing punishment on their owners. So lute as
the beginning of the eighteenth century, we
Sind Manuel Martini, dean of Alicant, and
me of the most enlightened of his country-
men in that age, complaining bitterly in his
confidential correspondence of what he suf-
fered from such proceedings.
Under the reign of the fanatical Philip V.,
Don Melchior de Macanez, one of the most
learned statesmen in Spain, ha 'ing drawn up
IFIE INQTTISITION
153
a report by order of the king, at a time when
it was ill agitation to suspend the remittances
of money with which Spain then supplied
Rome, was compelled to take refuge in
France, in order to avoid being immured in
the dungeons of the Inquisition. His pro-
perty was in the meantime seized, and him-
self excommunicated. After an exile of ten
years, during which he made numerous sup-
phcations to his faithless sovereign, he was
at length recalled with the promise of par-
don. But on his arrival in Spain he was
arrested and confined in the Inquisition of
Segovia, till the reign of Charles III.
Luis de Leon, Professor of Scripture in
the University of Salamanca, was appre-
hended and imprisoned in the Inquisition,
for making a version of the Song of Solo-
mon for his private use. For this heinous
crime, he was condemned to solitary con-
finement for no less than five years. The
professors of the Hebrew and Chaldean lan-
guages, and of Rhetoric and Greek, in the
same University, were likewise arrested and
imprisoned by the holy tribunal, for publish-
ing works eminently calculated to improve
the mind, and advance the literature of their
country.
The Inquisition, indeed, " has at all times
evinced towards learned men the greatest
enmity, and has driven many to the brink of
the precipice through its absurd and violent
condu'^t, -tr caused them to separate from the
154 HISTORl OF
Roman Catholic Church, particularly wh«!n
they have been animated by more than or-
dinary zeal. Aonius Palearius, whose sin-
gular merit, and disastrous end wrest from
historians the most hvely sentiments of com-
passion, may serve as an example of this
fatal truth. His merit was universally ac-
knowledged, not only on the score of philo-
sophy, of which he was a professor in Milan,
when he was arrested, and where he had
besides pubhshed an estimable Latin poem,
on the immortality of the soul, as well as
several orations in the same language, but
also as far as regards theology, which, not-
withstanding he was a secular, and married,
he possessed in an eminent degree. Many
cardinals, and even Pope Paul IV., honour-
ed him with their friendship ; and Philip II.
granted him certain privileges, and ordered
a large salary to be assigned him for his sub-
sistence. His zeal was particularly display-
ed in drawing up a charge, or, as he calls it,
a declaration against the Roman Pontiffs, as
corrupters of discipline, which he addressed
to Charles V. and the three other Christian
princes, in order to excite attention to this
subject on the convocation of a general
council, at that time agitated, and which
ended in that of Trent. This paper was in
the meantime deposited in the hands of his
friends, in case he should previously die, or
the Inquisition, which had already threaten
THE INQUISITION. 155
eu him, should sacrifice him, as it afterwards
did.*
" Without entering into a long enumera-
tion of all the sciences, as well as of the per-
sons who have been eminent therein, it
would not be possible to give a complete
idea of the individuals who have suffered
by the proceedings of the Inquisition ; John
Reuchlin, in Germany — Picus, Prhice of Mi-
randula, in Italy — Peter Ramus in France —
• The following is an extract from this interesting
paper.
" What is it that princes wait for, in order to prove
that the religion of Jesus Christ is not indifferent to
them, by promoting a salutary reform ] We have been
forbidden to speak the truth ; the edifice raised by the
apostles has been destroyed; the word of God is belied ;
the majesty of his precepts is diminished ; the fruit of
the cross, as far as regards the popes, rendered useless ;
great and unimaginable abuses have been introduced;
and, in short, all the divine and human rights have been
confounded. Who therefore can be so great an enemy
to the name of Christ, as to behold all this, and still
remain silent 1 Or who would not wish, since he is
unable to remedy it, rather to die, than be held as an
accomplice in so much iniquity ? With regard to my-
self, I can assert, that I shall never regret having un-
dertaken the defence of the gospel, whatever may be
the danger to which I am thereby exposed. Here thou
hast me: oh! executioner, tie my hands, cover my
head, discharge thy axe on my neck, since I voluntarily
ofTer myself to the anger of the popes, as well as to the
torments they may seek to inflict upon me. And if
with my death they are not satiated, and should wish
to see my entrails torn to pieces, and converted into
ashes, here thou hast me ; oh ! executioner, approach
I will endure all."
156 HISTORY OF
and Desiderius Erasmus, every where — had
to endure the lash of this infernal fury ; yet
no nation has thereby suffered so much as
Spain. In the seventeenth century, father
Pedro de Soto, a wise and pious writer —
father Juan de Villagarcia, professor of the-
ology at Oxford — and in general all the learn-
ed men who at that time visited England,
became its victims. Father Jose de Sigii-
enza, a diligent and polished historian — and
in more recent times, many distinguished in-
dividuals, by their acquirements in history,
theology, mathematics, politics, philology,
&c., became objects of Inquisitorial ven-
geance. Finally, within late years, not a
few enhghtened persons of literary pursuits
and known probity, have had to drag a mise-
rable existence within the walls of the Inqui-
sition, on account of denunciations ridicu-
lous and chimerical, or have been admonished
or threatened by it. Even in the way ot
artists of any pre-eminence, this tribunal has
placed obstacles. A navigator, who, by dis-
covering a new route, had performed a voy-
age in less than the customary time — a mas-
ter of the first rudiments, who, by his genius
and constancy, had brought forward and im-
proved his scholars quicker than his com-
petitors — and even the handicraftsman who
has enjoyed more credit than others of his
own class — have incurred the displeasure of
the Inquisition, and been entangled in its
toik"
THE INQUISITION. 15/
" The Inquisition," says Dr. M'Crie, " was
not satisfied with preventing heretical men
and books from coming into Spain, it exert-
ed itself with equal zeal in preventing ortho-
dox horses from being exported out of the
kingdom. Incredible or ludicrous as this
may appear to the reader, nothing can be
more unquestionable than the fact, and no-
thing demonstrates more decidedly the un-
principled character of the Inquisitors, as
well as those who had recourse to its agency
to promote their political schemes. As early
as the fourteenth century it had been declar-
ed illegal to transport horses from Spain to
France. This prohibition originated entirely
in views of political economy, and it was
the business of the officers of the customs to
prevent the contraband trade. But on oc-
casiDn of the wars which arose between the
Papists and Protestants of France, and the
increase of the latter on the Spanish borders,
it occurred to Philip as an excellent expe-
dient for putting down the prohibited com-
merce, to commit the task to the Inquisi-
tion, whose services would be more effec-
tual than those of a hundred thousand fron-
tier guards. With this view he procured a
bull from the Pope, which, with a special
reference to the Protestants of France, and
the inhabitants of Beam in particular, de-
clared all to be suspected of heresy who
should furnish arms, ammunition, or other
instruments of war to heretics. In conse-
14
158 HISTORY OF
quence of this, the council of the supreme,
in 1569, added to the annual edict of denun-
ciation a clause obliging all, under the pain
of excommunication, to inform against any
who had bought or transported horses for
the use of the French Protestants, which
was afterwards extended to all who sent
them across the Pyrenees. For this offence
numbers were fined, whipped, and con-
demned to the galleys, by the Inquisitorial
tribunals on the frontiers. Always bent on
extending their jurisdiction, the Inquisitors
sought to bring under their cognizance all
questions respecting the contraband trade in
saltpetre, sulphur, and powder."
Freemasonry, as has been already stated,
was a very heinous crime in the eye of the
Inquisition. The following trial which took
place at Madrid, in 1757, will sufficiently
prove the hatred of the " Holy Office," to
all who were connected with that order. A
Frenchman of the name of M. Tournon, had
been invited to Spain to instruct the Spa-
niards in the art of making brass or cop-
per buckles ; but in the year above men-
tioned, he was denounced to the Inquisition,
by one of his pupils, as a favourer of heresy.
His heresy consisted in having asked some
of his pupils to become freemasons, and ob-
tained their consent. At his first audience,
the following conversation took place be-
tween the Inquisitors and M. Tournon,
which, after the cruelties that have been
THK INQUISITION. 159
'etailed, will both relieve and amuse the
'leader.*
Quest. Do you know or suppose why
you liave been arrested by the holy office ?
^ns. I suppose it is for having said that I
was a freemason.
Q. Why do you suppose so ?
*d. Because I have informed my pupii^
that I was of that order, and I fear they have
denounced me ; for I have perceived lately,
that they speak to me with an air of mys-
tery, and their questions lead me to beheve
that they think me a heretic.
Q. Did you tell them the truth ?
^. Yes.
Q. You are, then, a freemason ?
^. Yes.
Q. How long have you been so ?
Ji. For twenty years.
Q. Have you attended the assemblies ot
freemasons ?
Ji. Yes, at Paris.
Q. Have you attended them in Spain ?
./?. No : I do net know if there are any
lodges in Spain.
Q. If there were, wc uld you attend them ?
A. Yes.
Q. Are you a Christian, a Roman Catho-
lic .>
Ji. Yes ; I was baptized in the parish of
St. Paul, at Paris.
* The trial is given in full by Llorente, from which
the above is taken.
IGO HISTORY OF
Q. How, as a Christian, can you dare to
attend masonic assemblies, when you know,
or ought to know, that they are contrary to
religion ?
*d. I did not know that ; I am ignorant of
it at present, because I never saw nor heard
any thing there which was contrary to reli-
gion.
Q. How can you say that, when you
know that freemasons profess mdifference in
matters of religion, which is contrary to the
articles of faith, which teach us that no man
can be saved who does not profess the Catho-
lic, Apostolic, and Roman religion ?
t^. The freemasons do not profess that
mdifference. But it is indifferent if the per-
son received into the order be a Catholic or
not.
Q. Then the freemasons are an anti-reli-
gious body ?
A. That cannot be ; for the object of the
institution is not to combat or deny the ne-
cessity or utility of any religion, but for the
exercise of charity towards the unfortunate
of any sect, particularly if he is a member of
the society.
Q. One proof that indifference is the reli-
gious character of freemasons, is, that they
do not acknowledge the Holy Trinity, since
they only confess one God, whom they call
the " Great Architect of the Universe," which
agrees with the doctrine of the heretical phi-
losophers, who sy there is no true religion
THE INQUISITION. 161
t natural religion, in which the exigence
.{ God the Creator only is allowed, and the
rest considered as a human invention. And
as M. Tournon has professed himself to be
of the Roman Catholic religion, he is re-
quired, by the respect he owes to our Saviour
Jesus Christ, true God and man, and to his
blessed mother, the Virgin Mary, our Lady,
to declare the truth according to his oath,
because in that case he will acquit his con-
science, and it will be allowable to treat him
with that mercy and compassion, which the
Holy Office always shows towards sinners
who confess ; and if, on the contrary, he con-
ceals any thing, he will be punished with all
the severity of justice, according to the holy
canons, and the laws of the kingdom.
*d. The mystery of the Holy Trinity is
neither maintained nor combated in the ma-
sonic lodges ; neither is the religious system
of the natural philosophers approved or re-
jected. God is designated as the Great Ar-
chitect of the Universe, according to the alle-
gories of the freemasons, which reiate to
architecture. In order to fulfil my promise
of speaking truth, I must repeat, that in
masonic lodges, nothing takes place which
concerns any religious system, and that the
subjects treated of are foreign to religion,
under the allegories of architectural works.
Q. Do you believe as a Catholic, that it is
a sin of superstition to mingle holy and r^^U
gious things with profane things ?
14*
162 HISTORY or
A. I am not sufficiently acquainted with
the particular things which are prohibited as
contrary to the purity of the Christian reli-
gion. But I have believed till now, that
those who confound the one with the other,
either by mistake, or a vain belief, are guilty
of the sin of superstition.
Q. Is it true, that in the ceremonies which
accompany the reception of a mason, the
crucified image of our Saviour, the corpse
of a man, and a skull, and other objects of a
profane nature, are made use of?
A. The general statutes of freemasonry do
not ordain these things ; if they are made use
of, it must arise from a particular custom,
or from the arbitrary regulations of the mem-
bers of the body, who are commissioned to
prepare for the reception of candidates;
for each lodge has particular customs and
ceremonies.
