H I S T O R Y

01 m

HO LY CATH O LIC IN QUIS ITIO N ,

“ The In uisitlon, model most complete O fper ect wickedness, where deeds were ' — eds l let them ne er be named and set and planned ggliberatel and with most musin ins y, g pa , How ‘ to extremest thri of a on , ll g y’ hlo The flesh, the od, and souls ol ho men, H er victims ml li e wrou ht when she saw , t h g 0 N ew tortures her labouring fanc born, S he lee ed for j 0 and made great to to r d i Thel tgree woliplessed to hear e deep er gage . The supplicstin hand of innocence, That made the t or mild, and in its wrath ' u o fl rln o The lion pa se, t e gr ans of su e m st h e S evere, were mu ht to er ; sh h ug ed at groans, N o music pleased or more ; and !no repeat 8 0 sweet to her as blood o fmen redeemed Ambition' u h e By blood of Christ. 11; tho g m d, h er com are And nursed in uman gore, wl p d, ” was merclthl.

W TH AN I N ’B ‘IO DUCTIO N I ,

R E V U S M S O N BY T H E . C Y R A , I M d M M M New YorL

PHILADE LPHIA

x m s N O . 1 59 C H E STN UT T. H E N RY p nx , J AT C INC INN I,

—J Gou t rm m x m uum . m m 00.

1 8 35. Entered a cord n to the act of Con ress in the ear 18 35 b c i g g , y , y Haunt PER!INS, ’ in the Clerk s Office of the District Court of the Easte rn District of Pennsylv ania. P R E F A C E .

Tan pope of R‘ ome has recently honoured the

U e Sta of m in nit d tes A erica, and shown the deep

ce f t ter t he eels in this country, by the appoin ment

f al d e o an ecclesiastic ambassa or, a legat with ple nary powers to manage the cause of Romanism in

r of the new world . This high ofiice the church

nd of a state Rome, has expressed his gratitude and

b f u af faiti loyalty by app earing e ore the p blic, ( l

n ' the a ol ist f of rn uisi more,) as p og and de ender the q tion.

of sui s f The order the Je t is restored, and, so ar

o n u as we know, with ut any cha ge in its constit tion

a s and character. The Romish mission ries to thi country are mostly of the order of Jesuits ; for it is saidby American citizens who hay e wintered at

the s for com Rome, that Jesuit who come there

t e are i ambitions of mission and pa ronag , spec ally appointments to this country . They regard our

an O fi country as pen eld, where they may pursue

a n and re their schemes without molest tio , with enti 1 v P E E vi R F A C .

success ; where they may profit by the toleration

enjoyed under our mild and free institutions.

H r e the r of esu s e e, then, w have o der the J it

' rising and spreading over the fair face of our coun

s a of as try, encouraged by va t import tions the le t desirable classes of Roman Catholics from the old

of kingdoms Europe, and supported by the j oint patronage of the So ciety de Propaganda and the

f n Catholic monarchs o the old world. These swor servants of a foreign potentate have as a leader an f avowed de ender of the inquisition . These emissaries are true to their patrons and

ei o h th fign t er church . They defend her infallibi

l ri of ai in re l ty, a d course, must m nta her sup macy, and promote (in a prudent way,) all her doctrines and institutions. They believe that her intolerance

of fa for of all modes ith but her own , is the glory f “ of God and the good o the whole world ; and,

f i of . o holding her in allibil ty, they must, c urse, de f b f m end the machinery y, which she has, in or er

a out i of i ages, c rried her sp rit ntolerance against those who have dared to think and speak for them

s in i of r selve the interpretat on the Sc iptures. This is the cap italfeature of the Romish church : she is bou d i n n conscience, not only to establish Iter C P RE F A E . vii sel but din to her bilit a : l} also, (accor g a y nd op p ortunitygato drive every othe r mode of faith

a s i tl f from the e rth. This result d rec y rom her claim of infallibility ; and her infallibility is the

- key stone of the arch on which she rests.

' The eflects of practical the Catholic religion , in

of s of the hands these agent the pope , will be the

” same . n t i our country as hey are in the old world,

and only they must be more slowly disclosed, de

f . The i v ended with caution t me, howe er, has l ma a ready come, when a citizen, even a senator, y be knocked down in the street of Cincinnati as b of ak oldly as in the street Rome, unless he t es ’ off his hat to the bishop s procession of the host ; only it must be done by a volunteer member of

’ v l of d the bishop s ci i procession , instead an arme It soldier of the pope . is better to begin with our citizens by a civil kno cking down , and then they it will the more patiently receive when it comes,

of n f m a of in the name religio , rom a ilit ry corps o honour. There is n thing like a gradual initiation f to a new order of things. Our new legate, be ore

t his n - office he was clothed wi h prese t , is supposed at ar cash l le to have commenced, Ch leston , the p of Catholic priests becoming honorary ! members viii P R E F A C E.

of mi tar m the ex er ment li y co panies. Recently, p i has been made of connecting military evolutions

arad se of d r h the and p e, and a little u gunpow e wit ceremonies and worship of the Catholic church ; and the ofiiciating priest supposed it to work well . It is an easy way of bringing the people to acqui ” esce in the true old idea of a church militant We do not complain of these things : they are if i as they should be, we must have the exper ment of Romanism made in our country. They put the issue between these foreign priests and the Pro

a of test nt citizens America on the right ground . The question to be settled is this : Is the Romish intolerance, with the machinery by which it has e been and must be p ropagat d, a desirable gift from the old to the new world These foreign gentle men think it is . What do the American people think

In of View this question, the present is the right

for of time a popular history the inquisition , one of the favourite instruments of the Romish church for the preservation of the faith by the destruction of heretics. Such a history is contained in the

c f manus ript now be ore the . It will be found d a mirably adapte d to the capacity of the youthful P E R F A CE. ix

realms of th s tr . u i coun y The a thor, or compiler, as m i s f h f he odestly styles h m el , as been avourably known to the public in numerous small volumes and a dr ss papers d e ed to our youth, while he has

if f n n un ormly re used to be know by ame. Whether this concealment arises from a modest distrust of his a tie i bili s, (in whch view of himself he must be a ne aft the icat n of lo er publ io this volume,) or whe ther he is preparing to give his name to the world in connex ion with some larger fruit of his literary la ours are st w b , q ue ions in hich the public are not

e a n sp ci lly i tereste d. But to us it is well known that few men hav e enjoyed better opportunities for making a fair estimate .of the institution described in his glowing and p atriotic pages. Nurtured in

of l f e the air civi and religious re dom, and educated

of in the schools his own country, he has traversed the s a and Ca broade t oce ns, dwelt long in Roman

of tholic countries, where his minute observations th and fl of e civil moral in uences Romanism , satis fied him that liberty and happiness could never be the portion of the people who had yielded them

n so con selves to its influe ce. Without a per nal

' n i n ommunion he has em o ed ex o with any one c , pl y his pen to shed light on the question, whether the A x P R E F A C E

machinery of the Catholic church is adapted to

tr bless our coun y, or whether it is not another

e to Trojan horse, introduced under pious pret nces, t i i f subver our inst tut ons, and give to alling Rome one more triumph over civil liberty ! Whether or not the author has given a faithful narrative, may be proved by reference to the list of works published in the commencement of the volume ; and nothing is more his desire than that the publication of this little volume should lead to t a horough study of the history of the inquisifi on.

The of f student ecclesiastical history will, o course, ascend to the sources of knowledge on this subject ; and he will find in Limbarch and other learned

W for o of riters, a rich reward the t il laborious t e

a . e se rch But a cheap, conv nient manual, to which

in all may have access, is greatly needed this coun tr if y, and we are not much deceived, the present

o i t desideratum v lume suppl es hat r The American field is open to the Roman Ca tholic as a well as the Protest nt. Universal tolera

of f e f tion is the glory our r e country, and there ore every question in religion is to be brought before

for on. the people their decisi So let it be. The question is to be tried whether the people can be P R E F A C E . x ;

i f trusted with rel gious reedom . We rej oice to live while the experiment is in progress ; we have

of great hope the result ; and our motto is, give t he p eop le light. Let not intolerance be met by intolerance, but let the true character and tendency of the Romish church be made known by a faith ful of wh of inf li i history at, in the exercise her al b lit h y, she as done in past ages . Let her work in South America be compared with the work of Pro testantism in North America ; and then if our free citizens can be brought to relish popery, it will go far to prove that they are unworthy of their fa thers , and that civil and religious liberty cannot d lwell permanently in any part o f the worl .

A SO N C . M ,

astor of edar- street urc N ew P C Ch h, York.

M c 3d 18 8 5. ar h ,

’ AUTH O R S PRE FACE .

TH E following History of the Inquisition has been compiled from a variety of books u on the sub ect and th a thor f els him p j , e u e self in candour bou o ate that he has nd t st , made the freest possible use of the labours of others who e work has ; s s, however, he carefull read ado tin with erfect un re y , p g p ser e wherever it was racticable the ver v , p , y words used by them ; for which he has not deemed it necessar as this book is in y , tended chiefl for ou hful readers to cite y y t , the authorities thou h in almost e er in , g v y

stance he could . easil have done it be y , cause the readers for whom he chiefly writes would not have been benefited by

“ such a plan ; an d the work itself would only have been encumbered by the addition

of erha s several hundred references. , p p ,

“ A list of the principal books read and made use of b the author is here an y , h ex ed E E 6 P R F A C .

’ Limborch s History of the Inquisition .

Records of the Spanish Inquisition from original MSS . 1 8 2 in 8 . ’ G a w abrid Histoire de lInquisition de o , hich is an g ment of ’ Bellon s H istory of the Inquisition of Goa . ’ t Llorente s H istory of the Inquisi ion . ’ Puigblanch s Inquisition Unmasked . ’ S tockdale s H istory of the Inquisition . ’ Geddes s Tracts . Pi nata Les A t dc E cha h g , ven ures , pp des Prisions de ’ lInquisition de Rome . ‘ ’ M C rie s History of the Reformation in Italy . ’ Bower s Account of the Inquisition at Macerata . M ’ archand s Bloody Tribunal . ’ Father Paul s H istory i the Inquisition of Venice t of sta b the I Persecu ion Da Co y nquisition . ' st s t S ufierings of John C ou o in he Inquisition . ’ R e Buchanan s Christian esearch s in Asia.

r R w for b 1 8 1 1 . E nglish Qua terly evie Decem er , b G v Master ! ey to Popery, y a in. ’ Van H alen s Narrative .

. 1 28 . History of the Inquisition Edinburgh . 8 ’ Le Maistre s Letters on the Inquisition .

And several other miscellaneous works

and books of travels, which need not be

enumerated . C O N T E N T S .

P E CHA T R I. I — ntroduction Curiosity and horror inspired by the subj ect Praises bestowed on the Inquisition by Roman Catholic wr ters— i Comparison of its doctrines and practice with the — doctrines and practice of Jesus Christ Its repugnancy to the doctrines and practice of the holy fathers and the pri — — mitive church Its original obscure Emperor Constan — — tine Union of church and state Rise of the empire of the — — popes Tyranny and corruptions of the church Here — tics Ear reformers— nold of Br sc a bumtf— ise of ly Ar , e i , R — — the Albigenses and Waldenses Tbeir persecutions Their — — — aracter Po e Innocent III. S t. Dom n c a mond ch p i i R y , W ldense earlof Thoulouse rotects the lb enses and a s. , p A ig

CHAPTER II.

and c ar cter of S t. D om n c the founder of the n u Life h a i i , i qi — — sition O rigin and meaning of the word inquisitiow Firet ’ — e re of S t om n c—His mothe holy othee Miracl s lated . D i i r s — ' ' — dream S tandard of the inquisition of Goa Persecution; of the Albigenses and Waldenses - Simon de Montfort — — His crueltiee Crusades against heretics The B eguins t on at Je — da o Establishment of the inquisi i rusalem Re cti ns.

CHAPTER III .

' in establsh n the in uisitb n O bjectsof Pope Innocent III. i i g q Epoch of its establishment the same as that of the reform tion and of the rev valof letters—Establshed m erman , i i G y J u dges of the inquisition towards the heretics of Bo — — hemia Is planted m various countries Is established ii! 7 8 C O N T E N T S .

— — Spain by Ferdinand and Isabella Torquemada His life — and character His fatalinfluence in promoting the inquisi — ws tion Bitter persecutions against the Moors and Je — Ex pulsion of the Jews and Moors from Spain Death of

CHAPTER IV . — — The reformation in Italy Aonao Paleareo His character

- — and writings Persecuted and finally burnt by the inquisi

t on- dventures ower— His esca e from the in i A of Mr. B p — quisition of Macerata Account of three modes of torture — practised in that tribunal Persecution of Galileo.

CHAPTER V .

' In u sit on in S a n— — Efiects of the n u s t on q i i p i Philip II. i q i i i — — in Spain Auto da F6 in Valladolid in 1 559 Fate of Don — Carlos de S eso Ex ecution of Donn a Jane B ohorques

E x tract of a sermon preached at this Auto- Charles II. — furnishes a gilt fagot for an Auto State of the inquisition — — under successive Spanish kings Its decline Abolished b a oleon and rev ved b Ferd nand VIL— lanco y N p , i y i B — ’ — White Van H alen s account of his own sufferings An 1 2 instance of death by the pendulum as late as the year 8 0.

CHAPTE R VI. — Establishment of the inquisition in Portugal S aavedra the — — swindler His achievements and punishment J ews in — — Portugal Their sufferings The N ew Christians cruelly — — treated.Diminutos Anecdote Inj urious consequences to Portugalfrom the persecution of the N ew Christians D st nct o e ee O d N hr s a s i i i n b tw n ld an ewC i ti n abolished.

CHAPTER VII.

’ — Geddes s account of the Portuguese inquisition Familiars — — — Manner of treating prisoners Torture Auto da fé S en S C O N T E N T .

— — — ’ tence of death Inquisition at Goa Pyrard Dellon s ac co ' unt of his suflerings in the inquisition of Goa.

CHAPTER VIII. — — Buchanan visits the inquisition at Goa His reception Puts ’ Dellon s work in the hands of one of the inquisitors — Conversations on the subj ect Inquisition of Goa abolished

1 l2 Q Q in 8 . Q Q Q Q Q Q Q Q Q

CHAPTER I! . — Miscellaneous views of the inquisition Its composition and — — proceedings Anecdote of Father Ephraim O fficers of ' — the inquisition Their ex traordinary power and privi — — leges Anecdote of consul Maynard Council of the ia — — quisition in Spain The Cruciata and Hermandad Pri so of the n u s t on descr bed— e r orrors—A ec ns i q i i i i Th i— h n — " F i s . e f t BaririaVidiiis dote le f énecdote w : m — — keeper of the inquisition His monstrous cruelty ; Arts cm W o ed to make r soners confess pl y p i .

E ! CHAPT R .

Ex travagance and absurdities ofcertain inquisitorialwriters eres its mean n — buse and ervers on of the te H y, i g A p i rm — — by the inquisition Ex communication Punishments of — — heresy and heretics Death by fire Unlimited power of — — — this tribunal Forms of process Proofs Arts used by in — quisitors Honest and frank confession of an inquisitor

general.

E x r CHAPT R .

' ' — — — h The torture Its diflerent kinds The auto da fé Its difler — ent kinds Description of the dresses of those who walk in — these dreadful processions Description of an auto cele

bmwd at M‘drid iD IGSOe 0 0 0 0 0 0 O 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 10 c o n r s nr s

P !II CHA TER .

The inquisition always hostile to knowledge of every descrip tioa orrupting influence of the inquisition upon the — — — people The monks Their condition and influence Mi racles of S Dom n —The os r and worsh of the t. i ic R a y ip — ’ virgin Mary Anecdoteofan inquisitorwho read Voltaire s — — works Prescription of sciences and authors Brutish ig — norance of inquisitors B efleetions upon the cruelty of the

S I2 C O A T O F A R M . J ” he i t O Lord, judge thy cause . T orig nal ext is Deus,

a O God not lDomine L w ( ,) and , (O ord the ord God b t e L who not to eing superseded by h word ord, came B mist condemn but to save the world. esides this ake, which shows how little the inventor of the inquisito

al' b er ri motto understood or handled the Bi le, other r rs “ o of a grammatical kind might be pointed out. It ab b t usu m y e o served here, that this mot o was ally the text selected for the blasphemous inquisitorial

t ato sermons which were preached a u s dafé. H I S T O RY

TH Y CAT C ' ‘ E HOL H O LI IN QUISI I IO N .

H ER C APT I.

— Introduction Curiosity and horror inspired by the subj ect Praises bestowed on the Inquisition by Roman Catholic writers Comparison of its doctrines and practice with the doctrines and — practice of Jesus Christ Its repugnancy to the doctrines and — practice of the holy fathers and the primitive church Its origi — — nal obscure Emperor C onstantine Union of church and state — Rise of the empire of the popes Tyranny and corrdptions of the church— eret cs—Ear reformers— Amold of Bresc a burnt H i ly , i , — — Rise ofthe Albigenses and Waldenses Their persecutions Their — — — P In ocent IIL S t. Dom c a mo d earl of character ope n ini R y n ,

Thoulouse rotect the bi enses and W denses. , p s Al g al

I f T is proposed, in the ollowing volume, to pre sent to the youthful reader a compendious history and l of of the origin, the progress, the dec ine the I f nquisition, a wonder ul and monstrous establish as ment, it is called by an eminent writer, which, the for in dark ages, was substituted the religion of Christ; and which may be considered as the B 1 3 1 4 HIS TO RY O F THE

iu greatest monument of human gen s, human wick edness was v e . , and human weakness that e er rear d I t is a deep and instructive lesson, and every page of it sets in a broader and a clearer light the truth “ of that declaration of the sacred volume, that the human heart is deceitful above all things, and ” desperately wicked . There has always ex isted an extraordinary cu riosity in relation to every thing which appertains e f to the inquisition . The very name inspir s a eel ing of horror which it is difli cult to define : and the feeling is a natural one ; for there is something so

b - dark and so terri le in its history, that while the reader passes over the shocking narratives with it fi f ut which s annals are replete, he nds himsel terly unable to realize the details which he reads with such eagerness ; and he rises from the perusal B ut with a feeling of almost absolute incredulity .

‘ the se melancholy annals have now passed into cer tain and authentic history ; and not only may the of b sombre outlines this tri unal , the most execra bl e that ever encumbered the earth, be contem ' of plated, but the inmost recesses its interior have b d n w een explore , and all its abominations are o f set be ore an astonished world . And yet the Romish doctors exhausted the lan

' guage of praise in impious commendations of this a b tribun l, which they called the ulwark of the true faith— a tribunal not sprung from the wisdom of f d man, said they, but sent rom heaven, an carnomc INQUISITIO N 1 5

n f breathi g the very spirit o holiness. Hence i t is we constantly find them repeating those titles which to us appear a species of mockery ; for this sanguinary institution has always been known as H O ffi the oly ce, and even its dungeons called H H oly ouses . They compare the inquisitionto a a x the sun, and dd, that sit would be ridiculous e f da cess to extol the bright ork o y, so would it be

absurd, by mere human eulogies, to attempt to

f - glori y the inquisition . But if we compare the doctrines of the in quisition with those inculcated by the Saviour of th f f the world, e olly o the commendations n d a which have bee bestowe , will quickly p

-f If pear mani est. we compare the practice, the f same result will ollow , and yet both their doc trine and their practice they profess to base upon f s the mild and merci ul precepts, and the divine e of of the . tions, Son God We shall be constantly struck with the gl aring inconsistencies which offer In th themselves upon every side . e gospel we

read only of charity and love . Charity is called

the new commandment by which the . disciples of t he Lord may What page of the history of the inquisition records a solitary act of ” ! of charity Learn me, said the Saviour, for I f ” am meek and lowly o heart. Christ sent his

disciples abroad as sheep among wolves, to show forth their divine original by patience under suf s of fering . What has been the spirit inquisitors 1 6 HISTORY OF THE

e s i Wolves, ind ed, and with very little di gu se they have never ceased to rend and devour the of flock. Christ reproved the zeal James and John, who sought to call down fire from heaven to con s re ume the Samaritans, because they would not . ceive him ; and to Peter he commands that the si f but nner be orgiven not only seven times, If h of gbventy times seven . t en the gospel Christ be c r ontrary to the violence shown by this t ibunal, so of s b i is it very clear, in spite all attempt y inqu si torial t a was writers to prove the con r ry , that it equally repugnant to the doctrine of the holy fa

thers f t . , and to the practice o the primi ive church One passage alone from the works of one of the

. sufii i n most eminent, St Chrysostom, will be c e t to a of illustrate the m xims mildness, even against

heretics, inculcated in that golden age of the ” church . Our war, says he, speaking on the subject of heretics who were afterwards treated with such unremitting barbarity by the inquisi “ of tion, is not with men, who are the work God, O the but with pinions which devil has depraved. cares The physician, when he a patient, does not e attack the body, but the disord r under which it I n t e labours. h same manner dealing with here rs tics, we ought not to injure them in pe on, but of the an seek to remove the error understanding, d

of . F the evil the heart inally, we ought always

to be disposed to submit to persecution , and not to ri persecute : to suffer g evan ces, and not to cause S CATHO LIC IN QUI ITIO N . 1 7

I them . t is in this manner Jesus Christ con quered ; since he was nailed to a cross, he did not crucify others . It t . was a Mahometan precept to propagate heir fire : religion by and the sword but the inquisition , fi n f re ning upo the ormer, went still beyond in cruelty ; and although they showed as little m ercy d of to the bo ies their enemies , they made war th er d of against v y min s ; the tortures the body,

g' A will be abundantly shown in the following pages, being absolutely nothing compared to the mental agonies to which their victims were sub

c d Can j e te . any thing be conceived more oppo ! site to Christi anity in every feature B ut as there is nothing on the face of the earth to which it m ay be d if compare , let it not be deemed extravagant we f f go urther, and liken the inquisition itsel to Pan

onium s . dem , and its minister to malignant demons a n These observations might, perh ps, have bee reserved for a later period ; but they will be found to be borne out in every respect by the events which it is our melancholy task to record . It has been usual with writers on the inquisition to O pen

' their histories by an account of the persecutions of the Christian church under the Roman empe of rors; but this, though a subject vast interest, f of a and ull import nt events, must be passed over in the present undertaking, it being proposed to commence at that period when persecution had become a system , conducted under the pretence B 2 1 8 HISTO RY or THE o f religion, and animated and directed by the same

S . pirit and head, which was the, Roman church The ecclesiastical history of Rorrie presents a wide field to be surveyed— a face too broad for our pre al sent contemplation ; our aim being, as we have f u ready declared, to select rom its broad and hideo s h f ms countenance the inquisitorial tribunal, w ich or its most tremendous feature .

difiicu . n In giving its history, it is l to poi t out f e exactly its ountain heads ; and, ind it is e necessary to show, with historical c rt

- f sources from which they sprung. The act is, its b i w h original is involved in o scur ty, and its gro t It i was irregular and gradual . was an invent on of too much wickedness to have been plan ned and m atured by the depravity of any single person or It d and fi a age . was developed by egrees, rst p peared in spots which may be compared to the of f d blotches a oul isease, the unerring symptom ! of internal corruption . Alas that so disgusting a disorder should have seized the body of the church which soon became a loathsome carcass of putridi ty and rottenness . U of ntil the time the emperor Constantine, the purity of the Christian faith had been preserved by the great body of Christians with very little alloy ; but it is from this epoch we are to date the most disastrous changes for the conversion of that monarch threw the civil power into the hands of Christians ; and whether from the corrupting

