Twenty men and women of these prisoners, |nals, which were all separately rehearsed with one renegado Mahometan, were order- aloud one after the other. Next followed ed to be burnt; fifty Jews and Jewesses, the burning of the twenty-one men and having never before been imprisoned, and women, whose intrepidity in suffering that repenting of their crimes, were sentenced to horrid death was truly astonishing: some a long confinement, and to wear a yellow thrust their hands and feet into the flames cap; and ten others, indicted for bigamy, with the most dauntless fortitude; and all witchcraft, and other crimes, were sentenced of them yielded to their fate with such resoto be whipped, and then sent to the galleys; lution, that many of the amazed spectators these last wore large pasteboard caps, with lamented that such heroic souls had not been inscriptions on them, having a halter about more enlightened! The situation of the their necks, and' torches in their hands. king was so near to the criminals, that their On this solemn occasion the whole court dying groans were very audible to him: he of Spain was present. The grand inquisi- could not, however, be absent from this tor's chair was placed in a sort of tribunal dreadful scene, as it is esteemed a religious far above that of the king. The nobles here one; and his coronation oath obliges him to acted the part of the sheriff's officers in Eng- give a sanction by his presence to all the land, leading such criminals as were to be acts of the tribunal. burned, and holding them when fast bound with thick cords: the rest of the criminals

ANOTHER AUTO DA FE.

were conducted by the familiars of the in- Another Auto da Fé is thus described by quisition. Dr. Geddes:-"At the place of execution Among those who were to suffer, was a there are so many stakes set as there are young Jewess of exquisite beauty, only sev-prisoners to be burned, a large quantity of enteen years of age. Being on the same dry furze being set about them. The stakes side of the scaffold where the queen was of the Protestants, or, as the inquisitors call seated, she addressed her, in hopes of ob- them, the professed, are about four yards taining a pardon, in the following pathetic high, and have each a small board, whereon speech: "Great queen! will not your royal the prisoner is seated within half a yard of presence be of some service to me in my the top. The professed then go up a ladder miserable condition? Have regard to my betwixt two priests, who attend the whole youth; and, oh! consider that I am about to day of execution. When they come even die for professing a religion imbibed from my with the fore-mentioned board, they turn earliest infancy!" Her majesty seemed about to the people, and the priests spend greatly to pity her distress, but turned away near a quarter of an hour in exhorting them her eyes, as she did not dare to speak a word to be reconciled to the see of Rome. On in behalf of a person who had been declared their refusing, the priests come down, and a heretic by the inquisition. the executioner ascending, turns the pro

Mass now began, in the midst of which fessed from off the ladder upon the seat, the priest came from the altar, placed near chains their bodies close to the stakes, and the scaffold, and seated himself in a chair leaves them. Then the priests go up a secprepared for that purpose. Then the chief ond time to renew their exhortations, and inquisitor descended from the amphitheatre, if they find them ineffectual, usually tell dressed in his cope, and having a mitre on them, at parting, that they leave them to his head. After bowing to the altar, he ad- the devil, who is standing at their elbow vanced towards the king's balcony, and went ready to receive their souls, and carry them up to it, attended by some of his officers, with him into the flames of hell-fire, as soon carrying a cross and the gospels, with a book as they are out of their bodies. containing the oath by which the kings of "A general shout is then raised, and when Spain oblige themselves to protect the Catho- the priests get off the ladder, the universal lic faith, to extirpate heretics, and support, cry is, 'Let the dogs' beards be made,' which with all their power, the prosecutions and implies, singe their beards; this is accorddecrees of the inquisition. On the approach ingly performed by means of flaming furzes of the inquisitor, and on his presenting this thrust against their faces with long poles. book to the king, his majesty rose up bare- This barbarity is repeated till their faces are headed, and swore to maintain the oath, burnt, and is accompanied with loud acclawhich was read to him by one of his coun- mations. Fire is then set to the furzes, and sellors after which the king continued the criminals are consumed." standing till the inquisitor had returned to his place; when the secretary of the noly office mounted a sort of pulpit, and adminis- The inquisition of Portugal is exactly upon tered a like oath to the counsellors and the a similar plan to that of Spain, having been whole assembly. The mass was begun about instituted about the same time, and put untwelve at noon, and did not end till nine in der the same regulations, and the proceedthe evening, being protracted by a procla- ings nearly resemble each other. The house, mation of the sentences of the several crimi- or rather palace, of the inquisition, is a noble