§. That is not the question ; say if it is
true, that these ceremonies are observed in
masonic lodges ?
A. Yes, or no, according to the regulations
of those who are charged with the ceremo-
nies of the institution.
Q. Were they observed when you were
initiated ?
A. No.
Q. What oath is it necessary to take, on
being received a freemason ?
Ji. We sweai to observe secresy.
Q On what?
THE INQUISITICN. 163
A. Oil things which it may be inconve-
nient to publish.
Q. Is this oath accompanied by execra-
tions?
Ji. Yes.
Q. What are they ?
Ji. We consent to suffer all the evils which
can afflict tlie body and soul, if we violate
the oaih.
Q. Of what importance is this oath, smce
it is believed that such formidable execrations
may be used without indecency }
Ji. That of good order in the society.
Q. What passes in these lodges which it
might be inconvenient to publish.^
A. Nothing, if it is looked upon without
prejudice ; but, as people are generally mis-
taken in this matter, it is necessary to avoid
giving cause of malicious interpretations;
and this would take place, if what passes
when the brethren assemble, were made
public.
Q. Of what use is the crucifix, if the re-
ception of a freemason is not considered as a
religious act ?
A. It is present, to penetrate the soul with
the most profound respect, at the moment
that the novice takes the oath. It is not used
in every lodge, and only when particular
grades are conferred.*
Q. Why is the skull used ?
A. That the ilea of aeath may inspire a
horror of perjurj
164 HISTORY OP
Q. Of what use is the corpse ?
./?. To complete the allegory of Hiram,
architect of the temple of Jerusalem, who, i*
is said, was assassinated by traitors, and to in-
duce a greater detestation of assassination,
and other offences against our neighbours,
to whom we ought to be as benevolent
brothers.
Q. Is it true, that the festival of St. John
is celebrated in lodges, and that the masons
have chosen him for their patron ?
^. Yes.
Q. What worship is rendered him in cele-
brating his festival ?
*^. None ; that it may not be mingled with
profane things. This celebration is confined
to a fraternal repast, after which a discourse
is read, exhorting the guests to beneficence
toward their fellow-creatures, in honour of
God, the great Architect, Creator, and Pre-
server of the universe.
Q, Is it true, that the sun, moon, and stars
are honoured in the lodges ?
^. No.
Q. Is it true, that their images or symbols
are exposed ?
^. Yes.
Q. Why are they so ?
*^. In order to elucidate the allegories of
the great, continual, and true light, which
the lodges receive from the great Architect
of the world ; and these representations be-
THE INQUISITION. 165
long to the brethren, and engage them to be
charitable.
Q. M. Tournon will observe, that all the
explanations he has given of the facts and
ceremonies which take place in the lodges,
are false, and ditierent from those which he
voluntarily communicated to other persons,
worthy of belief; he is therefore again in-
vited, by the respect he owes to God, and the
Holy Virgin, to declare and confess the here-
sies of inditierentism, the errors of supersti-
tion, which mingle holy and pr )fane things
and the errors of idolatry, which led him to
worship the stars. This confession is neces-
sary for the acquittal of his conscience, and
the good of his soul, because, if he confesses
with sorrow for having committed these
crimes, detesting them, and humbly soliciting
pardon, (before the fiscal accuses him of
these heinous sins,) the holy tribunal will be
permitted to exercise towards him that com-
passion and mercy, which it always displays
to repentant sinners ; and because, if he be
judicially accused, he must be treated with
all the severity prescribed against heretics
by the holy canons, apostolical bulls, and the
laws of the kingdom.
*j3. I have declared the truth, and if any
witnesses have deposed to the contrary, they
have mistaken my words ; for I have never
spoken on this subject to any but the work-
men in my manufactory, and then only in the
same sense conveyei by my replies.
166 HISTORY OP
Q. Not content with being a freemason,
you have persuaded other person.? to be re-
ceived into the order, and to embrace the
heretical, superstitious, and pagan errors, into
which you have fallen?
*d. It is true, that I have requested these
persons to become freemasons, because 1
thought it would be useful to them, if they
travelled into foreign countries, where they
might meet brothers of their order, who could
assist them in any difficulty ; but it is not true
that I engaged them to adopt any errors con-
trary to the Catholic faith, since no such
errors are to be found in freemasonry, which
does not concern any points of doctrine.
Q. It has been already proved, that these
errors are not chimerical ; therefore, let M.
Tournon consider that he has been a dogma-
tizing heretic, and that it is necessary that he
should acknowledge it with humility, and
ask pardon and absolution for the censures
which he has incurred ; since, if he persists
m his obstinacy, he will destroy both his body
and soul : and as this is the first audience of
■monition, he is advised to reflect on his con-
dition, and prepare for the two other audi-
ences which are granted by the compassion
and mercy which the holy tribunal always
feels for the accused.
After undergoing this examination, M.
Tournon was remanded to prison. In two
subsequent audiences he persisted in giving
the same answers; but perceiving at length,
THE INQUISITION. 1G7
that the only method by which he might es-
cape punishment, was to acknowledge that
he was wrong, he pretended that lie might
have been deceived, from being ignorant of
particular doctrines, and requested absolution.
He was accordingly sentenced to one year's
imprisonment, and to be afterwards banished
for ever from Spain, and obliged at tlie same
time to promise that he would never again
attend the assemblies of the freemasons.
The following account of the persecution
of a Spanish Protestant priest, who was im-
prisoned in the Inquisition of Saragossa in
1802, is particularly deserving of notice, show-
ing, as it does, the cruelty of the holy office,
even in the nineteenth century. — " Don Mi-
guel Juan Antonio Solano, a native of Ver-
dun, in Arragon, was vicar of Esco, in the
diocess of Jaca. His benevolence and exem-
plary conduct endeared him to his parishion-
ers. The goodness of his heart combined
with his inventive talent in the work of fer-
tilizing a dale, or rather a mere ravine, be-
longing to the inhabitants of his parish, which
lay waste for the want of irrigation. With-
out any help from the government, and with
no mechanical means but the spades of the
peasants, he succeeded in diverting the waters
of a mountain streamlet upon the slip of
vegetable soil which had been deposited in
the glen.
" A long and severe illness, which made
him a cripple for life, withdrew the good
168 HISTORY OF
vicar of Esco, from these active pursu s, and
limited his employment to the perusal of the
few books which his little library afforded.
Providentially the Bible was one of them.
Solano read the records of revelation, with a
sincere desire to embrace religious truth as
he found it there, and having gradually
cleared and arranged his views, drew up a
little system of divinity, which agreed in the
main points with the fundamental tenets of
the Protestant churches. His conviction of
the Roman Catholic errors became so strong,
that he determined to lay his book before the
bishop of the diocess, asking his pastoral
help and advice upon that most important
subject. An answer to his arguments was
promised ; but despairing, after a lapse of
time, to obtain it, Solano applied to the faculty
of divinity of the University of Saragossa.
The reverend doctors sent the book to the
Inquisition, and the infirm vicar of Esco was
lodged in the prisons of the holy tribunal of
Saragossa in 1802, It seems that some hu-
mane persons contrived his escape soon
after, and conveyed Lim to Oleron, the near-
est French town. But Solano, having taken
time to consider his case, came to the heroic
resolution of asserting the truth in the very
face of death ; and returned of his own ac-
cord to the Inquisitorial prisons.
The Inquisitor-general at that time was
Arce, archbishop of Santiago, an intimate
^riend of the Prince of Peace, and one
THE INQUISITION. 169
Strongly suspected of secret infidel y. When
tlie sentence of the Arragonese tribunal, con-
dennjing Solano to die by fire, was presented
to the supreme court for confirmation, Arce,
shocked at the idea of an auto-da-fe, con-
trived every method to delay the execution.
A fresh examination of witnesses was or-
dered, during which time the Inquisitors en-
treated Solano to avert his now imminent
danger. Nothing, however, could move him.
He said, he well knew the death that awaited
him, but no human fear would ever make
him swerve from the truth. The first sen-
tence being confirmed, nothing remained but
the exequatur of the supreme council. Arce,
however, suspended it, and ordered an inquiry
into the mental sanity of the prisoner. As
nothing appeared to support this plea, Solano
would have died at the stake, had not Pro-
vidence snatched him from the hands of the
papal defenders of the faith. A dangerous
illness seized him in the prison, where he had
lingered three years. The efforts to convert
him were on this occasion renewed with in-
creased aroour.
"The Inquisitors," says Llorente, "gave
it in charge to the most able divines of Sara-
gossa to reclaim Solano, and even requested
Don Miguel Suarez de Santander, auxiliary
bishop of that town, and apostolic missionary,
(now, like myself, a refugee in France,) to
exhort him, with all the tenderness and good-
ness of a Christian minister, which are so
15
170 HISTORY OF
natural to that worthy prelate. The vicai
showed a grateful sense of all that was done
for him ; but declared that he could not re-
nounce his religious persuasion without of-
fending God, by acting treacherously against
the truth. On the twenty-first day of his ill-
ness, the physician warned him of approach-
ing death, urging him to improve the short
time which he had to live. ^ I am in the
hands of God,' answered Solano, ' and have
nothing else to do.' Thus died, in 1805, the
vicar of Esco. He was denied Christian
burial, and his body privately interred within
the inclosure of the Inquisition, near the back
gate of the building, towards the Ebro. The
Inquisitors reported all that had taken place
to the supreme tribunal, whose members
approved their conduct, and stopt all further
proceedings, in order to avoid the necessity
of burning the deceased in effigy."
We shall close this chapter with the follow-
ing able and just remarks of Puigblanch, on
the iniquitous procedure of the holy office.
" The Inquisition," says that elegant writer,
" in its relations as a tribunal, as well as in
the laws by which it is governed, tramples to
the ground the rights of the citizen, by violat-
ing in substance and in manner, the common
rules and principles of justice. A code sug-
gested and framed by fanaticism and error—
a want of learning almost general, among
the individuals of whom it is composed, ac-
*5ompar 3d by an omr geno us faculty of
THE INQUISITION. 'k7l
committing irregularities — together with the
tyrannical oppression with wliich the inno-
cent man is therein treated, when merely in-
dicted for heresy, are all deducible from the
premises established, and come in as incon-
trovertible arguments to prove the truth of
my assertion. Busied rather in forming un-
happy victims, than in extirpating crimes,
this institution has spared no pains, however
contrary to reason, and even to religion, as
long as it was able to flatter its pride, and
feed its ferocity. Secret accusation and
calumny encouraged without any regard to
friendship or domestic piety ; the name of
the Supreme Being invoked with the greatest
rashness, in order to wring from the culprit a
confession, which must necessarily carry him
to the scaffold ; mean cavils, perfidious incite-
ments, and even gross falsehood, employed
for the same purpose, and with the same in-
iquity — have all entered into the complicated
system of the Inquisition, and constituted its
chief essence and delight. Impervious pri-
sons, secured with double bolts, and secluded
from all communication; refined and over-
whelming torments authorized, and even ad-
ministered with unheard of cruelty, by judges,
who call themselves the ministers of the God
of peace : citizens, who had already paid the
debt of nature, insulted in their memory, and
their mouldering remnants of mortality dug
out to public scorn ; whole generations con-
demned to mendicity and infamy, even be-
172 HISTORY OP
fore they had commenced their existence ;
blazing piles of faggots, enkindled by the
breath of implacable vengeance, hidden un-
der the parade of charity — such have been
the component parts which have formed the
plan, and such the deeds of this formidable
and bloody tribunal. And can that govern-
ment be called just and oeneficent, which
suffers the Inquisition to ran^de in its bosom?"
CHAPTER VIII.
Portuguese " holy tribunal " — imprisonment of Dellon in
the Inquisition at Goa — preparations for celebrating
an auto-da-fe — order of the procession — Dellon's sen-
tence mitigated, and publicly read — penances en-
joined upon him at his liberation.
There are some shades of difference between
the procedure of the Inquisitors in Spain,
and that of those in Portugal. To enume-
rate these, however, would afford little grati-
fication to the reader. We shall therefore
now proceed to give some account of the
sufferings of Dellon, a French gentleman,
who was imprisoned in 1673, in the Inquisi-
tion at Goa, a city in the East Indies, which
will throw sufficient light on the Portuguese
loly tribunal.