20 HISTO RY O F THE

I action for upwards of ten centuries . t was to maintain this usurped authori endous sway acquired over mank e i nquisition of was established, the scourge the world, and the

most corrupt engine ever wielded . This unwholesome tyranny of the Romish church being once firmly established over man of f kind, her sword vengeance ell wit nating fury on all who dared to

h r 0 O pposition to e decrees . The “ ” " heretics was bestojved on those who tained any belief different from the settled faith ; and all Christendom was invoked with promises of b of salvation , or driven y menaces punishment, of to the extirpation heretics, than whom , the

Romish church taught, the earth could not pro

duce greater monsters . the d s of From the tenth century, arke t period a a of E what is called the d rk ges urope, the abuses and wickedness of the church had conti nued to had increase, till, at last, it mounted to a height

b o of iniquity that is scarcely conceiva le . To p

pose this growing crime and desolation , numerous f f individuals, rom time to time, had li ted up their In f feeble voices in vain . the twel th century of B arose Arnold rescia , who preached boldly and

uccessfully the n ecessity of reformation . This reformer became an object of hatred to the whole church, whose power was immediately prepared to crush him ; and though he had gained many fol O I IN UISI IO CATH L C Q T N . 21

fi lowers and protectors, he nally became a victim, and was burnt ! From the blood of this martyr sprung the celebrated sects of the Albigenses and f c f Waldenses, the ormer so alled rom the city of f Albi, where the O pinions o Arnold were first pro a ated p g , and the latter called from the Pays de whither the f ’ Vaud, _ re ormer s followers went af ter his cruel martyrdom . According to many w x riters, it was to e tirpate this remnant which had ed s the word, that the inquisition was first

. of r at motion These sects, course, ea ly of the rage Rome, and accordingly they were hunted down like wild beasts at the i nstiga i t on of the popes ; and their whole history is a series of the sufferings they endured at the hands r of their barbarous persecutors. In propo tion as dif the church became more corrupt, those who fered from her increased ; and as here tics multi ti of plied, persecu on became a vital principle the a l Catholic religion , gradu lly assumed a sett ed cha n racter, and was reduced to a sangui ary and dia be bolical system . The various religious orders came the guilty instruments of a gam orseless

. F hierarchy Among these, the ranciscans and Dominicans soon rendered themselves conspicuous I for their unsparing zeal against heretics . nvested by the pope with almost unlimited power over all those who wandered from the faith of the church

of i ~ Rome, they exercised that power w th a dread ful F s f r rigour. St. ranci and his ollowers we e 22 HIS TO RY O F TH E

e f I commissioned to extirpate heresi s rom taly,

while St. Dominic and his disciples were sent to

t of n ravage certain par s France, where umerous e h retics, as they were called, disgusted with the of corruptions Rome, sought out an asylum, and practised a purer faith and a better worship . f b The creed o the Al igenses and Waldenses, as far a as it is possible to ascertain it, ppears to have been as harmless as their conduct was pure and

' In inofiensi eness of peaceable . the v their ners they resembled the Quakers : m ild in principles, they were strangers to war, and lived

“ in the constant practice of virtue and true religion . Such is the character of the people who were the b of m earliest o jects Ro ish cruelty, and whose ex termination was the infant essay and darling aim

of . I I that corrupt court Pope nnocent I I . whose f of d reign was atal to the happiness mankin , as it b t o d m d gave irth to the w orders alrea y entione , a the Dominican and the Francisc n, determined to the tear up this heresy by roots, and a crusade was proclaimed against it. St. Dominic and Pierre de Chataneuf were the persons to be employed upon f the e rrand . The anaticism of the age was worked b of upon y the gloomy eloquence St. Dominic . H e b d la oure and preached night and day . E very pulpit soon resounded with anathemas against the b devoted Al igenses, and an immense army, which

, of was impiously called the militia Christ, was n e soo r ady to proceed to their destruction . The O I I UISI IO CATH L C NQ T N. 23

' perso ns who engaged i n the crusade had all their f r e sins o given . These r ligious soldiers, like those who joined the crusades for the recovery of the H had oly Land, all manner of indulgences granted them : they wore the sign of the cross upon their armour, and hence it was they were also denomi nated - cross hearers. By their means it was pro ' posed to cut off with the material sword those heretics who could not be vanquished by the

‘ of v sword preaching.

d of Thoulouse F mon , earl , in rance, in f territory the Albigenses were chiefly ound, f of to having re used, at the mandate the pope, de s oh stroy his innocent subject , became a principal H b the jcet of rage. e was excommunicated y f of pope . This most dread ul punishments, in that of age, will be explained in another part the pre sent work. The count, however, was so beloved is of u by h subjects, that the anathema the ch rch did not fall upon him with its accustomed de a structiveness. Recourse was had to strat gem and of unfor artifice, and a handle was soon made an ’ Chataneuf tunate accident. Pierre de , the pope s legate who pronounced the curse, was drowned, and it was at once proclaimed that he had been f churc nan murdered by Raymond . The urious h a was converted into a saint and m rtyr, and the E was earl was branded as an assassin . very thing t d done to inflame he people, and to hol the earl ff up to execration . The more e ectually to secure 24 HISTO RY OF THE

v all who his ruin, the pope promised hea en to f of a s of the took arms, and the gi t all the est te count to those who would conquer them.

II CH APTER .

ar ter of St. Dom n c the founder of the n u s Life and ch ac i i , i q i i — — tion O rigin and meaning of the word in quisition First holy ’ —M re of S t Domin c—His mother s d offi ce iracles lated . i — S tandard of the inquisition of Goa Persecutions of the Avgen — — — ses and Waldenses Simon de Montfort His cruelties Crusades — — against heretics The Beguins E stablishment of the inquisition — at Jerusalem Reflections.

IT is now necessary to suspend the narration for the purpose of i ntroducing one of the most extra ordinary personages which history can boast ; one who is usually deno minated the founder of the in uisition h q ; wit which , at all events, his name is l fi d now complete y identi e . This individual was n St. Domi ic, whose authority to conduct the per secutions of S in which we poke the last chapter, d f I It was erived rom nnocent III. will be neces a t his s ry to dwell a lit le upon character and life, after which it is propo sed to continue the tragical history of the persecutions of the Albigenses and l Wa denses, since it was on this occasion that the bloody spirit of papal vindictiveness was first nu f olded . mc m cam o omsm ox . 25

Th e instructions which St. Dominic recei ved " w i t ere, to nquire out, or make inquisi ion con . e to ff a g rning, and punish all o enders ag inst the H faith . ence the titles of inquisitor and inqui sition. also It is said, that, on his arriving at the h of his f t eatre uture exploits, he took up his abode ' s of T l in the hou e a certain nobleman of hou ouse, whom he found sadly infected with heresy ; and f him f h a ter bringing back to the true ait , the noble convert immediately devoted himselfand his whole to dwelling St. Dominic and his order ; and this is pointed out as the first building in which the holy ffi was o ce regularly lodged. of The character of St. Dominic and some the f f incidents o his li e, as they have been given by

' man wri ers . y t , possess a strange interest, not so much on account of the marvellous with which th l t i the r of ey teem , but as il us rat ng spi it the wri r the f incon te s, and depravity, the olly, and the l of de ceivab e ignorance those ages. Domingo

l . Gusman, styled, in the Romish Ca ender, St Do on minic, is the only saint record , in whom no

solitary speck of goodness is discoverable . To impose pain and privations was the pleasure of his

r was him eo unnatural heart, and c uelty in an app N O m has tite and a passion. other hu an being

ever been the occasion of so much misery . The few traits of his character to be gleaned from the i “of the ly ng volumes of his biographers, are all ed darkest colours . H e is said never to have look C 26 HISTO RY O F THE

in f n oken . a woman the ace, nor sp to one On his preaching expeditions he slept 1 n churches or upon s; graves, wore an iron chain round his body, and hi fastings and self- whippings were excessive. The coming into the world of this bloody man was preceded by prodigies, which, indeed, are all f alse, but they nevertheless show what impression his actions had made upon those who had either i s f his seen or read of them . It related that, be ore d m birth, his mother rea ed that she had brought wh a into the world a whelp, ose fierce b rkings were ea and h rd every where, that the earth was burnt by the lighted torch which the m Onster bore in his o mouth . The Dominican writers say that the t rch h means, that St. Dominic enlig tened the world but mothers have found in the torch an emblem of the incre dible number of v htim s who were consu r med by the fi e and fagot of the inquisition . There w of can be little doubt, however, that the hole this re f th d am was invented long a ter e birth of St. Do m ; inic and its universal reception shows, very the al O strikingly, gener pinion that was e nter tained of the founder of the institution, both of which are figuratively described by the whelp and Tliis the torch. ridiculous story is the more im ‘ f portant, as it a terwards became the standard of the Goa in th E inquisition at , e ast Indies. But to proceed with the marvels related of this ’ are onl worth f wicked man, which y y o attentidn, dem a of th as they onstr te the depravity e age, and

O I IN UISI ION CATH L C Q T . 29 the of as of character the writers, well as their sub

c . E o j et arthquakes and mete rs, they declare, an nounced his nativity to the earth and the air ; and two or three suns and moons extraordinary were for hung out an illumination in the heavens. The virgin received him in her arms when he was " born“ When a sucking babe he observed fast- days H is regularly. manhood was as portentous as his

f . H e fed i in ancy mult tudes miraculously. H e “ used to be red - hot with divine love— sometimes — blazing like a sun sometimes glowing like a fur

. m i nace At times it blanched his gar ents, and m bued them with a glory resembling that of the transfi uration g . Once it sprouted out in six wings ’ f of like a seraph s, and once the ervour his piety H is made him sweat blood . thousand other mira l i cles, and more especia ly those relat ng to the ro m f sary and the virgin Mary, are, any o them, too ” for n. It shocking repetitio is impossible, says “ r ns b a very sensible writer, to t a cri e these atrd cions blasphemies without shuddering at the guilt of those who invented them ; and when it is re membered th at they are the men who have perse outed and martyred so many thousands for “con ’ if d science sake, it seems as human wicke ness B could not be carried farther. lessed be the day ’ of Martin Luther sgbirth ! I t should be a festival ” only second to that of the N ativity .

From this digression Upon the character of. St. the f of Al Dominic, it is time to return to ate the 0 2 30 HISTO RY O F THE

bi ns s. o of Thoulouse ge e Raym nd, earl , had vainly H e was wished to protect his innocent subjects. compelled at last to yield implicit obedience to the a church . This reconcili tion, however, which was accompanied by circumstances of great m ortifica — tion for he was scourged, naked and in public, — till his flesh was torn by the stripes did not pro

duce the benefits which were anticipated . The

numerous swarms of cross - bearers overspread the r of count y, like another plague locusts, devouring t as hey went, and leaving nothing but desolation 1 209 of Biterre behind. In the year , the city was ta w o captured, and all the inhabi nts, ithout distin

of . It tion age or sex, were inhumanly massacred

of - is related, that some the cross bearers being at

a loss how to act, since there were Catholics in the

city, mixed with the heretics, so that they might slaughter the innocent by mistake ; and apprehend ing at the same time that the guilty might feign s themselve Catholics to save their lives, their doubts were soon resolved and quieted by one of t heir spiritual leaders, who exclaimed with a loud ! ! fo voice, Slay them all Slay them all r the ” — Lord knows who are his own . Every soul was butchered Simon de Montfort was now chosen as the mili

tary leader. This commander was of a gigantic r c statu e, and possessed a onstitution hardened to the u of H iron in cr sades the oly Land . Born and r ed of r f t ear in the midst igno ance, ana icism, and O CATHO LIC IN QUISITI N . 31 war f , he would have thought himsel dishonoured H is by sentiments of mercy and pity . only vir f — of b tue was erocity his courage that a ro ber.

Such was the chosen champion of religion . In that corrupt age the doors of salvation and the path of glory were equally open to a man who, in our day, e would have be n condemned to the scaffold . car] The , having been appointed by the cross of bearers governor the whole country, including those portions which were not yet conquered, soon distinguished himself for his zeal and ferocity in war 4 and the , the most horrible punishments were f inflicted upon the captive heretics . One o these victims, who was condemned to the flames, having expressed a desire to abjure his errors and be con a n verted, there rose a division amo g the cross bearers ; but the earl quickly decided that the if penitent must be burnt ; alleging, that his con version was genuine, the flames would expiate his if he sins ; and it was pretended, would meet the erfidious reward his p conduct merited . I n the mean time the younger Raymond , son of a the earl, had raised an rmy in Provence, and f f was making success ul war upon Mont ort, and f Tho l had even recovered the city o u ouse itself. These successes were greatly facilitated and se s of f cured by the death Mont ort, who was killed by a stone while endeavouring to retake Thou

. r 1 22 1 a of Thoulouse louse About the yea , the e rl b son se also died, and was succeeded y his , who 32 HISTO RY OF THE

’ valour had already recovered his father s earldom of by arms. One of the first acts the young earl

was to banish the inquisition from his dominions, whereby he a t once brought upon himself the in f dignation o the pope. Once more the horrid of a trumpet war was heard, and the Dominic ns t crusade “to were again sen to preach a new , be called the Penance War. Letters were sent to “ the F rench king, Lewis, commanding him, in ” of God the name , to smite the Albigenses with

fire. It the sword, and burn their cities with was in vain now that the earl offered to make every atonement to God and the holy church . The legate of f b i re the pope was dea to his su m ssion, and solved to compel him to renounce his patrimony f or ever. of‘ u Lewis, king France, entered pon this war

l b the of . with a acrity, and esieged city Avignon f he f i Be ore it was taken, however, ell a vict m to H is f dy sentery. death was concealed rom the army by the legate, whose conduct, it will pre ntl was se y be seen, distinguished by the most d atrocious perfi y . Finding it impossible to con f he quer the city by orce, had recourse to strata H e the gem . craved permission to enter city, with n for of his prelates and serva ts, the purpose ex inin f of h am g into the aith the in abitants ; declaring, off with an oath, that he would put the siege , and that his only motive was the salvation of their i confidin of souls. The cit zens, g in the oath so O I I UISI I CATH L C NQ T O N. 33

of f holy a character, and dreaming no raud , con a sented ; but the rmy, according to a private un derstandin g, rushed in at the gates, and treacher ousl of y captured the city, slaying many the peo d f of ple, and emolishing the ortresses and towers

f . Thoulouse f de ence , also, was soon a ter compel n led to surre der, and Raymond was subjected to penalties in some respects severer than those which had been imposed upon his father. A Catholic f of the of writer, in speaking o one penances the a earl , exclaims, that it was holy sight to see so for great a man , who a long time could resist so a and r u m ny g eat nations, led in his shirt and tro ” ears t f the a , and wi h naked eet, to alt r, which was done to absolve him from his sentence of ex com

munication. The earl’s neck being thus bowed’ down to the f ff papal yoke, uncommon and success ul e orts were s a made by the pope, and econded by sever l mo narchs d s ra , to enlarge and consoli ate the inqui ito i l of f power. The king France and the emperor o t the Germany, about the same ime promulged severest laws and constitutions against all manner f ffi of i o heretics, by which the o ce the inquisit on was greatly promoted But it m ust not be sup posed that this cruel tyranny was patiently sub mitted to by all nations. In many places great d resistance was made, and open violence employe a i ia gainst the nquisitors, whose cruelties were

su a . of ff e pport ble The power the ponti , howev r, 34 HISTO RY OF THE

E the e Fre was not to be resisted . ven emp ror of derick, who had signalized his zeal in the cause ' i for i ofienee the church against heret cs, was, a sl ght , at once attacked by the thunder of excommunies far I . tion . Pope John !X V went so as to con ' dem n of as heretics the Beguins, monks the order of ho St. Francis, w vowed never to own any pro denomi perty, but to live by begging, which they nated evangelical poverty. John wished to ex d empt them from this iscipline, and dispense with

f . e the strict rule o St Francis, and authoriz d them of a to lay up storehouses corn , wine, and bre d ; of which they, deeming it a violation their purity, and derogatory to the sublime perfection of their tiff order, opposed so strenuously, that the pon is sued a bloody decree against the obstinate Beguins .

Many of them were burnt to death by this pope, the a of the F whom they called Bo r orest, which of a had destroyed the enclosure the t bernacle, and had done more harm to the church of God than

‘ . of all former heretics put together One them, ’ who was speaking of the pope s power to dispense

of . r ontem with the rule St Francis, inqui ed, c ptu l r ! ous y, in allusion to the text in Scrip ture whe eby th the holy see claims earthly authority, viz . at

whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound. ' ” “ if in heaven, whether, the pope bound the tail a the of of an ass on e rth, tail the ass would be ” bound in heaven . in fi of allO the i n But de ance pposition, inquisit o

36 HISTO RY O F THE

CHAPTE R III.

O b establsh n the n uis t on j ects of Pope Innocent III. in i i g i q i i E och Of its establshment th same as t at of the reformat on p i e h i , — — and of the revival of letters Established in Germany Cruelties — of the inquisition towards the heretics of B ohemia Is planted in — various coun tries Is established in Spain by Ferdinand and Isa — — bella Torquemada His life an d charactet is fatalinfluence — in promoting the inquisition Bitter persecutions against the — Moors and Jewe Ex pulsion of the Jews and Moors from Spain eath of T e D orqu madé.

ALTH O U GH the cruel wars of persecution had been triumphantly successful in the slaughter of thousands of innocent persons who had fallen v ic of f obvi tims in the victories Mont ort, yet it was of ous that the process extirpating heresy, by ex

' efiectual termination , could never be in the extine of b for O tion the Al igenses ; , in pposition to the for rigorous measures employed the purpose, it of had penetrated to the very capital Christendom . Innocent had too much sagacity not to perceive that the evil would only be increased by the vio lent steps used to eradicate it. It was therefore his wicked, though great, policy to create and con

' a ower o - f solidate p , str ng and ever wake ul, which be should watch over the papal interests, and both b willing and a le, at all moments and in defiance f ll u f p a h man inter erence, to crush heresy, when e f ev r and in whatever orm it might raise its head . THO I IN UISI IO CA L C Q T N . 37

A ccordingly every spring was put in action to ac c of omplish this stupendous plan human misery .

m of . . As usual, the onks St Dominic and St Fran cis were the terrible functionaries made use of by in the holy see . These servile minions of the ce s of of of fa ter t and will Rome, devoid the ties ff ti mily and a ec on, which bind men in society a b to ccustomed, in religion , to elieve and not ex m — f a ine were true anatics, without mercy, without humanity ; and their hatred to heretics was ever kept alive by the fear of losing their temporal wages. It is not possible, within the narrow compass which this compendious history is intended to em a of br ce, to give an account the various successes i and checks, and all the vicissitudes which the n

uisition . H q met in its gradual progress itherto, had fi I however, its authority been con ned to taly, where it was pent up within comparatively strict limits ; but it was plain that, like a torrent swol

s len , it was soon to overleap its bounds, and , pread l E ‘ ing beyond the Alps, to de uge urope with a flood It of horrors . is impossible to contemplate this period of the history of the world without breath If less interest and deep emotion . the inquisition f l E it . orced s way beyond Ita y, all urope was to be sh darkened by its portentous ade, its energies be paralyzed , its kingdoms be cemeteries, and its whole soil become one wide Aceldama. But there

is a great. Power which rules the destinies of our D 38 HISTO RY O F THE

f thi world ; and the interposition o that Power, at s

m n i s. critical ome t, was provident ally conspicuou The human mind began to awaken from its torpor

' of ages ; the revival of learning followed with its n fi and f be e cial consequences, the glorious Re orma tion was just streaking the horizon of that age with the first colours of the dawn . These lights ’ soon broke from heaven upo n the darkness of E u f rf rope, and men were enabled to see the ea ul b places in which they had een groping, and the more fearful perils by which they were environed . E f What power, says a writer, rescued urope rom ab ! It this, apparently , inevit le degradation was one of those circumstances which it is neither f granted to wisdom to oresee, nor to prudence to guard against ; and the importance of which dohs ’ d not ordinarily strike men s min s until experience, f b long a ter, has ena led them to consider its various Is and important results . there in history an epoch of of more worthy the attention a philosopher, than that in which he beholds the establishment of the inquisition coincide so nearly with the revival of of E letters and arts in urope, and sees Providence , in this respect, imitate its conduct in the natural

f of world, where it requently places at the side the poisonous weed the plant which contains its anti m a for dote Providence, we y repeat ; it was not; of nor the assuredly, the presentiment danger, ap of fu a bi prehension ture evil, th t gave rth to the art of i i of pr nt ng, almost by the cradle the inquisition . O I I UIS I IO CATH L C NQ T N. 39

G fi E b ermany was the rst country in urope, e a h the yond It ly, in w ich attempt was now made, to by the popes, plant the inquisition ; which, at te me t every at mpt, with opposition , and in some instances even caused general insurrections of the e people . Wh rever they did succeed, the inquisi torial fi e fed s of res w re , as u ual, with thousands

‘ h B of the te eretics. In ohemia, with the dawn f th f of te ormation, a ury the revived inquisition in turned. Throughout this empire, consequence of the doctrines preached by John H uss and Je ' f - rome o Prague, who became martyrs to the cause, and were burnt to death, was experienced, in its

s f the of . wor t orms, rage persecution As the doc of m en t ines these , to whom may be added Wick ' f lifie, another early re ormer, continued to spread, ff the pope, at last exasperated, o ered a universal pardon of sins to the mo st wicked person who

d Bo . n e w s woul kill a hemian The co sequenc a , that thisfated kingdom was invaded by the empe

’ ror Sigismond with a large army, and its whole extent swept by the besom of war. The inquisition had been successively intro duced al H nd into Austria, D matia, ungary, Pola , In and other places. Venice, also, it was estab lshed i , but under great restrictions, through the of the u of f wisdom r lers that amous republic . The celebrated order of the Templars had been crushed i ' E wa f its by ts power. very thing gave y be ore w re f the l of the asting prog ss, and be ore c ose thir ‘ 40 HISTO RY OF THE

n ur f tee th cent y, it was orced, by papal authority,

al . In F c into Servia, Syria, and even P estine ran e,

where it had begun to decline, it was revived against the descendants of the Albigenses and Wal d a enses. Valence, Flanders, and Artois bec me I the f . n theatres o persecution short, popes were

continually endeavouring to promote it, and to establish it in those kingdoms and countries which its t were exempted from grievous yoke, that heir enemies might enjoy n o place of shelter or refuge in m whp se the world fro this terrible tribunal, tyranny rendered m iserable all who lived within the its sphere, and made monarch on his throne his and the peasant in but equally tremble . But whatever obstacles m ay have O pp ose d the of the oflice i n planting holy other countries, it is very certain that the kingdom of Spain presented i w a genial so l, herein this pernicious institution In took a deep and deadly root. no country has the inquisition thriven with so quick and baleful th l a grow , or flung such a melancho y shade . It was nurtured under the fostering care of Ferdi

nand and Isabella. They established it in all their m fi kingdoms with great pomp and agni cence, nu der a pretence of curing the corruptions which rom i licentiousness had engendered, and the p scu of ous intercourse Moors, Jews, and Christians, who composed the people over whom their domi f nion extended. Force and raud were added to i l authority. The most r dicu ous impostures were S CATHO LIC INQUI ITIO N . 4 1

Guadelou e ofiice practised . At p the holy desired a sign from the virgin Mary ; and it is related that s b miracles were wrought in uch num ers, and with f such rapidity, that the pious ather who undertook f of n o . the task pe ning them , grew weary the labour It is extremely difficult to divine the real mo tives which could have impelled such sagacious ‘ It sovereigns to adopt so dangerous a policy . could carcely have derived its original only from a blind nd for b a bigoted zeal popery, as has een alleged they doubtless expected that they should possess their kingdom in greater peace and security after re stifling the Mahometan and Jewish ligions ; or, of I b perhaps, as the ambition Ferdinand and sa ella is said to have aimed at the universal empire of b in E urope, they wished , y signal zeal the cause o f li and catholicism , to en st the good will conni

- f B ut vance of the all power ul pontiff. the true of d character Ferdinan , the Catholic king, is well w H e kno n. was a man who scrupled at no crime which served his purpose ; and as the religion in which he was trained taught that the means were fi t of a sancti ed by he end, the extension th t religion by force seemed to him a compensation for all his ’ of I other iniquities. The state sabella s mind was not dissimilar from his own : by putting herself of f at the head a action, she had obtained a king l t f dom to which her claim at eas was doubt ul , and she had obtained it at the price of the happiness and had liberty of another, whose right she her D 2 42 HISTO RY O F THE

self acknowledged and sworn to respect . A crown thus purchased did not sit easy on her head . She was unhappy in her husband and unfo rtunate in

c her hildren, and she sought in religion an ano dyne for conscience as well as for aflliction. There is reason to suppose that a morbid melancholy temperament, thus generated, or at least thus d b her heightene , was transmitted y her to pos — — terity a sort of moral scrofula which displayed f of f and itsel in many members her amily . She her husband both supposed that they could wash

b . In 1 4 9 their hands clean in lood the year 7 , they of obtained the privfilege from Pope Sextus IV . f creating inquisitors, and six years a terwards the work of devastation began . of n i On thehistory Spai in earlier t mes, and on of f the progress anaticism, it is not necessary to dwell . A new world was discovered, and it was explored and conquered by her priestsand sol be diers, whose struggle seemed to , which should create the wider and worse desolation throughout the magnificent domain . The monks and inquisitors preached loudly against the idolatries and human

sacrifices of the Mexicans . What might not these b w unhappy eings have replied , had they itnessed the tortures and the fires which the inquisitors of of b of Madrid, Lis on , and Goa, were daily kin dling for the tens of thousands of human victims offered up by them in the n ame of the God of mercy !