INQUISITION OF PORTUGAL.

edifice. It contains four courts, each about and the examination proceeds; when the forty feet square, round which are about 300 president asks a variety of questions, and dungeons or cells. The dungeons on the the clerk minutes both them and the anground-floor are for the lowest class of pris-swers. oners, and those on the second floor are for When the examination is closed, the bell persons of superior rank. The galleries are is again rung, the jailor appears, and the built of freestone, and hid from view both prisoner is ordered to withdraw, with this within and without by a double wall of about exhortation: "Tax your memory, recollect fifty feet high. So extensive is the whole all the sins you have ever committed, and prison, which contains so many turnings and when you are again brought here, commuwindings, that none but those well acquaint- nicate them to the holy office." The jailors ed with it can find the way through its va- and attendants, when apprized that the prisrious avenues. The apartments of the chief oner has made an ingenuous confession, and inquisitor are spacious and elegant; the en- readily answered every question, make him trance is through a large gate, which leads a low bow, and treat him with an affected into a court-yard, round which are several kindness, as a reward for his candor. chambers, and some large saloons for the He is brought in a few days to a second king, royal family, and the rest of the court, examination, with the same formalities as to stand and observe the executions during before. The inquisitors often deceive prisan Auto da Fé. oners by promising the greatest lenity, and A testoon (sevenpence halfpenny English even to restore their liberty, if they will acmoney) is allowed every prisoner daily; and cuse themselves; the unhappy persons, who the principal jailor, accompanied by two are in their power, frequently fall into this other officers, monthly visits every prisoner snare, and are sacrificed to their own simto inquire how he would have his allowance plicity. Instances have occurred of some, laid out. This visit, however, is only a mat- who, relying on the faith of the judges, have ter of form, for the jailor usually lays out the accused themselves of what they were tomoney as he pleases, and commonly allows tally innocent of, in expectation of obtaining the prisoner daily a porringer of broth, half their liberty; and thus became martyrs to a pound of beef, a small piece of bread, and their own folly. a trifling portion of cheese.

There is another artifice made use of by Sentinels walk about continually to listen; the inquisitors: if a prisoner has too much if the least noise is heard, they call to, and resolution to accuse himself, and too much threaten, the prisoner; if the noise is re-sense to be ensnared by their sophistry, they peated, a severe beating ensues. The fol- proceed thus: a copy of an indictment against lowing is a fact: a prisoner having a violent the prisoner is given him, in which, among cough, one of the guards came and ordered many trivial accusations, he is charged with him not to make a noise; to which he re- the most enormous crimes, of which human plied that it was not in his power to forbear. nature is capable. This rouses his temper, The cough increasing, the guard went into and he exclaims against such falsehoods. He the cell, stripped the poor creature naked, is then asked which of the crimes he can and beat him so unmercifully that he soon deny. He naturally mentions the most atroafter died. cious, and begins to express his abhorrence Sometimes a prisoner passes months with- of them, when the indictment being snatched out knowing of what he is accused, or hav- out of his hand, the president says, "By ing the least idea of when he is to be tried. your denying only those crimes which you The jailor at length informs him, that he mention, you implicitly confess the rest, and must petition for a trial. This ceremony we shall therefore proceed accordingly.” being gone through, he is taken for exami- Sometimes they make a ridiculous affectanation. When they come to the door of the tion of equity, by pretending that the pristribunal, the jailor knocks three times, to oner may be indulged with a counsellor, if give the judges notice of their approach. A he chooses to demand one. Such a request bell is rung by one of the judges, when an is sometimes made, and a counsellor apattendant opens the door, admits the prison- pointed; but upon these occasions, as the er, and seats him on a stool. trial itself is a mockery of justice, so the

The prisoner is then ordered by the pres- counsellor is a mere cipher: for he is not dent to kneel down, and lay his right hand permitted to say any thing that might offend upon a book, which is presented to him close the inquisition, or to advance a syllable that shut. This being complied with, the follow- might benefit the prisoner.

ing question is put to him: "Will you prom- Though the inquisitors allow the torture ise to conceal the secrets of the holy office, to be used only three times, yet at those three and to speak the truth?" Should he answer it is so severely inflicted, that the prisoner in the negative, he is remanded to his cell, either dies under it, or continues always after and cruelly treated. If he answer in the a cripple. The following is a description of affirmative, he is ordered to be again seated, the severe torments occasioned by the tor

ture, from the account of one who suffered it dured, that he fainted away; upon which he the three respective times, but happily sur- was unloosed, and carried back to his dunvived its cruelties.