After giving a detailed account of his suf-
ferings, from the period of his arrest, on the
24th August, 1673, at Damaui , till he ar-
THE INQ ISITION. 173
rived at the Inquisition in Goa, he kjforms us,
that immediately upon entering the audience
chamber, he cast himself at the feet of the
Inquisitor, with a view of affecting the feel-
ings of his judge by his suppliant attitude.
He was, however, commanded to rise ; and
after being asked his name and profession,
he was interrogated if he knew the cause of
his arrest, which he was exhorted freely to
confess, as the only means of obtaining a
speedy discharge. Dellon informed the In-
quisitor, that he believed he did know the
cause of his imprisonment, and promised
with tears, that if his judge would give him
a patient hearing, he was ready to become
his own accuser. The Inquisitor calmly re-
plied, that there was no haste, that he had
other matters more important to attend to
and that he would let him know when he
should have leisure to attend to his case.
This finished the first audience, on which
Dellon was remanded to his cell, where he
was searched, and every article of value
taken from him. It is true, that an exact
inventory, as usual, was taken of his pro-
perty ; but this was merely a form, nothing
of any consequence being ever restored,
though faithfully promised by the secretary
of the Inquisition.
" Immediately after I was shut up in the
prisons of the holy office," he says, " I was
informed that when I wanted any thing, I
nad only to knock gently at the door, and the
15*
174 HISTORY OF
guards would attend, or to ask for it when
my meals were served ; and that if I wished
for an audience, I was to address the alcalde,
who, as well as the guards, never speaks to
the prisoners without a witness. I was also
taught to believe that my liberation would be
the consequence of confession, which caused
me to importune those officers to take me
before my judges."
This favour, however, notwithstanding all
his entreaties, was not granted till the 31st
of January, 1674. On that day, he was de-
sired by the alcalde to follow him to the cham-
ber of audience. He immediately obeyed,
and having entered the presence of his judge,
he fell on his knees, with the view of touch-
ing him with compassion. But without
deigning to take the smallest notice of his
grief, he was ordered to sit down on a bench
at the end of the table next the Inquisitor.
Here he was first ordered to swear to declare
the truth, and preserve secrecy, and then
asked if he knew the cause ot his imprison-
ment, and had resolved to confess the truth.
Having intimated that he was ready to do
so, he minutely detailed the particulars of
several conversations in which he had enga-
ged respecting baptism and the worship of
images, but concealing that he had advanced
something concerning the Inquisition, which
at that moment, he says, he did not recollect.
The Inquisitor then asked him, if he had any
.hing further to say ; and being ans'vered in
THE INQUISITION. 175
the negative, he terminated the audience by
addressing Dellon in the following words
" You have very properly resolved to become
your own accuser ; and I conjure you in the
name of our Lord Jesus Christ, fully to con-
fess all that you know ; that you may expe-
rience the goodness and mercy extended by
this tribunal towards those who appear to be
truly sorry for their offences, by making a
sincere and voluntary acknowledgment."
Dellon's next audience took place on the
15th of February, when he was interrogated
anew, if he had any thing further to say, and
exhorted to conceal nothing, but candidly to
confess all his crimes. He replied, that after
the closest consideration, he could recollect
nothing more than what he had already de-
clared. The Inquisitor then asked the names
of his relatives ; whether he was baptized
the eighth day after his birth ; by whom he
was baptized; and finally, if he had been
confirmed, and by what bishop. Having re-
turned answers to all these inquiries, he was
ordered to kneel down, to make the sign of
the cross, to repeat the Lord's Prayer, the
Ave Maria, the Creed, the commandments,
&c., when the audience concluded, as for-
merly, with a conjuration, " by the bowels of
the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ," to make
immediate confession.
"From the beginning of my confinement,"
says he, " I had been greatly distressed, and
had wept incessantly ; but ou returning from
176 HISTORY OF
this audience, I entirely abandoned myse.f
to grief, being convinced that what was re-
quired of me was impossible, as my memory
did not furnish what I was solicited to avow.
I attempted to put an end to my existence,
by fasting. I received, indeed, the food
which was brought to me, because I could
not refuse it, without being liable to be beaten
by the guards, who carefully notice, when
the dishes are returned, whether sufficient
nourishment has been taken ; but my despair
enabled me to deceive all their caution, and I
passed several days without tasting any thing.
This extreme fasting deprived me of rest,
and my sole employment was to weep. At
length, having made a more particular, or
rather more happy recollection of what I
had said or done, during my residence at
Damaun, I remembered that I had used
several expressions respecting the integrity
of the Inquisition. I immediately demanded
audience, which, however, I did not obtain
until the 16th of March.
" When summoned, I had no doubt that
my business would be dismissed the same
day, and that after the confession I was pre-
pared to make, I should be discharged br
at the very moment that I fancied I was on
the accomplishment of all my wishes, I sud-
denly found these delightful hopes destroyed ;
for having detailed every thing I had said
about the Inquisition, I was coolly informed,
that that was not what was expected ; and
THE INQUISITION. 177
having nothing more to communicate, I was
instantly remanded, without even taking my
confession in writing."
Dellon now regarded Hberty as a blessing
which he could never hope to enjoy ; and
abandoning himself to despair, he twice at-
tempted to put an end to his sufferings by
committing suicide. In his endeavours to
effect his purpose, he was, however, provi-
dentially frustrated by the appearance of his
keepers while he lay in his cell weltering in
his blood. But, instead of exciting the sym-
pathy of the Inquisitors, these guardians of
the faith ordered him to be loaded with
irons. This tended still further to increase
his irritation ; and throwing himself on the
ground, and dashing his head against the
pavement, he would soon have destroyed
himself, had he not been watched by his
keepers.
Perceiving that in the present case all
measures of severity were unavailable, the
Inquisitors changed their mode of procedure.
They ordered his irons to be taken off; made
large promises of a speedy deliverance from
confinement, changed his cell, and gave him
a companion, who was made responsible for
his safety.
After lying eighteen months in the prisons
of the holy office, the Inquisitors, being in-
formed that Dellon was able to appear,
again brought him before their tribunal.
Having asked him if he had resolved to
i78 HISTORY OF
declare what was required; and on his re-
plying that he could not recollect any thing
further than what he had already confessed,
the proctor of the Inquisition presented him
self with the informations laid against him.
He had formerly been called to accuse him-
self; but, on this occasion, he was formally
impeached, and a time was allotted for
making his defence ; his own confessions
being included in the depositions.
On reading the informations, the proctor
stated, that, in addition to what he had ad-
mitted, he was accused and fully convicted
of having spoken contemptuously of the In-
quisition and its officers, and even with dis-
respect of the Sovereign Pontiff, and against
his authority ; and concluded, " that the con-
tumacy which he had hitherto displayed, by
neglecting so many delays and benignant
warnings which had been given to him, was
a convincing proof that he had entertained
the most pernicious intentions, and that his
design was to teach and inculcate heretical
opinions ; that he had consequently incurred
the penalty of the greater excommunication :
that his property was confiscated to the
crown, and himself delivered over to the
secular power, to be punished for his crimes
according to law ;" that is, to be burnt.
Dellon was confounded at these denuncia-
tions : but, conscious of his innocence, he
made a spirited reply to the fresh charges
which were brought against him. He ac-
THE INQUISITION. 179
knowledged that he had expressed himself
too freely respecting the Inquisition, but was
surprised to find that what had been so
slightly treated when he acknowledged it a
year and a half before, should now be attri-
buted to him as a grievous crime. As to
what related to the Pope, Dellon declared
that he did not recollect of ever having men-
tioned his name in the manner stated in the
accusation ; but, he added, if the Inquisitors
would detail the particulars, he would speak
honestly and truly to the charge. To all this
the Inquisitor coolly replied, that he should
have full time allowed him for considering
the article which related to the Roman
Pontiff.
In less than a month afterwards, Dellon
was summoned to three or four audiences,
with the view of inducing him to confess
what he had been accused of respecting the
Pope ; but all proved of no avail. As he
now heard every morning the cries of those
who were subjected to the torture, he began
to fear that he should soon be treated with
the same severity. But in this he was hap-
pily disappointed, by the celebration of an
auto-da-fe, at which he was condemned to
undergo various penances, and to banish-
ment from the Indies. The following ac-
count of the Act of Faith, at which Dellon
was an actor, is given in nearly his own
words.
" I remembered," says he, " that I had
180 HISTORY OP
heard it mentioned before I entered the
prisons of the Holy Office, that the auto-da-fe
was usually celebrated on the first Sunday
in Advent, because, in the service for that
day is read a portion of the gospel which
describes the day of judgment ; and the In-
quisitors affect that this ceremony is its lively
and natural prototype. I was also confident
that there were several prisoners ; the dead
silence which reigns in this mansion having
aftbrded me opportunity to ascertain, with
tolerable exactness, how many doors were
opened at the hours of repast. In addition
to this, I was almost certain that an arch-
bishop had arrived in the month of October,
(the see having been vacant nearly thirty
years,) from the extraordinary ringing of the
bells of the cathedral for nine days succes-
sively ; to which period, it is neither the cus-
tom of the churches in general, nor of that of
Goa in particular, to extend the solemniza-
tion of any remarkable feast; and I knew
that this prelate had been expected before
my imprisonment. From all these reasons
I inferred that I should be released in the be-
ginning of December ; but when I saw the
first and the second Sundays in Advent pass.
I began to fear that my liberation or punish-
ment was postponed for another year. —
Nevertheless I found, at a time when I least
expected it, that I was likely to be set at
liberty.
«1 remarked, that on Saturday, the 11th
THE NQUISnrON. 181
of January, 1676, as I gave my linen as
usual to be washed, the officers decUned
taking it till the next day. On reflecting
upon this unusual circumstance, and not
beuig able satisfactorily to account for it, 1
concluded that the celebration of the auto-da-
fe might take place on the morrow ; and my
opinion was the more confirmed, or rather
converted into certainty, when immediately
after vespers had chimed at the cathedral,
the bell rang for matins, which had never
happened before during my imprisonment,
except on the eve of the feast of the holy
sacrament. It may be supposed that joy
would have begun to resume its place in my
heart, when I believed that I was on the
point of leaving the tomb in which I had
been buried alive for two years ; but the ter-
ror which was occasioned by the dreadful
denunciations of the proctor, and the uncer-
tainty of my fate, augmented my anxiety and
grief to such a degree, that I passed the re-
mainder of the day and part of the night
under feelings which would have excited
compassion in any but those into whose
hands I had fallen.
" About midnight 1 was awoke by a noise
occasioned by the guards in drawing back
the bolts of my cell. I was surprised by the
approach of persons bearing lights, to which
1 was unaccustomed, and the hour contri-
buted to increase my alarm. The alcalde
gave me a garment, which he ordered me to
16
182 HISTORY OF
put on, and to be ready to fo low him when
he should call for me; and then retired,
leaving me a Ughted lamp. I had neither
power to rise nor to reply; and when left
alone, I was seized with so general and vio-
lent a trepidation, that, for more than a
quarter of an hour, I could not summon re-
solution even to look upon the dress which
had been brought. At last I arose, and pros-
trating myself before a cross which I had
scrawled upon the wall, I recommended my-
self to God, and resigned my lot into his
hands : I then put on the dress, which con-
sisted of a jacket with sleeves down to the
wrists, and trowsers hanging over the heels;
both being of black stuff with white stripes.
" I had not long to wait after I had dressed
myself The gentleman whose first visit was
made a little before midnight, returned about
two in the morning, and conducted me into
a long gallery, where a great number of my
companions in misery were already assem-
bled, and arranged against the wall. I took
my place in the rank, and many others ar-
rived after me. Although there were nearly
two hundred men in the gallery, every one
preserved profound silence ; as in this great
number, there were only about a dozen
whites, who were scarcely to be distinguished
amongst the others ; and as all were habited
in black, these persons might have been mis-
taken for so many s\i tues placed upon the
wall, if tKe motior ^f their eyes, the use of
THE INQUISITION. 183
wliicli alone was allowed thern, \. /id not
shown that they were alive. The place in
which we were was lighted by a few lamps,
whose gloomy rays displaying so many
black, sad, and devoted objects, seemed an
appropriate prelude to death.