44 HISTO RY O F THE

S education, and an ardent pirit drove him, at an he b early age, to travel through Spain, where e of came deeply enamoured of a lady Cordova, who

f of . rejected his suit, and became the wi e a Moor

Thus, personal revenge has been alleged as the real

of of cause that malignant hatred the Moorish race, of which ' t be f y were, at a uture day, to reap the f bitterness . Soon a ter his disappointment, which b f ever rankled in his reast, he ormed a strict bond of f th o of riendship wi L pez de Cervera, superior

the of . order St Dominic ; an order which , it will be the remembered, was coeval with inquisition and it was in the society of this individual that b Torquemada, who had ecome a zealous Domini m of can, upon exa ining the archives the Domini the f cans, and perceiving unlimited power ormerly n e joyed by that order, conceived the ambitious of b of project reviving the tri unal the inquisition . was fi To accomplish this mighty end, it rst ne ' cessary that the difierent kingdoms into which Spain was broken should be united under one

m . was a potent e pire The plan so v st, that it ’ seemed beyond the reach of one man s strength ; but Torquemada possessed prodigious force of mind ; and stimulated as he was by a thousand of motives, among which the prospect extirpating the the Moors, whose power was on decline in was his Spain, not the least, spirit rose with an object be deemed worthy of the ambi tion that ih

' flamed his bosom . To commence t hi senterprise T O I I UISI I CA H L C NQ T O N . 45 he adopted the plan usually resorted to in those d ays by ambitious monks to gain celebrity, and as a preacher he quitted Saragossa and repaired to so s uccessful Toledo, where his eloquence was and his so of reputation great, that, in the course a short to time, he was gradually elevated a post which h H e even e could hardly have anticipated . was a f ppointed con essor to Isabella, who was still a child . Over her mind Torquemada soon obtained an n b fi entire ascende cy, and e planted in it the rst of con seeds ambition , by breathing in her ear, stantl of m y, the possibility her one day ounting H e the throne . accustomed her to the idea that, f as soon as this event took place, which he oresaw

probable , it would be her interest, as hereditary of f queen Castile, to unite hersel to Ferdinand, the t of a heredi ary prince Arr gon , by which union one of great object, the consolidation the empire , was

to be gained . The ingenuity and perseverance by which this monk obtained complete sway over all of the thoughts the young princess, would com mand admiration could it be for a moment forgot ten that all this industry and pernicious wisdom f had for its aim the misery o the human race . The next step was to imbue her mind with the

necessity and importance of re- establishing the in on fo quisiti , and to prepare her r it in the event of had her obtaining the crown . Torquemada been accustomed to infuse the poison of his coun se f the ls at the season of con ession, and time he 46 HISTO RY O F THE

now selected was that of receiving the sacrament. It is not necessary to go through all the guile of b h this serpent, and the winding paths y whic

H e s he crawled to his object. ucceeded, and Isa

- f bella at that solemn moment engaged hersel , by

tore - b s ffi in an oath, esta li h the holy o ce Spain, in case she Should ever be placed upon its throne E very expectation which had been formed was realized ; subsequent events elevated Isabella tO sth-e f w throne, and Torquemada then came or ard, and reminded her of the oath she had registered in h H e n h eaven . represe ted to her, that althoug the of conquest Grenada had driven out the Moors, d t yet that they swarmed throughout the lan , and tha e as the it was her duty to conv rt them all, as well for re Jews, or to commit them to the flames, the s of the b fi of f and po e the kingdom, ene t the aith, of H e the glory God . told her that these pagans, of H the enemies the oly Catholic religion , would b f n pretend to em race the aith, and that the o ly the of remedy was erection the inquisition, which alone was able to rule the conscience, and pene trate the most secret corners of the human heart if f h had I that the ait been preserved pure in taly,

" it was to be attributed to this institution ; and that it would reflect immortal honour on so great a b of queen to build up this ulwark the true religion, which would be as durable as the Spanish mo f of naraby. The success ul result these deadly n t a counsels need o be repe ted . Torquemada CATHOLIC momsrrxorz . 47

H reached the summit of his h0pes. e was ap ' f pointed grand inquisitor o Spain, and very soon f a ter tribunals were created throughout the empire. During the fourteen years that he exercised his n f f e ew and congenial unction, he prosecuted be or his tribunal upwards of one hundred thousand ih dual divi s, of whom about six thousand were con demned to the flames, and their goods became the prey of the Spoiler. The system thus began soon ex tended itself over

Spain . The Jews who escaped death or imprison ment were compelled to wear a peculiar dress, in

order that all Christians might avoid them . Their children and their children ’ s children to the latest generation were excluded from all offices of trust f and honour, and prohibited rom wearing any In thing but the rudest garments. the single dio cese of Seville, above one hundred thousand per sons were destroyed, converted, or driven into h exile, and in the city t ree thousand houses were left Without inhabitants. The reader must not suppose that this is an exaggerated tale : it is the of t boast the inquisi ors, and grave and authentic historians have confirmed what they dared not if f condemn, even they elt a human horror at such d i f execrable eeds. A th rd o the confiscated pro perty went to the inquisitors ; a third to the ex a of f — tr ordinary expenses the aith that is, it went the same way the rerylainder was the govern m ’ ent s share of the plunder. When t hese perse 48 HISTO RY O F THE cuted people found it hopeless to appeal to human to ity, justice, or even policy, they tried work a e upon the cupidity of the government, and l rg n for sums were offered for general toleration, eve f f ff im the sa ety o individuals. They o ered an mense sum to Ferdinand, to assist him in his wars, if he would guaranty to them peace and security e from persecution . The monarch would hav fi un listened to their prayer, when the erce and sparing Torquemada had the audacity to enter the presence of the king and queen with the crucifi x B of in his hand, and exclaim, ehold the image our fi for cruci ed Redeemer, whom Judas sold thirty pieces of silver : you are about to do the same for B thirty thousand . ehold him, take him , and im ! for I d hasten to sell h As me, lay own my f o be . office. Nothing this shall imputed to me Y ou shall render an account of your bar gain to ” n the fi God . The laying down cruci x, he de the b parted . The result was, Jews were anished, b and the Moors were o liged to fly the realm . These banished Jews carried away with them at of d i quantity gold conceale in the r garments, and t fo saddles, and even in heir intestines ; r they l melted the coin , and swallowed it in sma l pieces. f Many were seized in A rica, where the native Moors even killed the women for the purpose of procuring the gold which they expected to fi nd in their bowels . Such were the cruelties which sprung f f of rom the insolent anaticism Torquemada, sus THO I iN UIsrrm CA L C Q N . 49 taine b of g y the avarice Ferdinand, and the thoughtless zeal of Isabella ! It is conjectured that above half a million of Jews confis were expatriated , and their immense riches os If of ted . to the whole number be added that the

Moors exiled, at least two millions of valuable subjects must have been lost to Spain by the tyran ni al c bigotry of Ferdinand and Isabella . This is the calculation of the historian Mariana . The eh of s 1 609 tire expulsion the Moor took place in , to the of n of number a millio souls ; so that, says of and Llorente, in the space one hundred thirty nine years the inquisition deprived the kingdom of three millions of inhabitants .

' The Moors of Grenada had before this period

attracted the attention of the Romish see . Xime of b b nes, archbishop Toledo , had een sent y the B pope to convert them to Christianity . y violence f n b he orced ma y to su mit, and a vast number of Alcorans and other books touching upon the In u Mahometan religion were destroyed . co se quence of a dangerous commotion which occurred of b in the city Grenada about that period , num ers of the Moorish race were condemned as guilty

- of high treason . When it was proposed to trans of of late some portions the service the mass, and for fi of the Gospel, into the Arabic, the bene t

of the convicts, Ximenes would not permit it, de “ claring that it was a sin to throw pearls before ” H e f t ai N swine . ur her s d, that the Old and ew 50 HISTO RY O F THE

s s n at Te tament , in which there were many thi gs th re ir and e qu ed a learned and attentive reader, a chast e and pious mind, should be kept in those thr e lan w guages only , which God, not ithout the greatest r mystery, ordered to be placed over his most dea ’ n ff of Son s head, whe he su ered the death the cross and that then Christianity would suffer the greatest mischief when the Bible should be ” translated into the vulgar tongues. “ Torquemada died in 1 4 98 ; and it is a satisfac tion to know that this wretch did not go without

hm . H e some punis ent, even in this world lived c had of fif e in onstant dread, always a guard ty hors f of ni and two hundred amiliars, and drank out a u ’ ' be f corn s horn, (as he believed it to , ) rom a super ' stitious notion that it would secure him from poi of son . The persecution the Jews, related in this

t r chap er, which was conducted by this man, is e gardb d by that unhappy people as a calamity scarcely less dreadful and extensive than the de i of struct on Jerusalem .

52 H IS TORY O F ‘THE

freedom of language and his new op1 m ons sur

s . rounded him by Spies, who ought his ruin One

' i crime he committe d was to laugh at a rich pr est who was seen every morning kneeling at the shrine of n f se a saint, but who, evertheless, re u d to pay his A n of Paleareo just debts . enemy declared , that

if he were allowed to live, there would not be a Paleareo i vestige of religion left in the city . g ves

of i f itha explanation this h msel , which was, that having been asked what was the first ground on

which men should rest their salvation , he replied,

’ ” Christ. O n being asked what was the second , he t e said, Christ . And again being asked what was h B ut third ground, he a third time said, Christ. the greatest crim e he committed was in writing a ” o b fi of the d h of . b ok entitled , The ene t eat Christ F e be or this book he was condemn d to burnt, but

of . H e con escaped, and fled to the city Lucca i d t nue , however, to be persecuted; and was, at last, of f in consequence the re ormed opinions he held, f of condemned, a ter an imprisonment three years,

be - to suspended on a gibbet, and his body given to

m . 1 570 of the fla es Thus, in , at the age seventy r f years, was destroyed by those tige s o the inqui sition v ne Paleareo , the Dominicans, the e rable , for a hi distinguished alike his t lents, his writings, s s ff i was u er ngs, and his boldness ; a man who both

who v is great and good , and one regarded as the of f It greatest ornament the re ormation in aly. It is not possible to enter into a regular account O I I UISI IO CATH L C NQ T N . 53 of e I a this institution as it exist d in t ly, as a volume f would easily be exhausted ; but, rom the numer ous narratives with which ' its history in this coun be ffi try abound, one will selected as su cient to show that the same spirit of cruelty pervaded it in every region and at every period . The account

Mr. B of H which ower, the author the istory ” of of the Popes, has given his own adventures, a as connected with the inquisition at M cerata, in I b taly, though it has een deemed by some writers

of overstrained, yet what he relates the inquisition f f itsel in that place, o whose cruelties he was an

b b . eyewitness, is elieved to be su stantially correct There is nothing in his account which appears like f b of exaggeration , and there ore an a ridgment his s f ff tory , as related by himsel , is now o ered to the reader. b was Archi ald Bower born in Scotland , and at of fiv e I the age years was sent to an uncle in taly, he b m where was educated, and eca e so distin guished that he was appointed professor in the col of lege of Macerata. The inquisitor general this hi place had contracted a great intimacy with m,

of of d and on the death one the inquisitorial ju ges,

” an Bower was appointed in his place, elevation I f ' which was deemed a great honour. gnorant o the was offi ce he about to undertake, he entered upon of re it with alacrity, took the oath secrecy, and ” ceived a book called the Directory, containing rules for the decisions and conduct of the inquisi E 2 54 HISTO RY O F THE

c f r m s ri . tors, whi h, o greater caution , was in anu c pt This book is always sealed when its possessor ' is to ofiice nn dangerously ill , or promoted a higher , der which circumstances it is death to open or

retain it. fi f was The rst thing he did , a ter returning home, t to peruse his directory, in order bet er to under stand his new employme nt ; but what was his astonishment to fi nd the rules more barbarous tha n f f his can be conceived . Within a ortnight a ter O the admission , he had an pportunity to see that practice of the inquisition was as inhuman as the h of regulations. A poor man was broug t to the H e fi ce. had an only daughter who had fallen d for i an . s ck, whom he prayed to the virgin Mary H is ' daughter, however, died, and the old man , of crazed by the loss, had flung away the medal the b f r virgin which he used to carry a out him , and o

this crime he was put to the torture . It is impossible to express how much his feel ings were constantly violated by the barbarities

of which he was a witness. On one occasion it

being his turn to sit by a person tortured , he was so affected by the agony of the sufferer that he f ainted away, and was obliged to be carried out. he When recovered, the inquisitor general said to “ . B him, Mr ower, take your place ; you do not reflect that what is cone to the body is for the _ l ” “ M r. B of . good the soul ower replied, it was of n the weakness his ature, and he could not help O I IN UISI IO CATH L C Q T N. 55

” ” N ! n o it. ature said the i quisit r ; you must ” — conquer nature by grace . While this conversa i f t on was going orward , the poor wretch expired . B b his Mr. ower now egan to project escape, and revolved in his own mind every possible method of effecting it ; but the difficulties were formidable n in the extreme , and the conseque ces, in case

of f u woiild f . ail re, be atal At length a circum ih h stance occurred , whic he was called upon to act with brutal severity against a nobleman and who f his lady, were his best and dearest riends, f and who had incurred the malice o the church ,

B i . which determined Mr . ower in his resolut on The manner of it was all that required considera i tion . It occurred to him to solic t permission to make a pilgrimage to Loretto but conscious of his

f ' d f secret purpose, he eared the wor s would alter f him on his tongue, and his very con usion betray . ffi oh At last he collected su cient resolution, and tained the immediate assent of the inquisitor

general .

H he m aving made his preparations, ounted his

t h b - be horse determined to take all e y roads, it ing upwards of four hundred miles before he could ’ of h get out the pope s jurisdiction . As soon as e

' the the one reached the place where road divided , f

part leading to Loretto , the other in the direction in he wished to go, he hesitated some minutes

great perplexity . The dangers of his adventure presented themselves in such lively colours that 56 HISTO RY O F THE he was almost t empted to quit h is design ; but mus us tering all his strength of mind, he p hed his horse

into the contrary road . During the first seventeen days the diflicult na of ture the route he was obliged to pursue, among mountains, rocks and precipices, in paths generally ' k ad no better than sheep trac s, prevented his v cin an g more than one hundred miles ; and , in the as s of mean time, soon as the uspicion his attempt was rumoured, express despatches were sent, and every possible method adopted to overtake and secti re him ; and , indeed, the expresses in a very b short time considera ly outstripped him . During seventeen days he supported himself on ’ b f goat s milk o tained rom the shepherds, and such coarse food as he could purchase . At the expira of f tion this period, having asted nearly three days, fi b h he was compelled to seek the rst ha itation , whic

- H e happened to be a post house . requested the landlady to give him some victuals ; but looking b saw the d a out, he a paper posted up over oor which contained an exact description of his own ff of b f person, and o ered a reward a out our thousand dollars to any one who should carry him to the f or . inquisition , and three thousand dollars his head

s b To add to his terror , he was recognised y two f an of s individuals, who, either rom w t pre ence f m of a mi o ind or cour ge, p er tted him , though um of ffi der circumstances great di culty, to escape . H e was now obliged to take refuge in the woods O I IN UISIT CATH L C Q IO N. 67

' ' where he must have been famished but for the pto ‘ teeting care of Profi deflce. In this disconsolate and wandering manner he had once wellnigh fa th of n llen into e hands his enemies, having bee

‘ on the point of enteringa large townwhich he dis covered at a' distance ; but was fortunately told by a person whom he accidentally met, that it was ’ nuncio o Lucerne, the residence of the pope s ’ and from whom all the expresses concerning him f sel had been despatched .

d d and . One ismal , ark, wet night, Mr Bower fi nd could neither shelter, ascertain where he was, C n nor what ourse to pursue, whe he perceived a led light at a great distance , which him to a miser H e able cottage . knocked , and some one de -

e w o b . m nded h he was, and what rought him there had Mr Bower replied, he was a stranger, and

. m an lost his way Way cried the , there is ’ ” 11 0 h 2 w I P way ere to lose . Why here am ” of B In In the canton erne . the canton of he t Go Berne exclaimed in raptures ; hank d, i ” T am at last afe. he e e then I g man , xc edingly w' him ed . perplex , came do n and let in , and Mr Bower inquired if he had heard any thing of a person who had lately escaped from the inquisi

. all of af tion Ay l we have. heard him, ter off sending so many expresses, and making such a noise about him God grant that he may be safe, ' ” and keep out of their hands. Mr. Bower said,

‘ ” am the eas s I very person. The p ant, in a tran 58 HISTO RY O F THE

of and .imm edi port joy, clasped him in his arms, f wbd' him ately called his wi e, received with every

‘ re f Mi . B expression o pleasure . ower passed the mainder of the night in com rt and security, and on the following morning the man set out with

“ t o c but u l him dire t his path, previo s y insisted on his returning a little way to look at the road he B ti l travelled the preceding night Mr. ower di T d ik h . he not much l e t is peasant, perceiving b for d his dou ts, reproved him istrusting that Pro vidence which had so wonderfully preserved him , and soon convinced him that he only wanted to

fi for f increase his con dence in it the uture, by showing him the danger he had escaped ; for he

“ and his horse had . passed a precipice where the

“ b of s a r readth the path would carcely dmit a ho se, and the very sight of which made him shud der ! B ’ It is unnecessary to pursue Mr . ower s narra ! It s ffi t f tive any farther is u cient to s ate, that a ter and b th e encountering many perils, eing on eve t m l H of capture several i es, it p eased eaven to con him f d duct through all dangers, till he oun him

' ”E l self at last safely landed in ng and . What his fi f f f m feelings were, on nding himsel ree ro the clutches of the inhuman mon ste rs of the inquisi h r b tion, may be better imagined t an desc i ed , but perhaps no better method can be adopted of show i ng the reader the ruthless and ferocious character f f an o the persons rom whom he fled , th by m en ' tioning three diflerent modes of torture practised

60 HIS TO RY OF THE

' ' and the first who ' applied the telescope to any valu

able purpose in the science of the heavens .

‘ This great man having adopted the Copernican f — or no w l system o the universe , as it is cal ed, the

' ewtonian the is of N that is, that sun the centre mo b of tion to a num er her planets, and, among others, ' v diflerent the earth, which re olve round the sun at periods— he attracted the attention of the inquisi i" ' ned b f b tors, was a g e ore their tri unal , and in

danger of g put to death . Now listen to the p pompous manner in which the indictment against the venerable Galileo was drawn up by these in l quisitoria dunces. of F Whereas you , Galileo, lorence, aged f in the 1 6 1 5 seventy, were in ormed against year , oflice for an in this holy , maint i ing as true a cer f tain alse doctrine held by many, namely, that the of sun is the centre the world, and immovable, and that the earth moves round it with a daily motion : likewise that you have kept up a corres pOndence with certain German m athematicians concerning the same : likewise that you have pub lished e i some lett rs concerning the solar spots, n which you have explained “ the same doctrine as ou true, and that y have answered the objections which in several places were raised against you from the authority of the holy Scriptures by con struing or glossing over the said Scriptures accord o m ions : fi ing to your own p and nally, whereas O I IN UISI CATH L C Q TIO N . 61

of n d the f of the copy a writi g un er orm a letter, re porte d to have been written by you to one who f was ormerly your scholar, has been shown to us, in which you have followed the hypothesis of Co ernicus a p , which contains cert in propositions con trary to the true sense and authority of the holy

Scriptures. i Now, this holy tr bunal being desirous to pro vide against the inconveniences and rh ngers which this statement may occasion to the d etrim en t of the hol aith of y f , by the command the most emi

&c. &c. of nent lords , the supreme and universal f inquisition , have caused the two ollowing propo b of sitions concerning the immova ility the sun, and the motion of the earth to be thus qualified by the divines, viz . of That the sun is the centre the world, and immovable, with a local motion, is an absurd pro f in position, alse philosophy, and absolutely hereti cal se it , becau is expressly contrary to the Scrip tures . “ That the earth is neither the centre of the world, nor immovable , but that it possesses a t daily mo ion , is likewise an absurd proposition , f alse in philosophy, and, theologically considered, at least erroneous in point of faith . But as it pleased us in the first instance to pro ceed ou it d kindly with y , was ecreed in the said i f F bru congregat on, held be ore our lord N e ar 25 1 61 6 y , , that the most eminent lord cardinal F 62 HIS TO RY O F TH E

B ellarmine should command 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 offi ce to abandon the same ; and that you t ef should neither teach it to o hers, d end it, nor say any thing concerning it ; and that if you should b be not su mit to this order, you should put in a j il, ”Q for m s Thus, erely entertaining and expres ing an O pinion with regard to the system of the uni ” an d verse, says eminent mo ern writer, was the greatest philosopher of his age subjected to be im of i im prisoned in the jail the inquisition , wh ch prisonment almo st necessarily inferred the for feiture of f b of b if li e, y means urning ; and the w holy inquisitors, in their great mercy , ere pleased not b of to urn him to death , the circum stance be ing imprisoned by them necessarily inferred the

' f rf O f o eiture all his property , and the consigning f . B his name to in amy esides all this, there are reasons for believing that this great man had actu ally been subjected to the torture ’ After enumerating all the errors of Galileo s o n m writings, and insisting his recanting the , the I n f holy inquisitors proceed nvoki g, there ore, the most holy n ame of our Lord Jesus Christ, and of r m his most glo ious other Mary, ever a virgin , b t d fi e &c we do, y his our e nitive s ntence, . &c. th o u said a “ judge and declare, at y the G lileo have, O LIC IN SI’I‘ CATH QUI IO N . 93

Upon account of those thi ngs which are produced in the written process, and which you have con f u f essed as above, subjected yo rsel to a strong sus icion of ffice b v n p heresy in this holy o , y belie i g, is f and holding to be true, a doctrine which alse and contrary to the sacred and divine Scripture : su of of viz . that the n is the centre the orb the f earth, and does not move rom 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 f d as O al and de en ed probable pinions, though they have been declared and determined to to be contrary the sacred Scripture ; and , con t all sequen ly , that you have incurred the censures and penalties appointed and promulgated by the f sacred canons, rom which it is our pleasure that h be fi you s ould absolved, provided , that you do rst,

t s e and s wi h a incere h art, a true faith , abjure , cur e, and f f detest be ore us, the a oresaid errors and here

and ontr r t sies, every other error and heresy c a y o and h the Catholic Apostolic Roman c urch, in the ” f m shall be be ou s or which prescri d to y by u . f hu Galileo was accordingly orced, in the most m iliatin g manner, to renounce those sublime truths u s which now no one do bt , and which his whole useful life had been employed in placing upon an

. f immovable basis It is not. i ntended to de end Galileo for denying upon oath what he knew was truth ; yet he had no alternative between this and " suffering death : but what can be thought of the 64 HISTO RY O F THE

as holy church, and the holy inquisition, which, the enemies of truth and righteousness as well as f science and literature, imposed this dread ul alter native Upon one of the wisest of the sons of men .