FIRST TIME OF TORTURING.

geon.

SECOND TIME OF TORTURING.

The prisoner, on refusing to comply with These inhuman wretches, finding that the the iniquitous demands of the inquisitors, by torture inflicted, as above described, instead confessing all the crimes they charged him of extorting a discovery from the prisoner, with, was immediately conveyed to the tor- only served the more fervently to excite his ture-room, which, to prevent the cries of the supplication to Heaven for patience and sufferers from being heard by the other pris- power to persevere in truth and integrity, oners, is lined with a kind of quilting, which were so barbarous, in six weeks after, as to covers all the crevices, and deadens the expose him to another kind of torture, more sound. The prisoner's horror was extreme severe, if possible, than the former; the on entering this infernal place, when sud- manner of inflicting which was as follows: denly he was surrounded by six wretches, they forced his arms backwards, so that the who, after preparing the tortures, stripped palms of his hands were turned outward behim naked to his drawers. He was then laid hind him; when, by means of a rope that upon his back on a kind of stand, elevated fastened them together at the wrists, and a few feet from the floor. They began by which was turned by an engine, they drew putting an iron collar round his neck, and a them by degrees nearer each other, in such ring to each foot, which fastened him to the a manner that the back of each hand touched stand. His limbs being thus stretched out, and stood exactly parallel to each other. In they wound two ropes round each arm, and consequence of this violent contortion, both two round each thigh; which ropes being his shoulders were dislocated, and a considepassed under the scaffold, through holes made rable quantity of blood issued from his mouth. for that purpose, were all drawn tight at the This torture was repeated thrice; after same instant of time, by four of the men, on which he was again taken to the dungeon, a given signal. The pains which immedi- and delivered to the physician and surgeon, ately succeeded were intolerable; the ropes, who, in setting the dislocated bones, put him which were of the small size, cut through to the most exquisite torment. the prisoner's flesh to the bone, making the blood gush out at eight different places. As he persisted in not making any confession of what the inquisitors required, the ropes were drawn in this manner four times successively.

THIRD TIME OF TORTURING.

About two months after the second torture, the prisoner, being a little recovered, was again ordered to the torture-room; andthere made to undergo another kind of punA physician and surgeon attended, and ishment. The executioners fastened a thick often felt his temples, in order to judge of iron chain twice round his body, which, crossthe danger he might be in; by which means ing upon his stomach, terminated at the his tortures were for a small time suspended, wrists. They then placed him with his back that he might have sufficient opportunity of against a thick board, at each extremity recovering his spirits to sustain each ensu- whereof was a pulley, through which there ing torture. During this extremity of an- ran a rope that caught the ends of the chain guish, while the tender frame is being torn, at his wrists. Then the executioner stretchas it were, in pieces, while at every pore it ing the end of this rope, by means of a roller feels the sharpest pangs of death, and the placed at a distance behind him, pressed or agonized soul is just ready to burst forth, and bruised his stomach in proportion as the ends quit its wretched mansion, the ministers of of the chain were drawn tighter. They torthe inquisition have the obduracy to look on tured him in this manner to such a degree, without emotion, and calmly to advise the that his wrists, as well as his shoulders, were poor distracted creature to confess his im- quite dislocated. They were, however, soon puted guilt, on doing which they tell him he set by the surgeons; but the barbarians, not may obtain a free pardon, and receive abso- yet satisfied with this infernal cruelty, made lution. All this, however, was ineffectual him immediately undergo the like torture a with the prisoner, whose mind was strength- second time; which he sustained (though, if ened by a sweet consciousness of innocence, possible, attended with keener pains,) with and the divine consolation of religion. equal constancy and resolution. He was then While he was thus suffering, the physi- again remanded to his dungeon, attended by cian and surgeon were so barbarous as to de- the surgeon to dress his bruises and adjust clare, that if he died under the torture, he the parts dislocated; and here he continued would be guilty, by his obstinacy, of self- till their Auto da Fé, or jail delivery, when murder. In short, at the last time of the he was happily discharged.