" The women, who were apparelled in the
same stuti' as the men, were in an adjoining
gallery, where we could not see them ; but I
observed that, in a dormitory, at a little dis-
tance from that in which we stood, there
were also several prisoners, and some persons
clothed in black dresses, who occasionally
walked about the apartment. I did not then
know what this meant, but a few hours after
I learnt that the persons in that apartment
were condemned to be burnt, and that those
who walked were their confessors.
" Being unacquainted with the forms of
the Holy Office, although I had before so
anxiously wished to die, I imagined that I
was amongst the number of the condemned ;
but was somewhat encouraged by the obser-
vation, that there was nothing in my habili-
ments difl'erent from the rest, and that it was
improbable that so many persons as were
dressed like myself would be put to death.
" When we were all arranged against the
wall of the ga.lery, a yellow wax-light was
given to each ; and some bundles of robes
made like dalmatics or large scapularies,
were brought in. These were made of yel-
low stutf, with crosses of St. Andrew painted
184 HISTORY OF
in red both in front and behind. It is thus
that those are distinguished who have com-
mitted, or are judged to have committed
oflences against the Christian faith, whether
Jews, Mahometans, sorcerers, or heretic apos-
tates. These vestments are called sanbenito.
" Such as are considered as convicted, and
persist in denying the charges against them,
and those who have relapsed, wear another
kind of scapulary called samarra, the ground
of which is of a grey colour. A portrait of
the wearer is depicted on both sides, placed
on burning firebrands, with ascending flames,
and surrounded by demons. Their names
and crimes are inscribed beneath the picture.
Those who have confessed after sentence has
been pronounced, and before leaving the
prison, have the flames on their samarras re-
versed, which is called fogo revolt o. The
sanbenitos were distributed to twenty blacks
accused of magic, to one Portuguese who was
charged with the same crime, and was more-
over a new Christian ; and, as half measures
would not satisfy the revenge of my perse-
cutors, who were resolved to degrade me as
much as possible, I was compelled to wear
a garb similar to those of the sorcerers and
heretics, although I had uniformly professed
the Catholic, Apostolic, and Roman faith, as
my judges might have been easily informed
by many persons, both foreigners and my
own count ymen, to whom I had been known
ii variou'' parts of India. My apprehension
THE INQUISIT ON 185
now redoubled ; conceiving that if, amongst
so great a number of prisoners, twent]^-t\vo
only received these disgraceful sanbenitos,
they must be those to whom no mercy was
intended.
" When this distribution was made, I
noticed five pasteboard caps, tapering to a
point hke a sugar loaf, and entirely covered
with devils and flames of fire, with the word
" Feiticero,^^ (sorcerer) written round the fil-
let. These caps are called carochas, and
are placed upon the heads of the most guilty
of those accused of magic : and as they hap-
pened to be near me, I expected to be pre-
sented with one. This, however, was not
the case. From that moment I had no doubt
that these wretches would indeed be burnt ;
and as they were as ignorant as myself of the
forms of the holy office, they assured me
afterwards, that they themselves had also
thought their destruction inevitable.
" At length the day dawned about five
o'clock ; and the various emotions of shame,
grief, and terror with which all were agitat-
ed, might be traced in our countenance ; for
though each was joyful at the prospect of
deliverance from a captivity so severe and
insupportable, the sentiment was much alloy-
ed by the uncertainty of his fate.
" The great bell of the cathedal tolled a
little before sunrise, as a signal to the multi-
tude to assemble for the august solemnity of
the auto-da-fe, which is the triumph of the
16 *
186 HISTORY OF
holy office ; and we were then commanded
to go forth one by one. When I got into the
street, I saw that the procession was headed
by the community of the Dominicans, who
have this privilege, because St. Dominic, their
patron, was also the founder of the Inquisi-
tion. They were preceded by the banner of
the holy office, in which the image of the
founder was represented in very rich em-
broidery, with a sword in one hand and an
olive branch in the other, with the inscription,
' Justitia et Miser icordia.^
"These Religious were followed by the
prisoners singly, each holding a taper, and
having his godfather by his side. The least
guilty marched first, and, as I was not reck-
oned as one of the most innocent, more than
a hundred went before me- Like the rest,
my head and feet were bare, and I was
greatly annoyed during the procession, which
continued upwards of an hour, by the small
flints with which the streets of Goa are
covered, causing the blood to stream from
my feet.
" We were led through the principal
streets, and every where regarded by an
immense crowd, which came from all parts
of India, and lined all the roads by which
we passed ; notice having been given from
the pulpit in the most distant parishes, long
before the act of faith was to be celebrated.
" At length, overwhelmed with shame and
I nfiL'ion, and fatigued by the walk, we ar-
THE INQUISITION. 187
rived at the church of St. Francis, which had
been previously fitted up for the celebration
of the auto-da-fe. So soon as I was seated,
I attended to the procedure observed as to
those who followed me. I remarked that
those to whom the horrible carochas had
been given, marched the last of our party,
and immediately after them a large crucifix
was carried, with the face towards those
who preceded it, and was followed by two
persons and the statues of four others, as
large as life, accurately executed, and which
were placed upon long poles, accompanied
by the same number of chests filled with the
bones of those represented by the statues,
and each carried by a man. The front of
the crucifix being turned upon those who
walked before, signified that mercy had
been extended to them, by their deliverance
from the death they had justly merited ; and,
on the contrary, that those behind had no
favour to hope for. Such is the mystery
which pervades every thing in the holy
office.
" The manner in which these wretches
were clothed, was equally calculated to ex-
cite horror and pity. Not only the living
persons, but the statues also, had each a
samarra of grey stuff, painted all over with
devils, flames, and burning firebrands; upon
which the portrait of the wearer was natu-
rally represented on both sides, with his sen-
tence undervj ritten in 1 rge characters, brief-
188 HISTORY OF
\y stating his name and country, and the na-
ture of the crime for which he was con-
demned. With this straLge garme.it, they
also wore those frightful carochas, covered,
like the robe, with demons and fire.
" The Utile chests which inclosed the bones
of the deceased, the proceedings against
whom had been conducted either before or
after their deaths, or prior to, or pending
their imprisonment, for the purpose of giving
colour to the confiscation of their property,
were also painted black, and covered -with
flames and devils.
" As the publication of the proceedings
against each party commenced, he was con-
ducted by the alcalde into the middle of the
aisle, where he continued standing with a
lighted taper in his hand, until his sentence
was delivered. I was summoned, in my
turn, and was declared excommunicate ; my
goods were forfeited to the king, and myself
banished from the Indies, and condemned to
serve in the galleys of Portugal for five
years ; and moreover to perform such other
penances, as might be expressly enjoined by
the Inquisitors.
" The ceremony being concluded, and the
Inquisitor re-seated, the wretched victims to
be sacrificed by the holy Inquisition were
ordered to advance separately. There were
a man and a woman, and the images of four
men deceased, with the chests in which their
bones were deposited. The man and woman
THE INQUISITION. 189
were black native Christians accused of ma-
gic, and condemned as apostates ; but, in
truth, as Uttle sorcerers as those by whom
they were condemned.
" The proceedings against these unfortu-
nates were then read, all of which concluded
in these terms : < That the mercy of the holy
office being prevented by their relapse or
contumacy, and being indispensably obliged
to punish them according to the rigour of the
law, it gave them up to the secular power
and civil justice, which it nevertheless en-
treated to regard with mercy and clemency
these miserable creatures, and if they were
liable to capital punishment, that it should be
inflicted without the effusion of blood.'
" At the conclusion of these words, a tip-
staff" of the lay court approached, and seiz-
ed his victims, each previously receiving a
slight blow on the breast from the alcalde of
the holy office, to testify that they were
abandoned.
" How benevolent is the Inquisition thus
to intercede for the guilty ! What extreme
condescension in the magistrates, to be satis-
fied, from complaisance to the Inquisition,
with burning the culprits to the very mar-
row of their bones, rather than shed their
blood !
" Thus terminated the act of faith ; and
whilst these wretches were conveyed to the
banks of the river, where the viceroy and his
court were assembled, and where the faggots
190 HISTORY OP
on which they were to be immolated had
been piled the preceding day, we were re
conducted to the holy office.
" After remaining in the Inquisition v.ntil
the 23d of January, we were then conveyed
to the hall of the court, and thence separately
summoned to the board of the holy office, tc
receive from the Inquisitor a paper contain-
ing the penances to which he was pleased to
sentence us. I went in my turn, and was
directed to kneel down, after laying my
hands upon the gospels, and in that posture
to promise to preserve the most inviolable
secrecy concerning all that had passed, and
had come to my knowledge during my de-
tention. My judge then gave me a writing
signed by his hand, in the words folio wmg:
1st. In the three ensuing years he shall con-
fess and communicate— during the first year,
once a month — and the two following, at the
feasts of Easter, Whitsuntide, Christmas, and
the Assumption of our Lady. 2d. He shall,
if practicable, hear mass and a sermon every
Sunday and holiday. 3d. During the first
three years he shall repeat, five times every
day, the Lord's Prayer and Ave Maria, in
honour of the five wounds of our Saviour.
4th. He shall not form any friendship nor
particular intimacy with heretics or persons
holding suspicious doctrines, which may pre-
judice his salvation. 5th. And lastly, he
shall be inflexibly reserved as to every thing
which he has seen, said, or heard, or the
THE INQUISITION. 191
treatment which has been observed to him,
as well at tlie board as in tlie otiier places of
tlie holy olhce."
Such is a specimen of the practice of the
Portuguese Inquisition, of which some fur-
ther account will be given in the following
chapter, from the late visit of Dr. Buchanan
to Goa. The celebration of an act of faith
m India, thus described by Dellon, is, as
must have been observed by the reader, in
some respects different from that in Spain ;
but though the procedure of the holy office
in these countries may vary in some points
of little moment, yet all the Inquisitorial tri-
bunals uniformly agree in this, to sacrifice
innocence, piety, and truth, to avarice, ty-
ranny, and superstition.
CHAPTER IX.
The Inquisition at Goa has made little improvement
since the time of Dellon — extracts from Dr. Bu-
chanan's Christian Researches in Asia — he visits
Goa — becomes acquainted with the Inquisitor— visits
the Inquisition — he pleads, in vain, to see the dun-
geons and the captives — his remarks on the efforts
wliich ought to be made by Britain to abolish so
odious a tribunal — true picture of the Inquisition by
several writers— conclusion.
Little alteration has taken place in the In-
quisition at Goa, since the period of Dellon's
imprisonment. Tliis will appear from the
192 HISTORY OF
following account of that tribunal which is
given by the Rev. Dr. Buchanan, so lately
as 1808, in his " Christian Researches in
Asia." The objects of the Rev. Doctor in
visiting Goa were, " 1st. To ascertain whe-
ther the Inquisition actually refused to recog-
nize the Bible among the Romish churches
in British India. 2dly. To inquire into the
state and jurisdiction of the Inquisition, par-
ticularly as it affected British subjects. 3dly.
To learn what was the system of education
for the priesthood ; and, 4thly. To examine
the ancient church libraries in Goa, which
were said to contain all the books of the first
printing."
« On my arrival at Goa, (says he, under
date January 23, 1808,) I was received into
the house of Captain Schuyler, the British
resident. The British force here is com-
manded by Colonel Adams, of the 78th Re-
giment, with whom I was formerly well
acquainted in Bengal.* Next day I was
introduced by these gentlemen to the vice-
roy of Goa, the Count de Cabral. I intimated
to his excellency my wish to sail up the
river to Old Goa,t where the Inquisition is,
* The forts in the harbour of Goa were then occu-
pied by British troops, to prevent its falling into the
hands of the French.
j- There is Old and New Goa. The old city is about
eight miles up the river. The viceroy and the Chief
Portuguese inhabitants reside at New Goa, which is a*
THE INQllIsniON. 193
to which he pohtely acceded. Maj i Pa-
reira, of the Portuguese estabhshment, who
was present, and to whom I had letters of
introduction from Bengal, offered to accom-
pany me to the city, and to introduce me to
the archbishop of Goa, the primate of the
Orient.
I had communicated to Colonel Adams,
and to the British resident, my purpose of
inquiring into the state of the Inquisition.