CH APTE R V .

' — — Efie ts Inquisition in Spain Philip II . c of the inquisition in — — Spain Auto da F6 in Valladolid in 1 559 Fate of Don Carlos — — de Seek Ex ecution of Donna Jane B ohorques E x tract of a ser — furn s es a t fa mon preached at this Auto Charles II . i h gil got — for an Auto S tate of the inquisition under successive S panish k n s—Its declne— bolished b a oleon and rev ved b Fer i g i A y N p , i y ’ I — an co Wh te — V an elen s account of his own dinand VI . Bl i H — sufferings An instance of death by the pendulum as late as the 2 year 1 8 0.

I N the last chapter a digression was made from of of the course this history, the thread which will II t . now be resumed . I was under Philip says

Llorente, that the Spanish inquisition committed the greatest cruelties ; and the reign of this prince is the most remarkable period in the history of the

H e b 1 527 . holy office . was orn in Nursed in the of lap bigotry, he had imbibed in his cradle those principles of intolerance which distinguished the

~ Romish ecclesiastics who surrounded him . The f inquisition was cherished by this anatic, and , in his b fi hands, it ecame a rebrand that wrapped his s of s dominion in the flames religious per ecution. O I IN UIS I IO CATH L C Q T N . 65

In Castile and Arragon, at this period , there were ' e difierent no less than eight en inquisitorial courts, whose counsellors were called apostolical . There were also numberless officials belonging to the ffi f holy o ce, and about twenty thousand amiliars a dispersed through the kingdom, who q the

‘ of s f odious parts pies and in ormers, and through whose activity and vigilance the dungeons were

w d fi . al ays crowde , and the res kindled The dreadful influence of the inquisition pervaded of every limb the realm , like a poison which was consuming its Vitals . Grievously was Spain tor m ented i and with this ev l spirit ; she continued , n ’ h duri g Philip s reign , to writ e under the agonies o f demoniac possession .

s b This institution , says Wat on, was no dou t well calculated to produce an uniformity of reli ious f s g pro e sion but it had a tendency , likewise , to w of f f destroy the s eets social li e, to banish all ree ’ of b dom thought and speech , to distur men s minds and with the most disquieting apprehensions, to produce the most intolerable slavery, by reducing persons of all ranks of life to a state of abject de ndence pe upon priests, whose integrity , were it of s i even greater than that other men, a n every b n false religion it is less, must have ee corrupted t hy ' the uncontrollable authority which they were allowed to exercise . By this tribunal a visible change was wrought f dis in the temper o the people , and reserve, and F 2 66 HIS TO RY O F THE trust, and jealousy became the distinguishing cha racter of It fi a Spaniard . perpetuated and con rmed It in the reign of ignorance and superstition . flamed the rage of bigotry and the cruel specta cles to which, in the execution of its decrees, it f fe amiliarized the people, nourished in them that rocious spirit which, in the Netherlands and Ame f rica, they mani ested by deeds that have fixed an everlasting reproach upon the Spanish name .

The emperor Charles V . in his will had charged in the of of his successor, name God, and out the ff he b great a ection ore him , to honour and sustain oflice of the the holy inquisition . Philip obeyed

too for n o the injunction well , t content with the s b cruelties he committed on hore, he esta lished the inquisition on board his fleets at sea ; but it existed

' as f e the a very short time , it was ound to imp de

H to progress of navigation . e e ven carried it e b l America, where very soon thr e tri una s were erected, one at Lima, one at Mexico , and one at

Carthagena . That at Mexico immediately gave f of for 1 574 a proo its cruel parentage ; , in , an uto da fewas celebrated with so much pomp and splen dour, that eyewitnesses have declared that it could of 1 559 only be compared to that Valladolid, in , f at which Philip and the royal amily attended .

O f this some notice will now be taken . 1 559 a fé In , an uto da had been solemnized at f a the city o V lladolid , in which a large number of Protestants had been committed to the flames

68 HISTO RY O F THE

of thy subjects ! Save us from this cruel death ’ ” N eu we do not deserve it. o , Philip sternly s r d I f we e . would mysel carry wood to burn my f own son , were he such a wretch as thou . A ter b d S fol which, he eheld the horri pectacle that lowe d with a composure and tranquillity that be tokene d the most unfeeli ng heart. That Philip actually did afterwards cause the in quisition to proceed against and condemn to death son b a f his only Don Carlos, o t ined universal belie , and is recorded by almost all writers ; but Llo has b rente shown, eyond all controversy, that the It inquisition had nothing to do in the matter . is an ff f b a air, there ore, which elongs to general his b tory . There is little dou t that Don Carlos was m ad h m stark , and must ave been conde ned to b f if in death y his ather, he had not died in the m for for teri , having attempted parricide, and hav ing formed a plan for u surping the sovereignty f O f Flanders by mean s o a civil war . In f w n 1 560 the ollo i g year, , an auto was cele

f r br ted o . a at Seville, expressly Philip One of the most illustriou s martyrs was Don Juan Ponce de

s b Leon . Montano, says a sen i le author who had b f f u een his bosom riend, and per ormed the mo rn ful of d task recor ing his martyrdom , relates that it ’ was Po n ce de Leon s cu stom to walk backward and f of orward upon the place execution , contem plating it as the theatre upon which so many

of « his brethren had consummated their sacrifice, O I IN UISI IO CATH L C Q T N . 69 and where he must one day expect, in like m an

ner . H , to bear witness to the truth istory pre sents few finer pictures of the effect which certain danger produces upon a mind resolved . Llorente has given an account of the chief vic f of tims o this auto . From his history, one case Bo deep interest will. be selected . Donna Jane r ues of ho q , a lady high rank, (whose sister had f perished in a ormer auto, having previously de clared in prison that Donna Jane had been familiar

with her doctrines and had not opposed them,) far ad was taken to the secret prisons, at the time n vanced in her pregnancy . She was delivered i n f of prison , her child take rom her at the end eight d fi of of ays, in de ance the most sacred rights na of ture, and she was imprisoned in one the com

m on du ngeons of the holy O ffi ce . It fortunately

happened, that she had as a companion in her cell a young girl who was afterwards burnt as a Ln

theran , and who, pitying her situation , treated her with the utmost tenderness during her conva n lesce ce . She soon required the same care . She b was tortured , and all her lim s were bruised and

almost dislocated . Jane Bohorques attended her

in this dreadful state . Jane Bohorques was not yet quite recovered when she was tortured in the h ' same manner. The cords with whic her still f bOne eeble limbs were bound , penetrated to the ,

and several blood - vessels breaking i n her body,

torrents of blood flowed from her m th. She 70 HISTO RY O F THE

was taken back to her dungeon in a dying state, t and expired a few days after. The inquisi ors " thought they expiated this cruel murder by de claring Jane B ohorques innocent in the auto da fé f U i re o this day. nder what an overwhelm ng b sponsi ility, exclaims Llorente, will these mon sters appear before the tribunal of the Almighty ! From the sermon which was preached o n the i of f occas on the auto at Valladolid, be ore Philip, b as has een stated, and which may serve the reader as an ample specimen of the blasphemous rhapso dies usually employed by the friars at an auto da fé , a single extract is now presented And thou, O h most holy tribunal of the faith ! for boundless k ages mayest thou be preserved, so as to eep us rm and f fi pure in the same aith , and promote the of Of punishment of the enemies God . thee can I say what the H oly Spirit said of the church f i the of ! Thou art a r, my love, as tents edar, as " a of B ut the curt ins Solomon what parallels, similes, or comparisons are these What praise, or what heightened contrast can that be which d of ! compares a elicate beauty to the tents edar, of ! and the spotted skins Solomon St. Jerome h discovered the mystery, and says, that t e people of ! f of edar being ond the chase, therein took great delight ; and for this purpose had always fi their tents pitched in the eld, on which, in order of to prove the valour their arms, they spread the of the skins animals killed in chase, and hung up CATHO LIC INQUISITION 7 1

a of the he ds the wild beasts they had slain . This was the greatest beauty of their tents to this the H oly Spirit compares the beauty of the church ;

and this is also to - day the glory of the holy tribu f nal of the aith . To have killed these horrid wild beasts and enemies of God whom we now behold f f r on this theatre, some by taking li e rom their e rors f n , reconciling them to our holy aith, and i spiring them with contrition for their faults ; n obdu others by condemni g them, through their to racy, the flames, where , losing their corporeal b lives, their o stinate souls will immediately burn B of in hell . y this means God will be avenged his d f w greatest enemies, drea will ollo these exam o b trium ples, and the h ly tri unal will remain ” & phant, c. II d in 1 58 9 Philip . ied , and was succeeded by III Philip . during whose reign persecution drove f m of ro Spain one million Morescoes, all useful f and industrious citizens, who went to A rica. It would occupy too much tim e and Space to trace the enormities of this institution under each suc

cessiv e . wh king The pusillanimous Charles II. o 1 665 succeeded in , had implored the inquisition to indulge his barbarous eyes with the spectacle of da fé f an auto , and he supplied a agot for the on which s pile _ his own subject were to be con m t of f su ed . The s icks this agot were gilt ; it was d ed fl er i a orn by ow s, and tied up . w th ribands, and 72 HISTO RY O F THE

was fi h was it , on the occasion , the rst stick t at placed upon the pile .

During the reign ofPhilip V . which commenced

1 700 an - in , d lasted forty six years, an annual auto da fé was celebrated in all the tribunals of the in

ui i ion . q s t Some held two, and even three had of taken place at Seville and Grenada . Judaism , which a fuller account will be elsewhere given, was nearly extirpated . d I n the reign of Ferdinand V I. literature revive for in Spain , which the way was already paved , and with its revival the fury of this tribunal began b new to abate . Freemasonry, an o ject entirely , was what now chiefly occupied its attention . I in _ 1 59 . Charles II . ascended the throne 7 There f was a remarkable decrease in the number o autos. and of ! nowledge made rapid strides, the laws the inquisition , though they had not been altered , were administered upon milder principles .

V in 1 78 8 . Charle s I . succeeded The Jesuits a were expelled, learning made considerable d and vancement, the inquisition continued to de 1 8 08 cline till the year , when Napoleon conquered of Spain , and decreed the suppression the inquisi

. In 1 8 1 3 of k tion , the cortes general the ingdom e b in adopted the m asure, and declared the tri unal compatible with the political constitution -O f the

. U o b of s nation p n the a dication Charle , his son II Ferdinand V . was placed upon the throne ; but o I SI cam on NQUI TIO N. 73 while he was disputing with his father on the sub c of j et the abdication, which Charles declared was f N compulsory, and there ore not binding, apoleon settled the dispute by elevating his brother Joseph s to the throne of Spain . When Joseph was e ” of a knowledged king Sp in , says Llorente, who ar of had been secret y the inquisition, the archives of of of the supreme council, and the inquisition fi the court, were con ded to me, in consequence f his a roba o an order from his majesty. With pp th tion, I burnt all e criminal processes except those r f which belonged to histo y , rom their importance, ” or the rank of the accused .

When Bonaparte, however, restored the crown f F V II of fi o Spain to erdinand . one the rst mea sures of his administration was to annul the acts of the re- cortes, and to establish the holy ofi ce in

f . 1 8 1 its ull powers This was in 4 . It is difficult to know exactly the acts of the in quisition since its re- assumption of power ; but the spirit of the tribunal may still be best perceived ffi ‘ in its various o cial documents, amongst which the first is that which contains the instructions transmitted by the respective tribunals of Euro pean and American Spain to each of the confessors belonging to their several districts. This docu d f i 1 8 1 5 ment was ated rom Sev lle, in . The other document was issued from Madrid in the same of year, and contains a list prohibited books, which includes almost every book published in Spain G 74 HISTO RY O F THE

I n f during the revolution . another edict rom Ma d id for of , r , which paved the way the one which

mention. has just been made, the inquisitors of s and of speak them elves, their intentions, in lan guage which cannot be listened to without con “ ” tempt. All, says the edict, having unani m ousl y agreed,that now, as well as ever, modera i f tion, sweetness, and char ty ought to shine orth ” f n as ormi g the character of the holy oflice. N 0 auto da fé has been celebrated in Spain since ” of. I f the period spoken mysel , says the reve t i I. B rend lanco Whi e, saw the pile on wh ch 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

f 1 8 5. o heresy, in 7 She perished on a spot where I f thousands had met the same fate . lament rom my heart that the structure which supported their melting limbs was destroyed during the late con l io It b v u s ns. should have een preserved with the infallible and imm uta ble canon of the council of i t for the of f Trent over , detestation uture ” ages . It may be proper here to remark, that Mr. of White, now a minister the gospel , was formerly ’ ' In f a Catholic pr1 est. the account he gives O him self in his Practical and Internal Evidences ” against Catholicism , he says, that at times light clouds O f doubt passed over his mind as to his re li ion b g , which at last ecame so overcast, that he ” of was on the borders atheism .

7 6 HIS TO RY O F THE

of &c. us or you shall expire in the midst them , J tice, God, and the king require that it should be

fu fi its . so . This holy tribunal will l l duties Y es The agitation of the moment permitted me to

few utter only a words, which, however, were not I i f listened to, and was hurr ed away to the arther ai end O f the room, the j ler and his assistants exert H suc ing all their strength to secure me . aving c f eeded in raising me rom the ground, they placed

- f h under my arm pits two high crutches, rom whic I rem ained f _ suspended a ter which my right arm

was tied to the corresponding crutch, while my f t en le t being kept in a horizontal posi ion, they cased my hand O pen ia a wooden glove extending f m to the wrist, which shut very tightly, and ro which two large iron bars ran as far as the shoul

ders, keeping the whole in the same position in r which it was placed . My waist and legs we g similarly bound to the crutches by which I i gns supported so that I shortly remained without actifi n of any other than that breathing, though ffi with di culty . H aving remained a short time in this painful f position , that unmerci ul tribunal returned to their f ! ormer charges . orrilla, with a tremulous voice that seemed to evince his thirst for blood and fi of vengeance, repeated the rst those charges which he had just read, namely, whether I did not belong to a society whose object was to overthrow carnomo I UISI I NQ T O N. 77 our holy religion, and the august throne of our Catholic sovereign P I replied that it was impos sible I should plead guilty to an accusation of that e f nature. Without any subt r uge, say whether it i ’ s . It so, he added in an angry tone is not, ’ sir, I replied . The glove which guided my arm , and which seemed to be resting on a wheel , began its f now to turn, and with movements I elt, by de f grees, an acute pain , especially rom the elbow to the shoulder, a general convulsion throughout my f am r e, and a cold sweat overspreading my face . d ! ’ The interrogatory continue , but orrilla s ques tion of Is it so P Is it so were the only words that struck my ear amidst the excruciating pain I I endured , which became so intense that fainted of away, and heard no more the voices those can

nihals . I I f f When recovered my senses , ound mysel of stretched on the floor my dungeon , my hands f f and eet secured with heavy etters and manacles, f of astened by a thick chain , the nails which my

tormentors were still rivetting. It was with much f It difficulty that I dragged mysel to my bed . seemed to me that the noise of my chains would

awaken my jailers, whose presence was to me the I most fatal of my torments . spent the whole of this night struggling with the intense pains which ff of were the e ect the torture, and with the work of of a ings my excited mind. This state ment l a f whi h agit tion , and the burning ever, p was every G 2 78 HIS TO RY O F THE

i t moment ncreasing, soon hrew me into a deli rium , during which I scarcely noticed the opera tion performed by my jailers of O pening the seams ” of my coat to examine the state of my arm . f A ter languishing a long time, and enduring ff ff es reat su erings, he succeeded in e ecting his g , a in b n f 1 8 f c pe the eginni g o 8 1 , took re uge in the u E R ssian dominions, visited ngland and France,

and returned to Spain in 1 8 2 1 . In 1 8 20 n the year , when the i quisition was o O b of thr wn pen y the cortes Madrid, upwards o a of f f score prisoners was ound in it, not one of of whom , knew the name the city in which he f was, nor was any one o them perfectly aware of of the crime laid to his charge . One these

- b prisoners, says Llorente, had een condemned , and ff f w was to have su ered on the ollo ing day. H is pu nishment was to be dea th by the pen du f lum . The method o thus destroying the victi m is as follows — The condemned is fastened in a n d groove upon a table, on his back ; suspe de above d u of h sh him is a pen ul m , the edge whic is arp, and it is so constructed as to become longer with every movement. The wretch sees this impla ment of destruction swinging to and fro above m him , and every mo ent the keen edge approach ing nearer and nearer; at length it cuts the skin of f his nose, and gradually cuts on , until li e is ex " n . t Itm a if O ffi ti ct y be doubted the holy ce, in its m , ever invented ercy i a more humane and rapid O I I UISI I N CATH L C NQ T O . 79

of ex t rminatm method e g heresy, or insuring con fiscation ! This, let it be remembered, was a pun

a of . . ishm nt the secret tribunal, A D

H C APTE R V I.

— Establishment of the inquisition in Portugal S aavedra the — — swindler His achievements and punishment J ews in Portugal — — Their sufferings The N ew Christians cruelly treated Diminu — — tos Anecdote Inj urious consequences to Portugalfrom the per — scontion of the N ew Christians Distinction between O ld and N ew hr st ans bo d C i i a lishe .

TH E establishment of the inquisiti on in Portu gal was attended by circumstances too curious to be omitted in this volume, although the subject had been involved in unnecessary doubt. The first bloody harvest was over in Spain before the reapers descended into the fields of Portugal for this country had successfully resisted all the at i tempts of the popes to ntro duce it. A swindler is said to have effected at last what the court ’ of Rome had ceased to attempt. This man s name H was Juan de Saavedra . aving long lived by his f wits, and being especially dextrous in orging pub s be lic grant , conceived that it would be a good speculation to act as inquisitor in Portugal ; and i accordingly he made a journey nto that, country of it for the purpose reconnoitring , and learning 8 0 HISTO RY O F THE in what manner it would be expedient to proceed. a w Returning towards And lusia, he met ith a mem ber of a newly established order coming from i Rome with certain bulls, relating to its establ sh ment : he had not been named himself to any place

honour or trust in these bulls, and this had oured a ff f him . Sa vedra o ered to orge new ones for in him, and insert his name the manner he de f sired, which was done accordingly, and the orger a a for H ret ined the origin ls his own purpose. aving f now a prototype be ore him, he drew up such a ffi the bull as he wanted, and a xed to it genuine

l . sea s This was done at Tavira in Algarve . H is a was t e next me sure to return oAyamont , f F where there was a provincial o the ranciscans, f who had lately arrived rom Rome . Saavedra made his appearance in the character of a simple

- man, saying, that six well dressed men, travelling ad d post, h ropped these parchments upon the road, ' which he had found shortly afterwards ; and know a r t ing that the provinci l unde stood such hings, he had if brought them to him , meaning, they were of any consequence, to lose no time in following the h persons to whom t ey must have belonged . F The ranciscan examined the parchment, and was delighted to find that it was a bull for the establish f o ffi . H e ment the holy o ce charged Saavedra, f there ore, to lose no time in overtaking the cardi nal and his party. The impostor had two reasons for proceeding in CATHO LIC IN QUISITIO N 8 1 this manner : he wished to satisfy himself that the f orgery was well executed, and also to spread a f broad the tidings, which would acilitate his ope

. b f rations The next usiness was, by means o his of as accomplices, one whom acted his secretary , to establish a household at Seville . They engaged b a ove sixscore domestics, and the chapel was fitted ’ fo r Up the cardinal s reception . At a fit time they B gave out that they were going to adajoz, to wait for their master there accordingly all the baggage was packed up, and they departed but when they had proceeded, Saavedra met them they received him with the greatest expressions of joy and sur prise, and returned to Seville , where he made his

of entrance amid the rejoicings the whole people. ’ H a b ere he was lodged in the rch ishop s palace, and remained twenty days, during which he pro duced a bond for thirteen thousand ducats due to f of for him rom the marquis Tarija, money lent at : Rome the date was accurate, the signature well f difli cult in a executed , and he ound no y obt ining H them . aving done this, he moved on to Badajoz, and from thence despatched his secretary to the king of Portugal with letters from the pope and the emperor. The king was astonished, and ex pressed displeasure by the manner O f his silence d the secretary was alarme , and hastily returning a n to Sa vedra, entreated him to be co tent with what d t of en they had alrea y gained, and to hink only joying it in security . 8 2 HISTO RY O F THE

in The dauntless swindler, however, persisted n his project, sent his accomplice back to Lisbo , and directed him not to leave the palace till he had received an answer from the king : he told him also not to fail to observe that the cardinal was a and young man , would immediately return to

i be . Rome w th the answer, it what it might Joam , confounded, and perhaps intimidated, required b twenty days to deli erate, which Saavedra readily u i granted, because it was not possible to comm n of h cate with Rome m that time . At the end t ose days the king sent to conduct the mock cardinal of u into Portugal . Counsellors co rse would not n b Joam be wanti g to recommend o edience, and was too timid to risk any thing like a direct oppo i sition to the commands of the pope . The mpos d in tor was lo ged three months the palace, esta lished ffi b the holy o ce, and spent three months more in travelling about the country , exercising he his i nquisitorial powers wherever went, and amassing m oney to a degree which seem s to have besotted him .