ropes being drawn tight, he grew so ex- It may be judged, from the before-menceedingly weak, by the stoppage of the cir- tioned relation, what dreadful agony the sufculation of his blood, and the pains he en- ferer must have endured. Most of his limbs

were disjointed; so much was he bruised | judice, judge with partiality, pursue errors and exhausted, as to be unable, for some with avidity, and strain that which is innoweeks, to lift his hand to his mouth; and his cent into an offensive meaning. They misbody became greatly swelled from the in-apply, confound, and pervert the sense; and flammations caused by such frequent dislo- when they have gratified the malignity of cations. After his discharge, he felt the their disposition, charge their blunders upon effects of this cruelty for the remainder of the author, that a prosecution may be foundhis life, being frequently seized with thrill-ed upon their false conceptions, and designed ing and excruciating pains, to which he had misinterpretations. never been subject, till after he had the misfortune to fall into the power of the merciless and bloody inquisition.

Any trivial charge causes the censure of a book; but it is to be observed, that the censure is of a three-fold nature, viz.

The unhappy females who fall into their 1. When the book is wholly condemned. hands, have not the least favor shown them 2. When it is partly condemned; that is, -on account of the softness of their sex, but when certain passages are pointed out as exare tortured with as much severity as the ceptionable, and ordered to be expunged. male prisoners, with the additional mortification of having the most shocking indecencies added to the most savage barbarities.

3. When it is deemed incorrect; the meaning of which is, that a few words or expressions displease the inquisitors. These, Should the abovementioned modes of tor- therefore, are ordered to be altered, and turing force a confession from the prisoner, such alterations go under the name of corhe is remanded to his horrid dungeon, and rections. left a prey to the melancholy of his situation, There is a catalogue of condemned books to the anguish arising from what he has suf- annually published, under the three different fered, and to the dreadful ideas of future heads of censures, already mentioned, which barbarities. Should he refuse to confess, he being printed on a large sheet of paper, is is, in the same manner, remanded to his dun- hung up in the most public and conspicuous geon; but a stratagem is used to draw from places. After which, people are obliged to him what the torture fails to do. A com- destroy all such books as come under the panion is allowed to attend him, under the first censure, and to keep none belonging to pretence of waiting upon, and comforting his the other two censures, unless the excep mind till his wounds are healed: this per- tionable passages have been expunged, and son, who is always selected for his cunning, the corrections made, as in either case disoinsinuates himself into the good graces of bedience would be of the most fatal consethe prisoner, laments the anguish he feels, quence; for the possessing or reading_the sympathizes with him, and, taking an advan- proscribed books are deemed very atrocious tage of the hasty expressions forced from crimes. him by pain, does all he can to dive into his The publisher of such books is usually secrets. This companion sometimes pretends ruined in his circumstances, and sometimes to be a prisoner like himself, and imprisoned obliged to pass the remainder of his life in on similar charges. This is to draw the un- the inquisition. happy person into a mutual confidence, and persuade him, in unbosoming his grief, to betray his private sentiments.

Where such an absurd and detestable system exercises its deadening influence over. the literature of a nation, can we be surFrequently these snares succeed, as they prised that the grossest ignorance and the are the more alluring by being glossed over most bigoted superstition prevail? How can with the appearance of friendship and sym- that people become enlightened, among pathy. Finally, if the prisoner cannot be whom the finest productions of genius are found guilty, he is either tortured or harass- prohibited, all discussion prevented, the most ed to death, though a few have sometimes innocent inquiries liable to misconstruction had the good fortune to be discharged, but and punishment, the materials for thinking not without having suffered the most dread- proscribed, and even thought itself chained ful cruelties. down, and checked, by the fear of its escaping The inquisition also takes cognizance of into expression, and thus bringing certain all new books; and tolerates or condemns and cruel punishment on him who has dared with the same justice and impartiality by to exercise his reason, the noblest gift of his which all its proceedings are distinguished. Almighty Creator. Surely every well-wisher When a book is published, it is carefully to the human race, must rejoice in the downread by some of the familiars; who, too ig-fall of this most barbarous and infernal of all norant and bigoted to distinguish truth, and tribunals; and must view with indignation too malicious to relish beauties, search not and abhorrence the iniquitous attempts now for the merits, but for the defects of an au- making to re-establish it in those unhappy thor, and pursue the slips of his pen with countries which so long groaned under its unremitting diligence. They read with pre- sway.