These gentlemen informed me, that I should
not be able to accomplish my design without
difficulty ; seeing every thing relating to the
Inquisition was conducted in a very secret
manner, the most respectable of the lay Por-
tuguese themselves being ignorant of its
proceedings ; and that, if the priests were to
discover my object, their excessive jealousy
and alarm would prevent their communicat-
ing with me, or satisfying my inquiries on
any subject. On receiving this intelligence,
I perceived that it would be necessary to
proceed with caution. I was, in fact, about
to visit a republic of priests, whose dominion
had existed for nearly three centuries, —
whose province it was to prosecute heretics,
the mouth of the river, within the forts of the harbour.
The old city, where the Inquisition and the churches
are, is now almost entirely deserted by the secular
Portuguese, and is inhabited by the priests alone. The
unhealthiness of the place, and the ascendency of the
priests, are the causes assigned for abandoning the an-
cient city.
17
194 HISTORY OP
and parties .larly the teachers of heresy, — and
from whose authority and sentence there was
no appeal in India.*
It happened that Lieutenant Kempthorne,
commander of his Majesty's Brig Diana, a
distant connection of my own, was at that
time in the harbour. On his learning that I
meant to visit Old Goa, he offered to accom-
pany me ; as did Captain Sterling, of his Ma-
jesty's 8th Regiment.
We proceeded up the river in the British
resident's barge, accompanied by Major Pa-
reira, who was well qualified, by a thirty
years' residence, to give information concern-
ing local circumstances. From him I learned
that there were upwards of two hundred
churches and chapels in the province of Goa,
and upwards of two thousand priests.
On our arrival at the city, it was past
twelve o'clock : all the churches were shut,
and we were told that they would not be
opened again until two o'clock. I mentioned
to Major Pareira, that I intended to stay at
Old Goa some days ; and that I should be
obliged to him to find me a place to sleep in.
He seemed surprised at this intimation, and
* Even the viceroy of Goa himself has no authority
over the Inquisition, nay, is liable to its censures. Were
the British government, for instance, to prefer a com-
plaint against the Inquisition to the Portuguese govern-
ment at Goa, it could obtain no redress. By the very
constitution of the Inquisition, there is no power in
India which can invade its jurisdicion, or even put a
qu^ tion to it on any subject
THE INQUISITION. 195
observed that it would be difficult for me to
obtain reception in any of the cliurches or con-
vents, and that there were no private houses
into which I could be admitted. I said I
coufd sleep any where ; I had two servants
with me and a. travelling bed. When he
perceived that I was serious in my purpose,
he gave directions to a civil officer in that
place, to clear out a room in a building which
had been long uninhabited, and which was
then used as a warehouse for goods. Mat-
ters at this time presented a very gloomy
appearance ; and I had thoughts of returning
with my companions from this inhospitable
place. In the meantime we sat down in the
room I have just mentioned, to take some
refreshment, while Major Pareira went to
call on some of his friends. During this in-
terval I communicated to Lieutenant Kemp-
Ihorne the object of my visit. I had in my
pocket Dellon's account of the Inquisition at
Goa; and I mentioned some particulars.
While we were conversing on the subject,
the great bell began to toll ; the same which
Dellon observes always tolls, before daylight
on the morning of the auto-da-fe. I did not
myself ask any questions of the people con-
cerning the Inquisition ; but Mr. Kempthorne
made inquiries for me ; and he soon found
out that the Sancta Casa, or holy office, was
close to the house where we were then sit-
ting. The gentlemen went to the window
to view the horrid mansion ; and I could see
196 HISTORY OF
the indignation of free and enlightened men
arise in the countenance of the two British
officers, while t ley contemplated a place
where formerly their own countrymen were
condemned to the flames, and into which they
themselves might now suddenly be thrown,
without the possibility of rescue.
The day being now far spent, and my
companions about to leave me, I was consi-
dering whether I should return with them,
when Major Pareira said he would first in-
troduce me to a priest high in office, and one
of the most learned men in the place. We
accordingly walked to the convent of the
Augustinians, where I was presented to Jo-
sephus a Doloribus, a man well advanced in
life, of pale visage, and penetrating eye,
rather of a reverend appearance, and possess-
ing great fluency of speech, and urbanity of
manners. After half an hour's conversation
in the Latin language, during which he ad-
verted rapidly to a variety of subjects, and
inquired concerning some learned men of his
own church, whom I had visited in my tour,
he politely invited me to take up my resi-
dence with him, during my stay at Old Goa.
I was highly gratified by this unexpected
invitation; but Lieut. Kempthorne did not
approve of leaving me in the hands of the
Inquisitor; for, judge of our surprise, when
we discovered that my learned host was one
of the lo^uisitors of the Holy Office, the
S'^cond m mbor of that tribunal in rank, but
rilE INQUISITION. 197
first and most active agent in the business of
the departmei t. Apartments were assigned
to me in tiie college adjoining the convent,
next to the rooms of the Inquisitor himself,
and here 1 have been four days at the very-
fountain-head of information, in regard to
those subjects which I wished to investigate.
I breakfast and dine with the Inquisitor
almost every day, and he generally passes
his evenings in my apartment. As he con-
siders my inquiries to be chiefly of a literary
nature, he is perfectly candid and communi-
cative on all subjects.
Next day after my arrival, I was intro-
duced by my learned conductor to the Arch-
bishop of Goa. We found him reading the
Latin letters of St. Francis Xavier. On my
adverting to the long duration of the city of
Goa, while other cities of Europeans in India
had suffered from war or revolution, the
Archbishop observed, that the preservation
of Goa was owing to the prayers of St.
Francis Xavier. The Inquisitor looked at
me to see what I thought of this sentiment.
I acknowledged that Xavier was considered
by the learned among the English to have
been a great man : what he wrote himself,
bespeaks him a man of learning, of original
genius, and great fortitude of mind; but what
others have written for him, and of him, tar-
nished his fame, by making him the inventor
of fables. The Archbishop signified his as-
sent. He afterwards conducted me into his
17*
198 HLSTORT OF
private chapel, which is decorated with
images of silver, and then into the Archiepis-
copal library, which possesses a valuable
collection of books. As I passed through our
convent, in returning from the Archbishop's,
I observed among the paintings in the clois-
ters, a portrait of the famous Alexis de
Menezes, Archbishop of Goa, who held the
synod of Diamper, near Cochin, in 1599, and
burned the books of the Syrian Christians.
From the inscription underneath, I learned
that he was the founder of the magnificent
church and convent in which 1 am now re-
siding.
On the same day I received an invitation
to dine with the chief Inquisitor, at his house
in the country. The second Inquisitor ac-
companied me, and we found a respectable
company of priests, and a sumptuous enter-
tainment. In the library of the chief Inqui-
sitor, I saw a register, containing the names
of the present establishment of the Inquisi-
tion at Goa, and the names of all the officers.
On asking the chief Inquisitor, whether the
estabhshment was as extensive as formerly,
he said it was nearly the same. I had
hitherto said lit.le to any person concerning
the Inquisition, but I had indirectly gleaned
much information concerning it, not only
from the Inquisitors themselves, but from
certain priests whom I visited in their respec-
tive convents ; particularly from a father in
THE INQUISITION, 199
the Franciscan convent, who had himself re-
peatedly witnessed an auto-da-fe.
On the second morning rfter my arrival, 1
was surprised by my host, the Inquisitor,
coming into my apartment clothed in black
robes from head to foot ; for the usual dress
of his order is white. He said he was going
to sit on the tribunal of the Holy Office. " I
presume, father, your august office does not
occupy much of your time ?" " Yes," an-
swered he, " much ; I sit on the tribunal
three or four days every week."
I had thought for some days of putting
Dellon's book into the Inquisitor's hand ; for
if I could get him to advert to the facts
stated in that book, I should be able to learn,
by comparison, the exact state of the Inquisi-
tion at the present time. In the evening he
came in, as usual, to pass an hour in my
apartment. After some conversation, I took
the pen in my hand to write a few notes in
my journal ; and, as if to amuse him while I
was writing, I took up Dellon's book, which
was lying with some others on the table, and
iianding it across to him, asked him whether
he had ever seen it. It was in the French
language, which he understood well. " Re-
lation de I'Inquisition de Goa," pronounced
he, with a slow articulate voice. He had
never seen it before, and began to read with
eagerness. He had not proceeded far, before
he betrayed evident symptoms of uneasiness.
He »irned hastily to tb ; middle of the book.
200 HISTORY OF
and then to the end, and then ran over the
table of contents at the beginning, as if to
ascertain the full extent of the evil. He then
composed himself to read, while I continued
to write. He turned over the pages with
rapidity, and when he came to a certain
place, he exclaimed in the broad Italian ac-
cent, " Mendacium, mendacium." I request-
ed he would mark those passages which
were untrue, and we should discuss them
afterwards, for that I had other books on the
subject. " Other books !" said he, and he
looked with an inquiring eye on those on the
table. He continued reading till it was time
to retire to rest, and then begged to take the
book with him.
Next morning we resumed the subject of
the Inquisition. The Inquisitor admitted
that Dellon's description of the dungeons,
of the torture, of the mode of trial, and of
the auto-da-fe, were in general just ; but he
said the writer judged untruly of the motives
of the Inquisitors, and very uncharitably of
the character of the holy Church. He was
now anxious to know to what extent Del-
lon's book had been circulated in Europe. I
told him Picart had published to the world
extracts • from it, in his celebrated work en-
titled " Religious Ceremonies," together with
plates of the system of torture and burnings
at the auto-da-fe. I added, that it was now
generally believed in Europe that these enor-
mities no longer existed, and that the Inqui-
THE INQUISITION. 201
sitioii itself had been totally suppressed ; but
that I was concerned to find that it was not
the case. He now began a grave narration
to show that tlie In luisition had undergone
a change in some :espects, and that its ter
rors were mitigated.
I had already discovered, from written or
printed documents, that the Inquisition of
Goa was suppressed by royal edict, in 1775,
and established again, in 1779, subject to cer-
tain restrictions, the chief of which are the
two following: That a greater number of
witnesses should be required to convict crimi-
nals than were before necessary ; and that the
auto-da-fe should not be held -publicly as
before, but that the sentences of the tribunal
should be executed privately, within the
walls of the Inquisition.
In this particular, the constitution of the
new Inquisition is more reprehensible than
that of the old one. Formerly the friends
of those unfortunate persons who were
thrown into its prison, had the melancholy
satisfaction of seeing them once a year walk-
ing in the procession of the auto-da-fe ; or,
if they were condemned to die, they wit-
nessed their death, and mourned for the
dead. But now they have no means of
learning for years whether they be dead or
alive. The policy of this new mode of con-
cealment appears to be this, to preserve the
power of the Inquisition, and, at the same
time, to les^ 3n the public odium of its pro-
202 HISTORY OF
ceedings, in the presence of British ( ominion
and civilization. I asked the father his opin-
ion concerning the nature and frequency of
the punishments within the walls. He said
he possessed no certain means of giving a
satisfactory answer ; that every thing trans-
acted there was declared to be " sacrum el
secretum." But this he knew to be true,
that there were constantly captives in the
dungeons; that some of them are liberated
after long confinement, but that they never
speak afterwards of what passed within the
place. He added, that of all the persons he
had known who had been hberaied, he
never knew one who did not carry about
with him what might be called the " mark
of the Inquisition ;" that is to say, who did
not show in the solemnity of his counte-
nance, or in his peculiar demeanour, or his
terror of the priests, that he had been in that
dreadful place.
The chief argument of the Inquisitor to
prove the melioration of the Inquisition, was
the superior humanity of the Inquisitors. I
remarked that I did not doubt the humanity
of the existing officers ; but what availed hu-
manity in an Inquisitor? He must pro-
nounce sentence according to the laws of
the tribunal, which are notorious enough;
and a relapsed heretic must be burned in
the flames, or confined for life in a dungeon,
whether the Inquisitor be humane or not.
« But if," said I, " you would satisfy my
THE INQUISITION. 203
mind completely on this subject, show me
the Inquisition." He said it was not per-
mitted to any person to see the Inquisition.