The trick, however, was discovered in Spain, and the marquis of Barca Rota having made a the f priest at Moura invite mock cardinal to a east, seized him, and sent him prisoner to Madrid.

Cardinal Tavira, who was at that time grand in quisitor and governor of Castile during the em ’ eror s p absence, examined him, and sent an account of the whole proceedings to Rome . Saavedra had

8 4 HIS TO RY O F THE

ff of f l is all controversy. The a air the a se nuncio f amiliar to the world, in histories, romances, and It l b e dramatic pieces. shou d observed, however, that Llorente goes no further than to prove that i Saavedra, finding the inquis tion established in

Portugal in a manner contrary to his notions, went ff f ac to work to put it on a di erent ooting, and tually succeeded in changing it into the form it was had in Spain, which his model . In a former chapter an account of the persecu of of h b the tions the Jews, and t eir expulsion y

f . inquisition rom Spain, was given A great number of this injured people applied to Joam II. k of O ff ing Portugal, ering him a large sum for per mission to enter his kingdom and embark for f of A rica . Some the Portuguese counsellors ad f vised the king to re use them a passage urging, if the would that they were driven to despair, y submit to be baptized which , however little it fi ubb of might pro t the st orn natures the old, would ff f or . 0am prove e ectual their children J , however, of wanted money, and wanted the Jews also, whom he expected to make use in his African conquests

. H e f and colonies there ore admitted them, upon of paying a toll eight cruzados a head, babes at the breast only were exempted armourers and arti ficers or f in brass iron were to enter at hal price, if a they chose to rem in in Portugal . The places fi by which they were to enter were speci ed , and

- a h toll gatherers st tioned to admit t em . These per O I m ms CATH L C q rrton . 95 secuted wretches brought the plague with them great numbers died by the road - side and in the w t fo f as e country, r lack o all human charity . The calamities which they subsequently endured in this in f country and A rica rendered them desperate, of and many them consented to baptism, and re n fan turned to Spai , cying that now they had made fi l the sacri ce, they should be secure . Litt e did they foresee the curse which they thus brought a upon themselves and ent iled upon their posterity . of N ew The miseries the Christians, as they were

1 styled, were greater than those to which either the

Jews or the Moors had been subjected . The troubles which the Jews had to encounter

f re- m and a ter their settle ent in Portugal Spain, forced them to adopt every possible means of mi tigating the f ury of their persecutors but the greatest effort of the New Christians to obtain re f of II i lie was in the time Pedro . They petit oned for of f r an act oblivion o the past, and required that the inquisition should act upon the principles

of of . If that Rome this were granted, they pro mised that they would , within one year, land five t of I thousand roops in any part ndia, and contri bute twenty thousand cruzados annually towards the military expenses of that remote region that they would defray the cost of all the missions and O f schools, and sending out all the governors and viceroys . That they would contribute to the sup Of s port a minister at Rome, grant large subsidie H as Hisronv or THE

n 1 n war, and form an E ast Ind1 a Compa y, with a C l of w large apita , all the duties hich should go to C t the, rown and tha they would do other things h i of great import to the general weal . But all t e r exertions proved unavailing in procuring any

‘ radical and permanent amelioration of their con dition . The principle upo n which the inquisition acted as the f — W , that Judaism was like scro ula once in ‘ the systennthere was no getting it out ; it mat tered nbt how deeply the breed was crossed, whether a man was a half- new Chfi stianfi or a

f- t for quarteron, or a hal quar eron, ( the degrees were as nicely discriminated as the shades of the H colour in Spanish colonies,) the ebrew leaven

’ ' u be was in the blood . The v lgar were taught to lieve that Judaism could be sucked ‘ in with the of e milk a Jewish nurse . This was dir ctly oppo site to the practice of the Romish church towards all other converts if a missionary could sprinkle H a savage or a indoo, they were satisfied . A story of f is told a emale devotee in Japan, who used to invoke the name ofA m eda one hundred and forty of thousand times in the course the day and night, b that eing her whole employment. The Romish missionaries succeeded in converting her and the ff f off e e ect was, that she le t invoking Amed , and called upon the virgin Mary one hundred and

f . f orty thousand times a day Why, there ore, when

of such conversions as these were boasted , were O I I UISI IO CATH L C NQ T N . 37 the New Christians dealt with so differently Be cause the Portuguese inquisition was literally and f for of truly a con ederacy, the purpose acquiring property by imprisoning, torturing, ruining, and d f f estroying whole amilies, under alse pretences O f Judaism . b The New Christians were rich, ecause the same causes which have always made the Jews flouri sh b f n wherever they have een le t i peace, held good with respect to these compulsory converts . When a m z e o ever victi was sei d, his pr perty was also

. ss for c seized One witne any harge, even though ' f w- suflerer w h he were a ello in the inquisition , hic

ffi . The was usually the case, was su cient charges en f s were g erally, re u ing to eat pork, or hare, or

fi sh s without cales, or p utting on a clean shirt on and of a b Saturdays, others similar nature eing always such as it was next to impo ssible to dis prove . Those who persiste d to the last that they of d G were innocent Ju aism , that they were atho

ie f l s, and would die in the Catholic aith, were sen tenced as convicted and negative ; and this dif ference was made between them and the real t Jewish martyr, that hey were strangled at the was the . stake, while latter burnt alive But by far the greater number of persons whom the in uisition q has put to death as Jews, have died pro i test ng themselves Christians, and invoking the name of Jesus with their expiring breath . At the time these executions were in frequent 8 8 HISTO RY O F THE

f f use, oreign Jews were suffered to requent Por t i of ugal on business, on cond tion wearing a dis tin uishin w s te g g dress, and being al ay at nded by a f of of amiliar of the inquisition . It is related one f l them, that he went with his ami iar to see an f i auto da é. First in the process on came the peni f tents these, he was told, had con essed they were

: Jews, and besought mercy a light punishment would be imposed on them . Those who were to b e f “ burnt ollowed . Would not they then ask ” H e mercy ! inquired th e Jew. was told they ff for b f n were to su er eing negative, and re usi g to f If con ess that they were Jews. they appointed ” f “ me inquisitor, said the Jew to his amiliar, I I would act in the same manner. would let all f who con essed themselves Jews go, and would burn ” those who denied it. H orrible as this is, it is not the most atrocious part of the proceeding of the holy office . The of ersons case those p who were called Diminutos, was more pitiable than those who died for persist B of ing in the truth . y the practice this accursed f of tribunal, the accused was neither in ormed the f precise act with which he was charged, nor the In names of his accusers . most cases it happened f that hope and ear, and human weakness, made him — admit that he was guilty the great object of the b b f inquisition eing to o tain this con ession, because confiscation followed and the fairest promises d were never spare to bring about this end. But ' CATHO LIC IN QUISITlO N 8 9

here the unhappy man found himself caught in a ' of H e f of web iniquity. must now con ess what

he is guilty, and who were the persons whom he b suspected of having orne witness against him . If f i uff he a led in this, he s ered as a Diminuto, that is, for not having confessed in full and went to exe cution with the miserable reflection of having in volved all whom he named in the same calamities with himself for these poor wretches would ran s b ack their memories to save themselves, y the vicarious sacrifice which this devilish tribunal re quired run through the whole of their kin to the

remotest branches, and put down their bosom friends and most distant acquaintances in the fatal

. of list One instance is upon record, a man who

accused in this manner his own daughter, whom at the age of five he had put into a nunnery ; and f rom her nunnery, in consequence, she was drag ff ged to the inquisition . A woman who su ered as a Diminuta had accused above six hundred per f a sons, yet ailing to guess her own ccusers, was led

out to execution . On the way, her daughter, who da fé appeared in the same auto , called to her aloud

to remind her of some relations, hoping to enable ” “ f r I her to save her li e. Child, she eplied, have left no one unmentioned either in Castile or ” in Portugal . They both died protesting their ’ declarin the f nocence, and g y con essed themselves guilty, and accused others, in the hope of saving their lives. 90 HISTO RY O F THE

But the cases of startling cruelty and injustice which might be cited are inexhaustible . What were the consequences ! An emigration , slow, of silent, and continual , followed, unlike that the f H f Moors rom Spain , and the uguenots rom

f . France, but even more pernicious and bale ul Those New Christians who could leave the coun f it try, le t ; they whom circumstances rooted , as it were , to the soil, sent their property abroad , that it might at least be out of the reach of the inquisi h l tion . The emigrants carried wit them a natura hatred of the country ; they submitted plans of conquest for the Dutch ; furnished inform ation and f money, and enabled the Dutch to wrest rom the

Portuguese their dominions in the east, and their b f of est possessions in A rica. Long years a wiser system and a prosperous commerce had not obli terated the visible marks of ruin and depopulation , and the government must have become bankrupt had not treasures u nexpectedly flowed in from the

of B . B f f i mines razil e ore that resource a led , the marquis of Pombal had abolished the distinction b H etween Old and New Christians. e rescued the New Christians, and there were no heretics in the peninsula for the same reason there are no Christians in Japan— they had been exterminated !

92 HIS TO RY O F THE

f hi s is admonished to con ess own heresies, and to If discover his teachers and accomplices . he de

nies ever having held any heresies, or holding

communication with heretics, he is gravely told

the inquisition does not imprison rashly, and that f he would do well to con ess his guilt, as the holy H e office is merciful to those that confess . is then u remanded to jail, being previo sly advised to ex amine his conscience, that the next time he is sent for f f , he may come prepared to make a ull and ree f f . f o con ession A ter the lapse days, months, or the years, as case may be, he is summoned again ; and if he persists in declaring that he cannot make the confession they require of him without ao f f ensing himsel and others alsely, they put a great

of number questions to him, and conclude by tell ing him they have suffi cient proof of his being a H e heretic . is sent back to his prison, charged to pray to God for grace to dispose him to make a f i of u full con ession to the sav ng his so l, which is B all they seek for. eing now allowed a consider able time to pray and consider, he is brought up a and if f third time ; he persists in denial as be ore, of he is asked a variety questions, which terminate in their telling him that they have evidence of enough to put him to the torture the rack, to f make himcon ess . While the executioner is preparing that engine off of unspeakable cruelty, and is taking the pri ’ souer s clothes, exhorting him still to have mercy I UISI I CATHO L C IN Q T O N . 93

f if b on his own soul and body, and con ess, e per f f f sists to re use to accuse himsel and others alsely, the inquisitors order the executioners to do their duty ; upon which small cords are twisted around ’ the prisoner s arms, and he isjerked up in the air till his limbs are all dislocated, when the torment for becomes exquisite. The poor victim calls f e mercy , and o ten cries out that he must expir if him ih they do not give some ease, which the uisitors d q do not regar , as they say all persons racked think themselves nearer death than they If w really are . this agony is endured ithout con f i n ess on, which is rarely the case eve with the

most innocent, the poor wretch is carried to pri

a b . In h son , where surgeon sets his ones all ot er if courts where torture was employed , the prisoner f in endured without con ession , he was esteemed nocent ; but in the inquisition it was different and there individuals were racked a second , even few a third time , though ever live through the last If n infliction . the prisoner in his acute a guish f f m akes a con ession , whether true or alse , he is

obliged to subscribe his name to it, and thus the want of suffi cient evidence is supplied by this ex B ut for tortion. it is a very hard matter any per f son to escape being racked , since neither con ess ing nor denying exemp ts the victims of the holy ffi o ce. h All this time, it must be observed , t ey main tain the singular and iniquitous custom of keeping ‘ 94 HISTO RY or THE the prisoners ignorant of the crimes of which they f se are accused, and o the persons by whom the cusation has been made, so that it is scarce possi f if f be ble to make a de ence, even a de ence would of fu any avail . The prisoner is next rnished with f r an advocate and proctor o his mock trial , who, far f of rom being instruments justice, are nothing of b but tools the tri unal, more inclined to ensnare the culprit than to render him any benefit. If u an individ al commits suicide, or dies a natu ral of t death in the prison the inquisi ion , still they do not make their escape from the untiring and fli I n relentless holy o ce . the first case it is esteem ed a clear and undeniable evidence of guilt ; and in the second case the trial goes on as if the per son were alive . But the power of this accursed bar extends further still ; for forty years after death an individual may be tried and convicted of having died a heretic, and his property be con ated a of fisc and, as to the t king persons out of t their graves, burning heir bones, depriving them of name their good , and rendering their memories of in odious, there is no limit time, such is their extinguishable malice . The next scene in this melancholy tragedy is f the auto da é. This horrid and tremendous ” spectacle, as an inquisitorial author calls it, which f f will be described more ully herea ter, is always b represented on the Sa bath day. All the unhappy fi r beings who gure in this catast ophe, have some

96 HISTO RY O F THE

f of N lord archbishop o Lisbon , or his deputy calling on the name of the Lord Jesus of Christ, and his glorious mother, the virgin Ma r ur y, and sitting on o tribunal, and judging with b f the holy gospels lying e ore us, so that our judg be in f ment may the sight o God , and our eyes

&c. &c. may behold what is just in all matters, f b We do there ore, y this our sentence put in fi u s writing, de ne, prono nce, declare, and entence of of be thee, (the prisoner, ) the city Lisbon, to a f ffi and f convicted, con essing, a rmative, pro essed heretic ; and to be delivered and left by us as such to the secular arm ; and we, by this our sentence, do cast thee out of the ecclesiastical court as a con victed f ffi f , con essing, a rmative, and pro essed here tic ; and we do leave and deliver thee to the secu the of s t lar arm , and to power the ecular cour , but at the sam e tim e do m ost earn estly beseech that court so to m odera te its sen ten ce as n ot to touch th blood nor to ut th l e in an so y , p y if y rt of danger. H istory cannot yield a parallel instance of such and m of m gross palpable ockery both God and an, as this request to the civil magistrates not to put If the prisoner to death . the request came from the heart, why are the victims brought forth from prison , and delivered to those magistrates in coats painted all over with flames ! Why does the in quisition preach and teach that heretics ought to be burnt And why, with all the power they T O I IN UISITIO CA H L C Q N. 97

o ss an t m f p sse , d which hey ake all with such crush in f on all ff n g orce who really o e d them , do they never even find fault with the - magistrates for burning those whom they beseech them not to ! f is hurt The act , there is an old ecclesiastical order which forbids the clergy from having any band f an in the blood o y person , and by this miser able sophistry they profess to obey the letter of the

order, while they glut their vengeance by infring

ing its spirit. If the prisoner, on being asked, says that he f t will die in the Catholic ai h , he has the privilege of fi if being strangled rst, and then burnt ; but in the Protestant or any other faith different from the al t n Catholic , he must be roasted ive ; and at par i g him f t with , his ghostly com or ers, the Jesuits, tell “ him , that they leave him to the devil, who is standing at his elbow to receive his soul and carry of it to the flames hell , as soon as the spirit leaves ” his body . But as a proof of the effect which the inquisi in d tion has har ening the heart, and converting

and i Dr. G human beings into wolves t gers, eddes the f of relates, that people o Lisbon both sexes,

as indeed everywhere else, regard these victims of fire expiring slowly in the agonies , and scream for in m of God ing conti nually mercy the na e , ” of . with transports hellish joy Who, exclaims th sc of the author, at reads a de ription such spec

’ i t of se f h can be tacle s, than wh ch ou hell it l t ere I 98 HIS TO RY O F THE

’ b f ar nothingmore lamenta le, does not eel his he t expand with gratitude to the Almighty for the mighty blessings and happiness we enjoy in our and f country, where the pure merci ul principles of the gospel of Christ are understood and prac

" tised a b , and every hum n eing is permitted to wor

fi - ship God under his own vine and g tree, and

none to molest and make him afraid . A con gratulation in which every American reader can ll unite W i th a his heart. ' I n f f r sufierin s a ormer part o this chapte , the g

‘ f e of the New Christians were narrated . The or going account of the torments inflicted upon here as n tics, serves to show the same cruel spirit ma i fested by the inquisition again st another class of victims ; and while it enters with a more painful it ff minuteness into its horrible practices, is o ered as a fair sample of the manner of proceeding of the ‘ h ffi as and oly o ce, adopted in all countries, against b all persons whom that tri unal chose to persecute . As the discoveries and conquests of the Spa niards of d , as well as the Portuguese exten ed, so of u did the crimson banner the inq isition , not only I s . P rard in the new world, but al o in ndia y , an of early traveller, has given an account the bloody of b deeds this tri unal in Goa, where, he declares, nothing could be more cruel or more merciless than their conduct ; but to show the avaricious motives by which they were impelled, he affirm s a that the moment prisoners are t ken, all their

1 00 HISTO RY O F 1 THE

ex nounced him to the holy offi ce . Another pret t was, that on several occasions he had omitted to

n m show that idolatrous veneration to the painted i ages of the virgin Mii ry which was required by

‘ f im rudentl ss r im the church, and or p y a e ting that ” n al ages ought not to be worshipped . A other le ed ff b b of g o ence was, that on eing told y one his neighbours that her must put a cover Or veil over

v the crucifix in his room whenever he wishe d to l commit any sin r eplied, it was impossib e to tha conceal any God, and t the cru

i

' “ ” cifix in itself n but of i . was y othing a piece vory kn be n This neighbour , owing he would pu ished if he neglected to accuse any person who spoke t of h f or acted con rary to any tenet the c urch, elt it a duty to carry the information to this hateful

’ for f court, which makes it a duty riends to betray f n rie ds, parents their children , and children their

s. In u a parent a co ve w rds in company, he ex pre sed an tors were hu nd sub e th man , a j o er judges. ’ Upon being told that he ough notto dare to sp eak — ‘ in such a manner that the tribunal was infalli ble becaiise the H oly Ghost perpetually dictated i ” r its decis ons, he entered , with some wa mth, to show that it had been guilty of som e undeniable of instances injustice . E very thing was laid be f ore the inquisition , and ultimately brought down the wrath of that tribunal upon the unfortunate

u man. o f i yo ng wh se only ault was indiscret on. - CATnomc momsrrmN . 1 01

Dellon having become apprized that he was in ' d of i d ' b f anger, the dread be ng ragged e ore the holy office by the malice of his e nemies impelled ‘ i m s in him to go in person to the co mis ary, and enuousl ha a g y relate all that d occurred, ssuri ng d . an him that he had no bad intention, that he was willing to correct or retract any tthing improper h he f w ich might have advanced . Soon a ter this e and he was arrested, to his utt r surprise, con f ducted to the inquisitorial prison o Damaun . A description of the melancholy abode in which f f he ound himsel , without being conscious of hav be f f It ing committed any crime, would right ul . as would also be superfluous, a general picture of inquisitorial prisons will be given in another It ffi place . is su cient to say, that an immense a of w d qu ntity orms crawle over the floor, and upon the beds on which the wretched prisoners in vain s of s f of ought the blessings repo e . The riends Del lon constantly inculcated that the best and surest

of i ib t m f o way regain ng l er y, was to ake a ull c u

fession. i Accordingly , he wrote to the grand h quisitor at Goa a frank statement of the whole e if matter, and besought him to beli ve, that he had f erred, it was rather rom levity and imprudence, than from any ill intentions . To this letter be re e1 d but f i c ve no reply, was le t to langu sh in his noisome dungeon . aft n f An order arrived, some months er, to tra s er r s Goa a d the p isoner to , n , Dellon, with the rest, I 2 1 02 HISTO RY OF THE

h f w as on , all ”loaded wit heavy etters, put board and after enduring many miseries on the voyage,

' they were at length immured in the prison of Goa. This was more foul and horrible than any he had u yet seen, and perhaps nothing co ld be more nau s o of eous and appalling . It was a s rt cavern, where the day was but just distinguishable ; and Where the subtlest suribeam scarce ever penetrated . The stench was excessive ; but When night approached for f of of he could not lie down , ear the swarms

‘ vermin and the filth which abounded everywhere ;

and he was constrained to recline against the wall . V ery soon after he was sum moned before the of I grand inquisitor the ndies, Francisco Delgado b f b a s e Matos, e ore whom he eh ved in the ame frank manner as on the former occasions he be

sought his judge to hear his whole story, and added ent eaties tears to his g but the judge, without show in o b g the least em tion , ordered him ack to his m h r was prison telling hi that t e e no haste, and that he had other business more important to attend ’ of Dellon s to . An inventory property was then o i made, which was all ridiculous, as n th ng was

ever restored . H i f u e had several aud ences be ore his cr el judges, f in which,though he mani ested his penitence, he found no relief,or even hope of pardon ; till at f i n last be abandoned himsel to gr ef. Drive to de n of spair, i a paroxysm madness, he attempted to his f nd d destroy li e, a ma e a variety of trials to

HISTO RY or THE stipport heresy but as these were false 1 mputa ' o s thelr ti n , the pri soner would not yield to urgent i and wicked zeal to force him to confese alie be f Go In of r nt he ected ore d. this state unce tai y efi ' the approach of the first Sunday i n Advent think ing that the auto da fé which wo uld determine his f a b ate, would then t ke place ecause in the service of that day is read a portion of the gospel which ‘ of i us o describes the day judgment, and the nq i it rs select the day on that account. Several little events occurred which led h im to believe the moment of the awful ceremony was It bl f o not far distant. was impossi e not to eel s me sentiment of pleasure at the idea of being raised fromthe tomb in which he had been buried for ' ’ ' dreadfh‘l e of years , but the d nunciation the court and l l “ U filled him with anxiety m e anchhy . tter

’ ’ ' come at last by vexation and deatlflxyfl imageefl i e f he k dropped into a sleep, rom which was awa ened by the noise of the guards drawing back the bolts H e of his cell. was seized with such a trepidation that it was a long time before he could summon resolutio n to put on the garments which had b een left by his visiters . In fé followed Dellon the auto da which , marched the in ranks with the other prisoners, with his head f of for and eet bare , through the streets Goa, more than an hour, the sharp flint stones which covered the streets causing his feet to stream with blo £31 o bject of pity to the immense crowd which had IN UIS I ION CATHO LIC Q T . [ 05 come from all parts of India to witness the cere n H r u fl ct r se mO y . e e a very nat ral re e ion would a i as to the folly and i nconsistency of attempting to propagate the gospel; which breathes a spirit of f i of ex hi gentleness, charity, and org veness, and t s u m bi ing, with o , m ch po p and parade, the mer il r f c ess horro s of. such an institution , be ore those pagans whom it was their professed object to in struct in the truths of Christianity to bring them

h t. to salvation, and w o could not but detec the

' dreadful variance between the precepts and p rac tice of those who professed to follow and imitate be Christ ; and who , moreover, could not help holding their own rites and ceremonies outdone in cruelty by the more sanguinary doings of

Christians . " o f When they arrived at the church , a priest the r Augustine o der ascended the pulpit, and preached fo r a long time . Among other things, he drew a ’ m ar son tw the co p i . be een inquisition and Noah s

in wbich weve ht e t ark, , , ho r, ; no ed this distinction ,

'

' that - the creatures which entered it on the cessation of the deluge with their original nah tures ; whereas the inquisition had this singular t characteristic , hat those who came within its walls u o fi f cr el as w lves and erce as lions, went orth gen as ' m tle la bs.