SECTION II.

Barbarities exercised by the Inquisitions of Spain and Portugal.

FRANCIS ROMANES, a native of Spain, was would rather break it to pieces than take employed by the merchants of Antwerp, to such a trifle." -"Break it to pieces!" said transact some business for them at Bremen. the inquisitor; "break it to pieces if you He had been educated in the Romish per- dare!" Rochus, provoked at this expression, suasion, but going one day into a Protestant snatched up a chisel, and cut off the nose of church, he was struck with the truths which the image. This was sufficient; the inquisihe heard, and beginning to perceive the tor went away in a rage, and soon after the errors of popery, he determined to search carver was apprehended. In vain did he farther into the matter. Perusing the sacred plead that what he had defaced was his own scriptures, and the writings of some Pro- property: his fate was decided: he was contestant divines, he perceived how erroneous demned to be burnt, and the sentence was were the principles which he had formerly executed accordingly.

HORRID TREACHERY OF AN INQUISITOR.

embraced; and renounced the impositions A doctor Cacalla, his brother Francis, and of popery for the doctrines of the reformed his sister Blanche, were burnt at Valladolid, church, in which religion appeared in all its for having spoken against the inquisitors. genuine purity. Resolving to think only of his eternal salvation, he studied religious truths more than trade, and purchased books A lady, with her two daughters and her rather than merchandise, convinced that the niece, were apprehended at Seville for proriches of the body are trifling to those of the fessing the Protestant religion. They were soul. He therefore resigned his agency to all put to the torture: and when that was the merchants of Antwerp, giving them an over, one of the inquisitors sent for the account at the same time of his conversion; youngest daughter, pretended to sympathize and then resolving, if possible, to convert his with her, and pity her sufferings; then bindparents, he went to Spain for that purpose. ing himself with a solemn oath not to betray But the Antwerp merchants writing to the her, he said, "If you will disclose all to me, inquisitors, he was seized upon, imprisoned I promise you I will procure the discharge for some time, and then condemned to be of your mother, sister, cousin, and yourself." burnt as a heretic. He was led to the place Made confident by his oath, and entrapped of execution in a garment painted over with by promises, she revealed the whole of the devils, and had a paper mitre put upon his tenets they professed; when the perjured head by way of derision. As he passed by a wretch, instead of acting as he had sworn, wooden cross, one of the priests bade him immediately ordered her to be put to the kneel to it; but he absolutely refused so to rack, saying, "Now you have revealed so do, saying, "It is not for Christians to wor- much, I will make you reveal more." ship wood." Having been placed upon a fusing, however, to say any thing farther, pile of wood, the fire quickly reached him, they were all ordered to be burnt, which whereupon he lifted up his head suddenly; sentence was executed at the next Auto da the priests, thinking he meant to recant, or- Fé. dered him to be taken down. Finding, however, that they were mistaken, and that he still retained his constancy, he was placed again upon the pile, where, as long as he had life and voice remaining, he kept repeating the seventh psalm.

Re

The keeper of the castle of Triano, belonging to the inquisitors of Seville, happened to be of a disposition more mild and humane than is usual with persons in his situation. He gave all the indulgence he could to the prisoners, and showed them every favor in his power, with as much secrecy as A CARVER BURNT FOR INJURING AN IMAGE, possible. At length, however, the inquisitors At St. Lucar, in Spain, resided a carver, became acquainted with his kindness, and named Rochus, whose principal business was determined to punish him severely for it, to make images of saints and other popish that other jailors might be deterred from idols. Becoming, however, convinced of the showing the least traces of that compassion errors of the Romish persuasion, he embraced which ought to glow in the breast of every the Protestant faith, left off carving images, human being. With this view they immeand for subsistence followed the business of diately threw him into a dismal dungeon, a seal engraver only. He had, however, re- and used him with dreadful barbarity, so that tained one image of the Virgin Mary for a he lost his senses. His deplorable situation, sign; when an inquisitor passing by, asked however, procured him no favor; for, frantic if he would sell it. Rochus mentioned a as he was, they brought him from prison, at price; the inquisitor objected to it, and offer- an Auto da Fé, to the usual place of punished half the money. Rochus replied, "Iment, with a sanbenito (or garment worn by