I observed that mine might be considered as
a peculiar case ; that the character of the In-
quisition, and the expediency of its longer
continuance, had been called in question ;
that I had myself written on the civilization
of India, and might possibly publish some-
thing more upon that subject, and that it
could not be expected that I should pass
over the Inquisition without notice, knowing
what I did of its proceedings ; at the same
time I should not wish to state a single fact
without his authority, or at least his admis-
sion of its truth. I added that he himself
had been pleased to communicate with me
very fully on the subject, and that in all our
discussions we had both been actuated, I
hoped, by a good purpose. The countenance
of the Inquisitor evidently altered on receiv-
ing this intimation, nor did it ever after
wholly regain its wonted frankness and pla-
cidity. After some hesitation, however, he
said he would take me with him to the
Inquisition the next day. I was a good
deal surprised at this acquiescence of the
Inquisitor, but I did not know what was in
his mind.
Next morning after breakfast my host
went to dress for the holy office, and soon
returned in his Inquisitorial robes. He said
he would go half an hour before the usua.
204 HISTORY OP
time for the purpose of showing me the In-
quisition. The buildings are about a quarter
of a mile distant from the convent, and we
proceeded thither. On our arrival at the
place, the Inquisitor said to me, as we were
ascending the steps of the outer stair, that he
hoped I should be satisfied with a transient
view of the Inquisition, and that I would re-
tire whenever he should desire it. I took
this as a good omen, and followed my con-
ductor with tolerable confidence.
He led me first to the great hall of the In-
quisition. We were met at the door by a
number of well dressed persons, who, I after-
wards understood, were the familiars and the
attendants of the holy office. They bowed
very low to the Inquisitor, and looked with
surprise at me. The great hall is the place
in which the prisoners are marshalled for the
procession of the auto-da-fe. At the proces-
sion described by Dellon, in which he him-
self walked barefoot, clothed with the paint-
ed garment, there were upwards of one
hundred and fifty prisoners. I traversed this
hall for some time, with a slow step, reflect-
ing on its former scenes, the Inquisitor walk-
ing by my side in silence. I thought of the
fate of the multitudes of my fellow creatures
who had passed through this place, condemn-
ed by a tribunal of their fellow sinners, their
bodies devoted to the flames, and their souls
to perdition. And I could not help saying
to him, " Would not the holy Church wish,
THE INQUISITION. 205
in her mercy, to have those souls back again,
that slie might allow them a little farther pro-
bation?" The Inquisitor answered nothing,
but beckoned me to go with him to a door
at one end of the liall. By this door he con-
ducted me to some small rooms, and thence
to the spacious apartments of the chief In-
quisitor. Having surveyed these, he brought
me back again to the great hall; and I thought
he seemed now desirous that 1 should de-
part. <* Now, father,'' said I, " lead me to
the dungeons below ; I want to see the cap-
tives." " No," said he, " that cannot be."
I now began to suspect that it had been in
the mind of the Inquisitor, from the begin-
ning, to show me only a certain part of the
Inquisition, in the hope of satisfying my in
quiries in a general way. I urged him with
earnestness, but he steadily resisted, and
seemed to be offended, or rather agitated by
my importunity. I intimated to him plainly,
that the only way to do justice to his asser-
tions and arguments regarding the present
state of the Inquisition, was to show me the
prisons and the captives. I should then de-
scribe only what I saw ; but now the subject
was left in awful obscurity. " Lead me
down," said I, " to the inner building, and
let me pass through the two hundred dun-
geons, ten feet square, described by your
former captives. Let me count the number
of your present captives, and converse with
them. I want to see if there be any subjects
18
206 HISTORY OF
of the British government, to whom we owe
rotection. I want to ask how long they have
been here ; how long it is since they beheld
the light of the sun, and whether they ever
expect to see it again. Show me the cham-
ber of torture ; and declare what modes of
execution, or of punishment, are now prac-
tised within the walls of the Inquisition, in
lieu of the public auto-da-fe. If, after all
that has passed, father, you resist this reason-
able request, I shall be justified in believing
that you are afraid of exposing the real state
of the Inquisition in India." To these ob-
servations the Inquisitor made no reply ; but
seemed impatient that I should withdraw
" My good father," said I, " I am about to
take my leave of you, (it had been before
understood that I should take my final leave
at the door of the Inquisition, after having
seen the interior,) and to thank you for your
hospitable attentions, and I wish always to
preserve on my mind a favourable sentiment
of your kindness and candour. You cannot,
you say, show me the captives and dungeons ;
be pleased, then, merely to answer this ques-
tion, for I shall believe your word :— How
many prisoners are there now below in the
cells of the Inquisition ?" The Inquisitor re-
plied, " That is a question which I cannot an-
swer !" On his pronouncing these words,
I retired hastily towards the door, and wish-
ed him farewell. We shook hands with as
much cordiality as we could at the moment
THE rNQUISITION JOl
assume ; and both of us, I believe, were sor-
ry that our parting took place with a clouded
countenance.
From the Inquisition I went to the place
of burning in the Campo Sanlo-Lazaro, on
the river side, where the victims were brought
to the stake at the auto-da-fe. It is close to
the palace, that the viceroy and his court
may witness the execution ; for it has ever
been the policy of the Inquisition to make
these spiritual executions appear to be the
executions of the state. An old priest ac-
companied me, who pointed out the place
and described the scene. As I passed over
this melancholy plain, I thought on the differ-
ence between the pure and benign doctrine,
which was first preached to India in the apos-
tolic age, and that bloody code, which, after
a long night of darkness, was announced to
it under the same name ? And I pondered
on the mysterious dispensation, which per-
mitted the ministers of the Inquisition, with
their racks and flames, to visit these lands
before the heralds of the gospel of peace.
But the most painful reflection was, that this
tribunal should yet exist, unawed by the vi-
cinity of British humanity and dominion. I
was not satisfied with what I had seen or said
at the Inquisition, and I determined to go
back again. The Inquisitors were now sit-
ting on the tribunal, and I had some excuse
for returning ; for I was 'o receive from the
chief Inquisitor a letter which he said he
208 HISTOSr OF
would give me, before I left the place, for
the British resident at Travancore, being an
answer to a letter from that officer.
When I arrived at the Inquisition, and
had ascended the outer stairs, the door-keep
ers surveyed me doubtingly, but suftered me
to pass, supposing that I had returned by
permission and appointment of the Inquisi-
tor. I entered the great hall, and went up
directly towards the tribunal of the Inquisi-
tion, described by Dellon, in which is the
lofty crucifix. I sat down on a form, and
wrote some notes ; and then desired one of
the attendants to carry in my name to the
Inquisitor. As I walked up the hall, I saw
a poor woman sitting by herself, on a bench
by the wall, apparently in a disconsolate state
of mind. She clasped her hands as I passed,
and gave me a look expressive of her dis-
tress. This sight chilled my spirits. The
familiars told me she was waiting there to
be called up before the tribunal of the In-
quisition. While I was asking questions con-
cerning her crime, the second Inquisitor
came out in evident trepidation, and was
about to complain of the intrusion ; when I
informed him I had come back for the letter
from the chief Inquisitor. He said it should
be sent after me to Goa ; and he conducted
me with a quick step towards the door. As
we passed the poor woman I pointed to her,
and said to him with some emphasis, « Be-
hold, father, another victim of the Holy In-
TIIK INQUISITION. 209
quisition !' lie answered nothing. When
we arrived at the head of the great stair, he
bowed, and I took my last leave of Josephus
a Doloribns, without uttering a word."*
Having thus given a sketch of the Inquisi-
tion, the reader must have perceived in every
circumstance connected with this singular
tribunal, its injustice, tyranny, hypocrisy, and
cruelty. Its dungeons, torments, and execu-
tions are not only opposed to the spirit of
Christianity, but outdo the most ferocious
deeds recorded in history, of the greatest
tyrant among heathen nations. It has car-
ried terror throughout every land in which
it has been established, robbed both the
wealthy and the poor of their property, and
what is infinitely worse, glutted its vengeance
with the blood of the innocent.
Above all, the cruelty of the " holy office"
to those whom it pronounces penitent, is
most detestable. Instead of embracing them
with open arms, it inflicts the most grievous
punishments on those whom, in the pleni-
tude of its power, it permits to live ; whilst
others, also believed to be converted to the
faith of the Romish Church, are nevertheless
* When the Portuguese possessions in India, seve-
ral years ago, came under British sway, the Inquisition
at Goa was abolished, and the very building, which
was the scene of such horrid cruelties, has fallen into
decay.
In Spain, too, this monstrous institution no longer
exists. — [Editor of the Presbyterian.']
18'
21C KISTORY OF
doomed to suffer an ignominious death. To
these unhappy persons, the sacraments are
given, if desired ; thus acknowledging that
tliey are " put in a state of salvation, receiv-
ed into the bosom of the Church, and assured
of a heavenly crown I" What greater cruelty,
then, can be conceived, and what more ab-
norrent to the mild spirit of the gospel of
peace, than to punish with death a person
who repents, and is reconciled to the Church ?
Yet, such are the iniquitous doings of the In-
quisition ! such the laws by which that blood-
thirsty tribunal is governed — laws which
must be carried into effect, in despite of the
precepts of Jehovah, and the injunctions of
the Great Head of the Church, every one of
which are trampled under foot !
'* The Inquisition, model most complete,
Of perfect wickedness, where deeds were done,
Deeds ! let them ne'er be named — and sat and planned
Deliberately, and with most musing pains,
How, to extremest thrill of agony,
The flesh, the blood, and souls of holy men,
Her victims, might be wrought; and when she saw-
New tortures of her labouring fancy born.
She leaped for joy, and made great haste to try
Their force— well pleased to hear a deeper groan.
The supplicating hand of innocence.
That made the tiger mild, and, in its wrath,
The lion pause, the groans of suffering most
Severe, were nought to her ; she laughed at groans,
No music pleased her more, and no repast
So sweet to her, as blood of men redeemed
By blood of Christ. Ambition's self, though mad.
And nursed on human gore, with her compared,
Was merciful."
THE INQUISITION. 211
Nay, the Inquisitors themselves though they
impiously assume the title of " holy," have
almost uniformly been the most worthless
and abandoned of characters. Crimes of the
blackest hue have been perpetrated by these
guardians of the faith, without a blush ; and
as they feared not God, so neither did they
regard man — the laws of magistrates and
kings being trampled on by them with impu-
nity. These are indeed weighty charges, but
the following testimonies by Roman Catholics
themselves, given at different periods, will
prove them to be no less weighty than just.
" With regard to the Inquisition," says JVI.
P. de Almazan, when speaking of the Inqui-
sitors of Cordova, at the end of the fifteenth
century, " the measure adopted, was to place
so much confidence in the archbishop of Se-
ville, that they filled all these kingdoms with
infamy, and in violation of the laws of God,
as well as in contradiction to all justice, they
destroyed the greatest part of them, by kill-
ing, robbing, and forcing maidens and mar-
ried women, to the great shame and discredit
of the Christian religion."
" Of other excesses on the part of particular
judges," says Antonio Perez, a century after-
wards, "of proceedings falsified, curtailed,
handled in such a manner as to gain favour
with the superiors, and besides stimulated by-
personal inventives so loose, disorderly, and
notorious, that nothing else is to be seen in
the proceed ngs agitated in the supreme court
2ia HISTORY OF
of Inquisition, and fraught with the piteous
complaints of sufferers, injured maidens, and
newly married women, overcome and pos-
sessed through the stratagems practised in
these trials, so revolting and disgraceful, that
no one would fail to prefer public shame to
such secret dishonour."
" ! Inquisitors," exclaims an ancient
Spanish historian, " oh ! Inquisitors, savage
beasts, how long will God endure your ty-
rannic and cruel acts ! Oh ! Spaniards, who
are so fonily attached to your wives and
children, and watch over them with such
jealous care, how long will you endure that
these old libertines should treat them in a
manner so shameful, and thus gratify their
beastly propensities?"