' The sermon being finished, the diflere

were called up separately to . receive s ective s te was p en nces. The sentence of Dellon 1 06 HISTO RY O F THE

o f f i of excommunicati n, or e ture all his goods to the I condem na king, banishment from the ndies, and ' tion to serve in the galleys - of Portugal for five n s years, with such other pena ces as the inqui itors B might think proper to add . esides all these, he b f the was obliged to ind himsel , by most sacred f oaths, to observe a pro ound and inviolable secrecy as to every thing which had come to his know his ledge during long detention, a practice univer sal in the inquisition to conceal their atrocities, and which they enforce with all the terrors of their power. In of pursuance the sentence, he was conveyed e b for in irons on board a v ssel ound Portugal , and f f of a ter the atigues and privations the voyage, he b of arrived at Lisbon a out the close the year 1 676, where he was immediately placed in rfthe prison as called the Galley, to which, the Portuguese do not use galleys in their marine, those who are sen n ed oflice H te c to them by the holy are sent. e was chai ned by the leg to a man who had escaped “ the night before from being burnt by making a confession . In this situation fiv e long years more of suffering still remained ; but Dellon obtained t« he of i F privilege wr ting to his relations in rance, and acquainting them with his Through the zeal of an individual high in the fa of of vour the queen Portugal , the intercession i' of iiends f fi , and the application o many persons of rank, he at length experienced the unspeakable

108 HISTO RY O F THE

T r are c es N he e two iti , Old Goa and e w Goa. old c h The ity, w ere the inquisition and the are churches , is now deserte d by almo st every one i . i l N . B but pr ests On his arr va at ew Goa, Dr 11 chanan intimated his wish to the vicero y to sail u the old and p to city see the inquisition, to which l c e . flicer he polite y a ced d A Portuguese o , major ff o a him i ro Pareira, o ered to acc mp ny , and nt duce the th doctor to e archbishop, who was the pri mate of the orient. I had communicate d to colonel Adam s and to th si en m u of ri n e British re d t, y p rpose inqui ng i to in the state of the inquisition . These gentlemen formed me that I should n ot be able to accomplish diflicult my design without y , seeing every thing relating to the inquisition was conducted in a very of secret manner, the most respectable the lay Por tuguese themselves being ignorant of its proceed ings ; and that if the priests were to discover my al d object, their excessive jealousy and arm woul h h prevent t eir communicating wit me, or satisfy the n ing my inquiries on subject. O receiving t I h his intelligence, perceived t at it would be ne

ssar . ed t ce . y to proce wi h great caution I was, in

f to s of 1ri.ests act, about vi it a republic , 1 , whose do minion had existed for nearly three ce nturies

” was to s u e a whose province it pro ec te h retics, nd “ particularly the teachers of heresy and from and sentence there was no appeal THO I I UIS CA L C NQ ITIO N. 1 09

L u e ant ! n the ie t n empthor e joined company, and they proceeded up the river. From major Pareira he learned that there were upwards of two hundred churches and chapels in the province

of t . Goa, and more than two thousand pries s “ ” “ r be On our a rival at the city, continues , it ’ w was past twelve o clock ; all the churches ere shut, and we were told they would not be O pened again ’ . I to until two o clock mentioned major Pareira, h I da s ~ and t at intended to Goa some y , that I should be im to find me some H in place to sleep in . e seemed surprised at this timation ffi , and observed that it would be di cult for me to obtain reception in any of the churches

or convents , and that there were no private houses I into which I could be admitted. I said could

sleep anywhere . I had two servants with me, and W I a travelling bed . hen be perceived that was e serious in my purpose, he gave dir ctions to a civil officer in that place to clear out a room in a build d t ing which had been lodg uninhabite . Mat ers

at this time presented a very gloomy appearance, and I had thoughts of returning with my com

panions from this inhospitable place . In the mean time we sat down in the room 1 f have just mentioned, to take some re reshment, " while major Pareira went to call on some of his val a ed friends. During this inter I communic t to I lieutenant ! empthorne the object of my visit. ’ had in my pocket Dellon s Account of the Inqui ! 1 1 0 HISTO RY O F THE

” sition I r s. at Goa, and mentioned some pa ticular

While we were conversing on the subject, the great b l ell began to tol , the same which Dellon observes always tolls before daylight on the morning of the f I f of auto da é. did not mysel ask any questions the people concerning the inquisition, but Mr .

‘ ! empthorne made inquiries for me and he soon f ffi ound out that the sancta casa, or holy o ce, was close to the house where we were then sitting. The gentlemen went to the window to view the I the horrid mansion, and could see indignation of free and enlightened men arise in the counte ofiicers nances of the two British , while they con templated a place where form erly their own coun ’ m n try en were co demned to the flames, and into which they themselves m ight now suddenly be

of . thrown, without the possibility rescue “ far The day being now spent, and my com I panions about to leave me, was considering whether I should return with them, when major Pareira said he would first introduce me to a priest of the high in office, and one most learned men in the place . We accordingly walked to the convent of the Augustinians, where I was presented to Doloribus in f Joseph a , a man well advanced li e,

f r .o f a r o pale visage and penetrating eye, rathe e erend c s v appearan e, and po sessing great fluency f of speech and urbanity o manners. After51 half ’ he l hour s conversation in t Latin anguage, during of which he adverted rapidly to a variety subjects,

1 1 2 HISTO RY O F THE

uisitors f s m q themselves, but rom certain priest who I visited in their respective convents ; particularly f f rom a ather in the Franciscan convent, who had

himself repeatedly witnessed an auto da fé. r On the second morning after my ar ival, I was r su prised by my host, the inquisitor, coming into my apartment clothed in black robes from head to

f for o f his . H e oot, the usual dress order is white said he was going to sit on the tribunal of the holy

oflice . I f ofii ce presume, ather, your august does ’ Y es not occupy much of your time , answered ‘ b l f he, much . I sit on the tri una three or our days ’ every week. “ I had thought for some days of putting Del ’ ’ for if I lon s book in the inquisitor s hand , could f a get him to advert to the acts st ted in that book, be I should able to learn , by comparison , the exact of state the inquisition at the present time . In the u evening he came in, as usual, to pass an ho r in my f I apartment. A ter some conversation , took my e few pen in my hand to writ a notes in my journal, and if W i I , as to amuse him hile I was wr ting, took ’ ellon s i up D book, wh ch was lying with some a h others on the t ble, and handing it across to im , if e It asked him he had ever s en it. was in the F he R rench language, which understood well . e ’ ’ l Inquisition , (the of lation de_ de Goa title Del ’ o a lon s bo k,) pronounced he with slow articulate ’ . H e f voice had never seen it be ore, and began to

rea . H e d with eagerness had not proceeded far, CATHO LIC IN QUISITION 1 1 3

before he betrayed evident symptoms of uneasi

. H e of ness turned hastily to the middle the book, a of and then to the end, and then ran over the t ble b as if a f contents at the eginning, to ascert in the ull H e f extent of the evil . then composed himsel to

I . H e read, while continued to write turned over the pages with rapidity ; and whe n he came to a l a h x claim ed ‘ m endacium cert in place, e e , , menda ’ o f f . I re ium, (which means alsehood, alsehood ) quested he would mark those passages which were f for untrue, and we would discuss them a terwards, ‘ that I had other books on the subject. Other bo oks said he, and he looked with an inquiring H e eye on those on the table . 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 ’ Dellon s inq uisition . The inquisitor admitted that of of of descriptions the dungeons, the torture, the f of fé mode o trial, and the auto da were in general just ; but he said the writer judge d untruly of the of m otives the inquisitors, and very uncharitably of H of the character the holy church . e was now ’ anxious to know to what extent Dello n s book had I been circulated in Europe . told him Picart had published to the world extracts from it in his cele ‘ ’ brated work, entitled Religious Ceremonies, to h of m of o gether wit plates the syste t rture, and fé I burnings at the auto da . added that it was now generally believed in Europe that these enor x 2 1 1 4 HISTO RY O F THE

ca the n miti no longer existed, and that inquisitio itself had been totally suppressed but that I was H e concerned to find that it was not the case . now began a grave narration to show that the inquisi u sitio had undergone a change in some respects, and that its terrors were mitigated . I f had already discovered, rom written or of printed documents, that the inquisition Goa was 1 5 s suppressed by royal edict in 77 , and establi hed 1 77 9 b again in , su ject to certain restrictions ; the chief of which are the followingz— That a greater number of witnesses should be required to convict m s b f cri inal than were e ore necessary, and that the fé be b f auto da should not held pu licly as be ore, but that the sentences of the tribunal should be executed privately within the walls of the in quisitio n .

In of this particular, the constitution the new inquisition is more reprehensible than that of the f of . unf old one Formerly, the riends those ortu

thro wn ' into nate persons who were its prison , had the melancholy satisfaction of seeing them once a s of f year, walking in the proce sion the auto da lag if or, they were condemned to die, they witnessed d for B ut their eath, and mourned the dead . now they have no means of learning for years whether they be dead or alive The policy of this new m of be ode concealment appears to this, to pre of serve the power the inquisition , and, at the same e b m of tim , to lessen the pu lic odiu its proceed .

1 1 6 HIS TO RY O F TH E tendant ‘ s of the holy oflice . They bowed very low

i locked . to the inqu sitor, and with surprise at me The great hall is the place in which the prisoners da are marshalled for the procession of the auto fé . b l At the procession described y Del on, in which f k b f he himsel wal ed are oot, clothed with the of painted garment, there were upwards one hun f f r dred and fi ty prisoners . I traversed this hall o for some time with a slow step, reflecting on its mer b scenes, the inquisitor walking y my side in I of f of m silence . thought the ate the ultitudes of my fellow- creatures who had passed through b b of fel this place, condemned y a tri unal their

- s b low inners, their odies devoted to the flames, I net and their souls to perdition , and could help saying to him Would not the holy church wish, b in her mercy, to have those poor souls ack again, that she might allow them a little farther probal

’ w but tion The inquisitor ans ered nothing, beckoned me to go with him to a dee r at one end B of the hall . y this door he conducted me to se S veral small rooms, and thence to the pacious f f ‘ H apartments o the chie inquisitor . aving sur v e ed c y these, he brought me ba k again to the

‘ and I great hall, thought he seemed now desirous I that should depart . f h ’ I " Now, at er, said , lead me to the dungeons ’ ’ I see the . below ; want to captives No, said he, ’ ‘ I now that cannot be . began to suspect that it had been in the mind of the inquisitor from the O I IN UISI IO CATH L C Q T N. 1 17 beginning to show me only a certain part of the in of f r inquisition, the hope satis ying inqui ies in a I w h s general way. urged him it earnestne s, but ff he steadily resisted, and seemed to be o ended, or rather agitated by my importunity. I intimated n l do to him plai ly, that the on y way to justice to an r uments his assertions d_a g regarding the present e of the stat the inquisition, was to show me pri sons and the captives. I should then describe what I saw ; but now the subject wasleft in awful ’ O . bscurity Lead me down , said I, to the inner i h bu lding, and let me pass t rough the two hundred f b f dungeons ten eet square, descri ed by your or mer captives. Let me count the number of your present captives, and converse with them . I want to see if there be any subjects of the British go nm ent ver to whom we owe protection . I want to ask how long they have been here ; how long of sun it is since they beheld the light the , and

‘ whether they ever expect to see it again . Show h of r me t e chamber tortu e, and declare what modes of ex ecution or of punishment are now practised within the walls of the inquisition ‘ in

of fé. If lieu the public auto da , after all that has , f passed, ather, you resist this reasonable request, I shall be justified in believing that you are afraid of exposing the realstate of the inquisition in In ’ dia. To these observations the inquisitor made no re ply, but seemed impatient that I should with ’ d . f h I to raw My good at er, said I, am about 1 1 8 HIS TO RY O F THE

a for t ke my leave of you, and to thank you your hospitable attentions ; and I wish always to pre f serve on my mind a favourable sentiment o your Y ou kindness and candour . cannot, you say, show me the captives and the dungeons be for pleased, then , merely to answer this question , I shall b elieve your word— H ow many prisoners ! are there now below in the cells of the inquisition is The inquisitor replied, That a question which I cannot answer !’ On his pronouncing these I I words retired hastily towards the door, and

Wished him farewell . “ From the inquisition I went to the place of i burn ng, on the river side, where the V ictims were f It brought to the stake at the auto da é. is close m a to the palace, that the V iceroy and his court y witness the execution ; for it has ever been the po licy of the inquisition to make these spiritual exe entions appear to be the executions of the state . ld n An o priest accompanied me, who poi ted out I the place and described the scene . As passed I dif over this melancholy plain, thought on the ference between the pure and benign doctrine which was first preached to India in the apostolic e f ag , and that bloody code which, a ter a long night of u darkness, was anno nced to it under the same name ! And I pondered on the mysterious dis pensation which permitted the ministers of the in uisitio q n, with their racks and flames, to visit these f of f lands be ore the heralds the gospel o peace.

1 20 HISTO RY OF THE of i f H e ul the ch e inquisitor. said it sho d be sent af n a ter me to Goa, and he co ducted me with A s quick step towards the door. we passed the

poor woman I pointed to her, and said, with some ‘ B f of emphasis, ehold , ather, another victim the ’ holy inquisition ! H e answered nothing. When

we arrived at the head of the great stair he bowed, and I took my last leave of Joseph a Doloribus ” without uttering a word . The inquisition of Goa was abolished in the

month of October in the year 1 8 1 2 .

H C APTE R I! .

— Miscellaneous views of the inquisition Its composition and — — proceedings Anecdote of Father Ephraim O ffi cers of the ih — — quisition Their ex traordinary power and privileges An ecdote — — of consul Maynard Council of the inquisition in Spain The — Cruciata and Hermandad Prisons of the inquisition described — — — Their horrors Anecdote Flies Anecdote of Gaspar Bennavi — d ns a a l- kee er of the n u s t on His monstrous — i , j i p i q i i i cruelty Arts lo ed to m e r so ers s emp y ak p i n confes .

IT is to be observed , that although minute shades of difference occur in the structure of the inquisitorial tribunals as they have existed in va t f of ious countries, yet the orm and manner pro ceeding have ever been essentially the same : so that the miscellaneous descriptions which are now f about to be laid be ore the reader, though they par O I IN UISITIO CATH L C Q N. 121 ticularly belong to the holy offices in Spain and ar f Portugal, nevertheless be a ull application in all important points to the holy offi ce in every part of the globe . The ministers or ofi cers of the inquisition are numerous. The inquisitors, who are called apos tolical t , are judges delega ed by the pope, who is the supreme judge of every thing touching the holy faith . The usual age at which one was capa ble of exercising this office was forty years ; but of by a papal decree , a person thirty might become apostolic inquisitor in Spain and Portugal . They

' of ao if are wholly the creatures the pope that, an inquisitor - should unjustly prosecute any one for

but a om heresy, there is no appeal or redress fr difiicult f im os Rome, which is always and o ten p sible . The most extravagant respect is shown to ffi b these o cers, and even in cases where it has een f ound necessary to punish an inquisitor, they take ’ care not to lessen men s opinion of the dignity and authority of the holy office by his condem nationf f For example, this tribunal o ten punished inno e b b cent persons , imprisoned and us d them ar a

‘ O f a m em ora le rously . this there is b instance in fa E ra w of ther ph im, a Capuchin ; hom, out mere f sub hatred and revenge, they seized by cra t and tlet d off t y, and carrie to the inquisi orial prison at d a f Goa. E verybody wondere at he ring that ather E of and phraim , a man such holiness probity, should be suspected of heresy ; and when th e news L 1 22 HISTO RY O F THE “

a in E s. rrived urope, it created the liveliest emotion H is Portuguese majesty sent peremptory orders to e o the inquisitors to liberate him . The p pe als r f e sent lette s to Goa, commanding him to be set re under penalty of excommunication . And the king of Golconda, who entertained the greatest esteem ff for him for and a ection , issued his directions the

of . city St Thomas to be besieged and burnt, and the inhabitants put to the sword, unless the vene rable father was immediately restored to liberty . n f f The i q uisitors, rom necessity, not rom a sense of f E h the justice, sent word to ather p raim that prison gates were open, and he might depart when he pleased : but be positively refused to leave the roces jail, till he was brought out by a solemn p of of h sion the ecclesiastics Goa, whic was accord

in l . g y done Now, although this was so palpable a case of injustice and a wrong done to so eminent k of u and an individual, that even the ing Port gal the pope himself interfered ; yet the thought of punishing the malignity of the inquisitors was for never a moment contemplated . To enter into a minute account of all the subor dinate offi cers and assistants belonging to the ex i tensive and compl cated institution , would prove a labour as insipid to the reader as it would be in compatible with the limits of this work. A de f be of scription, there ore, will omitted the vicars . s fi the asse sors and counsellors, the promoters scal, the notaries, the judges, and receivers of confiscated

( 24 HIS TO RY O F THE

e them, even though such lords may be und r sen tence of excommunication at the time. No matter be — how wicked and unjust such lord may , no mat ter how incompetent he may have been pronounced f of f — if to per orm any other duty li e, still, by com of mand an inquisitor, he did any thing against

b d . heretics, the act immediately ecame vali These, and a thousand other privileges and exemptions a of att ched to inquisitors, a nature at once iniqui t i tous and yrannical, not to say unchrist an , are usually said to be bestowed and allowed in favour ” of f if t e o f the aith, as Christiani y stood in n ed such nefarious measures for its support measures which of themselves are an ample demonstration of of the ungodly character the bause. B ut the inquisitors claimed and extended their

own f - power not only over their ellow subjects, but also over those of foreign states residing within It of their dominions. was little consequence to ofii e b the holy c what treaties existed on the su ject, expressly exempting foreigners from liability to the inquisition for matters of faith ; they always

managed to evade such provisions, so that strangers were always at their mercy nor could any safety be f procured, except rom the immediate frown of b the government whose su ject was so outraged, and that government backed too by sufficient f power to make its inter erence respected . O f this there was a remarkable case in the time of Oliver O I I UISI IO CATH L C NQ T N . 1 25

E Thomas Maynard, who was the nglish consul at w Lisbon , had been thro n into the prison of the u of i inq isition, under pretence hav ng said or done f something against the Romish aith . Cromwell f and was at once advised o it, immediately sent an ’ ' E n lish c har é d aflaires express to the g g , who, upo n f of receiving it, went orthwith to the king Portu ‘n of gal, and in the ame Cromwell demanded the b li erty of consul Maynard . The king replied that it was not in his power ; that the consul was in the of hands the inquisition, over which he had no sort f n o authority . As soo as Cromwell received this w new n ans er, he sent i structions to his minister, d who emanded another audience, in which he told no the king, that since his majesty had power

is b C over the inqu ition , he was commanded y rom well to declare war against the inquisition . The r as mona ch , as well the inquisitors, were greatly fi terri ed at this unexpected energy, and imme diately opened the gates of the prison ; but the k f E f consul, li e ather phraim, re used to accept a private dismission , and in order to repair the sul lied honour of himself and the E nglish people be b whom he represented , demanded to rought

f b . orth pu licly by the inquisition Such instances, f however, were exceedingly rare, and orm a strik ing contrast with the general history and irresisti o f the ble power of this instituti n , be ore which greatest monarchs were made to bow with sub mission . [26 HISTO RY O F THE f In Spain and Portugal the supreme council o the inquisition possessed a more tyrannic sway over the inferior tribunals of those countries than the of oflice m the pope, who was at head the holy

a h t . It ly, did over t ose ofthat coun ry The supreme was council consisted of a grand inquisitor (who b appointed y the king, although it is said the pope had the power of a veto upon the appointment)

' f andfi ve members . The in erior inquisitions, sub

ordinate and dependent on the supreme court, were

established at Grenada, Seville , Cordova, Toledo ,

' Cu alladolid c S an I a o enz a, V , Mur ia, Llerena, g , Lo ro n l g g o, Saragossa, Va encia, Barcelona, Majorca,

ex n . Sardinia, Palermo, M ico, Carthage a, and Lima

E ach of these had three inquisitorial judges. f f ofli ers Besides the multitude o in erior c , there of ua i r were two classes individ ls in Spa n, who we e of l ffi devoted to the service the ho y o ce, by which f they were employed , like two power ul arms,

to seiz e their victims everywhere . From their clutches it was next to impossible for any one to H escape . These were the ermandad and the Cru H ciata. The ermandad was an immense body of

constables or spies, who were spread, not only

through the cities, but even through the towns and

villages. The smallest hamlet teemed with these

vermin, creatures generated by want and idleness. r f They carried thei art to per ection . When once i e fi the r yes were xed upon a victim, his doom was

. If f sealed they could not use orce, they resorted

128 HISTORY O F THE

of rial author, they may inflict the penalty per ' etual for ofien p imprisonment more heinous ces, ” is : which indeed very grievous, and equal to death an honest confession for who can think Without of horror such a punishment, inflicted sometimes on those who merely believed in the doctrines or O pinions of heretics : human beings perpetually for f m of f re imprisoned reedo thought, in dread ul ceptacles ; there to do what the inquisition called W h of f holesome penance, wit the bread grie and ” the water of affliction . The inquisitorial prisons are generally noisome d wa of and pestilent ungeons, and every y worthy

the establishment of which they form a portion .

To add mockery to cruelty, they are called , in Spain b f m and Portugal , as was e ore re arked , santas casas, or holy houses ; and really one might almost be n tempted to suppose that these ames, as well as n s lf that ofholy office belongi g to the inquisition it e , n ot but b wa of had been imposed , seriously, y y s a s irony and derision . Though the e m n ions and cells of wretchedness are very much alike in all countries where the tribunal of the inquisition has f gained a ooting, yet in Spain and Portugal they seemed to wear a blacker gloom so that Constan “ as tino Ponce, who w called the great philosopher, f l the pro ound theo ogian, and the most eloquent ” f of and b o V . cele rated preacher the time Charles , ere yet he had been made to taste of actual tor

of the of co tures, in speaking barbarity his nfine m msm o CATHO LIC a rz . 1 29

God er no ment, exclaimed, Oh, my w e there i the fi Scythians n world, no cannibals more erce n and cruelwthan Scythia s, into whose hands thou I couldst carry me, so that might but escape the ” hands of these monsters ! f of O the miseries the Portuguese prisons, an illustration ‘ is given by an author whose name is G n’sal i E i Reginald o v us. An ngl sh ship had put the of f of in at port Cadiz , and the amiliars the

' of m ed el e c inquisition that place im iat y s ar hed her, to a h as was their custom, see wh t t ere was on ' afl t the q retended f board to ec religion , as y p , be ore they could suffer a soul to go on shore . They seized several English persons in whom they dis o u covere d symptoms f tr e evangelical piety, and In i clapped them in jail . the sh p there was a n r of a e of child te or twelve yea s g , the son a very

rich English merchant, to whom the ship belo nged; z This child was sei ed also, under prete nce that a ’ of E lis w f copy David s Psalms in ng h, as ound in his ru i hands but the twe reason was, their avar ce and cursed arts, by hich they hoped to extort h money from t e wealthy parent. The ship was e confiscat d, and the child was carried, with the the n of rest of the company, to priso the inquisi

tion , at Seville, where he lay about eight months. of fi In consequence the strict con nement, damp of f ness of the place, and badness the ood allowed, for the child fell very ill, he had been brought up the ia delicately and te nderly at home. Whe n 1 30 HISTO RY O F THE

uisitors h q heard t is, they had the boy removed, for r ecovery of his health, to the hospital of the i nquisition, which is almost as bad a place as the

i f. f pr son itsel In this place the unhappy boy, rom t the of hi barbarous reatment, lost use both s legs, nor was it ever known what became of him after w it f ards, though is probable he died o the ill usage

of these monsters . During his confinement the poor boy had given striking proofs how firmly the pious instructions he had received at home were h fixed in his mind . Morning and evening e was a at od seen on his knees at pr yer to th G who, his be parents had taught him, was to looked up to in the hour of trouble and his inhuman keepers always taunted him on these occasion s by calling him their “ little heretic The first thing a prisoner of the m quisition is a is compelled to do when thrown into j il, to give

an exact account of all his wealth and possessions. The inquisitors pretend always that they do this f f with a view to keep aith ully their property, that be f if be f it may sa ely restored, they should ound innocent ; and such confidence had the deluded of b people in the sanctity and sincerity the tri unal, that they always most willingly discovered the But most concealed things they had . these people ~ were deluded ; for when a person fell into the of i hands the nquisition , he was stripped and de

S of . If c poiled all the prisoner denied his rime, and was convicted by false witnesses employed for

O I IN O UISITIO N CATH L C . 133 the all fi If purpose, his goods were con scated. , to f escape the horrors o imprisonment, he confessed b the crime, he became guilty y his own acknow ed ment nd t of o of g , a as a mat er course was r bbed E he he i di s every thing . ven w n t pr soner was a a d en ii not d missed as convert n penit t, hej d are to f f ro f bem ls- im de end himsel , under a ter rb g ' prisoned for life or burnt to death . m n f the on When sum o ed be ore his judges, pris er a a ppears, conducted by his keeper, with his he d, of the d e c arms; and feet nakbd. At one end au i n e fi m 18 la e room is a large cruci x, and the middle p c d t at a table with seats around it. At he table are v d f u d c the notary o the inq isition and the juges,

' and at one end the wretched prisoner himself upon

e 1 8 s- k a b nch . On the table the missalor mas boo , on which the prisoner lays his hand when he takes th fid e oath to tell the whole truth , a to keep every thing a profound secret. When the audience is th e on he over, and e interrogatori s d e, t inquisitors

' a re- conduiit t he ne ring bell, and the keeper sz priso r to his cell . I n these jails the most profound silence is kq it.