" In the very title they assume," says Sal-
gado, which "is the holy office of Inquisition,"
the first part is, it is holy, it is then divine^
and their work must be divine also. Were
this tribunal divine, it would omit nothing of
what it could do to inform men in the way
of salvation, and to open to them the secret
mysteries of God's grace and mercy ; but all
their business really is to discover men's se-
crets, for ruining their estates, and disseizing
the owners, that (Ahab-like) they may seize
all. Further, were this tribunal holy, it would
approve, choose, and promote holiness, as
God doth ; he communicateth holiness to the
righteous, he approves it in them, and exer-
ciseth them thereunto. Now where is aughl
THE INQUISITION. 213
of this to be found, either in the cruel dispo-
sition, or injurious proceedings of this court,
and its oihcers ? Wliere you find the greatest
inhumanity, and most of the devil's mahce,
there is nothing divine, or of God ; their ho-
liness is condemned, and the holy are burnt ;
though sometimes they condemn a vile of-
fender, yet they never absolve a known saint,
a lover of Christ and truth ; and were it holy,
it would resemble the holiness of him in his
created state under the law of nature. But
here is nothing of that where all the laws of
natural equity and compassion are violated,
by forgery against the innocent, by forcing
them to shorten their present torments by
owning faults they never committed ; in short,
using all, so as none of them would be used
by others. Here is nothing divine, natural ;
nor is there in this tribunal any conformity
to the holiness which shines forth in Moses*
law, which directed to the best methods of
government, and best provided for the safety
of innocents. This Inquisition is the most per-
nicious to innocents, wearing out with long
imprisonment, those that retain their inno-
cency, and burning those that forego it to
please the Inquisitors. Moses' law was holy,
which commanded, to love mercy, do justice,
and walk humbly with God : The Inquisitors,
for pride, like Lucifer, for injustice unparal-
leled, are notorious ab'iorrers of mercy. Say,
*eader, whether their tribunal can be holy
and divine ? There is one more holy tribunal
214 fllSTORT OF
namely that of grace, which is to save Ufe,
not to destroy it. And well doth the tribu-
nal of Inquisition correspond to this, doth it
not ? which is set up to destroy life, not to
save it. On Christ's throne is written life
and salvation, but on the Inquisitor's, death
and destruction ; but yet it is a judgment
seat, and hath a great authority, and there-
fore divine ! Indeed, were it of God, it were
divine, but it is of the Pope, an usurper, a
tyrant, a bloody cruel one ; and these Inquis-
itors commissioned by him, are to execute his
bloody designs on all innocent ones accused,
and brought within their snare. God permits,
and abhors it now ; and as he hath punished
many, so he will punish all the rest of this
bloody crew which profane the venerable
names of faith, justice, and holiness, with
their robberies, murders, and perjuries." —
" They inquire not dihgently after crimes to
amend the criminal, but earnestly hunt after
temporal estates, to seize them. Of old the
estates of anathematized ones were not ad-
judged to the exchequer, but to the fires;
now the goods of such are adjudged neither
to the exchequer, nor to the fires, but to rob-
bing Inquisitors. Instead of producing the
trutn before men, this tribunal brings lies
openly to open view, and by false witness
and cheats condemns innocents ; they tran-
substantiate falsehoods, and then proclaim
them truths; they contrive greatest injustices
with greatest secrecy ; they condemn inno-
THE INQUISITION. 215
cents by wiles, and smother their righteous
cause, whi«h they never suffer to be pleaded ;
this their Inquisition it suppresseth truth, and
murders innocents, and inquires what gain
from the execution, never what righteousness
in the judgment. By all this it appears the
tribunal is neither holy, nor an office, nor an
Inquisition."
« Thus the Inquisition," to use the words
of Puigblancli, " surpassing the greatest ty-
rants in pride and fierceness, has not yielded
to them in its arbitrary and despotic conduct.
Every thing odious to be met with in the
iniquitous Enquesta of Arragon, the Bastile
of Paris, or any other of the monstrous estab-
hshments erected by despots to oppress their
people, is found united, and even exceeded
in the monstrous tribunal to which we allude.
Implacable with the unfortunate who fell
beneath its claws, it has stained its hands in
their blood, in the most inhuman manner,
whenever they had sufficient heroism to brave
its terrors ; whilst at the same time it assumed
the garb of insolence towards the weak, cov-
ering them with scoffs in their humiliation.
Perfidious in its words, and base in its con-
duct, it only conceived itself happy while it
had culprits to condemn. Borne away by
its avarice, it devoured the loaf wrested from
the widow and orphan, to whom it rendered
even the means of begging difficult, by the
stigmas of infamy which it imposed.
" As the masterpiece of error, it obstinate-
216 HISTORY OF
iy persecuted letters and learned men, always
fearing to meet its own destruction in the
broad light. It boasted of being unerring in
its measures, whilst from its tripod the most
absurd and^ injurious oracles have issued.
Possessing in the most eminent degree the
passions of despots, pride has constituted its
very soul, and falsehood the air it has con-
stantly breathed. It was adopted by kings,
in order to enslave nations, after it had been
founded by the popes, for the very purpose
of making kings their vassals ; and thus aim-
ing at sovereignty, and spurning at mankind
at large, the ambition and impunity of the
clergy have alone prospered under its shade.
It not only trampled on the property, honour^
and lives of the citizens, but also on their
shame. Not content with disturbing and
depressing the civil authority, it contemned
the dignity of bishops, although it had pro-
claimed itself their chief support. In short,
to form the history of its dominion, crimes
of every kind rush upon the mind. And
after this, how can I call thee, the Holy Tri-
bunal ? Thou hast been a den of thieves, the
bulwark of superstition and of ignorance;
the insatiable sphinx of human flesh, a ty-
rant among despotic establishments, a monu-
ment of the barbarism of the middle ages,
the scum of tribunals ; finally, thou hast con-
stituted an invention that has stood alone,
and without a parallel in ancient or modern
times !"
THE INQUISITION. 217
Spain, unhappy Spain, still groans under
the dominion of a tribunal so horribly, yet
justly portrayed. It may stand for a little
while longer, but it cannot exist long. The
blood of the innocents whom it has murder-
ed cries for vengeance. The souls of the
martyrs, whose bodies it has tortured and
consumed to ashes, exclaim, "How long,
Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge,
and avenge our blood on them who thus
persecute the saints !"
The vengeance thus sought, may be for a
short time deferred, but it will be at length
executed to the full. " With what judgment"
that unrighteous tribunal " has judged, shall
she be judged ;" and because she has not
only shed, but made herself drunk with, the
blood of saints and of prophets, the Spirit of
inspiration testifies, that she is to get blood
to drink, " for she is worthy."
How very grateful ought we to be, for oui
deliverance from an institution so inimical to
liberty, both civil and religious } We are ac-
quainted with it only by name, and read of
its cruelty without being afraid of being sub-
jected to its barbarous punishments. While
therefore we value our privileges, let us ac-
knowledge the kindness of God, in prevent-
ing us from being subjected to a yoke which
other nations are unable to bear ; and let us
show our gratitude, by holding fast the truth,
"not in unrighteousness," but " unblamably
in holiness before God, even our Father."
19
APPENDIX.
No. I.
liiicles ol 1 orquemada, for regulating the proceedings
of the Inquisition, drawn up in 1484.
1. The first article regulates the manner
in which the establishment of the Inquisition
shall be announced in the country where it
is to be introduced.
2. An edict shall be published, accompa-
nied by censures against those who do not
accuse themselves voluntarily during the term
of grace.
3. A delay of thirty days shall be appoint-
ed for heretics to declare themselves.
4. All voluntary confessions shall be writ-
ten in the presence of the Inquisitors and a
clerk.
5. Absolution shall not be given secretly to
any person voluntarily confessing, unless no
mdividual is acquainted with his crime.
6. A part of the penance imposed on a re-
conciled heretic, shall consist in his being de-
prived of all honourable employments, and
of the use of gold, silver, silk, &c.
7. Pecuniary penalties to be imposed on
1.11 who make a voluntary confession.
8. The person who accuses himself after
218
APPENDIX. 219
the term of grace, cannot be exempted from
the punishment of confiscation.
9. If persons under twenty years of age ac-
cuse themselves, after the term of grace, and
it is proved that they were drawn into error
by their parents, a shght punishment shall be
inflicted.
10. The Inquisitors shall declare in their
act of reconciliation, the exact time when
the offender fell into heresy, that the portion
of property to be confiscated may be ascer-
tained.
11. If a heretic, while in prison, demands
absolution, and appears to feel true repent-
ance, it may be granted, imposing at the
same time perpetual imprisonment.
12. But if the Inquisitors are suspicious of
d prisoner's repentance, they may refuse ab-
solution, and declare him to be a false peni-
tent, and condemn him to be burnt.
13. If a person who has been absolved,
should boast of having concealed several
crimes, or if information should be obtained
that he had committed more than he had con-
fessed, he shall be arrested, and treated as a
false penitent.
14. If the accused persist in denying his
crimes, even after the publication of his tes-
timony, he is to be condemned as impenitent.
15. If a semi-proof exist against a person
who denies the charge brought against him,
he is to be put to the torture ; if he confesses
during the tortur^' and afterwards confirms
22U APPENDIX.
his confession, he is to be punished as con-
victed ; if he retracts, he is to be tortured
again, or condemned to an extraordinary-
punishment.
16. The entire deposition of the witnesses
shall not be communicated to the accused.
17. The Inquisitors shall, if possible, inter-
rogate the witnesses themselves.
18. One or more Inquisitors shall be pre-
sent when a prisoner is tortured, or appoint
a commissioner in their place.
19. If the accused does not appear when
summoned, he shall be condemned as a he-
retic.
20. When it is proved that a person by his
writings or conduct dies a heretic, he shall
be judged and condemned as such, his body-
disinterred and burnt, and his property con-
fiscated.
21. Vassals of nobles shall be subject to
the Inquisitors.
22. In the event of a man burnt for heresy
leaving children under age, the Inquisitors
shall grant them a portion of their father's
property, under the title of alms, and confide
their education to proper persons.
23. If V person who has been reconciled
without confiscation, possesses property be-
longing to a condemned person, this property
not to be included in the pardon.
24. Those who are reconciled, and whose
property is not confiscated, shall give hberty
to their Christian slaves.
APPENDIX. 221
25. The Inquisitors, and officers of the In-
quisition, shall not receive any present, on
pain of excommunication, &c.
25 — 28 Enjoin the Inquisitors to live at
peace with each other, and to watch the con-
duct of their inferiors.
No. II.
Articles drawn up by the Inquisitor-general Valdes, in
156;, for the better regulation of the Holy Office.
1. That when the Inquisitors admit an in-
formation they must consult theologians of
integrity ; and —
2. That if it appears from the opinion of
these theologians, that the object of their ex-
amination is a matter of faith, or if the In-
quisitors conceive, without consulting them,
that the denounced fact is sufficiently proved,
the procurator-fiscal shall cause the persons
implicated to be arrested.
3. That the Inquisitors shall be assembled
to decide if imprisonment should be decreed ;
in doubtful cases, they shall summon consul-
ters. [This is never found necessary.]
4. That when the proof is not sufficient to
cause the arrest of the denounced person, the
Inquisitor shaL not cite him to appear, or
subject him to any examination.
5. If the Inqv sitors are not unanimous in
19*
222 APPENDIX
decreeing an arrest, the writings of the trial
must be sent to the council.
6. The Inquisitors shall sign the decree of
arrest, and address it to the grand alguazil of
!;he holy office. When it relates to a formal
heresy, this measure shall be immediately
followed by the sequestration of the de-
nounced person's property. If several per-
sons are to be imprisoned, a decree shall be
expedited for each individual, to be sepa-
rately executed, and a note shall be entered
in the trial, stating the day on which the de-
cree of arrest was delivered, and the person
who received it.
7 — 9. Refer to the manner of arresting a
prisoner, &c.
10. The alguazil shall require the prisoner
to give up his money, papers, arms, and every
thing which it might be dangerous for him
to be in possession of; he shall not allow
him to have any communication with the
other prisoners, without receiving permission
from the Inquisitors. He shall remit all the
effects found on the person of the prisoner,
to the jailer, who shall inform the Inquisitors
of the prisoner's arrival.
11. The jailer shall not lodge several pri-
soners together, nor permit them to commu-
nicate with each other.
12. Refers to the treatment of the prisonei
by the jailer, in regard to food and clothmg.
13. When the Inquisitors think proper,
Shey shal! order the prisoner to be brought
APPENDIX. 2J3
to the chamber of audience — cause lim to sit
on a small seat, and take an oatl* to speak
the truth at this, and all succe6ding au-
diences — ask Iiim his name, surname, age,
country, &c.
14. The accused shall be afterwards ex-
amined on his genealogy. The recorder
shall write down these details, in order to
discover whether the accused is descended
from Jews, Moors, heretics, or other indivi
duals punished by the holy office.