None dare mutter a word or make the least noise . If an a f o individual in his gony bewails his ate, g_ if 8 even he prays to God aloud, or sin a psalm, the keeper immediately enters and monishes If be c 1s i him to be silent. do s not obey he aga n nd if admonished, a it is done a third time the

‘ r keeper beats the prisone severely. This is done M HISTORY O F 'I‘HE '

to o ffe r i m a e not only punish the nde , but to nti id t

“ the other prisoners ; who from the nearness of _

“ - l n of l their cells and the tomb like sti l ess the p ace, can easily hear the sound of the blows and the ‘ ‘ o f the s ff I i a oc cries u erers . t s related, th t on one

' a rison r the s casion when p e coughed, jailer came H e eu to him and admonished him to forbear .

swered was in e . The , it not his pow r g y admon

‘ islied him a second time, and be cause he did not " ease - cruel heat , they stripped him naked and q ar lxg him hi wgi' se of . T s made his cough , and instead e f b him the b ing so tened, they continued eating till r poor w etch exp ired . One reason why they insist so severely upon f er f pro ound silence, is to prevent the prison s rom u j o ni i ‘ other b rec g z ng each y whistling, singing, or i f f i . o t n h ns s other s gnals S that o te appe riend ,

‘ n and r that the eve parents children , are not awa e y

‘ b the an d have een pining in same jail, perhaps in a n f djoini gcells, until they meet at the aw ul cere f m m dny of an auto da é. The great ai of this fi solitary con nement is, that its extreme irksome ness may force the victims to make any confes sions which may best suit the wicked purposes and

' “ ' s f f wishe o the i11 quisitors. The arts o the inqui sitors to draw confessio ns are detailed by numerous

. e a Writers Th y even procure persons, who re

' ’ ' ‘ c s for bein a reeable to tlie s ho en their g g pri oners, and to go and converse with t e and ‘ ’ f ’ h h m, even to eign to belong to t eir sect,

1 36 HISTO RY O F THE

m an e destroy than to support life. This , it is tru , Was punished as soon as his conduct became kntfi m to c of the inquisitors, but not so mu h on account his bai ' barity as for violating the regulations of the f establishment. To p rove that no merci ul motives had n n s v a y share in his pu i hment, this ery man e who had, at the tim , a servant maid, , witnessing ’ the b ff of her “m c m intolera le su erings aster s vi ti s, v through pity used to succour and relie e them , f f and also to take rom the wicked thie , her master, the f th e very provisions he stole rom em, to giv “ ” the h. them back to prisoners by stealt And, a says the author, that we m y the more wonder of O at the providence God, who so rders it that the worst arents w ad n p shall not al ays have h childre , a little daughter of the kee per himself used to assist ‘ ” h the maid in these pious the fts. At length t e ' m uf this atter was discovered, and the humanity ’ good woman was visited by the Lord s inquisitors

with rigorous punishment. In of short, the ingenuity cruelty employed to n - onfes work upon the priso erg minds, and extort c ‘ i e be i f if sion , s almost b yond l e ; and , at last, the nf ss his accused did not co e guilt, they had recourse to a final experiment which proved a fatal snare to

many . They delivered to the prisoner an accusa

tion in writing, and in this pretended accusation

e f f of they blended several crim s per ectly alse, and o an enorm us nature, with the charges they wanted

' ' B . to get ah y this trap they succeeded : the pri O I I UISITIO CATH L C NQ N . 1 37

' se ner did not fai l to cry out against the horrible im ta ons u pu ti , and there pon the inquisitors con dem ned them as guilty of tho se o ther allegations against which they remonstrated‘AWith least vio lence.

H E C APT R X .

Ex travagance and absurdities of certain inquisitorial writers eres its mean n — buse and ervers on of e r e H y, i g A p i th te m by th — — inquisition Ex communication Punishments ofheresy an d here — — — tics D eath by fire Unlimited power of this tribunal F orms — — — of process Proofs Arts used by inquisitors Honest and frank c s n of an n s r e onfe sio i qui ito gen ral.

I NQ U IS ITO RIA L writers have displayed prodi ib a a dis g us extrav g nce, as well as ingenuity, in tortin a of g pass ges Scripture , and discovering types i n the Old and N ew Testament to illustrate and sustain the divine original of the inquisition h r . O f before a deluded and igno ant people t is, the most impious and unblushing proofs are g1ve n de a in by Louis P ramo, an inquisitor, his cele “ brated Latin work on the Origin and Progress I t n of Its of the H oly Office of the nquisi io , and ” — f Dignity and Utility . God himsel , according to fi i fi this writer, was the rst nquisitor, and the rst auto da fé was held in the garden of Eden . God d b se cited A am, ecause the process would otherwi M 2 1 38 HISTO RY O F THE

’ e have been null ; and upon the culprit s appearanc , bi he in uired in uisition , q , that is, made q in ’ f f d ' m an d , A am sicrim e . The accuse his wi e a ter

which the Judge questioned her also . The serpent

b of . he did not examine, ecause his obstinacy

Both parties were separately examined , and in se s e w cret, to prevent collusion and no witne s s ere “ b f " called , ecause con ession and conscience are as good as a thousand witnesses and then the judge Pa had nothing to do but to pro nounce sentence .

ramo does not think it worth while , however, to m e for mentio n another , and a ore serious, r ason no not calling witnesses ; which is, that there were

witnesses to call . b s6 A raham also was an inquisitor, and was

a h . She Sar h, w ich the author thus proves turned

Ishmael out of doors for idolatry . She saw him i neant b this la in with Isaac . Now what r y p y g g x la ! In E t eo word p ying I xodus it is wri ten , the p

ple sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to

“

. i d play ; that is, says St Jerome, to comm t i olatry f I m and there ore it, is plain that sh ael was turned out for idolatry; In this crazy manner Paramo

' the th b - of goes through Pentateuch , and e ooks Jo '

and . h shua Judges David, he tells us, was s itter

. t of inquisitor Solomon also, though the wises was m o men, the ost severe upon id laters and here

'

ti . ! w of cs imri , who sle his master, was the holy

was E E [ ofii ce. So lijah ; so was lisha ; so w as J of ehu and , ( which caps the climax absurdity , )

1 40 HIS TO RY O F THE by the civil and ecclesiastical powers to extirpate them5. until they at length formed the grand em

. H or m . ployment of the church of Ro e eresy,

‘ e e t a s was h r tical pravity, ( h t is, wickedne s,) the n s ti w os grand crime cognizable by the i qui i on , h e n B ut aflice legitimately consisted in its extirpatio .

s s n s heresy as umed a thou a d hapes, and was hunted do vvn by as many different statutes of the Romish

c : n f chur h Some were ma i est heretics, others con cealed ffi m e e e ; some a r ativ , others n gativ ; some

e e - impenitent, oth rs penitent ; som arch heretics, b of r others elievers heretics ; some receive s, others defe nders, and others favourers of heretics ; some are of the ffi of s n hinderers o ce the inqui itio , others of d f suspected heresy, others e amed as heretics,

a s . n and others rel p ed Agai ; there were some who, b y committing certain other crimes, incur the sus icion of p heresy ; or who, committing other crimes, are yet answerable to the tribunal of the inq uisi of d tion , because some heretical wor or action

' “ . Finall Je n mixed up with those crimes y , ws, a d b to d N acksliders Ju aism, ew r m t witches and sorce ers, and, in ore modern imes, freeLm asohs and political heretics, complete the melancholy catalogue of human beings who were w a rendered ans er ble to the inquisition. From this m ll enu eration alone, it must appear to a [ that heresy was o net of fi s thus converted int a in nite meshe , f few rom which or none could escape, who were the natural gam e or prey of this horrid institution O I IN UISI IO CATH L C Q T N . 14 1

i To make a regular heret c, three things were rie cessar y . First, that the individual should have f f pro essed the Catholic aith . Secondly , that he should err in his understanding in matters relating f of f to the aith . Matters aith being all points de term ined b n b y a general cou cil or y the pope, as necessary to be believed , and such as are enjoined by an apostolic tradition . Thirdly, obstinacy of will , which was tested in two ways ; when one f d of f f was called be ore a ju ge the aith , and in ormed was contrar that any opinion he happened to hold . y f i the to the a th , and yet persisted in error ; and f the of again , when , a ter discovery his error, he will b u f not a j re it, and give any satis action the church far demanded . So was this carried, that every thing was defined to be heresy that was contrary to the slightest and most trifling received O pinion of the hiloso church, even on a subject merely p

hical f . p , and having no oundation in the scriptures H eresy being regarded by the Catholic church of t as the most heinous all crimes, the punishmen s

inflicted upon heretics -were the most grievous ; and

of . they were two kinds, civil and ecclesiastical ' The a i ex com m unication de riva ecclesi st cal were, , p of of benefices tion church burial , dignities, , and i . v allecclesiastical offi ces The ci l were, depriving b fi of o men of the privileges and ene ts law, pe u fi b niary mulcts and nes, anishment, death , and the

ban n . B f y excommunication , heretics were driven rom 1 42 HIS TO RY or THE

k ' ‘ s of sufl a es the sacrament , deprived the common r g

' of and e l of the church, xpel ed the company the

ious and fa f of s of Ca p ith ul . One the ynods the thol f s ic church declared, in the ollowing word , “ that ye may understand the nature of this ex i s communication, he (the heret c) mu t not enter t at r in o the church, nor e and d ink with any chris

a . Let n f ff ti ns no e receive his gi ts, nor o er him a ” - s nor sa him . ki s, nor join with him in prayer, lute The ceremony of excommunicatin g a heretic is n u thus performed . When the bishop pro o nces the curse d , twelve priests must stand aroun him h‘ olding lighted candles, which they threw down on the ground and tread under their feet at the f t n co nclusion o the excommunica i g anathem a . These interdicts are very numerou s in the Catholic

. a r of ms c . chur h, and are couched in a gre t va iety ter O f sh of n s the civil puni ment heresy, co fi cation is the f nd of the chie , a one Catholic writers deduces it s f of m f impiou ly rom the example God hi sel , “ ” “ who a sa , as another uthor ys, not contented with the sentence o f death. pron ol mced against fi s a f our r t p rents, drove man rom the placé of t of his delights, stripped him all his goods, and adjudged him to hard and continual labours ; and m a f co m nded, or his wickedness, the very earth to ri f b ' ” b ng orth riers and thorns .

' . To pass over the many other punishments of.

’ of - heretics, death was one the last ; and death too,

' of the most terrible kind ; which is, to be burnt

1 44 HISTO RY O F THE

e and small, with death ; declaring, at the same tim , not that the least crime deserved death, and he did

know of any worse punishment for the greatest. Those persons who praised other modes of wor ship were heretics ; also those who said men might — be saved in all religions those who dared to find f ault with , or to criticise, in any way, a decision If of the pope. any one show ed disrespect to an his or image, or read, kept in house, lent any book f orbidden by the inquisition, or ate meat upon days

of had for f abstinence, or a heretic a riend, or wrote o sdle to g n a prisoner in the inquisition, or tried to ” o . pr cure evidence to acquit him At one period, “ of says a writer, the sale Spanish horses to the F h rench was considered as heresy , because t e H e French were ugu nots, and would probably use the horses against the interests of the Romish ” few of church . These are but a the items, from the of fi least which justi cation, unless it was the of D pleasure the inquisition, was impossible . ifii f cult as it was to escape their angs, it was infinitely ffi of I more di cult to get out them when seized . f the h inquisition wanted to arrest a person , e was

‘ seized without warning ; nothirig could protect for him , no asylum was sacred. None dared to — interfere to utter a syllable in defence ; and when a perso n once stepped over the threshhold of the

inquisition , he was dead to the world . The num ber of beings who put an end to themselves by

' ia suicide, their despair, is beyond all calculation ! O I IN UISI'I‘ IO CATH L C Q N . 1 45

The two principal hinges upon which, in crimi nal cases, the judicial examination of the prisoners f b — im be ore this tri unal turns, are First, an possi bilit b y, almost a solute, on the part of the culprits to substantiate the justice of their cause ; and a f b acility almost oundless, on the part of the inqui u sitio , to aggrieve them . With a code in which

is re . illegality duced to a system , and a tribunal d b that contemns all man holds sacre , a tri unal that rests the issue of its important affairs on the im penetrable secrecy of its proceedings ; that fears on for no one earth, to no one is it responsible, not

even to public opinion , it cannot be a matter of surprise that such a multitude of enormous crimes should have rendered it so odious crimes the

more revolting, because perpetrated under the

mask of the gospel . The judges presiding over a tribunal wielding at such power, should least have bee n well instruct ed in the principles of justice and equity ; and yet f of it is a act, that the dulness and ignorance inqui “ sitors . H has passed into a proverb ence, the ” Pui blanch Portuguese noblemen , says g , when they wishto joke about the backwardness of their

children at college , threaten to make inquisitors ” O f f of them . late, the ollowing saying was to be u of met, says the same author, in the mo ths all Question What constitutes an inquisition fl nswer : Why, one crucifix , two candles, and ” ” e tr e blockheads . 146 HIS TO RY O F THE

f The two forms o process were, by inquisition nd d : th howeVi er fi eu a enunciation elatter, , nally d e e al perse ed the other, as by several dicts a g ner i all to d six njunction was laid on enounce, within

days, any one who had sinned in any way. These

edicts rendered society a hord e of panic - struck and r and the abject wretches, where the mutual hat ed, mutual prejudices of citizens became the common of a the f property this tribun l, and where oulest passions of our fallen nature were quickened into I denunciatio and s the worst activity . ndeed, n e cret impeachment were found to answer the p ur pose much more effectually ; and what was the re “ ” u ! k f the s lt Ta ing rom simple denunciation, “ Pui bla ch f says g n , whatever is avourable to the ' f and f accusation what in ormer, rom the rigorous is ‘

contrary to the culprit, the inquisition has created a new judicial process which it is impossible to

d fi . I n class or e ne it, the rancour and vengeance of r m those who t aced it see emulously to shine, and it is diffi cult “to discern whether the blows are most levelled against the rights ofjustice or of hu manity for who can defend himself against

i e . the a calumny when st mulat d by law, nd aecom paniad by almost a certain hope of impunity !

of t b s m eans of This bane socie y, y secrecy, is con verted . i nto an arm that woundsi at an immense ” distance.

r f e of kindstz— F P oo s w re three irst, by instru s s — ment or writing Second, by witnesses, two

CATHO LIC INQUISI'I‘ IO N 1 49 of w c in hi h, addition to the denunciator, are, i n

e. theory, requisit The prisoner, however, as has een sa who his b id, never knows is accuser nor the w fi a itnesses, as in nite pains are t ken to keep him in It the dark. is only when any doubt has arisen s he of re pecting t identity his person, that the wit nesses view him from a secret place where they be b cannot seen, or else are rought before him f with masks on their aces, and covered with cloaks front f t — b head to oo And , third, y voluntary con fession w , hich, though called spontaneous, always partook of coercion . f i The act,which daily occurred , that the nno m ur r d i cent were de e w th the guilty, was regarded with great indifference ; for it was a cherished that Ca maxim, it is better one hundred pious tholics : should perish , than one heretic escape for b , said they, y putting to death an innocent person , we hasten and secure his entrance into paradise ; while a liberated heretic may infect a ” N i. m ultitude . Let no person complain, says E meric in b cholas y , his cele rated book, the Di I ’ “ if rectory of the nquisitors, he be unjustly condemned ; let him console himself with the re flection that he has suffered for righteousness ” sake . This famous book of Eym eric was written about the middle of the fourteenth century . The author n f was a Dominica , and chie inquisitor to the crown of Arragon , and his work has served as a N 2 1 50 HIS TO RY O F THE model for all the regulations which have been in f i t as orce in Spa n, Italy, and Por ugal, and author for th F ity all who have written on e subject. rom s t t this work a single pa sage, being a s ra agem or p recaution which he recommends to inquisitors m suffi when sitting in judg ent, will be amply cient. When the prisoner has been impeached of of ‘ the crime heresy, but not convicted, and he obstinately persists in his denial, let the inquisitor an other take the proceedings into his hands, or y le o a fi f p p ers, and looking them over in his pre ' s let him i n to ha d d the o en ce ence, fe g ve iscovere fi " fu is desirous he lly established therein, and that he m his f i should at once ake con ession . The inqu si if tor shall then say to the prisoner, as in astonish And is it possible you should still deny what I have here before my own eyes H e shall then seem as he read the if , and to end that the b f prisoner may know no etter, he shall old down the f f lea , and a ter reading some moments longer,

' him It he shall say to , is just as I have said why h f t ere ore do you deny it, when you see I know the whole m atter — I n all this the author di rects the judge not to enter too minutely into the

of f for f of particulars the act, ear his erring in any of the circumstances, and lest the prisoner should d iscover the falsehood . This chapter will now close with a confession f ’ rom an eminent inquisitor, at which one s blood

. Lasier runs cold Don Manuel Abad y ra, one

1 52 HISTO RY O F THE

f be as ture, and compelled to declare himsel to f criminal be ore men, as his judges supposed he f t i was be ore God . There was another prac ice st ll f more inhuman . When the culprit, rom repent f in ten tion ance, at once con essed his and revealed his accomplices, the torture was again inflicted f for if any o the accomplices denied being such, the purpose of seeing if he persisted in the decla of in ration . Sentence torture always began by v oking the name of Christ ! of Pui blanch who Three kinds torture, says g , f of will be ollowed in this part the subject, have b l been generally used y the inquisition , name y ,

fire . u the pulley, the rack, and As sad and lo d of lamentations accompanied the sharpness pain , was the victim conducted to a retired apartment, ” H of called the all Torture, and usually situated in under ground , in order that his cries might not terrupt the silence which reigned throughout the H other parts of the building. ere the court assem b led, and the judges being seated, together with

their secretary, again questioned the prisoner ; and if he still persisted, they proceeded to the ex ecu

tion of the sentence . fi was The rst torture, which alluded to in the ’ account given in a former chapter of B ower s ad f fi a ventures, was per ormed by xing pulley to the f of hem en roo the hall , with a strong i p or grass

rope passed through it. The executioners then s him eized the culprit, and leaving naked to his

O I S O CATH L C INQUI ITI N. 1 57

we f d dra rs, put shackles on his eet:and suspende His weights of one hundred pounds to his ancles. hands were then bound behind his back, and the f f rope rom the pully strongly astened to his wrists. In this situation he was raised about the height of f a man rom the ground , and , in the meantime, the

judges coldly admonished him to reveal the truth . In this position twelve stripes were som dtim es in H f flicted on him . e was then suffered to all sud a his f de ly , but in such a manner that neither eet e d u nor the weights r ache the gro nd, in order to render the shock of the body greater . of the of The torture rack, also called that water s and rope , and the one most commonly used, was inflicted by stretching the victim on his back along w b ti a wooden horse , or hollo ench , with s cks across

d for . like a la der, and prepared the purpose To f d d this his eet, han s, and head were strongly boun , I n in such manner as to leave no room to move .

“ this attitude he experienced eight strong contor in b tions his lim s, namely, two on the fleshy parts two b of the arms above the elbows, and elow ; one

and l o l . H e be on each thigh , .as on the egs was, d swal ow S n of e si es, obliged to j eve pints wat r, slowly dropped into his mouth on a piece of silk of or ribbon, which, by the pressure the water, as r all glided down his throat, so to p oduce the horrid sensations of drowning. At other times in of his face was covered with a th piece linen, O 1 58 HISTO RY or run through which the water ran into his mouth and nostrils, and prevented him from breathing .

I n the re torture by fi , the prisoner was placed of upon his legs, naked , in the stocks ; the soles his f eet were then well greased with lard , and a blaz

chafi n - the o f ing g dish applied to them , by heat b which they ecame perfectly fried . When his of b complaints the pain were loudest, a oard was f fire placed between his eet and the , and he was again commanded to confess but it was taken if i f away he was obstinate . Th s species o torture the of but was deemed most cruel all ; this, as well as the others, were, without distinction , applied to

n of b ' of perso s oth sexes, at the will the judges, according to the circumstances of the crime and the strength of the delinquent. Lesser tortures were used with persons unable to withstand those already described . Such were, of of of that the dice, the canes, and the rods . For fi r the rst, the prisoner was extended ou the ground , of but and two pieces iron, shaped like a die, con on cave one side, were placed on the heel of his f f right oot, then bound ast on with a rope which h . of was pulled tight wit a screw That the. canes was performed by a hard piece being put between fi b each nger, ound, and then screwed as above . That of the rods was inflicted on boys under nine of b m years age, by inding the to a post and then

flogging them with rods.