15. The accused shall next be required to
give an abridged history of his life ; asked if
he is instructed in the truths of the Christian
religion, if he has confessed himself, &c. ; and
when he has given an account of all these
things, he shall be asked, if he knows or sus-
pects the cause of his arrest, and his reply
shall regulate the questions put to him after-
wards.
16 — 18. Enjoin, first, the Inquisitors to be
on their guard, to be deceived neither by the
witnesses nor the culprit secondly, the re-
corder to write down every question and an-
swer ; and lastly, the fiscal to accuse the pri-
soner, first of being a heretic in general
terms, and afterwards mention in particular
the crimes laid to his charge.
19. Although the accused may confess all
the charges brought against him in the first
audiences of admonition, yet the fiscal shall
draw up and present his act of accusation ;
because experience has shown, that it is bet-
224 APPENDIX.
ter that a trial caused by the denunciation
of a person, who is a party in the cause
should be continued and judged at the pro-
secution of the denunciator, that the Inquisi-
tors may be at Uberty to deUberate on the
application of punishments and penances,
which would not be the case if they pro
ceeded officially.
20. Whenever the accused is admitted to
an audience, he shall be reminded of the
oath he has taken to speak the truth.
21. At the end of his requisition, the fiscal
shall introduce a clause, importing, that if the
Inquisitors do not think his accusation suffi-
ciently proved, they are requested to decree
torture for the accused.
22 — 26. Refer chiefly to the appointment
and duties of an advocate to the accused
which in the Inquisition, is httle more thai
a burlesque on justice, and never proves of
the least benefit to the unhappy victim ot
inquisitorial persecution.
27. If the accused confesses himself guilty
of another crime, after the proof is admitted,
the fiscal shall accuse him of it, and he shall
be prosecuted according to the ordinary
forms. If the proof of the first crime is in-
creased, it will be sufficient to inform the
prisoner of the circumstances.
28. In the interval between the proof and
the publication, the prisoner may demand
audiences, through the jailer, which the In-
quisitors must grant without delay, in order
APPENDIX. 225
to profit by the inclination of the accused,
which may change from day to day.
29 — 32. Order the Inquisitor to cause the
ratification of the witnesses ; the manner in
which this is to take place, and the pubUca-
tion of their depositions.
33. If the accused, who has made declara-
tions, reveals crimes committed by persons
whom he names — the Inquisitors will cause
him to name them one after the other, and
afterwards to state the facts or words whir^»
he imputes to them.
34. Although the accused has denied the
charges, the publication of the depositions
must be read to him, &c.
35. When the accused has replied to the
publication of the depositions, he shall be
permitted to consult with his advocate, in
the presence of an Inquisitor and the recor-
der, that he may prepare his defence. The
recorder shall write down the particulars of
the conference ; but neither the Inquisitor
nor recorder, still less the advocate, shall re
main alone with the accused.
36. If the accused wishes to write, to fix
the points of his defence, he shall be furnished
with paper, but the sheets shall be counted,
and numbered by the recorder, that the ac-
cused may give them back again, either writ-
ten upon or blank. When there is an exami-
nation in the defence of the prisoner, he shall
be required to name on th-^ margin of each
article, iie witnesses he wishes to call, that
226 APPENDIX.
those who are most worthy of credit may be
examined ; but he must name none but Chris-
tians of an ancient race, who are neither his
servants nor relations.
37. Whenever the prisoner is admitted to
an audience, the fiscal shall examine the state
of the trial, to ascertain if he has declared any
thing new of himself or others, &c.
38 and 39. Relate to the reception of in-
formations in behalf of the accused ; but with
their accustomed injustice it is ordered, that
if the accused demands the publication of
the depositions in his defence, it must be re-
fused, as it may tend to discover the persons
who have deposed against him.
40. When the trial is so far advanced, that
the sentence may be passed, the Inquisitors
shall convoke the ordinary, and the con-
suiters. The consulters shall give their votes
first ; then the ordinary, the Inquisitors after
him, and the Dean the last.
41. When the accused confesses himself
guilty, and his confessions have the required
conditions, if he is not relapsed, he shall be
admitted to reconciUation ; his property shall
be seized ; he shall be clothed in the habit
of a penitent or a sanbenito, and be confined
in the prison for those who are condemned
to perpetual imprisonment. If it is proper
that he should remain in prison for an un-
limited time, it shall be said in his sentence
that his p inishment shall last as long as the
Inquisitor thinks proper. If the accused has
APPENDIX. 227
relapsed after abjuring a formal heresy, or is
a false penitent when he has abjured as vio-
lently suspected, and is convicted in the
present trial of the same heresy, he shall be
given up to the common judge according to
the civil law, and his punishment shall not be
remitted, although he may protest that his
repentance is sincere, and his confession true
in this case.
42. The abjuration must be written after
the sentence, and signed by the accused, —
or if he cannot write, by an Inquisitor and
the recorder.
43. If the accused is convicted of heresy,
bad faith, and obstinacy, he shall be relaxed,
[i. e. burnt,] but the Inquisitors must not
neglect to endeavour to convert him, that he
may die in the faith of the Church.
44. If a condemned person repents and
confesses his sins before the night of the
auto-da-fe, in a manner that shows a true
repentance, his execution shall be suspended ;
but if he is converted on the scaffold, the In-
quisitors must suppose that the fear of death
has more influence in this conversion, than
true repentance; yet if they think proper,
Ihey may suspend the execution.
45. When the Inquisitors have resolved to
have recourse to the torture, they must state
the motive, declaring whether the accused is
subjected to it in consequence of persisting in
his denials, or suffers as a witness who de-
nies, in the trial of another accused. If he
228 APPENDIX.
is convicted of bad faith in his own cause, and
is consequently Uable to be relaxed, or if he
is equally so in any other affair, he may be
tortured, though he must be given up to the
secular judge, for what concerns him per
sonally.
46. If only a semi-proof of the truth exists,
or if appearances will not admit of the ac-
quittal of the prisoner, he shall make an ab-
juration, as either being violently or slightly
suspected.
47. In cases where only the semi-proof of
the truth exists, the accused has been some-
times allowed to clear himself canonically
before the number of persons in the ancient
instructions, (viz. a jury of twelve persons;)
but though the Inquisitors may allow it if
they think proper, they must observe that this
proceeding is very dangerous.
48. The third manner of proceeding in this
case is to employ the question, (that is, the
torture.) The remainder of this article, and
the four articles which follow, refer chiefly to
the regulations to be observed in appointing
the torture to be inflicted.
53. Twenty-four hours after the accused
has been put to the question, he shall be
asked if he persist in his declarations, and if
he will ratify them. If at this moment he
confesses his crimes, and ratifies his declara-
tions, in such a manner as to prove his con-
version, he may be admitted to a reconcilia-
APPENDIX. 229
tion ; but if he retracts his de( aration, the
Inquisitors shall proceed according to rule.
54. If the accused resist the torture, the
judges shall deliberate on the nature, form,
and quality of the torture which he has suf-
fered, or the degree of intensity with which
it was inflicted ; on the age, strength, health,
and vigour of the patient, &c. and they shall
declare if he is already cleared by what he
has suffered.
55. The judges, notary, and the execu-
tioners, shall be present at the torture ; and
when it is over, the Inquisitors shall cause an
individual who has been wounded, to be pro-
perly attended.
56. The Inquisitor shall take care that the
jailer shall not insinuate any thing to the
accused relating to his defence.
57. The aflair being for the second time,
in a state for passing sentence, there shall be
a new audience of the Inquisitors, the ordi-
nary, &c.
58. When the Inquisitors release an ac-
cused person from the secret prisons, he shall
be conducted to the chamber of audience ;
and after being interrogated with regard to
the conduct of the jailer, he shall be ordered
to keep these details, and all that has passed
since his detention, secret, and sign a promise
to this effect.
59. If a prisoner dies before his trial is
terminated, and his declarations have not ex-
t nuated the charges of the witnesses, so as
20
230 APPENDIX.
to give a sufficient cause for reconciliation,
the Inquisitors shall give notice of his death
to his children, or other persons who have
the right of defending his memory and pro-
perty, in case they see cause to pursue the
trial of the deceased.
60 — 63. Specify chiefly the manner in
which the children or heirs of the deceased
who wish to defend his memory or property
are to proceed. But few individuals dare
enter the lists with such a powerful, tyranni-
cal, unjust, and avaricious tribunal, though
perfect truth and equity be clearly on their
side.
64. When absent individuals are to be
tried, they shall be thrice summoned to ap-
pear at proper intervals ; the fiscal denounc-
ing them contumacious at the end of each
citation.
65. The Inquisitors may take cognizance
of several crimes which may occasion heresy,
such as bigamy, blasphemy, and suspicious
propositions; the degree of punishment to
depend on the prudence of the judges.
66 and 67. — Refer to the manner of the In-
quisitors giving their votes, and of the duty
of the secret notaries.
68. When the Inquisitors are informed that
any of the prisoners have communicated with
other detained persons, they shall ascertain
the fact ; in which case little credit can be
given to a ly subsequent declarations made
APPENDIX. 231
by these persons, either in their owu cause,
or in the trial of another.
69. When a trial has been suspended, if
another commences, though for a different
crime, the charges of the first shall be added
to those of the second, and the fiscal shall
maintain them in his act of accusation, be-
cause they aggravate the new crime of which
the prisoner is accused.
70 and 71. Specify the necessity of keep-
ing the prisoners separate, and point out the
treatment of those who fall sick.
72. The witnesses in a trial shall not be
confronted, because experience has shoAvn
that this measure is useless and inconvenient,
independently of the infringement of the law
of secrecy which is the result.
73. When an Inquisitor visits the towns of
the district of his tribunal, he shall not under-
take any trial for heresy, or arrest any de-
nounced person, but he shall receive the de-
clarations, and send them to the tribunal;
yet, if it is the case of a person whose flight
may be apprehended, he may be arrested and
sent to the prisons of the holy office.
74. In the definitive sentence pronounced
against an individual guilty of heresy, and
condemned to be deprived of his property,
u.^ period when he first fell into heresy shall
be indicated, because this knowledge may
be useful to the steward of the confisca-
tions, &c.
75. The jriler shall give an account of the
232 APPENDIX.
common and daily nourishment of each pri
soner, according to the price of the eatables.
76. If the prisoner has a wife or children,
and they require to be maintained from his
sequestrated property, a certain sum for each
day shall be allowed them, proportioned to
their number, age, quality, and state of their
health, as well as to the extent and value of
these possessions. If any of the children
exercise any profession, and can thus provide
for themselves, they shall not receive any
part of the allowance.
77. When any trials are terminated and
sentences passed, the Inquisitors shall fix the
day for the celebration of an auto-da-fe,
giving proper notice of it to the ecclesiastical
chapter and municipahty of the town, &c.
78. The Inquisitors shall not permit any
person to enter the prisons on the day before
the auta-da-fe, except the confessors and the
familiars of the Holy Office, when their em-
ployments make it necessary. The familiars
shall receive the prisoner, and be responsible
i"or him after the notary has taken evidence
if it in writing, and shall be required to take
him back to the prisons after the ceremony
of the auto-da-fe, if he is not given over to
the secular judge ; they shall not allow any
^-^erson to speak to him on the road, or inform
him of ai^y thing that is passing.
1?. 0.1 the; day after the auto-da-fe, the
laq^udtors shaU cause all the reconciled per-
sons to be brouo^ before them; explain to
APPENDIX. 233
each the sentence which had been read the
day before, and tell him to what punishment
he would have been condemned if he had
not confessed his crime. They shall examine
them all, particularly on what passes in the
prisons, and give them into the custody of the
jailer of the perpetual prisons, who shall be
commissioned to observe that they accomplish
their penances, and to inform them when
they fail, &c.
80. Th» Inquisitor shall visit the perpetual
prisons, from time to time, to observe the
conduct of the prisoners, and if they are well
treated.
81. The sanbenitos of all those persons
who have been condemned to death shall be
exposed in their respective parishes, after
they have been burnt in person or in effigy ;
but the same shall be done with the sanbeni-
tos of the reconciled persons, after they have
left them off. The inscription of the sanbe-
nito shall consist of the names of the con-
demned persons, a notice of the heresies for
which they were punished, and of the time
when they suffered their penance, in order to
perpetuate the disgrace of heretics and thth
descendants.
THE END.
933.1
Si44
BRiniE DO NOT
PHOTOCOPY
is