O I IN SITI CATH L C QUI O N . 1 61

for b l The time allowed torture , y a hu l of Paul I II. , could not exceed an hour ; but in Spain , where of the race cruelty was always won , it was ex tended to an hour and a quarter, and an hour and ' f ‘ sufl rer f a hal . The e o ten became senseless, in h whic case a physician was ever in attendance, to inform the coprt whether the paroxysm was real f or eigned , and to declare how much human nature firm could endure. When the victim remained , or refused to ratify a confession within twenty f f f un our hours a terwards, he has been orced to ’ der o as far o ne g as three tortures, with only day s

v b . inter al etween each Thus, while his imagina tion was still filled with the dreadful idea of his ff ff past su erings, his limbs sti and sore , and his strength debilitated, he was called upon to give f of a fresh proo s his constancy , and ag in endure the horrid spectacle and the excruciating pangs, tend ing to rend his whole frame to pieces . The persons charged to inflict these cruel opera tio ns were generally the servants of the jailer : as f the institution , however, was ormerly under the f of charge o the Dominicans, and late years also in I b taly , it is probable that the lay rethren were se lected to inflict the torture ; particularly as the inquisition was usually contiguous to their con m a vents, with which they com unicated by se

cret door and passage ; and by these services, the

ren far f brmh , rom being dishonoured, considered they were doing acts acceptable to God . 0 2 1 62 HISTO RY O F THE

artifices When neither persuasions, threats, nor f forced the culprit truly or falsely to con ess, the

inquisitors then recurred to the torture, mixing even - this deception with severity ; for besides threatening the prisoner to make his pangs last for f be an indefinite period o time, they made him

f b m for . lieve, a ter he had orne the the stated time, that they only suspended their continuation be for cause it was late, or some other similar reason ; they protesting, at the same time, that he was not B suffi ciently tortured . y this protest they avoided giving a second sentence whe n they returned to f inflict the torture a resh, considering it as a con tinuation of the preceding one ; by which means they were able to torment the victi m as often as f m they thought proper, without ormally co ing to

the second torture . f u t Whilst the un ort nate victim , melted in ears at the sight of the horrors by which he is sur b his b f f rounded, ewails misera le ate, or, renzied

' force of f in with the ury, vain calls all nature to is of h aid , and invokes the name God whilst his passions are alternately irritated and then depressed

into a desponding calm, at one time protesting his

a o n innocence, and next c lling down curses his m ’ b i tor entors heads ; in short, whilst his ody s s b haken y the most violent convulsions, and his b b soul racked, his inexora le judges, unmoved . y

such a scene , with the coldest cruelty mix their orders with his cries and lamentations ; at one time

1 64 HISTO RY O F THE

i l Ro that the hu man mind can enterta n, name y, a

m an of . triumph, and the day judgment f fé There were two kinds o autos da , the parti cular far and the general . The mer were called autillos , or little autos, and were celebrated in some small church or hall with closed doors, and before only select persons . The general autos were e of sol mnized in the principal square the city, or

. I n fi the l some spacious church the rst, cu prits w I n fe . were , in the second , numerous the grander exhibition great care is taken to include

' diflerent persons who have committed crimes, so

' as to give an imposing variety to the spectacle ; m rela sed and, at the same ti e, some p persons, whom even repentance cannot save from the flames ; for if all could be pardoned by abjuring their errors, the exhibition might be spoiled at the last moment ! i The victims who walk in the process on , wear b the co certain insignia ; these are, the san enito, roza, the rope round the neck, and the yellow wax san candle . The benito is a penitential garment or of d the tunic yellow cloth reaching own to knees, and on it is painted the picture of the person who b fi of wears it, urning in the flames, with gures of f dragons and devils in the act anning the flames . This costume indicates that the wearer is to be de If s stroyed as an impenitent. the per on is only n to do penance, the the san benito has on it a cross, If and no paintings or flames. an impenitent is

1 68 HIS TO RY O F THE broken like a rugged and contumacious shrub be the m of cause, as its thorns tear gar ents the passers by, so do the heretics, whom it resembles, rend

' the seamless coat of Christ. f The most memorable auto da é on record, was

‘ the of 1 68 0 celebrated at Madrid, in year our Lord , I I . t before Charles I . and his queen was noised the all over world, and travellers and historians have selected it as the . rarest specimen of which A of the inquisition could boast. painting it was f made by Francisco Rizzi, and a ull description has been given by Jose de Olmo; an eyewitness f had and a amiliar, and who in that capacity no small share in the whole transaction . The name of the inquisitor general was Don Diego Sarmiento

who b of de Valladares, had been a mem er the

’ council of government during the minority of the k n , u O of ~ i g and who tho ght it a good pportunity

- of b securing the good will his master, by exhi iting s to him an auto on a plendid scale . Orders had been sent to the various tribunals to h n b r of asten their trials, that the um e criminals might be as large as possible ; and that the con of course people should be the greater, it was d f th solemnly proclaime , a month be ore e time, n of that on Su day the thirtieth June, this great ” of f triumph the Catholic aith , as Olmo calls it, would take place. The public notification ran thus B e it known to all the inhabitants and of dwellers in this city Madrid, the court of his O I IN UISI'I‘ I CATH L C Q ON . 1 69

Majesty present and residing therein, that the holy office of the inquisition celebrates a public

da fé of a auto , in the large square this s id city, on Sunday 30th of June of this present year ; and that those graces and indulgences will be granted which for the popes have enacted , all who may aecom pany and aid in the said auto da fé. This same is ' be roclaim ed for f i of ordered to p ‘ the in ormat on ” every one . The reader naturally pauses U pon the selection

- — of the Sabbath day the day set apart for rest and religious joy— the day on which all work is sus pended , and all public punishments suppressed et and y this day , revered by so many nations, was the day on which this arrogant tribunal called upon the civil magistrate to dye his hands in hu

f of r man blood , and to pro ane the solemn season e ligious festivity . Orders were issued for a vast stage or platform the i to be erected in princ pal square, and two hun dred and fifty artiz ans enlisted into the service of of of the inquisition , under the title Soldiers ” —fi e the Faith , to guard the criminals ; eighty v n and the perso s, among whom were grandees for highest nobility, having solicited and obtained the occasio n the places of familiars to the holy offi ce.

As the day approached , the whole country was

- of alive . On the twenty eighth June a preparatory b of auto, y way rehearsal took place, in which the P 1 70 HISTO RY O F THE

” of f a of soldiers the aith, marched in kind pro

- f . cession, bearing agots to the burning place They passed the palace, where the monarch receiving

an ornamented fagot from the captain, showed it h to the queen, and ordered t at it should, in his fi the imi name, be the rst cast into flames ; thus a t ting Ferdinand, who, on a similar occasion, car fol ried the wood on his own shoulders. On the lowing afternoon the procession of the two crosses f f was per ormed with all solemnity; and, a ter W h 1 n ards, the prisoners were all collected toget er the secret prisons of the inquisition . t f d t At leng h came the aw ul ay , so impatien ly expected by the multitude, who have ever been f h e ound to exult in sanguinary Spectacles. At t e in the morning the clothes, san benitos, and break f asts were served out to the culprits. At seven the procession moved ; and first came the sol ” of f the diers the aith, who, as pioneers, cleared

f w of . way . Next ollo ed the cross St Martin , b covered with lack ; then came the prisoners, one

— - hundred and twenty in number seventy two wo

f - of men and orty eight men, whom some were in efli ies of efligy. The g those condemned persons

f . who had died or escaped, ollowed These efli gies have inscriptions, and are sometimes borne T m on long poles. hen ca e those who were to do and penance, those who were reconciled and

finally appeared twenty- one miserable beings con a d mned to burn , each with his coroza and san be

O I IN UISI I CATH L C Q T O N. 1 73

ni of m to, and most the with gags in then mouths, a en f f tt ded by numerous amiliars and riars, under t of f the pre ence com orting and exhorting them . Behind the effi gy of each culprit was also con ve ed i y boxes conta ning their books, when any had for been seized with them , the purpose of also be fl ing cast into the ames . The courts of the inqui

u f d' f the sitio ollowe immediately a ter, with secre f taries, commissaries, and amiliars, and among

them the two stewards, who carried the sentences of the criminals enclosed in two precious caskets. the ff an Next, on horseback, paraded sheri s d ffi of f f other o cers the city, and a long train o ami

liars on richly caparisoned horses, with inqui ’ sitors habits over their dresses. Then a vast u of i multit de ecclesiastical min sters, all bearing i suitable insignia, and mounted on mules w th b B lack trappings . ehind came the mayor and of d fi of corporation Madri , and the scal proctor

d of f . Toledo , who carrie the standard the aith i of Next, the inqu sitors Toledo and Madrid ; and d lastly, the inquisitor general , on a superb stee fi magni cently clothed , twelve servants in livery, of f b and an escort fi ty hal erdiers, commanded by w Was the marquis de Pobar, hose livery still more da gorgeous . The whole was closed by the se n of chair and coach the inquisitor general, and a suite of carriages filled with his pages and chap ” s lains . This triumphant procession, ays Olmo, “ was performed with wonderful silence ; and r 2 1 74 HISTO RY O F THE

and though all the houses, squares, streets were of crowded by an immense concourse people, drawn together from a motive of pious curiosity scarcely one voice was heard louder than another. . ad The stage, which h been erected on the side of f the great square acing the east, was one hun f dred and ninety eet long, one hundred broad, and thirteen~ hi f gh, orming a parallelogram with a sur f of f th two ace nineteen thousand square eet, at e d of s of the a en s which flight steps, as wide as st ge s f of it el , were elevated to the second story the f l houses. The royal amily witnessed the who e f l scene rom a ba cony expressly prepared , and the ambassadors of foreign powers had balconies as B signed to them . eneath the stage were prisons for u a for r the c lprits, and various ap rtments e s n fre hments. A vast awni g was thrown over the

crowd, which occupied all the balconies and houses the f f on our sides o the great square . This grand of m fi five piece achinery was nished in about days,

upon which the historian Olmo says, It appeared that God moved the hearts of the workmen ; a cir ” cumstance, he continues, strongly indicated by m sixteen master builders, with their work en, tools, m u and aterials coming in , nsolicited , to offer their nd w h services, a persevered it such zeal and con tanc i s y, that without reserv ng to themselves the for takin onl customary hours rest, and g y the ne ssar for f d ce y time ood, they returne to their labour and with such joy delight, that, explaining the

176 HISTO RY O F THE

. fi thrown into the re. The latter, however, in some instances denied the executioners their hellish of ao pleasure, by throwing themselves their own of cord into the flames. The bodies those who

efli ies of were hanged, and the g , and bones the de d all ceased, were cast in, and more fuel ad ed, till t was converted in o ashes, which was about nine in the morning.

Such is a description, though greatly abridged , of da fé and this celebrated auto , the largest most splendid ever known in regard to the number of

' of f prisoners, the variety punishments, and the act of its having been presided over by three inquisi tori al of tribunals, one which was the supreme council , together with the inquisitor general, and ’ the u attended by all king s co rt and grandees.

H I C APTE R ! I .

T o he inquisition always h stile tb knowledge of every descrip — ti on Corrupting influence of the inquisition upon the people — The monks he r cond t on and influence—M racles of S T i i i i t. Do m n —T e — i ic h Rosary and worship of the virgin Mary Anecdote ’ of n is who read olta re s - an i qu itor V i works Proscription ofsciences and authors— ru ish r — B t igno anceof inquisitors Reflections upon ' the crue t of the n u s t on l y i q i i i .

H E RE V E R d W the inquisition prevaile , corrup as r tion covered the country the waters cove the sea . The people were degraded to the lowest condition

1 8 0 HISTO RY O F THE

a a an e tr v g ces. They taught the people to plac candles on the tombs of their relatives these were

disposed of by the churches . Sprinkle, sprinkle ” of the graves your parents, exclaimed the eccle siastics every drop of holy water extinguishes ’ a f r f — wa a bl ze o the fi e o purgatory . This holy ' ter was prepared and sold‘ to the silly people by ‘ b the churches . On certain days they had pu lic

auctions for the benefit of souls in purgatory . The monks ransacked the whole country for offerings

to be contributed to the sale, and those who paid highest for the articles exhibited were regarded as b the most holy. The money was laid out in uy and ing masses ; which invention, in Spain Portu a of re gal particularly, was source inexhaustible

. IV . d his venue Philip or ered, in will , that all for the priests in the place where he died , should of his e‘ for ever repeat a mass on the day dec ase, the good of his soul : and besides other provisions

of d f f of m for the same kin , he le t a und oney one d hundre thousand masses more, with an express if f condition , that , by good ortune, there should be more than was sufficient to procure the entrance of his soul into heaven , the overplus should be turned to the account of those unfortunate souls

of whom nobody thinks .

f of r r That amous implement supe stition , the o f sary, was borrowed by St. Dominic, the ounder of f the inquisition , rom the Moors who probably

f H . got it rom the indoos The Romish church, THO I IN UISI'I‘ION CA L C Q . 1 8 1 s O ays a sensible writer, had established an pinion t of hat prayer was a thing actual, not relative value ; that it was received as currency in the treasury of heaven , where due account was kept ; and that credit was given to every soul for all which he f had himsel placed there, or which had been paid over for his use; for the stock was transferable by

f - an gi t or purchase. The bead string was admira if ble device upon this principle, it had been f But r merely or abridging the arithmetic . the o f sary had other advantages. The ull rosary con

of - five sists one hundred and sixty beads ; that is, f f decade f o fi teen , with a larger bead at the end o for each , which is the pater noster ; the smaller It ones being for the aves Marias. is apparent that if the ave Marias were repeated one hundred f n and fi ty times continuously, the words would e l t f cessari y become withou thought or eeling, and soon pass into confused and inarticulate sounds ; heads but by this invention, when ten have been

dropped , the larger one comes opportunely in to ' jog the memory sufficient attention is thus f of awakened to satis y the conscience the devotee, effort f f r and yet no , no eeling, no ervor are e quired ; the heart may be asleep and the under standing may wander ; the lips and the fingers are allwhich are needed for this act of most acceptable ” and most effi cient devotion . It is a means, E l t says an ng ish Ca holic, to kindle and nourish f ob devotion , and with great acility to pray and Q 1 8 2 HIS TO RY OF THE tain ~ b n r on o f , y the most effectual i te cessi so great an' ad cate al of vo , (as the virgin , ) l manner g ood f c so « fruitfu1 a and per ect gifts ; from whi h, me ns, should be excluded neither the husbandman in the fie av ld, nor the tr eller in his journey, nor the la

“ ' b urer o e b un o with his t iling, nor the simpl y his f her skil ulness, nor the woman by sex, nor the b r for of aged y their impotency, nor the poo want for of ability, nor the blind want sight a devotion u n th d re which rep g e to no estate or con ition , not quiring more knowledge than to say the pater nos ter and ave Maria, nor more charge than the price of of of a pair beads, nor any choice place or situa of shall tion body, but as it like the party,either to

t &c. s and, sit, lie, walk, or kneel , ffi The virgin , they a rmed, was enchanted with f of d f this her own orm evotion , and hence she o ten appeared garlanded with roses, in the proportion w s of one red to ten white ones. There a no end

of . to the miracles the rosary A knight, to whom i s St. Domin c pre ented a rosary, arrived at such f of e per ection piety, that his eyes were open d, and d he saw an angel take every bead as he ropped it, r of and ca ry it to the queen heaven, who imme i t l fi it d a e y magni ed , and built with the whole i U str ng a palace pon a mountain in Paradise . This

- was a . saint miracle a much g reater one was

' f d n chsa e a sin er. e l v6u to A dams l, b y name A ex m ’ d b . n re i andra, induce y St Do i ic s p ach ng, used the rosary ; but her heart followed too mu ch after

1 8 4 HISTO RY O F THE the on f t insolent ecclesiastic ; while the owner, oo , was forced to fall in with the procession behind . A list of the books prohibited by the inquisition of was published in a huge work, consisting several f of olio volumes, by which a new species study was e us devised ; it being nec ssary, previo ly, to study these works, in order to ascertainwhat books were not allowed to be studied . Nearly all the great f French authors were interdicted . The ollowing anecdote will amuse the reader . A French vessel put into Lisbon the marquis de Pombal was then f b m inister o Portugal . Some young men elonging the b to vessel went on shore, and impelled y cu riosit y traversed the city, visited the churches, and refreshing themselves after their fatigues at a coffee s m hou e, they per itted their conversation to run f with reedomover all they had seen . Some ironi cal expressions concerning the multitude' of monks far escaped them, and one went so as to quote cer a sa l V in t in tirica lines from ol taire . They were stantl but f e y surrounded, they ought th ir way to b and h a the oat escaped, all except one, w o w s made

. F n b s b n b prisoner The re ch am a sador ei g a sent,

‘ the consul - generalapplied to the marquis de Pom

bal, who declared it was out of his power to inter f r e e, and he advised the consul to wait on the H e grand inquisitor. did so, agai n and again . H is the highness, grand inquisitor, always elud ed

. The coach his visit consul then ordered his stateu , ffi and, with o cial ceremony and pomp, he repaired O I I UISI CATH L C NQ TIO N. 1 8 5

’ to the inquisitor s palace, and demanded audience in of of the name the king France . On his eu r was t ance, the inquisitor loud and resolute against f the enlargement o the youth , repeating the terrible V a words heresy, atheism, philosophy, and olt ire, ” “ ” whose very name , he said, was blasphemy . The s but consul rea oned and remonstrated , all ap eared n p in vai , till at last the inquisitor, leading n the consul i to a private room , and closing the d l w oor, made the consu s ear in the most solemn m anner, not to betray what he was about to say. b f Being assured on this su ject, he rankly confessed a l f to the consul , that he was tot l y ignorant o the of V a a works olt ire, and that he had the gre test cu m T riosity to read the . he consul seized so fa

ur bl vo a e a chance , and immediately had a complete ’ set of Voltaire s works conveyed secretly to the d inquisition . Several days elapse when the con ul a ai a lied for the t of s g n pp libera ion the prisoner, n ' f if a in who ever would have been reed, the gr nd quisitor had not been threatene d by the consul . The inqui sitor being thus exposed to such i mmi f w nent danger, as would have ollo ed upon the ’ n d scandal of Voltaire s works bei g promulgate , ’ the hastened to comply with consul s desire, and ffai was at his own earnest entreaty, the whole a r kept a secret for several years . s Pui blanch Science and the inqui ition , says g , n in no country ever enjoyed lo g, at least, a peace ful dwelling together : the former soon declines Q 2 1 8 6 HIS TO RY O F THE and degenerates wherever the latter is indigenous f and successfully thrives . The earth itsel , over which its malignant shade spreads and darkens, loses its fecundity in consequence of the tainted efliuvia f issuing rom its trunks and boughs, as well as the poisoned juices which circulate around its root !” Me dicine could not flourish in a country where the monks were able to persuade a bigoted and br s o uti h pe ple, that saints, and miracles, and ' would cure i masses all d seases ; and where, to em

" l a h smi an of saint mi ht p oy p y instead invoking a , g l be considered heresy . E very thing tending to i lum inafe at fi mankind, promote civiliz ion , or bene t ib d rosdr e . society, was p by the inquisition B s o i and eside theol gy, ph losophy , politics, sci ences of‘ rst in i fi importance a state, polite l terature, d b and the ead languages, have een hated with a d b m O n eadly hatred y these alignant despots. e reason of the odium in which the old languages w were held, was, that it was a study to hich, the f d m re ormers and the protestants applie the selves, so of that in the eyes inquisitors, he who read a B b i le in the original tongues, was deemed a Ln theran or a Jew. A volume were insuffi cient to enumerate the an sciences which were proscribed, d the indivi m ff ed duals eminent in the , who have su er . Artists, h o and navigators, sc o lmasters, even handicrafts men have i ncurred the vengeance of the inquisi

res HIS TO RY or THE

o ab c uld lay his hands upon , perished, under the d sur notion that they were diabolical works, and

a of . s vouring heresy Another inquisitor, Cisneros, in Spain, it is said committed to the flames as many olum s of as eighty thousand y e Arabian works, many of the most valuable works at that time ex b the bi . tant in all sciences, eing in Ara c language

n or art of b One book on ste ography, the writing y cyphers, was condemned by the inquisition as a book upon magic : and in thesame celebrated in a d dex ppears under con emnation , A book printed f f H br in octavo, in orty our pages, in e ew letters, in

1 7 64 . H Venice, , by Christopher Ambrosini ere s b did the inqui itors who condemned this ook, not ’ actually know what it was about ! B ut b n esides obstructing scie ce in everyway, the inquisition has promoted error und er every It has f imaginable form . arrogated in allibility to f b f itsel , y attempting to identi y its name with that “ ’ W of of . e k the church, and religion , the . pos

toli al &c. . c inquisitors, is their style The belief in witches . and magic was one of their errors w of hich was a copious source cruelty. Facts u but th limits of crowd pon the mind , e , this work f enterin full i O e fi orbid g y upon th s p ning eld . One n other error will be mentio ed, which was cherish d fi w ed, and sustaine with in nite care, and that as, of and of n the supremacy the church , its mi isters, — even in temporal matters, over nations an error O I I UISI IO CATH L C NQ T N . 1 8 9 o f fi the rst magnitude, and one that was carried to “ of such an extreme, that in one its edicts it pro claimed that kings derived their power and eu thorit f m y ro God, and that the people were bound divin e aith to believe this with f , denouncing, at the same time, those philosophers as heretics who

t of . taught the sovereign y the people This error, in th e literal sense in which it was meant, must appear monstrous indeed to every American, in o n b of whose c u try, lessed God, the sovereignty of the people is one of the first principles ; to deny i h m at m wh c , would be as absurd as to deny, in he a

h . tics, that the w ole is greater than a part Such are f w of of a e the errors the holy inquisition, a tribunal f ic is ! o wh h called by one its wr iters, a column the of f r of of truth ; guardian the aith , treasu e the t of Christian religion, light against the decep ions i the enemy, and touchstone on which the pur ty of the doctrine is tried to discover whether it be ” true or whether it be false. The horrid scenes which the autos da fé created

r f. I n re all over the ea th , almost stagger belie Pui blanch of fleeting , says g , on the cruelty these if I b um of autos, it seems as eheld the tri ph the savages of Canada over some of their prisoner ene

mies; On one of the latter they brutally satiate u their rage . bound to a pole, they raise him p on d f high, tear own his flesh by mouth uls, cut away i n the his members one by one, and the mean time 1 90 HISTO RY!O F. THE

h f victim, without expressing pain, thoug oaming b a d fi n with rage, re thing e ance, and prese ting the spectacle of all the furious passio ns of the human soul, provokes and m ocks his executioners with c t irritating reproa hes, urging hem to the torture, while he glories in the triumph of having over

e f . of sim ilar cha come th m in erocity Cases a . racter have really and frequently been witnessed a e in the autos of the inquisition . To show th t th re d’ f w is no exag eration in the picture, the ollo g _rea ' i o f of he - b at ing descr pti n rom Garau, what eheld

. It an auto where he offi ciated as a minister. was

- i 1 69 1 . f at an auto n Majorca, in Thirty our cul prits were delivered to the flames after being and three b as it hanged, g were urnt alive, impen ent

. T V Jews heir names were Raphael alls, Raphael

Teron i Teron i. g , and Catherine g On seeing the ” flames near them, says the Jesuit Garau, they b f egan to show the greatest ury, struggling to free themselves from the ring to which they were ’ which Teron i ff bound, g at length e ected, although he f could no longer hold himsel upright, and he

- f e fi re. ell sid long on the Catherine, as soon as the flames began to encircle her, screamed out re eatedl for i f p y them to w thdraw her rom thence, although uniformly persisting not to invoke the

of . n name Jesus On the flames touchi g Valls, he f covered himsel , resisted and struggled as long as a : fat he was ble being , he took fire in his inside

IS O 1 92 H T RY,

In Roman tribunal was ever erected . their am phitheatres men had not quite put off humanity those condemned to die were exposed to wild beasts to be torn in pieces ; they knew their exe cutioners ; but here the condemned are tormented — by disguised ones men they should be by their ” but fi ercene s . shapes, devils by their s and cruelty

THE